Richard, you ask what effect the Liberal Party’s sedition laws have had on free speech. I’m not an Aussie, just a small-L liberal American who immigrated here to flee the Cheney Crime Family’s fascism. I haven’t seen any repression of free speech from the sedition laws.

The media here, particularly the GOVERNMENT-run TV channels (ABC and SBS) have more left-wing content than American media do. For instance, the nightly news reports show footage of actual dead bodies, unlike American TV, which only airs shots of burnt buildings and smouldering car hulks. There are public demos all the time, and the authorities are generally tolerant (except for protests against international visitors such as Cheney and the G-20 meeting in Melbourne last year, which resulted in a police riot.)

There was a case near here last year when an Aboriginal artist made a display of a charred Aussie flag to illustrate how his people had been burned out of their own land. A local policeman climbed into the first-storey (second floor, in Yank terminology) window of the art gallery and nicked it, of his own ititiative, because he considered it a seditious desecration. That resulted in a court case AGAINST THE OFFICER! He was not convicted of theft, but he had to give the flag back. Needless to say, the case was better publicity for the artist than any amount of advertising he could have ever afforded.

U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney certainly talks tough. For someone who has no problem sending soldiers off to war to get maimed and killed, Mr. Cheney himself acted like a coward when as a young man he evaded military service in Vietnam, saying that he, “had other priorities in the 1960’s than military service.” I am sure that the numerous U.S. soldiers who have needlessly died (or been injured) in Cheney’s Neo-Crusade to steal Iraqi oil and placate the Middle East for Zionist Israel certainly had better things to do than go to war also. Dick Cheney is a devilish warmongering coward.

My wife and I (American tourists) were having breakfast on Sydney Harbor/Harbour one morning in March 2003, before the invasion of Iraq, when we witnessed two men with paint rollers write “No War” on the top section of the opera house.

While people we talked to afterwards were appalled that the most famous building in Australian was defaced, I was thinking about how in democracies a little civil disobedience is treated as such, and is not a capital crime.

So my questions to Aussies commenting on this site are these: What has John Howard done to stifle free speech, especially concerning the war in Iraq? And what effect has Howard’s infamous sedition law had on same? We who might be subject to the same need to know.

I am waiting to hear what VP Cheney says when he is asked about this BBC story:

“Did Corruption Force CIA Boss To Quit?”

Video - Friday 23 Feb 07

BBC - Newsnight’s Peter Marshall has been investigating the reasons behind the
resignation of former CIA chief, Porter Goss.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/default.stm

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17153.htm

All the comments are keen… It’s encouraging to see how so many of us grasp the gravity of the VP’s (Cheyney’s) contribution to the Bush Administration decisions. The VP is definitely a “VIP”.  Meanwhile, the PM of Britain (Blair) made the profound statement that as far as he knows there is no intention for an invasion of Iran.  “Iran IS NOT Iraq.” he said.  Does that mean that Iraq is not Afghanistan ?  As the British like to say; ‘brilliant, old chap!’ Bush, Blair and Howard . . . they all speak the same language.  But it’s not necessarily “King’s English”.

Hopefully, the young Prince Harry has studied his geography a bit more intensely. Yet he doesn’t seem to have studied sociology, psychology, economics, political science or history.  What a pity that he must “represent” the children of the elite who are otherwise conspicuously absent in this War their fathers’ (and in rare cases, mothers’ ) have called on others’ children to fight indefinitely. . .

I thought the Aussies had a more selective process for issuing visas to deviates. But as long as Dick is down there he can do a science experiment to see which way the water flows when you flush a toilet “down under” with himself inside it.

I was thinking that Cheney forgot to clean his mouth so he polluted severely our atmosphere with poisonous gas from his undigested bowels.

His whole family is very proud of him !!!

What is this? A campaign to stop all American exports.
We should keep this embarrassment in a basement
somewhere in Iraq .

“An opinion poll earlier this week suggested that more than two-thirds of Australians want Mr. Howard to announce a date for withdrawing troops or to order an immediate pull out.”

How is it possible that there is always such a disconnect between reality, and the fantastical comments that emerge from Cheney’s mouth.  Supporting the U.S. in Iraq screwed up Tony Blair’s political future, and now its Howard’s turn.

While Cheney spoke crowds waved placards saying “Go home Cheney” and “Bring the troops home.” Three people were arrested after scuffles broke out and officers on horseback moved in to disperse the crowd.

Rather than gallivanting around Australia, Cheney should be in Washington defending his buddy Scooter.

Dick, the news of reality still isn’t penetrating your bunker. Turn off the FOX network for god’s sake!...It’s a vicious circle. The rest of the world thinks we are reckless dangerous fools.

China? you’ve been a well paid cheerleader for most favored trade status. Now we are most favored.

Please get some R&R;. Think about the mess of the world you have made. Maybe on that oil tanker ride home? You can look out over the sea and ponder where you went terrible wrong in life? 

Otherwise, for history’s sake, leave the disconnected remarks to junior. You don’t want to be included in the final pages of this disastrous administration do you?

Cheney and his stand-in, George Bush, just don’t get it. The “whole world” respects you Australia.... how in’ell would Cheney know what the whole world or even the real world respects about anything? Talk about living in a bubble! How does he think that he or this administration can turn a losing streak into a winning streak? More players? Or more and better foreign policy? Please, journalists, stop making him sound more credible than he is!

There was a march in Sydney yesterday protesting both the Iraq War and the presence of Cheney in the country.

One woman was carrying a sign that read:

“Dick, go home. And take John with you.”

One can only hope that the Australians, who apparently by 2/3 oppose the un-necessary involvement in Iraq, do better as opposition than our numbers here. If Howard goes perhaps even Cheney and Bush can’t continue so deluded.

Perhaps Australia will led by example. It is hurtful the way the Bush/Cheney administration has turned the United States from a beacon of reform and hope to just one more Banana Republic. Have to give them credit for focus I guess.

The world’s most ass-licking expert ! Is Bush administration proud of him with a such flattery act ?

What does Australian government do about this ? Follow its master or bow down to 2/3 of nation’s population wants a withdrawal ?

Cheney shows every indication of some kind of serious psychological and moral disorder. As such, he is dangerous. Many Australians seem to know this.

Cheney’s mental status seems somewhat different from George Bush’s, but both appear similarly disturbed.

Finally, Americans and many people around the world are seeing that our top US leadership (including others in addition to Cheney and Bush) seem to be very troubled and dangerous government officials and human beings.

Understanding the psychological and emotional elements of government leaders, the media and people in the US and internationally is key to moving forward and resolving the extremely serious problems we face.

Maybe the two articles referenced below can be helpful:

“Iraq War Psychology: Exploring hearts and minds of U.S. officials, press, profiteers”

By Steve Hammons
Columnist, PopulistAmerica.com
Populist Party of America
February 15, 2007

http://www.populistamerica.com/iraq_war_psychology

- - -

“Chicken hawks are real and dangerous”

By Steve Hammons
Columnist, PopulistAmerica.com
Populist Party of America
November 26, 2006

http://www.populistamerica.com/chicken_hawks_are_real_ and_dangerous

I wish he’d come to Melbourne so I could scream at him. Even though it would be way off in the distance, because he has to be kept far removed from the lumpenpublic, since he’s such a beloved leader of the Free World’s greatest power (snort!)

Cheney is a sociopathic liar. He apparently isn’t aware of the “Internets” ( a bushism). Doesn’t he know that every person listening to him spout lies is already aware of the truth of his statements? 

While he is an arrogant fool, he’s no Joseph Goebbels. YOu all now who he was. He was Hitlers Reich Propaganda Leader of the NSDAP. Goebbels found his mission in selling Hitler to the German public. Of course Goebbels didn’t have to suffer from the “Internets”!

Cheney, you’re bad, but not that bad!