Ok CJ, in response to your comment:

“…or when dear old Belly exaggerates the numbers of potential 'boat people' from 10,000 to 1,000,000.”

Without searching thoroughly, I couldn’t find any such statement from Belly on this thread, but never mind, I’ll take it that you are not misrepresenting him.

You and I have gone over this point before umpteen times anyway. I maintain that any weakening of our border protection policy risks provoking a large increase in arrivals, all else being equal. And with the factors that drive people forth in leaky boats increasing, the numbers of arrivals could greatly escalate.

I’ve expressed my abject disgust with Rudd for weakening border protection, or for directly increasing the facilitation of onshore asylum seekers. That had to be one of the stupidest political moves I’ve ever witnessed, third after the baby bonus and his escalation of our immigration intake as soon as he got into power.

I have no idea about the veracity of reports that there were about 10 000 asylum seekers ready to jump on boats and head our way. But I wouldn’t doubt it as being highly likely.

But most significantly, if we were to drop our guard entirely and just have open borders, or even weaken border protection a little more than what Rudd has done, I have no doubt we could have hundreds of thousands if not millions heading our way within a very short time.

So yes, as I understand your expression of Belly’s concerns, I well and truly share his concerns.

Now could I please request that you go find a quote or a post from earlier in this thread for me to respond to next.

Did I reply to Belly yesterday about a post Yabby made? Sorry peoples.

“You had a totally psycho bunny Jewely! But what about your cats? Surely they didn’t let this cross-species deviant just have his way with them, like the floozy feline in the video??”

Yeah they did Ludwig – they were both girls, might make a difference with cats. But you know how cats do it so not much of a surprise. They were Abyssinian, could have been a cultural issue?

“And how can we Australians get to know these people if so many prefer to keep to themselves?”

That was a good question.

Umm… yeah that’s all I had to say, good question that man. In turn I have no idea how to meet an Aussie. That’s a bit sad aye – I don’t know any Australian well personally who is over two and a half feet tall.

Based on that I would like to say you are the cutest cuddliest little race and a joy to have around.

Yabby - do the Swiss, French and Swedish wanna be here let alone be here broke and living in ghettos?

I hope it was you that said that this time...

Yabby
You did not have any other choice. There are not many from your community in Australia. The big communities have created their schools, churches, their organizations, they can keep in some degree their former IDs. You did not have this kind of chance, your ONLY chance to savy was the adaption. While I have some experiences in social and political fight simultaneously I come from a community strong enouph, in Australia.
You had not experiences in fighting and you come from very weak comunity.
Yabby I do not hide my ID, my ideas, my name, I do not close my eyes, I do not adapt something if I desagree with it but I resist and I fight to change it.
YOU DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH RACE DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE YOU WAS NOT A THREAT FOR ANY ONE. I am a threat because I promote the equality between various civilizetions because I fight against race discriminations, against race privileges, against the Australian establishment.
Because you are a yes man and of cause the huge number of migrants, locals (Anglo Ausie) prefer people like you and reward you but they dislike me and fight against me!

But Yabby it is the fighters who write the history, who make the changes, who creates the future.
While you did not see any discrimination in your life in Australia, you can not deny that you have seen many changes helpfull to migrants. Do you think all these changes could happened if was not the fighters?
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

*You did not have any other choice. There are not many from your community in Australia.*

Antonious, I did not want any other choice, for I am not tribal
by nature. I am not bogged down by tradition, I look forward,
not backward. Indeed I could have spent lots of time with
other Swiss, I frankly see no reason to. I get on great
with Aussies, so there is just not a problem and never has
been. I live in Australia, not Europe. You just don't seem
to get it, people who come here need to change and adapt,
not the other way around.

*Because you are a yes man*

Hehe Antonious, many other OLO posters might disagree with you on
that one :)

*But Yabby it is the fighters who write the history, who make the changes, who creates the future.*

Quite correct, but it is also reasoned and patient thinking which
commonly wins out in the end, over flawed, even if well meaning
passion. Emotions might dominate your thoughts and make you
feel good at the time, but in the competition between emotion and
reason, reason will win. You are a man of passion, I am a man
of reason, so we will agree to disagree.

Well I am a bigot now! thanks CJ Morgan, I understand and while laughing am not upset by that statement.
See I was born very much left of, well even left.
Reality struck me early in life, communism used young people like me, and old fools, to be its unthinking troops, not much different than some do today but different reildgions/army's, is there a difference.
Socialism looked good, I kidded myself it was the enemy of communism there fore it had to be the answer.
It was not.
But if you look, right now at this country's last century, you will see we do live with a mixture of Socialist/capitalism governments , no matter who rules us, a better way my way.
They who want to burn the long dead lights on the hill, must not think Joining the greens and sitting in a corner sucking their thumbs makes them better.
Every day, yes every one, reminds me Australians have moved on, right or wrong they have forgotten about others, self interest drives them.
Ambition drives them wanting better drives them, The ALP never sold out.
It followed mainstream Australia.
I fight now the biggest industrial relations fight of my life, against my state government.
Against its lost never to be found public service, but my understanding that like every issue CJM the truth lays often in the middle, rarely is anyone always right, even rarer if its from a very left standpoint is my best assert.

Could some one better at research than me find how many world wide refugees we have each year.
And how many boat people get sent home how many stay?
I do you know, as is my right, question are boat people always refugees or sometime financial refugees.
And I do think we will get many more no matter what e do.
Why is it racist to confirm I have concerns about some, but not for them once settled to tell us they are offended by say our Christmas celebrations?
is multi cultures only for some, not me?
I am rankled yes true by AS saying this country uses migrants, yet they did under Howard 457 visas just so very wrong.
Too many of us, leap to the defense of any migrant , without thought, is the charge true, some use the blind mice of the politically correct side to flog us all.
Sorry the problem will not shrink or go away, we must and should look for answers .
few seem to want to talk about helping refugees live a full life in their own land, what can be wrong with that.