Oops, my error Arjay.

>>By the way ,Im not Daggett.<<

But hey, an easy mistake to make.

>>This is a highly sophisticated expolsive that could not have been created by cave dwellers in Afghanistan.<<

But possibly not beyond the means of twentyfirst century terrorists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Lebanon.

Not a lot of cave dwellers in those parts of the world.

Are you sure you're not daggett?

Trizzie wrote, "One day you will grow up and not let mummy Pilger do all your thinking for you ....."

If you look through my posts, I think you will find that I am not altogether uncritical of John Pilger, so I would suggest that that confirms that am capable of thinking through some questions for myself

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Fractelle, I am skeptical that removal of all the scenes which show the Australian government's complicity in the murders of those journalists was necessary to make the movie acceptably short.

In any case, I would suggest if making such a movie a little bit longer than what is considered the ideal length of a movie for commercial purposes was the necessary price for including such a vital piece of historical information, then I think it would have been a price well worth paying and I believe that audiences would most likely have appreciated the movie even more.

As it is, it seems to me that there is no way that the audiences would be able to work out what happened from the way John Pilger described the movie.

It may well be that the omission was made for purely commercial reasons. If so, I believe it to have been a short-sighted.

However, it seems far more likely to me that the movie producers were leaned upon in order to ensure that a piece of information that would have given audiences a clue about the way governments actually operate in this country, was omitted.

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Pericles,

Have you looked at the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o ?

Even, if for argument's sake, they were able to manufacture nano-thermite in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE or Lebanon as you suggest they could have, how do you think that Al Qaeda terrorists were able to get inside the Twin Towers and WTC 7 in order to plant the explosives, especially given that the security company which looked after the security of the two towers was run by President George W. Bush's brother?

Once and for all, daggett, I am not playing along with your logical contortions and mental gymnastics.

I do not buy the conspiracy theories that you constantly drool over.

I consider the many hundreds of hours you must waste on them as being of as much value, as if you'd been collecting train numbers.

>>Even, if for argument's sake, they were able to manufacture nano-thermite in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE or Lebanon as you suggest they could have...<<

I didn't suggest anything of the sort. I simply reminded Arjay of the actual nationalities of the 9/11 terrorists. The comparison I made was with his "cave dwellers in Afghanistan".

That doesn't mean I am entering into a discussion on the existence or non-existence of nano-thermite in any building anywhere. I'm merely pointing out that Arjay's assumption, that such substances could not have been manufactured in a cave, was irrelevant.

Jeez daggett, if this is the standard of argumentation in favour of a CIA (or whatever) conspiracy, then it is hardly surprising that no-one of any significance is buying your story.

What a gruelling debate John Pilger's article provoked. I've seen better sledging at the SCG, but then some of the slangers weren't as polite.

The Film starring Anthony Lapagla was far from convincing and the whole production lacked the pizazz of Hollywood. Like "Australia" with Nicole Kidman and co-star New Zealander Hugh Jackman, it is no box-office sensation. Film buffs will assidiously avoid the spectacle. Pity, we are reminded, without Govt gratuitous grants and tax breaks, our Film Industry ceases to exist. So much talent gone to pot. Ugh.

The Sydney 2007 Coronial Inquest into the Balibo Five Affair, presumably delved into all the claims and counterclaims, this debate centres upon. Coroner Louise Pinch : " the journalist were not incidental casualties in the fighting. They were captured, then deliberately killed despite protesting their status ". Yale University's " Genocide Studies Program " and the UN sponsered " Truth Commission " have some interesting material of the event and aftermath.

Gough " no-one-can-save you now " Whitlam and Co, have always professed their perfidious detachment over the whole sordid malfeasance. Everyone, including President Ford and Henry Kissinger were up to their eye-balls in treachery, deceit and good-old-Machiavillian - foreign - policy. Pity, over 183,000 Timorese were murdered in cold blood. 200,000 have never returned to their homeland.

Importantly, spare a thought for the families. Relatives of Aussie reporter Greg Shackleton (27) CHN 7. Cameraman Gary Cunningham (27) Britons, Malcolm Rennie (28)TCN 9. Brian Peters (29)cameraman. Kiwi Tony Stewart (21) dogsbody.

Despite the hoo-hah, Shirley Shackleton seeks closure. Greg's mother couldn't live the remorse. Sadly, she took her own life.

The Indonesian Official Report concludes the five were killed in the cross-fire. All the military Officers involved were subsequently promoted and rewarded. One became the Minister for Information.

Thanks, Dalma, for a contrary view of the quality of the movie 'Balibo'.

Until now, everyone on both sides of the debate who had seen the movie, seemed to be at least agreed that the movie was dramatically effective.

I thought Anthony LaPaglia was very good in "Lantana" and "The Bank", so I am disappointed to have learnt that one person here was not impressed with his performance in 'Balibo'.

If, as you say, after all that alleged resort to "dramatic license" the film ended up being "far from convincing", anyway, then they may as well have left in the dialogue which showed up the Australian Government's complicity in the murders.

Who knows? It just may have turned an unconvincing film into a convincing one.

And, even if not, at least it would have been a more accurate historical record.

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Pericles wrote, "Once and for all, daggett, I am not playing along with your logical contortions and mental gymnastics."

That's fine by me, Pericles. No one asked you to join in this discussion and no-one asked you to raise the issue of 9/11 on the "Money from nothing: supplying money should be a public service" forum, either (See http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=9092&page=0#147432).

Pericles wrote, "That doesn't mean I am entering into a discussion on the existence or non-existence of nano-thermite in any building anywhere. I'm merely pointing out that Arjay's assumption, that such substances could not have been manufactured in a cave, was irrelevant."

Pericles, why would anyone quibble over whether or not nano-thermite could have been manuactured outside the US unless they had accepted that nano-thermitic materials had been found in the dust samples from the collapsed World Trade Center buildings as the the paper "Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe"? (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o http://www.bentham-open.org/pages/content.php?TOCPJ/2009/00000002/00000001/7TOCPJ.SGM) stated?

Hey dalma,

can I call you Dalma Stratton for short or would you prefer Margaret Dalma pomeranziono?

trizzie