Alex Hutton wrote:
On 21 August 2012 11:28, Jason White <jason@jasonjgw.net> wrote:
I don't think anybody seriously entertains the above. However, accepting refugees who arrive (subject to assessment of refugee status) is the correct response, because it's the only response that respects the rights of the refugees.
One of the central tenets of human rights is that they aren't subject to utilitarian, cost-benefit analyses: if a person has a right, then it must be respected even if it's costly and inconvenient to do so.
But these rights aren't real rights, they aren't natural rights, they are rights determined arbitrarily by the UN.
...rights Australia promised to uphold, as you will recall from Petr's original post that started this thread. If you don't like it, either find another nation-state, or petition your representatives to have Australia back out of that promise.