Auspol April - Long Live the Glorious State of North Queensland

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Auspol April - Long Live the Glorious State of North Queensland

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put both hands in: Nov 28, 2007; FYFE

Negligent posted:

he has bad vision in one eye, cut him some slack

He probably confused her with one of his daughters

# ? Apr 13, 2016 09:58

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 24, 2024 15:50

Endman: May 18, 2010; That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even anime may die

Doctor Cave posted:

He probably confused her with one of his daughters

# ? Apr 13, 2016 10:17

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

I will never forget the guy who offered his daughters on Big Brother became PM.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 10:23

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

And yet bill shorten will never be pm

# ? Apr 13, 2016 10:47

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

I think he might, by accident. Kinda like in Queensland. People THOUGHT Newman would win but wanted to punish him. The problem is voters don't talk to eachother much so they can easily punish Turnbull TOO MUCH. This is especially the case in QLD where the ALP could win up to 10 seats from a very small shift.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 11:00

birdstrike: Oct 30, 2008; i;m gay

Anidav posted:

The problem is voters don't talk to eachother much so they can easily punish Turnbull TOO MUCH.

No, they can't.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 11:03

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

I expect Queensland to get a fuckload of promises because a 1% shift knocks out 10 LNP MPs for some reason.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 11:03

Solemn Sloth: Jul 11, 2015; Baby you can shout at me,
But you can't need my eyes.

MaliciousOnion posted:

Why is her age important?

Yeah, age is just a construct man

*leers at schoolgirls on the train*

# ? Apr 13, 2016 11:45

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

I think monions point is that it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the attractiveness of a woman of any age.

still extra creepy.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 13:24

Solemn Sloth: Jul 11, 2015; Baby you can shout at me,
But you can't need my eyes.

thatbastardken posted:

I think monions point is that it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the attractiveness of a woman of any age.

still extra creepy.

I'm comfortable with my opinion that her being 17 makes it even worse.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 13:28

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Solemn Sloth posted:

I'm comfortable with my opinion that her being 17 makes it even worse.

oh yeah fully agree

# ? Apr 13, 2016 13:30

Beyond Satire: Oct 18, 2014

I am looking for an image that I thought I may have seen in a previous iteration of this thread. Its Abbott peeling off a Turnbull mask. If anyone knows what I'm talking about and is able to post it, that'd be awesome.

I need it for an upcoming event.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 13:47

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

lol

WE WON'T BE BEATEN'

Party for Freedom would like to say 'Thank you' to the Aussie patriots who attended yesterday's rally at Fairfield Showgrounds opposing barbaric halal slaughter and sharia in Australia.

When we arrived a feral bog stench of anarchists and communists were squatting in our designated protest area with their foul smelling bongo vans illegally occupying the space. The Police moved the ferals on threatening them with a shower if they did not comply. In the excitement one of the anarchists was arrested.

We took up our position across the road from the 'Halal Expo 2016' and rallied in support of animal rights calling for the banning of ritual slaughter in Australia. Regrettably, we know the government will not ban the inhumane practice of ritual slaughter as our politicians place more importance on multiculturalism than the wishes of the Australian public.

Last year, Victor Dominelli, the NSW Minister for Multiculturalism welcomed the halal expo saying Islam was an integral part of the rich multicultural tapestry of Australia. He also added that there were economic benefits to halal. Last week, Andrew Robb, Federal Trade Minister also welcomed the halal expo and industry and talked up the value of export sales. This sort of treasonous rhetoric clearly shows government supports the growth of halal in Australia and the promotion of Islam.

Channel 7, SBS and Al Jazeera were also present. Many interviews were given and many good speeches were given through the megaphones. It was all too much for the defeated lefties and frustrated Jihadists viewing from the other side of the road.

We were concerned that there could be a reoccurrence of violence after anarchists and communists ambushed patriots at our 'Stop Halal Animal Cruelty' rally in Melbourne but this did not transpire. Even though we were attacked in Melbourne, proud patriots stood their ground and fought back and won. No doubt the Sydney feral were fearful of copping another thrashing so they stayed away.

We will continue to campaign against the many ugly facets of Islam. Despite the odds and challenges, as Australians we have a right to exercise our freedom of speech and this we will do.

Thank you to our many patriotic friends in Melbourne and Sydney who made the event possible. Respect.

Nick Folkes.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 14:23

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

Honestly it seems to me like someone has an enormous hateboner for left wing people et al. for some reason and like trying to tie it all together just comes off weird.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 14:28

Negative Entropy: Nov 30, 2009

Milky Moor posted:

what the gently caress

I enjoyed it.
I also enjoyed Red Storm Rising.

Why? Am I not allowed to like things that turbo nerds like yourself don't like?

# ? Apr 13, 2016 14:29

BlitzkriegOfColour: Aug 22, 2010

Recoome posted:

Honestly it seems to me like someone has an enormous hateboner for left wing people et al. for some reason and like trying to tie it all together just comes off weird.

One time, it was my job to watch video footage of Nick Folkes.

The man has the IQ of a small, retarded, inbred pumpkin.

He says "Vietmanese" instead of "Vietnamese", like you would expect from Homer Simpson.

In other words, the character Homer Simpson was modeled off a person with brain damage.

And Nicholas Folkes has brain damage.

Very severe brain damage.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 14:40

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

I like to read the daily mail

# ? Apr 13, 2016 14:40

hooman: Oct 11, 2007; This guy seems legit.; Fun Shoe

Negligent posted:

I like to read the daily mail

I just base my opinions off their expert photoshops.

BOO RAT MAN BAD

EDIT: Jesus christ this is loving grim.

hooman fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Apr 13, 2016

# ? Apr 13, 2016 14:44

Milkfred E. Moore: Aug 27, 2006; 'It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.'

Kommando posted:

Why? Am I not allowed to like things that turbo nerds like yourself don't like?

It's probably because I came from SD.net's sister forum back in the day, so, I know that the Salvation War is written in an entirely serious manner that lacks any sense of irony for a very particular audience. It's a combination of war porn, conservative ideology and libertarian fantasies which squanders an admittedly interesting concept so it can basically be pornography for reactionary neckbeards. It's impossible to accurately describe the extent of how self-masturbatory the whole thing is.

quote:

�Mister President, a message from the Ronald Reagan battle group out in the Pacific. They�ve engaged four flying demons, killed all of them. No casualties on our side. Whatever these things are, they aren�t immortal or invulnerable. They burn and die, just like we do.�

President Bush looked dully at Secretary Gates. The betrayal that had been represented by The Message had hit him deep, torn apart the faith that had kept him going even in the darkest years of his presidency. Then, with his opinion poll figures trending up at last, this had to happen. He shook his head, tried to clear the clouds of despair from his mind and absorbed the information. As he did so, his eyes lit up for the first time in three days.

�Get word out to all our armed forces. Tell them to engage these, these things, at every opportunity. Shoot first, hit hard and keep hitting them. Let them know that we may go down but it won�t be without one hell of a fight.�

�Them Sir?�

�Them. Everybody. Our forces, the religious leaders who brought that message to us, those who the message came from. I don�t care who �they� are, either they attacked us or they betrayed us and I don�t see the difference between those who promise us an eternity of torture or those who would hand us over to that fate. They�re both our enemies now. And we�ll fight them. All of them.� Bush�s voice had gained strength and he made his commitment. �We may have believed in higher powers once, but they�ve forfeited any loyalty we may have owed them. Secretary Gates, get the word out. We fight.�

Milkfred E. Moore fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Apr 13, 2016

# ? Apr 13, 2016 15:00

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

Barnaby Joyce has now been PM more times than Bill Shorten ever will be

# ? Apr 13, 2016 15:08

Wistful of Dollars: Aug 25, 2009

Zenithe posted:

It's a Simpsons joke.

My point stands. :colbert:

# ? Apr 13, 2016 15:47

Negligent: Aug 20, 2013; Its just lovely here this time of year.

we got the grauniad, the daily mail balances it out

# ? Apr 13, 2016 16:04

Recoome: Nov 9, 2013; Matter of fact, I'm salty now.

I hope the Dickheads that are pushing this Safe School crap end up with cross dressing, goat humping, gender bending, drug snorting, blow up doll loving kids who think that coming last is better than winning, it'll serve them right !.

# ? Apr 13, 2016 23:58

Cleretic: Feb 3, 2010; Ignore my posts!
I'm aggressively wrong about everything!

I'd probably prefer being parent to that kid over the sort of person who would make up that kid, so.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 00:04

Anidav: Feb 25, 2010; ahhh fuck its the rats again

My kid will beat up your kid.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 00:10

SecretOfSteel: Apr 29, 2007; The secret of steel has always
carried with it a mystery.

Is Clive Palmer saying we should nationalise all primary resource production or just Queensland Nickel? I like the idea either way.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 00:55

NPR Journalizard: Feb 14, 2008

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/14/manus-island-giant-rat-rattus-detentus-detainees

quote:

Manus Island�s newest �detainee� may have been on the island hundreds of thousands of years.

Rattus detentus, an ancient, isolated and previously unknown species of the genus Rattus � a rat � has been so named for the Latin �detained�, �in reference to the isolation of ... Manus Island and to the recent use of the island to detain people seeking political and/or economic asylum in Australia�.

The animal has been described for the first time, in the Journal of Mammalogy, by an international team of scientists including a former Australian of the Year, the mammalogist and palaeontologist Prof Tim Flannery.Detentus is known to live only on Manus Island, and only in two areas.

It is an �island giant�, according to Flannery, larger than almost any rat across the Melanesian archipelago. A typical detentus weighs nearly half a kilogram, with short, very coarse fur and a short tail.

Over millennia of isolation on Manus, detentus has adapted to conditions. It has powerful front incisors but small molars, suggesting it uses its front teeth to break open hard nuts. Detentus is, according to Flannery, an early branch of the Rattus genus found across the Melanesian archipelago.

Before confirmation detentus existed, Flannery said scientists had suspected there was a large rat endemic to the island. He said it had been exciting and �an immense privilege� to be able to discover and name the new species. �I�ve been looking for this rat for 30 years,� he said.

Labelling the detentus a new species was based on three specimens collected on Manus Island in the Admiralty group of islands, Papua New Guinea, between 2002 and 2012.

The specimens were compared with subfossil specimens from the Pamwak archaeological site on Manus, which �confirm the species as a long-term resident of Manus Island�.

The decision to name the new species detentus, the scientists wrote in their paper, was made �in reference to the isolation of this Melanesian Rattus lineage on Manus Island and to the recent use of the island to detain people seeking political and/or economic asylum in Australia�

That makes me chuckle.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 01:54

Cartoon: Jun 20, 2008; poop

So what do all these chunky poo head fascists base their 'Moslems are taking over bro! Not even once!' stance on?

The first significant influx of Moslem people came in the 1860s with the afghani camel drivers used to open up Central Australia. They were responsible for the :argh:

first mosque built in Australia (Marree in SA) and contributed significantly to the Adelaide Mosque (1888) and the Perth Mosque (1905) and then the cunning little scamps went dormant for nearly one hundred years! That's how insidious they are (If you can include the two with an ice cream van during the Battle of Broken HIll 1915). After integrating successfully into the community (usually small region ones. You know the ones fullest of racist nongs) for over one hundred years they rose up and... peacefully integrated into the community, only now in urban areas. They now occupy a staggering 2.2% of us. Holy moly I'm making GBS threads my pants here! That's gonna stink when I put them on my head.

:jerkbag:

Sources/Background - https://museumvictoria.com.au/origins/history.aspx?pid=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_(Australia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marree,_South_Australia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Australia

-/-

But let's let our Authoritarian freak flag fly!

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/14/police-powers-prevention-orders-could-set-up-rival-justice-system-in-nsw

quote:

Police powers: prevention orders could set up 'rival justice system' in NSW

Bar Association warns against proposal that would ban employment and restrict movement of people without them being found guilty of an offence

The bill would give New South Wales police similar powers to those they have to seek and impose control orders on terrorism suspects.

New police powers that could see citizens in New South Wales face bans on their employment, restrictions on movement and curfews without ever having committed an offence would set up a �rival criminal justice system� and should be scrapped, the New South Wales Bar Association has warned. The NSW government has sought to introduce new powers called serious crime prevention orders.

The bill would give police similar powers to those they have to seek and impose control orders on terrorism suspects � but they could be applied to all citizens in NSW who are alleged to have some proximity or involvement to a serious crime, without a person ever being found guilty of an offence. They would allow orders to be made on any citizen restricting their movement, who they associate with, who they work for and whether they can access the internet. Even when a person is acquitted of a criminal offence police could still seek such an order. The penalty for breaching an order could be up to five years� imprisonment or a $33,000 fine for an individual, or $165,000 for a corporation.

In a scathing submission the NSW Bar Association criticised the government�s limited consultation with legal groups and its attempt to rush the bill through NSW parliament.

�No evidence has been cited as to the ineffectiveness of the administration of criminal justice by a process of trial for �reducing serious and organised crime� in New South Wales,� the submission said. �The bill effectively sets up a rival to the criminal trial system and interferes unacceptably in the fundamental human rights and freedoms of citizens of NSW.� It said the government had failed to explain why the powers should be expanded in a manner �so contradictory to long-settled principles concerning the adjudication of criminal guilt by a fair trial�.

The police minister, Troy Grant, has said that the measures would provide law enforcement agencies with a more effective means of reducing serious and organised crime by targeting business dealings and restricting suspects� behaviour.

Under the new provisions, the NSW police, the NSW Crime Commission and the NSW director of public prosecutions could seek orders from a judge, who must be satisfied there are �reasonable grounds� it would protect the public by restricting or preventing serious crime-related activity. But the bar association said it was unclear why the laws were needed. While they could be applied to individuals who had been convicted of a serious criminal offence, they would also be applicable to behaviour that was considered �serious crime-related activity� without an offence needing to be proven. The orders could also be sought on the basis of hearsay and other forms of tendency evidence that would normally be inadmissible in a normal criminal trial. The bar association warned that the laws posed an unacceptable interference with citizens; right to freedom of expression, association and privacy. They also noted that the orders were of �doubtful constitutional validity�. �Whatever be the fate of the legislation it can be said with confidence that very grave issues are raised by its prospect and that our high court will give them the attention they deserve,� the association said.

Our children and their children will not live in the same world that we did, and it won't be Moslems that did the damage.

And it's not like the police would ever abuse their powers! There are whole codes of conduct against that sort of thing:

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/05/police-officers-troll-greens-anti-sniffer-dog-campaign-on-facebook

quote:

(excerpt)Several officers have been found to have posted incorrect information on the NSW Greens� Sniff Off Facebook page, which publicises the location of drug detector dogs at railway stations, bus interchanges and events around Sydney.

Officers commented on status updates posted on 29 February and 7 March that advised of drug dogs� presence at Sydenham and Liverpool stations to insist that the dogs were not there. �Yeah nothing to see here,� wrote one beneath the February status. �Still nothing,� replied another. The first then posted a meme in the thread showing a German Shepherd dog at a computer, with the caption reading: �Saw bad man. Bit bad man. End of report.� The men�s identities have not been publicised by the NSW Greens, but Vice News confirmed that they were officers with NSW police. A third man is also thought to be involved. The Greens� justice spokesman, David Shoebridge, on Monday wrote to the NSW police commissioner, Andrew Scipione, to say that the police officers� conduct was a clear breach of police policies and to request that it be investigated.

NSW police said the officers involved had been spoken to and would be counselled.

In a letter copied to the state police minister, Shoebridge referred to the NSW police force code of conduct and ethics, which states that employees must �behave honestly and in a way that upholds the values and the good reputation of NSW police whether on or off duty�.

-/-

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/how-many-guns-are-kept-in-the-valley/2992777/

quote:

A CLARENCE Valley gun owner has amassed one of the state's largest private arsenals, with 91 firearms registered in his name.

A freedom of information request by the New South Wales Greens has revealed the 2460 postcode is home to 7930 registered guns, spread across the collections of 2043 owners. The area's biggest private gun cache is also one of the 100 largest in the state. Greens MP David Shoebridge sparked an online debate when he suggested on Facebook that allowing people to accumulate such vast weapons hoards was a public threat - especially if the cache was stolen. "The Greens accept that there are people in the community who have a genuine reason to own a gun," he said. "Farmers on rural properties often require firearms for euthanising injured stock or controlling wild invasive animals. "But it is impossible to see how any one individual can establish a 'genuine' or 'good reason' to have dozens or even hundreds of guns."

The party has set up a website listing gun ownership levels by postcode.

Yamba (2464) had 138 legal gun owners with 462 firearms, while Maclean (2463) was home to 1564 guns in 435 separate collections. There were 268 registered firearms in Iluka (2466), with the postcode's largest private stockpile numbering 26 guns. The data excluded weapons owned by firearms dealers and collectors. There were 850,634 registered guns in NSW as of December last year - up from 619,000 in 2001. (That's a huge rise in 'recreational' target shooters). Mr Shoebridge said a legal loophole in Australia's laws allowed gun owners to "endlessly recycle" the same reason used to acquire their first firearm when obtaining dozens more. The Greens have called for reforms that would force gun owners to provide a separate and extraordinary reason for owning each weapon once they had five to their name.

Firearms Owners Association of Australia president Ron Owen said shooters were already unfairly targeted and mired in red tape.

"All this does is put restrictions on good people and waste time, money and resources on controlling them," he said. "If you have over 30 firearms, you have to jump through all the hoops - you have to have increased security. "The idea of gun registration is just insane. "In fact, you would be much safer without registration or ever telling the police where they are. "We've had incidents in different states, especially Victoria, where police have actually been selling lists of licensed shooters. "The whole thing is a leaky boat."

https://www.toomanyguns.org/top-100

http://www.guncontrolaustralia.org/handguns_by_postcode

# ? Apr 14, 2016 02:11

NPR Journalizard: Feb 14, 2008

And in news that will surprise noone, the AFP is accessing warrentless metadata in order to track down a journalists source.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/14/federal-police-admit-seeking-access-to-reporters-metadata-without-warrant

quote:

The Australian federal police have admitted they sought access to a Guardian reporter�s metadata without a warrant in an attempt to hunt down his sources.

It is the first time the AFP has confirmed seeking access to a journalist�s metadata in a particular case.

The admission came to light when the AFP told the privacy commissioner it had sought �subscriber checks� and email records relating to the Guardian Australia journalist Paul Farrell, and the correspondence was sent to Farrell by the office of the Australian information commissioner.

Earlier this year Guardian Australia reported that the AFP had accrued a file of at least 200 pages on Farrell in an attempt to uncover and prosecute his confidential sources.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 04:08

hooman: Oct 11, 2007; This guy seems legit.; Fun Shoe

Frogmanv2 posted:

And in news that will surprise noone, the AFP is accessing warrentless metadata in order to track down a journalists source.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/14/federal-police-admit-seeking-access-to-reporters-metadata-without-warrant

You missed the scariest part of that article:

"A spokesman for the AFP declined to comment on whether the agency may have violated Farrell�s privacy by accessing his metadata, citing telecommunications laws.

�The provisions of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA Act) strictly regulate the disclosure of information,� an AFP spokesman said.

�Outside of specific exceptions, none of which apply in these circumstances, it may constitute an offence under the TIA Act for the AFP to provide information in answer to these queries.�"

# ? Apr 14, 2016 04:13

Pickled Tink: Apr 28, 2012; Have you heard about First Dog? It's a very good comic I just love.

Also, wear your bike helmets kids. I copped several blows to the head but my helmet left me totally unscathed.

Finally you should check out First Dog as it's a good comic I like it very much.; Fun Shoe

This article should be required reading for everyone:

Alarmism, economic idiocy, and Orwellian appointments: three years of political disaster posted:

How to explain the trainwreck that is the last three years of the federal government? The debacle poses a challenge that will dog journalists, policy wonks and historians for decades to come. The explanations for its dysfunction and sustained under-achievement are complex, but there are at least two distinct theories worth considering.

In Malcolm Turnbull�s second ministerial reshuffle in February, Alex Hawke was promoted to the office of assistant minister to the treasurer. In 2005, the then young Liberal office holder prophesied that conservative politics in Australia would move increasingly towards an American model. Hawke explained that: �The two greatest forces for good in human history are capitalism and Christianity, and when they�re blended it�s a very powerful duo.�

Can the relentless incoherence and incompetence of the current government be attributed to a particular blend of capitalism and religion that has found favour in the US? Perhaps. British author Will Hutton argues that a malaise has swept the political right throughout the west and that it has given up on the Enlightenment and in doing so has rejected �tolerance, reason, democratic argument, progress and the drive for social betterment as cornerstones of society.�

If there is a serious contest about capitalism being waged in Australian politics, it is invisible to most of us. To the extent that there is a debate, it focuses on neoliberal capitalism. Perhaps Hawke�s invocation of capitalism is another way of expressing an opposition deep within the modern Australian conservative; an opposition to taxes and to government itself. Despite the rhetoric, the recent experience of conservative governments including the current government is that they levy more tax than their Labor counterparts.

Christianity is, if you will forgive me, a broad church. It�s a fair bet that Alex Hawke�s reportedly preferred flavour, Hillsong, has little in common with that promulgated by the world�s most prominent Christian, Pope Francis, who condemns �ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation.�

Christianity is invoked by politicians of left and right to rationalise almost any policy. Witness prime minister Rudd�s reliance on �the biblical injunction to care for the stranger in our midst� in support of a humane asylum seeker policy. In reversing that approach, prime minister Abbott declared: �Jesus knew that there was a place for everything and it is not necessarily everyone�s place to come to Australia�. If Christianity helps us understand the federal government, then it is a particularly aggressive and intolerant strain.

Alex Hawke�s prediction that Australian conservatives would look to their counterparts in the US resonates precisely because the US Republicans increasingly make no sense. As the success of the abusive, racist demagogue Donald Trump seems increasingly assured in the GOP primary race, there is a very real possibility of a seismic split.

Malcolm Turnbull is no Donald Trump but he is surrounded by many unusual politicians with strange cultural obsessions and hostilities, many of which appear to be derived from the Tea Party and fringe right wing groups in the US. Many of them voted for him to replace Tony Abbott as the prime minister.

And yet, there is also a far more prosaic explanation for the mess.

The federal government is hostage to the campaign run by Abbott in opposition � a campaign had three essential features: it was ruthlessly prosecuted, very successful and, finally, completely and utterly irrational.

The opposition inculcated a state of perpetual crisis that was the envy of professional catastrophists the world over. The crises said to beleaguer the nation under a Labor government formed an impressively long list: the cost of living crisis, the retail crisis, the productivity crisis, the debt crisis, the deficit disaster, emergency low interest rates, sovereign risk crisis, the budget emergency.

None of the crises were real. Rather, they were a fiction borne of a political strategy designed to destabilise and remove the Labor government which, for all its faults presided over a stunning macroeconomic performance and successfully ducked a recession in the wake of the global financial crisis.

It is one thing to proclaim a series of crises. It�s another to promulgate the solution. The then opposition�s program was remarkably simple and painless: �No cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS.� Critically, there would also be tax cuts.

Exactly how the federal government would cut taxes, reduce government debt and transition to a budget surplus, boost infrastructure and not cut major expenditure like health, education and the pension was never made clear. Nor could it be made clear. The laws of mathematics do not accommodate such idiocy.

Economic illiteracy can be masked by theatrical bluff and bluster for only so long. The government�s 2014 budget cut a swathe through its pre-election promises including gouging an $80bn hole in funding for health and education. Taxes weren�t cut; in fact, there was an attempt to raise a new tax � for visiting a GP.

The Senate kept the government to its pre-election promises and it has been stuck in a paralysing funk ever since.

In its short life the LNP government has levied more tax as a proportion of GDP than its predecessor. Government spending as a proportion of GDP has also increased, the budget deficit has more than doubled[url] from its �crisis� levels in 2013, and gross government debt has ballooned by over $100bn.

The bluff and bluster was resurrected when treasurer Scott Morrison recently tweeted: �Labor�s plan is to tax, spend and borrow. Our plan is to back Australians who are working, saving and investing.�

quote:
Labor�s plan is to tax, spend and borrow. Our plan is to back Australians who are working, saving and investing. #qt #auspol
� Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) [url=https://twitter.com/ScottMorrisonMP/status/696549026460598272]February 8, 2016

By January 2016, even conservative partisans at the Australian could no longer maintain the fiscal fantasy. Judith Sloan wrote: �I�m calling it here: the Turnbull government is a big spending, big taxing government with no real intention to pare back the growth of government spending, let alone cut it.� In other words, Turnbull continued where Abbott left off.

The wild irrationality that has infected the government has manifested itself in a series of government appointments. A climate science denier, Maurice Newman, was one of the government�s first, appointed to head its Business Advisory Council.

As Australian temperature records fell like dying birds from burning eucalyptus trees, Newman called for an inquiry into the Bureau of Meteorology. Since the 2013 election, the BOM has persisted in issuing extreme weather forecasts and documenting the overwhelming number of climate records being broken. To his credit, Turnbull revoked the appointment on being elevated to prime minister.

How are we to rationalise the abolition of the office of the disability discrimination commissioner and the appointment of the first national wind farm commissioner? The elimination of a key role to assist the large number of people with disabilities and their families, many of whom live below the poverty line and struggle with endemic disadvantage, followed by the creation of a new role to address a syndrome that doesn�t exist.

The appointment of Tim Wilson to the role of �freedom commissioner� was an Orwellian coup for the extreme right lobbyists at the IPA, effectively outsourcing Wilson�s labour costs to the taxpayer.

The man who specialised in the dehumanisation of asylum seekers and perpetuated the incarceration of children, Philip Ruddock, secured an appointment as special envoy for human rights. More Orwell.

The government�s professed attachment to free speech and other �traditional freedoms� is impossible to reconcile with its actions. It sought to silence, intimidate and then remove the president of the Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs. It has enacted laws to prevent doctors speaking about the harm being inflicted on refugees.

There are the measures taken to silence NGOs including community legal centres who are banned from advocating for law reform. The work of environmental organisations including the Environmental Defenders� Office has been sabotaged notwithstanding the government�s failed attempt to prevent environmental groups accessing the legal system. So much for the rule of law.

One of the first notable and ominous acts of the federal government was, in fact, an omission � the first government in over 70 years not to appoint a science minister. Since then, the country�s peak scientific research body, the CSIRO, has responded to funding cuts by shedding scientists like dead skin. A world renowned research program into climate change has been ditched.

Against a background of attacks on scientific research and the debacle that is the country�s major innovation and infrastructure project, the NBN, Turnbull announced a new innovation policy.

Who or what is responsible for the government�s many other strange cultural and religious obsessions? Eric Abetz�s insistence on a link between breast cancer and abortion, notwithstanding the science that discredited this theory five decades ago. The attempt to ban the burqa in the confines of Parliament House. The campaign to water down racial vilification laws in support of the right to be a bigot. The havoc wreaked on investment in renewable energy as the government campaigned against �ugly� wind turbines. The many attacks on the ABC, culminating in a government black-ban on appearing on its current affairs flagship, Q&A. The attack on Safe Schools.

Endless fuel to stoke the fires of satire � perhaps � but there is another more disturbing dimension to these obsessions. The federal government almost always �punches down�. The coalition caucus is a toxic brew of fierce antagonism directed at minority groups, the disadvantaged and victims of discrimination.

Those targeted to be disadvantaged by its policies are invariably minorities, the less well-off and those with little or no political voice: those with the smallest superannuation balances, Muslims, cleaners of Canberra offices, food processing workers employed at SPC, the unemployed (the attempt to impose a six-month qualification period to qualify for unemployment benefits), children in disadvantaged schools (the sabotage of Gonski education reforms), the strenuous attempts to chisel lowly paid workers with intellectual disability out of backpay owed to them, the calculated and deliberately cruel infliction of injury on refugees fleeing war zones including Syria.

And let us not forget the attempt to wind back consumer protections against predatory crooks in our ethically challenged banks, championed by Turnbull�s key ally, Senator Arthur Sinodinos.

While almost all the attention has been focused on the titular head, you can only begin to understand this federal government by shifting your gaze to what�s underneath: the convulsing, twisting and raging body.

I have maintained most of the articles links. The only exception was a "Malcolm Turnbull" that linked to a category of news stories dedicated to him.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 08:20

ewe2: Jul 1, 2009

Pickled Tink posted:

[url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/13/alarmism-economic-idiocy-and-orwellian-appointments-three-years-of-political-

I'll see your article and raise you this one from about a month ago, but rather relevant to Australian politics. It's them copying us really, we've been authoritarian since the invasion. We're just being run by really stupid authoritarians these days.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 09:03

LibertyCat: Mar 5, 2016; by WE B Bourgeois

Cartoon posted:

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/how-many-guns-are-kept-in-the-valley/2992777/

https://www.toomanyguns.org/top-100

http://www.guncontrolaustralia.org/handguns_by_postcode

So, Cartoon, what exactly is the problem here? This page by complete fuckwit David Shoebridge states

quote:

This lack of rigour in the law has allowed 100 citizens in NSW to have more than 70 guns each. There are dozens of people in ordinary suburbs and towns who quite literally own private arsenals. The community expects that our firearm laws will put reasonable limits on the number of guns people can own to prevent the build-up of private arsenals in the community.

When was the last time a licensed shooter actually caused community harm by having >50 guns as opposed to 5? Given you can only carry 2 or 3 guns at a time it's not like it makes you any 50x more deadly.

I note you didn't answer my critique of your alarmist commentary concerning the Adler shotgun.

--

Hah I found this

quote:

Hunter mother joins Too Many Guns campaign

SHAREE Hanssen�s son died in 2004 after a stolen sawn-off shotgun went off in his hands as he ran from police at Edgeworth.

�I know my son was a criminal and I�m not putting him up on a pedestal, but he didn�t need to die like that,� Ms Hanssen said on Monday in response to NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge�s statement that some individual gun owners have so many guns they become �honeypot targets� for criminals.

Her son Adrian was a drug addict with a criminal history when he was bailed to live with her in Sydney. He had a pregnant girlfriend. Like many drug addicts he wanted to get off the drugs and start again, Ms Hanssen said.

And like many drug addicts he failed. He returned to Newcastle, reconnected with drug contacts and obtained a stolen gun with a faulty trigger. He was dead only weeks after returning home.

Mr Shoebridge said a system that allowed licensed gun owners to register up to 322 firearms just by ticking a box saying they had a �good reason� for owning them, was a system that needed to change.

His call for the NSW Government to mandate a five-gun limit for individual owners, with people required to provide a separate and extraordinary reason for each gun beyond the limit, prompted strong responses on the Newcastle Herald�s website, both for and against.

Ms Hanssen said the politics of guns in NSW, with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party in a position of influence in the NSW Upper House, was disturbing.

�The NSW Government has to forget about gun laws from the past and come up with laws that protect people in modern society where there�s an organised criminal element and significant drug issues,� she said.

So a drug addict steals a shotgun, does some illegal gunsmithing (shortens it and probably fiddled with the trigger himself), gets killed running from cops, and his mother's response is to call for tougher gun laws.

quote:

Mr Shoebridge said the Hunter region had many examples of registered firearm thefts from homes, where the firearms later surfaced in crimes. The examples include a man purporting to be a police officer wanting to check on firearm security.

and I'm sure this has nothing to do with the NSW firearms registry being hacked giving criminals a shopping list of where to find guns.

LibertyCat fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Apr 14, 2016

# ? Apr 14, 2016 09:42

BlitzkriegOfColour: Aug 22, 2010

LibertyCat posted:

So, Cartoon, what exactly is the problem here? This page by complete fuckwit David Shoebridge states

When was the last time a licensed shooter actually caused community harm by having >50 guns as opposed to 5? Given you can only carry 2 or 3 guns at a time it's not like it makes you any 50x more deadly.

I note you didn't answer my critique of your alarmist commentary concerning the Adler shotgun.

You're discounting the psychological effect of owning a lot of guns. A gun owner with more and more guns is a gun owner who's jacking off over them more and more. I know because I' m a musician, and the more gear I have, the more time I spend thinking about using it and the more time I end up playing music. My partner who is a carpenter, well, the more tools she gets, the more time she spends thinking about using tools to build and modify things, and indeed, the more things get done around our warehouse.

What do guns do again?

So the larger a collection of guns grows, the higher the inclination to use them for their intended purpose.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 09:50

LibertyCat: Mar 5, 2016; by WE B Bourgeois

BlitzkriegOfColour posted:

You're discounting the psychological effect of owning a lot of guns. A gun owner with more and more guns is a gun owner who's jacking off over them more and more. I know because I' m a musician, and the more gear I have, the more time I spend thinking about using it and the more time I end up playing music. My partner who is a carpenter, well, the more tools she gets, the more time she spends thinking about using tools to build and modify things, and indeed, the more things get done around our warehouse.

What do guns do again?

So the larger a collection of guns grows, the higher the inclination to use them for their intended purpose.

An interesting point - you would have to be truly obsessed to own that many. I'm not sure if prohibiting such stupidly high numbers would stop the obsession though. I suspect the owners were obsessed before they acquired a hugely expensive pile of guns. Remember that the owners have passed police background checks and do not have a disqualifying criminal history.

RE their "intended purpose": Out of every bullet ever made I'd wager >99.99% end up fired into a paper target. If guns were only for murdering human beings, given the number of licensed gun owners in Australia, streets would be running with blood.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 09:58

Zenithe: Feb 25, 2013; _{Ask not to whom the Anidavatar belongs; it belongs to thee.}

LibertyCat posted:

So a drug addict steals a shotgun, does some illegal gunsmithing (shortens it and probably fiddled with the trigger himself), gets killed running from cops, and his mother's response is to call for tougher gun laws.

Guy has access to guns, does something dumb he couldn't have done without access to guns, mother has basic empathy and doesn't want other people to potentially suffer the same fate?

# ? Apr 14, 2016 10:02

LibertyCat: Mar 5, 2016; by WE B Bourgeois

Zenithe posted:

Guy has access to guns, does something dumb he couldn't have done without access to guns, mother has basic empathy and doesn't want other people to potentially suffer the same fate?

So the mum wants to punish the victim of the theft, to protect future criminals from killing themselves with illegally modified stolen property?

A criminal using a gun in a police confrontation accidentally killing themselves is no great loss.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 10:08

I would blow Dane Cook: Dec 26, 2008

LibertyCat posted:

and I'm sure this has nothing to do with the NSW firearms registry being hacked giving criminals a shopping list of where to find guns.

Was that confirmed? There was a lot of speculation that it happened in Tasmania too.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 10:08

LibertyCat: Mar 5, 2016; by WE B Bourgeois

yes there was a police whistleblower. The registry database sat on an unsecured network share for months.

found it

quote:

Database lacked audit trail according to source.

Up to 700,000 records of NSW firearms holders may have been exposed thanks to alleged weak security and lax audit controls around the state's firearms database, according to a report.

NSW Police Sergeant David Good told Sporting Shooter Magazine the database was moved from a secure server to a local intranet where it was accessible by 16,000 police and civilian staff in the 18 months to December 2010.

He said it would be easy to break into the database without being detected. Further details were not provided in the report.

A NSW Police spokeswoman told SC there was "no evidence indicating the database was compromised" during the 18 months before it was moved to a "controlled access" and auditable environment.

She said the NSW Government was conducting an independent audit of the registry and mulling the creation of smart card firearms licences.

Police could not immediately verify Sgt Good's claims that the database lacked the audit controls seemingly necessary to determine a breach of access.

Sgt Good said he became a whistleblower after a false gun audit was made at a Taree property by a fraudster masquerading as a police officer. It was discovered the audit was fraudulent after the suspicious property owner contacted police.

LibertyCat fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Apr 14, 2016

# ? Apr 14, 2016 10:09

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# ? May 24, 2024 15:50

Zenithe: Feb 25, 2013; _{Ask not to whom the Anidavatar belongs; it belongs to thee.}

LibertyCat posted:

So the mum wants to punish the victim of the theft, to protect future criminals from killing themselves with illegally modified stolen property?

A criminal using a gun in a police confrontation accidentally killing themselves is no great loss.

Did you even read the article? It says he obtained a stolen gun, not that he stole the gun.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 10:11

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