Sadly Chauvinism is still rife in some quarters ....

This world of Veterans is an odd place - lots of older Veterans and Ex-service people - some with values that are simply nothing but chauvinism ... sad, sad, sad state of affairs. Note I've also met quite a number who don't live in a mindset of gender roles.

When an older Ex-service person can approach a young Veteran and bag a woman, the Veterans Mum, you have to wonder what values they believed our Defence Forces were fighting for? Maintaining the Patriarchy that existed pre-1960's or valuing all Australians regardless of gender.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of times people in 'Australian' think it's okay to dismiss a woman's opinion simply because of her gender, or dismiss a woman's advocacy because of her gender or dismiss a woman's right to even develop an opinion or to take on an advocates role, based on the old patriarchal value systems.

I sincerely hope that when my daughter is my age that this archaic 'generations' skewed values are long gone ...

The irony is that so many young Veterans who served in Afghan & Iraq saw first hand how patriarchal systems operate, how women and children are still considered possessions of men. This cruel dismissive patriarchal behaviour is a primary contributing factor in the justification of our involvement in those theatres of war. Yet we still have many older veterans and ex-service people who treat Australian women in the same manner...

Normally my gender and the challenges I face on a daily basis as a result are not something I've dwelled upon in my personal life, nor felt compelled to comment upon publicly. However, when those gender inequalities impact on my family, in particular my son at this time, I get justifiably angry.

The number of times over the last 2 years journey with Zeek that I've been dismissed by members of the ADF and RSL's, because I'm a woman and even worse - that even more easily dismissed woman - a mother, has simply stunned me.

Does a human being in Australia require a male advocate for their situation to be taken seriously by these people? Is it only the opinions and actions of a male carer that are considered of value?

Do these people who believe they have a right to attempt to belittle me to my son believe that attempting to somehow devalue me in my sons eyes is going to benefit him? Another irony is that this very behaviour only enrages my son ... and enraging my son at any time is not something that will contribute to his healing.

Perhaps one of the perils of living in a small regional area is that the patriarchal chauvinistic bullies still control many aspects of life. Of course there's the mysandrists ... but they are few and far between.

I'm also blessed to have a large number of amazing male friends around the country and in this little rural region too ... perhaps that's why I find the chauvinistic bullies so alarming - I surround myself with men and women who simply celebrate and support and respect all human beings - the contrast is significant ...

BRANDIS - THE HYPOCRITE

I am befuddled by our federal governments passion for the Royal Commission in to Trade Unions yet our Attorney General, Brandis, cannot bring himself to accept that all facets of the Australian Justice System are in fact Institutions whose response to Child Abuse is a vital aspect of ALL Australian Institutional responses to Child Sexual Assault  and therefore rightly belongs within the terms of reference for The Child Abuse Royal Commission.

I've no qualms about the wide ranging impact of Union Corruption on Australian citizens - BUT the impact of Corruption within the Australian Justice system is far greater on Australian citizens than that of Union Corruption, however Brandis chooses to stick his head in the sand rather than use his morals and ethics to address the problem.

Let us also not forget that the Labor Government also failed in this regard.

The irony of course is the fact that the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse has uncovered systemic failures to report abuse to the Justice System. I'm confident that its findings will include recommendations that cases of abuse be reported in a timely manner. However it will be a futile effort on the part of The Commission if those cases go before a Justice System which itself has not been subjected to the same 'cleansing' process.

This failure of both the Labor and Coalition renders the entirety of The Commissions endeavours pointless. A costly failure both in terms of financial and human capital.

Methinks, perhaps, there are too many lawyers on both sides of the House for Brandis to make an objective ethical decision.

Shame Australia Shame

Sometimes Australians are a difficult lot to understand.

A man drags his wife and children half way around the world to fight with ISIS/Daesh and he gets killed, the wife and kids want to come home (young children) and Australians (not all) are in an uproar, how dare that wife and those little kids want to come back to Australia? I even heard someone describe the kids as broken and that we don't want broken kids in Australia. These kids are kids and had no control over being dragged to a war zone.

The AFP and Security Agencies are targetting kids in high school for any sign of extremist behaviours, and we stand by and say that's okay with us because kids can be 'evil' for some reason this seems to only apply to 'Muslim' kids .... hmmm... and all this is done in the public eye.

A 13 year old girl makes an horrific racist remark in front of thousands of people and directs it at an Australian, who happens to an Aboriginal man, and everyone leaps to the defence of the 13 year old.

In the past they've been cases of teenage 'boys' trashing their homes with huge public parties, they're ridiculed across the media, including social media.

I would rather have a teenager who trashes a home with an out of control party than one who is racist.

The fact we pick and chose who we defend in so many instances, particularly this case, is simply yet another form of racism. Leaping to find a defence for a racist person ... is racism. Doesn't matter how old you are, if you are willing to make a public racist remark then you must take responsibility for that behaviour.

Some weird double standards happening here in Australia.

PLEASE HELP US Retract the decision to cease Clarence Valley Council advertising in the 'Clarence Valley Independent'

URGENT ONLINE PETITION TO SAVE OUR COMMUNITIES ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER


PLEASE HELP US!!!

A vital local newspaper that presents objective coverage issues important to the Community in the Clarence Valley has been put at GRAVE risk by the General Manager of the CVC, 

The Independent newspaper, formerly the Clarence Valley Review, received notice on Thursday from the GM that they were ceasing to advertise with them. For full details of the situation please read the online petition information and updates and the comments from those who've already signed. 

THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE ... free independent speech in the Clarence Valley has been jeopardised by the GM of our Local Government organisation, the Clarence Valley Council.

PLEASE SIGN AND CIRCULATE THIS PETITION WIDELY ...

Email the link to the petition to your friends, Residents of the Clarence Valley or those who love our region AND IMPORTANTLY  those who believe in FREE SPEECH and access to objective media reporting - no matter where you may live.

Is Australia heading down the McCarthyism path?

Government will announce plans to strip Australian terrorists of citizenship this week, Tony Abbott says

I'm wondering what the safeguards are for this legislation?

I understand the need to limit the exposure to extremism, however I'm reminded of the witch hunts in the USA for Communists and the reign of McCarthyism ...

Imagine if this legislation is abused by corporate & political rivals? Will we see an Australia where people live in fear of speaking their mind?

Will we see neighbours dobbing in neighbours? Will we feel less safe in our own country because we're afraid to speak our minds on other issues? Will this 'extremism' grow to include anything we think and say that the government sees as a threat to them?

Very concerning development in our country. I hope the safe guards are built into the legislation and not left to the 'discretionary power' of the agencies enforcing it.

What do you think?

Government will announce plans to strip Australian terrorists of citizenship this week, Tony Abbott says

ANZAC Spirit - my thoughts

A little discombobulated by the occasional posts I'm seeing on Social Media with people claiming ANZAC Day shouldn't be acknowledged at all because we shouldn't celebrate war.

I think there are too many people who don't understand the true meaning of ANZAC Day - and that's also understandable as there are also too many assholes in the business community who simply want to profit from, literally, the sacrifice of others.

The ANZAC's were dropped at the wrong place by the British Commanders, yup those British have screwed over Aussies & Kiwi's for hundreds of years and raped and pillaged the globe for centuries. But ANZAC Day is NOT about the British or the War or the whole philosophy of War..

ANZAC Day is about mateship, courage, sacrifice, community and honour. It's about how incredible Aussies & Kiwis are when faced with adversity - that's both nations first peoples and the more recent arrivals (aka last couple of hundred years). We are like a family - we don't always treat each other well and we have lots of issues to solve in our family - but if someone or something from outside that family tries to mess with us, G-d help them.

We can all easily find fault with our Nations - but when we are up against it for whatever reason, natural disasters or man made ones like war, we are amazing in our courage and compassion, honour and determination - and our ingenuity.

ANZAC Day epitomises to me, that no matter what shit is dumped on us by the world, when it comes down to it we have each others backs in a crisis. For me, and this is my opinion, ANZAC Day has become the day we acknowledge and honour the ANZAC Spirit - and that we should remember that the best way we can all commemorate this is to continue to have each others backs, to act with compassion and bravery and do it every day of our lives. That's not glorifying war, and it is certainly not celebrating it.

ANZAC Day has grown to become a day when we stop and take the time to honour all our military service people, particularly those who've served in the theatre of war.

Which brings me to another gripe I have. The number of people who actually said to my face that my son shouldn't have been in Afghanistan and that he was wrong to go, this was happening even during the time he was deployed, and it was startling and incredibly hurtful.

Do those same people have the hide to tell a Paramedic which people they should save and which they shouldn't? Do they tell the Fire Brigade Officer which fire should be extinguished and which shouldn't? Seriously the majority of people who join the military or the emergency services do so to serve their community/country they do it out of an altruistic calling, and that calling doesn't allow them to pick and choose who they save or who they don't, where they fight and where they don't.

The only reason ADF members put themselves forward for deployments is because they have that ANZAC Spirit, they know if they don't go their mate will have to. Imagine if noone in the ADF put themselves forward for deployments, the government/CDF would make arbitrary decisions - just like Vietnam all over - conscription and forced deployments.

It really pisses me off when someone says to me 'but your son volunteered to go to Afghanistan' as if that means he and his mates deserve the trauma and the injuries they sustained, and those that didn't come home must have in some way deserved to die. Some people are so shallow - if our government (the one elected by us) decides on our behalf to commit a certain number of our troops to a conflict, they will send those troops.

BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH A WAR WE'RE INVOLVED IN - look in the mirror because it's your vote that elects the government and your government that takes these decisions based on that vote. Not the Soldier or the Sailor or the Pilot - they are serving your wishes, in the same way the Emergency Services serve your wishes. Also ask yourselves what you'd expect if our lands were attacked? Do you want a Military then? Would you like someone to protect and defend you then?

All our Veterans need from you is your understanding, compassion and GRATEFULNESS that they have the guts to do a job you won't, Don't judge them - love them and support them to heal from the trauma they subject themselves to for YOU!

WTF Australia? Anti-Racism and Anti-Muslim protests???

I'm in avoidance mode ... seeing lots of headlines in news media and posts on friends walls about 'Anti-Muslim Protests' and 'Anti-Racism Protests' ... but can't bring myself to read them. Do I have my head in the sand? Probably. I'm hoping when I take it out the grotesqueness of these issues will have disappeared from our Australian community ...

Without reading these articles I'm dangerously making a few assumptions:

1. There are people who are lumping all Muslims with the extremists who hide under the 'banner' of Islam.

2. There are people who are frightened of extremism - lots of us in fact.

3. There are people who know our lands history i.e. stolen by racist British Governments and attempted genocide of the original people of the land.

4. People are confusing racism and nationalism ... i.e. The Australian Flag represents a Nation, albeit one created through theft and genocide, not a race.

5. Muslims are not a race, they are part of a religious belief system.

6. Extremists who hide under the banner of a religion i.e. Islam, Judaism, Christianity - are criminals not religious people.

7. Ignorance is rife in Australia, no more so than when Australians claim that our Nation is a Christian Nation ... hmmm ... 500 Aboriginal Nations with their own belief systems, a First Fleet with a broad range of passengers (voluntary and involuntary) of various religious beliefs. The truth is that since the arrival of non-aboriginal races in this land it has been more commonly those of Christian beliefs who have held power in our Governments ... perhaps indicative of the extremists hiding under the banner of Christian Religions.

8. If people want to fight/protest for what they believe they should first make sure they are doing so based on facts, all of them, not just the ones they may know and definitely not by picking and choosing facts to support their ill found opinion.

9. This isn't an assumption - it is my opinion - WTF is happening in our Nation? Have we learned nothing from our own history?