To all the posters here with their brain and heart connected (you know who you are) have a read of this nice piece by Ben Pobjie.
Its a wonderful explanation of why the right wing nuttes here are finding themselves irrelevant to public debate.

Its because we have not apologised to them!

You'll discover why here: http://www.newmatilda.com/2008/02/15/andrew-bolt-please-forgive-us

Leigh wrote:
Well, Mr. Nelson. That's what you get for me-tooing on something that should never have happened. These people will never be satisfied.

You're right (for once) we won't be satisfied until grubs like you become land fill.

col...

capitalism... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/capitalism and which is like your meaning of 'individualism'

to 'annalects of confuscius' heres a good place to start... http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/contao/analects.html ...'humaneness' is at 1.2 ie 7th para...

and to 'Not sure about WWII in that context however'...lets take for example...nazi government take it upon themselves that they lost face and treated unfairly by treaty of versailles(before you ask http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWversailles.htm )and took to attacking poland then france in 1939(ie blitzkrieg http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/blitzkrieg.htm)...and killing 'races' deemed inferior...but real daily effect was to develop an atmosphere of fear in the german population so easier to oppress and control...see the imbalance here developing for advantage of nazi government...for just a moment if nazi government considered achieving same advancement as germany has since ww2 before ww2...think about it...they could have if one considers their potential from how successful germany was in the first half of the war...when lot of battles they won was with far smaller numbers than the opposition...that still didnt make it 'balanced' did it...

And after reading above if my previous post is still a 'diatribe' to you...then maybe its not for you...

Sam

Captain Wordsmith Rudd strikes again. Nicely arranged sentimental sloppy affectations. Public loves it... all words, no action.
Redundant.

BUT... it feels oh so good. Thats what counts. As long as the words are used to service good vibrations, they dont need to make logical sense. As long as they rationalise an a prioir sentiment, its all good.

Apologising for the misdeeds of others thru the ages (based on genetics no less) is a bit nubulous, for it defines the very nature of history, which is being made by everyone at every moment. Thus, we effectively live a life of guilt striken apologism, driving the car by looking in the rear view mirror. Some of us dont wanna define our consciousness this way. Everyone suffers, its a base condition. Inherent empathy and compassion for that reality makes wordy affectation redundant, patronising, benevolent condascension.

The sheeple love sentiment. As long as the good feelings persist driven by apparently reasonable logical fallacies, then the un-changing wheel keeps turning, the basis upon which history is repeated.

Sure dole out a few billion, even several, over say 10 yrs. Chicken feed in the scheme of things, a few hundred dollars per tax payer pa (ironic that the tax dollars of the indigenous will go into compesation). Small price to relieve oneself from the bleeting and get our heads back into the sandboxes of our own self interested pursuits and feeewings.

Indeed apologism is a global trend and its pure affectation. Make speeches, write cheques, sweep it all away. Glass half empty or half full of murky water?

Anyway, thats one more sentimental guilt trip outta the way.

Next.

lm a first generation australian of spanish/italian/christian descent. Therefore l apologise to... austn aborigines, the children of Abraham for thousands of yrs of systematic repression by christians and for being used by the romans as fallguys for that crucifixion, the wicka witches for the spanish inquistion, south americans for spanish plunder and all the decendants of anyone ever living under roman tyranny. Apologies too for lasagna and paella.

Rainier

Thanks for the link to Ben's brilliant article. I wonder what Albrechtson is up to these days.

Trade215, I'm sure you must feel better now that you have got all that off your chest, clearly you understand what a sincere apology is all about...

And now we may progress to being a truly humane inclusive nation... if only we could change Australia Day to a date that is truly meaningful for all the people who call this great land home.

Fractelle,

"And now we may progress to being a truly humane inclusive nation" is the kind of thing that inspired taking aboriginal children from their families in the first place. The stuff of Social Darwinism and Fabian socialists.

Sincerity of sentimentallity is not a precondition for rational contemplation of the intellectualised follies that doom us to repetition of past errors. The main culprit being short term indulgence of one's feelings of sincerity.

The road to tyranny and good intentions and wot not.

Sarcasm is very useful in exposing culprits complicit in their participation of folly.

Dont take it personally, l want a better world too. It helps to chuck out the sentiment that fogs this purpose.

ps. l also apologise for tapas bars.