Sean the Blogonaut» Rant

We deserve the Nanny state we will get

Blogonaut — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 06:07:12 +0000

I have read a and reviewed Blind Faith and Little Brother this year – both offer a stark warning about overzealous government control facilitated by technology. I also plan to reread Orwell’s classic and rather prescient 1984. Indeed it seems most timely with the latest revelations about government plans to monitor us, and the subsequent censoring of those plans:

The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians’ web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause “premature unnecessary debate”.

Ben Grubb, SMH

Read the whole article and shudder at the Newspeak employed by departmental flunkies. Then perhaps reflect for a second that the current government wants to record our online life, but doesn’t want to tell to what extent, nor for what reason.

National security? Just in case you might be doing the wrong thing at some time in the future? I wonder will federal politicians be subject to recording? Who knows? But apparently we can’t handle talking about it.

More likely, we are eminently capable of debating the tripe that the government offers us in terms of IT Policies – if the filter is anything to go by.

Are we talking about this though, outside of the tech proficient and the civil libertarians (and why is this often a pejorative term)?

No, enough of the populace is enamoured with a f*cking cooking show that a debate between two potential leaders of the country has been shifted so as to not conflict.

If you can’t be bothered to wake up for the ten seconds that it requires to give damn, enjoy the nanny state you are served.

End Rant

A week in review

Blogonaut — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:43:29 +0000

You may have noticed it a bit quite this past week. I have work and lots of it.

So for your reading pleasure; some articles that I found interesting but have not found time to comment on.

Australian customs officials have powers to ogle naked pictures of your wife/husband

If you are intending on visiting or indeed are returning to Australia leave your pornography at home. That is to say legal pornography, raunchy pictures of your partner from that pool party in Greek islands. Unless of course you want to be embarrassed in front of friends and children and other passengers while having you privacy violated and your sexuality brought under intense security.

Asher Moses from the SMH reports:

Australian customs officers have been given new powers to search incoming travellers’ laptops and mobile phones for pornography, a spokeswoman for the Australian sex industry says.

Fiona Patten, president of the Australian Sex Party, is demanding an inquiry into why a new question appears on Incoming Passenger Cards asking people if they are carrying "pornography".

Patten said officials now had an unfettered right to examine travellers’ electronic devices, marking the beginning of a new era of official investigation into people’s private lives. She questioned whether it was appropriate to search people for legal R18+ and X18+ material.

“Is it fair that customs officers rummage through someone’s luggage and pull out a legal men’s magazine or a lesbian journal in front of their children or their mother-in-law?” she said.

"If you and your partner have filmed or photographed yourselves making love in an exotic destination or even taking a bath, you will have to answer ‘Yes’ to the question or you will be breaking the law."

Customs confirmed the new reference to "pornography" on the Incoming Passenger Cards and the search powers, acknowledging that searches conducted by officers may involve the discovery of "personal or sensitive possessions".

[read more]

There’s a petition here if you want to attempt protecting your civil liberties.

The Dalai Lama is a Twat

The Dalai Lama, being the affable, benevolent, feudal ruler that he is has decided to kick atheist shins with this little backhander brought to you by Ophelia Benson.

Though intolerance may be as old as religion itself, we still see vigorous signs of its virulence. In Europe, there are intense debates about newcomers wearing veils or wanting to erect minarets and episodes of violence against Muslim immigrants. Radical atheists issue blanket condemnations of those who hold to religious beliefs. In the Middle East, the flames of war are fanned by hatred of those who adhere to a different faith.

The irony of it being of course that Buddhism at its core is an atheist philosophy.

Western Australian State Library provides platform for Anti-Vaccination promoters

Podblack keeps us informed on the movements of the AVN, with Meryl Dorey shelling out more money for tickets to come and mislead the parents of Perth. The state library has stood by its decision to support the AVN talk, essentially because the AVN are not engaged in criminal activity and the library are supportive of free speech. One hopes that the head librarian would consider the plausible outcome that allowing the AVN to spread it’s anti vaccination message will result in significant harm to children and that Meryl can find an alternative venue that does not give her the imprimatur of the state.

Hitch 22 Interview

Hitchens talks with Philip Adams on Late night live about his life and memoirs. I haven’t had time to listen to this one, but should be good.

WA Premier refuses to back pre-aborion ultrasound.

Picked this little gem up through Cathnews. It seems that certain liberal politicians would like to see women getting abortions forced to view ultrasounds of their foetus. How odd the religious using emotional manipulation. Add to this the asinine comments of Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey who wants to make sure that abortion is not seen as problem free. How’s about we be open an honest, give the women the best support we can, let her make the decision without trying to guilt her. Don’t even get me started on appropriate evidenced sex ed policy.

Draw Mohammed Day

Blogonaut — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:52:15 +0000

Today is Draw Mohammed Day, so to the left is my abstract digital painting of the Prophet Mohammed. Although in just the right light you might detect a likeness to Jesus.

I’d like to think that my fellow Australians hailing from the Muslim faith might take this in the right light. That it’s a subtle comment on aspects of the culture of Islam that I find ridiculous – ie that people should be punished, violently, for depicting the prophet or that people should be punished violently for criticising Islam through satire and comedy.

If you are offended by depictions of Mohammed, if you are offended by criticisms of your faith, that’s your right. But you don’t have the right to not be offended or not be criticised.

You don’t have the right to violently suppress dissenting views.

Edit:

Seems Pakistan has decided to ban Facebook for the entire country because of the fan sites for Draw Mohammed Day

Happy Australia Day my fellow criminals.

Blogonaut — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:09:46 +0000

Twas on this day in 1788 that Governor Phillip landed at Port Jackson and claimed the Eastern seaboard of Australia for King George III. Australia did not become an officially unified country until 1901.

The Colony of New South Wales was essentially a penal colony, where those lucky enough to escape a hanging in England were transported to face years of hard labour in Australia.

So yes essentially many of the first settlers were convicts, the men and women who built this country were considered criminals.

And so it seems (as I blatantly segue) we are still to be considered criminals, having the internet( a great avenue for grass roots democracy) filtered by a government that pays no heed to the objections of its own people.

A government that is ideologically fixed to deliver a an expensive, imperfect filter for a problem that doesn’t exist.

I have to ask my Australian readers. Are we really as stupid as the caricature in the video below? The lack lustre response to the Government’s attempts to censor free speech has me wondering.

Churches can discriminate against gays and single parents in Victoria

Blogonaut — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:14:12 +0000

I must admit, I am having a hard time fathoming the decision made by the Victorian government to allow Victorian churches to :

discriminate on grounds including sexuality or marital status if it is in accordance with their beliefs

[source]

In a bill to be presented to parliament next year churches won’t be able to discriminate on

race,
disability,
age,
physical features,
political belief or
breastfeeding.

Really it seems quite a half arsed decision. We have publically funded institutions (through school funding and huge tax concessions) being allowed to do what no other sector of the community can do.

How do you determine whether hatred of homosexuals is a core belief – because a bigoted organisation says it is? Dependant on the denomination and even congregations within denominations there are huge disparities in belief on the subject of homosexuality amongst Christians. I can’t see this as anything more than supporting small minded bigotry.

I mean, surely if Christian churches were going by the letter of the law they would be stoning homosexuals to death. So really this is not a core belief is it, its just small minded, ultra conservative bigotry being supported by the state? No?

I wonder what will happen to the wonderful gay teachers working in Christian schools( is this a another tool that could be used in intra school politics to get teachers to tow the line?)or to the many gay ministers.

Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission chief executive Helen Szoke indicated that the new legislation would require schools to show how employing someone of a particular religion was relevant to a job.

I just wonder why this has not been extended to sexuality? Political pressure from the ACL? Whinging and whining from churches being dragged into the modern era?

Don’t get me started on the single parent thing…

Shame Victoria shame.

1st of July, Territory Day

Blogonaut — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:14:03 +0000

I sit typing, the scream of rockets whistle over head, a thump, thump, THUMP as munitions explode over the back fence. Then follows sporadic staccato, rat a tat tat.

I imagine that I am in Kabul or perhaps Iraq.

But no, I sit in my house on July 1st, Territory Day as hundreds of families light fireworks in their back yards, literally burning money. My wife tells me that she saw an ambulance and fire engine heading toward one of the town camps♣. I can here a siren in the background now.

The emergency department at the hospital will be treating burns tonight.

This could be a post about

the waste of money in a time of economic downturn
the risk to life limb and property posed by selling explosives to idiots who don’t know how to use them safely
the effect that it has on pets( i can hear terrified yelping of dogs)

But I have to ask what are we celebrating?

Officially of course we are celebrating the fact that

Self-government was conferred on the Northern Territory on 1 July 1978 by the Northern
Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 of the Commonwealth.
This Act is effectively the Northern Territory’s “constitution”. As an Act of the Commonwealth
Parliament it is entrenched and is subject to amendment or repeal by that Parliament. [source]

The Territory is seen as somewhat of a frontier, “the last frontier”, things are rougher, edgier here. I think it’s the last place in Australia that the public can legally buy and dispose of small explosives in their back yards.

Question a Territorian on his/her right to set off explosives on the 1st of July and he/she will probably tell you to “…get fucked – this is the territory”.

So we celebrate, we are proud that we threw of the shackles of Southern Oppression(from South Australia and Canberra). We are governed by the people that live here, that we elect, they me be cowboys, but they are our cowboys.

It’s a myth that’s been sold to us, one that we lap up.

And who am I to speak on matters Territorian?

Territory born and bread for those that think that this qualification means squat – 34 years.

I have to question once again though what we are celebrating?

We can elect politician’s to govern us, we can self govern, but only when it suits the politicians elected in/by other states.

Our elected politicians voted to enact voluntary euthanasia legislation (our duly elected politicians). A federal private members bill overturned it.
The anti-discrimination act was temporarily repealed so that the Federal government could enact an intervention and rob aboriginal people of their rights.

It matters not whether these were good things, whether they may have had positive effects, whether you agree with them.

They illustrate very clearly, at least to me that Territorians are not first class citizens, our parliament (legislative assembly) is a joke in poor taste. We are free to govern ourselves…

…but only to a point.

Happy Territory Day

♣ That is not to imply that our indigenous population is any more or less reckless than the rest of us. My wife informs me that it was in the direction of the camp and she was merely indicating a direction, not that she thought or knew that the camp was their destination.

Divorce adds to global warming

Blogonaut — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:56:14 +0000

…according to our Jesus First senator Steven Fielding

DIVORCE adds to the impact of global warming as couples switch to wasteful single lifestyles, according to an Australian politician. Family First senator Steve Fielding told a Senate hearing yesterday that divorce led to a "resource-inefficient lifestyle" and it would be better for the planet if couples stayed married.

[source]

or as is suggested later in the article maybe un-married singles could live together to cut down on carbon emissions.

Seriously I hope this idiot gets voted out at the next election, having this kind of stupidity with a share in the balance of power in the senate in dangerous.

Of course if we want to reduce our carbon footprint how’s about closing down those inefficiently designed churches and getting the religious to share venues with other community groups.

Photo Pilfered from Somebody Think of the Children

News Flash – Pope Meets Irish Churchmen

Blogonaut — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:30:07 +0000

After the recent abuse scandal in Ireland it appears that the Pope has been briefed on the issue (he must live in an Ivory Tower) or perhaps he’s been briefed on the report’s implications for the Church in Ireland.

In any case apparently he

…expressed his solidarity with the victims in the meeting Friday with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh and Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. [source]

It would be nice if he expressed that solidarity with a cheque book.

You would think it nigh impossible to rise within the ranks of the church and not know about the abuse scandals. Indeed I seem to remember this particular Pope being implicated in the creation or distribution of a document that sort to cover up abuse by church officials.

Solidarity with Victims – my arse.

Abortion worse than Child Abuse

Blogonaut — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:30:56 +0000

An argument that surely could only come from the mouths of the religious as they attempt to justify church inaction over clergy involved in systematic abuse of children

H/T Vjack

Irish times link

Video Rant – A big ol’ Catholic WTF?

Blogonaut — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:00:36 +0000

This is part of a new series of video rants. They a quick, unrehersed, and not terribly well thought out. I may do more I may not. They are recorded through the site Viddler which is worth checking out.

But without further ado here is my rant on the recent coments by Cardinal McFuckaladdy Cormac Murphy-O’Connor