Pixelated Semantics

A schizotypical inventory

Foreign powers

A couple of items have been of recent interest. In what is likely to be the first of many instances, McDonalds is seeking to place paid advertorial material in rapper's monologues. And yesterday Man of Steel admitted that "from the moment of our election in 1996, as a deliberate act of policy, my Government intensified Australia's post-Cold War relationship with the US." An acute reader would be entitled to ask how that squares with the Australian Constitution's requirement that:

"PART IV. - BOTH HOUSES OF THE PARLIAMENT

44. Any person who -

Is under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power: [...]

shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives."

Howard's statement clearly indicates the "acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power", as does the FTA (which is favourable to the US over Australian interests), and recent conduct of the Irak invasion. Is it not time that the provisions of the Constitution were taken a lot more seriously in this regard?

Pixelated Semantics is taking a little downtime for the next few weeks. This is mainly due to the untimely death of the editor's PC, which makes collation rather difficult. Normal service will be resumed when this difficulty is overcome. There is also a need to take a hiatus so that the material here to date can be edited into a single manuscript, to be made available as an e-book at nominal cost, as well as to take a long hard look at the direction of the content and the overall style. Feedback is welcome.

Item posted by AutoEditor at 11:20 am ::