Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Bidstrup on July 6, 2010 at 10:04pm

Why am I not surprised?

Maybe because she is from the same party that produced Kevin Rudd, probably the biggest disappointment as a new head of state since... Barak Obama. If she is just a garden-variety homophobe, Gillard would be proof that being an atheist is no protection from being a bigot.

But another explanation is possible.

Australia, with Rupert Murdoch virtually running the media show there, and no politician daring to offend the man, has been rightly described as Murdochia. No politician in that nation, anywhere, who values his political career dares cross Emperor Rupert. It is he who has been blamed as being responsible for creation of the Great Firewall of Australia, built under the pretext of fighting online porn, but which makes the Great Firewall of China look downright tame by virtue of the technical control it offers the news and political censors. ISPs in Australia now have to archive users' emails and browsing histories for several years among other outrages.

And Emperor Rupert certainly does not approve of his male subjects poking his other male subjects - and ditto for his female subjects. So until someone can get the goods on a closeted member of his entourage to whom Emperor Rupert is personally very close, making it possible to blackmail the man, I don't think we'll see a gay marriage law (or even a civil union law, for that matter) in Murdochia anytime soon.

Scott B.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on July 6, 2010 at 10:45pm

Here she is quoted in the Southern Baptist Press - a self proclaimed atheist who is apparently living in sin with her male partner:

Australia has a new prime minister, but she, like her predecessor, opposes "gay marriage." Prime Minister Julia Gillard, a member of the left-leaning Labor Party, said in a TV interview last year that it was her personal position -- and the position of the Labor government -- that marriage was between one man and one woman.

"This is an issue that we've got to deal in contemporary Australian society with all of our history -- hundreds of years of history in Australia and in western culture beyond what marriage means," she said.

and on abc.net:

On her personal views about marriage, Ms Gillard said: "Marriage is between a man and a woman.
"Obviously we live in an age when there are all sorts of relationships which are not marriages.
"I am in a committed relationship of that nature myself with my partner Tim."

Glad you had some other insights. It's comforting to know that she's just pandering to the Murdoch-controlled press and just throwing gays under the bus for political gain, as opposed to just a homophobe (or more likely homo-i-don't-give-a-fuck-ist) throwing gays under the bus.

Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on July 25, 2010 at 11:46pm

Cold comfort, isn't it?

Permalink Reply by doug on August 25, 2010 at 5:34am

I dont think president obama is a big disapointment i mean please 18 months a health care bill finacial reform, stop the free fall of the american econmy working on repealing dont ask dont tell. Building our factured relationships around the world.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on September 14, 2010 at 9:46am

Maybe it should be ban Murdoch? Seems like he has undue influence in Australia and the US.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on August 30, 2010 at 9:50am

Update, WSJ I don't know how much to trust WSJ, here's reuters as well.

No way to say if Gillard would have pulled together a victory if she was less of a hypocrite, of course. My suspicion is that atheism and LGBTQ issues were almost irrevelant to the election. These articles are rather shallow - some actual discussion of issues might help.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on September 14, 2010 at 9:45pm

US looks like we are headed to hell in a handbasket, with inept Democrats and ascendant Tea Party fucktards. I dread the future. Only China, with a semibenevolent dictatorship free of any actual human rights but surging economically, seems to know how to run a country in the modern age. The US people, and Australian people, deserve whatever happens to them, if they are too narcissistic and lazy to really pay attention to what they are electing.

Permalink Reply by Neon Genesis on September 30, 2010 at 12:51am

"Australia's new Prime Minister, who actually does have more balls than Obama since she's actually openly atheist"

I'm pretty sure Obama isn't even a closeted atheist, given that 1)Obama has referenced Jesus more times than Bush, 2)he's continued Bush's faith-based initiatives, 3)he defended the National Day of Prayer and under God in the pledge, 3)the only positive thing Obama has done for the LGBT community I'm aware of is passing the Matthew Shepard Act. So even if we get an atheist president in the U.S., LGBT rights are still screwed? What if Australia got its first lesbian prime minister?