The referendum won yesterday in Egypt by those who quite like Shariah Law is a warning to secular democracies everywhere.
Because religious people have more children, and Hillsong will outbreed us — and the resident Mel Gibson tyke fundamentalists, and the boatloads of incoming Shi-ites and Hindu Tamils — and laws quite unsuitable to our easy promiscuous culture swarm over us like crablice, if we are not careful.
It is the problem of Eretz Israel too: eight Arab children are engendered for every three Jews, and one of these three will scarper to America or Europe or Melbourne before they turn thirty and not come back. And there is no way round this problem of thronged insurgent humidicribs other than that of the late King Herod: a massacre of innocents now and then, as in Gaza in October.
In Australia too, I have long reflected, we aborted our majority in the sixties and seventies and eighties, and the Catholics and Maronites thereafter seized the Labor Party; and, indeed, of late, the Liberal Party. And, as in America, the crazies are taking over.
Joe Hockey, the Palestinian Maronite, may soon be Prime Minister.
And it’s a pity.
Name:
The issue is not one of race, nor even one of ethnicity, but one of culture religion and ethos.
If the newcomers are willing to embrace the culture and ethos of the society they enter, there are few problems; one cannot expect them to adopt a new religion, but hopefully all varieties will fade away in any event.
The difficulty arises when the newcomers are stubbornly sectarian and aloof from the host nation : then it can be characterised as an invasion or occupation rather than immigration.
The newcomers may demand further “tolerance” of their religion and culture, even to the extent of demanding laws to accommodate their peculiarities.
The answer should be education and integration into the host society, not accommodation of the peculiar, unless the law changes are compatible with the host society.
Our definition of what is an Australian has changed radically in the last few decades, but I suspect that there is a point where basic societal values can be challenged to the limit. One such limit is for us to reject Sharia law as incompatible with any society that has progressed beyond the 18th century.
I hold no brief for Christian values nor even for their sensibilities but there is no doubt that such values underpin our laws and our very society, though we are working to remove the overt biases; imposing another, different set of religious values and laws as well cannot be a step forward, and more likely several steps back.
You will see in Sheffield, and parts of Paris, how far the ‘invasion’ of new thoughts can go. It is now a given in some parts of Sydney that genital mutilation of girl children occurs and is not punished, it is ‘part of the culture’.
We were better advised I think to institute a ‘ten dollar Mick’ scheme like the ten pound Pom scheme of yore. Or five dollar Spaniard, perhaps.
I don’t fear the Shi-ites so much as the Hillsong. Those are the real maniacs. Like the Tea Party.
“You will see in Sheffield, and parts of Paris, how far the ‘invasion’ of new thoughts can go”.
I wonder if any parts of Sydney are also like part of Bradford in the UK where up to 75% marry first cousins? Another interesting cultural custom.
“We were better advised I think to institute a ‘ten dollar Mick’ scheme like the ten pound Pom scheme of yore…”
Now you’re for it Bob! Just as well the new Roxon ‘offended’ definition isn’t (and hopefully will NEVER become) law!!
What we are seeing is a proliferation of ways to be modern.
Just the thing for someone who enjoys an argument.
A well thought out and articulated comment/comments Doug. I couldn’t agree more. Bob’s original article, some of with which I would not agree, but much of which with I do, is a timely reminder of that to which Karl Popper alluded in his “Foes of an Open Society”. Hillsong, Shi’ite and intolerant Theisms are anathema, and all basically paternalistic controlling bastards with a tendency to control, or, violence and/or masturbation.
gg
Personally, I’d be more concerned about this political group of nutters taking over Australia.
Take a gander at them:
http://www.emilyslist.org.au/our-women/emilys-list-australia-current-members-of-parliament
A good example why positive discrimination doesn’t work.
Next thing you know, one of them will be installed prime minister and Bob’s your uncle, the place will turn into a nanny state, full of ridiculous dumb legislation, backflips on policy (because a women can change her mind) scary eyeballs on cigarette packs, poker machines legislation and crazy laws enabling people to sue one another if they feel a little irritable in their menstral cycle. I tell you, it’s time we men fought back and took control of our destiny from the real menace. Inbred women.
This Christmas, I’m forming Frank’s List!
Bob can be our patron. Anyone with a swinging dick can join. Who is with me?
Good luck with the recruitment drive, but I’ll pass. Thanks anyway, but I suspect I’d fail the admission criteria. Panama hats, knee-length socks below white shorts, and at least 5 yrs with the local bowlo, preferably on the committee, isn’t it?
And not sure what your marketing background is, but ‘Frank’s List’ won’t take off as a title. It’s too derivative. Why not employ an anagrammatic approach and instead offer ‘Frank’s Silt’, or even ‘Frank’s Slit’ as the headboarder. (Farl Stinks and Fart Slinks were early discards).
As in everything, attention to detail is key, and I’m concerned, Frank, that Frank’s Slit, should it be launched, may end up sailing into rough waters heedless of the forecasts.
Did you gander, btw, at Emily’s List? My cut and paste concern is that you didn’t; that you just skimmed the first section and then posted, whereas if you’d gone deeper into Emily’s you’d have found the current PM attributed, something your post implies you were unaware of. Attention to detail, Frank, it’s always the detail.
I’m delighted to hear that Frank is about to launch Frank’s Slit.
It’s about time he stretched his aged wings. And he shouldn’t worry a jot about the very strong odour of mothballs when he does so. Some people have a thing for camphor.
If he’s to cover out an empire on the inter webs, however, he’ll have to conquer the very bad habit of saying precisely what is expected of him and nothing more.
If he’s going to do that, he’d be better off attempting to carve out an empire in Werribee.
Perhaps he could call Rootin in to consult; he has a flashing, quicksilver imagination.
It could be just the thing.
ooops - typo. On the other hand, Frank might be more likely to cover out an empire than to carve one out.
Let’s not go there. I can imagine the kind of thing that might cover Frank: it has tentacles and the dimensionality of it’s undead body keeps alternating in unpredictable ways.
Frank’s Slit?? Perhaps the Anti-Slit List?
Or the Sir Les Patterson Bill?
The Royal Society For Keeping Female Parts In Their Place Where They’re Supposed To Be And Suppressing Other Things That Liquify Our Excrement.
Rootin can be the Treasurer. He was identified as a bean-counter when he slid out of his mother’s womb, looking vaguely discoloured and smelling of old newsprint.
RSKFPITPWTSTBASOTTLOE! Quite a mouthful and much to swallow, PolyB!
The riskfffpweetstabasottloe. mob, eh?
Good to see these topics being discussed at the end of the year, traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal. The image of Frank’s swinging dick, though, is a stretch too far and Rootin’s arrival as a little gumnut babe swathed in old newsprint (the Telegraph, natch), is a yew bewdy corker.
I don’t necessarily see the problem with Catholics controlling the Labor Party and the Liberal Party. Indeed, even though my basic sympathies are towards the Labor Party, I have no concerns about Tony Abbott, a Catholic, being the Prime Minister of this country.
As a Catholic myself, I certainly don’t find it a pity. It’s important to have all voices at the table of government, no matter whether it’s Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. I look forward to Cardinal Pell having a more influential say in the running of this country if Abbott becomes the Prime Minister. It should make for interesting times.
As Cicero so famously said
“Cavete velatos penis vaginis fit ex Laetamini folliculus.”
gg
Ineptias!
Res enim nulla est, de qua tantopere non solum indocti, sed etiam docti dissentiant; quorum opiniones cum tam variae sint tamque inter se dissidentes, alterum fieri profecto potest, ut earum nulla, alterum certe non potest, ut plus una vera sit.
There is in fact no subject upon which so much difference of opinion exists, not only among the unlearned but also among educated men; and the views entertained are so various and so discrepant, that, while it is no doubt a possible alternative that none of them is true, it is certainly impossible that more than one should be so.
[On The Nature of Gods]
Unlearned friend that I am and just so I don’t misunderstand, the subject you refer to is the nature of gods?
Yes Canguro; it is what Cicero actually did say.
The trouble is that every fundamentalist is sure that his particular version of God is the only valid truth.
Doug, I detect a certain Byzantine tinge to your Latin, I am of the Caesarean persuasion. Nonetheless. Supervacuum visum vestis gremio sedit laeti cum ita futurum. Bob’s basic tenet is that the progressives have aborted or limited their progeny and the forces of evil will succeed by reproduction. In this he is correct. All of his examples have on average 13.5 descendants and no matter how silly their beliefs or arguments, there will be 11.5 more to argue than the progressives in the next generation. This is not good.
gg
Res ipsa loquitur, I fear @gg.
Unrestrained breeding will see crises far beyond the progressive/conservative dichotomy.
But I suspect Christmas Day is not the time for this discussion.
The hope is that those bred as a result of the non-use of contraception will be able to think for themselves.
I may be wrong about this and I realise it is a risk, but I find it so hard to believe that anyone’s still clinging to the kind of unsophisticated beliefs their religions used to imply in the Western World. The threat that religion poses to our basically secular societies is I think reduced to the tune of agreement between most people as to what they want and don’t want from notions of spirituality that don’t go so far as to commit them to mortal combat with heretics and apostates.
I know it can be different in other parts of the world, but I think most of the cultural Jews and Christians as well as many Muslims in countries like Australia are basically more secular in their outlook than they are nearly as rabidly religious as we could be lead to fear.
So have yourself a Merry little Mithras and don’t sweat it too much
You always were an optimist. But I hope you’re right, HG.