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Easy enough for Miss Australia - Kristina Keneally's cheap gibe insults Kokoda sacrifice
Daily Telegraph ^
| 10th June 2010
| Angela Kamper
Posted on 06/09/2010 5:02:16 PM PDT by naturalman1975
A CHEAP remark aimed at belittling her political rival has backfired on NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, leaving her under attack from the unlikely alliance of Diggers and a charity queen.
Ms Keneally yesterday mocked Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell for walking PNG's Kododa Track, saying, "Well, so did Miss Australia - so congratulations, Barry."
But the swipe by the American-born Premier only denigrates the honour of those who fought the Japanese there, the four Australians who died walking the 96km track last year and Miss World Australia 2007 Caroline Pemberton.
"Obviously she hasn't done the trek herself to be making those comments," said Ms Pemberton, who has also climbed Mt Everest and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.
"To bring up Kokoda in jest is not only offensive to our Diggers, it's offensive to all Australians. Probably because she's got an American background she doesn't know what it means to trek it."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS:
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To: naturalman1975
2
posted on
06/09/2010 5:02:39 PM PDT
by
naturalman1975
("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
To: naturalman1975
3
posted on
06/09/2010 5:03:42 PM PDT
by
allmost
To: allmost
4
posted on
06/09/2010 5:09:00 PM PDT
by
naturalman1975
("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
To: naturalman1975
Insults Kododa Sacrifice? As if there's no difference between walking the trail under fire, with a minimum of rations & carrying 120 lbs of gear, and walking it on a lark during peacetime with all the amenities of a modern backpacker.
It doesn't take too much intelligence to be able to discern the intent of the comment. Dunno anything at all about these politicians, but this story itself is a cheap shot.
5
posted on
06/09/2010 5:09:49 PM PDT
by
skeeter
To: naturalman1975
6
posted on
06/09/2010 5:10:00 PM PDT
by
DuncanWaring
(The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
To: skeeter
Kokoda is a pilgrimage for Australians.
You don’t make jokes about walking the track, anymore than an American politician would make a joke about Gettysburg.
Besides, even just walking it is a significant endeavour. Four Australians died doing it last year. Nearly 100 kilometres over mountainous terrain. People walk it for a reason.
No, it doesn’t compare to what the soldiers did. But you don’t make jokes about it.
7
posted on
06/09/2010 5:13:27 PM PDT
by
naturalman1975
("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
To: DuncanWaring
Yes - Rifle No.1 Mk III. Australia retained it as the standard issue infantry rifle until Korea.
8
posted on
06/09/2010 5:16:20 PM PDT
by
naturalman1975
("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
To: naturalman1975
I'll defer to your understanding of Australian culture.
The story still reeks of political opportunism, though.
9
posted on
06/09/2010 5:16:39 PM PDT
by
skeeter
To: naturalman1975
10
posted on
06/09/2010 5:17:41 PM PDT
by
ltc8k6
To: ltc8k6
11
posted on
06/09/2010 5:20:38 PM PDT
by
ltc8k6
To: naturalman1975
To: naturalman1975
Most Americans think the war in the Pacific was an almost total American affair. Not so by a long shot. We could not have had a better ally than Australia. The Australian Troops were some of the best troops in WW2. Their heroic battle on the Kokoda Trail is a part of the Pacific Campaign that most Americans don't know about but should. If the Japanese could not have been turned back by the determined Australian Troops, Port Moresby would have fallen along with all of New Guinea. It could have been a disaster if that happened. But it didn't happen and this is story that needs more attention. In a way it was as important as Guadalcanal.
Does anyone on FR know of any movies made about this battle? If so, I'd like to check them out.
13
posted on
06/09/2010 5:28:57 PM PDT
by
truthguy
(Good intentions are not enough.)
To: truthguy
There's a 2006 Australian movie called Kokoda. Pretty good.
14
posted on
06/09/2010 5:32:18 PM PDT
by
naturalman1975
("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
To: naturalman1975
There’s a great scene in Kokoda where one of the guys
wants to stop so he can poop, he’s got dysentery and
the guy behind him on the trail takes his bayonet and
slits the guys shorts so he won’t have to stop and
as they continue on you notice that they all have slit
shorts.
Dysentery no fun, had it in Nam.
15
posted on
06/09/2010 5:39:48 PM PDT
by
tet68
( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
To: tet68
Stories like that make me glad I was in the Navy. :)
16
posted on
06/09/2010 5:41:19 PM PDT
by
naturalman1975
("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
To: truthguy
I had never heard of it, and I am a WW2 buff...
It sounds a bit like commenting on Bataan...
17
posted on
06/09/2010 5:48:42 PM PDT
by
ltc8k6
To: naturalman1975
"To bring up Kokoda in jest is not only offensive to our Diggers, it's offensive to all Australians. Probably because she's got an American background she doesn't know what it means to trek it."Huh? Ms. Pemberton, don't alienate an entire nation just to take a shot at someone else.
18
posted on
06/09/2010 5:50:11 PM PDT
by
SlowBoat407
(Anyone can fib. It takes an intellectual to tell a really big lie.)
To: naturalman1975
I haven’t followed it all that closely but with Rudd/Labor crashing at the polls and the Greens rising, doesn’t this make a Red/Green coalition more likely? Or something similar to the new UK situation? Or (hopefully) can the Liberals/Nats pull it out?
19
posted on
06/09/2010 5:53:50 PM PDT
by
Heatseeker
(Elizabeth Cheney for President)
To: tet68
Dysentery no fun, had it in Nam.As did I...got it from eating local "produce" (I think). Went from 165 to 102 lbs. inside of three weeks.
Was two days from being sent stateside when the tide turned, the fever broke, what I ate stayed inside.
Absolute bummer....sent me right back to work!
20
posted on
06/09/2010 5:57:00 PM PDT
by
Logic n' Reason
("Buzzard's gotta eat; same as worms.")
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