"this ain't no party
this ain't no disco
this ain't no foolin' around"
talking heads.

I'm not generally one to opine upon the state of the world, I don't generally feel like it's something I'm qualified to do (or that it's something people want to hear from me). On the other hand, it's a public holiday where we're supposed to reflect on our great nation. Fine.

I'm grateful for the country I live in. It's a good place to be, I've met a lot of interesting people, and life's generally pretty good. At the same time, though, I'm sickened. I feel completely ashamed of the people who claim to be acting in "our best interests" by dragging their feet (what an understatement) on fulfilling their humanitarian duties. They show all the finesse and wit of a bouncer at a nightclub - "sorry mate, can't help ya." "oh, hang on, maybe if you go wait in this other room for a while..." and he winks to his mate and they stand there, laughing in your face.

If I was in a more vulgar mood, I'd suggest that somebody had taken "the lucky country" and removed one of the vowels.

It's a complicated problem, certainly. There are a lot of "issues" to consider. But just about anybody could've dealt with the problem in a more compassionate manner than those we're relying upon. I didn't grow up in a country that says it's ok to treat people like this, that makes constant excuses for its inaction. But then, in other ways, it's always been like this, and I've merely been a fool to believe the hype that suggests we're a nation of people who give a toss about anybody else in the world.