Well, Boaz, this time I have to award you a big elephant stamp for your demonstration to the class of the art of obfuscation.

>>"[respect for the r]ule of Law" is fine.....but 'who' defines the law?<<

The people we elect to parliament define the law, Boaz, as if you didn't know. I presume you don't have a problem with that?

>>if one mans fair go is anothers 'licentiousness/injustice/cruelty/immorality' then... we have a problem.<<

Furphy. No definition of "giving someone a fair go" could possibly include any of the above. They are in fact the antithesis of a fair go, aren't they?

>>Due to the conflict between 2 above, and 1 the outcome is: the conflicting elements noted in '1 and 2' will work towards re-shaping the society such that 'their' laws and 'their' cultural practices reign supreme.<<

Who are "they", exactly, Boaz? And how do you work out that in the process bounded by rule of law on one side and a fair go on the other, can possibly allow "'their' laws and 'their' cultural practices reign supreme"?

It is simply scaremongering, isn't it, to suggest that the concepts of rule of law and a fair go can lead to...

>>Now...lets use the example of Female Genital Mutilation<<

And if that weren't enough, you follow with...

>>Yes..its against the law.
Yes.. there are peopel who WOULD if they had the political clout MAKE it law for the rest of us, or at least make it legal<<

But... it's against the law. And it cannot be described as "a fair go", can it?

So, un-Australian.

Where's the problem with that, Boaz?

Golly Pericles, it appears you have had your head in the sand for the past ..what.. 50 yrs ? (i.e. your age)...

Mate.. in all seriousness, are you blind ? Don't you recall...(at this point I could list umpteen examples, but one will suffice) the 'Ethnic Language on signs' saga ? (Marrickville)

Or..the 'ham sandwich fiasco' ?

By all means be willfully blind P, but don't make yourself look silly..please. I value your input here and continued self humiliation by you will not add to that experience :)

Yes..I'm poking at you a bit, but this time you deserve it.

As sooon as I mention the first syllable of 'us/them' you react... increasingly irrationally.

Show me ANY society where there is no 'us' and no 'them' ?
"They" happen to be any organized group. 'They' are the established mob to the minorities, or the minorities are 'them' to the established.

Are you seriously disputing the idea that there are elements of 'them' who are not seeking to overturn our existing foreign policy regarding the terrorist listing of Hamas military wing ?

Lets get our bearings. "We/Us" are those who have elected the present government, and subscribe more or less to the foreign policy as it is.
"They" are those fighting it. "They" are those who are on trial now for alleged terrorism. "They" are even organized crime.

But organized criminals who are linked to ideologies which span the world, are an extremely virrulent and dangerous form of 'them'.

"Measuring" Australian-ness would take us back to 'prevailing culture' territory which we have debated to the nth degree.

The Ham sandwich thing showed clearly that one groups 'fair go' directly meant the majorities 'unfair' go. Yet you don't get this?

P_Dox, first off; good to see you posting again so quickly in your own thread. IF you wish to state it; it would be good to see what YOU see as an Australian, and/or Aussie. As to my opinion; this will do very nicely.....:

The concept of "australian" vs "unaustralian" is a dangerous one and entirely subjective.

For some people, australian == unquestioning support of the government, for others its the respect for the rule of law, yet others rely on racial definitions.

Personally I fall into the category that says being australian means having a respect for the rule of law, a fair go for ALL (regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual preference).
Posted by James Purser, Sunday, 19 August 2007 2:24:29 PM

Did I expect it to be dissected by BOAZ?
Does a bear .hit in the woods?

Road signs? Ham sandwiches?

>>Mate.. in all seriousness, are you blind ? Don't you recall...(at this point I could list umpteen examples, but one will suffice) the 'Ethnic Language on signs' saga ? (Marrickville) Or..the 'ham sandwich fiasco'?<<

What, in the name of rationality, have these to do with Female Genital Mutilation (your capital letters)?

Your sense of perspective is significantly out of whack, Boaz. Start worrying about things that matter, how about it?

And the weakness of your argument cannot be disguised by cheap shots, either.

>>willfully blind... make yourself look silly... continued self humiliation... you react... increasingly irrationally.<<

But this is classic:

>>The Ham sandwich thing showed clearly that one groups 'fair go' directly meant the majorities 'unfair' go. Yet you don't get this?<<

The content of snacks has about as much relevance to the decay of Australianism as The Simpsons. Possibly far less.

Yes, I've always been grateful to Boazy for alerting us to the centrality of ham sandwiches to Australian culture.

All the more reason for him to adopt the slogan "NO TABBOULEH" instead of his existing one with Nazi overtones.

Or perhaps "NO HALAL, NO FELAFEL, NO TABBOULEH"?

Or "ONE BIGOT, ONE COMPUTER, MUCH BULLDUST"?

Any other suggestions?

CJ.. just wait till you see the signs.. a triangle with a "1" in the middle.. GREEN background... each side has a word left "culture".. right 'race' the bottom "NATION"

Should be good to distract the Green vote :) maybe confuse them ?

Perilous.. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that you will only look up when a thermo nuclear device explodes within a 100 meters of you... You fail to see significance in Signage language or ham sandwiches,... why ? The COMMUNITIES were outraged you duffer, I'm just reflecting that widespread outrage mate... no need to argue with me.. argue with the citizens on the receiving end of this stuff.

Connection to FGM ? I wasn't really trying to connect them, other than they all symbolize the same thing.. "cultural intrusion"
You can add to them... the Taxi Drivers refusing guide dogs.. alchohol... tobaccco... it all adds up ... or have you forgotten to count ?

GO PAULINE....!