NANNY STATE: In regard to the story Life Expectancy Cut For Drinkers (News Shopper, August 16). I am sorry to see your normally excellent newspaper is buying into the nanny state's "baby-ing" of us all. First it was do not eat too much red meat. Then came do not park your car there. Then it was take more excercise. And so on. When will the nanny state get off our backs? I am a law- abiding, tax-paying adult and if I want to drink I will.

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BRING BACK STOCKS: Having just read on your website the story about the explosion in Elsinore Road, Forest Hill, I felt compelled to write. Police now believe some kind of accelerant was used to blow the garages up. What kind of mindless fool(s) would do this? Thirty people evacuated; two cars destroyed, three garages blown up. It is high time we brought back the stocks to discourage such outrages.

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