Rights of the individual

Today, I watched the morning talk show. It's light entertainment that sometimes tackles the 'big' issues. One particular guest, though, has stuck his university's finger into a hornets nest.

He and his group, Resistence have put together and are selling flag burning kits. You get a miniature Australian flag, a fire starter and a box of matches. Why? To protest the governments policies on asylum seeker detention, our contribution to the Iraq war, treatment of the indigenous population and the way we are being governed. As spokesman for this group, Tim *** feels that it is a way to create debate in society on issues that concern the citizens.

He's right. Those issues do concern Australians. He's wrong, however, to take this approach. Tim came across as naive in the extreme and showed a distinct lack of knowledge on these issues. He, in fact, wasn't interested in any argument against his perceived ideas. His and his groups attitude is that the refugees should be released, that no war is ever justified and more money and resources should be given to the indigenous population. The rest is an amorphous generality.

I'll explain the other side. We have no refugees in detention. We have asylum seekers who are detained until their health, character and legitimacy can be established. It is Australia's sovereign right to decide who can and cannot come to this country, like any other nation on Earth.

The action in Iraq. This is a controversial topic. There are plenty of arguments for and against. For me, personally, the government acted to the best of its knowledge at the time. Who lied to whom when isn't the issue. And while we are there, our soldiers are doing the best they can to mitigate the disaster and make the Iraqi lives better. If all the Coalition of the Willing withdraw, the area will be plunged into civil war. So which is better? Staying to help after being told a lie or taking the huff, dropping the whole thing and leaving them to sort it out themselves? I might add that Tim said that no war was justified, and this on the day that commemorates the bombing of Darwin during the Second World War!

Indigenous affairs. As a whole, the group, who represent 2.5 per cent of the population, are given $AUS600 million a year to help. Representatives have demanded that they should control the finance. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission did an absolutely shitty job and wasted the majority of the money. Worse, some members of the local councils felt the money was their personal bank and built homes for themselves and friends, bought cars, went on trips and totally ignored health, education and community. Some lawyers also took their cut. Throwing money at them isn't the answer; teaching them to live like human beings is, teaching the rest of the population the cultural differences is.

And as for Tim's view on government policy, he seems to think that all governments, past and present, are corrupt, evil entities who ignore the population at large. Two of the above issues were introduced by the previous Labor government. Does he, or the group, actually know that or is this simply a way of gaining attention?

For me, they look like self-aggrandizing prats who will garner support from the lunatic fringe.

It is his right to burn the Australian flag, there is no law against it, but I wonder if there is a law against profiting from it. The kits are $5 each. Not much, but Tim was smug in saying they'd 'sold a few'.

In a time of social unrest throughout the world, this stunt is the last thing anyone needs, and the fuckwits of the country will rejoice at having 'a bit of fun', until it gets out of control and turn into significant protests on one subject or another.

If this is what they're allowing university students to get up to, then the whole system needs a desperate overhaul. Pills like this one need to be taught a better understanding of politics and sociology before they're allowed out. It's an embarrassment to this country. I, for one, would like to kick the tripe out this group and give them the appropriate lecture on understanding their topic, social and cultural awareness and, yes, political policy and how it's formed.