Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2022-09-17 08:20

A better option
If we convert our suburbs and towns into high-density housing, as recommended by Brendan Coates (“Quarter-acre dream a ‘problem’”, The Age, 15/9), our gardens and trees will disappear under a sea of concrete unless more open space is created.

We need to adapt quickly to a warmer world to ameliorate the effects of climate change and reduce CO2 emissions. We need far more trees and green spaces to do this and retain and improve habitat for other species.

Stabilising our population, building smaller dwellings to retain open space and making better use of Australia’s current housing stock is a more sustainable option.
Jennie Epstein, Little River  (17 September 2022)

Anonymous (not verified)

Fri, 2022-09-16 09:56

The letters in the Age, as for decades, make much more sense than the articles therein.

THE HOUSING MARKET

The problem is one of demand, not just supply
It is unsurprising that Brendan Coates of the Grattan Institute would tell people to effectively “suck it up” and accept higher-density buildings because the institute is a major spruiker of mass immigration (“Quarter-acre dream a ‘problem’”, The Age, 15/9).

Sure, we don’t have enough houses, prices are astronomical and renters live in fear, but let’s add an extra 200,000 people per year into the demand queue for housing.

Perhaps Coates should accept what the research by groups like the Australian Population Institute or your own commissioned survey by Resolve Strategic are saying and recognise that Aussies and their communities don’t want mass immigration restarted.

Lessening the demand side lowers prices, too.
Kieran Simpson, Blackburn North

The rest of us must accept higher-density living ...
Having a backyard for the children to play in, room for a vegie patch and some fruit trees, inviting friends over for a barbecue and a game of cricket and space from your neighbours was something that the average working person could aspire to.

We were the envy of the world and the Australian lifestyle was no doubt a major factor in the postwar immigration boom.

The quarter-acre dream in the cities is now an option only for the well-to-do. As noted by the Grattan Institute, the rest of us must accept higher-density living. This is the inevitable consequence of policies promoting a Big Australia.
Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove

admin

Thu, 2022-09-15 22:26

The following comment is awaiting approval on Facebook:

To further promote Sunday's protest, I have printed another 300 leaflets (with 50 left over from previous efforts, I have 350) from the two PDF files https://candobetter.net/files/attendStateLibraryProtestForJulian_page1_12sep22.pdf and https://candobetter.net/files/attendStateLibraryProtestForJulian_page2_12sep22.pdf.

The content of the leaflet has been adapted to become the article "Make your Prime Minister act to free Julian Assange: Protest Victorian State Library, 12pm Sunday 18 September" (13/9/22) at https://www.candobetter.net/james-sinnamon/blog/6435/make-your-prime-minister-act-free-julian-assange-protest-victorian-state .

I have, so far, distributed 850 in the CBD - 380 on Sunday and 470 on Wednesday - very hard work. I plan to distribute as many as I can at our weekly Friday night vigil for Julian Assange outside Flinders Street Station - - and the rest in the CBD prior to Sunday's protest. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (Consider becoming my friend on Facebook so we can communicate.)

I believe this can help make the Sunday protest large enough to begin to make the difference that can make this Government finally act to end the illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange.

We must insist, on every possible occasion, including at Sunday's protest, that our Parliament debate Julian Assange, as one example Julian Hill's foreshadowed motion of 10 June 2021. In particular, we must tell our elected representatives that we expect them as a matter of urgency to put Julian Hill's motion (or a motion adapted from it) to the next 4 day session of Parliament commencing on Friday 23 September.

With 30 members of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Support Group they should surely be able to find a way to overcome the procedural rules that have so far prevented any motion for Julian Assange being put to Parliament. Why can't they issue a press release or call a press conference over this?

That Australia's Parliament will not even discuss Julian Assange should be a major international scandal. As, just one example, I am sure that if those two outspoken supporters of Julian Assange, Irish MEPs Clare Daly (@ClareDalyMEP) and Mick Wallace (@WallaceMick) were made aware of this, they would probably hit the roof.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2022-09-12 14:30

"Talking freedom:"

A talk by Dr John Wilson, BDS (Sydney), author of
“Jackals of Slavery and how to defeat them” at the Club Parramatta,

Cnr Macquarie & O’Connell Streets

PARRAMATTA NSW 2150.

Monday, 26 th September, 2022, 7:30 PM.

Donations very welcome.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COMMONWEALTH:

This land is our land. We the People, who call Australia home, are a sovereign,
independent and self-governing nation from Broome to Brisbane and from
Darwin to Tasmania. This is our country and our culture of equality and
friendship. We will not be slaves again. Awaken your best. So help me God.

admin

Sun, 2022-09-11 09:07

See Update of 10 September. With your help we can draw large numbers to next Sunday's protest for Julian Assange from 12PM outside the Victorian State Library at 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne. If you want to help, please download the attached PDF file and print out copies and then distribute them. One place these leaflets can be printed is at OfficeWorks. If you print the leaflets yourself and not ask for them to be printed for you by Officeworks staff, the cost will be 8 cents per leaflet plus a small additional charge for guillotining the printed bundle of A4-sized pages into two bundles of double-sided A5 leaflets, typically $2 for a small bundle and $5 for a larger bundle. So you can expect to pay between $18 and $21 to print out 400 leaflets.

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2022-09-09 08:32

(Reply to 'Similar values expressed on Foreign Correspondent.') But it will drive up the cost of water and food! There is profit in that. And it might make the tourists more interested in coastal land marks in California, to the benefit of hotdog stands and art galleries in that area.  The market always provides silver linings for survivors.

James Sinnamon

Sun, 2022-09-04 00:23

From Wikipedia :

ADX Florence was commissioned when the Federal Bureau of Prisons needed a unit designed specifically for the secure housing of those prisoners most capable of extreme, sustained violence toward staff or other inmates.

admin

Wed, 2022-08-24 23:11

I posted the following beneath a post on the Canberra For Assange Facebook page entitled Canberra for Assange closing on Facebook - send your email.
Did I read this right? Is "Canberra for Assange" shutting down its Facebook page just when there seems every chance of finally raising this for discussion in our Federal Parliament? My local MP Peta Murphy told me on Tuesday night that Julian Assange, will be debated (as it should have been long before now) in the Session Starting 5 September. Prior to that I had handed out copies of my double-sided A4 leaflet "What sort of Parliament refuses to discuss the plight of this most famous Australian?" (https://candobetter.net/files/leafletForJulianReParliament_24aug22.pdf adapted to become https://candobetter.net/files/leafletForJulianReParliament_24aug22.pdf)

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2022-08-18 05:09

RadioTNT interview Tony Wakeham: https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/tony-wakeham-josephine-cashman-on-the-mike-ryan-show-15-august-2022/

Starts at about 5min 25sec and goes to 26min 45sec  Gives publicity to Sydney activists' schedule of weekly gatherings -  11 am Wednesdays outside the US Consulate, 52 Miller St North Sydney, and 11 am Thursdays outside Anthony Albanese's electoral office in Marrickville. Fridays 4pm-6pm Sydney Town Hall.  Talks about how Julian's legal team have gone on the offensive, to sue Pompeo and US Global. Mentions how Albanese's staff are actually rude to the protesters, whereas in other venues tendency to be 'sickly sweet.'  "We know we are on the right track when they try to scare us off."  "It would appear to be that Albo was lying."

https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/tony-wakeham-josephine-cashman-on-the-mike-ryan-show-15-august-2022/

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2022-08-17 18:43

Julian Assange United Anthony Albanese Gathering #17 We will be there EVERY THURSDAY at Albo's Electoral Office at 334A Marrickville Road, Marrickville. In the morning of the 18 August, 2022 We will be there from 11am to 12.30pm. Raising awareness with All, of the outrageous treatment of an innocent Australian. Reminding Albo & Staffers there that 88% of Australians do NOT support the US mistreatment of Julian Assange & "Enough" was always TOO Much! Please come along and express your feelings and help raise awareness of this critical issue of Julian's health and Freedom of Speech.

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2022-08-16 21:32

Julian Assange United States Consulate Gathering #4

We will be there EVERY WEDNESDAY at the US Consulate, 50 Miller Street, North Sydney.

In the morning of the 17 August, 2022 We will be there from 11am to 1pm.

Raising awareness with All, of the outrageous treatment of an innocent Australian.

Reminding the US Delegation there that 88% of Australians do NOT support the United States of America mistreatment of Julian Assange.

Please come along and express your feelings and help raise awareness of this critical issue of Julian's health and Freedom of Speech.

(Tony Wakeham)

admin

Fri, 2022-08-12 01:16

I posted the comment below beneath Australian Labor Party and Assange: Burying the Politics (8/8/22) by Kellie Tranter | . It is awaiting moderation.

If, instead of 'quiet diplomacy' that Julian Hill also seems to be advocating in his 23 minute interview by Cathy Vogan which is embedded above, the Australian Government were to adopt the language and style of Mexican President Lopez Obrador, I think Julian Assange would be free much sooner. In June this year, President Obrador said that Asange is the "best journalist of our time, in the world. He added , "Mexico opens its doors to Assange." On 4 July he said, "If they take him to the United States and he is sentenced to the maximum penalty and to die in prison, we must start a campaign to tear down the Statue of Liberty."

In that interview, Julian Hill seems, unfortunately, to have forgotten his own foreshadowed motion of 10 June 2021 in support of Julian Assange. That foreshadowed motion was disallowed by the shadowy Parliamentary Selection Committee. Here it is:

that this House

(1) notes that:

(a) the trial and extradition of Mr Julian Assange are inconsistent with international law, and Australian legal standards, and contravene the legal rights and protections for which those laws and standards provide;

(b) the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment has found that Mr Assange 'showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma';

(c) several medical reports find that Mr Assange is in ill-health due to prolonged arbitrary confinement, and indeed the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that the 50-week sentence of Mr Assange for bail violation, which formally ended on 21 September 2019, was punitive and disproportionate given the nature of the offence and the usual sentence;

(d) Mr Assange is facing extradition for an alleged political offence, which is expressly prohibited by Article 4(1) of the Anglo-US Extradition Treaty and an abuse of power; and

(e) Mr Assange is an Australian citizen and, if convicted in the US, faces 175 years in prison, which would be in effect a death sentence;

(2) acknowledges that Mr Assange is a publisher and journalist, as recognised by his 2011 Walkley award and 17 other awards for excellence in journalism and promoting human rights, and that his charges:

(a) are a direct assault on press freedom; and

(b) threaten the protection of others who publish classified information in the public interest; and

(3) calls for Mr Assange to be allowed to return to Australia.

The above foreshadowed motion is included within my article "Julian Hill MP to put crucial Motion for Julian Assange to the Australian Parliament this coming Monday 21 June - how you can help" (16/6/2021) at https://candobetter.net/admin/blog/6134/julian-hill-mp-put-crucial-motion-julian-assange-australian-parliament-coming-monday

I would have thought if the then Liberal/National Government were confident that they could justify, before Parliament, their seeming failure to end the UK's illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange, then they would not have been at all hesitant to allow Julian Hill's motion to be put.

The fact that this Parliamentary Selection Committee, which is controlled by both the Government and Opposition parties, disallowed Julian Hill's motion indicates to me that the government understood that, even if they succeeded in using their numbers to vote it down , their arguments would not be seen by the broader public to have withstood challenges from members of the Julian Assange Parliamentary Support Group. For its part, the then Opposition, which is now the Labor Government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was just as fearful of a debate on Julian Hill's foreshadowed motion. I expect that they are no less fearful today.

The open-and-shut case for Julian Assange would have been put before the Australian public. The course of the debate would most likely also have shown that the Australian government could have, at any time since June 2012, to used its power as a sovereign national government to make the UK government end its illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange.

Those members who would have decided to vote against Julian Hill's motion or abstain from Julian Hill's motion could then be held to account for this by their electors at the next election if not sooner.

admin

Fri, 2022-07-29 08:41

<p>Thank you for that very helpful <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mercy.wolf/videos/5287761341271886">link</a>, Olav.</p>

<p>I think you will find of interest the following Tweet about how police guarding that United States' vassal New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sexually assaulted her.</p>

Anonymous (not verified)

Tue, 2022-07-26 09:48

According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, approximately 580,000 people were homeless on any given night nationwide in 2020. Since then, the Census Bureau has reported that 3.7 million Americans are housing-insecure — meaning they are currently housed, but at risk of losing their housing within the next two months. Vermont is not unique in this regard. In California, the state with the highest total homeless population, the amount of vacant housing dwarfs the homeless population by a ratio of about 7:1. In New York, the state with the highest per capita homeless population, that ratio is about 10:1. Even in Oregon, the state with the lowest vacancy rate in the country, the ratio of vacant homes to homeless people is still about 10:1.

quark

Tue, 2022-07-12 14:32

Brendan Crabb of the Burnett Institute said on 774 yesterday morning that Australia  is doing badly with Covid compared with Japan, 5 times our population. He said vital preventives would be ventilation , purification and mask wearing where clean air is not possible. He said he would like to know what advice the chief medical officer is actually giving the government. Measures are up to the state government Emphasised it is an air- born pathogen and measures need to be appropriate to that. Today the Victorian Health Minister has announced changes regarding government position. Ventilation now emphasised and mask wearing  inside is recommended. Minister said the Chief Health Officer  had recommended a mask mandate but government no willing to implement this.  

James Sinnamon

Fri, 2022-07-08 14:51

I posted the following beneath Workers and students demand freedom for Assange at Melbourne protest (7/7/22) | WSWS.

Thank you for this extensive report and for all of your other reporting on Julian Assange. I also attended this protest (although I was late and I missed nearly all of the speeches). My own article on this protest is Melbourne protestors demand that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese act to end the illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange (7/7/22).

My article includes 3 embedded YouTube videos. The last is of my own brief speech at the second event for Julian Assange on that day. That event was a Vigil for Julian Assange outside Flinders Street Railway Station which commenced at 1pm.

In my speech, I argue that, if it chose to, the Australian government could end the imprisonment of Julian Assange today as his imprisonment is illegal under British law, Australian law and a violation of the First Amendment to the United States' Constitution, which guarantees free speech. Were Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to ring up either Boris Johnson or Joe Biden today and tell them that their efforts to extradite Julian Assange are illegal and unless they desist it would be taken to either the International Criminal court or the United Nations, they would almost certainly immediately comply.

I posted the comment about four hours ago. It is still awaiting moderation.

James Sinnamon

Sun, 2022-07-03 07:38

At 1pm following the 11pm protest outside the State Library of Victoria, there will be another protest for Julian Assange in front the Flinders Street railway station. Flinders Street Station is the venue for the weekly Friday vigil for Julian Assange which commences at 6pm each Friday.

James Sinnamon

Mon, 2022-06-27 02:07

Below is an email I have just sent to the following MPS and Senators who are members of the Julian Assange Support group: Mr Adam Bandt MP,  Mr Steve Georganas MP, Ms Zali Steggall MP, Ms Rebekha Sharkie MP,  Mr  Julian Hill MP and Senators Nick McKim,  Janet Rice,  Larissa Waters and Peter Whish-Wilson.

How you can end the illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange - an open letter to Australian Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Dear (Members/Senators ...),

I include below, as an appendix,  a copy of open letter I sent to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday 24 June. That open letter  urged him, without delay,  to use his authority of Prime Minister of Australia to prevent Julian Assange's extradition to the United States and to make the UK government end its illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange forthwith so that he can finally rejoin his wife Stella and their two children and begin to get on with his life again.

If the Prime Minister fails to act,  as I have asked him,  through whatever means he has at his disposal - see Appendix below (or "Open Letter" posted above) - then I think that this issue should be raised as a matter of utmost urgency before the House of Representatives and before the Senate. Given the dire emergency, this matter should not wait until 26 July, one month from now when both houses are next scheduled to sit. I think special sittings of both houses should be called without further delay to discuss this.

Yours sincerely,
James Sinnamon

Appendix: How you can end the illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange - an open letter to Australian Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese - published 24/6/2022 (please see "Open letter" published above.)

admin

Sun, 2022-06-26 00:41

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since 2014 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EU</a> has spent over 15 Billion Euro on Ukraine&#39;s &#39;Reform Process&#39;- But only last September, the EU Court of Auditors found Ukraine to be the most corrupt country in Europe. Now Zelensky has banned 9 Opposition Parties + most Opposition Media - Is Ukraine a Democracy...? <a href="https://t.co/2YpHfTmGCc">pic.twitter.com/2YpHfTmGCc</a></p>&mdash; Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) <a href="https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1540223011214745600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

admin

Sat, 2022-06-25 11:09

In an interview with the Australian Channel 10 TV station program @theprojecttv Julian Assange's lawyer, Jennifer Robinson calls upon Australia's newly elected Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to contact US President Joe Biden in order to ask him to drop their charges against Julian Assange. She also explains that she will be appealing to the UK High Court against UK Home Secretary Priti Patel's decision to allow the US to extradite Julian Assange and will be cross-appealing earlier decisions by the lower courts. She will also, if necessary, make an appeal to the European Court of Human Rightsagainst the extradition to buy more time.

However, as I argue above, stronger and more outspoken action by Anthony Albanese, the newly elected Australian Labor Prime Minister, with recourse, if necessary, to the United Nations or the International Criminal Court, would probably achieve freedom for Julian Assange much sooner.

Michael ANTHONY (not verified)

Wed, 2022-06-22 19:14

What if the whole purpose of this planet is for the development of a species to quantum leap into the cosmos and too much concern for small matters that shrink in importance to the egg,earth,(fertilized)giving birth.You know when Morrison was saying we need to control the ''virus'' by vaccinations,....the ''virus ''he was referring too was us..go back and watch interviews of those in the know..They were culling the virus and as you made clear''we are the virus'' That mindset of human's being a virus on earth is what allows psychopathic people like Bill Gates and the likes to cull human....but I say this..if there is too many people in the life raft and some people believe that some need to caste adrift then let those who believe this to be the sacrifice if that be their belief....What we are seeing with the covid cull(vaccine)is part of the Paris accord and the think tank ''club of Rome's'' existential threat to mankind that they conjured up in the early 70's...That was addressed with the green house effect being our great quandary..but really what they were conspiring to do was to breach nationhood sovereignty to bring forth world govt..This would be met with great resistance unless an existential threat was created or at least an invasion from higher order beings from space could lead us to enlightenment....The marxist has no idea what they are creating and are useful idiots...Very soo in Australia we will not have energy because the owners have declared all resources belong to them...Food being the essential energy they will not be sharing...We must never think that we are protecting Gaia when she is capable of defending herself...and to kill any of her children whether corella or human is against the law.To stand back and allow the govt to euthanise our elderly in nursing homes,ECU's and palliative hospital care is so wrong and any society that does not hold their elders in esteem is doomed.This is why unions did nothing while they euthanised western populations..If most understood the insidious nature of the culling of humans and i do believe the left knows and is indifferent as long as global warming is addressed...Coincidently Greta Thunberg the student hoodwinker made her 12 year warning exactly `12 years before 2030 when the WEF has decided you will own nothing and be happy...All of us will return to peasant class and live in some communist styled prison while those who know best will enjoy neo capitalism or as they call it''stakeholder capitalism''

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2022-06-09 09:19

Ithaka Movie Link for Part 1. We want Julian Free Before June 29, 2022. You can watch for free the Part 1 & 2 of the movie/documentary that followed Julian Assange's father around the world for 2 years whilst he tries to free Julian his son: The first episode of Ithaka: A Fight For Julian Assange https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ithaka-a-fight-to-free-julian-assange Part 2 will be broadcast on Tuesday June 14, at 8:30pm Brisbane Australia time GMT+10:00. 

Anonymous (not verified)

Thu, 2022-06-09 01:11

At one point in the trial yesterday (Wednesday 9 June), I heard the judge tell Gurwinder "you're privileged to be on bail". I thought this is a bizarre statement given that Gurwinder has been trying for years to have the charge against him heard in court. All these years Gurwinder has emphatically denied his guilt of the charge that he had threatened to kill Mr Kevin Power, a former attorney at the Victorian Legal Services. He has tried strenuously to have the charges against him heard in a court before a jury as is now occurring.

One way or the other Gurwinder's 'privilege' of being on bail will end in, possibly, 2 weeks from now when he will be found either 'guilty' or 'not guilty' by the jury. If he is found 'guilty' he may face up to 10 years in prison. if found 'not guilty' he will be be able to walk free from the court. Either way, Gurwinder's 'privilege' of being on bail will end, no thanks to the many and varied judges who have handled the case so far or to the Victorian State prosecutors.

Only in preference to Gurwinder having to serve 10 years behind bars could the prolongation of his bail for so long be considered, in any way, a 'privilege', so it appears to me that by saying that Gurwinder was "privileged to be on bail", the judge was, in fact,  implying that Gurwinder was guilty. I think that shows that the judge has shown unfair prejudice against Gurwinder.

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2022-05-28 14:09

Meanwhile Your investment property magazine online calls for more mass migration to increase its own bottom line and damn yours and that of wildlife:
"There is a strong need for the new Australian leadership to encourage the resurrection of immigration levels to boost housing demand in the country. BuyersBuyers CEO Doron Peleg said the latest record on unemployment, which fell to its lowest record since 1974 to 3.9%, signal the need for stronger levels of immigration." 
Although they subsequently pretend that skills need boosting with immigration, they give their game away by calling for more immigration because unemployment levels are down.  Source: https://www.yourinvestmentpropertymag.com.au/news/population-gains-needed-to-boost-housing-demand-279079.aspx  

admin

Wed, 2022-05-25 01:12

Oliver Stone's "Ukraine on Fire" referred to above, has been difficult to find on-line for some time. However, tomorrow (Wednesday 25 May) at 10:34am 3:34pm, and 9:34pm (in the easternmost states of Australia) or at 12:34am, 5:34am and 11:34am (GMT), will be broadcast on Iran's PressTV news service. PressTV's live-stream is here and ist schedule is here.

Anonymous (not verified)

Sun, 2022-05-22 08:45

This excellent letter, from Deborah Morrison of Malvern, appeared in "The Age" today 22 May 22.  (Of course the Sustainable Australia Party was running with such a policy, but there was no mainstream publicity for that.) Conspicuously absent Among the various policies spruiked pre-election, two major issues at the forefront of many Australians’ minds – immigration and population – were notable by their blatant absence. Although the Coalition budget papers indicated its desire to revert to pre-pandemic levels of immigration as quickly as possible, it made no public and formal electoral commitment on such an increase. Nor did Labor make any substantial announcements on these issues. Such bipartisan recalcitrance speaks volumes about both parties’ lack of awareness of how the Australian electorate views these issues. Despite the usual arguments from certain vested interests, alleging the benefits of a “Big Australia”, the experience of many Australians of high immigration means a consequent exponential population explosion, generating continual detriment to already over-stretched resources, affordable housing, healthcare, employment, congested roads and crammed suburbs. For many Australians, the competitive, pre-COVID battle to access these life basics is strongly and negatively etched in their consciousness. It appears both major parties realise immigration and population growth are fraught areas and it is better to remain silent – at least until ensconced in power. Deborah Morrison, Malvern East

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2022-05-21 20:18

David McBride: Declassified Film - Palace Electric Cinema, Canberra ACT. https://www.facebook.com/events/686623395743018/?source=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited&action_history=null

An intimate portrait of ex-military officer and whistleblower David McBride, who exposed war crimes in Afghanistan committed by Australian Special Forces. With a life sentence weighing on his shoulders as his trial against the government approaches he reflects on his upbringing, values and why his actions were justified despite the burden on his family and mental health.

SCHEDULE

Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 6 PM

Palace Cinemas

Olaf (not verified)

Tue, 2022-05-10 23:51

Miranda Devine has done an impressive and detailed interview. She explains really well why the Bidens should be viewed as criminals. Why isn't everyone in the world - well those who can understand English - watching this and reacting?

Seraphine (not verified)

Tue, 2022-05-10 23:46

How can anyone in the world take America seriously, with Biden in charge? How can NATO go along with his war plans? The man heads a criminal network of elite pirates. I can't get my head round how anyone voted for him and how he has not been removed from office and tried for influencing the removal of an investigator in Ukraine because he threatened Poreshenko that he would withdraw some aid to Ukraine.

James Sinnamon

Mon, 2022-05-09 14:13

I see that you are a compulsive liar. To give just one example, you headline this thread with the claim "Victoria Nuland has confirmed that there is an Illegal US bio-weapons program in Ukraine"

You surely have more than two neurons connected together under your skull? So how is it that you cannot work out from, that exchange with Senator Mark Rubio, which is embedded in the article above, that Victoria Nuland clearly admitted that there were US-operated biological warfare laboratories in Ukraine, even if she did not explicitly say so? If those 'biological research facilities' were not biological warfare laboratories, then what did she have to fear from them falling into Russian hands? There is abundant other confirmation of this on the internet including in articles by Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva.

As shown in “One less traitor”: Zelensky oversees campaign of assassination, kidnapping and torture of political opposition (17/4/22) by Max Blumenthal and Esha Krishnaswamy, Zilensky's death squads and the Ukrainian SBU security services have gone after both Russian speaking nationals and ethnic Ukrainians who have advocated peace with ethnic Russians.

The sooner the Zilensky regime is thrown into the dustbin of history, the better for all of humanity, not least of all, Ukrainians.

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2022-05-04 00:43

Subject was: Response to Robert Chernenko on Ukraine nuclear etc - Ed

Robert Chernenko wrote above recently

[...]. Biolabs are everywhere. Australia has thousands of them. I've worked in crop research biolabs. Obviously many biolabs work on animal, plant and human pathogens that have security protocols that could be disrupted by war, as well as proprietary information. 

He ignored the fact that the United States has for decades refused any independent investigation of the biolabs it funds, which makes them illegal. He shows no curiosity or alarm at the detailed and documented reports of bio-weapon designs and projects in Ukraine and many other countries, nor, for example, their funding in Ukraine by the United States President's son, Hunter Biden - which we have noted here: https://www.candobetter.net/admin/blog/6335/illegal-us-bio-weapons-programs-ukraine-georgia-and-elsewhere-evidence-given-un. See also https://www.candobetter.net/taxonomy/term/6017. 

So, without dealing with the alarming context of these biolabs, he changes tactic and says that Russia does not place a high value on safety, then quotes an article in The Guardian, dated 1 May 2022. That paper simply reported what it had heard from the Ukrainians, without balancing it with the Russian response.

However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, dated 24 February – 28 April 2022, says that, "On 4 March, Ukraine informed the IAEA that Russian forces had taken control of the Zaporizhzhya NPP site. Ukraine reported that the facility’s training centre — located a few hundred metres from the reactor units — had been hit by a projectile and a localized fire had broken out that was later extinguished." (Source: IAEA Summary Report by the Director General 24 February – 28 April 2022.) What the report avoids saying is that the Russians reported that Ukrainian soldiers had caused the fire.  There is also an allusion to a laboratory having been trashed, but another report by the Russians shows that no vital equipment was damaged and it looked as if the sabotage had been mainly cosmetic, in order to try to implicate the Russians.  That report has to stand until the west finds evidence to the contrary. 

A later version of the Guardian article (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/01/russians-fled-chernobyl-with-radiation-sickness-says-ukraine-as-iaea-investigates) of the same date, was balanced with some  comments from the IAEA Director General Grossi. In the IAEA report on the matter, it says that the IAEA was unable to confirm reports of high radiation doses to Russian soldiers. 

Robert wrote:

It is clear the Russians don't place a high value on safety.  The Russians didn't bother with safety issues when they occupied the damaged Chernobyl plant and subjected the Ukrainian workers and their own soldiers to health risks.  Radiation sickness is now a problem for their soldiers.   See for instance www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/01/first-thing-russians-flee-chernobyl-with-radiation-sickness-says-ukraine

Robert's above statement and conclusions are contradicted by the IAEA report:

"Radiation monitoring: Radiation monitoring data from the Chornobyl site, regularly provided through the online radiation monitoring system, have not been received through the International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS) since 24 February. However, the SNRIU has reported some radiation measurements from the Chornobyl site. Some of these measurements from the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone indicated an increase in the gamma dose rates that was attributed to the displacement of soil due to heavy machinery movements in the area. Based on these data, the IAEA assessed radiation levels as low and within the operational range measured in the exclusion zone since it was established, and therefore considered that they posed no hazard to the public. In the absence of relevant data or observations, the IAEA has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. "

The Director General of the IAEA has taken an apparently very pro-Ukrainian approach, and has even been seen shaking hands with the Ukraine President Zelensky.  Whilst he implies that Ukrainians did all the work, nevertheless, his reports admit that the Russians withdrew and left management of the plants to their Ukrainian teams, having restored power to Ukraine, leaving no pressing nuclear problems or safety issues.

Robert wrote:

What I find far more convincing is the dozens of fact checks by groups like NPR that clearly refute and give background on the Russian claim of US bioweapon labs in Ukraine:  wwwDOTtheguardianDOTcom/us-news/2022/apr/01/first-thing-russians-flee-chernobyl-with-radiation-sickness-says-ukraine  

Unfortunately Robert has given the Guardian story about 'radiation sickness' again, instead of the reference he wanted to give.  However we cannot take what the US National Public Radio (NPR) says for gospel, just because it is the NPR, or because it may quote some 'authorative' figure. One has to carefully examine the statements, the evidence, the logic, and whether the opinion of the other side has been sought and reported. From what I have seen, the NPR is in war-mode like the rest of the US press and reports all Russian perspectives as if they were laughable, and attacks anyone prominent who doesn't. This is not serious journalism.

Robert wrote:

 

I have absolutely no interest in rebutting what the Bulgarian "journalist" Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, who pushes anti-Western pro-Kremlin lies has to say in a blog. Why would anyone?

Robert should look at what Dilyana Gaytandzhieva actually writes and says before he cancels her, instead of just doubting her on the say-so of western propaganda. The fact that there are professional character assassination pieces all over the web about Dilyana Gaytandzhieva means one should look very carefully at what she is saying, because the purpose of those attacks is to make you look away from what she is saying.  She is being seriously attacked because she has seriously documented US provision of arms to terrorists in Syria, for instance. This is not news to anyone who has talked with Syrians in Syria and, if people look at our site, they will see that we have been covering Syria for some time, and with local reporting as well.  Anyone who exposes US war-crimes gets that kind of treatment if they are at all successful.  Look at what the United States and the UK are doing to Julian Assange.  That should be enough to make anyone severely doubt the honour of your government and of the western press.

Robert wrote:

As Brandolinis Law notes, "the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude larger than to produce it."  

Yes, I can relate to that here.

Robert wrote:

I note, however, that Gaytandzhieva has been called out by moderate centre left sources like the "The Guardian" for pushing Kremlin narratives.  

So, if the Guardian says it, you automatically believe it?

Robert wrote:

[...] Vladimir Putin is a violent murderous war-mongering criminal who has nipped Russia's budding democracy in the bud, waged war against his neighbours and killed, poisoned, murdered and chased out of Russia nearly all independent voices, including the press. What is wrong with you? Why does this blog lionise far-right dictators like Putin and fascist politicians like Marine Le Pen? 

The west says that Putin has poisoned the Skripals, brought down MH17, poisoned Navalny, censored the news, waged war against his neighbours, etc etc.  Somehow the western press and the leaders whose opinions it reports all know immediately what poisons were used, who administered them, who shot planes down, almost before these things happen.  They never allow Russia to participate in their investigations, and they use these confected incidents as fodder for continuous anti-Russia propaganda.  Much of the time, they imply that Russia is actually the same as the [defunct] USSR.  And when Robert talks about Russia invading its neighbours, I suspect he also thinks that.

The west uses and abuses international sport and international commemorations of WW2 to drum this propaganda in. It is so ridiculous, anyone awake has to be suspicious. 

And what is the motive of US-NATO in this propaganda? It is so they can say, to anyone who criticises the west's own serial invasions and continuous warmongering, that this is all Russian 'disinformation'.  They imprisoned Julian Assange for telling the truth.  Yet Australians are supposed to believe that Russia just invaded Ukraine for no reason at all.  And to put up with blanket censorship to back the lies up.

Even the Pope questions the narrative:

"Pope Francis has said that NATO’s eastward expansion may have provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin into launching an attack against Ukraine. In an interview published on Tuesday by Italian daily Corriere Della Sera, the pontiff speculated that “the barking of NATO at Russia’s door” could have driven Putin into launching the military campaign on February 24. “I can’t say if it was provoked, but perhaps, yes,” he said.  (Original Italian:
"La preoccupazione di papa Francesco è che Putin, per il momento, non si fermerà. Tenta anche di ragionare sulle radici di questo comportamento, sulle motivazioni che lo spingono a una guerra così brutale. Forse «l’abbaiare della Nato alla porta della Russia» ha indotto il capo del Cremlino a reagire male e a scatenare il conflitto. «Un’ira che non so dire se sia stata provocata — si interroga —, ma facilitata forse sì». "(Source: Intervista a Papa Francesco: «Putin non si ferma, voglio incontrarlo a Mosca. Ora non vado a Kiev», Corriere del sera, 3 March 2022, https://www.corriere.it/cronache/22_maggio_03/intervista-papa-francesco-putin-694c35f0-ca57-11ec-829f-386f144a5eff.shtml)

 

Whilst Russia may have committed crimes, I cannot take those reported by our press seriously, because they make so little sense.  The crimes of the west, however, have been very carefully investigated by people who have had to flee for their lives or have faced prison - Daniel Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and many others - see for instance https://www.employmentlawgroup.com/timeline-us-whistleblowing/ I did not wake up one day and decide I wanted to embrace Russia, or Syria, but I did come to realise, decades ago, that most of what I read in the paper/saw on TV and heard from politicians was seriously limited and distorted, and reflected very little of what people actually thought or cared about.  I read more than one language and look at various media outlets from all over the world - something that is actually possible these days with the internet, but which US-NATO and allied governments have been trying to prevent.

 

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Tue, 2022-05-03 22:33

Hi Sheila. I think you know perfectly well that Russia uses various tactics to disseminate its propaganda, such as troll factories. The same technique is done for Russian speaking audiences. Fortunately much Kremlin propaganda is clumsy, such as literally hundreds of Russian  TikTok influencers using identical scripts as shown here:   wwwDOTviceDOTcom/en/article/epxken/russian-tiktok-influencers-paid-propaganda

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2022-05-03 22:05

You say, "Russian propaganda is everywhere," then only mention RT, which, as you say, is no longer available on youtube. In fact, it has been banned and destroyed in the UK, the US, France, Germany and Australia.  However, there is actually very little from Russia in Australia or elsewhere in the Anglosphere, so please tell us where you find it. Whilst you may be able to access RT, most people cannot and do not even know it exists. Furthermore, they have no idea whatsoever about the situation from Russia's point of view. 

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Tue, 2022-05-03 14:00

The title of this comment has been changed from "Why is James So Gullible?". Robert, should you wish to continue making comments here on candobetter.net, I advise you to desist from making ad homonym attacks. I particularly object to ad homonym attacks that can be viewed on our front page, as will occur when the title includes an ad homonym attack. - Ed.

Dear James, I have no interest in doing a "desktop investigation" from the comfort of my computer room on war propaganda produced by Russia. Obviously, any such investigation would be unsatisfactory and inconclusive. I take this item of war propaganda as seriously as I took Russian claims that they weren't about to invade Ukraine, which I presume you gullibly swallowed until the invasion actually transpired. I also don't trust claims made by Ukraine without independent verification from qualified and reliable experts because subterfuge is part of the art of war.

Apart from pushing Russian propaganda and vilifying Ukraine and its people, I see that you are a compulsive liar. To give just one example, you headline this thread with the claim "Victoria Nuland has confirmed that there is an Illegal US bio-weapons program in Ukraine" then quote a rant by Glenn Greenwald that embeds words spoken by Victoria Nuland that sustain the claim. I can only assume you didn't think I'd read it or watch the entire footage of Nuland's response to Rubio for context. 

James Sinnamon

Tue, 2022-05-03 11:31

On 6 April 2022, as published in Illegal US bio-weapons programs in Ukraine, Georgia and elsewhere - evidence given at UN Security Council (2/5/22),Russia presented, to the United Nations Security Council, what they considered to be evidence that the US had been operating biological warfare laboratories in both Ukraine and Georgia. At that session Dilyana Gaytandzhieva also made a presentation in support of those allegations.

All present were free to make their own contributions to the debate. A number spoke in support of Russia's allegations, whilst others supported Russia's call for an independent investigation of those allegations.

Only delegates from Ireland, Norway and Albania, allies of the United States attempted to rebut those allegations.'

Perhaps you could tell us, Robert, whether you think those speakers succeeded in in refuting Russia's allegations or. if not, how you might have been more effective?

For their part, neither the US nor the UK attended that session. Do you think they missed an opportunity to further refute the claims made against them or do you think they were afraid to confront their accusers?

quark

Mon, 2022-05-02 16:51

According to a letter to the editor of The Age today an article in the same publication of 29/4 entitled  " Coles boss calls for more immigration" quoted Coles boss Steven Cain as saying  “I would certainly like to see more focus on getting more immigration into the country because, eventually, we’ll see rising wages if there isn’t more supply.” Someone on another forum aptly commented that the quote was  "Worthy of a Ponzi nomination for Rent-Seeker of the Year." 

admin

Mon, 2022-05-02 04:17

Robert Chernenko wrote:

I have absolutely no interest in rebutting what the Bulgarian "journalist" Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, who pushes anti-Western pro-Kremlin lies has to say in a blog. Why would anyone? As Brandolinis Law notes, "the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude larger than to produce it."

In order to show to me that Dilyana Gaytandzhieva is not as authoritative as I believe her to be then, surely you only need find one specific claim somewhere in one of her articles and produce evidence that refutes that claim. How would require, on your part, more than a small fraction of the effort Dilyana put into writing any one of her articles, let alone an "order of magnitude" more? The fact that you have not shows me that either your grasp of science is insufficient to understand her articles or that you have not been able to find in her articles even one claim that you are able to debunk.

Regarding Vladimir Putin, presumably you preferred Russia the way it was, when it was ruled by Boris Yeltsin. I will deal with your smearing of Vladimir Putin some other time.

On JFK, I am curious to whether or not you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK with his 'magic bullet' on 22 November 1963.

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Sun, 2022-05-01 10:37

A response to this post can be found below - Ed, 4/5/22.

Dear James Sinnamon, did you closely read what Victoria Nuland said in the Glenn Greenwald text you quote? Contra your bizarre headline Nuland doesn't say there is an "illegal US bio-weapons program" in Ukraine. Biolabs are everywhere. Australia has thousands of them. I've worked in crop research biolabs. Obviously many biolabs work on animal, plant and human pathogens that have security protocols that could be disrupted by war, as well as proprietary information.  It is clear the Russians don't place a high value on safety.  The Russians didn't bother with safety issues when they occupied the damaged Chernobyl plant and subjected the Ukrainian workers and their own soldiers to health risks.  Radiation sickness is now a problem for their soldiers.   See for instance wwwDOTtheguardianDOTcom/us-news/2022/apr/01/first-thing-russians-flee-chernobyl-with-radiation-sickness-says-ukraine

What I find far more convincing is the dozens of fact checks by groups like NPR that clearly refute and give background on the Russian claim of US bioweapon labs in Ukraine:  wwwDOTtheguardianDOTcom/us-news/2022/apr/01/first-thing-russians-flee-chernobyl-with-radiation-sickness-says-ukraine

 

I have absolutely no interest in rebutting what the Bulgarian "journalist" Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, who pushes anti-Western pro-Kremlin lies has to say in a blog. Why would anyone? As Brandolinis Law notes, "the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude larger than to produce it."

 

I note, however, that Gaytandzhieva has been called out by moderate centre left sources like the "The Guardian" for pushing Kremlin narratives.

 

By the way, do you tweet as @malthusista?  Did you seriously write "The last national leader that the US had who measured up to Vladimir Putin's stature was JFK".  ??!  Vladimir Putin is a violent murderous war-mongering criminal who has nipped Russia's budding democracy in the bud, waged war against his neighbours and killed, poisoned, murdered and chased out of Russia nearly all independent voices, including the press. What is wrong with you? Why does this blog lionise far-right dictators like Putin and fascist politicians like Marine Le Pen? 

 

 

 

 

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Sat, 2022-04-30 17:15

James Sinnamon has responded to some of what Robert Cherminko has written below in the article Even Victorian Nuland has confirmed that there is an Illegal US bio-weapons program in Ukraine (30/4/22)- Ed

From what I have seen, you faithfully and uncritically recite Kremlin propaganda and publish obviously false narratives, for instance the false claim that the US was silly enough to have bioweapon labs  in (corrupt and unstable) Ukraine, a country always at  risk of Russian invasion.  On the other hand, you studiously and deliberately ignore the independent Russian journalists who risk being poisoned, jailed, killed and tortured to push back against the Kremlin narrative and tell the truth.

 

I can't work out what the purpose of this blog is, other than to push the agenda of extreme nationalists and fascists like, Putin and Marine Le Pen, in order to ensure Europe is ripe for World War 3.  Strangely, while engaging in rampant war mongering, you claim to want peace. Interestingly, your rhetoric is almost a carbon copy of that used by the Third Reich on the eve of World War 2.

 

By the way, if I want to know the Russian persective,  Russia Today and so on can be accessed in 2 seconds, even though YouTube has (rightfully in my view) given these outlets the flick. Interestingly, Russian state propaganda made for the local consumption is now trying to justify Russian first nuclear strikes against western Europe. Any thoughts on that?

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2022-04-30 14:00

You can post a URL if you give your email address and we make you a contributor, but you don't give your email address. If we allow URLs from quasi-anonymous sources, we will get a ton of spam and have to spend hours a week culling it.  It can also provide a way in for hackers. (See https://blog.knowbe4.com/top-12-most-common-rogue-url-tricks) We used to allow URLs and that was our experience. In our most recent update, we were advised to stop allowing them. But I agree with you, it is a pain. We will review the policy. In the meantime, how about just putting 'dot' in instead of .?  Or paste the name of an article and the publication, if that is appropriate, then people can look for it on the internet. Given that we have lots of exposure here to US, UK, and other Anglosphere and also French mass media, I doubt you will come up with anything we haven't already heard about, but have a go.  :-) We aren't suppressing the western mass media stuff. It floods the world and everything else is hard to find. Candobetter dot net reflects a perspective that is rare as hens' teeth in the Anglosphere.

quark

Thu, 2022-04-28 10:31

Nancy Baxter MD PhD,Head of Melbourne School of Population & Global Health said this morning on ABC Radio National  that we have now 10 times the number of deaths as we would from flu without Covid 19. She said this could be significantly reduced if people would wear masks in indoor settings. She also mentioned that we are not hearing about the statistics any more (which we are not) It is totally bizarre and makes a complete mockery of Daniel Andrews' sepulchral tones in his daily medial briefings  in the early days of the pandemic, the 5km radius, not being able to have visitors, only allowed out for an hour per day for exercise ……..Melbourne was the most locked down city in the world and now it's "let it rip".

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Wed, 2022-04-27 18:37

Why not allow URLs? Why suppress links that may not align with your anti-Ukrainian narrative?

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Wed, 2022-04-27 17:57

Patrick Lancaster, like many of the cranks you promote on this website, has been exposed as a fraud on numerous occasions. Hardly any western journalists are allowed to report from Russian war zones and those that do are carefully vetted to ensure they stay on message. Nearly independent Russian journalists have bee shot, poisoned, imprisoned or chased out of Russia by Putin's thugs. Yet you don't on that.  Here is one example of Lancaster being exposed wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=Fiomfv8NWi8   You also showed your hand by siding with the fascist candidate, Marine Le Pen, in the French Presidential election. I can't fathom what the point of this blog is, other than to engage in rampant war mongering and to promote extreme right wing nationalism and fascism in Europe. Being Ukrainian by descent (but not birth, I'm 2nd generation Australian), I am chilled by the lies you say about my country.

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2022-04-27 00:01

Try leaving out URLs when you make your answer or substitute the word 'dot' for actual dots in URLs. We do not approach our articles with view to justifying Russia's actions,but we do see this as a NATO conflict, carried out in Ukraine, and we publish what seems logical. 

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Tue, 2022-04-26 18:10

I did attempt to an extensive rebuttal of your faithful recitation of Kremlin propaganda but your auto mod settings were twice tripped. Oh well.

admin

Mon, 2022-04-25 02:09

Stella Moris, to whom Julian Assange was recently married, appeals for action to prevent the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States. She argues that documents from the US government have revealed that it reserves the right to inflict upon Julian Assange the very treatment that a UK court had previously ruled would cause Julian Assange's death. She concludes by calls upon the US government to drop the case against Julian Assange as has been demanded by every free speech and free press organisation.

Sharon (not verified)

Sun, 2022-04-24 20:20

 How does the US have so much credibility for the average person - or seems to? How do they achieve this plausibility?   Obviously the media is a big thing but is it to do with their "costumes"  which are the same as ours and the Russians for that matter  but different from the Afghans and the Iraqis. It's possibly part of it, anyway.  They don't wear "silly clothes".  Or is it partly that we are so accustomed to their accent via the movies which we have been exposed to since childhood?  The interviewees describe what has been happening very well - that it has morphed into a monster over the last few decades. Maybe, the problem is  - that they were our friends, our saviours , our heroes (sort of) 50 - 80 years ago and it's hard to believe that this can happen. It's like finding out that your father who used to bring home presents for you like plastic sandals and white rabbits is a murderer!   

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2022-04-24 00:51

60 Minutes: Senator Wilkie says Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese both need to ask US to let Assange go (9 April 2022)

Andrew Wilkie interviewed by 60 Minutes, says Scott Morrison should ask Biden to free Julian, and so should Anthony Albanese, especially in view of our new close relationship to the US. Full @60Mins Report: https://t.co/VWMMfa2HhH https://t.co/B1laR7RhUX

https://www.facebook.com/tara.cummins.7712/videos/400611008153432/

Irish Senator Paul Gavin lambasts UK Gov for cowardly 'no comment' on Julian Assange plight

Senator Gavan points out the appalling hypocrisy of the British Government, in its treatment of the human rights of a man who exposed more war crimes than any other individual." This took place in October 2021 at the eanad Éireann debate -Tuesday, 19 Oct 2021, Vol. 279 No. 7

https://www.facebook.com/tara.cummins.7712/videos/4573581339413692

DEPUTY FRANKIE FEIGAN: "The Minister [Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney] considers this to be a legal matter within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom that appears to be subject to ongoing legal proceedings. The question of the next steps for Mr. Assange rests with the UK judicial authorities. As legal proceedings are under way on this matter in another jurisdiction, the Minister does not intend to comment on this case."

SENATOR PAUL GAVAN: "It is so disappointing. We have a seat on the UN Security Council yet the Minister of State says the Government will not comment on perhaps the biggest human rights case facing the western world. What a contrast with the situation in Belarus. That is a situation involving a legal case.

That is a legal matter and the Government has no problem commenting on it. It has no problem commenting on legal proceedings in Russia but it will not offer a word of condemnation or stand for human rights when it comes to a man who has done more to expose war crimes than any other individual in my lifetime. The Minister of State is here to say there is nothing to see here and he will not comment.

Where are the values of this Government? How can this be acceptable in the face of the horrendous plight of Mr. Julian Assange? We all know why this is happening. The US wants to send a message to the world that if anybody tells the world what it does, this is the treatment that will be meted out. This is the punishment that will be received. We can see that happening to Julian but the Minister of State is here saying he has no comment. It is appalling."

 

admin

Sat, 2022-04-23 23:06

Robert,

The only death sqauds in Ukraine are those fighting on behalf of the Kiev regime which was imposed upon Ukraine by the Maidan coup of February 2014. Those death squads are comprised of neo-nazis who openly worship Stepan Bandera, the infamous Ukrainian who collaborated with the occupying Nazi Germans in the Second World War against Jews, Poles, Russians and other ethnic minorities within Ukraine. According to Wikipedia, between 1.2 million and 1.6 million were murdered by those collaborators over that period of time. The most notorious incident was at Babi Yar from 29 September until 30 September 1941.

Given that a number of political opponents of President Zelensky have been murdered by his death sqauds and that all independent TV channels have been closed and given the proliferation of US-operated bio-warfare laboratories on Ukrainian soil, what sane and decent Ukrainian would not see the Russian military operation as, at worst, an evil far less than the continued rule of Zelensky?. (Incidentally, Zelensky, just like the former president Poroshenko before him in 2014, stood as the peace candidate in the 2019 elections and won an overwhelming 70% of the vote.)

Most, if not all, of the accusations made by the corporate newsmedia against Russia arising from its Special Military Operation in Ukraine, launched on 24 February, were put to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a recent 56 minute interview by Geeta Mohan, Foreign Affairs Editor of India Today. I think you will find that all of those accusations were rebutted.

The Interview was originally posted to YouTube, but is now on Facebook. I have embedded that interview here:

You should also consider watching United Nations Security Council debates on Ukraine. One debate occurred two weeks ago and lasted almost 4 hours. Whilst Russian and its supporters are in a minority on the Security Council, I have, nevertheless, found that Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian representative representative was able to rebut accusations from the US, the UK and other allies on the Security Council.

Robert Chernenko (not verified)

Fri, 2022-04-22 19:03

What is your plan for getting the Russian death squads out of Ukraine? If Ukraine falls, will Moldova be next? Are the Baltic States safe? 

quark

Fri, 2022-04-15 10:16

Given the volume of the crowd and therefore the distances involved , those voices are remarkably in unison, almost as one voice.

admin

Wed, 2022-04-13 00:08

In the face of popular protests in support of Imran Khan, the illegitimate majority that now controls Pakistan's parliament installed Shehbaz Sharif as Prime Minister of Pakistan on Sunday 11 April. Shehbez Sharif and his parliamentary supporters are probably counting on being able to continue to defy the popular resistance to their rule and not be held to account for their treason for until October 2023, 18 months from now, when the next general elections are scheduled to be held.

Given the overwhelming support enjoyed by Imran Khan from the people of Pakistan, it may prove impossible for that parliament to continue to cling on to power for anything like that length of time.

admin

Mon, 2022-04-11 09:57

James Sinnamon

Sat, 2022-04-09 00:29

Thank you , Sheila.

Whilst Imran Khan has shown enormous courage and skill in standing up to the United States, he must continue to do so in order to overcome the US's parliamentary accomplices, who now form the majority of Pakistan's parliament.

That illegitimate majority is now trying to prevent the occurrence of the general election that Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered on 4 April. Were that election to occur, few of those now in control of Pakistan's parliament would remain in office.

At around midnight, Queensland time, tomorrow night, that is Saturday 9 April and not Friday 8 April as I had previously erroneously posted, Imran Khan will be addressing the Pakistani people about the current political crisis. Hopefully, we will be able to get both the video and transcript of that address and then be able to republish it here, on candobetter.

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2022-04-08 21:44

I think that Khan has documented the United States' interference in his country's democracy in a way that cannot be denied.  Of course the US-NATO serving corporate press will contrive in some way to make it all seem Khan's fault.  I hope it does not get to the point where he is designated with the 'mad dictator' title that generally precedes an aggressive regime change, and possibly invasion.  The US seems to be restlessly looking for more ways to extend its political territory and trade wars. I guess the divisions between Pakistan and India may stop India from backing up Imran Khan in such a situation, but it would be good if they did not. I have been very impressed with Khan's performance to date. I think he is good for Pakistan.

James Sinnamon

Fri, 2022-04-08 20:50

Correection: i first erroneously wrote that the address was to occur at around midnight on Friday (Qld time, UTC+10), when, in fact, it was to occur around midnight on Saturday.

As Pakistan is 5 hours ahead of GMT, 'tonight' (presumably around 7pm in Islamabad) would be around midnight in Queensland, Australia, which is 10 hours ahead of GMT. Hopefully, there will be a video recording and a transcript of the address made available.

James Sinnamon

Thu, 2022-04-07 16:21

A debate on claims that Russian soldiers murdered hundreds of Ukrainian civilians can be found on Iran's PressTV at War Crimes Accusations in Ukraine (6/4/2/22). Unfortunately, I was unable to embed that video here, so visitors will have to follow the link in order to view the debate.

In that debate, Ian Williams, who professes to have been opposed to the numerous past wars by the United States, nevertheless argues, that the US is right to oppose what he claims is Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Tony Gosling argued that, given that Ukrainian President Zelensky has allowed the United States' effective control of Ukraine to continue, thereby threatening the very existence of Russia, Russia was left with no choice but to launch its Special Military Operation against his regime on 4 February.

Zelensky's continuation of the war against the Russian speakers in the Donbass and his efforts to make Ukraine even more closely aligned with the US through NATO membership were contrary to his 2019 presidential election promise to bring peace to Ukraine.

The previous Ukrainian President Poroshenko also promised, in his 2014 election campaign, to bring peace to Ukraine, but, instead, continued with the war against the Donbass and also became a puppet of the US.

In my opinion, Tony Gosling convincingly won the debate.

The mp4 file can be found at https://preview.presstv.ir/ptv///program/20220406/Spotlight06042022.mp4.

James Sinnamon

Wed, 2022-04-06 21:50

From The Bucha Provocation(4/4/2022) | Moon of Alabama :

The former Indian ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar calls it an outright fake:

An indignant Moscow has angrily demanded a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday over the allegations of atrocities by Russian troops in areas around Kiev through the past month. Prima facie, this allegation is fake news but it can mould misperceptions by the time it gets exposed as disinformation.

A Tass report says: “The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the Russian Armed Forces had left Bucha, located in the Kiev region, on March 30, while “the evidence of crimes” emerged only four days later, after Ukrainian Security Service officers had arrived in the town. The ministry stressed that on March 31, the town’s Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk had confirmed in a video address that there were no Russian troops in Bucha. However, he did not say a word about civilians shot dead on the street with their hands tied behind their backs.”

Even more surprising is that within minutes of the “breaking news”, western leaders — heads of state, foreign ministers, former politicians — popped up with statements duly kept ready and only based on the videos, seconds-long videos and a clutch of photos, ready to pour accusations. No expert opinion was sought, no forensic work was done, no opportunity given to the accused to be heard.

James Sinnamon

Mon, 2022-04-04 19:05

Steve M,

I am still waiting for your response to my comment Russia or the United States - which is the aggressor? of Wednesday 30 March - more than 6 days ago.

Whilst you have at least posted a response to the above Video testimony by a Ukrainian woman against her US puppet ruler President Volodymyr Zelensky, there is little more substance.

You claim to not be 'pro-war' whilst repeating the lies of the same corporate newsmdedia that lied to us about "Weapons of mass destruction", Libya, Syria, the Vietnam war, the Korean war, etc., etc.

One 'argument' you have presented is:

NATO poses no threat to Putin's Russia because Russia has nuclear weapons.

The Russia/Ukraine border, is at one point, less less than 400 kilometres from Moscow. How would US nuclear-armed missiles based on Ukraine, as little as 400 kilometres from Moscow and other large Russian cities not be a threat to Russia?

Back in October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, US President John F. Kennedy conceded that Russian President Kikita Khruschev was right to be alarmed that US nuclear-armed missiles were based in Turkey. In return for the Soviet Union removing its nuclear-armed missiles from Cuba, JFK quietly removed the missiles from Turkey.

How is it any less reasonable for Vladimir Putin to feel no less threatened by US nuclear-armed missiles placed that much closer to Moscow?

Clearly, given the United States' record, since 1945, for waging bloody wars against so much of humanity, again, as I explained here, how could all Russians, including Vladimir Putin, not be terrified at the prospect of Ukraine being covered with US missile launchers, military airfields, naval bases and bio-weapons facilities?

Whilst I would feel somewhat mystified as to why Russia would need to buy weapons from France, I fail to see how this is relevant.

You wrote:

… tell your friend Mr. Putin to stop murdering, torturing and raping Ukrainians.

Time and time again, Russia has refuted claims that it has deliberately killed Ukrainian civilians. In fact, the Ukrainian neo-nazis forces have again and again fired at Russian forces from behind human shields. They use human shields precisely because they realise that the Russian army tries very hard to avoid killing civilians.

The Russian Army even tries hard not to kill regular Ukrainian soldiers (as opposed to neo-nazis including those in the Azov Battalion). When they launched the Special Military Operation on 24 February they did not launch missiles at any of Ukrainian army barracks in which tens of thousands would have been asleep.

If you still insist that the Russian Army is committing atrocities against Ukrainian civilians, please feel welcome to show us what you consider to be evidence of Russian atrocities and, perhaps, we can proceed from there.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2022-04-04 18:19

So, Steve or Mr Stoll, I gave you a chance, but your response is just abuse.  I assume that is because you do not know what you are talking about. If you are not a troll, I can only suppose that mass-media brainwashing has disabled your ability to think logically, and that cognitive dissonance has overwhelmed you emotionally.  You have my sympathy.

Steve M (not verified)

Mon, 2022-04-04 17:42

Once again the candobetter war criminals dissemiate Russian lies to justify the orgy of murder  torture  abductions and rape carried out in an illegal war on behalf of the deranged dictator , Vladimir Putin.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2022-04-04 17:11

Okay, I will take you on your word and see what happens. Is this what you mean by your argument?  "NATO poses no threat to Putin's Russia because Russia has nuclear weapons. Until relatively recently, NATO countries like France were even selling weapons to Putin."

Zelensky was talking about stocking up on nuclear weapons, and that seemed to be the immediate provocation for Russia's special operation (invasion). Russia would not be able to intercept medium range nuclear weapons targeted against it, because the distance between Russia and Ukraine is too short.  If Ukraine were to deploy such medium range nuclear weapons, that would also give the United States a chance at a first strike on Russia.   So Russia had no defence except to invade Ukraine and destroy all of Ukraine's military arsenals and infrastructure, which is what President Putin announced was intended by Russia's Special Operation. 

The threat to Russia from Ukraine has been political and economic, with a US coup against a pro-Russia government, accompanied by US backing of civil war against the pro-Russian populations of Donbass. The US has been pumping weapons into Ukraine and helping train its militia. Until the US coup removed the pro-Russian president, there was not much trouble in that region. Ongoing for years have been the United States attempts to prevent Russia from supplying gas to Europe via Nordstream 2.  The United States finally succeeded in getting Germany to suspend its agreement with Russia for the pipeline (which Germany had originally asked to be built) when it drew the whole of the EU into war against Russia. That is largely what the war is about. It is a trade and currency war (since USD petrol currency is crucial for US international dominance).

Obviously a lot of other trade considerations are affected, but I won't complicate my answer with those. Except to say that US-NATO's efforts to destroy the Russian economy seem more likely to destroy US-NATO allies' economies.  Somehow US-NATO forgot about China, India, etc, plus all the other countries that have suffered through US-NATO invasions and economic interference.

As for France and other NATO countries selling weapons to Russia, it defies common sense and safety, but it probably doesn't defy commercial sense. 

Steve M (not verified)

Mon, 2022-04-04 14:19

I have presented an argument. Meanwhile you recycle the lies generated by the bloodthirsty Chinese and Russian propaganda organs. Utterly shameful.

Editor's comment: The 'argument' that Steve M presented is all of two sentences, consisting of 27 words. Here it is, again:

That was an on-script Russian troll delivering one of the most wooden performances I have ever seen. Does anyone on this site have even half a brain?

I think its time that Steve M applied his talents elsewhere.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2022-04-04 13:06

Steve M. /Mr Stoll, The fact that you only repeat slogans, use intemperate language, and never give any evidence or argument, makes your assertions impossible to take seriously. They are just examples of how someone can be emotionally swayed by one version of events to get angry at another version.  Then again, trolls use the same technique: repetition and insults.  Here, we use argument.

Steve M (not verified)

Sun, 2022-04-03 12:22

Why on earth would you recycle crude Chinese propaganda like this? In another post you uncritically reproduce Russian Ministry Of Defence lies. Just how low can you go? Does your war mongering have no limits?

Steve M (not verified)

Sun, 2022-04-03 12:15

I'm not called Mr Stoll in any other forum nor do I somehow as a private citizen represent NATO. Both these claims are deranged. I am also not pro-war. I  want Putin and his murderous thugs out of Ukraine. NATO poses no threat to Putin's Russia because Russia has nuclear weapons. Until relatively recently, NATO countries like France were even selling weapons to Putin. Stop your warmongering and tell your friend Mr. Putin to stop murdering, torturing and raping Ukrainians 

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2022-04-03 10:24

Dear Mr Stoll (for that is the name you go by in another forum).

Your comments are instructive in the art of pro-war trolling, providing, as they do, a classic example of war-propaganda.  They aim to stigmatise me and my work and cause others to avoid association with me, not through reason, but purely via abuse.  Given that I am only a tiny player on the internet sphere, I take this as an indication of the overkill that US-NATO feels it needs to engage in so as to combat any opinions contrary to its propaganda, even when it has managed to censor most branded and government news and analysis sites, so as to prevent Australians from hearing anything from the other side in the Ukraine war, for fear that people then might call a halt to the continuous US-NATO hostile intervention along Russia's borders.

Steve M (not verified)

Sat, 2022-04-02 12:58

That was an on-script Russian troll delivering one of the most wooden performances I have ever seen. Does anyone on this site have even half a brain?

admin

Wed, 2022-03-30 10:51

Steve M,

You aware of how many people the United States has killed just since 1990, let alone since 1945, aren't you?

Many hundreds of thousands, possibly over one million Iraq alone. Hundreds of thousands killed in Syria and Yemen. At least many tens of thousands killed in each of Libya, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Somalia. The numbers of dead in each one of these conflicts is at least one order of magnitude larger than the 1,151 civilians that may have been killed in Russia's Special Military Operation against the United States' puppet Ukrainian regime of Volodymyr Zelensky which was launched on 24 February.

And what about the many millions killed by the United States in each of the Korean and Vietnam wars?

And yet, the government of Ukraine, supposedly representing the will of all Ukrainians, wanted to form a military alliance with such a country through NATO!

How could Russia not have seen this as a threat to its own existence?

I consider the omission of the above context in our 'news' media narrative about the Ukraine-Russia conflict to be censorship. Don't you?

And what about the removal of Oliver Stone's "Ukraine on Fire" from YouTube?

The war in Ukraine, in fact started in November 2013, when the United States paid Ukrainian vassals from US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's $7 billion war chest to stage violent protests against the democratically elected government of President Victor Yanukovych. After Yanukovych was forced to flee for his life, Russian speakers in Crimea, without firing a shot, voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia.

Ukrainians in the eastern Russian-speaking provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk peacefully protested against the regime and were met with tanks and bullets. They organised self-defence forces to resist the new regime. The conflict in that region has cost over 14,000 lives so far. Much housing and infrastructure of those regions has been destroyed by the Ukrainian regime's neo-nazi Azov battalion footsoldiers.

Even according to Wikipedia the civilian death toll since 24 February, presumably not including from Lugansk and Donetsk and Lugansk, is 1,151 civilian deaths and 1,824 wounded confirmed.

The number of civilians killed in each conflict started by the US well exceeds what Russia is alleged to have killed in Ukraine so far. In each of those many conflicts initiated by the US, the numbers killed by the US exceeds the numbers killed by Russia since 24 February by at least an order of magnitude.

None of this is mentioned in any of Australia's government and commercial 'news' reports on Ukraine. How is this not censorship?

How about properly informing yourself about the facts of the Russia/Ukraine conflict before you make further posts to candobetter?

And why do you consider it necessary to smear the editor of candobetter?

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2022-03-30 01:21

Here's the ABC report. It contains no critical analysis, no horror at the formal censorship of the other side.

(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-29/ukraine-russia-war-live-blog-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskyy/100945928#): 

Melbourne community radio station suspends volunteer presenter over offensive content

Melbourne ethnic community radio station 3ZZZ has suspended one of its Russian broadcasters after complaints were made about offensive content.

In a statement released last night, the station said a complaint had been made that the presenter was broadcasting offensive material related to the Ukraine conflict.

The volunteer presenter has been stood down.

3ZZZ said it met with the broadcaster to emphasise the seriousness of the matter and request a formal response.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is also investigating the program, which is accused of broadcasting pro-Kremlin content.

3ZZZ broadcasts programs in more than 60 languages and claims to have more than 400,000 listeners.

And here is a link to The Guardian on the same subject: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/29/melbourne-radio-station-3zzz-suspends-russian-language-broadcaster-over-ukraine-war-reports

​​​

quark

Tue, 2022-03-29 08:01

Heard on the ABC (RN) this morning that Community radio 3 (I think) ZZZ has stood down a Russian speaking volunteer for imparting disinformation and propaganda on that station. Subsequent Internet searching has yielded nothing 

Steve M (not verified)

Sat, 2022-03-26 20:19

This is one of the creepiest and most dishonest websites on the internet and the video posted here is crude propaganda that is reminiscent of the Third Reich's justification for invading Sudetenland .   I'm amused by Newman's incessant whining about censorship given her lies are all over the internet and the thug she supports, Vladimir Putin, detains people for merely holding up a blank sheet of paper, has poisoned multiple opposition figures, routinely locks up political prisoners and ethnic undesirables (Crimean Tatars etc)  and has elevated to hero status the Nazi philosopher Ivan Ilyin, even having his remains brought to Russia from Switzerland and commemorated.  

admin

Mon, 2022-03-21 01:43

In fact, the example below, relates to a Chinese government official, Zhang Meifang who has been labeled a '"China Government Official' by Twitter. Twitter has apparently presumed that many of its users are too stupid to be able to work out for themselves that Zhang Meifang is an official of the Chinese Government.

RT and RT video programs like CrossTalk, Going Underground and Worlds Apart were funded by the Russian government. Newsmedia funded by the British State such as the BBC is not similarly labeled, nor is the US government funded National Public Radio (NPR) labeled thus.

A more likely motive for tweets from those working for Russian or Chinese government media organisations being so labeled is to imply that that those making those tweets must be doing so for nefarious purposes and that those who follow those accounts and even retweet those tweets, knowing that they are produced by people working for those overseas governments, must also be doing so for nefarious purposes.

DeFoe Mary (not verified)

Sun, 2022-03-20 10:12

In 1881, two years after his book Progress And Poverty was published, American theorist Henry George said at a meeting (paraphrasing): Speculation is surely a part of the equation as to why real estate prices rise (say thanks to those who build properties in places like New York to house immigrants until they could save enough to purchase their own homes). However, he believed, the rises should be a reflection of productivity.

Prior to the mid-1980s from America to Australia, what Henry George asserted a century earlier held true. However, over the past 20 years, particularly so in the last decade, the speculative attribute has become the foremost aspect of the equation that has forced real estate prices to rise. But what is most intriguing, and demonstrable since 2010, is that it sits on the timeline when wage increases have flattened.

Astonishingly, real estate prices have risen about 22% from October 2020, through to January 2022, when the country was locked-down with corona virus. This big increase took place when productivity was sluggish due to the lock downs. This has been exacerbated with people being able to borrow money at low rates of interest. The fusion of these elements has culminated with people borrowing staggering amounts of capital to buy properties. With the result being that Australia has become a massive Ponzi-scheme!

On February 7, economic writer Alan Kohler, wrote on the insanity of real estate: ‘Australia is an over-borrowed building society’. Kohler tells us about the rise and demise of the Pyramid Building Society. You can gain the whole picture of this tale by googling up Pyramid’s profile. However, although Pyramid was established in 1959, it was not until 1983, when its board ramped up borrowing more capital. But when real estate prices declined, it was left holding under priced assets and went broke on July 1 1990. The uncomplicated reason for its demise was because it had borrowed way too much capital. Thus, when the music stopped it couldn’t find a chair and went bust.

Kohler writes: “Oh dear, that’s what Australia is now: A permanent building society that has borrowed too much for expensive properties (and) is now facing higher interest rates.”

Kohler also gave his opinion of what the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Phillip Lowe, said at the Press Club meeting on the economy (February 5):

“In my brief spot on 7.30 that night, I called it an extended shrug of his shoulders to the threat that rising interest rates will bring to bear upon borrowers already hocked to their eyeballs in debt.”

Essentially, what Kohler’s suggesting that Lowe and the RBA’s board, neither knows what is going to happen or, more to the point, as to exactly what they are going to do about this conundrum facing them: a), whether to raise interest rates to curb inflation ; or b) to sit tight with the 0.01% rate; because of the disaster that it would ensue for mortgagees having to find at least $400 per month more to service their loans. Obviously, the latter scenario would spawn a dire scenario that would seriously afflict the ability of low-income earners to meet their increases in mortgage commitments.

Kohler gives us data on the household debt to disposable income ratios of 1989 and 2022, informing us that it has:

“tripled from 0.6 to 1.8 times”.

Of course, circumstances are much different now in 2022, than what they were in 1989. For instance, official interest rates back then were 18%, as opposed to the low 0.01% currently in place. However, when interest rates inevitably have to rise and, for argument’s sake, they get to just 1.5%, it means the minimum amount of money needed to cover an increase in mortgage repayments will be around a minimum of $400 per month.

But, providentially (sic), for at least for the next two months, the war in the Ukraine has presented Phil Lowe and the RBA with an excuse to hold off on raising interest rates. Alas, after that time, Lowe and the RBA won’t be able to continue dilly dallying around with indecision on raising rates.

But inevitably, whether it is Phil Lowe of the RBA or Jerome Powell of the US Federal Reserve or the Bank of England etc, etc, the confluences of the war in the Ukraine and inflation will soon bear upon the big picture and force central banks to bite the bullet. Which means they will have to raise interest rates and, quite likely, it could also see the reemergence of stagflation once again - to further complicate an already complex scenario.

Are we witnessing the collapse of globalism?

 

 

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2022-03-17 17:02

The Conversation has, on two occasions, censored a comment I wrote linking to Jimmy Dore's video. The latest article was https://theconversation.com/why-russian-attacks-on-innocent-ukrainian-citizens-will-probably-intensify-178621.The comment was sober and non-inflammatory, in fact based on the introduction to the above article. I can only suppose that putting a link in that would lead the public to records of high profile speakers, going back as far as 2014, talking about US-NATO in Ukraine was more truth than The Conversation could bear. Nonetheless it is terribly disappointing to have such direct proof that they will allow people to argue around these points but will absolutely refuse real information to Australians about the Ukraine war. It is really sickening to read the emotive, biased articles on the Conversation on the subject of the Ukraine war, focusing on the suffering of the Ukraine people, yet to have the Conversation, in reality, protect the aggressors.

DeFoe Mary (not verified)

Mon, 2022-03-07 10:47

Jennifer Westacott is the chief-officer of the Business Council of Australia [BCA] and she is regularly solicited for media commentary in print and electronic media channels. The reoccurring message she parlays on behalf of BCA, is pressuring governments to ramp-up immigration intakes as the means to power the economy. 

On February 18, Westacott wrote an opinion-piece in the Financial Review: "Migrants, more women more productivity."

In The Australian of 18/2/22 she gets a mention in the article: "Bosses want budget boost for migrant workers catch-up."

Westacott pressed a case for the Federal government to increase the permanent migrant intake to about 220,000 per year in the next two years, up from the 160,000 before the borders were closed, in order to catch up on lost numbers. However, to be able to catch up on the lost numbers in the next two years would, of course, require having to double the number of permanent migrants arriving to about 320,000.

A mere two weeks after Dominic Perrottet ascended to the premiership of NSW in mid-October 2021, this boof-headed, economic-rationalist was duly championing a like-minded scheme. Still, he went way further than Westacott by advocating for the numbers to be raised to 400,000 and continuing until 2027!!!

But if the permanent number of immigrants were to become 220,000 per year, it actually means the number of immigrants entering the country in a year will be in the vicinity of 500,000. This is so, because the permanent component of the gross figure of immigrants arriving into Australia in the previous decade, averaged about 40% per year. The other 60% are classified as temporary-migrants, with the largest contingent of them from 2014 being international students. Yet, after completing their courses, around 65% of international students remain in the country for at least 2 years, and up to 6 years working in some capacity. The rest of the temporary migrant categories can be anything from IT workers, backpackers to seasonal-agricultural workers.

With respect to agricultural workers, there is a clause in this visa-type which stipulates that if they worked diligently harvesting crops for at least 3 months, then they would have their 12-month visa extended by that period. 

According to an immigration lawyer I know well, this clause in working visa-types has been ruthlessly exploited for years:
He told me in February 2016, a firm he was working with sent him to Mildura to speak with a group of Asian workers undertaking agricultural chores, and who wanted to utilise working 3 month to transition to another visa, which permitted them to stay longer and work in urban areas. 

He said on attending a shed on a property  he encountered four other lawyers from other firms doing the same thing. There were over a hundred potential customers. The other striking matter is they were all women aged between 25-35.

Most  were from Vietnam, and were intending to work in nail/manicure businesses, and  their agricultural visas were only a means to allow them to transition to work elsewhere.

Corruption and manipulations rule – all for Big Business!

Richard Smith (not verified)

Sun, 2022-03-06 13:43

For immigrationists, the vilifying "racism" insult is just a figure of speech, or a rhetorical weapon for slandering and defaming nationalistic Aussies. It's not something believable that has any real moral significance. This is how mass immigration works: When Aussies refuse poverty wages, employers can undercut them by paying immigrants poverty wages. And the immigrationist politicians justify this by slandering Australian workers if they murmur about this. I try to understand the obsession of those weird people afflicted with craving for more population growth. It is the pathological obsession of this age, and it has infected the debate about population and the economy.

ZPG (not verified)

Tue, 2022-02-08 08:32

The Reserve Bank killed my sister. She died last week of loneliness and dementia in a Christian aged care home at Mentone.   Zero interest rates have boosted the price of my sister's house by an astounding 20% a year. But of course, her house had to be sold to pay the very large bond demanded by the aged care home three years ago.   Reserve Bank dogma and zero interest rates have been great for real estate speculators. Wonderful for the stockbrokers along Pitt Street and Collins Street. The Bank cares about climate change and ethnic diversity and gender fluidity.   But the Reserve Bank couldn't care less about the thousands of senior Australians in aged care, all who have paid millions in aged care deposits, with all those deposits getting zero interest in bank term deposits. Refundable deposits are the foundation financial structure of the aged care industry.   A modest interest rate of 3% on my sister's $450,000 deposit would have created an extra $13,500 for the nursing home. Not much. But enough for some extra nursing shifts, some better food from the kitchen, and an occasional bunch of fresh flowers.   David Z Hughes

quark

Mon, 2022-02-07 10:57

Our correspondent from Pakenham recommends reading a recent publication "Future of the Fringe" by Michael Buxton  in partnership with Andrew Butt, Michael Buxton. Prof. Buxton has worked with the Green Wedge Coalition  and also lodged a recent submission to the Victorian Parliament strongly advocating preservation of Green Wedges. Our correspondence t also notes the following:  The Victorian State government has put in place in the Pakenham district a change in who now conducts the railway management, general structure and current works. They appear  to be separately managed now rather  than under government control.     Our correspondent draws our attention the area on a map of Pakenham East and the western boundary of Ryan Road,  "the northern boundary of Princes Highway with extensions developed, and southward toward a freeway parallel with the country rural rail line to Nar Nar Goon (until now!) A new suburb is obviously being planned (Pakenham East) which  is expected to provide for over 7,100 dwellings supporting between 20,000 and 22,000 residents.)  

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2022-02-02 23:08

Julian Assange has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight for human rights, democracy and press freedom, it was confirmed today.

German MEP Martin Sonnenborn responded to an appeal by Mr Assange’s partner Stella Moris ahead of today’s deadline for nominations.

“Julian Assange has made unique and undeniable contributions to peace by lifting the fog of war,” Ms Moris said urging support for the journalist who remains locked up in Belmarsh high-security prison.  " Source and headline image Morning Star

admin

Wed, 2022-01-26 21:18

Of United States' President John F. Kennedy (JFK), in his otherwise informative Why does the US Need Wars and Armed Conflicts? | New Eastern Outlook (12/1/22), Vladimir Danilov lists the Bay of Pigs invasion, which lasted from the 17th until the 20th of April 1961, just three months after President JFK's inauguration, as yet another of many examples of the United States meddling in the affairs of other nations:

… the Bay of Pigs Invasion, was a disastrous operation in 1961, which John F. Kennedy gave an order to initiate.

In fact, President John F. Kennedy inherited the Bay of Pigs invasion plan from the previous administration of President Eisenhower. Whilst he was clearly well informed about other geo-political conflicts including the struggles for independence in Algeria, Congo and Vietnam, JFK was not so well-informed about Cuba.

To get his approval for the Bay of Pigs invasion to succeed, the CIA convinced JFK that the communist Cuban governemnt of Fidel Castro was deeply unpopular and once the Cuban contras had landed on Cuban soil, the whole population of Cuba would rise up in support of those contras.

That did not happen. Once the invasion commenced, the population of Cuba rallied behind Fidel Castro's government. In bloody fighting, the Cuban armed forces, supported by the national militia, were able to drive the contras back to the beach.

At this point the commanders of the US Air Force and US Navy appealed to President Kennedy to allow them to give military support to the contras to prevent the defeat of the invasion.

When he received this request, President Kennedy realised that they had claimed that Castro's government was unpopular, the CIA had lied to him. He refused to allow the US Navy and the US Air Force to bombard the Cuban armed forces in support of the invading contras. As a consequence, the contras were quickly defeated and the survivors captured.

JFK vowed "to splinter the CIA in a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds" for their deception. Unfortunately, with all of the other challenges he faced as President, he was not able to achieve that. The CIA then succeeded in first finishing off JFK in Dealy Plaza, Houston, Texas on 22 November 1963.

Had Kennedy lived, there is a good chance that he would have been able to fulfill his plans to disband the CIA and thence to dismantle the United States military-industrial complex against which his predecessor President Eisenhower had warned. The Vietnam war would have ended and a long series of bloody wars in the Middle East and Africa as well as a number of bloody CIA-sponsored military coups in Latin America, as well as Indonesia, could have been prevented.

Steps to not only limit nuclear weapons, but to remove them altogether from the world's military arsenals would have commenced.

President John F Kennedy's legacy stands in stark contrast to that of his successors right up until former President Donald Trump and the current President Joe Biden. Were JFK's true legacy to be acknowledged by Vladimir Danilof and other journalists opposed to the United States' empire, then the prospects of overcoming that murderous empire would be so much better.

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