Australian Nazi regime?

by Norm 99 Replies latest jw friends

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  Norm

  It has been very interesting to see the various responses from our resident Aussies to the Tampa incidence. All kinds of strange arguments have been brought up, which of course have nothing to do with the case in question. It has been alluded to Australia’s apparently past great track record regarding refugee’s and some completely irrelevant and nonsensical bragging about East Timor, and such.

  Norway is a small country with a population of 4,5 million people. We currently have peace keeping troops in Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and other places, I would think it would be pretty obvious to even the most dense who’s closest to East Timor, Australia or Norway. I say this, not because it has any relevance in this case, but because I try to clear up some of the worst ignorance. Then we have some of the “believers” who are soo worried about bad behavior and foul language on this board, who whine and whimper constantly, but these "high guards" of the public “moral” think it is perfectly all right for fellow human beings to drown at sea, because they are “illegal”.

  I have neighbors from Afghanistan living in the same apartment building, if anyone can prove they come from Afghanistan they will automatically get asylum, because everybody know what a complete hell that country is. I would see the Australian who would live under the conditions the average Afghanistan inhabitants suffer under everyday. Particularly women live under appalling rules and can hardly venture outside the houses.

  The UN high commissioner for refugees Mary Robinson sent a strong request to the Australian Government to let the refugees ashore immediately. Robison said to BBC Radio in an interview that Australia has a duty under the UN declaration of human rights to take the shipwrecked ashore. I am nit the only one who are appalled at the callousness of the Australian authorities and some of our resident Aussie participants that I up to now thought was nice and generous human beings.

  Well, it has been very educational for me, now I know who you are and I have seen your true self. It will come in handy the next time you start complaining about how bad people are here on this board.

  Norm.
• 

  Kent

  Dear drloss

  Australia’s handling of the refugee-drama on the Norwegian vessel “Tampa” is completely unreal. It is unprecedented, illegal, inhuman, and fortunately abnormal. If the refugees are not allowed to come to Christmas Island, Australia has placed itself outside the circle of civilized nations of the world. After all, it’s a while since the country was a penal colony!

  I “don’t know nothing” about Australian policy, so let me repeat some of my ignorance. The Australian rescue service/coast guard sent a message about a boat with hundreds of people on board were in distress at sea in the area between Indonesia and Christmas Island, and they asked ships in the area to assist. The captain on “Tampa” did what every decent sailor shall do, he turned his vessel against the disabled ship and saved 438 human beings from drowning.

  These refugees, allegedly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, demanded to be brought to Australia, and they refused to be returned to Indonesia; where they came from. When “Tampa” came close to Australian waters, the Australian government told them they would not be allowed to enter Australian soil. The captain waited in vain for 48 hors or so for the medical assistance he had required, and when nothing happened he steered “Tampa” landward. This because the vessel at that time were defined as in distress at sea.

  What happened next were that Australian soldiers boarded the ship. This is as unprecedented as refusing the ship to go to a harbor. When this is said, contrary to what the Australians on this site like to believe, Australia has no glamorous past talking about handling people who doesn’t have their roots in the northern part of Europe. It isn’t that many years ago they talked about the country’s own original population as belonging to the Australian fauna. While they searched for immigrants from Europe, the borders were closed for people from Asia and Africa.

  The policy has been changed a bit since that, and the original population isn’t being treated like they used to, but deep down in the Australian soul it’s obviously hidden the old views: the life of humans with a non white skin color isn’t that valuable.

  It may well be that the people behind all this are smugglers, trading with human lives. It may well be that these bastards are behind all the refugees coming by boats from Indonesia to the Australian Christmas Island, and it’s understandable that the Australian government is utter annoyed by this traffic. But the country can’t free her from neither the moral nor the customary international law about the duty to accept humans who is in obvious distress when they are just outside the door of the living-room.

  Formally speaking Norway has no obligations in this case, and they have been dragged into it because the Norwegian vessel and her crew did what every sailor SHALL do. Please do remember that the Norwegian vessel is equipped for 30 people, not an extra 438 people. There is no room for them, not sufficient equipment if something happened, and it’s simply not allowed to carry these passengers on that ship. Because of this, the Norwegian captain Arne Rinnan has the legal right to go to the nearest harbor – according to international law.

  But if the Australian government doesn’t come to its senses, the Norwegian government may have to do as Norwegian governments have done before during the last huge flood of refugees on boats, after the war in Vietnam, and guarantee that refugees rescued by Norwegian vessels may come to Norway.

  This time the alternative was that 438 people would have drowned, among them two ladies pregnant, almost ready to have their child. And that is what can happen the next time – because no ships will dare trying to rescue people in or in the near of Australian waters.

  Yakki Da

  Kent

  The most significant difference between Prime Minister John Howard and Hitler, is the fact that Hitler is dead.

  Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
  http://watchtower.observer.org
• 

  Kent

  Prisca
  

  Maybe you should base your information on more neutral sources.

  
  I see your "facts" are stright. Geesss - how ignorant can you be...

  Yakki Da

  Kent

  The most significant difference between Prime Minister John Howard and Hitler, is the fact that Hitler is dead.

  Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
  http://watchtower.observer.org
• 

  Abaddon

  Wow, the debate got this far without discussing Australian attitudes towards race!! Maybe that's got something to do with it...

  Anyone remember the white Australia policy? The official government policy of only allowing white people to emigrate to the 'luck country'. Or the Education Minister for Queensland in the '70's suggesting that the solution to the Aborigine problem would be to lock them up in camps and put something in the water to make them sterile? And that ghasly woman, Pauline Hanson, is that her name? That's a bit more recent, if you're gonna tell me things have changed.

  I have not been to Australia, but I have had many friends who are Australian or New Zealanders, or who have travelled in the antipodes.

  They, almost without exception, decry the racist attitudes that many Australians have. The exceptions say that they are not racist, but have the habit of saying things like "I'm not a racist, but I'd never marry a Maori". I lived with an Ozzy racist for six months ("Ah, no man, Abbos are, well, they're just different, lazy buggers, all of them, well, mostly, and they drink all the time" *wipes froths of lips as he quaffs another cold beer*), but he didn't think he was a racist either.

  So either I have met a very unrepresentative bunch of people and only read bad things in the press about Australians and race, or there is a big fat problem. Hmmm, I wonder which could be true...

  4,000 people a year as refugees is PATHETIC for a country with the resources that Australia has. So WHAT if a large portion of your country is uninhabitable (oh, hang on, uninhabitable to European IMMIGRANTS, the Aborigines obviously don't count), have a look at a map of population densities along the coastal strip of Australia and compare it to, oh, virtually anywhere else in the damn world. Look at the numbers of refugees overcrowded European countries are taking.

  The UK take more than twice as many. Oh, but they've a far larger population and can take the burden better (the fact we are one of the twenty most densely populated countries in the world is irrelevant, of course). If that makes you feel better, fine.

  Oh, but the Netherlands take more than twice the number Australia takes, and have a similar population to Australia, AND have a higher population density than the UK. Now justify Australia's piss poor record.

  Basically Australia's attitude towards immigrants in general(even rich Asian immigrants who arrive and set up successful businesses) tends to swing towards the deeply ignorant and racist. Well done to those who don't buy the BULLSHIT your government pumps out... like making public announcements when ever a refugee in a detention centre goes down with Typhoid, something designed to swing public opinion that is already deeply biased.

  But, given the facts, that Australia seems to be a fair bit behind the US or Europe in terms of attitude towards race, that race has proven to be a succesful card to play in politics in Australia, even recently, that there is an election in four months, that the refugees were taken onboard at the request of the Australians, that Australia take a pathetic number of refugees compared to, well, anywhere other than the Isle of Man, given these facts any one who cares to defend the Australian governments actions obviously has the right to do so.

  But don't expect the rest of the world to agree. I think possibly we can see the Australian arguements for what they are. A heap of shit.

  And I don't know about some of you guy's, but if my family's lives were at risk, I'd not hesitate in trying to escape that danger, rather than waiting for some ticket lottery in a refugee camp.

  It amazes me when people witter on about 'official channels', safe behind TV or computer screens in countires with a standard of living an order of magnitude higher, with decent human rights (unless of course you're an Afghani on a boat). If the positions were swapped they'd sell everything they had to get their families to safety, which is exactly what these refugees have had to do.
• 

  Zep

  But, given the facts, that Australia seems to be a fair bit behind the US or Europe in terms of attitude towards race,

  Disagree here. I definitely don't think we are behind Britian or the US, thats too much of a big call for me. This Tampa incident has been an eye-opener though. Pauline Hanson is alive and well downunder it appears...
• 

  Norm

  Hi Abaddon,

  Thank you for that information. I didn't know it was that bad.

  Take care,

  Norm.
• 

  drloss

  Kent

  Thanks for your reasoned response. I agree. As I stated, the Australian Governments position is indefensible in my view. I have sent emails to the offices of the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister expressing my disapproval of the Government's handling of the matter. If you (or anyone else) want to do likewise go to

  http://www.pm.gov.au/your_feedback/feedback.htm

  http://www.fed.gov.au/feedback.htm

  Copulater
• 

  Englishman

  Trouble with all this immigration stuff is that most people equate immigrants with criminals.

  If a government wants to win popularity they just announce a crack down on crime or a toughening up on immigration control.

  Maybe they let things go down hill just so that they can claim credit when things improve!

  Englishman.

  ..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.
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  ozziepost

  Of course while we've been squabbling these past 24 hours, we have diverted our attention from the real villains (the WTS).

  Back to the main game, boys!

  Cheers,
  Ozzie

  "A lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies"
  ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, The Grandmother
• 

  bboyneko 2

  It's all real cool. A Norwegian ship is asked by the Australian Nazi regime to help people - they do - and the nazi kangaroos in the Australian government suddenly won't touch the case.

  Kent, while in Norway I felt alot of prejudice against pakistani immigrants. In the US the prejudice is against mexicans. Every country seems to have a select 'undesirable' immigrant population.

  -Dan