Howard's conservative narrative: In his final major speech to the National Press Club before the election, Howard does a workmanlike job in constructing the conservative narrative. Much of this narrative has gone unchallenged by the official opposition, which (as in the question of the Iraq war and International law) makes only a token effort to rebut it. On issues such as the waterfront clash and industrial relations reform (ie, systematic de-unionisation), Labor has had nothing to say, as far as I am aware. The conservative narrative needs to be taken head on in every point, and systematically deconstructed. This is what would demolish the political persona of the government, which is in reality hardly anything more than a house of cards.

Howard's conservative narrative: In his final major speech to the National Press Club before the election, Howard does a workmanlike job in constructing the conservative narrative. Much of this narrative has gone unchallenged by the official opposition, which (as in the question of the Iraq war and International law) makes only a token effort to rebut it. On issues such as the waterfront clash and industrial relations reform (ie, systematic de-unionisation), Labor has had nothing to say, as far as I am aware. The conservative narrative needs to be taken head on in every point, and systematically deconstructed. This is what would demolish the political persona of the government, which is in reality hardly anything more than a house of cards.

Limited News: Inside look at News Limited: "If ever a prize is awarded for unanimity over the Iraq war, News Corporation will win easily — outdistancing all Western political parties, and even the American military. No organisation can quite eliminate dissent while operating under democracy. But Newscorp keeps it down to homeopathic dosage: here an isolated columnist; there a liberal TV pundit, coming on in the apologetic way of a Good German in traditional war movies.

"How is it done, given that any representative bunch of English-speaking humans will exhibit passionate differences about Iraq? Some evidence is available in the American documentary Outfoxed (distributed via CD at www.outfoxed.org) and now there is a specifically Australian dimension, available on the website http://www.limitednews.info"

Limited News: Inside look at News Limited: "If ever a prize is awarded for unanimity over the Iraq war, News Corporation will win easily — outdistancing all Western political parties, and even the American military. No organisation can quite eliminate dissent while operating under democracy. But Newscorp keeps it down to homeopathic dosage: here an isolated columnist; there a liberal TV pundit, coming on in the apologetic way of a Good German in traditional war movies.

"How is it done, given that any representative bunch of English-speaking humans will exhibit passionate differences about Iraq? Some evidence is available in the American documentary Outfoxed (distributed via CD at www.outfoxed.org) and now there is a specifically Australian dimension, available on the website http://www.limitednews.info"

Family First: 'lunatic Right': "Police confirmed they were investigating an incident in which supporters of Family First allegedly hurled eggs at Greens party members after screaming obscenities at them and declaring that lesbians were 'witches who should be burned at the stake'.

"Mr Joyce said he was deeply disturbed by a leaflet published by a Family First Victorian Senate candidate, Danny Nalliah, of the Catch the Fire Ministries. 'Spot Satan's strongholds in the areas you are living - brothels, gambling places, bottleshops, mosque, temples - Freemasons/Buddhist/Hindu etc, witchcraft,' the leaflet says. 'If you are ready to pray against it, do so. If not, bring it to your church and ask your intercessors, through the pastor, to pull these strongholds down.'

"Mr Joyce said he believed no party should be swapping preferences with Family First. 'This is the lunatic Right, this is crazy, ill-informed stuff,' he said. 'They seem to be saying we should be tearing down mosques and tearing down bottleshops."

"Greens Queensland Senate candidate Drew Hutton said the "ugly" incident demonstrated why John Howard should not be swapping preferences with Family First. "These really are thuggish, intolerant people," Mr Hutton said."

Family First: 'lunatic Right': "Police confirmed they were investigating an incident in which supporters of Family First allegedly hurled eggs at Greens party members after screaming obscenities at them and declaring that lesbians were 'witches who should be burned at the stake'.

"Mr Joyce said he was deeply disturbed by a leaflet published by a Family First Victorian Senate candidate, Danny Nalliah, of the Catch the Fire Ministries. 'Spot Satan's strongholds in the areas you are living - brothels, gambling places, bottleshops, mosque, temples - Freemasons/Buddhist/Hindu etc, witchcraft,' the leaflet says. 'If you are ready to pray against it, do so. If not, bring it to your church and ask your intercessors, through the pastor, to pull these strongholds down.'

"Mr Joyce said he believed no party should be swapping preferences with Family First. 'This is the lunatic Right, this is crazy, ill-informed stuff,' he said. 'They seem to be saying we should be tearing down mosques and tearing down bottleshops."

"Greens Queensland Senate candidate Drew Hutton said the "ugly" incident demonstrated why John Howard should not be swapping preferences with Family First. "These really are thuggish, intolerant people," Mr Hutton said."

The Final Judgment: Bush and Blair's (and Howard's) Case for War is Demolished: "Now we finally know what we had long suspected. When US and British forces invaded Iraq, Saddam Hussein had no chemical weapons; he had no biological weapons; he had no nuclear weapons. In fact, he had no banned weapons at all. That is the considered judgment of the Iraq Survey Group, set up by President Bush to prove his case for removing the Iraqi dictator, and released in Washington last night."

The total absence of weapons may come as a surprise - some remnants of biological and chemical weapons was reasonably expected to be there. But no serious observer believed for a moment that WMDs were ever the real reason for the war. They were the pretext - that was very obvious from the beginning.

The Final Judgment: Bush and Blair's (and Howard's) Case for War is Demolished: "Now we finally know what we had long suspected. When US and British forces invaded Iraq, Saddam Hussein had no chemical weapons; he had no biological weapons; he had no nuclear weapons. In fact, he had no banned weapons at all. That is the considered judgment of the Iraq Survey Group, set up by President Bush to prove his case for removing the Iraqi dictator, and released in Washington last night."

The total absence of weapons may come as a surprise - some remnants of biological and chemical weapons was reasonably expected to be there. But no serious observer believed for a moment that WMDs were ever the real reason for the war. They were the pretext - that was very obvious from the beginning.

Blair's war in his own words: Numerous excerpts of Blair's speeches on Iraq from 2001 to 2004. The notion that Iraq was invaded because of its 'WMDs' was and is a ludicrous one - its hard to see how anyone (including Blair) could ever have taken it seriously. The decision to invade and occupy Iraq was made by the US Administration for other reasons and 'WMDs' was the pretext. Blair is nothing but a high class conman - just grin and perk up and keep on lying and lying. Get caught out, get questioned by the police, get arrested, get jailed - just keep on grinning and lying. People forget what was said and done yesterday, and there is always someone new coming along who can be tricked all over again.

Blair's war in his own words: Numerous excerpts of Blair's speeches on Iraq from 2001 to 2004. The notion that Iraq was invaded because of its 'WMDs' was and is a ludicrous one - its hard to see how anyone (including Blair) could ever have taken it seriously. The decision to invade and occupy Iraq was made by the US Administration for other reasons and 'WMDs' was the pretext. Blair is nothing but a high class conman - just grin and perk up and keep on lying and lying. Get caught out, get questioned by the police, get arrested, get jailed - just keep on grinning and lying. People forget what was said and done yesterday, and there is always someone new coming along who can be tricked all over again.

Neocons to push on undeterred, according to Anonymous: "Powell's early 2005 departure is the subject of intense jockeying among the neocons. A Perle neocon protégé, Michael Rubin, has been given the task of destroying the only competition -- L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer, the former Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority chief, not a neocon insider and the favorite of traditional Republican conservatives. The neocon plan is to make Bremer the scapegoat... Given the implosion of Iraq, Wolfowitz and his coterie have doubts that Wolfowitz can be confirmed as secretary (of either DOD or State) without a debilitating confirmation process, though State remains choice No. 1. A more complicated plan is to again play behind Condoleezza Rice. With Rice as secretary of state and Wolfowitz in as national security advisor, neocons would put David Wurmser or John Bolton in as Rice's deputy, replacing Armitage.... Neocons are not dissuaded by the problems in Iraq; on the contrary, they are arguing that the problem is "Bremerism" -- the U.S. has not gone far enough. In their view, we need to take out the Palestinians, Syria and Iran now."

"Working with direct input from Israeli intelligence, Feith's Pentagon office coordinated with Libby and Wurmser in the vice president's office to spread the story that the missing WMD are to be found hidden in Syria. Israeli agents have worked overtime to neutralize and undo Syrian cooperation with the CIA against al-Qaida. This comes on the heels of a similar highly successful destruction of CIA inroads with the Palestinian Authority. We are now light-years beyond the two-state solution focus of Middle East policy. Instead of chasing Laden, the neocons plan to put the U.S. on the road to Damascus -- and Tehran. The groundwork is laid.... Powell is leaving. We need to repeat that. When this reality sinks in, we will finally understand what we are getting ourselves into in a second Bush term. A handful of conservative columnists, Republican senators and a few other GOP luminaries are trying to reclaim a traditional conservative Republican foreign policy approach. But it is clearly too late.... George W. Bush has signed on to the neocon agenda with the unshakeable faith of the born again."

If this analysis is believed to be true then it sharpens the difference between Bush and Kerry, and the Nader approach must again be questioned as frankly irresponsible. This analysis is also remarkable as a dissection of ruthless and Machiavellian Washington policy and politics which is of course totally at odds with the 'official' version retailed by the corporate media.

Neocons to push on undeterred, according to Anonymous: "Powell's early 2005 departure is the subject of intense jockeying among the neocons. A Perle neocon protégé, Michael Rubin, has been given the task of destroying the only competition -- L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer, the former Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority chief, not a neocon insider and the favorite of traditional Republican conservatives. The neocon plan is to make Bremer the scapegoat... Given the implosion of Iraq, Wolfowitz and his coterie have doubts that Wolfowitz can be confirmed as secretary (of either DOD or State) without a debilitating confirmation process, though State remains choice No. 1. A more complicated plan is to again play behind Condoleezza Rice. With Rice as secretary of state and Wolfowitz in as national security advisor, neocons would put David Wurmser or John Bolton in as Rice's deputy, replacing Armitage.... Neocons are not dissuaded by the problems in Iraq; on the contrary, they are arguing that the problem is "Bremerism" -- the U.S. has not gone far enough. In their view, we need to take out the Palestinians, Syria and Iran now."

"Working with direct input from Israeli intelligence, Feith's Pentagon office coordinated with Libby and Wurmser in the vice president's office to spread the story that the missing WMD are to be found hidden in Syria. Israeli agents have worked overtime to neutralize and undo Syrian cooperation with the CIA against al-Qaida. This comes on the heels of a similar highly successful destruction of CIA inroads with the Palestinian Authority. We are now light-years beyond the two-state solution focus of Middle East policy. Instead of chasing Laden, the neocons plan to put the U.S. on the road to Damascus -- and Tehran. The groundwork is laid.... Powell is leaving. We need to repeat that. When this reality sinks in, we will finally understand what we are getting ourselves into in a second Bush term. A handful of conservative columnists, Republican senators and a few other GOP luminaries are trying to reclaim a traditional conservative Republican foreign policy approach. But it is clearly too late.... George W. Bush has signed on to the neocon agenda with the unshakeable faith of the born again."

If this analysis is believed to be true then it sharpens the difference between Bush and Kerry, and the Nader approach must again be questioned as frankly irresponsible. This analysis is also remarkable as a dissection of ruthless and Machiavellian Washington policy and politics which is of course totally at odds with the 'official' version retailed by the corporate media.

Traumatised marine commits suicide back home: "Jeff wrote to Julianne Proulx, his girlfriend since 1997, that he had done 'immoral things.'" ... While drunk, Lucey took two handmade Iraqi dog tags from around his neck, threw them at his younger sister, and told her that he felt like a murderer.... He spoke of elderly people killed as they tried to run from Marines rolling into Nasariya. He spoke of a small Iraqi boy, bloody and prone in the dusty street, shot in the head and the chest and still holding a small, bloodstained American flag in his hands.... He spoke of how he had been ordered to shoot two Iraqi prisoners. He remembered how he had looked into their eyes and hesitated, watching as they shook in terror, and thinking of their families.... On June 22, he chose the last of these three methods, hanging himself with a hose in the basement of his parents' home."

Traumatised marine commits suicide back home: "Jeff wrote to Julianne Proulx, his girlfriend since 1997, that he had done 'immoral things.'" ... While drunk, Lucey took two handmade Iraqi dog tags from around his neck, threw them at his younger sister, and told her that he felt like a murderer.... He spoke of elderly people killed as they tried to run from Marines rolling into Nasariya. He spoke of a small Iraqi boy, bloody and prone in the dusty street, shot in the head and the chest and still holding a small, bloodstained American flag in his hands.... He spoke of how he had been ordered to shoot two Iraqi prisoners. He remembered how he had looked into their eyes and hesitated, watching as they shook in terror, and thinking of their families.... On June 22, he chose the last of these three methods, hanging himself with a hose in the basement of his parents' home."

How Bush Did in the first debate: A stuttering idiot of a President once described as a 'moron' by a Canadian minister. Perhaps the editing is unfair. Perhaps not. See also this edited summary of the Republican National Convention and try to rebut the contention it does not capture Republican re-election strategy.

How Bush Did in the first debate: A stuttering idiot of a President once described as a 'moron' by a Canadian minister. Perhaps the editing is unfair. Perhaps not. See also this edited summary of the Republican National Convention and try to rebut the contention it does not capture Republican re-election strategy.

PM releases letter of thanks from Iraqi Govt.: "The Prime Minister has made public a letter he received last week from the acting Prime Minister of Iraq. The letter thanks John Howard for Australia's contribution to securing peace and safety for the people of Iraq. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has used the letter to criticise Labor's plan to withdraw Australian troops by Christmas.

"'I think he makes the very serious point that a draw down of Australian forces in the near term could have serious consequences for Iraq and the international community,' he said. 'It would indicate that important Coalition partners are not willing to stay the course with us until Iraqi security forces are able to provide the security of this nation. 'It would embolden terrorists and insurgents.'"

The quisling Iraqi 'Prime Minister' Allawi is a CIA asset and puppet of the US with a reputation as a thug and a murderer and practically zero support or legitimacy within Iraq itself. (Saddam, anyone?) Australia should end the practice of lending support to dictatorial, undemocratic governments merely because they are prepared to align themselves with US interests. Australian forces in Iraq are small and their presence or absence is unlikely to have any impact on the insurgency. They should be withdrawn for symbolic reasons, and of course as a guarantee of their own safety. Their continued presence in Iraq just like Australia's involvement in the illegal invasion of Iraq can only lead to increased resentment among muslims the world over.

PM releases letter of thanks from Iraqi Govt.: "The Prime Minister has made public a letter he received last week from the acting Prime Minister of Iraq. The letter thanks John Howard for Australia's contribution to securing peace and safety for the people of Iraq. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has used the letter to criticise Labor's plan to withdraw Australian troops by Christmas.

"'I think he makes the very serious point that a draw down of Australian forces in the near term could have serious consequences for Iraq and the international community,' he said. 'It would indicate that important Coalition partners are not willing to stay the course with us until Iraqi security forces are able to provide the security of this nation. 'It would embolden terrorists and insurgents.'"

The quisling Iraqi 'Prime Minister' Allawi is a CIA asset and puppet of the US with a reputation as a thug and a murderer and practically zero support or legitimacy within Iraq itself. (Saddam, anyone?) Australia should end the practice of lending support to dictatorial, undemocratic governments merely because they are prepared to align themselves with US interests. Australian forces in Iraq are small and their presence or absence is unlikely to have any impact on the insurgency. They should be withdrawn for symbolic reasons, and of course as a guarantee of their own safety. Their continued presence in Iraq just like Australia's involvement in the illegal invasion of Iraq can only lead to increased resentment among muslims the world over.

Mother of soldier killed in Iraq collapses, dies - Oct 5, 2004: "A 45-year-old woman collapsed and died days after learning her son had been killed in Iraq, and just hours after seeing his body. Results of an autopsy were not immediately released, but friends of Karen Unruh-Wahrer said she couldn't stop crying over losing her 25-year-old son, Army Spc. Robert Oliver Unruh, who was killed by enemy fire near Baghdad on September 25. 'Her grief was so intense -- it seemed it could have harmed her, could have caused a heart attack. Her husband described it as a broken heart'"

Mother of soldier killed in Iraq collapses, dies - Oct 5, 2004: "A 45-year-old woman collapsed and died days after learning her son had been killed in Iraq, and just hours after seeing his body. Results of an autopsy were not immediately released, but friends of Karen Unruh-Wahrer said she couldn't stop crying over losing her 25-year-old son, Army Spc. Robert Oliver Unruh, who was killed by enemy fire near Baghdad on September 25. 'Her grief was so intense -- it seemed it could have harmed her, could have caused a heart attack. Her husband described it as a broken heart'"

Windpower for China: "The new wind power plant, located 60 miles outside Beijing in Guangting, will generate 400 megawatts per day, nearly doubling the electrical energy China currently obtains from wind. But that's just the beginning. Last summer at a climate change conference in Bonn, Germany, China surprised many by announcing it will generate 12 percent of its energy from renewable sources such as wind by 2020. Pollution is part of the driving force behind China's newfound passion for green energy.... Another reason China is looking to wind is because it is now as cheap as coal.... Although China has little interest in nuclear power because of its high cost and security concerns, a few more nuclear plants will also be built."

Windpower for China: "The new wind power plant, located 60 miles outside Beijing in Guangting, will generate 400 megawatts per day, nearly doubling the electrical energy China currently obtains from wind. But that's just the beginning. Last summer at a climate change conference in Bonn, Germany, China surprised many by announcing it will generate 12 percent of its energy from renewable sources such as wind by 2020. Pollution is part of the driving force behind China's newfound passion for green energy.... Another reason China is looking to wind is because it is now as cheap as coal.... Although China has little interest in nuclear power because of its high cost and security concerns, a few more nuclear plants will also be built."

Chavez Announces that Venezuelan State Will Switch to “Free Software”: "President Chavez announced yesterday that “we are working on a decree to establish in Venezuela, in an official and obligatory manner, the support and adoption of free software in the public administration.” Chavez made this announcement during an event at which he opened numerous “info centers,” public internet access points, throughout the country.

"The objective of this decree is for Venezuela to achieve technological and informational independence. Free software is software that is distributed free of charge. The best known example of this is the Linux operating system, which has become the world’s most important challenger to the Microsoft Windows operating system.... Chavez added that the decision follows the principle of “national scientific independence, so that we do not depend on privately owned software. If knowledge does not have owners, then intellectual property is a trap set by neo-liberalism.”"

The concept of 'free software' is virtually self-explanatory. Why anyone would want to call it 'open source' I do not understand. There is a product called Open Office. What is that? Something that opens an Office document? Is it a Microsoft product? Surely it would be more accurate and effective to name it Free Office?

Chavez Announces that Venezuelan State Will Switch to “Free Software”: "President Chavez announced yesterday that “we are working on a decree to establish in Venezuela, in an official and obligatory manner, the support and adoption of free software in the public administration.” Chavez made this announcement during an event at which he opened numerous “info centers,” public internet access points, throughout the country.

"The objective of this decree is for Venezuela to achieve technological and informational independence. Free software is software that is distributed free of charge. The best known example of this is the Linux operating system, which has become the world’s most important challenger to the Microsoft Windows operating system.... Chavez added that the decision follows the principle of “national scientific independence, so that we do not depend on privately owned software. If knowledge does not have owners, then intellectual property is a trap set by neo-liberalism.”"

The concept of 'free software' is virtually self-explanatory. Why anyone would want to call it 'open source' I do not understand. There is a product called Open Office. What is that? Something that opens an Office document? Is it a Microsoft product? Surely it would be more accurate and effective to name it Free Office?

Orcinus: What is fascism?: "Put simply, fascism is maybe best understood as an extreme reaction against socialism and communism. It was explicitly anti-democratic, anti-liberal, and corporatist, and it endorsed violence as a chief means to its ends. It was also, obviously, authoritarian, but claiming that it was oriented toward 'socialism' is just crudely ahistorical, if not outrageously revisionist. Socialists, let's not forget, were among the first people imprisoned and 'liquidated' by the Nazi regime."

In an otherwise excellent series of articles on fascism, it seems to me that Orcinus misses the nature of the connection between fascism and socialism. It is not a coincidence that Mussolini came out of the Italian socialist movement and that the Nazi party was the 'National Socialist' party. Socialism needs to be understood as a democratic and popular movement, which sought to use the state to provide economic and social justice to the masses. Fascism attempts to provide the same appeal, except that it is a deception. Its real purpose is to protect the corporate and oligarchic elements and block democratic reform. In other words fascism (at least of the mid 20th Century kind) is a type of 'wedge' politics, which seeks to detach the masses from their support for socialism or social democracy. Modern conservatism is of course also 'wedge' politics, which attempts to divert the masses from their real economic and social interests to effectively serve the interests of the the oligarchs (or corporations). Racism, militarism, authoritarianism, leader cultism, heirarchalism, homogenism, nationalism, fundamentalism, homophobia, intolerance, hatespeech, scapegoating are all tools to this end. In fact all conservative politics could be described as wedge politics; and all democratic politics could be described as solidarity politics. Anarchists for example have long and correctly understood racism and nationalism as tools to divide the working class.

This is where social democrats and centre left parties have made an inevitable but fatal error. When faced with wedge politics, they have tended in the short term interest of winning power to decline to contest the issue. The effect is betrayal and abandonment and a relentless drift to the right of both major political groupings. Genuine progressive forces must make a committed effort to combat wedge politics and to build solidarity.

Orcinus: What is fascism?: "Put simply, fascism is maybe best understood as an extreme reaction against socialism and communism. It was explicitly anti-democratic, anti-liberal, and corporatist, and it endorsed violence as a chief means to its ends. It was also, obviously, authoritarian, but claiming that it was oriented toward 'socialism' is just crudely ahistorical, if not outrageously revisionist. Socialists, let's not forget, were among the first people imprisoned and 'liquidated' by the Nazi regime."

In an otherwise excellent series of articles on fascism, it seems to me that Orcinus misses the nature of the connection between fascism and socialism. It is not a coincidence that Mussolini came out of the Italian socialist movement and that the Nazi party was the 'National Socialist' party. Socialism needs to be understood as a democratic and popular movement, which sought to use the state to provide economic and social justice to the masses. Fascism attempts to provide the same appeal, except that it is a deception. Its real purpose is to protect the corporate and oligarchic elements and block democratic reform. In other words fascism (at least of the mid 20th Century kind) is a type of 'wedge' politics, which seeks to detach the masses from their support for socialism or social democracy. Modern conservatism is of course also 'wedge' politics, which attempts to divert the masses from their real economic and social interests to effectively serve the interests of the the oligarchs (or corporations). Racism, militarism, authoritarianism, leader cultism, heirarchalism, homogenism, nationalism, fundamentalism, homophobia, intolerance, hatespeech, scapegoating are all tools to this end. In fact all conservative politics could be described as wedge politics; and all democratic politics could be described as solidarity politics. Anarchists for example have long and correctly understood racism and nationalism as tools to divide the working class.

This is where social democrats and centre left parties have made an inevitable but fatal error. When faced with wedge politics, they have tended in the short term interest of winning power to decline to contest the issue. The effect is betrayal and abandonment and a relentless drift to the right of both major political groupings. Genuine progressive forces must make a committed effort to combat wedge politics and to build solidarity.

'Liberal' media 'criticises' Blair: "Tony Blair's speech yesterday to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton was "low-key, conversational and reasoned" the Guardian informs us (Leader, September 29, 2004). And his "long-awaited apology on Iraq, as far as it went, was a rightly well-received milestone in his fragile rehabilitation with his critics".

"How nice. No matter that Blair lied about intelligence on WMD, ignored security warnings about unleashing more terrorist attacks, and deceived Parliament and the country over the nonsensical "serious and current threat" posed by a strangled Third World nation. No matter that he launched an illegal and immoral invasion and occupation that has led to tens of thousands of violent and cruel deaths, untold misery, further destabilised the Middle East, weakened the UN, and increased the threat to Britons everywhere. Even a neutral, albeit myopic, critic might conclude that Blair's political judgement on Iraq - resulting in disaster heaped on failure heaped on disaster - was an appalling blunder, sufficient to demand his resignation. A more rational and humane critic must go further: Blair ought to be tried for war crimes.

"As for The Guardian? Well, clearly, it would rather remain part of some grotesque agreement between reasonable gentlemen of the establishment. It wouldn't do for the paper to be +too+ critical. Tens of thousands of dead, hundreds of thousands of injured and grieving - a vast illegal act of mass murder. But for our 'liberal' press a vague gesture in the direction of an apology is a "milestone" in Blair's rehabilitation. This is, itself, a milestone in moral depravity - urbane, well-heeled and well-spoken - of the most lethal kind."

'Liberal' media 'criticises' Blair: "Tony Blair's speech yesterday to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton was "low-key, conversational and reasoned" the Guardian informs us (Leader, September 29, 2004). And his "long-awaited apology on Iraq, as far as it went, was a rightly well-received milestone in his fragile rehabilitation with his critics".

"How nice. No matter that Blair lied about intelligence on WMD, ignored security warnings about unleashing more terrorist attacks, and deceived Parliament and the country over the nonsensical "serious and current threat" posed by a strangled Third World nation. No matter that he launched an illegal and immoral invasion and occupation that has led to tens of thousands of violent and cruel deaths, untold misery, further destabilised the Middle East, weakened the UN, and increased the threat to Britons everywhere. Even a neutral, albeit myopic, critic might conclude that Blair's political judgement on Iraq - resulting in disaster heaped on failure heaped on disaster - was an appalling blunder, sufficient to demand his resignation. A more rational and humane critic must go further: Blair ought to be tried for war crimes.

"As for The Guardian? Well, clearly, it would rather remain part of some grotesque agreement between reasonable gentlemen of the establishment. It wouldn't do for the paper to be +too+ critical. Tens of thousands of dead, hundreds of thousands of injured and grieving - a vast illegal act of mass murder. But for our 'liberal' press a vague gesture in the direction of an apology is a "milestone" in Blair's rehabilitation. This is, itself, a milestone in moral depravity - urbane, well-heeled and well-spoken - of the most lethal kind."

John Kerry for President - Speech at New York University: At last Kerry makes an impressive speech. A bit short on a plan to withdraw from Iraq, in fact there is no plan to withdraw from Iraq, but Kerry makes many trenchant criticisms of Bush and Bush's war.

John Kerry for President - Speech at New York University: At last Kerry makes an impressive speech. A bit short on a plan to withdraw from Iraq, in fact there is no plan to withdraw from Iraq, but Kerry makes many trenchant criticisms of Bush and Bush's war.

Plan to get out of Iraq?: "What is needed is a policy that takes deadly seriously what Iraqis believe about why the war began and what the United States intends. These beliefs -- that the United States came only to get its hands on Iraq's oil, to benefit Israel's security, and to establish a puppet government and a permanent military presence through which it could control Iraq and the rest of the region -- are wrong. But beliefs passionately held are as important as facts, because they powerfully affect behavior. What we see as a tragic series of American missteps, Iraqis interpret -- with reason when seen through their eyes -- as evidence of evil intent."

These are odd remarks in this Washington Post article. Of course the writer has simply described accurately the objectives of the war. But then added the comment 'this is not true.'

"To succeed, the United States needs to do what it can to undermine each of these convictions. The president -- no one less -- needs to state formally and unequivocally that the United States will not maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq, and to repeat it at every opportunity. The phrase "enduring bases" should be erased and the construction of permanent facilities halted. A transparent mechanism that makes clear that no Iraqi oil revenue will touch American fingers should be created, and questions about what happened to that revenue over the past year should be quickly and forthrightly answered. The U.S. Embassy should be drastically cut in size and moved outside the Green Zone (to Camp Victory, for instance) to emphasize that the United States is no longer running the country and that it and the Iraqi government are not one and the same. A statement signed jointly by Iraq's neighbors should pledge the United States and each of them to respect Iraq's territorial integrity within its present borders. And the president needs to address many Iraqis' conviction that elections held under the occupation will be fixed, by saying loudly and often that the United States favors no candidate or party and will accept whatever government Iraqis elect."

Now we see where the thinking is going. What the writer is saying in Washington newspeak is simply that the the war is a failure and a disaster, and that the US must therefore retreat. The plan for the retreat as outlined offers the best chance for the actual achievement of the stated goals of sovereignty and democracy and for a stable situation following the withdrawal, but equally represents a recognition of total defeat for the US. For this reason it will be hard for any President to swallow. It would take real statesmanship to do so.

Plan to get out of Iraq?: "What is needed is a policy that takes deadly seriously what Iraqis believe about why the war began and what the United States intends. These beliefs -- that the United States came only to get its hands on Iraq's oil, to benefit Israel's security, and to establish a puppet government and a permanent military presence through which it could control Iraq and the rest of the region -- are wrong. But beliefs passionately held are as important as facts, because they powerfully affect behavior. What we see as a tragic series of American missteps, Iraqis interpret -- with reason when seen through their eyes -- as evidence of evil intent."

These are odd remarks in this Washington Post article. Of course the writer has simply described accurately the objectives of the war. But then added the comment 'this is not true.'

"To succeed, the United States needs to do what it can to undermine each of these convictions. The president -- no one less -- needs to state formally and unequivocally that the United States will not maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq, and to repeat it at every opportunity. The phrase "enduring bases" should be erased and the construction of permanent facilities halted. A transparent mechanism that makes clear that no Iraqi oil revenue will touch American fingers should be created, and questions about what happened to that revenue over the past year should be quickly and forthrightly answered. The U.S. Embassy should be drastically cut in size and moved outside the Green Zone (to Camp Victory, for instance) to emphasize that the United States is no longer running the country and that it and the Iraqi government are not one and the same. A statement signed jointly by Iraq's neighbors should pledge the United States and each of them to respect Iraq's territorial integrity within its present borders. And the president needs to address many Iraqis' conviction that elections held under the occupation will be fixed, by saying loudly and often that the United States favors no candidate or party and will accept whatever government Iraqis elect."

Now we see where the thinking is going. What the writer is saying in Washington newspeak is simply that the the war is a failure and a disaster, and that the US must therefore retreat. The plan for the retreat as outlined offers the best chance for the actual achievement of the stated goals of sovereignty and democracy and for a stable situation following the withdrawal, but equally represents a recognition of total defeat for the US. For this reason it will be hard for any President to swallow. It would take real statesmanship to do so.

Orcinus: Lynching: "These were ritualistic mob scenes in which prisoners or even men merely suspected of crimes were often torn from the hands of authorities (if not captured beforehand) by large crowds and treated to beatings and torture before being put to death, frequently in the most horrifying fashion possible: people were flayed alive, had their eyes gouged out with corkscrews, and had their bodies mutilated before being doused in oil and burned at the stake. Black men were sometimes forced to eat their own hacked-off genitals. No atrocity was considered too horrible to visit on a black person, and no pain too unimaginable to inflict in the killing.... A lynching postcard from Florida in 1935, of a migrant worker named Rubin Stacy who had allegedly "threatened and frightened a white woman," shows a cluster of young girls gathered round the tree trunk, the oldest of them about 12, with a beatific expression as she gazes on his distorted features and limp body, a few feet away.... Afterwards, memento-seekers would take home parts of the corpse or the rope with which the victim was hung. Sometimes body parts -- knuckles, or genitals, or the like -- would be preserved and put on public display as a warning to would-be black criminals."

In reading of these events, one is of course struck by the utter savagery, barbarism and cruelty of these kinds of tortures, murders and mutilations. 'No beast so fierce, that no knows no touch of pity. But I know none, and therefore am no beast.'

Orcinus: Lynching: "These were ritualistic mob scenes in which prisoners or even men merely suspected of crimes were often torn from the hands of authorities (if not captured beforehand) by large crowds and treated to beatings and torture before being put to death, frequently in the most horrifying fashion possible: people were flayed alive, had their eyes gouged out with corkscrews, and had their bodies mutilated before being doused in oil and burned at the stake. Black men were sometimes forced to eat their own hacked-off genitals. No atrocity was considered too horrible to visit on a black person, and no pain too unimaginable to inflict in the killing.... A lynching postcard from Florida in 1935, of a migrant worker named Rubin Stacy who had allegedly "threatened and frightened a white woman," shows a cluster of young girls gathered round the tree trunk, the oldest of them about 12, with a beatific expression as she gazes on his distorted features and limp body, a few feet away.... Afterwards, memento-seekers would take home parts of the corpse or the rope with which the victim was hung. Sometimes body parts -- knuckles, or genitals, or the like -- would be preserved and put on public display as a warning to would-be black criminals."

In reading of these events, one is of course struck by the utter savagery, barbarism and cruelty of these kinds of tortures, murders and mutilations. 'No beast so fierce, that no knows no touch of pity. But I know none, and therefore am no beast.'

Suicide of soldier recalled to Iraq: "A 20-year-old Milford Haven soldier, who broke down as his father was driving him back to his unit for further service in Iraq, was later found hanged from the swings at a village play area. Gary John Boswell, of 34 Woodbine Way, Hakin, had served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Iraq, Germany and Canada since joining up in 2002, the Pembrokeshire Coroner, Mr Michael Howells, was told at a Milford Haven inquest on Thursday.

"Before recording a suicide verdict, the coroner heard from Mr John Moses Boswell how his popular young son had suddenly banged his head on the car door and asked him to take him back home. He had previously attempted to cut his wrists and had also taken an overdose of tablets, but he had seemed happy at the start of the car journey back to camp. Mr Boswell said his son had never cried in front of him before, but he would not open up about what had happened out in Iraq."

20 years old - hardly more than a boy. The father suggested 'bullying' was a cause of the suicide. Bullying or 'discipline' (brutalisation - essential to form an army) has of course taken the lives of countless soldiers. We don't know for sure at this stage. What we do know (or ought to know) is that 'War is Hell' in the famous statement of General Sherman. Or the 'Supreme Crime', according to the Nuremburg trials. If that's unclear, barbarism and savagery. If anyone still doesnt understand what that means, see the nausea. The public needs to beware that just below the surface of this generation, the previous one (and doubtless the next one) is savagery of the worst kind possible. All of those (and that is nearly all of us, not only those who actually commit the atrocities) who lower the bar to war and violence share the responsibility. The alarming fact that we have to come to terms with is that in spite all our knowledge and experience and civilisation and democracy, the elected leaders of the Anglo-Saxon countries are war criminals. Such is the rate at which humanity makes progress - or affects to make progress while it skirts closely by the ultimate horror. Aaaiii! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulu R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn! Aaaiii!

Suicide of soldier recalled to Iraq: "A 20-year-old Milford Haven soldier, who broke down as his father was driving him back to his unit for further service in Iraq, was later found hanged from the swings at a village play area. Gary John Boswell, of 34 Woodbine Way, Hakin, had served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Iraq, Germany and Canada since joining up in 2002, the Pembrokeshire Coroner, Mr Michael Howells, was told at a Milford Haven inquest on Thursday.

"Before recording a suicide verdict, the coroner heard from Mr John Moses Boswell how his popular young son had suddenly banged his head on the car door and asked him to take him back home. He had previously attempted to cut his wrists and had also taken an overdose of tablets, but he had seemed happy at the start of the car journey back to camp. Mr Boswell said his son had never cried in front of him before, but he would not open up about what had happened out in Iraq."

20 years old - hardly more than a boy. The father suggested 'bullying' was a cause of the suicide. Bullying or 'discipline' (brutalisation - essential to form an army) has of course taken the lives of countless soldiers. We don't know for sure at this stage. What we do know (or ought to know) is that 'War is Hell' in the famous statement of General Sherman. Or the 'Supreme Crime', according to the Nuremburg trials. If that's unclear, barbarism and savagery. If anyone still doesnt understand what that means, see the nausea. The public needs to beware that just below the surface of this generation, the previous one (and doubtless the next one) is savagery of the worst kind possible. All of those (and that is nearly all of us, not only those who actually commit the atrocities) who lower the bar to war and violence share the responsibility. The alarming fact that we have to come to terms with is that in spite all our knowledge and experience and civilisation and democracy, the elected leaders of the Anglo-Saxon countries are war criminals. Such is the rate at which humanity makes progress - or affects to make progress while it skirts closely by the ultimate horror. Aaaiii! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulu R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn! Aaaiii!

Orcinus: Rush, Newspeak and Fascism: Another in an important series of essays by Orcinus on the depth of the crisis in the US. He draws attention to an important fact: US extremism does not only consist in Bush and the neoconservatives. Christian fundamentalists form a huge minority in the US (Chomsky: 'there is nothing like it in any other industrialised country'); the right-wing 'Patriot' movement is an active and violent terroristic force; and finally right wing propagandists of the Limbaugh and Coulter variety articulate a vehement, even violent ('eliminationist'), series of attacks on their enemies ('liberals'). Draw this all together and you have the voting masses, stromtroopers and propagandists for a fascist takeover. One almost gets a sense that awareness has come too late. The election is a crucial moment because if it is close or contested there is a recipe for an acute political crisis.

Orcinus: Rush, Newspeak and Fascism: Another in an important series of essays by Orcinus on the depth of the crisis in the US. He draws attention to an important fact: US extremism does not only consist in Bush and the neoconservatives. Christian fundamentalists form a huge minority in the US (Chomsky: 'there is nothing like it in any other industrialised country'); the right-wing 'Patriot' movement is an active and violent terroristic force; and finally right wing propagandists of the Limbaugh and Coulter variety articulate a vehement, even violent ('eliminationist'), series of attacks on their enemies ('liberals'). Draw this all together and you have the voting masses, stromtroopers and propagandists for a fascist takeover. One almost gets a sense that awareness has come too late. The election is a crucial moment because if it is close or contested there is a recipe for an acute political crisis.

Orcinus: The cost of media failure: "In one of his recent pieces, Somerby pointed with a kind of savage finality to the bottom line of the media's flagrant frivolousness and demeaning of the national discourse: It puts us all at serious risk.... We still treat our national politics like a combination sporting event and gossipfest. We're still demeaning the national discourse with a steady diet of propaganda/spin souffle served up on a platter of triviality, with a side of slander."

"[Somerby:] And now, as [the media] clown about peanut butter, Osama's men are still at work. And what will happen to your country because Wilgoren and Dowd set the tone? Let us finally tell you your future: Osama's men will come with a bomb (see below), and they'll destroy an American city. American society will end on that day. And when it does, you can think of Wilgoren and Dowd -- and you can think of the "letters editor" who laughed in your face with that letter today. They've made a joke of your discourse for years -- while your enemies hunt for a bomb. There is little chance those enemies won't succeed, because screaming idiots -- screaming idiots -- have long been in charge of your discourse."

"[The] media have instead defaulted to Position A: Whatever course of action George W. Bush takes is a priori good, and done for sound reasons. Neither, for that matter, is his competence ever seriously questioned. The reality, as I've been discussing, is that Bush's "war on terror" is an incomprehensible exercise in increasing the likelihood that high radicalized, highly motivated terrorists will again strike on American soil. A serious war on terror would begin from a recognition of the nature of the threat, with a considered response that's both flexible and comprehensive. Bush's Iraq war is none of these."

This angry critique is no doubt justified, but the nature of the corporate media, as has been exhaustively demonstrated, precludes responsible or truthful or democratic journalism. The answers must be found outside that system. Orcinus emphasises the role blogs can play in this.

Orcinus: The cost of media failure: "In one of his recent pieces, Somerby pointed with a kind of savage finality to the bottom line of the media's flagrant frivolousness and demeaning of the national discourse: It puts us all at serious risk.... We still treat our national politics like a combination sporting event and gossipfest. We're still demeaning the national discourse with a steady diet of propaganda/spin souffle served up on a platter of triviality, with a side of slander."

"[Somerby:] And now, as [the media] clown about peanut butter, Osama's men are still at work. And what will happen to your country because Wilgoren and Dowd set the tone? Let us finally tell you your future: Osama's men will come with a bomb (see below), and they'll destroy an American city. American society will end on that day. And when it does, you can think of Wilgoren and Dowd -- and you can think of the "letters editor" who laughed in your face with that letter today. They've made a joke of your discourse for years -- while your enemies hunt for a bomb. There is little chance those enemies won't succeed, because screaming idiots -- screaming idiots -- have long been in charge of your discourse."

"[The] media have instead defaulted to Position A: Whatever course of action George W. Bush takes is a priori good, and done for sound reasons. Neither, for that matter, is his competence ever seriously questioned. The reality, as I've been discussing, is that Bush's "war on terror" is an incomprehensible exercise in increasing the likelihood that high radicalized, highly motivated terrorists will again strike on American soil. A serious war on terror would begin from a recognition of the nature of the threat, with a considered response that's both flexible and comprehensive. Bush's Iraq war is none of these."

This angry critique is no doubt justified, but the nature of the corporate media, as has been exhaustively demonstrated, precludes responsible or truthful or democratic journalism. The answers must be found outside that system. Orcinus emphasises the role blogs can play in this.