A violent merry Christmas Considering it's Christmas, a time of supposed goodwill to all men, the past week seems to have been a very violent one in Western Australia.
On Thursday night a Japanese man was minding his own business at one of Perth's central bus stations when a man walked up to him and stuck a knife into his neck. Apparently it was a random attack without provocation. Witnesses said he'd been trying to cadge cigarettes from other travellers. The Japanese victim, reportedly a student, died in minutes. Transport security guards managed to arrest the murderer shortly after - he was white. We saw TV news images of him being taken away in handcuffs. He held the cuffs up for the cameras as if he was boasting. Not the slightest indication of remorse. The family of his victim are on their way to Perth to collect the body of their son.
Almost a week earlier an elderly Aboriginal man minding his own business down Rockingham way, south of Fremantle, was killed in front of his house by some white youths. They fled, but two of them have since been arrested.
At a Geraldton beach north of Perth late on Christmas Day a white farmer was playing cricket with his family. A marauding gang of Aborigines arrived and started pillaging the beachgoers' picnic stuff. A member of the farmer's family had a bottle broken in his face for protesting. The farmer who went to help him was attacked and his head smashed in with his own cricket bat. He died soon after. The Aboriginal gang fled and laid low for a couple of days, but the one who'd swung the bat gave himself up yesterday. One of his family members appeared on the TV news and asked that the media show some restraint.
These are only three of the hundreds of such terrible incidents which have occurred in this state over the past year. Innocent people being attacked and robbed by thugs. More than a few tourists have been victims too. It's not like that in the tourist brochures. Alcohol and drugs seem to be significant ingredients, but I think at the heart of all these is the abandonment of common decency. Many young people seem to have become desensitised to the wrongfulness of causing harm to others.
Then there's been the road toll. Hundreds have been killed in the annual carnage on Western Australian roads. It's a similar story every year. Alcohol, drugs and failure to wear seat belts are said to be a major factors, but there was an incident last week when a man walking home was run over and killed. After the driver was arrested it was disclosed that it was his third involvement in a road fatality. The TV news cameras showed the inside of his vehicle. The gearstick knob was in the shape of a human skull. It seems reasonable to conclude that such a display indicated the driver had no remorse about the previous deaths.
Little thought is given to the people who have to deal with these traumatic episodes. The cops, the ambulance drivers and the hospital workers. They have a thankless task and unfortunately can also be victims of violent attacks while carrying out their duties.
Apparently such public service personnel have not been well looked after by the government when their injuries have been seriously debilitating. Last week came the news that this policy is to change. It's a disgrace that it's taken so long.
The big international news story yesterday was that Mrs Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. It seemed inevitable it was going to happen. More violence is guaranteed for that unhappy country. Perhaps a civil war?
Back in Australia this morning, troublesome wannabe Moslem militant David "Dawood" Hicks has been released from prison and is seemingly being accorded hero status by the national media. Hick's father Terry is the only hero in this pathetic individual's life.
© MMVII Paul R. Weaver.
About the writerCheck out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
fremantlebiz's journal