OTB,

Around here at current prices, 7,843 litres of petrol, which mixed with the right proportion of free air, is a very powerful explosive.

No licence needed to purchase.

I can only hope that the authorities have got a thoroughly sound intelligence network, otherwise these people could wrought some shocking destruction upon any number of public facilities. And petrol bombs, albeit simple to construct, are very dangerous indeed if employed.

Wow!...it's amazing.

Th right-wingers around here are apparently pre-primed to echo the Govt's terrorism Mantra.

Seems Goering was on the money when he said (that even in a democracy):

"Oh that is all well and good, but voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

Hysteria is very dangerous when deployed.

Wounded Goose,

Some of us on OLO don't have the faith in fascism that you do, dearie :)

And where is Abbott "denouncing the pacifists for lack of patriotism" ?

So who is getting hysterical ? I'm confident that the government has pretty much everything under control. I feel quite insouciant.

Joe

Poirot,

It is a fact that $12,000 will buy that much of the main ingredient for massive explosions and there are no restrictions, isn't this a matter of public safety?

When I buy percussion caps from a gun shop for my 1840s double barrel muzzle loading shotgun I have to produce a licence because it's a matter of public safety* so why aren't there similar restrictions on petrol?

*but if I buy percussion caps from a toy store or Wayne's World no licence is required and they are much cheaper, although they are an inferior product but they still work.

Be alert, Australia needs lerts!

Joe,

"And where is Abbott "denouncing the pacifists for lack of patriotism" ?"

Tones doesn't need to do that sort of fiddly work himself.

All he needs to do is unload the "terror hysteria" - and the good ol' folk will come out in their droves to spray the derision, etc.

I had recourse to post a longer version of that quote on another thread, for just the reason that a poster was deriding others by calling them cowards, pretenders, conscience objectors and "sickening, useless human beings"

Nice, eh?

"Some of us on OLO don't have the faith in fascism that you do, dearie :)"

Lol!....here's the longer version:

"...But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy people have a say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

"Oh that is all well and good, but voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

(Jeez, Joe...for all the railing you've done over the years against regimes who manipulate and suppress populations - it's fascinating that you can't see it burgeoning when it's happening before your very eyes)