There will be no fanatical face flinching

October 30th, 2004

Australia must continue to stand firm in its resolve to deal with terrorists such as Osama bin Laden, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today after a new videotape of the al-Qaeda chief was broadcast.

"Whenever he says these things and whenever these Islamic extremists and fanatics say these things, our message to them is a simple message. And that is we will defy you and we will defeat you, and countries like Australia must not flinch in the face of these fanatics. We must show an utter determination to confront them and defeat them"

Alexander, Let it go.

Your team has won a fourth term.

Your team owns the Senate come July.

You can stop trying to impress me with your insufferable idiocy and give intelligent, thinking Australians some International dignity by shutting up!

Posted in Life; barely possible, Political | No Comments »

Worst fear…

October 28th, 2004

..no hope of a vibrant Senate to protect the rights of the vulnerable and marginalised in Society.

Posted in Feminism, Social justice, WurkRites™ | No Comments »

Downer diverts us again

October 26th, 2004

Alexander Downer, Howard’s go-to-guy.

Howard will do anything to make sure that Australia and Australians stay moved on.

Today three members of the Australian Military were hurt in Baghdad.
I hoped that with this news, the government would acknowledge that yes, we have ADF personnel in Iraq, and yes they may get hurt/killed.

Instead Howard calls Downer and says,

"Alex, come up with a conspiracy theory to take the focus off these boys getting hurt."

Alex obliges…..

Posted in Anti-war, Political | No Comments »

Oprah and the v word

October 23rd, 2004

In the US, 50 million eligible women didn’t vote in the 2000 election.

Oprah Winfrey, using her hugely successful television show reminded American women why in this election they can’t afford to be so complacent.

"Take your rights for granted at your peril, ladies. Move, or else. Choose how you want the laws to treat and respect you and your body – or someone else, someone who hasn’t touched a vagina for 30 years and who thinks sex is only tolerable in the dark, fully clothed and with a respectable prostitute, will choose for you."

I, for one, applaud Oprah’s neofeminism.

Posted in Feminism, Political | No Comments »

Foreign Affairs Minister fails geography

October 19th, 2004

John Martinkus, a veteran freelance journalist, was released unharmed late yesterday, a day after he was taken hostage by four Sunni militants and ex-Iraqi army officers.

Mr Martinkus was filming a report for SBS’s Dateline program and was preparing to leave Iraq when he was detained about 5pm AEST on Saturday outside a hotel popular with foreign correspondents.

According to the Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer:

"In this particular case, the journalist went out to investigate a story, I understand, and went to a part of Baghdad that he was advised not to go to, but he went there anyway."

John Martinkus responds to Downer by saying:

"Well, that’s ridiculous, because I was in the street outside the only hotel in Baghdad occupied by journalists which is directly across the road from the Australian Embassy. I was nowhere dangerous, I was doing nothing dangerous, I was not putting myself at risk. I was grabbed by insurgents, who are very well organised and know exactly what they’re doing."

Downer, he only has the one response theme.
Victim-blaming and victim-discrediting.

He gets everything he needs from a book called :
"101 ways to blame the victim, negate responsibility and wait for Australia’s majority to lose interest."

Posted in Anti-war, Political | No Comments »

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