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The Forum > Article Comments > Losing our balance in 'Fortress Australia' > Comments

Losing our balance in 'Fortress Australia' : Comments

By George Williams, published 28/9/2005

George Williams argues Australia runs the risk of a series of overreactions with new anti-terrorism laws.

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ConspiracyTheorist

Having also read Chomsky, Phillip Agee, "The Best and the Brightest" etc and said above "I agree that Australia's involvement in the unnecessary occupation of Iraq (and to a lesser degree Afghanistan) continues to be the major reason that Australia is under terrorist threat..." how about discussing Australia a bit.

How about debating facts or even theories about our own patch.

Could start with summary of recent terrorist threats to Australia http://www.parapundit.com/archives/002864.html. See blue hotlinks within it.

Or the Lateline interview of 13 July 2005 http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1413752.htm which includes "both Willy Brigitte and Jack Roche, the British-born Islamic convert convicted of plotting to bomb Israeli targets, have been the most credible terror threats Australia has so far faced."

Or the SMH article of 28 May 2004 "April 2000 Roche travelled to Afghanistan where he briefly met Osama bin Laden - the Sheikh referred to by Hambali. Roche spent two and a half weeks at a training camp, where he undertook explosives training. He also met with Abu Hafs and Saif. Abu Hafs asked him to set up an al-Qaeda cell and conduct surveillance on Israeli targets in Australia"

..."November 18, 2002: Roche was arrested and charged with plotting to bomb the Israeli Embassy.

May 28, 2004: Mid-way through his trial in Perth District Court, Roche changed his plea to guilty."

It could start a whole new academic discipline.

Try ASIO public website at http://www.asio.gov.au/

Not really that scary is it?
Posted by plantagenet, Saturday, 1 October 2005 4:07:35 PM
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plantagenet,

OK, good point. We managed to get them without draconian new laws, didn't we? ASIO didn't need the power to detain someone indefinitely. We don't need to go down the road of targeting left or dissenting groups or people. The usual police work and intelligence gathering without unnecessary new powers can and has done the job just fine.

We need better protections from draconian laws and secret police, and we don't need fearmongering. A better policy would be for the world to put enormous pressure on the USA to quit their barbaric and repressive policies and to eliminate the kind of policies that cause terrorism in the first place, not to mention the ridiculous and dangerous adventures of the CIA training and arming groups like al Qaeda.
Posted by ConspiracyTheory, Saturday, 1 October 2005 9:56:44 PM
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Its very sad what has happened in Bali.

Unfortunately those who minimise terrorist threats can be wrong.

A case in pointis former Senator Evans.

He is also a former Vice-President of the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties 1970-84. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~humanist/resources/aushumanists.html#AHOY1990 is .

Now working in Brussels he returned to Australia several days ago to give us the following advice: see

JI DECIMATED, EVANS SAYS http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1469766.htm
28 September 2005
“Former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans says he believes the influence of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah in South-East Asia has been smashed."

Mr Evans, who now heads the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, says the terrorist threat within Australia should be viewed as moderate rather than extreme.

"In a speech delivered in Sydney last night, Mr Evans said the International Crisis Group had no information suggesting that JI had sleeper cells in Australia."

"He said there was no question that Australia's support for the United States and the war in Iraq had raised the nation's profile in the Salafi Jihadi world." [I agree with that bit at least]

"But Mr Evans said his organisation was of the view that JI was no longer a serious threat to Australia's interests. "

"The division of Jemaah Islamiah that was operating in Australia in a tentative sort of a way has clearly been effectively smashed by the Australian authorities," he said.

[THE CRITICAL PARA] "Jemaah Islamiah itself has been significantly decimated in terms of its effective operation in Indonesia."”

Now lets hope Evans was not as wrong about terrorism threats in Australia as he was about those in Indonesia.

Idealism is inappropriate in the potentially deadly area of combating terrorism.

Meanwhile Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says the anti-terrorism laws agreed upon by the Commonwealth, states and territories need to be more comprehensive (28 September 2005) http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1469757.htm
Posted by plantagenet, Sunday, 2 October 2005 11:39:33 AM
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Death toll from Jemaah Islamiah terrorism in Indonesia: max. 500

Death toll from American sponsored terrorism in Indonesia: min. 200,000

While dealing with the threat of Jemaah Islamiah, let's also deal with the world's most accomplised terrorist: the USA, the ultimate "failed state."
Posted by ConspiracyTheory, Sunday, 2 October 2005 6:04:03 PM
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We may disagree on most things ConspiracyTheory but, at least, you have commented on terrorism since actual terrorist bombs killed Australians in Bali around 40 hours ago.

We haven't heard a peep on this string from other OLO posters.

Could it be people need to be prompted by an Article before they feel comfortable to post a comment.

Is a real life Event, without an Article, insufficient?

Condolences.
Posted by plantagenet, Monday, 3 October 2005 4:53:51 PM
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That's an interesting observation plantagenet. I would agree with it, and it's probably something to do with it being only a few days ago and still in the news without any court cases or anything yet.

There's an article on the political and religious origins of JI on GlobalResearch.ca. JI are as much warring against their own people (everything going wrong in the world today is a moral problem) as they are with westerners and the western world.

An observation of the article is how much alike JI and the Bush Administration are. They both see themselves as the guiding lights of humanity and are busy beavering away to force their ideologies on others in their own ways.

Cheers and take care.
Posted by ConspiracyTheory, Tuesday, 4 October 2005 12:12:57 PM
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