Views from Down Under

by Glenn N. Holliman

Steph, our literary friend, playwright and author, from Australia has sent along an email in response to her expressed despondence concerning radical Islamism and global climate change.  Thanks Steph, for passing along Gary's thoughts and web links. We generally gain something when we listen carefully to persons in other parts of the globe. 

Below two very thoughtful ladies who have contributed on occasion to this blog - Steph, left from Australia and Nancy, right from Canada. I have had the pleasure of doing what does not come easy for yours truly, that is listening carefully to the viewpoints of others,  persons such as these two, who continue to offer me reflection laced with wisdom.  And now letter writer Gary has something cheerful and profound to share. - GNH

"Dear Steph, slittest thou not thy wrists just yet. I have two items to encourage you to set that sharp knife aside for the time being at least. 

These people seem sensible - http://www.australianlibertyalliance.org.au - the most moderate and non-hysterical ground swell against Islamisation I have yet seen. Their influence will grow. We will, I believe, see the day when politicians in western democracies will acknowledge the will of their people and take serious steps to stop radical Islam. Peaceful Muslims, including those whose inclination it is to fit in with the culture of their adopted secular country, will have the opportunity of either reaffirming that objective, or declaring themselves as rusted on to the more extreme aspects of the religion/political system that Islam is.

The other bit of good news is to do my major concern for our species. I discovered today, on that wonderful program The Science Show, that sea grass meadows store up to 100 times the carbon dioxide captured by rain forests. Robin Williams declared that when he heard that, he was astonished. We should all be astonished, and overjoyed by this realisation. It changes so many things. 

Think about the significance of this. Think about how much more of our planet is covered by sea than land. My most recent readings on atmospheric CO2 build up suggests that we really need to do more that stop burning carbon in order to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown, we need to actually find ways of more efficiently sequestering the CO2 that is currently in the atmosphere. This is a credible and wholly natural mechanism. It must become more widely known.

I now really want to see governments around the world taking action to prevent the removal of sea grass and to encourage its growth. More here -https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pgY16pr8B7?play=true

In the same episode of The Science Show, the PM gave an excellent speech in which he laid out with great clarity and conviction his determination to make science and scientific research a vital part of Australian life in the future. How refreshing. Neither Abbott nor Shorten could possibly have a taken that position with any credibility or conviction. 

I hope you are now now smiling!

Cheers,

Gary"

Thanks Gary!  Comments anyone?

Our first comment is from Terry in Normandy, France whose view of Islam integration with society is profoundly pessimistic -

''Peaceful Muslims, including those whose inclination it is to fit in with the culture of their adopted secular country, will have the opportunity of either reaffirming that objective, or declaring themselves as rusted on to the more extreme aspects of the religion/political system that Islam is''

This is the core illusion -

1 The Koran clearly describes the stages of jihad. Fit in as a small minority, by ages through to ISIS, who force convert, slaughter or demand ransom payments.

2 Moslem peace is universally understood by Muslims as a state that exists when all the world is Muslim and submits to the will of Allah.

3 What extreme aspects. Read the Koran. IT is clear as a bell. Unequivocal and straightforward  Not subject to misinterpretation.

This sort of complacency, born of a sense of both innate superiority, and also absolute safety from any external threat, is exactly what is causing the monstrous slaughter of Christians, and the triumph of State Socialist Atheism throughout Europe.

Terry goes on to state it is already too late concerning climate change: 

It (sea grasss) changes NOTHING.

This is a given condition, simply enumerated.

The reality of climate change, GIVEN these existing mechanisms, is best described in last week's excellent interactive set of charts identifying the sensitivities.

Look at that.

Then do anything other than shudder in horror at the murder of our grandchildren we have all but guaranteed.

Glenn,

I suggest your people read the attached website to see the current best understanding; and see how the trajectories other than those of catastrophe are now all but impossible to achieve.

Best regards

Terry

http://blogs.ft.com/ftdata/2015/10/20/how-we-built-the-cop21-climate-change-calculator/

Concerning the recent Canadian election, here is information from Ron, a political activist in Ontario who campaigned for his winning liberal candidate in Ontario. 

Hi Glenn,

As you can imagine, there has been a ton of analysis in the aftermath of the election.

Here's a very good one, I think.

Ron

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/25/justin-trudeau_n_8382304.html?utm_hp_ref=canada

The Most Recent USA Massacre

by Glenn N. Holliman

 All, the following appeared this morning, a free blog to which I subscribe.  In lieu of American's most recent mass killing, a down home Texas lady writes to her friend Margaret.  For those out side of the Southern United States, Helen expresses her feeling 'with the bark off'.  Your comments as ever welcome.

New post on Margaret and Helen I am pretty sure Republicans would be fine with abortion if a gun were involved by Helen Philpot  HELEN: Margaret, within minutes of the President saying that he would be accused of politicizing this latest shooting, right on schedule Fox News accused him of politicizing it.  I swear the yahoos over at that network could start an argument all alone in an empty room. How many times does our a President have to go on television to ask for our prayers and our thoughts  before our elected officials decide to pass sensible gun laws? Why in the world do we think it should be easier and less expensive  to get guns than it is to get mental health treatment? Crazy people fire guns at will these days and politicians have nothing to say except our thoughts and prayers are with the victims.  But a women makes the private decision to end an unwanted or unhealthy pregnancy and those same politicians cry murder and pass laws faster than a hot knife through butter. It occurs to me that if Planned Parenthood would just shoot the fetus with a gun maybe the Republicans would let women have control over their own bodies.   Now I know how awful that sounds, but it's no crazier than all those NRA-card-carrying idiots who are now warning the government to keep their hands off our guns while just a few days ago they pulled Cecile  Richards into a hearing to talk about the government getting its hands on a women's uterus. The hypocrisy of their actions is as appalling as what I just wrote. Then again, I'm not an elected official. If they cared so much about life, they'd work as hard to get rid of guns as they do to get rid of Planned Parenthood. But I fear the only life they care about is the one that will vote for them during the next election. Sadly, I mean that. Really.  MARGARET: Helen, dear, either you have fallen and hit your head again or you're just still upset by this season's Dancing with the Stars cast. Either way, I can tell that you are all fired up once again. Heaven help those in your line of fire, dear.

 COMMENTS - The Comments have been coming fast and thick on Margaret's letter to Helen!  

 From the English Midlands -

 

Dear Glenn,

You wrote me privately noting how much I deplore American policy on gun control. What policy? There isn't one. As for 'politicising' the most recent outrage, what else can your president do? His appeals to common sense are ignored every time. The Republicans won't support his policies, even though he was democratically elected, and his own party dare not, lest even they sacrifice votes to the gun lobby.

Your fellow blogger, linking abortion and gun control, is cynically spot-on.

I sigh, despairingly, with you.

From a Dear Cousin in Alabama -

  So not true, and unkind, Cuz!

From a Judge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -

 Not sure what new laws in PA could be passed on control other than confiscation. We in central PA are all for that along with banning automobiles, knives, baseball bats, drug needles, medical malpractice, exhaust fumes, etc.

One nut comes out all too frequently and millions of non-nuts all look like mean spirited radical right wing Christian jerks who have lots of thoughts and positions other than dictated by the NRA.

The blog has truth and a right to expression but is insulting to many and that is OK. As a very general statement, I see considerable hypocrisy in the abortion, gun use analogy much as I see it in those who oppose the death penalty but support abortion.

Keep in mind the President laments his failure in the gun control area. He sees the solution as banning, I believe.  Of course he will politicize each incident.

 From a Second Cousin in East Tennessee -

 
Yep!

From a Third Cousin in Texas -

Hi Glen,

Yes … “sigh”.  I agree that this country needs to do something about keeping guns out of the hands of “radicals” and the mentally ill.  I find it interesting to note that though President Obama rails about needing gun laws changes, throughout his 1^st term with a Democratic Congress and Senate, nothing was done in this regard.

But, the outlandish headline statement of this blog is really over the top!  While millions of humans have been killed, in-utero, Margaret compares this nation’s “mass killings” to the murder of over 55 million babies since Roe vs. Wade in 1973 … over nine times more lives than lost in the Jewish holocaust.  At least she acknowledged that a number (actually it’s most!) of them were unwanted babies.

According to a press report,  the shooter had some of the students lie down and then get up one at a time.  When they got up, he asked them “what religion are you”.  If they said Christian, he shot them.  This sounds like a radical terrorist to me.  Hopefully the authorities will be able to sort this out during their investigations.

Again, I’m all for instituting a national background check for anyone purchasing a gun, be it from a store or an individual.  This check could also be utilized to identify anyone with a current mental disability (if they were registered).  Of course, this has only been moderately effective in countries that have instituted registrations, or even bans on weapons. 

All of this being said, I am also a firm believer in our 2^nd Amendment right to own a gun … be it for protection, hunting, target shooting, etc.  Of course this does not get rid of the 10’s of thousands of guns currently in the hands of gangs and hoodlums … but that would need to be handled by law enforcement.  God help us if the Government ever tried to confiscate all of the guns legally owned by U.S. Citizens.

From the Cotswolds in England, a former Police Officer -

Hi Glen

I had to look up the meaning of ‘with the bark off’, and am glad I did. I had assumed the ‘bark’ was that of a dog and that speaking with it off simply meant toning down any aggression and speaking in a controlled manner. Just goes to show how misunderstandings can arise even when the language seems clear.

From a well-read Chemist (Pharmacist) near Oxford, England - 

Really interesting the links and thoughts you are sending us regarding gun law.

We find the "logic" impossible to understand. It seems blindingly obvious to me that if you give crazy person with a grievance a gun they will probably use it.

There will always be people like that but mercifully in this country it is not so easy to find the means to react like that. They just mutter and send hurtful tweets which, though still horrible, don't kill.
 
What answers do the gun lobby in the US have to these shootings?

From a Librarian in Richmond, Virginia -
 

Hear! Hear!

From a Law School Dean in Pennsylvania -

I think that her insight is excellent.  And so is her satiric sense.  Particularly endorse her opinion that our legislators will do ANYTHING to get a vote--alas, too true.


From a Pennsylvania Farmer's wife -

 I deplore the death penalty.  I consider myself in favor of life.  But my heart goes out to those women for whom circumstances have conspired to make them pregnant from rape or incest, or when they feel emotionally or financially unable to care for a child.  Quoting Pope Francis in a different situation, "who are [we] to judge" a woman's heart?  Margaret's blog seems to me to be the voice of millions of American women crying to be heard.  Our voices are drowned out, ignored or overridden by men who think they are "taking care of us."  LISTEN TO US!  We are people too.

From another Cousin from Alabama - 

 Thanks cousin. I think this Texas lady is “spot on”!

From one of our English Thinkers in Normandy, France -  

 Glenn,
 

It is easy for us sanctimonious Europeans to say there should be enhanced gun controls, although what good that would do in a nation possessed of 400 million guns I do not know.

I am more interested in alienation, social fragmentation, purposeless lives, people with industrially educated blank sheets of paper between their ears.

In short, de-industrialised life in the west - and particularly in the United States of America leaves individuals free from the social constraints of mutuality of obligation that has been a continuous feature of life for people since the dawn of consciousness. 

We live in times where the body of people in a society accept the isolation of many of their number as the unspoken price of their continued survival. This killer is the same as many, and is the product of our lives, our values, our fears, and is a price we are, quit clearly from our soggy sanctimonious reactions, quite willing to continue to pay. The NRA reflects all our natures.

Just as I, my ancestors, and my neighbours in Europe are responsible for the slaughters that disfigure this continent. I am more than my brothers' keeper. I am his corrupter. So are you; so are we all.

From our biography and playwright from Australia -

Hi there Glenn

I know the situation seems hopeless – confiscating, what was it? 400 million guns in the US. I can only (hopefully NOT sanctimoniously) say that a former PM of ours, John Howard, was brave enough to bring in a law banning all AUTOMATIC and SEMI-AUTOMATIC weapons except for official use. The self-interested ones all tried lame excuses such as ‘the baddies will still get them, but through the back door illegally’. Well yes, I’m sure some of that did and does happen, but overall everyone is happier and safer. The farmers can still own rifles and shoot rabbits and foxes, the gun sports clubs can still shoot rifles at their targets, but it simply makes it much harder or likely that there will be fast firing guns sitting in people’s homes. We can bang on about society’s deficiencies all we like, and boy have we got some, but the first thing that poor Obama needs to impress, SOMEHOW, on the gun lobby is to volunteer to eschew automatic and semiautomatic weapons unless for condoned official use.

It won’t stop all shootings, but it will help to reduce these episodes of mass murders.

God help Obama, because the Gun Lobby won’t.

Steph Mc from Down Under

My thanks to all for sharing comments from three continents.  The goal of this blog is to share opinions and listen to each other.   When we listen, we have a chance to ponder and consider how the world might seem to some one else.  GNH