Ashamed to be Australian.

For the past year or so, I have been listening to my radio about the Royal Commission into the Institutional Response to Child Abuse.  This means the Catholic Church, the Salvation Army, the Boy Scouts, elite private schools, they all have a very dark history of child physical and sexual abuse.  It has been harrowing listening and I hope they give the journalists following it some counseling as on my drive home, I am often in tears.  Anyway, this royal commission has just finished its public hearings and they are in their discussions to make their report to the government. 

Whilst this has been happening.... there have been subdued reports followed by very public declarations that sexual abuse is occuring to underage asylum seekers on Nauru and Mannis Island.  These are detention centres for people fleeing their home country to make their lives in Australia - granted some of them are economic refugees, but most of these refugee get asylum status after what is normally quite a long detention. 

So far there has been many reports that long detention CAUSES mental health problems, there are huge instances of self harm, self neglect and suicide attempts.  Yet the Australian government put CHILDREN in these centres, the government that I had a hand in voting for (it wouldn't matter what side I vote for, the policy is the same).  I don't want to be associated with a government that voluntarily sets people up for life long mental illness.  But they are also covering up the sexual abuse that is occurring there.   So our government which is condemning the catholic church of covering up the pedophiles is doing exactly the same thing at the same time they are trying to find out what happened in the catholic church. 

As an individual person, what can I do?  I would like to vote them out, but the other side will do the same.

Things I don't get...

Two posts in one day, cos I gotta get that pic off my front page. WHY do I take such horrible photos (that is an interesting question, but not the topic of this post)

Why do "ordinary" people have haters.  I am grown woman of almost 42 years old.  From what I can work out, no one hates me.  People I know might not talk to me, they might find me dull.  But I don't have people who hate me.

People from that wonderful group called "My Facebook Friends" seem to have people who hate them, people who talk behind their backs, people who have other people making their lives hell.  I can't figure out why.

Do you think it is from marriage break ups, so there are a group on the exes side that is against you.

Well as I have titled this.... I just don't get it.

Things that bug the crap out of me #45

Easter, when did it become what it is today!  I sort of get Easter Eggs, but what I don't understand is LOTS of Easter eggs, or worse still - presents!  My Facebook feed is full of people giving a lot of presents to their kids at Easter.  UGH.  Please excuse the dreadful pic of me, but the boys are cute.