“When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law & human rights, it grants a license to others to commit abuse with impunity & audacity."

Amnesty International

Let's make a list of Federal Parliamentary ALP Members who we can trust on truly restoring decency in asylum seeker policies. I'll start with Carmen Lawrence, who stepped down from the front bench over asylum policies two years ago.

Will Beazley and the Federal ALP take the opportunity to throw Howard in detention over his inhumane policies, or will the Bomber again be missing in action?

Anyone out there a lawyer? If Chapelle is innocent, could she sue Qantas for not providing the necessary security on the luggage for which they are responsible while in transit? If the evidence is about to be destroyed by the Indonesian justice system, can they do this before the appeal?

Mr Bildstien, in pre-Advertiser days , was also a spin doctor for
Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Secretary Chris Gallus when he wrote the media release of an implicitly "South Australian based company", Halliburton, receiving Ausaid contracts...

G'day. I wrote this piece for today's Northern Rivers Echo on Tuesday morning, just before news broke that Petro Georgiou and Judi Moylan were gunna go for it on mandatory detention. That night on the 7.30 Report Judi Moylan did a George Galloway and told it straight. She's since received 2000 emails from citizens supporting her stand, a dozen long-stemmed red roses from a citizen to 'a brave lady', and dozens of calls from small l Liberal names across Australia offering congratulations and support. Her case for a House of Representatives debate on the Petro bills is in today's Australian at Judi Moylan: Detention policy fails the test of humanity.

Prime Minister John Howard has outlined sweeping changes to the laws governing Australian workplaces. I DON'T HAVE TO BELONG TO THE STREET SWEEPER'S UNION ANYMORE

From the Moscow Times Global Eye Motion Sickness By Chris Floyd Published: May 20, 2005

Last night Pegasus brought the news to this website of the Liberal "backbench revolt". Some discussion has already ensued, but the 'Strategy II' thread is all over the place so this is a thread to which that discussion can move.

It's the sort of opportunity that we have to seize immediately or not worry about. As I published on the other thread, here are the four backbenchers who deserve our congratulations and encouragement for standing against the Howard government on a moral issue, and one that is deeply disturbing for democracy. That is, mandatory detention, especially of families and children.

Today, says Howard Zinn, we have a president, who more than any before him, claims a special relationship with God.

Zinn worries about an administration that deploys Christian zealotry to justify a war against terrorism, a war that in reality seems more about establishing a new beachhead in the oil-rich Middle East.