Liam and St Fletcher,

I too like history. I think that the Herd probably should have used William Dampier as their rhetorical device. He was, after all, the first Englishman to set foot on Australian soil. Dampier charted a good proportion of the west coast, then known only as New Holland. He was wrecked on the Cygnet in King Sound in 1688 (well after the Batavia wreck in 1629). Dampier was a great naturalist, catographer and navigator.

He was also a ruthless pirate, who was convicted of cruelty and dismissed from the Navy. But, I still think Dampier deserves more recognition than he got. As 'Strayan as the rest of us I suppose.

'The organisers also paid attention to Australian youth’s concerns about Aboriginal rights, and changed the date so as not to offend Indigenous Australians sadness at the fact that Australia Day also implicitly commemorates their colonisation.'

Why do commentators like Clifton Evers view the colonisation of Australia by the British as lamentable but don't view recent colonisation in the same way? This seems like a complete hypocritical double-standard to me.

That is, if ethnic and cultural diplacement was morally wrong when Captains Cook and Philip landed then it is still morally wrong in the 21st century as far as our current immigration policy is concerned.

It is about time that we started to debate whether it is morally acceptable to displace Australia's Anglo-European culture in major cities like Sydney via large scale immigration. And more to the point, do Anglo-European Australians have the right to oppose such large scale ethnic and cultural displacement if they feel under direct threat?

(After all, two wrongs don't make a right - do they?)

Songs, often stir the pot. I am reminded of the old Blue Mink classic:

Take a pinch of white man
Wrap it up in black skin
Add a touch of blue blood
And a little bitty bit of Red Indian boy

Curly black and kinky
Mixed with yellow Chinkees
If you lump it all together
Well you've got a recipe
For a get along scene

Oh what a beautiful dream
If it could only come true
You know, you know
What we need Is a great big melting pot
Big enough to take the world
And all it's got Keep it stirring for a hundred years or more
Turning out coffee colored people by the score

Rabbis and the friars
Bishops and the Gurus
We had the Beatles and the Sun Gods
A long time ago, it's true
But then it really didn't matter
What religion you chose, no, no, no

Mick and Lady Faithful
Lord and Mrs Graceful
You know the living could be tasteful
Why don't we all get together in a loving machine
I'd better call up the Queen
It's only fair that she knows
You know, you know

... The sentiments of this song, the deep yearnings and longings ... have been answered!

In the great big melting pot of the cross, the true Man for all nations, finally arrived, and entered into our corporate, inter-racial hell. He took upon himself the hatred of all, he bore our guilt, and was indeed 'made to be sin', so that in him, a new humanity might be created.

"Coffee coloured people" all recipients of lavish grace, all crucified and put to death, in him. All raised in him, forgiven our bigotry, our 'superiority gamesmanship', and reconciled in one great big melting pot. Loved, and reconciled - "while we were still enemies".

Loved, embraced, and taken up into a new humanity. Blessed in a cosmic melting pot.

Great article. It's great that alot of writers out there are responding to this debate in a far more logical manner to sensationalist press beat-up.

There's another good article that includes talk about this issue that provided some similar views but from a very different angle at

http://www.aarondarc.com/poppsychology/content/view/211/49/

Happy Australia Day ;)

The Author said:

[Acts of violence which use our flag as their emblem may not be common, but they are certainly designed to send a message to non-Anglo groups in our community about who belongs and who doesn’t.]

My my.. interesting assumption underlying that little rant. It appears to be a denial of the idea that "Non Anglo" Australians can or do feel passionately patriotic about Australia ! I think if the author went and asked a few people he would find the most passionate patriots are among the migrant community who have come FROM countries were they experienced such discrimination and bigotry that they feel so in love with good old Oz.

Kiss the flag thugs are a direct result of flawed and inadequate social and educational policy which failed to create a sense of cultural security in these youths which would ameliorate the sense of need among them to make a blatant statement such as "kiss it or we thump you".

As FrankGol said [how well do 'Australian youth' understand what troubles them...]

Exactly.. why don't they understand it ? Because no one has been teaching them about their national identity and place in the world.
Added to this, many of Franks listed issues are just plain too big for small minds. But people DO know when they are threatened, and small minds often react in spectacular and painful ways.

Finally Mr howard has changed the direction of Australia, but how he did it, I'll save for the 'Multiculturalism, kill it b4 it kills you' thread.

RANIER I came back from Australia day on a tram, in which some very angry young Aboriginal youths were making a point of disrespecting everyone,and lecturing some white chics about 'don't u know ur history' and 'stealing black mans land' I felt so sorry for them... if time allowed I would have got off the tram and had a discussion.. but unable. It was good though to see some apparently full blood Indigenous youths on A day.

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