=== Todays Toon ===
John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, GCMG, DSO, PC, JP, DL (27 April 1874 – 20 August 1941), known as Sir John Baird, Bt, between 1920 and 1925 and as The Lord Stonehaven between 1925 and 1928, was a British Conservative politician, who served as a Member of Parliament, government minister, and was later the eighth Governor-General of Australia.
=== Bible Quote ===
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”- Isaiah 26:3=== Headlines ===
Bernanke: Fed Will Take Action if Economy Continues to Falter
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says that the Fed will consider making another large-scale purchase of securities if the slowing economy were to deteriorate significantly and signs of deflation were to flare.Katrina Left Long-Term Health Concerns
In 'Hurricane Katrina: Five Years After,' FoxNews.com looks at the lingering mental and physical health effects on a devastated population
Conservationists, Hunters in Lead Duel
Hunters and fishermen across the U.S. are battling environmental activists who say the use of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle is poisoning the nation's lakes and forests
9/11 Memorial Brings Life to Ground Zero
RISE OF FREEDOM: Today 10 of the 416 trees destined for the 9/11 memorial and museum will begin their journey to ground zero
Breaking News
Four dead, seven missing after tug sinksFOUR sailors are dead and seven are missing in the frigid waters of the Russian Arctic after their tugboat sank.
US considers aggressive steps on economy
THE Federal Reserve will aggressively boost US economic expansion if the outlook worsens, says Ben Bernanke.
Bikie spy infiltrated police headquarters
BIKIE informant inside NSW Police Force allegedly leaked sensitive information about criminal investigations.
Soccer moms brawl at awards ceremony
TWO soccer moms brawled over who was to blame for a grand final loss at their daughters' awards ceremony.
British PM to take paternity leave
DAVID Cameron will become the first British prime minister to take statutory paternity leave.
Putin to conquer Siberia in yellow Lada
RUSSIAN Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has upped the stakes in his macho exploits.
Car bomb explodes at Mexican TV station
CAR bomb explodes outside the local affiliate of Televisa TV network in the northeastern city of Ciudad Victoria.
Concerns as obesity surgery soars in UK
HEALTH campaigners have warned that surgery is being seen as an easy option to tackle obesity.
NATO blamed for killing Afghan children
POLICE commander says six children were killed in an air raid aimed at quelling a Taliban attack.
India cops hold US teen over mum's death
AN American teenager arrested on suspicion of killing his mother in western India says police were trying to force him to falsely confess.
NSW/ACT
Sydney Harbouring hungry lifeSYDNEY Harbour's water is now so clean, thriving sea life is destroying its wooden structures.
There's no saving Richie's place
THE former home of cricketer Richie Benaud will be razed after the NSW Labor spent just four days deciding if it should be saved.
Miracle of calendar pin-up girl
WEIGHING less than 600g and 29cm long, Alexandria Goldman was born so prematurely that her eyes were still fused shut.
Paying a fire levy premium
THE NSW Government will stick with a system that lets owners of uninsured bushfire-prone houses freeload off those with cover.
Home loans a bridge too far
BANKS are denying funds to homeowners looking to upgrade and move into a bigger home. The stance is curtailing property markets.
Mobile speed vans earn their stripes
ANGRY drivers forced the NSW Labor to make the covert mobile speed cameras more visible, after hundreds were snapped.
'Emaciated' slave kept six months
A YOUNG man was allegedly held captive for six months, forced to work as a slave and repeatedly bashed at the hands of the couple he lodged with, a court heard.
DJs sex case starts Monday
FORMER DJs boss Mark McInnes and Kristy Fraser-Kirk are about to face off in a Sydney court.
Old bikie never gives up the fight
OLD bikies never die. And they don't mellow. Caesar Campbell, the biggest, baddest of all, took three shots at the Milperra Massacre.
Inferno engulfs luxury waterfront homes
RESIDENTS escape blaze that engulfed habour apartment block in inner west overnight.
Queensland
Bomb explodes in teen's faceA TEENAGE boy is fighting for his life in hospital after a homemade bomb exploded in his hands.
Fluoride dose correct at last
IT took almost 18 months, but water authorities finally have managed to get the right dose of fluoride in Queensland's drinking supplies.
Diggers pay a high toll
ROADSIDE bombs and sniper attacks are a daily threat for Aussie Diggers patrolling the Baluchi Valley, as The Courier-Mail's Jodie Richter discovers.
Chicken nappy a design coop
BRISBANE'S backyard chickens have moved out of the coop and into the house with the latest must-have accessory for people who love their chooks.
Greens develop spring in steps
THE federal election result for the Greens in inner-city seats around Australia has implications for both the Labor and Liberal National parties.
BCC woos partners for Motorways
BRISBANE City Council is trying to stitch together a joint venture with the private sector to bid for the State Government's $3b Queensland Motorways asset.
Egg shortage no yolk
BLAME MasterChef or the Heart Foundation, but it's getting hard to find the right kind of eggs in supermarkets - and could stay that way for months.
Bad boy Nick aims for redemption
SWIMMING rogue Nick D'Arcy has vowed to win back Australia's faith with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Stay-put suburbs named
REDLANDS residents find it hard to leave once they move to the bayside, as figures reveal they keep their homes longer than anywhere else in Brisbane.
Atkinson to face CMC grilling
CRIME and Misconduct Commission boss Martin Moynihan will interrogate Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson at historic public hearings next month
Victoria
Bargain time for home buyersMELBOURNE'S rocketing property prices have stalled in pockets across the city, providing some relief for frustrated home hunters.
Dob in footy hoons by text
AMATEUR football fans will be able to dob in drunks and foul-mouthed supporters during the finals via their mobile phone.
Love that won't die
SEBASTIAN and Charlie Burnet won't live to see their fifth birthdays, but their parents count themselves lucky to have the chance to love them.
Fire risk will be greater
VICTORIANS will face higher fire risks given the State Government's failure to adopt in full the royal commission's recommendations.
Top tickets will cost $270
ALMOST half the allocation of Grand Final tickets available to footy fans this year will fall into the top-priced category.
Cindy's life of pain and pills
A KILLER father who drove his three sons into a dam will pay dearly "in this world and the next", his ex-wife says.
Rain brings joy to the country
RIVERS are flowing, dams are filling, pastures are green - and regional Victoria is abuzz.
Matching genes a mortal tragedy
SEBASTIAN and Charlie Burnet have a rare form of Leukodystrophy, a degenerative disorder of the nervous system's white matter.
Public shame for dodgy diners
DODGY restaurants, cafes and caterers hidden from scrutiny by councils who prefer not to embarrass businesses will soon be outed.
Alex's own finals fever
ALEX Fevola tomorrow will compete in the Dancing with the Stars final against Tamara Jaber and Rob Palmer.
Northern Territory
Palm Island cop could face bribe chargeCHRIS Hurley, the policeman acquitted over the 2004 death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee, could face a charge over a separate matter, the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions says.
Bashed man dies 'for not sharing his beer'
A MAN was allegedly bashed with a rock and left to die in the Outback because he wouldn't share his slab of beer.
South Australia
Rann on a tight Budget schedulePREMIER Mike Rann will leave the state for a business tour of Asia next week and return just days before the handing down of the state Budget.
Football's pot of gold
THE prospect of a future fund "fortune" and partnership in a $1.1 billion River Precinct development will sweeten football's move to Adelaide Oval.
Promising footy star trapped in gang war
A PROMISING footballer touted as a future AFL star is trying to avoid being caught up in the escalating gang war between the New Boys and Hells Angels.
Review delay freezes solar projects
ROOFTOP solar cell projects are on hold because a State Government review of how people are paid for the electricity they create has never been released.
Adelaide on a road to nowhere
EVERYONE experiences it. Everyone has an opinion about it. But nobody seems to have a clear solution for Adelaide's rapidly increasing traffic congestion.
Voices added to Hills protest
PUBLIC outcry over plans to radically expand Mt Barker has forced the State Government to quadruple the number of consultation meetings.
Burnside post office robbery
ARMED robbers have held up a Burnside post office. Two men, one armed with a knife, entered the post office on Glynburn Rd about 4.40pm.
Langhorne Creek celebrates rains
THE big wet has left its mark in the southern wine region township of Langhorne Creek - with its vineyards under water and the main street blocked.
Fallen diggers welcomed home
A REPATRIATION ceremony has been held for two Australian soldiers killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.
One killed in serious head-on
A MAN died after a high-speed head-on crash on the Yorke Peninsula .
Western Australia
Thieves take $150,000 in designer labelsUPMARKET thieves have targeted three high fashion clothing stores in Claremont and Mosman Park, stealing more than $150,000 worth of designer-label clothes.
Boat carrying 38 taken to Christmas Island
A BOAT carrying 36 suspected asylum seekers has been stopped off the north-west coast of Australia.
Gun cache stolen from farmhouse
POLICE are investigating the theft of an arsenal of weapons from a Wundowie farmhouse.
School apology over 'Hitler costume'
A PERTH Catholic primary school principal has apologised to parents after a student dressed as Adolf Hitler won first place in class on a school dress-up day.
Missing woman's son charged with fraud
A 25-YEAR-OLD man remanded in custody after appearing in court on a fraud charge as police continue search for his stepmother.
Ken Wyatt stretches Hasluck lead
LIBERAL candidate Ken Wyatt is all but assured of winning the marginal WA seat of Hasluck and becoming the first indigenous member of the Lower House.
'Blue flu' causes train chaos
UP to 40 Perth metropolitan train drivers have called in "sick'' severely disrupting city train services.
Tasmania
Nothing new=== Journalists Corner ===
'Hannity' Special:The Green Swindle
EVERYONE'S GOING GREEN! Controlling your carbon footprint has become a global fad ... but is it all just a con job? And how much "green" is it costing you? Sean investigates!
===
Guest: Sen. Orrin Hatch
Taking a stab at health care ... Senator Orrin Hatch on his plan to repeal the costly bill!
===
On Fox News Insider
New Video: Trapped Chilean MinersLittle Big Town Performs on 'Fox and Friends'
Jimmy Carter Succeeded in Freeing American
=== Comments ===
Rep. Eric Cantor on Repealing Obamacare if GOP Wins Back House in NovemberTHIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FROM "THE O'REILLY FACTOR," AUGUST 26, 2010. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LAURA INGRAHAM, GUEST HOST: In the "Impact" segment tonight: What's the political prognosis for Obamacare after the November election? The question many conservatives, Tea Party activists, Republicans and even some Democrats are asking is this: If they take the House in November, will Republicans immediately push for an all-out repeal of Obamacare?
Joining us now from Richmond, Virginia, is Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. All right, Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. You've now got to correct the record because Politico is reporting that Eric Cantor, if he's the House majority leader come -- come November, that you're going to push for a more modest approach to Obamacare, meaning defund it, not repeal it. Did Politico get it wrong?
REP. ERIC CANTOR, R-VA., HOUSE GOP WHIP: Laura, I'll tell you one thing: As you and I have known each other for several years and as many of my constituents are, I'm a big fan of yours. So I got several calls from constituents over the last day or so saying, "What's Laura Ingraham talking about that Eric Cantor is not for a repeal of Obamacare?" Of course I'm for a repeal of Obamacare.
As you know, Laura, I'm the Republican whip in the House, and the duty of the Republican whip was to marshal as many votes as we could against Obamacare to make sure it didn't become law. And in the end, we didn't have one Republican vote that voted for it. Unfortunately, the bill passed. So we are faced with a situation where, hopefully, this November, a conservative majority will regain position in the House. And we're going to do everything we can to repeal the bill, to delay the bill, to defund the bill, to do all of the above. I mean, these things go hand in hand, Laura.
INGRAHAM: Will you pledge, Congressman -- will you pledge, Congressman, if you are House majority leader, to see to it that a bill is brought to the floor of the House of Representatives to immediately repeal Obamacare? Will you pledge to do that tonight?
CANTOR: Listen, without measuring any drapes about what position I will be or won't be, if I'm in a position to make that difference, absolutely I will pledge to do that. Are you kidding? Of course. I mean, listen, the discussion, I think, in the article that you were reading was about how we going to have a comprehensive strategy to ensure that a trillion-dollar takeover of our health care in this country does not occur. And it's got to go forward on all fronts, full throttle. We've got to make sure, initially, that we are defunding every bit of the regulations process.
INGRAHAM: But 56 percent of -- see, I hear what you're saying, Congressman. But, look, 56 percent of the country wants it repealed. The latest poll out, Rasmussen, you read it. I read it. Fifty-six percent immediately want it repealed.
CANTOR: Laura, Laura…
INGRAHAM: I know you say you want it repealed but then you say, "Well, I mean, it's ambitious..."
CANTOR: Laura...
INGRAHAM: "...and President Obama might veto it." I say let him veto it. That will be great for you.
CANTOR: Laura -- Laura, absolutely. But, listen, if -- absolutely.
INGRAHAM: What's the "but"?
CANTOR: We're going to put a bill on the floor if I'm in a position to do it. You better believe it.
INGRAHAM: Well, if you're House majority leader, you'll have the position to do it. If you're House majority leader, you will...
CANTOR: Look...
INGRAHAM: ...push forward the bill immediately to repeal this?
CANTOR: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I don't see how you ever thought I wouldn't be for doing that. Now, come on. (more at the link)
===
CRIKEY REGRETS
Tim Blair
An immediate and complete correction to a Guy Rundle item in Crikey helps avoid expensive legal processes:
A line contained in Wednesday’s item “Assange and the Wikileaks fallout”, misrepresented the views of Tim Blair and Andrew Bolt. References to them were offensive and indefensible. Crikey regrets this and apologises.Crikey‘s previous editor wasn’t so alert. The correction is appreciated.
===
THE RED GREEN SHOW
Tim Blair
Stability ahoy:
The prospect of a formal Labor-Greens alliance is putting Julia Gillard on a collision course with the key regional independents …A Greens MP? That would be Suck-Up Julia at work. This version has clearly replaced previous Julias (Fake Julia, Real Julia, Julia Classic) and must have done better in focus groups than any reader suggestions:
After talks yesterday with Greens leader Bob Brown and new Greens MP Adam Bandt, the Prime Minister left open the possibility of an alliance with the party and a Greens MP being a cabinet minister under a Labor government.
• Raul Julia
• Raël Julia
• Juliappointed juplicate spokesJulia
• Zombie Julia
• Julia Gillard: Tokyo Drift
• Julia Gillard Special Filter
• John Gillard
• Julia Malkovich
• Julia Lite
• Julia Extra Strength
• Julia XTREME
• Julia Export Grade
• I can’t believe it’s not Julia!
• Julia Revisited
• Julio/Julia
• Jooles
• Mattel Julia
• Julia - the Director’s Cut
• The United States of Julia
• iJulia2.0
But wait! Even as we speak, Paul Kelly reveals the very latest Julia:
Gillard overnight has become agent of the new inclusiveness and sweet conciliation demanded by the independents … The story [] is Gillard’s emergence in her new guise as change agent.It’s Julia Change – or Ojulia! Well, change is obviously her area of expertise. Stick with change.
===
ARSON AROUND
Tim Blair
A Missouri Democrat’s office was attacked last week:
Congressman Russ Carnahan’s campaign reported arson and a break in to their headquarters in downtown St. Louis early Tuesday morning.An arrest quickly followed, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s Jake Wagman reported:
Re: Carnahan fire. Police say arrest has been made, but name not released. They are calling it arson.Great story. But following the suspect’s arrest, local media fell oddly silent. St. Louis blog 24th State offered a theory:
Whoever this guy was, you can be sure if it was a rightwinger of any kind, it would be all over the news nationally. But something is keeping the mouths shut of the Carnahan staff.Journalist Chad Garrison, of the city’s River Front Times, wasn’t so circumspect:
Police aren’t releasing the man’s name until charges are officially filed. No motive was given for the attack, though one could suspect that the perpetrator is not a fan of the congressman. Given what we know of him – 50, white, angry – he certainly fits the demographics of a Tea Party member.Perhaps not. On Wednesday – more than a week after the arrest – Gateway Pundit revealed that the suspect wasn’t a Tea Party type at all:
The suspect was reportedly a disgruntled progressive activist employed by Russ Carnahan. An unnamed source familiar with the case released the information. Suspect Chris Powers reportedly was upset because he did not get paid so he firebombed the Carnahan finance offices at 2 in the morning.?What a complete shock.Besides being a progressive activist, a Democrat employee and a suspected arsonist, Powers also turns out to be a lifelong journalist and leftoid blogger:
Far Left website TPM Muckraker took the offical walk of shame today and admitted that one of their unhinged bloggers was arrested for firebombing Congressman Russ Carnahan’s office. The suspected firebomber blogs at TPM under the name “Ripper McCord.”Ripper’s posts have since been deleted, but video still exists of his confrontations with Tea Party folk. You’d think that all of this would be embarrassing to Chad Garrison, but no:
As to the legions of Tea Party adherents who are calling for my head: No, I have no regrets. I was having fun — at their expense.He’s on safe ground, since Tea Party adherents are unlikely to set fire to his office. Get a progressive activist all disgruntled, however, and it might be time for the asbestos carpet. Ripper/Powers still has his supporters among the TPM “community”:
I also hope that we can acknowledge that Ripper IS a member of our community, a community that exists for, and because of, passionate debate on political issues. Some of us think Ripper’s great, others not so much, and we can all get under each other each others’ skin sometimes. But that’s why we’re here, to see if what we write can make an impact – but every single one of us is a whole person behind what we write – a best, a worst, and everything in between.Where alleged arson fits in that best-to-worst map isn’t made entirely clear.
What I really hope is that we won’t try to deny the existence or importance of one of our own: “Hey, yeah, the guy was just one of the people who wrote here, I didn’t really know him, yeah, now that I think about it maybe he was a little weird.”A little?
Ripper’s one of us, and although we might be quite surprised if it turns out he did something illegal, I don’t think we should deny that he wrote, we responded, thoughts were exchanged, thinking about issues did take place.And a fire was lit.
(Via Instapundit. Follow Gateway Pundit for updates. Note: at this point, Powers has not been charged.)
===
The pain of Labor
Andrew Bolt
Tom Dusevic on the internal Labor anguish about its loss of soul and the rise of the machine men:
The too-clever modes that kept stuttering state Labor shows on the road—outsized promises, unrelenting spin, poll-driven policymaking, constant announcements and distractions, changing leaders when the polling is dire—made their way to Canberra and failed. “I believe Labor governments are elected to do things,” says a federal party source. “We generated a lot of expectations when we were elected in 2007. Ultimately, we were defeated by our own timidity.”Or maybe they simply made promises that any adult would have known could not be kept.
===
Can the independents swallow the Greens?
Andrew Bolt
Are the Greens the deal breaker for the independents?
THE prospect of a formal Labor-Greens alliance is putting Julia Gillard on a collision course with the key regional independents…One more reason for the independents to be suspicious of a Labor deal that would rely on the Greens MP Adam Bandt:
After talks yesterday with Greens leader Bob Brown and new Greens MP Adam Bandt, the Prime Minister left open the possibility of an alliance with the party and a Greens MP being a cabinet minister under a Labor government—a move Senator Brown flagged before the talks…
An alliance between Labor and the Greens would spark a rift with key independents, including Bob Katter, who is a strong critic of the government’s proposed mineral resources rent tax on the mining industry and would vehemently oppose the Greens’ policy of raising it. The Greens’ plan for a carbon tax would face opposition from Mr Katter and potentially Tony Windsor, who voted against Kevin Rudd’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme but thinks there will “eventually” be a price on carbon…
Independent MP Rob Oakeshott said yesterday he was “probably more conservative in my economics than not and naturally leaning towards the Liberal Party normally"…
Ms Gillard described the talks with the Greens as “positive and constructive” but would not speculate about an alliance with the Greens and the offer of a ministry.
GREENS MP for Melbourne Adam Bandt has defended comments he made on a Marxist student website 15 years ago, in which he denounced capitalism and labelled the Greens a “bourgeois” political party that could be used to push a socialist agenda…UPDATE
“Communists can’t fetishise alternative political parties, but should always make some kind of materially based assessment about the effectiveness of any given strategy come election time,” he wrote in the 1995 memo..
If you’re wondering why Julia Gillard seems so desperate and Tony Abbott more cool in these leadership negotiations, no wonder.
If Gillard loses, she is humiliated and discredited. If Tony Abbott loses, he still has more authority and respect than he had before this election.
A loss would mean Labor would tear itself to pieces, but to the Liberals it would at least leave them in the box seat for a big win the next time around.
Peter van Onselen:
Gillard looks as desperate as any prime minister in history to retain her job… Gillard’s fear is that she could become nothing more than an embarrassing footnote in history. That is what’s driving her to strike a deal with the rural independents to allow Labor’s damaged government to continue in power. She needs a second chance.UPDATE 2
The independents want full access to Treasury. Why not, says Gillard. They put forward a list of seven requests as part of an attempt to effect a “paradigm shift” in Australian politics, and suddenly, after three years of Labor taking no such steps, Gillard thinks they are good ideas. You get the impression that as long as there weren’t any cameras around, if the independents asked Gillard to hop on one leg for 10 minutes, she might consider it…
In contrast, Abbott certainly isn’t coming across as desperate; he knows second-term governments with a minority status don’t have a lot going for them. That was the case in Abbott’s home state, NSW, in 1991 when the Nick Greiner-led Coalition remained in power only with the backing of five independents (including Tony Windsor). Greiner didn’t survive the term and his party lost the subsequent election (it is still out of power).
Laurie Oakes:
The behaviour of the independents is turning people off. ... (T)he three non-aligned MPs who will play the key role in deciding which party governs have looked about as serious as kids in a toy shop.UPDATE 3
Another poll confirms the independents must back Abbott if they wish to represent their own own electorates:
The strongest support for favouring a Coalition government is in Bob Katter’s seat of Kennedy, at 56 per cent. The lowest support for the Coalition is in Rob Oakeshott’s seat of Lyne on the NSW north coast, at 52 per cent to 38 per cent for Labor…UPDATE 4
The Newspoll survey of 1396 voters, more than 400 in each seat, taken exclusively for The Weekend Australian on Wednesday and Thursday, also shows Tony Windsor’s seat of New England favouring a Coalition government over a Labor government by 55 per cent to 35 per cent.
The independents, Greens and many commentators are claiming the election results shows the voters couldn’t make up their minds, are ”tired of party politics” and we’re in a ”new paradigm”.
Nonsense, says Terry McCrann:
The same 80 per cent-plus who always cast their first preferences for either the Labor party or the Coalition collection, did so again… We ended up with the very tight, 51/49 per cent or less, two-party preferred outcome that is the most common in federal elections. Of the 24 previous elections since the war, 11 have fallen within this range. Add on last Saturday’s and it’s now 12 out of 25. Stretch the range to 52/48 per cent and the number goes up to 15.What’s really changed is our ability now to reform and to pass rational laws, thanks to a Greens bloc - and block - in the Senate:
Now, with Greens ascendant,… there is no way, no way, that Labor will do anything other than pander to the, especially environmental, but indeed all the streams of the Left.
And when even the Hawke-Keating remnants in parliament in the second half of the 1990s would not support the Howard-Costello reforms, there is no way a future Labor opposition would do anything but oppose even the mildest of reforms from a future Coalition government.
We now have a permanent Green minority that will endorse (any) irrational policies from a Labor government and frustrate rational ones from a Coalition one.
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