there's an old quote from a bloke called Lao Tzu about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with one step. along similar lines is the saying that one eats an elephant one bite at a time. it's equally true that the road to a state in which individual freedoms are a distant memory happens one piece of legislation at a time. for those with eyes to see, this past decade has been a frightening time for western society as we've seen our freedom constantly eroded. without wanting to go into many of the past excesses, this story caught my eye on the weekend.
under a new public health bill that is set to replace existing laws, people with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) will be able to be detained without charge and forcibly made to undergo treatment. this is a truly horrendous piece of legislation that is wide open to abuse and has the potential to ostracise those who need help the most. i'd hoped leper colonies had finished in biblical times but i guess not.
the link to the story is below. bear in mind that the article was in the Sunday Times; a paper not known for high journalistic standards or even-handed reporting... but still, it's food for thought.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23263652-2761,00.html
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1 comment:
I wonder what 'detained' means in translation?
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