kerravonsen | "I heard to the news today, oh boy..." (Reply)

I have to rant. I am sick and tired of this, this abomination of a government policy, that torments children, violates human rights, and ignores every plea and recommendation to be humane. I'm talking about these bloody detention centres, and how health professionals are saying the children have to be let out, and what does the stone-hearted immigration minister say? We can't do that, because it might "send a message".

You're already sending a message, Mz Immigration Minister. You're sending the message that Australia is a barbarous country, a country to be ashamed of. Not quite as shameful as the USA, but, hey, just add a little torture and we'll catch up very easily. Hey, why not go the whole hog and just shoot illegal immigrants on sight -- that would get rid of the problem, eh? Send the "right" message to those dastardly people smugglers, huh? You make me sick, Amanda Vanstone.

Of what crime are asylum seekers guilty of? What was it -- "queue jumping", wasn't that it? Of course "queue jumping" presumes that one is entitled to be in the queue, but these people aren't, are they? Or, at least, they have to sit around and be "detained" while the grinding wheels of beaurocracy determine whether they were entitled to be in the queue at all, or whether they have to be shoved off. The real crime is, they're guilty of being riff-raff, guilty of being trash, guilty of being poor. Because if you're rich enough, or skilled enough, you can meet the selection criteria and buy your way into Australia, but woe betide you if you aren't, and can't prove that you'd be shot on sight if you were sent back where you came from.

Yes, Australia has the right to say who's allowed in -- legally, anyway. Right now, I'm not sure about the morality of it. Because I don't understand the reasons why they want to keep people out -- except fear and greed. "If we let those lazy buggers in, they'll be on the dole, mark my word!" Hmmm, and what would you prefer -- beggars in the streets, thieves in the night, or government slave labour? Actually, the last one might work, to a degree: you come here illegally, you do community service to make up for it.(*) Surely that would be better than locking people up? After all, "queue jumping" is the kind of offence which deserves nothing more than a slap on the wrist: a fine, or equivalent work, not imprisonment.

Or are you scared that these people are terrorists? Don't be so dim-witted! As if terrorists would use the stupidest method of infiltration. They aren't dumb. Your hypothetical terrorist cells are going to want to look innocent, not suspicious.

How much money is being spent on these detention centres? Wouldn't
it be better spent elsewhere? Gee, maybe it might be enough to cover the cost of the dole for a Certain Number of people? Make friends, instead of enemies? Oh, but I forgot -- that would send the wrong "message".

(*) Except apparently they've added insult to injury by making them do just that -- detention and government slave labour, because they're supposed to "pay back" the cost of them being detained.

Oh, and when I googled "Amanda Vanstone", guess what I found? A penetrating speech accusing her of crimes against humanity. Oh, if only the Attorney General was paying attention!