Truth about terror?

If we read between the lines, what do we find out about the terror raids in Australia?

We learn that most of those arrested were not arrested for planning a terror attack but for belonging to banned organisations.

We learn that the media was tipped off. Very convenient that, because dawn raids make very good breakfast news.

What do we not learn?

What the plot is supposed to have been. Bar some vague stuff about railway stations.

What the evidence is. We'll never be told. The Aussies have learned from the British. You sweep up a bunch of undesirables, claim they were involved in some plot or other, refuse to discuss what the evidence was, and then wait for the press to lose interest before letting most of the guys involved go, and rendering some of the others to your pet torturers in Middle East shithole.

Dr Zen's cash is on the whole thing being at the most a question of some hotheads' blathering about blowing up Sydney rail station or maybe the Opera House. We know that the new powers permit the fuzz to pick up anyone who looks funny at the Harbour Bridge and visits a mosque.

Was it serious? We'll never know. We do know that our government are liars and cannot be trusted, and we do know that our press and TV are almost entirely supine.

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Worst of all in the recent repressive legislation that Howard has pushed through is the confirmation that in the event of a "terrorist threat", the army can go onto the street and are permitted to shoot to kill.

So all it takes is for big Johnny to cry "Al Qaeda" and it's no longer safe for anyone with the wrong colour skin to walk the streets of Melbourne or Sydney?

Jeez, I should take care. This blog could be interpreted as breaking the new terror laws. A guy was deported for demonstrating against Halliburton. Who knows whether I might find myself on a plane for suggesting that our antiterror laws are much more useful for suppressing dissent than they ever will be for suppressing terror.

posted by Dr Zen @ 8:02 pm