This time from Tony Abbott, leader of the Liberal Part of Australia, currently in opposition.

Link: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/bible-bashing-the-homeless-abbott-style-20100215-o2tj.html

I’ll save you the effort of following the link if you don’t really want to – the part I want to focus on is in the first two paragraphs:

I was in Canberra last week and had the opportunity to ask Opposition Leader Tony Abbott whether a government under his direction would continue with the Rudd government’s goal of halving homelessness by 2020. His answer was no.

In justifying his stance, Abbott quoted from the Gospel of Matthew: ”The poor will always be with us,” he said, and referred to the fact there is little a government can do for people who choose to be homeless.

Michael Perusco
chief executive
Sacred Heart Mission

This seems more than simple misinterpretation of the Bible.  Seriously, find me more modern-day Christians who would a) claim that people are homeless out of choice, and b) admit to wanting to do nothing for them.

But honestly, that isn’t what bothers me.  I don’t think an Abbott-led government has a hope of defeating Kevin Rudd and the ALP in the next election, especially since they keep seeming to lean more and more to the right every time we turn around.

What really bothers me is that we have a politician here who thinks its okay to base policy decisions on his own personal religion.  Okay, so there’s not an official separation of Church and State here in Australia (we have a prohibition of the establishment of a State Religion but that’s not the same thing at all), so there’s technically nothing wrong with it at all.

But using the bible out of context to criticise the homeless?  That’s pretty low.

I’ve just recently discovered the redheaded skeptic’s blog, and I’m really really happy to have done so.  I think here is a blog I can semi-relate to, because I grew up in the birthplace of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Consequently, a lot of her story is bringing back so many memories…

E and I don’t talk much about religion, but when we do, I’m often struck by the differences between her Eastern Orthodox upbringing and my conservative Baptist one – and where we are now.  So far, we’ve co-existed nicely.  She believes and I don’t, and there’s where it’s kind of stopped.

But soon -– very soon – it’s going to become something we have to discuss in earnest, because D is going to be starting kindergarten next year, and with that comes the possibility of scripture classes.  And that is something I dread.

Have a Plan.

I know, I know.  Zombieland says that rule #2 is the double-tap.  That’s good in a scrap, but you need to have a plan more than that.  After all, ammo runs out – twice as fast if you’re double-tapping every time.

Having a plan is far more important.  Consider what you’d do if there was a class 1 outbreak in your area.  What about a class 3 outbreak?  What if you were separated from your loved ones, when notice of the outbreak came?  For most of us, reuniting with them would suddenly become the top priority.  How would you get there?  How would you avoid or go through hordes between you and your destination?  What about when you got there?  What’s your plan – hole up, or fight your way out?  What are the holes or weaknesses in your plan?

This is a two-part post.  Tomorrow, I’ll tell you my plan, and see if it raises some talking points.

So I think I mentioned last week that I’d started running here at work.  I’m surprised to report that I’m still going.  Twice a week, in fact.  And so far, I have not hit that plateau, so I’m still improving each time I run.  Nine days ago I ran the distance in 36m 54s; today I covered it in 33m 24s.

But the best part?  I’ve dropped 5Kg in that time.  I’m really stoked about that part of it, and trying desperately hard NOT to be my normal pessimistic self about when that plateau does finally come.

Maybe when the zombies come, I will have a chance of surviving, if I keep this up.

No, not the movie.  Me.  The fat boy.  I’m running.  Not now, obviously.  No, I’ve joined a running group here at work.  Twice a week, we all start off at the same time and place, and then for the next half-hour they run away from me.  It’d be a pretty short run the other way around.

Still, I’ve done it thrice now, so I figured it was time to start benchmarking and striving for improvement.  Today we did 4.55 km in 36m 23.14s.  Well, they did it a lot faster, but hey, for the first time, I wasn’t the last one back.

I beat the guy who stopped to buy some lunch and shampoo on the way.

1. Cardio

Yes, this is pretty much stolen directly from the latest zombie film “Zombieland.”  Don’t knock good advice.  In any class 3 or class 4 outbreak, it will eventually come down to you and your feet against a horde and theirs.  Cars run out of petrol, and guns run out of ammunition.  Just like any fight, the best way to win against a zombie is by 50 meters or more in front.

D asked me this the other day.  After about a 3 second “where the hell did that come from?” pause, I mentally shrugged and told him.  Blood, and electricity – the closest I could come to the firing of synapses and neurons, etc.  We then spent the next five minutes googling pictures of the human brain.

I found this most excellent article on Greta Christina’s blog: http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2010/01/immorality-of-heaven.html

In a nutshell, it asks the question: how can heaven be heaven if we know our loved ones are in hell?  There’s a lot of supposition and guesswork in there – hell, it’s ALL guesswork when it comes to the supposed afterlife, but it’s a piece designed to make you think, and it did that for me.

First, let’s start with the link.  You may or may not have seen it in the news.  I hadn’t until my wife pointed it out to me.

Link: http://www.smh.com.au/world/childtrafficking-accused-claim-innocence-as-trial-awaits-20100202-n97o.html

Where have we seen this before?  Have we learned nothing from history?  Isn’t this pretty much the same thing that happened with the missionaries of the Age of Discovery?  What about the Stolen Generation?

There’s an inherent sense of superiority I see in here that irks me.  I don’t know why.  Could it be a case of simple lack of forethought?  Even if the parents of these children had died in the quake (which is disputed quite strongly, if you read the article), surely they had extended family.  They’d certainly be better off with grandparents, uncles, even cousins than with a random family full of people they don’t know.

So is this sinister, or very very badly misguided?  I don’t know.  Make up your own mind.  Just think very carefully and do your homework before giving money to relief funds.  Doing research on the funds is harder than just giving and hoping for the best, but honestly, if they deserve your money, don’t you think they deserve as much attention as well?