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#USA #FERGUSON: a non-US perspective by First Dog On The Moon (@firstdogonmoon) http://on.fb.me/15xaM89
#CLIMATE CHANGE: faith AND fact - you can have it all.
Scientist and devout Christian Katharine Hayhoe (http://bit.ly/WP-KHayhoe) being interviewed by @BillMoyersHQ.
QUOTE:
For a long time, many of us have felt that scientists are on one side, espousing one set of values, and Christians and/or conservatives are on the other side. And so along comes this new issue of climate change, which in my opinion has enormous theological implications and is entirely consistent with the Christian faith, to love others and to love our neighbours. So along comes this issue of climate change, but who are the primary spokespeople? It’s these pointy-headed scientists, who have been on the other side of the fence on many other issues regarding creation and evolution, the age of the earth and even other issues today, like genetic modification and things like that. So. It’s no surprise that when you get a messenger who’s not trusted, who you perceive as not sharing your values, why would you believe them?
[…]
I get 5 times as much hate mail from Christians than from any other group.
[…]
Caring about climate is entirely consistent with who we are as Christians, but: over the last several decades, we have increasingly begun to confound our politics with our faith - to the point where instead of our faith dictating our attitudes on political and social issues, we are instead allowing our political party to dictate our attitude on issues that are clearly consistent with who we are.
[…]
We’ve been told that you can’t be a Christian, or you can’t be a conservative, or you can’t be a person of faith - or even a person of integrity - and agree that climate is changing, that humans are responsible and that there’s something really important we need to do about it.
/QUOTE
Full interview @ http://bit.ly/1xUmP7C http://on.fb.me/1xDf1sy
#AUSTRALIA #AsylumSeekers: options for dealing with refugees, by First Dog On The Moon.
(http://bit.ly/FDOTM_immi) http://on.fb.me/1pGSr1z
#AUSTRALIA #AsylumSeekers: SBS’s “Living With The Enemy” (episode 2) addresses the dynamic between someone with a virulently anti-everything view of refugees, and an actual refugee from Iran.
(http://bit.ly/1u7tZ6a) http://on.fb.me/1u7tZ6c
AUSTRALIA #AsylumSeekers #REFUGEES: the Temporary Protection Visa (#TPV) was last introduced by Howard - and it was disastrous. If assessed as “genuine” (as opposed to “economic”) refugees (and >90% are), why continue to punish them by holding the Temporary status over their heads? People need to start rebuilding their lives, not living as if they’re on parole.
They didn’t come all this way just to get drunk & lie on the beach collecting dole payments - that’s reserved for OUR young people. They want to work, they NEED to work - qualified doctors, police, plumbers & electricians are driving taxis, working in abattoirs, rounding up trolleys at shopping centres, cleaning offices at night…
More information and details on how to write your state’s Senators, at http://bit.ly/ASRC_TPVs http://on.fb.me/1rtTHiL
So many unfortunate similarities w/pictures of Jews during WW2…
RT @Farah_Gazan: Israeli army arrested 150 youths from Khuza’a in #Khanyounis and forces them to take their clothes off #Gaza #AJAGAZA http://bit.ly/1rW55HT http://on.fb.me/1zpcrGh
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpcoKC
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpcou6
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpcnXb
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpcnGB
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1rW4UfE
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpchPk
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1rW4Tse
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpccei
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1zpcbHn
PHOTOS: (L) Jews, WW2; (R) Palestinians, now.
These should both horrify you. Equally so.
Perhaps more than equally, if you take into account who should have learned what lessons. http://on.fb.me/1rW4HZX
So a guy called Mark Sawyer wrote an article titled ‘How Racist Are You’, published in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald #SMH last week (http://bit.ly/HowRacistSMH). And then a comedian by the name of Aamer Rahman took to Tumblr (http://bit.ly/1mtr1YK) to respond.
QUOTE:
Dear Mark,
As a comedian I very much appreciated your satirical piece ‘How Racist Are You?’ published in The Age last week. I think you captured the attitude and tone of Overly Defensive And Clueless White Man perfectly. It’s actually inspired me to write my own piece called “Hey Ladies, Pipe Down About Sexism.”
Of course, I’m being silly. You didn’t write it as a parody piece. The truth is much more embarrassing. This is what you, and plenty of others, actually think: apparently racism is totes not a thing any more.
Being told by white people that racism is a figment of our imagination is nothing new. I know well enough that when looking for some quality racism, the best place to start is with the guy screaming “I’m not racist!” You did not disappoint.
Thank you for the awkward list of times you didn’t challenge people’s casual racist comments. As the kids say nowadays, cool story bro. And maybe you’re right - there is nothing that justifies calling Australia uniquely racist. Not the specific genocide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and languages, an unparalleled migration history that banned non-white immigration here until the early 70s, or our one-of-a-kind anti-asylum regime. These are things that happened pretty much everywhere, right? But seriously, why let history and facts get in the way of a white guy’s Feelings About Stuff.
You’re correct, far right parties like One Nation are a thing of the past. But only because their rampant xenophobia was quickly co-opted, re-branded and shared between Labor and Liberal, making Hanson totally redundant. In an era where our Attorney General openly defends the art of bigotry, Pauline’s services are no longer required.
You ask how many people alive are truly racist. I don’t know the exact figures, Mark. But ask yourself if the life expectancy statistics that apply to Aboriginal people - well below the national average - would be tolerated if they applied to any other group in this country . Ask yourself if our system of militarised border protection and detention - recognised as exceptional the world over - would be acceptable to the Australian public if it was designed to intercept, round up and indefinitely incarcerate white people.
These things cannot exist without a sizeable population of what you refer to as ‘true racists.’ The fact that, as a nation, we accept and allow such things to happen is not an accident or the result of simple misunderstandings. They are the calculated outcomes of generations of programming. Maybe racism is less about white people making unfortunate comments and more about systemic inequalities that have become the permanent and invisible background noise of Australian culture. To quote you, it may pay to look at the bigger picture.
It’s 2014, champ. Racism isn’t about segregated lunch counters and people refusing to shake hands any more. Racism is about this country’s obsession with defining boundaries of inclusion and exclusion, and the pervasive and violent ways in which those boundaries are maintained. Racism is about two major parties collaborating for years to convince a white majority, through various codes, that they are perpetually at risk of losing out to lazy Aborigines, ghettoised migrants, dishonest asylum seekers and suspicious Muslims. Racism is a government using free speech rhetoric to facilitate racial vilification. Racism is, in a climate of perpetual fear and hostility, The Age choosing to publish some childish nonsense about how there’s no such thing as racism.
You’re convinced things have changed. I’m pretty confident they haven’t.
/QUOTE http://on.fb.me/1o5dciL
So a guy called Mark Sawyer wrote an article titled ‘How Racist Are You’, published in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald #SMH last week (http://bit.ly/HowRacistSMH). And then a comedian by the name of Aamer Rahman took to Tumblr (http://bit.ly/1mtr1YK) to respond.
QUOTE:
Dear Mark,
As a comedian I very much appreciated your satirical piece ‘How Racist Are You?’ published in The Age last week. I think you captured the attitude and tone of Overly Defensive And Clueless White Man perfectly. It’s actually inspired me to write my own piece called “Hey Ladies, Pipe Down About Sexism.”
Of course, I’m being silly. You didn’t write it as a parody piece. The truth is much more embarrassing. This is what you, and plenty of others, actually think: apparently racism is totes not a thing any more.
Being told by white people that racism is a figment of our imagination is nothing new. I know well enough that when looking for some quality racism, the best place to start is with the guy screaming “I’m not racist!” You did not disappoint.
Thank you for the awkward list of times you didn’t challenge people’s casual racist comments. As the kids say nowadays, cool story bro. And maybe you’re right - there is nothing that justifies calling Australia uniquely racist. Not the specific genocide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and languages, an unparalleled migration history that banned non-white immigration here until the early 70s, or our one-of-a-kind anti-asylum regime. These are things that happened pretty much everywhere, right? But seriously, why let history and facts get in the way of a white guy’s Feelings About Stuff.
You’re correct, far right parties like One Nation are a thing of the past. But only because their rampant xenophobia was quickly co-opted, re-branded and shared between Labor and Liberal, making Hanson totally redundant. In an era where our Attorney General openly defends the art of bigotry, Pauline’s services are no longer required.
You ask how many people alive are truly racist. I don’t know the exact figures, Mark. But ask yourself if the life expectancy statistics that apply to Aboriginal people - well below the national average - would be tolerated if they applied to any other group in this country . Ask yourself if our system of militarised border protection and detention - recognised as exceptional the world over - would be acceptable to the Australian public if it was designed to intercept, round up and indefinitely incarcerate white people.
These things cannot exist without a sizeable population of what you refer to as ‘true racists.’ The fact that, as a nation, we accept and allow such things to happen is not an accident or the result of simple misunderstandings. They are the calculated outcomes of generations of programming. Maybe racism is less about white people making unfortunate comments and more about systemic inequalities that have become the permanent and invisible background noise of Australian culture. To quote you, it may pay to look at the bigger picture.
It’s 2014, champ. Racism isn’t about segregated lunch counters and people refusing to shake hands any more. Racism is about this country’s obsession with defining boundaries of inclusion and exclusion, and the pervasive and violent ways in which those boundaries are maintained. Racism is about two major parties collaborating for years to convince a white majority, through various codes, that they are perpetually at risk of losing out to lazy Aborigines, ghettoised migrants, dishonest asylum seekers and suspicious Muslims. Racism is a government using free speech rhetoric to facilitate racial vilification. Racism is, in a climate of perpetual fear and hostility, The Age choosing to publish some childish nonsense about how there’s no such thing as racism.
You’re convinced things have changed. I’m pretty confident they haven’t.
/QUOTE http://on.fb.me/1o5dari
#AUSTRALIA #VICTORIA LEGAL REFORM: the Victorian government moves toward eliminating the “statute of limitations” heretofore applied to sex abuse claims - now victims will be able to bring decades-old claims to criminal courts, rather than it being simply a civil court matter. The Catholic church, individual caregivers, DOCS & staff etc. will now have to answer for their crimes, hopefully be they of commission OR omission. http://on.fb.me/1ofmFpJ
#AUSTRALIA #VICTORIA LEGAL REFORM: the Victorian government moves toward eliminating the “statute of limitations” heretofore applied to sex abuse claims - now victims will be able to bring decades-old claims to criminal courts, rather than it being simply a civil court matter. The Catholic church, individual caregivers, DOCS & staff etc. will now have to answer for their crimes, hopefully be they of commission OR omission. http://on.fb.me/1ofmCKG
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH MEN
literally everything
Dear God. Humanity is doomed.
#PNG #LOGGING INDUSTRY: corruption, mismanagement and greed in the logging industry. Tonight, on NITV (34?). http://on.fb.me/1eDWwvq
#AUSTRALIA #PNG #MANUS #AsylumSeekers: an update on the situation on Manus, especially wrt G4S v. Police versions of what happened that night.
VIA “CUMA PNG”
—————
QUOTE:
SOME LATEST NEWS ON THE MANUS DETENTION CENTRE
G4S employee contradicts PNG police report on Manus violence
Story by ABC Australia:
An Australian employee of the security firm on Manus Island has contradicted a leaked PNG police internal incident report into the violence at the detention centre.
That report says G4S security staff lost control of the camp, but G4S staffer has told AM that the PNG police stood back and allowed locals to break into the compound, did nothing to stop the beatings, and in some cases joined in the violence and intimidation.
The riot has left many of the expat G4S staff traumatised. Some have left the island suffering from serious post traumatic stress and one who has spoken to the ABC, and says the situation is now so tense that the asylum seekers are refusing to have anything to do with local staff.
And a warning: This story from our national security correspondent Michael Brissenden contains some disturbing details.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Speaking on condition of anonymity, one Australian G4S employee, who describes themselves as badly traumatised after witnessing a frenzy of out of control violence, has told the ABC that after a second night of protest at the detention centre G4S staff asked to withdraw from the facility and agreed to hand over security to PNG police.
The source says PNG police then fired five or six warning shots and stood back as enraged locals poured into the compound over a back fence. Locals employed by G4S were the first ones in, followed by contract staff.
To protect the identity of the G4S employee, the statements are being read by an actor.
G4S EMPLOYEE (voiceover): We saw them going in with machetes. They had anything they could pick up: rocks, sticks, the poles from the exercise weights. Once they knocked people to the ground, they were stomping on their heads with their boots. A day later you could still see guards and staff and cleaners walking around with blood on their boots.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: One of the injured asylum seekers has also told AM what happened to him in this interview recorded from hospital after the attack:
ASYLUM SEEKER (translated): Six people were on top of me, hitting me. At the end I was holding my hand to my face to protect my face from being hit. Then (redacted) came; I know him personally. He kicked me with his military boots on my face.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Contrary to the PNG police incident report that describes it as exclusively a confrontation between G4S guards and asylum seekers, the G4S employee says once the violence began, PNG police did nothing to try and control the situation and some even joined in.
G4S EMPLOYEE (voiceover): The police went from room to room as well and held guns to people’s heads and said, ‘If you don’t give me your cigarettes, we’re going to shoot you.’
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Some local staff and expats were also inside trying to get transferees out and protect others with shields. One expat guard lay across a terrified asylum seeker to prevent him being shot.
G4S EMPLOYEE (voiceover): There were guys who wet themselves and shit their pants out of total fear. There are handles broken where they’ve tried to get in and the transferees have been holding the doors closed, and they’ve snapped the handles off and they’ve tried to get in with machetes.
There was blood everywhere; faces kicked in, noses - it’s all head injuries. I just remember blood everywhere I looked. Blood everywhere.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Eventually, the wounded were taken to the wharf.
G4S EMPLOYEE (voiceover): The wharf was full from one end to the other and there were puddles of blood everywhere. They did an emergency tracheotomy out in the open. There were people moaning; it was terrible. Everyone pitched in to do what they could. You just needed every single person who was there.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: The G4S guard says the asylum seekers now feel so unsafe that when they tried to bring local cleaners in the day after the incidents, it just about started another riot. The asylum seekers now want nothing to do with any of the locals.
The expat staff member says the atmosphere is now so tense that it won’t take anything much to kick off another round of unrest. The asylum seekers are asking them who they can trust, and who’s going to keep them safe.
CHRIS UHLMANN: Michael Brissenden reporting.
And the Immigration minister Scott Morrison’s office says there are three investigations underway into the Manus Island incident, including a full independent inquiry headed by Robert Cornall, which seek to establish the events on Manus Island that evening, and the Minister will await the outcome of the reviews.
He also said the Government has taken steps with the PNG Government to ensure there is information sharing, cooperation and convergence, as appropriate, to get the clearest possible picture of what occurred that night.
And AM has repeatedly tried to contact Papua New Guinea’s deputy commissioner of police operations Simon Kauba, without success.
/QUOTE http://on.fb.me/1fawYlr
#USA #RELIGION CRAZY PEOPLE: James Manning - always good for a bit of bare-cheeked effrontery.
QUOTE:
This is devastating what Obama is doing to the black man and the black woman, and how the white homo is now moving into the black neighborhoods looking for black men that have been converted into homosexuality. But black woman let me say something to you: you have a very hard time competing against a white homosexual male. He’s usually got money — a white homo usually has an American Express card. He usually has an opportunity at the theater — homos love the theater. They love to go out to dinners, parties, they love that kind of a thing… black people need to rise up in mass and recognize the utter destruction that Obama is going in to destroy the black family with these homosexual statements that he has done and release of demons.
/QUOTE http://on.fb.me/1hwvuqz
Maine GOP Rep [Lawrence Lockman] Apologizes for Saying Men Should Get to Rape Women… Because Abortion
There’s no statute of limitations on the crime of being a jackass.
QUOTE:
“If a woman has (the right to an abortion), why shouldn’t a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman?” Lockman said. “At least the rapist’s pursuit of sexual freedom doesn’t (in most cases) result in anyone’s death.”
/QUOTE
http://bit.ly/MaineGOP-rape http://on.fb.me/1hLHX84
#AUSTRALIA #PNG #AsylumSeekers: former (conservative) PM Malcolm Fraser comments on the Manus Island situation.
"If the minister will not inform the public, then we are within our rights to assume the worst." http://on.fb.me/1fziWOC