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I love to Stumble
Jun. 24th, 2007 09:08 am
Bread Line during the Louisville flood, Kentucky
Photographer: Margaret Bourke-White
1937
Jun. 24th, 2007
Bread Line during the Louisville flood, Kentucky
Photographer: Margaret Bourke-White
1937
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Australia has a long and painful history of racism related to the Indigenous Australians.Over time, just as the US and other countries have tried addressingracism, the Australian government has made periodic attempts to fixprevious or ongoing wrongs. Now that the campaign season is in motion,John Howard, the right wing PM who found it necessary to attack BarakObama earlier this year about the war and who has been a strongsupporter both of Bush and the failed war in Iraq (but not enough toput his money where his mouth is and send more troops) has promoted aplan that is as bizarre as it is paternalistic and racist.
Therehave been numerous reports lately about widespread pedophilia withinIndigenous Australian communities. Howard's response to these reportedproblems has been to ban alcohol and pornography in those communities.Now I can see how these moves are red meat to the racist right wing ofAustralia who support Howard but I'm still looking for the specificconnections, other than politics. If Howard was proposing a seriousprogram to stop pedophilia, that would be smart and helpful toeveryone, but this is a disgusting, cheap diversion that I thought hadbeen left in Australia's ugly past. It also cheapens the seriousness ofpedophilia and leaves children susceptible to the problem since it doesnothing to address the core problem.
Therehave been numerous reports lately about widespread pedophilia withinIndigenous Australian communities. Howard's response to these reportedproblems has been to ban alcohol and pornography in those communities.Now I can see how these moves are red meat to the racist right wing ofAustralia who support Howard but I'm still looking for the specificconnections, other than politics. If Howard was proposing a seriousprogram to stop pedophilia, that would be smart and helpful toeveryone, but this is a disgusting, cheap diversion that I thought hadbeen left in Australia's ugly past. It also cheapens the seriousness ofpedophilia and leaves children susceptible to the problem since it doesnothing to address the core problem.
Take angel80's advice!
Jun. 24th, 2007 09:22 pmWrite to Kevin Rudd
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His email address is Kevin.Rudd.MP@aph.gov.au. He is the leader of theOpposition and so far he's making dumb noises about supporting thispolicy. His predecessor did the same thing with Tampa and helped Howardto win the election.
The racists are actually a minority inAustralia. Pauline Hanson could only get 15% of the vote even inQueensland - and much less elsewhere. Howard is just pitching for theirvote again.