from the ABC …..

Prince Charles makes virtual joke over green award

The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, has collected an environmental award in New York and has tried to make a joke about the controversy it has caused in Britain.

‘Iraq is in negotiations with San Ramon-based Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects.

In an interview Thursday, Fowzi Hariri, Iraq's minister for industry and minerals, said the discussions with Chevron and Exxon began this week in Washington and are at an early stage.

from the ABC …..

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has vowed to provide universal access to early education for children as young as four.

Mr Rudd says it would be one of the first legislative changes to be made if Labor wins the next election, but would take five years to roll out because of an under-supply of early education teachers.

‘Another day, yet another scandal involving the saintly Tony Blair and highly connected Anglo-American arms peddlers. The British prime minister, who, like George W. Bush, has made his sleeve-worn Christianity a major component of his political persona, is knee-deep in a corruption probe once again, just weeks after peremptorily quashing an official investigation into bribes, kickbacks and influence-peddling allegations involving his government, his corporate cronies and the Saudi royals. (See "War Profits Trump the Rule of Law" Truthout.org, December 22).

from Crikey…..

Christian Kerr writes:

John Howard has today unveiled his biggest election weapon – incumbency.

It doesn’t matter what Kevin Rudd puts on the table – education, water, whatever. If he wants to, the PM can trump it.

‘President George W. Bush concluded his annual State of the Union address this week with the words “the State of our Union is strong … our cause in the world is right … and tonight that cause goes on.” Maybe so, but the state of the Bush administration is at its worst yet, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. The president’s approval ratings are at their lowest point in the poll’s history—30 percent—and more than half the country (58 percent) say they wish the Bush presidency were simply over, a sentiment that is almost unanimous among Democrats (86 percent), and is shared by a clear majority (59 percent) of independents and even one in five (21 percent) Republicans. Half (49 percent) of all registered voters would rather see a Democrat elected president in 2008, compared to just 28 percent who’d prefer the GOP to remain in the White House.’

from the ABC …..

Abbott says Rudd uses religion politically

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott has accused Labor leader Kevin Rudd of using religion for political purposes.

He was speaking to the Young Liberal Federal Convention in Melbourne this morning.

The fratboy & his co-conspirators continue to act as provocateurs.

The United States of fascism accuses Iran of arms trafficking in support of Iraqi “insurgents” (who maybe just consider themselves freedom fighters, given the ongoing occupation of their country by bushit, blair & their corporate oil thieves?) & seize three Iranian diplomats. Whilst the US says that “charges” against the Iranians will be made public “soon”, this must be considered doubtful, given the Americans normal propensity to go public immediately with the wildest accusations on the slightest pretext. The Iranian diplomats are no more than hostages & their seizure is a deliberate provocation.

"What should we call someone who believes the government is above the law, that opinion should be standardised, that majorities are born to rule, that minorities endanger social cohesion? [Perhaps] un-Australian?"

Donald Horne

‘Just five days after the September 11th attacks in 2001, in a Q and A with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, a President with a new mission, a new cause, and a new purpose in life told the American people that, though they had to "go back to work tomorrow," they should now know that they were facing a "new kind of evil." He added, "And we understand. And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while."

‘America’s dry drunk of a president knows diddlysquat about, and lacks respect for history, economics, and the normal folk like you and me. What he does know and respect is how to cheat, lie and connive his way towards being the big man in the frat house.

I’ve got news for Frat Boy. The White House is not a Delta Kappa Epsilon outpost let alone its head office.

‘In September 2006, the Attorney-General went to Washington to discuss revised military arrangements for the trial of suspects such as Mr Hicks. It was reported widely that these allowed evidence obtained through coercion to be admitted at trial. On his return to Australia, Mr Ruddock told the ABC’s “Insiders” program that sleep deprivation should be permitted as “coercion” rather than torture. He was immediately challenged by the National President of the RSL (who said it could certainly be torture), the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, and Federal Police Commissioner Keelty who said sleep deprivation was illegal for use by AFP officers, and amounted to “unfair tactics”.

‘The President took us into this war recklessly.  He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs.  We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed. 

‘London, England - The image of the United States has deteriorated around the world in the past year because of issues such as Iraq and prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, according to a poll by the BBC World Service released on Tuesday."

The proportion of people believing the United States has a mainly positive influence in world affairs dropped seven points from a year ago -- to 29 percent from 36, the results from 18 countries that were also polled the previous year showed.