Dear ttbn,

So now - "that's life?"

And, whatever one "side" says against the other
applies to them as well. Really?

That's good to hear.

I'm also so glad that you finally agree with
what I've been saying for a long time on OLO -
that - what a boring place it
would be if we all thought the same.

So good also, to see that you've had a change of heart.
From what
you wrote on page 16, when you stated that:

"It is clear that the extreme Left on OLO is happy to have
anybody who disagrees with them beaten up or sprayed
- perhaps terminated? and also blame them for being
attacked. What lovely people they are."

Good to know that you will apply the same standards to
everybody in the future not just singling out one side
as opposed to the other. After all as I stated earlier
people today have a mixture of opinions depending on the
issues. Conservative in some cases, and quite liberal
in others, and often somewhere in between as well.

I'm happy that we've made progress - finally.

As was apparent where there was justified criticism of the superficially kindly, powdered pink old grandma (who was anything but nice) that allowed (orchestrated, some allege) foul abuses of the rights of vulnerable, church-mouse poor QUT students, the obscenity where the attack on Bolt is concerned lies in the act itself and not in any public discussion of it.

How can these affronts and outright attacks on the normal human rights (and person where Bolt is concerned) of ordinary citizens be occurring in Australia?

What has changed?

Because this is NOT the Australia of my youth and early adulthood. It is a recent thing.

In an OLO article, some author explains away, rationalises and finally appears to blame migrant-welcoming Australian society for the indiscretions of an in-your-face, ambitious person seeking power. Blame-shifting spin where the offender flips to victim. What spin! What gall! What BS!

The assault on columnist Bolt is an obscenity. It is another big step towards tyranny and as dangerous as the trampling of the rights of the QUT students and the cartoonist Bill Leak. Because it was also politically motivated and attacks the fundamental basis and public consensus on what Australian culture is and its most valued institutions of freedom of speech and democracy.

Foxy,

“I'm also so glad that you finally agree with
what I've been saying for a long time on OLO -
that - what a boring place it 
would be if we all thought the same.

So good also, to see that you've had a change of heart.
From what
you wrote on page 16, when you stated that:

"It is clear that the extreme Left on OLO is happy to have
anybody who disagrees with them beaten up or sprayed
- perhaps terminated? and also blame them for being
attacked. What lovely people they are."

Hate to sound like Pauline, but 'please explain'.

I criticised the Left for being “happy to have anybody who disagrees with them beaten up or sprayed....”.

Are you implying that the Right would be happy to see one of the many Left journalists beaten up? Has there been a Left journalist physically attacked by the Right? And has anyone from the Right ever cheered the attackers on as the Left on OLO definitely has. I would be very disappointed if there were.

leoj makes a valid point.
The attack on Bolt was a political attack and that makes it doubly dangerous.
It was not done in front of a crowd as a demo, it was an isolated act.
It was recorded so to be a incitement prop to fellow leftists.
We indeed have crossed a red line.

I hate to raise the issue of Australian values, they're so boring, but I hope that all of us would go to the aid of anyone being attacked, Left, Right, Muslim, Buddhist, what-the-hell-ever.

Judging by the actions of that lovely girl from Loxton, SA last seek, on London Bridge, which got her killed, I hope that that's what we would do as Australians. Why ? Because we value human life, anybody's. Why ? Because we assume that one person is as good as another, that everybody has the right to an unfettered life, every man and every woman, the right to all the opportunities that our society is supposed to offer, especially the right to life.

Yes, if someone attacks someone else with a knife or a gun, then they temporarily surrender those rights until they are, one way or the other, subdued, with commensurate force.

I hope that, when the time comes, I have the courage of that wonderful girl from Loxton, to defend anybody being attacked. Surely most of us could say the same ?

Joe

David Penberthy writing for the Advertiser has an excellent
article on what happened to Bolt was an assault whichever
side you're on. It's worth Googling and well worth a read.

David argues that "We have seen left-wing and right-wing people
tormented through opinion pages and social media with calls
for their sacking from private businesses or government jobs
on the basis of opinions they held."

"On the right there were anti same-sex marriage campaigners
and members of the Christian lobby targeted in their
workplace for daring to hold such views. On the left we saw
attacks on Yassmin Abdel Magied who declared on the ABC's
Q&A program that Islam is the most feminist of faiths,
which it is - if you set aside its rules preventing women
from being educated, working, marrying the man of their choice,
driving cars, and leaving house without their face covered."

"Sure Abdel Magied's Facebook comments on Anzac Day were a
bit off, but she apologised and deleted them right away,
realising as much. None of this spared her from what felt like
several thousand opinion pieces."

"We used to agree to disagree. These days we don't just shout
people down, we insult them, abuse them, and even belt them if
they continue to do so, and blame them after for daring to speak
their minds."