Credit for picture: Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Over Christmas time hubby and I went on a vacation to Australia and learned about Australia's unofficial emblem with the kangaroo and emu on it. There was an interesting reason that these two birds were chosen among all the exotic species found only in Australia -- neither kangaroo nor emu are capable of walking backward. The Australian has chosen these two animals to signify Australia will be a country that will always go forward.
It sounds like a no-brainer, huh? Always going forward. Well, wrong. Our country, the United States of America, on the other hand, strive to go backward all the time. Todate we are still struggling as a country to outlaw aborption. Sure, it's barbaric to kill a new life, but sometimes aborption (from rape, incest) is necessary. A woman should be allowed a choice. Regardless, the solution should be education: how women get pregnant and how to prevent pregnancy. And no, abstinence only sex education that sometimes goes as far as giving incorrect information to deter teens from engaging in sexual behavior is not education, far from it. Trying to ban gay marriage and put discrimination is certainly a BIG step backward. A progressive mind set should teach people to be more tolerant of those different than themselves, not less. And to make it legal to discriminate... And these are just a few examples... Perhaps we can learn a few things from them and add some non-backward walking animals onto our flag also. :D
What I found interesting is: you can easily find both kangaroo and emu on restaurant menus. Um.... isn't it a bit... wrong to eat the unofficial national faunas?
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