Today, the news was full of Australia’s latest salvo in the quest to ‘stop the boats’.
Our elected government stopped a boat full of Sri Lankan asylum seekers, processed them via a tele-conference hookup, and gave them back to the Sri Lankan authorities. No care. No responsibility. No compassion.
I don’t know what the answer is to stopping people from dying in leaky boats…but I do know that saving lives is not my government’s primary concern.
I did not vote for them, but I am responsible for the evil they do in my name. I am so ashamed.
Meeks
Meeka's Mind 
July 19th, 2014 at 7:01 pm
I don’t believe you’re responsible for the acts of your government. If I believed that I wouldn’t be able to lift my head up or get out of bed. My government’s actions are depressing enough without feelings of personal responsibility for things outside of my control.
You use your voice, even though it’s not enough. But it’s all you can do.
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July 20th, 2014 at 10:23 pm
Or maybe I don’t try hard enough to change this culture that’s slowly turning toxic. 😦
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July 23rd, 2014 at 6:29 pm
Follow your heart, not your guilt.
I already have my cause and it’s more than I can handle as it is. 😉
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July 24th, 2014 at 8:42 am
Your cause centres on three, wonderful kids. At this point in my life? I’m not sure I’m really following any one cause.:/
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July 27th, 2014 at 7:08 pm
My cause started with three wonderful kids. I have since realized that if I want my kids to grow up in a world where they can live the lives I want them to be able to have, then the other people who are like them should be able to share in those kinds of lives, too. I have to change the world.
…If only I had the ego to match my ambition. *sigh*
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July 27th, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Changing the world is such a huge ambition I’m glad you don’t have a matching ego!!!!! -grin- But I know exactly what you meant by that. -hugs-
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July 30th, 2014 at 7:25 am
Good point. Ego was not a good word for it. Big egos are what gets so many people in so much trouble–and turns something that should be good into something that’s closer to evil (or is downright evil).
I have the conviction, but I lack the confidence that creates the sense of presence that allows someone to stand before a crowd and sway them.
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July 30th, 2014 at 7:17 pm
Sadly, I lack that confidence too. Maybe that’s why we were given the gift of words on paper/pixels. 🙂
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August 5th, 2014 at 9:41 pm
Yes, the gift of the written word is very important, but in today’s world the people who succeed most easily are those that can do both.
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July 9th, 2014 at 6:30 am
It’s not the answer, and I agree I’m not sure what is, if there is, a perfect answer. I’d like to see serious penalties against the people orchestrating the business, and more responsibility upon the originating nations whose environment forces people to risk everything on flimsy, desperate chances. I have nothing but compassion for the asylum seekers, it might seem unimaginable but we can’t ever kid ourselves it won’t be us.
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July 9th, 2014 at 8:52 am
The hell of it is that places like Indonesia get swamped with refugees and have less resources to deal with them than we do. I can understand them turning a blind eye to people smugglers, just to move some of the refugees on.
But where can so many refugees move on to? How many countries on earth still have populations low enough to need so many new bodies?
The more I think about it the worse the whole thing becomes. 😦
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July 9th, 2014 at 1:50 am
Each country must have a set of rules that govern their behaviour towards political refugees. If those standards aren’t held to they could be taken to court though it would need a Newspaper with resources to do that. Alternatively, you could use the causes site to start a petition which when it reached 10,000 signatures could be presented to Parliament.
If it could be delivered to say the PM with maximum publicity via a paper they’d know how the voters feel .
There are obviously people who will be returned to their own Countries but those who do have a valid case will be heard and maybe a problem in the original country highlighted that could be put right.
There are never easy answers but there has to be some mercy displayed.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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July 9th, 2014 at 8:45 am
The problem is that the boat people have been painted as queue jumpers who can afford to bypass the ‘system’, and hence don’t deserve as much compassion as those still stuck in the camps because they /don’t/ have money to buy their way out.
On the one hand, I also think it’s unfair on the people in the camps, but…surely anyone desperate enough [for whatever reason] to risk their lives and the lives of their children on boats deserve to be treated as human beings.
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July 9th, 2014 at 8:47 am
In the 70’s Canada accepted many Vietnamese boat people. They have become hard-working, upstanding citizens.
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July 10th, 2014 at 9:38 pm
Yeah, we took in a lot of Vietnamese boat people too. Seems times have changed. 😦
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July 9th, 2014 at 1:24 am
Unfortunately these situations are the rule rather than the exception, not only in Australia but among all first nations governments. We are evolving as a species (I have to believe that) but seem to not have reached a stage of true brotherhood, equality and compassion.
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July 9th, 2014 at 8:39 am
Yeah, having seen that pic posted by Pinky I’ve realised this is a global problem. There have been great migrations in the past, but they happened on foot or horseback, and at the point of a sword. I just hope we don’t devolve back to that. 😦
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July 8th, 2014 at 8:20 pm
This is so horribly complicated. Here we have something monstrous and inhumane called the Melilla Border Fence: http://images.eldiario.es/desalambre/inmigracion/Melilla-Marruecos-Fotografia-Blasco-Avellaneda_EDIIMA20131108_0108_14.jpg
It’s like an animal trap with blades, barbed wire and six metre high fences- and it’s designed to stop Africans trying to cross into Spanish territory.
Every day hundreds of people try to get over it, many are seriously injured in the process, some die.
It’s obviously not the solution- at the same time, I don’t know what could be a solution.
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July 9th, 2014 at 8:16 am
I had a look at that pic – and shuddered. Siege mentality on our side, and reckless desperation on theirs. 😦
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July 9th, 2014 at 9:08 am
I sent you a far-away nice picture. Trust me, you don’t want to see anything up-close.
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July 10th, 2014 at 9:39 pm
I think you’re right, what I saw was scary enough. I hate to think how long someone would have to wait for help – assuming anyone noticed in the first place. 😦
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