Bill Shorten - Australia's Trump with a Twist

I am passionate about many things. Open and responsible free speech being one of them. Equally, I abhor violence. However, my demeanour is rapidly changing when it comes to Bill Shorten. To use a good old Aussieism, I’m rapidly reaching the point where I could gladly smash him with the proverbial shovel. 

I am sick and tired of Shorten’s insults. His hysterical outburst over what were reasonably considered and sensible points raised by Peter Dutton with regards to the impact of immigration failures (that being the mix coupled with inadequate vetting) in the past. This outburst is the final straw. His manipulation of the truth is astounding. 

Amanda Vanstone put it succinctly in the Australian today when she said, “Shorten’s the one fanning racists fires over immigration.” She said “ Mr Shorten’s remarks reduced an important debate to the “lowest common denominator.” Spot on.

Of course the comments to Ms Vanstone’s column attracted the usual bag of support. Plus as expected when presented with the truth a fair smattering of vitriolic attack. This one in particular stood out, because it's typical of what we see expressed by so many today.  It was penned by a woman named Jane. 

“Seriously [Sic] Amanda Vandastone, you ought to be ashamed.

Mr Dutton you are a disgrace. 

Thank you Mr Shorten for calling him out.

We must call out racism wherever it occurs. It is not acceptable in a decent and peaceful  multicultural society.

What is devastating is that he must have such powerful influence in the [Sic] Turnull government because he should have been sacked on the spot.

This is highly unusual and should be examined.”

Firstly, Dutton is a Government Minister. You would expect him to have a powerful influence. If he doesn’t, he shouldn’t be there. By the mere fact, we have been relatively unscathed when it comes to on-shore terrorist violence (despite the threats) he’s obviously doing a good job. So, I contest that Jane is showing her blatant ignorance with her ‘highly unusual and should be examined’ nonsense. 

Facts appears to have escaped Jane. We stopped being a decent & peaceful multicultural society when people were murdered on the streets. When dozens of young men, many born in Australia left the country to fight with terrorist organisations in the Middle East. In turn,  to have those same people appear in ISIS propaganda video’s threatening us and inciting supporters on home soil to commit terrorist acts against us. Our security and Federal Police operatives along with the help of many from the Muslim community have thwarted those acts, thank our lucky stars.  

We lost our peaceful multicultural society when we looked on in horror, at an Australian child holding up the severed head of a man caught and murder by those very terrorists, people on our shores openly support. 

We lost our peaceful multicultural society when dozens and dozens of  youths (both Sudanese and Islanders, many recently arrived on our shores) formed gangs who terrorise, rob and bash people on the streets of Melbourne. 

So, I suggested Jane that she might like to actually LISTEN to what Peter Dutton said in response to a question/s asked by Andrew Bolt. For the record, it was Bolt, who first raised Fraser's well acknowledged (even by Fraser) lapses in immigration rigour, as that applied to some migrants during his reign. Then, I suggested she might like to read through Hansard (Monday 21st) to understand what Peter Dutton actually said in response to Bill Shorten's pathetic attempt to lampoon him.

We have a problem with both violence and the threat of terrorism in this country. Sadly, the percentage of law breakers and terrorist sympathisers within some sections of our immigrant community is too high. Sticking our heads in the sand, suppressing discussion and verbally attacking and slurring the messenger will not fix it. The problem needs to be discussed openly, maturely and with a commitment to do just that, fix it. The only people who should be sacked are those attacking the very people who are trying to do something about the problem. Peter Dutton should not be sacked. Bill Shorten most certainly should be.

Bill Shorten and Labor’s strategy on attacking Peter Dutton is hard to fathom. Are they arguing against Mr Dutton acknowledging the Fraser Government made some mistakes? It’s a fact. They did. Fraser eventually listened and changed the strategy. But, alas in many in cases it was too late. The foundation for problems in the future was also set. 

Is Labor’s  argument that this historical fact must be buried and that we can’t talk about the impacts today of the bad decisions of  ‘yesteryear’? In the context of what Mr Dutton said in the Bolt interview about taking time now to thoroughly assess the 12,000 who are coming from Syria, to ensure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, I contest that references to past mistakes is relevant. Or are Shorten  and Labor's motives more sinister? 

Bill Shorten is turning into the lefts version of Donald Trump. During Trump’s campaign, he said some pretty terrible things about certain groups. He stirred up a lot of hostility.  By the very nature of many of his comments he gave rise and legitimacy to the rise of the Alt-right and neo-Nazis. When questioned this week about seeing Neo-Nazis raise their hands in a “Seig Heil” salute chanting “Heil Trump, Heil our people, Heil Victory” Trump’s comments were, “It’s not a group I want to energise. And if they are energised I want to look into it and find out why.” All he has to do is turn the mirror on himself. There is his answer. 

Bill Shorten similarly, fuels the racist debate with his selective subtraction of pieces of conversations to score political points. Then, Shorten throws racist slurs based on those subtractions. Shorten tries to suppress the truth and close down open and mature debate. He fuels the fires of our Alt-Right but from a different perspective. It's not about personal adoration for Shorten, as it is for Trump. 

I believe Bill Shorten deliberately seeks to motivate and stir up racial divide. He knows others will go out and issue threats against his own supporters; against the people of the left. More alarmingly, we also end up with threats being made against our broader immigrant community.  Isn’t that exactly what Union bosses do? The load ‘the guns’ and others go out there and ‘fire the bullets’. 

Mr Dutton singled out the many thousands of wonderful law abiding immigrants we have in this country. As Mr Dutton stressed many of them are from the Lebanese community. Of course, that is one piece that has been selectively culled by Mr Shorten in his assault. Shorten also stirs up members of our immigrant community who may not be fully aware of what has been said or the context in which it was said,  Thus, by his actions, Shorten is driving even greater social divide. In other words, he is doing what he said he would do. Lead like a unionist. 

So putting on my cynical hat. Trump and Shorten are either so stupid they are oblivious to the impact they have on the behaviour of others. For the record, I don’t think either of them are stupid. Or, they are wilfully manipulating the populous for political gain; divide and conquer, stuff the consequences. Either way it's extremely dangerous. Both should be resoundingly condemned. 

The Mundine Factor & Victimhood

Anthony Mundine is inviting people to protest at the grand finals to be held this weekend. Encouraging people to turn their backs or kneeing during the playing of our national anthem. Firstly, any footballer who does should be condemned. Sport is sport and it should not be used in a cynical political protest.

I wonder what the response would if 'we' suggested people turn their backs during the welcome to country? A ritual that I personally have a major issue with. This is my country. I was born here. I do not need to be welcomed to my own home. But, we pay due respect to that ritual. Even people like me who disapprove of it. The operative word is RESPECT. Scant little we receive from people like Anthony Mundine. 

In voicing my displeasure on social media, I did solicit the wrath of an indigenous activist. One I might add who is either new to Twitter or not very popular given the number of her followers. Anyway, this activist proceeded with the now common 'white supremacist' slurs. The, “II am fighting white colonialism" mantra. I'm fed up with that BS. Which is racist in the purest form. 

What people like Mundine and my activist don't realise is, they are driving deeper and deeper wedges. They say they want reconciliation. No, they don't. They want to go back 200-years. They want to blame others for their own failings. 

No one is born a victim. Some become victims reasonably late in life. These are professional victims. They see mileage in it. But really, it has nothing to do with their culture. Sure, if they are born into a victim social structure, that's the path many will travel. They are conditioned to do that. In those circumstances we have to break the cycle. This is where people like Mundine do a disservice to his own people. He encourages them to follow him down the path of racism and division, the victim path.  Victims, will always be victims unless they themselves choose to change. I know that sounds harsh, but truth often is. 

Self imposed victims, hold themselves back. They blame everyone else for their own failures. They blame the current generations for what happened 200 years ago. That is frankly absurd. 

Those who will get on and make something of their lives, are those with the will to rise above and take control of themselves and their life. They don't go around blaming society. Or, playing the race card. Society as a whole will go out of their way to help people like this. As they should. But I for one, am not going to go out of my way to help ungrateful people who seek to divide the country. People who insult and slur me. 

Until these self-imposed victims accept responsibility for themselves and stop blaming others, they will always stay victims. As I said to my activist. She can either live in the past or get on and make the best life she can now. It's her choice. I think, that would really be honouring her ancestors, 

I was really pleased to see PM Turnbull speak out against Anthony Mundine. It needed to be said. 

We Have To Stop Labelling People Racist

"Racism motivates some Goodes booing:" Tim Wilson..

We are all racist in some form if we were honest. There are simply some individuals or groups of people we don’t like. However, most people keep it to themselves & they don't attack others; verbally or physically.

That is, until those they have an issue with 'shove their OWN racism back into the silent majorities face as Goodes has. Then they erupt. In this case and they boo Goodes. Big deal, if they beat him up that would be a different thing all together. But they BOO. It's called being human and we have to stop vilifying people for being human and look at the root cause of why people behave the way they do.

The more people in the media and sport attack the fans and label them racist,  the more people will turn on him. Many have not forgiven Goodes for his treatment of a child. Personally, I lost all respect for him after that. Many have not forgiven him for his comment  'remember whose land this is' when he was made Australian of the Year. That comment made me bristle. When he said that, he immediately signalled his views of the white majority in this country. He exposed his own racism. He also highlighted his own hypocrisy given he is mixed race. His stupid war dance was deliberately provocative. Of course people would react. But rather than reflect that perhaps he was ill advised to do it, he whined and once again called racism. In Goodes case, he just keeps 'picking at the sore'. People are simply fed up.

Thomas Sowell said. “The word 'racism' is like ketchup. It can be put on practically anything - and demanding evidence makes you a 'racist.'” Exactly right.

Where is the evidence that those booing Goodes are racist? No one has produced any they simply use the word to vilify, discredit and bully others. There are more important things to be focused on than this. Real racism for instance.

In closing, I think it is incredibly sad that a great player, will be remembered not for his contribution to sport, but his deliberate attempts to divide a nation. Perhaps this is his intent, who knows.

@patnjak “Racism is a word that is so badly used that when real racism is about you won't recognise it which is a great shame for all” Brilliantly said.