IT ALMOST seems a shame the anti-annoying laws put forward by the NSW Government to protect World Youth Day pilgrims have been defused by the efforts of some young people determined to expose the laws for what they were – heavy-handed and bullying.

The shame of it is, we cannot prosecute the Premier Morris Iemma and some of his ministers for annoying the heck out of the greater voting population of NSW.

Photographs in yesterday’s metropolitan media revealed the massive crowd of an estimated 150,000 attending the opening mass in the Darling Harbour precinct.

Apart from the mass of people it was also noticeable that the young folk who had come from around the world seemed to be clean, decent and happy to be here.

That the NoToPope coalition managed to get the NSW legislation overturned in a higher court is to be applauded, purely because it pretty much prevented the expression of

freedom of speech.

And while the general message of this young coalition, whose aim is to hand out condoms to the pilgrims, is to promote safe sex, one suspects they are in effect preaching to the converted.

The larger message intended is that using condoms could prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. It’s a valid point. On the other hand the Catholic church hierarchy would argue that by choosing not to engage in promiscuous sex, the spread of these and other sexually transmitted diseases will be halted.

To the church it is a question of morals. To the condom campaigners it’s about the freedom of choice and being protected while undertaking their tryst.

However, despite believing choice is a personal matter, the in-your-face campaigning of the condom campaigners is poorly directed and a publicity stunt that gets prime news time appearances and seems only be intent on embarrassing the young pilgrims as opposed to a reasoned argument addressing the decision-makers.