Many priests are presently defending the sanctity and secrecy of confession. And this is fair enough. But there is a difference: many sins are not even catalogued as crimes in the penal code. Take the deadly sin of "gluttony" for example. It even does not rate a mention at a Jenny Craig Clinic.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has announced "conditional support" for the Federal Government's shake-up of media ownership and regulation.

Some people seem to equate evolution with pre-determination. The annoying cads... They believe that accepting the origin of consciousness as emanating from our body biochemistry would be limiting our desires and scope of “freedom of choice”. This misconception is at the source of much defence of religious and spiritual hullabaloo, which in itself is limiting the true freedom of choice, that of the real investigation and improvements of our bio-constructs with further possibilities — including investing in Artificial Intelligence — beyond silly rituals and the calcified imagination of dogmas. 

I been to cities that never close down
From New York to Rio and Old London Town
But no matter how far or how wide I roam
I still call Australia home-ophobic

‘Rent-seeking’ is a term understood by most economists. It refers to the ability of powerful groups to extract special concessions and favours at the expense of the wider community.

Indoctrination is fierce. Faith should find its place in education with other myths, while the basic visions of life and growth should be exclusively scientific and wholistic with a humanistic component of improvement and hope, and of understanding natural processes. It could become a complicated game, and kids love games... and so we, old foggies, should, still, improve without deceit.

So what are our convictions? Aren’t our convictions bathing in deceit?

How much fear do we want? Enough of it preserves our lives. Too much of it diminishes our lives. Currently, the balance is skewed by an overload of fear. Anxiety, its clinical name, is in epidemic proportions.

The Liberal Party has voted to continue with its policy of holding a plebiscite, rather than allowing a free vote in Parliament on same-sex marriage.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-07/live-liberals-reach-decision-on-sa...

In the eyes of one Cabinet minister, today's special Liberal partyroom meeting on same-sex marriage is an exercise in elevating a fifth order issue into a crisis.

Welcome to another day at the office for the Turnbull Government.