Afghanistan's much ballyhooed recent election staged by its foreign occupiers turned out to be a fraud wrapped up in a farce -- as this column predicted a month ago. It was as phony and meaningless as U.S.-run elections in Vietnam in the 1970s.

Canada played a shameful role in facilitating this obviously rigged vote.

from Crikey .....

A week in the life of Australia's greatest living political hypocrite ...

September 20, 2009

Article from:  Australian Associated Press

The US has no "grand expectations" from the summit of Israeli and Palestinian leaders which President Obama is to host on Tuesday, the White House says.

The talks in New York are to discuss the possibility of re-starting the Middle East peace process.

But both Israeli and Palestinian leaders have accused each other of blocking the initiative.

Israel has rejected US and Palestinian demands for a total freeze before a new round of talks can take place.

from Crikey .....

Blair's mission from God rings hollow

Alex Mitchell writes from London:

Angus Houston seems like a nice enough bloke .... his quiet, calm demeanour almost suggests that he is a thinking man's soldier & not the big, bold warrior that we might normally expect in an Air Chief Marshall or the person of our Chief of Defence Forces.

But, as always, first appearances can be deceiving .....

The other night, on the SBS Dateline program, the benign facemask of military discipline, coupled with polished media relations training, slipped for a moment & we caught a glimpse of the steel warrior lurking beneath the soft appearance.

from Crikey .....

Allan Kessing: my side of the story

Whistleblower Allan Kessing writes:

I joined Customs in 1990 and retired in 2005. My first three years were on the wharves then two at Sydney airport. In January 1997 I was approached to join a new intelligence section analysing sea and air cargo where I remained until returning to the airport in 2001.

From the SMH

Senior Liberal Andrew Robb, one of the opposition's star performers, is to take three months' leave to undergo treatment for depression in a move his colleagues say will help others confront their own mental health problems.

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from Crikey .....

Ad self-regulator says 72% sugar is a simple serve of fruit

David Gillespie, lawyer and author of "Sweet Poison, why sugar makes us fat" writes:

Johann Hari: We must stop the 'vulture funds' that feed on the world's poor

The energy that drove Jubilee 2000 needs to be summoned again

Friday, 18 September 2009

September 18, 2009

White House Scraps Bush’s Approach to Missile Shield

By PETER BAKER

More than 50 years ago, Vance Packard shook the commercial world with the publication of his book The Hidden Persuaders. It was, as the book jacket claims, "A revealing, often shocking explanation of new techniques of research and methods of persuasion."

Packard revealed, "If people couldn't discriminate reasonably, marketers reasoned, they should be assisted in discriminating unreasonably, in some easy, warm, emotional way."