Stigma and shame leads to tragedy for mentally ill people “sane” people need to “get over it” :*)

An important event in Perth W.A. to discuss ways to reduce shame & stigma

shame kills - help reduce stigma & visit http://www.comicwa.org/

I interviewed Dr Alun Jones using Skype & Call Recorder on  a MacBook.   ( see above for related local forum info)

You are welcome to listen to, download, or better still, link to the audio below. ( click the blue link and the blue link it goes to )

Dr Alun Jones speaks to Tony Serve on the stigma of Mental Illness          *Recorded March 24 2009 for COMIC.org    23 mins 44 secs

Comments, feedback and guest posts on mental health are very welcome –

{ especially you ” Abeeliever”   and all the twitter folk }

Phone or Skype calls are welcome to my auto-recorder which has up to 10 minutes time for your comments, stories, questions.

Skype perthtones or phone +61 8 94672264

Meanwhile…think of the Children

It’s common sense that an ill parent will have an affect on the entire family, but all too often around the world, the children of people being treated are left out in several ways.

There are further complications because it is often the case that genes determining aspects of mental health are shared by some family members

Follow this link to coverage of new research on affected families and suggestions for professionals on more effective, holistic treatments.

It’s still not OK for Aussie stars to be gay, even with an Olympic Gold

Sad story but true from news.com.au

check it out below and please comment whether you agree or not.

It’s still not OK for Aussie stars to be gay | Celebrity | News.com.au.

Brain Training, Plasticity and You – how have you changed your life by changing the way your brain works

In the last 8 years I’ve recovered from PTSD ( Clinical Depression and Anxiety ) to the stage where my health is actually better than before I became ill.

  

The three main areas that have kept me alive and then allowed me to thrive again are based on Brain Plasticity, the ability to “rewire” your own  brain. ( see the website for Norman Doidge’s inspiring book on the subject in the right sidebar of this blog )

Prescribed drugs may help some, but without proper diagnosis using fMRI it’s guesswork, and my Doctor guessed wrong – the SSRI’s made me suicidal.

The therapies/treatments that have allowed me to build new ways of thinking are neurofeedback, cognitive behaviour therapy and meditation/hypnotherapy.( see my guided imagery page – also in the right sidebar )

Since going public with my illness 8 years ago and on  talkback radio here in Perth recently I have been swamped by people struggling with depression, panic and many other challenges. Almost without exception they have received little help and only grief from the “system” of health professionals who often just hand out potentially deadly pills, even giving SSRI’s to infants!  Just last week a mate who was close to the end of his tether was told by his family doctor to “get over it” – I wonder if someone with a broken leg is told to “run away”

When I return to fill in at 6PR there are always calls from my fellow travellers battling the “black dog” and the common theme is that very few doctors, hospitals or health systems have any idea what to do in the short medium, or long term.

Anyway it’s become clear that the most reliable and effective help available comes through fellow sufferers or their devoted families and carers.

So let’s do something about that.

I am keen to work with anyone who has stories and info on recovery and resilience. I will post text audio and video here and you can make a big difference if you are able to pass on details of your journey and links to any useful sources of help or inspiration.

Clinical work on brain plasticity ( the ability to forge new neuronal pathways in the brain ) by amazing people all over the world has provided us with the means to share effective treatments for illnesses and genetic disorders such as;

depression, panic, anxiety, schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism, tourettes, closed head injury, head trauma, genetically related disability, stroke, paralysis, alzheimers, dementure, addiction, OCD, bipolar, bulemia, anorexia, fibromyalgia, body dysmorphia and more.

So please join in and contribute, especially if your story or info can help sufferers and reduce the deadly stigma that comes with brain related illness.

Please comment by clicking the button below, and you’re welcome to submit text pics, audio or video.

You’re welcome to send comments or materials by email to serve.tony@gmail.com

You can also call and leave your spoken thoughts or info on my recording service +61 8  9467 2264 – you have several minutes to speak and I’ll post the audio here for you.

Anyone can contribute, so don’t feel your input isn’t valuable because you’re ill or feel small inside, we need to hear from you and welcome questions or solutions equally.

I hope to hear from you soon… and you’re welcome to join me on my last 4 nights at 6PR midnight to dawn – that’s 882 6PR in Perth, globally at 6pr.com.au    

local time is daylight saving and it’s midnight to 0600 sat & sun, then midnight til 0500 mon & tue.

 Perth time is GMT/UTC PLUS 9 hours

Early Sunday morning I’ll have 2 teenage guests in the studio who have worked out effective ways to overcome eating disorders and depression. Join me, Travis and Alicia and about 30 thousand listeners and see if we can make a difference.

Research shows Parents who can’t deal with Gay children create tragedies – so GET OVER IT!

New research outlined in the Scientific American shows that young gays are being driven to despair and even suicide by unaccepting parents.

This is not rocket science, if you didn’t accept your child had red hair  - you would cause problems for them because they HAVE red hair whether you choose to see it or not.

Meanwhile, colouring the hair and pretending it isn’t red doesn’t stop the person being a redhead. So please stop trying to convert or reprogramme people with a gender difference just because you can’t understand a reality more complex than dogma.

In a way it’s a mental health issue because it’s clear that people who don’t accept homosexuality are in denial of the provable facts or simply ignorant.  

Click here for more on the research from Scientific American, and please share the story with anyone you know who is still blind to the realities of gender difference.

John Lennon asks us to join One Laptop Per Child – well sorta, and it’s OK with Yoko ONO

The One Laptop Per Child group has produced a new ad  ( click here to view it on Youtube ) featuring a remixed voice and video package that at least gives the feeling that the Beatle was supporting it.

It’s not exactly slick, but if it continues to focus on the needs of children it’s okay with me too Yoko.

By the way, here in Australia John Lennon’s “Double Fantasy” Album was number one on this day back in 1980, the year I started as a radio journalist.

Click here for the website of One Laptop, and see the mission statement below.

To create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

 

We all know that the biggest challenges for children in our world are war, disease, famine, drought and neglect.

We desperately need energy money and resources there, but this campaign looks worthwhile for some fairly obvious reasons.

Please let me know if you support or see other advocacy and advocate stuff that might be worth republishing here.

 

BlogBack - talkback to this blog - you are most welcome to;

email submissions   serve.tony@gmail.com ,

post new material in comments,

share websites or media,

leave a voice comment  - phone +61 8 9467 2264

contribute in any way.

I’m particularly keen to hear from people who are working in area of mental health with stories or help finding useful treatments based on brain plasticity.

Everything from meditation to; neurofeedback, analysis, CBT and guided imagery works on “rewiring” the neuron circuits of the brain after damage, disease or deterioration.

Exciting and hopeful clinical work being done in many areas, such as stroke and HI recovery and many  ”disabilities” are turning out to be treatable conditions.

It’s been exciting to see mainstream media at least begin to pick up on the great work being done, and the ongoing success of Norman Doidge’s book ( and PBS special ) has been an important starting point or focus for those unaware of the new treatments that continue to evolve.

That  ”brain training” software and games we see being advertised are just a small part of the real and repeatable effects of “rewiring” the brain.  They are becoming more and more widely used as theraputic devices in private homes, business, hospitals and nursing homes.

The possibilities, even in the short term, for better treatment and some cures are inspiring, but there will soon be debate about some key elements of life and law.

It’s become clear that all crime and substance abuse are related to mental health.

It is self evident that no-one in their right mind kills, rapes, tortures or neglects. No-one in their right mind uses substances that make them ill, violent, impulsive or an addict.

It stands to reason that Governments as providors of health care could ( and I say should) be held accountable for not

providing mental health care when someone comes to grief.

Maybe that will be a good thing in the this risk averse corporate world.

Perhaps if lawyers and activisits around the world began a concerted series of claims for individuals and groups based on their known mental health issues not being addressed we may see less seriosuly ill people released from jail or hospitals and into a new tragedy.

Once again it comes down to whether we care enough about our safety, health and the future to spend money and energy on better diagnosis and treatment for brain related illnesses.

We have the knowledge, but the will is yet to come and there are  also the hurdles of  stigma and cost. Change will come though, we’re evolving. 

Anyhow, I’m just a madman with a will to make a difference, it’s what YOU think and do that will make a difference.

6PR Late Night Links – websites & videos on 6pr.com.au

Midnight to dawn radio lsteners in Perth ( 882 am )and  those listening online around the world                 ( at 6pr.com.au ) might find these links useful over the next 3 weeks as I fill in at the Farifax radio station.

I’ll add to the links and welcome your input – simply click on the comments link after the tags at the bottom of a story. I have yet to set up email in the studio but you can text me your number anywhere in the world and I’ll call back, SMS/text your name , country,area and phone number to +61 403 339 290

Hours related to this material are midnight to 0530 local time, 1500GMT/UTC to 2030 GMT/UTC weeknights from Dec 22 to Jan 11.

The call in number is +61 8 922 11 882  and in a pale imitation of the great NPR network ” all things are considered,” so join in and talk about anything at all, because as long as we’re respectful we can tackle anything.

Special shout outs to Paul in Alicante Spain, Gina in Phoenix, Byron in Oregon, my friends in Israel and Palestine and anyone who’s been listening but has yet to make a call.

 

Listen in in over the next night or two for a chat with Robin Chapple from FARA a global network of people concerned about the destruction of ancient rock art that preadtes the Pyramids – click here for info on the shameful neglect and corporate vandalism of the Spirit Rocks on West Australia’s Burrup Peninsula.

Now some food for our brains

fMRI – functional magnetic resonance imaging has revealed amazing brain facts

One of the greats of brain science explains the principles and amazing applications of brain plasticity – covering ageing issues, strole, mood disorders and a lot more. This video runs an hour and twenty minutes, so grab a cuppa and prepare to be inspired

 

This  Discovery Channel video is an amazing story about how our new understanding of how the brain can rebuild itself.

Meet a little girl whose illness meant half her brain had to be removed.

 

INFO on the book that has amazed, informed and inspired me more than any other in decades   *  This link will take you to info on the book ”  The BRAIN That CHANGES ITSELF “

 

Watch here as Alvaro Fernandez describes some new brain science that promises breakthroughs in treating a range of illnesses and injuries that had ’til now thought to have been something we just had to live with or die from.

Ben Cousins’ Dad on radio 6WF – great work as usual by our ABC

If you’d like to hear Ben Cousins’ dad Bryan talking to abc local radio’s Russel Wolfe click here.

The interview reveals a great deal about a parent’s battle to support a child through almost unprecedented levels of pressure and scrutiny.

Please pass the link on to others, particularly those standing on soapboxes or flinging rocks from glazed domiciles, and to those whose mouths seem unconnected to any human brain let alone their own.

Congratulations to Ben and family, Kevin Sheedy, the mighty Tigers and kudos to Perth’s abc radio.

visit Richmond’s website here, and don’t be shy about joining the club or at least sending a message of support.

oh, one last thing… watch out for vultures! There are media people already drafting stories about Ben’s future failure – certain that it will come and that they will profit from his failure.

The best way to dreal with these flying vermin is to ignore them – so choose your media wisely

Ben Cousins saved by Tigers after abuse by Weasels

Ben Cousins has been selected to play for the Richmond AFL club.

 

Story and Video here from my colleagues at WA Today ( Fairfax Digital/Radio )

 

I’m not a joiner, but I will become a member at the Victorian club to show both; support for their bold action, and  send a message to the Eagles and AFL that they should not expect a Christmas card.

 

Listen in to sports tonight on local radio 6PR from 1700hrs local

 

( 1000 UTC/Greenwich ) to hear the full story.

 

click here for the link and then click on “listen live.”

 

Remember, Ben has been battling an illness, has not been convicted of anything and yet has been villified and isolated by big sections of the Media, AFL and various Club administrators.

 

I trust these big tough aussie men who run these shows will abandon their own children if they get hooked on drugs and make sure they can’t continue their careers. They may also realise their institutionalised booze drinking is a drug addiction and sack themselves.

 

Many of them will be waiting for Ben to fail so they can crack a tinnie and say ” told you so!”

Ben Cousins abandoned by the AFL and gutless administrators

There is a growing number of people who see the AFL’s abandonment of  ill champion Ben Cousins as a tragic mistake.

Even among media colleagues, people are stepping back and asking some crucial questions after the feeding frenzy of the last 2 years where logic, compassion, and often, the truth were missing.

I am not alone in being concerned about the demonstrably sick AFL community as much as Ben.

Fairfax Digital’s Tim Lane makes some key points in the article posted here – please read it and pass it on. If you are so motivated, contact your MP, media, footy club or friends and ask a few questions yourself.

click here for Tim Lane’s excellent article

So, what hope is there in australia for more ordinary mortals who admit drug use but are not convicted – do we ban them from their job forever and expose them to unwarranted ridicule, do we keep pretending people with mental health issues are dangerous madmen? – please read the article below for more on that.

click here for my earlier piece on Ben’s case being a major blow for social justice and the aussie fair go.

Australian Human Rights push for Intersex gender recognition

Hope, Ignorance & Bigotry

The Australian Human Rights Commission is pushing Canberra to offically recognise Intersex people, whether they have had modifying surgery or not.

First news of the move was the Daily Telegraph via news.com.au and it offers some faint hope for people whose physical identity simply doesn’t fit male or female.

Sadly though, the web article’s first 3 respondents were typically ignorant and hateful, probably out of fear of the unknown, but I found it pathetic but fairly typical.

The push also raised the more complex reality of gender differences, suggesting more classifications are needed.

The legal and community status of genders other than male and female heterosexuals has to be addressed and a bit of education for “normal” people might be very useful.

People who still describe these genetic, physiological differences as “lifestyle” choices are part of the many challenges to be overcome for a minority that is every bit as human as the lovely looking people in your clothing catalogues.

What do you think?

Is it time for us to demand equality for those who are different.  Or do we stay scared of diversity and protect the “Adam & Eve” idea despite the facts.

If you say the latter, then maybe you should start building an Ark too.

If you want to make a difference for people whose only sin is being different write/email/hassle your local, state and federal politician. Here in Australia contact the Greens who’ve had their shoulder to this wheel for some time now.

The news.com.au article and the two all-too-predictable comments are pasted below

THE Federal Government’s human rights arm plans to invent a new official status called “intersex” adding it to male and female as a legally recognised gender.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission wants people to be able to change their gender on their passports and driving licences even if they do not undergo surgery.

And transgender lobby groups say that even this does not go far enough and are demanding a fourth legal gender called “other” for people who feel like their gender is indefinable or changes from day to day.

The extraordinary proposals are contained in a discussion paper quietly issued to transgender and transexual advocates by the commission, a statutory body that advises the Government on such matters.

The paper, entitled “Sex Files – The legal recognition of sex: Proposed reform”, says the introduction of the new “intersex” gender is a “key feature of the reform proposal being developed by the commission”.

 

“Recognition of intersex: Persons who cannot or do not identify as either male or female would be able to choose to be identified on their birth certificate and passport as intersex,” it says.

“A person who cannot or chooses not to undergo surgery would not be automatically ineligible to request a change in their legal sex.”

A response to the report by Sex and Gender Education Australia says there needs to be a fourth legal gender for people who are not even “intersex”.

SAGE spokeswoman Tracie O’Keefe, a sexologist whose doctorate comes from a Californian hypnotherapy institute, is the co-author of the book Transpeople in Love, wrote: “The AHRC proposal does not go far enough in providing legal status and social spaces by only allowing people to be male, female and intersex.”

Dr O’Keefe, who runs the Australian Health and Education Centre and the International Sex, Gender and Sexuality Clinic in Glebe, said cultures such as Native Americans had more than two genders.

via Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission pushes for third ‘intersex’ gender | National News | News.com.au.

 

Martin of York Posted at 11:18am today  

Agree with Robert. Dr.O’Keefe needs immediate treatment.

AJ of null Posted at 9:15am today  

How Pathetic!!!!

Robert of Melbourne Posted at 7:57am today  

We already have a third classification – “it” or “neuter”. to even discuss this is an insult to human intelligence and a waste of taxpayers money.

What has Ben Cousins got to do with Social Justice?

Here in Australia there are many serious Social Justice issues, especially for Indigenous people and migrants, but what has one of our “fallen” heroes got to do with SJ?

It’s about mental health – here we have a young man who’s acknowledged having an addictive personality and having used illegal substances – and he’s been widely villified by booze swilling, pill popping people in “authority” and the commentariat.

Yesterday he had draconian drug testing requirments put on him to allow his return to australia’s most popular sport and has been shamefully rejected by his old club.

The guts of it is this – drug abuse ( including the big killers, alcohol & nicotene ) is a mental health problem and Ben has worked harder to recover his “sobriety”  than he ever did while captaining his team, winning a grand final or the game’s highest honour.

To treat him like a criminal, when no conviction has ever been recorded and when he’s had the courage to disclose his illness, is simply unjust. That’s especially true in a sport where alcohol sponsorship and a culture of booze and womanizing remain endemic.

How about breathlyizing and drug testing the administators and club officials who’ve put this extra and disproportionate weight on this young man’s shoulders, basically to cover their own butts in the face of pressure from a media that’s also riven with boozers, misogynists and drug takers.

Now, Ben’s a big boy and can speak for himself, but my concern is this, if Ben can be treated like this, how can an “ordinary” person hope for social justice if they have mental health/susbstance issues.

Who is going to disclose a problem and seek much needed help when it’s clear that doing so is likely to cost them their job and the esteem of their community.

So if you care about social justice – spread the word that substance abuse is a mental health issue – NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND jeapordises their life and career by abusing substances, legal or illegal

If we can’t give genuine heroes like Ben the much vaunted australian “fair go” –  what hope is there for the rest of us.

 ( by the way, in the “war” on drugs, how many drugs have we killed?  It’s a %^$*ing health problem, not a criminal issue ) 

Our society is like a bad doctor, we bury our mistakes.

QC expects action on human rights from Barack Obama

Respected Human Rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC  ( see story below on his visit to Perth for UN HR anniversary ) has told Australian ABC’s Lateline that he expects a change in the US approach to human rights when Barack OBAMA takes over as US President next January.

He has also predicted sanctions and possibly charges against US lawyers who advised the BUSH ( dubya that is ) regime on issues such as torture and the shameful goings on at Gitmo.

In a 15 minute interview with Tony Jones he also lamented the lack of a Bill of Rights in Australia and foreshadowed challenges to the US occupation of Mauritian territory known as Diego Garcia and the displacement of its Indigenous people.

The Rhodes Scholar and celebrated Silk also highlighted the stupidity we spoke of here recently of martyring people like Hambali and the other Bali Bombers.

see it in full here
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2422192.htm

I wasn’t aware ’til tonight that the island of Diego Garcia was held back from the Independence granted to Mauritius by Britain and then given to the US to use as a strategic base during the cold war. The locals, who are a distinct race apparently now live mainly in poverty on other parts of the Indian Ocean Archipelago

It’s a shame that Geoffrey’s dinner speech in Perth is so expensive, but I figure that the top end of town could probably do with his wisdom and experience, and the big bucks will aid Amnesty’s ongoing battle against abuse.

I hope to speak to the good QC in the next day or so to bring you more

Geoffrey Robertson QC in Perth for Human Rights, Amnesty International.

This is no “hypothetical”- Geoffrey Robertson QC is coming to Perth on behalf of Amnesty International- see the media release below.  

Indigenous peoples, displaced people, immigrants, gays, political and other prisoners, those dealing with mental illness and many other groups of people have yet to enjoy rights most of us take for granted – and females in all groups are struggling even more than the males. 

This is just one event, so check the Amnesty website for how you can make a difference by thinking globally and acting locally.

Geoffrey Robertson QC

Join Amnesty International and the United Nations Association of Australia at Perth Town Hall on 8 December to celebrate the 60thanniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

 

 

Speaking at the dinner is renowned human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC, who is a distinguished jurist member of the UN’s Internal Justice Council, author, and creator of television show Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals. Mr Robertson has been counsel in many landmark cases in constitutional, criminal and media law in the courts of Britain and the commonwealth. 

The event will be hosted by media personality Mary Kostakidis. Ms Kostakidis was a member of the management team that developed SBS Television in 1980 and was the first woman appointed to present a national prime time television news bulletin in Australia – SBS flagship World News, which she presented for two decades. 

2008 is a landmark year in the global campaign to make human rights a reality for all people. It marks 60 years since the birth of its guiding document – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

On 10 December 1948, countries around the globe joined together to recognise that ensuring every person’s rights was the key to founding freedom, justice and peace in the world. The Declaration confirms the acceptance of these 30 rights and is the driving force behind all of today’s human rights standards. It is described as the most translated document in the world. 

Human rights are yours to enjoy, yours to protect.  Celebrate with us! 

Date: Monday, 8 December, 2008 

Time: 7.00pm for a 7.30 pm start. 

Venue: Perth Town Hall (corner of Hay and Barrack Streets) 

Tickets: $175 per person or $1,700 per table of 10 (includes dinner and drinks) 
To book, visit www.bocsticketing.com.au or call 08 9484 1133. 
Regards, 
Caroline Shepherd
Media and Public Affairs Coordinator
Amnesty International Australia
Ph:  (+612) 8396 7611
Mobile: (+61) 403 650 226
Fax:  (+612) 8396 7677
Locked bag 23, 
Broadway NSW 2007
Visit 
http://www.amnesty.org.au/
 

Wikileaks reports on Mormons Vs Gay rights ( human rights that is )

I am and always have been heterosexual, but I can’t believe some people still don’t recognise that homosexuality is NOT a “life choice” or “lifestyle.”

The science is indisputable; gays, lesbians and transgender people are that way because they are born with physiological and brain function differences that are real, as real as the differences between heterosexual men and heterosexual women.

To deny people the right to marry and be “normal” legally is outrageous.

If the reports ( see wikileaks link below ) are right about the Mormon Church’s role in turning back the clock, then God’s punishment is awaiting them.

Anyone from any religion will tell you that the creator made ALL of us, not just the nice appearing young men in white shirts who disturb our peace by visiting our homes uninvited.

Surely the historic experience of Mormons should inform their views on minority groups who are marginalised, villified and ostracized.

see the story below on the link between Mormons and the anti gay rights lobby in the US

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Mormons_tipped_scale_in_ban_on_gay_marriage

WIKILEAKS also has stories other media won’t or can’t print and is well worth a look and possibly your support as a haven for whistle-blowers who risk their lives for truth.

Bali Bombers – any killing is wrong

This blog post  http://jacqueliehanafie.wordpress.com/

and pasted below resonated with me – what do you think? 

I woke up to the news that the three Bali bombers had been executed by firing squad overnight. Given that I am strongly opposed to the Death Penalty in ANY case, the news of this last execution made me feel sick to my stomach – to say the least. Suffice to say, this does not mean I condone terrorism or the acts of the bombers; but in line with universal human rights, I do not concur with this form of punishment. Sure, lock them up and throw away the key. But how does an eye for an eye, a life for a life, avenge the actions of the condemned?

Julian McMahon is a barrister. He has represented numerous people on death row, including Van Nguyen in Singapore, George Forbes and others in Sudan, and works with a number of Melbourne barristers defending Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan from the Bali 9.

I have read hundreds of articles pertaining to the Bali bombers, but this one stood out to me. It was taken from the Herald Sun on 7 November, a day before the executions. It represents my views completely. Well done, Julian McMahon.

Silence from our leaders is not good enough

Where are our leaders? What is happening? In the next day or two, three men are going to be executed by our nearest neighbor, Indonesia. The men deserve severe punishment. But why are Australian leaders, Federal, State, religious and community, being so quiet? Not one voice is speaking up, saying the men should not be executed.

It is too late to speak up after the executions. We are not weak. We are not aggressive. We are friends with Indonesia. We have principles and ideals and should speak up. If principles are worth anything, lets defend them even though its hard. 

Our leaders are not at liberty to stay silent and pretend that these executions are ok. With other Australian lawyers, I have clients in Asia on death row. 

We know that the Asian media and politicians demand consistency from us. If we ignore these executions which obviously affect us as a nation, while later demanding the right to save Australians, we lose legitimacy. 

I have read every name at the Bali memorial. I feel deeply for those victims. Every time I go to the prison in Bali, and I was there last week, I think of my family and hope they don’t suffer such losses. 

But killing 3 more people to avenge those already killed does not honour those names carved in granite. It adds nothing. To dignify their names, we should call for humane but severe punishment – a life in prison, without access to journalists, removed from society. That is always enough punishment. 

I walked away from Van Nguyen’s execution knowing that it was an exercise in futility – that dreadful sense of a person being destroyed, the destruction planned for, practiced over and over, pointless. 
To see his mother, his brother, their friends at the minute of their loved one hanging is to realize that pre planned killing is fundamentally backward. Making people suffer is not what we as a nation are about, even if they deserve it. The suffering of victims does not go away, no one is brought back. We just have another corpse. Resorting to premeditated ritualized killing, and pretending vengeance or disgust or hatred or contempt is justice, is in truth failure. 

Our leaders, State and Federal, and religious, oppose the death penalty. Well, let them say so when its hard, like this Bali bombers case. The region is watching. At law, our country has signed up to international covenants and protocols opposing the death penalty and calling for its abolition everywhere. 

Last December at the United Nations, Australia strongly opposed the death penalty calling for an international moratorium. Last week on Melbourne radio the Prime Minister confirmed his personal and party’s long standing universal opposition to the death penalty. 

If an Australian was about to be executed in Asia, these policy positions would be proudly proclaimed, and relied upon as a strategy to save his or her life. We do not expect our political and community leaders to jump up and down at every execution everywhere.

But the execution of the Bali bombers, like many other executions including of Australians, calls for more than silence. As neighbours and victims and people affected, we have rights and duties. As investigators who helped catch the criminals, we have a say. It will be too late to speak out once the prisoners are shot. 
 


http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24616008-5000117,00.html

Australia – Health Professionals needed, but leave your Down Syndrome child at home – an exclusive by Perthnow’s Paul LAMPATHAKIS

Disability sucks,but some politicians and bureaucrats suck even more.

The denial of a woman’s right to stay here in Perth is based on open and official discrimination and cannot stand.

That she is a much needed professional and that her child will not be the only down syndrome child in the state are actually beside the point.

The Point for the Immigration Minister is that the point is now media and community pressure – so PLEASE register your complaint at his website’s contact email http://labor.com.au/people/email/evans_chris.php – and pass this on to your friends and colleagues at home and abroad to do the same.

I’m sure he’s a nice man and has nice people working for hium, but what’s being done is NOT nice.

Thanks to award winning journalist from the Sunday Times and PerthNow Paul LAMPATHAKIS for the story 

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24622247-2761,00.html
 ( also pasted below )

( congratulations to the Sunday Times team for last night’s journalism awards, Colleen EGAN and Joe SPAGNOLO joined Paul in being recognised for outstanding work that has seen them subject to incredible pressure from the powers that be  - though I can’t remember any of them ever complaining about the cost to them and their families )

Click the audio below for my interview with Journalists spokesman David COHEN earlier this year on the unprecedented police raid that followed one of Paul LAMPATHAKIS’ other stories.

Police raid on the Sunday Times – hear from David Cohen – Media & Entertainment Alliance-on-2008-06-09-at-2121

 

Paul Lampathakis

 

November 08, 2008 06:00pm

 

EXCLUSIVE: A HIGHLY regarded British midwife working in WA is being forced out of Australia because her Down syndrome child is considered a financial burden.

The woman, who works at Joondalup Hospital and is described by fellow staff as “one of the hospital’s best” , has waged a legal battle with the Federal Government since 2002.  

Her application for permanent residency was rejected that year because the Government viewed her child as needing health or community services that would result in a “significant cost to the Australian community”. 

After unsuccessful appeals and court hearings, the family has applied to Immigration Minister Chris Evans to intervene. 

But a spokesman for Senator Evans could not say if this would happen - even though The Sunday Times understands the mother has only weeks left. 

The woman did not wish to be named or interviewed, fearing retribution by the Government. 

But one outraged supporter said: “This country recruited her to come here and work due to an acute shortage of midwives. She is one of the best nurses in the unit, she has contributed widely to the hospital and the general public. 

“(She has) wasted thousands of dollars on court cases to try to overturn the Government’s stupidity.” 

Family support group Down Syndrome WA labelled the Government’s stance “discriminatory and disgraceful”, calling on Senator Evans to grant the family residency. 

Group spokeswoman Jan Gothard said the Immigration Department should examine cases individually, rather than just assume those with Down syndrome would be a burden, when many led independent lives. 

Dr Gothard said the WA case and another recently - where German doctor Bernhard Moeller was to leave the Victorian town of Horsham after the department classified his 13-year-old Down syndrome son a burden on taxpayers - were the “tip of the iceberg”. 

As well as those already in Australia, many potential skilled migrants were also being denied entry for the same reason. 

“Nobody, whether they’ve got Down syndrome or not, can guarantee they’re not going to be a cost to the system,” Dr Gothard said. 

“Nobody can guarantee they’re not going to get lung cancer, or liver disease, or need a heart transplant. 

“Is there not a potential cost for somebody who smokes all their life? Is there not a potential cost for someone who’s overweight?”

She said the Disability Discrimination Act protected people with disabilities living in Australia, but not during migration. 

Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton called on the Rudd Government to show “compassion” and allow the WA family to have permanent residency. 

“In this country we’re desperate for good health professionals,” he said. “It would be a tragedy to lose the skill and expertise that this person has brought to the local community.”

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