Those Letters Were Noticed

What I wrote to the West Australian:
Colin Barnett, who believes in the rule of law, has forgotten its fundamental principle of innocence until guilt is proven. He has also exhitied racism, or at least prejudice, to a whole group of people based on his pre-determined view of the possible actions of just one of them - assuming that the fire was not caused accidentally by a cigarette as fuel was being transferred from the motor fuel tank to the bilge pump fuel tank. Methinks his tough of crime stance has tumbled over into his views about refugees who are not criminals. Remember, the vast majority who seek protection among us, when their cases are investigated, are deserving of that protection because of the terrible situation in their homeland.

And what they published:
Colin Barnett, who believes in the rule of law, has forgotten its fundamental principle of innocence until proven guilty.
He has also exhibited prejudice to a whole group of people based on his presetermined view of the possible actions of just one of them - assuming that the fire was not caused accidentally by a cigarette as fuel was being transferred from the motor fuel tank to the bilge pump fuel tank.
Methinks his tough-on-crime stance has tumbled over into his views about refugees. Remember, the vast majority who seek protection among us are deserving of that protection.

What I wrote to the Australian:
I am perplexed by Kevin Rudd's desire, on your commentator's interpretation of things, to argue that his government is tougher on Border Control issues than the Howard government was. One of the significant reasons for the electoral backlash against the Howard government was, in my view, a conclusion by most of the Australian people that Howard's treatment of Asylum seekers and his "Pacific Solution" was unbelievably cruel in a free and democratic nation like ours. Phillip Ruddock was the architect of that policy and it appears that he has learned nothing from the electoral routing his party experienced.
And what they published:
I'm perplexed by Kevin Rudd's reported desire to argue that his government is tougher on border control issues than the Howard government was. One of the significant reasons for the electoral backlash against the Howard government was, in my view, a conclusion by most of the Australian people that it's treatment of asylum-seekers and his "Pacific Solution" was unbelievably cruel in a free and democratic nation like ours.
Phillip Ruddock was the architect of that policy and it appears that he has learned nothing from the electoral routing his party experienced.

Only slightly amended. Not bad - both papers on the one day.