Thursday, September 12, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Is Obama in the Process of Landing a Bloodless Humanitarian Coup in Syria? | The People's View
Is Obama in the Process of Landing a Bloodless Humanitarian Coup in Syria? | The People's View
Our Politicians are all too willing to send us off to fight other people’s wars in the naive hope that they can gain great and powerful friends. They cloak themselves in the glory, of battle honours hard won by others, but they are most unwilling to accept their long term responsibility for the returned crippled, disfigured, blind and insane.
During the First World War, Australia’s fifth Prime Minister Andrew Fisher pledged to fight to the “last man and the last shilling” (he did not count himself in that of course).
1915 In England Churchill earned the title "Butcher of Gallipoli" for being the architect of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign on the Dardanelles. This was his major achievement in WWI and demonstrates his abysmal stupidity.
When Rupert Murdoch's father Keith Murdoch war correspondent cut through the censorship imposed by the Military, and described the campaign to the British Prime Minister as 'butchery and murder'. Our political ruling class rushed to create the myths of the “Birth of a Nation” and of “ANZAC Spirit” to cover up their shameful part in and execution of Churchill's mad plan and the blood on their hands for their part in it.
We have perpetuated their rotten spin over the last 97 years. Self deluded, we left the power to send our children to die for no good reason for no real purpose, other to allow them to strut about, as if they themselves ,had achieved this or that victory.
Those volunteer soldiers did not develop that spirit at Gallipoli. On the contrary, they carried the ‘Spirit of Australia’ with them to the Anzac Cove because that is who they were, and that is who we are.
Our Politicians are all too willing to send us off to fight other people’s wars in the naive hope that they can gain great and powerful friends. They cloak themselves in the glory, of battle honours hard won by others, but they are most unwilling to accept their long term responsibility for the returned crippled, disfigured, blind and insane.
During the First World War, Australia’s fifth Prime Minister Andrew Fisher pledged to fight to the “last man and the last shilling” (he did not count himself in that of course).
1915 In England Churchill earned the title "Butcher of Gallipoli" for being the architect of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign on the Dardanelles. This was his major achievement in WWI and demonstrates his abysmal stupidity.
When Rupert Murdoch's father Keith Murdoch war correspondent cut through the censorship imposed by the Military, and described the campaign to the British Prime Minister as 'butchery and murder'. Our political ruling class rushed to create the myths of the “Birth of a Nation” and of “ANZAC Spirit” to cover up their shameful part in and execution of Churchill's mad plan and the blood on their hands for their part in it.
We have perpetuated their rotten spin over the last 97 years. Self deluded, we left the power to send our children to die for no good reason for no real purpose, other to allow them to strut about, as if they themselves ,had achieved this or that victory.
Those volunteer soldiers did not develop that spirit at Gallipoli. On the contrary, they carried the ‘Spirit of Australia’ with them to the Anzac Cove because that is who they were, and that is who we are.
History has demonstrated and Henry Lawson and Dorethea Mackellar wrote of this country, with its vastness, the furnace breath droughts, bush fires and floods, is character building to say the least. The truth is we are too stubborn for our own good. We know that when we are faced with calamity we need to and can rely on each other and we refuse to let any bugger get the best of us.
So let’s not idolise or mythologise these soldiers. They were from and of this place. They were descendants of migrants from all corners of the earth, who continued to come here on boats, pioneering men and women who carved out a great nation from a land so harsh and desolate that only the stubborn and brave dared persevere despite the hindrance of flood, drought, war and governmental interference.
I believe the Anzacs would not have thought of themselves as doing anything other than ‘just doing that which had been asked of them, and a job to be done’.
In almost every conflict since, men and women of Australia have gone to war because they felt they were doing the right thing and acting to protect and defend their loved ones and their country. None of them would consider themselves heroic.
Bob Menzies, on September 3rd 1939 said, “Britain has declared war on Germany and, therefore, Australia is at war”. He did this without consulting his Cabinet, which did not necessarily agree that after the First World War, Australia needed to blindly follow Britain.
John Curtin recalled Australian troops from the European theatre to defend Australia in the Pacific, much against the wishes of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who argued that Australia was expendable and the priority of the entire British Empire should be to defend Britain.
Later, in 1950 and concerned that the UK had decided to send troops to Korea and that an announcement was imminent. The Country Party leader and Deputy PM, Arthur Fadden was determined to get in first and make an immediate announcement that Australia would be committing ground troops (Menzies was sailing to New York from London). The decision was made without consulting Menzies (or the rest of the Cabinet) and broadcast on ABC radio an hour before the British announcement.
Once Menzies was informed, he brazenly told the US Congress that he expected British and New Zealand troops soon to be joining Australians and Americans in fighting the communists in Korea.
Prime Minister John Howard, told cabinet we were off to war, no ‘ifs ’or ‘buts’. The question of who decides for Australia apparently is, by default, left in the hands of one man.
Since the first ‘Gallipoli Day’, which later became ‘Anzac Day’ our list of battle honours has grown.
Our service men and women have served us in Belgium, France, the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the battles of Britain and for Europe.
So let’s not idolise or mythologise these soldiers. They were from and of this place. They were descendants of migrants from all corners of the earth, who continued to come here on boats, pioneering men and women who carved out a great nation from a land so harsh and desolate that only the stubborn and brave dared persevere despite the hindrance of flood, drought, war and governmental interference.
I believe the Anzacs would not have thought of themselves as doing anything other than ‘just doing that which had been asked of them, and a job to be done’.
In almost every conflict since, men and women of Australia have gone to war because they felt they were doing the right thing and acting to protect and defend their loved ones and their country. None of them would consider themselves heroic.
Bob Menzies, on September 3rd 1939 said, “Britain has declared war on Germany and, therefore, Australia is at war”. He did this without consulting his Cabinet, which did not necessarily agree that after the First World War, Australia needed to blindly follow Britain.
John Curtin recalled Australian troops from the European theatre to defend Australia in the Pacific, much against the wishes of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who argued that Australia was expendable and the priority of the entire British Empire should be to defend Britain.
Later, in 1950 and concerned that the UK had decided to send troops to Korea and that an announcement was imminent. The Country Party leader and Deputy PM, Arthur Fadden was determined to get in first and make an immediate announcement that Australia would be committing ground troops (Menzies was sailing to New York from London). The decision was made without consulting Menzies (or the rest of the Cabinet) and broadcast on ABC radio an hour before the British announcement.
Once Menzies was informed, he brazenly told the US Congress that he expected British and New Zealand troops soon to be joining Australians and Americans in fighting the communists in Korea.
Prime Minister John Howard, told cabinet we were off to war, no ‘ifs ’or ‘buts’. The question of who decides for Australia apparently is, by default, left in the hands of one man.
Since the first ‘Gallipoli Day’, which later became ‘Anzac Day’ our list of battle honours has grown.
Our service men and women have served us in Belgium, France, the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the battles of Britain and for Europe.
They have served in south-east Asia and the Pacific, in Timor, in New Guinea at Kokoda, Milne Bay, Buna, and in Borneo. More recently they have fought in Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Australian peace keeping forces have witnessed the Rwanda genocide in Africa. They watched the break-up of Yugoslavia in Europe, and saw the slaughter of Muslim civilians.
In East Timor they saw, first hand, the devastation and massacres in a tiny nation to whom we owed so much, and failed so miserably.
These service men and women share common experiences that they universally, pray their children should never know.
The horror, the terror, the hurt and the pain, their guilt over the relief that they felt when they survived where their mates did not, these stay with them for as long as they live.
The trench warfare of World War I introduced the terms ‘Bomb Happy’ and ‘Shell Shock’ to our language. The authorities, of course, condemned those who could not endure the fighting; as “lacking moral fibre” and some men were executed on all sides of the conflict for what we now understand is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
What a foul, foul obscenity it is that cynical, manipulative old men can still today send our young men and women, into harm’s way to address the failures of their leadership, policy, diplomacy and awful incompetence.
I have written, over the years to both sides of politics, preferring the people should decide by vote, but realistically asking for a joint sitting of both houses, to debate and legitimise any any decision. Unfortunately both positions are the same, and I quote.
“The Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are ultimately responsible to the Australian Parliament. This process is constitutionally valid and has been followed by successive Australian governments. Prior to exercising executive authority, the Prime Minister may elect to have parliament debate the issue or arrange a popular vote.
Alternatively, he or she need not consult parliament or the people prior to exercising this authority and in that case the full Cabinet or the National Security Committee of Cabinet may ultimately make the decision.
The Governor General, as Commander in chief of the ADF, is then informed and by convention must follow that decision.
The Government, consistent with the views of previous governments, regard this long-standing constitutional practice as appropriate”.
Prime Minister Cameron has this day28/08/13 , recalled the parliament of Great Britain to debate and decide, on actions relating to the Syrian civil war atrocities. In Australia or PM can make that decision without consultation as John Howard did.
President Obama, has now turned to the Congress to publicly debate and decide on war in Syria and still Abbott only has to get a signature from the Governor General, who is bound to sign off on the advice of PM Abbott.
Our prime ministers have the power of a Dictator!!!
It is up to us, the people of Australia, to insist that the parliament (both houses sitting jointly, not just the executive) decides if we go to war and recognises it has the duty to provide ongoing psychological and health support for veterans, their wives and families.
These are the experiences that large numbers of ex-service men and women and their wives, husbands and loved ones have all suffered, and continue to suffer today.
Day by day these families experience sleep disturbance including nightmares, emotional detachment, 'flashbacks', mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, alcohol and other drug abuse.
Please reflect on the enormous financially crippling price , the physical and mental torment, that veterans and their families have paid, one way or another, directly or indirectly, down through the generations to defend our country so that we, here and now, might live in peace.
In East Timor they saw, first hand, the devastation and massacres in a tiny nation to whom we owed so much, and failed so miserably.
These service men and women share common experiences that they universally, pray their children should never know.
The horror, the terror, the hurt and the pain, their guilt over the relief that they felt when they survived where their mates did not, these stay with them for as long as they live.
The trench warfare of World War I introduced the terms ‘Bomb Happy’ and ‘Shell Shock’ to our language. The authorities, of course, condemned those who could not endure the fighting; as “lacking moral fibre” and some men were executed on all sides of the conflict for what we now understand is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
What a foul, foul obscenity it is that cynical, manipulative old men can still today send our young men and women, into harm’s way to address the failures of their leadership, policy, diplomacy and awful incompetence.
I have written, over the years to both sides of politics, preferring the people should decide by vote, but realistically asking for a joint sitting of both houses, to debate and legitimise any any decision. Unfortunately both positions are the same, and I quote.
“The Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are ultimately responsible to the Australian Parliament. This process is constitutionally valid and has been followed by successive Australian governments. Prior to exercising executive authority, the Prime Minister may elect to have parliament debate the issue or arrange a popular vote.
Alternatively, he or she need not consult parliament or the people prior to exercising this authority and in that case the full Cabinet or the National Security Committee of Cabinet may ultimately make the decision.
The Governor General, as Commander in chief of the ADF, is then informed and by convention must follow that decision.
The Government, consistent with the views of previous governments, regard this long-standing constitutional practice as appropriate”.
Prime Minister Cameron has this day
President Obama, has now turned to the Congress to publicly debate and decide on war in Syria and still Abbott only has to get a signature from the Governor General, who is bound to sign off on the advice of PM Abbott.
Our prime ministers have the power of a Dictator!!!
It is up to us, the people of Australia, to insist that the parliament (both houses sitting jointly, not just the executive) decides if we go to war and recognises it has the duty to provide ongoing psychological and health support for veterans, their wives and families.
These are the experiences that large numbers of ex-service men and women and their wives, husbands and loved ones have all suffered, and continue to suffer today.
Day by day these families experience sleep disturbance including nightmares, emotional detachment, 'flashbacks', mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, alcohol and other drug abuse.
Please reflect on the enormous financially crippling price , the physical and mental torment, that veterans and their families have paid, one way or another, directly or indirectly, down through the generations to defend our country so that we, here and now, might live in peace.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Tory
John Abbott's unshakable mandate, for the next ten years.
These
are the issues that we as Australians must now face and that will,
mean as John Hewson once suggested “the Liberal party needs to tear
down, and rebuild the Australian economy brick by brick from the
ground up”. Abbott is now on his crusade to do just that .
We
need to prepare for the austerity and the recession that we are about
to crash into. The Liberals know no other way to manage.
Tony
has said himself that long term thinking is not popular with the
Australian people and he has made it crystal clear that he is focused
on the short term.
Abbott
has also stated he will break no promise, core or noncore.
Abbott
convinced the electorate that the economy was trashed.
Whatever
he does from now, he must be made to own.
My
sincere belief is that the strategy outlined below will reverse most
of the economic management and social advances achieved
in
the last six years, and as a result the economy as it relates to the
general population will spiral downwards fast enough for them to have
their belief in Tory politics destroyed for a generation.
All
the policy actions listed below had been foreshadowed, for the past
three years. Mr Abbott, did say“no surprises” so over time he has
covertly warned us. We were not listening closely. He says these are
precisely targeted, but nothing about the collateral damage they will
inflict on those who were naive enough to support him.
He
now has a mandate according to your vote, to do the following.
Lower
the tax-free threshold from $18,200 back to $6000. This will drag
more than one million low-income earners back into the tax system. It
will also increase the taxes for 6 million Australians earning less
than $80,000. Thereby;
Saving
families $300 dollars a year of Carbon Tax and cost them $2,300 per
year in reinstated tax.
Abolish
the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB)
The
Opposition costings enumerated the “associated expenditure” that
would be chopped along with the mining tax. (These were the spending
measures the Labor Government proposed to fund through the tax, when
it expected it to raise $22 billion.)
Privatise
Medibank.
Privatise
the Snowy-Hydro Scheme.
Privatise
Australia Post.
Privatise
SBS.
Break
up the ABC and put out to tender each individual function.
Privatise
the Australian Institute of Sport.
End
all public subsidies to sport and the arts.
Privatise
the CSIRO.
Immediately
halt construction of the National Broadband Network and privatise any
sections that have already been built.
Rule
out any government-supported or mandated internet censorship.
Abolish
the means-tested School kids Bonus that benefits 1.3 million families
by providing up to $410 for each primary school child and up to $820
for each high school child.
Abolish
the Baby Bonus
Repeal
the National Curriculum
Introduce
competing private secondary school curriculum
Repeal
the mining tax
Withdraw
from the Kyoto Protocol
Repeal
the Fair Work Act
Allow
individuals and employers to negotiate directly terms of employment
that suit them
Repeal
the carbon tax, and don't replace it.
Repeal
the marine park Legislation
Repeal
Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act
Abolish
the low-income superannuation contribution.
Abolish
the proposed 15 percent tax on income from.
End
preferences for Industry Super Funds in workplace relations laws
Allow
people to opt out of superannuation in exchange for promising to
forgo any government income support in retirement
End
all government funded Nanny State advertising
Repeal
plain packaging for cigarettes and rule it out for all other
products, including alcohol and fast food.
Reject
proposals for compulsory food and alcohol labelling
Introduce
a paid parental leave scheme that replaces a mother’s salary up to
$150,000.
Reduce
the size of the public service from current levels of more than
260,000 to at least the 2001 low of 212,784.
Abolish
the Clean Energy Fund
Abolish
the Department of Climate Change
Repeal
the renewable energy target
Encourage
the construction of dams
Introduce
voluntary voting.
End
mandatory disclosures on political donations.
End
media blackout in final days of election campaigns.
End
public funding to political parties
Introduce
fee competition to Australian universities.
Reintroduce
voluntary student unionism at universities.
Means
test tertiary student loans
Introduce
a voucher scheme for secondary schools
Eliminate
the National Preventative Health Agency.
Abolish
the means test on the private health insurance rebate.
Repeal
the Alcopops tax.
Means-test
Medicare.
Cease
subsidising the car industry.
End
all corporate welfare and subsidies by closing the Department of
Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
Force
government agencies to put all of their spending online in a
searchable database.
End
all hidden protectionist measures, such as preferences for local
manufacturers in government tendering.
Introduce
a special economic zone in the north of Australia including.
Lower
personal income tax for residents.
Devolve
environmental approvals for major projects to the states
Introduce
a single rate of income tax with a generous tax-free threshold.
Allow
the Northern Territory to become a state.
Remove
anti-dumping laws
Deregulate
the parallel importation of books.
Remove
all remaining tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade
Return
income taxing powers to the states
Abolish
the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
Legislate
a balanced budget amendment which strictly limits the size of budget
deficits and the period the federal government can be in deficit.
Legislate
a cap on government spending and tax as a percentage of GDP
Abolish
the Office for Film and Literature Classification
Abolish
the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Eliminate
laws that require radio and television broadcasters to be 'balanced
'.
Abolish
television spectrum licensing and devolve spectrum management to the
common law.
End
local content requirements for Australian television stations
Eliminate
media ownership restrictions.
Rule
out federal funding for 2018 Commonwealth Games
In
total, these cuts come to some $18.7 billion, and they will fall most
heavily on low-income earners.
Last
week the Age Editorial summarised the the campaign thus;
Some
of the big ticket items are:
Abolition
of the school kids bonus – $4.641 billion – paid to parents to
meet the incidental costs of books, uniforms, etcetera, for their
kids.
Abolition
of the low-income superannuation contribution – $3.722 billion –
which topped up the retirement savings for people, most of them
women, who earn less than $37,000 a year.
Abolition
of the twice-yearly mining-tax supplementary allowance – a top-up
of $210 a year for singles or $350 for couples on the dole. I
It
was a very modest sweetener in the Budget for people who are doing it
very tough, thanks to the Labor government’s failure to increase
New start to a liveable amount.
A
delay in increasing superannuation contributions, which whips another
$1.64 million out of workers’ pockets.
And
those are just some of the cuts associated directly with the mining
tax.
Elsewhere
in the Coalition’s costing's document are a bunch of other
hit-the-poor-and-underprivileged measures.
The
biggest of all, and perhaps the cruellest, is the decision to lop
$4.5 billion off the foreign-aid budget.
Bear
in mind, this comes on top of repeated deferrals by Labor of its goal
of spending 0.5 per cent of gross national income on aid. Of course
the poor offshore are an easy target; they don’t get a vote.
On
the issue of trust, the Coalition's own actions leave us with
significant reservations. It has obfuscated and ducked critical
issues, deliberately keeping voters uninformed, by repeating mantras
like “stop the boats”, hiding its savings plans or
revenue-raising initiatives from the electorate.
Worse
has been its breathtaking arrogance in cynically delaying until the
last minute its policy costings - this, from the party that drafted
the charter of budget honesty.
When
it comes to trusting Labor, we appreciate the public's confidence may
be so undone that a change of government could prove to be a
circuit-breaker, injecting a short-term misconceived, sense of
stability.
But
The Age values policies above political opportunism; we do not
advocate a vote simply for the sake of change.
The
Age believes in economic and social progress, in liberty and justice,
in equity and compassion, and openness of government.
We
believe the role of government is to build a strong, fair nation for
future generations, and not to pander to sectional interests.
It
is with these values in mind that we endorse the Labor Party in this
important election.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
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