May the tragic earthquake that has beset Pakistan be only seen as an unfortunate event of our natural little planet

may those who died, died in peace without sufferance

May the injured and the survivors be cared for.

In the wake of the Palmer & Comrie Reports, dealing with DIMIA’s appalling treatment of Vivian Alvarez, there have been loud & repeated calls for the Minister, Amanda Vanstone, to resign.

Prime Minister, John Howard, has refused to back these calls & has defended Vanstone, arguing that no Minister can be expected to resign every time something goes wrong in their department. 

Whilst many Australians, including myself, oppose the government’s draconian mandatory detention policies for refugees, I think we need to recognize that formulating government policy & the effective administration of government departments are very different issues. 

‘Had the church not abdicated its moral responsibility of enacting the philosophy of Christ, the history of America would be very different & our place in the world would also be changed. If the church believed in & taught the factual doctrines of Christ it would be a very radical institution, a far cry from the bastion of conservatism that we see today.

It would actively organize against war. It would fill the streets with passionate people who demonstrate against the evils of war. It would take a strong stand against overt aggression, materialism, obscene wealth, imperialism, corporate crime, colonialism & the unequal distribution of wealth. It would minister its massive resources to end poverty. It would denounce presidents who espouse Christian values; but who act like the anti-Christ.

There are growing fears that the federal government is preparing to relax Australia’s beef import regulations, overturning its ban on beef imports from BSE affected countries like the US & Canada. 

The federal government has confirmed that cabinet is currently considering relaxing Australia’s import regulations, to bring them into line with international rules promulgated by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), an arm of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

‘Gosh, we haven't heard much from God lately, have we?  

I'm wondering why that is.  

His mouthpieces in America - who always seem so sure of themselves, so sure that they alone hear God speaking & so willing to share His wisdom with the rest of us - have gone strangely quiet of late.

‘Absurdities & atrocities have come to largely define America in the new millennium. 

Who would have thought that the United States of America would embrace the practice of torture as a matter of policy?  

Torture, with all its grim, sadistic, soul-destroying, screaming implications.  

The President endorses torture. The Attorney General made it possible.