Issue 746

Letters To The Editor

The Wrong Drug War

Ken Lambeth (Echo, Nov 15) refers to those of us in Nimbin who advocate decriminalisation of cannabis as 'jackals and parasites'.

The Nimbin Community Drug Action Team includes representation of many different views on the subject of cannabis cafes and prohibition.

We are on the battle front of the 'drug war' seeing our young people led into the nightmare world of drug dependency, violent crime and psychosis. We know who the 'jackals and parasites' really are, as must the Police if they are observant as an average villager. The cafes aim at harm reduction from imported amphetamines, 'hydro' (chemically enhanced cannabis) and heroin, by regulating the locally grown cannabis supply.

I refer Mr Lambeth to the November 2001 issue of Hero Insight, the Family Drug Support bulletin for an impartial review of the evidence of the effectiveness of prohibition in reducing or preventing cannabis usage. The report 58 of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and research, referred to by Mr Lambeth is included in the review. It shows that prohibition is not a key factor and that the Bureau is continuing research to identify what are the most cost effective means of harm reduction.

The Family Drug Support bulletin, Hero Insight, is a cure for all kinds of ignorance among armchair philosophers of our ailing society. Legislation is advocated as the best weapon against drugs in another article of the November issue. Mr Lambeth's letter supports the war on drugs. To quote from the article, 'It is not a war on drugs. It is a war on drug users, especially those from underprivileged and minority groups, driven by ignorance and fear, and waged in lies. It kills the addicts, it destroys respect for the law, it creates huge criminal empires, it undermines whole societies.'

Wal Davies
Nimbin

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Nursing Classes

I refer to the State Matters column written by Mr Thomas George MP, Member for Lismore titled 'Nurses Action' (Echo, Nov 1). In the column, Mr George states that 'there are no refresher courses available in this area' for nurses.

In reality, there are two refresher courses currently being conducted within Northern Rivers Area Health Service. A Registered Nurse refresher course is in progress and being conducted from Grafton, and an Enrolled Nurse refresher course commenced at Coraki on November 5.

Due to demand a small number of Registered Nurses from Grafton were unsuccessful in gaining placement. The Area Health Service is attempting to identify these Registered Nurses and facilitate their entry to other courses.

Nurses within the workforce are currently organising clinical placements for refresher course participants. We support recruitment initiatives and aim to ease access for those who have expended time and energy in prior education programs.

Anne O'Donoghue
Director of Nursing Quality
Northern Rivers Area Health Service

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Don't Bank on It

I cannot help smiling to myself when I read letters from bank union officials (Echo, Nov 8) complaining about the decline in bank service when often it appears to be the bank staff who are assisting banks to decline services.

Some examples:

Two tellers serving (rather lethargically except when the phone rings when there appears to be a race as to who can dump the customer they are serving quickest to answer the phone) with a long queue waiting.
Other staff standing behind tellers giggling between themselves as they watch customers in the queue avoid being squashed by automatic closing doors.
One teller serving (only a handful waiting) when phone rings and teller then spends next 10 minutes arranging weekend barbeque. We wait not very patiently.
Teller says 'you do know you can make deposits at the post office, don't you?' No comment.

So question to union official - are your members more interested in a job or their redundancy payout? It quite often appears to be the latter.

J Norman
Lismore

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Media Avoidance

The appalling coverage by the media during the election, and generally, of registered political parties who are not parliamentary parties needs to be exposed. It is, in my view, the principal reason why voters often do not know about them and their policies.

Mainstream media have again failed in their democratic duty to assist in creating a diverse political climate where there is real choice and in which interesting alternatives to the major party tyranny can emerge and be debated. The electoral system for the House of Representatives is heavily biased towards the major parties and one would expect therefore that the media could assist in reducing and correcting this bias by providing generous surveys of alternatives to the major parties. The opposite is true.

The Progressive Labour Party has been in existence for five years now as an alternative to the Australian Labour Party. It has received virtually no coverage in the major media outlets in spite of numerous attempts and is still hardly known to the Australian public.

It seems to be the role of editors to be the gatekeepers of the political establishment. Australia will be the poorer for it. The results show it: an appalling lack of vision.

Dr Klaas Woldring,
former Senate Candidate for the PLP,
Pearl Beach

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Lake Birds

Ratepayers of Lismore and district, please be aware that your local council, is proposing to spend $250,000 on upgrading Lismore Lake to accommodate a small group of powerboat and jet-ski enthusiasts.

This noisome polluting sport, if it happens, will mean the end of this serene wetland and the 65 species of birds which have taken up residence over the past several months.

Volunteer Landcare groups have offered more tree planting with a possible viewing problem, and would welcome just a small amount of council dollars.

The sanctuary as well as being an attraction for locals and tourists, could prove a valuable educational venue for our school children, with appropriate signage and even coloured posters.

Parents and grandparents - take the children and visit the lake. The edge of the lake is flat, easy walking and negotiable even with a stroller.

If you do decide to have a late afternoon barbecue, don't let the children or anyone be tempted to throw food scraps to the birds. They know their dietary requirements much better than we do. The larger more aggressive species take more than their fair share and breed up, causing an imbalance. This is particularly true of the silver gull.

In this increasingly frantic world do we need more noise and pollution? Or space for all to enjoy some peace and tranquillity. For those interested, the future of the lake will be discussed at the next council meeting November 27, 6.30pm.

Admission is free, and so are the birds for now!

Fae Sinclair
Wollongbar

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People's Thanks

I am writing to The Northern Rivers Echo to thank you for sponsoring the 'People's Choice' art prize.

And thank you for presenting me with a cheque for $1,000 as the prize, for my painting of 'Paul Recher, Fruit Spirit.'

The exhibition inspired me to start painting again, (after eight years as a busy mother of four children and no time to paint!) So to win a prize for my first painting in my return to artwork has inspired me to keep going!

It meant more to me than I can express to win the 'People's Choice' - After all, it's what art is all about - for the people! To draw them in to communicate and to touch. It's the people who matter.

So, once again, thank you!

Catherine Fisher
Goonengerry

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Council Complaints

Lismore Council's GM got it right when he said Harry Woods' list of 'naughty children' councils, with Byron Bay at the top of the list, was 'misleading and gave the wrong impression' (Echo, Nov 15).

He's right because many of us don't bother to complain to Harry's Department. It's a waste of time.

Any notion that the Minister for Closing Councils and Regional Demolition's Department is somehow 'arms length' from the Minister and therefore worth complaining to for remedy is nonsense. Aside from the fact that it's been gutted under the banner of alleged reform, Harry's heavy hand is all over the Department in the decisions made about complaints from the public.

Many examples come to mind including the heavily laundered statement from his Department concerning the scathing auditor's report on Richmond River Shire Council just before amalgamation with Casino. While Harry's Department agreed that Council had been engaged in significant wrong-doing there was no consequence. It was business as usual. Justice for the ratepayer was sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

Harry's Department wouldn't investigate because it'd upset his timetable for amalgamation. You'll remember this particular amalgamation was the first cab off the rank in Harry's series of forced amalgamations and so therefore, from a political point-of-view, it couldn't be allowed to fail. An investigation was the last thing that Harry needed as it would reveal all about his anti-democratic and interfering political agenda.

However, Harry's little black book of bad councils shouldn't be ignored. When such a list is published you can bet there's a political motive. Byron Bay's been behaving badly of late by suggesting a cap on growth. This doesn't fit with Harry's 'bugger the infrastructure, develop at any cost' agenda. You can bet he'll be using the 'bad boy' excuse to do over Byron Council and force it into amalgamation in the not-too-distant future.

And Harry's score card in the democracy stakes, a big fat zero. Keep it up Harry. The ghost of Terry Flanagan is waiting in the wings for the next election.

Dr Richard Gates
Evans Head

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Community Radio

With regard to the 'Irritating Ads' letter (Echo, Nov 8) by Peter Bowler: we as a sister/brother Community Radio station (NimFM 102.3) were most alarmed to see what we feel is a misdirected attack on the volunteers who are doing exactly what the CBAA (Community Broadcasting Association of Australia) requires of them.

On reading this unfair attack, we rang Paradise FM, who told us that Peter Bowler had aired some concerns to them and that they had explained the requirements to him a week ago. How can he (Peter) say that Paradise FM 'has chosen to describe' when in fact they were following the requirements.

If Peter Bowler has a problem with the CBAA requirements, we suggest that he take them up with the relevant authority and not denigrate the marvellous effort of the fledgling Paradise FM's volunteers.

Quoting from the CBAA handbook (the bible of community radio stations) 'The term 'sponsorship' is used to distinguish between the on-air promotional activity that is allowed on community stations and advertising activity that is typical on commercial stations. Community broadcasters offer sponsorship, not advertising. Sponsorship is defined by the Broadcasting Services Act (1992) and the Community Broadcasting Codes of Practice '... To summarize, the Broadcasting Act in simple language, says that sponsorship is the broadcast of a message that has been paid for (in cash or kind), is tagged' and limited to 4 minutes within any broadcast hour.'

Community radio needs as much support as it can get, and letters like Peter's do it no service. Keep up the good work Paradise FM.

Mark Rodriquez,
Co-ordinator
Tamaso Lonsdale,
President
Nim FM

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Land Ruined

Tuesday and Thursday, November 13 and 15, Lismore City Council ordered a bobcat to rip through council-owned grazing land in Currie Street, North Lismore, grading away soil between all the trees as well as making a metre-wide drain along the fence.

Now, my husband has leased the land in Currie St from the Council for 23 years, he lovingly planted trees, shrubs and ferns. At his own expense he put in topsoil, gathered grass from the roadside after council grass cutter had been around and paid enormous water rates.

This year the majority of councillors (four against) decided that he could not lease this land because of a complaint of a fly problem.

Now there is bare dirt, trees have been severely damaged, branches broken, roots exposed, all the different ferns gone, even the grass gone, all the wildlife gone. The bobcat had a wonderful time destroying everything over four hours on Tuesday and again one hour on Thursday.

This Council-owned land is now in the hands of Parks and Recreation, but they can't maintain it until they get the slasher in, but what are they going to slash?

Now council has to bring in soil to cover the tree roots, why take it away in the first place?

All because of a little horse manure. But horses still graze in the paddocks surrounding this little area.

What about the other council owned paddocks in North Lismore do they receive the same treatment and cleared of all the ragweed?

Merle Fullerton
North Lismore

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Bad News

On SBS every weekday afternoon at 5pm the US program, 'Newshour with Jim Lehrer' comes on.

Lehrer's guests come on and tell us why they have to bomb, mutilate and slaughter completely innocent civilians and their babies, homes and economy. Not forgetting the now millions of starving, terrorised survivors alternately frying and freezing in desert camps, smothered in flies.

All on show, everyday, in vivid colour.

And most horrid of all is Lehrer's cheery military guest describing how they are winning the war against terrorism.

'How are the US forces winning?' asks Jim.

'We are now deploying the daisy cutter work,' replies Commander Tommy Franks.

'How does the daisy cutter work?' asks Jim.

'Well Jim, it kills everything in a 600 metre zone. It's designed to kill people, Jim.' explains the laconic Tommy.

Then Jim asks how it gets to the kill zone. The military man explains: 'Parachutes Jim, we float the daisy cutter to the target attached to parachutes, and it weighs 15,000lbs.

Jim doesn't bother asking Tommy if a gust of wind might blow the bloody thing into an Afghani suburb or weekend market place. But, what the heck, it's war. These things happen!

I wonder if Jim Lehrer's News hour is beamed in by a US satellite to the mass of wretched humanity struggling for life in the Pakistan refugee camps.

Frosty Grego
Evans Head

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Letters also received from 'Vicki of Lismore'. Please include your address and a daytime contact number if you want your letters considered for publication.