Disruptive pattern, disrupted lives

August 17th, 2005

What exactly motivates a person that lives in Australia which does not (yet) have conscription to join the Military.
Is it

  1. loyalty to the country
  2. a desire for adventure
  3. a desire to travel
  4. a love of discipline
  5. clear, defined structures
  6. an urge to serve
  7. fearlessness
  8. a sense of invulnerability

It is not unreasonable for a member of the military to expect compensation for an injury or injuries they sustain whilst on active duty from the Government of the country that they serve.
That is unless you are in the ADF then it is seen as seriously and absolutely unreasonable.

"I would describe Defence’s conduct as disgraceful and based on an agenda of wearing litigants down or deliberately protracting the legal action until they die in the process." – Solicitor David Forster

"It’s certainly very concerning when we see veterans with mental health problems who may or may not still be in a battle for compensation, who are still young men whose relationships are breaking down, who are finding difficulty fitting into society. These problems do cause huge disability."

"And one hopes that’s taken into account in making decisions about what we do and don’t do as a country." – Director of the veterans’ psychiatry unit at Melbourne’s Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital Professor Mal Hopwood

War as a last resort.
Always.


Original image from here. Photoshop inspired by Amco V. Knees

The bull-calf won’t put out

August 11th, 2005

The new Senate sat for the first time on Tuesday of this week. Cohesion and unity were nowhere to be seen.
Senator Barnaby Joyce has been threatened with expulsion from the party and of treading a thin line between horse-trading and blackmail.

Nationals MP Bruce Scott gives us this analogy,

"Perhaps it’s a little bit about an early spring in Canberra, the young bulls are out there with some of the old bulls and they’re all looking around."

Independent MP Bob Katter offers this advice to Barnaby,

"He’s demonstrating to all of them what a bunch of cowards and idiots and lightweights they are. Two to the valley, son, because there ain’t anything that they can do. You hold all of the aces."

Senator Bill Heffernan, Liberal Senator seems to be aroused by it all as this statement suggests,

"Everyone knows I’m not a pansy and neither’s Barnaby, mate. That’s all part of the fun. Colour and movement you call that."

The Nationals’ leader, Mark Vaile, said outspokenness was tolerated until the crunch of the vote,

"when we expect, and want to see, the family stick together."

The bull-calf does not disappoint with,

"If anybody was to go into the Senate and to put out that they would never ever consider crossing the floor, then you’re basically useless, aren’t you?"


Image from here

Almost enough to impress an Atheist

August 6th, 2005

I am not often interested, let alone impressed by conservative religious types. This indifference has just been challenged by the strong stand made by the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen and the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell with regard to IR changes.

"It seems at this point that the proposals shift the differential of power in favour of employers, who can have a propensity to mistreat workers in the interests of the business." – Dr. Jensen


Image from here

I love my job it’s the work I hate

August 4th, 2005

GetUp! is an online organisation that inspires voters to think up their own campaign ideas and lobby politicians by email and SMS.

In a display of profound ignorance of both the responsibility inherent in holding a public office and what spam actually is, Andrew Robb Liberal backbencher told all voters exactly how he wants his work day to progress and who he thinks is responsible for the terrible botheration that will ensue from GetUp!’s presence.

"?There are hundreds of emails arriving in Senator’s offices. They’re beside themselves, just to clear the screen. They get back to their office from meetings looking for important communications from whoever, and they’re confronted with screen after screen of these emails, in some cases over 200 emails. This is highly irresponsible, this is spam, this is spam."?

"It’s first and foremost, let’s not mince words, it is an anti-Government group and it’s not there to keep us accountable. It’s there to run an alternative policy agenda. It’s a front for the Labor Party, it’s a political front. They’re quite entitled to do it, it’s a free country, but it’s a political front. That’s what it is."

Two points Andrew.
1. The labor party is far too unimaginative for this venture and
2. Politicians cannot possibly expect not to get unsolicited communication including e-mails from their constituents. Such voter concern is not spam.

I cannot think of a better reason for Getup! than the presence of such a lazy, uninformed, unrepresentative politician.

Place of Birth: Australia. Homeland: Korea.

August 2nd, 2005

Right now there is an appeal seeking to have Australian citizens recognised by birth right.
Naively, I thought that if you were born in a country it became your homeland. I think most reasonable people would assume the same.

"The law says a child is recognised as a citizen if either of his or her parents is an Australian resident or citizen, according to an amendment to the Australian Citizenship Act in 1986."

"If we win it will backdate the law to before 1986. There would have been thousands of cases of foreign nationals who would have departed or [been] forcefully deported within that time. US, Canada, and New Zealand have no problem declaring everyone born in their country to be a citizen."
Michaela Byers, Lawyer.

What’s the problem here? Is the government worried that people will give birth in Australia to claim the Maternity Payment which is currently $3079 per child?
Are they worried about too many children? Was the treasurer referring to bi-cultural or Asian or Muslim families when he said:

"You should have one for the father, one for the mother and one for the country. If you want to fix the ageing demographic, that’s what you do."

Or is this just another sinister, thinly veiled racist policy enforcement from this government through DIMIA?




Images from here