Best blog comment read this week

 

“Bernard: I can't listen to Counterpoint. It always ends with chewed door frames and me spitting splinters.”

Posted over at Deltoid by rhwombat on 20^th June 2011

Clarence Valley worry that Coalition cronyism is about to bleed health dry has NSW Health Minister throwing counter punch

The Daily Examiner  Health is bled dry  4 July 2011:

TWO members on the North Coast health advisory board have been dumped and replaced by two failed former Coalition political candidates on the re-titled Northern NSW Local Health Board District, leaving the Clarence with only one representative on the 10-member board.

Yamba-based solicitor Bob Thompson and Tweed-based doctor David Hodgson were both dropped from the board appointed under the former Labor government and replaced with former Liberal Party candidate for Page Malcolm Marshall and former National Party candidate for Richmond Dr Sue Page Mitchell.

Former board member and Grafton radio station manager Ron Bell resigned a few weeks ago for personal reasons and has not been replaced by another representative from the Clarence Valley.

It leaves the Clarence area with only one member on a board dominated by members from the Richmond area, and has raised serious concerns the health needs of the Clarence will be swept aside because of the political strength of representation in the Richmond……….

The lack of representation from the Clarence area was a major concern and he cited the recent appointment of an orthopedic surgeon to Grafton as an area of potential problems.

…. that surgeon would treat patients who previously would have been treated at Coffs Harbour or Lismore, but the funding needed for those operations now needed to be transferred from Coffs and Lismore to Grafton.

Taking money from the Coffs and Lismore budgets would be difficult, because of the strong Richmond area representation on the board.

Mayor Richie Williamson, Mr Bell and chairman of the Grafton Base Hospital Medical Staff Council Dr Allan Tyson all expressed similar concerns about the composition of the board and the lack of representation from the Clarence Valley.

The Daily Examiner NSW Health District Board changes 5 July 2011:

“There were people who were not re-appointed.
“In some cases, that was simply due to other applicants being more experienced and skilled in the required areas of governance and finance.
“In other cases, it was because those people were not performing adequately.”

Ouch....

The three amigos who dragged international jouralism ethics through the lowest of noisome gutters

The two editors and owner of Britain's 168 year-old News of the World online and print newspaper Andy Coulsen (top left)Rebekah Brooks (top right) Rupert Murdoch (centre) in church in 2005 - during a period in which they allegedly oversaw sytematic unlawful hacking of the phones of public figures and ordinary people, as well as alleged suspect payments to police, and who between them managed to close the 168 year-old Sunday tabloid this month as the scandal broadens and more arrests are expected.
If old Sir Keith were still alive even he would probably give his son a right-old bollocking.
Thank heavens Rupert renounced his Australian citizenship - officially he's not our blacksheep now!

http://youtu.be/v1AJjnl2y8U

And then there's young James.......
From Granny Herald on 8th July in "The wrong redtop goes"
"There were a few noble politicians prepared to go where others would not and criticise the News of the World despite the likelihood of offending Britain’s most powerful media companies.
But there are plenty of villains. Andy Coulson, who replaced Brooks as editor and was there when the paper appears to have been its most hack-happy; after resigning twice over the affair, once from the Prime Minister's office, he is reportedly close to being arrested. Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who did much of the hacking and served time in jail for it. The many others who surely knew what was going on, sanctioned it and so far have gone unpunished.
And there is still Rebekah Brooks. As then editor and now chief executive, the buck stops with her. As long she keeps her job, her immediate boss, James Murdoch, is a villain too. Without her departure, he will be the man who sacked scores who had no responsibility, and saved the neck of one who did."

UPDATE:
The Guardian UK Friday 8 July 2011 13.16 BST
Andy Coulson arrested over phone-hacking allegations
"Andy Coulson, the prime minister's former press spokesman, has been arrested and is being held in custody at a police station in south London.
Scotland Yard said that at 10.30am on Friday officers from Operation Weeting – the phone-hacking inquiry – and a team investigating illegal payments to police officers within the Metropolitan force arrested a 43-year-old man who had arrived by appointment.
Scotland Yard said he was being held in custody and would be questioned in connection with allegations of corruption and phone hacking.
The arrest came after Operation Weeting officers were handed further information from News International three weeks ago which detailed allegedly illegal payments to a handful of officers at the Yard.
It is understood Coulson, a former editor of the News of the World, will be held for several hours for questioning. Officers will take him through documentation, much of it handed over by his former employer News International.
He will be questioned on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and "on suspicion of corruption allegations" contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906."

WHALE NEWS: Britain to push for IWC anti-corruption measures ahead of Japanese whaling fleet again entering the Antarctic in December 2011

Migaloo photograph from Aquatic Blue Charters

Japan’s whaling fleet is currently hunting in the north-west Pacific Ocean and apparently intends to turn its attention to the Southern Ocean at the end of the year, according to the Kyodo News June 27, 2011:

TOKYO — The fisheries ministry has asked the Japan Coast Guard to dispatch a patrol boat to protect Japanese ships engaged in what they call research whaling from obstructive actions by an anti whaling group this season, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
The request followed the Japanese whaling fleet’s suspension of operations in the Antarctic Ocean last season due to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s actions, which forced the fleet’s four vessels to return home in February after catching far fewer whales than planned, the sources said.

Meanwhile in the same paper on June 24 it was reported that in Japanese waters:

Radioactive cesium was detected from two minke whales caught off the coast of Kushiro, Hokkaido, in Japan's so-called research whaling, a whalers' association said Tuesday. While the level of the radioactive material remained below the temporarily set upper limit, the association officials said during a press conference in Kushiro that the contamination must have been caused by the continuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and that they will closely monitor future developments.

The Independent newspaper on July 2, 2011 published the following concerning the International Whaling Commission:

Britain is embarking on a radical attempt to clean up the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which has been increasingly racked by allegations of corruption amongst its member countries.

At the heart of the concerns are repeated accusations that Japan, the leading pro-whaling nation, has been persuading small nations which are members of the IWC to vote in favour of a resumption of commercial whaling, by means of aid packages and the direct bribing of individuals………

A sweeping resolution put forward for the next IWC meeting, beginning in Jersey a week on Monday, would radically revise the commission's procedures, some of which date from its founding in 1946, are regarded as lax and inadequate and "leave it open to accusations of malpractice," in the words of Britain's Fisheries minister, Richard Benyon.

In particular, the UK resolution would end the astonishing situation where the 89 IWC member states are allowed to pay their annual subscriptions by cheque or in cash, instead of by bank transfer, as is the normal case with international organisations. It is thought that some of these subscriptions, which range from £100,000 in the case of Japan to about £4,000 for small states, have been paid in the past with Japanese-provided funds.

The British resolution also seeks to make the IWC's own scientific reports more rigorous, make its record-keeping more timely and accurate, and make its meetings more open to representatives from environmental pressure groups and other non-governmental organisations.

Fox News dissected

From 14 Propaganda Techniques Fox "News" Uses to Brainwash Americans

Saturday 2 July 2011 by: Dr. Cynthia Boaz, Truthout | News Analysis

1. Panic Mongering. This goes one step beyond simple fear mongering. With panic mongering, there is never a break from the fear. The idea is to terrify and terrorize the audience during every waking moment. From Muslims to swine flu to recession to homosexuals to immigrants to the rapture itself, the belief over at Fox seems to be that if your fight-or-flight reflexes aren't activated, you aren't alive. This of course raises the question: why terrorize your own audience? Because it is the fastest way to bypasses the rational brain. In other words, when people are afraid, they don't think rationally. And when they can't think rationally, they'll believe anything.

2. Character Assassination/Ad Hominem. Fox does not like to waste time debating the idea. Instead, they prefer a quicker route to dispensing with their opponents: go after the person's credibility, motives, intelligence, character, or, if necessary, sanity. No category of character assassination is off the table and no offense is beneath them. Fox and like-minded media figures also use ad hominem attacks not just against individuals, but entire categories of people in an effort to discredit the ideas of every person who is seen to fall into that category, e.g. "liberals," "hippies," "progressives" etc. This form of argument - if it can be called that - leaves no room for genuine debate over ideas, so by definition, it is undemocratic. Not to mention just plain crass.

3. Projection/Flipping. This one is frustrating for the viewer who is trying to actually follow the argument. It involves taking whatever underhanded tactic you're using and then accusing your opponent of doing it to you first. We see this frequently in the immigration discussion, where anti-racists are accused of racism, or in the climate change debate, where those who argue for human causes of the phenomenon are accused of not having science or facts on their side. It's often called upon when the media host finds themselves on the ropes in the debate.

4. Rewriting History. This is another way of saying that propagandists make the facts fit their worldview. The Downing Street Memos on the Iraq war were a classic example of this on a massive scale, but it happens daily and over smaller issues as well. A recent case in point is Palin's mangling of the Paul Revere ride, which Fox reporters have bent over backward to validate. Why lie about the historical facts, even when they can be demonstrated to be false? Well, because dogmatic minds actually find it easier to reject reality than to update their viewpoints. They will literally rewrite history if it serves their interests. And they'll often speak with such authority that the casual viewer will be tempted to question what they knew as fact.

5. Scapegoating/Othering. This works best when people feel insecure or scared. It's technically a form of both fear mongering and diversion, but it is so pervasive that it deserves its own category. The simple idea is that if you can find a group to blame for social or economic problems, you can then go on to a) justify violence/dehumanization of them, and b) subvert responsibility for any harm that may befall them as a result.

6. Conflating Violence With Power and Opposition to Violence With Weakness. This is more of what I'd call a "meta-frame" (a deeply held belief) than a media technique, but it is manifested in the ways news is reported constantly. For example, terms like "show of strength" are often used to describe acts of repression, such as those by the Iranian regime against the protesters in the summer of 2009. There are several concerning consequences of this form of conflation. First, it has the potential to make people feel falsely emboldened by shows of force - it can turn wars into sporting events. Secondly, especially in the context of American politics, displays of violence - whether manifested in war or debates about the Second Amendment - are seen as noble and (in an especially surreal irony) moral. Violence become synonymous with power, patriotism and piety.

7. Bullying. This is a favorite technique of several Fox commentators. That it continues to be employed demonstrates that it seems to have some efficacy. Bullying and yelling works best on people who come to the conversation with a lack of confidence, either in themselves or their grasp of the subject being discussed. The bully exploits this lack of confidence by berating the guest into submission or compliance. Often, less self-possessed people will feel shame and anxiety when being berated and the quickest way to end the immediate discomfort is to cede authority to the bully. The bully is then able to interpret that as a "win."

8. Confusion. As with the preceding technique, this one works best on an audience that is less confident and self-possessed. The idea is to deliberately confuse the argument, but insist that the logic is airtight and imply that anyone who disagrees is either too dumb or too fanatical to follow along. Less independent minds will interpret the confusion technique as a form of sophisticated thinking, thereby giving the user's claims veracity in the viewer's mind.

9. Populism. This is especially popular in election years. The speakers identifies themselves as one of "the people" and the target of their ire as an enemy of the people. The opponent is always "elitist" or a "bureaucrat" or a "government insider" or some other category that is not the people. The idea is to make the opponent harder to relate to and harder to empathize with. It often goes hand in hand with scapegoating. A common logical fallacy with populism bias when used by the right is that accused "elitists" are almost always liberals - a category of political actors who, by definition, advocate for non-elite groups.

10. Invoking the Christian God. This is similar to othering and populism. With morality politics, the idea is to declare yourself and your allies as patriots, Christians and "real Americans" (those are inseparable categories in this line of thinking) and anyone who challenges them as not. Basically, God loves Fox and Republicans and America. And hates taxes and anyone who doesn't love those other three things. Because the speaker has been benedicted by God to speak on behalf of all Americans, any challenge is perceived as immoral. It's a cheap and easy technique used by all totalitarian entities from states to cults.

11. Saturation. There are three components to effective saturation: being repetitive, being ubiquitous and being consistent. The message must be repeated cover and over, it must be everywhere and it must be shared across commentators: e.g. "Saddam has WMD." Veracity and hard data have no relationship to the efficacy of saturation. There is a psychological effect of being exposed to the same message over and over, regardless of whether it's true or if it even makes sense, e.g., "Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States." If something is said enough times, by enough people, many will come to accept it as truth. Another example is Fox's own slogan of "Fair and Balanced."

12. Disparaging Education. There is an emerging and disturbing lack of reverence for education and intellectualism in many mainstream media discourses. In fact, in some circles (e.g. Fox), higher education is often disparaged as elitist. Having a university credential is perceived by these folks as not a sign of credibility, but of a lack of it. In fact, among some commentators, evidence of intellectual prowess is treated snidely and as anti-American. The disdain for education and other evidence of being trained in critical thinking are direct threats to a hive-mind mentality, which is why they are so viscerally demeaned.

13. Guilt by Association. This is a favorite of Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart, both of whom have used it to decimate the careers and lives of many good people. Here's how it works: if your cousin's college roommate's uncle's ex-wife attended a dinner party back in 1984 with Gorbachev's niece's ex-boyfriend's sister, then you, by extension are a communist set on destroying America. Period.

14. Diversion. This is where, when on the ropes, the media commentator suddenly takes the debate in a weird but predictable direction to avoid accountability. This is the point in the discussion where most Fox anchors start comparing the opponent to Saul Alinsky or invoking ACORN or Media Matters, in a desperate attempt to win through guilt by association. Or they'll talk about wanting to focus on "moving forward," as though by analyzing the current state of things or God forbid, how we got to this state of things, you have no regard for the future. Any attempt to bring the discussion back to the issue at hand will likely be called deflection, an ironic use of the technique of projection/flipping.

"My strongest criticism in all of this is directed at the MLA....they’re still in denial on their culpability" Federal Member for Page

Janelle Saffin’s statement on the end of suspension of live cattle trade

Today I sought further detail on the announcement by Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig lifting the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia.

The Minister has declared that no live cattle will depart for Indonesia until the government is assured of humane treatment throughout the supply chain.

I welcome this and I’d like to be able to say that the Minister’s announcement satisfies the three part motion put to Caucus last month.
At this stage I do not have enough information to give that unqualified support.

Last month Caucus endorsed a motion that called for:
*the immediate cessation of live cattle exports to Indonesia until all slaughter houses receiving Australian cattle to comply with international OIE standards, encouraging the use of stunning and ongoing independent monitoring.
*an independent review of the live animal export trade
*MLA to use their contingency funds to support the producers affected by the suspension, and for the Minister to use his statutory power if the MLA did not act of its own volition.

The Minister has said that his announcement addresses the Caucus motion.
I still need to see more detail of how it addresses the part of the motion that called for encouragement of stunning.

I have asked the minister how he would comply with that part of the motion.
The Minister in his ministerial statement said “obviously the use of stunning equipment improves the welfare outcomes for animals and the Government has made it clear it will encourage stunning wherever possible”.

I want to see a stronger commitment from the Government for encouraging stunning.
The Caucus motion clearly called for encouraging the use of stunning, and that has to be an ongoing process.
The Australian community expects no less.

My strongest criticism in all of this is directed at the MLA.
I’ve made many comments on the MLA and they‘re still missing in action in taking responsibility for this mess.
They use the levies from farmers and public money and they’re still in denial on their culpability - denying their responsibility for the fact that Australian animals were not being killed humanely.

I repeat my call which I’ve made many times for a complete inquiry into their whole structure.

I also deplore the duplicitous actions of the Federal National Party in this matter. Their attitude is say to the community how terrible it is that animals are being killed like that, but in Canberra they talk very differently. And we must remember they set up the structure of the MLA and industry self-regulation.

7 July 2011 media release from the Office of Janelle Saffin MP, Member for Page

Buckingham speaks out in defence of NSW North Coast communities. Where is Cansdell?

Looking towards upper reaches of the Nymboida River

The Greens Jeremy Buckingham MLC speaks out for the Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour and Belligen local government areas, as well as the Clarence River catchment in this foreshadowed motion NSW Parliament Legislative Council.

Legislative Council Notice Paper No. 24

147. Mr Buckingham to move

1. That this House notes that:

(a) Anchor Resources Ltd have conducted scoping studies that indicate a resource of 17,500 tons of antimony have been found at both Wild Cattle Creek, near Nymboida and the Blicks River to the northwest of Dorrigo on the mid north coast of New South Wales,

(b) Anchor Resources Ltd has recently been subject to a majority takeover by the Chinese minerals company China Shandong Jinshunda Ltd which now owns over 90 per cent of the company,

(c) antimony is a mineral resource used for a range of “high-tech” products such as polymers, fire retardants and electronics,

(d) antimony and many of its compounds are toxic and the World Health Organisation has stated that oral consumption can result in "a strong irritating effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa and trigger sustained vomiting ... abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and cardiac toxicity",

(e) the majority of the municipal water supply for more than 100,000 residents in Coffs Harbour is provided by Shannon Creek Dam which is fed by pipes directly from the Nymboida River,

(f) this project is located within the headwaters of the Nymboida River, which is the highest rainfall catchment in New South Wales,

(g) the high rainfall of the catchment, which sometimes exceeds three metres, means that there is a significant risk that antimony mined in the area could be released and contaminate the water,

(h) a previous antimony ore processing plant at Urunga Lagoon has been described in the Bellingen Council 2009-10 State of the Environment Report as seriously contaminated and unable to be rehabilitated, and

(i) a 2002 report by the University of New England has shown that antimony from the Hillgrove and Bakers Creek mines which are located in the catchment of the Macleay River to the east of Armidale, have seriously contaminated over twenty kilometres of the headwaters of this river system and this has proved impossible to remediate.

2. That this House recognises that:

(a) the government has a responsibility to protect the community from current and future health risks associated with extractive industries, and

(b) proponent driven applications to determine the exploitation of our mineral resources are not in the best interests of the wider New South Wales community.

3. That this House calls on the Government to:

(a) prohibit mining activities within the critical catchments which supply water to our communities because of the unacceptable risks this poses to human and ecosystem health, the quality of our water supply and our state's agricultural capacity, and

(b) engage more extensively with the community in all assessments for extractive industries and take appropriate and precautionary actions, especially in regards to health risks.

(Notice given 23 June 2011—expires Notice Paper No. 43)

No names, no pack drill

 

All personal submissions published on the Australian Parliament Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s Inquiry into Multiculturalism in Australia web page are only identified by the initials of their authors.
I don’t know who this circumstance reflects on more – the Committee or the political climate in this country.

Equal gender numbers make up new senators entering the Australian Parliament in July 2011

Senators-elect (terms of service commencing 1 July 2011)

Di Natale, Richard
VIC AG
Public health specialist, drug and alcohol clinician and general practitioner
Drug and Alcohol Clinician, Geelong, 2008–2010Worked on HIV prevention for injecting drug users in India with the Nossal Institute for Global Health, 2005–2007
Public Health, Department of Human Services, 2001–2004
Medical practitioner, Aboriginal Health Service (NT), 1999–2000
Fellow, Australasian Faculty of Public Health MedicineMaster of Public Health, Master of Health Sciences

Edwards, Sean
SA LP
Born and educated in Clare, South Australia, as part of the 5th generation of Clare Edwards’, his career pursuits in business meant he has been involved in both rural and city communities in the varied fields of property development, agriculture, viticulture, winemaking and global trade. Married with four children.

Fawcett, David
SA LP
Director, Fawcett Consulting
Member of the House of Representatives for Wakefield (SA), 2004–2007
Army officer, 1982–2004Commanding Officer, RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit, Edinburgh, SA

Gallacher, Alex
SA ALP
Secretary/Treasurer, SA–NT branch, Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU), 1996–Federal President, TWU, 2007–2010
Vice President, TWU, 2005–2007
Organiser, TWU SA–NT branch, 1992–1996Federal Industrial Relations Officer, TWU, 1988–1992
Director, Motor Accident Commission (SA), 2005–2010Commissioner, National Road Transport Commission, 2003–2004 Member and acting Chair, Road Safety Advisory Council (SA)

Madigan, John
VIC DLP
Blacksmith, Hepburn Springs, Vic
Apprenticeship, Victorian Railways Newport workshop
Former employee of Victorian Railways for 10 years

McKenzie, Bridget
VIC NATS
Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Gippsland Campus, Monash University, until 2010Junior vice-president, The Nationals (Vic), 2006–2009
Former secondary school teacher
Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement)Bachelor of Education

Rhiannon, Lee
NSW AG
Member of the NSW Legislative Council, 1999–2010
Founder and director, AID/WATCH, an NGO that monitors Australia’s overseas aid program, 1993–1998
Founder and convenor, Coalition for Gun Control, 1988–1992
Former freelance journalistCampaigner on a range of issues including promoting workers’ rights, public education, environmental protection and political donation reformQualified zoologist and botanist

Singh, Lisa
TAS ALP
CEO, Asbestos Free Tasmania Foundation
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 2006–2010Minister Assisting the Premier on Climate Change, 2009–2010
Minister for Corrections and Consumer Protection, 2008–2010
Minister for Workplace Relations, 2008–2010
Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Assisting with Education, 2008

Thistlethwaite, Matthew
NSW ALP
General Secretary, NSW Labor, 2008–2010
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Unions NSW, 2004–2008
Industrial Officer, The Australian Workers’ Union, 1995–2004
Director, State Transit Authority of NSW, 2005–2008
President, Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club, 2004–2008
Member, Racing Industry Advisory Council, 2002–2008
President, NSW Young Labor, 1997–1998Bachelor of Economics (UNSW)Diploma of Law

Urquhart, Anne
TAS ALP
President, Unions Tasmania, 2007–Vice President, Australian Labor Party (Tas), 2004–Secretary, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (Tasmanian Division), 2004–2010President, AMWU (Tas), 1998–2004
Organiser, Food Preservers’ Union, 1990–1998

Waters, Larissa
QLD AG
Community environmental lawyer, Environmental Defenders Office (Qld) Inc., 2002–Graduate lawyer, Freehills national law firm, 2001–2002
Researcher, Land and Resources Tribunal (Qld), 2000–2001Volunteer Queensland editor, National Environmental Law Review, 2005–2008
Volunteer board member, Queensland Environmental Law Association, 2004–2007LLB (Hons)/BSc, Griffith UniversityGrad Dip (Leg Prac), College of Law, NSW

Wright, Penny
SA AG
Solicitor, tribunal member and mediator
Deputy President, Guardianship Board (SA), 1996–2010
Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Relationships Australia, 2007–2010
Member, Social Security Appeals Tribunal, 2006–2007
Conciliator & Investigating Solicitor, Legal Practitioners Conduct Board, 2003–2006
Member, Residential Tenancies Tribunal, 1993–2003
Former campaigner for human rights, aid and environmental organisations

AG—Australian Greens, ALP—Australian Labor Party, DLP—Democratic Labor Party, LP—Liberal Party of Australia, NATS—The Nationals

'Cause a light-hearted view of the world never goes amiss.....

Footpath sign in the main street of Maclean "The Scottish Town" on the NSW North Coast...........everything else is just old newspaper wrapping this quick and easy meal.

Thanks to Clarencegirl for the pic.