ANZAC Day, 25 April

Today (yesterday?) we remember the fallen.

And that triggered a whole series of coincidences.

It started with that 2 minute sound-clip of Kerwi-Keith Holyoake announcing that NZ was sending troops to South Vietnam to support our allies, otherwise how could we expect them to come support us in our hour of need, and to defeat those terrible Communists so that Cambodia, Thailand, then Malaysia, and Singapore, did not likewise fall to communism.

I have to admit that (in the cold light of history, and the progress of recent events) the progress of communism into Southeast Asia may have been a valid and rational fear. What must be said at that point is that that progress has not come as the consequence of military action even in the form it took in Vietnam. It has been the result of political action, such as that being taken in Thailand at present by the Red-shirt peoples.

The obvious question that must come from that is "Why should people choose communist, or socialist government?" I don't know the answer to that one - the answers are probably manifold. But in my mind's eye, one of the leading replies would suggest that communism is perceived to give "me" more and better than I have at present.

That actually ranges wider than I intended. The thought now springs to mind that (irrespective of any other reason I might draw) Obama tapped that very potential with "Change" and "Yes we can!" (that is now being used by Chrysler to sell their junk cars and Jeeps in NZ).

So, we are now a long way from Remembrance and ANZAC. But perhaps when TF is wailing in the wind about Obama's attempted cures for the economic and international ills created by the beloved GWB and his predecessors he might remember that change came about in the search for something better. For whom? There is the rub.

We had a tax cut that took effect on 1 April, authorised in great haste by the new government immediately after the election. Some 80% of the benefit of that tax cut went to the top 3% of taxpayers. I received an additional $12 roughly per week. Half of that disappeared the same week when our electricity utility (a publicly listed company) announced increased prices.

Back to ANZAC Day.

I celebrated the remembrance by making (for the first time in years) a batch of ANZAC biscuits.

Nice.