Carl D wrote on Aug 8^th, 2022 at 11:07am:


Don't you think that lockdowns, border closures and other such measures also caused some deaths?

It has been stated by established medical authorities that lockdowns would not control ba.5 anyway.

When you have a condition that has about the same morbidity rate as seasonal flu, it's difficult to do anything more than advise people to wear masks, maintain social distancing etc.

I have done all this from the beginning. I remember being berated for wearing a mask in Narooma NSW when I was there for the 2019/20 Bushfire Emergency.  It was in a Pharmacy, and I replied that in case there was any doubt, I don't actually have it and I don't want to get it.

My risk control measures are my own personal business.  Once they started mandating masks, nobody blinked an eye about mask wearing, except that  you had all these idiots wearing masks around their necks, or not covering their noses with the mask. The police didn't enforce anything.

Then you had silly rules about where you could eat.  I had my car in for new tyres, and I couldn't find anywhere where I could legally eat my take-away. Park benches were off-limits. I finally went into a police station and asked them to clarify the rules (this was in Batemans Bay)

When blanket rules trump informed individual decisions, that's where people stop thinking for themselves.

As far as vaccinations are concerned now, they don't offer as much protection as they used to against delta. So they shouldn't be compulsory, except maybe in Aged Care facilities.

There are signs (not speaking too soon I hope) that the current wave of infections have peaked.

greggerypeccary wrote on Aug 5^th, 2022 at 7:38pm:


Groggy you never explained why. Could you jump online and explain why?

John_Taverner wrote on Aug 8^th, 2022 at 12:36pm:


The virus naming authority should have used the English Alphabet as it has 26 letters.

The Greek one only has 24.😔

Thank God the Italian Alphabet wasn't used. It only has 21 letters! 🥺

buzzanddidj wrote on Aug 9^th, 2022 at 10:10am:


You're trying to have a logical and fact-based exchange in a discussion full of red pilled boomers circle jerking each other.

Just let the crazy fools be.  They thrive on attention, especially from those who validate and share their insanity. 

They crave that validation that they're special, arguing with them lets them paint you as part of the conspiracy and makes them think they're actively fighting the good fight, on the front lines etc.

They're literally too far gone and spend so much time on here because they've lost every meaningful connection they had in the real world.

I'd feel sorry for them if the rhetoric they shared wasn't so dangerous.  But in modern Australia the concept of mateship is dead, if it ever existed and COVID has shown me that the vast majority of people are selfish front bottoms not worthy of my generosity or even compassion.

If there was any natural justice in the world the likes of Scoot and Wombat would feel the full effect of what they advocate for rather than easily impressionable dullards who eat up the kind of rhetoric they spout, but alas, they're still here, kicking the screaming.

buzzanddidj wrote on Aug 9^th, 2022 at 10:10am:


You're making assumptions here. I received my first vaccination before most people due to my profession.  I have received all four shots.

I'm not an anti-vaxxer, but what I'm saying is based on risk.  I would eat at a restaurant if one of the staff wasn't vaccinated. It's a huge leap to assume that 95% of the population wouldn't.

Now that we have the omicron family, the risk reduction from having a vaccination is less. I would still encourage people to get vaccinated though.

However the risk reduction from wearing a mask is greater. 

Yesterday I was on a flight to North Queensland.  The only person not wearing a mask was in my row.  At least there was a seat between us, but the staff obviously didn't want to create a fuss.

Nowadays, you'd probably recognise me in a crowd, because I'm often the only one wearing a mask. In a restaurant, I dine al fresco to minimise the risk of catching covid. So far so good.  The risk of getting long Covid or worse is too high.

So forget about the 95% including myself who got vaccinated.  I'm the 1% who still wears a mask. 

There are a lot more things out there other than Covid that could potentially kill me. They include getting out of bed, not getting out of bed, crossing busy roads and walking down steps.

It's all a question of appropriate risk control.

Unfortunately many people on here don't understand the concept of risk.

LOL “own cars”

Carl D wrote on Aug 10^th, 2022 at 8:10am:


Mateship? What's that? Remind us all...

Lisa Jones wrote on Aug 10^th, 2022 at 8:47am:


We look after our own, and our own is who is here in this country.  It doesn't matter your age, race or gender, you're one of us.

I used to think country folk were racist until I was living in a rural town for a short time and while they say some of the most incredibly racist things I've heard (until joining this forum), they were the first there when the new Vietnamese family moved in to help them when their shop burned down.  I would always try to do the right thing, but after witnessing this, and taking part where I could help, the locals treated the imports like their own, without hesitation, the moment they needed help.  Even one of the most stoic, walls up no emotions on display farmer we there, hugging the father of the family and crying with him when they were going through what was left of the building.

Turns out they're really not that racist, they just say racist things.  They recognise humanity and its people like that, racist language and jokes aside, that formed my understanding of what mateship was.

But that was 20 years ago.

My wife and our eldest hopped on the buses to Brisbane twice after the floods to help clean up.

They won't be the last floods, but I'm done with things like the mud army.

As things start to get more difficult in the economy, rates increase and belts need tightening, I'd already gone through our budget and identified the things that I can cut out.

But now, with my new found realisation about the rest of your cu, I've decided that the multiple streaming services we have are more important than the monthly contribution to breast cancer research and the one for Alzheimer's.  Someone else can do it.

Why should I go without netflix?

The next time my neighbour's husband who should really be in a home goes walkabout, I'm not going to join the search, might as well just stay home and watch some Iron Chef.

Or Gladys down the street, widowed and in her 90's, bitch can mow her own lawn and take her bins out and in herself, I've got my own things to worry about.  And if her Woolies delivery isn't on time and she runs out of toilet paper or tissues, she can call her son in Victoria, not my problem.

Trolleys?  No need to return those, just push them into someone else's car when I'm done.

Doing a tip run and got spare space in my tray or trailer, no need to check if my neighbours have anything they need to get rid of.

Provide free accommodation to homeless pets after the bushfires when their families are barely able to find a roof over their head, let alone a pet-friendly one?  Nahhhhhh, not my problem.

Storm or flood damage on your place?  I'll crack a beer and watch you struggle to close your garage door or board up your windows.

There is no point in modern Australia pretending mateship is a thing anymore and trying to be a part of it. 

Too many people have their hands out, wanting assistance when they need help but will never ever help those in return.

"Oh sorry I've got a bad back", "Oh I don't have time, sorry" blah blah blah 

And they're usually the ones who will tell others to pull themselves up by their bootstraps yet cry the loudest when they need help.

Be it something simple like wearing a mask when they're being begged to by authorities so they don't have to mandate it, or lending a hand in a time of crisis.

They have found a way to push their selfishness to such an extreme that it's destroyed what was left of mateship in this country.

It's been replaced with "Fu you, I've got mine" and "People I think I'm better than are getting a level playing field, I deserve more!".