David F,

You are plainly anti-Australia. I've never seen you post anything postive about Australia, unless it is about some left wing rubbish that infests this site. You are a seditious old lefty who wouldn't say boo to a goose anywhere except via the ether. It is no wonder that undesirable illegal aliens thought we were a soft touch prior to Scott Morrison demonstrating how things should be done. I know we were talking about Europe, but you bleat the same nonsense about Australia every chance you get.

Some of your kind assert that there is a limit to free speeh - when speech goes against you, of course. I reject that idea, and believe anyone should be able say what they like: hence your drivel. But, I truly believe that accusing your own country of all sorts of 'cruelty' is disloyal and seditious. Given the threats to the West surrounding this topic, you could very well find yourself on wrong side of the law

Dear ttbn,

How dreary - seditious, lefty etc. You end up with threats of the law. You call names and make threats.

I am a law-abiding citizen using my free speech to criticise when I see something wrong. I am doing my duty as a good citizen. Anyone who cares for Australia would like to see the country do better. To keep silent in the face of wrong-doing is to give sanction to it. We do not live in Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia. We have the right to speak out and should exercise that right.

I certainly would not limit speech except where it causes a clear and present danger such as yelling 'fire' in crowded theatre where there is no fire. You have a clear right to call me names.

Sure, I have accused Australia of cruelty. The detention centres are cruel places. Turning Tamil asylum seekers over to the Sri Lankan navy is cruelty. It is neither disloyal nor seditious to point out wrong-doing. You choose to shut your eyes to Australian wrong-doing and to attack someone who mentions it. It is up to the citizens of country to point out the wrong their country does. If we remain silent the wrongs continue.

I think david f sometimes you are very smart with some people. They call you smarty person. The words are big big pride in your thinking. I thought you are a good man, but not so much because you think you are very smart over others I don't respect you to much now for this reason.

Dear misanthrope,

Thanks for your post. I shall try to be more respectful of the feelings of others.

David F,

Your carrying on doesn't make any difference. You are fantasising that somebody in Canberra says, "Oh, David F still thinks we are cruel with Tamils and we shouldn't lock up illegals; we really should be listening to him." Like hell! The government has actually toughened up while you have been blathering away, because that's what the majority of Australians wanted and voted for. You don't understand democracy at all. You are entitled to your opinions, but those opinions are totally irrelevant in the bigger picture.

As for being a law abiding citizen (which most people are, so no sainthood there), you might
have to start thinking about metadata, and how your opinions might look.

Dear ttbn,

I call it as I see it. When we start to worry about what we say because of how our opinions look we are giving up our freedom of speech.

I think I have a clearer idea of democracy than you have. You apparently think one should shut up if others don't like one's opinion. Free speech means exactly that. The fact that some might disagree or even find an opinion offensive is no reason not to express that opinion.