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Andrew Bolt in court

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Senator Conroy’s attack on News Ltd is not the only attack on the freedom of the press. Andrew Bolt, columnist and blogger is also being attacked for voicing an opinion that runs counter to the perception that a white guy can’t comment on indigenous affairs in other than in glowing terms.
In an ABC interview in 2006, retiring Federal Court judge Ron Merkel, QC, said, “I found cases that would come before me where the actual outcome was something no one ever intended.” Eatock v Bolt may come to illustrate his point. Everyone agrees that it is a very important case and already, at the time of writing and despite the matter being sub judice, there has been widespread commentary published about it. But, in a case which the prosecution argued was about Aboriginal identity while the defence maintained it was about free speech, just why it is important may not become clear until the judge’s decision is handed down. Some of the plaintiffs have not held back from giving their points of view to the media and it seems everyone has commented except Andrew Bolt, who has been gagged by his legal advisers. Even Michael Lavarch wrote an article in the Weekend Australian defending the legislation the case rests on, the Racial Discrimination Act, which he had introduced as Attorney-General in the Keating government in 1995. Interestingly, his comments referred only to free speech.
Aboriginal identity or free speech. Read and decide yourself. It is a good summary of the court hearings so far and I have linked mainly to provide a record.
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Politics

Only 10c a week – wow!

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From the goverment spin mill:
THE price of basics such as milk and other dairy products will rise by less than 10c a week under the carbon tax, the federal government claimed yesterday as it moved to calm fears the controversial policy will hammer household budgets.
Treasury modelling also calculate that seafood, meat, fruit, vegetables and alcohol will only rise by 10c a week. Sorry, I simply don’t believe them. This claim is made based on modelling that is only as accurate as the input data and I just know there won’t be any worse-case scenarios entered.
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Carbon Tax, Politics

War is not 9 to 5

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THE military tactic most favoured by the coalition in Afghanistan – night raids by special forces to kill or capture insurgents – has been highly criticised in a report that suggests it creates as many enemies as it eliminates. A report by two private organisations, the Open Society Foundations and The Liaison Office, to be released in Kabul today, said these raids were occurring at the rate of up to 40 a night and the troops were detaining thousands of suspected insurgents. Most were found to be innocent and released, the researchers said. When human rights lawyers make statements just look at who would benefit if the military listened to them – The Taliban, that’s who! Warfare is a 24/7 industry and if night time operations upset some people then that’s just how it works.
28
War on Terror

Phillip Adams in a quandary

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Poor Phillip Adams – doesn’t like Julia, doesn’t like Tony, doesn’t like the ALP (He’s resigned) and his hatred of Abbott is so palpable he tries this line;
The lack of enthusiasm for a Mad Monk regime is palpable in public opinion and the polls. People would prefer root canal work without anaesthesia to having him in the Lodge. They’d prefer to be making a different choice – between Rudd and Turnbull. And, in all too rare an example of bipartisan accord, so would Rudd and Turnbull.
You should check the polls before writing such swill, Phillip. Turnbull is only preferred by the ALP and/or Climate Change worshipers and Rudd has had his day – and stuffed that big time. Abbott improves every day and is turning into a potential PM while he systematically tears the ALP apart. Good to see the old fool Adams not getting his way – good for the country and anything that troubles the old commo is fine by me.
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Politics

Thompson cleared but not really

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So the NSW police find Thompson has no case to answer on fraud allegations. I would say there is no case of fraud simply because the HSU Union doesn’t have hard and fast rules on the use of members monies. Ie, this sort of shit has being going on for years and unions think it’s OK. If the police had found any evidence that someone else had forged his signature and produced his drivers licence as proof of ID then that person would be subject to fraud charges. So that that makes Thompson guilty. Not of any crime but of being a low-life who, while in a position of trust, used members hard earned money for sexual gratification and then publicly denied it. The Coalition has vowed to continue their pursuit of Thompson and so they should.
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Politics

A rewrite of history

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Lyndsay Murdock needs some history lessons. Talking about Julia Gillard’s gaffe about General Vo Nguyen Giap’s death he finds the General alive in Hanoi. Giap could be forgiven for commenting that “the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated” (refer: Mark Twain) Lyndsay goes on to comment;
Two decades later his poorly equipped North Vietnamese army and Vietcong guerillas defeated the US and its allies, forcing them out of the former South Vietnam.
Look up Paris Peace Accords Lyndsay. In 1973, a couple of decades later, all players decided to call it quits and go home and North Vietnam promised they would not initiate military movement across the DMZ and that there would be no use of force to reunify the country. This is communist talk for “We need to rearm” They had been defeated in battle in Vietnam thus forcing them to the Peace table in the first place and they needed this time to rebuild. Two years later, in 1975, Lyndsay’s “poorly equipped North Vietnamese army” now richly equipped with new tanks, artillery, new AK47s, RPD MGs and AA batteries by the USSR and China invaded South Vietnam and defeated them. They attacked in WW2-like waves and the US, with Gerald Ford in the White House trying to send aid to South Vietnam, being thwarted by a Democrat majority in both houses, watched as South Vietnam folded and the night of the long knives began. Get it right or get out Lyndsay!
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Vietnam

HSU are panicking

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From Graham Richardson in the Oz
Then of course there is the Craig Thomson effect. This bloke is damaging the Labor brand every day he hangs around the parliament like a bad smell in a lift. Gillard is not responsible for this either but what a dilemma she has. Dump him and lose government or cling on to him to maintain the parliamentary numbers and watch the slide in the polls continue. Thomson is the suicide bomber’s vest, wrapped tightly around the Prime Minister and the Labor Party. It cannot be defused and at some stage it is destined to explode. Police investigations will take a while. Then, if a decision is made to charge him with a criminal offence, Thomson will be lost in the justice system for a couple of years.
The Health Services Union are infighting.The need to be very careful here as there exists the real possibility that this case will bring down a government. Their actions will be gone over with a fine tooth comb by all the ALP luvvies from now and forever as in Whitlam’s “Maintain the Rage. When in doubt be honest and Good luck!
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Politics

Mike Kelly – soldier extraordinaire…….not

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Besides running this site I’m also Webmaster for my regimental site and this morning I had occasion to post a letter from Neil Weekes, AM, MC, to Dr. Mike Kelly,AM, ALP Mp for Eden Monaro. I have written on this turkey before and to get a feel for the man and what we ex-military think of him, and conversely, what he thinks of us, you should read both posts. He is on record as saying …..”my career in many war zones came at great threat to my life in countless situations…..I was forced to fight with my rifle in every way it is possible to use it, including butt stroke and bayonet….” Considering he was, in my memory, a military lawyer, I thought this a bit rich. The article quotes the Australian War Memorial, as stating the last bayonet charge by Australian forces was carried out in Vietnam by 5 Platoon 6RAR during Operation Bribie on February 17, 1967. According to Wikipaedia however, a later bayonet attack by Australians was conducted in May 1968 at the Battle of Coral when a then Lieutenant Neil Weekes ordered his men to fix bayonets.
Even with the artillery and mortars concentrating on close defensive fire tasks, the assault was largely held at the perimeter, although they did succeed in over-running part of 3 Platoon, A Company. Commanded by Lieutenant Neil Weekes, the platoon had been hit heavily by indirect fire during the initial bombardment and had suffered several casualties. Concentrating on the gap created in the Australian perimeter, the North Vietnamese then assaulted with the support of 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine-guns. Ordering his men to fix bayonets, Weekes successfully reorganised the defences however, and called in close mortar fire to stabilise the position, resulting in heavy casualties among the assaulting force. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his leadership.[78][80]
Link – look under Second attack on FSB Coral, 16 May 1968 Nice bit of symmetry there, don’t you think? One wonders if Kelly knows of Neil’s history and if he does, does he cringe when he thinks of what he himself has claimed to have done. I doubt it. In this article in the Townsville Bulletin he denies saying he was involved in a bayonet attack but “butt stroke and bayonet” clearly suggests to Infantrymen that he is claiming he was. Another article in the Canberra Times entitled “Somalia to Eden-Monaro: How Mike Kelly fought a murderous warlord all the way to a firing squad’ only refers to Kelly being involved in the legalities of having a warlord executed. The article is, however, short on details of “butt stroking and bayoneting” unless that’s how the warlord was disposed. Seems more like a puff piece by the Canberra Times aimed at getting Kelly elected. He claims to be one of us yet deserts us when we need him – typical ALP. Bastard!
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Defence, Politics

Implausible Thompson

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Tony Abbott raises a fair point;
“I think it’s very hard for someone who can’t answer questions about his own credit card to credibly ask questions of the Governor of the Reserve Bank about the nation’s credit card.”
Do the ALP really believe that the public are happy with Thompson’s denials – surely not! On the face of it, the NSW and/or the Federal ALP coughed up a six figure sum to prevent Thompson being declared bankrupt which would force him vacate his position as the member for Dobel and thus bring on a bi- election that the ALP would surely loose. I can only imagine that Julia would do anything to prevent that happening including standing in front of the people and saying “He’s doing a good job” What a hide that woman has. It appears he is also involved in procuring the services of prostitutes using his Union credit card and in the face of overwhelming evidence makes barefaced denials. How can anyone think he is a worthy representative for his electorate? the ALP will be busy scurrying around briefing a battalion of lawyers with a view to stalling the legal process until the public are distracted by another huge ALP stuff-up. I just hope it doesn’t work. If we have a lying criminal stealing from his employer masquerading as a respectable politician then we need to know and if it is the case then he needs to go. UPDATE: Today’s revelations on the matter courtsey Andrew Bolt UPDATE 11: And more from Tim Blair
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Politics
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