Disaster Capitalism

Oct 14, 2007 | Australian Values, Border Security, Capital Punishment, Citizenship, Corruption, Cultural Values, Democracy, Economic Values, Global Warming, Immigration, Legal, Media Values, OzPol Values, Racism, Religious Values, Science Values, Terrorism, Values, War

Disaster Capitalism

 

In other news…

Better the devil you know?

 

Howard’s appeal on 60 Minutes tonight fits right into the well-worn Disaster Strategy.

 

On the one hand:

“you’ve never had it so good”

but on the other:

“these are savage, uncertain and untamed times”.

In other words, you should feel disoriented and anxious and hang on to what you know.

“Love me or loathe me, people know where I stand and what I believe in.”

Quite so, John.

It’s just that we hate what you stand for and despise what you believe in and we don’t want any more of it.

Hell, Pell

Oct 3, 2007 | Australian Values, Global Warming, OzPol Values, PedoPriests, Religious Values, Values

Hell, Pell

Cardinal Pell after Bacon

 

To Hell, Pell-Mell

 

C ardinal Pell has claimed on PM today that Global Warming is not happening.
He has “studied the science”, he says, and come to the rational conclusion that there is no evidence for global warming. In fact, he said, he was speaking to a “scientist” only the other day, and he said that the rise in CO2 follows warming rather than preceding it. Case closed.

He’s talking about the Milankovitch cycles which in fact do not debunk human causes for global warming. Skepticalscience covers this and pretty much all the other arguments against anthropogenic causes for global warming.

But hey, don’t put George down. It’s good that he’s a sceptic. That’s scientific, right?

He’s always totally rational and that’s why he should be trusted. He uses a special textbook called The Bible, which was written by his imaginary friend in the sky, so it must be true, right?

That’s why he believes:

  • that a virgin gave birth to a son after being visited by a winged humanoid from another dimension and then being impregnated by an immaterial spirit;
  • that a man actually walked on water;
  • that a man actually rose from the dead;
  • that a man actually floated bodily up into the sky and went to heaven.
  • that there really is a place called heaven where physical bodies go and are re-animated after they die;
  • that a woman was created from a man’s rib;
  • that a man actually divided two loaves of bread and five fishes such that there was sufficient to feed thousands of people with some left over;
  • that wine and bread become the real and actual blood and flesh of a man who lived—if he did live—two thousand years ago,
  • and who left the earthly realm altogether in the most dramatic and unequivocal way imaginable,
  • and that despite being actual blood and flesh the ex-wine and ex-bread still taste like wine and bread.

George Pell’s rationalist credentials are obviously unquestionable.

So let’s put the future of the planet in his hands. Okay?

A-Wishin’ an’ a-Hopin’

Sep 9, 2007 | Arts, Australian Values, Cultural Values, Democracy, Economic Values, Global Warming, OzPol Values, Values

A-Wishin’ an’ a-Hopin’

Crowning Achievement

 

Climate change negotiations at the APEC conference in Sydney have been an enormous diplomatic breakthrough, acting as a catalyst for future action, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says.

Enormous! And completely original! Un Tour de Force Diplomatique!

Good work, Bunter! Well done, that boy!

The Sydney Declaration on climate change was signed by the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders on Saturday.

Predictably enough, John Howard referred to these people as the “leaders of 21 economies” – in clear contrast to leaders of “people” – human beings, you know?

Economies — as we have learnt from John over the last, long, 12 years of grey, Calvinistic drudgery — are much more important than people. If the economy is doing well, how people feel is irrelevant – except that they ought to feel pathetically grateful.

This breakthrough “in-principle” agreement which has sent the pulses of world economies racing with its audacity and originality commits the countries to working towards a long-term “aspirational” goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

In principle.

The agreement which has been signed is an agreement – nonbinding – to consider taking some steps towards imagining what a – nonbinding – aspirational goal might be for a particular “economy”.

This is a cardboard box full of empty air.

Without the box.

What is this agreement on an “aspirational” goal? It is a commitment (in principle) to consider hoping that something good will happen.

What is a commitment to working towards hoping – at some unspecified time in the reasonably distant future – that some dream or other will come true?

It is nothing.

And what does it require?

Nothing. No action is called for or called forth.

So in a time when every month of the next ten years is said to be critical in terms of planning and action taken (in fact), Messrs Downer and Howard are pleased with themselves that they have come up with a plan, which everyone could agree on to, in principle, do nothing.

No wonder the Chinese and Americans were happy to sign such an agreement. A vacuum has more substance.

Or to unquote Dusty Springfield:

Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’
Plannin’ and dreaming each night of his charms?
That won’t get you into his arms…

But doesn’t “aspirational goals” sound ever so positive? Why, it’s almost pretty enough to fool a nation full of stupid people. Unfortunately John has still to discover that Australians aren’t stupid.

As George Bush once carefully explained, “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

Please may we now get on with replacing these people with people who have committed to actually setting targets inside an actual timeframe?

Oh, and by the way, “aspirational goals” for climate change measures was a Bush vision, as the amazing Steven Poole of Unspeak¹ discussed in June:

At the end of May, George W. Bush attempted to pre-empt the G8 on global warming with an alternative vision for reducing carbon emissions. Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on ‘Environmental Quality’, was challenged by a sceptical reporter:

 

Q Now I’m confused. Does that mean there will be targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions and that everybody will be making binding commitments to each other about greenhouse gas reductions – or, at the end of the day, are those just voluntary commitments?

CHAIRMAN CONNAUGHTON: The commitment at the international level will be to a long-term aspirational goal –

Q Voluntary.

CHAIRMAN CONNAUGHTON: Well, I want to be careful about the word “voluntary,” because we do these kinds of goals all the time, international agreements. It’s the implementing mechanisms that become binding.

 

One should always be careful about the word ‘voluntary’, in case it gives the right impression. Still, aspirational goal is a lovely coinage. ‘Aspirational’ is a glossy-magazine lifestyle fantasy of fast cars, large houses and single-malt whiskies. And aspirations are always virtuous, even if they are – almost by definition – not actually going to be accomplished. As the poet said, a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?

¹ Unspeak.net is well worth a visit and adding to your list of favourites, not only for Steven’s clear, clever and entertaining writing but also for both his depth of analysis and his sense of fun. And the book is also very well worth reading – even purchasing. Or you can check out this helpful video: 

ANZAC Reflections

Apr 25, 2007 | Australian Values, Democracy, Global Warming, OzPol Values, Values, War

ANZAC Reflections

 

We’re made of “Digger” stuff

 

M y father was in WWII. He went to Borneo, landed at Balikpapan.
Like most of those who went, he didn’t tell us much about the War.
But he did tell us one story.

They landed on the beach and because he was a Major he had a jeep and a driver.

The Japs had retreated but were still firing at the Aussies landing.

At the back edge of the beach was a small hut with its door open. As they drove past Dad noticed ropes hanging inside.

Now, Dad loved rope. And hoses and things you could “use for something”. He thought those ropes just might come in handy. So he told his driver to stop and he went to take a look. It was full of lovely huge hanks of rope all neatly hanging on their hooks. Just the thing for…something.

As he was looking around, getting ready to borrow one or two hanks of rope his driver came up and said,

“We don’t have time, Sir. We need to go on.”

So Dad sadly turned around, hopped in the jeep and drove off.

Less than a minute later the hut blew up.

An equally inquisitive soldier had entered the hut and lifted one of the booby-trapped hanks of rope.

And was blown to pieces.

What most amazes me about this story is that I and my younger siblings had not even been conceived. I owe part of the very fact of my ridiculously unlikely, extraordinary, magical and endlessly fascinating existence to that driver’s urging my father to eschew the rope. If he hadn’t, it would have been Dad who blew up and I wouldn’t be here.

Which blows me away every time I think of it.

So now thinking about ANZAC Day I think of the political profiteering that’s going on with the ANZAC legend.

It’s no longer a legend. It’s a myth.

It’s not only a myth; it has, as someone said, become secular religion with formal observances and complete with unquestionable dogma.

It’s now becoming increasingly difficult to engage with anything like the reality of the diggers’ experience. They are no longer real Australians. They have been beatified.

They inhabit the battlefields like flying saints, like angels. They were all as perfect then as they are portrayed now.

But they weren’t perfect. They were just Australians. Ordinary Australians. Mostly blokes. They didn’t really go to war because they had some highfalutin idea about the ‘ultimate sacrifice’.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Everyone was doing it. You didn’t want to look bad amongst your mates. And of course, yes, it was ‘the right thing to do’.

They were larrikins, some of them. It was a cheap way to see the world. They were kids. It was exciting. It was an adventure. It was worse to stay than to go. The last thing they expected was to be killed. Death in a distant country seemed…distant. And when they were faced with the ugly, terrible, terrifying reality of what they had got themselves into, then they faced the challenge in the way that makes us all Australian.

And if these things are not true they are more true than many of the things people are making up about them.

What I find especially offensive is the way children — too young and protected to be able to understand even dimly the horrors of war — are groomed and trotted out to spout the formulaic, cliche-filled, propaganda-ridden mythology about the heroes who just wanted to sacrifice their lives for their country.

The men and women who fought for Australia were heroes. But they didn’t feel like heroes. That’s not how we are. We do what needs to be done. How much of what we do on ANZAC Day is not after all about them? How much is it about us and the warm inner glow we give ourselves?

There are real and moving lessons to be learnt from this day. About us. About them. About the world. About war. I fear what it is becoming; because it is a misrepresentation of how it was and who they were; because it removes us further and further from the truth. That does not serve us at all. We are learning false lessons.

So their memory has been hijacked by profiteering politicians who cynically wrap themselves in the flag and smear themselves with diggers’ blood. And I’m not just talking about Howard. I’m talking about all of them and their various favourite media platforms.

Politicians do what they think is the pragmatic, clever thing. The diggers just did what they thought was “the right thing”.

That’s a real Australian Value.

We like to think that we do “the right thing” – or that we would do the right thing if the situation arose, even if it’s difficult, inconvenient or costly. We like to think that’s part of the Australian character.

That is why John Howard is backing the wrong horse with his climate change rhetoric. He’s betting on Australians’ selfishness. And it would be wrong to say that Australians aren’t selfish. Of course we are. We’re human. But one of the ways we are particularly selfish is for our children’s futures, and their children’s.

Australians do see global warming as a serious – really, a deadly serious – problem. We know that something should be done, has to be done, and that we should do it and have to do it. We know it’s up to us right now. We accept that we need to show leadership.

So we’ve been sucking in our breath and getting ready for the sacrifices that we know we will have to make in order to do the right thing.

In fact, in a way we’re kind of looking forward to meeting a challenge. We’re a resilient people. We’re resourceful, we’re clever. We’re ready. We’re ready to show what we’re made of – “Digger” stuff.

And then along comes John Howard and tells us it’s not so bad, we should wait for others to go first, it will be too uncomfortable, it won’t work, it’s too hard. It’s like telling the Swans to take it easy in the last quarter because they’re 30 behind and there’s no way they can make it up, so they may as well save themselves for the next game.

That’s just not how we do things around here. We put our bodies on the line and give it everything we’ve got, even if it seems hopeless. Even if it seems pointless. Defeat is not failure. Look at ANZAC Day.

Failure is not having a go.

John Howard is selling us short. He’s telling us that we are less than we know that we are, less than we truly believe we can be.

And we don’t like it. We take it as an insult. And so it is. He is showing us that he is less than we are.

We won’t like it when Costello throws money at us in the budget and in the lead-up to the election, either. We will take that as an insult. And so it will be.

We are ready to do the right thing about global warming and if Howard can’t be the leader he needs to be, we will choose someone else who better understands who we are — descendants of Diggers.

We’ll All Be Rooned, Said Hanrahan

Feb 14, 2007 | Australian Values, Cultural Values, Global Warming, Lifestyle & Life, Values

We’ll All Be Rooned, Said Hanrahan

 

Hooray for the Rain! (if you got it)

In praise of the recent rain here is the most Strayan of Australian pomes;
Hanrahan versing the elements.
True Australian values.
Pure Poa Tree.

 

SAID HANRAHAN

by John O’Brien

“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought,
As it had done for years.

“It’s looking crook,” said Daniel Croke;
“Bedad, it’s cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad.”

“It’s dry, all right,” said young O’Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran
“It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt.”
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”

“The crops are done; ye’ll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o’-Bourke
They’re singin’ out for rain.

“They’re singin’ out for rain,” he said,
“And all the tanks are dry.
”The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.

“There won’t be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There’s not a blade on Casey’s place
As I came down to Mass.”

“If rain don’t come this month,” said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak –
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“If rain don’t come this week.”

A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.

“We want an inch of rain, we do,”
O’Neil observed at last;
But Croke “maintained” we wanted two
To put the danger past.

“If we don’t get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”

In God’s good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o’-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“If this rain doesn’t stop.”

And stop it did, in God’s good time;
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o’er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o’er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place
Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.

“There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”