Dear Foxy,

Thanks so much for the welcome back on david f's Trump thread, and sorry I neglected to respond earlier. My head is not always where it should be.
I really didn't think I would hang around, and my misgivings about the virtues of 'staying' are constantly being reinforced by the myriad host of codswallop and misdirection or bigotry being served up by so many of the usual suspects (and quite a few new ones).
However, here and there I still find myself unable to hold my tongue.

I do enjoy and respect your contributions, Foxy, as really quite foundational, well considered and researched, and honest to a degree only rarely found elsewhere on this forum.

It's great to see you still charging in, and standing tall. Very refreshing. Please keep it up, and all the very best.

I am sorry that Hassie seems to be getting quite crotchety these days. Certainly not the way I remembered from earlier times. Hope he's doing ok.

And Belly certainly seems to be hitting his straps and in great form.

There are other notable conveyors of insight, but raking through the detritus by some others can certainly be taxing.

There is still some enlightenment to be found, fortunately, so congrats to OLO on its 20th Anniversary, and hope the good work may continue in good stead.

I do miss a few of the old players, but I guess we have to expect some to lose interest, as I have done myself for quite a while.

I also think it a pity that our politicians and some others with influence do not appear to visit OLO, as they might well gain some much needed insights - if they could get some minion to sort through the chaff.

Be well Foxy, et al, and keep safe.

It has been a good thread, my defense of the man is based on his rights to believe in his God
He does you know,and believes in every thing his God wants him to say
Yet I believe in no God
This morning, SMH two men, not in my view nice men, Muslim by faith,have told us Australian law has no hold on them
They in my view, are in the wrong country, but I truly question myself
See I can not find a way to support their right to free speech

Belly,

I can support their right to free speech, without them talking we might be deluded into thinking that Islam can co-exist with western civilization.

Dear Saltpetre,

Thank You for you kind words and it is good to have
you back. It has been a long time on OLO - and we have
seen people come and go. I miss many of them but
equally I still value the diversity of this forum
and find that I am able to continue to learn and grow.

Have a lovely Easter break - and I look forward to
your future contributions in the many discussions that
lie ahead.

Take care.

Dear Foxy,

Here is where I am struggling a little. If it was a particular club which has an owner said they didn't want to be associated with Folau's views on homosexuals I think they would be perfectly within their rights to terminate a contract due to commercial considerations.

I'm not sure how easy I am handing that kind of power over to a body deciding the Australian representative squad. To have them that beholden to commercial interests does not sit well to me. They do not own the sport but rather are its custodians. To have made a judgement on bringing the code into disrepute might have been different though I'm not sure whether it could have been fully warranted.

But to assert as they did that it would impact sponsors therefore Israel needed to go is really problematic and something I do not agree with.

We both recognise the harm his actions can cause given his wide social media presence even if he feels his faith gives him licence to do them. And I fully understand the League's well intentioned and commendable push for inclusion, but that was not the messaging they gave to Israel, instead it was all about sponsor and public backlash. If they were their overriding reasons for giving Israel his marching orders then they do not have my support.

You Folau haters would have enjoyed last night's story about the grotty hamburger joint's depiction of Christ "hammered" at Easter, smoking a cigarette and holding a can of beer. And the fact that 11 Christians are murdered every day of the year must give you great comfort.