When PM Howard announces the constructors of the Air War Destroyers next week remember this: In 2005 The Federal Government chose Gibbs & Cox as the preferred designer for Navy's Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs) - one of Australia's largest and most complex Defence projects worth up to $6 billion. This decision was given to the US State Department as a foregone conclusion.

According to the Defence Minister of the day, Robert Hill "The selection of Gibbs and Cox as platform designer now completes the team whose responsibility it is to deliver the project."

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, just in time for the announcement, has released a report recommending the US design over the Spanish one. It made particular mention of the Gibbs and Cox' Arleigh Burke's capabilities with medium and long range cruise missiles.

The following Chaser extract is reminiscent of something that made me almost sh*t myself two weeks back. I'm not legally able to tell you what it reminds me of:

[Excerpt of ABC TV's Chaser's War On Everything (2006) courtesy of ABC Radio National's Media Report]

Julian Morrow: Minister, you've outlined the government's counter-terrorism strategy this morning, but can I ask you, in entertainment what is Austin Powers' middle name?

Philip Ruddock: Who is Austin Powers?

Julian Morrow: Well it does bear on your portfolio, Minister, Austin Powers is a super-spy?

Philip Ruddock: Is he; for whom?

Julian Morrow: The British government I believe.

In honour of the KBR naval counterterrorism contract (previous entry) here's an April 2006 self-reprint. It may make more sense now.......

It's 2016, a decade after the 6/6/06 commencement of The Armageddon Conflict. Australia is at war. Naval vessels, able to stay at sea and away from the Antichrist's terrorists under technological stealth cloaks are occassionally forced, while trudging between the various global "fronts" to sail into ports for replenishments, refurbishment of armamentaria and some time off for the sailors. The boys and girls of Halliburton have every need in readiness to get the job done before there's time to become a missile target.:

Media Release:
Houston-based KBR, formerly the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton Co., has been selected by the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command to compete for future task orders under the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP) Ashore program contract vehicle. KBR will be part of a Lockheed Martin-led team. Three other companies were also selected to compete for tasks throughout the contract period. KBR will be providing the full range of design-build services for facilities infrastructure to the Lockheed Martin team.

The ATFP is a firm fixed price, indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract that covers one base year and four option years. The four companies selected will compete for tasks which, all totaled, have a contract ceiling of up to $500 million over the five-year time period.

Webdiary's last vestige of heart and soul, Craig Rowley has resigned as director and editor. His departure is only mentioned as a sentence buried in the site. Of the names mentioned as the Webdiary Management Team there is only one who is currently active- General Manager David Roffey.

I was honoured and proud to be invited by Margo Kingston to write there, and to start this blog which she and her brother Hamish helped me find my feet on. I'm glad that John is keeping things alive here.

The idea, championed by Margo and Hamish (founders of Your Democracy) of creating a platform for people to write and exchange their ideas was and is a good one

The cost of cancelling Iraq's debts to Australia has been paid from Australia's foreign aid budget, a new report has claimed.

The report also claims that $1 billion of Australia's aid budget is not used to alleviate poverty. It also states that funding of Federal Police salaries in the Solomons and construction of Pacific detention centres was included in our aid budget.

The Aid Watch document claims that 95% of the $A661 million debt was for wheat purchases from Australia. Aid Watch writes that "Australia decision to cancel this debt was part of an agreement made in 2004 by the international group of rich nations called the Paris Club and was based on the premise that it would increase Iraq's economic prospects."

The "new" Australia/Japan/US Missile Shield pact came out of Tokyo just in time for Downer and Rice's tete a tete. Downer followed up by saying that Australia was going to help but wouldn't be directly involved. Aha, that must be why we need the three ships.

"In December 2003, Australia announced its decision to participate in the U.S. Missile Defense program. Subsequently, the U.S. and Australia signed in July 2004, a Framework Memorandum of Understanding on Missile Defense Cooperation, and a Research & Development MoU was signed in October 2005. Three specific cooperative projects -- involving the Over-the-Horizon Radar, modeling and simulation, and fusion and tracking technologies -- are currently under discussion. On August 16, 2005, Canberra announced it had chosen the U.S. firm Gibbs and Cox as the preferred designer for their navy's air warfare destroyers worth up to $6Billion Australian Dollars. Three vessels are currently funded, with the first scheduled to be operational in 2013. Each will be equipped with AEGIS sensors and will be interoperable with the military forces of the United States and with those of other future coalition partners.

He wants to lay across my piano wearing fishnets? What do I do with this walking international embarrassment? Is it just me or is Alexander Downer just like the star of that show The Office? The only thing he has going for him is that Americans can understand him while he tells us how much he likes us. He speaks Transatlantic well, for someone who's a bore and a buffon. Believe it or not, I've remembered a second good thing about Alex - he shares a similar IQ to President Junior, so the guy's occassionally useful. Sometimes, when you hear those two talk, you'd swear they shared the same brain. You'd be right- they swap every second day, just after Afternoon Nap.

David Hicks has been moved out of the torture camp and into a cell about 20 k's from where I live. South Australian police served as "deputy sheriffs" to form a posse/parade to take him the short distance from the airstrip to his new cell. It's like George Bush just sh^t in my nest. Watching my fellow locals eat their offerings is sickening.

South Australia has now become a place that enforces the laws of other countries, even in contravention of its own statutes, with a lapdog-like glee. Currently our Treasurer is acting as Premier. He's the one who's been kissing the backsided of Halliburton and the military corporations taking over this place. Do you think his opinions might be financially motivated?

The Howard Cabinet's disappearing trick with the WorkChoices name is nothing compared with Halliburton's handling of KBR. After years of accusations of international political interference, bribery and overcharging, Cheney's Crew have finally moved the "iffy stuff" into one basket and gotten rid of it. Now they're talking up how well the scam worked.

Overcharging in the Balkans, political kickbacks in South Australia, ripping off defence forces in Iraq and all suchlike are now regarded as Not Halliburton's Problem. "It wasn't us, it was them!" cry Hal chiefs as they refuse to discuss KBR business.

In Australia, by the way, the name change went from Kinhill Australia to Halliburton Australia to Halliburton/KBR Australia to KBR Australia. See how different they are? Don't forget we're dealing with a wholly US owned subsidiary here... the Australia bit is just more window dressing.

Looking back ten years to the signatories of the Project For A New American Century's Statement Of Principles, it looks as if the members of the cabal are dropping like flies. Rumsfeld was hit by a pre-election propaganda mutiny, "Scooter" Libby fell on his own sword to protect fellow signatory and boss Dick Cheney, whose political lifespan diminishes daily within a cloud of war profiteering accusations Now it looks like Paul Wolfowitz, the Iraq War instigator who now heads the World Bank appears to be facing the guillotine for stuffing wads of cash into the mattress of his lady-love.

Here's part of what they all signed:

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We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership....

I wrote this piece a year ago. Gerard's land-clearing made the papers yesterday..

Sometimes clearing local land dwellers out for business purposes is quite successful. The British managed to evict many Highland Scots from potential sheep pastures by religious trickery. The children of some of those evicted ended up poisoning the flour in Aboriginal workers' rations to clear Australian land for similar purposes. I've got a strong feeling that something similar almost happened to my family.

The long phase of the game seems to have started already. Yabber, yabber, yabber and a load of debate scoring bullsh*t. Christ I am so over it.. watching stuff just keep on rolling out and all sides just point-scoring without giving a tinkers's toss about the ethics of a situation. The trouble is that if I'm "into" politics and I'm feeling like this, how does the generally apolitical bloke or blokette feel?