SUNDAY RANT

Sunday morning, the peace and quiet time with the papers and brunch, if you can call grapefruit juice and parrot seed bread, brunch. My penance for kicking the diet in the head yesterday. Baked apple in puff pastry, Dordoni feta, cucumber and potato salad with Greek yoghurt and deep fried tofu cakes, not a thing tasteless no-low-fat. This was followed by lots of black coffee loaded with sugar crystals and minty chocolates. Now it's back to sensible eating or 'living death by nutrition'.

Article on Harry Potter, good and what idiot decided that Australia has to wait until December lst for the movie? Matt Price has a suggestion that I really like, free up the rules governing the televising of Parliament and open up the microphones so we can see and hear all of our elected morons going for each other's throats. It might raise the level of debate from kindergarten to high school.

Cricket Australia has heard that wives and children were responsible for team members not bonding during this year's series. One player complained that he couldn't find anyone to have a beer with. Why didn't he text Warnie, he'd go anywhere with anyone? Glenn McGrath had a better perspective, saying more credit should be given to England for winning the series. If the players want their wives and children for support, good for them.

Contrast this with a report that more than half of Australian parents admit they can't control their children. Australian Childhood Foundation's chief executive Joe Tucci said there was no doubt parents needed more support. Parenting expert Matt Sanders, from the University of Queensland wants State and Federal governments to fund compulsory parenting courses. Well, Matt Sanders should come down into the real world where both parents are having to work, having to put their kids in childcare and are so tired and stressed, they barely have time to be parents let alone take parenting courses. Howard's workplace reforms aren't going to make work and parenting any easier.

Where were our Christian Family mouthpieces during the week. Steve Fielding was voicing support for inserting a reference to God in Australia's National Anthem. Our national song does not mention God, unlike New Zealand, the US and the UK and it should be amended to reflect the nation's Christian values. Liberal MP Peter Slipper thinks the importance of God and Australia's Christian foundations deserve to be recognised in the National Anthem. We'll see how Christian we are when snow starts falling on the earthquake survivors in the hills of Pakistan. They still need tents and blankets and a couple of Hercules airlifts would do instead of promises of money.

Australian Family Association spokescretin, Bill Muehlenberg, is against girls as young as 12 getting contraception. He says it's way too young, sends out the wrong messages and it's putting up the white flag of surrender. This was in response to a report that teenagers are turning to GPs and family planning clinics for long-term contraceptive options - without telling parents. I'm not happy with the idea of a 12 year-old playing at sex but if that 12 year-old is aware enough to ensure she doesn't get pregnant and mature enough to go to her GP or family planning clinic where she'll also get STI information then she's in control. These anti-abortion Christian groups can't have it both ways. Abstinence until marriage doesn't work. If they don't want girls to get pregnant and resort to abortion then they have to allow them to take control and get the contraception they need. I'm aware that contraception too early can cause complications later in life but so can pregnancy and abortion. So shut up Bill or use your mouth to get a couple of aircraft full of blankets to Pakistan.