These disappointed Labor voters are also less likely to be worried about other planks of the Greens platform, such as legalising gay marriage, onshore assessment of asylum-seekers, bans on nuclear power activity, limits and levies on junk food advertising, adding dental care to Medicare, and high-speed rail for the east coast - all supported by higher taxes on extractive industries.

Needless to say, these are not ideas to warm the hearts of conservatives. Sydney's Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell, for one, has called the party ''anti-Christian'' and ''sweet-camouflaged poison''. Others will worry that environmentalism is a camouflage for socialism and anti-Americanism, pointing to the history of protest by some Greens like the NSW Senate candidate Lee Rhiannon, who got her first mention in an ASIO file at age seven (for attending a socialist picnic).

That there is less of this kind of alarmism than might otherwise be expected is probably due to the calm, consistent approach of the Greens leader, Senator Bob Brown. The example of Tasmania, where the party gained five of the 25 state legislature seats and joined Labor in government earlier this year, has so far been an example of pragmatism mixed with idealism too. In Germany, of course, Die Grunen were part of the federal government between 1998 and 2005.

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Gus: if no-one else wants to save the planet, the greens will do. But I firmly believe that Gillard has more on this subject in her sleeve because we'll make sure she has. Abbott is a completely lost cause as he does not understand the concept nor does he cares about it beyond his "catholic" beliefs — which to my mind are very elastic since he supports vehemently an anglican queen for no sense nor reason...

Kick Abbott in the budgies and may the best woman win...

It's ok to vote for anti-Catholic Greens: Jesuit

Some Christians, myself included, think that the Greens are not classifiable as straight-out anti-Christian,” Fr Brennan said.
“While some of their members may be (much like Mark Latham was in the Labor Party), others like Lin Hatfield Dodds (who is standing for election this week) have given distinguished public service in their churches for decades. “On some policy issues, I daresay the Greens have a more Christian message than the major parties.”
Cardinal Pell’s 8 August Sunday Telegraph column called the Greens “sweet camouflaged poison”, saying he had recently urged parishioners to “examine the policies of the Greens on their website and judge for themselves how thoroughly anti-Christian they are”.
“Naturally the Greens are hostile to the notion of the family, man, woman and children, which they see as only one among a set of alternatives. They would allow marriage regardless of sexuality or gender identity,” the Cardinal said.
The Archbishop of Sydney also noted that in 1996 Green leader Bob Brown co-authored a short book The Greens with “the notorious philosopher” Peter Singer who rejects the unique status of humans and supports infanticide, as well as abortion and euthanasia.
“They claimed humans are simply another smarter animal, so that humans and animals are on the same or similar levels depending on their level of consciousness.  This Green ethic is designed to replace Judaeo-Christianity,” Cardinal Pell said.
“Some Greens have taken this anti-Christian line further by claiming that no religious argumentation should be permitted in public debate.”
Fr Brennan called Cardinal Pell’s language in the column “unbecoming and unhelpful in the cause of the Church credibility in the public square”.
“Given that some of their policies, and on issues which will be legislated in the next three years, are arguably more Christian than those of the major parties, I think it best that Church leaders maintain a discreet reticence about urging a vote for or against any particular political party,” Fr Brennan said.

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The greens are not anti-catholic.... They are more aware of the "natural" conditions. I know many catholics who are "greens". Sure, they suffer a bit of spiritual contradiction but they manage somehow with helping in the protection of trees in the forests...

Pell is anti anything that does not suit his strict dogma with its robed rituals and latin fake secrets.

Who can forget the little church in Redfern, Sydney, where the new priest, parachuted by Pell there — after the death of the most generous ecclesiatic Ted Kennedy — was a tight-arse who did not understand the interaction with the aboriginal people and other people — such as christian jews (I met some there!) — of the place... Father Ted had the generosity of christ in his heart, opening the door of his church to all... No-one ever stole a candle... The new priest only had the preaching and the dusty ritual of an ancient punitive closed-door church... He may have improved or been replaced, but who knows... with the Pell-wind in the sails, it ain't a good look...

Note: Frank Brennan replaced the earlier tight-arse priest at Redfern church...

Amazing Gus, simply amazing.

I recall that many years ago, a Polish Priest was jailed by the Russian Government for openly preaching revolution from the pulpit.  How about that?

The Government of a people is what they deserve. However, having established that government, the people should be obligated to abide by the laws - no matter who that citizen may be. Otherwise civilization suffers.

So this heroic Roman Catholic priest was preaching from the pulpit to rise up against the legal government of the country.  How absolutely hypocritical and unjustified was the outcry - ostensibly that "you can't do that to a Roman Catholic Priest".  

Why would a citizen of one of the hundreds of various religions have the right to ignore his country’s laws whenever and however that citizen wishes?

So I come back to Cardinal Pell.  Keep out of politics Pell.

I feel safe in observing that this person is so wrapped in his own glory that he forgets the long held belief in countries, above the slavish South Americans, that he in our land is first a citizen – second NOT a politician – third a person who must not put his Vatican laws above ours [or live in the Vatican]– and fourthly that the pedophile child abuse by his Priests will not be tolerated – even if they are priests.

IMHO, it has long been demanded, but not forcefully enough, that religions should not involve themselves in politics other than the kind that they believe will save their souls but - not prevent their taxes.

It is also accepted that the duties of the Judiciary and the Executive should never be an integral part of one another.  What would Pell’s feeling be about that especially should “the Mad Monk” be elected to help him run this country?

I fervently believe that this very accomplished and intelligent young Lady, namely Julia Gillard, is Australia’s only chance of blocking Murdoch’s total control of the political landscape in OUR AUSTRALIA.

Additionally, since Pell will agree with Murdoch, before the votes have been confirmed, that their Corporation/Vatican alliance could succeed against all commonsense, then those two monsters will have to fight over the loyalty of the “Mad Monk”.

The only non conspirator is Labor and for OUR AUSTRALIA, we only have our votes!

NE OUBLIE.

picture by Gus (I was there)...

... Though I am an atheist, I support those who fight against what I call "charitable" oppression, so they get proper recognition of existence and equal interaction in their understanding of their learned beliefs — rather than be crushed by imposition of a dogma with hats or burquas.

Sharing and caring can become far removed from the ideolgies of religions and, at most time, sharing and caring are more practical in daily survival... We need to be humans — individuals of a complex smart "sharing" species. Attempting to be rigorous tight-arse gods, we end up silly submissive beasts or nasty bastards...

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In regard to the YD site, some Jews could be appalled at what we often present here...

Seeing "The Pianist" again last night on the box (28/08/10) spurred my thoughts towards my friends who got out alive out of Auschwitz... They are still bearing the enormous scars of their cruel imprisonment — and the scars from "the long march" — engraved in their hearts with tattooed numbers on their forearms. Yet some of their children have gone the high rightwingbat zionist way... The parents know the value of EVERY single life... and may cry more about this development — like a betrayal — more than their ordeal at the hands of the Germans.  The kids — now in their fifties — have no other value than to protect their wealthy zionist bullshit acquired at the expense of others they treat like dirt — and will carry on treating like dirt for years to come, far longer than their own parents ever suffered...

Sadistic shame...

G'day Gus,

I miss the significance of the Church photo old friend; does it have a symbolic intent?

As I have mentioned to you on several occasions, the male family members of the Australian Graham "clan" are invariably Freemasons, as indeed I have been for 60 years.  The craft is not as secret as it once was but the standards required to be a Mason are still the same and may I say, very stringent.  While ever I am a Mason I must honour those standards - for example - even when I was divorced from my youthful marriage, I had to prove that I was not at fault.

So, I would suggest that the Masonic Lodge is as close to the history of Judaism as one could possibly be but, without a doubt, that history is a story of the significance of a once great trading nation whose oppression began with the Roman occupation?

And I say again, when the Zionists began what I consider to be a war against humanity with the assistance of the biggest military Bully in history – I felt betrayed and bitter.  I still do.

The original excuse for these uncivilized acts against a peaceful people, was the claim that as survivors of the Holocaust, they have the right to be just as inhuman as those who had oppressed them.  Fair dinkum.

Once the world stood up for the victims of the Holocaust (who included others besides the Jewish people) dedicated Jewish organizations hunted and succeeded (in most cases) in bringing to justice those who could be proven to have been involved in the slaughter.

And may I just interpose here – NONE of the criminals were Arabs or even came from Palestine.  I am willing to stand corrected of course.

The Jewish people have developed very powerful “lobbies” throughout the world – and so has the Roman Catholic Church.

The Jewish people want a land of their own – and so does the Roman Catholic Church – the Vatican.

Somewhere there may be a peaceful answer with good will?  But I cannot in all good conscience condone the double standards of the US/UK/Zionist alliance for world domination and the continuation of wars for profit.

For example – IF the Jewish people wanted to punish those who hated and killed just because of their race – then the Arabs of Palestine are also entitled to the same measure of justice?  That's just crazy.

Do the Palestinians also have a hero like Barrabas?

Cheers mate.

Ern G.  

G'day again Gus,

Is it true that one can judge a person by the company they keep?  The media have painted Heffernan as a dinkum bush Aussie and nothing could be further from the truth.

Of course the saving grace of this small mention in the conservative media is that they have actually printed it!  Still he keeps on doing it and is protected by the Corporation's Media, and even politely excused!  Fair dinkum. But putting that clown aside...

Someday Science will overcome the fear of death because it is, at this time in history, accepted as inevitable.

So, we have developed over centuries various types of "religion" which will ensure you a life after death, provided, that you obey the dictates of those who can offer you that after life.  The Egyptians got away with it for centuries but only for the "upper class" - and thereby hangs a tale.

Also as you know there is one religion to my knowledge which doesn't believe in the "devil" or "hell" and therefore does not immediately condemn you for transgression?

Whatever people may think of that situation, it seems to me that that faith is saying there are no penalties for ner-do-wells but no rewards either.

The church in the picture is that that fought against Abbott's hero, Cardinal Pell and his mean spirit...

It has always been my opinion that nothing is perfect and nothing is unchallengable.

Whoever they are, good on them and may their courage be rewarded by a peaceful existence.

Cheers Gus.

Ern G.

THOU shalt gamble, thou shalt smoke and thou shalt sell arms, the country's most senior Catholic cleric has decreed.

Speaking at an ethics in business lunch hosted by Notre Dame University, Cardinal George Pell suggested it might be somewhat hypocritical for the Catholic Church to condemn gambling outright, given the proliferation of poker machines in NSW Catholic clubs.

''I must confess I do feel a bit uneasy about that, but only a bit uneasy,'' he admitted. ''Because culturally I'm an Irish Australian and we grew up gambling.''

Gambling in itself was not intrinsically wrong, he said. Only when it became an addiction, threatening the well-being of oneself and one's family, did it become a sin.

Warming to the forum's theme ''God and Mammon: need or greed in the big end of town'', Cardinal Pell said as far as the ethics of selling tobacco went, supplying adults who were aware of the risks and still chose to smoke was nothing to rush to the confessional about. And when quizzed about the ethics of selling arms, he hypothesised that global military contractors may in fact be acting on a moral imperative.

''I think you can produce arms morally … You might say in some cases it is necessary. We are a peaceful country. If we were unarmed that would be an enticement to evil people. The best way to stay as we are is to be strong and effectively armed so I think you could make the case,'' he said.

Instead, the cardinal's wrath honed in on corporate fat cat salaries, which were morally suspect, he said. His fellow panellist, David Thodey, barely squirmed.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/selling-arms-gambling-are-not-cardinal-sins-20101111-17pgs.html

See toon at top...

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