Perhaps you Americans are not aware of it, but Australia has produced or raised several Royal Princesses, of which Princess Michael of Kent (UK) is one, and more recently, an Australian named Mary Elizabeth Donaldson of Hobart Tasmania, Now Princess Mary of Denmark.
Princess Mary's homeland (sorry, I mean home state), Tasmania, is that little triangle of land to the very south of Eastern Australia. It's not a place that most Australians think much about, except as the target of ribald jokes. Now of course, Tasmania is not only on the tip of the Royal tongue, but might perhaps become Denmark's new colony or state. Most Australians wouldn't notice if it did!
Now with regard to Her Royal Highness, Princess Mary of Denmark, I was reading an article today, entitled: "Princess Mary and The Magic of Monarchy", by Professor David Flint, posted on the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy Website.
He was answering a series of questions about our own home grown royal princess, and quite naturally, the discussion progressed to a discussion about Republicanism vs. Monarchism, and the professor made some interesting points. He pointed out that:
- Apart from the ceremonial position of honour it [the monarchy] occupies, it is an important check and balance against the abuse of power, being important not so much for the power it disposes, but the power it denies others.
He also went on to point out that in reference to the UN's "Human Development Index", that 'At the very top of the list, constitutional monarchies dominate. In the last survey the top five, and most of the top ten, were constitutional monarchies. This is no coincidence' he said.
He further went on to state that "The attitude of many journalists in Britain is that all restraints, legal and ethical, disappear whenever they are reporting about members of the Royal Family".
From his discussions, one can draw two distinct conclusions. One is, that the (politico/cultural) traditions of our country have served us well, and will continue to do so if left alone; and that there are forces at work in the world (such as the British press), who presume to take it upon themselves to "overturn" the traditions of the nation.
The founding of the American Republic occurred centuries ago, as a necessity given the circumstances of the day, and those unto whom the responsibility fell, to design a constitution and a workable national system of governance, by their very work, pointed America in a direction, that ultimately led the nation not only to prosperity and stability, but along the way, allowed it to develop its own peculiar cultural heritage.
Like the members of the British Press, there are at work in society today, people who care nothing for traditional values, nor traditional culture. While claiming to be wise, they blindly go where angels fear to tread, hellbent on "freeing the general population" of its' current immature or oppressive values.
Like the people of my home state Queensland, who spent years screaming for the "right" to gamble, but who now find themselves sinking in a social problem, these social experimenters will arrive at a point one day, where all around them, society is falling apart specifically because of these demands for freedom from tradition and culture. And, just like the people of Queensland, they will start screaming for the government, to "fix the problem!"
The social experimenters, those anti-government and at the same time self-loathing, unappreciative "citizens", who denigrate their own society, it's traditions and values, always pass themselves off as people who are concerned for the 'rights' of the individual. One should not allow oneself to be fooled. They are nothing more than self-centered power mongers looking for opportunities to rule the masses under the cover of caring about "your" rights.
As an Aussie, I give such people a miss. As for me, I'll stick with traditional values and and a traditional way of life! As for the Rebublic vs Monarchy debate: "Long live Queen Mary of Denmark!" Sorry! I mean, "Queen Elizabeth II of England".
R.P.Bendedek
Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
Note: Because of the recent Server change, some links may not work. This file was amended September 2007.
P.S. I did not say in this article that Princess Michael of Kent was born in Australia.
The 'King's Calendar:The Secret of Qumran www.kingscalendar.com is a chronological study, of people and events listed in the Bible, Josephus, and The Damascus Document of the Essenes. It approaches the history of Israel and Judah from a purely mathematical Linear Causal viewpoint and both confirms and challenges many historical and archaeological assumptions in relation to the writings of Josephus, the Reign of Nebuchadrezzar, Moses and the Exodus, Jeremiah's Seventy year prophecy of the Babylonian Exile, Daniel's Vision of Seventy weeks, and discrepancies between the Septuagint and Masoretic Texts of the Bible.
