Letter to Candidates

Howdy y'all...shortish and repetitive post with no imagination and sans humour.

I have not yet sent this letter, not least of all because I'm having trouble getting some contact details, but as indicated I require only a written response at this stage, and there is nothing in this letter that hasn't already been on the blog.

Beyond that, several of the candidates already know about the St Martins Lutheran School Issue, a couple of them for quite some time.

The Australian Electoral Commission states that they will not have all candidate contact details until nominations are officially announced 12noon Friday 16th August, so it may not be sent until then, but I will send to all candidates on the same day and post the details.

Re-Zoning Issues in Mt Gambier

Hello Spain, Romania, France, and here at home, Australia...said it once and say it again, I am amazed that people outside of the South East of South Australia are following my blog...let alone in other countries...

I feel almost selfish and insular churning through the same old local corruption issues after watching the latest ABC doco on the 'Iraq War'...and for all the horror therein, this program still seemed to almost 'gloss over' the fact that Saddam Hussein was a 'Western Ally' supported for years even decades as a buffer against the Islamic state of Iran in Iraq's war against their Eastern neighbour...

And when Saddam Hussein allegedly used chemical weapons against Kurds in Northern Iraq, it was reportedly with a biological agent originally provided by the USofA, incubated and mass-produced using German built equipment, and then dispersed via a German built spray system attached to a French supplied fighter jet...('allegedly' because there are various conspiracy theories about other countries, factions, etc, committing this atrocity to damage Iraq...some even suggest it never happened).

And this (alleged) attack occurred in retaliation for the Kurds support of the 1991 USofA intervention in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, where the USofA recruited the Kurds as allies, but then turned around and left Iraq and so left the Kurds exposed and vulnerable...

And the almost daily carnage in Iraq continues 10 years after George W Bush declared 'Victory'.
 
Not Happy to Be Right: I confidently predicted that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible for me to get the required '100 Nomination signatures'...(it's actually 120 to allow for exclusions-Ed)...to allow me to run as a Genuine Independent in the Federal election because I know only a handful of people in Mt Gambier...(indeed, through-out the seat of Barker-Ed)...indeed...and most people who do know me hate me because that's what they've been told to do and/or that's what they need to do...(well, that or they've met you-Ed)...ta'...remember, Nick Fletcher's the only real problem.

I've covered this in recent posts...the choice is yours...(and the Nominations are...a fundamentally pro-paedophile gravy train of corrupt public officials, or, Nick Fletcher's a lying, delusional bastard-Ed)...I'm not lying and I wish I was delusional...(but you're definitely a bastard-Ed)...fair enough...and two out of three ain't bad...and this 'choice' is why I literally hang myself out to dry in the way that I have on this blog.

I (we few parents) have been specifically, deliberately portrayed as the only genuine problem with the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, as recently raised again in 'Comments' on this blog...we are either crazy, or bad people who are trying to make money out of the poor innocent ol' Lutherans...may they rot in hell...(indeed-Ed)...

And I am not surprised at the look of abject terror in some peoples eyes when I ask them to officially align themselves with me by signing an official form, and I absolutely understand...they know full well the sort of retribution they will potentially be subjected to by petty thugs like Greg Muller who has a well established reputation for lobbing on businesses doorstep to bully and threaten them...and that is a statement of fact, not my opinion.   

I've also run into several people who aren't registered voters, and I have encouraged them to enrol...and thank you to those whom have offered support...even though I don't actually know most of you...

Just watched the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd vs Opposition Leader Tony Abbott debate and the only thing I came away with was that I don't think South Australia was mentioned...or Tasmania...or even Melbourne...(but you can't say for sure...and tell them why-Ed)...indeed...

The really scary thing is that I was trying to watch attentively, no note taking even, but I actually found myself literally zoning out...I went to that 'I've heard it all before' place where you just don't believe what is being said by either side and you stop listening...(I believe that it is a natural defence mechanism to protect oneself from the frustration generated when faced with two people whom one doesn't trust-Ed)...well that makes sense...

One side won't fill in the details to support what they are saying, and the other has a well established record of just lying...'we wont do this' and then they do...you figure out which is which...and one will be our illustrious leader...yay...

Closer to home, and the same old attempted manipulation of the news cycle to avoid or go around the actual realities...and there's Graham Greenwood in The Border Watch yet again (Friday 2nd August 2013-attached below) with his own unique recreation of history...

Firstly, there is no way that either Mt Gambier City or Grant District Councils are about to allow 'Amalgamation' whilst there are those on either side who want to be running the show and it will mean the loss of a number of rate-payer funded positions with associated benefits and perks.

To the other extreme, the vested interests on both Councils who are operating in clearly definable collusion re the Bunning's/Penola Rd/Millicent Rd/Rail Lands issue may decide that they can more effectively control re-zoning, development, etc, to their collective benefit if they just all get together on the same Council...but why bother when it's already happening...

Which segues nicely into the involvement of former Labour Planning Minister Paul Holloway who acted specifically to give the Grant District Council and certain Councillors therein exactly what they wanted at Millicent Rd with preferential re-zoning from Light Industry back to Bulky Goods/Retail whilst crushing development plans for Bunnings at Penola Rd by re-zoning that site right back to 'Deferred Urban'.

City Council are absolutely complicit, spending years dragging/blocking Re-zoning applications at Penola Rd because vested interests were...(still are apparently-Ed)...obsessed with a self-serving Shopping Centre on the Old Rail Lands which I have repeatedly covered under the Rail Lands Retail Agenda...and this 'dragging' whilst the Millicent Rd site received super 'fast-tracked' approvals.

Clear and undeniable collusion between both Councils and the Planning Minister for the benefit of a handful of Councillors that has devastated appropriate development in and around Mt Gambier...which segues nicely into the Mt Gambier Master Plan...

As per previous posts, the MGMP is a farcical attempt to legalise and reverse justify the official corruption that preceded it by trying to call all that 'A Plan'...do all the self-serving re-zonings, development, etc, and then ratify a plan that allegedly calls for all of the things you've just done...(you want to say farcical again don't you?-Ed)...yes, that and then some...

"In most cases there were few problems with re-zoning land..." is simply not true...the Boundary Adjustments and preceding re-zonings, etc, have destroyed any chance of appropriate development around Mt Gambier as we scramble to try and replace the vast Light Industrial Zone on Millicent Rd that is now Bunnings and housing estate, with bit-piece re-zoning of other areas, eg, along Penola Rd...few problems my hat...

And all the way through Graham tries to portray these personally profitable Council collusionings as being responsible and unavoidable decisions made in response to the actions of Paul Holloway...at best it's a case of 'oh, gee whiz, we're just doing what we've got our mate to tell us to do'.

And further diffusion of responsibility by dragging in the Development Planning Authority and Environmental Protection Authority, both wholly and corruptly under the direct control of the Labour state government...'Independent Authorities' be hanged, these are government agencies doing the government's bidding.

Call me vain and arrogant, but Graham seems to be specifically addressing my relevant posts re the 'relocation' of the NF McDonnell Mill, and I do not see how the grossly inappropriate location of other Timber Mills in the suburbs of Mt Gambier somehow justifies another one.

I continue to be swamped with various theories and/or allegations about the location and/or operation of the NF McDonnell Mill, but I have chosen not to print these until I have more than 'rumours'.

I have no hesitation however in repeating my claim that NF McDonnell Mill is receiving highly profitable preferential treatment from the Weatherill Labour government with a view to supporting and using them (McDonnells) to make others look bad and hide the damage that the Forestry Sale (Privatisation) is doing (has already done) to the local and/or state economies...

Just listening to ABC Radio discussing with Mt Gambier SAPol 'vexatious' and 'slanderous' and 'anonymous' content on Social Media....('flaming' I believe is the term-Ed)...and how it's a very serious crime with potential jail time, etc...all very familiar but at the same time a very real problem that must be addressed...

My name is Nick Fletcher and I may be angry and I may even be wrong but I ain't vexatious and I sure ain't anonymous...

Tomorrow: My Letter to Candidates re The St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up

With the election only one month away, I believe that it is time for all candidates to publicly declare how they will help resolve the inter-locking layers of official failure re this critical issue...and please don't say 'oh, the DeBelle Inquiry 'll fix it'...

Again, I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog and I am flamin' mad, but I'm definitely not just flaming...and I have not removed or blocked any comments left on this blog...cheers and laters...

2013 Election Candidate Review

Hello the USofA, Germany, France, and Aotearoa (New Zealand)...welcome to the blog...and, for what it's worth, my summation of the various candidates...the eclectic collection of prospective contenders for the impending election.

Brief Aside: As I understand it, Aboriginal Australians do not have a specific definition of, or name for, Australia as a country, rather names for individual areas, geographical features, etc, and many of these names have been assimilated by us European occupiers, eg, apparently 'Canberra' means a woman's breast...(and some would say 'invaders' not 'occupiers'-Ed)...fair enough...

This Review is somewhat complicated by the fact that I don't actually know most of these people...(that, and they live in Adelaide-Ed)...indeed, and dare I admit it, what I do know comes largely via The Border Watch newspaper, local ABC Radio, etc...and I know it sounds very parochial, but I immediately prefer a candidate based within the seat.

There are issues of trying to access health services, lack of other services, etc, that can only be truly experienced from within, and community attitudes and experiences that you won't see from Adelaide...however, the Interweb does somewhat counter the Adelaide media's tendency to ignore Regional South Australia by offering access to our local news services.

To the other extreme, some local candidates are clearly aligned to local vested interests whom have collectively rooted Mt Gambier right into the ground...so which is the lesser evil?...

I would also suggest that 'Interwebbing' the candidates would be the quickest way to access specific information about them and the parties they represent...but I'd be careful about taking any Party's or candidates internal information as absolute fact and I'd be looking at what they don't say just as carefully...sounds obvious but it's worth keeping in mind...for example, I do note that Family First advertising and literature appears to be very quiet about the fact that they are a 'Christian-based' Party.

Good, bad, or indifferent, this sectarian affiliation will obviously impact on policy and I find it an issue that they would not have this 'declaration' at the fore-front of their campaign...I'm not suggesting that they are specifically trying to hide anything, but the supposed Separation of Powers and of State from Religion are both issues that require appropriate disclosure.

I concur with FF claims that they have done some good work in SA state parliament raising issues that both major parties don't seem particularly interested in and/or concerned about...(or at least genuinely concerned about-Ed)...indeed, good point...particularly issues of regional SA.

However, for some people Religious affiliation is enough to decide their vote and that would often be 'away' from that organisation/party, and I feel that this is possibly the motivation for Family First...they are acknowledging that there is more (votes) to be lost than gained by openly promoting their 'Christian base'...however, I defer to their candidates to explain their specific position...and in the seat of Barker this is Kristin Lambert.

I know that it's very depressing to constantly consider...(bang on about, you mean-Ed)...the demise of your community, but these are the things that are happening, and 'off-blog' people are stating to me their own personal concerns about the fact that Mt Gambier is 'going backwards'...and backwards at an accelerating rate with no clear indicator of where that will stop.

Again, I make no claim to being 'the voice of the people' or anything like that, but as much as possible I talk to people...(it's getting him to shut up that's the trick-Ed)...about what is going on for them and what they think, and the constant concern is this accelerating decline of Mt Gambier.

And whilst this decline is largely driven by the entirely selfish and self-serving Politicians in Adelaide who are far more concerned with their own re-election than anything that happens in Regional SA, it is the equally selfish, rampant corruption of local officials that greatly exacerbates this damage.

Mt Gambier is doing it tough enough with the constant and ongoing withdrawl of public services and the related jobs and the income that generates for the local economy, etc, but then you have the local officials who are destroying what's left...(have effectively already destroyed-Ed)...well, yes, that's the real concern...that the damage that City Council and the Grant District Council have done with their mutually beneficial personal land re-zonings, development approvals, etc, is irretrievable. (see previous posts)

To make an unpleasant metaphor...it's like repeatedly getting punched in the face (by the Rann/Weatherill Labour government) while your own team (local government and your local member) punch you in the back of the head.

I have already covered in previous posts what I think about candidates Liberal Tony Pasin and alleged Independent Richard Sage and the extraordinary chronology of dodgy land re-zonings and development deals that have specifically profited serving Councillors, etc, that these two have been intimately and officially involved in as members of local government.

One need look no further than the Bunnings/Big W/Millicent Rd disaster and the related Rail Lands Retail Agenda and Main Corner fiasco (as per previous posts) to see where local elected officials are making (have made) decisions based not on what is best for their community, but what is best for themselves and their mates. 

And I for one am absolutely sick of it...(and you're not the only one-Ed)...damn straight...whilst not everybody is entirely supportive of how I conduct myself personally and/or on this blog, the over-whelming response is 'thank god somebody's giving it a go'.

My recent comments about the National's Miles Hannemann are not a specific endorsement of him as a political candidate, but my observation of him as a person based on a couple of phone calls and one shortish meeting...my statement that the National candidate, whoever that is, is the obvious choice as a 'protest vote' in the safe Conservative seat of Barker, is one made on the fundamental realities of the wider contest, not on specific personality.

And the same for the Labour candidate Phil Golding from Millicent...the little bit of feed-back I've had about him is relatively good, but my concern remains that Labour persistently offer relatively decent people as candidates to gather the Labour vote, but are really betraying their own candidates and actually supporting alleged Independents coming out of the Grant District Council with those Labour preferences.

They did it to Brad Coates for Rory McEwen in 2006, and to Viv Maher for Don Pegler in 2010.

I know nothing about the Palmer United Party's Mr Balwinder Singh or the Green's Mark Keough outside of what has been in The Border Watch...as party candidates I think it's safe to assume they follow those ideals and platforms.

I look forward to the declaration of preferences that will indicate where these parties lie with respect to one another...and no, I haven't missed the reality that preferencing the Nationals would potentially be directing them to the Liberals Tony Pasin...

I cannot support the Liberals, but consider this appropriate because of the well defined and established Conservative nature of the seat of Barker.

Tomorrow: More Mt Gambier Re-Zoning Issues

I was just staggered to see Mayor Steve Perryman grinning inanely on the front page of The Border Watch under a headline that says how great things are going for the South East...poppycock and balderdash...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers...

Homelessness Week

Hello South Korea, China , France and the UK...welcome to the blog...and to Homelessness Week here in South Australia...I've just come back in from the 'official' function held at the Cave Gardens...and yet again I am genuinely pleased to be reminded that there are plenty of people working in this and other social sectors who are very much genuine people striving for positive outcomes in often grossly under-funded services...

But first, because I simply couldn't stomach agreeing twice in one day with the Liberal party/Council bloc that runs Mt Gambier, after yesterday agreeing with Liberal Federal candidate and former City Councillor Tony Pasin, today I concur with Mayor Steve Perryman's observation in The Border Watch Thursday 8th August 2013 (attached).

He states that both he and the then Grant District Council Mayor and now local Member of the House of Assembly (Lower House) Don Pegler, both took 'Leaves of Absence', 'Stood Aside', whatev's, from their Mayoral positions whilst campaigning for the 2010 state election.

This letter 08/08/2013 is in response to comments by current Grant District Council Mayor and alleged Independent candidate for the Seat of Barker Richard Sage, that he intends to continue as Mayor whilst campaigning for the federal election, and that this is appropriate because it is what Perryman and Pegler did at the 2010 state election.

Personally, I believed that both Perryman and Pegler should have resigned their 'Mayorships' once they had made the commitment to state politics and that this 'Leave of Absence' business was just having a bet each way that showed a lack of genuine commitment...they didn't risk anything because an unsuccessful campaign meant just sliding back into local politics, which is exactly what happened...and in Mt Gambier's case, left us with a rejected Liberal candidate at the helm...not good...

Homelessness was brought into sharp focus for me earlier this week when I was at a bakery and saw a bloke coming along the street wearing thongs (flip flops) and wrapped in dirty blankets...his feet were black with dirt...he had clearly been 'sleeping rough' somewhere nearby.

It was about 7.30am, very cold, wet, and generally miserable and this bloke had been sleeping out in that all night...although I am aware that a number of people in Mt Gambier 'couch surf' or are in temporary supported accommodation, etc, he is the first 'rough sleeper' I have seen in 15 years of living here... 

I offered to buy him breakfast, a pie and such, and he politely declined and came into the bakery and bought himself some stuff...

It was only relatively recently that I came to understand that, by the officially recognised definitions, I had been 'Homeless' at various times across the early/mid 90's and then for an extended period of about 6 years when I first moved to Mt Gambier...

As per previous posts, from early 1997 to late 1998 I was working part-time in Adelaide and commuting weekly to Mt Gambier, sometimes twice per week. I'd work 'til one or two in the morning and then sleep in my courier van in friend's driveways, or occasionally on someone's floor, etc, and at this end, sleeping in my van at the Caravan Pk.

A couple of times I slept in my van in a back street of Glenelg, or drove as far as the Coorong and then camped in my car, completing the journey in the morning.

Then when I moved down here full-time in late 1998 I lived at the Caravan Pk for 3 1/2 years (in my own small caravan), then in someones shed/granny flat, then another fairly scummy flat, and then from there to my fabulous current Housing Trust residence where I have been for just over 10 years...it is far and away the longest time I have been at one residence and I consider it my home...

I took this place without seeing it, and was absolutely stunned when I got here...big kitchen that's a bit old and tatty but 3 bedrooms, polished pine floors, a bath, and two toilets...two...and a small yard out the back...to 98%+ of the population of the planet it's a bloody palace...and when stuff breaks the Housing Trust fix it...luxury...but you try to tell the kids of today that and they just won't believe ya'.

It is a constant source of dis-ease and even guilt for me when I hear of families sleeping in their cars, etc, and I have this place to myself...but it's all relative...when I 'left' Adelaide I was working full-time and had a house deposit in the bank...now I am 'long-term unemployed', on the Disability Support Pension, in a Housing Trust property, and cannot imagine that I will ever own my own house...

But I digress; at no time did I consider myself to be homeless because my definition of homelessness was someone 'sleeping rough' in the Parklands, someone who was out in the weather, etc, and I always had a floor somewhere, or was house sitting, or had my courier van with a proper camping mattress, etc.

I loved living at the Caravan Pk because it was/is such a beautiful place, so even by the official definition I don't really consider this to be 'homelessness'...

It never occurred to me at anytime that I was 'vulnerable' or 'at risk', but it is true that I was sort of at that edge looking over...'there but for the grace of god', I believe is the saying...

I feel it (addressing homelessness) is something that I have wanted to involve myself in but have lost sight of, along with so many other things, because of the overwhelming totality of the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up and the effect that this has had on me personally.

So I attended the semi-official function in the Cave Gardens yesterday and spoke to several people about my experience, and was asked to share it with others as being a classic example of the many types of 'homelessness' that are relatively 'under-recognised'.

I don't know how to specifically address/define situations like the 'Town Camps' around Alice Springs, Darwin, etc, but I would also say that this is homelessness, and to a degree that I have not experienced.

And some people choose to move from community to community, and some have to, etc, and these are to me all degrees of homelessness but I would have to defer to the person involved as to how they feel about it.

We are Australia, and we recognise just how good we have it and we give half a damn about those less fortunate and we do what we can...at least, that's the Australia I want to be a part of.

Personally, I find attending these 'semi-official' outdoor functions to be a great way of addressing Agorophobia and Anxiety issues in a context where I feel I should attend, eg, NAIDOC Week functions, Mental Health Forums, etc, and is one of a number of strategies that I have utilised over the last few years to go 'around' them (A and A)...I can stand off to one side and walk away if I feel like it...

When attending more formal occasions, eg Council's Budget Consultation meetings, etc, I sit near the door and/or at the end of the seating and allow myself the right to just get up and walk out...and for me that works...deciding to allow myself this 'walk out' option before going into the meeting, greatly reduces and even negates the Anxiety of having that 'feeling' come on mid-meeting...

Apart from that, I know going into those Council meetings that I will be met with hatred and abuse, and that makes it somewhat easier to deal with...getting yelled at in the supermarket by Lutheran employees is the sort of thing that is more difficult to address...

These strategies work quite well for me, but I am not a Health and/or Social Care Professional, and if you have issues please access appropriate professional services/providers. 

Also, yesterday I cracked wise about 'declaring a cup of coffee' but I forgot to tell the joke that goes with it, namely the farcical front page coverage in The Border Watch several years ago about then MP Rory McEwen accepting and/or not declaring a cup of coffee.

I say farcical because of all the things that Rory should be held to account for, eg, his central role in covering up the Child Abuse at St Martins Lutheran School (previous posts), TBW went with 'a cup of coffee and a scone'...what a joke...and an intimate illustration of the very cosy relationship between TBW and Rory.

Tomorrow: The Candidate Review

Sorry for not fitting this in today, but I wanted to give the Candidates a full post.

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...laters...

*Ed is on long-service leave today, but will return tomorrow.*

 

   

Mental Health Services in SE South Australia

Hello world...some quick housekeeping...thank you for the feedback and support 'off blog'...I appreciate and understand that given the bullying and harassment officially visited on anyone who speaks out against the officially insular and bigoted Mt Gambier hierarchy, that people don't want to openly associate with this blog...I've already repeatedly expressed these concerns about asking people to 'side' with me...

Again: no better example of this bullying than City Council's official, public vilification of the young mum who complained about unsafe drainage ponds around Mt Gambier...vilification and abuse played out on the front page of The Border Watch and at Council meetings...and then Council quietly slides off to 'review' the ponds and promptly re-engineers many of them to make them safer...and no apology to the young lady concerned...

And of course there's the cowardly, anonymous, offensive, bigoted, prejudiced, Right wing ranting of 'Dick Stretcher' in the 'Comments' section of this blog...rank vilification of parents who have endured terrible suffering; bigoted abuse about Housing Trust tenants and the unemployed; authoritative dissection of who I am...and then when proven to be horribly wrong, empty, mocking, facetiously fake apologies...from an anonymous coward...

And then trying to just wave away all of the offensiveness, all of the mistakes, all of the cowardice, with "I think I'll start from scratch" and 'I haven't read all your posts', etc...

Rambling unsupported personal abuse and vilification, and not one single issue actually addressed...indeed, nothing but character assassination in an attempt to distract from the issues...from an anonymous coward...

But I digress; loathe as I am to agree with anyone, let alone Tony Pasin, I fully concur with his statements made yesterday morning (08/08/2013) on ABC Local Radio re Mental Health Services in Mt Gambier and the South East region.

I don't have a specific quote, but to paraphrase, rather than the 'part-time fly in/fly out' service currently operating, the region requires a number of resident psychiatrists and other qualified Mental Health professionals to permanently staff a 24hr service, and the main reason this is not happening is a lack of funding from the Rann/Weatherill Labour state government.

And this is of course further complicated by the general problem of attracting specialists, dentists, etc, because of the sub-standard, grossly under-funded facilities available in what many 'city dwellers' consider to be the middle of nowhere...and that is not a slight on anyone involved, certainly not at this end of the line, that's just the way it is.

I recently heard an hilarious account of an exchange between a South East university student and their Adelaide counterpart, where the SE student said 'I'm from Mt Gambier', and the response was 'Don't you mean Mt Barker?'...there are many people in Adelaide who have no idea that Mt Gambier even exists or think we're in Victoria...(and plenty of them in state politics, yeah?-Ed)...indeed...'SA ends at the Toll Gate' isn't just a cute throw-away line...it's a perpetual state of being... 

As interviewer Stan Thomson pointed out (08/08/13), Mr Pasin is the Liberal candidate for this the federal seat of Barker, and that he had contacted the ABC...(fair enough-Ed)...and while this has to be acknowledged, none of it detracts from the reality of what he was saying.

(And this is also a classic example of why ABC Local Radio is so important...it offers a forum for local issues to be discussed at length and in detail...and it remains the obligation of the ABC to conduct themselves with decorum and objectivity...not abusing people and hanging up on them...(I knew you could turn that around from a praise to a serve-Ed)...just calling it as it is...)

They might have a Liberal government in Victoria, but Mr Pasin is absolutely correct in stating that they have funded/invested in Regional Health Services, including Mental Health...in a previous post I covered the recent 'forum' that Mr Pasin organised about/with 'Peter's Project' and their wonderful work to get Radiotherapy treatment facilities to Warnambool (Victoria-approx 2hrs from Mt Gambier).

I confidently predict that many South East residents will be accessing those services as they now do in going to Portland, Hamilton, etc...I've heard several direct accounts of people accessing Adelaide-based specialists at Victorian facilities because those specialists cannot or will not come to Mt Gambier because apparently there are issues with the Mt Gambier hospital and/or Country Health SA...and again it appears to be about largely about funding.

Specialists literally flying over Mt Gambier to rendezvous with their SA patients in Victoria...just great...

I re-iterate: as I have had it explained to me, the population base of Mt Gambier and region requires 6 full-time psychiatrists to provide an appropriate level of support/therapy, and an absolute minimum of three resident psychiatrists to be able to support each other in providing a permanent local service...

Labour have repeatedly promised an independent Mental Health Unit at the Mt Gambier hospital, starting in 2005 for the 2006 state election, then repeatedly leading up to the 2010 election, and through 2011 in to 2012 with repeated promises and grand announcements of a $28million expansion beginning, well about 4 months ago...(but of course it hasn't...but why Mr Fletcher?-Ed)...

Well young Ed, the excuse is that the Weatherill Labour government have not yet negotiated the 'Expansion' with the Hospital's owners and...(hang on...the hospital is privately owned?-Ed)...yeah, I think so, it's certainly not owned by the state government...(and Labour haven't organised those approvals?-Ed)...allegedly...(and announced the Expansion before getting said approvals?-Ed)...yep, repeatedly...and the word on the street is that those approvals have already been denied, but Labour just won't 'fess up...('on the street'...really?...could you get any more cliched?-Ed)...

What Country HealthSA have done is literally walk into public wards, point at some beds and say 'Those are Mental Health beds now'...Mental Health patients in public wards...that, or sedated, restrained, and shipped of to Adelaide via ambulance...just listening to Health Minister Jack Snelling lying his way around the gross lack of Mental Health services in Adelaide...what hope for Mt Gambier when Adelaide doesn't even have appropriate services? 

I know that I've been through all this before, but nothing has changed, and Mental Health issues have been repeatedly raised this week, eg, the Hospital Expansion and The Border Watch front page story 07/08/2013) with SAPol 's Trevor Twilley re Suicide rates in the South East (also on Radio National and Lateline)...I note that Superintendent Twilley is in today's TBW clarifying his previous comments;
     "There are a myriad of causative factors as to why people suicide and just because a person
       suicides does not mean they have a mental health illness."

If only there was someone locally who is an expert on Mental Health issues who could step in and sort it all out...(well what about Dr Dick Stretcher?...they're apparently an expert-Ed)...ah, of course, why didn't I think of that?...(ah, you did-Ed)...

According to Dr Stretcher's latest diatribe of cowardly, anonymous abuse (attached below) they have established that I don't have a diagnosed Mental Health illness "you fake your illness"..."you admit that you could work if you wanted to...but chose to lie about your illness...", etc, but then also re-diagnoses me as being "delusional"...

(Hang on, let's see if I've got this right...Dr Stretcher says you don't have genuine Mental Health issues as officially diagnosed and openly discussed in various previous posts, but that you are "delusional"...no genuine illness, but at the same time "delusional"?-Ed)...yep...(wow, talk about having a bet each way-Ed)...alright, by placing a wager on the predicted winner and then...(no, no, I didn't mean literally-Ed)...

And Dr Stretcher is right, it's dead set simple to 'fake' Agorophobia...just don't leave the house for 7 years...they'll fall for it every time...(ah, witty Wilde, very witty-Ed)...I am of course being entirely facetious in making light of the crippling illness that I have had officially diagnosed (previous posts). 

Dr Stretcher also includes in their gutless, anonymous vilification, the National's candidate Miles Hannemann...(orrr, he'll be having a go at the flowers next-Ed)...or saying that the birds are scroungers...

I only met Mr Hannemann on Wednesday 07/08/13 when he made good his promise to catch up with me next time he was in Mt Gambier...and I best declare the frothy cappuccino he bought me...and his immediate reaction to me says a lot about who he is.

He was clearly a bit shocked at my physical appearance (large, long hair, etc) stating 'you sound quite refined over the phone', and we had a mutual laugh about it...and for me, there is the key...he self-identified, openly acknowledged and appropriately dealt with his initial 'shock' based on my appearance in a manner that was genuinely respectful of me as a person.  

We only spoke for 1/2 an hour, but he is what I would describe as a 'straight up and down' sort of person, and I have no hesitation in repeating my position that a 'Protest Vote' for the Nationals in the safe Liberal seat of Barker ensures that Conservative voters can 'send a message' to the Liberals, but not end up with a Labour government as happened with Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott.

I am of course assuming that those National preferences will be directed to their Liberal coalition partner.

Tomorrow: Candidate Review

And some other stuff...eg, the new 'levy' to force South East residents to pay for critical maintenance work on drains and/or bridges; Homelessness Week; etc...and those revised posts...damn I nearly forgot...

My name is Nick Fletcher...Nick Fletcher...this is my blog and I stand by everything I've had to say in it...and when and if I'm wrong, I genuinely apologise...I may well be 57 different kinds of angry idiot, but sooner that than an anonymous, bigoted coward...

Wind Turbine Inequality and Keyboard Cowards

Hello Nepal, Netherlands, Romania and France...welcome to my blog which is, amongst other things, becoming a hilarious study in anonymous stupidity and 'Keyboard Cowardice'...check the 'Comments' register...(I'd have said sad, not hilarious...confused not stupid...and scared not cowardly-Ed)...

Actually, I think you're right Ed...but first, the extraordinary conduct of the 'approval process' re the Stony Gap Wind Turbine Project and the Goyder Council...this case clinically defines the quite deliberate and gross inequality of the pro-Turbine approval process.

Please refer to previous posts re the 'Interim Development Plan Amendment' legislation (2011) and the numerous other issues that brings an old hippy like me to so vehemently oppose this alleged Renewable Resource.

Just for the record: legislating to remove the opportunity to oppose, eg, access to the Courts, is a cornerstone of Fascism...look it up in any dictionary or history book.

Just quickly, I re-iterate...the IDPA 2011 completely removed the right and/or ability for non-host residents, or anybody else, to oppose approval of Turbines, with an expensive Appeal on the grounds of 'Visual Amenity' via the Environment, Resources, and Development Court the only recourse.

Then the 'Revised DPA' (2012) officially removes that Appeal by setting Visual Amenity requirements at only 1kilometre from non-host residencies...that's 120m+ towers with 40m+ blades to be 'screened' by trees and shrubs...it is a ludicrous and already discredited strategy that just doesn't work.

Provided they are 1001m from your home, your neighbour can have Turbines right along your boundary, casting a kilometre long 'development exclusion shadow' onto your property and there is not one thing you can do about it...at the very least it is 'compulsory aquisition' of non-host land by using tax-payer funded 'subsidies' to bribe host property owners.

There are an increasing number of cases and/or clearly defined issues re Infrasound and it's impacts on health...cases/issues that pro-Turbine developers and governments like the Rann/Weatherill Labour government have initially ridiculed as non-reality, but then acknowledged as real before trying to dismiss with miniscule pseudo-studies, eg, a few days testing at a couple of sites.

The massive legislative bias in favour of developers allows the Developer to appeal after the Goyder Council initially rejected the Stony Gap Turbine Development, 'negotiate' with the Council while the case is being heard, and subsequently the Council has withdrawn from the legal action and declared support for the project, leaving a couple of local property owners 'hanging in the wind' to fight the case themselves.

My opinion of the Council's actions are irrelevant, the issue is that had the project been approved initially there was no process/avenue for appeal...and is this the case at Stony Gap?...have the developers moved a couple of turbines back to the 1km mark to scupper the 'Cross-Appeal on Visual Amenity', and Council's legal advice is that they therefore cannot win, so they have withdrawn...

And/or has Goyder Council received some sort of 'incentive' from the developer? Who knows, but the outcome is the same...more of these grossly inefficient, hugely expensive, massively subsidised Turbines polluting the landscape...and a handful of people profit hugely and everyone else's electricity bills go through the roof...South Australia, currently third most expensive electricity on the planet...and rising...

Keyboard Cowards...please refer to previous post re the plethora of people who are utilising various forms of unaccountable media, eg, Twitter, Facebook, etc, to anonymously abuse, bully, vilify, etc...and you don't have to go any further than the 'Comments' on this blog to find a perfect example.

I have been most critical of someone ('Dick Stretcher') who is clearly very upset, very confused, and very anxious if not quite scared...and I can hardly blame him/her, given the reality of what I have been blogging re the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up and the complicit involvement of SAPol, the Teachers Registration Board, the Crown Solicitor, etc, Rory McEwen, Mike Rann, Jay Weatherill, Greg Muller, Steve Perryman, Don Pegler, Richard Sage, Stuart Stansfield, et al, and The Border Watch, the Adelaide media, and the ABC local, state, and national.

I mean, which society would you rather live in?...the one where what Nick Fletcher says in his blog is the reality, or the society where Nick Fletcher is a malicious liar?...(and a fat dole-bludging hippy-Ed)...yes,
well, that's an indication of some deeper personal prejudices, but it is irrelevant...(irrelevant?-Ed)...yes, who I am is irrelevant, and even if I were everything I rail against, eg, a corrupt paedophile, that makes me a hypocrite, not wrong...(oh, good point-Ed)...

And this 'which do you believe, which is more likely' is something I/we have seen many times before and has been repeatedly used to manipulate people on the periphery, eg, by the Lutherans to manipulate other parents at St Martins. It was remiss of me to not realise it sooner...thank you Ed...

To Dick Stretcher: I understand that you are scared and confused about the reality of what is happening re St Martins and the economically crippling corruption in local government, etc, but attacking me achieves nothing...why don't you write to these people you claim to represent and ask them to explain their actions...

Beyond that, your abuse means nothing to me, but your extraordinary 'Comments/Allegations' re St Martins have caused great hurt to a number of other people specifically involved, and I call on you to apologise to them...I forgive you but I cannot help you... 


Or are you are an 'Agent' of those you have already claimed to represent...regardless, here we have someone anonymously running off at the mouth, getting it horribly wrong, and then furiously back-peddling whilst trying to blame the person they've attacked...(classic-Ed)...

Please find attached below the latest 'Comment' from anonymous 'Dick Stretcher'...

1)  'the fat lazy dole bludging hippy'...(that's you-Ed)...yes, thank you...I'm not fat, I'm big-boned (sob)...

2)  'I never mentioned the other parents...if other parents have been insulted...they should take issue with
      you...'

What an extraordinary statement...by making specific 'legal action for profit' allegations against me, in apparently complete ignorance of the facts, you have denigrated, defamed and deeply offended other parents.

And then, even after it is carefully explained to you, you don't apologise for vilifying and defaming them, you actually blame me...you anonymously and ignorantly sling grossly offensive and unfounded allegations about, and then flatly refuse to take responsibility...(priceless-Ed)...unacceptable.

3)  'you are a Bully'...from the anonymous, abusive person hiding behind 'Dick Stretcher'...

4)  'then you hide behind your "I've got an illness and I'm a victim rubbish"...'

Ridiculing me about a diagnosed illness and a decade of abuse and denigration at the hands of the Lutherans as they cover-up the abuse of a class of full of young children...charming...

5) 'Also the people of the North East End of Mt Gambier I am sure are lovely...I didn't refer to anyone
    else's digs in the North East End and didn't mention any other person...'

(can I take this one?-Ed)...certainly...(ta...and I quote - "why don't you do what the other low lifes do...jump your rickety back fence in crappoville...scamper your way across the paddock to Big W"...unquote-Ed)...and that's not a bigoted attack on Housing Trust tenants?...

6) you acknowledge that you were wrong about me 'never having a job', but then try to excuse that with a
    false apology that further seeks to mock/mimic me, and then more abuse...

I just can't be bothered going through the rest, and I'm sure there's more to come...but I note that for someone who claims to not care about me or what I say, you have gone to an awful lot of trouble...I appreciate the effort...

Whatever your motivations, thank you for your contributions 'Dick Stretcher'...by comparison they (you) show my blog to be strong, honest, and appropriate.

Tomorrow: Mental Health Services in the South East
 
I am Nick Fletcher and this 'ere is me blog what I does put me name to rrrrrrrr...(what the hell is that?...you a pirate now or something?-Ed)...yeah, just trying to break it up a bit...call it an attempt at humour...

Oh, and I will get to the Revised posts as promised...cheers and laters...

Comment on Comments: Part II

Please find attached two 'Comments' left anonymously on my two most recent posts 05/08/2013 and 06/08/2013...interesting that these 'Comments' have been posted after 6 months of me 'Blogging', but only two days into the official Election campaign.

And even before I finish writing this post, another anonymous 'Comment' from the same person as 'And thank God for that!'...(left on post 'Comments on Comments')...My, my, what brave people you are...

I offer these 'Comments' (below) as typical of the sort of anonymous 'character assassination' conducted against myself and other parents re the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up.

I'm not sure whether this person actually reads the blog or just the titles or has been told what's on it by someone else...their criticism wanders in and out of the actual 'blog content', from very specific detail to scattershot abuse, and many of the specific 'accusations' are already covered, eg, issues about unemployment, etc...and they claim to know things that I haven't blogged....and yet get most of those things wrong as well...

I think they are trying to undermine and discredit what I have been saying by criticising me personally rather than addressing the issues...they clearly want to draw attention away from the St Martins Issue, but I'm not sure that constantly referring to it achieves that...particularly acknowledging that the children were abused...and the rest is just a rambling, incoherent nonsense.

Apart from that, these 'Comments' specifically defame and denigrate many other people who have absolutely nothing to do with this blog...and offer a perfect opportunity to review some of these issues, so just quickly, from the beginning...

Comment 05/08/2013

1) I think that 'Dick Stretcher' is a play on my name, and fair enough, I do that in my blog sometimes, but I'm not sure what a 'Nummy' is...(it's Numb Nuts shortened-Ed)...ah, of course...oh, and I don't think you should get involved Ed because you get a serve as well...(really?-Ed)...really...(but I don't actually exist-Ed)...indeed...

2) 'You are vulgar and reprehensible'...(but I thought they said they haven't met you-Ed)...ah, bazinga...

3) I don't know who 'Oliver Queen' is...but I'm sure he's handsome, erudite, witty, and charming...

4) 'a screw loose'...I'm glad that you find the extreme psychological trauma that I've endured for a decade as clearly identified on my blog to be so amusing and worthy of abuse.

5) 'Ivory Tower'...from someone who doesn't put their name to their opinion...(enough said-Ed)...

And good on you 'Dick Stretcher' for your repeated, bigoted vilification of Housing Trust tenants...it is simply unwarranted.

6) 'Dole bludging loser'...I think refers to my Unfair/Illegal Dismissal from a full-time position at the Gambier Hotel in 2000, as I personally proved in the Industrial Relations Commission, and that rendered me "unemployable" in such a small, insular community...something that has had a drastic effect on my life.

As per previous posts, I am on the Disability Support Pension (since 2011) after years of being 'hand-balled' around the Social Security sector as a problem no-one knew what to do with.

'Dick Stretcher' conveniently forgets to mention the thousands of hours of volunteer work I've done, eg, for Lifeline, and particularly the back-breaking work I did for the Lutherans at umpteen working bees.

7) 'Caravan Park'...already covered in previous post...I moved from the Park by choice, via 2 other residences, before being lucky enough to get the wonderful little Housing Trust homette I have now. I note that the terrible treatment of other Park tenants isn't mentioned.

8) I agree that my running as a candidate in both the State and local government elections in 2010 were basically 'protest' efforts and I never thought that I would 'win'. I considered it an obligation to put myself up for public scrutiny as part of an appropriate democratic process.

I note that the Labour candidate for Barker, Phil Golding, has openly stated that he 'is not delusional' enough to think he'll win, but he's still giving it a go...indeed, in the safe Liberal seat all other candidates are effectively in the same basket...

9)  'cream carter job of government official' seems to be a general criticism of public officials.

10) 'Gravy trough'...again in previous posts...I am very much aware of the support that I receive and it is part of the society that I want to be part of, and I can only say again that I consider myself to already be 'in the employ' of the people who support me.

I obviously cannot prove that other than to point to how hard I work to address critical issues in a context where I could quite easily, legally just sit home and 'playstation'...being put on the DSP has only made me go harder...(damn straight-Ed)... 

11) 'the St Martins Scandal'...here 'Dick Stretcher's' anonymous comments lurch from purile and pointless to outright offensive...you are a crass coward...I simply refer to my previous posts re the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up. 

As 'non-resident' parent, I have had no say in what school my child did or didn't attend, and I have no idea how I could have profited from that decision anyway...incoherent nonsense...

Teacher Glyn Dorling was 'removed' before I even heard about it, and I and other parents tried without success to get the appropriate authorities, eg, SAPol, Child Protection Services, etc, to address the abuses committed against our children in 2002...then, having exhausted literally every option, other parents only started legal action more than a year after that on the specific, repeated advice of former MP Rory McEwen...and I only joined that action some time later...

12) '(your child) doesn't talk to you anymore because you failed him...someone told me this but I can't remember'...again, just crass and offensive nonsense from an anonymous coward...

13) all closed out with an incoherent rant about not attending meetings but being in the shadows and/or my head...which is it?...or is it the shadows in my head?...(ooo, heavy man-Ed)...

I'd suggest that this entire 'Comment' indicates that I'm in your head, champ, under your skin, and metaphorically right in your face...

Comment 06/08/2013

And more of the same from an anonymous coward who doesn't seem to understand some of the basics that they are discussing/criticising, eg, you don't get payed $1,000 for running as a candidate, it costs $1,000 which you get refunded when and if you get 4% of the Primary vote...and highlighting their own error by introducing it with 'let's get back to facts'...priceless...

And quite right that I have nothing, moving to Mt Gambier has had a devastating effect on my life...and absolutely true that this has led me to continue forward with issues where others simply cannot afford to do so.

But absolutely wrong that I don't "live in fear of being sued for defamation"...I refer to the Crown Solicitors Office specific threat to jail me - Criminal Liability under the Criminal Consolidation Act - that means jail time regardless of how much money I do or don't have. (previous posts) 

Again, I can only state that I do not represent anyone...it's just me...I am an angry bunny, but I'm no Secret Squirrel.

And another bigoted attack on Housing Trust tenants...charming...

'Working whilst getting the dole'...if you've got any evidence of this very serious offence, take it to Centrelink...they're expecting to hear from you...other than that, just another empty denigration from an anonymous coward...

All closed out with facetious, empty, false apologies and what I believe is an attempt at humour...

And another comment from yesterday 06/08/13...I can't be bothered, just more of the same, but it's on the blog if you want to read it...

Dear Anonymous,

If you have nothing better to offer than crass, bigoted abuse of everybody, and unsubstantiated allegations about me, you're no longer welcome on the blog...three strikes and you're out...any future 'Comments' will be deleted unless you have something specific to contribute.

When you are prepared to stop being a 'Keyboard Coward' and come onto the blog not anonymously, your 'Comments' will remain.

Beyond that, thank you for confirming that I'm right on the mark, and I guarantee you it's not me that people are laughing at...dig all you want, when you get to the bottom of the hole I'll be right here waiting...you are a coward and a liar...cheers...

Tomorrow: Revised Posts re Stansfield and NF McDonnell 

Maybe this time...maybe...unless of course it's going to upset anyone.

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...laters...