If the federal government ploughs ahead with the Finkelstein Review's recommendations it could have a serious impact on freedom of speech and the free flow of ideas.. http://www.pursuitofhappiness.com.au/index.php/liberty/what-if-we-couldnt-write-to-you-anymore/2922/
it sure does!! I'm sure the likes of BigAD, Peter and EarthJade will cheer this along like the good statists/communists that they are. For the rest of us - at least those who value what we regard as our inalienable freedoms - it means that government goons can kick my door down and arrest me for writing a post such as this one.
If the abject apathy shown here is anything to go by then this latest weapon of oppression is as good as a done deal!
DOWN WITH FINKELSTEIN AND REPEAL SECTION 18C NOW!! (Preferably in 20-point font with flashing neon colours) There, does that make you feel better?
Talking of our gradual reduction in freedom of speech (in many areas, but not all where our freedoms have increased over time), check out those crazy Russians. PepsiCo are under investigation for "promoting homsexuality to youth". http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-14/russian-activists-gay-milk/4311912
:O It gets worse and worse. Now the Gillard government wants to censor talking about politics. 'Andrew Bolt was censored for talking about race. The Gillard government wants to censor talking about politics.' - Simon Breheny A few of us on here are basically screwed then. NB I have set up the two links so that they open small PDF files with the proposed legislation.
Yep, history shows that speaking up against the rise of an authoritarian fascist socialist security state is not a particularly good idea. At some point, the best idea will just be to give it up and leave the Aussies to their little fascist paradise. The only hope I see is the rise of the liberty movement in America. But I'm not convinced that Aussies will be as interested. There doesn't seem to be any historical precedent in this country for it.
It's so bad. So so bad. Not related, but governance: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...ak-power-pricing/story-e6frgczx-1226521595763
Australia is a country founded by criminals, built by criminals, run by criminals for the criminal elite. I wouldn't be holding my breath. As for the liberty movement in the US, I am honestly not expecting it to happen. I think the establishment there will strike down like a hammer on any uprising, but the masses are becoming more and more placated by their servitude in reliance on the system to keep them alive. You'd be hard pressed to get the average American on food stamps to take up arms and bite the hand that feeds it. Socialism and Democracy are simply oppression of the productive minority. Australia is no different.
I am honestly not sure there will be in the end. Places like the Dominican Republic and China/Singapore express more value towards individual liberty and freedom than the western powers do now. This is how you know the west is dying - it's falling into the grip of totalitarianism, fascism and communism not just in name, but in principles. As the elite get more desperate, I have absolutely no doubt they'll embark on a course of action that would make even the Third Reich era look tame in comparison. I wouldn't live in the USA now even if you paid me and gave me land for free, it's not even a shadow of what it was once founded as and a true tragedy of the modern age IMHO.
I dont know give me a house at the rivermouth at rincon and a hi 6 figure salary and id have no problem living in the states
And therein lies the challenge. Canada is too much of a US partner to be a good spot, with many of the same issues as we have here (property bubble for example). NZ is our little brother. In some ways more free but in some ways more naive and lets the more ridiculous laws come to pass. Anywhere in Europe either lacks the land, desirable economy or (unfortunately if it came to it) Defence to be a safe place. And if you do go to a Central/South American, Asian, African or Eastern country you run the risk of being a foreigner - sometimes blending in is "worth it's weight in gold" (maybe 5gr Certicard though, not too much). Mmm.
This really pisses me off .... my pet hate you could say. I'm sick of having my liberties stripped from me, of the state telling me what is safe or not, and as if the whole discrimination sympathy stuff wasn't bad enough already, they want to broaden it. Soon the only safe topic of conversation will be about last night's reality TV show. However, be sure not to discuss the contestant's possible political allegiances or "its" preference for red over blue underwear (the only two colours available in the future) as you may just offend the eavesdropper on the other side of the partition who prefers the blue underwear. It's getting beyond a joke ..... the other day I had a Brazilian guy here at work tell me an anecdote about when he was called a racist for making a comment during the Olympics that the Jamaican's are fast runners. Unfarkenbelievable. Problem is, I love this country and find it hard to consider living elsewhere (even though I was originally from Europe). Also, most of the countries in which civil liberties are protected, are down the sh1tter on an economic front. What to do???
No, he was convicted under Section 18C because his article was "reasonably likely to cause offence" based on race but normal media freedoms in 18D were overruled because of his errors of fact.
The whole "reasonably likely to cause offence" is very extremely distasteful. So not only can you be convicted for causing "offence" (whatever that is) but it doesn't even need to actually offend the person. It just needs to be "reasonably likely" that they may have been offended. WTF!?! As Steve Hughes says, when did "sticks and stones may break my bones" stop being true? http://videosift.com/video/Steve-Hughes-Political-Correctness-and-Offence
Agreed. How is that determined anyway? What does "reasonably likely" equate to? Is it a 1 in 10 or a 1 in 100 chance of causing offense? And what is the acceptable limit? It's ridiculous to say the least. How do the people entrusted to look after this country even come up with this crap???
