Immigrating...

I feel, being an American citizen, that I have the right to point out the stupidities of my country.

As a temporary resident of Australia, I feel I have no rights what-so-ever to point out that their immigration system is one of the most difficult frustrating systems I've ever encountered.

When a call is placed to the immigration office the person on the other end of the phone either is super HARSH or has an accent so thick you struggle to determine if he said hello or f*ck off.

This of course is contrasted with the "hold" operator who continually mentions how happy Australia is to have people apply to stay within their borders.

In the end, I bang my head against the wall to make sense of it all. This works, a concussion seems to help it all make sense!

But like I've said before, I'm only a temporary resident and have no rights what-so-ever to point to their flaws.

Walking...

Torture. It demoralises a person. Makes them less then human, in their own eyes and in the eyes of their torturers as well.

So why do we* allow this to happen?

I don't' know. But we do. We turn a blind eye to it. We create an environment where we can take advantage of people whom we fear.

From Australia's refugee detention facilities, to America's Guantanamo Bay, we continue to accept that our governments, while making a few mistakes, still have our best interest in mind.

But do they? By locking up people in places we would NEVER willingly send any family member to, they are perpetuating myths about other cultures. We are perpetuating fear of that culture. We are raising children to fear and hate others who have a different religion.

Is this really in the best interest of our society?





*we being humans from western countries

What are we?

Australia has a refugee problem. This problem consists of people who claim to be refugees coming into the country and just EXPECTING the government to accept their cry for asylum.

The Australian Government has decided that the best way to combat these "so-called-refugees" is to lock them up until they end up in a mental institution then give them a temporary visa that states, as soon as the government can find somewhere else to send them, they have the right to deport them there!

I know the immigration department claims it is making it easier for those in detention centres to get a visa and get out, but this is ridiculous! By the time they are possibly getting this new visa, they have already been in detention for too long! Then, once they have this new visa, they must deal with the prospect of being kicked out as soon as the government deems it fit for them to go back to their country. If I were these people, I would DEFINITELY be worried that the government might decide that its safe to go home too soon.

Perhaps I shouldn't be critising the place I'm hoping to live for the next couple of years. But I'm happy to stop critising when they stop treating refugees like criminals!

Bono & me (part 1)

This is U2's lead singer, Bono. He is one of the biggest campaingers for world peace.

Bono & Me (part 2)

So in my attempts to bring about world peace, i've taken to dressing like Bono. The more people that look like him the more peace we can inspire. (that's how it works, right?)

Scalping

What is happening to this world??

In my home town of Boise, Idaho a woman has scalped, thats right SCAPLED!, a teenage girl.

It appears that the teenager offended the woman in some way and she made plans to remove the teenage girl's mohock. When she didn't have a raser for the job, she took out her knife and decided, "heck, why not take the whole thing off!" So off came the hair AND skin!

Okay, it may not have happened like that, but i'm appauled!

It is said that humanity is only 2 meals away from barbarianism. After an action like this, i'm starting to think they might be right!

Watch for falling rocks

Top 7 things i hate in the World:

7. Hatred
6. War
5. Corupt Politics
4. AIDS
3. Poverty
2. Death
1. Selfishness

Top 5 Things I love in this World

5. Dreams
4. Love
3. Hope
2. Forgiveness
1. Compassion

The list of hates is long, but i believe the list of love is 10 times stronger. It is through our hopes, dreams, forgiveness, and compassion that the world can be change. It is our choice to make the effort. Will you?

Bush & Justice?

In the wake of the London bombings US President George W. Bush, speaking at the G8 summit, told reporters: "We will not yield to these terrorists, we will find them, we will bring them to justice."



But what would the justice be?? Would it be the kind of justice that is currently being served at Guantánamo Bay?


It seems that this is the only sentence that Bush EVER says. He is always claiming to "not yield", "find", "bring to justice". But let's think about this. Has those responsible for the World Trade Center attacks ever really been found? Short answer, no. Has he brought anyone to justice?...Well...No. (note: torture is not a form of justice). Has he yielded? No, he has instead spread terror and fear throughout the middle east and brought stronger prejudices to the West.

Lastly, I would like to point out that London is not the territories of the USA. Bush has no right to be the police for another country. Let England do what it wants to do as far as "justice" goes.

But let me add this one thing to the USA and to England...Please remember that Torture is NOT a form of justice. I support the need to capture and prosecute those responsible, but do so with mercy and love. Let this set us apart from the terrorists.

Live 8

Did anyone see the Live 8 concerts the other night? Sadly, I was only able to watch the highlights of them due to the lack of cable television here in the dormitory.

Wow! I couldn't believe so many bands, so many people, so much money was spent, just to get the G8 to take notice that there are starving people who could benefit from some fairer trade.

I suppose the next few days will determine what happens. Can we actually begin the process of making poverty history???

I pray we do!

Make Poverty History

I'm sure you've heard of the movement. It's been in the media for quite some time now. Its the big campaign to pressure the G8 into increasing aid, drop the debt, and make fair trade laws. Honestly I'm praying that it works. I would love for the poverty we see in so many countries to be eradicated.

Will it work? I don't know. A friend of mine constantly says that the debt is just figures on a page, meaning nothing. I don't know. I tend to think that removing the debt of these countries,(most of whom are in debt because at one time they were run by one of the G8) is the right thing to do. It seems that it would free up much of the funds that are currently just going back into the pockets of the richest 8 countries.

But will it work?? I still don't know. It has potential. But humans are corrupt. Corrupt governments can sneak a "little off the top", and the people will still be suffering.

In the end, I suppose it depends on a lot of individual humans. Will they sacrifice their greed for a better world?

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