Politics

PETER ABETZ- IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF WILBERFORCE

Peter Abetz, the member for Southern River in the WA Parliament, is involved in an honourable course in his efforts to deal with prostitution and the associated sex trafficking.

William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was the English politician and philanthropist who fought the battle to outlaw slavery as an acceptable form of trade and commerce.

Yet the battle still goes on.

For Abetz the best way to prevent exploitation and trafficking is the Nordic Model, also known as the Swedish model, which strikes at the demand for commercial sex. It also decriminalises those in prostitution and provides support and exit strategies for the women involved.

Market principles apply to sexual services as much as anything else. Men who buy sex create a demand for trafficking and exploitation of women who become chatel to be bought and sold.

Neither the laissez-faire method of containment (a leave alone policy) nor legislation to make the pernicious trade legal is appropriate and Abetz marshals some strong, based on statistics, against both.

He says the 1999 Swedish law, also adopted by Norway and Iceland has changed the onus of criminality from the supplier to the purchaser.

It happened because of the failure of other approaches

In various on-going public meetings Abetz makes the point that while prostitution has been around for a long time, and has never been eliminated, this is no reason to legalise the practice.

“Domestic violence has also been around for a long time but there is no proposal to legalise that, quite the contrary, as it is simply unacceptable in modern society.”

Abetz hammers the point that 70per cent of women involved in prostitution suffer post traumatic stress disorder: over 90 per cent use drugs; a majority never re-enter the fulltime workforce; legal brothels have not reduced the incidence of rape and violence against prostitutes; their life expectancy is lower by 60 per cent, according to a French study, and 95 per cent in the sex industry would exit if they could.

The former Victorian pastor said that every jurisdiction in the world that has legalized prostitution has witnessed a massive increase in demand for such ‘services.’

“Victoria has experienced a 20 to 40 fold increase in the size of their sex industry since legalizing it in 1984.”

There are 100 legal brothels and 400 illegal brothels in that state and each week 60,000 men buy female bodies.

Internationally, every jurisdiction which has legalised prostitution has experienced significant growth in human trafficking which is out of control in Europe.

Netherlands police acknowledge that 85-95 of women in window prostitution are trafficked women. This writer remembers, as a young bloke walking down a street in Brussels, in 1975, and being ‘gob-smacked’ by suddenly seeing scantily dressed women in shop front windows beckoning me to come inside (and the invitation was refused!).

Further, the Russian police estimate that between 35,000-50,000 Russian women are trafficked each year with only two percent returning to their homeland.

As WA contemplates legalising the pernicious trade, Germany and The Netherlands recognise such an approach as a failed experiment.

Just how the Barnett Government can contemplate selling off the TAB, on the spurious grounds of not being involved in gambling (what about the Lottery Commission?), but can blithely be involved in licensing an industry aiding human trafficking, remains a mystery.

Peter Abetz deserves support in his proposal that WA implement the Nordic Model.

While Sweden can be criticised for not dealing with increased rape, caused by Muslim immigration, it has enjoyed success in closing 500 brothels and reducing street prostitution by 60 per cent.

Make no mistake people like Abetz are the reformers not the reactionaries. The Swedish model is the best chance to instill cultural change by making it unacceptable to use women as commodities and not expect legal and financial penalties to follow. The user will pay!

Current Affairs

FROM BLACKLIST TO WHITEWASH

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean-neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master-that’s all.”

Lewis Carroll – ‘Through the Looking Glass’

 The words of the famed English writer Lewis Carroll (1832-98) are truer than ever in an era where political correctness has gone mad.

Dr Ben Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon and potential US presidential candidate, is an extremist according to the Southern Poverty Law Centre.

Placed on the SPLC extremist file, in October 2014, the listing has only just come to general attention and has created a furore for the nonsense and slur it is towards a fine African-American.

The SPLC has subsequently apologized for the listing and removed Dr Carson’s name from the blacklist (is blacklist a politically acceptable word for an African –American?) in a feeble effort to whitewash their own deplorable standards.

Dr Carson was right when he said his designation flipped values upside down. “When embracing traditional Christian values is equated to hatred, we are approaching the stage where wrong is called right and right is called wrong,” he said.

Dr Carson happens to be a Seventh-day Adventist so the anti-Christian haters deem him fair game, as they do anyone with a Christian worldview.

Even in the apology the SPLC says that Dr Carson ‘has made a number of statements that we believe most people would conclude are extreme.’ Oh really? For a start, read a miniscule number of zealots, not most people.

Secondly, here is a sample of Dr Carson’s ‘extremism’as defined by the SPLC: “Marriage is between a man and a woman. It is a well established pillar of society and no group be they gays, be they NAMBLA (North/American Man/Boy Association, a group advocating paedophilia), be they people who believe in bestiality-it doesn’t matter what they are, they don’t get to change the definition.”

(No, that privilege belongs to the gavel and black gown set who have consistently over- turned citizens support of traditional marriage, as expressed in umpteen citizen initiated referenda in various States of the Union. Of course, the judiciary have ‘special insights’ not available to the rude masses).

What is Dr Carson guilty of here? Absolutely nothing unless not accepting the manipulation of words or supporting traditional standards is now the new crime. He is simply being labelled a hater for propagating the traditional Judeo-Christian sexual ethic.

So what is acceptable to the Orwellian Left when it comes to supporting traditional social issues? Again, nothing at all. Traditionalists have no rights according to the heirs of the mob who supported Barabbas. Come to think of it there are plenty of Pilates around in political authority today as well who professing wisdom are merely weak fools. Some might prefer to call this group Quislings.

Here is a challenge to those great ‘democrats,’ in their own minds: What is illegitimate about an organisation, like CARM, arguing on health grounds that homosexuality is dangerous? If two per cent of the US population accounts for 61% of the HIV cases then surely the question can be raised about such matters on public health and health cost grounds? Likewise, pointing to higher figures of domestic violence and lower life expectancy for homosexuals are legitimate matters of concern, not only to those involved but the broader society.

Raising such issues does not make anyone a homophobe-an idiotic word used by those who are public policy cowards, to manipulate morons who think in slogans.

If you need further proof of this manic and maniac approach towards those who cannot tolerate social conservatism go into Amazon Books and read the reviews on Australian Senator Cory Bernardi’s book, The Conservative Revolution.

There are 555 reader reviews and most of them are from a Mad Left ‘hit squad’ and the bulk of these people have simply set out to denigrate the author. Their comments are predominately puerile and in many cases you have to wonder what these ‘critics’ are taking.

I know of no other Australian book that has so many ‘reviews,’ on Amazon, and none that have such venomous comments.

You are not forced to agree with his views but like any author Cory Bernardi deserves better than having to put up with mad rants. Former US Vice-President, Dan Quayle, had a similiar experience with the reviews to his book, Standing Firm.

It’s time the blacklisting of social conservative thought and the whitewashing of every social fad ceased.

Just as Humpty Dumpty had a great fall so too our society seems headed in the same direction.

Horse Racing

KATE and SHELBY BOTH GRINNERS

  
Apprentice riders Kate Witten and Shelby Bowtell both landed their first metropolitan Saturday victories at Ascot on February 7, in consecutive races.

Trainer David Harrison has been using Witten since she came back to race riding,  last December, after a 10 month lay-off from knee surgery.

“Kate deserved this as she has being doing track work for me work for me and she also won yesterday, for her father, at Bunbury, on Be So Ryski. I simply told her to be up there early, from barrier 10, and she did just that, settling second outside Fire Born after being denied the lead.”

Harrison said he was pleased that Sheidel was able to work well at both ends of the race. “She just dropped them off when Kate asked her for the effort.”

Sheidel won the Westspeed Handicap (1000m) by a comfortable three and a quarter lengths margin with Miss Sedusa running on, from ninth on the turn, to claim second place over a tiring Fire Born.

Sheidel has now won four times from six starts.

Shelby Bowtell, now indentured to her father, trainer John Bowtell, rode veteran  Inok to an an all-the-way-victory for her old boss Neville Parnham, in the fourth race over 1200m.

A beaming Bowtell said her first Saturday metropolitan success was her “best ever win.”

The apprentice has not had an easy time of it in the Parnham stable as that trainer’s three sons are all accomplished riders and claim the bulk of rides.

Stable foreman Mark Sestich said Bowtell still worked hard for them and that Inok was always a chance when left alone in front. “I wasn’t worried about drawing outside (also barrier 10) because he can clear them quickly from the start to set the pace. When he draws an inside barrier he tends to muck around at the start and often loses the advantage of such a draw.”

Inok, now a nine yearold , has won 13 times from 59 starts.

Grand Reward ran on well from the rear, for second place, after jockey Shaun O’Donnell swung him across heels, to the inside, (when Coruscation moved out), in a display of quick thinking and how to ‘read the play.’ This was something the senior was impressing on his young daughter as they watched the replay together. Perhaps another young O’Donnell will come through the apprentice ranks in a few years? (Shaun Jr has just started).

Nevertheless, as O’Donnell admitted, he was never going to catch the leader, Inok, who still had daylight to spare between them at the post.

Another first :  In a day of firsts, trainer Geoffrey Van De Molen also celebrated his initial training triumph, in his fifth race, when Proceedwithcaution (William Pike)  proved too strong for Back To A Walk and Cougar Nights in the sixth race (1400m).

Politics

ABBOTT’S SELF INFLICTED ‘SHIRTFRONT’

If you need to pinpoint a moment when Tony Abbott squandered his goodwill it was six months ago when he ‘squibbed’ the chance to remove 18c from the Racial Discrimination Act, often referred to as the Righteous Dills Act.

This draconian piece of nonsense, so beloved by Leftist ideologues whose definition of free speech is the right to say whatever they believe in, ad nauseum, but to hell with anyone else’s right to disagree, was ripe for removing.

A ‘law’ that seeks to gag people because others may be offended, insulted or humiliated has no place in a modern democracy. Why? Because in a democracy you should have the right to offend, otherwise you are not living in a democracy.

What is the alternative? To all join hands, sing kumbaya and agree with everyone on everything? Madness!

Any sane person is not going to deliberately insult another person, or group, but nor should they be dragged before some star chamber for expressing opinions that may be unpalatable to some. That belongs to the era of the Inquisition, not modern Australia.

The PM had a chance to use the ‘bully pulpit’ in a manner that would have eradicated this judicial bullying of individuals, like journalist Andrew Bolt. Middle Australia was ripe, and ready, to support him.

Instead Abbott thought it was all too hard. Easier to watch that ball go through to the keeper than risk playing a shot!

Abbott’s reasoning was shallow. Since when was restoring freedom of speech a “needless complication” in forging national unity Australia?

As David Kemp, a former cabinet minister in the Howard Government, said, “to suggest that national unity requires a legal prohibition on offending certain select groups is unbelievable and demeaning to all.”

Abbott’s move, in August last year, to ‘reach out to Muslims,’ yielded him little from that quarter but what it told middle Australia was their views and opinions, was of lesser importance to placating Muslim opinion.

In essence Abbott did not have the guts to take on the ‘lamestream’ media, and pressure groups, to ensure that freedom of speech was sacrosanct and not just the preserve of the Tony Jones Q&A set and strident minorities.

Abbott will probably survive until the next election unless he continues in his current ham-fisted manner and learns nothing. He has offended his base and he needs to work on wooing back people with traditional values, and morals, who are fed up with being denigrated for such opinions.

Interfering with Medicare payments, a battle fought and won by Gough Whitlam long ago, and proposing outlandish parental paid leave schemes is not the way.

As for his chief rivals: Malcolm Turnbull is not acceptable to the conservatives in the Liberal Party, being hardly different from Labor on many issues, and Julie Bishop is a lightweight who was a flop as shadow Treasurer, in Opposition, and is overrated as foreign minister.

In October last year it was a battle between her and Richard Marles, the ALP spokesman on Immigration and Border Protection, as to who was the more ridiculous.

Scott Morrison, having showed what a truly determined minister could achieve in that portfolio, forced Marles, (after thrashing him umpteen times in the House), to come out with a statement that a future Labor Government might have a turn-back- the- boats policy but only if the Indonesians approved of it!

Well that certainly won the Doc Evatt Award for Madness.

 (As Opposition Leader in 1955 Dr Evatt assured the House there were no Russian spies in Australia because he had written to Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov and had been assured by the Russian minister of this ‘fact.’

The same Molotov, on 23 August 1939, had engaged in secret protocols with Nazi foreign minister Joachim Ribbentrop to carve up Poland in the event of war –and that came eight days later. Molotov’s form meant he was hardly a man to be trusted).

However, even this qualified statement by Marles was too much for Bill Shorten who slapped his shadow minister down for such a comment. The thought of Stabber Bill as PM is terrifying.

At the same time that Labor was doing the cultural cringe, Bishop was denying that the Armenian genocide ever took place. Just how over 1.5 million Armenians disappeared during the Great War era is only unclear to her.

For anyone else the history lessons have been crystal clear with the Christian Armenians, in the Ottoman Empire, declining from around two million to 388,000 between 1915 (starting the day before the Anzac Day landings), and 1922 because of the Turkish Government’s genocidal policies.

But of course we must not offend Turkey-so no one mention the war. Better to have our foreign minister sound like a turkey!

So it goes on and, in our own time, every daily horrible murderous act we read about is called ‘un-Islamic’ by people who frankly do know better but who are afraid to tell truth. This savagery is truly representative of the 1400 year history of Islam.

The few brave political souls who try to stand up against the politically correct nonsense, like Senator Cory Bernardi (Liberal SA), do so at the risk of losing the chance of a ministerial career and being derided by the PC media.

Indeed, Winston Churchill spent the 1930s on a backbench, until the outbreak of World War 2, because he was derided as an out of touch sabre-rattler in his constant warnings against the Nazis.

Unfortunately, on both sides of politics in Australia today, the new appeasers hold sway.

A FORMER SLAVE SPEAKS OUT by John Elsegood

Sudanese Human Rights activist, Simon Deng, is an articulate opponent of slavery,  having had the experience of being one as a child.

Now resident in the US, Deng told an audience of 140 people at the Reading Cinema in Belmont, on November 16, that he had been taken from his family in southern Sudan by a Muslim neighbor when he was a nine year old.

Taken to the Arabic north of the country he was enslaved for three and half years.

He was beaten, worked constantly, fed scraps and slept with animals.

‘The Arabs waged a constant war on southern Sudan which was mainly Christian and African,’ he said.

“A year before independence from Britain (1956) they slaughtered one and half million. The intent was to convert all to Islam,” he said.

“ After a 1972 Peace Agreement we thought we could live in peace but in 1982 the Government decided to become an Islamic state. Africans in the South of the country felt betrayed.”

Deng said that over the next 23 years another two million Africans were slaughtered by Islamists.

“The Government mobilised to recruit all young Muslims into the National Defence Force (outside the Army) and the call for Jihad went out. As well as murder they burned down homes and seven million refugees were created, the most since World War II.”

Deng said it cost $10 to buy a human slave under the imposed Sharia Law.

“How can a person built in the image of God  be gifted away,” he asked?

Answering his own question Deng said, “it is because non-Muslims are not seen as human beings but merely as property.”

Deng in fact replaced a donkey as ‘the drawer of water’ from the Nile for the slaver that ‘owned’him, being threatened with amputation of arms and legs if he attempted to run away.

“I had to say yes to everything and was beaten if I said it too softly.”

So how did he escape?

“I met a fellow villager in the city of Kosti where my slave master had moved to, after two and half years in captivity. He knew an individual from my village and I was subsequently introduced to him. It was this man who facilitated my escape.”

This benefactor told him his family had looked for him but after two and half years had then conducted a funeral ceremony.

Deng has no time for what he calls the “United Do Nothing Nations.” He said slavery still existed.

“I am there for them (slaves) because the UN does nothing. I speak with anger because the UN is only interested in condemning, wrongly, one nation –Israel.”

“There had been no resolutions against Sudan and in fact when the UN agency UNICEF wrote a report all the Islamic countries had it withdrawn.”

Deng said he was tired of the hypocrisy that sees a democratic state like Israel, where all people have freedom, labelled an apartheid state.

“Yet nothing is said when a pregnant woman was told she was a Muslim and sentenced to death because she had married a Christian. She delivered her baby while handcuffed. This is the Sharia Law and terrorist courts of what is now the Islamic Republic of Sudan. Southern Sudan is now a separate state since 2011.”

“As a child I cried loudly but now I speak loudly,” said the man who led a Freedom March between Washington and New York to protest against slavery.

Deng said his message to Australians was clear: “you have a voice and you have the vote –use it.”

He said any products marked Halal should be boycotted by Australian consumers because it was an Islamic tax on them.