If something's worth doing, it's worth doing well, OK?
So please remember; always go the extra mile against Zionism and give it your best shot.
Scene: House of Commons, 24 March 1936. Members are debating the Baldwin government's proposal for the setting up of a Legislative Council in British Mandated Palestine.
Mr Crossley, Member for Stretford, Conservative:
The right hon. and gallant Gentleman, the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme... seemed to put forward the suggestion that it was only the Arab upper classes who imagined that they had grievances... To illustrate my point that the opposition to [Jewish immigration and the sale of land to Jews] comes from all classes of Arabs, I would like to tell a story. I was riding on a pony between Beisan and Tiberias with my Arab groom, Abu Daoud. We came to the only works at that time existing in Palestine, the electricity works on the Jordan. We reached a gate on the other side of which was a main road. The Polish-Jewish sentry stood in the gate and would not let us pass through, and reluctantly, because it was a long way round, I felt I had to go back about 20 yards and turn my pony and charge. I did so, and the Jewish sentry in the gate melted to one side. Then I beckoned to Abu Daoud to follow me, and he went back a good 200 yards, crossed his legs over the blankets and saddle bags, and came full charge. His arms flapped, and his legs flapped, and as he got near the gate he began making the most terrific yell, and as he got into the gate he leaned across towards the Jewish sentry, who was shrinking towards one side, and expectorated with the greatest force I had ever seen in my life, shouting at the same time, 'Il'an abuk, al kalb'.
Hon. Members: Translate!
Mr Crossley: It means, Curse your father, the dog.*
[* From Hansard at hansard.millbanksystems.com]
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Get Rhiannon! 4
Surely you didn't think Get Rhiannon! 1, 2 & 3 was it, did you?
As night dogs day one of the Australian's rotties-in-residence, Christian Kerr, is baaack for yet another snarl and snap at Greens senator Lee Rhiannon and with yet another plug for Sally Neighbour's Monthly scuttlebut about the NSW Greens.
Most of Kerr's leaps and lunges we're already familiar with, but the first at least reinforces the point I made in my 7/2/12 post Gallant Sir Bob: At a doorstop in the Senate courtyards, party leader Bob Brown was "forced to defend one of his own, the controversial NSW senator, Lee Rhiannon, and play down rifts and instability in his own party." (Greens' big year may sour, 9/2/12))
And it also gives us an insight into the behaviour of the beast - Kerr that is. First manufacture your 'controversy', then badger Brown until he obliges with a comment, after which you can claim it was forced out of him.
Still, it has to be said: Brown leads with his chin. If he'd given Rhiannon the same kind of defence he gave Gillard on Lateline the other night, and named and condemned the attacking Murdoch press while at it, Kerr's little stunt in the Senate courtyards - for who else would have an interest in forcing a defence of Rhiannon from Brown? - would not have been possible.
Here's the second - yet another promo for Sally Neighbour:
"The cover story in the current issue of The Monthly by veteran journalist Sally Neighbour outlines the tension between the hard-left-dominated NSW Greens and other branches of the party. It carries claims by some MPs and activists that the NSW division is run by a small cadre of 'Leninist' ideologues whose activities make members seem like 'lunatics', and counter-claims Brown is a 'megalomaniac." (ibid)
In the original - for what that's worth - the bit about Leninist ideologues comes from an "unnamed source," while the bit about "making us look like lunatics" comes from Ian Cohen and refers to Marrickville Council's support of BDS.
Yet, in Kerr's latest diatribe, your unnamed source and your Ian Cohen become a more substantial some [Greens] MPs and activists.
And when our rottie next bares his fangs, what'll it be? Nine out of ten Greens reckon they're led by Leninist loonies?
Then there's a reference to NSW Liberal senator (and former Howard staffer) Arthur Sinodinos "point[ing] out yesterday Rhiannon is a scion of one of Australia's leading communist families." (ibid)
Ooowah!
Consider this:
"Sinodinos absorbed a strong anti-communist world view from his mother, who was shaped by her experiences as a farmer's daughter during the Greek Civil War." (Howard's right-hand man to honest broker, Deborah Snow, Sydney Morning Herald, 23/7/11)
Now since what's good for the goose is also good for the gander, and given Greek anti-communism's many crimes, would Sinodinos have any problems with being described as a scion of one of Greece's (whether leading or not) anti-communist families, with all the baggage that that entails?
And now please put your hands together for a return of the raised eyebows:
The Greens' decision to "award their preferences in this weekend's hotly contested by-election in the South Australian state seat of Port Adelaide to the Communist Party candidate has raised eyebrows in Canberra." (ibid)
No doubt these are the same "raised eyebrows" that "were raised within the party by the presence of upper house MP David Shoebridge at the annual Socialist Alliance conference in Sydney." (See my 5/2/12 post Get Rhiannon! 3)
My God, are we witnessing a raised eyebrow rebellion within the ranks of the Greens?
There's surely only one way to find out. Will the Greens, one and all, kindly assemble for a raised eyebrow count? Here's how it works. As I hold up a picture of a hammer and sickle, or, for greater accuracy perhaps, the letters B, D & S, highly trained raised eyebrow experts will pass among you and assess whether your eyebrows may be considered raised or not and so conclude just how many of you are groaning under the tyranny of the party's lunatic Leninists.
Finally, in case you're still wondering what the hell all this is about, here it is in one sentence:
"The public conflict between Brown and Rhiannon over the NSW Greens' support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions campaign has been the most recent demonstration of the policy tension between the pair."
Oh, and that's public conflict concocted in Israel lobby land and hyped for all its worth by Murdoch's Australian and its rotties.
As night dogs day one of the Australian's rotties-in-residence, Christian Kerr, is baaack for yet another snarl and snap at Greens senator Lee Rhiannon and with yet another plug for Sally Neighbour's Monthly scuttlebut about the NSW Greens.
Most of Kerr's leaps and lunges we're already familiar with, but the first at least reinforces the point I made in my 7/2/12 post Gallant Sir Bob: At a doorstop in the Senate courtyards, party leader Bob Brown was "forced to defend one of his own, the controversial NSW senator, Lee Rhiannon, and play down rifts and instability in his own party." (Greens' big year may sour, 9/2/12))
And it also gives us an insight into the behaviour of the beast - Kerr that is. First manufacture your 'controversy', then badger Brown until he obliges with a comment, after which you can claim it was forced out of him.
Still, it has to be said: Brown leads with his chin. If he'd given Rhiannon the same kind of defence he gave Gillard on Lateline the other night, and named and condemned the attacking Murdoch press while at it, Kerr's little stunt in the Senate courtyards - for who else would have an interest in forcing a defence of Rhiannon from Brown? - would not have been possible.
Here's the second - yet another promo for Sally Neighbour:
"The cover story in the current issue of The Monthly by veteran journalist Sally Neighbour outlines the tension between the hard-left-dominated NSW Greens and other branches of the party. It carries claims by some MPs and activists that the NSW division is run by a small cadre of 'Leninist' ideologues whose activities make members seem like 'lunatics', and counter-claims Brown is a 'megalomaniac." (ibid)
In the original - for what that's worth - the bit about Leninist ideologues comes from an "unnamed source," while the bit about "making us look like lunatics" comes from Ian Cohen and refers to Marrickville Council's support of BDS.
Yet, in Kerr's latest diatribe, your unnamed source and your Ian Cohen become a more substantial some [Greens] MPs and activists.
And when our rottie next bares his fangs, what'll it be? Nine out of ten Greens reckon they're led by Leninist loonies?
Then there's a reference to NSW Liberal senator (and former Howard staffer) Arthur Sinodinos "point[ing] out yesterday Rhiannon is a scion of one of Australia's leading communist families." (ibid)
Ooowah!
Consider this:
"Sinodinos absorbed a strong anti-communist world view from his mother, who was shaped by her experiences as a farmer's daughter during the Greek Civil War." (Howard's right-hand man to honest broker, Deborah Snow, Sydney Morning Herald, 23/7/11)
Now since what's good for the goose is also good for the gander, and given Greek anti-communism's many crimes, would Sinodinos have any problems with being described as a scion of one of Greece's (whether leading or not) anti-communist families, with all the baggage that that entails?
And now please put your hands together for a return of the raised eyebows:
The Greens' decision to "award their preferences in this weekend's hotly contested by-election in the South Australian state seat of Port Adelaide to the Communist Party candidate has raised eyebrows in Canberra." (ibid)
No doubt these are the same "raised eyebrows" that "were raised within the party by the presence of upper house MP David Shoebridge at the annual Socialist Alliance conference in Sydney." (See my 5/2/12 post Get Rhiannon! 3)
My God, are we witnessing a raised eyebrow rebellion within the ranks of the Greens?
There's surely only one way to find out. Will the Greens, one and all, kindly assemble for a raised eyebrow count? Here's how it works. As I hold up a picture of a hammer and sickle, or, for greater accuracy perhaps, the letters B, D & S, highly trained raised eyebrow experts will pass among you and assess whether your eyebrows may be considered raised or not and so conclude just how many of you are groaning under the tyranny of the party's lunatic Leninists.
Finally, in case you're still wondering what the hell all this is about, here it is in one sentence:
"The public conflict between Brown and Rhiannon over the NSW Greens' support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions campaign has been the most recent demonstration of the policy tension between the pair."
Oh, and that's public conflict concocted in Israel lobby land and hyped for all its worth by Murdoch's Australian and its rotties.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Chosen
Vic Alhadeff and Yair Miller, chief executive and president respectively, of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies were ushered into the noisy classroom.
At once, as befits the status of these two gents, an expectant hush descended. All eyes were rivetted on the pair, whom, if I may be allowed to surmise, the chattering (for they were all, in fact, journalists) multitude would later, among their own, refer to jokingly as Laurel (Vic) and Hardy (Yair), deriving solely from the rather spare dimensions of the former and the more than ample ones of the latter.
Right, I'm Vic, said Vic.
And I'm Yair, said Yair.
And boy, do we - for at this point they spoke as one - have a deal for you, girls and boys. Hands up if you want a FREE, 5-day holiday in Israel.
Lo, a sea of hands rose from wall to shining wall. Sirs! Sirs! Sirs! The former expectant hush was now a cacophony.
Said Vic to Yair, sotto voce, Works every time!
Said Yair to Vic, sotto voce, Like giving candy to babies, my brother in Zion!
OK, boys and girls, commanded Vic, keep those hands up straight! Only those with the most maniacal grins will be chosen.
An epidemic of maniacal grinning swept the journalists' features, stilling the din. You could hear the proverbial pin drop.
Said Vic to Yair, Aren't they adorable, Yair?
Said Yair to Vic, You said it, Vic.
Now to business, said Vic. Hmm... Now doesn't he look eager, Yair? You, come and stand in front of the class... and so it went until 4 had been chosen and were standing, grinning like maniacal monkeys before their now deflated classmates.
Kol hakavod Chosen Ones! said Vic to the chosen 4.
And then, turning to the unchosen, proferred these words of encouragement: Yair and I are off for another bash at BDS in the Legislative Council right now but we'll be back same place, same time next year, so be good, mind what you say about Israel in the interim, drop in regularly at your nearest Max Brenner outlet, and you too could, like our Chosen Ones here, be lucky next time around.
Or at least, in the absence of any inside information as to how the following fab 4 were chosen for their rambamming, that is how I imagine it:
"A two-state solution for Israel and Palestine is an unlikely dream, according to the 4 journalists who recently returned from the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies' Journalists Mission to Israel. SBS Television senior correspondent Brian Thomson, Sky News Business Channel manager Kylie Merritt, Sydney Morning Herald opinion page editor Joel Gibson and Daily Telegraph news director John Rolfe all said that they found the 5-day intensive trip extremely informative, but that they don't see any realistic chance of a compromise between the 2 sides." (Two states is too hopeful, The Australian Jewish News, 10/2/12)
What follows I don't have to imagine. Brian, Kylie, Joel and John sang for their suppers (x5) in the Saunders Hall, Central Synagogue last Thursday night and this is part of what each had to say about this, the most important experience of their lives:
Brian Thomson, senior correspondent, SBS: "Thomson said he could understand the struggles that Israel faces. 'I can't imagine what it would be like to be persecuted for my religion, but after this trip I can understand the Jewish people's desire for a homeland. Wherever Israel looks the picture is bleak, but the economy is thriving and it has a vibrant democracy in a hostile neighbourhood." (Two states...)
"Saying he had returned from the intensive trip 'exhausted, exasperated and exhilirated', Thomson said he 'could not understand what it would be like to have had grandparents murdered in the Holocaust or to be persecuted for your beliefs', but he did 'understand the need for a Jewish homeland'. He also 'seriously questions the viability of the two state solution'." (Four journos report on trip to Israel, jwire.com, 3/2/12)
Oh Brian, you're sooo understanding and sooo focused! And you've mastered the 'v' word. Well done! 10/10 - Vic & Yair
Kylie Merritt, Sky News Business Channel manager: "I was surprised at the depth of information that we received, the level of people we had access to, and the fact that the politicians didn't sugar-coat anything for us, which was a surprise as an Australian journalist... It took me a few days after I got home to process everything I had seen and heard. I really got the sense of two diametrically opposed beliefs that will not be solved anytime soon." (Two states...)
"Merritt and Gibson both expressed surprise at the depth of views they encountered in Israel, and also at the candour of the political and security leaders they met. It was unusual to speak to politicians who answered questions so frankly, Merritt added." (Four journos...)
Kylie, you're sooo right. Israel is about the strewth, the whole strewth & nothing but the strewth. You go, girl! 10/10 - Vic & Yair
Joel Gibson, Sydney Morning Herald opinion page editor: "Gibson said the trip will allow him to make better decisions, as he recalled editing an opinion story when Richard Goldstone corrected his report about human rights abuses by Israel and the Palestinians to the United Nations Human Rights Council. 'The report was 1000 words but I only had space for 800 words', Gibson said. 'Of course the 200 words I left out were important words and I remember the feedback that flooded in, and that experience is the reason I decided to go on this trip. I don't think anyone would argue that sitting at my desk would make me any better to judge which words I should cut next time, but now I hope I am better equipped'." (Two states...)
"Gibson also said the trip was 'not propaganda', but exposed the journalists to views across the spectrum. He had not returned either pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but more informed." (Four journos...)
Gibbo, a little ponderous, lad. Really, there's no need to worry your pretty little head anymore about that opinion page of yours. Simply whip whatever over to HQ and we'll knock it into shape for you, OK? Better still, just sit back, sip a hot chocolate (Max Brenner, of course), and just publish what we send you, no sweat. Propaganda? Perish the thought! 9/10 - Vic & Yair
John Rolfe, Daily Telegraph news director: "Rolfe hammered the Marrickville Council resolution to impose sanctions on Israeli products, particularly given that the policy had been adopted by people who had never visited Israel to see and learn for themselves. Rolfe emphasized that it was Palestinian workers who would suffer most from a BDS policy." (Four journos...)
John, hammering BDS! We like! In fact, you took the words right out of our mouths. If we had a hammer/ We'd hammer BDS in the morning/ We'd hammer BDS in the evening/ All over this land. 12/10 - Vic & Yair
[The jwire.com report concludes with this tantalising detail: "The journalists were accompanied by four colleagues who travelled as guests of AIJAC." The plot, as they say, thickens!; For a list of the past few years rambammings see my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too.]
At once, as befits the status of these two gents, an expectant hush descended. All eyes were rivetted on the pair, whom, if I may be allowed to surmise, the chattering (for they were all, in fact, journalists) multitude would later, among their own, refer to jokingly as Laurel (Vic) and Hardy (Yair), deriving solely from the rather spare dimensions of the former and the more than ample ones of the latter.
Right, I'm Vic, said Vic.
And I'm Yair, said Yair.
And boy, do we - for at this point they spoke as one - have a deal for you, girls and boys. Hands up if you want a FREE, 5-day holiday in Israel.
Lo, a sea of hands rose from wall to shining wall. Sirs! Sirs! Sirs! The former expectant hush was now a cacophony.
Said Vic to Yair, sotto voce, Works every time!
Said Yair to Vic, sotto voce, Like giving candy to babies, my brother in Zion!
OK, boys and girls, commanded Vic, keep those hands up straight! Only those with the most maniacal grins will be chosen.
An epidemic of maniacal grinning swept the journalists' features, stilling the din. You could hear the proverbial pin drop.
Said Vic to Yair, Aren't they adorable, Yair?
Said Yair to Vic, You said it, Vic.
Now to business, said Vic. Hmm... Now doesn't he look eager, Yair? You, come and stand in front of the class... and so it went until 4 had been chosen and were standing, grinning like maniacal monkeys before their now deflated classmates.
Kol hakavod Chosen Ones! said Vic to the chosen 4.
And then, turning to the unchosen, proferred these words of encouragement: Yair and I are off for another bash at BDS in the Legislative Council right now but we'll be back same place, same time next year, so be good, mind what you say about Israel in the interim, drop in regularly at your nearest Max Brenner outlet, and you too could, like our Chosen Ones here, be lucky next time around.
Or at least, in the absence of any inside information as to how the following fab 4 were chosen for their rambamming, that is how I imagine it:
"A two-state solution for Israel and Palestine is an unlikely dream, according to the 4 journalists who recently returned from the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies' Journalists Mission to Israel. SBS Television senior correspondent Brian Thomson, Sky News Business Channel manager Kylie Merritt, Sydney Morning Herald opinion page editor Joel Gibson and Daily Telegraph news director John Rolfe all said that they found the 5-day intensive trip extremely informative, but that they don't see any realistic chance of a compromise between the 2 sides." (Two states is too hopeful, The Australian Jewish News, 10/2/12)
What follows I don't have to imagine. Brian, Kylie, Joel and John sang for their suppers (x5) in the Saunders Hall, Central Synagogue last Thursday night and this is part of what each had to say about this, the most important experience of their lives:
Brian Thomson, senior correspondent, SBS: "Thomson said he could understand the struggles that Israel faces. 'I can't imagine what it would be like to be persecuted for my religion, but after this trip I can understand the Jewish people's desire for a homeland. Wherever Israel looks the picture is bleak, but the economy is thriving and it has a vibrant democracy in a hostile neighbourhood." (Two states...)
"Saying he had returned from the intensive trip 'exhausted, exasperated and exhilirated', Thomson said he 'could not understand what it would be like to have had grandparents murdered in the Holocaust or to be persecuted for your beliefs', but he did 'understand the need for a Jewish homeland'. He also 'seriously questions the viability of the two state solution'." (Four journos report on trip to Israel, jwire.com, 3/2/12)
Oh Brian, you're sooo understanding and sooo focused! And you've mastered the 'v' word. Well done! 10/10 - Vic & Yair
Kylie Merritt, Sky News Business Channel manager: "I was surprised at the depth of information that we received, the level of people we had access to, and the fact that the politicians didn't sugar-coat anything for us, which was a surprise as an Australian journalist... It took me a few days after I got home to process everything I had seen and heard. I really got the sense of two diametrically opposed beliefs that will not be solved anytime soon." (Two states...)
"Merritt and Gibson both expressed surprise at the depth of views they encountered in Israel, and also at the candour of the political and security leaders they met. It was unusual to speak to politicians who answered questions so frankly, Merritt added." (Four journos...)
Kylie, you're sooo right. Israel is about the strewth, the whole strewth & nothing but the strewth. You go, girl! 10/10 - Vic & Yair
Joel Gibson, Sydney Morning Herald opinion page editor: "Gibson said the trip will allow him to make better decisions, as he recalled editing an opinion story when Richard Goldstone corrected his report about human rights abuses by Israel and the Palestinians to the United Nations Human Rights Council. 'The report was 1000 words but I only had space for 800 words', Gibson said. 'Of course the 200 words I left out were important words and I remember the feedback that flooded in, and that experience is the reason I decided to go on this trip. I don't think anyone would argue that sitting at my desk would make me any better to judge which words I should cut next time, but now I hope I am better equipped'." (Two states...)
"Gibson also said the trip was 'not propaganda', but exposed the journalists to views across the spectrum. He had not returned either pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but more informed." (Four journos...)
Gibbo, a little ponderous, lad. Really, there's no need to worry your pretty little head anymore about that opinion page of yours. Simply whip whatever over to HQ and we'll knock it into shape for you, OK? Better still, just sit back, sip a hot chocolate (Max Brenner, of course), and just publish what we send you, no sweat. Propaganda? Perish the thought! 9/10 - Vic & Yair
John Rolfe, Daily Telegraph news director: "Rolfe hammered the Marrickville Council resolution to impose sanctions on Israeli products, particularly given that the policy had been adopted by people who had never visited Israel to see and learn for themselves. Rolfe emphasized that it was Palestinian workers who would suffer most from a BDS policy." (Four journos...)
John, hammering BDS! We like! In fact, you took the words right out of our mouths. If we had a hammer/ We'd hammer BDS in the morning/ We'd hammer BDS in the evening/ All over this land. 12/10 - Vic & Yair
[The jwire.com report concludes with this tantalising detail: "The journalists were accompanied by four colleagues who travelled as guests of AIJAC." The plot, as they say, thickens!; For a list of the past few years rambammings see my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too.]
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
There But for Fortune...
Last weekend, whilst walking down the street, I noticed a stooped and wizened old codger unfortunate enough to bear a striking resemblance to Sydney Morning Herald pundit Gerard Henderson.
He was standing at a bus stop and reading a copy of the Herald, his face hideously contorted as might his presumed doppelganger's be after reading of a newly elected Rhiannon government. I involuntarily muttered to myself (for I am nothing if not attuned to the plight of those less fortunate than myself), 'You poor old bugger. There but for Fortune go I'. And then, as I drew near, oblivious of all around him, in the grip of some intense inner torment he could not control, the wretched creature crumpled the paper he'd been reading and ejaculated in a mighty rage, 'Typical! Just typical!'.
After initially wondering what it was in the paper that had awakened his inner Basil Fawlty, I thought little more of the incident - until yesterday, that is, when I opened the opinion page of the Herald to see the ancient nutter's lugubrious visage staring back at me, with the name Gerard Henderson emblazoned in red beneath.
OMG, exclaimed I, it was Gerard Henderson!
And then, after a quick glance at the headline - Threat from enemy within makes anti-terrorism laws indispensible - I knew exactly what it was that had loosed the bee in the old bugger's bonnet: Herald journalist Debra Jopson's expose Australian terrorists now bred at home.
I gritted my teeth and read on.
Henderson began by noting that a "large number" of "the 21 men who have been convicted of terrorism-related charges following Operation Pendennis in Sydney and Melbourne and Operation Neath in Melbourne" were "of Lebanese descent." This then was the reason for the very public ejaculation which I had witnessed - sorry - heard on the weekend.
He went on to quote from a certain Monash University academic before fingering Malcolm Fraser for letting the grandparents of these terrorist scum into the pristine paradise which was 70s Australia. And then, in one almighty leap, concluded: "Some Muslim Lebanese-Australians have done well. Many have not. Too many are involved... in criminal gangs in Sydney's south-west."
This could, of course, have been phrased - by way of stating the bleeding obvious - as follows: 'Most Lebanese-Australians have done well. Some have not. And a few are involved in criminal gangs...' But then that would hardly have served his redneck, Muslim-bashing agenda.
But why get all hot and bothered? He's obviously past it, thought I, recalling the pathetic figure I'd seen at the bus stop. The Age long ago gave up on him, I told myself, and the Herald only keeps him on because, for reasons best known to itself, it simply cannot bear the thought of terminating the dubious services of those who've so patently had their day. I mean how else does one explain the continued presence on its opinion page of Paul Sheehan? But that's another story. At any rate, I consoled myself, who but I actually reads the gripes of this garrulous old grump?
But I was wrong about that. Someone other than I had read The enemy within..., for there, among the letters in today's Herald, was a corrective from the very Monash University academic he'd quoted, Andrew Zammit of the Global Terrorism Research Centre. Titled Flaws in arguments over Muslim terrorism, Zammit had written:
"First, Henderson cites me as referring to 33 terrorism convictions. My paper actually referred to 33 prosecutions, not convictions. There were some acquittals, and the 33 did not include non-jihadism-related terrorism charges, such as the 3 Tamil Tiger supporters charged in Victoria.
"Secondly, he accurately quotes me as saying 'while Lebanese-Australian Muslims make up 60% of those charged over alleged jihadist activity, they constitute only 20% of all Australian Muslims'. However, I pointed out we should be hesitant to draw firm conclusions from this sample given how small it is, and that further research was needed. I also stressed that the activities of such few people can't be used to justify generalisations about Lebanese-Australian Muslims as a whole.
"Also, Henderson is correct to point out that the 'Lebanese concession' - the Fraser government's expanded intake of Lebanese civil war refugees in 1976 - was poorly implemented and that Lebanese Muslims often had little support on arrival. However, the findings in my paper do not support Henderson's argument that the 'Lebanon concession' was wrong altogether. The paper did examine Lebanese immigration during the civil war period and consequent social disadvantage; it did not state that convicted terrorists were necessarily children of those who arrived during the 'concession' which was only a short-lived episode in a large-scale immigration intake. In any case, it's a stretch to argue that Australia should not have given refuge to thousands of people fleeing a brutal civil war because of a couple of failed terrorism attempts decades later."
As Zammit's letter may actually prove the last straw for the Herald, and because, as I've said, I'm basically a softie, I for one will be pleading Henderson's case before the paper's editor-in-chief. There but for Fortune go you or I, I'll be reminding him.
He was standing at a bus stop and reading a copy of the Herald, his face hideously contorted as might his presumed doppelganger's be after reading of a newly elected Rhiannon government. I involuntarily muttered to myself (for I am nothing if not attuned to the plight of those less fortunate than myself), 'You poor old bugger. There but for Fortune go I'. And then, as I drew near, oblivious of all around him, in the grip of some intense inner torment he could not control, the wretched creature crumpled the paper he'd been reading and ejaculated in a mighty rage, 'Typical! Just typical!'.
After initially wondering what it was in the paper that had awakened his inner Basil Fawlty, I thought little more of the incident - until yesterday, that is, when I opened the opinion page of the Herald to see the ancient nutter's lugubrious visage staring back at me, with the name Gerard Henderson emblazoned in red beneath.
OMG, exclaimed I, it was Gerard Henderson!
And then, after a quick glance at the headline - Threat from enemy within makes anti-terrorism laws indispensible - I knew exactly what it was that had loosed the bee in the old bugger's bonnet: Herald journalist Debra Jopson's expose Australian terrorists now bred at home.
I gritted my teeth and read on.
Henderson began by noting that a "large number" of "the 21 men who have been convicted of terrorism-related charges following Operation Pendennis in Sydney and Melbourne and Operation Neath in Melbourne" were "of Lebanese descent." This then was the reason for the very public ejaculation which I had witnessed - sorry - heard on the weekend.
He went on to quote from a certain Monash University academic before fingering Malcolm Fraser for letting the grandparents of these terrorist scum into the pristine paradise which was 70s Australia. And then, in one almighty leap, concluded: "Some Muslim Lebanese-Australians have done well. Many have not. Too many are involved... in criminal gangs in Sydney's south-west."
This could, of course, have been phrased - by way of stating the bleeding obvious - as follows: 'Most Lebanese-Australians have done well. Some have not. And a few are involved in criminal gangs...' But then that would hardly have served his redneck, Muslim-bashing agenda.
But why get all hot and bothered? He's obviously past it, thought I, recalling the pathetic figure I'd seen at the bus stop. The Age long ago gave up on him, I told myself, and the Herald only keeps him on because, for reasons best known to itself, it simply cannot bear the thought of terminating the dubious services of those who've so patently had their day. I mean how else does one explain the continued presence on its opinion page of Paul Sheehan? But that's another story. At any rate, I consoled myself, who but I actually reads the gripes of this garrulous old grump?
But I was wrong about that. Someone other than I had read The enemy within..., for there, among the letters in today's Herald, was a corrective from the very Monash University academic he'd quoted, Andrew Zammit of the Global Terrorism Research Centre. Titled Flaws in arguments over Muslim terrorism, Zammit had written:
"First, Henderson cites me as referring to 33 terrorism convictions. My paper actually referred to 33 prosecutions, not convictions. There were some acquittals, and the 33 did not include non-jihadism-related terrorism charges, such as the 3 Tamil Tiger supporters charged in Victoria.
"Secondly, he accurately quotes me as saying 'while Lebanese-Australian Muslims make up 60% of those charged over alleged jihadist activity, they constitute only 20% of all Australian Muslims'. However, I pointed out we should be hesitant to draw firm conclusions from this sample given how small it is, and that further research was needed. I also stressed that the activities of such few people can't be used to justify generalisations about Lebanese-Australian Muslims as a whole.
"Also, Henderson is correct to point out that the 'Lebanese concession' - the Fraser government's expanded intake of Lebanese civil war refugees in 1976 - was poorly implemented and that Lebanese Muslims often had little support on arrival. However, the findings in my paper do not support Henderson's argument that the 'Lebanon concession' was wrong altogether. The paper did examine Lebanese immigration during the civil war period and consequent social disadvantage; it did not state that convicted terrorists were necessarily children of those who arrived during the 'concession' which was only a short-lived episode in a large-scale immigration intake. In any case, it's a stretch to argue that Australia should not have given refuge to thousands of people fleeing a brutal civil war because of a couple of failed terrorism attempts decades later."
As Zammit's letter may actually prove the last straw for the Herald, and because, as I've said, I'm basically a softie, I for one will be pleading Henderson's case before the paper's editor-in-chief. There but for Fortune go you or I, I'll be reminding him.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
You Are Now Entering Free Libya
"Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has predicted a 'promising' future for Libya after making a flying visit to the country... He was surprised to find a calm Tripoli and had heard only 'occasional distant and sporadic gunfire'." (From out of Libya, Rudd a believer, John Lyons, The Australian, 10/12/11)
"Now that Qadhdhafi has been killed... the Libyan NATO militias can focus on their priorities: silencing critics, bloody internecine wars, and the gradual imposition of a Bin Ladenite order." (Asad Abu Khalil, angryarab.blogspot.com, 21/10/11)
"They've had free education, free health, they could study abroad. When they got married they got a certain amount of money. So they were rather the envy of many other citizens of African countries. Now, of course, since NATO's humanitarian intervention the infrastructure of their country has been bombed back to the Stone Age. They will not have the same quality of life. Women will probably not have the same degree of emancipation under any new transitional government. The national wealth is probably going to be siphoned off by Western corporations. Perhaps the standard of living in Libya might have been slightly higher than it is perhaps now in America and the UK with the recession." (Annie Machon, former MI5 agent, quoted in 'Nato has bombed Libya back to the Stone Age', rt.com, 19/10/11)
As the media cycle moves on events in NATO-'liberated' Libya have largely dropped from view, overtaken by the violence in Syria which has led to calls from within and without that country for a Libya-style foreign intervention. But when the likes of Hillary Clinton begin displaying an historically unprecedented concern for the suffering of the Syrian people, a closer look at the new, 'free' Libya would seem wise.
The following list of mainly Australian press items on post-Gaddafi Libya is far from exhaustive and I'll endeavour to update it as further items appear. Items are in reverse chronological order:
Revolutionary militias in western Libya unify: "Representatives of about 100 militias from western Libya said Monday they had formed a new federation to prevent infighting and allow them to press the country's new government for further reform. The move was a blow to the National Transitional Council, which helped lead the 8-month uprising against longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi... and has largely failed to decommission or bring under its control the hundreds of militias that fought in the war. Ibrahim al-Madani, a commander whose brigade joined the new federation, said the fighters would not give up their arms to what they considered a corrupt government." (Maggie Michael, Associated Press, 14/2/12)
Five killed in clashes in southeast Libya: "At least 5 people have been killed in clashes between rival tribes over control of territory in the far southwest of Libya, officials said on Monday, highlighting the challenge of policing the country's sparsely populated desert." (Ali Shuaib, af.reuters.com, 13/2/12)
Libya unable to control militia violence, looting: "Libya, the country that witnessed the Arab world's most sweeping revolution, is foundering. The government of the interim Prime Minister, Abdel Rahim el-Keeb, is virtually paralysed by rivalries that have forced it to divide power along lines of regions and personalities, by unreachable expectations that Muammar Gaddafi's fall would bring prosperity and by powerlessness so marked the national army is treated like another of the many warring militias. This week one militia assaulted another militia at a seaside base in Tripoli to rescue a woman who had been abducted. When the guns fell silent, briefly, the scene that unfolded felt as chaotic as Libya's revolution - a government whose authority extends no further than its offices, militias whose swagger comes from plentiful guns and residents whose patience fades with every volley of gunfire that cracks at night... A Human Rights Watch researcher estimated there are 250 militias in the coastal city of Misratah... In recent months, those militias have become the most loathed in the country." (Anthony Shadid, Sydney Morning Herald/ New York Times, 11/2/12)
Libyan revolutionaries accused of widespread torture: "Three months after the killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, concerns are mounting about the torture of prisoners held by Libyan militiamen who are operating beyond the control of the country's transitional government, as well as by officially recognised security bodies." (Ian Black, Sydney Morning Herald/Guardian, 28/1/12)
Gaddafi loyalists take back Bani Walid: "Fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have seized back the town of Bani Walid and raised the late dictator's green flag, in a blow to Libya's struggling provisional government." (Chris Stephen, The Guardian, 23/1/12)
Libyan NTC offices stormed: "Angry protesters threw home-made grenades and stormed Libya's ruling National Transitional Council offices in the city of Benghazi yesterday, setting its front ablaze." (The Australian/AFP, 23/1/12)
Tripoli militias in gunfight: "Four people were killed here yesterday in a gunfight between militias who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi's regime." (The Australian/AFP, 5/1/12)
Tripoli under lockdown as friend turns to foe: "The Libyan capital has been placed under a security lockdown as the governing National Transitional Council seeks to impose control over local militias, demanding residents give up their weapons by the end of the month." (Christopher Stephen, Sydney Morning Herald/Bloomberg, 8/12/11)
Libya must bring militias into the fold: Local warlords challenge Tripoli for power: "The appointment of a new interim NTC cabinet this week is the right opportunity to jump-start the detente between the militias and the central authorities. The next step will be folding all of the militias into a new national army and police force. Giving them fancy unit names such as the Revolutionary Platoon of Jadu, the Misratah Martyrs Brigade, the Zintani Scourge of Saif, and the Zwaran Zombie Strike Force might help. Yet developments on the ground show that even clever rebranding is unlikely to be enough. Decisive leadership is required, and the NTC has yet to prove it can deliver this." (Opinion Piece, Jason Pack, The Australian, 23/11/11)
Libyan gratitude turns to suspicion : "The former Libyan prime minister Mahmoud Jibril travelled the world to gather foreign supporters to oust Muammar Gaddafi. Now, he views those allied nations with suspicion. As Libya moves through a post-Gaddafi phase and prepares for democratic elections, the US-educated former professor sees ally Qatar meddling in domestic politics by supporting a prominent Islamist. He also has a 'hunch' Gaddafi was 'killed based on a request by a certain foreign power' that wanted the dictator to be 'silent forever'." (Flavia Krause-Jackson & Caroline Alexander, Sydney Morning Herald/Bloomberg, 15/11/11)
Libya's rebels take revenge: "Sitting in their home on the outskirts of Tripoli, a Libyan family is afraid. Their fear is that a knock on the door could come from the rebel militias that toppled Muammar Gaddafi." (John Lyons, The Australian, 5/11/11)
Militias in revenge attacks: "Misratah militia fighters are carrying out revenge attacks on displaced residents of the nearby town of Tawargha, a stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi supporters during the Libyan war, a human rights group says. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said it had credible reports of Misratah militiamen shooting unarmed Tawarghans, and seizing and beating people, sometimes to death." (The Australian/AFP, 1/11/11)
Treasure of Benghazi theft may be one of biggest in history: "A priceless collection of nearly 8000 ancient gold, silver and bronze coins has been stolen from a bank vault in the Libyan city of Benghazi." (Nick Meo, Sydney Morning Herald/Telegraph, 1/1/11)
Conflicting loyalties rule as Libya struggles with life after Gaddafi: "Gaddafi supporters have lost their figurehead leader, and are probably too demoralised at the moment to start the insurgency that some hotheads among them have threatened. But in a land awash with guns there are large numbers of resentful young men, bitter about losing, who might well take up arms if they are not persuaded that they have a place in the new Libya. In places like Bani Walid, such efforts to win them over have not got too far." (Nick Meo, Sydney Morning Herald/Telegraph, 31/10/11)
Signs of massacre at hotel cast ugly shadow over anti-Gaddafi rebels: "In the parched garden of the Mahari Hotel [Sirte], volunteers scrubbed signs of a recent massacre. They collected dozens of bodies, apparently of people executed on the hotel grounds several days ago... The volunteers said the victims included at least two former Gaddafi government officials, local loyalist fighters and maybe civilians. The killers, they believed, were former rebel fighters, belonging to anti-Gaddafi units that had used the hotel as a base in recent weeks. It appeared to be one of the worst massacres of the 8-month conflict but days afterwards no one from Libya's new government had come to investigate." (Kareem Fahim & Adam Nossiter, Sydney Morning Herald/New York Times, 26/10/11)
In Benghazi, a nostalgia for Gaddafi as Libya's rebels fail to keep the peace: "The killing of a senior rebel commander who was spearheading the campaign to topple Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has exposed latent security fears in eastern Libya - particularly about the proliferation of militias and gangs who do not seem to answer to any authority." (Steven Sotloff, Time, 16/8/11)
"Now that Qadhdhafi has been killed... the Libyan NATO militias can focus on their priorities: silencing critics, bloody internecine wars, and the gradual imposition of a Bin Ladenite order." (Asad Abu Khalil, angryarab.blogspot.com, 21/10/11)
"They've had free education, free health, they could study abroad. When they got married they got a certain amount of money. So they were rather the envy of many other citizens of African countries. Now, of course, since NATO's humanitarian intervention the infrastructure of their country has been bombed back to the Stone Age. They will not have the same quality of life. Women will probably not have the same degree of emancipation under any new transitional government. The national wealth is probably going to be siphoned off by Western corporations. Perhaps the standard of living in Libya might have been slightly higher than it is perhaps now in America and the UK with the recession." (Annie Machon, former MI5 agent, quoted in 'Nato has bombed Libya back to the Stone Age', rt.com, 19/10/11)
As the media cycle moves on events in NATO-'liberated' Libya have largely dropped from view, overtaken by the violence in Syria which has led to calls from within and without that country for a Libya-style foreign intervention. But when the likes of Hillary Clinton begin displaying an historically unprecedented concern for the suffering of the Syrian people, a closer look at the new, 'free' Libya would seem wise.
The following list of mainly Australian press items on post-Gaddafi Libya is far from exhaustive and I'll endeavour to update it as further items appear. Items are in reverse chronological order:
Revolutionary militias in western Libya unify: "Representatives of about 100 militias from western Libya said Monday they had formed a new federation to prevent infighting and allow them to press the country's new government for further reform. The move was a blow to the National Transitional Council, which helped lead the 8-month uprising against longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi... and has largely failed to decommission or bring under its control the hundreds of militias that fought in the war. Ibrahim al-Madani, a commander whose brigade joined the new federation, said the fighters would not give up their arms to what they considered a corrupt government." (Maggie Michael, Associated Press, 14/2/12)
Five killed in clashes in southeast Libya: "At least 5 people have been killed in clashes between rival tribes over control of territory in the far southwest of Libya, officials said on Monday, highlighting the challenge of policing the country's sparsely populated desert." (Ali Shuaib, af.reuters.com, 13/2/12)
Libya unable to control militia violence, looting: "Libya, the country that witnessed the Arab world's most sweeping revolution, is foundering. The government of the interim Prime Minister, Abdel Rahim el-Keeb, is virtually paralysed by rivalries that have forced it to divide power along lines of regions and personalities, by unreachable expectations that Muammar Gaddafi's fall would bring prosperity and by powerlessness so marked the national army is treated like another of the many warring militias. This week one militia assaulted another militia at a seaside base in Tripoli to rescue a woman who had been abducted. When the guns fell silent, briefly, the scene that unfolded felt as chaotic as Libya's revolution - a government whose authority extends no further than its offices, militias whose swagger comes from plentiful guns and residents whose patience fades with every volley of gunfire that cracks at night... A Human Rights Watch researcher estimated there are 250 militias in the coastal city of Misratah... In recent months, those militias have become the most loathed in the country." (Anthony Shadid, Sydney Morning Herald/ New York Times, 11/2/12)
Libyan revolutionaries accused of widespread torture: "Three months after the killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, concerns are mounting about the torture of prisoners held by Libyan militiamen who are operating beyond the control of the country's transitional government, as well as by officially recognised security bodies." (Ian Black, Sydney Morning Herald/Guardian, 28/1/12)
Gaddafi loyalists take back Bani Walid: "Fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have seized back the town of Bani Walid and raised the late dictator's green flag, in a blow to Libya's struggling provisional government." (Chris Stephen, The Guardian, 23/1/12)
Libyan NTC offices stormed: "Angry protesters threw home-made grenades and stormed Libya's ruling National Transitional Council offices in the city of Benghazi yesterday, setting its front ablaze." (The Australian/AFP, 23/1/12)
Tripoli militias in gunfight: "Four people were killed here yesterday in a gunfight between militias who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi's regime." (The Australian/AFP, 5/1/12)
Tripoli under lockdown as friend turns to foe: "The Libyan capital has been placed under a security lockdown as the governing National Transitional Council seeks to impose control over local militias, demanding residents give up their weapons by the end of the month." (Christopher Stephen, Sydney Morning Herald/Bloomberg, 8/12/11)
Libya must bring militias into the fold: Local warlords challenge Tripoli for power: "The appointment of a new interim NTC cabinet this week is the right opportunity to jump-start the detente between the militias and the central authorities. The next step will be folding all of the militias into a new national army and police force. Giving them fancy unit names such as the Revolutionary Platoon of Jadu, the Misratah Martyrs Brigade, the Zintani Scourge of Saif, and the Zwaran Zombie Strike Force might help. Yet developments on the ground show that even clever rebranding is unlikely to be enough. Decisive leadership is required, and the NTC has yet to prove it can deliver this." (Opinion Piece, Jason Pack, The Australian, 23/11/11)
Libyan gratitude turns to suspicion : "The former Libyan prime minister Mahmoud Jibril travelled the world to gather foreign supporters to oust Muammar Gaddafi. Now, he views those allied nations with suspicion. As Libya moves through a post-Gaddafi phase and prepares for democratic elections, the US-educated former professor sees ally Qatar meddling in domestic politics by supporting a prominent Islamist. He also has a 'hunch' Gaddafi was 'killed based on a request by a certain foreign power' that wanted the dictator to be 'silent forever'." (Flavia Krause-Jackson & Caroline Alexander, Sydney Morning Herald/Bloomberg, 15/11/11)
Libya's rebels take revenge: "Sitting in their home on the outskirts of Tripoli, a Libyan family is afraid. Their fear is that a knock on the door could come from the rebel militias that toppled Muammar Gaddafi." (John Lyons, The Australian, 5/11/11)
Militias in revenge attacks: "Misratah militia fighters are carrying out revenge attacks on displaced residents of the nearby town of Tawargha, a stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi supporters during the Libyan war, a human rights group says. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said it had credible reports of Misratah militiamen shooting unarmed Tawarghans, and seizing and beating people, sometimes to death." (The Australian/AFP, 1/11/11)
Treasure of Benghazi theft may be one of biggest in history: "A priceless collection of nearly 8000 ancient gold, silver and bronze coins has been stolen from a bank vault in the Libyan city of Benghazi." (Nick Meo, Sydney Morning Herald/Telegraph, 1/1/11)
Conflicting loyalties rule as Libya struggles with life after Gaddafi: "Gaddafi supporters have lost their figurehead leader, and are probably too demoralised at the moment to start the insurgency that some hotheads among them have threatened. But in a land awash with guns there are large numbers of resentful young men, bitter about losing, who might well take up arms if they are not persuaded that they have a place in the new Libya. In places like Bani Walid, such efforts to win them over have not got too far." (Nick Meo, Sydney Morning Herald/Telegraph, 31/10/11)
Signs of massacre at hotel cast ugly shadow over anti-Gaddafi rebels: "In the parched garden of the Mahari Hotel [Sirte], volunteers scrubbed signs of a recent massacre. They collected dozens of bodies, apparently of people executed on the hotel grounds several days ago... The volunteers said the victims included at least two former Gaddafi government officials, local loyalist fighters and maybe civilians. The killers, they believed, were former rebel fighters, belonging to anti-Gaddafi units that had used the hotel as a base in recent weeks. It appeared to be one of the worst massacres of the 8-month conflict but days afterwards no one from Libya's new government had come to investigate." (Kareem Fahim & Adam Nossiter, Sydney Morning Herald/New York Times, 26/10/11)
In Benghazi, a nostalgia for Gaddafi as Libya's rebels fail to keep the peace: "The killing of a senior rebel commander who was spearheading the campaign to topple Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has exposed latent security fears in eastern Libya - particularly about the proliferation of militias and gangs who do not seem to answer to any authority." (Steven Sotloff, Time, 16/8/11)
Gallant Sir Bob
"[Media commentary] is relentless... It almost looks as if [it's] testing a woman to see at what stage she'll break." (Brown condemns relentless sexism against Gillard)
That was Greens leader Bob Brown speaking in defence of Prime Minister Julia Gillard on ABC Television's Lateline last night.
Two fascinating questions arise from his Lateline interview:
1) Why does he never once name the media outlet primarily responsible?
2) Why is he not defending fellow Greens senator Lee Rhiannon from the even more virulent, relentless campaign directed against her by Murdoch's Australian?
That was Greens leader Bob Brown speaking in defence of Prime Minister Julia Gillard on ABC Television's Lateline last night.
Two fascinating questions arise from his Lateline interview:
1) Why does he never once name the media outlet primarily responsible?
2) Why is he not defending fellow Greens senator Lee Rhiannon from the even more virulent, relentless campaign directed against her by Murdoch's Australian?
Monday, February 6, 2012
Here We Go Again!
The latest batch of Australian polliewaffles recruited for processing in Israel:
"A delegation of 6 federal Coalition MPs travelled to Israel this week. Their program includes meeting Israeli political figures, visits to a range of facilities and locations, and briefings from experts on military, social and economic aspects of modern Israel. It is the third visit for Bradfield MP Paul Fletcher*, who previously visited Israel in 1986 as part of a student delegation and then again in 1999 in an Australian trade mission. Fletcher said he was pleased to have the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of Israel. 'I will be fascinated to see how Israel has changed since I was last there', he said. 'There is much to learn from Israel, including its remarkable economic success in developing and commercialising technology - in fields as diverse as satellite and radio communications, irrigation, desalination and biotechnology. Naturally our group will also be interested to learn more about Israel's security challenges and the prospects for a lasting peace in the Middle East'. Other participants are Tasmanian senator David Bushby**; Paterson MP and shadow minister for regional development and tourism Bob Baldwin; South Australian senator David Fawcett; Brisbane MP and shadow parliamentary secretary for international development assistance and shadow parliamentary secretary for citizenship and settlement Teresa Gambaro***; and Cowan MP Luke Simpkins****. The visit has been hosted by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council." (MPs visit the Holy Land, The Australian Jewish News, 3/2/12)
Just the sort of intelligent, free-thinking, eyes-wide-open sceptics Israel needs to win over to its side:
*Fletcher: "'The Rudd Government's decision to expel an Israeli diplomat is a gross overreaction' Paul Fletcher MP, Federal Member for Bradfield said today. 'The state of Israel is the only genuine multiparty democracy in the Middle East. The ties of friendship and of shared values, between Australia and Israel, are longstanding. Even if we are disappointed with a friend - as we naturally would be if the allegations that Israeli security agencies forged Australian passports proved to be correct - there are more appropriate ways to express that disappointment. We should never forget that Israel must fight every day for its survival. Many countries in its region are hostile towards it. Some have openly stated their desire to see Israel destroyed'." (Expulsion of Israeli diplomat a gross overreaction, Press Release, paulfletcher.com.au, 25/5/10);
**Bushby was the bozo who meowed while Penny Wong was speaking in parliament in June last year;
***Gambaro was the boza who opined recently that migrants needed to be taught to use deodorant and to form a queue. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2006 she asserted that only "recognition throughout the Middle East of Israel's right to exist" can bring about a "lasting solution to the conflict." (Perspective, abc.net.au, 11/12/06);
**** Simpkins: "A WA Liberal MP has claimed Australians are unknowingly being converted to Islam by eating halal meat... Mr Simpkins said that Mohammed the prophet of Islam had talked of how the religion could be expanded around the world by getting people to eat halal meat. He reportedly said, 'The non-believers will become Muslims when, amongst other things, they eat the meat that we have slaughtered'. This is one of the key apects to converting non-believers to Islam', Mr Simpkins said. The petition tabled by Mr Simpkins had been organised by the Barnabas Fund, an organisation that supports Christians living in Muslim countries." (Halal meat converting Aussies: MP, Nick Butterly, The West Australian, 25/11/11)
[NB: For a full list of Australian rambammings, see my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too.]
"A delegation of 6 federal Coalition MPs travelled to Israel this week. Their program includes meeting Israeli political figures, visits to a range of facilities and locations, and briefings from experts on military, social and economic aspects of modern Israel. It is the third visit for Bradfield MP Paul Fletcher*, who previously visited Israel in 1986 as part of a student delegation and then again in 1999 in an Australian trade mission. Fletcher said he was pleased to have the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of Israel. 'I will be fascinated to see how Israel has changed since I was last there', he said. 'There is much to learn from Israel, including its remarkable economic success in developing and commercialising technology - in fields as diverse as satellite and radio communications, irrigation, desalination and biotechnology. Naturally our group will also be interested to learn more about Israel's security challenges and the prospects for a lasting peace in the Middle East'. Other participants are Tasmanian senator David Bushby**; Paterson MP and shadow minister for regional development and tourism Bob Baldwin; South Australian senator David Fawcett; Brisbane MP and shadow parliamentary secretary for international development assistance and shadow parliamentary secretary for citizenship and settlement Teresa Gambaro***; and Cowan MP Luke Simpkins****. The visit has been hosted by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council." (MPs visit the Holy Land, The Australian Jewish News, 3/2/12)
Just the sort of intelligent, free-thinking, eyes-wide-open sceptics Israel needs to win over to its side:
*Fletcher: "'The Rudd Government's decision to expel an Israeli diplomat is a gross overreaction' Paul Fletcher MP, Federal Member for Bradfield said today. 'The state of Israel is the only genuine multiparty democracy in the Middle East. The ties of friendship and of shared values, between Australia and Israel, are longstanding. Even if we are disappointed with a friend - as we naturally would be if the allegations that Israeli security agencies forged Australian passports proved to be correct - there are more appropriate ways to express that disappointment. We should never forget that Israel must fight every day for its survival. Many countries in its region are hostile towards it. Some have openly stated their desire to see Israel destroyed'." (Expulsion of Israeli diplomat a gross overreaction, Press Release, paulfletcher.com.au, 25/5/10);
**Bushby was the bozo who meowed while Penny Wong was speaking in parliament in June last year;
***Gambaro was the boza who opined recently that migrants needed to be taught to use deodorant and to form a queue. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2006 she asserted that only "recognition throughout the Middle East of Israel's right to exist" can bring about a "lasting solution to the conflict." (Perspective, abc.net.au, 11/12/06);
**** Simpkins: "A WA Liberal MP has claimed Australians are unknowingly being converted to Islam by eating halal meat... Mr Simpkins said that Mohammed the prophet of Islam had talked of how the religion could be expanded around the world by getting people to eat halal meat. He reportedly said, 'The non-believers will become Muslims when, amongst other things, they eat the meat that we have slaughtered'. This is one of the key apects to converting non-believers to Islam', Mr Simpkins said. The petition tabled by Mr Simpkins had been organised by the Barnabas Fund, an organisation that supports Christians living in Muslim countries." (Halal meat converting Aussies: MP, Nick Butterly, The West Australian, 25/11/11)
[NB: For a full list of Australian rambammings, see my 30/3/09 post I've been to Israel too.]
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