Time to Grow Up

I still buy the Catholic Leader every Sunday - more out of habit than anything else.

It's editorial  slant has moved away from true Christian values under onslaught from the new dispensation, characterised by the views of Pell and Ratzinger.

Having said that, they still publish some good letters.

Here are two well worth blogging  -

 Need to “grow up” for asylum solution. 

In the recent words of the Western Australian Liberal, Dr Mal Washer, it is time to "grow up". 
Slogans will not cut it. 
Putting people with no charge in offshore prisons under temporary protection without the chance of family reunion is no answer. Neither is punishing several hundreds by returning them to the transit country and placing them at the end of a "queue". 
And treating the mental and physical health and well-being of those we detain as expendable is immoral. Where are the mature leaders willing and able to put before us the world situation regarding people movement and ready to situate Australia's response in the context of what other nations are doing? 
Why, in a race to the bottom, are so many politicians eager to beat the drum of fear, hostility and aggression in the quest for votes? We need real co-operation across party lines to find a regional response such as dealt with the outflow of refugees following an earlier conflict in which we were also involved - the Vietnam War. Let's support the efforts of those back-benchers and independents who are presently meeting to achieve a bi-partisan response. Let's encourage an "effective" regional solution that respects the rights of those seeking asylum not just our desire to "protect our borders". 
As long as persecution and war exist in our world, those needing protection will be with us. 

Genevieve Caffery
Greenslopes
Qld 

Plenty of good sense exhibited there. Then there was this one - 


Admiration for boat arrivals 

One just has to admire greatly the fortitude and determination of the hundreds of asylum seekers making their way to our shores by boat. 
Their zeal and efforts of almost missionary proportions in seeking a new home thousands of kilometres away" down under" after paying for their "illegal" passage and readily accepting serious risk to life and limb are completely outstanding. 
It seems a real shame that our ever-growing secular Australian society has not retained similar visions and aspirations of Christian faith, hope and determination.
But alas apparently it has not, as our recent Census statistics have revealed 

Richard K Tiainen 
Holland Park West, 
Qld