 As current world ‘leaders’ present their ghastly - and deadly - version of ‘boys with toys’.
it’s never them who go off to fight. And it’s never them who die in wars. And it’s never them whose family suffers. And it’s never them who pay for the weapons – the cost of which could eliminate world poverty. *I know the word should be 'they', but 'them' seems to sound better in this case.
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 I had vowed not to mention it again, but..
The Referendum: Decision day is less than two weeks away. We have a ‘Vote YES’ corflute in our front garden and I am happy to say that it has been there for two weeks and has not been vandalised by ‘NO’ voters. At least that gives me confidence that our neighbourhood is a decent and friendly one. Or perhaps no one has noticed the sign. Having earlier avoided writing too much about The Voice referendum, I am ‘speaking out’ now, as I find it upsetting to watch the ugly — and quite public — fight that has developed over it. I am incredulous to discover how many Australians are either racist, easily manipulated, selfish or just plain ignorant. They think a referendum asking all Australians to ‘walk with First Nations People’ is unfair and divisive and that they (the white inhabitants) will suffer. First Nation People have been —and still are— discriminated against, both overtly and covertly. But, according to today’s ‘The Saturday Paper’, a focus group has revealed that, “…almost a third of all participants believed First Nations people had been treated fairly. Not just now, but since invasion.” ‘since invasion’ ? Where have these people been? What have they ever read? After British colonists first came to Australia, First Nations People were shot, poisoned, shackled, tortured, and infected with (previously foreign to them) diseases, such as smallpox, measles and influenza, which killed them in their thousands. There have been attempts to ‘wipe them out’, by brutally massacring them, by sending them off their land, by destroying their country and more! White settlers, convicts and soldiers kidnapped Aboriginal women and impregnated them, only to use the ‘offspring’ as slaves. Later, many mixed-race children were taken from their mothers and attempts were made to assimilate them – or use them in other ways. This was not hundreds of years ago. This was still happening during the 1970s and even more recently. A family in the town where we once lived ‘adopted’ three Aboriginal children in about 1970. The family were praised as “good Christians”, but we saw how differently they treated these FN kids from how they treated their (biological) sons. When circumstances changed and those FN kids grew up, they left to try and find their own families. The ‘Christian’ couple then fostered two more small Aboriginal boys, but that lasted only a year, as they were returned to their families and the adoptive ‘parents’ then complained loudly how ‘their’ boys had been ‘taken back to live in the gutter’ (a quote I will never forget). But as for now… On referendum day, voters will be asked to vote 'yes' or 'no' to a single question. The question on the ballot paper will be: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?” We are asked to write YES or NO on the ballot paper. ___________________________________________________________________ If you need more details: A new chapter of the Constitution will be added. (‘129’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice). In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:
It is about recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution and paying respect to 65,000 years of culture and tradition. In other words, recognising and listening to First Nations People. No longer doing only what the white man considers best for them. I do not intend to delve into the deception and mistruths that have been forced upon us – and magnified by some Right-Wing media. It has been more than nasty. It has become political for reasons other than seeking a Voice for the first people of Australia and I am appalled. It is interesting to note, though, according to the results of the focus groups: “…your average ‘Yes’ voter is… university-educated and predominantly [from] inner metro areas…” But there are many, many other ordinary, decent Australian, from all over the country who will be writing YES. Are there enough of these ‘educated’ and decent YES voters to swing the country in the right direction? Let’s hope so. |
