Since I commenced a special lifeline service under the motto MAY JUSTICE ALWAYS PREVAIL® in 1982, I had a common streak flowing through and that was that most people contemplating suicide and even murder could not find someone that would listen to them.
When they felt hopelessly alone, then they wanted to end their life or even kill as many people as they could when doing so.
This trademark, I view, underlines much of suicide bombings.

Time and again, people would afterwards make known to me that it was not that they expected me to resolve their problems, but the fact that I was available for them to “LISTEN” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whenever they desired to have someone to listen to them made the difference to them why they didn’t proceed with what they had contemplated.

In my view, many a person disillusioned with what society is about, and feeling lost in it, then see it as some (albeit twisted) HONOUR to become a suicide bomber.
Others may do so out of revenge for those dear to them having been unjustly killed.
To fight terrorism we must ignore the colour of skin, the nationality of a person and even religious following, as we must see the person as a unique person for themselves. We must learn to “LISTEN” to that person. Then and only then may we combat terrorism/crime as many who may be guided otherwise no longer will be tempted by becoming some suicide bomber or commit other criminal acts.

Some people contacted me, even decades later. To let me known that they made success in life, and have followed my teaching to “LISTEN” to others.
Anti terrorism laws that are “and for any other purpose” can be used just against people opposing some freeway, some health issue, etc. and have nothing to do with the real cause of terrorism, rather may create more terrorism instead!
Try to listen to the grievance of your fellow humanbeing, and even if not resolving them, it may avert problems.

Gerrit

What you have posted is very true. Its counsellors (like yourself), teachers, public servants, friends, loved ones, police and ASIO case officers who do much of the listening.

Their objectives are sometimes different, but in the end they want to avoid a death or violence.

The issue becomes complex though when foreign terrorist organisations (using a religious label) persuade young men to NOT listen. In that case existing powers to detain are already there.

What worries me is when politicians bignote themselves by talking tough, splitting political opponents (Labor) and then proposing to pass the legislation on a day (Melbourne Cup) guaranteed to get less democratic debate.

The implications of the proposed laws for liberty, freedom of speech and alienation in the Moslem community are frightening. The government is taking advantage of Federal Labors loss of power in the Senate to ram through the laws.

Nobody wants to create a situation where young alienated men stop talking and start hatching bomb plots. Sadly a tragic outcome will not damage the Coalition's future electoral prospects and legitimacy to govern, quite the opposite.

it is all this name calling and racial intolerance that is the real problem in australia at the moment. The fact of the matter is that the terrorist threat in australia is highly overestimated, for whatever reason that may be, political or otherwise. we are only on a medium alert, the second of four levels and this has not risen again since sept 11. the real question we need to be asking is whether these anti-terror laws, such as the shoot-to-kill laws, are really justified in the current environment. even the govt and australian intelligence agencies state that there is no specific threat to australian security from terrorists at the current moment. So is it really worth going down the path that we currently are with these laws? if the reform of criminal law continues impinging on australians rights at the current rate it wont be long before we forget altogether just how much we have given up. its a snowball waiting to be rolled down the hill.
perhaps these particular laws wont have much affect on the muslim community at all. perhaps they will. but i have not doubt that the laws passed in six months, or two years time WILL begin to impact on the way of life in australia. whatever that way may be.
these laws are not justified at the current time. it is this which we should be debating, not who has the smallest brain.

Irfan, Australia has never needed this type of law until now. If the majority of Australians agree such laws as necessary given today's threats of terrorism, do you consider the majority of Australians are a bunch of cowards/chickens or worse? Please share with us your very honest opinion on this.
I do not KNOW that these laws may be unnecessary, I do not KNOW if they are nothing more than scare tactics but I do know I want my Australian children and their children to be safe from possible radical Islamic harm and if it takes drastic laws to combat that harm, so be it.
And I can see nothing "racist" in that. The ignorant racism has come from the various inflammatory Islamic clerics who should never have been permitted to set foot in this country.

But the thing is, Mikijo, how will these laws PREVENT terrorist acts?

If some nutbag wants to blow themselves up THEN THEY WILL DO SO NO MATTER WHAT THE LAWS ARE.

We already have laws against murder, and plotting to/attempting to murder. We already have laws against working to bring down the State (Treason). I'm people who do not report that they know of crimes being plotted are then also in trouble, they are "Accessories to crime". You can even be an "accesssory after the fact", if you know the truth and do not report it.

I just do not see that things like preventative detention, which you cannot even tell anyone about, or properly inform your lawyers about, will in ANY way stop those people determined to harm others. Also, how does this even work? As some clever person in the Australian Newspaper commented, "are we going to have as part of our WorkChoices a right Guaranteed By Law to fourteen days off from work, no questions asked?"

Bad laws do not prevent evil acts. They just stop good people going about their lives free from harrassment.

About 10 years ago, a man contacted me contemplating suicide but in a grand manner. He just wanted to blow himself up using a gas tanker and so destroy some city buildings in the process. As he made clear, killing himself would make no impact but to kill hundreds if not more innocent people would certainly draw attention and canvas why he did so. The man explained to me that he was dying of cancer anyhow and so has nothing to live for, after a court made orders against him basically robbing him of his pride and glory.
I LISTEN to him carefully and my first issue was to explain that as much as he demanded his rights were catered for so should he consider others and not contemplate killing others and for that neither himself.
I taught him how to do his own litigation, and he successfully battled in court. The very orders that had nearly driven him into the deep end, so to say, were set aside.
His cancer turned out to be a misconception.
Today, he is still alive, but the better for it.
Because of the danger to the general community, I had no choice but to warn a Marshall about the possible destruction of building but refused to disclose the identity of the person. At least they were forewarned.

He was Caucasian, Christian, and well educated!

What he needed at the time was simply someone to LISTEN.

For me to report his identity would have resulted that he would have mistrusted me and could have denied it all and then execute what he had contemplated.
Likewise, at other times, I am faced with people contemplating suicide/murder where to notify the authorities I can if anything achieve worse.

Call them criminals, would be criminals or home grown terrorist or else, but after all often something is going haywire that causes otherwise perfect citizens, often well educated to loose it all.

Anti terrorist laws, I view, may only make things worse and more likely result to people resorting to terrorism, if anything as a challenge