virtual says: "p.s. has anybody noticed that the 21st century thus far, is a cess pit of absolute insanity ....?"

Oh, too right brother!

This is my theory:

We old people have attained critical mass in western society. We retain a critical mass of the wealth. We retain critical mass in the decision making process.

Ergo, there is now a critical mass of greedy, selfish, stupidity afoot in the world. Mr Howard himself is the personification of this trend - the perfect figurehead - the perfect Prime Minister for his demographic.

So even as world grain supplies and fresh water supplies reach critical, we are told we MUST have the world's largest machine for eating forests - a dinosaur which will crap all over the food-chain.

Oh great! Dementia anyone?

Haven't we had enough of the Cheneys, Rumsfelds, Bushes, Howards, Lennons, Gunns, McBank CEOs and all the other psychotic incontinents yet? How many "senior moments" can the Earth take before the cleaning staff are totally overwhelmed? Will someone please tell the inmates that their Economy is down the at end of the psych ward!

The worst thing that never happened at the turn of the century, is that the young people didn't rise up and throw these demented seniors out.

- soylent green anyone? Aw, g'wan - just a nibble.

There have been a lot of supposedly disparaging remarks referring to people in Sydney who want to protect native forests and question the environmental credentials of the mill as being elite "Latte drinkers" - where can't you get a latte these days? Check out McDonalds, for example.

Last year Tasmania's Shadow Attorney General called Paul Lennon a "brain damaged, alcohol-addicted thug":

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2006/11/02/1780037.htm

Anything surrounding forestry in Tasmania is controversial, because of the CFMEU and its connections with Labor, as well as all of the Tasmanian gentry involved in Gunns Ltd (David McQuestin, John Gay, and a past premier of Tasmania, Robin Gray).

Connections between Forestry Tasmania and the timber community are also very thick. Terry Edwards, who used to be spokesman for Forestry Tasmania, is now the chief executive of the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania.

People generally feel that the influences that the timber community have on governmental processes in Tasmania are too great and unhealthy for democracy. Local councils such as the Break O'Day municipality were overruled in their desires to see the Blue Tiers forests protected for their conservation and tourism values, but the state government pretty much declared the whole area open for clear felling. Similarly, many in the East and West Tamar regions do not deem their municipalities to be industrial estates and value the vinyards, fishing industries, and tourism assets such as the bushland up and down the Tamar River. Nobody wants a stinky mill near a tourism town such as Launceston, where the air inversion layer means smog would not escape in winter months.

________________________________________

What is fact is that Alan is with the organisation "Timber Communities Australia" which is funded (in previous years to the tune of $750 000) by the pulp mill proponent Gunns Ltd.

Where should we start with Alan's myth "making"? How about his statement "The guidelines imposed mean the entire mill must operate on a hierarchy comprising waste avoidance; waste recycling/reclamation; and waste re-use. Any marine discharge at the end of these processes would have to have no significant environmental effect outside the small mixing zone." The reality of this is a proposed piping (for 40km) of massive amounts of potable fresh water from the South Esk River, to be converted into 64 000 tonnes/day of dioxin and furan polluted fluid waste emptied into Bass Strait. No environmental impact outside the small mixing zone given 64 000 tonnes/day of waste over 30 years. The "fact" is that better processes are available, but Gunns won't put up the funds.

Sorry Alan, you need some practice in making your propaganda less transparent - start with the Sun Herald.

Mike from Tas

More Arithmetic for Alzo, given:

"No environmental impact outside the small mixing zone given 64 000 tonnes/day of waste over 30 years. The "fact" is that better processes are available, but Gunns won't put up the funds.

64 grams cadmium + 16 grams mercury adds up to 84 grams per day of these two heavy metals.

84 grams x 365.25 days per year x 30 years gives us around 900 kilograms of these two heavy metals added to the oufall zone.

Will this area be out of bounds for benthic and pelagic harvesting?

Posted by Jennifer, Friday, 31 August 2007 10:12:09 AM:
"Hi Alan, Lots of factual information. Thanks. It is a pity that there is so much emotion and politics in this issue."

Lots of facts except the crucial one, that Alan Ashbarry & Timber Communities Australia are fully funded by the National Association of Forest Industries (Hello Gunns!!)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Timber_Communities_Australia

But thats exactly the kind of fact PR flacks always omit. I suspect 'Jennifer' is actually Ms Jennifer Marohasy, as employed by reknown industry propaganda wurlitzer the Institute of Public Affairs.

The trouble with the CFMEU is they peddle the lie that all who are against this pulp mill are against their workers, then switch off and listen to nothing said against the mill.
Open your ears and listen for once Alan, the only thing most of us are against is sitting the mill in the Tamar valley, and using non plantation timber. If you listened to the Australian scientists who have grave concerns about this Mill so would you. Instead you read the SwecoPic report ( well the bits you like of it ) and the ITS global report on the so called benefits. These reports were commissioned by the Tas. Government and they tout them as supposedly independent, but SwecoPic is a partner of the builder of the mill and the ITS report only looked at possible benefits not a proper cost/benefit analysis which would have examined the costs and set them off against the benefits.
You could have this mill with little opposition if you just looked at the facts for a change and forced Gunns to compromise and go for a smaller plantation based mill at Hampshire – where odour won’t be a problem.
But the CFMEU and Gunns are so bloody minded and confident in their ability to bully the people of Tasmania and have it all their way, that they won’t even consider compromising.
There are many of your own members now speaking out against this mill too, and there would no doubt be a lot more but for the fear of retribution from the CFMEU, Gunns and the state government.
I support Forest workers as do most of us we all use timber in our homes. Why don’t you drop the confrontationist attitude and work with the community for a result all will be happy with. Stop fueling a war and get real.
Also it will not be built in the BellBay industrial precinct, the proposed site is 6K downstream towards Launceston from there, and as you point out yourself Bell Bay is already over saturated with Heavy industry and can absorb no more.