‘Israel pushes on in a mad world’

Editorial The Australian May 30, 2024

Like Tuesday’s remarkable appearance of Israeli tanks in the centre of Rafah, Thursday’s announcement that the Jewish state has regained control of Gaza’s vital land border with Egypt indicates steady but significant progress towards the twin goals of destroying Hamas and rescuing the remaining hostages. It may be, as Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi warned, that fighting is likely to continue to the end of the year. But that does nothing to diminish the importance of Israel’s success in advancing into the heart of Hamas’s last stronghold and imposing “tactical control” on the 14km so-called Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border.

The border, which has not been held by Israel since 2005, has been described as “Hamas’s vital oxygen pipeline” for smuggling weapons to the terrorists. So far, according to military authorities, 20 cross-border tunnels – all of which have played a vital role in resupplying the terrorists – have been uncovered. Their loss is likely to prove a major new blow to the ability of the four battalions of fighters that Hamas is relying on to hold Rafah against Israel’s advances as it seeks to take control without crossing Washington’s red lines over civilian casualties. That the Biden administration says that, so far, it is doing so, despite last Sunday’s airstrike targeted at two terrorist leaders that tragically ignited a blaze that killed 45 civilians, needs to be noted by governments across the world, including Australia’s, as the advance into Rafah continues.

Delusional claptrap like that heard in parliament on Wednesday when four lower house Greens MPs and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie supported a motion demanding recognition of Palestinian statehood are about as far removed and unhelpful as it is possible to be from the on-the-ground reality of what is happening in Gaza, and what is needed to bring an end to the suffering of its people.

So weird and irrational has the world become over Gaza, however, that as Alexei Demetriadi reports on Friday there is a sociology professor at Sydney University, Indian-born Sujatha Fernandes, who has been telling her first-year students that Hamas’s mass rape and sexual violence on October 7 was “fake news” and a “hoax” peddled by the media. Can she be serious? And what about the hapless students?

Amid the furore, however, it is reassuring that Israel is advancing steadily towards destroying Hamas – something that is vital for Israel, no less than it is for relieving the desperate plight of Gaza’s people.

Why keep it secret? Hun:

Secret briefings used to justify sending Victorians into the world’s longest lockdown are set to be released for the first time.

Despite the Department of Health fighting to keep the documents secret, claiming it would take years to prepare them for release, officials have been ordered to make them public.

In a landmark Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decision handed down this week, vice president Judge Caitlin English ruled there was a high degree of public interest in the release of the material that underpinned dozens of pandemic orders.

It is estimated more than 100 briefs running up to 7000 pages could be released.

It follows an almost four-years long Freedom of Information fight by Liberal MP David Davis for access to all working documents, advice, and scientific assessments underpinning public health orders throughout the pandemic.

In their bid to keep the documents secret, officials including former deputy secretary Jeroen Weimar, argued the request would divert critical resources away from the department’s 3400 employees.

It would see delays in communications to the public regarding public health advice, public health policy development, government briefings, governance and risk management, timely reporting and people management and supervision, they argued.

They also argued the cost of processing the request would run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Mr Weimar estimated it would take between 169.4 to 208.4 working weeks — or more than four years — for staff to locate and process the documents that were the subject of the FOI request.

However Judge English was not convinced, finding there was no evidence that any frontline services would be impacted, or their resources diverted if the FOI request was processed.

She said while the processing of the requests would “have a significant impact on the resources of the FOI unit”, the department had failed to discharge its onus of establishing that its estimate of the resources required for processing was reasonable, and that the work involved in processing the request would substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the agency from its other operations, which would have allowed it to properly refuse to process the requests

Mr Davis said Victorians were entitled to understand the full details behind every one of the pandemic rules.

“Victorians were locked down for the longest period in the world, had the highest death rate in Australia and suffered the most economic damage of anywhere in Australia,” he said.

“Consequently, they have a right to see this information upon which key Covid decisions were based.

“Labor have spent almost four years fighting the release of this basic information Victorians have a right to see.

“How can you lock down a community for so long and restrict their freedoms without having an absolute duty to be transparent and open about the reasons?

“We owe it to those who died, to those who suffered, and to the children who were robbed of their childhood to understand the reasons, and to learn the lessons, so they are never repeated.”

The department will have until the end of June to decide whether it will appeal the decision.

Shorter Weimar:
“It was for the common good!”
FMD

I wonder has mUnturd put the photo of Merchan up alongside those of Beria and Freisler yet.

Ridiculous, huh?

Just like the case in NY, the people Freisler sentenced to death had had a trial and were found guilty. If a court says it we must accept it is justice.

Mr Weimar estimated it would take between 169.4 to 208.4 working weeks — or more than four years — for staff to locate and process the documents that were the subject of the FOI request.

Suddenly there’s no money to hire more public servants!

The hot tears you lot are crying are delicious, thanks!

Go phuck yourself. Remember your lot monty.

m0nty

June 1, 2024 9:18 am

The hot tears you lot are crying are delicious, thanks!

That you and your ideological inbred cousins cheer this on just shows how truly demented for power you people are.
It’s also very telling that support for Trump is growing ever more strong, showing us that, even though the world is infested with dross like you, there are enough people still in it with base common sense and an intuition as to what is right and what is wrong.

Not sure on the usefulness of nested comments. I only pick them up from the recent comments if I refresh the front page. Will usually open “View replies” when scrolling back. If people are careful with quoting commenter, time and date I’m not sure how much they add.

From ADVANCE AUSTRALIA:

There are many wolves at our door right now.

Islamic terrorism, war in Ukraine, an increasingly hostile China, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

But here’s a question for you, one I’m often asked.

What’s the biggest domestic political threat to Australia’s freedom, security and prosperity?

Hands down, for me it’s the Greens.
When they first appeared out of nowhere in the 1980s, they were easy to dismiss as hippies and tree huggers.
But then they started winning elections.
First, a few senators. Now, more than 40 MPs across the country.
There have even been at least five Greens appointed ministers in Labor/Greens alliance governments.
That’s happened in both Tasmania and the ACT.
It’s only a matter of time before it happens federally.

The Greens are now a serious and effective political force.
Every election, they take a little more ground.
In 2021, Max Chandler-Mather – who is now the baby-faced Greens MP for the federal seat of Griffith – gave a speech to his fellow activists about his 18-year plan to win government1 (he’ll be in his late 40s if he pulls it off).
He spoke about how voters are becoming “disconnected from the traditional ways our Australian political system works”.
And how this is an opportunity for the Greens to win elections.
Chandler-Mather said the Greens are not just trying to win seats, but are devising a strategy that “can fundamentally transform the politics and the economy and society in this country”.

I think we should take him at his word.
They are coming for the most powerful positions in the country. They want a Greens Prime Minister.
Australians have to know that they can’t vote for Greens thinking that they will never be in a position of power.
You and I have to warn them – voting Greens is not a victimless crime.
And the victim is you.
If the Greens ever get their hands on the levers, here’s a taste of what they say would happen:

> Petrol and diesel cars banned by 2030.2
> You’d pay billions to overseas countries as compo for your “role in the climate crisis and the ongoing damage caused by imperialism”.3
> Implementation of an extremist gender agenda in our schools.4
> Private and independent schools would be defunded, driving up fees for both private and public schools.5
> They would tear down Australia’s borders by abolishing the Australian Border Force, ending boat turnbacks and allowing illegal immigrants to settle in Australia rather than sending them to offshore detention.6

The only reason they can get away with it is because too many Australians don’t know what they really stand for.

They’re right of course but the punters have a lot of sheep, useful idiots and grifters so the blame lies there as well.

On the immigration ruling which allows crims to stay because “ties to Straya”.
Interesting to reflect on the evolution of this issue.
It all started with Saint Jacinda crying “snot fair” over Kiwis being shipped back over the dutch after serving time here for serious crimes.
Luigi was all in on the plan with Jacinda at the time.
Now?
Well, with Saint Jacinda gone and, with a conservative in the chair in New Zulland, the hand of co-operation and friendship is no longer being extended to our Antipodean cousins.
Luigi is now running with “Immigration policy will be determined in Straya’s national interests”.
Which is pretty much what Dutton was saying at the time the ill-fated policy was struck.
But he was a racist.

Since the military arm of the party in power in Ramallah committed an even worse attack on Israel than Pearl Harbor it is now within Israel’s moral and national right to do what the US did.
Unfortunately, Israel has fallen into the popular trap of reading the media interpretations .. What should have happened was straight in, hangings from lamposts and infrastructure devastation from Oct 8 .. Instead Israel had a slow start coupled with far too many “this is what will happen” media updates ..
As time has gone on they have taken more & more notice of outside criticism whilst Hamas has revelled in the anti Israel press & somehow seems to have enuf men & fire power to keep on going …..
If Israel doesn’t take the “gloves” off soon they’ll be in a “no-win” stalemate Allowing both Fatah & Hezbollah to feel bold enuf to join in ……!

Reynolds and legal fees are likely to take a fair slice out of what’s left.

If Knickerless has any sense everything is tied into the “trust” fund & Reynold’s has very little chance of accessing that ..
Trust funds exist to ensure folk with money keep it .. regardless of “outside” assaults ..
No judge is gonna jeopardize his or his maaates holdings by upholding a legal challenge into that “holy grail” …

Fine commentary from Jack.

800 d*ckheads signed a petition on the live sheep trade and the pollies actaed on it. 800.

—-

Jack Out The Back:

Keep the sheep Thanks for the Rally, the fight has only just begun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxug2JHCiA0

We spend most of our life in the country, so maybe we notice social urban change more than most. But we are incredulous at what seems like a quite sudden suburban development around our Sydney home viz the complete saturation of available street suburban parking.

Who drives all these vehicles? At first we thought it was commuters, leaving their vehicles to take the short trip into the city centre. But n0 – because these vehicles are still there on weekends. We speculate it must be the (now) teenage children who can’t afford to leave their nest.

BTW it is not just our suburb – as friends in neighbouring areas testify to the same development. And it is a reasonably recent development ie in the last 4 years or so.

Anything to do with a post Covid effect? Working from home….????