As I expected, those who subscribe to the 'Flint-Stone' dinosaur ideology of a white/anglo/judaeo-christian Australia cannot say how their xenophobic activism is helping anything.

That's because it obviously isn't.

It's interesting how the fundamentalist Christians have allied themselves with the crypto-racists in these threads. A bit reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s, really...

Dear Giaman
It would be nice to see if we can get past the apparent hostility, and make some progress here.

My main problem with the liberal left is best illustrated by an event on the news this morning.

A man in Queensland was just killed by a crocodile which attacked him while canoeing with his wife.

Some time back, the wife was actively campaigning for the protection of Crocodiles.

The rather ironic point of course, is that all the well intentioned sympathy and social compassion on behalf of certain others, will not change a croc from being a croc and given the opportunity, they will consume even those who campaign on their behalf. Yes, this is an oversimplification and does not address the complexity of the issue, but I think you see what I'm driving at.

Little of what we have been saying contributes to better relations between the Islamic community and the rest, I agree. But that is not my goal at least, my solution for better relations is simple. Be kind and helpful on a personal level, treat individuals as you would want them to treat you. There is no need for direct hostility or personal ill will.

I hope you can separate your 'doctrinal' position of PC from the need to responsibly manage social realities as they exist.

The Dutch situation is interesting. They could have avoided the current difficulties with Muslims by simply enforcing their existing arrangements, which were that the guest workers should come for a time, then RETURN home. But they didn't 'want' (key word these days) to return as they knew they should. Now we have the Dutch questioning the whole idea of Multi culturalism. All due to lack of enforcement of existing 'return' policy.

Hope this takes some of the heat out of this discussion.

Without wanting to offend anyone, some of the uneducated, downright foolish positions some posts take, one could easily be driven to murder.......

A quick note regarding the superb title of the article written by Flint. On the Today Tonight program there was a story on the worst restaurant in Australia for hygeine, and it just happened to be an Indian restaurant didn't it? How racist of us to pick on them! These savages would reuse leftovers, wipe up spilt food from the floor, reuse bitten pieces of meat, fungus & mould growing on the spice jars weren't a problem either. Oh, and putting cheap cask wine in expensive bottles, then re corking them to sell.

Now, I believe that as a multicultural nation we have no right to judge other cultures, as the moral relativsm argument states that all cultures are equal. These extreme capitalist notions coming from ethnic restaurants who wish to save the almighty $$$ must be accepted as their culture. For too long now, Asian breadshops have been picked on by health inspectors, not knowing whats going on...being told that we accept their culture yet they get in trouble for preparing food in their traditional cultural way (which means unhygenic).

We Australians often cop it regarding cuisine, that we have bland food or whatever....well, why most of the world's cultures were fine with covering up off meat with strong spices (hence, Indian food), Aussies were too busy inventing a thing called the refrigerator, which allows food to be kept without going off!

Seriously though, unhygenic practices is part of the culture of Asians (and I incoporate middle-eastern, south Asians - Indians, into this category) yet we don't tolerate it. I remember laughing as a news broadcast showed a middle-eastern function in Melbourne the other week, where 100 odd people were hospitalised after eating some middle-eastern dish....

All cultures are not equal.....particularly when it comes to food preperation....especially Asian breadshops...I know, perhaps the roaches, rats, and other animals that attack their premises are racist! Yes thats got to be it!

"Without wanting to offend anyone, some of the uneducated, downright foolish positions some posts take, one could easily be driven to murder......."

An interesting way to begin a comment that ranks with some of the most uneducated, downright foolish posts that I have read in this forum - and that's saying something! While I don't have the violent tendencies that the writer of this comment displays, I am prompted to correct the fallacious content of his post - notably his claim that traditional Aussie tucker is so bland and tasteless because the refrigerator is an Aussie invention.

What rot. The invention of the first practical refrigerator is usually attributed to Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde, a German engineer who patented his invention with the German Imperial Patent Office in 1877. While this prototype went on to be refined by others, notably in the U.S., there is nothing Australian about its invention or development. Perhaps Benjamin is referring to the evaporative cool safe? Only that idea's been around for thousands of years... and the Chinese, Indians and Egyptians have been cutting and storing ice for thousands of years. Perhaps Benjamin coud visit http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story057.htm if he doesn't mind the facts getting in the way of a good racist diatribe.

I'm not sure whether rats, mice and cockroaches are capable of racism, but that execrable sentiment is certainly evident in the rantings of some supposedly more evolved residents of this country.

Thanks giaman - I was uncertain as to who invented the fridge - knew it wasn't invented here. But what an absurd thing for Benjamin to say. Food poisoning isn't restricted to Asian cuisine, in fact I would posit, based on personal experience over the years that food poisoning is quite multi-cultural. I got food poisoning from that old Aussie staple 'Chicken Maryland' once. But hey why should Benjamin let logic get in the way of a racist rant.

I agree with Flint that Australians should be asked if Australia should be declared multi-cultural - lets ask the original inhabitants if they would like ALL the immigrants to go back where they came from. This would leave Australia free for all the flora and fauna that evolved here to live in peace. Australia would become the world's largest wildlife park. No instrusive humans to b@**^r up the environment. Flinty is clearly on to something here. And there would be no need for fridges. ;-)

Yes, and I don't suppose we should ponder too closely the derivation of the term 'maggot bag' for our meat pies either, I guess!

I probably shouldn't supply this idiotic thread with any more oxygen, but a story from the Gold Coast this week leaps to mind:

"HYGIENE charges against a Gold Coast restaurateur were upheld yesterday after a magistrate said he was surprised the rodents which infested the kitchen didn't flee in disgust.

Well, the live ones anyway.

Broadbeach eatery Jo's Brasserie, owned by fallen tycoon Theo Morris, was convicted of gross health breaches in May after council inspectors found a dead rat had been left on the kitchen floor and painted over with thick red paint.

They also found other rodents (dead and alive), a massive fungus crawling with cockroaches and heavily rusted stoves and food preparation areas." (full story at http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16285543-3102,00.html)

I may be wrong, but I don't think old white shoe Theo is any kind of Asian...