because this fairy tale still needs a happy ending

Dear Editor

I proudly subscribed to your publication last month. I looked forward to reading insightful pieces written by prominent Australians about our nation’s “Politics, Society & Culture”, as your tag line explains.

My excitement when I pulled my first issue out of the letterbox yesterday fell, almost with a thud to the driveway, when I saw the sparkling smiles of The Obamas dressed in their fairytale finery on the cover of this supposedly Australian publication.

However, as I do adore the Obamas and cheered the US election result with some vigour myself, I figured they probably deserved their place on yet another cover (The Monthly is among such friends as Rolling Stone and Men’s Health in picking the same cover star). Obama’s election matters to all of us and I do hope he’ll come visit us soon.

But when I read Galarrwuy Yunupingu’s utterly amazing piece about his life, his hopes, his disappointment, his frustrations and his visions for our country, my own disappointment and frustration led me to writing this letter.

Why was his story not given the pride of place on your cover? Obama is the World’s Black Man, yes, and we are all incredibly proud of him. But Galarrwuy Yunupingu is Our Very Own Black Man.

I normally hate being parochial, but I truly believe his piece should be read and appreciated and acted upon by every Australian, and it feels to me that by adding yet another smiling Obama to newsstands you may have missed a great opportunity to bring our country’s own healing back to the front page.

Yours sincerely
Sunili …

the world gets a little more blind

I doubt Ghandi got much wrong in his time. And I reckon the great man was pretty right when he said:

An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind.

Retributive justice is a pretty full-on topic, and I won’t go into much more detail than to say that when I read about last night’s execution of the Bali bombers, I was incredibly disheartened.

People might say that this finally brings an end to the 2002 tragedy, but I wonder if maybe we might have had an end long before now had they merely been given a life sentence and left to rot in jail without the circus of the appeals and now this.

Frankly, this makes it worse. They are now officially martyrs, and who knows how that will be used by their supporters?

This makes me very sad. That is all.

Dr Carmen Lawrence Public Lecture

Professor Jeanette Hacket, Vice Chancellor, Curtin University of Technology, takes pleasure in inviting you to the Launch of the Carmen Lawrence Collection and Curtin Library Public Lecture by Dr Lawrence

Why Inequality Matters

Thursday 13 November 2008

4.30pm Light refreshments served

5.15pm Launch and public lecture

John Curtin Gallery and BankWest Theatre,
Curtin University of Technology, Kent Street, Bentley

RSVP: 9 November 2008 (acceptances only)
Tel: 08 9266 2563 or email: events@curtin.edu.au

In her lecture Dr Lawrence will argue that the most important attribute of a civil society is equality between its citizens and that policies which reduce inequality to the maximum extent possible are likely to be the most effective in improving general well being and reducing civil strife.

a few notecards

Dear America

THANK YOU!

♥ you guys!

— Sunili ×ο×ο

•

Dear News Ltd

You are such fucktards.

Having “FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT” as
your giant fucking headline completely
misses the fucking point, you fucking
morons. America has grown up. You
should too.

Very sincerely
Sunili

cc Janet Albrechtsen
cc Malcolm Turnbull

•

Dear Janet

“Plenty [of this]” and “plenty [of that]”
and “many many” means squat.  If it
was close, I would agree that there is
racism. But it wasn’t. You must be
a bleeding-heart little-l liberal if
you think Americans voted for him
JUST BECAUSE he is black.

However, since I’m feeling generous
this evening, I’ll pay you on your
Post-Racism thing.

Regards
Sunili

•

Dear California

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME????

That you voted yes on 8 totes puts
a dampener on this.

Sunili (sad face)