the stupidity of the s. happens incident!!, page-10

Hi BiggDaddy

Re; " Lapdog - I do empathise with your concern for your fellow human beings so your oppositiion to sending trops in doesn't ad up." ... "If you want me to mention the Howard governments credentials on humanity and eqaulity, I will list them. Be prepared to let Labor look like hypocites though. ..."

Thanks for the concession and be assured I do not challenge the empathy people have for their fellow human beings. However, please don't mistake me as a defender of the ALP - documenting my core criticisms of all major political parties would take me ages.

IMO any decision to go to war should be a national "gimme" - as in we all understand why it is unavoidable. IMO you cannot 'western democratise' Iraqis or Afghanis. We eventaully worked out that the Vietcong were the people - it's on the cards that the same will be true in Afghanistan despite the decade+ of interventions by superpowers.

Re the Howard Govt record I acknowledge that Howard made a substantial Australian commitment to Indonesia following the tsunami that wrecked Aceh - one that Abbott has apparently lost confidence in though. However:
. I would love to see the cost/benefit analysis they undertook prior to sending troops into aboriginal communities - the latest report cards are not looking very good!
. I am still awaiting Sadam's weapons of mass destruction and have no ambition to enjoy Iraq's new model of 'democracy' - IMO it more closely resembles scorched earth.
. Where was the cost-benefit analysis of underfunding govt. schools while bankrolling private education [IMO that is now fuelling our own home grown intolerance, violence and terrorism]?
. IMO reincarnating immigration policies used to ensure cheap labor [such as those of the late 1800s] is highly probelematic - exploitation of those affected and discrimantory against local workers whose incomes are impacted.
. Can you explain why the ICC wouldn't touch Howard with a barge pole?

IMO home grown terrorism etc. is the result of the alienation and frustration people experience. People who are demonised, discriminated against and denied opportunity to participate feel a much lesser sense of pride and belonging. Australia has its own warning signals and IMO they are not coming from Iraq or Afghanistan.