The Fundamental List 27/5/2009
I’ve noticed that very little action is requested in these spots, it’s mostly just slanted ramblings about things they don’t like. This week is mostly about a Charter of Rights with two filler items.
Euthanasia
Euthanasia legislation is being introduced in Tasmania by the Greens that will be debated by August and both major parties will have a conscience vote. We’re told the Greens just won’t give up on this issue, especially after Bob Brown moved to reintroduce euthanasia in the Northern Territory.
They then go through why they think the legislation should fail – life is scared, it’s a slippery slope and they claim a thousand Dutch people are killed without their consent under Holland’s euthanasia legislation. We’re told most people in the NT who availed themselves of euthanasia when it was briefly legal there were depressed and lonely and didn’t have a terminal illness. Turning to the legislation in Tasmania, they say the proposed safeguards won’t work (although we’re not told why). Apparently previous parliamentary inquiries in other jurisdictions internationally did not support euthanasia. Then we’re told that with greater emphasis on palliative care should mean that it’s extremely rare for someone to be in intolerable pain (sadly this just isn’t true) and they don’t want a situation where people feel themselves a burden and the take ‘soft’ option.
No action.
Charter of Rights
A book was launched in Sydney on Monday by the Menzies Research Centre (a think tank aligned with the Liberal Party) called “Don’t Leave Us With The Bill – The Case Against An Australian Bill of Rights.” One of the contributors, former High Court Justice Ian Callinan says a Bill of Rights risks politicising the court system and corrupting the judiciary. He also says judges are “not immune to the narcotic of power” and that they’re not in any better position to make moral and social decisions than anyone else. Again we’re told it’s “one of the most crucial issues facing Christians”. At the launch, Jim Wallace (ACL head and another contributor) says it would be legislating selfishness as it doesn’t balance individual rights with community rights (even though the document hasn’t even been written yet!)
Then we have the most egregious part of the broadcast, they actually say they wanted to put a tobacco billboard next to a school in Canada and that was validated by the courts – as I highlighted last week this is a total lie! It seems lying isn’t a sin if you’re doing it for Jesus.
Action: Same as last week. 3700 people have signed they want 10,000.
America turning pro-life?
A recent poll says a majority of Americans describe themselves as pro-life and they say this is a backlash against Obama’s moves even though the pro-life stance is mostly a hardening of the position on the Republican side of politics. They hope Australians change too, they say 67% of Australians were against late term abortions in polls in 2005 even though polling in the same year found 56% supported a woman’s right to choose, a figure which increased to 65% in 2006, with only 22% opposed. They still think it’s a winnable debate and the tide will turn.
No action.
Euthanasia
Euthanasia legislation is being introduced in Tasmania by the Greens that will be debated by August and both major parties will have a conscience vote. We’re told the Greens just won’t give up on this issue, especially after Bob Brown moved to reintroduce euthanasia in the Northern Territory.
They then go through why they think the legislation should fail – life is scared, it’s a slippery slope and they claim a thousand Dutch people are killed without their consent under Holland’s euthanasia legislation. We’re told most people in the NT who availed themselves of euthanasia when it was briefly legal there were depressed and lonely and didn’t have a terminal illness. Turning to the legislation in Tasmania, they say the proposed safeguards won’t work (although we’re not told why). Apparently previous parliamentary inquiries in other jurisdictions internationally did not support euthanasia. Then we’re told that with greater emphasis on palliative care should mean that it’s extremely rare for someone to be in intolerable pain (sadly this just isn’t true) and they don’t want a situation where people feel themselves a burden and the take ‘soft’ option.
No action.
Charter of Rights
A book was launched in Sydney on Monday by the Menzies Research Centre (a think tank aligned with the Liberal Party) called “Don’t Leave Us With The Bill – The Case Against An Australian Bill of Rights.” One of the contributors, former High Court Justice Ian Callinan says a Bill of Rights risks politicising the court system and corrupting the judiciary. He also says judges are “not immune to the narcotic of power” and that they’re not in any better position to make moral and social decisions than anyone else. Again we’re told it’s “one of the most crucial issues facing Christians”. At the launch, Jim Wallace (ACL head and another contributor) says it would be legislating selfishness as it doesn’t balance individual rights with community rights (even though the document hasn’t even been written yet!)
Then we have the most egregious part of the broadcast, they actually say they wanted to put a tobacco billboard next to a school in Canada and that was validated by the courts – as I highlighted last week this is a total lie! It seems lying isn’t a sin if you’re doing it for Jesus.
Action: Same as last week. 3700 people have signed they want 10,000.
America turning pro-life?
A recent poll says a majority of Americans describe themselves as pro-life and they say this is a backlash against Obama’s moves even though the pro-life stance is mostly a hardening of the position on the Republican side of politics. They hope Australians change too, they say 67% of Australians were against late term abortions in polls in 2005 even though polling in the same year found 56% supported a woman’s right to choose, a figure which increased to 65% in 2006, with only 22% opposed. They still think it’s a winnable debate and the tide will turn.
No action.