Breached and pissed off
A week ago, I inadvertently missed my fortnightly meeting with my job network member. The meeting is next to useless, involving things like getting a CV together (for the 100th time) and "self-esteem improvement". For missing one meeting (I had attended tens of others), I was breached by Centrelink on the recommendation of my job network member. As a result, I lost 18% of my social security payment for six months.
Next year, according to another Centrelink worker, a first breach could mean 100% of payments lost for many months. Also next year, many of the unemployed will have to do work-for-the-dole for five days each week for 10 months. How is anyone meant to look for a regular job?
I asked Centrelink I could have a warning, as this was the first time I had missed a meeting. The Centrelink worker said that being on unemployment benefits was just like having a job, and just like not turning up for work and not letting your boss know, if I missed a meeting I would be punished.
To regain a sense of dignity, I then said it was the system that had failed by coercing me to do this fortnightly Mickey Mouse meeting and for punishing me for one honest mistake. The Centrelink worker said that there was no coercion, as I could always come off unemployment benefits. I thought yes, sure, and starve to death.
If this could happen to unemployed people, why not to employed workers? Bosses could cut their wage by 20% for turning up late to work. Meanwhile, the boss of Telstra earns $13 million a year for sacking workers and ruining their lives. There is no justice under capitalism.
Jimmy Gamatopoulos
Thornbury, Vic
Bali bombings
The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc condemns the latest horrendous bombings in Bali as the work of induced insanity. It condemns the "spiritual" leaders and the perpetrators and deems them distorted individuals, perverted by the control religion has over their lives. Grievances, either real or imagined, normally do not elicit such barbarity unless justified by conscience salving religion.
Terrorism of this nature will not go away at the chest-beating behest of Western leaders. Reducing civil liberties in democracies will do nothing but bring societies ever closer to tyrannical rule commensurate with a change of our own political/religious circumstances.
The falsehood that Christianity is somehow different to Islam in the terrorism stakes is a matter of chronological timing, supported unequivocally by the evidence. Wars, inquisitions, Crusades, slavery and the subjugation of women, indigenous races and the environment stand as testimony to the dangers to humanity when "faith" rules supreme.
The touted sacred religious "absolutes" have not and do not guarantee respect for human life and liberty. The promise for the future is that if we do not learn from this sordid lesson, history will be repeated ad infinitum. Religion is always waiting in the wings, ready and willing to control by force when societies flounder.
It is foolhardy not to critically examine the basis of all ethereal type "beliefs". Is the immensity of pain worth the continued playing of the pretend god game?
The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc is at one in deep sorrow for those killed, injured or scarred mentally or physically for life because of these bombings.
David Nicholls
president, Atheist Foundation of Australia
Maitland, SA
Scientific socialism
Seemingly, the qualitative change to scientific socialist thinking has come to people in many countries as Marx said it would (must) eventually, especially to the campesinos of Latin America where it is most sorely needed, under the good leadership of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro in the Caribbean.
Please accept our donation to the GLW fund appeal to help keep the newspaper of "quality'" going, as it must to keep us informed of these long-awaited scientific socialist changes (achievements) everywhere, wherever they may occur.
Jim Jones
Brunswick Heads, NSW [Abridged]
Grand coalition
For those wondering what a "grand coalition" of Christian Democratic and Social Democratic parties might look like in Germany need look no further than Australia. As shown in recent weeks on the question of anti-democratic repressive laws there is definitely a grand coalition of Liberal and Labor in this country!
Barry Healy
Perth, WA
Convincing deists
I would like to comment on the article by Dave Riley "Today's DIY Workshop: How to get deported" (GLW #640). Over the years Dave has written many articles that are a valuable contribution to the cause of socialism. I cannot include this one in this category.
What concerns me is the impact of the article on the deist whom we want to convince and not the atheist or dialectical materialist who could appreciate the ironic humour.
Among Muslims there is diversity of opinion on religion and politics the same as in other beliefs.
The withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq does not necessarily exclude the Muslim from believing in the formation of an Islamic state, and regarding his or her beliefs as a proselytising creed. It has that in common with Christianity.
Without offending deists, we should indicate that Marxism is based upon the philosophy of dialectical materialism that negates the concept of creation, and the existence of a supernatural being. The corollary of this concept is our belief in a secular state, that does not exclude religious worship.
Bernie Rosen
Strathfield, NSW
From Green Left Weekly, October 12, 2005.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.