Heath Ledger and the plank in the eye syndrome

Christian readers will instantly get the reference.

At this stage we actually do not know how and why Heath Ledger died. It may turn out to have been a tragic accident, or a mixing of prescription drugs with fatal consequences, rather than anything that can remotely be said to resemble your archetypal sex, drugs and rock and roll exit from life. Repeat, we just don’t know.

People who improve on the shining hour, then, by sermonising on his death tell us more about themselves than they do about Heath Ledger, life, God, religion, or Jesus Christ.

Reconciliation, Stolen Generation, Reparations… and all that

Yes, I am still thinking about these matters. It is good that Australians do think about them, but I do realise that it is not at all as simple as perhaps I would like it to be, a reference to my vent the other day — which I still stand by for what it’s worth.

Jim Belshaw took me to task rather on that one, and subsequently addressed one aspect rather persuasively.

What price justice after this sorry saga?

That is the headline in Peter Roebuck’s opinion piece today. It is a very well argued take on the latest developments in the Harbhajan Singh matter, judicious even, in my opinion.

…Brinkmanship or not, threatening to take their bat and ball home in the event of a resented verdict being allowed to stand was an abomination. It sets a dreadful precedent. What price justice now?

Not that the attempt made by Cricket Australia to broker a compromise had much more to commend it. Ricky Ponting and his players were entitled to take a stand on principle. As it happens, I thought their strategy unwise because they had fanned the flames, Anil Kumble had not been given a chance to intervene and the case was unwinnable…

Ann Coulter is not our problem

Beside her Miranda is sweetly reasonable. There have to be some advantages in living in Australia.

I was prompted to mention Ann the Alien by this post: The madness of Ann Coulter.

One of my favorite fellow bloggers once referred to Ann Coulter as “the worst thing to happen to the Republican Party since Watergate.”

I agree completely. A real-life friend of mine has remarked that he really can’t talk about Ann Coulter with me. I get that her whole column is about trying to irritate people. I understand that completely. THAT is exactly my problem with her. Her column isn’t about persuasion or argument, it’s about belligerence and irritation. It bothers me that that passes itself off as worthwhile writing.

Anyway …

In recent months, I have concluded that she doesn’t even try to apply anything like a consistent principle to her writing. Except, of course, “If I don’t like you, then you’re extremely bad.”  Of course, the beings that she does and doesn’t like are pretty random.

I’m going to work mostly with her attacks on Mike Huckabee, because I know those better.  Bear with me…