Who’s The Racist??

A man apparently requiring emergency medical care spat on the floor of an ambulance and later punched the paramedic multiple times. But just because the patient was from an ethnic minority and the treating paramedic called him a filthy pig post the spit the magistrate, Pat O’Shane, dismissed the case. Read more about it here.

It should have been a clear-cut assault case. Yet it was muddied by inferences of race based discrimination. O’Shane asked the paramedic, "would the Court be correct in inferring………..that you don't like blacks?" The paramedic protested against the assertion yet O’Shane appeared to have made up her mind.

Race was never the issue at hand until O’Shane cast aspersions on the character of the paramedics and police officers involved. Ironically the aspersions were cast against those whom she is supposed to protect against criminals.

You could be the most racist person on earth but if you have not antagonised a person into violence based on their ethnicity then the racism is irrelevant. Was the paramedic assaulted or not was on what Ms O’Shane was supposed to rule.

I doubt she even realises that she has committed racial discrimination by favouring the “black” criminal against the “white” paramedic. Would she have come to the same ruling had the skin colours been reversed?

In For Surgery

A 103-year-old lady requires surgery for a fractured hip. Unfortunately she’s been put down the priority list. The family claim it’s due to her age. The hospital claims that it’s due to her general health. Both are probably correct, but what does it matter who’s right?

Either way the risks involved with an elderly person going under general anaesthetic are very serious. Yet they seem to be glossed over in the media. I doubt whether the lady’s niece thought through the risks before whinging about the health system to the media throng.

Next week we might hear that she passed away while receiving the risky hip surgery. It’s a realistic outcome. Yet the supposed disgrace at having to wait for her turn is all that seems important.

Perhaps there was a lack of communication. The risks involved may not have been emphasised. The delay not explained fully. So far she has had to wait five days. Some would think that she’s lucky for only waiting that long.

Even if the delay were due solely to her age, would that have been a problem? To me it shows a prudent surgeon wanting to be cautious. He probably has the best patient outcome in mind.

Good on Jillian Skinner for backing the health professionals. Families need to be more realistic about such matters. There is more than one person requiring surgery in the facility. There are so many variables with every case.

Of course it’s not good for this lady. She’ll be in pain. She should have been fed when delayed. But it’s the reality of a modern day world-class facility – demand high yet resources finite.

Marriage Books

There would be a whole library’s worth of books about marriage. But how many of them would actually be good for you to read and beneficial for your relationship. I’ve read four and would claim that they are not just good and beneficial but that they are a necessity for all couples to read and discuss prior to getting married.

Mine was a long distance relationship. Reading through books and discussing them via emails brought us closer together and helped set a firm foundation.

The first book we went through was “Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. Most arguments occur due to communication issues. Chapman points out the possible origin and rectifies it with an attainable solution. Start speaking your partner’s love language. Sounds easy but it can be very hard depending on many variables. Find out each others love language then speak it freely and you’re on your way.

Further down the track when our relationship seemed to be going somewhere more serious we moved onto “Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married” also by Gary Chapman. It covers a broad range of topics that are good to sort out prior to getting married. The topics seem so obvious that they needn’t be there. But after reading and discussing the chapters I saw the potential for conflict due to different expectations of roles and responsibilities once married. Areas such as housework, cooking, budgeting, etc seem small at first but if left to fester they can cause major rifts in an otherwise healthy relationship.

Closer to the wedding I had two books recommended to me – “One Flesh” by Amelia & Greg Clarke; and “Sheet Music” by Kevin Lemen. These are best read close to the wedding and parts of them post wedding. They assist in setting up realistic goals, expectations and also boundaries for the honeymoon and beyond. It can be tough to bring up these matters with a future spouse. These two books encourage it and it is very worthwhile to heed their advice. Without these books I would have been very unprepared.

Of course there’s so many similar books. These examples are written from a Christian perspective. They were recommended to me and I recommend them to anyone considering marriage.

The Mud Won’t Stick

Shame on one for having an opinion in a time where the only opinions allowed to be spoken are those in favour of the loudest voice. Doesn’t matter a fig the truthfulness of its content. Perhaps I have now gained a glimpse into the lives of truth seekers such as Messrs Jones, Hadley and Bolt.

Here’s a statement of mine from a social network website (granted not the greatest forum for sensible debate and discussion)

Marriage = one man + one woman. It's not discrimination. It's design. It's the differences that unite us and make us "one flesh".

Most comments were supportive, but there were a couple of negative comments that leave one slightly perplexed:

“Are you serious... I have never read such a pile of bullshit in all my life... Yeah u are entitled to your opinion... But what a narrow minded opinion it is...good luck to you”
 

“Oh dear. How very sad. You ignorant homophobes just don't get it at all do you? I actually pity you guys.... If your [sic] going to be an ignorant bigot come out and say it, don't hide behind some religious bullshit”

Some aspects of these comments I find particularly interesting

“Never read…” and “Ignorant” – the writer has never read such a pile of BS yet I am the one who is ignorant. Ignorance means a lack of information or knowledge. Believe me, I have heard and read of the issue of gay marriage. How can you not? Their lobby is small yet very vocal. They make themselves heard. It has been discussed many times around our dinner table. For a supposed small issue it sure takes up much news coverage. Perhaps the reader should do some research on the alternate viewpoint. Yes, there is one. Here’s a good starting point!

“Narrow Minded” – well yes one must admit this to a degree if you have an opinion. See once you have formed an opinion you become narrow to that opinion. But one does keep an open mind to reassess one’s opinions. Be reassured my opinions are well thought out and discussed with peers.

“Homophobe” – one of my least favourite words being used today. Overused by the gay lobby to slander anyone not in favour of their persuasion. By definition a phobia is an abnormal fear. Therefore homophobia is the abnormal fear of homosexuals. If I were a homophobe I would not go near one let alone have them on my social network friend list.

“Bigot” – my thoughts on this word are similar to being labelled a homophobe. A bigot is someone utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief or opinion. It’s a severe label and one that should not be thrown around lightly, yet here it is.

“Religious” – my definition would differ to others. Being a Christian does not equal being religious. Footy fans or political followers can be equally as religious if not more so. Gay and Lesbian lobbyists are more religious than a lot of Christians, think about it.

“I…pity you guys” – oh how condescending. But why should we be pitied?

“Hiding” – what the? Airing an opinion is hardly hiding. If I were hiding these people would not have come back with such slander.

With all this being said would it be surprising that it appears these people have since deleted and / or blocked me from the friend list?

Ironic. After all, this response could be seen as rather bigoted, religious, ignorant and narrow-minded.

Pulling No Punches

“Pulling No Punches”

by Barry Hall with Michael Cowley

As premiership captain he was the man. I was in Melbourne in 2005 watching him on a big screen holding the premiership cup aloft. Then more of the same later at Punt Road Oval and the next day at Albert Park. Life couldn’t get much better for him and Sydney Swans supporters.

Fast forward a few years and I am at the ground to witness Barry knockout Brent Staker with a well aimed left cross. It was the worst incident I have witnessed on the football field. Such a fall from grace.

There was so much conjecture at the time about what was really going on behind the scenes. At a time when Barry wanted some privacy he got even more hounded by the media. Speculation was rife. In a way he was his own worst enemy.

It took him a few years but finally Barry is telling his story in his own words. As the title suggests, he is pulling no punches. He is critical of Paul Roos and some former Swans teammates. Though he saves the worst criticism for himself. He freely acknowledges that he put himself into many of these tough situations.

He’s honest about his upbringing. From his father almost disowning him when he gave up boxing to almost killing a man in a fit of rage. He was an angry young man. His anger almost brought his downfall long before he became well known for football talents.

I'm glad Barry got to tell his side of the story. He gave so much to football despite his misgivings. He deserved to go out on a high and well done to the Western Bulldogs for giving him the opportunity to do so. As a Swans fan I think he had to leave the club given everything that had happened. It appears that Roosy could have handled matters differently but the outcome would have probably been the same.

Barry describes situations where he was rightfully frustrated with people not talking to him with too much being played out in the media. This was a media that was on his case since the 2006 grand final loss in which Barry played poorly. That was probably the beginning of the end at Sydney.

There were areas of his story where I thought he would delve deeper. I perceived that there was more to the story than he was telling. Although I applaud his discretion in keeping some matters private.

I suggest all fellow Swans fans have a read to gain some perspective.