Monday 19 November 2007

Don't mention the war

Noticeable by it's absence this election campaign, is Howard's support of the war in Iraq. It's hardly been raised.

Labor, you surprise us.

And what about the treatment of David Hicks by the Government's lack of intervention? They effectively silenced him post-election, on his return to Australia.

Labor needs to pull out some trump cards this week in order to really show the constituency the Government they've been living with over the last few years.

Call me an old fashioned campaign hack, but I really thought the war and our Government's compliant involvement in it, amongst massive opposition, would have been something that would resonate with Mr and Mrs Smith and the especially the younger and first time voter.

I believed this would be a defining debate of this election.

The involvement in the so-called war, was something that made our blood boil at the time.

Now it's our time to say we disagreed vehemently with that Mr Howard. We found your Government's action was of the most untruthful and distasteful action to commit our nation to.

It will undoubtedly be your most abhorrent legacy as Prime Minister.

After many investigations, and overwhelming world dissenting public opinion, senior leaders and officials around the globe have since recounted the reasons given for an invasion were flawed and absolutely incorrect. Surely at the very least we should all deserve an apology?

Okay, so I'm staunchly anti-war. I prefer negotiation under any circumstance. Shooting and killing is so last century, or at least it should be.

For a country like the US with such technology and social advances over the last 50 years, it amazes me that they still resort to violence to move forward their agenda of power and domination. Or maybe it doesn't.

Whilst there is an obvious swing against a Government that's been in for so long, I would have hoped that the debate around endorsing a war in Iraq could have been more centre stage.

I recall the most outspoken critic of the American political administration Gore Vidal saying late last year that the next election in the US will be the "most important election in my lifetime" ...
  • “This is the most important vote that you’ll probably ever cast. Because should this gang of thugs continue in the two houses of Congress, there isn’t any chance of getting the Constitution back....

    We’re facing the most important election in my lifetime—which does not quite extend back to that of Abraham Lincoln, but it’s pretty close. There’ll be nothing more important in the voting line that one can foresee that will come our way while any of us is still hobbling around. This will determine whether we regain the republic which we have lost over the last five years.

    The coup d’etat was so rapid that even I, who am ready for such things ... I thought, these people are going to make a grab for it. But I thought, my heavens, there’s still the courts.... Even a shameless Supreme Court is not going to back up the loss of habeas corpus....

    So, my fellow countrymen, as I sit here, not yet at Gettysburg, I have a notion that this is the most important vote that you’ll probably ever cast. Because should this gang of thugs continue in the two houses of Congress, there isn’t any chance of getting the Constitution back....

    This is the last chance, really, by getting some new chairpersons to head committees in the House ... to have a clean sweep, which, in normal times, if we’d ever enjoyed them, would have happened by now. Now it has got to happen, or welcome to the Third Reich.

So to it is here in Australia.

This Saturday you will have your say and tell this Government that doesn't listen to its people nor does it represent them on such a fundamental democratic decision as going to war.

Don't mention the war. I mentioned it once but i think i got away with it.

Bang, bang. You're out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to hear what David Hicks is going to say....after the election!!!
Roll on Saturday, and good riddance to Howard...the lying, cunning, oily trackky dakked rodent!

Anonymous said...

It's going to be some celebration Saturday night that is for SURE.
Hallelujah, bye bye JOHNNY-I-LOVE-GEORGE W. BUSH-HOWARD.
Then let Australia show some independence of thought and BE AUSTRALIA, not another state of the USA.