Gnu HunterSunday, February 29, 2004
Victorias Crimespeak Act May Be Constitutionally Invalid
A TEST case for Victoria's new race and religious hate law could go to the Supreme Court after a Christian movement claimed the act was invalid because it conflicted with constitutional freedom of speech rights
In Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Mr Perkins applied to have the case transferred to the Supreme Court because the tribunal did not have federal jurisdiction.
Counsel for Catch the Fire Ministries, David Perkins, said the act was invalid because it conflicted with the guarantee of freedom of communication implied under the Australian constitution.
He said Judge Michael Higgins could not rule on constitutional matters and therefore proceeding with the case in VCAT would be "an affront to justice"...."The tribunal is hamstrung by not having federal jurisdiction," Mr Perkins said.
For the full background refer to my earlier post on this case.
Judge Higgins will rule on whether to refer the case to the Supreme Court early next week.
In Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Mr Perkins applied to have the case transferred to the Supreme Court because the tribunal did not have federal jurisdiction.
Counsel for Catch the Fire Ministries, David Perkins, said the act was invalid because it conflicted with the guarantee of freedom of communication implied under the Australian constitution.
He said Judge Michael Higgins could not rule on constitutional matters and therefore proceeding with the case in VCAT would be "an affront to justice"...."The tribunal is hamstrung by not having federal jurisdiction," Mr Perkins said.
For the full background refer to my earlier post on this case.
Judge Higgins will rule on whether to refer the case to the Supreme Court early next week.
Crime Pays
A prisoner (nicknamed by the press as "Mr Slippery") who slipped and fell outside his shower in Yatala prison is suing the State Government for "permitting him to walk across a slippery floor". Luciano Giaccio, 47, claims he injured his lower back and wrist in the incident in the high-security B Division on February 19, 2000. At the time, he was serving a seven-year, nine-month non-parole term for hiring a hitman to kill his former business partner. The Supreme Court was told in September 1996 that Giaccio stood to gain $240,000 through an insurance policy on Mr Denison's (his business partner's) life.
The claim says prison authorities "failed to give him (Giaccio) warning that slippery floor surfaces were located in close proximity to wet areas. They permitted him to walk across a slippery floor surface".
Now out on parole and back on the mean streets he needs cash and is likely to receive up to $25,000 tax free, for his sufferings in prison.
Meanwhile a ram-raider who was a passenger in a car being driven at a police inspector intending to run him down is suing the government because the policeman fired a shot and hit the passenger in the chest. The police inspector is now facing criminal charges.
The civil suit has been lodged in the Sydney District Court, which handles claims of up to $750,000, although no amount has been set yet on what Johnston will claim.
The claim says prison authorities "failed to give him (Giaccio) warning that slippery floor surfaces were located in close proximity to wet areas. They permitted him to walk across a slippery floor surface".
Now out on parole and back on the mean streets he needs cash and is likely to receive up to $25,000 tax free, for his sufferings in prison.
Meanwhile a ram-raider who was a passenger in a car being driven at a police inspector intending to run him down is suing the government because the policeman fired a shot and hit the passenger in the chest. The police inspector is now facing criminal charges.
The civil suit has been lodged in the Sydney District Court, which handles claims of up to $750,000, although no amount has been set yet on what Johnston will claim.
Australian & NZ Mufti Sets Believers Against Infidels
The powerful Grand Mufti of Australia and New Zealand, Sheik Taj el-Din Al Hilaly, leads Australia's 300,000 muslims whose numbers are increasing by 8% each year. The Mufti said there is a "war on infidels" around the world and praised the September 11 terrorist attacks as "God's work". He lent support to Arab suicide bombers in an inflammatory sermon during a Middle East lecture tour. Sheik Al Hilaly spoke of an "Islamic revolution", and told his audience not to be surprised if one day a muezzin called out "Allah is Great!" from the "top of the White House"
Tim Blair is calling for the Mufti to be deported. You can't deport Australian citizens. Australia is dishing out citizenship certificates to any and all who want them without regard for whether they really want to be Australians and participate in mainstream society and whether or not they support our democratic freedoms and respect the rights of the majority to retain and enjoy their own culture. Australia is a nice, quiet, wealthy place where you can do as you please. In 2000, the Sheikh returned from Egypt having been convicted and then exhonerated on appeal for smuggling antiquities out of Egypt. In 1986 Hilaly was in trouble for inciting religious hatred including statements like: "Jews are the underlying cause of all wars ... who use sex and abominable acts of buggery to control the world". Chris Hurford, ALP Immigration Minister, failed in his attempts to deport him after political intervention by Federal and State branches of the Labor party, including Leo Mc Leay's and Paul Keating's. The Sheikh was then made an examplar for multiculturalism and provided electoral support in key seats, including McLeay's and Keating's.
"September 11 is God's work against oppressors," Hilaly said this week, "Some of the things that happen in the world cannot be explained; a civilian airplane whose secrets cannot be explained, if we ask its pilot who reached his objective without error: 'Who led your steps? Or if we ask the giant that fell: 'Who humiliated you?' Or if we ask the president: 'Who made you cry?' God is the answer."
After seeking clarification from Sheik Al Hilaly in Egypt, his spokesman, Keysar Trad, said the Mufti had taken bits from poems, which he often incorporated into his sermons. The September 11 reference meant that "evil can reach everywhere and everything", and the power of terrorism should not be belittled. Stating that September 11 was God's work against oppressors meant "people only do these things when they feel oppressed". He denied the Mufti had supported suicide bombers, saying the "boy with a stone" could not possibly mean that.
A week ago, the Australian Federal Police decided against investigating the Mufti's overseas activities. In sermons in Lebanon he had praised Islamic suicide bombers and called for a holy war against Israel. In response to questions about the sermons, Keysar Trad, spokesperson in Sydney for the holy man said MEMRI had taken the Muslim leader out of context "The Mufti is a proponent of peace and peaceful solutions to any conflict" Trad told ABC radio.
The different contexts being: 1) what the Mufti says in Lebanon and 2) what he says in public in Australia, in front of the media.
Australians must now wonder why the mufti and Australia's muslims came here. Was it to set up shop in a new geographical location and continue business as usual with the old ways back home? Did they come here to participate as equals in a democratic culture, respecting the rights, religions and culture of others? Or did they flee their troubled countries to establish an Islamic republic and make this country like the ones that they've fled?
From the Koran
":5:51: Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whosoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number."
":3:118: Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people. They will spare no pains to corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin. Their hatred is evident from what they utter with their mouths, but greater is the hatred which their breasts conceal."
":4:141: Believers, do not choose the infidels rather than the faithful for your friends. Would you give God clear evidence against yourselves?"
":3:26: Let not believers make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful (he that does this has nothing to hope for from God) except in self-defence."
":47:4: When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds, then set them free, either by grace or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens."
":66:9 Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate."
Sheikh Hilaly said:
"I have said and continue to affirm that taking up residence in Western migrant society is not permissible for a Muslim unless he has the intention of calling to Allah-Exalted and Elevated."
"Australia is a country that has adopted a policy of multi-culturalism, and is a country that is fertile for Islamic Daawa (call)."
The Gnu Hunter says:
Sheikh Hilaly is considered a moderate. Elections are being held at the Lakemba Mosque in June or July this year and it's possible he could be replaced. At least with this guy you know what he thinks of us and what he would like to do. The concern I have is that someone more media savvy becomes Grand Mufti and you never hear public utterances like the ones above again.
Tim Blair is calling for the Mufti to be deported. You can't deport Australian citizens. Australia is dishing out citizenship certificates to any and all who want them without regard for whether they really want to be Australians and participate in mainstream society and whether or not they support our democratic freedoms and respect the rights of the majority to retain and enjoy their own culture. Australia is a nice, quiet, wealthy place where you can do as you please. In 2000, the Sheikh returned from Egypt having been convicted and then exhonerated on appeal for smuggling antiquities out of Egypt. In 1986 Hilaly was in trouble for inciting religious hatred including statements like: "Jews are the underlying cause of all wars ... who use sex and abominable acts of buggery to control the world". Chris Hurford, ALP Immigration Minister, failed in his attempts to deport him after political intervention by Federal and State branches of the Labor party, including Leo Mc Leay's and Paul Keating's. The Sheikh was then made an examplar for multiculturalism and provided electoral support in key seats, including McLeay's and Keating's.
"September 11 is God's work against oppressors," Hilaly said this week, "Some of the things that happen in the world cannot be explained; a civilian airplane whose secrets cannot be explained, if we ask its pilot who reached his objective without error: 'Who led your steps? Or if we ask the giant that fell: 'Who humiliated you?' Or if we ask the president: 'Who made you cry?' God is the answer."
After seeking clarification from Sheik Al Hilaly in Egypt, his spokesman, Keysar Trad, said the Mufti had taken bits from poems, which he often incorporated into his sermons. The September 11 reference meant that "evil can reach everywhere and everything", and the power of terrorism should not be belittled. Stating that September 11 was God's work against oppressors meant "people only do these things when they feel oppressed". He denied the Mufti had supported suicide bombers, saying the "boy with a stone" could not possibly mean that.
A week ago, the Australian Federal Police decided against investigating the Mufti's overseas activities. In sermons in Lebanon he had praised Islamic suicide bombers and called for a holy war against Israel. In response to questions about the sermons, Keysar Trad, spokesperson in Sydney for the holy man said MEMRI had taken the Muslim leader out of context "The Mufti is a proponent of peace and peaceful solutions to any conflict" Trad told ABC radio.
The different contexts being: 1) what the Mufti says in Lebanon and 2) what he says in public in Australia, in front of the media.
Australians must now wonder why the mufti and Australia's muslims came here. Was it to set up shop in a new geographical location and continue business as usual with the old ways back home? Did they come here to participate as equals in a democratic culture, respecting the rights, religions and culture of others? Or did they flee their troubled countries to establish an Islamic republic and make this country like the ones that they've fled?
From the Koran
":5:51: Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whosoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number."
":3:118: Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people. They will spare no pains to corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin. Their hatred is evident from what they utter with their mouths, but greater is the hatred which their breasts conceal."
":4:141: Believers, do not choose the infidels rather than the faithful for your friends. Would you give God clear evidence against yourselves?"
":3:26: Let not believers make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful (he that does this has nothing to hope for from God) except in self-defence."
":47:4: When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds, then set them free, either by grace or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens."
":66:9 Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate."
Sheikh Hilaly said:
"I have said and continue to affirm that taking up residence in Western migrant society is not permissible for a Muslim unless he has the intention of calling to Allah-Exalted and Elevated."
"Australia is a country that has adopted a policy of multi-culturalism, and is a country that is fertile for Islamic Daawa (call)."
The Gnu Hunter says:
Sheikh Hilaly is considered a moderate. Elections are being held at the Lakemba Mosque in June or July this year and it's possible he could be replaced. At least with this guy you know what he thinks of us and what he would like to do. The concern I have is that someone more media savvy becomes Grand Mufti and you never hear public utterances like the ones above again.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Hollywood to Black-Ban Mel Gibson's Movies
Arising from the success of Mel's latest venture into movies, the chairmen of Hollywood studios said they would avoid working with Gibson because of the film, which he directed and financed. The chairmen were apparently disturbed by the religious connotations within the film, in particular the portrayal of Jews.
Given that Jesus was Jewish, and the entire thing is based on a literal interpretation of the Gospels set in Israel, how the heck else can it be portrayed?
Hollywood had already shunned making the film. Gibson spent $23 million of his own to make it. He warned the actor playing Jesus "You don't have to do this... After you finish this film, you may never work in Hollywood again."
In what is plainly akin to McCarthyism many Jews have sought to suppress the film (and Gibson) over perceptions that the film is anti-Jewish. Expressing their determination one of the Hollywood bosses is quoted as saying: "It doesn't matter what I say. It'll matter what I do. I will do something. I won't hire him. I won't support anything he's part of." It's one thing to ask for one film to be censored for whatever reason but quite another to threaten a ban on Gibson personally for any future movie in which he directs or acts in any genre.
Gibson has vigorously denied there are any anti-Jewish sentiments in the movie and from what I've read (opinions both for and against) the logical objection boils down to the fact that (understandably) many Jews would just prefer that no movie should be made where Jesus is seen being scourged and crucified in Jerusalem. They believe that it will inflame anti-Jewish sentiment in some. Strict orthodox Jews object to any film being made about Christ. I can't believe that Western society has reached the point where this sort of censorship is supported. Given the Jewish experience with religious and personal repression one can readily understand their sensitivity but one would also think that they would be aware of the irony in trying to suppress Gibson and his religious film.
One thing that the objectors' controversial actions have done is to widely publicise the film and to almost guarantee its success and now millions will go to see it. Gibson as an experienced Hollywood player will, I'm sure, be aware of this. The box office sales for the first three weeks are predicted to exceed $US 100 million. Shareholders are now asking tough questions about the reasons for the studio execs rejecting the film.
In an odd twist, the Democratic front-runner John Kerry weighed in during a visit to Los Angeles yesterday, telling reporters that the movie could be anti-Semitic. "I am concerned," Mr. Kerry, a Catholic, told reporters. "I don't know if it's there or not, but there's a lot of it around now. I think we have to be careful."
I wonder if he's seen it or knows anything about the film?
Update: Hollywood executives are now publicly distancing themselves from their earlier private remarks.
Given that Jesus was Jewish, and the entire thing is based on a literal interpretation of the Gospels set in Israel, how the heck else can it be portrayed?
Hollywood had already shunned making the film. Gibson spent $23 million of his own to make it. He warned the actor playing Jesus "You don't have to do this... After you finish this film, you may never work in Hollywood again."
In what is plainly akin to McCarthyism many Jews have sought to suppress the film (and Gibson) over perceptions that the film is anti-Jewish. Expressing their determination one of the Hollywood bosses is quoted as saying: "It doesn't matter what I say. It'll matter what I do. I will do something. I won't hire him. I won't support anything he's part of." It's one thing to ask for one film to be censored for whatever reason but quite another to threaten a ban on Gibson personally for any future movie in which he directs or acts in any genre.
Gibson has vigorously denied there are any anti-Jewish sentiments in the movie and from what I've read (opinions both for and against) the logical objection boils down to the fact that (understandably) many Jews would just prefer that no movie should be made where Jesus is seen being scourged and crucified in Jerusalem. They believe that it will inflame anti-Jewish sentiment in some. Strict orthodox Jews object to any film being made about Christ. I can't believe that Western society has reached the point where this sort of censorship is supported. Given the Jewish experience with religious and personal repression one can readily understand their sensitivity but one would also think that they would be aware of the irony in trying to suppress Gibson and his religious film.
One thing that the objectors' controversial actions have done is to widely publicise the film and to almost guarantee its success and now millions will go to see it. Gibson as an experienced Hollywood player will, I'm sure, be aware of this. The box office sales for the first three weeks are predicted to exceed $US 100 million. Shareholders are now asking tough questions about the reasons for the studio execs rejecting the film.
In an odd twist, the Democratic front-runner John Kerry weighed in during a visit to Los Angeles yesterday, telling reporters that the movie could be anti-Semitic. "I am concerned," Mr. Kerry, a Catholic, told reporters. "I don't know if it's there or not, but there's a lot of it around now. I think we have to be careful."
I wonder if he's seen it or knows anything about the film?
Update: Hollywood executives are now publicly distancing themselves from their earlier private remarks.
Free Speech Now on Trial in Victoria
A Christian pastor in Victoria is in court defending his right to free speech and will have to argue strongly to stay out of jail** as the socialist apparatchiks within the Victorian ALP government use his life and reputation in a test case for their notorious Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001.
The pastor could be sentenced to 6 months jail** if found guilty of Speech Crime, committed while preaching to a mostly Christian audience at a public seminar dealing with the differences between Christianity and Islam. Having been invited as a guest speaker to the public seminar, the pastor was astonished to find himself the subject of a criminal justice investigation, when Muslim activists who had come along to the seminar to note his utterances were duly offended and took the case to the Equal Opportunity Commission.
The depths of the pastor's crimes were revealed when he was asked if he deliberately tried to make his audience laugh by relating the part of the Koran where it says that King Solomon heard the speech of an ant. "Some people might think it funny an ant can make a speech," Pastor Daniel Scot told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. "That's not my fault.
"Pastor Scot said he told the seminar that Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed the Muslim population in Australia had increased from 201,000 in 1996 to 350,000 in 2001. He now accepted this was incorrect and that the Muslim population in 2001 was in fact 280,000 and growing at 8 per cent a year."
"He admitted telling the seminar that the Koran suggested women had little value, prostitution was acceptable, Muslims controlled the Australian immigration department, and it was an open secret that Muslims wanted Australia to become an Islamic nation.
The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 states that "A person must not, on the ground of the religious belief or activity of another person or class of persons, engage in conduct that incites hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, that other person or class of persons."
It is interesting that the Act explicitly states in Part 2, 7, (2) b that it is an offence if that act is committed "...inside or outside of Victoria".
Does this mean that the Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheik Hilaly, a regular visitor to Victoria, will be prosecuted under this same act when he next visits Melbourne? The Mufti known for his racial and religious tolerance was heard to say that Jews are "the underlying cause of all wars" who "use sex and abominable acts of buggery to control the world". Recently while relaxing among mates and preaching in Lebanon he praised Hezbollah and suicide bombers and incited muslims to attack Israel.
The Victorian ALP is very selective in its application of the Act.
1) The objects of this Act are--
(a) to promote the full and equal participation of every person in a society that values freedom of expression and is an open and multicultural democracy; [ And you do this by prosecuting a pastor for preaching? How open is your multicultural democracy then?]
(b) to maintain the right of all Victorians to engage in robust discussion of any matter of public interest or to engage in, or comment on, any form of artistic expression, discussion of religious issues or academic debate where such discussion, expression, debate or comment does not vilify or marginalise any person or class of persons; [ As the pastor has found out, if you have even a mild (less than robust) discussion you could find yourself waiting in limbo for years before eventually fronting a court with legal costs, publicity, embarassment, harassment, fines, disgrace and jail sentence]
(c) to promote conciliation and resolve tensions between persons who (as a result of their ignorance of the attributes of others and the effect that their conduct may have on others) vilify others on the ground of race or religious belief or activity and those who are vilified. [ Yep. If the pastor is put away for 6 months, this is really going to promote concilliation and resolve tensions. ]
Hat-tip to Professor Bunyip, who is very afraid of the implications of this blight on Australia's legal landscape.
** Update: The hearing is being conducted as a civil proceeding so no jail term will apply in this case. The decision about whether to pursue the matter as a civil or criminal matter rests with the person making the complaint. The Islamic Council of Victoria is pursuing this case under the civil provisions of the Act. Civil cases are generally easier to "prove" than criminal cases. Civil cases require only a "balance of probability".
The pastor could be sentenced to 6 months jail** if found guilty of Speech Crime, committed while preaching to a mostly Christian audience at a public seminar dealing with the differences between Christianity and Islam. Having been invited as a guest speaker to the public seminar, the pastor was astonished to find himself the subject of a criminal justice investigation, when Muslim activists who had come along to the seminar to note his utterances were duly offended and took the case to the Equal Opportunity Commission.
The depths of the pastor's crimes were revealed when he was asked if he deliberately tried to make his audience laugh by relating the part of the Koran where it says that King Solomon heard the speech of an ant. "Some people might think it funny an ant can make a speech," Pastor Daniel Scot told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. "That's not my fault.
"Pastor Scot said he told the seminar that Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed the Muslim population in Australia had increased from 201,000 in 1996 to 350,000 in 2001. He now accepted this was incorrect and that the Muslim population in 2001 was in fact 280,000 and growing at 8 per cent a year."
"He admitted telling the seminar that the Koran suggested women had little value, prostitution was acceptable, Muslims controlled the Australian immigration department, and it was an open secret that Muslims wanted Australia to become an Islamic nation.
The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 states that "A person must not, on the ground of the religious belief or activity of another person or class of persons, engage in conduct that incites hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, that other person or class of persons."
It is interesting that the Act explicitly states in Part 2, 7, (2) b that it is an offence if that act is committed "...inside or outside of Victoria".
Does this mean that the Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheik Hilaly, a regular visitor to Victoria, will be prosecuted under this same act when he next visits Melbourne? The Mufti known for his racial and religious tolerance was heard to say that Jews are "the underlying cause of all wars" who "use sex and abominable acts of buggery to control the world". Recently while relaxing among mates and preaching in Lebanon he praised Hezbollah and suicide bombers and incited muslims to attack Israel.
The Victorian ALP is very selective in its application of the Act.
1) The objects of this Act are--
(a) to promote the full and equal participation of every person in a society that values freedom of expression and is an open and multicultural democracy; [ And you do this by prosecuting a pastor for preaching? How open is your multicultural democracy then?]
(b) to maintain the right of all Victorians to engage in robust discussion of any matter of public interest or to engage in, or comment on, any form of artistic expression, discussion of religious issues or academic debate where such discussion, expression, debate or comment does not vilify or marginalise any person or class of persons; [ As the pastor has found out, if you have even a mild (less than robust) discussion you could find yourself waiting in limbo for years before eventually fronting a court with legal costs, publicity, embarassment, harassment, fines, disgrace and jail sentence]
(c) to promote conciliation and resolve tensions between persons who (as a result of their ignorance of the attributes of others and the effect that their conduct may have on others) vilify others on the ground of race or religious belief or activity and those who are vilified. [ Yep. If the pastor is put away for 6 months, this is really going to promote concilliation and resolve tensions. ]
Hat-tip to Professor Bunyip, who is very afraid of the implications of this blight on Australia's legal landscape.
** Update: The hearing is being conducted as a civil proceeding so no jail term will apply in this case. The decision about whether to pursue the matter as a civil or criminal matter rests with the person making the complaint. The Islamic Council of Victoria is pursuing this case under the civil provisions of the Act. Civil cases are generally easier to "prove" than criminal cases. Civil cases require only a "balance of probability".
Junk Mail Solution?
Three different technologies are being heralded as solutions to spam. The proposals are being assessed as new internet standards for the exchange of mail between servers. A solution has been a long time in coming and this one looks relatively simple to implement. End-users and mail clients need not be affected but the impact on junk mail is likely to be dramatic and immediate. Here's hoping...
It's All About Oil Comrades
Chinese oil baron say: "Take our technologies and capital to Africa and South America and exploit oil there so as to have diverse oil supply and avert the risk brought about by concentrated oil imports. This is the suggestion strongly proposed by Tan Zhuzhou, chairman of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, on Feb. 25 when the decision-making process of the strategy for China's overseas energy is underway."
Friday, February 27, 2004
Labor Party Hegemony
PM John Howard has warned of union domination if Labor wins the Federal election. This would mean that Labor not only governed in all States and Territories but Federally as well.
Howard spoke about union domination but in so saying he's made it clear to Australians that we face a Labor hegemony across the entire country. The Greens and Democrats would ensure domination of the Senate as well. This makes the upcoming election the most important the country has seen since the Whitlam years.
After so many years writhing in frustration, divorced from power, a Federal Labor government under Mark Latham would pursue an unstoppable orgy of Left wing social and economic engineering. Mark Latham would be bulldozed aside by a rampant Left. It would make the Whitlam years look like stable, responsible government. There could be no Senate check and there'd be total support from the State governments. A whole raft of loony Left legislation could be implemented fait accompli. All your favorite Left wing ideas scraped off the wacko drawing board and implemented large as life at taxpayers' expense - and no one to resist.
Howard spoke about union domination but in so saying he's made it clear to Australians that we face a Labor hegemony across the entire country. The Greens and Democrats would ensure domination of the Senate as well. This makes the upcoming election the most important the country has seen since the Whitlam years.
After so many years writhing in frustration, divorced from power, a Federal Labor government under Mark Latham would pursue an unstoppable orgy of Left wing social and economic engineering. Mark Latham would be bulldozed aside by a rampant Left. It would make the Whitlam years look like stable, responsible government. There could be no Senate check and there'd be total support from the State governments. A whole raft of loony Left legislation could be implemented fait accompli. All your favorite Left wing ideas scraped off the wacko drawing board and implemented large as life at taxpayers' expense - and no one to resist.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
UN Spied Upon in Lead-Up to Iraq War
U.N. Spy Report. Day 1
Nothing much happening here.
U.N. Spy Report. Day 2
Nothing is continuing to happen here. Miss Octopussy, wait!... Nope, Still nothing happening.
U.N. Spy Report. Day 3
It's so goddam boring here. No one is doing anything. Somebody do something about all this stuff that's happening in the world.
U.N. Spy Report. Day 4.
See Day 1. Request come in from cold.
Update: In the comments at Tim Blair's site (about this post) a good quote from JorgxMcKie:
I think we're on to something here. In order to make the intelligence that failed us in the runup to Gulf War II work better, LET'S QUIT SPYING ON EVERYONE. Then our intelligence would be ever so much better. We could just invent it to suit, after the fact. Also, no one could be angry about us spying on them because we wouldn't be, AND we would be making it all up. Perfect lefty answer.
Nothing much happening here.
U.N. Spy Report. Day 2
Nothing is continuing to happen here. Miss Octopussy, wait!... Nope, Still nothing happening.
U.N. Spy Report. Day 3
It's so goddam boring here. No one is doing anything. Somebody do something about all this stuff that's happening in the world.
U.N. Spy Report. Day 4.
See Day 1. Request come in from cold.
Update: In the comments at Tim Blair's site (about this post) a good quote from JorgxMcKie:
I think we're on to something here. In order to make the intelligence that failed us in the runup to Gulf War II work better, LET'S QUIT SPYING ON EVERYONE. Then our intelligence would be ever so much better. We could just invent it to suit, after the fact. Also, no one could be angry about us spying on them because we wouldn't be, AND we would be making it all up. Perfect lefty answer.
The Passion of Christ is Anti-Jewish? Please...
It really makes you weary when you read gibberish in the media alleging Mel Gibson is a racist and is anti-Jewish because in a movie "The Passion of Christ", a screenplay based on the bible, the priests (Jews) organise to kill Jesus who was also a Jew, I'm pretty sure. It's like saying that a film about Moses is anti-Egyptian or that Schindler's List is anti-German.
Bolt Critics Exposed As Incompetent Nits
Andrew Bolt, writes yet another excellent column on the "stolen generations". The Professor and Tim Blair have revealed that Bolt is accused by Leftist bloggers of manufacturing quotes in the same way that Phillip Adams has been exposed (by Professor Bunyip) of doing. It is a feature of Left politics that wishing and wanting for something to be true is enough. Facts are pushed aside for faith. So a fellow gets on the 'net and doesn't find a quote that Bolt attributes to a judge in a court ruling. To the Leftist mind, does this mean that the searcher's skills were inadequate or that there has been some mistake? No, it is an immediate sign of a conspiracy.
Tim Blair has demonstrated the inept use of the web browser that led to the mistake and has verified that Bolt's quote is in fact 100% accurate, despite the libel.
The sad thing is that there probably won't be a meaningful retraction or apology. Like the fake turkey story it's out there and will take on a momentum of its own. I'm not sure it won't feature on Media Watch. With a nod and a wink they'll pass this story on one to the other and feed on it like slaters.
The smirking Gummo wrote, "I look forward to the calls from Prof Bunyip, Tim Blair et al for Bolt's dismissal.
Yeah, right...
The vengeful rabble have tried their very best but have only ended up looking silly.
Tim Blair has demonstrated the inept use of the web browser that led to the mistake and has verified that Bolt's quote is in fact 100% accurate, despite the libel.
The sad thing is that there probably won't be a meaningful retraction or apology. Like the fake turkey story it's out there and will take on a momentum of its own. I'm not sure it won't feature on Media Watch. With a nod and a wink they'll pass this story on one to the other and feed on it like slaters.
The smirking Gummo wrote, "I look forward to the calls from Prof Bunyip, Tim Blair et al for Bolt's dismissal.
Yeah, right...
The vengeful rabble have tried their very best but have only ended up looking silly.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Stolen Generations Myth
Andrew Bolt lays out the evidence of why the "Stolen Generations" is a concocted myth. There are and were no stolen generations. There may have been thousands of kids handed over to orphanages by their parents. There may have been as many kids rescued from abuse by their parents but no government policy official or unofficial existed to remove aboriginal kids from their homes.
"This phrase "stolen generations" was coined by Professor Peter Read, who suggested some 100,000 children may have been taken from their families. But in a speech in London eight years ago, he named just two of them -- former ATSIC chairwoman Lowitja O'Donoghue and Aboriginal leader Charlie Perkins.
Already you see the problem. Neither, it turns out, was stolen. Perkins was the son of an Alice Springs woman who was deserted by her husband after giving birth to her 11th child, and who begged a priest to at least give her brightest boy an education. O'Donoghue, as I later reported, was sent with her siblings to South Australia's Colebrook Home by her white father when he'd decided he no longer wanted them or his Aboriginal wife.
I know, the film Rabbit-Proof Fence, set in WA, insists that it tells the "true story" of three girls being stolen but, as I've revealed, the records of that incident show this true story is false.
... to New South Wales. Only one "stolen generations" child has gone to court there -- activist Joy Williams. But her case, too, failed, after the court found she'd been willingly given up by her deeply troubled mother.
In Victoria the Bracks Government's Stolen Generations Taskforce last year admitted it couldn't find any real "stolen" children, either, adding there had been "no formal policy for removing children" from Aboriginal parents here."
(In WA) A royal commission in 1936 had already heard from the Protector of Aborigines that children weren't taken unless they were in danger.
...the court said it hadn't found anyone who'd been stolen in the NT, and the "evidence does not support a finding that there was any policy of removal of part-Aboriginal children such as that alleged by the applicants".
In fact, it's odd that no high-profile example of a "stolen" child has ever been proved genuine.
Cathy Freeman's grandmother was not stolen. Our first Aboriginal author, academic Mudrooroo Narogin, was not stolen either -- and is also not really Aboriginal. Nor were the four "stolen generations" Aborigines who gave evidence for Peter Gunner truly stolen, as they admitted to the Federal Court. One said his family paid to send him away to school, and he'd called himself "stolen" because "we're going to get compensation".
Read the whole of Bolt's article please. What he says is all on the public record. It's an indictment of what passes for scholarship that the myth continues to be perpetuated as a received truth unable to be contested in the press, the arts, universities and high schools. It feeds into Redfern and embitters the new generation. "The Stolen Generations" myth is a dangerous lie.
"This phrase "stolen generations" was coined by Professor Peter Read, who suggested some 100,000 children may have been taken from their families. But in a speech in London eight years ago, he named just two of them -- former ATSIC chairwoman Lowitja O'Donoghue and Aboriginal leader Charlie Perkins.
Already you see the problem. Neither, it turns out, was stolen. Perkins was the son of an Alice Springs woman who was deserted by her husband after giving birth to her 11th child, and who begged a priest to at least give her brightest boy an education. O'Donoghue, as I later reported, was sent with her siblings to South Australia's Colebrook Home by her white father when he'd decided he no longer wanted them or his Aboriginal wife.
I know, the film Rabbit-Proof Fence, set in WA, insists that it tells the "true story" of three girls being stolen but, as I've revealed, the records of that incident show this true story is false.
... to New South Wales. Only one "stolen generations" child has gone to court there -- activist Joy Williams. But her case, too, failed, after the court found she'd been willingly given up by her deeply troubled mother.
In Victoria the Bracks Government's Stolen Generations Taskforce last year admitted it couldn't find any real "stolen" children, either, adding there had been "no formal policy for removing children" from Aboriginal parents here."
(In WA) A royal commission in 1936 had already heard from the Protector of Aborigines that children weren't taken unless they were in danger.
...the court said it hadn't found anyone who'd been stolen in the NT, and the "evidence does not support a finding that there was any policy of removal of part-Aboriginal children such as that alleged by the applicants".
In fact, it's odd that no high-profile example of a "stolen" child has ever been proved genuine.
Cathy Freeman's grandmother was not stolen. Our first Aboriginal author, academic Mudrooroo Narogin, was not stolen either -- and is also not really Aboriginal. Nor were the four "stolen generations" Aborigines who gave evidence for Peter Gunner truly stolen, as they admitted to the Federal Court. One said his family paid to send him away to school, and he'd called himself "stolen" because "we're going to get compensation".
Read the whole of Bolt's article please. What he says is all on the public record. It's an indictment of what passes for scholarship that the myth continues to be perpetuated as a received truth unable to be contested in the press, the arts, universities and high schools. It feeds into Redfern and embitters the new generation. "The Stolen Generations" myth is a dangerous lie.
10,000 UN PeaceKeepers in Congo for What ??
Not a month goes by in the Congo without an atrocity of some sort occurring. There are 10,000 UN peacekeepers in the Congo who have over the years watched as tens of thousands of civilians have been slaughtered.
What is the UN doing? Where are the peace protestors? The peace protestors would only come out if the US decided it had to intervene militarily. The US won't intervene because domestically the US politicians would be faced with more streets full of protestors. So the Congo will continue to suffer and the Left will gloat over their self-fulfilling prophecy that the US will (can) only act in self interest.
What is the UN doing? Where are the peace protestors? The peace protestors would only come out if the US decided it had to intervene militarily. The US won't intervene because domestically the US politicians would be faced with more streets full of protestors. So the Congo will continue to suffer and the Left will gloat over their self-fulfilling prophecy that the US will (can) only act in self interest.
An Age Journalist Is in Love with Mark Latham?
Rachel Ward, journalist and actress, has been on a shopping spree for new underwear. She writes: "Call me a romantic, a pushover, a slut even, to be turned on by this "fusillade of cliches" (to use Alexander Downer's phrase) from Mark Latham. But that's the sort of pillow-talk that really turns us community-minded folk on big time. And anyone who says different is just jealous they couldn't pull off an orgy of collective orgasms from their own National Press Club speeches."
Wanker.
I first heard phrases like civil society, social capital, trust and co-operation 10 years ago. Politics bored me; it seemed a man's game, alien, impenetrable, irrelevant, and full of phases, agendas, I couldn't relate to.
Uh, huh.
"Yes . . . YES . . . Mark YYYYYES", she says.
That's why, at the moment, I'm in love with Latham. Because he isn't afraid of being called "soft". He isn't afraid of the usual fuzzy-wuzzy pejoratives levelled at politicians who talk about "relationships, balanced lives and community building". Who promise to "add to the efforts" of community-minded citizens so that we, in turn, can reach and help those who, as I have seen for myself, are not having a good life.
If that makes Latham "soft", then in my books, soft is damn sexy - that is until, if and when, he holds office and breaks those promises, chucks ineffective token amounts about and makes a mockery of my faith.
Yes.
Wanker.
I first heard phrases like civil society, social capital, trust and co-operation 10 years ago. Politics bored me; it seemed a man's game, alien, impenetrable, irrelevant, and full of phases, agendas, I couldn't relate to.
Uh, huh.
"Yes . . . YES . . . Mark YYYYYES", she says.
That's why, at the moment, I'm in love with Latham. Because he isn't afraid of being called "soft". He isn't afraid of the usual fuzzy-wuzzy pejoratives levelled at politicians who talk about "relationships, balanced lives and community building". Who promise to "add to the efforts" of community-minded citizens so that we, in turn, can reach and help those who, as I have seen for myself, are not having a good life.
If that makes Latham "soft", then in my books, soft is damn sexy - that is until, if and when, he holds office and breaks those promises, chucks ineffective token amounts about and makes a mockery of my faith.
Yes.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Multi-Seperatism Comes Unstuck In NZ
The idea that creating a nation of tribes is a good thing has come unstuck in New Zealand. Opinions crystalised recently when it looked for a while as though Moaris and activists would persuade the NZ government to hand over the nation's beaches to the Maoris. The majority of the public did not think this was a good idea.
Professor Bunyip Wins A Noble Prize
The Professor has claimed the scalp (well a few hairs anyway) of Phillip Adams by exposing Adams' blatant lifting from the New York Review of Books. Media Watch, under pressure from Tim Blair's and Professor Bunyip's readers, have given the millionare socialist a bit of a serve. It was a lashing with a feather but to see Media Watch's David Marr rebuff one of his Lefty mates is a source of wonder. This new approach from Media Watch is almost certainly due to the pressure from the aforementioned bloggers and their readers who emailed complaints to the ABC about bias in Media Watch - and using the go-easy policy on Adams as proof. Well done everyone.
Readers of this blog may recall the prediction made here that Marr would have to demonstrate more even-handedness or else lose Media Watch. Questions have already been asked of the ABC in the Senate about Marr's perceived bias, thanks probably to Tim Blair's persistence in pursuing the matter. Marr will have been well aware of Senator Santoro's questions.
There is now a snowball effect. Phatty and the Australian could perhaps have ignored bloggers for ever but when the ABC kicks them in the belly that's gotta hurt. One can almost imagine the wording of the very polite internal memo, now being drafted at the Australian newspaper, addressed to Phillip Adams.
Right now all I can think of to say is: Ha ha ha.
Readers of this blog may recall the prediction made here that Marr would have to demonstrate more even-handedness or else lose Media Watch. Questions have already been asked of the ABC in the Senate about Marr's perceived bias, thanks probably to Tim Blair's persistence in pursuing the matter. Marr will have been well aware of Senator Santoro's questions.
There is now a snowball effect. Phatty and the Australian could perhaps have ignored bloggers for ever but when the ABC kicks them in the belly that's gotta hurt. One can almost imagine the wording of the very polite internal memo, now being drafted at the Australian newspaper, addressed to Phillip Adams.
Right now all I can think of to say is: Ha ha ha.
Mark Latham: Don't Just Apologise to Aboriginal Australia...
Received today by email from a Gnu Hunter reader:
Why should Mark Latham stop at saying sorry to the Aboriginees? Latham should say sorry to those thousands of Australian children whose lives were devastated by Gough Whitlam’s no fault divorce policy introduced in the 1970s. Fathers were able to walk away from their responsibilities leaving behind the poor children as emotional and psychological wrecks and dependent on State welfare. The children had no male role models because dad had decided to shack up with a few more women to produce a few more kids who would equally be emotional wrecks and welfare dependent, and street wise.
Now Latham and the ALP parade as the saviours of street-wise youths with no direction in life. Could these poor kids sue the Whitlam Government for their divisive policy and for this damning indictment on our society? Latham is only trying to fix up the problems created by his party 30 years ago. What a hide! Luckily for the Australian people John Howard in the last ten years has at least started reversing this trend by introducing programmes to address the issue and setting examples of a good family man. Latham is only a Johnny come lately. He realize the family unit is the best form of society after becoming a father in the last two years. John Howard has been a father for 30 years.
Why should Mark Latham stop at saying sorry to the Aboriginees? Latham should say sorry to those thousands of Australian children whose lives were devastated by Gough Whitlam’s no fault divorce policy introduced in the 1970s. Fathers were able to walk away from their responsibilities leaving behind the poor children as emotional and psychological wrecks and dependent on State welfare. The children had no male role models because dad had decided to shack up with a few more women to produce a few more kids who would equally be emotional wrecks and welfare dependent, and street wise.
Now Latham and the ALP parade as the saviours of street-wise youths with no direction in life. Could these poor kids sue the Whitlam Government for their divisive policy and for this damning indictment on our society? Latham is only trying to fix up the problems created by his party 30 years ago. What a hide! Luckily for the Australian people John Howard in the last ten years has at least started reversing this trend by introducing programmes to address the issue and setting examples of a good family man. Latham is only a Johnny come lately. He realize the family unit is the best form of society after becoming a father in the last two years. John Howard has been a father for 30 years.
Latham Turns His Nose Up at Meat Loaf
Mark Latham has turned down an invitation from his favorite album performer because Meat Loaf, at 56, is past his use-by date, even though the eccentric rocker has sold out his Australian tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Giving us all an insight into the sort of diplomacy we can expect from Mark:
"I don't want to sully my memory of the Loaf by watching him in his declining years," Latham said late last year. "We'd rather remember Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show than eating fried chicken, 20 stone overweight, so I'll stick to Loaf in his heyday."
Very tactful. Way to be supportive Mark.
Giving us all an insight into the sort of diplomacy we can expect from Mark:
"I don't want to sully my memory of the Loaf by watching him in his declining years," Latham said late last year. "We'd rather remember Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show than eating fried chicken, 20 stone overweight, so I'll stick to Loaf in his heyday."
Very tactful. Way to be supportive Mark.
Monday, February 23, 2004
Bolt on the Grand Mufti
Andrew Bolt risking life and limb, to tell it how it is, says:
THE Grand Mufti of Australia is as dangerous to Australia as he is lucky ... As I've tried to warn for years, Hilaly's extremism has been protected by a conspiracy -- not of silence, but of stupidity -- that has endangered Australia's harmony and betrayed the many moderate Muslims who don't deserve to be represented by this man ... That Labor let such a man stay here is a warning. That he was made the Mufti is alarming. And that he must be condemned by all Islamic leaders is beyond urgent.
THE Grand Mufti of Australia is as dangerous to Australia as he is lucky ... As I've tried to warn for years, Hilaly's extremism has been protected by a conspiracy -- not of silence, but of stupidity -- that has endangered Australia's harmony and betrayed the many moderate Muslims who don't deserve to be represented by this man ... That Labor let such a man stay here is a warning. That he was made the Mufti is alarming. And that he must be condemned by all Islamic leaders is beyond urgent.
Aboriginal Police Not Tolerated By Aboriginees in Redfern
AN Aboriginal policeman threatened with death during last Sunday's Redfern riot will be transferred outside Sydney. The young man - who asked that his identity not be revealed - is considered one of Redfern's best officers, but has faced continual threats since beginning work at the station four years ago. At the height of the riot, which left 36 officers injured, the crowd called for the constable, who was not there, to be brought forward "so we can burn him".
How often do we hear the refrain from academics, government and legal forums, activists and politicians and aboriginees themselves that a big solution to policing problems is to recruit more aboriginal police.
"These calls for more Aboriginal police down here are crap," an officer said. "They (the Aboriginal community) treat them terribly. "They'd like Aboriginal police here, but only if they didn't arrest them." NSW Police Association president Ian Ball said the officer was being targeted by criminals using race to protect their endeavours. "This young man tops the arrest rate every month in Redfern, a high crime area, then you see these drug dealers wanting to threaten and malign him - not for his race, but because of the threat he poses to their endeavours," Mr Ball said. "The force has a responsibility to protect its staff."
After they targetted his girlfriend and family that was it. He's leaving.
Hat tip: Patrick at the Observation Deck
How often do we hear the refrain from academics, government and legal forums, activists and politicians and aboriginees themselves that a big solution to policing problems is to recruit more aboriginal police.
"These calls for more Aboriginal police down here are crap," an officer said. "They (the Aboriginal community) treat them terribly. "They'd like Aboriginal police here, but only if they didn't arrest them." NSW Police Association president Ian Ball said the officer was being targeted by criminals using race to protect their endeavours. "This young man tops the arrest rate every month in Redfern, a high crime area, then you see these drug dealers wanting to threaten and malign him - not for his race, but because of the threat he poses to their endeavours," Mr Ball said. "The force has a responsibility to protect its staff."
After they targetted his girlfriend and family that was it. He's leaving.
Hat tip: Patrick at the Observation Deck
Phillip Adams Is Voted Most Trivial Person of the Last 20 Years
Exhibiting a fine sense of humour, justice and good sense my dear readers have voted Mr Phillip Adams the "World's Most Trivial Person of the Last 20 Years". Phil won first place easily in this site's poll (see left of screen) with 28% of the vote in a wide field of talent. Mr Anthony Mundine came in second with 17% pipping Molly Meldrum who came in third with 15%. Margo Kingston dissapointed and was out of form due probably to her long absence from the track.
Parker Brothers, the makers of the board game "Trivial Pursuit" were seeking their own nominations for Australia's Most Trivial Person of the Last 20 Years. In their version you could only nominate yourself so that's why there was the need for the Gnu Hunter's poll. Their website says that the announcement would be made in the Australian Newspaper on January 31st but I can't find anything on their website or in Google. Perhaps it was advertised in the newsprint version in the Public Notices section. Anyhoo, if anybody knows or can find out please email the Gnu Hunter or put the result in the Comments section of this Post.
Parker Brothers, the makers of the board game "Trivial Pursuit" were seeking their own nominations for Australia's Most Trivial Person of the Last 20 Years. In their version you could only nominate yourself so that's why there was the need for the Gnu Hunter's poll. Their website says that the announcement would be made in the Australian Newspaper on January 31st but I can't find anything on their website or in Google. Perhaps it was advertised in the newsprint version in the Public Notices section. Anyhoo, if anybody knows or can find out please email the Gnu Hunter or put the result in the Comments section of this Post.
Sunday, February 22, 2004
The Block and Redfern Statistics
The suburbs of Redfern and Waterloo are recently gentrified suburbs located within 10 kms of the CBD within the South Sydney Council. The two suburbs together measure about 3 square kilometres in total. About 17,000 people live there. Most (82%) of those employed work as professionals or managers (52%) or in clerical or sales (30%).
In Waterloo there are 411 persons of Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander descent.
The area known as The Block is an area of 1 hectare (2.5 acres) located in a corner of Redfern near the railway station.
In the whole of Redfern there are 311 persons of Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander descent.
Sources: ABS Census, Draft Waterloo Redfern Community Safety Plan
The NSW Carr government committed $7.2 million for Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project (see the link) and the Feds have kicked in $0.5 million. Both have promised more money. The Project is designed to develop plans for development and to facilitate a greater cooperation between the many existing services in the area. In addition there is the Aboriginal Housing Co, Redfern Legal Service, Policing, Police Liaison officers, the Department of Housing officers, Kidspeak Program, Family Support service, the Pathways to Prevention Program, DOCs, School Services, Area Health Services and the many NGO and church social workers. A lot of additional work is also done by kind volunteers.
The small number of people in the middle of all this ruckus get by on the dole, pension or low wages. They will on occasion use the support services that are provided to them if and when they need to. You can't help get the impression that the people of the Block are like fish in a fishbowl of murky water with dozens of support agencies with hundreds of support workers floating on top all ready to provide services on the surface. The many floating agency workers rival aboriginees in number but live their lives and collect their salaries in the fresh air.
It's tempting to say why not just pay the actual aboriginees high salaries directly and be done with it. Question is: would it help?
The fact that all these services and well meaning folks are there says that we live in a good country that really does care about aboriginal people but the fact that these agencies and workers exist not to raise aboriginal people out of their circumstances but to support them within those circumstances is a large part of the problem. We need to give them a helping hand out of the murk. They need to grab hold and pull themselves up.
In Waterloo there are 411 persons of Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander descent.
The area known as The Block is an area of 1 hectare (2.5 acres) located in a corner of Redfern near the railway station.
In the whole of Redfern there are 311 persons of Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander descent.
Sources: ABS Census, Draft Waterloo Redfern Community Safety Plan
The NSW Carr government committed $7.2 million for Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project (see the link) and the Feds have kicked in $0.5 million. Both have promised more money. The Project is designed to develop plans for development and to facilitate a greater cooperation between the many existing services in the area. In addition there is the Aboriginal Housing Co, Redfern Legal Service, Policing, Police Liaison officers, the Department of Housing officers, Kidspeak Program, Family Support service, the Pathways to Prevention Program, DOCs, School Services, Area Health Services and the many NGO and church social workers. A lot of additional work is also done by kind volunteers.
The small number of people in the middle of all this ruckus get by on the dole, pension or low wages. They will on occasion use the support services that are provided to them if and when they need to. You can't help get the impression that the people of the Block are like fish in a fishbowl of murky water with dozens of support agencies with hundreds of support workers floating on top all ready to provide services on the surface. The many floating agency workers rival aboriginees in number but live their lives and collect their salaries in the fresh air.
It's tempting to say why not just pay the actual aboriginees high salaries directly and be done with it. Question is: would it help?
The fact that all these services and well meaning folks are there says that we live in a good country that really does care about aboriginal people but the fact that these agencies and workers exist not to raise aboriginal people out of their circumstances but to support them within those circumstances is a large part of the problem. We need to give them a helping hand out of the murk. They need to grab hold and pull themselves up.
Police to Walk Away From No-Go Redfern
Angry Redfern police officers this week will consider declaring the suburb's notorious Block a no-go zone because of lack of support for their actions during last Sunday's riot. Scores of officers are expected to gather at a secret meeting and vote on a Block policing ban within the next few days. "There's going to be a lot of guys there who are very angry, very pissed off," one officer told The Sun-Herald on condition of anonymity. "Don't be surprised if a [work] ban eventuates. Redfern's been going like this for years and years and nothing's been done about it."
Redfern has variously been a no-go zone for taxis and buses. Police have been kept out of Redfern at the request of politicians but this is the first time I think that officers have taken it on themselves to declare the area a no-go zone. This action will be represented by the Left as childish, unprofessional or as blackmail. If the ban goes ahead then the activists will think they have won: that sovereignty of the Block has been relinquished to multiculturalism. The ban will not go ahead and sovereignty will not be relinquished because people won't stand for either. Those activists who've continued through the years to guarantee the existence of the ghetto and to continue the squalor and misery of the people living there should be ashamed. The idea that government can just provide free houses, furniture and training and then walk away has been time and again demonstrated as a failure. Whitlam paid millions to acquire or build the Block's houses to establish the current situation. Of course, the population boosted very quickly by three or four times as others flooded in. A socialist-style aboriginal collective ran the houses down with poor maintenance and embezzled and squandered the collected rent and maintenance money.
If the citizens had been allowed instead to buy those houses with their own rent money they would have had pride of ownership and an interest in keeping the area nice. If they had held and maintained their properties and the neighborhood in good order over the last thirty years each owner would now be sitting on about half a million dollars. As it is the land is still worth heaps but ownership has never been in the hands of the aborigines who live there. The Left doesn't want them to be able to sell and move out. They want them to always be in Redfern as icons of misery. George Orwell couldn't write a more poignant story.
Redfern-based NSW Police Association executive officer Sergeant Paul Huxtable said last night that many of his colleagues were feeling very much abandoned over last week's unrest. "Since Sunday night happened, no one has stood up and given their unconditional support for the cops at Redfern," he said. "No one."
Having stood and received the broken bones from the bricks and the burns from molotov cocktails only to later absorb the ire of the Left of politics you can image how they feel.
After the riot, Bob Carr alone was quick to publicly state his full support for the police. Few other politicians did. Mostly, like Senator Aden Ridgeway, they have implicated police as being at fault instead of apportioning the blame where it really lies: with the rioters themselves and the interfering busy-bodies who fly in and fly out and then pour millions into feel-good schemes like round-Australia boat trips but do little to actually improve the lot of the ordinary aboriginees living in Redfern. Why hasn't Aden Ridgeway used his influence as a Senator to support the police and develop real workable policy to clean up the Block.
Recently there were a host of leaders from aboriginal support organisations who were down at Redfern for the big photo opportunity. If you added up the salaries of all those there you could easily subsidise adequate housing for all of the disadvantaged in Redfern. ATSIC under the leadership of the convicted thug and alleged rapist (yet again) has squandered millions. Some moneys have been embezzled. The few hundred real aboriginees who live in squalor in the Socialists' icon that is Redfern are kept in that squalor to perpetuate the need for multi-million dollar organisations to provide them with services. The question is what services are they providing? The Redfern Legal Service for example helps aboriginees charged with crimes in court. I suspect from all the controversial news stories they've been involved in that a large slice of the money given to it was spent on supporting the many activists associated with it over the years. ATSIC and others cannot be giving any money to the people actually living in the Block otherwise there wouldn't be such squalor. For the citizens, a large part of their dole and pension money goes on drugs and alcohol but at least ATSIC could have spent some of its embezzled money maintaining decent housing. Not that giving people free houses and free money has ever worked - anywhere in the world.
Instead of a no-go zone Redfern needs a zero tolerance zone. The long-term experience in the US has shown this is the only effective policing policy for a ghetto. The two "smack houses" right there in Eveleigh Street MUST be closed down. The rioters must be caught and punished as well as the rioters from the Thursday prior and the bag snatchers. Aboriginal people need to take responsibility for their own lives the same as the rest of us and not sit around living on government handouts waiting "...for them fellas up there to get off their arses and do something."
Redfern has variously been a no-go zone for taxis and buses. Police have been kept out of Redfern at the request of politicians but this is the first time I think that officers have taken it on themselves to declare the area a no-go zone. This action will be represented by the Left as childish, unprofessional or as blackmail. If the ban goes ahead then the activists will think they have won: that sovereignty of the Block has been relinquished to multiculturalism. The ban will not go ahead and sovereignty will not be relinquished because people won't stand for either. Those activists who've continued through the years to guarantee the existence of the ghetto and to continue the squalor and misery of the people living there should be ashamed. The idea that government can just provide free houses, furniture and training and then walk away has been time and again demonstrated as a failure. Whitlam paid millions to acquire or build the Block's houses to establish the current situation. Of course, the population boosted very quickly by three or four times as others flooded in. A socialist-style aboriginal collective ran the houses down with poor maintenance and embezzled and squandered the collected rent and maintenance money.
If the citizens had been allowed instead to buy those houses with their own rent money they would have had pride of ownership and an interest in keeping the area nice. If they had held and maintained their properties and the neighborhood in good order over the last thirty years each owner would now be sitting on about half a million dollars. As it is the land is still worth heaps but ownership has never been in the hands of the aborigines who live there. The Left doesn't want them to be able to sell and move out. They want them to always be in Redfern as icons of misery. George Orwell couldn't write a more poignant story.
Redfern-based NSW Police Association executive officer Sergeant Paul Huxtable said last night that many of his colleagues were feeling very much abandoned over last week's unrest. "Since Sunday night happened, no one has stood up and given their unconditional support for the cops at Redfern," he said. "No one."
Having stood and received the broken bones from the bricks and the burns from molotov cocktails only to later absorb the ire of the Left of politics you can image how they feel.
After the riot, Bob Carr alone was quick to publicly state his full support for the police. Few other politicians did. Mostly, like Senator Aden Ridgeway, they have implicated police as being at fault instead of apportioning the blame where it really lies: with the rioters themselves and the interfering busy-bodies who fly in and fly out and then pour millions into feel-good schemes like round-Australia boat trips but do little to actually improve the lot of the ordinary aboriginees living in Redfern. Why hasn't Aden Ridgeway used his influence as a Senator to support the police and develop real workable policy to clean up the Block.
Recently there were a host of leaders from aboriginal support organisations who were down at Redfern for the big photo opportunity. If you added up the salaries of all those there you could easily subsidise adequate housing for all of the disadvantaged in Redfern. ATSIC under the leadership of the convicted thug and alleged rapist (yet again) has squandered millions. Some moneys have been embezzled. The few hundred real aboriginees who live in squalor in the Socialists' icon that is Redfern are kept in that squalor to perpetuate the need for multi-million dollar organisations to provide them with services. The question is what services are they providing? The Redfern Legal Service for example helps aboriginees charged with crimes in court. I suspect from all the controversial news stories they've been involved in that a large slice of the money given to it was spent on supporting the many activists associated with it over the years. ATSIC and others cannot be giving any money to the people actually living in the Block otherwise there wouldn't be such squalor. For the citizens, a large part of their dole and pension money goes on drugs and alcohol but at least ATSIC could have spent some of its embezzled money maintaining decent housing. Not that giving people free houses and free money has ever worked - anywhere in the world.
Instead of a no-go zone Redfern needs a zero tolerance zone. The long-term experience in the US has shown this is the only effective policing policy for a ghetto. The two "smack houses" right there in Eveleigh Street MUST be closed down. The rioters must be caught and punished as well as the rioters from the Thursday prior and the bag snatchers. Aboriginal people need to take responsibility for their own lives the same as the rest of us and not sit around living on government handouts waiting "...for them fellas up there to get off their arses and do something."
Left Domination of the Universities Critiqued
Here's a fascinating article by a US professor on the issue of the domination of University faculties by liberals. The responses from his left leaning peers are predictable but how he responds is worth reading.
About Left bias in universities:
"...with a preacher, you expect this sort of thing to happen: anyone who attends a church service does so with full knowledge that he is going to hear a message that assumes the truth of theism. Similarly, someone who goes to a religiously-affiliated university knows at the outset that the curriculum is going to be influenced to some extent by a certain theological outlook. By the same token, if an institution called itself "Liberal University," or "Marx and Engels University," or "University of the Democratic Party," no one could reasonably complain if he found, upon enrolling, that the curriculum tilted Left. He should have expected that. But the problem with the contemporary secular university is this: unlike churches, religious institutions, and the "little Red schoolhouse" of Red Diaper Baby fame, it pretends to be neutral between competing worldviews, and it just isn't."
About Left bias in universities:
"...with a preacher, you expect this sort of thing to happen: anyone who attends a church service does so with full knowledge that he is going to hear a message that assumes the truth of theism. Similarly, someone who goes to a religiously-affiliated university knows at the outset that the curriculum is going to be influenced to some extent by a certain theological outlook. By the same token, if an institution called itself "Liberal University," or "Marx and Engels University," or "University of the Democratic Party," no one could reasonably complain if he found, upon enrolling, that the curriculum tilted Left. He should have expected that. But the problem with the contemporary secular university is this: unlike churches, religious institutions, and the "little Red schoolhouse" of Red Diaper Baby fame, it pretends to be neutral between competing worldviews, and it just isn't."
Anthony Mundine and the Great White Conspiracy
Anthony Mundine has written in the SMH advising its Latte drinking, middle-class readers that aboriginees are in the too hard basket. He says that only the governmint can help but the governmint has put them in the too hard basket and so now nothing can be done.
"As far as I am concerned it is not just a chance happening that my people are being run into the ground. It's not a coincidence that a generation of young Aboriginal people, like TJ are either in trouble with the law or in trouble with drugs. It's more by design."
A conspiracy.
This means no one in Redfern can get a job. No one can stop drinking or injecting heroin. No one can organise a neighbourhood watch. No one can keep their kids in at night so they can get up early to go to school. No one can buy food instead of beer. No one can stop beating their wife. No one can stay out of jail so their kids can have a father. No one can walk away from a riot. No one can clean or repair their houses. No one.
But then Anthony says something positive: "A huge reason that I strive to succeed on a sporting front is to show young kids what can be done without drink and drugs and what can be done with education."
Hear, hear.
With notable exceptions, so often the message from aboriginal leaders appears always the same. Aboriginees cannot do anything to improve their personal circumstances. Don't bother. You can't win. It's all the fault of them fellas up there.
People say bulldoze the Block, but they don't understand the love and community feeling that exists in the area. Take that away and the problems will only get worse.
- How ??
For activists, maintaining the 2.5 acre Block with its "smack houses" violence and squalor is fine if you want to keep that icon around for personal political reasons.
No matter the personal circumstances of those hundreds of people who live there.
"As far as I am concerned it is not just a chance happening that my people are being run into the ground. It's not a coincidence that a generation of young Aboriginal people, like TJ are either in trouble with the law or in trouble with drugs. It's more by design."
A conspiracy.
This means no one in Redfern can get a job. No one can stop drinking or injecting heroin. No one can organise a neighbourhood watch. No one can keep their kids in at night so they can get up early to go to school. No one can buy food instead of beer. No one can stop beating their wife. No one can stay out of jail so their kids can have a father. No one can walk away from a riot. No one can clean or repair their houses. No one.
But then Anthony says something positive: "A huge reason that I strive to succeed on a sporting front is to show young kids what can be done without drink and drugs and what can be done with education."
Hear, hear.
With notable exceptions, so often the message from aboriginal leaders appears always the same. Aboriginees cannot do anything to improve their personal circumstances. Don't bother. You can't win. It's all the fault of them fellas up there.
People say bulldoze the Block, but they don't understand the love and community feeling that exists in the area. Take that away and the problems will only get worse.
- How ??
For activists, maintaining the 2.5 acre Block with its "smack houses" violence and squalor is fine if you want to keep that icon around for personal political reasons.
No matter the personal circumstances of those hundreds of people who live there.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
Mark Latham is Not Illegal, Yet.
Mark Latham is not illegal but in another astonishing BACKFLIP he supports retrospective legislation. This means that while it is not yet illegal to be, or to have ever been, a Mark Latham - if Mark gets his way, and retrospective legislation becomes the norm, it soon could be. Even now, retrospective legislation is being drafted, crafted and refined by Liberal backbenchers, mimicking the new Labor Party policy. It will soon be illegal, punishable by severe ridicule, to be or to have ever been a Mark Latham - or a member of the ALP.
Really! Is this what Labor has come to? Are they so anxious to see the return of the RPG marksman and his Taliban buddy from Gitmo Bay? Are they so desperate to embarrass the present government they will support retrospective legislation in the hope of being seen to maneuver the government and return the Taliban Two from the US?
In Australia's best interest, why not make the most of a good opportunity to shut up and leave those two where they are? When the war is over they will be released like any other prisoners of war. They will then be free to pursue a terrorist hobby, if they choose. But for now, the Taliban Two have made their bed and now they have to lie in it.
Why should Latham threaten to rend the fabric of Australian law over such an issue?
p.s. Several Mark Latham's (who are not THE Mark Latham) have complained that while they have lived their entire lives according to the rule of law, and have behaved as well as can be expected of someone with that name, they don't think it's fair that beginning next week they and members of the ALP will be criminals. They have been outlaws all their lives, without even knowing it - but not until next week.
Update: Mark Latham has now backed away from his earlier strong support for retrospective legislation. No longer is he in favor of tearing at the fabric of the entire legal system in order to acheive his short term goals of embarassing the government. Latham would have been well advised to heed Ruddock's comments about Latham's hair brained proposal.
Really! Is this what Labor has come to? Are they so anxious to see the return of the RPG marksman and his Taliban buddy from Gitmo Bay? Are they so desperate to embarrass the present government they will support retrospective legislation in the hope of being seen to maneuver the government and return the Taliban Two from the US?
In Australia's best interest, why not make the most of a good opportunity to shut up and leave those two where they are? When the war is over they will be released like any other prisoners of war. They will then be free to pursue a terrorist hobby, if they choose. But for now, the Taliban Two have made their bed and now they have to lie in it.
Why should Latham threaten to rend the fabric of Australian law over such an issue?
p.s. Several Mark Latham's (who are not THE Mark Latham) have complained that while they have lived their entire lives according to the rule of law, and have behaved as well as can be expected of someone with that name, they don't think it's fair that beginning next week they and members of the ALP will be criminals. They have been outlaws all their lives, without even knowing it - but not until next week.
Update: Mark Latham has now backed away from his earlier strong support for retrospective legislation. No longer is he in favor of tearing at the fabric of the entire legal system in order to acheive his short term goals of embarassing the government. Latham would have been well advised to heed Ruddock's comments about Latham's hair brained proposal.
Susan Maushart is a Tease
and a fox... She writes as dirty as anyone can - on the "front page" of a respectable newspaper's website.
If you’re not having an orgasm with somebody on a regular basis, you are not juicing your brain with attachment chemicals. Couldn’t we just buy frozen concentrate and be done with it, one wonders? Apparently not, especially if we are female. Fresh-squeezed seminal fluid contains a veritable pharmacopoeia of feelgood chemicals, including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, testosterone, oestrogen. Now, if only they could figure out how to add the chocolate."
If you’re not having an orgasm with somebody on a regular basis, you are not juicing your brain with attachment chemicals. Couldn’t we just buy frozen concentrate and be done with it, one wonders? Apparently not, especially if we are female. Fresh-squeezed seminal fluid contains a veritable pharmacopoeia of feelgood chemicals, including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, testosterone, oestrogen. Now, if only they could figure out how to add the chocolate."
Mark Will Say Sorry and So Will You.
Mark Latham has vowed to apologise on your behalf for the things you have done to aboriginees.
Continuing the ALPs tradition of making its ideology compulsory learning in schools (overtly as in this case and covertly via the Teacher's Unions) Mark was addressing his remarks to schoolchildren at the Leongatha Secondary School, saying that a Labor government would apologise on behalf of all Australians for breaking up Aboriginal families. He told the students an apology was necessary to maintain basic family values. "If any of our families were broken up in that way we expect someone along the line... to say sorry for that length of separation," Mr Latham said. "I don't think there's any shame in people saying sorry. We will be making that apology."
He didn't inform the children of the authoritative alternative view, that there was never a stolen generation. There were aboriginal children who were removed from bad homes and abuse. There were many more children that were given up by their aboriginal mothers for adoption. Those children survived and lived better lives that they would otherwise have. There may have been instances where religious institutions overstepped the mark, but there was never any government policy, either official or unofficial, to steal children from aboriginees.
If there is an apology there is wrong doing. If there is wrongdoing there is a law suit. After the official government apology has occurred, aboriginal groups will be free to pursue their legal rights for compensation.
There will also be an accompanying National "Sorry" day where each year Australians will remember the part they did not play in breaking up aboriginal families. The reconciliation will go on year after year.
Update: Patrick from the Observation Deck is sorry.
Continuing the ALPs tradition of making its ideology compulsory learning in schools (overtly as in this case and covertly via the Teacher's Unions) Mark was addressing his remarks to schoolchildren at the Leongatha Secondary School, saying that a Labor government would apologise on behalf of all Australians for breaking up Aboriginal families. He told the students an apology was necessary to maintain basic family values. "If any of our families were broken up in that way we expect someone along the line... to say sorry for that length of separation," Mr Latham said. "I don't think there's any shame in people saying sorry. We will be making that apology."
He didn't inform the children of the authoritative alternative view, that there was never a stolen generation. There were aboriginal children who were removed from bad homes and abuse. There were many more children that were given up by their aboriginal mothers for adoption. Those children survived and lived better lives that they would otherwise have. There may have been instances where religious institutions overstepped the mark, but there was never any government policy, either official or unofficial, to steal children from aboriginees.
If there is an apology there is wrong doing. If there is wrongdoing there is a law suit. After the official government apology has occurred, aboriginal groups will be free to pursue their legal rights for compensation.
There will also be an accompanying National "Sorry" day where each year Australians will remember the part they did not play in breaking up aboriginal families. The reconciliation will go on year after year.
Update: Patrick from the Observation Deck is sorry.
WA. Brother and Sister to Marry
A brother and sister in Western Australia want the State government to officially condone their cojoining.
The loving couple are related only in law by their parents' second marriage and were allegedly raised in seperate houses. "Deborah, at 17, refused Kevin's first proposal, fearing it would upset their parents, the couple only formally discovered they were forbidden from marrying one another after Deborah fell pregnant with their first child." This couple may have learnt their values in a modern public school.
"If you love somebody, you marry them . . . it's more than just a piece of paper."
If you love your brother, you marry him????
These two just can't wait to have the State approve of their carnal attraction. The call for same-family marriage rights follows hard on the heels of calls for same sex marriage rights and will soon (the Gnu Hunter suspects) be followed by calls for marriage rights for blood brothers and aquarium fishes. Why should brothers or aquarium fishes be denied the right to marry their tank buddies? Who would deny that fish living together so closely are inevitably going to want to do it. The State should officially recognise same-tank marriages between fishes.
Where will this end?. These two claim not to have lived together but consider what will happen if this idea gets the official nod from the looney left. Divorced parents bringing together the Brady Bunch will have Marsha and Brad going at it hammer and tongs all night from the time they move in together and the State will have to give them marriage certificates.
Why shouldn't they? It's inevitable. People have moved on. What people do is their own business. Don't be so narrow minded. There's nothing you can do to stop it. Right?
The loving couple are related only in law by their parents' second marriage and were allegedly raised in seperate houses. "Deborah, at 17, refused Kevin's first proposal, fearing it would upset their parents, the couple only formally discovered they were forbidden from marrying one another after Deborah fell pregnant with their first child." This couple may have learnt their values in a modern public school.
"If you love somebody, you marry them . . . it's more than just a piece of paper."
If you love your brother, you marry him????
These two just can't wait to have the State approve of their carnal attraction. The call for same-family marriage rights follows hard on the heels of calls for same sex marriage rights and will soon (the Gnu Hunter suspects) be followed by calls for marriage rights for blood brothers and aquarium fishes. Why should brothers or aquarium fishes be denied the right to marry their tank buddies? Who would deny that fish living together so closely are inevitably going to want to do it. The State should officially recognise same-tank marriages between fishes.
Where will this end?. These two claim not to have lived together but consider what will happen if this idea gets the official nod from the looney left. Divorced parents bringing together the Brady Bunch will have Marsha and Brad going at it hammer and tongs all night from the time they move in together and the State will have to give them marriage certificates.
Why shouldn't they? It's inevitable. People have moved on. What people do is their own business. Don't be so narrow minded. There's nothing you can do to stop it. Right?
Tasmania's Bi-Centenary Skipped
Tasmania's 200th anniversary of British settlers arriving in Tasmania occured on September 12 last year.
"But in a case of political correctness gone mad, the Government chose to pretend this never happened, and make 2004 the bicentenary of Tasmania." Mr Hidding said the Liberal Party had been inundated with calls from Tasmanians furious at the Government's rewriting of the state's history.
"But in a case of political correctness gone mad, the Government chose to pretend this never happened, and make 2004 the bicentenary of Tasmania." Mr Hidding said the Liberal Party had been inundated with calls from Tasmanians furious at the Government's rewriting of the state's history.
Friday, February 20, 2004
Not too bright
This wasn't too bright. Arresting and charging the 14 year old girlfriend of the young man who died in Redfern on Sunday. The girl was picked up for swearing but that charge wasn't pursued but resisting police was. Great fodder for the media.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
A Merciful Judge
A school girl hung her head and cried in court yesterday as the judge decided that her ex-boyfriend was not guilty of attempted murder - despite the fact he had calmly and deliberately aimed and shot her through the chest with a crossbow and then threw a bottle of lighted petrol at her. The bolt sliced straight through the girl's chest and pinned both legs of another schoolgirl sitting nearby.
The judge, not wishing to upset the boy, said: "I do not conclude that he had decided to kill anyone. One reason why the accused chose the most expensive and powerful crossbow in the range and used the broadhead (razor-tip) bolts was to scare (his ex-girlfriend)."
The student victims are very disappointed with the outcome," a police spokesman said.
The judge, not wishing to upset the boy, said: "I do not conclude that he had decided to kill anyone. One reason why the accused chose the most expensive and powerful crossbow in the range and used the broadhead (razor-tip) bolts was to scare (his ex-girlfriend)."
The student victims are very disappointed with the outcome," a police spokesman said.
Mark Latham's School Admissions
A few weeks ago, Mark Latham defended public schooling. He and the ALP denounced the Prime Minister John Howard's assessment that parents were fleeing with their children to private schools because the public schools are too politically correct and values-neutral.
Today, Mark Latham laments a crisis in masculinity for boys who he said were struggling because of a lack of old-fashioned "muscle jobs" and a decline in social and personal relationships ... Our boys are suffering from a crisis of masculinity. As blue-collar muscle jobs have declined, their identity and relationships have become blurred and confused," he said.
For years the public school system has led the slide, groaning under the Left leaning weight of the State ALP governments and their affiliated Teachers Unions. Male primary school teachers are all but a thing of the past yet Latham laments that boys needed the "steadying influence and discipline" of male role models. Each year until recently there were fewer male teachers. Things are improving slightly as we recover from the politically correct 90's but only the hardiest would wish to endure the still politically correct atmosphere and suspicions that permeate the school staff room.
Visitor Comment: A key reason why any male teacher would have rocks in his head to teach primary school is the risk of a false accusation of sexual molestation. The best revenge weapon for that certain type of young miss ever invented. I know male teachers who have finally been fully vindicated, but have been personally and professionally destroyed forever by such a charge. - OS
Today, Mark Latham laments a crisis in masculinity for boys who he said were struggling because of a lack of old-fashioned "muscle jobs" and a decline in social and personal relationships ... Our boys are suffering from a crisis of masculinity. As blue-collar muscle jobs have declined, their identity and relationships have become blurred and confused," he said.
For years the public school system has led the slide, groaning under the Left leaning weight of the State ALP governments and their affiliated Teachers Unions. Male primary school teachers are all but a thing of the past yet Latham laments that boys needed the "steadying influence and discipline" of male role models. Each year until recently there were fewer male teachers. Things are improving slightly as we recover from the politically correct 90's but only the hardiest would wish to endure the still politically correct atmosphere and suspicions that permeate the school staff room.
Visitor Comment: A key reason why any male teacher would have rocks in his head to teach primary school is the risk of a false accusation of sexual molestation. The best revenge weapon for that certain type of young miss ever invented. I know male teachers who have finally been fully vindicated, but have been personally and professionally destroyed forever by such a charge. - OS
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
BACK FLIP !!
In an astonishing ($4 Billion Dollar per annum) BACKFLIP ALP Mark Latham has made the admission to reporters that he may now support the Free Trade Agreement with the USA. Last week he confessed he would consider blocking any necessary legislation.
Just ten days ago Mr Latham postured for the media and said Labor could not support the agreement based on what had been released publicly. "If we were asked to vote on it today or in the parliament tomorrow we would be opposing it," he said. "This is not a free trade agreement, it is not a free trade agreement at all, it's a partial trade agreement that from our assessment this morning is not in Australia's interest."
After getting his fifteen minutes in front of the cameras denouncing the FTA with great and serious fanfare the true position emerges. Mark Latham does in fact believe that the FTA is good for Australia. It's just unpleasant for his followers to know that it was the Liberal Federal government that secured the deal but the ALP can extract some publicity by deflecting the focus onto sugar [ and gramaphones - Ed.].
On the day the FTA was announced, Mr Latham said Labor would oppose the deal as it was not in the national interest because it had sold out sugar, beef and dairy farmers. Today Mr Latham said, however, that if it could be proved the deal would be a boost to Australia, then Labor may reconsider its position. "If at the end of the day it's in Australia's national interest then of course the way is open (to support the deal)," he said at the National Press Club. Hmmm, that sounds responsible.
Mark Latham appears to be re-inventing himself to prepare for his upcoming trip to America where he will probably find all doors are closed to him.
Just ten days ago Mr Latham postured for the media and said Labor could not support the agreement based on what had been released publicly. "If we were asked to vote on it today or in the parliament tomorrow we would be opposing it," he said. "This is not a free trade agreement, it is not a free trade agreement at all, it's a partial trade agreement that from our assessment this morning is not in Australia's interest."
After getting his fifteen minutes in front of the cameras denouncing the FTA with great and serious fanfare the true position emerges. Mark Latham does in fact believe that the FTA is good for Australia. It's just unpleasant for his followers to know that it was the Liberal Federal government that secured the deal but the ALP can extract some publicity by deflecting the focus onto sugar [ and gramaphones - Ed.].
On the day the FTA was announced, Mr Latham said Labor would oppose the deal as it was not in the national interest because it had sold out sugar, beef and dairy farmers. Today Mr Latham said, however, that if it could be proved the deal would be a boost to Australia, then Labor may reconsider its position. "If at the end of the day it's in Australia's national interest then of course the way is open (to support the deal)," he said at the National Press Club. Hmmm, that sounds responsible.
Mark Latham appears to be re-inventing himself to prepare for his upcoming trip to America where he will probably find all doors are closed to him.
Australia's Top Sheikh Calls For a Jihad
The Mufti of Australia and New Zeland (the ANZAC Sheik), Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali, has nipped off overseas to unwind and has been sermonising a bit in Lebanon. According to MEMRI, relaxing among mates the Mufti praised Islamic suicide bombers and called for a holy war against Israel.
Recognising that these comments aren't received by the public in Australia in quite the same way as in Lebanon: Keysar Trad, spokesperson in Sydney for the holy man said MEMRI had taken the Muslim leader out of context "The Mufti is a proponent of peace and peaceful solutions to any conflict" Trad told ABC radio.
The Sheikh is considered a moderate here in Australia but he got into trouble in the 90's when he first came to Australia speaking in Arabic to his audience he excited Sydney muslims with some of his old favorite sermons. Said the Mufti: "Jews are the underlying cause of all wars ... who use sex and abominable acts of buggery to control the world". When a series of inflammatory remarks found their way into the news media the Hawke government tried to deport him but was prevented by strong lobbying from within the NSW and Federal sections of the Party. Then Kaysar Trad was appointed the Mufti's spokesman and all went quiet. They've been a good team ever since.
Sheikh Alhilali may just be politicking a bit. He's due for "re-election" in June or July. There's a lot at stake. Over the next few months there will be serious jockeying for control of the Lakemba Mosque as it braces for management committee elections scheduled for June. At stake is the title of "community leader" with full access to the ears of media and government. Also at stake is the degree of moderation within the mosque. Observers expect a power struggle between a coalition of young firebrand sheikhs, including Sheikh Shady el-Souleiman whose impassioned sermons can be heard at the United Muslim Association in Lakemba, and Sheikh Feiz Mohamad, who teaches at the nearby Global Islamic Youth Centre. They are expected to challenge the older generation who support Sheikh Hilaly, a leading moderate. "There is no doubt we would like to see him out of there," one member of the coalition says of Sheikh Hilaly..
In the MEMRI report the Mufti explains to his cobbers in Lebanon how much he has learned of Australian society in the decade that he has lived here. The Sheikh says: "...More dangerous yet are the sex education classes in the schools. In the West, the society is divided, generally speaking, into different parts in accordance with how interesting they are. First comes caring for dogs and cats. In second place is the woman, and in third place is the child, and in fourth place is the male."
Other notable quotes include:
"...In Australia, which unlike the West and the U.S. is multicultural, the media are less racist in their enmity to Muslims and Islam. This is evidenced by the fact that we won the last media battle in Australia and succeeded in forcing the Australian people to treat us with respect. We have not suffered from persecution or disrespect to the same extent that Islamic communities in Western countries and in America have suffered."
"...The events of September 11th in the U.S. caused a revolutionary change in the military and defensive balance of power in the world, and all the world must reexamine their considerations in light of these developments"
Recognising that these comments aren't received by the public in Australia in quite the same way as in Lebanon: Keysar Trad, spokesperson in Sydney for the holy man said MEMRI had taken the Muslim leader out of context "The Mufti is a proponent of peace and peaceful solutions to any conflict" Trad told ABC radio.
The Sheikh is considered a moderate here in Australia but he got into trouble in the 90's when he first came to Australia speaking in Arabic to his audience he excited Sydney muslims with some of his old favorite sermons. Said the Mufti: "Jews are the underlying cause of all wars ... who use sex and abominable acts of buggery to control the world". When a series of inflammatory remarks found their way into the news media the Hawke government tried to deport him but was prevented by strong lobbying from within the NSW and Federal sections of the Party. Then Kaysar Trad was appointed the Mufti's spokesman and all went quiet. They've been a good team ever since.
Sheikh Alhilali may just be politicking a bit. He's due for "re-election" in June or July. There's a lot at stake. Over the next few months there will be serious jockeying for control of the Lakemba Mosque as it braces for management committee elections scheduled for June. At stake is the title of "community leader" with full access to the ears of media and government. Also at stake is the degree of moderation within the mosque. Observers expect a power struggle between a coalition of young firebrand sheikhs, including Sheikh Shady el-Souleiman whose impassioned sermons can be heard at the United Muslim Association in Lakemba, and Sheikh Feiz Mohamad, who teaches at the nearby Global Islamic Youth Centre. They are expected to challenge the older generation who support Sheikh Hilaly, a leading moderate. "There is no doubt we would like to see him out of there," one member of the coalition says of Sheikh Hilaly..
In the MEMRI report the Mufti explains to his cobbers in Lebanon how much he has learned of Australian society in the decade that he has lived here. The Sheikh says: "...More dangerous yet are the sex education classes in the schools. In the West, the society is divided, generally speaking, into different parts in accordance with how interesting they are. First comes caring for dogs and cats. In second place is the woman, and in third place is the child, and in fourth place is the male."
Other notable quotes include:
"...In Australia, which unlike the West and the U.S. is multicultural, the media are less racist in their enmity to Muslims and Islam. This is evidenced by the fact that we won the last media battle in Australia and succeeded in forcing the Australian people to treat us with respect. We have not suffered from persecution or disrespect to the same extent that Islamic communities in Western countries and in America have suffered."
"...The events of September 11th in the U.S. caused a revolutionary change in the military and defensive balance of power in the world, and all the world must reexamine their considerations in light of these developments"
Tim Blair's Question Time of the ABC Goes to Parliament
Questions are being asked in the House following Tim Blair's revelations in the Bulletin. Tim's sources revealed a memo from an ABC boss that tries to define for ABC staff just who is and who is not a terrorist. Unfortunately and typically for the ABC the memo gets it politically correct but actually wrong. The memo instructs journalists that no matter how often an organisation deliberately targets and blows up civilians that organisation must not be described as terrorist until the UN gets around to listing it on its official list of terrorist organisations. So ABC management has directed its staff to ignore their own good sense and the advice of the Australian public and the government, only to heed the advice of that unelected foreign body.
In the Senate Inquiry Biffer Balding was asked tough questions by Senator Santoro about the memo but also questioned Balding about the Media Watch presenter David Marr's spin on the Hutton Inquiry and about his editorialising on the show in general.
The Senator asked: "Is it appropriate in your view that he is allowed to continue to use the program as a publicly funded soapbox for his personal views?"
Hear, Hear!
While he's asking such good questions of David Marr the good Senator should please ask some more, in particular concerning Marr's obstinate refusal to critique any of his good buddies on the Left and Phillip Adam's outrageous distortions in particular as uncovered by the persistent and now sober Professor Bunyip.
Predictions from the Gnu Hunter:
1) Marr will be made more accountable and will cover the Adams stories and others like it or else he will lose Media Watch. The issue may be resolved by the blogosphere: the charge lead by Tim Blair.
2) The Gastrapod will also be restrained. If Adams is not restrained by his editors to cease his consistent paraphrasing of the New York Times Review of Books and if he is allowed to continue manufacturing quotes purporting to be said by people, when they in fact said no such thing, then Adams will go the way of Jayson Blair of the NYT and will eventually have to quit but only after much embarrassment for the Australian. The issue may be resolved by the blogosphere: the charge lead by Professor Bunyip.
Update: Tim Blair and James Morrow have created a backgrounder for the Institute of Public Affairs that describes the broad scope of the ABC's Iraq War coverage and the bias therein. Tim has been busy! Most unfortunately, the item is not available to read online. If we ask him nice enough maybe he'll post some of the juicier bits for us. Go to Tim's website now and post a comment demanding satisfaction.
In the Senate Inquiry Biffer Balding was asked tough questions by Senator Santoro about the memo but also questioned Balding about the Media Watch presenter David Marr's spin on the Hutton Inquiry and about his editorialising on the show in general.
The Senator asked: "Is it appropriate in your view that he is allowed to continue to use the program as a publicly funded soapbox for his personal views?"
Hear, Hear!
While he's asking such good questions of David Marr the good Senator should please ask some more, in particular concerning Marr's obstinate refusal to critique any of his good buddies on the Left and Phillip Adam's outrageous distortions in particular as uncovered by the persistent and now sober Professor Bunyip.
Predictions from the Gnu Hunter:
1) Marr will be made more accountable and will cover the Adams stories and others like it or else he will lose Media Watch. The issue may be resolved by the blogosphere: the charge lead by Tim Blair.
2) The Gastrapod will also be restrained. If Adams is not restrained by his editors to cease his consistent paraphrasing of the New York Times Review of Books and if he is allowed to continue manufacturing quotes purporting to be said by people, when they in fact said no such thing, then Adams will go the way of Jayson Blair of the NYT and will eventually have to quit but only after much embarrassment for the Australian. The issue may be resolved by the blogosphere: the charge lead by Professor Bunyip.
Update: Tim Blair and James Morrow have created a backgrounder for the Institute of Public Affairs that describes the broad scope of the ABC's Iraq War coverage and the bias therein. Tim has been busy! Most unfortunately, the item is not available to read online. If we ask him nice enough maybe he'll post some of the juicier bits for us. Go to Tim's website now and post a comment demanding satisfaction.
Telstra Tries to Buy Fairfax and the Sydney Morning Herald !
What a combination. Margo Kingston featuring prominently on the Telstra Bigpond Website, telephones that would only work if you put them to your Left ear, Phil Adams talk shows and home-movies of Margo's many holiday's on Foxtel every night. The mind boggles at the fearsome hybrid such a beast would become. It's lucky the deal fell through last week even before it started.
"A REPORT that Telstra had considered a plan to take over the $3.5 billion Fairfax newspaper group illustrated the need for full privatisation of the telco, Prime Minister John Howard said today."
"A REPORT that Telstra had considered a plan to take over the $3.5 billion Fairfax newspaper group illustrated the need for full privatisation of the telco, Prime Minister John Howard said today."
$1 Million Tax Bill for the Riot in Another Country
The tax bill from Redfern local's Big Night Out will top $1 million. This is in addition to all the other assistance that will now be poured into the place to appease the mob.
Three days before the much publicised riot (and the excuse for it) another less publicised riot occurred in Redfern: Around 15 locals surrounded the officers and tried to pull the arrested man away from them. One officer was pushed to the ground and dragged by three men as onlookers shouted "get their guns". Members of the group made a grab for both officers' weapons. The constable managed to keep his firearm, but an unidentified man grabbed the sergeant's gun from his holster and pointed the muzzle into the officer's stomach. The sergeant hit the man and grabbed his weapon back. Police then called a "signal one" - the most serious call for backup - but it allegedly was not received by the radio room. The officers, neither of who were injured, eventually dragged the suspect away from the mob and arrested him. According to one officer, criminals being pursued by police routinely seek out safe haven in the Block. "Once they've gone into the Block it's like they've crossed the border into another country," the officer said.
Three days before the much publicised riot (and the excuse for it) another less publicised riot occurred in Redfern: Around 15 locals surrounded the officers and tried to pull the arrested man away from them. One officer was pushed to the ground and dragged by three men as onlookers shouted "get their guns". Members of the group made a grab for both officers' weapons. The constable managed to keep his firearm, but an unidentified man grabbed the sergeant's gun from his holster and pointed the muzzle into the officer's stomach. The sergeant hit the man and grabbed his weapon back. Police then called a "signal one" - the most serious call for backup - but it allegedly was not received by the radio room. The officers, neither of who were injured, eventually dragged the suspect away from the mob and arrested him. According to one officer, criminals being pursued by police routinely seek out safe haven in the Block. "Once they've gone into the Block it's like they've crossed the border into another country," the officer said.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
The Real Causes of the Redfern Riot
In Redfern last Thursday, 3 days before the excuse occurred for Sunday's riot, police attempting to arrest a heroin dealer were assaulted by a mob of hoods. Tensions are always high in Redfern as the police try to keep a lid on the violence and drug dealing. During the confrontation one officer had his gun taken from his holster and it was pointed at his stomach but he broke free and retrieved his weapon. The latte set who blame the police for Sunday's riot might have second thoughts if they went for a walk with their children through the streets of Redfern one Saturday night. Meanwhile there is little discussion in the Opinion Pages of the media about a) the inflammatory posters printed and put up around Redfern in the hours prior to the riot and b) the many outside participants who turned up to participate in the riot and c) the tensions between the Elders who tried to quell the riot versus the Elders that continued to spur it on.
Update: NSW politicians are jockeying to see which Party will bulldoze the Block first.
In December 1972 squatters moved into empty terrace houses and the Aboriginal Housing Company was formed. With $530,000 from the Whitlam government, the company bought the first 29 houses. This venture led to a tripling of the Aboriginal population in Redfern between 1976 and 1981. But by the 1980s, the failure of the block was patent. The company decided it had become a ghetto and had to be redeveloped. The company in turn has been accused of poor management and lack of consultation. The national estate database goes so far as to say: "Residents have described the block as the black heart of Australia, and the destruction of their connection with the block (is) seen as aiding and abetting genocide."
Update: NSW politicians are jockeying to see which Party will bulldoze the Block first.
In December 1972 squatters moved into empty terrace houses and the Aboriginal Housing Company was formed. With $530,000 from the Whitlam government, the company bought the first 29 houses. This venture led to a tripling of the Aboriginal population in Redfern between 1976 and 1981. But by the 1980s, the failure of the block was patent. The company decided it had become a ghetto and had to be redeveloped. The company in turn has been accused of poor management and lack of consultation. The national estate database goes so far as to say: "Residents have described the block as the black heart of Australia, and the destruction of their connection with the block (is) seen as aiding and abetting genocide."
Will Senator Ridgeway Apologise and Organise a "Sorry Day" for Police?
Aden Ridgeway has sided with the denizens of the block and has attacked the Carr government over its handling of the case.
Senator Ridgeway says reports Thomas sped off on his pushbike after seeing a patrol car revealed a fear of police.
The Gnu Hunter thinks that if he was fleeing police then perhaps it was due to the seventeen year old's guilt over the warrant out for his arrest over an apprehended violence order.
"In that particular case, I think that it really is indicative of the poor relationship that exists between the Redfern Aboriginal community and the local police service," he said.
And the Senators intervention is going to help? The Senator has not condemned the riot. How about intervening Senator, to break the cycle of heroin and alcohol abuse and the trade in heroin that is the Block's only industry? How about joining with John Brogden to level the Block and establish parkland? Years of this continued partisan politicking have perpetuated the existence of the Block and the blight on society that it is.
Whether or not the witnesses are correct who say that the police were not near the young man when he hit the pavement with his bike wheel and flipped up onto the fence; the question is will the Senator apologise and organise a "Sorry Day" for the rioters to reconcile with the 40 police and as many aboriginal bystanders that they injured in their drunken wake.
Senator Ridgeway says reports Thomas sped off on his pushbike after seeing a patrol car revealed a fear of police.
The Gnu Hunter thinks that if he was fleeing police then perhaps it was due to the seventeen year old's guilt over the warrant out for his arrest over an apprehended violence order.
"In that particular case, I think that it really is indicative of the poor relationship that exists between the Redfern Aboriginal community and the local police service," he said.
And the Senators intervention is going to help? The Senator has not condemned the riot. How about intervening Senator, to break the cycle of heroin and alcohol abuse and the trade in heroin that is the Block's only industry? How about joining with John Brogden to level the Block and establish parkland? Years of this continued partisan politicking have perpetuated the existence of the Block and the blight on society that it is.
Whether or not the witnesses are correct who say that the police were not near the young man when he hit the pavement with his bike wheel and flipped up onto the fence; the question is will the Senator apologise and organise a "Sorry Day" for the rioters to reconcile with the 40 police and as many aboriginal bystanders that they injured in their drunken wake.
Monday, February 16, 2004
Amazon Glitch - Authors are Promoting their Own Books
A malfunction on the Amazon (Booksellers) website has revealed the true names of persons giving glowing online reviews of the books on sale. In many cases the authors themselves masquerading as "a reader from your_town_here" deliver glowing tributes to their "masterful", "brilliant" or "can't put it down" books.
Senator Ridgeway (Democrats) Implies Police At Fault
The State Government's response to an outcry in the Aboriginal community over the death has been condemned by the Aboriginal Senator Aden Ridgeway. Senator Ridgeway says reports Thomas sped off on his pushbike after seeing a patrol car revealed a fear of police.
If he was fleeing police then perhaps it was the seventeen year old Thomas' guilt over the warrant out for his arrest over an apprehended violence order in the north-western NSW town of Walgett, for which he failed to attend court. If a villain is fleeing police and avoiding arrest over a warrant and said villain accidentally kills himself by riding his bicycle into a metal fence who is at fault but the villain himself?
Perhaps these 150 weapon, stone, stick and bottle throwing rioters at this pub in the Northern Territory were venting anger at police over the young thug's demise. Although they seem not have been concerned about it and curiously, police were not in attendance at the scene until after the spearing, one of the other, had begun.
Senator Ridgeway needs to condemn these riots and use his influence and prestige as an educated and influential aboriginal in a position of power to put an end to this open sore that is the Redfern Block.
If he was fleeing police then perhaps it was the seventeen year old Thomas' guilt over the warrant out for his arrest over an apprehended violence order in the north-western NSW town of Walgett, for which he failed to attend court. If a villain is fleeing police and avoiding arrest over a warrant and said villain accidentally kills himself by riding his bicycle into a metal fence who is at fault but the villain himself?
Perhaps these 150 weapon, stone, stick and bottle throwing rioters at this pub in the Northern Territory were venting anger at police over the young thug's demise. Although they seem not have been concerned about it and curiously, police were not in attendance at the scene until after the spearing, one of the other, had begun.
Senator Ridgeway needs to condemn these riots and use his influence and prestige as an educated and influential aboriginal in a position of power to put an end to this open sore that is the Redfern Block.
Redfern Riot
Always on the lookout for a good excuse to riot the denizens of Redfern in Sydney found one when a seventeen year old youth riding his bicycle impaled himself on a metal fence as a police car drove near by. "A pedestrian flagged down passing police and directed them to the injured boy. The teenager was impaled through the chest and neck, according to Insp Emery, and had convulsions at the scene." The police covered in blood tried desperately and selflessly to save the youth but to no avail. Initial media reports yesterday implicated the police in chasing the boy on his bike until he impaled himself on a fence.
Redfern is one of Sydney's several no-go areas where sovereignty has apparently been relinquished to multiculturalism. For example: Cabramatta (Vietnamese), Lakemba (Arab) and Redfern (Aboriginal). Some taxi drivers will not take you through or near Redfern at night and others not by day. A few years ago police were not allowed to go near it for fear of "inflaming tensions" until sense prevailed and policing resumed.
"It happened yesterday afternoon or last night and it's just that everybody has 'gone off' because they believe the coppers are involved in doing away with the young fellow." Local resident Donna says people are angry because they believe police are responsible for the teenager's death. "He was murdered," she said.
Redfern would have been a nice place to live a long time ago but the Left has resisted every attempt to rejuvenate the place so as to keep this icon of squalor as one of their self-serving symbols and to retain a ready supply of disaffected youth.
Youths used wheelie bins full of paving stones and tubs of beer bottles to pelt officers during a riot in inner-Sydney's Redfern overnight, sparked by a youth's death, police said today. One officer was knocked out when a brick hit him in the head, while other police suffered broken limbs. About 40 officers were injured when 100 youths took to the streets of Redfern armed with bricks, bottles and Molotov cocktails. They torched Redfern railway station, burnt out a car and smashed windows.
All this will be more grist for the mill for the far Left to claim all sorts of travesties and to recruit more nitwits to their causes.
Update: It is disturbing news that tensions escalated dramatically after these Wanted posters calling police "murderers" were printed up by someone and pasted all over the Block prior to the riot. In a sensible move, Opposition Leader John Brogden has recommended that the Block be demolished.
Redfern is one of Sydney's several no-go areas where sovereignty has apparently been relinquished to multiculturalism. For example: Cabramatta (Vietnamese), Lakemba (Arab) and Redfern (Aboriginal). Some taxi drivers will not take you through or near Redfern at night and others not by day. A few years ago police were not allowed to go near it for fear of "inflaming tensions" until sense prevailed and policing resumed.
"It happened yesterday afternoon or last night and it's just that everybody has 'gone off' because they believe the coppers are involved in doing away with the young fellow." Local resident Donna says people are angry because they believe police are responsible for the teenager's death. "He was murdered," she said.
Redfern would have been a nice place to live a long time ago but the Left has resisted every attempt to rejuvenate the place so as to keep this icon of squalor as one of their self-serving symbols and to retain a ready supply of disaffected youth.
Youths used wheelie bins full of paving stones and tubs of beer bottles to pelt officers during a riot in inner-Sydney's Redfern overnight, sparked by a youth's death, police said today. One officer was knocked out when a brick hit him in the head, while other police suffered broken limbs. About 40 officers were injured when 100 youths took to the streets of Redfern armed with bricks, bottles and Molotov cocktails. They torched Redfern railway station, burnt out a car and smashed windows.
All this will be more grist for the mill for the far Left to claim all sorts of travesties and to recruit more nitwits to their causes.
Update: It is disturbing news that tensions escalated dramatically after these Wanted posters calling police "murderers" were printed up by someone and pasted all over the Block prior to the riot. In a sensible move, Opposition Leader John Brogden has recommended that the Block be demolished.
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Tampa the Musical.
Ms Sammy Ringer has a story to tell that is so serious she says, "It could only be told as musical satire." The serial activist and "script writer" has cobbled together the idea for a television show which hopefully will be ready in the nick of time for the next election. Ms Ringer, who somehow also finds time to campaign hither and thither against the detention of refugees "...sincerely hopes it will embarrass Prime Minister John Howard." It's a "...one-hour "Gilbert and Sullivan punk rock opera TV extravaganza" on the controversial Tampa affair."
It's surprising to this humble Gnu Hunter that someone so busy with refugee activist this and screen writing that can find the time and the money.
For many hours the Gnu Hunter tracked the spoor of this creature when all of a sudden there in a clearing on a Google page was this parliamentary Question on Notice to the Queensland ALP Labor Government:
Grants from the Revolving Film Finance Fund (no serious, that's its name).
Project Development Sammy Ringer $4,240
Project Development Sammy Ringer $13,000
Project Development Sammy Ringer $1,000
Now I'm not saying that this is the same Sammy Ringer. How are we to know? But whoever is getting that cash from the ALP government it's money well spent don't you think? Especially with the Federal election this year.
It's surprising to this humble Gnu Hunter that someone so busy with refugee activist this and screen writing that can find the time and the money.
For many hours the Gnu Hunter tracked the spoor of this creature when all of a sudden there in a clearing on a Google page was this parliamentary Question on Notice to the Queensland ALP Labor Government:
Grants from the Revolving Film Finance Fund (no serious, that's its name).
Project Development Sammy Ringer $4,240
Project Development Sammy Ringer $13,000
Project Development Sammy Ringer $1,000
Now I'm not saying that this is the same Sammy Ringer. How are we to know? But whoever is getting that cash from the ALP government it's money well spent don't you think? Especially with the Federal election this year.
What is a Man? What is Male?
I really don't think this is fair to sportswomen that a person born a man can have his bits cut off and then play in professional women's sport and make money.
The common (in the media) assertion is that by having his 'nads removed a man becomes a woman. What utter nonsense.
Every cell in this guy's body is male. He has an X chromosome and he has a Y chromosome. A woman has two X chromosomes and has no Y chromosome. This is the sex determiner. No matter that he's cut off his gonads and no matter how many chemicals he injects himself with he is still male. Furthermore the fact that his body has, for most of his life, grown under the influence of male hormones and continues to have a Y chromosome his muscles and bones are stronger than they would otherwise have been and every part of him has been male influenced. He will still retain much of his male physical advantage regardless of what has happened to him surgically or chemically.
And what really iritates me is that if one spoke these words publicly one would be hounded for sex discrimination.
In today's modern world we have people that think that they've been abducted by aliens. We have people who think themselves to be aliens. Just because some guy thinks he's a fish shouldn't mean that I'm required by law to call him Nemo.
The common (in the media) assertion is that by having his 'nads removed a man becomes a woman. What utter nonsense.
Every cell in this guy's body is male. He has an X chromosome and he has a Y chromosome. A woman has two X chromosomes and has no Y chromosome. This is the sex determiner. No matter that he's cut off his gonads and no matter how many chemicals he injects himself with he is still male. Furthermore the fact that his body has, for most of his life, grown under the influence of male hormones and continues to have a Y chromosome his muscles and bones are stronger than they would otherwise have been and every part of him has been male influenced. He will still retain much of his male physical advantage regardless of what has happened to him surgically or chemically.
And what really iritates me is that if one spoke these words publicly one would be hounded for sex discrimination.
In today's modern world we have people that think that they've been abducted by aliens. We have people who think themselves to be aliens. Just because some guy thinks he's a fish shouldn't mean that I'm required by law to call him Nemo.
Teacher's Unions Say Vote Labor
The AETU Teachers union will spend millions of dollars of members' funds on a campaign to favor the ALP in the Federal election. Members should be disturbed by this flagrant electioneering and use of their money to promote the policies of the ALP. This move is an immediate response to the PM John Howard's recent criticisms of the public school systems that are run by the ALP governments and dominated by ALP affiliated unions in all States.
John Howard commented that kids are moving in droves out of the public system and into the private school system. Howard said that to some extent this was because parents were moving their kids to private schools which taught "values". For years the public school system has groaned under the Left leaning weight of the unions and Labor governments so busy with social engineering and indoctrination that they have failed to notice that now 33% of children have moved to private school education. This trend is only likely to continue while Labor governments and Left dominated unions control public school education.
It is only fair that the children forced out of public education should take their taxpayer funding with them.
Funding of public schools is a State (i.e. Labor government) responsibility.
Funding of private schools is a Federal (Liberal) government responsibility.
If they believe funding of State schools is low then surely the union's campaign should be directed at their pals in all of the State (Labor) governments? No, instead there will be a teacher-funded ideological attack on the Federal (i.e. Liberal) government in direct response to the PM's comments.
New South Wales Teachers Federation president Maree O'Halloran says they are starting the advertising campaign to highlight the amount of money going to private schools.
Correct, Maree. You are not highlighting all the money going to public schools from State governments.
In addition to the money that the Federal government gives to private schools the government also gives top-up money to the States for public schools despite the fact that public school funding is a State responsibility.
So, per head, the aim of the Federal government is that students in any school (public or private) will be get a fair share of money from all governments.
For the unions to compare the money that the Federal government gives to a State school with the money it gives to a private school of the same size is a member funded disingenous deception of the public.
There is a simple solution to the union's concerns. Stop the decline in values and address the Left leaning social re-engineering of public school education so that parents don't need to flee with their kids to the private schools.
John Howard commented that kids are moving in droves out of the public system and into the private school system. Howard said that to some extent this was because parents were moving their kids to private schools which taught "values". For years the public school system has groaned under the Left leaning weight of the unions and Labor governments so busy with social engineering and indoctrination that they have failed to notice that now 33% of children have moved to private school education. This trend is only likely to continue while Labor governments and Left dominated unions control public school education.
It is only fair that the children forced out of public education should take their taxpayer funding with them.
Funding of public schools is a State (i.e. Labor government) responsibility.
Funding of private schools is a Federal (Liberal) government responsibility.
If they believe funding of State schools is low then surely the union's campaign should be directed at their pals in all of the State (Labor) governments? No, instead there will be a teacher-funded ideological attack on the Federal (i.e. Liberal) government in direct response to the PM's comments.
New South Wales Teachers Federation president Maree O'Halloran says they are starting the advertising campaign to highlight the amount of money going to private schools.
Correct, Maree. You are not highlighting all the money going to public schools from State governments.
In addition to the money that the Federal government gives to private schools the government also gives top-up money to the States for public schools despite the fact that public school funding is a State responsibility.
So, per head, the aim of the Federal government is that students in any school (public or private) will be get a fair share of money from all governments.
For the unions to compare the money that the Federal government gives to a State school with the money it gives to a private school of the same size is a member funded disingenous deception of the public.
There is a simple solution to the union's concerns. Stop the decline in values and address the Left leaning social re-engineering of public school education so that parents don't need to flee with their kids to the private schools.
Adelaide Gets 44.4 Degree Heat.
Adelaide, the state capital with a reputation for Australia's most mild weather, recorded a maximum temperature yesterday of 44.4 degrees Celcius (that's 112 Fahrenheit ! ). It's stinkin' hot.
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Professor Bunyip vs Phillip Adams
Professor Bunyip goes for the jugular on Phillip Adams as only the professor can. Read the erudite professor's review of Adams' confection. He catches Adams red handed.
The gist of the Professor's complaint is that not only does Adams regularly, shamelessly and with impunity paraphrase stories from the "New York Review of Books" but in Saturday's Australian Adams actually confects a quote that he attributes to George Bush. Simple folk like Gnu Hunters would read Adams quotes and his conclusions and take them at face value.
Writes Adams: Here’s an extract from Bush’s State of the Union message, January 2003: "Iraq has 500 tonnes of chemical weapons, 25,000 litres of anthrax, 38,000 litres of botulinum toxin, 30,000 prohibited bombs and warheads . . . the British Government has learnt that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
Nonsense. Bush did not say what Adams purports him to say. Go read the Professor's fisking of Adams and then send a complaint to the Editors at the Australian.
The gist of the Professor's complaint is that not only does Adams regularly, shamelessly and with impunity paraphrase stories from the "New York Review of Books" but in Saturday's Australian Adams actually confects a quote that he attributes to George Bush. Simple folk like Gnu Hunters would read Adams quotes and his conclusions and take them at face value.
Writes Adams: Here’s an extract from Bush’s State of the Union message, January 2003: "Iraq has 500 tonnes of chemical weapons, 25,000 litres of anthrax, 38,000 litres of botulinum toxin, 30,000 prohibited bombs and warheads . . . the British Government has learnt that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
Nonsense. Bush did not say what Adams purports him to say. Go read the Professor's fisking of Adams and then send a complaint to the Editors at the Australian.
Shanghai Donations to the ALP from Australia's Own Least Known Entrepreneurs
"China's new rich are starting to invest in Australian political parties as well as real estate. Hamish McDonald meets one of the Labor Party's biggest donors in Shanghai ... Xu Rongmao, of the Shimao Holdings property group, who gave the branch $100,000."
"...Shimao's $100,000 donation to the ALP, made a month before the state election in March last year, came about as a result of a visit to Shanghai by the Premier, Bob Carr. The Xu family (who also use the Hong Kong-Cantonese version of their surname, Hui) helped show him around..."
"...All the Xu family hold Australian passports, resulting from their time as business migrants to Darwin starting in 1990, when Xu snr decided to move from Hong Kong, where he had been in stockbroking and then a smallish garment-manufacturing business..."
"...The 53-year-old Xu ranks third on Hoogewerf's current rich list, with a fortune estimated at more than $1 billion. A fellow Australian passport holder and Shanghai developer, Eddie Ye Lipei, ranks fifth with assets of $730 million..."
"...While he cultivates the ALP, Xu Rongmao also has impeccable links to the Chinese Communist Party. Next month he will be in Beijing for the annual meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a prestigious if powerless body that includes many of the business, academic and other figures regarded as reliable sources of advice by the communist leadership..."
"...An Australian in Beijing's corridors of power? Not exactly. Xu sits in the conference as part of the delegation from Hong Kong, where he also has citizenship..."
"...Shimao's $100,000 donation to the ALP, made a month before the state election in March last year, came about as a result of a visit to Shanghai by the Premier, Bob Carr. The Xu family (who also use the Hong Kong-Cantonese version of their surname, Hui) helped show him around..."
"...All the Xu family hold Australian passports, resulting from their time as business migrants to Darwin starting in 1990, when Xu snr decided to move from Hong Kong, where he had been in stockbroking and then a smallish garment-manufacturing business..."
"...The 53-year-old Xu ranks third on Hoogewerf's current rich list, with a fortune estimated at more than $1 billion. A fellow Australian passport holder and Shanghai developer, Eddie Ye Lipei, ranks fifth with assets of $730 million..."
"...While he cultivates the ALP, Xu Rongmao also has impeccable links to the Chinese Communist Party. Next month he will be in Beijing for the annual meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a prestigious if powerless body that includes many of the business, academic and other figures regarded as reliable sources of advice by the communist leadership..."
"...An Australian in Beijing's corridors of power? Not exactly. Xu sits in the conference as part of the delegation from Hong Kong, where he also has citizenship..."
Iraq Suicide Bombings
US authorities say that this man, a Jordanian national who lost a leg in a US missile strike on his Afghanistan military base, is a mastermind behind the bombing campaign in Iraq. In an intercepted letter Abu Musab al-Zarqawi appears to share his plans for igniting sectarian conflict in Iraq as a means of undermining the US presence there. He claims to have already undertaken 25 successful attacks against the US.
Yeeeeaaargggh! That's Funny.
IowaHawk blogged this days ago but I only just read it today. It's quite funny. Mocking Howard Dean's departure from the race for US Presidency and his "I have a Scream" speech. "We're gonna go to South Caroline and Oklahomah..... and .... and ... and..." and now he's no longer running...
WE'RE GOING TO THE BATHROOM, AND TO THE KITCHEN FOR A CUP OF COFFEE, AND READ THE PAPER! THEN WE'RE GOING TO HOME DEPOT AND THE POST OFFICE! AND THE BANK TO DEPOSIT THE REBATE CHECK FOR THE CELL PHONE! AND JIFFY LUBE AND CHIPOTLE FOR A BURRITO! THEN WE'RE COMING BACK HOME TO CHECK OUR VOICE MESSAGES AND CHANGE THE CAT LITTER AND WATCH WHEEL OF FORTUNE!!! AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT?! YOU KNOW WHAT?! WE'RE GOING TO BLOCKBUSTER TO TAKE BACK THE OVERDUE VIDEOS!!!!
YEEEEEAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!
WE'RE GOING TO THE BATHROOM, AND TO THE KITCHEN FOR A CUP OF COFFEE, AND READ THE PAPER! THEN WE'RE GOING TO HOME DEPOT AND THE POST OFFICE! AND THE BANK TO DEPOSIT THE REBATE CHECK FOR THE CELL PHONE! AND JIFFY LUBE AND CHIPOTLE FOR A BURRITO! THEN WE'RE COMING BACK HOME TO CHECK OUR VOICE MESSAGES AND CHANGE THE CAT LITTER AND WATCH WHEEL OF FORTUNE!!! AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT?! YOU KNOW WHAT?! WE'RE GOING TO BLOCKBUSTER TO TAKE BACK THE OVERDUE VIDEOS!!!!
YEEEEEAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!
Friday, February 13, 2004
Mark Latham off to the USA to Say "Sorry" or to "Lick Arse"?
Well, Mark, Kim and Kevin are off to the USA soon at taxpayers expense. The question is: "What for?". Latham so publicly called the US President "the most dangerous and incompetent president in living memory". He called the PM of Australia an "arse licker" for having a close relationship with the President of the world's most powerful country. Latham opposes the Free Trade Agreement (to the detriment of his country's economy) and has stated he will block any necessary legislation in the Senate. He opposes all US moves on Iraq and the War on Terror. Maybe Mark is going there to chat with John Kerry or with trade unionists in the USA to see what they can do to scupper the FTA. Who knows why he's going. He won't be going to see George W. Bush now would he? Could he? What would he say? "Sorry?". I know that straight after he assumed the ALP leadership he went to visit the US Ambassador in Australia and after that meeting was filmed all but draped in the American flag. What new images will we see beamed back from the USA? I think he may be off to Washington to give George W. a good dressing down over his danger and incompetence. A right good ticking off over US lies, and the Free Trade Agreement, Iraq, etc.. too.
Don't Forget. It's Valentines Day tomorrow.
For you obsessed bloggers. Please note that tomorrow is Valentine's Day and if you forget - the 'other half' may not be happy.
Geoff Clark Most Vilified Man in Australia
Outside the court, Mr Clark vowed to keep fighting. "I must be the most vilified man in Australia's history, thanks to you people (the media)," he said.
Hmmm, perhaps it is thanks to the media.
A Victorian judge today said he believed suspended ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark raped a woman 33 years ago in a gang attack and gave her an extension of time to bring a civil action against him. County Court Judge John Hanlon today granted Carol Anne Stingel, 48, an extension of time under the statute of limitations to take action against Mr Clark over an alleged gang rape in 1971. Ms Stingel claims she was pack-raped twice by Mr Clark and six others at Warrnambool in Victoria's south west when she was 16. "I am satisfied to the requisite degree that the events described in 1971 did take place and Mr Clark was the leader of the pack on the first two occasions on which she was raped," Judge Hanlon told the court.
Hmmm, perhaps it is thanks to the media.
A Victorian judge today said he believed suspended ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark raped a woman 33 years ago in a gang attack and gave her an extension of time to bring a civil action against him. County Court Judge John Hanlon today granted Carol Anne Stingel, 48, an extension of time under the statute of limitations to take action against Mr Clark over an alleged gang rape in 1971. Ms Stingel claims she was pack-raped twice by Mr Clark and six others at Warrnambool in Victoria's south west when she was 16. "I am satisfied to the requisite degree that the events described in 1971 did take place and Mr Clark was the leader of the pack on the first two occasions on which she was raped," Judge Hanlon told the court.
Saddam Hussein High on Drugs When Invading Kuwait
Now this is news. If it can be established in the International Court that Saddam was non compis mentis due to heroin abuse at the time of the invasion of Kuwait does that mean he will escape with a reprimand from the judge, a good behaviour bond and be ordered to attend a rehab clinic? Will we see him at the Kings Cross Heroin Injecting Room?
Meanwhile socialist partygoer Neil Clark is given heaps of space in the Guardian newspaper to continue his lifelong defence of Slobodan Milosevic. To paraphrase Neil, "He's not a genocidal maniac, he's just a very naughty boy." Neil believes that the real criminals are well, you can guess can't you...
Meanwhile socialist partygoer Neil Clark is given heaps of space in the Guardian newspaper to continue his lifelong defence of Slobodan Milosevic. To paraphrase Neil, "He's not a genocidal maniac, he's just a very naughty boy." Neil believes that the real criminals are well, you can guess can't you...
PMs Master Stroke
John Howard is a smart operator. He demonstrated that in what the media is screaming is a "backflip". (Now there's a word that has harmed Australian politics. It makes consensus politics very difficult.) By sharing the middle-ground on some of these minor issues and implementing what Mark Latham could only talk about he showed that a) voters don't need to vote Labor on these issues if Johnny will implement them anyway when its obvious that's what the voters want and b) he is a man of principle that will not oppose an issue just because the other side put it forward (unlike apparently Labor with the FTA - and unlike the Greens with everything). This gives voters starker choices between the policies of both sides that are not shared in the middle ground. This is a real disadvantage for Labor because their Left wing is just so kooky and their policies on refugees, Iraq, etc.. are not so popular.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
PM Steals Lathams Thunder
The PM took most people by surprise today when he agreed with Mark Latham and immediately announced that new politicians would not receive the generous superannuation entitlement that is the status quo. While I'm sure he recognises that politicians are not overpaid he knows that Latham would have kept banging away on this political drum until the election. Today, the problem has gone. Now hopefully this doesn't set a precedent that everything the Taxi-dermist wants he gets. I still believe that politicians should be paid well so there is no excuse for corruption and so we can continue attracting capable and successful people into politics. Anyhoo, Latham's thunder has been stolen. Now, let's talk about some real issues: like Labor's opposition to the free trade agreement.
Latham Retreats from Another Anti-USA Posture
Stung by very public criticism from the PM and others that Mark Latham's just-for-the-hell-of-it opposition to the Free Trade Agreement was anti-US, Latham appears to be backing away from his earlier populist comments. It seems that the populace is coming to grips with the FTA and now recognise its great benefit to Australia so some pretty fast backpeddling is required. Latham (the Taxi-dermist) had initially come out in the press and threatened to vote down, in the Senate, the necessary legislation and to thereby stuff the economy.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
France Bans the Hijab
France's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to ban students from wearing Islamic head scarves or other religious apparel in public schools. France has had problems in some of its schools with ethnic tensions and non-muslim girls being forced to wear the veil through the streets or in schools for fear of their Islamic neighbours and classmates. The hijab is a marketing tool and a badge identifying the wearer as devout and the non-wearer as infidel and immoral.
Respected Mid-East commentator Mr Amir Taheri wrote an article for the NY Post about the Hijab:
"... on the claim that the controversial headgear is an essential part of the Muslim faith and that attempts at banning it constitute an attack on Islam. That claim is totally false. The headgear in question has nothing to do with Islam as a religion. It is not sanctioned anywhere in the Koran, the fundamental text of Islam, or the hadith (traditions) attributed to the Prophet. This headgear was invented in the early 1970s by Mussa Sadr, an Iranian mullah who had won the leadership of the Lebanese Shi'ite community. In an interview in 1975 in Beirut, Sadr told this writer that the hijab he had invented was inspired by the headgear of Lebanese Catholic nuns, itself inspired by that of Christian women in classical Western paintings. (A casual visit to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, or the Louvres in Paris, would reveal the original of the neo-Islamist hijab in numerous paintings depicting Virgin Mary and other female figures from the Old and New Testament.)
Sadr's idea was that, by wearing the headgear, Shi'ite women would be clearly marked out, and thus spared sexual harassment, and rape, by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian gunmen who at the time controlled southern Lebanon.
A similar modus operandi is in evidence among the Lebanese gunmen of southern Sydney.
Respected Mid-East commentator Mr Amir Taheri wrote an article for the NY Post about the Hijab:
"... on the claim that the controversial headgear is an essential part of the Muslim faith and that attempts at banning it constitute an attack on Islam. That claim is totally false. The headgear in question has nothing to do with Islam as a religion. It is not sanctioned anywhere in the Koran, the fundamental text of Islam, or the hadith (traditions) attributed to the Prophet. This headgear was invented in the early 1970s by Mussa Sadr, an Iranian mullah who had won the leadership of the Lebanese Shi'ite community. In an interview in 1975 in Beirut, Sadr told this writer that the hijab he had invented was inspired by the headgear of Lebanese Catholic nuns, itself inspired by that of Christian women in classical Western paintings. (A casual visit to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, or the Louvres in Paris, would reveal the original of the neo-Islamist hijab in numerous paintings depicting Virgin Mary and other female figures from the Old and New Testament.)
Sadr's idea was that, by wearing the headgear, Shi'ite women would be clearly marked out, and thus spared sexual harassment, and rape, by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian gunmen who at the time controlled southern Lebanon.
A similar modus operandi is in evidence among the Lebanese gunmen of southern Sydney.
Labor Party Machine Man Allegedly Goes Troppo
Northern Territory Labor Party apparatchik and alleged impartial ex-ABC radio talk-back announcer Mr Fred McCue allegedly lost it and bashed a fellow drinker (a well known Darwin solicitor) in a late night drinking session at a Darwin pub.
"Fred went off his head and started belting him - they both fell to the ground and Fred was laying into him on the ground.
"Fred let go . . . there were a fair few blows to the head. No kicking, it was all punching. Shirts were ripped, glasses were smashing - but nobody was breaking it up. A few people were screaming out for it to stop."
The witness said by the end of the fight, which lasted about one minute, onlookers and security staff held the pair apart. He said the other man had blood on his face and both men had torn clothing.
Police last night confirmed they were investigating an incident in which a 51-year-old man claimed he was punched in the head and body.
Update: The Crikey website alleges that "Syd Sterling: The NT Labor MP fessed up on radio a few years back to being sprung badly on ANZAC Day having had a few too many sherbets and losing his licence. Then the radio announcer, Darwin's own Fred McCue, fessed up that he'd been done some years before too. Maybe it's a Darwin thing."
"Fred went off his head and started belting him - they both fell to the ground and Fred was laying into him on the ground.
"Fred let go . . . there were a fair few blows to the head. No kicking, it was all punching. Shirts were ripped, glasses were smashing - but nobody was breaking it up. A few people were screaming out for it to stop."
The witness said by the end of the fight, which lasted about one minute, onlookers and security staff held the pair apart. He said the other man had blood on his face and both men had torn clothing.
Police last night confirmed they were investigating an incident in which a 51-year-old man claimed he was punched in the head and body.
Update: The Crikey website alleges that "Syd Sterling: The NT Labor MP fessed up on radio a few years back to being sprung badly on ANZAC Day having had a few too many sherbets and losing his licence. Then the radio announcer, Darwin's own Fred McCue, fessed up that he'd been done some years before too. Maybe it's a Darwin thing."
Jonah Lomu NZ Rugby Player Terribly Ill
I for one didin't know about Jonah Lomu's fight with severe kidney problems. He has needed a kidney transplant for years (even while playing near his best) and is now facing possible paralysis of his legs. Many New Zealanders have offered to donate a kidney to help him.
Lomu has trouble walking due to the dialysis treatment he receives six times a week, and a nerve specialist has advised him that in time he might not be able to walk. The All Black took most of 1997 off for treatment for the rare kidney complaint and returned later that year.
Lomu has trouble walking due to the dialysis treatment he receives six times a week, and a nerve specialist has advised him that in time he might not be able to walk. The All Black took most of 1997 off for treatment for the rare kidney complaint and returned later that year.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Peanuts for Pollies?
If you think the monkeys we've got now are bad just think what it will be like when we pay politicians peanuts. Executives at some stupid electricity distribution company get half a million a year for their efforts. No executive of a reputable company would work for the low pay that the leader of the entire country gets. Pay politicians reasonably well (i.e. like now) and there will be no excuse for corruption. Pay them peanuts and you'll get monkeys. The more this Latham guy unveils his policies the more I think he's a populist git.
Australian Born
I don't think Aussies need the High Court to rule and tell us that someone born in Australia is an Australian citizen. Someone born here and who has lived here all there life, no matter how young, that person is an Australian. The parents are not but the kid is. End of story. Start blurring the lines with this issue and who knows where it will end.
Reckless Opposition
Business leaders are cock a hoop over the signing of the Free Trade Agreement with the USA. It will mean billions of dollars in extra GDP per year. Nearly $1000 every year for every working Australian. Australia's near neighbour New Zealand (and other nations) is agog with envy. Why then are Mark Latham, the ALP and the Greens so (seemingly) bitterly opposed? The answer is that this is another stunning achievement of the Federal government. It speaks volumes about the strength of the US-Australia alliance. There is no way Australia was going to ditch a Free Trade Agreement with the USA because cane farmers would not also benefit when they are so heavily protected and subsidised by government already and are operating in a glutted world market similarly subsidised and protected in most every other country. The few industries that are not covered by the FTA will not be disadvantaged, they just won't benefit. Why then must every other industry suffer with this nutty "all or nothing" approach from Mark Latham? Because it fits with the general style of Australian politics where the party in opposition opposes everything for the sake of it, to discredit the government and try to win office for themselves. No matter the effect of such opposition. Does anyone seriously think that Mark Latham is going to break the Free Trade Agreement if elected? If he were in office wouldn't he be cock a hoop at winning such concessions from the USA ? Greens senators are also opposed - but they're opposed to everything. They have not voted once in favor of one single piece of government legislation (not even on simple things like roads or ports). The benefits to Australia do not figure in their calculations. Mark Latham's attack on George Bush was calculated to win him support to gain the leadership of the ALP - at the risk of damaging the US-Australia alliance. If the ALP and the Greens follow through with their threats to block necessary legislation then this is just recklessness. To vote something down, out of spite, that is so obviously in the common good is not the action of a responsible alternative government.
Don Brash, the new Opposition leader in NZ, has said the Australia-US FTA is a "tragedy" for his country - describing it as a "sad reflection on how far the relationship with our most important friends and allies [Australia and the US] has slipped". Brash understands that the agreement might not be ideal but recognises that "it is better to be in the race than not even at the starting blocks"
Gerard Henderson wrote:"No developed economy would want to be excluded from such an arrangement. And none would sacrifice such a deal for any particular industry, including sugar." [ - or the gramaphone industry - Ed.]
Don Brash, the new Opposition leader in NZ, has said the Australia-US FTA is a "tragedy" for his country - describing it as a "sad reflection on how far the relationship with our most important friends and allies [Australia and the US] has slipped". Brash understands that the agreement might not be ideal but recognises that "it is better to be in the race than not even at the starting blocks"
Gerard Henderson wrote:"No developed economy would want to be excluded from such an arrangement. And none would sacrifice such a deal for any particular industry, including sugar." [ - or the gramaphone industry - Ed.]
Monday, February 09, 2004
The PM's Admission Over Free Trade...
The Prime Minister Mr Howard has "admitted" to the Sydney Morning Herald that the agreement, welcomed by business groups, was the "the best we could get in the circumstances". When probed by SMH reporters Mr Howard further admitted that it was an historic agreement to which federal cabinet today gave general approval. "It will add enormous long-term benefits to the Australian economy", he confessed.
Meanwhile, in a surprise move, Opposition leader Mark Latham labelled the pact a dud. In an equally surprising move Greens senators (who have never voted in favor of any Liberal Government Bill) have opposed the agreement.
Mr Latham's negative comments fly in the face of comments made by the Business Council of Australia president Hugh Morgan who said the benefits would be felt in almost every part of the economy, particularly export areas vital to Australia's future. Also: Mr Morgan, the former chief executive of mining company WMC Resources, said the historic agreement would deepen Australia's economic and investment relationship with the US, improving Australian business in key markets. "The agreement will provide massive opportunities for Australian companies of all sizes to gain access to the world's largest market," said Mr Morgan. Mr Howard would not be drawn on the apparent devastating effects that the agreement would have on Australia's gramaphone industry and horse saddle makers.
Mr Latham's office has not contacted the Gnu Hunter to comment about his apparent disagreement with business groups and leaders. At time of writing he has not yet written any comments in this blog to explain why he is so opposed to Australians getting four thousand million dollars extra GDP per year.
The same SMH story carries the full context of the PM's admissions:
Mr Howard said he was astonished by Opposition Leader Mark Latham's carping negativity about the deal. "There are a number of pieces of legislation that are needed and obviously we'll be asking the Labor Party and others to support it,'' Mr Howard said. "I am astonished that the leader of the opposition had been so negative about something that is about Australia's future. His reaction to date is very much the reaction of the old politics.'' Mr Howard said his remarks also applied to the Australian Democrats and Greens who have also criticised the deal. Mr Howard conceded the deal was not perfect. "Nothing is perfect in this world,'' he said. "This is not a perfect agreement but it was the best we could get in the current circumstances."
Update: In an online poll conducted by the SMH 66% of its readership having digested all of the enormous facts available to them through that site and pooling their massive knowledge of International Law, Trade and Economics have poo poo'ed the deal.
Meanwhile, in a surprise move, Opposition leader Mark Latham labelled the pact a dud. In an equally surprising move Greens senators (who have never voted in favor of any Liberal Government Bill) have opposed the agreement.
Mr Latham's negative comments fly in the face of comments made by the Business Council of Australia president Hugh Morgan who said the benefits would be felt in almost every part of the economy, particularly export areas vital to Australia's future. Also: Mr Morgan, the former chief executive of mining company WMC Resources, said the historic agreement would deepen Australia's economic and investment relationship with the US, improving Australian business in key markets. "The agreement will provide massive opportunities for Australian companies of all sizes to gain access to the world's largest market," said Mr Morgan. Mr Howard would not be drawn on the apparent devastating effects that the agreement would have on Australia's gramaphone industry and horse saddle makers.
Mr Latham's office has not contacted the Gnu Hunter to comment about his apparent disagreement with business groups and leaders. At time of writing he has not yet written any comments in this blog to explain why he is so opposed to Australians getting four thousand million dollars extra GDP per year.
The same SMH story carries the full context of the PM's admissions:
Mr Howard said he was astonished by Opposition Leader Mark Latham's carping negativity about the deal. "There are a number of pieces of legislation that are needed and obviously we'll be asking the Labor Party and others to support it,'' Mr Howard said. "I am astonished that the leader of the opposition had been so negative about something that is about Australia's future. His reaction to date is very much the reaction of the old politics.'' Mr Howard said his remarks also applied to the Australian Democrats and Greens who have also criticised the deal. Mr Howard conceded the deal was not perfect. "Nothing is perfect in this world,'' he said. "This is not a perfect agreement but it was the best we could get in the current circumstances."
Update: In an online poll conducted by the SMH 66% of its readership having digested all of the enormous facts available to them through that site and pooling their massive knowledge of International Law, Trade and Economics have poo poo'ed the deal.
We Demand Equal Rights to Unbifurcated Garments
In a twist on the fight for equality, men in skirts took to the streets of New York. Before the march began, there was much talk of the movement's history. Men, it was said, have been wearing skirts much longer than women. There were glowing mentions of the Highlanders of Scotland, for example. It was noted with pride that European nobles of the 16th century wore skirt-like outfits accompanied by heels. It was the French Revolution that turned the tide, said Ingemar Johnsson, 39, who flew from Sweden to attend the march. The French peasant, he said, wore pantaloons. As the monarchy was overthrown, pants became the fashion. Bloody Lefties fault, again!
Free Trade Deal
Australia stands to benefit economically in many ways from this piece of good news. Virtually all Australian manufactured goods being sold into the USA will not incur any tariffs! Now what do you think will be the focus of the news headlines? Let's see sugar is excluded, so I think they'll go with that angle and will be phoning lots of sugar cane farmers and representatives for their opinion of the free trade deal.
Saturday, February 07, 2004
Six Days in the Anti-War Movement in Sydney
You know, the Internet is a marvellous invention. Googling around the web, looking for something quite unrelated, I stumbled across three emails that were stored in a publicly accessible, Marxist mailing list archive. Google, that worthy search engine, found them and exposed the contents to the light of day.
The said emails contain a copy of an essay by a person who describes himself within the text as " the delegate from the Erskineville Branch of the Labor Party". The purported author's name appears near the top of the essay (in three parts) spread across each email. Whether or not this essay was really attributable to that person I will leave up to the reader to judge, but more interesting reading you could never hope to buy. In it you will gain insights into the machinations that occur within the Far Left of the Labor Party and of the stellar wacky way-out-there-Left that exists outside but close to the Labor Party and the Greens.
In the first weeks of the Iraq War, did you wonder about those "spontaneous" demonstrations, where in Sydney especially, Marxist Leninists duped young high school kids into being foot soldiers of the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) in their violent struggle to "to shut down the city". The DSP and its affiliated organisations have the dubious long term goal to "smash" and "overthrow" Australia's form of government. They and other members of Australia's International Socialist Organisation (the ISO) organise front organisations to attack the government by acting as enablers, providing the organisational structure and media know-how for genuinely concerned people to protest the latest cause du jour ( Iraq, Detention Centres, Children Overboard, etc.). During the Iraq War it was the "Books Not Bombs" organisation that they funded and setup which did a spectacular job of mobilising high school kids to riot in the streets of Sydney. The DSP's cadre staff were at the epicentre of "Books Not Bombs".
Here are the three emails: Part I Part II Part III
The widespread tacit and sometimes very public support of high school teachers for the first Books Not Bombs protests was a major factor in the success of those earlier demonstrations, but this teacher support largely evaporated as a result of the police attacks, the subsequent right-wing media campaign, and the DSP's extravagant rhetoric....
...It was quite clear at this conference that some, but not all, sections of the Labor and trade union left and some, but not all, of the old Stalinists in the antiwar organization were using the events surrounding the police attack on Books Not Bombs to conduct a witch-hunt against the students, exploiting the general unpopularity of the DSP as an organisation...
...I moved around the conference energetically, arguing for groups such as the Teachers Federation and the Greens to try to defuse the conflict by taking a lead in asserting support for the right of the students to demonstrate on the following Wednesday, associating this, however, with realistic criticism of the limitations of the previous demonstration, and particularly of the "shut down the city" rhetoric. My not-particularly-discreet agitation fell on fertile ground and both the Teachers Federation, spearheaded by Phil Bradley (a member of the Labor left); and the Greens, spearheaded by Sylvia Hale (newly elected member of the NSW Upper House), in the event decided to put resolutions in that spirit to the crisis meeting of the Walk Against the War coalition on the next evening, Monday...
...There was a flurry of activity at the front of the room as new affiliates paid their money. The treasurer later joked, fairly seriously, that the coalition raised nearly $2000 in additional affiliation fees at that meeting. On one side a number of unions affiliated and on the other were a number of recently formed local antiwar committees in which the DSP and/or ISO have significant influence...
...The Middle Eastern youths ran around a bit, making a fair bit of noise and having a modest Sydney intifada, with many chants in Arabic, which included, occasionally, the vernacular slogans of the Arab street focussing on Zionism, which no civilised leftist would utter. Happily, the tabloid media, which were present and looking for trouble, did not pick up on this aspect of the demonstration. This aspect underlines the difficulties facing the organisers.
The said emails contain a copy of an essay by a person who describes himself within the text as " the delegate from the Erskineville Branch of the Labor Party". The purported author's name appears near the top of the essay (in three parts) spread across each email. Whether or not this essay was really attributable to that person I will leave up to the reader to judge, but more interesting reading you could never hope to buy. In it you will gain insights into the machinations that occur within the Far Left of the Labor Party and of the stellar wacky way-out-there-Left that exists outside but close to the Labor Party and the Greens.
In the first weeks of the Iraq War, did you wonder about those "spontaneous" demonstrations, where in Sydney especially, Marxist Leninists duped young high school kids into being foot soldiers of the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) in their violent struggle to "to shut down the city". The DSP and its affiliated organisations have the dubious long term goal to "smash" and "overthrow" Australia's form of government. They and other members of Australia's International Socialist Organisation (the ISO) organise front organisations to attack the government by acting as enablers, providing the organisational structure and media know-how for genuinely concerned people to protest the latest cause du jour ( Iraq, Detention Centres, Children Overboard, etc.). During the Iraq War it was the "Books Not Bombs" organisation that they funded and setup which did a spectacular job of mobilising high school kids to riot in the streets of Sydney. The DSP's cadre staff were at the epicentre of "Books Not Bombs".
Here are the three emails: Part I Part II Part III
The widespread tacit and sometimes very public support of high school teachers for the first Books Not Bombs protests was a major factor in the success of those earlier demonstrations, but this teacher support largely evaporated as a result of the police attacks, the subsequent right-wing media campaign, and the DSP's extravagant rhetoric....
...It was quite clear at this conference that some, but not all, sections of the Labor and trade union left and some, but not all, of the old Stalinists in the antiwar organization were using the events surrounding the police attack on Books Not Bombs to conduct a witch-hunt against the students, exploiting the general unpopularity of the DSP as an organisation...
...I moved around the conference energetically, arguing for groups such as the Teachers Federation and the Greens to try to defuse the conflict by taking a lead in asserting support for the right of the students to demonstrate on the following Wednesday, associating this, however, with realistic criticism of the limitations of the previous demonstration, and particularly of the "shut down the city" rhetoric. My not-particularly-discreet agitation fell on fertile ground and both the Teachers Federation, spearheaded by Phil Bradley (a member of the Labor left); and the Greens, spearheaded by Sylvia Hale (newly elected member of the NSW Upper House), in the event decided to put resolutions in that spirit to the crisis meeting of the Walk Against the War coalition on the next evening, Monday...
...There was a flurry of activity at the front of the room as new affiliates paid their money. The treasurer later joked, fairly seriously, that the coalition raised nearly $2000 in additional affiliation fees at that meeting. On one side a number of unions affiliated and on the other were a number of recently formed local antiwar committees in which the DSP and/or ISO have significant influence...
...The Middle Eastern youths ran around a bit, making a fair bit of noise and having a modest Sydney intifada, with many chants in Arabic, which included, occasionally, the vernacular slogans of the Arab street focussing on Zionism, which no civilised leftist would utter. Happily, the tabloid media, which were present and looking for trouble, did not pick up on this aspect of the demonstration. This aspect underlines the difficulties facing the organisers.
Melbourne is Tops
Often derided as Bleak City by Sydneysiders, Melbourne topped a survey of 130 cities, narrowly beating out the other four Australian capitals surveyed - because its weather rated the best. Sydney lost ground because its crime rate was rated on a par with New York and London.
Chastity Belt Causes Alarm
When a 40-year-old British woman set off a metal detector alarm at Athens airport, bemused security staff found that it was caused by a chastity belt she was wearing ... According to the press report, the woman told police officers her husband had forced her to put on the belt to make sure she had no extra-marital affair during a brief visit to Greece.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Northern Territory's Youth Are the Richest on Average.
According to a Bureau of Statistics report:
The Northern Territory of Australia has:
a) one of the nation's lowest rates of youth labour force participation in the country;
b) a median youth weekly income of $194 which is the highest of all states and territories;
c) 44% of youth (15-24) are unemployed or not looking for work;
d) an additional undisclosed percentage are "looking for work".
The report's author is not permitted to say the median weekly income is the highest of all states and territories precisely because of "...the lowest rates of labour force participation in the country"
You have to evaluate the reason for yourself.
"Despite earning the highest median individual weekly income amongst youth in the country, NT young people had one of the lowest rates of labour force participation in the country. Just over half (56%) of NT youth were either working or looking for employment in 2001, compared to 63% for all Australian youth."
The Northern Territory of Australia has:
a) one of the nation's lowest rates of youth labour force participation in the country;
b) a median youth weekly income of $194 which is the highest of all states and territories;
c) 44% of youth (15-24) are unemployed or not looking for work;
d) an additional undisclosed percentage are "looking for work".
The report's author is not permitted to say the median weekly income is the highest of all states and territories precisely because of "...the lowest rates of labour force participation in the country"
You have to evaluate the reason for yourself.
"Despite earning the highest median individual weekly income amongst youth in the country, NT young people had one of the lowest rates of labour force participation in the country. Just over half (56%) of NT youth were either working or looking for employment in 2001, compared to 63% for all Australian youth."
Gnu Hunter Hunted!
Anthony Towns, earnest but delightful young chap takes exception to the Gnu Hunter's derogation of Bill Gate's idea, which idea is to put a tax on our previously free email. The youngster took what looks like days to type up a snakey counter argument but this (ahem) middle of the road blogger is unconvinced. If the internet landlords can convince everyone to accept a charge on a previously free service they will do it. That's just business.
How Mr Gates' plans to bill anonymous email accounts (Hotmail and Yahoo, etc..) is a mystery since any billing services require a credit card and habeaus corpus for anything to do with money.
Says Anthony with all sincerity: "We’re not talking about increasing the cost of sending an email, but rather increasing the price of sending an email. "
Uh, huh. Right...
I think that technology rather than just auditing will be the answer. Who is on the mark, the weary Gnu Hunter or the young Top Gun? Time will tell.
How Mr Gates' plans to bill anonymous email accounts (Hotmail and Yahoo, etc..) is a mystery since any billing services require a credit card and habeaus corpus for anything to do with money.
Says Anthony with all sincerity: "We’re not talking about increasing the cost of sending an email, but rather increasing the price of sending an email. "
Uh, huh. Right...
I think that technology rather than just auditing will be the answer. Who is on the mark, the weary Gnu Hunter or the young Top Gun? Time will tell.
You can say the "E" word again
The word "Evolution" can now be spoken again in Georgian (USA) schools and written into textbooks. A directive having been issued recently to ban the word from schools has provoked outrage among scientists and others. The directive has been dropped in a humiliating backdown for the State's Superintendent of Schools Ms Kathy Cox.
Rene's Crook Again
Poor Rene Rivkin. Just when he thought he was well enough to get on down to the local detention centre, to do the righty and comply with the judges orders, along comes another illness to prevent him doing so. Oh well, once he's better he'll be off down the nick soon enough I'm sure.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
Sex Report - Sexed Up ? You be the Judge.
A survey of more than 1500 British travelers aged 16 to 35 returning from the Spanish holiday island of Ibiza and published in a journal of the British Medical Association, found that one in four men and one in seven women highly exaggerated the good time they had.
To Russia With Love
If you're into the whole James Bond, Russian-chicks-in-uniform-thing then this is for you.
Russian policewomen bared their legs, navels and a bit of cleavage today as they competed to become Moscow's first "Miss Security". The informal contest, staged mostly to liven up a security trade show in Moscow, was a dream to those whose fantasies favour attractive women who wear bright lipstick, high heels and can handle a handgun blindfolded.
Russian policewomen bared their legs, navels and a bit of cleavage today as they competed to become Moscow's first "Miss Security". The informal contest, staged mostly to liven up a security trade show in Moscow, was a dream to those whose fantasies favour attractive women who wear bright lipstick, high heels and can handle a handgun blindfolded.
Who Won "Australia's Most Trivial Person of the Last 20 Years?"
Parker Brothers, the makers of the board game "Trivial Pursuit" were seeking nomininations for Australia's Most Trivial Person of the Last 20 Years. Their website says that the announcement would be made in the Australian Newspaper on January 31st but I can't find anything on their website or in Google. Perhaps it was advertised in the newsprint version in the Public Notices section. Anyhoo, if anybody knows or can find out please email the Gnu Hunter or put the result in the Comments section of this Post.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Big Kev's Big Heart
KEV GILLET waxes lyrical about the joys of marriage and dammit, brings a tear to the eye.
If times are bad, they will improve. If love looks lost it will come back but not if you're apart.
If times are bad, they will improve. If love looks lost it will come back but not if you're apart.
Make Junk Emailers Pay?
Yahoo and Microsoft are looking at ways of imposing a postage fee for emails as a way of reducing the ever increasing number of junk emails or spam.
No, Yahoo and Microsoft are looking at ways of making more money by charging for something that was previously "free" and are using junk mail as an excuse to do so. They will only impose this charge if they can impose it.
Email is only free in the sense that you have already paid your ISP and other charges for the service you have. If other fees are added on top well that's just cream for Microsoft et al.. I know that they did promise that you won't be charged for sending email. Only spammers.
40% of the many millions of emails sent each year are spam mail. Whoever could tax it would be worth a fortune. Whoever reaped the tax would be very reluctant to eliminate spam. Spam would be here forever. It would be renamed to non optional business marketing or some such.
No, Yahoo and Microsoft are looking at ways of making more money by charging for something that was previously "free" and are using junk mail as an excuse to do so. They will only impose this charge if they can impose it.
Email is only free in the sense that you have already paid your ISP and other charges for the service you have. If other fees are added on top well that's just cream for Microsoft et al.. I know that they did promise that you won't be charged for sending email. Only spammers.
40% of the many millions of emails sent each year are spam mail. Whoever could tax it would be worth a fortune. Whoever reaped the tax would be very reluctant to eliminate spam. Spam would be here forever. It would be renamed to non optional business marketing or some such.
A 1 Kilometer High Power Tower For Australia
There are plans to build a world first power tower just outside of Mildura on the border of NSW and Victoria. Famous for its many sunny days Mildura is an ideal location for a solar power station. The tower would be visible 100 kilometres away and would create 1200 jobs during construction... It would stand atop a transparent solar collector seven kilometres in diameter. It works by heating air [in the seven kilometer wide hothouse - Ed.] at the base - which is about 30 degrees celsius hotter than air at the top of the tower and the resulting convection force creates a powerful updraft [up the chimney- Ed.] which generates clean power, enough to service 200,000 houses. The tower would be the equivalent of a 200 megawatt power station. And get this. It's commercially viable.
Latham Born with a Silver Spoon in a Suit
IT'S been a taxing day for the new Labor leader on the campaign trail: first talking about his plans to cut PAYE for workers, then getting heckled by an angry mother at a community forum. The Opposition Leader was called a "silver spoon in a bloody suit" by an irate woman who said her family was in desperate need of help. Local woman and mother of three, Kerrie-Lea Menzies, said children in the area were in desperate need of help and receiving a book from the Opposition leader would not cut it.
These kids don't have a future, a book's not going to do it," Ms Menzies said.
"You're a silver spoon in a bloody suit."
"Go home and have your three-course dinner," she yelled at Mr Latham, before storming out of the hall.
These kids don't have a future, a book's not going to do it," Ms Menzies said.
"You're a silver spoon in a bloody suit."
"Go home and have your three-course dinner," she yelled at Mr Latham, before storming out of the hall.
Aboriginees' Money Squandered
Tens of millions of dollars have been mislaid or misappropriated from trust funds set up ostensibly for the benefit of aboriginees. They never saw the money.
A draft report - dated April 12, 2001, and prepared for cabinet by the former community services minister Faye Lo Po' - says state governments appeared to have deliberately resisted returning money from trust funds to its rightful owners.
The report, which has been viewed by AAP, also notes that in some cases government officials may have stolen money from the accounts.
"There are some indications that funds may have been defrauded by government employees [including] illegitimate collusion between station owners and government officials to limit the station owners' payments into the trust funds," the document read. It also says there are suggestions of public servants signing money over to themselves.
The funds - from pensions, child endowment, compensation payments, apprentices' wages and inheritances - had been held in trust accounts established between 1900 and 1970 for indigenous people.
Many did not know the money existed and up to 11,500 could be eligible for payments. An analysis by the accounting firm Ernst & Young estimates the Government could be liable for between $11.8 million and $69.4 million.
Ms Lo Po', who quit parliament last year, said she had no recollection of preparing the report, or of the issue. "It's embarrassing, isn't it?" she said of her memory loss.
A draft report - dated April 12, 2001, and prepared for cabinet by the former community services minister Faye Lo Po' - says state governments appeared to have deliberately resisted returning money from trust funds to its rightful owners.
The report, which has been viewed by AAP, also notes that in some cases government officials may have stolen money from the accounts.
"There are some indications that funds may have been defrauded by government employees [including] illegitimate collusion between station owners and government officials to limit the station owners' payments into the trust funds," the document read. It also says there are suggestions of public servants signing money over to themselves.
The funds - from pensions, child endowment, compensation payments, apprentices' wages and inheritances - had been held in trust accounts established between 1900 and 1970 for indigenous people.
Many did not know the money existed and up to 11,500 could be eligible for payments. An analysis by the accounting firm Ernst & Young estimates the Government could be liable for between $11.8 million and $69.4 million.
Ms Lo Po', who quit parliament last year, said she had no recollection of preparing the report, or of the issue. "It's embarrassing, isn't it?" she said of her memory loss.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Finding WMD Is Important
Many pro-war bloggers now contend that it makes no difference that weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq. Some bloggers now say that WMD never at any time coloured their argument in favor of the war on Iraq. Others don't recall that their arguments were founded very heavily on Saddam's flagrant flouting of UN Resolution 1441, etc. and the uncertainty of whether or not he possessed weapons of mass destruction.
The way I remember it is that all pro-war bloggers and journalists and most anti-war bloggers and journalists wrote their pieces on the assumption that Saddam did in fact posses WMD. This isn't so hard to understand, since from what we have seen and heard from the media, everyone from the UN, its weapons inspectors and all governments around the world believed that Iraq had the hardware and just might use it.
Ordinary voters in the UK, US and Australia will have no doubt about the role that the issue of WMD played in the lead up to the Iraq war. It was being discussed by their countries leaders and journalists every night on the TV news and current affairs. The papers were full of it with this or that government or ex-government expert explaining their take on the situation.
Iraq is a big place and it's a long ways to the elections. WMD could still be found in Iraq or even nearby, but then they might not. Let's be upfront about the effect that either situation will have on people's opinion on the whole affair.
Of course issues other than WMD would have been considered by our leaders and may even have been the primary considerations. Yes, the decisions of governments are only as good as the intelligence advice that they are given. Of course the governments have at all times acted in the best interests of their countries, but to say that the absence of WMD in Iraq does not now matter is just crazy talk. It will matter to a lot of voters whether one likes it or not.
If WMD are found in Iraq tomorrow it will be very bad news for many in the media and for politicians that were so vitriolic in their attacks on government.
If WMD are never found in Iraq, it will be extremely hard for a Western government of any political persuasion to make a case for any similar military operation in the near future. Like it or not, folks don't like what it looks like.
The way I remember it is that all pro-war bloggers and journalists and most anti-war bloggers and journalists wrote their pieces on the assumption that Saddam did in fact posses WMD. This isn't so hard to understand, since from what we have seen and heard from the media, everyone from the UN, its weapons inspectors and all governments around the world believed that Iraq had the hardware and just might use it.
Ordinary voters in the UK, US and Australia will have no doubt about the role that the issue of WMD played in the lead up to the Iraq war. It was being discussed by their countries leaders and journalists every night on the TV news and current affairs. The papers were full of it with this or that government or ex-government expert explaining their take on the situation.
Iraq is a big place and it's a long ways to the elections. WMD could still be found in Iraq or even nearby, but then they might not. Let's be upfront about the effect that either situation will have on people's opinion on the whole affair.
Of course issues other than WMD would have been considered by our leaders and may even have been the primary considerations. Yes, the decisions of governments are only as good as the intelligence advice that they are given. Of course the governments have at all times acted in the best interests of their countries, but to say that the absence of WMD in Iraq does not now matter is just crazy talk. It will matter to a lot of voters whether one likes it or not.
If WMD are found in Iraq tomorrow it will be very bad news for many in the media and for politicians that were so vitriolic in their attacks on government.
If WMD are never found in Iraq, it will be extremely hard for a Western government of any political persuasion to make a case for any similar military operation in the near future. Like it or not, folks don't like what it looks like.
Monday, February 02, 2004
John Howard. Great Lines.
"Andrew Bolt writes that the fog of terror has lifted and John Howard's weakness is again exposed. The Prime Minister seems like an actor who's lost his lines. No wonder he's been urging his ministers to think up ideas for him to discuss. But he has always battled to sell his values. To inspire. To make people feel good about themselves and their country. ... " His problem is made worse by his refusal to read a written speech. So he'll talk and talk without saying a word that rings out and is remembered.
I find myself agreeing more often than not with Andrew Bolt, but today I think he gets it pretty much wrong. Big John Howard has been a stalwart Prime Minister. I doubt if there's anyone who doesn't know what his values are. He's managed to sell those values to the electorate often enough to win: again and again. He steered this country through difficult times: navigating us out of the politically correct wilderness of the 90's without causing social upheaval in the process. The people of East Timor and Australians owe him a debt of gratitude for the the way he steered us through that confronting situation. Australians can feel good about themselves and their country for the rescue of the Timorese. His has been a steady hand on the nation's tiller in turbulent times. He has fine economic and national security credentials and he is as much in touch with the man in the street as Mark Latham will ever be. He demonstrates knowledge of what the electorate is thinking time and time again to the confusion of his critics.
Does he go for the memorable lines like "skanky ho'" or "arse-licker?" No. But that's John and many people are grateful for it.
Anyhow, I'm collecting John Howard quotes. Ones I like are listed below. If you have one, add it into the comments section.
"You're really only as good as the work you've done in the electorate and the face of your Parliamentary team. And if I could put it quite bluntly, you can't fatten the pig on market day." - how to win elections.
"We'll get the bastards who did this." - John Howard to a victim's step-father. [ And we did get them.]
"I don't think there's any reason on Earth why people should have access to automatic and semiautomatic weapons unless they're in the military or in the police." - circa Port Arthur and the Guns Buy Back Scheme.
"If ANZUS is meant to cover a situation, surely it covers this. " - on his decision to invoke the ANZUS treaty immediately after September 11.
"Despite Australia’s significant achievements on battlefields throughout the world, despite whole generations of our countrymen returning to us as hardened soldiers, a culture of militarism has never taken root. What is firmly entrenched within Australian society, as within British society, is a deeply held belief in democratic principles, in the concept of personal freedom and most importantly, an understanding that in certain circumstances we have a responsibility to defend those values."
I find myself agreeing more often than not with Andrew Bolt, but today I think he gets it pretty much wrong. Big John Howard has been a stalwart Prime Minister. I doubt if there's anyone who doesn't know what his values are. He's managed to sell those values to the electorate often enough to win: again and again. He steered this country through difficult times: navigating us out of the politically correct wilderness of the 90's without causing social upheaval in the process. The people of East Timor and Australians owe him a debt of gratitude for the the way he steered us through that confronting situation. Australians can feel good about themselves and their country for the rescue of the Timorese. His has been a steady hand on the nation's tiller in turbulent times. He has fine economic and national security credentials and he is as much in touch with the man in the street as Mark Latham will ever be. He demonstrates knowledge of what the electorate is thinking time and time again to the confusion of his critics.
Does he go for the memorable lines like "skanky ho'" or "arse-licker?" No. But that's John and many people are grateful for it.
Anyhow, I'm collecting John Howard quotes. Ones I like are listed below. If you have one, add it into the comments section.
"You're really only as good as the work you've done in the electorate and the face of your Parliamentary team. And if I could put it quite bluntly, you can't fatten the pig on market day." - how to win elections.
"We'll get the bastards who did this." - John Howard to a victim's step-father. [ And we did get them.]
"I don't think there's any reason on Earth why people should have access to automatic and semiautomatic weapons unless they're in the military or in the police." - circa Port Arthur and the Guns Buy Back Scheme.
"If ANZUS is meant to cover a situation, surely it covers this. " - on his decision to invoke the ANZUS treaty immediately after September 11.
"Despite Australia’s significant achievements on battlefields throughout the world, despite whole generations of our countrymen returning to us as hardened soldiers, a culture of militarism has never taken root. What is firmly entrenched within Australian society, as within British society, is a deeply held belief in democratic principles, in the concept of personal freedom and most importantly, an understanding that in certain circumstances we have a responsibility to defend those values."
Church and State
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has weighed into the education debate from the pulpit, arguing that government schools should not keep God out of the classroom
Dr Jensen criticised the misuse of the term "secular" which for many people had come to mean "no God or anti-God" and the expectation that government schools operated along those lines. Such a stance was out of step with the Education Act, he said, which since the 1880s had stated that a secular education could include general religious teaching, as long as it was not dogmatic or theologically polemical. While parent-approved scripture lessons and studies in comparative religion came under this definition, it could also include government-paid teachers taking it upon themselves to read the Bible to their students, he said"
Great, just what we need. Kooky teachers taking it upon themselves to read [and interpret] the Bible, Koran, Sutras or stories of the Woggle, etc.. Religious education works in private and public schools where the quality control mechanisms are in place but it is dangerous I think to leave religious instruction in the hands of individual teachers and just nuts to let this occur outside scheduled, supervised class time.
Religious schools are free to offer their excellent services to those willing participants who want to go but there must always be a place for a secular education. This is the main downside I see in the exodus of children from public to private schools. There are too few secular private schools. Australia early in its history recognised the need to subdue sectarian influences in education and this held good for many years until preaching of a different sort started in the State schools.
Dr Jensen criticised the misuse of the term "secular" which for many people had come to mean "no God or anti-God" and the expectation that government schools operated along those lines. Such a stance was out of step with the Education Act, he said, which since the 1880s had stated that a secular education could include general religious teaching, as long as it was not dogmatic or theologically polemical. While parent-approved scripture lessons and studies in comparative religion came under this definition, it could also include government-paid teachers taking it upon themselves to read the Bible to their students, he said"
Great, just what we need. Kooky teachers taking it upon themselves to read [and interpret] the Bible, Koran, Sutras or stories of the Woggle, etc.. Religious education works in private and public schools where the quality control mechanisms are in place but it is dangerous I think to leave religious instruction in the hands of individual teachers and just nuts to let this occur outside scheduled, supervised class time.
Religious schools are free to offer their excellent services to those willing participants who want to go but there must always be a place for a secular education. This is the main downside I see in the exodus of children from public to private schools. There are too few secular private schools. Australia early in its history recognised the need to subdue sectarian influences in education and this held good for many years until preaching of a different sort started in the State schools.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
More Australians are Getting Wealthier
A STUDY shows the gaping divide between those who produce and those who do not, is widening. Those who produce continue to work hard and are producing more than ever. Those who do not produce are producing as much as ever and still not producing anything. There are calls today for those who produce to hand over more of what they are producing to those who produce nothing.
A STUDY exposing a gaping divide between Melbourne's rich and poor has prompted calls for a major review of social policy. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has uncovered major pockets of abject poverty in Melbourne, contrasted with enclaves of wealth. While the average family income across most of Melbourne's public housing estates is less than $20,000 and more than half the residents are jobless, in many of Melbourne's communities the average household income tops $105,000. The study shows Melbourne's most deprived address, XXXX, is a short walk from its best-off neighbourhood, in East Melbourne.
XXXX While the study does not name names it explicitly tells you the street and house number of the most "deprived" address. Sensitivity prevents the Gnu Hunter from reproducing it here.
Your common or garden leftoid knows that everything is relative so, in that spirit, let's agree that half of the world's six billion people are in households which earn less than $2,000 per year and there are just 900,000 or so people in the world who have PPP income above $10,000 (see the link for details). So if you're earning more than $10,000 per year and living in a taxpayer funded estate you may not be able to send your kids to private school or buy a BMW or plasma TV but you are NOT living in abject poverty.
If the study showed that the less wealthy were getting even less wealthy then that would be cause for grave concern but it does not. There's something not right about a study that sets out to prove that folks in general (and including the person who does the study) are getting wealthier but that other folks who for one reason or another, produce little or nothing, are not getting wealthier. Well, surprise! The implication in the cry for a change in social policy is that the producers should stop producing wealth or that the wealth incentive created by those folk who "have a go" should be redistributed to those who do not. That was tried in Russia and North Korea and China and.... guess what? it didn't work.
A STUDY exposing a gaping divide between Melbourne's rich and poor has prompted calls for a major review of social policy. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has uncovered major pockets of abject poverty in Melbourne, contrasted with enclaves of wealth. While the average family income across most of Melbourne's public housing estates is less than $20,000 and more than half the residents are jobless, in many of Melbourne's communities the average household income tops $105,000. The study shows Melbourne's most deprived address, XXXX, is a short walk from its best-off neighbourhood, in East Melbourne.
XXXX While the study does not name names it explicitly tells you the street and house number of the most "deprived" address. Sensitivity prevents the Gnu Hunter from reproducing it here.
Your common or garden leftoid knows that everything is relative so, in that spirit, let's agree that half of the world's six billion people are in households which earn less than $2,000 per year and there are just 900,000 or so people in the world who have PPP income above $10,000 (see the link for details). So if you're earning more than $10,000 per year and living in a taxpayer funded estate you may not be able to send your kids to private school or buy a BMW or plasma TV but you are NOT living in abject poverty.
If the study showed that the less wealthy were getting even less wealthy then that would be cause for grave concern but it does not. There's something not right about a study that sets out to prove that folks in general (and including the person who does the study) are getting wealthier but that other folks who for one reason or another, produce little or nothing, are not getting wealthier. Well, surprise! The implication in the cry for a change in social policy is that the producers should stop producing wealth or that the wealth incentive created by those folk who "have a go" should be redistributed to those who do not. That was tried in Russia and North Korea and China and.... guess what? it didn't work.
Fledgling Iraqi Media Has British MP Galloway Over an Oil Barrel
The Iraqi daily Al-Mada last week published a list of individuals and organizations who it says received oil from the now-deposed regime. Just how much oil British MP George Galloway is alleged to have received, can be seen in transcripts of documents, purportedly discovered at the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, which when discovered were published last year by journalists at the Daily Telegraph in the UK:
Scattered among the loose papers and bound files unearthed last week at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad was "letter no. 140/4/5," labeled "Confidential and Personal" and addressed to "The President's Office--Secretariat." The letter concerns George Galloway, a pro-Saddam member of the British Parliament, who founded a charity known as the Mariam Appeal, ostensibly to aid Iraqi children suffering under U.N. sanctions. The missive, from the Iraqi Intelligence Service, is a request that money be funneled directly to Galloway. It reads in part:
His projects and future plans for the benefit of [Iraq] need financial support to become a motive for him to do more work. And because of the sensitivity of getting money directly from Iraq, it is necessary to grant him oil contracts and special and necessary commercial opportunities to provide him with a financial income under commercial cover without being connected to him directly.
The letter further conveys Galloway's demand that "the name of Mr. Galloway or his wife should not be mentioned."
It also describes a meeting between Galloway and an Iraqi intelligence officer and states that Galloway sought to "ensure confidentiality in his financial and commercial relations with the country and reassure his personal security." Galloway, the letter went on, "needs continuous financial support from Iraq." He got it. Galloway "obtained through Mr. Tariq Aziz three million barrels of oil every six months, according to the oil-for-food programme. His share would be only between 10 and 15 cents per barrel. He also obtained a limited number of food with the Ministry of Trade."
The letter, discovered by David Blair, a Baghdad-based reporter for the London Daily Telegraph, and his Iraqi translator, was revealed early last week. The next day, the Telegraph reported that Galloway had asked for more money, something the regime initially said it couldn't provide.
Galloway denies everything. He says the documents were forged--perhaps by foreign intelligence or by the Daily Telegraph. In a move sure to galvanize his critics, Galloway issued his denials from his vacation home--worth $400,000--on the coast of Portugal.
Scattered among the loose papers and bound files unearthed last week at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad was "letter no. 140/4/5," labeled "Confidential and Personal" and addressed to "The President's Office--Secretariat." The letter concerns George Galloway, a pro-Saddam member of the British Parliament, who founded a charity known as the Mariam Appeal, ostensibly to aid Iraqi children suffering under U.N. sanctions. The missive, from the Iraqi Intelligence Service, is a request that money be funneled directly to Galloway. It reads in part:
His projects and future plans for the benefit of [Iraq] need financial support to become a motive for him to do more work. And because of the sensitivity of getting money directly from Iraq, it is necessary to grant him oil contracts and special and necessary commercial opportunities to provide him with a financial income under commercial cover without being connected to him directly.
The letter further conveys Galloway's demand that "the name of Mr. Galloway or his wife should not be mentioned."
It also describes a meeting between Galloway and an Iraqi intelligence officer and states that Galloway sought to "ensure confidentiality in his financial and commercial relations with the country and reassure his personal security." Galloway, the letter went on, "needs continuous financial support from Iraq." He got it. Galloway "obtained through Mr. Tariq Aziz three million barrels of oil every six months, according to the oil-for-food programme. His share would be only between 10 and 15 cents per barrel. He also obtained a limited number of food with the Ministry of Trade."
The letter, discovered by David Blair, a Baghdad-based reporter for the London Daily Telegraph, and his Iraqi translator, was revealed early last week. The next day, the Telegraph reported that Galloway had asked for more money, something the regime initially said it couldn't provide.
Galloway denies everything. He says the documents were forged--perhaps by foreign intelligence or by the Daily Telegraph. In a move sure to galvanize his critics, Galloway issued his denials from his vacation home--worth $400,000--on the coast of Portugal.
The Habib Family Is Angry
The SMH reports that the Habib family is angry. Mr Habib was on a jaunt through Pakistan or Afghanistan with his buddies, just minding his own business when for no reason at all and at great expense he was snatched up and taken to Guantanimo Bay, where he is in the same situation as Rocket Propelled Grenade marksman David Hicks.
NSW Police Ignored Ethnic Gang Warnings
A top secret report which four years ago predicted a rise of violent ethnic crime gangs in Sydney's south-west was reportedly ignored by senior police officers. This confirms what Tim Priest (whistle blower ex-detective sergeant) and many others have been saying.
Update: Current NSW Police Commissioner Maroney hits back.
Update: Current NSW Police Commissioner Maroney hits back.
The Butler Says "I Held WMD In My Own Hands"
Mirand Devine gets haughty with the Butler.
What the Butler says now:
The real possibility is that the weapons situation was pumped up to justify a war," he [Butler] told ABC radio in June. ". . . I suspect the logic that applies in this case is that they've not found them because they don't exist."
What he said then:
In September he told a convention of utility and transportation contractors in Atlantic City: "Iraq certainly did have weapons of mass destruction. Trust me. I held some in my own hands."
What the Butler says now:
The real possibility is that the weapons situation was pumped up to justify a war," he [Butler] told ABC radio in June. ". . . I suspect the logic that applies in this case is that they've not found them because they don't exist."
What he said then:
In September he told a convention of utility and transportation contractors in Atlantic City: "Iraq certainly did have weapons of mass destruction. Trust me. I held some in my own hands."
Government Goes into the Book Business
Mark Latham (the Taxi-dermist) will make it Government business to hand out up to 3 books to every child. Which three books? Why does the government need to get involved in this? I'm sure if you ask the right people you could find all sorts of whackos wanting to distribute Politically Correct books to fashion young minds in the correct way of thinking. If the concern is financial then give folks a tax cut. If it's a question of educating parents then advertise the benefits of reading to children. Why we need to pay for more bureaucrats to organise book distribution is a mystery.
Mind Control Success
(Switch Humour On:) Democrats Senator Stott Despoja says a poll conducted by her party shows that, despite her party's attempts to free young minds and get them thinking the correct thoughts, the evil mind control machines at Coalition headquarters are just too strong. (Switch Humour Off)
Democrats Senator Natasha Stott Despoja says the party's latest poll of 15 to 20-year-olds shows the Federal Government's "spin" on asylum seekers is working. The national survey shows that 87 per cent of teenagers want publicly funded education, 59 per cent want a republic and 43 per cent believe the mandatory detention of asylum seekers should end. That is down from 59 per cent last year and Senator Stott Despoja says it shows the Government's message on asylum seekers is working. "The poll tells us that a slight majority of young people believe in mandatory detention and while it might not be my personal view, or the view of the Democrats, that's what the polling tells us," she said. "It's interesting to see young people's views and how perhaps they've been influenced by the Government and maybe Government spin on this issue."
(Switch Intelligence On:) The Democrats survey shows that 13 % do not want publicly funded education, 41 % do not want a republic and 57% believe that mandatory detention of illegal migrants should continue. This is a big increase on just 41% last year of folks who believed that detention of illegal migrants should continue. Very interesting to see young people's views and how perhaps the figures show that the Democrats haven't a clue what the electorate and potential young voters are thinking on this issue.
Democrats Senator Natasha Stott Despoja says the party's latest poll of 15 to 20-year-olds shows the Federal Government's "spin" on asylum seekers is working. The national survey shows that 87 per cent of teenagers want publicly funded education, 59 per cent want a republic and 43 per cent believe the mandatory detention of asylum seekers should end. That is down from 59 per cent last year and Senator Stott Despoja says it shows the Government's message on asylum seekers is working. "The poll tells us that a slight majority of young people believe in mandatory detention and while it might not be my personal view, or the view of the Democrats, that's what the polling tells us," she said. "It's interesting to see young people's views and how perhaps they've been influenced by the Government and maybe Government spin on this issue."
(Switch Intelligence On:) The Democrats survey shows that 13 % do not want publicly funded education, 41 % do not want a republic and 57% believe that mandatory detention of illegal migrants should continue. This is a big increase on just 41% last year of folks who believed that detention of illegal migrants should continue. Very interesting to see young people's views and how perhaps the figures show that the Democrats haven't a clue what the electorate and potential young voters are thinking on this issue.
Latham Considers Handing Harbourside, Historic Kirribili House to the Developers
Since 1855, Kirribilli House has had an interesting history. Since 1957, it has welcomed Royalty, heads of State and Government and many members of foreign Parliaments. Mark Latham is considering boosting his street cred by selling the historic Prime Minister's residence in Sydney. This wonderful building and land nestles in splendid Sydney Harbour not far from the Bridge. The building and it's grounds are one of the beautiful sites to be seen by tourists and workers travelling by ferry. If sold, it would presumably be available for redevelopment, although surely they would preserve the house.
More posts by the Gnu Hunter: September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
