About Fuckin Time

"Took us away
Yeah took us away
Grabbed from our mother's breast
Said this is for the best
Took us away."
Archie Roach

Tomorrow, PM Rudd will officially say sorry to the Stolen Generation on behalf of the Australian Government and citizens. The Stolen Generation is one of the bleakest chapters in Australian history, and although a simple apology wont mend the years of hurt, devastation and psychological pain inflicted on the thousands of Aboriginal people who have been impacted by the actions of the past, it is a first step.

My hope is that Rudd follows up with actions - they really do speak louder than words.

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

Songs played while writing this entry:
"Shine" Collective Soul
"Alchemy" Legal Mission
"Feeling So Real" Moby
"Bonzai Channel One" Thunderball
“Rush Hour” Christopher Lawrence

Whale Song

This is a Minke whale:





















This is the Japanese Whaling Ship Yshin Maru No. 2:


























This is not science:





You shoot a whale with a harpoon - it bleeds.

You shoot a whale with a gun - it dies.

Do something about it.



Songs played while writing this entry:
"Perception" Cass Vs Slide
"One Love" Pearl Jam
"Straight To The Point" Michel de Hey Vs Jeron Verhey
"No Good (Start The Dance)" The Prodigy
"Valley Of The Dolls" Mylo
"Time Out In Toronto" SS
"Shine" Collective Soul

Much Ado About Nothing

"And crawling on the planet's face
Some insects called the human race
Lost in time, and lost in space
And meaning"
Rocky Horror Picture Show

As predicted, I'm not posting much due to summer. For those who are interested, I've been going out a bit, working lots, exercising some and making the most of the sunshine when it graces Sydney with its presence.

What else has been going on around this small, fragile planet? Let's see....

Word of the month:
WaynKarey (wāng'kərē)
noun
1. of, or pertaining to, repetitive damaging actions against women, friends, the police and yourself.

Brittney Spears has finally been declared a danger to others. That leaves Michael Jackson, Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise.....

Looks like Kevin 07 is going to make good on his promise to say 'sorry' - proving once and for all that the word can be part of the prime-ministerial vocabulary.

RIP Heath Ledger.

Stock markets are going up and down, up and down, up and down. Interest rates look like they're only going to go one way. No doubt the instances of sob stories about those nasty loan lenders repossessing people's houses because they can't afford the repayments under the conditions of contract to which they agreed to are also going to go up.

Corey proved that today's youth have no morals, no respect, take no responsibility and are more interested in a fast track to fame than they are in their family - and that the tabloid media is only happy to help.

Sri Lanka joined in on the war fad by beefing up their civil war efforts. Shame there's no oil in Sri Lanka.

Test cricket resorted to racism for publicity, while tennis turned to sex-appeal.

Australia's weather has decided to cash in on the "land of droughts and flooding rains" tag by delivering both in one hit.

Comment of the month:
"it's a free world"
official comment from the Sydney Roosters club when the media attempted to hype up a report of one of their players being caught smoking a cigarette at the beach on Australia Day.

Yep, just another month really....


Songs played while writing this entry:
"Cheap Wine" Cold Chisel
"Always" Lisa Shaw
"Does He Rent It Out" Cheap Knob Gags
"Amphetamine" Drax
"Single" Everything But The Girl
"Emenius Sleepus" Green Day
"Drumstick" NJoi
"Ariella" Black Acid
"Californication" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Seven Days And One Week" B.B.E