Western Australian Senator Glenn Sterle wrote a letter to Deputy PM and Transport Minister McCormack about the conditions our brave and hardworking truckies are facing in this Virus Crisis.
He started his letter with
" Over the last 48 hours, I have received alarming reports from transport associations and drivers about situations that Australia's truck drivers are facing at roadhouses across the country."
Alarming is an understatement. This letter outlines UNACCEPTABLE conditions and we, as a Nation need to speak up, speak out and DEMAND that our Truckies are looked after and given proper access to decent food, toilets, showers and comfort while they do the tough job of allowing us access to food, toiletries, personal hygiene items and some degree of comfort.
This neglect is a National disgrace.
Read more: Our Truckies deserve better - we must stand up for them
Do you want me to list the things you are not allowed to do.... the most mentioned is .. Do not gather in numbers. Stay a good distance away from one another. But what is Queensland doing today, Visiting Polling Booths, Election of Councils. Standing in line , filling out forms, gathering in a building. Surely it was not that important that it could not have been postponed. All the Councils around the State were diligently doing their job and I am sure could have continued to perform well until this crisis is over.
In the middle of this sea of confusion and concern, I could not help but write an article about how I feel about this global lockdown and pondering : what is this really all about? The Chinese Virus or the CHINESE VIRUS, and what is the difference.
It may be that we are fighting the East v West, the final showdown, the Chinese Winnie the Pooh against America - the ultimate and penultimate fight to change the world as we know it - and yes, that is what this is really all about - Tigger and Winnie gambled and are about to lose because President Trump is the author now. He is writing the story and the characters in this story are up " the creek without a paddle. "
President Trump is in charge of this narrative and poor Winnie and Tigger are most unhappy. He has laid down a deadline: Easter. The Resurrection. Strange? No, not really. Our entire way of life has been brought to a closure because of a Chinese Virus that may or may not be the problem. I choose to think that it is the CHINESE VIRUS.
After all of this time, Brenton Tarrant has now chosen to plead guilty to charges laid on him in relation to the Christchurch Mosque Massacre... why am I getting a feeling that this is rather unusual?
You may remember that Mr Tarrant stole a life of bliss from a little known and often disregarded Nation at the bottom of the world when he allegedly entered a mosque in Christchurch and allegedly killed 51 Moslems back in March 2019.
I use the word allegedly with caution - up until today, Mr Tarrant, the " Right Wing Trump loving hater of Islam " had plead not guilty. For some reason, he has done a complete about face and chosen to plead GUILTY.
Why now? Why suddenly decide to confess his sins and say " Fair cop, mate. "
We are in a dark time at present, all around the world. Life, as we know it, has been turned on its head and we are all in some kind of futuristic nightmare that, when we wake each morning, is worse than the day before.
My beloved Mum, Redhead, is battling on with great fortitude and gusto as is her Nature. There is not a virus or crisis on this planet that will knock the stuffing out of that 87 year old Lady!
But one thing has caused great consternation. As a Law abiding, decent human being, my Mum has always voted.
As this weekend approaches, she is faced with a decision that is beyond her normally rational and commonsense approach to life: to break a commitment of a lifetime and stay at home and not vote – or risk becoming ill in order to do what is her Duty and her Honour. Queensland Council elections and two bi elections.
Well, here’s the thing.
Back in 2005, the then Health Minister, Tony Abbott had some sage words to say.
I provide an excerpt here for us to reflect upon and wonder what on earth went wrong in our Nation when we saw him not only lose his role as Prime Minister, but later voted out of his Parliamentary Seat and replaced with a wind turbine loving leftie with no clue.
Read more: Pandemic Preparedness - Tony Abbott from over 15 years ago
What have I just read? According to The Daily Mail " Eight ships including seven cruise-liners carrying thousands of passengers will arrive in Sydney over the next seven days amid fears they will contain hundreds of coronavirus patients....
On 19 March around 2,000 travellers were allowed to disembark the Ruby Princess in Sydney without being tested.
Since then, at least 66 of them have tested positive for coronavirus. "
I think most people from around Australia could quite rightfully be forgiven for wondering what the hell we are supposed to do when sometimes it seems that the only people who know are the Government, the Bureaucrats and John Cleese pretending to be a teacher.
And I am starting wonder if they do.
Now that the WuFlu has cancelled ANZAC Day and footie is off the calendar for the time being let’s look at really important stuff like bragging rights to Lamingtons.
For my many American readers, you may get a giggle out of this – after all, the East v West, North v South Rivalry has been on for centuries and is still a good “ go to place “ if you want a bit of friendly fun.
After all, we are kindred spirits - our Nations bound by inexplicable ties , that we may mock, but others better bugger off and stay out of – the British didn’t stand a chance when confronted with a United States of America - and the brave diggers at Gallipoli created a fighting Spirit that will endure forever.
But getting back to the ANZAC Ditch Debacle. We may fight as a united front in the face of adversity but when it comes to other matters of a more localised nature, it is a different story.
Read more: Who gets the top bunk on Lamington Bragging Rights?
I only swear when I am really pissed off, I try and be a happy camper most of the time. But , and it is a big but when as an Oldie you are told you're first on the list of departures from this World with this new virus it is a bit disconcerting .
But. all that aside, I am pissed off because we are not pulling together working as a team.
republished due to requests from followers.
There are those who say that we have a plague of locusts in our midst. They feel that our border protection agencies and bio security agencies are unable to control this plague. Because there is some difficulty defining whether or not this particular locust is a swarming locust or just a misunderstood grasshopper.
According to the Government website for Agriculture,
“ Exotic pests, diseases and weeds can hitch a ride to Australia with vessels, shipping containers and break-bulk cargo. If they establish here they can wipe out entire food crops, harm our animals and damage our beautiful environment. Some pests could even change our way of life forever.”
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