Sunday, July 05, 2015

Sun Jul 5th Todays News

At last you can revel in the joys of smaller government on this site for the Bolt Report Supporter's Group on Facebook. If something is broke, you fix it. Or not. There won't be any purges or changes because I've not the time to do much. But if you do something outrageous which I must respond to I will.
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Hitler hid the atrocities Jihadists proudly display. There were rumours of the widespread atrocities Nazis committed in the thirties. German peoples had been witnesses to local atrocities, but had not known how organised it was. FDR had been told about it, but had plausible deniability as he sacrificed the lives of Nazi victims. But jihadists are proud of exploiting children to kill prisoners captured in war and stolen from home. Children in lines used to execute prisoners. Children in circles beheading prisoners. These children are recorded on electric media which is circulated widely on social media. It is part of recruitment. And there is no 'good' side. This hell is a result of Obama foreign policy. In some ways, it isn't very different to how some jihadists have perpetrated atrocity for over a thousand years. But, it is bigger. It is organised. 

 Former Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, is misrepresenting the situation. He had been reliable in opposing Australian government to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). And while he was in government, he could cover his lies. But saying, now, the clear lie that Australia does not have ministerial or even public service contact with Indonesia is demonstrably, verifiably, false. Australia has extensive contact with Indonesia at all levels of administration, including foreign ministers. There are security deals, trade agreements and all the regular issues that are part of good government. Indonesia is happy with Mr Abbott's policy regarding boat people as it takes a lot of pressure off them. They had had thousands of people flying in to be exploited by people smugglers. That had brought international condemnation and caused domestic strife for them. All that is gone, now, thanks to Mr Abbott. But Marty doesn't want to admit that.  

 ABC breaches her own code of conduct. Even people she chose to review her partisan position are themselves partisan. In her nightly news segment, this Sunday, she chose to show an update on so called Palestine following conflict with Israel. So called Palestine had launched tens of thousands of rockets into Israel's territory. Israel invaded her own territory so as to end the menace. Israel targeted weapons dumps and tunnels used to cache and transport WMD. So called Palestine responded by using human shields and children as hostages, placing weapons in schools and Mosques. The ABC reported that there was no need to go over the rights and wrongs of why the fighting took place, but decided to make it human interest instead. And so blaming Israel. One so called Palestinian boy said he wanted to be a bricklayer and build houses when he grows up. ABC reported he wanted to be an engineer. In fact, given his diet, he probably lays bricks now, albeit not regularly. 

 Greece faced with non vote. The best outcome is if they reject their government's irresponsible position. But the way the vote is set up the result is meaningless. The only way for Greece to ever prosper again is for them to make sacrifices. Ridiculously, austerity is being compared to terrorism. The truth is reckless spending is theft. 

 Targeting the one person not left wing. News reports are coming in of HRC's Mr Wilson, hand picked by Mr Abbott, spending $77k on travel in a year. Not mentioned is is the $400k salary or travel expenses of Gillian Triggs or any other on that council. Mr Wilson has good reasons for his expenses. There is no question of his expenses being legitimate. But the promotion of envy connected with Mr Abbott makes the reporting legitimate in the eyes of partisan editors. Note well, those same editors would hate to have their own salaries and expenses declared. 

 Same sex marriage is not an issue according to populations that have recently voted it in, like Ireland where some 34% of the population voted in support of it. But the media are bloviating wildly on the issue, making out the issue is not as it is. So Australia has a political reality constructed by media promotion. And it won't go away. Maybe Australia should adopt legislation that limits the damage to churches. The world won't end if there is gay marriage. But good government can end on an irrelevant issue. 

 In 328, the official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius 1295, Scotland and France formed an alliance, the so-called "Auld Alliance", against England. 1316, the Burgundian and Majorcan claimants of the Principality of Achaea met in the Battle of Manolada 1594, Portuguese forces under the command of Pedro Lopes de Sousa began an unsuccessful invasion of the Kingdom of Kandy during the Campaign of Danture in Sri Lanka. 1610, John Guy set sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland. 1687, Isaac Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. 1770, the Battle of Chesma between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire began. 1775, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition.

 In 1803, the Convention of Artlenburg was signed, leading to the French occupation of Hanover (which had been ruled by the British king). 1809, the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Wagram was fought between the French and Austrian Empires. 1811, Venezuela declared independence from Spain. 1813, War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York commenced. 1814, War of 1812: Battle of Chippawa – American Major General Jacob Brown defeated British General Phineas Riall at Chippawa, Ontario. 1833, Lê Văn Khôi along with 27 soldiers staged a mutiny taking over the Phiên An citadel, developing into the Lê Văn Khôi revolt against Emperor Minh Mạng. Also 1833, Admiral Charles Napier vanquished the navy of the Portuguese usurper Dom Miguel at the third Battle of Cape St. Vincent. 1841, Thomas Cook organised the first package excursion, from Leicester to Loughborough 1878, the coat of arms of the Baku Governorate was established. 1884, Germany took possession of Cameroon.

 In 1915, the Liberty Bell left Philadelphia by special train on its way to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was the last trip outside Philadelphia that the custodians of the bell intended to permit. 1934, "Bloody Thursday" – Police opened fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco. 1935, the National Labor Relations Act, which governed labor relations in the United States, was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 1937, Spam, the luncheon meat, was introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation.

 In 1940, World War II: The United Kingdom and the Vichy France government broke off diplomatic relations. 1941, World War II: Operation Barbarossa: German troops reached the Dnieper River. 1943, World War II: An Allied invasion fleet sailed for Sicily (Operation Husky, July 10, 1943). Also 1943, World War II: German forces began a massive offensive against the Soviet Union at the Battle of Kursk, also known as Operation Citadel. 1945, World War II: The liberation of the Philippines was declared. 1946, the bikini went on sale after debuting during an outdoor fashion show at the Molitor Pool in Paris, France. 1948, National Health Service Acts created the national public health systems in the United Kingdom. 1950, Korean War: Task Force Smith: American and North Korean forces first clashed, in the Battle of Osan. Also 1950, Zionism: The Knesset passed the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel. 1954, the BBC broadcast its first television news bulletin. Also 1954, the Andhra Pradesh High Court was established. Also 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single, "That's All Right," at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. 1962, Algeria becomes independent from France.

 In 1971, Right to vote: The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years, was formally certified by President Richard Nixon. 1973, A BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) in Kingman, Arizona, followed a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank, killing eleven firefighters. 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title. Also 1975, Cape Verde gained its independence from Portugal. 1977, Military coup in Pakistan: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, was overthrown. 1980, Swedish tennis player Björn Borg won his fifth Wimbledon final and became the first male tennis player to win the championships five times in a row (1976-1980). 1987, the LTTE used suicide attacks on the Sri Lankan Army for the first time. The Black Tigers were born and, in the following years, continued to kill with the tactic. 1989, Iran–Contra affair: Oliver North was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service. His convictions were later overturned.

 In 1995, the Republic of Armenia adopted its constitution, four years after its independence from the Soviet Union. 1996, Dolly the sheep became the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. 1999, Wolverhampton, England was hit by storms, including a tornado. The area was hit again with severe storms on August 1. Also 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton imposed trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. 2004, the first Indonesian presidential election was held. 2006, North Korea tested four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly failed in mid-air over the Sea of Japan. 2009, a series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. Also 2009, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, was found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. 2012, The Shard in London was inaugurated as the tallest building in Europe, with a height of 310 metres (1,020 ft).
2014
The Bikini first went on sale on this day in 1946. Named after the atoll where nuclear testing was being done. It was marketing genius that took time to explode on the market. A few big time models wore it, and by the sixties it became standard wear in modern beach nations. 

Prior to nuclear inspired fashion, the biggest explosion on this day came from Isaac Newton's published Principia Mathematica (1687). Newton is lauded for his invention of Integration calculus, and diminished because he contemporaneously worked on it with Liebniz making similar discovery independently. However, Newton's Principia went beyond calculus .. he described the working of gravity .. planetary motion .. cannon balls .. light waves .. prisms. When the sun has disappeared beneath the horizon, it can still be seen by ocular illusion, and Newton discovered why. Without an iPad. With Newton, the apple fell, and the penny dropped. He went on in old age to reform English Banking. But he was weird. He believed women weakened men's logic facility. At his university, he would have guards precede him everywhere and make sure that Newton would not accidentally meet a woman. He also dabbled in the occult. He was the ward for a niece of whom it is said he had peep holes put in his residence. Personally, I think it is more efficient to marry a good woman. When you talk to her, you can discover more .. and she will listen when others won't .. But Newton was a genius .. and a fool .. 

PT Barnum was born on this day in 1810. A consummate showman. He did not invent the saying "There is a sucker born every minute" but he exploited that fact. When his business went south, he became a temperance speaker. He ran and was elected as a GOP man. His enduring fame is as the guy who brought together a menagerie of big animals and freaks.
Historical perspectives on this day
In 328, the official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius 1295, Scotland and France formed an alliance, the so-called "Auld Alliance", against England. 1316, the Burgundian and Majorcan claimants of the Principality of Achaea met in the Battle of Manolada 1594, Portuguese forces under the command of Pedro Lopes de Sousa began an unsuccessful invasion of the Kingdom of Kandy during the Campaign of Danture in Sri Lanka. 1610, John Guy set sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland. 1687, Isaac Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. 1770, the Battle of Chesma between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire began. 1775, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition.

 In 1803, the Convention of Artlenburg was signed, leading to the French occupation of Hanover (which had been ruled by the British king). 1809, the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Wagram was fought between the French and Austrian Empires. 1811, Venezuela declared independence from Spain. 1813, War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York commenced. 1814, War of 1812: Battle of Chippawa – American Major General Jacob Brown defeated British General Phineas Riall at Chippawa, Ontario. 1833, Lê Văn Khôi along with 27 soldiers staged a mutiny taking over the Phiên An citadel, developing into the Lê Văn Khôi revolt against Emperor Minh Mạng. Also 1833, Admiral Charles Napier vanquished the navy of the Portuguese usurper Dom Miguel at the third Battle of Cape St. Vincent. 1841, Thomas Cook organised the first package excursion, from Leicester to Loughborough 1878, the coat of arms of the Baku Governorate was established. 1884, Germany took possession of Cameroon.

 In 1915, the Liberty Bell left Philadelphia by special train on its way to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was the last trip outside Philadelphia that the custodians of the bell intended to permit. 1934, "Bloody Thursday" – Police opened fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco. 1935, the National Labor Relations Act, which governed labor relations in the United States, was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 1937, Spam, the luncheon meat, was introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation.

 In 1940, World War II: The United Kingdom and the Vichy France government broke off diplomatic relations. 1941, World War II: Operation Barbarossa: German troops reached the Dnieper River. 1943, World War II: An Allied invasion fleet sailed for Sicily (Operation Husky, July 10, 1943). Also 1943, World War II: German forces began a massive offensive against the Soviet Union at the Battle of Kursk, also known as Operation Citadel. 1945, World War II: The liberation of the Philippines was declared. 1946, the bikini went on sale after debuting during an outdoor fashion show at the Molitor Pool in Paris, France. 1948, National Health Service Acts created the national public health systems in the United Kingdom. 1950, Korean War: Task Force Smith: American and North Korean forces first clashed, in the Battle of Osan. Also 1950, Zionism: The Knesset passed the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel. 1954, the BBC broadcast its first television news bulletin. Also 1954, the Andhra Pradesh High Court was established. Also 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single, "That's All Right," at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. 1962, Algeria becomes independent from France.

 In 1971, Right to vote: The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years, was formally certified by President Richard Nixon. 1973, A BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) in Kingman, Arizona, followed a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank, killing eleven firefighters. 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title. Also 1975, Cape Verde gained its independence from Portugal. 1977, Military coup in Pakistan: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, was overthrown. 1980, Swedish tennis player Björn Borg won his fifth Wimbledon final and became the first male tennis player to win the championships five times in a row (1976-1980). 1987, the LTTE used suicide attacks on the Sri Lankan Army for the first time. The Black Tigers were born and, in the following years, continued to kill with the tactic. 1989, Iran–Contra affair: Oliver North was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service. His convictions were later overturned.

 In 1995, the Republic of Armenia adopted its constitution, four years after its independence from the Soviet Union. 1996, Dolly the sheep became the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. 1999, Wolverhampton, England was hit by storms, including a tornado. The area was hit again with severe storms on August 1. Also 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton imposed trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. 2004, the first Indonesian presidential election was held. 2006, North Korea tested four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly failed in mid-air over the Sea of Japan. 2009, a series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. Also 2009, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, was found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. 2012, The Shard in London was inaugurated as the tallest building in Europe, with a height of 310 metres (1,020 ft).
=== Publishing News ===
This column welcomes feedback and criticism. The column is not made up but based on the days events and articles which are then placed in the feed. So they may not have an apparent cohesion they would have had were they made up.
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Editorials will appear in the "History in a Year by the Conservative Voice" series, starting with August https://www.createspace.com/4124406, September https://www.createspace.com/5106914, October https://www.createspace.com/5106951, or at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482020262/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_dVHPub0MQKDZ4  The kindle version is cheaper, but the soft back version allows the purchase of a kindle version for just $3.99 more. 
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For twenty two years I have been responsibly addressing an issue, and I cannot carry on. I am petitioning the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to remedy my distress. I leave it up to him if he chooses to address the issue. Regardless of your opinion of conservative government, the issue is pressing. Please sign my petition at https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/tony-abbott-remedy-the-persecution-of-dd-ball

Or the US President at
https://www.change.org/p/barack-obama-change-this-injustice#
or
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/change-injustice-faced-david-daniel-ball-after-he-reported-bungled-pedophile-investigation-and/b8mxPWtJ or http://wh.gov/ilXYR
Douglas Sutherland-Bruce via David Daniel Ball
Mr Ball, I will not sign your petition as it will do no good, but I will share your message and ask as many of friends who read it, to share it also. Let us see if we cannot use the power of the internet to spread the word of these infamous killings. As a father and a former soldier, I cannot, could not, justify ignoring this appalling action by the perpetrators, whoever they may; I thank you Douglas. You are wrong about the petition. Signing it is as worthless and meaningless an act as voting. A stand up guy would know that. - ed

Lorraine Allen Hider I signed the petition ages ago David, with pleasure, nobody knows what it's like until they've been there. Keep heart David take care.

I have begun a bulletin board (http://theconservativevoice.freeforums.net) which will allow greater latitude for members to post and interact. It is not subject to FB policy and so greater range is allowed in posts. Also there are private members rooms in which nothing is censored, except abuse. All welcome, registration is free.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Thomas Pitt (1653), P.T. Barnum (1810), Cecil Rhodes (1853), John Howard Northrop (1891), Peter McNamara (1955). Born on the same day, across the years. In 1687, The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton was first published, describing his laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. In 1937, The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend. In 1950, Korean War: In the first encounter between North Korean and American forces, the unprepared and undisciplined U.S. Army task force was routed. In 2006, The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting hours after North Korea reportedly tested at least seven separate ballistic missiles. In 2009, A series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. You didn't become famous by leaving things unfinished. Cheers!
Deaths
July 5: Seventeenth of Tammuz (Judaism, 2015); Independence Day in Algeria (1962) and Cape Verde(1975); Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Björn Borg on the tennis court
Gravity man, that is heavy. We gave our assent. The Bikini is like the circle of life. The Ball is round, the game is long. Life in China is a riot. Let's party. 
Matches
Hatches
Despatches
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2015
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Only voters, not MPs, can redefine marriage

Piers Akerman – Saturday, July 04, 2015 (11:11pm)

THREE days ago, a reporter put to Prime Minister Tony Abbott that “the biggest talking point in Australia at the moment, arguably, is that of gay marriage”.

Icon Arrow Continue reading 'Only voters, not MPs, can redefine marriage'
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On The Bolt Report today, July 5

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (7:01am)

On Channel 10 at 10am and 3pm.
My guests: Social Services Minister Scott Morrison; former NSW Labor Treasurer Michael Costa; Georgina Downer, former diplomat and member of the Victorian Liberals’ admin committee; and Gerard Henderson, Australian columnist and head of the Sydney Institute. 
So much to talk about, including Tony Abbott’s battle with same-sex marriage, Bill Shorten’s moment of truth, the ABC’s stitch-up, the Greek disaster and one of the Islamic State’s scariest attacks yet;
The videos of the shows appear here.
From my interview with Social Service Minister Scott Morrison:
How Australians must learn the lesson from the Greek crisis:

ANDREW BOLT:  Now, Greece is an old country in this sense - something like one in five Greeks are aged 65 or over. And that makes it the sixth oldest country in the world. Pensions, etc, etc. How much does this explain Greece’s problems?

SCOTT MORRISON: Well, it’s not a new problem. They’ve known about this since the early ‘80s and in the early ‘80s, they embarked on the biggest expansion on their social well fair system of pretty much any country in Europe at the time. And the OECD was warning way back then that the advancing age of the Greek community, the increase in their expenditures in this area, would come home to roost at some time. And that day has come today…
ANDREW BOLT:  Now, how much of what Greece is facing is what we’re facing too?

SCOTT MORRISON: Well, I think the issue is the warning. I mean it’s a distant warning, but they had that warning back in the ‘80s and chose to do nothing about it, and in fact decided to go the other way, and they’re reaping what they sowed at that time. Now, for us, we’ve introduced some, as you know, pension changes in this budget. We are seeking to raise the pension age to 70 in 2035, not next week, in 2035, commencing for the scale-up from 2025. Those sorts of reforms are important, about ensuring the pension is there for the future. Now, we’re seeing pensioners… pictures of pensioners today in Greece crying, sitting on… sitting on the streets, just in absolute despair. Well, I don’t want to see that to happen to future pensioners in Australia. We need to make sure the pension is sustainable for the future, a targeted welfare-based scheme…
ANDREW BOLT:  Is it too much to say, “Look at Greece. Don’t let Australia become like that”?

SCOTT MORRISON: Well, I think that is a clear warning and this could happen into the future over the course of a generation, as it happened in Greece. I mean, they didn’t get to over 100% of GDP… debt to GDP overnight. It happened over time with policies that over time became unsustainable. That’s why it’s important to get your house in order while you can because, as we’re seeing in Greece, changing things now, it’s all too late and people suffer terribly as a result.
Backing a plebiscite on same sex marriage:
SCOTT MORRISON:  I mean the more general debate now I think has shifted to issues of process and issues of plebiscites and whether Australians more broadly should have their say on these issues.

ANDREW BOLT:  What’s your view?

SCOTT MORRISON: I have sympathy with those views.

ANDREW BOLT:  You have sympathy with the plebiscites view? Put it to
the people, let them decide?

SCOTT MORRISON: I have sympathy with those views, but look, they’re matters that should be discussed more, I think, over time. I mean I’ve noticed particularly…

ANDREW BOLT: Let’s discuss them now. I mean, why would you be in favour of a plebiscite?

SCOTT MORRISON: Well, I think it is a substantial change. I think those who are proposing the change I think underestimate the sort of change this entails, and if you talk to the many ethnic communities across Australia, the linkage between their strong beliefs - and it doesn’t matter whether they’re Christian beliefs or Hindu beliefs or Muslim beliefs - and the connection between that and their culture is very… is very deeply felt, and they’re a voice that I don’t think we’ve heard a lot from on this debate and what the change means for them. We are a multicultural country and that means respecting culture in this question as much in any other.
On a referendum on constitutional recognition of Aborigines:
Well, look, I sort of take the - not surprisingly - the middle road on this. I would like to see this be successful, but for it to be successful… I have never been in favour of the idea of two countries. We are not a country that has been based on a treaty such as in New Zealand, and other places where that has occurred, where there are indigenous populations and settlement communities. So, I think we are charting new ground here....
ANDREW BOLT:  Should just say you’re against dividing Australians by race, I think.

SCOTT MORRISON: Well, I am against dividing Australians by race.
The full transcript:

Icon Arrow Continue reading 'On The Bolt Report today, July 5'
===

Why only Wilson? Why aren’t the other commissioners mentioned?

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:53am)

Some very selective leaking against the one Human Rights Commissioner who fights for freedom, not further restrictions:
Tony Abbott’s hand-picked human rights adviser ran up more than $77,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses in his first year on the job, spending almost $15,000 on taxis…

The Australian Human Rights Commission declined to supply details of other commissioners’ expenses to see if they were comparable to Mr Wilson’s.
I note that it’s held against Wilson that he claims for routine office expenses and equipment, and spends a lot of time flying to meet people who want his help - which actually includes flying to and from Aboriginal communities:
Mr Wilson also claimed for an iPhone, an iPad, a laptop and a $1400 standing desk.
The so-called “Freedom Commissioner” has roamed far and wide in his job. He has spent about $11,000 on business class airfares abroad – although about $2000 of this was reimbursed by groups that hosted him – and $26,000 on domestic fares, including $10,800 for his partner…

“You’d rather I sit in my office all day?” was Mr Wilson’s response when contacted.
Also not acknowledged: unlike other commissioners, Wilson lives in Melbourne, not Sydney, and was not permitted to work from Melbourne, forcing him to commute.
True, I believe the Human Rights Commissioners are overpaid, with president Gillian Triggs on more than $400,000 a year. But why isn’t her salary mentioned in this article? Why only Wilson’s? 
===

No, same-sex marrage isn’t the biggest issue by a long shot

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:40am)

Both Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Employment Minister Eric Abetz have accused the media of pushing the same-sex marriage bandwagon. Piers Akerman has evidence:
THREE days ago, a reporter put to Prime Minister Tony Abbott that “the biggest talking point in Australia at the moment, arguably, is that of gay marriage”.
It was the sort of proposition that would have challenged former NSW Labor Premier Neville Wran to respond with his famous line “are you from the ABC?"…
According to the latest of NAB’s authoritative surveys Biggest Issues Facing Australians Today, cost of living, access to health care, economy, employment/jobs, terrorism/security, housing affordability, ageing population, environment/climate change, law and order, asylum seekers, education, inequality/poverty, income, population growth/immigration, government red tape/regulation, taxation and infrastructure/transport all ranked well ahead of vague “other” concerns…
[Same-sex marriage] is but one of the Green-Left issues which the ABC pushes but there will be no inquiry into the minority culture which infects the majority broadcast network and its groupthink propagandists.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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Hitler at least hid many such atrocities. These people boast of them

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:34am)

It is now tit-for-tat depravity in a region with a disturbing culture of violence.
The latest pornographic savagery of the Islamic State:

image ISIS has released a shocking video of child executioners being forced to brutally shoot dead 25 regime soldiers on the stage of the Roman amphitheatre in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. The condemned soldiers were marched into the amphitheatre by adult ISIS soldiers and forced to line up on their knees. Moments later a group of child executioners, all dressed in desert camouflage and bandanas, are marched into the Unesco-listed ruins. A giant ISIS flag hangs in the background while a blood-thirsty crowd of men and boys awaits the mass slaughter.
The latest reprisal from the Syrian rival jihadi group, Jaysh al-Islam:

TERROR group ISIS have been given a taste of their own brutal medicine after a rival jihadist group in Syria released a brutal video showing the execution of 18 ISIS members.
The video, which runs for 19 minutes, shows members of Syrian rebel group Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) dressed in orange and standing menacingly over captured ISIS fighters, chained together with ankle and hand shackles, and dressed in black.
The colours are a sick role reversal on the usual ISIS murder videos, which typically showcase ISIS fighters wearing black while their victims are dressed in orange…
The video includes starkly sectarian language, accusing ISIS of betraying Sunni Muslims and allying with Shiite Muslims and “Nusayris,” a derogatory terms for the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs.
There are no goodies in this war. 
(Thanks to readers Low Profile and WaG311.)  
===

We’re getting on fine, Marty

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:29am)

Both governments now deny the ravings of Marty Natalegawa, for too long treated too seriously by many journalists:
The Indonesian government has denied suggestions by former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa that Australia’s relationship with Indonesia is at its lowest point.
During an interview on Sky on Monday, Dr Natalegawa said he believed there was no private communications between the two governments, which would represent an unprecedented collapse in relations.
However, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said communication between the two countries occurred at all levels including between ministers.
Greg Sheridan isn’t standing for this nonsense:
The allegation by former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa that there is no high-level communication between the Abbott government and that of Indonesian President Joko Widodo is absurd.
As Foreign Minister Julie Bishop points out, she is in frequent contact with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.
Similarly, Natalegawa’s comments — that Australia-Indonesia relations are at a critical juncture — seem to be basically junk comments. Not only do the foreign ministers talk often but there is unprecedented intelligence co-operation. Counter-terrorism and intelligence co-operation are as good as they have generally been…
But Natalegawa himself did some very strange things towards the end of his term. One was leaking the confidential record of his conversation with Bishop at the UN in September 2013. It was gratuitous, bad-mannered and counter-productive…
No one doubts he is highly intelligent, so he must know his constantly repeated refrain about a “regional solution” to the boatpeople issue is fatuous. Any solution involving Australia resettling large numbers of people who came to Indonesia by boat would guarantee a huge influx of people into Indonesia. The regional solution is moonshine; every serious player knows it…
(S)enior [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] officials told me that while they could not say so publicly, they were delighted with Tony Abbott’s policy. It reduced the numbers going to Indonesia and, because boats weren’t leaving for Australia, Jakarta didn’t have to deal with the issue publicly all the time. 
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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Perrottet: ABC breaches its own code of practice and its contract with Australia

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:17am)

Dominic Perrottet, NSW Minister for Finances, on the unlawful bias of the ABC:
According to its own code, the ABC is meant to ensure the gathering and presentation of news is impartial, reflects a diversity of views and does not [favour] one perspective over another. That’s their code, not mine.
In practice, the ABC is simply a mouthpiece for left-of-centre views, and it is becoming more disconnected from the values of mainstream Australia. My concern with the ABC is that it continually attacks governments, of all political persuasions, but only from the Left.
All too often, you can only ever expect one point of view from the ABC on major issues like climate change and border protection. When was the last time you heard the ABC run lines criticising the government for being too soft on border control or not reforming our workplace relations laws? ...
From news to current affairs, on radio, TV and online, the ABC has zero tolerance for ideological diversity. This is not so much a party political bias as it is a cultural bias towards the Left. The result is that the ABC distorts the national conversation around important issues by amplifying some voices and virtually ignoring the rest…
There’s a reason so many in my party are angry about the ABC. It is not only in breach of its code of practice, it is in breach of its social contract with mainstream Australia. The problem is not with individual Q&A;episodes or issues of free speech. The problem is with the ABC itself.
Reader Peter of Bellevue Hill suggests Insiders today confirms Perrottet’s point:
AB, not sure Sunday’s Insiders’ couch of David Marr, Mal Farr, Tory Shepherd and host Barrie Cassidy is a celebration of the ‘diversity of perspectives’ that the ABC is required by law to present. But it does represent a section of the diverse perspectives at News Corp: two of its political editors are on the couch, neither of whom are conservative.
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“Terrorism”? The Greek Left’s monstrous sense of entitlement

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:12am)

You’d never think Europe was actually offering Greece more money it won’t repay:
Greece’s finance minister accused creditors of trying to “terrorise” Greeks into accepting austerity, warning Europe stood to lose as much as Athens if the country is forced from the euro after a referendum on Sunday on bailout terms…
“What they’re doing with Greece has a name: terrorism,” he told El Mundo. “Why have they forced us to close the banks? To frighten people.”
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Keep him out

Andrew Bolt July 05 2015 (5:07am)

The refugee lobby is missing the main point:
An asylum seeker accused of sexually assaulting four girls at the Nauru processing centre has been moved into isolation with his eight-year-old daughter, sparking concern for the child’s welfare and fresh criticism of the camp’s management.
It is understood the middle-aged man was separated from the main population after the allegation was made in February.
He was subsequently charged with sexual assault, and bailed by a Nauruan court on condition he remained in isolation.
The complaint:
“The situation this young girl was placed in is a blatant disregard by all service providers in the system to the psychological impact of exposure to the alleged perpetrator, the trauma of sexual abuse and their duty of care for her,” the anonymous submission says.
That ignores the fact that the man has not yet been convicted, and separating the family has its own consequences.
But to the main point: shouldn’t Australians be assured that this man will never be allowed into this country under any circumstances if the claims aren’t proved false? 
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Which path are you taking?
Posted by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing on Saturday, 4 July 2015

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=== Posts from last year ===

HOLY WARMING

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 05, 2014 (1:16pm)

Churchy types plead for science: 
The Anglican Church has told the Abbott government to change its approach to climate change, urging it to respect and base its policy on scientific evidence. 
You go first, Anglicans.
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THREATENED SPECIES

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 05, 2014 (1:06pm)

Somehow, the environment is going to have to get by with less government funding: 
The federal Department of the Environment will make 250 of its leading specialists reapply for their jobs and make 30 of them redundant in the latest round of cost-cutting measures …
Beth Vincent-Pietsch, deputy secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, said morale within the department, which unveiled Gregory Andrews as the new threatened species commissioner on Wednesday, was “terribly low.”
“[Staff] are anxious and depressed that the crucial work that they do is not being valued by this government,” she said. 
A certain gravy train might be losing some momentum. In other environmental news, James Delingpole rocks the Glastonbury festival in a fine t-shirt. Suggested costume for Glastonbury 2015: Hector the coal mascot.
(Via the IPA)
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MILESTONE MISSED

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 05, 2014 (12:38pm)

A glowing Fairfax review for a Melbourne ABC presenter: 
It’s been a year of milestones for Red Symons. 
It sure has – including this, which oddly now escapes Fairfax’s memory. As the review notes: “With the ABC as an employer, he can afford to be relaxed.”
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With friends like that, who here needs Prabowo?

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (2:19pm)

Hmm. It is suddenly clear to me which of the two candidates in this week’s election I should support:
About 1,000 people gathered at Grand Mosque in Yogyakarta on Tuesday at the invitation of a group of Islamic organizations that intended to declare presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto as the “war commander of Muslims”... 
Gerakan Pemuda Kabah (GPK) ... Yogyakarta branch supervisory body chairman Muhammad Fuad said Muslim mass organizations in Yogyakarta ... regarded the retired lieutenant general, who was dismissed from military service for his involvement in the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists, as the only hope to prevent Indonesia becoming a secular country.
“This means we want him to protect Islam from the dangers of communists, Shiites and Ahmadis,” Fuad said.
Fuad expressed the hope that if elected, Prabowo would issue pro-Islam regulations…
The invitation to meet with Prabowo was signed by several groups, including Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), Hisbullah, the GPK, and the former commander of the now defunct Laskar Jihad paramilitary group, Ja’far Umar Thalib.
Ja’far was involved in bloody conflict between Muslims and Christians in Maluku.
In a high profile sermon at the same mosque last month, he called on Muslims to wage jihad on infidels and pluralism, because pluralism tolerated the views of all religions… However, during Monday’s gathering, the groups were unable to confer the title of “war commander” on Prabowo. His close aides played down the title and put its meaning down to Prabowo being the former son-in-law of former president Soeharto.
(Thanks to reader Juliet.) 
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Mark Serreze - more ice, less ice, just blame global warming

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (2:01pm)

I thought we wouldn’t hear from alarmist Mark Serreze again after this spectacularly dud prediction in 2007:

Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. 
Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years.
Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss. ...
“Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007,” the researcher from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, explained to the BBC.
“So given that fact, you can argue that may be our projection of 2013 is already too conservative.” ... Dr Mark Serreze ... added: “I think Wieslaw is probably a little aggressive in his projections, simply because the luck of the draw means natural variability can kick in to give you a few years in which the ice loss is a little less than you’ve had in previous years. But Wieslaw is a smart guy and it would not surprise me if his projections came out.” 
But, no. Here he bobs up again to explain that global warming is actually causing something else he didn’t predict - record sea ice around Antarctica:
Earlier this year, global warming was blamed for the ‘irreversible retreat’ of west Antarctic glaciers. 
But now scientists claim that warming of the planet is in fact behind a paradoxical growth in South Pole sea ice.
The comments come as Antarctica’s sea ice set a record this week, reaching 815,448 square miles (1,312,000 square km) of ice above its normal range… ‘The primary reason for this is the nature of the circulation of the Southern Ocean — water heated in high southern latitudes is carried equatorward, to be replaced by colder waters upwelling from below, which inhibits ice loss,’ Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, told Harold Ambler at Talking About the Weather.
(Thanks to reader Spencer.) 
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If the sceptics made no sense, the BBC wouldn’t bother banning them

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (1:55pm)

The BBC’s gatekeepers have no confidence in the warmists arguments, so act to suppress the sceptics:

The BBC’s Editorial Compliance unit has blasted its flagship Today programme over its failure to provide balance on a debate on climate change. 
The show’s editorial team was found to have given minority views and opinions ‘equal footing’ to those of the scientific consensus.
The programme, broadcast in February during the major flooding crisis featured climate change scientist Sir Brian Hoskins from Imperial College London who was debating the issue with a founder of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which is sceptical as to its impact....
According to Fraser Steel, head of the unit: ‘Minority opinions and sceptical views should not be treated as if it were on an equal footing with the scientific consensus… ‘I do not believe it was made sufficiently clear that Lord Lawson’s views on climate change are not supported by the majority of climate scientists, and should not be regarded as carrying equal weight to those of experts such as Sir Brian Hopkins.’
(Thanks to reader Bob.) 
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The Bolt Report tomorrow

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (10:27am)

On Sunday on Channel 10 at 10am and 4pm…
How badly have we bungled immigration?
And has Malcolm Turnbull spat the dummy?
Plus: the fall of Fairfax, a hypocrisy alert on Jacqui Lambie and more.
On the show: Michael Kroger, Bruce Hawker, Dr Bob Birrell and Ben Hills. .
The videos of the shows appear here.
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Herald says Tamil boat people are fleeing torture. A wife of one on board says, er, actually…

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (10:04am)

Boat people policy

Sydney Morning Herald reporters are livid that Tony Abbott is turning back two boats of Sri Lankans: 

Last night I saw upon the sea,
A little boat that wasn’t there,
It wasn’t there again today,
Oh, how I wish it would go away* 
All week, Scott Morrison had been wishing away the little boat from India. The Immigration Minister steadfastly refused to acknowledge its existence or that of its human cargo, 153 Tamil asylum seekers; or that of another boat carrying 50 Tamils, which had come from Sri Lanka. By week’s end, it seemed Morrison’s wish had come true.
In a high-stakes, high seas operation – which Morrison never confirmed, preferring to call it speculation – Australia set out to deliver these boat people back into the hands of Sri Lanka, the regime they had fled, a country the United Nations suspects of systematic abductions, torture, rape, extrajudicial killings and the “disappearing” of its citizens…
“Australia’s moral, ethical and legal compass has been lost at sea,” said Trevor Grant, from Australia’s Tamil Refugee Council…
The Abbott government has singled out Sri Lankans for special treatment, or mistreatment, if the conclusions of successive international reports on the country’s human rights abuses are accepted. Australia subjects only Sri Lankans to “enhanced”, or expedited, screening.... In the foreword to a 2014 report that documents the testimony of 40 Tamils who fled to Britain, South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes: “It shows how anyone remotely connected with the losing side in the civil war is being hunted down, tortured and raped, five years after the guns fell silent....”
Wow.
Then after all that rage and hyping of horror, the Sydney Morning Herald finally quotes a relative of one of the Tamils on board to reveal their real motive for sailing. And, good heavens, it has nothing to do with tales of torture:
“I thought maybe [the final destination of those on board] was to Italy, or France, or Tunisia,” said Ragajini, the 32-year-old wife of one of the men on the fishing trawler. “I did not know where he was going and he did not know, either.” 
Ragajini, who has their two children with her, sobbed as she spoke from the Aliyar camp for Tamil refugees in the Coimbatore district in the far west of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Her husband had crippling debts and had needed to escape to a country where he could earn money, she said.
The paper’s agenda is exposed - and exploded.
UPDATE
More context today:
A TAMIL Sri Lankan man granted asylum in Australia more than three years ago has been arrested in Malaysia along with three others on suspicion of trying to revive the rebel Tamil Tiger movement and is expected to be deported to Sri Lanka… 
The Weekend Australian has learned Mr Puvaneswaran was arrested early on Thursday by plain clothed members of the Malaysian Police Counter Terrorism Unit, who have accused him of being a former explosives expert for the now-vanquished Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE).
Malaysian police chief Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the arrests were made simultaneously at several locations around Kuala Lumpur and Maharashtra and that all four detainees were suspected of involvement in past terror attacks and plans to make Malaysia their base of operations.
“The first suspect is a card holder of High Commission of the United Nations for Refugees. He is said to be an expert in explosives. The second suspect was alleged to have been involved in the attempted murder of former president Chandirka Kumartunga,” Mr. Bakar said. A third suspect is accused of having helped plan attacks on Sri Lankan consulates in India and the fourth of gathering intelligence for the group. Counterfeit passports and other documents had been confiscated, he added.
Puvaneswaran’s family say he’s innocent.
UPDATE
India doesn’t think boat people who leave its care deserve to come back - and those who do have been warned Australia could send them to Sri Lanka:
Mr B. Anand, the Tamil Nadu principal secretary and commissioner for rehabilitation and welfare of non-resident Tamils, ... said India was not able to accept any Tamil refugees who left India illegally. ‘’The war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009, so it is difficult to accept that these people can still claim refugee status,’’ Mr Anand said. ‘’And if they were registered here as refugees, once they leave the country illegally, we cannot take them back here.’’
Mr Anand’s office showed Fairfax Media a pamphlet in Tamil published by the Australian government that has been distributed throughout the Tamil refugee community and clearly states that people who try to enter Australia without a visa will be returned to their homeland.
‘’Effective from July 19, 2013, illegal immigrants who come by boats to any province of Australia will be sent to Papua New Guinea,’’ the pamphlet says. ‘’Upon confirmation that they are genuine cases for refugee status, they will be allowed emigration at Papua New Guinea. “In other cases, people concerned will either be sent back to their homeland or a detention camp.’’ 
(Thanks to readers Matthew, GoldCoastSeer and Gab.) 
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I fear Senator Lambie may be delusional

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:55am)

She really has an estimate of her abilities that is scarily out of whack:
A SENATOR who holds the key to passing the Federal Government’s agenda has declared she wants to be prime minister. 
Tasmanian Palmer United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie, who secured only 1501 first-preference votes at the election and has called Prime Minister Tony Abbott a “psychopath” who needs a “bucket of cement” to “toughen up”, yesterday said she “absolutely” aspired to take on his job.
Senator Lambie, who ... only joined PUP because she was running out of money, has quickly emerged as the most outspoken of the eight new crossbenchers who hold the balance of power…
Before she joined up with Mr Palmer, Senator Lambie tried and failed to win Liberal preselection for the Tasmanian federal seat of Braddon… In the Liberal preselection ballot in 2012, Senator Lambie did not gain a single vote… PUP’s Queensland parliamentary leader, Alex Douglas ... [has described Senator Lambie] as a “bogan”.
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How a warmist “expert” presents the normal as a sign of dangerous warming

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:35am)

Global warming - propaganda

How little does it take to convince even the most credentialed alarmist that the climate is changing before their horrified eyes?
Meet Professor Oppenheimer:
Michael Oppenheimer is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School and the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University. He is the Director of the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP) at the Woodrow Wilson School and Faculty Associate of the Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences Program, Princeton Environmental Institute, and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
Impressive!
So this Oppenheimer is flying over the Arctic, his plane emitting the kind of gasses he deplores, when he glances out of his window and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!:
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Steve Goddard points out the obvious:
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And some data:

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This is not a simple gotcha. It really does signify something important. How can a man so credentialed have so eagerly presented the normal as alarming?
(Thanks to reader Old Fellah.) 
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Unions train delegates in using training money

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:30am)

Some unions show an astonishing sense of entitlement to members’ money and grants:
THE Transport Workers Union continued to use large sums of “training” money from trucking companies as it saw fit for more than three years after pledging a swift clean-up of slush fund irregularities. 
The TWU’s leadership promised to implement recommendations of a Deloitte report in February 2008 that found millions of dollars of employer contributions intended for a “training fund” were not kept separate from union accounts, properly managed or audited. But the TWU’s NSW secretary, Wayne Forno, confirmed to the royal commission into corruption yesterday that ...the TWU’s leadership kept using $1.4 million of “training” money sitting in union accounts in 2007 to pay for annual union delegate conferences at a Sydney racecourse until the funds dwindled to $45,000 in 2011. He claimed TWU delegates attending annual conferences received some training, but he was vague about its nature.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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How much longer can Clive Palmer last?

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:18am)

Hedley Thomas:
The power he now wields on the national stage makes him far more menacing, even dangerous, there than Hanson, Katter and even Bjelke-Petersen during his reign as premier… 
But do not bet on this lasting. It could be over in months… If Palmer is to be blasted from politics, public life and even business, it will be because the Beijing-based leaders of the People’s Republic of China instruct their Australian lawyers to use the evidence to not just take him on but to take him out.
If it happens it will likely stem from the withdrawals, last August and September, of $12.167 million of Chinese funds. This is a relatively minuscule sum when seen in the context of China’s disastrous almost $10 billion development of Palmer’s iron ore tenements in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. These withdrawals potentially have given the Chinese an opportunity to rid themselves, the political arena and the Australia-China relationship of someone they have come to see as a sociopathic bully and menace.
On the analysis of senior criminal lawyers consulted by The Australian, the predicament for Palmer appears serious…
For now, it is still a commercial dispute. It gives the Chinese great leverage in their separate and ongoing dispute with Palmer over the payment of royalties. But it is unlikely to rest there or to be quietly resolved. The prima facie evidence in the documents points to possible serious offences — stealing and misappropriation — by someone in Palmer’s company. The Chinese give every impression of wanting these matters completely and promptly exposed to scrutiny by the public, media and the relevant authorities.  
Palmer denies any wrong doing at all.
UPDATE
Palmer might be about to out-bullied:
In a boardroom overlooking Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, Clive Palmer was in a frenetic rage. “You are an incompetent c---, a f---ing idiot,” the businessman yelled at one of the 10 investment bankers and lawyers seated around the table. 
The tirade of expletives would continue for nearly two minutes, as the veins in Palmer’s neck bulged and he thumped the table....
It was July 2007 and Palmer was at the offices of investment bank UBS to begin the $5 billion float of his mining company, Resourcehouse ... (but) it was not questions over the company’s aggressive valuation or even its lack of an operating track record which had Palmer in a rage that day.
It was his title.
The businessman, who failed to complete his undergraduate degree, insisted on being referred to as Professor Clive Palmer in the prospectus – and was indignant that someone had dared to question him.
This is a consistent theme from those who have worked with the 60-year-old over the years…
His three PUP Senators ... insist they won’t be Palmer’s puppets… But they all should remember one thing about Palmer. “He really hates being questioned,” said the source who asked not to be named…
If Palmer’s business career is any guide, they will “wake up” shortly and there will be a major falling out accompanied by furious name calling and threats…
[Citic and Palmer] are fighting in court over ... allegations that Palmer used $12 million of Citic’s money to fund his election campaign – an allegation repeatedly denied by Palmer.... But it could have devastating consequences, as some analysts believe Citic will eventually tire of the fight and walk away from the project entirely…
Tim Murray, the managing partner at J Capital Research… believes the mine will never be profitable, even if all its debts are written off, leaving Citic with no choice but to shut it down. If that happens, Palmer’s $200 million in royalties are gone, along with his claim to being a billionaire – and most likely his ability to fund future election campaigns. The unofficial line from Citic in Hong Kong is that Palmer has picked the wrong fight this time. “He’s taken on the Chinese government,” was the view from within Citic’s headquarters. 
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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A Senate of spenders

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (8:55am)

The problem with the Senate is that those with the balance of power are most powerful when they say no - which usually means no to the spending cuts we need:
SENATORS are poised to veto more than $20 billion in budget savings, in a show of strength from micro-parties that have seized the balance of power in the upper house. 
The crossbench forces will join up to block the government’s university reforms in one of the biggest blows to Tony Abbott’s agenda, amid fears of soaring fees for students. Attacking the government for its “clumsy” budget proposals, the independents and micro-parties will also smash the government’s plans to put new fees on Medicare services and scale back family tax benefits.
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Exposing Christine Milne’s trashing of Sri Lanka

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (7:51am)

 Greens leader Christine Milne is shocked that the Abbott Government is sending back boat people to Sri Lanka, a country she portrays as a hell-hole:
“They have a shocking reputation for human rights,” she told a press conference this morning. 
“It is now up to Prime Minister Abbott. Prime Minister tell Australians - are you going to send 153 people back to the people who have persecuted them?
“Is that what this nation has become under your leadership? Because I think the overwhelming majority of Australians will be horrified by this. “Not only is it shocking and cruel for the people who have been persecuted and are being treated like this, but it is absolutely in breach of our obligations under the refugee convention.”
Christine Milne plans a holiday in December 2011:
For now, there is a holiday in Sri Lanka and a rare chance to relax, possibly with her head in a history book, for the few short months that school is out.
Canada, 2010 - data shows many Tamil “refugees” actually think Sri Lanka is safe to visit:
A secret government survey reveals the majority of successful Tamil refugees travel back to Sri Lanka, raising questions about the legitimacy of their refugee status… 
“I think it’s been fairly common knowledge, that after asylum seekers get status they go back,” said James Bissett a former head of Immigration Canada… A total of 50 people were surveyed, 31 of them had successfully obtained refugee status and 22 had returned to Sri Lanka. The CBSA refuses to release further information and will not say if an expanded study will be conducted to examine the full nature of the problem.
The most famous Tamil last year said conditions for Tamils in Sri Lanka were vastly better:
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has been misled about conditions for Tamils in the north of the country, cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, a Tamil and national hero, said today. 
The lives of people are improving, Muralitharan, who took 800 test wickets, told reporters at an event in Colombo with Cameron to promote reconciliation on the island. Cameron, who traveled to the north yesterday, confronted President Mahinda Rajapaksa last night about refugees… “In wartime I went with the UN, I saw the place, how it was,” Muralitharan said. “Now I regularly go and I see the place and it is about a 1,000 percent improvement in facilities,” he said. 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it’s helping refugees return to Sri Lanka:
Five years after the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka, the majority of those who were IDPs [internally displaced persons] in the country have returned to their place of origin. However, an undetermined number of individuals remain in protracted displacement, unable to return home owing to housing, land and property issues… 
In Sri Lanka, IDP and refugee returnees have difficulty in meeting their basic needs. The lack of a comprehensive national policy on land rights has had an adverse impact on sustainable return… The return of Sri Lankan refugees will continue, albeit at a slower pace… UNHCR will also facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees in cooperation with the Governments of India and Sri Lanka. 
UNHCR now praises Sri Lanka for how it is resettling returning refugees and the displaced. In fact, refugees from other countries are fleeing to Sri Lanka:
In this global and regional context, Sri Lanka has made progress in reintegrating the returning Sri Lankan refugees and by being a host country to many of those that flee violence in the region. Since the conflict in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009, UNHCR has helped over 11,400 Sri Lankan refugees who have returned voluntarily to restart their lives. Similarly, though numbers remain low in comparison to other host countries in the region, Sri Lanka currently hosts 291 refugees and 1547 asylum seekers, all of whom are registered with UNHCR. 
Sri Lankan government has made great strides in reintegrating 573,651 returning internally displaced persons since the end of civil conflict in 2009. UNHCR continues to assist the government in finding durable solutions for the remaining IDPs. Likewise, Sri Lanka has very effectively dealt with the issue of statelessness on its territory by passing legislation enabling Tamils of Indian Origin, who had been previously disenfranchised, and a population of ethnic Chinese, who had been in the country since the 1940s, to access citizenship. Sri Lanka is often cited as the best practice in the region in resolving issues of statelessness.
UPDATE
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An insane anology, grossly offensive both to Sri Lanka and to the Jews and gypsies particularly who were the victims of Nazi genocide:
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser, an opponent of Operation Sovereign Borders, went further still yesterday, tweeting that handing asylum-seekers over to Sri Lanka at sea was redolent of handing Jews to Nazis in the 1930s.
(Thanks to readers brett t r, pitman and others.)  
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Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, 
A tale of a fateful government 
That started from this group of incompetants 
Aboard this Labor ship. 

Beazley was a mighty Labor man,
Swan completely out of his depth.
Five comrades set sail that day
For a three year tour, a three year tour.

The in-fighting started getting rough,
The caucus was tossed,
If not for the courage of the fearless people
The nation would be lost, the nation would be lost.

The movement set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan (Swan)
The Skipper too, (Beazley, before Rudd knifed him)
The millionaire and his wife, (Crean & Macklin)
The movie star (Gillard)
The professor and Mary Ann, (Rudd & Roxon)
Here on Labors Isle.

So this is the tale of the throwaways,
They're been here for a long, long time,
We'll have to make the best of things,
It's an uphill climb.

The first mate and the Skipper too,
Will do their very best,
To make the others uncomfortable,
In the tropic island mess.

No sense, no financial responsibility, no morality,
Not a single moment of accountability,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primative as can be.

So join us here each week my freinds,
You're sure to get a smile,
From seven stranded unworthy despots,
Here on "Labors Isle."
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Dean Hamstead'
"When you're a sysadmin with a hammer, everyone's head looks like a nail."
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Even so, there is hope, for what words have torn apart when friends bicker, the Lord can heal. One needs to put faith in the Lord, not in themselves. - ed
James 3:6 compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire - the tongue's wickedness has its source in hell itself. The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle and hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, AND NO ONE CAN STOP THE RESULTS ONCE THEY ARE SPOKEN. We dare not be careless with what we say, THINKING WE CAN APOLOGIZE LATER, BECAUSE EVEN IF WE DO, THE SCARS REMAIN. A few words spoken in anger can damage a relationship that took years to build.

So, before you speak, REMEMBER THAT WORDS ARE LIKE FIRE, you can neither control nor reverse the damage they can do.
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Pastor Rick Warren
Every great accomplishment is really a series of small accomplishments in a row.
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HOW EXPORTS TO CHINA SAVED OUR BACON

One of the great Labor lies that will be peddled at this election is that Australia was “saved” from the GFC by the brillance of Wayne Swan and wasteful government spending on the Pink Batts farce and B.E.R scandal.

What they won’t tell you, is how Australia’s exports to China boomed during the GFC, and how it was that additional export income flowing into the country (in combination with the sound position that Howard/Costello left the nations finances in) that saved our bacon.

The facts are that over the last 6 years, China as a nation has increased their purchases from Australia every single year.

And last financial year 2011/12 - China’s purchases from Australia were almost $50 billion higher than 2007/8.
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Most Badass Elderly Couple Ever Lives In China.: http://bit.ly/12CNgPr
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July 5: Independence Day in Algeria (1962), Cape Verde (1975) andVenezuela (1811); Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Oliver North
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“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”Psalm 33:12NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"Sanctify them through thy truth."
John 17:17
Sanctification begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that new living principle by which he becomes "a new creature" in Christ Jesus. This work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways--mortification, whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is called "perseverance," by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in "glory," when the soul, being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right hand of the Majesty on high. But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. "Sanctify them," said Jesus, "through thy truth: thy word is truth." The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of God's good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress in sound understanding. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Do not say of any error, "It is a mere matter of opinion." No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.

Evening

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."
Psalm 24:4
Outward practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day. If our hands are not clean, let us wash them in Jesus' precious blood, and so let us lift up pure hands unto God. But "clean hands" will not suffice, unless they are connected with "a pure heart." True religion is heart-work. We may wash the outside of the cup and the platter as long as we please, but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy altogether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves than our hands are; the very life of our being lies in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity within. The pure in heart shall see God, all others are but blind bats.
The man who is born for heaven "hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity." All men have their joys, by which their souls are lifted up; the worldling lifts up his soul in carnal delights, which are mere empty vanities; but the saint loves more substantial things; like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He who is content with husks, will be reckoned with the swine. Does the world satisfy thee? Then thou hast thy reward and portion in this life; make much of it, for thou shalt know no other joy.
"Nor sworn deceitfully." The saints are men of honour still. The Christian man's word is his only oath; but that is as good as twenty oaths of other men. False speaking will shut any man out of heaven, for a liar shall not enter into God's house, whatever may be his professions or doings. Reader, does the text before us condemn thee, or dost thou hope to ascend into the hill of the Lord?
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Vashti

The Woman Who Exalted Modesty
Scripture References - Esther 1; 2:1; 4:17
Name Meaning - Vashti corresponded to the significance of her name, "beautiful woman." She must have been one of the loveliest women in the realm of King Ahasuerus who thought so much of his wife's physical charms that at a drinking debauchery he wanted to exhibit her beauty for she "was fair to look upon."
Family Connections - Bullinger identifies this Persian beauty as the daughter of Alyattes, King of Lydia, but the only authentic record of Vashti is what we have in her brief appearance in Scripture as the queen of the court of Ahasuerus, or Artaxerxes. It would be interesting to know what became of the noble wife after her disgrace and divorce by her unworthy, wine-soaked husband.
While the Book of Esther holds a high place in the sacred literature of the Jews, it yet has no mention of God or of the Holy Land, and contains no definite religious teaching. Martin Luther is said to have tossed the book into the river Elbe, saying that he wished it did not exist for "it has too much of Judaism and a great deal of heathenish imagination." The book contains a genuine strain of human interest, but it is also heavy with the air of divine providence (compare Esther ). Although the story of Vashti only covers a few paragraphs in the book, yet in the setting of oriental grandeur we have the elements of imperishable drama. While the bulk of the book revolves around Esther, from our point of view the shining character in the story is the queenly Vashti, who was driven out because she refused to display her lovely face and figure before the lustful eyes of a drunken court.
By birth Vashti was a Persian princess, possessing along with her regal bearing, an extraordinary, fragile beauty. Although her husband was a king "who reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces," her self-respect and high character meant more to her than her husband's vast realm. Rather than cater to the vanity and sensuality of drunkards, she courageously sacrificed a kingdom. Rather than lower the white banner of womanly modesty, Vashti accepted disgrace and dismissal. The only true ruler in that drunken court was the woman who refused to exhibit herself, even at the king's command.
The Demand
An impressive banquet was to be held in Susa the capital of Persia, lasting for seven days, with the king and his dignitaries joining with hundreds of invited guests in an unceasing whirl of festivities during which wine flowed freely. Both great and small were to be found "in the court of the garden of the palace." Then came the crowning touch of a drunken tyrant's caprice. When "the heart of the king was merry with wine" he commanded that Vashti, his royal consort, appear before the guests. For a week, inflamed with wine and adulation, he had displayed the magnificent wealth and power of his kingdom and the princes had poured flattery upon him. Now for the climax! Let all the half-drunken guests see his most lovely possession, Queen Vashti, who was probably the most beautiful woman in his kingdom. He wanted the intoxicated jubilant lords to feast their eyes on her. The Bible plainly declares that Ahasuerus summoned his wife to the feast simply "to show her beauty."
Had the king been sober he would not have considered such a breach of custom, for he knew that Eastern women lived in seclusion and that such a request as he made in his drunken condition amounted to a gross insult. "For Vashti to appear in the banquet hall, though dressed in her royal robes and crowned, would be almost as degrading as for a modern woman of our modern world to go naked into a man's party." What Ahasuerus demanded was a surrender of womanly honor, and Vashti, who was neither vain nor wanton, was unwilling to comply. Plutarch reminds us that it was the habit of a Persian king to have his queen beside him at a banquet, but when he wished to riot and drink, he sent his queen away and called in the wives of inferior rank - his concubines. Perhaps that is the historic clue to Vashti's indignant refusal for she knew only too well that Persian custom dictated that a queen be secluded during the feasts where rare wines flowed freely.
The Disobedience
To Vashti, the command of the king - her husband, who alone had the right to gaze upon her beautiful form - was most revolting to her sense of propriety, and knowing what the consequences of her refusal to appear before the half-drunken company would entail, refused in no uncertain terms to comply with the king's demand. She stood strong in womanly self-respect and "refused to come at the king's commandment." Her noble scorn at her threatened indignity deserves finer recognition. What the king sought would have infringed upon her noble, feminine modesty, therefore she had every right to disobey her wine-soaked husband. A wife need not and may not obey her husband in what opposes God's laws and the laws of feminine honor and decency. All praise to the heroic Vashti for her decent disobedience.
The Deposition
Vashti's disobedience excited the king to madness. No one, especially a woman, had ever dared to humiliate such a despot whose word was law in all his realm. Such a slight had but one issue, for forth went the decree, "that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus." This degradation also meant divorce, not only from her husband, but also from the life and luxury she had been used to. Thus amid the tragic darkness Queen Vashti - never more queenly than in her refusal - disappears like a shining shadow. The wise men, court astrologers and princes agreed with the king that banishment from the palace was the only fit punishment for such a crime. They knew that Vashti's bold stand might incite other Persian ladies to disobey their liege lords, and so the warrant, silly as it was royal, was enacted that "Every man be master in his own house, and that all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small!"
As a Persian law once made could never be revoked, Ahasuerus, now sober, and likely regretful of his impulsive anger could not reinstate Vashti, thus Esther was chosen to succeed her as queen. It is quite probable that "Vashti continued to live in the royal household, stripped of the insignia of royalty, but with her own integrity clothed in purple." Surrendering the diadem of Persia, Vashti put on a crown which was beyond the power of a despot king to give or take away, namely, the crown of exalted womanhood. How apropos are the lines of Tennyson as we think of the fine character of Vashti, the pagan Persian -
Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control,
These three alone lead life to sovereign power.
Yet not for power (power by herself
Would come uncalled for), but to live by law,
Acting the law we live without fear;
And, because right is right, to follow right
Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence.
Vashti chose deposition rather than dishonor with a mortifying refusal to obey. Her refusal to exhibit herself was visited with "a punishment severe enough to reestablish the supremacy which it threatened to overthrow," but to Vashti, conscience and personal dignity occupied a higher supremacy and for this ideal she was dethroned. Allied to her beauty and regal charm were courage and heroism, securing her character from the rot of power. Vashti had a soul of her own, and preserved its integrity; and if women today fail to honor their life they will never win the best God has for them. It is to be regretted that in our modern world many women are not as careful as Vashti the pagan was in guarding the dignity of the body. Fashion and popularity are a poor price to pay for the loss of one's self-respect. Christian ideals in womanhood may be deemed old-fashioned and in conflict with the trend of the times, but divine favor rests upon those who have courage to be ridiculed for such high ideals. Any woman is one after God's own heart when, as Mary Hallet puts it, she determines by His grace -
To remain refined in speech and action, when it is the style to appear "hard-boiled" -
To be dignified when everyone else pretends to be "wild" -
To maintain a true perspective, a real sense of values, in an irresponsible age.
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Achbor

[Ăch'bôr] - a mouse.
  1. Father of Baal-hanan and king of Edom (Gen. 36:38, 39; 1 Chron. 1:49).
  2. Son of Michaiah and one of Josiah's messengers (2 Kings 22:12, 14). Called Abdon in 2 Chronicles 34:20.
  3. A Jew, whose son Elnathanwas sent by Jehoiakim to bring back Urijah the prophet from Egypt ( Jer. 26:22; 36:12).
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Today's reading: Job 28-29, Acts 13:1-25 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Job 28-29

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
1 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light....

Today's New Testament reading: Acts 13:1-25

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off....

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