When someone threatens you - is their action wrong ?

Doesn't it depend on whose in the chair at the time ?


Clearly not , but postmodern  principles are watering down our capacity to deal with each other , anger and failure to listen and act responsibly response -like ( I play awe-fully deaf when i get in my chair at night)

The new age pharissees

We know as a culture when we are moving backwards..... when lawmen behave fanatically ,Geoffrey Robertson and the NSW govt 

The temptations of temporary power

Been great to hear the independents speak freely about concerns in their areas . But how far should they push for change when we believe in taking much advice and voting TOGETHER for change .Any change in the consititution is after all completely dependent on consensus,  and that clearly is in question with unpublished agreements made with at least 2independants.
 As the prominent libertarian Shaw acknowledged , the great danger of great evil is still made in the name of the best intention . The admirable intention to recognise injustice to the original inhabitants is not,  in our tradition , to  allow their descendants to make further claims on us . Not permanent property claims anyway.   Opportunity and temporary custody to lease ,  are the "rights", if there are any  . Can we give away what's not ours. can 2 or 3 people offer what is not theirs to give ? ( Leviticus 25:23.)

The temptations of Raw Power

Been greatly enjoying reading Dreams of my Father by Barack Obama. His forefathers weren't alone in seeking power in the predictable ,superficial  pedantry of mere and more raw power.  Good on them though , for trying to make the system work and to Obama for reminding us that the groaning will continue - however well we work together!
I just pray a new generation of young people will , instead of hitting their heads against some big brick walls that never move,   discover some less obvious ways to tap into what really works .

Celebrate - The Australian Parliament gets it right about rights

Well done team !!!!! In a move destined to not please the worryers and the pedants , "the progressives" and all those still stuck in some old school of mere description.
The Aussies have this April led the way in the West  by going beyond the superficial appeal of a bill of rights to see its silly sentiment.

Instead of concentrating on crime , the focus of the courts would have been on categorizing it.
Without hearing the solid substance of the sin , the courts would stuff up soundly sentencing it .
Again well done

Celebrating coercion - signs of failure

Minister Robinson( today) thinks he's doing a great job - growing the compliance sectors of planning departments. 40 new jobs in Melbourne alone. He can't see it, but this preoccupation is a sign of degradation; degradation of what was once the jewel and crown of government - its ability to plan ; to lead : a lead focused on giving freedom and liberty to the people.(Not that our generation have lokked more than skin deep into this whole question) More here
Thinking people of all persuasions do well to read a bit of A.N.Whiteheads work. His wide rangeing critique of the inadequate intellectual world of those who talk science, but practice voodoo antipates by nearly a century ago , the current stumbling blocks to successful planning.
. Take the misplaced concreteness evident in the policy frameworks of modern planning documents . Clearly most of those writing it went to the School of Mere Description and would be happy to indulge in brilliant feats of explaining away Victorian style 2009
Rather than giving the applicant advice, they give him a headache!

A few people had a good laugh and cry today when one prominent Victorian Public servant said she couldn't make a decision because "the policy framework was not in place ". More here ( the Victorian Planning System 2009) Whatever she meant , she said it all !

Be a more effective listener

By knowing whose talking; i mean really ! . We all need a caution, when filled with that excitement we get when we feel that urge to point the finger; to remind us of why we don't want the world to be filled with talk about everyone elses faults; To remind us that , what we think is happening, may not be actually what is happening.
When we think we know what motivates another- it may just be an echo ;a projection ; an idea from the off shoulder noisemaker?
The Western tradition is to " not listen" (and therefore not speak / accuse )until there is 2 or more witnesses. Good to keep quiet - model the noise breakers !
Essential that those who claim to be Liberal and promote its great cause amongst us , not only understand it - but practice it -Mr Turnbull !
Be a more effective listener .....and then you will be a more effective mounted warrior!

The Great Depression 2009

This note is to ask a question and suggest that "the heavy weight of political and other correctness is killing us" .
Example 1 The era of "doing what we like ( Valuesystem = there is no such thing as the wrong thing) has been followed by an era of political correctness(valuesystem = "whatever you think is the wrong thing is right? " -

The result: A value system that stops just about everyone speaking openly? - Why?
We feel we might say the wrong thing.
Mistaken value systems are the depression pills of the modern west. depressingly real nonsense. Give us a break would you

Seperating the sheep from the goats ??

The First Amendment US parliament.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The First Amendment restricts the government, not the people. Should be more of it!
Every boundary has its good side eh Pity too many think the FA means " seperation of Church and State = "the church should stay out of politics" - how ignorant and lacking in perpective!?

2 beautiful boundaries

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.
Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment."Forgive us our trespasses."

When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note. "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. "Lead us not into temptation."

Enshrining-- the new theology for wannabes ?

You don't expect Non christians to pick up when a Judeo Christian imperative is being undermined, but when progressive Christians want to sign up to "the evangelical climate initiative ", they allow the secularists to pull the carpet from under them theologically;-we should be concerned over what those blokes are still standing on!

Instead of looking to where we in the west came from, and noting the critical erosion of empowerment going on all around them , too many Christians are busily check listing some other idol's novel theologies and their tangible, but very trite trinkets --the action agenda items --

So Patronising is Ok after all?
"Noone ELSE needs to understand the problem (the tree of knowledge)except us; we are going to solve the problem for everyone -said the angel of light - a beautifully kind act -enshrined forever. OR convinced about what is right in their own minds they do it - with the best of intention - not even a bernard shaw mandate let alone a christian one ! "We have always wanted to do this --and its best for the children ". Surely , the very authors of this hypocritical stuff tore down the opportunity for faith by their children by calling Judeo Christian too "patronising "

Christianity offers a enshrined process for redemption, but enshrined solutions for each man's greed ,obsfuscation and impact is quite another matter.

FREEDOM and RESPONSIBILITY
After all, God created and gives man great freedom, even if other men would willingly take it away from them.
The very raft of western security and effective action is moving slowly away from those who once owned it - without so much as mumor of concern for the drowning public and the once empowered . All it takes for evil to prosper , it seems , if for the children to ignore the wisdom of the ages and believe in some new half baked version - that doesn't work and builds big castles with weak walls . The evolved ,moving with the times, edition .

Maybe the church should remove " Fear not ",from the Angels chorus to the shepherds? After all, its clearly not in Gore's or Flannery's chorus. Maybe, the progessives may be thinking ? just maybe, "a bit of fear would be good for Christianity" too --a sort of "necessary for motivation" type theology?" Nature gives it mandate to fear so why shouldn't we ? Heretics!!!!

WORKING IN and WORKING OUT
Where are the church historians and theologians who say "theology is what we are good at" --not this messing around in technological fixes - some "common agreement" ( church history tells us we best weigh up very clearly the reasons for pontificating on political questions; a clear scriptural mandate or interpretation is required . The political mandate historically for all Christians is often accepted personally ( worked out ) if not known clearly as "worked in" to wider church matters ).

Many christians might be surprised to know that while stewardship is an accepted scriptural brief, the dominant operating fad of the moment is an unbalanced post modern adaption and blinkered view of the historically accepted worked out one. Are the progressives really showing respect for those who show themselves approved here ?

WORKING OUT FEAR
I reject those who call for discipleship, but do not accept the disciplines of the mind. The obligation for all chritians is work to work out in fear and trembling -not to put fear and trembling before the work !
For example, all those , like Joseph who operate under the mandate of Romans 13 . All the minds over the Club of Rome couldn't get the end of oil right, so why is some hastily constituted group ( cf the "attending continually" word used in romans 13:6) going to be so much more responsible about the end of the cool man?
Quoting scientists is not enough - the media and the partisans do that all the time !The right sort of fear mentioned here is the idea that " we don't know everything!" Let's not quote scientists or scripture, but let them both speak for themselves - now that would be more biblical !!

So without any resistance, the new/old heresy of Enshrinement steams on ahead as the new saviour for the wannabe powerfuls -leaving "good old empowerment as "old hat" and discarded in its wake. The new idea is seen by the secular theology innovators as "A way of making long term effective behavioural change" . They seem to think such impositions on our children , provided they are done with best of intention ( and "thats all that matters"- isn't it? )are OK .Whose the patriach now ?"It hasn't been tried yet " or at least we haven't tried it, so,... it will be news winning stuff for a while , at least .
Enshrinement talk is a "innovative idea " but it just won't work long term . Just another quick fiz patchup job on the road to serfdom.

Secularists and those who insist that men's behaviour is rational are clearly getting nervous . Their worldframe is not tough enough to get people to " think about and change the way they live " ( a phrase used to describe the need for carbon emission legislation enshrinement this week in the english parliament ) .This presumably helps explain their acceptance of fear ( "its a natural thing and natural is good", so lets manufacture some? heretical science and philosophy , but it goes unchallenged!!

TECHNOCOLOUR YAWNS
Surprise surpise .This desperate mismatch of metaphors just simply won't work . Borrowing from the sacred is not brilliant innovation but indolent disrespect for the enshrined docrines of paradigm control; In the real world, precision matters and only sound logic ( including paradigm control) works well . Study to show you know what you what you are talking about ! Motivating men is not for novices and fanatics!

STAND BACK and OBSERVE the behaviour, and the arguments
Crys for "Enshrinement" often say more about the powerlessness and desperation of the wannabees than they do about the causes "righteousness" . "I have discovered the truth and i will insist on new generations accepting it whether they like it ,think it , or not".
Clearly, it is a piece of blatant hypocrisy to talk about the sacredness of reason and its role in a modern secular society - and then make it so our children cannot make choices, or even think for themselves.
So what are our theologians saying about that !

Even if the final cause was sound , the method of getting there is both mistaken and wrong. Forcing the issue just simply doesn't work because the real world doesn't work that way. ---Unfortunately for the secular materialist, ideas and freedom are still rights everyone who is here, or ever comes here , is entitled to.
---Unfortunately for the monists , real logic insists you can't mix metaphors ( secular and religious) without risking the creation of lunatic soups and technocolour yawns .
According to the Gospel, men must choose the good and "the way out", because they will never accept and follow the truth and the way out , till they own it themselves.

The good that we would

Where is the post modernists theory of action when you really need it ?
gifts, grants, incentives, market forces, private consultants , landcare,self regulation , audits, education or more regulation .
Both political parties are in a mental mess over what works.( look at the waste of words and taxes in environment and health care management) eg They savage the subject of stewardship ( all looks ok- on the surface! ) and mess with my area of expertise and experience of 33yrs.

This waste from the hackers need not be . Our forefathers had a framework and the new innovators in politics ignore it at their peril ( for the Australian way of life)- NOW wasting money on trickets , tokens and the tangible targets of horses going wild and doors being busted .
Time they took stock, kept the logic clear , and stopped so much careless experimenting .

The government are making huge mistakes by lecturing us about good and bad behaviour

Thinking people, in the face of patronising nonsense (good ideas roughly implemented) ,can be predicted to rebel.
Clearly our current leaders don't understand the efficiencies of modern democracies - nip the problem in the bud --not in the courtroom.

HALLOWED HALLS OF HAILESBURY
From ABCTV "As many of us know,

the badge of "old Christian school" is no guarantee against complacency,heresy, and blinkered bullheadedness in some matters of principle.
THE RISK of INNOCULATION
The risk, for those who attend church schools , as the facts of the story at Haileybury testify, is not indoctrination in the great free choice and personal performance traditions of mere christianity, but innoculation against them.
The risk is single focus, cloning and indoctrination in the blinkered streaming channels of high performance market model worship."

As Dostoyevsky might have added, "If there is no God , the idols take over in every corner of the world ". History witnesses well to that risk , Mr Mcintyre.
The battle is out there in the mind as Grahame Morris pointed out -- but who is on HIS tram .
No need to darken the doors of a building called church, or identify too closely with institutions stuck in their seats. How dumb and superficial is that!
Just close your eyes and reflect -remember that some where in your mind as Bob Dylan said " you gotta serve somebody " there in the mind . No options ?

"Every good rationalist needs to keep in mind the boundaries of his own worldview" Mate

The clouds over the Migration act have moved
methinks this legislation has got to do more with desperation than responsible decisionmaking -the job of parliament.
We have enough bad law .At least the controversy has flushed out some argument ; what a win for truth Talking and discussing - Surely it shouldn't take members losing incumbenecy to get the public debate going .
Even amanda has finally put the point of cost and others the point of well needed discouragement factors . We might support youmore if you share the dilemma with us - a small minority of bloggers that is !

Religions create wars - therefore I am not religious!

After all -"all religions do is create wars".the chant oft repeated . NO as Ghandi said - Men create wars

One of the greatest paradoxes of the new milleneum is the failure of most anti-religious elements in the West to take their own tutors seriously.
Modern mind Science supports the idea and importance of all people having "a religion" It's not only good for you, you have to have one to be sane . Denial doesn't avoid the risk that religion creates- the thing that drives people. Sure religions are dangerous but so are hormones , ideas and life forces.
Shock horror you say! You mean we have to have one ! what about if it we just don't call it religion ( maybe it will go away? ), like the ageing reactionaries in the West do ; Boxing into thin air like the babes they are!

NO The box is not to be rejected, but accepted and faced like any Dangerous part of our pyche.

We all need a world view to live. We can use our world vew to kill too , but to NOT take the whole idea seriously is anti western intellectaul . all the West will do by denying religion is find excuses to DO nothing and DO nothing positive to resist the WVs that we really do disagree with . Pretending we have no emotions - no religion is no defence - infact its more dangerous than we admit here in this country right now !

DENIAL of this reality turns attention away from the real issue in daily politial affairs yes religion is critical and if you need a word for it try World view .
American theologian William Cavanaugh at Melbourne University this month,

The myth plays a valuable role for secularists. It helps them marginalise Christians and demonise Muslims, and creates a blind spot about violence by the West. It confirms an "us" (the rational, peace-making, secular West) against a "them" (violent fanatics in the Muslim world). To quote Cavanaugh: " Their violence is religious, and therefore irrational and divisive. Our violence, on the other hand, is rational, peace-making and necessary. Regrettably, we find ourselves forced to bomb them into the higher rationality."

Most religious believers have bought this myth, too. They try to fight it by two arguments. First, they say that violence in the name of religion is really usually about politics or economics. Second, they claim that people who perpetrate violence, by definition — the Crusaders, for example — are not really religious.

Australian Muslims constantly say this of terrorists: "These people aren't really Muslims, because Islam is a religion of peace." I understand their predicament, but the argument doesn't work.

First, it's impossible to separate religious motives from the rest to make religion innocent. So the first argument by defenders of religion shares the same flaw as the myth itself. How can you separate religion from politics in Islam when Muslims themselves make no such separation?


Complete article - three pages :

Labor party is confused over what freedom is

Freedom to is always the bigger issue than freedom from . Julia Gillard, in advocating freedom of choice for abortion seekers is loud, but surely she is she deaf ? - Like a laizze faire mum of the 60's . deaf both to the past , the lessons of the present and therefore the future .
Governments role is not about being a voice for teenage like calls for "freedom from ". The job , Julia is not as easy as ringing some childish 60"s bell about "What I want '.
“The children” have been getting what they want .
No wonder Labor is in the doldrums and Mr Howard can actually, this week , get away with saying his Party is the one with values - its more accurate than it should be for the health of our democracy!

Regulation Hell

Regulatory statements - it would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous .
They know the problem - who doesn't. Point is they really don't know the solution . After all they just spent 55 million on a shallow edict called “so shall we workum” The stupidity of the campaign is highlighted by the careless use of the silly simple idea that you get less regulation by having less laws and courts - the laws must be better --not more crass!( like leaving out conciliation and putting in pay ; money isn't everything mate!) Now we can ditch 100yrs of history because we kNOW better --me thinks you no nuttin .

There will be no release from the cul de sac of over regulation until we turn the post modern ideas on their heads and drive ourselves out ,,,as we drove ourselves in .
The left has no power of its own in ideological terms, so it now uses our taxes to exercise power. And while the right has no longer a high view of man, the merely mechanical, the merely animal traps them with something less than the freedom of principle - both parties NOW prefer the known boundaries of the power of law .

What? Because we know no better ? Both parties now beating our heads with this pussy footing woosiness?
Do they not SEE they are kicking against the pricks -against the freedom paradigms of our parents .

Lawyers heaven

A BILL of rights - two wrongs don't make a right- to change the law ( and introduce a new heirachy) they just create two more lawyers .
The desperation of so many and their haste to enshrine their own doctrine of divine purity in law is very evident in the range of bills proposed by different groups at this time .

Clearly most don't know what world view they are coming from . how else do you explain Bracks dumber than dumb use of the Appeals Tribunal ---the bILL of rights advocates going to the other extreme - The high court .


BOTTOM LINE-- it won't work except very inefficiently ....and therefore unjustly !

Singing in Church- Business knows Best

Practical people from the old world would be agast at the way modern polys fall for simple ideas .
That rebel Saul and old greek and roman thinker ,for example , after writing about
revolutionary paradigms restated the old adage of his forebears that Governments, whether we like it or not , believe it not. ( according to Romans 13:1) have very special status above business .
Those heretics who want it otherwise need to remember the consequences of their simplicities in promoting greed ,cringe mentalities , corruption, singlemindedness and woosiness .
Anyone who wants to revolutionise or destroy western civilization as we know it better not ignore the effect of that simple principle widely adopted andaccepted for thousands of years---