Headlines Sunday 18th April 2010

=== Todays Toon ===

William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC (2 May 1737 – 7 May 1805), known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782 – 1783 during the final months of the American War of Independence. - another over-inflated whig. A Tory is said to be a mixture of whig and tory because the press demonized Tories back in the day. - ed.

=== Bible Quote ===

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”- 1 Corinthians 1:18

=== Headlines ===

As volcanic ash continues to cloud skies over Europe, air safety agency extends no-fly restrictions, airport closures to Sunday, leaving fliers stranded.

Obama Cancels Poland Trip
President scraps plans to travel for Polish president's funeral because of the volcanic ash cloud over Europe

Iran Calls U.S. Nukes Tool of Terror
Tehran accuses U.S. of deceptively calling for non-proliferation while holding on to its own weapons

Teen Charged With 'Columbine' Threat
Police say 17-year-old New Yorker threatened to go on a shooting spree for high school massacre anniversary

Governing Norway on an iPad? There's an App for That
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, stranded in New York City due to an erupting volcano, has been governing the country entirely from an iPad. Stoltenberg, who was in town for President Obama's nuclear summit, was due to return to his country Thursday. But thousands of flights to northern Europe were cancelled because of volcanic ash from the exploding Eyjafjallajokull volcano. His solution? Stoltenberg pulled out the iPad he's presumably just bought and has started to govern his country with it.

One of Western Australia's most prized beaches will become home to the world's first life-sized replica of mysterious monument - all to attract more tourists

Vitamin link to breast cancer
SHOCK as study reveals women who take a daily multivitamin pill nearly 20 per cent more at risk.

Fevola 'calls gangland heavies' for cash
GAMBLING addicted footballer so desperate he approached Mick Gatto, say underworld sources.

Scout leader gets 40 years for abuse
AUSTRALIAN who assaulted five boys at summer camp surprises prosecutors by pleading guilty.

Parents forcing girls, 9, to get waxed
YOUNG children undergoing painful treatments at beauty salons at behest of pushy mums.

Secret 80s shame of Premier's wife
IT'S DARK, it's damaging, it'll make your ears bleed - Mike Rann's wife was pop star with a synth sound.

Windmills for your roof under overhaul of NSW planning laws
HOUSEHOLDERS will be allowed to build wind turbines on the roofs of suburban homes to generate green electricity under a sweeping overhaul of NSW planning laws.

=== Comments ===

Rudd’s population policy in tatters
Piers Akerman
THE Rudd government’s population policy is in tatters two weeks after its launch. Devised to divert attention from the disastrously lethal pink batts insulation scheme, the rorted school building program and the nonsensical health policy, the population strategy has raised more questions than it has answered.

Kevin Rudd - a professed believer in a “big” Australia - is now claiming he has no view on an appropriate size for a future Australia, despite his repeated and avowed support for growth.

Here’s what Rudd said on October 22 last year: “I actually believe in a big Australia.

I make no apology for that. I actually think it’s good news that our population is growing. We need to prepare for the significant increase in population.”

Here’s what he said in January: “You asked specifically whether this is my target or not. I don’t have a view on that, to be quite honest.”

Being Kevin Rudd and being “quite honest” in regard to his policies might be two very different propositions. But Rudd isn’t the only government figure to have fallen foul of the danger of changing policy to suit the opinion polls.

Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner (who has been silent on the billions lost in the school buildings rort, even though he is responsible for reining in wasteful spending) last year rubbished claims that Australia was growing too big, too fast, saying in November: “The projected population figure of 35 million is not a target, it is a projection. The argument that Australia is already overpopulated is nonsense.”

Treasurer Wayne Swan said much the same thing last month: “I can’t bring myself to agree with those who think we can solve all our problems by putting a freeze on national population growth.

“It’s all too easy to speak of the costs of an increased population, and forget to mention the benefits. This is a mistake too often made.”

Victorian backbencher Michael Danby was a cheerleader, echoing: “Australia can cope with population growth. We just need smart planning..We can grow larger, richer and maintain our generous care of seniors.

“More people does not equal trashing our environment.”

The numbers, however, don’t tell the whole story, no matter how fast Labor tries to backtrack from its unapologetic support of a big population.

The Daily Telegraph revealed yesterday that the projection of population growth, based on current levels of migration, life expectancy and fertility, would blow out by six million more than the Government’s 36 million by 2050.

That figure came from the Centre for Population and Urban Research, which warned of a drastic deterioration in infrastructure as Sydney and Melbourne became critically overcrowded.

The sheer scale of this unplanned-for population growth is alarming in itself, but no one is willing to discuss the huge sleeper issue: the social changes being wrought by the huge influx in migrants, some of whom refuse to acknowledge their obligation to respect the existing culture.

In an address at the University of NSW last week, NSW Chief Justice Jim Spigelman tangentially referred to crimes of violence against women committed under the guise of customary and traditional practices.

Although Spigelman said he “took heart” from Aboriginal figure Mick Dodson’s remarks that we have no cultural traditions based on humiliation, degradation and violation, he noted: “Most of the violence,

if not all, that our brittle communities are experiencing today are not part of Aboriginal tradition or culture.”

Many anthropologists, and those who have studied the earliest writings of observations of Aboriginal life at the time of European settlement, would have to disagree.

Where traditional law is still observed, violence toward Aboriginal women continues to be endemic.

Spigelman observed that “there are important racial, ethnic and religious minorities in Australia who come from nations with sexist traditions which, in some respects, are even more pervasive than those of the West” and that “violence against women is significantly greater in some social groups, whether based on cultural tradition or not”.

He said it was “difficult to know where to draw the line in terms of legislation and enforcement of laws based on the approach of the majority culture, where the policies underlying these laws conflict with other policies involving the recognition of the respect that should be given to minority cultures”.

Spigelman gave as an example the treatment of honour crimes, which he said occurred not only among Islamic communities (research has been conducted with respect to these issues in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Pakistan, Egypt and Iraq) but also in Italy and various Latin American nations.

“There is a fundamental conflict between a human-rights approach to these matters, on the one hand” he said, “and the tolerance of cultural traditions, based on an assumption of equality between cultures, on the other hand.

“The human-rights approach is based on an assertion that, in certain defined respects, the values of one culture - because they are internationally recognised - are superior to those of another culture and entitled to overriding effect.

“There is no way of avoiding the dilemma arising from this conflict of values.”

This becomes just multicultural sophistry, however, when “tolerance of cultural traditions” means young women are not permitted choice in marriage or are forced to subjugate their will to that of their husband in what may be an arranged marriage.

The law of the land is written for all, and should not be tailored with loopholes for minorities to excuse traditional practices that condone violence towards women or men. In any discussion of future population, as contradictory as it is under Labor, cultural security must be guaranteed. - I have no problem with Australia having 420 million people, not merely 42 million. I object to mismanagement of growth that sees a collapse of accustomed conditions and service through incompetence and corruption.
Australia has the resources to support the world’s population in great comfort. But it still takes planning of the type the ALP are singularly incapable of, and the Greens are opposed to. The ALP seem to take delight in diverting any gains made in government by the conservatives towards pork barrels .. and they seem to have popular support for that with media acting as cheerleaders. Take as an example NSW, where Greiner had set the state up for great things when he got rolled by the Greens and ALP and (so called) independents. Electricity was set to be sold for some $60 billion, possible $120 billion, and the economic vandals decided they would hold onto it .. probably so as to claim the bottom line didn’t show the great wealth Greiner had left.
Now the state will have to shell out $8 billion to just keep afloat. $128 billion in 1995 terms could go a long way to fund significant reform and infrastructure .. but that is lost to ALP corruption. - ed.
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Out of Tragedy, Poland Will Be Strengthened
By Bradley Blakeman
Mourning is cathartic for a nation.
Out of the tragic plane crash that took the lives of the president and first lady of Poland and many other Polish officials, Poland will emerge stronger and more united as a nation and a people.

Nations that suffer the loss of leaders either by sudden accident or intentional acts need to mourn publicly and openly.

When America, in our most recent history, lost President Kennedy at the hands of an assassin, America mourned together. It did not matter if you were a Republican, or a Democrat, it did not matter the color of your skin, or the God you worshipped, we grieved together as Americans. Out of tragedy, America was strengthened.

When President Reagan passed away, our nation came together to celebrate the life of a popular president. Again, it did not matter who you were, or what your were, we all had one thing in common above all other. And we came together as Americans. It was amazing to see the outpouring of love, affection and respect for our former leader and our system of government.

It is cathartic for a nation to mourn. Out of the mourning process, citizens emerge stronger and more dedicated to each other and to their country. (more at the link)
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It's a Mistake to Assassinate Anwar al-Awlaki
By Mohamed Elibiary
President Obama should rescind this assassination order for Anwar al-Awlaki and clarify publicly our country's position.
Recently policy makers in Washington, D.C. let it be publicly known that our government is trying to assassinate an American-born cleric now supporting the other team in the War on Terror. Anwar Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico, studied in Colorado, preached in San Diego and Virginia before going overseas. He was briefly detained in Yemen and then resumed his preaching online with a new political theme, stressing that “America is at war with Islam.” The United States, according to Al-Awlaki, is at war with Islam due to its occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan must should be fought on its homeland by any militant means necessary. The news of Al-Awlaki’s pending assassination circled the globe and included long discussions in the media about whether or not such a murder is “constitutional,” if it even constitutes “murder” and on Al-Jazeera it was dissected as a possible window into the Obama administration’s decision making process.

All of this was preceeded by news in late January that our government had not only made the decision to assassinate Anwar Al-Awlaki but that it had already attempted once and failed. News reports since then have also revealed that the decision to assassinate an American citizen was came from the White House’s National Security Council after a simple consensus-building discussion process initiated by the NSC.

Intelligence analysts watching this unfold from outside the administration can detect a unique, systemic decision-making pattern regarding covert operations. While our enemies have built up a good deal of operational experience, culminating in the assassination of several CIA agents last year, we now run the risk of helping them capitalize even more effectively on their propaganda and recruitment efforts with the revelation of this assassination policy.

A simple committee of unelected individuals from one branch of government, no matter their subject matter expertise, should not have the power to assassinate an American citizen. The Founding Fathers set up a system of checks and balances, because they recognized that when a king has such powers it is only a matter of time before such power will be turned on political dissenters at home to suppress freedoms. We are a nation that upholds the rule of law in our federal court system and have a Military Commissions system as a backup for terror cases; so why weaken America’s hand by using this extra-judicial assassination policy on American citizens?

Anwar Al-Awlaki is a disingenuous cheerleader in the global jihad who’s preying on largely naive or troubled Western-educated youth attempting to form their identities in a global world. Al-Awlaki built his reputation by retelling the stories of the ancient companions of Prophet Muhammad and their roles in reforming the tyrannical state of affairs in pre-Islamic Arabia. His public rhetoric, including his sermon inside the U.S. Capitol, was largely benign and non-political until his detention in Yemen a few years ago. (more at the link)
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Rudd forced to reopen another detention centre
Andrew Bolt
So how is Kevin Rudd’s softer boat policy, announced in July 2008, working out?

THE federal government will reopen a detention facility at WA’s Curtin Air Base in a bid to ease overcrowding and potential conflicts at Christmas Island.

Federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans on Sunday said the base, 40km southeast of Derby in Western Australia’s far north, would be readied immediately to hold 200-300 Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers whose applications for refugee status have been suspended…

Senator Evans said he did not know the final cost of expanding Curtin, but said it would be “considerable”.

Another Rudd cockup, with taxpayers to foot a bill for the thousands of new boat people that I’d conservatively estimate at well over $2 billion.
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MTR is go
Andrew Bolt
The MTR 1377 site is now up. We broadcast from tomorrow. I’ll be on with Steve Price each weekdayfrom 8am for 30 to 45 minutes. We have podcasts and live streaming for those who can’t listen live.
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Brumby says Rudd can’t count
Andrew Bolt
John Brumby goes in even harder against Kevin Rudd:

HOPES for a historic deal on health reform have been hit by Victorian revelations of a $1.4-billion hole in the Rudd government’s plans to improve emergency and surgery waiting times.

Advice from Victoria’s Treasury department, seen by The Sunday Age, shows that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s health ‘’guarantees’’ would lead to a multimillion-dollar haemorrhaging of Victorian funds as the state struggles to meet Canberra’s ambitious targets.

Based on its calculations, Treasury has advised Premier John Brumby to stand firm against Mr Rudd’s plan… The Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance’s advice reveals that the state will have to pay $67 million extra a year - $268 million over four years - to meet the Rudd plan’s emergency department [four hours for treatment] target…

To meet Mr Rudd’s elective surgery targets, Victorian officials estimate they would need $560 million over four years to treat an additional 29,500 patients. If these patients are treated mostly in the state’s public hospitals, this would also require a capital investment of $600 million to pay for new beds and operating theatres.
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Poll: Lib Dems now above Labour
Andrew Bolt
Ths British election takes a surprising and unprecedented turn:

Today’s YouGov poll for The Sun put the Liberal Democrats on 30% - behind the Conservatives on 33% and ahead of Labour’s 28%.

Leader Nick Clegg’s performance in the first-ever leaders’ debate is said to be in part responsible:

The odds on a hung Parliament have shortened after the Lib Dem leader’s success in Thursday’s debate. A Populus poll for The Times shows that the number of voters regarding him as likeable soared from 52 per cent before the debate to 81 per cent afterwards. David Cameron’s rating fell from 53 per cent to 43 per cent.

See if he worked for you, too:

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Answer: “These are my people.”
Andrew Bolt

A (white) NBC reporter seems so certain Tea Party demonstrators must be bigots and racists that she asks a black protester is he doesn’t feel “uncomfortable”.
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Christine Nixon incompetent, a predecessor says
Andrew Bolt
Increasingly, the most worrying thing about Christine Nixon’s dereliction of duty is the number of people prepared to excuse it. One of her predecessors shouldn’t be having to point this out:

FORMER Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Kel Glare has branded Christine Nixon incompetent and said she should resign.

In an unprecedented attack on one of his successors, Mr Glare, chief commissioner from 1987 to 1992, said Ms Nixon’s actions on Black Saturday were unforgivable.

The then police commissioner has acknowledged that she spent time at the hairdressers, did an interview with her biographer and went out to dinner with friends. She has said that, in hindsight, she should have stayed at the co-ordination centre on the evening of February 7 last year, but has resisted calls for her resignation as head of the Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.

Mr Glare said he was shocked by Ms Nixon’s actions and believed her position was untenable. ‘’What she’s really said is ‘I was operationally incompetent to the extent that I believed I couldn’t do anything to help’,’’ he told The Sunday Age. ‘’And for someone running an organisation that is largely operational, that is simply not good enough...”

Mr Glare, speaking for the first time about the controversy, said: ‘’In the end, she had a responsibility and she just simply absented herself at the critical times and that can never be acceptable.’’

I’m also intrigued by Nixon’s excuse that she just made an error of judgement and should not have gone out to dinner on the night of the fires. Actually, there were many similar errors that day: she did not go into work early; she chose to go have a haircut instead; she called in to the emergency headquarters late and did little; she excused herself for nearly two hours to go talk to her biographer; she left early; she received and requested no information for three hours; she did not return to headquarters after hearing of the first deaths.

And now there is the question of her truthfulness to a royal commission, and why she hid the damning facts.

Nixon has become the focus of so much debate not because she is female, but because she is such a symbolic personification of an abrogation of leadership and responsibility. While she’s defended by so many, the battle will not end. If Nixon’s side wins, accountability loses, and that’s what so many adults now fear.
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The viral sensation leaves the voice a little weaker
Andrew Bolt

How the Internet gives consumers the power - and the lucky an instant celebrity:

(Justin) Bieber shot to global fame after posting songs on YouTube. He had entered a singing contest and relatives wanted to check his skills.

“The first song I posted got 100 hits - but I don’t have 100 family members,” he told US broadcaster Katie Couric.

Soon after it went viral, with Bieber chalking up 100 million hits.

A surreal bidding war followed. Superstars Justin Timberlake and Usher fought to sign Bieber to their respective record labels… Usher won. Bieber’s debut album, My World 2.0, released last month, entered the US album chart at No.1.

But here’s the thing. Before the Internet, when it was up to talent spotters and record companies to use their own judgement, a boy singer could still become an overnight sensation. And, what’s more, someone performing Bieber-like material tended to have a far better voice:

A female example:

Maybe the difference is that 40 or 50 years ago, children rarely had the cash to buy the records themselves, and child singers were made stars largely by pleasing an adult public.

The Bieber buyers are, I’d guess, overwhelmingly adolescents, and I doubt they’d like a voice too strong, too trained and too much out of the reach of their dreams for themselves. Dumb it down a little. So Shaheen Jafargholi, for instance, isn’t going to do much for the Bieber demographic.

My guess.
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Tasmanian circus: the wrecker won’t join the liar
Andrew Bolt
Scenes from Tasmanian politics:

[Premier David] Bartlett last August ridiculed Greens leader Nick McKim for suggesting Greens could be included in cabinet but still be able to vote against the government.

“That is immature and muddled thinking and would guarantee instability and government inertia. The news I’ve got for him is that no matter how he twists and turns his arguments, he will never be in a Labor ministry.”

Now:

TASMANIAN Greens leader Nick McKim has rejected an offer from Premier David Bartlett to join the Labor cabinet, causing concern for further post-election instablity…

Mr McKim said the Greens’ party room had decided that having only one Greens member in cabinet was unacceptable.