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SAS and the killing of prisoners
On the SAS and the killing of prisoners A complex situation requiring a complex response. Here’s a qualified opinion based on incomplete information: Firstly, the rest of Australia’s armed forces generally obey the rules of engagement. Secondly, it looks like some individuals in SAS have thought themselves so special that these rules don’t apply to […]
On megachurch services
On Megachurch services: personal view music.youtube.com/watch I have always looked at this type of evangelical service with disdain. Is it a genuine expression of faith? Or is it ‘worship as performance’? Is it fake spirituality? No doubt it gives spiritual expression to many genuine searching folk, and that is good (provided it is not manipulated by […]
Catholicism & Buddhism: personal view
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. May, 2022 Time spent in China gave me time to explore the three main ‘religions’ of that society. I use the term loosely, because Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism (Dao) cannot be classed as religions in the Western sense. Briefly: Confucianism is a social construct; Buddhism is more a philosophy […]
Vietnamese Restaurant
Brian Hennessy. Vietnamese restaurant Once a tired old shop-front on an ordinary thoroughfare in an inner-city ethnic enclave, now it’s a popular little restaurant in a trendy part of town. Inside, large faux-asian paintings look down on a clutter of cane furniture supporting satisfied patrons indulging the evening away. Squeezed together in shoulder-rubbing, elbow bumping […]
On PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress
Brian (Chick) Hennessy. Vietnam vet. Ex 6RAR first tour. This is the last chapter in Brian’s book on Vietnam titled, The Sharp End: my war in Vietnam. See eBooks in the toolbar above for information. On PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress. My opinion only. These days we know a lot more about how a […]
The Silk Road by train
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. September/October, 2015 Traversing the Silk Road by train in Central Asia. How does one condense so much ancient and modern history into one short article? A difficult task. So I will limit my observations to a traveller’s general impressions rather than specific descriptions of the places visited (click photos to […]
Ambush in Phuoc Tuy
Brian (Chick) Hennessy. Vietnam veteran. Ambush in Phuoc Tuy They were nearly on him. Padding slowly along a track leading from the Nui Dinh Hills towards Binh Ba further north. Sandals treading softly on the blood-red clay path, carefully avoiding the leafy decay on the fringes. Rifles at the ready. Faces peering into the night. […]
Cambodia
Brian Hennessy. Cambodia. December, 2010 Cambodia. A place of smiles, Angkor Wat temples, and killing fields. The smiles are genuine, a reflection of natural Cambodian courtesy and honour; the temples are a cultural wonder of the world; and the killing fields a reminder of the dark side of humanity. Given certain conditions genocide can happen […]
Laos
Brian Hennessy. Laos. October, 2010 Laos. Once a forgotten remnant of the old French empire, later an impotent neighbour as North Vietnam poured troops through its eastern provinces along the Ho Chi Minh Trail into South Vietnam. As a result of this trespass, the US Air Force dropped more bombs on this thin slice of […]