From our ABC

Govt 'rock solid' on democratic Iraq, Howard says

Prime Minister John Howard has denied he has weakened his position on Iraq.

Australia's involvement in the war has dominated parliamentary debate this week.

Both sides of politics have accused each other of having policies which could deliver a victory to Muslim extremists.

In an interview this morning the Prime Minister said Iraq would need to be as stable as possible for the maintenance of democracy, before Australian forces are withdrawn.

Labor says the comments show a softening in the Government's commitment to democracy in Iraq.

But Mr Howard has told The 7.30 Report, the Government's position has not changed.

"One question later I went on to make it very clear that we remained rock solid in our support for a democratic Iraq," he said.

----------------

Gus: Like a solid rock sinking fast in quicksand, our venerable most UnAustralian PM sticks to the grand dream of magic and pure democracy in Iraq — a democracy than even the greatest 'western" nations cannot achieve without hypocrisy, scandals, corruption, wars, flaunting of the laws, lies... etc...

Yes, the birth-pangs of the "new" Middle-east fathered by Mr Bush and his midwives, Johnnee and Blair, are certainly painful... and appear to create a little ugly monster...

Speech by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty APM 

Address to the SA Press Club
26 October 2006

‘If we are not careful, we risk raising a generation of Australians who have a bias against Islam. As I travel around the country and speak to different Islamic communities, you hear more and more stories of treatment of the Islamic community by members of our own wider community that really is substandard ….vilification….. and picking them out of the crowd because they dress or speak differently. If we do not get a handle on this now and teach the values that we were brought up with to the future generations, then we do risk a bigger problem in our own future than what we have had in the past.

I think while on this subject – when we talk about terrorism, we tend to talk about physical infrastructure in society and the damage that is caused to it – whether it be the economic damage of a plane being taken out of the sky or the economic damage of a train or buses or tall buildings being blown up.

There is also, in my view, an equally important piece of damage that is caused and that is the intellectual damage that is caused by the way these issues are presented to our own community.

If we are not careful, the way we treat the issues of security and terrorism can in fact incite others to become involved.’

Issues in Contemporary Policing - AFP