Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, have consistently lied to the Australian people and to the world about the extent to which they had committed Australia to Bush’s invasion of Iraq prior to the actual invasion in March 2003.[1] The Howard government, right up until almost the actual invasion date, had denied that they had committed Australia to this disastrous and criminal adventure. But now their lies are coming back to haunt them.
Just two days after Alexander Downer had haughtily told the ABC’s Lateline program[2] that the notion that Australia had committed itself to Bush’s invasion of Iraq prior to the days just before the actual invasion were just ‘conspiracy theories’, an ex-SAS officer has come forward to tell the world that the Australian SAS were committed to involvement by at least mid-2002 thus putting the lie to Downer and Howard’s insistence that their decision to go to war was not made until just days before the actual invasion.[3]
This comes on top of revelations that the former chairman of the Australian Wheat Board, Trevor Flugge, had been told by Australia’s then ambassador to the UN, John Dauth, that the ‘Howard government would participate in military action with the US to overthrow Saddam Hussein’ in early 2002. This directly contradicts Howard’s ‘previous statements that Australia had not agreed to join the war in Iraq before the UN debate in late 2002 and early 2003.’[4]
ENDNOTES
[1] Patrick Walters, ‘Iraq a moral blunder, says war hero’, The Australian, 25 November 2006. Available online: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20817682-601,00.html Accessed 25 November 2006.
[2] Alexander Downer, Transcript of ‘Interview – ABC’s Lateline’, 23 November 2006. Available online: http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/transcripts/2006/061123_abc.html Accessed 25 November 2006.
[3] Patrick Walters, ‘Wrong war, wrong time’, The Australian, 25 November 2006. Available online: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20815881-601,00.html Accessed 25 November 2002.
[4] Marian Wilkinson, ‘Flugge knew invasion plans’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 November 2006. Available online: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/flugge-knew-invasion-plans/2006/11/22/1163871481920.html Accessed 23 November 2006.
AUSTRALIANS AT WAR
THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY is a compelling factual history of neoconservatism and its influence on US Foreign Policy in the Middle East during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Click on image above for details.
8 comments:
All nations, including Australia, involved in Iraq knew about the attack before the masses. However, Iraq is a diversion. As the armies attack Iraq, the US gov't erodes rights at home by suspending habeas corpus, stealing private lands, banning books like "America Deceived" from Amazon, America Deceived (book) rigging elections, conducting warrantless wiretaps and starting 2 illegal wars based on lies. Soon, another US false-flag operation will occur (sinking of an Aircraft Carrier) and the US will invade Iran (on behalf of Israel). Australia will be right alongside.
This is a very precise, fact-laden summary. I avoid a lot of blogs where fulmination and verbiage seem to be the driving force, and I appreciate your lean cogent style. It could be an AP story except you’re scrapping below the surface propaganda to try to get at the truth.
So perhaps I can be indulged a little fulminating myself.
Having grown up in the U.S. and followed for decades its sinister political lurch to the far right and its descent into a hollowed out democracy, I harbor few delusions about the prospects for a reversal of our decline.
Perhaps I have been naïve about Australian politics, however. As someone who has traveled extensively in Australia, has an Australian mother, and feels a great fondness for the country, one of my gravest disappointments has been observing the Australians repeatedly reelect this petite Bush from Down Under. I imagined that Australians would eventually break decisively from the hubris and delusion pouring out of Washington. Instead, like the Blairites and to a lesser extent the Canadians, they’ve enthusiastically gulped the ‘kool-aid’ and begged for another round.
Despite the recent elections of Democratic majorities here in the U.S. legislature, our political system is now so corrupted by military empire, corporate slush funds, nonstop propaganda, delusions of grandeur, theocratic gibberish, and class war (the superrich preying on the Middle Class and poor), that I have little hope that we will reverse our decline into an Imperial Rome with Fox News and cruise missiles.
The most effective way to counter U.S. imperial power, I believe, is for other nations to adamantly oppose the brutal military invasions, unfettered corporate trade agendas, ecological suicide pacts, etc. Some countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and to a lesser extent Germany, France, and Spain under Zapatero have made some fuss about the invasion of Iraq. But not the Australians or the British. Their blind loyalty, in fact, created a fig leaf for the invasion of Iraq to proceed. And apparently, even as it turned into a horrific debacle--at least for the people of Iraq, if not for the Neocons and Zionists in Washington--the Blair and Howard governments have maintained their fanatic loyalty both to the ongoing destruction of Iraq and the fraudulent “war on terror” rationale.
Both governments supported the cruel devastation of Lebanon unleashed by the Israelis this summer, and I presume that they will extend their support to an attack, at least from the cheering section, on Iran should the Neocons in the Cheney Administration prevail over the circling realists of the Baker camp. And I would not underestimate the fanatic determination of the Olmert camp within Washington to launch the next phase of the Middle East war on Iran.
So what are the Australian people set to do?
And what about global climate change? In prevailing climate models Australia is predicted to be one of the most severely hit regions of the world in terms of increased droughts and heat waves. Australia, already the driest continent in the world, is poised to lose much of its already limited agricultural and ranching areas to droughts. In fact, it appears to be already suffering from climate change induced droughts although this is not yet certain.
And yet the Howard government mimics the ostrich like behavior of the Bush Administration with absolute fealty. What an irony--as the Australians really do seem intent on committing a form of climate suicide. All in the interest of immediate corporate profits, of course.
It's the Jews Stupid!
http://pcapostate.blogspot.com/2006/06/its-jews-stupid.html
Great post, thank you. I don't know if you saw this article/video of Saddam and his inner circle right before the war, but I found it fascinating...
www.minor-ripper.blogspot.com
As an Australian I fell nothing but shame that the liar Howard is continually re-elected. He has been caught out lying too many times to recall now and the people of this country don't give a damn.
I don't know whether they think he is lying in their best interests or are just ignorant of reality. But the reality is he is a dismal little war criminal who would be tried as such if the people of this country had any decency whatsoever.
I won't hold me breath.
That Howard lied is not exactly news. He's made a whole career out of it, and he's been able to get away with it despite being in the top job because we have here in Australia a totally controlled media.
Howard = lies
So the Seppo's and the Canberran Gallahs have slipped the battlers a raw prawn. Bloody marvelous. Hoicked out of the land of the rising tomato, the Philippines, and the better half of the yankee continent they've decided to hoof it here with their lame-brained, lairy, depleted uranium, gizmo death toys.
Bonsai Howard, Bush's midget underling, has pinched the top paddock! Even worse he's swapped the never never for a flea circus worth of scratchies from Uncle Scam.
Yep, whacked the North Island on the never never plan so that the USSA can use our camp for "weapons Training" for 20 years, which is a poofteenth of how long the place is going to glow like Chernobyl (DU has a half-life of 4, 500 000 years?/?). You may think you'll never never glow if you never never go, but 4.5million years is a long time for the wind to be still.
Take your claggy eyes off the idiot box and that whore in the anchor-man's disguise and have a squiz at the strewth, this acid is ridgy didge, fresh from the drum. Ten to one you'd sooner chew the fat than have your ear chewed off so I'll toss you the quicksmart so you can get back to ignawing the gristle.
The duck's guts is this..........current Prime Minister Fudd has done the dirty on your ankle biters' future seed.
Bet you haven't shone your lamps on the countless limbless, cyclopean, skinless, eyeless.....even headless nippers that the poor preggas sheilas have been bearing over in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kossivo....nah..naturally you've been watching the opiate strobe- CBNCNNCBS...
Rather than ask: is it a boy/girl they just want to know if it's normal.........
Deformed tin-lids like these haven't been borne since they did atomic testing in the Pacific years ago, when first they opened up the nuclear can of worms.
Well, you'll be stoked to learn that our baby overboard PM has given the Yanks a five finger discount (GSTfree) on our backyard. You wouldn't be dead for quids, but your kids' kids' kids' might be mutants for a few quid.
NT.....and Lancelin WA.........and at Shoalwater Bay? QLD, a deformed baby...........an unexpected dividend? John's agreement with the Seppo's gives them use of our bases and ports, immunity from our laws, and waives environmental impact statements in pristine environments.
Deadset, I'm gonna do me quince. Howard's made a dog's breakfast of it and it's time to spit the dummy. Don't know which gumtree you've been up lately but it's time to come back to earth and have a dingo's breakfast.
Don't know which gumtree you've been up lately but it's time to come back to earth and have a dingo's breakfast.....that's a piss and a bit of a look around.
Hope the mongrel's chuffed, he's done a wonderful snow job, a few decades as a millionare for yonks and ajax worth of untold suffering for the drongos, the stunned mullets, and even the proper toffs.
Deadset, does Howard fancy himself a big noter surrounded by jelly kneed well wishers who slope off draping their arms behind their clod hoppers!
Does this war criminal think he'll take the icing off the yellow cake and leave us to gawp at him as he racks off, sponging off his handlers. Are we going to have a grizzle, give him a few jibes and slap him a pension.....hooroo.
Onya!
Fair crack of the whip!
He's cactus, I'm not going to call it a day, I'm cheesed at this nong, and i kid you not, the prick is a war criminal.....he broke international laws, Australian law, and British laws when he invaded the sovereign nations of Afghanistan and Iraq. 650 000 civilians have karked it over there in his shonky, dodgy egomaniac power grab, and nah sorry mate i don't remember giving you a mandate for that lark you goose.
"honest jon has supported an international terrorist mob, an iffy torture venture from Egypt 2 Guantanamo Bay.
Well I reckon his political juggernaut is out of rego. He's been on a warpath, off the beaten track, running down civilisations as though they were roadkill.....and we should give the war crimes court a tingle and show him where to get off........at the Hague....
Book him for wreckless driving, unlicenced use of a political vehicle for crimes against humanity, and for tailgating Bush while racing Phoney tony to the killing fields. I'm sure we could tee-up a backroom waltz for these 3 stooges.
Like Curly said to Moe......"you're either against em.............or you're with em....
I scrawled it this morning as i was up before a sparrow's fart and there was more to say than do. I plan to submit it to any local rag that has an editor daft enough to print it. Can you give us some pointers?
I reckon that the slang puts a polish on the gripe. The Top Brass on the bench will find it easier to breathe through a festy footy sock than blow this poignant humour off through the media's snake-oiled kyber pass.
Put your cross on every petition you can find and tick the box where it says "larrikans that aren't staunch for a fair go, don't give a brass razoo about the underdog, or that play jump rope for heartless filchers should make tracks"....
Someone's got to take a stand,......... I'm game.
I don't care to be fair game in this Rafferty's rules, fleece a voter, pull the dags over the nose, blind mans bluff caper they're foisting on the mob........but, STINKING GREASY.......
C'mon cobbers rattle your dags, stop veging out and sign on..........
before the quill runs out of squidjuice.......and you're left guessing whether the feather would make a better spine than the one you're using to slink about town with now, or if you should just whack it on your basebaaaaaaall cap and swan about like a spruce goose amongst the turnkey turkeys.
If the Lucky Country wants to stay the title, she'll need the good fortune of a few more ballsy pugs to pace the canvas. So stop slouching on the ropes listening for the final ring hoping you can slope off and still hold the eye of a digger next ANZAC Day.
Get off your date, activate your right to demand your representatives act in the best interests of the people who supposedly elected them, and in accordance with the universal code of high ethics.
Here's an email: bphrisky@yahoo.com.au
Don't be a whelk. leave that shell in your silver trail.
c'mon slugger.......don't be a sluggard.
They can't cut and run, because the plan was never meant to have an exit strategy. Eventually they'll have to have a shit fight with another RESOURCE rich region that needs democratizing, so they can 'liberate' the people with DU and infrastructure destruction.
I'm pretty sure it won't be N Korea....they already have demonstrated deterance, plus they've got SFA to take.
Iran has a mutual assistance pact with russia, and the heavy rail line between them should be completed soon enough (US isn't the only one wanting a slice of energy security), and I don't think America's pathetic economy will stay the course once everyone ditches the empty dollar to trade in Petro-Euros.
Meanwhile Australia has plenty of resources, and has just signed, last year, a deal with UNcle Scam to allow US forces to test weapons here for 20yrs... no epa, immunity from our laws, and plenty of suckas who, if they get frisky might end up being target practice as enemy combatants themselves.
Indonesia is signed up as an ally, but would they save us from an invasion from a foriegn super-power in decline, that has occupational rights, and a desperate need to maintain an interest in South East Asia?
Could the UN declare Australia complicit in New Guinean human rights violations, committed with our sanction (remember the indonesia/australia pact requiring that each do nothing to interfere with the others' interests in Papua). Would the UN scrutinise the "fact" that a regional power trained by our own military was "solely" responsible?
How long till some of Johnny's yellowcake gets into dark hands and the hard minds of enemies he and the shifty sherriff created in order to further some megalomaniac agenda-----to secure for themselves power without balance.
Johhny would do anything for his handlers........but could he really turn against us and re-inforce his eroded authority by selling us out to foriegn "defenders" of our "democracy'.
So the Seppo's and the Canberran Gallahs have slipped the battlers a raw prawn. Bloody marvelous. Hoicked out of the land of the rising tomato, the Philippines, and the better half of the yankee continent they've decided to hoof it here with their lame-brained, lairy, depleted uranium, gizmo death toys.
Bonsai Howard, Bush's midget underling, has pinched the top paddock! Even worse he's swapped the never never for a flea circus worth of scratchies from Uncle Scam.
Yep, whacked the North Island on the never never plan so that the USSA can use our camp for "weapons Training" for 20 years, which is a poofteenth of how long the place is going to glow like Chernobyl (DU has a half-life of 4, 500 000 ? years). You may think you'll never never glow if you never never go, but 4.5million years is a long time for the wind to be still.
Take your claggy eyes off the idiot box and that whore in the anchor-man's disguise and have a squiz at the strewth, this acid is ridgy didge, fresh from the drum. Ten to one you'd sooner chew the fat than have your ear chewed off so I'll toss you the quicksmart so you can get back to ignawing the gristle.
The duck's guts is this..........current Prime Minister Fudd has done the dirty on your ankle biters' future seed.
Bet you haven't shone your lamps on the countless limbless, cyclopean, skinless, eyeless.....even headless nippers that the poor preggas sheilas have been bearing over in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kossivo....nah..naturally you've been watching the opiate strobe- CBNCNNCBS...
Rather than ask: is it a boy/girl they just want to know if it's normal.........
Deformed tin-lids like these haven't been borne since they did atomic testing in the Pacific years ago, when first they opened up the nuclear can of worms.
Well, you'll be stoked to learn that our baby overboard PM has given the Yanks a five finger discount (GSTfree) on our backyard. You wouldn't be dead for quids, but your kids' kids' kids' might be mutants for a few quid.
NT.....and Lancelin WA.........and at Shoalwater Bay? QLD, a deformed baby...........an unexpected dividend? John's agreement with the Seppo's gives them use of our bases and ports, immunity from our laws, and waives environmental impact statements in pristine environments.
Deadset, I'm gonna do me quince. Howard's made a dog's breakfast of it and it's time to spit the dummy.
Don't know which gumtree you've been up lately but it's time to come back to earth and have a dingo's breakfast.....that's a piss and a bit of a look around.
Hope the mongrel's chuffed, he's done a wonderful snow job, a few decades as a millionare for yonks and ajax worth of untold suffering for the drongos, the stunned mullets, and even the proper toffs.
Deadset, does Howard fancy himself a big noter surrounded by jelly kneed well wishers who slope off draping their arms behind their clod hoppers!
Does this war criminal think he'll take the icing off the yellow cake and leave us to gawp at him as he racks off, sponging off his handlers. Are we going to have a grizzle, give him a few jibes and give him a pension.....hooroo.
Onya!
Fair crack of the whip!
He's cactus, I'm not going to call it a day, I'm cheesed at this nong, and i kid you not, the liar is a war criminal.....he broke international laws, Australian law, and British laws when he invaded the sovereign nations of Afghanistan and Iraq. 650 000 civilians have karked it over there in his shonky, dodgy egomaniac power grab, and nah sorry mate i don't remember giving you a mandate for that lark you goose.
"honest jon has supported an international terrorist mob, an iffy torture venture from Egypt 2 Guantanamo Bay.
Well I reckon his political juggernaut is out of rego. He's been on a warpath, off the beaten track, running down civilisations as though they were roadkill.....and we should give the war crimes court a tingle and show him where to get off........at the Hague....
Book him for wreckless driving, unlicenced use of a political vehicle for crimes against humanity, and for tailgating Bush while racing Phoney tony to the killing fields. I'm sure we could tee-up a backroom waltz for these 3 stooges.
Like Curly said to Moe......"you're either against em.............or you're with em....
...
I reckon that the slang puts a polish on the gripe. The Top Brass on the bench will find it easier to breathe through a festy footy sock than blow this poignant humour off through the media's snake-oiled kyber pass.
Put your cross on every petition you can find and tick the box where it says "larrikans that aren't staunch for a fair go, don't give a brass razoo about the underdog, or that play jump rope for heartless filchers should make tracks"....
Someone's got to take a stand,......... I'm game.
I don't care to be fair game in this Rafferty's rules, fleece a voter, pull the dags over the nose, blind mans bluff caper they're foisting on the mob........but, STINKING GREASY.......
C'mon cobbers rattle your dags, stop veging out and sign on..........
before the quill runs out of squidjuice.......and you're left guessing whether the feather would make a better spine than the one you're using to slink about town with now, or if you should just whack it on your basebaaaaaaall cap and swan about like a spruce goose amongst the turnkey turkeys.
If the Lucky Country wants to stay the title, she'll need the good fortune of a few more ballsy pugs to pace the canvas. So stop slouching on the ropes listening for the final ring hoping you can slope off and still hold the eye of a digger next ANZAC Day.
Get off your date, activate your right to demand your representatives act in the best interests of the people who supposedly elected them, and in accordance with the universal code of high ethics.
Don't be a whelk. leave that shell in your silver trail.
c'mon slugger.......don't be a sluggard.
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