Sedition, We Are One Day, Intelligent Design, Truth, RuneQuest

[tcpip]

The weekend started with a visit to the small demonstration for civil liberties. We live in dangerous times when people retreat into their private commercial lives over involvement in the public sphere. Chris Savage calls for sedition. I approve of his call for arms: "Because I do not want to see liberty nibbled at, I urge an association of Australian men and women to act mightily, with seditious intention, against the sovereign and against the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia." Who else is up for a bit of sedition?

Afterwards went to the We Are On Day annual meeting at the Melbourne Town Hall. Neither the array of speakers (from the Humanist Society, the Uniting Church, Christian Scientists, Bahai, Islamic Council, Kagyu E-Vam-Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh) or the compere (ABC's Encounter presenter Maraget Coffey) seriously addressed the serious problems in the divergent interests and beliefs, despite claims to similar core values.

Sunday I gave the extended service at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on intelligent design. Quite a good turnout and an interesting discussion by Dr. Bill Hall and Nigel Sinnot. Meanwhile, seventy thousand Australian scientists urge the government not to allow it into the classrooms. More on the presentation at my convert_me post.

Following the service was an animated philosophy group discussion on the nature of truth. I pulled an old rabbit out of my hat by using universal pragmatics to draw the sharp distinction between truth and sincerity (this is where people often get very, very confused). The debate really took an odd turn when matters of "contingent truthfulness" conflict with moral principles. In other words, the old discussion of the difference between moral principles and situational ethics has returned.

After all that, was the continuing adventures of the RuneQuest game run by Andrei. Magnificant stuff; we managed to find the Storm Khan leader of the White Bison clan (my clan!) and distract the army of Broos hunting for him, by tricking them and a century of Lunars into a conflict. The magnificant conclusion of the day saw the summoning of the Clan's Founder to dispatch the remaining chaos creatures and the subservient Lunars singing our praises. Waha help us if they ever discover it was due to our trickery that they fell into conflict with the Broo. It was high fantasy storytelling at its very best.

Comments

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

y'know they hang you for sedition don't you?

Will I be well hung?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Eh. It wasn't that long ago they used to burn apostates, but it's never stopped me.

Re: Will I be well hung?

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

ROFL! Mind you, doesn't sedition only really cover comments/actions made against decisions put in place by the GG (and the motherland?)

I didn't think you could get done for sedition as a civvie for actions against the Australian Federal Government.

Re: Will I be well hung?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

CRIMES ACT 1914 - SECT 24A
Definition of seditious intention

An intention to effect any of the following purposes, that is to say:

(a) to bring the Sovereign into hatred or contempt;
(d) to excite disaffection against the Government or Constitution of the Commonwealth or against either House of the Parliament of the Commonwealth;
(f) to excite Her Majesty's subjects to attempt to procure the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any matter in the Commonwealth established by law of the Commonwealth; or
(g) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of Her Majesty's subjects so as to endanger the peace, order or good government of the Commonwealth;

is a seditious intention.


Personally, I have a great deal of contempt for the sovereign.

[http://users.livejournal.com/doctor_k_/]

I've been trying to be seditious as much as I can manage, loudly and in public. I really should remember to develop plans for media manipulation when I do get arrested...make it worthwhile.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

How about mutiny? I've discovered that gives you imprisonment for life.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca191482/s25.html

Mmmm... I could do with a bit of seducing people form their duty and allegience...

[http://users.livejournal.com/doctor_k_/]

I'm not really interested in life imprisonment, just some form of public awareness of the importance of our rights. If I'm arrested, I want to be on the 6 o'clock news "Mild mannered Nedlands doctor goes to jail" with some nifty sound bite to help wake the populace. The mass public protest over my imprisonment, and hasty return home.

[bar-bar-ella.livejournal.com]

Who else is up for a bit of sedition?

Aye.

Who else is up for a bit of sedition?

[aayande.livejournal.com]

Where do I sign? Where's the dotted line? Question: can you be guilty of sedition in a country of which you are not a citizen? Or even a permanent resident?

Re: Who else is up for a bit of sedition?

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

No. That's covered under 'Terrorism'.

Re: Will I be well hung?

[greylock.livejournal.com]

(a) to bring the Sovereign into hatred or contempt;

Er... The Sun. Her sons?

(d) John Howard causes disaffection against the Government in me.

(f) Anyone promoting the Republic?

(g) Anyone driving a four-wheel drive. I mean SUV.

Re: Will I be well hung?

[(Anonymous)]

to promote feelings of ill-will between different classes? Is this a simultaneous affirmation and condemnation of Marx? or are they using
"class" in a more general, "category" sense? if so, could we prosecute Pauline Hanson?
excitedly disaffected,
Taavi

Re: Will I be well hung?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

There's a lawful and good faith clause as well...

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca191482/s24f.html

The entire thing basically reads as you cannot bring the Crown into disrespect unless we let you.

The last person to be charged with sedition was in 1960 for recommending the people of New Guinea overthrow their Australian colonial masters.

Re: Who else is up for a bit of sedition?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I think catsidhe has given the right answer.

Although if there's ever a shooting war between Australia and New Zealand...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well, I expected to you here ;-)

Re: Will I be well hung?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Interestingly 'class' is one of those words that doesn't have a definition in the Crimes Act.

[jennifergearing.livejournal.com]

Wheeeesedition.

Sounds like fun. Do I get to wear a silly hat? :D

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. Unfortunately I suspect that half the population will say "What a terrible thing" and then tune in to Buffy or such nonsense and the other half will say "If she didn't break the law she wouldn't be in jail" :/

I'm getting very cynical about this process.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Ah yes! We revive the tricorn!

And we'll be seditious without pants!

Re: Will I be well hung?

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I like sovereigns. Especially shiny gold ones. ;)

Unfortunately, I'm already guilty of sedition... It happens when you oppose the former Police Minister and his stupidly written amendments to the Prohibited Weapons act of Victoria. :)

That counds as (d) doesn't it?

BTW, what happened to (b), (c), & (e)??

Re: Will I be well hung?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

(b), (c) and (e) were probably scrapped by Federal parliament at some stage.

[kits-the-dm.livejournal.com]

no... you need pants.
sedition without pants would mean that the government won't take you seriously. And if the government doesn't take you seriously... then there's no point to sedition.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I was making a wry comment about the sans-culottes.

No pants and a tricorn! Perfect!

[bar-bar-ella.livejournal.com]

I was saying just the other day how I want a tri-corn...

And whether it's long trew or short, I don't really care (though I *am* very much attached to my hobbit-pants *grin*), just as long as I don't have to wear a rosette. I really dislike those.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_fustian/]

I'd like to be involved in an organised project to replace the existing Government of the Commonwealth of Australia using non-violent means (albeit almost necessarily outside the prescribed political processes).

However, I don't want to be arrested for sedition; gaol is a bad thing. (doctor_k_, I admire your verve but would seriously advise you to avoid activity which might harm your future employment prospects, reputation etc.)

As such, I'd like to see a project established (I suggest we start with a mailing list and wiki; a user-page in Wikipedia and a resource page in the main namespace would be easy to set up) which discussed these issues in a hypothetical and/or practical sense, with an emphasis on avoiding illegality (or at least minimising the risks of arrest; for example, we'd have to make sure we're not legally a "conspiracy", I'd imagine) while engaged in such activity.

tcpip, have you got time to set this up? Right now, I'm Way Too Busy^TM to initiate it, but happy to help and to be involved. I can provide domain hosting, web space including wiki software, etc.

Anyone care to suggest an appropriate name/domain name for the project? (A .org.au would be most appropriate, but a .org would be a lot easier to register.)