Comments on: Australian Prime Minister Helps Take on Scientology

By: Pseudononymate

Pseudononymate — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:47:09 +0000

Hey, if anyone wants to actually DO something to support Xenophon, you can sign a petition here!
http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/32251.html

By: Daphon

Daphon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:59:44 +0000

Oh, and Rudd’s aircraft tantrum about his weight loss diet rather than not eating meat on Fridays due to religious beliefs:

“Mr Rudd has been losing weight and is on a non-red meat and fruit-only for dessert diet.”

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/kevin-rudd-blows-up-over-special-vip-jet-meal/story-e6freuy9-1225697726533

(I’m no apologist for Rudd as I loathe the man almost as much as I did Howard.)

By: Daphon

Daphon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:55:09 +0000

“Remember who it was who removed all legal inequities for same-sex couples (apart from one).”

Not all, only those under federal legislation. For example, private superannuation companies can still (and most do) discriminate against same-sex couples.

Although brought up a Catholic, Rudd now attends Anglican churches.

If Rudd does today what ex-Sen Greig predicts

http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/11/20/rudds-divorced-from-reality-when-it-comes-to-gay-marriage/

then, yes, as far as I’m concerned he is a Christian fundy.

http://www.acl.org.au/national/browse.stw?article_id=28324

By: Fiona

Fiona — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:08:34 +0000

@pseudonym – I’m just waiting to see if they go and overturn the ACT’s civil unions bill again…

By: Pseudonym

Pseudonym — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:01:55 +0000

Stevejme, I don’t like the Catholic agenda either, but KRudd is hardly a “fundamentalist”. Remember who it was who removed all legal inequities for same-sex couples (apart from one).

By: Stevejme

Stevejme — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:55:02 +0000

Sadly our PM is a Christian fundamentalist who will not be getting my vote next year.

By: Gibbot

Gibbot — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:50:48 +0000

It's already stirring the pot down here. There were two online articles today calling for an end to tax exemption for all religions. The first was from Crikey, a lefty online subscription service that are generally ahead of the pack on issues like this. The second, surprisingly, came from Murdoch site The Punch. While there are obviously more religious wingnut comments on the the punch article, the majority of comments on both stories are overwhelmingly in favour of scrapping tax concessions. We're a long long way off seeing any action, but even getting the issue into the public forum is a victory of sorts. Oh, and here's the full transcript of Xenophon's speech.

By: Pseudonym

Pseudonym — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:22:42 +0000

Matt, it starts on page 73 of that day's Hansard (1.1Mb PDF download). He did indeed make specific allegations and named names. Most of the cases were based on statements and letters written to him. I heard a report that he handed over the letters to the police; I haven't seen a confirmation from the Senator himself.

By: Matt D

Matt D — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:16:08 +0000

I caught this on the news last night but didnt hear any of the specific allegations – were any actually made?

As an independent senator Xenophon wields a disproportionate amount of power and has used this position to earn concessions on his pet interests, on threat of blocking important legislation.

I’d like to know who’s behind this, I doubt he’s cooked it up on his own.

Even though it is only CoS (a pretty easy target here), it could be the thin edge of the wedge, but I doubt K-Rudd will be too interested in digging dirt on the more “mainstream” religions.

and yes, the whole Xenophon/Xenu thing is a too funny

By: DexX

DexX — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:32:57 +0000

He can talk the talk, but Xenophon has trouble walking the walk. He has proven himself to be unreasonable and obstructionist, and likes to hold genuinely important legislation to ransom to generate publicity for his own little hobby horses.

Pony, above, has Xenophon’s number.

That said, I’d prefer a senate full of Xenophons to a single Fielding. He’s a climate change denier who went on a junket to the US (funded by big oil) looking at all the evidence against man-made climate change, and he came home and voted against legislation to combat it.

Admittedly, the legislation was pretty pissweak, but it was a start. Opposing it for being inadequate is one thing, but he opposed it because it was addressing a problem that the friendly people at ExxonMobile assured him is a media scare campaign.