‘This week's most terrifying remark came from the foreign
secretary, Jack Straw. He declared that a nuclear attack on Iran would be
"completely nuts" and an assault of any sort
"inconceivable". In Straw-speak, "nuts" means he's just
heard it is going to happen and "inconceivable" means certain. 

A measure of the plight of
British foreign policy is that such words from the foreign secretary are
anything but reassuring. Straw says of Iran that "there is no smoking gun,
there is no casus belli". There was no smoking gun in Iraq, only weapons
conjured from the fevered imagination of Downing Street and the intelligence
chiefs. 

‘Average Americans are struggling to keep up with persistently high gas
prices, now
approaching US$3 a gallon.  

Testifying before Congress last November, Exxon CEO Lee Raymond blamed the
problem on “global supply and demand” and assured the public that: "we're all in this
together".  

‘The definition of "failed states" is hardly
scientific. But they share some primary characteristics. 

They are unable or unwilling to
protect their citizens from violence and perhaps even destruction. They regard
themselves as beyond the reach of domestic or international law, hence free to
carry out aggression and violence. And if they have democratic forms, they
suffer from a serious "democratic deficit" that deprives their formal
democratic institutions of real substance. 

From the New York Times …..

Rumsfeld Faces Growing Revolt by Retired Generals 

By DAVID S. CLOUD, ERIC SCHMITT
and THOM SHANKER
Published: April 13, 2006
WASHINGTON, April 13 —

An expanding group of influential
former military officers is calling for Defense Secretary Donald
H. Rumsfeld's resignation in a public rebellion that has become
a significant challenge to the Pentagon's civilian leadership. 

 
On April 13 2006, Miranda Devine writes (tongue in cheek, I hope) an opinon piece in The Sydney Morning Herald:

Baby boomers' gyrating days are numbered ….. 

It's time to accept that youth culture is for the young, not the young at heart. 

From the ABC …..

Andrews moves to allay Easter sacking fears 

The Federal Government has moved
to reassure workers that they are protected from getting the sack if they
have reasonable grounds for not being able to work on public holidays over
Easter. 

Labor says Easter will be a test
for the new rules and say they are weighted in favour of the employer. 

Buzzflash on king george …..  

‘Okay, so let's get this
straight. 

Bush admits he selectively leaked
classified information that wasn't declassified until days after he and Cheney
had Scooter Libby leak it to Judith Miller, the pro-war megaphone for the New
York Times publication of Bush lies. Bush "authorizes" this leak at a
time that he is claiming that if he ever finds the leaker, he will basically
fire him, meaning himself. Then he continues a public and Department of Justice
vendetta against leakers, but not himself: the leaker-in-chief. 

Any regular reader of this blog will know that a population expansion of South Australia is a regularly recurring theme.  While the military expansion of the State is extolled by our government as a creator of jobs, it appears that we're looking elsewhere to find them.  Meanwhile new suburbs are created and plans are laid to house personnel required for the defence and mining booms.

 An article in today's Advertiser suggests that we're going to be battling to scrape together the required numbers to fill the defence jobs.

 [extract]

From the ABC …. 

IR changes hit Howard's standing

A new opinion poll shows a drop
in voter support for Prime Minister John Howard, following the start of
his Government's new industrial relations changes. 

From 4 Corners .….

FELICITY JOHNSTON, UNITED NATION OFFICE [customs enforcement]
OF THE IRAQ PROGRAMME (1999-2003):  

“It is true to say that it was
not their responsibility to carry out the pricing review. That said,
my sympathy only extends so far because every nation has
a responsibility, absolutely, under resolution 661, to ensure that
its nationals comply with the terms of that resolution. 

‘It’s been three years since the U.S. launched its war
against Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. Of course now
almost everybody knows there were no WMDs, and Saddam Hussein posed no threat
to the United States. 

Though some of our soldiers
serving in Iraq still believe they are there because Saddam Hussein was
involved in 9/11, even the administration now acknowledges there was no
connection. Indeed, no one can be absolutely certain why we invaded Iraq. The
current excuse, also given for staying in Iraq, is to make it a democratic
state, friendly to the United States.