Asylum seekers - the Coalition warms up the dog whistle

Anyone who watches question time in the House of Representatives will be simply amazed at how low the bar has been set by the Opposition. Between Tony shit eating Abbott and the slop Jockey it is hard to recall a less impressive display of intellectual jousting. The depths to which this lot sink on a daily basis would be amusing ( in a theatre of the absurd kind of way) if it was'nt so tragic for the body politic.

Now the dog whistle is out again. Gutter Trash has the good oil on the latest scraping of the barrel by Sharmain Stone, Scullion et al. Where does all this hatred of different people under extreme duress come from? Is it part of their DNA? Do they learn it as part of their potty training, or suckling at the breast?

The standard line of the hate merchants is that everyone who supports the entry of asylum seekers is soft in the head - credulous buffoons who put human rights ahead of national interest considerations. It seems, in their small minds, that boat people are all economic refugees prepared to leave their cultural moorings, families and friends and everything familiar for the good life in our Islam demonizing, minorities marginalizing utopia. Today Scullion has come out with the enlightened view that our bio-security is under threat by boat people. [In good Southern US accent] Nigel, that doggy don't hunt, & keep taking the pills.

At least Howard brought this interesting bunch out into the open, away from the dark corners of the body politic. We can now expose their invariably simple minded postures to the bright light of day and subject their thinking to rational analysis. Good luck with that!

Another boat arrival - another day in loonsville

With my series on notable boat arrivals through history (see archives) the looney nature of fear and loathing of boat people is revealed. In our past, the arrival of the first fleet stands out, if you are able to take the point of view of the original custodians. The ruling elite then went to great trouble to establish these custodians were a figment of the collective imagination.

The trickle of boat arrivals in recent times has the loons out in force again. First, you get the fear mongers in the form of Liberal party stalwarts who are still hanging on to the hope that another fear campaign is all that stands between them and the Treasury benches.

And then you get the media cheer squad, who love a good lynching....

I can't be bothered going down that path again because these people are mainly 'bottom feeders' who do not deserve any attention, although the ABC Insiders provides a few of them with a regular forum to spruik their nasty wares. However, the Loon Pond has a worthwhile take on the phenomenon.

I suppose we should be grateful that the loons are not quite as dangerous as this mob in the US identified by Possum Pollytics, but then again......