DD and Is Mise, now that's what I call talent; you're cracking me up :)))

And when I lie under the Southern sky in the blistering sun, all cracked up and fallen apart like poor old Humpty Dumpty, people like Leigh will treasure the moment of one less permanent crackhead, I mean resident.

Because only Australian citizens are allowed to criticise the government, right?

Deja vu, Leigh, you seem to like repetition.
I have always paid my taxes like everybody else so I can criticise what happens to my tax dollars.

Don't forget that because of Australians' as well as immigrants' contributions to the ATO you are now receiving a pension.

Leigh, belabouring Celivia's residency status doesn't change the fact that Howard is a climate change delinquent. The Federal Government has had over a decade to address the biggest challenge facing Australia's long-term sustainability, but has only half-heartedly jumped onboard the climate change bandwagon within the last few months. Mr. Howard may be dead and buried within a few decades, but his legacy of inaction will be clearly felt on the Australian landscape long into the future.

Thank you, C.J.Morgan and Oligarch :)

Oligarch, that's true; Howard had enough time to show how us that he was serious about our beautiful nature.
Sometimes people forget that we actually rely on our environment. We can not sustain ourselves in a sick environment. There cannot even be a healthy economy in a country with a sick environment.

The more people pressure the government into taking the right kind of action, the better.
Here you can sign a petition to call on the Australian government to join the new international body on the environment.
"46 countries have now agreed to form a powerful new environmental body, designed to slow global warming. The organisation could have policing powers to punish violators. Australia is yet to join the new alliance."
http://www.cooltheglobe.com/index

This is the least the Australian government can do after refusing to rattify the Kyoto protocol.

And Leigh, if Australia does not sign up, you can expect me to criticise the government some more ;)

Only then I grant Howard the pleasure to sing, whole-heartedly, in his (hopefully water-saving) shower, Amanda's song about the beautiful country under the Southern stars.

Celivia, You are most welcome here in my country because you show compassion and style and critical thinking in your posts.

Leigh, let me know when you'd like to leave, I'll pay your airfare to a facist nation, somewhere you'd feel at home

Right Leigh. Because she was born elsewhere, she must be one of the evil immigrants right?

It may shock you (actually, you probably suspect this sort of thing) but I was an immigrant as well. I came from that odd little island to the south of here. (No not Tasmania, New Zealand).

Am I allowed to comment? I'm a citizen after all, I thought that's what that sort of thing was all about. Here I thought we lived in a country that welcomed a diverse set of views. Silly me.

When exactly, does it become okay to comment on Australian matters Leigh? Why stop with those born here - after all, they could be merely the children of those nasty immigrants you're so worried about.

We better take it back a few generations then - of course, then we have the issue that many migrants have been here for many generations - in fact... wait a sec... ALL the white people here are descended from migrants.

Golly gosh. We've got some troubles now. If we banned all the migrants, then we'd be stuck with nothing but the aboriginals, right Leigh? That'd be no good. There'd be no more room for the 'White Australia' kind of guff we're all so apparently fond of.

These matters all end up boiling down to the whole 'White Australia' crap that's been around since settlers first went gung-ho on cracking down on the indigenous natives.

Give it a rest.

yes but all the grumpiness of last few posts is solved by Amandas lovely song that melds/welds us all together to all act and think like one - like one enormous Rodent

OOOps I too am getting grumpy so all of you back to your morning dose of Amanda-Oztralianus at http://www.amandaforpm.com