POINT TAKEN,I only meant that if I was jailed for something like speaking my mind rightly or wrongly I'd go for the money!

To respond to some of the statements made:

Racism was probably a survival mechanism when we were still tribal and territorial but now that we have become more civilised the best defence from our enemies is to make them our friends or at least to 'do no harm'. Ensuring that international economic and foreign policy is fair and equitable is one way.

Racism is usually based on fear of the unknown or fear of differences which might be perceived as a threat to a way of life of set of values.

It is disenfranchisement and policies that unfairly discriminate that breed terrorism. Historically, think the British Empire and Ireland, the uprisings in India and China and terrorism in Latin America in response to dictatorial regimes. Terrorism has always been with us but after the immensity of 9/11 became much more part of our psyche.

Religion just fuels the debate, it becomes the Cause in some cases but is not the root cause but it serves as a great 'recruiter'.

While we live in a democracy we have to be prepared to hear things we might not agree with but at the same time be thankful we live in a country where this freedom is permitted.

The equation of racism with xenophobia is a false one. Xenophobia is fear of the foreigner - the outsider. The Bush administration in the United States is tremendously xenophobic ignoring or opposing the International Criminal Court, the Law of the Sea and other instruments of international cooperation which previous US administrations have built up. Yet it is one of the least racist of administrations. A black woman followed a black man as Secretary of State. An Orthodox Jew followed a Hispanic as Attorney-General.

When Hanson was first elected from Ipswich she announced that she was going to represent white people. Since she was elected to represent all in her constituency that was clearly racist. It was also xenophobia since her statement put non-white people as outsiders.

Racism is xenophobic, but xenophobia does not necessarily include racism.

I think Hanson's movement had the seeds of fascism in it. It was a dual organisation. It had a large middle class membership and support from a section of the working class - the less unionised, the less educated and those unemployed or more likely to be unemployed, especially in and around rural towns.

Hanson expressed their fear and anger and attacked the other - refugees, aborigines, whoever was not part of Hansonism's societal groupings. The concentric rings of support and the use of racism to meld its supporters seems to echo the Nazis in their early days.

Dear CJ Morgan,
You have right, now we know that there are racists but they are a very small minority. The truth is that Howard tried to follow Hanson's steps but very careful and of cause at the end he did not elect even as MP. Hansonism gave us the opportunity to sent a very clear message. THE RACISTS HAVE NO FUTURE IN AUSTRALIA.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

How can Hanson NOT be called a rascist when she based her whole reason for entering parliament on the notion of an "aboriginal industry" and her maiden speech was all about being "swamped by Asians"? Wasn't it exactly this sort of thing that cost her her Liberal preselection?

I also recall that she placed an order on her ex-husband not to publicly elaborate on her demeaning attitude toward the aboriginal clients of their plumbing business but some of her statements still made it into the public domain.
Her mother's casual TV reference to the Yellow Peril gave an idea about her upbringing.

He was, and still, is a nobody - a creation of the media that cashed in on her controversies on the way up and then fed off her political corpse when she was jailed. They later recycled her "celebrity status" for TV ratings but moved on when she had nothing new to offer.

At least she had the common sense to cash in financially during the last two elections.