‘Gonzales had weeks to prepare for yesterday's hearing. But the man who sat at the witness table sounded like the sort of person who forgets where he parked his car.

from the New York Times …..

Pentagon Invites Kremlin to Link Missile Systems

from the ABC …..

Govt will push ahead with water takeover: Turnbull

The US/ Australia Status of Forces Agreement of 1963, in particular Article 8 of the treaty, has a couple of points in it that make you wonder how far US Forces could go with Hicks. For example, although Ruddock says that Hicks would not be given up to the US for violating his agreement to remain silent, citing this treaty would be a simple way of the US to haul him in again.

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[excerpts of Article 8]

from our right leaning ABC …..

The Prime Minister says unless there is heavy rain in the Murray-Darling catchment within weeks, the only water that will be available will be for town use and there will be none for irrigation.

from our tired old ABC ….

 

"The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed."

Virginia state gun laws - frequently asked questions:

Is a permit required to purchase rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

‘How strange that the architects of the War on Terror seem more closely aligned to the bad guys than to the people whose security they bill as their top priority.

‘George W. Bush is undoubtedly the most genuine representative of a system of terror forced on the world by the technological, economic and political superiority of the most powerful country known to this planet.

 

from the ABC …..

Howard stakes claim for underdog tag

 

from the ABC …..

Labor rejects claims of $100m anti-WorkChoices campaign

In the contemporary world the largest pressures on our societies relate to our relationship with the natural world. Be it water resources, our own pollution from industry and urban expanses, or climate change. And our societies relies on organisations such as the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to keep check on these pressures, to draw attention to them, and to mitigate their effects.

However, in recent times the effectiveness of the EPA has been somewhat questionable. The most notable case of this conduct recently was the when Tim Powe, senior manager in the EPA reviled "...political considerations have stopped the introduction of air-quality monitoring and mandatory community health checks at Mt Isa's two smelters - the largest source of lead emissions in Australia. "[1] Since this expose testing has found "one to four years, have tested higher than the recommended dosages deemed safe by the State Government "[2]

The list also includes lead and zinc dust blowing off the Townsville port onto the houses of surrounding suburbs [3], the Alcoa Aluminium refinery in Wagerup [4], Port Pirie's lead contamination [5], and the Narangba Industrial Estate fire [6]. And on and on.