Todays Editorial from the POLITICOZ email. Australia is living in interesting times but also alarmest and as the title suggests dumb times. This reminds me of that old story about the boy who kept shouting fire until the day there was a fire and nobody believed him. He didnt live to shout fire again. -------------------------- Dumb Things The terrifying sword seized during the unprecedented terrorism raids across Sydney last month turned out to be a decorative plastic item that can be found in most Shiite households. Yet 21-year-old Mustafa Dirana, from whose parents home the sword was seized during an eight-hour search, was detained as a terrorist suspect before being released without charge. The sword was breathlessly linked by tabloid media to the alleged plot to behead a random member of the Australian public. The AFPs arrest and detention of Dr Muhamed Haneef in July 2007 was also based on completely deficient evidence. But the AFP now wants even fewer constraints on its new powers, to be granted as part of the Abbott governments sweeping legislative changes. Omarjan Azari, 22, remains in custody on AFP-obtained evidence that he had a single phone call between 8 May and 17 September with Mohammad Baryalei, but the widely-reported references to beheading were, it soon emerged, also entirely fabricated. As was the prime ministers allegation that Hizb ut-Tahrir – whose spokesperson Wassim Doureihi was extraordinarily interrogated on Lateline this week – planned to import foreign preachers of hate. Tony Abbotts earlier advocacy of free speech has now morphed into an intention to introduce tougher hate-speech laws against radical Islamists, but experts say de-radicalisation programs are more effective than prohibitions. Meanwhile, the only people actually being attacked during Australias heightened terrorism alert are Muslim women. Russell Marks Editor
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 04:04:20 +0000
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