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The Forum > Article Comments > Are Australia's actions in Iraq boosting revenge terrorism? > Comments

Are Australia's actions in Iraq boosting revenge terrorism? : Comments

By Peter Coates, published 19/9/2014

The Abbott Government's contention that Australia's return to Iraq will not increase the terrorism risk at home is dangerously contrived.

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I have always wondered why self-righteous right-wingers quite often use the empty phrase "self-loathing" when they put down any and everyone on the left who (quite rightly) criticize the applied politics, both past and present of the "west" in general and their country in particular.
A certain female "journalist", or more correctly propaganda hack who scribbles for the Australian frequently uses this self-loathing epithet.

It seems to me that speaking the truth to the powers that be is the right and even duty of any citizen in a relatively free democratic country. Tom Paine certainly argued for, and practiced this right/duty.

And of course our parliamentary system is based on the principle of the loyal opposition, the supposed duty of which is to criticize the governing party of the day.
Mister NO or Abbott the mad monk turned this principle into a relentless completely artless art form.

All of the countless reforms that have occurred in the quest to establish freedom of speech and expression have been accomplished when enough people become fed up with or LOATHED the accepted "thats-the-way-things-are" consensus of the day. A consensus that was quite often given respectability by appeals to some kind of traditional scriptural and religious "authority" - the "divine"-right of kings for instance.
Once upon a time here in the West one could even be executed or imprisoned for criticizing the "religious" authorities. Were the people who quite rightly brought and end to such an at the time "seemingly obvious" superstition guilty of "self-loathing".
Posted by Daffy Duck, Friday, 19 September 2014 1:52:29 PM
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Sorry DD, I can't agree.
Those who in our past fought and changed our society were attempting to improve things for one and all, they saw injustice and did something about it, which hardly compares with people living comfortably in the world THEY built who whine about how guilty the West and Whiteman are for the injustices still extant, and who's answer is to give in to extremists and anyone else who demands it, appeasement, as described above.
Chalk and Cheese, to my mind.
Unless the civilised world takes a stand now against those who would bring down our House we will eventually be facing the same threat made vastly stronger by our very inaction.
These current Mad Mullahs are just the latest in a long line, and each is stronger than the last, more brutal, more effective, so even when we put these down we will soon face the next, and the next after that, each worse, each harder to deal with.
The screams of their victims are the opening sonata of the Final Crusade, it has begun, though we see it not.
Posted by G'dayBruce, Friday, 19 September 2014 2:11:03 PM
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Well said Daffy Duck

It is easier to swallow Abbotts "humanitarian" WAR in Iraq line than to debate it.

Meanwhile terrorists are responding to Abbott's campaign in Iraq by hatching terrorist plots in Australia. Hence the phone call from the ISIL leadership to a Mr Azari in Sydney in the last few days http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/man-arrested-in-terrorist-raids-appears-in-court-20140918-10imfp.html .

Bill Shorten is failing to do his job to question and debate this latest Abbott military adventure.
--

@G'dayBruce

ISIL is intentionally using beheading tactics to draw the West into a war in the Middle East. ISIL will soon be depicting itself as "noble fighter's for Islam" against these increasing Western forces.

It is an unfortunate reality (based on Iraq 2004-2007) that soon even moderate Sunnis and Shiite-Hezbollah militia will be fighting Western forces in the Middle East - including Australian SAS.
Posted by plantagenet, Friday, 19 September 2014 2:30:44 PM
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Of course jumping in again into the Middle Eastern wars will heighten the risk of a terrorist reprisal attack somewhere in Australia. Trouble is, we keep jumping in on the wrong side. That ISIS is a brutal murderous mob who are crying out to be marginalised if not terminated seems to be self-evident. But they only grew into a deadly force because the West has enabled them to so grow in a mistaken and ill-advised emphasis on taking down the Syrian and Iranian governments.
Syria and Iran are actively battling ISIS on the ground and in the air right now. Following the leader as we have been doing for the last two decades has brought us no end of grief. Why not think about that for a change, and do battle where doing so might lead to a positive result - such as backing al-Assad in Syria and with them, Iran?
Posted by halduell, Friday, 19 September 2014 2:40:07 PM
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Peter, you are brave to stick your neck out on this site with such an article. If you had told me in advance what you were going to write I would have told you in advance exactly what the bigoted ignoramuses who infect this site would say in response. Sure enough, just read most of the above, Halduell and Daffy Duck honourably excepted (as well as your own responses).

You might have mentioned in your article that we loyally followed the Americans into Afghanistan in 2001 with almost identical propaganda justifications. Hunting down "the terrorists", liberating women, bringing democracy and lots more of the same BS. Conveniently overlooked was the American role in creating al qaeda in the first place (just as they created ISIS) and for the very same reasons: control of resources; geopolitical positioning; infiltration and disruption of the enemies du jour (Russia, China, Iran and now Syria).

As you rightly point out, as have several commentators past and present, "blowback" is an inevitable consequence. So what does the government do? Why, it proposes yet further draconian inroads into our civil liberties, including, most recently, exempting ASIO agents from criminal liability unless they murder, rape or cause actual bodily harm. So torture is OK? whatever Brandis says, the legislative wording speaks for itself.

But as long as only Muslims are tortured you can bet that for many of the above commenters that will be just fine. God help us!
Posted by James O'Neill, Friday, 19 September 2014 3:19:31 PM
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Hi James,

I'll get in first :)

" .... as long as only Muslims are tortured ..... " Do you mean, only Muslims who refuse to go along with ISI ? As well as those ancient Christians, Assyrians and Chaldeans ? And those Yazidis ? And those Kurds, even though they are mostly Sunni ? Tortured, beheaded and enslaved ? Is that who you meant ?

It's actually going on right now. Is ASIO actually torturing anybody right now ? Beheading anybody ? Seizing women and selling them to its agents for $ 1400 ?

When that starts to happen, let us know. Otherwise why should anybody give your reactionary views the slightest attention ?

Joe
Posted by Loudmouth, Friday, 19 September 2014 4:32:39 PM
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