I read recently that in the USA, 70 percent of older people say they want to die at home, surrounded by loved ones etc.

But only 30 percent do so – most die in hospitals or nursing homes.

Why?

Sometimes a medical reason, unmanageable at home, arises — then there is no choice.

Often, however, there simply isn’t anybody with time available to spend on the old person as he/she becomes increasingly dependent.

Unfortunately.

* * *

A fortnight ago, Prime Minister Gillard said a speech, “I believe in the benefits and dignity of work. I believe in creating jobs and increasing workforce participation . . . .”

The punch-line soon arrived.

Yes, thanks to the nice Carbon Tax, she’ll be raising the tax-free threshold from $6,000 to $18,000.

Hooking married women into away-from-home jobs — using a tax-free $18000 bait.

What with the Carbon-Tax-induced sky-rocketing prices of electricity etc., most women are going to feel they have no choice.

We know how bad this is for their little children — dumped into institutional childcare from infancy, spending their waking hours wondering where Mum is.

We know about that . . . .

Less often discussed is the where-will-granny-pass-away connection.

* * *

If husbands received a wage on which a family could live and Mums stayed home, not only could children be parented by their parents . . . .

Granny could also die at peace.

(P.S. Such Mums could also live simpler, enviro-friendly, carbon-footprint-minimal lifestyles – growing their own vegetables, breast-feeding their own babies, walking more, driving less, doing  volunteer activities when time permits . . . .)

If an American told you that he comes from New Orleans (rhyming with “beans”), what would you know about him for certain?

You would know that he is lying.

If he really came from that city, he would say he comes from New Orleans (rhyming with “fallen”).

So now you know.

* * *

If somebody said he has no fear of death . . . .

“Not even one scintilla . . . .”

As one media personality allegedly said the other day, before having a deceased person’s liver transplanted into him . . . .

What do we know about him?

Oh yes, we all fear death. Even people who say they don’t.

And so we should.

* * *

At death, one stops having choices.

One enters eternity. Very unfamiliar.

There our Creator awaits us.

God loves us – otherwise we would never have existed.

But, what if we have made ourselves incapable of responding to his love — by a lifetime of habitual indulgence of our whims and passions in defiance of him?

That’s what hell is.

Anyway, at least we know about it and can devote the rest of our lives to making sure we avoid it.

* * *

If hell wasn’t a possibility, heaven would not be heaven. We would be robots.

If God had made us incapable of disobedience, our “obedience” would be based on no ability to choose.

We would not really exist.

Think about these words of Saint Catherine of Siena:

“God’s mercy is known in all his creatures, both the just and the unjust.

In the height of heaven, God’s mercy shines . . . .

If I turn to the earth, his mercy is everywhere.

Even in the darkness of hell his mercy is seen, for he does not punish the damned as much as they deserve.”

(No, but those in hell are eaten away by the cancer of remorse – knowing they could have been enjoying God forever, but have irrevocably cut themselves off.)

Gloria Cruz of Darwin had a stroke-like attack on March 7 this year, and was rushed to hospital, where brain surgery was done.

The doctors said her case was hopeless, and her husband was asked to consent to her ventilator being turned off.

He did not consent.

After repeated approaches by doctors and social workers, over a couple of weeks, he gave in and it was turned off.

But she kept on breathing anyway, and surprised all concerned by waking up three days later.

The latest news is that she is getting about in a wheel chair, and her husband says, “She is well on the way to recovery.”

* * *

What does that prove?

Mr Cruz says it proves that God does miracles.

Others will argue that God doesn’t do miracles, because there is no God – not an “interventionist” God anyway.

Others will say, yes, but what about those who pray for a miracle and the patient dies regardless?

All this can be debated forever.

One thing is certain — the “brain dead” people from whom kidney transplants etc. are taken, should be left alone.

Being so-called brain-dead simply means that one or more experts think the brain is dead.

Experts are often wrong.

* * *

The Bible says:

O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth.

You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of children and babes in arms your majesty is proclaimed . . . .

When I regard the sky, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you should be mindful of him?

Yet you have made him inferior only to yourself and crowned him with glory and honour . . . .

Philip Morris cigarette company is threatening take the federal government to court over the proposed laws forcing cigarettes to be sold in plain packs with no brand name or logo.

Prime Minister Gillard says they will fail and intends to press on with the legislation.

The World Health Organisation has recommended to all countries to do what Australia is doing.

It is not a locally-grown crazy idea.

It is the first of what one hopes will be many examples world-wide of the same thing.

* * *

What if the cigarette interests do win?

They may score a few millions or billions of dollars.

The money will come out of taxpayers’ pockets.

Taxpayers will not be pleased, and might well boycott P. Morris-associated brands of cigs and do them a lot of harm.

* * *

If the government wins, it might then take Philip Morris to court and claim a few billions for what it has cost taxpayers to provide hospital beds for the many thousands suffering cigarette-related diseases.

Perhaps Philip Morris could be bankrupted out of existence.

That would be nice.

The United States is calling on the government of Syria to end its violence against its opponents, whom they describe as “rights groups”.

The US hasn’t, so far, started killing Syrians, or encouraged its allies to – as in Libya.

Why not? Is the US running out of money for the necessary bombs etc?

Or is the strategic significance of Syria different from that of Libya in the worldview of US big business?

As for “rights” — what rights do the protesting Syrian rebel groups have in mind?

The “rights” to elections?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

If victorious, one right they will almost certainly give themselves will be the right to kill every Alawite and every Christian in the land.

* * *

Syria is populated by 75 percent Sunni Muslims.

The biggest minority group is the Alawites, who comprise about 12-15 percent.

The Alawites happen to include the Assad family and its connections who control the government and the army.

The Alawites consider themselves Muslims, but Sunnis consider them heretical non-Muslim betrayers — and resent their existence.

From a Christian point of view, the Alawite government of President Bashar al-Assad has been more satisfactory than most Muslim-dominated governments.

They have been tolerant of all religions — including having Christians in government, administration and in the army.

* * *

Some of the violence of the Syrian government has been disgustingly excessive . . . if we can believe the media.

But will the “rights” brigade be worse, once given the chance?

The USA has been good at turning a blind eye to brutal dictatorships around the world. (And are not most human governments brutal dictatorships?)

Perhaps the Syria affair is another good one to keep out of.

Better than to intervene and help the wrong side.

It is all very sad.

Pray hard. Pray, in particular, for world peace.

If we live lives strictly obedient to God, our prayers will be heard.

Last Sunday, President Obama spoke at a memorial service at Joplin, the town destroyed by the recent tornado.

The speech had a “religious” flavour.

It went over pretty well.                                                                                                                          

He received repeated standing ovations.

* * *

“These things (tornadoes) are beyond our power to control,” he said.

 “How we respond when the storm strikes is up to us . . . it’s in these moments, through our actions, that we often see the glimpse  of what makes life worth living in the first place.”

Loud clapping.               

But when you look hard at that sentence, isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with it?

Anyway, he then quoted examples of heroic actions done at the time of the tornado — two men saving the lives of others, risking their own safety – and, in fact, both dying.

Certainly the selflessness of these men was amazing.

Their bravery is an example to us all.

* * *

Then Mr O said, “In a world that can be cruel and selfish, it’s this knowledge — the knowledge that we are inclined to love one another, that we’re inclined to do good, to be good — that causes us to take heart.”

The crowd loved it.

Pride in being American led to lots of Kleenexes being required.

Yet it wasn’t quite right . . . .

* * *

More accurate, perhaps, to have said, “In a world where you do, on occasions, see examples of kindness and unselfishness – the knowledge that we are more often inclined to exploit and despise one another, that we’re inclined to do bad, to be bad – that causes us to lose heart.”

If only we were honest enough to say that . . . .

Honest enough to turn to God, acknowledging that he is the only source of good . . . .

Then we might commit our lives to obeying him, not just on odd occasions, but day in, day out.

Even showing mercy to those most vulnerable and helpless of all . . . .

A pro-abortion President comes over rather unconvincing when trumpeting about his nation’s compassion.