tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83298119874357121562024-03-13T22:14:00.317+11:00LeeAnneArtArt Imagination DiscourseLeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-41699311603448744702018-03-18T19:18:00.001+11:002018-05-05T16:37:31.699+10:00Blaming and Shaming the Victim by Defamation law and the Media - in the #Metoo #NameYourPig era<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Addenda </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Reports today of Junot Diaz’s spectacularly offensive behaviour mirror the experience of myself and partner with our harrasser Robert Cripps. The courts, in our instance, supported Cripps’ behaviour determining we had no right to defend ourselves. Why? In part, it was because he used his traumatic war experience as a Vietnam Vet (claims he put in court) to influence how his behaviour would be perceived, the first anyone in the room other than he and his lawyer had heard on the subject. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Diaz was raped as child and was a victim. Like our harrasser Diaz has chosen to take this victimhood and use it against others. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">You’d think they would use their experiences to become more complete humans. Instead they use their experiences to get away with treating others badly. In the case of people like Diaz and Cripps they wear their trauma as an excuse and a shield that deflects any deserving consequences that emerge from their behaviour towards others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">So do we accept this is valid? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Traumatic experiences give no person the right to harrass, bully, or humiliate another.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">The galling aspect all victims endure in such cases is to have their rights subsumed, diminished or completely denied in order that the bully with their moronic behviour will feel better about themselves. Victims apparently should not vex such persons in the first place. Galling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Movements such as #metoo exist because when it comes down to it, victims have no support or influence without group action of some kind. Victims are not believed in courts (our case), are not believed or helped within thier own social circles or are literally thrown to the wolves because witnesses fear the same treatment or same ostracisation they see the victim receive. Apparently Diaz’s behaviour was ‘known’ so why was he still professionally lauded and given prestigious gigs (Sydney Writers Festival)? I cite the above and the reasons raised by other victims as to why this may be the case, in the link below. It was/is no different here within the Melbourne art scene. They don’t care we were victims, it is as if we don’t exist. Cripps may be less of a “household name” than is Diaz but his behaviour was still well known and witnessed by many in the Melbourne arts scene - but if it wasn’t them coping it they didn’t care to assist those who did. And, others who did “cop it” <a href="https://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/paradoxes-courage-cowardice-and-robert.html">withdrew</a> their stories as soon as they found out thier bully had sued us over the same behaviour </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-05/junot-diaz-pulled-from-sydney-writers-festival-sexual-misconduct/9731000">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-05/junot-diaz-pulled-from-sydney-writers-festival-sexual-misconduct/9731000</a><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Defamation Law </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Defamation law was used as a tool to victimise and bully us personally
for reporting our bully and our experience. Furthermore, it was used to
disparage and discredit us, and our art, personally and professionally.
Defending the defamation claims of our bully resulted in an outcome that has
left us destroyed financially and artistically. We were first attacked by the
plaintiff and then by the legal institutions in Australia and finally by a
complicit media. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In regards the #Metoo #NameYourPig era our situation remains more one of
#ButNotYou. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We reported via our online art websites our experience of the inexcusable
bullying behaviour of a gallery director, of us, of other artists, and of many
of his staff and volunteers. His unprofessionalism and inappropriate conduct had been prior knowledge of others in the arts scene, mainly in
Melbourne but he had a history elsewhere in the art sector, where he was
"castigated" by the industry and was known as a
"troublemaker". His repeated aggressive abuse of us, and our art was unacceptable
and we had the right to defend our art and selves, ...you would think.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Some victims and witnesses had complained online prior our experiences
and prior our online complaints. When the same bully sued us those prior
complainants went to ground, pulling their complaints from online, or refusing
to come forward to speak as a witness to their issue during the trial. Witnesses
to his treatment of us refused to come forward - one witness who'd informed an
artist friend to avoid the gallery because of what he'd witnessed at our
exhibition opening declared complete memory loss of the incident.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">All feared being sued. They feared what did eventually happen to us,
would happen to them too. They were also afraid of exposure to perceived detrimental
professional ramifications by association if they came forward.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">These are the reasons why #Metoo has taken so long to even emerge and is
why spinoff inspirations such as #NameYourPig are understandable.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Those brave enough to come forward in our case told of a range of
inappropriate, unprofessional to despicable behaviours - the plaintiff himself,
even his own witnesses demonstrated the validity of the claims we made and that
our witnesses confirmed. The weight of evidence, facts, statements, meant our
defence was sound and the case un-losable.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But, we were later told, "The truth is what the judge says it is."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Against the weight of evidence – and in some instance in contradiction
to the evidence cited – and witness statements the trial judge found entirely for
the plaintiff. Oh, wait, that is not entirely true, the judge did find the
plaintiff had improperly withheld money owed to us, awarding our defence around
$3:00 AUD to cover the lost interest. The contempt for us, shown by the judge,
underpins the problems with defamation law.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The institutions of the State, being Australia, punitively awarded
massive costs against us. Costs that meant we lost everything we'd materially
worked for, as well as our dignity, to our bully. Our victimisation was
ruthlessly, systematic made complete by the State, the State's actor, being the
judiciary. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Defamation law in how it is conducted in this country assists in preventing
exposure of bullies and perpetrators. It does so through fear of its power to
destroy defendants, preventing the exposure, or prosecution, of already
powerful bullies. Defamation law in our case protected the bully who used it to
further victimise the victims.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YjiTjSsjdFI/Wq4bSEN1RuI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/R0OfWq344xQK9GgulmZ8f3kGuiXWUcMMgCLcBGAs/s1600/judicatura-with-pet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1205" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YjiTjSsjdFI/Wq4bSEN1RuI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/R0OfWq344xQK9GgulmZ8f3kGuiXWUcMMgCLcBGAs/s640/judicatura-with-pet.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Judicatura (with pet/s)" - drawing, graphite on paper, Lee-Anne Raymond © 2018</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The Media</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Additionally, a complicit media supported this victimisation, actually
assisting in its amplification, when it could have done the opposite by looking
properly at the case. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Media reaction to our case was the antithesis of recent #Metoo <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">exposés</span>. In 2014 the media, reporting
on our case, simply regurgitated verbatim distortion of facts and evidence fed
them in the trial judge's media release. The judge being outraged more by the
atheist art of the defendants, as emphasised by an opportunistic counsel for
the plaintiff, aimed to ensure our exposure in the media would be in as poor as
possible a light. That it was untrue fabrication and distortion of facts, a
further defamation of our moral rights and us, didn't matter to a media hungry
for salacious headlines. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The reason for our complaints in the first place were due to the attack
on us and our art by the plaintiff's repeated accusations the art and we were
racist because of the criticism of religions. The plaintiff had couched his
shouted accusations at us in claims that were racist towards a culture not even
remotely depicted in our art. It was pointed out to him that this
kind of racist rant was </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">historically </span>what informed Nazi propaganda. Relaying historical
facts to a belligerent bully turned into headlines of the kind that would be
laughable if not for the fact they contribute to our ongoing denial of justice
and to our loss of dignity, resulting in a petition to Geneva (noted at conclusion).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Chief among the complaints by the plaintiff overall at the trial, in
his own words under examination by his own counsel, was that his business, an
art gallery was severely damaged by what we had exposed; he could no longer
procure female volunteers and that he had been unable to attract "a
lover". Declaring that he "loved women" and that he was "very
flirtatious" the judge ruled we had essentially damaged the plaintiff's
flirtatiousness. He lied that he had never caused our exhibition harm, claiming
that he always was, and still was "very supportive of the artists"
whilst under cross examination contradicting this claim confirming he had a
problem with the "whole lot" [exhibition and artists] and had a duty
to protect his staff and volunteers from it and apparently from us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The trial judge was unconcerned with his behaviour with regard to us, or
our art, and the appeal court over-looked it as merely being "the milieu"
in which artists and gallery directors apparently operate. No understanding of
#Metoo concepts there...</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Blame, Shame and Defame the Victim</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We, our matter, had become an embarrassment to the Supreme Court of
Victoria, and so, in stark contrast with the trial judge's media attracting
release, the mostly reversed on appeal result went entirely unheralded. And,
though media were present at both events only one was reported on. All media involved
have ignored our efforts to have the appeal result reported. News of most of a
trial judge's findings, previously salaciously reported, being reversed on
appeal, under any circumstance, you would expect, should cause great interest
from the media. However, all prior keen interest shown had vaporised and has mysteriously
failed to materialise ever since. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The money we were forced under penalty to pay the plaintiff post trial was
ordered returned on appeal but without similarly imposed timelines or penalty for
failure to do so. It meant we would have to spend another 160k to get it back
from the plaintiff via legal action we could not finance. We had exhausted everything
on appeal. This was as deliberate as the overturned punitive damages awarded
against two artists with few financial means beyond their family home - which
was, by the appeal verdict stage, all gone. After losing the appeal the plaintiff
declared bankruptcy (hiding all of his assets) meaning, a) we could take no
action against him in the conventional courts anyway and, b) we'd have to pay a
trustee around 160k to progress their recommendation that 7 matters regarding
the bankruptcy warranted further investigation.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So, why would a victim come forward to denounce his or her bully
publicly? They will be dragged through the courts, made out to be liars, be stripped
of all financial assets, caused further damage in the media and even with
confirmation of their original claims will be left to swing in the noose the complicit
media had helped to string up.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The power wielded by a serial bully, misogynist or predator alike is
amplified and is emboldened under the protection of such system-supported
dysfunction. If a victim is brave (or stupid) enough to test this I refer to the
experience described above. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ultimately the mere threat of punitive defamation court action prevents
most from speaking out. Indeed it looms as a threat for witnesses who feel exposed to litigation too. Combined with our actual experience this is the "chilling
effect" and its realisation through defamation law. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Defamation law is not only a threat to victims of bullies it is a threat
to an open, just society, to transparency and "free speech" in how it acts
to chill speech and by extension stifle an otherwise free (though easily confused) media. It is not a
new concern for the media and is regularly pointed out by commentators on its
own behalf. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-biggest-threat-to-free-speech-isnt-18c-its-this-20170511-gw2bs4.html">http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-biggest-threat-to-free-speech-isnt-18c-its-this-20170511-gw2bs4.html</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Problems exist due to a persistently flawed understanding of
defamation law in how it is conducted in Australia.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/align-this-tort-with-defamation-remedies/news-story/4fb655ec845f6f8942c6eb5ab720e8a4"><span style="color: #1e419a;">http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/align-this-tort-with-defamation-remedies/news-story/4fb655ec845f6f8942c6eb5ab720e8a4</span></a> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The writer of the article above makes this inaccurate statement:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"Defamation turns
on truth and falsity. No wrong is committed by telling the<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>truth about a person."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In regard to Australian defamation law this is entirely wrong. And, it
is why all journalism and comment by anyone not actually practicing or experiencing defamation
law in Australia continue to get it wrong. Truth in Australia is irrelevant, as it is not a
complete defence. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if you have told
the truth you have nothing to fear</i> mantra is completely without basis in
the Australian jurisdiction.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">To defend a defamation in Australia merely demonstrates <i>an admission
to having defamed</i>. You, the defendant, must then prove, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not
the truth</i> of the claim/s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> made,
but the truth as against the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">imputations</i>
manufactured by a plaintiff. 'Truth' is a relative concept in Australian
defamation law.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Australian defamation law is plaintiff
weighted in the first place and its feature tool, defamation imputation, is solely at the
disposal of the plaintiff. A plaintiff's claim, about what is written,
is that an imputation, or "innuendo" has been conveyed by what was
written or said. The plaintiff decides the meaning and it is then this meaning or
innuendo that a defendant is required to defend. This is precisely how
informing a ranting, belligerent, obnoxious gallery director that his repeated racist claims
belong historically in Nazi era propaganda becomes a screaming headline "Hitler
rant costs artists dearly" years down the track. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The media perpetuate the problems with defamation law by reporting,
without understanding; nonsensically what they are fed one screaming headline
after another. It is like a protection racket, infecting not only defamation
law but also the balance and functionality of democracy itself because how
defamation law is conducted in this country means you cannot reference history
in a debate as you risk having a defamation claim made against you! On this
basis our case should never have passed the first court hearing. There was
never a defamation to answer to but there was a disgruntled litigious plaintiff
who did not accept his historically based racism was the problem.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Additionally, as if the above was not nearly enough, under Australian
defamation law, perversely, truth does not even matter. The appeal court ultimately
found though what we'd proven what we claimed to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">true</i> we had no right to inform. Truth is not even close to being a defence
in Australia truth is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">irrelevant</i>.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">"Off with their heads!"</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Like any protection racket defamation law can be abused from within. A
judge on a personal crusade can crush divergence by applying meanings that bear
no resemblance to the truth or statements made before him. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Our case is cautionary and is illustrative as to why, disturbing as it
may be for some to acknowledge, defamation law as it stands permits
unacceptable behaviour to go on unchallenged, and indeed to flourish for decades
if not for generations. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Defamation law is a destructive relic of a different age and it must go entirely
as it is unlikely to change enough to fit a modern society's values and
expectations. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">For now, we barely survived the Alice in Wonderland experience, lost
down the rabbit hole into a court system where a real life <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Queen</i> screamed "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Off
with their heads!</i>". It is a land where we, the victims, were dealt with
as perpetrators, punished, shamed and defamed for daring to out our bully, our
"pig".</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Still shattered we've found nothing has changed for the better, not
least because nobody knew, or cared less, because it didn't happen to them.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Potentially an era post #Metoo, post #NameYourPig may see change for the
better.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">A petition has since been lodged with Geneva under the ICCPR.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://redlegvartists.com/Vakras_Raymond_ICCPR_Geneva_ComplaintForm-against_HCA-FCA-FCCA-SCV-VSCA-july2017-redact.pdf">http://redlegvartists.com/Vakras_Raymond_ICCPR_Geneva_ComplaintForm-against_HCA-FCA-FCCA-SCV-VSCA-july2017-redact.pdf</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-15468502214066511822015-07-13T20:53:00.001+10:002015-07-13T20:53:50.604+10:00Phantasmagoria, monstrosity, perversion and the Degenerate in Art In Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Surrealism as an art movement is at its foundation transgressive, cynical, satirical and critical. All the adjectives within the title of this posting can and do apply to a variety of surreal art. The early Surrealists pointed out the hollow men, ideas and doctrines of its time, using visual symbol and word. Attacks by the surrealists mocked a complacent, accepting bourgeois society directly, or through the political and religious structures that motivated and lead it. Surrealism was and remains fiercely intellectually driven, anti-Fascist, anti-nationalist, anti-theistic. There were an array of reasons for how or why this intellectual rejection of conventional structures developed, social and geo-political, dating to well prior the 1st and 2nd world wars, that I will not go into here. Here I merely wish to demonstrate how Surrealism did, and still does, encapsulate all the aims and characteristics of what Art is understood to stand for in intellectual terms, and why this practice is under threat. </div>
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In 2015 the Supreme Court of Appeal in Victoria heard an appeal for a 2014 judgement by Justice Kyrou, <span class="s1">who had </span>found against myself and fellow artist Demetrios Vakras. The following question was posed by one of the appeal court's judges, Justice Digby: "Did Mr Cripps (the Gallery Director) know the [art] exhibition (by Vakras and Raymond) would be contentious?" Apart from the sheer irrelevance of such a question to determine any of the facts in the case, it demonstrated the very stark chasm of understanding existing between the reality of what are intellectual pursuits, like art, and the law as represented by its practitioners. Arguably, one <i>might</i> consider our judges sit at the higher end of our society's intellectual bell curve, yet the reality is this is as false an assumption as the one made in any belief in the existence of an inherent fairness in law. Secular societies, like our own, generally equate fairness with logic and reason. These are intellectual concepts and they are valid but they do not feature as complementary characteristics within our legal system. The rule of law concept is governed by other motivations and ignores <i>pagan</i> concepts such as logic and reason. Fairness does not figure where precedent and case law, as a codex and charter, operate. As one gets too close to see through the veil to the real system under which our courts operate, one sees how more and more it closely aligns with religious imperatives of control, rather than for agreed to contracts around social protection and regulation. Suffice to say here there is an inherent absence of what are traditionally held and understood concepts of logic and reason within our legal system.</div>
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Our legal system relies upon the setting of precedent and rule of law and its application under case law conventions in order to work. This though relies upon all players in the court behaving as they should. If Vakras' and my case is to be shown on appeal to have been mis-judged, then perhaps some will claim<span class="s1"> that this demonstrates the court's methodology does make the correct call. However, under so basic an analysis, </span>we instead have a logical fallacy, as such a conclusion<span class="s1"> would ignore what it took for that</span> appeal and correction to have been made. It is the case the appeal only went ahead because we lost everything we've worked for across our adult lives in order to fund the appeal and compel the law to do the right thing. We were forced to ensure that the appeal would proceed otherwise, regardless of errors in law, errors in judgment, and the magnitude of these errors it would not have gone ahead. Others coming after us as a consequence of the judgement against us, whether this is understood or not, currently have had to deal with a minefield of legal outcomes with ramifications that spread into limiting our human rights. It needs to be stated loudly and defiantly over and over that a fair and healthy legal system does not limit rights, nor limit access, nor limit truth, in order to instead enable the meting of a kind of justice that achieves only individual aims, aims bearing no relationship to lofty claims of protecting a citizen's universality in the eyes of the law. Vakras' and my experience situates such lofty claims into the realms of sheer fantasy. Judicial impartiality is critical to the fair and equal application of so stringent a doctrine as case law and rule of law. A judiciary must be as selfless and as blind to external biases as the symbols of the court claims they shall be and are. The reality is, as we have come to know to our complete detriment, that the facts become what the judiciary decides them to be, regardless of evidence, making the law as flawed as the ability for its judiciary to resist what individually held subjective sensitivities and confirmation biases they each may possess.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7IYOXA_7lRg/VaN-pXdHYAI/AAAAAAAAAYw/bGiy9nIwvFI/s1600/HisHonour-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7IYOXA_7lRg/VaN-pXdHYAI/AAAAAAAAAYw/bGiy9nIwvFI/s400/HisHonour-2014.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"His" HONOUR Lee-Anne Raymond 2014</td></tr>
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So, when a judge of one of the highest courts in Victoria, Australia asks; <i>Would an art gallery director have been aware that art might be contentious?</i>, and no one except the unfortunate artists, responsible for said "contentious art", understand the absurdity of such a question, you have as Kafkaesque a situation as any that can be imagined in fiction.</div>
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Such a question might justifiably be posed by one completely unfamiliar in anyway with art, art concepts and art practice. It cannot though justifiably be asked by one with limited or no understanding of Surrealism alone. Because, though a judge may not be aware of surrealism, art and artistic pursuits are understood to have elements to varying degrees of and potential for contentiousness. Art, it is accepted and known, will push boundaries, so our supreme court<b> </b>should be just as aware as my high school educated hairdresser is that one does not go into an art gallery expecting to not be presented with a challenge. One goes into an art gallery expecting challenges, expecting to disagree as well as agree, expecting to potentially have their thinking changed or charged by exposure to a different perspective.</div>
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Such a question, as it was asked in a court of law regarding a judgement under appeal seeking to ascertain if that element of the appeal is valid, might well presuppose that art that is "contentious" is the either invalid, or unlawful, or both, or that it is to be held as less likely to be justifiably art at all. Perversely and in addition art that is "contentious" has for now been found by the Supreme court of Victoria to be possibly "racist", due to a use of "foreign" words. In the 2014 trial the claim was made, and the judgement upheld that claim, that because words written<span class="s1"> in a script other than the English "alphabet" (sic) to</span> describe the meaning behind the visual works, it was possible to detect "racism". In this trial the statement was made that the text needed to be corrected into English, or made more vague, or taken away all together so as to remove the potential for offence made by the "contentious" and/or probably "racist" art. This was all said to have happened, but, it was asserted, to have been done without any claim that the art was "racist", it was just that the director thought it might be "racist" because he did not understand the writings at all, and anyway there were "foreign" words used. Those "foreign" words were Greek, 4 in all, and all were provided with their english word equivalents in translation. Other "foreign" Greek words included the signature of the artist to his works, a practice of his since the late 1980's. How it could be possible to conclude that the use of Greek at all, or the use of Greek words translated into their Latin text equivalents might be possible to be perceived to be "racist", is now the subject of a Federal court claim. What were these sinister words? Chaos, Chasm, Christ and Wisdom. The problem apparently arose because these words being written in their Greek equivalents, transformed them into holding another meaning altogether, making them very scary words indeed.</div>
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Surrealism's use of symbols, the fantastic, and the grotesque, as applied in satire or as biting juxtaposition, was not something new but something it embraced within it visual arts sphere enthusiastically and adeptly. In our 2009 exhibition "Humanist Transhumanist" we did little differently and adhered enthusiastically to these traditions in our presentation complete with visuals, text panels and self-published manifesto. The fantastic and grotesque in application has long been employed by artists and as recently as the Gothic Romanticists in immediate historical context with and as precursors for the Surrealists. The Surrealists mined the Gothic repertoire not only for thematic value but in seeking to transform medium and technique. Blake's use of imagery and text, the technical transition into a use of print making, etching and aquatint translated into Ernst's collages and ManRay's photographic experimentation.</div>
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From Goya's seditiously biting War series, to Fuseli's nightmarish visions of a human psyche undermined by an inner torment, the exploitation of symbolic meaning sat behind an application of fantastical imagery to great provocative effect. As a two centuries earlier Dürer might have thought, it is sometimes necessary to distort, juxtapose and disfigure, to disjoint and cause alarm in order to effect understanding and comprehension of an alternative idea and way of thinking. (Try telling this to a judge in present day Australia.) In the case of Goya and Fuseli each utilised religion, superstition and pagan themes to bind their visions. Fuseli and his contemporaries were critiqued for their "bombast & extravagance", though not in a law court. Satirical caricaturist Gillray, a contemporary and beneficiary of Fuseli's themes, applied an openly raw and grotesque symbology of imagery and words to hit home his message of seedy sedition, collaboration and/or political hypocrisy. </div>
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<i>Presages of the MILLENIUM with The Destruction of the Faithful</i> 1795 James Gillray</div>
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The Surrealists were shaped by these influences during similar times of upheaval, deploying a new and unrecognisable symbolism with which to turn accepted thinking and taste on its head. Surrealism was classified <i>Degenerate</i> along with other modern art forms by The Nazis and Hitler. The Nazis' required art (contradictorily it would seem but never argue with a Nazi) to need no explanation in order that it be better understood by the ordinary German/people. The contradiction was that explaining the art made it more degenerate than ever of course because, before explanation you might only have the suspicion it will be contentious because you can't understand it. In 1937 the Nazis instructed that art must be simpler, in 2009 Vakras was told as much by Robert Cripps who again confirmed in court in 2014 that the art was not simple enough to be understood and so it was possible for him to then assume it held a more nefarious meaning. For this reason the viewer of the art needed to be protected from potential harm with the positioning of disclaimers. In the judgement by Justice Kyrou following that trial Surrealism and at least the Surrealism of in particular Demetrios Vakras and also of Lee-Anne Raymond was rendered <i>Entartete Kunst </i>(Degenerate Art) as that judgement concluded it was <i>possible</i> to conclude the art might potentially be "anti-Palestinian" or "pro-Israeli" and therefore too contentious<span class="s1">. Neither Cripps or Justice Kyrou managed to explain either how or why this could be so. It was simply accepted in judgement that if the art could not be understood, it might be considered "anti-Palestinian", because "Palestinians are oppressed" by Jews.</span></div>
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In the expression of ideas deemed seditious, anti religious or anti-social it would seem that art can become degenerate anywhere, including in Australia.</div>
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The surprise is this occurred in a modern democracy, in Australia in the 21st century, and it would seem for now, to little or no protest of any kind from an obviously comfortable, complacent and compliant Australian art scene. Art, of the politically, socially and religiously powerful expresses the ideas of these foundations in only uncritical, consistent with conventions of taste, and compliantly supplicating ways. Such art celebrates the status quo not only in taste but in thinking, in attitude, and in effect society will stagnate where a thriving art scene of this kind is supported and endorsed. Protection of socially approved-of art forms, that have no idea to challenge or theme to propound, so as to prevent hurtful offence being caused to anyone, does us the worst kind of social harm. History has shown this over and over. Such art, the art of sycophancy, reflects the kind of society it exist within, and such art in time with the benefit of hindsight becomes categorised as propaganda at worst, decorative at best. </div>
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Surrealism panel at NGV & Lee-Anne Raymond (by Demetrios Vakras) 2015</div>
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The freedom to criticise ideas is under threat in Australia, the effect of which is being seen in the arts. Like the metaphoric <i>canary in the coal mine</i> we as artists are signalling to you all it is time to come up for fresh air. Take a clear deep breath and think. Subjects are now off limits that formerly had no such barrier to being debated. Criticism of social systems, political figures, religions, cultural practices are all off limits for fear of causing offence as the result is very real and punitively punishing consequences. It is as though being offended because someone has critiqued your idea is a new kind of assault crime to charge a critic with. <i>Do not criticise my ideas because as I identify with them by critiquing them you will have critiqued, humiliated and offended me, and for that I will sue you and the court will agree with me. </i>This is the legacy of our Supreme Court of Victoria case, the case against artists Vakras and Raymond.</div>
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Next time you feel affronted or challenged in a gallery steel the personal ire you may experience enough to ask the following question of yourself. <i>Should I upon entering an art gallery expect anything less?</i> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">references</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Gothic Nightmares. Fuseli, Blake and the Romantic Imagination</i> Martin Myrone (Tate Publishing)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">images</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">""HIS" HONOUR" 2014 (pencil on paper) Lee-Anne Raymond </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Presages of the MILLENIUM with The Destruction of the Faithful" James Gillray - p 187, image 133 - <i>Gothic Nightmares. Fuseli, Blake and the Romantic Imagination</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Surrealism panel at </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">National Gallery of Victoria</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">NGV) & Lee-Anne Raymond (photo and text by Demetrios Vakras) 2015</span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-40058256670227844902015-01-11T11:53:00.003+11:002015-01-11T11:53:53.372+11:00Je sui Charlie Hebdo - in memoriam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>With respect and in memoriam:</b> <a href="http://www.charliehebdo.fr/index.html">http://www.charliehebdo.fr/index.html</a><br />
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<b>As an atheist and surrealist artist who has and who will continue to criticise religions I reserve the right to offend, insult, humiliate, ridicule and defame all gods and their associated prophets.</b> But depicting one and critiquing one prophet only, Mohammed, is illegally and illegitimately outlawed not only on the threat of but by the real prospect of execution. The brittle religion of Islam is protected on pain of death by followers of that faith. Those defending the rights of that faith to express itself without criticism fail to understand they are defending the intolerant and a brutal ideology based on intolerance.<br />
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I make no apology to Islam, Christianity, Judaism or other religions and supernatural belief systems for any hurt. With regards criticism of religions the mainstream media, political climate and social commentary have contributed to the demonising of anyone who critiques Islam because to do so is claimed to be racist and right-wing. Yet conversely Christianity or Judaism are fair game because, they somehow deserve it having caused enough bloodshed, pain and outrage in the past. Err, what? The sheer contradiction, lack of logic, and lack of historical knowledge is breathtaking.<br />
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Charlie Hebdo were largely shunned and cast as intolerant by this mainstream as, "white privileged male racists" for their critical satire lampooning Islam (only Islam).<b> Charlie Hebdo though ridiculed all religions and politicians or societal structures on a wide scale and has done so with anarchic glee, none were/are/will remain immune. </b>Why did/does their satire of Islam illicit a different examination by apologists, was it, is it fear of offending intolerance? Such acts of provocation, of anti-establishment dissent and resistance have a long history in France and in pre and post industrial western Europe. For free thinkers, and those who enjoy the freedoms afforded within a free society, whether tasteful or not, such criticism including the right to satire and ridicule a subject, are recognised cornerstones of that free society. <b>Charlie Hebdo are a stark and now painful reminder to society that it needs prodding and lambasting for it to wake from its "sleep of reason”.</b> Charlie Hedbo in all of its satire was delivering one message, perceive of what you are forgetting to <b>protect and preserve, your hard won and long treasured freedoms</b>.<br />
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The ability for any force or will to destabilise and undermine free societies exists and the responsibility to protect what underpins them sits squarely with those who treasure freedom. <b>We are these custodians</b>, us, we are the ones who must protect such a society by exposing its flaws, foibles and fallacies. <b><u>This is what Charlie Hebdo was getting at with every lampooning of authority</u>.</b><br />
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<b>Surrealism was born from such an era emerging from within a society that needed reminding of what it was allowing to slip through its fingers.</b> The <b>freedoms</b> we take for granted today were under attack then by an ideology and a warlord of a different kind.<br />
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We are living in as similarly an absurd time <b>as now surrealists, satirist, critics of all kinds are again being shunned and marginalised for critiquing that which is oppressive and backward</b> in Islam. Defenders of Islam claim it should not have to defend itself due to random misguided acts of violence by its followers - which forgets that all these followers, follow the same doctrine, the Koran and Hadith. Under such circumstances a response is warranted. By not responding strongly or at all fails to neutralise those elements within Islam who continue to take all of the prophets "teachings" to their literal conclusion. And, their mantra is always the same.<br />
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In the related violence and hostage taking in Paris following the Charlie Hebdo murders by the Islamic terrorists, the Kouachi brothers, their associate, Islamic terrorist "Coulibaly told BFM he had 'coordinated' his actions with the Kouachi brothers and wanted to <b><u>defend Palestinians and target Jews</u></b>" (<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-10/paris-gunman-coordinated-with-suspected-charlie-hebdo-attackers/6010002" target="_blank">ABC</a>). <br />
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So, there we have it. Mocking the prophet, criticising Islam all links back to the conflict in Palestine and an insidious <b>Jew hatred</b> in the mind of the terrorist. It <b>is the most deep seated and chronic of encumbrances affecting the very viability of Islam and the reason for why it is the biggest threat to the stability of a modern society</b> which, as in the France and Europe of the 1930’s, continues to prefer to be blind to and in denial of it.<br />
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<b>The primary motivation </b>as always are predictably an <b>unbridled racism toward and hatred of Jews</b>. To critique Islam means you support Jews and are anti-Palestine so one must be eliminated to defend the other. Criticism of Islam apparently justifies any backlash by Muslims against that critic. Criticism of
Judaism or Christianity elicits no such equivalent assertion or defence. It is the critic of these acts who must instead answer for the criticisms made. It is the critic who is forced to defend their criticism as if their criticism is somehow responsible for inspiring acts of violence done to protect Islam from insult. <i>Islamic Jihadists* blame any insult to their prophet on Jews and claim they are defending Palestinians from Jewish violence who cause conflict by their very existence in Palestine</i>. Jews do not apparently belong in Palestine and need to get out one way or another. <b>With this sentiment those who <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/use-of-greek-script-judged-racist.html" target="_blank">sue surrealist artists</a>, when informed their ideas about Jews and Palestine are racist and have a historical beginning pre the establishing of Israel, are in alignment.</b> It is a successful tactic in the aim to subvert and deflect blame so that only the critic and the Jews are responsible for the actions of violent religiously motivated murder, such as that enacted by the Kouachi brothers on their unarmed victims. <br />
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Put simply Islam hates a critic and hates Jews. Passages in the Hadith essentially state the existence of Jews in Arab lands is to be addressed by their elimination from those lands. Jihadists* act murderously on such passages because to do so, as goes their own claims, defends Palestinians and Arab lands invaded by Jews (the so name “occupation”). Islam even hates its own progressives. Islam hates its apostates, a Muslim may not leave Islam to do so is the worst of sins punishable by death. Islam tolerates people of the book, Christians, but then defines them as non-Muslims describing the Christian trinity as a blasphemy. Islam in particular just hates Jews. <br />
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<b>Modern Islam in contrast with other major religions continually demonstrates its unwillingness to
peacefully co-exist.</b> The so called "religion of peace" label is a marketing propaganda well utilised to deflect blame and erect barriers to nullify any scrutiny. <b>The idea that a religion operating without scrutiny is a problem waiting to happen is not so far fetched or without precedent </b>if we look at the conduct of the modern Catholic Church and its other associated institutions recently held to account. Islam as per most religious institutions lack the maturity and intellect to be self regulatory. Yet, there are those who maintain we must absolve Islam from responsibility for addressing acts, that are done in accordance with its doctrine, by the faithful who exact brutal revenge because the doctrine demands it.<br />
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<b>The problem for modern society is that Islam
acts to its exclusion, consistently
demonstrating that its tenants are incompatible with
modern thought and even basic principles of human rights.</b> In 2015 Islam remains a totalitarian, backward and redundant belief system. Muslims, as <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4160195.htm" target="_blank">Ayan Hirsi Ali stated post the Charlie Hebdo attacks in an ABC 7:30 interview</a>, need to better imagine or hope for "an ideology or ideas of life, love, peace, tolerance”. (She will astoundingly be labelled racist and right wing for doing so.) Should Muslims dare to view such a future of course they ultimately will need to abandon Islam in order to achieve it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyGpSBAxvOQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Freedom Series - Exhibited as part of One Law for All exhibition London, 2010</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Monsters emerge with the “sleep of reason”.</span></div>
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* "jihadist" is a term considered "anti-Arab or anti-Islam" by Apple and its third party dictionary vendor New Oxford American Dictionary. Best inform all the mainstream media outlets including France24, CNN, ABC, BBC etc, etc. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4EfcSzfettc/VLC8J0PgBoI/AAAAAAAAAX4/JX3EtbXtQb8/s1600/AppleDicMeaning-Jihadist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4EfcSzfettc/VLC8J0PgBoI/AAAAAAAAAX4/JX3EtbXtQb8/s1600/AppleDicMeaning-Jihadist.jpg" height="190" width="320" /></a></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-19556553505373073602015-01-01T00:08:00.000+11:002015-01-01T00:08:49.062+11:00Use of Greek script judged “racist”, “sinister”, “anti-Palestinian". Only in Australia.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5MT5CG6-aHM/UUAzKBsmf3I/AAAAAAAAAME/gPQ7m9YtzFA/s1600/IMG_0835-guildfrd-ln-gall-picA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View of exhibition Humanist Transhumanist 2009" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5MT5CG6-aHM/UUAzKBsmf3I/AAAAAAAAAME/gPQ7m9YtzFA/s1600/IMG_0835-guildfrd-ln-gall-picA.jpg" title="Humanist Transhumanist Exhibition shot 2009" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">View of exhibition "Humanist Transhumanist" 2009</span></td></tr>
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A Supreme Court of Victoria judgement released in June 2014 endorsed the racist claims made by plaintiff Robert Cripps.<br />
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In the trial it was declared that “text labels, 50x100mm pinned below each painting” included words in an “alternate script” to that of the “English alphabet” (sic), making it possible to reasonably conclude<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span>that<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span>the text potentially communicated “anti-Palestinian”, “sinister” and “racist” messages.<br />
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It was argued, by Cripps’ council, Christopher Dibb, that because Cripps was not of Greek background he could not properly interpret or understand what was written on these "text panels". The only conclusion, that was available to Cripps, was for him to deduce that the use of Greek script was potentially “sinister, racist and anti-Palestinian”. Under examination Cripps could not explain how this was so in his testimony.<br />
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Justice Kyrou,<span class="Apple-style-span"> in his judgement, found this was the reasonable conclusion to make and that Cripps had responded reasonably with the actions that he took. In doing so Kyrou has:</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. Validated perjury.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- No labels were pinned under the paintings. This was demonstrated by the evidence provided in trial which included photographs taken prior to the dislcaimers that Cripps posted. Cripps had testified that he posted disclaimers as a reaction to labels which are clearly absent in the photographs. Emails and documents cataloguing the exhibition content reveal that the photographs of the exhibition match what was discussed with the gallery prior to the show. The evidence demonstrated there were small numbers pinned under the paintings to reference against a gallery catalogue of works list for all viewers to consult, just as had been discussed in the emails between the artists and the gallery. The evidence and the facts they conveyed were all dismissed by Justice Kyrou.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Validated and up-held racism towards an Australian-born artist of Greek heritage. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- In finding it reasonable for Cripps to have<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span>concluded what he did and taken the actions he did because of the presence of an alternate script to English (sic), Greek, Justice Kyrou agreed it could be considered to convey sinister, or racist, or anti-Palestinian messages to use Greek words. A finding that is in direct contravention to S. 9. of the Race Discrimination Act.</span></blockquote>
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The Australian-born Greek artist, Demetrios Vakras, has for many years signed his paintings in Greek and as part of his artistic oeuvre long sought to elaborate on the ancient scientific and cosmological meaning behind many Greek myths. In doing so he is manifesting his heritage, a protected attribute under the Race Discrimination Act, (S. 9).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">In Humanist Transhumanist there were a handful of Greek words used in context of two paintings with essays pinned beside the associated paintings on A4 size paper (No 50x100 labels under paintings ever existed). These Greek words were methodically translated into Latin text for an English speaking audience to comprehend. The context of these essays was to elaborate on the meaning of the visuals in which the artist <a href="http://www.vakras.com/mytheic-works.html" target="_blank">anthropomorphised myth-concepts to reveal a holistic, cosmological</a> explanation exists <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">behind Greek myth pertaining to, for example, the Pythia (the Oracle of Delphi) depicted resting between, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">χαός (chaos) and χασμός (chasm), in another </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Χριστός (Christ) is referenced as is σοφία, (wisdom)</span>. It is therefore these Greek words that Justice Kyrou found in his judgement to be potentially “sinister", “racist" and "anti-Palestinian” in agreement with the plaintiff.</span><br />
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Justice Kyrou, in his judgment, also concluded the art and exhibition to be “offensive”.<br />
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On much Justice Kyrou and Robert Cripps were in agreement.<br />
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Justice Kyrou awarded record financial damages against the artist Demetrios Vakras and co-Exhibitor (this author).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If the absurdity of the claim that the use of Greek text could be considered in any way to convey a sinister message is unclear refer to any Wikipedia entry on χαός (chaos). Is this sinister, anti-Palestinian and racist?</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WaA7IU84uDA/VKNFQDJSw4I/AAAAAAAAAW8/n4IPJntW8tA/s1600/chaos-chasm-ingreek-anti-palestinian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WaA7IU84uDA/VKNFQDJSw4I/AAAAAAAAAW8/n4IPJntW8tA/s1600/chaos-chasm-ingreek-anti-palestinian.jpg" height="346" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">en.m.wikipedia.org</td></tr>
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Then compare it to the actual text from the exhibition in question, "Humanist Transhumanist". Is this sinister, anti-Palestinian and racist?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JpBH4MGPFRw/VKNGD-dgGcI/AAAAAAAAAXI/PbiACmPOHUA/s1600/IMG_0561-pp-310-31-Humanist-cat-sml-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JpBH4MGPFRw/VKNGD-dgGcI/AAAAAAAAAXI/PbiACmPOHUA/s1600/IMG_0561-pp-310-31-Humanist-cat-sml-3.jpg" height="306" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pages 30-31 Humanist Transhumanist Catalogue.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The author has used Greek words in this posting. Is this sinister, anti-Palestinian and racist?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If one is sinister, anti-Palestinian, racist, then they all are. Or, is it only the case when a <u>Greek</u> does so?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is valid and correct to ask why is this judgement is not considered one of the biggest failures of the Australian Court System? Do the courts have more rights than the people they exist to serve?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If this is the Australian justice system working then it is as unjust and backward as any one can imagine produced under totalitarian regimes and Australians who claim to advocate for our human rights or to “keep the bastards honest” are silent. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The matter of Cripps discriminatory actions against Demetrios Vakras is being pursued in the Federal Court.</span></div>
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<br />
Refer Justice Emilios Kyrou Judgement [on Austlii]<br />
Refer Justice Emilios Kyrou Press Release - alerting the media of his judgement [Supreme Court of Victoria website]<br />
Refer Cripps V Vakras & Annor - full Trial Transcripts [<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/240239998/Trial-Transcripts-Day-1-8-Cripps-v-Artists-complete" target="_blank">Link</a>]<br />
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-59978066517724773552014-12-28T18:01:00.000+11:002014-12-28T18:01:01.204+11:00Art and thought in Australia is as dead as dead due to a fear of critical thinking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">"Freedom of expression in Australia is not just governed by the laws of defamation, obscenity and blasphemy that vary from state to state but by hidden disciplinary forces, systems of control that seek to create a reality of their own making." Dr Marcus Bunyan, Sept 2013 </span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee-Anne Raymond near text panel describing the aims and origins of Surrealism -<br />National Gallery of Victoria 27/12/2014 - Modern art section </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Australia is governed by a deeply protective, institutionalised, conservative moral philosophy that is reinforced by a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> self-interested cultural sector, legal authority and legislature. Rather than acting to resist in the erosion of freedom of expression these authorities and cultural bodies keenly maintain </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">the status-quo preferring </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">the entitlement</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> this brings above overthrow, evolution, revolution and therefore change.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> The art of Surrealism has at is core the nature of transgression. As an art-form, as a way of life (as many of the original Surrealists experienced it), the genre observed the world in which they lived through a critical lens reflecting reality and truth to demonstrate what was the real illusion or delusion - the perception of the accepted reality as being all that was good and beneficial. Now in more enlightened times, we see the Surrealists as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">cause cé<span class="hsb"></span>lè<span class="hsb"></span>bre</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> fighting against evil and oppression, yet they remain marginalised fringe dwellers in our public art institutions. In their time the Surrealists were roundly rejected and marginalised for their unflinching criticisms of authority and of the political and societal institutions in which they lived. They were labelled “offensive”, “immoral” and “negative” and their art “degenerate". They had many enemies but fortunately a few influential allies in addition.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metamorphosis with Nicab (detail) </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">In Australia 3/4 of a century later judicial institutions protect themselves by enacting religious like decrees, edicts, to prevent criticism and will and do punish their critics for transgressions, artistic or not. Individuals within or who are outside beneficiaries reinforce their own position and tenure by ensuring no steps are taken to question either their own or the institution's role. No mirror may be held up to liberate the truth, let alone allow for the kind of truthful self-reflection that might allow for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">illuminating </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">change. In Australia there is a distinct and entrenched perception that to question authority is simply wrong, to challenge it or expose truth </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">“negative”, “intemperate”, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">"racist", "immoral", “offensive” and perhaps “degenerate". To be critical is to be “aggressive", to be transgressive, “intemperate” and “immoral" and therefore repugnant to society. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">It has become so</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> very Australian to be squeamish about speaking out against anything, be it an idea, an organisation or a person for fear of causing offence. This is in no small part due to the fact there exist written and unwritten laws to deter and prevent criticism. The unwritten laws will have you socially and professionally shunned. The written laws have the critic fearful of attracting financial repercussion and legalised persecution. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Additionally there is an Australian characteristic, perhaps transposed with force by colonial,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">antique (European), magisterial beginnings, that is now a self-sustaining conservative moral. So, although born from more imperious beginnings (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">lèse-maj<span class="hsb"></span><span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">es</span><span class="hsb"></span>té)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">, keeping silent for fear of experiencing physical harm, has transformed into a distinct Antipodean fear of expressing critical thinking because it can and does attract financial penalty and social ostracism. In my case criticism of how a Director of a now defunct gallery behaved toward us during an exhibition by myself and fellow artist has resulted in record penalty and complete ostracism from commentators in the arts or political communities. Presumably this is because they might agree with what is a truly bizarre judgement in the face of the actual trial evidence, and, or are too fearful of receiving the same treatment, to object or question it. Logic and reason are the enemy of our judiciary if as it transpires the evidence regardless of the facts are what the judge says they are. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Australians and the institutions that are intended to operate for their benefit are intolerant of anyone who would seriously challenge such institutionalised authority, effectively shunning those who speak for freedom of expression and thought. Unwittingly (one would hope) by their acquiescent silence Australians who could or might normally speak up are merely reinforcing their own censored existence, and the persecution of those who do attempt to resist it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">When we legally constrain our artists and thinkers who might criticise us, deter criticism through the actual application, or threat, of law and punishing legal fines we are assisting in the creation of our own end of times. When we enact laws to limit critical analysis and thought of a subject, an idea, an uncomfortable history, an authority, a religion in order to protect these concepts from <i>harm</i> (defamation) we are limiting our own freedom of thought and expression.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">In a liberal, secular democracy, where dogma (religious, political, cultural) and its protection above all is allowed over a flexible application of logic and reason it is the beginning of the end of that social framework.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">To be an atheist, an artist, a thinker in Australia is to court trouble and rejection particularly in the court system which is heavily peopled by the practicing faithful. Atheism, art critical of religion and political contradiction, art which provokes thoughts and ideas that challenge the status-quo are by their mere mention controversial. Australia's squeamish conservatism would have us believe that to criticise culture, policy, politic is to be subversive and “negative” if not seditious. It is considered better, more acceptable and more safe to reject the critic and then their criticism and protect authority even when logic and reason suffer. When this is most evident it is where any criticism of the Islamic religion and doctrine is shut down instantly with cries of “Islamophopia” or “racism”.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> Atheists long critical of Judaism, Christianity and the gods of antiquity are now automatically labelled “racist" and “Islamophobic" when Islam is critiqued. All atheism is viewed with some contempt and suspicion by the general religious majority but the Islamophobia slur has been so effective that even some self-described atheists consider other atheists</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> critiquing Islam to be somehow </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">phobic and suspect.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Add to this the insidious creep towards official censorship within </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">elements of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">our own human rights institutions supportive of oppressive blasphemy laws that utilise defamation law to further a cause that claims critical debate regarding faith systems is "defamation of religions”. It is a peculiar and malignant marriage of convenience representing the biggest self-made threat to the universality of our human rights in recent history. They propose laws that would legislate religions and doctrines deserving of special protection from <i>harmful</i> criticism as they are an attack on the human rights of the faithful who are defamed as a consequence of any criticism. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">The result if successful (several attempts have been made at the UN) would be catastrophic as it will criminalise blasphemy on a wide scale. As Dr Bunyan notes above ultimately they would succeed in shutting out all "dissent" by creating a "reality of their own making".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">To depict in my art real criticism of religious doctrine i.e. Islam is a transgression too far, one that goes against conservative, institutionally reinforced Australian moral sensitivities. Critical art is considered “offensive” art because Australians fear critical thinking and its consequences. We must work hard to protect our rights, many are unwilling, or too uninterested to do so. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">So the NEW-Moralist declares an artist “racist" in public and receive judicial sympathy and support for it. Thus an unbalanced legal system further punishes the artist for communicating truth, and, to object to what is categorically unjust and a persecution becomes further evidence of malice. The artist is labelled the “liar” and the bully is rewritten as victim. The evidence becomes what the judge says it is.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Fed and endorsed by its colonial parent legislature Australian courts, the Victorian Supreme Court as a case in point, are leading the way onwards and downwards towards censorship and protection from criticism any idea particularly those held by the religious. It is an implementation by stealth of "defamation of religions" law. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">To critique religious doctrine is, simply put, as valid a form of social questioning as to critique a judicial system. Both are off limits in Australia. It is credulous to believe that in this country we have support for real forms of artistic expression or critical thinking under such conditions. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">If you are a critical thinking artist, an atheist and a free thinker in Australia then you are considered offensive and racist and you will have no supporters come to your aid to argue otherwise.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">Note: Top: Quote extracted from the research paper </span><br />
<i>Transgressive Topographies, Subversive Photographies, Cultural Policies</i><br />
Dr Marcus Bunyan - posted online here<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://artblart.com/tag/defamation/" target="_blank">http://artblart.com/tag/defamation/</a></span><br />
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-54661121611923566762014-12-16T17:56:00.002+11:002014-12-16T17:56:48.535+11:00Islam is in need of reformation, this is what we witness with every terrorist act in its name<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Though an atheist, because it brings some comfort to my humanist mind, I do prefer to think only the brave and innocent shall rest in peace.</div>
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We will try to comfort the victims, we will keenly mourn those killed, so close to rescue, or who now are left wounded physically and psychologically. We feared for them during their horrifying ordeal and feel for them now because of our compassion and humanity. As a majority we abhor the violence done to them and would seek to prevent it recurring. These characteristics to protect, secure and to mend those we see harmed we are born with. They develop in us as we grow, and we know instinctively and intellectually they are self-preserving and help to harmonise our collective associations into societies and communities. What happened in Sydney attacks this at its core.</div>
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In the aftermath of the Sydney, Martin Place, Lindt Cafe siege, even during, the Islamophobia accusation was raised to any daring to put the incident into its religious and Islamic context. I also felt during the event it was best to wait, best to ensure that nothing affected the safe retrieval of the hostages. Yet, obviously however strong the denial, through the prism of this man's religious zealotry we were shown some of the problems with Islam and more widely the problems with an ideology that promotes and expects religious immersion and obsessive devotion to it. This requires critical examination, as it is this kind of ideology that is incompatible and phobic.</div>
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As the horrendous situation in the cafe unfolded for the victims it was remarkable to note the verbal contortions security, officials, politicians, reporters and many commentators went to in order to not state what this was, to in effect deny it was an Islamic doctrine inspired Jihad against a society that does not adhere to Islam. The "Sheik" was bringing the delusion of the "war against Islam" home to Australia to <i>show</i> those participating in it the error of their ways. In the face of the evidence before us it was jarringly absurd to see the insistence that a "reason was unclear" for his act. The facts were incontrovertible that this man acted for and in defence of his religion, which he invoked, and for the <i>freeing</i> of <i>oppressed</i> Muslims. Muslims, as fundamentalist will have it, may be "oppressed" simply by having to live in, or next door to, a society that is non Islamic, that does not support Sharia Law, supports gender equality, inalienable human rights, or by a society (Australia) that rightly contributes actively in world events defending oppressed peoples, even when, the oppressor is of Islamic origin. </div>
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So do we honour and mourn the victims by examining the real cause or shuffle it aside muttering that only more faith and religion will heal our wounds? Predictably the requirement is we must defend only not criticise at all the very ideology that brought death and violence to a Sydney cafe. Two hostages died. Two innocent and precious people killed by an ideologue and ideology that belongs in another time. No, this is a shaming type of censorship that is too far and beyond reason. The victims are not responsible, Australia is not responsible.</div>
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Islam is a religion that as with others (a point any critic of Islam is required to make), such as Christianity and Judaism, seeks to supplant its own ideology above that of secularity and humanism. And, whilst I am permitted to state this about other major religions, because of the simplistic argument that "they deserve it", I cannot say this about Islam as that would make me "racist" or "phobic". So, in a society which celebrates free will and freedom of association and thought, certain loud voices censor criticism of one religion whilst condoning or allowing the same criticism of others. Somehow the message that Islam's followers are an oppressed people and that criticism of their religion oppresses them more (so much so as to cause them psychological harm) holds under the weight of its obvious flaws. </div>
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It is clear that atrocious events like this latest one in its name demonstrate that Islam needs to enact change from within. Open secular societies, in which Islam's right to exist is defended equally alongside the rights of other faiths, cannot yield ground on such freedoms in order to further the aims of any one of those faiths above another, yet this is what it appears is expected for and by Islam. </div>
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What exactly does modern Islam want? </div>
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Apparently, peace. </div>
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Islam cannot claim the pure epithet of a "religion of peace" when in order to gain "peace" it must be <i>awarded</i> only under Islam to the exclusion of all other religions and political and societal frameworks.</div>
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Islam, as is any other faith, is an ideology steeped in tradition, superstition and uncompromising observance. Islamic doctrine is, as are others, self-avowedly antithetical to humanism. How Islam is communicated to followers, along with serious doctrinal evolution, is required but no one of that faith appears to be at the point of even recognising this. Islam as a religion and as a political system seeks submission. Doctrinally, followers must reject all and every other way of life or living. The word of God through Mohammad as directed in the Koran is taken literally by many of its followers (it is difficult with some passages to see how else one might take them). Many of the Koran's passages are naturally seen as edicts one must follow to be a true Muslim, yet many are simply incompatible with a modern society of the 21st century where humanism, secularism and egalitarianism are celebrated and only enhance our humanity with purpose that has nothing to do with any religious affiliated. It is about time to note this with a dry eye. Ultimately when Islam reforms Islam will find the peace it claims it must currently impose on others.</div>
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To critique violence inspired in its name or to critique Islam as the product of so much mystical mumbo jumbo, as with any religion, are entirely consistent activities by atheists everywhere. It is consistent also within a secular, democratic society to, without fear or favour, challenge and critique systems whether political or religious. Atheists critique religion (plural), Islam warrants no special exemption on that basis. Violence perpetrated in the name of Islam should naturally then attract criticism.</div>
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Under the microscope yes we do likely have a mad man who was inspired in his madness and by his religion. Sometimes politics makes them mad. Sometimes religion. Sometimes both. It needs to be honestly recognised in this case and similar that the religion of Islam and the phenomenon of Islamofacsism converge to produce real life monsters. Monsters that only increase despite every repeated denial of their origin or existence. It is not as has been erroneously (without any valid or factual basis) and offensively contended that critics of Islam are somehow responsible for inflaming or inspiring terrorist to do their despicable acts. It is the message of Islam that requires examination and rewiring, Islam needs to emerge from or be subsumed by its Middle Ages Ideology. </div>
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"Shahada" is Islam's declaration of the faithful - the first pillar - and translates, without loss of context "There is no God but Allah and his prophet is Mohammad" It was this declaration, announcing the Sydney hostage siege and his act of violence that the self-proclaimed Islamic Cleric (I will not name him as he deserves no honour in being remembered) used to <i>defend</i> Islam and its ideology. Allah is praised or invoked by every suicide bomber, by every so called "insurgent", and, is the sentiment of every rocket or bomb targeting civilians. </div>
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Allah is God? We need less religion if this is the religious manifesto of Islam. The brutal and indiscriminate taking of innocent lives, the imprisonment and torment of hostages is a declaration of war on secularism and democracy in the name of Islam. Give me freedom from having to endure such religion.</div>
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If Allah is the message of peace under Islam it is a remarkably violent and oppressive expression in how some followers are manifesting him. </div>
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Note: The future does not rely upon our devotion to any religion or religiously derived ideology. It is instead more contingent upon our survival that we become less religious, less governed by superstition and antiquated God belief systems that endlessly and obsessively fight amongst themselves for pre-eminence as chosen ones in the eyes of their "God" delusion. </div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0Melbourne VIC, Australia-37.814107 144.96327999999994-38.6164245 143.67238649999993 -37.0117895 146.25417349999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-9083517231791470602014-01-18T16:26:00.001+11:002014-01-18T16:28:28.355+11:00Are You A Rare Human?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When humans fail to assist there are more questions than answers.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See No Evil - digital photograph</td></tr>
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1. Would you help a stranger who collapses near you in the street?<br />
2. Would you help a stranger who collapses near you in a shop?<br />
3. Would you render any level of assistance a person being attacked in a public place?<br />
4. Would you help strangers you witness being verbally abused with insults and charges of racism at an exhibition you attended? </blockquote>
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Did you answer yes to all situations? Give some consideration to the following scenarios. In every case the event is real, in my case three of these situations I experienced. See if you can put yourself into the position of the "victim" and/or witness then check your answers again. If you still answer faithfully yes you are, in my view, a rare human. </div>
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<b>1. </b>Quite a few years ago now I was out to lunch with companions, as we entered a cafe to make our order a young woman on the outside was struggling to stay standing. She appeared to gain her balance and looked to be about to walk away so I turned to enter the cafe. My lunch companions hadn't noticed anything other than my slight absence and asked what happened to me. When I described what caused my delay some of their reactions startled me which I comment on further down. We made our orders and were about to take a seat when I noticed the same woman now leaning on the cafe window and now sinking to the ground in a complete faint. People outside and inside the cafe were near her, seeing her collapse, but not even those right next to her were offering assistance. They were simply observing or pretending not to notice though passing a sideways glance. Their reactions including those of my own companions suggested to me they thought something <i>else</i> was wrong with her to make her collapse. I immediately went to assist whilst onlookers sat or stood still. I sought the assistance of the cafe staff and they very reluctantly called for an ambulance (what was that about?). I asked if there was any place to take her that was more private so she could lay flat off the concrete and they even more reluctantly suggested the room at the back of the kitchen. It was all rather concerning. She was young, neatly attired, not ranting or making a scene, she had just quietly collapsed. People avoided making any contact with her though and looked on, some in obvious negative judgement, some had expressions akin to pity or embarrassment, for her(?), it was difficult to interpret. it transpired she'd been on her way to an appointment at a nearby hospital to have tests because she had begun fainting without warning on a regular basis. I'm sure a percentage thought she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol or some other ailment, but to a degree, this attitude of prior judgement based upon visual observation and perhaps a learnt bias stopped them from duly rendering assistance to a person in need. Some of my colleagues stated they just didn't want to get involved which is possibly an attitude mirrored by the others. Perhaps witnesses variously thought; its nothing to do with me; someone else will help; I don't know what to do; I don't wish to get involved; it is a stranger to me. When I asked my companions, so, you'd just leave her lying there? I did not receive a life affirming response. It shocked me a little then and still now.</div>
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Q: Most bystanders in the vicinity of this woman, who could have assisted, failed to do so and with a deliberate intention to not do so. Why?</blockquote>
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<b>2.</b> Quite a few years ago my father past away from a heart attack. He had been queueing at the post office to pay his bills and do some personal banking. It was about 3pm. When he collapsed not one other person in the shop, the queue or service counter assisted. A person who entered after the attack had commenced immediately attempted to render assistance and called on the post office staff to do something. Only then did they call an ambulance. They didn't stop serving customers and the original customers didn't stop to help or see if they could assist the one person who did stop and stayed by my father whilst he was convulsing and unconscious. A few years earlier my father confessed to me he had collapsed in the street whilst holidaying in Sydney. He had lost consciousness then too, he didn't know for how long, and when he came to, he was alone, people were just continuing to hurry past him. He picked himself up and carried on. </div>
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Q: In the first instance one person attempted to provide another with comfort and assistance in a crisis. In the earlier instance in a busier location no one did. Why?</blockquote>
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<b>3. </b>Disturbingly in this recent case of attempted abduction no one came to the aid of the woman screaming she did not know her attacker, nor has anyone come forward as a witness later to the event that happened in broad daylight in a busy Sydney street. There were plenty of onlookers. People did nothing. No one approached after she managed her own rescue to see if she was unhurt or needed to call family or friends. </div>
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"Someone could have grabbed a number plate. Even now, no one has come forward [to police]. There are no witnesses. I just think people should speak out..."</div>
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<span style="color: black;">Read more: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/passersby-ignored-screaming-victim-of-attempted-abduction-in-liverpool-20140116-30wp3.html#ixzz2qiVpfdv6">http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/passersby-ignored-screaming-victim-of-attempted-abduction-in-liverpool-20140116-30wp3.html#ixzz2qiVpfdv6</a></span></div>
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Q: Why, even later on when safe to do so, would no one come forward to confirm the incident and assist to describe the offender/s, or the car?</blockquote>
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<b>4.</b> In 2009 at an art show opening the gallery director loudly and persistently in an ugly incident denounced two artists who's exhibition opening it was, as being racist. Their, "racism" and "racist art" were to leave his gallery. The gallery director, Robert Cripps was not to be reasoned with. Defence of the charge of racism was dismissed with further shouting the artists were to leave their own opening event. This was in front of 30 - 40 people (visitors and gallery attendants), most of whom will have understood who each of the people involved were and what was being declared and why. No one came forward to intervene or state that they disagreed with such claims, people turned their backs and even those close gave only side glances. Focus was on the loud declarations of Cripps and it achieved its aim which was to isolate and humiliate the accused, my co-exhibitor, in particular, and myself. We were summarily evicted then and once more on a subsequent occasion. No one came after us. No one attempted contact to offer support. </div>
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The isolation was deliberate and effective.</div>
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Q: Why, even later, when safe to do so did no witness lend support? </blockquote>
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That no one did offer support at the time or later ensured two things. 1. Emboldened the person holding such views. 2. Assisted in and amplified the isolation of the accused.</blockquote>
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In events 3 & 4 the victims were deliberately isolated from the "herd" and made more vulnerable by the lack of response of witnesses. This isolation amplifies justification in the mind of the attacker that this is a successful strategy. Such isolation of the victim would embolden attacker/s because no one will or did intervene. In animal training on a very basic level I believe this constitutes positive reinforcement.</div>
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Some of the events described above are non threatening, some are intimidating for onlookers "witnesses". In all cases assistance was not forthcoming, if not consciously withheld, by witnesses.</div>
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Do these few scenarios describe more than just anecdotal confirmation of my preposition suggesting, that humans are more innately unwilling to render assistance? Despite what we might want to believe about humanity and selflessness humans instead are innately selfish and there is no such thing as an innate predisposition to protect and render assistance. This is the innateness that must be overcome.</div>
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In my experience such a being is a rare human. In my experience direct witnesses lack positive contribution and where an attacker is involved witnesses have provided for further or future attacks by extension as they enabled the attacker through their deliberate lack of assistance in the first instance.</div>
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So tell me, are you a rare human?</div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-73817767143783386072013-12-28T20:13:00.001+11:002014-01-03T13:26:23.293+11:00Defamation law is the DE-Formation of Law <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As it is <i>currently</i> framed Defamation Law is a law designed to enable censorship, where it normally would not be permitted to exist, by preventing the imparting of information. Understanding this is critical to understanding why it is a threat to a foundational element of our rights and freedoms.<br />
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The right to receive and impart information.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c8xgypfzGps/UgtvHftUYJI/AAAAAAAAARI/ltlCFOyOOSY/s1600/The+book+devourer+copie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Book Devourer an exquisite corpse by LRaymond and BDumaine" border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c8xgypfzGps/UgtvHftUYJI/AAAAAAAAARI/ltlCFOyOOSY/s320/The+book+devourer+copie.jpg" title="Book Devourer an exquisite corpse by LRaymond and BDumaine" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Devourer - exquisite corpse - L.Raymond & B. Dumaine Fig.1</td></tr>
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We may live in a secular democracy (Australia) but our right to "freedom of expression" as it is termed is consistently tested and undermined by external and internal pressures. Defamation Law is one of these pressures. From within it prevents the imparting of information on grounds that a reputation may be diminished. From without Defamation Law presents a chink in the armour of secular democratic values to be undermined by religious or opportunistic internationals or trans-commercial interests.<br />
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In one such example HREOC - The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (Australia) assisted in both an internal and external attack on our rights and freedoms. By unreasonable means via its "<a href="http://www.humanrights.gov.au/combating-defamation-religions" target="_blank">Combating the Defamation of Religions</a>" report it attempted to assist to institute blasphemy laws world wide, laws intended to undermine our freedoms from within. HREOC participated in an externally driven attack sponsored by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation_of_religion_and_the_United_Nations" target="_blank">Organisation of the Islamic Conference</a> designed to prevent any criticism of religion, primarily criticism of Islam, by using as its template English (British) Libel Laws upon which the poorly framed Australian Defamation Act of 2005 is based. The aims of the OIC and HREOC was to outlaw all criticism of thought and ideas critical of or antithetic to religion/s by utilising and aligning the framework of Defamation of Religions with (British) Libel <i>tradition</i>. It very nearly succeeded. Why Australians were not more concerned about such an attack on their rights, which were indeed under threat too, is a fair question to ask.<br />
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Freedom of expression, as it is currently termed in Australia, is a verbal underplay of the importance of what is referenced, and a diminishing of what should always be termed the <i>Freedom to Impart and Receive Information</i> or <i>Freedom of Speech</i>. How it is believed to work is that however much an individual, or public, or private entity, may wish to suppress information about their actions and deeds this aim will be balanced by the right to freely receive or impart information without fear or favour. This however, is not the case. Any purported <i>balancing</i> of the ambition to suppress any and all negative information and the imparting of information is instead neutered by Defamation Law. The OIC, and others like HREOC recognise this is the weakness inherent within Defamation Law and attempted, and perhaps will again attempt, to exploit it. Suppression of information, in what ever form and for what ever reason, is what Defamation Law is ultimately framed to achieve. It was an almost perfect fit.<br />
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Absurdly the "objects of the act" (s.3 (b).) of Defamation Law and its proponents proclaim it is framed to preserve the right to receive and impart information by not unduly limiting these rights. How so? By limiting that which it proclaims it protects? With a self negating paradox the law and its advocates uphold a farcical contradiction no one within the legal industry will duly recognise. A criticised individual need only claim they are aggrieved by the information imparted about them, their deeds and actions, to achieve validation and representation under the law. Their grievance makes it defamatory to impart material that they would rather was not shared and the law allows for it to be quashed, hidden, pulled from the internet/publication, apologised for and compensated. Deep pockets assist the aims of those interested in securing censorship of their actions or protection from criticism of their ideas with the added inducement of significant monetary compensation for <u>all</u> concerned except the plaintiff(!).<br />
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As <a href="http://www.qpilch.org.au/resources/factsheets/Defamation.htm" target="_blank">PILCH</a> points out the law defines defamation as:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Material will be defamatory if it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">could</span>:</span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">injure the reputation</span> of the individual by exposing them to hatred, contempt or ridicule;</li>
<li>cause people to shun or avoid the individual; or</li>
<li>lower the individual’s estimation by right thinking members of society.</li>
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For a defamation action to be successful, three elements must be satisfied:</blockquote>
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<li>the information was communicated by the defendant to a third person other than the plaintiff (<strong>publication</strong>);</li>
<li>the material identifies the plaintiff (<strong>identification</strong>); and</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">the information/material contains matter that is defamatory, </span>regardless of whether the material was intentionally published or not (<strong>defamatory matter</strong>).</li>
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</span>PILCH's definition itself makes no distinction about the truthfulness of bad actions being defamatory. As PILCH imputes any information imparted can be considered defamatory and the defamed has a right to have such information suppressed.<br />
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<b>There is not much in the way of the protection of one's right to impart information is there?</b></blockquote>
The OIC's intention was to utilise the various interpretations of libel/defamation law world wide to prevent criticism of religion/s by adapting a charter that would align "Defamation of Religions" to the concepts above and to acts of a criminal nature. HREOC in their report were only too happy to assist such aims.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HREOC's "Combating the Defamation of Religions 2008" Fig.2</td></tr>
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Significantly the elements of "defamation of religion" were being technically aligned to and identified with defamation law. The assertion being that one's religion defines the individual holder of that faith, and so, to critique a religion, is to diminished and expose the individual, the <i>faithful</i>, to... "hatred, contempt or ridicule…" to "lower the individual's estimation…" and thus "injure the reputation". Here is how it would work. By critiquing a particular religion the critic "identifies" the <i>faithful, </i>the individual followers,<i> </i>of that religion with that criticism satisfying the three elements confirming defamation has occurred as criticism was: 1. communicated to other parties 2. criticism of religion identifies individual followers with religion 3. critical commentary causes one to feel injury and therefore defamation has occurred. All very circular reasoning designed to deploy a net of censorship so no ideas or actions may be critiqued.<br />
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As one who is enduring a defamation lawsuit I recognise defamation law as a law that is aimed to achieve censorship.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span>If you want to prevent information being imparted you sue, just like Cripps has done with me and my co-defendant. The first legal letter we received charged us with committing a criminal act for which we could receive 3 years "imprisonment". The letter aligned itself to the concepts being discussed above, that is with "Defamation of Religions" by making specific reference to 474.17 of the Criminal Code 1995. This same section is quoted in the HREOC submission "Combating the Defamation of Religions 2008"!</div>
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"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">2.4.2 Section 474.17 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth)</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Under s 474.17 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code 1995 (Cth) it is an offence to use a carriage service (which includes the use of the internet or e-mail) in such a way that reasonable persons would regard as being menacing, harassing or offensive."</span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ujT8ZaGiPI0/Ur5ZTgk-SbI/AAAAAAAAAUs/G7-TTIs0fzo/s1600/WilliamsWinter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="272" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ujT8ZaGiPI0/Ur5ZTgk-SbI/AAAAAAAAAUs/G7-TTIs0fzo/s320/WilliamsWinter.jpg" title="Williams Winter letters of demand" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Williams Winter acting for and representing Robert Cripps in February 2011 Fig.3<br />
<a href="http://www.redlegvartists.com/Williams%20winter%20solicitors%20crime%20to%20write%20about%20cripps.pdf" target="_blank">Williams Winter letters of demand</a></td></tr>
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And, so Defamation Law brings about the DE-Formation of Law. A law that serves the legal fraternity and those who can afford to engage it and/or for aim$ other than the good proclaimed is intended by the law, making it a law not worth the paper it is drafted to.<br />
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Defamation Law must undergo <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/petition-calling-for-defamation-law.html" target="_blank">reform</a> or simply go.<br />
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As Defamation Law is practiced it manifests itself in contradiction to its claimed purposes and it functions simply for the suppression of information, for the suppression of the criticism of ideas, for the suppression of the right to hold an opinion (which the dictionary defines as "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">a view or <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">judgment</span> formed about <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">something</span>, <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">not necessarily</span> <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">based</span> <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">on</span> <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">fact</span> <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">or</span> <span apple_mouseover_highlight="1">knowledge</span></span>" which the Australian legal industry - judge$ included - ha$ decided mean$ $omething different, that does not square with the definition of the word opinion. Opinion as judged through the prism of Defamation Law becomes a thing that must be supported in fact, which is a perverse manipulation in itself by a $y$tem protective of it$elf above all, not the public good it claims to serve. There is no balance here, no protection of freedom of expression, instead it is a law designed to place "unreasonable limits on freedom of expression".<br />
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Defamation Law might eventually implode due to the manipulation and exploitation of its self designed weaknesses or it might undo all of our hard won freedoms. At the moment the law is doing a pretty good job suppressing our rights.<br />
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Further reading</h3>
<a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/australian-defamation-law-vs-muscular.html" target="_blank">Australian Defamation Law Vs the Muscular Citizen</a><br />
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This posting discusses arguments presented, and a review of, a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">2005 Redmond Barry Lecture by publisher Morry Schwartz. M</span></span>y blog post title and discussion takes on the ideas raised and incorporates the quote <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">muscular citizenship"</span>.</span> The blog discusses Defamation Law and the way it can be used, as in our experience, to erode rights unless a "muscular citizen" acts.</div>
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<a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/attempting-destruction-of-secular-muse.html" target="_blank">Attempting the Destruction of the Secular Muse</a><br />
My counter argument to Robert Cripps' multiple declared claims the entire Humanist Transhumanist exhibition was "racist" purely for the elements critiquing Islam. Even though criticism of relgion/s formed one element only within a presentation of Surrealism consistent with its historical definition (see fig 4). Cripps claim was the entire exhibition was racist and due to any criticism of Islam and Islam alone. Cripps' epic misunderstanding of Surrealism was duly noted to him by us at the time, which he ignored and continued to dismiss, due to what I could and can still only conclude to be his complete ignorance of the genre and contempt of us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TfTEz2utHXM/Ur-kfxDX6zI/AAAAAAAAAU8/TE2FGmiXuQU/s1600/Max-Ernst-Surrealism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TfTEz2utHXM/Ur-kfxDX6zI/AAAAAAAAAU8/TE2FGmiXuQU/s400/Max-Ernst-Surrealism.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surrealism defined - taken at the National Gallery of Victoria by Demetrios Vakras (Dec 2013) Fig.4</td></tr>
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<a href="http://art-leaks.org/2013/02/17/artists-exhibition-critical-of-religion-declared-racist-by-gallery-owner-are-then-sued-for-writing-about-it-melbourne-australia/" target="_blank">ARTLEAKS-Artists exhibition critical of religion declared racist by gallery owner- ARE THEN SUED FOR WRITING ABOUT IT</a><br />
A reportage to an arts community (like an online union for artists and arts workers) on the facts of our being sued and by whom and on what grounds.<br />
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<a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/petition-calling-for-defamation-law.html" target="_blank">Petition Calling for the Reform of Defamation Law</a> - our petition calling for the reform of Defamation Law<br />
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<a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/humanist-transhumanist-is-it-racist-to.html">Humanist Transhumanist Is It Racist to Critique Religion?</a></div>
This blog post asks the question is it racist to criticise religion and argues to contend that it is racist damages our hard won freedoms. Comments contained in this blog independently confirm Robert Cripps did claim the exhibition was racist. Comments that confirm his action, that convey truth, but that (according to Defamation Law) now in their imparting defame him because they may make others think less of him and so are defamatory?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So any truth makes Cripps look bad, and that since the truth defames him, then ALL evidence is "invalid" because it is defamatory! </span>So no evidence can ever be produced without that evidence defaming Cripps.</div>
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Such action by our plaintiff and his <i>crack legal team</i> suggests that this is the latest in a long line of last ditch attempts to quash his difficult critics (us) by complaining that our resistance to censorship makes us <i>more</i> "worser" <i>more</i> "guiltier" defendants.<br />
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The whole legal affair has more than a little of the sense of the ridiculous about it and it has developed to become an epic absurdity. So at odds is our experience with the law's self-proclaimed good intention to protect the imparting of information that it cannot be perceived to have worth at all as it fails all such claims.<br />
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Addenda - 3 January 2014<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h19IDo4QYDw/UsYaiKAokUI/AAAAAAAAAVM/5NSpaVUFBxE/s1600/HREOC-screenshot-Cyber-raci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h19IDo4QYDw/UsYaiKAokUI/AAAAAAAAAVM/5NSpaVUFBxE/s400/HREOC-screenshot-Cyber-raci.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From HREOC's "Combating the Defamation of Religions" page - HREOC supports religion = race identity arguments and states the criticism of religion can be said to constitute vilification and hate of a group of people on racial grounds. A concept rejected by Justice's Nettle et al in the Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal 2006 -<br /><br /> "Appeal judges ruling in the Catch the Fire case in Victoria, (Catch the Fire Ministries Inc & Ors v Islamic Council of Victoria Inc [2006] VSCA 284 (14 December 2006): point 35 of the finding reads "The third difficulty with the Tribunal’s reasoning, as I perceive it, is ... the Tribunal’s failure to observe the distinction between hatred of beliefs and hatred of adherents to beliefs..."). The judges set aside a finding of vilification (made by justice Higgins VCAT) on the grounds that the criticism was of an idea (verses from the Koran), and not the individual(s) who held those ideas, and that it was not the intention of the law to protect ideas. In the current defamation act there is no such protection to criticise an idea, although the option remains that an appeal to the High Court will remedy this. Unless the law intends that an idea is legally protected from criticism, then criticism of an idea held by any individual cannot be considered defamatory of the individual holding it." <a href="http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-hon-mark-dreyfus-qc-mp-amend-the-australian-defamation-act-2005">http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-hon-mark-dreyfus-qc-mp-amend-the-australian-defamation-act-2005</a><br /></td></tr>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-17165592148202492672013-11-10T17:31:00.002+11:002013-11-10T17:34:02.181+11:00Is That Your Lovely Bottom?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In June 2009 at the opening night event of an exhibition of my work in an art gallery in Melbourne, the Director of that gallery, Robert Cripps, approached a woman viewing a painting picturing a rear facing female nude and asked her </div>
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"Is that your lovely bottom?"</blockquote>
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This was not a question asked by someone with insider knowledge expecting that the woman was actually the model for the work, but a straight out sleazy pick up line, delivered poorly and in inappropriate circumstances. The painting was one of mine and the woman Robert Cripps asked this question of was my manager from my place of work.</div>
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Several things are wrong with this picture. A male asking a woman such a question has obviously checked out that woman's bottom and made a distinct comparison. Clumsy and dumb, not complimentary as the deliverer assumes. It is intrusive and sexual objectification in the classic sense. And, worse, it was not only intrusive and embarrassing for my manager, and mortifying from my perspective, it was not just in poor taste, it was unlawful, which I will cover. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uB1oQxJvzF0/Un8KpQunqGI/AAAAAAAAATU/giFrCX68lcA/s1600/Isthatyourlovelybottom3-mid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uB1oQxJvzF0/Un8KpQunqGI/AAAAAAAAATU/giFrCX68lcA/s640/Isthatyourlovelybottom3-mid.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Is that your lovely bottom?" - digital collage - 2013</td></tr>
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Not unexpectedly the relationship with my manager hit some issues as a consequence of this event. It created an awkwardness and a distance not previously present between us that I can only put down to this event. She had gone to see the art and to support a co-worker she supervised and had experienced sexual harassment in doing so. Though this was not as a consequence of my art work per se, the implication for it being used as a pretext for the making of such an intrusive enquiry is pretty clear. The experience she had of viewing my art work came to be associated with an unpleasant and sleazy encounter in her mind and understandably so.</div>
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Cripps had as well inappropriately questioned me, during the installation of my work and the work of my co-exhibitor Demetrios. Cripps pointedly asking me had I modelled for any of Demetrios' works? We had been rearranging the pieces together and I laughed out loud at the time at such a suggestion, mainly at the blatant simple mindedness of it, and informed him firmly no we use professional life models. It was a ludicrous question and one I had been unprepared to receive from anyone let alone the Gallery Director. Demetrios asked me later what was all the hand cupping motions Cripps had been making whilst talking with me, at the other end of the large gallery space? Cripps, I explained, was enthusiastically telling me at that point he loved "all the soft flesh", and the cupping motions he made at the same time were to emphasise the shape of the bottom of one of my female nudes. It was a low point for us in terms of our opinions of this Director who'd by then already demonstrated unreliability and unprofessionalism in other ways. Later when the hanging was completed I checked with Assistant Gallery Manager, at the time, Stacy Jewel, to confirm if everything in her opinion was in order, and whether she knew if Robert was happy, overall, with the presentation? Her reply was an emphatic "Oh Robert, will love it, he will love all the flesh!" This stunned me to a silent nod and a bit of a weak polite smile. It was before the "lovely bottom" incident but was another example of the tone set within this gallery by a director not particularly interested in the art or of the ideas that have inspired it, <i>but more interested in who appears naked in the art</i>.</div>
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There is more to it than that though, these are not simply acts of general inappropriateness or a lack of artistic qualification by a person incapable of taking the work seriously or behaving professionally around it, it is more serious because, where and under what circumstances these acts took place, actually constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace which is unlawful. </div>
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Examine the following from <a href="http://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/guides/sexual-harassment">HREOC's</a> website</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>"In what circumstances is sexual harassment unlawful? </b></span></blockquote>
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The Sex Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a person to sexually harass another person in a number of areas including employment, education, the provision of goods and services and accommodation."</blockquote>
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My work manager attended the art show at my invitation. The person asking her the intrusive questions, as she worked out, was the Gallery Director, Robert Cripps. His actions as well put me at risk by making me a party to an unlawful act due to my having an agreement with the gallery. Witnesses to such conduct are by law considered party to it if they choose to ignore it, which was our situation when I was informed about the "lovely bottom" encounter. </div>
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(According to <b>Section 105 of the Sexual Discrimination Act 1984</b>, we have legal duty to "not permit" Cripps to act in this way, because "for the<span style="font: 16.0px Times;"> </span>purposes of this Act, [we could] be taken also to have done the act." (<a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s105.html"><span style="color: #0044fc; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s105.html</span></a>)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT 1984 - SECT 105 - Liability of persons involved in unlawful acts</td></tr>
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Cripps' questions of me as a client of his gallery constitutes "circumstances [for] unlawful sexual harassment". Cripps' staff and volunteers are protected as well by the act should they have ever experience forms of unwanted, uninvited, non consensual inappropriate proposals of a sexual nature, insults or taunts of a sexual nature, or repeated requests to go on dates…HREOC's advice is quite clear. All of this taking place in an "employment, education, provision of goods and services…" context is unlawful.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12px;">Sexual harassment is not interaction, flirtation or friendship which is mutual or consensual. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12px;">Sexual harassment is a type of sex discrimination. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12px;">The <a href="http://www.comlaw.gov.au/comlaw/management.nsf/lookupindexpagesbyid/IP200401301?OpenDocument"><span style="color: #0040ee; text-decoration: underline;">Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth)</span></a> makes sexual harassment unlawful in some circumstances.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">"</span></span></td></tr>
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How many others did Cripps asked these types of questions? What was his conduct towards his staff and volunteers, who were largely female? The full answer is unknown to me however it goes to reason he did likely utilise any opportunity that may have presented itself. </div>
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Robert Cripps' actions, subsequent to his inappropriate comments to my manager, deteriorated so much further into the absurd that any steps we might have taken to tackle this with him were subsumed by his further belligerent actions he conducted to degrade us and our art completely. He declared the show and us racist at the end of our opening night event, kicked us out in front of a crowd of onlookers, repeating this on a second occasion, and subsequently barred us from all access to the gallery. He is now suing us for writing about that which he forced upon us by repeatedly denying all responsibility for doing so on the several occasions we attempted to reason with him. </div>
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The sexual harassment aspects of his behaviour alone have him in a great deal of bother. In Cripps' original <a href="http://www.redlegvartists.com/Writ-April-fools-ORC.pdf">April Fools Day writ</a> his inappropriate "lovely bottom" comments were denied. They were instead claimed to be malicious falsehoods by me written when it was known they were not true, and on account of his denial he was claiming $140,000.00 in losses<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>*</b></span>. He has since admitted to approaching my manager and asking her if that was her lovely bottom, however I am still being sued for "defamation" by him. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMNzXQ9rPiQ/Un8Oz7XmzZI/AAAAAAAAAT4/3eej3S1zDBY/s1600/Cripps-sexharass-is-injurious-falsehood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMNzXQ9rPiQ/Un8Oz7XmzZI/AAAAAAAAAT4/3eej3S1zDBY/s640/Cripps-sexharass-is-injurious-falsehood.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April Fool's Day Cripps Writ - "Injurious Falsehood" - click on image to read.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: small;">*</span>$140k? Yes, the demands made by Cripps were and remain unreasonable as are the claims what we wrote of constitute "Injurious Falsehood" at all. Later in the same year as this first demand of $140k Cripps acquired a Steinway D Grand concert piano which go for around that amount retail <i>minimum</i>. Interesting.</div>
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As a final point, to create a contrasting perspective, consider this last image with the first image at the top of my article. Would it have been complimentary, okay, appropriate, for men to be asked the same? Did Cripps ask men or was Cripps himself asked "is that your lovely penis?" whilst viewing the paintings shown below? I'm betting not.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6jeGezaeJTg/Un8g6qYbacI/AAAAAAAAAUI/VgUNCgZ6z7U/s1600/peter-costello-fcking-lovely-penis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6jeGezaeJTg/Un8g6qYbacI/AAAAAAAAAUI/VgUNCgZ6z7U/s640/peter-costello-fcking-lovely-penis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Is that your lovely penis?" - showing on the far Left "the fucking press", centre "kore of the industrial age (girl)", on the right "kouros of the industrial age (boy)" - all by Demetrios Vakras as exhibited during "Humanist Transhumanist" at the failed Guildford Lane Gallery run by Robert Cripps in 2009.</td></tr>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-62108183955227004842013-11-09T17:50:00.001+11:002013-11-09T17:50:14.916+11:00Paradoxes - Courage Cowardice and Robert Cripps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of the main paradoxes<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">1</span></b> with regards to defamation law is that defamation only happens when a complaint has been made. No complaint, then no tort. Converging criticisms of an individual by several critics can exist at the same time but only the one complained of by a plaintiff is considered defamatory. Who and how many people read an article can be used to amplify the hurt of a plaintiff. In our case, articles were posted online and are considered newly "published" upon being viewed or "downloaded". Free speech and the right to criticise does not mean critics are free to lie. My criticism of defamation law should not be misinterpreted to mean this. As it has been previously put I go as far to say that defamation law exists to prevent a reputation from being damaged by the truth! In Australian defamation law, the truth remains defamatory even when it is proven to be true. A plaintiff can still prevent the truth from damaging their real reputation which is in reality a lie, though they do not get compensated for the damage done by a defamation that is true.</div>
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<li>Defamation occurs when and only when a "victim" sues. Prior to this the law is mute on any "offence".</li>
<li>Defamation defences simply limit punishment regardless of truth if it is determined there was no "excuse" to impart it.</li>
<li>Defamation law is bolstered by punitive underpinnings such that it can through fear or reprisal engender censorship and self-censorship.</li>
<li>Defamation law is routinely misused to extort punitive monetary back-downs by a critic to avoid threats of court sanctioned persecution by a plaintiff with greater resources than a defendant (though sometimes this is the other way around). </li>
<li>By reason of the above defamation law is designed to achieve an outcome through exertion of fear of financially punitive and damaging claims.</li>
<li>Defamation law makes it simple for plaintiffs to utilise it for to achieve a collateral purpose such as prevent something from becoming too well known.</li>
<li>Defamation law allows plaintiffs to pick and chose who they claim to be defamed by.</li>
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Another of the paradoxes of defamation law is that it brings out the best human traits in some, but also, exposes the worst of human traits in many. We do have reason to admire many people and they know this. Brave and true to their convictions and values they will stand for us and themselves in part. They exemplify the notion of displaying courage in the face of adversity. Others have run screaming in the other direction or ducked out of view trying to hide in the shadows, but we still see them. Is this reaction the fault of defamation law? Yes and No. Yes because of the above, defamation law is no picnic, and no because people are subject to their own fears and weaknesses as well as wary of threats which are real.</div>
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Dawn Tan is a graphic designer who exhibited at Guildford Lane Gallery within a group show "Youngbloods Fully Six". Tan reported with strident emphasis on how terrible was her and the group's experiences due to the antics of Robert Cripps which included; </div>
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<li> that he was "a big scary meanie", </li>
<li> changed their contract agreement arbitrarily, </li>
<li> obsessed about his dog ordering that no one was to go near it though it hung around them during set up, </li>
<li> yelling at them whilst they used the gallery equipment, </li>
<li> prevented them installing their artworks appropriate to the medium, and </li>
<li> preventing them posting any qualifying artist or contextual documentation alongside their art works,</li>
<li> upset her so much she left the gallery crying all the way to the train station initially thinking she'd not exhibit at all. </li>
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Tan's online reportage declares at the end...</div>
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"…We are all in this together and you are not alone. I think we should all stand up against him, spread the word and not let him carry on with his crazy antics." </blockquote>
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Tan made other very strong claims about Cripps and insisted that someone must stop him from doing more harm. One of the claims Tan makes is redacted intentionally in the attached image<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> (Fig 1)</b></span> <b><i>to protect us </i></b>from the punitive aims of defamation law….another of defamation law's paradoxes because…We would be sued and forced to prove what Tan had claimed, not Tan herself! This and the other claims made in her long blog posting, as pictured, was available and online from October 2010 until July 2013 when my co-Defendant, Demetrios first contacted Ms Tan. He politely wished to check with her the details on what had happened during her show as circumstances which though different in detail broadly mirrored our experiences in terms of Cripps' behaviours and that we too had written about them on our websites. But, as he warned her, now we were being sued by Cripps. Tan quickly pulled her page <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(Fig 2)</span></b>, as we might have expected, but what we didn't expect is that she also refused direct communication with us by not responding at all. The only communication came through her husband/partner who made contact (by phone) to relay she was very scared and got most of the information off our websites, despite the fact her complaints detail Cripps' hindrances of her own show, and that she had left the gallery crying. Tan's husband further attempted to appeal to our sympathy that, after all, she "was just starting out"…the conclusion being that we are expendable. </div>
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The false bravado of (pseudo) artistic folk like Tan <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(Fig 1, Fig 2 and Fig 3)</span></b>, declaring strength and indignation which disappears when reality knocks, appalls but does not surprise us. We have encountered this many times. We have at time debased ourselves, we feel, resorting to grovelingly requesting people, like Tan, to not ignore or set aside but instead face their fears and stand up for what is honourable, right and true. Witnesses do after all have privilege so fear is a demon of their own making and it is their own demons they submit to in the end. Thirtyseven "brave" people just like Tan inserted comments to her blog posting <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(Fig 1)</span></b> in support for her courage to stand up for and speak out for what is right. "Good for you" many state. A Jacinta Moore <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>(Fig 4)</b></span> confirms she was on the receiving end of Cripps' antics too but to date declines to respond to our request to elaborate. One commenter notes how it was Tan's tweets about Guildford Lane Gallery and the treatment by Cripps which first alerted her to seek out the blog posting. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(Fig 1) </span></b></div>
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Significantly Tan's "article" and tweeting had been available from October 2010. Cripps served us with a writ on April Fool's Day 2011. Why did he choose to sue us and not Tan? And, why did he choose to sue us so late? Our "articles" were online from September - November 2009 - updated in my case in April 2010. What are Cripps' motives for suing at all? - see defamation law points above to select the probable answer/s. </div>
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Cripps is suing us claiming that his business failed because we wrote about him.</div>
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However, we wrote about our experiences with Cripps, others with a similar experience of Cripps also wrote about their experiences (such as Dawn Tan and others). Others still relayed their experiences, which are equally as bad, orally. Artist after artist suffered a bad experience and relayed their experience to others. Cripps destroyed his own reputation because of his own poor behaviour and is suing us in order to profit from being a prick. His use of defamation law is a business decision, one he intends to use to paper over his extremely poor business acumen and conduct.</div>
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Other people who have experienced Cripps' antics personally or those who directly witnessed his treatment of us, such as Paul Carter and Cripps' numerous staff and volunteers working at his failed gallery have chosen not to come forward for two main reasons, that I can ascertain. </div>
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<li>The fear already mentioned, or </li>
<li>due to their stronger devotion to self-preservation. </li>
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If people fear the law or Cripps' reprisal or threats (I'll sue you if you complain, you'll be sacked, given a bad report, will never get another job in this industry again etc., etc) this is understandable, but fear alone is not the only explanation. Not wishing to be involved in unpleasant matters is one we've heard and is an incredibly weak excuse. Not wishing to be professionally exposed is another weak excuse if one has any respect for the profession or others who engage within it. Those of course who continue to personally support Cripps must see his actions as warranted and necessary or why else would they support him? They must simply agree he has a right to behave as he has with artists like us, declaring us racist and getting away with it, due to the continued silence of those who witnessed it. They must agree with his declaration that our exhibition was racist and that his further actions to prevent us access to the gallery we had hired was warranted. They might instead provide support out loyalty to him as a friend? Or, are their fears born of other associations that compel their silence? Perhaps the silence or compliance is out of a duty born of mutual benefit, to him as a provider of services and an income that will enhance their own professional standing, relationships or performance careers? </div>
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Ultimately for them it is a question of one's courage and conviction to one's values. For the Dawn Tan's and Paul Carter's of the world it is clear such conviction collapses where there are concerns for self-preservation. It is their lack of action that illuminates and defines the point. Self preservation is their defining value system. I wish them well, they will likely have more success in this world than I will. I do though hope they have imprinted upon their memory the reality that they lacked courage when it truly counted, and see the visually telling metaphor of them wildly running in the opposite direction whilst someone they could have helped was left dangling over a precipice.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFiBACz_7kw/Un3UC5Ufb7I/AAAAAAAAASY/kRXJ7itH9zo/s1600/paradox+definition.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFiBACz_7kw/Un3UC5Ufb7I/AAAAAAAAASY/kRXJ7itH9zo/s400/paradox+definition.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Note 1</b> - Paradox Definition</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fig 1</b> - Dawn Tan Guildford Lane Gallery awful exhibition experience as part of Youngbloods Fully Six exhibition 2010</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fig 2</b> - Dawn Tan removes blog posting of Guildford Lane Gallery exhibition experiences after being contacted by us in 2013</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pyZ-gTVMFbU/Un3Vlt2QpFI/AAAAAAAAASw/_xn6zxzj9zI/s1600/Dawn-Tan-Cripps-lock-out-on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="507" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pyZ-gTVMFbU/Un3Vlt2QpFI/AAAAAAAAASw/_xn6zxzj9zI/s640/Dawn-Tan-Cripps-lock-out-on.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fig 3</b> - Dawn Tan on "Do not have your show at Guildford Lane Gallery!" and Cripps' propensity to lock access to the front gallery entrance and on "the boss" being a "big meanie". This link is still extant at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/handmadelove/5079989981/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/handmadelove/5079989981/</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vcApq1Klxb8/Un3WistLFsI/AAAAAAAAAS8/krNP6XMayl8/s1600/Vakras-contacts-jacinta-moo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vcApq1Klxb8/Un3WistLFsI/AAAAAAAAAS8/krNP6XMayl8/s640/Vakras-contacts-jacinta-moo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fig 4</b> - Demetrios Vakras attempts to contact Jacinta Moore ("BawkBawk") who was a recipient of Cripps' "antics" and who commented on Tan's blog above in (Fig 1).</td></tr>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-64483632463456734232013-10-13T19:03:00.001+11:002013-10-13T19:04:35.527+11:00Defamation law renders truth the enemy. Viva la truth!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To understand the ill chill that is defamation law one
has to experience it from the inside.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The whole legal affair that is
case "SCI 01484/2011" in which I am a defendant has more than a
little of the sense of the ridiculous about it. "Is this a joke?" ...is
the expression I receive when describing it to most, which I do, with as much
accurate candour as I can muster. From a personal tragedy
relayed in context has developed an epic absurdity, four years in the making. The time-frame and
absurdity being due, in that order, to the plaintiff's intentionally late complaint and a compliant legal system that is only too glad to assist
the litigious to use it. So at odds is my and
my co-defendant's experience with defamation law's self-proclaimed good
intentions that it cannot be overly emphasised just how blatantly and
spectacularly it does indeed fail; on grounds of fairness, equity, logic or as
a self-proclaimed, necessary guardian </span>of the perpetually angelic reputation. It, it is claimed is not written to unduly limit our freedoms.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Citizens of free and democratic societies tend to have a sense of faith and trust in their laws and legal system, that they are there for and act for our benefit, will be fair, reasoned, logical and will work for the
good citizen and not against them. Our case presents a contrasting experience
to this and is one that is hardly a demonstration of the law bearing out such hopeful, innocent conclusions. To believe otherwise is fanciful delusion. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Truth and the sharing of information are important aspects
of our society and the freedom to do so characterises in part our understanding of what constitutes a free society. However, to impart information publicly these days one must take the
risk they may end up being dragged at length through a thorny legal brier patch to arrive
bedraggled and battered at court to answer either to claims of defamation or
worse. It is not so theatrical a declaration to state defamation laws and the judiciary who defend them are a great threat to
our freedoms from within. Freedoms are diminished by legally assisted efforts to keep
information suppressed and have and do operate without many limits on them. Calls for change, for reform, for abolishing the law are all met with intolerant barely concealed contempt by those in the legal system and legislature. With them they can emit more control. It is a paternalistic and entitled attitude that is contemptuous of change or calls for change from the lower classes. We are fighting in part, still, an English (old European) class system's world view.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a recent conversation I dubbed defamation law the <i>Grendel</i> of our legal system;
a grinder of hope and decency, a distorted beast of a law that cannot be
reasoned with. It blindly goes about its function to quash criticism of a reputation and, the judiciary may as well be this Grendel's mother. How may one or two individuals bring about change in such a context? Write a blog, check. Write up a petition, check. Write to appropriate specialists and commentators, check. The result? Patchy acknowledgment, understanding and some patronising there, there. It is a no brainer, we are no-bodies and it might be true and they could be guilty would be the thought of some. One has so declared it and in so doing declare the success of defamation law to stain merely by its claim. Declared guilty with mere mitigation as possible defences the accused remain stuck in <i>Grendel's</i> mill stone unless they recant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Defamation law in operation is a framework that offers
those with greater financial means a legal tool to wield as a weapon in order
to conceal and censor. This bluntly is the main error and no one appears, who might have the influence to do so, appears to want to do so. In allowing itself to be used in this
manner the law and the objects of the act under-pinning defamation law are self-undermining.
To go by appearances alone, at the academic level, it exists for its
self-described aims to serve the greater good by protecting reputation (paramount) whilst
not being framed to limit freedoms (secondary, but important, it implies). Is this demonstrably the case though and if so is it a valid goal in the first place? If the highest aim of the act is to protect reputation then we are in trouble as it over-shadows our human right to receive and impart information. A true reputation is one that need not fear examination. Truth cannot defame and the law instead should (in the unlikely event it will remove itself entirely) understand that to do so does not mean its citizenry will resort to lying about a reputation en-Mass. Ask yourself why does a false reputation exposed warrant greater protection than the freedom to truthfully expose it? This is the law we currently have.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Any audit of defamation cases brought about by plaintiffs aiming to conceal the truth and limit the imparting of it whilst using it purely to have their critics sanctioned, censored and squashed, might demonstrate skewed figures. Not many cases get up or even get to trial due to the inherent threat and fear of the financial ramifications. Measurement of successful threats of punitive damages to coerce under-resourced defendants to retract would need auditing as well. In
defamation law truth is merely an excuse and proof of truth becomes part of a mitigation of
guilt rather than a real defence for a defendant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is as if
truth is the enemy of reputation! More precisely though of course, truth is the enemy of a <i>false</i> reputation. Revealing a true reputation is what I and my co-defendant have done. Truth is rendered the enemy, something to be summarily dismissed and undermined to ensure a
reputation that is truthfully bad remains protected from scrutiny. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A critic charged with defamation faces real and
constant sanction from the outset. Resist and you will pay the price of great losses; in time, finances and
sanity as the law with its focal point being the plaintiff, the plaintiff, the
legal fraternity and the underpinning endorsement of the courts do all they can
to silence, chill and disappear the truth. As a defendant it dawns on you that the whole aim is to destroy you, the defendant.
Like Grendel, defamation law is a grinder, grinding everything to dust
including one's soul.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<!--StartFragment--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;">Grendel - pen on paper - 2007 Lee-Anne Raymond</span><!--EndFragment--> </td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a framework not <i>intended</i> to hinder truth
and the imparting of information for the beneficial receipt of others, does defamation
law makes sense in the abstract(?) Perhaps. In action though, I argue this is not
the case. Coercion is rife, and too easy. Threaten a defendant with few resources and an aggrieved plaintiff gets a nice pay-off and a retraction. Reduce the ability for plaintiffs to demand such financial <i>windfalls</i> and you will reduce the number of instances where this is the main aim. The law is as well too tolerant of manipulation by the rich, the well positioned or the well resourced to effect censorship so must limit the ability to do so severely. Then there are the legal A<i>rborists</i> (lawyers and judges) who tend these compliant characteristics around
which has been formed a cottage or forested "legal industry". Self interest is at every level of this game.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arguably given the support it has in the legal fraternity the reliance on defamation law is not
by our society but by the law itself and its <i>Arborists</i>, which exposes the falsity of the claims it
exists to protect reputation whist not unduly diminishing truth and freedom.
Lofty goals so expressed in the face of reality are merely a smoke screen for empty claims. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And, so the Grendel
that this law is rolls out arbitrarily and unpredictably. What of truth? What is truth really worth? In
the context of defamation law it is a relatively worthless intrusion as the
legal A<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rborists</i> tending it seek at every
turn to extract false retraction from a defendant over scrutiny of a lying
plaintiff. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Truth, in reality, is everything and that this law places it into the realm of a mitigation to a guilty act is a problem for everyone.</span> </span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-66314209039761416572013-09-21T11:51:00.001+10:002013-09-22T12:17:13.401+10:00"Australia" the exhibition - you're boring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">"</span><b>Marking the first major survey of Australian art in the UK for 50 years, this exhibition spans more than 200 years from 1800 to the present day and seeks to uncover the fascinating social and cultural evolution of a nation through its art."</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/australia">Australia - Exhibitions - Royal Academy of Arts</a></div>
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The Australian National Gallery with its "Australia", the exhibition, presented at the Royal Academy in London confirms and reinforces the acceptable Australian Art code. The Landscape and its parochial, slavish depiction, is what defines the accepted Australian Art and artist model. What it does do rather than "uncover a cultural evolution of a nation through its art" is reinforce a cultural myopia through conventionally accepted modes of transmission. Weary artists attempting to break this mold will weep a few more tears of frustration yet. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KUtWC-FQCkA/Ujz5kQx16ZI/AAAAAAAAAR8/HOOpiquZjVc/s1600/snapper-flipped-filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KUtWC-FQCkA/Ujz5kQx16ZI/AAAAAAAAAR8/HOOpiquZjVc/s320/snapper-flipped-filter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"snapper" 2010</td></tr>
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Australian artists outside this model, this arts code of conduct, already know that leaving Australia is possibly the only way an artist, practicing in opposition to this format, will escape permanently living a life and career in the underground.</div>
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It is an underground to which I belong. Not just outsider artists are relegated to these lower rungs to which no arts institution curator will ever visit, as to do so would be too adventurous and risky, as it would take them outside the accepted boundaries of the main stream which they must reinforce. The art of permanently ignored "bottom dwellers" will never see the light of the acceptable arts scene in Australia and will remain in the shadows…unless someone foreign takes an interest…and even then…this will only be cemented if the interest emerges from the mother-land UK. </div>
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The culture and personality of the Australian art scene as manifested in this exhibition is tainted by a servitude to the depiction of a nationalistic and conventional art form/s that include and reinforce the view that the theme of landscape is what defines Australians as being uniquely "Australian". This limited and landlocked perspective is as oppressive as a gulag to any professional artist attempting to break through such barriers. </div>
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Nationalistic art-forms and the raising of their profile in a manner such as this contain not only bland cliches but are off key in tone and smack of the kind of political triumphalism encouraged by and for a political agenda. Government interferences however subtle in our arts and cultural expression contain the taint of vested interests which bear little relationship with truth and the reality of artistic aims, which are often intended to challenge the status quo a government wishes to present.</div>
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The arts must must not simply reflect what a nation wants to hear/see/feel about itself.</blockquote>
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For our arts/cultural institutions to consistently reinforce that it is the landscape which characterises the Australian identity alone is a distortion. And, it is a truly unambitious perspective, so low in its horizons that the thinking viewer is brought to tears by their yawns. We must not be forced to reach only for the most basic of basic arguments and fame-work to describe a culture. This is the cultural cringe at its most uninspired and harmful.</div>
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Additionally, with its lack of breadth and challenge of the norm, this exhibition reconfirms perceptions that Australia and Australians cannot conceive of a cultural heritage and future without it being shaped to appeal to the perspective and for the approval of the mother-land. This exhibition is hardly a statement of the "masters" of Australian art because it reaches only as high as a biscuit tin depiction of it. Insulting to the viewers it is attempting to reach in addition.</blockquote>
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As long as by Australian "masters" it is intended to mean those who depict the narrative of landscape then we will be regarded as the predictable mediocrity that this exhibition represents us to be. Depicting art works by landscape artists, as defined by the body of their life's work, or landscapes cherry picked from the legacy of a non landscape artist's oeuvre, narrows the focus to a blinkered degree. It also blurs the perspective so considerably that now viewers not knowing anything about Australian painters will perceive that they are all <i>En plein air</i> painters.</div>
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Every nation has its landscape, parts of Colorado, USA are like parts of outback South Australia. What is it that makes Australian's living in Australia's outback so very different to US citizens living lives in theirs. Nothing. The audience being targeted here is British living in a relatively lush Northern European climate. This distinction by landscape risks being little more than a travel-log and a culture has more depth than this kind of parochial approval seeking presentation can ever possibly hope to display. It is as narrow as the depiction of Germans in beer halls, Greeks smashing plates. </div>
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Two centuries are showcased, using 170 artists, some who spent their careers depicting the landscape, others chosen have works that make incidental or no real reference to the landscape. Yet this aspect alone does not form the ideas or character of a nation. The ideas of a nation manage to emerge from elements from within and without. The landscape is not the shaper of a nation's DNA, the landscape holds our emotions and connections for memory yes, but with or without it were are collectively shaped by more than any passe theme of a (white?) man's struggle with "god and country" wilderness cliches.</div>
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Much of this is no "Heart of Darkness" (Joseph Conrad) either but a more predictable and somewhat embarrassing parochial grab at the surface of the matter. Ultimately it all has the ulterior purpose of being a promotional tool it would seem.</div>
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Artists who dare to dig deeper into the psyche of a nation and its people will be relegated to the Underground for their troubles. It seems that Australia has yet to reach a status where it is honest enough to show its warts and all messy birth and life to date. This dismal (at best) post adolescent mimicry of what Australian art is and says about itself is what it believes the mother-land want's to see and what the adolescent thinks it will approve of. I hope critics with more bonafides than I challenge it.</div>
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To me this exhibition is a great disappointment and bluntly an embarrassment. It hardly represents a unique statement from a country that can, via its art history, announce its emergence from questionable beginnings and fumbling adolescence into confident and promising adulthood. Because it lacks honesty and confidence the officially approved of version of Australian art belongs to a cultural back water held back in a time funk. It is a presentation that denies the art and artistic development of this nation in preference to the comfortable illusions (delusions) of its earliest memories. And, a flawed memory will always fail to observe its flaws.</blockquote>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-71097931078429009812013-09-17T17:06:00.002+10:002013-09-17T17:06:11.895+10:00"An Outbreak of Reason..." In Defamation Law? Unlikely.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N4gd_doZhkA/UjaS6rSQ8XI/AAAAAAAAARs/nglxXkMkEJk/s1600/GrendelsMother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N4gd_doZhkA/UjaS6rSQ8XI/AAAAAAAAARs/nglxXkMkEJk/s200/GrendelsMother.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grendel's Mother 2007</td></tr>
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At a Directions Hearing intended to assign yet another new start date for our case to be heard at trial Supreme Court of Victoria Associate Justice Melissa Daly remarked as a question to the appearing barristers "…it is possibly safe to assume there has been no outbreak of reason?"<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Where Defamation Law fails is in its practice. The facts of a case, the truth, simply get in the way when all that defendants should do is back down in order to be seen as reasonable by the court. It is a flawed and insincere system that is the Victorian Supreme Court. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I recognise that Justice Daly's comment may come from a sense of helpless frustration as it is likely connected to valid concerns of a congested and overworked court system. However, is this the fault of all parties associated with the attendant grid-locked cases? W</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">hat I'd ask Justice Daly, if I could is, w</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here is this complained of lack of reason actually present? The subject of reason is one raised over and over by my co-Defendant and I with regards it's relative absence in light of efforts, particularly by the Plaintiff and his lawyers in our case, but also by the justice system itself, to ensure the journey of the case has as little relationship with reason as possible. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In D</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">efamation Law the legal sanctions and burdens are all on the defendant. The constant rescheduling of our case at such a late hour is out of our hands, and, we've jumped through every fiery hoop one can imagine to get there. What is it that we could do to make matters more reasonable? Give up and lose our life's possessions entirely as well as completely shred our ethics and values?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Justice Daly's off the cuff remark, noted above, in part a defensively put apologia of sorts to the appearing barristers, presumes by its tone that problems or flaws only exist outside those caused by her own industry, and because it presents a perversion of reality I must point out the following:</span></div>
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<li>I am a reasonable person the remark implies this isn't the case.</li>
<li>My co-defendant is a reasonable person the remark implies this isn't the case.</li>
<li>Each in our own way critique the assailing of reason by the forces of unreason in our art and writings. The remark implies this is irrelevant.</li>
<li>Justice Daly's off the cuff remark implies the court assumes there is a lack of reason on behalf of all parties to a case.</li>
<li>The remark and its attendant assumptions issued within an open court room embarrassed with its tone. And, those in attendance found the justice's remark to be amusing at my and my co-defendant's expense.</li>
<li>Reason itself has already been rejected on a number of occasions by officers of the court system itself…Daly has no weight behind her assertion that there is little reason on behalf of the parties when it is the court that has assisted to create the unreasonable circumstances allowing for the case to continue at the behest of an unreasonable litigant.</li>
<li>Defamation Law provides an unreasonable person, who has the financial means, the capacity to utilise the law as a weapon, as a tool of censorship to suppress knowledge of the truth. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">As I've noted in previous postings Defamation Law is a known means by which to <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/australian-defamation-law-vs-muscular.html" target="_blank"><b>threaten critics, prevent criticism and quash evidence of truth</b></a> and therefore apply limits to<b> <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/how-australian-defamation-laws-chill.html" target="_blank">truth and free speech</a> </b>which the law claims it does not intend to restrict or limit. For further reading see: "<b><a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/defamation-terrorism-is-alive-and-well.html" target="_blank">Defamation Terrorism is Alive and Well in Australia</a></b>" & "<b><a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/how-defamation-law-achieves-censorship.html" target="_blank">How Defamation Law Achieves Censorship in modern Australia</a></b>" etc. </span></li>
<li>Defamation Law contains no sign of reasonable checks and balances to prevent its misuse. Misuses are only identified at trial and are rarely punished. </li>
<li>Those that finally get to trial to defend truth are labelled "unreasonable" by a court system that cannot cope with the self-created problems it complains it has become overburdened by. Our case being delayed is due to other newer cases usurping it in importance (as ours was delayed). This is an outcome we cannot affect. </li>
<li>The <i>over-burdened</i> court, through its own unreasonable processes, has made a case string out to almost 3 years, then blamed those who are inextricably caught in the inevitable congestion for this outcome. Thus the court turns on those who have been victims once making them victims all over again by in addition blaming them for possessing a lack of reason.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The question of reason is one we put to the Plaintiff Robert Cripps. When Robert Cripps consistently spewed forth public diatribes containing accusations of racism against us and our exhibition (that we'd unfortunately held in his failed Guildford Lane Gallery) we attempted to reason with him. We challenged his ideas and pointed to the flaws in those ideas and complained to him of his behaviour towards us. The attempts we made to defend our reputation and art however simply further incensed an unreasonable person. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Why the attempts we made to "reason" with Cripps so spectacularly failed is a good question that we'd like to have answered too. He either ranted more or denied ever having made the accusations we complained of. He further lied about steps he took to distort viewers' understanding of the content of our exhibition and his successful aim to deny us access to the gallery for the duration of the show. His behaviour was and is not that of a reasoned or reasonable person. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I give you "Exhibit A" being the defamation case before the Supreme Court of Victoria brought by the Plaintiff Robert Cripps. It is not that I or my co-Defendant lack reason in being forced to defend ourselves against a person using an unreasonable system that feeds and nurtures his unreasonable sense of hurt. Robert Cripps, a person who has caused me and my co-Defendant harm, and the Supreme Court of Victoria have forced me to engage with them both, not the other way around.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Daly (et al) complain of what I see as a self inflicted - overburdened - system. It appears they have a different view since it is believed there must be a taint upon our character or the character of other/all parties to a case by association, as they will have us all lumped together as persons who lack reasonableness. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It is Robert Cripps who detected the weaknesses in Defamation Law and who is now attempting to exploit it to his advantage. He like others before him see an opportunity, using defamation law to make up for complained of poor business practices and unprofessional behaviour. Defamation Law and the courts contribute to and validate such unreasonableness by not striking out cases brought to it that are clearly vexatious litigation. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If Defamation Law is to maintain a valid place it must reform and tighten up its proclaimed "objects of the act". Where are the early phase checks and balances to avoid its misuses? It should never be used to prop or conceal a poor reputation in order that it may continue to cause harm. It should never be possible to misuse Defamation Law in order to make financial gain on the basis of concealing the truth of a pre-existing and extant poor reputation. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">The result is that in practice Defamation Law does exactly what is claimed it is framed to avoid, limit and restrict the imparting and receipt of information, as it dismisses truth as being harmful to a reputation and therefore defamatory. </span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The only cause of any harm <i>ever</i> to Robert Cripps, is Robert Cripps. Perhaps he really should be suing himself?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If there exists any lack of reason it is in a poorly framed Defamation Law that does not care where, how or when it should not be used, in a judicial system that merely looks the other way as it is over-whelmed(?), and in Plaintiffs who will exploit these built in flaws.</span></div>
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Other Reading (image heavy): <a href="http://www.redlegvartists.com/fraud.html">http://www.redlegvartists.com/fraud.html</a></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-54920132120213921752013-07-01T22:51:00.001+10:002013-07-03T11:27:37.952+10:00We still have a long way to go but it might get easier for the next one and the next one<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This last week in Australia a sitting Prime Minister was ousted by their own party. Again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dto4FQdH2w/UdF5YOWVfWI/AAAAAAAAAQA/BCTJJqhZrxw/s574/Thief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dto4FQdH2w/UdF5YOWVfWI/AAAAAAAAAQA/BCTJJqhZrxw/s320/Thief.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thief! - Pencil on Paper 2010</td></tr>
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For a second time in a little over 3 years the Labor Party rolled a sitting PM and their own leader. An impressive effort when you think about it.<br />
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Whether relevant to the Labor caucus member's own personal decision or not the PM they ousted this time was a woman. The main reason for it, which is supported by the facts, is that to go to the election with Gillard as the sitting PM and as Labor leader would result in political suicide for the Australian Labor Party. Gillard had lost the support of the electorate and Labor would emerge from the upcoming election a decimated husk. A long hiatus in opposition to rebuild is what the party needed argued some. The electorate preferred the previously rolled PM, Kevin Rudd. I am bemused by the public popularity of Rudd. He was rolled for good reason, he had lost the support of his colleagues, he'd lost his way dazzled by the position of PM rather than rising to its promise. It was clear to everyone something had to be done about Kevin as Kevin was all about Kevin. Gillard took on what most of her colleagues from both sides of politics would shiver at the prospect of, a political party in turmoil and disunity though they were very happy for her to do so. And, to give her credit she had the courage they lacked to do so.<br />
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Gillard became the first woman Prime Minister, bundled into the role following the ejection of a bumbling Kevin Rudd. Gillard then subsequently won at the polls a shaky hold on Government (a minority one) at the next election. It functioned due to Gillard's talent to unify her minority government with 3 independents. Rudd was never going to stand aside gracefully and happily embarked upon causing any and all destabilising interferences he could. He could be excused for some of this but not for behaviour that, due to its persistence, does point to one main reason for why the Gillard Government was never fully accepted as being legitimate. Rudd would not allow the country to move past his own personal pique. He chose to never accept the position he had arguably put himself into in the first place and demands we see him as one who can take responsibility. To me, like some sort of Prince Friedrich Hapnick, there he was in the background blithering around or pouting dramatically. A prickly, sulky destabilising force, which appealed to some obviously, blaming Gillard for his position and not letting anyone forget his version of events.<br />
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Knowing this one wonders how reasoned and thinking voters prefer Rudd to Gillard (or worse Abbott to Gillard). Rudd is a known tanty thrower, micro manager, self obsessed and self promoting. No one would accuse him of bringing an appropriate level of rigour and intellect to the high office of PM. Gillard defined in office that she is about the job and getting it done whilst eloquently deflecting what detractors thought of what she wore or whether her body shape complied to an acceptable fashionable standard. She also took on and won debates lesser intellectuals would have crumbled before. The problem for Gillard was the personal and gender related criticism never ceased. And some of the really grubby underhanded muck stuck firm in the mind of the populist voter.<br />
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Julia Gillard though was the first woman Prime Minister in Australian, a fact and a matter of history that cannot be taken from her. Many of us though liking such a fact as a shiny piece of political kudos to flash at our fellow democracies took it very much for granted treating it with less than the special care deserved. Gillard competently fielded valid criticism, too deftly and with a Lawyer's (political) manipulative flair she deflected fair criticisms. But so do all competent politicians. She also graciously endured invalid abusive and out of bounds criticism. Through her the government had gotten a few good things done despite the hung parliament, and it unavoidably and avoidably made mistakes. Some implementations were very good, some botched due to a too hasty pressure to perform and some were plainly wrong but persisted with out of a belligerence of Government which can delude those in power they know better than the experts who clearly advised caution and the public who say no that's too far, we did not approve this.<br />
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Gillard had failed to perform on some matters to expectation, the nature of the parliament she led made certain progress unattainable. It was were she failed on one matter in particular that confused her real supporters as well as the grass roots electorate. She declined to endorse the gay marriage bill instead she defined the status of marriage as being a union between a man and a woman. We balk at such contradiction from a Labor Leader, a declared Atheist and person of reason. But this wasn't of concern to those who simply would never "warm" to Gillard. She both irritated and elated the electorate - she polarised but also pulled people together. Not simply but especially because of her gender Julia Gillard's government was most precarious as the classic double edged sword scenario of a hung parliament. Leading Government but at the constant mercy of Parliament. To carry the metaphor to its end running government on a such a knife's edge makes for dangerous political territory misstep and off with her head basically.<br />
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As Gillard gamely stated, when announcing she'd lost the party ballot to lead the Labor Party to the next election, there were good reasons to explain some of the struggle she'd had in the role as being due to her gender. It might not explain everything but it explained somethings...<br />
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"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I have been a little bit bemused by those colleagues in the newspapers who have admitted that I have suffered more pressure as a result of my gender than other prime ministers in the past, but then concluded that it had zero affect on my political position or the political position of the Labor Party."</span> </blockquote>
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How dubious an honour to be the leader of the Labor Party, male or female. A comment I make as a Labor voter my entire voting life. </div>
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I happen to think that an element of timing is part of it. I'm grateful for her opportunity it may otherwise have taken much longer to see a Woman Prime Minister. I feel part of something as a consequence and some good must come of it.<br />
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Without a clear choice the electorate never "warmed" to Gillard on its own terms and Rudd remains a curiosity for anthropologists perhaps to some day sufficiently explain.<br />
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-69239512380728868712013-06-16T18:32:00.000+10:002013-06-16T18:32:25.539+10:00Attitudes To Women Matter - "If that does not suit you then get out"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the last week Australian current affairs and politics has been peppered with reports of anti-women rhetoric and reference to anti-women behaviour and attitudes. When we hear about and read in the media of specific events concerning the deliberate and systematic maligning of women (such as within the<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/unlikely-feminist-hero-army-chiefs-video-message-draws-plaudits-20130614-2o86b.html" target="_blank"> Australian Military</a>) we are hearing arguably about the tip of the ice-berg. If this is reflective of attitudes and behaviours within the wider Australian community it is difficult to confirm from my individual perspective. Arguably with the current mix of news items to select from it would appear to be reflective of attitudes of some strength in some quarters of our society. Though Chief of Army David Morrison does reflect the strength of the obverse view sexism and anti-women attitudes have never-the-less declared they are alive and well in 2013 Australia. Some might argue they had never left, for just a metaphoric scratch to a weakened section on the surface of our society allows them to burst forth like a hidden stream of magma.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As Prime Minister Julia Gillard discovered <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-targets-men-in-blue-ties-20130611-2o26s.html" target="_blank">using sexism to promote a political agenda</a> in order to create a more favourable political climate can misfire badly. Blow back for attack dogs can be very severe as well as <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1778257/Radio-presenter-Howard-Sattler-sacked-over-Gillard-interview" target="_blank">Mr Howard Sattler</a> is now discovering when cheap shots about sexuality backfire. When sexism is wielded falsely by men or women, particularly if politicians do so, the damage from backfire can range from being merely cringe worthy to explosively damaging, either way it is very public. The good that can come of it is that it is at least public where we can all see it, point out when it is used manipulatively and examine and investigate where demonstrated. The reputation of a politician on the sexism attack or the reputation of an attacker defending their sexist values can instead be truly revealed. The reputation of Government in the opinion of whom it serves is surely affected when bungles such as these are made. Of greater concern for us is when sexism is wielded secretly at the level of the political arena, the board room or in the home. It is out of public view that it is most damaging for women and harmful to society. Any disparaging anti-women behaviour that is hidden is a threat because it is hidden. Women who cannot rely upon the media coming to their aid find themselves at the mercy of social denial, apathy or fear of witnesses and the intransigence and belligerence of the perpetrator and the origins for the attitudes become reinforced. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Accusations of sexism must be based in honesty and truth. And, clearly sexist or misogynist behaviour must be exposed. If the former is manipulatively biased intending to achieve a political, personal or social agenda and is untrue or stretches the bounds of the truth the latter is effectively weakened. False claims affect trust in very real and true claims with the tarnishing accusation of "cry wolf". </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Though they may be exceptional (in our modern so-called-secular democracy) such entrenched attitudes emerge from a deep pool. There must be a place, an origin for this belief - that women are inferior - that is kept safe from the light of reason and reality, and for where these attitudes have time to develop, form and become entrenched. It is difficult to comprehend some of these acts are viewed as reasonable (deserved) if not normal (accepted) to some people but they are. That women are weaker physically may be factual but is it a matter of her inferiority that she may be weaker physically than a male? Or more that too high a representational value is placed on physical strength alone. Some remarkably believe women to be mentally inferior - it escapes logic but founding psychiatry helped to endorse and entrench such spurious notions as scientific. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The psychology formed from the belief that women are second, are inferior to the male, are more susceptible to criticism as they have suspect characteristics is a result of religious and socio-cultural reinforced influences. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Women are religiously maligned by the doctrines they are compelled to or do follow and some even believe it because their faith tells them it is so; by being created second, or as an after-thought (presumably by an imperfect creator), or as a play thing for the perfection of the male (formed in Gods image so the more perfect creation), or to be reward for a pious male, or merely available for the very messy but necessary pro-creation purposes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Religion lumbers women before birth and throughout life with; original sin for their curiosity, cursed with a womb - that bleeds, or are just biologically compromised by it, hindered by childbearing - vacant, broken, barren if they do not bare children, hindered by a greater propensity for compassion, poorer of intellect and thus expected to be a supplicant in every realm of her life. The libellous disparagement goes on and on in religious doctrine. Texts which pervasively spill out their dogmas to inspire the <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20130615-deadly-bus-bomb-womens-university-pakistan-quetta" target="_blank">destruction of a bus load of girls seeking an education</a> through to endorsing cultural practices that determine female genital perfection is achieved through mutilation (FGM). The expression of anti-women attitudes can be brutal or more subtle but are never-the-less sinisterly linked to the concept of inferiority and subjugation. Strong words but when you are blown to bits or threatened with any measure of violence in order to subdue you are humiliated and subjugated as <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nigella-lawson-attacked-husband-see-1955564" target="_blank">Charles Saatchi effectively demonstrates to his wife Nigella Lawson</a>. Every so often it is demonstrated that these ill conceived malignant deceits pollute the secular domain too, though purportedly impervious to such inequalities, because attitudes that are entrenched run deep and are difficult to dislodge until we expose them to the light.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Women are diminished by religious doctrine which followers view as law, diminished historically and legally in legislation, diminished in the historic arts of medicine and psychology, diminished in society. But it is not all bad and women are not perfect either. The point is women <u>are</u> equal to men - I prefer to dispense with arguments about what is intended with the word equal however clarity for some is always required - equal as in unbiased and of the same status.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Women are strong, are intelligent and competent, are contributors, and fortunately for me the society I grew up in now officially recognises these unassailable facts with some gaps here and there at the fringes. Not anything we cannot fix in time. Society reinforces what goes unquestioned whether this might be good or bad and it reflects on us and changes our society for the worse if we do nothing, question nothing when behaviour or attitudes emerge that are not good. Men do have to contend with social hurdles, bigotry, disadvantage due to birth and geography, life can be difficult for women in those ways too. I'm not arguing equivalent disadvantage but a similar position for most men might be to consider where homosexuality or a perception of being less manly and more womanly (= inferior) is observed, construed or used tactically in order to diminish them. It is this underpinning and fundamentally flawed psychology that needs to change along with valuing human reason over religious dogma. It is important to diminish the powerful role religious doctrine plays in creating perceptions that devalue women. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Try to imagine living with the perception you are inferior to your gender counterpart, 24/7. It is a perception that exists, in some sectors of societies, in most major religions, I don't believe there is any purpose or reason to deny it by not pointing it out. If I were to compare the 1970s with the year 2013 I can say the situation with regards to sexism and the treatment of women has improved and is continuing to do so in this country at least. And, as this last week has demonstrated we have much to be vigilant about and need to vigorously promote change in attitudes as they emerge from the depths because such change will only benefit society. To those who may have a problem with this, to quote the fine words of Chief of Army, David Morrison, "...if that does not suit you then get out.".</span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-31614864573281817742013-06-02T21:58:00.001+10:002013-06-02T21:58:10.536+10:00The Art of a Secular Atheist - "defamation of religion" <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In 1999 I held my first solo exhibition "The Mysteries" and amongst paintings mostly celebrating a surreal and symbolic vision of mythology some were subtly, or not so subtly depending upon your perspective, critical of religion.<br />
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The Mysteries series of paintings were so titled to encapsulate the main interest and inspiration for their development, formed from ideas that had emerged through the study and ongoing interest in ancient Greek myth and mythology. It was from this relatively personal exploration that another strong theme has emerged into a broad criticism of religion. Then and since I continue to give as the prefacing title of such paintings Baleful Worship and with them I point to concerns about what a religious world would bring using canvas and oil paint.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Baleful Worship - Submission (detail) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">©</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> L. Raymond</span></td></tr>
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Within The Mysteries began the first germination of the Baleful Worship theme where I assert the worship of a religion whether of a deity or a nothingness is a fatally flawed concept for humanity to adopt. History and recent events teach us religion provides a useful model and platform from which to develop and utilise negative aspirations for a nation state, race or a people. The negative aspects that manifest can include that a religion will have as an ultimate aim the purpose of achieving dominion over opposing religions and social if not socio-political systems. As such it is inherently a platform that does not tolerate criticism or dissent. It becomes Totalitarian in dominance and emerges a Theocracy, a political-religious State and system that enforces as rule of law a religion upon a country and a people and one that at its core is sensitive to any criticism of the doctrine which underpins it.<br />
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Islam today demonstrates it is particularly sensitive to any criticism claiming its critics instead must suffer from Islamophobia (sic) and have a racist intent toward Muslims (who are multi-race). It is effective propaganda, the more simplistic the argument the better for such a purpose, and is utilised like pepper spray to shut down argument by declaring it racism and intolerance when any critical examination of Islam's religious texts and practices are raised. Making it all the more important to investigate the doctrine as a consequence. All religions do not tolerate criticism well or unquestioningly (even though return argument is expected and welcome) but it is rare to claim the blanket accusation that all critics of a religion are racist and intolerant. The worst backlash from the Christian and Judaic sector currently has been to counter Atheist criticism for the most part with the label of "militant" or that they are representative of a "new" and unreasoned "radical" atheism. There exists racism and intolerance but it cannot be claimed to exist in all critics or opponents or uncomfortable arguments. The blanket declaration equates to a blanket ban, a censorship, a chilling of criticism of Islam at all, because it is a religion and somehow exempt. Hopefully that by doing so, in such uncritical blanket terms and so frequently, it is also becoming more obvious for the propaganda that it is.<br />
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Intolerance is the characteristic critics of Islam are branded with...that the critic is intolerant of Islam and not the matter raised referencing Islamic intolerance. Islam conversely is claimed by its followers and defenders to be very tolerant and peaceful so anyone claiming different is doing so because they, the critic, are intolerant. Simple propagandist argument that works to good effect as with the racism charge. And, in the face of violence performed on behalf of and in defence of Islam, the victims directly or other entities, Israel, the USA, military invasion of Islamic lands e.g.: Afghanistan, are instead blamed not the perpetrators of violence or the doctrine they use to support their violence and disgruntlement. Certain Islamic Clerics re-confirm followers of Islam are justified in conducting violent retribution against an opposition (infidel) who harm, dishonour, "insult" the peaceful and tranquil religion of Islam. Omar Bakri compliments a follower of Islam who hacked a UK soldier to death after first running him down with a car in a British street states:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The prophet (Mohammad) said an infidel and his killer will not meet in Hell. That's a beautiful saying," he said. "May God reward (Adebolajo) for his actions."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/24/us-britain-killing-bakri-idUSBRE94N0D920130524" target="_blank">reuters</a> </blockquote>
Baleful Worship and this recurrent theme questions the psychology and legitimacy of religion's to demand unquestioning and uncritical worship by its devotees and of course to demand retribution on its behalf.<br />
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A more recent Baleful Worship - <i>Submission</i> focuses on Islam for these main reasons:<br />
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1. The cheap and persuasive propaganda argument that if you criticise Islam, as the popular claim goes, you do so because you are racist and intolerant; works like riot police with pepper spray, indiscriminate but effective.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
2. Islam via doctrine manifests a means by which to practice and defend misogynistic and other human rights abuse behaviours under a veil of protected legitimacy whilst of course claiming it represents the exact opposite and only lashes out in defence.</blockquote>
In my Baleful Worship paintings the female form is a generic representative of a prostrate or standing follower posed typically so as to appease a deity/doctrine. The alter or object/focal point for devotion has variously been, industrial machinery, a pile of debris, an organic phonic-boiler, an alien nursery, and lately a veiled tentacled monster. The underlying symbolism has become menacing. Is Islam menacing detractors/critics by declaring them enemies of Islam and valid targets for attack? Is the violence perpetrated in the name of Islam the fault of the religion's follower's interpretation of its doctrine or of its inadequately evolved doctrine? Can Islam under the Koran and Sharia be deemed tolerant? An if so tolerant under what definition. Does Islam indeed understand tolerance or does it have the interpretation that tolerance equates only with one's submission to it?<br />
<br />
Under <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/blasphemy-laws-atheism-and-offending.html" target="_blank">Anti-defamation of religion laws</a> my questions would be declared intolerant. Which makes such a law a declaration of censorship of thought and idea and a nod to a return to a dark ages Inquisition style persecution of religion's detractors as a heresy. That one must not criticise religion, in thought or deed, based upon its doctrine (Koran, Bible, Torah) spells the resurrection of blasphemy law. Such law would make it illegal to critique, "insult" religion and if deployed any critic of religion would be a heretic and a blasphemer for doing so. With past and recent proposals to the UN human rights commission to protect religion from defamation 'aka' introduce world wide blasphemy law with the sole aim of protecting Islam from criticism represents a serious intention to limit the human right to freedom of expression of thought, and the transmission/receipt of ideas. It was found to contravene Article 19 of the UN's Declaration on Human Rights and has been rightly voted down...again as recently as 2010. To criminalise criticism deemed to have harmed the reputation of religion as it in turn has harmed or vilified its followers is an extreme and dangerous step. Just ask Indonesian atheist <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/destruction-of-atheist-alexander-aan.html" target="_blank">Alexander Aan</a> and unfortunately there are countless others.<br />
<br />
The architects attempting to frame such a restriction on "the right to freedom of opinion and expression" consist mainly though not exclusively of nations where for the main the state recognised religion is Islam or where there exists a state Theocracy. The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission <a href="http://www.humanrights.gov.au/combating-defamation-religions#1" target="_blank">submission in 2008</a> treads a tight-rope balancing act, complimenting the "good intentions" behind it, though declining to endorse the proposal. HREOC's authors agree throughout the document that there is such a thing as "defamation of religion" that much needs to happen to "combat the defamation of religion" (though their preamble and introduction caution against use of the verb "combat" in the original proposal but then unabashedly use it themselves anyway). It was difficult to recognise HREOC's actual stance and, safe "fence sitting" appears to be the overall aim. The submission's authors revealed too that HREOC would like to have a more firm understanding in place at Commonwealth level of the condition they describe as "ethno-religious" (sec. 2.2) and that though aspects of some Australian State legislature have recognised it this is only under certain narrow conditions, that a person of a religion can have "ethno-religious" qualities and a claim to racial vilification. Leaving the door clearly ajar for all manner of subjective agenda to be applied in the future it will result in a distortion of human rights and equal opportunity more than an advancing of them arguably.<br />
<br />
Defamation law already chills speech to a disturbing truth obscuring level in order to protect individual's or company's reputation as being only "good" - truth is not material in Australian law without proof and proof of accepted justification. Defamation law aims to obscure opinion which does not uncritically support that a reputation is good. Were defamation of religion to be its extension world wide then the same would apply for when ever anyone critiqued actions carried out in the name of a religious doctrine upon which a religion is founded or of the religious doctrine itself. To know a religion one must examine its doctrine. This would prevent critical examination and would enable a return of blasphemy laws on a world wide scale. Imagine the level of inquisition that would emerge. Many critics against this push to implement a defamation of religion law have pointed correctly to how this would cause a damaging limitation on freedom of expression and thought and could lead the way for malicious litigation by the aggrieved claiming personal harm from criticism <i>of their religion</i> - <i>because defamation law allows for this already</i>. In doing so they are pointing out in part the flaws in defamation law that make it a playground of options for the aggrieved to take out their grievance on and to punish a critic with under the full gaze and assistance of the law and by extension the State.<br />
<br />
So, why baleful?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #212121; font-size: 19px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="vk_ans vk_bk" style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33) !important; font-weight: lighter !important; margin-bottom: 5px;">bale·ful</span></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #212121; line-height: 15px;"><div class="vk_sh" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium !important; font-weight: lighter !important;">
/ˈbālfəl/<div id="pronunciation_flash" style="display: block; height: 0px; position: absolute; width: 0px;">
</div>
<span class="speaker-icon-listen-off" data-s="baleful.mp3" id="speaker_icon" jsaction="dict.l" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://ssl.gstatic.com/dictionary/static/images/icons/1/pronunciation.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: inline-block; float: none; height: 16px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.55; vertical-align: bottom; width: 16px;"></span></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><div style="color: #212121;">
</div>
<div style="color: #212121;">
</div>
<table class="vk_txt ts" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: small !important; font-weight: lighter !important; margin-top: 20px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Adjective</span><table class="ts" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><ol style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 19px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li class="vk_txt" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: lighter !important; line-height: 1.2; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Threatening harm; menacing: "Bill shot a baleful glance in her direction".</span></li>
<li class="vk_txt" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: lighter !important; line-height: 1.2; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Having a harmful or destructive effect.</span></li>
</ol>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="height: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Synonyms</span><table class="ts" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">evil - sinister - bad - baneful - harmful - pernicious</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></blockquote>
and, worship?<br />
Religion requires unquestioning devotion (faith) to doctrine in the name of an entity (God, Jehovah, Allah). The worshiper is informed they submit to, believe in, follow and if necessary defend the one true god delivered doctrine in the name of the faith and the faithful. It is because of this and other claims by religion that religious doctrine is therefore open for examination and criticism and those who would argue to defend their religious doctrine will have their arguments open to equal examination and criticism. However, the religious and clearly Islam, claim exemption from such examination because it is not permitted by their doctrine in the first place. Reason holds that one is not vilified by argument and examination one is educated by it and through their use. But religion claims exemption and with defamation law at its side and the concept that a religion can be classified as "ethno-religious" along with the concomitant support of a racial vilification and tolerance act in toe you can pull a trifecta of legal barriers to shut down all nasty criticism of religion.<br />
<br />
Is this the world in which we want to live and leave for our descendants?<br />
<br />
I believe in no religion and I know through reason that the separation of religion and the state must be upheld with the transparent exclusion of any religious interference within legislature and governance to have a truly independent government, democratic and free society. The opening of Australian Parliament with "The Lord's Prayer" for example must go. It does not belong in any part of our government procedures even as a nod to an earlier ritualism. If it is not already the case it can be taken to have more meaning than a ritual alone.<br />
That I suppose now makes me a "militant secularist" too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ocjokoWuPDA/UaHBYj-vFLI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/8iKgLV8MKJc/s1600/BalefulWorshipThemeTile-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ocjokoWuPDA/UaHBYj-vFLI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/8iKgLV8MKJc/s640/BalefulWorshipThemeTile-sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paintings - oil on canvas ranging from 1999 - 2010 © Lee-Anne Raymond<br />
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Humanity can live without religion. The question is can we survive despite religion?<br />
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-59326606079517036192013-05-19T21:39:00.001+10:002013-05-20T13:07:29.260+10:00How Defamation Law Achieves Censorship in modern Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Defamation Law is purportedly about the protection of a good reputation. The assumption being that all reputation are good. Not so. Defamation Law is to protect reputation from factual information that can harm it. It is a common fallacy to believe Defamation Law is a just and necessary legal framework to protect good reputation. The not so commonly accepted aspect is that it is the intent of Defamation Law to suppress knowledge of bad reputation. Ultimately its proponents wish to spin the social service guff about it when in fact what Defamation Law protects, tooth and nail, is the bad reputation. The good reputation based on truth does not require such a law to any remotely equivalent level. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MM1TNzSXcwA/UZiv_Ff1VFI/AAAAAAAAANo/KrvHd5tXGrQ/s1600/Thief-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MM1TNzSXcwA/UZiv_Ff1VFI/AAAAAAAAANo/KrvHd5tXGrQ/s320/Thief-detail.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thief (detail) 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> © Lee-Anne Raymond</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That a reputation is considered to be the most important thing a person can cultivate is understandable. Your good reputation can achieve good things for you and represents to the society in which you live a measure of your worth and contribution. A reputation for modern society as it was in antiquity is something to cultivate, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">preserve</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and use as if it were a commodity, but also to provided for us a reflection out to the world of who we are. How a reputation is critiqued therefore, it can be asserted, has meaning. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Socrates points to the most important possession that a man can cultivate as though it were a precious jewel is his reputation. Those quoting this as evidence that a reputation must be defended then from any criticism forget that he also said...</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #616161;">The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #616161;">and...</span></i></span> </blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #616161;"></span>The shortest and surest way to live with honour in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i style="color: #444444;">-</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Socrates is saying to be true unto yourself and that the pursuit of a good reputation is one best achieved through truth of your actions and behaviours.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Australian Defamation law though cares nothing about a person being true unto themselves. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Defamation law is not about whether the truth of the criticism can be proven, truth is only a justification for the harm done to a reputation because the truth was made known. Australian Defamation Law contains a trap when a defendant motivated by truth maintains her position and commits to a defence of the accusation of having defamed an individual or entity (plaintiff) with her criticism. The trap is in defending yourself. The law classifies the defamation defendant as admitting to having defamed the plaintiff because they have written/communicated the truth because the truth only provides a justification for the defamation. Truth is not a complete defence but must be proven to limit punishment. If that is not crystal clear I'll put it another way; the law views the defendant, by her own admission in defending the claim, as guilty, has defamed the plaintiff and even when demonstrating that truth and justification are established this will still mean she will bear up to 40% of her costs. The law merely disallows compensation to the plaintiff for damage done to their <em>true</em> character by it being exposed. The law intends that a <em>good</em> reputation is preseved despite that reputation being clearly shown to be otherwise.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a defendant must show in order to win her case is all of the above and that the manufactured "imputations" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">are false, not proven. This is the rub as they say. The defence already hamstrung have imputations to hurdle in addition. I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mputations are tools at the plaintiff's disposal allowing them to distort criticisms to mean something altogether more serious or completely different by claiming an imputation has be made other than the actual meaning behind what was stated. And, though it is possible to have an imputation struck out it takes much time and money to achieve. A case must reach trial to do so and as many defendants are not financially equipped to last that long with the escalating legal costs they cannot chose to do so. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who would opt for defence under these conditions if they had a choice? Not many, as not many would be in the position to do so, and not many could endure the stomach turning hypocrisy of its claim to be representative of a just model.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much about defamation law, in the reality of its practice, is designed to threaten and bring about submission. In one scenario a defendant is threatened she must submit to the demands of a plaintiff (the aggrieved) as outlined in D) or else she will be: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A) charged with criminal defamation (not technically possible in Victoria but the threat was made); </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B) required to pay for all the huge fees wracked up on both sides or; </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C) inclusive of costs in B/ have punitive (further) costs awarded against her for having mounted her defence and not opted for D) in the first place;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the outset a defendant has this as an alternative: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">D) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She can apologise, admit the criticisms made were a lie (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">truth is immaterial here) and pay excessive compensation to the aggrieved plaintiff anyway. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Difficult choice being between a rock and a hard place so it best to go with the right thing to do.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Choosing C) to defend herself means she will be dragged to court and to a trial she is told should she lose she will incur potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs and punitive costs awarded to the plaintiff because she did not apologise to the plaintiff when she had the chance (truth being irrelevant in this legal framework). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">F</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or a socially and civic minded, honest and fair individual D) as an <i>alternative</i> is diametrically opposite to these fundamental values, values that are qualities the State and its apparatus the Law purport to admire and uphold for themselves and the citizens they represent. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But if it all sounds like system endorsed bullying to bring about censorship you'd be close to describing the actual achievement of Defamation Law.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a law to bully and gain acquiescence in order to achieve other aims one being censorship another being collateral (to punish or gain financial advantage over an opponent). It affords the wealthy with a weapon to threaten and if that doesn't work a tool to censor any undesirable content. It therefore assists undeniably aims, by those who can afford to use it, to limit public knowledge and debate. It is State legislated and thus State endorsed censorship in action. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When individuals or the state control the message you have censorship. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it is a prerequisite that art in its content and effect should never offend you have censorship.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When an artist writes of a gallery operator's misrepresentation of her art and a defamation action is taken out against her for doing so you have legalised censorship.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the State and the Law accept this behaviour the message is that the State and its apparatus the Law are complicit and in league with the censorship.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Open political, social, religious, cultural and artistic debate art is not served by censorship and all will suffer its stagnating effects. What do we expect of our thinkers, commentators and artists if not challenge, perspective and debate? We will as a consequence of protection of the reputation at all costs and in disregard of the truth engender a nationalistic, unimaginative, conformist, without innovation, characterless society.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A society advances through innovation not just but significantly through the arts by being exposed to new forms of content, new or transformed ideas, which take the viewer/listener into a new understanding <i>whether they like it or not, accept it or not.</i> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without the protection of freedom of speech, one of the inspirations for innovation, change and development, we may as well be at sea with a fixed rudder. We are fixed as we cannot robustly challenge the status quo of difficult or sensitive subjects nor can we challenge a behaviour or action of individuals or corporations for fear of an attack we cannot resist, no matter how brave our resistance. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, fixed we become gradually lost and unable to alter our trajectory we </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">inevitably</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> head toward the rocks.</span><br />
<br />
<dd class="author" style="margin: 8px 10px 10px 4em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Always remember that it is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood: there will always be some who misunderstand you.</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></dd><dd class="author" style="margin: 8px 10px 10px 4em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Karl Popper </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Unended_Quest:_An_Intellectual_Autobiography_.281976.29"><i>Unended Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography</i></span> (1976) </span></dd><dd class="author" style="margin: 8px 10px 10px 4em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></i></span></dd><br /></div>
LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-12672094795316557942013-05-05T18:40:00.001+10:002013-05-05T18:40:40.771+10:00Defamation Terrorism is Alive and Well in Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
How the Defamation Terrorists win in Australian is through our legal system's blind eye to defending truth and its farcical fascination with preserving the beauty of its own navel forever to be kept in stasis so that one day, it may be reconnected to the umbilicus of the Great and Mighty British Mother Land. Gives you chills and goose-bumps at the thought doesn't it? Or, like me, does all the aping of <i>Her</i> transposed pomp and nonsense ceremony, bowing and scraping to bewigged puffed up buffoonery dismay you too? How can we take this seriously? Why is it that the Australian legal system (industry) cannot see that what it desires and apes for itself is not what the people of Australia want? Defamation laws or wigs, their acceptance as the way things are meant to be are formed from the same illogic. If it is from the Mother Land it is to be emulated as it is good. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QIyc00CbhBs/UYYPzjQIuJI/AAAAAAAAANE/JTzjsMolyqI/s1600/JusticeGenericBewigged-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QIyc00CbhBs/UYYPzjQIuJI/AAAAAAAAANE/JTzjsMolyqI/s640/JusticeGenericBewigged-sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Justice Generic Bewigged - incognito © Lee-Anne Raymond 2013</span></td></tr>
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Well, Your (bewigged) Worship, you and your ilk, who would determine my fate, are asses and peculiar ones to boot. How are we to take you seriously? No, seriously why should we not laugh and point at your clown like bewigged appearance - which according to NSW Court of Appeal Court Spokeswoman Sonya Zadel is because a wig affords judges in particular a sort of protective shield:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“In criminal matters a wig gives a judge some anonymity … it’s an issue of safety and security,” <a href="http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/news/judges-ditch-wigs" target="_blank">lawyersweekly-2007-judges-ditch-wigs</a></span></span> </blockquote>
Nonsense Sonya.<br />
The wearing of wigs though not enforced in law grew in tradition from the 17th century on as a type of "fashion statement" alternative to bad hair and into hierarchical symbolism (though in my view the original aims were based upon establishing hierarchy and elevated difference). The wigs and gowns suggest a uniform of sorts a bit like a religious <i>order</i>, shocked as some in the legal industry may be to have such an association made. The wigs and robes represent within the industry and to the public the status of the wearer. The garments separate and elevate the lawyers from the public to create a hierarchical authority over the client and identify their level or status within and to the <i>order</i>. Other elements of significance come into play such as the age the wig looks to be being relevant to how important you are, its style and length etc along with the types of robes worn are all very important markers of elevation and status. <a href="http://www.courts.sa.gov.au/Community/ForSchools/Resources/Pages/History-of-wigs.aspx" target="_blank">History-of-wigs</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
But I digress. Of course with the title of my post I am adapting the label of "<a href="http://acdemocracy.org/the-libel-terrorism-protection-act/" target="_blank">Libel Terrorism</a>" which applies to offended plaintiffs (wealthy ones) dragging defendants into UK courts in order to seek damages outside of unfavourable jurisdictions like for instance the USA which protects the right to free speech. Libel terrorism developed out of the legal phenomena known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libel_tourism" target="_blank">libel tourism</a> (coined by Geoffrey Robinson). Even the UN finally noticed enough in 2008 to point out the flaws in British Libel legislation allowed for serious human rights implications as they<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">served to discourage critical media reporting on matters of serious public interest, adversely affecting the ability of scholars and journalists to publish their work, including through the phenomenon known as libel tourism."</span> </span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I am labelling ALL Defamation Law as being a way to threaten, attack and wipe out criticism in order to censor and/or extract monetary gain. The mere threat of the damaging effects of defamation law are enough in many cases to silence the right to impart and receive information which is a human rights violation. Why would we want to allow free speech which might lead to robust criticism and to more free and open society/s? Yeah crazy talk, isn't it?<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Following political and public agitation in</span> 2010 the US "Committee on the Judiciary" and President Obama concluded the use of the UK's "Militant Libel Laws" threatened the freedom of speech and was effectively a "chilling" of the fifth amendment rights of US writers and journalists. So they have now passed protective laws called <a href="http://acdemocracy.org/the-libel-terrorism-protection-act/" target="_blank">The Libel Terrorism Protection Act</a> to block supply to the libel terrorists/tourists. Hell, there was even an episode of "The Good Wife" (which <a href="http://leeanneart.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/burden-of-proof.html" target="_blank">I have blogged on earlier</a>) that seemed to pick up on some elements from a known case - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funding_Evil" target="_blank">Funding Evil</a> where author Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld was sued for libel in the UK (by a non-resident plaintiff) as 23 copies of the publication in question had been purchased through UK online bookstores. </div>
<br />
Anyway with such decisive action by the US courts...take that you British scoundrels...loud applause and hoorays from all...came the backlash. Backlash? you ask, who'd protect such ludicrous laws? The libel terrorism industry protectors and benefactors (the lawyers and judges specifically) in the UK of course. Sure the odd individual beneficiary might have been paid out bazillions of nefariously acquired libel terrorism bucks too but these sensitive malcontents are the least of the issue. Where the real interest lay in keeping the backdoor open is in the legal industry that had built up around the demand. Where the legal industry, like any industry, sees a market it fills it, justifies it and cultivates it. And, now their beautifully fattened up law and their ability to continually suckle at its ever ballooning teat had been taken away.<br />
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Does this mean that a potentially never ending source of financial resources and source of social aggrandisement would be affected? Well, shit yeah! But, not without tantrums being thrown from within The House of Lords (the most bewigged and robed attired of them all) it wouldn't. Loud cries of "You shall not pass!" were heard...okay apologies to J.R. R. Tolkien and Gandalf, but you get the gist. Quite right too, how on earth will they ever afford their rented castles and wig makers now?<br />
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<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/mar/01/congress-bill-protect-libel" target="_blank">Rachel Ehrenfeld </a>at the time noted...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"A recent speech by a former senior judge of the appellate committee of the House of Lords, Lord Leonard Hoffmann, <a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Index on Censorship: The libel tourism myth">expressed strong opposition</a> to the US legislation. He also attacked the UN human rights committee's finding in July 2008 that British libel laws, especially those that facilitate libel tourism, are chilling free speech worldwide. Libel tourism is a phenomenon in which foreign claimants exploit plaintiff-friendly defamation laws to sue authors and publishers in countries in which they have not worked or published."</span> </blockquote>
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All defamation laws and jurisdictions are flawed, expensive and shamefully tawdry in intent, some more so than others. Even the US version has problems, though it at least limits defamation significantly by clearly declaring the truth cannot defame. And it does so without the security of protective wigs.</div>
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Defamation/Libel Laws in their current forms do nothing to sufficiently defend the so called defamed and are anti human rights. No one has the human right to<br />
- not ever be offended<br />
- subvert the truth to achieve censorship<br />
- conceal a lie in order to achieve censorship<br />
- elevate reputation above the right to receive and impart information<br />
- utilise laws, poorly framed or not, for a collateral purpose<br />
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Truth may offend but it cannot harm a reputation by being known. If true then that is the reputation revealed as it exists. If you don't want others to know you expose your dangly bits to unfortunate school children, defraud, lie, burn, bomb, rape or pillage, then don't be that sort of person/company. Be better, be good and deal with the truth when it comes out by facing it and its consequences honestly. Expose a lie when it is a lie, but don't develop out of such an aim an industry which in reality has the goal to eliminate truth and all knowledge of it. There's a good world citizen.<br />
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What is needed?<br />
<a href="https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-hon-mark-dreyfus-qc-mp-amend-the-australian-defamation-act-2005" target="_blank">Reform ** (view the petition and please sign to support Australian defamation law reform)</a><br />
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One follower of <a href="http://www.redlegvartists.com/directory.html" target="_blank">our case</a> "couldn't" sign our petition as it doesn't "go far enough", the law should be completely abolished in his view. I can't disagree but I can't see how we might get such an outcome in reality. That said there could be a framework which upholds the right inform on truth and informed opinion. Wait, isn't that the US Constitution's 5th Amendment? I know but stay with me. Where in addition such a framework channelled complaints through an Administrative Tribunal. One providing democratic access to ones own representation to prove truth or demonstrate a lie. Complete with severely capped potential payouts thus blunting the current windfall component of defamation law that encourages litigation for collateral purpose and authorises censorship which in turn encourages an industry to be built up around it in order to service the litigious and censorial.<br />
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-3093800309580313432013-04-20T11:42:00.001+10:002013-04-20T12:39:58.354+10:00The Boston Bombing is another religious attack of Islamic terrorism - facing it will assist understanding.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have never been more anti-religion than now. Galvanising this visceral reaction are past and recent Islamic terrorism events and the vain persistence of the religious to claim only an extremist element are to blame along with social or other disadvantage experienced by the perpetrators.<br />
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The Boston bombing stirs the emotions. Another irrational useless attack on innocent people taking lives and limbs and creating life long scars for survivors.<br />
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The intended symbolism of such an act, ultimately is to demonstrate that a religion, acclaimed by its followers as the "religion of peace", Islam (literally meaning <i>submission)</i> is superior to all other ways of living and thinking.<br />
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Islam as a consequence is tainted by the blood of the victims of such acts. The targets are democracy and freedom, any other religion, atheism, apostate Muslims, non Muslim cultures. The purpose and intent is to teach a lesson to victims and survivors that <i>they</i> are the cause of such attacks because <i>they</i> resist adhering to the ways and influence of Islam and its laws.<br />
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The radical nature of the actions of blowing apart children and unarmed <i>unwarned</i> civilians who are sitting ducks seem to mask evidence that the religion has problems because people do not wish to face up to it. I think for many they must resist such a dark thought because to think it, to consider it, challenges the received wisdom, that religions are inherently good, peaceful and positive. Lessons of good, peaceful and positive nature are not taught through violent cowardly murder.<br />
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Historically Islam has pursued geopolitical dominance within its religious agenda and the desire to ensure that the dogma of Islam is prime. Educated privileged young men adopt Jihad for Islam turning themselves with the help of such a religion into murderers and executioners. It is no longer sufficient for to ask why they do so the answer is too obvious. To ignore the truth is an amazing delusion.<br />
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The targeting of civilians in such a manner is a crime and is a crime against humanity. Currently it is blind faith a delusional view that religion represents the best of humanity is part of the problem.<br />
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The nature of such an act is that it is cowardly and predatory intended to produce confusion, fear and doubt. It is used to undermine confidence. It is time to stop asking why such events are occurring. They are happening because Islam is not capable of producing peace unless through use of violent Jihad in order to smash out of existence all other religions and ways of thinking and conducting life.<br />
The point is the Why? is clear.<br />
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Start asking Islam what it is going to do to rewire and rewrite the Koran and Sharia and the Hadith. This is where the messages are flawed. When is Islam going to go about reform in order to rewire its message and therefore its followers. Doing so would prevent such misery and bloodshed.<br />
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The bombs were intended to make the point, Islam will allow for no peace to exist whilst you continue to refuse to "submit".<br />
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<b>Note links:</b><br />
Just dip in yourself and don't trust my selection these are just a guide - perform your own research at all times.<br />
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History of Jihad<br />
<a href="http://www.islam-watch.org/HistoryOfJihad/">http://www.islam-watch.org/HistoryOfJihad/</a><br />
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Hadith<br />
<a href="http://www.hadithcollection.com/">http://www.hadithcollection.com/</a><br />
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Koran<br />
<a href="http://ebookbrowse.com/the-koran-translated-n-j-dawood-pdf-d285165189">http://ebookbrowse.com/the-koran-translated-n-j-dawood-pdf-d285165189</a><br />
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Sharia<br />
<a href="http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm">http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm</a></div>
LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-88065776775625026442013-04-07T16:22:00.000+10:002013-04-07T16:23:26.872+10:00What are the expression of our Human Rights? Not a declaration of war against women surely?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we consider human rights we refer to the various themes and characteristics as those being consistent with a lack of hindrance to human freedom and free will within boundaries that ensure no harmful impact upon others. As long as in the exercising of our human rights we do not impinge upon or harm others they are viewed as a valid expression of our humanity inwardly (our values) and outwardly (their expression). </span></div>
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Metamorphosis with Nicab (detail) 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">©</span><span lang="EN-US">Lee-Anne Raymond</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />By declaring or endorsing all female protesters as valid targets for molestation because they should not be out protesting, Egyptian Islamic clerics and public officials, are in violation of the human rights of all Egypt's women as well as those targeted and attacked.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of us who reside in democratic societies rarely are we exposed to such persecution and attack on our human rights by the state or any state run apparatus in such an odious manner. Egypt's spring uprising <i>hangover</i> has produced a hardline religiously inspired elite who do not merely cross lines but smash through the boundaries of exercising <i>their own</i> human rights, <i>their religiously held convictions that women are inferior to men,</i> to the harmful detriment of their female compatriots. These elite deny they have a duty to protect these women because, basically they bought such consequences upon themselves. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Police general Adel Abdel Maqsoud Afifi is a prime example. Afifi, "a lawmaker and ultraconservative Islamist", blames Egypt's women for their the systematic gang rape because;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“a girl contributes 100 percent to her own raping when she puts herself in these conditions.”(1)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker Reda Saleh Al al-Hefnawi asks;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“How do they ask the Ministry of Interior to protect a woman when she stands among men?”(1)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sheik Abu Islam (Ahmed Abdullah is a television style preacher) states;</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">“You see those women speaking like ogres, without shame, politeness, fear or even femininity. Such a woman is “like a demon,” he said, wondering why anyone should sympathize with those “naked” [women who] “went there to get raped.”(1)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reports cite the conduct as being "state" endorsed </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">organised</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to deter female protester participation by using rape as a control mechanism of fear and as a form of punishment.(2, 3,4) The victims are generally surrounded then set upon by up to 50 men who torture the victim raping her with their hands brutally at length, for payment. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Victor and Tutu,..., said they operate in a group of around 65 local men and got paid between £10 and £20 a time. But they would not reveal who pays them.<br />'We're told to go out and sexually harass girls so they leave the demonstration,' Victor told The Times. He said the aim was to cause disruption and instill fear in protesters. He said members of the public sometimes joined in." (4)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some victims injuries are so serious as to require emergency hysterectomies. It represents the ugliest personification of the religiously based attitudes women should not be seen to or be participating in public life beyond what is permitted by the Islamic religion and obviously within its cultural sphere. Rape as a behavioural social control mechanism amounts to the vilest form of coercion and intimidation. It is outlawed by the <a href="http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/International_Law_and_War_Rape#Geneva_Convention" target="_blank">Geneva Convention</a>(5) as a "crime against humanity". Rape for coercion and as a State run program is clearly a human rights violation and it is being systematically used by The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic purists now in control of Egypt, to control and wipe out political dissent and a lack of rigour in adhering to the new State's faith values. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The chronic sexual harassment of women in public generally in Egypt though not new has surely reached impossible and intolerable levels? In matters of public participation such as in participating in a public protest this seemingly accepted general public sexual persecution and harassment of women has become uglier, organised and paid for by the state and practiced with a level of cruelty that is beyond all comprehension.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"...19 reports of group sexual assaults, six of which resulted in hospitalisation, while the worst case involved the mutilation of a woman's genitalia with a knife."(2)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such statements and actions are in effect a declaration of war against women such is the aggression and completeness of it. In western secular democratic societies freedom of choice, movement, association, religion, political and artistic expression as well as being able to critique and think out loud fearlessly are assumed. In Egypt women (and dissenting men) are denied most of these freedoms. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst some in the west avert their eyes from Islamic intolerance of non-Muslim values and look instead hopefully and vainly toward the Muslim Brotherhood as being representative of some sort of moderate Islamic alternate solution many, particularly women, know better.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The new constitution has swept away recognition of women's rights and left the door open to the legalisation of perhaps Egypt's most crippling social issue – underage marriage. Draft legislation that would allow the legal age of marriage to be lowered from 18 to 13 has been drawn up while clerics within the Muslim Brotherhood have indicated that marriage at the age of nine for girls is acceptable.<br />"Children need to have their rights but also you want to marry a girl who is much younger so she will stay young and beautiful when you are old. Also you can control her better and make sure she is not one of these girls who goes around wanting to be harassed," said Abdel Rahman, 17. His friend Youssef, 20, agrees. "There are many girls who just want to be harassed, walking around in the streets with their eyes uncovered." "(6)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Link Notes/References:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/world/middleeast/egyptian-women-blamed-for-sexual-assaults.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270216/The-rape-squads-Tahir-Square-State-backed-sex-attacks-designed-deter-getting-worse-claim-female-protesters-losing-faith-Egypts-revolution.html</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3. http://www.policymic.com/articles/31193/mohammed-morsi-government-might-have-ordered-rape-of-protesters</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2241374/Muslim-Brotherhood-paying-gangs-rape-women-beat-men-protesting-Egypt-thousands-demonstrators-pour-streets.html</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5. http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/International_Law_and_War_Rape#Geneva_Convention</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">6. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/31/egypt-cairo-women-rights-revolution</span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-24178578938049086032013-03-14T19:49:00.000+11:002013-03-14T19:59:31.915+11:00Attempting the Destruction of the Secular Muse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Attempting the Destruction of the Secular Muse" is the large painting shown on the left as displayed in Vakras and Raymond's <i>Humanist Transhumanist</i> Exhibition at the now defunct Guildford Lane Gallery in Melbourne, 2009<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The subject matter of the large painting on the left was claimed by gallery owner Robert Cripps to be "racist". On this basis Cripps determined the entire exhibition racist. But it was this work in particular that had him agitated to loudly proclaim his determination of racism. So much so that <i>Disclaimers of Liability</i> were posted by him through out the exhibit. The painting depicts a secular "muse" in a land assailed by and caught up in a devastating destruction wrought by religious violence. In the case of this work the religion assailing the "secular muse" is Islam. Verses quoted from the Koran support and underpin the argument that this religion seeks to justify and exhort followers into committing violent acts in its name. Quotes from the Bible were used to show how that religion's text exhorts violent acts in its name. To emphasise the point, other works in the same exhibition were similarly critical of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism for their use of doctrine to support destructive violence to achieve religious conformity and override freedom of individuality and equality of human rights. The symbolism was lost on this Gallery manager who's reaction remained vitriolic and aggressive no matter how reasoned the arguments proffered to explain what should have been unnecessary. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">It isn't racist to criticise Islam.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">In explaining his work Vakras states: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">"The premise behind many of my works in this exhibition was the condemnation of religion-incited violence, and religion-incited racism. My works specifically condemn the 4 'montheisms': Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, whose religious doctrines demand that their followers commit murder as an act of piety on behalf of their respective faiths." </span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">So is it hypocritical then that this newspaper article was posted on the FaceBook page of Robert Cripps' new venture Ruby's Music Room?</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cKPbDKuMVPA/UUGIM2rRyEI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/MTrWCCyCjyk/s1600/Cripps-anti-islam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cKPbDKuMVPA/UUGIM2rRyEI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/MTrWCCyCjyk/s320/Cripps-anti-islam.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Full article: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/mali-and-me/story-e6frg8n6-1226521485939" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">Mali and me | The Australian</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">From this article: </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">"ethnic Tuareg rebels in the north of the country ...hijacked by radical Islamists with links to al-Qa'ida.. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">[means that] within months hotels and bars will close, livelihoods will be taken away, and the application of a strict form of sharia law in northern Mali will almost silence the music."</span></span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">To put it bluntly: Islamic Sharia law is antithetic to and destructive of cultural pursuits such as music, and will persecute those who perform the art form. Mali's musicians had to hastily flee Mali to escape persecution if not certain death. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Oh the irony.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">To begin, the word <b>music</b>, is the Greek <b>μουσική</b>, which itself is derived from the <b>μούσες</b>: <b>muses</b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">What is lost on this gallery director is that the very verses from the Koran, which he said it was racist to quote, are law, each and every one of them. In addition, these laws are augmented with the sayings and deeds of Mohammed. These deeds were recorded from 150-200 years after Mohammed died and are the "Hadith".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The Hadith - which were not quoted in the exhibition - are frightening. A Hadith on music proclaims:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">"From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful...Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection."</span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">(Abu Dawud Book 036, Hadith Number 4909)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">And in Mali pious observers of Islam set out to destroy people and culture following the law of Islam, what is written in the Koran and in the Hadith. In this instance Islam is to be condemned?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">How is this different to what Vakras wrote criticising Koranic-based law, Sharia? Why is one racist and the other human rights approved?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Such hypocrisy deserves exposure. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>This blog post is brought to you by the</i> "Sued": Lee-Anne Raymond and Demetrios Vakras</span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-79524216248764960012013-03-09T07:50:00.002+11:002013-03-09T07:58:14.992+11:00International Women's Day in Russia 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-style: italic;"><i>"The curators of the exhibition explained that any mention of Pussy Riot is dangerous today."</i></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://art-leaks.org/2013/03/08/victoria-lomaskos-pussy-riot-drawings-censored-from-feminist-exhibition-international-womens-day-moscow-russia/" target="_blank">victoria-lomaskos-pussy-riot-drawings-censored-from-feminist-exhibition</a></span><br />
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Interesting for a few reasons. Art censorship thrives, art that is political is rejected, art that is challenging of society is dangerous, in other words art must not exceed certain boundaries in holding a mirror up to convention because convention can be ugly and shamed by its own visage. And finally worth noting is how the Curator and Assistant Curator operated in unison to discredit the artist here. Liars and cowards will stick together no matter the context.<br />
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Read and learn more about Victoria Lomaskos' work here <span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://chtodelat.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/victoria-lomasko">http://chtodelat.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/victoria-lomasko</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://chtodelat.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/victoria-lomasko/lomasko_portrait_chizhenkov/" rel="attachment wp-att-4959" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><img alt="lomasko_portrait_chizhenkov" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4959" height="350" originalh="350" originalw="500" scale="1.5" src-orig="http://chtodelat.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/lomasko_portrait_chizhenkov.jpeg?w=500&h=350" src="http://chtodelat.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/lomasko_portrait_chizhenkov.jpeg?w=750&h=525" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: left;" width="500" /></span></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Victoria Lomasko, with works from her and Anton Nikolaev’s series <i>Tagansky Justice</i>, at the exhibition of Kandinsky Prize nominees, 2010. Photo by Vlad Chizhenkov</span></span></div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-70139067310515934282013-02-17T15:31:00.001+11:002013-02-21T21:04:02.092+11:00Petition calling for Defamation Law Reform in Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">think, speak, see, hear no evil</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">This petition that I am a co-author to aims to highlight the problems with and required remedies needed for the reform of defamation law in Australia. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-hon-mark-dreyfus-qc-mp-amend-the-australian-defamation-act-2005">http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-hon-mark-dreyfus-qc-mp-amend-the-australian-defamation-act-2005</a></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">My co-author and I draw on our real experiences. We think the debacle we have endured should not be endured by others but know it will continue to happen over and over as long as truth merely limits punishment for having defamed. Truth needs to be central whereas as it now stands truth can only form part of the justification to defame. In our petition we argue that if truth is demonstrated there can be no defamation. Truth is not capable of defaming. Due to how it is currently framed defamation law can be labelled a censorship law. Because it limits, if not severely impedes, the ability to receive and impart information. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">The following characteristics of defamation law reveal it is the intention to censor: </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">1. to confirm truth of what was imparted admits guilt, that defamation has occurred;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">2. that truth is only a defence which may or may not limit damages a defendant will be liable for;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">3. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">truth is characterised as harmful and only available as justification; </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">4. that a claimant need only state they are aggrieved to be defamed by what was imparted, truth;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">5. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">that fear of expensive litigation inspires self-censorship if not a complete chilling of speech;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">6. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">that defamation law is so expensive this deliberately limits its access to wealthy litigants;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">7. that wealthy litigants with an interest to conceal truth will use the cost of litigation to deter defendants with lesser financial means;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">8. that the law due to its expense and further financial punishments act as a standing deterrent and threat for plaintiffs to unfairly influence (coerce) legitimate defendants into backing down;</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I could go on...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">How is it that the law is framed in such a manner that it so limits the freedom to receive and impart information for fear one may be sued and delivered into financial ruin? As it is close to doing to us.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Freedom to impart information comes with responsibility but our laws should not be framed so as to shoot the messenger for imparting truth. This is Australia not medieval Britain. Australian freedoms and rights to receive and impart information are at stake here. This law looks backwards to outdated concepts of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><em style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Lèse</em>-<em style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">majesté. </em><em style="color: black; font-style: normal;">R</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">etaining such antiquated conventions only drives us </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">further </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">backwards in our thinking and behaviour. It is a diabolical manifestation of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_cringe" target="_blank"><b><i>cultural cringe</i></b></a> in action. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Time to step up and away from the UK. </span><br />
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-90656761329652364532013-02-13T17:41:00.002+11:002013-02-13T17:45:12.244+11:00Free art ?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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FREE art doesn't exist despite that art curators like <strong>Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev</strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (left)</span> will chortle with her cronies about how it is the accepted expectation. And, as it appears, all artists no matter how well known, established and collected by institutions they may become they are still seen as the most inconvenient aspect of putting on an art show because horror of horrors they too expect to be paid for their efforts/work/ideas/expertise. </div>
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These fashionable elite who laughalong with her about how the participating artists (to paraphrase) <em>don't need to be paid because their work is being used and featured in the show</em>, are no more than art and idea thieves aimed at benefiting their own aggrandisement and commercial targets, mere promoters of their exclusive and stylish events. </div>
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They believe, and will have us all agree, that artists are grateful to have been chosen and will be happy for the thin air of acknowledgement alone. Acknowledgement is a given, it is illegal not to do so and it essentially costs nothing. What a boon for the artist, congratulations Carolyn et al. </div>
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See what you think, the video goes for a couple of minutes, funny and insightful stuff by W.A.G.E </div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A7OrU6qZkOs?rel=0" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">http://www.youtube.com/embed/A7OrU6qZkOs?rel=0</span></a></div>
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The problem for artists, from the dizzying heights of the world of Art Museum's to the lowly self-funded exhibitor is it is the over-whelming expectation that artists thrive on the concept of their poverty - this is the corollary of the silly idea that all they need is recognition. Well, no that is incorrect. Art is not a charity. Art costs money to produce, in time and materials and it also costs in terms of idea. The thought that goes into the production of innovative skilled art, that changes or challenges our thinking, costs the artists and benefits the culture into which it emerges. </div>
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It is an extraordinary experience to receive adequate recompense, for most artists. For most this will remain a dream, never a true reality, but to actively reinforce as accepted practice the non-compensation of artists for their time, efforts, ideas and work, because these "masters" (who know better) think that we artists (servants) will be happy with recognition alone, is deliberately self-deluding, deceitful, cheap and unsustainable. </div>
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But then perhaps this is because it is not about Art (skill, ideas, drama, innovation, human endeavor and excellence) at all? </div>
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Society pays gladly for ephemeral experience and products possessing the life span of flavoured chewing gum but balks at the real cost of art. Artists need to be paid as is the expectation of any other professional. Most artists cannot eek out any living based upon what they earn from their work, to try to do so would mean living below the poverty line. Very few artists come from privilege and connection so they have to try to make it alone. It usually means some brilliant art and artists are never recognised for what they bring to the world - and for the most part it seems with the expectation that it is created for free use. How very altruistic of the artist, so that the public can have free visual experiences or cheap entertainment whilst the organisers of events and the politicians and eminent persons funding the institutions receive the recognition, kudos and commercial gain. </div>
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This is not a new refrain but one now with an up to date reference point for protest - see link above. Thanks to W.A.G.E. for shining a light on the pretty crap attitudes and expectations of our world top 100 arts/cultural elite.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">The subject/s who inspired W.A.G.E are according to ArtReview the top 100 </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">most influential power</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">elite of the art world. </span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px currentColor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></strong> </div>
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LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8329811987435712156.post-71375851829778436032013-02-02T18:26:00.005+11:002013-02-03T15:24:18.729+11:00World Hijab Day founder asks The Sisterhood to support gender discrimination<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span>Addenda - 3 Feb 2013</b><br />
Meanwhile in now liberated Mali - "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Inside, the floor is littered with documents, including a ring-binder with details of women flogged for not wearing the veil. Family members were made to put a thumbprint to show they acknowledged the punishment and would supervise the accused in future." <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/02/mali-jihadis-sharia-black-africans" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> </span><br />
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"I figured the only way to end discrimination if we ask our fellow sisters to experience hijab themselves”</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21283301" target="_blank">World Hijab day founder</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="quote-credit" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Nazma Khan</span><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In fact what Khan is asking is for all women to participate in an event that promotes arguments that legitimise the sexual discrimination of women by Islam. It is a call to demonstrate for "tolerance" unlike any other and it smacks of stark contradiction. What is discrimination if we support that woman should be separated and concealed due to their gender? What is tolerance if we must mimic and embrace such conduct in order to show tolerance of what is arguably intolerance of and by gender? The World Hijab Day <a href="http://worldhijabday.com/" target="_blank">website</a> claims "Better Awareness. Greater Understanding. Peaceful world." It is "fun and challenging" to ask someone who doesn't wear a hijab to jump on board for the good of tolerance and world peace. I do not think world peace rides on one aspect of the Muslim dress code <i>for women</i> but the world would be a better place if religions like Islam were better <b>aware</b> of and <b>understood</b> the meaning of women's equality and human rights generally.</span><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There is no "World Nun's Habit Day" or "World Tibetan Monk Attire Day" or "World long-sleeves Orthodox Jew Day" no "Men Wear a Burqua for the Day"…day! Any similar calls from other religious groups and or the unlikely call for men to wear "veiled" garments would be just as inappropriate as our subject. World Hijab Day (as with any of these other suggestions) flies in the face of reason and the facts. Why? Because these garments have a very specific meaning and symbolism. It is "just about modesty" as a wearer <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21283301" target="_blank">assures</a>. And, so what of women who do not wear it? Are they therefore <i>immodest</i> and how far do we go to establish this desirable status of modesty? A Christian Nun takes a vow of celibacy, is effectively married to God, and wears a Habit to establish this fact before the world. She becomes a handmaiden to God and renounces sex. In contrast a Muslim woman's veil represents her status sexually and that she is sexual property unavailable to anyone other than the man to whom she is married or intended to marry. The practical and symbolic purpose of the veil is to conceal and send a message. Islam demands that female followers conceal themselves in public and in some countries this must be performed completely as with the Burqua. A woman may as well wear a placard warning that she is a woman and is the sexual property of a man. The veil ensures her status as sexual property is advertised. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A participant of World Hijab Day Jess Rhodes (she is non-Muslim) explains in her view the Hijab is a "<b>choice</b>" and that she will "<b>wear it from time to time…<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21283301" target="_blank">I'm saying to the world, my beauty is for my family and my partner</a>. Any woman can wear this.</b>"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Rhodes should understand this is not fun and games dress ups to be followed at a whim or by choice. A practicing Muslim women cannot view the Burqua as something to throw on or decline to wear when and where she may decide. Her particular Islamic upbringing and community decide whether she wears the Hijab or Burqua. Rhodes gets one aspect correct in her statement, the attire is to conceal her "beauty", as she puts it. From <i>whom</i> does she mean though and why would she <i>need</i> to do so? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Islam too accepts the "veil", the "hijab", the "burqua", are to conceal a womans "beauty". This beauty is to be concealed not from other women nor other people generally, the concealment is of her sexuality specifically from the observation of men. There is the by-product character endorsement of the woman for wearing the correct veil through her community's approval. She is good because she demonstrates she is "modest". The opinion of one's community of an individual is important to some and it determines one's good standing within it. So by complying with the requirement for public concealment, due to her sex, by upholding her religious community's standards she will enhance her status by conforming to what is the standard for a female in Islam. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">How this translates into a form of choice and act of free will for Muslim women is obscure. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzkJsbzg1gA/UQyi2cBahBI/AAAAAAAAALk/TyebYDqFgTA/s1600/494724-protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzkJsbzg1gA/UQyi2cBahBI/AAAAAAAAALk/TyebYDqFgTA/s1600/494724-protest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="caption-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Muslim women in 2010 protesting against calls to ban the Burqua </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">with a slightly skewed additional message </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">- The placard on the left reads "You Burn 'Quran'…You Burn in Hell! United in Islam we Stand!!!" - Very colourful and on message. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">(my caption)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="caption-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />Pictures: Amos Aikman </span><span class="image-source" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em>Source:</em> The Australian</span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">The World Hijab Day organiser Nazma Khan asks that we normalise the wearing of the hijab, its intended purpose, and its symbolism. Whatever our faith or lack of faith she asks all women to wear it in protest against intolerance. She fails to see her own contradiction. It is <i>intolerance</i> that requires any woman must wear additional concealing garments because she is female and must keep her "beauty" hidden for the eyes of her male partner and family alone. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">What ever the style of "veiling" of a women, from the hijab to the burqua, it means that women are the sexual property of a man and not to wear it demonstrates "immodesty". With this logic it is no leap of faith to conclude Islam prefers all women comply with its codes of dress and conduct for women. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">If Helen Szoke, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner had her way we would not speak of such things at all. Because raising the issue "<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/burqa-talk-dangerous-warns-anti-discrimination-watchdog/story-fn7x8me2-1226064389206" target="_blank">threatened the safety of Muslim women</a>". Well that's that then, we mustn't discuss it, acknowledge it, critique it or we are risking the lives of Muslim women. She does allow that everyone is entitled their "opinion"…I think she means ideas…but that they just must not voice it. Szoke determines opposition to veiling of women to be opinion. It is a fact that women are required in Islamic communities to wear a form of "veil" that they have little choice in the matter and not to do so separates them from the community and labels them immodest. It is not my opinion that this is the opposite of tolerance and freedom of choice. As a commissioner of equal opportunity and human rights Szoke makes a good apologist of discrimination against women.<span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></span><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Islam does not view women as equal, individual, and with the freedom to go about their lives independently. Even at a protest rally demanding respect and tolerance for the way Islam handles matters regarding women and how they should dress in public this is demonstrated. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XfmAm3cJtNU/UQyjP7rsXYI/AAAAAAAAALs/2P5QpukQQ-Q/s1600/494772-rally.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XfmAm3cJtNU/UQyjP7rsXYI/AAAAAAAAALs/2P5QpukQQ-Q/s1600/494772-rally.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Muslim men enthusiastically support / supervise Muslim women protesting against calls to ban the Burqua in 2010 - (my caption) </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="caption-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Pictures: Amos Aikman </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="image-source" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em>Source:</em> The Australian</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Source of protest images - http://www.news.com.au/national-old/muslim-women-protest-against-push-to-ban-burka-in-australia/story-e6frfkvr-1225926494355</span></span><span class="quote-credit-title" style="clear: both; color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
LeeAnneArt on twitter @leeannearthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03153095726151869959noreply@blogger.com0