Clarrie Isaacs remembered
My heart sunk at the news of Yaluritja's (Clarrie Isaacs) death. It was a life too short, but so full.
His life was grounded in the Aboriginal community, but managed to weave its way through the socialist left, the trade unions, the Arabic community and so many others. It is a testament to Clarrie that he was part of so many "mobs" and touched so many lives.
Clarrie's decades of struggle with life and politics would have worn down many and bred cynicism in others, but Clarrie's passion and sharp wit were unstoppable and his smile was infectious.
In the 1996 WA state election, Clarrie and I ran together for the "Racism No" ticket. The election was fought in the midst of Hanson hysteria, yet thanks to Clarrie it was one of the most enjoyable and memorable times of my life.
During the campaign, one of our leaflets was returned in the mail, defaced with racist threats of violence. I told Clarrie about it — he put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and, with his cheeky smile, said, "Mate, in this business you don't know that you're alive unless you get at least two death threats a week!"
This was typical of Clarrie. He didn't care about the odds, or about the personal consequences. He cared about fighting for his community, his ideals and for a better world.
I remember his passion, his strength, but above all, I remember his laughter. His life was an inspiration to us all and will never be forgotten.
Arun Pradhan
Northcote Vic
Not safe
Shortly, a plane will touch down in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is freezing and snowy but Santa Claus does not live here, in fact if Santa is planning a stop over he would know from the TV ads to look at smartraveller.gov.au (or <http://www.dfat.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Afghanistan>).
I hope he reads carefully the part that says: "We advise against all travel outside Kabul. Warlords control many areas and overland travel can be very dangerous. There is the added danger that some Taliban and al Qaeda fighters remain in parts of the country thereby creating a significant security risk.
"You should consider permanent armed protection. You should be aware that even these precautions cannot guarantee your safety. The prevalence of unexploded land mines throughout the country adds to the risks. Australians... should ensure that their vehicles travel in a protected convoy. Banditry in rural areas by armed groups is common."
Unfortunately, those landing on the tarmac now, are returning asylum seekers from Australia's camp on Nauru. They know what it is like to see the body of a tortured brother. They know the screams of their little sister.
Australia has told them it is safe to go home.
Happy Christmas?
Elaine Smith
West Haven NSW
Right-wing policies
Mark Latham has advocated right-wing economic policies. Why believe him now when he claims he will reduce poverty and inequality?
Latham talks about upward mobility but his lower tax agenda will impede upward mobility by disadvantaged people. Wealthy families will buy top quality education and healthcare while poor families rely on budget-constrained public services.
Many people spend much of their lives towards the bottom of society economically. A robust social security system is critical but Latham opposes this.
Even the few who go from "rags to riches" would generally be better-off if their lifetime income were spread more evenly over time.
Latham portrays high-income recipients as hard workers who deserve a tax cut. He ignores property income. Furthermore, having a well-remunerated job is not a sacrifice people make to benefit society.
Overwhelmingly it's something people do to benefit themselves. The better-paying jobs are usually the more inherently satisfying jobs and employed people are normally happier than unemployed people.
Rhetoric about mobility is no substitute for policies to reduce the gap between rich and poor.
Brent Howard
Rydalmere NSW
Iraq and Vietnam
Thank you Green Left Weekly and Rohan Pearce for the cover story on Iraq (GLW #563), wherein the American regime of "pacification" in Iraq makes an analogy with Vietnam, whose countryside is dotted with cemeteries.
When "evil" dictators tyrannise their own, "liberator" foreign colonisers follow suit with "classic counter-insurgency strategies and tactics". It is the same language and violent imperialism from Washington's terrorist leaders.
All dictators use "iron hammers" in order to rule; American colonisers employ Baathist henchmen in Iraq as they used South Vietnam's ruling elite's thugs to crush resistance and broadcast fear.
Enforced domination causes horrific suffering of "inferiors" as we women worldwide know "collective punishment" of male rape, torture and murder. So-called "rewards" for submission, substitute for human rights.
Lyn Ariel
Glebe NSW
Making up the battles as they go along?
Yesterday, it was 46 Iraqi insurgents dead [in a firefight with US forces at Samara, near Baghdad on December 2] and today it is 54. The problem for the US military is that their supposed death list has been created from feedback from troops engaged in the battle. No bodies have been recovered.
You can just imagine the military propaganda experts at work interviewing young inexperienced soldiers: How many of the enemy did you hit? I'm not sure, it all happened so quickly. Well at least give us a guesstimate. I think I hit three people, but I can't be sure they were all firing at us. What do you mean they weren't all firing at you? Well, there was automatic gunfire and mortar shells flying everywhere. We just shot at anything that looked hostile. All right private, I think we have established that you took out three Iraqi insurgents, and from what your colleagues have told us it is very clear to us that you were ambushed. If anyone asks you what happened you refer them to military headquarters — understand? Yes Sir!
Eyewitnesses at the scene of the so-called ambush said that the US military fired indiscriminately, killing and maiming innocent civilians. Only five US soldiers were injured as a result of the attack, and none of them seriously.
If a convoy was ambushed with mortars, how is it possible that the US military got off so lightly? If they killed 54 members of the resistance, how is it possible that not one of their bodies has been recovered? When asked this question the US military responded by saying that their bodies had probably been taken away by locals. How far do they expect our imaginations to extend?
The US lied about the reasons for going to war in the first place. Now they expect us to believe that their forces are immune to attack, while 54 Iraqi insurgents lie dead somewhere. Maybe their bodies will be found with the hidden weapons of mass destruction!
Adam Bonner
Meroo Meadow NSW
Frida
Louis Proyect's review of Frida (GLW #563) misses the point. Proyect claims that rather then drinking heavily and dancing, "it would have been much more likely for Kahlo to engage in passionate discussions about art and politics". Since when have the two been counterposed?
Kahlo was not in a wheelchair her entire life and to view her as two-dimensional political soapbox doesn't tell the full story either. I'm sure that Kahlo and Trotsky had their political differences but is that an argument for why they would have never been comrades in struggle or possibly had sex?
If Proyect is arguing that revolutionaries should not have sex if they have different political lines, then I'm guessing most revolutionaries would be abstinent for long periods of time.
As for the character of Trotsky making a contribution about Stalin being boring, Proyect should accept that whilst drinking around the dinner table (in private), communists would often make crude political comments. Trotsky was renowned for being a less inspiring orator then Lenin because he often made jokes in the middle of speeches.
Julie Taymor's Frida does not show everything about Kahlo's life. What Frida portrays is more about sexual liberation, both Rivera and Frida having affairs without guilt or jealousy is a huge statement given the current conservative period. The fact that the three sexiest characters in the film are a fat man, an elderly man and a disabled woman with a mono-brow is important in challenging the beauty myth.
Lenin described revolutions as being made with imperfect human material and to paint the character in Frida as anything more or less would be an insult.
James Crafti
Melbourne
From Green Left Weekly, December 10, 2003.
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