God forbid that the ONA, Duntroon, and War College officially produce such puerile nonsense. No wonder the ADF are held in such low esteem. After the Kovco double whammy debacle. Brigadier Colsen's inebriated loss of a ' top secret' lap top in a Qantas VIP lounge. Billion's of dollar's worth of munitions that are useless and ' ticking-over-as-time-bombs 'in Government warehouses. Audit's that reveal whole scale losses and mismanagement of equipment and stores simply vanishing into thin air ? The litany reads like the foibles of Alice in Wonderland, except for it's gravity.

The War Crimes Commission was established soon after WWII, to convict enemy accused of wilful abuse of Human Rights, murder and lesser violations in accordance with the Geneva Convention. Even though Japan was not a signatory to the Protool, nevertheless their citizen's - military and civilian were summarily brought to justice and executed. Similarly, Terriorists, CIA, MI6, Taliban or Mossad agents who indulge in murder, will face Sovereign Nation's Court's of Law, irrespective of their allegiance to Mickey Mouse or Michael Jackson's Fan Club. One doesn't discriminate if one is 'registered' as the writer impugns.It's naive to suggest serial murderers or rapists have to 'define' themselves because of a nebulous place in History ? Precedent, demeaning,unrestricted warfare, and other childish euphemisms do not come into the equation.

From the time DH was arrested, interrogated, tortured and transported to several Foreign Countries before being chained like a feral animal in Guantamo, DFA have sanctimonously adopted a laissex-faire attitude simply because we cannot afford to offend the US.

Shamelessly, we view modern methodology on interrogation techniques as consistent with articles of War. Under this ambit, psyshedelic drugs, deprivation of sleep, hypnotic trance, electric shock treatment, familial threats, water-torture, finger/toe nail removal,suspension by thumbs/genitals, and devious mental exercises to weaken the metabolism, is condoned Universally.

Of course no one admits to the Rules of Engagement. We are conditioned to expect the Geneva Convention will ensure explicit adherence, by all signatories to Protocols therein. Those outside, needn't ask.

Cheers

This is my post to the Bagaric thread. It's just as much at home on this one.

For those who missed it, here's the links to Tuesday's Lateline interview with Prof McCoy:

Realplayer:
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200606/r90598_269855.ram

WinMedia:
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200606/r90598_269857.asx

Watch this well, and tell me you're not more proud of Hicksie than any soccer or football player - more proud of him than any vain leg-spinner or dead cricket icon.

Try to suppress the urge to jump up and yell, "Go Hicksie! You'll do me for a mate!"

Then imagine the kamp kommondants describing the suicides as "assymetric warfare" or as cleverly orchestrated public relations stunts (one of the dead was only 21 years old). Then imagine what a Rocky Horror Show the whole Guantanamo thing has been from the start, daubing everyone and everything it touches with s**t.

There are still Australians who think Guantanamo is a necessary evil. In Auschwitz there were quite a few inmates who thought themselves a cut above the others, so they volunteered to shepherd the rest of the condemned in order to prolongue their own existence. How like those "special" people are our own politicians, our own pragmatic intelligenzia who feel the urge to compromise YOUR freedom, while allowing a little more for themselves.

If Hicksie makes it home with his mind intact - watch out!

There will be a certain slack-gobbed aristocrat who'll be picking the pooh from his fishnets.

"Go Hicksie - YOU LITTLE BEWDY!"

Marilyn Shepherd - please point out the 'bloodthirsty' bits of my posts, or are you simply making stupid accusations to avoid responding to the questions I asked you?

I do not like the thought of anyone being locked up without concrete charges for such a long period - I also would prefer that Hicks be charged and tried but I can see the difficulties in doing so. Terrorism is a whole new area and the Western world has yet to decide how people who have placed themselves in limbo (like Hicks) are to be treated. Our present rules do not cover civilians who decide to join the enemy.

Preventative detention is a flawed solution, but I have not yet seen a viable answer presented.

To Whom It May concern

The Sheep do no harm to anybody and dont blow innocent victims up.

You all speak of torture and bashings of Hicks without one scrap of evidence.

At least we have evidence of the cruelty of live exports.

Yes a trial should have taken place well before this.
That certainly is unfair.
So lets trial hicks.
no I dont like the sound of the guy or where he was and why he was there.
I make no secret for that.
Lets see the evidence.

The main thing as far as we are concerned is to keep this country safe from sleepers.

David Hicks was not fighting with the enemy. What on earth is it in Australia where some bigotries take hold and stick and stick and no amount of truth will dislodge them?

An article in the Monthly magazine by Dr McCoy should scare the hell out of everyone as it details the shocking torture inflicted on innocent men in Gitmo Bay by the US , just like they did in Abu Ghraib. Civilised people cannot call themselves human when they do these appalling things to other humans.

96 Afghans are going home because even the criminal warlords running that place find Gitmo unacceptable, the Saudis have nearly all gone home, the Pakistanis, the Yemenis, the Chinese - almost everyone but David Hicks and he didn't do anything.

He never fired a gun. Not once. And that is the official record. There is no such crime as conspiracy in war and Neil James should be ashamed of himself to support the torture of anyone at all.

The Bastard From the Bush - David Hicks, Part 1

When I came to Australia as a child, the very first books I read were by Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson. It was a rite of passage in those days, because those works were the sine qua non of Australian citizenship, far more so than any bloody oath to a distant sheila.

...and I "got it". I really got it.

Livin' an' loving, wand'rin' on yer way;
Reapin' the 'arvest of a kind deed done;
An' watching in the sundown of yer day,
Yerself again, grown nobler in yer son.

Knowin' that ev'ry coin o' kindness spent
Bears interest in yer 'eart at cent per cent;
Measurin' wisdom by the peace it brings
To simple minds that values simple things.

An' when I take a look along the way
That I 'ave trod, it seems the man knows best,
Who's met wiv slabs of sorrer in 'is day,
When 'e is truly rich an' truly blest.

An' I am rich, becos me eyes 'ave seen
The lovelight in the eyes of my Doreen;
An' I am blest, becos me feet 'ave trod
A land 'oo's fields reflect the smile o' God.

Livin' an' lovin'; learnin' to fergive
The deeds an' words of some un'appy bloke
Who's missed the bus -- so 'ave I come to live,
An' take the 'ole mad world as 'arf a joke.

*