Emmjay loves First Dog on the Moon’s cartoons, but the moderation has gone so harsh and so partial, that he’s posting the banned and horrendously offensive posts over at his favourite bastion of almost free speech – the Pig’s Arms.  Does this sound so much like the ABC ?  I think so.

So, recognising FDotM’s preference for Emmjay comment-free blogs and balls the size of raisins, and Emmjay’s desire to be heard,  here is what Emmjay wanted to say on the topic of Live Sheep Exports:

Death on the Como Express – for a fair dinkum rundown. check out http://www.liveexportshame.com/articles/ships-of-shame-by-morna-wood.php

Scupper the Rats

There was movement at the export docks,
The townsfolk start to weep.
The livestock look so traumatised
Especially badly-treated sheep.

The pollies scan the recent poles
And worry about the votes
Of people in those marginal seats
And refugees in boats.

The live export trade has got no soul;
Nothing interrupts their sleep
Or stands in the way of making dough
By torturing the sheep.

We’ve all seen states like P a k 1 s ta n
Don’t give a toss about who or what they kill
Or how they dish out justice
And stone their hapless citizens for a disgusting public  thrill.

So it isn’t hard to understand,
That coming a distant last
Is caring for our Australia sheep.
It’s not a product or a brand.

It’s now high time that we sort out
This bloody awful mess.
Remove some blood from all those hands
Of people who care less.

And stand together with resolve
So Australia makes the grade
By shutting down our country’s shame
The live sheep export trade.
—————————————————————

Bill Hilliger, the grazing community does support the live sheep trade, but not because they want to as a first principle.  When local lamb demand is high and supply is low and grass is plentiful, nobody particularly wants to get bottom money by sending sheep to this cruelest fate.

But when the opposite is true – like in a drought, the price of sheep falls so low that it’s not economical to even shoot the starving creatures – much less ship them anywhere.  So the poor creatures starve and drop like flies in the paddocks and the crows eat their eyes before they die.

The live sheep export trade falls somewhere between these two extremes.

So I dunno, which is worse.  It’s a bastard of a life being a sheep either way.

And not great fun to be a grazier either.