 To comment on the shooting of teenage students in USA two weeks ago is something I have been avoiding, mainly because the horror of it all is beyond words.
But, in the meantime, while we are reeling at the thought of guns in the US and the utter madness that permits anyone over 18 to buy an assault rifle* and the resultant massacres that are all too frequent…… meanwhile (as I said), meanwhile, what is also way beyond words, meanwhile (again), in Syria – in the same time frame, 500 civilians have been massacred in what is supposedly a justified war. AND, of these 500 civilians, over 120 of them were children. (Take that in, if you can). So 17 students were shot and killed in USA and almost the whole world is shaken and horrified – and rightly so. It is an abomination that this can happen in an otherwise peaceful school setting. But, what of the children of all ages who have also been gunned down and bombed (to DEATH) in Syria? (And now, I read, have also been showered with deadly gas!) What about those little lives? More than seven times the US toll of dead children happened in Syria – and that’s just the ‘tip of the iceberg’. These were just part of the civilian toll for the past 2 weeks. Not to mention the dead, injured and maimed people of all ages. This is all beyond words, but I have to say it. I am full of admiration for the young people in USA who are taking on the disgusting NRA. It is such a shame that there is no matching movement to help the Syrians and others caught up in useless wars. And ‘USELESS’ is the operative word! War never achieves anything! Nothing, except horror, injury and death. My father was a soldier in the Northern Territory (Australia) way back during World War 2. He survived as he was not in Darwin when the Japanese rained bombs upon the land. And, for those almost 500 killed (just in Darwin) what was achieved? Nothing! And now Australia and Japan are ‘best friends’. So what was that all about in the 1940s? I have digressed from talking about the American school massacre to the meaning of war. I’m sorry, it’s all beyond words. And our Prime Minister wants Australia to boost its arms dealing..... Beyond words... *AR-15-style rifles have been used in recent mass shootings at in Aurora, Colo.; Santa Monica and San Bernardino, Calif.; Orlando, Florida and now Parkland.
0 Comments
 Right now I’ve been putting off writing a blog post as I feel I should (should?) be writing about some of what is happening here politically in Australia but much of it makes me feel quite ill. It’s unpleasant even thinking about it, let alone writing about it and I have to I wonder why news journalists are not screaming in response to some of the latest ‘news’. Where are the headlines about inequality and horror?
Here’s just one instance: our Prime Minister has, this past week, announced that he would like Australia to become one of the top 10 weapons producers in the world. What? Join the arms dealing business? Does he even know the reason ‘arms’ are made? Their purpose (whether spoken or not), Mr Prime Minister, is to wreak havoc on others (not us, of course) and actually kill and maim them. Did you not realise that? And, did you also not realise that, once these weapons are produced and sold to other nations (oh, so much rubbing of hands in glee, at the thought of the money) did you not ever think that the nation that bought these weapons, might one day NOT be our friend and perhaps decide to obliterate us? Ever think of that? And…how about taking a look at footage of some of the worst after-effect scenes in (current) war torn countries. Nice, huh? Good thing to do? Would you like that? Would you like your luxury home to end up like that? Thought not. The other terrible result of arms/weapons use is that, once their purpose has been achieved, the consequence is more than likely to be more and more people bombed out of their homes and their homeland and turned into homeless and terrified refugees. Dead, injured and/or without a home. And, what does our Prime Minister think about that? Well, what he does is ‘stop the boats’ (he loves that phrase) to make sure that none of these refugees ever tries to come to Australia for refuge - to seek asylum. Nice confluence of ideas: produce and sell weapons to be used in conflicts all over the world, while refusing asylum to the resulting human detritus. Nice one! (Of course, often to help START the war in the first place!) So, there you have it. That’s partly why I feel unable to write anything hopeful or positive while I watch this awful approach by our ‘leader’. I will only briefly mention other worries, such as our current politicians’ promotion of COAL, the neglect of crucial environment issues and the curbing of much R & D in universities and scientific studies. But, it seems that to be in the world’s ‘top 10’ in the arms race is the position to aspire towards. Where are the headlines criticising this decision? Where are the protests? |
