A Melbourne man diagnosed with cancer is bigger than the war in Afghanistan. The heroin toll continues to play catchup with the ever increasing road toll – on page 20. The world-wide economic downturn barely rates a mention. And safe-sex and drink-driving? Well, we’ve all read that before, it’s last week’s news.

John Howard is a good polititian. I hate him as a leader. He has shown nothing but disdain for those in need and revels in a 1950s ideal which simply disgusts me. It came as no surprise when he started to lock up distressed children. The innocents of our lives, those yet to be touched by our prejudices and our unjust society. I am, of course, talking about asylum seekers and our habit of ignoring those in need.

For most of us it is a foreign feeling to be forced by circumstances to flee our homeland. To feel so much in danger that we must travel half-way around the world, no matter what the expense or means. We have no concept of the horror of shooting our own daughter to save her from the beating, rape and torture our wife was subjected to the year before by the last invading army. We are not likely to be stopped on the way home from work and instructed to slit an 11 year old boys throught and hear the most awful blood scream from one who reminds you so much of your own son. But we have no problem in those subjected to this trauma in a detention centre. A place where 67% of people have had suicidal thoughts.

The fact that Australians applauded the policy of the government makes me sick to my stomach. “Mandatory detention” or with the Tampa, ship them off to some poor island with no money and a corrupt government. Make it a S.E.P (Somebody Else’s Problem). It doesn’t work that way. It will bite us on the arse and bring up pustules of unbelievable pain. Telling people that nobody cares will only lead them to beleive it – a beleif which we try furiously to steer our youth away from.

But is anybody out ther listening? Is it all last weeks news? Are you really all that apathetic that you’ll no longer take an interest just because it’s been a week and we should all just get over it already. People starve to death everyday while we live in a gross excess of fat and laziness that is only surpassed by a country which trains those who attack it. Go fucking figure.

If you’re too lazy to get off your ass and do something then you’re wasting your time, I’m here to tell you you’re the problem. Those who help, in any way they can – be it helping a friend, helping a stranger, giving directions to lost ones in the street, offering a safe haven for a refugee – you are the ones i admire. You are the ones that will inherit the earth and it will be better for it. Help and love those around you, every day make sure they know it. We aren’t in uncertain times, we always are. Nothing is certain and there is only the destiny we put ourselves towards.