Consultation on implementation of model drug schedules for Commonwealth serious drug offences

[mescalito]

I asked you [and only you] not to spread the negativity you are experiencing from your withdrawals into this thread. I asked you that respectfully and I offered you good reasons in return which I asked you to keep to yourself.

Don't worry, I won't be trusting you again.

 

Ok fair enough,I have my nuts in a knot and was confused on some issues.

It was my mistake about the email thing,that wasn't the one and I hadn't read your 2nd email.

Post 374 had " Ditto in queensland where a large scale Trich grower got busted and the cops didn't even bother trying to nail him for manufacture of mescaline cos they could just nail him for the possession of Trichs."

Not in an e-mail so my bad,so you can see how things got skewed,for that I'm sorry.

Life is getting extremely difficult....believe me.

I see why you did what you did and believe me I drained all the resources I had to get the word out here in my town with great success.What you have done is very smart,but gave me the wrong impression to which no-one would enlighten me...like how kindness felt.

Yep this withdrawal is really fucking with me....I just wish I knew your plan as a "trusted" friend and member and that you could have worded me up,it really would have settled the symptoms and not caused a problem in this thread.

Your email didn't say "not to spread the negativity you are experiencing from your withdrawals into this thread",the underlined wasn't there.

This might have made me step back and think a little slower instead of jumping the gun thinking of alternate ways,that's all.

I haven't told anyone anything you said to me as you asked,and out of honorable respect, as I now see and agree with the angle you are coming from and commend you guys for doing so.

I will remove my "negative" posts.

So T and all you guys,I have way too much on my plate and felt compelled to ACT,shoot me for making a mistake under hard-times with the best intentions.

if anyone has any more probs then please pm me.

I didn't set out to upset anyone, and well, I feel not many take me seriously anymore anyway because I'm sick....and I aint retracting comments to get back in your good books.I'm doing it for the sake of all our future.

*Steps back as requested*

Edited March 4, 2011 by mescalito

[Amazonian]

hey mescalito, there is sunshine behind those clouds. Soldier on . You have your daughter for inspiration.

Back to business... I took my last poster to the Library/community center today and placed it on the notice board. Whilst at the Library, I had a quick flick through the gardening magazines and to my disappointment, but as i expected, i didn't find anything on Banning of plants. I was happy to see the info' that Wood Dragon posted re; ABC radio. Lets hope it works in our favor.

Edited March 4, 2011 by Amazonian

[Torsten]

May I suggest that everyone contact their local ABC radio. Not so much the national, but rather the local stations. They can source speakers from local gardening clubs, universities, and maybe even get the guys at gardenfreedom.com to participate. Local ABC are VERY responsive to these sorts of things and they will love the friday deadline. This needs to be very high priority as other stations and media will easily pick it up from there.

[Amazonian]

I am not quite sure what you mean Torsten . Are you saying to contact the local ABC radio station and tell them of the broadcast coming up or just to make them aware of the pending law? I emailed the ABC radio station when this whole saga began. It was stated on the site that .... As the ABC receives a large volume of emails every day, we ask you to note that it may take up to four weeks for a detailed response to be forwarded to you. .... i never heard anything back from them, although, i wasn't asking a question, just providing a link to the proposal and a brief description of it.

Edit: Heres a link to the ABC, http://www.abc.net.a.../contactabc.htm

Edited March 4, 2011 by Amazonian

[WoodDragon]

Amazonian.

Are you saying to contact the local ABC radio station and tell them of the broadcast coming up or just to make them aware of the pending law?

You can probably do both, with a focus on the fact that RN is running with the issue now, and that the deadline is the end of next week.

I've done work interviews with local ABC half a dozen times in the last few years, and each time they've wanted me within a day or two of contacting them. If the contact is framed in the context of the urgent topicality of the issue, they will usually focus on it almost immediately.

The best approach would be to call the local ABC's switchboard and ask to be put on to the producer of one (or more) of the morning, arvo, or evening talkback shows. You can very quickly explain the issue to them, and point them to the RN Australia Talks page linked above, and let them dig up the 'experts' to interview. A clever producer should be able to track down relevant folk, either through botanical and/or legal departments at uni, or through industry. If they were really clued in they might try tracking down Torsten, although I doubt that he'd be able to field phone interviews from dozens of local ABC stations in the space of a few days!

They shouldn't need to though, because the RN page already lists some potential interviewees (it would be good to know their inclinations so that one might try to avoid recommending pro-scheduling advocates), and the local producers should be able to ask the "Australia Talks" producers for other contacts.

Don't bother with the pro forma email options on the web pages - they take weeks to filter through the system. Speak to a producer or three, and you'll get your yes or no straight away.

[ballzac]

One week to go. If you've been putting off writing a submission, now is the time to get something together. If you don't have the time or the writing skills, use the template at garden freedom.

Edited March 4, 2011 by ballzac

[Torsten]

Amazonian, please note I said LOCAL abc. The existing program is national ABC. Also, it is very difficult to get issues onto a national ABC program unless you have a contact. It is however VERY easy to get onto local abc as they are always looking for new issues. The national guys often use the local content to make their own, so it is a round about way to get national coverage.

if you go to the abc website you can click the LOCAL tab and get contact details for the local ABC in your area. I can guarantee you that many of them will be itnerested becaue I know that some local abcs have ALREADY picked it up.

Don't wait till monday. Ring them in the morning first thing, even over the weekend. The breakfast programs are always keen for content, so if you ring early you might even get it on for the next day. any day is good, but the sooner the better. email them, etc.

[Torsten]

I noticed that the vile people at the other forum are already putting the ABC program down before it has even aired, calling all the presenter faschists etc. I'd just like to point out that at least two on that list are fighting vehemently against the laws, so at the very least it is a balanced program, though I have the feeling it might actually be in our favour. Those who know Peter will know just how unlikely it is for me to say so, but he should be respected for fighting the fight too many are too scared to put their name to.

If you are preparing questions then make sure they appeal to the audience and make the presenters look respectable. Keep in mind that the pro laws people will try and make the anti-laws people look like druggies and hippies, so try not to give them any reason for it. This is not the platform to rant against the war on drugs nor is it the time to try and legalise pot.

[Torsten]

gomaos:

"by the sound of it they are all fascists

paid by the government

to stupefy the population

I shit on them already

why don't they have someone who really knows what it's all about

like Ray from HHH

or T... no not him

the way it looks now it's not even worth watching

the outcome is certain already

doctor...professor...lecturer...nonme of them really have a clue

they read some books but they probably hardly ever touch a plant

fuck the ABC fuck national TV fuck the government stupid cunts"

[tripsis]

I find it frustrating how often threads at AE degenerate into name-calling, especially using the term fascist and cunt. It's entirely counter-productive and pointless.

[mescalito]

hey mescalito, there is sunshine behind those clouds. Soldier on . You have your daughter for inspiration.

Back to business...

 

Thanks for the sentiment,I have a child to raise and am blessed,I'm not one myself

May I suggest that everyone contact their local ABC radio. Not so much the national, but rather the local stations. They can source speakers from local gardening clubs, universities, and maybe even get the guys at gardenfreedom.com to participate. Local ABC are VERY responsive to these sorts of things and they will love the friday deadline. This needs to be very high priority as other stations and media will easily pick it up from there.

 

Already lined up with the local radio station as I know the guy personally as a close friend,he just wants the heads-up and it's on except in an advert format repeated at night....should I ask him to start now?

Suck my kiss to all you who have thrown stones saying "Not doing anything is counterproductive blah blah..".My mum's taken photo-copies and spread them,tickets are dis-appearing from all copies.This came WELL before the retractions of my posts...am I not allowed to keep secrets until the last moment?

Oh and yeah thanks for acknowledging my apology and making the thread nice and tidy for ya T

I noticed that the vile people at the other forum are already putting the ABC program down before it has even aired, calling all the presenter faschists etc. I'd just like to point out that at least two on that list are fighting vehemently against the laws, so at the very least it is a balanced program, though I have the feeling it might actually be in our favour. Those who know Peter will know just how unlikely it is for me to say so, but he should be respected for fighting the fight too many are too scared to put their name to.

If you are preparing questions then make sure they appeal to the audience and make the presenters look respectable. Keep in mind that the pro laws people will try and make the anti-laws people look like druggies and hippies, so try not to give them any reason for it. This is not the platform to rant against the war on drugs nor is it the time to try and legalise pot.

 

Ahh I see "The Other Forum" with the "vile people" on there.....well I don't know what went on there as it's none of my business...fucken get over it!...and after spending time spreading awareness and helping people here and vice/versa,then being argued with about Benzo's(yes everyone cringe....the B word), I haven't had the time to hang there,BUT there certainly is a different vibe going on, as I just checked out just prior to coming here for a change, which opened my eyes and makes my point FUCKEN VALID!

@Tripsis Quote"I find it frustrating how often threads at AE degenerate into name-calling, especially using the term fascist and cunt. It's entirely counter-productive and pointless."

I just checked most pages on the site regarding this topic and found the "c" word once as in 1.You post there!

Dear oh dear are you all overdosing on Estrogen or cycle at the same time LOL?

Oooh I don't like this...I don't like that...well FUCK ME JOIN THE CLUB!

This used to be about plants,consciousness growth,health,COMMUNITY...man we had a good name and a good vibe.

Disappointing considering what we could still be.

I'm symptom-free right now and clear headed so no benzo interference right now...shit that's what we are debating the legality of and social impact on society and black market trading and growing/preparing/consuming and or selling of such things...there goes potato's

Keep looking at the finger if you want,the heavenly glory is in sight if you but change your perception and or your procedure.

[Torsten]

you want a thank you for fixing your fuck up? get real!

going by the paranoid and angry tone of your posts are you sure you're not much better suited to AE these days anyway mesc? I am sure that we're all equally on the edge of our seats about this plant legislation as we are about your drug problem, but maybe leave that in a different thread?! You wonder what's been bringing the tone of this place down? people posting when they are fucked up on drugs or booze, bringing their dramas into discussions where they have no relevance. It happens almost every day now, but often takes a few days to work out and clean up. That sort of posting is funny when it happens occasionally, but at the core of it it is just disrespectful to everyone else.

Benzos make people callous, erratic and self centred, and that doesn't go away the day you stop taking them - it's a character pattern that takes months or even years to undo. Good luck with it - and I mean that sincerely because I have seen the very difficult process many times. you're the kind of guy who will win that battle, but I think assuming it is already won is a bit premature.

One of these days you'll work out who the people on that panel are and then you'll wonder how one of their own could ever come up with:

"by the sound of it they are all fascists

I shit on them already...

they probably hardly ever touch a plant

fuck the ABC fuck national TV fuck the government stupid cunts"

To me that sort of uninformed prejudice is no different than the uninformed prejudice that gave us this law proposal.

[tripsis]

I just checked most pages on the site regarding this topic and found the "c" word once as in 1.You post there!

That's right Mesc, I post there, which is why I find it frustrating. It I didn't post there, I wouldn't give a fuck what was said over there. But seeing as I am an active part of the forum and often see threads degenerate into pointless name calling, I find it frustrating. And seeing as you seem incapable of counting, the word "cunt" was actually used in that thread twice before I posted saying it was childish. Yes, the second time was a quote, but it was a supportive quote. Take little more time and have a read of a few more threads in that News and Notices forum and the Gathering and you'll soon see what I mean.

[kindness]

I had started typing up a reply early yesterday in this thread but my time got taken up by other things.

I wondered if perhaps we could break down the problems with this proposed legislation into its various parts... like what areas of peoples lives it will affect, by which I mean, gardeners, nurseries, peoples rights, (not just to grow plants but the general 'tone' of such a law), etc...

I was thinking then that perhaps we could break these areas down to the different professionals who might best represent us from these perspectives. If we had a list of professions perhaps it might make it easier to think of people we know who we might be able to contact to listen in to the national broadcast and comment from their educated perspective?

Would this be something to think about and perhaps draw a list up on?

[qualia]

not sure if this has been touched upon,

but what happens after the deadline?

will it be like most other media stirs and be quickly forgotten?

will the momentum which has been gained continue forward?

granted there's not a lot of direct action which can be taken after the deadline

but it would be a shame to see all this momentum fall by the wayside

[Torsten]

kindness - this has been done by a number of people in their approach to this. ie to get support for the fight it is best to appeal to each individual on the basis of the impact the legislation will have on them. Once you do that people suddenly become very interested as it is no longer a societal problem, but rather THEIR personal problem. When approaching various interest groups this is the best way to go and everyone can do that individually and/or we can do it as a group. I also recommend to look beyond the plant issue. There are some serious implications in this proposal for coin collectors, investors, healthfood industry, and even concrete contractors! Think about each plant and each substance mentioned and think about who uses them.

qualia - very good question and luckily a few people have asked themselves this and put a few things in motion. There may actually be an opportunity in the deadline because up to that date anything received by the minister on that issue is dealt as a submission which does not require a reply. Submissions are basically summarised into a very short document meaning that most aspects of them are unlikely to ever be noticed [until the issue goes before parliament]. Anything received after is regarded as a comment or complaint and in general requires the minister's office to reply. I see no reason why the campaign should let up at all, but it just needs to have a few changes implemented. Some interest group also see no reason why the deadline makes any difference. I've already given several interviews for industry and community publication that are coming out AFTER the deadline and the editors see no problem in that.

There is no reason this issue needs to go away any time soon. Pressure can be put on the minister's office at any time until a new draft is made available or until they drop the whole damn thing. otherwise we might as well keep going right up until it goes to parliament.

[etherealdrifter]

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/directory/ian.leaderelliott

is this the prof in question??

look email, phone numbers e.t.c

dilettante's need not apply

the abc program could be a pivotal point.....if the right person steps forward thinking

[WoodDragon]

Next week's "Australia Talks" episode was just now advertised on ABC TV after "Gardening Australia", so there should be even more people switching on. I really hope that we have informed callers, and not befuddled hotheads and incoherent folk who do not actually understand the basics.

[ballzac]

I actually think that one of the things in our favour is that people who are not opposed to this proposal do not understand it. The biggest problem would be if an intelligent and eloquent person takes the pro side for political purposes. Having supporters of this proposal betray their ignorance is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as those opposed are sufficiently informed so as to be able to set the record straight.

[applesnail]

Perhaps a few emails to don burke also of burkes backyard, i think he is abit of an activist! Not sure? but any ideas are great ideas in this cause,if can get some garden celebs in to take notice it will definately bring more attention,wish i thought of this earlier but i dont have to many great moments in thinking,maybe to much fluoride in my water!

can contact them here:http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/contact

Edited March 6, 2011 by applesnail

[snapdragon]

Do people think we can organise a long-term campaign or is it all about writing submissions?

 

Plant seeds.

 

Yes. Obviously. I have been doing that for a long time. But I also don't want to get arrested for planting those seeds which is why I would like to be involved in doing something longer-term than just writing submissions. My question is a reasonable one but I guess this discussion is the wrong place to ask it.

[The Dude]

Ask away. I was just being a smartarse!

Long term? Ummm.. overgrow the government. Non compliance dance. Watch the system collapse as we stop holding it up. All started with a little bit of consciousness expansion.

I guess the best any person can do is help themselves help everyone else. If you can detach yourself from feeding the system and still survive and be happy, then that would be a great model for people to follow. Of course be sure to not be a tall poppy like Waco or any other alternative community that decided to detach themselves from willful servitude lest you be martyred as a public example of what happens if you leave the fold. (Of course such events are used as a deterrent to living free, so you decide if you choose to buy into the fear mongering)

The love police are great at demonstrating that the only real shackles are in your mind. If you remove those than you can do anything you put your mind to. In each 'standoff' with pretend authority that I've seen, their self assured knowledge that they are free to do as they wish (within bounds) easily bypassed the usual trap of fear mongering we all buy into.

Just because a policy enforcer issues orders at you in a menacing tone doesn't mean it is the law and that you need buy into it. So how does common law treat all of this, if all of these new proposals only affect statutes and not common law?

I am a complete layman in terms of law and legalese but it's well worth investigating.

Edited March 8, 2011 by The Dude

[The Dude]

As for what you can do in terms of direct action and making the public aware...

Heads up, everyone.

There is an episode of the ABC's Australia Talks scheduled for next Wednesday, 9 March, with the running title of "Banned plants". For those who aren't familiar with the program, it's an hour-long talk-back on Radio National that is broadcast nation-wide. It's on at 6:00 pm in Eastern Australia - other time zones should check their local timetables. It's also broadcast live on the internet.

Australia Talks samples from the comments that are posted to its site, to read out during the show, and they will have two or three guest interviewees, as well as receiving calls from all around Australia. Their guests are likely to represent both pro and con, and it's quite possible that the con side will try to pull the wool over the listeners' eyes.

This is a good 11th-hour chance to get the message across, and if there's anyone who is media-savvy and clued-in on the matter, I beseech them to call in and be heard on-air. If possible, tell the producer if you're in any way 'expert', and perhaps ask to be held back a bit in the queue so that you can address any nonsense that is bound to come up. I've spoken on this program in the past, and the producer will try to get a handle on what you want to say before putting you on, so you get the chance to convince them that you're worth putting on the queue at all. People outside of the Eastern time zone can call in "live time" if they call the number 1300 22 55 76 (1300 CALL RN) during the AEST 6:00 - 7:00 pm period.

If you're not confident with the idea of speaking live to tens of thousands of Australians (and foreigners) at once, it would be better just to listen and leave it to the more eloquent folk to put our case forward. And for anyone who talks, be aware that if you ramble or go off-topic you'll be quickly canned. The idea is to make quick, important, and focussed points, and to do so in a fluent and interesting way. The more expert and relevant you sound, the longer you'll get. Don't labour on any one point - you'll be gonged - but make sure that each point you make is clear and self-evident. Usually they only give people one point or about 30 second's worth, whichever comes first, but with a bit of finesse it's possible to get a few points across.

A good strategy if you're not familiar with the program is to listen to a few other episodes first, to get an idea of how it runs. If you don't think that you can get everything across in your own effort, coordinate with others and divide up a list of points to make. In this case, best to share the list and tick off points as they are made, because repeating a point is a sure way to be quickly gonged - unless you say something to the effect that before you make your point you just want to agree with what so-an-so said.

So, the loquatious amongst us should think about calling, and the rest of us should be posting on their comments page (see the web page) as politely as we can and with as much detail as we are able to muster. Do it sooner rather than later, so that the regular ABC listeners and readers of the site can get an idea of the consequences. I'll post, but unfortunately I'll be at a seminar during the live broadcast.

This is a big chance to be heard across a wide section of Australia, and to get people to make IMMEDIATE submissions to the government - be sure to include http://www.gardenfreedom.com in your posts on the comments page.

 

[WoodDragon]

Just a reminder everyone - the Australia Talks episode on Radio National is tomorrow at 6:00pm.

If you're a stranger to the station, you can find your frequency here.

[solomon]

Just a reminder everyone - the Australia Talks episode on Radio National is tomorrow at 6:00pm.

If you're a stranger to the station, you can find your frequency here.

 

Thanks for the reminder man, my broadband gets switched back on tomorrow.

Just in time to tune in digitally.