Letters
Law and lifestyle I would like to congratulate Ron Priestley for his article in last week’s Echo, where he explains the unfair testing of drivers for cannabis. There are many of us around here who have had successful lives, built up businesses, are employed, have raised children and generally live a responsible life. Unlike some who have the obligatory after-work drink, we like to have a joint to wind down. The THC may well be detectable after two months. However, to get caught and lose your licence and livelihood over something that has never been tested to determine whether it impacts on driver safety is outrageous. This is policy of the right wing who are giving more power to the police to harass people at enormous cost to us, the taxpayers.
And how about prescription drugs: is someone on valium, painkillers etc regarded as safe? I doubt they are safe so why are they not tested? Chris Gortz Durrumbul
Time to clamp? Back in the day my wife and I experienced the joys and feelings of freedom that come from, in our case, Kombi travel. We travelled once for 12 months and once for eight months. I know that we showed a great deal more respect for the local environments and the people in them than appears to be the case from some travellers in and around the Shire today. The talk of regulated campsites being too expensive or just not available is, I believe, a furphy. If travellers have to camp ‘illegally’ then doing that,
and not trashing the joint, are not mutually exclusive. The solution I propose is clamping. News of the use of clamping by Council would spread rapidly via social media to other travellers in vans coming to Byron Shire. I am sure that the clamping of a vehicle occupied by people who are seen to have trashed the place, caused nuisance, or to be camping ‘illegally’ would be a major and effective deterrent; coupled of course with a significant upfront fine to be paid to Council in order to get a vehicle unclamped. It will work. Clive Jeffery Mullumbimby
Proof or trust? Does anybody know why there’s such a lack of trust these days? Could it be that science is to blame for its reliance on proof? Think of all the mobile phones on
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
the planet all being driven by proof. There can’t be any room for trust, they are two foundation beliefs that can’t coexist within the same universe. I’ve believed for a while that anyone caught with a ‘smart’ phone addiction was liable for deletion/ extinction from the planet if they won’t, or can’t, let go of this useless and worthless piece of garbage. The real version is based on the individual, telepathy and unconditional love. Did you enjoy your new year celebrations? I don’t think we deserve them. Paul Moore Suffolk Park
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Councillors: no pay Allow me if you will to voice my displeasure at the current state of our Shire. My grandfather daily rode his pushbike to Brunswick Heads to trudge behind a draught horse with singlefurrow plough all day. He would then ride home, clean up, put on collar and tie and walk uptown to take his place at council meetings as acting mayor. The council then was made up of men who cared and they worked voluntarily. No pay. They cared. We got a power station and workers who had pride in the Shire. Now we have a bunch of coffee-sipping parasites bleeding the community dry, we have lost the power station, hospital and council workers who work. Now we drive on roads that are not fit to be called roads. Mr Morrison put his foot on the cockroaches over the stupid Australia Day thing; now after the penis ▶ Continued on next page
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