Well, one sense of "we" does actually exist here - that collection of all people who would have their throats slit had the Islamic State managed to get hold of "us".

Being in that predicament, we are driven to choose and support the lesser evil, that of the Australian State.

There is no "we" beyond that, but meanwhile, the Australian State cynically benefits from the existence of the Islamic State and other criminals.

Now finding ourselves between the rock and a hard place, the questions raised by the author are very valid and have no easy answer: How far do "we" prefer to have the CERTAINTY of losing some of our freedom over what is still only a RISK of losing our throats. Again, no easy answers to this unfair question.

why should we be living in 1984 because of a few criminals? deport them.

Hi imacentristmoderate

It be even worse in Australia's history.

Started with the First Fleet - violence, rum, convicts everywhere. Australia was under martial law, more or less.

Then the Fenians, no Orish need apply.

Chinese, Greeks, Italians, Croatians, Vietnamese gangs all brought surveillance of a type but less so electronic. Then went quiet - pretty much.

Now we are all surveilled by Google, Internet Adverts and private security operators of CCTV more than being watched by the security services and cops - that Human Rights malcontents and sundry rabble rousers are so worried about.

I plan to turn all my retained metadata into an autobiography. Oim sure, to be sure, that FOI will allow it when its time.

plantagenet, i hear where you are coming from with your dry wit, but your analysis is off. Even under martial law from the earliest days of the colony the authorities were trying to be kindler & gentler. The English, German, Scottish & Welsh migrants all settled down to their honest, protestant work ethic & our legal authorities did not need to be draconian.

Every single other racial, religious or ethnic migrant group has brought a higher % rate of "problem children" with it. EG, Northern Italian migrants have done well or assimilated, Southern Italian Mafia migrants were on 4 Corners yet again the other day.

Remembering how Australian troops in Afghanistan have been killed by
the Afghan soldiers they were working & living with, a thought comes
to me.
Could the coordinates of the hospital have been sent to the US air
force by an Afghan officer ?
Perhaps there could be a number of people in the chain ?

I presume the US is looking into it.
Were there Red Crosses on the roof ?
It could be something as simple as misreading one number. Who knows ?

The request to stop would take time to get through the system and the
whole event would be over in a few minutes, or possibly less.
Someone said something about the confusion of war.

I agree, we have to give the ASIO, Police etc more leeway in their
investigations. Delay caused by not being able to delve more deeply
into networks of criminals and terrorist networks could conceivably result in deaths.

Make no mistake we are at war, just a different type of war.

Bazz,
Apparently the official story from the US has changed several times but the article below states that is was from Afghani intel.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/06/doctors-without-borders-airstrike-afghanistan-us-account-changes-again

The US has admitted it made a mistake, but I'm not totally buying it.
I think they knew it was a hospital and attacked it anyway.
http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/us-analysts-suspected-taliban-activity-at-afghan-hospital-1.373459

In relation to the timeframe of the attack and the MSF staff getting word to US officials -
"The hospital was hit 4 or 5 times at intervals of about 15 minutes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/world/europe/kunduz-afghanistan-hospital-doctors-without-borders.html?_r=0

As for a US investigation... (Lol)
I heard they rolled up with a tank unannounced and drove it through the hospital in order to destroy any evidence.
http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/doctors-without-borders-us-tank-forced-its-way-into-bombed-afghan-hospital-1.373495