December 2018.
The last two publications of Cranky Lizard’s words have generated some interesting and worthwhile comments on the whole subject of Cranky Lizard, and why Cranky Lizard speaks in such a manner.
Foremost, in some people’s minds, is why the pseudonym? Why not just say who you are and be done with it?
Cranky Lizard is a very average person who lives in the region in a very ordinary suburban house. Cranky Lizard is also aware that there are forces in today’s society that did not exist, say ten years ago. These forces are driven by the dark energy of identity politics and will use social media as a weapon to deliver harassment and bullying to people and organisations which disagree with them.
Privacy and personal security, therefore, make it essential to be pseudonymous. There are accepted rules regarding the use of pseudonyms in literature and Cranky Lizard complies with all of them….other literary persons who use pseudonyms are Dr Seuss, Robert Galbraith and Stephen King to name a couple.
But enough of that.
There are much more critical events unfolding in our Nation. Cranky Lizard asks you all to consider this fact, not opinion, a fact carefully! At any one time, there are 40 plus oil tankers heading to Australia, filled with oil. Oil which is vital for the daily operation of our Nation.
Australia has no strategic oil reserve for its day to day operations – perhaps we could operate for 40+ days without oil tankers, but after that?
Understandably we have no real idea what the Australian Defence Forces hold in reserve, nor should we, but we can assume that it would not be sufficient to mount a long military defensive campaign – but that, Folks, is not the point. Any emerging military power in our region and there are at least three, could disrupt this oil flow fairly easily leaving us flopping about like a stranded whale on a hostile beach.
And, are we as a nation addressing this issue? Are we asking our political leaders what are they doing about this? No. We are not. We are shouting at each about Section 44 of the Constitution and focusing on personalities and identities. That is what we are doing. Complacency has gripped our political leadership in these matters – we have been informed that we must have a modern submarine fleet to help us protect our shores and our maritime trade routes. We have been informed that these submarines are vital.
Note that. Vital.
But we won't even get one until probably some time in the 2030’s. We could buy US Navy submarines pretty much straight away and for less money, but nuclear engines power them; and bum closing, hysterical nonsense prevails when the issue of nuclear power raises its Minotaur-like head in the halls of defence procurement. It is not that the Defence people are not familiar with nuclear powered naval vessels, the problems are the orchestrated screeching and gimlet-eyed staring from sections of the community and their political representatives when nuclear energy in any form is discussed.
So, our leaders, shy away from the shouting and finger-pointing and we, as a Nation, wait for ten/fifteen years for vital defence equipment. We can only hope that any nation, potentially hostile to us, will wait for us to get the subs………………Can we hope?
In our Federal Parliament the Government flicks Prime Ministers like changing shirts, the Opposition gloats, sitting, like Jabba The Hut, waiting for political power to fall into its hands. But Government may be a poisoned chalice – our debt-to-GDP ratio is at about 30% - close enough to economic chaos as we want to be; are we sensibly addressing the issue?
Nup! We are shouting at each other across the floor of the house and in our national media; yelling and finger pointing, apportioning blame and seeking retribution.
The terrible fact is our public finances are not sound, Australia would struggle to deal with another global economic crisis, we don’t have the buffer of careful management we had last time, and we don’t seem to be able to do anything about it except shout at each other!
Why can’t we function in the national interest? Why the division? Well, it seems as if we have become involved in the three great lies which are destroying Western culture. And Cranky Lizard draws upon a document called “ The Coddling of the American Mind “ by Haidt and Lukianoff, one a sociologist and one a lawyer; and an article by Paul Kelly of The Australian, who wrote a splendid opinion piece about this matter.
The first great untruth in today’s world is that disputes and differences become battles between good and evil. Issues become polarised, and the mundane injustices of everyday life evolve into a contest of distorted morality. For example, regardless of the number of hours you give freely to a charity or a social cause if you do not support climate change, you become, to a large section of the community, an enemy – a bad person and therefore you will be shouted at, often!
The second great untruth is that people will be threatened and oppressed if their beliefs and opinions are challenged, People should be protected and made safe- thus the growth of the fragile society and evolution of safe spaces in Universities etc. Sensible, robust public debate is curtailed; your views on social matters become your identity and to sections of the community you become a threat and must be shouted at, or your voice must be stilled because you are challenging other peoples’ preconceptions. Quite obviously if we encourage the view that no public offence should occur at any time, then the final result will be a powder puff society; a proliferation of much fluff and no substance.
The third great untruth is the “ untruth of emotional reasoning “ [ direct quote from Authors.]. The more you shout, gesticulate, weep, posture, sob, growl, fight or screech the more you prove you care. Unemotional reasoned logic only shows that you are a cold, shocking person and therefore, obviously, an oppressor.
The internet provides a global village green forum for the ‘ fake news, cyber trolls and confected hysteria. ‘ that run about on our phones and on our laptops.
Consequently, our politics are operating in a febrile atmosphere on the edge of emotion and reason; poor decisions are being made, and these poor decisions will affect us strategically and globally for some time to come.
For those of you who want Cranky Lizard to be quiet – forget it! I won't be. Cranky Lizard encourages all of us to take part in reasoned, calm debate in issues which affect our lives. Lose the identity rubbish, lose the blame handles, lose the outrage and start talking and debating with each other in a manner which encourages our political leaders to do the same.
Because with the threats and challenges to our security and our economy that Cranky Lizard has detailed here – we shall need to be calm and talk sensibly.
Stop shouting and start listening – Cranky Lizard is convinced that will work for all of us.
Enjoy your days.