Australia has outlawed protests.

[Ultimate Paragon]

Canada has Alberta. Japan has the Osaka prefecture. The U.S. has The South & some of the Mid/Southwest. There's usually that one or more regions with the folks in varying states of rube-ness/hickishness.

I don't begrudge people for being poor and uneducated. Taking pride in willful ignorance bothers me.

My thoughts exactly. My laughing at "hicks" is not laughing at "country folk" or the poverty stricken, it's laughing at "Proud To Be Stupid" wingnut people. Plenty of poor country people are nice decent people with good hearts who have no problem with education.

Hear hear!

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Relax, Attorney-General Robert Clark said that the bill would not affect “Victorians' rights to engage in lawful and peaceful protest to express their views.”

Ok, it seems like it was designed to do that but we have his pithy reassurance-and that's something.

Right?

[Katsuro]

Damn it Australia, will you stop doing shit to ruin my love affair I've had with you since I visited in September.  I thought you were cool, Oz

[chad sexington]

So did I, and I live here!

[Askold]

Damn it Australia, will you stop doing shit to ruin my love affair I've had with you since I visited in September.  I thought you were cool, Oz

If you visited Australia and are still alive it means that Australia loves you.

...Or that tormenting you is so much fun that it wants to make it last a bit longer. (That is the reason why so many of the locals get to live to old age. Australia KNOWS it can kill them at any time it wants so there is no hurry.)