International:

We have seen some strange bedfellows of the Australian Labor Party in the past - but this recent post in Left Link makes the likes of Ervin and Militant fade into insignificance. It is a post by the "Feminist arm of the Freedom Socialist Movement" and includes fringe dwellers like "Radical Women/Federation of Cuban Women International Feminist Brigade to Cuba" and the "Progressive Labour Party"... to top it all we have the "Homodefactos petition demanding equality for same sex partners" which is the policy being pushed by Labor's new hope - Cheryl Kernot.

Full reproduction of an article in the Washington Times:

Multiculturalism and bilingualism - Washington Times, 24th October 1997.

Excerpt from the Martin Gross book “The end of sanity: Social and cultural madness in America”.

(Publishers: Avon books, 1997)

America was founded on the concept of absorbing immigrants from around the globe and blending them into a political and social culture based on Anglo-American law, manners and mores, and of course, the English language.

This “Uniculturalsim” was a smashing success, assimilating peoples of diverse ethnic and racial groups into a neat-homogeneous nation. From the 1880s until Ellis Island was closed in 1924, the flood of immigrants speaking 60 different languages was so vast that some 100 million Americans, now sharing one language and the basic Anglo-American culture, trace their ancestry to that event.

But today, under the pressures of a contemporary myth called Multiculturalism and Diversity - one promulgated by the poorly motivated New Establishment which controls most of our institutions - “separatism” has become the destructive fashion of the day. Instead of the Uniculturalism that made America great, differences rather than similarities are honoured, reducing the chance for the assimilation that makes for success.

At my junior high school in New York, the same one attended by Gen Colin Powell, the mainly Anglo staff stressed English, its correct grammar and pronunciation more than any subject. Along with a healthy dose of history, the schools effectively “Americanised” the children and grandchildren of immigrants, and helped educate African-American youngsters as well.

Today, we are turning our back on that success. Instead, we are teaching more than 3 million youngsters in the 62 languages spoken at home at a cost of US$3 billion a year, and even more in lost futures for these students. This “bilingualism” is not a second enriching language, but rather a primary language - whether Spanish, Chinese or Haitian dialect - which is used to teach the ABCs in a foreign tongue.

(Visualise if you will, a young Mario Cuomo getting his primary tutoring in Italian, the language then spoken at home, surely foregoing his chance to become the eloquent governor of New York that he was.)

A professor at a New York college, a woman of Hispanic background, told the New York Times how fortunate she was she escaped bilingual Spanish in school. “Success,” she told the Times, “depends on one’s ability to be fluent in English. Spanish... should not be a liability I see it becoming for many thousands,” adding that her students cannot express themselves well in either Spanish or English.

An intelligent revolt against bilingual education, one of the mainstays of multiculturalism, was put into effect by Russian Jewish immigrants, more than 80% of whom refused to allow their children to enter bilingual programmes that would only slow down their eventual success.

The importance of English should be obvious. However, the Labour Departments of the state of Texas made it crystal clear when it surveyed Vietnamese immigrants and found that those without English skills earned only the minimum wage, while those who had become fluent earned US$14 an hour.

There is only one major culture in America and that is the Anglo-American model, with its roots in British-American Colonial times. It is from that origin that comes our democracy and rule by law. Obviously, we will all retain some vestiges of the nation and race of our origin, but in a unicultural nation such as ours, that origin must be subservient to the great unifying culture.

Recognition of this is why Americans are so troubled by recent immigration, which seems to exclude Europeans, the people who fashioned the basic culture. Before 1965, when the law was changed to eliminate slots based on the current national ethnic origin, two-thirds of immigrants were of European stock. Today the figure is a pitiful 13%.

Why? False pundits say it is because the Europeans don’t want to come here. That is a bald faced lie. To fill several thousand lottery slots last year for permanent visas. three and a half million Europeans applied to become immigrants, but only a handful were accepted. Of 70,000 Frenchmen who applied 3,000 were allowed in, most because they married Americans. At the same time, there were over 100,000 legal Mexican immigrants, plus several hundred thousand more illegals.

The challenge is obvious:

(A) to repeal the 1965 law and invite in as many Europeans as possible.

(B) To make English the official language of America in all administrative activities.

(C) To discontinue all federal subsidies for bilingual education and increase the budget for English education of immigrants and their children.

With such a programme, the myth of multiculturalism will disappear, replaced by the tried and true Uniculturalism that made America great.

What a pity we don't have a free press here in Australia or some journalists might be allowed to speak what is really on their minds and not fear being thrown out of their chosen careers if they fail to toe the lines dictated to them by the Murdoch/Packer monopoly.

You might recall that some months ago we predicted that Michael Lavarche would get the top post in Queensland for the Australian Republican Movement (ARM). Linda Lavarche now holds a state seat in Parliament for the Labor Party while Michael, who lost his ALP seat and his position as Federal Attorney General at the last election, has now been given the number one ticket by the ARM.

This highly political body is aimed at upstaging the Australian Constitution based around the monarchy as the head of government. One of the staunchest supporters of the ARM is Paul Keating who has a strong desire to be Australia's first President. Another person whose role in the ARM is of concern is one of Kerry Packer's frontmen - none other than Malcolm Turnbull.

The ARM are currently spending millions of dollars in promoting their case. The money being spent in televisiona and media campaigns outweighing the combined promotion by all the other delegations for and against the move to a Republic. It is a real worry when the big money comes to town because you know that there are going to be paybacks and it is not going to be in the interests of those who actually vote on the day in this so-called democracy.

John Howard, traditionally a monarchist, is now softening his stance in preparation for an ARM led constitutional change to Australia's current system. Isn't is strange that when something works really well we've got to go out and break it. When I say "we" I mean the interests of those who do not include the mainstream Australian population.

Unemployment has become such a fact of life in Australia now that thousands are abandoning the hunt for jobs resulting in an artificial fall in the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.4% in October according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Full-time employment fell by 10,000 meaning that this category has only risen three times in nine months.

Channel Nine's A Current Affair host Ray Martin has admitted that he is now having second thoughts about remaining on the Aboriginal Reconciliation Council unless Pat Dodson (who changed his mind yesterday after resigning) is re-appointed as chairman.

Martin has described Dodson as a pre-eminent black leader in this country. "There's a touch of Mandela about him," Martin said.

Martin has joined the Labor and Democrat members of the council seeking Dodson's reappointment. "Nobody in the loop on this, with Patrick, can give me a reason as to why he felt he had to go," Martin said.  

Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Senator Herron, said yesterday, "I met with Dodson on Friday afternoon and at that meeting he made it clear he did not intend to change his position. I sent a response to Mr Dodson accepting his decision."

Herron has now put forward the name of Queenslander Evelyn Scott, a Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Cook in 1980, to take over Dodson's position on the Aboriginal Reconciliation Council.

The manhunt for the five dangerous escapees continues in Queensland with numerous sitings being reported but no arrests as yet. The thrust of the police's efforts is now centering on two areas - Brisbane where Brendan Abbott is holed out and west of Brisbane in the bushes around Camira where three of the escapees are believed to be hiding.

Political:

Prime Minister John Howard has been accused by the nursing home industry of creating a second-class level of care for those who could not afford to pay the bonds (which are now to be scrapped). The elderly have been offered the option of paying a Au$4,000 annual fee - the money being available from banks through an interest free loan. No one has explained which of the greed driven banks will support the scheme.

The Chief Executive of the National Association of Nursing Homes and Private Hospitals, Arthur Brotherhood, said yesterday that the Au$4,000 would not support the level of care required for the elderly. "They really need to sharpen their pencils," he said.

The Queensland industry body, Assisted Living Association, supported Brotherhood saying, "This is not about nursing home operators making a grab for cash. What is needed is additional funding and it is required urgently."

Which ever way you look at it Howard is losing his grip with the loose strings like Wik, nursing home care and throwing cash at Asian countries being just some of his problems the Coalition are going to have real problems maintaining credibility and power at the next election.... with the alternative Labor option being a slip back into the dark ages of corruption in the 1980s.

You Say:

Subject: Letter to the Editor News Mail Bundaberg

Sent this on in Today to letters to editor

The Editor
News Mail

Hawke, Hanson, HA HA!!

Your item re Bob Hawke's Anti- Hanson campaign 5/11/97 We have a "gaggle" of geese , A "nest" of vipers , A "den" of thieves What do we call ex Prime Ministers? "A Gravy Train"! Is millionaire Bob really concerned about Pauline's dragging us into Millionaire Paul's Banana Republic or Gough's bleeding heart welfare State? Is he really concerned that little Fish & Chips Pauline will upset Millionaire Malcolm's United Nation Mates , or good old Gorton's Liberal Club job's for The Yuppie Elites?.

I'm sure he really is worried about You and Me….. But's it's also came to my Notice that One Nation's policy will include chopping of ex Ministers Perks Free Air travel , Secretary , Car , Office Facilities , . I wonder if that influenced

Malcolm & Bob in there combined attack , Or are they just honest Bludgers Looking after there mates ?

Brian Griffin

It is reliably reported that since leaving parliament just over a year ago Paul Keating has accumulated assets nearing Au$70 million.

Funny thing that the papers never report anything about him (remember his deals with Packer and Murdoch) and that he always seems to be doing deals in Asia - the region where he threw hundreds of millions of tax payers dollars in aid.

Editor

Business:

Well now isn't that nice (for the shareholders that is) - the National Australia Bank (NAB) has just announced the biggest profit in Australian corporate history - some Au$2.2 billion.

And with the record announcement - yes some more branches will be cut - some more jobs will be lost - but they are disposable. The backpocket of the Don Argus' is all that counts in these heady days of Australia becoming Americanised with greed.

Argus said yesterday, "We must become fleet of foot. The message is clear traditional multi-product banks are under attack. Global scale competitors and highly efficient specialists are outperforming them and will continue to erode market share."

NAB are going to create stand alone businesses or profit centres for financial wholesale services, mortgages, credit cards and funds management operations.

The big loser will be mainstream Australians as a number of NABs retail branches close down.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Another perfect day in paradise.

Have a good one.

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