Soapbox #2. NOTE TO AUSTRALIAN WOMEN: Get a Grip

Yes, I know, we have waited a long time in our white-male-centric country to see a woman seated in the top job but we need to be aware of the ‘Spin’ merry-go-round. 
          Heads of government are really just that.  They are talking heads, front men and women who are normally chosen for their manner of presentation and level of acting skills.  They are simply there to convey the political party’s message to the people.  If they get too big-headed and try to ‘go it alone’ their party will kick them out anyway so don’t for one minute believe you are voting for a person.
          The political spin factory is having a field day on the gender issue and, in the process, they are treating Australian women voters as though they are as dumb as dog-!#!#.
          Please don’t let them ‘dumb us down’.
          In my family, there are voters on both sides of the political fence and if we had some of those outlandish parties like The Canadian Extreme Wrestling Party or The Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party then at least one in my family (you know who you are) would vote for them too.  So I’m not trying to tell anyone how to vote.  All I’m asking is – women! sisters! please! don’t base your decision on gender.  If you have always leaned left, then go for it and if you list to the right, then keep on listing.  The figure-head is not going to make a noticeable dent in policy.
          What is important is that when we have a proper ‘duly elected’ female prime minister, she should be something a little more substantial than a puppet. 
          We need to vote with our brains, not our emotions and that will help us to get the government that we need.  The government head can be changed in a flash, as has been adequately demonstrated and rammed down our throats in recent months.
          Be smart.

Countdown to Leonard: update

Today my car became a church, complete with the obligatory mad woman who can’t hold a tune but insists on lung-busting.
          Just a 40 minute drive with a Leonard Cohen CD as my companion and I’m singing ‘Hallelujah’ like some sort of born-again freak. 
          As of right now, I only have to wait for another 173,165 minutes to see the Brisbane concert.
          Hallelujah, indeed.