Shane Pinnegar Writer

Lotta s**t going on today out there in the wild. For those further afield, today is ANZAC Day, where we remember and thankk those who have served in the Australian and New Zealand armed forces to protect our way of life and quality of life.

As a confirmed pacifist and a bit of a (heavy metal) hippy, I'm anti-war. Of course I am - everyone SHOULD be!

But there have been wars which are necessary. Which defeat the evil of horrible men (why is it almost always men, FFS?!?!) And I think the people who went to fight in those wars - ESPECIALLY the ones from years ago when times and attitudes were very different, when they didn't have a choice due to conscription or family or societal attitudes or whatever.

These people do not deserve to be booed for having done their best in impossible situations. There's a big difference between actively supporting a genocide in the middle east in 2026 and serving in WWII or Vietnam because you felt you had to or it was the right thing to do.

AND... it's 2026 so we shouldn't even have to mention the futility and obnoxious hate of racism. The sort of people who would boo a Welcome to Country are just filth. They have no respect for tradition, values, communities other than their own. The oldest continuous living culture in the world, in fact.

Shame on the haters. Doubly so when they're booing an Indigenous veteran delivering a Welcome to Country (this happened over East, I believe).

I just don't understand hatred of different groups of people - racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. We're all PEOPLE. And even if dogs are ALWAYS the best people, most of the people people deserve our support as well - at the very least in a 'live and let live' sense. Except the di*****ds out there showing complete disrespect, not only disrespect for those speaking, but also for the other attendees who are there out of respect - the exact sort of respect the haters are jealous of because they have a hole in their heart where that respect should be.

Do better, cnuts. Do a LOT better.