Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Human life exchange rates
Here's a quick guide on how to value life in a globalised free-market economy:
If you are a British journalist shot dead in Rafah by Israeli soldiers while filming a documentary about Gaza, your family receives £1.5 million in compensation to prevent the British government extraditing the soldiers and charging them with manslaughter. Nice bit of hush money for the death of a man who willingly set foot in a war zone and deliberately risked his life!
However, if you are an Afghan trying to go about your daily routine and get slaughtered by USA soldiers who also kill 14 others and wound several in the same senseless attack on your village, your family should expect a mere US$2,500 (or £1,729).
Exchange rate: 1 UK life = 867 Afghans (1,500,000 / 1,729 = 867)
In Iraq, the USA makes "condolence payments" of between $1,500 and $7,500 for each "regrettable death", although most of the 98,000+ verifiable casualties (some sources suggest more than 1 million) will never be acknowledged by the USA and no compensation will be paid to those families.
While I recognise that death and disability compensation for service personnel are ridiculously low even within western nations like the USA, UK and Australia, it is important to accept the fact that such personnel are volunteers and are being paid to fight. Civilians are not.
It may be worthy to note that there have been 4,237 US military deaths in Iraq to date - a ratio of 1 US to 23 Iraqis killed (or 1:306 by less conservative records).
Similarly, in the recent Gaza conflict we know that 14 Israelis died compared with more than 1400 Palestinians, a ratio of 1 Israeli = 100 Palestinians (Src: Daily Dispatch and Daily Freeman)
An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth ... hardly!
More good information here
If you are a British journalist shot dead in Rafah by Israeli soldiers while filming a documentary about Gaza, your family receives £1.5 million in compensation to prevent the British government extraditing the soldiers and charging them with manslaughter. Nice bit of hush money for the death of a man who willingly set foot in a war zone and deliberately risked his life!
However, if you are an Afghan trying to go about your daily routine and get slaughtered by USA soldiers who also kill 14 others and wound several in the same senseless attack on your village, your family should expect a mere US$2,500 (or £1,729).
Exchange rate: 1 UK life = 867 Afghans (1,500,000 / 1,729 = 867)
In Iraq, the USA makes "condolence payments" of between $1,500 and $7,500 for each "regrettable death", although most of the 98,000+ verifiable casualties (some sources suggest more than 1 million) will never be acknowledged by the USA and no compensation will be paid to those families.
While I recognise that death and disability compensation for service personnel are ridiculously low even within western nations like the USA, UK and Australia, it is important to accept the fact that such personnel are volunteers and are being paid to fight. Civilians are not.
It may be worthy to note that there have been 4,237 US military deaths in Iraq to date - a ratio of 1 US to 23 Iraqis killed (or 1:306 by less conservative records).
Similarly, in the recent Gaza conflict we know that 14 Israelis died compared with more than 1400 Palestinians, a ratio of 1 Israeli = 100 Palestinians (Src: Daily Dispatch and Daily Freeman)
An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth ... hardly!
More good information here
War across the Middle East is inevitable
The Angry Arab News Service commences a blog entry titled "Unintended Consequences" by writing:
I couldn't post a comment on the blog, so instead my reply is here:
No - not unintended.
It was quite predictable and part of the masterplan - full scale war across the middle east is not only inevitable, it has been carefully orchestrated.
It is no different to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident that started the Vietnam War. It is no different to the Reichstag fire that allowed Hitler to seize power. It is no different to the US government's complicity in 9/11 that allowed it to enter Afghanistan and no different to the fake WMDs that led to the invasion of Iraq.
So many successive governments cannot be that stupid and unlucky - even when "led" by the likes of President Bush.
There is no coincidence - only the illusion of coincidence (no apologies for The Matrix quote).
The New World Order continues to make its moves on our chessboard. It will only cease when we start acting like Kings, Queens and Knights instead of Pawns.
"have just returned from the Middle East and witnessed how Israel's assault on Gaza is radicalizing mainstream Muslim opinion. Shown endlessly on Arab and Muslim television stations, the massive killing of civilians is fueling rage against Israel and its superpower patron, the United States, among mainstream and moderate voices who previously believed in co-existence with the Jewish state."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2009/01/unintended-consequences.html
I couldn't post a comment on the blog, so instead my reply is here:
No - not unintended.
It was quite predictable and part of the masterplan - full scale war across the middle east is not only inevitable, it has been carefully orchestrated.
It is no different to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident that started the Vietnam War. It is no different to the Reichstag fire that allowed Hitler to seize power. It is no different to the US government's complicity in 9/11 that allowed it to enter Afghanistan and no different to the fake WMDs that led to the invasion of Iraq.
So many successive governments cannot be that stupid and unlucky - even when "led" by the likes of President Bush.
There is no coincidence - only the illusion of coincidence (no apologies for The Matrix quote).
The New World Order continues to make its moves on our chessboard. It will only cease when we start acting like Kings, Queens and Knights instead of Pawns.
Still here ;-)
I haven't been arrested for my previous post - clearly Echelon doesn't dig deep enough or the wheels of policing bureaucracy are slow to move at this time of year.
At the end of this annus horribilus, and as we edge towards the eve of a new (but same agenda) world order, I felt it relevant to share this quote. It sums up my feeling on what 2009 will bring.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
~John F. Kennedy
Happy pagan solstice festivities to all!
At the end of this annus horribilus, and as we edge towards the eve of a new (but same agenda) world order, I felt it relevant to share this quote. It sums up my feeling on what 2009 will bring.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
~John F. Kennedy
Happy pagan solstice festivities to all!
The Billion Dollar Messiah
An obscene amount of dollars was raised and spent to "elect" the leader of the world's most "free" country. And all during a time of massive financial crisis that is likely to lead to the downfall of the greatest empire since Rome.
It is simply beyond irony.
It is simply beyond irony.
An eye for an eye
“An eye for an eye would make the whole world blind.”
Mahatma Ghandi
The three convicted Bali Bombers have been murdered by a vicious, third world legal system at the behest of ignorant and depraved public opinion.
This is a sad and disappointing day for anyone who holds justice high above and disparate from vengeance; for those who foresee the deep and dark ramifications of gifting martyrdom.
And all the while war criminals like Tony Blair and George W. Bush, who are ultimately responsible for the documented deaths of more than 100,000 (potentially closer to 500,000), continue to walk the Earth as free men.
Mahatma Ghandi
The three convicted Bali Bombers have been murdered by a vicious, third world legal system at the behest of ignorant and depraved public opinion.
This is a sad and disappointing day for anyone who holds justice high above and disparate from vengeance; for those who foresee the deep and dark ramifications of gifting martyrdom.
And all the while war criminals like Tony Blair and George W. Bush, who are ultimately responsible for the documented deaths of more than 100,000 (potentially closer to 500,000), continue to walk the Earth as free men.
Difference Between the Obama and McCain Tax Plans
North American Patriot: The Real True Honest Fair and Balanced Difference Between the Obama and McCain Tax Plans
Its not so much the difference in tax policy that is astounding ... its the fact that they actually include people who earn more than $2,870,000 per annum.
Who actually earns that kind of money and doesn't have a full time tax accountant to reduce their liability to zero through dodgy tax minimisation and avoidance schemes??
LOL
Its not so much the difference in tax policy that is astounding ... its the fact that they actually include people who earn more than $2,870,000 per annum.
Who actually earns that kind of money and doesn't have a full time tax accountant to reduce their liability to zero through dodgy tax minimisation and avoidance schemes??
LOL
Where to Invade Next?
I was wandering through Planet Books in Mt Lawley (highly recommended for topical, political and thought-provoking material) and noted a book titled "Where to Invade Next?" by Stephen Elliot. On the back cover was the following quote:
Inside the book is listed the top countries (along with explanations) on the USA's hit list ... and yes, Venezuela is there along with the usual suspects of Iran, Sudan and North Korea ;-)
More detail at http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781932416930-0
"About ten days after 9/11, I went through the Pentagon and I saw Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz. I went downstairs just to say hello to some of the people on the Joint Staff who used to work for me, and one of the generals called me in. He said, "Sir, you've got to come in and talk to me a second." I said, "Well, you're too busy." He said, "No, no." He says, "We've made the decision we're going to war with Iraq." This was on or about the twentieth of September...
"So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, "Are we still going to war with Iraq?" And he said, "Oh, it's worse than that." He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, "I just got this down from upstairs" (meaning the Secretary of Defense's office) "today." And he said, "This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years."
— General Wesley Clark, February 27, 2007
Inside the book is listed the top countries (along with explanations) on the USA's hit list ... and yes, Venezuela is there along with the usual suspects of Iran, Sudan and North Korea ;-)
More detail at http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781932416930-0
America's growing enemy
Keep an eye on Venezuela.
According to reports like this and this, Chavez is being too much like a Robin Hood for the US and international bank boys to just stand by and do nothing.
He has already taken back the oil & gas fields, now they plan to ramp up production and hit foreign companies with a 50% tax on excess oil profits.
He also plans to nationalise the cement industry as well as the Argentinian controlled steelmaker and even take measures to ensure that the people of Venezuela have enough food for the future - no way!
And in the back of his mind is still the plan to introduce a Tobin styled tax on financial transactions.
How will they stop him? Rumours of impropriety? Another coup? Acts of terrorism? Assasination? Here's a start.
But there is also the growing concern about who should be the local sherrif of this region of the world. Perhaps The South American Defense Council?
At least that might explain why Venezuela and Brazil are spending big on arms. (Does anyone know why Greece is at the top of the list of big spenders?)
But despite all this, Chavez does appear to have some interesting friends ...
Belarus
China
Iran
Maybe it is a case of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?
And if that isn't enough to make you at least question the US stance on Venezuela, try reading the works of Eva Golinger, namely The Chavez Code and Bush vs Chavez - Washington's War on Venezuela or start by reading this review.
Of course, you are also welcome to ignore this and simply take the view that Venezuela deserves everything it gets for its socialist, anti-American, communist-loving, anti-semitic, Simpsons-hating philosphy.
According to reports like this and this, Chavez is being too much like a Robin Hood for the US and international bank boys to just stand by and do nothing.
He has already taken back the oil & gas fields, now they plan to ramp up production and hit foreign companies with a 50% tax on excess oil profits.
He also plans to nationalise the cement industry as well as the Argentinian controlled steelmaker and even take measures to ensure that the people of Venezuela have enough food for the future - no way!
And in the back of his mind is still the plan to introduce a Tobin styled tax on financial transactions.
How will they stop him? Rumours of impropriety? Another coup? Acts of terrorism? Assasination? Here's a start.
But there is also the growing concern about who should be the local sherrif of this region of the world. Perhaps The South American Defense Council?
At least that might explain why Venezuela and Brazil are spending big on arms. (Does anyone know why Greece is at the top of the list of big spenders?)
But despite all this, Chavez does appear to have some interesting friends ...
Belarus
China
Iran
Maybe it is a case of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?
And if that isn't enough to make you at least question the US stance on Venezuela, try reading the works of Eva Golinger, namely The Chavez Code and Bush vs Chavez - Washington's War on Venezuela or start by reading this review.
Of course, you are also welcome to ignore this and simply take the view that Venezuela deserves everything it gets for its socialist, anti-American, communist-loving, anti-semitic, Simpsons-hating philosphy.
The Other War
Whatever happened to the other war ... you know, the one started by Ronald Reagan, and continued by successive US governments .. the other war against a faceless enemy that was designed to bring fear into the hearts and minds of every Joe and Jane Citizen ... the War on Drugs! ???
Now we know that the USA has used the "War on Drugs" to great effect in achieving its goals in Central and South America. So what would happen if the USA ran up against a rebellious state telling the local sherriff to nick off?
Well, one side would naturally have to make claims of a worsening trafficking problem to highlight the ineffectiveness of the insubordinate regime:
Cocaine Finds a New Latin American Home.
Take particular note of the "tracked" routes (see image below) used by traffickers ... one could easily be led to think that the Dominican Republic is one VERY tripped out place with all the drugs going there, but not seeming to leave! Not to mention that the drugs don't even seem to originate in Columbia anymore either.
Apparently the White House knows where the drugs come from (Venezuela) and knows where they arrive (Dominican Republic) but somehow loses track of them after that!
However, it is also quite evident by these "tracks" that the drugs are not going through any of the usual Central American countries anymore, which must, of course, be due to the incredible success of the long-standing partnership with the US Drug Enforcement Agency ;-)
Of course there's always the other, less popular or politically convenient, side of the story, which boldly claims that Venezuela Boosts Drug Seizures, Arrests Triple.
Now, they can't be both right, can they?
Given the USA's track record on propaganda, I'd bet my Aussie dollar along with a few thousand overinflated Bolivar against the dirty greenback anyday!
Now we know that the USA has used the "War on Drugs" to great effect in achieving its goals in Central and South America. So what would happen if the USA ran up against a rebellious state telling the local sherriff to nick off?
Well, one side would naturally have to make claims of a worsening trafficking problem to highlight the ineffectiveness of the insubordinate regime:
Cocaine Finds a New Latin American Home.
Take particular note of the "tracked" routes (see image below) used by traffickers ... one could easily be led to think that the Dominican Republic is one VERY tripped out place with all the drugs going there, but not seeming to leave! Not to mention that the drugs don't even seem to originate in Columbia anymore either.
Apparently the White House knows where the drugs come from (Venezuela) and knows where they arrive (Dominican Republic) but somehow loses track of them after that!
However, it is also quite evident by these "tracks" that the drugs are not going through any of the usual Central American countries anymore, which must, of course, be due to the incredible success of the long-standing partnership with the US Drug Enforcement Agency ;-)
Of course there's always the other, less popular or politically convenient, side of the story, which boldly claims that Venezuela Boosts Drug Seizures, Arrests Triple.
Now, they can't be both right, can they?
Given the USA's track record on propaganda, I'd bet my Aussie dollar along with a few thousand overinflated Bolivar against the dirty greenback anyday!
Gun-toting Yanks hit back!
My last post has caused a bit of a stir in the "land of the brave". It seems you can't criticise the USers* love for murderous tools without being vilified.
The main point against me is that I accused Wayne Chiang of being no better than Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. I stand firm on my statement, but rather than defend it allow me to add some context.
Wayne Chiang was quoted as saying
Let's put that statement into the context of Bush's invasion of Iraq ...
Now watch the comments light up as I get a barrage of abuse from pro-war USers* who insist that terrorising the middle east for the sake of black gold is a good thing. LOL!
The truth is that any lackadaisical attitude about guns is more likely to lead to widespread carnage and murderous mayhem than it is to swiftly and simply neutralise a situation like Virginia Tech, Port Arthur, Waco, etc
The promotion of a "right to bear arms" is ludicrous and there is no possible way that governments can ensure responsible gun ownership except through extremely tough gun control laws. Volacious says it best in his comment on my previous post:
NOTE * :I tried to find where I had first described the civilians of the USA as USers, rather than their incorrect, self-appointed nickname of "Americans" (which technically applies to any resident of the two American continents). Unfortunately I couldn't find it, hence my explanation for its use. Besides I like the double meaning involved in the term "USer" :-)
The main point against me is that I accused Wayne Chiang of being no better than Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. I stand firm on my statement, but rather than defend it allow me to add some context.
Wayne Chiang was quoted as saying
"I am a firm believer that if Virginia Tech students were allowed to conceal carry, this situation could have ended sooner."
Let's put that statement into the context of Bush's invasion of Iraq ...
"I am a firm believer that if Iraqi civilians were allowed to conceal carry, this situation could have ended sooner."
Now watch the comments light up as I get a barrage of abuse from pro-war USers* who insist that terrorising the middle east for the sake of black gold is a good thing. LOL!
The truth is that any lackadaisical attitude about guns is more likely to lead to widespread carnage and murderous mayhem than it is to swiftly and simply neutralise a situation like Virginia Tech, Port Arthur, Waco, etc
The promotion of a "right to bear arms" is ludicrous and there is no possible way that governments can ensure responsible gun ownership except through extremely tough gun control laws. Volacious says it best in his comment on my previous post:
"Gun control in America these days is a fairly academic argument... every idiot already has one"
NOTE * :I tried to find where I had first described the civilians of the USA as USers, rather than their incorrect, self-appointed nickname of "Americans" (which technically applies to any resident of the two American continents). Unfortunately I couldn't find it, hence my explanation for its use. Besides I like the double meaning involved in the term "USer" :-)
Falsely accused, but still a monster
He might have been the subject of internet rumour-mongering and false accusations of being the person responsible for today's massacre at Virginia Tech, but despite his protestations of innocence Wayne Chiang is no better than the man who killed 32 people, wounded more, and left a town mourning and a country in shock.
Wayne Chiang is a gun-toting cowboy who would have gladly seen even more people brandishing guns that day, with the inevitable end of a shoot-out to shame the OK Coral!
It doesn't concern me that Wayne is being falsely accused - one look at his blog and I'm instantly repulsed.
Care factor zero from me!
My heartfelt sympathy does, however, go to all the families, friends and neighbours affected by this awful tragedy across the globe.
PLEASE .... will the USA consider gun control laws to protect its own people?
Chiang believes that guns should be allowed on the Virginia Tech campus.
"I am a firm believer that if Virginia Tech students were allowed to conceal carry, this situation could have ended sooner."
Wayne Chiang is a gun-toting cowboy who would have gladly seen even more people brandishing guns that day, with the inevitable end of a shoot-out to shame the OK Coral!
It doesn't concern me that Wayne is being falsely accused - one look at his blog and I'm instantly repulsed.
Care factor zero from me!
My heartfelt sympathy does, however, go to all the families, friends and neighbours affected by this awful tragedy across the globe.
PLEASE .... will the USA consider gun control laws to protect its own people?
Being gay in a power-hungry world
As a country that thrives on wealth and power, and whose every breath is consumed by the who's who and the who's doing who, the USA is probably the only nation that could care less about who its top ranking homosexuals are.
But clearly, infamous queer mag "Out", believes that the punters are keen and curious and have published (outed?) the Top 50 for all to see.
Leading the dubiously formed list is one David Geffen, billionaire entertainment mogul who shares equal 50th ranking on the Forbes rich list with discount stock broker, Charles Schwab, just behind Steve Jobs of Apple fame. Geffen is the "G" in the Dreamworks SKG team, alongside Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Ellen DeGeneres may not make the Forbes Rich List, but she does outrank every other non-straight woman to make the Power 50 list at spot #3.
The list is overwhelmingly full of names from the fashion and entertainment industries. But there are also a number of names and tangible links to politics that suggest a very interesting road ahead for the coming Presidential election next year.
It brings an insightful perspective together about the roots and drivers of the historical gay rights campaign and also the contemporary same-sex marriage debate. The media is powerful and if a group can have significant sway over the media, it naturally flows that the same power is present in politics.
Some would argue that the "gay agenda" exists only in the minds of the homophobic zealots. As a gay man who understands the machinations of politics, I see every agenda as a real and credible threat to a healthy liberal democracy. Even one that seeks to serve my freedoms and self interests.
I'll wait and see, but Barack Hussein Obama might have a bit of an edge against Hilary Rodham Clinton, despite his name bearing an eerie resemblance to both Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
But clearly, infamous queer mag "Out", believes that the punters are keen and curious and have published (outed?) the Top 50 for all to see.
Leading the dubiously formed list is one David Geffen, billionaire entertainment mogul who shares equal 50th ranking on the Forbes rich list with discount stock broker, Charles Schwab, just behind Steve Jobs of Apple fame. Geffen is the "G" in the Dreamworks SKG team, alongside Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Ellen DeGeneres may not make the Forbes Rich List, but she does outrank every other non-straight woman to make the Power 50 list at spot #3.
The list is overwhelmingly full of names from the fashion and entertainment industries. But there are also a number of names and tangible links to politics that suggest a very interesting road ahead for the coming Presidential election next year.
It brings an insightful perspective together about the roots and drivers of the historical gay rights campaign and also the contemporary same-sex marriage debate. The media is powerful and if a group can have significant sway over the media, it naturally flows that the same power is present in politics.
Some would argue that the "gay agenda" exists only in the minds of the homophobic zealots. As a gay man who understands the machinations of politics, I see every agenda as a real and credible threat to a healthy liberal democracy. Even one that seeks to serve my freedoms and self interests.
I'll wait and see, but Barack Hussein Obama might have a bit of an edge against Hilary Rodham Clinton, despite his name bearing an eerie resemblance to both Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
2007 Federal Election Conspiracy
The Australian Government has conspired with the United States to devise a plan of freeing David hicks that will ensure the impact of his case has an absolute minimal effect upon the impending Federal election.
Bold words perhaps, but lets look closely at the facts:
Detention
Hicks was captured in Afghanistan in December 2001 and was among the first prisoners the United States sent to Guantanamo a month later. Washington defined Hicks and others as unlawful "enemy combatants" who could not be treated the same way as prisoners of war and would not have the same rights under the Geneva Convention.
PM Reacts to National Outrage
Charged and Convicted
A US military tribunal has sentenced him to seven years in jail but he will only have to serve nine months with the rest suspended. He will serve the sentence in Australia and the USA must send him home by May 29.
The Deal
So clearly the government has one full year in which to be saved any embarrassment from Hicks' contact with media ... and the election will have been fought and won by then!
Bob Brown agrees
Bold words perhaps, but lets look closely at the facts:
Detention
Hicks was captured in Afghanistan in December 2001 and was among the first prisoners the United States sent to Guantanamo a month later. Washington defined Hicks and others as unlawful "enemy combatants" who could not be treated the same way as prisoners of war and would not have the same rights under the Geneva Convention.
PM Reacts to National Outrage
A poll in December (2006) on the Hicks case itself rocked the government. It showed that about two-thirds of Australians thought Mr Hicks should be returned to Australia, and only one-quarter supported Mr Howard's hands-off approach. Since then Mr Howard has changed his public tune, blaming America for the delays in bringing Mr Hicks to trial. That may not be enough to assuage public anger, which probably runs deep enough to affect elections in a few months' time.
The Economist, 29 March 2007
Charged and Convicted
A US military tribunal has sentenced him to seven years in jail but he will only have to serve nine months with the rest suspended. He will serve the sentence in Australia and the USA must send him home by May 29.
The Deal
Hicks's plea agreement bars him from speaking to the media for one year and says if he ever sells the rights to his story, the Australian Government will get the money. He was also banned from taking legal action against the United States. Hicks had previously said he was abused by the US military but said in his plea agreement he had "never been illegally treated while in US custody".
ABC Online, 31 March 2007
So clearly the government has one full year in which to be saved any embarrassment from Hicks' contact with media ... and the election will have been fought and won by then!
Bob Brown agrees
But Greens leader Bob Brown says Hicks's sentence is designed to keep him out of the political spotlight during this year's federal election campaign.
"This is an astonishing political fix between the Howard administration and the Bush administration," Senator Brown said.
"This is carefully choreographed to have Hicks shut up until after the election.
"That's because they know that this is an illegal process. It breaches Australia's standards of democracy, human rights, civil rights."
ABC Online, 31 March 2007
Walk the walk ... like an Egyptian
Speaking of conspiracies ...
What's the chance that the USA is behind the massive constitutional changes underway in Egypt?
The 34 ammendments will provide, amongst other things, a permanent invocation of emergency laws that have been in place since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981, technically ending the longest "emergency" in history. The changes will also:
What's the chance that the USA is behind the massive constitutional changes underway in Egypt?
Human rights group Amnesty International has called the changes the greatest erosion of human rights in 26 yearsMeanwhile, the USA has only expressed "some concerns" about some of the amendments.
The 34 ammendments will provide, amongst other things, a permanent invocation of emergency laws that have been in place since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981, technically ending the longest "emergency" in history. The changes will also:
- give police wider powers of arrest and surveillance.
- ban all religious-based political activity and parties
- remove judicial supervision of elections
- change the previously socialist state into one based on "freedom of economic action"
- give the president powers to refer terrorists to any judicial authority - including military tribunals, which are not subject to appeal
- allow authorities to override articles protecting individual freedoms and privacy
Australia's core beliefs
Here's a draft of a post I was working on last year ...
Apparently average Australians have seven core beliefs, at least according to our moral-driven upstanding Prime Minister.
In a speech at the launch of The Conservative in September 2005, Mr Howard claimed that the following were our common beliefs:
We live in a very successful nation.
Tell that to hundreds of thousands who live below the poverty line, and especially our indigenous peoples who are battling to survive
We do not have much to be ashamed of
True ... except for our poor record on indigenous health & welfare, our cow-tailing to the USA, and our arrogance towards the Kyoto protocol
Australia was well-regarded around th world
see above comments
Individuals should be given a fair go if down on their luck but, once helped, should not expect continued community support
a fair comment unless it is advocating only helping people once and then writing them off for the rest of their life
Traditional institutions like the family were central but people with alternative views should not be persecuted
well ... should they be faced with discrimination too? And whose definition of family are we using anyway?
People should be very tolerant, but also believe in unity when facing a common threat
Stuff tolerance ... how about respect, acceptance and understanding ... and what if the threat is John Howard or the Liberal Party?
Society should be classless where a person's worth was determined by personal character and hard work, and not religion, race or social background
Newsflash!! How about if a person's worth was equalto all others and there were no determining factors at all?
Clearly, Mr Howard is now the spiritual leader of 20 million Australians, or at the very least considers himself to be a modern-day Moses in direct communication with a burning Golden Wattle tree!
Apparently average Australians have seven core beliefs, at least according to our moral-driven upstanding Prime Minister.
In a speech at the launch of The Conservative in September 2005, Mr Howard claimed that the following were our common beliefs:
We live in a very successful nation.
Tell that to hundreds of thousands who live below the poverty line, and especially our indigenous peoples who are battling to survive
We do not have much to be ashamed of
True ... except for our poor record on indigenous health & welfare, our cow-tailing to the USA, and our arrogance towards the Kyoto protocol
Australia was well-regarded around th world
see above comments
Individuals should be given a fair go if down on their luck but, once helped, should not expect continued community support
a fair comment unless it is advocating only helping people once and then writing them off for the rest of their life
Traditional institutions like the family were central but people with alternative views should not be persecuted
well ... should they be faced with discrimination too? And whose definition of family are we using anyway?
People should be very tolerant, but also believe in unity when facing a common threat
Stuff tolerance ... how about respect, acceptance and understanding ... and what if the threat is John Howard or the Liberal Party?
Society should be classless where a person's worth was determined by personal character and hard work, and not religion, race or social background
Newsflash!! How about if a person's worth was equalto all others and there were no determining factors at all?
Clearly, Mr Howard is now the spiritual leader of 20 million Australians, or at the very least considers himself to be a modern-day Moses in direct communication with a burning Golden Wattle tree!
A little remiss of me!
April Fool's Day 2006 - my first post of the year!
Many of you would have something poignant to say about that :-)
I guess it is about time to do some blogging.
Meanwhile, here is something to fill in those bored moments in front of the screen:
http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/georgie.htm
have fun!!!
Many of you would have something poignant to say about that :-)
I guess it is about time to do some blogging.
Meanwhile, here is something to fill in those bored moments in front of the screen:
http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/georgie.htm
have fun!!!
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