You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying, "I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it." The history of the world isn't people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.

Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 64. Spike was referring to the fate of Native Americans.

Does Spike has a point?

What many proponents of "reconciliation" seem to want is forgiveness from the conquered people.

Is that a realistic prospect?

Maybe White latte left Australians need to find some other way of feeling good about themselves and leave Aborigines to work out their own salvation. Absent interfering do-gooders and the false hopes they induce Aboriginal communities might be able to do something about improving their lot

When the going was good,nobody complaint,and that period lasted a long time say two hundred+years,beautiful mansions,beautiful beachfront holiday homes and much more,compare this with some of the conditions in other parts of Australia,go take a look around,and nobody said,now that is not just fairdinkum that these people should live like this,in third world conditions,in a first world country,that really belongs to who say no more

Mickjo wrote:

"My family also has demonstrated that we have long lived in this land, sweated for it, paid for it and sometimes died for it. I don't think that will get us anywhere. "

Can you provide me with anthropolgical and historically researched proof of how this was demonstrated please? Heresay is no enough in the courts. This means naming your family members, your religion, your customs and traditions and connections to land going back at least 50 generations. I can't wait to read this epic piece of research you purport to be able to demonstrate.

BUT If you can't provide this evidence, I suggest you just stick to posting on topics that your educational level allows to to comment on with some credibility, for example= when Pauline Hanson posts an article...or someone like her...or just listen to shock jocks,,whatever.

Cheers maaate.

rainier, for thirty years we Australians have been brain washed with the idea that we are all equal,there are no superior people, my favourite-it's a level playing field.
That has been accepted as the way we go . Until suddenly Native Title comes up and suddenly we have Land Titles being held by those who have-or claim -native blood which discriminates against the rest of Australians.
My educational past has nothing to do with it. I had to leave school at fourteen , my family didn't have free education or any other freebies because we had to pay for anything we got.
I wonder how much the lawyers will get , how much "compensation" will be paid and guess who will pay for it. The poor old tax payer of course .
So where did the level playing field get to? it was never there in the first place.

Mickijo, are you saying the 30 years brainwashing brainwashing worked on you?
With Native Title we are attempting to make the "theft" a bit more legal and to do this there has to be a re - balancing of the scales.We whites still don't lose.
Aboriginal People had all the assets -we took them away illegally.
Our consciences and the desire to rectify wrongs have arrived, along with our wealth and education.
Why would you not take the opportunity to atleast attempt to right a great wrong ?
I have noticed Asian leaders always refer to our treatment of our First Nation Peoples when we criticise their Human Rights record .
We should put our house in order now.

I would like to make a comment , would wonder if we are one nation or black and white ,
recently put in submission to Fed . parl . to introduce employment to aboriginal communities by establishing coconut plantations thus they could get income by sale of oil as fuel and work for their young . .

reply was only if the communities want it .

so there will be big bits of unproductive land laying idle - till the increase in Indonensian population in 25 years when they will come and take it for food production , starvation will have no boundaries .

gordon