A report entitled, “Caring for our Australian Alps Catchments: Summary Report for Policy Makers” was released by Mr Greg Combet, Minister for Climate Change, last Monday, 10 October 2011.

It says that about 1000 gigalitres of water – 30 percent of total Murray-Darling flow – come from Australian Alps catchments, and are worth $9.6 billion per year to the nation.

It also says that, of these 235 catchments, 60 percent are in “substandard” condition.

Mr Combet then goes on to claim that, because of this, it is necessary that Australia reduce its output of what he insists on calling “greenhouse gases”.

And that the right way to do that is to press on with “putting a price on carbon”.

Yawn.

* * *

The irrigated region using all this water is Australia’s largest producer of WINE GRAPES.

Much of that wine is exported – but nearly half goes down the throats of citizens of Australia.

Sales of alcoholic drinks in Australia in 2007 were estimated at 2.7 BILLION litres.

Alcohol drinking is Australia’s biggest health problem — and its biggest social problem, crime-wise.

If we are so short of water, why not, as a first step in saving some, stop WASTING it producing wine grapes?

In February and March 2011, the violence in Bahrain was bad.

The military used live weapons to clear protesting crowds.

The soldiers were Sunnis.

The victims were Shi’ites.

The injured were treated by doctors at the local Salmaniya hospital.

Subsequently many doctors were arrested — on the pretext of  having, by their actions, “plotted to overthrow the monarchy”.

* * *

Their only crime was doing what all doctors vow to do — to treat the sick and injured regardless of class, creed or colour.

Some doctors were kicked, beaten and threatened with rape.

Thus “confessions” were obtained and the “guilty” doctors sentenced to up to 15 years prison.

To avoid arrest, those doctors would have had to consider persons of the “wrong” religion as non-humans — not entitled to be treated like real humans.

* * *

What about Victoria in Australia?

Here the law says that any doctor unwilling to do an abortion, and who declines to refer the patient to a “doctor” who does such things, can be arrested.

We are expected to pretend that unborn humans are not humans — but fair game for extermination.

Looking at it from God’s point of view, this must be very displeasing.

God has created all his children in love, and expects us to give them all love and justice accordingly.

In principle, Victoria is not even a little bit better than Bahrain in this regard.

Jeff Kennett, head of Beyondblue, a charity devoted to fighting the epidemic of depressive illness in Australia, has made a tactical error.

He said something without prior approval from the media and the feminist/homosexual lobby.

He said that, “Clearly the best environment in which to bring a child into the world is a stable, loving environment in which a male and female are married to each other.”

A welcome bit of common sense.

* * *

Now, of course, he is being told to resign — blackmailed by past donors threatening to pull out unless he knuckles under.

His CEO has resigned without explanation.

Anyway, Mr Kennett has said he will neither apologise nor step down.

So far . . . .

* * *

There is a condition called “coprophagia”, which affects some unfortunate children. They eat their poo.

Few continue doing so into adult life. But coprophagia is said to be observed in small numbers of patients with schizophrenia, depression and autism.

It is normally treated using strategies aimed at reversing the underlying condition.

What is NOT done is tell them they’re doing the right thing — and to organise poo-eating Mardi Gras-type celebrations.

Some things are not just “diversity”, they are wrong, unhealthy and abnormal.

Mr Kennett didn’t say all that about homosexual practices, but his enemies may fear that one day he will.

Federal Member for Mildura, John Forrest, has told the media he will vote against homosexual “marriage” because his electorate is “very conservative” and “not ready for it”.

If the local paper’s poll (accessible only to people with the internet) manages to come up with a majority in favour of it, what will he say then?

He will have to say that he is going to vote against it because it is wrong and unnatural.

Which is what he should have said in the first place.

* * *

Very little clear thinking seems to go on about homosexuality.

It may help to compare it with alcohol abuse.

Both are traits that can cause powerful desires.

Both are bad for both individual health and for the health of the community.

Both can be resisted by means of will power plus support from friends, family or professional helpers.

Just as we have programs for rehabilitation of drunks, we might consider setting up rehab programs for those given to unhealthy sexual practices.

* * *

The two disorders are not exactly parallel, of course.

Homosexual practice is obviously worse from a moral point of view.

You can get drunk on your own.

To practice homosexuality, one must groom/seduce/recruit somebody to do it with.

This other person is harmed in a way that may well prove irreversible.

The US Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy no longer exists, since its formal repeal as from 20 September.

This policy was a compromise, introduced 17 years ago under President Clinton, regarding the potential problems of having homosexually-active persons in the military.

* the “Don’t Ask” part was an attempt at fairness to people with homosexual orientation – not asking them, during medical and psychological assessments of fitness to enlist, about their “sexuality”. Previously some had been rejected on those grounds.

* the “Don’t Tell” part was an understanding that homosexually-inclined members of the forces not speak about their inclinations — nor indulge in homosexual conduct — the penalty being discharge from the service.

* there were also implied “Don’t Pursue” and “Don’t Harass” guidelines: service personnel being investigated (pursued) re homosexuality only if their openness about it was blatant –and they were not to be subjected to persecution or violence (harassed) by other troops.

* * *

Polls suggest that probably a majority of Americans favour the repeal.

However Archbishop Broglio, head Catholic military chaplain, favoured retaining “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

The basic Catholic position remains, of course, the same.

Namely that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”

Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry, has written, “I respect their right to engage in the individual behaviour of their choosing, but they must respect the rights of millions of Americans who refuse to normalise their behaviour . . . Tolerance is a two-way street.”

If Perry perseveres with this stance — and if he becomes President — “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” may well be reinstated.

The media were yesterday quoting recent research suggesting that women in their 50s who drink alcohol are more likely to have a healthy old age than non-drinkers.

Popular news, no doubt.

But does it tell us anything of practical relevance?

The small print reveals that the research is talking about women who drink one standard drink or less per day.

Microscopic amounts – especially by Australian standards.

Less than two thirds of a can of standard strength beer . . . .

Less than 20 teaspoons of table wine . . . .

Professor Jennie Connor of the Dunedin Medical School in New Zealand comments, “I feel very strongly that there is no scientific justification for the promotion of alcohol as health-enhancing for any subgroup of the population. The potential for harm is great and the potential for good is unknown.”

* * *

This Friday, September 9, has been designated Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Day.

Did you know that FASD is the leading cause of mental retardation in Western countries?

The media don’t seem keen on telling us that. **

FASD is totally preventable if mothers-to-be drank no alcohol.

It seems there is no safe minimum amount of alcohol-drinking in pregnancy.

For more facts on this, Google “Isabella’s List”.

** www.come-over.to/FAS/FASDfacts.htm