I don't want to live in a country that's been bubble wrapped top to bottom,
And that there's someone looking over everyones shoulder checking that everything is to regulation.
And handing out infraction notices for what we say and think when it doesn't align with their dystopian nightmare!
Posted by Armchair Critic, Sunday, 28 April 2024 1:59:54 PM

AC,

All sane people would agree with you. But, it is amazing just how many people are not sane: on this site, and in the wider community. Why? I don't know. Lack of self worth? Inability to think for themselves? Fear of people they think are above them? Cowardice? Thinking that Big Brother will only go for people who don't share their own beliefs?

Don't know. But they are contributing to the downward spiral of democracy.

Dear Foxy,

«eSafety will not be threatening your freedom to communicate.»

My personal freedom to communicate?
Who cares about it?
I nearly always write what I write on OLO for the general good, not for personal benefit.
Besides, I do not use social media, I stay away from it like from fire.

They could of course step further and restrict (or cut off completely) OLO as well: Should that happen, then I will continue to communicate freely to friends and families by E-mail, also use chatrooms and video-conferencing.

Then they could cut the above as well: Should that happen, then I will once again start writing and sending real mail on real paper, perhaps even including magnetic tapes or disks in the envelope.

They could forbid that too: Should that happen, I will still communicate freely with my local friends, perhaps I will even get to know my neighbours...

They could throw me in jail to prevent that too: Should that happen, I will still communicate freely with the jailers and other inmates.

They could throw me in a solitary dungeon: Should that happen, I will still communicate through my senses with parts of nature.

They could then destroy my body: Should that happen, I will still communicate with God, and this nobody could ever take away from me.

«As the Commissioner explains their purpose is:

<blablabla>

What they do is explained in the following link:»

Israeli media has a rule:
When Hamas releases a video clip showing hostage(s) speak, Israeli media will only publish still pictures from that video, in attempt to ascertain the physical and mental state of the hostage(s) - never what they say, as much as everyone would dearly love to hear their voice(s), because the content of their words is clearly what Hamas dictates to them, not what they themselves would like to say to their loved ones.

Similarly, I am not interested in and am not willing to read enemy propaganda.

Dear Ttbn,

«The Covid years saw Australians under the yoke of the most authoritarian restrictions in the Western world.»

In 2020-2021 I made the error of acquiescing to these restrictions because I was hoping that they will result in the breaking of the Australian Commonwealth into its constituent independent states - that being a step in the right direction.

Omicron shattered that dream.

Once the milder Omicron replaced the former and terrible Delta variant, state-borders were opened and no restrictions even made sense any more.

I think that if we still had Delta or similar as the dominant COVID variant, then the splitting of Australia into independent states could be a likely result. Nevertheless, we should not complain and only thank God for Omicron.

I acquiesced to these restrictions because I didn't want to contribute to more elderly Australians dying than had to, as it was obvious that many with more fragile immune systems in places such as nursing homes would succumb to the virus.

The few small lockdowns we had in QLD were a small price to pay in order to feel like I did not contribute to making the problem worse or that others might die because of it.

I can't comment on what it was like for Victorians or for others whose lockdown situation was for a much more extended period.

Maybe just the act of going along with it
- 'a small price to pay' was itself the greater evil?
In that it set a precedent of what the government 'could' get away with?

Was I wrong to comply?

Year after year we celebrate the ANZACS
'Loyalty to country!'

My relatives were ANZACS, it's nothing special really.
When I was a kid growing up at school, I think the majority of the kids would've had ANZAC relatives.
Now though, I think the kids at school with ANZAC relatives would be the minority.

There's another bloke we used to celebrate in Australia.
He was famous for more different reasons, infamous if you will.

His name was Ned Kelly.
We celebrate him because he told the authorities to go and get stuffed.
Maybe we should start celebrating him every year instead.

Foxy, can you write us a rhyme for Ned Kelly?