Turning to things more blog worthy, a few things have been popping into my front of mind lately in which I should tell you all my opinion on... Firstly, this Indian doctor caught in Brisbane on suspicion of terrorism has left me a little confused. I personally think the guy is not innocent... I am sure he has been doing something dodgy in aiding and abetting his colleagues / countrymen / relatives (?) in the UK bombings, but have we sort of thrown out the judicial process by detaining him for too long without charge and then cancelling his Visa via Ministerial decree? Is that right? Are our laws full of loopholes to ensure that if the government *wants* a conviction, they will get it. Has the process undertaken lost the opportunity for him for a fair trial? I dont know, but whilst I think this guy is fishy I dont think this is the right way to go about it for the same reason I and others complained that the USA held David Hicks for so long...
Secondly, I meant to post this yesterday, but here is a quote from John Howard on 14 May 2003. In the cold light of 20-20 hindsight, this is a damning quote:
JOHN HOWARD: I again take the opportunity of reaffirming the correctness of the government's assessment in predeploying our forces, and I record the bitter opposition of the Australian Labor Party when that decision was taken. Not only was the military operation completed quickly and successfully but it is also worth recording that all of the doomsday predictions, particularly the many that came from those who sit opposite, were not realised.
The oilwells were not set on fire; there were not millions of refugees; the dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were not breached to bring on catastrophic flooding; and there was no long, drawn out, bloody, Stalingrad style street-to-street fighting in Baghdad. For all of this we must be immensely grateful, but it is a reminder of the hysteria and the doomsday predictions that often accompany operations of this kind. And, just as many of the predictions about a Western Front style holocaust that were made in 1991 when the land war commenced were proved wrong, so the predictions on this occasion have been proved wrong.
The decisive victory of the American led coalition reflects enormous credit on the strength and the determination of the leadership of President Bush. Again I remind the House of the way in which his role was vilified and traduced by many of those who sit opposite and of the way in which speaker after speaker from the Australian Labor Party impugned his integrity, assaulted his judgment and called into question his ability to lead the United States in this very difficult conflict. History has proved them wrong.
The performance of the President has illustrated how infantile their protests were, and the leadership that he has given on this occasion, I believe, will bring about a permanent change in attitudes in the Middle East.
Credit to crikey.com for the post.
1 comment:
How do you know the "Indian Doctor" guy is dodgy or fishy? Were you present at his interview or hearing? We have only the media to help us form our opinions.
If Doctor Haneef turns out to be judged innocent (I doubt he will ever be treated fairly), will he be compensated? Why is he being treated like a criminal? Surely deprivation of liberty is enough without rough "justice".
We should all be worried about the direction this country is headed.
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