Labor Party Update
Is this man going to be the new alternative Australian Prime-Minister? 
Of little interest to many I am sure, but after much speculation, Federal opposition leader Kim Beazley has announced a leadership ballot for Monday, after Member for Griffith and Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Kevin Rudd, asked him to.
From news.com.au
"Kevin Rudd approached me this morning and said that he indicated that he wanted a ballot in regard to my position," Mr Beazley said after a meeting of Labor's national executive in Canberra.
"I informed Mr Rudd of what my intentions were."
"I will contest it."
"I have the experience to be the alternative prime minister of this nation and therefore to be the prime minister of this nation."
"I have done the hard yards in politics."
This isn't really a surprise, I have said for months, maybe even a year that Kevin Rudd will be the Australian Labor Party's next Prime Minister, I just didn't expect a challenge to come this soon. The election isn't for another 12 months yet...
One of the funnier quotes in the story on news.com.au comes from an anonymous supporter who said it was time for Kevin Rudd to "put up or shut up" which is only funny because, until today, Kevin Rudd hadn't said a thing, he even missed hisFriday friday morning battle with Joe Hockey on Sunrise this morning.
Whether Rudd carries off with the leadership spot, I can't predict, interestingly enough though, Beazely has put his entire front bench up for nomination, meaning that the oppositions front bench, may or may not be seriously altered from Monday...
Either way I stand by my original prediction, Kevin Rudd will be the next Labor Prime Minister of Australia...
Cole Report Part 2
For the record, I am still working on my full scale post on the Cole Commission Report, it's taking a lot longer than I originally thought, mainly because the report is incredibly boring, and all the good stuff is happening whilst I am reading it...
In this mornings,
The Australian, Foreign Minister Downer, was interviewed, Downer went on to say how he believes that the Government was "duped"
by AWB over the $290 million in kickbacks it paid to the regime of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein under the UN oil-for-food program. Downer continues to inform us that they (AWB) '
were deceiving us, the were deceiving the UN. I was shocked. Minister Downer allowed his department, his responsibility to be deceived, now I am the first to admit that deception happens, it happens a whole lot, especially in international matters. There was a saying that I always get wrong, I think Bush even gets it wrong... Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me...
Standard business practice would assume that if you are deceived by any party, you would immediately set about making changes so that it would never happen again. Mr Downer however sees that
there is no need for a major review of DFAT's internal procedures. Further explanation please Mr Downer? "
They have made sure that the procedures are effective adequate... They have some minor changes." Well then... Ok... I believe you Alex... Oh hang on, why would I believe someone who accepts no responsibility for this departments actions?
As per Howard Government tradition, Downer did utilise the opportunity to lay blame on the United Nations
"... Since you could drive a truck through the old UN program and the UN was defrauded left, right, and centre, the UN would want to change such a scheme substantially." Disturbing analogy Mr Downer, seeing as the entire issue is just how much money was paid to 'trucking' firms in propagating the fraud.
In continuing with your analogy, the "Truck" of fraud, was mainly paid for by an Australian company, which was supported by your department, for which you take no responsibility.
There is something rotten in the territory of the Australian Capital, and it will only be there for another week or so, before Parliament recesses for the Christmas break.
In closing this post, I'll echo the comments of a former senior diplomat, who spoke to
The Australian on the condition of anonymity...
"[The Australian Government] is either lying, incompetent or both."
Beazeley Bombs...
Well here I sit, slowly authoring a post on the Cole Royal Commission, when...
***NEWS FLASH***
OPPOSITION Leader Kim Beazley predicted a fiery question time this afternoon as the Government and Labor go head to head over the Cole report into the AWB scandal. So I got a little excited, and tuned in to watch the house... As most avid house watchers do... Only to well... I have to confess I fell asleep...
Beazley opted to sit his main man, Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd out, this is the man whose popularity has sky rocketed with his ability to consistently question the Government over the Wheat Board scandal. Instead of utilising his best asset in the house (in relation to the AWB scandal) he allows the member for Wills, to jump up and ask pathetic questions about the drinking and celebrating that took place after the report was issued.
Beazely sat Rudd out for one reason... This mornings polls highlight that Rudd has been to good at this job and is now favored by the public to lead the opposition. (Rudd favorable 52% to Beazely 27%). Beazley said in an interview with Sky news at around lunch, said that he is not concerned about a leadership challenge, for
he brings experience.
He has shown that experience, keep the shining star out of the spotlight, Rudd can't be favorable if he doesn't get to question the government.
At this exact moment Beazely is raving and ranting in a censure motion against the Prime Minister, it won't pass, but Beazely does get to hear his own voice for twenty odd minutes...
As John Howard just said, this is not surprising...
My advice to the Australian Labor Party, the Federal Opposition... You are failing your constituents, start asking the right questions, not enticing me to sleep in the middle of the afternoon!!!
Oh and Misguided Geri, this is by no means an attempt to influence you, just disappointing times for the camaraderie....
A nation is born?
Whilst I'd usually leave such a post to my Canadian colleagues, they are unable at the moment... It appears as though a new nation has been born my friends...
CANADA'S House of Commons today overwhelmingly adopted a resolution stating that the Quebec province represents a "nation" within Canada in an unprecedented vote initiated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"This house recognises that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada," stated the resolution, which passed by a vote of 266-16.Obviously this is a nation within a nation, and really doesn't change much, I am not going to pretend to understand why the Quebecois wish to be their own nation, I understand it's cultural significance, I don't understand the whole French thing, but whatever... I guess if it increases your popularity...
I just hope I don't need to get another visa next time I visit...
The Canadian Liberal party is holding its leadership convention over the next week, Carla is attending the convention as I type, so I am sure we may hear something from her sometime...
Cole Report...
At long last the day has arrived...
I have posted and mentioned the Australian Wheat Board scandal numerous times since the story broke. The government appointed Terrence Cole...
Mr Cole was charged with examining allegations that AWB paid almost $300 million in kickbacks to the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Cole report will be released today, in about 4.5 hours, it is 5 volumes large, which means there shall be some reading ahead. The Australian Government is notorious for delaying the posting of reports to the internet, so as soon as I can, I shall give the reccomendations a quick glance and see if there is anything post worthy...
Either way, Question Time this week is sure to be a doozy, so if you can, listen
here. Question Time starts at 1400 Eastern Daylight Savings Time, with the report to be tabled straight after...
Until then...
Victoria Votes... Big Deal...
Ok, big deal, another Australian State is going to the polls, what's the point the Australian Labor Party will most likely win again, loosing a couple of seats. I don't really have anything to say, although whilst I was at Melbourne airport during the week, I was fascinated to see a polling booth inside the airport...
Oh I was also inadvertently part of a protest against the Bracks Government, my departure from the protest really annoyed the farmers that were protesting, and they called me a number of names. I stand by my statement to them 'I am a Queenslander, I don't get to vote in Victoria.'
Somewhat irrelevant I know, but I couldn't help but mention it to annoy a certain friend in outback Vic.
So airport polling booths...
Quote of the Week...
Whilst I would usually reserve my quotes of the week to texting some witty Denny Crane comment to some friends, and would never contemplate posting it to '
Confessions'. I couldn't help myself when I read this in the
Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday.
For the un-informed... Schoolies is the annual school leavers festival which attracts close to 20,000 young barely legal kids to the Gold Coast... Think Spring Break on crack... Toolies are the losers who can't help but attempt to influence the barely legal into doing stupid things, think Bush getting Howard to join the Iraq war...
So the quote of the week...
"Should police be given more powers over schoolies? The answer is yes, and I'd like them to be able to carry sub-machineguns."Who was the galactically stupid person who said such nonsense? Graeme Downie who is the boss of Surfers Paradise Managment. Downie, who may or may not say such stupid things because of he doesn't like his name, justified his statement with this doozy...
"
In many parts of the world, at big events, police are properly armed and prepared for trouble. The toolies are the problem. I hate them and have no time for them at all. You see TV footage of kids having a good time and then you see the police wheeling off an older guy who wants to create trouble. That reflects badly on us as a destination."Yes Graeme, law enforcement and justice does
reflect badly on us as a destination, obviously the sight of police gunning the "toolies" down with their new sub-machineguns, would make the Gold Coast, and Surfers Paradise oh so much more attractive... To Hitler! (I know Hitler is dead, but I am having creative trouble at the moment)
Oh and Graeme, I am not a drug addict, or a toolie that preys on schoolies, I have been referred to as scum, by ex-girlfriends, I also have a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Masters of International Relations, and the idea of Gold Coast Police with sub-machineguns scares me more than Bin Laden, Hussein, Bush and the Boogey Monster knocking on my door... (again I'm sorry had a lot of trouble coming up with something that is scary, and toads just don't do my point justice.)
Idiot...
After the tres exciting week of US mid-term elections, it's a slow news day.
Howard ready to commiserate with BushHence, David Letterman's 'top ten Bush moments'. Because, you never can get enough of the Bush butt slapping.
The Bono Effect
I just had a quick trip to Brisbane and got to reminiscing about the U2 concert that I attended on Tuesday night, this isn't an entertainment blog so I won't review the gig, I will mention two things though.
Firstly, the
Gold Coast Bulletin ran an article this morning in reference to the "Coexist" bandana that Bono wears during
Love and Peace, Or Else in the article
Bulletin entertainment reporter Sam Cleveland is quoted
'U2 surround themselves with the sharpest marketing and design guys from all over the world... Keep your eyes peeled because this design could, with the right push from the band, spear-head a worldwide grassroots peace campaign.' The design being reffered to...
Now don't get me wrong, I am a massive U2 fan, which is why I must mention that the "Coexist" design actually comes from a Polish artist Piotr Molodozeniec, a person in no way affiliated with U2. The design is part of the Museum On The Seam's Coexistence Exhibit, the Exhibit is currently travelling the world and more info can be found here. The exhibit isn't coming to Australia, but was in New Zealand in February, and will be in the US and Canada in 2007, so 'keep your eyes peeled' if you reside in North America, obviously an exhibit worth seeing.
Secondly, as commented on by... Anonymous, Bono did bring attention to, and called for David Hicks to be returned back to Australia, I was wondering what effect this would have, if any...
Whether it was Bono, or certain Senator's attending the Major Mori speeches, the Australian Senate just yesterday, passed a motion to encourage the United States, to bring Hicks to trial...
A previous motion by Australian Democrats Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja, to bring Hicks back to Australia was defeated 33-31...
In addition to the Senate motion, for the first time the Australian Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, has agreed to meet with David Hicks' Father, whose son has been detained for the last 5 years.
In the past Ruddock has been quite the supporter of detainment, but only for refugees...
Whether Bono had any influence over the Senate motion, or A-GPR finally agreeing to meet, we shall never know.
Although PM Howard has somewhat chickened out of meeting with Bono, saying that he only takes meetings with people that are 'condition free'...
I assume that this was the response to Bono saying (as originally posted by Carla) that he "wanted to talk to your PM about Africa and also the commitment to 0.7 per cent, which is a big thing... I'm not that fussed and if he would like to meet me, if he is serious about 0.7 per cent, then I'm sure we'll find out about it and I would be very pleased to meet him... If he's not serious, I don't want to meet him" comment.
Time will only tell...
Bono wants to meet Johnnie
Most importantly, what kind of football does Bono follow?
Prime Minister John Howard says he'd be happy to meet U2 frontman and human rights activist Bono, but seems a bit confused about who he is. The Irish rock star, whose band opens its Australian tour in Brisbane, says he wants to talk to Mr Howard about boosting Australia's aid to poor countries. He said wealthy countries should donate more of their GDP (gross domestic product) to help combat global poverty, particularly in Africa.
Mr Howard said while there had been no approach to his office for a meeting, he would be happy to accommodate the rocker. "If he wants to come and talk to me I'd be happy to see him. I haven't had any formal request but of course (I would meet him)," Mr Howard told reporters. U2 is playing in Sydney on Saturday night. But, informed of this, Mr Howard seemed a bit bemused.
"He'll be in Sydney on Saturday night? At Telstra Stadium? Is he a follower of which code of football?" Mr Howard said."I wanted to talk to your PM about Africa and also the commitment to 0.7 per cent, which is a big thing... I'm not that fussed and if he would like to meet me, if he is serious about 0.7 per cent, then I'm sure we'll find out about it and I would be very pleased to meet him... If he's not serious, I don't want to meet him." Bono
John Kerry's Comments...
By now, nearly every newspaper in Australia has run a story on Fmr Presidential Candidate John Kerry's comments in relation to education. If you haven't heard the full version here it is...
(as transcribed by me from BBC's World Today Select)
Kerry:We're here to talk about education, but I want to say something before. Now education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart. ah... You can do well, if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.Audience: [Laughter]Not surprisingly this is being interpreted as Kerry saying US soldiers are stupid, Kerry's office released a statement saying that he didn't finish the joke, he was meant to add 'Just ask President Bush'...
I still don't get the joke...
Something else I don't get is this picture, published by
The Australian, apparently in response to Kerry's comments, a group of US Soldiers in Iraq made a sign...
I guess it's supposed to be a bit of fun, but I still don't get it... I wonder if that's because I haven't pledged and allegiance to America?
U2 and Green Day's New Video
Interesting ideas mentioned in this video, I was a little hesitant in posting it, but then thought, why deprive the readers of not only a decent song, but a decent message within the video for that song as well...
Major Michael Daniel Mori
For the un-informed, Major Daniel Mori of the U.S. Marine Corps is the appointed attorney of Australian GTMO Detainee David Matthew Hicks, for some reason the press keeps referring to him as Major Michael Mori, apparently his preferred name is Daniel or Dan, and that's coming from the guy himself, a somewhat reliable source.
The Australian Lawyers Alliance hosted the Major in what can only be described and a passionate and insightful speech in relation to the charges against David Hicks as well as
House Resolution 6166 (H.R. 6166) or somewhat better known as the "
Military Commissions Act of 2006." (MCA)
I intend this to be the first post of two, addressing both topics covered by Mori, I had intended to tape the lecture, but was unable to courtesy of misplacing the Dictaphone, so whilst these words are my own, they are inspired by the talk the Major gave, if at any stage you have to opportunity to listen to the Major, I strongly recommend it. There is an Mp3 of the Major's talk at the Australian National University from August this year (available
here) I haven't listened to it yet, but presume it would be of a similar nature.
First things first the charges against Hicks:
Hicks' charged conduct is triable by a military commission, he is charged with Conspiracy, Attempted Murder by an Unprivileged Belligerent and Aiding the Enemy.
Charge Number One:
ConspiracyAccording to the MCA:
§950v. Crimes triable by military commissions
(28) Conspiracy – Any person subject to this chapter who conspires to commit one or more substantive offenses triable by military commission under this chapter, and who knowingly does any overt act to effect the object of the conspiracy, shall be punished, if death results to one or more of the victims, by death or such other punishment as a military commission under this chapter may direct, and , if death does not result to any of the victims, by such punishment, other than death, as a military commission under this chapter may direct.
In alleging the charge of Conspiracy in United States v. David Hicks:
19. David Matthew Hicks… In Afghanistan, from on or about January 1,2001 to on or about December 2001, willfully and knowingly joined an enterprise of persons who shared a common criminal purpose and conspired and agreed with Muhammad Atef, Saif al Adel, Usama bin Laden, and other members and associates of the al Qaida organization, known and unknown, to commit the following offenses triable by military commission: attacking civilians; attacking civilian objects; murder by an unprivileged belligerent; destruction of property by and unprivileged belligerent; and terrorism.
This is the important part… They are not charging Hicks with attacking civilians; attacking civilian objects; murder by an unprivileged belligerent; destruction of property by an unprivileged belligerent; and terrorism, they are saying that the others did that, but Hicks is guilty because he was there, in Afghanistan…
Further allegations against Hicks in support of the Conspiracy charge…
g. On or about August 2001, Hicks participated in an advanced al Qaida course on information collection and surveillance in an apartment in Kabul, Afghanistan. This course included “practical application” where Hicks and others conducted surveillance of various targets in Kabul, including the U.S. and British embassies, and submitted reports.
Sounds like Hicks was a major operative for al Qaida’s surveillance wing, However, Major Mori pointed out that the British and U.S. Embassies closed in 1989 and weren’t open in August 2001. It is presumed that his report back to al Qaida was… They are closed…
l. On or about October 2001, after Coalition bombing operations commenced, Hicks joined an armed group outside the airport, where they guarded a Taliban tank.
Um… Yeah… Tanks… Bad… One man guarding a tank… That’s a whole lot of protection.
Charge number two:
Attempted Murder by an Unprivileged BelligerentIn an interview with Andrew Denton the transcript of which can be found
here, Major Mori, when asked what the charge meant, answered:
ANDREW DENTON: "An unprivileged belligerent"? Meaning what?
MAJOR MICHAEL MORI: I don't know what they mean. They made it up.
ANDREW DENTON: So you're his defense counsel...
MAJOR MICHAEL MORI: Yes.
ANDREW DENTON: ...And you can't even define what the term 'unprivileged belligerent' means. How do you defend that?
MAJOR MICHAEL MORI: Well, their view was, everybody on the Taliban side. Anybody on the Taliban side was a war criminal because they resisted the invasion of their country. I didn't quite understand that. Then it was, as you heard the administration, their position was, "Well they didn't wear proper uniforms." So I started thinking about that. I said, "What about the Northern Alliance? What about the CIA they were fighting in Afghanistan? They weren't wearing proper uniforms." So it really can't be a crime and it's not a crime, but they had to try to fabricate something.
Unprivileged belligerent isn’t covered in the MCA, the charge sheet says:
…Hicks…, in Afghanistan between on or about September 11, 2001 and December 1, 2001 as a perpetrator, co-conspirator, member of an enterprise of persons who shared a common criminal purpose, an aider or abettor, or some combination thereof, attempted to murder divers persons by directing small arms fire, explosives, and other means intended to kill American, British, Canadian, Australian, Afghan, and other Coalition forces, while he did not enjoy combatant immunity and such conduct taking place in the context of and associated with armed conflict.
According to Mori, a point of contention against this charge may have to do with the absence of Australian and Canadian forces in Afghanistan at the time that Hicks’ allegedly shot at them… They haven’t exactly defined Afghan forces either, unless they mean the Northern Alliance, which last time I checked, in 2001 were somewhat of a rebel force maybe, perhaps?
Third Charge:
Aiding the EnemyMCA:
Any person subject to this chapter, who, in breach of an allegiance or duty to the United States, knowingly and intentionally aids an enemy of the United States, or one of the co-belligerents of the enemy, shall be punished as a military commission under this chapter may direct.
Hicks Charge Sheet:
… Hicks, in Afghanistan between on or about January 1, 2001, and December 1, 2001, intentionally aided the enemy, to wit: al Qaida and the Taliban, such conduct taking place in the context of and associated with armed conflict.
So Hicks didn’t swear allegiance to the United States, He is Australian, much like me, my father, and my uncle. We didn’t swear an allegiance to the United States, we have no duty to the United States, well none that I am aware of. The two other contributors to this Blog are Canadian, I’ll have to check, but I am pretty sure that they are yet to swear an allegiance to the US, Steven Harper the Canadian PM may have, we all know that Aussie PM John Howard has… (well I can’t back that up entirely but he may as well have)
Keep in mind that Hicks was in school until grade 9, the Australian Military wouldn’t allow him to join because he wasn’t smart enough, his punishment for not being smart enough?
Hicks has spent the last 5 years at GTMO, most of which in solitary confinement, I looked for pictures but couldn’t find any… Abdullah Tabra a former spokesperson for the Taliban a man who could quite easily be charged with the same if not more charges than David is not inside Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay, he is busy, studying at YALE UNIVERSITY, and yes I do mean the Yale University in the United States.
My next post will be a angry tirade about the Military Commissions Act, and it’s future nightmare in regard to International Relations. I’ll begin my conclusion by quoting the Major as seen in the Denton Interview.
"I believe he's been mistreated and physically assaulted, and, through my investigation, I've confirmed it. What's interesting, it came out and became an issue with the Australian Government, and they of course, are only relying on the assurances by the US administration. I'll give you an example, because they conducted an investigation. One of the allegations was that David was with a group of other detainees that were taken from a ship to a piece of land, they were hooded and bound at the time, and that they were randomly beaten. So then they conducted their investigation and spoke to other detainees that were there that had been beaten as well and said, "I was hit," as well. But that didn't support David's story because they were hooded and they could not see David being beaten. You see, they can always try to find some way to support that doesn't confirm what happened. Any logical person would say that if five people go out and all five people say they were hit at this time, that that supports that."
What may be easy to forget is that this is a Major in the United States Military who is so disgusted at the way his country is behaving, that he is in Australia, asking Australians to help him force the Australian Government into action. No US citizen is in GTMO, No US citizen can be tried with any offences listed in the Military Commisions act. The British government were so disgusted with GTMO that they got their citizens out... And Australian born David Hicks sits there still, in his solitary confinement cell (the dimensions escape me) waiting, for over 5 years for his day in court, I mean court marshall, oh no, it's a commission...
Whilst I work on the next post about the joke of an Act the US Congress has passed, whilst you are thinking about what you have read here, or listened via the ANU link or the Denton interview, and you start to think about what it is you can do, before you go to radical go to GetUp! – Action for Australia, or just click
here, sign the petition, then write to your local Member of Parliament or Head of State for that matter, no matter what country you are reading this from. Don’t let David Hicks become a statistic, and remember…
Silence = Death
News survey.
- Fiji: Coup cool but concern remains [news.com.au]
- Council of Chiefs confident it can resolve tensions [Radio Australia]
- Key facts about Fiji [CNN]
- US soldier kills self in protest of US prisoner interrogation techniques [Arizona Daily Sun]
- Somali Islamists reject U.S. warning, test rockets [Reuters]
- UN: The State of the World's Refugees 2006 - Chapter 3 Adressing refugee security: Not only did the international humanitarian regime grow in the 1990s, it also began to mount more operations within areas of conflict. [UNHCR]
- Mom sued for kids' downloads. Lawyer blogs about it.
- Politicians beware - Internet prolongs blunders [Reuters - US Election 2006]
Edit - one more: Drug "ice" said to be behind East Timor clashes
To the left.... To the left....
I titled this post because I'm listening to a song by 'Beyonce', nothing deeper.
To the left, to the left. Everything you own, in a box to the left. I hope all is well with all of you, I apologise for my absence. I have been moving, and travelling.
I've been working a video to explain my return to this place, but it isn't uploading for some reason. What evs. I'll try again soon.
Anyways, Mark will have comments on Major Michael Mori's lecture in Brisbane very soon. I am very sad I couldn't attend, such is life when you are on a different continent.
Of little interest to many I am sure, but after much speculation, Federal opposition leader Kim Beazley has announced a leadership ballot for Monday, after Member for Griffith and Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Kevin Rudd, asked him to.
