Innocent Explanations...

I am sure that this is not what it seems. There is undoubtedly an innocent explanation for a gestation period that is seemingly at least 12 months in duration.

Either that or daddy will undoubtedly have some questions that he might need answered.

The picture comes via The Huffington Post.

A Pittance of Time -- Terry Kelly...

Something that we must all ponder no matter what our personal views might be about war. We must not forget the sacrifices of so many. Simply, two minutes is no time at all to spend thinking about those sacrifices and being grateful for those that made them.

It is indeed a pittance of time that one needs to take out to remember.

Lest we forget!

Enjoy.

Self-Portrait...

I was going through some old photos as I was looking for a photo of George Mason and the quote of the previous post, and I came across this one.

I am an amateur photographer, and I use the term amateur loosely, and I have a little point and shoot Casio Ex-P700 camera.

I have always found the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC to be one of the most powerful, thought-provoking, and inspiring memorials I have visited, even as an Australian. I know that others have widely divergent opinions of the memorial to mine. I think that the power comes from the ability to see ourselves reflected back at us, and for me this gives me pause for a little introspection on a great many things. This happens for me at a great many war memorials, including Australian, wondering what drove these brave young men and women to sacrifice so much.

I am forever grateful for the freedoms that they secured for me so many years ago, and also to the young men and women of today who continue to sacrifice so much in the defense and maintenance of those things that I, we, hold dear.

With a bit of luck, the family and I will be heading to Gallipoli in 2015 for the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing.

Anzac Day

Many argue that the Gallipoli campaign was where Australia forged it's identity as a nation, and I would tend to agree. However, this leads to the quintessential question for most Australians; What makes us Australian and how do we become Australian?

Anzac Day has always had a special place for me since I was a youngster. Yet, it has taken on more significance I think since my younger brother, Brad, joined the Australian Navy. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who dedicate themselves to the service and protection of others.

I am as anti-war as can be. I do not believe in war, I do not see it as a means to resolving conflicts, and I specially do not see it as a means of achieving lasting peace. Nevertheless, there are those who dedicate themselves to ensuring that conflict and war is a part of our existence and until the forces of good overcome those dedicated to the perpetuation of evil then this will surely be our lot. Yet, I digress from the point.

Anzac Day has taken on much greater significance for many Australians and the fact that we trek across many continents in our thousands to get to Gallipoli and places on the Western Front such as Fromelles, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Dernancourt, and Villers-Bretonneux to name but a few is testament to the increased awareness that we have as a nation of the sacrifices of our fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers, and our mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers too.

This post is not intended to be a history lesson. If you want that there are plenty of good sites you can check out for yourselves. I found one here, but a simple Google search with the terms Anzac Day history will get you about 1.4 million hits.

The Ode of Remembrance from the poem "For the Fallen by English Poet Laurence Binyon best says what must be remembered:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

It is the young men and women who sacrificed so much, including their lives, so that the rest of us could live in relative peace.

The photo of Anzac Cove is courtesy of this site and can be found there.

Stupid is as Stupid Does 2!

Is there no end to human stupidity?

I was surfing the net and came across news that an 8-year-old had shot and killed himself with an Uzi (picture from here). The first question was always going to be, "what was an 8-year-old doing with an Uzi in the first place?"

As I read a little further it turns out that this occurred in Connecticut in the US, and I am guessing on a rifle range, under supervision, and with the child's father taking pictures.

I do not know if any of you have fired guns, but the Uzi has a kick (recoil) and for an automatic weapon once the kick starts it will keep kicking until you pull the finger off the trigger.

My understanding is the kid pulls the trigger, the Uzi recoils, the kid loses control, the Uzi spins backwards, and the kid shoots himself in the head. Game over!

The next question that comes to mind is, "what were the boy's father and instructor thinking?"

What was no doubt intended to be a good day out has ended in tragedy for no other reason that the stupidity of a gun instructor and father. Uzis are weapons of war and not toys for children, it is tragic that the boys father had to learn this lesson this way!

The Difference Between Peace and War

The difference between war and peace is a mere tank of fuel!

Is this an accurate reflection of the Bush debacle that is the war in Iraq?

I report, You decide! (sounds a little Fox Networky, doesn't it?)

Army Boots

Keeping with the military theme of the last post, here is one of those "are you kidding me" moments also known as a "WTF" moments. It bothers me that this is a story originating out of Australia. Not least because of its stupidity but because I have a brother who serves in Australia's armed services and I would think that my tax payer dollars that have been taken over the years have been spent on worthwhile things like comfortable and fit for purpose clothing for those people that serve our country while we wrap ourselves in the warm blanket of freedom!

The story goes like this! Australia's armed forces have said that soldiers serving in combat zones such as Iraq, Afghanistan, or Timor Leste are permitted to buy their own combat boots from one of four approved providers in the event that the army issue combat boots are not suitable. The army has recognized that the current issue boot is no longer fit for purpose, particularly in the demanding combat zones that Australian troops find themselves in, and are developing a new boot.

In the interim, the army has said that soldiers may by their own boots and a good pair of boots could cost upwards of AUD 600, which seems like a small investment for what could conceivably be the difference between life and death, literally. Unfortunately, soldiers who do this will not be reimbursed for the cost of the boots they buy.

The Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Defence, Greg Combet, stated that the government's position is that the current issued boots are suitable. By the sounds of it he needs to get out a little more and talk to some people down at the Department of Defence because if these boots are so good then there seems to be no need to develop a new and improved pair!

For me, here is the cold hard reality, we are asking these young men and women to lay their lives on the line for us every single day they are in a combat zone and we are debating whether or not the government should reimburse these brave young men and women for a pair of boots, stupid! If you're not going to reimburse them directly then one would hope that a special provision within the tax law would allow these boots to be claimed back through the tax system.

I am definitely anti-war but I am pro-people. If we are going to send people into the line of fire then we have a responsibility to ensure that they are fully equipped and the equipment is fit for purpose. If not, then we must not send them into that danger, for me there are no ifs, buts, or maybes on this one!

Sex and War

This certainly gives additional meaning to entertaining the troops. An Australian entertainment trip to Afghanistan has allegedly ended in one of the entertainers having sex with a number of Special Air Services (SAS) troops. The singer, Tani Zaetta, has strongly denied the claims and has the backing of another member of the entourage, Angry Anderson of Rose Tattoo fame, who has also denied that the alleged sexual encounters every took place.

The interesting part here was that the allegations were contained in a debriefing memo to the Minister of Defence and then the memo some how made it into the hands of the press.

Yet, in the big scheme of things if Zaetta is doing her part for troop moral and the sex is between consenting adults is there really any harm here? Perhaps if the troops involved are married and a long way from home then there might be some moral issues but the sex itself does not seem to be illegal, unless of course there is something in Zaetta's contract that says she is prohibited from having sex with the troops.

Denmark - The Land of One Wife

Denmark has given an Iraqi man four weeks to decide which of his two wives he wishes to remain legally married to. The circumstances to this dilemma are interesting. The Iraqi worked as an interpreter for Danish troops while they were stationed in Iraq.

The Iraqi man had two wives, this is presumably not a problem for the Danes while they were doing their thing in Iraq. However, when the Danes decided to pull out it was decided that the interpreter was a person who would be at risk if he were to remain in Iraq. He and his two wives were granted asylum in Denmark...

This is not necessarily a life and death decision as both wives were granted asylum in Denmark, so both can stay no matter what the final decision of the husband is. But what a choice to have to make as the man has children with both women!

The choice is to divorce one or presumably be prosecuted under Danish law for offences relating to polygamy. By all reports the Iraqi man is going to divorce one of the wives rather than face a trial.

An interesting question is whether the forcing of the Iraqi man to choose is a violation of his human rights or whether the permitting of a polygamous relationship in Denmark is a violation of the wives' human rights? Nothing like a good dilemma to stir debate.