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.

[spatso]

"In your situation, with what you've experienced here on the board, it's all in the presentation."

I have no choice but to accept your conclusion. So, I also need to leave it to others to try and make my point better than I have.

[CaptainCanada]

I say Captain,I hope it is not you that is in charge of the good ship Canada, but if so, I think then like most disillusioned Captain's of the political class, your mouth is facing towards the ground, if Australia had the money that Canada has GIVEN Cuba, then the country from down under would truly be paradise on earth, Canada or is it Cuba, "friend", Captain Castro seems to think that they are both his playgrounds.

Ahh, I get your little game.. Open up a new can of worms to create a wedge
between me and my new found Aussie buddies.. Well it ain't gonna work..
That said, methinks that if it weren't for external pressure, Australia would have the same commercial relationship with Cuba as Canada does..
From a multilateral perspective, it is my understanding that Australia
believes that confrontation and isolation are not productive policies
in relation to Cuba. Since 1993, Australia has voted in favour of Cuba’s
resolution in the United Nations General Assembly calling for an end to the
US economic embargo.

[CaptainCanada]

Long ago I told our friends of my position on gay marriage
Dude, you appear way to focused on gay issues.

About every second weekend my wife and I go for breakfast with the young gay couple
Ahhhh, now we're beginning to get the picture. Love the sinner, but hate
the sin, eh?

The gay Mountie story, the gay tourist story, the gay camp counselor story and, finally, the Krauthaller story were all disparaging of Canada. It appears that Canadian FReepers want to blame me for the emergence of these stories.
Ummm, there are about 100,000 stories each day each day in the MSM relating
to the good, the bad, and the ugly in Canada (some even true), but you seem
to zero right unto the ones dealing with gay issues..
I'd say your gaydar is a little too high..

[Brian Allen]

<< .... it was "my understanding" that "Brokeback Mountain" "was based" on "real events." >>

And you, dear ducky, have the empirical evidence, of course, to back that second-most ridiculous of this thread's insanely ridiculous assertions? Exceeded in its projected immaturity by only those non-specifically-broadcast personal-attack blatherings you vomited in your post number 183.

Where do you have to "live" in order to, in your Aussie-taxpayer-subsidized TAFE "tertiary" diploma-in-accelerated-ignorance and sanctimony and in the dual tyrannies of "multi-culturalism" and "political correctness" [By whose employment your ilk and the Socialist International's other useful idiots are attempting to destroy Australia's history, heritage and culture] become so prejudiced, so pro-sodomist and so anti-American?

In a handy little walk-up flat above an Oxford Street poofta pub in Sydney, perhaps? Or did you perchance pick up your prejudices from your sainted Saint Kilda mum? When she was between walks?

[Brian Allen]

<< They served honorably and well...though I understand they had to hitchhike to get there? >>

They did. As to a large extent, did the Brits. [Whose transport fleet averages around 45 years in service]

The few individual Canadians who served, notably a sniper or two, performed well enough but, when compared to Australia, Euro-socialist and culturally-communistic Canada punches way under its weight. To compare the collective attitude of Canadians to that of Australians and Canada's post-WWII contributions to the defense of the FRee World with Australia's, is to simply lie.

And to very seriously insult every Australian.

[Brian Allen]

<< What about J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI? >>

What about it indeed:

You might [While considering the importance of, say, "empirical evidence"] start with the fact that the slanders, libels and defamations of former FBI director Hoover have no basis in truth;

You might continue with the certainty that all that descends from a false premise is also false and;

You might conclude with the certainty that the employment of such lies, libel, slander and defamation provides the hallmark, nay the very definition, of the pathologically prejudiced.

To the mature, to the intelligent, to the knowlegeable and to those whose sense of the ridiculous is sufficiently well developed.

[Brian Allen]

I trust the post-your-generic-apology insult of post #203 will provide you, vis-a-vis Canada and most Canadians, with further confirmation of the soundness of your and Mr Krauthammer's every doubt, every suspicion and every caution.

Squalidly socialistic and unfriendly-to-America Canada [Reference, for just a couple of examples, its persistently anti-America/anti-Israel UN voting record, theft for Pennies on the Dollar of US-owned Cuban property and tangible support for America's effective enemies (USSR/Cuba) in time of war (eg Angola)] and the vast majority of its post-Trudeau and post-Christian population have willingly, gleefully, even, placed themselves beyond Judeo-Christian/Western/Human Civilization's pale.

I empathize with how you may have felt as this thread's howling hounds' principal, primary target fox and I appreciate the noblesse oblige demonstrated in your (Redundant) apology.

Way to go.

But I much more appreciate your truthfulness and the courage implicit in your every contribution to this thread's confirmation of the validity of Mr Krauthammer's assertions.

[CaptainCanada]

<< What about J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI? >>

Well, let's see:

1. Hoover was a life long bachelor.
2. Hoover had a constant companion - a man named Clyde Tolson.
3. Apparently the two were inseparable even going so far as to take their
vacations together.
4. When Hoover died, he left everything to Tolson.
5. It was Tolson who accepted the American flag used to drape Hoover’s casket when he died.
6. When Tolson died, the two of them were buried next to each other - as per their wishes.

Now all this does not prove that he was gay. But I think we can agree
that he was no flamming hetrosexual..

[Fair Go]

We are indeed very touchy I see. Not that that comes as any surprise. Previous posts say it all.

[Fair Go]

Let's hope it continues.

[spatso]

"I empathize with how you may have felt as this thread's howling hounds' principal, primary target fox and I appreciate the noblesse oblige demonstrated in your (Redundant) apology."

I must admit my apology was perhaps less honorable than it may appear. I have grown weary of the matter and the truth is I had failed completely in convincing anyone of the merit of my point of view. But, I simply did not want to disappear without comment. So, I have tried to be as gracious as I can in making my exit. I am grateful for your intervention in this matter. As strange as it sounds my stubbornness was driven by the belief that if I might convince one person I could claim a minor victory and move on. Your intervention was claimed by me as a victory proxy. Enough for me to be able to retire quietly, if not cowardly. Obviously, you were infinitely more articulate and direct in your understanding of the issues than I was. Again thank you for the rescue.

[NorthOf45]

I'm confident it will.

[Brian Allen]

The point of your retirement from the FRay was well taken, here and although I did little or nothing to deserve any, I appreciate your thanks.

There are two requirements to failure on FR. One of them is to mistake what happens here for a popularity contest, which you most certainly do not, the other to try and please everyone. You very quickly concluded there is no pleasing the kind of pack that took after you on this thread and retired to tell the Truth another day.

Particularly wasteful of our time is any effort to sooth the froth and foam flecked furiously moraly-relativistic, sanctimony-suffering and as-often-as-not Limey-bred foreigners, like those to our North, who seem, poor fellers, to be pathologically-envious of our nation's wealth and power and to never pass up an opportunity to sneer and gloat over some real or fantasized American failing and/or disadvantage.

Which, when one looks to FR's aims and objectives, gives the clue to what the Heck, in addition to causing maximum dissent among us, most are here to do.

[Fair Go]

Oh dear!

[Fair Go]

Sounds like some people have retired to lick their wounds. Let's count ourselves lucky that some people migrated to the US rather than to Australia or Canada.

[proud_yank]

I often wonder the same.

[proud_yank]

We have so many of the same fiscal & moral issues to deal with in the US, why spend so much time bashing Canadians as a whole for similar issues there? Especially to the face of Canadian conservatives who would unquestionably agree with you.

I agree it gets old when socialists & liberals abroad sit & bash the US, but its the ones at home we need to worry about.

Though its nice to hear, I don't expect people in other countries to pour out praise to the US for things we have done. Thats rather self-loving in my opinion.

I've spent the past two and a half years living in Canada for school, and to be quite honest, since the election of Stephen Harper I feel much more optimistic about what the future holds. He hasn't been in office very long, but already the threads of many globalist policies are starting to come undone (Gun registry, Kyoto, etc), which I think is excellent. It is very nice knowing that we aren't alone in that struggle.

I think that many of us are too quick to forget the Clinton years when he, representing America, was very buddy-buddy with the Chiracs, Cretiens, Schroeders, etc of the world.

[Brian Allen]

<< We have so many of the same fiscal & moral issues to deal with in the US, why spend so much time [Responding in kind to] Canadians .... >>

It helps to pass the time and/or let them not compare their comparatively sorry, socialist, state with America's truest ally, Australia.

[Let them, if they insist on indulging in comparisons, more acurately compare their country to New Zealand and themselves to New Zealand's similarly emasculated, feminized and homosexualized poor folks, (shaggy eel excepted!) who similarly "define" themselves as what they are not. (Australians)]

<< I've spent the past two and a half years living in Canada for school, and to be quite honest, since the election of Stephen Harper I feel much more optimistic .... >>

I went to college [NB] in Canada, too. Pre-Trudeau Canada, that is and still spend time at my place up there. [BC] And also pray that the evil manifest in Canada's anti-American post-Trudeau/Liberal mind-set will not destroy Mr Harper. But wouldn't bet on it.

BUMPping

[gunsofaugust]

I look deeper than the surface. I am in close contact for many years with numbers of people who are native Australians. Those Austrailians have many examples of government manipulations and meddling in their religious freedom. Seems like you have your wires crossed bluster. Bill Clinton said he was a Christian, though he lives and promotes the values and policies of a godless democrat.

[Fair Go]

You are right out of order here. You haven't a clue what you are talking about. You don't know who I am, how long I have lived in Australia, or what my qualifications are. I don't intend to indulge them here but be assured they far exceed that of your so-called Australian contacts. You are talking absolute rot.