1109/2003

Now before the CIA and ASIO starts a file on me, (then who's to say they haven't already?) or starts trailing me around to make sure I am not up to something - hear me out.

I am as against terrorism as the majority of the worlds people are. The difference is like many humanitarians around the world, I have thought for many many years - that if we don't start changing our ways and start becoming a Family of Humanity we won't have to worry about terrorists, or suicide bombers, etc.

It is not a good feeling, when you see what you have been saying for ages happening. We as a species on this planet have done so much damage that even the planet is at boiling point, through our materialistic greed and need to be the superior beings.

To the planet we are the threat, maybe the planet is taking it's revenge, or simply fighting back - or worse doing the dearth roll.

We have raped, plundered and killed off so much of it, without a second thought - I say thank heavens for terrorists- not because of the horrible events we have witnessed over resent years, but because of terrorism, we now get a chance to wake up.

I say Thank heavens for terrorists, because it is only now, when terrorism is knocking at our own doorstep, are we willing to consider the possibility that - we may be part of the problem, or the reason for the events we are so fearful of. Only now are we game to examine ourselves and take some of the blame, blame for not listening to the warning signs long ago.

Only now are we slowly waking up and starting to understand and really see -that it is things we all did long ago that brought us all to this point. That we didn't cared that much before about people dying in a foreign country or the planet dying. Only when it became a media event for awhile. If we did care we would have been doing far more to help, long before the first bomb dropped in Afghanistan or the first holes in the ozone layer appeared. No it is because we now feel personally at risk, our families, our children, our home, our property, our country, our own security has been threatened.

Australia is now a terrorist target and planet target, because we as a nation blindly followed others to become one of the greedy nations.

We blindly followed even into war, understandable after Sept 11, but wrong never the less! Oil is always lurking in the background.

I have always felt the fact Prime Minister Howard was in Washington at the time of the bombing, made him, support so quickly - in the heat and emotions of the moment.

If he had been in Australia and away from the emotions and revenge, he may have decided to support in a different way - who knows Bali may never have happened! We may not be now searching for the love, that should have been there in the first place. How long since we have thought about Afghanistan - how long since a TV crew has shown us what life is like for children still in refugee camps in Pakistan. How long since we have thought about the children dying in Africa of aides and starvation.

After the September 11 bombing, revenge was on a certain Presidents mind and when this is the motive, common sense and decency goes out the window. I now look around Australia and the world see average people are thinking about peace, talking about peace, wanting peace all of us in panic mood.

What brought this about? Was it a concern for the people in Afghanistan, or Iraq? I am sure a lot are, but lets us as a nation be honest, how many are concerned and know something has to be done - because we fear it could happen to us right here in Australia!! Why do I make this tough statement? Something stuck me recently.

I have seen it before - with the indigenous issues. The problem was there for years, the injustice and inequality. It was indigenous people and a few others, trying everything to get the message across to the wider community, that something had to be done.

That something was very wrong and unfair.

Think back to this issue. When did the population start to take notice and demand governments do something? The answer is - only when the problem was on our doorstep. While the problem was locked away on restricted indigenous communities, no one wanted to do much about it. That's what I am watching again now.

I now see a morning TV show starting a campaign called "Where is the love". Great idea so needed - but why has it started now? Why wasn't it started years ago, when children were dying in Iraq - long before the first bomb fell, when our sanctions killed over half a million children, that's more children than died in Hiroshima Today we are worrying about a ship full of sheep,(rightly so) demanding our government do something- why weren't we demanding our government do things to help the dying children of Iraq.

When people who are now terrorists were screaming to the western world that something was wrong? Why were we not willing to even hear them out? Could the answer be - that now it is on our door step, we are all going to wake up to what we should have been doing long ago? Like the planet and indigenous Australians, we have all known for many many years they were dying, enough people were trying to tell us, but did we listen? Only when it is finally at boiling point, we are finally waking up! When it is at our door step, remember the story of the "Boiling Frog"

So yes I say Thank heavens for terrorists, only when we are game to admit we are all terrorist when we have selective blindness, only when we work out we are in this together, will we find the love the planet is needing. Otherwise it will continue to look like a Mad Max film set.

When we are game to no longer be - them and us - and care about all children not only our own, will we survive.

If we are game to admit it, each of us know, we have helped bring this planet to boiling point, by not wanting to bother when we heard, the warning signs. Only listening when they banged on our doors.

Where is the love? It is in all of us, we just have to give it to the world, not just our own family, friends,that is selective love - is not unconditional love, that's the love we must all have in our hearts if we are to survive.

I say Thank heavens for terrorists, who ever they are, they have given us the wake up call we all needed, when they knocked on our door.

We are really just A Family of Humanity, the question is are we willing to

That is the message the planet is now trying to tell us - are we listening now??

The Boiling Frog

I hope we don't wait for another load of boat people before we start thinking of the people still in detention centres in Australia. "Where is the Love " something I am sure they are still wondering about!

Have a nice day, I will being glad that terrorists have made us look for the right kind of love.

Kerry Bowden
Global Children's Alliance
One Mind One Voice.
A Famility of Humanity
PS: Caitlin say