Critics need to move on
When Yassmin Abdel-Magied realised her Anzac Day post ‘Lest we forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine)’ had struck many people as disrespectful she retracted it and apologised unreservedly, acknowledging its timing and content were disrespectful.
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If only her unforgiving critics could apologise as readily for their disrespectful, personal attacks.
Ms Abdel-Magied is a firm believer in the importance of Anzac Day and has regularly attended Anzac services.
Like many Australians, she has also been very concerned at the suffering of people incarcerated indefinitely, and, according to the United Nations, unjustly, on Manus and Nauru.
As many Australians have done, Ms Abdel-Magied was also asking in her post for more compassion for the people of Syria and Palestine: victims of warfare, persecuted and denied a safe homeland – a life I cannot imagine.
Ms Abdel-Magied did not want to demean Anzac Day (she believes in it strongly); she was trying to widen her fellow Australians’ awareness to include both Anzacs and suffering people today.
My parents who served in World War II would have shared her deep concern for those suffering people.
Ms Abdel-Magied’s plea for compassion towards people we too often ignore deserves not our condemnation but some thought and our support.
David Anderson, Rutherglen
Fall marred day at flicks
I am a veteran of World War II. I took a day off from Estia to go to Albury’s Regent Theatre to see Dunkirk. However I got only as far as the front door and had a severe fall.
I wish to thank the two people that came to my assistance as I had injuries to my forehead.
Luckily an ambulance was nearby and treated me and conveyed me to hospital, where I spent most of the day. My sincere thanks again to those who helped me.
Bryan Stevens, Estia Wodonga
Stay out of political pool
Archdeacon Peter McLeod-Miller is at it again (‘Values Are Changing’, The Border Mail, August 21) in that nothing of value such as Australia’s culture, tradition or history has any worth in his eyes and Australia must “catch up with the winds of change”, whatever that means.
Exaggerating the negative elements of white man/Aboriginal history since 1788 without recognition of the many positive advances since then is a sad reflection of his narrow and negative perspective on life. Nothing it seems is any good about Australia so he applauds Yarra Council’s appalling decision to attempt to change Australia Day.
I remind the good Archdeacon that Yarra Council was condemned nationally for their Socialist/Green inspired decision and by both houses of Parliament, which rarely happens. I suggest it is the Archdeacon whose values are more closely aligned to the Socialist/Greens than the vast majority of Australians who have much to be proud of rather than wallowing and morally self-flagellating of times 200 years ago.
A wise man of the cloth ought to focus more on spiritual things than jumping into the pool of politics with negative views out of touch with mainstream Australian values.
George Krooglik, Albury
Head coverings alarming
I have to agree with Pauline Hanson and her ban the burqa campaign.
In 1992 I was working in a service station in Melbourne doing night shift when a guy came in wearing a balaclava and armed with a rifle. He hit me over the head with the rifle barrel and stole all the money from the till. I was never able to work after that. Every time I saw someone wearing a hoodie or in motorbike gear I would cringe and feel like running away. Now 25 years later I still cringe at anyone wearing face covering.