Toxic ADF chaplaincy; cannibis smoke; remembering the last republic referendum

Published: Sun, 09/03/23

RSA Daily

For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Rationale, the magazine of the Rationalist Society of Australia

Good morning ,

We continue to pursue the Australian Defence Force and its stubborn resistance to modernising its "support capability". Read in our first article how the culture within the ADF chaplaincy branch is "toxic".

As you read about referenda (past and present), just remember that it's always easier to tear something down than to propose positive change. All the No side has to do is use the age-old tactic of sewing FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt. Just remember that.

Lead stories

Concern over chaplains' religious identities raises "broad tension" for Air Force | Rationalist Society of Australia

A review into the scandal-plagued Air Force Chaplaincy Branch has identified a “broad tension” in being able to reconcile the religious identities of chaplains with the “unified values” of Defence members.

Smoking Cannabis May Not Be as Harmless as You Think. Here's Why.

Are we harmed by secondary exposure to cannibis smoke? A: we don't know, because cannibis isn't universally legal and so the studies haven't been done yet.

Australia's last referendum was 24 years ago, here's how it went down

Hopefully, we'll learn from what went wrong last time. "The Yes campaign for the republic was supported by many high-profile Australians which led the No side to argue it was elitist .. many people who thought the model for a republic being proposed was unsatisfactory also voted No, as did those who argued that it wouldn't change anything significant .. the official No campaign argued that the system proposed would create a "politician's republic" and was undemocratic."

Other stories of interest

Here's what new 60-day prescriptions mean for you and your hip pocket

In my experience, asking your pharmacist is sometimes better than asking your GP.

North Territory takes first steps to revive legal euthanasia

About time... NT was the first jurisdication in Australia to legalise VAD (in 1995) until it was overruled by the infamous Andrews bill.

New accurate test: Your risk of developing dementia within 14 years

"Risk factors are: Age; education; history of diabetes; history of/ current depression; history of stroke; parental dementia; economic disadvantage; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; living alone; and male sex." Male sex? Ah, they mean being male.

Family bands together for home crowd

For a bit of a laugh...

Got a comment on any of these stories?

Write to me at president@rationalist.com.au