Global Warming High Priest writes gospel

The new ideology, Global Warming or, on a cold day Global Change, has a new disciple in Nicholas Stern. He is the flavour of the week as the ABC put him on a pedastal and treat his every word as gospel. Stern has called for urgent world action to cut greenhouse gases or face economic failure worse than the Great Depression.

It puts the global cost of global warming and its effects at $9 trillion – a bill greater than the combined cost of the two world wars and the great depression and warns us that drought and floods could render swathes of the planet uninhabitable, creating the largest migration in history.

He’s put ticks in more boxes than Chicken Little ever knew existed – it’s just a pity that the science seems to be based on questionable computer modelling. He says with a 4 degree warming Australian farmlands would be rendered useless. He could be right but entering “4 degree warming” in the text box of some software doesn’t actually increase the temperature. The fact that the rise in temperature over the past century has been in the order of 0.6C (plus or minus 0.2C) then we are looking at maybe 5 centuries before we have a problem; and that presumes that in all that time the human race couldn’t come up with an answer. They may even come up with a computer model that us sceptics can believe.

This ideology has the Pacific Islanders reading the new Book of Revelations and demanding migration rights to Australia and New Zealand because their low lying islands are going to be swamped. It says so in the New bible. It would also be pretty cool to live in Australia with it’s social security and all but the islands aren’t about to be swamped. Scientists and other interested parties are argueing over whether the rise is .07mm a year or 5mm a year and even then king tides, natural sand redistribution, native attempts at building on the shoreline and the effects of cyclones must be factored in.

Even if you believe the Chicken Littles and accept 5mm a year rise there is still no justification for causing panic amongst the locals. The next cyclone could reverse or exacerbate any sea rises and they’ve been blowing for millenia.

I’m prepared to accept there is a problem and we need to be careful but the alarmist reporting prevelant today serves little purpose. Mother earth has weathered a lot in her time without the intervention of us puny humans and she will for a long time yet.

Like all religions, I am pepared to study this new one but as usual I will not be taking every single word as gospell.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

JOHN Howard’s new wage tribunal for low-income earners has been accused of lacking credibility by a prominent union official, who claims it granted higher pay rises than expected to help the Government at next year’s federal election. Bill Shorten, national secretary of the Australian Workers Union and a future Labor leadership contender, says the Fair Pay Commission would not have awarded a $27-a-week increase in the minimum wage last week without the forthcoming election.

That presumes Howard has the power of veto over the Fair Pay Commission and I’m not sure if that’s the case.

However it is good to have the AWU’s election tactic out in the open. If any result from the IR laws is at risk of being seen as positive for the workers then Shorten can claim it is a Coalition re-election tactic.

Look, the unemployment figures are the best ever. Ah yes but it’s because of the forthcoming election.
Look, workers have just got another pay rise and they’re so happy. Ah yes but it’s because of the forthcoming election.

Not much threat to us conservatives in that ploy.

Sheik Al-Halil still in the news

Sheik ‘Catmeat’ al-Hilali has done a wonderful job. Todays Australian has him above and below the fold and I particularly note Paul Keating’s part in the saga. I trust we can arrange to have this entire episode recycled the week before the next election to remind voters of the risks involved with the ALP.

Let him talk, quote everything he says. It will only help to reinforce in peoples mind the danger of the mind set of extreme Muftis like Al-Halil. One caveat – send him back from whence he come and report him from there so we can keep all the poison in one barrel.

If he can’t be expelled because the law doen’t allow it then could I suggest it is time we looked to amending the law. Clearly the ALP should not have given this guy citizenship and I’m of the opinion that the country is entitled to have the last say as to who stays or goes and to rectify any decision that was wrong in it’s initial application. As in “well, yes, we did give you permanent residence but we now believe you represent a danger to our citizens. The individual can appeal ad nauseum then so should the government be allow to adjust obvious mistakes.

A letter in todays Australian indicates there are people who still don’t get it.

WE see that, by shooting off his mouth, the poor old mufti has got himself into trouble with the Australian thought police. Let’s get real. The man may be a self-righteous dill but let’s remember that a basic Aussie right is our right to be offensive, as distinct from harmful, in the things we say and do.

Dr Doug Ogilvie

Surprising that a Doctor, educated and all, should miss the point of freedom of speech. It does not include the right to preach sedition, to encourage young Jihadis to murder civilians nor to openly support those who do, such as Osam Bin Laden. The ‘poor old Mufti‘ is a dangerous poor old mufti. He encourages those who would rape or kill our woman and children.

Be done with him.

Beasley still doesn’t understand

LABOR has accused the Howard Government of breaking its promise over interest rates and says it is out of touch with the financial pressures confronting middle Australia.The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is widely expected to raise interest rates next month after annual inflation came in at 3.9 per cent this week.

For a start “widely expected to raise” is not the same as “have raised” and Howard still has a long way to go before interest rates even approach those of the last Labor government. We would need something like a 400% rise to even get near them.

Remember Beasley? Howard said Interest rates would be lower under his government than under Labor – not that they would never rise.

For God’s sake man, stop inventing promises Howard never made and accusing him of breaking them.

Bias against Islam

Media to blame for Islam bias says AFP Commissioner Kelty. That beggars belief. If the media report Sheik “Piece of Meat’s” words and the public think poorly of him then I would think that the message causes Islam bias not the messenger. During WW2 I doubt whether a senior policemen ever suggested that media bias caused Australians to think poorly of the Japanese as newspapers and radio stations reported how they plundered, murdered, raped and tortured their way through the Pacific region.

In a speech delivered in Adelaide, Mr Keelty played down Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali’s inflammatory comments on women, asserting that “many in the community also say offensive things and many of them are white Caucasian Australians”.

True, and the white Cauacasion Australian’s stupid comments are also reported by the media but as a rule they are not the voice of some 300,000 Australians as the Sheik is to the Muslim communty.

About now Sheik ‘Piece of Meat’ may be thinking his words were ill advised and that they are not acceptable to Australians. Maybe he will learn something and maybe not, but either way extreme muslims are to blame for any bias against Islam, not the media.

I want and expect the media to report such rantings and when some of the extreme muslims plot to kill innocent Australian civilians I want the media to tell me. I also expect them to tell me about any extreme right wing nutcases who might be considered a danger to our way of life.

I particulalrly find this paragraph offensive

“When it comes to adultery, it’s 90 percent the woman’s responsibility. Why? Because a woman owns the weapon of seduction. It’s she who takes off her clothes, shortens them, flirts, puts on make-up and powder and takes to the streets, God protect us, dallying. It’s she who shortens, raises and lowers. Then, it’s a look, a smile, a conversation, a greeting, a talk, a date, a meeting, a crime, then Long Bay jail. Then you get a judge, who has no mercy, and he gives you 65 years.

It is this mindset that encourages young males to consider woman as chattels and then to claim they asked for it when facing court for multiple rapes.

Simply not acceptable.

Queensland’s falling to bits

A CRACKED expressway on-ramp in central Brisbane may need to be replaced, potentially throwing city traffic into chaos for a lengthy period, the Queensland government has warned.

We’ve had gridlock for a couple of days now as us Brisbanites come to grip with the fact that it’s possible that someone hasn’t been doing their job.

I could be wrong of course.

Transport Minister Paul Lucas has apologised to thousands of frustrated commuters for the mayhem, but said the closures were vital because engineers believed a two-metre long hairline crack on the Ann Street on-ramp was a sign it could collapse.

I’m not an engineer but tell me, do two metre long cracks appear overnight and if not, what did the engineers on regular inspections of the city’s infrastructure intend to do about the widening cracks.

They do inspect the infrastructure on a regular basis…don’t they?

First payout deal for ‘stolen’ children

THE national debate on the “stolen generations” will be reignited today by the unveiling of the nation’s first compensation package for Aborigines taken from their parents under assimilation policies.

……under assimilation policies?   I thought that every case that had been tested in court it was shown that the child was handed over to care with the consent of the parents who for a number of reasons couldn’t guarantee the welfare and livlihood of their child.  What reaonably believable authority or inquiry ever proved that these kids were moved because of assimilation policies?

If i I sit here waiting for the announcement of the nation’s first compensation package for white children taken under care  in similar circumstances should I hold my breath as well?

I think not.

Queenslands Attorney-General resigns

Linda Lavarch has resigned citing depression.

Anyone would be depressed after a week of grilling in the house over decisions she made that were either stupid, politically naive or politically inept. She simply failed to come up with any rationale excuse for not doing a deal with Dr Patel Death’s lawyers to get him in court. If you are going to ignore DPP advice you need a good reason and the fact that the ALP didn’t want Patel in court during the lead up to the recent election doesn’t cut it.

Couldn’t have the electorate being reminded every day about the government’s track record on health…could we?
I wonder if Peter Beattie is reaching for the prozac yet or does he expect us to believe that a novice AG would be allowed to make a decision of this magnitude by herself.

“I was not aware of the written document – and that doesn’t make any difference. Can I tell you that the written DPP advice is irrelevant,” Mr Beattie said. 

Why is the DPP advice irrelevant. I would imagine that giving the government advise is one of their roles and if such advice is ignored, then I think it’s reasonable we know why. Still, as we all know the reason it was ignored then it only leaves a taste of the government thumbing their nose at the public.

We know what’s best for you and we don’t neeed to explain.

If ever a government was elected as the lesser of two evils…this one is it.

Indifferent day

Slight hangover from yesterday’s party…tired from same…broadband down until 4.00pm..specialist appointment…kids coming to dinner…turned sixty…damn. Will resume blogging when I stop sulking…maybe tomorrow.

Defence claims Sheridan’s wrong

According to Greg Sheridan in today’s Australian the SAS have operational patrols in the Phillipines

AN elite Australian Special Air Service team of about 20 soldiers has been involved in a joint military operation in the southern Philippines to hunt down Asia’s most wanted terrorists, including two of the 2002 Bali bombers.

The SAS has been participating in a US-Philippines military campaign to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf terror outfit, which is believed to have been sheltering senior Indonesian Jemaah Islamiah terrorists Dulmatin and Umar
Patek.

According to Defence, they do not have operational SAS patrols in the Philipines

Greg Sheridan’s statement in The Australian newspaper today is wrong. The ADF has not been involved in counter terrorism operations in the Philippines.

In March this year and at the invitation of the Philippines’ Government, one Special Forces officer observed the joint US and Philippines Exercise Balikatan in Zamboanga, southern Philippines.

This exercise undertakes civil-military activities and does not involve operations. The Australian officer was observing the US-Philippines exercise planning process and at no time was he involved in operations of any kind.

As announced in October 2005, Defence is working with the Philippines to develop an Army watercraft capability of up to 30 boats suitable for patrolling the riverine and marshland areas of Mindanao. This will not involve ADF operations in the Philippines.

Over several years, the ADF has undertaken annual counter-hijack training in the Philippines, as we do with other regional countries. This activity does not involve operations.

Australia does not have any ADF personnel deployed to the Philippines on operations.

The Australian Government respects the Philippines Constitution which prohibits operations with foreign forces without a treaty level agreement.

Careful Greg – get it right.

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