I hear this person and that beat the drum for Communism (these days thinly veiled as Socialism) or Capitalism so I thought I would say a few things on them.

Communism’s main premise is the necessary subservience of the individual to the collective resulting in the loss of personal freedom and rights for “the common good”. This is more a political ideology than a sound economic system as can easily be proven by looking at various economies.

It fails in practice on that one point. Economic and political suppression of the individual by a tyrannical state results in a slave society and slave societies always fail. I make no reference here to Klaus Schwab and the rest of the power elite and their plans for a New World Order rolling out around the world as we watch.

Capitalism is the practice of using accumulated wealth to create income. It has the primary purpose not of producing goods and services but of making money make money. It fails abysmally when the purpose of making money becomes senior to that of ethically producing goods and services needed and wanted by others. The lower the ethic level of those who control the power and capital, the more corrupt the society. Greed rules.

To prevent the spurious promise of each from easing us into their respective evils, the individual members of society should be well educated as to the perils of artificial political ideologies masquerading as an economic system, the benefits of personal production and be skilled in maintaining their own ethics and the ethics of those around him.

Those they elect to represent him in the legislature must be aware of and act on the basic purpose of good government being to protect the freedom and liberty of their own people and those of the neighboring nations and to facilitate their productivity and prosperity while improving our environment. Again, no comment is made here of governments doing the exact opposite of that, unduly restricting personal freedoms, violating human rights and destroying lives and businesses in the process.

The individual in a society should be as free as possible to ethically produce goods and services needed and wanted by other members of society, unfettered by unreasonable efforts to control or restrict him by governments or other monopolies.

A skilled and competent person produces more therefore accumulates more wealth. This attracts the jealousy of malcontented incompetents who, believing nothing is ever really owned by anyone, desire to strip a successful person of some or all of his accumulated riches.

Those who obtain their wealth illegally, immorally, by corruption or influence only exacerbate this desire. The injustices associated with their unethical accumulation serve only to further fuel the jealousy of the discontented incompetents and swell their number from those disadvantaged by the unethical accumulation.

When the injustice and resulting discontent rises above a certain level, often fueled by a vocal anti-capitalist who would be tyrant, revolution ensues. And revolution usually replaces one lot of tyranny with a worse one. The French Revolution begat the Reign of Terror. The Russian revolution led to the deaths of tens of millions under successive tyrants. The Chinese revolution resulted similarly.

So we are best served by having a society composed of honest, ethical, competent producers and a fair and predictable justice system.

We have a long way to go from where we are to get to there!

I’ve been a nurse most of my adult life.

For a very long time, I sacrificed birthdays, holidays, weekends, time with my family, vacations, time, sleep, food and even trips to the bathroom to care for others.

I made the choice to leave my sick children at times so I could care for your family.

I never chose who to help.

I never determined if someone deserved more of my care or less. I treated them all. The same.

I have performed CPR on the grandmother who requested to be a DNR but you made the choice to rescind it.

I have been there to hold the hand of the dying father whose children never came because it was too much.

I have cared for the intoxicated man that called me every name under the sun, all while the person he hit is dying in the next room.

I have cared for the drug addict who relapsed for just one more high.

I have held the baby who’s mother dropped her off at our ER door never to return.

I still took care of the person who chose to end their life. The ones who didn’t make it and the ones who survived to regret it.

I have cared for the child who drowned when no one was watching.

I have cared for the grandfather who the family refused to “pull the plug” because it would halt the monthly SS checks.

I have taken care of the patient who made the choice to not manage their insulin.

I have had compassion for the chronically ill patient who refused to take their medication or manage their disease.

I took care of the family member who should have had access to hospice but was forced to refuse and never to give up by their family.

I’ve honored the religious choice to deny blood products or other medical care even when it cost their life and I couldn’t understand.

I’ve cared for the homeless mental health patient who continued to refuse help.

I supported and cared for each one no matter their choices.

Despite their choices.

And now I see nurses being threatened, intimidated, fired for their choice. Like their choice doesn’t matter. Like their body autonomy shouldn’t exist.

And now I see healthcare “professionals” stating they will not care for people the same because of a choice. Stating they should just let the un – v people die.

Discrimination based on age, religion, sex, race, color or creed is WRONG.

And discrimination based on injection status is just as WRONG.

If you are healthcare professional doing this… STOP. Think about the implications of what you’re saying, doing, proposing.

I’m sorry, I’m not sorry.

Someone should have said this long time ago.

Behind the scenes pic of my most recent, last and final travel assignment last summer.

“Make each day your masterpiece, angels can do no better.” (Coach Wooden) He was an English teacher. He quoted poetry. He despised profanity. He adored his wife – Nell. And he coached a little….with a bit of success.

How times have changed!! I love this story – a celebration of the human spirit …

It’s 1932 and Australia is in the grip of the Great Depression.

One in three workers are unemployed.

Decrepit shanty towns hug the outskirts of the big cities.

A scrawny rabbit caught in a trap will feed a family for a week.

Country roads are filled with broken men walking from one farmhouse to another seeking menial jobs and food.

On the outskirts of the South Gippsland town of Leongatha, an injured farmer lies in bed unable to walk – or work.

World War I hero Captain Leo Tennyson Gwyther is in hospital with a broken leg and the family farm is in danger of falling into ruins.

Up steps his son, nine-year-old Lennie.

With the help of his pony Ginger Mick, Lennie ploughs the farm’s 24 paddocks and keeps the place running until his father can get back on his feet.

How to reward him?

Lennie has been obsessively following one of the biggest engineering feats of the era – the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

He wants to attend its opening.

With great reluctance, his parents agree he can go.

So Lennie saddles up Ginger Mick, packs a toothbrush, pyjamas, spare clothes and a water bottle into a sack, and begins the 1000+ kilometre trek to Sydney.

Alone.

That’s right.

A nine-year-old boy riding a pony from the deep south of Victoria to the biggest and roughest city in the nation.

Told you it was a different era.

No social media.

No mobile phones.

But even then it doesn’t take long before word begins to spread about a boy, his horse and their epic trek.

The entire population of small country towns gather on their outskirts to welcome his arrival.

He survives bushfires, is attacked by a “vagabond” and endures rain and cold, biting winds.

When he reaches Canberra he is welcomed by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, who invites him into Parliament House for tea.

When he finally arrives in Sydney, more than 10,000 people line the streets to greet him.

He is besieged by autograph hunters.

He becomes a key part of the official parade at the bridge’s opening.

He and Ginger Mick are invited to make a starring appearance at the Royal Show.

Even Donald Bradman, the biggest celebrity of the Depression era, requests a meeting and gives him a signed cricket bat.

A letter writer to The Sydney Morning Herald at the time gushes that “just such an example as provided by a child of nine summers, Lennie Gwyther was, and is, needed to raise the spirit of our people and to fire our youth and others to do things – not to talk only.

“The sturdy pioneer spirit is not dead … let it be remembered that this little lad, when his father was in hospital, cultivated the farm – a mere child.”

When Lennie leaves Sydney for home a month later, he has become one of the most famous figures in a country craving uplifting news.

Large crowds wave handkerchiefs.

Women weep and shout “goodbye”.

According to The Sun newspaper, “Lennie, being a casual Australian, swung into the saddle and called ‘Toodleloo!’”.

He finally arrives home to a tumultuous reaction in Leongatha.

He returns to school and soon life for Lennie – and the country – returns to normal.

These days you can find a bronze statue in Leongatha commemorating Lennie and Ginger Mick.

But Australia has largely forgotten his remarkable feat – and how he inspired a struggling nation.

Never taught about him in school?

Never heard of him before?

Spread the word.

We need to remember – and celebrate – Lennie Gwyther and his courageous journey.

It’s a great story.

from Garry Linnell’s article in The New Daily