Open Thread – Tues 6 June 2023
2,262 responses to “Open Thread – Tues 6 June 2023”
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JC says:
June 6, 2023 at 6:00 pmInteresting point JC. You probably know that Russian wages are very low by western standards but then so is the cost of basic foods and other items. I’ve always thought their cars (whether local or imported) were relatively expensive compared to income and I’ve notice the price of real estate in some areas is definitely on an upward trend. In some locations you would now need a ‘western income’ to buy the property. (the upward trend is not uniform – just a few areas).
With regard to the small factories, my Russian friends say that local entrepreneurs are the main ‘culprits’ who are thinking they can fill assorted supply holes by local production. I’m told that some older factories, that in a couple of cases have actually been dormant for years, are being refurbished and cranked back into action. Although small, these are creating employment in the refurbishment activities and then when in production.
Time will tell whether this is a good thing for the local Russians or whether it comes back to bite. Mind you, it is all interconnected with the Russia/Ukraine conflict and my crystal ball is a bit foggy on how that will end.
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Wodney, why would I give shit if you agreed or disagreed with me, you stupid limey wog?
Germans living in Nazi Germany weren’t exactly able to move money across borders to the US you economically illiterate dickhead. This means that your stupid and irrelevant comment is exactly that -stupid and irrelevant. Now piss off you moron and need I remind you that your parole officer is watching your every move and the only reason to got out of the clink early this time is that you promised to behave -even on blogs.
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m0ntysays:
June 6, 2023 at 6:34 pm
Russia is most definitely not in a stronger position now than before they started the war.Absolute Rubbish Comment from an armchair wanker playing with his/her/its thingy. Russia has never been stronger. The Sanctions have actually made Russia stronger. Well done Dozy Blinden and maybe he should go to Spec Savers so not to fall over so much.
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The father of an Australian soldier murdered in Afghanistan has spoken out in support of former SAS warrior Ben Roberts-Smith.
Hugh Poate’s son Robert, 23, was playing cards with two other Australians when they were gunned down by a rogue Afghan soldier called Hekmatullah in 2012.
“Ben Roberts-Smith was following orders to catch Hekmatullah who had murdered our son and two other Australian soldiers,” Mr Poate said.
Intelligence led them to the village of Darwan where Justice Anthony Besanko found Mr Roberts-Smith kicked a farmer called Ali Jan off a cliff and ordered him shot.
“These citizens in the village could well have been a citizen one day and pulling the trigger the next, that’s the way the Taliban operated,” Mr Poate said.
“This should have been reported to provide some balance and context.”
Daily Tele – comments not allowed but asking “do you know more?”
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JCsays:
June 6, 2023 at 6:45 pm
Wodney, why would I give shit if you agreed or disagreed with me, you stupid limey wog?Always good to get a reaction from the short Arse Wap. How is Chairman Dan treating you all in the Gulag called SickToria these daze?
Once again you don’t know where you are. But then again in your small Goldfish Bowl – Who cares………………So STFU as you have NFI
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So while your mortgage rates and energy prices rocket upwards, Albo and Co are obsessed by da Voice.
Would make a good bumper sticker. Walk around slapping on them on cars in Sydney and Melbourne for a few weeks….
I liked the suggestion to print a sticker that says ‘Powered by coal’ and slap it on every Tesla that stands still for a few minutes.
How would you word it?
“Proudly voting Labor. PAY THE RENT!“ -
Can you actually believe this imbecile.. Wodney.
I say the Nazi stock market rose at the outset of the Nazi attack on Russia and this two bit criminal corrects me by saying when there are war concerns in Europe the US draws in capital. As though the Nazis were able to invest openly in the US.
I hope the parole officer is watching because this idiot needs to head back to prison f0r a comment like that.
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If nothing else all attempts to pry back land rights has been done from within the law, which is to say that they are predicated on accepting our current national sovereignty. They have to cede to our right to give it back (or not).
And far too much has been ceded back already. When were Australians ever asked if we wanted to give away our sovereign rights over so much of this continent, that we all helped to populate and develop, in favour of wandering tribes claiming a non-demonstrable overriding ‘spiritual’ attachment? They should have been given freehold building land out of Crown lands in cities and townships as a generous starter offer and told to get on with it like everyone else.
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OpinionOpinion
Why Ben Roberts-Smith deserves no sympathyThe greatest amount of latitude and forgiveness must be given to any serviceman or woman caught up in deadly circumstances, but there should be no sympathy for Ben Roberts-Smith, writes Joe Hildebrand.
From the Daily Tele. Hildebrand admits he’s never served a day!
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Therefore our capacity as a nation to be a moral force for good in our region has been supremely undermined by the findings regarding Robert-Smith.
As someone who has never served in the armed forces, I can only imagine the level of anxiety and anger that those who wear the uniform must be feeling right now.
Because if the behaviour of Roberts-Smith was to reflect poorly on their service, that would be a crime almost as bad as the actions themselves.
And that is the ultimate reason why he deserves no sympathy but only the full measure of justice.
A justice he denied those in his care.
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Plibbers has been insulted by A Pirate Captain
https://aiinsults.com/insult/-NXEzLJxB65U5TPV7GIuSeems to take quite a while. Maybe it is secretly mining bitcoin or something. Anyhow a couple of different characters to choose from.
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Miltonf says:
June 6, 2023 at 6:29 pm
Very much symptomatic of the increasing isolation of the political class and their contempt for those that they are supposed to serve.No, not serve, represent and they will decide how we should be represented. It seems once we vote we become unimportant, even dispensable, the power has been transferred and is no longer ours.
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JCsays:
June 6, 2023 at 7:07 pmJerk Off Cretin. Calling someone a Limey Wap is silly (wrong mix of words for an Anglo Saxon like me). You seem to have your words all mixed up. BUT, you are a Short Arse Wap which I think is just about right for a Tosser like you that doesn’t know the value of the Future Fund or much else.
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cohenite says:
June 6, 2023 at 7:01 pm
Anyone got a reference for the nein barrister Nicholas Owens SC conceding Ali Jan was a Taliban?Whatever the lawyers think is immaterial, they are paid to work on behalf of their clients. The villain in the BRS case is judge Besanko who perverted the course of justice.
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m0ntysays:
June 6, 2023 at 6:34 pm
Russia is most definitely not in a stronger position now than before they started the war. Same goes for Ukraine, even more so as they had less to lose.Lots of people were saying during the Bakhmut standoff that this war would last for a long time, I am not so sure. The Ukes may be 300-level champs but even the 300 got run over in the end. They might just have one more shot.
m0nty=fa, master strategist and economist (failed) supreme passes his exquisite judgement on progress in a war half a world away.
Who could not be impressed by such intellectual hubris?
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Lizzie
Some few people could see it coming. I wonder what the hell we are sleep-walking into ourselves now.
If you accept the mUnty solution – “the US manage to engineer a German-style soft revolution to kill off once and for all Russia’s historically warlike national character”, then World War III. The “German-style soft revolution” was only made possible by the complete and utter defeat of Germany in 1945, at a cost of tens of millions of lives.
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“Nine’s barrister Nicholas Owens conceded in the first days of the trial that the men Roberts-Smith killed were almost “certainly insurgents”, but argued that even “the most brutal, vile member of the Taliban” could not be killed outside of the rules of engagement”
From the Oz – don’t remember when.
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Miltonf says: June 6, 2023 at 7:30 pm
iirc you can dob in a soldier for doing his job by writing to a PO Box in Belconnen. How very canbra.
Yeah? That’s nothin’. You can watch a soldier doing his job from a telephone exchange in Deakin! You can’t get more Canbra than that!
Also, I may have finally figured out why you guys call Canberra “canbra”.
I mean other than lazy pronunciation. -
I really don’t like dropping an acidic fart and then quietly departing but I have a few things on but have to report to Cats on this….I’ll check on some comments later…
On the way home there was an ad on 6PR radio that said Albo Govt are introducing “same job = same pay.”
I thought “oh yeah, gender crap.”
But, no, the ad went on…
“This is not about gender disparity, the Govt is introducing same work, same pay for certain professions which means you will be forced, despite how experienced you are, to receive the same pay as someone in the same role with less experience.”
WTAF IS THIS SHIT???!!??
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This can’t be true. Hiden’s a demonrat and demonrats are never indicted.
House Oversight Chair Confirms Ongoing FBI Criminal Investigation Into Biden Over Alleged Bribery Scheme
It’s more likely the FBI is conducting an investigation and concludes there’s nothing there.
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m0ntysays:
June 6, 2023 at 7:51 pm
Absolute Rubbish Comment from an armchair wanker playing with his/her/its thingy. Russia has never been stronger. The Sanctions have actually made Russia stronger.They should start another war to get really super strong!!
You pillock.
NO. MontyPox Virus. YOU are the Wanker/Pillock/Dickhead/Tosser/Wally………..Who do you think will win this War? I await your Strategic Analysis and considered thought (If you have one that is).
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Cassie of Sydneysays:
June 6, 2023 at 7:56 pm
““This is not about gender disparity, the Govt is introducing same work, same pay for certain professions which means you will be forced, despite how experienced you are, to receive the same pay as someone in the same role with less experience.””Socialism.
This is why if you are young enough and smart enough to start your own Business with the minimum of Employees it might just work.
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m0ntysays:
June 6, 2023 at 6:34 pm
Russia is most definitely not in a stronger position now than before they started the war.Already thrown out of more than half the territory they took in the initial Feb/March 2022 surge, used and blew the gas weapon against Europe (forever), bluffed and then welshed over the nuclear redlines that barely raises a headline now (probably because Russia’s nukes are 90% duds), watched lamely as Finland (!) joined NATO with zero pushback, did nothing as Armenia got its ass handed to it by Azerbaijan right under the noses of Russian “peacekeepers”, can’t even defend its own territory from a platoon of rebels…
No, Russia has done amazingly well out of this little adventure, so much winning, and lots more to come in the very near future no doubt!
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“This is not about gender disparity, the Govt is introducing same work, same pay for certain professions which means you will be forced, despite how experienced you are, to receive the same pay as someone in the same role with less experience.”
Let’s say Cassie is only partially correct and it isn’t just about socialism.
It is about demarcation! all over again.
Demarcation! Demarcation! Demarcation!
Not a pay bump each year, but a full-blown promotion.
“I am a 49th-degree master entry-level customer service clerk and I clear 230,000 AUD in 2023 constant dollars).”
It’s about unreasonable wages for unionists, maximising the wage bill and therefore increasing the union official’s salary, expenses and offices; but also their superannuation, slush funds and future political campaigns.
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From the Daily Tele. Hildebrand admits he’s never served a day!
Yeah, but I expect he has seen injustices like able-bodied people taking disabled people’s spaces at Westfield’s, and fired off an letter to the editor from ‘A Concerned Citizen’, so it would be churlish to overlook his martial experience as trifling.
Haven’t all of us seen a tired haggard woman at her wits end dragging two screaming kids from a disabled space to the chemist and not wanted to kill her? Yet we don’t.
Why didn’t BRS just send a letter to the editor if he thought the guy was a Taliban agent?
Totally off topic – has Hildebrand been able to cultivate a proper beard beyond the patchy scraggly steel-wool affair that has attached itself to his feeble jaw, drawn to his face by a magnetic left-pole of his brain.
I used to feel sorry for him when Blair tried to introduce him to polite society, letting him into his column when Tim was in leave. But with his jejune emasculated presence among those opinionated but uninformed ladies of morning TV he really still strikes me as a J Alfred Prufrock character but without Prufrock’s self-conscious embarrasment in front of his imagined untamed, unbroken self.
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https://amp.abc.net.au/article/102439720
Same job = same pay… So Muntard, as a basement dwelling doughnut ravishing trannie, via regulation, will be paid same as top journos…
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Zulu Kilo Two Alphasays:
June 6, 2023 at 7:45 pm
“Nine’s barrister Nicholas Owens conceded in the first days of the trial that the men Roberts-Smith killed were almost “certainly insurgents”, but argued that even “the most brutal, vile member of the Taliban” could not be killed outside of the rules of engagement”From the Oz – don’t remember when.
Appears to be the 1 May. Thanks.
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The first four screens of comments under Hildebrand’s article. Seems most readers don’t agree with him:
Tim
1 hour ago
Joe, you’d stand and say “My words will change things”, but news for you, they won’t and don’t. You don’t think this didn’t Happen in WW2, cause it did. Aussies to Japs, but no one wants to talk about it. If we were invaded I’d want 10,000 BRS defending our country, not our spineless, woke, feel good kumbayah crowd of greenies and lefties. Try living in China or Russia see how long you last.
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ReplyreplyCraig
1 hour ago
What! He lost a defamation case not a criminal trial. There’s no connection.
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ReplyreplyGavin
1 hour ago
@Craig watch this space mate.
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ReplyreplyMangiloples
1 hour ago
@Gavin and see what a dozen members of the public think
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ReplyreplyMichelle
9 hours ago
These soldiers did not take the “extraordinary steps to testify against him”. They were subpoenaed to give evidence. They did not want to be there.
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ReplyreplyChris
9 hours ago
Written by someone who hasn’t served their country or engaged in wartime service.
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ReplyreplyBrian
9 hours ago
I think people are forgetting that his fellow soldiers turned on him.
So either he’s lying or they are.
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ReplyreplyCraig
1 hour ago
@Brian He lost a defamation case not a criminal trial.
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ReplyreplySelwyn
9 hours ago
BRS hold your head high, the awarding of the VC says it all. Those who deny him this are not worthy to be called Aussies.
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ReplyreplyNo Comment
9 hours ago
Maybe Jack Nicholson was right – we can’t handle the truth.
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Replyreplylevi2010
9 hours ago
I support BRS.
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ReplyreplyTed
9 hours ago
It’s fine to sit back and throw derogatory comments at BRS. People making these comments in all probability would not enlist in the services but will hide behind those brave enough to go to war for their country.
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ReplyreplyMichael
9 hours ago
I don’t recall him asking for sympathy. He does, however, have my support along with the support of many other Australians.
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ReplyreplyMike
9 hours ago
The support here for BRS is a frightening reminder that so many Australians condone disgraceful behaviour in so many situations.
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ReplyreplyGeoff J.
1 hour ago
No, there are some of us who believe in the presumption of innocence.
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ReplyreplyRb
9 hours ago
(Edited)
Not black and white – I think it is a case of the medal stands but (he and medal) just not celebrated
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ReplyreplyBrett
9 hours ago
Unless you have been there (and just being in the military is not the same as being in a war zone, I was in the Army and still have no idea what it would be like) and seen the things they have seen, done the things they have done then how can you pass judgement? These soldiers do a job that no-one else will do, should have to do nor do they want to do but they do it.
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ReplyreplyDiol
9 hours agoProbably should learn the difference between civil proceedings and criminal proceedings before you throw the noose around someone’s neck.
No doubt we can wait to see if he is charged and then convicted of those charges, before we get too excited about the possibility of running his name through the mud, shall we?
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ReplyreplyAlan
10 hours ago
(Edited)
War is an ugly encounter and no combatant can take the moral high ground when it comes to what happens on the battlefield. In Afghanistan the enemy had no rules of engagement which added to the stress our soldiers had to endure. They were farmers by day or dressed as civilian non combatants generally. I don’t wish to excuse any alleged wrongdoing by our soldiers but point out they will not be alone when we look back over the many wars. How many enemy were shot in the back fleeing after being overwhelmed on the battlefield. After an enemy plane, tank or other machinery was immobilised, we’re further rounds fired to finish off the enemy? War was and continues to be ugly.
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ReplyreplyTony
10 hours ago
BRS you are a hero of the highest order. You went where others feared.You have not been found guilty of any crime. walk with your head held high Ben for you truly are a hero
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ReplyreplyIan
10 hours ago
Has any journalist or court for that matter estimated how many allied soldiers were killed in Afghanistan as a direct result of civilian action to aid the Taliban? Understand the context and then pass judgement if you may but don’t slam soldiers who were sent to Afghanistan and elsewhere to to a job. If governments are not going to back their soldiers then the solution is easy – don’t send them!!
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ReplyreplyStan
10 hours ago
Quite right Joe. We should have left Afghan civilians to be slaughtered by the Taliban and kept our Australian soldiers within Australia.
The end result would have been the same. Such is war!
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ReplyreplyMichael
10 hours ago
For the commentators that don’t agree with Joe’s assessment, what does that make you. The evidence is in and Roberson-Smith has dishonoured Australia. It may be an unpalatable truth and it takes courage to admit it. Good for you Joe.
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ReplyreplyBen
10 hours ago
Tall poppy syndrome at it’s finest in regards to BRS. 99.999% wouldn’t be able to do what he’s done to protect our country, let alone, none of us were there to witness anything!
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ReplyreplyRejected
10 hours ago
(Edited)
Pretty easy to sit back behind a computer and be critical towards a special forces soldier for things that for one he was highly likely ordered to do and two for a job that 99% of people literally couldn’t or wouldn’t do!
These guys whether you like it or not operate in the shadows under their own rules of engagement and quite often have green lights from defense departments as long as they dont get caught, thats why BRS was so emotional about the “code”!
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ReplyreplyMichael
10 hours ago
Well said Joe!
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ReplyreplyGary
10 hours ago
if we ever have to protect Australia i hope there is a separate Battalion for the left and woke
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ReplyreplyGreg
10 hours ago
I support Ben.
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ReplyreplyAnne
10 hours ago
It is not the first time Australian troops have been accused of killing POWs. Check the history of the Boer War, World War I and II. The only argument against killing POWs is: if we don’t, perhaps they won’t kill our’s. Atrocities occur in all wars by all participants because war is hell, and soldiers are human. It’s hypocritical to crucify BRS. I don’t like the bloke, but I bet if he hadn’t received that VC, none of this would have come out.
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ReplyreplyAlways Red
10 hours ago
Until we know the real truth of these events, he received a VC for his efforts in saving his work mates in a needless war. Just remember that.
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ReplyreplyBonnie
10 hours ago
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s a duck
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ReplyreplyDolphinAB
11 hours ago
Unless you have fought in the same battles, fighting the same enemy who abide by no convections and with no morals I think the fact you are able to write this article from the comfort of a free land shows what he fought for and proves that not everyone appreciates it
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ReplyreplyGibbo
11 hours ago
You simply have no right to judge this man. Joe and the Tele are on the wrong end of this story and should stop denigrating a good man.
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ReplyreplyJeff
11 hours ago
You now want a woke war also Joe….. BRS is the first person I would want to see if our country was under fire.
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Replyreplyian Oz
11 hours ago
So the Government/Military trained BRS to kill in the theatre of war and sent him several times into this situation. He was exposed to some pretty horrific situations and no doubt these become deep seated. Now they want to hang him out to dry? Sorry, you will not convince us Aussies that he is anything but a war hero?
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ReplyreplyDenis
11 hours ago
Our Troops should not have been sent to Afghanistan in the first place fighting some ones else,s War, our government kowtowing to America again. Maybe you should write about that Joe?.
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Replyreplymaree
9 hours ago
Australia, along with much of the Western world, went to Afghanistan because the Taliban had been hosting Al Qaeda and allowing them to use Afghanistan as a base from which to plan, train, and mount global terror attacks.Should Australia just have ignored the threat of terrorism?
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ReplyreplyDavid
11 hours ago
“substantially true” – until he is charged with murder and successfully found guilty I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Hence in my eyes still innocent.Thank you and all your mates who served overseas.
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ReplyreplyAdam
11 hours ago
“Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know — that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall — you need me on that wall.
We use words like “honor,” “code,” “loyalty.” We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said “thank you” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand the post. Either way, I don’t give a DAMN what you think you’re entitled to!” – Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (A Few Good Men)
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ReplyreplyV
11 hours ago
Where was his sergeant, warrant officer, lieutenant, captain, major???
This group seems to be fairly well unsupervised.
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ReplyreplyConnie and Frank
11 hours ago
This is an Army matter and should never be for the General Public as most today have never been to war so cannot even speculate What happens in the Army stays in theArmy out of respect for Soldiers
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ReplyreplyMichael
11 hours ago
Balance or probabilities does NOT equal beyond reasonable doubt.
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ReplyreplyLance Boyle
11 hours ago
And that is the ultimate reason why he deserves no sympathy but only the full measure of justice.A justice he denied those in his care.
Sympathy, or something like that, for BRS and justice for what he has been accused of are not mutually exclusive. What drives a man to commit murder, for that is the accusation, in the fog of a brutal, awful war, are not the same things that drive a man to murder in civil life.
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ReplyreplyHang On Harry
11 hours ago
Hang on Joe, it might be a good thing to wait and see if BRS is guilty of anything other than being a hero to the nation.I’ll need a lot more than, ‘based on the probabilities’ asserted by a sole judge in a civil suit.
One question I have, is why would any young patriotic men or woman ever want to join our armed services after this?
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ReplyreplyJennifer
11 hours ago
War is not a walk on the beach. Ben Roberts is a hero in the true sense. Watch the armed forces personal walk away in droves. As for anyone willing to sign up they will be thinking twice about it now. As for ” the balance of probabilities ” that the judge decided was correct, he wasn’t there. -
Cassie of Sydney says:
June 6, 2023 at 7:51 pm
“Chicago shootings: 46 shot, 9 fatally, in weekend gun violence across city, police say”Those black lives don’t matter.
No, they don’t matter as long as they keep voting Democrat in that benighted city. When they start voting Republican they might make the Democrats sit up and take notice.
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I admit, Peter Capaldi isn’t an Englishman. He’s a Scot.
Lowland Scots are basically English. The sooner they come to terms with this and stop hating their English brethren they will succeed instead of blaming the British (“English”) establishment.
In fact, they hate the English more than some English mistakenly believe the Irish hate them.
From Quora
Liam Johnson
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Follow
Updated 1y
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What do Scots think of the English?I’m English, and I’ll probably be called a c*** and told to **** off, but I’ve noticed a change over the last ten years. A new attitude has emerged, especially among the young. There were always people who hated ‘the English’ (often without ever having been to England). But the majority were either indifferent or had a kind of vague dislike that was slightly tongue in cheek – the kind of dislike Canadians feel for Americans, or New Zealanders feel for Australians (kind of jokey and ironic – no more than banter).
In the last few years things have changed. I even heard one Scottish girl talk about the English ‘invading and raping my country’. Obviously no one told her that political union began in 1603 when a Scottish dynasty replaced the Tudors on the English throne. Why do you think Shakespeare wrote Macbeth? To please the new Scottish king of England, that’s why. Or maybe someone should tell her that the first Scottish Prime Minister of the UK became PM way back in 1762 (John Stuart). 1762!!! And it was a Scottish PM who led Britain during the Crimean war in the 1850s. The head of the British army in WW1 was Scottish. The founder of the SAS was Scottish. For god sake, even Gladstone was Scottish.
Of course, it suits the SNP to stir up this kind of hatred, especially among the young. They know it’s the quickest way to win support. Time and again I’ve watched SNP politicians indulge in fake outrage. Everything is twisted and distorted to fit their narrative. They’ll be asked to comment on some new policy, or some random quote, and will then bang on about how “shocked” or “disgusted” or “outraged” they are by English arrogance. They know just which buttons to press: the English laugh at the Scottish, patronize them, look down on them, don’t care about them, etc, etc. None of this is true. The English Left have always admired the Scottish, and used to think of Scotland (and to an extent Wales) as the backbone of British Socialism. The English Right, on the other hand, also admire the Scottish, and think of them as the backbone of the British army. There has never been any hatred or contempt. George Orwell, for example, writes about ‘the cult of Scottishness’ that existed in the Edwardian public schools when he was a kid. According to him, boys who’d come from Scottish backgrounds had a high status and would often boast of their Highland roots.
If I was 18, I would be too scared to go to university in Glasgow or Edinburgh. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I’d be frightened that if someone heard my accent in a bar or pub I’d get attacked. It’s amazing to me that the SNP have managed to portray themselves as enlightened progressives. To me, they often seem more like hate-filled bigots. But them I am an evil English oppressor, so I should probably just shut up.
P.S…Do Scottish nationalists sympathise with English, Welsh and Northern Irish unionists? If Scotland breaks away, those of us who consider ourselves British will have lost our country. We have been British longer than Italy, Germany or the United States have existed. Italy and Germany weren’t unified until the late 19th century, and the USA wasn’t formed until 1776. But Britain and Britishness began in 1603. Everyone sympathised with the remainers after Brexit, and they were just upset at leaving a 60 year old bureaucratic insititution. Yet no one seems to care about the British losing their country.
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My take is the English are better off with the socialism virus-infected Welsh, Scots and Irish.
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Dot says:
June 6, 2023 at 5:40 pm
What I mean is the Russian conventional military is much less capable.Sorry Dot – Again, I’m not so sure that the Russian military are much less capable although it depends on context. If you mean in materiel, then yes you’re probably correct. It is common knowledge that Russia has been the second largest manufacturer/exporter after the USA for many years so their capacity to re-stock is very significant. I understand their factories are currently at full production right now as they have suffered some losses but also, are using weapons (artillery shells, missiles, drones etc) at a prodigious rate. Tank and other mobile equipment losses have been extensively documented although it must be said that Ukrainian losses are just as bad (possibly more so).
The problem of course is the accuracy of reports/data but some of the figures quoted of both Russian and Ukrainian artillery shell usage are, for example, mind boggling.
But, when it comes to manpower losses, I have a theory that the Russians have been pretty smart in protecting the Russian military base. For months we have been told about the mercenary force, Wagner, leading the charge. They appear to have been bearing the biggest weight in attacking Ukraine and their boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been very vocal about the rate of Russian equipment re-supply. But in any event, Wagner is made up of mercenaries – many are ethnic Russian but they come from all over the globe.
A few months ago the west was chortling over ‘Russia’ using prisoners from Russian jails. I recall the USA Sec of State commenting that it was a sign of how ‘desperate’ Russia had become. Maybe, maybe not. The thing is, is wasn’t Russia per se – it was Wagner.
The prisoner deal, as I understand it, was that the prisoners were offered freedom if they served with Wagner for six months. This all occurred shortly after Russia called up 300,000 reserves thereby bolstering the overall military ranks. The purpose of that was to free up experienced soldiers from ‘mundane’ duties which would be mostly filled by the reservists. Some reservists would be assigned to front line roles but it also allowed the regular soldiers to be re-trained for other skills/actions but it certainly bolstered the overall number of Russian regular forces.
In any event, the ‘heavy lifting’ in Russian assaults in Ukraine is being undertaken by mercenaries and convicts and it is those who are being killed/injured. To be clear, some thousands of Russian regular soldiers have also died but the claims of big losses impacting the Russian military are, if my theory is correct, inaccurate.
In essence, I’m wondering whether President Putin and Prigozhin have cynically used mercenaries and convicts as ‘cannon fodder’ to inflict substantial losses on Ukrainian regular army manpower (who are much less easily replaced) whilst the Russian regular army numbers are not hugely impacted. Russia is depleting the enemy force without incurring corresponding or near manpower losses in its own military force thereby allowing, at some future time, for Russian regular forces to ‘take over’ from Wagner and finish off the Ukraine forces in the Donbass, or just to be the occupying force. The supply of mercenaries can go on for a very long time and also allows deniability of certain actions without the proof directly sticking to the Kremlin.
Ukraine also uses international mercenaries but they are far less numerous and probably only number a few hundred (perhaps a thousand or two) whereas Wagner probably have 50,000 in Ukraine.
I’ve been pondering this matter for some time and it’s only a theory – but it is an intriguing thought. By coincidence, I noticed the same speculation elsewhere just a few days ago so perhaps I’m not the only sceptic who is wary. But it just doesn’t add up to me – Prigozhin’s comments, his very close relationship to Putin, that Wagner have been present in numerous global hotspots…. their relationship with other (lesser) mercenary groups ……the access to and use of convicts…..
There are many different scenarios to those outlined above but I’m becoming increasingly suspicious of Wagner’s engagement in the Ukraine.
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““This is not about gender disparity, the Govt is introducing same work, same pay for certain professions which means you will be forced, despite how experienced you are, to receive the same pay as someone in the same role with less experience.””
Taken literally, this would mean the end of pay increments (for years of service) in the public service and uniformed services (bureaucrats, police, ADF, ambulance, nursing, teaching). I expect a re-think soon.
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C.L.says:
June 6, 2023 at 7:58 pm
Just in:How Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz were ushered into the lavish world of Lisa Wilkinson and Peter FitzSimons: Texts detail cosy mansion visits and boat trip as $325,000 book deal was brokered.
How are they getting these texts?
Who, apart from those directly involved, cares?
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