The so-called North Korean threat assumes that Kim Jong-un is the most suicidal dictator in history. The launching of one intercontinental ballistic missile towards US territory or South Korea would invite a response that would obliterate much of his country. Why would he threaten, let alone attack, Darwin, is beyond imagining. Like all actual or potential nuclear-armed countries, surely North Korea is projecting a deterrent capability, especially given the regular US-South Korea military exercises in the region. One would hope that any threat of a pre-emptive strike by the US would also be a geopolitical gesture, rather than expressing a serious military intention. The "crisis" seems a confected one until more convincing evidence is presented.
Keith Wiltshire, Carlton
Maybe North Korea has reason to retaliate
Has anyone considered the fact that South Korea and the Americans have ringed the Korean Peninsula with their rockets all pointing north? Maybe the North Koreans have good reason to retaliate.
Peter Cash, Wendouree
Nations must show a 'give and take' response
Having two armies playing war games so close to one another is the international version of noisy neighbours next door, with their ghetto blaster turned up to high. No wonder nerves get frayed. Surely the time has come for the players to pick up their equipment and move out into the Pacific Ocean where no egos will get hurt. As for the anti-missile defences, South Korea has the right to own them and China could go guarantor that South Korea will never be the first one to use them. These suggestions are only the framework for some genuine give and take. Heaven forbid that any international ego should be bruised.
John Coffey, Fitzroy North
What is China's master plan in missile crisis?
China defusing North Korea? North Korea appears to be acting as China's agent provocateur. A full-blown missile crisis would capture the attention of world leaders, allowing China to annexe Taiwan. Fait accompli, like China's South China Sea expansion.
Forbes Sprawson, Hampton
Who or what is really threatening us?
Who poses the real threat to the wellbeing of Australians? Far off North Korea, which joining the nuclear missile club some time in the future, Tony Abbott spruiking medieval jargon, or knee-jerk reactions of the new kid on the block, US President Donald Trump?
Rex Condon, Ashwood
For a moment, I thought this was serious
I was most alarmed to see the headline "D-Day" above the article headed "North Korea: ICBM launch destabilises region" (The Age, 6/7). However, on further reading, I was relieved to see that the existential threat was not to the Pacific Region, but rather in that region of reporting once known as a "footy shock".
Deborah Morrison, Malvern East
Trusting the US to detect and destroy missile
Why is the United States worried about a missile attack? The Americans would know exactly when it was launched and would have plenty of time to destroy it. People should stop carrying on like pork chops.
Ian Baker, Castlemaine
Relax, it's all talk and little action
It seems that US President Donald Trump's approach to diplomacy and Kim Jong-un might be akin to the Tony Abbott's "shirtfront": noise and little else.
Hugh McCaig, Blackburn
THE FORUM
Health and wellbeing
Bullying, harassment and unrealistic expectations of junior doctors (The Age, 5/7) deserve zero tolerance, and medical schools must play a part in driving change. It is important for all health care professionals to be adequately prepared for a role that can be emotionally demanding, with difficult decisions to make, priorities to be juggled and patients dying, despite our best efforts. An important component of medical education is building resilience. This approach does not load responsibility for coping with flaws in the system onto junior doctors. It is about maintaining health and wellbeing while doing a difficult job. Cultural change, elimination of bullying and reform of the health care system must happen, but this cannot be confused with keeping our doctors healthy at work.
Dr Justin Bilszta, Professor Steve Trumble and Professor Geoff McColl, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne
Saving our heritage
Russell's Old Corner Shop, the oldest shop and dwelling in Melbourne, is falling down, and its 93-year-old owners have been told they must spend at least $30,000 to save it from collapse or be forced to leave it (The Age, 6/7). In 2016, the City of Melbourne spent more than $3million on a single display of fireworks – and it has several displays a year. The cumulative expenditure on fireworks is greater than the council's heritage budget. Perhaps, for the cost of a cracker or two, it can find $30,000 to repair one of the few remaining historic buildings.
Michael Kennedy, Melbourne
A fail for effort, Bernie
Greg Baum (Sport, 6/7) is correct in his assessment of Bernard Tomic. To take his comments a step further, it would be interesting to hear Bernard's reaction if he were refused entry not only to Australian events, but also the Big Four of tennis tournaments on the grounds that the organisers: "Could not guarantee that you would try. We have given your place to a player who we believe will apply himself far better than you have over the past few months."
Ian Purchase, Frankston
What it says about us
Our response to the boredom of Bernard says more us than him. Australians feel entitled to have patriotic triers who make us feel better about being Australian so we can bask in reflected glory. Bernard is self-employed and he is surely entitled to do as he pleases. Indeed his ruminations on being privileged and lacking mojo should resonate with the lucky country. Perhaps the media and public need to stop feeling entitled and find other sources of feelgood.
Andrew McLorinan, Hampton
A spunky young man
Tennis is a selfish sport, elite sport has become commodified, and you see this through the lucrative sponsorship deals with elite players. Sometimes the truth hurts and Bernard Tomic's arrogance is a by product of his own sports culture. He's got spunk, leave the kid alone.
Melina Smith, Melbourne
Quick, take a photo
Several years ago, in the Louvre, I was kicked in the head by a toddler as she was passed up to be photographed in front of the Mona Lisa. It happened again, metaphorically, this week at the Van Gogh exhibition. The endless holding aloft of phones and ipads to take photos is intrusive and rude. I was shoved aside by an ipad-bearing person who then planted right in front of the exhibit, blocking my view and that of many others. Want to read the info accompanying paintings or drawings? Good luck – the same process applies. These silly people had the chance to gaze at beautiful and moving art, to just look, think, feel. But they blew it.
Margaret Saltau, Ascot Vale
The truth can hurt
I am saddened to hear that Yassmin Abdel-Magied is leaving Australia. I applauded her Anzac Day comments. She tried to wake up us to the fact that we were not/are not the only people on the planet to know the horrors of war, and to remind us that we have perpetrated the most awful betrayal on the refugees who came here looking for our help.
Elaine O'Shannessy, Wandin North
Cases of sexism and...
Psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg wrote a book about adolescent girls and chose to title it The Princess Bitchface Syndrome. He is sending quite enough sexist messages to his female clients without the contribution from the beauty pageants he condemns (Letters, 7/7).
Candice Hadden, Doncaster
...double standards?
Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson flirts, on air, with co-host The Panel's Sarah Harris, and that is considered to be a bit of fun. But when cricketer Chris Gale did the same with cricket reporter Mel McLaughlin, he was vilified. Double standards?
David Paterson, Clifton Springs
Our bloody history
I agree with Professor Lyndall Ryan that it is time the War Memorial acknowledged the "silent" colonial wars against Aboriginal people (The Age, 6/7). The beautiful Lake Surprise in Mount Eccles National Park, near Macarthur in Victoria, hides a guilty secret. This month is the 170th anniversary of the slaughter of the Mount "Eeles" tribe of Gunditjmara people.
Thomas Browne (aka Rolf Boldrewood), in his book Old Melbourne Memories, describes the posse of settlers murdering the Aborigines before dawn. The genocidal Eumeralla Wars in Western Victoria deserve to be memorialised in Canberra, along with at least 150 other planned frontier killings. Lest we forget.
Reverend Neil Tolliday, Werribee
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
A summer without cricket? C'mon! Cricket Australia and our elite players: work it out. There is more at stake than your income and salaries. What about your spectators and the television audience?
Jill Burn, Ivanhoe
Ripped off by vultures
I read your excellent investigation of yet another taxpayer rip-off (The Age, 4/7). As soon as government money is available, the low-life (usually "business" of some sort) crawl out of the woodwork to gouge our money. Where is the built-in oversight that should be part of the legislation? Gone with the well-paid public servants (made "redundant"). Remember, Australia, you get what you pay for. And one man's (politician's) "red tape" is another's consumer protection.
Michael Sherwood, Ormiston, Qld
A tiny crumb to...
I am pleased to announce I have received my generous $75 payment from the government to assist in paying power bills from my pensioned estate. A very thin slice of cake from the government gateau. Where is Marie Antoinette?
Stewart Bessant, Moonee Ponds
...pay our rising bills
Morning mail, the AGL Energy bill, telling me "we've changed more than just our logo". Well, yes. You have elevated everyone's already excruciating gas bills by 12.5per cent. Your honesty is appreciated.
Ray Peace, Bayswater
A very odd process
I noted your story about the property developers running roughshod over Sunbury (The Age, 4/7). Sunbury local Trevor Dance discovered that the Victorian Planning Authority uses developer money to employ personnel to "help rezone the land".
It is appropriate for developers to pay sizeable levies to support the provision of services and infrastructure for the new residents their developments foist on a suburb. However, they should not pay for public service personnel as "part of having their precinct structure plans considered". Surely this is a massive conflict of interest.
David Kemp, Lancefield
The lost, precious land
Given the population explosion in Melbourne's south-east over the last 10 years, history will surely record how stupidly short-sighted it was to decommission Waverley Park in Mulgrave and sell off the carparks to developers. Shame, shame, shame.
Carmel Oh, Hampton
Jeremy's education
Who would have expected teen comic strip Zits to acknowledge great blues musicians Bukka White, Koko Taylor and Magic Sam (The Age, 7/7)? Like Zits' gormless garage band kids, I too had to discover these names, and am ever thankful that I did.
By the way, Magic Sam also gets a shout-out in the Blues Brothers movie, just before the band launches into Sam's version of Sweet Home Chicago.
Ken Williams, Richmond
AND ANOTHER THING
North Korea
Watch as the US tries every option to solve the problem except meaningful negotiations.
Kim Bessant, Footscray
Perhaps the Donald knows a good shrink he could recommend to Kim.
Paul Murchison, Kingsbury
Give me one example of North Korea engineering regime change or meddling in the Middle East and Latin America.
Peter Bennett, Clifton Hill
Politics
Frydenberg says Abbott is helping Shorten get elected (7/7). No, he is helping the nation.
Geoff Champion, Dandenong
The irony, Mr Abbott, is that your exsanguination would staunch the Liberal's bleeding. Can't you do the right thing and go away gracefully?
Richard Harrison, North Balwyn
Let's call "private" and "independent" schools what they are: taxpayer-subsidised schools.
Bill Hampel, East Malvern
Property developers make juicy "donations". Isn't that why politicians support endless population growth?
David Hughes, St Kilda West
If Andrews wants to buy into businesses to help struggling Victorians, he should start with our utilities.
Bill Trestrail, St Kilda
Malcolm, it's easy to get out of that plebiscite – relegate it to the "non-core promise" basket.
Max Nankervis, Middle Park
Sport
As a teacher, I advise students, "Boring people find things boring". Come on, Bernard, do something about it.
Lorraine Spies, Shepparton
The trouble with cricket. The problem for players.
Sally Holdsworth, Malvern East
What would Kerry Packer do?
Ian Cunliffe, Moonee Ponds
How many AFL clubs want to recruit Jeff Horn?
John Bye, Elwood