Letters To The Editor

Walk this way

Isn't is great to be a consumer now that summer is here, and the development of Lismore Shopping Square is progressing by leaps and bounds? Yes it is great, if you are the owner of a motor car, with unlimited time, and a full petrol tank; you can then use the time and fuel driving around in circles trying to find a parking spot in the vicinity of this example of progress.

However, God help you if you are a pedestrian, especially an elderly pedestrian, or a mum with a pram or you have young children with you. For example, take an elderly person who tries to walk downhill along Uralba Street to the shops. The first barrier you will encounter is the pathetic goat track (commonly known as a footpath), which is located between Hunter and Diadem streets. You then need to cross Diadem Street - don't forget to pray first and then run for your life. When you have achieved that miracle, can you then start shopping? No, you have to continue walking to Brewster Street, past all the 'No Entry' signs and loading areas. You finally arrive at the intersection of Brewster Street and Uralba Street only to find there is another sign, which tells you to 'use the other footpath' and directs you across the road towards the hockey fields. If you ignore that sign and manage to safely negotiate the traffic under Lismore Square, you will, finally, be able to be a consumer.

I think it is about time for the local Council and developers to realise that we have an ageing population. A population who prefer to walk, where possible, and use public transport when necessary. Adequate safe footpaths and pedestrian crossings are a must NOW.

P Harbord
Lismore

Brave new world

The election victory of G.W Bush reminds me of 1933 in Germany - against better knowledge, only based on deep-seated emotions like fear, hatred and insecurity, has a man (twice as stupid as his not exactly brilliant father) been elected president of the most powerful nation on earth.

It has been proven that humankind has not developed an inch since the dark, war-torn early half of last century. As 1933 in Germany, the US-Americans, and not long before them the Australians, have elected a leader whose major feature is being a power-hungry, demagogic, unscrupulous manipulator of people and despiser of mankind - a man prepared to put world peace at risk for his own personal ambitions.

Hitler put it into words: 'One cannot underestimate the stupidity of the electorate'. He was right. It is deeply saddening to see the world, once again, sliding into a fight against the 'New Jews', the Islamic terrorists. The Romans have done it before: 'Bread and Games' to keep the poverty-stricken masses quiet - excesses of any kind for the powerful!

We will see (and we have had a glimpse of things to come already) misinformation, defamation, wind-back of democratic rights, reduction of personal freedom, undisguised exploitation of workers, wars on a scale not seen for 60 years.

All in the name of 'Keeping the Economy Going'. Which economy? Doesn't it mean in reality 'Keeping the profits of those in power increasing at double-digit rates'?

G.W is set to push petrol prices even higher by ignoring the need to curb the colossal waste of energy in the USA and by fighting wars in oil-producing countries. Ordinary Australians will suffer not only from record fuel costs but also from releasing the last publicly owned companies such as Telstra into the solely profit-driven free market.

By the end of the decade I'll bet my bottom dollar that communication costs, electricity, fuel, travel costs etc. outside of metro areas will have gone up radically. The user pays! Already we see a dramatic decline in infrastructure quality and expenditure - in the future only those who can afford to pay will have decent services. Of course, incomes won't rise to the same degree at all - mind you, the CPI, the master of all awards, has risen only by 0.3% in the quarter to September 2004 - despite a rise of 15% in fuel cost alone!

The brave new world has been described before. Democracy as we knew it is dead. The new 'Emperors' wear double-breasted suits and Gucci shoes and are just as brutal in their contempt for ordinary people as the dictators of once.

Michael Qualmann
Modanville

Election answers

I have noted all the letters for and against the Coalition win, and some readers' dismay and lack of understanding on the result. The answer may be simple. The Australian voter is a conservative, doesn't like change and is easily impressionable. An example is when a party wins it usually stays in office for many years, unless something polarises the masses or leadership changes.

The Whitlam win is an example of polarisation. The Vietnam war had been going on for years - 'all the way with LBJ' - and the Coalition still won elections, national service still operated. The difference in that election was knowing there was no way out of Vietnam. The leaders of the Coalition, "with Whitlam stating he would pull out of Vietnam and discontinue national service" dropped the voting age from 21 years to 18 years old. Remember you were called up at 20 years old. The result was a landslide win for Labor, except the voters, not trusting Labor on other issues, voted in a Coalition Senate. Therefore when Labor achieved its promise the Senate then blocked supply (the money) and Labor was ousted at the next election.

The next example was the Hawke led Labor win. The leaders of the Coalition in power were perceived weak, with no pizzazz, and interest rates were rising alarmingly. Another landslide win and another dynasty, until Keating took over with his perceived arrogance. The result - little Johnny Howard won at the next election, and another dynasty which will be broken when and if Costello takes the reigns. Surprisingly, only if the current opposition leaders stay in place. Latham needs better speech writers and better handlers that are more savvy in subconscious advertising; say less, mean more.

There you have it, the answers, and I voted for neither. Would have been better off with a third party, which will not happen unfortunately. A national-democratic-green joint party. Believe it or not, they have much in common, they just don't recognise it.

P J Lake
Ballina

Committee concerns

I was shocked and disappointed to learn that Council is contemplating the abandonment of Citizens Committees. This is a retrograde step and I thought it was a policy of Council to seek citizen participation.

During my last term on Council I was a member of eight committees, three of which had citizen membership. They were Tourism, Aerodrome and Sports Association. All three members were interested in their respective committees and knew what they were talking about and regularly attended meetings.

My particular interest was that of the Sports Association, of which I was a member for 40 years and in that time came in contact with many dedicated people, most of whom were not afraid to get their hands dirty. Over that period they must have saved the Council thousands of dollars participating in voluntary work.

I have called a special meeting for Monday, November 15, at the Lismore Workers Club at 7pm in Function Room No 2, and I invite sporting bodies and other committees to attend. Also mums and dads and business houses which benefit from sport.

I might add that if this proposition to do away with committees, as suggested by Council staff, is passed, I will be taking particular note of those who voted for it and target them at the next election and even back a sporting group to run. There are a lot of sporting votes out there.

Lismore is known as the sporting capital of the region and has gained this reputation partly through the work of the Sports Association. People who wish to discuss sport, I'm sure, would feel a lot more comfortable talking to a member of the Sports Association rather than a member of Council staff who know little or nothing of sport.

May commonsense prevail.

Reg Baxter OAM JP
Lismore

Chambers fate

It would seem that the Casino ratepayers will shortly be advised that their Council will be selling off two of Casino's halls.

Mayor Cox was heard on radio 2LM local news saying that the Council halls are being under-utilised and he was asking for public input about possible uses. This is exactly the same process they adopted about the old Council Chambers, and after a lot of people put in a great amount of time to formulate a plan for a Cultural Centre, Council advised that they are selling the building. So much for listening to the people's wishes!

I have had unconfirmed reports, (unconfirmed because Council is refusing to talk about it) that Council has in fact sold the chambers and they are not prepared to make the announcement until the sale is finalised.

If the rumours are correct Casino will lose the only public toilets in the CBD, it will further divide the restaurant/tea room dollar, and there will be nothing stopping the new owners from totally gutting the interior or for that matter pull the whole building down. In fact if the project I have been told about actually comes about there will be no new money brought into Casino.

I asked a few of the local business people if they would be prepared to work on a proposal, in every case they all said no and the reason they gave is that they do not trust Council and they are not prepared to put any more time into something that Council will not implement. (Yes, there are two projects that would be ideal in both halls and at the same time also allow the present usage).

I can understand their reasoning because I too am working on a project that will create a minimum of 15 full time jobs and if we go ahead with it I will be approaching Kyogle Council because I am not prepared to work with the RVC in it's present form.

Maybe the remuneration contracts of the directors should not have a performance bonus attached because the performance has a fiscal base and so the emphasis is on the bottom line and not necessarily what is in the best interest of Casino.

Again I ask the Mayor and Mr Wilkinson to give an undertaking that they will advise the people of Casino, before the sale is completed, exactly what is the fate of the old chambers. If they believe that the project is one that residents would agree with, what is the harm? The new owners could not object because if the people do disagree with the project it could stop trouble down the line.

One other question is why is Council selling the old chambers before they get the results of their own 18-month study to identify ways of attracting tourists? Why are they selling Casino's most important historical asset? Lets remember that the Ferry report actually used the front of the old chambers as the front page because it's a perfect example of Art Deco architecture.

One point of interest. Mayor Cox did say in the news interview that the halls in fact belong to the people of Casino, which is also the case with the chambers and what I have been saying all along.

Peter Gallo
Casino

Playing politics

I have read with a great deal of interest the letters to the editor since the federal election.

Many of these letters have come from our very intelligent and expert political commentators who have expressed surprise at the degree of gullibility and down right stupidity if the clear majority of Australians.

Some have claimed that Larry Anthony was the first Australian casualty of the Iraq war. If Larry was a victim, what were the Labor, Greens and Democrats who lost their seats in either the Upper or Lower House? Probably victims of the uneducated stupidity of the majority!

I believe I have come up with a solution to prevent this tragic Act of Democracy ever occurring again.

When the Prime Minister goes to the Governor General in just three years to call an election, the Governor General could dismiss all members of both Houses of Parliament and appoint our local North Coast experts to form a Government, thereby saving millions of dollars on an election and Australia would get this wonderful group of local experts to guide us into the future.

Look at this for a new Government.

Mungo McCallum for Prime Minister. Mungo was a well-known member of the Canberra Press Gallery who is remembered mainly for his snoring and flatulence. All the hot air needed for PM.

John X Berlin - Treasurer.

Michael Balderstone - Health. He would be a real success - all our ailments would be cured with just a couple of puffs of Michael's magic weed. There would be no need for doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists etc, and all our hospitals could be converted to low income housing.

Jenny Dowell - Transport. Just imagine the fun Jenny would have playing trains with Bob Carr.

Doug Burt - External Affairs.

Cloud - Immigration. This portfolio would save her staging any more five-minute hunger strikes.

Frank Finch - Education.

BP Carr - Finance.

Mizzi - Agriculture.

Ros Irwin - Social Justice and Indigenous Affairs.

Bob Brown - Children's Affairs. What a great appointment - a foreigner from Tasmania caring for our kids. All parents would be so relieved to know that their children could get all their cannabis, heroin, speed and crack from the school canteen, thereby saving them buying drugs on the black market from undesirable characters in public toilets.

Vanessa Ekins - Environment and Employment. Vanessa would create employment by locking up our forests.

Gray Wilson - Business and Urban Stagnation.

Molly Crawford - A new portfolio as Minister for Wild Ducks. She would ban humans from enjoying any aquatic activities.

Russell Eldridge - Communications.

There would be no need for a Department of Defence. By the time this crew were in control for 12 months there would be one hundred million boat people here. All Christians and people of Anglo Saxon appearance would have been slaughtered by the boat people and the country would be in the grip of the worst famine in history.

John Barnes
Lismore

Plea for trees

I agree with Ros Irwin's letter about trees (Echo, Nov 4) and I think we need to be mindful of the big picture when it comes to planting them. The people near my house who cut down a magnificent large-canopied tree because it was casting shade on their washing line were not thinking of the community's social health, the beauty, shade or oxygen the tree provided, the birds which enjoyed its many qualities, nor even its contribution to the town, country or planet.

It would be wonderful if we would think also of the future - for our children and all who will inherit custody of the earth long after we are gone. A simple gesture may be all that is required. Since we planted some trees in our backyard it has been graced by the presence of many small and large birds which did not visit the barren lawn that was there before. Of the two eucalypt saplings we planted two years ago, one has grown to about 25 feet already - the weather in this region is most conducive to growth provided the rains come. The other one however was poisoned by our neighbour, who sprayed Round-Up through the fence while we were out of town. It seems that some people do not want leaves in their backyards, or perhaps fear falling branches (my husband is an Arborist and tells me that eucalypts drop dangerous branches from the regrowth when they are heavily lopped). It was a wonder to us that trees are not better valued for their shade, beauty and obvious ecological benefits.

Social attitudes will change eventually, and I hope that nature lovers everywhere will be appreciated, and speak up without being silenced by fear of the derogatory label 'greenie'. (Of course some wear this categorisation with pride, but many fear it).

Perhaps one day the link between drought and lack of trees will be proven, but let's not wait for that! Buy native saplings, or even avos and mangos, and plant them in your backyard. Forget manicured lawns - Lismore is getting hotter. The cool shade of large, fragrant trees, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze, inviting birds and insects, will give you and your children far more pleasure, and they will benefit our environment and our future.

Maxine Roth
Lismore

Vote of thanks

I would like to use your paper to thank all the volunteers who assisted with offering how to vote material on behalf of the Summerland Greens for the Federal Election. In spite of a negative image created by some that paint our party as radical, our share of the vote continues to grow. The Greens policies are libertarian (supporting individual freedom where it doesn't harm others or the environment). The Greens policies are also commonsense - let's hope they are adopted before too much more damage is done to our society.

Regarding globalisation, free trade doesn't only mean reducing tariffs and subsidies but decent working conditions in China and other low wage countries and global checks and balances for international corporations. When this is in place then we can have honest free trade. Lets hope pressure from the United States doesn't wreck our wonderful national pharmaceutical scheme.

It is ironic that the electors of Page have voted for a conservative government considering that government statistics show this area is the fifth poorest electorate in Australia. Number 146 out of 150. Think about it, where is enlightened self-interest? We can see that marginal seats get most funds, so we give ourselves no chance of being noticed or gaining a fair share of our COMMONWEALTH between now and the next election. Once again thank you to Green supporters and voters.

David McInnes-King
Booth Coordinator
Summerland Greens

UnChristian

Today a young man listens to the planes and waits. His eyes are black with fear and his face is pale.

It is Perth Airport. The planes are Emirates Airlines. The young man is a Christian and he fears he will be forcibly deported to Iran. Australia may not take his religion seriously, but the Iranian authorities certainly will.

Under Sharia Law it is a serious offence to turn away from Islam for another religion. And he will be forced, like others before him, to carry his own damning evidence with him. There is a Bible in his bags, and his Baptismal Certificate. Will this young man be one of Christianity's newest martyrs?

Does the Howard Government think it has a mandate for hard line policies that are cruel, inhuman and anti-Christian?

Elaine and Geoff Smith
West Haven

Green energy

Sign up for green energy now!

Reports about climate change and its effects are now appearing almost daily in our papers - in the past week it was water birds in Australia disappearing, 70% of Europe's birds threatened, krill levels falling in the southern Oceans, and so on. Even Queen Elizabeth of England spoke up about the threats of global warming.

If you think this is just a problem for some other species, think again. These are the 'canaries' in our human habitat. If they go, we're threatened.

Recently you will have received a letter from your electricity supplier, Country Energy, asking if you would like to sign up for energy sourced from 100% renewable energy. Please contact them and say 'Yes' to the offer. It will only cost you $1.50 a week. This is a small investment, for which you will receive a big vote of thanks from your kids and grandkids.

Bobbi Allan
The Channon

Poor reflection

When three important political penises announce that women are having far too many abortions, you know it's time to turn the mirror around again boys (as usual).

David Hallett
The Channon

Expert view

When is Health Minister Tony Abbott going to have the important debate about men who get women pregnant, then shirk the responsibilities by either fleeing (thus creating those dreaded single mothers), or forcing the woman to put her child up for adoption? After all, for once he could speak on the subject with authority.

Jill Perry
East Lismore

Pet day

The Animal Rights & Rescue Group is holding an open day on November 21, 2004, in an effort to find loving homes for some of the cats, kittens, dogs and puppies currently in care.

The day will be held at 210 Keen Street, Lismore (opposite Trevan Ford), from 10am to 4pm.

ARRG invites everyone to visit our open day, to meet many homeless puppies and kittens and talk about pet care. Volunteers will be available to discuss details of our discount desexing program. Spring and summer are the peak breeding months for cats, so it is vital that all cats over five months of age are desexed before more unwanted litters are born.

For further information phone 6622 1881 or visit our website at www. animalrights.org.au.

Michela Brown
Alstonville

Refugee record

Australia's record on accepting refugees is pretty generous. We've taken about 100,000 in the past decade. The humanitarian intake has been 12,000 a year for the last seven years. This year it's 13,000 - of whom 6,000 are refugees, mostly from Africa.

Having to keep people in detention centres is unfortunate, but it isn't the Australian government's fault if people arrive here whose refugee status is either a lie, or true but hard to verify.

Australia has had mandatory detention since 1992. Only recently has it become fashionable to use it to vilify the government. Yes, the government is wrong in having detention centres run by private enterprise. They've got it wrong about privatisation in every context (eg Telstra). Refugee centres is just one more example.

About privatisation, the ALP is just as wrong, anyway.

Arnold Jago
Mildura