"We in the Sunday Tribune are against censorship and believe passionately in freedom of speech. But the publication of cartoons that Muslims find so offensive was not correct. For that reason we are not reproducing them today" (Sunday Tribune Editorial 5 February).

Is the Tribune serious? Do you recall the obscene and vicious attacks on Nora Wall (Sister Dominic). "Vile Nun", "Pervert Nun", "I was Raped by Anti-Christ". Did you imagine that these came from people who were concerned about child abuse? Do you remember the article by the Sunday Wo r ld 's crime correspondent Paul Williams "Rape Nun's Abuse Pact by Smyth". He claimed that Nora Wall had procured children for Fr Brendan Smyth! Nora Wall sued and got damages of 175,000. I don't recall the Sunday Tribune (or any "Liberal" newspaper) highlighting the issue. Did you even mention it and if so when?

Several years ago, The Irish Times did an article about "Piss Christ", an artistic masterpiece that showed a crucifix in a bucket of urine. American Christians who wanted to deny public money to the artist were called "fascists" by The Irish Times. What was the constructive and sensitive response by the Tribune?

Do you really think that liberals can (literally) spew vomit over Christianity and their own culture and then demand tolerance of Muslims?

Berthold Brecht was the leading intellectual in the Weimar Republic. He was also a Stalinist bootlicker.

His own mistress Carola Neher, star of The Threepenny Opera, visited the Soviet Union, was arrested and disappeared forever into the Gulag. Brecht did not protest or lift a finger to help her (it would have meant allying himself with "reactionaries"). The obscene treatment of Nora Wall, Sister Stanislaus Kennedy and Sister Xaviera by Irish "liberals" is on the same moral level and you are equally unfitted to fight against our modern fascists.

Rory Connor, 11 Lohunda Grove, Dublin 15.

Reduce drinkrelated crime

I NOTICED yesterday on the Sky, BBC and Guardian websites that the UK's recent change in licensing laws have led to a drop in drink-related crime on their streets.

I do hope the Minister for Justice, councils, the gardai and publicans have taken note and will soon realise that staggered closing times are the way forward.

Curbing binge drinking, brawls and making Dublin and other cities around the country a somewhat nicer and hopefully safer place to be late at night.

Karen Pugh, 49 Dunard Drive, Navan Road, Dublin 7.

Law is stacked against retailer FURTHER to your report in the Sunday Tribune of 5 February, "Named: the shops that sold alcohol to a 15-year-old", I am the retailer in Churchtown who sold alcohol to the underage girl when you conducted your survey.

At the moment, the law is stacked against the retailer.

All my staff, as part of their training, are aware of the age limits for selling cigarettes and alcohol to customers.

The law wants the retailer to make a decision as to the age of the customer who is making the purchase. This is an impossible task. How do you decide who is 17 and who is 18? If I implement a policy of looking for ID from all young people who want to purchase alcohol and cigarettes, and who are within their right to do so, from the embarrassment and inconvenience, they will go to another shop which does not look for ID.

It is only fair and right that everyone involved should be held responsible in law.

There I suggest that: a) the retailer; b) the underage person making the purchase; c) anyone who purchases alcohol or cigarettes for an underage person; d) anyone who influences an underage person to make such a purchase, should be liable; e) everyone must show ID in order to purchase alcohol or cigarettes.

We now live in a multicultural society and, at times, I find it very difficult to determine the age of foreign nationals who frequent my shop.

I am not in business to break the law and make a few extra bucks from selling to underage drinkers and smokers. This girl was asked was she over 18 to which she replied 'yes'. It was then down to human judgement to make a decision.

I look forward to seeing my letter published in your newspaper as a right to reply to a flaw in the law which is totally one-sided.

Desmond Higgins, Tower Service Station, Churchtown, Dublin 14.