Throwing stones from the glasshouse

As 2008 gradually passes into history, it is a time where we traditionally look back at the good and the bad of the year just been. It tends to be a bit of a yawn, but ocassionally, we say to ourselves, “oh yeah, I remember that.” This year has been no exception, although there have been some remarkable things happen. My thoughts, however, are not about the endless litany of ‘events’ that have occurred. To list those would be mundane, boring, and already done to death by every television network in the world. I think it’s important to look at whether our world is a better place than it was 12 months ago, and where it should be heading as 2009 stands ready at our doorstep, waiting to be invited in.

What has struck me this past year especially, has been the world’s complete lack of tolerance towards others. Coupled with this is suspicion, anger, and downright hatred. The guilty ones in all this are the Anglo-Saxon members of our world population. Speaking from what I have witnessed in my home country of Australia, I still hear Australians, many from early migrant stock themselves, wondering where the ‘Aussies’ are. “I don’t see any Australians around anymore”, many of them say. It’s not just the older generations. There seems to be this complete lack of understanding that all of us in Australia, and the United States for that matter, have come from somewhere else. We are all of migrant stock. The only true Australians are the Aboriginal people, and even they came from parts of Asia tens of thousands of years ago. What comes with the dislike of other nationalities, comes also a sense of jealousy. It’s the ‘we were here first’ mentality; strongly territorial. Instead of seeing what those from other countries have to offer their adopted homeland, they see people who ‘can’t drive’, ‘eat weird food’, and ‘impose their customs and religious beliefs on us.’ It’s sad that we can’t see migrants adding to the intricate fabric that is our society. We see them as a minus, not a plus. People fear the whole concept of an ‘Australian identity’ slipping away.

The election of Barack Obama was such a pivotal moment in our collective history. It showed the world that through all our hatred, bigotry and selfishness, that we can, but for a moment, put it aside and choose hope. Obama may end up the biggest disaster that the US has seen, but we took a chance. We were risk takers who saw the old way as just not working. But can that hope stretch to the rest of the world? If the Mumbai attacks and the latest slaughter by the Israelis in Gaza is anything to go by, then Obama’s victory was nice and interesting for that night, but life and conflict must still go on.

We have spent our history in conflicts of one kind or another. Whether they have taken the form of civil wars, coups, bombing raids, suicide bombings, or hostage situations, they have all stemmed from one party feeling hard done by and misunderstood. If we sat down with the arab, he or she will tell you that if Israel didn’t occupy their land, there would not be a fight. The Israelis would tell you how they feel about the arab, but it would end up in the same result.

Those who open fire into classrooms and other public spaces are people who are misunderstood and feel that nobody listens to them nor understands them. People who take others hostage do so to make people notice not them, but what they have to say. Dictators feel they need to control their country and their people so that the world will listen to them and for once, take them seriously. It gets down to all of us listening to each other. None of us likes being ignored.

In Northern Ireland, they finally came to peace, because both sides sat down and listened to each other for the first time. They didn’t just hear, they listened. There’s a huge difference.

So my New Year’s wish is that we see citizens of the world start to really listen to each other. Barack Obama could lead by example and create a new world of open diplomacy. Let’s stop being judgemental, hateful and superior. Let’s look at our Vietnamese neighbour and praise him for his smile, not be suspicious of him because he may come and eat our dog. Let’s have deep respect for our Muslim neighbours during their holiest month of Ramadan, rather than constantly worry whether we live in the midst of a terrorist. Let’s incorporate African music and dance into our classrooms, rather than seeing the African race as tribal and dangerous. For each negative, there is always a positive.

…auld lang syne literally means “old long since”, but a more idiomatic English translation would be something like “long long ago”, “days of long ago”, “in olden days”, or even “once upon a time”. “For old time’s sake” or “to the good old days” may be modern-day expressions, in common use as a toast, that capture the spirit of “for auld lang syne”. “For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”

May we ‘take a cup of kindness’ into 2009 and share it with at least one person we wouldn’t have shared it with before.

Have a safe, prosperous and successful 2009.

Enjoy your day

As I watched the news throughout the day and saw Israel bombing the absolute crap out of the Gaza strip, and then watched a different group of protesters demanding a different Prime Minister of Thailand leave office, I do wonder who wins out of all these battles of will and weapon. We certainly know who loses.

The body count in the Gaza strip is at somewhere near 400. I can’t keep up. I have always said that Middle East peace is a contradiction in terms, and now we see why. The latest report I saw was Israeli troops getting the tanks moving in preparation for a ground offensive, which will of course result in more civilian casualties, along with members of the terrorist group Hamas, who they are targetting. So, for the next few weeks at least, we will see blood, destruction, dead bodies and ’scenes we may find disturbing’ constantly being uttered from the mouths of news anchors.

The journalist I saw reporting on a suspected ground offensive was saying that with all the damage the Israelis have caused, Hamas has not even been slightly crippled. They still have weapons, and are firing rocket missiles into Israel. So, I ask again, who is winning?

Let me switch for a moment to Thailand, and the renewed demonstrations there. This time, it is the opposing side, the supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who are demanding the new Prime Minister step down. Let’s take a look at the stalemate here. Pro-Thaksin politicians gain power, albeit democratically, and the ‘yellow shirt’ opposition are out in force. Anti-Thaksin politicians gain power undemocratically, the ‘red shirt’ opposition want them gone. Ok, we go to an election. Pro-Thaksin supporters will win, hands down. That is fact. The yellow shirt brigade will be out in force again, destroying Thailand like they destroyed it just a month ago. This ridiculous vicious circle is going nowhere fast, and who is it hurting? Tourism, the economy, and the ordinary Thai in the street, who just wants to make a Baht. The average Thai makes about 6000 baht a month, which, at the current exchange rate is $AUD246. If that economy goes belly up, then Thailand is screwed. ASEAN nations met in Singapore to sign a trade deal this last week without waiting for Thailand.

The economic ministers of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia signed three separate deals covering trade in goods, investment and services.

The economic ministers felt that we should proceed” to sign the trade deals without delay before February, Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang, told reporters on Tuesday.

“We felt we should have a meeting, sign and press on because if you postpone everything till the end of February, we lose two months.”

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/135440/thailand-left-out-as-asean-signs-trade-deals

The rest of the world will not sit around and watch the Thai people and their politicians play cat and mouse. Thailand is still a third world country. If they don’t watch themselves they will become a fourth, even a fifth world country, if that is even possible. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is an economist. Good man to have in power at this time,wouldn’t you think? He is probably the most qualified man they have had sitting in that chair since Thaksin. The smart thing to do would be to let him steer the Thai economy out of the world’s murky financial waters, then resume the silly protests. But no. Thailand doesn’t work like that.

It also seems that Israel doesn’t work like that either. How many years have Israelis and Palestinians been fighting like this? All either side have to show for it, is dead relatives by the dozen, constant unease and unrest, and a deep seated hatred on both sides. I have always advocated building a wall around that entire area and letting the Palestinians and the Israelis fight it to the death. In the end there will be one Israeli and one Palestinian left. They will have to either kill each other or shake hands and start anew. But how much would be lost by then, and how many centuries will it go on for?

I am deeply saddened, more than anything. I see the distressed,blood soaked faces of young children and the elderly, and I feel like sitting Hamas members and Israelis in front of a television and making them watch their bombs kill each other. I want them to see blood, brains, and utter heartbreak and grief. But then again, that would change a normal person. The war hardened Jew and the jihad hungry fundamentalist Arab are way beyond that.

Where will there ever be that voice that stops people in their tracks; that makes them think?  Hard to hear that voice over the guns, the bombs and the screams of protest in the street.

Enjoy your day

Barack Hussein Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20th. Yes, Barack Hussein Obama. He plans to be sworn in using all three of his names. Some Americans are freaking out about that. Not because he intends to be sworn in using all three, but that one of them has, what they believe to be, weird overtones.

It is both hilarious and ridiculous that anybody needs to make this announcement an issue. William Jefferson Clinton, George Herbert Walker Bush and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as many others, uttered their three names during their inaugurations and not a peep was heard. It’s just a swearing in, simple as that. But here are some of the weird and wonderful assumptions that I have come across as this mundane piece of protocol is being debated.

Some believe that because his middle name is Hussein, he is Islamic, or an Islamic sympathiser. What comes with that thinking is that all Islamic people are…terrorists! Islamic sympathiser equals sympathising with terrorists. Well, I have friends who are Islamic, some of my favourite students over the years have been Islamic, and some of the loveliest people I have encountered have been Islamic. I will proudly tell you here and now that I therefore am an Islamic sympathiser. Am I a terrorist sympathiser? Of course not. However, I am also a Buddhist sympathiser, a Hindu sympathiser, a Jewish sympathiser and a Christian sympathiser. Does that make it clearer?

To say that Barack Obama has some connection to radical fundamentalist Islam and secretly plans to destroy the world, is insanity of the highest order. Anne Coulter, the right wing wack job from the United States, stated just the other week:

“…he (Obama) is not a Muslim…he’s an atheist.”

That deliberate ‘throw away’ line of Coulter’s had more richness in its venom than a whole hour of right wing nonsense. What is she really saying? She’s saying that being an athesit, Obama has no belief in God, therefore he is ‘godless.’ Atheist and author Christopher Hitchens would be saying, “about time.” To say that the leader of the United States is godless implies that America is heading down a godless path, a fate far worse than if he was a Muslim. To right wing Christian America, at least Muslims believe in a God, have faith, and pray. Atheists don’t do any of that. Oh my God! This is worse than we all thought! Clever Ms. Coulter knew exactly what grenade to throw into the room before she casually walked away.

There has also been talk that he shyed away from his name during the election campaign, and now he decides to embrace it. He chose not to make an issue of it, as the Republican party were using it as a slur. In an election campaign, you give your enemies nothing. Now that he has won the election, he is free to proudly state his name in full.

But this is far more sinister than that. The United States has an educated, intelligent, strong capable black President and a clear thinking, logical, intelligent well respected Vice-President in Joe Biden. The right wing have lost significant power out of all this. Think about it. With dumb George sitting in the front seat while Cheney tinkers with the mechanics under the hood, the right wing developed more power than they had ever dreamed of. They were hoping to at least get their girl Palin into the White House, as a foot somehow wedged in the door. But now, there is no chance of that. Obama is more dangerous to them than Bill Clinton ever was. He is more dangerous than Hillary would have been. He has zero connections to the past and is a new face on the political scene. He has been the ‘teflon Don’ during the campaign with no mud sticking to him at all. He is too clean, too honest, too untarnished. For God’s sake, he is too damn perfect! At ever turn, the right wing will try something. And if it means making a mountain out of a molehill about his middle name, then let’s go for it!

The lastest scandal involving the Illinois Governor, Rod Blagoyevich, has failed to produce any evidence of corrupt involvement of either Obama or his transition team. The name issue will die a very quick death, and doubts about his religious leanings will also die a death. He has already chosen the very right wing preacher, Rick Warren, to pray at the inauguration, which has confused the hell out of the right wing, and angered the left wing, especially the Gay and Lesbian community. But this is how Obama will do things. He will do the job the way he believes it should be done, and not how others think it should be done.

That includes being sworn in as Barack Hussein Obama.

Enjoy your day

Christmas conjures up a myriad of emotions ranging from belief to disbelief, sadness to happiness or simply apathy. Some of us love the spirit of Christmas, whatever that may be for each of us. Some cherish the religious aspect of Christmas. For a lot of us who are not Christian or have no religious connections at all, it is just another day of the week.

However, let me express my feelings of Christmas through two very different, but equally powerful mediums; the written word and song. The letter that I have reproduced here was a written response to a little girl’s letter to a newspaper editor back in 1897. It is probably the most reprinted editorial letter in the history of print media. It sums up for me what at least the feeling of this season should be. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Taoist, Buddhist or Atheist, no one can deny that this time of the year should be about peace, understanding, respect and tolerance.

My second offering is the very talented young Australian singer Anthony Callea singing my favourite carol ‘O Holy Night.’ All I ask you to take from it is that at this time of the year, on this night, as we gather with family or friends, or both, that having someone with us is a special, holy night, to be treasured. Please enjoy my two Christmas offerings and a very happy, safe Christmas to all my readers, my family and my friends wherever you are in the world.

DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
“Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
“Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.”

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.  

http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your day

One must always try to learn from one’s mistakes. To not learn anything from them is to be pig headed or arrogant or both. None of us are perfect and all of us need to know when to say “I was wrong and I have learnt from it.”

The main criticism that we hear about President George W Bush, among many other things, is the fact that he seems to have learnt nothing from the incredible stuff ups that he has made during his Presidency. And it’s because so many people on the conservative side of politics are so willing to turn his negatives into positives. It’s as if they all know that there is not one scrap of goodness that has come out of eight long wasted years, but they need to make little George feel better. They need to at least try and get his name listed favourably into the history books, and eak some form of legacy out of this shipwreck of a Presidency. The fact is though, Bush sincerely believes every decision was right, no matter how wrong it looks on paper and in reality.

Today saw another major error exposed, but it had nothing to do with George Bush. In July of 2007, Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef was detained by Australian Federal Police and falsely accused of involvement in the London and Glasgow bombings. He was held without charge and then had his work visa revoked by then Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews, who had sole power to decide what to do with Mr. Haneef, based on evidence before him. He decided to revoke Mr. Haneef’s visa and have him deported.

Mr Andrews said he had revoked Haneef’s 457 temporary skills visa on character grounds, because he “reasonably suspected” that Haneef had an association with people involved in terrorism. He further said “I’m satisfied the cancellation is in the national interest. I have a responsibility and a duty as minister under the Act to turn my mind to the question of whether Haneef passes the character test.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Haneef

This is the decision that was made today:

… an independent inquiry by retired NSW judge John Clarke QC has found no evidence to link Dr Haneef to the attempted terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow which led to his arrest in July 2007.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/23/2454095.htm

No evidence. A visa revoked and a character forever blemished, based on ‘no evidence.’ Mr. Andrews was contacted today for comment and he had this to say:

Mr Andrews said he acted in the national interest by cancelling Dr Haneef’s visa.

“The recent events in India remind us that we cannot be complacent about national security,” he said in a statement posted on his website.

“The Australian people expected me to act. I had the courage to do so.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/23/2454095.htm

Ignorant till the end. As with Bush, the jury is out. A major mistake and miscarriage of justice has occurred, but they still stick to their guns. Former Attorney-General in the same Howard government, Philip Ruddock, proudly wore an Amnesty International badge on his lapel, whilst supporting the destruction of human rights that were occurring in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. What makes this more pertinent was that one of Australia’s citizens, David Hicks, was detained there, without charge, for five years. Did Ruddock ever speak up about this, epsecially in the light of his Amnesty involvment? No.

Ruddock was given numerous chances to make his case for why the Howard government had not done more, earlier, to pressure the Bush administration into getting the David Hicks military trial underway, or to get him released. But there was nothing new from Ruddock. His talking points were dashed by lawyerly waffle and blame-gaming.

Blame Hick’s defence, blame the other Gitmo inmates who appealed against the earlier, discredited, Supreme Court rejected military trial set-up, and yes, even blame the Americans as well.

Ruddock wasn’t out to save the credibility of the American military trial system now in place. He wasn’t out to save the credibility of the prime minister, or Alexander Downer, or President Bush. Ruddock was there, with his Amnesty International pin in place, to try and rescue the last fading threads of his own credibility. And he failed.

http://blogs.news.com.au/news/blogocracy/index.php/news/comments/insight_into_phillip_ruddock/

After eleven long years of anti-asian, racist government, Mr. Ruddock still feels its ok to proudly wear his Amnesty pin. No shame. No guilt.

It takes a big person to admit to one’s mistakes, but we must. Yes, we will be embarrassed. Yes, we will feel stupid. And yes, we may even have to pay a heavy price for it. But in the end, we will at least be respected. Even if George W Bush turned around now and said that he made a mistake with Iraq and takes some, just some, responsibility for the mess it is in, I would give him 2% respect for at least saying what we all know. I tried to give that to Tony Blair, when he left office. He was so passionate about his decision to go to war alongside George, that I thought to myself that this man really does believe what he stands for. But when he kept on going, and began to defend Bush, even bordering on calling him a great President, that’s when I gave up on Tony and the low percentage I had given him, I quickly took back.

If we never admit we are wrong, then we are saying to the rest of the world that we are perfect. We are saying to our children that we are perfect. And we are tricking ourselves into believing we are prefect. We teach our kids ‘nobody’s perfect.’ Children need to know that it’s ok to be wrong, as we learn from our mistakes.

If we look at people like Bush, Blair, Andrews and Ruddock, we can only say that if they don’t believe that their obviously bad decisions were bad to them, then we can only assume that they have learnt absolutely nothing.

If you don’t learn anything, you don’t grow as a person.

If you don’t grow, you die.

Enjoy your day

Next time you’re thinking of jumping into the sack with someone other than your spouse, have a thought for Korean actress Ok So-Ri, who has just been given a suspended jail sentence for adultery.

No, this is not Saudi Arabia, nor is it Indonesia. South Korea is one of the few non-Muslim countries to have such a strict, and some would say outdated, law. Ms. Ok decided to have a fling with another famous Korean celebrity whilst still married to her then husband Park Chul. Mr. Park found out about it and sued her, knowing full well that he could also be sending her to jail.

South Korean lawmakers still believe that this antiquated law should remain, as adultery is ‘damaging to social order.’ That’s a very moralistic stance, but Korea, as with most countries in Asia, is very much concerned with ’saving face’ or ‘preserving honour.’ So, in that context, this law is not that much of a shock. What Ms. Ok points out is what the law is really trying to do.

The 40-year-old actress sought to have the adultery ban ruled an inconstitutional invasion of privacy, and in a petition to the Constitutional Court, her lawyers claimed the law had “degenerated into a means of revenge by the spouse, rather than a means of saving a marriage”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7786985.stm

What better way for a disgruntled husband to achieve the ultimate in vengeance, than to have your cheating wife up on adultery charges. She took the power away from him by cheating on him, so he took it back by slapping her with the adultery charge. But Ms. Ok at least tried to fight back. It didn’t work, but her statement to the press after it was all over was impressive.

I would like to say I’m sorry for stirring up such a controversy,” Ms Ok said after the court judgement.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7786985.stm

Fabulous. No apology for embarrassing her ex husband. No apology for even committing adultery. Just a simple, but skillfully worded statement apologising for ’stirring up a controversy.’ This is one smart woman who, though charged and convicted, could still score the winning point at the end of it all.

This law has been around since 1953, affecting only woman, of course. The startling thing is, which won’t surprise many of us, especially women, is that 68% of Korean men screw around outside the marriage and only 12% of women decide to do the dance of love outside the marriage. Who is this law punishing? Obviously not the majority of perpetrators. As with most of these old, outdated laws, they see women as the ones that needed to be chaste and pure for him, but he could be used as much as an old dish rag. She just had to accept that. 

However, like many old laws, they are used for purposes other than what they were intended and the lawmakers have not evolved enough to do away with them. The same predicament occurs in Thailand with the ‘Lese Majeste’ laws that are meant to keep a level of respect for the royal family, but have been abused over the years and are used especially by politicians as a way of scoring cheap political points or as a way of removing a troublesome opponent.

All it will take to change these laws and make them obsolete is for people like Ms. Ok to proudly wear the decision, and show no shame for what was not, in her eyes, a shameful act. It was between her and her husband and should not have involved the law.

‘Fidelity is a gift, not a requirement.’ -Lili Palmer

Enjoy your day

Indigenous Australians have had a tough history. Non-indigenous Australians can never truly understand what it has been like to go through racism, disenfranchisement and sheer mental and physical pain just to survive a generation. The road to healing between black and white Australia began with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology earlier this year, but this month has seen two Australian personalities demonstrate deep cultural insensitivity and one attempting to begin a constructive discussion about the future of our indigenous people.

These three people’s views and actions have very much a common theme. Ted Egan, Aussie bush baladeer and former administrator of the Northern Territory, has expressed a view that indigenous people need to be at the forefront of any significant initiatives in regard to improving their lives as a community.

“The problems Aboriginal people face must be taken up by Aboriginal people themselves – they must feel empowered enough to do it themselves.”

http://www.theage.com.au/national/aborigines-must-be-empowered-20081212-6wvo.html

Everytime white Australia whinges and moans about how our indigenous people are just ‘lazy bastards who we try to help’, I always argue that ‘we provide white man’s solutions to a black man’s problem.’ Ted Egan feels the same. If you get told long enough that you are worthless and useless, after a while, you’re going to believe it. It’s the old saying, ‘if you can’t lick ‘em, join ‘em.’

“White people run Aboriginal society … you are told all sorts of things are the will of the traditional owners,” Mr Egan says.

But often indigenous people “wouldn’t have the faintest idea what is being perpetuated on their behalf”.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/aborigines-must-be-empowered-20081212-6wvo.html?page=2

Egan believes, as I do, that we need to empower our indigenous people that not only should they run their own affairs, but that we value what they offer. Only then will they feel that their communities are as much a part of Australia as any other community and that their culture is a valid and valued one.

Enter artist and entertainer Rolf Harris, an Australian who has not lived in this big brown land since the early 1970’s. Recently in Australia, he had this to say about our indigenous people:

‘You sit at home watching the television and you think to yourself, “Get up off your arse and clean up the streets your bloody self” and why would you expect somebody to come in and clean up your garbage, which you’ve dumped everywhere? ‘But then you have to think that it’s a different attitude to life.’

He said Aboriginal children were never disciplined or expected to adhere to rules until adulthood. ‘Till then, they have a totally carefree life to do what they want and that quite often involves smashing everything that they have,’ he told The Age newspaper.

Mr Harris blamed Aboriginal traditional values for the appalling conditions in many communities. He added: ‘The attitude is that, in their original way of life, they would really wreck the surrounding countryside that they lived in and they would leave all the garbage and they would go walkabout to the next place.

‘The traditional attitude is still there and I wish there was a simple solution – but I’m not certain.’

http://www.defamer.com.au/2008/12/rolf_harris_to_aboriginals_get_up_off_your_arse_and_clean_up_the_streets_your_bloody_self.html

Now, you tell me which attitude is going to help our indigenous people. Mr. Harris doesn’t have to worry. He lives in merry old England. This is why our Aboriginal citizens give up and don’t care. Because people like Harris sit back and see the mess we have created for them and ‘tsk, tsk, tsk’ as they shake their heads. Comments like Rolf Harris’ are not uncommon. I was asked once, “What have the Aborigines ever done? They haven’t invented the wheel or anything!” So, to the average person, the benchmark of a culture is if they have ‘invented something’, or they have advanced in their ways.

The Aboriginal culture is primitive and basic, in its pure form. That’s what makes it beautiful. It is raw and it is simple, but it also rich in symbolism and meaning. Ted Egan would probably hang his head in hopelessness after hearing Harris’ comments. It is exactly what he believes doesn’t help. Culture bashing helps no one.

What also didn’t help in the last few days were the antics of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the stars of the newly released epic Australia. They were both on a German chat show promoting the film and Kidman started playing the didgeridoo. Harmless you may say? No. Culturally, one of the most offensive things one can do. Germaine Greer, Australian feminist and writer, has slammed the film for being ‘token’ in its approach and for creating a ‘Mills and Boon’ atmosphere, especially in regard to how Aborgines were treated back in post-war Australia. What Kidman either forgot, or had no idea in the first place and failed to do her homework and find out, was that women in Aboriginal culture do not play the didgeridoo. It is for men only. What she did on that show was trivialise the indigenous culture in this country, whilst demonstrating her complete lack of knowledge on the topic. Jackman didn’t help either by dancing around like a damn fool. Again, his actions further cemented the attitude of all Australians deep down.

“People are going to see Nicole playing it and think it’s all right,” actor, screenwriter and Aboriginal language teacher Richard Green told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“It bastardises our culture. I will guarantee she has no more children.

“It is not meant to be played by women as it will make them barren.”

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Nicole-Kidman-Offends-Aboriginal-People-By-Playing-Didgeridoo-On-German-TV-With-Hugh-Jackman/Article/200812315181949?

Ted Egan is the voice we need to hear at this time when we are trying to ‘flesh out’ Kevin Rudd’s apology and how we can make those words turn into action to properly assist our indigenous people to improve their lives.

People like Rolf Harris, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman need to open their eyes, open their minds and help people like Ted Egan to empower our first Australians so that in 10, 20, 50 years, we can say that our indigenous Australians have developed ‘black man’s solutions for a black man’s problem.

Enjoy your day

Many years ago Hans Brinker wrote the story about a brave little dutch boy who put his finger in a hole in a dyke so as to stop the dutch city of Haarlem from being flooded. For the third time in as many months, Thailand has a new Prime Minister. Abhisit Vejjajiva has become the country’s 27th Prime Minister and its youngest at age 44. Will this latest turn of events resolve the current political crisis? Will Abhisit become Thailand’s version of the brave little dutch boy?

Abhisit, like many of Thailand’s lawmakers, comes from the wealthy elite of the country. No one in Thailand’s parliament is there without either family money or family connections; preferably both. Abhisit’s parents are both medical professors, he was born and educated in England and has himself married a doctor. For him to even know anything about the poor in Thailand is drawing a very long bow indeed and the poor working class are not happy that he has been voted into power. They preferred ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Even though he was as wealthy, if not more than Mr. Abhisit, he was seen to champion the rights of the poor, the country folk, the farmers. He wasn’t championing anything in actual fact; he was simply buying them off. Thaksin was simply able to make himself look good.

I have said in an earlier blog post that Thailand needs a charismatic, genuine leader. Abhisit, unfortunately, will not be that person. I have always referred to him as ‘wet.’ He commands no respect, has no charisma and has failed to catch the imagination of the wider Thai community. His only redeeming factor is his good looks, which worked a treat for Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin, especially during his first election campaign. But the Governor also had a charm and charisma; something Abhisit does not have.

Secondly, most Thais will see Abhisit as nothing but a spoilt rich boy, and a  ’farang‘ (foreigner) in Thai clothing, as he was born in England and has two nephews studying in prestigious private schools in the United Kingdom. He has only faced one election, in December 2007, which he lost badly. The people simply don’t want him to lead them. He now faces leading those same people.

But, maybe  there needs to be a quiet, calm, even ineffectual leader who can rule gently and not rock the boat, considering all the turmoil, anger and confusion that has occurred over the last few months. When Surayud Chulanont was appointed  Thailand’s Prime Minister following the coup of September 19, 2006, Thailand saw an 18 month period of relative peace and calm. I lived through it. There were a few minor bombings, but most of the time, we all had to remind ourselves that we were actually living under martial law. Surayud’s popularity plummetted over his 18 months in office, but we never saw anger at the level we have seen in recent months. If Abhisit can recreate something of that ‘calm’, then Thailand may be able to give itself time to calm down.

The other issue here is the PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy). As civil terrorists, they held Thailand to ransom over these last few months. They should be happy with this result, but I hear that they are threatening Abhisit and his new coalition with more protests if they don’t like what they see.

Mr Suriyasai said the PAD will give some time for the new government to work but the group will also monitor its performance closely.

If there are suspicious activities from the government, such as the selection on cabinet members and the constitution amendments, the PAD would be ready to protest again, he added.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=135418

The PAD have become nothing but thugs who technically control the country. They have seen how much power they wield and how much apathy the police and armed forces have. If the constitutional court had not brought down the previous government, Bangkok airports would still be closed. This group now has clear evidence of how powerful they are, and they are letting Abhisit and his coalition know it. The question must be then asked: Who runs Thailand?

I wish Mr. Abhisit all the very best and hope that he can weave his way through the minefield of dealmaking and lobbying. His coalition is tenuous at best, but if Thailand does not go through a period of relative stability for at least the next 18 months, then one can only throw one’s hands in the air and simply give up.

Let me leave you with a Thai journalist’s lighthearted assessment of the current state of corruption amongst Thai politicians. It says it all.

Please, show me a politician who has never dirtied his hands, and I’ll show you a prostitute who will give a Christmas discount.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/7945/thaksin-the-man-who-ought-to-be-a-starnot-a-starving-writer

Enjoy your day

A report has surfaced today confirming that former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, authorised abusive interrogation techniques at the infamous Abu Ghrab prison in Baghdad in the early stages of the war and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  As the old sitcom character Gomer Pyle used to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise”

The report’s executive summary, made public by the committee’s Democratic chairman Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan and its top Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said Rumsfeld contributed to the abuse by authorizing aggressive interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay on December 2, 2002.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BA7JV20081211

I am surprised this information has come out so early. I was expecting this sort of revelation to be made public ten, even twenty years from now. For it to come out now is evidence that there is no love lost between the senate committees and the outgoing Bush administration.

For eight years, this administration has condoned various human rights abuses, not the least of those being torture. Journalist and atheist Christopher Hitchins, put himself through the torture technique known as ‘waterboarding’ and found it one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. As we hear now revelations of Rumsfeld and his cronies allowing prisoners under his care to be abused and tortured, we must also remember that at the same time, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush were calling for ‘freedom’, ‘democracy’, and ‘the stranglehold to be removed from around the necks of Iraqi’s.’

The executive summary also traces the erosion of detainee treatment standards to a Feb,. 7, 2002, memorandum signed by President George W. Bush stating that the Geneva Convention did not apply to the U.S. war with al Qaeda and that Taliban detainees were not entitled to prisoner of war status or legal protections.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BA7JV20081211

This administration is going to have more to answer for than any other Presidential administration in history. For a champion of democracy and human rights to turn around and say that individuals of his choosing do not come under any human rights charter is an affront to the office of President of the United States. Bill Clinton was nearly impeached for a blowjob, but George W Bush and his evil henchman have been allowed to reign unfettered for eight long years. I have friends who literally scoff at the name of Bill Clinton and throw their heads back saying, “He did nothing for America!” In the same breath they call George W Bush ‘an intelligent man.’ Astounding.

All these elements have made the United States a laughing stock for nearly a decade. Bill Clinton may have failed to keep it in his pants when he was in power, but his achievements are many and his attempts at peaceful resolutions to conflicts did bear some fruit. George W Bush leaves office with a litany of damage; the office of US President tarnished.

I have always had a gut wrenching feeling that the Bush administration were behind the September 11 attacks. I know that you, dear reader, are sniffing a ‘conspiracy theory’ here, but I think we will find out some home truths in years to come, just like we are finding out now in regard to Rumsfeld.

I will never forget the look on George W Bush’s face when a secret service agent whispered the news of the attacks in his ear. His reaction was nothing short of  bland. There was simply no reaction. That is either a person who is really, really stupid and cannot even work out what he has been told, or a person who has been told something that he knew would happen. It’s akin to someone whispering to a mafia boss that a successful hit has taken place. The boss nods and has no reaction. Bush’s reaction was exactly the same, albeit with a stupid look on his face. Call it conspiracy theory, call me stupid, I don’t care. These revelations about Rumsfeld confirm to me that this has been the most corrupt and malicious administration in US history. Bill Clinton lying about having sex? Oh please, that pales into utter insignificance. Try comparing a 4 year old poking out his or her tongue at another child with a brutal rape and murder. It’s on that scale.

The right wing are already starting their whinging and moaning and are calling for an investigation into Barack Obama and his involvement with his Governor, Rod Blagojevich. But, as much as they have tried to knock him down before and failed, they will fail again.

Administrations like those with Bush at the helm allow free reign and abuse of power.  Someone like Barack Obama believes in regulation, control, and accountability. Terrible, isn’t he?

President-Elect Obama has much to do, some say too much. But even if does nothing more than close Guantanamo Bay and handle the war on terror in a more even handed way, he can hold his head up high.

Enjoy your day

These last few months have seen the development of  a ‘global financial crisis.’ Not being a financial whizz kid, I still find it amusing that this is what everyone is blaming their woes on. Everything from the car not starting in the morning to a child refusing to eat his greens seems to be blamed on the ‘global financial crisis.’ It’s the new buzz phrase. However, a very strong spotlight is being shone on what has really caused this crisis; selfishness, corruption and greed.

First, it was the ‘fat cats’ on Wall Street. Proof that the Gordon Gecko’s that were parodied so well by Michael Douglas in the 80’s movie ‘Wall Street’ had not gone away. The big end of town was still larger than life and so were their lifestyles. As the rest of the world struggled, they were lining their pockets with huge payouts and laughing all the way into their jacuzzi.

Now we see the automobile CEO’s pleading for money. They too have lived the life of Reilly and think that they can just go to US lawmakers and say ‘please.’ They mustn’t  be too bright, as they turned up to Washington with their begging bowl in hand, straight from their private jets. Someone needed to tell them that trying to cry poor when one owns a private jet just won’t cut it. It didn’t. Congress told them to think of a plan before they expect to see money. So they went away and spent most of their time working out how they should present themselves next time. Last week they returned to Washington by hybrid car, showing the rest of the world that they were all of a sudden modest with their spending and environmentally conscious to boot. Fortunately, no one saw through their charade.

What this highlights is that greed and utter selfishness has no memory and no conscious. The greed of the power players on Wall Street and the auto industry kept on going until the economy collapsed. Neither group took any notice of this disastrous brick wall they were hurtling toward until it hit them in the face.

This leads me to the most recent blatant display of all things improper. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been charged with trying to sell Barack Obama’s senate seat, along with other corruption allegations. This is a man who is seeing the spotlight firmly on greedy bastards and what does he do? Tries to make money off a political appointment. Good God! Illinois politics has always been tarnished with corruption as far back as Al Capone, but this defies logic.

Caught on tape, Blagojevich used an expletive as he described the Senate seat as something so valuable “you just don’t give it away for nothing.” He said he might even appoint himself if he could get nothing for it, the criminal complaint against him said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4B85VI20081209

The governor also often weighed the option of appointing himself to the Senate seat, saying he was “stuck” at governor and might have access to more resources as a senator than as a governor, the affidavit says. A Senate seat could also help him remake his image ahead of a possible presidential run in 2016. “If … they’re not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it,” he said in one conversation.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/illinois.governor/index.html

As a teacher, I see greedy little kids all the time, but it’s usually when there are treats on offer. School parties are times when I say to my kids very firmly, “Now, don’t be piggies at the trough. There is plenty to go around.” Kids learn their behaviour. What they see they mimmick. Rod Blagojevich would have to win this year’s ‘Piggy at the Trough Award’ for being so shameless in his pursuit of personal financial gain. He is either stupid or…more stupid!

What all this should teach us is that bubbles do burst. They didn’t think they would in the 1980’s and they did. They didn’t think they would in the first decade of the 21st Century, but they have. Things will always ’come back to bite you’, if you push the envelope a bit too far. Will we learn this time? We might. Maybe these big companies need to go under and the world needs to sink into a depression worse than the 1930’s, for us to realise the full extent of what greed is capable of doing.

Will Governor Blagojevich learn? Not a chance.

Enjoy your day