I'm starting to wonder at the sanity of some government leaders. I was reading Google News last night while watching Fox News' broadcast of the severe weather problems in the north eastern parts of the US. The flooding up there is pretty bad just now. I just hope no one dies, but someone always does. It seems the way of things, unfortunately. But anyway - Google News. I was reading about how of all the countries that went to Iraq, only Australia supposedly still likes their leader. George W has suffered a major drop in popularity because of his decision to send the young men and women of the United States to fight in a country not their own, Tony Blair in England is suffering much the same fate. The same goes for the other governments, except, apparently, for little Johnny Howard. While I know I don't speak for all Australians, I know that I probably speak for a hell of a lot of us when I say that NO WE DON'T LIKE HIM EITHER. At the next election over here (whenever that happens to be), it is currently looking like Labor will win, and we will once again have a decent Prime Minister. But for us, it isn't just our recent and new friendship with the US while ignoring our ties to our Mother Country, England (and we are still a member of the British Commonwealth, so England is still the Mother Country) that annoys most Australians. It's Little Johnny's need to line his own pockets with the money of the hard working Australians he supposedly leads. It's his belief of "one rule for the rich, and the poor can go to hell". And now it's his determination to turn Australia - our beautiful rugged country, our eclectic multicultural soul - into a nuclear waste dumping ground.
Little Johnny - and no, I have no respect for a man who happily sends HIS young men and women off to war, and yet does not recognise or respect those that came before, specifically our own Vietnam Veterans - Little Johnny is in the United States currently. All I can say to our new US friends is, if you want him, keep him. We don't want him back, thank you very much. Oh and that blue flag with the Union Jack in one corner and the Southern Cross spread out over the rest of it, that is currently hanging next to the Stars and Stripes on Capitol Hill? That's the Australian Flag. Say hello when you next pass it. You're supposed to be our new best friends now, so be polite!
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the US. I have a lot of American friends, and looking back through history recently has reminded me of our past relations with the US. Take, for example, WW2. General Douglas Macarthur arrived in Brisbane in the 1940s and took over the town for a few years. Of course The Battle Of Brisbane kind of ended his prolonged stay, but apparently it was fun while they were there. Then there was New Guinea and such, and the formation of the ANZUS treaty.
Little Johnny - and no, I have no respect for a man who happily sends HIS young men and women off to war, and yet does not recognise or respect those that came before, specifically our own Vietnam Veterans - Little Johnny is in the United States currently. All I can say to our new US friends is, if you want him, keep him. We don't want him back, thank you very much. Oh and that blue flag with the Union Jack in one corner and the Southern Cross spread out over the rest of it, that is currently hanging next to the Stars and Stripes on Capitol Hill? That's the Australian Flag. Say hello when you next pass it. You're supposed to be our new best friends now, so be polite!
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the US. I have a lot of American friends, and looking back through history recently has reminded me of our past relations with the US. Take, for example, WW2. General Douglas Macarthur arrived in Brisbane in the 1940s and took over the town for a few years. Of course The Battle Of Brisbane kind of ended his prolonged stay, but apparently it was fun while they were there. Then there was New Guinea and such, and the formation of the ANZUS treaty.
Though it does seem that our "fearless leader" has taken those promises made back in 1951 a little too far. The treaty we have says that basically if we are in trouble in the PACIFIC - ie, where Australia is anyway - then we can call on our US friends to help us out if England is unable or unwilling to help us, and we are unable to look after ourselves. Same goes for the US. If they are in the Pacific region for whatever reason, and need our help or the help of New Zealand (that is, until 1986, when they banned US warships from entering any of their ports because they were worried about Nuclear weapons and nuclear powered ships) then we would come to their aid too. It is also about talking and asking advice. I know that's a very basic take on it, but it's what it's all about. I don't remember it saying anywhere in there that if the US is taking over a country far away from America and Australia, that they can call on us and expect us to go along for the ride. Needless to say, they've done that to us more than once. Granted, Korea is not too far from Australia, and neither is Vietnam, but Iraq? Umm...NOT in the Pacific, last time I checked. Hell, at least England came along this time too. In for a penny, in for a pound, perhaps? :-)
Reading back over what I have said above, I could understand someone thinking I don't like Americans, and that I don't agree with war or sending our men and women off to fight and to die. I will reiterate that I DO like Americans - most of the time. But then, I don't always like Australians or the English either. As to war and soldiers, sailors and airmen? War is horrendous. It's a waste of useful, good lives, generally in a cause that is more about who is more powerful, or who's god is better, or just plain "I don't like that country. How about we wipe them off the face of the earth?". As to the Military themselves? I am a very proud decendent of generations upon generations of soliders, airmen and sailors. I am intensely proud of each and every one of them. It's not their fault that there is a need for them. They fight for their countries, with one hope in their hearts, generally, and that hope is that the war will soon end and they can come home again. Not all of them get that hope. Some do, and yet find life too difficult when they get back because no one seems to understand them anymore. For others, war is something they did, and they spend the rest of their lives trying desperately to forget all they saw. Anyone who says war is glorious, never fought for their lives on foreign soil, never saw their best friend get killed in front of them, never faced death on a daily basis.
Reading back over what I have said above, I could understand someone thinking I don't like Americans, and that I don't agree with war or sending our men and women off to fight and to die. I will reiterate that I DO like Americans - most of the time. But then, I don't always like Australians or the English either. As to war and soldiers, sailors and airmen? War is horrendous. It's a waste of useful, good lives, generally in a cause that is more about who is more powerful, or who's god is better, or just plain "I don't like that country. How about we wipe them off the face of the earth?". As to the Military themselves? I am a very proud decendent of generations upon generations of soliders, airmen and sailors. I am intensely proud of each and every one of them. It's not their fault that there is a need for them. They fight for their countries, with one hope in their hearts, generally, and that hope is that the war will soon end and they can come home again. Not all of them get that hope. Some do, and yet find life too difficult when they get back because no one seems to understand them anymore. For others, war is something they did, and they spend the rest of their lives trying desperately to forget all they saw. Anyone who says war is glorious, never fought for their lives on foreign soil, never saw their best friend get killed in front of them, never faced death on a daily basis.
Here endeth the sermon for today. :-)
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