My Idea = Add 'banishment' to prison sentences.

[Aliantha]

Whatever you think Bruce. It's quite obvious that regardless of what facts are presented you're going to go on believing in this magical noble begining you've been taught.

Are you aware that there were also free settlers on the first fleet to Australia? Are you aware of exactly how a penal colony works or worked in Australia at any rate? Do you realize that once the majority of the convicts arrived here, they lived under almost exactly the same conditions as the soldiers sent here to guard them? Do you realize that even though these people were sent here for stealing a loaf of bread, a great number of them were just ordinary people?

I'm pretty sure this is what BD was on about when he posted earlier in this thread. The double standards and hypocrisy shown by our 'allies'.

While it's fun for you to crack jokes about us being inferior because of our beginings; beginings which are remarkably similar to those of Americans; you don't mind using our soldiers on the front line. You don't mind using our soil for testing vile weapons. You don't mind using us as a jumping off point for your conflicts.

You might think we come from less than favourable beginings, but I can assure you that most Australians are fed up to the eye teeth with the colonial views of our 'allies'.

Pardon us for saying so.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Oh get off your high horse, for Christs sake. I'd heard that once the ships got to Australia, everybody was in the same boat.(no pun) Sometimes it wasn't a very pleasant boat either, but everybody shared the predicament. I didn't look into it, but had assumed that most of the "convicts" were not criminals in the true sense of the word. In merry old England being convicted had no bearing on guilt, only wealth and social standing. Most of them were convicted of being in the way. If they kept them in jail it cost money so most everything was a hanging offence.

What possible difference could it make 200 years later? Somebody picking on you? It's a fucking joke, get over it. You take way more shots at the US than everybody here, put together, takes at Australia. So you don't have a leg to stand on, no sympathy for you.

penal colony
pe·nal col·o·ny (plural pe·nal col·o·nies)
noun
Definition: prison at remote location: a place of imprisonment and punishment at a remote location

penal colony
noun ~a penal institution where prisoners are exiled (often located on an island from which escape is difficult or impossible)

Devil's Island was a penal colony.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

You might think we come from less than favourable beginings, but I can assure you that most Australians are fed up to the eye teeth with the colonial views of our 'allies'.

Pardon us for saying so.

Does it matter where Aliantha is from when this was posted? Of course not. Also not forgotten is why the ultra secret Keyhole satellite program was exposed. The United States government tried to subvert Australian elections for self serving extremist American purposes. One should not forget that history either when throwing stones.

Aliantha's comments are justified. Opinion is based in facts. Whether anyone agrees with that history is no reason to discuss 'high horses' - especially from Americans who too often have a double standard.

When it comes to having an opinion on other people, Americans - who traditionally don't even know what is happening in Mexico and Canada but have opinions - are so quick to have those opinions. One need only see how many non-Americans saw "Mission Accomplished" as wrong when over 70% of Americans had a 'big dic' syndrome. Why is the world so right and Americans so extremist as it ignore reality and promote "Freedom Fries".

Much of what Aliantha posts is justified by history such as story called "Falcon & the Snowman". And yet so many Americans like to forget that history to feel superior to the French, Germans, Turks, S Koreans, Saudis, Chileans, etc.

[bluesdave]

Look, everyone is right (or wrong), depending on your perspective. I agree with Bruce, just let the previous comments (including mine), die a natural death, and everyone get along with one another and enjoy The Cellar. Tony puts a lot of money and time into providing this service for us, and I think one way of repaying his kindness is to be polite to one another. I apologised earlier, so I am not going to repeat myself (and give LJ another chance to be sarcastic ).

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by bluesdave

I apologised earlier, so I am not going to repeat myself (and give LJ another chance to be sarcastic ).

yeah,....cuz i'm always soooOOOOoooo sarcastic.