Here’s a shameful interview yesterday on ABC Melbourne radio with former Guantanamo Bay captive David Hicks. For the record, Hicks may have pleaded guilty to terrorism charges but he did so to simply get out of the US gulag:
David Hicks: I don’t think you’ve read my book, that’s correct?
Jon Faine: No, I’ve not read your book.
Hicks: Are you aware that I’ve even written a book?
Faine: I’m aware that you’ve written a book called Guantanamo: My Journey. When it arrived at the radio station we asked if you were available. We were told you were not, so I didn’t read it.
Hicks: What do you mean by that?
Faine: Well, this was last year I think it came out, didn’t it?
Hicks: It came out in the middle of October.
Faine: Yeah, so at the stage the book arrived you were not available so I didn’t read a book for someone I wasn’t going to interview.
Hicks: Oh, fair enough. I’d have thought you had an interest in this area and obviously you knew you’d be speaking to me, you would read about it.
Faine: I was told I’d be speaking to you about an hour ago, so I haven’t been able to read your book in an hour, so keep going, though. If you renounce terrorism, what’s led to your change of heart?
Hicks: Nothing’s led to my change of heart. It’s a bit difficult to discuss this with someone who’s not read my book. There’s tens of thousands of Australians out there who have read my book and even before then were informed enough to know differently.
Faine: Well, I plead guilty that I haven’t read your book. You plead guilty to terrorism. I think your offence is the greater. Can we discuss it, please?