‘Bush told Mahmoud Abbas, "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did."

But, did God also tell Bush and company to exaggerate and lie about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaida?

Was it God who rendered so many Americans stupid enough to believe such lies and exaggerations? And why did God, who supposedly told Bush to invade Iraq, then trap American troops in a quagmire that exposed Bush and company for the rank amateurs they are?

‘There are deeper explanations for the New Orleans catastrophe than anyone has dared suggest, writes Andrew Stephen. The roots lie in America's deluded self-image

We know, now, that there was not even a Prescott in charge in Washington. President Bush was exorcising heaven-knows-what demons by furiously riding his mountain bike in Texas - nobody, not even the Secret Service or a visiting Lance Armstrong, is allowed to pass him - while Vice-President Cheney was fly-fishing in Wyoming.  

The federal government yesterday released details of its proposed new anti-terrorism measures.

The proposals include empowering police agencies to restrict our basic freedoms, including rights of communication, association, travel & privacy, based on suspicion, & individuals subject to the new ‘control orders’ would be required to wear tracking devices.

The proposed ‘control orders’ (shades of apatheid) would be issued as a result of secret court hearings & not as a consequence of charges having been laid or as a result of a trial & conviction.

The concepts that were considered in relation to regime survival in Latin America in political science professor Andrea Scheller's 2001 paper on democratic consolidation,  can be applied to John Howard's methodology in creating his personal legacy.

The thrust of the argument was that for a democracy to be deemed sufficiently culturally entrenched to survive indefinitely it would need to demonstrate the ability to endure signifigant levels of attack.

 This line of reasoning is not far removed in ideaology from the aggressive proliferation of US democracy that the globe is currently experiencing.

The Editor,

Sydney Morning Herald.                                                           September 9, 2005.

The Editor

The Australian                                                                         September 8, 2005

In the newspapers of Sunday, September 11 2005, I read... 

Adelaide crowds gathered at the gates for the sellout finals knock-out between its two AFL teams were met with army counterrorism operatives body-searching every supporter for explosives and detonation devices.

As scanning equipment examined the contents of every esky, and football beanies were removed from patrons heads for examination, a spokesman said "To ensure that they stay alive, the general public needs to accept new standards of patriotism.  Objection to a body-search will result in the implementation of a full strip search.  Mention of the word "terrorist" will necessitate a lengthy interview with an ASIO agent. Any overdressed fan gaining access to the playing field will be treated according to the doctrines of the London police.  In order to prevent loss of life, we are prepared to shoot first and ask questions later."

The Editor,

Sydney Morning Herald.                                                 September 7, 2005.

Obviously stung by the contents of my letter to the editor yesterday, John Howard said today that his government can’t afford to cut the federal excise rate on fuel (‘PM won’t cut excise as petrol rockets’, Herald, September 7).