Very interesting that The PM has been using fear for years about the danger of "terrorist" threats, why? we may ask, well my personal view is that it is a winner for him politically.
Australian males were always defined as heroes, courageous, the best fighters, hard working, decent and loyal to their country and family.
Not true today, they are true believers in business first before all else, led by a leader who puts business first, they are sheep.
Fear has become part of the male psyche, in their aspirations to get to the top in business, whether it is small business or big business, rural or urban. The stock exchange is a gambling den, which in itself creates fear and fear begets fear.
The PM used the fear factor, prior to the last election, using interest rates as the catalyst for winning.
The PM's propaganda, fear of "terrorists" works very well for him, as he includes the message, "threat to business".
In the ten years the PM has held power, there has been no "terrorist" attack in Australia, despite his staunch support of Bush, and his verbal attacks on Muslims.
Before the current PM there has never been a PM before, so blatant, or successful, in the use of fear as a political tool

Most posters are right in what they say, yet it doesn't alter the fact we're losing more freedoms with each supposed terrorist scare. Sure there've been attacks and there'll be more as long as religious, economic and energy control is number one priority for the elite of the world. The promoters of terrorism fear, are the same people who lied about Iraq, Afghanistan and all previous invasions by right wing monotheistic controlled governments

Many years ago, politics was run by real people who'd experienced the hardships of war and depression, so their direction was for the benefit of the people. Now they're bereft of life experiences, except school and church. They're lawyers, accountants, union buffoons, brain-dead bureaucrats and those buying office with money, or economic clout. They're incapable of giving direction, just sell our assets and create fear in the populace to shift blame for their total incompetence to others. It also allows them to implement their corporate and religious power agenda for their masters.

We could slow terror effects upon this country by distancing ourselves from the USA, religious bigotry and leaving both Iraq and Afghanistan. We should be taking care of our own area of the world and leaving the rest to those actually living there.

Any terrorist attack or proven intended one on this country, should be followed by the deportation of the families of those convicted, no matter their belief or citizenship status. I'm a pacifist, but believe we need deterrents that work, not fuzzy claims and restrictions, slowly returning us to the dark ages of religious control and subsequent war.

Remember when it comes to lies and false testimony, the followers of god are in a class of their own

Rob.....I actually saw the surveillance video of that camping trip,
not appropriate for me to comment on its value or significance here.

The magistrate Paul Smith is no dill, and the degree of pedantry
applied to every statement, is mind boggling. The degree of scrutiny of each piece of evidence by our OLO feature writer Greg Barns and company defending these alleged terrorists is also very thorough.

Given that most of us know just about zero about the evidence, apart from what the media reports, its probably better for us to await the outcome of the trial for to they have now been committed. A jury will be able to decide, just like me when I was there, if it has merit or not.

MOVIE TIME
I've just finished watching "Lord of War" starring Nicolaus Cage as the shifty evil arms dealer and Ethan Hawk as the "Elliot Ness" style incoruptable cop.
Most of the movie is about Nics adventures selling arms to 3rd world african dictators, being paid for in diamonds or Timber.
The final scene is where Ethan Hawke has finally arrested Nic and has enough evidence for 5 life sentences. Nic says casually,(after browsing the newspaper) that in a moment, a knock on the door will come, a high ranking man will congratulate Hawke on his efforts, and Nic will be allowed to go free.
REASON ? The US government was pleased to have a 'freelancer' supplying arms to 'sensitive' customers. Then the summary statement that while freelancers exist, the primary arms sellers are:
USA
UK
CHINA
RUSSIA
NTH KOREA

4 of them are on the 'security' counsel.
Strange how we mostly see USA and UK vilified in this forum ........

All nations are continually fighting for influence and resources. If they did not, others would succeed in their failure, and possibly obtain an unbeatable advantage. Humanly speaking that is.

SARAH 10

you may recall that in previous posts I've disagreed with you quite passionately.
You might be surprised to note that with the exception of your last 2 lines, I basically agree with all you said.

I long for a government of the people.. i.e. a centrist government.
I dream of an Australia where not everything is 'user pays'... where there is a nurse in the infant welfare centre available to help young mothers.. an assistance scheme for the elderly and less well off with their dental problems. (Labor had this and it helped my family)

I would rather my taxes were used to pay the administrative cost of another bloke getting a Burning off permit, instead of having to pay $50 for one in Melb.

When every form you have to fill out 'costs' it ingrains a sense of despair and hopelessness in people with limited means.

We have had a terrorist attack in Australia, and it was from Muslims too. 'Cronulla'. The fact that other more politically oriented planned attacks were thrawted is credit to those who caught it in time. Always remember, it could have been your dad or mum or brother or sister in the train or building where the explosives that HAD been gathered by some of these people, went off. Be thankful NO one was killed maimed or injured. I'd much rather take a pill to immunize me against Cancer than have half my jaw sculpted off to remove a growing tumor.

Cronulla was not muslims launching a terrorist attack, what mindless drivel is tha/ What the world saw was a bunch of yobbo white supremicists bashing people who were minding their own business, stoning ambulances, bashing students - they were wrapped on the flag of Australia and were utterly embarrassing.

Kalweb, I didn't say there was no terrorism. But what do you call terrorism? One or two bombs going off occassionally in some other country or the invasion and demolition of Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank by us?

Not one muslim nation invading or blowing up one other nation on earth so why the hell do we call them the terrorists? Are we to join the US in it's next venture - blowing up Iran?

How many of you heard or read what Seymour Hersh had to say about Lebanon being urged and planned with Cheney's and Bush's blessings? Is that not a terrorist attack?

I think it is yet the only thing we call a terrorist attack is a piddling little Katushya sometimes hitting something.

There are also now credible reports that the taking of the soldiers happened in Lebanon in the Shebaa farms region, just across the border at least - certainly the land mine that killed several soldiers was Israeli.

Haaretz is also reporting today that most in Israel from Olmert down now agree they could have stopped after 6 days and lost nothing.

Tell me who the hell are the terrorists because Bush, Blair, Howard and now Olmert and co scare me half to death.

Who is responsible for spreading the excrement - that excrement we can't resist sniffing? The excrement we feel compelled to repeat as though it were true -

Here's a clue:

http://www.richardneville.com.au/

I am old enough to remember the Melbourne Truth. The Truth had a column called Heartbalm, in which "confused" people supposedly revealed the details of their salacious peccadilloes. Of course we all knew that the "letters" were in fact invented by the staff, sitting at typewriters with their trousers down.

- nevertheless that didn't stop the Truth from becoming a popular newspaper, and many of the readers turned to the Heartbalm pages first.

But that was then and this is now. That was harmless and this is criminal.

The creatures who magnify this terrorist muck are criminals. Nothing new here. Julius Streicher, newspaper proprietor, was hanged at Neuremberg for something very similar:

http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/ARTPROP.HTM

Churchill said, "History will be kind to us, for I intend to write it." But I have news for certain newspaper proprietors. It is we on the Internet who will have the final story this time!

You may quote me -

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