From Waging war on terror abroad and on freedom at home:

In a telegram on November 21, 1943 Winston Churchill defined a fundamental difference between the Anglo-American way and that of our enemies. Churchill wrote: “The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or communist.” ...

Et tu, Peter Costello?

Love may be grand, but it can get mighty cold up there on Brokeback Mountain. Here's an idea - shaft Ruddock, take over as A-G, and bring David Hicks home.

From Al Jazeera

Dismembering the body politic in Iraq
By Ahmed Janabi

Thursday 22 June 2006, 8:31 Makka Time, 5:31 GMT

Iraqi nationalists fear the break-up of their country

The US and British leaders may be getting domestic flak for their perceived mistakes in Iraq, but some observers in the Arab world see them as being quite successful - in carrying out a well-calculated plan to divide the country.

The debate dates back to July 13, 2003, when the Iraqi Governing Council was formed under Paul Bremer, the US administrator.

Sectarianism and ethnic extremism were strengthened in that council and various laws have since encouraged an aggressive sectarianism leading to a fierce militia war.

Anis Mansour, an Egyptian editor and author, believes the US is following the historical British policy of divide and rule.

He says: "What we are seeing now is just the beginning of a scheme to split the country up into regions.

"It is not true that the US has failed. It did what it wanted to do and this will last for a long time.

"It will stay the same whether a Democratic or a Republican president is to follow [George] Bush."

Continued chaos

US and other foreign soldiers continue to be killed in Iraq, while Iranian-backed militias take revenge on Iraqi officers who participated in the Iran-Iraq war.

Drive-by shootings are a daily occurrence, and mainly Sunni fighters are maintaining the battle against US-led forces as well as the Iraqi army and security forces backed and trained by the US.

The new government of Nuri al-Maliki is unlikely to succeed in curbing the violence.

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Gus has already alerted this site about the active purpose of the Americans in Iraq... To win the Iraqi people and get peace is the illusion but preferably to create and maintain a certain amount of confusion so that Iraq never regain a sovereign status for a long long time... the world is far more unsafe and on the brink of more widespread war and this in a very open way is part of the US administration plan to weaken opposition to its policy by letting (or even indirectly paying for some official militias) secterian killings... Julius Cesar would be proud...

From the ABC

Govts dispute responsibility for veterans' housing
The federal and New South Wales governments are accusing each other of not doing enough to help 33 unwell ex-servicemen being moved from their south-west Sydney home.

The veterans do not want to go and their doctor says it is worsening their anxiety.

The Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Veterans' Association is selling the residence, citing falling demand for the subsidised housing.

It has offered residents regional accommodation.

Federal Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson says it is not his responsibility.

"If Premier Iemma is adamant that that must be the place for public housing, he should ask his housing department to make those arrangements," he said.

Premier Morris Iemma says the Commonwealth is responsible.

"Moving them to regional locations will impact on health concessions and transport concessions," he said.

"That's directly in Mr Billson's portfolio."

Meanwhile the residents' GP says the issue causing anxiety and panic attacks among veterans who are already unwell.

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Serve your country, then get lost...

Gus knows that veterans' welfare is a federal issue... Come on Mr Billson, stop passing the bullet.

And the little rodent can't be found on this issue .... no sirree .....

First to the front of any military parade; always willing to bask in the reflected glory of genuine heroes, even to the point of trading on the war experiences of his own family, our "great leader" is only interested in self-promotion, retreating at the first sign of real action.

Always ready to shamelessly trade & tread on the defenceless reputations of spirits past, the core deceiver can't be found when there's a problem involving real people.

Maybe the survivors of James Hardie's genocidal behaviour should band together with the dwindling numbers of our proud war veterans & mount one last bayonet charge .... sure as hell little johnnie wouldn't be found on the field of battle.

Every Awstraylen should be outraged over the sickening & morally bankrupt behaviour of our politicians over this issue: they bring shame on us all.

‘Gentle reader, do you know that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing in southern Lebanon? Israel has ordered all the villagers to clear out. Israel then destroys their homes and murders the fleeing villagers. That way there is no one to come back and nothing to which to return, making it easier for Israel to grab the territory, just as Israel has been stealing Palestine from the Palestinians.

Do you know that one-third of the Lebanese civilians murdered by Israel's attacks on civilian residential districts are children? That is the report from Jan Egeland, the emergency relief coordinator for the UN. He says it is impossible for help to reach the wounded and those buried in rubble, because Israeli air strikes have blown up all the bridges and roads. Considering how often (almost always) Israel misses Hezbollah targets and hits civilian ones, one might think that Israeli fire is being guided by US satellites and US military GPS. Don't be surprised at US complicity. Why would the puppet be any less evil than the puppet master?

Of course, you don't know these things, because the US print and TV media do not report them.

Because Bush is so proud of himself, you do know that he has blocked every effort to stop the Israeli slaughter of Lebanese civilians. Bush has told the UN "NO." Bush has told the European Union "NO." Bush has told the pro-American Lebanese prime minister "NO." Twice. Bush is very proud of his firmness. He is enjoying Israel's rampage and wishes he could do the same thing in Iraq.

Does it make you a Proud American that "your" president gave Israel the green light to drop bombs on convoys of villagers fleeing from Israeli shelling, on residential neighborhoods in the capital of Beirut and throughout Lebanon, on hospitals, on power plants, on food production and storage, on ports, on civilian airports, on bridges, on roads, on every piece of infrastructure on which civilized life depends? Are you a Proud American? Or are you an Israeli puppet?’

The Shame Of Being An American

 From today's NYT:

JERUSALEM, July 25 — Almost two weeks into its military assault on Hezbollah, Israel said Tuesday that it would occupy a strip inside southern Lebanon with ground troops until an international force could take its place.

The announcement raised the prospect of a more protracted Israeli involvement in Lebanon than the political and military leadership previously signaled or publicly sought. Officials have talked about limited raids into Lebanon, but now they seem ready to commit ground forces for at least weeks, if not months.

They said the zone would be much smaller than the strip of southern Lebanon roughly 15 miles deep that Israel occupied for nearly two decades before withdrawing in 2000.

As the war between Israel and Hezbollah continued, four unarmed United Nations observers were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit their observation post near the Israeli border, United Nations and Lebanese officials said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Israel “regrets the tragic death” of the observers, and that it would investigate thoroughly.

The timetable and makeup of an international force remained vague, despite diplomacy by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her second day of a trip to the region. Ms. Rice, who met with Israeli and Palestinian officials after a surprise trip to Beirut on Monday, secured commitments from Israel to allow relief aid into Lebanon, and said she would press Israel to ease border restrictions for Palestinians. 

Israel to Occupy Area of Lebanon as Security Zone

Flea: Can't you just see the volunteers lining up for this so called Peace Keeping force, knowing they will just be fresh targets for the Zionist killers? Will our Prime Miniature send more of our kids to replace the Lebonese as targets? Of course he will, if his good buddy CROO tells him to.
 

You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation. ~~ Marian Wright Edelman

From Al Jazeera

Saudi king warns of Middle East war

Tuesday 25 July 2006, 17:06 Makka Time, 14:06 GMT

The king of Saudi Arabia has warned that war could break out in the Middle East if attempts to broker peace in the region fail.

In a statement read out on state television on Tuesday, King Abdullah said, "If the option of peace fails as a result of Israeli arrogance, then the only option remaining will be war, and God alone knows what the region would witness in a conflict that would spare no one."

The king appealed to the world to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and also pledged to donate over $1.5 billion to the country, according to the statement by the royal court.

The king has assigned $500 million for the reconstruction of Lebanon, and $1 billion to be deposited in Lebanon's central bank to support the economy.

He said that the Saudi government had been trying to bring a halt to the violence since it began on July 12