ANZAC regrets

On this ANZAC day, where Aussies and Kiwis commemorate the deaths of thousands of soldiers who fought in wars to keep Australia free and the idea of a liberal democracy alive in this lonely corner of the planet, I came across this news and was depressed at how far some Aussies have travelled into the La-La land of ideological madness.

AUSTRALIA'S Race Discrimination Commissioner Tom Calma is attending the controversial UN anti-racism conference in Geneva, despite the Rudd Government's decision to boycott the event because of fears it would become a platform to attack Israel.

The idea that an indigenous "Race Discrimination Commissioner" needs to go to a conference which last time resolved after a couple of weeks of junket deliberation that the only country worthy of racist policies was Israel, is some sort of wacky.

Mr Tom Calma (picture source)

The actual criticism is in point 63 of the Durban declaration (document available here):

63. We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation. We recognize the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent State and we recognize the right to security for all States in the region, including Israel, and call upon all States to support the peace process and bring it to an early conclusion;

Whilst it's not entirely comparing Israel with Germany circa 1939 (the benchmark of evil), it is curious that in the entire 62 page document, Israel is the only nation that gets a special mention. What this anti-semitic conference will teach the indigenous "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Race Discrimination Commissioner" (to use his full title) is beyond me and even the Rudd government. The US, Canada, Israel and Australia have all officially boycotted this farce of a conference (as if a UN conference is anything but) yet Mr Calma insists on going.

I'm sure the OIC delegation will have much to teach an indigenous Australian about racism...