Antonios, like you Stormbaby (elite or not) would not be able to move through life unscathed by the attitudes of this land. Twice now I have read posts from aboriginals that do not like immigrants. From one it was about immigrants being sexist and personal circumstances and from the other just a total dismissal of immigrants being here at all and I thought a longing resonated through the post for a wish to go back to the past.

It gives a clear indication of where they live and what they live through and probably what their personal history is. Both did strike me as angry. But you know I haven’t been here long and I didn’t know there was ones that forgot their people.

I am used to Maori, if angry they do not leave a hint and usually shout it loud, not to be ignored.

You and I feel it, this ricochet, a different hurt but one of being unwanted or being told we are surplus. These threads about racism, boat people, wasting water etc reinforce it time and time again. All humans want to be accepted and all humans in another land especially want to be treated fairly, we have no way to explain to people that we want to be useful, helpful and part of the country we chose to make our home. It is hard to say to a native of any land that we want to move forward with them but it is not so easy to ignore out roots and we wish you wouldn’t insist we do.

I sit here and smile because of the children, I know no one here started this way, it was learnt and I am sure that people are just as capable of unlearning or taking a slow sliding step towards kindness as learning a waltz.

Foxy is kind, she is close to unshakeable in her approach of not doing further harm and is to be admired. Every community benefits from having a person who is unwavering in their thinking and has an innate ability to be soothing.

I have let myself get too emotional about this thread.
Twice punishing the key board I deleted my post instead of posting.
I started the thread, knew some such as Stormbay would come.
Thought some miss understandings would arise, even knew a poster I have huge respect for would be unhappy with it and me.
That poster is C J Morgan, no racist no bigot not a trouble maker.
pied piper, gee I wish we had italics, this thread is not about racism.
We Aussies have benefited from migration from the first fleet, NO I will not back down! we are one first Aussies and all, those who
dislike that can jump.
Yes my dream is an all inclusive Australia, how much better it would be if it was religion free too.
It however is about fear.
About numbers
About how many can we take? should we take? must we take? dreadful as the truth is it is about why a religion, not a nation, wants to inflict its laws on us not all that religion but far too many far too many imported bigots, can we say that? yes surely, it bigots on both sides that hold us apart.
Julie its not about culture its survival.
Question friend, I know first hand about neglected children, my family has wed into many other nationality's.
Some of them foster kids from all over and all colours some dump them on others like me.
WHY?
Why? why is our country so very full of neglected children? our culture must have changed my mum and my dad, sat at our table for 3 long days without any food so we could eat.
I sadly know many who would not.
If we open our doors? if a million come? will it feel good warm and comfortable to know while we did nothing to help we lowered our living standards.?
We can tell ourselves we are not racist but we will be hungry

An interesting study human behaviour, the right triggers allow us to see beyond facade's people hide behind, revealing confused and illogical states. Ignorance, insults, attacks, derision, forcing an issue outside it's parameters when their comfort zones are disturbed and they're out of their depth. All signs of minds uncomfortable in life and confused.

The subject article relates to boat people, not immigrants, other refugee's, residents of our country or anyone else and doesn't encompass all people coming from overseas, nor have I referred to "all people" anywhere. My comments revolve around a small number of people, there's no need to define them beyond the subject matter. Detractors get their information from the media, with no idea how people involved in this work operate on both sides, or the obstacles they face in communication and understanding.

We don't work alone, my colleagues come from all walks of life, race and religious beliefs. Many boat people don't speak much English and certainly don't understand Australian, so we are guided by those of their own understanding.

The anger is within those prone to exaggerated uninformed conclusions, making wild assumptions and press the, boost me to holier than thou bravado button. Good laugh, but this approach results in threads being hijacked into revolving door status, because people can't stick to the theme, for lack of knowledge on the subject matter and life.

Yep I'm part indigenous, undertook my studies a bit later in life when able to drag myself out of the negative existence I led. Brought up in the bush and suburbia, (boys home), done a bit of time, lived on the streets, snorted, smoked and drunk everything and served my country on active service. A proud real Australian, who cares about this country and it's realistic future. Not a bunch of flabby minded uninformed city gravitating empty heads.

Antonios,
You are the one who was asking how aboriginals felt about boat people and Stormbay, who says he is of aboriginal heritage, gave his opinion. You did not like his opinion and you make isulting remarks relating to his mother. That is pretty crook! Are you racist? Do you think all aboriginals have the same opinions. Why should they like boat people coming here? Simply because they are of darker skin than anglo-aussies? Now that is racist.

I laugh out loud at Master demanding that Stormbay PROVE his statements! Master has made all sorts of wild statements without one iouta of proof.

Belly,
I disaree, CJM thinks anyone who opposes the 'illegals' or multiculturalism or high immigration HAS to be racist and xenophobic.

It seems that Antonios, Sancho and Master all think the same as CJM.
The minute another poster puts an opinion up, these with closed minds, start insults and name calling. How dare someone express a different opinion to them!

Your ideas that we address the reasons people want to move from one country to another are long term and ones the UN has not been able to solve.

In the shorter term, the australian government will have no option but to impose far tougher deterrents if the number of illegals keep rising. The fact that the latest arrivals are nearly all young males is proof that the lure of permanent residence was a mistake by the present government.

Banjo: << CJM thinks anyone who opposes the 'illegals' or multiculturalism or high immigration HAS to be racist and xenophobic >>

Rubbish - indeed, I oppose high immigration myself. However, those like Banjo who persist in erroneously referring to asylum seekers as "illegals" are certainly both hateful and xenophobic. Most of the people who blather on in this forum against multiculturalism are either openly racist, or in denial about it.

A good example is stormbay, who wrote of asylum seekers:

<< Their only reason for coming here, is to get free housing, money, health care, the ability to continue the lifestyles which caused their problems and permission to import their primitive destabilising customs, so their outcomes can be reproduced here. >>

I note that stormbay avoided my question about what steps s/he takes as a supposedly qualified psychologist who provides assessment and counselling to asylum seekers, to avoid his/her evident prejudices about them affecting his/her practice.

If stormbay is really a psychologist, s/he would have to be a member of the Australian Psychological Association to gain registration. The APA's Code of Ethics states:

<< Ethical Standards

A.1. Justice

A.1.1. Psychologists avoid discriminating unfairly against people on the basis of age, religion, sexuality, ethnicity, gender, disability, or anyother basis proscribed by law.

A.1.2. Psychologists demonstrate an understanding of the consequences for people of unfair discrimination and stereotyping related to their age, religion, sexuality, ethnicity, gender, or disability.

A.1.3. Psychologists assist their clients to address unfair discrimination or prejudice that is directed against the clients. >>

http://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/Code_Ethics_2007.pdf

How does stormbay reconcile his/her prejudice against asylum seekers, as evidenced above, with his/her professional association's Code of Ethics?

It is believed that many boat people smugglers are based in Indonesia. The Indonesian government has been highly critical of the Rudd government's soft policy towards boat people.

The compromise for a time will be for the Rudd government to pay the Indonesian government more money as a salve, however that will only work for a time while the Australian government is supposed to be working out a better policy response to boat people.

It would not be good to lose Indonesia's cooperation and other countries could follow Indonesia's lead.

The argument isn't about who should come and who should not, but about putting boat smuggling out of business and that means discouraging the clients who will pay exorbitant amounts for the service.