Nazi tactics in Zimbabwe

The political spirit of Adolf Hitler is alive and well in Zimbabwe

Democracy has been killed off through the intimidation and thuggish brutality of the military and supporters of Robert Mugabe. While brutality has often been employed to force people to vote for incumbent governments in regimes across the world and over time; it is that the current regime in Zimbabwe is able to manipulate the very systems that are in place to protect the democratic rights on top of the brutal treatment of the public, opposition and its supporters that appears to mirror prewar Nazi tactics.

The official election of March 29, was followed by an extremely extended period before any results were released. A highly suspicious action, which gave rise to suspicions of tampering or fixing of the results. According to reports at the time, the opposition suggested that they had won the election based upon unofficial results posted on the doors of poling places. They did not ‘claim’ victory as the Mugabe government had said that any premature claim of victory would be considered a coup d’etat. The result of all that was a planned run-off presidential election, which in turn commenced a greater level of violence and intimidation, and finally to the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai from the run off, leaving Mugabe unelected but still legal leader of Zimbabwe.

Like Nazi Germany, there now does not seen to be even the facade of democracy, as illustrated by Mugabe Himself. He will not allow another party to govern Zimbabwe. In doing so he no longer becomes an elected leader, but a despot. He clearly has no interest in the plight of the Zimbabwean people, their right to freely choose their leader; leaving the country in ruin financially, and their leader a raving despot.

Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, now a basket case – all because of one man.

How sad, how good could his legacy have been? The freedom fighter, liberator, inspiration across Africa.. will now be remembered only for destroying the country he founded.

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On being different

Being different from the rest of the world around you is difficult and makes your journey through life a struggle. Having a number of differences from the rest of the world around you, makes it seem that there is a separation between yourself and the community around you. This apparent separation may be wide chasmic distances, or a thin, invisible, transparent though impenetrable barrier.

Sometimes I feel so disconnected from the human race as to consider myself akin to another species. When I sit among people listening to them speak of their lives, I experience no sense of resemblance to anything they relate. Family, friends, relationships, marriage, children, these issues do not resonate well with my lived experience.

Is it my asperger syndrome, is it transition without the socialization expectation of others, is it a sign of my damaged self esteem, is it a result of social isolation, is it any one or a combination of these coupled with my relentless march into middle age, or is it none and something else that separates me from the rest of the world at a social interaction level, or conversely, am I simply being my own worst enemy again and seeing a chasm of separation that doesn´t really exist except in my own mind. No matter what it is, it reiterates how lonely an experience life can be even when all else is going better ever before.

Social isolation and loneliness may very well be my destiny, it may always have been this way, and it may very well be so for the rest of my life; but I do not reject the idea nor would I run from a relationship should one arise, I simply believe that such an occurrence is as extremely unlikely as to be a certainty not to happen.

Nevertheless life must go on!

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I can’t help being reminded…

I have been reading about the recent discovery of the emaciated corpses of twin infant siblings in their cot. Reports say that the children may have lain there dead for up to a week. The parents, both mother and father, have been charged with murder and torture of those children. I cannot help being reminded that “children are always best served by being brought up by their biological parents” or “in a family headed by a man and a woman”.

The all too recent case of the father who imprisoned his daughter, regularly raping her and fathering seven chidren by her; while his wife sat upstairs seemingly unaware of what had been going on for 24 years – reminds me how important keeping marriage heterosexual is, in protecting children from sexual predators.

Any number of spousal abuse cases remind me of the “special and unique bond and relationship that can only be between a man and a woman, which leads to children”.

Like a dog chasing its tail, it goes around in circles, focussed only on itself.

Whilst not directly related to the above topics of abuse, the issue of same sex marriage is made relative to these topics and issues by the rationales behind denying same sex attracted people the right to marry. The reasons given are singularly and collectively a furphy, and a dangerous furphy at that; behind which, abuses like those above, and so many many others are hidden from the view of others. How else can the unscrupulous and the uncaring in our society create such calamity without the slightest hindrance.

While I do not for a moment pretend that same sex couples are any better or worse than heterosexual couples, or that individual families are not subject to abusive situations; I can’t help being reminded that in Australia there are at least 30-40,000 reported cases of child abuse and neglect every year, yet it is seen by the opposition to be important to deny same sex couples recognition of their relationships, and call it an act of protecting children, and the institution of marriage.

It makes me wonder if this country is more willing to tolerate thousands upon thousands of acts of child abuse and neglect more than one gay marriage.

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Thoughts on those Westboro Wingnuts, who are free to believe what they want… but

I have a question. What is the definition of psychotic?
If someone creates something for the purpose of hating it, or to destroy it for no reason, is that an act of a psychotic?

If god created homosexuality and homosexuals (if god created all things – then god must have created homosexuality), and god hates homosexuals and wishes them dead (according to the Westboro Wingnuts), then by that rationale, god must be psychotic…!

I cannot believe in a psychotic god.

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Tiger Woods is a great golfer, but is he the greatest sports person?

Defining the greatest sports person EVER is fraught with so many difficulties, connotations, levels of competence that it becomes impossible even irrelevant. Firstly there is no one who plays EVERY sport, therefore there is no way to adequately compare the physical and mental skill required to play all these sports. I personally, play both Lawn Bowls and Golf. These sports do not appear to be physically demanding – but you would be surprised how tired your arms legs and lower back feels after a three hour game of Lawn Bowls.

What these sports require to play at a competitive level is a degree of mental discipline. A quiet mind which leads to greater concentration, which in turn leads to a higher level of ability in these sports. Focus and discipline in practice, leading to greater focus and discipline in performance.

In my opinion, there has never been the degree, or amount, of competition in Golf as there is now. Interest in Golf, especially in Australia, has been high since the success of Greg Norman in the late 1980s and continues through the advent of pay TV and telecasts of tournaments from all over the world. The competition and interest in Golf can be seen through the fact that channel 10 telecast the US Open into and through morning peak viewing time.

So, Tiger Woods IS the greatest golfer who has (to this time) ever been, by virtue of the greater competition he has had to deal with compared to earlier champions; But Woods is playing in a time of greater technological difference in equipment than ever before. Equipment changes/improvements are not the sole preserve of golf, they are evident across a broad spectrum of sports. For example Bjorn Borg won 5 straight Wimbledon titles using wood framed racquets, today, players use recquets with different kinds of carbon graphte, boron what have you frames. How would Borg have done with such equipment?
In Golf, driver’s heads are larger, they are made of different metals, alloys, polymers. Shafts may be Graphite based, the list of changes to club and ball goes on. How would Sam Sneed, Water Hagen, Peter Thompson, Harry Vardon etc have been with the benefit of such equipment – we will never, nor can we ever know.

There are many other levels of discussion/debate; suffice to say that I believe that Tiger Woods is the greatest professional golfer ever, but is he the greatest sports person ever? Can there be a greatest sports person ever? I doubt it. I am simply content to sit back, watch and marvel at the exploits of sporting greats of whatever kind of sport, irrespective of sex, gender, or ability (notice how few women or ‘disabled’ sports people have been named in such discussions?) knowing that sports fans have never ever been better supplied with a choice of sport to watch, follow, and to enjoy as we are today.
Life is too short to ask why – just enjoy what you have.

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