Litespeed

I love the cats vid. Every time I put my snake near a pussy it runs away

Off course not Dazza, If you did not read about it in the Murdoch press................ It does not exist

Yes, commenting on Timor is a big thread drift- but so is China and RAAF planes. But it is relevant if we consider Religion or other belief systems allow us too feel exceptional compared to others. And thus our lives are more worthy than others.

AS a side note: Why does East Timor not scream about the atrocities that killed up to 35% of their population during the Indonesian years and the period of Australia's involvement? To not upset those with the power, it was agreed to not force those responsible to be outed and charge or seek war crimes retribution for a deal on Aid. They are so impoverished that the only income they generally get is aid and mainly from Australia. Let your still living people eat or defend the dead, which would you choose?

TP, As I stated some of this information is in the public domian, ie the spying, the Downer personal involvement and many other bits. You really think the Government would happily tell us about it? You are naive. As I stated, somethings Governments do can not by law be publicly stated and or attributted to a source. Ie that source can have their life destroyed for even commenting. Read between the lines- But as many would know- it is illegal to even name a person from such a organistation as having worked for them. In fact such employees can not even tell family members who they work for. Think on it. OR you can believe that Australia is the Gold standard for ethics.

I reckon Jim Cairns is probably a Rhodes Scholar compared to Joe Hockey and Morrison does not seem much better. At least Jim did not intend to be evil

I wish that was true, that Australia did something to be truly proud of but alas the opposite is true. The story is two fold- our operations during East Timors fight for independence and after. Please note: this is not about our service men and women - who overall did a great job in a shitty situation. here is some pocket history http://www.onyamagazine.com/australian-affairs/history/how-australia-betrayed-then-saved-east-timor/ We also under the direction of Canberra allowed the massacre of East Timorese near the West Timor border during the INTERFET response. Basically the US warned us what was happening and the our troops on the ground were actively diverted away from the area to ensure we did not get involved in saving them. Either because we might have taken casualties or because Howard did not want to annoy Indonesia- which given Howard's megaphone diplomacy is unlikely. So most likely to avoid bad coverage at home if bodybags come back. All the SIGNET(signels and intelligence) for INTERFET had to go via Canberra for political reasons and then were relayed to our troops on the ground. To ensure our command and troops in East Timor did not stay in the area and save the Timorese- All SIGNET were cut by Canberra after ordering us away from the impending massacre. Hence the troops could not discover what was going on until it was all over and we could not provide a show of force to save them. This was purely done by our political heros in Canberra- how much our current GG and head of the force at the time Peter Cosgrove knew is another matter I can not comment on. So essentially we (as country) were complicit in the murder of thousands of East Timorese near the West Timor border by the orders of Canberra. Many of the bodies were removed before we got back into the area and thousands were forced over the border into West Timor, and never heard from again. Yes this did happen No you will not find much info it No the official history will not admit it And sadly I can not say how I know. After the fighting cooled down we then did another terrible thing........ You may remember that East Timor is one of the poorest countries on Earth and all of its infrastructure was razed by the Indonesians and their militias. It is also extremely wealthy in natural resources- oil and gas in the Timor sea. These were never developed under Indonesian rule but we had signed a joint agreement with Indonesia for exploitation- the bulk of the prize went to Indonesia due to the proximity of the fields to Timor. Upon the creation of East Timor as a nation state, Australia started negoitiations on the oil and gas fields and this was lead by Alexander Downer (Foreign Minister). At the same time we rebuilt government offices for the new East Timorese government and then these were used for the negotiations- which sounds nice on the face of it. But- we had under the direction of Downer used ASIO to secretly bug all discussions by the Timorese government to ensure the upper hand in the treaty deal. And guess what? We ripped off Timor hugely and forced them to sign a deal that ensured the lions share of the resources went to us and not the impoverished Timorese. The East Timorese where placed in a position where they had no real bargaining power and we ripped off the poorest country on earth. To add further insult- the vast majority of the wealth we "stole" will never even be seen by Australia, as we have allowed a big multinational oil company to do the exploitation and we will get a puny royalty. That company is a large and powerful multinational that has a history of not paying tax on any profits. And fudging figures so little royalties are paid. The man who did all this- Alexander Downer is now employed by that same company. Forward years down the track and the East Timorese find out what we did and go to the international umpire of such things and claim we forced Timor to sign a bad deal under duress and ripped them off royally. This all came to head as the Labour government lost power and Abbott got his hands on the wheel. A former ASIO operative turned whistleblower and a Aussie lawyer were assisting the Timorese in their case. Days before the whistleblower was to leave Australia and testify in the Hauge (testimony that would kill our treaty) the lawyers offices were raided and all materials for the case taken by ASIO. The whistleblowers passport cancelled- so he can not testify and is "warned off" saying anything or he will be.......the case is effectively stalled. This case is still ongoing and due to the current governments actions may never be fairly concluded. The info about the case is in the public domain- so I can comment on it. Now before anyone says that Australia had a right to spy on the negotiations for our national interest and the whistleblower is either a traitor or liar (he did install the spy gear under orders).... The gains we made were of a commercial nature that benefited a company and were actually counter to our strategic interest of having East Timor as a stable and developing state. And we illegally spied by using ASIO which by law is limited to such activities to Australia, ASIS is the foreign service for such cloak and dagger stuff. If the whistleblower was ever able to defend himself in our courts or the international courts, he would win due to the nature of the case and its illegality. But he will never get a chance nor will he ever be able to speak about it now. Meanwhile the East Timorese are very poor and have not seen any money. And the guy up to his neck in it- Alexander Downer is making a lot of money from his sponsor a oil company that benefited from the whole thing. Does anyone think it a co-incidence the current LNP government have done everything it can to kill this case about the actions of a previous LNP government. But the LNP naturally know nothing about it, just like the bribes we paid to Saddam Hussien at the same time we were at war with him. Some may think this is all conspiracy stuff and it is- the Australian government conspired to make all this happen. We should all feel ashamed to be Australian for what has been done in our name to the most defenceless and poorest country on earth. Before anyone asks how I know some of this.. I legally can not say, but can say I have never been in the armed forces. You will have to read between the lines.

Yep, I would be very nervous. But the Chinese are only doing what America would do going by history. And yes Nev, we should instead play honest broker for peace and the rule of law. Problem is we are not honest- just ask East Timor how fair and honest we are. We have clearly shown international law only counts when we want it to, especially under LNP governments.

I agree that we should generally stick out of China's business and its politics. And doing anything because Uncle Sam wants us too is always a recipe for disaster. But the situation is not simple, the area they are claiming for many of these islands is so far from China that it can not reasonably be seen as anything but bullying the neighbours and trying to secure rights that clearly under international law are not theirs. These disputed islands are so far from China compared to the countries that are near them, they have as much right to claim them or even lodge a claim for them as we do for claiming Arctic circle oil rights. That does not mean we should be playing point for the USA though. Unfortunately all the countries that do have a legitimate right to make a claim or lodge a disputed claim, are military minnows. And I get the feeling China would quite happily shoot at if they tried to assert themselves.

Hihosland, I disagree, A well written bill of rights would enshrine our basic freedoms, currently we are at the mercy of whatever the despots in canberra think is a good idea or they can get away with. A lot of the current terrorism laws would not stand up against a bill of rights. Nor would the way corporate interests run rough shod over the rights of humans. Nor mandatory detention in NT and a number of others. At the moment if the courts say something is wrong- all Canberra has to do is make legislation and goodbye our rights. WE also have a situation through case law that the courts interpret the meaning of the Constitution and laws by precendent or the judges own bias. Basically governments get to do whatever they want. They use technicalities to do what they want rather than the nature and intent of the law. You only have to look at immigration as a example. Native title is a very poor example- over twenty years later people are still getting screwed and the lot of Aborigines has not been greatly improved. If the Original Australians were a corporation they would have been massively compensated and rule the joint. When it comes to human rights- international law means nothing- the government can do what the hell it likes and always does. We have no protections granted by being a monarchy, as we can no longer appeal to the Privy council in England. All we still have is the ability for a democratically elected government to be booted out by the GG. As per Gough Whitlam and 1975. People say it could never happen again- but it could and no changes have been made to stop it. In fact the despot Kerr was meant to consult the Queen and only advise on such a decision- but alas did what he wanted and damn the law.

And I should add, often the cops love the festivals and footy matches as they are done on cost recovery basis. The cops insist they must have x police for a event and make the venue pay- which is a joke. Since when did the policing of NSW require the public to pay extra for policing. A great rort and loved by a friend who is a cop- always big pay as it is overtime rates.

FT I agree drugs should be legalised and regulated, taxed and the taxes go to rehab programs. The war on drugs is just a war on people and a great way to fill jails, employ cops and make lots of money for lawyers and criminals. The big music festivals are just a tragedy- people die because they can not test what they have for safety. Testing is common in europe and lives are saved, it also reduces the amount of poisoned drugs out there. The use of dogs by police at festivals means peeps swallow everything before entry and put themselves at great risk.

I did say they are not all like that, but that tends to be the exception- the money involved is huge. I have friends who were involved with some of the patch clubs and quickly learnt, it was not all sweet roses. They left before they reached the point of no return. The toy runs are great, I have done many and will again. Do not confuse a biker with a bikie. I ride and thus a biker.

Whilst I agree some bikies can be classed as just nice blokes that is increasingly the rarity. They have now moved into Thailand and Indonesia big time as criminal gangs. Any group that demands loyalty through violence is a big worry. The shooting murder at Picton last week was a case in point. One bloke wanted to leave the "Hells Angels" and was meeting to discuss conditions of his leaving. Which could include large sums of money, handing over his bikes and cutting out his tatts amongst other things. He freaked and shot the "negotiator" and then took his own life, as he saw that as the only way out. These blokes are just Mafia on bikes, but without any real code of honor.

Very true, as a rider off 30 years, I agree. But the pity is the bikies give us all a bad name- they are often nothing more than a organised crime group that happens to ride a bike. Hell some are Nike Bikies and when not seen trying to ride and not fall off are driving the spoils of crime- Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo etc. Easy to spot when you see a guy in his 20's, tatts, cap backwards and a Ferrari. But the law is a ass, they could do similar laws targeting organised crime and it would be fair enough- but that would allow prosecution of not just some drug dealers who ride but other crime gangs. Some of the biggest syndicates wear a blue uniform or a white collar and tie. And that would just not do. AS the old saying goes- steal $10 from a bank and goal you get, steal $100,000,000 and its just good bussiness.

Ever notice that everyone caught for drugs etc lately is described as a ex bikie? Lots of 22 years olds etc that have retired from being a bikie after their long career. The rule of law and separation of powers have taken a steep dive towards dictatorship since 1996 when "Jack Boot Johnny" got into power.And it keeps getting worse- now so-called centrist LNP members are now pushing the right wing nut policies on law and disorder. I suggested to a friend she better get citizenship quickly and give up her Indo passport quick, just in case she breaks any laws and get deported. She has been here 20 years and her children are born here. She is a non practising muslim, like many from Indo. Even a stuff up from centrelink could lead to a charge, or a road accident etc. We are very close to 1984 and thought crime.

Whilst without a survey- that tends to hold true. Conservatives have always held a large influence in the armed forces, police, courts and security services. They tend not to bite the hand that feeds them and gives them all the toys, laws and money the want. Goes all the way back to convict times when the soldiers took control of the economy as the "RUM CORPS", this is when thre rot set in and rorts became the way of life. Macquarie was a new age liberal scottish governor and was hammered for it. As was Bligh- a controvesial man but a liberal at heart. This lead to Australia's first army coup, all lead by our first robber baron- Macarthur. A modern version of this influence is Abbott always staying at the barracks of the AFP or Duntroon when in Canberra. Helps maintain influence. It is no coincidence that the LNP get a very good run with the AFP when scandal and criminality happen. Eg Mal Brough until Abbott was booted, The AWB bribes to IRAQ- which was actually treason. You will also notice the conservatives are always the ones to send us to war and stand behind lots of flags, waving off the hapless troops. And the Labour side always brings us back from wars.

My long dead grandfather was a farmer at Hay and always carried a long handled shovel everywhere. He could chop the bloody browns head of from 20 feet like a marksmen. I asked why not just use the shotgun- waste of money, some days he would kill ten of the buggers. If he failed with the shovel- a rarity he would use his whip- he could knock a ciggie from your mouth and cutting the head off a snake was childs play. Myself I normally leave them be- but if in the house or near kids - they are fair game

It may seem off topic for some but this is exactly the right place for the above discussion. Why- Economics as practiced here in OZ is the dismal science which has all the characteristics of a Religion. Completely devoid of any real relationship to facts and reality.And massively destructive because of it. I do agree we have a income problem and a spending problem, we get most of our income from those that can little afford it and spend the majority on those that don't need it and will not benefit the whole of the economy. We run the country to benefit companies and not people. We have allowed privatisation run rampant- profits before people and services. This had led to less service and higher cost with a large dose of corruption breed in. We subsidise mining to mainly foreign companies and then allow them a huge tax free profit ride. All we get is holes in the ground and the budget- and few jobs which come with huge environmental costs. We have actively destroyed our education and health systems to make private profits for the few and destroyed the chances for education and good health for the many. Education and health are public goods and all money invested in them must be for public good not profit. Science is a joke,the uni's get bugger all for research and only in certain areas, CSIRO has had its balls removed and much funding. The funding mainly goes to- fossil and extractive industries. THE state governments are all to happy to say we must sell the sliver to have infrastructure but then go private at great expense and we are stuck with tolls, and sham contracts we can never see. All at a time when money has never been cheaper for gov to borrow. But we will sell our stuff and give the NRL billions of our bucks to build new stadiums, that are luxury items for their benefit- not ours. We happily allow vested interests to game the system and get billions in subsidy, tax breaks and monopolistic law changes. And make sure the real risk and cost is passed to the public but all profits are private. We have a massively distorted investment system that actively rewards non productive investment and punishes productive investment. Examples are negative gearing, super rules, share market rules, the investment in vapor derivitives etc. All things that make housing expensive and increase the gap in wealth, whilst creating very few jobs. We allow anyone to come her and buy our assets and claim it is good for us- bullshit- it only benefits if new assets are created. Anything else is just recycling the money- and pushes prices up. All whilst sending the profits and benefits overseas and not even tax is paid most of the time. Stupidly for big business the best profits are to invest O/S and for the foreign companies to invest here- because of distortive tax and company rules, so we sell everything for quick non productive gain and then get no tax. The list is long and my brain hurts

Nah, OME is in the last picture.

Nor should you ever jack it up unevenly or only on 3 corners- bugger will bend.

XD Falcons are famous for self stretching the body. I remember my misspent youth, working as mechanics aid after school. He was a ex RAAF mech, and had a 351 V8 XD. The body was stretched and cracked in the C pillars- never towed in its life. Purely the torque of the engine twisting the car of shape. I expect it was crap steel and nowhere near enough spot welds. Later models got better- more welds. Same happens with EA falcons- EB had a lot more spot welds and was much stronger. AS for a tough tow sedan- I had a 740 Volvo, was tough as nails and towed a horse float with relative ease. Built like a lightweight tank, but comfy (looked like a tank as well).

Don, You are been far too generous- no education on religion should be permitted in schools at all with the exception of how religions relate to ethics in society ie historical perspective and common ethics across different belief systems. Ethics and Society should be taught to all students as a compulsory subject and only by qualified teachers. This should also apply to any school that receive government funds. No religious teachings even in religion run schools- they receive government money so should not be allowed to use that money on religion- as the constitution intended. If a religious school wishes to teach religion it should be out of school hours, be truly optional and must not use school staff- as they are government funded. I can hear the screams now but they have the option of becoming actually a real private school and thus not receive any government money even in kind. That assumes they pass the curriculum standards- if not they are a institution of indoctrination. And if you are indoctrinating children you are evil and should be illegal. It is about time we got real and saw religious education systems for what they are- institutions of systemic abuse of the childs mind and often body. To make a child believe in sky fairies and indoctrinate them into having a belief system that is anti reality- is the creation of a psychosis in the child and that is abuse at a crucial time in the childs development . I know this sounds extreme but it is the reality of the situation. Said enough for now. Back to man cave to prepare the altar- have many vestal virgins to sacrifice. And beer to drink- bloody hot as hell here in Sydney.

Yes a good result for life. As charges go- this is in NSW- they say it is all about reducing police paperwork and time. But that did not stop 8 cops coming to the seen and hanging around. NO statements taken, no nothing- all between the drivers they say and insurance. I wanted a statement to demonstrate who was at fault but they refused- not their problem unless someone is hospitalized. What a joke.

Not aero related - But given it was a big G load moment and my love of safety by design, I thought I would post about a incident yesterday. A very sad day for my best mate and the auto love of his life, but a big day for getting away with still living bodies. I was driving my friends e38 740i to see a rather famous engineer and check on progress of a famous racing car recreation. My friend and car owner- Mike, was passenger, I his driver due to health issues. The car was his very special and rare 7 series- a short wheelbase model and one of 6 in the country. It was pristine as from the factory and only 80,ooo kms from new-21 years old. But had substantial mods to suspension and brakes- this baby really handled. I had personally done the suspension and big brembo brakes and it really danced. Going through a main intersection at Windsor Rd, Windsor at 50kmh, no problems except a 4WD ute coming the opposite direction cut across my path to turn in front of me. It was doing 40-50 kmh and did not slow just hooked it around the corner and head on it to me. Bugger- no chance of missing her and a 90-100kmh impact approaching- I managed to slam the brakes but took off bugger all speed. Slam, explosion of airbags and a big white ute has wrecked my day and mates car. Given the speed involved and the other car type, a lucky day indeed. The Ute struck us via its big arse bull bar, and then its chassis, as such not much ability to absorb the G load of imact. The big Bmw took all the forces and absorbed it with style. It might look bad but bar my arm hitting the a pillar and bruising- no injuries for anyone. The BMW took all the force as designed and kept the occupants "shaken not stirred" , same car as featured in James Bond and the Transporter. This is the first of the modern BMW's with all the modern safety stuff, airbags, pyrotechnic seatbelts etc. [ATTACH]47743._xfImport[/ATTACH] And here is the "carnage" Got to love modern safety. Ambos, cops and tow truck all agreed- big hit and expected injuries or worse. A similar vintage Falcodore would not have been pretty. Now after a wake for the car last night it is fighting time with insurance. My friend is pissed, this was his car he intended to keep til pushing daises. Naturally the other driver "did not see me". The big piss off is having caused a potentially fatal accident, as no one was ambulanced away- no charges will be laid. So this 22 year old girl gets no punishment. To add insult , in the aftermath someone went to the car and stole my bike jacket including glasses and wallet. I loved that jacket- 28 years of patina and lots of riding memories. Had the timing been slightly different and we struck her door, this would have been very nasty for the girls in the ute . Its cabin (separate to chassis) would have taken all the force, been crushed and probably flipped it. So a lucky say for all us humans. Hard to see in pic but the bullbar and chassis/suspension took all the hit- it is badly twisted underneath. It is 28 years since my last big hit and that was airborne in a charger, chopping a pole in half and landing with power lines on car, naturally sparking away. No injuries except glass in my face, definitely cheated the reaper that day. Bugger