Just for a change of view, here is a little glimpse into the way Australians view the horror that is Guantanamo Bay. The issue is very hot in Australia because it is the only country that has refused to try and get its citizens out of American hands. The last Australian, a young man called David Hicks, was unfortunate enough to be in Afghanistan when the war was declared. He actually never fired a shot and under Australian law has not committed any crime. The public are outraged by the indifference of the Government. For five years he has been abused, humiliated and locked away, chained to the floor. Almost 80% of Australians want him set free.
This year there is an election and suddenly the Prime Minister, John Howard, is aware of the public mood and is attempting to change his previous stance.
In the animation that was produced for the national newspaper The Australian, features first of all Alexander Downer then (down the bottom) "Little Johnny" Howard... others to make a guest appearance are George Bush and "Rummy".
Enjoy the Australian sense of satire here: Guantanamo - Hick's Lucky Day.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
4 comments:
"Unfortunate" enough to be in Afghanistan? Have you asked yourself why he was in Afghanistan? In most civilized countries, even if you do not fire a shot, the mere intent and acts to carry out that intent are enough to convict you for many years. I think you have been living too long in the Fez. Time to face the real world- where actions have consequences.
Your anonymous poster obviously needs to learn some basic facts about the law in most "civilised" countries.
David was in Afghanistan BEFORE it was attacked by the USA. The American act of aggression placed Hicks in the position of being in a war zone and instead of quickly finding out about his situation, they have kept him in Guantanamo (outside of the laws of "civilised" countries) for five years. There own citizen Lind, was repatriated almost immediately, while David languished.
According to the Australian lawyers the problem was that he had not broken any Australian law and so to bring him home would have meant setting him free.
Whereas almost all "civilized" countries managed to repatriate their citizens, Australia was so beholden to the USA that it cravenly went along with the US administration who were keen to prosecute a "non-Muslim" in order to show impartiality - a sick joke, really.
One final point the writer demeans Morocco by suggesting that somehow some other place is "the real world". Such bigoted idiots wouldn't last long in Fez.
Thanks for the blog and thanks for standing up for David, just one of the victims of America's obscene and illegal actions.
Sorry you did not agree with my "poster". Possibly you should look at the news published today for additional evidence against Hicks. Obviously you have an extremely distorted view of history when you claim that it was an "American act of agression". Most sane individuals view the war in Afghanistan as a just war. Also, considering the fact that I am viewed among my peers as extremely liberal and they actually know me (unlike you), I am far from bigoted. I obviously did not intend to demean Morocco, which is one of my favorite countries. My point was that the writer of this blog (which I enjoy) should be careful about giving the impression that Hicks is innocent when many legal scholars would view his acts as crimes. It is simplistic just to say they were not crimes in Australia. I question his ability to write accurate novels relating to terrorism when he has these views.
"I question his ability to write accurate novels relating to terrorism when he has these views."
Really. Sandy, who I have been reading for the last decade is usually described by the literary critics as "Australia's answer to John Le Carre" - a fair comment as Le Carre has been a mentor for him.
But hey, why trust a dumb blonde chick like me? Read what the critics said about his last book - which I think was stunning.
Oh, and one last thing. It is commonly accepted in Australia that Hicks has broken no laws and his detention is illegal. A point upheld by the International Commission of Jurists - but hey, what would they know?
REVIEW IN CANBERRA TIMES.
The best of the current crop of terrorist novels is The Cobbler's Apprentice, by Australian author Sandy McCutcheon. This intelligent novel blends the machinations of the spy novel with the action and geopolitics of the international thriller to produce a credible and truly scary read. McCutcheon has a good grasp of modern-day politics and has concocted a clever plot that grips the reader's attention from the opening page to the final twist.
This is no black and white account of terrorism but an intricate, mufti-layered tale that captures the complexity of the war on terrorism and the people caught up in it. This is McCutcheon's finest novel to date and the best spy thriller I have read in some time.
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