Issue 725
Issue 725 |
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Letters to the EditorVictims Discouraged by Magistrates ClaimsWe are very disappointed to read that Pat O'Shane's comment that 'a lot of women make up a lot' of sexual assault allegations. Pat O'Shane has been an outstanding role model for Aboriginal women and outspoken advocate for the rights of ordinary people against unfair treatment by those in power. It is therefore all the more difficult for us to understand her public statements about women who allege sexual assault by men in positions of authority. She must surely understand the difficulties that women and particularly Aboriginal women face in coming forward to demand justice for the crimes committed against them. How much more difficult has Ms O'Shane now made their journey of healing? We do not assume to know the truth behind the allegations made against Geoff Clark and agree that only a court can decide his guilt or innocence, but Ms O'Shane's comments go far beyond the individual issues of this case. We cannot accept her sweeping statements about the majority of allegations by women. We would suggest that in fact the vast majority of victims of sexual assault require enormous support and encouragement to pursue justice, with most declining to take court action because of the prejudice so brutally stated by Ms O'Shane. We do not think that it is an overstatement to say that her comments will result in even fewer genuine victims coming forward. Sexual assault damages a victim's self esteem and her words are likely to have caused considerable distress and self-doubt. In 2001 are we really wanting victims to ask themselves 'am I to blame?' Kerrie Ellis Click here to comment on this letter.
And West is West...Regarding Peter Riordan's letter (Echo, June 21). It seems Peter has lost West Lismore somewhere! Peter, I don't know what the problem is...It's easy! Your missing West Lismore is really South Lismore. No that's not right.. South Lismore is really your missing West Lismore. The real South Lismore, is the Wyrallah Rd area of East Lismore... and North Lismore is just as west,.. as it is north... of Lismore. So, there really is a West Lismore... It's just that North and South Lismore have been doing to it, what an anaconda does to an unsuspecting guinea pig. There you have it! Simple isn't it? Isn't it?! I'm the one that should be confused...I live in Casino St that goes to Kyogle and nearby Kyogle St doesn't really go anywhere. I hope that has sorted it out for you Peter! Bill Tyson Click here to comment on this letter.
Great LanternsCould I take the opportunity to sing the praises of Jyllie Jackson and her lanterneering work team regarding the beauty of the results of their labours and of the unaffected, joyful nature of the winter solstice lantern parade through the streets of Lismore. I'm a real sucker for the simple pleasures that result from combining some paper and paint, a bit of music, candlelight, a multitude of kids and families out at twilight, and the tangible aura of a community delighting in some old-fashioned public entertainment magic - all of which was there is abundance last Friday. My favourite rural NSW community celebration (at least up until now) is Katoomba's Winter Magic Festival where, as a native-born Southern Hemispheric, it felt liberating to celebrate our own New Year as it is joyously welcomed in. Running as we do with a Northern Hemisphere calendar, instead of starting our year at the beginning when the days are shortest and then following the cycle of growth, expansion, maturity, contraction and decay, we mistakenly nominate our mid-summer festivities as a New Year which is arse-about to the appropriate cycles of nature that sustain our existence on the Planet. So again, thanks Jyllie for the opportunity to get in-sync with the Cosmos and dance forward into the expanding light. It feels like I've had the inestimable privilege to partake in some small way to both a healthy and wholesome ritual start to our journey round the Sun and an acknowledgement of the natural rhythmns of life. Thanks also to The Echo for boosting and urging us (and in particular me) on and out there. May this festivity continue to grow in popularity and public recognition. Happy New Year everyone! Bob Hopkins Click here to comment on this letter.
No Lake NoiseI listened with disbelief to the announcement on NBN News Saturday evening that the boat ramps and barbecue area at Lismore Lake would be upgraded for the waterskiers and jetskiers. What a sham in this day of environmental awareness. The beauty of Lismore Lake, although already polluted at the moment is a piece of paradise, covered with black swans, water fowl, ducks etc. During my many visits during summer, the tranquillity has been spoilt by excessive noise and the stench of fumes from boats and jetskies, which leave petrol and oil slicks on the water. It's a great place for everyone to get away from the stress and noise, lets keep it that way. Joanne Crimson Click here to comment on this letter.
Reply to MayorReading Cr Gates' response (Echo, June 21) to my letter concerning the Memorial Baths, I wondered whether he had read it or simply decided to put words into my mouth. Let's clarify what I did and did not say. I did not say that the CBD would be the ideal location for an aquatic centre. I did say that in the life of this Council I had supported a joint venture project anywhere - including in the CBD - as the figures showed that only a joint venture project would provide first class facilities with no long-term burden on ratepayers. Perhaps Cr Gates should check the decisions made by this Council in regard to aquatic facilities and he will find that indeed I voted to support that position. As to his comment about the flood prone site on the corner of Diadem and Magellan (not Ballina) Streets, what difference does it make whether a site has 4-5 metres of water over it or two metres as is the case on the site the six pack favour? Unfortunately Cr Gates' comments about the Taree, or should I say Manning, Aquatic and Leisure Centre, demonstrate a lack of awareness of the facilities offered in that centre. The Manning Centre has a 50 metre, 8 lane outdoor unheated pool (which operates seasonally), an indoor 25metre 6 lane heated indoor pool incorporating leisure facilities and a range of dry recreation facilities including a gym and aerobics centre. The current situation at this Centre does not support the claims Cr Gates made. It has not yet been open a year, and while its income is less than projected, it was always projected to run at a loss for the first 3 years and break even after that. According to the Manager, the long-term projections are likely to be met and he describes the recent publicity as uninformed. Cr Gates has always maintained, despite substantial information to the contrary, that 'heated pools don't make money in a subtropical climate'. This flies in the face of the success of many aquatic and leisure centres in subtropical climates and ignores the most important factors in the financial success of such facilities. Those are the combination of heated, indoor wet facilities with indoor (and sometimes outdoor) dry facilities appealing to a broad range of needs in the community, together with professional programming and marketing. In fact it is outdoor, unheated pools which continuously lose money because the are only open six months of the year. What Cr Gates fails to acknowledge is that there are no costings on what he is proposing, however without a joint venture partner, the facilities provided will not meet the community's expressed needs and will be a burden financially to ratepayers for many years into the future. Cr Ros Irwin Click here to comment on this letter.
Fire Ant AttackBrisbane has been invaded! What do we do? Cheer? Solenopsis invicta, the fire ant, is spreading rapidly in Brisbane in spite of efforts to suppress it. Small surprise, it has not been eliminated in any country it has invaded. There is a small interval in which, by vigilance and super-human effort, Australia may repel it. Do you know what it looks like? How it could kill your child or grandchild by multiple stings? How can you tell if it is not already in your back yard? Vehicles arriving daily from Brisbane may have brought it. What do we do? Say "She'll be right, mate", call Winston Churchill back from the grave, or seriously and urgently inform the people to watch out and urgently organise the people and resources to eliminate it when and where it occurs here, as it will. We haven't stopped any invading weed yet, let's try and show we are not losers by defeating the fire ant in its serious invasion of our Australia. CSIRO says it will spread over most of the useable mainland if we don't! Motivate our politicians - this is a war warranting action "To the last man and the last shilling" if ever there was one! Nat B Wheatley Click here to comment on this letter.
Quota ThanksThe Quota Club of Alstonville/Wollongbar recently held a Needle, Wood and Craft Fair to raise funds for local charities. We would like to thank your paper for the generous sponsorship, which resulted in a most successful weekend. The generous donation of a Singer Overlocker from Eastlands Sewing Centre Lismore was won by A. Bowland of Alstonville. Our thanks to the stallholders who displayed an outstanding selection of crafts, and to the various community groups who contributed to our monster raffle and showed what talent and versatility there is in our district. An excellent display of works from local high schools gave visitors an insight into the high standards of training and expert tuition given to these students. To all the attendee's who supported this craft fair and our Quota Club, a sincere thank you. Proceeds from this fundraiser will be distributed to Quota Charities and many local organisations will benefit. Shirley Armstrong Click here to comment on this letter.
Number SixThe person who took my Ned Kelly statue doesn't seem to know the Commandment "Thou Shall Not Steal" D Mackay Click here to comment on this letter.
Birds and BeesFirstly may I point out that I do feel offended at your newspaper printing such a letter from Peter Bowler (Echo, June 21). Mainly the line "This is clearly the view of Frank Lucas", How on earth or in God's name, would anybody know or for the matter have my view. I am not or have not tried to stop people having fun with whatever. My main concern was the fact of the location of the proposed adult shop. Apparently being in close proximity to an area where children would frequent. It isn't much fun harming someone else! Martin Oliver (Echo, June 21) does seem to have quite a point, mainly to my mind of redirection of energies into a more positive framework for the better creation of a more stable and environment conscious community. Do the birds and the bees require sex aids? Frank Lucas Click here to comment on this letter.
Third VillageIn response Ballina Shire Council and GeoLINK identifying five potential sites for the establishment of a 3rd Village on the Alstonville Plateau, I urge all residents who oppose this development to send a submission to GeoLINK stating your objections, and to attend the Public Meeting at the Alstonville Leisure and Entertainment Centre on July 4 at 7.00pm. Ballina mayor, David Wright, in a recent interview indicated that further development on the outskirts of Alstonville would not be considered by the council because "it would be totally against the community wishes". Community wishes, however, were not taken into account when the majority of written submissions from the last exhibition of this proposal were opposed to a 3rd Village. The chief Town Planners' report 'A' February 22, 2001 states "It was a complete surprise to the consultants and Council's committee to learn that the majority of respondents to the community questionnaire expressed the view that the Alstonville Plateau is not an appropriate area in which to develop a new rural village in the Ballina Shire". Despite this, the Council is pursuing its investigation into a 3rd Village at ratepayer's expense. We are being led to believe that if the establishment of the 3rd village does not proceed, Wollongbar and Alstonville will have to expand in size. This is not necessarily the case. The Council has already placed a cap on the population levels for Wollongbar and Alstonville. Why not extend this to cover the entire plateau? I believe that out of the five sites identified, there are really only two that the Council would be interested in developing, these being the 345ha 'Pink' site south of Alstonville, and the 410ha 'Orange' site north of Alstonville. These two sites fit in with the triangulation concept of Council, and would appear to be more easily developed due to their terrain. The Council, in identifying these two sites, appears to have disregarded the fact that they comprise of good quality agricultural land, and should therefore not even have been considered for urban development. There is a multitude of reasons why there should be no third Village on the Alstonville Plateau, and it is imperative that the residents make it clear to Council that they oppose this proposed development anywhere on the Plateau. Send your submissions to: Mr Matthew Wood, GeoLINK Click here to comment on this letter.
Another ViewAgain I feel compelled to respond to Jim Baker's recent letters to the Echo (June 7 & 21). And again, it is the issue of resolving indigenous grief that I am commenting on, rather than offering specific solutions as to how land issues should be dealt with. Firstly, Jim, I would like to apologise for my faux pas: I did, in fact jump to the conclusion that your first letter was potentially a front for a (Liberal) party view. It's quite common practice for political lobbyists to write letters to newspapers under the guise of being "ordinary citizens". For that I sincerely apologise. Sadly though, you still seem to have missed the point that I was trying to make. The basic tenet of this whole "sorry business" is that of a public apology to all people hurt by the policies of previous authorities will bring healing to those people and their communities - a sense of justice; a sense of dignity that they feel robbed of; higher self-esteem that then leads to living their lives more positively; and thus less need to engage in activities that are hurtful to themselves and to others (such as excessive alcohol consumption and domestic violence). Of course, Aboriginal women want the violence in their lives to end, and why shouldn't individual men and women be responsible for their own behaviour? What I'm asking you to consider, Jim, is that the source of anyone's hurtful behaviour, be it theft or violence, usually is deep-rooted in that person's personal history, somewhere at his/her core, and usually at a level that is emotional and physical, rather than intellectual. The Aboriginal Australian people have been hurt at the deepest level possible through the theft of their loved ones and the consequent disintegration of their communities. Their self-esteem has been greatly damaged through the denial of their mother tongues and their true histories. Non Indigenous Australians have also been hurt when children have been "taken into care". What makes the two scenarios different is that, 1) the Aboriginal parents were rarely told where their children were taken to, 2) the authorities often used trickery to access the children, and 3) white children would not have been denied their native tongue. This last point is an important one, because language is a central component of human thought process. As you say Jim, history books and commissioned reports can be very useful in ascertaining what is factual, as long as one is aware of the self-serving nature of statistics. Other useful ways of getting the truth involves sitting down to hear people's stories through conversation, the arts, music and in therapy. These are the realms in which I have come into contact with the facts of the Aboriginal story as the Aboriginal people tell it. Unlike your assumption, I do not take everything I read in the media at face value. The truth is there for you on the streets every day, you only need a different perspective on how human psychology works on both a personal and social level to understand the source of Aboriginal pain and the simple, humane way of dealing with it. There's nothing more hypocritical than a nation or person that wants to take only selective credit for the actions of ancestors. Toni Begley Click here to comment on this letter.
Recycling ConcernsThe Echo (June 14) reported on some disturbing problems with the newly established recycling scheme for Lismore. Ballina Council is now charging $72 a tonne to sort and process recyclables such as glass, cans, plastics etc, where before they were paying Lismore Council $35 a tonne for such materials. The underlying problem is that recycling has not yet become economically viable proposition for the main reason that new resources are still relatively cheap and the cost of recycling is largely being absorbed by consumers and not the resource suppliers and the manufacturing and retail industries. In early June our Council informed residents by letter of the success of recycling in Lismore. Now, Councillors are debating and questioning the value of recycling and propose a survey with three options to the community. I believe this issue is far too important to be confined to Council chambers. The negative long-term implications of downgrading recycling are just not viable. There is a wider view than just looking at present costs. Do the councillors have an informed understanding of the environmental and economic dynamics involved? Tip landfill costs the patron $47 per tonne to dump domestic garbage and even more to council. It must be remembered that every cubic metre preserved or saved represents a saving on future expenditure. At best plastics use approximately $300 per tonne of preserved void which could be used for other types of non-recyclable garbage. So there is trading in volume and this is the critical point. It would not be unreasonable to be paying around $170 per tonne for landfill dumping of waste. With typical compaction rates operating on compressing garbage down to 650-1200 kg per cubic metre, the existing tip site has only a lifespan of about 8-14 years. The State Government recently commissioned a review called the "Alternative Waste Technology and Practices Review" which examined various aspects of waste management. This review found that State kerbside recycling did not cost money, but actually made money for the whole community. The study looked at 17 different categories of waste disposal. In the category of "material sorting" which is recycling, it was found to be the most advanced compared to other disposal methods under the for assessment criteria: Economic, Environmental, Technical and Social, was superior on each of these criteria. The Recycling Industry is steadily growing, employing over 22,000 people. Recycling is only in its infancy and eventually must be extended to all consumable materials and become part of our economic and social thinking. Far more information and debate is required. I urge the community to actively lobby the Council for a free and open public discussion, looking at all the relevant issues involved in this for our future. John Jessup
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A Bigoted ViewMr J. Baker's assertion (Echo, June 21) that 'we' (non-Aboriginal Australians) have nothing to be sorry about in relation to the past treatment of Aboriginal peoples is grossly misinformed. Firstly, I would like to suggest to Mr Baker that to express sorrow for past deeds does not mean that one is personally responsible for those deeds. Rather saying sorry is a symbolic expression recognising the past wrongs inflicted by the non-Aboriginal community upon Aboriginal peoples and their cultures - whether this be dispossession, murder, the removal of children, etc. Mr Baker also argued that 'white settlers' received harsh treatments at the hands of Aboriginal people - in instances this is true. Nevertheless I wish to point out to him that it was the initial act of invasion and dispossession by Europeans that lead to such conflict in the first place. Furthermore, historical accounts of conflict between Aboriginal people and European settlers clearly indicate that many more Aboriginal people were the victims of the crimes Mr Baker raises. Further, Mr Baker's statement that 'for the first 100 years the white settlers and Aborigines were in a constant state of hostilities' is inaccurate to say the least. This is not to suggest that massacres between settlers and Aboriginal peoples did not take place, indeed they did! However, other less overt means were also adopted during this period by governments and individuals to 'control' or 'manage' what white society came to call 'the Aboriginal problem'. Government strategies to control Aboriginal people often saw daily intervention in their lives. Mr Baker's letter does not demonstrate the broad knowledge of these issues he suggests, rather it emphasises his bigoted view of such issues. It is remarkable that a man of such professed knowledge cannot see the correlation between that past practice of the intended destruction and belittling of a people day-in day-out, generation after generation, and alcoholism and crime. Mr Baker's ignorance of the complexity of these issues is further demonstrated by his broad and offensive generalisations about the impact of child removal on Aboriginal families. Mr Baker's own resentment toward Aboriginal social justice measures mirrors the attitude of some of our ancestors who also indulged in denialism of Aboriginal culture and rights. In my view, Mr Baker has much to be sorry about. Kate Gahan
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Fuel That WalksI write to express my concern regarding the issue of "phantom fuel" and the negative effect it has on the price people pay at the pump. This is an issue that I believe that the Federal Government must address if it is to be taken seriously when it says it wants to see Australian Fuel prices come down. Oil companies are currently allowed to sell fuel to service stations at temperatures as high as 53 degrees Celsius, which results in significant expansion of fuel volumes. Due to contractions that happen in the cooling process, an average of 2.5 per cent of the fuel is lost. The oil companies charge the petrol station owners for the fuel when it is hot - the expanded amount, but the petrol stations can only charge you for the fuel that is actually in their tanks. The petrol station owners need to make up the difference somehow and this tends to be done by charging the motorist more for their fuel. You are paying for the lost fuel, hence the phantom fuel. The oil companies only for fuel excise on a "temperature corrected" volume. This tends to be about 2.5 per cent less than what they charge the petrol stations. Therefore, the oil companies pocket hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel excise, that we as motorists have to pay for by higher fuel prices, and the Government just lets it happen. So next time Mr Howard tries to tell us that the high fuel price is the result of the exchange rate and world oil prices, I am sure that we can feel assured that the Government is doing all it can to make sure we're not getting ripped off. Or are they? The Australian Democrats believe that the Government has an obligation to implement a national system of regulation within the fuel industry to help stamp out this time of practise. It is time to get rid of the sneaky and tricky and change politics. Senator Aden Ridgeway Click here to comment on this letter.
Networking PromiseTelecommunications services are crucial in regional and rural Australia, particularly in the Northern Rivers. Prior to the 1998 election the Labor Party promised to take all the remaining money out of the successful Networking the Nation (NtN) program and return it to the budget. That is, take away this important funding for regional and rural telecommunications. Fortunately Labor did not win that election and NtN has gone on to fund some 500 community projects. Since 1998 the Coalition Government has built on the success of Networking the Nation. We have provided a further $671 million dollars from the Telstra Social Bonus for things such as improved mobile phone coverage on highways, additional rural networks and untimed calls in extended zones. Most recently the Government announced a package involving an additional $163 million in funding for mobile phone networks, improved internet speeds, health and education networks and tougher requirements on phone companies to install and fix phones or provide temporary services. However, it seems the Labor Party is up to its old tricks. On May 20, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean, indicated that Labor is reviewing all Coalition programs and that some programs face being junked to pay for Labor promises. The Government's important telecommunications for rural and regional Australia are under a huge threat. I call on the Labor candidates for Page and Richmond to reject the proposition put forward by Mr Crean and support these important initiatives put in place by the Coalition Government. Ian Causley, MP Click here to comment on this letter.
Alstonville PlateauThe recent Ballina Council/Geolink Community Newsletter and the Public Display at the Plaza regarding investigations for a third village on the Alstonville plateau concern me greatly. It is obvious that the Council has already decided that a 3rd village will proceed no matter what the Plateau community says! As one of the 169 people who completed an earlier survey I am angered at how easily the survey has been dismissed as being of minor significance. The newsletter stated that oral submissions were in "stark contrast" to the majority "no" view reflected in the questionnaires. Why - as this is statistically unusual? How many oral responses were received and how were these recorded? Were they formal oral responses or casual comments passed? How large has the 3rd village support been? Who are the people who support the concept? I would suggest rather than the 3rd village idea has been historically largely a push from landowners with vested interests, real estate agents and developers. Has the impetus for a 3rd village really ever had wide community support? All previous consultations have asked people whether they want a 3rd village or further expansion for existing villages. This puts people in a difficult position and they are forced to say that they want a 3rd village! It seems to me that the whole consultative process is all about not whether the Plateau should have another large village , but "Where do you want it?" or more precisely "Where do you not want it but have to have it?". I am greatly disturbed that the submission forms are currently available at the Plaza only ask people to indicate which of the candidate sites they would prefer. I was not aware that a public decision had been announced stating that a 3rd Village has been widely asked for and agreed upon! I would urge people to respond by writing across the form that they don't want a 3rd village at all! Why does the Plateau have to cater for supposed population pressure anyway? Is it not possible for Council and planners to say that the Plateau and it's special qualities would be jeopardised by any more major population expansion and set a population cap? Existing housing developments on the Plateau are far from fully taken up and affordable houses in Wollongbar and Alstonville abound. Obviously there is too much money to be made. Margot Henry Click here to comment on this letter.
Welfare WoesJenni Oliver (Echo, June 21) is jumping to erroneous conclusions regarding my understanding of people being dispossessed of their land. My Irish ancestors from Tipperary, Ireland, were removed from their land by the English about 700 years ago. However I do not hate the English. I accept that this was in accordance with the system that prevailed at the time. In fact I consider that they did my ancestors a favour as my ancestors who arrived in Australia in 1820 prospered beyond their wildest dreams. It is not news to me that some people in church institutions and foster homes took advantage of the children by sexually and physically abusing them. It is a fact of life that this will happen and I doubt that anyone growing up has not at some time been subjected to some form of abuse. I consider it is offensive and rude of you to accuse me of walking around blinfolded, picking out bits and pieces of history to suit my own narrow perspective. Read my letter to Toni Begley (Echo, June 21) to see how narrow-minded and blindfolded my knowledge is of Aboriginal and general history. I want you to be specific and tell the readers what deeds Australians committed in the past to warrant an apology to Aborigines, except by religious leaders. They are the real culprits who created the problem. If you have read the works of Henry Reynolds, then dismiss them as strong on myths but short on facts. This historian relied on the letters and papers of the Rev Lancelot Threlkeld who ran a mission at Lake Macquarie in the early 19th century. Threlkald reported tales of barbaric acts by colonists against the natives, including a war of extermination. Whenever these reports surfaced, the NSW Supreme Court Judge Sir William Burton wrote to Threlkeld requesting him to provide the source of the information. Threlkeld's replies were full of evasions and masking the truth. And this is the man upon whom Reynolds relied on in publishing his histories. Research by Keith Windshuttle demonstrates that the allegations by the missionaries were suspect, and they took any rumour about violence no matter how vague or unreliable without checking its accuracy (a lot like the Bringing Them Home report by Sir Ronald Wilson and Pat Dodson). You would ask yourself 'Why would they do this?' The answer is quite simple. They wanted to show that only they had compassion for Aborigines and to justify the need for their own institutions to handle the situation. These are the people who instituted the separation of white and black, and formulated the policy that the salvation of the Aboriginal people lay in a closed religious society. Jenny Oliver mentions that the problems of Aborigines arise from their being dispossessed of their land, but research has shown that this is not the case. I guess you are aware that since the NT Land Rights Act in 1976, 50 per cent of the Northern Territory has become Aboriginal land, or in the process thereof and yet this has done nothing to improve Aboriginal social, economic and health problems. It has done nothing to decrease assaults against women and petrol and glue sniffing, to help Aboriginals make a living on the land, either in traditional or modern terms, and it has not stopped Aboriginals from leaving the land. It would seem most leave and prefer to live on welfare. The 1996 Census revealed that of the 386,000 Aboriginal people, 73 per cent preferred to live in the major urban areas. Royalties paid as rent to Aboriginal communities are supposed to be to improve their standard of living and housing but I understand it is spent on alcohol and vehicles. I'm afraid that until Aboriginal people get away from the welfare mentality, as Noel Pearson advocated, nothing will change and all the "Sorrys" in the world will not alter this fact. The tragedy of the previous policies advocated by the white intellectual elites is that Aborigines want to live like the rest of us and be assimilated into the Australian way of life. It is apparent that the policy of separatism has not worked and any talk of a treaty and a separate Aboriginal state is plainly out of the question. We are an undivided nation and there is absolutely no way that such a divisive issue will be entertained, except by a few intellectuals. But I agree that something has to be done to improve the way of life of the Aboriginal people and it will come from someone like Noel Pearson, not ATSIC. Jim Baker
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Cruel to be KindI believe it's way past time we took a long ward look at what we should do regarding these people who decide to sail out here in these leaky old boats and enter our country "illegally" and for us to do absolutely nothing about it. Apparently they are told to turn around and go back by our "patrol boats", but they thumb their noses and keep coming. Perhaps they should thank their lucky stars (if they have one, but then, do I?) we don't sink them! If this keeps up we may have to and remember the chances are other countries, not as stupid as ours would do just that! These damn bleeding-heart, do-gooders should take off the blinkers and dark glasses and start to wake up to the fact if we allow this situation to continue we won't have a lucky country to offer anyone. After all who out there in the right mind thinks our barrel of money is bottomless? Answer: too damn many apparently! The bad news no, it's not! If we don't wake up soon this will be a third world country not much better than this "boat" left for a supposed better life. For those out there who blindly support the illegal persons spare a thought for those poor buggers who are going through the legal and proper procedures in their place of origin to come here because they are most likely just as desperate for a better life. At least the detention centres do offer some checks on who these arrogant (desperate they may be) persons are who ruin these places and give us the finger when we try to find out who they are. Child Molesters, bombers, crims whatever! I ask you, how the hell do we know if we just let them in, Come one come all, and why do you imagine they always have plenty of women and children. Three guesses, or one will do. Lets cease being suckers now! Maybe a 100-foot fence right around and patrolled 24 hours. Yes it would cost a bob or two but it would sure fix unemployment. Bring back National Service to do the job. If you think this sounds expensive it may pale into insignificance alongside the outcomes of our present way of handling these people. If we do not, or just are not able to take a harder line, we will all be losers. Although some will say the contrary, no-one has more sympathy than I for the less unfortunate than us, but that does not mean you just ignore other countries rules and regulations and come anyway, does it? If we keep up this hairy fairy, bleeding-heart attitude we may be looking for that leaky old boat. And before you judge me too hastily am I really that bad a person for wanting to keep our country safe for my kids so that they don't end up refugees! Think about it! We already have enough problems without this, don't we? Al Andrews Click here to comment on this letter.
Vote CannabisLast year 56,000 Australians were arrested for cannabis offences. Cannabis arrests make up nearly three-quarters of all arrests for drug offences in Australia and of all cannabis arrests, 80 per cent are for personal use. The War on Drugs is a war on cannabis users in particular. These statistics mask so much suffering. So much needless suffering. Life is stressful these days and it is the nature of humans, and in fact all mammals, to seek relief. The people using the illegal drugs that the police are chasing, do so trying to feel better. Trying to ease their pain, lighten up their life and release the pressure. Similar to people who enjoy a beer or a whisky after work, or go jogging, or do yoga, or pop little white prescription pills. When you think about it, the opium poppy, the cannabis and coca plants are Nature's wonder herbal medicines, the stress relievers that our ancestors used for centuries. Anyone can grow plants but only global pharmaceutical companies can make little white pills, under licence. What a rort! How shameful it is that we allow police to persecute users of natures best herbs, "As if there was something feloniously wrong with nature," as Justice Jim Staples wrote years ago. I reckon the biggest sinners of all are the Christian churches and the individual Christians who support prohibition. What a cruel and alienating judgement they make against their neighbours. What troubles they bring to people already in pain. As if God made a mistake with these herbs! If these herbs had never been prohibited we wouldn't have the law and order and drug abuse problems we have now. As it is, the black market in illegal drugs is, after the armaments, the biggest business on the planet. Fed up with this class based persecution, the HEMP Party is contesting the Aston by-election in Melbourne next month to put cannabis law reform on the federal agenda with some guerilla theatre. Campaigns cost money and we need help to mount a credible contest. We are appealing both to the friends of cannabis and to those who want to see, in this generation, an end to the suffering and social dysfunctions created by cannabis prohibition. We meet so many parents who are worried for their children, not so much about their experimenting with pot, but the troubles that tangling with the law will bring. Please, help us change these laws. On 30 June there will be a fundraiser for the Aston campaign, an art auction in the Rainbow Cafe, Nimbin. You can donate directly to the HEMP Party by depositing at any Commonwealth Bank of Australia or Post Office to the HEMP Party Account # 5109 10040597 A convoy led by Peacebus.com will be leaving from Byron Bay for Aston after bearing witness to the trials of sniffer dog resistance hero, Rusty Harris, at the Byron Court House Wednesday, July 4. Michael Balderstone Click here to comment on this letter.
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