Dying of thirst

The water crisis in Jamaica is threatening to undermine what remains of the civil society. It seems to me, with the new tax regime, that the cart is officially ahead of the horse.

What is the point of paying more tax for schools and hospitals that are forced to shut down for lack of water? If we are all dumb, sick, dying or dead from lack of water, then who will pay the tax?

This growing disaster could be quickly fixed by readily available machines. Devices that can produce water from the air we breathe. These machines are right now available in many sizes.

Look it up. The device is called an atmospheric water generator. The source of the water is humidity that is the Earth's water trapped in the air.

Jamaica has plenty of humidity and these devices extract it for a useful purpose. The smaller can produce only a few litres per day. A larger one can produce up to 30,000 litres, that is 8,000 gallons every day.

These systems are up and running in the everlasting drought-blighted lands of Australia, Asia and many places in Africa. Why not in Jamaica? What is the finding of the National Water Commission crisis task force?

No new reservoirs will be built in time to resolve the crisis of today but there are other options that can be taken that will meet the need. Some of these machines are even self-powered.

H. Greene

option phase@yahoo.com

The law and consensual sex

Brian-Paul Welsh ('Putting up a façade' - The Gleaner, Saturday, December 19) appears to be placing consideration for legalisation of sexual activity on the three premises: consent, ability to consent and 'human rights'.

With respect to the first consideration, it would be incoherent to have to request consent for sex from goats as they are routinely killed and eaten without their consent.

In Welsh's construct, therefore, the substantial considerations should be only the 'human rights' of the zoophilliac to be free to express his/her sexual orientation.

On what basis then should there be legal restrictions on bestiality? And, in Welsh's reference frame, wouldn't it be morally bankrupt to have such restrictions?

Since, however, Welsh believes that reference to bestiality is a diversion and the term 'all sexuals' to be clumsy, it would help to cite a concrete example of a non-hetero-normative, non-binary relation.

What recommendations would Welsh make with regard to public policy in consideration of the legal status of a consensual sexual relationship between a man and his two adult sons?

W. West

wayne west@hotmail.com

Kingston 6