Judge Mental
Aussie Dave | Feb 21, 2007 | 0 comments
Australia’s most decent dissent judge has shown why he should quit his day job.
High Court judge Michael Kirby yesterday accused America of being “obsessed” with September 11, 2001, saying more people died each day of AIDS than perished in the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Justice Kirby played down the significance of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon – in which 2900 people, including 10 Australians, died – after questioning claims by lawyers for the commonwealth that they had made Australia more vulnerable to terrorists.He made his observation as the High Court considered an appeal against a control order imposed on “Jihad” Jack Thomas, the first man convicted under Australia’s new anti-terror laws.Federal police obtained the order last August after his two earlier convictions for terrorism-related offences were quashed by the Victorian Court of Appeal. The charges were reinstated in December, and he is on bail awaiting trial for allegedly accepting funds from al-Qa’ida and falsifying a passport.The order restricts him to using designated telephone and internet services, limits whom he can meet and requires him to stay in his Melbourne home between midnight and 5am and report regularly to police. Commonwealth Solicitor-General David Bennett QC told the court the use of control orders was allowable under the Constitution.Mr Bennett cited nine reasons why Australia was more vulnerable to terrorist attack than when the Constitution was framed, including the terrorist attacks on the US of September 11, 2001.But Justice Kirby replied: “Yes, but the Americans, with all respects, have become obsessed with September 11.“That is not an event that occurred in this country, and I think we have to keep our eye on the threats to Australia” he said.
Which is clearly not what Kirby has been doing.
Justice Kirby added that more people died every day from the disease AIDS than died in September 11.
A totally irrelevant fact, but perhaps relevant to Kirby.
Update: Contrast with this excerpt from Kirby’s speech at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Gay Games.
I think of Mark Bingham, a rowdy Rugby player. He would have been with us tonight. But he lost his life in one of the planes downed on 11 September 2001, struggling to save the lives of others. He was a real hero.
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
