As reported last week on Antony Lowenstein’s blog, an excellent advertisement appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 22nd January.
It was co-signed by an impressive list of prominent Australians, who should be congratulated along with the organiser/s.
The Slaughter in Gaza: recent advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald
Importantly, the signatories saw through the haze of Zionist disinformation that tried to present Israel’s vicious attack on Gaza as justified by recent events. They have the guts to speak out against the Jewish State’s repellant behaviour, unlike the Rudd Government and most of Australia’s mass media.
I didn’t realize until today, but apparently Australia’s ‘Public Intellectuals’ have their very own network. There’s even a Top 40 Hit Parade of the nation’s Public Intellectuals.
This seems a very useful public service. We all should know the names of the greatest minds among us – those who make vital contributions to our national discourse. Here’s the list, in order:
- Robert Manne
- Henry Reynolds
- Tim Flannery
- Noel Pearson
- Phillip Adams
- Peter Singer
- Marcia Langton
- Geoffrey Blainey
- Hugh Stretton
- Inga Clendennin
- Tim Costello
- Meaghan Morris
- Michael Kirby
- David Malouf
- Frank Brennan
- Peter Craven
- Raimond Gaita
- Ghassan Hage
- David Marr
- Don Watson
- Bob Brown
- John Frow
- Helen Garner
- Barry Jones
- Stuart MacIntyre
- Humphrey McQueen
- Keith Windschuttle
- Elizabeth Grosz
- Carmen Lawrence
- Bernard Smith
- Germaine Greer
- Marilyn Lake
- Hugh McKay
- Fiona Stanley
- Clive Hamilton
- Guy Rundle
- John Hirst
- Robert Hughes
- Drusilla Modjeska
- Glyn Davis
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown: had the courage to sign the SMH advertisement
Names in bold were signatories to the SMH Advertisement about Gaza. Congratulations to Bob Brown! (If I missed anyone else, please let me know)
In recent months, I’ve given Australian Greens leader Bob Brown a roasting or two on this blog, for what I’ve perceived as weak and ill-informed positions on various matters, from the bogus ‘War on Terror’ to policy over Palestine.
Even so, compared with all too many of his peers, Senator Brown shines through as a paragon of courage and decency.
The absense of famous ‘public intellectual’ Clive Hamilton from the Advertisment signatory list is a disappointment, but not unexpected on past performance.
Dr Clive Hamilton: what does he think about white phosphorus dropped on civilians?
Perhaps Dr Hamilton was too busy during the holiday period working on Stage Two of his Grand Plan to restrict Australians’ access to a free internet?
Perhaps he’s been on the beach reading Proust for the 19th time?
Or maybe Clive thinks Israel did a great job and just wishes the rest of Australia knew less about the gory details? (We would know a lot less if we didn’t have an uncensored Internet).
Who can say? (He can). Maybe Dr Hamilton can tell the rest of us when he gets a spare hour?
If Clive Hamilton wishes to outline his views on Gaza to admirers around the nation, he’s welcome to a free page on this blog. I’ll even do him a first draft.
I am only a ‘private individual’, but like to do what I can to assist our overworked intelligensia.
