Hi Peter,

I agree with the thrust of your argument, but really don't see how you get around man's basic weakness, which always corrupts ANY political system; basic greed. Bush won't sign Kyoto because he would lose votes. He would lose votes because Americans (and the rest of the west) won't pay for it, either directly, or inderectly through potential job losses.

Where are the leaders? Where are the visionaries who are brave enough to suggest different paths to solve these issues?

Take for example the war on drugs. We have failed, completley. Despite all the rhetoric, and anti-drugs campaigns, our society is awash with the misery of drug addiction, and the accompanying crime, and its getting worse. What do our leaders give us? More of the same. Yet we get offered even a slightly different vision (the Greens for example), and it gets vilified.

The world needs to address problems which go back to the whole question about our roe to play on planet earth. What do we get? Division, Bigotry, Self-interest.

The Tasmania question during the election was a great example. Problem need fixing, as long as it doesn't affect me...

God help our kids...

thanks Peter, a great article. Calling it how it is. Main problem as I see is ignorance by the masses and I can't see this being rectified anytime soon.

A broad, short history of everthing, very interesting. It's a pity that you didn't spend more time on global warming though, It is slightly more of a problem than the possibility of nuclear warfare. It is much more complicated than the bad guys being western countries. Surely China must be a larger contributor to GW than the USA.

Everyone is responsible for global warming in some way, as I am right at the moment. It is stating the obvious, but either technology must advance quickly or everyone must tone down their lifestlye, which isn't going to happen. Developing countries and poor people have just as much right and need to warm the globe by driving cars and listening to the radio.

I don't think China is a bigger contributor to global warming than the US yet - never underestimate the size of US GDP relative to everyone else - but it, and India, will be, and may even emit more units of carbon per unit of GDP than a number of other developed countries.

Anyone who expects politicians to solve the GW problem will die waiting. What will hopefully solve the problem will be an increase in the price of greenhouse causing energy sources forcing a switch into alternatives. You can use carbon trading schemes to hasten that occurrence, but increased consumption will tend to do it as well. 2 billion Chinese and Indians exercising their "right" to drive motor vehicles and listen to radios will force severe hikes in the price of oil and coal - might be our best chance of limiting greenhouse gases in the long run!

As per usual Peter, a great read, as is your book. The world would be a wonderful place if everyone just agreed with me (GWB’s attitude)! Will never happen though: people will always have polarised POV...The rise of religion…hmm, a cyclical process perhaps? I just think it would be wonderful if we could 86 God all together; any God from the equation (the Age of Reason had a fair crack at that), remove him or her and we may just get through our age; unfortunately, this elimination will never happen either…to many sheep in the world!

Alas, I might go stick my head in a bucket of corn!

The 'rise of religion' 'fundamentalist kind'.. we 'gave up authoritarian religion as a means of social control 2 centuries ago'....
Umm.. who is it I just read about trotting out 'glib phrases' ?????

Ooops.. its MEEEE the 'conservative evangelical'..... but.. u know what they say.. "The sin we hate most in other people is the one we have ourselves.".... moreover. what you are witnessing is not a rise in 'authoritarian' religion as much as DEMOCRACTIC religion.. it has finally dawned on us...that 'democracy and the incessant tirade of worth degrading attacks from the political and usually atheistic left' has pretty well alienated most 'normal' people from such evangelists of fault finding like the author here and it has left us in a pretty good position of actually re-shaping the community along lines that we feel comfortable with. And here is the shocker of all shockers.. democracy means we can vote for who we like.. and change the law as we like.. and if enough people want 'thus and so' ..then so it will be, under the guidance of our constitution of course.

And if that means we add some qualifiers to our signatory status on certain UN conventions.. allowing us more discretion in areas such as immigration and social (dare I say it) CONTROL.

In the same way that we got rid of 'authoritarian religion' we ALSO reject to the uttermost the empty wasteland and morally bankrupt nihilism which whether they like it or not is the current foundation of secular humanism which is ITSELF trying to impose on us a social fabric woven from relativistic and meaningless ideas which will end up as decaying corpses littering the highway to social and spiritual renewal ! If anyone doubts what I'm saying about the destination of the 'moral relativists' or should I say the 'hopeful optimists' (who's address's will be all in the same suburb.. Fantasyland, Disney World) they should see just what moves are afoot in North America by an increasingly large group called NAMBLA. (yes.. please DO a search on that title). They are using the same tactics and methods as the gay lobby a few decades ago. And now all the 'poo-poo'ed' prophecies of the 'fundamentalists' about 'thin edge of the wedge' are all coming true.

There only TWO 'rules' for life which will ever 'save' us from ourselves. The first is to love God with all our hearts. The second is similar. love our neighbours as ourselves. Without the FIRST.. there is absolutely zero moral compunction to obey or fulfill the 2nd. its law of the jungle, last man standing, winner take all... fastest gun in the west. The sooner we faced up to this most fundamental of realities.. the sooner we can move on to taking the next step. It should be pointed out, that when Jesus taught about who is ones neighbour, the Pharisees did not rate a mention, so there is no apology from me for any sense of offence to those who are driving the 20th Century Pharisaical agenda now)

I point to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Forgiver of sin, Renewer of minds, transformer of hearts, healer of bodies, shaper of wills, bread to the hungry... drink to the thirsty.. fulfiller of our deepest hearts desires to know absolute love.

Now..what happened to the 'turn or burn' that I'm "supposed" to talk about as a fundy ?..Hmmm....