Saturday, September 01, 2001
Just got back from Matt’s going away do at the studios of Rhythm FM in Balmain.
It was a good night and Matt will be sorely missed.
It was good to hear civilized, sane, humane and cultured discussion about the Tampa affair from educated, civilized, humane and cultured young people which every country has a small minority of.
Wednesday 29th August 2001 is a day that will live in infamy and, as I speak, the hostages on the Tampa remain hostage and in captivity – languishing at sea, kept company by 50 Australian SAS commandos who it seems are stuck there (so that seems to be an additional problem now – how are we going to get the commandos out, how are we going to rescue the commandos?).
Apart form this being an act of terrorism, a hijacking and an act of piracy its also an act of war and aggression towards a friendly ally – Norway.
In the Australian press we seem to be going from the sublime to the ridiculous – when the press and the letter writers to the press aren’t baying for blood they’re just as bad.
To wit a letter to the editor that appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday 30th August, “I find it ironic that the Norwegian government can profess to have traditional respect for all seafarers of the world but can happily slaughter the whale”.
In my opinion that person, all his descendants and all his ilk should be damned to eternal hell.
It’s just a manifestation of that typical and true cliché and truism that a lot of westerners are more concerned with the welfare of animals than human beings.
2:00 am
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