This past week in Australia has been ‘fundamentally’ outstanding; dimwitted fundamentalist religionists vied with each other for top billing in the local media. Never has the nation seen such retarded behaviour from so many diverse religious groups. The prize for fundamentalist imbecile of the week however goes to the Muslim cleric Sheik al-Hilali for his retrogressive reference to women as “uncovered meat”. He unashamedly placed the responsibility for rape and other sexually violent acts onto women; men were exonerated on the basis that “uncovered meat” is sexually provocative! The local media now refers to the cleric as the “Meat Sheik” and continues to sensationalise aspects of the story.

William Bradley Roland, known as Brad Will, New York documentary filmmaker and Indymedia reporter, was assassinated by pro-government gunshot in Oaxaca, Mexico while reporting on demonstrations. Al Giordano reports.

The Australian Minister for Communications, Helen Coonan, buoyed by her recent success in eliminating media diversity in Oz is now targeting the most diverse (content) medium on the planet – the internet. Her latest comments (news radio) veil her real intentions (information control!) The only effective means of controlling the flow of information on the internet is filtering at backbone or provider level. Conservatives are entirely predictable and Coonan is no exception, her intentions to target the internet were anticipated, a quote from an article dated July 5, follows:

China asserts dominance in the region but if you blinked you missed it; the difference between loud and clear and subtle and clear is the difference between, “bombing into the stone-age” and gently applying Asian lateral diplomacy. DPRK (Kim Jong il) rebuffs six-party talks but promises China during independent talks, that nuclear testing will cease. Miss war whore/status quo/dead children, Condoleezza Rice, and the rest of the world are left in no doubt which nation exercises the greater degree of influence in the region; a clear message has been sent – the world has taken note.

A principal failure if not the major failure of the U.S. administration is its failure to comprehend the nature of post-modern reality, especially post-modern warfare. The U.S. war ‘machine’ is an antiquated beast run by the mentally impaired. Dangerous and angry old men (past failures) do not good leaders/advisers make!

The answer is blowing the Constitution and Bill of Rights out the window – the Triads, Mafia, Latino, Cuban groups and various South American drug cartels all have something to learn from Cheney and Bush; in fact, they look positively tame in comparison. When confronted with accusations (and proof) of murder, torture, theft/plunder, illegal surveillance, etc, on levels traditional organised crime could only dream of, what is the recourse of neo-cons? Legislate and change the Law (it’s an ass anyway). Simply legalise activities that were once considered crimes and criminalise those who oppose or disagree! There’s nothing that compares to stealing government – computerised voting, subterfuge, lies, fabricated terrorist threats and THE POWER TO LEGISLATE – it’s just too damn easy!

A recent news item on NPR this week — legal action against the automotive industry in the USA for its complicity in global warming — has let the ‘bull’ out of the bag; the ‘cat’ has bolted; the unmentionable has finally been plainly stated! Nothing occurs in a vacuum and climate change is no exception. Liable groups/parties/corporations continue to lobby governments and manipulate public opinion in their efforts to minimise any litigation arising from their complicity in poisoning our planet. Present reality dictates that the future tenability of numerous species, including humans is under threat; nevertheless, profits and economic factors remain the primary consideration for leaders of industry and governments. [This criminally perverse view will ironically prove to be the most expensive error of judgement in human history.]

We have recently received some unverifiable information from our government sources regarding a purported obsession shared by Mick Keelty and Philip Ruddock. The information referred to the existence of a “missing category” of terrorist activity, the existence of which has been severely hampering the ability of both regulatory authorities to adequately fulfil their social obligations. Keelty and Ruddock, in their quest for tighter social regulation, have encountered certain aberrations in the social matrix, the cause of which remains a mystery!