Hannibal

I don't want deaths at sea (I'm assuming you don't), I don't want a thriving people smuggling industry and I want to choose who comes here, or at least know who they are. But let me be frank, again, I'm not overly invested in the fate of refugees. I'm not paid to form policy. I'm not paid to solve complex problems. If you'd like to share your work or thesis regarding displaced peoples or those fleeing supposed life threatening situations, by all means submit me a copy. I'll read it during an ad break of the cricket.

Just shift it to the General Board. Only plebs post there.

Fuddy Duddy went, but wants to be begged for his contribution. I won't be bothering.

In your opinion. Clearly I differ, although I hastily acknowledge that the panel didn't need much of an excuse to throw the award in Goodes direction, which gives some veracity to your view.

Did you not see the word "doubt" ? Clearly that insinuates no proof, but merely instinct. Comprehension issues. The publicity generated by that "incident" and Maguire's subsequent comments in my view gave racial intolerance (and Goodes) a tremendous profile. I'm not suggesting it's all he's done in the community.

A lot of words without a lot of meaning. I don't have any problem with increasing our intake through proper channels. As a country though it's incumbent on us to know who is coming and where from. We should be controlling intake, not smugglers. We should also dissuade people from perilous journeys across our seas. I'm not opposed to more dialogue and doing our part to resettle the disadvantaged and those that can contribute to our nation. We haven't had a boat arrive in 5 weeks and to me that's a good thing. I'm not so sure you see it that way.

What some of us don't like and some of you don't understand, is that without the incident with a 13 year old girl I doubt Goodes wins the award. Declaring a 13 year old girl as "the face of racism in Australia" was outrageous by Goodes. The girl stated post the event that she didn't even know Goodes was indigenous. She was merely yelling at a big man with a big black beard running towards her. Who am I to call her a liar. And even if she knew what she was doing her treatment was appalling. Whispering Jack is quick to use the racism card and throw around words like intolerance. There may be prejudices on this site and there may be some in this thread, but some simply don't agree with the decision to grant this award on the back of chest beating about a teen's foolish comments. There's far too much discussion in society highlighting our differences. There's far too much discussion about what divides us. Those that think they're enlightened often only reinforce the divide. The quicker this country moves forward without so much concentration on colour, background, or guilt for the sins of the past, the better off we'll all be. Don't forget the past, but embrace the future. Promote unity.

So if you want community based processing you understand you're encouraging many more to come here. You're encouraging many more to risk their lives. More deaths will follow. You're encouraging people smugglers to ramp up their industry. An industry where desperate people are lied to. See where all this compassion gets you ? Nah, didn't think so.

In what way ?

We perpetuate more of a divide the more we focus on skin colour.

I prefer recipients such as Fiona Wood, Ian Frazer and Fred Hollows.

Tim Flannery took the cake.

Seeing as almost half the panel who decide the Aust. of the Year hold significant positions in race related industries was it ever going to be anyone else?

"Racism has a face and it's a 13 year old girl". Yeah, sure.

How bout none at all ? Surely that's best ?

He's never been "game day" fast, which is not that uncommon.

You should join the Communist Party.

Not a single boat arrival in 5 weeks. This is the first time for 5 years. And no drownings at sea. Yet the left are more damning of the Coalitions border protection policies than ever. Seemingly, they'd rather deaths at sea and people locked up in detention centres than the Coalition's policies being seen to be working.

It was a great speech and Abbott was bang on. Don't you believe in small government and freer markets ?

You're funny. The unions always want more and more and more. Better conditions, more money, better hours, etc. Then when businesses can't make money due to continuous excessive demands over long periods, due to high production costs, when the pie has shrunk and shrunk and shrunk, you blame conservatives for the loss of industry. Yeah, you're funny.

You can just smell this is crap. Especially if you've been to training and have seen his body language, etc. Your radar is deserting you to repeat it.

The capacity for people on here to worry about injuries, "rehab", and other things out of their control is mind-boggling. "Rehab" is the most overused word on training threads. in "rehab", out of "rehab", and sometimes it's all in one miraculous day. Players are "managed". Their loads are controlled. Some are/have been injured, others are managing niggles, and for some it's about workload. Just relax.

Your capacity to rationalise, or think lucidly, is completely non-existent.

Who suggests otherwise ? I'm not talking about club prognostications.

I would hate to go through life always requiring proof before I believed. I like to use my own eyes and cognitive powers to form conclusions. These conclusions are based on experience, past history, and current facts. Everyone gets it wrong from time to time, and I'm no better judge than others, but there's usually enough evidence to make sound conclusions that just as often become fruition. I don't automatically tick every player's chances, but one at least starts to recognise the percentages of probabilities. I'm not sure how you get through the long off-season without being able to get excited about anything until it's proven.