SearchDemocracy LinksMember's Off-site Blogs |
happy awstralya day from johnnee ......"What should we call someone who believes the government is above the law, that opinion should be standardised, that majorities are born to rule, that minorities endanger social cohesion? [Perhaps] un-Australian?" Donald Horne
fratboy .....
‘Just five days after the September 11th attacks in 2001, in a Q and A with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, a President with a new mission, a new cause, and a new purpose in life told the American people that, though they had to "go back to work tomorrow," they should now know that they were facing a "new kind of evil." He added, "And we understand. And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while."
le poseur .....
‘America’s dry drunk of a president knows diddlysquat about, and lacks respect for history, economics, and the normal folk like you and me. What he does know and respect is how to cheat, lie and connive his way towards being the big man in the frat house. I’ve got news for Frat Boy. The White House is not a Delta Kappa Epsilon outpost let alone its head office.
the value of idolatry .....
‘In September 2006, the Attorney-General went to Washington to discuss revised military arrangements for the trial of suspects such as Mr Hicks. It was reported widely that these allowed evidence obtained through coercion to be admitted at trial. On his return to Australia, Mr Ruddock told the ABC’s “Insiders” program that sleep deprivation should be permitted as “coercion” rather than torture. He was immediately challenged by the National President of the RSL (who said it could certainly be torture), the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, and Federal Police Commissioner Keelty who said sleep deprivation was illegal for use by AFP officers, and amounted to “unfair tactics”.
all dressed-up & no-where to go .....
‘The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed.
bushed .....
‘London, England - The image of the United States has deteriorated around the world in the past year because of issues such as Iraq and prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, according to a poll by the BBC World Service released on Tuesday." The proportion of people believing the United States has a mainly positive influence in world affairs dropped seven points from a year ago -- to 29 percent from 36, the results from 18 countries that were also polled the previous year showed.
the great scamster .....
Bush's neo-conservative doctrine seeks to apply Straussian philosophy to the unfettered pursuit of US energy interests. Its unspoken motto: "perpetual war for perpetual peace." The rough idea – and the idea is, indeed, rough – is to play this century's Great Game (first prize: control of Mid-east oil supply) under the banner of national security.
the word .....
‘Just days after the Rev. Pat Robertson claimed on his “700 Club” program that God warned him of “mass killings” in the U.S. late in 2007, God held a rare press conference today to deny having spoken to the controversial televangelist. For the usually publicity-shy King of the Universe, the press conference held at the Chicago Airport Marriott signalled a sharp break with tradition.
Magical Pills, Mysterious Deals, Mobsters And Our MoneyCraig Rowley and I wrote this piece for Webdiary last week- that was before the Halliburton connection was announced. Get this under your belt and I'll be back with the rest soon: Gerard Ryle, an award winning investigative journo currently working for the SMH, has been breaking a most intriguing story about the rise of a man with a magic mystery pill, how he and his little fuel booster firm, Firepower, shoots for the stars and the way Austrade doles out our money to the pill man's secretive firm.
habeas corpus .....
‘In one of the most chilling public statements ever made by a U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales questioned whether the U.S. Constitution grants habeas corpus rights of a fair trial to every American. Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution doesn't explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.
clowning moments .....Whilst the little rodent scurries from shadow to shadow, busily marking our society with the rank stench of his corrupt & immoral government, his head clowner was busily informing the sceptical populace that an “anonymous” source had assured him that David Hick’s mental health was fine. It turns out, of course, that the source of clowner’s spectacular assertion was an anonymous junior official from the bushit embassy in Kaaanbra …. an official who recently observed Hicks for 20 minutes, without speaking with him …. an official who has no medical qualifications & whose opinion is worthless, other than as further direct evidence of the profound moral corruption that is the hallmark of both governments.
"aussie tony" & the value of space .....
‘Well I never. This column was too late with the suggestion that Tony Blair should be blasted off to the Moon for his legacy. He has already suggested it himself. Journalist friends — more than one — have reported a discussion with the Prime Minister in which they were pressing him to say whether he supported the idea of sending a Briton into Outer Space. Under pressure, his final answer (apparently) went along these lines: “I tell you what: when I’ve finished as Prime Minister I’ll be the first British astronaut! There you go, you’ve got a story now!” Yeah, right.’
the egg man .....
The botched hanging of Saddam Hussein & two lieutenants in Iraq by its Shiite-led government has helped to accelerate Sunni-Shiite sectarianism across an already fragile Middle East. "The reality of the current situation is that we are approaching an open Sunni-Shiite conflict in the region," warned Emad Gad, an international relations specialist based in Egypt.
puss-in-boots ..... ACCC all jawboning and no action over petrol prices Michael Pascoe writes: ‘Well whip me with a feather – ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel is telling the media he has told the naughty petrol companies that he will tell the media they are naughty if they don’t reduce petrol prices in a week. When did we step through the looking glass?
![]() |
User login |
Recent comments
56 min 6 sec ago
1 hour 4 min ago
1 hour 9 min ago
1 hour 15 min ago
1 hour 18 min ago
1 hour 13 min ago
1 hour 34 min ago
2 hours 4 min ago
1 hour 48 min ago
2 hours 51 min ago