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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Roy,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>they've been using drug laws to try to silence
civil decanters for nearly half a century, didn't u think they were going to use
anti terror laws in the same way?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've said it before, and i'll say it again, for the
millionth time. Maybe this time someone might take some notice. Our
pollies from both major parties are scum of the earth!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now, lets blockade Queensland's highways and smash
Beattie out of office.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All volunteers contact me soonest!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>frank brown</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=rrgarner@bigpond.net.au href="mailto:rrgarner@bigpond.net.au">Roy
Garner</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=green-activist@lists.altnews.com.au
href="mailto:green-activist@lists.altnews.com.au">maillist for Green
Activists</A> ; <A title=senator.bob.brown@aph.gov.au
href="mailto:senator.bob.brown@aph.gov.au">senator.bob.brown@aph.gov.au</A> ;
<A title=dmarr@mail.fairfax.com.au
href="mailto:dmarr@mail.fairfax.com.au">David Marr</A> ; <A
title=senator.nettle@aph.gov.au
href="mailto:senator.nettle@aph.gov.au">senator.nettle@aph.gov.au</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, August 19, 2007 1:25
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Green-Activist] Howard's big
photo opportunity gobbles up millions</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Readers unable to access a copy of my article, <I>Howard's big
photo opportunity gobbles up millions</I>, mysteriously disabled after posting
on Sydney Indymedia on Saturday, 18 August, can find it at:<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF><A
href="http://perth.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&parentview=106013">http://perth.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&parentview=106013</A><?/color></U><BR><?/fontfamily>[http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/node/51529]<BR><?fontfamily><?param Arial><BR>But
in case anything happens to the Perth Indymedia site, here it is, complete
with links:<BR><BR><B><?bigger>Howard's big photo opportunity gobbles up
millions<?/bigger></B><?bigger><BR><?/bigger><BR><p>Under a cloak of
secrecy, the Federal Government last week hosted a <a
href=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2004272.htm> top-level meeting
of defence chiefs</a> from 19 nations ahead of next month's APEC
meeting, also in Sydney. Included were regional chiefs from US, Japan,
Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.</p><BR><BR><p>ABC reporter Leigh
Sales said the “military leaders discussed the types of new missions modern
armies have to carry out and the ways to improve performance. Chief of the
Australian Army, Lieut. Gen Peter Leahy, said the meeting was <a
href=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2004272.htm>“an internal
conference”</a> (code for “we’re not telling”?) “and we were just
sitting around in one of the nice hotels in Sydney, discussing issues”. <BR>As
one does. But with top brass from 19
nations?!</p><BR><BR><p>Because of the secrecy and what we already
know of the Howard Government’s poor record for honesty, we are entitled to
speculate on the rationale underlying this cover story: the real probability
of a change of government could throw into disarray secret deals made with
these nations over the 11 years of conservative government—nations whose
commitment to democratic ideals is, to say the least, thin on the
ground.</p><BR><BR><p>The so-called 'war on terror' has been used
as an excuse for the most heavy presence ever of security in the harbourside
city that will see a gathering of some of the world's most morally dubious and
toxic leaders at Sydney's iconic Opera House, as if this symbol of high
culture will somehow rub off onto this powerful group whose business is a
challenge to our democratic rights, including the right to know what our
elected government is doing, and the right to assemble and to
protest.</p><BR><BR><p>While relying on these same citizens to
vote it control of the Treasury benches, the government's security
arrangements for APEC look dangerously like equating lawful protest with
terror, and should be of great concern to civil
libertarians.</p><BR><BR><p>Included in extraordinary security
measures are the virtual shutdown of sections of the city, the erection of a
<a href=http://www.smh.com.au/images/apecclosemap.jpg>five-kilometre,
2.8 m high barricade</a> <BR>to enclose <a
href=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/show-id-to-get-past-great-wall/2007/08/16/1186857683326.html>
the summit site</a> and a ban on parking that extends into suburbs far
from the city's centre, to allow free access for emergency
services.</p><BR><BR><p>Medical authorities have for months been
decrying the city's lack of effective medical infrastructure to cope with a
terrorist-inspired disaster. The Sydney Morning Herald reported 3 August that
John Graham, chairman of Sydney Hospital's department of medicine feared <a
href=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/plea-for-federal-help-refused-says-doctor/2007/08/02/1185648060483.html>"the
death toll from a terrorist attack in Sydney</a> would be at least
double what it needs to be" because the Howard government "has refused to take
over and upgrade the only hospital in the city centre".
</p><BR><BR><p>The next day, the SMH reported: "Some of Sydney's
biggest hospitals will <a href=
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/hospitals-call-off-surgery-for-apec/2007/08/03/1185648145676.html>postpone
or cut elective surgery for five days during the Asia-Pacific leaders'
summit</a> in a health disaster plan being implemented under a veil of
secrecy" <BR>The same day, the government "admitted that <a
href=http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Elective-surgery-scaled-back-for-APEC/2007/08/04/1185648179892.html>
elective surgery at Sydney hospitals will be scaled back during the APEC
summit</a>, but says procedures will be rescheduled, not cancelled."
</p><BR><BR><p>Of course, the APEC meeting, we shouldn’t need to
remind ourselves, is all about setting the stage for re-election of a Howard
government. According to a report in The Australian on Wednesday, 15 August,
George W. Bush has upset plans for the traditional end-of-conference group
photo with his ‘last-minute decision to arrive two days ahead of schedule’,
and to leave early. The Australian writes: “It is thought that without Mr
Bush, a photo of 20 world leaders in felt hats and bush shirts standing in
front of the Opera House would not have the same resonance. ‘It’s 21
economies: (John Howard) wants to have everyone in the photograph,’ one
official said.”</p><BR><BR><p>All we need now is a giant
Stalin-like banner with John Howard's face rising over the Harbour like the
famous scene in Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the
Sun!</p><BR><BR><p>Besides the millions that the Howard
desperadoes have squandered to win back allegiance from an alienated
electorate, how much has been outlaid on his Sydney photo
opportunity?</p><BR><BR><p>News.com.au reported 3 June that the
<a href=
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21837124-421,00.html?from=public_rss
>security bill for the week-long summit</a> "has blown out to $170
million ... a staggering $24 million a day."
</p><BR><BR><p>Despite all these misgivings, however, a real
security threat remains unresolved—the whereabouts of those nine unrecovered
rocket launchers of the ten stolen from the ADF. The citizens of NSW and the
conference delegates have a right to know why Howard has ignored this concern
in his push for a photo opportunity in the heart of our most populous city,
and will justly condemn him if a feared terrorist attack or a conventional
disaster occurs.</p><BR><BR><B>LINKS<BR></B><BR>Secret meeting of
defence chiefs in
Sydney<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2004272.htm<?/color></U><BR><BR>APEC
defence
barriers<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.smh.com.au/images/apecclosemap.jpg<?/color></U><BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/show-id-to-get-past-great-wall/2007/08/16/1186857683326.html<?/color></U><BR><BR>Sydney
hospitals unprepared for
disaster<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/plea-for-federal-help-refused-says-doctor/2007/08/02/1185648060483.html<?/color></U><BR><BR>Elective
surgery affected during
APEC<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/hospitals-call-off-surgery-for-apec/2007/08/03/1185648145676.html<?/color></U><BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Elective-surgery-scaled-back-for-APEC/2007/08/04/1185648179892.html<?/color></U><BR><BR><B>UPDATE</B><BR><BR>Howard
Government's security spending—a work in progress<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21837124-421,00.html?from=public_rss<?/color></U><BR><BR>On
top of the $170 claimed in the News.com article, news reports on 15 and 16
August reported an additional $20 million will be spent on the national
security
hotline:<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=409363<?/color></U><BR><BR><B>Propaganda
budget:<BR></B><BR>Propaganda overkill: "So far, the Government admits it has
spent $126 million since last July on what it calls public information
campaigns, from defence recruitment to workplace relations "<BR><BR><U><?color><?param 0000,0000,FFFF>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,21785505-27648,00.html<?/color></U><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><?/fontfamily>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>_______________________________________________<BR>Green-Activist
mailing
list<BR>Green-Activist@lists.altnews.com.au<BR>http://lists.altnews.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/green-activist<BR>
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