Human dignity and the idea of justice, part 1
The idea of human dignity consists in recognizing that man is a being that has ends proper to himself, his own ends, to be freely complied with by himself. Or…
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February 28, 2012
ACT Government / Australian Labor Party / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Globalisation / Government / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / Racism / Respect / Rule of Law / WA Police
Racism in Australia’s criminal justice system
The clock has been turned back on racial progress in America, though scarcely anyone seems to notice. All eyes are fixed on people like Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey who…
February 16, 2012
Commonwealth Government / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Equality of opportunity / Government / Rule of Law / White Australia
Australian Constitutional reform
Following on from the discussion of belonging and what the Australian flag represents to many Indigenous Australians, this post gives consideration to the current debate about acknowledgement of Australia's Aborigines…
February 12, 2012
Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Government / International Law / Julian Moti / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / PNG / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands
Lost Sovereignty; a disgraced judge and a kidnapped Attorney-General
Carl Schmitt’s Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty is both famous and obscure. A twentieth-century political theory, containing two canonical sentences: "Sovereign is he who decides on…
January 31, 2012
Assimilation / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Equality of opportunity / Human Rights / Law / Respect / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Stolen Generation / White Australia
The symbol of belonging
On the request of a friend, this post offers some insights as to why someone would wish to burn the Australian flag as an act of protest. The events in…
January 28, 2012
Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Assimilation / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Equality of opportunity / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / Rule of Law / United Nations / West Papua
Indonesia and Australia the illegitimate states of the Asia Pacific Region
What is self-determination? The notion of self-determination as a universal principle, whether viewed through a political, moral, or legal lens, has been and continues to be imprecise and in dire…
January 2, 2012
This ephemeral thing we call democracy
"The essence of the demand for freedom is the need of conditions which will enable an individual to make his own special contribution to a group interest, and to partake…
December 29, 2011
Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Justice / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / Racism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua
The Lombok Treaty: a win for self interest over justice
The current humanitarian crises in West Papua, formally West New Guinea (“WNG”), has at its roots Western colonial greed and paranoia over Soviet influence in the region. WNG was and…
December 19, 2011
Assimilation / Australian Labor Party / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality of opportunity / Genocide by stealth / Government / Government welfare / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Northern Territory Intervention / Rule of Law / White Australia
Anti-Aboriginal racism in Australia has no bounds – NT Intervention extended by ten years
“Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex Australians are part of our community we’re not nameless, faceless people who live on the margins of society. We deserve the respect and the…
December 4, 2011
Accountability / Australian Federal Police / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Environment / Equality / Genocide / Globalisation / Human Rights / International Law / Justice / Law Enforcement / Mining / Racism / Rule of Law
Corporate greed and an update on a call for a Royal Commission into the AFP
I have spent the last few weeks travelling around remote Indigenous communities collecting signatures in support of a Royal Commission into the AFP and statements in support of my application…
November 17, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Australian Labor Party / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / Xenophobia
What values do we want to bequeath to our children?
There are many reasons behind Blak and Black’s decision to attempt to identify and expose Australian Federal Police (AFP) corruption where we can, the main reason however is the relative power…
November 7, 2011
Asia-Pacific / Assimilation / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Environment / Equality / Equality of opportunity / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide / Globalisation / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Rule of Law / United Nations
You can’t preach the moral high ground and walk in the gutter: Australia and West Papua
Recurrent themes in Australian politics since the events of 9/11 and the beginning of the euphemistically though erroneously named ‘war on terror’ have been national security, border protection and exporting…
October 8, 2011
Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Democracy / First Nations/Indigenous / Hypocrisy / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / RAMSI / Rule of Law
AFP accused of fabricating evidence, yet again!
Post update The Australian Government has today 28 September, 2011 at 7:30PM announced that it has invoked its right to immunity from prosecution in the Solomon Islands over a secret…
September 28, 2011
Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide by stealth / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / United Nations
Has the Pacific Islands Forum (“PIF”) become a tool for white neo-colonial interests?
The progress of human society, has in different ages, presented abundance of horrors and abundance of vices, which in treating history properly, we are obliged to pass over gently, and…
September 19, 2011
Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corporate profit / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Indonesia / International Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands
Fear and Trembling – Australia’s gutless approach to the genocide in Papua
The following article appeared in Friday’s Jakarta Post: Maj. Gen. Wisnu Bawatenaya has been appointed to become commander of the Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus) replacing Maj. Gen. Lodewijk F…
September 13, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / International Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / RAMSI / Respect / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / Stanhope Government / United Nations
The wisdom of Miles Jordana: Hidden in plain sight
The following is a modified version of an article which first appeared in the Fiji Sun on 12 September, 2011 and which Blak and Black has linked to since publishing…
September 12, 2011
Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Equality of opportunity / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / International Law / Julian Moti / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / United Nations
Beware the tolling bell
“Nunc Lento Sonitu Dicunt, Morieris” (Now this bell, tolling softly for another, says to me, Thou must die.) I have long loved John Donne’s Meditation XVII; it remains pause for…
September 10, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Commonwealth Ombudsman / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality of opportunity / Government / Law Enforcement / Rule of Law
The AFP and whistleblowers, again!
Callahan and colleagues (2002)[i] suggested that organizations must focus on three trust-building tactics – accountability, reliance, and aspiration – to cultivate helpful internal whistleblowing procedures. These principles provide people and…
September 6, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / ASIO / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Rule of Law / Stolen Generation / White Australia
The AFP and the ‘Nazification’ of Australian Society
I’m writing this post in response to some comments that have been left on Blak and Black over the last week or so. The comments are interesting from a number…
August 23, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Democracy / Government / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / PNG / RAMSI / Respect / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / Stanhope Government
AFP corruption and their per diem
In the 1960s Donald Horne observed, "Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck." This observation was followed in the 1990s by Paul Keating when…
August 13, 2011