CANBERRA UNDER THREAT

One need not travel overseas to find a climate of fear: living in Canberra is scary for Web Diary contributor Tony Kevin:

Two RAAF helicopters, one about 300 metres behind the other, were flying circuits around central Canberra: north-easterly from the Fairbairn RAAF base, west over the city centre and the Black Mountain public lookout, south over Red Hill, and east back to Fairbairn over the southern suburbs. It took them around 10 minutes to fly this circuit, and they kept going round and round.

They each appeared to be mounted with two large lethal-looking missile launchers, slung beneath the cabin. As the helicopters flew maybe 100 metres above my head, I saw these four launchers clearly. I wondered if the loaded missiles were armed, and I wondered what would happen if one of these helicopters were accidentally to crash over populated central Canberra.

Why were they there, so visibly and ostentatiously guarding the perimeter of my city and its visiting premiers? Was it to protect against incoming terrorist aircraft?

Was it to guard against a possibility of ground-to-ground missiles being launched at Parliament House from a terrorist car driven up Black Mountain or Red Hill?

Or was it what I think it was - a terror threat display, government-mounted to impress the visiting premiers with the serious reality of the threat we are all supposed to be facing from terrorism nowadays in Canberra? It was certainly scary enough, under those black missile-armed military helicopters circling low overhead every ten minutes. But maybe that was the point. Maybe it was meant to scare us.

It is not difficult to create public climates of fear, with the assets and presumed credibility a government has at its disposal. All it takes is to report an alleged threat, and to mount conspicuous additional security in response. The media and the public do the rest for themselves.

Nor would it be difficult to frame innocent people in such a climate of fear.

When commenters point out to Kevin that the "missile launchers" were almost certainly fuel tanks he responds:

I agree that what I saw last Tuesday looked like image no 1, ie the two helicopters were probably carrying the auxiliary fuel tanks, which makes sense when you think of the many kilometres they were clocking up flying around Canberra for so many hours.

And yes, I took them to be missiles. My mistake. But hang on a tick - there is more to this true story. Also having a coffee on Red Hill - I don't think it was a latte - was a pleasant woman who was talking about the helicopters with me (as well as complimenting me on my dogs). She said those helicopters were armed. I asked how she knew and she replied she used to be married to an RAAF pilot. Gospel truth, Stuart. So maybe these helicopters were carrying a suite of "missiles, rockets, machine guns and 20mm cannons" as well as the auxiliary fuel tanks that I saw and mistakenly assumed to be missiles. Of course there is no reason for the helicopters not to be carrying both; and this lady seemed to know whereof she spoke.

Kevin's really starting to make a fool of himself at this point; a commenter points out to him that the RAAF doesn't operate helicopters, the Army does. Gospel truth, this guys an idiot but he's not finished yet:

I don't think I am alone in finding this militarisation of our civilian environment - militarisation of out civil society, really - unpleasant and threatening. I think we ought to be asking why it happens when it happens? Who authorises such flights? What military purposes are they meant to serve? Is this a proper use of Defence Force assets and personnel?

Personally, I'd like to see a lot more armed Army helicopters flying around.

Update: Jenny Stirling in Web Diary comments:

I don't know which suburb you live in but we had helicopters flying in formation over where I live. It was intimidating to have that happening at night time. I thought, Vietnam...

Jeez...