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Community View: Abortion clinic law is too vague

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Arbonne Mens Product Range Is Launched At My Arbonne Ltd.

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Alzheimer’s / Dementia Also Included In: Depression Article Date: 08 May 2012 – 8:00 PDT

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More than five million people in the US alone suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and the health care costs run at a staggering $172 Billion.

Deborah E. Barnes, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and colleagues explain how :

“Prevalence and costs of AD and other dementias are projected to rise dramatically during the next 40 years unless a prevention or a cure can be found.

Therefore, it is critical to gain a greater understanding of the key risk factors and etiologic underpinnings of dementia from a population-based perspective.”

The researchers evaluated more than 13,000 long term Kaiser Permanente members, looking for a history of depressive symptoms in midlife (1964-1973) and in late life (1994-2000), and compared the results with those suffering from Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia; dementia resulting from brain damage from reduced blood flow to the brain.

Depressive symptoms were evident in 14 percent of study participants during midlife, and 9 percent later in life, while just over 4 percent suffered during both periods. The follow-up spanned six years, and 22.5 percent of patients were diagnosed with dementia, 5.5% with Alzheimer’s disease and 2.3 percent with vascular dementia.

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Middle Aged And Elderly With Depression Have Higher Risk Of Dementia

RICHMOND, Va. —

President Barack Obama kicked off his re-election campaign Saturday at rallies in Ohio and Richmond, where he cast the election as a choice between policies of the past or progress, and a make or break moment for the middle class.

Before a boisterous crowd of about 8,000 at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center, in the capital of a swing state that could be key to his securing a second term, Obama said that while the nation’s economy still faces headwinds, it’s making progress.

He presented himself as a fighter for the middle class and cast presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney as a potential president who will rubber stamp the agenda of conservatives in Congress.

But Virginia, I tell you what, we cant give him the chance. Not now. Not with so much at stake. This isnt just another election. This is a make-or-break moment for America’s middle class, he said to an eruption of applause.

He said Romney would spend trillions on tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and stop regulations of the reckless behavior on Wall Street.

Somehow, he and his friends in Congress think that the same bad ideas will lead to a different result. Or theyre just hoping that you wont remember what happened the last time we tried it their way, he said.

Virginia, Im here to say that we were there, we remember, and were not going back.

The president, who was introduced by first lady Michelle Obama, predicted that this election will be closer than the last, when he carried Virginia by six percentage points, becoming the first Democrat in 44 years to win Virginia’s electoral votes.

His decision to hold one of the first two public rallies of his campaign in Richmond underscores the states status as a battleground. With 13 electoral votes, Virginia is considered one of the most valuable toss-up states, perhaps only behind Florida with 29 electoral votes and Ohio with 18.

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President concludes speech at VCU's Siegel Center

RICHMOND, Va. —

President Barack Obama kicked off his re-election campaign Saturday at rallies in Ohio and Richmond, where he cast the election as a choice between policies of the past or progress, and a make or break moment for the middle class.

Before a boisterous crowd of about 8,000 at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center, in the capital of a swing state that could be key to his securing a second term, Obama said that while the nation’s economy still faces headwinds, it’s making progress.

He presented himself as a fighter for the middle class and cast presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney as a potential president who will rubber stamp the agenda of conservatives in Congress.

But Virginia, I tell you what, we cant give him the chance. Not now. Not with so much at stake. This isnt just another election. This is a make-or-break moment for America’s middle class, he said to an eruption of applause.

He said Romney would spend trillions on tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and stop regulations of the reckless behavior on Wall Street.

Somehow, he and his friends in Congress think that the same bad ideas will lead to a different result. Or theyre just hoping that you wont remember what happened the last time we tried it their way, he said.

Virginia, Im here to say that we were there, we remember, and were not going back.

The president, who was introduced by first lady Michelle Obama, predicted that this election will be closer than the last, when he carried Virginia by six percentage points, becoming the first Democrat in 44 years to win Virginia’s electoral votes.

His decision to hold one of the first two public rallies of his campaign in Richmond underscores the states status as a battleground. With 13 electoral votes, Virginia is considered one of the most valuable toss-up states, perhaps only behind Florida with 29 electoral votes and Ohio with 18.

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Obama tells Siegel Center crowd: 'We're not turning back the clock'

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are two notable conditions that can result from military service. And they have become particularly important in understanding and defending veterans involved in the criminal justice system. At the same time, specialty courts and legal projects specific to veterans are gaining traction. Overall, these developments highlight the ongoing dialogue between criminal justice and medical science in fairly adjudicating the responsibility and mitigating the punishment of veterans charged with crimes.

This article surveys recent and notable studies and guides, web resources for further research, and directories for legal assistance specific to veterans.

CASES AND CASE STUDIES

Porter v. McCollum, 130 S. Ct. 447 (2009) “Petitioner George Porter is a veteran who was both wounded and decorated for his active participation in two major engagements during the Korean War; his combat service unfortunately left him a traumatized, changed man. His commanding officer’s moving description of those two battles was only a fraction of the mitigating evidence that his counsel failed to discover or present during the penalty phase of his trial in 1988. In this federal postconviction proceeding, the District Court held that Porter’s lawyer’s failure to adduce that evidence violated his Sixth Amendment right to counsel and granted his application for a writ of habeas corpus. The Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed, on the ground that the Florida Supreme Court’s determination that Porter was not prejudiced by any deficient performance by his counsel was a reasonable application of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Like the District Court, we are persuaded that it was objectively unreasonable to conclude there was no reasonable probability the sentence would have been different if the sentencing judge and jury had heard the significant mitigation evidence that Porter’s counsel neither uncovered nor presented. We therefore grant the petition for certiorari in part and reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals.”

Case Annotations and Resources Military Service USSG S5h1.11 Departures and Booker Variances (USSC 2012) “This document contains case annotations to federal judicial opinions that involve USSGS5H1.11 (Military, Civic, Charitable, or Public Service; Employment-Related Contributions; Record of Prior Good Works (Policy Statement)) departures and Booker variances related to a defendant’s military service. Included in this document is a brief introduction discussing how courts have recognized military service and mental health issues relating to combat service, followed by annotations to some relevant case law. An appendix provides links to helpful internet sites.”

War Torn, NY Times, Jan. 13, 2008 “A series of articles and multimedia about veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home.” See War Torn: Cases “The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war.”

CRIMINAL DEFENSE

Attorney’s Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court (NVF 2012) “The National Veterans Foundation is preparing to launch the Attorney’s Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court. This 700+ page publication will offer defense and plaintiff attorneys, judges, expert witnesses, and law schools the contributions of leading experts from the fields of law, medicine and mental health and address issues surrounding PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury), substance abuse, and other combat-related issues. The current release date is planned for June.” Click here for more information.

Defending Those Who Defend Us: Key Considerations When Representing Veterans (Office of Defender Services)(PPT) “I. Military Service as Grounds for a Reduced Sentence A. The Supreme Court’s view of military service and mitigation B. November 2010 Guideline Amendment C. Recent District Court decisions granting relief to veterans D. Relevant news articles II. Key Considerations for Practitioners A. Gathering vital information about your veteran B.A primer on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) C. Telling your client’s story.”

Emerging Issues: Returning Veterans, PTSD and Other Injuries, and Their Impact on the Criminal Justice System (NCSTL 2008)(PPTs) “‘PTSD and Other Injuries’ is an important, high-interest topic which unfortunately represents an ever-growing national problem. Defendant veterans who experience physical and psychological injuries often find themselves facing criminal charges when they react inappropriately in civilian life. Professionals from healthcare, law, military and other government agencies, as well as citizen groups, are beginning to work together to help identify and respond to combat vets returning to civilian life. The aim is to assist the vets in their transition to civilian life and avoid criminal behavior. The presentation addressed the most commonly experienced physical and psychological injuries, available recovery resources, the judicial response to the veterans, and military resources for reserve and active duty personnel and dependents.”

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Veterans in the Criminal Justice System: Defending Conditions of the Mind

Readmore: Local, News, Ford, Electric Car, Ford Electric Car, Electric Car in Amarillo, Men’s Health Senior Editor, Eric Adams., Mens Health

AMARILLO, TEXAS — It’s a coast to coast first for the good old USA.

Ford’s first totally electric car is making its way from New York City to Los Angeles.

And on Wednesday, the car and its crew made a pit stop in Amarillo.

The car is sponsored by mens health magazine, and it can only travel a couple of hours on a single charge, but even so, its people say it may actually change the way we take road trips in the future.

They believe, by slowing things down and making frequent stops, it creates a whole different experience getting out on the road again.

“We’re driving this as a way of showing people they can have a better, healthier road trip experience, because they’re slowing down the pace, they’re not racing down the highway @ 85 miles an hour getting from A to B and sitting in a car for 8, 10, 12 hours at a time,” according to Men’s Health Senior Editor, Eric Adams.

The electric car crew hopes to be in Los Angeles in time for Earth Day on Saturday.

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Ford's first electric car makes pit stop in Amarillo

Seymour Hersh

Photo by Jana Birchum

During the week of March 19, legendary journalist Seymour Hersh was in residence at the University of Texas under the sponsorship of the Humanities Institute and the Plan II Honors Program. Hersh is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and is currently working on a book about former Vice President Dick Cheney. On March 19, he engaged in a public conversation with UT journalism professor Robert Jensen at the 5604 Manor community center; on March 22, he delivered the Julius and Suzan Glickman lecture at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. The following are excerpts from transcripts of the two events.

It’s so muddled, because things are so bad it’s so off-kilter now. When I worked at the mainstream press, I thought it was to tell the truth. Seriously, that’s what I thought; I was an idealist, I thought that was the thing to do and those are halcyon days. Remember, Nixon was going down, and there was a period of I’d say three or four years where we had the power. You could do stories. I did a lot of stories about the CIA and domestic spying, and I really had no trouble. So, obviously, we’re there to tell the truth. We’re not there to be a mouthpiece for the government or to help sell something.

We’re not there to accept any story. We’ve got a guy an assassination, a murder in Afghanistan, by a guy named [Staff Sgt. Robert] Bales. And here’s what the government wants us to believe. Some guy walks out of a military base, with a weapon, and goes into a part of Afghanistan that’s contested in terms of where the Taliban have gotten a lot of traction and there’s certainly a lot of support for the Taliban there into a world where every male over the age of about 7 has a weapon and is good at using it and has used it. He goes into a house three houses in a row murders them serially, and then burns them. And all this time, nobody makes any effort to shoot his brains out or to stop him.

So without even taking it another step, you right away know it’s not a single act because the other people had to be withheld, with some force, some measure. I don’t know that it’s just there. The story isn’t one man; it’s much more than that. Again, I’m just speaking heuristically.

So I read the press day after day. And you’re going to see stories now praising the military for being so forthcoming about this one, I think that’s the next step. It’s just amazing to me. It doesn’t mean the guy didn’t do it by himself, but that’s a serious thing to explain, and the press should be asking at this point just to be topical: Where are the other guys in his unit? How come we haven’t talked to the other guys in his unit? How come we haven’t heard one on camera, and why was he squirreled away so quickly? I mean obviously to get him away from jurisdiction, but what was the problem? And also, as you don’t always read, the Afghans have been talking about a completely different incident. Their description of the incident, as they begin their investigations, involves a group of Americans coming in, sort of dedicated to killing people, as in the Haditha incident if you remember that one about five years ago in Iraq, when a group of soldiers went in and raped and then killed everybody in the same sort of pattern.

There are people in the military, in the intelligence services not as many there once was people who believe in the Constitution. That’s what it’s about; there are people who still believe. They get traduced; they get into a situation where they put 16 years into a career, and in comes the Bush administration, and that was devastating to them. But they stay, because they can get a pension, sometimes they get a star or two stars; they become senior generals and admirals. And so that’s a big part of it.

I do have people inside and I probably know more about Bales than I’m telling you. I do have people inside. It’s as simple as that, really. I can screw up a story like anybody can, but most of the time …. I don’t know why my old newspaper [The New York Times] for example which still has a lot of very good, bright people working for it why they want a war with Iran. I don’t understand.

There’s not a shred of evidence in our own intelligence community, or the Israeli intelligence community (I know firsthand), suggesting they [Iran] have a weapon. They haven’t looked for a weapon again, it’s a cultural thing [Khomeini] and Khamenei, the two leading mullahs, have both issued fatwas against nuclear weapons, and the only fatwa we want to believe is the one against Salman Rushdie. We believe that one, but we don’t believe the other ones but they’re all real. There was a fatwa in 1986, and another one about four years ago, and they said, “It’s against the Quran.”

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'There To Tell the Truth'

Posted: Friday, March 23, 2012 8:40 pm | Updated: 8:56 pm, Fri Mar 23, 2012.

The university budget took center stage at the Board of Regents Committee meetings on Friday, sharing the floor with the approval of men’s basketball head coach Ray Harpers contract and approval of a new graduate certificate.

Budget Director Kim Reed took the floor to show a presentation that went in depth with how WKUs budget is put together and where exactly all the money comes from.

Academic Affairs requires the highest amount of resources, equaling almost $174 million, according to Reed.

State appropriated funding has continued to drop. From 2009 until now, WKU has lost around $9 million in state funding. WKU will lose another $5 million between 2012 and 2014 alone due to state cuts to all of postsecondary education. Of all of the universities expenses, paying personnel is by far the largest, equaling 45 percent of all expenditures.

President Gary Ransdell during the meeting talked about how hard it is to make cuts while at the same time avoiding layoffs and furloughs.

You begin to see how much you are limited in implementing that cut, Ransdell said. It makes it really difficult when you are trying to protect your employees.

According to Reeds presentation, almost 43 percent of WKUs revenue comes from student tuition and fees, equaling $165 million in fiscal year 2012. The budget is being put together expecting a 5 percent tuition hike to offset the state cuts.

Harper’s final contract went through without a hitch granting Harper a salary of $375,000. Other incentives, such as receiving percentages of his base pay for 3,700 or more basketball season tickets sold and NCAA tournament appearances, are also included in the contract.

Coach Harper performed admirably as interim coach, Ransdell said. We feel good about the appointment and he will lead this program, Im confident, for a long time.

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Regents committees discuss potential $5 million budget cut, Harper contract approved

Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2012 5:36 pm | Updated: 6:01 pm, Thu Mar 22, 2012.

WKU’s Board of Regents committees will meet on Friday to discuss the approval of several academic items as well as men’s basketball head coach Ray Harper’s contract.

Among the items up for approval are the approval of a Health Information Management Baccalaureate program, a graduate certificate in Facility and Event Management and an undergraduate minor in leadership studies.

Harper’s final contract may also be approved. The contract would grant Harper a salary of $375,000 as well as other incentives such as receiving percentages of his base pay for 3,700 or more basketball season tickets sold and NCAA tournament appearances.

Brian Meredith, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, will deliver a spring enrollment report.

Budget Director Kim Reed will discuss budget developments.

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Regents committees to meet Friday; Harper's contract on the agenda

Updated: Sat Mar. 10 2012 21:23:29

CTVNews.ca Staff

The crash that claimed the life of a Canadian skicross racer in Saturday was a “freak accident” and doesn’t mean the sport is more dangerous than others, the president of Alpine Canada said.

Nik Zoricic, 29, of Toronto, Ont., was killed when he smashed into safety netting at the side of the course in Grindelwald, Switzerland after going wide in the final jump of a World Cup race.

He died in hospital around 12:35 p.m. Swiss time after suffering severe head injuries. The accident occurred in the finish area during the fourth heat of the finals.

“I would say the ultimate extreme sport is probably downhill racing,” Max Gartner said in a conference call from Fernie, B.C. Saturday.

“There is inherent risk in all the sports. I would not qualify skicross (as) being any more (dangerous) than many of the other sports,” he said.

Skicross has been described as downhill motocross racing on snow that begins with a mass start and then goes through a number of heats until the final race.

It’s a sport Canadians have excelled in, with Ashleigh McIvor of Whistler, B.C., capturing the Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, after the International Olympic Committee made it an official event in 2006.

McIvor described the sport’s risks as similar to those of driving a car.

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Canadian skier dies in crash at World Cup event

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Needles in brief – a collection of area events.

Monday, February 27, 2012 3:50 PM PST

Animal shelter seeks volunteers for event

NEEDLES -The Needles Animal Shelter is in need of volunteers for their second annual Dog Day in the Park event scheduled for 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. March 31 at Jack Smith Park.

The event will feature a dog show with a variety of categories, Dock Dogs are to return and more various entertainment will be featured. There will also be food and merchant vendors.

Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to call the shelter at 760-326-4952.

New associate’s engineering program begins at Mohave Community College

BULLHEAD CITY – Mohave Community College students have already started taking advantage of a new program that brings them halfway to a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

An associates of science degree in engineering is one of three new programs approved by MCC’s Board of Governors last month. In addition to general education courses, the program includes classes in physics, chemistry, math and computer science. There is also an Introduction to engineering course, plus engineering courses in statics and dynamics.

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Needles in brief – a collection of area events.

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Lawmaker reiterates stand on earth-balling of trees

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A study released today and scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012, shows that those over 70 eating more than 2,100 calories per day, nearly double their risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is considered to be the stage between normal memory loss that comes with aging and early Alzheimer's disease. Study author Yonas E. Geda, MD, MSc, with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona and a member of the American Academy of Neurology said : “We observed a dose-response pattern which simply means; the higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the risk of MCI.”

1,233 people between the ages of 70 and 89 and free of dementia residing in Olmsted County, Minn. were studied. 163 had MCI and participants noted the amount of calories they ate or drank in a food questionnaire. They were divided into three equal groups based on their daily caloric consumption. One-third of the participants consumed between 600 and 1,526 calories per day, one-third between 1,526 and 2,143 and one-third consumed between 2,143 and 6,000 calories per day.

Even after adjusting for history of stroke, diabetes, amount of education, and other factors that can affect risk of memory loss, the risk for the highest calorie group was nearly double that of the lower calorie group. There was no noticeable difference in risk for the middle group.

Geda concluded :

“Cutting calories and eating foods that make up a healthy diet may be a simpler way to prevent memory loss as we age.”

The co-authors of the study include Ronald C. Petersen, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and other investigators of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging in Rochester, Minn.

Written by Rupert Shepherd
Copyright: Medical News Today
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Overeating Linked To Memory Loss

TheKnot.com, the #1 online wedding planning resource, and Men?s Health, the largest men?s lifestyle magazine brand, today revealed the results of their fifth annual co-branded proposal and engagement survey. In the midst of prime proposal season when more than half a million men plan to “pop the question,? this one-of-a-kind survey, featured exclusively on MensHealth.com and TheKnot.com, asked more than 1,400 men and women engagement questions that reveal everything from how brides feel about the ring to how much their sex life has changed (or not!) since becoming engaged.

“This survey goes inside the minds of men and women to reveal exactly what they?re thinking and expecting during one of life?s most crucial and thrilling moments,? says Carley Roney, editor in chief of TheKnot.com. “We found that sex lives for engaged couples are increasing, men are open to wearing an engagement ring themselves, and women really want to show off their bling to everyone in their social network.?

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THEKNOT.COM & MEN?S HEALTH 5THANNUAL PROPOSAL SURVEY INCLUDE:

Sex Lives Have Increased Since Becoming Engaged. Love is in the air for many couples?and in between the sheets! Twenty percent of men surveyed on MensHealth.com and 18% of brides surveyed on TheKnot.com said their sex lives have increased since becoming engaged. Surprisingly, however, almost half of brides (48%) and 43% of men said they did NOT celebrate with sex on the night of their engagement.

Men Want to Sport Some Bling Too! Ladies, don?t be surprised if your man asks for a ring: 17% of men surveyed said women shouldn?t be the only ones to wear a ring before marriage and that they?d rock a “man-gagement? ring. What woman wouldn?t want other ladies to know her man was off the market?

Carat Size AND Quality Matter to Brides. Guys, take note. Quality of the ring is important, but don?t forget about the size of the bling! When asked how much carat size really matters, more than half (59%) of brides said both size and quality matter to them. When asked if they thought carat size matters to her, a whopping 76% of the men surveyed said, “No, she doesn?t care that much?quality over quantity!? Think again, guys.

Brides Care What Friends and Family Think of Their Ring. Nearly one in four (22%) brides surveyed admitted that it matters what their friends and family think about the ring. Maybe the 44% of guys who chose the ring themselves should?ve enlisted some extra help from her side.

Not All Brides Love Their Ring. When asked if they thought their fianc?e loved the ring, nearly all (98%) men said “yes,? yet 9% of brides actually didn?t love the ring. While 4% let their fianc? know how they felt, the other 5% didn?t have the heart to tell their fianc?s!

Tradition Reigns for Men. A massive 76% of men said it is essential to propose on bended knee, while only 48% of women agreed. Yet when it came to asking both Mom and Dad for their daughter?s hand in marriage, men and women were pretty much on the same page, with 21% and 28%, respectively, saying it?s a do.

Brides Love to Post Their Rock on Facebook. Who?s more excited to show off the ring? Brides, with 57% saying “yes? to sharing their happy news on Facebook by posting a picture of their ring. Yet when asked what they thought, 22% of men said it?s tacky for their fianc?e to post a pic of the ring. Surprisingly, 12% of brides admitted that they posted a pic of the ring or changed their relationship status to “engaged? on Facebook before emailing and texting friends.

To help ensure a perfect proposal for future brides and grooms, TheKnot.com has created a proposal guide at TheKnot.com/engaged, chock-full of engagement ring shopping tips and wedding proposal ideas.

To receive a full copy of the survey results, or to speak with an editor from TheKnot.com or Men?s Health, please contact Melissa Bach, mbach@theknot.com, or Kateri Benjamin, kateri.benjamin@rodale.com.

About TheKnot.com

The Knot is the nation's leading wedding resource, reaching over a million engaged couples each year through the #1 wedding website, TheKnot.com; The Knot national and local wedding magazines; and The Knot books (published by Random House and Chronicle). The Knot is the flagship brand of XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO; http://www.xogroupinc.com), formerly The Knot Inc., a global media and technology leader devoted to weddings, pregnancy and everything in between, providing young women with the trusted information, products and advice they need to guide them through the most transformative events of their lives.

About Men?s Health (www.menshealth.com)

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tent embassy

2 Feb 2012

By Hamish Ford

More often than not, Indigenous disadvantage puts Australia on the international news media radar. Local commentators on the Tent Embassy protest have chosen to look away, writes Hamish Ford

On Australia Day in Canberra this year two stark effects of an intertwined political and mainstream media narrative were revealed.

First, that protests, no matter how small, are increasingly portrayed as security threats.

Second, the way the events were relayed at the time and then over ensuing days illustrates how historical and ongoing Indigenous disadvantage — despite being an international scandal — is treated here with a mix of dishonest platitudinal concern and “move-on” belligerence.

Escalating very visibly during the Howard period, rallies and protesters have increasingly been portrayed over recent years as either vaguely unnerving or as violent threats. When it comes to hosting big regional and international forums, this can be partially explained away as the government and PM of the day not wanting to be embarrassed in front of global leaders. However, why visible protest is embarrassing or dangerous for a purportedly freedom-of-speech-loving democracy — after all, we go to war against nations vilified for lacking such things — is never properly explained.

Last Thursday in Canberra, with no need to protect visiting dignitaries from the messy democratic spectacle of dissent, we saw the absurd limit point reached in the ‘protest as security threat’ narrative.

No wonder the spectacle of our first female prime minister being “saved” by a dashing security officer made international news. But people overseas — especially in countries characterised by much more rancorous and ideologically diverse extra-parliamentary political argument — may have been left confused by the story behind the dramatic images. Were Australia’s Prime Minister and Opposition Leader really fleeing a restaurant accompanied by a security detail just because a small and unarmed group of activists with a globally recognised cause had noisily decamped outside?

In addition to protest organisers disputing police and media claims that activists engaged in violence, an independent eyewitness has since written that the whole threat and behaviour of this small group was at best exaggerated or at worst an outright lie.

Some people undoubtedly wondered why the police reacted as they did, but excessive actions are crucial if protests are to be construed as real threats. Rather than a strange aberration, overreactions are also far from unfamiliar.

Yet rather than examining the behaviour of the cops and questioning whether the media got the story right on the day (as Ben Eltham did in New Matilda), the main emphasis in subsequent reporting remains on what the event means for the only game in town that matters.

And so we are told the restaurant rescue was bad for Gillard because she looked “weak” being ushered away. Media outlets then obsessed over the trivial and distracting he said/she said fight resulting from the Opposition’s claims of collusion by the Prime Minister’s Office and the risible demands for a Federal Police inquiry. (The AFP has responded that there is no evidence to go ahead with any prosecutions.)

But what about the absurdity of the two most powerful politicians in Australia fleeing a small gaggle of unarmed activists concerned about a serious, historically wretched and ongoing situation?

In many other countries, when Australia is in the news it is often in connection to the appalling situation in which many Indigenous Australians live. If our media only sporadically reports this international criticism, it virtually never mentions that despite some small improvements, this country ranks at or near the bottom of first-world nations in disparity of wealth and opportunity for the Indigenous population as compared to other citizens.

We also remain behind countries like New Zealand, Canada and Sweden when it comes to both successful mechanisms of political self-determination and a broad cultural reckoning with our history of colonial dispossession and violence.

Instead, Australians get fed entirely deceptive mantras such as, “we have thrown buckets of money at the problem”. When it comes to total government expenditure per head of the population, you are far better off not being a member of the most unambiguously disadvantaged (pdf) group of Australians. Better the comforting, self-aggrandising lie — which directly or by association basically means it is their fault — than the awkward and frequently awful truth.

For the likes of Tony Abbott, Bob Carr, and Mal Brough to imply or quite bluntly declare the Aboriginal tent embassy should be shut down because its primary cause has been overcome displays staggering dishonesty, patronising arrogance and knowingly insensitive timing. If elite voices and representatives, be they white or black, are embarrassed by the tent embassy, what then should replace it?

“Maybe Abbott is right and it is time for the tent embassy to go”, NSW Aboriginal Council member Roy RC said on the day, adding that in which case “it is time to erect a black Parliament with politicians we can choose”. Such ideas no doubt cause howls of “separatism” across large swathes of white Australia and on talkback radio. But when the grand total of Aboriginal MPs ever to sit in the House of Representatives or the Senate is three, it is clear that our established political institutions and parties have abjectly failed to include representative Indigenous voices in national decision-making.

As beneficiaries of a two-party system deeply unrepresentative of Australia’s actual population, that Abbott, Carr, Brough and others made their comments on what the unquestioned rulers of this land call Australia Day but which many Indigenous Australians and a notable minority of others call Invasion Day quite fittingly tops off the insult.

It’s bad enough that this country has been repeatedly censured by the UN for the entrenched disadvantage suffered by Indigenous people. This festering sore at the repressed heart of our nation also results in an increasingly absurd and disingenuous series of disavowals — and they are now gathering steam afresh in response to the very mild proposed referendum to recognise Aboriginal Australians’ unique status in the Constitution.

Australia Day 2012 marked only the latest chapter in this depressingly continuous story. It tells of how those directly affected by the nation’s desultory record — both through their everyday lives and a strongly felt sense of historical injustice — are treated, alongside non-Indigenous Australians outraged by the ongoing scandal, as threats to “national security”. In the most unattractively revealing way imaginable for this country, that is exactly what they are.

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Jan. 27, 2012

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius stands next to President Barack Obama in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington in 2011. (CNS photo/Reuters)

WASHINGTON — A week after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told individuals and institutions who oppose contraception “to hell with you,” as one bishop put it, members of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy were mobilizing their followers to fight.

Bishops across the country — including Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans and Bishop Robert N. Lynch of St. Petersburg, Fla. — were preparing letters to be read at all Masses during the Jan. 28-29 weekend.

But one of the most strongly worded reactions to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' Jan. 20 announcement that religious organizations could delay but not opt out of a requirement that all health plans cover contraception and sterilization at no cost came from Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh, in a column titled “To hell with you.”

Sebelius and the Obama administration “have said 'To hell with you' to the Catholic faithful of the United States,” Zubik wrote. “To hell with your religious beliefs. To hell with your religious liberty. To hell with your freedom of conscience. We'll give you a year, they are saying, and then you have to knuckle under.”

He called on Catholics in the Pittsburgh Diocese to “do all possible to rescind” the contraceptive mandate by writing to President Barack Obama, Sebelius and their members of Congress about this “unprecedented federal interference in the right of Catholics to serve their community without violating their fundamental moral beliefs.”

Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria, Ill., enlisted the aid of St. Michael the Archangel in fighting “this unprecedented governmental assault upon the moral convictions of our faith.”

In a Jan. 24 letter to Peoria Catholics, he directed that the prayer of St. Michael be recited “for the freedom of the Catholic Church in America” during Sunday Masses at every parish, school, hospital, Newman center and religious house in the diocese.

The prayer reads in part: “Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil” and “cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.”

“I am honestly horrified that the nation I have always loved has come to this hateful and radical step in religious intolerance,” Jenky said in the letter.

“While it is primarily the laity who should take the leading role in political and legal action, as your bishop it is my clear responsibility to summon our local church into spiritual and temporal combat in defense of Catholic Christianity,” he added. “I strongly urge you not to be intimidated by extremist politicians or the malice of the cultural secularists arrayed against us.”

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“We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law,” declared Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix in a Jan. 25 letter.

“Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America's cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God-given rights,” Bishop Olmsted said. “In generations past, the church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same.”

The Catholic bishops of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, said in a joint statement that they “cannot stand by silently” in light of what they called “an unprecedented and untenable abrogation of religious freedom in the United States.”

“This is part of a pattern in the United States that has degenerated from the recognition of religion as good and salutary in our society to religion being subjected to punitive discrimination,” said the statement signed by Bishops Kevin J. Farrell of Dallas and Kevin W. Vann of Fort Worth and Dallas Auxiliary Bishops J. Douglas Deshotel and Mark J. Seitz.

They urged the nearly 2 million Catholics in North Texas, along with “other people of good will,” to join them “by speaking out for the protection of conscience rights and religious liberty that are essential to the common good of our nation and in keeping with the basic human rights enshrined in our American way of life.”

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, in a Jan. 21 statement, called on lawmakers in Washington to “step up, step in, and protect the rights of their fellow citizens from a government mandate that is truly unconscionable.”

“This fight against the federal government's overreaching exercise of its power is everybody's fight,” he added.

Aymond, who was in Rome for his “ad limina” visit to Pope Benedict XVI, said Jan. 26 that he had already sent a letter to members of Congress protesting the HHS decision and now expected the Catholic faithful to take action.

“This is a critical time and one that will call for us to engage in public dialogue,” he said. “We cannot stand by and allow this to move forward without speaking out.”

Aymond said Catholics “must be able to live the message of Christ in the U.S. and follow our conscience.”

“We are not demanding that others live our Christian values, but we should have the right to do so,” he added.

Although both Gregory and Lynch had announced they would write letters to be read at weekend Masses, the texts of those letters had not been made public as of the afternoon of Jan. 26.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal Jan. 25, Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the HHS decision rejected the “loud and strong appeals” by “hundreds of religious institutions and hundreds of thousands of individual citizens” since the comment period began last August.

He said it is naive to think that contraception and sterilization will be “free” under the HHS mandate.

“There is no free lunch, and you can be sure there's no free abortion, sterilization or contraception,” he wrote. “There will be a source of funding: you.”

Speaking that evening at Fordham University in New York, the archbishop told reporters that Obama had called him the morning of Jan. 20 “to tell me the somber news” before the HHS decision was announced publicly.

He said he felt “terribly let down, disappointed and disturbed” and found it difficult to reconcile the decision with what the president had told him during a meeting in November — “that he considered the protection of conscience sacred, that he didn't want anything his administration would do to impede the work of the church that he claimed he held in high regard, particularly in the area of health care, education, works of charity and justice.”

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