printable version PDF version

Oz Parliament Suspended
by fish Monday, Feb 9 2009, 8:46am
international / social equality/unity / opinion/analysis

The Australian Parliament suspended normal business today to acknowledge the bushfire tragedy that continues to impact the State of Victoria. Politicians from both sides of the House expressed their sympathies for the victims. As of 11 Feb., 181 lives have been lost to the fires. Large townships have been severely impacted and some historical hamlets have been wiped out completely. Expressions of grief and sorrow gushed from Parliament House like the water pillaged from our artesian basin by BHP-Billiton! Today is a day of national reflection for more reasons than one.

The standing (not for long) PM, Kevin Rudd, referred to scientific studies predicting that destructive natural events in Australia would increase in frequency and intensity as the earth’s climate warmed. However, scientists did not expect these events until some years into the future. The record breaking heatwave that preceded the fires clearly indicates the future is NOW and that the nation was ill-prepared for the new dangers and challenges it faces -- a responsibility that falls directly to government, at State and National levels!

In no way do I wish to diminish the severity, trauma and LOSS experienced by innocent Australians impacted by the fires, but the HYPOCRITICAL outpourings of inadequate and incompetent government officials is becoming tedious. Australians are acutely aware of the decline in government standards and services since the Equine Influenza outbreak – an easily avoidable and unforgiveable calamity.

Hot on the heels of the EI blunder, ill-prepared governments have been caught ‘flat-footed’ again but this time at great cost to human life. Perhaps we should have known. Not a peep from Rudd over the recent murder of a 15yo boy by police or the needless death of another teen involving police sniffer dogs at a public festival. It is clear that politics has interfered with traditional priorities; the ‘forest’ has been ignored while ‘weeds’ receive disproportionate attention! Government and its inverted priorities are again responsible.

Political handlers, ever fearful of public awareness levels increasing, were quick to take the SYMPATHY and MOURNING ‘line;’ it was hoped that people would be lulled into a tragic sense of mind and not ask difficult questions -- God forbid that questions of (IN)COMPETENCE and lack of preparedness should arise! The public may even question current misdirected policies – involvement in disastrous wars on the other side of the earth for example!

However, the approach I wish to pursue is the screaming HYPOCRISY our thoroughly incompetent and servile leaders are currently displaying. Politicians choke back tears for the 130 victims in Victoria but remain SILENT over the 1400 dead civilians in Gaza or the one million innocent civilians murdered in Iraq!

The Prime Minister’s comments betray contrivance, “hell and its fury have visited the good people of Victoria.” “The nation grieves with Victoria.” Indeed, to lose 130 lives in an act of nature is tragic to the extreme but to lose 1400 civilian lives in an act of intentional war is beyond grief it is CRIMINAL! A huge percentage of children were killed in Gaza because Israelis couldn’t find a clear target so they waged war on the civilian population instead! But not a word on the tragedy in Gaza or the ONE MILLION civilian deaths in Iraq!

The devastation in Gaza was described by a highly respected Australian aid worker as, “apocalyptic!” We have noted the LACK of graphic coverage on the Gaza slaughter; however, the media saturation of bushfire related images is constant and graphical!

Unlike Americans, Australians have never been myopic or divorced from common sense. Government silence on a tragedy of monumental proportions – a holocaust in Iraq – and ‘choking back’ tears over 130 local deaths seems to grate on the morals of the nation; surely Rudd realises that 350 children killed in Gaza is a heinous criminal act! Are not children the world over loved equally by the Creator, Kevin – you stinking hypocrite? Who grieves for one million dead Iraqi civilians, Kevin?

Kevin Rudd was questioned over the intentional lighting of fires, Rudd responded clearly but without thinking, “what can you say,” he said “other than “they’re mass murderers!” Mass murderers indeed, Kevin, how exactly do you define the killers of one million civilians, what criteria do YOU use to identify "mass murderers?"

‘The nation does grieve with Victoria,’ Kevin but it also grieves for all innocent people suffering at the hands of criminal and incompetent governments!

Refresh your memory, Kevin. The more you ignore these atrocities, the less credibility have!

http://www.smh.com.au/national/grim-news-for-families-20090209-82bg.html