Bright Cold Matt puts it well when it comes to the recent raids on people around the country suspected of terrorist connections. The Muslim community has been predictably outraged and the government has been equally predictably outraged that anyone could doubt the necessity for these raids. Also sprach Matt:

The subjects of the warrants issued appear to be Indonesian expats hovering at the fringes of whatever passes for Islamic radicalism in Australia. There's a very strong case that they should be questioned and evidence gathered.
But do we really need the TRGs? Would 24-hours' worth of surveillance have indicated that the subjects lived with young families? Did ASIO or the police have any evidence that the subjects owned guns?
News reports from the various raid indicate that ASIO seized computer equipment, documents, videos and other personal effects. Yet there appeared to be a distinct absence of firearms, bomb-making material or anything more threatening than a kitchen appliance at the subjects' homes.
Here is a walnut. Here is a sledgehammer.

I'm with that. Scott Wickstein was wringing his hands on this matter over at Ken Parish's blog the other day:

I want the enemies of Australia nailed. But I want it done correctly, and on our terms. Compromising our values is not the sort of victory I had in mind.

Which is exactly the problem. I think we can agree on the fundamental point that these people need to be rooted out and caught; the trick is going to be doing so without, as Scott says, compromising ourselves. I can't say I'm convinced that the recent ASIO busts have been entirely the right way of going about things...

posted by James Russell | 3:47 PM