Time Travel: Patience & Patients August 25, 2007
Posted by dave128 in Bush Administration, Invasion of Iraq.add a comment
Bush pleads for more patience for Iraq war efforts
Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:43PM EDT
By Jeremy Pelofsky
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) – U.S. President George W. Bush, faced with growing calls to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, pleaded with Americans on Saturday for patience and cited progress in the past two months.
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Weapons inspectors need more time: Blix
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says his teams should be given “a few more months” to work in Iraq, in an interview to be published in Germany.
“Even if Iraq immediately, actively and unconditionally cooperates with us, we would still need a few more months,” Dr Blix told the German weekly Die Zeit.
Transsexuals and passports in Australia August 18, 2007
Posted by dave128 in Australian Politics, Human Rights.add a comment
Natalie Imbruglia’s sex change cousin in passport row
Maxine Frith
August 19, 2007
A TRANSSEXUAL is taking on the Howard Government in a bid to be acknowledged as a woman named Stefanie, not a man named Stephen.
Stefanie Imbruglia – a first cousin of pop star Natalie Imbruglia – is fighting a recent law change that forbids her identifying herself as female on her passport.
After living as a woman for two years, Ms Imbruglia, 42, is due to fly to Thailand in October for sex-change surgery that will complete her transition from male to female.
But she has been outraged by legislation enacted by the Government three months ago that has scrapped the right for people in her position to apply for an interim passport that lists “intended” sex rather than current gender.
Ms Imbruglia has been told she will either have to apply for a passport as a man or travel on a document of identity (DOI) that would leave her genderless.
It would not offer her the same level of protection in foreign countries and could lead to her being subjected to strip searches and harassment, says a letter she received from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“It is completely outrageous,” she said. “I am a woman, not a man. I may fly out to Thailand with a penis, but I’m going to come back as a total woman with a vagina so how am I going to get through immigration on a male passport?”
Positive action against anti-Semitism August 18, 2007
Posted by dave128 in Discrimination.add a comment
Cricket club under fire for anti-Semitism
GLEN Eira City Council has imposed sanctions on the McKinnon Cricket Club and threatened to end its tenancy after club players posted racist messages about Jewish cricket team Maccabi AJAX online.
I read about this story a week or so ago and it distressed me quite a bit. I guess I’m naive in that regard, but such overt racism still shocks and upsets me. But then, in the back of my mind, I’m a little grateful I’m still shocked, because I really don’t want to become a cynical old wreck who automatically expects the worst from everyone.
I’m very much relieved this disgusting case of racism has been dealt with seriously.
Sydney high school attacked for anti-Iraq war performance August 16, 2007
Posted by dave128 in Australian Politics, Bush Administration, Invasion of Iraq.add a comment
Rock Eisteddfod’s Iraq entry draws criticisms
The Federal Government has accused a Sydney school of hijacking the annual Rock Eisteddfod challenge by involving students in a controversial and political performance.
The piece, called ‘Bad Knight 2′, is critical of US President George W Bush and the war in Iraq.
There are calls for it to be banned because its performance will coincide with a visit by Mr Bush to Australia.
And we certainly wouldn’t want to hurt poor Bush’s feelings! Anyway, he lives in a bubble, he’ll have no idea it’s even happening.
The New South Wales Opposition’s education spokesman Andrew Stoner think it is completely inappropriate.
“To be sending this overtly left-wing political message during the APEC meeting is not only unwise, frankly it can be embarrassing for us as Australians,” he said.
Thank you for speaking on behalf of all Australians, Mr. Stoner. Speaking on my behalf, what I can say embarrasses me is that our Prime Minster is a lapdog of the Bush Administration, and this gleefully sent our country into an immoral invasion. And then there’s the treatment of indigenous Australians, the shameful treatment of refugees, a careless disregard for the environment, and the deeming of gay and lesbian Australians as second class citizens, to name but a few issues. Yes, frankly we have a lot to be embarrassed about, but it has nothing to do with high school performance pieces.
Current federal Education Minister Julie Bishop has now attacked the new performance, claiming it does not represent the “healthy living” theme of the eisteddfod.
Oh, you know what, Julie? I agree with you! There’s scant signs of healthy living in Iraq:
According to U.N. figures, barely one in three Iraqis have access to clean drinking water.
Waterborne diseases like diarrhea — the most prolific killer of children under 5 — are on the increase. In some areas, it’s up as much as 70 percent over last year.
As far as any action against the piece goes, the eisteddfod says it does not censor any performances and the NSW Education Department’s Trevor Fletcher has supported the school and says it will not be stopped.
That’s good news. You know, I really, really, REALLY don’t get people who have no qualms about the mass slaughter of humans, yet a high school dance routine keeps them up at night. I mean come on. Seriously people, come on!
Oh, and the good news just keeps coming:
US Army suicides hit 26-year high
Twenty-eight of the soldiers who took their own life last year did so while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
[snip]
So far this year, 44 soldiers have taken their own lives, 17 of them while deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
I guess that’s called supporting your troops.
Equal Love Rally August 10, 2007
Posted by dave128 in Gay Rights.add a comment
Sunday 12 August 2007 is Equal Love’s National Day of Action
The NDA is Melbourne’s mass rally in favour of same-sex relationship
recognition. Three years ago, the Federal Parliament amended the
Marriage Act to deny same-sex couples access to marriage. While we
have achieved much at the state level with the proposed Relationships
Register, as the recent report from the Human Rights and Equal
Opportunity Commission showed, there is still much inequality in a
range of federal legislation.In an election year – we must show federal candidates that we demand EQUAL LOVE!
When: 12 August 2007
Where: Assemble 11.30am in front of State Library
What: Rally to Federation Square for MidWinta Vows
Who: Bring yourself, your friends, your family, whoever!
Wear: Bright, festive and red colours!Last year, almost 5,000 people rallied on State Parliament. This
year, we can do better. So come out in your RED colours and join
EQUAL LOVE on 12 August 2007.
Cut and pasted from http://www.vglrl.org.au/
If you can, please join in, legal recognition of a loving partnership is a fundamental right that is currently being deniened to the GLBT community in Australia. It is important for our voices to be heard!
