“Totalitarian leaders often create ‘enemies of the state’ to blame for things that go wrong. Frequently these enemies are members of religious or ethnic groups. Often these groups are easily identified and are subjected to campaigns of terror and violence. They may be forced to live in certain areas or are subjected to rules that apply only to them”
Creating an enemy of the state requires othering: a process of dehumanizing through marginalizing a group of humans as something different, less than, and other. Such othered groups become an easy target to scapegoat, unfairly bearing the blame for a society’s ills.
Read more: Othering Unvaccinated Persons - Creating an enemy of the state
When I’ve talked in the past about the patchwork tyranny post Covid-9/11, I had more mundane things in mind than the fate of a major tennis star.
Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after his appeal to reinstate his visa failed. And it failed not for health reasons but for political ones.
To me, the kinds of terrible rules put in place for ‘public safety’ always conjure up images of casual oppression. Endless videos of pathetic public servants intimidating priests in churches or police arresting pub owners for serving willing patrons.
I sit here today, typing an obituary to Australia. The country I have loved for most of my life.
I see her lying in a bed, alone, gasping for air and trying so desperately to stay alive. Alas. I feel that she is gone. I can hear her sad attempts to keep alive and stay with us. But her mask is stifling her.
It is sad to see her dying. She has been a good mother and grandmother.
She lies immobile and unable to speak because she is silenced by the hospital staff who have gagged her and choked her in order to keep her " safe."
Read more: Australia RIP Day is approaching. The death of our beloved Nation is at hand
I am the first to admit I know somewhere between nothing and less than nothing about bitcoin. It is up there with my knowledge of volcanic eruptions. When you put the two together and come up with bitcoin mining from volcanoes, my head starts to spin and I reach for my too hard basket.
However, I have had to try and get my head around these two things working in unison when I add a dose of Tonga and El Salvador to the mix. And a bit of Kazakhstan.
So come with me on a journey that makes for an interesting ride.
Read more: Bitcoin, Volcanoes and Tonga - and how about a bit of Kazakhstan and China on the side?
The Kingdom of Tonga doesn’t often attract global attention, but a violent eruption of an underwater volcano on January 15 has spread shock waves, quite literally, around half the world.
Read more: Why the Volcanic Eruption in Tonga Was So Violent, and What to Expect Next
Little did I know a few days ago that I would be writing an article about Tonga. With the world so focused on covid, tennis players, supply chain problems and a myriad of associated issues, it was not something I expected. But here I am diving down rabbit holes and coming up with a disturbing problem. All rabbit holes seem to lead to China.
A natural disaster such as the one just experienced can have enormous ramifications. Not just for Tonga, but for the Pacific region. Like all smaller nations in the Pacific, a natural disaster is an economic and social catastrophe that makes them reliant on overseas aid to rebuild and regroup. Whoever provides this aid will potentially control the nation.
This eruption might be a blessing in disguise... for China.
As I explained in my article a few days ago, Novak had the audacity to enter into a debate over a very financially lucrative deal in Serbia for Rio Tinto and no doubt it was game set and match the moment he dared to speak out against an Australian mining giant like Rio Tinto.
He served a big dose of f##k you to Australia in December by backing his own country and joining the volley of voices that dared to play hard ball with Rio Tinto. Whether it is coincidence or not, Scott Morrison's Chief of Staff is John Kunkel. Before joining Scott Morrison’s office, Dr John Kunkel served as the former head of government relations at Rio Tinto and the former deputy chief executive of the Minerals Council of Australia.
Read more: Who owns Rio Tinto and why does it matter for understanding Novak Djovovic?
They say that recalling a love for the past helps promote hope for the future, and reassures us that life is meaningful. It is so true. Sometimes, a simple thing can trigger a flood of memories and create an optimism where none lay before.
Only yesterday, an old tin bath at the back of Redhead's home became a place of wonder and joy for a little two year old who could turn a bucket, a plastic jug, and an old tin bath into a journey of discovery and seemingly endless pleasure.
That same tin bath has been in our family for over 50 years and has seen its fair share of change.
Read more: I remember when.... fun could be had with a tin bath
Just over 50 years ago a TV program held my interest like no other. “Why is it so?” His own science-based TV series which was filmed at the University of Sydney where he taught, was broadcast from 1963 to 1986 and became an instant hit known for its "cool experiments, interesting science, and fantastic hair" … the presenter was Professor Julius Sumner Miller, who has been a huge positive influence in the lives of many young people.
As well as the cool experiments, some of his sayings were, and still are, excellent advice … “ Whatever work you undertake to do in your lifetime, it is very important that first you have a passion for it - you know, get excited about it - and second, that you have fun with it. That's important. Otherwise, you see, your work becomes nothing but an idle chore. Then, you hate the life you live.”
We can cope with many many things. But we NEED to feel the grass on our toes. Sunshine, fresh air and a nice meal with conversation.
That is what life and living is all about.
When we are told by our governments or those in power that we no longer have basic human rights to breathe fresh air, access human contact and enjoy that which was granted to prisoners under the Geneva Convention, something is wrong. Very very wrong indeed.
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