=== Todays Toon ===
Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey GCB, JP, DL, TD (11 February 1836 – 23 February 1918) was a British Liberal Party politician.
=== Bible Quote ===
““Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”- Isaiah 1:18=== Headlines ===
Mystery Missile Shot Off Los Angeles Coast Still 'Unexplained'
A video that appears to show a missile launch off the coast of California is so far 'unexplained' by anyone in the military, Pentagon officials say, but they insist there was 'no threat to the homeland.'House GOP Looks to Overhaul Operations
House Republicans meet to map out a transition plan to take the majority in the 112th Congress, focusing on conference rules, House operations, and schedules
Bankruptcy the End of ACORN?
The once well-funded community organization was sent into bankruptcy after scandal and loss of public support — but critics say watch out: ACORN is rising yet again
DOJ: No Charges Filed In CIA Tape Case
Justice Department official says no one will be charged in the destruction of CIA videotapes of interrogations of terror suspects
Qantas fined over cargo cartel
QANTAS is among 11 air cargo carriers fined a total of 800 million euros ($1.1 billion) by the European Commission for running a cartel.
Man charged over 1500 ecstasy pills
A MAN was allegedly caught with 1500 ecstasy pills and charged with drug dealing and firearms offences in Sydney's southwest.
Granny DJ a hit with clubbers
A BRITISH granny is the hottest new act on the clubbing circuit.
Harrods unveils $US1m advent calendar
A LUXURY $US1 million advent calendar was unveiled overnight at Britain’s upscale department store Harrods.
Thousands still stranded on cruise ship
AN engine room fire has left a cruise ship carrying nearly 4500 people stranded with minimal power in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico, the operator said overnight.
Angry residents block buses
FED up with being ignored, residents have taken to the street. Caroline St, Earlwood to be precise - and they've taken their cars too.
Dirty anglers ruin it for the rest
FILTHY fishermen who refuse to clean up after themselves could face a total ban from some Sydney ferry wharves. Have your say.
Sydney farewells Dame Joan
FOR much of the service, the words for Dame Joan Sutherland's life came dull and heavy.
Vehicle crushed like a tin can
IT is the question anyone seeing the aftermath of this early morning crash can't help but ask: "How did he get out alive?" Crash picture
Keli Lane's Games dreams flawed
KELI Lane may have been a "gutsy" water polo player but she was not in the same league as teammates, a court was told yesterday.
RTA's answer to rising road carnage
THIS is the world's safest car, stacked full of high-tech features that will one day help cut the road toll, says the RTA. Video
Labor sits on Medich's donation
MORE than $250,000 donated to the NSW Labor Party by a company linked to Ron Medich will stay in the party's coffers.
Did baby snatchers take Rahma?
RAHMA El-Dennaoui's kidnappers may have smuggled her out of the country after taking her.
Our city reaches for the skyline
A GIANT residential tower - double the size of any other Quay building - will be approved.
Knife-wielding man tasered, OC sprayed
POLICE used capsicum spray and a taser to subdue a knife-wielding man after chemicals were found at a Lane Cove home.
Car crash man serious
A MAN was airlifted to Townsville Hospital suffering serious head injuries after crashing and rolling his car in central Queensland.
Homes sell despite rejected plans
ONE of Australia's biggest developers is selling units in a proposed $150 million Brisbane tower, even though city planners have rejected the project.
Petition is dying dad's last hope
A DESPERATE Sunshine Coast dad has gathered almost 5000 signatures in support of funding for the $500,000-a-year drug that could save his life.
Councils show smoke ban support
COUNCILS across Queensland are being urged to ban smokers from public malls after a decision to force them to butt out of Brisbane's iconic city heart.
Queensland loses $1 billion
QUEENSLAND will miss out on $1 billion in GST payments from the Commonwealth over the next four years, State Treasurer Andrew Fraser warns.
Tagger gets shock of his life
A GRAFFITI vandal who cheated death while tagging a railway power substation caused thousands of dollars damage and shut down the Gold Coast train line for a day.
Third LNG project gets OK
ABOUT $50 billion worth of investment is poised to flood into Queensland after the Government gave a go-ahead for a third LNG project in Gladstone.
Abbott bid to woo Murrandoo
TONY Abbott is heading to the Gulf to win bipartisan Aboriginal support for his private member's Bill to overturn Queensland's Wild Rivers legislation.
Teen girl's suicide now a murder
THE case of a policeman's daughter found hanging in a Brisbane home in 2006 has triggered a murder investigation four years after her death.
Money down the dunny
QUEENSLANDERS struggling to make ends meet will have to contend with rising sewerage costs as new figures show bills hitting almost $1000 in a few years.
Rings worth $50k snatched in raid
A MAN has snatched about $50,000 worth of jewellery in a daring raid at a shopping centre in Melbourne's west.
When Woods met Warne
SEX scandals that threatened to ruin the careers of Woods and Warne became comedy fodder in front of a Crown casino audience.
Friends witness abduction
A 21-year-old woman abducted in front of friends and later assaulted near a service station has suffered serious head injuries, police say.
Judge's tears at unborn baby death
A JUDGE wiped tears from her eyes as a woman who lost her unborn child in a crash spoke about the daughter she lost,.
Serial killer released for funeral
A MAN who murdered seven people in Victoria should only be released from jail in a pine box, the girlfriend of one of his victims says.
Aussies blinded by summer sun
SUN-drenched Aussies are blind to the level of protection that sunglasses provide.
Psychotic teen sentenced for knifings
A MELBOURNE teenager who stabbed an Indian student in an attack that led to protests has been sentenced to youth detention.
Injured cop waited years for payout
A POLICE officer forced out of the job by injuries from violent protesters says settlement of her compensation claim took far too long.
Nothing new
Casualty cut hurts Hills hospital
AN Adelaide Hills private hospital has been placed in administration owing $2.3 million.
Tonsley hails its green overhaul
THE former Mitsubishi car plant site at Tonsley Park now has its first tenant. It is the prototype for a planned $100 million "green" data centre.
Next big thing in mining
A VAST area of the state's north surrounding Woomera could be transformed into one of Australia's most significant resource provinces.
Time for hit-run drivers to pay up
HIT-RUN drivers will be forced to personally cover the costs of compensating their victims and have their compulsory third-party insurance coverage revoked.
Killer in our midst
POLICE say their decision not to reveal details on the horrific triple murder in Kapunda for more than 24 hours was made for operational reasons.
Shear hard work leads to comedy
STAND-UP comedy can be painful, but a lifetime of hard work on the farm has prepared this old fella for pre-show nerves.
Close links? Puglia other one
POLITICIANS, academics and travel agents in Puglia are unable to outline any worthwhile links between South Australia and the southern Italian region.
'Hopeless' wait agony for mum
A THREE-YEAR wait for equipment to help a young girl with hypotonic cerebral palsy continues "hopelessly", her mother says.
Department sent child to 'drug addict'
A WOMAN has accused Families SA of removing a child from her "safe" house and sending the child to live with her sister, who she says is a heroin addict and a prostitute.
Internet vandals hijack tributes
CHRISTOPHER Rowe turned to Facebook when he was trying to find out information about his parents and sister, found dead after a triple murder in Kapunda.
Barnett grilled over staffing 'deal'
WA Premier Colin Barnett continues to weather the fallout from the staff-for-votes scandal, which dominated debate in Parliament today.
Barnett mum on Buswell's return
WA Premier Colin Barnett is not giving away any hints on whether he will bring controversial former treasurer Troy Buswell back into cabinet.
Telethon home sells before auction
THE 2010 Peet Telethon home has sold before the auction for the first time in the charity's history for a record price.
Most Casuarina inmates 'not high risk'
MOST prisoners at Casuarina maximum security prison should not be housed there, the state's independent custodial watchdog says.
Girl, 7, in school abduction scare
Police are investigating a reported attempted abduction of a seven-year-old girl from outside a Banksia Grove school.
Stop and search laws 'on track'
POLICE Minister Rob Johnson says controversial stop and search laws are still on track, despite accepting recommendations for change to the Bill.
Rail guard denies assaulting AFL fan
A TRANSIT officer has pleaded not guilty to assaulting an AFL supporter who was pepper sprayed at Subiaco train station.
Barnett warns against Woodside takeover
PREMIER Colin Barnett says he would oppose any takeover bid of Woodside because it was in WA’s interest for the Perth company to remain independent.
Detained WA man returns home
THE daughter of a West Australian man who was detained in Egypt for 40 days has declared her father is never leaving the house again after he returned home.
Body lay undiscovered for months
THE body of an elderly woman may have lain unnoticed for up to six months in the Perth home she shared with her mentally disabled son, police say.
Tasmania's Treasurer quits politics
TASMANIAN Treasurer Michael Aird said today he will retire from politics.
=== Journalists Corner ===
George W. Bush: In His Own WordsThe former commander in chief talks about his time in office, legacy, and the key motivating factor in his life. It's a can't miss hour-long special with Sean Hannity!
===
One of the Most Important Shows Glenn Has Ever Done!
Don't miss a full hour on the 'puppet master' - George Soros.
===
Guest: John Stossel
Sharia Law stateside? The controversial ruling allowing it in Oklahoma! For now that is ... 'Is it Legal' explains! Plus, John Stossel takes on affirmative action!
On Fox News Insider
Fmr. Deputy Press Secretary on President Bush's New BookVideo: Joe Miller on How He's Going to Win the Alaska Senate Race
President Obama on Jihad: We All Have to Reject Notion That Violence Is a Way to Mediate
Sham Elections in Burma
While the 'official' election results have not been announced, the people of Burma and the world already know the outcome: continued military rule and escalating violence.General Election
The military regime held their election on Sunday, November 7, 2010. Widespread fraud, voter intimidation, cheating, and irregularties were reported throughout the country. It is clear that the authorities, election commission and the regime's party the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) worked together to secure victories for their USDP candidates. Some democratic candidates who challenged the USDP candidates claimed yesterday that they won the election as they got more votes at the polling stations. However, after all votes arrived to the Township Commission office and Commission officials added unspecified and unexpected advanced votes into the count, the results were effectively reversed and USDP candidates became the winners. As expected, the USDP will be the winners of almost all of the contested seats. The National Democratic Force (NDF), a political party who defected from the National League for Democracy (NLD) and contested in the election have announced they would not accept the election results. They now plan to file complaints against the USDP to the Election Commission, with little hope of success.US Government Reaction
President Obama said: "The November 7th elections in Burma were neither free nor fair, and failed to meet any of the internationally accepted standards associated with legitimate elections. The elections were based on a fundamentally flawed process and demonstrated the regime's continued preference for repression and restriction over inclusion and transparency." Click here to read President Obama's full statement.War and Refugees
On Election Day, November 7, 2010, fighting between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Brigade 5 and the Burmese Army broke out at an important border town, Myawaddy, on the Thai-Burma border. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) split from the Karen National Union (KNU) several years ago to ally with the regime. Last year, some factions of the DKBA have transformed their troops into the Border Guard Force under the direct command of the Burmese Army. But, some troops from DKBA Brigade 5 left the DKBA refusing to agree to work with the Burmese Army anymore. Amid reports Karen villagers were forced by the regime authorities to vote for the USDP candidates in the polls, the DKBA Brigade 5 attacked the Burmese Army and took control of some parts of Myawaddy. As fighting broke out, tens of thousands of people fled to Thailand. Several Burmese and Thai civilians in Myawaddy and Mae Sot were injured from being hit by heavy artillery.On Monday, another DKBA troop, Battalion 907 took control of the Three Pagodas Township, also on the Thai-Burma border, opposite of Sangkhlaburi in Thailand. Some police men and the regime's soldiers were killed during the fight and several government offices were burnt down by the DKBA troops. Many residents fled to Thailand to avoid the fighting and being called for porters by warring troops.
More Ethnic Armies Join the Flighting
On Monday morning, another Karen rebel troop, called the Karen Peace Council, joined in the fight. The troops attacked the regime's soldiers North of Myawaddy Township. The New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Karen National Union (KNU) troops are also assisting DKBA troops at the Three Pagodas Pass.To support these ethnic resistance troops, SSA-S (Shan State Army-South) has launched an attack against the regime's troops in Mong Yang, eastern Shan State early Monday. Thai's authorities deployed more than 5,000 troops at the border to respond the situation.
Fighting subsided in Myawaddy on Tuesday and Thailand has ordered the 20,000 new refugees to return to Burma. The situation remains tenuous and unstable, as fighting continues in other locations and people continue to flee.
Japanese Reporter Arrested and Charged
Toru Yamaji, the president of Tokyo-based video news provider APF, was arrested on November 7, 2010, in Myawaddy. He entered Myawaddy by crossing the Moei River by boat from Thailand. He is now being charged by the regime under Section 13 (1) of the Immigration Act (Emergency Provisions), which says violators can be punished "with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or with a fine, or with both."United Wa State Party's (UWSP) Announcement
One of the strongest ethnic ceasefire groups, which refuses to accept the regime's Border Guard Force plan and the elections issued an announcement on November 5, 2010, two days before the regime's election. The statement makes it clear that the UWSP will not allow anyone to represent its region and the Wa people in this election and it will not bow to the pressure of the regime which forces it to become the regime's Border Guard Force. It stated that they want to have a peaceful dialogue with the new Government, which may be formed in next three and a half months time.Request from USCB Staff
In the lead up to the election the U.S. Campaign for Burma had long warned that this election would lead to increased hostilities between ethnic groups and the military regime. Yesterday's events proved our worst fears. Now, we are working with our international partners to make sure that the United States and the international community call on the Burmese regime to stop all attacks to prevent more refugee flows and civilians deaths.We need President Obama to immediately call on India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and ASEAN to condemn the Burma's fraudulent election while simultaneously pressuring the Burmese regime to stop attacks against ethnic groups. We must capitalize on President Obama's presence in Asia to strengthen US cooperation with our strongest Asian allies on Burma.
Donate to us today to help our effort to make sure that President Obama makes Burma a priority during the rest of his Asian trip.
=== Comments ===
Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up?BY BILL O'REILLY
Remember the old TV reality show called "What's My Line?" The big line was: Will the real so and so please stand up?
And after watching President Obama on "60 Minutes" Sunday night, that line is very appropriate today.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the president is not going to reveal himself to the American people. That interview Sunday night could have been a tape recording. Mr. Obama was his usual, calm, detached self.
Because I report to you daily on "The Factor" and because I heavily researched my new book "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama," I've studied the president very closely. And I have no idea, no idea at all who he really is. It's impossible to get through the shield.
BY CONTRAST, EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO PRESIDENT BUSH IS: a casual guy who sees life as black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. President Clinton was also fairly easy to read: good old boy who adapted to his circumstances and often showed genuine emotion in public.
"Talking Points" believes the American people sense Barack Obama is distant from them, and that is a major problem for the president. Let me give you one very vivid example, and this goes back to the Muslim controversy a couple of weeks ago.
In India, the president held a big town hall-type meeting, and the first question was about the worldwide Muslim problem which deeply affects India.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your take or opinion about jihad?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: The phrase jihad has a lot of meanings within Islam and is subject to a lot of different interpretations. I think all of us recognize that this great religion, in the hands of a few extremists, has been distorted to justify violence towards innocent people that is never justified.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
All right, stating the obvious. So, once again, Mr. Obama dodged the girl's question and failed to answer about the jihad.
Whenever the president is faced with the worldwide problem of jihad, Mr. Obama delivers platitudes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
OBAMA: The American Muslim community is one of extraordinary dynamism and diversity. Tonight, we celebrate a great religion and its commitment to justice and progress.
I have come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
While soothing words can help persuade peace-loving Muslims that we are not the enemy, I'll submit to that you most Americans don't want that kind of presentation exclusively. We need to combine the platitudes with straight talk about the danger in the Muslim world.
The USA avoided the jihad issue for decades and finally 3,000 people wound up dead on 9/11. Americans will never forget that.
To be fair, Mr. Obama has attacked Al Qaeda ferociously and is not backing down from the Taliban in Afghanistan. But he simply will not, will not define the overhaul jihad problem in any meaningful way at all.
Now, you'll remember on "The View" I told you and the ladies exactly why 70 percent of Americans oppose the Ground Zero mosque, and that led to a national discourse on the subject, a good thing. But you will never get that kind of straight talk from Mr. Obama.
The problem with the curtain the president uses is that he has a tremendous amount of power over our lives. That's what I write about in "Pinheads and Patriots." This isn't theoretical. This is real.
In the past three years, the Democrats and Mr. Obama have added nearly $5 trillion to the national debt. That kind of spending has never happened before. And if it continues, all of us are going to be in danger.
But the president doesn't react to the spending deal with any sense of urgency. When asked by Steve Kroft about the shaky economy, Mr. Obama once again fell back on rhetoric.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I have fundamental confidence in this country. I am constantly reminded that we have been through worse times than these and we have always come out on top. And I'm positive that the same thing is going to happen this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
And the president believes that his policies of massive government spending will lead us out of the terrible economic situation. But what if he is wrong? I don't even want to think about what will happen if massive debt collapses the U.S. economy.
The Republican Party well understands that the spending issue along with taxes is their most powerful defense against the president's big government vision. So while there may be some small compromises coming up, probably elimination of earmarks and some kind of delay in the tax code, the new tax code, fundamentally the GOP is never going to accommodate Barack Obama. They want him out of there.
FOR THOSE OF US TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BIG PICTURE, THE KEY QUESTION REMAINS: Why does President Obama believe American society has to be changed so drastically? Why does he want to do that?
As "Talking Points" has reported, the health care system in this country is unfair. It is. But it could have been overhauled with oversight, not a massive government intrusion that will add trillions to the debt down the road.
Now, I could be wrong but I suspect President Obama believes that capitalism in the free marketplace is fundamentally stacked against most Americans. He doesn't believe in our economic system the way it has evolved. Again, he'll never say that and the right is demonizing him as a socialist, which, of course, he denies.
But stripping away the fog, I see the man, the president, as a man who does want to redistribute income and who wants to impose his vision of social justice on the nation by increasing the power of the federal government.
If I'm correct about that, the president will fail in his attempt. Most Americans don't want an authoritative system, even if it is imposed in the name of fairness. We saw that in the vote last week.
Finally, I do encourage President Obama to stand up and tell us who he really is and what he really wants so we can ditch the speculation and name-calling. We Americans need to have everything on the table. We need to know who our leader really is. Or am I wrong?
===
George Bush Is Still Leading -- By Example
By Steven Crowder
Say what you want about George W. Bush, but the guy is a man’s man. He means what he says, and he says what he means. Whether you agree with the Texan or not, at least one always knows where they stand with him.
In recent years, he has also become the prime example of someone who has chosen to “turn the other cheek.” See, some folks see the act of turning one’s cheek as a moment of weakness; some folks see it as a challenge. It’s neither. How so?
Let me walk you through a couple of examples. The first would be the protagonist of a quaint little book: the New Testament. It’s easy reading, the kind of thing you can skim through with a cup of coffee on your daybed. The man is Jesus.
When Jesus told others to “turn the other cheek,” he said so knowing full well that it would be his ultimate act of defiance. The man was beaten, tortured and crucified but did nothing about it. Could he have? Umm, he’s Jesus. That’s the whole point. As a matter of fact, without the resurrection, Jesus would have never been able to “turn the other cheek” because he would have been… well, dead. He could have swatted down those centurions at any given moment but consciously chose not to, and that’s why his story is so impressive.
It’s very different from the modernized interpretation from parents who have gone soft. How often do we hear self-righteous claims like “Oh, we don’t teach little Johnny to fight. He’s learned to turn the other cheek.”
No, you’ve taught little Johnny to be a coward. He’s not turning the other cheek. Johnny’s a wimp and has no choice. He is completely powerless and so he ultimately has to give up his milk money. A true example of turning the other cheek would be: “Oh, actually little Johnny is a state-level wrestler and a black belt in Judo. He’s more than capable of handling himself but we teach him to avoid confrontation whenever he possibly can.”
The point that I’m making here is this: The act of turning one’s cheek only exists as a legitimate option to the one who could just as easily choose not to.
A good example would be the land of my upbringing, Canada. Often my liberal Canadian brethren will claim that “Canada doesn’t get involved in foreign affairs or wars overseas. We turn the other cheek.” No. Canada doesn’t have the military might to exercise any option OTHER than to remain uninvolved. They aren’t turning the other cheek. They’re pulling a Sweden.
A prime example of “turning the other cheek” would be the United States allowing Canada to exist as a country. Sure, we could take over Canada with ease. We’d certainly benefit from conquering a country rich in natural resources and never-ending comedic talent. Instead, we decide to make friends and treat them with the utmost respect. That’s choosing to turn the other cheek, and that’s true power.
Finally, this brings us back to George W. Bush. Though President Obama routinely pokes his finger in George’s chest by blaming him with every opportunity possible, Mr. Bush has remained silent. The former president could just as easily come out in the public square and yell “Listen, you’ve unprecedentedly multiplied the deficit, your irresponsible spending dwarfs any and all presidents that have come before you. Folks, you thought I sucked? Get a load of this punk.”
Instead, he’s chosen to say nothing. That’s true studliness.
So to all you men out there who want to use turning the other cheek as an excuse for your weakness … man up! Develop yourself to the point that you are powerful enough to face any conflict in your life head on and without trouble. Then, use your newfound confidence to avoid the conflict.
Unless the conflict involves Sean Penn. Then, this column is void.
Steven Crowder is a writer, comedian and Fox News contributor.
===
Thanks for the warning, Adam
Andrew Bolt
Age reporter and green preacher Adam Morton urges his readers to learn from California.
The headline:My own prediction? California will not reach those targets, given that it’s not now an economic superstar, but heading towards a smoking ruin. From the American Spectator:
California leads as US stalls
The precede:
Washington may be dragging its feet on emissions cuts, but it’s the states that Australia should be emulating.
Morton’s praise:
While the recession has trimmed California’s economic power, it remains a powerhouse.
Morton’s prediction:
Californians voted on whether the state’s legislation to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, effectively a 25 per cent cut below business-as-usual growth, should be frozen until employment falls from its stratospheric double-digit level to 5.5 per cent - and stays there for a year.
Known as Proposition 23, it was ... lost, with more than 60 per cent of voters backing the climate legislation… But the ramifications of the defeat of Proposition 23 extend beyond California’s borders. It means the state will push ahead with plans for an emissions trading scheme, starting modestly in 2012 and ramping up after 2015.
They face a probable budget deficit for the 2011-12 fiscal year of $19 billion--and that’s for starters. The state has three major public employee pension funds—CALPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System), CalSTRS (California State Teachers’ Retirement System) and the University of California Retirement System. Together, they are facing unfunded liabilities of $500 billion. That is approximately six times the size of the state’s entire budget this year.And this is a state we should follow?
As a postscript to these problems, the state’s unemployment insurance fund is expected to be $10 billion short by the end of this year and about $13 billion a year from now.
PS
Actually, it may just reach those emissions cut - but managing to go bankrupt and thereby forcing countless factories to close. Succeess! The green dream achieved.
(Thanks to readers Sunny and Stanley Gudgeon.)
===
Loving Kampuchea to death
Andrew Bolt
How blind are some ideologues to the reality of the utopias they extoll? Take the case of Malcolm Caldwell, the British Marxist and former chairman of the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament who praised the Pol Pot to the very day he met the genocidal killer - and was himself killed in turn.
(Thanks to reader Yau-ming. Apologies for being very late on this story.)
===
Great media minds think alike about bad Tea Party types
Andrew Bolt
It’s easy work for the Sydney Morning Herald’s Washington correspondent Simon Mann. Let’s compare this Washington Post report with the story that appeared under Mann’s own byline, albeit with the words “With agencies” underneath the copy.
WAPO: The tea party’s volatile influence on this election year appears to be doing more harm than good for Republicans’ chances in some of the closest races in the nation, in which little-known candidates who upset the establishment with primary wins are now stumbling in the campaign’s final days.(Thanks to reader Professor Bunyip.)
MANN: Tea Party candidates could stand in the way of a Republican clean-sweep in next week’s midterm congressional elections, with a number of candidates in Senate races struggling against their more seasoned political opponents.
WAPO: In Kentucky, a volunteer for tea-party-backed Senate candidate Rand Paul was videotaped stepping on the head of a liberal protester.MANN: In Kentucky, Democrats were rushing out a TV ad that replayed an incident on the campaign trail in which a volunteer working for the Tea Party-backed Rand Paul was filmed this week stomping on a protester’s head.WAPO: In Delaware and Colorado, Senate hopefuls Christine O’Donnell and Ken Buck, respectively, are under fire for denying that the First Amendment’s establishment clause dictates a separation of church and state.MANN: In Delaware and Colorado, the Senate candidates Christine O’Donnell and Ken Buck, respectively, are under fire for denying that the establishment clause of the first amendment to the constitution dictates a separation of church and state.WAPO: In Nevada, GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle is drawing rebuke for running TV ads that portray Latino immigrants as criminals and gang members.MANN: And in Nevada, the Republican Senate nominee, Sharron Angle, is drawing sharp criticism for running TV ads that portray Latino immigrants as criminals and gang members.WAPO: Miller, who was considered a shoo-in just two months ago....MANN: In Alaska, the Tea Party’s Joe Miller, a shoo-in only a couple of months ago...WAPO: Last week, he was in the spotlight when a campaign-paid security guard handcuffed a reporter who tried to ask Miller a question.MANN: last week, he was in the spotlight when a campaign-paid security guard handcuffed a reporter who tried to ask Mr Miller a question.WAPO: … it was revealed late Tuesday that he had admitted lying about his misconduct while working as a government lawyer in Fairbanks.MANN: This week it was revealed he had lied about his misconduct while working as a government lawyer in FairbanksPerhaps a subeditor simply rewrote and added the WAPO copy to Mann’s, and left the Mann’s name on top in an act of generosity.
===
A young girl now frozen in the media aspic
Andrew Bolt
I’d have let her go to the formal, but as a parent I most certainly would not have let her go onto the front page of The Age:
ON THE night of her school dinner dance, Hannah Williams found herself all dressed up with nowhere to go.So how did this become so public
After inviting friends to her home for ‘’pre-drinks’’, the 16-year-old Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar student stood at her doorstep and watched her classmates file into the darkness to attend one of the highlights of the school calendar…
A few weeks earlier, a teacher had told the year 11 student she wasn’t allowed to attend the Preston dinner dance with her 15-year-old girlfriend, Savannah Supski. She was asked to bring a male instead.
Hannah’s father, Peter Williams, lodged a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission, alleging the school had discriminated against his daughter because of her sexual orientation.This alone was stressful enough the daughter:
‘’The school kept saying because it is an all-girls’ school we want to make an event where they can meet boys in a social scenario,’’ he said. ‘’That process is anachronistic and creates feelings of discrimination among girls who are same-sex attracted.’’
After lodging the complaint in September, Mr Williams had a mediation session with the school, but the two parties were unable to reach a conclusion.And now she’s been pulled out a school where, if Mr Williams is right, some 500 of the 700 girls are supportive enough to sign a petition to back his daughter’s right to take a girl to the dance:
The Williams family did not take matters further because it was becoming too stressful for their teenage daughter, who will complete her VCE next year.
Mr Williams said the experience had forced his daughter to move to Swinburne Senior Secondary College, a ‘’more accepting’’ school in Hawthorn.As I said, I’d have let the girls go, even if I thought I was legitimising what may be no more than a protest, rather than affirming a freedom to express a sexuality.
‘’We made the decision that the best thing to do was to leave the school. The basis has been the whole sense of institutionalised discrimination,’’ he said.
But I would not have encouraged or allowed my daughter to become a media symbol and talking point. This is not just because this might make her a target, but also because it would give her a billing she’d feel pressure to live up to - in this case a billing of the militant lesbian. Who’s to say that this isn’t just a passing phase, an experiment, an adolescent exercise in rebellion or an assertion of freedom? But for the millions of media eaters now feeding on this story, a 16-year-old is now the permanent lesbian.
UPDATE
Reader dianeh:
I listened to the principal of the school this morning and she says this has been misrepresented by the girl herself. The principal says the girlfriend is in Year 10 and this was a Year 11 formal. It doesnt matter if it was a boy from Year 10, they would not be able to go either.The principal said it was not about sexual orientation, it was about keeping the younger students from attending the Year 11 formal, and it is standard practice at the school. She also said she was sad to see it so misrepresented in the media, and that the young girl was aware before going to the media that it was not about sexual orientation.Reader Jennifer:
My two daughters attend this school and I am aware of the situation. I fully support the school’s actions regarding the school formal. I think the actions of the parent are a disgrace: that is to drag this “minor hiccup” into the public arena thereby labelling his daughter a lesbian in public. As Andrew pointed out this may be a passing phase- no-one knows for sure yet. Does he think he can re-coup his school fees by a lawsuit?As for the petition, it is meaningless- the kids who signed it are under-age and unaware of the implications of sexual orientation issues and more importantly they do not run the school. It is up to the Principal of this private school to decide if someone from outside the school can attend a school function. In any case it is not necessarily an issue regarding the sexual orientation of a minor. It is simply, as the Principal stated, a matter of getting a mix of boys and girls to interact socially.===
Gillard leads Labor army to Moscow
Andrew Bolt
A LINE has been crossed at last in the great global warming scare. The public is revolting and politicians retreating.
Saving the planet from our evil emissions has suddenly become too expensive for everyone from the NSW Premier to the American President.
And if the Gillard Government doesn’t sniff the winds soon and drop its emissions trading scheme, as did Kevin Rudd, it will be as dead as the former prime minister’s leadership.
Read the signs. Horrified by the exploding cost of her plan to encourage rooftop solar panels, NSW Premier Kristina Keneally two weeks ago slashed the power rebates to consumers to save $2.5 billion.
Scared off by the revolt at the mid-term election against big-spending governments, President Barack Obama last weekend conceded he’d drop his own emissions trading scheme - leaving the Gillard Government’s ETS looking even sillier.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest issues in Victoria’s election is the soaring power and water bills - caused in part by global warming policies, from green energy subsidies to the building of a $5.7 billion desalination plant to cope with a drying up of the rain that (surprise!) are now drowning the state.
Now Prime Minister Julia Gillard is feeling the heat, too. Already she’s forced to finance each new planet-saving program by slashing some other old budget-buster, to seem green without plunging us in the red.
To pay for her promised “cash-for-clunkers” scheme - bribing people with $2000 to trade in their old bombs for a new green car - she cut spending on her solar flagship programs by $220 million, even stripping $25 million from University of NSW research into cheaper solar power.
But this week Gillard virtually reversed those decisions. Her much-mocked cash-for-clunkers plan will now be delayed by at least six months, while $50 million is to be put back into research to make solar power cheaper - only this time the cash won’t all go to an Australian university but to a joint American-Australian project.
Had to, you see. Gillard wanted to seem in synch with the visiting US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who’s been touting this latest pick-a-winner plan.
What an insight into the politics of global warming. What matters is that you are seen to be Doing Something, even if it’s just making yet more futile promises you’ll never deliver.
That’s why Labor can one day announce huge new subsidies to build “green cars”, and then, during the election campaign, quietly cut them by $200 million. It’s also why the unveiling of each new planet-saving scheme - solar hot water rebates, free insulation, green loans - is soon followed by an red-faced announcement that it’s being closed for costing too much and delivering too little.
But until Gillard calls time on this pass-the-parcel and admits we can’t save the planet on our tiny own anyway, she’ll lead Labor to its Waterloo.
===
It’s OK when your own side says it
Andrew Bolt
HILLARY Clinton did us a favour on Sunday by giving us a lesson in group think.
As in: it doesn’t much matter what was said, as long as your side said it.
I’m sure this lesson wasn’t on the mind of the US Secretary of State when she faced young Australians at Melbourne University for a chat recorded by the ABC.
Winning hearts and minds was what she was really up to, answering questions about everything from US military facilities here to raising a daughter in the White House.
Thoughtful and charming she was, too. But that so many “aware” students could lap up even the bit about US joint facilities and remain almost adoring was already a sign that a Leftist hero could say to this crowd what a Right-winger barely dared.
Two answers proved that point, since they were to the same questions asked of two Liberals before another ABC audience. And what a different response they got.
In April Opposition Leader Tony Abbott appeared on the ABC’s Q&A, before a “balanced” audience, and was asked if he supported gay marriage.
Abbott: “Well, no ... I want to see stable, committed relationships, but I do think that a marriage, by definition, is between a man and a woman ... “Now to Clinton’s answer on Sunday: “I have been a strong supporter of ending discrimination. I have not supported same-sex marriage. I have supported civil partnerships and contractual relationships.”
(Applause from half the audience, prolonged boos from the rest.)
Host: “I know you’ve answered this a number of times, but you can answer briefly.”
Abbott: “Well, just because that’s what a marriage is.” (Mocking laughter and cries of protest.)
No boos, or even a raised eyebrow. Yes, Clinton sounded more on-side than Abbott, but her bottom line was the same. Yet only the conservative got the treatment.
Next to Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi, who, also on Q&A this year, was asked if he’d ban the burqa.
===
Bush: waterboarding saved lives
Andrew Bolt
In all the media uproar over the waterboarding of suspected terrorists by the US, it’s easy to forget how very few people it was applied to - and just why:
George W. Bush has claimed that information extracted from terrorist suspects by “waterboarding” saved British lives by preventing attacks on Heathrow and Canary Wharf.Waterboard three suspects up to the ears in al Qaeda, or risk the deaths of possibly hundreds of civilians? The critics who shy at answering this stark question are guilty of intellectual cowardice at the very least. Kipling knew their type well, as Orwell explained:
In an exclusive interview with The Times, the former US President offered a vigorous defence of the coercive interrogation technique: ”Three people were waterboarded and I believe that decision saved lives.” ...
In his new book he writes: “Their interrogations helped break up plots to attack American diplomatic facilities abroad, Heathrow airport and Canary Wharf in London, and multiple targets in the United States.”
Kipling was a Conservative… He identified himself with the ruling power and not with the opposition. In a gifted writer this seems to us strange and even disgusting, but it did have the advantage of giving Kipling a certain grip on reality. The ruling power is always faced with the question, “In such and such circumstances, what would you do?”, whereas the opposition is not obliged to take responsibility or make any real decisions.===
Rudd crashes
Andrew Bolt
I’d believe the rumors, having heard yet another astonishing anecdote I can’t pass on of Rudd’s extraordinary rudeness and presumption:
KEVIN Rudd gatecrashed the special ABC television broadcast with Hillary Clinton on the weekend, demanding a place to share the limelight with the US Secretary of State…Another sign of what I’ve said for years: that Rudd sees his future with the UN, and will do anything to schmooze to those who can advance his career. Whether Australia’s interests become a mere bargaining chip to further his personal ambitions is a very open question.
Mr Rudd was not initially scheduled to be among the VIP guests ... But after a dinner with Mrs Clinton on Saturday night, Mr Rudd insisted he attend.
An Australian official familiar with the event said Mr Rudd had stridently demanded plans be changed to include him. ‘’The behaviour was disgusting and he deserves to be called on it,’’ the official told The Age.
There was also confusion over whether Mr Rudd was asking to be seated on stage alongside Mrs Clinton and ABC host Leigh Sales for the broadcast…
But Mr Rudd has denied he or his staff asked for a seat on stage.
‘’No, not at all. I didn’t ask to go on the stage at all,’’ he told the 7.30 Report.
===
Labor doesn’t merely lack tactics
Andrew Bolt
The Daily Telegraph says it well, after hearing the speech yesterday of Labor’s national secretary, Karl Bitar, who condeded plenty, but still not enough:
VOTERS don’t need Karl Bitar to tell them what is wrong with the Labor Party. They told him on August 2, 2010. But the ALP party boss’s rare public admission yesterday of where the party, and the Government, went wrong and are still going wrong is surely a sign that he knows Labor is in desperate trouble both culturally and electorally.(Thanks to reader Pira.)
The Daily Telegraph has previously pointed out that the ALP has lost its way and, in the past week, we have had Greg Combet bravely examine the failures of Labor and its decision to mortgage out policy to the Greens.
We have had one of Bitar’s predecessors, Graham Richardson, claim that Julia Gillard had no idea about policy reform. And now we have the man responsible for the election campaign itself declare that his own wife threatened to vote Greens because she was so appalled by the disunity within Labor during the campaign.
One of the most telling admissions, however, was the claim that the announcement of the Epping to Chatswood rail link was political folly.
Bitar’s rationale was that it was a tactical mistake. Forget whether it was good policy or not. That in itself speaks volumes about the problems that face this minority Government and the future of the Labor Party unless it undertakes significant reform not only to its own union-based structure, but to good public policy development and its own values and principles.
UPDATE
Peter Costello says the Greens are really just the party a Julia Gillard would join, if she were a decade or two younger:
The case of (Adam) Bandt illustrates Labor’s generational demise. Bandt was a Marxist student leader who was elected to the national student union. He worked for the labour lawyers Slater and Gordon, but ended up joining the Greens. His CV is almost identical to that of Julia Gillard, but she joined the Socialist Left of the ALP. Gillard is 10 years older. Her generation of left-wing student activists joined Labor. The next will join the Greens. The base of Labor’s Socialist Left is defecting.Costello’s argument for the Liberals preferencing the Greens is intriguing - although not convincing. It’s not just that this would hurt Labor, the Liberals’ main opponent, but that the Greens aren’t much worse than Labor anyway.
===
Gillard goes to the opera
Andrew Bolt
If you are not familiar with an art form, it’s best to stay grounded and avoid efforts like this, at Dame Joan Sutherland’s memorial service in Sydney yesterday:
She absorbed the sound of her mother’s beautiful voice as easily as she breathed the air itself, giving her a sense of effortless achievement that later helped transform potential into legend.It’s not just clunky and clearly phony, but also ignorant. Worse, it cheats Sutherland, suggesting an “effortless” success that in fact was not the result of “absorbing” sounds but of relentless study, practice and effort, applied to a voice that was a freak of nature,
(Thanks to reader Pira.)
===
On being detested and liked by Paul Howes
Andrew Bolt
If someone held “detestable” views, I’d consider that a reflection on their character, and not some kind of separate, out-of-body phenomenon. To give an extreme example, I would loathe Lenin no matter how lively he was at the dinner table, knowing this was a man who believe in enslaving whole peoples.So I find it difficult to accept that union leader Paul Howes, now touting his book Confessions of a Faceless Man, can say of a conservative both that ”I detest the bulk of his political views” and that “politics aside, he’s a thoroughly charming man” who “always engages in meaningful and thoughtful conversation”.
The key is the word “detest”, signifying not just an intellectual disagreement but a moral revulsion.
Perhaps I’m too absolutist, too black-and-white about such things. But I do believe that a man should be held morally accountable for ideas which so often are less a product of his reason than of his character.
So I conclude of Howes this: He is either paying his ideological dues to his comrades to pretend a revulsion of a common hate object, while wishing to nevertheless pay a generous and appreciated tribute to someone he likes and with whom he agrees rather more than he lets on in public.
Or he is too easily won over by tricks of manners and personal attention, and has paid a nasty person a far bigger compliment than he deserves. Next he’d be telling us that at least Hitler liked dogs.
I repeat, I may be lacking an appreciation of the infinite variety of man, contained even within a single being:
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.And I would not want to deny such obvious examples Howes might cite in his defence, such as the common phenomenon we see in politics and the media of men seduced by success and position into voicing positions at odd with their better, and tragically conscious selves. I know well how intimidating can be the expectation of a loyal audience, and how intense its anger if you betray their faith and advocate what you believe but they do not.
But even then I’d judge those Dorian Grays as weak and lacking in principle. But then my wife says I really do hold people up to too-high standards.
As I do myself, which is why I’d say to Paul that on my worst days I fear I’m the very opposite of what he’s described: holding quite humdrum views, and not being very likable or thoughtful at all.
And what I’d say to him of himself is that perhaps, given his praise of the personal qualities of so many of his ideological adversaries is that perhaps their manners are the best advertisement of their faith, and he may well be fighting a growing realisation that at 29 he himself has been seduced into mouth Leftist positions that his wisening mind can no longer accept.
This doesn’t mean I detest either him or his views. I like the one and merely disagree with a few of the others. But I’d be disappointed in him, and consider him cramped and not true to himself, if he ultimately refuses to follow his better mind - and full heart.
===
Ten years of not taking no for an answer
Andrew Bolt
What some asylum seekers are costing us may be judged by the various court actions launched by just one, a Fijian whose history in various tribunals and courts is detailed in this judgment - which, alas, goes against him, too:
03.06.2000 Applicant arrived in AustraliaStill, who can blame him for trying it on again and again? You never know your luck in a big city:
DIMIA
06.06.2000 Application for protection visa lodged
23.08.2000 Delegate’s decision
RRT
31.08.2000 Application for review lodged
27.04.2001 RRT hearing
08.06.2001 RRT decision handed down
High Court of Australia – S1494 of 2003
17.08.2001 Applicant joined Lie class action seeking order nisi (S89/1999)
25.11.2002 Order of Gaudron J remitting matter to FCA
Federal Court of Australia – N1785 of 2003
20.02.2004 Order of Emmett J refusing order nisi
Federal Magistrates Court – SZ2900 of 2004
22.09.2004 Application lodged
08.08.2005 Leave granted by Nicholls FM to file notice of discontinuance
Federal Court of Australia – NSD295 of 2007
01.03.2007 Application for an extension of time to file notice of appeal lodged
11.05.2007 Order of Spender J dismissing application
RRT
12.06.2007 Application for further review of delegate’s decision lodged
03.07.2007 RRT decision – no jurisdiction
Federal Magistrates Court – SYG2387 of 2007
02.08.2007 Application for judicial review
24.10.2007 Orders of Barnes FM dismissing application
Federal Court of Australia – NSD2257 of 2007
15.11.2007 Application for leave to appeal filed
15.11.2007 Affidavit of applicant filed
06.03.2008 Orders of Reeves J dismissing application for leave to appeal
DIAC
04.09.2009 Application for Child (Residence) (Class BT) visa
18.11.2009 Delegate’s decision
MRT
15.12.2009 Application for review
24.05.2010 MRT hearing
28.05.2010 MRT decision dated
Federal Magistrates Court – SYG1459 of 2010
01.07.2010 Application for judicial review lodged
01.07.2010 Affidavit of first applicant filed
A MAN who used people smugglers and a false passport to arrive in Australia has been granted asylum.And there’s no shortage of free legal help, either. Here Minters asks staff if they can donate their services - in an email (no link) which may help to explain why an extraordinary number of boat people are single males claiming to be under 18:
This was even though Australian authorities didn’t believe his claims that he had been genuinely persecuted in Iran for dancing and sporting a tattoo.
In a decision handed down by the Refugee Review Tribunal in Melbourne last month, the Iranian man, who was described as untruthful, was told he could stay because his initial asylum application meant he could be in danger if returned to Iran.
“Although not currently facing a risk, there is an appreciable risk that the applicant will be identified as a failed asylum seeker and if returned to Iran will face a real chance of persecution, including detention as a result of the political connotations placed on the act of seeking asylum,” the RRT found...
Earlier this year we made a call for expressions of interest from graduates and lawyers for our new pro bono program with the Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS)… Thank you to those of you who replied to the first email. You should have now received an outlook invitation for the training session…So for each boat person we accept, how many family members on average do we later let in?
We expect to receive files from RAILS almost immediately after the training session. The files are likely to be for Afghan minors who are here without their family, as RAILS has a significant need in this area…
RAILS is an independent not-for-profit organisation working with volunteers to provide free legal advice, assistance and community education to disadvantaged people. It advocates in cases of most need before the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, review tribunals and, on occasions, to judicial review…
RAILS has a significant case load resulting from the release of large numbers of single men who have been found to be genuine refugees and released from Christmas Island. Many of them are being resettled in Brisbane. Among those single men are quite a few unaccompanied minors, (mostly) boys ranging in age from 15 to (almost) 18. RAILS is assisting these children who have been granted protection visas to be reunited with their parents and siblings who remain overseas. Completion and lodgement of an application by their parents is crucial because once the boys turn 18 it becomes far more difficult, if not almost impossible, for them to successfully propose their parents for an Australian visa.
(Thanks to reader Brian.)
===
Hang on long enough and it might be true again
Andrew Bolt
It’s not just Hillary Clinton who has trouble accepting Kevin Rudd has been replaced as Prime Minister:
Close up:
(Thanks to reader Fiona.)===
Which one’s Yin?
Andrew Bolt
Here’s what’s wrong with Victorian politics in a nutshell. At the last election, the Liberals promised a desalination plant and Labor opposed it. This election, Labor is defending its desalination plant and the Liberals are attacking it.
UPDATE
A number of readers take exception, seeing a big difference between Baillieu’s promise of a cheap but very small desal plant and Brumby’s delivery of an expensive but very big one. None pick up on the point that a dam on, say, the Mitchell could have delivered three times more water than even Brumby’s plant, for just a quarter of the price - and a fraction of the running costs.
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