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Be Alert, Be VERY, VERY Alert! The Person Next You May Have An iPhone.

William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!

Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?

William Roper: Yes, I’d cut down every law in England to do that!

Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned ’round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man’s laws, not God’s! And if you cut them down, and you’re just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake!

“A Man For All Seasons” Robert Bolt

 

* * *

Robert Bolt. Mm, I suspect no relation to Andrew, who does a neat little backflip, with a half-pike just so we don’t notice. When commenting on the recent Q&A, he wrote this:

And that goes to the wider issue: how and why did the ABC get together such a collection of Muslim firebrands savaging Australia? How grossly irresponsible to give viewers the impression that every Muslim in our country was like every Muslim on Q&A – militant, damning of Australia and full of excuses for extremists. How dangerous to give any extremists the idea that their rage against this wicked country was justified.

 

But it was his neat bit of “framing” his audience to see a conspiracy that most impressed me:

Naturally, host Tony Jones has stacked the panel: two Muslim activists (who do most of the talking), plus one MP each from Labor, the Liberals and Greens.

Stacked the panel. Mm, is he suggesting that they were all lefties apart from the one Liberal? Or is he suggesting that because you have two Muslims to three “Aussies”? (yes, I know there’s no need to comment) Or is it the fact that it’s three men to two women? (Four, if you count Jones). Exactly how was the panel stacked? Because there was nobody from the IPA? Or the Australian Defence League? No Christians?

As for the Muslim activists this is from the bio for one:

Anne-Azza Aly

Dr Anne Aly is a research fellow at Curtin University, Perth, with a focus on radicalisation, counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism.

Anne leads the Countering Online Violent Extremism Research (COVER) Program at the university’s Centre for Culture and Technology. Her research focuses on the use of social media by violent extremists and strategies to interrupt online activities, including understanding of the audience and the role of victims and formers in counter narratives to extremism. She has written over 50 publications on topics ranging from Islamic identity to counter narratives and the policy response to violent extremism. Anne is the author of four books including Terrorism and Global Security: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives– Australia’s first text book on terrorism and security.

 

The other

Randa Abdel-Fattah

Randa Abdel-Fattah was born in Sydney in 1979. She is a Muslim of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage. She grew up in Melbourne and attended a Catholic primary school and Islamic secondary college where she obtained an International Baccalaureate…

During university and her role at the ICV, Randa was a passionate human rights advocate and stood in the 1996 federal election as a member of the Unity Party – Say No To Hanson. Randa has also been deeply interested in inter-faith dialogue and has been a member of various inter-faith networks. She also volunteered with different human rights and migrant resource organisations including the Australian Arabic Council, the Victorian Migrant Resource Centre, the Islamic Women’s Welfare Council, the Palestine human rights campaign and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

 

Say No To Hanson? We can do without activists like that, thank you very much. Send her back where she came from… Sydney, wherever that is!

* * *

Last night a man was shot by police. A policeman is in hospital with serious wounds. These events are tragic and I’m not making light of them. The man is alleged to have made threats against the Prime Minister (who is currently out of the country). Whether these threats involved a knife or a chaff bag is unclear at this stage.

My “chaff bag” comment is not meant to be flippant. It just strikes me as inconsistent that we can dismiss a threat to one prime minister as just being “a figure of speech”, but another will be used by many people as justification for a range of measures. And yes, it’s true that this has resulted in a violent altercation.

Of course, I have sufficient respect for the law not to speculate too much about something that is still being investigated. It’s just the inconsistency that troubles me.

But then there’s a lot of inconsistencies that trouble me. A few days ago, the terrorist threat was raised to high, but we were told that there was no particular threat.

Then we had the raids. Which we were told had been part of an investigation which had been going on for months. And that an attack would have been carried out within days. No imminent threat?

We’re told that the PM and Parliament are a potential target for threats. (Hasn’t this always been the case? If you say no, look up the meaning of “potential” or ask yourself why John Howard wore the bullet proof vest when speaking to good, old responsible Aussie gun owners.)

Tony Abbott tells us a few days later that all that’s needed for an attack is “a knife, an iPhone and a victim”, but he adds:

“Terrorists want to scare us out of being ourselves and our best response is to insouciantly be fully Australian, to defy the terrorists by going about our normal business,” he told reporters in Sydney.

Abbott went on to tell us that orders to carry out demonstration executions had been sent to the the “small networks” of followers in Australia and other countries.

So, let’s make sure that those “small networks” didn’t miss the orders by broadcasting them on the nightly news. Let’s tell everyone that how easy it is to become a terrorist – all you need is “a knife, an iPhone and a victim” (an iPhone? Did he get paid for product placement? Can’t you be a terrorist with a Samsung?)

Then say that you need to be “fully Australian” (this is code for trust me, I really have renounced my British citizenship) and just say “She’ll be right, mate” and go off to work.

When I added music to a slide show which I posted on the internet a couple of years ago, it was down within minutes. Yet video posted by ISIL stays there and nobody takes it down. Some sort of perverse respect for freedom of speech?

And it concerns me that the Murdoch media can completely ignore hundreds of thousands (world-wide) marching on climate change, but find it worth writing stories about less than a hundred protesting the building of a mosque.

77 comments

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  1. Susan Adams

    Brilliant, rational commentary – thankyou

  2. Kaye Lee

    Steve Ciobo

    ”I think that if anybody had the opportunity to slit Julia Gillard’s throat, Nick would be one of the first ones to be there.”

    Grahame Morris (former John Howard staffer turned lobbyist)

    “(Australians)… ought to be out there kicking her to death.”

    Peter Reith

    Appearing the ABC’s Drum program on Tuesday, Mr Reith said that if “I was her [Julia Gillard’s] adviser I’d go and slit my throat.”

    Abbott policy adviser Mark Roberts

    TONY Abbott has demoted his director of policy after the senior staffer made a throat-slitting motion and threatened to “cut the throat” of funding to an Australian indigenous body at the gala Qantas party last night

  3. mars08

    Say No To Hanson? We can do without activists like that, thank you very much…

    Wasn’t Abbott one of the loudest voices saying no to Hanson? The LNP knew a good thing when they saw it. Hanson had teased the rednecks out from under their rocks… and the coalition wanted a piece of the action.

  4. Ian Joyner

    Interesting how Abbott says to be ‘fully Australian’ while he goes about removing the freedom laws that makes Australia, Australia.

  5. mark delmege

    After busying myself with a number of things with the TV on in the background I did hear Randa and the show then took all of my attention – The next day I wrote the following
    ‘Randa got closest, linking Gaza Syria Iraq with history and Empire while Scott held his anger and talked of strategic amnesia and the others offered little or like Jones – worse.
    Mr Scott Ludlam I’m sure your not just another green zionist but by playing safe I think you blew it.
    No one expects you to be a George Galloway but at least we know where he stands and he always takes the debate head on and forward.

    and this morning

    So after cooperating with the most repressive gulf kingdoms for decades running the most brutal terrorist outfits we are now to believe they have all done a 180 under Obama’s leadership and are now forswearing support for those same groups – with only Turkey dragging the chain – as they unleash wave after wave of dalek like attacks – ex ter min ate… ex ter min ate – movie like?
    Can I download the next episode now?

  6. Kaye Lee

    REPORTER, ‘FOUR CORNERS’, 1998: So there was never any question of any party funds or other funds from any other source —

    TONY ABBOTT, FEDERAL LIBERAL MP: Absolutely not.

    REPORTER: ..being offered to Terry Sharples?

    TONY ABBOTT: Absolutely not.

    REPORTER: He told us at one point a different story.

    TONY ABBOTT: Really?

    REPORTER: There were never any discussions about money?

    TONY ABBOTT: Look, I was aware that Terry didn’t regard himself as particularly flush with funds.

    REPORTER: Is there any possibility that the Liberal Party actually does have a special fund to push cases like this?

    TONY ABBOTT: Look, if there is — and I doubt that there is — if there is, Tony, you should ask someone else.

    …….

    2003

    Despite repeated denials back in 1998, Mr Abbott last night acknowledged to the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ newspaper he’d raised almost $100,000 in an attempt to fund actions against One Nation

  7. M-R

    I hadn’t realized that this writer could be so impressive when treating a subject seriously. An truly excellent post !

  8. mars08

    Today marks eleven days that I’ve been away from Australia.

    That time has been spent in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Krabi, Thailand. Not exactly popular destinations for the average Australian holiday-maker.

    Every day I’ve been surrounded by serious looking old men with big beards and younger men with more stylish beards, wearing their thawbs. Hijabs, niqabs, burqas, abayas, dupattas everywhere I look. Muslims galore… both local and on holiday from the Middle East. Some barely recognisable as Arab or Muslim… wearing western clothes. Mosques by the truckload and so much halal food.

    And yet…. and yet… my head remains tenaciously attached to my body.

    In neither country were the authorities hysterical about my impending decapitation or how that might impede their tourist industry. In fact the most hazardous thing I encountered was a dodgy chicken green curry with basil a few nights ago. Or maybe it was the tequilas and beers I had earlier…

    In a couple of days I am flying back to Australia. I am really really REALLY NOT looking forward to returning to that mental aylum!!!!

  9. diannaart

    “is to insouciantly be fully Australian”

    Just to whom was Tony Abbott addressing his comments? Using the word “insouciantly”? Not your usual style, Tony, and you risk taxing the limited vocabulary of your constituents.

    No need to wonder to whom the execrable Andrew Bolt was directing his commentary. Trying to infer that the ABC is part of some Middle Eastern conspiracy? Bolt’s contemporaries would know more about that than Auntie.

    Me? I would just like some more balance – for example more left-wing stockbrokers – NOW!

  10. Rossleigh

    Yes, we need to “defy” the terrorists by casually going about our business, being “fully Australian” (whatever that means) and, as well as that, we need lots and lots of legislation to restrict freedom because we can’t have journalists and bloggers “insouciantly” reporting on what’s being done in the name of security.

  11. Rossleigh

    Here’s a joke for you, diannaart, just to show I’m capable of insouciance:
    George Brandis, Christopher Pyne and Barnaby Joyce walk into a bar.
    You’d think one of them would have noticed it and ducked!

  12. DanDark

    A young 18 year old man shot dead by police last night in Melbourne in front of endeavour hills cop shop,
    Tony Abbott and his band of Brandis bigots has caused this with the hysteria he has stirred up,
    but no real evidence to date he was a terrorist, he made threats against Phony Tony, and allegedly was flying a flag that wasn’t an Aussie one, what starts badly ends badly, it took cops hours to come out and defend their position, and it was just all spin to take the heat off the Vic cops and the AFP..

  13. diannaart

    LOL

    Yeah, insouciance will do that – our dear leaders need a bit more ‘lert’ perhaps. Perhaps one cannot be both alert and insouciant, tricky.

  14. mars08

    Or, for our Sydney-based readers…. Sans Souci: carefree, untroubled.

    Surprisingly … it seems that the French do not have a word for “insouciantly”

  15. Don Winther

    When I was 18 years old I was a boy finding my feet in what I thought was an adult world, one of my first instincts was to fight if I felt threatened.

    An 18 year old BOY was killed in Melbourne last night.

  16. Lee

    “And it concerns me that the Murdoch media can completely ignore hundreds of thousands (world-wide) marching on climate change, but find it worth writing stories about less than a hundred protesting the building of a mosque.”

    Merde-och’s media also ignored thousands protesting Australia wide at the March in March, May, etc, protesting against the LNP.

  17. DanDark

    I have 4 sons ranging from ages 32 down to 19, Abbott hasn’t got sons nor Brandis, nor c..t Pyne, nor j Bishop, so it’s easy for them to target young men they have no sons so have no idea, if that was my son that was killed last night , I would be after Tony and co that’s for sure, what starts badly ends badly and it ended very badly for a boy just 18 years old last night… What has this country become in a very short time, thanks to Terror Tony and his band of bandits 🙁

  18. John Fraser

    <

    Excellent Article.

    And some top class "Replies".

  19. diannaart

    @DanDark

    Right on – coz daughters don’t count…

    …what was your point?

  20. Ruth Lipscombe

    Comments like this give me hope that there is still time for the country to be saved???
    Thank you for reminding us ‘forgetful’ readers about the ‘chaff bag’ comments and commentators and John Howard’ bullet proof vest!

  21. Annie Byam

    Thanks Rossleigh … for yet another great article, and to the point observations throughout. Impressive.

  22. mars08

    Senior law enforcement officials have named the 18-year-old man who was shot dead after stabbing two officers from the Joint Counter Terrorism team outside a Melbourne police station….

    The militants have already taken one life in the name of their twisted, self-serving ideology. I suspect we won’t have to wait long for the next violent death in our streets.

  23. Annie Byam

    The 18 yr old man, shot dead last night in Endeavour Hills – it is claimed – was acting alone. According to several different on-line newspaper reports, which are consistent with what has blared from the newscasts this morning – he was a ‘person of interest’ to the AFP, and presumably living in that area, was required to attend the police station ‘for a talk’. It is interesting that the police came outside to greet him ( from what I gather ) …. and a handshake was had. He may have just ‘hung around outside’ ( pure speculation on my part ) or called out to them.

    It occurs to me that the young man well might have gone there to commit ‘suicide by cop’ …. knowing full well, that any attack on a law enforcement officer would most likely produce a deadly aim shoot to kill. IF INDEED, it was ‘suicide by cop’ …. he becomes ( or he would have believed he would be ) …. a martyr. And martyrs are highly prized in the extreme jihadist movements. It is ‘shahid’ …. and

    ” It is used as an honorific for Muslims who have died fulfilling a religious commandment, especially those who die wielding jihad, or historically in the military expansion of Islam.” …

    This bloke did exactly that – HE DIED WIELDING JIHAD …. against two policemen, one of whom was critically injured but is now stable.

    The very worrying side to this is – a precedent has been set …. not by the police —- but for single cell acting alone jihadists that might exist here, anywhere, and act out on their own – any form of damage to us ….

    From : http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/islamic-extremist-shot-dead-two-police-officers-stabbed-outside-endeavour-hills-police-station-in-victoria/story-fni0cx12-1227068366594?nk=033bf1b84d16f9de1a4d3679746e307b

    “The shooting, which came only a day after IS issued a global fatwa calling on
    followers to “kill Australians” using whatever means possible, including
    knives, guns or poison, was in the electorate of federal MP Anthony Byrne.”

    Poison ? That is a horrifying thought – and I won’t elaborate.

    We DO indeed need to be vigilant, while going about our normal daily routines. But we cannot be seen to be in any way afraid. ….

  24. Lee

    “Poison ? That is a horrifying thought – and I won’t elaborate.”

    Mmm… the LNP could very well end up killing us with their poison.

  25. mars08

    @Anne Byan…. what are you on about? You are just speculating… based on vague information released by the police media office.

    The only thing that is certain is that the dead man will be viewed, by some, as a martyr.

  26. Lee

    I don’t for one moment think that MSM is telling us the whole story. Sure the dead man was carrying a knife and he used it illegally. I’ve yet to see anyone ask why he felt the need to carry it, including journalists. Is the growing tide of racism and bigotry in this country, led by our elected leaders, making some of our residents feel that their safety is threatened?

  27. Roger

    I have been in a really uncomfortable place since watching Q&A on Monday night. I cannot get the look of fear/frustration/helplessness on the face of that lady who had received threats from the ADL out of my mind. If anybody needed a collective hug from Australians (or protection) then there she was. It is the first time I’ve felt truly ashamed to be an Australian. That we tolerate such actions leaves me totally empty!

  28. Annie Byam

    Mars08 …. I really DO wish you’d read a comment right through – before commenting on it yourself.

    I have seen you do a bit of ‘speculating’ yourself on many many articles. Can’t be bothered going through them now ….but you can’t point accusing fingers at others when you do the same thing. Well – maybe YOU can, but most people don’t. !

    I do NOT blindly follow anything the MSM has to say. And yes, no doubt much of the info. was put out by the police, vague as it may have been. However, where there’s smoke there’s fire, and obviously a knife WAS used ( I doubt hospitals take up serious time in op. theatre, repairing stab wounds on a Federal cop, if it wasn’t necessary ) …. and whether we hear more of this – truth or otherwise, remains to be seen.

    Your only comment that makes sense, was to agree that some would see this bloke as a martyr …. which is why I said what I did … and why I elaborated on it.

  29. mars08

    Oh FFS!!! Look at the Daily Telegraph url “Islamic extremist shot dead”. They had this bloke judged and convicted before his body was cold. Yes… he stabbed a policeman. No doubt about that. Anything else is just speculation. A policeman was wounded and a “person of interest” was killed. As far as we know there was NO damn smoke OR fire!

    Suicide by cop… Outside a police station? Really? Oh spare me! When was the last time that was used by an Islamic extremist as a means of destroying western society? Not exactly an efficient method of going about world domination!

    Please… don’t let the media spook you.

  30. Annie Byam

    Roger …… I agree with you. It was indeed uncomfortable to watch the first Muslim lady struggling with her obvious fear, to ask the questions.. The whole programme was interesting, but also quite disturbing as well.

  31. Annie Byam

    Mars08 …. no use getting your nappy in a knot there … LOL.

    You are not up with your oft used adages are you !! And there WAS no time ( and you know it ) …. when one Islamic extremist set about doing one terrorist / criminal act – to ‘destroy Western Society ?

    “Oh spare me !” you said —– — – – — You are spared …… well and truly spared Mars. !!

  32. Lee

    “And there WAS no time ( and you know it ) …. when one Islamic extremist set about doing one terrorist / criminal act – to ‘destroy Western Society ?”

    Oh give it a break Annie! You’re as bad as Tony Abbott. You DO NOT KNOW why the dead man stabbed the police officers and neither does the MSM. The only person who knows can no longer speak for himself.

  33. mars08

    Nuuuuurse….!??!?!??

  34. John Fraser

    <

    @Anne Byam

    Humbly suggest you ratchet down the speculation.

    While you are at it do the same with the fear factor.

    Getting enough of both from Murdoch and the Abbott gang.

  35. Kaye Lee

    Might this be a time to bring up the cuts to youth services or our approach to mental health issues? Seriously…how can this be viewed as a terrorist attack? What makes a disturbed teenager carry a knife? How has our society failed him? How can we stop alienating more troubled young men? Is anyone asking them what they hope to achieve? Having dealt with troubled teenagers for most of my professional life I know there are usually reasons why they go off the rails even if we don’t understand them – as with so many things that trouble teenagers. Surely we need to be asking ourselves why these young men and women feel disenfranchised in a country where we should be defending their right to practise their beliefs.

  36. Annie Byam

    I suggest you give yourself a break – a big one at that.

    No I don’t know why the stupid bloke did what he did – we may never know – and you certainly won’t either. As for being like Tony Abbott, have seen a few like him on here before. hmmm !

    I ain’t one of them madam.

    Go have a cup of tea and calm down a bit !! …. 😉

  37. Lee

    “Surely we need to be asking ourselves why these young men and women feel disenfranchised in a country where we should be defending their right to practise their beliefs.”

    Exactly. Thank you for being the voice of reason, Kaye.

  38. John Fraser

    <

    I am speculating that Anne Byam is addressing me so …. FYI ..I drink coffee.

    Try to get it right when you go after others on this site.

    Yours was the first "Comment" that was truly deplorable on an Article that I commented was good with good "Replies".

  39. Lee

    “Go have a cup of tea and calm down a bit !! …”

    I’m quite calm, thank you. Unlike you, I can see through the over-sensationalised reporting by Murdock’s hacks. Perhaps you should take your trolling elsewhere.

  40. Annie Byam

    John ……… are you SERIOUSLY suggesting ( surely not ) ….. that speculation is not rife on this site – in so many ways – from so

    many different commenters – on so many subjects ? Ya gotta be kidding.

    Perhaps we should ALL ratchet down the speculation ??

    ——

    As for the fear factor ? You must be referring to the quote I added from the Daily Telegraph.

    And geez, I have to agree with you on one thing, ….. if we want truckloads of fear laden speech, we need only tune in to whatever

    garbage Abbott is spouting forth on any given day – about anything.

  41. John Fraser

    <

    @Anne Byam

    An 18 year old is dead.

    That's the only part of his life that doesn't need any speculation.

    Fcuk the "humble" just shut the fcuk up !

  42. Kaye Lee

    What happened was a tragedy…a tragedy for the policeman and his family when he was just doing his job, a tragedy for the disturbed young man who is now dead and for his family who must be asking why, and a tragedy for this country in that it is being used to divide us. Not everyone is capable of reasoned analysis (no I don’t mean you Annie, I mean the people who voted Abbott in) – they believe what politicians and journalists say.

    It should not be used as a reason for us at the AIMN to personally attack each other. Discussing different views and listening to each other is what is being lost. Disagreeing, or even just looking at different angles, should not be cause for abuse but for negotiation.

    I always think I am right because I wouldn’t purposely think something I knew to be wrong. I have, however, found that if I listen to people, I sometimes change what I think is right – not that I was wrong or anything 😉 There are many sides to every picture and it will be viewed differently by every individual. The thing I love about this site is the respectful discussion. I can get abusive dismissal anywhere.

  43. DanDark

    A few years ago a young white Anglo Saxon 15yr old boy stole knives from a shopping centre in out skirts of Melbourne, his father had recently died, his mother rang the police and told them her son was in emotional turmoil and could they please find him for her,
    they found him alright at a skate park he was out numbered and cornered, he was shot dead there and then, apparently because the cops didn’t know it was this emotionally devastated young boy a total lack of communication between the powers that be
    The cops are trigger happy in Vic and have been for years…
    The media reported this young man was connected to a white supreme gang after they killed him
    and that was their justification for shooting a young scared boy multiple times….

  44. Don Winther

    He was an 18 year old boy not a stupid bloke Annie Byam living in a Christian country and now he is dead. How wise were you when you where 18. What did he have to look forward to, a job at General Motors? a good education? a house at a fair price? a fair and honest government? or being labeled a terrorist? We have let him down. My sympathies to his family. We will never know the truth.

  45. DanDark

    Diaanart
    I can’t remember the last time a female was shot by a cop in this country,
    But there are many real life stories of young men being shot/ excessively taserd and killed by our cops
    Even our tourists are being ran down by cops a young foreign man taserd to death in Sydney what was his crime ?
    Oh that’s right none, the cops have got enuff powers to kill people already for no reason in this country…

  46. mars08

    Annie Byam:

    You are spared …… well and truly spared Mars. !!

    Mars?? Mars??!?? Did I say you could call me by my first name? BTW it’s a little m

    So pleased you spared me… from a damn harsh tongue-lashing, I suppose!

    Oh, but everyone here makes wild speculations, right. Me? Well I just looove making ridiculous assertions, apparently. I’m a riotous speculation heavyweight according to you. Yet… ah… yet you can’t be bothered giving some examples.

    You really should back up what you say. Especially if you are arguing that others are more notorious in their speculation than you are. Because… if you can’t provide some evidence… you are not really making the point you think you are making!

  47. Annie Byam

    @ John Fraser …. No … Mister …. I was NOT addressing you at all.

    Again you didn’t read it all … I addressed the person concerned as ‘madam’ …. and if indeed you are a ‘madam’ … then it’s your problem, not mine.

    And there is too …… MORE EFFING SPECULATION ….. ” I am “speculating” that Anne Byam is addressing me so …… ” Speculating ?

    Geez …. really ?

    As for my comment being ” the first to be deplorable” ???? There are many deplorable comments on this site from time to time – and each who posts believe they are doing the right thing at the time. If it doesn’t sit well with you – stiff shite. You’ve posted a few ‘deplorable’ comments yourself in your day.

    And don’t you bloodywell tell me to shut the fcuk up … go soak your head or whatever. Rudeness personified … you. – as usual.

  48. Annie Byam

    Lee – …. you call ME a troll. ? What a laugh that is !!! And how DARE you. I have been as faithful as possible to anything that will bring down this vile Government, in my comments. Troll ? Ya gotta be kidding, kid.

    You want to see some trolls at work – go to Facebook ( if you don’t already ) and look at some of the crap that is posted there. I ignore it all now.

    Kaye is right … we should not be fighting amongst ourselves, when substantially we are all on the same side.

    However, I will NOT be attacked mercilessly for comments I make, without defending myself, no matter the forum, no matter the subject.

    End of subject – end of conversation.

  49. mars08

    Annie Byam:

    End of subject – end of conversation.

    Um… oh dear. There you go again! More conjecture. No… no it’s not the end of the conversation.

  50. John Fraser

    <

    @Anne Byam

    Jerk off !

  51. Can't We All Just Get Along

    Leave Annie alone, she’s just expressing her views. Can’t we discuss our differences without the high school gang bullshit?

  52. Annie Byam

    What an absolute DELIGHT you really are John Fraser. ….. I had always thought you were a man of decency, from your comments.

    Obviously not. You have sunk about as low as you could get.

    Oh boy, is there a suggestion I could make to you ….. but I won’t lower myself to your standards.

    ——–

    mars08 …. as far as I am concerned – to rude, ill-mannered, reprensible bods that choose a target and repeatedly fire at it … you can all go to hell.

    So … it IS the end of conversation …. as far as responding to the likes of mars08, Lee, and now John Fraser.

    Geez … what did I do ……. except join in with commentary. ( please don’t bother yourselves to answer that one – it will be ignored ).

  53. Annie Byam

    Thank you “Can’t we All Just Get Along” ….. much appreciated. Was feeling rather ‘got at’ …. at times.

  54. Annie Byam

    mars08 …. ( is that ok for you – the full moniker with a lower case ‘m’ ? ) ….. for gosh sakes, wake up to yourself man. I did NOT use the word ‘wild’ in regards to speculation – and you know that. A moot point however.

    You twist words. I have never asserted that anybody here is ‘more notorious’ in speculation, than anybody else … and you know that too. I suspect you are just in a mood to be somewhat contentious ?

    Ref: your “ridiculous assertions’ comment !!!!

    Some of your assertions throughout many many articles published here border on the ridiculous …. AS DO MINE …. read that again … AS DO MINE. We all get a bit carried away at times. Guessing you understand that ?

    As for backing up my comments – I am not about to do your work for you …. there are many MANY comments on sooo many articles here ( the mind boggles ) …. that you could find them for yourself – if you want to.

    Personally, I would prefer to get back to some serious commentary and debate ………. so bye bye mars08 …. have a good evening. 😉

  55. rossleighbrisbane

    Oh dear! >sigh<

    I blame Tiny Abbott for all this…

  56. rossleighbrisbane

    Actually,I’m think it all stems from the failure of Copenhagen in 2009! Everything stems from that…

  57. diannaart

    DD

    I can’t remember the last time a female was shot by a cop in this country,

    That is not the point – whether someone has sons or daughters – anything such as what happened to this confused young man is appalling and is not because Tony Abbott has daughters. FFS.

    After running through some of the most pointless commentary I have seen on this site, I’ll simply misquote the inimitable Tim Minchin:

    You don’t like Abbott

    I don’t like Abbott

    Let’s not like Abbott

    Together!!!!!

    Everybody now….

  58. DanDark

    Mars
    are you sure you really need to come back to the “asylum” ?I would seriously reconsider this maybe 🙂
    I cant wait to get out of the “asylum” because even in the past week or so
    the “asylum” has got even more crazy if that is possible, but yes as we know with head froot loop Phony Tony and Co
    everyday is now a “surprise” and not a good “surprise”

    As for a “no surprises Gov” they are doing a friggin good job of surprising us from, remember once when they were on a unity ticket with education and quite a few other things with Labor before the election,
    how things have changed and how many times they have surprised the shit out of the average punter in just a year
    God a year is a long time sometimes especially when you have the most incompetent pack of Catholics running the show..

  59. Lee

    “Lee – …. you call ME a troll. ? What a laugh that is !!! And how DARE you. I have been as faithful as possible to anything that will bring down this vile Government, in my comments. Troll ? Ya gotta be kidding, kid.”

    Yes I dare. One polite request to refrain from the accusations of anti-semitism and you’ve gone bunta. You’re supporting the government by fear-mongering and speculation. I hope they are paying you well.

  60. DanDark

    Dianaart,
    everyone has an opinion/comment and I havn’t had a go at yours at all, just for the sake of it
    So maybe a little respect and tolerance on here would be great
    I will find somewhere else to go read and comment because there are tooo many nasty old biddies on here like Diaanart etc etc:)

  61. Lee

    “I can’t remember the last time a female was shot by a cop in this country,
    But there are many real life stories of young men being shot/ excessively taserd and killed by our cops
    Even our tourists are being ran down by cops a young foreign man taserd to death in Sydney what was his crime ?
    Oh that’s right none, the cops have got enuff powers to kill people already for no reason in this country…”

    DanDark are you asserting that the cops went over the top to shoot this guy? One of them was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. We don’t know what they did leading up to the stabbing (and we may never know) but stabbing sufficient to put someone in a critical condition is justification for someone to decide in a matter of seconds that their life is in danger and retaliate.

  62. Annie Byam

    @ Kaye Lee …. thank you for you propriety and superb sense of fairness and balance.

    I dare (?) to offer a suggestion – ref. your comment 5.19 pm.

    ” What makes a disturbed teenager carry a knife? How has our society failed him? How can we stop alienating more troubled young men? Is anyone asking them what they hope to achieve? ”

    Just one thought –

    Have often been very worried about the effects of violent, extremely blood-thirsty computer ‘games’ available to absolutely everyone, to play – by downloading, or purchasing. There seems to be no official regulation to it. There MUST be a negative impact on impressionable teens, and a degree of de-sensitisation to it all. It only takes a small step to perhaps become radicalised ( certainly not for all – but for some ). After all, certain products ( alcohol and cigarettes, cannot – or should not be – sold to teens ) ….. why not some regulation to stop the sale to under-ages, of absolutely GROSS gaming. These games, can – to the vulnerable – create a volatile mindset.

    It is largely left up to parents to supervise what their teens get up to, on a computer or iPad. From my observations, many parents do not oversee these endeavours, or don’t give a damn what their teens are doing or playing at. As long as they are quiet – it’s ok.

    Is that perhaps ONE of the ways we have failed them ? There must be many more ways we have left them to fend for themselves ( at home, in the community, in job search etc. ) …. too long a list to go into here.

    Just asking ………

  63. Lee

    “Actually,I’m think it all stems from the failure of Copenhagen in 2009! Everything stems from that…”

    Isn’t it the Labor Party’s fault?

  64. DanDark

    Lee yep cool, I have worked in a few cop shops, and the “member” is everything to the “force” and they will do anything to protect them 🙂
    Ohhhh and have fun fighting between your selves 🙂 I have better things to do…..

  65. Annie Byam

    Reply to Don Winther. No … he probably was not a ‘stupid bloke’ ( bad choice of words, but I was angry at the time ) ….he was certainly misguided, most definitely. And at 18, I was somewhat of a little shite. I wish my mother were still alive to underscore THAT one !!

    You are right … he most likely had nothing much to look forward to – as many of our young today. This Government is making it impossible for the young to have any future to look forward to – be it, in employment, further education ( gross increases in Tertiary loans and expenses put forward ) and the horrible prospect ( now ) of terrorism that knocks on our door, among other things that would reduce some of the strongest of us, to despair.

    I too feel for his family – and for the families of all who have troubled teens, and who never know if they are going to find their loved son ( or daughter ) dead or alive, after a night out. …. That’s how bad it has become ….

  66. Annie Byam

    Lee – … your post 9.58 pm.

    ref: ” Yes I dare. One polite request to refrain from the accusations of anti-semitism and you’ve gone bunta. You’re supporting the government by fear-mongering and speculation. I hope they are paying you well. ”

    I think your ‘polite request’ was on another article ” Ban the Use of the Word Jihadist by Media and Politicians’ ….. but no matter – it is not important.

    I have gone ‘bunta’ ? ….. You’d best look that word up again methinks.

    Again, you infer that I am a troll. I will NOT take that kind of crap.

    No further comment madam. !! I have absolutely NO wish to fight, argue or discuss with you any further. It is utterly pointless.

    Please – just leave off.

  67. John Fraser

    <

    @Anne Byam

    Still carrying on ….. thought you said it was the "End of subject – end of the conversation", @ 8:55pm.

  68. Don Winther

    Hi, I have just returned from my local bar 12am and had a great night, met heaps of nice people and all I had to do was say ” Abbotts an Idiot ” instant conversations, no one likes him.

    Annie I know your heart is in the right place as are all of us, we all get a bit of burn-out because it so frustrating to see our country being stolen but we must stick together. Abbott is the master of distractions and he has pulled us off track again. The budget is still going through while we are looking the other way.and this terror shit he started is all part of his smoke and mirrors politics so stay on track everyone.
    Abbott’s an idiot but he is not stupid. He is changing our Australia to what he wants but I dont want it!

  69. Rob031

    Attributes of the Liberal Party: from the http://essentialvision.com.au/category/essentialreport Sep 23, 2014

    Q. And which statements do you feel fit the Liberal Party?

    * Will promise to do anything to win votes: 69% +2
    * Too close to the big corporate and financial interests: 65% +3
    * Out of touch with ordinary people: 63% +4
    * Have a vision for the future: 49% -4
    * Clear about what they stand for: 46% -4
    * Understands the problems facing Australia:44% -3
    * Moderate: 44% -2
    * Divided: 40% +8
    * Extreme: 40% +3
    * Have good policies: 39% -5
    * Has a good team of leaders: 38% -5
    * Looks after the interests of working people: 31% -6
    * Trustworthy: 28% -4
    * Keeps its promises: 26% -9

    A tad encouraging methinks.

  70. corvus boreus

    Scrolling through some of the comments above, I am glad I chose to use last night to embrace my inner luddite, commune with the stars and fireflies, then curl up with a good book(still on ‘the Spell of the Sensuous’ by David Abrams).
    Looks like, for a few parties, it all got soucient to the point of unproductive incivility, from accusations of speculation to slanderous sledging and unpleasant suggestions.
    We should all think before we post; is this contribution really relevant and productive to the greater discussion, or am I merely indulging in abuse as a reaction to personal irritation?
    In the end, we should all remember that our conduct on this forum(and others) is a reflection and testament to our values and qualities of character, hanging in full display for open public assessment.

  71. Möbius Ecko

    Which flies in the face of what Newspoll publishes and confirms Morgan.

    Trouble is Newspoll makes the news headlines and results like those posted above are barely seen outside of some social and online media sites.

    Just as they did when Abbott was in opposition, every Newspoll that’s unfavourable for Labor, even by the smallest margin, is sold as a massive loss for them and a great gain for Abbott and the Libs, with the opposite of every loss in the polls for Abbott or the Liberals is either completely buried or a single positive aspect, no matter how small, is touted as a triumph for them.

  72. Lee

    Has anyone performed a successful reverse photo search of the photo that the media alleges is Numan Haider posing as a terrorist? SMH claims it came from Facebook but I’ve looked at several profiles of people named Numan Haider and so far haven’t found anything remotely connected to it.

  73. stephentardrew

    Mobious Echo:

    Still it seems that the chickens are coming home to roost. I think Abbott is blindly going to war without considering that many are just sick of it. When we look at twenty more years of this crap it is just plain lunacy. Iraq did not happen in a vacuum and the lies and deceit are coming back to haunt many. Abbott may just be making a noose around his neck if we are still bogged down in the Middle East in two years time. It may be that his short term rush for votes is his Achilles heal. Mind you Labor has to play this one very carefully giving it time to fester. Obama seems to be holding the cowboy back from midnight at the old corral. The minute the US jumps our dear leader jumps while many first world nations sit back watching the circus in some confusion and bemusement.

  74. billy moir

    the easy was out is to say we have a prime minister who is prepared to put in the hard yards avoiding any responsibility for his actions and an opposition leader who puts in the hard yards avoiding any media tactic that may clash with his mission to control the negativism that he knows the electorate wants. Comic relief is provided by little johnnie, the woman and the lemon. The former with little snipes at the rabbott (studiously ignored by little billy as dictated under his anti-negativism election ploy). The latter pair with a little humorous byplay reminding us that political ‘stabbings’ are never ending when a woman is involved.
    Go julia you owe shorten and the girls little and the little boys nothing but for not exposing the rabbott’s character, on commercial tv in 2013, you owe us an apology.

  75. diannaart

    Every thing is fine, simply wonderful, of course a delusional young man died because Tony Abbott has daughters, you go on believing that.
    __________________________________________________________________

    I sincerely apologise to Rossleigh for my part in the ruination of a very good article,

    A shame, we all want a change of government – however that is where any agreement begins and ends.

    I shall shuffle off, insouciantly (natch), till you write another entertaining and insightful piece.

    Regards to all

    Dianna

  76. DanDark

    Maybe if the halfwit had a son or two instead of 3 very spoilt little conartist daughters who get scholarships for free and top notch jobs because their Daddy is the PM, he might be less likely to vilify young men and boys, I have daughters and sons, so I know the diff between their needs, this will be my last comment on AIMN

    Good luck but I am joining another team, Team Muslim 🙂

    Where is the future in this country for all of our younger generation not just Muslims, succeeding gov’s have let them down, white kids, black kids, yellow kids, Muslim kids, our first peoples kids, Tony can only slash jobs for other peoples kids, but can make them for his 3 precious princesses,
    Take care all the non bitchy people on here 🙂

  77. trevor

    Abbott brings on the dogs of war with about as much concern for ordinary Australia as he showed with his still borne Budget.

    ABBOTT THE MASTER OF THE DESTRUCTING DISTRACTION.

    Abbott is for Abbott. that much is unargueable.

    The rest of the arguements in todays issue are just grist to Abbotts’s mill. You could say just what the doctor ordered.

    Listening today to the Vicctorian Police trying to rearrange the deck chairs of a almost believable story becomeing more unbelievable with each media conference. Sure i heard the commisioner today, before he corrected, lay the blame at Abbotts feet.

    That Bar Joke is spot on in many ways.

    Can Abbott control the dogs of war he is unleashing here and Globally? I’d argue that Abbott does not give a flying f**k about anything but poll numbers and ‘Beating his opposition into submission”.

    And now for the next episode and yes Mark Delmage, I think it would save us all a lot of time and energy if they would release the series that is already pre recorded instead of dribbing and drabbing it.

    Sack Abbott and His godawefull Liarbrils.

    PS I have an Iphone, (Shh, don’t let them know)

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