julia gillard

this way mr president {15}

hey there to you dear reader, i’m sorry but i’ve been very busy and offline for a little while. it’s been a secretive, frantic, well respected, fully armed few days while i’ve been escorting my new email buddy mr president – barack obama all about australia. he helped me to win the right to host the 2018 commonwealth games of course, but i couldn’t say anything until he flew out, that happened today – so my life can return to normal. normal is as normal does and normal is profound.

i was very lucky to be chosen to provide an offbeat, sometimes cheeky tour of our wide brown land and was thrilled that he and the 847 strength fully armed support crew enjoyed themselves as well. the dogs had a ball.

talking of balls, the junior secret service section especially enjoyed the tantalising adult entertainment i had organised, they had a firm grip on the entertainment, if you know what i mean. the pilot had to drink lemonade but made up for it on the dance floor, while the guy carrying the “football” actually lost it for 40 minutes, but luckily the hells angels bouncers convinced a dribblingly drunk public servant to give it back, the silly old bugger had grabbed it by mistake. he won’t be riding a motorcycle ever again unfortunately, he’s now even more legless, a lot more than he was when he first walked into the club.

barack had some serious stuff to do of course, but you won’t see me lurking in the background, i had to remain completely invisible. something i found rather difficult but managed to do it, our pm julia gillard was wondering what i kept so secretive, but when i explained it to her and her partner they understood. in fact the pm’s partner ( the first bloke ) had to walk home from parliament house to the lodge, because my travel plans and associated security protocols had turned his driving home into a right royal pain in the bum. he’d had a beer or three as well i think, so it was better that he walked.

so now that i’m back on the gold coast, mr president free, i present a wonderful video, kindly given to tbaoo by those co-operative folks at  http://www.whitehouse.gov  it shows just how relaxed my little tour guide efforts have worked their magic and i will now open my skills to other world leaders, well to those that fit a reasonably strict criteria. i may announce details of this stringent application process or i may not. i can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet, as i have to screen those who may still be standing after recent economic events.

my parting gift to mr b, was a pair of ugg boots and some tim tam biscuits for his girls, while the secret service juniors took home their own lasting memories of their visit down under. photo credit

yes prime minister {1}

happy holidays, merry xmas, have great day, or had a great day, you eat too much, you drink too much, you sleep in the afternoon .. all good things, i hope your was ( or is ). today remains remarkable in two ways, i got an email from australia’s prime minister yesterday and i’m shocked to the core by a crappy commercial doing the rounds on australian television. the crappy grease song summer love’n trying to rhyme bush with rush and a bloke with too much sausage, you’ll see what i mean. it really is the pits and it disturbs me that some people think this might be australian or even normal.

relax – you’ve earn’t it, but first – thank you prime minister julia gillard.

Dear alan,

To every member and friend of Australian Labor – Merry Christmas!

Now is a time to reflect on the year just past – its challenges, and its achievements as well.

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Most notably, Labor has finished the year in Government in Canberra – which means we can go on making a difference for the people who rely on us.

To the Australian Labor Party membership, from our National Secretary through to every volunteer who handed out a Labor how-to-vote card – my deepest thanks.

For all members and supporters of Australian Labor, my wish is that this Christmas, wherever you are in our country or overseas, you have the chance to do those special things that mean Christmas for you, with people who are special to you.

I look forward to working with you in 2011 to advance the values and ideas of our great party in our great country.

Julia Gillard
Prime Minister

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photo credit

some sanity prevails {3}

some sanity at last, a number of eminent, popular, sensible, well connected australians have signed an open letter to australia’s prime minister, julia gillard. the complete bullshit spread about wikileaks and their targeting of julian assange has reached fever pitch. imagine a newspaper journalist, ( nearly extinct i know ), receiving details about a politician, business person or other vital public interest story, from a source that wishes to remain anonymous. what do they do, they research, fact check within reason, and then they publish the story.

what is the mother truck’n difference in the case of wikileaks, the source may have broken a law or two, but the journalist is doing exactly what  the new york post, and all other newspapers and online sites around the world have done in reporting the wikileaks releases. now i know that all i know, is from various news outlets and blogs, but i hope that i’m able to see and read between the lines.

even a man i never thought i’d agree with johnny howard, seems to have grasped the most obvious point, quoted in part:

Former Prime Minister John Howard says he sees no problem with media organisations publishing leaked information if it contains nothing more than “frank commentary” about political leaders.

Mr Howard said Mr Assange had not done anything wrong by publishing cables that contained “frank commentary”.

“Any journalist will publish confidential information if he or she gets hold of it, subject only to compelling national security interests.

as right clicked from the drum unleashed – the abc … here is the open letter.

The authors write: We wrote the letter below because we believe that Julian Assange is entitled to all the protections enshrined in the rule of law – and that the Australian Government has an obligation to ensure he receives them.

The signatures here have been collected in the course of a day-and-a-half, primarily from people in publishing, law and politics. The signatories hold divergent views about WikiLeaks and its operations. But they are united in a determination to see Mr Assange treated fairly.

Dear Prime Minister,

We note with concern the increasingly violent rhetoric directed towards Julian Assange of WikiLeaks.

“We should treat Mr Assange the same way as other high-value terrorist targets: Kill him,” writes conservative columnist Jeffrey T Kuhner in the Washington Times.

William Kristol, former chief of staff to vice president Dan Quayle, asks, “Why can’t we use our various assets to harass, snatch or neutralize Julian Assange and his collaborators, wherever they are?”

“Why isn’t Julian Assange dead?” writes the prominent US pundit Jonah Goldberg.

“The CIA should have already killed Julian Assange,” says John Hawkins on the Right Wing News site.

Sarah Palin, a likely presidential candidate, compares Assange to an Al Qaeda leader; Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania senator and potential presidential contender, accuses Assange of “terrorism”.

And so on and so forth.

Such calls cannot be dismissed as bluster. Over the last decade, we have seen the normalisation of extrajudicial measures once unthinkable, from ‘extraordinary rendition’ (kidnapping) to ‘enhanced interrogation’ (torture).

In that context, we now have grave concerns for Mr Assange’s wellbeing.

Irrespective of the political controversies surrounding WikiLeaks, Mr Assange remains entitled to conduct his affairs in safety, and to receive procedural fairness in any legal proceedings against him.

As is well known, Mr Assange is an Australian citizen.

We therefore call upon you to condemn, on behalf of the Australian Government, calls for physical harm to be inflicted upon Mr Assange, and to state publicly that you will ensure Mr Assange receives the rights and protections to which he is entitled, irrespective of whether the unlawful threats against him come from individuals or states.

We urge you to confirm publicly Australia’s commitment to freedom of political communication; to refrain from cancelling Mr Assange’s passport, in the absence of clear proof that such a step is warranted; to provide assistance and advocacy to Mr Assange; and do everything in your power to ensure that any legal proceedings taken against him comply fully with the principles of law and procedural fairness.

A statement by you to this effect should not be controversial – it is a simple commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law.

We believe this case represents something of a watershed, with implications that extend beyond Mr Assange and WikiLeaks. In many parts of the globe, death threats routinely silence those who would publish or disseminate controversial material. If these incitements to violence against Mr Assange, a recipient of Amnesty International’s Media Award, are allowed to stand, a disturbing new precedent will have been established in the English-speaking world.

In this crucial time, a strong statement by you and your Government can make an important difference.

We look forward to your response.

Dr Jeff Sparrow, author and editor
Lizzie O’Shea, Social Justice Lawyer, Maurice Blackburn
Professor Noam Chomsky, writer and academic
Antony Loewenstein, journalist and author
Mungo MacCallum, journalist and writer
Professor Peter Singer, author and academic
Adam Bandt, MP
Senator Bob Brown
Senator Scott Ludlam
Julian Burnside QC, barrister
Jeff Lawrence, Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Professor Raimond Gaita, author and academic
Rob Stary, lawyer
Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Lance Collins, Australian Intelligence Corps, writer
The Hon Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC
Brian Walters SC, barrister
Professor Larissa Behrendt, academic
Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees, academic, Sydney Peace Foundation
Mary Kostakidis, Chair, Sydney Peace Foundation
Professor Wendy Bacon, journalist
Christos Tsiolkas, author
James Bradley, author and journalist
Julian Morrow, comedian and television producer
Louise Swinn, publisher
Helen Garner, novelist
Professor Dennis Altman, writer and academic
Dr Leslie Cannold, author, ethicist, commentator
John Birmingham, writer
Guy Rundle, writer
Alex Miller, writer
Sophie Cunningham, editor and author
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Professor Judith Brett, author and academic
Stephen Keim SC, President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Phil Lynch, Executive Director, Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Sylvia Hale, MLC
Sophie Black, editor
David Ritter, lawyer and historian
Dr Scott Burchill, writer and academic
Dr Mark Davis, author and academic
Henry Rosenbloom, publisher
Ben Naparstek, editor
Chris Feik, editor
Louise Swinn, publisher
Stephen Warne, barrister
Dr John Dwyer QC
Hilary McPhee, writer, publisher
Joan Dwyer OAM
Greg Barns, barrister
James Button, journalist
Owen Richardson, critic
Michelle Griffin, editor
John Timlin, literary Agent & producer
Ann Cunningham, lawyer and publisher
Alison Croggon, author, critic
Daniel Keene, playwright
Dr Nick Shimmin, editor/writer
Bill O’Shea, lawyer, former President, Law Institute of Victoria
Dianne Otto, Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School
Professor Frank Hutchinson,Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS), University of Sydney
Anthony Georgeff, editor
Max Gillies, actor
Shane Maloney, writer
Louis Armand, author and publisher
Jenna Price, academic and journalist
Tanja Kovac, National Cooordinator EMILY’s List Australia
Dr Russell Grigg, academic
Dr Justin Clemens, writer and academic
Susan Morairty, Lawyer
David Hirsch, Barrister
Cr Anne O’Shea
Kathryn Crosby, Candidates Online
Dr Robert Sparrow, academic
Jennifer Mills, author
Foong Ling Kong, editor
Tim Norton,  Online Campaigns Co-ordinator,  Oxfam Australia
Elisabeth Wynhausen, writer
Ben Slade, Lawyer
Nikki Anderson, publisher
Dan Cass
Professor Diane Bell, author and academic
Dr Philipa Rothfield, academic
Gary Cazalet, academic
Dr David Coady, academic
Dr Matthew Sharpe, writer and academic
Dr Tamas Pataki, writer and academic
Miska Mandic
Associate Professor Jake Lynch, academic
Professor Simon During, academic
Michael Brull, writer
Dr Geoff Boucher, academic
Jacinda Woodhead, writer and editor
Dr Rjurik Davidson, writer and editor
Mic Looby, writer
Jane Gleeson-White, writer and editor
Alex Skutenko, editor
Associate Professor John Collins, academic
Professor Philip Pettit, academic
Dr Christopher Scanlon, writer and academic
Dr Lawrie Zion, journalist
Johannes Jakob, editor
Sunili Govinnage, lawyer
Michael Bates, lawyer
Bridget Maidment, editor
Bryce Ives, theatre director
Sarah Darmody, writer
Jill Sparrow, writer
Lyn Bender, psychologist
Meredith Rose, editor
Dr Ellie Rennie, President, Engage Media
Ryan Paine, editor
Simon Cooper, editor
Chris Haan, lawyer
Carmela Baranowska, journalist.
Clinton Ellicott, publisher
Dr Charles Richardson, writer and academic
Phillip Frazer, publisher
Geoff Lemon, journalist
Jaya Savige, poet and editor
Johannes Jakob, editor
Kate Bree Geyer; journalist
Chay-Ya Clancy, performer
Lisa Greenaway, editor, writer
Chris Kennett – screenwriter, journalist
Kasey Edwards, author
Dr. Janine Little, academic
Dr Andrew Milner, writer and academic
Patricia Cornelius, writer
Elisa Berg, publisher
Lily Keil, editor

for more .. check out the abc’s drum unleashed site here

photo credit