Coles advertisement in today’s paper: “There’s no FRESHNESS like Coles FRESHNESS”.

Referring to fruit and vegetables.

When will we see them sloganise: “There’s no exploitation of addicts like Coles exploitation of addicts”?

If you want to buy anything in Coles, you must enter through the gate and exit through the check-out.

Anything?

Not quite . . . .

* * *

If you’re buying cigarettes you don’t need to enter or exit at all.

Grab them at the footpath-fronting front counter, bypassing both gate and check0ut.

They know that half the people to whom they sell cigarettes are on the pathway to DEATH from cigarette-related disease.

They need lots of recruits to replace the dead ones.

* * *

Impulse-buying by the weak-minded is what they love – what they live on and depend on.

How disgusting.

The money they make is BLOOD MONEY.

The money you save by shopping there is blood money.

The occupants of Canberra’s Aboriginal “Tent Embassy” did their cause no good by terrorising our Prime Minister on Thursday.

That doesn’t mean that the Embassy should not exist.

Aboriginal culture includes the notion of their spirits belong to the land.

Not any land, but the land associated with one’s clan, totem or whatever.

Belonging to this particular land, you don’t feel the same about any other piece of land.

There’s little temptation to invade the land of the next-door tribe.

If Europeans felt that way, World War I and World War II may never have happened.

* * *

So January 26 (“Invasion Day”) is arguably a bad day.

How to make the invaders understand?

Give them a taste of their own medicine?

Invade/annexe a piece of land important to white Australian culture and see how they like it?

The choice of the “Embassy” site makes sense.

* * *

In fact both we and the land belong to God, Father of all races.

Saint Mary MacKillop said, “In the trials, annoyances and anxieties we daily experience, may we ever recognise that loving Fatherly Hand . . . .”

At present, neither Australia’s blacks nor whites seem to quite get it.

Let us pray that we soon will.

December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents.

Commemorates the slaughter of innocent children by a jealous, insecure dictator about 2012 years ago.

Gospel of Saint Matthew:

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, “Get up, take the Child and his Mother. Flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Joseph took the Child and his Mother by night, went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod . . . .

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was angry. He sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem aged two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be consoled, because they are no more . . . .”

* * *

Last Sunday, another slaughter of holy innocents.

At least 40 people have been killed in bomb attacks in central and northern Nigeria  — attributed to Muslims of the Boko Haram sect which seeks to impose Sharia law in Nigeria.

A bomb exploded at the end of Christmas Mass in St Teresa’s church, Madalla (near the capital, Abuja) killing an estimated 35 victims.

Pope Benedict XVI said: “I wish to express my solidarity with those who have been hit by this absurd act and invite prayers for the many victims.”

* * *

The indispensable first step in making this a better world is to convert all Muslims to the Catholic Faith.

The first indispensable step in converting all Muslims is for all Catholics to put their Faith first in their lives.

And to do it cheerfully, humbly, non-judgementally, charitably, generously , enthusiastically . . . .

These victims may not have died in vain.

It is amazing that there is such a thing as Christmas.

The One whose birth is commemorated seems such an unlikely person to have dominated human history — and to have done so for so long.

This Jesus had no army.

He had no friends in high places.

At his death, the number willing to stand by him could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Yet now, 2011 years later, 2.1 billion — one third of all human beings — follow him at least nominally. (Pew Research, 2010 *)

Yes, that is amazing.

We have a lot to be thankful for.

Let us ask God to grant us each a happy and holy Christmas.

And to enable us in New Year 2012 to live faithfully by the teachings of Jesus Christ.

( * www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx)

Mr Abbott says he will bind all Coalition MPs to vote against legal recognition of “same-sex-marriage”:

“Every single member of the Coalition went to last election saying that marriage is between one man and one woman . . . every single member”.

He insists that “we can’t be a party that says one thing before an election and does differently after.”

He is right. We already have a party which does that. We don’t need another.

* * *

Some people might argue that all politicians of every party lie and break promises.

Well it isn’t one of the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Could things change?

Could Mr Abbott reach next election able to say truthfully that his party has remained true to its stated policies?

If so, he’ll have very big win.

* * *

In our culture it is well understood when lies are justified and when they are not.

Lying to the Gestapo about a Jewish friend hiding in your attic is NOT a serious sin. The Gestapo have no right to that information and are likely to use it for evil ends.

But to lie to the voting public . . . that is a serious sin.

Voters have the right to know the true intentions of political candidates. There’s no excuse for lying about a straightforward matter like marriage policy.

In this area, Mr Abbott has got it right.

The ALP has got it wrong.

Bashar al-Assad. President of Syria, denies responsibility for the killing of many (some say 4000) anti-government activists in recent months.

He claims that hundreds of police and soldiers have been killed by the “peaceful” protesters.

The “protests” in Tunis, Egypt and Libya in the last year or two seem to have done nobody much good.

Their net result may well turn out to be no more and no less “democracy” – but plenty more Sharia law and military rule.

* * *

What “rights” did the protesting Syrian rebel groups actually have in mind?

The “rights” to elections?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

If victorious, one “right” they’ll probably give themselves is the “right” to kill every Alawite and every Christian in the land.

* * *

Syria is 75 percent Sunni Muslim. The biggest minority is the Alawites (sort of Shi’ites),12-15 percent. Christians about 6 percent.

From a Christian viewpoint, Assad’s Alawite government has been streets ahead of most Muslim-dominated governments . . . .

Tolerant of all religions — including having Christians prominent in government, administration and the army.

We of the west might do best to keep our noses out of internal matters of nations whose cultures we don’t really understand.