Letters

WHY does Sharon Griffiths think that it is acceptable, even in jest, for any mother to threaten to cut off her son's "willy with a rusty bread

knife"? (Echo, Aug 7).

If any father threatened to cut off his precocious daughter's bust, the police or the social services would be alerted. Ms Griffiths's "mutual respect and restraint" are empty if she treats the human sexual organs as comic appendages like baubles upon a Christmas tree, instead of an integral part of human anatomy and dignity.

Now that cheap jibes at the female bust are incorrect, men as well as women can be open about breast scans, etc. Such frankness does not exist for men. Most men and boys are trained to be ashamed of their masculinity and would almost die rather than show it to a doctor or a nurse.

Some actually do die. Males suffer needless sexual worry, discomfort or pain and sometimes problems remain hidden until it is too late. All I ask, Ms Griffiths, is for equal dignity and the end of hurtful "humour" at male expense. - E Turnbull, Gosforth.

FOXHUNTING

YOUR many correspondents who oppose foxhunting (HAS, July 21) are ignorant of the relationship between man, his animals and other creatures that live in the countryside.

In 1938, when I was eight years old, I became aware of a large grey shire horse called Tiny in my village. It worked almost throughout the year ploughing and harrowing the soil, sowing and reaping the various crops, transporting the wheat and potatoes from the fields to the barns in the farmyard.

During the school holidays I would watch Tiny working in the fields then, in the evening, the farm workers would lift me on to his back for a ride home. When I was 13, Tiny became ill and died. I continued feeding the other shire horses but tractors were slowly replacing them, so I decided my future vocation would be in mechanical engineering.

Tiny's friendship set me on a career which gave me great fulfilment, especially when solving problems relating to horsepower.

There are very few working horses to be seen in the countryside today and, with the Government's legislation on the banning of hunting with dogs soon to be implemented, the country will lose a precious asset which is also an inspiration not fully understood by the majority of the population. - Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.

HOMOSEXUALITY

IS A request for caution all that the leadership of the Church of England can come up with in reference to the appointment of a gay bishop (Echo, Aug 7)? No wonder it is in crisis.

The African Bishop, the Rt Rev Dr Mouneer Anis, is demonstrating far more courage and determination to stand up for his faith.

Those who claim that appointing a gay bishop will "deepen and enrich the church's understanding of the Gospel" are talking blasphemous rubbish.

The Rev Martyn Percy says he doesn't think "the argument can be won or lost by appeals to Scripture". If priests, above all people, don't appeal to God's word in Scripture, to whom do they appeal?

The answer is clearly demonstrated by this whole controversy. People, led by their so-called spiritual leaders, tell God that He can't discriminate against gays. If he does, he's not a loving God. He must tolerate everyone, whatever sexual orientation they choose and whatever sexual acts they choose to perform.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah lived openly homosexual lives, actively encouraging and condoning the rampant behaviour of their citizens. Look what happened to them. Pity the warning will fall on deaf ears for the pro-gay camp don't believe the Scriptures. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

Richmond

WE write with reference to the meeting of Richmondshire District Council planning committee on July 29 and, in particular, the application for an agricultural worker's dwelling outside Finghall, near Leyburn, submitted by Penty Farming.

As committee members, we were left speechless by the behaviour of council leader John Blackie who, despite national, regional and local planning guidance, the advice of planning officers and of independent consultants to the contrary, proposed that the application be passed.

When this vote was lost on the casting vote of the chairman, he then shouted out a further proposal that the matter be deferred for further consultations with the Department for the Environment - even though we already had the Department's submission.

We believe that this conduct is highly irregular. It begs the question whether this matter will be deferred ad infinitum until Coun Blackie gets the vote he wants.

Most regrettably, however, this fiasco threatens to undermine the planning procedure in Richmondshire by weakening the authority of officers, endangering the local plan, setting a precedent and losing the public's confidence in the council. - Councillors Gina Ramsbottom, Linda Curran, Jane Parlour, Leyburn.