The graveyard of empires is not all razor-backed mountains and howling wasteland. There are hidden gardens and lush valleys between the arid Afghan heights, paddy fields and fertile tillage overlooked by ancient castles. Australian soldiers who fought in Khas Uruzgan recall the eerie dissonance of moving through tropical landscapes that needed just a scattering of peasants in black pyjamas and conical straw hats to complete a weird and contrary connection to another war lost and another time passed.
Dutton - he's a traitor to Aussie commitment, to our national integrity, to our troops and their Afghan mates - locking him up is too good for him - take him there and drop him off - first alerting those he has prevented from being brought here AS THEY SHOULF HAVE BEEN months ago - from at least two+ months ago I have been signing petitions to Morrison and his gang to bring our Afghan mates here - and nothing! He's no longer deserving of the epithet "The Honourable..." We should add the letters DIS-Honourable each and every time he is addressed! We should never have been in that US-engineered war - but given that we were - the least we can do is look after those and their families who worked for us! As Malcolm Fraser recognised our obligations out of the Viet-Nam engagement... Jim
A couple of years ago the local Murdoch rag had a front page story that Dutton's wife had declared "He's not a monster". Do we need any more proof how wrong she is?
Yeah, it's not all desert wastes and craggy peaks there. Some sights were beautiful. Remarkable. Rice paddies, melon patches. Swift running rivers, massive fields of pot or poppies. Soviet war machines, left as if yesterday. A spectacular green mosque in the middle of a desolate field. A ford, traversed by camels. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.
Firstly from a fellow writer-that's some nice writing there JB. And yeah...Dutton. I don't like the guy, I don't like his politics, his racism, his amplified dog whistling to the worst of us here in Australia. He reminds me of the local coppers that used to like giving me a "touch up" for being a weird ethnic kid with bright coloured hard and funny clothes in my rural hometown. But even this surprised me, I thought somewhere in that nasty oprtunistic nogin two things would kick-in.
1) the whole digger/ ANZAC experience about mateship blah, blah (which Donaldson exemplified the best of in spades)
2) From a higher and long term strategic sense: it's propably not a good move to put the idea out there for anyone considering putting their lot in with the next generation of diggers in their latest overseas operation, that 'thanks for your help mate but you're a disposable brown darky we'll sell out and abandon for nothing more than a couple votes from some angry racist flesh trumpet'. Maybe that Donaldson fella should try spud's job, couldn't do worse.
Spare a thought for the families of those who have sacrificed all for Australia and those who have terrible injuries, both physical and mental who have to deal with our government to recieve the help they need to regain a fulfilling life.
I tell myself I hate war stories. But I'm kidding myself. Your writing powerfully coveys the drama, risk and cost of brave people in the most challenging circumstances.
Dutton - he's a traitor to Aussie commitment, to our national integrity, to our troops and their Afghan mates - locking him up is too good for him - take him there and drop him off - first alerting those he has prevented from being brought here AS THEY SHOULF HAVE BEEN months ago - from at least two+ months ago I have been signing petitions to Morrison and his gang to bring our Afghan mates here - and nothing! He's no longer deserving of the epithet "The Honourable..." We should add the letters DIS-Honourable each and every time he is addressed! We should never have been in that US-engineered war - but given that we were - the least we can do is look after those and their families who worked for us! As Malcolm Fraser recognised our obligations out of the Viet-Nam engagement... Jim
A couple of years ago the local Murdoch rag had a front page story that Dutton's wife had declared "He's not a monster". Do we need any more proof how wrong she is?
Ugly man...ugly mentality.
Yeah, it's not all desert wastes and craggy peaks there. Some sights were beautiful. Remarkable. Rice paddies, melon patches. Swift running rivers, massive fields of pot or poppies. Soviet war machines, left as if yesterday. A spectacular green mosque in the middle of a desolate field. A ford, traversed by camels. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.
He is a despicable human being.
One other thing JB...This is so powerful. Total gut punch.
Firstly from a fellow writer-that's some nice writing there JB. And yeah...Dutton. I don't like the guy, I don't like his politics, his racism, his amplified dog whistling to the worst of us here in Australia. He reminds me of the local coppers that used to like giving me a "touch up" for being a weird ethnic kid with bright coloured hard and funny clothes in my rural hometown. But even this surprised me, I thought somewhere in that nasty oprtunistic nogin two things would kick-in.
1) the whole digger/ ANZAC experience about mateship blah, blah (which Donaldson exemplified the best of in spades)
2) From a higher and long term strategic sense: it's propably not a good move to put the idea out there for anyone considering putting their lot in with the next generation of diggers in their latest overseas operation, that 'thanks for your help mate but you're a disposable brown darky we'll sell out and abandon for nothing more than a couple votes from some angry racist flesh trumpet'. Maybe that Donaldson fella should try spud's job, couldn't do worse.
Spud's not worth pissing on.
Spare a thought for the families of those who have sacrificed all for Australia and those who have terrible injuries, both physical and mental who have to deal with our government to recieve the help they need to regain a fulfilling life.
Thanks JB
I tell myself I hate war stories. But I'm kidding myself. Your writing powerfully coveys the drama, risk and cost of brave people in the most challenging circumstances.