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Dear King Pig
My mate Don sent a letter to the King Pig and the Special Minister for World (Catholic) Youth Day in NSW in regards to his freedom to annoy Catholics.
Dear Minister
It was my intention to be involved in a peaceful demonstration over the Pope's supposed World Youth Day on July I am concerned by reports in the media, primarily the Sydney Morning Herald, that I will be breaking the law and risk jail or a fine.
Could you please clarify that I will not be breaking the law if I:
- assemble at Taylor Square, Darlinghurst at 12pm 19 July with other like minded citizens.
- wear a T-shift of the English folk/rock band Chumbawumba. The T-shirt is plain black and says in grey writing "Chumbawumba" on the back "Atheist" on the front.
- I will be carrying a cardboard placard A2 size. One side will say "Miranda Devine Sux" and the other side will say "World Peas" with a picture of some small green vegetables.
- Offer condoms to passed by, in a respectful, polite and peaceful manner.
- Possibly sing or chant harmless songs - such as one of my old rugby favourites "Has anybody seen JC" lyrics at http://www.guysrugby.com/songs.asp
Thank you kindly
Don McCallum
Stanmore
03 Jul 2008 10:10 [category: /politix] #
Carbon pricing and petrol
Australia is in the midst of deciding how its eventual carbon taxation and trading environment will work, and the conservatives have switched back to their default climate change denial position, as they had before they thought it might win them last year's election. These supposed fans of the free market are now calling for petrol to be excluded from any eventual carbon pricing mechanism.
Crikey has been banging on about the fact that excluding any sector of the economy from the carbon taxation means the cost of carbon for every other sector will be higher. Our government would do well to resist these regressive moves, and aim for a flat carbon price that is based solely around the carbon emitted. We are, after all, trying to get the economy to be less carbon-intensive, so any moved by any sector to reduce their carbon emissions should be encouraged, via a price signal.
Last week China removed some subsidies on processed oil products, which caused a sharp rise in prices. This change was partially caused by pressure from economists to remove the subsidies and instead focus the subsidy on those in most need of financial help. This is the same approach Australia should take.
So the eventual approach we need to take is to tax all carbon sources equally, and help households that meet the criteria of fuel poverty through direct, means-tested and targetted subsidy. Otherwise you'll end up continuing to subsidise road transport over other forms of transport, the rich will end up with cheaper fuel, the poor will still be struggling.
Obviously part of the package needs to be providing alternatives to single-occupant petrol-based transport throughout the economy.
26 Jun 2008 09:53 [category: /politix] #
GetUp does Fuelwatch
GetUp are collecting money to run a very funny ad about the Fuelwatch junk politics going on. Well worth watching.
20 Jun 2008 10:11 [category: /politix] #
Where's Bin Laden?
Things are getting desperate in the hunt for Bin Laden, with Britain's Special Boat Service being called into the hunt in Northern Pakistan. Last time I looked, there wasn't a lot of water up on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. Is this the equivalent of Switzerland having a navy?
16 Jun 2008 11:14 [category: /politix] #
Ban this filth!
It seems according to Hetty Johnson's version of "community standards" that any photograph of a person under the age of 18 in anything more revealing than a full burka is pornography. Anne Geddes, watch out!
The people who are sick are those who can't see a naked body in anything other than a sexual context. That's just weird and twisted. It's the Hetty Johnsons of this world who need help.
Disappointingly, our prime minister weighed in with his opinion without having seen the images themselves. He doesn't know a lot about art, but clearly he knows what isn't art.
