I was reading the article entitled Spring Daffodils by Jan Herron  and although I am not American, I can understand the sentiments of the article.

I arrived home in Australia this week, and I find myself in a state of 'culture shock'. During my last 3 months in China, I had no internet access and so lost touch with what was going on in Australia.

My first ever White Christmas: Hong Hu Christmas 2004

I arrived back to discover that smoking has been banned almost everywhere (I can hear the cheer go up), as our society endeavours to become more healthy, or more realistically, as political interest groups exert more and more power.

That 'exertion of power' however, does not stop at the humble if body destroying cigarette. Michael Jackson's antics have apparently stirred up a hornet's nest here in Australia, and a recent 'paedophilia' targeting police exercise, has made everyone SUPER sensitive to this sensitive issue.

Apparently now in Australia (if not already legislated), one is left open to prosecution for taking photographs at the beach, on suspicion of being in the deliberate process of taking photographs of small children for the sake of some perverse purpose.

In the paper on the day I arrived, there was this big thing about an Asian youth who, at the beach, allegedly sexually molested a 12 month old boy, in front of the baby's mother. When she screamed at him, he put the boy down and ran off. As no details are given, one wonders what 'sexually assaulted' means.

Like America, Australia has a process to be undergone for the purpose of immigration, but at the same time, seems to let 'illegals' stay in this country, or else face the wrath of 'human rights' groups who protest at the incarceration of those illegals, with cries of 'Racism'.

Australia is fast becoming a country where what is illegal gains the full support of interest groups, whilst those things which are 'mundane', are being classified as 'illegal'.

In the book of Romans St. Paul talks about those people who call truth a lie and vice versa, and such seems to be the trend in the west today.

As a teacher in China, I often hear students talk about their desire to move to the west, but I think that by the time that those eager Chinese have saved enough money to go to the West, the West will have less freedoms than Communist China.

The whole issue of human rights which were designed to protect citizens from oppression, has now been turned on its head and is actively used to oppress citizens in their ordinary lives.

Anti-Vilification laws which were supposed to protect or at least provide redress to those who have been abused or attacked on the basis of their 'difference', is constantly used to punish ordinary people who use their right of free thought, opinion and speech.

From the Chinese countryside to the Southbank view of Brisbane City.

It is easy to blame the self interested 'arrogance' of a bunch of people whose prime motivation is not the welfare of others, but the getting of fame and power for themselves; it is easy to blame the general populace who sit on their backsides never lifting their voices to protest against the stupidity that passes for 'intelligence'; but where the real blame lies, (and I usually hate people who always blame the government for everything), is with the government members, whose prime motivation for everything is self interest, and which allows them to check out their brains, their fortitude and their sense of right and wrong, in the face of a possibility of losing votes at the next election.

Whatever might be said of the Government of China (and others), in this one thing they are right; The Government must always act in the best interest of the Country and not give a damn about what ANYONE anytime or anywhere, says.

But as I said, Government members really don't give a damn about their country; nobody does. I for one am grateful that I have had the opportunity to live in China, for I have come to love life there, and for the first time in years, I feel happy, content and FREE.

R.P.Bendedek

Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com

R.P.BenDedek is the pseudonym of the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' (www.kingscalendar.com), and he is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News. An Australian, he currently teaches Conversational English in China. Other Stories

"The King's Calendar" is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls.