D-Day approaches, Wrongful Detention, Social Life.

[tcpip]

Hugh Lambert has predicted 97 seats to Labor and the claims (yet again)_ that the polls do not lie. Newspapers in Sydney will be interesting tomorrow as a businessman, annoyed that Howard "doesn't get" climate change and the Kyoto Protocol is spending $200 000 on full page ads urging a vote against him.

Almost on the radar is the tragic story of how the Australian Department of Immigration detained a man wrongfully for five years. Tony Burke, the best person Federal Labor has had for years in the Shadow Immigration role rightly wants a Royal Commission. The Ombudsman says there's another 200 similar cases.

Legend of the Ainu Nezumi game went off really well last Sunday; better than expected, and I consider myself a good GM. I had the opportunity to playtest some new rules which seemed to work quite well. Last Saturday caseopaya, imajica_lj and I went to see La Vie En Rose. It has its moments, but was disappointing overall. The Goddard-like jump-cuts detracted rather than enhanced and there were some serious legendary absences from the biography (e.g., Piaf's birth, her role in POW escapes, the prohibition on her receiving a Catholic funeral).

Comments

[the-shadow298.livejournal.com]

Want to hear some very frightening but typical of the Department of Immigration?

They actually accidentally deported one of their own staff members, an African who was responsible for monitoring Sudanese refugees as well as doing the usual Passport/Visa paperwork.

According to a friend from uni who now works there either it was an intentional act by another staff member or a simple bit of confusion due to names and numbers.

Either way, a lot of red faces at the Department.

Here is also someone that won't make the news for a bit:

If the Libs win the election, Immigration would be under a class action lawsuit, as well as several ministers, Lib staff and 2 Federal judges for wrongful detainment and deportation.
Supposedly their is a QC and at least 2 High Court judges baying for Liberal Party blood over the whole fisaco.
If the Libs lose, it may became a civil case against individuals.

Either way, I'll be laughing. :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

But none dare call it racism, eh?

Personally, I'm waiting for Howard, Bush and Blair to go to the docks over war crimes.

[the-shadow298.livejournal.com]

Supposedly the two judges are being dragged in for being part of "the old boys club" and toting the Party Line for the Libs, same with the Lib staffers.

The problem with using the racist card is that it's easy to say, very hard to prove and no one will prosecute on grounds of racism unless someone is actually toting a Nazi flag and burning crosses outside the houses of immigrants shouting "darkies get out".
And even then, it's pretty hard to prove racism (that's why people get charged with other things).

And that won't happen, but there are a few American generals and White House staff that should go before the Haig.

[mundens.livejournal.com]

Did you hear that Dick Cheney had to be smuggled out of France recently to avoid being arrested by gendarmes for war crimes?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I didn't know about Cheney, but Rumsfield certainly did...

http://www.alternet.org/story/66425/

[mundens.livejournal.com]

Ah, maybe it was Rumsfield I was thinking of, thanks!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Kissinger is in a similar situation. He's wanted throughout Europe, Latin America and parts of South East Asia for war crimes.

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

If the Libs lose, it may became a civil case against individuals.

Oh please, please please yes!

As long as people can hide behind their jobs, this sort of crap will never end.

[the-shadow298.livejournal.com]

That's why it's meant to be a civil matter and not a Criminal or Commonwealth case.

I do hope that it goes ahead.
Either way, Immigration is pretty fucked.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Indeed; there seems to be some sort of collective pathology that's infected the Dept over the past several years.

[the-shadow298.livejournal.com]

Yes.

It was called Vanstone.

:)

[mrteufel.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I think Vanstone sort of took the fall for Ruddock, when he went on to become Attorney General. Ruddock was Immigration Minister for the worst years, those when the concentration camps detention centres were set up, and the most egregious errors made.

[the-shadow298.livejournal.com]

True.

I just really hate Vanstone is all.

Dislike Ruddock too but haven't met him or dealt directly with him to hate him -unlike most of the government since the Libs took power.