buttplug,
If I am more of a threat to Australia than Benbrika and his cronies,
why have they been incarcerated while I remain free?
I believe that dhimmis are dangerously delusional.

Susan M, your comments mistakenly make a number of assumptions about me, although you actually lack any factual basis for your assumptions. It seems most bewildering that you want to claim that you know how much time I spend on one of the many various activities of my life, and your assumption on me wanting to claim the victim role has also left me most bewildered. I can sense that you feel a need to denigrate those having opinions differing from your own, perhaps to confirm in your own mind that opinions disimilar to your own do not count for much. I assume that my comments have really got under your skin, I guess nobody - most especially a caring and compassionate refugee advocate - likes to be told that their compassion is misguided. Ah well, I can understand that to some extent.

So, in the spirit of your comments, let me make some personal assumptions about you. To me, your comments seem to be designed more towards denigrating those with opinion differing to your own than presenting a reasoned argument. I can sense that you feel a need to feel morally superior to those having opinions differing from your own, most particularly on the asylum seeker issue. How else can it be explained why you feel the need to label those with differing opinions to yours to be “paranoid”, “looking for victim status”, “feel powerless”, twist the facts”, “do not understand the complexities and detail of the issue”, “make statements that are not factual”, “do not have balanced well thought through positions”, and have “hatred and prejudice against outsiders”. Ah well, I can also understand that to some extent.

Anyway, you have achieved your purpose and you have sidetracked me from making a comment on the actual issue at hand. And I do regret spending “so much of my life” (a few minutes) writing these comments.

Franklin, yes we know all that, you've said it all before, about me, about others. You don't like refugee advocates, yes we know, we're all the same. If you want to look at derogatory remarks look no further than your own words. But can't you just get over it?

You do keep positioning yourself in what you are writing as the victim of, strangely, refugee advocates. They are all derogatory people, they don't listen to anyone else's views, they see themselves as morally superior, and on and on... well each to their own.

If you don't want to answer my questions that's fine - it was a genuine question of interest but I understand it may be a sensitve subject. I have no assumptions about 'whoever' you are, as far as I know you don't work in the refugee sector, but maybe you work in a related area which makes it of more interest to you, who knows. Feel free to reveal if you want, or not, and good luck with your future in anti people on boats advocacy. I am out of time on this one.

You cannot tell Ali to go home and join the queue: there ain't one.

The following are exerts from an interview by Mark Colvin of the ABC of the spokesperson “Alex” of the asylum seekers at Merak.

MARK COLVIN: You know that there are probably 20 million people who are refugees around the world. Why should you be at the head of the queue?

ALEX: Me and my people are not saying that we should be at the head of the queue. All that we're trying to say is that our case is serious.

MARK COLVIN: But you know that there are thousands of people in refugee camps in Africa, in the Middle East, in Pakistan, all those regions, who are waiting and because they don't have the $15,000 necessary they can't jump the queue. Are you queue jumpers?

ALEX: We are not queue jumpers, we are just people getting out of a dangerous situation in our country at the moment, and if we had to wait in a queue that would cost our life.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2009/s2718323.htm

The following is an exert from an editorial in the Australian dated April 17, 2010 entitled “How to Decide Who Comes”.

In deciding which applicants with a legitimate fear of being persecuted in their homelands are most worthy of refugee status, Australia needs a more rigorous system of triaging applicants. It might seem harsh to some, given the abundance of trauma and suffering experienced by many seeking shelter on our shores. But in truth, the humane response is to do everything possible to ensure that the most desperate of the desperate are given priority.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/how-to-decide-who-comes/story-e6frg71x-1225854731648

What should our attitude be towards refugees who cannot pay large sums of money to people smugglers to automatically claim a place in Australia’s humanitarian refugee resettlement program. Should Australia’s refugee resettlement program should be aimed towards those most in need or is it perfectly acceptable that those with access to substantial financial resources be granted resettlement in Australia ahead of others in more dire need who do not have the financial resources to pay people smugglers.

Franklin, congratulation,you said it all. All other posts have been circumlocutionary...whistling in the wind. Let everyone read that post again and seriously beging reflecting on what it fully entails.
An honest answer accompanied with a rush of suddenly found courage would help the prevaricating Rudd do the right thing...along the very lines you inferred,Franklin.
Again, congratulations. You said it all.

socratease

a lot of cowardly, deceitful, distorted, religiously prejudiced postings on here. I agree with others, why live to hate people who have no hope in their lives. Counselling is surely available. The posting by the Franklin person gives us the quote from Alex -

Me and my people are not saying that we should be at the head of the queue. All that we're trying to say is that our case is serious... we are just people getting out of a dangerous situation in our country at the moment.

There it is for those who are willing to see the truth, the haters can only fuel their blinding hatred and discussion is pointless. Don't bother arguing with them, it makes them think their hatred is meaningful