I was only nineteen...

A great song written by John Schumann and originally performed by Redgum.

Now Herd have done a cover version with a fantastic video clip.

I need say no more...

Oh... just one little thing... Anzac Day's coming soon...

Heil Howard!!!

Cindy Sheehan coming to Australia

Press Release:

Cindy Sheehan and Dr Salam Ismael will speak at a public meeting in Sydney on Tuesday May 23 at 7pm at the Seymour Centre, corner City Rd and Cleveland St.

CINDY SHEEHAN is one of the most prominent voices is the US anti-war movement, and has become a symbol of the resurgance in the anti-war movement in the US over thelast year. She began campaigning against the Iraq war after her son, Casey, was killed serving in Iraq as a US soldier. She captured national media attention after setting up a peace camp outside George Bush's Texas ranch in 2005, demanding to know for "what noble cause" her son died. Cindy is one of the founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, formed by families who have lost relatives in the Iraq war and campaignign for an end to the occupation.

DR SALAM ISMAEL is secretary general of the Doctors for Iraq Society, leading teams of volunteer doctors in crisis situations in Iraq. His trip will be an opportunity to hear first-hand about health conditions in occupied Iraq, and to raise awareness about the humanitarian plight of Iraqis living under occupation. Dr Ismael was one of the first independent observers to enter the city Fallujah after it was destroyed by US and allied occupation forces in November 2004. The Doctors for Iraq Society has brought to the world's attention numerous US atrocities in western Iraq. They are campaigning for an independent inquiry into human rights abuses in Fallujah.

Cindy Sheehan and Dr Ismael are speaking in Sydney and Brisbane ahead of attending the National Peace Conference in Melbourne on May 27.

[Link to previous stuff on Cindy in this blog]

unfinished business...

Do you remember that letter I sent Ruddock back in October last year? Well, I got a reply. It arrived middle January, but due to blogitis, I didn't post it here till now:

ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE HON PHILIP RUDDOCK

[date stamped 11 Jan 2006]

[my name and address]

Thank you for your letter of 26 October 2005 regarding the process under which the tourist visa held by American citizen Scott Parkin was cancelled. I note your previous correspondence and apologise for the delay in responding.

If any member of the public has any concerns about the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's (ASIO) conduct or activities, these can be directed to the office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS). The IGIS regularly reviews ASIO's actions and has the ability to initiate inquiries or investigate complaints. The IGIS recently initiated an investigation into the treatment of Mr Parkin by ASIO.

The inquiry concluded on 29 November 2005 that the adverse security assessment which formed the basis for cancellation of his visa was based on "credible and reliable information" and met the legislative requirements.

This included the finding that ASIO had acted ib accordance with section 17A of the "Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979, which requires that the functions of ASIO must not be carried out so as to "limit the right of persons to engage in lawful advocacy, protest or dissent and the exercise of that rightshall not, by itself, be regarded as prejudicial to security". This requirement is a very importaant one - a vibrant democracy thrives on lawfuladvocacy, protest and dissent.

The report by the IGIS, Mr Ian Carnell, also concluded:

• ASIO did not have, at the relevant time, information which would have justified recommending against the grant of a visa and took a close interest in Mr Parkin becasue of information received about his activites once in Australia

• there is no evidence or reason to think that ASIO's security assessment in respect of Mr Parkin was influenced from esewhere within the Australian Government or by external bodies, and

• ASIO did not act improperly in the course of speaking to Mr Parkin about the possibility of an interview with him.

Finally, Mr Carnell noted one of the difficulties in inquiring into intelligence and security matters and reporting outcomes to be that much of the material is, by its nature, very sensitive. The protection of collection methodologies and various sources means that there are appropriately circumstances in which disclosure cannot be made. In balancing security aspects against natural justice considerations, there are circumstances where it has traditionally been accepted that it is in the overall public interest for security considerations to be given precedence.

I trust this information is of assistance.

Yours sincerely,

[signed]

Philip Ruddock

So there you have it...

Any suggestions?

can't sleep...

Greensmile has hit the nail right on the head. I'm not sleeping much lately. My head's full of shit but I haven't been in a blogging mood as you can tell. I don't really want to infect readers with my depressing rantings. But I will share a few things.

I'm almost a total recluse now. Except for my poor suffering partner (bless her soul) I go out of my way to have as little contact with people as possible. I can't even bear (no pun intended) emails. They deserve a genuine intimacy which I cannot muster. Also I've had bad experiences with emails. I've lost readers due to them. Seems when I tell it how it really is for me, this is so pathetic, or so confronting, or so offensive, or so whatever, that they end up just not replying, and then they shun this blog. I think I'm a social leper. Is there a colony for social lepers?

Also, I got my nose fully out of joint when a blogger, for whom I have heaps of respect, saw fit to trash me from her blogroll without so much as a "Get fucked, Gerry, you shit me because of blah-blah-blah..." (Isn't it interesting that I am so hypersensitive about how other's treat me and yet I say the most insensitive things?)

What can I say, other than "Sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!" Next lifetime I might develop the social skills necessary to negotiate the mazes of this seriously fucked-up society.

I find myself talking to myself a lot these days. My most common expression is "Yuze can all get fucked!" I've even muttered this out loud (unwittingly) whilst skulking around the local shopping centre.

I'd get "treatment" if I had any faith in the "treatments".

Physically things haven't been great either. I had weeks of severe lower back pain which has now "settled down" into agonising sciatica.

As you can tell, I'm doomed...

Ron, I hope I didn't offend you with my latest comment on your blog. It was meant to be funny and witty but I no longer know if that's how I'm perceived "out there", and I cannot trust my own judgement it seems...

[sigh]

total information management...

What a wonderful term... "Total Information Management"

Think about that...

In the context of the current war crime called the Iraq war.

We no longer think about it in terms of an illegal occupation and mass murder of Iraqis. We see it as collateral damage in a righteous war on an evil called "terror". This "terror" is a very one sided thing. We do not do "terror" to them. Only "they" do terror. And who are "they"? Well we are led to believe, in this wonderful age of Total Information Management, that that there is no Iraqi resistance to our illegal occupation... that there is only an evil al Qeida-led "terrorist" outfit which has taken over and is butchering innocent Iraqis by the truckload and the mosquefull.

This is the age of the camcorder and the digicam... the age of mobile phones with imaging capability...

And what's coming out of Iraq which shows a legitimate opposition doing its work? Nothing. Nix. Nada. Zip.

Images are most important yet I see virtually nothing except pro-Yankee, anti-al-Qeida propaganda.

Is the Iraqi resistance asleep? Or is it really only comprised of those evil maniacs bombing innocent civillians on a daily basis? Or is it so stupid that it uses no camcorders, digicams or mobile phones to bring us images of what the Yanks are up to in Iraq?

Is the Iraqi resistance stupid? Or is there really only a violent dimension to this resistance. Where are the images of massive peaceful protests? Is it because the Iraqi resistance does not understand the power of (a) peaceful people power, and (b) the images which are put out to the world?

In the information war, the Yanks are winning hands down.

The silence is deafening...

And depressing...

Ah, but Eli Lilly has the answer... Prozac... The complacency drug...

Total Population Management...

Enjoy...