аЯрЁБс>ўџ 79ўџџџ8џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС` №ПabjbjЫsЫs .(ЉЉaџџџџџџЄPPPPPPP ќќќќД:$88888888ЙЛЛЛЛЛЛ$^hЦ*пP%88%%пPP88єkkk% P8P8Йk%ЙkkPPk8, `вTвØЦќ/ kЙ 0:k№9(№kk"№P,8"Zkr†Ÿ888ппa 888:%%%%ДДД$и $ДДДи d$ˆџџџџPPPPPPџџџџ We have had a few posts regarding Howard and his stance on Gay Marriage, especially since his visit to University College Dublin, where one student on the issue questioned him at length. Firstly, he described people campaigning for same sex couples enjoying the right to “marry” as “fundamentalists”. My, ‘on-line’, dictionary describes a fundamentalist as; 1.  someone who follows religious laws very strictly: e.g. Muslim fundamentalists and, 2.  a Christian who believes that everything in the Bible is completely and actually true. (This is probably an oversimplified definition, but my OED says, basically, the same thing.) That Howard has reserved the word, “fundamentalists”, in the past for terrorists, or acts of terrorism, is relevant, in as much as one post questioned Howard’s right to describe those of us, seeking legalisation of same-sex unions, as “fundamentalists”, and hence was he brandishing us as “terrorists”? Howard then said that it was, “…not discrimination to deny gay men and lesbians equal marriage status with heterosexual couples”. The P.M. then went on to say, “I think it is a form of minority fundamentalism to say that you have to, in every aspect of one's institutions and one's arrangements in society, have technical equivalence”. Forgive me if I do not understand all the nuances of the English language, (I have only been speaking it for about fifty years), but my understanding of “discrimination” is; “The practice of treating one person or group differently from another in an unfair way” Therefore, either Howard discriminates, (that is, he does not see us, nor does he acknowledge us as equal members of the greater community), or he does not discriminate, (that is, he does see acknowledge us as equal members of the greater community). He and the Government cannot have it both ways… although they do! His further comments on “financial equality” are a laugh, as any Public Servant in a same sex partnership will tell you. When it comes to writing one’s will, should you want your partner to inherit on the same or “equal” footing as a heterosexual couple, married or de-facto are allowed to do, then your rights to leave any accrued monies from a Government Superannuation scheme, is denied. We have seen here, in this very group, (and as many of us experienced), the way Centrelink pick and choose, most certainly does not come into line with his “financial equality” statement. The Taxation Laws, not recognising us as “couples”, certainly does not come into line with his “financial equality” statement. The Medibank rebates system, in not recognising any of us as a “couple”, certainly does not come into line with his “financial equality” statement. Where does Howard’s, “financial equality” statement come from? I have “Googled my RAM out”, trying to find precisely what he meant by, “financial equality”. Howard also added, “…most Australians do not want gay couples to have equivalent status”. If that is not “discrimination”, what is? Interestingly enough, (although not at the same meeting), Howard trotted out the, “We give equal status to ‘interdependent couples’ applying for visas to come to Australia”. I am becoming fed up to the eyeteeth with that “interdependent couples” line being used in all correspondence from Government departments, MPs, etc., et al, on same sex equality issues. That “Interdependent Couples Visa” is irrelevant to us who are already citizens, i.e. Australians. What no one tells those people applying for an “Interdependent Couple Visa” is that if you are a same sex couple, once through immigration, that’s it mate! “Sorry, we don’t recognise your legal status anymore!” David Scamell from the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby says, “…the Prime Minister is not listening to the public”. Of course he is listening, it is just that he is selectively listening to the “Big End of Town”, the “radical right wing religious pressure groups”, Janette, (naturally), Tony Blair, George Bush and anyone else who can, and does, tell him how to run this country. As I am, as is my partner, of a “fundamentalist minority”, I do not count, nor do I matter to the Prime Minister and by default the rest of the Government and the greater community because, “…most Australians do not want gay couples to have equivalent status”. Therefore as I am a third class citizen and as such, I will choose not to vote, not to participate in the census, will not complete tax returns… and so on… We need to take a stance on who we are and why we do belong to the community, because our “duly elected” representatives, with a few rare exceptions, are doing sweet F.A. for us! Dr Peter Willmott  [Full name inserted]    , l m q О П У Ф Ш  | } Ё Ђ Б Д j y   Њ ­ Ў Э - / 1 P ќ џ š Ј ­ Ў А юлюлюФЉФЅФЉФЅюлюФФЅƒvƒЅƒvƒЅƒvƒЅƒgh>8\0J6CJOJQJaJh>8\6CJOJQJaJh>8\CJOJQJaJ*h>8\B*CJOJQJ]aJmH phsH h>8\4h>8\6B*CJOJQJ\]^JaJmH phsH -h>8\6B*CJOJQJ]aJmH phsH %h>8\6B*CJOJQJ]aJph"h>8\B*CJOJQJ]aJph'МН1 2 l m П Ф  } ~ ­ Ў 0 1 џ Ў  HаŒїїїїїїчччїїїїлллллллллллл ЄЄx[$\$gd>8\„а„аd8]„а^„аgd>8\d8gd>8\a§ CF[fРФЩдas$PSmЖНьўKQ€’ЕЧ(:=>RS•™šЊЙУФoqrЂИ-.4O‘Слья/01efhЄезй(7ђьђлђлђлђлђЬђЬђЬђЬђЬђЬђЬђЬђЬђЬђьђЬПГЏГПГЏГПГЏГПГЏГПГЏГПГПГЏГПГЏГПГЏГПh>8\h>8\CJOJQJaJh>8\6CJOJQJaJh>8\0J6CJOJQJaJ h>8\0J6>*CJOJQJaJ h>8\0Jh>8\0JCJOJQJaJEŒ Ÿ=>šФr.‘0ghийстчƒ67JK`aѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓѓююююьgd>8\ ЄЄx[$\$gd>8\7?lnu ЋртЁЂфцч‚ƒЕЗоъ56HJ`aєчєчєчєуєчєдчєуєуєчєчєуШуФуhKнhŸ.ВCJOJQJaJh>8\0J6CJOJQJaJh>8\h>8\6CJOJQJaJh>8\CJOJQJaJ,1hА‚. 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