Comments on: McClelland’s new terror bill is soft totalitarian nonsense

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:26:37 +0000

As soon as we run out of other fuel to burn. Intellectuals are already under fire for disturbing the rightards comfort zones, it’s happening now Jim.

By: Jim Wright

Jim Wright — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:26:33 +0000

So now we have the “Brave New World” totalitarian model instead of “1984”. So when will we see “Fahrenheit 451” ?

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:35:46 +0000

The problem lies with our Government having to bring things down to that powerful uncommon demoninator. Sadly in our society this exposes the rightwing as who they truly are: a group who will say and do anything to get their fix of that right to rule addiction. So then how do you restore balance and offset the reach of the ill-motivated into all areas of big business and most of our media ownership. Think about how long any government would last through the almighty fear campaign that would be unleashed by the rightards if draconian antiterror laws were reversed or basic civil and human rights re-inforced . Don’t you ever wonder how the Howard Government got to stay in power for nearly twelve years? Why it is that a comedy, “The Daily Show” in the US is the most trusted conveyor of news and current affairs. The tragedy is that human decency is out gunned by society’s monied interests and religious ignorance. So keep up the your good work Guy, you’re a breath of fresh air in a very poluted atmosphere.

By: Damien Anderson

Damien Anderson — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:03:13 +0000

Great article, Guy. Cuts like a knife. The appetite of moden Australian governments for control over every aspect of life is astonishing and a constant source of annoyance to me. It seems that every development in ICT triggers a compulsion to get more and more information (control) over the body politic. The problem is, the quest for more information begs more questions - it provides less certainty not more security and actually fuels distrust and the obsessive policy responses that follow.

By: Joan Halford

Joan Halford — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:51:31 +0000

Guy, sounds like you had an upsetting experience as a volunteer subject in Psych 1.

By: Guy Rundle

Guy Rundle — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:53:27 +0000

joan, that’s exactly the division between the idea of subjects and citizens that i think the alp has come down on the wrong side of. 100 years ago people were measuring the bumps on people’s skulls. lets treat people as people not brains in a vat

By: AR

AR — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:50:34 +0000

When Shrub railled that bin Liner wanted to destroy amerika’s way of life he was doing his usual imbecile, hysterical trope.
As the perennial ACP Presidential candidate said, “When fascism comes to amerika it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a bible”.
The most effective way to destroy a nation is from within, always in the name of ‘protection’
No harm that bin Liner could have phantasised would come within cooee of what Blaaahh, Shrub, Rodent did to their citizens and now Krudd will do even more, in that brain dead, bureaucratic way of all apparatchiks. The word, “Kafkaesque” is often wrong used to mean a malevolent BigBrother but what he wrote about was a mindless, lumbering, insensible & uncaring behemoth, sorta like…..

By: Rena Zurawel

Rena Zurawel — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:52:48 +0000

Do you know that there are more CCTV cameras in England than in China? For quite some time I have suspected that we are chasing communists. It seems we’ve surpassed them already.
The Western ‘democratic’ legislations more and more look like a copy cat from the Soviet Block. And all in the name of liberty!!! It would be good if our politicians had the guts to tell us that they are changing our political system without our knowledge. Anti-terrorist laws are very arbitrary and usually terrorise the whole community.
It reminds me about many jokes from the Soviet era, but one about Mayakovski, the revolutionary poet, comes to my mind.
’ NKVD officers knocked at somebody’s door at dawn. ‘Hallo, Mr. Mayakovsky, open the door’ The door is open and a very elated guy on his knees praying to God says: Thank you, thank, you thank you. Mr. Mayakovski lives next floor’.
(Mayakovsky ‘committed a suicide’ at the NKVD orders.)

By: Joan Halford

Joan Halford — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:52:11 +0000

This “psychological vs physical” dualism is dubious, given the evidence that PTSD can cause brain, ie physical, damage in children, for instance.

By: Guy Rundle

Guy Rundle — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:18:04 +0000

yeah fair enough phil. i should have put a ‘purported’ in there somewhere.

By: Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:34:23 +0000

Yes, this latest attempt at state terrorism is certainly causing me psychological harm. But, since when have we had a “Labour” party? Has some sub-ed gone crazy? This is starting to do my head in…. is it time to call in AFP?

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:05:26 +0000

WTF ” the Coalition have the strength to stick to their liberal traditions and knock it back”
Mate, that’s got to be the funnist thing I’ve ever read. Where did Rundle go? we want Guy back!

By: Richard Wilson

Richard Wilson — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:46:44 +0000

Blair and Brown have turned the UK into a police state and Obama is planning similar in the US through the extension of FEMA powers, the Patriot Act and Obama’s youth brigades. I hope Australians let their governments know they are not going to be conned by this age old tactic of the state.

Remember Rahm Emmanuel’s oft cited comment:

“You can never let a crisis go to waste” . And if you don’t have a naturally occurring one you can always conjure one up. No thanks I am passing!

By: michael crook

michael crook — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:30:55 +0000

Thought provoking, just a correction re terror incidents “of which we have had none precisely since 9/11”. There have been lots, but mainly committed by our big bully brother, while we cheered on the sidelines.