John Pilger has fallen in my estimation as a result of his publishing this tripe. I am embarrassed to be Australian... not because of the situation Aboriginal people find themselves in, but because of the rantings of John Pilger. Go figure!

watch them gnash their teeth, salivate and spin their heads
a pilger article to feed upon, their own ignorance to fuel them on.

To Dan,
Aboriginal Australians are more than entitled to the best that Australia can give them in health, housing ,welfare and education .

It is obvious that quite a few OLO writers simply can't stand to give Aboriginal people a hand up .

Dan doesn't seem to realise how important their land is to traditional Aboriginal people - it is everything .

The Maralinga Native people who were forced to give up their land could not possibly believe the new white owners would atom bomb the hell out of something so precious .

Invaders on shaky ground will use any means and invent any excuse to move Indigenous Owners off what they want. It is happening in Australia today - the difference between now and the 18th Century is that we can see it .

Thanks John .

Aboriginal land rights is, and always has been, a counter to the whites attitude and blatant racism. Yes aboriginals did have some sacred sites but they are rare and not large. Ritual sites basically.

But they created this myth of tribal lands when they were hunter gatherers.

Stupid whites fell for it and paid up. Money which went to the few and left the most still huddled on remote and rotten communities where drinking is the only escape from the bleakness of their future.

Most have no land survival skills any longer and white society doesn't want them. They've been betrayed by both black and white leaders and left to rot.

Rebuilding these ridiculously placed communities will produce nothing except more waste.

An example? Did you know aboriginal custom says if a person dies in a house then no on can live in it. That's why they deteriorate and become camp grounds after a time. A new one makes no difference.

What financial future is there in these remote places? None is the answer. Not even anywhere to spend except one shop for a captive audience and grog runners.

Close them down for Christ's sake, move everyone to towns and cities and focus on education.

DavoP,
How about some palliative care facilities in these communities if you don't like them to die in their "homes" ?

I note that the mayor of Katherine wants all those Aboriginals who have gravitated to town because of the Intervention to be all sent back to their communities as they are causing too much trouble and are an eyesore [no pun intended] to the locals and the tourists.

Better them to be a huge problem in their communities - now that's progress.

The mayor of Alice Springs has said they have dryout facilities for about 16 people but need the funding to accomodate about 60 .

Getting rid of the grog and the the drugs and the obscene alcohol advertising on the backs of our Aboriginal and other sporting stars would be a huge plus for all of us.

Education will help but flogging them to town and destroying their culture and language won't.

Perhaps we can apply a liberal dose of skin whitening cream as well when we get them there; although history has it that Aboriginal people originally accepted white invaders as "blacks", admittedly with a few different customs , coloured differently and speaking just another language.

Why can't we accept and do the same for them ?

Katherine Parker from Kintore, NT

Having thought over your situation and my limitations, the best suggestion I can offer is that you gather up copies of your "letters to government" and travel 400 km east, to Alice Springs, and visit your federal parliamentary representatives. And keep visiting until you get a result.

I am hoping that is possible for you.

Good show on the ABC Sunday night, about how Eddie Mabo won his case.

Best wishes