And the police state lurches ever closer, with the SMH today reporting on proposed legislation for “New secret search powers”. The proposed powers would give police the right to execute search, seizure and surveillance under so-called “delayed notification warrants”, without… Read More ›
culture wars
Broadly, conservatism vs progressives / social liberties vs authoritarianism / social justice vs elitist marginalisation.
Andrews on Haneef
Kevin Andrews offers some explanation of the previously secret information upon which he relied. Mr Andrews said the AFP had told him before making his visa decision that police suspected the internet conversation may be evidence Dr Haneef had prior… Read More ›
Linkalicious: Big Tuesday Edition
A veritable smorgasbord for you! 1. “Intimate Politics: A Roundtable”: a downloadable podcast of a panel of feminist scholars and their reactions (not book reviews, but further musings) to the book Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for… Read More ›
Today’s talkback army talking points
In response to Dr Mohammed Haneef’s interview last night on 60 minutes: Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? He was only inconvenienced for 4 weeks. Everyone makes mistakes, and it’s all been corrected now. Sure he was incarcerated,… Read More ›
Saturday Three: Health Successes, Virtual Gudjal, and CDEP Cessation Silliness
[Image credit: FPWA, via ANTaR] ANTaR, Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, is an independent network of organisations and individuals (mostly non-indigenous) working in support of justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. Check out ANTaR’s Success… Read More ›
“I’m so sorry, my wife has made a mistake”
This is all I could think of when I heard the news that the supporting terrorism charges against Haneef have been dropped. (The first few minutes especially.) So many half-arsed assumptions and incompetent deductions. A spokesman for Scotland Yard would… Read More ›
Why so offended? It’s not like I said any bad words!
When people on the right complain about political correctness, I’m reminded how happy I am about the trade we’ve made over the last few decades – it’s more acceptable to use naughty sexual expressions, and less acceptable to use bigoted terms for women and minorities. Which is great, because it’s more fun and better for society to talk about sex (and to cuss) than it is to say bigoted things about women and minorities.
Neat graffiti
Via counterclockwise at Flickr, a neat bit of street art.
ACT parliament improves its mother-friendliness
[Image credit: The Age, “Charlotte Makes a Meal of Question Time“] Cheers to the ACT parliament for becoming the first parliament in Australia to get Australian Breastfeeding Association accreditation as a breastfeeding-friendly workplace, as reported in IBN News. The ABA… Read More ›
Our own desert places
I have succumbed to the July lurgy, so today: an invitation to join me in Stuff I Have Been Reading. Don’t miss the stuff below the cut. Jane Simpson is amazing. Aboriginal Poets We are tired of the benches, our… Read More ›
Hoyden About Town 