Letters To The Editor

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What a mess

I support the letter of Tom Koo (What is it good for? Echo, Apr 15).

Our Federal Government continues to support the remarkably aloof and arrogant US Administration that is responsible for the tragic mess unfolding in Iraq.

It's hard to imagine that the news out of Iraq could be more dreadful. After the loss of at least 634 American troops and the expenditure of countless billions of dollars, we've succeeded in getting the various Iraqi factions to hate us more than they hate each other. And terrorists are leaping on the situation in Iraq like rats feasting on a block of exposed cheese.

Our Government, along with the US Administration, has no real plan on how to proceed. We don't know how many troops are needed or how long they should stay in Iraq. We don't know whether we can meet the June 30 deadline for turning over sovereignty to the Iraqis. (Our Governments don't even know what sovereignty in this context means. June 30 was an arbitrary date selected with this year's presidential campaign in mind, and, no doubt, our PM will try to exploit this in his election campaign). We don't have a cadre of Iraqi leaders to accept the handover of sovereignty.

Meanwhile, people are dying.

When the US President - backed up by our PM - challenged Iraqi militants with the now-infamous taunt "bring 'em on," he betrayed a fundamental lack of understanding of the horror of war in general, and the incredible complexity of the situation in Iraq.

Instead of behaving as though he is responsible, as commander-in-chief, for the life of every man and woman who is sent into combat, both from the US and also from allies such as Australia, George Bush displays (as Prof. Peter Singer says) the moral development of a 13-year-old boy. Bush "sees the world very simply, in black and white, as good versus evil, and he thinks that America is the good guy, and therefore whatever America does is right. That's incredibly dangerous, when you are the leader of the most powerful nation on earth."

The tragedy of all this is that thousands of innocent Iraqis have died, including small children, but we don't seem to give that much thought. And we've insisted, despite profound cultural and religious differences, that we are going to install an American-style democracy, whether the various elements of the Iraqi people want it or not. And we're going to do it fast!

George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard and their advisors need to regroup and rethink this fiasco. If we were dealt this hand in a poker game, we'd fold. But with hundreds of thousands of coalition troops on the ground and no real Iraqi government in sight, that's not an option.

It's heartbreaking to think that Defence Forces have once again been put into such an untenable situation. The US President, who led us into this wholly unnecessary war, and was eagerly followed by our PM, have obligations to face up to and level with their respective people, to take full responsibility for the current disaster and to summon help from a genuine international coalition, which is the only feasible route to a resolution in Iraq.

David Horner
Alstonville

• Our sincerest apologies to Tom Koo, whose letter appeared with a number of mistakes last week. - Ed

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Dangerous liaisons

It is critical that Australians awaken from a long induced spell and finally see that America is absolutely not the righteous defender of freedom and liberty it has so long portrayed itself to be.

The advent of the Church of George Bush clearly reveals that America is steeped up to its ears in a blood cult, prone to depravity, barbarism and terrorism as severe as anything seen, past or present. George Bush, the self proclaimed Divine messenger, who besides his current atrocities excelled only in breaking all-time US execution records while governor of Texas, has set out to spread his insanity and draw the nations of the world into a murderous death orgy. It is not by his proclamation of self-righteousness, but by his fruits of death, destruction, delusion and deceit that he should be recognised as someone other than a messenger of God.

John Howard represents the infamy of being amongst his first besotted devotees. In being swept off his feet, he afflicted Australia with complicity in the murder and mutilation of tens of thousands of totally innocent people. The atrocities of the Coalition increase every day. John Howard and his government are a mortal and moral danger to Australia.

George Bush is totally delusional, he is the most dangerous man on earth. What is much more frightening is that there are people in Australia and America who, after seeing the blatant deceit and butchery of these men, are still prepared to support them.

Woe, woe to Western civilization!

Marijonas Vilkelis
South Lismore

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Sinister streets

If Prime Minister John Howard had been at Lennox Head during Easter, instead of last week, he could have endured the unnerving experience of driving down its main street incognito, instead of power walking to the accompaniment of media hordes here.

The resort's CBD was packed during Easter. Some Ballina Street parking was creative eg the P-plate vehicle which was nose-in... just... in the supposedly kerb-side lineup, with its chassis sharply angled, well out onto the bitumen, forcing all traffic to the other side of the road.

It was impossible to drive through the main street without crossing the central double lines. Then you risked being hit by traffic from the other direction, or swiped from either side. Pedestrians threaded their way unpredictably through the slowly moving mass. Petrol fumes blended unpleasantly with outdoor dining.

Sydney's George Street is horrendous on weekday afternoons - but at least the road surface there is considerably wider!

During past Easters I have escaped early through the relatively peaceful Gold Coast traffic flow to Surfers Paradise. So the Lennox influx was a revelation.

The permanent population of the village is poised to double. Daily it seems, more and more tourists and day-trippers are pouring in.

Unless special parking/traffic arrangements are made for peak holiday periods, more Lennox Head CBD accidents are likely.

Then the term 'laid-back atmosphere of Lennox Head' could develop another, more sinister meaning.

Marelle Lee
Lennox Head

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Pet Adopt-a-thon

On the weekend of May 1 and 2, Alstonville will host the annual Pet Adopt-a-thon. Conducted locally by the Animal Rights & Rescue Group, this is an international event where animal welfare groups open their doors to the public. The aim is to provide loving homes to the many cats and dogs, kittens and puppies that are in foster care. As ARRG does not have a shelter facility, the Alstonville Showground will be this year's venue.

To anyone considering a pet, please come along and meet the many animals that will be present. There will be pet care information available, light refreshments and volunteers to help with any pet enquiries.

Further information on this important weekend can be obtained from ARRG on 6622 1881 or 6628 1431. To view some of the animals available, visit www.animalrights.org.au. It should be a great weekend!

Michela Brown
Alstonville

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Party politics

Not surprisingly, locals from all political persuasions have been united in their outrage at the Carr Government's regressive decision to axe the Murwillumbah XPT service, with the next step being the likely closure of the Casino-Murwillumbah line. Indeed many local Labor Party figures (Sue Dakin,

Jenny Dowell, etc) have been quite vocal in their criticism of their own party's actions, and so they should be, as the NSW Government's decision could seriously hurt the ALP's chances of winning the upcoming Federal election.

The two local federal seats of Richmond and Page are two of the most marginal in the nation, and are obvious must-wins for federal Labor if they hope to defeat the Howard Government. A local voter backlash against the ALP at the federal level over state Labor's actions could be very costly for the party. So, what's going on here? Bob Carr's determination to drive regional NSW into the ground could end up preventing Mark Latham from winning government. Understandably, local grass-roots party members are seething with anger over the decision, not just because it is enormously unpopular, and harmful to the region, but because it's effectively a stab in the back for their federal campaigns.

Here's a proposal then: Mr Carr, Mr Costa, we know we're too far from Sydney to matter to your government, and we'll never vote for you anyway, but how about keeping the trains running, not to benefit us meaningless country folk, but to help your buddy Mark Latham become PM. How about it?

All of this just makes me glad I'm not a member of the Labor Party.

Nick Casmirri
Australian Democrats
Goonellabah

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A sad state of affairs

I am wondering why the Lismore City Council has allowed the pioneer headstones at the Memorial Park at the corner of Terania Street and Wilson Street, North Lismore, to fall into a dreadful state of disrepair?

My sister and I visited it recently and were appalled by the state of most of its headstones. Many are so faded by time and weather that they can no longer be read clearly. Many headstones along with the ornamental work on them are cracked. And some headstones are leaning right over (lots are covered with moss).

How can the council let such a valuable irreplaceable link to our towns past fall into such a state of disrepair? We cannot afford to lose this precious link to our town's history, which is what will most likely happen in about 18 months time.

Many residents do not know of its existence. Among those buried there are the Wotherspoon family (Wotherspoon Street), Isabella and Edward Spinks (Spinks Park), Charlotte Coleman (Coleman's Lane) and members of the Cottee family (Cottee's Cordials). There is also early Jewish graves there.

I also want to know why the council hasn't erected a memorial tablet in Magellan Street to Spencer Cottee who had a shop in the early 1880s?

From this humble shop Cottee's Cordials began. I think it's a very sad state of affairs when Lismore can't even honour a citizen who founded a national drink icon company. So beloved and familiar to many generations of Australians. The Cottee's Company may have had its headquarters in Melbourne but it's very start was in our town.

I'm not a member of any historical society, just a lady who loves her adopted home town.

We have many modern buildings in town but we need to save and preserve our past before it's too late!

Council needs to take action now!

Helen Coyle
South Lismore

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The good book

The religious right is neither, says the bumper sticker.

Sixty million Americans are reading the latest of the "left behind" series of futuristic novels based on certain current biblical 'Revelation' beliefs. In this latest all that stands between world domination by the combined forces of the anti-Christ, which are said to be the UN and the EEC in cahoots, is a US version of God. Kofi Annan must have laughed and cried...

But I note a book being sold on the street in Lismore that posits instead biblically based proofs that the Bush holier than thou trinity are just more of the bad guys, funny how many Christians haven't a clue when it comes to things like 666 and all that!

So is there hope of a sort? And does it extend even to the mundane things of a blue planet now well into its sixth or seventh major general extinction in 300 million years or so? I hear the Baptists world wide have had a major falling out over Bush and company's policies, new agey Christians are saying "we told you so..." Don't you love the smell of economic imperialism napalmed in the morning?

Stuart Wales
Lismore

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Roadworks rage

I am writing to you to express my deep concern about dangerous roadworks completed on 29/3/04. I have written to council, spoken to the mayor and engineers but I have yet to be told if the roadworks will be made safer to avoid fatal injuries.

I live in James Street, Dunoon. Our residence is directly opposite a new subdivision where new roadworks have been carried out. The work done is a new completed traffic lane approx 45 metres long, to access the site.

I was told by a council engineer that the design was provided by a private consultant and the work carried out by private contractors. He also said an arrow or post with reflector might be placed where the lane ends. This is not good enough. The lane should not finish at a dead end, it should merge back into the main road. eg Hollingsworth Bridge.

The new bitumen concrete kerbed and guttered lane dead ends at a concrete headwall. A headwall is a concrete cap to the end of a concrete pipe. It forms a gutter crossing to the driveway, accessing a property. The headwall catches and directs surface rainwater into the pipe.

My concern is that this new lane may be used for other than access to the site, eg to overtake on the inside of a turning vehicle or to overtake on the inside of a slow moving vehicle. People may run out of road to steer clear of the concrete headwall.

The result being death or injury.

David Russell
Dunoon

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What a waste

Our amoebic Foreign Affairs Minister, that sweet transvestite, Lord Alexander of Baghdad, would do well to consult history before he shovels yet more money to the corrupt, venal regime still at the top trough in Nauru.

Nauru is the problem of the British Phosphate Commission. Not the Australian people. An exigent examination of the relevant treaty will enlighten him.

Charity begins at home. How many thousands of Australian pensioners awaiting hip and knee replacements etc. could have already have received their surgery with the many millions of taxpayer dollars this galoot and the KKK, (Kirribilli Kitchen Kabinet), have already wasted in the Pacific?

Jill Crowne
Maclean

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Thanks

Thank you for printing my last letter concerning the matter of free speech (Echo, Apr 1). When I wrote this letter I was hoping for some support on the issue; I was hoping that other artists who have encountered this problem would help to balance the debate by providing constructive feedback to the Echo. Instead I was chided by someone who imagines the freedom of speech is merely the freedom not to be locked in a cage if we speak out! (Echo, Apr 8).

For the record, I see freedom of speech as a right. It is not a privilege that is granted us from on high; nor is it something that may be denied us by governments or corporations (though of course in practice it often is).

Freedom of speech is an intrinsic human right that is of particular relevance to artists. As an artist I rely upon the support and patronage of a public audience; I rely upon my words and images being seen as I created them. When this message is censored or cropped (as it has been) then it's meaning is altered or changed (sometimes) beyond recognition.

If the things artists create are not seen, heard or read as we made them, then it up to those concerned to speak out and fight for our rights. This is essentially what I am attempting to do. I am pleased and heartened that our community paper has the courage to listen and consider this issue. My concern is not directed only at the Echo however; but rather the Echo is the only local paper willing to print part of this argument (no names mentioned)!

There is much I could say here that would illuminate my point, but unfortunately there is a matter that neither paper is (so far) willing to print; so the point is somewhat mute. Quibbling about definitions of freedom is a trite response to a serious issue. There is a ball to be played here - not a man! So come on folks - how about a bit of support! I know there are others out there who support me on this; so I'm asking as nicely as I know how for help.

Bad Boy Roddy
(RJ Poole)
Lismore

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Soccer fees

The fees to cover insurance, the up keep of facilities and purchase of expendables required to play netball are approximately $80 per year, AFL costs about $60, cricket fees are $120 to $180.

Soccer fees however are between $230 to $280 per year. Why is this sport's fee structures twice that of comparative sports? Rumour has it that these prohibitive impositions are required by Soccer Australia to afford the appearance fees of Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka so that they will pull on the green and gold. Is this true?

Much as the professional end of the code may benefit from Australia qualifying for the World Cup, is it worth undermining community participation rates to achieve such momentary glory.

If we are serious about combating obesity in our society, increasing participation rates in sport is vital. Perhaps we need to set up a breakaway soccer competition free from the thievery of Soccer Australia and FIFA? It's worth a thought.

Laurie Axtens
North Lismore

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