World Tour Update #4

One of the blessings of a trip like this is an almost total disengagement from the political nonsense that frustrates and stresses so many of us. But every once in a while reminders pop up that drag us back kicking and screaming to the real world. While waiting for the weather forecast on the telly (I've gone native) a few examples popped up.

The territory we're currently in (that's the equivalent of a state for all you yanks) is debating whether or not to legalize gay marriage.

There's quite bit of outrage over a convicted murderer who was released on parole and almost immediately raped and tried to kill a young woman.

There's a national election coming up in a few months. One of the major topics is illegal immigration. Yeah, that surprised me too. Australia is an island. It's not like the illegals can just walk across the border like they do back home. Evidently the biggest problems is Indonesians who get here by boat, kind of like Cuban refugees do in Florida. The conservatives want to task the Australian Navy to intercept suspected people-smuggling ships between Indonesia and Australia. As precedent, they cite the role of the U.S. Coast Guard in intercepting ships suspected of smuggling people, drugs, or weapons into the states.

Any of the above sound familiar...?