Nothing changes

Unpublished letter to the Courier Mail written in the aftermath of what Yanks call 9/11

Dear Editor
After the bombings of the World Trade Centre, American commentators claimed the world had changed forever. Unfortunately, the desire for retribution, the threatening of small impoverished nations, the refusal of many countries (including our own) to accept people fleeing persecution and the world system of economic distribution is remarkably similar to what went on in the past. Forty thousand people die each day from malnutrition or starvation.
Dr. John Tomlinson
Senior Lecturer
Social Policy
School of Humanities and Human Services
QUT