ANOTHER DISMAL EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF AN AMERICAN PUPPET STATE
This is simply disgraceful. What rights do people have today when they can't even discuss their country's foreign policies in a different country? If an American citizen can be deported from Australia for giving political talks, then the same thing could happen to any political activist anywhere. So it looks to me like Parkin's deportation is simply a case of the politically-motivated harrassment of an international political activist. They don't yet dare go after someone with the profile of a Scott Ritter or a Naomi Klein, but in time they assuredly will.
Let's just think about the precedent that Parkin's arrest, detainment and deportation sets. Can it be long before foreign visitors will be obliged to declare upon entering Australia that while in the country they will desist from all political activity? Ultimately, the intention may be to intimidate those who tour the world lecturing audiences informed on the injustices and atrocities committed against the Palestinians. Alternatively, the ultimate intent could be to silence critics of international corporations. It would not hard to forsee a time when, say, the Australian government deports a speaker at the request of an Exxon Mobil, a Monsanto or a Coca Cola. Those who wish to engage in political activity will no doubt have to apply for a special visa, which of course will only ever be granted to those whose politics is that of the New World Order.
Deported activist landed with bill
From Peter Mitchell in Los Angeles
AMERICAN peace activist Scott Parkin arrived back in the US today under guard after Australian authorities detained him in a Melbourne jail for five days for being a "national security risk".
The 36-year-old Texan history teacher was also given a bill for almost [eleven thousand seven hundred dollars*] after his brush with Australian authorities. Mr Parkin said he was made to feel like a terrorist and a criminal and remains baffled as to why six police officers "snatched him off the street" as he left a Melbourne cafe last Saturday.
He said he was interrogated and spent the next five days in solitary confinement in a Melbourne jail.
He was escorted by two Victorian correctional officers on a Qantas passenger plane which left Melbourne yesterday, arriving in Los Angeles this morning.
"I'm just completely baffled by all of this," said Mr Parkin, surrounded by Australian TV cameras and media, soon after his arrival at Los Angeles international airport.
Mr Parkin was in Australia as part of a six-month holiday in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He arrived on June 1.
An activist for 15 years, he said he gave talks while in Australia about the war in Iraq and helped organise one protest against US energy company Halliburton.
"In the talks I gave I wasn't even openly critical of Australia," Mr Parkin said.
"I was being openly critical of the US occupation (of Iraq) and I was being openly critical of Halliburton."
Mr Parkin said authorities never made it clear why he had been arrested.
"They were very vague," he said. "They said I violated sections of the migration act and they said I was a direct or indirect risk to their national security."
Mr Parkin was housed alone in a jail cell that contained two concrete slabs to sleep on, a TV set and a sink.
"They gave me three couch cushions and three really crummy blankets and fed me three times a day," he said.
Mr Parkin was also handed a bill for almost [eleven thousand seven hundred dollars]. It included [four thousand two hundred and thirty-five dollars and three cents] for his airfare back to LA and [six thousand six hundred and seventy-five dollars and thirty-nine cents] for the return airfares of his two corrective services escorts as well as their accommodation in Los Angeles.
"They're staying in Anaheim on Disneyland Drive I heard," Mr Parkin quipped.
The five-day stay at the Melbourne Assessment Prison will cost him another [seven hundred and seventy-seven dollars].
"They said if I ever decided to return to Australia I'd have to pay them back," Mr Parkin said.
The activist was also banned from entering Australia for three years. He plans to fight his removal from Australia and is desperate to find out why authorities were concerned about him.
"I'd love to know the assessment in which the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) made of me to lock me up for five days in solitary confinement and then remove me from the country essentially forcibly," Mr Parkin said.
Mr Parkin warned the incident raised great concerns about freedom of speech in Australia and the US.
"I think we are seeing a crisis in freedom of speech and freedom of
expression in Australia, the United States and lots of places and
people need to be aware," he said.
*****
I feel strongly that most Australians would apologize to Mr. Parkin,
were it within their means to do so. Most are, no doubt, reading items
like this one in the Herald Sun
over their morning coffee and scratching their heads in amazement. I
personally plan to convey my apologies to this unfortunate man
and will do so shortly via the following email address:
backingscott@yahoo.com
This incident is tied not to Mr Parkin himself, who has done
nothing wrong, but to the loss of accountability that has taken place
under cover of national security. Since
the precipitating decision took place within ASIO, and therefore
subject to all kinds of legislation exempting the agency from
democratic oversight, there is no way that parliament, the media or the
public will ever be privy to the real reasons for Parkin's deportation.
But what really takes the cake is
that Parkin has been billed for his own mistreatment! I fail to see how
he is in any way responsible for the fact that ASIO suddenly and
capriciously decided to assess him as a security threat. Parkin
probably has the right to sue for the inconvenience and suffering
caused by this sordid and despicable little act of arbitrary political
harrassment - except that national security legislation probably denies anyone the right to sue ASIO.
I am at this moment
deeply ashamed and embarrassed by the Australian government. I think
nothing may be involved here more than the desire of those in
Australia's secret government entrenched within agencies like ASIO to cover up the extent to which the
country's involvement in the Iraq war was entirely motivated by mercenary concerns.
Relevant links on the Scott Parkin story:
http://users2.ev1.net/~geosynch/hgac.html
http://houston.indymedia.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=557&category_id=1
http://crikey.com.au/articles/2005/09/13-1216-1716.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0917-23.htm
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'Is the Australian government afraid
of peace activists? Or did they deport
him because Scott Parkin was speaking up
against their secret deals with
Halliburton, 150 military contracts in
2004 alone, that include covert deals in
Iraq? Or was it the kickbacks that
Halliburton executives requested from
Australian businesses? Might it be their
profiteering out Australian bilateral
aid projects in India, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea and Vietnam? If John
Howard or ASIO have any evidence as to
why Scott Parkin should be considered a
security threat, they should present it
to the public or apologize for their
behavior.'
- Pratap Chatterjee, executive director
of CorpWatch, Oakland, California, U.S.
Catch a short radio interview with Scott Parkin here.
* For reasons I don't understand, Blogigo blogging software does not
show dollar signs, forcing me to write the figures out in full.
