Letters To The Editor

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Burning Bush

George Bush criticised the UN in an effort to push "the USA's views" that bombing Iraq is the only logical way to show great "resolve" and prove the discerning purpose of the UN.

Try attacking Afghanistan, the US arms trade benefited and their status as "International Police" was re-enforced.

Our already disgraced Government is prepared to back the US in it problem-solving ideas of violence in dropping bombs on Iraq. How can George Bush question the purpose of the UN and at the same time having signed the 1948 conventional treaty on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide?

Has anyone heard Bush's "resolve" in trying to actually resolve the problems through talks on why these terrorists did what they did? Hatred doesn't come with out its reasoning! Bush joked in front of the General Assembly saying how obvious it is, "We all know he has weapons of mass destruction". How do we know? (Don't you also possess such weapons?) If the US intelligence network is so good that anything is obvious, then how did they not know about three planes hitting two landmarks?

I ask you then Mr. Bush, what is the purpose of the UN to you when following International Treaties can be so easily forgotten?

Benjamin Norton, aged 14
Lismore

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By-Pass Larry

It was interesting to read the misinformation espoused by the member for Richmond, Larry Anthony (Echo, Sept 12).

Here he is working on the gossip and rumour-mongering, providing the public with despair about the Alstonville by-pass. He claims the By-pass will only be built with a change of State Government. Then he claims that it's okay to put up signs on telegraph poles (which is illegal) and then states it will be some councillors will be prosecuting residents who put up signs!

Someone give this boy the facts!

Fact: Coalition contribution to getting the Alstonville By-pass underway during their term (12 years in office) = NIL

Fact: Each state election since the Carr Government took office, National Party has promised the by-pass. They promised extra police too, along with a range of other goodies.

Fact: At the last State Election, Labor promised to get by-pass activities underway. So far, the EIS has been completed and advertised. The Representatives Report has been completed and is with the Minister for Planning NSW for approval. Scully has promised to report back to the people... and since the process is underway, why should Larry get so dramatic and pretend nothing's happening?

Fact: No councillor is able to prosecute residents. In fact, it would be interesting to know from his gossip vine, which Councillors are attempting this feat! As all councillors of Ballina Shire unanimously agreed to the continuation of the lobby of Mr Scully, with our Mayor having met with him three times!

Maybe Larry's lines of communication are not as clear as others interested in getting the government to deliver without all the dramatic hype usually associated with coalition promises. If he is looking for work to do, I remind him that still nothing has been achieved from lobbying him on the issue of excluding federal taxes from State Government grants!

Cr Sue Dakin
Labor candidate for Ballina in NSW elections

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A Great Favour

Since September 11, 2001 some analysts have claimed, that the suicide hijackers were no dummies for having been able to plan and carry out such a sophisticated operation.

In a recent SBS documentary old schoolmates, teachers and colleagues were again telling us about how smart these hijackers were in their studies and at work.

Let me add this to the subject: The people who planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks were clever enough to have attained university degrees and to fly jumbo jets, but they were not bright enough to realise, that by their actions they were doing an immensely great favour to those who are working towards establishing a global dictatorship, because such a goal would be almost impossible to achieve without an enemy picture being waved in front of our eyes constantly. Making sure that we are terrified enough to look under our beds every night searching for those elusive terrorists and that we may support the invasion of any country that is declared somehow to be on the side of evil. That is why for example Adolf Hitler commented once to his staff that: If there were no Jews in the world, then they should be invented.

Tom Koo
Alstonville

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More Maggies

Michael Wawn (Echo, Sept 19), thanks for the warning.

If you want to sue someone I'd suggest the magpie, with a good lawyer you'd probably get 50 per cent of the birds nest.

With a real bloodsucker you might even get the chicks. Speaking of bloodsuckers, can I sue anything/anyone for the tick that had the hide to latch onto my daughter, or the ant that bit me. Maybe we can launch a class action against mosquitoes, march flies and any thing else that might bite us. Sorry to take the piss, but if it's that big a problem get on your bike and make the effort to ride around them, the maggies would probably appreciate it (It would save them impersonating chickens to swoop down on you), and they could get on with bringing up their family.

Steve Weatherburn
Leycester

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Laundromat Fan

I am responding to Ian Juleff's letter (Echo, Sept 5) expressing his outrage at the Laundromat opening in Goonellabah. Outrage at what?

That low income, disadvantaged families can wash their clothes without having to drag their washing downtown along with two or more children on the bus and then the fun filled journey home.

Of course, if it is after 2pm on a Saturday afternoon there are no buses, then it means walking 5 or 6 km return. Lots of fun in Summer!

I think the Department of Housing may be starting to get it right. They built low cost housing en masse but did not consider the community that would be living in these estates. That these many and varied types of people would have many and varied needs.

There are two washing machines and two dryers and all users pay. The Laundromat is cleaned, operated and used by the residents.

How could this service be a threat to the viability of a large Laundromat in an area over 5km away from our estate and not on a direct bus route? It is hoped that all costs for running and maintaining the machines will cover themselves and if any profit is reached it will be put back into our community park. Although we realise that, this is a long way down the track yet. Where do your profits go?

If you do nothing productive you are a bludger, get something positive together then we are accused of rorting the system. How about credit where credit is due Mr Juleff?

I invite anyone interested to come and check out this service for yourself and make up your own mind as to whether it fills a need in our community.

We are situated at 13 Shearman Drive Goonellabah. Thanks for the publicity Jeff!

Mary Wood
Goonellabah

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Wrong Vote

In The Echo (Sept 19) in the article "Pot Luck Favours New Valley Mayor" it was stated that Norma Thomas was one of the Councillors who voted for Charlie Cox. This is not true. The Councillor you missed was Don Harvey of Evans Head. Norma Thomas voted for Col Sullivan. I would appreciate a correction in your next paper.

Councillor Norma Thomas
Coraki

• Sincere apologies. It's proof of the old adage: never send the editor to do a journalist's job. - Ed

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Koala Road

At a meeting of concerned residents last week in Lismore, the decision was taken to gain at least 1,000 signatures on a petition asking the Lismore City Council to reconsider the routing of the Skyline Road upgrade.

Dr Effie Ablett of Friends of the koalas (Lismore) gave a clear presentation showing how the large and healthy koala population of Lismore will be affected if the upgrade takes the presently proposed route. It is the third largest population in NSW, and the koala is a threatened species in NSW.

If you can make any announcement about the petition, which is now circulating, please do so.

The next campaign meeting will be at Lismore Workers' Club, at 7pm on Tuesday, October 1. Helpers needed and welcome

Margaret Nelson
Lismore Heights

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It's a Gas

I run my vehicle on Liquified Petrolium Gas (propane) based on two major reasonings.

Firstly, LP Gas burns far cleaner and produces less harmful emissions and greenhouse gasses. Compared to petrol, vehicles running on LP Gas emit around 12% less CO2 and around 30% less oxides of nitrogen, Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Compared to diesel there is around 90% less NOx, 1/50th of particulates and only 1/500th of the ultra fine particles. LP Gas engines are 50% quieter than diesel engines.

Secondly, propane is a by-product (waste) from the refining process, it is therefore much less expensive and I get far more mileage per dollar spent at the bowser.

Why is the government (state and federal) not promoting and providing grants and other incentives towards the use of LPG in consumer vehicles instead of telling the UN we will not ratify the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse emissions?

Given the state of our planet and the effects of global warming, wouldn't it be logical to encourage and subsidise the use of a cleaner, more efficient fuel than petrol? Why are taxis the only industry to run their fleet on LPG? Why is it even more expensive to run LPG in the bush?

Why is the price of LPG 10c per litre more expensive in Lismore than in Brisbane or indeed the Gold Coast? That is a far greater percentage than the jump in petrol prices. There is a huge surplus of LPG available compared to the relative scarcity of petrol.

To fill my 60 litre tank in Lismore costs $31.20 at todays price of 52c per litre. On Sunday I filled up at a BP on the Gold Coast for 42c per litre at a cost of $25.20. That's quite a saving, and I was only 2 hours away from Lismore. Surely 'transportation costs' cannot be rorted to this extreme.

I have enquired at numerous service stations (are they still called that?) and everyone just shrugs their shoulders and cannot give me an adequate explanation. I even enquired at Elgas and they gave me a mobile number for a guy who never returned my call.

In Vienna, they have been using LP gas powered buses for over 30 years and these have proved so successful that they now have their entire fleet of over 400 buses running on LP gas. In all those 30 years of operation they have never had a single incident which has been caused by the use of LP gas.

I think I'll have a look at the figures on donations to political parties from petrochemical multinationals, that might explain everything.

Andy Gough
Lismore

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Asylum Seekers

I would like to answer a question by G. Wallace (Echo, Sept 5) where he asks "What is their agenda"? in reference to myself and others with similar concerns regarding the shocking treatment of asylum seekers by our Government.

As stated above, I would like to answer him, but as someone much wiser than I once said: "There are none so blind as those who will not see." Over quite some time now, myself and others have been writing (in English, not Arabic) that we would like to see more humane treatment of refugees (not illegals, Mr Wallace) illegals are doing quite nicely thank you, having come into our country in nice big aeroplanes, not in small, overcrowded, leaky boats.

Mr Wallace continually brands us as bleeding hearts, well, I thank him for that, as I am sure would the long list of well known and repected people, previously named by others, such as Malcolm Fraser, John Newcombe, Ian Chappel, Tim Costello, Nicholas Cowdrey, Nick Greiner and many more.

In this, "the year of the outback" surely G. Wallace would have been reminded of the enormous contribution of a few "Arabs", that is, Afghan camel handlers who opened up Central Australia in the nineteenth century.

I am sorry to inform you, Mr Wallace that this country of ours, (which, by the way I helped to defend) started to become multicultural in the early 1950's, so you are a little bit late in wanting to "defend it" from this.

The most outrageous part of Wallace's diatribe of Sept 15th is where he asks "Who raped that girl in Sydney?" and goes on to imply that they were unwelcome migrants. Those depraved animals were named as Lebanese, but the Lebanese Australian community rejected that description. They were Australians of Lebanese descent.

Absolutely terrible as those gang-rapes were, surely G.Wallace, you would have heard about the even more horrific treatment of Anita Coby, so horrific that hardened reporters and police cannot, even today talk about it in full.

Well, Wallace, the name "Murphy" looms large in my memory when I am reminded of that case, but I am not going to suggest we send all Irish-Australians back, as I am only third generation, and sometimes feel that I am still a bit of a paddy.

Doug Myler
Lismore Heights

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Face Facts Nimbin

I am writing this letter in response to Miss Williams (Echo, Sept 5).

Sorry to say, but I totally agree with her.

Nimbin was once a very pretty friendly place to visit, the alternative lifestyle they say. I agree everyone to their own, but myself, family and friends no longer dare to go there as it has become a drug-crazed hell-hole, full of violence, needle users, rip-offs and filth. And in answer to D Roberts (Echo, Sept 12). I agree Nimbin sticks together, especially when it comes to ripping people off or kicking their heads in.

You're a disgrace to our heritage. Pull your finger out Nimbin, before you become nothing but an "intersection".

S Ficher
Lismore

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Nimbin Reality

Dear Mrs Williams (Echo, Sept 5)

I'm sorry you had an awful time in Nimbin that Sunday morning, but what did you expect? A picnic in the park? Police walking the beat? Most local residents also find some street behaviour offensive, but generally we understand in Nimbin the problem is prohibition and the black market it has created, rather than the drugs themselves.

In 2002, Nimbin is a refugee camp from the war on drugs. It's an extremely tight and close community where black sheep people look out for each other and I'm amazed the village keeps itself together so well, considering it's an open air hospital, a jail without walls and an outpost of Richmond Clinic, also. It's not dangerous, but you do need to understand you're visiting a cannabis black market. For many visitors it is a unique tourism experience. It's a reality check, especially if you visit from Alstonville, 'Australia's best address', where it all happens behind closed doors.

As you may have read in the Museum, the hippie pot smoking settlement of the 1970's came with values of peace, love and non-violence. Pot was worth about $30 an ounce, but hippies shared it. Thirty years on the word has spread about the forbidden magic herb and it is widely used by all ages and types of people. There is a steady stream of seventy year olds visiting Nimbin to find out about cannabis these days. They've heard it helps arthritis, or gives you a good night's sleep.

Pot now costs $300 an ounce and the official estimated Australian turnover is $5 billion a year, twice the size of the wine market. Illegal drugs are the second biggest business on the planet today, after armaments. The black market funds not only the Taliban, corrupt police, untouchable businessmen and women but also thousands of bottom feeders trying to support various habits or addictions, who are the ones who end up filling our jails and courtrooms. Largely innocent people trying to manage their pain, with herbs. What a crime!

You felt sorry for the shopkeepers in Nimbin, but also feel sorry for the young people who have grown up in a cannabis culture and are now lured into easy money and a criminal life. What's their future? To them, it's not criminal, it's the law which is the crime. All those drug dealers you saw in Nimbin don't actually have a conscience about it! It's important to understand that fact. Bad laws breed disrespect for authority and other laws in general as is happening across the country.

As soon as a cannabis marketplace is allowed in Nimbin, the street scene will become more predictable. We started to get that a year or so back, with our own 'unofficial cannabis cafe trial', until Thomas George sent the police in. The huge raids cost a fortune, embarrassed the police and the tide of street dealers flowed back in. Our local Rep in Parliament's continual scapegoating of Nimbin is shameful. Recently he told assembled school children in Lismore he won't even eat the food in Nimbin!

Politicians and the media, like you, point their finger at us, the cannabis capital, look what drugs do to you, they say. Wrong. Look what prohibition of nature's best herbal medicines has done to a peaceful alternative lifestyle community, whose only 'crime' is to use cannabis.

Under the present political climate, the war on drugs etc, the Nimbin pot smoking community cannot be allowed to relax. Happy stoned people is not a good look for John Howard, who's on the USA warpath!

Next year in March will be the third 'Law & Order' NSW Election in a row. You can help by not voting for the National Party. Meanwhile, until the laws change we'll do the best we can with the current ridiculous situation.

Michael Balderstone
Nimbin Museum

PS. Questions re dealing in the Museum?! Museum volunteers are worn out trying to stop dealing in its labyrinth of hidden rooms. There's three entrances and the Museum costs are barely paid by donations, there's nothing to pay staff with.

It does truly reflect the local culture though, where the black market in cannabis so dominates the village.

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History Lesson

In 1945, the UK Daily Telegraph, printed on the front page, a large photograph showing a column of black smoke billowing from behind a group of buildings. The caption read in effect, "Enemy factories destroyed by RAF mosquitos". The same photograph had earlier been pinned on our Operations noticeboard. The smoke came from a Mosquito aircraft in which my roommate, Bill Knowles, and his navigator were being incinerated. Victory Europe was less than three months away. The propagandists achieved nothing but "dealing in lies", they could not resist the habit.

In Washington in 1953 I watched demonstrators protesting or supporting the pending execution of American communists, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Fifty years later "Communist" has been replaced by "terrorist". Initially both words identified enemies. Later they become used to denigrate and suppress opposition to political aggression or opportunism.

It is appalling to have our Defence Forces at the beck of the US President who, as state governor, signed more execution warrants than any of his contemporaries. History reveals that other political leaders have had a vicarious fascination in the deaths of their own people as well as those of enemies. They see their greatness in lives rather than in diplomacy. I hope that women of today will think about the tears of mothers and wives in earlier wars.

Phil Davenport
Ballina

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War and Peace

As George Bush and the other secret leaders of the United States of America personally decide on the West's behalf to wage war on yet another Middle Eastern country we would do well to realise the implications of America's actions.

As people endlessly argue whether to let refugees and people arriving on boats into the country thousands more will be lining up to come as large areas of the globe become uninhabitable due to mayhem released in their societies created by both starvation and bombardment by depleted uranium, which is now the common ingredient of bullets and shrapnel when the United States wages war.

Modern warfare must be the most incredible greenhouse effect accelerant and spreader of radiation known. What is actually happening to the earth when massive bombardment of depleted uranium by jet planes happens? Depleted uranium is a very misleading term as the substance is still very radioactive.

Everyone's worried about Kyoto agreements, saving endangered species, droughts and floods. What is the point of worrying when democratic societies like ourselves have allowed warlords to regain control and dictate a path leading to total annihilation?

Nationalism is an artificial construct, more to do with the ease of operating capitalism than natural human behaviour. It's time we went beyond nationalism and worked with not only the scant resources the world has, but its minimal ability to discharge pollution, on an international level creating a world we can all use.

Profit is no useful measuring stick. Profit is driving the massive armament, petro-chemical and medical industries.

When America and Britain have such a large proportion of their population and their economy dependant on jobs in the armament industry they cannot be effective agents of world peace. They need outlets for sales of war machinery.

When the pharmaceutical industry relies on massive profits for their drugs they are not inclined to support natural remedies and herbs as they cannot copyright them and make enormous profits.

With massive profits to be made in the petroleum industry no real moves are made for pollution control or climate stabilisation nor is there incentive for organic farming.

We are moving swiftly down a path of devastation uprooting remnants of traditional lifestyles everywhere trying to create an homogonous, materially consumptive, culturally dead human population all over the planet.

Hatred, revenge and prejudice are not going to help us as we come quickly towards the biggest testing time of all as the planet finally reels from centuries of human exploitation and survival becomes hard for everyone.

Lynne Oldfield
Barkers Vale

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In Larry's Defence

Re: the "Whinging MP" letter.

A Ballina resident, Mr Walter Mulgrave criticised Larry Anthony for his support of the urgently needed bypass, for our plateau (Echo, Sept 19). For whatever reason, Walter has introduced politics into his attack on the Minister, by stating that the Labor party does not put signs on telegraph poles at election time.

At no time has the "community bypass support group" placed the monthly signs on telegraph poles, as there are no longer telephone poles in Alstonville. The community does not enjoy having to put the monthly signs up on the electrical poles at all.

The Bypass Committee is not politically aligned. The time has come, that no matter which Government is in power, our work will not cease until that Government gives us the Bypass.

The bypass committee does not introduce politics into the signs. It is the Labor Government that de-prioritised the construction of the bypass. This mothballing of the bypass, by the Labor Government, is the very reason that it is not completed, as budgeted for by the previous Fahey Government. We all remember that we had a very public Government consultation, to develop the Environmental Impact Statement, in 1996 to 1997. Labor came to Government and the Bypass is not even on the RTA agenda for this decade. This EIS has still not been signed off. Labor requested that it be deliberately delayed.

Walter, we consider ourselves to be a good community of people on the Plateau, a community that has waited 37 years for our Bypass. As we are always helping Ballina residents, we need your help and support to get the Bypass, not your vicious attacks. If you think Labor is embarrassed by their own actions in stopping the improvement of the infrastructure in this region, speak with them and you may assist in changing their attitude to the Ballina State Electorate. Walter, together we all may achieve a bypass.

The Bypass Committee is not only addressing the future corridor and the standard of highway to be built but it is negotiating with the RTA, to encourage them to upgrade the Highway from Alstonville to Wollongbar, whilst we wait for the Bypass.

This year the road surface at Wollongbar was resealed and line marked. This is a big improvement for all road users. Other interim works requested of Mr Peter Collins and Mr Peter Stevens of the RTA are:

• Works at Parkland Drive intersection
• Works at Green Street Intersection
• The two pedestrian crossings in Alstonville
• The poor road shoulders on the old Butter Factory Hill.
• The dangerous storm water gutters in Alstonville
• The two Bus Stops on the Highway at Wollongbar.

Every week we are suffering accidents. Last week, a young child was knocked down on the Bruxner Highway, opposite Parkland Drive. Green Street intersection has regular accidents!! Walter do you support a Government who could fix these problems easily, but doesn't? This Government seems content to allow our people to suffer bodily damage, at an increasing rate. Now it appears that the State Government intends to use the Bypass as an election issue!

Everyone must remember that the Federal Government has no responsibility to fund the bypass. (Sue Dakin has stated otherwise?). It is a State Highway. Walter, if the Federal Government withdrew their promise of $12 million funding, after your pleasant attack on Larry Anthony, one could hardly blame the Commonwealth. Let's not attack the hand that is proactive in helping our region.

When the bypass is built, it will give every Ballina and Lismore resident another 1/2 hour a day, each time they bypass the congested villages on a return trip. Where else in our busy lifestyles can we buy time, at such a low cost?

Walter, if you can help, and every other citizen can help us to achieve a bypass, we will all benefit. The economic worth of the region will improve and we will enjoy a higher standard of living.

Walter, " Our Bypass is not a big ask?"

Robert Wilson
Alstonville
Public Relations and Media Officer
Alstonville/Wollongbar Bypass Committee

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Nimbin Stories

I read M Williams letter about Nimbin (Echo, Sept 5) as I was walking out the door to go and visit it for the first time in 12 years. I don't know Nimbin very well but I've heard lots of stories.

Not being from 'around here' I steeled myself for the trip. What could I expect? Would it be safe to leave my car parked in the main street? Perhaps I should leave my handbag at home? Being an adventurous person who has travelled all over the world I headed off, curious yet alert for danger. The first thing I noticed was the sense of community.

Yes it was young and loud and people looked 'different' but it was also exciting, warm and interesting. A friend and I spent a few hours in the main street browsing in shops, and everyone who spoke to me was friendly, polite and smiling. I felt that it would not matter how I looked or who I was, I would be accepted there. There was much laughter and uninhibited expression in the street that day and it was wonderful. Colourful, vibrant and wild, it made a welcome and refreshing change to the many repressed towns and 'communities' I have visited. I will take pleasure in visiting again and I will tell everyone who will listen what an eclectic and beautiful town Nimbin is.

M Roth
East Lismore

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