Why I Love Australia (Krauthammer)

Washington Post ^ | June 23, 2006 | Charles Krauthammer

[West Coast Conservative]

In the Australian House of Representatives last month, opposition member Julia Gillard interrupted a speech by the minister of health thusly: "I move that that sniveling grub over there be not further heard."

For that, the good woman was ordered removed from the House, if only for a day. She might have escaped that little time-out if she had responded to the speaker's demand for an apology with something other than "If I have offended grubs, I withdraw unconditionally."

God, I love Australia. Where else do you have a shadow health minister with such, er, starch? Of course I'm prejudiced, having married an Australian, but how not to like a country, in this age of sniveling grubs worldwide, whose treasurer suggests to any person who "wants to live under sharia law" to try Saudi Arabia and Iran, "but not Australia." He was elaborating on an earlier suggestion that "people who . . . don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can basically clear off." Contrast this with Canada, historically and culturally Australia's commonwealth twin, where last year Ontario actually gave serious consideration to allowing its Muslims to live under sharia.

Such things don't happen in Australia. This is a place where, when the remains of a fallen soldier are accidentally switched with those of a Bosnian, the enraged widow picks up the phone late at night, calls the prime minister at home in bed and delivers a furious, unedited rant -- which he publicly and graciously accepts as fully deserved. Where Americans today sue, Australians slash and skewer.

For Americans, Australia engenders nostalgia for our own past, which we gauzily remember as infused with John Wayne plain-spokenness and vigor.

[NZerFromHK]

subscribed to a New Zealand newspaper from Wellington for about 3 months. Reads the same as any major metropolitan paper from the USA...similar miserable social/behavioral/drug problems.....and just as similarly a PC read....

You must have read the Dominion Post. Trust me, it was as conservative as you can get in this country. If you read the major paper for Auckland - New Zealand Herald, it is so left-leaning that the New York Times sounds like Ann Coulter in comparison.

[nutmeg]

bookmark

[Brian Allen]

<< "... No wonder they hate you, ignore your ideas, refuse to confront and/or to debate the point of any of your posts ...

.... such an obvious intellectual & moral bankrupt .... >>

That's debating any intellectual and/or moral point, Mr Amorality?

In squalidly-socialistic Euro-peon satellite state Canada, maybe.

Here in my America -- and my Friend, Ms Coulter's -- its called making my point.

And is otherwise but the projection of the darkness of the black hole that so obviously substitutes for the content of your character and spews forth -- implodes, one supposes -- in the personal attacks that personify you via and characterize your vile postings and so paints the picture of your pathetic personality as to leave one astounded you would dare to continue to show your cowardly anonymous nom de plume around here.

Let alone in such a sanctimoneously-hypocritical and judgemental fashion.

Eh?

[Brian Allen]

<< I'm rethinking my 'respect' and getting a new appreciation for (A certain pretender to "conservatism," gang-fighting girlyboy, bovver-booted boozer bully boy, creater of dissent among us on these American boards, former pornographer, online serial sexual abuser and all around loser's) decision. >>

And it shows.

[Brian Allen]

<< Almost all the posts you have made since joining FR have been on gays in Canada. >>

Observant fellow. Especially given that sodomists, lesbians, radical feminists, their useless eunochs and various other Earth-worshipping "Environmentalists" and assorted pagan-heathen panthiests are all that's left in Canada. All of the once wonderful Men (Like those who long ago died out in or moved out of once-great Britain) having either passed away or moved illegally to my America.

[Where they piss off the Mexican illegals by slightly increasing the level of competition for every available illegal alien job]

[spatso]

I got up this morning and there was smoke coming out of my lap top. Awesome. I think they have scattered. Perhaps gone into permanent hiding. They will come back and they will attack again. But, they will try to make it about you and your defective reasoning about Canada.

You know, I thought the tv clip on the gay Mounties getting married was actually kind of funny.
My comments went more to the power of symbols. It was my simple contention that two gay Mounties being allowed to marry in dress reds diluted one of the few strong symbols of Canada. Further, the Canadian governments acquiescence in the matter continued Canada's soft international image. I fear I may have said Canada as a nation were a people desperately wanting to appease and be liked by everyone and in my mind that won't do in these dangerous times. Furthermore, it makes them suspect on the border security file.

[Fair Go]

I don't know where the hell Yanks get the idea that Aussies don't own guns.

[Fair Go]

Now Professor Spatso how about you follow the example of us Aussies and stop bagging your neighbours. You don't hear Aussies attacking their neighbours - not even the Kiwis. And to top it off our closest neighbour is Indonesia. Perhaps we could give you Indonesia as a neighbour and we could have Canada.

[Fair Go]

So the Prime Minister is a practising Christian as is the leader of the Opposition. Christian schools receive generous government assistance etc etc etc. Seems like you have your wires crossed buster.

[Fair Go]

Probably been jilted by a Canadian!

[fanfan]

"I concede that you think you're right."

That is a start, thank you.

Your Welcome.

I also concede that Brian Allen thinks that he is right.

I also concede that Charles Manson thinks he is right.

[mo]

thanks..if fact it was the Herald...I must have "mis-remembered" the city!!

[spatso]

Does Indonesia not have the world's largest Islamic population? No, I will pass on the trade and just have to learn to luv Canadians.

[Fairview]

Because we keep reading about Australian legislation to make it difficult-to-impossible to own a handgun, and even about some loons proposing that knives and swords be restricted. From this distance it gives the impression that Australia is getting to be a bit like the UK. I'm sorry that this impression was mistaken and I'm glad that another Aussie straightened it out for us.

[madison10]

One may even claim that while Britain was our mother, God is our father, and that He has been with us every step of the way since we left Britain's skirtfolds.

Sweet!

[kanawa]

The professor raised his not unreasonable concerns many threads ago.
We made an honest attempt to allay his fear and explain the situation to him
from the perspective of our on going political process.
He does not accept our argument and continues to rehash the same points.
Now, he is either as Mrs. spatso says a stubborn idiot
and believes that by going on and on he will some how convert us to his spatso wisdom,
or he is an attention craving disruptor.
This view is reinforced by his new tactic of hijacking threads
by pinging Canadians to them with thinly veiled insults
and then claiming to be the victim of Canadians ganging up on him.

He has now, to his joy, found some old fart that agrees with him
and his resulting arousal, to put it mildly, is slightly disturbing.
He and his new buddy SuperHyperbolic Man are a good match.
Pathetic gits the both of them.

I'm going to do my best to ignore them.
Clowns should not be taken seriously
and this level of dialog is unworthy of FR.

[GMMAC]

Stringing together liberal-like feelings which can't be factually supported and pointless insults with empty, meaningless verbiage is no substitute for reasoned debate.

Your posts:

As for your alleged friendship with Ann Coulter:
I once worked for a guy with a personal worth easily over $100 million bucks.
Lots of folks regularly showed up claiming to be amongst his most bosom buddies whom, once he was asked, he didn't know from Adam.

[LittleMoe]

Hondo Lane
"Yup. The end of a way of life. Too bad. It's a good way. Wagons forward! Yo!"
John Wayne

[NorthOf45]

... but I don't think you should ping the Canadian Freepers, they are very touchy about their masculinity.

You can't know too many Canucks then.

[NorthOf45]

It's all about perspective ... and I LIKE that one. : )