A couple of things...

Michael's moved back in. We're walking but not as much as we used to.

My computer's HD died a couple of hours after I finished installing a new one and doing a complete backup of the oldie. Not bad timing. I had picked up the W32.MyDoom virus and had to invest in some anti-virus software & disinfect my computer, then my HD started making grinding noises and some things have been impossible to access so I had to invest in some backup software & a new HD. All in all taking up time, energy & money that I didn't have to spare (although I've picked up in energy since then).

I've been doing a lot of volunteer work at my Church, managing about half a day every day last week & Mon. & Tues. this week as well as today once I get there. The last time I was able to concentrate for half a day 5 days in a row would have been late 1993, so I'm definitely showing signs of getting better from CFS. Actually I feel like my health has kicked up a couple of gears (can you tell who used to ride a motorbike?).

Spent yesterday morning catching up with an old family friend, Jack. Although he lives around the corner from me we keep missing each other and it tends to be several months between catch-ups.

A friend of mine rang me the other day with the news that his son had found an old address book of mine stuck way down in the bottom of their couch. This is the one I lost a few months after getting back from my world trip in 2002, shortly after I accidentally lost my Outlook Express address book & before I had re-entered the addresses. Not only does it have a whole heap of overseas contact details I was unable to replace but there was even one friend in Sydney who I hadn't been able to contact. Yay!! I've now almost finished re-entering the details & will see if I can keep a backup of my Outlook Express address book at Church.

I've put helping out at Sunday School, playing Bass in Church, visiting refugees at Villawood & attending community meetings about what's happening in Redfern on hold until after the worship conference I'm organising on the 27th-28th March.

Blessings,
Joe :-)

Letter to politicians about Kooris & cops

Dear Sir,

On Sunday the 15th of February 2004 Thomas James Hickey was impaled on a fence & died while riding his bike. His parents claim he was frightened by police causing his death, and although surveillance footage shows it was not him the police were after; this does not preclude his death being caused by his fear of police. I don’t know, I wasn’t there. I do know, however, that police harass Aboriginal youth frequently. I know brown skin incurs police harassment because my dad was born in Malaysia & while police frequently pulled over my brother (he was darker skinned than me), they never ran the names of his white friends who were with him through their computers whilst checking to see if there were any outstanding warrants against my brother (which there never were). I know Aboriginality incurs police harassment because the only time police have ever expressed any interest in me was when I was wearing an Aboriginal flag on a headband and they threatened to throw me in jail for 8 hours when I was skylarking about without disturbing any people or damaging anything (I was merely happy & I was not under the influence of alcohol or any other substance); not to mention the experiences of my Aboriginal friends & things I have heard from Juvenile Justice. I know Aboriginal people are literally harassed to death because of the Report into Black Deaths in Custody as well as the death of the brother of one of my friends while in police custody. Since this report was written its recommendations have not all been implemented and the deaths in custody rate has actually exceeded what it had been before.

So I don’t know what happened on February 15th but I do know there is a good chance he was frightened by the police. Whether this is the case or not, as I have stated, Aboriginal people are literally harassed to death in this country. The leader of the State Opposition stated publicly, as his response to the outpouring of frustration over this situation, that he “would have bulldozed the block years ago.” I need to hear from one of my elected representatives that bulldozing the meagre possessions of the Aboriginal Housing Cooperative is not an appropriate response to this outpouring of grief & frustration.
I have voted Labour all my life until the last election when I voted Green because Labour has neglected health & education. Win my vote back, state that the blatant racism constantly sprouted by the Liberals & others in both State & Federal parliament is not on.

I will have posted written copies of this letter to you (premier Bob Carr) & my local MP Clover Moore, as well as emailing copies to you, Clover Moore, Tanya Plibersek (my local Federal MP), John Brogden, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph & the Koori Mail.

Yours faithfully,

Joe Krishna Mithiran