To: Peter Beattie, Premier of Queensland

Mr Beattie,

ABC.net.au reports: Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says he has smacked all three of his children and he does not support a push for law changes in the area. … "I think that any parent has the right in my view, within reason, provided there's no permanent damage or injury, to smack their child," he said.

Then, instead of going with your ill-researched and –considered opinion, arrived at by some sort of arrogant belief that you know best, why don’t you refer to the research literature, which demonstrates quite clearly that you are wrong.

For starters, do you know what “permanent damage or injury” entails?

And, moreover, let me ask you this: When a parent hits a child, who can possibly win that fight? So, when grown children hit an aged parent, or anyone they take offense to, what lesson do they bring to those encounters?

As in the matter of the name of Townsville’s stadium, you have mistaken your own inclinations for fact, and you have declined to inform yourself open-mindedly and responsibly.

Sincerely

To: John Howard
Re: Aha, now I understand!

John Howard: "My charge is that the consequences of the policy you [Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd] are advocating would be to destabilise Iraq and threaten the security interests of this country through a defeat of the United States in Iraq," he said.

Ah, now I see: Your American friends have stabilised Iraq. And you fear that the constant stream of deadly attacks by insurgents will be disrupted by a pullout.

Why didn't you say so, before.

You really do make yourself look more and more foolish. And not just yourself.

Sincerely...

To: Brendan Nelson, Defence Minister, Australia
Re: Standing up for whom?

ABC.net.au reports: Defence Minister Brendan Nelson is standing by the Prime Minister's criticism of US presidential candidate Barack Obama, who wants troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by March, 2008. ... "Our Prime Minister quite rightly is standing up on behalf of Australia and those countries who believe it is absolutely essential that America not face defeat in Iraq," he said.

Do remind us, Mr. Nelson, what percentage of Australians wanted to stand up for this campaign. Was it 5%, or 7?

Sincerely,

To: John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia
Re: Comments about Barack Obama

Go ahead - decline to retract your inane, irrelevant, little-man comments about Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. You make yourself a figure of mockery in the United States; you make Australia a laughing stock among thinking Americans, and a subject of hostility among the vast majority – the non-thinking ones; and you make Australia even more loathed by militant and even moderate Muslims who see the West slaughtering hundreds of thousands of civilians, all in the name of... “freedom”?

Your comments continue your lamentable record of pandering to the US in its Iraq debacle. You congratulate yourself of your brave show – all show – of force on behalf of the US as it clusterbombs Iraqi citizens. Of course, it is not you who make any sacrifice, nor you who face any danger.

And, to make your empty gestures even more grotesque, no one in the US cares about what you’ve so snivellingly done on Bush’s behalf – those who support Bush’s insane actions don’t even notice you, nor Australia. Do you imagine that a nation that would support the clusterbombing of civilians going about their daily business would be open-eyed enough to notice its purported allies, its diplomatic sycophants? Trust me, I have lived in the US a long time, and no one, not even the well-read, notices that Australia has so feebly supported these war crimes.

Finally, there is your unhinged comment that began “If America is defeated in Iraq...” Are you joking? The United States had lost this war within seconds of embarking on it so duplicitously. It, like little sidekicks like you who wilfully declined to call it to task, will be judged harshly by history. One can only hope that no retribution will come to Australians, nor to Americans of good will towards fellow men and women, as a result of your and your cronies’ escalation of these conflicts, and your depraved, politically expeditious and cowardly vilification of Muslim citizens, and now of Barack Obama, a man of unquestioned good will who refuses to use the lives of Americans (and Australians) and Iraqis for political pointscoring. If only you were man enough to refuse, too.