Here comes Australia Day
Had a little moment of hope and pride, reading this morning about practical responses to the Sydney race riot of 2005: Anglo women volunteered as English teachers, Muslim women volunteered as surf lifesavers.
Then Tony Abbot went and &*%*&%ed it up for me by characterising migrants as criminals. Thanks for that, mate. ("Migrants" here is code for Lebanese Muslims. ETA: Text of the speech here.)
What's more, shock jock Alan Jones is still trying to wriggle out of the apology and damages he owes for his attacks on Lebanese Muslims, which contributed to the riot.
I'm going to stop reading the newspaper for a little while, so since I'm here, have some more Australian news:
Another example of why it's in white peoples' best interests to oppose racism: India could warn students to avoid Australia. That's a $15 billion a year industry at risk. Already the number of Indians applying for visas to study in Australia has fallen by almost half.
Former police commissioner links attacks on Indian students to the Cronulla riots. "I sense in relation to the spate of attacks on largely Indian people in Melbourne and elsewhere, Australians are very concerned and disinclined to downplay - much less dismiss - the potential racist elements in what is becoming a litany of criminality."
To stop boats of asylum seekers arriving, Australia needs to make an arrangement with Indonesia for the orderly processing and acceptance of refugees. Instead, we make dodgy deals, inspiring other countries to "flout international refugee law".
Meanwhile, Indigenous Australians continue to suffer from illnesses largely unknown in the developed world, such as rheumatic heart disease and trachoma.
Ugggghh, I think I'll go back and read that first, hopeful news item again.
Then Tony Abbot went and &*%*&%ed it up for me by characterising migrants as criminals. Thanks for that, mate. ("Migrants" here is code for Lebanese Muslims. ETA: Text of the speech here.)
What's more, shock jock Alan Jones is still trying to wriggle out of the apology and damages he owes for his attacks on Lebanese Muslims, which contributed to the riot.
I'm going to stop reading the newspaper for a little while, so since I'm here, have some more Australian news:
Another example of why it's in white peoples' best interests to oppose racism: India could warn students to avoid Australia. That's a $15 billion a year industry at risk. Already the number of Indians applying for visas to study in Australia has fallen by almost half.
Former police commissioner links attacks on Indian students to the Cronulla riots. "I sense in relation to the spate of attacks on largely Indian people in Melbourne and elsewhere, Australians are very concerned and disinclined to downplay - much less dismiss - the potential racist elements in what is becoming a litany of criminality."
To stop boats of asylum seekers arriving, Australia needs to make an arrangement with Indonesia for the orderly processing and acceptance of refugees. Instead, we make dodgy deals, inspiring other countries to "flout international refugee law".
Meanwhile, Indigenous Australians continue to suffer from illnesses largely unknown in the developed world, such as rheumatic heart disease and trachoma.
Ugggghh, I think I'll go back and read that first, hopeful news item again.