I found Julie Macken's article in New Matilda (article=1558) extremely upsetting - and a reminder of the lack of compassion and humanity on the part of the Howard government. I can't begin to imagine the conditions these people had to put up with. When human beings are forced to flee from his or her country of origin and seek safety elsewhere - they are desperate people - in need of help.

I know that I for one would want a government that would understand the plight of refugees and how to help them. Not one that would
de-humanise them even further.

Why is it that New Zealand for example can process their refugees quickly - and we can't?

This reminds me of those refugees from the Kosovo crisis we reluctantly gave safe haven refuge to in 2000.

After hostilities were (incorrectly) deemed to have ceased, we sent them back to their country of origin.

From what I recall, many ended up on the wrong side of the country from where they came from and there were also a number of resulting reprisal killings but, like the more recent ones, not widely reported in our local media.

Australia was deemed to be in breach of International Human Rights Conventions over the treatment of this group alone and little has changed since.

The falsehood of the political and popular fear around the issue of refugees is exposed by the fact that Australia receives one of the smallest number of 'illegal'asylum seekers in the world: about 4,000 a year. Of these, three-quarters are eventually accepted, but only after indefinite imprisonment in camps described by former prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, as "hell-holes."

When an official of Amnesty International told Ruddock about the appalling conditions in the camps on the Pacific island of Nauru, whose government Australia had bribed to take its boat people, the minister's reply was: "Do you think they would prefer to be at one of our detention centres here?"

The treatment of 'white' illegal immigrants is very different. in 2001, there were 6,160 Britons who had overstayed the duration of their visas, and as many other Europeans. More than 14,000 are caught by authorities every year; none goes to a detention camp. They are given a 'bridging visa' that allows them time to earn enough for the fare home.

It is said that the 'tough stand' against the combined 'threat' posed by helpless refugees and unseen terrorists that gave John Howard's Government its election victory in November 2001.

'Is Australia safe?' was the plaintive headline in the Melbourne Age.
Well, we'll see if anything has really changed after November 24th 2007 - in this nation of ours.

Where are our sense of values? What does this show us about our society? Where are we headed?

How dare Macken write such “crap … no sense of reality … garbage … fiction …” casting dispersions on the journo?

Conspiracy theory? They’re all a bunch of ‘whackos’?

“STOP RIGHT THERE” aka, I don’t want to read any more and besides, I want to talk about something else?

“reluctant to buy in because of political ramifications” WHAT, with 3 weeks to the election? I should get more grounded?

Of course, some readers focus on issues if they are pointed out – the article cited for example. However, other people just don’t want to know about the problems, while others deny there is a problem at all.

This attitude is not only to be found in Human Rights and International Law (which in the above example our government was in breach), but also covers such issues as poverty, education, health, indigenous, free trade, security, justice, globalisation, climate change, etc.

This is scary, and like so many times before during an election campaign – most people retreat into their “own world” and only think for themselves – they don’t look at the big picture.

Our PM took us to the polls some time ago on *values* - THIS was a load of crap. Most people lose their ‘sense of values’ when pollies dangle the carrot. Most people forget what really is important to our society come election time, they think only of themselves.

Mr Howard is a very astute and cunning politician. If he is going to win this next election, it will be because he dangled a bigger carrot or instilled a sense of fear of the alternative.

It would be nice that whoever wins, wins on *values*. But as we have seen, people tend to forget, put their head in the sand, deny or think only of numero uno.

This is why I asked, where should we go from here?

Sorry once again for putting my pointless five cents worth in, but the world is in the deepest crap it has ever be in. I will say it again! WE NEED TOO GET OFF THIS PLANET! Just the very question" where should we go from here" indicates, the fear from centre of our beings, that its all become too big to fix. Disease, war, or natures intervention, will be the only way that this planet will have a chance. I am being crept for a reason. People wouldn't believe the truth, even if they fell right over it.
Believe me! The clock is ticking. Do you really think this planet is going to be all right after all man kind has done to it! How nature works is, there will be slow wined up and then, its all over. And what I mean by that is, MILLIONS WILL DIE! WHY you might ask! One word! carbon release!
Paleontology! Just take a look at the world history. Have a nice day.