Weren't Four Horseman of the Apocalypse a band with Demise Roussous avec mou mou? Would you say plerdsus that people are mainly enemies that you haven't got to know yet?

I'm sorry about all of these questions right off but you're not a member of Sustainable Population Australia are you?

They talk a lot about the 'end days', the 'day of judgement', the Book of Revelation and how we'll all be hunkered down in caves craddling machine guns or maybe a last stand ala Charlton Heston in the Omega Man.

Good luck with that.

Cheryl,
How dare you! I doubt that they'd have him.

plerdsus,

They aren't illegal they are refugees!

We know who you are and I'm sending a dozen to your place
Signed CIA

Alyssa, I didnt say that the Muslims were already 30% of the population but that they would soon represent 30%.Its not really the same thing. The average Muslim family has about 6 or 7 kids. Aussies reached ZPG some years ago. Or about ZPG to be exact. Right? How long will it take for the 30% to be reached? Their population here doesnt remain static on which I base my figures but grows a few thousand each year. It's impossible to do the maths exactly but anyone can see that it shouldnt take too long before they reach that mystical 30% Muhammad said would be needed to take over a country.

I normally wouldnt be concerned, but their leaders are quite loud and emphatic about their contempt for the rest of the country. None of us would mind what numbers of Chinese,Indians, Africans South Seas Islanders or any others coming and growing in numbers.They pose no threat to us, our institutions and our culture and way of life. I have a lot of sympathy for Muslims who abjure the political agendas of Islamic conservative leaders.Some of these Muslims have in fact married Christians and Hindus and all they want is to live in peace and harmony. They are more than welcome as far as I am concerned.

socratease

socratease

Yep,it's all so sad,and the sadness is overwhelming.
So,just what is Australia supposed to do? Keep packing all these sad sacks in when the nation is already overpopulated?

Get real,bleeding hearts and boosters - withdraw from all treaties pertaining to refugees,deport illegals to country of origin with no appeal and,above all,cease immigration of all sorts and cancel breeder welfare.

We are already in a deep hole of our own digging.We first need to stop digging then take effctive action to get out of the hole.

Lovely article, Brian Holden. However, as most of the comments thus far indicate, those who most need to hear your message about "core decency in our society" are more interested in expressing their fear and hatred than in showing compassion and common decency towards those who are less fortunate than themselves.

Unfortunately, these are members of the same minority who will respond readily to the competing racist dog-whistles that will inevitably feature in the forthcoming election campaign.

I love the lazy term "we have to find a BETTER way"- better in which aspect?
-Better according to the more 'charitable' morals and letting them in?
-Better according to those who do not want them and saving the money deporting them instead of incarcerating them?
-Better in setting a negative example to other would-be boat arrivals by harsher punishments for trying to enter our waters?
-Better in transparency and taking our names of the refugee bills at the UN?
-Or better in simply having faster and more specified judgement and processing criteria (again, more efficient for whom?)?

Ask someone what's better and they'll come up with something different- there is not only a single moral discourse in the world that everyone who doesn't agree with is merely failing to live up to.