Posted by father john george
on November 7, 2009, 4:55 pm, in reply to "CLARE STOP YOUR NON SEQUITURS"
--Previous Message--
: The government is supplying free of charge
: needles to drug users as it helps stop the
: spreads of things like AIDS and HEP, C
: �I
: don�t hear anyone saying The
: government is
: nurturing the industry of drug dealers. The
: government is giving out the needles because
: it is the most sensible thing to do. The
: people smugglers should not be one of the
: main concern to the
: Government.
: Clare
: ----------------------------------------====
: frjg responds:
: i was involved with united nations
: international narcotics control board in
: trying to stop kings cross medical injecting
: room declared by incb as against uno
: conventions-after my reporting charity nuns
: to vatican the nuns were forced to withdraw
: from involvement with govt re injecting
: rooms versus ethical methodds-eg you dont
: treat alcoholics by setting up a pub for
: them in kingd cross or handing out free
: schooner glasses[IN FACT DRUG DEALING AND
: TRAFFICKING FROM ASIAN GOLDEN TRIANGLE HAS
: INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY] AND VOICES HAVE
: BBEN RAISED
:
:
: =============================================
: ABC 7.30 Report[cf frjg involvement half way
: down-so clare voices have spoken on drugs
: and needles[traffic has increased]
:
: States stand firm on plans for heroin
: injecting room trials
: Reporter: Stephen McDonell
:
: MAXINE McKEW: Today New South Wales,
: Victoria and the ACT have asserted their
: right to press on with controversial plans
: for safe heroin injection rooms.
: The PM, an opponent of so-called harm
: minimisation strategies, reignited the
: debate by seizing on the objections of the
: UN Narcotics Control Board.
: The UN body warned the injection rooms may
: breach international conventions and it
: takes the view that what is proposed in some
: Australian States is neither scientific nor
: medical.
: If the PM's views prevail, that still leaves
: health ministers facing the shocking dilemma
: about what to do about the alarming heroin
: statistics -- a depressing 23 per cent
: increase in 1998, that is 730 deaths -- two
: a day.
: In a moment, I'll be joined by the PM, but
: first this report from Stephen McDonell.
: MAJOR BRIAN WATTERS, CHAIRMAN, AUSTRALIAN
: NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DRUGS: Well, I think
: it's inconsistent that they asked the INCB
: for an opinion and when the opinion comes
: back they say, "Who are these people to
: tell us what to do?".
: It's a bit ironic, isn't it?
: It's the old smacking of not liking the
: umpire's decision, which is not really
: Australian, is it?
: JOHN DELLA BOSCA, NSW SPECIAL MINISTER FOR
: STATE: We're looking for an Australian
: solution to this problem.
: We really won't find the answer looking
: towards Vienna or New York or anywhere else.
: We have to come up with an Australian
: solution to the problem and that's what we
: are pursuing.
: STEPHEN McDONELL: Ever since it was first
: suggested that Australia look at a program
: of safe injecting rooms, the responses on
: all sides have been passionate.
: MAN, NSW DRUG SUMMIT, MAY 1999: I am sick to
: death of these decisions being made by
: people that have no idea of the real issue!
: STEPHEN McDONELL: Now, with injecting room
: trials ready to begin, the PM, citing UN
: concerns, today called for a halt to the
: projects, especially that proposed for NSW.
: JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER: In the end,
: Australia makes its own decisions on what is
: good for Australia, but part of what is good
: for Australia is paying some regard to
: treaties that we signed and part of
: cooperation between a Federal government and
: a State government is for a State government
: to recognise that we have our
: responsibilities.
: STEPHEN McDONELL: The PM pointed out that
: legalising heroin injection rooms may breach
: UN conventions, because it could be seen as
: condoning the sale of illegal drugs.
: But others argued this is too narrow an
: interpretation.
: PROFESSOR DONALD ROTHWELL, UNIVERSITY OF
: SYDNEY: The breach would seem to be a rather
: technical breach and therefore, that could
: be a matter of debate amongst lawyers, but
: it's not going to be a major breach of
: international law, such as the invasion of
: another country.
: STEPHEN McDONELL: This controversy
: started with a letter from Sydney Catholic
: priest Father John George, who wrote to the
: UN body opposing the injecting room trials.
: The Narcotics Board responded, criticising
: the trial.
: Father George then wrote to the NSW Premier,
: informing him of the Narcotics Control
: Board's concerns.
: The Premier passed on the information to his
: Minister responsible for the injecting room
: trial, John Della Bosca.
: The Minister then wrote to the UN explaining
: the trial.
: The Narcotics Control Board then wrote back
: to the Australian Government, claiming the
: trial breached international conventions.
: Armed with the letter, the PM today called
: for a halt to the trial.
: =======================================
: FROM THE TRANSCRIPTS OF NSW PARLIAMENT:
: Reverend the Hon. F. J. NILE: I ask the
: Attorney General a question without notice.
: What advice has he given to the Premier and
: what action has he taken or does he propose
: to take regarding the serious warning
: contained in a letter dated 20 August 1999
: to Reverend Father John George of Waverley
: from the Secretary of the United Nations
: International Narcotics Control Board, which
: has received wide media publicity and which
: states that the Government�s proposed
: legal
: shooting gallery in Kings Cross would
: contravene the United Nations international
: drug control conventions? The letter states:
:
:
: ===============================================
:
: FROM A SMH PIECE BY DAVID MARR
: Yet at first Clancy hovered between support
: and forbearance. The Sisters' announcement,
: when it came on July 27, was welcomed inside
: and outside the church. But not by everyone.
: A radical conservative, Waverley priest
: Father John George, was perhaps the first to
: complain to Rome and to the United Nations.
: In the politics of the church these days,
: dissidents don't bother making a fuss to
: bishops at home. They go direct to Rome. He
: was not alone.
:
:
: ===============================================
:
: FROM THE AUSTRALIAN
:
: THE priest whose e-mail started the chain of
: events that has thrown the future of
: shooting galleries into disarray was
: overjoyed last night with the result of his
: efforts.
: Father John George had hoped his e-mail
: would help to block the planned shooting
: gallery for heroin addicts in Sydney's Kings
: Cross -- but he never expected to get a
: reply from the UN's International Narcotics
: Control Board.
: When the reply came three days later -- much
: to his surprise, since the narcotics board
: usually only responds to governments and
: heads of state -- Father George knew it was
: only a matter of time before the UN body
: would act.
: ``I've set the ball rolling and the rock
: coming down the mountain is gathering a lot
: of moss,'' he said last night.
: It was a bonus that the INCB had written to
: the Prime Minister rather than the heads of
: the state governments considering opening
: safe injecting rooms.
: Father George, 55, who is chaplain to the
: Retired Senior Teaching Brothers of Waverley
: College in Sydney's east, e-mailed the INCB
: on August 17. He decided to act after
: learning, through its Web site, that the
: board had investigated the legality of safe
: injecting rooms in Switzerland, Germany and
: The Netherlands.
: While his e-mail asked the INCB for ``its
: view'' on the proposed Kings Cross injecting
: room, Father George had a deeper
: philosophical objection -- which he did not
: include in the e-mail.
: ``I'm personally opposed to the shooting
: gallery or an injecting room, or whatever
: you would like to call it, for the same
: reasons as the Vatican and the INCB,'' he
: said.
: ``It creates a weakness of moral standards
: and an extraordinary danger to young
: people.''
: The priest is also opposed to the Sisters of
: Charity operating a safe injecting room,
: which was proposed at the time. The Sisters
: have since been ordered to withdraw from the
: project.
: Father George said he was resigned to having
: angered those in favour of opening safe
: injecting rooms to help addicts and prevent
: overdoses.
: However, he expected that being isolated
: from the general community would shield him
: from negative feedback.
: He entered the Catholic church when he was
: 14 and was ordained as a priest at 31
:
:
:
Responses: