It's no secret anymore.

Many years ago, when I was in my teens, I was in madly love with Doris Day. She sang a song just for me. It was our song. It was called Secret Love. The punchline of this melodious song of love came just after the beautiful and enchanting Doris had shouted about our love from the highest hills and even told the golden daffodils that “Our secret love is no secret anymore.”

I guess, now, it is the same with ASIO, Australia’s intelligence gathering Secret Service organisation and the other equally, and formerly secret, police services. Just a few days ago these “secret” police agencies, in Queensland and New South Wales, involved 800 officers in raids on numerous households to prevent what was said to be a major terrorist threat. How did I find out about the activities of the secret service? It was on all the evening TV news bulletins and splashed across all the morning newspapers. Apparently, the Secret Police made videos of the raids and provided them to various media outlets. How very thoughtful of them.

Now, of course, the commercial TV networks have gone into overdrive covering every aspect of this possible terrorist threat. A day after the raids, Channel 9 set up its cameras in front of a private home and said the people inside had been interviewed by the Secret Police. Perhaps Channel 9 will consider painting a large target on the front of this house to assist energetic anti-terrorist, anti-Muslim vigilantes who may, like our Prime Minister, rush to judgement. 

Soon after the raids, Mr Abbott appeared on TV at the remote aboriginal community where he has been taking photo opportunity after photo opportunity, one including a rather sad picture of a smiling Mr Abbott looking straight at the camera and patting an aboriginal boy on the head, completely ignoring the boy’s attempt to shake his hand. 

Later on, Mr Abbot found another camera to tell his fellow Australians that the raids were the result of an intercepted telephone call in which somebody mentioned beheading an innocent Australian citizen. “This,” said Mr Abbott, “was a clear statement of intent.” No need to have a trial then. The PM has already issued a guilty verdict.

Two years ago the rabid radio jock, Allan Jones, not in a private telephone conversation but over the airwaves to his devoted if deluded listeners, said that the Prime Minister should be shoved into a chaff bag and dropped into the ocean. In fact he said it on numerous occasions. There were no early morning police raids on Jones’ home for his murderous and possibly treasonous statement against the Prime Minister of our country. Quite the contrary, in several newspapers he was praised for his deadly intent towards our Head of Government. At that time our PM was not Tony Abbott, it was Julia Gillard. Mr Abbott is a close friend of Allan Jones so he is no danger of being drowned in a chaff bag by the outspoken broadcaster or one of his fervid listeners.

The recent well publicised anti-terrorist raids focussed on Muslims and were linked to the horrific acts of the Islamic State in Syria, also known as The Islamic State in the Levant; the Levant being an area containing Syria, Iraq and neighbouring regions. This cutthroat sect is generally referred to as ISIS, ISIL or just plain IS. Its firmly held belief is that everyone should live according to their totally unrecognisable version of Islam and they will behead anyone who will not convert to their way of death.

Mr Abbott has already committed Australian troops and material to help save the people of Iraq from these murderous butchers. He has not declared war against IS, ISIL or ISIS, but says Australia is involved in a purely humanitarian mission to protect innocent Iraq communities from the sword wielding monsters in ISIL. However, he has sent a dozen or so fighter planes to the area. No doubt, if push comes to shove, we will drop some humanitarian bombs on ISIL forces.

The good news is that Australia’s “Budget Emergency” is now a thing of the past. Mr Abbott was quite happy to explain that his humanitarian actions in Iraq would cost about half a billion dollars a year. Maybe we can forget the Medicare co-payments? At least nobody in the media is talking about the budget anymore. Not when we have a war, sorry, a humanitarian action, on our hands.

All rational people agree that everyone should be protected from anybody who thinks they are doing God a favour by chopping the heads off non-believers. ISIL has no support from orthodox Muslim organisations overseas or in Australia. Anyone making such deadly threats in Australia should be quickly apprehended. My concern, however, is that these recent anti-terrorist raids involved 800 police officers in early dawn searches of many, many homes and brought in scores of Muslims for questioning. It has focussed attention on Australian Muslims a whole. And for what? All we know is that after the widespread raids and wholesale questioning only one person has been charged. One person!

Presumably, when this charged person comes to trial much, much more will be revealed. That is when we can all shout from the highest hills that the reason behind these widespread and widely publicised raids is a secret no more.

It will also be interesting to peruse the latest Newspolls after this flurry of anti terrorist activity. No doubt Mr Abbott, when he has finished patting little aboriginal boys on the head, will be interested, too.