Newspoll has shown time and again that Australians don’t believe or trust the prick. When Murdoch has a problem the nation benefits.
Rupert Murdoch has a wicked problem. Many of the politicians who bent, or even grovelled, when his News media outlets blew on them are no longer scared. On the other hand News – particularly Fox – is showing signs that it is scared of its own audiences.
Source: Rupert Murdoch has a wicked problem – Pearls and Irritations
Alvin Bragg, or one of his deputies, could at some point down the road stand up in court in Manhattan during his opening statement and say that Donald Trump bought the presidency with the checks he wrote to silence two women with whom he had sex. Now that wouldn’t be ordinary at all.
Source: Citizen Trump | Salon.com
Hours before news of the former president’s indictment took over the headlines, a study warned that “melting ice around Antarctica will cause a rapid slowdown of a major global deep ocean current by 2050 that could alter the world’s climate for centuries.”
Source: Opinion | Trump’s Indictment Was Not the Biggest Story of the Week | Common Dreams
Since then, it is very clear, as with all matters regarding US policy, that Australia will, if not agree outright with Washington, adopt a constipated, non-committal position. “Quiet diplomacy” is the official line taken by Albanese and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, a mealy-mouthed formulation deserving of contempt. As Greens Senator David Shoebridge remarks, “‘quiet diplomacy’ to bring Julian Assange home by the Albanese Government is a policy of nothing. Not one meeting, phone call or letter sent.”
The measure of Howard the coward is that he can’t admit that he was wrong. Worse still, he hasn’t got the guts to say in his own country that he still believes that his policies are the right ones for Australia. He has to skulk off to Imperial Capital to be feted by the powerful effete
Source: Ante eulogy for a political pornographer – » The Australian Independent Media Network
They are not interested in security which can only be achieved through trust and respect, not armaments. The sacking of the defence minister is evidence of this. They have not been interested in the international rule of law for some time, otherwise they would not be building illegal settlements on the West Bank, evicting Palestinians from East Jerusalem or caging 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Now they are apparently not interested in the domestic rule of law built on the separation of powers either. At least they are consistent.
Source: Netanyahu’s nakedness: democracy – whose democracy? – Pearls and Irritations
As Israelis Protest Mounting Authoritarianism, Apartheid Regime Over Palestinians Goes Unchallenged
Source: Israelis Protest Authoritarianism but Apartheid Is Unchallenged
Suzanne Scott wrote in December 2020 that fact-checks ‘have to stop’, messages obtained from $1.6bn Dominion lawsuit reveal.
Dover, Delaware: A Delaware judge’s ruling has set the stage for a dramatic trial pitching a voting machine company against Fox News over the airing of false election claims made by then US president Donald Trump.
Source: Dominion v Fox News: Judge rules defamation case will go to trial
Dutton, Murdoch and Costello lose again by a country mile. A 100 year record of Opposition wins was waved goodbye. If an election were held in TAS today the LNP would lose.
Cheers of “Mary, Mary, Mary” roared across the club in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs just before 9.30pm as Doyle arrived after observing the count from a nearby undisclosed location.
Source: Aston byelection: Labor’s Mary Doyle wins seat from Liberals over Roshena Campbell
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has all but confirmed in Parliament the government is doing nothing to bring the world’s foremost political prisoner home. What’s the scam with “quiet diplomacy”?
Source: Julian Assange – when “quiet diplomacy” means diddly squat – Michael West
What if the ALP wins and nobody believes it?
The April Fool’s Day by-election in Aston is no laughing matter for Peter Dutton, who has been told the vote is a de-facto judgment on his Liberal leadership.
Source: No joke for Libs with April Fool’s Day by-election – Michael West
The Liberal Party is lost and confused about what it stands for, where it is going and how it will get there. Peter Dutton’s leadership is far from inspiring, writes Belinda Jones.
Source: Liberal Party little more than a factional fight club
The Reality is they reflect the true nature of the current LNP
Australia recently saw the public return of desperate and dangerous bigots we once naively thought gone for good. I do not mean Kyle Sandilands on Australian Idol. I am referring to the Nazis saluting and salivating outside Victoria’s Parliament.
Source: How transphobes held the door open for literal fucking Nazis | The Shot
AUKUS: signed and sealed by the Liberal government when it joined the pact in September 2021, the spoils of which have been delivered by the Labor Government in March 2023. The Labor Government and Australia will pay a heavy price for what is being done in our name. We are being humiliated by our own government.
Source: AUKUS: a collection of views not found in our Washington dominated media – Pearls and Irritations
2 of Trumps alleged co-conspirators for inciting the January 6 Capital Attack are global criminals Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch who utilised their Fox News channel to promote lies that the 2020 election was rigged. The Murdoch’s business and propaganda interests in Australia could be impacted if they were charged along with Trump for inciting the January 6 Capital Attack which is the main focus of this article.
But a quick overview of Trumps legal issues:
Trump’s presidency was trivial, having no accomplishments but one give-away of billions to his cronies in the form of a tax cut. It was so predictable. He seems to have sat around all day in his pajamas watching Fox Cable News and spewing out nonsensical tweets. He spent a third of his time playing golf, and went out on the hustings telling his 30,000 trivial lies. The evil my title is because of the real damage Trump has done. But trivial little mosquitos can give people malaria.
Source: Trump and the Triviality of Evil
Indeed, since the basic issue here is one of accountability, this case could actually open the the way for the other, more serious ones. Prosecutors in Georgia and Washington won’t have to bear the burden of justifying an action that had never been taken before. Their more serious charges would come to a public that had already adjusted to the phenomenon of a Trump indictment.
What do you think?
Carlson’s guest, right-wing activist Ned Ryun, also warned that America was headed for a “one-party state and authoritarian government” and urged Republicans to take up a policy of “mutually assured destruction” against Democrats, whom he accused of “launching nukes at us.”
“Probably not the best time to give up your AR-15, and I think most people know that,” Carlson commented after Ryun’s spiel.
Carlson hyped up the possibility of impending armed conflict for his entire show. Noting the recent mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, and Donald Trump’s indictment, Carlson had earlier asked a guest, “It almost feels like they’re pushing the population to react. ‘We think they’re demoralized and passive, let’s see if they really are.’ At what point do we conclude they’re doing this in order to produce a reaction?”
Later, another guest, commentator Jason Whitlock, agreed with Carlson’s assessment, saying, “They are agitating for unrest, that’s the only way to interpret this.”
“I’m ready for whatever’s next, and I hope every other man out there watching this show — I hope you’re ready for whatever’s next,” Whitlock added later. “If that’s what they want, let’s get to it.”
“It feels like this is not the behavior of people who want the current system to continue,” Carlson responded. Whitlock concluded his appearance by referring to “elites,” saying “they are the devils, they’re the ones that don’t believe in God.”
“Jason Whitlock, I agree, thank you very much,” Carlson responded.
“If you believe in our system and you want it to continue, you have to raise your hand and say stop, because this is too great an assault on our system, much greater than anything we saw on January 6th, that’s for certain,” Carlson said.
Promoting the Fossil Fuel Industry as if it was Green and operating in the interests of the planet is The Age’s business model. Rather it knows as does Shell to stay ahead of the energy market it needs to transition or appear to be transitioning to some degree. In Africa and elsewhere Shell is known to be one of the world’s biggest destroyers and polluters of the natural world. So needless to say this minor battery investment will get an immense amount of publicity. BP is also known to be one of the largest investors in solar energy. However, like many of the worst industries, an investment in notable deeds is part of their business model.
Do we even know what percentage that investment entails in their overall business strategy? Or what percentage it entails in reparation of their historic ransacking of the planet? When for 75-plus years they were aware of the damage being done in promoting fossil fuel as the most efficient form of energy.
(Note the trumpeting headline and then read the actual pissant reality of the project)
Once fully operational, the 200-megawatt, 400-megawatt-hour battery system will have the storage capacity to power the equivalent of 80,000 homes across Victoria for an hour during periods of peak demand.
British energy major Shell has selected a suburb in south-eastern Melbourne as the location for its first direct investment in a big battery project anywhere in the world.
Source: Oil giant Shell makes world-first big battery investment in Melbourne
ENLIGHTENMENT
USA: There are mounting calls for a blanket ban on shows performed by men wearing dresses and jewellery, particularly when children might be present.
Source: Calls to ban drag shows targeted at children | The Shovel
Monday’s emissions pact struck by Chris Bowen and Adam Bandt has hit shares in Beetaloo Basin gas frackers Empire and Tamboran. Yet confusion reigns. Bandt says the deal has “derailed” the Beetaloo and Barossa gas projects. The frackers say it’s business as usual. Callum Foote reports.
Source: Drowning or Waving? Will Beetaloo gas frackers survive Greens, Labor Safeguard deal? – Michael West
Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to a porn star, becoming the first former or current US leader to face criminal charges even as he makes another run for the White House, the New York Times reports.
Source: Donald Trump indicted by New York grand jury | The New Daily
Indictment relates to a hush-money payment made on ex-president’s behalf to the adult film star Stormy Daniels
The New York Times has reported that a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump for his role in paying hush money to Stormy Daniels, citing four sources. The paper notes that the indictment is currently under seal and will be announced in coming days. Right-wing media had loudly complained about the looming indictment in recent weeks, in particular focusing their ire on Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney. Below are key examples of Fox News and other right-wing media reactions to the report. This report will be continually updated throughout the evening of March 30.
Source: Right-wing media react to report of Trump’s indictment | Media Matters for America
Trump wants and expects a civil war over himself, a final clash between Americans who love him and Americans who loathe him — between his egomaniacal views of good and evil.
Source: Opinion | Trump Is Running to Lead a Fascist Nation—Not This One | Common Dreams
Al Capone went down as a result of a very simple law Tax Evasion
There is perhaps poetic justice in the possibility that the man who bet on being the ultimate outsider breaking all conventions may have his comeuppance as a result of a very old-fashioned scandal.
Source: What does Donald Trump’s indictment say about US democracy? | Jan-Werner Müller | The Guardian
Clear and effective communication is a key concept in any workplace culture. Unless you can identify clear, effective communication and get rid of it, your colleagues will quickly see you for the fraud you are.
Source: The importance of unclear communication at work | The Shot
if DHA could so easily increase the partner visa planning level, that simply confirmed that it had previously been deliberately and illegally limiting the number of partner visas.
What DHA was looking for was a way to cover up its past illegal behaviour without the ANAO noticing and reporting on it.
It seems DHA succeeded in that.
Source: Dutton’s Home Affairs covered up illegal partner visa cap
Racism is White and not only do Chinese know and experience it. Asians, Africans, Indians, Middle Easterners, Jews and our Indigenous First Nation People all have felt it. It’s not just an inevitable part of a multicultural society. It’s rooted in our history and is systemic. It has has been built into our very white-biased institutions and social fabric over generations. It can only be changed by admitting it, teaching it and criticizing it. By introducing it into our very primary education systems.
Mind you it has had positive outcomes as well driving those who are seen as different into self-employed businesses and striving for better-than-average educational qualifications on the negative side into crime for survival..
“These days, it doesn’t take too much to provoke a racist. All it takes is seeing someone who looks Chinese.”
Australian scientists have made dire projections about what Antarctica’s melting ice will do to global ocean health without rapid emissions cuts this decade.
Source: Deep ocean in deep trouble as Antarctic ice melts – Michael West
Dowling seems to expect Albanese to walk on water, orat least turn it into wine, and do it NOW!! The ALP have hardly in power this century but Dowling raises the chant we so often hear. “When do we want it? We want it now”. There are many faults surfacing but they aren’t all Albanese’s Shane.
Anyway, Rex Patrick of Michael West Media is way ahead of Dowling on the problem of the FOI. He’s taking them to court to try to set a precedent. So much so the head of the FOI has resigned. Dowling is merely climbing on Patricks shoulders and shouting to stay relevant it seems.
Anthony Albanese’s handiwork in abusing FOI laws is about to come under close scrutiny after the Senate voted to hold an Inquiry. Governments are notorious for abusing Freedom of Information laws to hide government corruption from the media and public and the Albanese government has quickly shown they are no exception.
It is tempting to liken the conjugal embrace of the Murdochs’ News Corp and the Liberal Party to that of praying mantises – News Corp playing the female role of consuming the male after getting what she wants.
Source: How News Corp damages Liberal Party, and Australian democracy
Protesters are hailing Israeli courts as the last bulwark of democracy, but democracy for whom? Hagar KotefMerav Amir Hagar Kotef, Merav Amir March 30 2023, 8:20 a.m.
Source: Protect Israel’s Judiciary — but Don’t Let It Launder War Crimes
For all we hear from conservatives about liberals’ censoriousness, data newly released by the American Library Association is a reminder that the overwhelming majority of book-banning campaigns come from the Right.
Source: Conservatives Are Banning Books in America, Not Liberals
Republicans are trying to distract America from the easy access Audrey Hale had to weapons of war by discussing Hale’s personal life, but the availability of guns and the Republican embrace of death as a political weapon are the only real issues here.
We’re the only developed country in the world that unconditionally allows civilians to own military-style assault weapons, that allows “open carry,” and that lets gun manufacturers openly buy politicians (thanks, Republicans on the Supreme Court).
As a consequence, we’re also the only country in the world where the leading cause of death for children is being blown apart by bullets.
Source: Guns Don’t Kill America: Republicans Do | The Smirking Chimp
While America accuses China of spying on the world with Tik Tok, America goes ahead and does it with Google and silences whistleblowers. Snowden didn’t want to go to Russia.
Lawmakers’ push to ban app comes as they mull extending powers that force tech firms to enable mass snooping for the US.
Source: US says China can spy with TikTok. It spies on world with Google | Social Media | Al Jazeera
“Our Welcome to Country protocols are our traditional law and practice that have been used to welcome and offer protection to our guests on Wurundjeri lands for millennia.”
Aunty Joy has welcomed guests to Wurundjuri land for more than 40 years, providing safe passage to several high-profile people, including Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama.
Source: Aunty Joy Murphy removed from former US president Barack Obama’s event by organisers – ABC News
The Labor victory in NSW this weekend has put the Liberal Party on notice. While many local issues were in play, the increasing radicalisation of the party at federal and state levels is making it unelectable. The usual drongos’ voices cry, “Liberals must go further right to win,” but Australia’s superior electoral system will make it hard for a radical right Liberal Party to win government.
Source: Infiltrated by extremists, what will the real Liberals do now? – Pearls and Irritations
You won’t find open debate in Australia’s mainstream press
The uniformly negative reaction of the national press gallery to former PM Paul Keating’s views on Australia’s security raises questions not just of its intellectual adequacy but of whether the media has been captured by and is knowingly serving the United States at Australia’s expense.
Source: Has the USA captured Australia’s fourth estate? – Pearls and Irritations
So far this year, there have been 129 mass shootings in the United States.
Source: The Lives of Our Children or the Greed of Gun Manufacturers? | The Smirking Chimp
Jews United not in Netanyahu’s Undemocratic State of Israel. The Saudis have turned to Iran. Is it any wonder?Will The IDF use their snipers as they did on Palestinians?
Sam Sokol, Aaron Rabinowitz, Bar Peleg and Josh Breiner at Haaretz quoted one far-right Israeli counter-protester as calling for running over protesters with cars. Another said, “We should go to the [Supreme] Court with gasoline, the Nazis here. Gasoline, explosives, tractors, guns, knives. From today, everything is kosher.”
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