nsw politics
17 Sep 2009
...And Don't Come Back
The return of the controversial World Rally Championship race to northern NSW looks unlikely after it made the news for all the wrong reasons, writes John Pitt
The Australian leg of the World Rally Championship held earlier this month in the Northern Rivers of NSW attracted very little national media attention from sports writers or the TV networks.Perhaps that's because rallying doesn't rate very highly here, compared with Europe where top drivers are idolised. Perhaps it was because there weren't any leading Australian drivers competing. Perhaps it was also a bit because the event wasn't being held close to Sydney, the organisers instead having chosen one of the most environmentally sensitive and diverse regions of Australia to stage the three-day motor race.
But it did rate a mention on the news pages of the Sydney Morning Herald for an incident of rock-throwing that supposedly happened on the first day of the competition. Except no one knows for sure if rocks were actually hurled at a rally car, leading to the cancellation of one leg of the race.
Two weeks later and even the organisers, Rally Australia, can't be certain, although conflicting reports have gone out to the media from spokesman Garry Connelly. The incident was also condemned by the two "offical" protest groups and no-one has yet been charged or questioned.
However, none of that matters. It has now been enshrined in folklore, taken up by international media, probably meaning that rallying in this country is now firmly associated with protest. Ask someone about Rally Australia and they'll probably say: "That's when the rocks were thrown."
The weeks leading up to this event drew the best and the worst out of people. Rent-a-crowd protestors began to descend on this most beautiful of regions, the Green Cauldron, urging people to come out and take direct action. The atmosphere was as highly charged as the rally cars.
A day or two before racing was due to start the local police chief claimed dead koalas had been frozen and would be thrown on to the rally route as "evidence" of road kill by the rally cars. Of course, this was just spin, but the local media lapped it up.
Then the man who had led the anti-rally protest through months of painstaking and careful negotiation with police, politicians and officials quit before the event was due to start. He could no longer stand to see activists, especially those who had arrived on the scene lately, taking the lead, with some people arguing that the fight to stop the event should be taken to the next level. Where letter-writing and petitions had failed, where court battles had been stymied, so direct action would win, that argument went. Revolution was in the air.
That's why, when the AAP reported the rock-throwing story, few even bothered to question whether or not it was true. It was as if that type of action was a foregone conclusion.
And what of the rally drivers? One of the best in the world, the man leading the championship and a legend in the sport, could see both sides.
Sebastien Loeb, a Frenchman, wrote on his website: "We had a demonstration by environmentalists, and two stages were cancelled ... I understand them. I had a discussion with some of them. They live in the middle of nature, in tranquility. They are understandably not delighted to have cars passing sometimes just in front of their home, and what's more, some stages went through [national] parks! Normally, these parks are completely closed to traffic. So they have a grudge against their politicians, who circumvented the law so that the rally is held here and partly in the parks."
And further: "There can't be a rally culture here, or rather, we saw that there was an anti-culture with demonstrations by environmentalists. I understand, I did not come here against them. So, it became uncomfortable to run in hostile terrain. I prefer to go where people are happy to see us."
Is any of this important? It was just a motor race. It was only three days. It is only coming here every other year, alternating with New Zealand. There wasn't the carnage of wildlife that anti-rally groups had feared, according to preliminary reports. No-one was hurt, despite the fact that it is not uncommon for spectators and competitors to be seriously injured or killed in rally events. Some local business claim to have done well over the weekend. The rally organisers have trumpeted at how well ticket sales went, and have said they intend to come back.
So does any of this really matter? Yes, it does. The NSW Government made the event happen through special legislation, denying residents the opportunity to have their say. That's the reason hundreds came out over the three days, lining the route, heckling, waving home-made banners, arguing passionately with officials and drivers at every opportunity. They believed — and still believe — that democracy has been denied, that the mandarins and politicos in Macquarie Street don't care what people in general, or their constituents in particular, think, feel or say.
Now, post-rally, a survey will be conducted to determine what economic benefit this event has had to the region. It's already tacitly understood that the social benefits were zero.
What does Rally Australia have to say? Nothing. I put in a request to their leg man in the Tweed, Gary Upson, for an interview, with him, with Connelly and with chairman of Rally Australia and former NRMA boss, Alan Evans.
Upson's reply was: "Unfortunately due to business and other commitments neither Alan Evans nor Garry Connelly are available for an interview. I must also advise that my current workload prevents myself from being available for an interview."
What a shame. Although my hunch is the rally won't be coming back to the Northern Rivers again. Two cheers for democracy. But if it doesn't return here, where will it go? And wherever that is, will that community be overruled too?
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More evidence that NSW politics slides (drifts?) to an even lower ebb. Three cheers for the frozen koalas. If they stop this environmentally unsound motor sport, they did not give up their lives in vain. Nothing (not even millions of frozen koalas) will save the NSW ALP Government as they cruise towards destruction.
David Booth
Bywong NSW
If you only really understood that the government’s action was entirely contrary to the standards of the rally community as well , at club and national level event directors work with local communities. The sport is generally run by volunteers who are both competitors at various levels and enthusiasts , even the corporate promoters rely on these people.
For years Rally Australia was one of the most highly regarded events on the world calendar . And it was very profitable for the W.A government.
The area would have been chosen primarily for quality , type and availibilty of road , for its remoteness from major population centres and as an international showcase for the beauty of Australia.
Environmentally it is a very low impact sport -
existing road infrastructure is used , stage distances are quite short , it doesn’t attract huge crowds, as with road cars trees win any contests with the landscape , road damage levies are the norm in the sport , noise , air pollution and road&flora damage are relatively less than for a similar group of 4wds or trailbikes.
So what where the details of the environmental protest ?
‘despite the fact that it is not uncommon for spectators and competitors to be seriously injured or killed in rally events. ’
What ! ? Nonsense. refer your own comment about rock throwing as a distortion of what actually happens.
Sebastien Loeb , actually a multiple world champion athlete in the sport of motor vehicle rallying. In a sport where even the elite remain friendly and approachable.
Correct me if I am wrong but I believe I can ride a trailbike or drive a 4wd through designated roads in a national park. Vehicle access per se is not unusual . Did the protestors walk in ? Nor were roads created for the event.
The question (the NSW govt’s behaviour aside) is why should minority interest groups be prevented from negotiating the use of crown land for reasonable short term purpose ?
In an aside to the Rally, the Tweed Shire Council on Tuesday (September 15) lost the major who had tried to get its general manager to resign his seat on the board of the race organisers.
Joan van Lieshout’s term of office was up and knowing she did not have the backing of enough colleagues she chose not to renominate. She also decided against voting in the ensuing ballot. This left a 3-3 split between the National Party faction and community members.
What happened next was pure farce. The names of the two candidates for mayor, Warren Poleglase, famed for being sacked when the Daly Inquiry found evidence of developers backing his team, and Barry Longland were placed in a cardboard box. Poleglase’s name was drawn. Subsequently his mate Phil Youngblutt won the deputy position in a similar ballot, also ‘defeating’ Longland, who had been the current office holder. Co-incidentally it was Poleglase’s birthday.
Mrs van Lieshout, a Liberal Party member, insists she did not vote in the ballot as she could not support either side and wanted to uphold ‘integrity.’
Her one year in office witnessed the council implode, and many in the community lose faith in the process of local government, especially with so many of the planning decisions now taken over by Sydney.
In his first public statement Poleglase said he would fight for jobs in the Tweed, brushing aside the past.
"No one knows for sure…" BULL! Rally Australia said no such thing nor did the Police! Rocks were rolled onto the road and rocks WERE thrown at vehicles. I quote from Rally Australia:
"It should be noted that on day 3, rock-throwing did occur and a car was damaged as a result."
Further wire fencing was dragged across the road on two stages. Spectators chased them but were unable to catch them.
So Ben either you are a liar or stupid when you make the statement that there is uncertainty about what happened!
But most sickening of all is the tacit approval of their actions of placing boulders on the road and throwing rocks at vehicles. I take it is now OK to throw rocks at any vehicle carrying a Greens sticker simply because we don’t like what they do.
But then again one of the hallmarks of Greens/socialists is hypocrisy and there is no better example then you next paragraph. You mentioned the legislation and democracy and it seems people like you are only interested in democracy when it suits your agenda!
The NSW Government has the dubious distinction of being the first government in the western world to pass legislation which overturned centuries old conventions of democracy. This legislation was full of world firsts in western criminal law:
1: the first to remove the right to silence
2: the first to change the burden of proof
3: the first to reverse innocence until proven guilty
4: the second (the USA ATF law was first!) to allow search, seizure and detainment without arrest or warrant
The legislation……..the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and Marine Parks Act 1997 (as amended)!
And you shouldn’t even talk of community input when supporters of the Rally numbered in excess of 70,000 compared to less than 200 protesters. Perhaps I should also mention the nearby community action over the Byron Marine Parks…..no perhaps not …. you have had enough for one day!
Go frozen koalas! Brad Pitt has woken up the rednecks, who were previously too busy on the current workload to give an interview. Motorcycles and rally cars or shooters in National Parks, I don’t think so.
I suggest the rally be re-routed next year through the backyards of every one of the supposed 70,000 supporters. (Where did this number come from?)
David Booth
Bywong NSW
Just so this is clear:
1. There is no evidence that cars were hit by rocks on Friday, despite initial reports saying they had been pelted with rocks.
2. A rock reportedly hit a car on Sunday, two days after the alleged rock attacks were reported, cracking the rear windscreen. It’s not known whether it was thrown by an anti-race race protestor, by someone else, or was kicked up by a car.
3. Rally Australia believes protestors placed rocks on the road, but it is impossible to confirm this.
4. Despite subsequent reports in the local press, Garry Connelly has confirmed to SMH that he was not misquoted when he said there was no evidence that rocks hit cars on Friday.
5. Garry also praised protestors from the No Rally and 7th Generation groups for their behaviour during the rally.
So I think it’s fair to say the situation was and remains confused, and a lot of strange rumours coloured the intial accounts of the race.
So, is icedvovlo going to get away with personal abuse, to wit, calling Ben a liar, and stupid? Now where is our censorship? So who IS this BEN???
Hmm so dazza, you’re not offended that the article appeared to tacitly approve of placing boulders and stringing wire across roads possibly endangering competitors, spectators and protesters alike? That’s OK because it was all in a good cause wasn’t it?
Nor are you offended that such a tiny number of people can override a much larger majority? But that’s OK too because the protesters are such worthy people that each of their opinions and desires are worth at least 100 "red neck hoons".
But you are offended that the legislation was passed with little community input but not about the hypocrisy of the commentators nor at the loss of the most basic human rights in the NP&W Act 1974, rights which have been fundamental since democracy was invented? But that’s OK too because it’s the end that justifies the means isn’t it (oops sorry that was my red slip showing).
But you are offended that I called someone who you don’t even know a liar or stupid. Who would have guessed? Actually it was a typo; the phrase should have read "So then you are a liar or stupid to make the …."
Confusion: yes there is some confusion in some peoples minds about some aspects of protesters activities and further some of the protests were fine. But the boulders that were placed in the road and the wire across the road AFTER the check car went through did not get there by magic. It is not possible (physics comes into the equation here) to break the rear windscreen of a single moving vehicle UNLESS it is towing a trailer!
Numbers: were from ticket sales although there is some genuine "confusion" here because Speed on the Tweed was also on and it usually attracts ~15,000 on its own so how many extras the Rally attracted is difficult to estimate but lets say >50,000!
Iced volvo, you sound like you’d be most at home rally racing through a national park shooting wildlife out the window as you go! Please tell us what it was mother nature did to you?
Im guessing your reply to this will ensure this thread is now moderated!
I again note the lack of criticism for the potentially lethal actions of protesters at the rally.
I also note the refusal to acknowledge the overwhelming majority of people (locals and tourists) who supported the event.
But most of all I note the abject hypocrisy regarding the loss of basic human rights enshrined in legislation which pre-dated the Rally by ~30 years.
HYPOCRISY has always been one of the tell tale signs of vast majority of left wing zealots: the end justifies the means is the mantra by which they live because they are narcissists who see themselves as superior intellects whose opinions are more worthy. Ironically the remainder seem to fall into the "self hate" category who because they loathe themselves believe that we need to have a dictatorship style government because we are all intrinsically evil.
joak12: As to shooting IMHO is fine as long as it is for food or feral control but hunting for pleasure is not my menu. National parks are nothing special, mostly they are untenable farm land or converted state forests , prior to that and when not obliterated by ice they were fished, hunted, burned and otherwise used by the aborigines for 50,000 years before we arrived.
As to nature, it is just nature, it lived and died at the whim of the universe before humans existed and will continue to live and die after we are gone, that is of course until the sun explodes and sterilises our solar system. Our only responsibility is to use the science we have learned to not trash it too much for future generations to enjoy and in my opinion that enjoyment includes the occasional rally.
The single biggest issue here is that it seems the people were not consulted, if anything they were held in contempt by those forcing their own agenda on them. If a proper consultation process had been undertaken then I’m sure the events surrounding the rally would have been less emotional - how could it not? A similar thing has happened with the NSW Dictatorship deciding it is a good idea to put V8 car racing at Sydney Olympic Park. The locals were NOT consulted, it was annouced as a done deal on TV by the Emperor.
The whole "he said, she said" mentality needs to be left at the door, it is democracy that is at risk here, something lost in all this blinker fueled fury. The price paid by democracy is listening to views you may not agree with, in NSW there’s no money so dictatorships rule.
By the way, I don’t mind car racing, sometimes I even watch it.
Be the change you want to see
www.adambutler.com.au
I spoke to NPWS officers re Mooball National Park, where the rally had a stage. And no, you cannot take a horse or even camp there.
Why then allow cars screaming through endangered ecological communities at 200+kph?
Loeb understood the incongruency of this. Why can’t you Jonah Bones?
Please don’t tell me that an area like ours that has more biodiversity than Kakadu, 2/3rds of which is already threatened with extinction, is not further threatened when you have known stressors (i.e. extreme noise, dust, spectators and vehicles)such as from a rally imposed unnecessarily on it during breeding season for the next 20 years or I will scream!
Get educated. Read the peer reviewed ecological reports by Ambrose and Graham on http://norallygroup.org/threatened%20species.htm and then you may be ready to argue at least intelligently.
Oh well if an ecologist said it it must be true……..NOT!!
Ecology has long since left the realms of science and become a pseudo religion. The "living on bananas and milk to save the world" philosophy has promulgated a shift from evidence based science to a belief based philosophy where objective evidence has been replaced by beliefs of the researchers. In other words it has now become accepted practice to lie in order "protect the environment", it’s the same philosophy as the political arm of the environmental movement: "the ends justifies the means"
From freezing wildlife (the anti-rally did not invent this) to frogs smuggled in match boxes to shredding/denying population studies about Grey Nurse Sharks ecology (and ecologists) have long since lost respect from other branches of science. There are hundreds of species listed as endangered because of rubbish science about numbers which happen to be seen or not seen by some evangelistic ecologist. One of the "endangered" species mentioned in the "reports" is the Little Tern which is exclusively a beach dwelling/feeding sea bird. You could go on poking fun at this for ages but I think one small observation sums up the validity of the "reports" referred to above: the majority of the species mentioned are nocturnal and during the day are curled up in a hole somewhere: THERE WERE NO night time stages in the Tweed Rally but shouldn’t let the facts get in the way of a good bulls#*t scare campaign should we!
It is probably a salient point to remind the "ecologists" that a crossing point was reached recently: >60% of the land between the Great Dividing Range and the coast of NSW is now in the hands of NPWS as National Parks, Nature Reserves, Wilderness etc so if species are endangered in this area you can now use ecologists logic to blame the NPWS!
Iced Volvo. Love the name. Its quite comical. As are your words here in a laugh or cry kind of way. You are putting it on aren’t you…suggesting NPWS is responsible for endangered species. Believing in the Frozen Koala story. (So much free space in my freezer now!)
Im not sure there is much use engaging in any kind of debate with you really. Your views are strong, emotive and passionate. I suspect they are seeped in a deep rejection of any notion that we humans may have in anyway done anything to bugger up the planet for our kids. It’s not our fault right? And as long as you can find ways to discredit ecologists, climate scientists, greenies, hippies, artists…anyone at all who has stopped and thought..hmmmm, maybe there is better way we could live our lives. If you can convince yourselves that they are all wrong. (Along with 99 or so percent of the worlds scientists) then you can keep doing what you have always done, and feel comfortable in your perception that humans are top of the heap. You are number one! You can prove this to yourself by racing a million dollar car at extreeme speeds though the bush. You can assert your superiority by shooting wildlife. Or we just do it in our day to day lifes by treating everything that isn’t us as a resource to be used. Often we even do this to other people, as well as nature and animals.
You mentioned in an earlier post that forests, etc were "fished, hunted, burned and otherwise used by the aborigines for 50,000 years before we arrived"
50,000 years is quite an impressive number. In all those years they pretty much had enough food to eat,they had very little disease, they had perfectly pure water to drink and bathe in and what appears to be social harmany.
How many of these do we still have, and we have only been here 200?
What do you think the difference could be here?
Perhaps they had a different attitude to nature than us. Rather then placing themselves at the top, indigenous cultures perhaps knew that there was no top. They knew that anything they did had an effect on what was around them. They were connected, interlinked. There was no hierachy. IT was and is a web.
We are not seperate from nature.
Personally I see the so called sport of Rallying as a celebration of this seperation mythology. Its all about man conquering nature, no matter what the consequences to this nature. Not only is nature objectified as something to be used, but also women as shown by Repco’s out dated use of trophy girls. I was in Murwillubah for the rally and no wonder men seemed to outnumber women about 10-1.
Rallying symbolises exactly what needs to change about humans if we are to have a chance at future survival.
Really guys. Try getting out of the car and walking into the bush, instead of thrashing though it. I promise you will get more enjoyment from it. Save the rest for playstation where it has no effect on others!
Rallying is repugnant to me, but I would not be moved to action if you did it somewhere more appropriate.
The most repugnant thing about this rally is that it was imposed upon what is famous worldwide as the green belt of Australia. This area saw the birth of the Australian environmental movement. Many of the people here are trying hard to live in a more balanced way. Even those who support rallying can see the madness in holding it in this area.
And Iced Volvo, please don’t believe everything you read in the papers. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that!
My goodness, someone actually debating some of the issues and no name calling although the condescending attitude is obvious. However the real meat of the issues (actions of the protesters, farcical "ecological" studies and loss of basic human rights seem to have been forgotten) …OK I’ll bite lets go…
You are putting it on aren’t you…suggesting NPWS is responsible for endangered species.
Actually there is an element of truth here, the two most damaging processes are fire and ferals. Extremists in the NPWS vehemently oppose fuel reduction however the indigenous peoples burnt regularly when natural fires didn’t so our flora and fauna are not adapted to the extreme fires we get now. Also the same extremists within NPWS equally vehemently oppose feral eradication programs so our natural areas are full with cats, foxes, dogs and pigs. So in a way NPWS ARE responsible for much of the problem because there is a small but powerful group which drives policy on quasi religious grounds rather than sound science.
Believing in the Frozen Koala story.
This was done in Victoria and Tasmania, problem was it is easy to tell when something has been frozen (psst keep it in the refrigerator instead, doesn’t cause intracellular destruction)
I suspect they are seeped in a deep rejection of any notion that we humans may have in anyway done anything to bugger up the planet for our kids.
Well actually compared to what nature does to itself we are but amateurs! Try comparing us to a meteor strike or a big volcano or even and Ice Age. Really we are just pissing in the wind compared to these entirely natural events.
And as long as you can find ways to discredit ecologists, climate scientists, greenies, hippies, artists…anyone at all who has stopped and thought..hmmmm, maybe there is better way we could live our lives. If you can convince yourselves that they are all wrong.
They do a pretty good job of discrediting themselves.
Yes of course we can live our lives much better, much more efficiently and leave a better world for future generations but not by pseudo religious environmental crap. That’s just a recipe to return to the dark ages except replacing Catholicism with Pantheism and God with Gaia, No thanks, been there done that….
You are number one! You can prove this to yourself by racing a million dollar car at extreme speeds though the bush. You can assert your superiority by shooting wildlife. Or we just do it in our day to day lifes by treating everything that isn’t us as a resource to be used. Often we even do this to other people, as well as nature and animals.
Nope don’t do any of these although wouldn’t mind a drive of a serious rally car!
You mentioned in an earlier post that forests, etc were "fished, hunted, burned and otherwise used by the aborigines for 50,000 years before we arrived" 50,000 years is quite an impressive number. In all those years they pretty much had enough food to eat,they had very little disease, they had perfectly pure water to drink and bathe in and what appears to be social harmany.
Oh here we go: the myth of the "noble savage". This is just ruibbish and shows a complete disregard of anthropology. The various migrations between ice ages were responsible for the complete extinction of the mega fauna for a start. Not to mention the introduction of the Dingo! For the most part the indigenous culture was a paternal male dominated and violent. Death was usually slow and painful, they had no morphine or nursing homes! They also had many many diseases in common with us including cancers, diabetes, auto immune and arthritis depending upon which sub tribe you look at. As for "pure water", what utter rubbish! Any time some animal dies upstream they suffered and died and excruciating death from food poisoning with E.coli/S.typi or some other bug etc.
How many of these do we still have, and we have only been here 200? What do you think the difference could be here?
As I said before the main problem is ferals and fire not humans!
Perhaps they had a different attitude to nature than us. Rather then placing themselves at the top, indigenous cultures perhaps knew that there was no top. They knew that anything they did had an effect on what was around them. They were connected, interlinked. There was no hierachy. IT was and is a web.
More religious beliefs. The aborigines did whatever they had to survive, the same as we do!
We are not seperate from nature. Personally I see the so called sport of Rallying as a celebration of this seperation mythology. Its all about man conquering nature, no matter what the consequences to this nature. Not only is nature objectified as something to be used, but also women as shown by Repco’s out dated use of trophy girls. I was in Murwillubah for the rally and no wonder men seemed to outnumber women about 10-1.
Are you serious, if you are so enamoured by primitive lifestyle then migrate to the highlands of New Guinea or South America and practice what you preach. This belief is typical of people who preach one thing and do another. If you were diagnosed with cancer tomorrow I bet you would want the best treatment that modern medicine could give but in the same breath you denigrate the world which underpins that science and technology. I think they have a name for this: as I said above it is called hypocrisy!
Rallying symbolises exactly what needs to change about humans if we are to have a chance at future survival.
Absolutely not! It is the essence of the technology we need to stop us returning to the dark ages!
Really guys. Try getting out of the car and walking into the bush, instead of thrashing though it. I promise you will get more enjoyment from it.
Why not enjoy both!
Save the rest for playstation where it has no effect on others!
And the very technology that developed that Playstation also applies to rally cars!
Rallying is repugnant to me, but I would not be moved to action if you did it somewhere more appropriate.
The most repugnant thing about this rally is that it was imposed upon what is famous worldwide as the green belt of Australia. This area saw the birth of the Australian environmental movement. Many of the people here are trying hard to live in a more balanced way. Even those who support rallying can see the madness in holding it in this area.
Well I disagree and seeing as this is a "belief" my belief is just as valid as yours!
And Iced Volvo, please don’t believe everything you read in the papers. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that!
I know from personal experience there is only one group more corrupt than politicians and that is the media!
PS you need a spell checker.
So just because I express a respect for the fact that Australian indigenous people survived 50,000 years (and from what I’ve read, quite well) that means I have to now go live exactly the same way or I am a Hipocrite?
The average immune system can easily handle a dead animal in a river upstream.
Please let me know what frozen koalas you are referring to in Victoria and Tasmania. Was this information from a News Limited Publication as well?
The fact that we are all interconnected is not a religious belief but revealled by simple observation that we are all breathing the same air and deeply reliant on what nature provides.
Billions of dollars of technology for cars designed to travel airbourne and sideways for peoples kicks! I fail to see how this will help the human race. How about Billions of dollars spent on technolgy for electic cars instead.
Thats all from me as Im off to work. Have a great day.
Menkit - get educated - rally cars do not average 200kph on a stage . If you had been on a secondary road , you would no that that is simply not possible. 80 to 140 is the normal range , with long straights seldom used , so that average speeds are kept reasonable.
Your confusing rally cars with F1 cars.
Fifty three pages and still no substantiation as to why a rally car poses a risk abnormal to the usual risks presented by traffic on those secondary roads.
Given the level of reasoning in the report , it could be argued that each rally car presents less risk than normal vehicle traffic as it is spending far less time traversing the roads.
Maps were interesting as they indicated the normal practice of using established secondary roads and avoiding national parks , with only one taken the shortest route across and another couple skirting the edges.
So just because I express a respect for the fact that Australian indigenous people survived 50,000 years (and from what I’ve read, quite well) that means I have to now go live exactly the same way or I am a Hipocrite?
Well yes if you are advocating this as a way of life we should adopt? If you aren’t then what’s the point, ALL human races on earth have survived for 50,000 years or more, aren’t they all to be respected? Personally I respect western civilisation immensely, when you take out the "crap" there are no indigenous (of any culture) equivalents to Shakespeare, Leonardo, Plato, Newton etc. (jeez I’ll cop it for this …. but its just MY OPINION OK)
The average immune system can easily handle a dead animal in a river upstream.
Excuse me, this is just wrong and I speak from an experts view point! Try eating rotting meat and you’ll be dead very quickly!
Please let me know what frozen koalas you are referring to in Victoria and Tasmania. Was this information from a News Limited Publication as well?
Oh come on now, these are well worn tactics as are others like the infamous "frogs in matchboxes" at Coffs Harbour, the Pied Oyster Catcher nests at Harrington and the "marine" fish in aquatic rivers. These and other "scams" are now part of "greenie" legend.
The fact that we are all interconnected is not a religious belief but revealled by simple observation that we are all breathing the same air and deeply reliant on what nature provides.
But the attribution of some special God like power to nature is a belief, it’s just nature!
Billions of dollars of technology for cars designed to travel airbourne and sideways for peoples kicks! I fail to see how this will help the human race. How about Billions of dollars spent on technolgy for electic cars instead.
Actually it’s ~$200,000 per vehicle but just like nature its all interlinked, the modern rally car exemplifies all the marvels of the same technology that produces your hybrid cars, your computers, your vaccines and cancer treatments. Just like nature you can’t have one without the other because they are interlinked :-)
Hmmm. This is getting silly I.V. Where have I advocated we return to living like Australian Indigenious people? I simply expressed a respect aspects of their lifestyle, as did you with your comments on their fire control tactics.
Their are dead animals, fish and even humans in rivers all over the world and people do not automatically die from drinking water from these rivers. I myself have often drunk from clean mountain streams when hiking and survived, even though an animal or a fish may have died upstream. This is quite different from eating rotten meat.
I still have no idea of what "greenie" tactics you are referring to, but then maybe I read different newspapers to you.
And where did I attribute some God like power to nature. I agree it is just nature. We are also nature.
And I think you may need substantiate the claim that WRC Class Rally cars are only worth $200,000.
Thanks for pasting my comments in bold though. Makes me feel they are really important!
Oh, the rally. Great article John, although I felt your use of the term ‘rent a crowd protesters’ innapropriate in an otherwise intellegent piece of writing. This derogatory and missleading term is a standard used by conservative/right wing media to suggest that protesters are other than ordinairy people like you and I. Who is renting them?
A great article by Sarah Burnside has just been posted on NM. She explores similiar use of language by vested interests.