An Open Letter to Scott Morrison
Dear Scott Morrison,
You’ve probably guessed that this is not fan mail. I’m sure you do have fans, but I don’t think there would be many game enough to admit it after your recent behaviour. Trolls perhaps, but not people. Why not people, you may ask? Succinctly, because no person with a shred of humanity, the sort of humanity needed to qualify as a human, could ever condone what you are doing to the world’s desperate asylum seekers who come to Australia begging for help.
Before you ready your list of excuses as to why it’s justifiable for someone to be murdered inside an Australian detention facility, there is no justifiable excuse you could possibly provide that will go anywhere near being a justifiable excuse. According to witness reports, a man has died after having his throat cut and sustaining head injuries. His name was Reza Berati. He had a family and friends who loved him. He had a personality. He had a whole life ahead of him. And he was murdered. With violence most compassionate people wouldn’t accept against an animal. A man was murdered. There’s no other way to describe it. You did not carry out the violence, but you were in charge of the person who did, and you were responsible for the victim, Reza Berati since he was in your care.
In the statement you snuck out on Saturday night in the most spineless of fashion, you admitted that your previous statement was based on incorrect information. We are experienced enough with your character to know that we will never find out what you knew and what you didn’t know when you released the wrong information. But I would like to point out that, even if you were personally misled, and you went with the information that was available to you, then you might not be as evil as it would appear, but you certainly are incompetent. So what is it Scott? Are you guilty of making up the first statement or are you incompetent in taking someone else’s word for it without endeavouring to find out the truth? Surely, in this situation, the truth would have been easy to find. If an asylum seeker was killed outside of the Manus Island detention centre, there would have been evidence of this. Because the crime scene, which I presume you are treating as such, would have been outside of the boundary of the detention centre? Or are you claiming you don’t know where this boundary is? This is becoming a bit of a pattern of not-knowing – the Navy apparently also did not know where the Indonesian maritime border was, on several occasions.
And we all know why you changed the official record. It was not because you respected the truth and wanted it to be known. And definitely not because you deeply regretted what you were finding out and wanted to make it clear how badly you felt about it. Because you didn’t feel bad about it. That’s obvious from what you have said and how you have said it. Tony Abbott has even congratulated you for the part you have played in this murder. And that’s the most immoral part of this situation. You’re proud of yourselves for being ‘uncompromising’ and ‘tough’ as if this is a chess game and your strategy has been successful. Think about that for a moment Scott. Someone is dead. Someone has been killed and many others horrifically injured in violent, hauntingly terrifying situation and you are proud of yourself. What is wrong with you Scott? This is not a game. This is Australia’s humanity being denigrated forever. Because you are doing this in our name.
However you try to play down this situation, it’s never going to work. Not just because the UN is now involved, and you’re destroying Australia’s human rights reputation on an international scale. No, it’s far worse than that. The worst of it is that this situation was no accident. When people drown at sea on their way to seek refuge in Australia, their loss of life is just as devastating as the loss of Reza Berati. And when young men installing insulation are killed because their bosses don’t train them how to do their job safely, their loss of life is just as devastating as the loss of Reza Berati. But the difference with this death was that it was no accident. It wasn’t just one out-of-control person carrying out violence in an otherwise well run operation. Ever since you started your crusade to ‘stop the boats’, you made it clear you would do that by whatever means possible. And this murder has been part of that. This murder is the only place your ‘stop the boats’ strategy could go.
Before you think you can wash your hands of this, I want you to know that this is not going away. Murdoch might want everyone to forget, but we are not going to forget. And we are not going to forgive until you do the only thing you could possibly do to fully apologise for this crime by resigning from Australia’s Parliament. Reza Berati deserved better. His family and loved ones deserved better. Tony Abbott said proudly that you are not a wimp. But what he forgot to mention in this character assessment is that you might not be a wimp, but you’re also an evil, untrustworthy fool. And Australia deserves to have better people representing us.
Yours sincerely
Victoria Rollison
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Return to home pageSpot on. I wonder how long the sycophants at the Muckraker’s rags are going to continue to ignore the incompetence of this rabble.
Victoria your spot on with this, but I doubt if Scott Morrison has a conscience or soul . Would it be nice to find a voodoo man to put a hex on Morrison and the mad Abbott’s crew so every time they lie they bow their heads in shame then talk gibberish for the rest of their lives.
Victoria you may want to fix the word to insulation in this sentence before the hard right wing rabble have a go at you “And when young men installing installation are killed because their bosses don’t train them how to do their job safely,”
Otherwise top summarisation of the rabble who call themselves adults in charge.
Unfortunately Victoria, it was Labor who set up these concentration camps in an effort to win an election they had lost through infighting, a wickedly determined opposition and a biased mainstream media.Though I totally agree that Morrison is beyond the pale, Labor needs to immediately admit it was wrong and denounce off-shore detention. The wedge from the LIberals has already begun. Just you watch, they will try to blame Labor for all of this. Which isn’t fair, but fairness is not the way they play. And Labor does have blood on their hands with this one.
Who’s that clever in the libs to come up with a ploy so quickly.
RIOTS! MACHETES! BREAKOUT! KILLED OUTSIDE the COMPOUND!
The crap trotted out by the libs demonized the whole lot of them and the trolls ran riot.
Then late on Saturday night there was a correction but the damage was done, not to the libs, mind you, but to those desperate folks.
Apparently there is no evil abyss deep enough for Abbott & co to sink into..
Morrison is blaming Labor and his enquiry into the riot and death at Manus Island will be on what Labor had put in place there, not what Morrison did as minister responsible.
It’s stock Liberal response from both their politicians and mindless supporters for every failure, Labor.
“Mr” Teflon Morrison,
Firstly you appoint a 3 star General to supervise a social issue. ( Let us remind you that this is a higher rank than the commander of troops in Vietnam) so you can HIDE any matters under “Military” secrecy
Plus it is not your fault that the Navy switched their lights off and “got lost” near Indonesia ( come of it ,your excuse that they were not following “Govt” policy , but are so perfect in the way they treat people ( Yes I have been in the military and they are not “saints”)
Now it is not your fault that the Private contractors cannot manage a detention centre. What do you expect rational people to do when they have risked everything ( financially, emotionally & physically) to be told “piss of back !!”
Sorry three strikes YOU ARE OUT !!!
Here in WA we have an opportunity to vote again for the Senate. I sincerely hope most will find it within their hearts and minds to vote to put a brake on all those members of Parliament who have shown contempt for even the most basic standards of human decency.
ME: serves Labor right for faIling for the liberal “framing” of the debate on the basis of some “focus groups”. You are not supposed to do what “people think” you should do. That is not leadership. You convince people what should be done, and stand by it. Quickly shifting stand and trying to appease some morons didn’t get labor government, so what was the point? Now they will wear the cost. And rightly so. Will they learn anything? I doubt it.
This has been the Liberal meme since for how long? That people escaping persecution, many of whom are our allies, somehow “deserve it” because they *discracefully* dare to come to Australia’s shores. I am still unable to get my head around this, how do people who are refugees escaping tyranny, become our enemies?
I totally agree with every word and sentiment.
I hope you CC’d Gillard, Rudd, Evans and Bourke as it was under their watch that the parliamentary police aka ‘the death squad’ were contracted to provide external security for the Manus camp – the Australian trained thugs who beat a local to death in the local markets a few months back and who where in there with the locals last Monday. And lets not forget that it was Keating who introduced mandatory detention.
as has been said already, Adolf Eichmann also wasn’t considered a wimp.
What really burns me about Morrison is the way he tried to exploit his early comments on the Manus incident. Rather than give the basic fact as he knew them at the time… he couldn’t resist blaming the victims for their suffering. Rather than just saying there had been a disturbance and people has been injured, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to demonise the asylum seekers and accusing them of provoking the violence. Never miss a chance to reinforce the propaganda!
Morrison is a bully and a weasel. But, sadly, he’s EXACTLY the sort of person far too many Australians want protecting our borders.
It was also Labor that cancelled work rights on bridging visas, stopped legal aid,reduced benefits to 89% of the minimum Centerlink payment and cancelled English classes.
Thank you Victoria, spot on. And thank you Don for pointing out the spelling hiccup, your right the trolls would love it.
An open letter to Scott the menace.
No amount of admonishment will get a response from Abbotts wrecking crew apart from blame elsewhere.
Blame Labor is the pat response from liarberal ministers. After all they are under orders from Credloughname.
And Liarbor has blame to accept for this political race to the bottom.
The apathetic Australian electorate wears blame for all the cheering of their political party as the race to the bottom charted its way to its murderous outcome of Manus.
So Scott the Christian menace shows his true colours of a gutless, vacuous , ethic free, spiritless moron sucking on the public teat like all of the affluent effluent bludgers.
Focus group that one you price of crap Scott the Menace.
Good Lord Question time was morrison Riot today. When he ran out of defence wh went onto the attack of labor. They built it they set up the contracts and they left things that needed fixing and they let a $1.2b financial hole. And what about about Nauru !!!!!. Time for Labor to say its wrong as much as it was a good idea its wrong
<
Apparently Morrison is the only one in Abbott's gang capable of doing this to refugees.
The rest are all wimps.
And not one of the so called conservatives stand up and contradict Abbott.
snot morrison got his knickers in a twist today and so did missie pyne , think you had a hard day ??? wait for what is to be revealed about you and your mates, the future is not looking to brite for you lot. ha ha ha.
Just watching Q&A. Whenever the government talk about stopping the boats their flimsy excuse is “preventing deaths at sea”. They crow loud and long about how no boats have arrived! This is not a measure of stopping boats from attempting the voyage. This is merely stopping them from landing on our shores. If they were in any way genuine ( and let’s face it you would have to be a moron to believe that they are ) about preventing deaths at sea, they would be stopping the boats from leaving Indonesia. They would be finding ways to prevent refugees from getting on boats, and I know that’s what they say they are doing, in Indonesia or any either country being used as a whistle stop before their journey here. It’s long overdue time to call them out on this. If you want to stop the boats?? Go and rescue these desperate people before they attempt their last ditch effort at a life of freedom.
Cheers Don. Blinded by rage obviously.
We probably have more psychopaths in this Govt than we’ve had in all the previous ones put together. When things get really difficult as catastrophic climate change kicks in – as it will inevitably will – lets hope there are some people with actual brains and empathy at the reins. Embrace the darkness seems to be what Australia voted for. I’ve been dismayed and depressed by previous Govts, but this is the first time any Australian Govt has made me afraid.
.
Completely right Kerri. This ‘stopping deaths at sea’ is such a cynical ruse.
Hi all, most of you seem pretty blind sighted by the propaganda being fed to you by the greens and other bleeding hearts. Fact is, that the footage of the scenes inside the compound during the riots, shows very violent criminals attacking the security personal. If we don’t protect our borders and deter people smuggling, our streets will eventually look like the ones they have left in their mostly war torn countries. There are legal means to enter Australia so stop jumping ahead in line. There are plenty of safe and prosperous countries other than Australia that will open their door to you in the mean time. It’s a tough job to stop the boats, but at least they’re not drowning or taking a law abiding refugee’s position the way things are now. It’s simple, don’t break the law and you won’t end up in detention! The people currently in detention should be given an amnesty and settled in oz, but they should all have to work to pay back the cost of settling them and any damage that’s been caused by detainees (including $60m for burning a camp to the ground!). Any future arrivals should NEVER become Aussies, because it’s not fair in so many ways.
P.s. Good job Scott M your keeping Australia safe and be proud of yourself. The diggers in WW2 would be ashamed of the greens/Labor attack on you! C. Milne of the Greens is a disgrace and a threat to our nation’s security.
Peace All
What I’d like to know is, how many refugees have died in the ‘turning back the boats’ program. We don’t know, and we have no way of knowing due to the illegal secrecy of operations of ‘our’ navy. These people work for us. We pay their wages and this includes Scott Morrison. We’ll tell him what we want to know, not the other way around. The audacity of this man is beyond comprehension! We are his bosses! How dare he decide that we will be kept in the dark. This is arrogance of the highest order. The man must be sacked. He’s not trustworthy or honest and should be in jail!!!.
Labor used that excuse about saving lives and not wanting people to drown at sea. I used to squirm every time Julia Gillard uttered it. I am a Labor sympathiser (and a Gillard admirer) but I did not like or condone their attitude towards asylum seekers but at least they were dignified by being refferred to as asylum seekers and not illegals and detainees. I am awaiting the day that our major political parties stop worrying about what redneck voters want and develop humane policies for helping to deal the global refugee problem.
Hang on, we are not the boss’ of our politicians! We elect a local federal member and hopefully a decent govt can be formed at a federal level to run our country. They are doing a good job so far. Have you forgotten how bad the last 6 years were! If you don’t take away the carrot of settlement in Australia, the boats will keep coming, and increasing. Don’t think for one second that the people coming on these boats care about you and your family! Most asylum seekers have grown up in violent and war ravaged countries. Violence is there first avenue when frustrated, just watch the detainees! They all have shirts over their faces while they throw rocks at the heads of the security there to keep them safe. So stop trying to make out like this guy was murdered by Scott Morrison, maybe look around at his middle eastern mates with the rocks and poles in their hands attacking authority! Major point is that there are law abiding refugees arriving every day, they get visas and ultimately settle if they are deemed to be non violent and not terrorists etc. So do it the right way people and if you miss out, go live somewhere else until you get in LEGALLY
Kerri, little publicised but Rudd continued on with Howard’s solution, that being a diplomatic solution. Firstly was the convince the Indonesians that people smuggling is a serious problem (at least to us), but of course Indonesia has more important problems. Nonetheless, Indonesia complying with Australia’s wishes went along with Rudd’s diplomatic solution and it was decided to go for the Big Boys, no not the impoverished fishermen and the middle men but the real crims, and so our Feds were working alongside the Indonesian police, to catch the Mr Bigs of the operations. But of course Abbott stuff that one up entirely.
This is a great letter, Victoria. I certainly hope that you receive a reply.
My sentiments exactly Kerri. Every time anyone in the government is asked about Manus Island they start reciting their “we’ve stopped the boats” mantra. The issues of asylum seeker passage and the subsequent detention of them are two separate issues both of which are in dire need of some truthfulness and transparency. If the government has nothing to hide, journalists should be given access to report on the conditions within the detention centres.
With Tony Abbott crowing about job creation I cannot understand his decision to outsource the processing centres to other countries. With Joe Hockey lamenting the parlous state of Australia’s financial affairs I am at a loss to understand how he can justify the cost of offshore processing. Most disturbing to me is the lack of compassion demonstrated by our so-called Christian leaders. I wonder how they reconcile their policies with their religion.
“Man up” Labor Party and admit you got it wrong. Asylum seekers were never as problematic as you or the LNP tried to make us believe. Visa overstayers far outnumber refugees arriving by boat but have escaped similar demonisation. Asylum seekers are not political footballs. They are not our enemies. They are human beings who have been persecuted and dispossessed. Let’s tackle the problem in terms of how we might help. Let’s err on the side of humanity. Doing so may benefit us morally, economically and diplomatically where current policies have proved to be deficient.
It’s good to hear from Born Aussie Ben. There’s not enough Aborigines posting on this site.
Hope to hear from Ben in the future. His ‘analyses’ are so insightful.
Born Aussie Ben, you have your fanatical right wing views and that’s fine and you are free to do so but I care not for you bringing the brave diggers of the WWII era into your argument.
Liberals will never admit to their wrong doing, not even murder. Typical criminals.
Born Aussie Ben,
Even your name betrays your xenophobia. My father was a WW2 vet and you most definitely do NOT speak for him. You have obviously not heard the account of the eyewitness who was there. A very brave young woman who was an interpreter on Manus Island has broken the confidentiality agreement to speak out. Her courage has lost her her job.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2014/02/21/3949893.htm?site=sydney&program=702_drive
Ben Born Aussie – obviously never lived beyond boganville eh, to know what danger is? Asylum seeking is a LEGAL right to all humanity and our country has detained them in INHUMANE conditions. Read the facts or back to your daytime television and KFC.
Yes Victoria you are right. This murder will not go away. Abbott, Morrison and gang will cover it up all they can and their investigations/reviews etc will not reveal the necessary and correct answers. The intelligent Australian public are well aware of that by now. A definition of wimp is coward and for both Abbott and Morrison the definition is apt.
I am not an apologist for Gillard. What I would like to say, at all times, Labor did intend to take equal numbers, of those refused admittance to our shores, from the region.
Those who came by boats would have to wait until these people were settled. Gillard and Rudd’s scheme were nothing like what is occurring today.
The first thing Morrison did, was to reduce the numbers we were to take.
This mob are not only not taking those who reach our shores, but are not taking those who stay behind.
It appears the inquiry into the Nauru fires that occurred under Labor was handed to this government last October. It was released quietly on the web late one Saturday. Lateline.
Yes, and it appears that their report seems to reflect why happened over the week on Mannus Island.
It also appears, there was damage done to the camp.
It appears at that Morrison has a lo6t of truth telling to do.
Sorry, that was Newsline, not Lateline.
Denisio Fabuloso, I agree with you whole heartedly. I too am afraid of this Government. I am afraid of the destruction that Newman’s state Govt. has wreaked on Queensland. I am afraid for Australia and I am ashamed of the blood we all share on our hands. Born Aussie Ben – I am afraid of people like you – I fear your utter arrogance and obvious ignorance. That you blindly believe in Abbott and his unlawful gang of thugs. Zealous fools are always the most dangerous. Victoria Rollison, thank you for speaking out. Now is the time to be heard as loudly as we dare. March in March. The time has come – we cannot stand by any longer – we as a nation have witnessed murder.
Reblogged this on The Many Hats Of This Ginger.
Reblogged this on Nick Thiwerspoon and commented:
What a loathsome lot these so-called Liberals are.
bernylBerny:
Exactly, There was a news story a short time ago of three asylum seeker meeting misfortune (in a swamp, maybe?) after being dumped on an Indonesian island. I don’t have time to Google it just now..
I was quite alarmed to read that asylum seekers at both Nauru and Manus are not being processed by the UNHCR – did I get this wring, who exactly does the processing – and that none have been processed at either location in recent times i.e. the last 6 months.
I may be entirely wrong as the information is not readily available; anybody know ?
Well you have a right to your own opinion. My opinion is that the bulk of WW2 diggers fought to keep our borders secure. 3 Generations of my family have fought and succeeded to keep things safer here.
As for the questions on my ignorance, that’s also your right to an opinion. I have lived in PNG for 2 years and had wives of friends that were attacked by rascals and raped etc. too often I heard and saw terrible things. I have also lived in Canada for 2 years and now regularly travel to mainland PRC for business. I understand the plight of some of these desperate people, but there is a very important point here…
IF they (asylum seekers) rip their identity papers up and cover up their identity, arrive on a boat from Indonesia (try getting into Indonesia without papers or a big wad of US$) they need to face consequences. The biggest thing wrong with the world is that there is no consequence for misbehavior. Picture Australia if we do what your suggesting, open our borders and let the world flood in. Do you think the Muslims care for you… Pfffft, we’re the infidels to them. Don’t believe for one second that Islam is a peaceful doctrine of belief! Australia is a peaceful country, we want it to stay that way. You might think I seem “RIGHT WING” but read my words carefully. I believe in immigration from all other countries, we just need to have them arrive via legal means, or no, they can NEVER be an Aussie.
Also, please don’t attack me personally with your violent language. I am well travelled, very understanding of asylum and very empathetic. However my unique upbringing in our beautiful country (and others at times) has afforded me an opinion that might be different to yours. So suck it up yourself and see this for what it is. Illegal Asylum rarely leads to assimilation and often leads to a rise in violent gangs.
Vote GREEN to DESTROY Australia’s dreams
I believe That the threat of not ever being able to settle in Australia and indeed anywhere else short/long term , makes the poor refugees desperate.
Desperate means the only solution is desperate actions. The Papuan residents care little for life and in fact cut throats are the norm. So letting them into the camp is nothing short of criminal.
Also I believe the current government (?) Have been in power long enough now to stop the name blame. They still act like they were the opposition. Get over it and start to govern.
I read Born Aussie Ben’s contribution carefully just I read most of the other contributions to this string and while I was not in full agreement with his comments. However I saw no reason to comment on them that is until I read the following Illegal Asylum rarely leads to assimilation and often leads to a rise in violent gangs” a comment for which the author offer no proof but since when did bigots and Neo- Fascists need proof all they ever need is crude prejudice. I also noted the less than charming “So suck it up yourself” and “Vote Green…” . A troll at work a troll whose time, assuming he bothers to read my comments, would be better spent calling Alan Jones and spewing out his obscene beliefs to a welcoming audience whose only saving grace is that it is mostly over 50 and will die soon, or to put it another way suck that up !
Born Aussie Ben – Oi. Oi. Oi.
He might’ve been to lots of countries but certainly not ‘well travelled’ nor ‘well educated’.
TH
by the way guys its doesn’t matter who started something but whether or not the current mob of right wing catholic fascists clean it up on their shift !!
You may have been nice with the word ‘shift’ but I automatically read it as ‘shit’ and it would have been more appropriate to say ‘clean up their shit’.
Apologies for pulling you up!
You guys are crazy, I’m not a troll and I don’t need to prove my education or intellect to have an poi inion. You don’t believe me about hate filled immigrants? Go to millperra and so much as look at someone for too long, they will threaten to stab you! What makes you think that they will treat our country any different to their own. In some cases they have thousands of years of unacceptable human rights in their own country, it’s all some people know! I’m not saying everyone seeking asylum is in the same metaphoric boat, but I am saying its important that we know who they are and that it’s their turn to enter. Arrive by boat/plane/chopper with paperwork and a visa and you will be welcomed.
If they can’t enter legally then go to one of the many countries that are safe and prosperous that will let them in. How can anyone disagree with that? The rest of the picture is about deterrence, if we roll out the red carpet and give visas to people without paperwork, expect to end up becoming like the countries they are leaving.
Immigration is what has made Australia a beautiful mix of culture. The key here is legal and controlled, we need to know that we’re not flooding our community with hate filled extremists!
“Go to millperra and so much as look at someone for too long, they will threaten to stab you!”
Perhaps if you welcomed people, if you smiled and got to know people, if you asked them about themselves and how you can help them, perhaps if you treated them like potential friends instead of potential enemies, then your experience might be better. Where someone is born or what religion they follow is irrelevant. Tolerance and compassion are what we need – not comments like
“Do you think the Muslims care for you… Pfffft, we’re the infidels to them. Don’t believe for one second that Islam is a peaceful doctrine of belief!”
Your understanding of a complex problem is naïve and your fear is paranoic. Stop looking at people and start getting to know them. You may be able to then stop living in unnecessary fear, you may even learn something and who knows, you could even make a friend.
I am always amazed when people tell me that I don’t know what it is like to live in Australia. Your experience may be different. Your area may be experiencing a particular problem but rather than addressing the problem and looking for solutions you want to vilify billions of people that you have never met. It’s easier to blame than to act as we are seeing from this Govosition.
If their are problems with youth in Milperra work out why. Start with funding for the schools for programs that may help, involve the community leaders in the discussion to better understand how to proceed, have youth programs to help kids integrate and be productive – sport, music, drama, carpentry, art, basic car mechanics, dance – have community events so people get to know each other. Identify families that may be struggling and offer help. Know your neighbours.
Incredibly important that we have far more Aboriginals posting here. Thank you born “aussie” ben. Well done.
Whoever runs this detention center is paid billions of dollars which no doubt will come out of our ‘Defence Budget’ ! Told the local villagers to go into the camp and rough the prisoners up a bit ,then stood outside and watched them !! Where are the U.N human rights people when you need them !! Makes you wonder what shit we got up to in the middle east to make this behavior acceptable !!!
by the way guys its doesn’t matter who started something but whether or not the current mob of right wing catholic fascists clean it up on their shift !!
On my first day of high school a really tough girl walked up to me and said with a sneer “Wadda YOU lookin’ at?” I answered “I dunno I didn’t bring my zoo book with me”. She punched me in the face.
My curiosity made me look, her fear made her confront me, my smart aleck reply escalated the situation to violence. We both felt we had to assert ourselves. There is nothing new about this sort of confrontation and it had nothing to do with race or religion. I hope I have learned how to deal with things better. If I had smiled at her and said “Hi my name’s Kaye. What school did you come from? Do you know anyone? What class are you in?” then perhaps things may have progressed differently.
Kaye fear, fear, fear the bully is afraid and that is why he/she is so dangerous. Infect your population with fear and you have a ready made pool of prejudice waiting to respond to any thoughts of reason and humanity.
Research demonstrates that conservatives are more fearful and therefore prone too appeals to anger, resentment and retribution. Progressives are more reasoned however we are all a mixture of both. There is simply a surfeit of fear in conservative biochemistry. The this is a biological dilemma does not mean that, through effort, it cannot be changed as indications of brain plasticity demonstrating traits are not completely fixed and inflexible.
The dilemma is for progressives (ignoring political biases) to speak with a loud voice of justice and equity however, for the time being, the complicity of the left in the treatment of refugees has severely muffled and compromised the progressive voice. Hypocrisy does not help the left.
The left certainly has a lot of self-reflection to do before they can attack conservatism free from unethical badge.
An honest apology to refugees would be a good beginning.
Nice one Victoria. The blinkered ignorance of “Born Aussie Ben” is testament to the racial predjudice that pervades this country still, His attitude is nothing but blind facism and my Grandfather, Father and Uncles went to War against his thinking. Not to protect our borders. This is how politicians speak. My Uncle spent 3 years as a prisoner of people who thought like him. It is so sad to see such uninformed bigotry getting the benefit of all his travel and returning here only to disappear up his regressive backside. He makes me ashamed of my country, but then again, I must remember, there are bad apples in any barrell.
Stephen Tardrew………spot on mate!
Chris, that’s just rude. Do you not believe the countries they are coming from are screwed because of their culture? A culture of violence toward women, children and men alike! Why are the women so oppressed? Why are children handed rifles at 10? It’s sick!
I’m absolutely fine with immigration, in fact I support it. I’m clearly stating that, BUT we need to have control over who we let in! That’s not racist or defamatory. We don’t want war lords, nonchalantly waltzing in through Xmas island! Then a previous post said we need to educate and help the legal or past migrants to assimilate and enjoy our society AGREED! Help them understand why they wanted to come here.
They should always practice their positive culture traits, remember where they’re from, but please hear me… Leave the violence and bloodshed in your mother country. No matter how nice you are to someone, if they resort to violence because they’re cut off in traffic, that’s wrong (no matter how you came to be in oz, including Aussies).
Also, someone got it right saying I am fearful. You only need drive down the road and it’s almost for sure that you will see aggressive behavior. It’s only common sense, if you open the borders to anyone, and give everyone asylum the barrel will have more than a few bad apples!
@born aussie ben
I agree with you about queue jumpers, except there is no queue, So the only queue jumpers I can think of are the visa overstayers, funny you didnt mention the approximate 36000 overstayers currently in australia. You know, the ones who take aussie jobs never become citizens, dont assimilate. Maybe thats because the vast majority are either english, american, canadian, irish or from the EU. You know, mostly white.
you are correct in saying you dont have to prove your education or intellect here, because you have admirably demonstrated a lack of both. I worked for many years in part of Sydney populated by these supposedly violent and aggressive people, I never felt scared or frightened among them, we treated each other with respect. They were grateful for the service we provided. The only time I was ever on guard was going to a venue frequented by drunken aussies of anglo saxon extraction, there I abused threatened spat upon, but never thanked, just the usual weekend redneck entertainment and I am Australian.
I read something today that reasonable people should bear in mind when dealing with people who hold the same views as you, and this is so applicable to people like you. We as a society, should put in place measure that stop ” flooding our community with hate filled extremists!”. we need to educate fools like you so there are no more hate filled extremists like you
Victoria congratulations….how did you do it without expletives? I certainly could not.
“Do you not believe the countries they are coming from are screwed because of their culture? A culture of violence toward women, children and men alike! Why are the women so oppressed? Why are children handed rifles at 10? It’s sick!”
No their countries are screwed because of poverty, lack of education and opportunity, ethnic cleansing by people who just like their own kind, wars caused by invading foreign countries or civil wars in power struggles as they try to have a voice in oppressive regimes. They are fleeing that remember. If they wanted that sort of life they would stay there.
These are some of the most ancient cultures in the world with a wealth of history and rich cultures who could add so much to our society if we would only welcome them and offer them help and hope rather than incarceration and beatings. Who is committing the violence – them or us?
If society is becoming more aggressive we need to address that. Alcohol and drugs are a factor so why disband the drug and alcohol advisory council? Why cut funding to Aboriginal legal aid and early intervention programs run by Aboriginal communities? How many refugees commit crimes here? We have more reason to fear Catholic priests, school teachers, football players, and politicians going on the actual statistics.
You are attributing societal problems to refugees and that is just wrong. Underlying all of your comments is fear of foreigners and fear of Islam.
Please explain….
xenophobia: an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.
It’s Morrison’s hypocrisy that galls me most. His holier than thou attitude.
And after you do a little reading re ‘xenophobia’, you might look at the concept of ‘ethnocentrism’. From Wiki:
In a sense, all people begin from an ethnocentric starting point. It’s inescapable. But one of the features of an ‘educated’ individual is to recognise that ethnocentric ‘common sense’ and attempt to escape the limitations it imposes.
One might then find that one’s ‘common sense’ isn’t as ‘common’ as first thought, and further, the ‘sense’ aspect isn’t very sensible at all. But maybe not.
@ ben “we are not the boss’ of our politicians” yes we are, we pay their wages and massive rorts If they dont measure up we sack them at the next election. Learn Ben open your mind and let information in.
MRRRRabbbot loves to keep is simple:
“goodies” and baddies”
“wimps” and, er … “non wimps?
Having just wasted some of my time searching for a suitable antonym for ‘wimp’.
This is all I could find:
http://www.spellchecker.net/opposite-word-for/wimp
I think Scott Morrison is no wimp but could well be a “whopper”.
😕
Spot on Kaye. How many of these countries have we either gone to war with and left in an appalling state, or just ignored rather than assisting refugees who have legitimate claims. If intervention obviously exacerbates the problem of violence and war then better spend the money of war in assisting refugees at risk. But no wars are fund-able yet the victims of war are just collateral damage. The language is despicable. It would cost a fraction of the price to assist refugees rather than get into unwindable conflicts.
But Oh! No! not that rationality and logic thing again. Leave our prejudice alone.
We collectively go to war in coalitions of the willing yet step back from a unified and coherent approach to the trail of human suffering we created. Abuse the UN then hand your problems over to this underfunded and poorly resourced body then blame them because they represent all nations not just the wealthy.
There is absolutely no way out with these lying bastards.
And our citizens are taught to blame and revile the victims.
I don’t know what democracy others live in but for me this one stinks.
I agree. Unfortunately it is not just his behavior but some members of his staff are of the same elk
Hi All, thanks for the feedback on the comments I have made. Some interesting points, some positive and some that make me feel physically sick. I think this is a great and important format to exchange views on our countries affairs. I agree with many things people are saying on here, however I find it unfortunate that you need to be personal and attack my intellect and personality. You might not like my views but please keep this about the issues at hand.
It’s particularly sad to have to agree that drugs, including alcohol, are contributing to Aussies being true idiots day in day out. There are many things causing our societies slide, including Facebook, twitter etc and society being obsessive narcissists (mostly, not everyone). I don’t disagree that our society is ravished by issues, but I do think we should know who is coming in.
Next thing the bleeding hearts and do gooders will help the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs to continue selling drugs to our kids. We need a tough govt to remove the filth of the last 6 years and release the tight union grip.
Just wait, our country will prosper under this govt, at least they have a plan (gillard and KRUDD had no plan other than to play daily to the media, lump Peter Beasley and Anna bligh in their too)
Aussie Born Ben, I’m sick of hearing how much worse things were under Labor. I never found their conditions worse than under Howard. In fact, working in the education sector, I found things better. I know the deficit rose, but much of that stems from the high Aussie dollar (something the current mob are now struggling with) and the on-going effects of the GFC (something that the current mob are now resolving by attacking middle and working class conditions – and are just starting the mindset preparation through the media so they can attack public education and hospital funding with impunity, part of their ideology).
People who arrive by boats tend to fly to Indonesia on false papers. They use false papers because they could not get legitimate papers from their governments. They cannot get these papers from their governments BECAUSE THEIR GOVERNMENTS WANT TO KILL THEM. They destroy the fake papers before arriving in Australia because our system regards fake papers more heinous than the risk of death.
War Lords do not go nonchalantly walking through detention centres after risking their lives at sea. They do not arrive by sea at all. This is because, if they are willing to forego the sections of their homelands that they are lording over, they will get visas and fly to Australia.
I do not think the majority of us will be benefit from the government’s plan. This is because their plan focuses on boosting the coffers of the filthy rich. The Liberal ideology supports this because they believe in the trickle down effect. To that I say this – Gina Rinehart, mine owner and Australia’s wealthiest woman, has publicly rued the fact that Australian miners don’t get paid the same wage as African miners. I regard that as the greedy, tight-fisted effect.
Regardless, the government and the people it toadies to are determined to create a nation we will no longer regard as the land of the ‘fair-go’, the ideal for which my father fought in WW11 and my grandfather in WW1.
Have I simplified things enough for you?
Seems like a bunch of unruly sand niggers got told. They forgot that they were on a small island surrounded by people of natural instinct and not in a holiday camp on the mainland. Kudos to the Fuzzy Wuzzies still giving us a helping hand to this day. Man up Australia and follow their lead. Looks like we’ve got some camps in our own back yard that need a little shaking up.
Issirobbo, thanks for your insightful comments. Very interesting to hear your perspective on the people guilty of war crimes gaining access via legal avenues. I find that part very concerning! I must admit, I would love to study more how all of that works and how we as a country could manage our borders more effectively. It really is a different world to our ancestors days growing up, so much instant gratification and wanting issues like this solved in days, not decades like the past. I would like to hear more of your views as they seem quite well grounded.
Did Gina really state that about wanting $4hr? I did a case study which included her comments on Australia’s inability to compete globally due to high local cost of business. The carbon tax just adds pressure to those inflationary input costs. She was purely stating that it’s already hard to compete given our high relative wages in the sector so please don’t add further pressure. BTW no truckie should ever get payed over $100k when teachers get payed peanuts.
Gina and her family are employers, they create jobs. It doesn’t make her a good person but you must admit that she is an entrepreneur. That’s what we need to foster in our country. You might have liked being under the cozy socialist wing of labor for 6 years, but where was the innovation? We need successful business minded people running our country, not labor union lawyers or tree hugging minority activists holding the majority to ransom. That’s why we voted in the current govt with such vigor! You will get your chance to vote in the next federal election, but let’s hope by then they have proved their competence and quality as leaders.
Gee, Mick I guess you must be in the army or something, the way you tell people to “Man Up”. I’d hate to think that you were just someone who goes to work every day when we need people like you protecting our borders. Or do you leave that to other more manly men?
Ah Mick we need many more like you to come out of the closet and put your ‘natural instinct’ on display. You illustrate clearly the failures of our ‘education system’.
Or perhaps you didn’t participate? A slow learner? You have my sympathies.
Actually, I suspect that Mick may actually be one of the Liberal front bench writing under a pseudonym. Perhaps, he’s actually Julie Bishop. Or George Brandis. Or Christopher Pyne. Ah, I know he’s actually Joe Hockey.
It seems that ‘protecting our borders’ is a very fuzzy concept, certainly never defined in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions.
It seems we will spend enormous amounts keeping the ‘desperate’ from crossing our borders but little or no effort keeping ‘wealth’ within the borders. ‘Border protection’ is apparently a one-way sieve. The share-holders of Rio Tinto, for example, have no problems transferring their (our) wealth to places afar. No ‘border protection’ there. Something like 90% of Rio profits slip across the borders each and every year.
Not only does ‘wealth’ in the form of profits slip across our ‘sovereign borders’, each and every year, the taxes which one expects to be paid within our ‘sovereign borders’ also disappears elsewhere.
Anyone else see the irony?
Again I must say, stop personally attacking people for their views! Mick has a right to an opinion, even if it is more extreme than yours.
We have had an interesting time in politics lately where the minority has had a voice. Thankfully the greens and independents will fade away now.
I would love to see the footage at manus, I bet the detainees thought they were tough before the fuzzie’s took control. I will never forget playing golf on the 4th green at Port Moresby golf club and seeing the guards unload arrows at people trying to enter the golf course to rob expats. It’s clearly defined, come in illegally and get killed. If they were welcomed and allied to steal, they would return daily. It doesn’t matter how desperate they are or what lead to it.
Sent from my iPhone
>
Gee then that sounds like a good place to send refugees seeking asylum Ben.
I think you meant ” allied to,steel” – just saying Ben university. Not attacking you, just your pour spelling. 🙂
And yes, I do no.
They’re here…
Ahh predictive text! Sorry about the spelling 🙂
Mm, and your name seems to change as well.
In my opinion the fundamental error in Born Aussie Ben’s thinking is that he seems to be confusing immigration with asylum-seeking. Asylum seekers are not immigrants.They are refugees fleeing for their lives, risking everything, especially their lives and the lives of their dependents to escape from persecution and the constant threat of death, They are fleeing from violence,they are NOT the violent.They want to be able to live in a peaceful and stable environment.That is their human right and we keep bandying the words “legal” and “illegal”. around .These words are meaningless when you are giving up your home, your country, your language, your culture just to be able to not be murdered, along with your children, parents etc.
Born Aussie Ben give up your fear and replace it with humanity and compassion. I am sure that most of these desperate and humiliated people have much to offer and their gratitude would be so great that the contribution that they could make to our great multi-cultural society would be for ever rich and invaluable.For God’s sake Born Aussie Ben.Abandon your fears and open your heart to these tortured human beings.!
Ben University wrote (without irony apparently):
Yes that ‘1%’ have been ‘disadvantaged’ for a very long time.
And for the 99% here’s a ‘primer’, to use the USA vernacular.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_One_Percent
Quoted from Liz Thompson, a migration agent who was working on the island during last week’s violent attack on detainees…
And…
Phew
Exhausting reading Aussie oi! Ben
Stuck for all your travels you never got it.
Here’s a story for you to mellow on Ben.
There’s a truck driver, and he drives his truck all around Britain and beyond, and he’s proud of the job he does.
And he has lots of time with himself to think a bit but the rain it pisses him off.
It just rains. He can’t remember when it didn’t rain.
He’s getting to the end of his tether cause of this rain and because hardly no one else listens as he explains the rain.
So he drives and it rains. That’s his world Ben, he drives and it rains and years have gone by.
“Gina and her family are employers, they create jobs”
Actually less than 2% of jobs are in mining and they VERY quickly dump them when it suits them. Gina is driven solely by profit. She is not some sort of altruistic benefactor. If she can employ people for $2 a day she will. If world markets change she will put off employees as quick as look at you. She avoids paying tax by living in Singapore and cried blue murder when we introduced the mining tax to try and get some return for our resources that have made her a fortune she couldn’t spend in 100 lifetimes.
I’m not interested in getting into any sort of argument about people or policies but I do feel the need to point out the the sorts of strident opinions expressed in the above open letter and in the majority of the comments not only try to paint a complex issue as black-and-white or one political ideology against another but do so in a manner not conducive to consensus and solutions. When people have different opinions, you can either belittle their point of view and call them names or you can present your own case. I don’t see how being so vehement and vitriolic furthers anyone’s cause (and, for what it’s worth, it doesn’t show you – the person communicating in that manner – in a particularly good light or make anyone who doesn’t hold your point of view likely to be swayed). It’s great that you are passionate about something and want to express your opinion, but when you get up in arms over an issue – and, in doing so, focus on personalities – all you are doing is preaching to the converted. So everyone who already thinks that same as you will say “well said” and “I agree” and the rest of the world will dismiss your thoughts as ill-informed, bitter, nasty, one-sided rantings. Just saying ….
So Murray I am supposed to sit idly by while someone starts their comment with “a bunch of unruly sand niggers got told”. I am supposed to listen without comment to someone that advocates violence by saying “Looks like we’ve got some camps in our own back yard that need a little shaking up.”
Born Aussie Ben wants me to believe all Muslims, except the ones he knows, are waiting to kill me. I believe he has a decent streak in him but he thinks it is us that have been fed propaganda when I know that what he says just isn’t true. I have not been abusing him but I have been trying to disabuse him and widen his sources of information.
Bigotry, racism and discrimination have no place in this country and yet many good people seem unaware that they harbour these traits and perpetuate the xenophobia.
Gina Rinehart:
”The issue I have is I have to pay workers near Adelaide $40 to $50 an hour, when people who do the same thing in Africa work for $1. That’s not fair, why should Australian workers get so much? So this is my crusade, I’m hunting for worker equality just like Mandela fought for racial equality.”
http://www.burdekinherald.com/2013/12/12/gina-rinehart-compares-self-to-nelson-mandela/#sthash.PCaDbiL2.dpuf
The Burdekin may have been tongue-in-cheek but this is what she actually said.
Speaking in video posted on the Sydney Mining Club’s website to discuss the recently signed enterprise migration agreement which will allow her to import 1,700 foreign workers for her Roy Hill Iron Ore project, Mrs Rinehart says Australians should not be complacent about the investment pipeline given that African labourers will work for less than $2 a day.
“Business as usual will not do, not when West African competitors can offer our biggest customers an average capital cost for a tonne of iron ore that’s $100 under the price offered by an emerging producer in the Pilbara,” she said.
“Furthermore, Africans want to work, and its workers are willing to work for less than $2 per day. Such statistics make me worry for this country’s future.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-05/rinehart-says-aussie-workers-overpaid-unproductive/4243866
Kaye Lee
Rinehart:
What really sticks in my craw is that Gina Rinehart blithely makes such statements as if Africans get to choose between working for a pittance and a liveable income. People in the third world do not have a choice, their pay is an insult, they have no one to speak up for reasonable pay and conditions. With their labour being merely a step up from slavery of course big mining can produce ore cheaper than countries like Australia which pay living wages.
We need equal liveable pay for equal liveable work (by ‘liveable work’ I mean conditions which are safe) across the globe. Then the corporates can find out what competition is really all about.
Dear God… did you have to bring the spawn of Jabba the Hutt into the debate? A truly loathsome individual… who articulates who she is every time she opens her mouth. Further proof – if you needed it – there is no God. Off for a scrub down… the subject matter has soiled me again.
Benny:
Bull!!! Er no… wait… you’re HALF right… She’s not a good person.
Benny, maaaate, it is the consumers of this country (mainly the middle class) who actually create jobs. Under our system it is the consumers who buy the goods and services and people like Gina are just there to skim the profits. But it’s the middle class (the very group this government is trying to decimate) which keeps the wheels turning!
Our Gina has the money to invest, so she can exploit the resources which belong to all of us. But she does NOT create anything. And as for “innovation”…. give me a freaking break!!!! Where’s the innovation in using the least number of people to dig the most amount of dirt and ship it overseas. The only “innovation” Gina and he mob are interested in is finding new ways to screw the country.
Murray,
I completely agree. A well constructed argument devoid of personal/ personality attack will always resonate with the clear of mind.
Kaye lee,
I didn’t see that Murray’s statement was directed at you.
Your writings above really stuck with me. Especially,
“Your understanding of a complex problem is naïve and your fear is paranoic. Stop looking at people and start getting to know them. You may be able to then stop living in unnecessary fear, you may even learn something and who knows, you could even make a friend.”
That statement I have committed to memory and will use.
Thank you Kaye!
Yes… You might make a friend… Or more likely still, receive an aggressive response, sometimes involving the bastard stabbing you!
I’m not saying don’t be nice, I’m just saying that angry people don’t deserve attention. Misbehaved Aussies (immigrant or not) are like toddlers looking for attention. Best way to deal with them is to give no response unless they break the law, then consequence needs to be harsh and swift. QLD bikie laws are exactly what has been missing. Outlaw gangs that profess to live outside the law, not any more!
If they were locking up criminals then I would agree Ben but the Queensland laws allow them to lock up people who have committed no crime for a month in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. It allows them to harass anyone riding a motorbike.
We already have laws to deal with organised crime. These new laws are ridiculous.
Kind of like you think total strangers are all going to stab you. Have you ever been stabbed?
Had knives pulled but never stabbed (indonesia) and shot at a couple of times, also unsuccessful (in AUS).
If I went back through my entire life I can think of a lot of nasty incidents too. As a high school teacher I broke up many fights and as a barmaid I witnessed many more. I have taken knives from kids and glasses from drunks and sticks from old men.
I do not live in fear. Violence exists in many levels of our society and we must work hard to understand why that is and help people before it comes to that. We must not accept violent language or behaviour towards each other.
We must all learn how to co-exist peacefully and that requires tolerance and understanding from all of us. It’s amazing how a situation can be defused if approached in the right way early enough.
Ben, you remind me of my builder. He hated my dog and the dog knew it. He was the only person the dog ever bit.
Kaye Lee
Dogs are smart people. Have many a story, but one that is humorous rather than deadly:
In my 20’s used to go camping with my then husband and a regular group of friends – sometimes additional people would tag along – relatives or friends of friends. One of these was a young man who basically should’ve stayed home drinking with his mates – didn’t help with any of the normal tasks of camping, gathering firewood, cooking, cleaning – whatever – he just wanted to ride a dirt bike, a friend was generously lending to all of us, just to see how much damage he could do.
Early morning we were all huddled in a circle around the campfire waiting for the sun to dry off the mist and dew, Rusty (a red-setter) was sniffing around all of us – as dogs do, then selected his target (the a-hole) cocked his leg and doused the pillock with his morning pee.
Dogs just know.
😀
Maybe we should let dogs choose our leaders.
Diannaart,
That is just a lovely story.It’s like a parable and beautifully told. I wonder how that dog would have related to Scott Morrison, not to mention the appalling Tony. I think I know.
Thank you for your kind words Albert. That is one of my favourite memories – couldn’t have happened to a more deserving individual.
Mr Morrison
In the days of the Fraser Government and those which followed, Australia was proud of the fact that on a per capita basis, we accepted and resettled more Indo Chinese asylum seekers than any other countries. Our Government attended international fora and stood above wealthier nations and accepted praise for our efforts in resettlement. The records demonstrate that at that time many thousands of Vietnamese and Cambodians arrived unannounced on our shores and that we considered their claims for refugee status, and when they were well founded, we offered resettlement in this country.
On those occasions, particularly with Cambodians, where the asylum seekers were unable to prove their claims for refugee status,our Government arranged repatriation to their home country. Furthermore, when conditions allowed, we arranged to fund camps in Indonesia, were asylum seekers could have their claims assessed and where our officers could consider applications for resettlement in Australia.
With those and other actions, we held our head high in the International community. We were known as a compassionate country and a truely liberal society.
These are not the ramblings of a bleeding heart. The records in your department will vouchsafe my statements. Why not try to reestablish a humane refugee policy. A liberal Government could do it, why not the current Conservative administration?.
My grandmother was German. Immediately I say that, what do you think of? Of course – Hitler, the Nazis, the concentration camps, the brutality and the shame. She never participated in Nazism but the reputation of the Germans is forever smeared by that ugly shame. Now, we Australians are damaging our own reputation. The world has seen us as decent, good-hearted people that they want to visit. Now we are projecting an image of base brutality and stupidity, all because some boofheads have got control of the Liberal Party. Yuk!