Cansdellgate isn't going away

Yet another Clarence valley resident has commented on the scandalous matters associated with disgraced former Member for Clarence Steve Cansdell.

Hard to digest

It is not only Labor hackles which have been raised (''Dinner for disgraced MP raises Labor hackles'', January 22). There are a lot of people in the Clarence electorate including myself who feel disgusted with this whole affair. NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell was quick to pick up the phone to the Police Minister, who then contacted the police chief when the Craig Thomson affair surfaced. However, nothing has occurred in respect to the Steve Cansdell affair. Come on O'Farrell, pick up the phone.

Lyne Dobson, Waterview Heights

Source: The Sun Herald, 29/1/12

The spirit of the World Christian Fundamentals Association* marches on

Just when one imagines that a certain all pervasive, narrow, fundamentalist world view couldn’t grow more absurd -  American society proves the opposite.

Los Angeles Times 16 January 2012:

Texas and Louisiana have introduced education standards that require educators to teach climate change denial as a valid scientific position. South Dakota and Utah passed resolutions denying climate change. Tennessee and Oklahoma also have introduced legislation to give climate change skeptics a place in the classroom.

In May, a school board in Los Alamitos, Calif., passed a measure, later rescinded, identifying climate science as a controversial topic that required special instructional oversight.

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) looks at the background to these changes being fostered by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC):

ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. We agree. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door.…..
More than 98% of ALEC's revenues come from sources other than legislative dues, such as corporations, corporate trade groups, and corporate foundations. Each corporate member pays an annual fee of between $7,000 and $25,000 a year, and if a corporation participates in any of the nine task forces, additional fees apply, from $2,500 to $10,000 each year. ALEC also receives direct grants from corporations, such as $1.4 million from ExxonMobil from 1998-2009. It has also received grants from some of the biggest foundations funded by corporate CEOs in the country, such as: the Koch family Charles G. Koch Foundation, the Koch-managed Claude R. Lambe Foundation, the Scaife family Allegheny Foundation, the Coors family Castle Rock Foundation, to name a few. Less than 2% of ALEC’s funding comes from “Membership Dues” of $50 per year paid by state legislators, a steeply discounted price that may run afoul of state gift bans.

* World Christian Fundamentals Association

Slow as pitch

Queensland Uni’s School of Mathematics and Physics ‘owns’ what is probably one of the oldest continuous science experiments in existence today.

Set up in 1927 it is 85 years old and still going strong.
Here is the webcam of pitch ( a tarlike substance obtained by distilling coal tar) ever so slooooooooooooowly oozing.

Table 1 Record of pitch drops.

      Year               Event

      1930               The stem was cut

      1938(Dec)          1st drop fell

      1947(Feb)          2nd drop fell

      1954(Apr)          3rd drop fell

      1962(May)          4th drop fell

      1970(Aug)          5th drop fell

      1979(Apr)          6th drop fell

      1988(Jul)          7th drop fell

      2000(28 Nov)        8th drop fell

 

In which NSW North Coast residents continue to have their say regarding Steve...

Digitally created image sent in anonymously

Fine tribute

COME on Mr Cansdell and Mr Gulaptis and the other National Party members, get real.

Take a deep breath and a deep look at the situation you are creating.

You are aiding and abetting rewards for breaking the law.

Mr Cansdell has admitted he was dishonest by falsifying a statutory declaration to escape a speeding fine.

Something obviously happened.

So, after doing a bit of research, he came forward and resigned.

This in turn enabled him to get his pension.

If he had been sacked he would have missed out.

This electorate has a lot of crime problems at present and as far as I am concerned this incident is setting a bad example for this area.

If Mr Cansdell and his National Party mates had any decency at all they would abandon the dinner and pay the cost of the by-election.

If Mr Cansdell does not go to jail, then why did Justice Einfeld go?

COL BROWN

South Grafton [Letter to the Editor published 26 January 2012]

By suffernofools from Maclean on 26/1/2012 at 8:30AM

Ursula, don't get your knickers in a knot about it darlin', it's not like a civic reception or a street parade where they are imposing themselves upon us. They will be safely out of view of the general public...discreetly patting each other on the back and saying how good a job he did and he was a bit unlucky. They will never get it. No matter how much you jump up and down and scream blue murder, they are so out of touch at how disgusted we are, they would think you are cheering FOR them. Ignore them and maybe the silence will resonate louder than a political protest could. Or just leave your placards out the front of the racecourse with a note attached saying you had left due to lack of interest in the whole thing. [The Daily Examiner online]

By yambaman from Yamba on 26/1/2012 at 8:37AM

Well I usually support the conservative side of politics but a "tribute" dinner for a confirmed liar turns my stomach! Have these faceless politicians no shame, would any self-respecting citizen really attend? I'd expect it from the ALP (aka Craig Thomsen) but from the Nats, who'll I vote for next? [ibid]

By swingingvoter from Palmers Channel on 26/1/2012 at 12:47PM

Could someone from Chris Gulaptis' office advise if his staff are involved in organising this dinner during the hours they are being paid to perform duties for the citizens of Clarence and NSW? Are people paying their $50 during office hours? If so, what other citizens are entitled to use his office in this manner?
Will this MP sign a Statutary Declaration to say his office and staff are not being used in this manner........sorry, I forgot, Stat. Decs. are just playthings these days. [ibid]

By MurrayLees from Murwillumbah on 24/1/2012 at 6:37AM

Two words for John Robertson and Labor: Craig Thompson [ibid]

By UrsulaTunks from Grafton on 24/1/2012 at 8:46AM

Murray Lees you goose this isn't ABOUT POLITICS ! This is about integrity! Are you the same campaign manager who was telling anyone who'd listen during the by election that Cansdell would have a conviction not recorded against him & be the next Federal National Party candidate for the electorate of Page? Have you already negotiated the outcome with the Police? How could you know that before anyone else in the community ? Are you the same National Party member who has been belittling my friend Kath Palmer & her bravery for coming forward? The same Murray Lees who appears to be two or three decades behind the rest of Australia when it comes to the treatment of whistleblowers? THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS - you can't put spin on it based on party politics. If anyone in any party breaks the law the law deals with their transgression - NOT the party spin doctor! & while you're at it tell you're mates to stop defaming me - YES I supported Kath in her submission to ICAC & I would again tomorrow for anyone who needed that support to act lawfully - regardless of who the alleged offender was! And Murray that includes you - if you ever needed my help to do the right thing I'd be here to support you if you . Remember Murray it's an offence under the ICAC legislation to know of an offence committed by a public official and NOT report. So Kath and any others who've come forward over this period are doing what is required of them by law. [ibid]

Rain makes local frogs loud and amorous

For the last seven days all up and down the NSW North Coast the night time air has been loud with the sound of frogs and toads seeking mates.

In some urban backyards the sound has made it difficult to hear television programmes as male frogs on the prowl call incessantly.

Here is one happy snap from Bev Metcalf’s home at South Grafton.

Photograph The Daily Examiner January 27, 2012