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April 25, 2011
There is a lot that is right about ANZAC Day --- putting aside a day to remember those who have died in war. That is the kernel within the myth and it gives authenticity to a national day.
Unfortunately, a myth has been woven around the "Lest we Forget"; a myth about mateship & sacrifice for the sake of the nation's freedom and way of life. King and Country no longer resonates as it once did. These days its western democracies.
Anzac Spirit (mateship & sacrifice) need to be decoded, because Gallipoi stands for sending young Australian's to fight wars that have little to do with defending Australia's national interest.
Paul Kelly in The Australian says:
World War I engaged Australia's direct national interests. It was not somebody else's war. On the contrary, it was our war because victory or defeat would profoundly affect Australia's future.
It was Australian colonials fighting the wars of Britain. The Turks at Gallipoli did not constituted a real threat to the Australian nation, nor were they threatening to destroy the Australian way of life. The Turks were defending their homeland from an invasion by the imperial British.
Like Gallipoi, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan are recent examples where Australia's national interest has been mythically equated with that of empire; an identity that is wrapped around the flag and nation building mythic heroes.
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Can someone please explain why New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Portugal, Sweden, South Africa, Greece and a bunch of other countries do NOT see the need to be America's "relable" deputy?