Wednesday, August 01, 2007

The government wants to give police and law agencies new secret search powers.

I find this really scary, perhaps because of reading Stasiland and 1984, perhaps because I watched the Cutting Edge program last night called "Spying on the Home Front," perhaps because it seems like rights and freedoms are being stripped away and abused without anyone in the government complaining...

And no, it's not because I'm involved in illegal activities (I think the closest I've come to doing something illegal lately was putting a foot briefly on the seat in front of me in the train while trying to get some balance for drawing and then I remembered it's an offense to do so and quickly removing it - humble apologies to Connex! (but would it kill you to have smoother-running trains??)).

It's because it's draconian and insane and invasive. What are we going to become, Australia? A country where we're encouraged to spy on each other, mistrust everyone and use the "It's maybe a terrorist! Get them!" excuse every time rights are eroded? We're a western democracy. We do not need the secret police.

You can check out other people's thoughts about this on the SMH NewsBlog.

18 comments:

Dominique said...

Don't worry I am sure they do it for our own good. Like when you take a dogs balls we tell him it is for his own good; when really we just don't want to have to pay the huge fee.

It is a way to control and brainwash the masses. Only problem is with those wankers pulling the strings I fear the worst for our great land

Della said...

I have to agree about fears for the worst for Australia. It's kind of weird and scary when there's almost more to be afraid of from the government than terrorists (who probably look at laws being introduced in Western democracies and think, "Meh, what do we need to do when they're doing it all themselves? Let's just stay in these nice caves in Afghanistan and drink camel's milk.").

Dominique said...

Hehe yeap; though if we take of our rose coloured glasses we'd discover that the government has been screwing us over from ages ago. It is not just a recent thing.

Della said...

No, it's just that more and more people are seeing it now, I think. It's been bad for years. I really hope this proposed bill doesn't make it through parliament. The direction our country is heading in is enormously depressing :(

Dominique said...

Come though it is not like we have not been warned where it was heading. It is just that now it is snowballing and we feel powerless to stop it.

Della said...

There have been conspiracy theories and novels and movies and academic thought about these kind of things around about pretty much every government for ages and ages. I think it comes back to "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." That's why it's important that governments change every now and then, as much as some people hate one leading party or the other. It helps to maintain a balance and hopefully prevent things from swinging too far to the right or left.

Are we powerless to stop it? I think that's the funny thing. The governments are actually meant to represent the PEOPLE. But I think they forget that and it just ends up being about what will get them the most power (and perhaps the most corruption because of that power...).

Dominique said...

There have also been prophets that have predicted this.

Governments don't represnt the people. They have a higher more powerful boss

Della said...

If you mean governments represent God, I'd have disagree. Democracy isn't something that stemmed from a religious basis, although many laws we have are based on laws God created.

Unless you mean the more powerful boss is greed... In that case, yes, they do represent that quite well.

Dominique said...

wash your mouth out with soap! If you think the government and God are linked your worshiping the wrong god.

Della said...

*lol* Or at least wash my fingers off with soap for typing it...

Dominique said...

yes that too... can we floss out the brain which thought it whilst we are at it? :P

Della said...

Not sure that would work...

Although the talk of flossing reminds me of my dentist appointment tomorrow. Argh!! She's going to kill me for not going to the orthodontic surgeon yet.

Dominique said...

mmm... I should do that sometime too...I keep putting it off as I already know what he is going to say.

but as I havn't been since I quit college I should go

Della said...

Yes, you should go! And hopefully your dentist won't beat you with a drill for not visiting him earlier.

I hate disappointing my dentist. She's absolutely lovely and the best dentist I've ever had in my entire life. It makes me feel really guilty!

Dominique said...

My dentist is the only dentist for my entire life thus I know what he is going to say so well

I am 25 if I havn't figured out how to brush my teeth properly by now I never will. I would like to point out I have less fillings than miss perfect who brushes hers properly.

Della said...

*lol* Less fillings because you've been to the dentist less often? ;)

My teeth health has been cruddy since moving to Victoria. And I brush and floss and so on. Prolly just need to get the wisdom teeth taken out.

Dominique said...

I hate wisdom teeth; mine still aren't through properly yet; and every month or so they move on my and that hurts so much. Last time I couldn't eat for like a 2 weeks

Della said...

They're disgustingly painful objects :( And they can rot the teeth next to them - I think that's my biggest "Eek!" thing.