Gillard receives a blunt open letter for Christmas

From ABC online The Drum – Unleashed on 7 December 2010:

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.
We know that many others would have liked to sign. But given the urgency of the situation, we though it expedient to publish now rather than collect more names.
If, however, you agree with the sentiments expressed, we encourage you to leave your name in the comments section.

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
Jenny Sinclair
Roselina Rose
Stephen Luntz
PM Newton
Bryan Cooke
Kristen Obaid
Ryan Haldane-Underwood
Patrick Gardner
Robert Sinnerbrink
Kathryn Millist
Anne Coombs
Karen Pickering
Sarah Mizrahi
Suzanne Ingleton
Jessica Crouch
Michael Ingleton
Matt Griffin
Jane Allen
Tom Curtis
John Connell
David Garland
Stuart Hall
Meredith Tucker-Evans
Phil Perkins
Alexandra Adsett
Tom Doig, editor
Beth Jackson
Peter Mattessi
Robert Sinnerbrink
Greg Black
Paul Ashton
Sigi Jottkandt
Kym Connell, lawyer
Silma Ihram
Nicole Papaleo, lawyer
Melissa Forbes
Matthew Ryan
Ben Gook
Daniel East
Bridget Ikin
Lisa O'Connell
Melissa Cranenburgh
John Bryson
Michael Farrell
Melissa Reeves
Dr Emma Cox
Michael Green
Margherita Tracanelli
David Carlin, writer
Bridget McDonnell
Geoff Page, writer
Rebecca Interdonato
Roxane Ludbrook-Ingleton
Stefan Caramia
Ash Plummer

UPDATE:

The Independant on 8 December 2010 - Informal discussions have already taken place between US and Swedish officials over the possibility of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being delivered into American custody, according to diplomatic sources.
Mr Assange is in a British jail awaiting extradition proceedings to Sweden after being refused bail at Westminster Magistrates’ Court despite a number of prominent public figures offering to stand as surety.
His arrest in north London yesterday was described by the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates as “good news”, and may pave the way for extradition to America and a possible lengthy jail sentence.

Wikileaks: when the pen is mightier than a combat weapon?

From The Globe and Mail

Watching on television and reading (in print and online) the response of the U.S. Government and some American politicians to Wikileaks' Cablegate and Julian Assange, I get the distinct impression that a large segment of the Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free completely lost the plot in December 2010.

Assange is engaged in terrorism and is an enemy combatant? Now that really is believing the pen is mightier than the average AK-47!

What is fascinating about all this off-the-wall outrage is the fact that it appears that the content of ninety-nine per cent of the diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks so far has been in the mainstream media as supposition, rumour, expert opinion or stated political position for literally years.

To date nothing I've read in those cables has actually come as a surprise - just filled in the background for what I have heard elsewhere before from numerous conventional sources.

Rather ironically some of those conventional sources were 'tell all' books written by former politicians and public servants from those very countries which are screaming loudest about Wikileaks' recent disclosures.

A quiet look at Gill-bott at the end of 2010

If an Abbott-led Coalition government leading the nation would've been a rolling apocalypse for Australia, it is disappointing to find that six months on the alternative Gillard-led Labor federal government is an ongoing disaster.

What all the fuss is about

I absolutely condemn the placement of this information on the WikiLeaks website - it's a grossly irresponsible thing to do and an illegal thing to do [Julia Gillard in The Age, 2 December 2010]

Is it just me or does anyone else think Prime Minister Gillard is being a little too cute in attempting to characterize the release of cables such as the one below containing this inaccurate, out-of-date list (and cables containing well-known tittle tattle concerning the former PM and former Foreign Minister) in that way?

From Wikileaks Cablegate:

¶15. (S//NF) Following is the 2008 Critical Foreign Dependencies 

Initiative (CFDI) list (CI/KR organized by region):  

[BEGIN TEXT OF LIST]     

AFRICA Congo (Kinshasa): Cobalt (Mine and Plant) Gabon: Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade, synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade Guinea: Bauxite (Mine) South Africa: BAE Land System OMC, Benoni, South Africa Brown David Gear Industries LTD, Benoni, South Africa Bushveld Complex (chromite mine) Ferrochromium Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade, synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade Palladium Mine and Plant Platinum Mines Rhodium EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Australia: Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Brookvale, Australia Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Sydney, Australia Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade, synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade Nickel Mines Maybe Faulding Mulgrave Victoria, Australia: Manufacturing facility for Midazolam injection. Mayne Pharma (fill/finish), Melbourne, Australia: Sole suppliers of Crotalid Polyvalent Antivenin (CroFab). China: C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Chom Hom Kok, Hong Kong C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing Shanghai, China China-US undersea cable landing, Chongming, China China-US undersea cable landing Shantou, China EAC undersea cable landing Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Tong Fuk, Hong Kong Hydroelectric Dam Turbines and Generators Fluorspar (Mine) Germanium Mine Graphite Mine Rare Earth Minerals/Elements Tin Mine and Plant Tungsten - Mine and Plant Polypropylene Filter Material for N-95 Masks Shanghai Port Guangzhou Port Hong Kong Port Ningbo Port Tianjin Port Fiji: Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Suva, Fiji Indonesia: Tin Mine and Plant Straits of Malacca Japan: C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Chikura, Japan C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Shima, Japan China-US undersea cable, Okinawa, Japan EAC undersea cable landing Ajigaura, Japan EAC undersea cable landing Shima, Japan FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Wada, Japan FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Wada, Japan Japan-US undersea cable landing, Maruyama, Japan Japan-US undersea cable landing Kitaibaraki, Japan KJCN undersea cable landing Fukuoka, Japan KJCN undersea cable landing Kita-Kyushu, Japan Pacific Crossing-1 (PC-1) undersea cable landing Ajigaura, Japan Pacific Crossing-1 (PC-1) undersea cable landing Shima, Japan Tyco Transpacific undersea cable landing, Toyohashi, Japan Tyco Transpacific undersea cable landing Emi, Japan Hitachi, Hydroelectric Dam Turbines and Generators Port of Chiba Port of Kobe Port of Nagoya Port of Yokohama Iodine Mine Metal Fabrication Machines Titanium Metal (Processed) Biken, Kanonji City, Japan Hitachi Electrical Power Generators and Components Large AC Generators above 40 MVA Malaysia: Straits of Malacca New Zealand: Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Whenuapai, New Zealand Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Takapuna, New Zealand Philippines: C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Batangas, Philippines EAC undersea cable landing Cavite, Philippines Republic of Korea: C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Pusan, Republic of Korea. EAC undersea cable landing Shindu-Ri, Republic of Korea FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Pusan, Republic of Korea KJCN undersea cable landing Pusan, Republic of Korea Hitachi Large Electric Power Transformers 230 - 500 kV Busan Port Singapore: C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Changi, Singapore EAC undersea cable landing Changi North, Singapore Port of Singapore Straits of Malacca Taiwan: C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Fangshan, Taiwan C2C Cable Network undersea cable landing, Tanshui, Taiwan China-US undersea cable landing Fangshan, Taiwan EAC undersea cable landing Pa Li, Taiwan FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Toucheng, Taiwan Kaohsiung Port EUROPE AND EURASIA Europe (Unspecified): Metal Fabrication Machines: Small number of Turkish companies (Durma, Baykal, Ermaksan) Austria: Baxter AG, Vienna, Austria: Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV) Octapharma Pharmazeutika, Vienna, Austria: Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV) Azerbaijan: Sangachal Terminal Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Belarus: Druzhba Oil Pipeline Belgium: Germanium Mine Baxter SA, Lessines, Belgium: Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV) Glaxo Smith Kline, Rixensart, Belgium: Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Component GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, Wavre, Belgium: Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Component Port of Antwerp Denmark: TAT-14 undersea cable landing, Blaabjerg, Denmark Bavarian Nordic (BN), Hejreskovvej, Kvistgard, Denmark: Smallpox Vaccine Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bagsvaerd, Denmark: Numerous formulations of insulin Novo Nordisk Insulin Manufacturer: Global insulin supplies Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark: DTaP (including D and T components) pediatric version France: APOLLO undersea cable, Lannion, France FA-1 undersea cable, Plerin, France TAT-14 undersea cable landing St. Valery, France Sanofi-Aventis Insulin Manufacturer: Global insulin supplies Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine finishing Alstrom, Hydroelectric Dam Turbines and Generators Alstrom Electrical Power Generators and Components EMD Pharms Semoy, France: Cyanokit Injection GlaxoSmithKline, Inc. Evreux, France: Influenza neurominidase inhibitor RELENZA (Zanamivir) Diagast, Cedex, France: Olympus (impacts blood typing ability) Genzyme Polyclonals SAS (bulk), Lyon, France: Thymoglobulin Sanofi Pasteur SA, Lyon, France: Rabies virus vaccine Georgia: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Germany: TAT-14 undersea cable landing, Nodren, Germany. Atlantic Crossing-1 (AC-1) undersea cable landing Sylt, Germany BASF Ludwigshafen: World's largest integrated chemical complex Siemens Erlangen: Essentially irreplaceable production of key chemicals Siemens, GE, Hydroelectric Dam Turbines and Generators Draeger Safety AG & Co., Luebeck, Germany: Critical to gas detection capability Junghans Fienwerktechnik Schramberg, Germany: Critical to the production of mortars TDW-Gasellschaft Wirksysteme, Schroebenhausen, Germany: Critical to the production of the Patriot Advanced Capability Lethality Enhancement Assembly Siemens, Large Electric Power Transformers 230 - 500 kV Siemens, GE Electrical Power Generators and Components Druzhba Oil Pipeline Sanofi Aventis Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Lantus Injection (insulin) Heyl Chemish-pharmazeutische Fabrik GmbH: Radiogardase (Prussian blue) Hameln Pharmaceuticals, Hameln, Germany: Pentetate Calcium Trisodium (Ca DTPA) and Pentetate Zinc Trisodium (Zn DTPA) for contamination with plutonium, americium, and curium IDT Biologika GmbH, Dessau Rossiau, Germany: BN Small Pox Vaccine. Biotest AG, Dreiech, Germany: Supplier for TANGO (impacts automated blood typing ability) CSL Behring GmbH, Marburg, Germany: Antihemophilic factor/von Willebrand factor Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics GmbH, Marburg, Germany: Rabies virus vaccine Vetter Pharma Fertigung GmbH & Co KG, Ravensburg, Germany (filling): Rho(D) IGIV Port of Hamburg Ireland: Hibernia Atlantic undersea cable landing, Dublin Ireland Genzyme Ireland Ltd. (filling), Waterford, Ireland: Thymoglobulin Italy: Glaxo Smith Kline SpA (fill/finish), Parma, Italy: Digibind (used to treat snake bites) Trans-Med gas pipeline Netherlands: Atlantic Crossing-1 (AC-1) undersea cable landing Beverwijk, Netherlands TAT-14 undersea cable landing, Katwijk, Netherlands Rotterdam Port Norway: Cobalt Nickel Mine Poland: Druzhba Oil Pipeline Russia: Novorossiysk Export Terminal Primorsk Export Terminal. Nadym Gas Pipeline Junction: The most critical gas facility in the world Uranium Nickel Mine: Used in certain types of stainless steel and superalloys Palladium Mine and Plant Rhodium Spain: Strait of Gibraltar Instituto Grifols, SA, Barcelona, Spain: Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV) Maghreb-Europe (GME) gas pipeline, Algeria Sweden: Recip AB Sweden: Thyrosafe (potassium iodine) Switzerland: Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc. Basel, Switzerland: Tamiflu (oseltamivir) Berna Biotech, Berne, Switzerland: Typhoid vaccine CSL Behring AG, Berne, Switzerland: Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV) Turkey: Metal Fabrication Machines: Small number of Turkish companies (Durma, Baykal, Ermaksan) Bosporus Strait Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Ukraine: Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade, synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade United Kingdom: Goonhilly Teleport, Goonhilly Downs, United Kingdom Madley Teleport, Stone Street, Madley, United Kingdom Martelsham Teleport, Ipswich, United Kingdom APOLLO undersea cable landing Bude, Cornwall Station, United Kingdom Atlantic Crossing-1 (AC-1) undersea cable landing Whitesands Bay FA-1 undersea cable landing Skewjack, Cornwall Station Hibernia Atlantic undersea cable landing, Southport, United Kingdom TAT-14 undersea cable landing Bude, Cornwall Station, United Kingdom Tyco Transatlantic undersea cable landing, Highbridge, United Kingdom Tyco Transatlantic undersea cable landing, Pottington, United Kingdom. Yellow/Atlantic Crossing-2 (AC-2) undersea cable landing Bude, United Kingdom Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine finishing BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd., Presont, Lancashire, United Kingdom: Critical to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter BAE Systems Operations Ltd., Southway, Plymouth Devon, United Kingdom: Critical to extended range guided munitions BAE Systems RO Defense, Chorley, United Kingdom: Critical to the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) AGM-154C (Unitary Variant) MacTaggart Scott, Loanhead, Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom: Critical to the Ship Submersible Nuclear (SSN) NEAR/MIDDLE EAST Djibouti: Bab al-Mendeb: Shipping lane is a critical supply chain node Egypt: 'Ayn Sukhnah-SuMEd Receiving Import Terminal 'Sidi Kurayr-SuMed Offloading Export Terminal Suez Canal Iran: Strait of Hormuz Khark (Kharg) Island Sea Island Export Terminal Khark Island T-Jetty Iraq: Al-Basrah Oil Terminal Israel: Rafael Ordnance Systems Division, Haifa, Israel: Critical to Sensor Fused Weapons (SFW), Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers (WCMD), Tail Kits, and batteries Kuwait: Mina' al Ahmadi Export Terminal Morocco: Strait of Gibraltar Maghreb-Europe (GME) gas pipeline, Morocco Oman: Strait of Hormuz Qatar: Ras Laffan Industrial Center: By 2012 Qatar will be the largest source of imported LNG to U.S. Saudi Arabia: Abqaiq Processing Center: Largest crude oil processing and stabilization plant in the world Al Ju'aymah Export Terminal: Part of the Ras Tanura complex As Saffaniyah Processing Center Qatif Pipeline Junction Ras at Tanaqib Processing Center Ras Tanura Export Terminal Shaybah Central Gas-oil Separation Plant Tunisia: Trans-Med Gas Pipeline United Arab Emirates (UAE): Das Island Export Terminal Jabal Zannah Export Terminal Strait of Hormuz Yemen: Bab al-Mendeb: Shipping lane is a critical supply chain node SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Kazakhstan: Ferrochromium Khromtau Complex, Kempersai, (Chromite Mine) India: Orissa (chromite mines) and Karnataka (chromite mines) Generamedix Gujurat, India: Chemotherapy agents, including florouracil and methotrexate WESTERN HEMISPHERE Argentina: Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine finishing Bermuda: GlobeNet (formerly Bermuda US-1 (BUS-1) undersea cable landing Devonshire, Bermuda Brazil: Americas-II undersea cable landing Fortaleza, Brazil GlobeNet undersea cable landing Fortaleza, Brazil GlobeNet undersea cable landing Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Iron Ore from Rio Tinto Mine Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade, synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade Niobium (Columbium), Araxa, Minas Gerais State (mine) Ouvidor and Catalao I, Goias State: Niobium Chile: Iodine Mine Canada: Hibernia Atlantic undersea cable landing Halifax , Nova Scotia, Canada James Bay Power Project, Quebec: monumental hydroelectric power development Mica Dam, British Columbia: Failure would impact the Columbia River Basin. Hydro Quebec, Quebec: Critical irreplaceable source of power to portions of Northeast U. S. Robert Moses/Robert H. Saunders Power, Ontario: Part of the St. Lawrence Power Project, between Barnhart Island, New York, and Cornwall, Ontario Seven Mile Dam, British Columbia: Concrete gravity dam between two other hydropower dams along the Pend d'Oreille River Pickering Nuclear Power Plant, Ontario, Canada Chalk River Nuclear Facility, Ontario: Largest supplier of medical radioisotopes in the world Hydrofluoric Acid Production Facility, Allied Signal, Amherstburg, Ontario Enbridge Pipeline Alliance Pipeline: Natural gas transmission from Canada Maritime and Northeast Pipeline: Natural gas transmission from Canada Transcanada Gas: Natural gas transmission from Canada Alexandria Bay POE, Ontario: Northern border crossing Ambassador Bridge POE, Ontario: Northern border crossing Blaine POE, British Columbia: Northern border crossing Blaine Washington Rail Crossing, British Columbia Blue Water Bridge POE, Ontario: Northern border crossing Champlain POE, Quebec: Northern border crossing CPR Tunnel Rail Crossing, Ontario (Michigan Central Rail Crossing) International Bridge Rail Crossing, Ontario International Railway Bridge Rail Crossing Lewiston-Queenstown POE, Ontario: Northern border crossing Peace Bridge POE, Ontario: Northern border crossing Pembina POE, Manitoba: Northern border crossing North Portal Rail Crossing, Saskatchewan St. Claire Tunnel Rail Crossing, Ontario Waneta Dam, British Columbia: Earthfill/concrete hydropower dam Darlington Nuclear Power Plant, Ontario, Canada. E-ONE Moli Energy, Maple Ridge, Canada: Critical to production of various military application electronics General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada, London Ontario, Canada: Critical to the production of the Stryker/USMC LAV Vehicle Integration Raytheon Systems Canada Ltd. ELCAN Optical Technologies Division, Midland, Ontario, Canada: Critical to the production of the AGM-130 Missile Thales Optronique Canada, Inc., Montreal, Quebec: Critical optical systems for ground combat vehicles Germanium Mine Graphite Mine Iron Ore Mine Nickel Mine Niobec Mine, Quebec, Canada: Niobium Cangene, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Plasma Sanofi Pasteur Ltd., Toronto, Canada: Polio virus vaccine GlaxoSmithKile Biologicals, North America, Quebec, Canada: Pre-pandemic influenza vaccines French Guiana: Americas-II undersea cable landing Cayenne, French Guiana Martinique: Americas-II undersea cable landing Le Lamentin, Martinique Mexico: FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Tijuana, Mexico Pan-American Crossing (PAC) undersea cable landing Mazatlan, Mexico Amistad International Dam: On the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico Anzalduas Dam: Diversion dam south of Mission, Texas, operated jointly by the U.S. and Mexico for flood control Falcon International Dam: Upstream of Roma, Texas and Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico Retamal Dam: Diversion dam south of Weslaco, Texas, operated jointly by the U.S. and Mexico for flood control GE Hydroelectric Dam Turbines and Generators: Main source for a large portion of larger components Bridge of the Americas: Southern border crossing Brownsville POE: Southern border crossing Calexico East POE: Southern border crossing Columbia Solidarity Bridge: Southern border crossing Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) Rail Line, (Mexico) Nogales POE: Southern border crossing Laredo Rail Crossing Eagle Pass Rail Crossing Otay Mesa Crossing: Southern border crossing Pharr International Bridge: Southern border crossing World Trade Bridge: Southern border crossing Ysleta Zaragosa Bridge: Southern border crossing Hydrofluoric Acid Production Facility Graphite Mine GE Electrical Power Generators and Components General Electric, Large Electric Power Transformers 230 - 500 kV Netherlands Antilles: Americas-II undersea cable landing Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles. Panama: FLAG/REACH North Asia Loop undersea cable landing Fort Amador, Panama Panama Canal Peru: Tin Mine and Plant Trinidad and Tobago: Americas-II undersea cable landing Port of Spain Atlantic LNG: Provides 70% of U.S. natural gas import needs Venezuela: Americas-II undersea cable landing Camuri, Venezuela GlobeNet undersea cable landing, Punta Gorda, Venezuela GlobeNet undersea cable landing Catia La Mar, Venezuela GlobeNet undersea cable landing Manonga, Venezuela [END TEXT OF LIST]

UPDATE:

Glen Greenwald on 7 December 2010 in Anti-WikiLeaks lies and propaganda - from TNR, Lauer, Feinstein and more; WikiLeaks has posted to its website only 960 of the 251,297 diplomatic cables it has. Almost every one of these cables was first published by one of its newspaper partners which are disclosing them (The Guardian, the NYT, El Pais, Le Monde, Der Speigel, etc.). Moreover, the cables posted by WikiLeaks were not only first published by these newspapers, but contain the redactions applied by those papers to protect innocent people and otherwise minimize harm...... How can it possibly be that WikiLeaks should be prosecuted for espionage, but not The New York Times, or The Guardian, or any other newspaper that publishes these cables?

UPDATE:

From The Piping Shrike on 8 December 2010 in Censor what?; But the hypocrisy is flying round in all directions. All the attention of governments has been focussed on Assange, but surely the one who is really at the centre of this is the one who leaked all the documents, not the one who stuck it on a website. The dysfunctional state of the US State Department that would allow such a massive breach is of course the unmentionable throughout this whole affair. It is not the first time. At another period of dysfunctionality in the US government, when the Vietnam War was starting to go wrong, we had the release of the Pentagon Papers detailing Washington’s role in the conflict. At that time it was dropped into a furious public debate about a war that the US was starting to lose. This time a whole lot of stuff is being released into nothing.

UPDATE:

John Pilger on 8 December 2010 giving opinion on Assange and Wikileaks

NSW Health Minister gets a bi-partisan letter from NSW North Coast MPs

The following is a copy of the bi-partisan letter sent to the NSW Health Minister by NSW North Coast MPs Saffin, Georges, Cansdell and Page:

Friday, December 3, 2010.
REF: PE.03.12.10.

The Honourable Carmel Tebbutt MP
NSW Deputy Premier
NSW Minister for Health
Level 30 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000.

Dear Carmel,

I am writing, with the support of three North Coast-based State MPs, to express our deep disappointment that the NSW Government has excluded the Lismore Base Hospital Stage 3 Redevelopment from a list of priority projects for funding under the Federal Government’s Health and Hospitals Fund Round 3.

We simply cannot reconcile this decision, particularly as this long overdue, $150-million capital works project is so critical to the future wellbeing of a coastal region with one of the fastest growing and ageing populations in Australia.

Lismore Base is a major referral hospital and its importance as the public health service hub for the entire Northern Rivers cannot be understated.

Federal and State governments, regardless of their political colours, and local community leaders, have long recognised the absolute need for this final stage of the hospital’s redevelopment to cope with an estimated 30-per cent increase in patients over the next decade.

This is reflected in the extensive planning done by the North Coast Area Health Service on a proposed new and expanded Emergency Department; upgraded medical imaging; new operating theatres and wards; a new procedures centre, helipad and additional parking.

In 2005-2006, a capital options study was undertaken as part of the planning process, which signalled that capital funds were imminent and construction would start soon after.

We fail to understand how, on any grounds -- be it clinical services need, population demand or time spent waiting in the queue for funding -- any hospital could have been prioritised higher than the Lismore Base Hospital.

All of these major capital improvements, together with an increase of 90 beds and about 70 full-time clinical staff, are also what the people of the Northern Rivers expect and deserve.

At every public forum held in recent years, including a Big Ideas seminar organised by The Northern Star newspaper in Lismore last Sunday, LBH Stage III has been consistently identified as our region’s No. 1 priority.

While we realise that the Health and Hospitals Fund Round 3 is a highly competitive environment, the NSW Government now has made it that much harder for us to argue our strong case for ‘the forgotten corner’ of this State – north of the Central Coast and Port Macquarie.

As Members of Parliament who cover geographic areas beyond Lismore, we too have other priority health projects, but we know that if Lismore Base is not progressed at State level, it will be virtually impossible to get those ones looked at.

The Northern Star has a petition, which calls on you as NSW Health Minister torethink the decision, and further, calls on Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, The Honourable Nicola Roxon MP, to give priority to LBH Stage III, regardless of the current advice coming from NSW Health.

We come from across the political divide to stand unified in representing the interests of several hundred thousand Australians living in our electorates, and we respectfully ask that you act on our bipartisan approach as a matter of urgency.

Yours sincerely,

Janelle Saffin MP

Federal Member for Page.

Thomas George MP

State Member for Lismore.

Don Page MP

State Member for Ballina.

Steve Cansdell MP

State Member for Clarence.

Cc. Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, The Honourable Nicola Roxon MP.

Wikileaks thumbs its nose at efforts to shut it down with 76 mirror site links

Wikileaks is currently mirrored on 76 sites (updated 2010-12-05 11:00 GMT)

		wikileaks.enzym.su
freeus.jsdev.org	wikileaks.kafe-in.net ipv6	wl.opsec.eu ipv6
wikileaks.challet.eu	wl.gernox.de	wikileaks.morningtime.com
wikileaks.renout.nl	wikileaks.fdn.fr	wikileaks.gonte.se
wikileaks.kaptenkong.se	leaks.gooby.org	wikileaks.dubronetwork.fr ipv6
wikileaks.perry.ch	wikileaks.sbr.im	wikileaks.u0d.de
wikileaks.81-89-98-125.blue...	wikileaks.psytek.net	wl.mrkva.eu
wikileaks.joworld.net	wikileaks.chiquitico.org	wikileaks.rout0r.org
www.gruiiik.org	wikileaks.high-color.de	wikileaks.holarse-linuxgaming.de ipv6
wl.alfeldr.de	wikileaks.huissoud.ch	wikileaks.geekview.be
wikileaks.franslundberg.com	wikileaks.krkr.eu ipv6	wl.yoltie.net
wikileaks.aelmans.eu	wikileaks.serverius.net	wikileaks.synssans.nl
wl.ernstchan.net	wikileaks.dena-design.de	wleaks.3sge.pulsedmedia.com
wleaks.hellfire.pulsedmedia.com	wikileaks.palisades-berlin.de	wikileaks.dokansoft.com.ar
wikileaks.gonte2.nu	leaks.stumcomie.com	wikileaks.timburke.org
wikileaks.myscripts24.de	wikileaks.breit.ws	wikileaks.now-pages.com
wikileaks.ego-world.org	cablegate.r3blog.nl ipv6	www.wikileakz.eu
wikileaks.realprogrammer.org	wikileaks.the-secret-world.info	wikileaks.rtjuette.de
wikileaks.rustigereigers.nl	mirror1.wikileaks.lu	mirror2.wikileaks.lu
internaluse.net	wikileaks.r00t.la	wikileaks.cordover.id.au
brd.mcbf.net	wikileaks.1407.org	wikileaks.mollar.me
azow.selb.us	wikileaks.furdev.org	wikileaks.datkan.net ipv6
wikileaks.threefingers.ca	wikileaks.brenne.nu ipv6	wikileaks.hutonline.nl
vm8157.vps.tagadab.com	nl1.wikileaksmirror.nl	wikileaks.xcplanet.com
www.wikileaks.nw-ds.com	wikileaks.infinium.org.uk	peoplerule.info
wikileaks.solvare.se	wikileaks.marktaff.com	wikileaks.hmaks.com

Sentiment in Australia appears to be favouring Assange over recent comments by the Australian Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Federal Attorney-General.
This is a snapshot of a survey question in The Age online at approximately 6.30am on 6 December 2010:


UPDATE:

Before the ink was dry on this post the number of Wikileaks mirror sites began to grow and now stands at 748+, including wikileaks.savetheinter.net and cablegate.savetheinter.net launched by Pirate Party Australia.

Wet, wetter, wettest in 2010

It is flooding across much of eastern Australia right now and thousands of people are affected in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, with many on the move ahead of rising river levels. Who else might find floods under their Christmas tree this year?

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology: The national rainfall outlook for summer (December-February) favours wetter than normal conditions in southeast Queensland, eastern NSW, northern NT and most of WA. Drier conditions are favoured in parts of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

Australian Bureau of Meteorology

BOM National Warnings Summary

New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory
Rainfall and River Height Data

North Coast river levels

Cancún conference participants insist on follows the same old route

Reading between the lines it would appear that the world learned nothing from the failed processes used in the past to negotiate an as yet unrealised global response to anthropomorphic global warming and Copenhagen COP15 2009 is being revisited at Cancún with draft documents having so much wriggle room that an unsatisfactory outcome is almost a given:

Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol

Fifteenth session Cancun, 29 November 2010. Agenda item 3

Consideration of further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol

Revised proposal by the Chair

Statements made in connection with COP 16 / CMP 6

Ending the Australian year as we began it........

Drought in some places, floods in others, coastal erosion on the go, crop worries, rising prices, state and federal parliaments closely resembling 18th century bedlams, serial political pests and too many opinion polls - the year is ending in much the same way as it began.

Here's a little something from this week's Essential Report showing pollies travelling in circles with the Coalition now on top:

Click on image to enlarge

Borowitz homes in on Cablegate

Andy Borowitz puts the recent Wikileaks Cablegate shenanigans into humorous perspective:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) – In the first major policy fallout from the WikiLeaks disclosures, the State Department has ordered all U.S. diplomats to “cease and desist telling the truth until further notice.”

“We are working overtime to try to make sure that leaks like these don’t happen again,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters. “But until we’ve got the leaks plugged, it’s incumbent on all our diplomats to put on their lying caps.”

Secretary Clinton noted that since many US diplomats are major political donors with long careers in the business world, “this shouldn’t be a reach for them.”

But for those career diplomats who came up through the Foreign Service, the State Department will be holding a series of “truth avoidance seminars,” led by executives of Goldman Sachs.

Additionally, Secretary Clinton said, the State Department would install on all diplomats’ computers new software called CandorShield™, which automatically translates truthful language into a less embarrassing truth-free version.

For example, she explained, the software would translate the phrase “two-faced weasels” into “trusted Pakistani allies” and would delete all references to French President Nicolas Sarkozy as “Monsieur Shorty Pants.”

Elsewhere, Interpol issued this statement about its pursuit of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange: “We will find Julian Assange, and then we will hire him.”

Get the Borowitz Report delivered to your inbox for free here.

Some unexpected Christmas carolling

A big thank-you to Alphabet Photography

and You Tube.................

Better access to film and TV programming for all Australians

From Regional Arts NSW December-January e-newletter:

In November Accessible Arts released an article on two rulings by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) which will substantially increase access to regular film and television programming for Australians who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or with low vision. In May 2010 the AHRC ruled that cinemas must meet their legislative requirements to provide access for Australians who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind or with low vision. This was followed in October by the Commission's refusal to grant a temporary exemption from captioning of pay TV programs to ASTRA, the peak body for pay TV representing 34 broadcasters who operate 91 subscription TV channels. Sancha Donald, CEO of Accessible Arts, welcomes the AHRC rulings. "Viewing these decisions together I think we can gauge a shift in the way access to entertainment is being thought about," said Ms Donald. Accessible Arts has a variety of Disability Awareness and Access Training packages tailored to meet the needs of arts organisations, festivals and venues available online at http://www.aarts.net.au/training/

What does France and Australia have in common besides national wine industries?

It has long been thought a national shame that in Australia the indigenous population is over represented in the prison system.
This is seen as indicative of both a failure of society to respond appropriately to Aboriginal social, cultural and economic needs and, as possible evidence of bias within the justice system.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics publication Corrective Services, Australia, Mar 2009 states:

Nationally, the December quarter 2008 average daily imprisonment rate was 166 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, an increase of 2% from the December quarter 2007 (163 prisoners). The Northern Territory had the highest imprisonment rate (629 prisoners per 100,000 adult population), followed by Western Australia (240) and New South Wales (184).....

The national average daily Indigenous imprisonment rate in the December quarter 2008 was 2,240 per 100,000 adult Indigenous population, an increase of 1% from the previous quarter, and a 3% increase from the December quarter 2007.
The highest Indigenous imprisonment rate was recorded in Western Australia (3,811 Indigenous prisoners per 100,000 adult Indigenous population), followed by New South Wales (2,423) and South Australia (2,413). The lowest Indigenous imprisonment rate was recorded in Tasmania (614), followed by the Australian Capital Territory (1,004)......
The national age standardised Indigenous imprisonment rate from the annual Prisoner Census conducted at June 2008 was over 13 times higher (1,769 per 100,000 adult Indigenous population) than the rate for non-Indigenous persons (133 per 100,000 adult non-Indigenous population).

In France it would appear that persons from Islamic backgrounds who make up only an estimated ten per cent of the total population may also be over-represented within the justice system (possibly based in some measure on institutionalised bias) as this observer admits that the French prison population is thought to be over fifty per cent Muslim.

From Wikileaks Cablegate website:

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 005539

SIPDIS  E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2015..... 

SUBJECT: PUTTING OUT BRUSHFIRES: FRANCE AND ISLAMIC EXTREMISM .......
¶1. (C) Summary:....According to recent press reports, the RG,
France's police intelligence service, estimates that 6 million Muslims
live in France, approximately 10 percent of the population.......
¶2. (C) In the Muslim community of some six million, 70
percent are estimated to be of North African (Algeria,
Morocco, and Tunisia) origin. Other sizable groups include
Turks and Pakistanis. Within this overall population, the RG
estimates (according to recent press reports) that roughly
9,000 could be considered extremist, or, just over one-tenth
of one percent.....
¶3. (U) Two specific sources of Islamic extremism are of
special interest. First is the French prison system, with a
population that is estimated at over 50 percent Muslim.....

Alice Springs brings forth a new political party

On 1 December 2010 the Australian Electoral Commission advertised an application for non-parliamentary political party registration by The First Nations Political Party (FNPP).

3. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES OF FIRST NATIONS POLITICAL PARTY (FNPP)

The goal and objectives of First Nations Political Party (FNPP) are...

- To provide direct relief to all First Nations (Originals) from Poverty, Suffering Destitution, Misfortune, Distress and Helplessness caused
..directly or indirectly or by the involvement with the Laws of the Commonwealth or States of Australia in all matters.

- Address all issues encountered by First Nations (Originals) in Australia subjects to provide a real collective political voice to determine any ..future involvement in any shape or form.

Therefore First Nations Political Party will endeavour to advance its:

- Vision in Redressing the Exclusion, Intrusion, and Displacement, Intervention of our Cultural, Sovereignty and Land.

- Mission to participate in all levels of government to ensure the voice of First Nations Original peoples are represented for the benefit of
..Sovereign ownership, Economic Development, Cultural, Education, Health, Social and Justice for our people.

Then as the inherited host to other visitors and settlers, the First Nations members will pardon injustices of the past, by forming a new national identity that is inclusive of other nations within Australia.

1. The sovereign rights and ownership issue is still as passionate and alive today as it was in 1770 when Cook arrived in Australia.

2. To advocate a representative political voice for the First Nations of the Northern Territory and other States of Australia, and within the Federal Government Political system known as the Westminster system.

3. To represent the First Nations and their descendents the Original Australians in both Federal and State Elections:

1. The Senate

2. The House of Representatives

3. Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory Politics

4. All of Australian States

4. To increase the First Nations political views and aspirations in all areas of;

1. Sovereignty

2. Prior ownership

3. Changing of the Australian Constitution

4. Republic

5. Seventh State of Commonwealth of Australia

6. Law and Justice

7. NT Stolen Generations Reparations/Compensation

8. Climate change

9. Immigration

10. Economics

11. Employment

12. Land; Cultural Issues; Resource; Water; Minerals and leasing

13. Social

14. Welfare

15. Education

16. Human Rights, Cultural Rights, Religious Rights, and Sexuality Rights

17. At an International level - United Nations

18. NT Stolen Generation Issues

19. RDA (Racial Discrimination Act)

20. NT Outstation Policies

Especially empowering, influencing and inspiring First Nations People as the Original inhabitants of Australia.

5. To have a Representative Participate in all Levels of Government to ensure the views and aspirations of First Nations People are involved in State/ Territory, Commonwealth and International Levels of Government.

Oh, poo - we lost!

Not only did we lose the FIFA Fútbol World Cup venue bidding war, we lost resoundingly:
2022
Round 1: Australia 1 vote, Japan 3 votes, Korea Republic 4 votes, Qatar 11 votes, USA 3 votes (Australia eliminated)
Round 2: Japan 2 votes, Korea Republic 5 votes, Qatar 10 votes and USA 5 votes (Japan eliminated)
Round 3: Korea Republic 5 votes, Qatar 11 votes, USA 6 votes (Korea Republic eliminated)
Round 4: Qatar 14 votes and USA 8 votes (Qatar obtained an absolute majority)
And here I was hoping that for the next decade there would've been a national meeja topic which might occasionally actually drown out Tony Abbott's carping, Mark Lahtham's whining, Paul Howe's big noting, Kristina Keneally's scolding, Chris Mitchell's posturing and John Howard's revisionism for whole days at a time.
Apparently the failed bid also cost the Aussie taxpayer about A$45.6 million and all we got for the money was this little video:

The stupid and dangerous fireworks season is underway - there ought to be a law against it!

Actually, there is, so why isn't it enforced?

Where: Yamba, NSW, 2464
When: Saturday, 4 December, 8.30pm
What: Illegal fireworks

WorkCover NSW  requires that:

The possession, use, storage and transport of display fireworks is restricted to individuals holding a:

• pyrotechnician's licence
• fireworks (single use) licence.

There are safety and security requirements for the storage of fireworks depending on the amount and type of fireworks to be stored. Licences are also required to:

• handle fireworks without supervision
• manufacture fireworks
• sell fireworks.

A licence will only be issued for a legitimate reason such as an organised public display that is open to the public. The display must be organised by a community or private organisation for a show, fete, carnival, cultural, religious or sporting event. 

Notified fireworks are displayed on WorkCover's site and can be found here.