Wow thanks crew for adding your thoughts. I am deeply deeply afeared for the nation whenever I log onto ABC or SMH at the moment... I would like to write a more considered post about it and about what we are learning just from looking and listening around Argentina. They had a military dictatorship here for around 20 years. In that time they handed over massive powers to the police who subsequently disappeared around 30,000 people, they don´t actually know the figures. They whisked people like the school teachers of playwrights who wrote seditious works off the streets and they were never seen again. Walking around some of the monuments, I have easy imagined the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach everyday, knowing that members of your family could be next.
It doesn´t seem in the slighest bit alarmist to rant rail and be very alarmed about Australia´s situation right now. Sometimes you have to go away to see your own home a bit clearer. "Disappearances" have already happened in Australia. Under the guise of DIMIA, through detention and deporation of Australian citizens.
They have now had a "democratically elected" govt here for about 13 years, but they still face massive corruption and a violent and secretive police force. The government took power away from the police through law changes, but they still haven´t got the balance back. The mothers of the disappeared still congregate every Thursday in town asking for prosecution of the guilty. Once you go down that road, it seems like its a long time before you can turn back.
17 November 2005
11 October 2005
Australia you´re standing in it
I haven´t sampled much local news in the past 2 months, what with galivanting around and all. We get cable and thanks to cnn now know far too much about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. By the way they had to backpeddle like some kind of downhill cycle race, when it came out that that news about rapes in the super dome, stacks of dead bodies, and rampant crime in flooded areas, was pretty much rumours made up and passed on by scared people.
Anyway, when idly loggin on to the smh from time to time I´ve spotted 2 nasties, the detention and deportation of peace demostrator, Scott Parkin as a security risk, and the recent annoucement of WorkChoices. Shudder. Trade off your holidays and other rights, to have a more risky position, no protection for your salary and no collective power. How are Aussies feeling right now? You alert or alarmed?
Anyway, when idly loggin on to the smh from time to time I´ve spotted 2 nasties, the detention and deportation of peace demostrator, Scott Parkin as a security risk, and the recent annoucement of WorkChoices. Shudder. Trade off your holidays and other rights, to have a more risky position, no protection for your salary and no collective power. How are Aussies feeling right now? You alert or alarmed?
15 August 2005
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