Seven senior officials had their security clearances withdrawn this week, making it impossible for them to continue in their roles. They included the chief financial officer and former interim CEO, Grant Turner, and the agency’s general counsel, David Kligerman, who both said they had been fired for their resistance to the politicisation of the organisation under its new chief executive, Michael Pack, a Trump supporter and ally of rightwing ideologue, Steve Bannon.
Category: Uncategorized
As Trump’s postmaster thwarts the Postal Service, the USPS warns 46 states that mail-in ballots may not be delivered on time, potentially canceling out those votes
It’s worth noting that the same week of this press conference, some in News Ltd had been pushing a completely false story that the Victoria’s Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton had resigned. Headlines around the country in the News Ltd press such as ‘Dan-Made Disaster’ are indicative of News Ltd’s bias and their preoccupation with promoting opinion as news.
After weeks of the national press gunning for the Victorian Premier, while neglecting to hold our Prime Minister to account for the pandemic wrecking ball swinging through the Federal Government-managed aged care sector, amongst other things, public anger at the media hypocrisy was a blister waiting to burst.
The relentless and desperate attempts to “get Dan” by some in the Victorian press was certainly worthy of criticism in my view.
Why should one be surprised that it’s Murdoch’s National Masthead that published it. (ODT)
So, when Johannes (son of Bill) Leak has his offensive cartoon published in “The Australian” what should one do? I mean, it’s tempting to ignore it because he’s obviously trying to emulate his father and drum up a bit of publicity, and it’s hard to do that when you lack the talent to make perceptive observations with your cartoons so you have to resort to racism in the hope that you’ll actually attract the sort of outrage that will actually alert people to the fact that you are not your father even though you basically copying his style because you never developed one of your own.
Yes, it’s tempting to just ignore it because you feel that outrage must be what he’s after because nobody could be stupid enough to think that it’s acceptable. Still something about the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
And, like I said before, unless someone disagrees, people might actually think that nobody thinks what they’re saying is wrong.
I listen to the ABC news and comment programs and note that they employ an increasing number of conservatives including former politicians, like Amanda Vanstone.
Yet conservatives as a whole continue to accuse the ABC of left-wing bias!
And because it is so obvious that the ABC is not offering exclusively left wing opinions, those who are firmly left-wing in their personal beliefs, see the ABC now as becoming right-wing!
It is a crazy situation when each side of politics demands balance in their national broadcaster, and, when they get it, interpret it as bias!
It is worse than crazy, it is dangerous, when that results in the government effectively introducing strong right-wing bias into media, by cutting funds to the ABC and giving funds to blatantly right-wing Murdoch media outlets.
You have to ask yourself – how, in a democracy, can this be seen as legitimate? – particularly when that same government is passing increasingly dictatorial legislation which reduces our freedoms.
Not a good look from a government with so slim a majority!
No wonder they do not want Parliament to be sitting and discussing the government’s flawed program!
via Bias and balance – » The Australian Independent Media Network
America needs a major reboot.
The Buckley v. Valeo and First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti Supreme Court decisions of the 1970s gave corporations and billionaires the “free speech right” to own politicians and political parties, and the Patriot Act and other similar legislation since 9/11 have given the president vast police powers that, throughout history, we’ve only seen in authoritarian, strongman governments.
We must reevaluate, rescind and replace all of these, if our republic is to survive the fresh hell that Trump and his right-wing paramilitaries are apparently planning for this fall and winter.
If Democrats acquire federal power through holding the House and taking the Senate and White House, the entire country needs to be laser-focused on stripping the oligarchic and fascistic elements that have crept into our republic since the Powell memo, multiple Supreme Court interventions, and the Patriot Act with its associated war crimes and torture.
America today is at a turning point, and whether we continue our slide into fascism and oligarchy, or pull back to small-d democratic values will depend, in no small part, on the planning and work we do now, and the candidates and policies we support and put forward two and four years from now.
via If Biden Wins, Get Ready for Trump to Punish America | The Smirking Chimp
HOW ORIGINALLY NEANDERTHAL THESE TRUMPSTERS ARE (ODT)
via The birthers are back for Kamala Harris | Media Matters for America
SINCE DONALD TRUMP became President, the relationship between the U.S. and China has deteriorated to the point that some observers talk of war. Why is this? In simple terms, America feels threatened by China’s rapidly expanding wealth and influence. Dangerous confrontation has resulted and Australia has been sucked in. How far remains to be seen, but it is not in Australia’s interest to be used by Trump or Murdoch.
Leaving Australians behind (ODT)
Morrison is sitting pretty – at least until the next election – with a more than adequate income, a roof over his family’s heads, ability to take a holiday and enjoy life for brief spells, so he appears to be one of two things: the first is – someone totally lacking in empathy and compassion – which is bad enough – while the second is – an out and out sadist, getting pleasure from other people’s pain!
via Mr Morrison – are you a sadist? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
But never for politicians (ODT)
Voter interferance and suppression on medical grounds by a president who has a mental health condition. Bye Bye American Pie (ODT)
President Donald Trump says that he does not want to fund the US Postal Service because Democrats are seeking to expand mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic, making explicit the reason he has declined to approve $US25 billion ($35 billion) in emergency funding for the cash-strapped agency.
via Trump says he’s blocking postal funding because Democrats want to expand mail-in voting
A good sign she’s the right pick (ODT)
via Right-Wing Media Is Already Hurling Racist, Misogynist Fire At Kamala Harris | HuffPost Australia
The House and Senate hearings provided a necessary public accounting of the CPFB. However, without federal intervention, people will have little choice but to rely on predatory lenders and their high-cost debt for surviving the pandemic. And they’ll have fewer protections, thanks to the CFPB’s final rule that promises to widen racial economic inequality during a pandemic instead of narrowing it.
via Trump’s CFPB Deploys Predatory Lenders as Pandemic First Responders
When the Freshers are the frontliners against Trump maybe it’s time to bring out the “squad” (ODT)
After earlier speculation that they may leave her out, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most outspoken progressive voices in Congress, will speak at the party’s national convention next week, when the party will officially nominate Joe Biden for the presidency.
via Yes, Democrats Announce AOC *WILL* Speak At The National Convention | Crooks and Liars
If a whistleblower you can be charged in secret if you defend that whistleblower you too can be charged in secret. Now if you defend a victim of a public servant robustly you can be charged for causing that Public Servant distress. (ODT)
The Commonwealth has been extremely cruel to Centrelink recipients but there’s no suggestion that those who designed and implemented Robodebt will face any punishment. Yet lawyers who unwittingly cause distress to public officials when defending clients could face criminal charges. Ian Cunliffe investigates.
Every effort is being made by Scott Morrison to avoid facing this issue head on. Yet from Abbott to Morrison Aged-Care has always been ignored. If it were given any attention it only been to make it a cheaper rather than a better service. (ODT)
Numerous inquiries, reviews and consultations over the years have provided mounds of evidence of negligence, neglect and abuse in residential aged care homes. Yet the recommendations have mostly been ignored. Now we watch in horror as the number of elderly residents who die from Covid-19 continues to climb. The government is eventually going to have to explain to the nation how this entirely predictable tragedy occurred on its watch, writes Dr Sarah Russell.
via Covid-19 tragedy in aged care: whose side is the Coalition government on? – Michael West
About two-thirds of our 331 COVID deaths have been of aged Australians. From the outset it was known that the deaths would be concentrated among the aged. Indeed, Australia has one of the highest aged death rates from COVID-19 in the world.
How was the virus allowed to run from one aged-care facility to another, from one aged-care cluster to another, without a decisive response?
The federal government has a clear, overarching responsibility for aged care, but this week it has moved to blatant blame-shifting. The Minister for Aged Care, Richard Colbeck, has told us that while the federal government is “responsible for the management and regulation of aged care”, it is the responsibility of the states to “manage the pandemic” because they are “responsible for the public health response”. What semantics. What a copout.
Reynald’s record is plain and clear to be seen here to remind us of just who she is. (ODT)
Oh Linda, we don’t forget.
So when Ms Reynolds takes time out from her sucking up to Donald Trump to issue a media release about Dan Andrews rejecting ADF help in Victoria’s fight against COVID 19, which was quickly refuted with facts from the actual person involved in Victoria’s emergency response, it is blindingly obvious that this woman is solely focused on petty party politics and will say whatever she thinks her bosses want to hear. She has a laser-like focus on where her bread is buttered.
Heaven help us if she is the best person we can find for the job of co-ordinating the defence of this country.
Linda Reynolds, you are the epitome of a political hack.
via Trust Linda Reynolds? Sure can’t – » The Australian Independent Media Network
However, we believe all politicians and powerful people should be held up to the same scrutiny. But when it comes to the coronavirus – and many other issues – it’s pretty plain this simply doesn’t happen with respect to the Morrison Government.Scrut
via Mainstream media holds politicians to account — some of them, sometimes
A Major Danger (ODT)
via If Donald Trump Controls The Mail, He Controls Democracy | HuffPost Australia
“Whether it’s ignoring the impending pandemic or looking the other way in response to Moscow’s bounties on our service members, Trump has demonstrated time and again that he’s not one to put America’s national security first,” Price said. “Especially when doing so comes into conflict with what’s best for him politically.”
via Trump Has Nearly Eliminated Intelligence Briefings From His Schedule Entirely | HuffPost Australia
Will Kamala Harris be as ignorant as Trump whose knowledge is worse than Sarah Palin’s (ODT)
This is a fair assumption, too, considering for 100 years every new generation of Australians has moved out of their parents’ house with a good wage and started the climb up an ever-growing job ladder.
NSW point’s to Morrison’s involvement in COVID-19’s spread (ODT)
New research shows 72% of the sample backs the decision of the Andrews government to impose a curfew between 8pm and 5am, 71% supports curbs on leaving the house, while 70% endorse restrictions on business and the requirement that people travel no further than 5km from their house. Voters aged over 34 are more likely to support the current lockdown measures than younger people.
However, Morrison benefits from it too while denying and hiding everything and doing nothing (ODT)
Pompeo to separate News from Propaganda would be too burdensome Fox News would have to shut down due to No Content. (ODT)
The Trump Administration is adding foreign individuals and entities to US sanctions lists at a rate never before seen and it’s increasingly been done without Congressional oversight, judicial review or any requirement to produce evidence, writes Marcus Reubenstein.
Amidst the chaos of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 outbreak across the United States, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in June sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, including its lawyers, investigators and human rights advocates.
The move by the White House to sanction the ICC was in response to a unanimous ruling of the five judges of ICC Appeals Chamber to allow prosecutors to investigate, and potentially lay charges against, US military personnel for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
That extra $400 is actually just $300, unless your state feels like kicking in.
via Trump’s Order On ‘Unemployment Benefits’ Is A Big Mess | HuffPost Australia
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