Hot on the forum
Magazine
Ryan Heath’s ‘Is This 21st Century Islam?’ generated the most comments last week:
There is some interesting points in there Ryan but making them from a pedestal a few tiers down may have more effect….(toconnor)
Ryan, very thoughtful piece of writing about the desperate need to educate Muslims on the standards of public behaviour expected in the West, especially if they really want to be treated as one of us. (Denise)
Ryan, You seem to be a zealot for "free speech". Tolerance and community values can only be fostered when the media play a role in providing balanced commentary. I don’t see this in the cartoons… (Corin)
The truth is, free speech is already being eroded; this is not an issue of free speech but one of manufacturing consent for yet another bloody war (Derek)
Read more comments here.
This issue was further discussed after Sudip Sen’s article: ‘Hateful Cartoons and Nasty Views’:
Who benefits from polarizing the discourses, from pushing the wide band of greys out of sight? (Giorgio)
The Americans want to lengthen the war and the Islamists want to broaden it. These silly cartoons came handy to recruite suicide bombers all over the world (akrautloher)
Read more comments here.
Human Rights Act Campaign
Last November Architects for Peace launched a petition/letter against the anti-terrorism legislation.
Beautriz, I think a National Protest Day is necessary. I envisage the good people of Australia assembling peacefully in order to,each in turn, read a section of the Declaration of Independence from the steps of every Courthouse accross Australia.
A mass rejection of this legislation should prompt the unaware that their basic liberties are imperilled. (PaulD.)
Read the post, with links to the petition, here.
Policy
Comments on John Mendadue’s article: ‘Subsidising Private Health Insurance’:
As John Menadue has pointed out (New Matilda, 8/2) in Australia, unlike the USA, health funds passively pass on health costs without any concern about cost-effectiveness. We end up with the worst of the US private health care system (escalating costs and insurance premiums) without any of the benefits (the use of market power to moderate prices through managed care). The Howard government’s only response has been to subsidise this craziness with public money (KJHarvey)
I also don’t quite get the purpose of monitoring events carefully. This government and the previous Labor governments have been doing corporate welfare for yonks. Do we per chance imagine that this case would be any different? (Giorgio)
Feedback on New Matilda’s polls:
Please get rid of the polls. They trivialise the issues and remind me of push polling carried out by second rate current affairs programs. Surely the reason for this magazine is to look past the knee jerk reaction and see an issue in all it’s complexities. I expect better from Matilda. (thesnow55)
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