Letters To The Editor

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Phone a Friend

Guess who?

"We cannot and will not forgive armed aggression."

"The victor will not be asked afterwards whether he told the truth or not. In starting and waging a war it is not right that matters, but victory."

(One quote is attributed to US President Eisenhower, the other to Adolf Hitler.)

Joanna Terpstra
Woodford Island

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Top sports

Congratulations to Ballina and Lismore Shires on the combined Seniors' week celebrations at Alstonville, where they coordinated the various organisations and activities as suggested by the Assoc of Independent Retirees.

May it become a regular event. The bands, singers and dancers were great, though the speaker system needs improvement, now we can see the potential and plan ahead. The last time I played cricket was over 50 years ago at school.

Ken Macdonald
Lennox Head

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Go Greens

Congratulations to the Greens volunteers and candidates John Corkill and Jan Barham on their excellent result at the polls. The Greens ran an effective, high profile campaign dealing constructively with some difficult issues for this region, as well as being vocal opponents of John Howard's commitment to a US led invasion of Iraq. Even though it was a federal issue, not state, it is refreshing to see a political party representing public disgust with the PM and our federal government at a grass roots level.

Thanks also to Peter Lanyon for your attendance at the many rallies and protests, and especially for your encouraging words at the Greens office on polling night as the results came in.

Finally I must thank the No War on Iraq team for organising the recent Lismore rallies, and all those who have attended and joined our calls for peace.

Andy Gough
Larnook

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History Repeats

I was a mere, oblivious, two years old. Suddenly a bloody megalomaniac bent on empire and obsessed with racial superiority invaded a country, which presented him no threat. With the connivance of a supine British PM his unbridled bloodlust threw the world into six years of misery and a generation of regret. That remains my childhood's most vivid memory.

My grandson, at precisely the same age and equally oblivious, will inherit a similar fate. The invader is American, not German, but the British PM plays true to form. There's one difference, though. This time our own PM has been the aggressor's bootlicking mascot. I weep that the world this child inherits will now have betrayed every honourable value fought for by my Father's generation. Such fools we be.

Lee Andresen
East Ballina

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Not Worth It

Does the ALP take voters in Ballina seriously? Judging by the quality of their recent candidates you would have to say no.

For example, in 1995 the party endorsed Veronica Black ahead of the much more experienced and better qualified Mindy Thorpe.

In 1999 and again in 2003 they nominated Sue Dakin. Unlike 1999, in 2003 the voters in Ballina had three years of her inglorious efforts as a Councillor to use as a benchmark.

With about 26% of first preference votes, Cr Dakin failed to improve upon her result in the 1999 election.

This is a clear message to the ALP – to have any chance in the seat of Ballina, they must first propose a candidate worth voting for.

Mark Bailey
Ballina

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Makes Me Sick

What a nerve Foreign Minister Downer has, ordering the UN to clean up the mess of the Bush gang of three.

How convenient to raze, burn and kill, and then arrogantly call on the rest of the world to render aid. Of course, aid will be rendered – not at the behest of the perpetrators of human suffering but in the name of humanity. Downer mouths the word so often that it's almost become sullied, except that many more nations practice it, rather than mouth it.

The cant from Downer and other creatures of his ilk is sickening.

Cherie Imlah
Mongogarie

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Gandhi's Advice

The following comments are made with reference to the article "Rage Maintained for Peace" (Echo, Mar 27) and the comments attributed to the "Books Not Bombs" protest organiser, Matt Egan.

Readers of my previous letters will understand that I do not support the war in Iraq and that I am an advocate of peace. However, I do not believe that peace will ever be achieved by "maintaining rage" against the perpetrators of war, nor by failing to support those who, feeling called to do so by their own understanding and convictions, are fighting in Iraq or elsewhere.

War is always the outcome of separatism, misunderstanding, fear and rage. As long as such perceptions and emotions are perpetuated, even against those who abuse human rights and those who instigate war, the human race will be in conflict.

There is a subtle but important difference between those who fight against war and those who take a stand for peace. Fighting against war is an emotive reaction, which escalates negativity and violence. Standing for peace is a considered response characterised by compassion and accompanied by the recognition that, to paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi, we are all parts in the body of humanity and therefore cannot be detached from the wickedest soul nor denied identity with the most virtuous.

Let us raise our voices for peace by all means. Let us do so, however, without projecting further malice into the world. We can achieve far more by sending the energy of healing, constructive, forgiving, compassionate thoughts and suggestions to the leaders of all nations and groups involved in the war than we can by adding to the burden of outrage that the world carries.

Far better, I think, to imagine and use our energy to create the world we want than to use it merely to struggle against what is.

Jill Garsden
Goonellabah

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Dictator Down Under

Mr Wilson McClelland's letter (Echo, Mar 6) expresses well the very serious division that John Howard and his government have brought upon Australia.

The hundreds of thousands of Australian people protesting Australia' complicity in US aggression against Iraq a few weeks ago, were not merely stating their opposition to John Howard's squirming support for George Bush. They were in one statement proclaiming the intended attack on Iraq which the Americans themselves have estimated will kill 500,000 civilians, an outright obscenity and atrocity.

So how can anyone seeing this view admire or appreciate Australia's complicity? The honour and gallantry associated with war has fairly well been confined to wars of defence. This intended war is clearly a war of aggression. A criminal act for criminal motives. John Howard is the last person anyone should seek moral guidance from. How on earth can anyone follow his criminal dictates to put blood on Australia's hands? Especially so since even the Pope has been strongly campaigning against this intended war as evil. Isn't it interesting that the Washington controlled Australian media made nothing of this news and effectively raised John Howard's moral status above that of the Pope?

It seems the time has come for military personnel to be given the right of conscience. The Israeli Defence Force, for all its atrocious behaviour has been given back some dignity by the fact that almost 1,100 of its soldiers have refused to serve in what they call Sharon's criminal activities in occupied Palestinian territories.

Sadly nothing but a party revolt against this man Howard will stop the criminality he has put in motion. I guess the coming days will be exposé to whether his party and the ALP have any real leaders.

Marijonas Vilkelis
North Lismore

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Tell Me Why

I do not like John Howard using our troops as a screen to stop protest against the war. He is trying to make people feel unpatriotic who protest the war.

I am not blaming the troops, but I really want to know:

Why are we participating in a war when so many civilians are being killed?

Why has there been so many friendly fire deaths?

Why are we fighting a people who have never hurt us?

Why did we rush into a war when we knew so little of the complexities of the Arab/Muslim world?

Why are we allowing our soldiers to risk their lives in the most unpopular war in Australian history?

Christine Russell
Dunoon

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Good For You

It upsets me greatly when people talk of 'junk food' especially when they refer to hamburgers, pizzas and Ice cream. It seems good food to me, with protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins in bread, meat, onion and lettuce, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and milk.

I believe the fat paranoia has gone too far.

I really wonder whether all the starving people in the world would go along with this crazy notion calling any food 'junk food'.

Anita Schulz
Ruthven

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Fuzzy Logic

Right in the middle of the Iraqi war, Mrs Sharon Davidson, who is also an adviser to Ian Causley, writes her letter 'Inaction too high a price for people' (Echo, Mar 27).

What people are we talking about here? That US led coalition of an unjustified war, with contempt of the UN and dragging the two most willing followers, UK and Australia? Mrs Davidson feels she has to let the people of Lismore know what a bad man Saddam Hussein is and she has inside information to justify this war.

It failed my understanding to find someone like Mrs Davidson who is witnessing every night in the comfort of her own lounge the bombings, destruction on a massive scale by huge B-52 bombers carrying weapons of mass destruction dropping on Baghdad, even in market places, killing hundreds of civilians. A nation agonising over food, water, terrorised and witnessing the death of their loved ones.

To remain desensitised to such misery, and say it's the right thing to do, I am afraid to say you have to be inhuman or an idiot. Deep American accents with a smile telling and showing us what they want us to see and hear not what's happening. They deny any wrong doings, condemning the other side with false claims and the feeble-minded swallow all that crap.

Proudly, they tell us how to they are killing and destroying the Iraqis regime also the innocent people. In their twisted minds those Iraqis are not people. Yes, not Anglo-Saxons like us, but nevertheless they are human beings who deserve the right to live. How to make Mrs Davidson understand that?

Worst of all the US has mostly disarmed Iraq and they don't understand why the Iraqis are fighting back. Despite this they have a coalition who treated the UN with contempt they can't understand why Syria and Iran are helping their Arab brothers in this war and they whinge like old women. Some 60 years ago, the Japs bombed Darwin. Until now, a great majority of us, who were not even born then, have never forgiven the Japanese for that. How can some of us justify these bombings knowing very well that Mr Bush wants to get control of the Iraqi oil? Saddam Hussein is a force in the Middle East, not militarily as such, but economically – he can control the price of this commodity.

The only nation in the Middle East happy to see Saddam going has to be Israel and when he falls, God help the Palestinians who are already crushed and humiliated and the Israelis are still building on their land at this very moment. Mr Bush growled 'Iraq must disarm'. When the inspectors were doing their job well and no nuclear weapons were found, he attacked and changed his tune to 'the regime must go' because one day they might give a nuclear weapon to terrorists who could bomb the US.

With this kind of thinking, other nations must strike the US first, because the only nation on this planet who used nuclear weapons was the US on Japan during World War Two. They might use it again. Who knows with this paranoia in the White House anything is possible?

Pat Rodgers
Goonellabah

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Name Game

I wish to congratulate 'Boyo' Frostbitten (legend in his own mind) abusive Grego (Echo, Mar 6) on being this weeks prize moron!

Just have a read folks of this pathetic persons pitiful attempt to agree with his unAustralian unpatriotic radical hate-filled opinion.

Boy we are at war with disgusting country-downing, anti-Howard, anti-Bush, anti-me, anti-you, anti-everything such as you boyo, and your do-gooder demonstrating ilk.

Isn't it strange you never hear these obvious Labor, Green, Democrat supporters say a word about Tony Blair. Not even in the ratbag ravings of boy Grego. T Blair is Labour chaps and he is supporting Howard and Bush. (Oh how embarrassing), but still not a peep out of know-all frostbite.

It just proves how objective he isn't! Fairness, right out the window. Nothing new here. Thaw out for god's sake icypole. Yes it is hard to believe there is such low-lives as this fellow in our wonderful country, who will go to any lengths to use a biro to put someone down just because that person has an opposing view.

Yes I would go to fight for our country boy frozenbrain and I have already offered. Why don't you go over to Iraq, Grego and help your old made Saddam at lease that would give me an even better reason to use my Gattling gun.

There are far too many now in this place like this dangerous hate-filled frostbitten El Jerko who are anti-everything, who think all they have to do to shut us up is to say and write put down crap and that's it! Wake up and stop deluding yourself Grego. You're wasting your ink. It will hot happen and in a democracy it never should.

I could answer every pitiful rave this gutter pitbull has made, but this sniping numbskull is just not worth it and it would be like talking to Saddam. A complete waste of time and I refuse to lower my self to the sender where his attitudes reside. These are types who present the real danger from within and when anyone resorts to Grego's abuse they have already lost the debate anyhow!

I believe these demonstrators have played right into Saddam's hands but they are too full of hate to realise this. Every time the likes of frostbitten open their clone mouths and shout scream their civil disobedience, demonstrate and wave their pointless no war messages like spoilt mindless kids they play right into the hands of dictators and evil murderers like Saddam, although doubtless organisers know what their doing but most just follow like dumb sheep to the slaughter. Why on earth they do not think it's worth while getting rid of Saddam to stop him killing and torturing his own people is just beyond belief when their whole bleeding heart agenda would have us believe they are so much for their felloe man.

What utter bullshit! I thought I had a strong stomach but this lot make me want to vomit.

Howard Bush and Blair are great leaders but his type of Vile abusive 'boy' ranter, like this Greggo animal defy description. An obvious 'sycophant' with the yellow streak head in the san, never go to fight for his country firmly implanted. The typical useless mob type from ga ga land who think that peace just magically happens and dictators will just give up and go away. What an alien and while this icy drip is desperately trying to make a fool of me he makes a complete one of himself. You will never shut me up you moron as I speak for the decent law abiding majority. You know, the other 19 million who did not make a fool of themselves and their country. So no more corfie talk al fresco with crossed legs on the patio! Arctic breath so back to sleep boyo in the sewer!

PS what a pathetic loser.

G Wallace
South Lismore

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US Role Model

Re Martin Gallagher's letter (Echo, Mar 27), who finds it ironic why the French Government blocked the move of war with Iraq in the UN instead of following blindly like Australia did?

Mr Howard has sold out to the US without the decency of consulting or telling the Australian people first. Most of all the French Government wanted to avoid the bombing, destruction, and killings happening now in Iraq. You have to be ignorant to watch indifferently every day and night on TV at the suffering of a people in the midst of an unjustified war, declared against a country without provocations, simply because George W. Bush's extremist ideas that they might have nuclear weapons, might give them to terrorists to blow up his country.

What a lot of nonsense and a good excuse to grab oil and already they have signed contractors – their mob to do the job and benefit America first, not the Iraqi people. If the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior done by the French Secret Service is seen as a support of terrorists by the French government, in international affairs you do not allow a small country to humiliate you even when you're wrong. It took New Zealand some time to understand that, with David Lange who had a big mouth and was trying to divert attention from his poor performance as PM. The CIA has done more atrocities across the world, assassinations of Heads of States, drug trafficking, arming rogue states, overthrown governments and even the downfall of Gough Whitlam.

No-one call the Americans terrorist supporters, because some ignorant believe they have the rights to do so. If Australia did have nuclear weapons now, there would be no need to be a follower of the US. The conducting of nuclear tests in the Pacific by the Department of Defence of France did not break international laws because they were done on French land, under the sea, at 8000km from Australia and was not a threat to any country in the Pacific Ocean.

Besides, until now, military personnel still live on that Atoll and the level of radioactive found recently was lower than Lucas Heights in Sydney.

France has always played a prestigious position in world affairs, being an empire even when America was still a British colony. The Yanks got their most precious gift any nation could desire, their freedom from their oppressive British masters, with the help of France. The Statue of Liberty in New York is a testimony of that.

John Marino
Goonellabah

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Dems View

Most Australians oppose going to war against Iraq without UN sanction.

In March 2002 the Prime Minister while in London, stated that the Australian public would support extending our involvement in the war on terrorism, to other theatres such as Iraq. From that day the Democrats have questioned the Government and called for a full Parliamentary debate and conscience vote on this issue.

No parliamentary vote occurred before 2000 Australian troops were deployed to the Gulf region, effectively handing over the decision as to whether Australia would be at war to someone no Australian voted for – George W. Bush. From the time of the deployment the Democrats have urged all Australians to support our troops and, in protesting against war, to be sensitive to the feelings of their friends and families left behind.

It was not until February 2003 that the Prime Minister made a statement to the Parliament on Iraq. That statement did not reveal a link between Iraq and the events of September 11th or the Bali bombings, nor did it present evidence that weapons inspections were not working. The Democrats continue to oppose war with Iraq, particularly without UN sanction, as a disarmament, to decrease the risk of terrorism or enhance Australia's security.

It is clear that in the last year the Prime Minister has failed to convince the majority of the Australian people that this is a just war, a necessary war and a war that Australia should be involved in.

In order to give Australians a chance to express their views, the Democrats have operated a mobile polling booth throughout NSW over the last month with ballot papers offering three options: supporting no war; a war with UN sanction, or a United States-led war. Nearly 60,000 people have voted already and the Democrats will be delivering those ballots to the Prime Minister when Parliament resumes.

Senator Andrew Bartlett
Leader of the Australian Democrats

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Thanks for Votes

May I extend a sincere thank you to all your readers who supported The Greens, assisted the Lismore campaign team or otherwise voted for me in the recent state election for the seat of Lismore.

It is both uplifting and humbling to be granted so much support by one's community.

Hundreds of people helped before and on polling day and more than 5000 people cast a no.1 vote for The Greens. Thank you all.

With the vote up from 9.7% in 1999 to nearly 15% the show of new support for The Greens has been very significant.

Throughout the campaign I was aware of the trust and responsibility invested in me by so many.

I believe that I was able, during my public appearances and media comments, to convey to a wider audience, many of the ideas and feelings within our community that have not been recognised or represented by the major parties.

While some of these ideas, such as drug law reform and a middle ground between farmers and environmentalists, have their time yet to come, I feel it was important to raise them and begin a wider debate on our society's future direction.

In this way The Greens campaign and my candidature have been successful and worthwhile.

I enjoyed the opportunity to speak out on a range of matters, to meet new people and hear their interests and concerns. But I am sad that there are many people who do not understand or respect our political system and who participate in Œthe democratic process‚ using conditioned reactions rather than informed choice, oblivious to the impacts this has on their lives and livelihoods. How to reach these people remains a major challenge.

To Thomas George I say congratulations and good luck

And to the other candidates: thank you for an interesting contest, my best wishes for your future endeavours.

John Corkill
Greens candidate for Lismore

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Empty Promises

When the Americans, British and Australians promised that the people of Afghanistan would not be left alone after the collapse of the Taliban, that they would rebuild their country, they lied. The people of Afghanistan were betrayed again and again by the US, UK and us. Instead of reconstruction, we have reinstated the warlords who had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghans. These warlords, who have been given weapons that are used to kill and maim more innocent people, should be charged with mass murder and genocide in the International Criminal Court.

Where are the hospitals, where are the schools, where is the democracy that was promised? The president himself is surrounded by American bodyguards and he has no real power outside the capital itself. The warlords control the rest of the country and are reviving the drug trade and subjecting the women and girls to abuse and rape. Al Qaeda is still roaming in the country and the Taliban still have influence and control of some areas.

The warlords have stolen the little aid sent to Afghanistan by the West. Each warlord has his own private army that is a law unto itself. It has been two years since the collapse of the Taliban, and Afghanistan still does not have a basic constitution, an effective judiciary and, most importantly, it has no regular army to protect its innocent citizens from the warlords. Is this the democracy and reconstruction promised to the Afghan people by the US, UK and Australia?

So, people of Australia, do not be deceived by Bush and Blair (supported by Howard), when they tell you that there will be a brighter future for Iraq after the collapse of Saddam. Iraq will be left poorer and more deprived. Iraq's resources will be stolen from them. They will have a "democratic" dictator who will be installed by the Coaliation of the Willing. The innocent people of Iraq will suffer again as history has witnessed in Afghanistan.

The purpose of the war in Afghanistan was to rid Afghanistan and the World of terrorism in the form of bin Laden and the Taliban. But it seems that bin Laden is still in control of Al Qaeda. The Taliban might be gone, but who has replaced them? The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not about ridding the world of terrorism and evil and brutal dictators such as Saddam and the Taliban. They are purely about controlling the wealth and resources of other countries, and imposing Western political values on these Eastern countries.

The people of Iraq will be abandoned again like the Afghans and Palestinians. Shame on us for allowing our government to be a part of this.

David Horner
Alstonville

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Bigger Dangers

It ought to be an embarrassment to Mr Causley that his advisor, Sharon Davidson, favours an illegal war. I suspect Ms Davidson may be relying on Mr Howard's flimsy 'legal advice', which comes from lawyers who have no expertise in the field of public international law! I recommend she read the Opinion from Robinder Singh QC of Matrix Chambers, London.

Ms Davidson will get no argument from me (mother of three), or any other peace activist I've met, in her assertion that Saddam is guilty of dreadful crimes against humanity. But so are many other despots. So why Iraq? Why now? Well, economically, the USA must have this war. If Iraq oil contracts were to be written in Euros instead of the US dollar (as has been the trend recently), North America will likely go broke. This has a ring of harsh, clear truth to it, unlike the flip-flop, emotive rationales we've heard from Bush, Blair and Howard to date.

Those who enforce law and justice, be it domestic police or nation states' armies must, in order to be credible, operate under the same principles they claim to uphold. The Bush administration is claiming to be going to war as a champion of the oppressed and justice and the United States'

Constitution certainly reflects these ideals. But the USA's track record over the last 50 years includes the following:

1: The USA has used or tested chemical/biological weapons on the following civilian populations without informing the citizens: Bahamas, Canada,China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Panama and Cuba.

2: The USA is the world's largest provider of live land mines. The USA has refused to sign the Convention against the use of land mines. Mines kill or injure several people, including children, somewhere in the world every day.

3: The USA has been the sole "No" vote on various resolutions and treaties including (far too many to mention here) the following: aid to under-developed nations; UN promotion of human rights; treaty to ban the use of chemical and biological weapons (on three occasions); condemnation of apartheid; nuclear test ban treat (twice); Convention on the Rights of the Child.

4: The USA, via the CIA, has developed and distributed training manuals to foreign military personnel, which include instruction on assassination, subversion, sabotage, population control, torture, repression, psychological torture and death squads.

[Information source: "Terrorism and American Foreign Policy", Robert Elias,

Professor and Chair, Politics Dept., University of San Francisco.]

Most of us long for an honest, trustworthy force capable of dealing with despots and threats to global peace. The danger lies in supporting and aiding military force by an administration unworthy of our trust. The greatest danger lies either in our inability to recognise misplaced trust or to acknowledge our complicity with unsavoury agendas.

Cloud
Kyogle

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Ken Returns

The past year or so your readers may have noticed I am not as gung-ho with my letter writing as in days of old – (thank god I hear most of Nimbin cry).

However, Bush and his Coalition of Sycophants have driven me back to my typewriter!

Prime Minister Howard tells us we should not blame our troops for the atrocities they are about to commit. However, in his recent television address to the Iraqi soldiers President Bush warned that "war crimes will be prosecuted and it will be no defence to say you were just following orders".

What could this mean for the individuals serving in Australia's armed forces? If the invasion of Iraq is unlawful, in Bush's own words our troops will be personally liable for the women and children they burn and kill.

Howard's paternalistic attitude to the members of our armed forces is truly pathetic. These are grown men and women with minds and hearts of their own.

They chose to join up and they can now choose to lay down their arms and come home. The majority of Australian people would welcome them back as heroes – alive and innocent.

Ken Lambeth
Bathurst

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