“More however, could have been achieved.  And there has been understandable disappointment & criticism at the lack of language on disarmament & non-proliferation, particularly given the risk of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to terrorists.

Sorry about the title length, but this needs to be google-screamed!

You can hear the iParkin's Houston Community Radio interview here (MP3 download)  I'll transcribe tomorrow.  Sorry, but I need to sleep.

Labor counterterrorism spokesman Arch Bevis said in a media release today "The detention of any citizen for an extended period of time must be based only on sound intelligence of a credible threat and be authorised by a judge, not a bureaucrat or politician."

Why weren't The Federal Opposition making more noise about Parkin's detention?

Hurricane Katrina's financial impact could be reduced by US$10 billion through a tax on windfall profits from the oil industry, according to calculations by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. 

Since the oil industry anticipated much lower prices when it made its investment and production decisions, it can cover its costs and make a normal profit at prices that are less than half the US$60-US$70 a barrel price now seen in world markets.

Yesterday the prime meanster pulled one of the meanest & shallowest stunts of his career.

Our little johnnie proudly announced that Australia intended to increase its overseas aid allocation to about A$4 billion a year by 2010. Such an increase would represent a doubling of Australia's overseas aid from 2004 levels.

Australia’s foreign aid in 2004 amounted to 0.18% of GDP & with the great benefactor’s latest generous announcement will effectively double our contributions to around 0.36% - if the commitment is met.

Jim Dowling is a care worker.

 
He is a very gentle man, committed to social action.

 
He was violently arrested at a debate at QUT last week. (The debate was ostensibly about civil liberties.)

 
This is his description of his experience.

‘The US has a long-standing (and accelerating) policy of arming, training and aiding some of the world's most repressive regimes. As insecurity mounts from Najaf to New Orleans, more weapons and high-tech military equipment are flowing into some of the globe's most vulnerable and war-torn regions.  

The Congressional Research Service recently found that global arms sales rose to US$37 billion in 2004 - the highest level since 2000. US companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing rang up $12.4 billion in weapons contracts - more than one-third of the total and more than twice what Russia - the second largest exporter sold. The Departments of State, Commerce and Defense are all involved in different aspects of approving licenses, managing logistics and (in many cases) loaning or granting funds to nations as they seek weapons from US corporations.  

The time was five years ago, to be exact, and in these memoirs, titled "A World Transformed," the former President, George Herbert Walker Bush, father of George W. Bush, wrote the following to explain why he didn't go after Saddam Hussein at the end of the gulf War:

"Trying to eliminate Saddam ... would have incurred incalculable human & political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad & in effect, rule Iraq ...