Faith-based policy

We all know that the separation of Church from State was blown out of the water by the current US administration.

On Monday, speaking in California, George said

"I based a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true. One, I believe there's an Almighty, and secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody's soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free."

(www.dubyaspeak.com)

He didn't go very far with it, but there it is. It isn't the first time he's talked about his faith and its role in his decision making.

"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job."

"Today, through sonograms and other technology, we can clearly -- see clearly that unborn children are members of the human family, as well. They reflect our image, and they are created in God's own image."

"America is a nation that is -- a nation that values our relationship with an Almighty. Declaration of God in the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't violate rights. As a matter of fact, it's a confirmation of the fact that we received our rights from God, as proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence. I -- I believe that it points up the fact that we need common-sense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God. And those are the kind of judges I intend to put on the bench."

(I find the last one particularly disturbing)

I was going to highlight John Howard's call for further restrictions on gun ownership, but Sarah has already said everything that I could possibly have wanted to say on it.
http://todaysapatheticyouth.blogspot.com/2006/04/further-restrictions-on-gun-ownership.html

Judy & Barbra 1963

It's difficult not to adore these two. I found this clip from The Judy Garland Show in 1963. Judy with the young and dazzling Barbra Streisand, singing snippets from a selection of random songs.

This isn't everyone's thing, but I love it. I sometimes wish I was around in the '60s...

I find it amazing seeing Barbra with Judy Garland in grainy black-and-white footage from 1963. This is the same Barbra Streisand from Meet The Fockers! She's incredible. Don't forget her political statements, which she posts from time to time. The link is on this site.

Here's the clip, which begins downloading instantly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZnp6Txxmao&search=streisand%20garland

And this clip is wonderfully 1970s... I don't want to get carried away, but look at her! And automatically fall in love with her!! (Sorry...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPwX21tYs8c&search=streisand%20

War has had its day

It's ANZAC Day once again.

Years ago, when I was a single-digit age, I attended the ANZAC Day parade through the city streets here in Brisbane. As I waved my little Aussie flag, an ABC journalist and cameraman appeared in front of me. The female journalist asked something along the lines of: "What does ANZAC Day mean to you?"

I replied: "It's a very special day and I think we should be proud of the people who were in the war for us, and who fought for our country."

(It appeared on the news that night.)

It is, I continue to believe, a significant day and it is imperative that we are thankful for what our servicemen and women have done. We must also always try to understand exactly what they went through.

I for one also believe that ANZAC Day should be used as an opportunity for a collective realisation of the stupidity of war: humans killing humans. There really should be no place for war in the 21st century. If you just sit and think about what war actually is, it becomes extremely difficult to fathom how any human being could possibly be supportive of it. How the Iraq invasion has any supporters at all is beyond my comprehension. Maybe someone can explain it to me. People who are just like us are killed in war. Entire families are wiped out. Lives, as important as our own, are taken away in the name of who-knows-what.

It's very idealistic of me, I realise that. But please, can't we learn our lesson? War is bad. It is backward. It is outdated. The concept would be comical if it weren't so serious.

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"

Hayden alerted me to the upcoming cinema documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. It focuses on the very real threat presented by global warming, and is presented by former U.S. Vice-President, former Democratic presidential candidate, and current U.S. President, Al Gore.

Let me just say it. I love Al Gore.

Here's the trailer:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_classics/aninconvenienttruth/trailer/

Also, take a look at this brilliant video of part of British MP George Galloway's address to the U.S. Senate's Oil-for-Food Committee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrdFFCnYtbk&search=galloway

AWB

I'm not going to make this a very long reflection on the AWB scandal. I don't really have anything to add to what has already been said by others on this matter. I carry a genuine feeling of disillusionment and chagrin over the sheer lack of openness and honesty in our elected representatives.

The "inability" of Mr. Vaile & Mr. Downer to recall anything that mattered was pathetic.

Like every other scandal that involved this government, all will soon blow over and we'll move onto something else. We become bored very quickly with these sorts of things. That is, of course, if we were ever interested in the first place.

How brilliant is this?

The protests worked. I can't believe it. It's brilliant. But I should keep in mind that France is not America, nor Australia for that matter.

The French government has completely axed the proposed First Job Contract (CPE), which had been protested by millions on the streets in France. The new labour laws would have made it easier for employers to sack young people. People left their jobs to protest, they held strikes, they forgot about university. They made their displeasure known.

Obviously, protesting is not new. Dissatisfaction with the government is certainly not new. But a major difference being made as a result - ie. the government making a complete u-turn - is not common. At least not here.

Because the majority of the Australian population were not on the streets to protest the IR reforms here, the protestors might as well have been invisible. They represented a small minority, we were told. They didn't know what they were talking about, we were told. They were stirring up unnecessary fear, we were told. Did you feel like I did during those protests? I felt they motivated the government even more to pass the laws. I felt the protests tripled their stubborness. Where was democracy? Surely the right to protest is about more than just holding signs and wearing masks. But the system has become so unresponsive. We vote. And then we are absolutely nothing. To protest in this country is to make a fool of yourself.

I applaud not only President Chirac for listening, but I applaud the French themselves, who consistently realise and utilise their power to make change.

Just quickly...

It appears that Romano Prodi has won the Italian election... albeit very narrowly. With the Right apparently holding a wafer-thin majority in the Senate, and the Left holding the House by a tiny margin, it could mean some serious instability for Italy. Berlusconi wants a recount, I read. Anyhow, it does nevertheless seem as though Prodi will be Italy's new Prime Minister.

And how about these memory lapses by Mark Vaile and Alexander Downer! Shit, this really angers me. I do not recall, I don't specifically recall, I can't seem to recall... I'll have more to say about that unbelievable crap spewing from their mouths in another post. Right now, I have uni work to do. Yuck.

Media's Response to White House Criticism

The White House recently attacked the media for focusing only on the negative in Iraq, and therefore, delivering the terrorist message. I've heard this sort of criticism from politicians in this country too.

I found a video of Lara Logan of America's CBS responding to this criticism. A really good, common-sense response. And she's very pretty too!

Take a look. (Streaming video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1jg3vWGsJA&search=cbs

Me, me, me!

I'm more-or-less copying Sarah's latest post (http://todaysapatheticyouth.blogspot.com). I have no idea whether this will interest anyone, but I admittedly enjoy filling these things out.

_______________________________________


My earliest memory is ... in a cot as a very small child, shaking the bars to get out.

At school I ... imagined it burning down and hiring Hannibal Lecter to take care of my many enemies.

My first relationship was ... in pre-school.

I don't like talking about ... high school.

I wish I had never worn ... what I wore to the Bill Clinton dinner in 2002.

My mother always told me ... to never be forced into doing something I don't want to do.

I wish I had ... mafia contacts.

I wish I hadn't ... travelled to London with another person.

My most humiliating moment was ...

My happiest moments were ... on Fraser Island in the mid 1990s.

At home I cook ... basic meals that will sufficiently quash hunger.

My last meal would be ... fish and chips.

My favourite gadget is ... walkie-talkies

When I was a child I wanted to be ... a famous cricket player.

The book that changed my life is ... I'm yet to read such a book.

It's not fashionable but I love ... Barbra Streisand singing People.

Perhaps I should have studied ... Drama.

What I don't find amusing is ... Rove McManus.

Friends say I'm ... good at impersonating celebrities (well, I hope they say that).

If I wasn't me I'd like to be ... a 1920s Londoner.

At the moment I'm reading ... a biography of Germaine Greer.

My favourite work of art is ... the Mona Lisa. Clichéd, yes, but I like it.

I often wonder ... what The Pope wears when relaxing at home.

Berlusconi vs Prodi

As I type, the Italian election is well and truly underway. Voting began Sunday morning in Italy, and will close on Monday evening. It is a particularly significant election. Italians have a choice between two very different men. Well, different insofar as Right vs Left. Silvio Berlusconi has governed Italy for five years (a long time in Italian politics). He is of the Centre-Right. He is known internationally for his support of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. That stance not only distanced him from French President Chirac and former German Chancellor Schroeder, but angered the European Union, which opposed the idea of war in Iraq from the very beginning.

Berlusconi has promised the complete withdrawal of Italian troops in Iraq by the year's end. As a result, Iraq did not stand as a major election issue.

I've read that Berlusconi is under pressure. Surveys indicated a steady lead by Romano Prodi going into the crucial final days before the vote. Prodi is of the Centre-Left.

I don't know enough specifics about the thoughts and policies of these two to actually argue why one is better for Italy than the other. I am aware that Berlusconi, whilst providing political stability, has brought about a stagnant Italian economy and been accused of lowering living standards but himself becoming richer. On the other hand, some say a Prodi victory would bring political instability from a "mish-mash of leftists" who would eventually self-destroy via infighting in the coalition.

My actual point is this: Wouldn't it be nice to see a pro-Iraq war leader ousted? We were told that we had another one-term Bush on our hands. It got re-elected. We were told Tony was on the nose in Britain. He's still there. John was going to regret being so 'willing'. He's now pretty much omnipotent.

They've all survived through some of the worst decision-making in history. It's been disgusting to witness.

Please, Italy. Show us some sense.

Miranda Devine on MediaWatch

This post is primarily for Sarah, who I know reads Miranda Devine's columns in the Sydney print media. The ABC's MediaWatch recently highlighted a Devine article concerning North Queensland's Cyclone Larry, in which Devine told the victims to stop "whingeing".

Here's the link.

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1607577.htm

100 Greatest Film Performances

Still on movies...

Premiere Magazine published a list of the 100 greatest film performances. I've only seen two of the top ten performances. I don't wish to sound like a movie geek...but I have some catching up to do.

The greatest three performances are pictured above.

1. Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

2. Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy: On the Waterfront (1954)

3. Meryl Streep as Sophie Zawistowska: Sophie’s Choice (1982)

4. Al Pacino as Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

5. Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950)

6. James Cagney as George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
7. Dustin Hoffman as "Ratso" Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy (1969)
8. James Stewart as George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
9. Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein (1974)
10. Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1980)

http://www.premiere.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=2697&page_number=25

Twisted

A quick break from politics.

I watched Mars Attacks! today for the first time in a while. It's one of the most odd films I know of. It sort of pays satirical homage to the disaster movies of the 1950s. The cast is one of the best ever assembled for a film. And yet, I don't know if it really works.

Mars Attacks! has bothered me since I first saw it. I just cannot decide whether or not I like it. Some of the dialogue swings and misses, whilst other sections display sheer brilliance. I'd really like to know what others think of it.

The movie really has a go at America, and carries the potential to upset her patriots. The ways in which the President (Jack Nicholson) and First Lady (Glenn Close) meet their fate are rather disturbing (at least for me). And yet, there is humour mixed in too. As he bellows about the strength of the US Army, the General is reduced to the height of a pin and squashed. The nuclear weapons, which we think should surely resolve the Martian problem, are made a mockery of. Members of Congress are wiped out in a matter of seconds. The Martians turn the Washington Monument into a weapon. A southern redneck family, ready with their rifles, are proved useless.

The resolution is utterly strange and completely unexpected. And it is not brought about by any kind of armed force.

I enjoy Tim Burton's dark style, but did he go too far with this one? I'm going to say no. But it is nevertheless very, very weird and extremely twisted. And I'm still no closer to knowing whether I like it or not.