COLUMN CENTIMETRES

with Olav Muurlink

If the war in Europe proves anything it is not that “we need to beef up security in case the same thing happens to us”. It proves that we are boneheads, a laughably stupid species; two ‘Christian’ nations who both claim to believe in ‘thou shalt not kill’, purchasing sophisticated weapons to kill each other.

I watched half of All Quiet on the Western Front last night, the last few days of WWI, the days when war was even dumber than it is now…men running through the mud straight into machine gun fire. The joy on their faces as they signed up could be put down to innocence, but we aren’t so innocent now…. With every one having access to everything, with a century and some under our belt, we’ve got Russians and Ukrainians within kilometres of each other fighting to the death over a piece of real estate they’ve jointly destroyed. Modern human beings, who have been through kindergarten, primary school, high school, university, but still fighting like they were at kindie…but this time, using a metal stick based loosely on an invention that the Chinese released around 1132 (a bamboo tube filled with gunpowder, tied to spear), this time mummy won’t be able to kiss it better.

It’s not as if Ukraine and Russia are not quite sophisticated well educated countries—both with major problems with corruption, to be sure, but countries that should know better.

Now apparently Australia is going to make cuts to the NDIS so we can afford to buy a matching set of nuclear submarines that we will probably never use, hopefully. It’s not just that it’s going to cost an obscene amount of money…do we stop and think of what those submarines are designed for? To drill holes in other humans, to irrigate the earth and fill the oceans with blood. Believe me, I support the war in Ukraine, and part of me feels that if I was younger I might go over and contribute in some way…but another part of me shakes my head in disbelief. We’re still doing that to each other… when we have so many better things to do…

It’s funny how people worry about a “New World Order”, scoff at the WHO and the UN and such, when those efforts are all aimed at trying to help us as a species just grow up and solve problems with talk rather than tanks. If you read the history of things like Esperanto (the ‘one world’ language) or the League of Nations and the United Nations etc, you’ll realise I’m far from the first to think we ought to be better than this.

Olav Muurlink is associate professor of sustainable innovation at Central Queensland University

Tomorrow’s papers

Stanthorpe Record Daily Journal

In Friday’s edition (March 17) of Stanthorpe’s latest there will be:

■ The latest citizens welcomed to the Southern Downs by Mayor Pennisi today, March 16, from journalist Kim Hanson-Ross who was there.

■ News from the Granite Belt Music Council

Editor: Olav Muurlink editor@thedailyjournal.ink

Publisher: Gordon Bratby

Journalist: Selina Venier stanthorperecord@gmail.com

Journalist: Kim Hanson-Ross kimberley.hansonross@icloud.com

Journalist: Jonathan O’Neill oneill.jonathan1@outlook.com

Sports Journalist, Gerard Walsh sports@thedailyjournal.ink

A little bit of legals in not-too-fine print

While every care is taken to compile this newspaper accurately, we cannot be held responsible for any errors that may occur with advertisements or articles. All submitted content does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Small Newspaper Company or The Daily Journal. All art and editorial content remains the property of the relevant copyright holder and may not be reproduced without permission. If we have got something wrong, get in touch, and we will print a correction in our next edition...and apologies in advance!

■ More from Open Ended, for Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery from journalist Selina Venier who was at the opening.

In Friday’s edition of Warwick’s latest there will be:

■ The latest citizens welcomed to the Southern Downs by Mayor Pennisi today, March 16, from journalist Kim Hanson-Ross who was there.

■ The latest SDRC news with journalist Jono O’Neill who was at this seek’s Information Session.

■ Nine Year Sister’s first time performing at The Dairy Lounge in Warwick.