Mickijo you make some good points and highlight some things (below), many are not be aware of:

"We now have alleged terrorists who, if charged, face years in Australian prisons. They will be kept on Australian tax payer’s expense, their families will be kept, educated, housed and fed at tax payer’s expense and their children possibly will grow up with a hatred of those same tax payers.”

The only amendments I would make are "Their children ABSOLUTELY will be INDOCTRINATED with hatred of those same tax payers"

It's the best example of cuckolding I’ve seen in a long time.

BOAZ_David if there is anyway I can help in the States please let me know.

Jeff Davis

I really doubt that Australia will erupt in violence. However, if people continue their spread of hatred for each other simply because they hold different religious beliefs or ideologies, then I do wonder if Australia will see more skirmishes like Cronulla.

What do the christian right think they'll achieve by continually condemning ALL muslims?

Why do others claim that because other people hold different ideologies they are 'morally bankrupt'?

Fact is people want to live their lives, feed their families and much prefer to get along with each other - if this wasn't true we would've died out a long time ago.

However, at least the hate-mongers serve a single if limited purpose; constant vigilance is required to protect our freedoms.

To sit in judgement of others is arrogant and pointless - if we look for faults we will always find them.

If people wish to criticise others, then why not start with yourselves - if you find you are perfect then, maybe, you can rant all you like, however, I must point out that casting aspersions is hardly an example of perfect behaviour.

Go out meet new and different people - get to know your neighbours - even if they do wear strange clothes, or speak with an accent different to yours - you will be pleasantly surprised to find that they human beings too.

Very good Scout.

“Fact is people want to live their lives, feed their families and much prefer to get along with each other”

And people generally will get along with each other for as long as life is good and everyone is perceived to have more or less the same level of access to the essentials and the good things in life.

But as things tighten up, spurred most significantly by rising fuel prices, all sorts of inequalities and perceived inequalities are going to open up. This is when strife is bound to manifest itself, and under the guise of cultural / religious / ethnic / racial differences.

It’s a resource-driven, quality-of-life, equality, sustainability issue first and foremost. And only a cultural / religious / ethnic / racial issue at a much lower level.

“…constant vigilance is required to protect our freedoms.”

Yes, and two of the most important things that we can do to protect our freedoms are to get us onto a sustainable basis as quickly as possible, and demand accountable government that facilitates equality instead of effectively promoting inequality.

Scout a very good message, one that reinforces the point I am trying to make. Even though there are some very horrific things in some Muslim texts, and still are, doesn’t mean they necessarily follow them. These extremists and fundamentalists are those that feel they should follow these writings, but going back to my earlier point that although the Christians do not follow some of the worse content in the Bible, doesn’t mean it isn’t still there. Humans naturally do not want to change, because of cultural tradition, which keeps content in the Bible and the Qur’an.
Please do not mistake me for defending all those that wish to cause conflict, and death, but to condemn a whole race is outrageous and I honestly don’t think we need to make everyone into an Australian identity. I would go so far as to say migrants living here are appreciative and love this country, but to ask they change their traditions and habit is not right. As I have said before “I know if I lived in another country, I could never, ever, forget where I come from, and what it holds to me.

Thanks, Epithemeos. I lived for a while in the USA - and discovered just how much I loved Australia. As a result, I learned just how hard it must be for people to leave the countries of their birth and I agree people should not be forced to become something they are not. Some of the most passionate Aussies I know were not born here, yet their dress and customs are not exactly Hoges and meat pies.

Ludwig, I understand your point regarding sustainability, however the best and most urgent thing we can do is wean ourselves off oil - thus eliminating our need to be involved in and dependent on the Middle East. Another step is to recycle - we are too dependent on disposable items; we can manufacture goods with longevity and not to do so is a disgrace. An investigation into sustainable population based on renewable energy would also be a good start.

However, I return to my point about hate-mongering - the best we can do is ignore the bigots and accept rather than tolerate those who are different. 'Tolerance' seems to have a use-by date attached to it - as in 'I will tolerate so and so for a while', whereas acceptance is simply that - more about live and let live. I know it gets hard sometimes, I am sick to death at being judged as morally questionable by some on OLO who believe they know better than anyone else. I will try harder to accept them, but it doesn't mean I have to obey them.

;-)