Death saddens, while blatant nationalism frightens me



Dead - Osama bin Laden

The reported death last week of Osama bin Laden saddened me.
That moment, celebrated by many Americans, including President Barack Obama, simply revealed a nationalistic fervour that can erode and corrupt even the most decent of societies.
Many would argue that the demise of bin Laden was justified retribution for the nearly 3000 people killed in 2001 when New York’s World Trade Centres were destroyed, an event for which he was credited.
bin Laden’s Al Qaeda organization claimed responsibility for many other deadly attacks and so some would see his killing as only a down payment on the growing debt brought upon himself by his deathly antics.
Accepting that he, or at least his organization, was responsible for what is known colloquially as 9/11, that desperate moment is not put right through the murder of the 54-year-old Saudi.
Many Americans, and an equal number of other people from around the world, undoubtedly see such a conclusion to a US operation in a mansion just outside Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, quite differently.
Reported on the ABC the day of bin Laden’s death, President Obama said: "Tonight is a testament to the greatness of our country... we are reminded that America can do whatever we set our minds to."
Such comments do little but add to the poison that is nationalism and excite the less than expansive minds of those simply want to bomb into oblivion countries that don’t want to accept the “gift” of Americanism.
The world is s knotty place and within that complexity is an endless array of phobias, seemingly pointless obsessions and considered insanities that ensure every action has many unintended consequences.
That being said, many drink to bin Laden’s demise, while an equal number, who see his demise through a different prism, consider how best they can revenge his death and so the outcome of last week’s raid was not a solution, rather just the opening gambit in those unintended consequences.
Those who went before us have not had the emotional capacity to see beyond the immediate and so reacted with disingenuous behaviour and so despite the loud and repeated pleas for peace, the world ended up simply ricocheting from one violent encounter to another.
It is time humanity took a deep, deep breath, stood back and acknowledged that few of our number understand what peace means, how it is achieved, how we live with it, where it begins, what role each of us has and the brute stupidity of killing another in the name of values important to us, is just that, less than intelligent.
The challenge for each is immense; we need excavate our stoicism rather than nationalism and apply the Christian doctrine of turn the other cheek.

Little in common, but a lot which was similar



Jack Styring where he seemed most
 at home - behind the microphone
 at a race meeting.

Jack Styring and I have nothing in common, but we do have one similarity and because of that historic connection I have an odd admiration for the 82-year-old race caller.The Octogenarian called his first horse race at the Echuca trots in 1950 and about 14 years later, as a cadet journalist I covered my first race meeting, at Echuca.I continued covering gallops and trots meetings at Echuca, and race meetings at Moama and Gunbower, and so our lives regularly crossed, mainly at the Moama meetings.Jack, now retired from calling faces a significant change as he once called more than 100 meetings a year at which the famous Styring patter could be heard.Arriving at the track it was always comforting to hear Jack’s voice over the public address system as the unique clip of his voice and famous phrases told you this was country racing as it was meant to be.Jack was polished in every sense, from his preparation through to his appearance and the total package was the epitome of the “racing gentleman”. Background and research was obviously important for Jack and no doubt his debut on New Year’s Day 1950 challenged his skills as that first race at the Echuca trots involved 29 horses and as there was no caller’s booth, he had to use the public stand.Styring, now 82, became famous, at least among racing enthusiasts, for his phrases such as, ''baring his molars to the breeze'' and ''he's pulling like a Collins Street dentist''.For me, a day at the races didn’t seem complete until Jack had used one of his colourful phrases making what might have been a somewhat tawdry race seem exiciting. His lines were so different and unique that he was the AFL’s Dennis Cometti of country horse racing.Styring called 60 consecutive Gunbower Cups at Gunbower, near Echuca, and more than 30 annual meetings each at Hanging Rock and Avoca, and through his Racing Topics website about horse racing, he keeps his intimate connection with racing alive.A “Jack Styring Appreciation Society” has been established on facebook, something about which Jack would simply say: “Thank-you” and smile.