After last election Julia Gillard promised Independent MP, Mr Wilkie, that she would legislate for mandatory pre-commitment for high-intensity poker machines by 2014.

That was enough to buy his support in forming a government.

Did she ever intend to keep her promise?

Now she has got around to saying she isn’t going to do it.

* * *

The government party calls itself the ALP.

What does the “L” stand for?

Its policies for a couple of generations suggest that their loyalties are not for those who “Labor”.

Would it be more appropriate for the “L” to stand for “Liars”

Or perhaps the “L” might stand for “Leaned on”.

This time they have been leaned on by the Registered Clubs sector, who seem to have a lot of clout based on having a lot of money . . . .

Money taken from the pockets of vulnerable problem gamblers.

Is the alternative government any better?

It’s a worry that the title of the opposition party, the LCP, also sports an “L” . . . .

It seems as though Bernard Tomic cheated in his match against Alexandr Dolgopolov the other night.

When interviewed, he showed no remorse.

He is a young man. There should be somebody guiding him.

Perhaps with his great talent etc., winning has become too much of a priority with him.

* * *

We can all understand to some extent how tempting it was for him to do what he did.

We all have temptations.

What should BT do now?

First, he should go to confession.

Then do whatever the priest prescribes for him as penance.

If he is told to withdraw from the tournament, he should do so without complaint or comment.

* * *

Professional sport is responsible for so much bad human behaviour.

For example: gambling, drug use, self-absorption by the players.

Obsession with passive and trivial pursuits by spectators and TV watchers, plus more gambling.

Can we weed professional sport out of our society?

Not easy.

One at a time we can, as individuals, stop taking any interest in it.

That will be a start.

Federal MP, Andrew Wilkie, threatens to stop supporting the Gillard government if they don’t legislate poker machine reform.

He wants to compel gamblers using high-intensity machines (which accept $10 bets) to pre-commit to a limit on their losses before they start playing.

When their loss reaches the cap, the machine will lock them out.

Low intensity machines (accepting $1 bets only) would not be capped.

But the Gillard no longer needs Mr Wilkie’s vote like before, and thinks there is little to lose by double-crossing him.

* * *

On Australia’s 200,000 high intensity poker machines, gamblers routinely lose about $1200 per hour.

Gamblers on low-intensity machines lose “only” $120 per hour.

Which is no good, either.

For many Aussie battlers, $120 is big money. Lose that much and the cash earmarked for paying bills and feeding the family is gone.

All poker machines should be phased out.

Clubs that cannot survive without poker machines should not survive.

The Church should preach that gambling is greed — incompatible with love for God and his vulnerable children.

A national survey has found that Australians consider Australia Day the most significant day in the calendar. (AAP, 12 January 2012)

More than Anzac Day.

More than Christmas Day.

It is certainly being boosted by the political and media would-be opinion-controllers.

Municipal Councils are all hosting community breakfasts, sporting events etc., trying to beat up some interest.

Our Australian Aborigines are given at least a token mention in the publicity.

* * *

Australia Day commemorates the fact that on January 26, 1788, the “First Fleet” of European colonisers landed at Sydney Cove.

From that day on it became progressively more difficult for Aborigines to maintain their culture and way of life.

Since the 150^th anniversary of the First Fleet’s landing in 1938, some at least of the Aboriginal community, have taken to referring to January 26 as “Invasion Day and “a day of mourning and protest”.

It’s an unresolved problem.

The Christian gospel could be the factor that truly “reconciles” invaders and the invaded groups inhabiting Australia.

Generosity and fairness shown by the whites — and forgiveness and good living by the blacks – those are all it would take.

Grandstanding and slogan-quoting will not be enough.

If you have an unused mobile phone lying about, take it to your nearest Saint Vincent de Paul Centre and hand it in.

For every phone, they are able to get $3.

So you benefit by getting rid of a bit of clutter – meanwhile benefiting one of our most reliable charities.

And this recycling is obviously good for the environment.

* * *

The historical Saint Vincent de Paul, living in the 1600s, was into practical Christianity.

He said:

“To practise the love of Christ, acquire the habit of keeping him at all times present in our minds — in three ways:

(1)  when performing any action, consider the manner in Our Lord acted here upon earth, and imitate him.

(2)  remember that he continually looks down on us from heaven, offering us his grace.

(3)  and recognise him in the person of our neighbour.”

* * *

The modern-day St Vincent de Paul Society does all these things.

Vinnies Op Shops and Relief Centres are great examples of number (3).

Everyone is treated as a neighbour with generosity and respect.

School chaplains have been around for a long time.

Somebody students could turn to for advice who is not part of the machine.

Historically chaplains also educated students in the reality of the spiritual world – less so in recent years.

The Australian Government’s Chaplaincy Program was revised last year allowing schools which preferred could get rid of their chaplain and have a “secular welfare worker” instead.

Of 2500-odd schools involved, over 90 percent have opted to continue having a chaplain.

But the enemies of religion have further cards up their sleeve — a High Court challenge to the system is pending.

* * *

Is a student basically a kind of robot whose actions are governed by a brain which is purely a bunch of chemicals in a bony box?

The government thinks so — which would make the difference between a chaplain and a secular worker irrelevant.

The government also believes that children ultimately belong to the government.

There is a cultural war-to-the-death going on in our society.

* * *

Those who believe that children ultimately belong to God have a fight on their hands.

The present government will observe no rules in its attempt to exterminate religion from the thoughts permitted within government schools.