Re: [xmca] Sydney?

From: Andy Blunden (ablunden@mira.net)
Date: Tue Dec 13 2005 - 17:32:08 PST


     It's a weird and disgusting thing. One could ask, where in the
     world do you have race riots with girls in bikinis participating?
     Here's an article form the Sydney Morning Herald which has the most
     insightful commentary:
     [1]http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/where-the-other-fears-to-trea
     d/2005/12/12/1134235999890.html
     Keep in mind that Cronulla is a well-off, upper middle class suburb
     that probably votes for John Howard. But I am somewhat persuaded by
     arguments that it may be more productive to understand the events
     in terms of teenage gangs than in terms of race riots. There is
     surely though also an element in common with the events in Paris,
     the young Lebanese kids who feel excluded and resentful. And they
     have been "misbehaving". :)
     The next couple of days there have been "revenge riots" in the
     western suburbs, with the Lebanese kids "hitting back" by bashing
     perfectly innocent "Anglo Australians". I find the whole thing
     incredibly depressing. Hopefully the police are now on top of it.
     (Listen to me!)
     On top of this, when interviewed about the Cronulla mob, the PM,
     John Howard said that "people shouldn't take the law into their own
     hands"!! What he is referring to is that the mobs were supposedly
     retaliating against a group of Lebanese kids who bashed a group of
     "life savers" (i.e, bronzed, blonded surfies from the in-crowd in
     Cronulla), our esteemed Prime Minister chides the mob (his
     constituents) for "taking the law into their own hands"! Evidently
     it is the job of the police to bash up innocent Lebbos. He then
     went on to refuse to condemn people for (literally) wrapping
     themselves in the Australian flag while bashing people with beer
     bottles. "People have a right to express their love for their
     country through the Australian lag" he said!
     :(
     Andy
     At 11:40 AM 13/12/2005 -0300, you wrote:

     Horrible things are happening in Sydney. Is there any XMCAr there
     to share
     some CHAT thoughts about what's going on?

     David D. Preiss Ph.D.

    Andy Blunden, on behalf of the Victorian Peace Network, Phone (+61)
                                03-9380 9435
             Alexander Surmava's Tour - September/October 2006
         [2]http://ethicalpolitics.org/alexander-surmava/index.htm

References

   1. http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/where-the-other-fears-to-tread/2005/12/12/1134235999890.html
   2. http://ethicalpolitics.org/alexander-surmava/index.htm
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