Apropos of nothing but the usual parade of nightly depression that some people like to call 'the news', I'd just like to register my disgust that Philip Ruddock (Oz's immigration minister) is allowed to breathe my air. 'Boat people' and 'queue jumpers' valid propaganda labels as they are, do have the unfortunate effect of recognising that these are, y'know, actual people that we are dealing with--so now it's 'Unlawful Non-Citizens'. I think the phrase you're really searching for 'sub-human' Mr Ruddock, but you wouldn't have the balls to use it anyway. Also? Fuck you, your department and the government you rode in on. (*sigh* I was doing to well with the profanity thing till the last bit.)

Uh, don't mind me, I was having a moment.

And we're done?

Leigh, you've gotta feel a bit sorry for his daughter who's some sort of legal eagle with Amnesty and has publicly stated that she doesn't agree with her father wearing the Amnesty badge.

Now that I think about it, that was probably an overly optimistic use of the past tense. I cannot share the laid-back-ness of Oz--my moment will be over when they ship that gargoyle of a politician off to Antarctica in a dingy, where with any luck the penguins will have instituted a mandatory detention policy all of their own.

Edit: Mm, I hadn't heard that moonlit. Poor gal--I disagree with my father about a great many things but thankfully politics isn't one of them (which is a good thing for both our sakes since if I was anything other than leftist he'd probably disown me).

Leigh, I feel your pain. When the Tampa business happened I fired off a very disgruntled communique to both the cadaver (aka the minister for immigration imprisoning-asians) and the rodent (aka the prime minister miniature). In return I received full copies of our immigration and border control policies, riveting reading let me tell you.

prime minister miniature

Snerk.

I know it's petty but when people mock John Howard's size and/or his ENORMOUS EYEBROWS it makes me laugh.

I had to stop watching the news for a month after they won the last election. I was so fucking incensed that they not only pulled that rascist crap, but that it worked so effectively...it makes me inarticulate with rage even now. What gets me though, is the sense of self-satisfied entitlement which pervades the whole issue--we've got ours and too bad if you too would like the chance to live without being horrendously poor and/or shot at on a regular basis because we didn't go to all the trouble of being born in the right place just to let you waltz in here and demand a share. I just...there are no words.

is the sense of self-satisfied entitlement which pervades the whole issue--we've got ours and too bad if you too would like the chance to live without being horrendously poor and/or shot at on a regular basis because we didn't go to all the trouble of being born in the right place just to let you waltz in here and demand a share.

Are you SURE you're un-American?

bitterbitterbitterbitterbitter

The trouble is -- what is a reasonable way to deal with the huge flood of people who would come to the more fortunate countries, by any means possible, if you weren't tough about it? Governments fear chaos, voter backlash and big social problems. And to some extent, they're right.