SCEPTICAL? MOI?
Haven’t I been a silly fellow now? Here’s me thinking that one could believe in politicians. And believing that is on a par with the believing in the ‘tooth fairy.’ Actually I’ve never ever believed ‘pollies’, and have less reason to do so now.
John Howard, Peter Reith, Alexander Downer used stories concocted for political ends of refugees throwing their children overboard, of detained asylum seekers parents sowing their children’s lips together. (Reminds me of the Nazi story of Poland attacking Germany which caused the 2nd world war where millions upon millions of people were to die). They now say they ‘weren’t informed that they were false stories’ for weeks or months. ‘Believe me, I wasn’t told’ they say.
At this stage you’re saying what’s this got to do with the environment? Plenty! And in addition remember in the last edition I spoke of the Clarence Environment Centre’s commitment to peace? So back to the ‘tooth fairies’ and the veracity of ‘pollies’. . . . do we believe them when they disown knowledge of secret surveilence of the M.V. Tampa radio and telephone calls? These same ‘pollies’ ask us to believe them now as they attempt to increase their powers. ‘It’s for the safety and security of the nation’ they say. This session of parliament will deal with new laws to enhance ASIO and Federal Police powers to allegedly deal with terrorism. In fact it will prevent any dissent by the community who disagree with what the Federal Government is doing as it blindly follows the US President Bush and his belligerent and really insane policies of WAR here, there and anywhere.
n the US, a Senate inquiry is learning how the now-broke energy giant Enron had manipulated politicians to change rules which let Enron rip off customers, shareholders and the community. Directors and some ‘pollies’ are hanging on to millions of dollars. If the rules hadn’t been changed they could not have accumulated that ‘boodle’ let alone keep it as it now appears will happen.
Closer to home, would one believe our local ‘pollies’ when they say with regard to wood fired power stations ‘It will operate on waste. No way will we move into the forests if and when there isn’t enough waste wood and start felling trees to feed the fires under the boilers’.
In South Australia where water, electricity and sewerage were privatised with the CHANT of ‘competition will make prices come down and it will mean more efficient services,’ the consumers are finding out ‘taint so’ nor can it be any other way because to operate anything for profit is to invite the increasing drive to extract ever bigger profits and reduce costs. Always it seems the main and very often only way to cut costs is reduce wages and salaries, not of the chiefs but of the workers or reduce staff, that is sack people. The ‘tooth fairies’ would tell us it is for the good of the community. How do people without jobs or less wages buy or spend?
More on lies – the ruling Bush Administration will be using lies throughout the world to further its aims. This arose from a small ‘l’ liberal newspaper blowing the whistle on the newly named Bureau of Information’s influence whose job it is to put out misinformation and disinformation in friendly and unfriendly countries alike if it suited US aims and objectives. It is illegal to do that to US citizens so when they want to lie to their citizens they release that story – lie overseas and it can be then ‘brought in’ by the media.
-Jim