I've sussed out the picture and am prepared to comment further.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5271998.stm
In a highly unusual development, Mr Clarke went into significant detail about the evidence so far uncovered by police inquiries. These included:

69 searches of houses, flats and business premises, vehicles and open spaces

COMMENT pretty meaningless in itself.

Searches had found more than 400 computers, 200 mobile telephones and 8,000 computer media items such as memory sticks, CDs and DVDs

COMMENT as above.

Police experts have removed 6,000 gigabytes of data from the seized computers

COMMENT as above.

Bomb making equipment, including chemicals and electrical components seized, police say

COMMENT WOOPS.... now that is not so trivial !

A number of video recordings recovered.

COMMENT WOOPS... assuming these are 'martydom' videos they are crucial.

ALL the blogs and conspiracy theorist comments I've seen have LEFT OUT the last 2 points... does this say something about 'bias' ? :)

Even if they turn out to be less significant than face value.. WHO KNOWS better at this point than the police ? Have any of you viewed the evidence ? Would it matter ? ha !

go figure

If you want to know all about what the UK police think the suspects in the recent mass arrests for terrorist offences actually did then follow the following link -

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/world/europe/28plot.html

If you live in the UK you might get the following message when you visit that page -

"On advice of legal counsel, this article is unavailable to readers of nytimes.com in Britain. This arises from the requirement in British law that prohibits publication of prejudicial information about the defendants prior to trial."

Who's kidding who?

Commonsense Strategy in the Middle East

Regarding the above problem the mind goes back to great figures of history. They are - Bismarck of the late 19th century, as well as Chancellor and Founder of modern Germany, and Charles Darwin, pretty well of the same period, and founder of the Theory of Evolution.

Darwin in his old age was very unhappy about his friend Herbert Spencer using Darwin’s survival of the fittest concept as an excuse not only to justify the most husteristic entrepreneuralism, but also the more heinous aspects of colonialism. Darwin’s scornful reply was - as humans have an inherited mental capacity that animals have not, humans by now through history should have developed enough wisdom and understanding to know that the the term Survival of the Fittest must only relate not to feelings of compassion, but only to animalistic physical endurance.

Further, an interesting example of possibly compassionate strategic decisionmaking was the outcome of Bismarck’s invasion of France in 1871-72, followed by his capture and part-burning of Paris. Such could doubtless be regarded as the right’s of the victor, especially as it was France who actually was the cause of the invasion. But Bismark shocked the world by getting the leaders of France together in Paris, and not so much forgiving but, as he left reminding them, that it was peace in Europe he was fighting for, and thus he would still keep Germany’s long range artillery primed accordingly.

Bismarck died not long after the beginning of the twentieth century, and is said by some historians, that WW1 would never have begun if he had been alive. Further, as WW2 is said to have begun owing to the way Germany was left destitute over the Treaty of Versailles, both World Wars may not have been fought had the right great figure of history been alive at the right time. Therefore it is understandable how since his invasion of France and a sort of mock foregiveness thereafter Bismark became regarded as the Father of Realpolitik.

Could do with great figures like Darwin and Bismarck around now?

I was just listening to the ABC news and they played what is reported to be a crucial piece of evidence in the prosecution of 13 men on terrorism charges.

The piece was an exchange between a humourless Islamic millitant and his cowering wife - not.

What I heard was a fun exchange between a couple with him having a dig at stereotypes of muslims being terrorists and not realising that their conversation was being taped.

Him telling her that he was going camping to do some terrorist training and her telling him "Don't be stupid, what are you going camping for?" and him responding that he was just going camping with some friends to read the Koran and kick back.

Security forces monitored the camping and found such a level of terrorist training that they decided the thing was a team building thing - eg the guys kicked back, read a bit of the Koran, told a few jokes and enjoyed camping in the Aussie bush.

I don't do the Koran thing but I've done similar with a bible in my christain days and I've certainly made jokes could be difficult. What about you BD, ever told a silly joke and been camping with some christain friends?

If thats the best that the authorities have got then the conspiracy folks might be onto something.

R0bert

Why are so few women weighing in on this nonsense? I reckon some of you like Leigh and David B are boy scouts sitting around the camp fire telling each other ghost stories.

Let's look at some stuff shall we?
1. Why would anyone believe a word the Pakistani intelligence services say when they are notoriously the most corrupt service on earth apart from the CIA and FBI, probably Mossad and the KGB? They sold David Hicks for 30 pieces of silver to the US.

2. Why would you need to take bomb making stuff onto a plane when all you need to do is get into the cockpit and nosedive the damn thing into the sea?

3. The chemical involved would have blown them all up before the plane took off if they didn't know how to do it so what is the point?

4. Yes RObert, they were camping, what a shocking crime in the land of camping. Wow I am so scared.

It's just more b...t like waiting for the wretched reds under the beds, the asian invasion, yellow peril and so on. Now it's the muslim terr'ists yet there has not been one attack here.

The odd thing is that the west just doesn't seem to understand that while we keep blowing their nations to bits they might tend to be a trifle cross with us.

While we continue to vilify and demonise people they will learn to hate us. Dropping 177,000 bombs, missiles, 5 ton bunker busters, phosphorous bombs, cluster bombs and other goodies on the people of Lebanon - now that is a terrorist attack only rivalled by the invasion of Iraq.

My brother has a long term friend of 50 years. His wife was killed in the latest Bali bombing. He has also been rendered blind in one eye. No terrorism eh?