More Abortion Ramblings + Some Other Stuff

Coathangers & Draino
At the time of writing this, at least 14,272 ordinary people have been killed in Iraq either directly by or as a result of this ridiculous invasion. Fourteen thousand, two hundred and seventy two. That's about ten Blaxland High Schools full. These are people at home with their families. People out on their way to work. Kids at school. Hospital patients.

They're dead.

And why? Was it because there was no way it'd be possible for them to lead a decent life?

Oh, it was because the leader of a country on the other side of the planet didn't like the leader of their country. That makes it perfectly alright then.

Fourteen thousand, two hundred and seventy two. Dead. People who were etching out lives. They're dead. Possibly blown so heavily to pieces that there isn't enough to bury. I'm sure children laying to rest the decapitated heads and a few other body parts of their parents are entirely grateful for America bringing "democracy" to their country (and obviously it would totally reduce any acts of revenge in the future).

Killing 14,272 people to get to 1 is a worthwhile investment if you're a backwards right-winger.

Abortion, however... Totally wrong! Kill entire families in the name of "freedom" if you must, but terminating an unborn foetus incapable of conscious thought?! That's just unthinkable! You murderer!

The Howard government's continued attempts to send us into the past seem to have succeded once again. Didn't the whole abortion debate die out in the late 80s? Yet here we are. Other Liberal initiatives:

• Rewrite textbooks showing the world is flat, and that the sun rotates around the Earth.
• Introduce slavery.
• Deport people for shoplifting.
• Removal of women's rights.
• Ban the sale of penicillin and any medication developed via scientific research instead of superstition.
• Dismantle all aeroplanes and cars, and bring back leaky wooden boats and horses as the primary modes of transport.
• Undo Federation (which they'd probably do too, their shortsightedness making them unable to realise this would see them out of jobs).
• All legal disputes settled via duels.
• Bring back asbestos manufacturing plants!
• Possibly ditch this whole democracy idea and go to a fuedal or oldschool monarchial society.

As much as I'd like to draw hand-paintings on cave walls and choose a spouse by clubbing her over the head, in the real world, time progresses forwards. Seconds increment. Clocks do not move in an anti-clockwise direction. So stop acting like they do.

Okay. Where to start with actual news stories? Umm. SA Family First Fucker, Andrew Evans wants women to look at ultrasound images before going through with an abortion. Because you know, obviously, having an abortion is a decision that people take as lightly as which pair of undies they're going to wear for the day. Good on you Andrew! Those silly females that can't think of themselves should be encouraged to grow their foetuses, even if they have no way of supporting them once they're born! Why should they even be making the decision?! They should be in the kitchen making your dinner!

Another FF fucker, this time Steve Fielding believes abortions should happen if the mother's life is at risk. Right. So he supports killing babies only some of the time. You know, just a few here and there. Seriously, I love how conservatives can block out the logical connections in their ideas. "I don't support abortion... but I do!" "Kiling people is wrong... But not if it's a war!" "I've personally got nothing against gays... but they should burn in hell for eternity!"

Peter Costello wants a "respectful debate," and also says abortion is a state issue and has nothing to do with federal parliament. Which explains this:

Liberal MPs are understood to be working on two private members' bills for when parliament resumes next week.

One would restrict access to late-term abortions in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, where the commonwealth has jurisdiction, while the second would require women seeking a termination to obtain counselling independent of the abortion clinic.

Peter Beattie (premier of QLD) reckons the Libs have started this whole argument as a way of repaying Fuckwits First for their preference deal. Sounds a bit too conspiracy theory, but who knows?

The Telegraph has some more on the whole thing, including Labor's response.

Would cutting funding or banning it stop it from happening? Or would it just encourage partners to look it up on the Internet and try to do a DIY job (I'm just imagining a lifestyle show segment on it now), thereby endangering the mother's life as well?

Does the morning-after pill count in abortion figures too? Coz technically you're still killing the baby.

I'd like to point you at Zoe's post on her blog, as she's better qualified to rant about it than me (she actually has a uterus, etc).

The World Is A Safer Place
If that's the case, why is Downer going on about with terrorists with nukes? Bombing the shit out of stuff and reducing people's rights obviously is having a positive effect.

We Respect The Australian People, We Trust The Australian People...

Terrorism has put federal parliament's long-cherished tradition of an open house under threat.

Retiring House of Representatives speaker Neil Andrew today indicated it was only a matter of time before security glass petitions were used to separate the public gallery from the chamber.

Ugh. That's just disgusting.

Literacy In Schools
Minister Eyes Literacy Inquiry:

A national inquiry into the teaching of reading in primary schools is being considered by the Federal Government amid growing concerns that too many students are barely literate.

Education Minister Brendan Nelson told The Age he was considering holding the review after 26 of Australia's leading literacy researchers wrote to him warning that children were failing to learn to read, because the main teaching method in schools, the whole language approach, was ineffective for many and had no scientific credibility.

Hmm. Because continued education cutbacks wouldn't have this effect, would it?

I'd like to quote Charlotte, a friend of mine, who is 16 and sitting for her School Certificate at the moment, as she basically has an angle I never thought of:

the recent outburst in the lack of reading skills in schools i am going to blame partly on the lack of teachers, or as we know it, the world wide teacher shortage. because, if you think about it, very rarely, when at a young age, through junior school, and primary and such, when classes are larger, you dont get very much teacher assistance because they are always helping someone else. so, the problem you had that wasnt attended to, grows, and develops into being a large problem, and you are labelled with having a learning disability. when, if you got help with that one problem, you wouldnt be in that situation. but, that is just my opinion, and probably not right.

What's the bet that the findings are similar to the Vinson Report (summarised here), and the government completely ignores them (hi Carr!)?

Don't Forget
Interest rates rises are still on hold.

Lastly...
"This is a pure fight of good against evil."

Because the world really is as simple as an episode of He-Man.