War criminal Howard wants crackdown on school violence? : Melbourne Indymedia

War criminal prime minister John Howard wants to give more power to teachers and principals to 'crackdown' on school bullying.

But where does he get his credentials? Wars of aggression? Crimes against humanity? Kidnapping and torture? Human Rights violations? What a major problem we have here?

Howard will deliver the second speech in his series called "Australia Rising" today in Sydney, and he says he will outline the government's plans for the education system.

But how are we rising really? Most people would say that Australia has been free falling with crimes against humanity and human rights violations every since Howard came to power.

If leaders don't lead by example then how can they lead young Australians and encourage them not to be aggressive towards each other?

Just like a cigarette smoker telling others they should give it up?

Besides that what has Howard asked for? A crackdown? Now how is a crackdown going to solve the problem of bullying at school?

What about more decent lessons? Conflict Resolution, Communication and a balanced curriculum of Social Skills, Academic Skills, and Technical Skills? That would help fix the problem but a 'crackdown' is just another form of domestic violence perpetrated by an adult.

A crackdown is a judge ordering some form of behaviour and judging people but more social skills are needed. See links.

In his weekly radio address, Howard has flagged school violence as an area that needs greater attention.

"Like all Australians I am very concerned at reports of school violence and disorder," he said.

"Parents would be well served by more information about school discipline, bullying and disruptive behaviour in the classroom."

But it's a pitty we have that coming from a person who knows and has shown no better example in relation to bullying with the war of aggression and the subsequent holocaust in Iraq.

Discipline is not achieved by cracking down but by teaching better lessons that include self awarness, empathy towards others and insight into offending behaviour. Once more Howard couldn't possibly teach those lessons because he himself lacks all of the above. That's why he asked for a 'crackdown'.

Howard should be addressing the International Criminal Court for the destruction of Iraq where he's inherited the over 655,000 dead because of his Coalition of the Killings war of aggression and where he himself has shown no remorse whatsoever for those crimes.

Howard says parents and teachers should be given more information about school bullying.

Does he mean information about 'cracking down'? Well you only get out what you put in Howard and if you put nothing in then don't expect to get anything out!

Howard: "Parents are entitled to expect that their child is safe at school and that teachers are principals have the authority to ensure a strong learning environment," he said.

And parents are also entitled to have their country led by a person who has set some form of example in terms of 'aggression' if that someone is going to tell others what to do?

Mary Bluett, from the Australian Education Union, says Mr Howard is overt stating the problem.

"In fact, our schools are overwhelmingly incredibly safe places," she said.

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma says the state already provides this extra information to parents.

"It appears to be a case of the prime minister trying to play catch-up after 10 years of neglecting funding for education," he said.

"After 10 years of reducing funding to students and to universities," he said.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1921766.htm

In Other Developments:

Premier would be 'right to question' community threat posed by Howard
We agree, all war criminals need to be tried for their war crimes against humanity and are not to be believed in that they have shown no remorse for these criminal acts and therefore more likely than not to commit more serious acts of violence. Get up and tell the truth Mike Rann or get out of parliament.
http://perth.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&parentview=58356

AFP questions Hilali over Iran comments
Australia's most senior muslim cleric has been interviewed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over comments he made about Iran.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1921797.htm

AFP clears Al Hilali of funding Hezbollah
An Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation has cleared the Sydney Muslim cleric, Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali, of diverting charitable funds to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1919590.htm

Related:

NZ parents retain right to smack children?
It is not a matter of marching, decent, good parents into court. It's a matter of leading by example. Violence does not win and smacking children is the root cause of domestic violence.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/58312

ACTION: 17th Silent Annual Domestic Violence Memorial March
http://perth.indymedia.org/?action=newswire&parentview=56519

END PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN
http://www.stophitting.com/disathome/

Domestic violence, someone to blame? But it has little to do with racism except to say that Aboriginals are picked on by the ABC and others and because they're black and tend to fight back. But not correct to define the problem as "Aboriginal" and that "Aboriginal Leaders" should do more but the community should do more to get the authorites to start leading by example and more to do with society as a whole.

http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/57780

Behind the ANZAC Myth - Conscription and World War 1
The ANZAC myth has become an integral part of Australian folklore, as the last living witnesses to the carnage that occurred cannot personally challenge the idealised sanitised accounts that are being trotted out each ANZAC Day.
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/04/143871_comment.php#144118

Iraqi infant mortality soars by 150 percent—a damning revelation of US war crimes
“A child in the poorest fifth of a population is more than twice as likely to die compared to a child from the richest fifth,” the study finds. “Eliminating health-care inequities—and bringing mortality rates among the poorest 80 percent of the population down to those prevailing among the richest 20 percent—would prevent about 4 million of the 10 million deaths each year.”
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/58370

Community flags retroactive federal election boycott to stop Howard profits
"We're trying to stop them from murdering more innocent people and we are saying you can't profit from it.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/58290

British Lancet medical journal calls for defeat of Australian government
The editorial condemned “Prime Minister John Howard’s indifference to the academic medical community and his profound intolerance to those less secure than himself and his administration”. As the latest example, it cited Howard’s comment on a Melbourne radio station last week, declaring that people living with HIV should not be allowed to enter and live in Australia.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/58259

A teenager has been awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, and weekly earnings, after suing the New South Wales Government for failing to protect him from being bullied at primary school.

Benjamin Cox was bullied by an older student at Woodberry Public School near Maitland in the Hunter Valley 13 years ago.

He was six at the time.

On one occasion, the student tried to strangle him, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

His mother reported the bullying to school authorities, but it did not stop.

Mr Cox is now 18 years old.

He suffers from a severe psychiatric condition and is unemployable.

He claimed damages in the Supreme Court, alleging the State of New South Wales had breached its duty of care.

Justice Carolyn Simpson found the school's response was "dismally inadequate".

She said the staff made no attempt to deal with a serious problem, and grossly failed in their duty to him.

Mr Cox was awarded more than $213,000 and weekly earnings for life.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1922067.htm

Of course this report couldn't have come at a better time!

They say, "Justice Carolyn Simpson found the school's response was "dismally inadequate".

But they don't say when she found that out? My guess it wasn't today! John Howard's ABC would like you to think it was?

Primary and secondary school principals say there is a need for more resources to deal with problem students.

Prime Minister John Howard will today unveil a new plan to give parents more information about school discipline, violence and bullying in schools.

But Andrew Blair, president of the Australian Secondary Principals Association, says a policy of public disclosure is a simplistic plan that does not address a chronic lack of funding for schools.

"Schools in Australia are crying out for more support in terms of welfare officers, psychologists to work with these young people who need assistance, that's the real issue," he said.

"We are not in a position to help all young people as we would wish, because simply the resources are not there."

State response
The Northern Territory Education Minister says Mr Howard has raised concerns about violence in schools to distract the public from his flagging popularity.

Paul Henderson says it is a sign of a Prime Minister who is struggling in the polls and lashing out on all sorts of issues.

"We had the federal Education Minister in Darwin and all of the state ministers in Darwin for a meeting of education ministers just three weeks ago and if this was such a huge issue of concern for the Prime Minister, for the Federal Government, I would have thought that they would have raised it at that meeting. It wasn't raised," he said.

New South Wales Education Minister John Della Bosca says Mr Howard's move to play a more interventionist role in state education systems is simply an election stunt.

He says the policy idea shows the Prime Minister is out of touch.

"In his home state in New South Wales, every government school already has a discipline policy and and anti-bullying policy and parents get a report on their operations in the annual report of each school," he said.

"John Howard has suddenly discovered in the shadow of an election the prospect of public education."

Victoria's Education Minister John Lenders says systems are already in place to deal with bullying in Victorian schools.

He says Mr Howard is interfering with the state governments.

"The Prime Minister and the Federal Government run no schools, yet they meddle all the time," he said.

"If the Prime Minister was serious about these issues, he'd actually talk to the states about them rather than announce it by press release, so it's all about policy by headline."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1922031.htm

How to strike first and ask questions later.

How not to admit your guilt in a tight spot.

How to lie about it when you've been caught.

How to blame the person you've just belted.

How to crackdown and blame someone else.

Rudd warns against PM's bullying 'quick fix'?

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says the Prime Minister's plan to stop bullying in schools is timed to coincide with the election.

John Howard toured schools in New South Wales this morning and unveiled a proposal to give parents more information about school discipline, violence and bullying.

Under the plan Mr Howard is due to launch tonight, he has also vowed to give more power to school principals and teachers to clamp down on school bullying.

But Mr Rudd says the Government made similar promises before the 2004 election but has not acted.

"I'm serious about dealing with bullying," he said.

"We don't want any of our little ones intimidated in their school learning environment.

"That's bad for them and that's bad for our community, but we need a national enduring system, not a quick pre-election fix like we did prior to the last election."

Labor education spokesman Stephen Smith has told Sky News that Mr Howard's plan is old.

"Everything that we've heard from John Howard today about bullying in schools, about principal autonomy, about the performance of teachers - we've heard all this before," he said.

"We heard all this in the run-up to the 2001 election, we heard it all in the run-up to the 2004 election and we're hearing it again."

The states and territories have also ridiculed the moves to crack down on violence in schools.

New South Wales Education Minister John Della Bosca says Mr Howard's intervention is not needed.

"We're already doing everything John Howard lays out, except that of course he has made no contribution," he said.

His Victorian counterpart, John Lenders, agrees it is not a federal issue.

"The Prime Minister and Federal Government run no schools, yet they meddle all the time," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1922585.htm

What about all the other quick fixes? What did Rudd do about those?

For instance:
Where is the opposition to WAR?
Where is the opposition to WAR Crimes?
Where is the opposition to Draconian Laws?
Where is the opposition to Refugee Detainment?
Where is the opposition to David Hicks 5 year detention?
Where is the opposition to the AWB scandal?
Where is the opposition to Islamophobia?
Where is the opposition to Political Scapegoating?
Where is the opposition to Neo-Colonialism?
Where is the opposition to False Flag Operations by the CIA?
Where is the opposition to the FTA 'Investors Rights Agreement'?
Where is the opposition to HIV Discrimination?
Where is the opposition to the Privatisation of Health?
Where is the opposition to Desecrating and Ignoring Aboriginal Affairs?
Where is the opposition to Subordinating Scientific and Medical Research?
Where is the opposition to Uranium Mining?
Where is the opposition to No WorkChoices?
Where is the opposition to Not Enough Public Housing?
Where is the opposition to Social Services Reform?
Where is the opposition to Desperate and Disabled to Work?
Where is the opposition to 6 weeks Social Security Payments Cut Off's?
Where is the opposition to Work for the Dole instead of Getting Better Education and Skills for Better Employment Opportunities?
Where is the opposition to Rorting the Social Security System by Corporate Greed?

"One of the great attractions of patriotism -- it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous." --Aldous Huxley, (1894-1963)

"A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers.." ~~Aldous Huxley Brave New World foreword to 1946 edition

John Howard govt is also 'obviously' locked into the decisions made by the courts?

Surely there can be no other reason to believe that the ABC's lead story about the boy who was bullied just by coincidence ran with Howard's policy on the run?

How sick is this person and his government for that matter? If in fact he used the sick kids case just to exploit his own policy?

Shame howard. Shame on you!