22 September 2006

Siev X Memorial

| kimba
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I was wondering what Rioters thought about the Siev X Memorial that is being assembled in Weston Park.

Soon we’ll have 300 decorated poles in the park to ‘honour’ the 353 people who drowned on the ‘refugee’ boat Siev X.

While, perhaps, commendable where will it all end? I wonder why the same people didn’t erect 2,948 poles as a memorial for those who died in September 11. Or perhaps 270 poles as a memorial when Pam AM 103 was blasted out of the sky over Lockerbie. Of course there is also the London Bombings which killed 56 people. Perhaps these aren’t politically correct enough to have poles erected in Canberra.

Again I ask where does it end and who decides what human tragedy is ‘honoured’ over another.

I also note Nero Stanhope will be the guest speaker at the Siev X Memorial Ceremony, say no more. Another chance for us to learn more about his black armband theory of history.

Perhaps Rioters could suggest other world events that could be dedicated in Weston Park.

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caf – who was the pathetic little muppet that posted “This memorial is a slight on our servicemen and women that volunteered to protect our country.” I could’t be fagged reading through half of the lame-arsed posted to find it but it sure as hell deserves some serious ridicule.

The Governmnets policy on the whole sordid business is essentially good old fashions pinko protectionism veiled as right-wing border security. Its inconsistent to cherry-pick the free trade agenda goodies: free movement of product and capital whilst hampering the free movement of labour.

Its interesting to see some of the dimmer posts bandying about the term economic migrant – probably in ignorance of the fact that so-called economic migrants are already flooding into the country at rates that make the the previous Labour Govt. look like anti-immigration bastards.

Parroting the lame ‘economic migrant’ spin and palming it off as your opinion only reveals you as a maggot – and unless you’re goin fishing, no one like a maggot.

quoting.. “This memorial is a slight on our servicemen and women that volunteered to protect our country.”

Sorry, I can’t let that ridiculous, overblown piece of jingoistic claptrap rest unanswered. It’s bollocks. Putting up a memorial doesn’t say “we were responsible”, it doesn’t say “the navy was responsible”, all it says was “these people died in tragic circumstances, and not all of us here are such callous bastards that we applauded it”. That’s a sentiment I’m happy to stand behind.

Pity that they probably can’t speak much English, may be criminals or terrorists, may be carrying some nasty disease…….

I can’t imagine many of them being plumbers either. If they were, then they would have been better to apply for a visa through the approriate channels, instead of paying some crook a shitload of money for a place on a boat no sane person would step onto, or allow their children to step on to.

…And while I’m on it, what is so bloody terrible about refusing to accept your “lot” and looking for something better. If a kid from a poor, neglected background rises above it all, gets into uni, gets a degree, gets a good job and escapes his life of poverty, people fall over themselves to say how great he is. Put some poor reffo looking for a better life for themselves and their family in an analogous situation and they’re a queue jumper.

Hey – I’m happy to take a few “economic refugees” with the nous to do the deals, bribe the right people and get on a boat. Shows a can-do attitude in my opinion.

Maybe a few more “queue jumping plumbers” will mean I can get my drains eeled without selling a kidney.

I don’t think people are trying to glorify the deaths, but the reality is that many of those who drowned were actuallu economic refugees. That doesn’t change things, it’s just a fact.

Seepi – HELL YES! Manky corpses make top FASs (Fish attracting structures), so running a slug or soft plastic past a few grotie floaty boaties could result in the catch of a lifetime. Think what that could do for tourism! And no drain on the taxpayer either.
I wonder is anyone would mind if some artistic soul took a chainsaw to the monument and then said “That was to symbolise people being cut down in their prime” (then had a barby using the wood as fuel)

Whoever is to blame it was a tragic event.
If these kids were drowning right next to you at Sydney Harbour would you still revil in their deaths?

Big Al,

I’ve got no problem with people using their money and nous to get here, but don’t call them refugees. They are attempted economic migrants.

I believe that we should and do help those poor bastards who are stuck in a some camp with nothing but the clothes on their back, rather than someone who thinks that Pakistan is a toilet, so they sell up their plumbing business and decide to head here, and use up shitloads of taxpayer money attempting to convince us that they are, in fact, a poor Afghan.

Why the fuck should Australia be blamed for these people deciding to pay criminals for a ride in a leaky boat?

Absent Diane12:59 pm 24 Sep 06

Hey Pandy – who did you get to type that comment for you… because surely your too stupid to type it yourself.

I want the treehouses back. I wish they’d do that with the bloody poles, instead of making a pleasant park some kind of symbolic international political statement.

300 Poles! Wasn’t it mainly Afgans and Kurds?

Yeah that’s right Pandy, we only want the ones that can afford to fly here.

I just don’t see the problem with doing what it takes to get yourself out of trouble. Hell, there’s a myriad of Jews who didn’t end up in the gas chamber because they did what was necessary to get to safety – using your logic it’s impossible to argue that they weren’t also selfish queue-jumping reffo’s.

Pandy are you from BigotBri?
A lot of the SIEV X drowned were children. It is horrific if real Australians think that is a good thing.
don’t count me in with your real australians.

Jesus Big AL,
If I pay a bribe to get a deal done, well its only busines and there is nothing wrong with that.

Get real! I have no sympathy for reffos who come here by leaky boat and then drown. They are not the kind of people that real Australians want.

Mr Confused (X or Y) asks “Who is more deserving of asylum? Someone who can afford to pay up to $30k to come here, or someone who has been languishing in a refugee camp in the Sudan for the 13 yrs of their life, because they really can’t go “home”?”

If you asked me it would be the chap prepared to pull together the readies and do the deals to get where he wants to go instead of languishing like some helpless victim in a refugee camp in some shit hole. I don’t buy the emotive rhetoric of “people smugglers” used to skew the opinion of a section of the community too stupid to make up their minds for themselves – business is business – you don’t have to like it, but it helps to engage your head before you let your arse do the thinking.

‘We get to honour a Suspect Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV for short). Cool, let’s just glorify the crime of people smuggling.’

VYBerlinaV8 for the record Charles Kingsford Smith was charged and so convicted for attempting to evade Customs duty. A criminal, albeit a national hero, who has Sydney airport, the old $20 notes, roads, monuments named in his honour. Get a sense of history! Not that I think attempting to defraud public funds is in the same league as refugee arrivals. The latter at least will be interpreted by history (long after you and I are gone) for the arbitrary cruelty with which this government has played politics with people coming here to ask for our help.

Big Al, asylum is for people who are in real danger of being persecuted: not idiots who pay a people-smuggler $10 000 just because they want to come and live in Australia because it’s better than elsewhere!

Well said Mr Evil.

Who is more deserving of asylum? Someone who can afford to pay up to $30k to come here, or someone who has been languishing in a refugee camp in the Sudan for the 13 yrs of their life, because they really can’t go “home”?

Why not just build the Siev-X memorial Dragway/ Super School and be done with it ?

Vic Bitterman10:29 pm 22 Sep 06

300 odd poles of celebration.

Celebration as it represents the number of illegal immegrants who did not land on our shores.

I’ll drink to that.

I am going to take my dog there. He needs to take a piss.

COOL!! If there’s an interactive exhibit where you get to drown an illegal immigrant then stick a pole thru his head I’m in!!

COOL!! If there’s an interact exhibit where you get to drown an illegal immigrant then stick a pole thru his head I’m in!!

Why is it that a non-issue like school closures seems to infect just about every thread these days. Get over it people.

I’d like to build a memorial to the 40 odd schools which are being closed in the next few years. What would be an appropriate memorial and where would it be placed?

At the moment I’m leaning towards 40 large blackboard dusters (do they still use them?) in Glebe Park. Any better ideas than that?

Absent Diane4:38 pm 22 Sep 06

Bonfire – I am actually not that left (i don’t consider myself solidly aligned with any political agenda) … infact given the uselessness of the current Fed ALP.. if costello were the leader of the libs I would consider voting for them in an election.

I think Mr Evil summed it up nicely –

“Why didn’t the Uniting Church give them some ground at one of their many churches?”

and what happens when 100 community groups want to erect memorials in Canberra’s parks that aren’t even related to Canberra or Australia for that matter ? (besides them attempting to get here).

Big Al, asylum is for people who are in real danger of being persecuted: not idiots who pay a people-smuggler $10 000 just because they want to come and live in Australia because it’s better than elsewhere!

300 poles = pretty innocuous
dragway = noisy, expensive + annoying

“They chose to attempt illegal entry into Australia on a dodgy boat, and unfortunately it cost them dearly.”

Leaving behind the bullshit wrapped up as conservative migration policy to appease a minority of shit-bag wannabe right-wingers and the fact that it’s not actually illegal to present yourself at the Australian boarder and ask for asylum, I think that this cuts to the core of the debate – The words “they chose” are poignant. The sad reality is, that people prepared to take such risks and give up everything they have to become an Australian citizen are in all probability far more deserving of the coterie of maggots who got a guernsey simply by sticking the head out from between their mothers legs on Australian soil.

As far as a memorial goes, this is just another of Stanhopes stupid pokes at the Feds – he needs these sorts of soapboxes now that they wont let him officiate at Citizenship ceremonies anymore.

AD is a left good, liberal bad softhead.

Logic has no place in their world view.

You have more chance of teaching a quokka to play bridge than holding a rational debate with these people.

Weston park is pretty big. If a community group wants to do this then why not?

So it would be alright to put the dragway in Weston Park, then?

So local issues like education, health and good financial management don’t mean anything to you then, AD?

Absent Diane isn’t an ALP/Union stooge/staffer I’ll dance naked around the poles!!!

Absent Diane4:12 pm 22 Sep 06

so i support his bigger picture ideals. perfectly good reason to vote for someone in my books.

Good work again, AD: Vote for someone’s anti-Federal Govt soapbox antics, rather than their ability in dealing with the real issues that affect the ACT. This is the reason we have this fuckwit ‘running’ the ACT now.

I’m a community group, and I’d like to build a 50ft high memorial to Jim Morrison – can I have some public space too?

Absent Diane4:06 pm 22 Sep 06

HAHAHA – touche BK!!

…and can i just say, you people complain about EVERYTHING!

yes, very angry people.

calm down, it’s a park, there are lots of parks…

get over it.

Absent Diane3:55 pm 22 Sep 06

I will be voting again for stanhope purely on his annoy howard campaign. I think its fucking hilarious.

who said ‘responsible’?
Weston park is pretty big. If a community group wants to do this then why not?
It is very sad if this would happen exactly the same if it occurred right now, which seems to be the jist of the more explanatory posts above.

so many angry, angry people.

“why not stick the memorial in his own office so he can bat off over it “

I suspect much batting off goes on in Stanhope’s office.

“Admittedly, the ACT Government would have had to approve the placement of the memorial, but as far as I can see there aren’t any public $$$ being spent on the project.”

Well, that’s the only good thing about this project – taxpayer’s money apparently wasn’t wasted on the stupid thing.

It’s still wrong that a chunk of Weston Park was given to the group though. Why didn’t the Uniting Church give them some ground at one of their many churches?

So, congratulations, guys, you’ve just been attacking the wrong guy for around six hours.

Will we see the rush of apologies or admissions that you were wrong?

Nope, of course not.

For what it’s worth, this wasn’t commissioned by the ACT Government. From the official website:

Who is building the memorial?

A group of friends based in the Uniting Church, but including many streams of belief and activism, lead and funded by author and psychologist Steve Biddulph. Beth Gibbings is the project officer, and Rev. Rod Horsfield the co-founder and elder of the project. We have been working now for three years, helped by many generous specialists in landscape, archiving, community art, education and so on.

Admittedly, the ACT Government would have had to approve the placement of the memorial, but as far as I can see there aren’t any public $$$ being spent on the project.

and leave parks alone for what they were designed for (families, kids running around, bbqs, etc)… get real !!!! thats valuable memorial space !!

If Stanhope has so much concern for it, why not stick the memorial in his own office so he can bat off over it every time he feels a surge of ‘humanitarianism’.

Good work, AD.

So tell me why we are wasting money and time on building a memorial to something that has nothing to do with the ACT?

Absent Diane2:56 pm 22 Sep 06

I can’t see a problem with it. Ye again more mindless anti-stanhope dribble.

No VY, we murdered those people, so we must be reminded about it constantly! 🙂

How about a Peter Brock Memorial?

Why don’t we just leave Weston Park as a nice place for families and friends to have picnics and barbeques?

Coppers log ? – more like tomato stake 🙂

“In all my mucho-ism ( wherever it has gone) I would like to saythere is only one pole I wanna see erected – and thats not at weston park.”

So long as it’s not a twig. 🙂

I’ve got another worthy cause to erect a memorial to – Sunday Bloody Sunday.

In all my mucho-ism ( wherever it has gone) I would like to saythere is only one pole I wanna see erected – and thats not at weston park.

Well said, Bonfire.

barking toad1:44 pm 22 Sep 06

words fucking fail me

anyone who thinks the australian govt was responsible for that boat sinking and subsequent loss of life is a softhead.

look at the way they use the word ‘responsible’.

the oz govt has no jurisdiction in indonesia.

the whoel incident, while unfortunate, i used as a slogan by anti-howard zealots.

those simpletons who like to think labor good, liberal evil. they have no real capability to discern right from wrong and rely on press releases issued from fellow travellers for their views.

Seepi, how could we have saved these people? The boat sank 16km off Indonesian territory, not in Darwin Harbour as some people seem to believe!

They chose to attempt illegal entry into Australia on a dodgy boat, and unfortunately it cost them dearly.

SIEV X was a tragedy, and marks the moment when the Howard government really lost the plot. They could have possibly saved these people.Jon S likes to annoy Howard, so maybe this is why he’s putting up this memorial.

We’re all invited!!!!!!!!!!!

link

Personally I think we should erect a pole for every person killed in all the wars in history.

I’ll personally erect a memorial in every park in Canberra when Stanhope gets kicked out of Office. He lost the plot partially in 2004, moreso in 2005 and now completely in 2006.

Okay, who’s going to build the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Memorial with anywhere between 160 000 – 300 000 poles? It could be built on one of the school sites once they’ve been closed down.

What a load of shit this all is! Bloody left-wing pricks!

We get to honour a Suspect Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV for short). Cool, let’s just glorify the crime of people smuggling.

smithers! release the hounds….

WTF? I thought this was a joke. Where’s Weston Park? Where’s my chainsaw?

Where will it all end indeed… Maybe its just me but I am sick and tired of all this crap…

btw if they are going to erect 300 poles why not throw in the other 53 at the same time…. seems kinda stupid to me.

Is the ACT Government paying for this?

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