How amusing to read the last comment from runner, who feels no compunction in engaging in repetitive "self righteous God(bothering) and Christian (preaching) rants no matter what the topic".

Do you clowns ever look in the mirror?

In 1373 a treaty of alliance was made between King Edward III of England and King Ferdinand and Queen Eleanor of Portugal.

This treaty was subsequently renewed as the Treaty of Windsor in 1386 on the marriage of King John I of Portugal to Philippa, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster: it is the oldest still current treaty in the world.

John and Philippa had a son, Henry. Although Henry never went to sea, he was to become known to history as Henry the Navigator, this grandson of 'time honoured Lancaster'. Henry's times ushered in the period of Portugal's great oceanic voyages of discovery.

The year 1494 brought the Treaty of Tordesillas, a papal dispensation whereby new discoveries were to be split between Portugal and Spain. As yet there was no anti-meridional dividing line established on the opposite side of the globe to the Tordesillas line. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tordesillas

1521 saw the Portuguese navigator Cristovao de Mendonca make a voyage of exploration far to the east, during which he lost two of his three ships, mapped a then unknown coastline, and more than likely spent a season whaling in Pelorus Jack's old stamping ground, carefully eradicating any evidence of anything that would identify his activities as being Portuguese when he left. Rivalry between Portugal and Spain over new discoveries was intense at this time, and Cristovao had his orders. It was a standing requirement of the Portuguese Court that all such discoveries be shrouded with secrecy.

On this voyage he picked up, off the bottom of a bay on the coasts he had mapped, a stone that was to eventually become known as the Braganza, but which had, for the same reason as the eradication of evidence of the whaling, to remain hidden from public view for another 271 years until 'found' in Brazil. It had come from soon to be 'Spanish' land. Thought to be a diamond, it was the biggest in the world. It was more likely a Killiecrankie diamond, a topaz. From Flinders Island.

Dear runner,

I can't possibly respond to each and every
post, nor do I want to. We're all selective
in this area.

I'm sure that you realize, some posts
don't merit a response, because you know
it's not going to achieve anything.

CJ Morgan

I make no apology for trying to view things from a biblical perspective. You however make no apology from looking at things from a secular perspective. You would do well to accept your own sarcasm (i.e look in the mirror).

Even back in 1521 it was really all about oil.

The return of Cristovao de Mendonca from his voyage with a cargo of whale oil (near worth its weight in gold in those times), knowledge as to the location of a new whaling ground close to a shore, not to mention the 'Braganza', much more than compensated for the loss of two ships. He subsequently was appointed Governor of the Portuguese colony of Goa, in India.

The year 1529 saw the establishment of the anti-meridional line to that of Tordesillas as an outcome of the Treaty of Saragossa between Portugal and Spain, negotiated under continuing papal suzerainty. This line was intended to settle claims in relation to discoveries of new lands in what we now refer to as the 'Far East'. It is the green line on this map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Spain_and_Portugal.png

Interesting, how the Papacy had no qualms about dividing up the then unknown world, as if it had supreme overlordship of dominion.

The beginning of the year 1755 saw both Portugal and Spain with empires, but with their glory days behind them, particularly so in Portugal's case. It was old King George's day, and Britain, now master of longitude and ruling the waves in place of Portugal, was re-arming for the Seven Years War against, among others, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Years'_War ) On 17 June of that year one Able Seaman James Cook joined the Royal Navy, to be very rapidly promoted to Master's Mate.

On 1 November 1755 an earthquake, of similar size to that causing the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, occurred in the Atlantic near Lisbon. The coast of Portugal was devastated. In Lisbon the royal archives disappeared together with detailed historical records of explorations by Vasco da Gama and other early navigators.

The end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 saw Britain established as the dominant colonial power in the world.

1766 saw Lt James Cook appointed Captain of HM Bark Endeavour.

Well Well

I would have to say to all those here who are adding there little peice the following.

If you go to the parliament home site and do a search for constitutional debates you may learn something.

As i have, I take the saying from the matrix

THERE IS NO SPOON.

So remove spoon and place in laws, any laws and to be constitutional they must adhere to the Australian Constitution dated 6 July 1900.

One also must not forget section 128 regarding constitutional changes with a referendum.

And dont forget when federation came the states could no longer change constitutions without a referendum.

So for me there are no laws.