[paraclete]

January 26, Australia day, or Invasion day, depending upon your perspective. In 1788 a contingent of poms landed in Botany Bay, a somewhat desolate place unsuitable for a colony, and took possession of the place, there being no objection from the locals who would have been glad to get rid of it. However these wanderers moved on to Sydney Cove and repeated the exercise, much to the consternation of the locals, who have been complaining ever since. I don't know why they are complaining, since the poms brought marvelous innovations such as forced labour and buildings. They made roads through what was a trackless waste and finally found some arable land, a concept lost on the locals, some miles away. The newcomers also brought animals with them that didn't run away and so were easier to spear. This was not appreciated by the poms who had no taste for kangaroo and wanted to keep the good tucker to themselves. The poms were a smelly, unwashed lot and soon disease spread to the locals.

Anyway this is what we are commemorating the birth of a nation. More than two hundred years ago these invaders started it all, and it seems that is the way the history of most nations goes, so why should we be different? Just because a few "locals" object? I don't think so.

[Oldspicy]

I'm not entirely sure what your question is amongst all that?
Are you asking if Australia Day should be cancelled?

I think there are a lot more positives than forced labour and buildings, from what you call smelly, disease ridden people.

Australia is a prosperous and overall peaceful country, and there is a lot in the country to be proud of today.

Things are improving for Aboriginals and the gap is closing: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-11/jackson-pulver-indigenous-health/5150064

Rather than focus on negatives, focus on positives and making things better.

[Catsmine]

Is this the down under version of "white guilt," Clete? Do you feel better for checking your privilege?

[tickle]

Brits took them down under. THey were cast offs and criminals from England. Possibly because their jails were over loaded.

Blame cpt. Cook for discovering Aussie land.

[paraclete]

Okay let's get some perspective

Cook didn't discover Australia that was done long before by Aboriginees, Chinese, Dutch and various fisherman. Cook found the east coast of Australia and sailed along it eventually even been shipwrecked on it. Cook confirmed that the Great South Land existed

The Aboriginees consider Australia Day Invasion Day and in terms of what took place it could be considered an invasion
as the British just rocked up and took possession of the place. Me, I don't feel guilty because I'm not British and I don't have anything to apologise for but undoubtedly the aboriginees are owed an apology from the British government for taking land without payment and allowing the murder of the locals

I think it is misguided to think things are improving for aboriginees, Things are much the same. Those who have integrated do all right and those who haven't don't but there are many other non aboriginees who have difficulties too. Not enough jobs to go around and not in the right places. To remedy this situation we need to back off on immigration fror a while. Got enough taxi drivers

Playing glass half full is denying that this prosperous country is going backwards because we have sold the farm. Too many trade agreements have decimated our industries. What I fail to understand is why are we importing food? Some dill even thinks we would be better off if our currency is worthless, that only works if you have something someone wants to buy. it doesn't work if you are doing the buying

[talaniman]

Oh come on Clete, somebody is buying whatever the dills will sell and somebody profits from it. That's just commerce, as is manipulating your currency. Everybody does it. What makes Australia any different in that regard?

You are still evolving like the rest of us.

[paraclete]

Evolution stopped here long ago Tal, this is the land of the long weekend. Thing is commerce is great if you have something to sell but not if you are the buyer. Very soon for example our auto industry will disappear and we will start driving Jeeps of all things, a legacy of the US-Australia free trade agreement which certainly didn't benefit us. We didn't have the good sense to preserve that industry, our ship building industry has gone and we will buy Submarines from Japan, we have no aircraft industry and must put up with acquiring a substandard F35, oil refining is retreating, our film industry is almost not existent, and our culture subverted. What we have is a great big hole in the ground. Our science is fantastic but we don't benefit from it. Our wool is turned into fibre someplace else, our meat is exported live, industries have disappeared and we buy contaminated food from the arse'end of the world.

On the political front we are led by idiots who don't know the game isn't about them. Ok rant over

[smoothy]

No different than here... we've had a very bitter, racist idiot in the White House for the last 6 years... and a very bitter, senile old man running the Senate for even longer. That thank goodness finally lost HIS job recently.

You have the Aborigines, while we have what we used to and still do call "Indians" Though inaccurately. Much the same problems... many prefer to sit around and piss and moan, expecting handouts...to buy more booze or drugs, a few others have got with the program and made good of themselves and what they have.

[NeedKarma]

we've had a very bitter, racist idiot

We have one here at AMHD as well.

[talaniman]

LOL, after centuries of subjecting an entire minority population to racist treatment, now the anglo's are mad when a minority calls them on it. Seems your entitlements to say whatever you please has mad anglo's DAFT!

Keep talking tough, it does little to hide what you did in the past, or the fear it will come back to bite you! The excuse "I didn't do it" and "times have changed", have nothing to do with the hatred and fear you spew now as you seek to blame others for your own idiosy now.

Tell me how hard you work to be a lucky basta@rd because you are barely treading water. Who will you blame when you drown in your own crap.

[talaniman]

Evolution stopped here long ago Tal,

Your evolution may have slowed due to complications but I think you Aussies will figure it out in due time.

[paraclete]

LOL, after centuries of subjecting an entire minority population to racist treatment, now the anglo's are mad when a minority calls them on it. Seems your entitlements to say whatever you please has mad anglo's DAFT!



Tell me how hard you work to be a lucky basta@rd because you are barely treading water. Who will you blame when you drown in your own crap.

We are trying to help these people but they just want to sit in the dirt and complain. They want us to give the place back so they can have what we have built with no ability to use it. A cargo cult. The aborigines were once also called Indians short for indigenous no doubt and peculiarly they may have originated in the sub continent. No they are lamenting that someone did what they also did with it been shown there were at least three ancient invasions of this continent

Who will we blame, why you of course because you are responsible for a lot of bad outcomes in this world and if there is a nation that gathers it all and lets others drown it is you

[talaniman]

I was referring to America, Clete.

[tickle]

We are trying to help these people but they just want to sit in the dirt and complain. They want us to give the place back so they can have what we have built with no ability to use it. A cargo cult. The aborigines were once also called Indians short for indigenous no doubt and peculiarly they may have originated in the sub continent.

Indians is not short for indigenous. I don't know why Aussies natives would be called 'Indians'. They are an indigenous people.

The only reason, on the north American continent, they were called 'Indians' is because Columbus thought he had discovered the northwest passage to India. So upon seeing the natives, he calles them 'Indians'.

Now the proper name is native Americans, or 'Amerinds'.