More Democracy Aussie Style
It’s not really a protest, unless you have your very own counter-protest! A Face Book group called “Pro-Tecoma McDonalds protest against the protesters “is the latest absurdity to emerge out of the David against Goliath battle in Tecoma. The leader of the group appears to a 50 year old volunteer firefighter called Rowan Smith, but judging by his language on some of the FB threads, we are dealing with a teenage-troll. Unfortunately he is actually a school teacher. Here is a picture of Rowan Smith.Last week he physically attacked several Tecoma protesters with his own pro-McDonalds sign.
His language can be summed up in the following sentence:
FUCK OFF YOU FAT OLD DIRTY FILTHY HIPPY SLUT PEDOPHILE POOFTERS AND LET THE GREAT MCDONALDS TAKE THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN YOUR SHITHOLE OF A TOWN.
-Rowan Smith ( this one )
School teacher and role model? Good one, Rowan.
He even managed to summon his own troupe of supporters, probably plucked from his students, here they are: Great signs, kids.And lovely smiles too. It’s always heartening to see a bunch of young people playing outside. Judging by the fresh faces on this picture we strongly suspect that Rowan and his troupe are paid by McDonalds, way to go capitalists, make your living from other peoples misery!
When Face Book discussions got too heated for Rowan Smith (?) he threatened to bring in members of a bikie gang to sort things out :
Rowan’s Bikie Gang
When Rowan Smith isn’t busy abusing people with vile and childish ad-hominems , he actually attempts to make some “intelligent” points, which can be so easily rebutted, it’s laughable. Here are his points, straight off the Face Book press:
Rowan Smith Maccas at Tecoma
1. It’s a series of Australian franchises that gives our youth the first rung on the ladder of work. Trains them and supports charities, teams etc.
2. Opponents are full of prejudice. They are anti-business; anti-American to the point of racism.
3. Maccas went to VCAT and won. They lost several years ago when they wanted to open in Belgrave and accepted the verdict. They chose not to appeal. Their private land is now to be developed sensitively with an excellent design bringing benefits to a depressed little area.
4. Tecoma is not in the Hills and is not a village. It is a retail strip and zoned as such and full of fast food and booze. Maccas is a positive, legal addition.
5. Over 70% of locals want it to happen regardless of dishonest, pseudo-surveys.
6. Accept the umpire’s decision, the rule of law and go away protesters. Let the locals have some peace and Maccas their legitimate rights.
And here is my rebuttal, which is by no means complete, because I simply could not be bothered .
1. Yes, McDonalds provides training for young people. It also like to spit them out after the age of 18 when they become too expensive to hire or exhausted from their atrocious work conditions and the sheer boredom with the factory style work. McDonalds has lately been in the news in it’s own home country for underpaying it’s workers (slave labour) It does support schools and sports clubs (probably the school Rowan is teaching at too) because it wants to sell burgers, duh, so it cultivates a community-friendly image. It’s all about the mighty dollar, though, not the community. The corporation is foreign owned, so unlike a locally owned fish and chips shop, some of the profit leaves the country.
2. Opponents are anti-business? Two businesses were just shut down by demolition. Protesters tried to protect those businesses. Protesters are not anti-business nor against any specific American citizens, but against “Big Business” and corporate takeover. Nothing to do with rascism, unless Rowan is suggesting that corporations are persons, which they actually are under US law.
3. VCAT is an unconstitutional kangaroo court established by Jeff Kennet to make it easier for his cronies to acquire building permits rejected by local councils under the guise of law. Stangely the law states that fast food chains cannot be anywhere near primary schools, so some bribery was obviously involved here.
4. Rowan is suggesting that Tecoma is just a shopping strip with no-one else living there. Where do those pesky protesting residents live, then?
5. 6 people turned up to the anit-protest, clearly they represent 70% of Tecoma’s residents . (Sarcasm)
6. Rule of Law, legitimate rights? What about the rights of communities. If they are ignored, then this is not a democracy, which it isn’t. We live in a corporatocracy.
[ADMIN] Remember to read and reply to the comments, there is another rebuttal to Rowans claims.
Posted on August 13, 2013, in Faketivists, McDonalds, Parody, Tecoma, WTF and tagged Rowan Smith. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
OCCUPYMELBOURNE.NET 
Rowan Smith said this:
1. It’s a series of Australian franchises that gives our youth the first rung on the ladder of work. Trains them and supports charities, teams etc.
2. Opponents are full of prejudice. They are anti-business; anti-American to the point of racism.
3. Maccas went to VCAT and won. They lost several years ago when they wanted to open in Belgrave and accepted the verdict. They chose not to appeal. Their private land is now to be developed sensitively with an excellent design bringing benefits to a depressed little area.
4. Tecoma is not in the Hills and is not a village. It is a retail strip and zoned as such and full of fast food and booze. Maccas is a positive, legal addition.
5. Over 70% of locals want it to happen regardless of dishonest, pseudo-surveys.
6. Accept the umpire’s decision, the rule of law and go away protesters. Let the locals have some peace and Maccas their legitimate rights.
My rebuttal of Rowan’s claims
1) The first rung on the ladder for many Ozzy kids is mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, working part time after school. McDonalds only teaches them to be a complaint, disposable, voiceless cog in the machine.
2) Opponents as we have previously and shown stated are numerous and diverse. McDonalds are anti business:
Two long running business were shut down and demolished, One a restaurant and the other a cafe and music/gift shop. Two business had to be destroyed literally to accommodate McDonald’s physically and reduce competition from businesses that sell actual food rather than what McDonalds serve.
AntI American?
I have seen nor heard no such rhetoric. It’s true that McDonalds area an American based multinational corporation. The protest would continue even if McDonalds moved their head office to the Cayman Islands (which they may do to avoid tax) and the national exact location of the corporate headquarters of origin of the franchise would remain equally irrelevant. McDonalds is and example of many rapacious multinationals spawn from the USA, but the USA is not alone in spawning such corporations.
3) McDonalds and VCAT
VCAT is not constitutional, and neither is the Victorian Supreme Court if you look into the matter carefully. Planning claws clearly state that no McDonalds can be built that close to a school yet they do so anyway. McDonalds clearly have no real regard for the law.
4)
Tecoma is a village that has a small retail strip, it is neither full of fast food or booze, but a variety of business some being national franchises some being locally owned and operated.
The addition of McDonalds is actually a subtraction of two previous successful locally owned business and is not legal according to planning laws. If McDonalds was to make a profit in Tecoma it would export that profit out of the community leading to another loss for the community.
5)
The residents of Tecoma voted in their council meeting to reject the MDonalds proposal. A vote at a council meeting is hardly a pseudo survey, but a pulled out of the air 70% (citing no actual published survey) is.
6)
McDonalds could have accepted the umpired decision when the residents and local council said no in the beginning, but instead they used money and favors to circumvent the law. the locals are the once who are making the noise now because they now McDonalds will be a hot bed of late night noise and trouble should it be allowed to start business. The reason for the protest is because the locals of Tecoma want to ensure their peace.
McDonalds have no legitimate rights, McDonalds is a business, businesses do not have rights. Men, Women and Children have rights, but you seem to forget that in the way you casually abuse people with threats, defamation, harassment and even resorting to violence.
I think the main reason Rowan Smith is pro McDonalds is because after he embarrasses his current employers he will be looking a for a new Job probably at McDonalds. They are always looking for people experienced in ordering kids around, and have no real moral compass.