"What a city, what a night, what a crowd, what a bomb, what a mistake, what a wanker you have for a president. What are you gonna do about it? ! ?

Tell me you're gonna do something about it!" In 2003, Bono was given the Legion D'Honneur by President Jacques Chirac on behalf of the French government.

Ultan O Broin, South Circular Road, Dublin 8

Growing aggression is clear in the media

IF ARCHBISHOP Brady needs more evidence of "growing coarseness and aggression" in our society all he has to do is look through the coverage in the media over the weekend of that execution: the mother of all snuff movies!

Noel Casey, Carrickbeg, Carrick-on-Suir

Dictator deaths show US foreign policy

IT'S strange how the west discards dictators that were once useful. General Augusto Pinochet and Saddam Hussein had much in common with 9/11 being a turning point in both lives. At one stage they were both part of US geopolitical policy, sustained in power even though both were merciless dictators who committed crimes against humanity against their own people.

Pinochet escaped justice and died in the comfort of his own bed attended by church and military ceremonial while Saddam died ignominously at the end of a rope after a tainted trial. Even in death, both men reflected US foreign policy.

Brendan Butler, 45 The Moorings , Malahide, Co Dublin

Toll increases don't translate into value

WHILE driving down from Belfast yesterday, I was dismayed to see that the toll on the North Link at Drogheda had increased from 1.60 to 1.70, an increase of 6.25% when inflation is 5% and the wage increase under the latest Towards 2016 agreement is only 4.2%.

Proceeding around the M50 to the West Link, the toll had risen by 10c, the fifth rise above inflation in four years. As well as causing massive traffic disruption, the operation of the West Link has to be one of the most blatant cases of rip-off of the taxpayer and motorist.

When the bridge was built in 1990, it cost 38m. Now NTR takes more than that in one year! Over the 30 years of the contract, drivers will have to pay out over 1,500m to use it.

A nice little earner for NTR, but what value for money for the rest of us?

Apparently, this crazy contract was drawn up in 1987 by the then FG/Labour government and signed by FG councillor Tom Hand, FF minister P Flynn and George Redmond of tribunal fame. Not only does the contract allow NTR to fleece motorists for 30 years but it gives exclusive rights to toll ALL traffic between the N3 and N4 junctions up to 2016. This means that the contract for the widening of this part of the M50 (and any future works) MUST go to NTR. Competition or what?

The so-called Public Private Partnerships (like the privatisation of Eircom and Aer Lingus) seem to be a lose/lose for the taxpayer/motorist and a win/win for well connected private businesses.

Dessie Ellis, 19 Dunsink Rd, Finglas, Dublin 11

Ibec brigade's thicktongued mumbles

RICHARD Delevan (24 December) need not worry. If there's one way to ensure the success of text-speak and the Bebo generation, then it's the well-larded, thick-tongued mumbles and prematurely menopausal twitterings of the terminally uncool Louis Copeland . . . and Louise Kennedy . . . garbed Ibec brigade about "ver kids". What is bizarre is that these people themselves probably reacted the same way when TV host Bill Grundy was sworn at by the Sex Pistols on in the 1970s.

Pitbulls for pets makes no sense THE savaging to death of a five-year-old girl in Britain must serve as another reminder of how dangerous pit bulls are, and how grossly unsuitable they are as pets.

In my view, these, and other similar vicious breeds, should be banned completely by law and the breeding of them made a criminal offence.

One really has to question why anyone would feel the need to have such a live ticking time bomb on four legs in his or her home.

The blood-crazed thugs who organise dogfights and badgerbaiting sessions primarily use pit bulls or dogs that are the result of crossbreeding with them.

In alleys and various concealed locations, they are pitted against each other as dozens, or in some case hundreds, of sadistic louts stand around egging them on, placing large bets on the outcome of fights.

The dogs literally rip each other apart in contests that have no place in any halfdecent society. In badger baiting, the dogs are tossed into hollows in the ground covered with Perspex to maul and savage the trapped badger.

In the process, both dogs and badger suffer horrific injuries.

Apart from being used in these two field sports, pit bulls are the favoured "pets" of drug dealers and other undesirable elements. That leaves only a tiny minority of misguided pet owners who would have to be deprived of their fetish for macho monsters in the event of a ban.

There is no valid excuse for being in possession of such creatures. They belong in a museum alongside the remnants of dinosaurs and extinct woolly mammoths.

Pit bulls, though innocent in the sense that animals cannot be held ethically responsible for their actions, are a high risk to children and adults alike.

Must we wait for a tragedy like the one that has left an English family grieving? I say the time has come to remove these lethal killers from our streets and homes.

Let's rid Ireland of the Criminal's Best Friend.

John Fitzgerald, Lower Coyne Street, Callan, Co Kilkenny

Freedom is yet another victim in Darfur

AS A journalist who has spent 30 years working in humanitarian aid, it is distressing to read that 2006 has been the deadliest year for reporters and aidworkers in over a decade.

Eighty aidworkers and at least 81 journalists were killed in action last year.

Both perform separate yet vital roles in developing countries. Journalists seek to uncover the truth about political and humanitarian crises, and aidworkers act to offset the material impact of crisis on civilians.

Without effective reporting, political violence and humanitarian problems can go unnoticed and relief operations do not get funded.

Meanwhile, aidworkers are at the coalface in troublespots around the world, and their bravery, professionalism and dedication often goes unreported and unnoticed.

While journalists are meant to be thorns in the side of the establishment and in states where freedom of expression is not a enshrined right, some coercion is sadly to be expected.

However, aidworkers serve to support the civilian population in an impartial manner.

Clearly however the upsurge in violence against aidworkers means that warring parties and corrupt undemocratic regimes regard aidworkers as pawns in conflict. Goal was forced to evacuate from Darfur in December 2006, after an upsurge of violence in the already chaotic region. The Sudanese government and its Janjaweed proxies have shown scant regard for civilians and aidworkers alike in Darfur.

Now, with most of the civilian international presence (ie, reporters and aidworkers) in Darfur forced out, the stage is set for the final and bloody culmination of Darfur's tragedy.

John O'Shea, CEO, Goal, PO Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin