melbournesnapshots

Beatles bring me back to Blogging

Received a great EMAIL today about the Beatles - from an ex- Liverpudlian living in Sydney - Thanks John "O" - great to hear from you!! (I have sent you an EMAIL as well)
Always very happy to connect with fellow Beatles fanatics!!

TypeKey - Will be Turned on soon

To all my very valued commenters (including P.S. Kay, Mohammed et al)- I want to let you know that this blog will be implementing typekey shortly - to ensure that there is no "identity hi-jacking" by others, so go check it out and register for free - so I can be sure who is putting comments on this blog!

TypeKey is a free, open system providing you a central identity for posting comments on weblogs and logging into other websites. You can register for free.

TypeKey enables you to verify and protect your identity on the web. Enabling TypeKey on your own site increases accountability for the content that appears on your weblog and stops comment spam cold.

World Domination by the US?? Is this really what it is all about?

I went to University in Queensland in the 1970's - and that campus, believe it or not was a "hotbed" of radical (at times quite feral) activity - there was Errol O'neil (lecturer and left wing activist) and Jim Prentice (red-haired student activist)- Jim Cairns a regular visitor... and many other vocal and active left-wing student and lecturer activisits - (apologies to those whose names don't spring to mind instantly)... there was Kath Walker the aboriginal poet - the Springboks, Joh, street march bans even Peter Beattie (Qld Premier) etc etc - you get the picture - the student union was dominated by the "RAT" party (Radical Activist Ticket) and I watched all this with great interest - I listened to everything that was said but found it very hard to fully accept all the doctrine and dogma that was being spewed forth about the corruption, hidden agendas and deceipt of the western countries, particularly the US.

If all what was said back then was true and if I express opinions that do not support these doctrines - it is simply because I find it hard to believe that things (our Governments and elected representatives) could be so screwed up and that the "ordinary person" is given such a "whitewash" - am I just naive or are these critics of the US , successive Governments and the attribution of world domination motives to these Governments - are they paranoid?? or are they right??

I am really taken back to this time (the 70's) and the feelings I had then, whilst I was reading the comment from jackkanaris. He really criticises my opinion as being in "denial of the facts as we know them" - and in doing so, he actually attacks the entire fundamental operating principle that guides me in living day to day... and that is that our leaders (Bush, Blair, Howard) are essentially good decent honest people, who do not have massive hidden agendas and are fundamentally open and honest with us, their electors. What do others think?? Is Jack right? Is the world completely run by the corporations who put the "mouthpeice" politicians into office? I do say that my opinion as expressed is not based on any research and fundamentally comes from the popular media "inputs" that most people are exposed to... What does it mean if what Jack says is true?? That we are all unwitting, duped pawns in someone else's game?? I am actually very open to what Jack is saying - there is a lot of what Jack says that makes sense and bears further thought - it occurs to me that the problem with today's media - where I confess I draw all my current affairs "knowledge" does not present events in their full context -the context of jack's comment as well as Cameron and Tony's comments do make sense..

So, here is my question .. if jack is right, what are people doing about it???

Check out the very interesting and critical (hard-hitting - no punches pulled comment from  jackkanaris who says...

Alan,i just read your opinion on Tony Godsons question re the London bombing and you sure let the rhetoric fly,and as usual you are in denial of the facts as we know them.

If you were to look at the world through the eyes of the Neo-cons of the current Bush administration and their quest for "FULL SPECTRUM DOMINATION"to use their own phrase,just go to PFNAC,you would realise that the invasion of IRAQ was not about Democracy,not about terrorism or Saddam,it was about Americas desire to dominate the planet with its military and its ecomomy,nothing new in that,every major power,history tells us has had that dream from Ceasor to Hitler from Atilla the Hun to Genghis Khan,all have failed just as the USA is failing.But why Iraq?"... <read more>

Tony - Cameron - I see things a little differently

Tony Goodson asks some interesting questions today in relation to the "allies" actions in Iraq and referring specifically to Tony Blair

"... He (Tony Blair) knew the consequences of his actions in Iraq.  What did he expect, defeat Saddam and it would all be over, and we'd live happily ever after?  What price freedom?  And is anyone more free than before the invasion of Iraq?  Have less people died and been injured?  How are we better off now?"

Very good and important questions Tony..

Tony agrees with Cameron's unstated inference that Blair, Bush and Howard may not have anticipated that, in response to their sojourn to Iraq, that terrorism would come to our own cities... and that somehow, this terrorism was reasonably predictable and maybe reason enough if forseen, to have not "gone" to Iraq - Cameron says ...(I) wonder if, deep down inside, Tony Blair, George W Bush and John Howard, are starting to realize what they have started. Are they connecting the dots? Was this part of a collateral damage assessment when they made the decisions in 2002/2003 to invade Afghanistan and Iraq?

Whether Bush Blair or Howard saw this or not, to me is not an issue... I want to raise the fact that 9/11 was pre Iraq invasion - and for me, it is not OK to say, let us (Australia) refrain from doing anything that might bring terrorism to our cities - as far as I am concerned, the attack on the WTC was a personal attack on MY freedom and MY way of life and that of my family, my friends, my fellow Australians and my fellow Earthlings. To somehow say - look what is happening now to us (Aus and UK) because we have invaded Iraq - we have drawn the "monster's attention" to us, I am afraid is logic and sentiment that I am completely unable to support or understand.

Who knows if it was right or wrong/good or bad/ for better or worse to invade Iraq - the point is that the elected leaders of the three great "democracies" decided to do this (what you didnt vote for them? tough titty - we have a democratic system and we empower our leaders to make decisions on our behalf - for better or for worse...

As far as I know, Saddam Hussein was an ardent supooirter of terrorists and was in my view an accessory to the fact of 9/11 - did he have WMD - don't know - maybe he didn't - but if he did not - why did he not just let the WMD inspectors "get on" and do their job??, are the majority of Iraqis better off ? - if they are, they might have internet access and they may leave a comment on this site.

What does my friend Mohammed have to say on this iussue - your comments please Mohammed..

Disgraceful, Cowardly Mongrels

Good to hear that Johnnie is OK - hoping that my Auntly Rose and cousins Amanda, Ian, Linda et al and families are OK - such a dastardly cowardly pointless disgraceful act of infamy.

Heard Ken Livingstone's (Mayor of London) speech which he gave from Singapore before boarding a plane for London - what an amazing speech - it stirred me to the core of my soul - I have no idea what he is really like - this speech was my first exposure to Ken Livingstone and I must admit I thought I was watching Winston Churchill!!