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CLIFF'S
TAKE
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042 :
30 Nov 2007
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The
Religion and Politics of Tony Abbott
Cliff
Baxter takes his pen up in critical analysis of the political
and religious world view of prominent Catholic politician, Tony Abbott
[more]
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041 :
06 Aug 2007
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A
Browse through the Irish Echo
Each second Wednesday evening
Cliff Baxter says he has an excuse
to sneak down to his local Irish pub to have a Guinness. The excuse he
gives his wife is that he's going down to pick up a copy of the Irish
Echo. Bronwyn's seen through the ruse for years as she
actually works at the newspaper as a proofreader and could bring a copy
of the paper home for him. She winks at him each time he comes out with
the excuse knowing full well what his real reason for nicking down the
pub is. Here's what he found in the paper this week
[more]
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040 :
06 Jul 2007
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Fr
Shay Cullen
Cliff Baxter
shares some personal knowledge of his involvement in the exposing the
activities of sexual predators in the Philippines. His commentary links
to a recent documentary on ABC television concerning Fr Shay Cullen
and an article in this week's Irish Echo
in which Fr Cullen criticises the way the ABC covered the story about
pedophiles and sex predators in the Philippines. [more]
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039 :
27 June 2007
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Testing
the pollies? Cliff Baxter
takes up Senator Bill Heffernan's suggestion (now there's an unlikely
duo for you LOL) and asks if our politicians ought be subject to
random drug testing as well? [more]
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038 :
24 June 2007
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Analysing
the National Emergency? Cliff Baxter
questions the reasoning behind the Australian Federal Government's declaration
of a national emergency in the matter of child abuse. [more]
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037 :
17 June 2007
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This
is OUTRAGEOUS! Cliff Baxter
provides the facts on this disturbing case in Ireland that has been reported
in The Irish Echo in Australia.
It's about a gay priest who has been "outed" by one of Rupert
Murdoch's sensationalist tabloids. In a separate editorial, Brian
Coyne, puts the case for the real moral issues that this case
brings to the surface for investigation. [more]
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036 :
31 May 2007
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A
Rev Hannibal Lecter in a Cheap Cardigan! Cliff
Baxter returns with a powerful commentary to draw attention
to Markham Nolan's review of a powerful
new documentary about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Mr Nolan's
review is reproduced courtesy of The
Irish Echo newspaper. [more]
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035 :
13 Nov 2006
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What
a treasure Michael Leunig is! Michael Leunig has
put away his brush and taken up the pen in a column in The Age.
Cliff suggests we take seriously what he's suggesting. He
nominates Leunig as a new prophet for our time. [more]
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034 :
10 Nov 2006
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Forget
the Pope - Saddam must 'swing before he sings'! Cliff
casts a very cynical eye on the behaviours of a number of the key
groups who've had a lot to say about prosecuting the War on Terror.
He asks if they have a motive for wanting Saddam to "swing
before he sings"? [more]
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033 :
06 Nov 2006
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Let's
provide a bit of feedback! We might not have the resources
to do an audit of Catholic communications around the world but Cliff
suggests we ought to have a go. Today he provides a start and invites
you to provide more. [more]
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032 :
30 Oct 2006
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In
the wake of the Sheikh's gaffe should we discuss modesty?
Cliff wonders if there is a different way of looking at Sheik
Taj el-Din al Hilaly's gaffe on female dress standards. Is there
a legitimate issue here that our community needs to be looking at?
Cliff went off on a Google search to find out what had been written
on the subject. You might like to check out what he's found and
contribute to a discussion in our forum about dress standards. [more]
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031 :
27 Oct 2006
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Two
contrasting approaches on the Limbo controversy... Cliff
Baxter expresses his horror at the way some people so filled
with religious fervour not only show little compassion for those
who have lost unbaptized children, but portray a merciless, legislative
God still brooding over our original sin. [more]
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030 :
23 Oct 2006
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Internet
Discussion For ten years Cliff Baxter was an ethical
'sheriff' of journalism as President of the Australian Journalists
Association Judiciary Committee in New South Wales. Not one person
appealed against his decisions. For Catholica he makes some
observations on the directions Catholic discussions are heading.
[more]
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029 :
16 Oct 2006
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The
outlook of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cliff Baxter
provides an overview, gleaned from viewing the ABC Compass
television program last night, on the faith outlook offered by the
Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. [more]
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028 :
13 Oct 2006
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We
are no longer hunting the Sabre-tooth Tiger or Dancing with
Jurassic Males! Cliff Baxter responds to Tuesday's
editorial on the challenges we face as lay Catholics. What is the
role of the lay apostolates today? What should we be doing? [more]
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027 :
09 Oct 2006
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World
Youth Day 2008 an opportunity for renewal... Cliff
Baxter sees World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008 as an opportunity
for renewal in the Church. He says "we are desperately in need
of new, green shoots in the Church". So come on everybody,
Get with the Spirit! [more]
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026 :
04 Oct 2006
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What
about the Virtues? Cliff Baxter argues we need a
counterpoint to the Seven Deadlies through
a concentration on Virtues. He says, for example, we need to 'get
deadly' on human rights, and the activist Ciaron O'Reilly
is a good role model. [more]
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025 :
25 Sep 2006
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The
cost of the "War on Terror" In his offering today
Cliff points out that a terrible landmark has been passed
in the so-called 'war on terror'. He finds it terrifying. How long,
he asks, before we listen to the Pope of Peace? [more]
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024 :
22 Sep 2006
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"Neither
Oppressor Nor Oppressed Be" Cliff takes a candid
look at the holy book, the Qu'ran, and urges that we strive
for peace for all people. If we do not, he says, we are like the
Gadarene Swine, heading to perdition. Moderate Islam must be encouraged
at all costs and at the same time militant Christianity's merchants
of death resisted. We need, he says, to look at the sort of religious
texts that fuel religious fanaticism. [more]
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023 :
18 Sep 2006
Click image to
access story!
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022 :
04 Sep 2006
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The
love that dares not speak its shame The American Right claims
to 'love' Israel. In this take Cliff Baxter asks if it is
a love that dares not speak its shame: lust for money, power, oil,
and armament sales? Cliff applauds the statement by the Jerusalem
bishops criticising the increasing power of Christian Zionism as
a barrier to peace in the Middle East. [more]
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021 :
28 Aug 2006
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Would
you like to be able to write more effectively? The Old Curmudgeon
would like to see a revival of the great Catholic tradition in writing.
Older readers might remember the Fr Brown Stories of that
famous English Catholic convert, G.K. Chesterton but here
in Australia we had the Around the Boree Log tradition of
Fr Hartigan ('John O'Brien'). Catholica Australia
and Cliff Baxter are offering all those who want to become
more effective writers professional tuition and a place to get themselves
published. [more]
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020 :
22 Aug 2006
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A
tribute to a journalist colleague... In this piece Cliff
doffs his Panama in honour of a long time comrade in journalism,
Alan Gill, author of many books, who has written a typically
professional piece for Online
Catholics, of which I have the honour to be discussion
board moderator. [more]
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019 :
21 Aug 2006
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Climate
Change: Why we should be concerned! Cliff Baxter,
self-styled Curmudgeon, has been reflecting on an Earth that appears
to be dying, a conference on Climate change to be held in Melbourne
on October 13, and the Boiling Frog Principle. [more]
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018 :
17 Aug 2006
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The
dissonance of war. The harmony of peace. The Curmudgeon
looks at the way music can reply to the dissonance of the single,
pathological and repetitive note of war. NOTE:
multi-media content Cliff's reflection today is accompanied
by a sound track. [more]
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017 :
14 Aug 2006
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How
secondary gain wrecks our lives, and our communities...
Is it possible to understand what goes on in the minds of people
who convince themselves that committing acts of terrorism is God's
work? Or is it possible to understand what goes on in the minds
of people who convince themselves that committing acts of verbal
terrorism in the Catholic Church is God's work? What drives fundamentalism?
They are all convinced they are the defenders of "Truth"?
But are they? Do we do ourselves, or the world, a favour, by appeasing
hypochondriacs ... or terrorists? Cliff Baxter has some background
reading that readers of Catholica might be interested in.
[more]
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016 :
11 Aug 2006
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Could
you spare a small donation for this family in Armenia? Cliff
Baxter has received a heartfelt appeal for assistance for a
family in Armenia. He visited the country in 2001 to write a book
on the country and its history and developed a great love for this
most ancient of Christian nations. Read the full story and if you
can add to our appeal total it would be deeply appreciated. [more]
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015 :
07 Aug 2006
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A
Passionate Plea for Peace... Cliff Baxter has won
many awards during the course of his long career in journalism
possibly more than any other Catholic journalist in Australia. The
column he has written for us today might give you an insight why.
It is an extraordinarily powerful and passionate plea for peace
yet, despite it's passion, it carries a sense of objectivity and
fairness to the peoples caught up on both sides of the conflict
in the Middle East. I have attached multi-media content in the form
of another "Prayer for Our Time" to Cliff's Take. If that
distracts from the reading of his column I suggest you scroll down
and put it on pause until you reach the end of his column. Let us
not just "pray for peace" but "work for peace"
amongst all the peoples of our world. [more]
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014 :
01 Aug 2006
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The
tragedy of St Vincent's Redfern... There were further major
developments at the Catholic parish of Redfern on the weekend. This
received significant media coverage on Monday and led to much comment
on the CathNews discussion forum which reflects the deep
divisions in the institutional Church at the moment on much wider
issues as to how the Church is to be re-evangelised. Cliff Baxter
lives close to Redfern and has been watching the developments in
that parish with growing alarm... [more]
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013 :
31 Jul 2006
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Should
the Aboriginal people embrace capitalism? A week or so ago
the head of the Federal Government's Indigenous business advisory
group, Joseph Elu, blamed a failure to embrace capitalism for Aboriginal
social problems. Cliff Baxter argues that capitalism is not
a response. On the contrary, he argues, we can learn from their
culture of the common good. In a separate
essay, Tom Scott, challenges the arguments advanced by
Cliff. [more]
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012 :
29 Jul 2006
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It's
enough to send you bananas! With the news this week that
Australia's worrying inflation rate has been caused by the surging
price of bananas since the crop was wiped out by Cyclone Larry last
January, The Curmudgeon asks if we ought take this country
off the gold standard onto a banana standard. [more]
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011 :
25 Jul 2006
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People
are not commodities! The Curmudgeon today argues
that people are not commodities. Neither are health care and education
"commodities" that a civilised society ought exploit for
profit. He calls on Catholic social teaching to support his arguments
and draws attention to a recent article by Dr Alf Liebhold who points
to dangerous trends in health care by Corporate America. Do you
think the profit motive enhances or degrades Healthcare and Education?
[more]
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010 :
20 Jul 2006
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Sorry,
Mr Howard, the Curmudgeon Disagrees! John Howard, the Australian
Prime Minister is always smiling. The economy has never looked better,
he says. Cliff Baxter, the self-styled Curmudgeon, does not share
his optimism. He writes that todays urban people may find
themselves more vulnerable than the common people when Henry VIII
closed the monasteries, debased the silver currency, then almost
sent England bankrupt through war, because then many 16th century
people at least lived close to the soil and could grow food. 21st
century urban people, queued up with their credit cards in the supermarket,
may not be able to cushion tomorrows economic blows. [more]
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009 :
19 Jul 2006
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It
is time for a new beginning in male-female relationships!
In this poignant commentary which was largely sparked by
his anguish listening to the news reports of the Coroner's Inquest
into the death of Dianne Brimble Cliff asks some searing
questions about the relations between men and women. Whether you're
a man or a woman don't miss it. [more]
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008 :
17 Jul 2006
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The
tragedy in Lebanon... The unfolding tragedy in the Lebanon
is impacting on the whole world. Cliff has penned this sensitive
and loving story seeking to remind us of the ordinary people like
you and I, struggling to make sense of life, who end up being caught
up as the real victims in these great powerplays between religious
ideologies and geo-politics. Our Lady of Lebanon, pray for all of
us. [more]
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007 :
11 Jul 2006
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Refugees
the tragic plight of Ljuben Nedelkoski... Cliff Baxter
has been learning something of the tragic treatment of some Macedonian
immigrants to Australia. He argues the case of Ljuben Nedelkoski
deserves our support. [more]
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006 :
04 Jul 2006
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Give
us this day, our daily bread! Here is commentary at its
very best. Veteran journalist, Cliff Baxter uses his pen
like a sabre cutting through the tragedy and hypocrisy of the War
in Iraq. Amanda McKenna on reading the piece was inspired
to take up her guitar and sing the words of Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards that Cliff used to introduce his column. You have the benefit
of hearing Amanda's rendition recorded early this morning while
you read one of the most cutting commentaries you're likely to find
in any media. Happy 4th July everybody! [more]
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005 :
02 Jul 2006
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Wake
UP, Soccer Fans, and let us start barracking for the Habeas Corpus
Cup! Continuing his commentary from yesterday, Cliff asks
if David Hicks has become Australia's Alfred Dreyfus? If you have
never understood the finer details of what all the fuss is about
over the detention of the alleged terrorists by the Amercian administration
at Guantanamo Bay, do yourself a favour. Just quietly sit down and
read this veteran journalist's careful analysis of what is at stake
here. [more]
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004 :
01 Jul 2006
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Have
we lost the "Habeas Corpus Cup"? Here's some weekend
reflection. In this take, Cliff wonders if sport has replaced religion
as the alleged opiate of the people. Why, asks Cliff, arent
people getting worked up as much over human rights contests, bigotry
and prejudice as they are over competition over a ball on a green
field in front of baying thousands and watched by millions on TV?
[more]
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003 :
26 Jun 2006
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A
winning strategy: Cut and Run! Cliff's message for the American
Democrats: Cut the crap. Run like you want to win. Cut the military.
Run a real government Cut and Run! It's a winning slogan.
[more]
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002 :
10 Jun 2006
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An
old curmudgeon's view on conscience Cliff examines the controversy
surrounding Cardinal George Pell, the ACBC, the CDF, the Catechism
of the Catholic Church and the issue of Primacy of Conscience. [more]
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001 :
8 Jun 2006
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The
truth is not always comfortable Let's have a vigorous discussion
on the morality and merits of John Howard's proposal to examine
the nuclear option. Cliff is opposed to the idea and outlines his
arguments. Is anyone prepared to challenge Howard ... or Baxter?
[more]
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