Throwing off the yoke

Submitted by Lindsay
Melbourne Australia!

Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
John Bradshaw, quoted by Henry Randall in ‘The life of Thomas Jefferson’

(7/2019) Australia may have a population somewhere between that of Florida and Texas, but it punches above its weight in many areas. Some things, like medical research, are world-renowned; our sports competitors are among the greatest in many areas, and our supply of actors and programmers seems never-ending. Our commitment to upholding your foreign policies is legendary, and has helped endear us to a succession of presidents, especially your present one, while our purchase of unneeded (and undelivered) aircraft have helped keep the wheels of your industry turning while reducing your unemployment figures.

But our latest achievement reveals our newest achievement: Inducing fear.

It’s something that terrorist groups around the envy, and it has made President Trump jump up and take notice. And here’s the best part. It’s done under a banner that is also the envy of many: Democracy.

You may ask how is was possible that such a peace-loving, easygoing county like ours managed to arrive at such a terrible state. It seemed hardly possible; the moderates self-satisfied and not being able see past the values they grew up with, the lefties knowing that it had been introduced by the workers, and the righties resigned to the fact that it had been inherited from England so they had to live with it.

In the end it actually proved quite easy. Before the last election the conservatives almost accidentally put up a guy who majored in publicity, was someone who could be trusted to tell the truth – he’s a member of Hillsong, our contribution to pentacostalism – and who immediately saw what no one else did: that elections are not run on policy, plans, vision or ideals. You simply attack the opposition, rubbish them, lie about them, make them look like the wolf with sharpened teeth that’s coming to get them. You sell them magic, dreams of riches and peace; you plaster the message on every media available, who are happy to take the money, especially when they are now pretty much in Rupert Murdoch’s stable.

And it worked. Boy, did it ever. They won against all predictions, and whoosh, they suddenly had a mandate to bring their hidden dreams of righteous power and exclusivity into play.

It took about a week before we saw what was in store. The Australian Federal Police, our equivalent to your FBI, raided our national broadcaster, the ABC – a bit like your PBS, but funded by the government – and demanded everything they had on allegations that our special forces in Afghanistan had killed civilians while on duty. Some fifteen police spent over twelve hours scouring everything within reach, and some things that weren’t, taking away over 9,000 items for examination.

The alleged offence had been committed in 2017, and when no investigation had been undertaken by the government by the end of that year, one of the reporters approached the ABC in January 2018 and the story broke - to a few raised arms and groans. ‘We appreciate these things happen and although terrible, it is a war zone’.

Still nothing was done, because the government knew it was true. It showed how powerless they were to stop things like that, that the armed forces made mistakes, and to admit they were fallible would be another smear on their squeaky-clean parliamentary face. It remained ‘under review,’ until this raid. The ABC staff had no prior knowledge of it, and the minister responsible for the giant department that oversees such things was quick to assure us that he and the government had no idea it was going to happen. This was impossible, but smoke screens work.

Management and staff said they felt they were under attack, and experienced a wave of fear and horror.

Two days before this, the home of a senior political editor for channel seven had had her home raided for ‘material leaked from the Government defence department’ and marked Top Secret.

Just doing their job? A coincidence? Hardly, seeing this was just one week after the government was returned with their unexpected majority. Time to flex the muscles.

There was a storm of protest. Freedom of the press. Freedom of speech. Civil liberties, all were under attack. The message was clear. ‘Do what we want or we will make your life hell.’

Most people shrugged, as they somehow still trusted the government simply because they had won. Everyone who valued freedom started writing and rallying to stop it getting worse; It has always been eroded, but this was too much, an awakening shock.

Whistleblowers have been threatened with imprisonment, journalists have to reveal their sources or suffer the same fate, phone companies threatened they would be penalized if they did not allow access to their metadata.

There is no room for doubt. Their message is Do not mess with us. You have the right to do what you are told. Paris agreements are toilet paper. Sudden approval was given for huge open cut coal mine in the Galilee basin, the largest deposit probably in history, with rubbish coal that has no chance of making a profit for the Indian owners, but will generate jobs.

We are still in turmoil, unable to comprehend the leering face of brutality. We look at you with your Trump Tweets, brinkmanship foreign policy, off-the-cuff policies and shake out heads in bemusement. He’s a cuddly bear, a benign clown compared to our guys. No wonder he holds us in high esteem. The best illegal refugee barriers, the strongest media restrictions, a compliant press and an opposition in disarray.

He wants to know how we did it, how he can get away with beheading the moderates as we have.

We do not have a bill of rights, which has enabled you to repel most of the worst breaches, but his lies will be bigger, louder and attacking with ever growing ferocity all those who will not bow a knee to his dominion

Will he win in 2020? One hope nots. The world is beginning to turn away from tyrannical leaders – see Turkey – and surely we can mount a protest like the Hong Kong rising. That is the way. That is the message we have cringed away from opposing.

How about a million people surrounding the white house and shouting, "Out, out, we will not be enslaved by you." Are you up to that?

It would seem we are too emasculated for that, but we stand with you come what may. Time to man the barriers in the name of freedom and liberty.