We now have an entire state parliament, with a Lieberal premier, telling the Turnbull federal Lieberals to ditch the plans for a plebiscite on gay marriage. That FFS you Canberra bludgers do your fuckin job, represent the fuckin people, and have a fuckin conscience vote (well words to that effect). Fucks sake Malcolm, make your prime ministership historic. Are you a fuckin leader or bound by the deals that got you there. Are you really going to abandon your principle for a deal made in hell? You've a lot of political capital on this, and you will become more popular for doing it. Nobody is going to turf you over it. FFS lead us, make history. Steal Labor's thunder. I double dog dare you.
The Western Australian parliament has called on the Australian government to abandon plans for a plebiscite on marriage equality. The state’s Liberal premier, Colin Barnett, warned that putting the issue to a public vote would be divisive and destructive.
Barnett, who restated his position in support of civil unions over marriage equality, likened the marriage equality debate to that surrounding WA’s decision to decriminalise abortion in 1998. In both cases, he said, a difficult decision had to be made, and it was for elected members of parliament to bear.
“If this issue were to go to a referendum or a plebiscite, I think it would be very destructive,” he said.
“I think we would see some of the worst sides of Australian society, and I do not believe that should happen. I think we would see people marching in the street on either side of the debate, and we would see acrimony, personal insults, abuse and the like.”
Barnett made the comments during a debate in state parliament on Wednesday night. The debate was over a motion from Labor MP Lisa Baker, who moved that the state support marriage equality and called on federal parliament to do the same. She argued: “I have the right to marry the person I love. It is not a gift to be bestowed by others, nor is it something we should have to wait to receive when others feel comfortable and ready to give it.”
The motion was amended, at Barnett’s request, to say the state parliament urged the federal government to abandon plans for a plebiscite on marriage equality and “urgently” hold a free vote in federal parliament.
They should accept their responsibility and deal with the issue, as this parliament accepted its responsibility and dealt with the probably more difficult issue of abortion and choice,” he said. more
More details have emerged from the female porn star that Josh Duggar had extremely over the top rough sex with. You know it's extremely over the top particularly when someone in the industry says so. So bad was it for her that she has said this about his wife:
He is a complete, 100 percent, total fraud," she says. "I think that after I come out, there will probably be plenty more girls after me. I actually really hope that his wife leaves him and takes his children away from him. more
Josh is currently in "rehab" in a christian fundie place where they rely totally on the one off experience of accepting jesus as you're saviour to over power all other bad influences in your life. Yeah, that'll work..... This porn star at one point says he was choking her on their first encounter. The second encounter was agreed on when he promised to be gentle. However gentle to Josh only meant pulling her hair. She was so concerned about the first time that the second time she hid her phone under the pillow in case she needed to call the emergency people. He also fucked her without a condom. Why hasn't this publicly fucked up sexual deviant, who played around with his own younger daughters, been charged with anything? The whole photo report is here.
Oh my god I am absolutely loving this shit. Not sure why exactly. Perhaps because when I was very young and stupid I was a wacko pentecostal? Because now their crazy far out wackyness is there on a world stage for all to see? She's completely and utterly brainwashed by pentecostal fundamentalism. She can't even think or say anything without including god, and bla-ing about the invisible sky man. Hopelessly entrenched in her religion, she's happy to throw the odd Molotov cocktail out of the ditches towards the enemy. No doubt her church is praising the lord that she has been given this opportunity to "witness for the Lord"! Ha ha ha ha ha...... Utterly hilarious! Behold folks, the moral child. The pentecostal.The religious fundamentalist. Like a child they have to follow a rule book to claim their morality. Forget a conscience. Forget compassion. If you don't follow their particular interpretation of a 2,000 year old rulebook written by desert nomads then you're fucked in their eyes. It's either their way or you're on the highway to hell baby. Black and white thinking (pun intended). Indeed for Kim Davis it's black and white; a "heaven or hell" issue.
Honestly am still slapping my face wondering if the political death of Abbott has all just been a wonderful dream. But no, it's actual reality. We no longer have a nightmare for a prime minister, and it looks like much of Team Abbott has been culled too. Yes folks, the Abbott era is truly over. We now have a prime minister with at least half a brain, a huge improvement on the vast expanses of vacuum that existed in Abbott's head. This can only be good for the level of political discourse in Australia now between the gov and the Labor opposition. So Angry reviews the happenings of Abbott's demise. Predictably, he's as astonished as I am that Abbott was so delusional that he couldn't see it coming. Like he seemed to think that simply by saying he was a good gov then he was. Psychosis aplenty.
This video is from the US but honestly it would fit into any similar situation here in Australia. A drunk ex-military man goes bananas about what is happening to his country; in this case it's the poster of a gay add at a bus stop.
Like any other thing (take your pick) disagreed with in such circumstances, the bloke chucks a fit about it and goes like WTF? at what's happening in his country he fought for. If it wasn't the gay add it most likely could have been something else he'd find offence with. But then again, maybe not?
In any case he smashes the sign and rips out the add. I post it here as it's so typical homophobe bla.
I'd just like to say after that, that my father fought in WW2 for my freedom. He's dead now, but I expect that the blood of his brothers on the battlefield was shed so that I would have the freedom to express my sexuality openly in a free society. He was an asshole as a father but he went to war for the right reasons.
Something that today's generations could learn from.
He didn't go to war so I couldn't be free to express my sexuality. He didn't go to war so a bigot could rip up a sign of somebody doing that today. He didn't go to war to watch a fellow war veteran denigrate his war effort against fascism and hatred.
If my father was alive today, he would detest this despicable man.
I cannot understand how a public official, elected or not, could make such a stand for bigotry and not be stood down by her superiors. Here in Australia there would be such a public outcry if a local council elected representative wasn't doing their job in such a way as to attract national attention and outrage. The state premier would step in and do something. Elected or not she'd be moved from her position.
If it even got that far. The bigoted bitch wouldn't have had a national stage like she's gotten there.
Where the hell are her superiors? Where is the Democratic party demanding her membership card? Do the political superiors above her agree with her? How can you flaunt the law in public office like that? Astonishing.
Abby Martin is back, after her very successful series of "Breaking The Set". In this her first episode of Empire Files, she examines the rise of the US into an empire spanning the world, it's use of power for power projection only and not the spread of democracy. It's spends 53% of all it's tax $ on the military, and just 6% on health. One famous US military person mentioned in the video is quoted saying something not widely known in the US. Apparently he's a constant subject of military fame over there, but few appear to know that in his military service he called himself a "gangster for capitalism". That man was General Smedley Butler.
I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service. I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested. During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents. General Smedley Butler
That's so far. Since New Zealand legalised gay marriage there have been 500 Australian same sex couples go across the Tasman to get married.
New Zealand is proving to be a massively popular destination for Australian same-sex couples to wed, with the number of couples doing so in the last two years reaching 500. Since marriage equality was legislated across the Tasman Sea in August 2013, 264 Australian female-female couples have exchanged vows in New Zealand, and 236 male-male couples have done likewise. more
There is a figure quoted for a wedding of $65,000 in another article as an average spend by straight couples in Australia for their weddings.
A fresh focus by Turnbull on the equality of love would soften the national narrative, not to mention unleashing billions of dollars of potential spending on confetti, cars and venue hire.
For there is no spirit on earth more willing to throw money to the wind than an expectant bride or groom.
The average couple spends $65,482 on their nuptials, according to the latest annual "Cost of Love" survey by the Bride to Be magazine. There's no reason to think gay couples will be any more restrained.
The 2011 census identified 33,714 same-sex de facto couples living in Australia. If only half of those decided to get married, that would unleash more than $1 billion of economic stimulus.
Stationery shops would sell more paper. Wedding venues would take more bookings. Photographers would get more jobs. Retailers would sell more clothes.
Of course, gay couples may spend less, over time, on other things. But the weddings boom would generate a valuable economic kickstart.
Read more
Making a total of $32.5million that the Australian economy has lost directly to New Zealand, directly as a result of the illegality of marriage equality.
The senate has finished it's inquiry into the best way forward for marriage equality in Australia. Their conclusion is a resounding no to a plebiscite and a firm yes for a parliamentary conscience vote. The reason being for the very real damage that would be caused to the LGBT by the very real attacks directed at them by the "traditional marriage" lobby. With the LGBT having hugely higher rates of mental illness because of the criticisms against them that they already face at times in the community, to have a national debate with all the nutbag haters coming out of the woodwork and putting those views to air raises significant fears for the well being of said LGBT. To put it mildly. And why shouldn't those bloody Canberra polies do their bloody job anyway. Why should David and I's life become a bargaining chip in Turnbulls grip on power? We are so sick to death of our lives being politicised in this way. FFS the pollies should just represent the people for a change and not their own interests. Isn't that what they're there for?
The Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee have rejected a plebiscite as the best way to deal with marriage equality after their inquiry deemed legislation “a matter of urgency”.
Upon hearing submissions from a varied group of both opponents and proponents of marriage equality, the Committee led by Independent Senator Glenn Lazarus dismiss a plebiscite as costly and potentially harmful to the LGBT community and their children by delaying positive action.
“This issue of marriage equality involved people, and people will be attacked through very nasty and very aggressive advertising campaigns,” Senator Lazarus said.
“Quite clearly people that are for and against marriage equality would rather have the Parliament decide the outcome rather than going to a plebiscite.”
The report offered only one recommendation, which reads;
“The committee recommends that a bill to amend the definition of marriage in the Marriage Act 1961 to allow for the marriage between two people regardless of their sex is introduced into the Parliament as a matter of urgency, with all parliamentarians being allowed a conscience vote.” more
Obama the fuckin stubborn asshole just won't give up on this. New there's been another last ditch effort arranged in secret and announced at the last minute for trade ministers from all the countries to meet in Atlanta, US.
The TPP, a centerpiece of Obama's push to reassert U.S. economic power in Asia, would link a dozen nations stretching from Japan to Chile that account for two-thirds of the world economy and one-third of global trade. more
This is not about trade, it's about US power projection in the Pacific region. Or to put it more bluntly, to export US social failure onto the rest of us giving corporations a massive power grab across much of the free world. This isn't Obama pullung the strings, this is Obama the puppet, doing the bidding of the corporate power that put him in office. You can contribute to a frantically late organised campaign to disrupt and protest against the meetings here.
An effort to land a massive Pacific Rim free trade agreement within weeks is under way, raising the prospect the wide-ranging Trans-Pacific Partnership could dominate the final stretch of the Canadian election campaign.
Chief negotiators for the 12 countries involved, including Canada, will begin meeting in Atlanta on Sept. 26, and trade ministers will join the next week, possibly Sept. 30, a Canadian government official said.
The chances Canadian voters will be confronted with a sweeping trade deal before they have chosen a new government have suddenly increased tremendously. “I don’t imagine you start talking about a ministerial [meeting] unless you think you’re going to land something,” a Canadian official said of the move to set a date for what is seen as a final push for an accord. more
The Lieberal Abbott knives are out. As Abbott is now just a back bencher but still in parliament, Turnbull really needs to pull the fuckwit into line. Publically trying to destabalise the gov. How very Abbott. How much of this bullshit is Turnbull going to take?
I spoke to him on Friday, not a hint of a warning, so I'm afraid Scott (Morrison) badly misled people. more
But really, Abbott saying Morrison "badly misled people"? Ha ha ha ha ha ....... Karma is a bitch Tone.
Another of Team Abbott's members has been booted from the ministry by Turnbull. Another hopeless fuckwit of the Abbott era bites the dust. He was well known for his stupid opposition to marriage equality, saying the most ridiculous things.
Forget the coal lobby and the fossil fools. A new study shows that the world could achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
100% renewable energy for all is achievable by 2050,
and is the only way to ensure the world
does not descend into catastrophic climate change
.
Dynamic
change is taking place in the energy
sector. Renewable energies have become mainstream in most countries, and prices have fallen
dramatically.
The report shows we could transform our energy supply, switching to renewables,
which would mean
a
stabilization of
global
CO2
emissions by 2020, and
bringing down emissions
towards near zero emissions in 2050.
Fossil fuels should be phased out in stages
The Energy [R]evolution proposes a phase
-o
ut of fossil fuels starting with lignite (the most carbon
-
intensive)
by 2035
, followed by coal
(2045
)
, then oil and then finally gas
(2050)
. The rate of
phase
-
out of oil and gas matches the rate of depletion of existing oil and gas fields. So exploration
for new fields should be seen as high
-
risk investment as the “assets” may be stranded. more
Why oh why are Australian state and federal governments still investing in coal and the like? There's is unlimited energy all around us. To dig up a new coal mine at the expense of the environment is insanity.
Needed something to balance out the last fucked up 24 hours: After 3 weeks and 2 days (when the blood was taken week and a half ago) the HI...
About me
After 30 years of very physical full time work in the printing industry our print dept was outsourced and we all lost our jobs. As I'd gotten HIV beforehand and was having trouble attending and doing work I discussed with my HIV doctor whether I should apply for the Australian Disability Support Pension. He agreed,and I became a DSP pensioner under the new Gillard rules of adherence that now sees 75% of DSP applicants rejected.
Have been diagnosed with PTSD, severe depression, chronic kidney failure, and of course HIV. I'd become suicidal in 2009 after 3 extreme life events in a row; My best friend killed herself in the US (I don't make friends easily BTW), my teenage/young adult daughter had me charged by the police with a minor problem, and I was diagnosed with HIV. All in three weeks.
Some say god won't give you more than you can bear, my reply is "Well what happened to me?" If not for the HIV support here in Australia and me being able to have access to it I'd likely be dead by now. Unbearable pain often causes suicide, no matter physical or mental.
Today I've not worked since being made redundant. I remain with episodes of depression and panic attacks, sometimes severe. I may be fine and happy to leave the house, at times I'm paralised in bed, secure and safe and not willing to face the world.
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