Airplanes, loss, blood and treasure

There seems to be something about the loss of an airliner full of Westerners that gets folks all worked up. The shoot down of MH-17 is a awful piece of a sad and largely pointless civil war, the loss of life is tragic. But the loss of the Air Algerie aircraft creates barely a ripple is it less tragic.

The grieving of friends and relatives deserves our respect and support - and we should ensure the bodies of folks lost are repatriated with respect and dignity. We should also do what we can to support Malaysia and Ukraine as they investigate.

Posturing about the rights and wrongs of a civil war and the foolishness of players in this does nothing to resolve the dilemma, This is being used as a distraction by politicians - focus on the issue with the pictures and grief ignore everything else. Treating our lost civilians as if they are fallen soldiers just feels cheap and tacky.

Australia sat on the side lines for a year whilst Ukraine writhed in Civil War and Russian bullying - we tragically lose 39 people and suddenly we want a seat at the high table and our Governor General is at ramp ceremonies.

A sad event and the grief of many affected folks is being turned into a public spectacle - whilst everyday endless suffering in Australia and elsewhere is ignored. This is a boondoggle.

Asylum seekers - we should offer Asylum

Australia is a Polyglot nation with many wonderful attributes

Australia is my nation and my home

However we have a long and tawdry history of racism and Xenophobia and the behaviour we as a nation state are allowing our politicians to display around "Boat People" is deeply unjust.

Any asylum seeker seeking our protection should be offered it in a generous and concerned spirit - if we find the individual is a risk or a concern then we have open judicial and policing methods enough to deal with them and preserve public safety.

The Immigration Star Chambers and creation of a Border Protection Force that are not answerable to normal police methods and the judiciary is unsafe - it places good governance and thus the nation state at risk.

Our major Political Parties show themselves to be callow power hungry ciphers for the worst of our populace's prejudices.

We are shamed