Posted on 12/18/2005 11:16:14 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
SYDNEY is suddenly a city of police and rumours. Only the other day we were basking in fresh accolades for a city rated among the most liveable in the world. And now the world is watching with us these unimaginable scenes of roadblocks, searches, arrests and massed police patrolling half-deserted beaches.
Time and the courts will decide how effective the police were this weekend. For now, these past few days will be remembered as the first time in the history of this city that a trip to the beach meant passing a cordon of fully armed police.
Rumours were everywhere - rumours of deaths and bombings, rumours of a convoy on the way from Melbourne, rumours that this or that beach will be the next to be locked down. For days the city has been feeding on rumours and ugly text messages. Anything seems possible - any trouble and any police retaliation.
And we took it so calmly. For months there has been a controversy over the tough new stop-and-search powers in John Howard's latest package of anti-terrorism legislation. They are nothing to this. Yesterday Sydney showed extraordinary patience in the face of customary rights overturned.
Boots were opened, cars searched, people questioned, mobile phones inspected, with hardly a protest across the city. What we saw in operation was something not often acknowledged by Australians: we are an obedient people. We don't like politicians much, but we trust governments and the police. We do what they say.
Jane, from Coogee, was surprised to find three police on her bus asking to inspect mobile phones. Each took a phone at random and scrolled through messages for five or ten minutes. Everyone obeyed. "The people were perfectly friendly about it," she said. "I thought it was a bit weird and a breach of privacy. But I didn't say anything. Nobody did."
At least for now, Sydney has given the police the benefit of the doubt. But the question left hanging is how far the city's obedience can be pushed.
The Premier, Morris Iemma, is talking about a "long, hard fight" ahead, perhaps all summer, to make the streets "safe for all peace-loving citizens".
So how long are we going to put up with police cordons between us and the surf? Jane was startled by the police on her bus, but she's already getting used to it. "It could go on."
They were trying to do it piece-meal. They wanted to establish muslim ghettos that could be incubators for what you propose. If future immigrants from the muslim world were not settling in these ghettos, they could be better assimilated into western culture. This would diminish the aility to contol and brainwashg the muslim immigrants into jihad. The goal is to create no-go enclaves of radical islam that will be the seeds of jihad.
Thanks for that amazing story you cited from Aussieland. We are nearing that situation here in our major cities, due to multiculturalism, open borders and PC communications--all backed by the RATs.
The article is helpful, but out of nearly 40,000 words, Muslim only comes up 5 times. Are they, or are they not, the problem?
There was NOTHING WRONG with Japanese "internment camps". The Japanese "Americans" had problems with divided loyalty. I say we need just the "camps" for Moslems today!
People are a lot smarter than given credit for, they know that there are times when things have to be done that nobody likes. The paranoids who think rights are being "taken away" simply don't understand that extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures.
So I believe the right to crack down on this violence to protect innocent people is right.
Then why not German internment camps? Weren't their loyalties divided too?
The Germans did not ATTACK PEARL HARBOR!
It's somewhat ironic that Australia has a conservative government which has dropped the ball on this issue, much like Bush dropped the ball on illegal immigration.
The politicians don't seem to understand that if government doesn't do its job, then the people will take the law into their own hands.
No, at some point you have to put a stop to police searches without probable cause. I know laws are different there, but if a cop here asked to rifle through my cell phone, I'd tell him to go try to get a warrant.
Do you mean Italians? The Russians were on our side.
Good question. Are Muslims the problem, or is that we are just unable to effectively deal with Muslims, or any other uncivilized people, because of our penchant for political correctness?
They weren't in the cold war.
But yes! Should the Italians been interned?
Especially the ones who were born here. Especially after they were imprisoned for existing. And especially after the government forced them to sell their property to whites at 'fire sale' prices (the Nazis did exactly the same thing to the Jews).
Actually several thousand Germans & Italians were in fact interned during the war.
But are they protecting the innocent, or are they protecting order at the expense of the innocent as well as the guilty? The problem with stopping 'disorder' is that 'disorder' is the dictator's word for 'freedom'.
Sounds like the bully pulpit is going to get a good workout starting tonight.
Thank you for the information.
But it wasn't equitable.
I can't wait to hear Bush tonight.
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