I was just one of a group of Amnesty International activists who joined around 500 members of Sydney’s Iranian community for a candlelight vigil on Sunday evening.
Despite heavy rain we continued our show of solidarity, remembering those who have died fighting for freedom in Iran, calling for respect for the rights of the Iranian people and an end to violence against peaceful demonstrators.
Continue reading
I took part in a panel discussion for triple j radio’s Hack program this afternoon which brought together three young people from around Australia – you can listen in below. Joining me were the president of Deakin University’s Liberal Club Tim Hickman and Chaman Shah Nasiri, a refugee who came to Australia by boat in 2001.
One of the closing comments (before we ran out of time) came from Tim. In a great disservice to the Liberal party, and conservatives generally, Tim referred to Waterboarding as “throwing some cold water”.
Maybe he doesn’t get what waterboarding actually is. He should probably watch this video.
Listen to triple j Hack, Friday 17 April 2009:
Dear Senator Conroy,
In response to your four page Internet Filtering letter mailed in reply to my email last year, I would like to reiterate my concern at the time and money being spent on a project which appears to be ignoring several key issues.
To begin you’ve fail to recognise that filtering and censorship are one and the same. I do support your commitment to increased law enforcement, prosecution, education, resources and research however the technical implications, cost and ineffectiveness of filtering continue to see my strong opposition to this idea.
Whilst I agree with many of the concerns behind your policy, the need and viability for a government imposed compulsory internet censoring system is where this agreement ends. Continue reading
A letter to Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for censoring Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Is the minister aware of the censorship and inadvertantly restrictive effect of the British model so called “Clean Feed” earlier this week?
95% of British internet users were prevented from excercising free speach in editing Wikipedia because of one organisations decision that an image (a CD cover which incidently is available on other sites such as Amazon and can be purchased) was inappropriate.
Waking up this morning, having tuned into ABC Radio National’s AM News Program, I experienced the day’s first hit of cynicism.
“George Bush and John Howard had the first informal meeting in an
upcoming week of talks yesterday, attending St. Patrick’s Church, located
next to the White House. The two, accompanied by their wives sat in the same pew in which the President has traditionally sat for the last 150 years”
– ‘great’ methinks ‘two stupid old men, getting off on invading countries, going to church together’
*sigh*
… another chapter begins
“Ceasefire in pieces” cries the UK’s Scotsman, “Family says bomber ‘brainwashed’” reports BBC News.
I sit here all content whilst elsewhere people are being torn apart by bombs, or grief. A guy living in Leads, the same age as me, blew himself and 30 other people up last week. Ripples sped across the globe: a screaming white trail of horror, a blood-thirsty red stream of hate, suffocating charcoal-black fear.
People united people divided. People expressed sympathy, whilst others … well … celebrate a successful attack.