Our country has been at or involved in War since before the birth of my first Step-son he is now 19. I try as I may, to explain to him in opposition to what the world leaders tell him, that peace will come... but it won't come from politicians, it will only come through the people.
Australia has followed and supported the United States military policy in international conflicts that have lost thousands of young Australian lives. Many of these conflicts were and are based on lies, mis-information and have done nothing but created greater global uncertainty and continued conflict.
Let’s as Australians be realistic. America is the great and peaceful nation it once was. It has not shown any interest in resolving international conflicts in a peaceful manner in my lifetime.
From Vietnam, Korea, the middle east, Ukraine, south china sea, Sudan and South America and Haiti, America has tried to be the world’s policeman and Australia according to Little John Howard its deputized Sherriff.
Australia needs to be protected, to defend its interests, values and embrace our responsibility to defend the freedom and human rights of those that actively seek our help. However after almost 2 decades of disastrous military engagements in the Middle East, it is time for a different approach. America’s way does not work. Unilateral military action and pre-emptive strikes has lead to millions of innocent casualties and a lack of conscientious debate about such wanton destruction and murder, eats at the very soul of our nation.
Australia needs to redefine its role in the global economy. We are a nation that has created some of the world’s greatest innovations from magnetic cassette tape (if your under 20 ask your parents about it), the cochlea ear, to Antenna’s and the WIFI network. We are a massive nation that requires massive infra-structure and has tremendous resources and resourcefulness.
I believe that in order to deal with local terrorism we need to acknowledge that we are not always right. We need to be clear and define our honour and respect for our service men and women but acknowledge that our elected representatives made mistakes and were flawed.
We the Australian’s are resilient, we are survivors in a dangerous and unforgiving land. We have the heart, knowledge and skill to forge new relationships with old foes and listen and acknowledge the grief from new friends.
The Iraq invasion has been one of the worst foreign policy stuff-ups in our history. Thousands of Australian men and women have returned home with PTSD and the invasion has disrupted the lives of thousands of families.
Nationally it is one of the most divisive issues still to Australians. We love our military heritage and sacrifice “Lest we forget” but many made statements about our forces being mercenaries for the American army and the War allowances were not adequately explained to the Australian public. These men and women put their lives on the line. It was not for the Money, it was for the national pride that they have for this country.
How to combat Terrorism Locally
The world is relatively dangerous this day, full of serious threats. But we locals have a weapon that always roots out and defeats hate and has done so for generations, nationally and globally.
We say gday! And we give people a fair go!
In security we call it de-escalation, and psychologically its’ called changing some-ones state. It is the most powerful tool we have in an arsenal against hate, terrorism and suffering. In order for someone to become radicalized by hate they require proximity.
Think about it? How did you meet your mates, your partner etc? Proximity is power!
If you see someone that looks different, go up and say “Gday” get to know them, listen and let them know about the beauty we have here in Darwin.
Croc Feeding, fish feeding, Fishing, Markets, festivals, Parks, Libraries, Universities, education facilities, employment and business opportunities and so on…
The greatest weapon we have is our hearts and if we show them our hearts, we’ll change their minds.
Does this always work? On everyone? Sadly no! But if you hear, see or feel that someone is getting radicalized, maybe from an online source or are mixing with a group who are trying to ostracize them from the community ask them R U OK!
The root cause of radicalization is proximity to the wrong influence.
Our Millitary!
Our military are fully prepared. We have as a small national population, strong resources and are internationally known for our fighting capability and never say die attitude! Our soldiers provide humanitarian relief and provide support to foreign governments on request to ensure political and religious freedoms. Our military deserves our admiration.
We the people need to ensure that we protest, march on and defend our military by actively ensuring our involvement in our political process and by ensuring that our veterans both past, present and future are treated with the care and respect they deserve. More so that we require more from our elected representatives so that they no longer damage the moral standing of Australia, create more divisiveness and fan the flames of terrorism rather than quell them. We owe it to our Country and the sacrifices made for our freedom “Lest we forget”
