When a no vote to austerity actually means yes.

I noticed the Greek PM, who initially gave the impression prior to the referendum he was willing to make some overtures to his lenders to their austerity measures, has now moved to position where most, if not all of the prior measures on that table are now accepted or are acceptable in a slightly modified version. This news initially caused world stock markets to positively move upwards in anticipation of a final settlement, only to wane as it now appears a long way off.  

The PM, it seems to me, gave the impression that a NO vote would strengthen his hand and at the same time by making a few overtures gave voters the distinct impression that creditors are being unreasonable and not responding to his offers. The vote was not as close as most anticipated, but I gather many, due to the wording, were not clear as to what they were actually voting for. The only major austerity measure that is now off the table as far as I can gather is a cut in defense spending. The other point in regard to a haircut on Greek debt is still in the melting pot, but sooner or later it will have to be considered.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion talked about the position right from the outset. The continuing theme the European Creditors are to blame for imposing austerity measures which resulted in Greece’s economy contracting by about 25% is a popular theme talked about by economists. But the reality is if you clock up debts to the extent of allowing run- away government expenditure to result in a budget deficits of the order of 12% of GDP, most of which was for consumption expenditure, you will in the aftermath risk severe contraction bringing that back into equilibrium.  That inevitably must cause a contraction in any economy in the absence of offsetting stimulatory monetary policy, which in Greece’s situation was long since exhausted as a Eurozone member. Furthermore, whether in modernity or way back to the times when communities were more in tune with nature, some semblance of balance has to be always maintained between continued sustainable available resources and those consumed. The assertion by some economists that the Greek people have not received or benefited from the continuing bailouts is another popular theme which is at odds with reality.  

If Greece had not been bailed out in the past their economy and their people would have suffered far more, as the reintroduced drachma would have devalued and ratchetted up inflation by 30-40% to reduce the countries purchasing power. Benefits across the board would have to be cut and with rapid inflation those provided would be severely devalued.  Whilst some of the funds provided did end up as financier’s remuneration the vast bulk of funds were as a consequence of prior consumption expenditure exceeding tax revenues which was received one way or another in benefits or services by the Greek people.

The idea put forward by another leading economist that the economy would quickly recover in the event of a Greek exit , based on prior empirical studies, to me seems fanciful. Rather I would suggest , this would involve a prolonged period of poverty, particularly as the countries needs new investment not likely to be forthcoming where there is little by way of viable industries or infrastructure other than tourism.

As negotiations drag on the initial euphoria and misplaced satisfaction of a NO vote only highlights the underlying frustration with Greece. What this highlights as a consequence of months of fruitless talks, is an emerging  lack of trust and a lack of reliability which makes compromise much more  difficult.
In the current talks I understand the 2 largest creditor nations, namely Germany and France are taking different approaches. France is lobbying for Greece to stay in the Eurozone, whilst apparently Germany is proposing a temporary "Grexit" which might last up to 5 years.  

Bear in mind if a settlement can finally be reached it will be Greece's third bailout in just five years. Its debt now stands at around 320 billion euros ($357 billion) – representing 180 percent of the country's annual GDP. This is clearly not sustainable.  

 

Greek tragedy unfolding

The Greek tragedy is gaining in momentum as yet another milestone passed with an official debt default and ominous signs the government coffers are empty.
Their PM has bailed out of talks with the EU and IMF and called for a July 5^th referendum, seeking to convince voters a no vote against the EU proposals will strengthen his hand in negotiating a better deal in exchange for additional bailout funds of 15.3 billion Euro. Unsurprisingly the referendum has not impressed the EU and initially spooked global markets as the fear of a Greek exit might lead to contagion to other weak links in the Euro zone and to banking collapses. A Greek default would cause Greek banks into bankruptcy and their losses would spill over and effect the solvency of European banks, particularly those located in Germany and France, who hold about over €34 billion in Greek debt. But this is dwarfed by the governments of the euro zone who are owed 184 billion. 

The Greek PM is banking upon this fear in this high stakes game of brinkmanship, thinking the EU will cave in and accept less austere measures than are currently demanded.

Although his view has gained some traction I would not be surprised if a yes vote carries the day and the current government is even ousted from office. 

Moving outside the Euro zone a small player such as Greece is hardly going to make any impact so that my concern would be for the local citizens whose savings and capital would be decimated. At the time of writing, the Greek banks are all closed and citizens are restricted to €60 to be taken out of an ATM at any one time. Whilst emergency services are exempt as time runs on stocking and purchasing of goods will become more difficult to further impact upon this beleaguered economy.

Bare in mind the Greek banks were only currently able to operate because of ECB support amounting to cash injections of 100 billion Euro. Now that Greece has defaulted on its €1.5 billion payment to the IMF, the bailout program has come to an end.

The interesting point is 70% of Greek citizens want to remain in the Eurozone but only a smidge over 50% want to stay if it involves accepting the current austerity package on offer. I think one could argue the country would be better off accepting the current package and press on with negotiation for some form of debt forgiveness in the longer term in relation to the $320 billion owing. It is becoming increasingly obvious Greece is never going to be able to repay the debt or even afford the interest bill and some form of debt haircut will have to be negotiated for it to remain as a viable member.  

 

Whereas if Greece exited this would require a reinstatement of the drachma, with the appealing prospect of ending the misery of austerity measures. But this appeal would be short lived as reality sinks in, for without any reserves, the only option would be to print more currency and allow for a substantial devaluation to encourage exports and lower costs for tourists. In the meantime the country would be plunged into poverty with a falling drachma resulting in hyperinflation to decimate citizen’s savings and capital. In the longer term recovery of sorts would emerge, but only after a prolonged period of adjustment which would be extremely painful for its citizens.
Looking back
One might well ask how on earth Greece managed to reach reach such a precarious position and what role the EU had in failing to ensure to EU standards of performance were maintained.

Greece has suffered from very poor governance stretching back many years where tax seems to have become an optional extra.

But the seeds of this tragedy had its nemesis in 2001, when Greece first adopted the Euro as its currency. The beginning could not have had a less auspicious start as it initially was predicated on hiding the excessive Greek debt levels to gain entry to the Euro Zone. The authorities entered into a complicated transaction with the help of Goldman Sachs, which, according to Bloomberg swapped debt issued by Greece in dollars and yen for euros using a historical exchange rate, which implied a reduction in debt.   

Upon entry to the Euro zone Greece then took advantage of much lower interest rates and undertook extensive borrowing and investment so that its debt continued to rapidly rise, to continue to operate well outside its obligations under the Maastrict Criteria. Greece later confirmed it had not been initially truthful, about the extent of its borrowings, but the EU decided it must defend its member nation to ensure she did not default or leave the Eurozone. Furthermore as both France and Germany were also spending above the limit it was felt it would be unfair to impose sanctions on Greece so the EU opted to allow the nation time to implement their own austerity measures.

The extent of the black hole became clearly visible in 2009 when Greece’s budget deficit stood at 12.9% of GDP, against a maximum of 3% allowed under the treaty. In response Greece announced an austerity package designed to ensure deficit were reduced to 3% of GDP in just two years. Subsequently the EU and IMF provided €240 billion in emergency funds to facilitate support as the nation made the transition to be self-sufficient.  

But at this stage the austerity measures began to bite with evidence of widespread civil unrest and pockets of rioting in the streets as the economy slowed and unemployment ratcheted up to 25%.
In 2011 a Euro 190 billion from the stability fund was added to existing bailouts as Greece's debt to GDP rocketed to 175% of GDP. 

The position was dire but some relief was granted as Bondholders finally agreed to debt forgiveness by exchanging $77 billion in bonds for a debt now worth 75% less.

Since then Greece has made some progress in reducing the size of budget deficits but not the amount it owes.

Conclusion
Either way the future does not look bright, but if integrity is given a chance, there still is the possibility of compromise being reached. Personally I think a yes vote is what is needed and less brinkmanship and a more pragmatic approach to allow for some considerable debt forgiveness as part of an overall package is in the best interest of all parties.

Beyond Literal Belief: Religion as Metaphor by David Tacey

Having read this fascinating book here are my thoughts and those of a friend of mine in that order.

David Tacey’s latest book aims to demonstrate that religion needs to be interpreted as a metaphor, to reveal its true spiritual relevance and unchain nearly two thousand years of unfounded dogmatic demands. His aim as dedicated in the book “to future generations, may you make more sense of religion than the generation before you.”

From this rather grand objective one is drawn to Tacey’s engaging and well-constructed arguments that mythical foundations underpin spiritual experience and understanding. 
I became less convinced however with his assertion that Jesus’s message was to say the kingdom of GOD was available existentially then; for which he was subsequently crucified. Indeed, the idea that everything could be underpinned on the basis of the interpretative metaphor did not resonate with me, since I think many of the biblical writers were also recording a recollections of events at that point in time. 
The problem is exasperated by the paucity of what is known of Jesus, restricted as it is to his short lived public ministry. Paul’s letters focus similarly on the resurrected Jesus to only make a few fleeting gospel references.   
All I think we can say for sure from the biblical accounts is that Jesus left us with the idea of a universal ethic of love, some definitive ideas on living as described in the Sermon on the Mount and food for thought in regard to the parables, which continue to offer many different interpretative outcomes.

Hence I don’t think the question of whether or not Jesus proclaimed the kingdom was here – within us, or yet to come as in the so called “second coming” can be answered unequivocally as tenaciously in the former as Tacey appealing argues. This seems to me to be an enduring mystery. However one author who might add more weight to Tacey’s conclusions is Scholar Elaine Pagels who has investigated the documents and implications from the discovery of the 52 texts in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, (known as the Gnostic Gospels) which are very different to the new testament. I think if Tacey had placed more emphasis on sources from outside the biblical texts that would have added more weight to his otherwise rather broad brush approach.

Second review  

After the long, wonderful and passionate Preface - and I always admire David's passion in his writing - I expected a sustained expose of at least all the happenings in the synoptic Gospels. However, the whole book and main argument is a Jungian and Spongian argument.  Jungian, because a great deal of the book is devoted to explaining Jungian theory. Spongian, because the more important arguments and propositions are the same as advocated some time ago by the American Episcopal Bishop Spong.

Selecting various events. Happenings, sayings in the New Testament rather lacks that sustainability I hoped for.

That quite a few of the 'miracles' and so on are metaphors is, I thought, well accepted by the average thinking Christian. Nobody is too fussed about the virgin birth of Jesus.  If that is a metaphor for expressing the divinity present in that 'event', Tacey gives an excellent insight.  However, biographical/historical texts not only consist of metaphors, exaggerations, embellishments and so on, but also of some facts. That we cannot always discern them after 2000 years is the big conundrum we are dealing with.  Let me give an example: The wedding feast at Cana. There is no particular reason to assume that Jesus, his mother, and his friends did not go to the feast.  The miracle of changing water into wine is, I thought, a great exaggeration.  Changing one glass of water into wine is as much a miracle as changing gallons of it. This could be seen as a metaphor of something, but a close reading shows that nothing of that was remarked upon by the guests. What was commented on was the overthrowing of accepted ritual, i.e. serving the best wine last instead of the bad wine.
Why Tacey spent so much time on the virgin birth and only a fleeting reference on the core of Christian Faith in the NT, that is the Eucharist, is something I cannot understand, since the whole book is an  expose (and indeed the theory) of metaphors as interpreted by Karl Jung.
So summing up, I admire the passion of the writing, but I am not at all convinced by the argument.

Malawi update

Around this time we celebrate the feast day of St Kizito, which commemorates his martyrdom on the 3^rd June 1886, together with the 32 slain by King Mwanga II of Uganda.

Today Malawi remains one of the poorest and less developed countries in the world, but its reputation remains “as the warm heart of Africa”.
This year it suffered a contraction in agriculture because of the late rains and some pockets of flooding which has adversely effected 80,000 hectares of cropland. Even so the country expects modest gains in their economy. 

What is a sobering thought is that it is estimated nearly half the population still have to exist on 1 dollar a day. This makes any efforts to help even more essential in ensuring there is a future community buildup of leaders through improved education, who are better able to serve their respective communities.

Recently Fr Taylor wrote to us telling us the scholarship and students support program is running very well and making a real difference. Currently work is underway renovating the local community day school and we are funding the cost of the roof. 

You would be pleased to hear that Fr. Taylor tells us there remains a great spirit amongst the people so that for him it is both an honour and a pleasure to work with them. 

 Click on Malawi Support Group blog link for all the latest photos.

 

Chiltern

 

Above are some pictures taken during an enjoyable stay at historic Chiltern and of nearby Beechworth, which are within a comfortable 3 hour drive north of Melbourne.

Chiltern is a small sleepy little historical town between Wangaratta and Albury/Wodonga. The town boasts the childhood home of author Henry Handel Richardson, situated opposite the ornamental Lake Anderson, pictured above. This picturesque body of water provides a home to a diversity of birdlife including three pelicans and is an ideal spot for a picnic or to just to wander around.

 

The first settlers were graziers but no sooner was the town community established with the erection of civic buildings in 1852, it became swamped by the gold prospectors as rich seams were discovered in 1858.

The population quickly swelled to 20,000 at its height, but mostly by way of occupation of makeshift flimsy dwellings, so there is little evidence to day of this once bustling center. Now the population has 1600 ratepayers but is increasing as young families in search of affordable housing settle in the area which is only a half hours drive to larger centers.

 

The town has been the location for Walt Disney’s ‘Ride the Wild Pony”, Crawford Productions’ ‘My Brother Tom’ and Revco Production’s ‘The True Story of Spit McPhee’. It is an obvious choice for the filming of period dramas as there is an abundance of historical buildings in the town and any number of walks through the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park as well as mine sites and a pioneer cemetery.

 

We made our base, ‘The Chiltern Colonial Motor Inn’, conveniently located near the historical station and a short walk to the town and lake. It was the only accommodation with a pool so I could keep up with a daily exercise routine, to appease a crook back, as I managed to brave the nippy water on three occasions much to the surprise of the staff and some of the guests. However, on the third morning when I began to lose the feeling in my legs after a short time in the pool I made a hasty exit!

 

We joined our friends who were mostly engaged in walking along tracks during the day for a communal dinner prepared in one of their cabins. It was a splendid three course meal of vegetable soup, steak and kidney pie with cauliflower and white sauce followed by jellied fruit and ice cream. Grace was read out in Latvian, to add a cultural event of interest to the convivial atmosphere. 

 

A highlight of our visit was an afternoon tea with a long time resident of Chiltern, whose ancestors were the original gold mining settlers and farmers. The old timber house, from where he gave his interesting talk, was crammed with antiques and memorabilia reflective of a grander yesteryear. It was the first timber hewn house in the town. He explained the mammoth scale of gold mining options then from ancestral records which noted an amount of over a million pounds expended in one year to update maintenance equipment for just one mine.  

 

But as the ore gave out by the early 20^th century it soon resembled a ghost town as only those could not afford to leave stayed, to eke out a living from the land and from the few businesses that remained.

 

Before dining out that evening we also all attended Mass at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church. We were welcomed as the walking group who could even sing. Our numbers, plus the very small congregation led by the priest were in fine voice as we sang the hymns a-cappella, possible on our part as five of us were part of our church choir. The Telegraph Hotel, the hub of the community on that Anzac Day night, when we arrived, was full to over flowing with children playing pool while their parents propped up the bar, as other locals and holiday makers drifted into the dining room later

 

Whispering spheres

In the state between consciousness and sleep  whilst attempting to relax perfectly, by attempting to empty my mind of all thoughts, recently a dialogue began as follows This is what was said ................"Do you not realise with the vastness of the universe that it could be there are layers and layers of spheres, existing in a higher plane than I dwell. For within this place a thousand years is nothing, in preparation for what is to come when we move onto a higher consciousness, to an even grander place. But we do not know the nature of how all of this will unfold, although I can tell you much more is known than when one exists in an earthly state. But then, as is now, the next transition remains unknown. Do not imagine you are alone, nor that your physicality is something over which I have any control.  For in all things ONE can only act as a guide, in preparation for that which is to come, so there is no need to hold fears over the future. Although I can walk with you, I do not have the power to make changes, but only by way of encouragement for you to find the path as is intended. But I sending another whose insight and clarity is revered and will give you more comfort in times of need."

Your thoughts are most welcome.

Coles brand now feeling stale

My letter as per below appeared today in the AFR alongside a large cartoon  depicting the giant Coles supermarket displaying two large sale bins for shoppers with signage" Suppliers freshly squeezed" and another headed "Furphies baked today".
 
In the article "$2.5 million fine in "fresh bread" suit"(AFR, April 11-12) Marianna Papadakis reports that ACCC's Rod Sims says Coles tried to portray its products as that of a hot bread shop and is pushing for stiffer fines to apply in future for false advertising.
Of course, a lot can hinge on what you don't say, as the Federal Court fine was imposed on Coles for promoting products advertised as "Baked Today, Sold Today" and in some cases "Freshly Baked In-Store", which gave that distinct impression of a hot bread shop. Consumers were unaware the products were re-baked from partially baked and frozen off site supplied products, in a practice known as "finishing" in the Coles on site bakeries.

For Wesfarmers their Coles brand must now be looking increasingly tarnished, as the latest penalty for false advertising is on top of a reported requirement for Coles to enter into $26 million in undertakings with the ACCC covering up to 200 suppliers, in addition to fines of $10 million for "serious, deliberate and repeated" misconduct towards suppliers.
But when the matter first arose Cole's response was they were engaging in competitive sourcing of product for the benefit of lower prices for the consumer. They were, but it appears most of the benefit stayed in house to improve returns along with the strong-arm tactics which have inflicted untold misery on many of its suppliers.

Another pespective on terrorism

Prelude

Recently PM tony Abbott released a national security statement which stated amongst other things The Government will develop amendments to the Australian Citizenship Act so that we can revoke or suspend Australian citizenship in the case of dual nationals. It has long been the case that people who fight against Australia forfeit their citizenship. Australians who take up arms with terrorist groups, especially while Australian military personnel are engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, have sided against their country and should be treated accordingly. For Australian nationals, we are examining suspending some of the privileges of citizenship for individuals involved in terrorism.
 

But  Dr Clark Jones who worked for the Australian Government for 17 years in national security in the fields of military, police and intelligence before changing to academia, where he has undergone research interests in counter-terrorism, radicalization / de-radicalization, organized crime, prison gangs and prison reform believes such additional powers are unlikely to make Australia more secure.  

 

I think the idea of revoking citizenship, which would prevent those who had engaged overseas on returning on the basis they conceivably might inflict a terrorism plot from their acquired knowledge while serving overseas is overblown. Whilst acknowledging an element of risk the high level security risk outlined seems implausible and may even be counterproductive. 

Firstly, radicalised individuals intent on terrorism, would surely not risk their life in a combat zone for training as a prerequisite. Secondly, those wishing to return may be fed up or even disillusioned to the extent of wanting to warn others against enlistment. As a further matter recently there has been unconfirmed reports of executions to those who seek to leave, so that those escaping are hardly likely to revert back as advocates or defenders of an organisation from which they fled from.   

Dr Clarke Jones contends:  Telling people they are no longer Australian also confirms their feeling of disenfranchisement and rejection of so-called Australian values. Such actions do not play well with individuals already disillusioned with Australian society.

 

This discussion paper will attempt to shed some light on the matter of terrorism generally and what might be some effective coherent responses.  

 

Introduction

Terrorism entered our vocabulary in the 18^thcentury, as the word began to be used to describe events such as what unfolded in the aftermath of terror following the French revolution. But there can be little doubt many prior forms of political violence have punctuated history, masked in various guises such as the misplaced zealous fervour of the crusaders whose atrocities seems unimaginable as do many of the past ideologies which invite indiscriminate violence spurred on by spurious moral claims.  However, in term of philosophical discussion the subject of terrorism increased dramatically after the attacks on the USA on the 11^th September 2001.

 

Terrorism is almost always associated with violence or the threat of intimidation, by a state or groups against innocent citizens and consequently the spread a dreaded widespread fear underpins its purposes and cements the power of its perpetrators.    

 But Terrorism also emerges as a causality of war or armed conflicts of one kind or another. We even see evidence in the later stages of WW2, as the allies’ patience was exhausted, so that non-combatant civilians were deliberately targeted in the bombardment of cities and the explosion of the atomic bomb resulting in millions of innocents being killed.

Determinologists justify such action as ending the war earlier from an enemy that might have inflicted further untold misery and mass genocide. But this justification is of cold comfort to those innocents killed and their surviving families in the engulfing fire bomb quite apart from unresolved matter of whether or not it brought about an earlier end to the war.

A second issue concerns governments who simply declare an organisation to be a terror organisation and its members to be terrorists regardless of whether or not they may be defending themselves from oppression or even invasion. In fact the failure of the United Nations to agree on a definition of “terrorism” for inclusion in international law highlights this conundrum. On the one side you have the Islamic countries who do not tolerate any definition that included liberation movements whilst Western countries are equally vehement to exclude state owned agencies being found guilty of terrorism. Here we have a failure of humanity to admit to failures as each side maintains the facade of a superior philosophical perspective where none exists.  

Notwithstanding the difficulties of determining a satisfactory definition for terrorism one is forced to retreat to the simplistic approach that reflects everyday terms; indiscriminate violence or intimidation inflicted on non-combatants or innocent bystanders in an effort to secure control or victory by its perpetrators.

 

This definition would seem to confirm that terrorism is never justifiable but it would also serve to implicate all countries at one time or another as being complicit. It would nevertheless be a much more honest starting point to agree on what measures would be taken in the future to combat the ideologies that leave us exposed to its terrors.  But before that, one needs to contemplate what drives young people to join such terrorist organisations.

What is the allure of young people enlisting with terrorist organisations?

The first point to make is the underlying socioeconomic pressures at work arising from record youth unemployment in Australia and abroad, often concentrated in ethnic groups or migrants struggling to find their place, can create an environment susceptible to the allure of terrorist ideologies over those values of the local society. 

The terrorists message seems disarmingly simple yet effective in a us versus them approach.

The terrorist organisations depict an inclusiveness for potential jihadists to join the fighters and to share in the "spoils" of not only capturing war hardware but also even to find a bride who shares the same ideology.

The justification is by way of caricature of westerners as a force that oppress Muslims the world over, evoking deceptive descriptions as "Crusaders," which attempt to link the past atrocities of centuries earlier as justification for their present response.  Hence the call to arms brings with it the appeal to young people who are called to the inclusive fold with poetic words to align their destiny as young lions to fight against the so called infidels and idolaters of the west.  

Suicide bombers  

But an even more puzzling question is what brings Suicide Bombers to detonate themselves and cause loss of life to innocent bystanders? Is it a religious fervour, and or the fragrant perfume of promised paradise for martyrdom?

Islam is a beautiful peaceful religion

In Islam suicide is forbidden and its incidence is at a lower pro rata rate to population than the West. A taking of a life is only allowed by way of justice with the death penalty for murder, but it is also acknowledged that forgiveness is better. Harming innocent bystanders, even in war, is forbidden under the Quran. On a personal level Muslims are generally peaceful, honest, hard-working, civic minded people, no different to any other societies. But we need to hear more from theologians to counter both the on line and off line allure.

Meaning of Jihad

The crux of the matter and what brings fear to the mind is the term Jihad, which is to exert utmost effort, to strive, to struggle. Jihad has many different meanings, but it is simplistically attributed in non-Islamic cultures to a “Religious War”. It has the same negative connotation in the West as “Crusade” has in the Islamic world, an association there with the Christen Crusaders who fought the Muslims for control of the Holy Land. The Link to a religious fervour as a precursor to violence is indeed a highly tenuous one. You might say Islamic fundamentalism is an enabler, rather than a motivator for these acts of terror. Violence in the conflict zones is largely a secular struggle, unconnected to religion.

 

Another perspective

Dr Robert Pape from the University of Chicago sums up the position very well in my opinion: What nearly all suicide terrorist attacks actually have in common is specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland.

Religion is often used as a tool by terrorist organisations in recruiting and in seeking aid from abroad, but it is rarely the root cause. The general pattern in data supports these conclusions.
First, nearly all suicide terrorist attacks –301 of the 315 I studied –took place as part of organised political or military campaigns.

Second democracies are uniquely vulnerable to suicide terrorists: America, France, and India. Israel, Russia. Sri Lanka and Turkey have been the targets of almost every suicide attack of the past two decade.
Third suicide terrorist campaigns are directed toward a strategic objective from Lebanon to Israel to Sri Lanka to Kashmir to Chechnya. The sponsors of every campaign-18 organisations in all-are seeking to maintain political self-determination. Before Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 there was no Hezbollah suicide terrorist campaign against Israel; indeed Hezbollah came into existence only after this event. Before the Sri Lankan military began moving into Tamil homelands of the Island in 1987, the Tamil Tigers did not use suicide attacks. Before the increase in the Jewish settlers on the West bank in the 1980”s Palestinian groups did not use suicide terrorist, and true to form, there has never been documented suicide attack in Iraq until the American Invasion in 2003.

Conclusions

Whilst it is acknowledged our response to terrorism must include some tighter security measures what seems to be missing is more spending to ensure wherever possible practical compassionate outcomes, which seek to address its underlying causes, following  consultation with the relevant community leaders.   

I think that in this respect it would very helpful  to hear more from theologians validating why religions such as Islam do not condone the use of violence, and the west needs to give more thought on why we became so intractably involved in Iraq, whilst we stayed away from Syria. This may entail an admission of past mistakes in Iraq, and to adopt a more comprehensive foreign policy that seeks to understand more clearly the reasons for conflict. Certainly Australia should not follow blindly in America’s footsteps as it has in the past. It will take a long time for America to recover from is loss of credibility in the world stage, to be respected as a genuine peacekeeper who is able to help make the world a better place.

In the meantime we desperately need to counter the rhetoric of terrorist organisations with counter arguments after consulting with the relevant  communities to formulate a practical narrative that better explains the history and what steps can be taken in the absence of fear and loathing. This will involve an on –line and off line response, largely missing from the current policy. 

Banning these currently engaged from ever returning is not going to enhance our security but improved understanding as to why they enlisted in the first place and then possibly to even engage those who have a change of heart, will. 

Dont change Hansard

In "Joyce to be grilled on Grimes sacking" (AFR, March 16) Laura Tingle reports Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce will come under concerted parliamentary attack from Labor over the sacking on Friday of Mr Joyce's department head, after he apparently sought to insist that his department not be implicated in a misleading of Parliament.
This all began as a rewriting of Hansard of an answer given by Mr Joyce in Parliament which has now spread to a much broader controversy after Dr Grimes' appointment was terminated by Mr Abbott on Friday. In this respect, Joe Fitzgibbon is also seeking a broader inquiry into the practice of rewriting the Hansard record in recent years. But what begs the question is why the tradition continues in the first place,which allows Ministers and MPs seven days to make minor changes to the Hansard record, inviting a subjective judgement.

Imagine a court allowing subsequent amendments to be made to the court transcript of what was said during a trial, which is often relied upon in further proceedings.

Hansard also needs to record exactly what was said, regardless of poor grammar, unintended omissions or references. The protocol of issuing a revised statement by the Minister to correct any omissions or unintended inaccuracies, should always be followed, which may have avoided the spectacle of the termination of Dr Grime's tenure.

Psalm 42 As the deer longs

I have been member of our local church choirs for over 25 years and I never tire of singing liturgical music, especially the Psalms.
Psalms can be sung as a hymn or as a responsorial Psalm which is how they were first intended; the verse/chorus is repeatedly sung by the congregation after the choir sings the verses.
The Psalms have several authors; with many attributable to King David. Most people are familiar with The Lord is my Shepherd which is prefaced simply as a Psalm of David. Whether it was actually written by King David is problematic as scholars recognize many of the events described within these Psalms attributed to him happened many centuries later.
What I find interesting about the collections of 150 Psalms is the extent of the full range of emotions and drama that are cleverly interwoven to describe celebrated past events and hopeful aspirations of a community; of a rich theology. 

They reflect the poetic nature of the Hebrew Bible which in turn is indicative of the popularity of poetry in Israel and its surrounding regions at the time. According to the Jerusalem Bible’s introduction to the Psalms they fit into three categories , Hymns, Entreaty (for use in public and temple court) and thanksgiving.

Here are some of the words which would fit under the heading of an "Entreaty" shown here in abbreviated form. Psalm 42~is headed: For the Choirmaster ~ of the sons of Korah (which is a reference to the sons of Korah who were musicians at that time of the original composition.)

As the deer longs for running streams,
so I long, so I long, so I long for you.

A-thirst my soul for you the God who is my life!
When shall I see, when shall I see,
see the face of God?

As the deer longs for running streams,
so I long, so I long, so I long for you.

Continually the foe delights in taunting me:
“Where is God, where is your God?”
Where, O where, are you?

As the deer longs for running streams,
so I long, so I long, so I long for you.

Then I shall go unto the altar of my God.
Praising you, O my joy and gladness,
I shall praise your name.

As the deer longs for running streams,
so I long, so I long, so I long for you.