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"War is war. The only good human being is a dead one" -- George Orwell
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 Annapolis in Wonderland
furlong, Monday, Dec 5 2005, 5:21am
The present international instability could result in one or numerous other horrendous scenarios. However, the one glaring consistency or constant in today’s international political arena is the hatred that America has attracted from the rest of the world. Regardless of any other consideration, a nation despised by all is doomed. The USA has earned its reward by its blatant double standards, hypocrisy and the serial exploitation of weaker nations. These are the direct causes of the retaliatory response on American interests worldwide. The so-called “terrorists” are only a minor distraction while the real war unfolds.
international /
human rights /
commentary
Rumsfeld: Adelaide (Update)
cleaves, Friday, Nov 18 2005, 1:22am
Activists asserted their democratic right to protest Rumsfeld’s visit outside the heavily guarded Adelaide Town Hall regardless of Dr. Bob Such granting ‘permission’ to protest outside South Australia’s Parliament House. Let’s not miss a ‘subtle’ point; the right to protest is fundamental to a democratic society, let that right act as a barometer in any society that purports to uphold democratic values.
international /
social/political /
commentary
Verse
David, Sunday, Nov 6 2005, 11:25am
(for John Howard)
international /
prose/poetry /
literature
Sedition and Opportunity
Kingfisher, Saturday, Nov 5 2005, 1:24am
Real democracies are populated with active not passive citizens; passivity is characteristic of totalitarian and other oppressive regimes. Prior to any government or ruling body eliminating hard-won liberties and circumventing constitutional rights, the population must necessarily become timid, fearful, apathetic and passive. How simple it becomes to harness and manipulate such a population!
international /
human rights /
article
Appeasement or Cover-up
cleaves, Friday, Oct 28 2005, 3:38pm
Bush has announced that Libby is “innocent until proven guilty”, one law applies for disgraced officials while another for the Australian, David Hicks (and many others) who have been denied even the most basic human rights (while they rot for years in illegal detention centres around the world). Should we cite the flagrant double standard or rest in the assurance that a glaring hypocrisy and double standard would not pass unnoticed?
international /
social/political /
commentary
Sense or Subversion
cleaves, Friday, Oct 21 2005, 5:10am
Australian federal government expenditure on media consultants and market analysts exceeds three hundred million dollars per annum. Despite all the Taxpayer’s money that is spent only a proportion of the population adopts Howard’s cringe mentality and succumbs to the contractionist politics of fear. Announce the (remote) possibility of ‘chicken’ fever (avian flu) mutating and a percentage of the population rushes pharmacies and exhausts the supply of an anti-viral drug reputed to alleviate some of the ill effects (but not prevent) this disease. [Remember the Y2K scare and associated hysteria?] In answer to the tiniest ‘army’ in the history of warfare (a few dozen ‘terrorists’) we turn our whole existence upside down running in fear and loathing at every little alarm that our lying politicians would sound.
international /
human rights /
commentary
Terrorism Communism – McCarthyism or Reality
kwang zi, Wednesday, Oct 19 2005, 9:31am
Analysts and historians would recall the last time ’bogeyman’ hysteria gripped an unwary public; USA of the nineteen fifties and McCarthyism with the ‘red under the bed threat’ is now one of history's embarrassing moments. Joe McCarthy, puppet of ultra-right forces in the US, ruined numerous careers and lives – for nothing! The degree of 'threat’ attributed to the 'reds' proved to be wildly exaggerated, more a product of excited 'judgement' or shared delusion than accurate assessment. US intelligence agencies and ultra-right militarists fell victim to their own propaganda and the (dis)information warfare waged at the time.
international /
social/political /
opinion/analysis
 Sedition/definitions - KMA
Editorial Team, Tuesday, Oct 18 2005, 8:51am
Should we mention how concerned media magnates are in the age of free information? Blogs, free presses and numerous other independent media groups, all have ultra-right regimes jumpin'. They cannot tolerate real free speech and the 'voices' of protest and dissent. Congratulations to all the people of the world who cherish their rights and freedoms – we salute you! All your combined small voices have become a deafening roar – the new sedition laws in Australia are an indication that you have been heard to the extent that you require silencing – the nefarious forces are on the run! (story and 1 image)
international /
human rights /
commentary
Beast
finch, Monday, Oct 17 2005, 8:43am
Recent events have highlighted the failure of institutional religion in today’s world. We do not need to labour the point. Bush should ‘love his enemies and do good to those who would spitefully use him’; instead we have a hypocrite, liar, warmonger and plunderer. Bush is probably the most well known Evangelical Christian in the world today. This group elevates the Bible (a cultural product) to a position of authority reserved for Deity. Placing any thing before (above) the Living presence of God/Infinity/Harmony/Truth is denounced by all religions. It is little wonder this sect is perverse.
international /
social/political /
commentary
Commentary on John 14
fish, Monday, Oct 17 2005, 6:11am
An appropriate sub-heading to probably the most important chapter in the Gospel of John (if not the whole New Testament). The Christian saviour declares himself to be the absolute God and also the means by which we come to the realisation and presence of that God. The above claim was/is as bold a claim as was ever made by a sane man, notwithstanding some of Jesus’ immediate family members thought him to be of questionable mental stability (at that time). Nevertheless, this commentary will be based on the text and the simple 2+2 logic that is accessible to a child but evades the apprehension of linear, biased, fanatic and frightened thinkers.
international /
theology /
commentary
Commentary on John 13.
fish, Monday, Oct 17 2005, 4:41am
Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John is an indictment of mainstream Christianity. It becomes evident that the churches and other popular Christian groups represent institutional or organised hypocrisy. None stand as an example of the Master's teachings.
This is not a selective attack on the hypocrisy of one mainstream religion – with the possible exception of Buddhism – they are ALL perverse.
international /
theology /
commentary
Metaphysics -- a brief critique
Sophist, Sunday, Oct 16 2005, 1:38am
An exploration of the history and current status of monism versus pluralism.
international /
philosophy /
commentary
Derrida's Deconstruction of Authority
Saul Newman, Friday, Oct 14 2005, 1:08pm
This article explores the political aspect of Derrida's work, in particular his critique of authority. Derrida employs a series of strategies to expose the antagonisms within Western philosophy, whose structures of presence provide a rational and essentialist foundation for political institutions. Therefore, Derrida's interrogation of the universalist claims of philosophy may be applied to the pretensions of political authority. Moreover, I argue that Derrida's deconstruction of the two paths of 'reading' - inversion and subversion - may be applied to the question of revolutionary politics, to show that revolution often culminates in the reaffirmation of authority. Derrida navigates a path between these two strategies, allowing one to formulate philosophical and political strategies that work at the limits of discourse, thereby pointing to an outside. This outside, I argue, is crucial to radical politics because it unmasks the violence and illegitimacy of institutions and laws.
international /
philosophy /
article
Bush, God and Transnationals
peptide, Friday, Oct 7 2005, 12:12pm
The tragedy (for the entire world) is not that Bush is delusional, mentally unstable and intellectually challenged – that is well known. Rather, it is that he remains as commander in chief of the USA – placed in that position by commercial and other financial interests.
The result for the world is war and innocent lives lost in favour of the accumulation of wealth for the few. That is the tragedy for the world, a tragedy of monumental proportions.
international /
social/political /
opinion/analysis
Tembak Aja – “Just Shoot”
cleaves, Monday, Oct 3 2005, 9:34am
The recent bombings in Bali have once again highlighted the inappropriate (disastrous) approach of the ‘us and them’ mentality. There is ‘no love lost’ in divisionism. The Australian Senate, take note! Western analysts fail to understand that Muslims take personally another Muslim’s plight. Race or nationality have little relevance in the context of the unifying familial aspects of Islam. Kill a Palestinian and Muslims in Indonesia, Sudan (everywhere) will feel the loss. Furthermore, many would feel obliged to take positive action to prevent the further loss of Muslim life. However, Muslim fanatics fail to understand a principal tenet of Islam, the brotherhood of all humanity; taking innocent life is strictly forbidden. But we take the simplistic view of the fanatics and Western politicians, the question should be, who benefits from these bombings?
international /
social equality/unity /
commentary
Apathy
finch, Monday, Sep 26 2005, 7:19am
Whether born/e of passivity or apathy, the world’s populations are tolerating, as never before, gross ineptitude, incompetence and criminality from their governments. Comparisons could be made with infamous regimes of the past that maintained their illegitimate rule by deploying draconian social policies and manipulating information. However, today, information is easily accessed through various sources not controlled by mainstream media or governments yet apathy in the face of deliberate deception and criminal government prevails.
international /
social equality/unity /
article
UN World Leaders Summit
peptide, Friday, Sep 16 2005, 9:15am
The UN has failed in its attempt to define “terrorism” (in a universal sense) at the recent ‘world leaders’ summit – this attempt was doomed from the start. Terrorism remains an extremely valuable and useful term for propagandists due to its non-specificity. Right-wing governments and others utilise this term in order to impose draconian laws and constrictive social policies on domestic populations. In the unlikely event that a universal definition had been agreed upon the outcome would have been a number of ‘world leaders’ in the dock at the Hague ICC for crimes against humanity. I refer to the so-called “coalition of the willing” led by Bush, Blair and Howard.
international /
social equality/unity /
commentary
New Orleans (Update)
cleaves, Friday, Sep 9 2005, 3:51pm
From bad to worse is the new sub-text slogan for Bush and his administration. Appearing on US media, flanked by Cheney, Rumsfeld and numerous other (wooden) neo-cons, Bush repeated his rehearsed lines – “we are problem solvers”. This statement met with numerous reporters clearing their throats; the problem is Bush and his inept administration. The emperor is not only without clothes but is also devoid of ability. The corporate driven Bush government is learning that managing a nation has little in common with running an oil company. [Those best suited for government are dedicated to the selfless service of others – a concept totally alien to conservative ideology.]
international /
social/political /
commentary
Poetics or Propaganda
cleaves, Tuesday, Sep 6 2005, 3:17pm
Artistic intervention
international /
prose/poetry /
literature
New Old Orleans
peptide, Friday, Sep 2 2005, 6:06am
The inadequate response to the recent crisis in New Orleans is not surprising in view of the ideology of American conservatism, specifically its social Darwinist aspects. Social welfare rates extremely low on the conservative scale of priorities; egocentric endeavours and an individual focus outweighs concern for the group; if the people complain then “let them eat cake”, but in New Orleans, let them eat air!
international /
social/political /
commentary
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