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A social comment, As I See It

AS I SEE IT: Time to make a stand!

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imagesIvan Turgenev once said “If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.”

After witnessing the horrendous events of the past weeks, I have decided to pen some thoughts.. We are lucky, we live in a pretty civilized world, where not much happens to us. We read, watch and speak to others about the atrocities taking place many thousands of miles from “home” and always at the end of the conversation, news clip or article we might have read, we just say to ourselves…”Hmmm sad, how sad, must really do something about that”
We never do!! I’m as guilty as the next person…I read, watch, think about all the injustice that is taking place and have, probably like most, a rather blaze’ attitude.
At times, this is born out of sheer frustration, knowing and thinking there is nothing I can do… Wrong!!! there IS something I can do. I’m going about it as I write..
Talking with some people after the recent events in Africa, the massacre not one person wants to talk about, I have decided to open this blog as a forum for you to post your thoughts. We all have many angry processes going on trying to deal with the injustice taking place. It’s a tragic event when 17 people are murdered at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, and the recent events in Sydney’s Martin Place…but… what about the children massacred in Pakistan and the killings in Africa?…Just a fleeting line or two. So, after a bit of contemplation and some discussion, I have decided to post this to my site and allow open and honest debate…What can I do…how can I make a difference?
I guess something that is a bit of a bother is the attitude that I hear in this country far far too often.. “It’s my country why don’t ya just fuck off!!”
I’m going out on a limb here and in my opinion, “As I See it,” I have never come across so much hatred and racism as I have here in Queensland. It truly astounds me the way people are treated.. New Zealanders rate lower that people from 3rd world countries.. Yes, this weekend is a long weekend as Monday is Australia Day.. What does it actually mean to the average Australian…Just another day off I suspect?.. How many Australians know the true meaning of Australia Day and how many actually care about the Indigenous People of this land?
Sadly, most Australians celebrate Australia Day just as another excuse to drink more booze and have a barbie…but, as I said, how many actually really care about its true meaning… as the day Australia was founded.
In contrast, Aboriginal people mourn their history and call it “Invasion Day”. So, here’s a little history lesson…
January 26, 1788 was the date on which Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and raised the British flag for the first time in Sydney Cove. In the early 1880s the day was known as ‘First Landing’, ‘Anniversary Day’ or ‘Foundation Day’.
In 1946 the Commonwealth and state governments agreed to unify the celebrations on January 26 and call it ‘Australia Day’. The day became a public holiday in 1818 (its 30th anniversary). Aboriginal people refused to participate in the re-enactment because it included chasing away a party of Aboriginal people (which, by the way, had been carted to this event against their will).
Just a small example of the history of Australia Day.. Outside of this nation who gives a monkeys? Who really cares what happened.. Here in lies the problem..I care, I am a lone voice in this vast social wilderness. I now want to stand up and to be heard.. Many many other people are saying the same thing. (I use Australia Day as a prime example) Just watch John Pilgers “Utopia” or read Royce Kurmelovs compelling report “Australia stands with its Muslims after siege” (about the seige in Sydneys Martin Place..)
Sadly, once again it is all too much for the average person to comprehend. Yes for sure it is read, even digested and no doubt talked about, but just as quickly forgotten. then this happened..
Al-Shabab fighters from Somalia hijacked a bus in Kenya’s north and killed 28 non-Muslims on board after they had been singled out from the rest of the passengers, police officials said. It continued to worsen.. Boko Haram fighters killed at least 59 people as they slept in an attack on a boarding school in Nigeria’s troubled northeast, police said.
The attackers reportedly targeted only male students and “spared” girls at the Federal Government College in the town of Buni Yadi in Yobe state, which teaches pupils aged 11 to 18.(source Al Jazeera)
Then we read and watched the story unfold about the one hundred and thirty-two children that were massacred in Peshawar on what’s being termed one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s history. These are gruesome and brazen acts, (wrote Mirza Waheed, another Al Jazeera journalist) of mass murder carried out by men who speak proudly of the death tolls they score. There was a fleeting mention of this and that was it!!
Nothing more shocking has occurred in recent history. We ought to be more shocked, repulsed, than we are, so that those who can do something about it will do so!
This is the reason I am writing this article..
Hopefully it might just prick at your heart and conscience and spearhead a response…Remember, the pen is mightier than the Sword!!
As Ivan Turgenev said over 100 years ago…
“If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.”

As I See It, Uncategorized

AS I SEE IT… This is how it is!

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common_tables_logo_gold_123c__3__copy_pprfRam Dass once said
“As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can’t see how it is.”
In the past months, there has been more and more discussion for the want of a better word, about the increasing scare mongering amongst fringe religious groups in regard to Sharia Law and Muslims in general. I’m no expert in this field, but have seen the damage these groups are causing within communities.. Citing Walid Shoebat as one example and a host of radical videos on You Tube another.. Goggling websites that are there for one purpose to scare you into believing everything they say is correct..
They are not!
Sharia Law is not going to take over the mainstream Governments in the Western World.. Normal citizens will not be forced to pray toward Mecca or (officially: Makkah al-Mukarramah;) Women will not be forced to wear the Berka. As a matter of interest,wearing the berka’, or niqab, or forehead veil by Muslim woman is not an obligation.. It is a matter of local traditions and cultures. In other words, it is found to be popular in some countries while not in others, according to a specific area and their tradition. As for the Traditional Islamic belief, it is to be favored only if a woman fears to be harmed or to cause harm for others if she is very beautiful, for example.
It doesn’t have a specific shape or form, every woman can have her own style, neither a specific fabric is recommended, even a soft transparent cloth is fine. In effect, the aim is to make face expressions not so apparent, but without hindering the woman’s ability to look, talk, and breathe.
When I was in the Middle East last year, I spent a good deal of time with some very beautiful people… I learned a great deal from the locals about their religion and culture.. I was also surprised to see a number of women in the hotel I was staying at, sharing their breakfast and discarding their veil.
Sadly we have been indoctrinated by these few misguided radical groups and they have managed, like most other cultist groups to install fear into many of us. It is sad, because once again in every situation it comes back to religion..
Here’s the thing, I do not support terrorism in any way manner shape or form, just as I do not support domestic violence, abuse or discrimination of any kind. Unfortunately, there will always be radical groups, ready to seize any opportunity then they pounce..
All they need is one person, yes, that’s right…one person to look at their website, listen to their message and boom…they are off.. You know the saying…”1 tells 1 tells 2 tells 4 tells 8″ etc. I’m pretty sure you get the idea!!
The biggest coupe for these radical miscreants has been Social Media…it’s like bees to a honey pot.. They have a new and powerful platform..Cell Phones, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc…
My dear friend Hassan will tell of a very different story.. He owns a small Kebab shop. His wife and their sons, who are studying at the local University, one to become a Doctor, the other, a Marine Biologist, work long hours to pay their way in this country…They fled from their war torn remains, fleeing the corruption and desolation that surrounded them..
Under the rule of the Ayatollah Khomeini, life was never to be the same..a nationwide referendum resulted in a massive vote in favor of the establishment of an Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed the next day, April 1, 1979, as the “first day of God’s government”. It took a number of attempts and much planning for Hassan to get his family out of their country..They did it with the help of friends and family and are now settled here.. The scars run deep and every day they are reminded of the pain of leaving loved ones behind..
Sadly, we have no concept of what their life has really been like.. Yes, we see what we see and read into it what we will, but at the end of the day we don’t see how it is..we have certain desires as how it ought to be and that is it..
The point is this..we are all so wrapped up within our comfort zones.. (cotton wool or what ever)and the minute there is a post or a media report about an attack or coupe we react.. Sad thing here is, every hour of every day there is some attack or gun fired somewhere on this mortal coil.. A child molested, a wife bashed,an Indigenous person berated, a child going hungry because dad, or mum spent the lunch money on the pokies or cigarettes. Another homeless person forced from their shelter because the Church does not like them sleeping in the foyer.. and so it goes…
Just stop for one moment and look at your surroundings.. You are probably reading this post in the warmth of your home, comfortable with a nice hot cup of tea or plate of food…relaxing and thinking about what tomorrow might bring..
You don’t spare a thought for those suffering and no doubt you will watch the news on television, read it on line or in tomorrows paper and you may or may not pass comment.. That’s fine…it’s your choice. But…think about this, my friend Hassan will once again be spat at, berated and cursed.. It continues on a daily basis..He does not react publicly, but inside, cries in pain.. He feels sadness for those that do these things to him and his family..Sad because they have no idea in reality just what they are doing They are not young kids, but mature adults… He does not call the police because he knows there is nothing they will do. These so called Christians, yes, they are Christians..spout forth sayings they have been parrot fed because they sadly believe what has been indoctrinated into them by these cultist groups. Sadly…
“As long as they have desires as to how it ought to be ….they will never see just how it is.”

As I See It

“LONG TIME BETWEEN DRINKS”

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Ralph Waldo Emerson once said.typewriter
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
These past months..well just over 12 to be exact, have not been the easiest of times. Much has happened and I am not going to bore you with the details, suffice to say that loosing dear friends and colleagues almost on a weekly basis in February of this year, was just about the last straw.. but, I digress..let’s go back somewhat and review the past year..
A hard and certainly interesting year..
Friends, work mates all made redundant..Facing the reality of life on the heap.. Myself included…
People wanting to change and mould us into something we are not…to conform with their culture..
I grew up in an industry that had “Ethics” there were, as my mentor used to say, 3 sides to every story. “Yours, Theirs & The Truth”. I wrote a number of stories, telling it..
“As I See It” I have no regrets as everything that I said,I believe and still do..I am far from finished and will not be silenced by those that want a softer approach as we all have to fall in line.. No, not going to happen.. Freedom of speech is still very much alive and well and I shall continue to tell it “As I See It”
I turned 60 in November last year and at that point did the little health check that we all do, somewhere between the 40th and the 60th year..
I’m not talking medical here, although I did do that too..
I’m talking about where and what I have achieved in the past 40 years since loosing my legs.. I am proud of my achievements. Surviving the odds and having a pretty good career. Many said it could not be done…well,I did it!
I became friends with many people from all walks of life, may have even motivated a few along the way.. Did not have to go fly an aeroplane, or bum my way up the Kokoda track, climb a mountain, or sail around the world to prove who I was and to have people say “Wow! isn’t he amazing!”
I learned from a dear friend that it is all about attitude.. Mine is POSITIVE!
Sure, I made lots of mistakes and will admit to that…worked hard, played hard (didn’t we all?)
Somewhere along the way, I stepped off that bus..Just didn’t want to be part of the norm.. Sick of having people try to change me because I was ‘different’ and had no legs.. Yep..didn’t fit into that mould!! Never have..never will. Life is about living and continually learning!
Here’s the thing. It’s easy! I love it. I enjoy living in this age as a 61 year old (well in November!) As they say, we are the new 30..take a look around..Style music career and attitude..all changed. Admittedly at first it was not an easy thing for a lot of people, but as more and more broke free from the bonds of boring normality, others began to see just how free they were. Taking up new challenges, Yoga, Kayaking, Triathlons, Study just a couple of examples. Sadly it is not everyone over 60 that is able to do this…The hidden disease Dementia and of course Cancer has taken its toll and sadly will continue to do so.. seeing folk younger than me wasting away in a resthome saddens me.. The way they are treated and just left to rot is a crime..
“Do not blame it on the system”, someone once said to me.. “Look at the families first!”
But, I have digressed. All of these thoughts have swum around in my head over the past months filling my mind like a bath tub.. Thank God, I found the plug..I pulled it and let it all drain out…”Free the mind…cleanse the soul” I shouted..It felt good and still does.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said…
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

As I See It

AS I SEE IT.. EQUALITY

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George Aiken once said “If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and colour, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon.”

brian portlandOver the past couple of weeks, I have been reading, talking and listening to a variety of comments on a number of topics involving Equality.. Somewhere on this Mortal Coil, we seem to have gotten out of tilt. At the fore is the debate on Gay & Lesbian marriage, or Civil Union. So, as I see it, it’s this simple.. What you do behind closed doors is your business, no one else’s..

I remember growing up in a rural community, amidst a hardened bunch of farmers and railway workers.. tough men .. But here’s the thing.. they were big softies and cared about their community and the folk in it..

Amongst them were a couple of blokes, ordinary blokes, going about their daily business. One a successful dress designer, the other a store manager. Many a time, my mother would send me to this store to get this and that and I was always impressed with the neatness and well organised layout of the shop.. Nothing out of place and its manager immaculately dressed.. Polite to everyone that came and went.

On cold wet miserable days during Winter, he would provide a “Cuppa” for those that came to town once a month to buy their supplies, sometimes covered in mud, wet and cold, still in their bush clothes. That cup of tea and a freshly made scone provided a welcome relief.. Nothing was a bother and everyone was welcome. You see, in his eyes everybody was equal. He would fuss over the wives and show them the latest catalogues and dote over the children, while the men would go about their business heading off to the sale-yards or to the local pub. Good business you might say, as he sold a lot of product.

The other bloke was a successful dress designer, had won numerous international awards, but choose to live in this small rural community.. He travelled the world, mixing on the international stage and was the envy of many, but proud of his community. Many a time I would pop into his store and we would talk of people he had dined with, musicians, royalty, millionaires and the stars.. He would produce photo albums and point out his favourites… I would listen for hours to the stories and he would transport me to another world, another time..We would listen to his prized Jazz recordings, given to him personally by some of the greats.. George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald, the “Count” Armstrong…this list goes on. He introduced me to this wonderful world of Jazz and used to say..”When they play their music, they stand as equal”

You see, I have never forgotten this and my love of Jazz continues to this day. I was young and impressionable at this time.. I met many of his friends over the years,amongst them that infamous Drag Queen..Carmen, many entertainers and simple friends. It was for me a special time in my life, but here’s the thing.. These two blokes were Gay! that’s right.. Gay! They had formed a friendship back in 1952 and had remained together till their dying day. Together, living, loving and sharing their whole lives all these years, in this hardened rural community..

Oh, many suspected they were a little different, but no one really cared. Many a time, I would hear the odd comment about these two blokes.. At first, I said nothing, but one incident led me to speak out. I did and to this day, I have no regrets. There were and I suspect, still are people living in this town that remain ‘homophobic’.. ‘That’s their business’.. But let me just say this.. I have never seen a more loving, devoted couple. When one of these men fell ill, the other nursed him until he breathed his last breath. Sadly he also passed away.. Both these funerals were overflowing with people…The hardened farmers, retired bush & railway workers, their children, families and friends..

These two men were loved and respected. Not one person cared about their sexual preference.. They were there to pay their respect to two gentleman that cared for their community..

Sadly, this world has changed.. We have become so caught up in all of its political correctness, that we have in many ways, forgotten about the old fashioned values that we were instilled with.. We just don’t want to be seen to be stepping outside of the square and speaking out..

President Obama has done that..Perhaps you might just say it is nothing more that political, you are entitled to that..The church has it’s view and tries to persuade us, telling us what they want us to hear.. Perhaps we should just look at the time of the Borgias.

Politicians influence us, as do many other social factors today..but when I had the privilege of seeing a relationship built on love and trust, in the middle of changing times through the 60’s, last into this century, I have to start to wonder..

You see, they got something right.. They didn’t care how society saw them..

To each other they were simply “EQUAL” in every way.

As I See It

AS I SEE IT…. ANZAC DAY 2012

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Thomas Mann once said

War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.

I don’t much like ANZAC DAY.. too many bad memories.

Anzac SoldierAs I sit and reflect, my thoughts are of my grandfather, not a hero, just a simple man that embarked on an adventure 97 odd years ago.. He was wounded and returned home.. His adventure over.

He, like alot of young men of the time, changed his surname and added a year or so to his age, just to enlist. He achieved this, but lived to regret the decision for the rest of his life.. You see, it was like this…He, along with many thousands of others had no idea of what they had let themselves in for… We can’t even begin to imagine!! There are countless stories of this horrific time in our history. Nightmares that lasted a lifetime.. Families torn apart by the ravages of war.. How many times have we heard this? Thousands!!

Every year at this time, these memories are relived over and over.. My grandfather married a young lass from Victoria. Like lots of young blokes at the time, they married quickly.. I once asked him why.. His answer..”We were in Love” Stupid of me really..of course they were in love.. He with the adventure and a married man to boot.. My grandmother, put through a living hell.

He went off to foreign shores, she not knowing if he would ever return. He was one of the lucky ones…He did return, but his life was never to be the same.. My recollection of him was that of a “hard bastard” with a deep dark secret, one I never really understood in my growing years.. His medals are confined to a display in an army museum and that’s where they will stay. He wanted no reminder of that time..

He moved to New Zealand and was given a government ballot farm.. 100 acres of prime farmland. He worked it hard, raised a family and tried to put the past behind him.. He could not! Every year at this time, he was reminded of the brutality of Gallipoli, the landing, the slaughter, disease and infection, mud and trenches and “Johnny Turk”

As the years passed, his body slowed, but his mind never did…He never forgot! Every ANZAC day he cried.. I learned this from my father, something I could not understand as a youngster, but in later years, came to know the reason. His tears were filled with sadness and joy. Sadness for those he left behind. Joy, that he was wounded and his hell was over.

I met some of his mates… Hard men, scarred for life because of that horrendous time. Many had turned to booze to help them overcome their youthful adventure, sometimes described as worse than hell itself.. We all have our own stories from family and our own reflections of ANZAC DAY.. The forging of mate-ship between equal men from both sides of the Tasman, fighting for their King & Country. A bond that is still very much alive today and will continue long into the future…

It brings me to a story about a forgotten group of heroes, not from Gallipoli, but from a little known island in the Pacific.. It’s a story, of 17 men who were beheaded on October 15, 1942, along with five other white men on Tarawa in what is now Kiribati.These men were Coast watchers. They had all been tied up to coconut trees in front of Commander Keisuke Matsuo house on Betio.

What happened at around 2pm on 15 October 1942 is not clear. Some say a US warship shelled the island and two aircraft attacked Japanese ships in the lagoon. One of the prisoners may have waved to the planes.

One Japanese soldier stepped forward to the first European in the line and cut his head off. The rest followed in quick succession. They were New Zealanders. Nothing was found of these dead men..

The Americans erected a small memorial to them. They were pretty much forgotten about until recently… But despite orders not to get close to the locals, the radio operators and the soldiers had relationships with the women of the atolls. And they left a number of children. Discretely the New Zealand Government paid for their education. Their many grandchildren can still be found in Kiribati. A monument was erected – paid for by the Australian Government – but had been unable to fend off continued vandalism. Instead of a solemn moment, it is stained with fish guts and human excrement.

The New Zealand bodies were never found although the US Army last year found human remains that may well be New Zealanders. Testing has yet to be completed to confirm it.

There is one last survivor..John Jones. He is 91, and will lay a wreath, driven by the passion that he is the only survivor of a unique group of men. Jones was also the first New Zealand Japanese prisoner of war.

He doesn’t much like Anzac Day either… too many bad memories.

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