Dear Constance,

You wrote to davidf;

“And you still don't understand Leonard Cohen's lyrics.”

As a very long time fan of Cohen I am very interested in what you make of his lyrics to The Future.

@Steelie,

<<now mate, much more of that and I will have to get the nurse to wipe the spittle off your chin>>

Now, now Steelie your memory is fading again ...i am only visiting as part of a hospitals cheer group ...now you drink down your medicine like nursie said ...and i will see you next visit :)

Here's a relevant point regarding a cartoon published in the SMH at the height of the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/we-apologise-publishing-cartoon-in-original-form-was-wrong-20140803-zzxab.html

"We apologise: publishing cartoon in original form was wrong"

"Today, the Herald wishes to apologise for this distress, draw a line under the debate about the cartoon, and return focus back to the events in Israel and Gaza."

This is the cartoon:

http://davidduke.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/jew-cartoon580.jpg

These are the images that inspired it:

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/07/14/world/middleeast/14open_sderot1/14open_sderot1-master1050.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lQfF_P7M76U/U-JVb8UCL9I/AAAAAAAABvk/BCRrLv4ZZ5c/s1600/Kippah-wearing+Israeli-watches-Gaza-bomb-.jpg

There is no clear line drawn over what is and isn't acceptable, and much depends on the prevailing enmities and alliances of the targeted audience.

Cartoons are so powerful because they sum up so succinctly what would take entire articles to articulate in words.

OK, now you have all had your go at each other, covering all angles.

Now what are we going to do about them ?
They are here, they are a risk, they will make demands we will refuse.
They have threatened us and made no secret of it.

So are you all just wafflers and weak little pussies ?

Tell ya what, "Bazz", you show us how it's done. You'll be right on your own, I reckon, a big tough anonymous internet troll like you...

"You have a natural tendency
To squeeze off a shot
You're good fun at parties
You wear the right masks
You're old but you still
Like a laugh in the locker room
You can't abide change
You're at home on the range
You opened your suitcase
Behind the old workings
To show off the magnum
You deafened the canyon
A comfort a friend
Only upstaged in the end
By the Uzi machine gun
Does the recoil remind you
Remind you of sex
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris
I swam in your pools
And lay under your palm trees
I looked in the eyes of the Indian
Who lay on the Federal Building steps
And through the range finder over the hill
I saw the front line boys popping their pills
Sick of the mess they find
On their desert stage
And the bravery of being out of range
Yeah the question is vexed
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
Hey bartender over here
Two more shots
And two more beers
Sir turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great
For righting wrongs
You hit the target
And win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range "

How about the Government proclaims Islam to be a prohibited organization and bans the Koran and insists that all Muslims join a Western accepted religion/become atheists or be deported.

That should fix things.