Following a missive from home, I decided to go in search of John Howard’s appearance on qanda last night. I had to go to youtube because stoopid ABC won’t let me watch iview from here. Anyway, good to know John Howard hasn’t lost his ability to make me so angry I can’t see straight.
Mr Howard, let me be clear…when I was part of the campaign for David Hicks to be given a fair trial, I never once claimed, nor even thought, that he was ‘a hero’. To say that I did is to be tricky at best and deceptive at worst. I was speaking out about his right to a trial, to a fair trial. I was arguing that he should be charged, that he should not be held without charge. And I said that he should not be subjected to torture while imprisoned.
I did not once say that he was a hero.
I know a lot of people who were campaigning on behalf of David Hicks and I don’t remember any of them describing David Hicks as a hero. I did, and do, think that his father was a hero, and perhaps I expressed that thought in a public way. So maybe you misheard me. Maybe when I said Terry, you heard me say David. Fair enough, you had a lot on your plate at the time, mistakes happen. If this is the case, please advise, and I will accept your apology unreservedly.
Otherwise, please stop saying, or even implying, that I have ever said David Hicks is a hero. It is not cool to misrepresent people and their opinions in this way.
While we’re at it, I’ll just remind Mike Rann that I still haven’t forgiven him when he did a similar thing . I never said that van Nguyen, a young man facing the death penalty in Singapore, should be compared to Florence Nightingale. I said that he should not face the death penalty because I believe that the death penalty is wrong in all circumstances and I do not qualify my opposition to the death penalty. I’m still extraordinarily mad with Mike Rann for saying the things that he did – it was completely unnecessary for him to say those things, and if he really was against the death penalty then he wouldn’t be undermining other people’s efforts to have it abolished.
Goodness, but I’m cross about those things.
adelaide from adelaide 
Well done you. Great post. I wish I could be so articulate.
I just want to stand up and applaud you for that blogpost! Well said. And I wish that shoe-thrower had hurled them with more conviction and accuracy, seriously.
I did Terry Hicks was a hero too by the way.
I didn’t watch it. I knew it would make me too angry. I watched a DVD of the West Wing instead.
Oh… do not even START me at Mike Rann! Howard, of course, makes me spit chips. But it’s not like I expect anything else. But RANN? Just do not START me.
Word.
I’m inclined to think that J Howard’s elevation to Prime Minister demonstrates not his superiority, but how the quality of coalition politicians had deteriorated over the years so that at last he became electable.
He is foul and weaselly. Just my opinion, of course.
I just couldn’t bring myself to watch the show, to be honest. Once an out of date, belligerent old fool ALWAYS an out of date, belligerent old fool.
Although – if I were a twitterer – I’d love to one day say, “Why don’t you all have a cup of coffee and some truffles on this show? Who wouldn’t get along and see reason if chocolate’s involved?’ Hmm. That’s why I don’t twitter…..
I’m thinking of sending Howard an invoice for all that oxygen …
Well said
…I tuned in and out ..why was he on solo?.. ..
And he never answered David Hick’s restrained and reasonable question…
the hero statement was Howard’s typical diversion tactic.
He’s still a weasel who speaks weasel words…
and I think Terry was heroic in his steadfast fight for justice for his son.
well spoken.
Re, the Mike Rann comment, as the USians say, “that’s not even wrong.”
The moment I looked at his stupid, self satisfied grinning baboonlike face, I felt ill.
So I turned it OFF and went and read instead.
I wish the shoe man had thrown a huge cream pie at him and not missed.
What a twat JH is.