Menu
The great "silent majority", who are credited with catapulting Donald Trump into the Presidency. I hope they're happy with what they got.
Do you think any of them are having second thoughts about electing a madman, or are they all just as crazy as the man himself? Hmmmm Well done boys.
You came out with determination and played some solid rugby at the stockade. Admittedly the Queensland Reds were not in top form, and Higginbotham, who defected from the Rebels two years ago, was red-carded 9 minutes into the match for a shoulder charge. So it was 15 versus 14 for 70 minutes. Actually 15 versus 13 for another 10 of those 70, after a dangerous tip tackle made against new Rebels scrum half Will Genia (one of my heroes) saw another Reds player receive a yellow card. Pretty hard to be competitive with a man down, but credit to the Reds they kept fighting. Driving into the city this evening to catch a Rugby Union match - the first of the season - and I've not been able to get away from work on time, so I'm behind the eight ball and eager to get there as quickly as possible so I don't miss more than the first quarter.
What's the most direct route, and one would expect the quickest, given I'm directly paying a private company to use it? A Transurban toll road. Which used to be a public freeway, before they got their grubby hands on it. I only need to go one section from the start of the toll road, and get off on the very first exit, a distance of around two kilometers, so I can get to an inner city station where I know I can park the car and catch the train the rest of the way to the stadium. There's no where to park in the "entertainment precinct" unless you are willing to sell your first born child into slavery to cover the cost, and I'm such a tight arse that's just not going to happen. Besides which the traffic is a nightmare for the last couple of clicks, and I'd rather sit on the train than be stuck in traffic. Ha bloody Ha. There are plenty of overhead traffic warning signs well before the start of the toll section, but no inkling or warning of the cluster-f*ck awaiting just around the bend. I can't get my head around why religion is still so important and such a motivating force in the lives of people from Middle Eastern backgrounds.
Western society has largely moved on from religion being an essential part of daily life - in my experience, based on the people I know, organised religion plays no part in the way they live their lives or view the world around them. Lots of Westerners profess to a belief in some form of "spirituality", but they wouldn't set foot in a church unless it's an official function that by tradition involves elements of Christianity. But they're not there to celebrate the Glory of God. Personally I'm an atheist, and have no belief in a hidden and mystical "higher power" that exerts any influence over our lives. That given, I have no problem with people who do have a belief system that involves an organised religion. Unless they try to force their views on others. That's what really gets my goat and floats my boat. If I can respect their beliefs, why can't they respect mine? What makes them so certain they are right and I'm wrong. Live and let live. I have my own internal moral compass and I don't need anyone else to dictate to me what's good or evil (for lack of a better term), or how I should live my life and behave towards others. Particularly not from someone who has spent their life studying to be a religious "leader" with no first hand knowledge of life in the real world. F*ck that. And I do have a problem with the atrocities perpetrated in the name of religion regardless of creed, but that's for another post. But back to the topic, why are the majority of people from the Middle East (or is that just my false perception) religiously observant, whether they be Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Yazidi, or any one of the hundreds of smaller sects and creeds? And so fervently religious that it dictates how they live their lives down to the smallest detail. And each one believes that theirs is the only true religion, and all others are false heretics. It's just one of the things that makes me ponder on a regular basis. Has technology and science replaced religion in Western culture, as opposed to a lifestyle that relies more on a direct connection with the real, often ugly, and always difficult to explain world around them? Why is the ABC showing a repeat of the show that was on at the same time last night?
I'm loving the irreverent comedy and down to earth humour in Squinters, but why is it being shown at the same time two nights in a row. Has the government stripped so much funding from the national broadcaster that it can't afford to have a different program each night of the week? Yes I watch the ABC, which apparently puts me at odds with the majority of this country who love a good unreality TV show. I just can't watch the contrived situations and blatant advertising which constitute the crap the commercial stations present as "reality TV". And the contestants - what sort of person wants to put themselves in those situations for the titillation of a nation? Are we really so shallow that the allure of instant fame/notoriety is such a strong drawcard? I find it hard to believe that the prime motivator for the contestants is solely the end prize. And a show that focuses on the reactions of people watching other crap TV shows? That's a whole other topic in it's own right. Don't get me started .... Google and Microsoft: they still think they can convince you their browser is better, but I don't know why they put so much effort into it. Is there something sinister behind the mega corporation's insistence that you use their browser?
I use multiple browsers, depending on what I want to do. I like Chrome for some things, and Internet Explorer for others. Many people would scoff and consider me a putz for using one or the other, depending on where their allegiances lie. But my problem is the annoying intrusions both make when I use one or the other. Politics has failed the young people of the United States of America.
With so many adults who are part of the political system ignoring what is glaringly obvious due to selfish vested interests - whether that be financially or politically motivated - it's time for students across that nation to take action and force change so they will have a decent society in which to raise their own children in the future. Students need to rally each other, and create a national protest by boycotting school. Don't go. Leave them empty. Across the nation. If I was living in the U.S. and my kids were attending school, I'd be out there calling for this to happen. Parents need to support their children in a radical protest to force legislators to listen and act, which they have failed do so many times in recent history. I couldn't imagine not taking action and seeing my child as the next victim on the 11.00am news, let alone having them grow up in a climate of fear and horror. What consequences are there for a society where children are exposed to this sort of violence on a day to day basis? Leave the schools empty for as long as it takes for the politicians to start addressing the problem in a serious way, and not just tweeting condolences before taking the next junket offered by the NRA. Demand your representatives grow a backbone and do the right thing, even if it costs them a political career. They will be lauded as heroes by the generations to come who will have a society where at least kids can go to school without fear of a massacre. Sure you can kill a few people with a six shot handgun or a machete, but it's a damn site harder than using a machine-gun. Let the parents who support unfettered access to assault weapons send their kids to school - let's see how many really think it's necessary to have access to these weapons. Any person with a sense of moral decency and the concepts of right and wrong can see that the prevalence of military grade or automatic weapons in the general population is a recipe for disaster. They simply cannot be controlled well enough by the relevant authorities to be allowed to be owned by average citizens. And it's not about your average Joe who gets a kick out of shooting off a few rounds at some tin cans - let's face it, guns are a rush and they're exciting to use - it's about when they fall into the wrong hands. And with so many guns out there, it's a natural consequence that the wrong sort of person will have access to powerful MILITARY GRADE weapons capable of killing and wounding large numbers of unarmed civilians. They are designed specifically for this purpose - as a weapon of war, not for self defence. Yes I write this from an ivory tower in a country where the politicians of the day took decisive action to prevent this sort of thing happening in our society. Whether or not I vote for the party that instituted the gun buyback in Australia, they did the right thing by all of us in this country, and deserve praise for their actions. I remember at the time (I was in my early twenties) thinking it was a bit unfair to "punish" those who owned a rifle due to the actions of one mentally incompetent individual, but you know what, it was the right thing to do, and our country is so much better for it. If that hadn't happened, we would probably be attending the funerals of our children just like the parents in the U.S. and that just has no place in a modern and civilised democratic nation. I don't presume to have the answers for making this work, but surely America can look to the example of other western nations in which gun control is successful and use them as a blueprint for making change. It won't happen overnight, and it will be a difficult road to travel, but starting on that journey and continuing with resolve and perseverance will benefit the children of today who are the adults and parents of future generations. Make it happen. Donald Trump has just held a round table discussion with survivors and relatives of mass school shootings at the Whitehouse.
And what was his major proposal? To arm teachers with weapons. The man (nominally) in charge of one of the world's superpowers thinks it's a good idea to combat the threat of violence and mass murder in schools from individuals armed with military grade assault weapons by giving teachers concealed weapons. He's praised the (presumably football) coach from the latest school massacre for using his body to shield students - and rightly so - the man is a true hero. You couldn't ask for a more dedicated teacher, who put his life on the line to try and save the lives of his students. It makes me tear up just thinking about the selflessness and dedication of this teacher. But he went on to say that if this man had a gun, he could have stopped the perpetrator before any more lives were lost. I'm dumbfounded. This is the most absurd approach to this horrible problem I've heard of. How about a system where there is no threat of automatic assault weapons in schools, and where students don't live in fear and conduct "mass shooting drills" on a regular basis. It's difficult to comprehend what daily life must be like for these students, who live in constant fear of the next school shooting. School is not a place where there should be any guns, whether carried by teachers or not. And to put the burden of using weapons to protect their students onto teachers is just plain insanity. They're teachers. They should be teaching, not thinking about whether they will need to shoot someone to protect their students. I simply cannot fathom that the majority of citizens of the USA do not think that the removal of military weapons is a good thing. Why are there so many politicians that oppose gun control - are the majority of them not parents themselves? How dare they perpetuate a climate where this can occur. They are failing their children. It's now up to the kids to make the changes happen, because their political system has failed them. That's a sad indictment of the current state of society in the USA, and Donald Trump is not going to do anything to address this. |
AuthorA white middle aged man who doesn't understand why things need to be so annoying - usually the small things that just shouldn't be an issue. But then maybe I'm just a grumpy old fart who refuses to accept that my position of institutionalised privilege gives me no right to complain or feel outrage on behalf all members of our society? You can make up your own mind about that. Archives
March 2018
Categories
All
|