I sympathize with the dire situation Australians find themselves in with all the idiotic gun bans as well as bans on sharp pointy sticks, etc.
And I want to say that I've personally liked just about every Aussie I've ever met over the years.
However, I also want to point out that Australians are having the problems they've got for more complicated reasons than merely allowing the gun banners to slowly overtake them at the polls.
The average Yank probably has no idea about the political realities of Australia and how screwed up it really is.
Australia is not even really its own country. It still recognizes the Queen of England as the official head of state. Australia overwhlemingly
rejected becoming its own republic in a popular election in the 1990s.
In the early 1970s, the Prime Minister of Australia, democratically elected by the Australian people, was dismissed from office by an officer of the British Crown.......Gough Whitlam was the Prime Minister, Governor General Sir John Kerr was the representative of the Queen......
Here are some links to check out.
http://whitlam.alp.org.au/bio.html
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/australian/whitlamgovt.html
Can you Americans imagine having your democratically elected leaders dismissed from office by the government of a foreign country tens of thousands of miles away? Can you imagine that happening without violence and bloodshed errupting in the streets?
I read people decrying the "loss of freedom" in Australia.
Well, I hate to point it out, but Australia has never, ever, ever actually had freedom, doesn't have it now, and never will so long as the head of state is the British Regent and democratically elected Aussie leaders can be dismissed from office by British knights.
And it is awfully hard to simultaneously remain both a loyal subject of the Queen and declare your own freedom and rights.
So yes, Australia is an example of what could happen as far as gun bans go.
However, I think Americans should realize the depths of the problems there go much, much deeper than mere sentiments against weapons.
hillbilly
And I want to say that I've personally liked just about every Aussie I've ever met over the years.
However, I also want to point out that Australians are having the problems they've got for more complicated reasons than merely allowing the gun banners to slowly overtake them at the polls.
The average Yank probably has no idea about the political realities of Australia and how screwed up it really is.
Australia is not even really its own country. It still recognizes the Queen of England as the official head of state. Australia overwhlemingly
rejected becoming its own republic in a popular election in the 1990s.
In the early 1970s, the Prime Minister of Australia, democratically elected by the Australian people, was dismissed from office by an officer of the British Crown.......Gough Whitlam was the Prime Minister, Governor General Sir John Kerr was the representative of the Queen......
Here are some links to check out.
http://whitlam.alp.org.au/bio.html
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/australian/whitlamgovt.html
Can you Americans imagine having your democratically elected leaders dismissed from office by the government of a foreign country tens of thousands of miles away? Can you imagine that happening without violence and bloodshed errupting in the streets?
I read people decrying the "loss of freedom" in Australia.
Well, I hate to point it out, but Australia has never, ever, ever actually had freedom, doesn't have it now, and never will so long as the head of state is the British Regent and democratically elected Aussie leaders can be dismissed from office by British knights.
And it is awfully hard to simultaneously remain both a loyal subject of the Queen and declare your own freedom and rights.
So yes, Australia is an example of what could happen as far as gun bans go.
However, I think Americans should realize the depths of the problems there go much, much deeper than mere sentiments against weapons.
hillbilly