The rodent certainly has plenty of gall …..

Straight-faced sledging of all things Muslim, whilst ignoring the lunatic Christian right, lead by bushit …..

And then more straight-faced lying when asked about the coup in Thailand …..

Prime Minister:

…… We condemn military coups. They are a throwback to a past that I had hoped Asia had emerged from, and it's a great disappointment.

From our ABC .....

Howard yet to decide on citizenship tests

The Prime Minister says the Government has not decided whether migrants will be forced to take English classes when they arrive in Australia.

John Howard says a Government discussion paper, which is to be released soon, will canvas a range of issues.

From our ABC .....

Beazley flirting with xenophobia: Vanstone

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone has launched a scathing attack on the Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, saying he is fanning fear of foreigners.

Ms Vanstone has focussed on the Labor leader's campaign against the Government's 457 visa program for skilled overseas workers.

And this does not include Howard's FOI, which has shut shop: "The public
would misunderstand the information..." his government says with aplomb of a
Buster Keaton, fiddling with his "General"...

11 September 2006

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP
ADDRESS TO THE SEPTEMBER 11TH COMMEMORATION
UNITED STATES EMBASSY, CANBERRA

E&OE................................

’Ambassador and Mrs McCallum, ladies and gentlemen, we gather here this morning on the 5th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States and indeed on the entire world that values individual liberty and freedom on the 11th of September 2001. We gather both in remembrance and reaffirmation. We remember those from many nations, including Australia who lost 10 citizens in the World Trade Centre and was, several years later, to suffer even greater losses in the terrorist attacks in Bali, but also the other nations who lost citizens on that fateful morning. 

from our ABC .....

Howard reassures growers on banana imports

Prime Minister John Howard has re-assured banana growers in far north Queensland that restrictions on the import of fresh fruit will not be relaxed.

The banana industry is seeking urgent talks today with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service over the importation of frozen processed bananas from Vietnam, though authorities say these pose no quarantine risk.

From Antiwar.com

Blindly Backing Israel Against Iran
by Gordon Prather

Well, that tears it.

First we had Dick Cheney - the most powerful Vice-President we've ever had - nonchalantly tell a radio talk-show host just hours before the Bush-Cheney second inaugural: "Well, one of the concerns people have is that Israel might do it [that is, attack and destroy Iran's IAEA-safeguarded facilities] without being asked; that if, in fact, the Israelis became convinced the Iranians had significant nuclear capability - given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel - the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards."

From our ABC .....

US transfers control of Abu Ghraib prison

An Iraqi government spokesman says the US military has transferred control of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison to Iraqi authorities and the "prison is now empty of any detainees or prisoners".

"The Abu Ghraib prison has been officially handed over yesterday (Friday) by the coalition forces to the Iraqi forces and the prison is currently under the Iraqi administration," spokesman Ali al-Dabaqh said.

While he predicted victory, resurrecting a word he had dropped months ago
and using it 12 times in a 44-minute speech, Mr. Bush also cautioned that the road ahead would be fraught with obstacles.

But he put particular emphasis on what he said would be the consequences of a failure to ensure Iraq's stability, saying: "If we give up the fight in the streets of Baghdad, we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities."

From Our ABC .....

Westpac outsources 77 Adelaide jobs to India

A major investment company owned by Westpac has denied that the outsourcing of more than 70 South Australian jobs to India is a cost-cutting exercise.

The BT Financial Group argues the redundancies are aimed at improving customer service.

Workers at the BT office at Bedford Park, in Adelaide's south, were told yesterday that 77 administration jobs would go offshore.