All This Started Four Years Ago - By a Special Correspondent

This article by "A Special Correspondent" was in my grandfather's papers, along with other letters written at the time on what I believe is the same typewriter (something I'd love to be able to confirm). I haven't been able to find this text elsewhere so I am publishing it here.

Chilling given the recent resurgence of Nationalist rhetoric.

Late in the afternoon on Friday, 11th March, 1938, I was listening in to my radio in Vienna, waiting for a speech by one of the political leaders in Austria on the occasion of the plebiscite which Dr. Schuschnigg, chancellor of Austria, had ordered to be held on the following Sunday. The Austrian people were called upon to decide whether they wanted to remain independent, or become part of Nazi Germany.

While I was wondering why the speech did not start at the appointed time, the radio speaker suddenly said: "The chancellor, Dr. Schuschnigg, is going to make an important announcement. Then I heard Schuschnigg's voice through the loudspeaker, saying "The German Government have requested my Government to cancel the plebiscite which we had decided to hold the day after to-morrow, and to hand over the Government of Austria to nominees of the German Government. Failing this, the German Government would order German troops ready for that purpose to cross the Austrian border at 8 p.m. to-night. According to reports received, German troops are already on Austrian soil. As our troops are far inferior in numbers and equipment to the invading forces, I have, in order to avoid needless bloodshed, ordered our troops not to resist, and tendered my and my Government's resignation to the President. God save Austria!"

I shall never forget Haydn's variations on the Austrian National Anthem that were played after this. Then the announcer introduced the new chancellor of Austria, Seiss-Inquardt, an Austrian, the first of the long line of men whom we have become used to call Quislings for their betrayal of their own country to the Nazis. Yet, Quisling won his doubtful fame long after Seiss-Inquardt had committed the same infamy.

The world knows now that Hitler resorted to his first act of using military force against another country because he had to prevent at all costs the plebiscite in Austria, which would have plainly shown what a big majority of the Austrian population was opposed to the Anschluss. It also has been revealed in the meantime that he had by no means been certain of the success of his threats, and that a firm stand by the western powers by Austria's side would have prevented the occupation of the country. When at that time I made up my mind immediately to leave Austria and go to Australia, it was because of the certain knowledge that the events of those days were the start of an avalanche from which you could expect to be safe only in the place farthest away. Yet, with all my pessimism at that time I - and probably nobody - would not have imagined that only four years later even the great Australia, 13000 miles distant would be threatened similarly.

It is strange and interesting to think how many things - apart from the names - were similar in Australia and Austria. Like Australia, Austria was a federation of states, and there was a federal government and parliament as well as state governments and parliaments. The same problems of overpopulated cities with many unemployed, and lack of farm labour in the country existed. Austria, like Australia, had gone through a terrific depression after the last war. The Austrian population was reputed in Europe for friendliness and a free and easy way of life. When they saw the pest of Nazism developing in the neighbouring country of Germany, on a stone's throw over the border (oh God, why the stone to destroy the monster never thrown?), they also used to say: "It can't happen here!"

The way it did happen might possibly teach us a lesson. In Austria there existed great political differences between the various groups of the population, just like elsewhere. This, accompanied by lack of restraint on the part of the elected representatives of the people in the various legislative bodies, weakness of the government because of a very small majority in the parliament and different political tendencies of various state governments, paralysed public life to a great extend and led to widespread distrust in politicians. The Nazis made clever use of these conditions. Their propaganda against "politicians" made the ordinary man believe that he could do better without any of them, forgetting the fact that a country with democratic institutions, even if the politicians are not the best, is infinitely better of than one without any, but Nazi chiefs instead. The Nazi methods of propaganda were most interesting to watch. They posed as Austrian super-patriots, with Austria first and everything else only a long way afterwards The Nazi methods of propaganda were most interesting to watch. They posed as Austrian super-patriots, with Austria first and everything else only a long way afterwards. The of course thundered against all sorts of "isms", parliamentarism, capitalism, socialism, communism, against democracy and British and Jewish world domination. Those poor Jewish refugees from Germany in 1933 to 1937 who had believed to find a haven of security in Austria were their special targets. And for the small man it was so immensely relieving to be told that all his every-day troubles were only due to one or several of those isms, and particularly to the Jews and the refugees; with himself, he heard, there was never anything wrong whatsoever; he was of Aryan descent, and that alone made him ever so far superior to anyone else. It was cleverly done, and many simpletons fell for it.

To-day, only four years after all this happened on the other side of the world, we in Australia are confronted by similar dangers. It might not be inappropriate to look back and try to guard against mistakes that led to the start of all this four years ago.

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A Postal Plebiscite

Tomorrow the high court of Australia will hear the government's arguments in favour of the constitutionality of the ABS run postal plebiscite. I need to write something down as I have feelings about this bullshit.

There is no "civilised debate" on marriage equality. There are bigots who are on the wrong side of history, willing to do real harm to delay the inevitable erosion of one more roadblock on the path from pre-scientific superstition to enlightened humanism.

They are wrong and they are disingenuous, but it's the 'real harm' that really gets my internal monologue extra sweary. There is a connection between this "civilised debate" and increased rates of suicide amongst young LGBT+ people. These fuckers know this and apparently they don't care.

If this plebiscite goes ahead innocent people will get hurt. A postal plebiscite will be gamed, it will be unrepresentative and even if it results in a resounding YES, this government can just ignore it.

So fuck those guys. Fuck the arseholes campaigning against marriage equality. Fuck their crappy, misdirected, straw man arguments and their dire predictions about the end of society as we know it if we let LGBT+ people get married.

Also fuck this spineless government who won't step up and take a free vote on same sex marriage. I hope this thing is killed tomorrow and our government is forced to do just that.

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I love everything about Daredevil except the suit

I think I would be ok with keeping the black mask for the entire show. Ok. Maybe not. But I wish I liked the suit.

All these were awesome

I don't know what it is, but this just doesn't do it for me. Is the pointy eyebrows, the weird glowing eyes?

I really want to love it (I love this show) but, sadly, I can't do it.

Then again they could do a lot worse and still be better than this S&M monstrosity.

I can't think of that movie without picturing ol Matt on his hands and knees carefully drawing the DD logo on the subway with a can of Zippo fuel so he can dramatically light it up later. What the hell was that about?

Yep ... that was a really bad movie.

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Tom Horn - 20th April 1936 - 2nd February 2014

My uncle and namesake.

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Customer Support

May Ann : Hi Tom, how may I help you?
Tom : Hi May,
Tom : I am having trouble signing up for a telstra business account
Tom : getting the following error on the business address online form:
May Ann : Oh I am sorry to hear that Tom.
Tom : "Unfortunately we can't validate this information. Please check your details and try again"
Tom : Not sure which field in the address the form doesn't like
May Ann : NO worries I will connect you to our Business MY Account Team to help you with this. Would that be okay?
Tom : Sure
May Ann : Please stay on chat whilst I connect you to them.
Tom : thanks
May Ann : I may appear signed out, but please wait until my colleague grabs our chat
May Ann has disconnected. : We are currently transferring your chat to another consultant who will be able to assist you with your enquiry. Please stay online while the new consultant joins.
Tom : ok
Christine has joined.

Tom : Hi Christine
Christine : Hi Tom, a lovely Tuesday afternoon to you.
Christine : I understand that you are unable to lgoin to your Business my account.
Christine : *login
Tom : unable to signup
Tom : I get to the Business address page
Tom : and get the following error:
Tom : "Unfortunately we can't validate this information. Please check your details and try again"
Tom : Not sure which bit of the address is causing the issue
Christine : Nothing to worry, let me assist you to register :)
Tom : ok
Christine : May I have the phone number in question please?
Tom : Not signing up for a phone ... just trying to register a business account so I can purchase a 4G USB
Tom : So I don't have a phone number for the account
Tom : because it doesn't exist yet ;)
Christine : Do you mean you don't have yet any telstra service?
Tom : Not for this business no ... that is why I am trying to signup
Christine : Oh that's it, you can register to my account if you have an existing service.
Christine : That requires an account number.
Tom : Nope ... Don't want to associate it with an existing account ... Just imagine. I have a business and I would like to buy something from Telstra (in this case a USB 4G thing). Hit the buy button and it asks to you sign up ..
Tom : this is what I am trying to do
Tom : The signup forms haven't asked me for an account number
Tom : which makes sense
Christine : No worries, that's okay, kindly stay on the line.
Christine : Sorry for the inconvenience.
Christine : I would love to have you assisted on this but it would be best if I connect this session to a colleague from the business general team to have you guided best on this.
Tom : no problem ... I'm sure we will get there eventually ;)
Tom : ok ... thanks
Christine : Yes, it just happened that the previous consultant thought that you are registering to my account, for you to view your usage and bills.
Christine : I understand that you would like to purchase online.
Tom : No idea why they thought that
Christine : To further assist you with this enquiry, I will refer you to one of my colleagues from business general team.
Christine : Let me just put a quick note on my end so you need not repeat yourself when I connect you.
Tom : great
Christine : I'll connnect you now.
Tom : just FYI .. this is the first thing I said to the first responder "I am having trouble signing up for a telstra business account"
Christine has disconnected.

We are currently transferring your chat to another consultant who will be able to assist you with your enquiry. Please stay online while the new consultant joins.
Meagan has joined.
Tom : Hi Meagan :)
Meagan : Hi Tom!
Meagan : I am just having a quick read thorough the chat you had previously
Tom : Cheers

Meagan has disconnected.
Tom has disconnected.

O_o

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