truth in government
I don’t care whether you are for or against the statement of the 43, but I have one minor suggestion regarding truth in government. How about the PM stops dicking around with the election date. If you are not going to call the election this weekend, just say you are not going to. Stop with all the “we won’t rule it out and we won’t rule it in”. You are not fooling anyone. I am not against the PM having the power to decide when the election is (well, to tell you the truth, I am, but for the moment he has that power and he shouldn’t be hounded into not being able to use it). What I am opposed to is all this polyanna flirtation where the man of steel gives little coquettish hints and denials. Get over it.
August 13th, 2004 at 5:16 pm
its like the ol schoolyard
i own the ball and we might play cricket if i feel like it at lunch…
i won’t say i will because some cooler people might want to play handball with me at lunch and i’ll do that.
but its my ball and i’ll make the choice…nyeah nyeah nyeah nyeah…
heh heh.
August 13th, 2004 at 7:14 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Fixed four year terms thanks. Four years should be ample time to act and be judged without enacting econo-cide on the nation. Fixed terms would take away all this cluedo-like intrigue. I’m over it, personally.
August 14th, 2004 at 2:37 pm
and i’m sure it would be much more conviennt, calanders could be printed with “Election Day” sitting there nicely so that everyone knows about it and can plan long holidays with it in mind and so forth.
August 16th, 2004 at 12:10 pm
One puzzling dimension of the 43 is the role of the military chiefs.How come its the men of war and the men(interestingly so far as I can gather no women)that run the killing machines of war,who take the moral and ethical and biblical position on truth.What happened to the 100 or so serving defence chaplains and the untold number of retired chaplains?In terms of church and ministry that seems to me to be as equally important as to when the election is to be held;altho have trawled the good book looking for some guidance on the timing of elections.Would appreciate some advice if others have found some biblical directions on the timing of elections.(would prefer such advice not to come from the member for Parramatta!).
Alan
August 17th, 2004 at 2:21 pm
Alan, I am a little unclear on what you are suggesting.
Are you suggesting that military chaplains knew that the truth was being manipulated and they shoudl come forward?
I am not sure I understand the link.
August 17th, 2004 at 10:05 pm
Thats what I’m suggesting.
2 or 3 times a year in most church press there are stories of the ministry of chaplains - a major theme is their closeness to the people with whom they’re involved.
The denomination you/we belong to has nearly a third of the total defence forces chaplains.
Only one chaplain - the anglican bishop responsible for their chaplaincy has grappled with the manipulation of the truth of this government and this war.
His was a lone voice - first he gave strong leadership both publicly and within anglican circles to the war;as time went on he took a strong stand against the war.No other chaplain - current or retired said anything.
If chaplains are as close as they claim to be,to the institution within which they minister,then why are they so different from the exbrigadiers(who clearly because of their close and continuing relations are echoing not only their personal assessments of the lies of this government,but those of serving officers).
Alan
August 18th, 2004 at 7:04 am
In these close knit communities information spreads rapidly. I think it is fair to say that everyone knew it was happening. Not officially perhaps but they knew.
August 18th, 2004 at 3:14 pm
Mmmm interesting… do you know any chaplains to ask this? The only one I know is a retired one who is a part of our church at nccc.
August 18th, 2004 at 4:26 pm
Alan is slightly confused.
tom Frame is the man concerned.
He was a supporter of the war beforehand on the just war doctrine lines.
Unfortunately for him Andrew Cameron demolished this in the best paper on this topic.
some time AFTER the war tom Frame recanted becasue the information he was relying on was wrong. Andrew Cameron fortunately had done more research on the topic and therefore didn’t rely on the sources that tom Frame did.