Dear Max Atkinson,

I am very much in favour of Laura Vertigan’s actions and have been attacked by many of the other posters for that. However, I feel that their attacks were mostly disagreeing with my views rather than attacking me as a person. That is their right. It is my right to either answer or ignore them. I have no objection to their use of pseudonyms. In fact if requiring posting under their actual names would inhibit them it would make us poorer by eliminating their contribution. If I want to establish contact offline with one of the posters I send a message to Graham asking him to forward it to the person I want to contact. If they wish to answer they will. That leaves it up to them. On occasion a poster may be extremely abusive and exceed reasonable bounds. Graham will then not allow that poster further access. Sometimes a poster will distort my words or put words in my mouth. I will just ignore that person if we cannot have a reasonable exchange.

Sometimes discussions wind up dealing with topics far away from the post or article that started the discussion. So what? Does it hurt anything?

Graham does not have the time to continually monitor all discussions, but I think he does a good job. For those sensitive souls who get upset by a little abuse the words of Harry Truman apply, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

It is a barbaric idea to think there is some Big Daddy in the sky watching over us.
david f,
I'm not so sure about that. I think it even more barbaric to have people like you not being watched over by a Big Daddy. You'd be a danger to yourself if not watched.

You did the right thing Laura. We all have to stand up against tyranny even if Julie Bishop and her party have not the nous to recognise it.

I've been involved in many protests about the lies of the C02 tax ,the lies of 911.It takes only 3% of the population who are aware to make a difference.

'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by L Frank Baum was also about oppression. See its secret meaning.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkq2E8mswI

You guys have got Thoreau’s Essay on Civil Disobedience a little wrong.

I tend to agree with his attitudes about civil disobedience toward laws that I feel are massively unjust or wrong and cause great loss of life but I read he never ever contemplating breaking just laws to effect change in unjust laws that do not have those sorts of outcomes.

Who would pay tax if he had?

In Laura's case is she objecting to the law of trespass? Does she regard the laws of trespass unjust?
No of course not for that is a just law and protects us all.

Her gripe is against the laws supported by the majority and she sits in judgement on us and breaks our reasonable laws to do that.

She can do all sorts of other legal actions and actions that are legal to attain her ends and ease her conscience and challenge the consciences of others. There can be no case for breaking our reasonable laws to press her case.

I doubt she can argue our support of laws that prevent deaths and maintain the integrity of our borders are on a par with the oppressive laws faced by King, Mandela and Ghandi,especially when those attempting to settle within our borders, have crossed other safe territory to do so and have other reasonable and legitimate avenues.

The circumstances faced by King etc are extreme and cannot reasonably be compared to Laura's gripe. Apples and nuts.

Imajulianutter,
MLK faced no "oppression" and no danger,neither did Gandhi or Mandela they were free men, men of some accomplishment and privilege who chose to be rebels and martyrs.
For what it's worth Sri Lanka and Afghanistan can be dangerous places even for everyday people who don't go out of their way to draw attention to themselves, nobody on either side of this debate would dispute that.
The conflict here is between a minority of fanatical White "Progressives" who still want to play the old game of colonial White supremacy and the majority who have long ago moved on from that mindset and simply want to live in a bi-racial society where the Liberal ideals of equality and freedom can be advanced without interruption.
Imagine what could be done to bolster the relationship between White and Indigenous Australians without the millstone of "Progressive" White Supremacy weighing us down?
There's no Racist like a Liberal Racist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz4PjxSmtoI

Come on now, enough kerfuffle.

We all know she did it, because it was the only way she could get her picture in the papers.

What some females will do for a bit of fame.