Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Tue, 2014-07-15 08:53

Australia is one of the few mega-diverse nations in the world, teaming with endemic wildlife. This gives us a rich diversity, the result of long periods of evolution. The arid interior occupies approximately 70 per cent of the continent, with tropical monsoon areas to the north and a Mediterranean and temperate climate to the south. It's been more than 20 million years following the break-up of the ancient Gondwanan landmass, a period that saw extensive evolutionary divergence of its plants, animals and microorganisms. Australian species are adapted to poor soils, are tolerant of extreme conditions and can be easily propagated and regenerated which makes them highly valued worldwide. It is estimated that 40 per cent of tropical plantations in the world are of Australian species. Clearing the land of vegetation and wildlife, through prescribed, or deliberate burning, will create a landscape ripe for farmers, for short term profits, and more opportunities for housing and industries. There will be no more accountability for the environment, such as the Environmental Impact assessments, the EBPC Act, Ramsar or any other hindrances to "progress". It's the natural conclusion to a free market economy, where businesses determine political policies, and they're allowed a free rein to dismantle our country as a generic and barren landscape suitable only for industries, grazing, mining, logging, hunting and other destructive economic activities. There will be no accountability to wildlife, or any other hindrances.

James Sinnamon

Tue, 2014-07-15 02:00

Captain Obvious wrote:

The Internet allows every man and woman free access to information. The truth is out there for anyone who wants it.

So, on which Internet pages can your own claims can be verified?

Captain Obvious wrote:

They fed [the soldiers of the Red Army] lies, disinformation, and propaganda. They did their best to invoke the inner sadist in every soldier and let them loose on the "fascist invaders".

The Nazi German invaders and their Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian allies were not fascist invaders? Are you saying that they were liberating the Soviet Union from communist tyranny?

13,684,692 Soviet civilians died as a result of the Nazi invasion in addition to 8.7 million military dead according to one estimate. That is a total of 22,400,000 who died as a result of the Nazi invasion. Add to that:

Country Total dead (estimates)
Poland 5.62 million - 5.82 million
Yugoslavia 1.03 million - 1.7 million
Greece 0.32 million - 0.81 million

... killed by the Nazis and their allies.

Between 6 million Jews and between 130,565 and 285,650 Romanies perished in the Nazi death camps. (Some of these deaths are included in the figures above.) Hitler planned to exterminate 25 million inhabitants of Eastern Europe and Russia in order to create "lebensraum" on which German ubermenschen were to settle and breed.

No-one has attempted to deny the political repression carried out by the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe, nor excuse the brutality of some Red Army soldiers towards the people of Germany and other Eastern European countries, but how anyone can claim that instances of rape by brutalised soldiers, who had just gone through such a horrific ordeal and had seen so many of their own people perish, is worse than the war crimes and attempted genocide by the Third Reich is beyond me.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2014-07-14 20:03

Thanks for this, Post Growth Era. And, if sea-level rises as some predict, since most of us live on the coasts, where most food is also produced, and most infrastructure is built and more being developed, we will become climate refugees in our own country. I note however that scientific promulgations on climate change have still not taken on board valuable work in Russia (and elsewhere) which shows a strong relationship between coastal forest removal and changes in wind patterns leading to reduced rainfall inland and desertification. This is absolutely crucial in my opinion. See also the new article on candobetter.net about Victorian prescribed forest burning policy - our foolish and uneducated politicians are are creating a hell on earth in Victoria. http://candobetter.net/?q=node/3940

PostGrowthEra

Mon, 2014-07-14 12:11

The US study found that southern Australia is drying out because human activity has changed the concentrations of greenhouse gases and ozone in the atmosphere. SMH: Australia's south to become even drier In an accompanying article in Nature Geoscience, Professor David Karoly from the University of Melbourne wrote: "The study is one of the very few instances where regional rainfall changes have been linked to human-caused climate change." Increasing greenhouse gas levels, depleting ozone layer are shifting rain belts southward. Scientists believe the world is still on track to become more than 2 degrees Celsius warmer - and that potentially means whole ecosystems could be wiped out. There is the possibility of widespread and permanent damage to coral reef systems, particularly the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo in Western Australia. Some native species could be wiped out. CSIRO chief research scientist Mark Howden said the latest science predicted production could drop by up to 40 per cent under a severe drying scenario. The Murray Darling Basin will change dramatically and will no longer be the food bowl of Australia. We hear a lot about Australia becoming the food bowl of Asia, but Australian agriculture potential will be restricted by decreasing rainfall in the South. The dream of Australia being the "food bowl" of Asia is an economic dream not based on reality. She should be building up a fortress of sustainability and self-reliance, and independence - not globalisation.

admin

Mon, 2014-07-14 00:47

The comment below is a continuation of the abovementioned Online Opinion forum discussion on Syria. It was posted on 12 July 2014. Nothing further has, so far, been posted since to that forum. - Ed

As of 30 May 2015, over 20 months later, nothing further has been added. - Ed

At (previous post), Plantagenet wrote, "Your odd posts which appear to be blaming Western and Sunni Governments for the sins of Syria's Shiite regime are more than a little strange. Are you sending this stuff from Damascus?"

Why strange? Because they don't swallow the nonsense put out by our press? The explanations we get for NATO shennanigans are a lot stranger than reality, IMHO.

I'm writing from Melbourne, but the video I linked to was of US observers filmed in a UN forum. I am blaming the US/NATO because I do not see how a civil war unsupported by the majority of Syrians could have gone on so long in the absence of their underwriting, interference and massive propaganda. The Syrian government was not and is not a 'regime', nor is it religious. Syria is a non-sectarian state. Much of its law resembles the French civil code as usually happens to once-French colonies. Religious extremism is coming from the outside, including the awful Gulf States in league with NATO. Syria contains several strong tribes, used to settling differences between them. Their members are of all kinds of religions and non-religions. Outside interference is destroying a functional state. I have a background in petroleum politics so I can see why US/NATO is messing around in this region, trying to isolate both Iran and Russia. My knowledge here alerted me to the extreme superficiality of mainstream press reporting, a la Murdoch, Fairfax, CNN. I did some research by talking to a lot of Syrians, here and elsewhere and using other news sources. Syrian Girl Partisan is a fantastic source you may not have heard of: Two weeks prior to recently concluded elections Syrian Girl argues case for Syria at http://candobetter.net/?q=node/3861 and (articles about) Mother Agnes Mariam: http://candobetter.net/?q=taxonomy/term/4510  .

NOTE: I also tried to find out why Bashar al Assad was supposed to be such a brutal dictator. I have yet to find out why. Do you know why? I promise you I have looked long and hard. Even to Hilary Clinton's reasons for viewing Bashar this way in her diary on her role as US Secretary of State, e.g. here: Review: Hillary Clinton's Hard Choices - the Syria Chapter at http://candobetter.net/?q=node/3906 .

DennisK (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 19:45

As the USA becomes demographically closer to Mexico, we can expect its economy and political structure to also resemble Mexico. Many say that the Californian economy is in decline, but it isn't. It is merely equilibrating to a new standard, as is the rest of the USA. But it's not the fault of the Mexicans. Obama has expelled more illegal immigrants than any previous president. Republicans have been at the forefront of pushing this demographic change. There is essentially little to no operational difference between the two parties (a difference in rhetoric, image and stated philosophy yes, but not in operation). The USA has been sold off years ago. It is a dying empire, resembling all previous dying empires. Increasing wealth inequality. Hedonism. Rule by a few rent seeking wealthy vested interests. Overstreched imperialism and increasing control and tyranny at home. Blaming Obama (he is definitely corrupt as well, with a very poor sense of freedom) is passing the buck. The entire plutocratic class should be held responsible. I sense that soon, or even beginning now, will come a time when those who caused this problem will deny they were ever part of it.

DennisK (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 16:01

NSA Whistleblower Speaks: “The Ultimate Goal is Total Population Control” at http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2014/07/11/nsa-whistleblower-speaks-the-ult... Total surveillance is no longer a conspiracy theory. Those who said I was a kook for suggesting that our "freedom loving" government would even consider monitoring everyone are wrong. Edward Snowden showed that the NSA is tracking pretty much everything. They have 8 million American's on a list of people to watch. Thats one in 37. Doesn't sound like many, but think about that. That includes old people, babies, children. Out of any 37 people, how many are politically active, one, two? They're on a list. I would be very astonished, if surveillance in Australia by our intelligence agencies does not extend far beyond what they are legally allowed to do. People in the "Allied" countries, have gone to jail, for expressing an opinion. In Britain, you can get arrested for speaking in defence of your nation. "Truth is no defence" there. You can go to jail for saying something TRUE. In Australia, the media are pushing to defend maintaining laws which allow one to be jailed for expressing opinion. TODAY, people are fleeing the USA to avoid political persecution from revealing illegal government surveillance. And yet people are worried about some people the media calls "neo-nazis". Leftist "Heroes" are busy fighting against some working class Australia who's not happy with diversity. Liberals have utterly failed to defend our liberties. They are now lock step with our authoritarian governments, defending their limitations of free speech, excusing surveillance and complicit in allowing big media to push the states agenda. They are attacking the working class for expressing the wrong opinion, and saying they are the fascists and nazis. In the USA, they are too beholden to Obama to criticise him. In Australia, they work to silence opposition to foreign imperialism in Australia! Don't lose sight of the real problem. We have, today, corporations running our government (the very definition of fascism). We have, today, surveillance even stronger and more pervasive than what Hitler had. We have people reporting thought crimes to the state. Today, our media is nothing more than the propaganda arm of those who own us. The real threat to our liberty, our way of life and our freedom and national existence are wearing suits and ties. They are in boardrooms, golf courses and at expensive dinners,

DennisK (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 15:36

Make no mistake. The victory of the Red Army saved humanity from entering new era of death and slavery. Yet Communism caused much death and slavery. The point isn't which has the higher body count, to count if one had a few more victims than the other, the point is the "Free World" vs "Totalitarianism" narrative isn't quite so. It's not black and white. It's not "goodies vs baddies". This is what governments give to the population to get them to fight, and to justify wars. It' Churchill was worried about the "balance of power" in Europe. A growing Nazi Germany was a threat to his 19th century idea of two powers in Europe balancing (England and Germany, this is largely why WWI was fought). He was behind the times, and failed to realise that the Soviet Union was a growing power challenging Europe (America was another power) and that it was no longer about England and Germany. So Churchill was stuck in the pre-WWI 19th century and failed to realise the emerging geo-political dynamic. He thought had to keep Hitler in check to ensure powers in Europe were balanced. Hitler in some respect had more foresight here, realising that Communism was the future force (he was right, the entire cold was was the West (Europe) vs Communism). He had to solve the problem in Western Europe to free himself up to attack Bolshevism. Two competing views. One where Germany and England were the two powers, and one where Europe and Bolshevism were the two powers. There were also competing views with regards to international finance, monetary systems, political systems and ideology. These were, of course, instrumental in fermenting war. Hindsight now tells us that indeed, there was coming an existential crisis for Europe which is under way now. At the Yalta conference, Churchill was upset that Roosevelt and Stalin seemed to consider him a third wheel of sorts. He was old hat. Britains place post WWII was to just be the USA's sidekick, a declining power and dying nation. Just recently, we were told that our engagement in Iraq was about WMD's. When the WMD's argument was revealed to be a sham, they quickly changed it to being about "Democracy". It seems many have forgotten the shift around 2004-2005 from "WMD" being the reason to "Democracy". All wars are just extensions of politics, but people don't fight for politics. So, like WMD/ "Operation Iraqi Liberation", like the Gulf War's babies thrown out of incubators, like WWI's "Huns impaling babies on bayenets", like all other wars, simple reasons are given to the masses to get them to die. Mothers don't offer their sons for geopolitical manoeuvring or power politics. You must offer them more solid reasons, reasons like "Freedom" and such. Some reasons are given before the war, some are made up after to justify the action. Sometimes new reasons are invented decades later, to fit the morals of the time. WWII being about "ending racism" came about some time after, when "ending racism" was a fashionable and just cause. I remember being told, in all seriousness, a number of times, that if it weren't for Australian WWI veterans, we would all be speaking Turkish. It's what people do to justify the massive loss of life. I don't see much of a threat coming from the Ukraine. I doubt Ukranian stormtroopers are going to be marching down Swanston St anytime this century. We should be far more concerned with Chinese imperialism, which IS currently making inroads in eroding our sovereignty and IS buying up our resources and homes. The risk in Ukraine is not Svoboda or Right Sector, but hawks calling for another military action, another overreaction, because they disapprove of their political ideology, and using the standards reasons of 'freedom' and 'tolerance' as yet another excuse for death.

Arthur (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 13:02

Greg, What about the 240,000 invited economic immigrants, the 600,000 or so temporary immigrants (work visas, students)? It seems that the media just focus on the boat people to polarise Australians on the issue and take their attention away from the nearly one million other immigrants floating around this island. What say you?

Liz Rose (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 12:55

Read this article about rats and tumour and GMO and immediately wondered about the food most people give dogs and cats - crap out of tins and dry food. Went looking for discussion and found this: GMO Dog Food – Fast “Dog” Food Goes Frankenstein - http://healthydogforlife.com/non-gmo-dog-food-fast-dog-food-goes-frankenstein/#sthash.ZGh5eyaA.dpbs December 28, 2013 By Dan Non GMO Dog FoodThe convenience of feeding your dog GMO dog food from cans and packets means your dog eat’s fast food forever. All the while scientists cleverly create genetically modified organisms or GMO’s to make that fast food even faster… But at what cost? GMO or non GMO dog food – do you really care? If you still feed your dog from cans and bags, now is the time to sit up and take note because the clock is ticking and the outcome won’t be good. Not to sound overly dramatic but it’s critical you read this article and act on it for your dog’s sake because their future health is very much at stake. GMO’s Killed Off Rats at an Alarming Rate You see, in the US the corn based ingredients in pet food is closing in on being 75% made of genetically modified Organisms – GMO’s. Now while you are being lulled into a sense of complacency by the media, the truth is as your about to find out is that GM corn is anything but healthy. Independent studies have repeatedly shown that liver and kidney disease in rats fed GM corm is significant as well as affecting other vital organs. Our dog’s liver is large because it’s the primary cleaning organ of their body. The increasing rates of liver disease I’m contacted about by dog owners today are alarming. Back to those rats. They not only got sick but got mammary tumors and died early – it was the females that were worst affected. How GMO’s Affect Your Dog? If you’re thinking how GMO’s are going to affect your dog’s health, here’s some alarming feedback. GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) have been known to mutate and have proven unstable which means the control the scientists thought they had over these synthetic manmade organisms is simply nonexistent. They have released into our eco system a bug that cannot be controlled and cannot be put back in the bottle and every day the potential for disaster is rapidly growing. Independent animal feeding studies have concluded that the unexplained and abnormal inflammations and cell growths in the gastro intestinal tract, liver, kidney, heart, pancreas and brain are as a direct result of feeding GM foods. The highly toxic insecticidal agent Bacillus thuringingiensis is active in many GM crops and ends up in pet food. Independent health and nutrition experts are now connecting the rise in human health disorders with GMO organisms. The alarming rise in allergies, skin disorders and GI tract problems from eating GM dog foods combined with synthetic food additives is linked to GM soy and corn products. The herbicides Glufosinate and glyphosate used in products like Roundup made by Monsanto have now become the market leader in organism eradication. Millions of gallons of this herbicide are used daily around the world by unsuspecting gardeners and farmers alike. These poisons are absorbed into crops and your garden with the aim of killing certain weeds. WARNING: It may well say on the label that the contents do not affect pets or aquatic life but they do. It also states that the content breaks down easily into the ground, but this again is not true. I have seen with my own eyes the deadly affect this poison has on garden animals and it’s an indiscriminant killer. Glufosinate and glyphosate AKA Roundup cause terrible damage to sensitive animal organs on the land and in the water. It’s also linked to human birth defects, miscarriages, premature births and lymphoma. When Even Non GMO Dog Food Brands are Just Not Enough – Go Fresh! My sincere advice for better dog health: Do not use toxic herbicides and pesticides in your yard – ever! Your dog is in ever present danger of falling prey to health disorders from the absorption of these toxins. If you can afford it only feed organic or free range grass fed produce to your pet. Do not use the most heavily GMO related products that use corn and soy. And while dog food labels are most often misleading due to lack of clear regulation, if you can find pet foods that categorically state they do not use GMO ingredients then at least you can be clear on that point. I wholeheartedly recommend you feed your dog a fresh raw dog food based diet. Corn and soy products do not belong in your dog’s body and they are the basis of most commercial pet foods. They are not your dog’s natural diet and certainly not biologically appropriate food. If your dog has any allergies, skin disorders, gum and teeth problems, foul gas, gut or diarrhea problems it’s because of the diet you presently feed. Get fresh food into your dogs system and health complaints start to fade away fast. - See more at: http://healthydogforlife.com/non-gmo-dog-food-fast-dog-food-goes-franken...

admin

Sat, 2014-07-12 12:17

The following was added to the forum discussion about Syria, referred to above. As Paul Night has already advised, the article and nearly all of the posted comments are a waste of most people's time. Some of the factual contributions content could be of interest to scholars of obscure, specialised aspects of Syrian history, but little is relevant to the life and-death struggle that the Syrian people have faced these last three years. An exception is the post which preceded that post. That post also confirms what we have said about Syria on candobetter.

Over 160,000 Syrians have died since March 2011 as a direct consequence of the decision by the rulers of the Western 'democracies' and Israel together with the dictatorial rulers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to launch a war against the people of Syria and its government. Australian governments, including the previous 'Labor' government, and particularly former Foreign Minister Bob Carr, have been shamefully complicit in this grotesque crime against humanity. The Australian 'news' media has also misled the Australian public about Syria since March 2011.

Conclusive proof can be found in the video the Press Conference of 3 Jun 2014 held by the United Nations Syrian ambassador, Bashar Al-Jaafri, following the Syrian elections on 20 June 2014. See http://candobetter.net/?q=node/3888

http://candobetter.net/?q=syria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnFQd4wBXnk http://www.globalresearch.ca/syrias-press-conference-the-united-nations-doesnt-want-you-to-see/5387795

At this press conference sat five United States citizens who observed the elections. They all confirmed what had already been known to people who were informed about Syria - that the Syrian people overwhelmingly support President Bashar al-Assad and had shown this in the elections of 3 June 2013 which were fair and transparent:

10,319,723 or 88.7% of the 11,634,412 who voted or 73.4% (the figure should be 65.13% - see Footnote 2 above - Ed) of all 15,845,575 Syrians eligible to vote, voted for Bashar al-Assad.

What other political leader, can claim to enjoy anywhere near as much support? Compare this support for President al-Assad with that achieved by President Obama in 2012. compared to 73.4% of all Syrians, both at home and abroad, with the enormous difficulties they faced, a mere 29.7% of eligible voters voted for Barack Obama in December 2012 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2012 http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2012G.html).

The fact that the Syrian Arab Army still controls nearly all of Syria after 3 years of conflict is further confirmation that claims that Bashar al-Assad has overwhelming support. What dictator, so hated and corrupt as has beenS claimed by the media has been able to cling to power, without any help from a foreign army of occupation, for so long?

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 12:16

A Republican lawmaker said the country will be destroyed if the U.S. continues to allow thousands of immigrants to cross the border illegally. "You cannot bring hundreds of thousands of people in this country without destroying the country,” said Rep Louie Gohmert. “Then there’s no place that people can dream about coming.” Gohmert continued: “Either we’re going to enforce our law and remain strong economically and otherwise, or we ignore the rule of law and go to being a third world nation.” There’s a growing recognition that Barack Obama is an incompetent poser, working out of his depth, and his administration is the gang that can’t shoot straight. The “humanitarian crisis” on the southern border is the most persuasive evidence of all that America is adrift in a sea of incompetence, blown about by every ill wind that blows. Mr. Obama promised in 2008 that he intended to transform America, and he is well on his way. Anyone who looked closely at the man and the influences that shaped who he would become risked being called a racist, a nativist, a bigot and a redneck yahoo. Making the United States over into a Third World country is exactly what this president is about. He is of the Third World. He spent his formative years in the Third World, and when his mother, obsessed with the Third World, brought him back to America, he sought out the company of those who dreamed of making America over into the world’s largest welfare state PRUDEN: An immigrant surge en route to a Third World USA He has no intention of deporting more than a few token illegals, probably the gangbangers who came in with the rest. Not a single U.S. city is included in the world’s top 10 most livable cities. Only one U.S. airport makes the list of the top 100 in the world. Roads, schools and bridges are falling apart, and trains—none of them high-speed—are running off their tracks. High school students are rated 30th in math, and some 30 countries have longer life expectancy and lower rates of infant mortality. The only things America is number one in these days are the number of incarcerated citizens per capita and adult onset diabetes.

Captain Obvious (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 10:39

"If the "Communists" were no better than the Nazis, how do you explain the great heroism and terrible sacrifice of the Soviet people, including Ukrainians, against the Nazi invaders during the Second World War?" IGNORANCE. The people living under the Soviet Regime were ignorant to the truth. They were living in a closed society where all media & official channels of communication were tightly controlled by the communists. The Soviet party had complete control over information, they decided what "news" the people heard and what was censored. Anyone who challenged the party line was shot or sent to the gulag. The soldiers of the Red Army were what the party bosses called "useful idiots". They fed them lies, disinformation, and propaganda. They did their best to invoke the inner sadist in every soldier and let them loose on the "fascist invaders". The Red Army committed the most brutal atrocities imaginable on their march to Berlin, they raped any women who had the misfortune of being along their axis of advance. Women aged from 8 to 80 were raped, and not just German women, they raped their own too, even raping the liberated Soviet women imprisoned by the Germans. The Red Army was anything but heroic, they are guilty of the most heinous of atrocities. Which makes me wonder about your own ignorance.... How are you so woefully misinformed? The internet allows every man and woman free access to information. The truth is out there for anyone who wants it. Why are you repeating laughably false Soviet version of history & Soviet propaganda as if you were still living in the Eastern Bloc?

Greg Boyles (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-12 01:36

I don't thinks nimby. You are conveniently ignoring the fact that, towards the end of the Rudd/Gillard era some where in the vicinity of 50,000 illegal immigrants arrived by boat. And all the signs were that this would have continued ballooning out of control. That represents around 15% of Australia's total immigration intake and a major sovereign risk to Australia. You CANNOT maintain a peaceful civilised law abiding society with open borders. Just look at much of the middle east and Africa. Those nations have largely open borders and look at the political, social and economic mess that they are in.

admin

Sat, 2014-07-12 00:10

DennisK,

No-one here has attempted to cover up or apologise for the monstrous crimes of Stalin against Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Caucasians, Crimean Tatars, other East Europeans and Germans.

However, to equate Stalin's crimes with those of the Nazi Third Reich is contrary to the evidence.

If the "Communists" were no better than the Nazis, how do you explain the great heroism and terrible sacrifice of the Soviet people, including Ukrainians, against the Nazi invaders during the Second World War?

Make no mistake. The victory of the Red Army saved humanity from entering new era of death and slavery.

Today, in 2014, the same fate awaits humanity if the Nazis are allowed to win in Ukraine.

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2014-07-11 15:53

JUDGE DELIBERATES, JONATHAN MOYLAN TO BE SENTENCED AT LATER DATE 3.40pm Friday 11th July, Supreme Court of NSW, 184 Phillip St, Sydney. Jonathan Moylan, 26, will be sentenced at a date yet to be set following a hearing at the Supreme Court in Sydney today. 200 supporters held a vigil in support of Moylan outside the court, while dozens of supporters filled the court room. In January 2013 Moylan issued a press release on ANZ letterhead saying the bank had withdrawn its $1.2 billion loan facility from Whitehaven’s Maules Creek Coal Project on environmental and ethical grounds. Whitehaven’s share price temporarily fell before quickly recovering. Moylan is charged under section 1041E of the Corporations Act, pertaining to the making of false or misleading statements. Rick Laird, farmer from Maules Creek whose family has farmed in the district for over 150 years, travelled to Sydney to support Jonathan Moylan. “ANZ’s loan means Whitehaven Coal can turn Maules Creek from a farming village into an open-cut pit. We rely on groundwater to water our livestock and for our household water supply, and the Whitehaven Coal mine will lower our water table by 5-10 metres. “We’ve been fighting this mine for years, and the stand that Jono took means that people now know what’s happening at Maules Creek. “Jono stood with us, and now we’re here to stand with Jono,” said Rick Laird. Ros Druce from the Maules Creek Community Council travelled to Sydney for the first time in two decades to support Jonathan Moylan at the Supreme Court today. “Whitehaven’s coal mine threatens to wipe Maules Creek off the map. The Maules Creek community stands with Jono,” she said. FOR MEDIA ASSISTANCE: Nicola Paris on 0422 990 040, Madeleine Egan on 0423 100 113 IMAGES: High-resolution photographs are available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/standwithjono/sets/72157645609183785/ Jonathan Moylan will not be available for comment before sentencing. BACKGROUND ANZ provides a $1.2 billion loan facility to Whitehaven Coal, primarily intended to develop the Maules Creek Coal Project. The Maules Creek Coal Project is a new open-cut coal mine being developed in Leard State Forest and adjacent farm land near Maules Creek in north west NSW. On the day of the hoax, Whitehaven Coal’s (WHC) share price dropped from $3.52 to $3.21 before a trading halt, and bounced back to $3.53 within an hour of trading resuming. Since January 2013, Whitehaven's share price has plummeted in the face of the slumping global coal price, closing at $1.45 yesterday. Leard State Forest is located between Narrabri and Boggabri, it includes the most extensive and intact stands of the nationally-listed and critically endangered Box-Gum Woodland remaining on the Australian continent. The forest is home to 396 species of plants and animals and includes habitat for 34 threatened species and several endangered ecological communities. The Maules Creek Coal Project is approved to extract up to 13 million tonnes of coal annually, and estimated to produce 30 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. The mine is expected to operate for more than 30 years. The coal will be railed from the mine in north west NSW to the port of Newcastle for export. The coal mine project boundary is approximately 5 kilometres from the Maules Creek township.

Bandicoot

Fri, 2014-07-11 11:39

The day was established by the United Nations Population Fund, whose mission is to deliver a world “where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled.” By 2050, demographers from the United Nations project that the population will reach 9.6 billion. Asia is facing a shelter crisis as its population continues to grow with 500 million people already living in slums. That figure is set to grow to a staggering 840 million people by the end of the decade, according to Habitat for Humanity Australia. In many developing countries, adolescent girls lack access to quality health care. They are prevented by cultural norms and lack of education from making decisions about the timing, number and spacing of their children or whether they deliver their babies in hospital. Approximately 77 million people are added to the earth's population each year. That’s nearly 220,000 people added to the planet every day. The scientific consensus is that the current population expansion and accompanying increase in use of resources is linked to threats to the ecosystem, including rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, global warming, water shortage and pollution. Most of Australia’s population growth is due to immigration, about 500,000 a year (less than 3% of whom are refugees) and while Australia has an immigration policy it doesn’t have a population policy. The world's population has implications for the distribution of resources and balance on our planet. A Media Release by Sustainable Population Australia says that by 2050 about two-thirds of all humans will live in urban areas. Most of the anticipated urban growth by 2050 will occur in Asia and Africa. Already, more than half the global population lives in cities. Three years ago, naturalist Sir David Attenborough expressed such a concern, saying urbanised people were growing out of touch with the natural world “of which we are, in fact, a part.” “Conservation efforts should protect habitats of endangered species, but many countries in Africa and Asia where the greatest population and urban growth will occur, are too poor to protect such areas. SPA Media Release: Global urbanisation good for some, but for nature The Center for Biological Diversity will be distributing 40,000 “endangered species condoms” Friday, which is World Population Day. The stunt is designed to highlight the link between rapid human population growth and the decline of some wildlife species. The Endangered Species Condoms are wrapped in colorful packages featuring six different endangered species and information to help volunteers start the conversation about the impact of runaway human population growth on polar bears, panthers and other imperiled wildlife. The Center has given away more than half a million Endangered Species Condoms since 2009. Center for Biological Diversity: Endangered species condoms

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2014-07-11 10:34

TODAY: JONATHAN MOYLAN TO BE SENTENCED IN SUPREME COURT, FACES 10YRS FOR HOAX PRESS RELEASE

Friday July 11th, 2014. Supreme Court of NSW, 184 Phillip St, Sydney.

Jonathan Moylan, 26, will appear for sentencing at the Supreme Court in Sydney at 10am today. Supporters will be outside court from 9:30am.

In January 2013 Moylan issued a press release on ANZ letterhead saying the bank had withdrawn its $1.2 billion loan facility from Whitehaven’s Maules Creek Coal Project on environmental and ethical grounds. Whitehaven’s share price temporarily fell before quickly recovering.

Moylan is charged under section 1041E of the Corporations Act, pertaining to the making of false or misleading statements, and faces ten years in prison and a $765,000 fine.

Rick Laird, farmer from Maules Creek whose family has farmed in the district for over 150 years, has travelled to Sydney to support Jonathan Moylan.

“ANZ’s loan means Whitehaven Coal can turn Maules Creek from a farming village into an open-cut pit. We rely on groundwater to water our livestock and for our household water supply, and the Whitehaven coal mine will lower our water table by 5-10 metres," said Rick Laird.

“We’ve been fighting this mine for years, and the stand that Jono took means that people now know what’s happening at Maules Creek.

“Jono stood with us, and now we’re here to stand with Jono,” said Rick Laird.

Ros Druce from the Maules Creek Community Council traveled to Sydney for the first time in two decades to support Jonathan Moylan at the Supreme Court today.

“Whitehaven’s coal mine threatens to wipe Maules Creek off the map. The Maules Creek community stands with Jono,” she said.

FOR COMMENT: Rick Laird, Maules Creek farmer on 0427 056 418
FOR MEDIA ASSISTANCE: Nicola Paris on 0422 990 040, Madeleine Egan on 0423 100 113

IMAGES: High-resolution photographs will be available from ~10am at https://www.flickr.com/photos/standwithjono/sets/72157645609183785/

Jonathan Moylan will not be available for comment before sentencing. His availability to comment after sentencing is dependent upon the sentence handed down.

BACKGROUND

ANZ provides a $1.2 billion loan facility to Whitehaven Coal, primarily intended to develop the Maules Creek Coal Project. The Maules Creek Coal Project is a new open-cut coal mine being developed in Leard State Forest and adjacent farm land near Maules Creek in north west NSW.

On the day of the hoax, Whitehaven Coal’s (WHC) share price dropped from $3.52 to $3.21 before a trading halt, and bounced back to $3.53 within an hour of trading resuming. Since January 2013, Whitehaven's share price has plummeted in the face of the slumping global coal price, closing at $1.45 yesterday.

Leard State Forest is located between Narrabri and Boggabri, it includes the most extensive and intact stands of the nationally-listed and critically endangered Box-Gum Woodland remaining on the Australian continent. The forest is home to 396 species of plants and animals and includes habitat for 34 threatened species and several endangered ecological communities.

The Maules Creek Coal Project is approved to extract up to 13 million tonnes of coal annually, which is estimated to produce 30 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. The mine is expected to operate for more than 30 years. The coal will be railed from the mine in north west NSW to the port of Newcastle for export. The coal mine project boundary is approximately 5 kilometres from the Maules Creek township.

Gomez (not verified)

Thu, 2014-07-10 21:26

I do have some friends there at Australia, and from them I know these facts about the high living cost they have. They say that, it is getting high every year, and the government is not much doing anything to control it. This in fact do affects the middle class of the country.

Chico (not verified)

Thu, 2014-07-10 18:45

Sounds like RMC was a place full of plenty of scumbags especially in early 80's. I know a guy who went there then and the amount of thieving and other misbehaviour was out of control and senior military turned a blind eye!

DennisK (not verified)

Thu, 2014-07-10 15:02

Firstly, we can't forget that Communism killed millions, and that Stalin ranks among Hitler in terms of mass murder, probably higher if you just take into account killing your own. The Soviet Union killed somewhere between 20 - 60 million people. Our "allies". It enslaved a third of Europe. I've met people who risked their life, quite literally, to get out. Evading machine guns. As I saw well said elsewhere, the entire Soviet Union was a gulag, just that some parts were 'gulagier' than others. We fought to free Western Europe from a totalitarian regime, and in doing so, gave another 1/3rd of Europe. Britain fought to free Poland, and ended up at the end of the war with Poland under another totalitarian regime. Britain fought to protect their empire, and were left without one at the end. They fought to defend their isle, and now the original British are becoming a minority, as elsewhere in Europe. Europeans are now facing the biggest existential threat since the world wars, perhaps even bigger, due to the populations policies of the victors. Yet they were our "allies". Maybe overlooking this eases our mind. Even Churchill said "we slaughtered the wrong pig". Patton wanted to continue the war against the Soviet Union. We chose one evil over another, and then we've spent nigh onto 70 years convincing ourselves we choose the lesser evil. This was made easier due to many academics and intellectuals being Marxists and supporters of the regime. And freedom? Did we defeat fascism, or allow our own corporatists to take control. We have PRISM, overrarching surveillance, corporate control of the state and debt servitute. Talk of having a world of one race, when another is no longer recognisable still continues (oddly no one objects this time around...). If, theoretically, Germany had won the war, I wouldn't think it would have lasted. Perhaps not even 70 years. All empires fall, and totalitarian regimes extinguish themselves. They never last. I think in some ways, WWII was not a pivotal point, but just an event in a declining west, delcining empires slaughtering thesemlve, as they do. The events of WWI created a brutalised population (lets not forget Hitler and Mussolini were in the thick of perhaps the most violent event in human history) and proved that nations would spill their very own blood for vague reasons. Also note that the USA, which grew in ascendancy entered both wars late, after pressure.

PostGrowthEra

Thu, 2014-07-10 09:21

According to a report released in April this year by the London-based NGO Global Witness, at least 908 environmental activists have been killed over the last decade. That number is comparable to the 913 journalists killed in the course of their work in the same period and is likely on the low side. More than two-thirds of these killings took “took place in the context of conflicts over the ownership, control and use of land,” reflecting the dark side of rapid development in many emerging economies. Worldwide, the most violent years were 2010, when 96 activists were killed, and 2011, the most recent year assessed, when 106 were slain. Latin America and Asia-Pacific particularly hard hit. Impunity for these crimes is rife: only 10 perpetrators are known to have been convicted between 2002 and 2013—just more than one percent of the overall incidence of killings. In 1914, one hundred years ago, the world had 1.75 billion people. In 1914, Europe dominated the world with 25% of earth’s total population. In 2014, Europe’s population represents a mere 10% of the world’s total. Since 2007, world population has grown by more than a half a billion people. A recent U.S. National Intelligence Council assessment found that by 2030, population growth and a burgeoning global middle class will result in a 35 percent increase in demand for food, 40 percent increase in demand for freshwater, and 50 percent increase in demand for energy. This demand for natural resource will explode, and more natural environments will be encroached on,consumed, and destroyed. Pakistan, has less than 5 per cent of its original forest cover owing to rampant and mostly illegal logging. The harvested timber is not being used to make homes, furniture or woodchips. The trees in Pakistan's cities, towns and regions are being cut down to be burnt so people can stay warm and eat cooked food. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 18 per cent of the world's population have no access to electricity at all and 38 per cent are dependent on wood, crop residues and animal waste as their main cooking and heating fuels. The IEA expects global energy demand to increase by one-third by 2035, with developing economies contributing 90 per cent of this growth. Demand for electricity will increase by two-thirds, more than other form of final energy. Coal continues to be the largest source of electricity generation, growing steadily at around 1.2 per cent per year. Climate change doesn't happen in a vacuum, but it's due to unsustainable population growth and energy demands on the planet. The IEA concludes that: “It is currently difficult to envisage a future in which coal is not used to meet growing power demand – not only in non-OECD regions, but also in many OECD countries.” Environmentalists must therefore be at least silenced by imprisonment, or removed permanently by being killed.

Anonymous (not verified)

Thu, 2014-07-10 01:25

A little late commenting on this one, but... I'm always a little stumped at the confusion caused by people calling scuba air cylinders "oxygen cylinders". Standard scuba tanks are filled with air at the normal 21% O2. Therefore pose no risk of fire or explosion from the gas contained.

nimby

Wed, 2014-07-09 13:15

Senator Peter Whish-Wilson hand-delivered a letter to Japan's Prime Minister Shinto Abe, from activist group Sea Shepherd, during an official dinner at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday night. The letter warns that ships and volunteers from the group would resume their harassment of Japanese whaling ships. "Our ocean is dying, Mr Prime Minister, and when the ocean dies we will follow," Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson told Mr Abe in the letter. "We cannot live on this planet with a dead ocean." SMH:Senator hands Abe Anti whaling letter A team of biologists from the University of Vermont, under conservation biologist Joe Roman, have tallied several decades of research on whales from around the world; it shows that whales, in fact, make a huge difference — they have a powerful and positive influence on the function of oceans, global carbon storage, and the health of commercial fisheries. “The continued recovery of great whales may help to buffer marine ecosystems from destabilizing stresses,” the team of scientists writes. The letter reassured Abe that Sea Shepherd were not anti-Japan, or contrary to their culture. Many of their citizens support whales, they claim. Although Japan's whaling was ruled as not scientific by the International Court of Justice, and illegal, in a great contradictory leap of logic, they plan to still engage in research to collect the "indispensable scientific information in order to manage the whale resources". Whales are not commercial "resources" and do not need to be managed! Their freedom should be part of the "free" trade negotiations. Whales have peacefully and harmoniously existed for millions of years in the oceans, adding to marine ecosystems. Modern humans have been around for only 200,000 years, and it's the latter that needs "management"!

Bandicoot

Wed, 2014-07-09 11:40

UK climate change expert Lord Deben has attacked Tony Abbott's plan to scrap the carbon tax, accusing the Prime Minister of "recklessly endangering" the future of the world. He said that “while the 66 countries that account for 88 per cent of global emissions have passed laws to address global warming, Australia is repealing them.” Not only is our Prime Minister failing to upgrade efforts to combat climate change, he's deliberately dismantling them! Lord Deben is a former head of the Conservative Party who served under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and now the head of the UK Committee on Climate Change Tony Abbott is really exhibiting racist and discriminatory attitudes to international communities. Our heavy energy consumption and resource-intense lifestyles are unsustainable, and adding to global greenhouse gas emissions with reckless abandon! "That seems to me to be very sad because Australia is a great nation, an English-speaking nation that ought to be leading the world instead of going backwards." Abbott is indirectly declaring that our economy can be irrevocably liked to economic and population growth, and the rest can deal with the fallouts of carbon emissions, species extinctions, ecosystem demolition and scarcities. While he may personally disregard climate change as "crap", as our Prime Minister he has a moral obligation to be a responsible leader of the Australian government and formulate policies for the benefit of the voting public - and the international community. Deben said that the Abbott Government "appears to be more concerned with advancing its own short-term political interests" than dealing with global warming". ABC: Abbott endangering future on climate change: Lord Deben Lord Deben also said:"“I think there can be no growth unless there is green growth,” stressing that population growth would put increasing pressure on finite resources such as gas, while renewable energy was a natural limitless resource. “If we want to grow in this world, we can only grow in a green way". Green growth sounds awfully like plain old "growth" with a green covering! While renewable energy sources may decrease per capita use of energy, in absolute terms it could increase, along with greenhouse gas emissions, due to population growth outstripping the reductions.

Loss of sovereignty (not verified)

Tue, 2014-07-08 15:08

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Canberra today, where the agreement will be signed. Tariffs will be lifted on Japanese imports such as cars and TV sets and there will be a reduction in barriers to some Australian primary produce such as beef in what the Agriculture Minister said was a one-sided negotiation. Barnaby Joyce says Australia will pay a price in Free Trade agreement with Japan "Free Trade is a euphemism for a bilateral trade agreement,” Mr Joyce told Radio National today. "We have removed many of our tariffs, while Japan had retained its barriers to our important exports. It becomes a begging mission when everything you want and you somehow have to convince them from a position of nothingness that you are somehow going to give something back,” said Mr Joyce. The Greens' Peter Whish-Wilson called on Mr Abbott to pressure Japan not to restart scientific whaling. Prime Minister Abe has conceded that their whaling is commercial, but wants to revise it to give another scientific justification. "Mr Abbott needs to ratchet up the pressure on the Japanese prime minister today and let him know that lethal whaling, commercial whaling is not acceptable to the Australian community." There's nothing "free" about the wildlife being lethally "managed" by Japan's harpoons, and it remains to be seen if Tony Abbott actually mentioned the whale slaughter issue. Whales are not pawns to be handed over to Japan in return for trade agreements, especially after the damning ICJ condemnation recently. Ignoring this court case would be a gaping omission and hypocrisy.

Vivienne Ortega

Tue, 2014-07-08 11:49

THE state government has backed a growth plan for the south-west of Victoria which predicts the region’s population will expand to 132,000 people by 2041. The government has prepared eight regional plans with country Victoria’s population tipped to exceed two million in the coming decades. There are no funding promises or proposals in the 88-page document! The Standard: Plans for South West Growth There are always these grandiose growth plans, and governments celebrate population growth and give the impression that it is inevitable, and must be "planned" for. They are actually targeted growth plans. They are never able to fund the growth, and services and administration keeps getting cut back. "Planning" is in hindsight, when they get funding! How are people to be part of a growth scheme without infrastructure, and any environmental impact studies on fragile coastal areas. What about jobs? Housing doesn't increase productivity, and they are not export commodities.

admin

Mon, 2014-07-07 23:51

The following has been added to the forum discussion on johnquiggin.com and, as of 2:46pm on 8 Jul 2014, is awaiting moderation.

alfred venison (@ #35) wrote:

Do you see a pattern?

The whole world would have been enslaved for decades, if not centuries, by the Nazis and their allies had it not been for the courage and sacrifice of many millions in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China. However, much of the credit also belongs to the Western democracies, particularly the United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). Without the entry of the United States into the war, even the sacrifice of the Soviet people may not have prevented victory by Nazi Germany. [1]

Humanity lost an opportunity to prevent the Second World War and a further 60 million deaths, when the when the Russian Revolution of October 1917 failed to spread to the rest of Europe. Chances to end war forever were lost on a number of occasions. These include:

* Germany in 1919, 1920 or 1923[2]. If revolution had succeeded on any one of these occasions, mention of Hitler's Nazi Party would be no more than a footnote in some history books. Further chances were lost, again in Germany in 1933, when Stalin effectively ordered the German Communist Party (KPD) to surrender to the Nazi putschists at a time when rank-and-file members of the KPD and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) were screaming out for united action.

* Spain (1936-1937), where Stalin's meddling caused anti-fascist Spaniards to seize defeat from the jaws of victory.[3],[4]

Footnote[s]

[1] Had America not entered the war, the triumph of Nazi Germany over the Soviet Union, even with the heroism and the terrible sacrifice of the Soviet people, would have been almost certain. In 1941, Americans, who had lost nearly 117,000 lives in the pointless slaughter then known by some as "The Great War", were firmly opposed to entering the Second World War. Almost every other war fought by America in its history has not been just, but, on this occasion, the peril that humanity faced at the hands of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Japanese Empire made America's entry into the war not only justified, but necessary. FDR understood this and resorted to means that, at face value, seem unconscionable, reckless and Macchiavellian. As documented in "Day of Deceit" (1999) by Robert Stinnett FDR tricked the Japanese Empire into "firing the first shot" by launching the attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbour. (The otherwise excellent historian Oliver Stone disputes this.) After the attack, opposition to war amongst the American public vanished. Almost certainly the entry of the United States into the Second World War prevented the triumph of Nazi Germany and its allies.

[2] The Lost Revolution: Germany 1918-23 (1997) by Chris Harman (1942-2009).

[3] Homage to Catalonia (1938) by George Orwell (1903-1950)

[4] Revolution and Counter-revolution in Spain (1938) by Felix Morrow (1996-1988). Sadly, a free on-line version of the book seems no longer to be available.

admin

Mon, 2014-07-07 11:36

The comment below was posted to the abovementioned forum discussion on johnquiggin.com. Minor grammatical and factual errors have been corrected and further links, which cannot be added to posts on johnquiggin.com (as a precaution against forum spam) have been added here. The account of the shameful conduct by the British Army at the start of the First IndoChina War in Hanoi in August 1945 has been expanded.

J-D (@ #7, 1 Jul 2014) wrote:

I don't accept it as established fact that the Allies could have prevented the Germans from seizing control of Italy in 1943.

Nor is it an "established fact" that the British and Americans, with total air and naval supremacy could not have prevented Germany's conquest of Italy in July 1943.

What is an established fact is that they didn't even try.

Nor did the commanders of the Italian Army serving the new supposedly anti-fascist government. The one Italian general who did try to prevent the German invasion was tried and executed as a war criminal by the British in 1946. Whilst few Italians, who had killed Ethiopians in 1936 with poison gas were, in any way, held to account for their crimes, this general was tried and executed. His "war crime" was that three British soldiers were killed attempting to escape from prisoner-of-war camps under his command. (The name of the Italian General escapes me, but I watched a documentary on ABC TV about it, possibly around 2006).

It is also an established fact that the Americans and British conquered the rest of the Italian Peninsula in the most inept and unimaginative way possible over the next 21 months. Instead of using their naval and air supremacy imaginatively (with the arguable exception of the ineptly managed seaborne landing at Anzio in January 1944), they fought bloody battles of attrition all the way up the peninsula at a cost of over 300,000 allied dead and wounded in a addition to 159,000 Italian civilians dead.

I have already shown that, in 1944, after the British landed in Greece, they disarmed resistance fighters whilst secretly re-arming those Greeks who had collaborated with the Nazi invaders. The British subsequently unleashed these former Nazi collaborators onto their fellow countrymen in a bloody civil war. In the meantime, partisans who could have blocked the retreat of Germans along roads beneath mountains they controlled, were prevented from doing so.

Similar events occurred in Vietnam and Korea. In Korea, the Americans rearmed Koreans who had collaborated with the Japanese, whilst brutally repressing those who had fought against the Japanese.

In Vietnam in August 1945, the British started shooting Viet Minh who had resisted the Japanese, before they handed Vietnam handed back to its former colonial rulers, the French. Somehwhat like what they had done the previous year in Greece and as the Americans were doing in Korea, the British armed captured Japanese soldiers and turned them on the VietMinh. (It is hard to find sources which confirm this on the web. This episode, right at the start of the Cold War, has been overlooked in recent years, even by dissident bloggers. One source, which is far better than most, but still flawed in some repects, is "The Vietnam Wars" (1992) by Marilyn Young. The only resource I could find on the Web is a Wikipedia page, Wikipedia page which, whilst very detailed and informative, is not without serious flaws and is biased.)

Given all the above crimes of the British and American military commanders in the Second World War and in subsequent years, why shouldn't we presume that they also allowed the Germans to reconquer Italy in July 1943, with all its terrible consequences, for the worst possible motives?

DennisK (not verified)

Mon, 2014-07-07 09:18

I think it was on this blog, that someone pointed out that tension with the 'other' was more pronounced on the frontier. Indeed, it is usually at the frontier where tension exists between groups. Germany has a rivalry with France, due to a shared border. Same with Poland. Yet France and Poland don't have a rivalry. The closer one is to the fronteir, the keener the senses waryness is about the other, and potential threats. A frame of mind that those who aren't on the fronteir may not understand, or even consider ill informed. Greece and Turkey. Russia and Ukraine. Jews and Europe. China and Vietnam. The push for diversity and social pluralism has done something quite drastic. It has made everywhere the frontier. Every country. Every city. It actually demands that every place become a frontier and holds this as a some kind of virtue, so what was once confined to national borders, is now pushed to be universal. The social instability that this creates then obviously follows, so like all countries which have frontiers within them (Iraq, Yugoslavia) greater control and suppression of the people has to take place to keep this state of affairs functional for the ruling powers. Should the stringent dictatorial control be removed (Hussein, Tito), things fall apart. Even Hitler knew this, as he wished for Germany to constantly have an active frontier after the war to keep people on guard and legitimise the power of the state over the people. In the USA, these fronteirs are appearing everywhere, and the state is having to futher control people as a result

nimby

Sun, 2014-07-06 09:19

Of course the Commonwealth Bank benefits greatly from population growth! The banks are making enormous profits from housing and the growth in lending for mortgages! It's a great money-spinner, and they virtually do nothing. It's the easiest way of enslaving the public to their lending, and draining the wages from hip pockets into the banks. The 2006 Productivity Commission into ongoing immigration for Australia has largely been ignored. The results were lukewarm, at the least. The greatest beneficiaries of population growth would be the migrants themselves, perhaps, and the capital owners - those who are already wealth and driving the lending and investments! Ironically, third world countries are able to produce more skilled workers than Australia, and if the quality of education declines, it will drive even more "skilled migration" to Australia and further prop up the Ponzi housing and growth in Australia - to our detriment!

nimby

Sun, 2014-07-06 09:11

When Amy Meyer saw a sick cow being pushed by a bulldozer outside a slaughterhouse, she did what any of us would in this age of iPhones and Instagram - she filmed it. Meyer, 25, knew it was not only cruel, it was a public safety risk. Cows too sick to walk were being fed to school children as part of the national school lunch program. The event was on public property, and when she reported this event, instead of prosecuting the farmer, she was charged under a law in Utah for filming a slaughterhouse or factory farm! "Ag-gag" laws have spread rapidly, and today half a dozen states have made it illegal to film factory farms. Now, the agriculture industry wants to bring ag-gag to Australia. SMH:Australia risks copying US ag-gag laws to turn animal activists into terrorists Will Potter is an investigative journalist who’s dedicated his career to animal rights and environmental issues — and to exposing the way people dedicated to such causes are treated as domestic terrorists by a government primarily interested in promoting corporate interests. His book "Green is the new Red" explores the US government's post 9-11 repression of environmental and animal rights activists, become known as the 'Green Scare'. His writing and commentary has also appeared in Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. The crux of what he found: environmental and animal-rights activists are now considered the United States’ number-one domestic terrorism threat, and they are being prosecuted as criminals. It's an attack on the fundamentals of democracy, and a right to protest and voice outrage. In the mid-1980s, these corporations got together and created a new word called “eco-terrorist” — because at the time, these protest movements were growing very quickly and effectively, and they had widespread public support. There clearly was a concern that unless public opinion shifted, there’d be a really big problem on their hands. Corporate powers are now growing faster than that of democracy, and governments, due to neo-liberalism and globalisation. It's a dangerous precedent, that they are able to take over legal systems and capture law-making for their own ends. Potter likens the Justice Department targeting of environmentalists today to McCarthyism in the 1950s. The author argues that culture war is “at the heart of U.S. domestic and foreign policy, from the Red Scare to the War on Terrorism.” As Edmund Burke said: "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing". There are higher laws of decency, morality, humanity, freedom, nature and ethics that must be obeyed - and they supersede the laws of that would corrupt them. Big corporate farms love Barnaby Joyce’s proposed law, but it’s a disaster for everyone else. If we can generate enough noise, we can push the government to drop its latest unpopular, corporate-backed policy. Tell Barnaby Joyce to criminalise cruelty -- not whistleblowing -- and drop plans to gag animal rights campaigners. Big corporate farming interests want to do everything they can to gag animal cruelty activists. They know that when consumers are reminded of how harshly animals are treated in factory farms, they demand change -- which eats into company profits. Action.SumOfUs: Barnaby Joyce: criminalise cruelty, not whistleblowing. Drop your plans to impose harsh penalties on people who film animal abuse on factory farms, and instead improve animal welfare standards

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2014-07-05 22:16

A way to deal with this is to go to the Hansard reports of who proposes and speaks for and against this new law. Candobetter.net will be happy to republish these speeches with the names and faces of the politicians who stand up against this law or who vote for it. Most of the time Australian politicians vote pretty anonymously because so few people look up Hansard and because the collusive newsmedia rarely publicise the names of those responsible for helping vote in such laws. Politicians do not like to have their faces and names attached to this kind of law, so that's what activists have to do in this case. I am asking here for people to start cutting and pasting these speeches, names from Hansard in here as comments. We can then republish them. It is a pain just having our editors drop everything else and go trawling Hansard, which is all in pdf and takes time to convert or copy. All you have to do is find the name of the bill or law, the date of first and second readings, and then record the responses, the politicians "speaking to or for or against" the bill. Even if the bill is passed and becomes law, we can still say who made that possible. That will mean that people who suffer by that unfair law will be sensitised to those politicians and will be able to run campaigns exposing their action.

quark

Sat, 2014-07-05 12:20

Like Ag-gag laws prosecuting journalists and animal activists who film animal cruelty, this ultimately makes it impossible to protest or to expose what is happening. If you are in gaol for being an "eco-terrorist", you are out of action. If you are fined repeatedly to the point of penury, you are also out of action unless you find a sponsor or benefactor. This is desperate stuff on the part of those who would rip apart the last shreds of beauty in the world and lower all moral and environmental standards to rock bottom in the name of their freedom to do what they want.

Paddy W (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-05 11:18

Promotional talks to investors in the Commonwealth Bank of Australia on the 'benefits' of population growth are going on all over Australia. People need to go along and argue the toss on the “benefits” argument. Complaints should be made to the CBA that its approach to making money is fueling the destruction of Australian institutions and democracy. How about it? I for one will be writing to CBA with a query/complaint.

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2014-07-05 09:25

60% of our population growth due to immigration, yet governments want it to be smooth and natural without disclosure or debate. It's considered a status quo, something that is naturally part of our economy, and inevitable. Any debate about immigration, other than asylum seekers who contribute only 1.2% of our population growth, is quashed as being "racist" or not politically-un-correct. It's "anti" or nimby! Higher populations means more children, and more schools and childcare needed - not less! The destruction of schools, and the environments that surround them, will be negative for living and educational standards. The results will mean more traffic on the roads, higher risks for children travelling to schools, mega-schools without local communities, crowded classrooms, bullying and less facilities for play and sports. Schools belong inside communities, especially at primary level. They are not commodities to be sold off by Councils, and then declare the land "surplus" for property developers! Council rates will increase, local infrastructure will be overloaded, congestion exacerbated and there will be more crime in the area - and the local police station has closed down! It's a growing dystopia of more people, crowded in, with less amenities.

Alf Daudet (not verified)

Fri, 2014-07-04 23:22

On 12 June 2014 Ratepayers Victoria Inc. met at their office with a representative from the Omsbudsman of Victoria with member concerns regarding local councils. The meeting is reported to have lasted two hours and it was felt that some progress was made. A major issue is that there is no accountability or follow up in regards to issues raised with Councils. Ratepayers Victoria stated that an independent body should be established to consider complaints to councils. The omsbudman representatives seemed to agree that this appears to be an issue that should be given some priority. There is reportedly some confirmation that a minister is concerned about the many problems raised both by the media and letters from ratepayers groups and Ratepayers Victoria Inc. This and other signs cause some optimism that Victorians will see some legislative enforcement that will make councils more accountable to Ratepayers. It is yet to be seen what action will taken by the Ombudsman.

David ZPG (not verified)

Fri, 2014-07-04 14:09

Each day in The Australian we read of Clive Palmer's malodorous use of parliament to increase his personal financial wealth: "Probe into Palmer's missing $12m widens,"The Australian, 2 July. Treasurer Joe Hockey included another historically very large permanent immigration quota in his budget papers. Permanents, along with extraordinarily high intakes of 457s, international students, backpackers and long-stay tourists, guarantees that Australia's human population keeps booming. Growing by more than 600,000 per year - two Canberras. And guarantees that Sydney's real estate prices, particularly top end prices, keep booming at 15.4% or better: "Property prices through the roof with Sydney leading charge," The Australian,, 2 July. Hockey's Hunters Hill home is valued at approx. $6-million. And his weekender at Stanwell Park at $1.5-million. So thanks to his decisions as Treasurer, Hockey's personal wealth increases by $1,155,000 each year. A conflict-of-interest to all but the Murdoch, Fairfax and ABC-Champagne-Socialist media. David Z. Hughes

Loss of sovereignty (not verified)

Fri, 2014-07-04 13:19

The review, the most comprehensive to date of Caribbean reefs that are vital tourist attractions for many island nations, said climate change had played only a minor role in the reefs' demise, despite past speculation it was a main cause. SMH: Hit by slime - Caribbean corals could vanish even before climate change hits “Even if we could somehow make climate change disappear tomorrow, these reefs would continue their decline,” said Jeremy Jackson, lead author of the report and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s senior adviser on coral reefs. “We must immediately address the grazing problem for the reefs to stand any chance of surviving future climate shifts.” Climate change of course is a severe threat, but it's been used to cover every environmental shortfall and decline. If climate change doesn't get there, overfishing will do the job first! Careful examination of the data suggests overfishing as the most likely reason for the disappearance of large predatory fishes across the region. "Large predatory fish such as groupers and sharks are vitally important in marine food webs," Chris Stallings of The Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory said. The Caribbean is an environmentally and economically significant region. It's home to 9 percent of the world's coral reefs and some of the most diverse ecosystems. These reefs also span 38 countries and serve as a vital economic driver, generating more than $3 billion annually from tourism and fisheries. Marine fish provide 15 percent of all animal protein consumed by humans. Under this intense pressure — 15 percent of 7 billion people (and growing), every year, year in, year out — global fisheries are collapsing. A vast amount of the discarded waste of 7 billion consumers also finds its way to the oceans.

Olaf (not verified)

Fri, 2014-07-04 10:53

by My Catbird Seat The Algerian World Cup team has decided to donate their team prize money of $9 million they got after their Round of 16 match with Germany to the people of Gaza, revealed one of the squad’s forwards. “They need it more than us,” 26-year old Islam Slimani said, whose club is Sporting Lisbon. The manager of the team hasn’t yet officially confirmed Slimani’s statement. June, 30 the team from Algeria lost 2:1 to the Germans the Round of 16 in a fierce battle. Algeria Gaza World Cup tweet Germany team needed extra time to beat Algeria and reach the quarter-finals. Algeria was the only Arab country playing in the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Desert Foxes from North Africa won the respect of the football fans after the team became one of the leaders in Group H. The Algerians pushed through round of 16 for the first time, giving their fans plenty of reasons to cheer and smile. Source: http://rt.com/news/170180-algeria-team-donate-gaza/ My Catbird Seat | July 4, 2014 at 2:02 am | Tags: Algeria to donate World Cup prize money to Gaza, Algeria's national team 2014, Algerian World Cup team 2014, FEATURED, Striker Islam Slimani | Categories: Israel, Israeli Colonies, Israeli-Palestine Conflict, Jordon, Lebanon, Middle east, News/Politics, Syria, War Crimes, Zionism | URL: http://wp.me/pSDMZ-gLZ

Anonymous (not verified)

Fri, 2014-07-04 09:40

With the United States preoccupied elsewhere, Central American gangs have grown in power and numbers; today, local officials estimate their size at 70,000-100,000 members. The marabuntas, or maras, as they are known (after a deadly species of local ants), now pose the most serious challenge to peace in the region since the end of Central America's civil wars. In the past few years, as Washington has focused its attention on the Middle East, it has virtually ignored a dangerous phenomenon close to home.

San Petro Sula, Honduras, has a highest murder rate in the world, higher than in Afghanistan or Syria! While America has been distracted by the Middle East, there's been a growing power of Central America's gangs and their ability to shuttle between their home countries and the United States.

The violence currently rocking Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala is not only causing a refugee crisis in the United States. Every country in the region has also been affected as children are running for their lives and seeking safety wherever they can find it.

According to the UNHCR, asylum requests from Honduran, El Salvadoran, and Guatemalan nationals have increased 712 percent in the neighboring nations of Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize since 2009. [Center For American Progress, 6/18/14]

The United States is not the only country seeing an influx of migrants from the Northern Triangle. Between the years of 2008 and 2013 the UN recorded an increase of 712 percent in the number of individuals leaving that region and settling in places like Mexico, Panama, Belize and Costa Rica. The US government projects that 95 percent of South American cocaine travels through Central America and Mexico before landing in the states. They recruit and forcefully use children to carry out their activities. Those that do not participate are made examples of through kidnapping, torture, or murder.

Instability breeds poverty, desperation, violence that inevitably bleeds into neighboring nations.
The tens of thousands of Central American youths will likely never be deported and many will be released in the U.S. while they are being “processed.” Besides receiving food and shelter, the Honduran newspaper article says, kids will receive English classes, participate in sports and other programs while their relatives are tracked down in the U.S.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the unaccompanied alien children (UACs) should be returned to their countries rather than released to an adult in the U.S. "Allowing them to remain here will only encourage the next group of individuals to undertake this dangerous and life-threatening journey here," Perry said. When the Obama Administration releases UACs to adults in the U.S., no checks are done to determine if they are legally present". (NumbersUSA)https://www.numbersusa.com/news?f[0]=field_sub_type%3A2056

The majority of Central America has been suffering from drought, which is only worsened by overpopulation. Currently, overpopulation is factoring into drought, slums, and violence in Central America. With individual countries facing separate populations problems and becoming more fragile, there are few places to find help. Young, impoverished and uneducated young people get captured by the lure of drug money, and weapons. It's a downward cycle of decline.

Loss of sovereignty (not verified)

Thu, 2014-07-03 13:15

A group of around 140 adults and child migrants were sent to California to be assigned case numbers and undergo background checks before most were likely to be released under limited supervision to await deportation proceedings. They were greeted by anti-immigration demonstrators, with slogans such as "return to sender". The group is part of a growing wave of families and unaccompanied minors fleeing Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and streaming by the thousands into the United States by way of human trafficking networks through Mexico. The are said not to be economic migrants, but are avoiding crime and violence. Authorities estimate 60,000 to 80,000 children without parents will cross the border this year in what the White House has called an “immediate humanitarian crisis.” The surge has left U.S. immigration officials scrambling to handle mass numbers of Central American migrants who, by law, the government cannot immediately deport, as they normally could illegal border crossers of Mexican or Canadian origin. The massive migration movements across the world are causing mayhem and the humanitarian crisis is impacting globally. The crisis is being addressed as a humanitarian one, but the source, of over population, is still largely not recognised. Californian immigration transfers A mix of poverty, violence and smugglers' false promises is prompting the Central American inflow. There aren't enough beds, food or facilities. In a recent conference on overpopulation in Washington DC, Victor Davis Hansen talked about his latest book, “Mexifornia,” explaining how immigration – both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream. Mexifornia: the State of becoming A large part of the problem, Hanson believes, comes from the opportunistic coalition that stymies immigration reform and, even worse, stifles an honest discussion of the growing problem. Corporations, contractors, and agribusiness demand cheap wage labor from Mexico, whatever the social consequences. Meanwhile, academics, journalists, government bureaucrats, and La Raza advocates envision illegal aliens as a vast new political constituency for those committed to the notion that victimhood, not citizenship, is the key to advancement. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that ‘An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.’” “Here is how they do it,” Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm said: “First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country.” History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other- that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent.

Loss of sovereignty (not verified)

Wed, 2014-07-02 14:35

A French woman against the state for breach of religious freedom. However, the European Court of Human Rights has upheld France's 2010 ban on full-face veils in public. In written evidence, the woman of Pakistani origin testified that she wore the full veil of her own free will and was willing to remove it whenever required for security reasons, addressing two of the main arguments put forward by French authorities in support of the ban. The French argue that it conflicts with gender equality, human dignity and the ability to socially integrate. France has the largest Muslim community in Europe, with over 5 million people. France was the first European country to pass a law banning burqa and niqab garments that conceal the face in public. Belgium later followed suit. While the also covers balaclavas and hoods, the ban has been criticised as targeting Muslim women. According to Europe's human rights court, the law did not exceed the margin of interpretation by states in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights. It's claimed that the country's tenets of secularism are being degraded. It's also a security threat as it's hard to identify the individuals.

PostGrowthEra

Wed, 2014-07-02 10:59

The Minister has stated in his approval that he does ‘not rely on a business case’ and further that it is ‘not necessary’ for him to do so. He states it is sufficient that it is enshrined in Plan Melbourne. This is the haphazard the undemocratic nature of what's called "planning" in Victoria. It's authoritarian and non-transparent. Mega-decisions are made without proper discussion with the public. The Minister has accepted the adverse impacts on Royal Park and the Zoo of the Elliott Avenue interchange and determined this will not proceed. We used to have the naive idea that politicians were employed to act on our best interests. Now, they are captured by corporate lobby groups that are more powerful than democratic processes. The 'business case' is not necessary, as the costs of the unwanted EW link will be ultimately paid by tax payers. The decision by the Minister also flies in the face of the groundswell of community opposition to the East West Link demonstrated by the thousands of people who turned out for the Trains Not Tolls rally on the steps of the State Library on Saturday. Planning is about political manoeuvring and manipulating, not actually enhancing and protecting Melbourne as a liveable city. We don't need to justify ourselves to the international community, by having the tallest towers, the biggest freeway or tunnel, or be the biggest city compared to Europe! We don't want big population growth, and the costs involved. Plan Melbourne is not about catering to a "projected" population growth to double by 2051, but a self-fulfilling prophesy to ensure this happens - by luring people to Melbourne to buy houses and apartments. Already Melbourne is changing too fast, and is unstable. The results are crime, homelessness, vagrancy, poverty, rising costs of living, inadequate schools, and cuts to public services. The best way is to leave Melbourne.

nimby

Tue, 2014-07-01 08:23

Welfare groups have accused the Abbott government of dumping Australia's sense of a fair go after targeting payments to unemployed young people, families, pensioners and people with disabilities in its first budget. People with severe impairments, terminal illnesses or who have the capacity to work less than eight hours a week will be exempt. Several welfare groups have slammed a interim welfare reform report and called on the government to rule out some of the more controversial measures. It suggests that many of the 830,000 recipients on the Disability Support Pension would be moved off it, but suggested people with mental illnesses could be one such group. Only people with a permanent disability could receive the payment. Thirty per cent of people on a disability support pension are people with mental health conditions and these conditions are often episodic in nature. It's claimed that much of the welfare spending rise was linked to Australia's ageing population and reliance on the aged pension. So, to counterbalance the "ageing population", we have artificial population growth! We have one in six children living in poverty and it's on the rise, and a crisis of youth unemployment. Governments love immigration and population growth but seem to think of people as static tax-payers, or economic units. Skilled migrants have a higher rate of unemployment than Australian born. People come with disabilities, illnesses, and they all age! Back in 2011 the Victorian MP Kelvin Thomson says Australia can sustain an ageing population by increasing the productivity of its present population, especially older people, rather than importing migrants and workers. However, "growth" continued and these words were ignored. Forcing disabled people to work, and others on welfare, is a cruel irony as there are few jobs available. They will be humiliated and feel despair. We still have record levels of skilled migration, and temporary migrants with work permits are flooding the casual jobs market. The logical conclusion of a market-based economy will mean de-linking people from the economy, and discarding them along the way as heavy burdens. "They may need counselling or therapy, but it’s very important to keep them linked with education, training or a job” said welfare expert Patrick McClure. “Australia’s current welfare system is incredibly unwieldy, with around 20 payments and 55 supplements which is complex to administer and difficult for individuals to access and understand,” Minister for Social Services Kevin Andrews said. He said the number of people allowed onto this payment had grown in an ad hoc manner over many years if not decades. Over the last decades, Australia's population has swelled, along with the number of people on welfare. There's no indication of a rising rate of disability, but a rise in absolute numbers.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-30 16:07

The six-kilometre East West Link tollway through Melbourne's inner north will be built after Planning Minister Matthew Guy announced he had approved the project on Monday. East West link approved He said, “I have approved the East West Link eastern section as a wholly integrated project that will deliver a critical transport connection for Victoria. The value and importance of the East West Link project to Victoria is clearly recognised in the Assessment Committee’s report. The project will significantly improve traffic flows in Melbourne’s inner-north and provide an opportunity for enhanced public transport services". This powerful decision, contrary to thousands of Melbournians, must give Matthew Guy an ego boost! In great defiance, he said: “The East West Link will improve transport throughout Victoria – this vital piece of infrastructure is the missing link in our road transport network.” What's vital to the public, the users, is the missing public transport links. Roads attract more traffic, and this decision is clearly for the benefit of the road lobby, not the public. "The project will significantly improve traffic flows in Melbourne’s inner-north and provide an opportunity for enhanced public transport services" - until in a few years the EW Link will also be congested due to population growth! What criteria of "improvement" is he measuring? The users, the public, know better than chauffer-driven politicians. At a time of budget cutbacks, the EW Link will still go ahead, and is the biggest and most unpopular project yet in Melbourne.

admin

Sun, 2014-06-29 14:45

The following was added to the abovementioned discussion.

Australian losses, on the Western Front in the 18 months from March 1916 until November 1918, were far higher than at Gallipoli in the 8 months from April until December 1914. Over 50,000,1 or, on average, 1,571 per month, died on the Western front compared to 8,141 or 1,017 per month at Gallipoli. If we put aside the fact that no side's cause had merit in the First World War, the plan to attack Gallipoli, even if it failed, showed vision and initiative compared to the unimaginative and bloody war of attrition subsequently fought on the Western Front.

Almost none of the ostensibly objective and critical histories of the Gallipoli campaign discuss the campaign in its wider context – the nearby Balkans campaign, which was a resumption a the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, or the Ottoman military campaign against Armenians, which ended in attempted genocide of Armenians and the eventual rescue of some in 1920 in the newly formed Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic established by Lenin and Trotsky.

An exception is Bruce Page, in the "The Murdoch Archipelago" (2003). He shows how Rupert Murdoch's father, Keith Murdoch, who has been lionised for his denunciation of the Gallipoli campaign and the supposedly incompetent British generals in command, had little to say about the subsequent even more terrible carnage of Australians on the Western Front.

Footnote[s]

1. ↑ This approximate figure is arrived by subtracting, from Australia's First World War death toll of 60,0000 (I couldn't find any figure more accurate than this unlikely multiple of 10,000 even on the Australian War memorial Web site) the following: 1,394 in Egypt and Palestine, 171 naval fatalities to get 50,294.

James Sinnamon

Sun, 2014-06-29 10:06

The following was posted to a discussion on johnquiggin.com. Further discussion, there or here, is encouraged.

J-D (@ #13) writes that I have provided no evidence that the Second World War could have ended in 1943.

Have you looked at the article, which I linked to, J-D?

At (@ #9) I pointed out that the Italians liberated the whole of Italy themselves when they overthrew Mussolini in July 1943. Surely you must ask yourself why the subsequent invasion of the whole Italian peninsula by Italy's former ally, Nazi Germany, was not prevented, with the British and American armies in Sicily and with total (as I believe I recall) air superiority over Italy all the way up to the Brenner Pass at the Austrian border through which all of Germany's ground forces had to move by rail?

Can't you see that if Italy had remained liberated after July 1943, as surely must have been possible, that the war could have finished that year?

As I showed in my linked article, the Western allies threw away other opportunities to quickly liberate large areas of occupied territory and capture or eliminate large numbers of German soldiers on the ground. Surely if they hadn't thrown these opportunities away, the war could have ended much sooner than may 1945. 'Lost' opportunities to more quickly end the war also include:

1. During the British invasion of Greece in 1944, the British, with total air superiority over the skies of Greece, allowed nearly all of the occupying German armies to escape as the British turned their guns on ELAS resistance fighters and re-armed Greeks who had collaborated with the Nazis. ELAS fighters, who controlled the mountains above the roads through which the German Armies had to retreat, were prevented from attacking the retreating Germans.

2. After the Second Battle of El Alemain from October to November 1942, Rommel's forces were allowed to retreat, when their retreat could easily have been cut off on the ground and with aerial bombardment. (I have momentarily mislaid a book with a title somewhat like "Great Battles of the Second World War" in which this was shown. I will cite from this book when I find it.)

The introductory paragraph at the top of this post is formatted as follows: "<p style="font-size:80%;line-height;120%;background-color:#EDF5FA;"> " The following was <a href="http://johnquiggin.com/2014/06/28/the-100-years-war/comment-page-1/#comment-236471">posted</a> ... <\p>" - James

admin

Sun, 2014-06-29 03:15

From Global Research article U.S. Politicians “Living the High Life” at Taxpayers Expense Even After Leaving Office of 24/6/14.

Since leaving the White House, the Clintons have earned at least 100 million dollars and currently have a net worth of up to 50 million dollars. So why in the world do the taxpayers need to give Bill Clinton $944,000 to fund his extravagant lifestyle in 2014? If ordinary Americans truly understood how much money many former politicians are being handed every year they would go bananas.

According to a Congressional Research Service report that was published earlier this year, the federal government has given a total of nearly 16 million dollars to Bill Clinton since 2001. Each one of those dollars is a dollar that some U.S. taxpayer worked really hard for or that we had to borrow. Yes, we don’t want our former presidents to go broke for a whole bunch of reasons, but it is absolutely absurd that we are showering them with millions upon millions of dollars.

...

admin

Sun, 2014-06-29 03:04

From Global Research, (28/11/14).

Once upon a time, Hillary Rodham, the 1969 Wellesley valedictorian, studied the organizing tactics of Saul Alinsky and backed Eugene McCarthy’s presidential run. At commencement, she spoke of a conservative strain in New Left protests that harked back to old values and ideals, and she dared to challenge the United States Senator who preceded her on the podium.

Were she still among us, that passionate young woman would surely oppose the nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton (HRC) for the U.S. presidency.

...

Vivienne Ortega

Sat, 2014-06-28 09:48

The Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has described animal activists who break into farms to gather footage as 'vigilantes' to be prosecuted under the threat of new "ag-gag" laws. National bacon week has also been a platform for the launch of new animal rights group called Aussie Farms . National Bacon Week, to promote the factory farming of pigs, is being counteracted by animal activists, Aussie Farms, who will publish film of animal cruelty every day during the week. Australian Pork Limited recently launched an education program that teaches primary school children about where pork comes from and how it's produced. Barnaby Joyce raises the issue of "biosecurity risk" of intruders. The reality is that these animals are compromised by high levels of anti-biotics, not as a medical treatment, but as part of their lifestyles of living in high numbers, in congestion. It's un-natural and their immune systems have been compromised. The pork industry has already committed to phasing out sow stalls and about 60 per cent of producers are now sow-stall free. The footage in the first video published by Aussie Farms shows one sow with bleeding teats. In some operations, piglets have their teeth clipped to prevent them damaging the teats while drinking milk. Removal of the teeth can also prevent the young pigs injuring themselves while fighting or playing. We all know that rats confined in small places are more likely to be aggressive - and crowded pigs will also be more "aggressive"! Deni Piggery is a small (200 sow) farrow to finish pig farm in Deniliquin NSW, with industry-standard farrowing crates and sow stalls. The pig farm is filthy and cramped. One sow was found with a particularly bad rectal prolapse, another with a bleeding, untreated wound on her leg. In the sow stalls, sows were found lying in a thick build-up of their own faeces and urine. ABC: New animal rights group attempts to expose pig cruelty in Bacon Week www.facebook.com/AustralianPigFarming www.aussiepigs.com/piggeries/deni The Chairman of the Sydney Meat Market Michael Woodcroft says animal welfare incidents have a 'massive impact' on business. Animal welfare group Aussie Farms posted video of the abattoir in May showing a worker prodding a pig in the face before holding the electric goad in its ear for 12 seconds. Another pig was kicked and beaten in an effort to get it into a chamber for gassing. The public should know where their food comes from and about the animals that produce it. Animal Activists should wear the label of "vigilante" as a badge of honour!

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2014-06-28 09:11

The demand for public transport, as an alternative to the East West link, means the destruction of our city's inner-core, and more tolls. The cry for more public transport is due to population growth outstripping available services of buses, trains and trams. The solutions are not in isolation from what's driving the problem. Retro-fitting our city to be bigger than it's meant, or planned to be, is hideously destructive and expensive. With a stable population size, and zero net immigration, we can fix the problems and the solutions can be made firm and achievable objectives, in a time frame. However, even our government is unable to "project" what size Melbourne will be in the future! Nothing can be planned properly because Melbourne's growth is out of control. Any "solutions" are unable to keep abreast of demands. "Planning" is an oxymoron in Victoria. Plans continually become outdated and inadequate. Even the East West link will become congested a few years after its construction. It leads to ad hoc, and tainted decision-making. The costs of living in our city are mounting and the only way is OUT!

Marie (not verified)

Fri, 2014-06-27 09:57

Only reading this in June 2014, but dismayed and ashamed at our government bodies that conduct such barbaric methods of "management" on the vulnerable. A sign of EXACTLY how vulnerable species, including humans, will be treated in the not too distant future if compliance with law is defied. Long established laws are there for good reason. To prevent HASTY solutions that are short sighted and have serious long term consequences. usually to the powerless. To circumvent these Laws, as is the current pattern of defiance, is a sure sign of danger for every citizen. Cheer today as barbaric methods are employed to "move an inconvenience", as above report says, but know that next time it may be you or your loved one that is being railroaded. (remember the homes of the destitute Chinese people being bulldozed before the Beijing Olympics as elderly and infirm PEOPLE were inside the hovels ?) Do we REALLY want to encourage lawless society ? If government leads the way in defying the country's laws 'for expediency', how far behind will corporate and private entities be in following suit ? Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and for speaking up. Keep up the good !

Marie (not verified)

Fri, 2014-06-27 09:50

Only reading this in June 2014, but dismayed and ashamed at our government bodies that conduct such barbaric methods of "management" on the vulnerable. A sign of EXACTLY how vulnerable species, including humans, will be treated in the not too distant future if compliance with law is defied. Long established laws are there for good reason. To prevent HASTY solutions that are short sighted and have serious long term consequences. usually to the powerless. To circumvent these Laws, as is the current pattern of defiance, is a sure sign of danger for every citizen. Cheer today as barbaric methods are employed to "move an inconvenience", as above report says, but know that next time it may be you or your loved one that is being railroaded. (remember the homes of the destitute Chinese people being bulldozed before the Beijing Olympics as elderly and infirm PEOPLE were INSIDE the hovels ? ) Do we REALLY want to encourage lawless society ? If government leads the way in defying the country's laws 'for expediency', how far behind will corporate and private entities be in following suit ? Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and for speaking up. Keep up the good ! Marie SL

Mark (not verified)

Thu, 2014-06-26 15:33

Very brave, James; well done. It remains to be seen if either will ever be prosecuted, but it appears certain the west was never going to condemn their behavior. Western media have been stricken with selective blindness where fascism in Ukraine is concerned, because Ukraine is so useful for the moment.

Anonymous (not verified)

Thu, 2014-06-26 10:57

Homelessness spiked with Kevin Rudd heated up our immigration rate to over 300,000 per year while he was PM. This was his "big Australia" push. High rates of immigration, boosting our population growth, is a sure way of pushing up the demand for housing, and increasing competition on a limited supply. Its' an easy money-spinner. Only when the agencies hiding homeless are overloaded will we see more people sleeping rough in the streets, in parks, on doorsteps and in any public space. While we have gleaming new skyscrapers breaking record limits, the increasing poverty in our community is covered. It's like plastering over the cracks in the walls, because the foundations are crumbling! It's a quick-fix and hides the problem under a thin layer of seeming wealth and progress, but it's fake!

DennisK (not verified)

Thu, 2014-06-26 09:04

The idea of "The Market" solving problems is based on the assumption that human being are rational calculating machines, who can weigh up pros and cons and come to some optimal conclusion. That people still believe this, stumps me. It's religious thinking. Belief in faith, despite very obvious evidence to the contrary. Take a share trade for instance. One person sells, another buys. Now, one person has seen data and decided its good to buy, another has seen the same data and thought its good to sell. Or gold. One buys, one sells. The public data is the same, yet two different conclusions. How can this be? Or religion. Two people read the same book and yet read two different things. Or voting. The cost involved in voting is greater than the worth of the vote.. Add to that, evidence that our minds grip on reality and observation is looser than we think, that the wiring of our brains, brain chemistry and other factors influence decision making. "The market" can't fix problems. It can only provide goods and services.

Matthew Mitchel... (not verified)

Thu, 2014-06-26 06:22

Defenders of the South East Green Wedge - Bulletin - Call to Arms (Barry Ross Jun 25 at 6:27 PM) Folks, This is an appeal for volunteers to attend a mortgagee's auction at noon on Friday, 4 July at 565 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin. The property is just south of Peninsula Private Hospital. The reason for this appeal is that we are planning a well behaved, good humoured gathering of people with placards to warn prospective bidders of the pitfalls of purchasing the property and at the same time raise awareness of why the land should be acquired as an addition to the abutting Pobblebonk Wetland Reserve. In the online real estate advertisement for the auction, the land is being touted as 'Residential Land' when it is exactly the opposite in that it is in the Green Wedge, is zoned Rural Conservation Zone and is covered by an Environmental Significance Overlay, a Significant Landscape Overlay and a Wildfire Management Overlay. See the ad on: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-residential+land-vic-langwarrin-200908215 The Pobblebonk Wetland Reserve is a magic little perched wetland that sits in a sand dune system and is protected by a decaying layer of vegetation that stops it draining into the sand. We believe there is a strong case for the property to be included in the Pobblebonk Wetland Reserve because it is part of the same wetland system. It would replace some of the wetland area that was destroyed by the construction of the Peninsula Link Freeway and would provide a valuable buffer to the planned extensions to the Peninsula Private Hospital. The land has been illegally cleared a couple of times over the past few years but is re-establishing nicely and should look at treat in a few years. A haul road was built across the property to assist with the construction of Peninsula Link. This haul road was meant to be removed and the area reinstated by Oct '11 but so far no action appears to have been taken to enforce the removal. The press has been told about the gathering so it is important that we get reasonable numbers to show we are fair dinkum. There is a small parking bay at the entrance to the property and parking in the Peninsula Private Hospital carpark, though this can be busy at times.. Please do your best to come to the auction and bring along a placard to show your support with message along the lines of protecting the Green Wedge / keeping the land for nature / the need to expand the Pobblebonk Wetland Reserve / this land is not suitable for development. Hope to see you at the auction on Friday, 4 July at noon.

Matthew Mitchell

Wed, 2014-06-25 19:42

Good article - thanks Sally,

In relation to 'free-trade' try this:

“Free Trade” Pacts Were Always About Weakening Nation-States to Promote Rule by Multinationals
Extract:
From a Joint Economic Committee hearing conducted just after a major series of global trade talks known as the “Kennedy round”, from 1964-1967:

"But to fulfill its full potential the multinational corporation must be able to operate with little regard for national boundaries – or, in other words, for restrictions imposed by individual national governments."

In relation to Universities:

Servants of Power: Higher Education in an Era of Corporate Control
Extract:

"In Giroux's words, "Casino capitalism does more than infuse market values into every aspect of higher education; it wages a full-fledged assault on public goods, democratic public spheres, and the role of education in creating an informed and enlightened citizenry.""

Loss of sovereignty (not verified)

Wed, 2014-06-25 17:22

A court in Cairo found Australia's Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed guilty of spreading false news. Hundreds of journalist are protesting in London for Peter Greste's 7 years imprisonment. He's been charged with the spreading of "false news". and for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. It puts every international journalist at risk.

Greste was arrested in Cairo with colleagues at the end of December 2013. The interior ministry said the journalists were accused of news reporting which was "damaging to national security".

This kind of verdict does nothing to support Egypt's claim to be on a transition to democracy, and the Australian Government urges the new government of Egypt to reflect on what message is being sent to the world about the situation in Egypt. Egypt is the largest and most important country in the Arab world. Much of Egypt’s crisis comes down to a battle over identity. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood overestimated the extent to which Egyptians identify with Islam. Citizens identify less and less with their countries and identify more and more with Islam and as Arabs.
Amnesty International petition for Peter Greste:

http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/33972/

Anonymous (not verified)

Wed, 2014-06-25 12:17

Applying market laws to our environmental protection policies is a disaster. Now, there's pressure to get rid of "green tape" so that businesses and hunters can access national parks and forests. The real world is finite, and can't compete with economic and human demands, considering humanity's massive explosion of numbers! Advocates of neo-liberalism use of the market to allocate scarce environmental resources such as wilderness and clean air and promote the replacement of legislation with voluntary industry agreements. They seek to cast doubt on environmental problems such as global warming and to lobby against legislation or international agreements to prevent such problems. It's assumed that the markets that cause the problems can be controlled and self-regulated by market and economic solutions. Nature doesn't obey human constructs, and market rules. Loosening environmental controls is predatory, and a caving in to corporations and their demand for resources, and economic growth that can't be sustained forever!

DennisK (not verified)

Wed, 2014-06-25 10:16

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. - John Kenneth Galbraith I deeply suspect that most Libertarians are driven by the knowledge, or assumption, that given the removal of restraints they would prosper. I see Libertarianism as little more than a thinly veiled call to remove restrictions to predation. Libertarians imagine themselves capable predators. There has never been a properous completely Libertarian society and modern Libertarianism bears little in resemblance to the libertarianism of America's founding fathers.

admin

Wed, 2014-06-25 02:03

Matthew, my apologies for being so slow to reply. Thank you for your interest. As the Second World War is now being re-fought in Ukraine, I think this issue is vitally important. Whilst I support the Russian Government and anti-Nazi Ukrainians in Crimea and East Ukraine, their overly simple understanding of the Second World War, which seems largely similar to what is shown on RT and Voice of Russia, makes it harder to politically undermine the fascist Ukrainian regime they are defending themselves against.1

Matthew wrote:

I think they (the Allies, but mainly US) allowed the Italian resistance to be unsupported and thus slaughtered by the Germans and through lack of support towards the end of the war ...

I have lost the article I read. I am confident the citations can be supplied by some knowledgable person out there. Anyone who can confirm (or disprove) what I write, is encouraged to do so. What I recall is this: After Rome was liberated, the Americans ceased their offensive against the Germans. They also ordered the Italian partisans to cease operations. The occuppying Germans, no longer pinned down by an allied offensive from the south or partisan attacks in their rear, were free to concentrate their own forces to attack the partisans. The partisans suffered heavy casualties as a result.

Matthew wrote:

... these people were the war heroes, and were organised and would have resisted, or offered alternatives to the CIA appointed leaders at the end of the war.

Chapter 2 "Italy 1947-1948: Free elections, Hollywood Style" (pp23-31), of The CIA: A forgotten history (1986) by William Blum, covers this. The United States spent a massive amount of money to support the Christian Democrats against the Coalition of the PCI and PSI (Socialist Party of Italy). Amongst other measures, "the State Department ... ruled that any Italians known to have voted for the Communists would not even be allowed to ... enter [the United States]" which many Italians considered a "terrestrial paradise".

Matthew wrote:

I think those that made it through may also have been targeted as communists, and rounded up after the war.

Possibly after the electoral defeat of 1948, it seems likely that Communists would have been persecuted. But, immediately after the end of the Second World War, even though they did not form government, the communist partisans were a powerful and armed force. It would not have been wise for the CIA and their Italian allies to attempt to persecute the communists in those years.

1. ↑ As I said elsewhere, given the brutality that Ukrainians had endured at the hands of Stalin, from the late 1920's, it is hardly surprising that many Ukrainians including the Stepan Bandera made the terrible mistake of embracing the Nazi invaders as liberators in June 1941. The fact that the Nazi occupiers "arrested the newly formed [Ukrainian] government and sent them [including Stepan Bandera] to concentration camps in Germany ... until September 1944" (see Wikipedia) suggests to me that Stepan Bandera was hoodwinked by Nazi promises which they never intended to keep for Ukranians, whom they considered to be inferior 'untermenschen'. It is ironic that Ukranians are resurrecting this Nazi dream that was their nightmare.

Matthew Mitchell

Tue, 2014-06-24 17:30

Thank you.

Now I do remember something - very vague - so please bear with me. I think they (the Allies, but mainly US) allowed the Italian resistance to be unsupported and thus slaughtered by the Germans and through lack of support towards the end of the war because – as you suggest – these people were the war heroes, and were organised and would have resisted, or offered alternatives to the CIA appointed leaders at the end of the war. I think those that made it through may also have been targeted as communists, and rounded up after the war. I will try and recall where I read this information, and if I can I will post it here. Someone else might know about this however - so if you anyone does - please do reply.

DennisK (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-23 19:33

what sort of social world and values you move within Between a rock and a hard place! I eschew political ideology and I think the last great political ideology left is Political Correctness and its relatives. This is a holdover of the 19th and 20th century, where political ideology reigned supreme and killed tens of millions. Something had to replace religion I suppose. I think the "anti-racism" movement is and multiculturalism is more a product of the ideology. Just like previous ideologies, it holds that only through pushing the right ideas and words to create a specific social condition, can we have peace and end war, and so on. The excuses of tyrants. If it fails then it must be the fault of those who doubted the ideology or didn't try hard enough, and not those who actually implemented it. This is why its proponents can be so fanatic and heavy handed. On the other hand, those who do oppose this remaining ideology the most, are rough around the edges, can be reactionary and perhaps are operating on some presumptions which aren't accurate. This is most of the "populist" and some of the "far right" and "far left" now, though its getting harder to draw a distinction between them. One issue there is lack of academic attention. Political Correctness has had intellectuals to push and develop ideas, refine arguments and systems. The opposing ideas have been excluded because they oppose the dominant ideologies, so the worker who has to compete with imported labour, or is concerned about cultural displacement has to find their own intellectual arguments, which no one should then be surprised to find aren't as refined. The poor worker doesn't have phalanxes of intellectuals to tease out the nuances of his concerns and provide a clearer, more coherent understanding of the issues underlying his observations. The media will choose the worst, most embarrassing examples. There isn't a middle ground, yet... But I think trends forecaster Gerald Celente is right in that we'll see more and more a call from people to reclaim their nations through these populist groups which has already been under way in Europe and in the Arab world. It's not necessarily political extremism, it's people saying "I want my country back" the only way they know how. They are given derogatory terms because they are rejecting ideas which the establishment sees as sacred (economic unions, free movement of capital, globalism, replacement of established identity and social structure with a rootless Homo economicus). I don't necessarily see this refusal as a danger. The danger is people who are going to use this development to implement another ideology (say, rigid social Conservatism, Marxist Communism) in place. The very lack of attention that the media and political establishment gives their concerns just makes it easier for people to be hoodwinked by others. Honest discussion would yield a better outcome, but this isn't taking place except in some sections of the Internet (such as here). What has this go to do with "Growth"? The growth here, and in other countries (especially the Anglosphere) is mostly artificial. It's the result of vested interests engineering the population for themselves. Unsustainable growth is the symptom. Lack of ownership that people have over their national space, and population numbers which are no longer determined by natural reproductive choices is the underlying cause. Consumerism, rapid population growth, offshoring, free movement of capital and labour accross borders, depletion of natural resources is a condition forced, not a 'natural' outcome. In developing nations, the issue is quite different but at least in Australia, things could be quite different with a change in political, economic and social systems. how you experience this pressure to prioritise demonstrating absolute objection to racism to the degree I just don't care about it any more.

James Sinnamon

Mon, 2014-06-23 17:20

Matthew Wrote:

I look forward to [what] you will write ... regarding Western interests prolonging the Second World War.

I will deal with this later. But, briefly for now:

As I mentioned above, Italy was completely liberated by the Italians themselves when they overthrew Mussolini's fascist tyranny in in July 1943. Yet somehow, the German Army managed to reconquer almost all of the Italian peninsula again, and the Western allies had to fight for 20 bloody and destructive months all the way up the Italian Peninsula again. According to Wikipedia the Western allies suffered over 300,00 casualties, from 3 September 1943, until the war in Italy ended 20 months later on 2 May 1945. 152,940 Italian civilians also died.

So, how did the Western allies and their the supposed Italian allies allow this to happen? I believe the Allies had total air superiority at the time. If they didn't they were certainly still able bombard much of Nazi-occupied Europe from the air. Compared to cost the effort and required to bomb German cities, it should have required little effort to stop German infantry, artillery and tanks crossing the the Austrian/Italian border by rail at the Brenner Pass.

One book, which touches on this aspect of Southern European history, is "Captain Correlli's Mandelin" (1994), which, in 2001, was released as a film starring Nicholas Cage. It describes how the Germans fought and massacred Italian soldiers in Greece who had sided with the Allies.

After the war, one Italian general was executed by the British as a war criminal, I believe in 1946. (I forget the details, including his name, but I watched a documentary on ABC television, possibly in 2006, or possibly earlier. If anyone else knows of this matter or of the documentary, please let me know.) The "war crime" for which this Italian General was executed was that, under his command, three British prisoners of war were killed while trying to escape captivity. His real crime in the eyes of his Western allied executioners was that he was the one Italian general to seriously fight against the German invasion of Italian Italy in 1943. No doubt, his continued presence in Italy would have make it very difficult for the CIA to rort the Italian elections in 1948, causing the Italian Communist Party (PCI) to lose to 'former' fascist candidates.

In Greece, communist partisans, fought heroically against the Nazi occupation from 1941 until 1944. I will cite, what I posted to the ABC web site on 17 July 2011:

I think Rear Vision owes to the Greek people and to its Australian audience to tell the truth about Greek history.

The account of the Greek Civil War is untrue. The Greek Communist Party led the resistance to the German occupation and had overwhelming support of the Greek people. In 1944, the British tricked the Communist partisans into disarming whilst they secretly re-armed those who had collaborated with the Germans against fellow citizens. They were able to do this because of the betrayal of the Greek Communist Party and the unquestioning support for Stalin by the Greek Communist Party. The Greek Communist Party abused its support from the Greek people to convince then to lay down their weapons. The result was a massacre of the most patriotic Greeks by former German collaborators whilst the British looked on. At this time, the heroic partisan leader Aris Velouchiotis was murdered by collaborators. He died in the knowledge that the Greek Communist Party leaders that he supported had denounced him as a traitor for refusing to lay down his arms.

One of the placards at the mass Greek protests against the British read: "The Germans are back".

Patriotic Greeks could have so easily beaten the British and the former German collaborators in the war of 1944 and the subsequent civil war from 1946-1949 if they were not so appallingly misled by the Greek Communist Party.

For a truthful account of the Greek Civil War please read "The Kapetanios" written about 1970 by Frenchman Dominique Eudes.

Another critical aspect of the book not touched on in the above contribution, is that in 1944, after the British Army had landed the Communist Greek Partisans were ordered, by the British and the Greek Communist Party (KKE) under instructions from Stalin, to allow the defeated Germans to retreat:

Endless convoys of Germans were pulling out of Athens and the South of Greece. Amfissa, at the foot of Mount Parnassus, was a crucial staging post for the smooth operation of the retreat. Through Colonel Tsamakos, Ionnadis ordered ten battalions (4,000 men) to gather at the exit of the town.

Minor skirmishes between patrols had been going on there since 1 October, and the arrangements were completed within a few days, but the order for attack did not arrive. German convoys filed past on the road below under the partisans' yearning noses. A little squeeze on a single trigger could start the broadside that would bring the procession to an untidy halt.

Captain Grigoriadis watched the cohorts of lorries passing, two by two, stuffed with troops, arms and munitions. The andartes were holding themselves in check, assuming their General Staff was waiting for a particularly juicy convoy before giving the order to attack. While they waited, incredible quantities of booty were slipping through their fingers. The exasperating, unconsummated ambush lasted eleven days. Eleven days in which the partisans had nothing to do but count the game wriggling through their lines.

Italy and Greece are only two examples. Another is the Second Battle of El Elamein in Egypt 1942. An account I read recently (the title of the book was something like "Great Battles of the Second world War" – I will cite later) showed that British 8th Army, led by General Montgomery, particularly with total air superiority, could easily have prevented the retreat of Rommel's Afrika Corps and ended the whole North African desert war then and there, but he chose not to. So, instead, the war in North Africa lasted until May 1943. The Americans were required to land in Algeria and Morocco in November 1942 instead of launching the Second Front in Europe, promised to Stalin.

Matthew Mitchell

Mon, 2014-06-23 12:12

Very interesting. I look forward to the article you mention you will write in your note regarding Western interests prolongiong the second world war.

Perhaps the access to some news websites might be a forewarning of what to expect with the loss of net neutrality , which is another thing on the agenda of large and multinational organisations.

Loss of sovereignty (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-23 12:09

More pertinent to the question in Australia's First Award to the Scabs is not the nationality of the country buying Australian land and housing, but the treachery of our Government. The FIRB exists to give some assurance that there is accountability on who, and how many, foreigner are accessing our sovereign wealth in terms of housing, business and land sales. It raises the prices, locks locals out of housing, and keeps the housing bubble inflated. This promotes private profits, and keeps up the status quo of immigration and "growth" of our GDP. The RIRB are no more than observers, counting the sheep as they escape from the open gate! There's no country with a free market economy than Australia, with our government's drive to globalize our nation. This means internationalising our universities, jobs, skills acquisitions, and our population are all global - undermining our nationhood and selling off our sovereignty.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-23 10:52

The late microbiologist Frank Fenner was an authority on extinction. The was the emeritus professor in microbiology at the Australian National University played a leading role in sending one species into oblivion: the variola virus that causes smallpox. Widely regarded as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) finest hour, in 1980 Fenner announced to the World Health Assembly that smallpox had been eradicated. His work on the myxoma virus suppressed wild rabbit populations on farming land in southeastern Australia in the early 1950s. Fenner said that the real trouble is the population explosion and "unbridled consumption". Back in 2010, he warned that "Homo sapiens will become extinct, perhaps within 100 years". "A lot of other animals will, too. It's an irreversible situation. I think it's too late. I try not to express that because people are trying to do something, but they keep putting it off". Species don't go extinct in a vacuum, sealing the fates of humans distinctly. Fenner said that another limitation is covered by the expression not seeing the forest for the trees. That limitation also has a time dimension—characteristic human myopia - or anthropocentric short-sightedness!

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2014-06-23 01:45

Candobetter writer drew my attention to this absurdly phrased and scary explanation of Australian law on freedom of information, which says:

What is in the public interest?

Under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act), all government agencies must disclose or release information unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure. When deciding whether to release information, staff must apply the public interest test.

" There are only limited and specific interests against disclosure that an agency can take into account. These are:

law enforcement and security
individual rights, judicial processes and natural justice
responsible and effective government
business interests
environment, culture, economy and other matters
secrecy and exemption provisions in other laws."

As Michael commented, "This is a great way for a dictatorship to operate."

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2014-06-22 22:17

Hi Dennis, Any chance of a more in-depth analysis of what your perception or experience of this is? For instance, without getting overspecific, what sort of social world and values you move within and how you experience this pressure to prioritise demonstrating absolute objection to racism to the degree that it then totally dwarfs or actually stops attention or expression being given to addressing the problem of numbers? Could be that different social environments (classes, groups) experience the hierarchy of priorities differently. Some do speak out against multiculturalism with their perception that their religions, clubs, networks are being broken by wholesale insertion of new groups (e.g. Australia First). We also have a writer who recently returned from almost 20 years living in Europe, largely in London, with big mining concerns and it is clear that in those mining and engineering circles the 'Australia can have a huge population, you must be racist if you don't think so' dominates. That social group seems largely to have been protected from the material and social consequences of overpopulation and to have been blinkered from the wider consequences by an industry-focus on engineering ability to 'deal with' increasing demand problems and the potential commercial profit spin-off. Older retired engineers have also expressed to me their horror at the plans that ATSE has for Australia and its failure to consult on this with its members.

Tony (not verified)

Sun, 2014-06-22 16:18

The Chinese were the biggest real estate investors, approved for $5.9 billion worth of housing investments - followed by people from Canada ($4.9b), the US ($4.4b) and Singaporean investors ($2b). Last financial year foreigners applied to buy $5.4 billion worth of existing houses, across Australia, almost double the tally for the previous year. Malaysian, Taiwanese and South Korean buyers are in the market, targeting new apartments and townhouses in east coast cities. Perth is seeing interest from South Africa and investors from the Middle East are active in south east Queensland. Canadians invested just under $5 billion in Australian real estate, and Americans $4.4 billion. Singapore was next with $2 billion, then Malaysia with $1.6 billion; in between were the British, on $1.7 billion.(this year's data) China registers as the highest number of FIRB approval who are estimated by some financial institutions to be purchasing about 12 per cent of new homes. A Credit Suisse report estimated that 18 per cent of new homes in Sydney and 14 per cent in Melbourne are being bought by Chinese buyers, with up to $44 billion Anonymousof investment expected in the seven years to 2020. The Asian-Australian investment - predominantly Chinese - is being felt in the real estate market. While the door might be open to other nations, it's Chinese that are typical of the property investors in Australia. Cash pouring in from China is responsible for a “flood of unregulated investment”. Young people priced out of the market, official indifference, how Hong Kong doesn’t let the same thing happen. The housing bubble can't be maintained enough for the greed of property developers, despite our record immigration levels, so our housing market is opened to foreigners. A Canadian 28-year-old visa for scheme for foreign property investors, which had a backlog of 65,000 applicants, was axed by Canada earlier this year. That was less than a week after the Post revealed how the massive queue had been created in the Hong Kong consulate, which was inundated with applications from rich Chinese mainlanders.

Anonymous (not verified)

Sun, 2014-06-22 09:52

Candobetter.net Editorial Comment on the following:
[See below for actual comment.]
We think that the writer makes good points about the overwhelming size of the investor population overseas and that China is a good example of a large number of people who could overwhelm the interests of Australian home-buyers and citizens generally by raising the cost of housing and raising the population numbers further. We also would like to point out that other big populations are also investing in Australia, such as India. Furthermore many other foreign investors are in the mix, such as Germany, Singapore and Qatar. One also finds special encouraging arrangements from the NFIRB for specific countries and governments, such as Singapore.We would refer readers to the Australian National Foreign Investment Review Board, for details and also to view the policies that encourage investment in land-clearing and new building. In fact, we need look no further than our own government for the agents of our increasing dispossession. After all, they invite these foreign investors and give Australians no say in the matter.

We want to be clear, however, that we do not agree with singling out any particular nationality or ethnic group as problematic. We are not saying that the writer does this, but we want to be crystal clear. We want to emphasise that our interest in the problem is its numerical value. Furthermore, we note that, without China's support, along with other BRICS countries, for Russian policy, the world would have absolutely nothing to stop a frightening commercial and military US/NATO-based hegemony overtaking everything and everyone, particularly in Syria and Ukraine. In the latter case the Western imperialists are supporting anti-semite Nazis who overthrew the democratically elected government of President Victor Yanukovych in March 2004. Many of us believe that something similar is designed for Australia and that the selling off of land and fuel rights, with the disorganisation and impoverishment of the population here is part of this.>

AUSTRALIA FIRST PARTY-: Whatever will benefit Australia - that we are for;
whatever will harm Australia - that we are against. William Lane :-

PRESS RELEASE
Nominations for the
Australian Peoples Movement Award

The Mao Tse-tung
Order of the Third Hand

are invited from Individuals of The Commonwealth

CRITERIA.

This Award is for Scabs who aid and abet the scourge of Chinese Imperialism in Australia, manifested in their conniving for unwanted exploitive “developments”; the selling and purchase of resources and assets of Our Commonwealth, and the accompanying demographic swarm and cultural recolonisation of our Native Land. It exemplifies a Traitor Class motivated solely by monetary gain, and devoid of any respect or loyalty to the Australian People, our identity, heritage, sovereignty and independence.

The Award is to be granted quartedly, commencing 30th June, 2014, the Anniversary of Lambing Flat Uprising, a premiere folkloric occasion of our European derived civilisation.

The Award is of ongoing character and our Australian Peoples Movement on the Day Of Reckoning will bestow further to recipients.

Please forward the name and address of the person to be nominated, with supporting references, to the address below. Include your own name and address.

AUSTRALIA FIRST PARTY
Identity - Freedom - IndependenceP O Box 223 Croydon 3136. National Contact Line 02 8587 0014www.australiafirst.net email: [email protected]

Australia First Party - Reclaiming Australia for Australians

By over-all planning, we mean planning which takes into consideration the interests of the 600 million people [Candobetter Ed. Something missing in this sentence] of our country. In drawing up plans, handling affairs or thinking over problems, we must proceed from the fact that China has a population of 600 million people, and we must never forget this fact. Mao Tse-tung. 27/2/1957.

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2014-06-21 18:54

I'm referring to the video above. Incredible report! Starts out a little slow, with a Syrian diplomat introducing English speakers from the US who went to observe the Syrian elections. When these observers start talking it is most interesting, most edifying. They are from peace groups and Syrian-US NGOs. Their observations are absolutely fascinating and confirm how utterly dishonest and dangerous the NATO reporting and actions on Syria are. Apparently this film, which was more important than any news I have seen on mainstream press, was broadcast for only 5 minutes by the UN Newscast. It goes on for nearly an hour - all of it rivetting for anyone interested in seeing democracy in action and real reporting. The Syrian diplomat also makes a contribution which, at around the 27 minute mark, talks about Aid from Australia and Luxembourg. Apparently he asked for wheelchairs and some ambulances for people injured in the war in Syria. He waited a year, listening to Australian foreign aid people and others from other nations make tear-jerking speeches about the tragedy in Syria, but he never got ANY wheelchairs, let alone ambulances from pathetic, hypocritical official Australia.

PostGrowthEra

Sat, 2014-06-21 10:22

The overall figure of 51.2 million displaced people soared by six million from a year earlier. They included 16.7 million refugees and 33.3 million displaced within their homelands, and 1.2 million asylum seekers whose applications were pending. "We are really facing a quantum leap, an enormous increase of forced displacement in our world," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told a news briefing. Most refugees have found shelter in developing countries, contrary to the myth fueled by some populist politicians in the West that their states were being flooded, Guterres said. Over 50 percent of the refugees are children, with many of them traveling alone and some falling into the hands of human traffickers. More than 50 million displaced worldwide UN says What's not mentioned is that for the last 50 years, world population multiplied more rapidly than ever before, and more rapidly than it is projected to grow in the future. In 1950, the world had 2.5 billion people; and in 2005, the world had 6.5 billion people. By 2050, this number could rise to more than 9 billion. “As many people are forcibly displaced today as the entire populations of countries such as Colombia or Spain, South Africa or South Korea,” said Guterres. “Immigration is not part of the problem of modern societies,” asserted the High Commissioner, “it is part of the solution. Without immigration many of our communities would become completely unsustainable.” On the contrary, immigration is part of the problem as it gives an escape valve, an option, rather than caring for patriotic territories and natural resources. There are no new wildernesses to conquer, no new colonies or "new worlds" to settle in, and our environment can't sustain more people. It's a shifting the deck-chairs on the Titanic scenario, of moving the problem on!

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2014-06-20 20:24

Adobe Flash player does not work with 64 bit systems. Every time I fix the problem by disabling a code, overnight it comes back. There are people all over the web complaining about how videos of all kinds freeze and refuse to play in the presence of Adobe Flash player if you do not constantly manipulate the mouse. Furthermore, browsers hang and there are delays keying in information. This is tiresome and damages productivity and enjoyment. How can Adobe Flash Player continue to allow this to happen, for months on end in an environment filled with complaints? People have no choice but to use this flash player but the news services and video sites that force its use should find another supplier or demand a solution. I am absolutely furious. But Adobe Flash Player seems to emanate from some company that has no interest in getting or providing feedback. This is why I am commenting on candobetter.net about the problem. Maybe if enough noise is made on the internet about this, Adobe will reform of get out of everyone's way. Additionally, I have noticed that people are being sold 'tune-up' programs to fix what are probably just symptoms of this adobe problem. Most people cannot tell the difference. The tune-up programs don't even detect the problem. If some tune-up program did detect it, I would buy it.

Been there done that (not verified)

Fri, 2014-06-20 18:29

Subject was: "stop talking crap".

I was at Duntroon during the early 80s when it was still a four year course.

Just because you've been in the army doesn't mean you know a thing about Duntroon. It is nothing like the regular army - it is essentially a boarding school run by the cadets. The NCOs and officers have very little contact with cadets outside the classroom.

The ONLY skills RMC teaches you are - polishing your boots, marching, licking the arses of those above you and pissing on those below you. Actually military skills such as shooting, leadership, bushcraft and fitness are considered unimportant. I would consider most of the cadets would have been in the bottom half of the students any of the top Australian universities with regards to intellect, maturity and sporting ability. [eg EVERY Human Movement (exercise science) student at the university of Queensland had a higher HSC score and better sporting ability than 95% of Duntroon cadets.]

Delphi Techniqu... (not verified)

Fri, 2014-06-20 12:55

RAND developed the Delphi method in the 1950s, originally to forecast the impact of technology on warfare. The method entails a group of experts who anonymously reply to questionnaires and subsequently receive feedback in the form of a statistical representation of the "group response," after which the process repeats itself. The Delphi technique is ‘a method for structuring a group communication process so that the process is effective in allowing a group of individuals, as a whole, to deal with a complex problem’. First, the staff team in collaboration with decision makers develops an initial questionnaire and distributes it…to the respondent group. The respondents independently generate their ideas in answer to the first questionnaire and return it. The staff team then summarizes the responses to the first questionnaire and develops a feedback report along with the second set of questionnaires for the respondent group. Having received the feedback report, the respondents independently evaluate earlier responses. Respondents are asked to independently vote on priority ideas included in the second questionnaire and mail their responses back to the staff team. The staff team then develops a final summary and feedback report to the respondent group and decision makers. The "change agent" or "facilitator" goes through the motions of acting as an organizer, getting each person in the target group to elicit expression of their concerns about a program, project, or policy in question. The facilitator listens attentively, forms "task forces," "urges everyone to make lists," and so on. While she is doing this, the facilitator learns something about each member of the target group. He/she identifies the "leaders," the "loud mouths," as well as those who frequently turn sides during the argument ­ the "weak or non­committal." Using the "divide and conquer" technique, he/she manipulates one group opinion against the other. This is accomplished by manipulating those who are out of step to appear "ridiculous, unknowledgeable, inarticulate, or dogmatic." He/she wants certain members of the group to become angry, thereby forcing tensions to accelerate. The facilitator is well trained in psychological manipulation. S/He is able to predict the reactions of each group member. Individuals in opposition to the policy or program will be shut out of the group. During the recess, the facilitator and his spotters (people who observe the crowd during the course of a meeting) watch the crowd to see who congregates where, especially those who have offered resistance. If the resistors congregate in one place, a spotter will gravitate to that group and join in the conversation, reporting what was said to the facilitator. The Delphi Technique Oppositional or problematic comments are eliminated. Recorders politely but persistently “interpret,” reject, ignore, rewrite or “reframe” unwanted comments. Requests for debate or discussion are ignored or rejected. Monitors politely but persistently delay debate and redirect conversations to safer areas. It's tiring and hard work being the odd-person out, so questioners and those who persist with objections are weeded out. Those who remain on the committee or consultation tend to be supporters of the institutional agenda, or they’re willing to go along to get along, or they become convinced they’re being heard. Dissent evaporates, and things quiet down. The few who continue to present an opposing view are easily managed and dismissed. The result- "consensus" and resident groups have their "feathers smoothed" or our socially manipulated to agree to consensus. The residential structure plans, for housing growth, may end up being moderated from the initial over-developments, but then ultimately they get the green light for what they probably wanted anyway!

DennisK (not verified)

Fri, 2014-06-20 08:46

At this meeting, and previous Vic First meetings, as well as any Resident Action Group meeting, story after story comes through on how the democratic process has been subverted, and how vested interests are able to bypass resident concerns.

... the system by which residents can have input into the development of their community is completely, and deliberately broken.

It is clear from this therefore, that the system by which residents can have input into the development of their community is completely, and deliberately broken.

Yet people insist in using it, and hitting their heads up against brick wall. There seems to be some cognitive dissonance. Everyone tells each other how the game is rigged, but continue to play exactly the same game... The government is clearly working against us, so why continue to appeal to the government?

Why? Refusal to face facts? Denial? Are people just slow and silly? Are they uncomfortable thinking outside the box?

DennisK (not verified)

Fri, 2014-06-20 08:40

If we are looking to spend other peoples money to keep people employed, producing things where there is not natural demand, then this is welfare. Demand for housing is artificially inflated, at a cost, to give someone an income. May as well remove the middle man of building thigns we don't need, and pay then welfare payments. The construction industry, LIKE ALL OTHERS, must adapt to the market.

End the Ponzi h... (not verified)

Thu, 2014-06-19 11:29

It's assumed that by selling off backyards, land around train stations and schools can create "surplus" land, and "unlock" land for more growth! This undermines the actions and lobbying of over 100 planning groups all around Melbourne, trying to "save" their environments, suburbs and living standards from the rapacious greed of property developers. Why do we need such high rate of immigration - simply to fuel the housing bubble? Surely our crisis of youth unemployment, and welfare budget, is evidence enough that we are in population overshoot! The price of houses started to fall after the global financial crisis of 2008. Then, in response, PM Kevin Rudd boosted immigration to the highest levels ever in Australia, of over 300,000 per year - plus all the 'temporary' migrants! Along with this, he doubled and tripled the first home owners' grant, to further inflate the housing bubble! Now, instead of affordable homes as we had in the past, our housing is some of the most expensive in the world! Yet, we still here the rhetoric from our State planning minister that the government is trying to provide "affordable housing" when there's a frenzy of building - and none of the prices are affordable. To add to the pain, Australia opened the doors to foreign investors, and now we have Chinese property developers displacing Australian families from traditional homes, into apartments - or the street! There's no forward planning, but desperate grabs for short-term financial gains at the expense of future generations.

admin

Thu, 2014-06-19 10:23

This raises the question of how we can employ the workforce, if housing construction were to be reduced as a result of reducing immigration.

We should look to other economies, which have succeeded in breaking the addiction to growth including Japan and France. In France, a substantial number of those who would be employed in housing construction are at work renovating existing housing with insulation and solar panels.

We should also plan to expand our food production and manufacturing sector, with more protection from cheap imports, if necessary.

Another alternative would be simply to work less hours and make work hours more flexible so that those, who prefer to work part-time, could do so.

Back in the late 1970's, Australia's trade union movement launched the campaign for the 35 hour week to share the available work around. I believe this was intended to be the first stage in the gradual reduction of the work-week, so that we could all devote far more of our life to recreation and intellectual stimulation.

However, under the influence of a Labor Party and a trade union leadership, which had been corrupted by the CIA since the early 1970's, the 35 hour week campaign was changed to a campaign for a 38 hour week.

Now, in 2014, the campaign for reduced working hours has been forgotten and unpaid overtime is expected of many of our largely de-unionised workforce. With the massive inefficiencies of scale from overpopulation and economic neo-liberalism, and massively increased housing costs, most are being remunerated less in real terms for the additional working and commuting times.

Geoffrey Taylor

Thu, 2014-06-19 09:32

All of the speakers, including William Bourke, President of the Sustainable Population Party, show what a fantastic job was done by the convener Jill Quirk in assembling such a great panel of speakers.

The facts and figures presented in William Bourke's speech confirm that the supposed economic benefit gained from the housing industry industry is illusory. We will add the transcript of William Bourke's talk as soon as he makes it available.

As it is impossible to export overseas a house or a high-rise unit, the best we can hope for, if everything used in its construction is manufactured in Australia, is a trade deficit of zero.

However, as an example, the cost of all the fittings necessary for a typical residential unit is $60,000 if bought from Australian manufacturers, whilst the cost of the same fittings, if they are imported, is $30,000. So few residences are constructed without adding substantially to Australia's trade deficit. (These figures were given to me by a panel speaker at the previous public meeting of Victoria First.)

Consequently, unless the immigrants are needed to work for export industries, a housing industry driven by immigration can only add to Australia's trade deficit. However, since the globalising 'reforms' of the then Federal Treasurer Paul Keating in 1983, Australia's manufacturing base has declined. In his talk, William Burke shows the ongoing effect upon Victoria. In the nine years from 2000/2001 until 2009/2010, Victoria's manufacturing workforce declined by 45,900 or 16.7%. The figures below show how Victoria's trade deficit has increased as a result of immigration.

Financial Year
1999/2000 2008/2009
Exports $30,000,000,000 $34,000,000,000
Imports $45,000,000,000 $70,000,000,000
Deficit $36,000,000,000 $45,0000,000,000

PostGrowthEra

Wed, 2014-06-18 13:14

World Refugee Day is held every year on June 20. It is a special day when the world takes time to recognize the resilience of forcibly displaced people throughout the world. The UN General Assembly, on 4 December 2000, adopted resolution 55/76 where it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June. There are an estimated 42.5 million people displaced by persecution and conflict in the world. This breaks down to 15.2 million refugees, 26.4 million internally displaced persons and 895,000 asylum seekers. More than 300.000 people fled the fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul last week have reached Iraq's Kurdistan region seeking refuge. Many have no money, and nowhere to go. "Environmental degradation, overpopulation, refugees, narcotics, terrorism, world crime movements, and organized crime are worldwide problems that don't stop at a nation's borders." -- Warren Christopher - American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as President, ... "When food becomes scarce, refugees often turn to desperate measures to feed themselves and their families. We are particularly worried about the health of the refugee population, domestic violence and refugees resorting to illegal employment or even to prostitution, just to put enough food on the table." ~ Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Labor, the Coalition and the Greens have all missed the mark on asylum seeker policy because of their failure to acknowledge the underlying issue of overpopulation. While the global population has ballooned from 2.5 billion to over 7 billion people since World War II, political tussles have given way to protracted ecological resource show-downs. Overpopulation is now the leading cause of conflict. "When the manger is empty, the horses will bite each other", is an old danish saying. Global, social, and economic trends, including the interplay between population growth, urbanization, natural disaster, climate change, rising food prices, ethnic conflict, and religious conflict, are just some of the factors that are influencing this proliferation in displaced people. Overpopulation will create revolutions and civil wars, which in turn will produce a constant flow of refugees. When the World in 1918 was trying to recover from the carnage of the First World War and the Spanish flu, we were around 1.8 billion people on the planet. The International Organization for Migration, for example, has suggested that in a 4 degrees Celsius world, the commonly cited estimate of 200 million people displaced by climate change by 2050 could “easily be exceeded.” The enormity of the problem of refugees makes it a growing emergency, but while Western nations try to interfere with internal conflicts without addressing the root cause, and being in denial. the problem can't be fixed. We can only put band-aids on the problem, and ignore what's driving it. Charity starts locally, but we could start with a more balanced and humanitarian immigration intake, of suitable people only, instead of poaching the masses of skilled, well-heeled and educated from developing countries.

DennisK (not verified)

Wed, 2014-06-18 08:47

Subject was: "What about". - Ed

As some has pointed out, this protects the areas where the developers are likely to live, and makes suburbs like mine even bigger targets.

NIMBY'ism backfires when your BY is favoured over my BY. This should not be seen as a victory, but merely proof that victory is possible. Remember, the deeper problem is forced growth. This hasn't abated at all.

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2014-06-17 13:29

Subject was: "Yes. Maybe NIMBY with some".

Yes. Maybe NIMBY with some statement, such as, "If I don't defend my backyard from overpopulation and overdevelopment, who will?"
or

"If we all defend our backyards, we can get rid of our unrepresentative government."

or

"If you defend my backyard, I'll defend yours"

or

"The world is our backyard, let's defend it"

um... any other ideas?

nimby

Tue, 2014-06-17 09:12

Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell, Brighton, Sandringham and Black Rock were among the suburbs to get two-storey height limits, in what resident groups hailed as a major victory. The Age: High rise bans in Melbourne's richest suburbs Ironically, these "richest" suburbs are likely to be where our politicians live, and they will be protected from the toxic "planning" they so readily impose and endorse on the rest of Melbourne! They can have high rise towers, density, congestion and poor services, but not a few selected suburbs. This decision is evidence that planning and environmental groups can have some success, and power of decisions at a local level. Mary Drost, from Planning Backlash, says: ''Everybody is a NIMBY, and everybody wants to protect what they've got. I am a NIMBY and proud of it – and I don't want a great big high-rise next to me". We need more outspoken "NIMBYs" in local neighbourhoods! We should wear t-shirts with "proud NIMBY" written on them! If we don't become NIMBYs, our peaceful and liveable suburbs will become captured and overwhelmed by property developers, and their destructive bulldozers!

DennisK (not verified)

Tue, 2014-06-17 08:59

Peoples aversion to being seen as racist, and a desire to be supportive of "diversity" is being used cynically by the growth lobby to manufacture consent for self interested demographic engineering. Unfortunately, groups against this artificial growth continue to promote and support the moral constructs which are used against us, thereby empowering this lobby and making us powerless. In fact, almost all of the support I see for these constructs, is used cynically for business and self aggrandisement. This is the paradox. People who want to stop this growth are concerned about being seen as racist and xenophobic, while simultaneously, promoting the idea that racism and xenophobia must be fought absolutely, thereby fuelling a climate where any hint of xenophobia is pounced upon, the very thing they are worred about. Hence perhaps why more and more people are finding it easier to digest and adopt political 'extremism', especially abroad. One doesn't have to contend with these paradoxes.

admin

Tue, 2014-06-17 00:33

It seems as if I accidentally deleted a post from a contributor who uses the tpgi.com.au ISP. My apologies if that contributor was you. It is not always easy to distinguish one genuine comment from amongst several dozen spam comments. If you have another copy, could you please re-post i? Thank you, the editor

Why more "babies"? (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-16 19:09

Australia's social safety net is at risk of being "destroyed" by billions of dollars worth of cuts in the federal budget, the nation's peak social services body ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Services). The advocacy group says low- and middle-income families will be hardest hit by spending cuts and tax increases. Why then keep increasing our population, if our budget is becoming thinner and more spread? If the family budget doesn't stretch to feed the mouthes in a family, it's irresponsible to keep having more! We are not having "babies", but people are flowing in from overseas, due to government policy. This issue is always dressed in human constructs, such s racism, xenophobia, the past history of immigration, and that we are an immigration nation, but our planet has limits, and so does Australia.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2014-06-16 14:46

I think the Lowy Inst (which you give a link to, Anonymous) is mistaken here, probably due to an interest in supporting the US for commercial reasons.

My understanding is that the US/NATO alliance is attempting to isolate Iran due to its position on the Caspian Sea (where there are large, if hard to get to, petroleum reserves), its own reserves, and its geopolitical position in relation to pipeline supplies and Russia. Iran and Syria had a good relationship but the US does not want this because, starting with Iraq and Afghanistan, in a replay of the Great Game of the late 19th century, it wants a wasteland that it can simply take over. There is no humanitarian motive; quite the opposite. I personally feel that we can blame, almost entirely, US policy for preventing this region from repairing itself after 20th century colonial rule.
Iran and its neighbours on the Caspian Sea

Have a look at a map of Iran and its neighbours on the Caspian; you will see that the US, with NATO as its lackey, has been trying to alienate and disorganise these countries, including Georgia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and, I think, Turkey.

I think the US partly gets away with this behaviour because people have been brainwashed into thinking that the disorganisation of Arab countries happened all by itself. It did not.

Furthermore, I think that the United States has something similar in mind for Australia. That is my inference because the Australian and State governments are engaged in a wholesale disorganisation of local populations and democracy by constant undemocratic injection of mass immigration, having rendered toothless all institutions capable of safeguarding Australian civil rights to housing, affordable water, food, employment, fair wages etc - all so far without firing a shot.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-16 12:58

Iran and the US share an interest in blocking ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) advances and re-asserting government control over areas seized by the group. It is a classic Middle Eastern ‘enemy of my enemy’ scenario, which makes for strange bedfellows. US and Iran strange bedfellows in Iraq Iraq is battling an offensive by Sunni militants who have advanced to within 80 kilometres of Baghdad's city limits after seizing a swathe of the country's north. Iran may consider cooperating with its arch-foe the United States to fight the Sunni extremist militants in Iraq. The United States, which spilled blood and untold treasure upending Iraq and then working to stabilize it as well as training the Iraqi army, doesn't want to see its work entirely undone by marauding extremists. Neither will the allies! Tehran is open to the possibility of working with the United States to support Baghdad, the senior official said. "We can work with Americans to end the insurgency in the Middle East," the official said, referring to events in Iraq. President Barack Obama said the United States was not ruling out air strikes to help Baghdad fight the insurgents, in what would be the first U.S. armed intervention in Iraq since the end of the U.S.-led war. Once the Pandora box is opened, it's incredibly hard and aggressive trying to shut it!

nimby

Mon, 2014-06-16 12:46

The American ag-gag laws are infiltrating into Australia, but under the "biosecurity" threat to the animals! They are hiding their anti-animals rights agenda through portraying them as a biosecurity threat. Factory farms are inherently cruel and deprivation is a major feature of their existence. This means cramming animals together in large quantities, in un-natural and potentially disease-thriving conditions. The use of anti-biotics it not for medication, but for preventative purposes. The animals don't live long lives, so their chances of becoming infected or suffering from the ill-effects of anti-biotics is reduced. However, humans are increasingly being threatened by anti-biotic resistant bacteria, and it has the potential to throw us back in the days of amputations and other methods of fighting infections. It's hard to stop anti-biotics entering our own food chain if these animals are consumed. The "welfare" of animals, what's behind these new harsh laws protecting farmers, and the use of anti-biotics, means that any person entering a factory farm could be potentially catastrophic! What needs to be reconsidered is the whole unnatural process animal agriculture has evolved into, due to population growth, people migrating to cities, urban expansion and the demand for mass commercial food products.

Bandicoot

Mon, 2014-06-16 10:54

Activists who break into farms to secretly film suspected animal cruelty are being targeted by tough new biosecurity measures, triggering fears severe abuse will remain hidden. It follows a series of incidents where animal welfare advocates trespassed onto piggeries and abattoirs to obtain undercover footage – in some cases, recording horrific treatment which led to operations being closed down. SMH: Animal cruelty activists will be targeted by tough new biosecurity measures This tough new approach is an acknowledgement of the success of activists, not for profit animal rights groups, and the power of the Internet and technology! Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has gone far enough to call them camera-carrying "vigilantes"! The "biosecurity" threat is because these animals have compromised immune systems, due to effluent, cramming, unnaturally living inside, and being dose with preventative levels of antibiotics. Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Tuohey said farmers needed more protection from animal activists. Giles family abattoir at Trafalgar closed in 2011 after an activist posing as a photographer helped level animal cruelty charges against the company. Charges against the owners were dropped but three abattoir employees pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. The coalition first committed to strengthen protection for farmers from trespassing animal activist groups in 2010. Walsh says that the election promise has not been forgotten and that the government will “have some more things to say around the right to farm”. At least the people of Victoria can have their say at the ballot box in November! This is not about a farmers' rights to farm, but the rights of animals to exist free from pain, cruelty and abuse! Since the days of traditional farming, when livestock were more or less visible, big corporations have take over and become more powerful, economically and politically. Due to population growth and bigger markets, and increasing land and resource costs, animals are increasingly fast-tracked to slaughter and more processed in factory-like industries, with lower standards of animal welfare. The departments in charge of "animal welfare" such the DEPI are also responsible for representing the farmers, so there are increasing and glaring conflicts of interests. It's the fox in charge of the chickens scenario! So, instead of prosecuting farmers and producers for shilling animal cruelty, the target will be "to shoot the messengers"!

DennisK (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-16 09:23

"Think Tank" is a euphemism for people who push an agenda by putting out ideas in support of it. Maybe there were real think tanks before, but few if any today. Lowy Insitute should therefore be referred to as a pro growth lobby group seeking to engineer Australia, not a think tank. Why does the Lowy Institute even produce information? Because they are paid to produce it. Whoever is paying them, is wanting a return, as anyone who pays to produce information wants. Who is paying them? People who personally profit in the short term from undermining democracy and engineering the nations demographics.

DennisK (not verified)

Mon, 2014-06-16 09:14

You are asking the age old question which has been posed by philosophers since there was Philosophy. Given there is no choice as to whether to be born, the question has been "Is life worth living?". I note this question is not universal either. Not every culture has posed the question to themselves in this way. The process isn't intelligent or by design, but we are. "Is life worth living?" can be changed to "Can we make life worth living?", and there the answer is, probably "yes", given we maintain the conditions which enable us to answer in the affirmative. I think one of the unique features of the Western world, is its ability, occasionally, to answer "yes" and make it a reality. To eliminate disease, provide food, give people dignity and respect through civil codes, recognition of rights, technology and design. These have been somewhat exceptions to the rule, but they're there. We seem to be heading in the other direction, away from making life worth living, to making life something to be endure for the sake of some other process. It doesn't have to be this way. Given that life will continue, whether you want it or not, wouldn't it therefore be better for future generations to work on making life better, worth living, than giving up and leaving them to suffer?

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