http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1514354/posts
"This level of hysteria suggests anti-terror laws are sound"
The Australian ^ | 2nd November 2005 | Janet Albrechtsen
Posted on 11/02/2005 1:22:52 PM PST by naturalman1975
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "AUSTRALIA has a new measure of sound public policy. Called the Fairfax Index, it works like this. The more hysterical the hyperbole on a particular topic on the Fairfax opinion pages and the greater the number of progressive pen pals spilling their outrage on the Fairfax letters pages, the more likely it is that the target of their anguish is good public policy. Using the Fairfax Index, the latest anti-terrorism laws must represent very sound public policy indeed.
On Monday the index soared when The Australian Financial Review's Geoffrey Barker compared Australia, with its new "draconian anti-terrorist legislation", to Singapore as it moves towards executing Nguyen Tuong Van. "The Australian and Singaporean governments have basically similar authoritarian and retributive instincts," he said.
A rather low-rent comparison given that Australia is not yet executing people and, as far as I can tell, it's still legal to chew gum here."
I really havent been following Australia...my friend called me at 3am their time all freaked out today...guess its on all the channels?