Today I was on my way to Bunbury to take Mason to see the ENT to find out about his hearing. Well we got to Bridgetown and had to stop in the middle of the street for a little while as the police directed traffic. Yeah ok so it sounds like I'm winging about police doesn't it? I'm not though. I saw a log truck that had a police car at the front, police four wheel drive at the back and another police car at the back as well. THere was a police officer at the front, one directing traffic and then three at the back. I thought maybe a breakdown or the driver was getting fined. But NO! There was a male underneath the back of the truck. The officers were all laughing to themselves casually and so we drove on and went to my sisters. That is when we found out that a young man and accomplices had got one car and pulled infront of the truck and another behind and the first car distracted the driver while a passenger from the other climbed out and ontop of the truck and walked along the top of the truck. I'm not sure of all the details but then he or one of the others handcuffed themselves to the fuel line and that was the male I saw laying underneath the back of the truck. I really am sick of greenies. THey cause so many accidents down in the south west of Australia. They don't care if the truckies get hurt at all. They are also setting up a hippy commune in the Bridgetown area curtosy of one of the males mothers who was a Premier of WA at one stage. I think that it is an outrage that this has happened and that something needs to be done before these idiots cause someone to die. Our roads are plagued with log trucks and other truycks non-stop all day long now that our rail service is out of action perminately. We can't afford for these fools to start carrying on like this on our highways or we will be the ones that are losing our lives. I am so sick of their stupidity and blatent dis-respect for the lives of so many people. They really are the most inconsiderate group I've ever known. I would rather have to put up with Bike Gangs all the time then the greenies. (I hope that this doesn't offend anyone but these people do this all the time and DO put peoples lives in danger!) Torana
Torana, while I completely understand where you're coming from with this post, I'm going to have to show my Greenies side for a moment. The Australian forests are being destroyed at a highly unsustainable rate. I was reading legitimate figures recently: 95% of Australia's oldgrowth forests have been cleared for a variety of reasons. Some of these trees were well over 200 years old. In Tasmania, the natural oldgrowth environment that has existed for well over 250 years is suddenly being destroyed for no necessary purpose. They're building pulp mills, sure, but at the rate they cut down the precious forests, no plantation is going to be able to cope and keep the system running. So these Greenies need to make ridiculous statements to get the message across. We're destroying our native wildlife's habitats, causing increases in salinity and ruining the forests that have established themselves over hundreds of years. I wish I could throw out all the facts I have stored in my head but they're just not coming to me. I may be the only one that says this, but I agree with what those people were doing, even if it was dangerous. Something needs to be done in this country.
So you agree that them putting not only truck drivers lives at risk, but innocent drivers with BABIES and CHILDREN in their cars on the highways is acceptable? I'm sorry but that is just damn stupid to say that they are doing the right thing. They are endangering lives by their stupidity. They have every right to protest but they ARE ENDAGERING TOO MANY PEOPLES LIVES! EDIT: Something needs to be done yes but they should be going about it differently and NOT ENDANGERING LIVES of others. If they have a death wish then so be it, but I am sure that truck driver has no death wish nor the person he may just happen to kill because he had to swerve to miss a greenie inthe middle of the road. THey go to extremes and there are many other ways to go about it where peoples lives arent' at risk. Think about that!
Mmm, okay I understand your situation was very extreme. So I'll admit that's taking it too far. However, another person climbed to the top of a tree about to be cut down and sat there for two weeks before he was arrested. Do you think that's taking it to the extreme? I think that's a perfectly reasonable way of making a statement and I don't believe he should've been arrested.
I have to agree with both of you in some ways. Torana, its the same as anything really, you get the extremists of any cause that are so focussed on one eventual goal (such as saving the trees) that they don't see the bigger picture and the other damage that they may be causing. But on the other hand, its a large generalisation to say that all people who care about this type of cause are extremist. Sometimes, more peaceful methods... petitions etc... are not effective and a stand does need to be made. However, I agree that this should not be at the expense of others. Bluemouth, something does need to be done, but people need to be more careful about how they do it. Why save the lives of trees just to endager the lives of humans? I'm not at all against carefully thought out protest of some description, in order to get themselves heard. So long as its done done in away that endagers others.
To them, one or two lives regardless of who's it is, happens to be a small sacrifice when it comes to saving humanity. To be honest, the rate of deforestation is beyond outrageous. To make sure people get the message, their actions have to be beyond outrageous. Nobody takes notice of banners and protest marches anymore. People take notice other people handcuffing themselves to trucks and dancing on the roads. The plight is more than honorable - deforestation will be the death of this countries economy. Of course, what they're doing is just stupid, but the point is they have to be bold to get people to listen now. That's all there is to it. Depends. If said company owned the land they we're going to be demolishing trees on, he can be arrested on civil charges.
Glad you see my point. It is not just that case that I refer to though. THey've done some pretty wrong things like jumping out infront of log trucks fully loaded on gravel raods and of course they have to swurve so they don't kill the idiots. It makes me wild how extreme they go. What you speak of is not something I believe deserrves arresting at all. Things like that yeah fair enough. But come one they should leave the trucks alone. That is when it gets beyond it if you ask me.
Exactly what I thought as well. Jumping out in front of lorries solves very little... by attracting such bad publicity, yes they get noticed but people just think they're overreacting or that they're crazy... how does that help?
So [putting others in a life and death situation is bold? NO! That is a crimanl act! I don't care what they do so long as they just think about it and stop putting others lives at risk. I don't think my friends daughter would lilke to hear her daddy won't be coming home cause he died so some idiot could try and save a tree!
And pretty much for nearly every tree cut down legally by the loggers, about four more trees are planted, this is from my dad who used to be a logger about four years ago so things could of changed. But chaining yourself to a logging truck? How unsafe is that? What a stupid ****ed up moron. Okay, I don't like the thought of billions of trees being stripped away from teh land, which raised the salt content in the earth etc, but this is pathetic and stupid and puts, not only their lives on the line but others around. The tax payers are paying the police men and womens wages and they are supposed to be doing something good. Instead, half the time they are forced to go out and peel a greenie off the back of a log tuck, a tree or whatever. If you protest, the best way to do it is peacefully without disrupting the peace and putting lives at risk. Otherwise, others are just going to think that you are dickheads. And think of the other side. These loggers have families to feed, bills to pay. Hundreds of mill workers and loggers have been laid off because they cannot do their jobs. Listen, I understand that somethign needs to be done in a sense, but in a controlled way. And sitting on top of a tree may save that tree for two weeks, but then it's going to come down anyways. But then again, I think that is better then chaining yourself to a logtruck and chaining yourself to heavy machinery.
I've seen and heard more than I want to know. My fahter worked at a chip mill as a security guard, and he was constantly having to keep an ear out for them. He was told to expect them to come into the compound and heck they probably would have gone him if they had the bloody chance. The crap that has happened in this area with these idiots in amazing and bloody terrifying.
Hey, i'm getting toilet paper outta it! So That's okay with me! Just having people that possibly hurt themselves and waste the police men and womens time unchaining them when they could be putting thieves and proper criminals to jail or something.
A number of environmentalists on the Pacific Coast used to and still might put metal spikes into trees. If the spikes are small enough they won't be seen, and if the tree isn't harvested in a year or two the wound is covered by wood. When a logger tries to cut through it with a chainsaw the chain will break and could seriously injure the logger. If the spike is avoided it will be cut eventually when the tree is cut into lumber. This could cause dangerous shrapnel which injures workers. I'm all for sustaining the forests. But you should not risk other peoples lives by flagrant disregard for the common labourer.
Exactly. Protest. Yes, peacefully, yes, but not at the risk of injuring other people. Including their own.
