Deafening silence on noise pollution

THE EDITOR: Noise pollution has reached epidemic proportions in this country. Yet every day I continue to wonder how is it, why is it that somehow this issue, this scourge, remains unnoticed by our intellectual elites, our medical professionals, our regular media commentators, our most experienced journalists, our finest legal minds, our independent senators, our very silent and obscure activists, and I could go on ad nauseam.

Noise pollution is not simply an annoyance, it is a health hazard (our health minister is unaware of this, of course). It is also a human rights dilemma (our attorney general is oblivious of this fact). It is also an assault on the very dignity of law-abiding citizens (our "activists," wherever they are, don't know this, so too our religious leaders). Yet there remains a deafening silence nationwide about this menace.

Is this a civilised country? Is this a real place? Who gave bars, tyre shops, mini-marts, car wash establishments, idiot car dee jays, etc, an untrammelled right to disturb entire neighbourhoods? And why is there no widespread outcry from all our patriots, all civic-minded citizens, our opposition members, etc?

This paucity of genuine, impassioned responsibility is as much a crisis today as our worsening crime situation.

An election is due, will "good people" continue to do nothing?

Excessive noise breeds chaos, chaos breeds lawlessness, lawlessness breeds criminal activity. This ain't rocket science.

DF REDMOND

via e-mail