Retired infantry officer. Conservative by nature and politics; Happily married and father and grandfather of eight. Loves V8 powered Range Rovers, Golden Retrievers, good books and technology and think there should be open season on Greenies. Born in the mid forties and overdue for servicing but most parts still work.

Queensland and Climate Change

The looney Greens are queuing up to blame Queensland’s current problems as Climate Change caused and pointing out that Carbon Trading will fix the problem.
Greens deputy leader Christine Milne says the cyclone is another example of why it is important … “This is a tragedy, but it is a tragedy of climate change,” she said
Barnaby Joyce ponders;
“Maybe the Greens can now tell us what caused each one of [the cyclone] events back to the early 1800’s as they are obviously self endowed with the omnipotent capacity to do so.”
So tell me again, how will carbon trading change the climate?

Back on deck

Went south to Melbourne to help my forward scout from Vietnam celebrate his 60th. On the way I dropped into Belmont Hospital in the Hunter region to pay my respects to an old mate from RAAF Lang School class of ’66 and Vietnam class of ’70 who was on hist last legs. Had a couple of hours reminiscing about the good old days when we were corporals together. He died two days later. Sad and so very, very final. Left Melbourne with the temperature on 41 dec C all the way to Griffith and then locked myself in air-conditioning. Left the next morning for Brisbane with the temperature at 41deg C – damn thats hot! Arrived home and walked into the pool – a lot better. Switched on the computer this morning only to hear the dulcet tones off “Beep-Beep I have a RAM problem”. Took it apart, removed RAM chip..placed back in..computer happy now…hurry as I’ve got three funeral and two VSI Sick list notices to get up on my Battalion Association website before the funerals are over and the VSI’s become funeral notices. Another day, another dollar but I’m still vertical so no complaints.

Anna ‘talks the talk’

I must admit Anna Bligh did a good job over the week of the crisis in Brisbane – she definitely “talked the Talk”. People with the attention span and memory of a lighting bolt are obviously easily taken in by “the Talk”. How about this for over the top adulation…
“It’s hard to find enough superlatives to describe Anna Bligh right now. I want her to be my mum and my prime minister and my best friend. I want to sit in front of my TV and just watch her talk because with every sentence, she manages to strike an extraordinary balance of compassion and calm and heartbreak and resolve.”
Years of mismanagement all cancelled out by a couple of hours on TV according to writer Jessica Rudd (yes – that Rudd family) on mamamia I don’t think so – she needs to ‘walk the walk’ as well but watch her polls rise 10 or more points.

Its stopped raining!

Sunny weather in Brisbane invokes a surreal atmosphere as I know that the city will be flooded, albeit in sunshine. Two of my children, one near Ipswich and the other at West End are safe but isolated without power. It would appear that I will be totally safe where I live just 11 kms north of the CBD. An old soldier is always going to go for the high ground to set up his house. Of course I can’t travel far and we are stocked with batteries, ice etc to withstand power outages but that’s nothing compared with what my fellow Queenslanders are enduring. My wife has just come back from Woolworths, Taigum and reports no bread or milk! As an old soldier I can endure most deprivations but not having milk for my coffee is not one of them so I did a quick run to the local deli and got one of the last 2 lire milks he had. I can’t help everyone but I can help those of my regimental tribe who are in peril or have lost their house and contents. To this end I have emailed all 7RAR guys in Queensland looking for people in trouble. Altogether, 7RAR Asscn, both National and local, have donated a $1,000 to a Flood Appeal established by the RAR Qld Asscn. If you are ex-military or have an interest, you may consider donating to the following bank acct in the full knowledge that 100% of the donations will be spent on helping those in trouble.
Bank: Commonwealth at Stafford Name of Account; Royal Australian Regiment Corporation BSB: 064 127 Account Number: 1030 4915 Reference: Qld Flood Appeal 2011
Tonight and tomorrow still seem to be the problem time-frame as overflows from the Wivenhoe Dam and a high tide meet in the CBD. At least with the rain having ceased for the time being it will help Police and SES in the onerous task ahead of them. Here’s hoping for a safer outcome.

It’s still raining

I last posted “It’s Raining in October and was mildly upbeat about the 150 ml we had got overnight. Four months and almost 2,500 ml (100 inches) later I’m less upbeat. When I got up this morning the shock of the Toowoomba disaster with 8 dead and 72 missing has left me in shock. Two daughters have just been sent home to prepare for flooding and they are currently on a train that might or might not get past Bowen Hills station. Waiting for an SMS update. The Brisbane River is breaking it’s banks in areas around the city and my wife, glued to the TV keeps dropping in with snippets of doom. It’s going to be worse that the 74 floods being the one that grabbed my attention. I was here in Brisbane in 74 with young wife and son. My wife’s father had died on Christmas Day and when I had to report back to duty in Sydney we decided she would stay to help her Mother. I dove over the Centenary bridge sometime in January just before Brisbane went under and will always remember the huge barge forced against the bridge and threatening it’s integrity.

The Centenary bridge with attendant barge

I just got out but a few days later in Sydney I couldn’t contact my wife. No telegrams, no telephones and definitely no SMS then. My wife was seven months pregnant with our second child and I eventually found her helping friends clean out their flooded house. Tough bird! SMS back – daughters OK – Grandaughter collected from Creche and will all be here soon. My family is OK but thousands aren’t and some complete families have disappeared and are listed in the 72 missing. Queensland, perfect one day – recoiling in terror the next. God help them!

Tuscon, Arizona

A nut case in Tuscon, Arizona listens to voices in his head and goes on a rampage murdering and wounding public officials and civilians causing the Left to listen to voices in their heads and start a vitriolic campaign to blame Republicans for the incident. No evidence but that doesn’t seem to matter. Sarah Palin, of course, gets the blame for publishing a map targeting Democrats notwithstanding the fact that Democrats publish maps targeting Republicans. Apparently that’s different. Yes, one of the wounded is a Democrat but it would appear the nut case had a personal issue with her having previously questioned her and received an answer he considered stupid and ignorant. It’s a weird world. It’s a tragedy and the vitriolic Left need to wait until facts are known before they spend endless hours and words blaming the Right. Larvatus Prodeo compile a list of guilty bastards including Sarah Palin, the Tea Party and other assorted targets of hate that the Left amass and claim they will get away with their crimes but not
…the confused young man who bought their intemperate rhetoric and pulled the trigger.
Well there you go – LP rest their case. They want to hope that evidence is brought forward at his trail that mention his being brainwashed by evil Republicans otherwise they are going to have egg on their collective face. That is in doubt but what isn’t is the fact that there will be no retraction from LP if he simply proves to be a nutcase. Go read the hatred at LP and then go to Tim Blair’s for a bit of balance.

Gee! Rudd was lying

FORMER prime minister Kevin Rudd began legal action against Japan’s whaling program despite strong opposition from senior ministers and bureaucrats who warned it was likely to fail and strengthen the hand of the Japanese.
In October 2008, as Australian officials were working to develop Australia’s case, the embassy reported to Washington that domestic political considerations were high in Mr Rudd’s thinking. The embassy reported he was likely to eventually see international legal action ”as the least damaging politically of his limited choices in dealing with public anger over whaling”.
Which pretty well sums up my opinion posted over a year ago. Why is is that people couldn’t see Rudd’s actions for what they were – simply a means to put the issue on the backburner…..lying hound!

Tango Mike Mike

Had a tough day or two lately….working too many hours…Boss giving you a hard time? Check out this guys day at the office and stop your whining; Courtesy Bruce Cox
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