Doctor, I have an Election, and it won't go away....

I have been watching the United States Presidential Election with the same open-mouthed fascination as many others, I suspect. This Train-Wreck-In-Slow-Motion has been crashing and staggering across the screen that is World Media, for what seems like years. Remember all those Republican Candidates that engaged in trying to out-scare the public more than their rivals? Remember the Democratic no-names that had surprising success with policies that people actually liked?
Ted Cruze and Bernie Sanders seem like such a long time ago...

The amazing thing for me is that after all the Primaries were fought and won, (a shock result for the Republicans, a foregone, and set-up result for the Democrats), we are left with two candidates who, no matter how you cut the cake, are flawed, have suspect political agendas, are not representative of their respective Partys' values, and have people all over the world asking; "Is this REALLY the best that the United States has to offer?"

Now my opinion counts for less than nothing, but I own this Blog, so I'm going to let you have it...because I can...

The two people that the citizens of the United States of America will have to choose between in a few days time, are in my opinion, the very best that the system of selection in the United States can produce at this time. Now I didn't say they were the best people for the job, because I don't believe they are, but they are the best that the system can produce when selecting from those that nominated.

Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump are the result of an electoral system that has a number of features which are open to exploitation, and these two have exploited them very well. Before I upset too many of you, let me explain that as an Australian, I have no stake in this game. I am an observer and I have an opinion. Of course, as a person in the world today, I am affected by the outcome of this election. The U.S.A is a major Super Power... we live in their shadow militarily, politically, and economically, but I want to make it clear that I feel free to criticise both sides equally, because, well, I don't have to vote for them.

Anyway, back to the story. Here are a few of the things that have given us the candidates we have today;
The Pre-Selection process of the Presidential Election was set up many years ago. It has not been updated for decades. States that were once of little influence now have massive power in this process. It is essential for Party nominees, and later Presidential nominees to win the right places at the right time. This leads to the second point;
 Media has changed, and how! Social Media, online advertising, direct marketing, and the obvious bias of certain media outlets has given us an advertising landscape not seen since the heady days of William Randolph Hearst (look him up if you don't know him... makes Rupert look like a little girl..), and then of course there is the money...
Funding for Parties and Candidates has changed and legal loopholes have been made into hard and fast laws that have altered the playing field forever. The Supreme Court has ruled (for those that don't know, I am aware many of you DO know), that a Corporation can donate to a political candidate, because that corporation can be recognised as an "individual" with Rights and Interests under the law!! Billions of dollars are now at the disposal of those who want to be elected and are willing to make the right promises.
Speaking of promises, I don't recall any political campaign being so full of promises that no-one even pretends to believe will be carried out.
Do you really think that wall will be built, and that Mexico will pay for it? Really?
Do you really think that the massive social reforms will happen? Really?

What we are seeing is a turning point that started with Obama and has reached fruition this year. Obama (or his team) saw that Social Media, Public Opinion, and a sense of history were all coming together at the right time. So he exploited Social Media with a grass-roots fund-raising campaign, playing on the Public Opinion and sense of history that said that the Time Was Right for a Black President. Of course, he also made use of the points made in the previous paragraph, but he got it right. He was elected over a standard Republican nominee. It was a New Dawn.
Now the new nominees are seeing the opportunity to make history for themselves.

We will either have the first non-career politician since George Washington was elected President, (and he was the first President, so it was hard to have a career...), or
We will have the first woman elected President. Either way, history will be made straight after Obama was the first Black President. (funny how I'm allowed to say "black" as long as it involves "President". Maybe the more important the position, the less "African-American" you can be...no offence meant, just something I noticed).

So we have two potential Presidents, each with serious questions over past behaviour, future actions, and current legal developments. But this is a result of a system that rewards those with the deepest pockets, the best connections,the smartest strategists, the highest profile, the simplest message and the least scruples. Gone are the days of the Best Man for the Job. Those days went away when I was a child.

I have no idea who will win this election, but I do know that it will be a Presidency unlike any we have ever seen before, and looking back over past Presidencies, that's a pretty big call.

Good-night and good luck!

Why Rio Is A Bad Idea For An Olympics

I want to be honest here; Rio De Janeiro is not the first bad idea the International Olympic Committee have had when choosing venues to hold the Summer Games, but it ranks up there with the top three.
Rio will not be a disaster as an Olympic event, (there is too much money involved for that to happen), but it will not be the glamorous, screaming success that the IOC (see above) are hoping for. In fact, I believe it will take numerous Spin-Doctors to hide the failures that it will produce.
And like all armchair observers, I am happy to tell you why... but I will have to go back to the beginning...

When Baron de Coubertin first instituted the Modern Olympics in 1896, he was working on a certain set of standards, and those standards have been adhered to pretty much all the way to the present day, with a few notable disasters...but he was also working in a different world, that had different standards, and different structures governing society.

The good Baron was a product of, and lived during, the Great Age of Empire. All nations that were worth anything of consequence, had Colonial property. Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Russia, Italy, even the United States of America, all had colonies and were all making large sums of money from those colonies, as well. This situation persisted well into the Twentieth Century, with Britain, France, and Belgium holding on to colonies into the 1960's, (Technically Britain had a colony in Hong Kong until 1999, in all but name). As a consequence, the Great Powers had immense resources and could easily afford to host an event that, while initially small, rapidly grew into a large and expensive undertaking.

The Baron's world was also one of regimented hierarchy, where every individual knew their place in society, and also knew the consequences of stepping outside the Rules. Remember, this was over a century after the Unifications of both Italy and Germany, but before the First World War, and the Russian Revolution. Many people regarded this time as a kind of Golden Age, akin to the time of Classical Greece. It is no coincidence that The Olympic Games was revived at this time.

So for almost one hundred years, the modern Olympics were held in wealthy European capitals, or if not wealthy, at least retaining the glory of that wealth, and when the Games did shift away from Europe, it was to wealthy non-European capitals like Melbourne, Tokyo, and Mexico City.(Mexico was a very wealthy nation at this time). It seemed like it could go on forever, but then Montreal announced after it hosted the Games in 1976, that the Olympics had cost Montreal a fortune, and it was no exaggeration. The debt was not paid off until 2006, thirty years after the Olympics. Ouch....

Suddenly the prestige of hosting a Summer Olympics was seriously counter-balanced by the immense financial burden it placed on the host city/nation. Suddenly city officials had to consider whether hosting the Games was worth the financial and political fallout. Now the Rules of Society had changed and the populace didn't abide by the old Hierarchy. Now the population could vote out those who cost the city a fortune for the sake of a year or so of Glory.
Which brings us to Rio.

If ever a city didn't need the financial millstone of an Olympic Games, it's Rio de Janeiro. A beautiful city, with magnificent beaches, the Statue of Christ, Carnivale, Food, Glamour.... and slums, mud-slides, crime, poverty to rival any Third-world nation on earth, and civil unrest...lots of civil unrest.
Oh, and of course, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause congenital defects in unborn children.
If your Economy is so fragile that an increase in public bus fares of around 20 cents Australian provokes rioting in the Streets, my advice would be to not host an Olympics. Of course, 20 cents Australian is .50 Brazilian Real. In a nation where the average monthly income for the last four years has been just 2000 Real, a hike of half a Real per bus ride is substantial. I don't think many other stable economies would have riots in the streets, though....

Of course, there is a lot of money coming from outside Rio to fund this event, and the inevitable "will it be ready in time" questions will probably be silenced by spending a lot of this cash, but the bottom line will still be in the red, and the poor of Brazil will ask why some of that money could not be spent on improving their situation. Stir into this mix the corruption allegations and abuses of power cited by the media and social justice organisations, and Rio 2016 could very well lead to a very uncomfortable social upheaval in the near future.

I hope I am wrong about Rio 2016, and I hope it does the Economy of Rio the world of good, but I have my doubts. We can only wait and see, and if it is not a good outcome, perhaps the International Olympic Committee will be more circumspect in its' choices for future hosts.

By the way, my Top Three Olympic city disasters? In no particular order;
Moscow 1980...this was in the twilight of the USSR... like holding the Olympics in North Korea today...

Beijing 2008...so determined to prove they were better than Western nations at this sort of thing that they actually cheated on the fireworks display at the opening...using video footage to make it look more impressive. And the smog of a Third-world Economy being pushed into the 21st Century...choking the athletes.

Berlin 1936...generally acknowledged as the most cringe-inducing Olympic Games, with Hitler shamelessly turning them into a political exercise, and embarrassing his nation, the Games, and the athletes themselves.

I hope Rio doesn't displace any of these...Please...

Mothers Day

I wrote this on Mothers Day 2014....

So today is Mothers Day. A day when we traditionally thank our Mothers for their sacrifice, toil, and undying love. I tend to see more, though.

Today is a day for ALL Mothers.
Some have given up their children for medical or personal reasons.
Some have had their children taken away, and some have lost their children through family turmoil.
Yet they are still Mothers.

I was lucky, I had a loving Mother, her Mother loved me too, and my Fathers mother loved me also.
My wife is a loving Mother to our children, and a loving Grandmother to Hunter.
My wife's Mother was a most wonderful Mother who welcomed me, and who I miss to this day.
Yes, I have been fortunate.

But I still think of all the Mothers who have been before and those less fortunate than so many of us.
So, if you are lucky enough to still have your Mother, tell her you love her.
If you are one of those whose Mother has gone, whether long ago, or recently, then wish upon a star and say "Thank-you".
Because good or bad, rich or poor, not one of us would be here without a Mother to give birth to us.

Somewhere, a Mother will thank-you, even if you can't hear it.

Happy Mothers Day, Mum.... I love you.

Why Gallipoli Means So Much To Me...

He was an old man before I was born.
He had been born in another century, another era. When the idea of Empire, and loyalty, held different meanings to what we know today.
I only knew him when his step was already a shuffle, and his back was bent.
He was deaf, very deaf, a daunting thing to a child, like me, who was not used to shouting at adults, and knew little of his background to begin with.
He was my Uncle Peter, a man of few words, whether because of his hearing, or a natural reticence, I'm not sure (although he had his opinions, as I found when I grew older).

He was a man set in his ways, as so many elders of my time were, and I find myself becoming. There is a comfort in the routine, and as long as the routine does not become obsession, there is no harm in that.
My earliest memory of Peter McLeod, is coming into the lean-to at the back of the house to "wash-up" before lunch. A tin pan was part-filled (never fully filled) with water from the rain water tank, and a sliver of soap (I never saw a full bar, so I wonder if it was a left-over from the bathroom), was used to wash our hands, face, and back of the neck. Adults first, children last. Then it was time for lunch.

 It was later that I learned that Uncle Peter had been at Gallipoli, but that was all I learned.
Uncle Peter didn't talk about Gallipoli to me. Ever. Except once.
A year before he died, I sat and watched the Anzac Parade on the television in his home, as it was broadcast from Brisbane. (I never saw Uncle Peter at an Anzac Service in our town, but perhaps he did attend before I can remember). Anyway, he was quietly watching the parade as the different units passed by, but when the Red Cross party came on screen, he suddenly cried out, with tears in his voice; "We would have been lost without the Red Cross at Gallipoli!", and he sobbed.
And that was it. Nothing else.

Peter MacLeod passed away a year or so later, and the local Returned Servicemens League turned out to honour his passing.
I was young, idealistic. The world was black or white for me then. I was angry that these people who had nothing to do with him in his lifetime, wanted to be there at his funeral.
I didn't understand that they understood him. Men from the First World War, the Second World War, the Malayan Conflict, the Korean War, and of course, Vietnam.
Many of them wanted nothing to do with other soldiers, they just wanted their lives back, as Uncle Peter did. So they didn't seek out the camaraderie of old soldiers, but got on with their lives.
Until one of them died.
Then they came together and honoured someone that they identified with. Someone that knew their pain, their fear, but moved on with life.

Of course there were many who found comfort in the comradeship. Who gained strength from the shared experience. They were there too... honouring a fellow fallen warrior, one who had lived through the horrors that only modern soldiers can know.
But I didn't understand. I was angry. I was angry that an old man who had given so much was now being honoured by people he had never known.
I knew so little. I have learned so much.
Thank you to all of you, the shuffling old men, who don't like to talk about it, and to the rest of you who need to talk, and should talk.
Because what you have done is more than anyone should ask.

Thank you all, the Uncle Peters, the George Moores, the Ken Petfields, the Peter Bennetts,Steve Newburns, Edward Dahleimers and all the other veterans I have met along the way. I have learned so much from you all, and I will be holding you in my heart on ANZAC Day.

Lest We Forget...

How do you sleep?

I have been away from this site too long... a statement proved by the fact that I had forgotten my password!!

But I am back, for better or for worse, and I have something to say.

I ran for election... I lost.

I can live with that. I know I can, because I just wrote over one hundred words about what happened, and then deleted them, so you will never know what really happened...because that is not important.

What is important is what comes next... what comes after..

Local Government, (or Local Council) elections do not loom large on the political radar. They are, by definition, local affairs about local issues.

They are also incredibly important. To You.

It is your local authority that decides whether High-Rise buildings, Night-Clubs, Brothels, Live-music, Public concerts, Street-parties, Road-maintenance, Disabled access, Parking fines, or even Public Libraries, are supported or opposed. It is Local Government that controls your garbage pick-up... but 90% of the public don't care.

And that led me to a very important discovery...

I ran for local council in Noosa Shire, where I have lived for over twenty years.
I knew I was an outside chance of winning, but I also knew that much of what I was saying was supported by decent working folks like me. I wanted to get out there and say the things that many people were thinking, but no-one was saying.

That was the first sign of my naivete'. Because if so many people thought it, then why wasn't there a representative on Council espousing these beliefs already??
Here is why...the decent working folks (like me), don't follow local politics. They are too busy making a living, and when work is over, they aren't going to political meetings at night. They are taking their kids to soccer/tennis/football/ ballet, and then they are asleep in front of the television because they are tired. They are too tired from making a living to care!

The second sign of my ignorance was the background of my fellow Candidates...everyone had a backer... either financial or ideological.... and those of us that didn't...well we can always write Blogs.

The bottom line is this... if you are on Council already, you will stay, because everyone knows your name. If you are running for a vacant seat, (and ten of us were chasing three vacant seats), then the prize goes to the biggest cheque-books in the race. If you can afford the money, and can take the time off work to simply campaign, then the seat is yours to grab.

So the winners didn't need to make a difference. They simply needed to reassure the right people that they would not rock the boat, and have enough money to ensure their face was well known, and tiredness, apathy, and a desire for the status-quo would ensure that the result would take care of itself.

I am not bitter, or resentful about this, (okay, maybe a little resentful..). but that is how the game is played, and has been for thousands of years...

Except...

Except... if A Candidate, An honest, fair-minded Candidate, sees things that are wrong, sees unfairness, and decides to speak up, then maybe something can be changed.

I was raised to be fair, and that the rules were there to make it so everyone had a chance to win, with the best person for the job becoming victor on the day.

I didn't see that, I saw unfairness, and I decided I would not let it pass. I do not think that the perpetrator intended to disadvantage a Candidate for Councillor, I just think they were so intent on winning the vote for Mayor, that they did not consider the repercussions of their actions. But I saw an injustice in what they did.

I know I will not be on Council, but I feel someone else may have (or may not have) missed their chance. So I spoke up on their behalf... and I pushed, and pushed some more, and I am still pushing now... but at least the State Electoral Commission has agreed to investigate my claims.

Nothing may come of it, I don't know. But I do know that at least I have not remained silent when I saw an injustice to another human being.

I can sleep easy...and I do...

I'm Beginning To See A Pattern

I am running for local government in my town.. Local Council, we call it in the Land Of Oz...

Anyway, beyond the Bull and the Blandishments. After the Answer-Avoiding and A**-Licking, we get down to what it's all about. And I'm beginning to see a pattern....

The pattern is about Movie Stars...
Don't worry, the candidates don't see it, because they are in the picture...you have to be OUTSIDE the frame, to see it.. and it works like this...

When Robert De Niro cracked the big time, (and Jodie Foster, but more on her later...), he did it in "Raging Bull", and "Taxi Driver".
When Leonardo Di Caprio cracked it, it was for "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"
Tom Cruise did it in "Risky Business"
Nicole Kidman in "Dead Calm", an Australian low-budget thriller.
And of course, Jodie Foster.." Taxi Driver" as well.

Now let's talk about where they went;

De Niro went on and up.. He has played a succession of roles as diverse as a  gangster in "Dick Tracy", to a gangster in "The Untouchables", to a gangster in "Anger Management" (1 &2)
To an ex FBI (now THERE"S a change-up) in "Meet the Fokkers" et al, and most recently, an ex-Vice-President of a company in "The Intern"

De Caprio has gone from "Gilbert" to "Titanic", to "The Beach" to "Great Gatsby", admittedly with side-trips but still consistently upward.

Cruise is now a staple as the high-class detective,/futuristic/ know-it -all rich guy.

Kidman went from working class sailor to World-renowned author (The Hours), to Princess Grace of Monaco...

And Jodie Foster is well-known for making it from teenage hooker to working single- parent (Safe-Room, North), to Corporate anything (check her last few films...)

The point I am making here is that most actors start out making films about the poor people, the workers, because that's where they are.

As their success grows, so do the kind of parts they have in movies they make. They get richer, more luxurious, and more removed from you and me.

I don't begrudge them their success, they earned it, and if they can make big bucks, then good for them....

But why do they do it?

Well, I think that they make films about real life. THEIR real lives.

The more successful you are, the more you get paid. That means your reality changes too.

So, De Niro started out poor, his movies were about his recognition of real life. As he got older, and richer, Real Life changed for him. Now wealth is the Norm, and it is taken for granted. Which is why I have trouble identifying with many modern movies.

Apply the same rule to the rest.

Except Paul Newman. Newman played the part, not the setting. He played Losers and Drunks just as much as Businessmen and Family men, until his dying day.

I never thought of myself as an actor.

But I wouldn't mind trying to be Paul Newman,...

As a Candidate of course...

After all, the rest of them are trying to be Di Caprio...

Vote 1 Ken Coleman

Smokin', Tokin' Chokin', and Quality of Life?

Once upon a time, Western Society was faced with a crisis. It was so concerning that the leading societies of the day considered taking legal action, and wanted to pass laws making it illegal for citizens of their nations to use a certain drug. Governments Of The Day said that the large number of people using this drug had caused a breakdown in the fabric of society, and threatened the productivity of their nations, not to mention the detrimental effect being placed on family life.

The laws were never passed, but the debate did happen, and the arguments were sincere. If it had not been for the pressure applied to the law-makers by a certain sector of society, perhaps the laws may have taken effect, and our society would have been vastly different.

The drug? Tea.

When tea first arrived in Europe, tea-houses sprang up everywhere, and were so popular, and so all-consuming, that the scenarios described above really did occur. It was only the pressure applied by the wealthy tea merchants that prevented the stimulant being outlawed.

Later, of course, came coffee,  with similar effects.

Both of which have nothing to do with Marijuana, except in one respect. It has also changed the societies into which it has been introduced.

Tea, Coffee and dope are all recreational drugs which are derived from plants. They are not particularly powerful in their natural form, but Marijuana is becoming more potent as hydroponic and genetic mutations appear in the product being sold. Potency is terrific if you want a quicker high, or a longer high, but these effects are not really useful when it comes to paying the mortgage...

Unfortunately, many people regard dope as a great way of coping with Real World problems. Let's face it, as progressive as we want to be, smoking dope will not fix your relationship, pay your debts, or bring you closer to God.

It is also worlds away from being effective in controlling strong symptoms of serious diseases, and this is where the current medical confusion lies.

There are certain natural therapies that recommend the use of herbal infusions to alleviate symptoms; Chamomile tea, Mint tea, etc., and they can be very therapeutic....BUT...

 You wouldn't treat cancer with a cup of tea.

OK, maybe some people would, but the success/failure rate never seems to be publicised as a percentage for some reason...

Which means that the use of the natural product in its natural state (steeped or smoked...), is probably not such a great idea when treating serious illness.

And this is where the Real World comes crashing into the realms of Bureaucracy...

You see, Bureaucrats and Lawmakers have a problem with the Real World, and the problem is simple;
The Real World doesn't follow the rules that Bureaucrats make... it's really irresponsible of the Real World, but they're working on fixing that, don't worry.

The Bureaucrats have decided that all drugs need regulation, and the Lawmakers have been employed to make sure this happens. Now the use of Marijuana has a long history, and it has always been associated with working class people. Rich people tended to use Opium, Laudanum, or Opera, (depending on their taste), mainly because they were more expensive, and because everybody else was doing it.

Marijuana came from the hemp growers who used it to make rope (remember hemp rope? I do, you probably don't..). In the days of sailing ships, hemp was the biggest market in the world, even bigger than canvas for sails. Really.

So, when the slaves of Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia, and the rest were planting/picking tobacco or cotton, the slaves of Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and the rest of the Mid-West were planting or harvesting hemp. And yes... I realise that most people forget that almost ALL states of the Union had slaves until just before the Civil War. (Let's save that for another blog post, ok?)

Anyway, after the harvest, it is well documented that, right up until the 1930's, when most farm labour was still Black (or Coloured, or Afro-American... I genuinely mean no offence), the workers would gather the leaves of hemp left over from the harvest and make fires in the fields, and sit around them till late at night, laughing and singing.

Rope hemp is not very strong as a drug, but its effect is an indication of where the drug could go... and so the Jazz era discovered Indian Hemp...and away we go!!
Where would Jazz, Blues, Folk, Rock and Roll, and the entire 1960's be without Dope?? Nowhere, Man!!

The thing that puzzles me most about this whole thing is: Why do Advocates find it so hard to understand the resistance that The Establishment has to Marijuana?
We have spent 3 (THREE... 1 PLUS 1 PLUS 1) Generations telling society that dope is the drug of Rebellion. This is our way of telling them that we are going to screw their values. We don't care. It's all about smoking shit and getting wasted, and you can't stop us... You Bastards!! We'll rebel by getting stoned and doing nothing!!

Until someone discovered that dope might be good for treating disease.

So now we are all wondering why Society isn't saying "WOW! HOW GREAT!! LET'S GIVE EVERYONE DOPE FOR FREE"

Hmmm...

Now let's face it; no-one is saying that Marijuana is a cure-all that will end Man-kinds suffering. It can be used as a pain relief for certain conditions, when inhaled as a smoke, in its dried, leaf state. It is no good as a long-term cure when used in this way.

The educated among you (if you have come this far), will realise that what the experts are talking about is...Medical dope oil.

Marijuana oil, when properly produced and applied as a tincture (NOT smoked.. and look up the word "tincture", I am not your Year 6 teacher), can actually relieve certain symptoms of certain diseases, Cancer being one of them. I have seen this for myself. Unfortunately Society as a whole, Bureaucracy and Lawmakers in particular, have made it their business to make sure this drug is illegal, and punishable in the courts.
The truth of the matter is; we, the public, have made it our business to reinforce that perception.

Marijuana has been the drug of rebellion and resistance for generations. We have continually thrown it in the face of the Establishment as a symbol of our refusal to do things by the book. Wild parties, alcohol and dope during Prohibition. Free love and dope in the 1960's. teenage rebellion and dope in the 70's.

Now we wonder why governments won't legalise medicinal marijuana, just because we have finally found a way to help mankind.

Like your morning cup of tea,(or coffee), Dope will need to overcome the stigma we have placed on it ourselves, before we can be relaxed about how we use it.

You can toke that any way you like....