I am somwhat amused by the naive expectation of President Obama that there will ever be lasting peace in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Palestine. I am even more amused that he thinks he will be the one to bring about this peace. I wonder if he has looked into the history of this part of the world, and if so, did he just overlook the fact that they have effectively been at war (in one way or another) for thousands of years?
These two groups of people- Israeli's and Palestinians- have a bloodline stemming from the very same person. Two nationalities, one Patriarch. Both of these peoples feel they have the exclusive right to the Fertile Crescent. Both of them believe the other should be destroyed. Both of them will not give up. What President Obama fails to see, is that, this feud is far greater than Gaza. It is more far-reaching than one presidency, than one man, than even the world!
Many US Presidents have tried to bring about peace in the Middle East (some of them far better men, both politically and spiritually, than Mr. Obama), but all have failed. This in not going to change, not without divine intervention- and this is coming. Maybe, instead of trying to fix the world, the Obama Administration should focus on trying to fix America.
Mr. Obama's speech to the UN General Assembly was very insistent on this peace thing. I fail to see how this peace is going to become either a reality, or a good thing. I don't like war, but somehow I think that war helps to keep our world balanced. If we achieved a truly world wide peace, I believe the only logical next step would be world wide destruction.
Mr. Obama, please work on fixing your own country before trying to fix the rest of the world.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Dismal Day
Proud to be a supporter of the All Blacks? Not likely.
It was an unusual event for me- to actually watch a rugby game. I didn't do it on purpose- I was at work during a quiet period, and just watched what everyone else was watching. How disappointing! I would have been better off reading the phonebook- I'd have gotten more out of it.
Dropped balls, knock-ons, hand-overs, intercepts, stupid decisions. Just a few of the mistakes that I could see- and I don't even watch the game. The performance of the All Blacks against South Africa during Saturdays game was pathetic. Makes me glad to be Australian! It would have been heart-breaking for any dyed in the wool supporter who can see nothing but black.
The commercialisation of Rugby has been its downfall. If we could go back to the days of part-time players, if we could have them work a job as well as play the game, then maybe the passion would be at the right place. Take away the money, make it an honour to play for the country, and get on with the game.
I feel that the country would be better off without such an emphasis on the sport. We need to set better priorities, sport is great- but it is not the be all and end all of life.
It was an unusual event for me- to actually watch a rugby game. I didn't do it on purpose- I was at work during a quiet period, and just watched what everyone else was watching. How disappointing! I would have been better off reading the phonebook- I'd have gotten more out of it.
Dropped balls, knock-ons, hand-overs, intercepts, stupid decisions. Just a few of the mistakes that I could see- and I don't even watch the game. The performance of the All Blacks against South Africa during Saturdays game was pathetic. Makes me glad to be Australian! It would have been heart-breaking for any dyed in the wool supporter who can see nothing but black.
The commercialisation of Rugby has been its downfall. If we could go back to the days of part-time players, if we could have them work a job as well as play the game, then maybe the passion would be at the right place. Take away the money, make it an honour to play for the country, and get on with the game.
I feel that the country would be better off without such an emphasis on the sport. We need to set better priorities, sport is great- but it is not the be all and end all of life.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Naive or Just Plain Stupid?
"I'm a hottie"; "Available"; "I want it now"; "Call Me"; and "I'm Waiting".
Looking at this list of phrases, you could be forgiven for thinking that it came from a filthy magazine, advertising a bunch of down and out prostitutes. However, sadly, this list of phrases did not come from a book- I wish it had. This list did in fact, come directly off the tee-shirts I have seen many of our nation's little girls wearing.
Maybe I am a little naive. Maybe this is ok. Just maybe it's normal for seven, eight, and nine year old girls to be advertising themselves to the boys and men of our society as available for sex. Maybe, as parents, we no longer have a responsibility to our children to protect them from the predators that are out there looking for an excuse prey on one of these precious young children.
How stupid can a parent or caregiver be? "It's their right to wear what they want." Rubbish! I have a daughter of my own, and Hell would freeze over before she wore anything remotely like this, while she lives under my roof. We are teaching our children that it's ok to be sexually and morally loose, right from the word go. Not only does it condition our little girls to think it's normal to be that way, it also enables our boys and young men to think that any young girls is an available target, and she "wants it"- it said so on her tee-shirt.
Maybe I'm just being too old fashioned. Maybe it is ok to be sexually promiscuous, without any shame at all. Or maybe it's time some people stood up and declared they would not go that way. Maybe we could pull our nation out of the depths of despair by some people deciding they were going to look at the way we were a century ago, and work at getting our moral standards back to that. Maybe there is no hope.
Looking at this list of phrases, you could be forgiven for thinking that it came from a filthy magazine, advertising a bunch of down and out prostitutes. However, sadly, this list of phrases did not come from a book- I wish it had. This list did in fact, come directly off the tee-shirts I have seen many of our nation's little girls wearing.
Maybe I am a little naive. Maybe this is ok. Just maybe it's normal for seven, eight, and nine year old girls to be advertising themselves to the boys and men of our society as available for sex. Maybe, as parents, we no longer have a responsibility to our children to protect them from the predators that are out there looking for an excuse prey on one of these precious young children.
How stupid can a parent or caregiver be? "It's their right to wear what they want." Rubbish! I have a daughter of my own, and Hell would freeze over before she wore anything remotely like this, while she lives under my roof. We are teaching our children that it's ok to be sexually and morally loose, right from the word go. Not only does it condition our little girls to think it's normal to be that way, it also enables our boys and young men to think that any young girls is an available target, and she "wants it"- it said so on her tee-shirt.
Maybe I'm just being too old fashioned. Maybe it is ok to be sexually promiscuous, without any shame at all. Or maybe it's time some people stood up and declared they would not go that way. Maybe we could pull our nation out of the depths of despair by some people deciding they were going to look at the way we were a century ago, and work at getting our moral standards back to that. Maybe there is no hope.
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