1 SEPTEMBER 2006

Letter to The Age:

Steve Biko died in detention in Pretoria, South Africa, on Monday 12 September 1977. The South African Minister of Justice Jimmy Kruger said "his death leaves me cold".

Another time, another place. The Australian attorney-general in 2006, Philip Ruddock, announced at the end of August 2006 that a control order had been placed on Jack Thomas, just days after his appeal against his conviction for terrorism offences had been overturned by the Australian legal system.

It is so easy to introduce legislation after frightening the population by repeatedly saying they are under threat from whatever the government of the day deems politically useful for re-election, but not so easy to get rid of the legislation when a different government is in place and basically accepts the original premise on which it was based.

Australia is rapidly approaching the South African apartheid style legislation of banning orders, re-arrests after release from an initial arrest and ongoing police state manifestations.

The assault on Jack Thomas's liberty after a court acquittal is tantamount to saying the government has the power, and will legislate.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave-------!"

10 DECEMBER 2006

Letter to The Age:

The federal government's behaviour in relation to David Hicks is an international crime and disgrace. It diminishes us all as human beings to live in a country which can be guilty of such human rights abuses and which does not live up to charters to which it is a signatory at the United Nations.

Philip Ruddock's behaviour in relation to David Hicks is sounding very much like that of Jimmy Kruger, Minister of Justice (sic) on the death of Steve Biko in 1977 in South Africa when he infamously stated that "Biko's death leaves me cold!"

Bring Hicks home now! If there are any charges to be brought in Australia - which so far evidence suggests there aren't - then let him be tried in an Australian court. His detention without trial for 5 years is a crime against humanity.

19 DECEMBER 2006

This one DID get published in The Age's Green Guide!!

SBS may finally have lost the plot completely. Tonight (Monday 18 December 2006) the 6.30pm news bulletin had advertisements in the middle of the news. This is intolerable and unacceptable, and SBS has lost another viewer. If I want commercials when I watch tv I can watch channels 7,9 and 10. I choose not to, and SBS will now join that trio. With ABC making sport the main news item, they have lost the plot too!

Thank goodness for www!!!

20 DECEMBER 2006

Well, SBS finally lost me tonight (Tuesday 19 December 2006).

Adverts during the news and Cutting Edge!

No thanks!

Mannie De Saxe

20 DECEMBER 2006

20 DECEMBER 2006

Well, SBS finally lost me tonight (Tuesday 19 December 2006).

Adverts during the news and Cutting Edge!

No thanks!

Mannie De Saxe

21 December 2006

S

I await the spiel with great interest!

M

20 DECEMBER 2006

On 20 Dec 2006 at 15:51, Sally Begbie wrote:

G

Send the speil.

r S

20 DECEMBER 2006

Well, SBS finally lost me tonight (Tuesday 19 December 2006).

Adverts during the news and Cutting Edge!

No thanks!

Mannie De Saxe

21 DECEMBER 2006

Dear Mannie De Saxe

Clearly the festive season is upon us and our best wishes to you. But to more serious matters...

Thank you for your email concerning the introduction of advertising within SBS Television programs. The Managing Director has asked that I respond to your complaint.

SBS has taken this course of action following a great deal of consideration and investigation. It was not an easy decision to make, but the alternative was far less palatable. SBS could continue with its current format, but its ability to commission quality Australian productions and to purchase the world's best films, television programs and sporting fixtures would become more and more restricted due to limited Government funding and the prospect of diminished advertising revenue as a result of competition from Pay TV, the Internet and other media.

SBS obtains about 80% of its funds from Government. But in the May budget SBS suffered a $3m shortfall in its appropriation for this current year (excluding digital transmission and distribution costs) and received no extra funds at all for program making.

The remainder of SBS funding comes from advertising revenue. Even though that amount is relatively small it is vitally important revenue that goes exclusively to the purchase, commissioning and production of programs.

Under its Act, SBS is obligated to operate in an efficient and cost-effective manner and, importantly, it is required to actively pursue funding opportunities independent of Government funding.

Since 1991, SBS Television has broadcast a maximum of five minutes of ads per hour between programs and in natural breaks. This is far less than the average 13-15 minutes of advertising permitted on the commercial television networks.

Until now, SBS has broadcast up to five minutes of ads as well as several minutes of program promotions in a single block between programs, meaning 6-10 minutes would elapse before the next program began. During this time, we consistently lost more than 50% of our viewers. They would simply change channels or switch off.

With smaller audiences, SBS's advertising rates (already well below the commercial networks) had to be reduced still further. The result has been a curtailment of our program-making capabilities because less money from ads means less money for the commissioning and the production of original programs.

Under the new format the maximum of five minutes of ads per hour still applies, but the ads will be spread across the hour in three separate breaks, each containing 90 seconds of commercials. In half-hour programs, there will be two 60-second commercial breaks.

This will restore true commercial value to SBS's ad breaks. By placing short ads within programs, when SBS reaches its peak audiences, our advertising rates can be increased. We estimate that this will raise at least $10m in the first 12 months of operation. All of this additional revenue will go into program making and the commissioning of programs from independent Australian producers.

With this extra revenue we will launch a one hour news program in January that will expand our coverage of international and national news. The bulk of the additional funds will go to the commissioning of quality Australian drama, documentaries and other programs.

By dramatically reducing the time between programs, we believe SBS audiences will be encouraged to stay, especially because the in-program breaks will include program promotions about forthcoming programs. It is important that information about other programs on SBS reaches the largest possible audience. Currently these messages, in the form of promos, are lost in the middle of lengthy and cluttered breaks between programs. Too often our audience tells us they would have watched a particular program "if only I had known it was on". The placement of promos in a more accessible place helps overcome that communication failure.

I understand your concerns regarding in-program breaks, but these changes will enable us to continue to provide our viewers with the highest quality and most diverse programming available on free-to-air television in Australia.

Yours sincerely

Georgie McClean

Policy and Research Manager

28 DECEMBER 2006

S

Spiel - spelt incorrectly by you - not surprisingly - means "a glib speech or story, esp. a salesman's patter". (Concise Oxford Dictionary)

What I was sent was "spiel", no more, no less.

SBS has become a laughing stock - a shadow of its former self.

The federal government has a surplus of 11.5 billion dollars, and SBS resorts to cheap and nasty advertising in the middle of its programmes?

There used to be some excellent programmes on SBS. Now we can have www downloads of material worth watching without the rubbish and the rubbish stories pitched by SBS for those of us who are deemed stupid.

Thanks but no thanks.

M

S

I await the spiel with great interest!

M

On 20 Dec 2006 at 15:51, Sally Begbie wrote:

G

Send the speil.

S

Well, SBS finally lost me tonight (Tuesday 19 December 2006).

Adverts during the news and Cutting Edge!

No thanks!

Mannie De Saxe

8 JANUARY 2007

Dear Mary, Anton, Lee Lin, Rena, Amruta and the SBS World News team,

Thank you all for your presentation of the best news bulletin on Australian television over so many years.

It is with a great deal of sorrow that I am no longer watching the news, because of management's decision to have adverts in the middle of the bulletins. There is no substitute and I will now have to rely on world news via the internet to avoid having my news bulletins interrupted.

Best wishes to you all with an SBS management that has obviously failed in its lobbying of the current federal government for more funding when this same government has a surplus during this financial year of something like 11.5 billion dollars, much of it coming from pensioner taxpayers like me who pay our taxes through gst!

Fond regards,

Mannie De Saxe

21 JANUARY 2007

The South African minister of "justice" (sic)- in 1977, was Jimmy Kruger. Kruger announced that (Steve) Biko's death was caused by a hunger strike - adding, in a phrase that has gone down in the annals of apartheid crudity, that "his death leaves me cold".

The Australian attorney-general Philip Ruddock stated in the Sunday Age on 7 January 2007 - five years after the US bought Hicks from the Northern Alliance for $1000 - that "the US government has given us certain assurances. We expect them to be honoured." Ruddock has further stated that the Government is "deeply unhappy" about the time the process has taken.

David Hicks is showing no sign of mental distress which would affect his ability to face a trial, Australia's foreign minister Alexander Downer has said.

All experts(sic) in their fields - and we anticipate justice and a speedy end to David Hicks's ordeal?

Don't hold your collective breaths!

21 JANUARY 2007

I get it now! Amanda's name is really Blundstone and she has the off-shore solution!

9 FEBRUARY 2007

"Perhaps next time any of our Aussie larrikins who used to be cute freckle-faced little boys travel to the Middle East to take up an apprenticeship in terrorism with the bad guys, they will remember what happened to Hicks!" (Michael Burd, The Age 9 February 2007)

I assume Burd includes all those from Australia who go to "take up an apprenticeship in terrorism" with Israel in its ongoing apartheid-style oppression of the Palestinians?

Mannie De Saxe, Jews against Oppression and Occupation

7 MARCH 2007

This letter was sent to The Age and not published. I don't really wonder why!

In 2005 the Jewish Virtual Library listed 102,000 Jews in Australia, 0.51% of the population. Colin Rubenstein and his Zionist mates need to get their facts right.

Antony Loewenstein put the cat among the pigeons with the publication of his book, " My Israel Question" . Since then many Jews have realized that they can speak out about Israeli oppression and occupation and get their voices heard.

Daniel Lewis (7 March 2007) gets the Australian Jewish population wrong. He says many signatories to Antony's document get letters published in The Australian Jewish News (aka Israeli Zionist Times) weekly. What he doesn't say is that many signatories never get their letters published because the owner and editor disapprove of the views expressed in the letters. This also goes for The Age over letters too critical of Israel of which the editors disapprove.

At the time of writing this letter late in the day on Wednesday 7 March 2007, more than 300 people had signed the document, and more are expected to sign in the next few days and weeks.

And Jason Foster (7 March), many of us do NOT support the two-state cop-out but believe that we need to build the strength of opposition to the Israeli government's continuing apartheid style oppression of the Palestinian people, issues freely discussed in the Israeli media but silenced for the most part by the Australian media.

Colin Rubenstein has got this issue wrong as ever, but gets his views published in newspapers. Antony Loewenstein has gained a voice for many silenced Jews in Australia by getting HIS and our voices heard.

Mannie De Saxe, Jews Against Oppression and Occupation

8 MARCH 2007

This letter was sent toThe Age on 8 March 2007 - it is unlikely to be published either!

UNREPRESENTATIVE SWILL

The claim by two Jewish groups that " The Australian Jewish Community's elected representative bodies are open and democratic, which is why the claims of the so-called "Independent Australian Jewish Voices" should not be treated at face value" is a blatant lie!

Who elected them, who do they represent, and how were the votes recorded?

The Australian Electoral Commission does not have a recording of all Jewish voters in Australia and does not conduct elections to these so-called elected representative bodies. As Paul Keating so infamously said, these bodies are "unrepresentative swill" and are certainly not democratic!

When a Jewish gay group requested affiliation to the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, they were infamously refused - just as John Howard refuses recognition of the human rights of sexual minority groups in Australia.

Jewish minority voices are not heard in this country, and we now have the opportunity of changing all this. We are making progress and our voices will be heard more and more. As of yesterday there were already approximately 400 signatories and the numbers are growing. How many signatories are there in the abovementioned "representative bodies"?

Mannie De Saxe, Jews Against Oppression and Occupation

14 MARCH 2007

On 26 February 2007 I sent the following letter to the Sydney Star Observer (SSO). I thought if they didn't publish it in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras they would publish it afterwards, but how wrong can one be! The SSO is obviously joining all the other media in self-censorship - and more so of items seen by their editorial board as being "politically incorrect":

Mannie De Saxe, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity,

It really is time for Mardi Gras to take a long, cold shower! The incident at Fair Day involving security and CAAH and the calling of police is a disgrace. An organization which grew out of a grass roots activist and protest demonstration in 1978 during which the police behaved in the most brutal and disgusting way stops an activist group from moving around the grounds on Fair Day with its own political agenda.

If Mardi Gras does this sort of thing on Fair Day the future of the organization looks very bleak indeed.

Next, it would seem as if Mardi Gras will get upset by some of this week's letters to the SSO complaining about the proposed David Hicks float and accusing David Hicks of all sorts of terrible crimes. Maybe the letter-writers ought also to go and have a few cold showers while they contemplate the fact that David Hicks has not yet been tried in a properly constituted court of law, and yet they are saying he is guilty already. What is happening with the Hicks case is representative of what has happened to human rights laws in Australia where there used to be a presumption of innocence until proved guilty.

Will Mardi Gras ban the float?

It would be a good idea if all concerned would go and read Richard Flanagan's book, "The Unknown Terrorist" and think again about jumping to the conclusions they have.

Shame on you all!

Mannie De Saxe, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity (formerly Gay Solidarity Group, GSG)

27 MARCH 2007

On 26/03/2007, at 4:52 PM, josken_at_zipworld_com_au wrote to the editor of the Sydney Star Observer:

Dear Stacy,

..........and I quote: "The Star's letters to the editor are not selected because of political views or pro - or anti-Mardi Gras bias, or commercial interests."

The David Hicks story continues in the letters columns of the SSO - we received the latest issue No. 859 today, Monday 26 March 2007, and I would be interested to know what reason there was for rejecting my letter. It was not too long, didn't have humour (unfortunately the topic is NOT funny), was clear and relevant, gave full name and address of letter-writer and group.

But maybe the politics was too hot to handle???

Anyway, below is the letter once again for you to tell me what's wrong with it. You stated you are always happy to cop criticism during business hours. This will get to you before 5pm today - still business hours?

Regards,

Mannie De Saxe

And on 27 March 2007 back came the following reply!:

Mannie,

If you can't see that we've given both sides of the debate a fair hearing then there's something seriously wrong with you.

Stacy

The letter referred to is above dated 26 February 2007 and sent again on 14 March 2007.

22 MAY 2007

The Age received another letter from me which is, for them, unpublishable, so here it is!:

Alan Freedman denigrates David Hicks and those who support him \par by attacking "perceived enemies" both here and abroad. (Letters, \par 22/5)

\par \par It would be interesting to hear his views on those Australian men \par who go to Israel - a foreign country - to fight against the Palestinians\par - who are not fighting against Australia.

\par \par When David Hicks made whatever decisions he is being accused of \par - by those who haven't even given him the opportunity of hearing \par him in his own country - the countries he was involved with at the \par time were NOT Australia's enemies.

\par \par I think Freedman needs to explain himself in greater detail before \par flinging his loose accusations.

\par \par Mannie De Saxe, Signatory to IAJV, JAOO ( Independent Australian \par Jewish Voices, Jews Against Oppression and Occupation)

15 NOVEMBER 2007

The Age, yet again, sees its way clear to not publish my letters - they are too objectionable for The Age editors, poor dears, who have such sensitive, right-wing reactionary, blimkered views of the world in which we live! Never mind! I WILL PUBLISH MY LETTER!! and here it is:

It was estimated that up to 50,000 people took part in the rally on Sunday 11 November 2007 - "Walk Against Warming". It is impossible to believe that this number of men, women and children would all be socialists (letters 13/11/07).

Ben Coleman suggests that the socialist cause is dying, but doesn't have figures to substantiate his claim. There are thousands, probably millions of people world-wide who may not belong to any specific socialist organisations, but consider themselves to be socialists.

I should know, because I am one of them. I was at the rally on Sunday, and was encouraged to notice that there were so many like-minded people concerned at what our non-socialist politicians and free marketeers around the world are inflicting on us and future generations.

Coleman should remove the mote in his eye and join those who got a great deal of satisfaction from the rally, knowing that we were with so many socialists and non-socialists who know that urgent attention is needed to slow global warming.

28 DECEMBER 2007

Mannie De Saxe, 2/12 Murphy Grove, Preston, Vic 3072

The incarceration of David Hicks in Guantanamo Bay for over 5 years, and the treatment he received there is, mostly, the responsibility of the Howard government.

The editorial in The Age (29/12/07) discusses the disgraceful behaviour of the Howard government, but no mention is made of the disgraceful role the ALP opposition and the media played in this tragic saga, and the blame attached to them because of their silence.

In order to understand the damage inflicted on David Hicks and other US detainees, Naomi Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine" tells of the forms of torture used at Guantanamo Bay and how they came about.

David Hicks and the others have probably been damaged irreparably and our governments and media are directly responsible and should be held to account.

For the new ALP government to support a control order on Hicks similar to the one on Jack Thomas is a black mark on this "new" government, and is totally unacceptable.

18 FEBRUARY 2008

30 years ago, when Neville Wran was Premier of News South Wales, there was a fuel crisis when it was feared the world was running out of oil faster than had previously been anticipated.

Wran reacted to the crisis by establishing the Energy Authority of NSW which had, as one of its mandates, research into alternative fuels for motor vehicles.

I was one of the engineers involved with the establishment of this division, which received funding from the federal and state governments from the late 1970s for research.

We established a fleet of electric vehicles - about 10 altogether - and we called them "The First Fleet". We continued to test electric vehicles until governments decided the crisis was over and the funding dried up in the early 1980s.

Part of our research into alternative energy in vehicles was the use of rape seed oil in diesels. South Africa and other countries were already experimenting, quite successfully, with sunflower oil and other vegetable oils, with a fair amount of success.

All of our research came to an end by 1985, and Australia is now, nearly 30 years later, reinventing the wheel! (Gordon Drennan, Letters, 16/2 and Letters, 18/2) Will we never learn?

Mannie De Saxe, Research Engineer (retired)

15 APRIL 2008

I wrote this letter to The Age newspaper on 15 April 2008, but the editor, Andrew Jaspan, a right-wing reactionary bigot if ever there was one, doesn't approve of the idea that there is anyone out there who would dare to criticise Thabo Mbeki, who, with the aid of his health minister (sic) Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been responsible for more deaths in South Africa in 9 years over the AIDS crisis that Mugabe has in Zimbabwe in nearly 30 years from murder, thuggery, thievery, AIDS and other associated crimes against humanity, while the world has sat back and watched both countries behave in the most criminal of behaviours without lifting any fingers to stop them.

South Africa is a basket case in a different way from Mugabe's basket case, but the outcomes are the same - impoverished diseased populations and huge criminal classes profiting from a lack of employment opportunities and other social diseases. Educational, health and housing disasters together with an absolute desire to ensure capitalist enrichment and widening of the gaps between the very rich and the very poor assist both countries in their slides to disaster. Both countries could have been models for the rest of Africa, but it was not to be!

No, Mark Brooks (The Age 15 April), NOT Mugabe and Mbeki, monster and monstered, BUT Mugabe and Mbeki, monster and monster! Mbeki has been responsible for thousands more deaths from AIDS than Mugabe has from murders, disappearances and thuggery.

BUT Mbeki is also responsible for Mugabe still being in power by supporting him through thick and thin!

Mannie De Saxe

20 MAY 2008

This was just too much for The Age's letters editor!!:

After 12 long years, the Liberal Party is at last seeing the tunnel at the end of the light!

27 MAY 2008

Back in the apartheid years if one arrived by air in South Africa and landed at Jan Smuts airport, the announcement on the plane said: "We are about to land at Jan Smuts airport. Please turn your clocks back 100 years." This was in the era when the book "Black Beauty" was banned. Ah, yes, Lady Chatterley's Lover too!

In 2008, when landing at an international airport in Australia, the announcement on the plane is similar: "We are about to land at ---------- international airport. Please turn your clocks back 100 years". This is in the era when ANYTHING is banned with the approval of the country's prime minister and other federal, state and local government politicians. This is in an era when anything can be banned and censorship takes hold of the fear-ridden country. Talk about spooks and ghosts!

Welcome to 21st century Australia.

15 JULY 2008

The Age newspaper's blacklist probably has so many names of people whose letters they refuse to publish under any circumstances that it must be quite a problem looking through them every day to ensure no mistkaes are made. In my case, they NEVER make a mistake. However, I have my own letters page and add to it when the usual occurs and my latest letter remains unpublished. This one, as many others, speaks for itself!!

There is a fascinating irony in the fact that those in Christian churches who protest loudly about the ordination of women and gays are dressed in the fanciest of drag costumes.

13 AUGUST 2008

There were many letters in response to Jacqueline Tomlins' article in The Age, and of course, as we know, several don't get published. Here is one of them:

At 81 I have read loads of rubbish in my time, but the homophobic letter from Albert Riley (13/08/08) plumbs the depths.

Riley attacks a lesbian mother because she is not the biological mother of her partner's children, stating that she "chooses to lie to her children".

Does he employ the same argument for hetero people who adopt children? Does he employ the same argument for people who partner with other people who have children, and adopt those children as their own?

These are only two instances of family variations which don't make liars out of the people concerned who are NOT the biological parents of those children.

But I suppose it is all right provided the people involved are heterosexual.

Homophobia is never very far below the surface and our politicians ensure it remains on the agenda as far as same-sex relationships are concerned.

The struggle will continue until we all have equal rights, not separate rights as in apartheid South Africa where it was "separate but equal"! Of course it never was!

Mannie De Saxe, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity, Melbourne

15 SEPTEMBER 2008

I really should know better, but I suppose it is the habit of a lifetime and one not easily broken. My latest letter to The Age concerned two taboo topics for the Victorian government, abortion and euthanasia - look how quickly they killed off the proposed bill recently on euthanasia - althought the abortion bill may actually get through! Here is my latest letter:

My father died at the age of 31 in excrutiating agony from Myasthenia Gravis. When he died in 1930 there was nothing available to treat this disease. His mother died at the age of 25 from a botched abortion. She virtually bled to death. This happened in 1902 in Melbourne. These events are of course not un-linked as they had consequences for all concerned.

At 82 I am fortunate not to have had any life-threatening diseases or illnesses. The same can not be said for countless friends and relatives over the years.

Should my circumstances change I will do everything in my power to ensure that I am not dictated to by any religious right or government organisation as to how I am to die. It is my choice and I will choose.

If euthanasia is required, so shall it be.

As to abortion, women have suffered, and continue to suffer, at the hands of those moralists who would have a say in their situations. Women alone shall decide their fates and it is time the legality of these issues be put to rest by legislative decisions now!

3 MARCH 2009

It doesn't ever get any better! The Age is now - and probably always has been - a cat's paw for the zionist lobby and any criticism of Israel is not to be tolerated, particularly when it recommends a boycott of Israel. It shouldn't, but it does continue to amaze how strong that lobby continues to be despite the mounting evidence of Israel as a state out of control and thumbing its nose at its chief sponsors, the USA!

Peter Rodgers (The Age, 3 March 2009) left out the main item from his article about George Marshall's role as President Barack Obama's Middle East Envoy.

As soon as the United States of America stops funding Israel, there will be peace between Israel and Palestine within a very short period of time.

Various organisations exist demanding BDS - Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions - against Israel.

In the end these issues helped bring about the end of apartheid South Africa, which lost an enormous amount of capital as a consequence of BDS.

It may not bring Israel to the negotiating table immediately, but it will certainly hasten peace negotiations.

10 OCTOBER 2009

Letter to the Sydney Star Observer:

On 24 September 2009 ACON held an Honours Awards night to bestow their annual awards for 2009 to Graeme Browning and Ken Davis.

Ken has been one of the leading gay activists for gay liberation and gay rights for well over 30 years and we anticipated that the SSO would acknowledge the awards night with a full right-up of the event.

Instead we get a panel with two small paragraphs and a photo and we are told there are more photos elsewhere in the paper -issue 990 dated Wednesday 30 September 2009.

If this is the best that the SSO is capable of for a report on two of the major players of the last decade and more on the gay activism front, then the SSO is failing the community we thought it was there to serve.

We trust that future reports of events of this nature will be more comprehensive and representative of those who have worked so hard for equal rights for us all, or must we wait for death, as in the case of Henry Collier who was up there with the best of them, for the recognition they so richly deserve?

30 NOVEMBER 2009

Letter to The Age newspaper:

Did we miss the report in The Age about the gay marriage demonstrations which took place around Australia on Saturday 28 November 2009?

The previous day The Age ran it's daily readers' poll asking whether people approved of gay marriage and the result was 18% against and 82% for with over 3,000 votes registered.

So it is rather surprising that the paper did not see fit to report on the rallies around the country.

No wonder the print media are losing favour - anything is news provided it is not about gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV/AIDS issues.

Homophobia is alive and well and living in a newsroom not far from home!

Mannie's weblogs may be accessed directly by clicking on to the following links

MannieBlog (from 1 August 2003 to 31 December 2005)

ACTIVIST KICKS BACKS - AKB (from December 2005 onwards)

RED JOS BLOGSPOT (from January 2009 onwards)

Red Jos Home Page

Mannie and Kendall's Home Page

This page was last updated on 2 JUNE 2010