Opinions by true blue Australians

When I came to this country it was like a breath of fresh air, a lot has changed since and the air is getting stale, we are over governed, over regulated and run by a virtual dictatorial government – luckily, we are still allowed to express an opinion, but who knows how long before they will muzzle us and take away this right. – Werner Schmidlin

Below are two letters; the first by I. Edgerley, which was recently published in the Cairns Post; then a response to that letter sent to me by a lady from the Gold Coast – a True Blue Australian.

I quote the first letter:

"Multiculturalism has not worked.

"MARK Corrin's (28-8-09) criticism of Werner Schmidlin by using the Aboriginal experience as proof that many cultures that are mixing together works, in fact did just the opposite. For 40,000 years many people, many cultures and many languages have lived on this continent and not once during that time did they ever manage to join together to form a nation.

He proved that all this mixing of races just does not work. There is no proof world-wide that multiculturalism is a successful nation-building exercise, and while an admirable concept in theory, in practice it has proved a dismal failure.

Zimbabwe, Kenya, Iraq, Sri Lanka, et al; all attest to the multiracial nation as a concept noted for its ineffectiveness. Even the US, for all its drumbeating about its multicultural, multi-racial and multi-language policies, is not a successful entity. Take away its strong government and it would collapse into division, dissension and internal warfare.

Werner Schmidlin was correct: the theme of one people, one culture, one language, best describes a successful nation. - I. Edgerley, Tully." Unquote.

Here is what true blue Australian wrote: I Quote.

"I agree whole heartedly - it's not working!!! The only thing that the multicultural theory has produced in this country is division. We used to be a nation that stood shoulder to shoulder, united for a common cause; but not any longer. The day they opened the floodgates to all and sundry was the beginning of the end of a 'united country'.

It would be interesting to see where allegiances and loyalty would lay if push came to shove. I deplore the fact that children in kindergartens and schools don't sing Christmas carols for fear of offending Muslims. Christmas decorations and carols in some shopping centres are banned for fear of offending Muslims.

Yet, if I go to their countries I have to live my life by their standards or suffer severe consequences. What gives them the right to demand more say in what happens here than an Australian citizen? I have thought long and hard as to where I really fit in my own country. I have fewer rights than the majority of newcomers.

Aborigines refer to themselves as the only true Australians. I am a 3rd generation Australian, born and raised here, yet, I am not considered by them to be a true Australian. They regard me as a foreigner, yet I need a passport and visa to enter the UK - the country of my earlier ancestors. I am, by Aboriginal standards, a displaced person without a homeland. My original passport used to say "Commonwealth of Australia" now it just says "Australia".

All I can say is that I am glad I am entering the final years of my life, because I believe my grandchildren and their children are in for a very torrid time living in this multicultural environment. God forbid that any future wars are fought on our shores, because your neighbour next door could be plotting your demise with no loyalty whatsoever to this country. It's all a bit scary."

Signed: True blue Australian
(Name withheld)

A thought for today:
We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon. Konrad Adenauer