There was a state memorial service for Jimmy Little yesterday at the Sydney Opera House.

I never heard a bad word said about him.

Jimmy became famous in the 1960s – especially for his song “Royal Telephone”.

Not the kind of song that could become a number one in modern times?

Or is that wrong?

Many people today, as in the past, might tell you how its words are true in their experience.

The words were straightforward enough:

* * *

Telephone to glory, oh, what joy divine!
I can feel the current moving on the line,
Built by God the Father for His loved and own,
We may talk to Jesus through this royal telephone.

Central’s never “busy,” always on the line;
You may hear from heaven almost any time;
It’s a royal service, free for one and all;
When you get in trouble, give this royal line a call.

There will be no charges, telephone is free,
It was built for service, just for you and me;
There will be no waiting on this royal line,
Telephone to glory always answers just in time.

* * *

If God answers prayer, it’s probably important that we don’t try to do all the talking.

A big part of prayer is simply spending time in silence . . . .

and letting the thought of God . . . .

and the thoughts of God . . . .

take over your mind.

If voters focus on the federal Australian Labor government’s demonstrated ability to govern, the next federal election will do to them what Queenslanders just did to their state’s Labor ex-government.

Their one chance, they suppose, is to teach Australian voters to despise opposition leader, Tony Abbott, so much that they’d vote for anybody to avoid him.

Mr Abbott does have a tendency to speak off the cuff — and sometimes exaggerate his point.

This shows simply that he is human.

* * *

Wikiquotes carries a few such misrepresentable citations, which the ALP will doubtless try to use:

“I won’t be rushing out to get my daughters vaccinated [against cervical cancer]”.

Comment: Many people would agree. Many more, not necessarily agreeing, can see where he is coming from.

“Abortion is the easy way out. It’s hardly surprising that people should choose the most convenient exit from awkward situations”.

Comment: this is true in its way, but the word “easy” was a poor choice.

“While I think men and women are equal, they are also different . . . I don’t think it’s a bad thing that we always have, say, more women doing things like physiotherapy, and an enormous number of women simply doing housework”.

Comment: this is obviously true.

“There may not be a great job for [Aboriginal people] but whatever there is, they just have to do it . . . And if it’s picking up rubbish around the community, it just has to be done.”

Comment: Obviously true — but so obviously capable of being used against him that it wasn’t smart to say it.

“The poor will always be with us”

Comment: This one was headed “Bible bashing the homeless, Abbott style” in the Brisbane Times, 30 June 2010. It is courageous these days to quote Jesus Christ. The ALP as a whole is afraid of Him, what He is and was, what He stands for and what His influence is doing and will increasingly do, to our society. Don’t worry, He is affecting even China in similar ways. And everywhere else. His day is coming with a vengeance (and with mercy).

What is Kevin Rudd to do now he’s on the back bench?

Mr Rudd’s primary job is to represent the people of his electorate, to be accessible to them, assist them when they need help with regard to government red tape, pass on their grievances to the appropriate departments etc.

That has always been his most important job – that’s what representative democracy is about.

Now less distracted by overseas travel, Mr Rudd will at last be better placed than ever before to fulfil his basic role.

You don’t have to be pregnant to suffer morning sickness.

Today, on ABC radio, Mr Stephen Smith, Labor MP, explaining how we need to back Julia Gillard, then “draw a line in the sand and move on . . . .”

Nauseous, eh?

Straight after a bloke had had breakfast.

* * *

Stephen Smith is an outside chance of being a PM-ship candidate if Gillard’s performance fails to improve and it is decided to “draft” somebody into yet another leadership contest.

The real problem here is that Mr Smith is a Catholic. (It says so on Wiki)

A Catholic campaigning for the continued leadership of an atheist, pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, more-or-less-pro-poker-machines, PM.

Himself a potential Catholic PM of Australia — who we know in advance will fail to stand up for Christian teaching and morals.

Saint Mary MacKillop told her Sisters at election time:

“Find out who are the members proposed for the election and vote for those considered friendly to the Church and Religion. Every so-called Catholic is not the best man . . . .”

(see “The REAL Mary MacKillop”, page 14)

Three days ago this blog suggested that Mr Rudd is not a suitable Foreign Minister.

Now he is no longer Foreign Minister.

Coincidence?

Yes, if you say so.

* * *

If Mr Abbott wants to be Prime Minister, all he must do is lie low.

Leave the ALP pollies to rip themselves apart and destroy each others’ credibility.

Perhaps an occasional bland statement . . . to remind us that he exists.

Like, “Labor is run by faceless men and therefore not a fit party to govern . . . .”

* * *

Australian Workers Union Secretary, Paul Howes, tells how in June 2010, shortly before the knifing of Mr Rudd, a “senior federal minister” phoned, asking which out of Rudd and Gillard he wanted for PM.

He said Gillard. We got Gillard.

He — or person(s) of the same kind — will probably decide who is PM next week — and when he/she should call an election.

* * *

Should Australia’s Catholic bishops involve themselves in all this?

While bishops should perhaps not dictate to us whom to support in party politics . . . .

. . . they must warn us when potential leaders appear whose moral stances are such that Christians cannot even think about supporting them.

We must not ignore the fact that PM Gillard is fervently pro-abortion.

And that most of the would-be’s are pro same-sex mock-marriage.

A video clip showing Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, swearing repeatedly turned up on YouTube.

Mr Rudd commented that “I’ve never pretended not to swear from time to time. That’s been out there for a long, long time.”

But a person in Mr Rudd’s position should NEVER swear.

If a man cannot control his own tongue, why allow him to control a government department?

* * *

Mr Rudd might answer that almost everybody swears.

But that is not the point.

He who swears is someone you cannot trust.

The Bible says, “If any man thinks himself religious, not restraining his tongue but deceiving his own heart, that man’s religion is vain.”

We need, somehow, to make bad language un-fashionable.

Lucky the child who grows up thinking, at least for a while, that only children swear – i.e. hearing no swearing at home.

* * *

Most swearing belittles either God or sex.

God and sex are the two sources of our life.

God is the primary source.

Sex is the secondary source.

Like life itself, both of these are sacred.

Swearing is an act of self-destructive despair.

It has a lot in common with suicide.