14 June 2013 Thought
for the Week:
With ICLEI in Bonn - Taking the radical Green Agenda local
The battle over global warming policy is often viewed as taking place in Washington, D.C. and the UN. But another front that receives scant attention, though is no less important, is in city halls around the globe. Time and again we hear from people who are shocked to learn that radical policies that would never pass Congress, have somehow crept into their hometown, costing jobs and restricting people's freedom to manage their own property with little or no benefit to the environment.
The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is an outfit founded in 1990 whose mission is to carry the UN's sustainable development agenda down to the local level. This week it held a "Resilient Cities" conference in Bonn, Germany that drew perhaps a couple hundred local officials, academics, policy experts and NGO's to discuss how to carry its program forward to the public.
CFACT was also in attendance, though only of course on a fact-finding mission. What we found was definitely disturbing.
ICLEI clearly has deep ties to the UN. Not only does it share in its mission to advance the far-reaching Agenda 21, a document drawing fire from grassroots activists for its assault on property rights, but it also taps that association to put it in the good graces of local officials around the globe. Although it operates in stealth mode out of the public spotlight, the organization wields some hefty influence.
Presently there are over 1,200 cities that belong to the ICLEI network, with most (if not all) bona fide dues paying members. When it holds conferences like "Resilient Cities" in Bonn, or its World Congress last year in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the local governing officials of the hosting city seem to spare no expense entertaining it – whether granting ICLEI access to the municipal art museum for socials or rolling out the red carpet for a luxurious banquet.
The actual reason for such meetings, as might be expected, is to share strategies, exchange information, and network with governmental leaders implementing environmental policy. In Bonn, no less than eleven mayors were present, along with a representative from the US EPA. The mayors – from leading cities including Vancouver, Seoul, and Bonn, among others – dropped in to participate in a signing ceremony of the "Durban Adaptation Charter for Local Governments."
This UN-inspired document pledges cities to make infrastructure and other adaptations in anticipation of so-called dangerous man-made climate change. So far there are roughly 980 mayors from around the globe who have signed on board – with backers saying it will likely top 1000 by the end of summer…”
- - Craig Rucker, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) June 2013
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AUSTRALIANS OPPOSED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFERENDUM UNITE
It is good news that Australians of all political persuasions have got together to mount a NO campaign. Those who have taken the initiative tell us:
“Australians opposed to the local government referendum have officially formed and welcome the support of any Australian opposed to Canberra’s power grab”, said spokesperson Peter Reith. Mr Reith’s comments follow the introduction of the Referendum Alteration (Local Government) Bill into the House of Representatives last week. Former Councillor, Julian Leeser, will be Convenor of the Vote ‘No’ campaign, with the support of Mr Reith, Dr Gary Johns, Nick Minchin and Tim Wilson.
“We welcome any Australian who wants to stand up to Canberra’s power grab”, Mr Reith said. “Anyone opposed to this local government referendum can register their interest at:
www.nopowergrab.com.au
“We’re building a broad-based coalition of people, regardless of their political background, to defeat this Canberra power grab. We want organising committee members, activists, donors, anyone prepared to play a part – big or small – to defeat this Canberra power grab”.
“If you want local communities to provide services based on local need, not Canberra priorities, you will want to sign up”.
“The Constitution isn’t just any old piece of paper, it’s the document that limits the power of Canberra politicians and bureaucrats and outlines the very structure of our democracy”.
“Canberra politicians and bureaucrats are trying to change the Constitution that limits their power using every trick in the book at their disposal”.
“The Vote ‘No’ group is standing up against Canberra’s power grab”.
“$21.6 million of public money is being used to campaign for this referendum. The Australian Local Government Association is amassing a $10 million ratepayer-funded campaign war chest. The Federal government has appropriated $11.6 million for a campaign that they have admitted will be a defacto ‘yes’ campaign”.
Under questioning, Senator Jacinta Collins stated in the Senate: “certainly we will be looking at a broad education campaign, but a component of that campaign will be a position where the government seeks to advocate that there are strong benefits in accepting what is proposed in this case”. – Senator Jacinta Collins, 15/05/2013
“Defeating this referendum will require every Australian standing up for their community and services being delivered on local need, not Canberra priorities”, Mr Reith said.
Agenda 21 is based on the principle that government is the maker of rights. If you truly believe you were not born to be subservient to any tyrannical government and instead choose to remain free, then you must exercise that freedom. This includes acting as a counter to Agenda 21 and its Sustainable Development program.
Our Constitution and Agenda 21: This push to include Local Councils in the federal Constitution needs to be studied vary carefully. During the year National Director Lou Cook presented two papers outlining just what Agenda 21 means.
The League has made a special offer of 3 DVDs for actionists.
Featured are:
Lou Cook’s two presentations, “How a Social Crediter Deals with Local Councils” and “Confronting Agenda 21” : Archbishop John Hepworth’s “Australia: A Vision Splendid : Nigel Jackson’s “Tony Abbott and Free Speech in Australia” : Betty Luks’ “Why Social Credit?” and Don Auchterlonie’s “The Incarnation and Social Credit”. *** Special Price $25.00 for 3 DVDs posted. |
ALL WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE IMPORTANT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD…
But some are more so, in the sight of the leftists and the politicians! by Betty Luks:
It was sad rereading Mrs Bess Price’s account of life for women and children in many Aboriginal communities. And what humbug, what hypocrisy, what double standards undergird the mainline political parties’ policies and ‘concerns’. I have pondered on Bess’ appeal which first appeared in Andrew Bolt’s Blog and which OT republished here
Mrs Price wrote: “…The left has tried really hard to call us liars and to put us down for speaking the truth and for wanting to stop the killing and the sexual violence. But they have put no effort, none at all, into protecting our kids and women. The exception to this has been a determination of Minister Jenny Macklin, who I acknowledge for her courage in the face of strong criticism from her own party and the Greens…
I recently went to Sydney for the launch of a book called Liberating Aboriginal People from Violence by wonderful caring friend of mine Dr Stephanie Jarrett. My words are on the cover of her book. We need to support those who tell the truth.
Dr Jarrett does that and she cares, maybe too much for her own good. I have seen the tears in her eyes and heard the passion in her voice when she talks about her murdered and bashed ones. I trust her completely, but, of course, those who are not interested in the truth are out to bring her down.
She has been attacked in the Monthly magazine by its editor John Van Tiggelen in an article called Thinking Backwards. Dr Jarrett is saying there are elements to our traditional culture that we must change if we are to stop the violence that is destroying us, and she is right.
Our Old Law Has No Tools To Solve it
Mrs Price continues: Things are much worse now than the old days because of the grog, the drugs and the awful welfare dependency that is sucking the life out of us. There are elements of our culture that are really good and should be kept, but we should be prepared to do what everybody else in the world has done and change our ways to solve the new problems we have now and that our old law has no tools to solve.
Some people call this integration, others call it simulation because they want us to continue to live in poverty, violence and ignorance so we can play out their fantasies on what the word culture means. I call it problem solving and saving lives. The left has its own agenda and liberating our people from violence is not part of that agenda…”
Mrs Bess Price and her husband David here... |
THE VALUE OF EACH AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL
Christian philosophy teaches that the individual, as a distinct and unique human being, has a value in the sight of God, the Father, and we are all capable of being in communion with Him. It also teaches that we are to love one another.
The concept behind this Greek word ‘love’ is not the sickly, sentimental emotionalism that passes for ‘love’ in the modern world; it is a dynamic spiritual force that expresses itself in our relations with one another.
It is an inspirational force (it is the spirit, the intent) behind our expressions towards our fellow human beings. In the real world, it reveals itself in our doing unto others what we would have them do unto us.
It was under the influence of Christianity that chattel slavery was abolished and women were given a status and dignity previously denied to them. It was the inspiration behind that great 1215 charter known to the world as Magna Carta.
Slowly but surely, as political parties have worked at replacing the concept of the rights of the individual under the protection of law common to us all, with that of the group in conflict with the individual under United Nations conventions and treaties, the rights and well-being of the women and children of Aboriginal communities has been ignored. A pox on all their houses!
Further reading: “The Essential Christian Heritage” by Eric D. Butler |
SUSPECT IN BRITISH SOLDIER SLAYING APPEARS IN COURT
Michael Adebolajo, 28, who was shot by police before he was arrested on the scene of the May 22 killing of a British soldier, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with his left arm heavily bandaged.
In a court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook, suspect Michael Adebolajo kisses the Qu'ran, as he appears at Westminster Magistrates Court, London, Monday June 3, 2013.
The news reads: Suspect in British soldier slaying appears in court, blows kiss to man in gallery, points to the sky as he made his first appearance in court. He is sketched kissing a copy of the Koran and raising his injured arm in the air
Michael Adebolajo faces various charges including murder, attempted murder and firearms possession. Adebolajo - who asked to be known in court as Mujahid Abu Hamza - faces charges of murder, attempted murder of two police officers and firearms possession.
His suspected accomplice, Michael Adebowale, 22, made a separate appearance at another London court via video-link later Monday.
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FROM THE BOSTON BOMBING TO BATTLEFIELD USA
by Brian Simpson
It’s a busy time in terrorist land – first the gun battle with the alleged Boston Marathon bombers, the brothers Tsarnaeu – then the capture of two “Canadian” terrorists plotting an attack on a Canadian passenger train. The “Canadian” terrorists, one Tunisian and the other from the United Arab Emirates continue the Islamist theme, they being allegedly al-Qa’ida supported. The brothers Tsarnaeu are Chechen and that apparently gives another Islamic connection. However an interesting twist was given by one of my favourite columnists, Brendan O’Neill, who sees the Tsarnaeu’s as essentially nihilists, lacking ideological purpose.
They are home grown and latch on to the trendy hatred of the West
“(The) Modern West actively invites people to hate it. Perhaps it’s because ours is an era in which every grain of Western civilisation is now looked on with disdain and disgust; when modernity is viewed as destructive; when it’s positively, achingly fashionable to despise the US, that pinnacle of Western values. Perhaps it’s because from history - revising academia to the mainstream green movement, the message sent out is that our way of life is a mistake and we must atone for our historic sins.”
No doubt – but – that is a broadsword and doesn’t explain the “lockdown” order in Boston when the hunt for two, repeat, two suspects, led to a city being subjected to virtually martial law. Consult https://www.infowars.com/battlefield-usa- for a photo study of this.
As painted out at Natural News.com, April 20, 2013, the official story doesn’t explain the presence of the “military spooks” wearing black backpacks seen prior to the explosions or reports that there was an announcement that “this is a drill”. And what about media reports of the arrest of a “white” suspect, which played the “the Right Wingers did it” line?
Mike Adams at Natural News.com believes that the best explanation is that the whole affair was a false flag and that Right Wingers were to be blamed, but it went wrong. The Tsarneu brothers had been recruited previously by the FBI (Adams has a link referring to their mother as supporting this) and they became the fall guys.
To me, it makes as much sense as anything else. Who knows? The surviving brother has a gun-shot wound to the throat – said by officials to be self-inflicted! – and is communicating by signs. I await, eagerly, the next exciting episode. It is as gripping as the moon landing, 9/11, the bombing of Pearl Harbor etc., etc.
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SLEEPWALKING TO DESTRUCTION - AND GRUBBY PARTY POLITICS
Bernard Gaynor states on his website: [He] is a conservative Catholic who writes what normal men dare not speak out loud. He is deeply interested in the loss of values in modern society and its impact on all aspects of life – particularly politics – and he is prepared to break all boundaries of political correctness to get his point across.
He was endorsed as the lead Senate candidate by the Queensland branch of the Democratic Labor Party. However, he says he is unlikely to run as the Federal Executive of the DLP is refusing to accept the Queensland branch's decision. The Federal Executive has structured its campaign around appealing to Islamic voters and has vetoed any candidate who will raise concerns about Islamic immigration.
"I was honoured to be unanimously endorsed by the Queensland Executive last weekend," Mr Gaynor said. "Unfortunately, the Federal Executive has made a political decision to position the DLP as the party of choice for Islamic communities in Victoria."
"I committed the grave offence of stating the truth about Mohammad. Muslims follow a prophet who was a murderer and who had sex with a nine year old girl. Because I pointed this out, I can no longer run."
"This means that the DLP Federal Executive is ignoring its own principles. These are that state branches are responsible for candidate selection and that the party is opposed to undemocratic and totalitarian ideologies."
"You cannot describe Islam in any other way. It is an undemocratic, totalitarian ideology. This is a very sad situation. When parties like the DLP and politicians like Bob Katter join the same politically correct bandwagon as Labor and the Liberals, it marks the death of truly conservative and nationalistic politics in Australia."
"This country is sleepwalking to destruction. Unless something changes, we will see soldiers beheaded on our streets and the Islamic population will continue to grow rapidly. In ten years, it will be so much harder to address this difficult issue than it is today. It will probably be too late. There can be no doubt that Islam will eventually conquer the empty, atheistic and crumbling secularist society that is killing Western civilisation. I have tried my best. I am now hanging up my boots from politics and will concentrate on my family and writing."
"I also pray that God raise up a national hero who can save Australia in the same mould as Garcia Moreno, who dedicated his country to Christ the King and achieved great things for Ecuador, before being assassinated for his Catholic faith. I would be more than willing to support such a person." Source: |
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THE DEFENCELESS WHITE PAPER NOT WORTH THE PAPER WRITTEN ON
by James Reed
What more is there to say about the recently released, widely discredited, Defence White paper? In a nutshell, the paper says that Australia needs lots and lots of gee-whiz shiny weapons like fighter jets, submarines and warships, while the defence budget is cut to a record low.
The 2009 Rudd document was concerned about the rise of China, but this document lives in another world where only good things come from China and where all is wonderful and peaches and cream.
I could go on but the document is clearly part of the Gillard philosophy of merrily whispering in the dark while the once good ship Australia, sinks. Wouldn’t it be cheaper and less painless to just surrender to China right now? Wouldn’t that excite the guilt-ridden white liberals.
| THE CONSTITUTION AND QUESTION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING
We received copies of this correspondence from one of our folk. It was initially on the question of the Financial Framework Legislation Amendment Bill No. 3. The Bill enabled finance to be given from Canberra to numerous bodies direct and without debate.
Professor Anne Twomey of the Sydney University Law School kindly responded
“Yes, the Commonwealth did pass such an Act. It was a response to the High Court's decision in Williams v Commonwealth that the Commonwealth could not fund a school chaplaincy program without parliamentary approval. The Act provides parliamentary approval for a vast range of funding schemes that were previously administered by the Commonwealth without parliamentary approval. This includes some schemes that involve grants to local government.
The big issue, however, is whether or not that Act is constitutionally valid. It will only be valid if the Commonwealth Parliament has a head of power to enact such legislation. There is significant doubt as to whether or not it has such power. A similar issue arises concerning the Roads to Recovery scheme. It was enacted by legislation (so it didn't suffer from the Williams problem of not having parliamentary approval) but there is real doubt as to whether the Commonwealth Parliament has the power to enact such legislation. This doubt arose in the Pape case.
Ultimately, however, it is quite clear that the Commonwealth can validly fund all these things by giving grants to the States under s 96 of the Constitution and placing a condition on the grant that every cent of it goes to local government. This has been the way in which local government has been validly funded since the 1920s.
There is no question at all as to its validity. The problem only arose when the Commonwealth decided to by-pass the States in order to fund local government directly (so it could get more kudos and potentially buy more votes). So the referendum is all about facilitating this alternative method of funding rather than the existing valid method of grants through the states.”
Professor Twomey continues, our Constitution and what a “Head of Power’ means
“When Australia was federated, the people who wrote the Constitution wanted to leave most power with the States and to create a Commonwealth with only limited powers. Accordingly, the Constitution is structured so that the Commonwealth needs a specific head of power - that is, a listed power to deal with a particular subject matter - before it can enact a law.
The States, however, have plenary legislative power - that is the power to make laws on any subject whatsoever - unless the Commonwealth Constitution specifically takes a power away from them (eg section 90 which says that the States can't impose excises).
The Commonwealth's 'heads of powers' are primarily listed in section 51 of the Constitution. These heads of powers are 'concurrent' in nature, meaning that the States can still legislate in relation to the same subjects, but if there is an inconsistency between State and Commonwealth laws, then the Commonwealth law prevails. The Commonwealth also has a few exclusive powers in section 52, a power in relation to territories in section 122 and a few odd other powers scattered throughout the Constitution.”
Local councils abuse ratepayer’s funds to campaign for the referendum
The City of Port Phillip moved this motion - that Council:
1.1 Agrees to participate in the national ‘Yes’ campaign at the local level.
2.2 Agrees to make a voluntary contribution of $40,760 to the national local government ‘Yes’ campaign.
The City of Greater Shepparton, the City of Melton, the Rural City of Horsham, the City of White Horse have done likewise.
Any councillor who supports the YES vote should be placed last on your ballot paper at the next local government election and given maximum exposure in the meantime for this act.
If the YES campaign is carried, regardless of which major party is elected to rule, the policies of the despicable Gillard government will continue on for evermore!
Councils should be encouraged to cease funding their State Municipal Associations and the Australian Local Government Association.
Further reading: Constitutional Barriers to Serfdom by Eric D. Butler.
Set of 5 DVDs “The Spirit of Australia’s Constitution and History” by Dr. David Mitchell, B.A., LL.B., Ph.D., LL.M. Price: $40.00 + postage.
STOP PRESS
Passing of referendum legislation in House of Reps a win for local communities 6 June, 2013
The local government sector has applauded the passing of legislation through the House of Representatives last night that would allow a referendum to be held at the time of the September federal election to include local government in the Constitution.
The Constitutional Alteration Bill outlines a simple and pragmatic change to Section 96 of the Constitution to acknowledge the financial relationship between the Commonwealth and local government and confirm the continuation of direct federal funding for community infrastructure and services.
"Although we are disappointed that two Opposition MPs voted against the Bill, the legislation received overwhelming support by members across the political divide, with 134 MPs voting in favour of the Bill," ALGA President, Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis said.
Comment from Louis Cook...
Now hang on a minute, who is ALGA President, Mayor Felicity- ann Lewis?
She is Senior Lecturer in Health Education at Flinders University. Mayor of Marion Council. A passionate supporter of reform in Local Government... she has served on the LGA State Executive. She was an inaugural member of the LGA’s Financial Sustainability Advisory Committee from February 2006 to May 2009 as well as the LGA Governance Standards Advisory Committee from October 2003 to April 2009.
With a strong interest in health and environmental issues, Mayor Lewis served on the Flinders Medical Centre Board and has been a member of the Public and Environmental Health Council since 2001.
In May 2010 she was appointed as a member of the Natural Resources ManagementCouncil.
Local Agenda 21 was first introduced to Marion Council in 1995 as part of a strategic planning program known as the integrated local area planning (ILAP) process that aimed to address the priority environmental, social and economic issues affecting the City.
Information found on Google... why am I not surprised with the inclusion of Agenda 21?
THE LABOR-SOCIALIST STRATEGY FOR DESTROYING THE STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT |
THE SPIRITUAL BRAIN: THE NEUROSCIENTIFIC CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF… THE SOUL
by Chris Knight
The dominant philosophy in science, materialism – all that exists is “matter” - has become quite abstract in the 21st century and is seen to be ‘vibrations in a multidimensional mathematical space’ (String theory). That hasn’t really worried materialists too much. Rather than bothering with cutting-edge physics, which sees the world as a mathematical construct (I would argue in the mind of God), they tend to keep to the biological sciences arguing that there is no soul and no mind (as distinct from brain processes), and they claim that neuroscience backs them up.
That is where Mario Beuregard and Denise O’Leary’s “The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul”, (HarperOne, 2007) comes in. The book by a leading neuroscientist (Beauregard) sets out to challenge the paradigm that holds that the mind is an illusion generated by the brain. It does so by showing that there is little evidence for materialism and much against.
For a start, materialists must simply explain away consciousness and free will, even though they admit that neither “problem” has been “solved”. Religious experiences come down to being a type of brain disease. But such an attitude is unscientific and dogmatic. There is good evidence that the mind (consciousness, emotions, belief, purpose and meaning), can control the brain. Psi effect, in parapsychology, has not been refuted, and materialism is impotent in accounting for it. There are also near death experiences (NDEs), which indicate that there is indeed something beyond death, although again, materialists just have to dismiss this because it challenges the entire materialist paradigm.
Most importantly Beuregard and O’Leary go through the usual arguments used by materialists (such as the human brain is just a computer) and show that there is no evidence for these views. There is even an interesting discussion of chess playing computers, which have beaten human chess champions.
All this shows is that intelligence lies in the humans that wrote the programmes, and in any case humans are now giving the super computers a run for their, well, money. Original research is also presented on the neuroscience of spirituality.
A detailed summary is beyond me, but I am comforted as a Christian in knowing that those capable of doing so have taken on the materialists.
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DREYFUS SHOWS HIS STUFF
by Ian Wilson LL.B.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis has recently given a speech in Sydney on “the freedom wars”; that Labor has launched an unprecedented attack on freedom of speech and the media academics have let it all happen. Brandis said:
“This government is engaged in a multi-front war against the traditional liberal concept of freedom of speech, sometimes by overt acts but just as commonly by festering a climate of opinion in which the centrality of the right to freedom of speech, as one of our society’s core values, is increasingly being questioned in a way that was unthinkable even a decade ago.” (The Australian, May 7, 2013, p.4)
Proving the truth of Brandis’ claim is the rejoinder by Attorney General Mark Dreyfus (The Australian, May 8, 2013, p.5), that Brandis is defending hate speech, not free speech. Dreyfus said that “Tony Abbott’s real plan (is) to strip away laws in the Racial Discrimination Act that protect people from hate speech.”
Section 18C, used to silence Andrew Bolt, was “an essential tool in stamping out vilification”.
Well, no, most of us disagree. It is a tool of the Liberal-left to silence criticisms.
Prosecutions under the Racial Discrimination Act of hate speech has tended to be directed at individuals pursuing a political issue that could be freely discussed in, say, the United States. These individuals are usually poor and ill-equipped to mount legal defences. Usually they cannot afford a lawyer.
The “victims” are usually not poor and have lawyers to advocate for them. Talk of “protection” is a bit misleading.
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CHRONIC BACK PAIN AND ANTIBIOTICS
by Brian Simpson
Those of us suffering from bad backs may have taken some comfort that chronic lower back pain may be cured by antibiotics. (The Australian, May 8, 2012) Infections by anaerobic bacteria in the discs may account for 40 percent of lower back pain.
This sounded too good to be true so I printed off the actual scientific paper: H.B. Albert (et al), “Does Nuclear Tissue Infected with Bacteria Following Disc Herniation’s Lead to Modic Changes in the Adjacent Vertebrae?” (European Spine Journal, vol. 72, 2013, pp. 690-696).
The fine print is that the research relates to infections occurring after lumbar disc herniations. The bacteria Propioni-bacterium acnes may infect 7-53 percent of patients. Modic change (bone oedema) is observed in 6 percent of the population and in 35-40 per cent of people with lower back pain. Along with the infection there is usually some mechanical cause.
As well, previous studies of nuclear tissue from herniated discs have found these bacteria present. Thus, interesting research which could well help a significant minority of lower back pain sufferers, but not the end of the curse of lower back pain.
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THE PHILOSOPHY OF BREAST CANCER
by Mrs Vera West
Actress Angelina Jolie has raised a challenging question from her preventative double mastectomy. Jolie lost her mother at age 56 to ovarian cancer. She herself has a mutation to her BRCA1 gene which gives her an 87 percent chance of breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer. Jolie has been criticized by some alternative health sites because she has taken the radical option, rather than engaging, or encouraging, use of preventative supplements and diet.
The question: Should one have healthy tissue removed to minimise the risk of cancer? Of course leading a healthy anti-cancer lifestyle should not be knocked. As well, she has a 50 per cent chance of ovarian cancer, so should she also have her ovaries removed? Perhaps. Should men who are at risk of testicular cancer have their testicles removed? You can be sure that no male actor would champion that!
Overall, having had myself one breast removed, the balance of my sympathies are for Angelina. But for those of us women who are not rich, with our public hospital flooded with migrants, Aussie women will be waiting a long time for their mastectomies. Be on the safe side, practice good health and have regular medical examinations. Check your breasts for lumps when you have a shower. Do it regularly.
The League has a wide range of interesting books dealing with cancer and health.
“World Without Cancer” G. Edward Griffin $35.00 ; ”ABC’s of Disease” Phillip Day$35.00 ; “Allicin : The heart of Garlic” $30.00 ; “Cancer: Why we’re dying to know the truth” Phillip Day $35.00 ; Cancer and Cause, Percy Weston, $25.00 ; Bechamp and Pasteur? , Ethel D. Hume, $45.00 and “Essential Guide to Water and Salt” F. Batmanghelidj and Phillip Day. $25.00. Plus postage.
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LETTERS TO THE PRESS
Paid Politicians: The Editor, The Chronicle Toowoomba. 3 June 2013
Dear Sir,
Tucked away on page 15 (T.C. 3-6-13) is the news item that Peter Reith, Nick Minchin and Julian Leeser will be conducting a Vote No campaign for the forthcoming referendum to allow local government to be recognised in the Federal Constitution.
Does this herald the abandonment of party opposition to further centralising of all power in Canberra? Or is it a step in the direction of doing away with an opposition in the future?
Australia was the most successful nation in history for its first 150 years. This arose from many lessons of the past, but the main reason for its success was our ability to control our parliamentary representatives. We chose them from our communities, knowing which ones could be trusted to act on our behalf.
While there was always debate and arguments about what each of us wanted, it was our corporate ability to stop them doing what we did not want, that returned the stability we desired and our trust in them.
This worked as it should until representatives were paid to attend parliament, where previously they were unpaid and relied on support and succour from the community they came from.
Once the money started to flow from the institution that harboured them, they turned their backs on the people who once had reason to trust them, focussing their attention elsewhere.
With the money flowed persuasion from a seductive source.
If there is one man who will rejoice in the success of this move, it is past PM Gough Whitlam, who started it all 40 years ago.
- - John Brett, Highfields Queensland
Race and Debate: The Editor of The Age, 3rd June 2013
Tim Soutphommasane claims ('Racism, bigotry and debate, Australian-style', 3/6) that 'politically correct sensitivities about race' do not 'stifle public debate'. He is profoundly wrong. The most striking contemporary example of political correctness stifling debate is that of the treatment meted out to Holocaust revisionists, who are routinely insulted in the mass media as 'antisemites' and 'neo-nazis' without being allowed reasonable opportunity to defend their theses.
In that and many other contexts the political swear word 'racist', carrying, as Nick Cater has noted, 'condemnations of moral character', has been regularly used by anti-racist fanatics to prevent or hinder calm and measured public discussion of sensitive issues involving ethnicity.
- - Nigel Jackson, Belgrave Victoria
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