Hello world and welcome to the blog...thank you for your patronage and patience and for the feed back 'off-blog'...I appreciate any genuine input, particularly any contradiction, challenge or critique...(as opposed to the sort of pointless, gutless, bigoted stupidity of the anonymous 'Comments' left by 'Dick Stretcher'-Ed)...indeed, and I'm fairly sure that 'DS' wasn't trying to provide me the credibility that those 'Comments' have generated.
The unanimous feedback I've received is that, 1) these 'Comments' clearly show the blog is hitting home, and, 2) that I'm "brave" to leave them on the blog...if you haven't read them already, please go back and do so...once you get past the bigotry and offensiveness, they lurch repeatedly from laughable to just plain sad...what a sad, unfortunate person...
As I've said before, I have no problem with causing discomfort for the appropriate people in semi-appropriate ways, but I'd rather be proven wrong and rectify it, than just plough away in ignorance or mistaken belief...and I genuinely want to at least try to avoid upsetting anyone needlessly.
For example, I try to clearly differentiate between a) the numerous Council workers and contractors who I saw early (7.30ish) this morning (Sunday) on Commercial St West, which was blocked off from Elizabeth St to the Main corner, using several trucks and a couple of backhoe/tractors to smash and rip apart the red-brick planter boxes at the pedestrian crossing...and b) the Mt Gambier City Councillors who sent them to commit this rampant...(and very costly-Ed)...stupidity that was still going at 12.30pm when I went back through...
(Did you ever find out who's getting paid a small fortune for those atrocious grey pavers?-Ed)...do you mean those atrocious, chipped, broken, already stained as they lay them, too large so they'll end up moving, ugly grey pavers that Council is spending a fortune on to needlessly replace the clearly more attractive and perfectly serviceable much more stable small red pavers?...(yes, that be they-Ed)...no, I didn't...but I will...but I digress...
Usually in TFTIM (Task Force TIM) I unilaterally barrel the subject as advertised, and today is no different with guest Troy Bell...(I heard he eats babies-Ed)...only after he's stolen their candy...because I only met him for the first time, briefly, earlier this year when he attended and spoke at...(an Illinois Nazi Rally?-Ed)...worse, the 'public protest march' re the axing of the local WIN TV News service...(oh, dear god, not the bloody public again; those damn plebeians-Ed)...well quite...I'm not sure he organised it though, I think that was another lady...
The thing I most remember was the look of surprise on his face when I told him about the complaints I'd lodged with the Electoral Commission and the Australian Press Council in March 2010 re the gross bias in The Border Watch newspaper against then Liberal candidate and current Mayor Steve Perryman, and the definably corrupted reporting in favour of alleged Independent Don Pegler...(previous posts)
Indeed he said as much (that he was surprised) and we briefly discussed various issues of Electoral conduct re the March 2010 State Election and the broader concerns that stem from that conduct...some mild political philosophising if you will...
He was happy to acknowledge the genuine and positive intent of what I had done with my complaints, particularly as it involved my 'opponent' in the Election race, and I found that his preparedness to 'own' his surprise was refreshingly honest...(yeah, way to slanderise...you've really got him on the ropes now-Ed)...
Mr Bell offered to show me the Independent Learning Centre that he has been involved in establishing (apologies if there are others I haven't mentioned) and recently he made good that offer, and I had a brief tour of their facilities in Percy St...I don't know much about the ILC other than it offers educational opportunities for those whom have fallen out of the mainstream Education system...(been allowed to fallout of-Ed)...good point...and is well spoken of in my experience...
I've also run into him a couple of times in the street, but that's about it...I was bitterly but pragmatically disappointed to hear him toe the party line recently in an ABC Radio interview with Liberal leader Stephen Marshall re the Forestry Sale, 'it's done so we have to move on'...and I say pragmatically because I'm not sure what else he could say in 10 seconds with his boss sitting right there saying the same thing...and PS, I disagree...the Sale Issue is far from over...it will never be over...
I note with no surprise, however, the very different attitudes of Mr Bell (endorsed Liberal candidate for the March 2014 State Election), and the current Member for Mt Gambier, the aforementioned Don Pegler, as evidenced in their respective The Border Watch articles on page 3, Thursday 5th September 2013, re the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme Review.
Mr Bell has organised a petition, gathered over 1600 signatures, and is calling for 'Reviewer' Dr Filby, senior advisor for the Australian Health Minister's Advisory Council, to come to Mt Gambier and experience for himself what people go through already just to access services...not surprisingly as a Liberal but still quite correctly, Mr Bell expresses his concerns that people will be cut off the scheme as a result of this 'Review'.
Mr Pegler is quoted as saying that he is part responsible for the Review, that "interested parties" have until Friday 11th October to write to the Review, and that the Review "incorporated his concerns on the inadequate rates for fuel and accommodation, the support needed for carers and escorts and administrative issues, which included inconsistent application criteria and the lack of an appeal mechanism." (TBW)
And this after Labor Health Minister Jack Snelling has already indicated that there will be no more funding for PATS, rather the distance traveled before refund will be increased and qualification criteria changed, to exclude as many people as possible...and not one word of complaint or criticism from Don, rather a list of things about how he has been acknowledged, about what he has done...
Where's the bloody outrage Mr Pegler?...where's the apoplectic rage Don, that this supposedly Socialist governments response to the suffering and financial burden placed upon the people in your electorate in simply trying to get to treatment...that the response is to try and deny more people even getting access to the pitiful funding currently available...
I make no apology for ambushing Mr Bell's TFTIM to first praise myself up and then put the boot into Don Pegler for this appalling PATS effort...(or rather lack of-Ed)...but I had to address the latter and I'm happy to self-accolade yet again re the complaints from 2010...but don't count on future TFTIMs being quite so delicate...
Tomorrow: Suicide Week and Self Harm
The two are not specifically related, and there are many and varied issues with either, so I can only offer a philosophical discourse from a laypersons perspective and some limited personal experience...
But I agree that there is much to be gained from talking about these issues and 'de-stigmatising' them.
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
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