price, page-85

Cheers Buzbarker

I have spent the past hour or two thinking about your original post. As corny as this may sound I truly sympathise with your personal situation. The exchanges between us have always been civil, except when you so graciously acknowledged that you hsd been "affected by the drink". I was almost tempted to post after that, "hey, buddy just frigging post...if that's even close to the worste behaviour in your lfe you're a better man than me." But I didn't.

First up I must make the point that all aboriginal cultures are different. I don't generally campaign on the behalf of Aborigines, although I have expended considerable energy in my time attempting to give them the tools to articulate on their own behalf.

You are aware of my own personal opposition to the "Groote Project"; my role in this instance for which I am generously remunerated is to state their position, which is sometimes not mine. I apply myself to that with 100% commitment. I have no influence over their sensibilities, I coordinate strategy, draft communications and lobby on their behalf as part of my job.

Many of those I lobby, paricularly a few politicians, journalists and others are life long personal friends. I only wish you had been one of those who took up the offer of direct contact with the TO's (and therefor me in my role) when it was offered at a time when the SP was riding high. Those SH's were provided with inside information, and as a result some have claimed they made a killing on their investment in GR.

I have inside information as I write and I am not big noting or grandstanding by stating this simple fact. By the rules of this forum I can't post it, it would be moderated as hearsay, although I have alluded to it. And even in alluding to it have been disparaged, abused and ridiculed. All that is water off a duck's back to me- I take no personal offence, it's part of the "wonderful world of HC", and I don't have to post here.

I suggest that in blinding themselves to the reality of the situation some posters, some of whom are SH's, are victims of their own predjudices, bias' and stereotypical notions about aborigines. In doing this they are operating on their own hot wiring as Mainstreamers which often involves the mental construct that what we do and think is "normal and natural" and that any behaviours not conforming to this are in fact dysfunctional abherations of what it means to be normal and natural- rather than recognising the fact that it is simply "difference", and "legitimate difference" for that matter.

Some posters who post with emotion here- sometimes emoting those prejudices, bias' and stereotypical notions- post differently in regard to other stocks; all analyses and and considered forethought.

One reason I often indulge in long winded cross cultural polemics is to attempt to get posters to recognise that they are driven by their hot wired habits, tendencies, scripts and motives re their views on Aborigines rather than an objective reality re GOT and the TO's. Another, is that I believe that if one invests in a stock which, potentially, so profoundly affects another culture than they should have the common decency and respect, if you like, to find out the dynamics of that culture.

Please remember that the resitance and opposition of the TO's to GOT is not resistance to you personally. It's based on their resolve to defend their culture and control their own destiny and activities in the sesscape in question, to which, until GOT turned up, their ownership was never challenged or questioned. Please also be aware that GOT's incursion into their lives filled them as a culture, and as individuals, with morbid fear.

While what I will conclude with may sound condescending and gratuitous, that is not my intent. Life is short, events can either destroy an individual or make them stronger. Financial knocks or even financial ruination can be retrieved and one can rebuild. In fact one must rebuild or either go under or go through life embittered and resentful.

GOT may still pull a rabbit out of the hat. I hope they don't. I will expend all my energies attemting to make sure they don't. I imagine that you will be expending yours in ensuring they do. It doesn't translate that we can't behave as civil and even honourable human beings to each other. Whether it be between you and me, or the posters here or SH's and the TO's.

Cynics on this forum may well damn these sentiments to hell. Who cares?

I am sincerely sorry but I can't think of any other response that I could in all conscience write.

Yilyanga