a perspective

what an incredibly powerful programme on four corners tonight. most of the time we only hear the spin and propaganda of the government when it comes to the topic of the invasions of afghanistan and iraq. i think most people know what we have done is wrong; some just hide this knowledge deeper than others. it's all too easy to see things from a parochial, blinkered perspective; it's what we are spoon-fed by the tabloid media that makes up commercial television and the print media in this country. thankfully the abc still has some journalistic integrity and is prepared to report the truth. still, regardless of one's perspective, none of us wants to see aussie servicemen killed and i, as much as anyone, mourn their tragic loss and the devastation it wreaks on their families.

what i find gives me perspective is to think of how i would react if circumstances were different. for example:

a group of nations have decided they have a common hatred for the australian government and, despite our government being largely impotent, disseminate a story that it poses a danger to the international community. they band together and launch a coordinated invasion of our country and overthrow our government. they then occupy our country, kill our women and children and torture australian citizens in makeshift prisons. they humiliate our people and desecrate our places of importance.

so, what do we do? do we welcome them as liberators? some of us will. some will see an opportunity to take positions of power with the invaders backing them. more importantly, what would i do?

i honestly believe i would fight for my country: in today's parlance, become an insurgent. say what you will about the insurgents in iraq and afghanistan, but if my country was invaded and occupied i'd be the first to volunteer to fight in any way necessary to defend it. as much as i hate to see aussies killed in foreign countries, i know that if foreign powers invaded australia i'd be targeting them. and if they came with far superior technology, i'd be using anything available to me to combat that. some may consider IED's to be dirty warfare but if that was all that was available to me to even up the odds a bit, i'd be using them. furthermore, i'd question the patriotism of anyone who wouldn't stand and fight.

i hate to see our troops die abroad but they shouldn't have been there in the first place. howard, bush, blair and the other leaders have a lot to answer for.

interesting ABC geography

i was watching the ABC news tonight when they had a story about the toxic mud slide in hungary and showed a map of europe. now, unless there's been some major world events going on in europe that i am unaware of, slovakia is to the north of hungary but the map showed ukraine as being there. i'd expect channel 7's tabloid 'news' service to make basic errors like this but not the ABC.

how could they get it so wrong??

i'm flabbergasted. i'm flummoxed. i'm furious.

football clubs are built on tradition and for 16 years the freo footy club has done a great job of building traditions. the annual len hall game is a perfect example of how well this club can do it. today's announcement that our traditional guernsey is to be abandoned is a perfect example of how badly a club can get it wrong. anyone who's played the game knows that you play for your teammates and for the jumper. it's what you put your body on the line for. for our club to so casually throw this aside beggars belief.

if i wanted to barrack for a soulless club with no respect for tradition i'd be a west coast fan. they've changed their guernsey so many times i've lost count. they don't even wear their premiership jumper anymore. no, i want to barrack for a club with depth. a club that doesn't bow to ephemeral fashions and fads. a club that isn't guided by focus groups and shallow marketing 'gurus'. i still believe that deep down freo is that club but the people we trust with running it have lost their way. a footy club isn't about the president or the board. it's isn't about chairmen or CEOs. a footy club is about the players, the members and the supporters. that's it.

the people running our club have taken this course of action and it infuriates me and breaks my heart. still, i remain a loyal and steadfast member... one who'll continue to wear the legendary guernsey worn by kickett, mcmanus, parker, cook, bell, waterhouse and the other greats of our past.