On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:46:50 GMT, "Don White"
wrote:
"Peter Hendra" wrote in message
.. .
snip...
As to when Australia became a territory of the USA - Mainly since LBJ
and definitely when Deputy Sheriff Howard took over (Our Malaysian
Prime Minister coined the phrase which fits well). He is often
interviewed on television regarding Australia's reaction to world
events. He usually responds along the lines of "I have spoken to Mr
Bush by phone and ......." I don't think he realises that the US does
not award knighthoods. Seriouisly though, in many ways Australia is
attempting to be the US in the souithern hemisphere. It is almost at
the Teddy Roosevelt era in many ways. It regards South east Asia as
its sphere of influence and were quite annoyed that they had to sign
away the right of pre-emptive strike in order to attend the last ASEAN
conference as guests SEA people do not consider Australia as part of
Asia but as another western nation despite Australia's politicians
claims. unlike the US `though, Australia will remain the mine and the
farm for a long time to come. Australians (I do have citizenship) may
object, but that is how I see it.
cheers
Peter
You think you have it bad... Canada has the same problem and is stuck right
next door.
When we get rid of our Conservative PM things should improve.
All of this is why I prefer to use my New Zealand passport for
travelling. We are seen as peaceful and green and totally inoffensive
(though some may consider that I am not included in the latter
category). The US, who were extfremely annoyed at our 1980's
antinuclear weapons stance do our
PR for us at no cost to the New
Zealand taxpayer. - "Xena" the warrior woman," Lord of the Rings",
"The Last Samurai" to name a few. We are seen as pure and quaint,
living amongst dense forests and snowclad mountains.
We have even had a "most favoured nation" association with China,
long before it opened to the West, largely on account of a seaman who
founded a series of orphanages in the 1930's and stayed during the
Japanese invasion and the Communist era though not becoming a
communist - Rewi Alley. Apart from our 65 million sheep - we have also
exported a lot of talent - me for one (I'm allowed a touch of vanity -
my spouse is not reading this) - Ernest Rutherford, Colonel Pickering
who once headed NASA as no Americans were apparently good enough at
the time, and it is now proven that our Richard Pierce, a farmer, flew
before the Wright brothers. Hamilton, another farmer, invented the jet
boat, someone invented alerions (sp?) for aircraft and a simple post
office clerk in Dunedin invented the now commonly used resealable
paint can in the late 19th century. More NZ soldiers died per capita
during WWII than any other nation on either side - yet we still scoff
at waving the flag. These are only a few of the achievements of a
nation of 3.5 million people and its 65 million sheep.
The respect that this should engender from the rest of the world is
probably why we seem to get a good reception when travelling about.
By the way, we do have a high standard of English literacy despite a
friend of mine once receiving a letter from the State University of
Colorado in response to his application to attend a post graduate
course there. It stated, rather kindly, that "we are sorry but we do
not accept applications from students whose first language is not
English"
A lot of us have migrated across to Australia. When a reporter during
a television interview with the then PM - Muldoon (an obnoxious little
man with a divine aptitude for a barbed quick wit) asked him if he was
concerned about the brain drain, he dryly responded with "That will
raise the IQ level of both countries, won't it?"
Got off the track I know, but I at least enjoyed writing it.
cheers
Peter