Australia uses helicopters and the ARMY to enforce its 'Zero Covid' lockdown

[Aldebaran]

One police helicopter, once.

That's where it starts.

 

[Aldebaran]

What liberty apparently looks like...

I'm glad you notice how it's slipping away.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

We can handle things differently due to our very low population. The land mass of the US and Australia is not that different but the population is vastly different. The US has
328.2 million people (2019)Australia has 25.36 million (2019) To put that into even more perspective there are more people in the state of Texas (29 million 2019) than our entire population.

This is why we can track people or do deep cleaning of any business found to have had Covid. Low populations and wide open spaces and these measures has helped keep Covid low, but also why a thousand cases is a really big deal. In my state 1 case is seen as news.

The "Geographical advantages" you mention are certainly a factor.

Earlier on, there were some who implied that if we just to the exact same approach, step-for-step, as New Zealand, that we could've replicated their results.

I was extremely skeptical of that assertion.

NZ had far fewer vectors of "city to to city" transmission with regards to large cities where outbreaks could happen and then jump to another big city due to travel for things like essential jobs and daily commutes.
(not sure how similar that is to Australia)

The example I used as a counterpoint to that was my own state of Ohio.

It's considered a relatively small state with "Not much to do"...I live in Northeast Ohio.

You have Cleveland, Akron, and Canton... all roughly a half hour apart. If you transplanted those 3 cities into New Zealand, they'd be the 2nd, 4th, and 5th most populated cities in the entire country. If you look at the distance between the cities of that same size in New Zealand, they're not a half hour drive, and nobody is making that drive as a daily commute to work.

And that's just one "fly-over" state here in the US. You have other much bigger "commuter city" vectors in other states.

Like NYC to Newark...

And LA has something like 10 different commuter cities with populations over 100,000 people.

 

[Bradskii]

That's where it starts.

Telling people who are breaking the law to move on? If you get stopped for speeding, do you give the officer the same attitude? 'Police state! Where will this end!' Him doing his job and giving you a ticket, I'd suggest.

That chopper was certainly about the height of the ones in the Apocalypse Now scene. But I didn't smell any napalm that morning and didn't hear Flight of the Valkyries either booming out over the beach.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Telling people who are breaking the law to move on? If you get stopped for speeding, do you give the officer the same attitude? 'Police state! Where will this end!' Him doing his job and giving you a ticket, I'd suggest.

That chopper was certainly about the height of the ones in the Apocalypse Now scene. But I didn't smell any napalm that morning and didn't hear Flight of the Valkyries either booming out over the beach.

I think the problem here is the perceived disproportionate response to the situation.

As I was replying to another poster who's an Australian, the idea that a few dozen new cases would trigger a lockdown so strict that it's being enforced by the military doesn't jive with anything we'd ever expect to see happen here.

Their laws are their laws, they're obliged to obey the rulings of the people they voted into power (the old saying about democracy, "you get what you vote for, and deserve to get it good and hard")

...but it looks strange from an outsider perspective.

It's the same sort of "culture shock" that occurred when back in the 90's (not sure who all even remembers this ordeal) that Michael Fay guy got caught vandalizing cars and sentenced to a caning for his crimes in Singapore.
(Bill Clinton and two dozen senators all signed a petition to try to seek clemency from the government in Singapore to no avail, he still got his rear end lit up)

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Australia today used helicopters and the army to enforce its 'Zero Covid' lockdown, as thousands of police flooded Sydney city centre to enforce the rules and hand out $500 fines for those not wearing a mask.

Sirens blared across the city and a draconian message was broadcast from the skies, as millions were told: 'This is public health order —do not break rules —you will be found and fines issued.'

Soldiers are sent in to enforce lockdown in Sydney | Daily Mail Online

Well I heard Australia started off as a prison colony, old habits I guess ...

 

[Tanj]

I think the problem here is the perceived disproportionate response to the situation.

A perception that goes both ways.

As I was replying to another poster who's an Australian, the idea that a few dozen new cases would trigger a lockdown so strict that it's being enforced by the military doesn't jive with anything we'd ever expect to see happen here.

No, you reserve your military intervention for people to cross parks and hold up bibles for a photo shoot [/exaggerated sarcasm]

Their laws are their laws, they're obliged to obey the rulings of the people they voted into power (the old saying about democracy, "you get what you vote for, and deserve to get it good and hard")

You forgot the part where we are very happy with it.

It's the same sort of "culture shock" that occurred when back in the 90's (not sure who all even remembers this ordeal) that Michael Fay guy got caught vandalizing cars and sentenced to a caning for his crimes in Singapore.
(Bill Clinton and two dozen senators all signed a petition to try to seek clemency from the government in Singapore to no avail, he still got his rear end lit up)

I was living in Singapore at the time. To be fair, Clinton did get the sentence reduced (from 6 strokes to 4)

 

[coffee4u]

I'm glad you notice how it's slipping away.

Funny that, given we are consistently in the top tier list of best places to live while the US is way, way down the list. https://media.heraldsun.com.au/files/liveability.pdf
Doesn't matter what site you access we are always near the top. Judged on stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.

The US quality of life slipped away years ago and you never even noticed.
Do you need me to list them all?
- president clowns that the world laughs at, Covid running rampant, health care that many people can't even afford to use, food full of corn syrup and goodness knows what else, hidden tax in every store, high rates of gun crime and a terrible education system.
Maybe you should be more concerned about your own country and fixing all of the above.^
I guess you get to keep your guns, I am sure those will keep you healthy and warm at night.

 

[Philip_B]

Well I heard Australia started off as a prison colony, old habits I guess ...

Don't say that to our First Nations' Peoples.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Don't say that to our First Nations' Peoples.

Duly noted.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

A perception that goes both ways.

That's fine...it wouldn't be the first cultural difference that existed between two nations lol.

No, you reserve your military intervention for people to cross parks and hold up bibles for a photo shoot

"people" or the sitting president? I get it, the St. John's church thing was a photo-op for Trump because they wanted to "woo" the right people.

But in the end, most of those claims were tossed
Most claims tossed in Donald Trump church photo op security crackdown

It was a historically significant church where every president has gone to "Pray", and it was vandalized the night before.

So that may not be the best comparison to use...

But to your point, yes...when it comes to "praying", the kind that Trump mostly did was spelled "preying", and usually involved pageant contestants, or desperate supermodels looking to gain citizenship when he was ready to trade his previous wife in on "a newer model"

So I'll grant you that...

You forgot the part where we are very happy with it.

If you're happy with it, that's all that matters...and I'm not saying that in a sarcastic way.

Much like, if a person who was a strict Muslim was happy with the fact that they country they lived in strictly forbade alcohol sales/consumption...as long as they're happy with that environment, fine.

I just wouldn't want to live there.

I was living in Singapore at the time. To be fair, Clinton did get the sentence reduced (from 6 strokes to 4)

How kind of them lol.

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

One police helicopter, once.

That's where it starts.

It was nice knowing you then....

 

[rjs330]

What liberty apparently looks like...

I would have to say, that's not what liberty looks like. Police here made some mistakes overall. But very few in comparison with what they faced overall. Just like any profession and any group of people.

And I do believe what Australia did was a violation of liberty. And I don't mean just the protest but their entire response. That's my personal opinion.

 

[rjs330]

Telling people who are breaking the law to move on? If you get stopped for speeding, do you give the officer the same attitude? 'Police state! Where will this end!' Him doing his job and giving you a ticket, I'd suggest.

That chopper was certainly about the height of the ones in the Apocalypse Now scene. But I didn't smell any napalm that morning and didn't hear Flight of the Valkyries either booming out over the beach.

You mean like all the protests last year in the US. People couldn't go to church cause that was way dangerous. But they could protest and that was just fine. And they could give all the attitude they wanted. In fact they could burn down businesses, rob, loot assault and attempt murder, be we could [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] those down. If it was so COVID dangerous that should have been shut down hard like Australia did.

 

[rjs330]

Funny that, given we are consistently in the top tier list of best places to live while the US is way, way down the list. https://media.heraldsun.com.au/files/liveability.pdf
Doesn't matter what site you access we are always near the top. Judged on stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.

The US quality of life slipped away years ago and you never even noticed.
Do you need me to list them all?
- president clowns that the world laughs at, Covid running rampant, health care that many people can't even afford to use, food full of corn syrup and goodness knows what else, hidden tax in every store, high rates of gun crime and a terrible education system.
Maybe you should be more concerned about your own country and fixing all of the above.^
I guess you get to keep your guns, I am sure those will keep you healthy and warm at night.

LOL it's kinda funny how people can bash America all day long for everything. But you question other places way of doing things, then it a whole, HOW DARE YOU!

Some in your country have attacked us in America A LOT! We've done very little challenging of your country. We are losing our freedoms here as well, and have been for years. But it's amping up now.

Do you now know how it feels for your country to be challenged? You don't like it. We don't like hearing what a crap country we have from other either. Maybe consider that next time.

 

[rjs330]

No, you reserve your military intervention for people to cross parks and hold up bibles for a photo shoot [/exaggerated sarcasm]

Much of what went on there and the "claims" of the left have been found to be false.

Investigation Clears Trump, Proves Media and Democrats Lied About Clearing Protestors for Bible Picture - LifeNews.com

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Australia today used helicopters and the army to enforce its 'Zero Covid' lockdown, as thousands of police flooded Sydney city centre to enforce the rules and hand out $500 fines for those not wearing a mask.

Sirens blared across the city and a draconian message was broadcast from the skies, as millions were told: 'This is public health order —do not break rules —you will be found and fines issued.'

Soldiers are sent in to enforce lockdown in Sydney | Daily Mail Online

We need this badly in the US - I wish Biden were liberal enough to do this.

 

[Tanj]

Much of what went on there and the "claims" of the left have been found to be false.

Investigation Clears Trump, Proves Media and Democrats Lied About Clearing Protestors for Bible Picture - LifeNews.com

*sigh*

So this is were we are at. even though I actually typed the words "exaggerated sarcasm" right after that quote, people still feel the need to point out I was actually exaggerating some sarcasm.

I have to ask, could you please supply me with a string of words I actually could use which means "exaggerated sarcasm" so that you would not feel the need to make an entire post to point out to everyone that it was indeed exaggerated. And sarcasm.

Having said that...lifesitenews...really? I am more likely to read Russia Times.

 

[Aldebaran]

Funny that, given we are consistently in the top tier list of best places to live while the US is way, way down the list. https://media.heraldsun.com.au/files/liveability.pdf
Doesn't matter what site you access we are always near the top. Judged on stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.

The US quality of life slipped away years ago and you never even noticed.
Do you need me to list them all?
- president clowns that the world laughs at, Covid running rampant, health care that many people can't even afford to use, food full of corn syrup and goodness knows what else, hidden tax in every store, high rates of gun crime and a terrible education system.
Maybe you should be more concerned about your own country and fixing all of the above.^
I guess you get to keep your guns, I am sure those will keep you healthy and warm at night.

I find that list a bit suspect. When it gets down to best cities to live in the U.S., it shows that the second best city to live in is Washington DC, and the 4th is Chicago. Personally, those are a couple of places I'd prefer to stay far away from.

 

[Aldebaran]

We need this badly in the US - I wish Biden were liberal enough to do this.

Oh, I'm sure harris will be in his place soon enough, and then we'll have plenty of helicopters hovering over American cities herding citizens like a rancher herding cattle.