Politics

Wasting U.S lives and money in Afghanistan

liligans Politics, totally absurd, What Pisses me off

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an expert on international affairs, but I do understand the realities of life.

What has finally prompted me to write again is the devastation that I have been watching on TV. The Midwest and the South in the U.S are being flooded. On top of that there have been tornadoes that have killed over one hundred people as well as destroying entire towns. Many people are still missing.

My heart goes out to those people who will need fathomless aid to rebuild their lives.

Quite simply, they will need lots of cash. And it’s up to the government to supply it to them.

I understand that money is a finite resource and that the U.S has just suffered from the GFC. Indeed, it is still trying to recover from it.

At the same time it keeps on spending billions on a futile war in Afghanistan. It is wasting money trying to win over hearts and minds among the local population of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, American and our Australian soldiers are returning home in body bags.

For what? Is it worth it? Will it prevent further terrorist attacks against us? I seriously doubt it. Vigilant intelligence is better than body bags.

Why should the U.S have to sacrifice itself in the hope of bringing civilisation to those parts of the world which are still living under some primitive code? It’s not as if these countries are going to be grateful to the U.S and its allies. They hate our guts. Blowing us up is not a Welcome Mat.

Don’t the U.S states such as Missouri, Minneapolis and Oklahoma which are suffering all these catastrophes deserve help from their own government? And how about the victims of Hurricane Katrina who are still waiting to come home?

I’ve heard the saying that charity begins at home, but in my opinion, taking care of your own people is not charity. It is the primary duty of all governments. That is why they are elected.

The hills are alive with the sound of Julia Gillard

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?

Poor Prime Minister Gillard. First, Hillary Clinton refers to Gillard’s nemesis, Kevin Rudd, as being the current Prime Minister of Australia. And now during the G20 meeting in Korea, we find an official display figurine of Prime Minister Gillard sporting the Aussie national costume. Except that it isn’t.

It’s definitely a dirndl which is worn in some parts of Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

The costume consists of a bodice, blouse and full skirt and is very fetching indeed, but I can’t quite imagine the Prime Minister of Australia discarding her comfortable pantsuits for the colourful peasant garb.

I have to admit that there is a niggling desire in my mischievous mind to see her front up to an official G20 function in a dirndl. I guarantee that if she did that nobody would confuse Austria and Australia in the future. Go ahead and do it, Julia… please…

How 9/11 tipped the world on its axis

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?, Society

The past two days I heard two speakers commenting on how Australia has become less tolerant since the new millennium. The first speaker was an elderly retired doctor who reproached the Australian people for not welcoming asylum seekers who arrive by boat. The next part of his talk was about the overcrowding in Australia. Hmm…

The second speaker was novelist Christos Tsialkas who said that he does not like living in Australia any longer because we have become intolerant and remote from world affairs. He is now living temporarily in Scotland which he prefers to England, by the way. He will return to Australia when his writer-in-residence time is up, but he is not looking forward to it.

He says that we have changed since the 1990’s.

I agree with both speakers. We are more wary. We are more insular.

What the two speakers forgot to mention is why this is so. They forgot to mention September 11, the Twin Towers being attacked by Muslim terrorists. They forgot to mention that 3000 people were murdered in a most vicious attack by a group of Muslim fanatics who despise America and all it stands for.

They forgot to mention the subsequent attacks in Madrid. They forgot to mention the attack on the London underground. They forgot to mention the Bali bombings and so on and so on.

These terrorist attacks by Muslim fanatics tipped the world on its axis. They changed the way we regard Muslims. Who are these terrorists who want to destroy the West?

While it would be wrong to blame all Muslims for what happened and what is still happening almost daily in some part of the world, it is only natural that we in Australia as in the rest of the Western world should become wary of all Muslims.

After all, we don’t know who is being trained right now to carry out another attack.

So it is inevitable that we become suspicious of strangers who want to change our way of life or who may even want to commit an act of terrorism. It has happened to Australians in Bali and we would be stupid to believe that the threat is gone, especially when we are informed by the terrorists, as has been broadcast today from Pakistan that the U.S and Europe will be attacked again very soon.

So if Christos Tsialkas and the retired doctor want to know what happened to make us suspicious and less tolerant, they should remember 9/11 when we woke up to the horrifying shock that there are people out there who want to hurt us just because we aren’t like them.

Hamas shoots pregnant woman and boasts about it

liligans Politics

There is great jubilation in the streets of Gaza as I write. Hamas are celebrating their “brave” shooting of a pregnant Israeli woman who was travelling by car with another woman and two men. They were all shot dead by Hamas murderers.

I’m never surprised by anything that Hamas do. They thrive on killing and subjugating their own people. They thrive on the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In fact, that is the only reason that Hamas have lasted so long. Hamas feeds on hatred and uses fear to survive

So what is the reason behind this latest atrocity and the savage celebration in Gaza? Well, the Prime Minister of Israel has gone yet again to the U.S to discuss peace initiatives. The Palestinian leader of Fatah in the West Bank is also planning to join the talks. Now any peace initiative would be a threat to Hamas’ interests so they have committed these vile murders to upset the talks.

I hope the talks aren’t interrupted because Israel should avoid doing what Hamas is inciting.

I do believe that one day, far away into the future, there will be peace between the Arabs and the Israelis. But I also believe it won’t happen until Hamas is just a distant and unpleasant memory.

Deadlocked election in Australia

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?, totally absurd

As I suspected, and I wasn’t the only one, the election is deadlocked. There is no winner except for the protest voters. Some voters decided that neither party was worthwhile, so they either voted for one of the minor parties or they decided to sabotage their votes. They left it up to others to decide for them.

In my opinion, it is perfectly legitimate to vote for a minor party like the Greens, for example, even though they weren’t my choice. That’s what democracy is all about. But to go further and vote informal just because you want to sit on the fence seems like an insult to the democratic process. I guess these informal voters have the democratic right to not vote, but what a waste of a hard fought-for privilege!

Apparently, half a million non-voters, and that’s how I describe them, didn’t even have the brains to weigh up policies and choose the party which offended them the least. It was so much easier to pack up their toys, stick their thumbs in their mouths and leave the sandbox.

We are probably better off without those fence sitters. Democracy is wasted on them, anyhow.

So now we are stuck with having to persuade three or four independents to side with one of the parties so that parliament can resume. If we thought that electioneering was over last Saturday, well, we are about to see so much horse trading, grandstanding and back room dealing, that it will make the actual election look like a prelude to the three-ring circus.

Can’t help wondering what would have happened if those informal twits had taken the time to reflect on the importance of voting. Too late now.

Can’t wait for election day in Australia

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?

I haven’t written for the past ten days because the will to live has been crushed out of me. I am bored silly by the electioneering. Enough baby kissing, digging up bits of Australia, riding on tractors, sailing with the Coast Guard and squatting down in front of toddlers for a photo shoot.

It’s a circus out there and it’s extremely annoying. I would vote for a politician who declares he is not going to kiss and hug other people’s children. Think of the germs that he is spreading as he moves from one babe to another!

How absolutely ridiculous is the sight of a grown woman clambering up into a tractor in all her glam clothes, and jewels with that construction hat on her head and posing for a pix. Are we supposed to be impressed by that?

There is little dignity in the hustings. The media are hungry and want something to whinge about. The politician is catering to the lowest possible denominator of human intellect. And by that I mean the political machine and the journalists who have to fill the news reports with the most trivial and often inaccurate waste of newsprint.

Every action is assessed and analysed. Whom did the politician offend today with a slip of the tongue? Great! We have a headline. Abbott hates women! Julia Gillard is a heretic and so no Christian should vote for her!

None of this is true and yet it is written.

In other countries one has to pretend to be religious to even have a chance of being voted in. This is sadly the case in the U.S. And yet Church and State are supposed to be separate. This confuses me totally.

How refreshing it is to be able to say that one is not religious without having to face The Inquisition.

This circus of running around the country and performing like a seal is very degrading, in my opinion. I just want to hear what the parties and the leaders are intending to do. Forget the silly hats, the safety vests, the shovels, and the farce of being bowled over by the cuteness of Baby Raylene.

And please forget about appearing on some stupid panel and trying to be one of the fellas. Or filleting fish with a rather menacing machete. Reserve that delight for a fishmonger. What has any of this got to do with being a suitable Prime Minister, anyway?

I wouldn’t be surprised to see both candidates scrubbing up and performing surgery in a dinkum operating theatre just to announce more funds for Health. Blood and guts everywhere. Julia and Tony brandishing scalpels. What a photo opportunity that would be!

Why Kevin Rudd is Julia Gillard’s nemesis

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?

Picture this. Your wife comes up to you and tells you that she no longer wants you. She explains to you that you are no longer the kind of husband she needs. Therefore, you should leave.

Pretty devastating news…but wait there’s more. She’s found somebody else more suited to her needs whom she’s going to marry. Painfully devastating news… but wait there’s even more.

She wants you to arrange the wedding for old time’s sake How about organising the flower arrangements, or even the catering? There’s so much to do, so how about lending a hand? In other words, help her “move forward.”

In essence, this is what Julia Gillard is demanding from Kevin Rudd. Never mind that he’s no longer wanted by the Labor Party and the unions as Prime Minister, but hey, how about helping out with the elections so that the party which stabbed him in the back can remain in government?

It’s a bit much to expect heartfelt loyalty from the ousted Prime Minister, isn’t it? Why, it’s only natural that Rudd should feel resentful towards the Labor Party.

So, is he going to jump out of his post-op bed to do his bit for Labor?

Of course he will, because there’s no better way to get back at Gillard and Co. than by being completely visible during the election. His omnipresence will act as a reminder of what they have done to him.

As Rudd himself has told us, he has a long memory…

Why be offended by the “I will survive” Holocaust video?

liligans Politics, totally absurd

When I watched the video of a Jewish family from Australia dancing at various death camp sites in which Hitler and the Nazis tried to exterminate the Jews, I wept.

I only heard about this video tonight on the Channel Nine TV news. Some people are offended by it. Some Holocaust survivors don’t approve of Jews dancing at Auschwitz, but I take a different view.

I say “Hitler tried to kill us all, but he is dead and we are still here. Let us rejoice.”

As a person who is involved in The Jewish Holocaust Centre I am well aware of sensitivities. We should respect and mourn what happened. We should never forget and personally I will never forgive.

But be damned if I don’t glory in the fact that all those Empires and civilisations which tried to destroy the Jews are dust.

So if 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, Adolek Kohn wants to dance at Auschwitz with his daughter and three grandchildren, good luck to him!

I’m sure he has shed enough tears in his lifetime and I would encourage him to celebrate to his heart’s content.

If you have not seen the video, here is the link:-

Grandpa Kohn’s words at the end of it are what made me cry.

Looks as if the video has actually been removed from Youtube.

Now it’s back again. I strongly recommend that you view Parts 2 and 3 of the video too. We’ll see how long this one lasts but just in case I’d better explain what I meant by “Grandpa Kohn’s words at the end of it made me cry.”

The family did some very simple unchoreographed dance steps at the various sites with their aged grandpa.

And then the mood changed and Mr Kohn reflected on his life to the music of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance me to the end of Love.”

“If you had told me 63 years ago,” Kohn says, ” that I would be here dancing with my family, I would have said what you talking about?…what you talking about?

Had Hilter achieved his aim then none of that delightful family would have been born. No wonder he marvels at being back where he could have perished. He considers himself blessed.

So many people did not survive, including many members of my family. I wept for them but I also wept with joy that Mr Kohn is alive.

Why the double standard is a compliment to Israel

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?, totally absurd

Imagine you are sitting at prayers in your local mosque on a Friday when suddenly thirty of your fellow worshippers are shredded to bits by a bomb. This is a frequent occurrence in Pakistan and Iraq. The murderers are Muslims themselves and we in the rest of the world no longer bat an eyelid on hearing of such an event. Why is that? Continue reading →

The anti-semitic bigots have come out of the woodwork to accuse Gillard

liligans Politics

It didn’t take long before the usual bigots brought up the subject of Israel after Julia Gillard’s defeat of Kevin Rudd. So what is the gripe this time? A former ambassador to Israel, Mr Ross Burns, has written a letter to The Age newspaper accusing Gillard of being soft on Israel. This opinion was repeated by another reviled former ambassador to Israel, a Mr Rodgers who is notorious for being anti-Israel.

What these two bigots are really saying is that unless you are vehemently anti-Israel then you are soft on Israel.

Prime Minister Gillard has denied this accusation. All this happened because Gillard’s partner, Tim Mathieson, works in real estate for an Israel supporter. Apparently, that’s a crime according to Burns and Rodgers.

Which brings me to the topic of our former Prime Minister. I first met Kevin Rudd a few years ago in Queensland. He attended a Jewish function, praised the Jewish community and generally sucked up to everyone there assuring the Jewish community of his true and genuine admiration and loyalty.

When he became Prime Minister, however, Rudd revealed his true colours. He took hasty actions against a member of the Israeli embassy long before other nations in the alleged passport affair. He also directed his representative at the United Nations to vote against Israel.

He did this because he was sucking up to the Arabs in the U.N. Rudd’s ambition is so rapacious that he would be prepared to court anyone who can support his aim of becoming a bigshot at the U.N. And that is why he joined the enemies of Israel.

But then Rudd’s popularity polls went south and he suddenly remembered that he had betrayed an ally and that he had wounded the Jewish community in Australia. So just a few short weeks ago he tried to win over the Jewish community once again by meeting with some leaders and assuring them that he was “a friend of Israel.”

We all know the saying “With friends like these who needs…”