An excellent piece on sexual discrimination

#auspol

At this time, when gay marriage is back on the agenda, I thought it relevant to spread a good article written by the Honourable Justice Michael Kirby AM on the use of religion to defend discrimination against homosexuals.  Definitely worth a read.  At least for one side of the argument.

How does a tax battle climate change?

#auspol

Firstly, I am no scientist.  I am no economist.  I believe the majority of climate scientists agree in anthropogenic climate change.  This is purely my take on the rectification of climate change.

My problem with the carbon tax (apart from the lie / not  a lie argument) is that I don't see how this type of tax will reduce carbon emissions or have any effect on climate change.  To place a tax on how much carbon is released in the air has no bearing on the amount of carbon being released.  It simply charges an amount of money.  There is no cap on emissions. 

Surely, there needs to be a cap on the amount of emissions released and a way of forcing polluters to control and reduce the amount of emissions they produce.  Wasn't this the idea of the ETS? 

I haven’t seen any any better way of reducing emissions than an ETS.  We really need a sensible debate in the open air without politics coming into it.  But I think that is a fanciful idea!

Please give me your feedback on this debate and tell me if I have it way off on the carbon tax.

I can’t believe my luck!

Yesterday I posted about the inheritance I am going to receive and now it looks like I am being courted by a wealthy Princess from Côte d'Ivoire!  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! 

I won’t be blogging anymore. I have been left some money!

This is to let you know that this will be my last blog!  I received this email today letting me know that I am the beneficiary of some money.   I think it is a lot of money, hence the mysterious nature of the “profitable and classified monetary transaction”!   

I’ve got to go.  I have to transfer $20,000 via Western Union to cover “transaction costs”.  I know that sounds like a lot but I have the “utmost commitment and trust” in Keith!

So I just wanted to thank you all for reading my blog.  I will think of you when I am sailing down the Riviera! 

JPL’s promise at odds with LNP actions?

Queensland Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek did what all Opposition Leaders do and pledge a new style of politics and clean up the obviously broke Government.  He calls it truth in politics.

‘‘We will introduce truth in political advertising laws that will ensure Queenslanders get a fair-dinkum choice between the policies,’’ he said.

‘‘Our plan to clean up government will stop once and for all the lies that Queenslanders were exposed to at the last state election.’’

But how will he deal with service contracts?  Hopefully not the same way the LNP does.

Queensland's Liberal National Party paid almost $250,000 to companies owned by senior party officials in the first six months of the year.

The LNP last night defended the payments, saying high-ranking party figures were paid via their companies on a contractual basis rather than being employed.

…

An LNP spokesman said party members should not be concerned about the payments, as the relevant officials were not employed but instead contracted through their companies.

Will we really see a new era of truth in politics, or just that same old deals for mates mantra?

Harden up Mate – I mean Your Honour!

Magistrates have for a long time degraded what is offensive language in public (now public nuisance offence).  Magistrates regularly make the comment that police must have ‘tougher skins’ and cope with more abuse than an ordinary person. 


But it seems that Magistrates sit so high atop their pedestal that to call them ‘mate’ deserves some time in the lock up.  Are Magistrates really this precious?

Thomas John Collins was sent to the cells after twice calling Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin "mate'' during a hearing last week.

When Magistrate McLaughlin objected ordering Collins to address him as ``sir or your honour'', the defendant replied "okay mate'' and was sent for a stint in the cells.
He later returned to the courtroom to apologise.
(Via Courier Mail)

Some Magistrates need to Harden up!


UPDATE:


Chief Magistrate Brendan Butler has defended the actions of Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin in jailing this man.  He said:

"It is clear on a fair assessment of what occurred that the magistrate acted in response to a deliberate course of conduct going beyond the mere use of the word 'mate'," he said.

"It is relevant that the magistrate had just requested another defendant not to address him as 'mate'.

"In the matter that immediately followed, the defendant [Mr Collins] referred to the magistrate twice as 'mate', laughed when corrected on the appropriate form of address in court, described the discussion as 'a joke' and told the magistrate to 'just get on with the program'."

There's not much hope when even the Chief Magistrate doesn't see a problem with this situation.  The President of the Qld Police Union, Ian Leavers, has also hit out at the Magistrate saying:

"It's a disgrace that the judiciary are so thin-skinned that they take offence and then say that as a police officer you can be sworn at, threatened, punched and attacked and you've got to cop that on the chin. But don't dare call me 'mate'."

I think Leavers makes the most valid point of the argument.  The Magistracy live in ivory towers were police are expected to tolerate behaviour much worse than this simple sarcasm and defiance.  Yet at the first sign of disrespect they lock up the person.


Perhaps a better solution would have been to move his matter to the end of the court list.  But why do that when you can simply lock him up... That'll show him!

Ask Me Anything - Do you think 9/11 was an inside job?

No I am not a conspiracy theorist. I generally think this type of stuff would have come out in mainstream arena by now. But I guess you never know!

Ask me anything