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markjuliansmith

Listed below are comments made by markjuliansmith between Friday, 17th July 2009 and Tuesday, 13th October 2009.

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Is Australia unusually racist? 06:06am on 13 Oct 2009 Generally every culture has its idiosyncrasies which can be grating to the sensibilities of the other. From clothing, food, treatment of women, personal habits, beliefs religious, secular and supernatural etc. These differences can be perceived as fundamental schisms between cultures as is for me the treatment of women, the imposition of grievous harm for what is in essence simple dissension. As well as Australians have experienced recently fellow Australians targeting other citizens for grievous injury because of a lack of perceived adherence to a particular faiths objectives.

The nature of cultural interaction in the past, as it is in the present at these points of schism for some there can be no and there will be no accommodation. The trouble is from history we see as the power of one section grows so does the imposition of the others cultural norms. So there is a quite reasonable alarm that what are seen in fact as gross human right infringements could gain legitimacy. To deny this could occur in Australia is to regard the extensive history of cultural interaction as a fiction. Distinct fundamental cultural differences are not a recipe for living happily ever after they never have been nor will be.

I believe the only way to defuse this issue, not without some alteration of cultural norms, is the acceptance for the basis of society of the notion of human rights as reflected in a bill of rights which lays downs accepted norms of civility.

The notion we can simply open Australia's boarders to all humanity without controls and life will be better for all is an absurdity for it ignores the reality of limited resources not only physical but socially to absorb changes demanded of existing mores. Flourishing communities and nations as we have seen can be reduced to skeletal concrete shadows within a decade simply because of fundamental social schisms. If to say it is racism to object to the possibility of this occurring in Australia without the imposition if necessary of a society based on Human rights then so be it.

Also to excuse the acts and thwarted acts of violence as simple aberrations denies the reality of what is in front of us every day, as well as a detailed historical record going back thousands of years and therefore not to insist the forms and text from which these heinous acts are clearly supported, if one cares to simply pick up a book and open to the first page, should not be openly condemned for the sake of appearing to be racist invites further violent attacks on innocent Australian citizens.
Is it the BBC's job to save the planet? 04:38am on 29 Sep 2009 If its not the BBCs job to save the planet the who is responsible?
China goes sweet and sour on Australia 04:54am on 25 Aug 2009 Yes #79 stellarBeloved it is one Oscar Wilde I believe was too polite to explicitly verbalise but as a Frenchman dryly observed when commenting on the attitude of the French towards the USA "If you are hated you matter". At various times this is may be of some comfort for us all if we need to believe it.
China goes sweet and sour on Australia 02:12am on 25 Aug 2009 Greg Rudd reinterpreted (25 August 2009)

"Good will offers a rich yield"
-Being jolly nice to the Chinese elite in power despite what they do to their own citizens or others gives access to lucrative business deals.

"each needs to understand the other"
- excuse nasty habits as a cultural quirk.
- understand and accept the Chinese elite in power and ignore how they utilise it against others as a cultural quirk.

"Humour has a better chance of saving the planet"
- lets ignore reality so we can sign the next business deal.
- saves inconvenient truth being resolved for a better chance of saving our planet.

"Australian style of Democracy transferred to China today.. 120 different political parties ..would cause a Chinese civil war"
- the Chinese citizens are intelligent enough but not enough to determine their own destiny without autocratic guidance.
- supporting the existing Chinese elite with this outrageous groundless proposition has its financial benefits.
- who cares if such a statement endorses the incarceration of those Chinese citizens seeking independent thought and determination of their own future.
- How many Chinese citizens are going to suffer or continue to suffer because of this statement and who made it?

"Free press is a two edged sword"
- Do not worry about what is being written by the Australian press as it is only said to sell newspapers - Good news does not sell.
- The press does not represent the true feelings of the Australian citizen.
- Do not worry yourselves (Chinese elite) if you take it as seriously as it is meant the business deal will not be signed.
- Its just a joke ha, ha,...

Chinese society "Compared to our (Australias) 221 years of post indigenous civilisation"
- Australians should defer to a societal framework because it can trace its origins back more than a thousand years.
- Ignore the fact current societal frameworks utilising the basis of the time they have been in existence as a basis for claiming the societal framework requires to be respected are the most brutal and lacking in human rights the world has ever seen.
- Ignore the fact the Australian culture did not simply appear overnight 221 years ago but is based as the Chinese current societal system on a series of historical events stretching as far back as the Chinese framework.

How comforting it is for those who have the option of walking away from reality. It has been observed by some who have been subject to oppression yearning for the intervention on their behalf from the 'Free' West that its citizens do not value highly enough what they have.
China goes sweet and sour on Australia 11:22am on 24 Aug 2009 campantman, wollemi, paulcrossleyiii, synthil please note your discussion appears to be somewhat superfluous for whatever your creed or country if you are cognisant human you are automatically a hypocrite for its is my opinion no one person or country can or ever has traversed life without being one.

The generalisations regards human beings whatever their country is meaningless for as individuals we all have a differing mode of communication the point is to concentrate on the idea being put forward not the source nor the tone of delivery.

The current politic is to destroy a person’s reputation if they turn on the system revealing its inner workings this has worked in the past despite the veracity of the content. The tone of delivery involved in doing this can be jarring but that does not take away from the import of the message unless we like to become entangled in semantics.

Every country as every person has something they are not proud of we all know this already. These comments on the web are going to have a greater and greater influence on what is seen as acceptable human behaviour in human affairs.

Policy both private and public will be framed by it do not lose sight of the issue at hand.
China goes sweet and sour on Australia 03:36am on 24 Aug 2009 #20 "Canberra chose to side with a terrorist"

The only 'proof' of Mrs Kadeer being a "terrorist" comes from China itself. A little self serving where any analysis of the independent media content on the recent disturbances show it was the Han Chinese who instigated the start to the violence based on proven false despicable accusations, admitted to by Chinese officials at the time. Please tell me how Mrs Kadee was responsible for this incitement?

China has the opportunity to resolve these differences of opinion on Mrs Kadee's status as a "terrorist" by having the United Nations investigate China's accusations against Mrs Kadeer but the Chinese elite continues to refuse to do so.

Australia is very open to have the UN investigate issues in Australia which relate to Australia's treatment of fellow citizens, as are other countries, why is it the Chinese elite are so reticent, has the Chinese elite something to hide from its own citizens? I think it does and apparently so do many others.

Though to say so is seen by the Chinese elite as interfering in China's affairs were as for China to contact the Australian Press club and inform them China would look favourably on the Australian press Club refusing Mrs Kadeer's right to voice an opinion of oppression in China is just a friendly chat.

But I suppose you should not believe everything you read as fact.
China goes sweet and sour on Australia 01:33am on 24 Aug 2009 Mr Simon Crean Australia's Trade Minister can comfort himself by representing comments on China's elite's despicable behaviour in relation to the four Rio Tinto executives, including Australian Stern Hu and China's elite's other negative economic and social behaviour towards not only China's own people but those outside as a 'fear of China' rather than a rationally derived "knowledge of China" to excuse continuing Trade talks whilst Stern Hu and others are subject to a Justice system, politically imbued to such an extent we have a well founded fear to save face Stern Hu will be necessarily found guilty despite evidence to the contrary.

Clearly the Chinese security apparatus responsible for investigating the Stern Hu case release of the substantial savings of billions of dollars China could have made if China previously had inside knowledge of Rio Tinto's negotiation strategy underlines the real motive of the Chinese elite.

Continuing Trade talks are not in Australia's interests nor the rest of the worlds Nations where any business can be subject to such arbitrary Chinese action to obtain a better business deal for themselves. Until China sends a clear signal it is moving away from China's current abuse of the free market system Nations should excuse themselves from Trade negotiations which do not address negative aspects of Chinese policy first.

Pure and simple the dichotomy between business relationship ethics and other social ethics is the reason humanity have economic crises (current one included) and wars. If we can dehumanise in one sphere of relationships this cannot and is not contained. The fact philosophy of feeding being more important than human concern for others is the foundation stone of our societies is the cause of our debilitating disease of excess against our environment and fellow humans. If it was the reverse we would all have a lot more to feed on with much more equanimity.

The Chinese people themselves are not the subject of these negative comments on China but China's hypocritical elite.
Rudd unlikely to do as Romans do on Rio 12:27pm on 05 Aug 2009 A CRUISE MISSILE IN EVERY POT

What level of hypocrisy does China's elite expect the rest of the world to stomach before they realise unless we all enable each others independence first all we can expect of the future is a cruise missile in every pot.

"A complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) accusing China of restraining exports of important raw materials. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said China was using export quotas, exports duties and other measures in an effort to make the materials cheaper for domestic companies.

"China is a leading global producer and exporter of the raw materials in question, and access to these materials is critical for U.S. industrial manufacturers," said Kirk. "The United States is very concerned that China appears to be restricting the exports of these materials for the benefit of their domestic industries, despite strong WTO rules designed to discipline export restraints."

The materials at issue are bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon metal, silicon carbide, yellow phosphorous and zinc -- key metals and chemicals used in steel, aluminum and chemical manufacturing."

Free Stern Hu and the others and do the current non-Chinese version of honourable.
Rudd unlikely to do as Romans do on Rio 12:39pm on 01 Aug 2009 CHINA ATTEMPTS TO REDIFINE THE WORD HONORABLE

We all are, including the local Chinese media, to remain silent on the question of Stern Hu

As with the Iranian regieme of the Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei silence equates to tranquillity. How tranquillity is achieved in Iran and China is by threats and intimidation. Both excel in locking up those who challenge them not only politically but now economically as is the case in China today.

In Chine we have the proved unwelcome quintessential ferreter of others secrets, both business and security wise, expressing outrage at an as yet unproved event occurring in China. As well, given all the spying China does on those China see as threats outside China what incredible hypocrisy.

If the world held China to account for all the intrusive spying it continues to do, China would be lucky to see the light of day for the next thousand years,

It would appear also what China calls spying may be regarded as normal business practice of obtaining business intelligence involved in what is called driving a hard deal.

The fact China is not pleased with the business position taken by Australian resource companies is I believe the root cause of this dishonourable incarceration oh Mr Stern Hu.

China talks about monopoly and imperialism both of which China is displaying in spades by attempting to relegate Australia to a poor quarry while it itself amasses a fortune in foreign currency at not only Australias expense but the rest of the world.

The fact is by manipulating its exchange rate and at the same time utilising Chinas massive reserves generated by the exchange rate imbalances China is attempting to create vertical integration of industries through direct ownership or by applying the whip hand when China cannot get its way in negotiations such as with Australian iron ore companies.

If China is allowed to succeed this will have only one outcome a vast shift of wealth in one direction China. This is Honourable behaviour? The definition has radically changed, in Chinese speak it now stands for Hypocrisy and Greed.

China's Iron and Steel Associations deputy chairman Lun Bingsheng had better start to realise Australia can if it so chooses expand its Steel industry and cease being Chinas poor quarry.

Australia has the expertise to do so if it sees it gains nothing from a relationship with China other than grief. Australians know the difference between a good deal and a raw deal, real justice and an ass. Free Stern Hu and the others and do the current non-Chinese version of honourable.

No Resource Company with any sense of propriety would agree to any sourcing of raw materials to China until China has released Stern Hu and the others.
Rudd unlikely to do as Romans do on Rio 01:56am on 17 Jul 2009 Concerning #23

On reflection my concern at to comment # 23 is the degree of fear which the comment may be subject to moderation and rejected.

The comments are valid as I see them.

It is true China has been dealt with in a very dishonourable way in the past.

China has indeed found it difficult as a significant participant in world affairs to be included in world forums.

Nothing excuses the first comment. China has a right to be aggrieved by what has occurred in the past with no lack of imperialist ambition from any number of countries having a terrible impact on the Chinese people.

The second comment is also true but the reason why this occurred was because rightly, as I see it, some nations and their people in the rest of the world were not convinced China's regime, as opposed to the Chinese people in general, were prepared to abide by basis rules of engagement in an economic and judicial sense which framed the rest of the worlds accepted norms.

This is not to say the non-Chinese participants were or are pristine themselves in all their actions.

The comment also, I believe, misses the intent of comments #19, #22

Acting inappropriately in an economic and judicial sense knows no boundaries.

Where a country defines a process as acceptable as Iran and China or an individual comments #19, #22 categorically disagrees it is an attempt to define what one accepts as appropriate behaviour not only in Iran and China but in the rest of the world. For human actions economic, judicial, environmental, etc...impact have no boundaries.

So processes occurring in China are rightly subject to evaluation and criticism from fellow humans. If China believes it should be able to influence events outside it's boundaries should it be able to dismiss the right of others to affect China's decisions as well?

Stern Hu should be able to defend himself within a transparent judicial process were natural justice applies. I do not believe this is too much to ask of China's regime. In fact it would be an honourable action on China's behalf to enable this to happen.

I would advise your contempt would be better reserved for the nature of our state of interaction which the notion of sovereignty currently condemns us to. Until this is changed we will alas continue to condemn each other with the misconstrued belief we are the righteous ones.

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