Ah Monika it was only a matter of time until you emerged to "Johnny bash" again....

I think Australians are making it clear both on this forum and in their support of Howard that they are sick of being told what "is really happening in Australia" by people like Barns and even yourself...

Comparing Australia to other countries not only provides perspective but it also allows objective discussion of how other countries set there racial/ religious/ cultural standards. If Australians want to disagree with some of those standards and be proud of who we are as a nation they have every right to do so.

As JH said "we are who we are...apologising for our heritage is not the way to make minorities feel welcome."

These articles are going from bad to worse to pathetic. I ask again, is there any editorial policy here or do you just print any dribble that gets sent in?

And regarding what is happening in "fair world" Canada.

Mr Barns says .... "Why can't Australia be more like Canada, a nation that embraces civil rights and tolerance, with political leaders who stand up to racism and nastiness; a nation that sees its role in the world as an independent nation and which is not frightened to stand up and be counted in the global fight for a fairer world"

This year as you probably know, a Canadian legislature was forced to knock down a bizarre but well orchestrated attempt to enshrine sharia law in Canada.

Only this month, an Islamist "Canadian" candidate was selected in the Canadian "backwater " of Mississauga and he is reported to have said ..."This is a victory for Islam! Islam won! Islam Won!" He went on to praise how "Islamic power is extending into Canadian politics". http://canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/12071.shtml

Canadian responses
http://canadiancoalition.com/AlghabraOmar/AlghabraOmarVictoryForIslam.html

barnsey.......just another 'hate howard' cheerleader having a bad hair day.

these morbid sad sacks are so predictable:

*howard is the new adolf hitler....check
*howard is eeevil....check
*he drinks the blood of freshly squeezed refugee kiddies....check
*australia is a country full of racist rednecks.....check
*we have a terrible reputation overseas....check
*we should hang our heads in shame and say sorry to everyone....check
*our treatment of the natives was genocide.....check
*if anything bad happens (tsunami, riots, climate change, famine, pestilence) just twist things around and blame howard.....check

i swear these left wingers have a check list they go thru no matter what the issue and in the end it's always johnnie howard's fault.

'Johnny bash again'?

What are you talking about?

From the Australian Governments website:-

Australian citizens' commitment to Australia

As an Australian citizen, you are a formal member of the Australian community. You make a commitment to Australia and to the values and principles that underpin Australia's democracy and its public institutions.

In turn, you are expected to:

* Accept the basic structures and principles of Australian society
* Observe the rule of law, tolerance, equality of opportunity, Parliamentary democracy, freedom of speech and religion, English as the national language, and equality of the races and sexes
* Acknowledge that expressing your own culture and beliefs means that you also have the responsibility to accept the right of others to express their views and values.

Do we, as Australian Citizens be really expected to expect any less?