Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] Deputy Dawg

Tom Spencer tr_espen@yahoo.com.au
Sat, 22 Mar 2003 23:32:02 +1100 (EST)


Dear Janice,

You expressed great surprise that Australia entered
the war against Iraq. Lots of Australians also find it
hard to believe. Seventy-plus percent of us are
against the war, and yet the conservative party ('the
Liberals') are rock-solid behind Prime Minister (a 'PM
MP')John Howard. (Think Deputy Dawg, with a big
sheriff's badge on his proud, puffed-up chest).

So far as I know, Australia has never been an
aggressor nation before, (apart from to the indigenous
people) and Iraq WAS Australia's third-biggest
customer for wheat, and Iraq represents NO terrorist
threat to Australia, (as lots of experts and former
defence chiefs have publicly observed, in very strong
terms), and Australia is right next door to the
world's largest Muslim nation, and ... our PM sees the
American military and economic alliance as overriding
the combined weight of all other alliances.

(Alternatively, I've even heard it suggested that our
PM actually WANTS a terrorist attack on Australian
soil, so that he can be a war-time leader, and so be
compared in the history books to his hero, Bob
Menzies, who was PM in the '50s and '60s. But surely
John Howard isn't that depraved. Surely?)

Free-trade talks are currently underway, and the US
farm lobby is said to look favourably upon the fact
that Australia has been so helpful to the US. In the
same vein, a few months ago our Navy signed agreements
effectively establishing that it is a part of the US
arsenal. (Even a Brisbane Murdoch paper 'The Curious
Snail' -or is that The Courier-Mail?- headlined its
front page report with the words 'US Forces Get The
Nod'). For years the story has been that the Aus. PM
has to get US permission before entering the US-run
secret 'defence' facility at Pine Gap (west of Alice
Springs).

I hope that answers your question, but I'm sure lots
of other Aussies will have an opinion on this. Any
other takers?

Tom Spencer

=====
Put down that weapon, or we'll all be gone.
You must be crazy, if you think you're strong.
         - Midnight Oil

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