pecs, this is the phrase that sticks in Paul's craw; and frankly, mine, too:
"But let's look at what happened in Gallipoli and what Australia did to prove itself. And I think that's what's important to many Australians today."
The notion that we had to prove something to someone by committing our youth to such an outrage. What did we really prove? That our leaders were nowhere near as brave as our kids. That they were a bunch of yes men, generally after self-aggrandisement from the "mother country." Paul is right: we were cringing culturally; and that comes from the top down.
I've mentioned before the incident with Howard on Robertson's "It's Hypothetical" where Robertson had asked Howard what he would do if he were the chief of the aussie army in Viet Nam and suddenly a command came from the yanks that they were going to carpet bomb the area occupied by the aussie soldiers but he, Howard could not tell the soldiers to move, lest the attack would be discovered. Robertson asked Howard what he would do. I will never forget the eagerness with which Howard answered that question. He would do as the Yanks ordered! No probs at all!
