This entry was posted on Thursday, October 27th, 2005 at 9:29 am and is filed under The War on Stupid.


Sometimes it seems like the whole Western world is playing this game: The so-called anti-terror legislation is similarly eviscerating of individual rights, which is no surprise. Not only are your conversations with your lawyer no longer privileged, they must be in English or translated and provided to the police. If you’re arrested under these laws you can’t talk about it. If you talk about it, you go to jail. Of course, you’re already in jail, but even if you get out you can’t talk about it. You have no recourse, ever. Fired because you’ve been arrested and released? Tough. Can’t get a job again? Tough. In two weeks, the Senate will debate these laws, and while I think we can expect Howard to make a few concessions as a result of Jon Stanhope’s pre-emptive action, they won’t amount to much and the laws will go into effect. Life imprisonment for giving money to a charity that turns out to be a front for terrorists. Non-sitting judges issuing detention orders, no review of evidence or charges by your lawyer. And slagging off the Queen is a terrorist crime. Is this what the once-free world has come to? And I thought the USA Patriot Act was bad.

Get more from the Greens here and here.

(Via Katie, who has noticed something a lot of bloggers have in common.)