Rudd and Turnbull apolagise to British orphans...

[Auzgurl]

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized Monday for years of abuse and pain suffered by thousands of orphans and children sent to Australia from Britain, often without the knowledge of their parents.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is also set to apologies to around 7,000 children from state institutions who were shipped to Australia between 1930 and 1970 under the old Child Migrants Program.

Rudd told an audience of about 900 former orphans, known as the Forgotten Australians, that the abandoned policy was a shameful and ugly period in history which led to suffering, emotional damage and an absence of love and care.

"We look back with shame that so many of you were left cold, hungry and alone and with nowhere to hide and nobody, absolutely nobody, to whom to turn," Rudd said in a speech at parliament.

"We look back with shame at how those with power were allowed to abuse those who had none."

Many poor children were sent to Commonwealth countries, mainly Australia and Canada, with promises of a better life. But according to the charity the Child Migrants Trust, many of those sent to Australia ended up being abused, dumped in institutions or used as laborers on farms against their wishes."

..

It was good to see for once both sides of Politics come together and join in on what appeared to be a heartfelt apology to British orphans..most stolen from parents and shipped to Australia between 1930 and 1970.[ no border security back then]

I was half impressed by Turnbulls efforts ,when he even bravely used the the words "we love you" ( love and Turnbull arent 2 words commonly used in the same sentence)..This meant a lot to those in the audience,and emotions ran high, just a few words , can do so much..why dont we do it more often.

[Auzgurl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091116/wl_ ... n_children

[boxy]

Oh, but now we may have to pay compensation!

Oh, the humanity





Pretty low key response to this, compared the the "Abo apology", eh. Wonder why?

[JW.Frogen]

Personally, if I were the Australian Prime Minister I would apologize for all suffering that has ever occurred any where at any time in all of time.

And then I would say fuck off and get on with life.

But that is just me.

And why I can not get elected to anything.

[JW.Frogen]

Still Auzgirl your big heart wants me to want you, needs me to need you, didn't I didn't I see you loven?

I always thought Cheap Trick got those lyrics wrong.

[Aussie]

Ya know, many years ago, in the 1980's, I represented a bloke who was then quite aged (I've forgotten exactly how old) who had been apprehended on the Sunshine Coast for extradition to NSW on charges relating to his alleged abuse (including heterosexual) of kids the Bernados Mob had sent from England to Australia. His surname was Hxxxxxxx.............he'd be very dead now. He had been in charge of the Bernados Home in Kiamba NSW. We fought that extradition, and lost. He denied he had done any wrong, but there was now way he was going to extricate himself from the weight of evidence against him.

I have used him before as an example of why I am against the prosecution of alleged 'war criminals' so many years after the relevant event.

The allegations against him were decades old, and there is no way, as an old man facing that extradition, that he was the same persona who may have committed the offences decades prior.

I know, I am 'el lobo' on this, but there ya go.

[boxy]

Some things you can forgive with time, Aussie... receiving stolen Freddo Frogs as a kid, for example... but murder, rape, child molestation? Nah. Those things fuck up the victim's life, and the life of countless others they are close to, for the rest of their life. Let the judge decide, after the case, what the punishment should be, taking into account things like age and sincere penance.

[JW.Frogen]

I can forgive everything with time, except the TV show Full House.

[boxy]

Do you think you have the right to forgive serious crimes on the victims behalf?

[JW.Frogen]

I think I have the power to forgive everything under Heaven’s hole and in Earth’s anus.

Still, let each seek justice in their own way. I am not Jesus; you do not have to die on my cross.