Refugee Update

Fact Check: Has the number of children in detention dropped from 2,000 to about 75 under the Coalition? (ABC, 25 February 2016) The answer is unclear and complex, but it depends on the children on Nauru being "not in detention", so: no.

The Department of Immigration wants stun guns for staff (SMH, 22 February 2016) Senator Hanson-Young: "Border Force are out of control."

Imprisoned by freedom, refugee asks to go back to Manus (24 February 2016) Poverty, sickness, bullying, isolation. Poor bastard. It broke my heart that he doesn't want to be a burden on the street kids looking after him.

Australia among 30 countries illegally forcing return of refugees, Amnesty says (GA, 25 February 2016): "Policy of turning back boats has set worrying example for other countries to push boats back to sea, Amnesty’s human rights report for 2015 finds."

And now for something completely useless. I had a bizarre dream last night in which Jon and I went to Nauru along with loads of protesters. Skipping the part about the Doctor Who LARP in someone's house, there was a bit where some ABC journalists arrived in a jet. An asylum seeker played the cello for them. Everyone started chanting "Let them stay!" until we remembered where we were.

Hoary yet interesting links

I really, really, genuinely hope that Craig Stephen Hicks' militant atheism turns out to have had nothing to do with the murders for which he awaits trial. Believe me, I won't be gloating if it does. I would much rather the New Atheism remained a minor pain in the bum than something that motivates actual violence. But we may never know for sure. ETA: Man sentenced to three life terms without parole for killing three Muslims. He wasn't prosecuted for hate crimes. Mother Jones asks How Did a Man Who Murdered Three Muslims Receive a Presumption of Racial Innocence?

Why 'I Have Nothing to Hide' Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance (Wired, July 2013). On a personal note, I was creeped out when Roads and Maritime Services wanted assurance from my doctor that my epilepsy wouldn't interfere with my driving. I don't have epilepsy. They must have found out, presumably from my Medicare records, that I'm taking Epilim (off-label, as a mood stabiliser). To be fair, it's not unreasonable for RMS to be concerned about conditions which could seriously affect people behind the wheel, but the fact that they jumped to the wrong conclusion is particularly disturbing. So is the fact that I don't remember giving permission for my medical information to be shared with them.

Why the Gigantic, Decades-Long Drop in Black Youth Crime in the US Threatens Major Interests (Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 15 August 2013).

Does Racial and Ethnic Discrimination Vary Across Australian Minority Groups? Evidence from a Field Experiment (Institute for the Study of Labor, May 2010). "To denote ethnicity, we use distinctively Anglo-Saxon, Indigenous, Italian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern names... we applied for entry-level jobs and submitted a CV showing that the candidate had attended high school in Australia. We find economically and statistically significant differences in callback rates, suggesting that ethnic minority candidates would need to apply for more jobs in order to receive the same number of interviews."

The Political Capital Of Fear: How It Helps Governments And Why (New Matilda, 23 December 2014). Why the Martin Place siege was characterised as an act of terrorism when it wasn't.