Headlines Wednesday 30th September 2009

Michael McGurk tape lands some hits

A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry into land dealings surrounding the McGurk affair descended into a murder hunt yesterday, as details of the slain businessman's mystery tape were finally revealed.

Plan to ban schoolies from balconies to crackdown on bad behaviour

SCHOOLIES face being banned from balconies at some Gold Coast apartments this year in a fresh crackdown on drunken and loutish behaviour. - ALP blame teens, but they still profit from alcohol sales. - ed.

Powerful quake, tsunami in Pacific
A POWERFUL 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck in the Pacific, with reports of a tsunami hitting Samoa and American Samoa.

Super funds in $110bn recovery
AVERAGE Aussie's nest egg is worth about $7000 more as nation climbs out of crisis. - first state super in NSW is worth less - ed.

Terrorist calls for 'destruction of Australia'
A TERRORIST who helped plan attacks on two Indonesian hotels has vowed to 'destroy Australia'.

Road to true love takes unexpected turn
IT started as a bold declaration on a busy road, but this marriage proposal quickly turned nasty.

Boatload of boatpeople caught off coast
FORTY-three suspected asylum seekers have been captured off the Australian coast - the third boat intercepted in three days.

French support for Polanski stirs unease
GOVERNMENT ministers and much of France's cultural elite rush to defend director.

Australian farmer sent to the US
A CATTLE farmer from Guyra, north of Armidale, facing 25 years in a US jail has been secretly extradited to America to face rape charges.
=== Journalists Corner ===

How he plans to win the NJ Gubernatorial race...
And bring the GOP back to Washington!
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Health Insurance for Illegals?
There is a big difference in between being in this country illegally and legally. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and I had a different view about something last night ON THE RECORD at 10 pm - I like migrants and I want there to be more. I want them to have safety and I want them to have health care. I think the Republicans know how to achieve this, but the Democrats are pushing the poilitcs of envy, and getting credit for doing the oppositie of what they achieve. - ed.
=== Comments ===
ROMAN ROMAN THE RAPIST RAPIST
Tim Blair
There’s rape, according to Whoopi Goldberg, and then there’s “rape-rape”. Meanwhile, Troy Lennon wonders: “If Dennis Ferguson had made the film The Pianist …”
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ISLANDS HIT
Tim Blair
Dozens killed, many villages destroyed by a South Pacific tsunami:
Cars and people were swept out to sea by the fast-churning waters as survivors in the island nations of Samoa and American Samoa fled to high ground, where they remained huddled hours later. Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to assess the casualties and damage.
Samoans living in Sydney are desperate for news, but communications are cut. Seven Australians are said to have been injured. The death toll could reach 100.

UPDATE. This didn’t take long:
The tragedy occurred merely a fortnight after the first major meeting of scientists researching the geological effects of climate change. Scientists at the conference warned that climate change may lead to more geological disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

“The whole Earth is an interactive system,” Professor Bill McGuire told Reuters, speaking from the conference in London. “In the political community people are almost completely unaware of any geological aspects to climate change.”
Professor McGuire believes we have just seven years left to save the earth. Or six, seeing as his book was published in 2008.

UPDATE II. An Australian woman is said to have been killed by the tsunami.

UPDATE III. Six other Australians are unaccounted for. The overall death toll is currently at 36.
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CREAN AND GREEN
Tim Blair
Following earlier news of Chinese clean-tech pollution, Reuters now reports:
One needs to look no further then the river that runs through Shangba to understand the extent of the heavy metals pollution that experts say has turned the hamlets in this region of southern China into cancer villages.

The river’s flow ranges from murky white to a bright shade of orange and the waters are so viscous that they barely ripple in the breeze. In Shangba, the river brings death, not sustenance …

Cancer casts a shadow over the villages in this region of China in southern Guangdong province, nestled among farmland contaminated by heavy metals used to make batteries, computer parts and other electronics devices.
Note: this is a Reuters piece, so claims of “death-bringing” should be subject to some doubt. That said, besides batteries, computer parts and other electronics devices, Guangdong province also produces solar panels, many of which are destined for Australia. Federal trade minister Simon Crean celebrated the area last year:
Guangdong is Australia’s largest provincial market in China …
Crean was speaking at a Clean Energy Seminar as part of an Australian Clean Energy delegation.

UPDATE. In other Chinese developments:
New York’s iconic Empire State Building will light up red and yellow Wednesday in honor of the 60th anniversary of communist China.
Sounds great. Maybe they’ll throw some dissidents off it, too.
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CAR QUIZ
Tim Blair
Identify the make and model shown aflame:

Bonus carbon credits for listing more than one model name from different markets.

UPDATE. It’s a Mitsubishi Starion. A fine car, in their day.
===
STICK TRICKER NICKED?
Tim Blair
This, as many readers have noted, is very interesting.
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Iran and Afghanistan: a Test of Leadership for President Obama
By Bill O'Reilly
The Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll out Monday has President Obama falling below 50 percent in job approval. The number is now 49 percent. The health care approval rating is 41 percent; 56 percent oppose. So obviously the president is having trouble.

This week negotiations begin with Iran, which continues to defy the world by developing nuclear weapons. After being chastised last week by President Obama and other world leaders, Iran responded by testing missiles this weekend, once again spitting in the eye of those nations who want nuclear controls.

The tyrant Ahmadinejad is clear on the issue, saying this about a possible attack on his country by Israel:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IRANIAN PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD (through translator): The Zionist regime is far too small and little to be able to engage in an act of aggression against Iran. It's not in their capacity to want to engage in anything.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": They could take out a nuclear facility. They could.

AHMADINEJAD: They will not make this mistake, because the response they will get from us will be one which they will regret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Many believe the USA, Great Britain and France are not going to be able to stop the mullahs from getting nukes. Few believe the West has the stomach for a world war. Certainly Iran believes that.

Once again, the Iranians can cause trouble all over the place: in the Persian Gulf, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Lebanon and on and on. So the arrogant mullahs are going to do what they want to do unless the world economically strangles them, and it doesn't look like that's going to happen thanks to our pals the Russians and Chinese, who refuse to clamp down on Iran. So President Obama is really up against it.

In Afghanistan there's chaos as well. The president still has not decided whether to send 40,000 additional U.S. troops to fill the request of his commanding general, Stanley McChrystal. Sunday night on "60 minutes" McChrystal delivered a stunning soundbite:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MARTIN, "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT: How often do you talk to the president?

GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I have talked to the president since I have been here once.

MARTIN: You talked to him once in 70 days?

MCCHRYSTAL: That's correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

"Talking Points" is perplexed. The commander in chief doesn't talk to his commanding general in Afghanistan? What's that all about?

We called the White House Monday and they said the president formulates Afghan policy through Secretary of Defense Gates. That's the chain of command the Pentagon wants. But if it were me I'd be talking directly to my commander in the field on a weekly basis.

Both Afghanistan and Iran are extremely complicated, and it is worth noting that Iran is still holding three American hikers who wandered across the Kurdish border. That's been going on for two months and is basically kidnapping. But again, the mullahs don't care. They do not seem to fear America.

So this is truly a test of leadership for President Obama, just as President Carter was up against the mullahs during his unsuccessful term in office. If Mr. Obama challenges Iran, bad things will happen. If he does not, Iran becomes a nuclear power on his watch.

Same thing in Afghanistan. Either we defeat the Taliban or the country descends into chaos, just like Vietnam did.

History defines great leaders as those who defeat or diffuse great challenges. President Obama is certainly facing those.

From The Vault- Escape from the Planet of the Apes

Sexcapades, racism, shoot outs in abandoned oil tankers- this film has it all. Awesome review- Comical, genuine, entertaining. Dr Will revisits the 1971 film "Escape from the Planet of the Apes". Starring Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter. Check out the other reviews by Dr Will. Also visit www.pyt.com.au/pyt/rough-cuts for more info.
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I've seen this. It is awesome. More Tetris!

Iranian Women Protest the Regime Outside the United Nations

Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, Shohreh Nazar and Roya Teimouri speak out against the Iranian regime at the United Nations on Thursday September 24, 2009.

Headlines Tuesday 29th September 2009

Please Explain puts Pauline's life on film

THE hunt will soon be on to find an actress to play controversial politician Pauline Hanson in the upcoming biopic tentatively titled Please Explain. - no problem, Cate, all you have to do is act, playing the role of an opinionated person who doesn't understand the issues .. you may not even need to act. -ed.

'It's only because she's a girl'
AS pressure mounts on teen sailor to abandon round-world bid, mum comes out swinging. - ALP do not have a proud history on equal opportunity, except in their mythology - ed.

Angry response to McGurk murder question
PROPERTY developer Ron Medich has responded angrily when asked in a NSW parliamentary inquiry whether he was involved in a Sydney murder.

Leigh Robinson guilty of chasing, murdering young mum

A KILLER sentenced to death 40 years ago has been found guilty of the murder of Melbourne mum Tracey Greenbury.

Soaring house prices 'not helping us'
RISING house prices and rents are not making the country any richer, the Reserve Bank says.

Family mourn 'murdered' Aussie porn star
CATHOLIC schoolgirl had dreams of making it in Hollywood but drifted into adult films.

Mum's hug for man who 'destroyed' son
MOTHER hugs drink-driver who "gunned it" before he faces court for destroying her only son's life.

Chris cheated on Masterchef, claims ex
CHRIS Badenoch's ex-girlfriend claims he asked her to order meat to help him win MasterChef.

Premium pirates fuel ripoff concerns
IF you thought you were saving money by buying higher octane fuel, think again, says the NRMA.

Beatles lose their Lucy in the Sky

THE woman said to have inspired the iconic Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds has died.

Dark cloud over 'kids who never smile'
BOY found with "battle plan" showing where to plant bombs at his school part of a growing problem, say teachers.
=== Journalists Corner ===

Bobby Jindal Speaks Out!
The La. Governor is up in arms over health care reform! What has him so fired up? Find out!
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A Mother's Challenge
Moms across America are concerned more than ever about their kid's future. Beck is here to help! Don't miss the 9-12 project!
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Showdown With Iran
As tension builds, could military action be closer than you think? Bill has answers!
=== Comments ===
The haste to waste in a spending frenzy
Piers Akerman
JEREMY Travers, a Year 12 student at Eagle Vale High in Sydney’s southwest, knows an education revolution when he sees one. In his opinion, a recording studio and an upgraded kitchen don’t make the cut. - The ghetto schools which are part and parcel with ALP social policy are expensive to run and maintain and do not achieve good results. However, the students are better off in those schools than in general public as unemployed. Those desks have been damaged by students, as have those textbooks. Go to a school that is not disadvantaged and you will find the textbooks are older, and the furniture is older, but in markedly better condition. Not as much money is spent on good students. Under Rudd's revolution, good students will still be ignored. In some schools, a million dollars will be spent on building two empty shell classrooms when the same money may have funded a block of classrooms were less haste required. The money isn't going to schools, although it is being spent on schools. It is going to developers and ALP hucksters.
The computers are useful. However, a more effective programme would have been to delay implementing them for a few years. Every dollar spent now will be worthless in two years, and in that time we will still be struggling to make something meaningful result from their use. Lots of things are possible, like loading textbooks onto the computers, but the department has left it to the class teachers to negotiate copyright issues instead of addressing that corporately. It might have been kinder to provide every school child with a brick for their bag. - ed
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Former NSW ICAC Commissioner on Heiner
Piers Akerman
This is an important interview with Barry O’Keefe, a former NSW Commissioner of ICAC on the Heiner Affair.

I just had a listen - The old “deeds weeds” saying, I like it. A better one is “Money talks and BS walks”

Rule of Law is the most important thing in our civilisation. Without it our society would disappear into an orgy of slaughter. One thing I did notice during the interview was the word “former.” Perhaps the bad guys in this matter are hoping to win this through attrition? Most of the torch carriers in this matter have a few miles on the clock and most likely wont be around when the coalition gains office in QLD. From where I stand even a coalition victory would not deliver an inquiry - As I have said all along MAD Theorem is at work.

Party on

Tim

DD Ball replied to Tim
A Coalition victiory won’t change much because the issue is not parliamentary (although the abuse originated there) but belonging to the watchdogs. The problem is that the watchdogs can only address an issue, not an individual and so the only hope of justice for the victim is an ex gratia payment. However, the corruption itself needs to be addressed and parliament will not be able to do that, but parliament acting with civil service. The civil service won’t get voted out. The entrenched corruption must be weeded out. That will require the compromised press to be on board, but they will be barracking for the new ALP when the election is over.
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THEY’RE SPECIAL
Tim Blair
“Flying is the single worst thing an ordinary individual can do to cause climate change,” according to warmy movie The Age of Stupid. But that rule doesn’t apply to celebs:

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CLIMATE SHARKS!
Tim Blair
Warming guru Ross Garnaut – one of many warming gurus who speak in a zombie monotone, for some reason – mourns rural doubt over climate change:

That’s a sad thing. There you’ve got climate sharks preying on the vulnerability of people who aren’t in a position to be well informed themselves. That’s a tragedy, the exploitation of people who would benefit from greater knowledge. I’m afraid that what’s going to happen in rural Australia is that the well-informed will make a lot of money out of the ignorant, and the ignorant include a lot of people who can’t afford to be skinned in that way.

Professor Garnaut seems to define money-making warming doubters as “well-informed”. Interesting. (He also says: “It’s the sort of denial we see in relation to a lot of tragic circumstances.” Care to name those circumstances, Prof?) Their well-informedness aside, I’m not aware of too many warming doubters who’ve turned their scepticism into massive dollars. Warming alarmists, on the other hand …

UPDATE. Rural voters – tragic, exploited rural voters – speak out.
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CRUSH THE ETS
Tim Blair
A couple of points made during The Insiders – possible electoral popularity of an anti-ETS stance; more widespread ETS/warming scepticism within conservative ranks than is generally known – are echoed in the Australian:

Malcolm Turnbull will be forced to stare down more than two-thirds of the Liberal back bench if he proceeds with his plan to negotiate with the government over amendments to the emissions trading scheme before December’s Copenhagen climate change conference …

The Australian’s survey proves that the so-called maverick Liberal parliamentarians Wilson Tuckey and Cory Bernardi are reflecting the views of an overwhelming majority of their colleagues when they publicly criticise the shadow cabinet for endorsing Mr Turnbull to negotiate with the government over the ETS.

And:

A split has emerged in Coalition ranks over the risk of a climate change election, with Nationals leader Warren Truss declaring an outright rejection of an emissions trading scheme could prove a vote winner.

There’s only one way to find out.
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WAR IS SWELL
Tim Blair
According to a news report this week: “If the world fails to reach agreement on tackling climate change soon then it could end in war, climate scientist Tim Flannery has warned.”

A climate change war! This sounds like the finest lark in combat history. But war is hell even when it involves global warming activists, as this computer model of one soldier’s future war diary accurately predicts:
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TOUGH CHOICE
Tim Blair
“If you’re not going to the Punch party,” emails The Punch‘s Paul Colgan, “here’s something fun to do on Wednesday.”
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FERVOUR DEMONSTRATED
Tim Blair
Phillip Adams, 2006:

And it seemed to me that not only did this demonstrate that there was a quasi-religious fervour in the environmental movement, but people were actually willing the end, they wanted the end.

Phillip Adams, 2009:

The planet is effectively on fire …

James Lovelock, whose credentials include formulating the Gaia theory and discovering the hole in the ozone layer, calculates that billions (repeat billions) of humans will be killed one way or another by global warming in the next 40 years. In his view, the survival of our species, and countless others, is in great doubt. Yet it’s business as usual on Planet Earth …

To date, AGW hasn’t killed a single person, animal or plant. It’s the least deadly mass killer in planetary history. Adams—possibly craving attention of late—continues:

As the problem intensifies not even politicians who retreat to their underground bunkers will survive.

He wants the end. By the way, someone whose ”credentials include formulating the Gaia theory”? Those are some serious credentials. Right up there with the guy whose credentials include formulating the theory of pet rocks.
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DELICATE MUTILATION
Tim Blair
A South Australian child protection worker, quoted in this report:

I might just add that the thing that throws a real spanner across the board for everybody, and it’s just such a delicate subject, is female genital mutilation. While some staff see that as very wrong, we need to be very sensitive how we deal with that issue.

Only some see it as wrong? The issue is sensitive? Child protection expert Professor Freda Briggs isn’t buying it:

Professor Briggs said this attitude was unacceptable. “This is an offence against Australian law and they should throw the book at them – there is no shade of grey in this,” she said …

Briggs has criticised the views of departmental officials in the report, saying the practice is illegal torture and the perpetrators should be charged immediately by police, without any sensitivity.

Prof Briggs is from an era (and an area) not inclined to cultural hand-wringing. Worryingly, some of those mutilating perps may be outside the communities involved:

Professor Briggs said a tolerance of the practice had even led to mainstream doctors carrying out the practice for fear that it would otherwise be done by family members.

If this is so, certain mainstream doctors require mainstream investigation and mainstream imprisonment.

Nationalized Health Care Horror-- The Cheryl Baxter Story

This was an amazing interview!
Canadian Cheryl Baxter tells about the horror she lived through under the nationalized health care system. The brave Canadian finally had to come to America to get the surgery she needed. It cost her and her family tens of thousands of dollars. It was either that or live with incredible pain. Cheryl says that her government let her down. You be the judge.

Headlines Monday 28th September 2009

State TV: Iran Test-Fires Long-Range Missile

Iran state television says the Revolutionary Guard has fired one of the longest-range missiles in its arsenal in a third round of tests meant to demonstrate the country's preparedness for an attack.

Merkel wins new term to lead Germany out of slump
ANGELA Merkel swept to a second mandate in Germany's election at the head of a new centre-right alliance she said would jumpstart Europe's ailing powerhouse economy, preliminary results showed.

Family flicks lure crowds to cinemas

HOLLYWOOD is often criticised for portraying too much sex and violence, but the most popular movies remain those the entire family can watch. M, PG and G-rated movies account for 70 per cent of this year's box office takings. The most lucrative classification is M, which accounts for $320 million in ticket sales so far this year, or 44 per cent of the box office.

Budget in $10bn rebound
THE Government to reveal a budget rebound, which may bring an early end to its horror deficit. - less than one thirtieth of what is required. Small beer. ALP will still find a way of rolling it into a pork barrel - ed.

'School nurse molested boy, 12'
A WOMAN accused of molesting a boy will face court, charged with five offences including aggravated sexual intercourse. - my elementary school nurse had been asked by my parents to offer me pictures of naked adults to look at .. she said it was ok, so long as she watched me looking at them. I declined. - ed.

Aussie police racist in arrests
POLICE are far more likely to arrest young Aborigines and see that they go to court than non-indigenous youths. - of course the police are likely just doing a good job. - ed.

Holiday haven bitten by rabies
TOURISTS are being warned to have rabies vaccinations before travelling to Bali after three deaths in the past month.

Dial zero to cross out phone delays

ZERO is the hero which can give you back hours of your life by reducing time spent on hold by as much as 70 per cent.

Movie legend arrested over child rape
FILM director Roman Polanski has been arrested in Switzerland on a 31-year-old US warrant involving child sex charges.

Roman Polanski sex victim Samantha Geimer wanted charges dropped
THE victim in the Roman Polanski sex case is now a married mother-of-three who has repeatedly asked authorities to drop charges against the man who sexually abused her as a 13-year-old. Samantha Geimer, 45, was a starry-eyed innocent when Polanski asked her mother if he could photograph her for a fashion magazine at the Hollywood Hills home of Jack Nicholson in March 1977. After plying the youngster with champagne and drugs and taking nude pictures of her in a hot tub, Polanski had sex with the teen despite her resistance and requests to be taken home. "We did photos with me drinking champagne," Ms Geimer testified to a grand jury. "Toward the end it got a little scary, and I realised he had other intentions and I knew I was not where I should be.

NY Times columnist William Safire dead at 79
WILLIAM Safire, the former speechwriter for Richard Nixon who won a Pulitzer Prize for columns on politics and language for The New York Times, died overnight, the newspaper said. He was 79. Safire died at a hospice in Rockville, Maryland, after suffering from pancreatic cancer, spokeswoman Diane McNulty said. Safire, known for his conservative voice on The Times' mostly liberal opinion pages, received a Pulitzer for commentary in 1978. In 1979 he began writing the newspaper's On Language column, in which he examined the origins of words and phrases and their proper usage. He served for a decade on the board that awards the Pulitzer, and retired from his twice-weekly political column in 2005.
=== Comments ===
Letting Fairfield Council get away with abuse

---- ---- ----

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Did sanctioned drug deals kill heroin users
Piers Akerman
Just when it seemed NSW politics couldn’t get any murkier, the Liberal Party is pressing for a royal commission into serious allegations about the conduct of the Wood royal commission that go to the heart of the State’s justice system.

A timely article Piers. The issue of junkies, the scurge of society and wether they deserve justice is a vexed issue. Yes, junkies have “mums and dads” but normally junkies have been disowned by their families due to the deceptive and criminal practices that junkies engage in.

On a slightly different note, there is not one word in this article about Rudds triamphant showing at the United Nations General Assembly.

Your paper, reports the following:

“This is an historic day for Australia, because for the first time ever Australia has secured a permanent place at the top table of global economic decision-making,” said Mr Rudd, who had lobbied hard for the elevation of the G20”.

DDoD

Direct Debit of Darlinghurst

DD Ball replied to Direct Debit
DDoD, you are wrong to say junkies do not deserve our compassion. I get Tim’s aggravation over dealing with junkies, but the problem is that your worthless compassion does not address the problem. While you applaud the problem that is Rudd for doing something worthless and meaningless on the world stage, people are suffering - working families suffer from Rudd’s blindness to their issues.
Even were Rudd successful in prosecuting a global warming agenda, these people would not be helped at all. But we know Rudd will not be successful, although he may retain an image of success.
Junkies earn my compassion .. and exasperation. They don’t need their egos assuaged with meaningless protocol, but they need to be lead and pushed into behaving responsibly. Something Rudd will not do, although he is in a position of authority.

===
Former NSW ICAC Commissioner on Heiner
Piers Akerman
This is an important interviewwith Barry O’Keefe, a former NSW Commissioner of ICAC on the Heiner Affair.

It seems that the court of public opinion counts for not very much these days. Perhaps it is the shortness of attention span of public and media, perhaps we are so buried under a morass of corruption that our ability to care too much has gone out of the window.

I have spent a great deal of time over the past couple of years trying to raise the alarm about a similar concerning matter in NSW - similar in the sense of it involved sexual crimes against children but also in the manner in which the original crime morphed into one of corruption from the manner in which it was dealt with.

It seems to me that all manner of concerning questions can be raised, - in the more recent case about the treatment of a police witness, the protection of a Government figure, the misuse of confidential and sensitive information about a police operation - yet without a forum in which to examine the evidence there appears no willingness on the part of media to risk legal action by publicly addressing even events which are backed up by admissions and other supporting evidence. Barry O’Keefe makes exactly that point - what is needed for the Heiner affair to move to some action is a forum in which the (Queensland) Government can be forced into doing something.

What is the solution to this - in NSW from my experience when the Government holds the numbers and guards the means to inquiries, and matters do not strictly fall within the limited jurisdiction of investigative institutions things can be kept nicely quiet until all public interest dies away except for journalists like Piers who never let go of the bone. I wish he would have a little chew at something more recent and a bit closer to home though,only so that we are not here in a decade’s time still wondering whether someone could have been held to account for wrongdoing when we had the chance.

But is anybody really listening or do we really care anymore about being able to prove what we all suspect anyway - that Governments are corrupt and organise things for their own ends without regard to law or justice?

Linda M.

DD Ball replied to Linda M.
Linda, people are listening, but the corruption is worse than you know. With the case of Hamidur Rahman, it doesn’t matter if the Libs make it into government, their hands are tied by the corrupt practice of what happened before. It is for this reason that the collapse of the Goss government did not directly result in the resurrection of the Heiner affair issue. Parliamentarians are bound by what has happened before. It is incumbent on the press to prosecute the issue by asking salient questions .. but they haven’t done this and don’t have to. If a member of the press were to do so, then they would be censored by other members of the press, including more senior editors.
It is as if there are persons in position of power and influence within political and media groups in Australia with gang ties preceding the thirties .. although no individual dates from that period in power. The belated recognition, when it arrives, will act to exonerate previous ignorance. Some will say they didn’t realize, that the stories seemed too far fetched. That a reasonable person would not have countenanced such. After the belated recognition will come the assertion that enough has been done, the public cannot handle more pain. Then will come the assertions that ‘both parties are just the same.’
In many ways, the Greiner administration is a good case study of how the corrupt can undermine good government and seize power and hold it. The Greiner administration was that good, and the ALP government that followed that bad.

Grant T. COOK replied to Linda M.
DD Ball, my brother spoke at the parliamentary enquiry into the NSW Police Force to get his story on public record. He was attacked by a member of the Labor Party on the board but the other members were shocked at the treatment he received. The end result.....nothing.
He spoke to a journalist who wanted to run a story on his experience and was interview on a number of occasions as the journo wanted the whole story to show his editor. After all of this transpired the editor told the journo in question to forget it, the story was never going to see the ‘light of day’ even though my brother had a stack of documentation to support his side of the story. The editor apparently didn’t want to get offside with the heirachy at Police HQ.
This is very common and the ‘truth’ is the victim. Under Rudd and Labor (State and Federal) the ‘truth’ doesn’t stand a snowballs chance in hell!

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Iran's Lies Exposed
By Bill O'Reilly
Iran's lies exposed, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

As "The Factor" has been reporting all week, Iran's nuclear weapons program has now reached critical mass. And worldwide conflict is very possible. Friday, President Obama, British Prime Minister Brown and French President Sarkozy revealed a secret nuclear weapons facility located inside Iran. That violates every U.N. mandate and proves the Mullahs have been lying for years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow, endangering the global nonproliferation regime, denying its own people access to the opportunity they deserve, and threatening the stability and security of the region and the world. It is time for Iran to act immediately to restore the confidence of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN: The level of deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is the breach of international commitments will shock and anger the whole international community. And it will harden our resolve.

Confronted by the serial deception of many years, the international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But where exactly is that line? Next week, negotiations will begin with Iran. But obviously this is rogue nation that doesn't really care what the world thinks. Ahmadinejad threatened Barack Obama today saying, "He will regret his statement."

It is long past time for civilized nations to confront the Iranian terrorists in a dramatic way. If Russia and China do not join with America, Britain and France now, they will never do so. Friday, Russian and China issued mealy-mouth statements. It's quite obvious that Israel already has plans to attack Iran. And it's just waiting to see if draconian sanctions will be imposed on the Mullahs.

Those sanctions have to come soon, because Israel believes Iran will have a nuclear weapon within months. As "Talking Points" has noted, the situation is about as bad as it gets. Every human being on the planet will be affected if Iran is attacked. And if the Mullahs don't give up the nukes, terrorists will have access to them. So it's a desperate situation.

"Talking Points" believes President Obama must impose sanctions, perhaps backed up by a naval brigade of Iran. Again, this is horrible. Who wants the world at war? And any attack or blockage against Iran will galvanize Muslims against the USA. As we said last night, we should all be praying this situation gets under control.

About Barry O'Farrell MP

A video introducing Barry O'Farrell MP, NSW Opposition Leader, NSW Liberal Leader, State Member for Ku-ring-gai. Find out more about Barry O'Farrell at http://barryofarrell.com.au.

Headlines Sunday 27th September 2009

Israel 'Without a Doubt' Iran Pursuing Nuclear Weapons

JERUSALEM -- The newly exposed Iranian nuclear facility proves "without a doubt" the Islamic republic is pursuing nuclear weapons, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Saturday.


See the beauty and the pain of skin art at London's fifth annual tattoo convention, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors

Pregnant war widow left penniless

SIX months after her husband was killed, Breeanna Till is broke despite government promises. - With ALP in government, all of us may be in that boat. - ed

Geelong triumphs in AFL grand final

THE Catsnow have their eighth premiership after a twelve-point grand final win over the Saints.

One Schapelle of a night for Downer
A WOMAN invaded Alexander Downer's home to abuse him over Schapelle Corby. - Schapelle spurned Mr Downers practical help so as to spruik for ALP. She got what she wanted - ed.

Workplaces shamed for ignoring women
TWELVE Australian companies have been named and shamed for not giving women a fair go. - it is worse when they practice outright illegal activity - ed.

Teachers, don't aid students
UNION bosses have blocked 12,000 frontline school employees from giving children first aid treatment, even in the most life-threatening cases. - this is why the Hamidur Rahman case is so disturbing. - ed.

Teen sailor Jessica warned: Don't sail
JESSICA Watson told to abort her solo trip around the world after a damning report of her skills. - The ALP are magnificent at saying what others should do. Maybe they want to create a law to cover this situation? The truth is that the ALP should not be in government because they do not know how to responsibly manage that state. I wonder where the QLD ALP's fatigue management plan is, or if they have any regularity in plotting their course. - ed.

MPs forcing by-elections 'may be fined'
MPS who leave politics and force a by-election could be fined under proposals being considered by the federal government. - a ridiculous attempt by the Rudd government to promote an antidemocratic policy. -ed

Death toll rises for Philippine floods
AT LEAST 50 people reported dead as tropical storm Ketsana lashes the Philippines, bringing massive flooding.

Vietnam 'making a mockery' of rights obligations, says Human Rights Watch
VIETNAM is making a mockery of its obligations under the UN Human Rights Council, an international rights group said.- it is the tragedy of Vietnam that they have that government, endorsed by socialists world wide. Their people are far better than that government, and deserve better - ed.

Footy brawl 'incited by racial abuse'
PARENTS of teenagers blamed for a wild brawl during an under-16 rugby league match claim they were incited to violence by "55 minutes of racial sledging".

Gillard Obfuscates on Education
FEDERAL Education Minister Julia Gillard says every parent has a right to comprehensive information allowing them to compare their child's school with others around the nation. - of course every parent deserves the truth, but it is debatable that such tables contain the truth. - ed.
=== Comments ===
Did sanctioned drug deals kill heroin users
Piers Akerman
Just when it seemed NSW politics couldn’t get any murkier, the Liberal Party is pressing for a royal commission into serious allegations about the conduct of the Wood royal commission that go to the heart of the State’s justice system. - Priest is writing about my neighborhood from a perspective I missed. However, I know things that go a long way to verifying his account as he described how the ALP had given up the neighborhood for major crime. The 5T gang was not ended by the police, but by its own members, significant ones of which had converted to Christianity prior to inviting the police in to end the operation. Significantly, no other gang has been rounded up by the police.
At the height of hand gun hysteria, well founded as a school student had died when shot by a school friend who had purchased it from thieves, Tripodi told the NSW Parliament he had been to Canley Vale HS and discussed the matter of guns. He had not. It didn’t really matter to anyone that Tripodi could lie so effortlessly, he has been re elected a few times since, but such familiarity with the neighborhood Tripodi doesn’t visit must be linked to other contacts. It gets chilling when you think that the incompetent Newman had been assassinated and (a former lover of Della Bosca?) was deposited in Newman’s seat.
Della Bosca featured large in the harassment of Priest when the Feds investigated.
I was tired of the choices that my kids were facing at school. So I wrote my short story ”Big Heart” which was a fictionalised account rendered from actual events with horror elements thrown in. The actual stories are far sadder.
For me, the terrible slaying of a Louisiana policewoman, Nicola Cotton was a metaphore for NSW ALP incompetence and corruption. So I did a youtube series on that, called “Picking Cotton.” I have decided to run for the Senate of NSW next election as an independent conservative. I will run on the issue of Justice for Hamidur Rahman. I think the Liberal party are doing a good job, and I support them and am a member, but I feel they have their own work to do, I must be the one to bring the issue of Hamidur Rahman before the people of NSW. - ed.
===
Did Qaddafi Drive Translator to Tears?
U.N.-Believable

Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi spoke so long at the United Nations — more than an hour and a half — that 75 minutes in his personal interpreter wore out and gave up. Media reports say the interpreter shouted in Arabic into the live microphone: "I just can't take it any more."

A U.N. translator stepped in for the final 20 minutes of the speech. Another U.N. Arabic translator told The New York Post it was the first time he'd seen an interpreter collapse in 25 years. Qaddafi broke with protocol and brought his own interpreter instead of using one supplied by the U.N.

One of those U.N. interpreters who has translated for the long-winded leader in the past, said it can be a tough job because: "He's not exactly the most lucid speaker. It's not just that what he's saying is illogical, but the way he's saying it is bizarre."
===
Vietnamese Storyexchange

OLD and new forms of storytelling will come together on Saturday when the Vietnamese Storyexchange takes place at Cabravale Leisure Centre from 1pm to 3pm.

The free exhibition features large cubes covered in family photos and 10 digital stories, or mini-films, created by Vietnamese youths.

Event co-ordinator Maria Tran said: “Storytelling is very important for the Vietnamese community because it’s a very reserved community and there’s been an intergenerational gap between the young and the old.

“There’s a selection of stories, from the journey to Australia, being on boats and the war - a lot of them still carry a lot of baggage that they haven’t been able to share with anyone.” - The event was magnificent. Young and old were able to share bitter and sweet memories. A minor disappointment was the dismal speech made by Lalich, who reiterated the belief that Australia should be ashamed for the past decisions of some for trying to help others. Luckily, as the many cultured society we live in shows, he is wrong. - ed.
--
Each year the Moon Festival in Cabramatta is special, but Maria Tran's and Joseph Dinh's Vietlish has been special this year. On Saturday they had the reported event at Cabravale Leisure Centre where cubes big and small were displayed with pictures of significant events in the lives of many ethnic Vietnamese peoples, young and old. They supplemented the display with a multimedia display of many who narrated personal photos, showing their life stories, or parts of them. It was beautiful. The oldest person in the room was a noted poet, and she read some of her creations. A minor disappointment was the speech made by Mayor and state member Lalich. Lalich made claims regarding a dismal view of the history of Australia, many points of which I would dispute but I won't re-iterate. The truth is that Australians have much of which we may be proud in our history. I have pride in my Aboriginal ancestors, and in my Chinese and English ones. The greateness of their contributions may be seen in that Vietlish is possible, and we celebrated a Moon Festival this year.

Babalu Blogger Val Prieto Speaks Out for Human Rights at Anti-Ahmadinejad Rally

Val Prieto spoke at the Anti-Iranian Regime Protest at the United Nations during General Assembly week. Val spoke with me for a few minutes before he addressed the crowd in support of international political prisoners.
===
Sadly, Amnesty International no longer views it as a core duty to represent political prisoners .. they are busy with Global Warming fear campaign, anti fur campaign and the promotion of socialism.

Headlines Saturday 26th September 2009

Venezuela Seeking Uranium With Iran's Help

CARACAS, Venezuela — Iran is helping Venezuela to detect uranium deposits and initial evaluations suggest reserves are significant, the South American government said Friday — the same day world leaders criticized the Islamic republic of secretly building a uranium-enrichment plant that could be used to make an atomic bomb.

Dying patients may lose medicine
DYING cancer patients could be weaned off taxpayer-funded drugs as spiralling health costs loom. - Thank you Rudd for making that decision for all of us. - ed.

83 injured Diggers hidden in hospitals
THE human cost of the war in Afghanistan is being kept secret, but Diggers aren't happy about it

Man charged over death threat
CHARGES have been laid after the second death threat against Queensland Premier Anna Bligh

Geelong beats Saints in 2009 Grand Final

GEELONG has capped off a brilliant year by winning its eighth premiership and its second in three years by beating St Kilda by seven points.

Another dust storm hits Sydney
A DUST storm in Sydney and NSW is expected to clear soon.

Teen sailor Jessica warned: Don't sail
JESSICA Watson told to abort her solo trip around the world after a damning report of her skills. - The ALP are magnificent at saying what others should do. Maybe they want to create a law to cover this situation? The truth is that the ALP should not be in government because they do not know how to responsibly manage that state. I wonder where the QLD ALP's fatigue management plan is, or if they have any regularity in plotting their course. - ed.

Twelve Apostles now down to seven
A TOUR tour operator says one of the remaining Apostle's fell at just after 5pm yesterday.

Teachers, don't aid students
UNION bosses have blocked 12,000 frontline school employees from giving children first aid treatment, even in the most life-threatening cases.

200 youths brawl in car park
GANG violence erupted at a shopping centre, with one youth stabbed repeatedly in the chest.
=== Journalists Corner ===
Sued by ACORN after allegedly exposing a massive scandal —

The man behind the explosive tapes speaks out on the lawsuit!
===

Obama's Bumpy Week
Beefed up Health Care Bill
Guest: Chuck Norris

Rudy Giuliani Attacks Killer Iranian Regime at United Nations Rally

America's Mayor Rudy Giuliani attacked the killer Iranian regime outside the United Nations today.
Giuliani challenged the UN and Obama Administration to refuse to allow the Iranians develop nuclear weapons.

State Convention 12-13 September 2009

NSW State Convention 2009, held at Sydney University, September 2009.
===
We need these people in government

Headlines Friday 25th September 2009

===
Netanyahu Condemns U.N. for Allowing Ahmadinejad to Deliver Address

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed astonishment that the United Nations would give Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "legitimacy" just six decades after the Holocaust.

Ballina's Big Prawn may move to Gold Coast

THE Big Prawn could be moving to the Gold Coast after a northern NSW council narrowly approved its demolition yesterday.

Boy, 10, 'held up store, fled on scooter'
"KIDDIE-thugs" running rampant in small town, terrorising the community with violence, crime.

Dokic conviction, jail sentence to stand
HE won the right to a retrial, but Damir Dokic will stay in jail over death threats to ambassador.

Spare the rod and raise your child's IQ
SMACKING can cause more than tears - it can also lower a child's IQ due to psychological stress.

Defence bases to house illegal immigrants
SECRET plans are being drawn up to use military housing for an expected surge in boatloads of illegal immigrants.

UN embraces plan to neuter US
WORLD powers have adopted a landmark resolution seeking to rid the planet of nuclear arms at a summit hosted by Barack Obama.

Protesters gather for G20 rally
AT least 1000 protesters set off on an unauthorised march from a Pittsburgh park to the venue of the G20 summit today, under the watchful gaze of squads of riot police.

Bikini-Clad Baristas Charged With Prostitution After Reportedly Serving More Than Coffee
Five bikini-clad baristas in Everett, Wash., face prostitution charges after police said that they served up more than just hot coffee at an espresso stand, Q13FOX.com reported.
=== Journalists Corner ===
Mr. President ... Please Help
The Senate Finance Committee Democrats (except Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas) are REFUSING to put the Senate Finance committee health care reform bill on the Internet so we -- yes, that includes you -- can see it. What are they hiding? What are they afraid of? Should President Obama call the Democrats on the Committee and [...]
===

Abandoning Europe's missile defense shield...
What does it mean for the world's safety and security?
Polish President Lech Kaczynski reacts in an exclusive interview!
===

Guest: President Saakashvilli
The Travolta Extortion Trial
Guest: Dick Morris
=== Comments ===
President Obama, Nukes and Afghanistan
By Bill O'Reilly
President Obama, nukes and Afghanistan - that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points" memo.

Thursday, the president led the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution making it more difficult for nations to violate the nuclear weapons ban. A good thing for sure, but it doesn't mean very much in a world where North Korea and Iran couldn't care less what the U.N. does.

So while the president gets a good P.R. boost, the fundamental problem remains: Iran may be months away from having a nuclear weapon.

Now, Israel is not going to let that happen and the world is still impotent trying to force Iran to obey international law. Next week, negotiations with Iran will begin, but few believe they will lead anywhere.

President Obama is threatening tough sanctions against the Mullahs, but unless Russia joins the action, Iran will skate.

Right now, President Obama should be war-gaming with the U.S. Navy, contemplating a blockade of Iran. That, of course, would provoke hostilities but it would also send the Mullahs a message they could not ignore.

That is the only way Iran is going to stop its nuclear program and if President Obama doesn't take that action, Israel will bomb the Iranians and that will lead to worldwide chaos.

Stock markets will drop. Oil will go through the roof. Terrorist recruitment will also skyrocket. Attacks on American interests will increase. Iraq will blow up. The unintended consequences of an Israeli attack on Iran are staggering.

The Mullahs know they can cause an enormous amount of damage all over the world. They may even want to do that because if Israel attacks Iran, the Iranians might well stop protesting against their government -- and unite against the attack.

Again, the Mullahs may want to provoke Israel and the United States.

We are living in a brutal world where there are no moral boundaries anymore. Terrorists will do anything. Iran wants to kill as many Jews as it can.

That's where President Obama finds himself, in a world of hatred and violence.

In Afghanistan, right next to Iran, the president must give the generals the troops they are asking for. You can't say no to field commanders who are saying the war will be lost unless more personnel are put into the theater.

The president should stop delaying and put the troops in there. If things don't improve by the end of the year, then I can see backing away from the corrupt Afghan government. But like the surge in Iraq, this is worth one more try.

Obama is a rookie on the world stage and he is now looking at two unbelievably complex and dangerous situations. All Americans should be praying for him.
===
YEAR OF O
Tim Blair
Is there no end to the man’s massive influence?
US President Barack Obama’s influence has spread to the Sydney theatre world, where actor Cate Blanchett says the American leader has inspired her theatre program for the coming year.
Ms Blanchett recently suffered a head injury.
===
SUN FEARED
Tim Blair
“I have to hold up my hand to watching this in the hope that she’d say something ridiculous,” emails reader Thin and British:

T&B had to wait for precisely one minute and six seconds. The scared girl spoke 16 years ago.

Yearning From Loss

A lovely song, the lyric composed by a 13 yo boy, known as revive, and the music made by an extraordinary muso named Euphoria.
http://www.icompositions.co...

Headlines Thursday 24th September 2009

Water found on moon could lead to lunar colonies

THE discovery of water by a lunar mission has led to greater hope of humans colonising the moon.

Man 'wanted sex as Brimble left on floor'
A MAN accused of Dianne Brimble's manslaughter was showing off explicit pictures of her as she lay dead, a court heard.

Son's bomb may have killed dad
A NOTED scientist "was trying to dismantle his son's homemade bomb when it exploded".

Survey finds women drink alcohol to be more confident having sex

MILLIONS of women drink alcohol before having sex because they lack confidence in their bodies, a study reveals.

Dust settles after choking cities
THE biggest dust storm to strike in 70 years will ease today, but health warnings remain. - the effects of ridiculous ALP climate policy will last longer than this dust storm - ed.

Storm leaves businesses well in the red
RECORD levels of absenteeism, cancelled meetings and flights add up to economic disaster.

Our jobless 'poorest in developed world'
THE nation's growing army of unemployed enjoys a weekly benefit $122 below poverty line. - thank you Rudd. I know you haven't finished creating more poverty. -ed.

Aussies develop miscarriage predictor
WOMEN will know as early as six weeks into a pregnancy whether they are likely to lose the baby.

Drunken Fevola told 'you need to grow up'
MORE stories of AFL star's night of shame emerge, including that he "sexually harassed" a woman.

UN have allowed 65 wars, blasts Gaddafi
LIBYAN leader Muammar Gaddafi, in his first ever address to the United Nations, says not all nations are treated the same.

Vaccine 'a breakthrough against AIDS'
WORLD'S largest vaccine trial hailed a huge success with risk of infection cut for the first time.
=== Journalists Corner ===
In a 'Your World' exclusive...

House Minority Leader John Boehner on his fight against the taxing health care overhaul!
Plus -- Is Sara Palin setting the stage for a 2012 run?
===

Guest Dennis Miller
UN Fallout
Target for terror?
=== Comments ===
Blowing the dust of wacky Wong stunts
Piers Akerman
THE dust-storm-that-ate-Sydney has nothing on the bulldust storm Kevin Rudd’s Labor Government has generated on climate change. - I think you are sugar coating this for third world nations, Piers. They will not fare well out of this enormous pork barrel. In much the same way as battlers were supposed to benefit from Rudd's $900 give away of national wealth, no one got wealthy, but the nation has been made vastly poorer. So too, will third world nations suffer under the ridiculous climate change model being spruiked by Rudd and Wong. Of what benefit to these nations will it be for them to have coal fired power stations and oil refineries when they have neither infrastructure nor health care plan to deal with them? It will be worse than the worst excesses of communist industrial development. This is going to be a planned tragedy far exceeding the industrial accident of Union Carbide in India. All that so Rudd can have a pork barrel he can share with Obama to get re elected. But it isn't about Rudd or Obama, they are merely the face of corrupt left wing liberal politics, and will be long gone before all their ridiculous tragedies foisted on the world are undone. Did anyone else notice the absurd ‘Worst storm in history’ online headline yesterday? It was no where near the worst storm in history. It was an inconvenient dust storm, highlighting what will be left of Australia when Rudd is done. - ed.

Playing with the heads and the future of Australians for generations to come is Rudd
Wong and PC socialist Labor.
However, sadly, the polls indicate the man in the street is very happy with Rudds PM performance at the helm of the ship of state.
How to account for Rudds extraordinary approval rating is beyond me.
One lucid reason could be the understandable upopularity of Malcolm Turnbull whose knifing
of all who stood the way of his “ascendency”
to the leadership of the Liberal Party.
I see Turnbull as driven, as are those closest to him, in his determination to achieve his personal agenda and if he wrecks the Liberal Party and the coalition in the process too bad.
The Liberals should be fielding someone the voters like and trust not indulging the ego driven Turnbull juggernaut. A juggernaut whose judgement is seriously deficient.
Turnbull is Rudd and Labor’s greatest asset
and yet the Liberal Party refuses to aknowledge
what everyone else can see.
The Australian electorate is crying out for a credible and trustworthy conservative alternative leader and potential PM something which is being pigheadedly denied them to humour Turnbull.

George

DD Ball replied to George
I don’t like MT but I respect him. I don’t agree with all that he says, but I feel the depth of anger expressed about him to be overstated. I don’t think it is a forgone conclusion the libs will lose the next election, but they can if there is no unity of purpose, which should not be confused with the ALP ideal of unity of ideas. It is all right for me to disagree with MT on substantial issues, as the conservative movement is a broad church. However, imagine how the world would end if Wong admitted she didn’t agree with Rudd’s choice of hair color, or felt he could improve his image wearing platform shoes. Rudd’s popularity is related to the misreporting on significant issues, be that global warming, as Rudd addresses the UN with the expressed desire that the UN vote on the issue and ignore advice of research scientists who say it isn’t happening and the studied policies won’t work. Or, that Australia’s economic stocks have sharply declined under Rudd, with mistake after mistake covered with copious amounts of cash. The truth is censorship of conservative opinion has helped Rudd, and Mr Turnbull has done no wrong, but has made some good, tough decisions in the interests of serving Australia.
===
Investigating Undercover ACORN Watchdogs
By Bill O'Reilly
Congressman John Conyers and Barney Frank are calling for Congress to investigate ACORN and the actions of the two private citizens who exposed the organization. That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

As you may know, Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe posed as a prostitute and a pimp, while conducting an undercover sting during which some ACORN officials were seen and heard aiding and abetting prostitution and child prostitution. The resulting scandal led to Congress de-funding ACORN and the organization firing a number of employees. ACORN's image is now in tatters.

Well, Congressman Frank of Massachusetts and Congressman Conyers of Michigan want Congressional investigators to see if the undercover duo broke any federal laws. In addition, they want to find out exactly what ACORN is guilty of and they want to examine the group's housing opportunities agenda.

In my opinion, Frank and Conyers should be giving Ms. Giles and Mr. O'Keefe congressional medals for exposing corruption that apparently the Feds were not able to expose.

Ironically, Conyers himself voted to de-fund ACORN. Now he says he miscast that vote. Frank didn't vote at all because he was attending the medal of honor ceremony for Sgt. Jared Monti.

Any investigation into the couple would be brutally wrong and come off as a partisan hatchet job. ACORN is celebrated by many left wingers, but that's not the point. With more than 30 criminal conviction on its resume, the organization cannot be trusted. And the overwhelming majority of Congress, people and senators, understand that.

Even if you disagree with the undercover duo's methods, what they exposed is very important. They do not deserve a federal witch hunt.
===
THIS TIME, SECURITY GUARDS INVITED HIM IN
Tim Blair
Kevin Rudd’s evening schedule in New York is slightly tamer when the wife’s in town. There’s a big difference between East 60th St and East 59th …
===
THEY’RE CALLING OUR PRESIDENT HITLER!
Tim Blair
An MSNBC host and guest decry comparisons to the German dictator:


UPDATE. This is more like it! A bunch of junior indoctrinoids hail the Great Leader:

Not creepy at all.
===
SKY DIFFERENT
Tim Blair
Sydney turned an attractive shade of orange yesterday morning, due to windstorms driving soil from Australia’s drought-dried inland:

Many assumed dawn’s orange glow indicated a massive fire. It didn’t, which was just as well, because I slept through the entire thing. The Daily Telegraph‘s Paul Kent:
As usual, the extreme conditions once again lit the debate about global warming.

The doomsayers claimed it was more evidence of a planet unable to sustain itself.

As NSW choked on its dust, they pointed out, bushfires raged in Queensland, while less than a day before an earthquake shook the dust off their light fittings in Melbourne’s outer suburbs.

As well, we heard, it was the worst dust storm in 70 years. Upon which the naysayers jumped. If it was the worst dust storm in 70 years, they pointed out, it means that it has happened before.

Some 70 years ago, well before global warming was ever dreamed up.
Further images here.

UPDATE. Via Irobot, another angle on the monster storm:

===
MILLIONAIRE ENJOYS WEALTH
Tim Blair
Chet Gulland reports from New York:
This happened last night …

Esquire sponsors the premiere of ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’. Michael Moore’s new shocking and inspirational doc about hard times in America and the evils of capitalism.

Following the Premiere, Esquire shuttles many of the attendees straight down to SoHo to the opening of The Esquire Apartment – a fully decadent penthouse where every square inch is paid for by a luxury sponsor. Hot tub, $120k pool table, $60k home theater, fine food. The only thing lacking was a doormat saying “Welcome To Capitalism.”

I had fun….But ooooh the irony. Everyone I talked to was like, “man, this is the most bizarre combination. I bet Michael Moore would freak out if he saw that this was happening."….And then he showed up. And was eating it up.
This is surprising how?
===
THE CAR NOT EVEN COMMIES WILL BUY
Tim Blair
Behold, China’s earth-saving petrol-electric hybrid BYD F3DM compact sedan:

They’ve sold just 100 of them since last December. By comparison, the Chinese bought four times as many Lincoln Navigators in 2005 alone—and then there are all the other Chryslers, Cadillacs and Fords. Looks like Tom Friedman’s beloved one party autocracy—which can “just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century”—hasn’t gotten around yet to bossing the citizenry into slow-rollin’ plug buggies.
===
THE DAUGHTER AND THE PAPA
Tim Blair
Further proof: the 1960s was a sick decade, and its creepy stars were some of the saddest, vilest people this side of the United Nations.

Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft at Honduras Freedom Rally In St. Louis

Honduras and American patriots rallied for democracy tonight in St. Louis. Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit, spoke to the crowd on the former leader Zelaya.

Rally For Honduran Government & Against Marxism In St. Louis Missouri

Here is a short video from the protest today in St. Louis, Missouri.

Headlines Wednesday 23rd September 2009

Orange haze blankets Sydney

RESIDENTS awake to orange skies as dust shrouds city and parts of NSW.

Storm 'may be worst in history'

MASSIVE dust storm across two states pushes air pollution to record level.

Ignore Climate Science, Rudd tells UN
KEVIN Rudd has called on world leaders to make bold decisions to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Mother must give up baby in IVF blunder
A PREGNANT mother will deliver another couple's baby after the wrong embryos were implanted.

We shall remember them - and sponsors
WAR Memorial's corporate deal sees solemn Last Post ceremony sold to the tune of $25,000. - illustrating, again, what Rudd is, after his Sunrise stunt was revealed before the last election. - ed.

'Bullied' worker told 'lunch is for wimps'
SALESMAN sues after claiming his boss abused him in a series of emails and voice messages. - Rudd is paid for his lunches, but not working families - ed.

Aussie navy stops Somali pirate attack
SAILORS intercept a boat of armed Somali pirates heading towards a merchant ship.

YouTube hit as Beyonce sings Halo to cancer patient

A WEEK ago cancer patient Chelsea James was looking forward to seeing her pop idol Beyonce perform in concert in Sydney.

Belinda Neal goes from aggressive monster to doormat
BELINDA Neal given a makeover as she reveals her and John Della Bosca never separated.

Police examine video of wild footy brawl
WILD punches, kicks and players knocked bleeding to the ground can be seen in disturbing images of junior football grand final.

Sick paedos' love behind bars
DENNIS Ferguson and Alexandria Brookes' romance was forged behind jail walls, based on a perverted desire to molest children. Come inside their sick world.

Cops busted playing Wii during drug raid
A SECURITY camera catches police officers playing a Wii bowling game during a drug raid.

You're 16 and you want to vote? Whatever
THE Federal Government is considering a proposal to allow 16-year-olds to vote but not make it compulsory to register.

US Playboy model linked to Sydney drug bust

A PLAYBOY model has been named as part of a major cocaine smuggling syndicate allegedly headed by Bra Boy Wayne Cleveland using Sydney Airport caterers.
=== Journalists Corner ===

Just hours after his meeting with President Obama...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits down with Bret Baier!
===

Why so angry?
Guests: The Beckel Brothers
Should They Meet?
===
Slippery
I would be embarrassed if I were from Massachusetts. Do you know that they took this very power away from Gov. Romney a few years ago because they did not want him appointing someone to Senator Kerry's seat if Kerry were elected President? Now that they have a Democratic Gov., they reinstated the old rule!
=== Comments ===
HE IS PLESED
Tim Blair
Deep thinking from Antony Loewenstein:
The thought of telling Israel what to do is plesant and necessary
===
AWARENESS RAISED
Tim Blair
Better than merely raised, in fact. Thanks to superclimatemodel Gisele Bundchen, awareness is hovering at an impressive altitude:
One day after she was named the United Nations advocate for environmental awareness, Gisele Bundchen was snapped down in Marshfield taking flying lessons in a fuel-guzzling helicopter. Way to lower that carbon footprint, Mrs. Brady!

Tom Brady’s bride, who has campaigned against Amazon deforestation and for sustainable development and even launched an environmentally friendly line of sandals, was spotted flying off in a gas-sucking Robinson R-44 chopper yesterday morning.
The UN advocate for environmental awareness apparently requires a chopper to reduce commuting time between her Massachusetts home and NYC, “where Gisele has most of her modeling assignments.” More from Jules Crittenden:
My only problem is, the Marshfield Airport is just down the road, and the wife reports that cute little blue helicopter was swooping and hovering over the neighborhood yesterday. As much as I applaud Bundchen’s decision to become a carbon Bigfoot/enviro spokesmodel, I’m not sure that combination of supermodelness and advanced pregnancy is what I want operating aircraft over my house.

Think globally, Gisele! … But do you have to act that locally?
I too applaud Bundchen, especially for her line of friendly environmental sandals. Once the number of regular sandals in the atmosphere reaches 350 parts per million, it’s a tipping point, you know.

UPDATE. Helicopters, guns, a holiday home in Costa Rica … this low-carbon future is sounding all right.
===
HE’S A NATURAL
Tim Blair
Even before day one in his new role as Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kim Beazley proves his diplomatic prowess:
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and US president Barack Obama are unlikely to ever become the best of friends, according to the next ambassador to Washington.

Former Labor heavyweight Kim Beazley, who takes up his new job in February, said it was not Mr Obama’s style to pick close mates from among world leaders.
Oh, I don’t know. Obama found it pretty easy to pick a mate from this little world-leader gathering:

Not much of a mob to choose from, though. Especially that specky guy who suddenly looked all crestfallen for some reason.
===
DEBT PANELS
Tim Blair
Oregon man Eric “Gabe” Wisehart stands accused of solar crime:
Detectives say Wisehart would take payments up front for solar panel and other green energy projects, do part of the work, then take off.
It’s alleged that Wisehart would sometimes return to work sites to steal solar panels he’d already installed, presumably so they could be sold to the next rube. One of his victims was Marc Sayer, who – ahem – runs a rescue service for deaf or blind Great Danes:
“He was really nice, really helpful,” Sayer said. “He was willing to come out at a moment’s notice. A perfect scam artist.”

In May 2007, Sayer and his wife paid Wisehart a deposit of about $32,000 to install the system.

“We thought we were trying to do a good thing ecologically,” Sayer said. “It would have let us generate all of our electrical and hot water needs. We could have gone completely off-grid.”
Instead, they went off-bank, hit by debt due to the solar charlatan’s shiny salesmanship.
“He knew that he wasn’t just stealing from some rich idiot but was stealing from a dog rescue,” Sayer said. “That’s about as low as you can go.”
Some 30 victims and $1.5 million are involved in the case, which returns to court at the end of September (Wisehart is expected to plead “over-exaggeration”). The Environmental Leader reports:
This is not the only example of fraud in the quickly growing renewable energy business, which is little regulated.
Where is SuperBama and his mighty regulatory powers when we need them?
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HISTORY DOWDED
Tim Blair
The top ten American political quotations – as recollected by Maureen Dowd, who hears things.
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SATIRE UNDERSTOOD
Tim Blair
Sydney blog reader PowerPlayer, an individual of leftish persuasion, takes issue with Joe Hildebrand over a recent Prime Ministerial exclusive:
I’ve looked everywhere for verification on this interview and guess what? No-one else seems to have any knowledge of it at all …

here we have an unsubstantiated story (read: lie) about our PM, and a bunch of people who thinks its a laughing matter …

Is everyone missing the point here? This whole ‘exclusive’ is MADE UP. If MR Hildebrand can’t provide some evidence of this, then I am left with no other recourse but to point out that he is a liar …

As for all the people criticising me for voicing this opinion. Do you believe everything you read? are you really that ignorant? this isnt about Rudd or Labor or Liberal - its about people making up the news to slander the PM …

it may surpise you that i was very popular at school. Captain of the debating team AND public speaking champion.

i fully understand satire - obviously you dont. This article is obviously not satire. First of all, its published on a reputable news site. Second of all, Hildebrand (who i note is too cowardly to enter this debate) has identified it as a truthful story.
Joe took a call yesterday from another Labor-leaning type who held similar doubts. Informed by Joe that his piece was intentionally fictional, the fellow softly replied: “Oh, I see … does your editor know?”
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Crisis in Afghanistan?
By Bill O'Reilly
The commanding general in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, has asked President Obama for 40,000 more troops to contain the Taliban. So far the president has not agreed to send those forces, saying this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We're not going to make a decision about any further troop deployments until we know what exactly is our strategy, what are the tactics, how would troops be used, can we justify taking those steps? And I'm going to be asking some very hard questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Tuesday there were reports that Gen. McChrystal may quit if he does not get the troops he needs. "The Factor" has been unable to confirm that, but the McClatchy news service printed it.

There is no question that the war in Afghanistan is not going well. There are three reasons why.

First, the Afghan government, led by Hamid Karzai, is corrupt. Many Afghans deeply distrust Karzai and his confederates.

Second, there are not enough NATO troops to protect the everyday Afghan from the Taliban, so the terrorists rule the night.

And three, Afghan tradition does not encourage democracy. It is a tribal country. There is absolutely no loyalty to the USA or NATO. So we are really up against it in that country.

The Taliban has all the money it needs because of drug dealing and it can pay young men to commit murder. The Afghan army is weak and disorganized, even after eight years of NATO's presence.

President Obama is aware of all of this and he is getting pressure from the far left to get out of Afghanistan. Even some conservatives like George Will want to give up the fight.

But if America does bail out, the terrorists win. It's almost exactly the same as it was in Iraq before the surge. But there can be no surge in Afghanistan without more troops, so President Obama should commit them.

But if this escalation doesn't turn the tide, NATO is pretty much out of options. That will be a disaster for the world, as the Muslim terrorists will declare victory, Al Qaeda will have a big sanctuary, and President Obama will look weak. What a mess.