As one of the myriad parts of the process of applying for a Permanent Residency Visa to live in Australia, Ann has to complete a police check in both her home country, Thailand, and here in Australia. She applied for and received her AFP check in almost record time, the document arriving today. Not so myself, for being a citizen of a country obviously puts you at a disadvantage by virtue of the fact that your residency clearly gives you the time and means to commit crimes. But today I received an email saying that I was clear and would likewise receive a certificate in the mail shortly.

Success at these kind of clearances (I have twice passed the NSW Police Crimcheck) nevertheless gives me the heebeejeebees. Past injustices at the hands of authorities have made me suspicious of law enforcement in general and the manner in which they collect and store information in particular. Citizens are right to be vigilant against the intrusions of the State, lawful though it might be. Liberty should not be taken for granted nor is its continuance a given. The kind of freedoms we enjoy today are likely to be a high watermark of sorts; history suggests that authoritarianism can re-emerge as easily as it was vanquished, and the notion that liberal democracy is the end-point is just another kind of utopianism. Actually, it's just plain silly.

Meanwhile, on an entirely different topic, here is a picture from Greg's wedding in Springwood in September. It's hot off the cold press, as they say. Ann and I are both in it, though not together, if you can spot us.