The moral highground !

Many people will be surprised to hear that General David Petraeus has tendered his resignation as head of the CIA, and after a pause of several days, President Obama has reluctantly accepted it.  David Petraeus was America's top four star general, credited with turning around the Iraqi war and using the troop surge to rejuvenate the mission in Afghanistan.    When he retired from the army at 60, he accepted the post of CIA head and there are indications that he might have become a contender for the job in the oval office in 2016.

The reason for the resignation is clear.  Petraeus admits that he made a serious " lack of judgement " when he entered an extramarital affair with the woman who was writing his biography.  He accepts that as a person who has access to the nation's military secrets, this  puts security at risk by actions that could lead to compromise.

Strangely, this sexual liaison came to light by pure chance when the FBI was conducting an unconnected investigation and stumbled on emails revealing a line of communication.   This was entirely a private matter and no laws were broken, but it does throw the spotlight on the strange moral rules that seem to apply to some - but not to others.

Once again sex rears it's ugly head, and yet sex is not the bogey it was fifty years ago.   That was a prudish era when any unmarried woman having a child could expect both church and government to collude to use illegal methods to seize her baby and put it up for adoption.    Divorce was almost as bad as the " Scarlet Letter :".   The ending of a marriage in the divorce court usually ended promising business careers and halved the chances of a new marriage.  In many jurisdictions, being named the guilty party in a divorce was a certain path to penury and social discrimination.

How things have changed !    Virginity is as rare as hen's teeth.   Church weddings are out of style and many dispense with a wedding entirely, substituting it with living together on a " try before you buy  basis."   Children born out of wedlock are so common that schools sometimes have several kids from the same family, all with different surnames.   Those living a " Gay " lifestyle are no longer breaking the law, and we are moving closer to same sex marriage.

It seems strange that a man with an exemplary record of service to his country should feel it necessary to fall on his sword when a simple sexual attraction that should be a personal matter between him and his wife is trumpeted across the media and is reported in a tone of  " disgrace ".   Others before him who held high office have been involved in similar liaisons - and survived.     Indeed, a sitting President was forced to confess just such a liaison and many of his predecessors were screened by a forgiving press when their affairs became common knowledge.    We seem to have differing standards when it comes to the moral highground.

Any person being considered for high office would be well advised to have a long and careful look at their past history.   Even a minor indiscretion will probably emerge to haunt them because the business of politics and career enhancement makes it certain that those salivating for the job held will be quite ruthless in searching out and using smear as a weapon of destruction.

The pity of it is that people like David Petraeus are the type of leaders that we need to guide us out of the mess that is strangling the world economy.

Politically correct ?

It seems that the need to be " politically correct " whenever we make a speech now requires some form of Aboriginal mention to be part of all and every address we make.    A patron of the one hundred and fifty year old St John's College at the University of Sydney seems to have insulted the Aboriginal community because he failed to mention them when he lauded this institution.

Jeffrey Phillips SC paid tribute to the " Traditional custodians of this place "  who he went on to add were " Benedictines who came from the great English nation ".    This was said in the great hall of the university, before an audience that contained some Aboriginal students.  At least one of whom has complained and feels " deeply traumatised ".

It is hard to determine exactly what is so offensive to members of the Aboriginal community in that audience.
When the first fleet arrived in 1788 there was no university in Sydney.   There were not even any schools teaching the " three R's ".    The ships of the first fleet carried convicts, guards and free citizens from the British Isles and one of the first things they did was farm the land, build houses and set up schools to educate their children.  The original inhabitants of Australia were not involved in this activity and it is hard to see where their omission from Phillips statement is a sin.

Building a university was a natural extension of the establishment of primary schooling and the divisions within the Christian religion contributed colleges.   Benedictine Catholics were the moving force behind the establishment of St John' college, and hence Phillips statement was simply a confirmation of fact.

The rights and wrongs of the first fleet's arrival - unannounced and uninvited - is an event sanctioned by people who are not alive today.  They were simply following the custom of that time which stipulated that the nations of Europe had devised ships, trade and force of arms to settle and command new lands found by their explorers.   The wishes of any indigenous people were not considered and those people were summarily ordered to obey the laws of the invaders.

It is too late to undo any injustices from that time.   All we can do - and have done - is to apologise and make sure that the ancestors of those original inhabitants are given equal rights.  Some Aboriginal people have chosen to continue to live a tribal life in remote areas while others have integrated into non-Aboriginal Australian society.  Various schemes and quotas are in place to  assist that integration.

It does not help when the Aboriginal people have a massive chip on their shoulders and examine every aspect of life for a hidden agenda of insult.  Just as Aboriginal people are proud of their folklore and the achievements of their people, other Australians are equally proud of the society they have built in this country, and that in no way disparages Aboriginal achievements.

It would be interesting to know in what way Jeffrey Phillips comments delivered " trauma " to the Aboriginal student who complained about his speech.  Precisely what did he think was missing ?   In what way did the founding of St John's College by Benedictine priests cast some sort of slight on this students Aboriginality ?

Used in the right way, " Political Correctness " can be a measure of mending relations between the disparate groups that make up our society.   When it is used as a " weapon of war " it drives those groups further apart  - and delivers "irrationality " !

Organ donation phobia !

Australia is one of the world's most advanced nations with a population of just over twenty-two million citizens.   We enjoy high educational standards and our way of life is so exceptional that people of other lands literally die taking risks to try and emigrate to our shores - and yet we languish at number twenty-two on the world list of organ donations !

Hold a survey and ask people if they wish to donate organs when they die and the response is heavily positive.   An amazing number of people tick the " Organ Donor " option when renewing their drivers license, but for some strange reason this does not translate into donation acceptance when it comes to the point of agreement by relatives.

We have this strange custom of second guessing the donor's wishes.  Instead of proceeding because the deceased has indicated this wish, we ask permission from close relatives at a time when emotions are raw. We are asking people grieving at the death of a loved one to condone what they may see as a form of invasion of that persons body at a time when they are most prone to an emotional response.

There are many reasons for rejection.  Religion is amongst them.   The reasons we ask relatives is because we would not wish to proceed to retrieve this life giving gift if it caused those near and dear to believe that some part of the departed persons spirit has been interrupted in it's journey to another place.   A death in the family is perhaps the worst possible time to make decisions about the treatment of earthly remains.

Unfortunately, as a result of this dearth of donor organs, one in every six people languishing on waiting lists for a transplant die before their need can be accommodated, and yet at the same time, every day of the week a steady stream of organs that could save lives is being buried in the ground or reduced to ash in crematoriums.

We have conducted numerous advertising campaigns, urging those who wish to be organ donors to discuss this with relatives and make their wishes clear.  It has had some effect.    In 2011 those on waiting lists received 1009 transplanted organs from 337 donors, an increase of 36%,  but this is minuscule when we consider how many Australians died during that same period.

One of the points of contention is the need for speed.  When a person dies, donated organs need to be harvested quickly, and the transfer to the patient needs to happen at similar speed.  In many cases, the search for relatives and the indecision's that result close the opportunity gap.   We need to do better, and that needs a completely new approach.

There are indications that most people would support making organ donations an automatic process for those who have given prior approval, with provision for those who disagree to place their name on a register to opt out in any circumstances.  It would be wise to put this option to the test by way of a referendum at the next general election.   If the majority agree, then in a democratic country, that should be the way the community delivers the authority for a law change to make this happen.

Eventually, medical science may learn how to make stem cells duplicate any organ in the human body and make organ transplants obsolete, but that is in the future and right now we have people whose lives can be saved by using organs that are simply going to waste.

That is a question that should be put to the people - and their answer should be made into law !

An expansive opportunity !

Last Sunday, Wollongong was a very busy place.   Ten thousand enthusiastic people got on their bikes and took part in the "Sydney to the Gong " bike ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.  This annual event is a major fund raiser for MS research.

Organisers of the ride are suggesting that if it  is switched from Sunday to Saturday it will open the way for the event to climb to national importance and become the highlight of the tourist year for this city.   When it started twelve years ago four thousand riders made the journey.   Now it is capped at ten thousand - and we are turning people away.   The opportunity is offering to create a iconic event of national importance.

The organisers make a good point.   Those ten thousand bike riders do not ride their bikes back to Sydney.  The ride is accompanied by car loads of family and friends and this leads to picnic lunches and family get-togethers before the start of the transport operation to get bikes and riders back home.   If it were held on a Saturday, it would open a huge tourist opportunity for the ride to become a weekend away for many people.

The tourist spinoff for Wollongong business people would be enormous.  It would mean lifting that ten thousand rider cap and allowing the event to reach it's natural height - and that would mean it would attract media coverage to rival the annual " City to Surf " marathon through the streets of Sydney.  Literally - the sky would be the limit !

Of course there would be problems.   Lifting the numbers cap would mean the need for more police to marshal traffic at key intersections and those living along the route through the Royal National park - and specially along Lawrence Hargreave drive would be marooned in their homes for several hours, but the people of Bathurst cheerfully accept similar problems to allow the great car race on the mountain to be run each year in October.

This is a chance to expand what has become a truly amazing charity ride into a national event that will not only create a great reward for MS research, but will put the city of Wollongong on the tourist map.   It is an opportunity that requires the city fathers to " think outside the nine dots " , but also for the people of Wollongong to get behind the event and accept a day of huge visitor numbers and many road closures to accommodate the ride.

Opportunity is not just softly knocking on the door.   The reverberations can be heard for miles around !

Four more years !

So much for " Neck and Neck - Too close to Call ".    Obama won 303 Electoral College votes compared to Mitt Romney's 206.   That is a decisive winning edge, but when it comes to the popular vote the American nation was divided in opinion by just one percent - in Obama's favour.

This election also said something about demographics.    The Democrats swept home in the high density east coast, west coast and the populous state of Illinois with it's capital, Chicago.   The heartland states in the middle were a sea of red - favouring Romney, and this election will deliver a host of Republican governors that the White House will have to deal with.

The next four years will be critical for the American economy, and as a consequence - make or break for the world economy.   If America can break out of it's economic tail spin it can be the growth engine to recovery. That will depend if the Republican majority in the lower house can work with a Democrat president to find common ground and make the compromises that will be necessary to get a stalled economy moving again..

The past four years saw the Republicans try and unseat Obama at this election by imposing a blockade. of all proposed legislation.  They were uncompromising, but the situation has changed.   Obama is not facing reelection and there will be no incumbent to face off in 2016.   The hard right of Republican politics either softens and moves to the middle - or the party remains out of touch - and out of office.

The two sides of politics clashed over two basic issues.   Republicans vehemently refuse to even consider any taxation increases, and Democrats are equally firm that welfare entitlements remain unchanged.   Both will need to give ground.    The only way that crushing deficit can be reduced will require compromise on both sides of politics.

The days ahead will be critical as this election is examined and digested by the party leaders who decide policy.   Politics has always been divisive, but in the past a degree of goodwill prevailed and issues that were for the good of the country got partisan support across the divide.    It is essential that politics reach some sort of common ground on issues such as the ultimate fate of the undocumented that live in the country, how health insurance is handled and what sort of military posture American adopts with the rest of the world.

This election has delivered the people's choice.   Now if all depends on whether that signals a bright new beginning - or more of the same - for four more years !

Rites of passage !

The word " Initiation " strikes abject fear into the hearts of those joining the ranks of educational institutions, closed societies or divisions of military service.  Somewhere in the dim, dark ages of the past it became the custom to humiliate and haze incoming members as part of a ritual of acceptance.   This even found it's way into the work environment.   In many cases, those starting a trade apprenticeship found themselves subjected to rituals that were both demeaning - and in some cases just downright dangerous.

Such a situation has developed at the 150 year old St John's College at the University of Sydney.   This Catholic institution is in disarray with the resignation of some board members over a culture of intimidation that has caused Cardinal George Pell to demand the resignation of serving priests from it's board.

What brought this to public attention was an instance when about thirty male students surrounded a new female member and intimidated her into drinking a toxic concoction that resulted in her needing hospital treatment.   It joins a long list of initiation rights that have blighted this nation's military academy and similar events in private industry - one of which saw an apprentice set alight by a colleague.

Just what is the basics of these " rights of passage " ? It seems that in many instances it is a case of the " herd mentality " imposing it's superiority on those joining the franchise.   In the British public school system, " freshers " were made to understand their inferiority by acting as servants for their more senior colleagues in what some simply called " institutionalised bastardry ".

One of the problems is that those who have passed through and become senior mentors of such institutions develop an affinity for the practice and vigorously defend it.   They usually have sufficient seniority to deflect criticism and resist any new procedures to install reform. Such seems to be the case at St Johns College.

In many instances initiations take a fairly harmless form, but they have a habit of extending under pressure of the "  herd mentality " and often involve forms of sexual humiliation which delivers titillation to the abusers, but inflicts lifelong psychiatric damage to the victim.

There is a pressing need to come down hard and abolish this rite of passage.   It tends to be practised in secret, and it lends credence to the notion that - scratch the surface - and those of this twenty-first century are no more civilized than the denizens of the dark ages !

At last - Justice !

When the " Great Financial Crisis " hit in 2008 a lot of people lost a lot of money.  Superannuation fund levels nosedived.   Shares dropped in value across the world's trading boards.  Many gilt edged securities became worthless overnight.   It was apparent that financial institutions had been lax to the point of criminality in their dealings with the public - but almost nobody faced a court and went to gaol.

Public money bailed out financial institutions, and the very same people who created this mess remained in their plush seats, and when the uproar died down - continued to do precisely the same dubious trading moves and once again received obscene amounts of money from the " bonus pool ".

Now - at long last - a Federal court has delivered a ruling that will rock the financial world in it's tracks.The court has decided that incompetence was involved in a case where thirteen local councils were induced to put their cash reserves into " Constant Properties Debt Notes ",.   The councils lost $ 30 million when their investment declined in value by ninety-three percent.

The court found that ratings agency Standard and Poors should not have conferred a AAA rating on these securities.   Offering securities with a " no risk " status was a cosy little internal arrangement between rating agency Standard and Poors,  their investment bank ABN Amro and a firm specialising in giving financial advice to councils - Local Government Financial Services. ( LGFC ).

The cat is now well and truly amongst the pigeons.   The way is open for those councils to redeem their lost funds and the door is opening for many more claims to go through the court system to place the blame squarely on the head of those who either failed to adequately investigate offers being made or bestowed credit ratings that were inconsistent with risk.

Of course, these findings will be aggressively challenged in the appeals courts, but the Federal court has found that when an entity bestows a security rating that is stock in trade for it's existence, it has a responsibility to do that fairly and with diligence.   With the power to influence financial decisions - comes responsibility !

It seems inconceivable that in the years since the GFC we are still taking credit advice from the same institutions that failed us miserably with financial advice, and that it is these credit rating agencies who determine the rate of interest that the governments of countries across the world will pay on their borrowings.

At least the Federal court has had the guts to apportion blame where it is due, and hold the culprits responsible.   If making good drives these firms out of existence by way of the bankruptcy court it will clear the way for the emergence of new institutions.

Rating the stability of the finance world is the corner stone of financial sustainability.   We need that function to be in good hands, free of the taint of past malpractice.    That is yet to happen !