It doesn't appear to exist in the halls of our representation on Capital Hill, apart from in the offices of those parties which are considered by that same naive electorate to be a pointless waste of a vote. I speak naturally here, of The Greens. They alone can hold their heads up at the end of this disgraceful part of our history, and with hand on heart say "I really tried".
As a country, we have nothing to be proud of. We are a continent of generally self-serving, cruel, greedy, self-centred, unthinking human beings, as evidenced by the governments we elect. We cannot in good conscience travel the world and hold our heads up because of what has been done in our names to those we have assisted America to destroy.
This week has seen an attack in PNG on a group of trekkers on the Black Cat Trail. Meanwhile in Port Moresby the first few hundred single men arrive from Afghanistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka. Is there a connection? Are the people of PNG putting Rainbow Camp together with "Australia" and having a go?
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Can you imagine anything more distressing to these refugees than to be placed in something like Rainbow Camp? How much further from their own culture, would it be possible to get? A written history 5000 years long, being dumped in the middle of a malaria infested swamp, where 70 years ago lived a population of cannibals.
Over the past couple of months there have been several suggestions about sending a plane to Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on a weekly basis and bringing back 300 people seeking refugee status. It would actually prove so much cheaper than this so-called "New Pacific Solution", as to make any talk about economic rationalism so much bullshit. How much different is this to the Final Solution?
One of the other points I raised was how much I miss politicians who occasionally tell the truth. I no longer expect it, and when I see it, outside of The Greens, I am shocked to my core. Telling the truth is no longer part of Australia's political paradigms. We as voters expect our "representatives" to lie to make sure we vote for them. I no longer believe I am alone in this expectation.
The last point revolves around what we are pleased to call "Mainstream Media".
Do we need to define "mainstream media"?
- Is mainstream all about the lowest common denominator?
- Does "mainstream" provide the information requirements of those who ask the least questions?
- Is mainstream media all "tabloid", utilising no qualified journalists, even less editors, and in general not putting a magnifying glass to our political elite?
- Is mainstream about those who read the Telegraph, and listen to an apoplectic, out of control, fact-free, young-male-football-player-enjoying, Alan Jones?
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The recent election provided people with an opportunity to see what mainstream media really was about. Editorials in all 3 major printed outlets were just free advertising for the Liberal party, as a donation to them by their American "mogul", with no questions being asked about policy etc. Just blind acceptance of and support for the Liberal Party line. And people wonder why I never say "newspaper" and "journalist" in the one sentence, without noting the oxymoron.
Sort of like what's happening to refugees in Australia at the moment, without the blind acceptance and without the move towards change. Rather a racist, xenophobic, spittle spraying angst, against anyone taking a humanitarian line. Unfortunately, that was true of both camps of the Federal government and their supporters, and appears it will continue.
What indeed ever happened to that generosity of spirit which was so much the hallmark of us as a country? Has it been sacrificed at the altar of political expediency, or pimped out to our Pacific partners in an effort to make them take part of the blame for this humanitarian outrage. Worse – perhaps we exchanged it for our 30 pieces of silver, as we betrayed those for whom we have a humanitarian responsibility, because of our government's unswerving, unquestioning loyalty to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Are we proud of ourselves?
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