Hey, I'm with you there and I'm FROM a democratic Western country.
The US can NOT necessarily give anyone else democracy when it is something they do not possess themselves.
It really makes me sick that when people think of democracy, they always think of the US. THere are many other stable, caring, less powerful countries that live with and within well run democractic societies. Sure, we still have some problems, but we can deal with them because we have the power to be honest and open. We don't have to be schizophrenic hypocrites who preach one thing and do the other. Yes, I am aware that hypocrisy exists within and even because of our societies, but at DO have the power to speak up about it and do something about it.
FOr years now, our immigration department has been treating refugees terribly. We have spoken out about it, protested, written letters, tried to raise awareness...but even still, our nasty government got back into power again last year. However, there are now, FINALLY, people from within the ranks of the public service speaking out about the culture of fear and silence within the Immigration department...so FINALLY something can be done to fix this terrible situation of our poor refugees. Finally we might be able to welcome them properly into our country and give them the respect and dignity they have always deserved.
We also currently have 2 Chinese people asking for asylum here because they claim the Chinese government have 1,000 spies here in Australia, kidnapping Falun Gong followers and taking them back to China to be tortured and brain washed.
I LOVE it! I LOVE the fact that our government is now going to have to face up to the fact that the CHinese do NOT practice any Human Rights, and that the world ignores China's human rights abuses because the lure of SO MUCH MONEY is too great to be resisted.
These defectors are making us face up to our Human Rights Obligations and I reckon it's FANTASTIC.
Living in a Western, Democratic country does NOT give us the right to ignore the plights of suffering people.
Kim...
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