Well said, Rob.
It's a matter that increasingly concerns me : here in Leicester I live in a
place that could be considered a model of racial harmony, but under the
surface there is a growing animosity, that the secret services and police
have managed to find Bin Lada suspects here is the worse thing that could
have happened - such a fact will confirm every closet racist in their
prejudices, and believe me, under the polite surface we have them here
a-plenty.
Best
Dave
David Bircumshaw
Leicester, England
Home Page
A Chide's Alphabet
Painting Without Numbers
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 11:07 PM
Subject: Re: Silence
Hi Josephine,
What you say is true I am sure for some, I am
also sure not for all, but the thing that disheartens me the most, is
the response and actions of the general Australian people, most do not
want Refugees of any sort from any country here, there is a disturbing
single mindedness behind all this, a lot of the people I grew up with,
have shocked me with their attitudes towards refugees since the
Tampa incident, and a lot of these people are from non Australian
backgrounds themselves, I know people who actually changed their vote
to the Libs because of Howard's so called tough stance on refugees,
they saw it as a good thing! has Australia always been like this?
or is this something new in the Australian psyche?
There is a mood of quite acceptance on the treatment of Refugees from
the media and it seems most Australians, hence Howard's third term. I
have never been imprisoned in another country, and I have never been
forced to leave my country due to intolerable conditions and life
threatening treatment, so all I call feel for these poor people is
complete understanding and sympathy.
Our past and to an extent our current treatment of the traditional
owners of this country the Aboriginal people, can only be described as
bloody disgusting, but with our treatment of these refugees we are
getting worse.
Rob
----- Original Message -----
From: Printmaker <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 8:44 am
Subject: Re: Silence
> Alison Croggon wrote:
> >
> > At 9:43 AM +0100 21/1/2002, Martin J. Walker wrote:
> >
> > > the main effect on me of the whole scene is nausea &
> > > sadness.
> >
> > Yes, me too. But that's compounded by a feeling of
> > furious shame.
> >
> > Best
> >
> > A
>
>
> Being Devil's Advocate here.
>
> This is precisely the response they are counting on. Note
> the careful priming of the children re what to say to the
> media.
>
> You are being manipulated.
>
> They have paid considerable sums of money to be smuggled in,
> around $AUD10,000-20,000 each I have heard. With these funds
> they could have re-established themselves in Pakistan in
> luxury and kept the freedom they argue for. They are where
> they are because of their own actions, we are masters of our
> own destiny. They are not 'victims' of the smugglers, they
> were not kidnapped, they paid their way. One woman I saw
> interviewed said her husband was working in Victoria and had
> sent the funds over to get her brought in!
>
> In the meantime they are being fed and housed and protected
> from harm all at the expense of the Australian public purse.
>
> I feel for the refugees who are walking over the mountains
> through snow and starving, or the ones in Africa whose city
> is covered in Lava. Not these opportunists.
>
> I do agree that they should be processed faster, two years
> is too long for my taxes to be supporting them. We could
> have run a university and provided hecs free education for
> our own struggling youth with what they have cost us so far.
> Or built a hospital, or provided aid where its really
> needed.
>
> Food for thought.
>
> Josephine
> (trying to bring some balance to the argument)
>
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