#AustraliaHasFallen

[Kurt]

You Ozzies realize that twitter anti-vaxxers have declared your country has ended because some idiot named Djokovic was permitted to enter without a vaccination and then was prohibited.

That is an actual hash-tag.

Lemme know if you need me to send you a bag of rice or something.

[snaark]

Not sure if I count as Australian anymore but I'll bite...

He was granted an exceptionto play in tennis in Australia. It was made very, very clear to him and the event organisers in advance that he was not granted an exceptionto enter the country. Now he's destroyed his own reputation and handed a PR gift to Prime Minister Harold Bishop in one go.

I'm actually a big fan of Djokovic, despite his tendency to act as a bell-end occasionally. IMHO sportsmen should be judged by their sporting ability and not expected to always be moral paragons (there are limits to this of course). That said, Djokovic has exhibited a truly magnificent level of bell-endedness here, and has no-one to blame but himself for it.

No fan of PM Bishop or the gubments border policies but the feds (for once) handled this expertly.

[ROB]

Yup, this government is one of the least competent of recent decades.

He handed them a gift.

Also lol at US anti vaxxers. And anti vaxxers in general.

[ROB]

I think think there is a HUGE disconnect with how Americans see Australia.

Let's look at this scenario.

An American earns $100k and puts it in a backpack, walks up to President and shakes their hand and says, "hey through hard work I earned 100k."

Result: He gets tackled to the ground by the secret service, beaten and put in a cell and his 100k gets civilly forfeited to the FBI.

An Australian earns $100k and puts it in a backpack, walks up to Prime Minister and shakes their hand and says, "hey through hard work I earned 100k."

Result: The PM says, that's great mate - shakes the man's hand and let's him have a photo op and then both go about their day.

THEN: The American starts lecturing the Australian about freedom.

[Kurt]

I think think there is a HUGE disconnect with how Americans see Australia.

Let's look at this scenario.

An American earns $100k and puts it in a backpack, walks up to President and shakes their hand and says, "hey through hard work I earned 100k."

Result: He gets tackled to the ground by the secret service, beaten and put in a cell and his 100k gets civilly forfeited to the FBI.

An Australian earns $100k and puts it in a backpack, walks up to Prime Minister and shakes their hand and says, "hey through hard work I earned 100k."

Result: The PM says, that's great mate - shakes the man's hand and let's him have a photo op and then both go about their day.

THEN: The American starts lecturing the Australian about freedom.

Thats just a minor demonstration of our ignorance.

We actually believe Australia is gonna be invated by China. Not all of us, of course, but enough that the generalization is still apt.
We actually believe Australia is on the verge of collapse because a sports-ball guy was told yes and then told no when he was a dick. Like the actual fucking country being destroyed.
But then we actually had rogue TSA agents put top Democrats on the No-Fly list as terrorists and it was treated like a joke. No investigation, no penalties, just "ha ha...woops sorry (not sorry)" ...Freedom!!!!
Our stupidity about you and others is way too multifaceted for you to understand being actually IN Australia. You just get to see the occasional prism of light a facet creates.
I don't see it all either, living in a relatively sane place like NYC.

[ROB]

It is quite odd the level of confidence with which it is said.

It's up there with Amercians thinking North Korea is going to arbitrarily launch nukes against them.

[snaark]

An Australian earns $100k and puts it in a backpack...

He later goes to the pub, drinks three pints and takes a taxi home. He's left with about $12 in change.

Zing... I'm here all week, try the veal.

[ReptilianKittenEater]

I',m not getting the "Nah nyah nah nah....Australia's getting invaded" sentiment. While China may see Australia and Canada as useful for natural resources, and some geopolitical advantages with Australia, they have the US in their gunsights. They are trying to peel off staunch allies and isolate the US. At least that is my guess.

[ROB]

Seems to be working great.

[Tarkan]

Yup, this government is one of the least competent of recent decades.

He handed them a gift.

Also lol at US anti vaxxers. And anti vaxxers in general.

What booster count are you on ROB?

CDC came out and set 75% of the people that died in the US had 4 or more co-morbidities when they died. Also came out and said that if you were involved in a motor vehicle collision, had a collapsed sternum and ribs sticking out of your lungs and died from the collision trauma...but tested positive for covid, then you counted as a covid death.

My family got COVID over the holidays. We got it from my brother in law who was vaccinated, and had COVID previously. It didn't take us any longer to get well than my brother in law and his wife. My son's only symptom was food tasted weird. Fucking vaxx Nazis like you though think it's worth the myocarditis risk and risk of death to force kids to get the COVID vaccine. Even when they've had covid. Even when covid can be spread by vaccinated people. Even though the risk of death or serious illness for kids is almost zero.

I'd laugh at the covid Nazi's if you guys weren't so fucking dangerous.

[Tarkan]

I',m not getting the "Nah nyah nah nah....Australia's getting invaded" sentiment. While China may see Australia and Canada as useful for natural resources, and some geopolitical advantages with Australia, they have the US in their gunsights. They are trying to peel off staunch allies and isolate the US. At least that is my guess.

Why would China try to separate the US from it's allies?

The two are linked.

China is a nascent imperialistic, fascist state on the upswing. They already produce about half of the world's manufactured goods. They are basically a fascist version of the 1933 United States. Economic and manufacturing power drives military power. China will eclipse the US in economic power in the next 5 years (by some measures, it already has). It will surpass US in military power in the next 10 to 20. BTW, in every wargame the Pentagon has run on a Chinese-US war over Tawain, the US has gotten it's ass kicked. When the US no longer has the appetite or the ability to challenge China, what happens to Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and yes...Australia? If China is interested in Africa and Afghanistan for it's natural resources, it's interested in Australia as well.

[el3so]

Fucking vaxx Nazis

You sound unhinged.

[el3so]

BTW, in every wargame the Pentagon has run on a Chinese-US war over Tawain, the US has gotten it's ass kicked.

Huh, aren't those war game outcomes classified and aren't whatever results that do get leaked usually a cry for (yet) more tax money?
I'd wager a contested amphibious landing is even less fun now than it was back in WW2. Doubt PRC will enjoy the benefits of uncontested air support, a sympathetic local population and being allied either directly or indirectly with the whole of the continent.

[Tarkan]

BTW, in every wargame the Pentagon has run on a Chinese-US war over Tawain, the US has gotten it's ass kicked.

Huh, aren't those war game outcomes classified and aren't whatever results that do get leaked usually a cry for (yet) more tax money?
I'd wager a contested amphibious landing is even less fun now than it was back in WW2. Doubt PRC will enjoy the benefits of uncontested air support, a sympathetic local population and being allied either directly or indirectly with the whole of the continent.

China doesn't really have to do an amphibious invasion.

All they have to do is effect a naval embargo and starve the island out.

They have the area denial tech in terms of missiles to effectively keep America out of the area (outside of subs) or face the choice of risking a carrier air group, which I don't think the US would do.

They can destroy the Taiwanese air force with their surface to surface missiles.

[Tarkan]

Fucking vaxx Nazis

You sound unhinged.

Lots of videos of gestapo tactics in Australia (and elsewhere) where the police are beating the shit out of anti-vaxx mandate protesters, people not wearing their masks, etc.

For a virus that has a 99.9% survival rate.