Category: government

July 21, 2021

Fencegate: All the Council President’s men … lose their ludicrous lawsuit

His crime was apparently harassing the staff at the local council over a fence, and the obnoxious neighbour on the other side of said fence. Bolton, a Sydney lawyer, was threatened with defamation by Inner West Council chief executive, Michael Deegan, whose lawyers demanded money, then ended up in court facing harassment charges.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 19, 2021

War Powers: four perspectives from politicians who have served

Parliament does not need to be consulted before Australian troops are sent to war. What do the politicians who have donned the uniform have to say? Tasha May asks Rex Patrick, Andrew Wilkie, Jim Molan and Bob Katter.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 18, 2021

Foreign multinational Max Solutions the biggest winner in pandemic jobs crisis

A takeovers binge is in swing in the jobless sector as the biggest private provider of employment services, the foreign multinational Max Solutions mops up smaller players and posts strong revenues from government. Stephanie Tran investigates the Jobactive scheme and the failure of privatisation.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 16, 2021

War with China: zero logic yet the weapons lobby has 42% of Australians believing it

Incredibly, a survey finds 42% of Australians believe China will attack Australia, this despite exports to China surging 36% over in the last six months, and despite there being no logical rationale for war with China, or an attack by China. Marcus Reubenstein analyses the ludicrous position of Australia’s China hawks and the mainstream media pushing their agendas.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 12, 2021

The Business of Covid: Gladys Berejiklian hides “the health advice” as pandemic threatens Sydney

Despite continual claims she acted on health advice, despite continual pleas to the NSW public to follow the health advice, Premier Gladys Berejiklian let slip that advice from business played a part in her handling of the pandemic and the Sydney lockdown. What is the health advice? Callum Foote and Michael West investigate.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 8, 2021

The Assange Case Isn’t About National Security, It’s About Narrative Control

Listen to a reading of this article:
❖
Julian Assange once said, “The overwhelming majority of information is classified to protect political security, not national security.”
As someone whose life’s work before his imprisonment was combing through documents of an often classified nature, he’d have been in a prime position to know. He’d have seen time and time again how a nation’s citizenry are not under the slightest threat from the secret information in the documents that had been leaked to him from around the world, but that it could damage the reputation of a politician or a government or its military.
As the persecution of the WikiLeaks founder continues to trudge on with the UK government’s granting the Biden administration permission to appeal a declined extradition request, claiming that it can safely imprison Assange without subjecting him to the draconian aspects of America’s prison system which caused the initial dismissal, it’s good to keep in mind that this is being done entirely for the purpose of controlling public access to information that is inconvenient for the powerful.
Desperate to Get Assange, US Promises No SAMS & Prison Time in Australiahttps://t.co/E0Aq22rFUp pic.twitter.com/OgpgqyS7TR
— Consortium News (@Consortiumnews) July 8, 2021
The prosecution of Julian Assange under the Espionage Act is being touted by the US government as a matter of national security; you can’t simply allow journalists to publish classified information about the things its military forces are doing in the nations they occupy, because that could endanger American lives.
Leaving aside the fact that the Pentagon already admitted years ago that it could not find a single instance of lives being lost due to the publications for which Assange is currently being prosecuted, this case is not and has never been about national security. This case has always been about narrative control.
The US government is not afraid that unauthorized publication of government secrets will lead to Americans being killed, it’s afraid it will lead to their knowing the truth. The powerful understand that narrative control is everything, and that an entire globe-spanning empire depends on keeping the masses from having a lucid perception of what’s really going on in the world. There is an unfathomable amount of power riding on their ability to continue doing this.
Assange isn’t in Belmarsh Prison for doing something wrong, but for doing something right. For trying to give the public information which will help them form a truth-based worldview so that they can make intelligent informed decisions about where they want to collectively steer society together. Because the oligarchic empire depends on the ability to manipulate the way people think, act and vote to benefit the powerful, this was like handing someone who’s being groomed by a sexual predator a guidebook of all of the psychological tactics that are being used.
This good deed could not go unpunished.

Nothing WikiLeaks published endangered the American people, it endangered a globe-spanning empire’s ability to control our understanding of what’s happening in the world. This was a most egregious offense as far as our rulers are concerned, and it could not be allowed to stand.
So an example is being made. In less polite times Assange would have been tortured and drawn and quartered in the town square while the king looked on sipping from a goblet of mead. In the days of polite liberal democracy our rulers must remain hidden, and they must publicly torture dissidents to death in the name of national security concerns.
Beneath all the spin and excuses, this is all being done to show everyone what happens to you if you reveal embarrassing truths about the most powerful people on earth. If you compromise their political security. It’s telling the world, “If you ever try to interfere in our control over the dominant narratives, this is what we will do to you.”
And, whether we fully understand what’s really happening or not, that’s the message that is being ingested here. Journalists who find themselves in a position to publish such things going forward will find themselves thinking thoughts about what happened to Julian Assange.
BREAKING: Julian Assange's fiancée @StellaMoris1 gives powerful statement outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. "This case is the most vicious attack on global press freedom in history." #AssangeCase #FreeAssange pic.twitter.com/U5tq5fIMcA
— Don't Extradite Assange (@DEAcampaign) July 7, 2021
This is why it’s so important that they don’t win this case. We cannot allow ourselves to be cowed away from the truth in this way, or else we’re flying blind. We’re unable to obtain information which will help us steer society in a truth-based direction.
The Assange case receives so much attention not because of interest in one man’s fate, but because of interest in everyone’s fate. If humanity is ever to turn away from its self-destructive patterns and create a healthy world, it will necessarily need to do so guided by the light of truth and transparency. As long as the powerful are able to keep us confused and deluded using propaganda and government secrecy, such a world will never come into being.
___________________________
My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following me on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud or YouTube, or throwing some money into my tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal. If you want to read more you can buy my books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here.

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This post was originally published on Caitlin Johnstone.
July 7, 2021

Power to go to war rests with one man – Scott Morrison – is Parliament okay with that?

Australia is a democracy, yet when it comes to the most critical national decision of sending Australian troops into armed conflict overseas, the power rests with one man, the Prime Minister. This is the curtain-raiser for our #warpowers series as reporter Tasha May calls around Australia’s parliamentarians and its people.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 5, 2021

Why is the government’s list of coronavirus symptoms still woefully inaccurate?
Back in April 2020, I wrote an article criticising the government and the woefully incomplete list of coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms it was sharing with the public. I compared our government’s advice to that of other countries. And what I found was that the NHS’s list of coronavirus symptoms was one of the most incomplete in the world.

At the time, my housemate and I were certain that we had coronavirus, although we had none of the listed symptoms. “It feels like I’ve smoked a whole packet of cigarettes,” my friend had moaned at the time. A few days later, his condition deteriorated. “It feels like someone is sitting on my chest,” he wheezed.

Fast-forward to July 2021, and I am recovering from coronavirus again. This time I was able to get an official diagnosis. Like the majority of people in the UK, it’s very likely that I was infected by the Delta variant: a strain of coronavirus that feels quite different to the virus we knew in early 2020.

The variant has changed…

The Delta variant is currently sweeping the UK and spreads much more easily than its predecessors. I had only been given one dose of the vaccine when I caught the virus. Yet friends I had been socialising with found themselves in bed even after receiving two vaccinations. I was shocked that Delta could spread so rapidly among people who had been double-vaccinated.

On top of this, the new Lambda variant – which is proving deadly in Peru and the rest of Latin America – has also made its way into the UK. Its transmission rate is thought to be higher than all other variants. And scientists fear that a new mutation of the strain is resistant to vaccines.

…so why hasn’t the NHS’s advice changed?

With so much knowledge of how the virus has changed over the course of a year and a half, it’s disturbing that the government hasn’t bothered to update the advice they’re giving to the public. This is particularly concerning given that coronavirus cases are rising steeply again.

The NHS still only lists three symptoms to watch out for:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Yet the ZOE app – the largest ongoing study of coronavirus in the world – lists different symptoms to watch out for. If you’re not vaccinated, ZOE lists the most common symptoms as being:
1. Headache
2. Sore Throat
3. Runny Nose
4. Fever
5. Persistent cough
ZOE says:

Loss of smell comes in at number 9 and shortness of breath comes far down the list at number 30, indicating the symptoms as recorded previously are changing with the evolving variants of the virus.

And if you’ve already been given two vaccinations, ZOE lists the most common symptoms as:
1. Headache
2. Runny nose
3. Sneezing
4. Sore throat
5. Other
That’s none of the symptoms listed by the NHS. ZOE says:

The previous ‘traditional’ symptoms as still outlined on the government website, such as anosmia (loss of smell), shortness of breath and fever rank way down the list, at 11, 29 and 12 respectively. A persistent cough now ranks at number 8 if you’ve had two vaccine doses, so is no longer the top indicator of having COVID.

With such dire advice still coming from the government, it’s no wonder that infection rates are shooting through the roof.

DHSC response

The Canary contacted the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for a comment. The department said:

Since the start of the pandemic we have acknowledged COVID-19 has a much longer list of symptoms than the ones initially used in the case definition and our experts keep the list of symptoms under review.

But the DHSC didn’t address the question we asked, which was “why hasn’t the government updated its symptom list in almost a year and a half?” Instead, the DHSC told us:

Anyone experiencing the key symptoms – a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – should get a PCR test as soon as possible and immediately self-isolate along with their household.

PCR tests are mainly for people who have symptoms, and a swab is sent off to a lab. The DHSC continued:

With around one in three people not showing symptoms of COVID-19, we have made regular, rapid testing available twice a week for free for everyone in England. Over 100 million LFDs have been carried out so far with over 200,000 cases identified that would not have been detected otherwise.

LFDs, or lateral flow tests, give results within 30 minutes and should be used if a person has no symptoms. Yet their effectiveness in picking up whether someone has the virus is questionable. I myself received a negative LFD result before getting a positive PCR result.

The government is still proving that it’s incompetent

Boris Johnson’s government seems content that although coronavirus rates are increasing, our death rates are still low. But the government isn’t taking into account that, even if people don’t die, the effects of long Covid can be devastating. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth also argued:

Letting cases rise with no action means further pressure on the NHS, more sickness, disruption to education – and risks a new variant emerging with a selection advantage.

The emergence of new variants is particularly worrying. Because the more the virus mutates, the greater the chances of a vaccine-resistant strain developing. Meanwhile, states such as Germany continue to close their borders to UK citizens, citing the country as a new area “of variants of concern”.

As the UK government proudly prepares to ease all lockdown restrictions, Germany and others will, once more, be watching closely. Johnson will continue to try to convince the public that he’s doing a wonderful job. But, as always, he’s fooling no one.

Featured image via Flickr / NIAID-RML

By Eliza Egret

This post was originally published on The Canary.
July 5, 2021

Jobactive Investigation: Pandemic boom for privatised job agencies not great for job seekers

Large job agencies who dominate Australia’s privatised employment system are enjoying a boom of record profits, and even a takeover spree, while their disillusioned job seekers complain of churning and profiteering. Meanwhile, those in government on both sides of the political aisle are calling for reform. In this special investigation, Stephanie Tran reports on the failure of Jobactive.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
July 1, 2021

Who to believe on Bondi Cluster: Limousine Man or NSW Government?

Data published, and quickly updated, by the NSW Department of Health reveals there may have been locally acquired cases in NSW on June 13, four days before “Limousine Man” was recorded as being the Bondi Cluster’s “Patient Zero”. Callum Foote investigates the mess that is Covid data.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 30, 2021

Bali is leading the vaccination race, welcoming tourists soon, but not Australians

This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 25, 2021

CSL and contaminated blood scandal: UK accepts ‘moral responsibility’; Australia still silent

The UK Health Secretary has just admitted his government’s “moral responsibility” for the UK’s contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s yet Australian victims are still without compensation or even an apology.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 24, 2021

Privacy rights jeopardised with Covid apps tracking every move

Law enforcement agencies have a cavalier attitude to the right to privacy and a “whatever it takes” attitude to raiding databases of personal information, writes Greg Barns. Given the treasure trove of information now available from all the Covid tracing apps, strong penalties and laws are needed to ensure evidence obtained from those apps cannot be used in legal proceedings.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 22, 2021

Canada’s first environmental racism bill closer to becoming law
More than a dozen groups urge all MPs to support Bill C-230 in final House vote this fall
OTTAWA | | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE —
We, a broad and diverse coalition of civil society groups, urge Parliament to move forward with passing an environmental racism law immediately following its summer break. Yesterday, the House of Commons environment committee completed its review of Bill C-230, which mandates the federal government to examine the link between race, socio-economic status and environmental risk. This marked a critical first step toward Canada acknowledging its shameful legacy of environmental racism and ensuring that all people in Canada benefit from environment protection policies.

Renamed the National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act, the bill, if passed, would require the federal environment minister to develop a strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice – a Canadian first. Canada is long overdue for this legislation — parallel requirements have been in place in the U.S. since 1994.

It’s good to see Canada finally stepping up, but we have no time to lose to ensure this draft legislation actually becomes law. With the House of Commons scheduled to break for the summer later this week and a potential election this fall, we strongly urge all parties to move the bill through the final stages of the legislative process as soon as possible when Parliament resumes sitting following its summer break. Canadians can’t afford a delay of this long-awaited legislation.

Additional information on the review of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable development:

MP Lenore Zann (Cumberland – Colchester) introduced Bill C-230 in February 2020.

Three of the four parties represented on the committee supported the bill with amendments. An important sub-amendment, proposed by MP Taylor Bachrach (Skeena – Bulkley Valley) and approved by the committee, stipulates that the national strategy must include information and statistics related to the location of environmental hazards, and an examination of the link between race, socio-economic status and environmental risk, as well as health-outcomes. A lack of disaggregated data about environmental hazards and effects on racialized and low-income people in Canada has obscured the problem and hampers efforts to advance environmental justice.

The committee tabled its report on Bill C-230 in Parliament today.

The National Anti-Environmental Racism Coalition (NAERC) was formed in 2020 by Ingrid Waldron from the ENRICH Project and Naolo Charles from the Black Environmental Initiative to mobilize organizations and individuals for the environmental protection of Black, Indigenous and immigrant communities and for the promotion of environmental justice in Canada. The National Anti-Environmental Racism Coalition is composed of over 60 organizations working in the social and environmental sector. Our current work is paving the way for the success of a national environmental justice strategy in Canada.

– 30 –

Statement issued by the following groups: Black Environmental Initiative, Breast Cancer Action Quebec, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Canadian Environmental Law Association, Coalition for Environmental Rights, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice, ENRICH Project, Environmental Defence, Équiterre, National Anti-Environmental Racism Coalition, Nature Canada, Prevent Cancer Now, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, West Coast Environmental Law

Please see here for quotes from NAERC groups and individuals supporting Bill C-230.

About:

Environmental racism occurs when environmental policies or practices intentionally or unintentionally result in disproportionate negative impacts on certain individuals, groups or communities based on race or colour, and as well as unequal access to environmental benefits. Examples of environmental racism in Canada have been documented by the ENRICH Project and in a 2020 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights.

For more information or a media interview, please contact:

Brendan Glauser, bglauser@davidsuzuki.org, 604-356-8829
Sarah Jamal, sjamal@environmentaldefence.ca, 905-921-7786
The post Canada’s first environmental racism bill closer to becoming law appeared first on Environmental Defence.

This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.
June 18, 2021

Government’s “appalling” error, rejects offer of 40 million Pfizer doses in July 2020

After claiming “official” discussions with Pfizer had only started in December, Health Minister Greg Hunt has finally confirmed that the government met with Pfizer last July to discuss purchasing the Pfizer vaccine. Sources say Australia was given options for as many doses as needed to be delivered in January this year, yet government officials turned down the offer
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 17, 2021

HRI Statement on Reduction of Immigration Backlog for Immigrant Survivors

On June 14, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a new policy intended to ease the tremendous harm of the immigration backlog on immigrant survivors of serious crime. The policy, which specifically affects immigrant survivors eligible for the U Visa, will authorize survivors to work while their applications await final approval.

“We’re hopeful that the Administration’s announcement will make a real difference in survivors’ lives over the next couple of years,” said Zeyla Gonzalez, HRI’s Crime Victims Program Department of Justice Accredited Representative. “The decade-long wait for approval leaves our clients in a painful and dangerous limbo. We applaud this first step in moving toward a more just system for immigrant survivors.”

Together with SMU Law’s Dedman Clinic, HRI released a report last year detailing the human toll of the backlog on immigrant survivors. Fighting immigration backlogs, including the U Visa backlog, is a key priority of HRI’s client-led advocacy group, HRI Connect. This week, the group authored a letter to President Biden, sharing their hopes that the Administration will prioritize reducing the immigration backlogs. The letter shares, in part:

“We, along with our families at HRI Connect, have been waiting for our immigration cases to be resolved. The wait has been too long and painful; discouragement wears on us at times. Even so, we have faith that your Administration can help us resolve this problem of a long and hard wait, making the process much shorter so that we can stabilize our legal status in this country we call home.”

About HRI

For the past 20 years, Human Rights Initiative of North Texas has provided legal and critical social services for immigrant survivors of human rights abuses from all over the world. HRI Connect is a group of current and former HRI clients who believe in building a community where everyone feels welcomed and embraced, regardless of who we are, what we look like, or how well we speak English. For more information, visit www.hrionline.org.

The post HRI Statement on Reduction of Immigration Backlog for Immigrant Survivors appeared first on Human Rights Initiative.

This post was originally published on Blog – Human Rights Initiative.
June 17, 2021

New study finds PFAS chemicals hiding in some “long-lasting” and “waterproof” makeup
“Lipstick wearers may inadvertently eat several pounds of lipstick in their lifetime. But unlike food, chemicals in lipstick and other makeup products are almost entirely unregulated in the U.S. and Canada,” warns Graham Peaslee, senior author of a new study that came out earlier this week. The study found high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever” chemicals in most waterproof mascara, liquid lipsticks and foundations tested. On top of that, most of the products with high levels of PFAS didn’t even have it labelled on the ingredient list!

What are PFAS anyways?

PFAS are often found in non-stick, waterproof and grease resistant products (such as Teflon pans and food packaging). PFAS can easily be absorbed into our food and bodies, which is concerning as these chemicals have been linked to a wide range of serious health harms, from cancer to obesity to reproductive problems. PFAS have also been found to be extremely persistent in the environment, which is where their description as “forever” chemicals came from. (A new study also found PFAS in rain water around the Great Lakes basin!)

So, why are PFAS found in makeup?

As seen in the table below, out of the 231 Canadian and American cosmetics tested, more than 52 per cent of them had high levels of fluorine, which suggests the presence of PFAS. Many of the products that contained PFAS were advertised as “waterproof,” “wear-resistant,” or “long-lasting.” Only one of the 17 Canadian products tested had PFAS labelled in the ingredient list. This makes it difficult for Canadian consumers to make informed choices when shopping.

What can the federal government do about PFAS?

Although transparency of toxics in products is needed in order to make informed shopping decisions, fully disclosing all ingredients (including those hidden in fragrances) isn’t the best way to ensure toxics can be avoided by consumers because “toxic-free” products are typically more expensive. The onus shouldn’t be put on people to decode ingredient labels in order to purchase safer products. Banning or controlling toxics is a far more reliable way to protect our health and the environment.

Unfortunately, the Canadian government has a history of tolerating chemicals that are controlled in places such as Europe. This is in part because of outdated methods for chemical risk management, including a two decade old law that is meant to protect our health and environment from toxics and pollution, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

Recently, the government has shown signs of action:
- They proposed to assess the risks posed by PFAS as a class of chemicals, as opposed to on a one-by-one basis. We need to make sure that this is implemented in a meaningful way that doesn’t fail due to chemical industry lobbying and pushback.
- They are considering mandatory labelling of all ingredients in certain consumer products.
- And lastly, they introduced Bill C-28, a bill to modernize CEPA, which includes recognizing the right to a healthy environment and protecting vulnerable communities from toxics. The first draft of the bill is a good step, but it needs to be improved and strengthened. If the government does not move Bill C-28 forward promptly, with necessary improvements, we may not see effective protections from toxics for many more years. Take action today and tell the federal government to improve and pass Bill C-28 immediately!
The post New study finds PFAS chemicals hiding in some “long-lasting” and “waterproof” makeup appeared first on Environmental Defence.

This post was originally published on Environmental Defence.
June 16, 2021

The state v Friendly terror suspect: Google, Facebook, 2SM dragged in to Barilaro affair

Dan Andrews is okay as Dictator Dan but not John Barilaro as Benito Mussolini. The attack by the NSW government on its critic Friendly Jordies has escalated as Google and Facebook moved to remove parody images of Deputy Premier Barilaro. Callum Foote reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 15, 2021

Stephanie Tran’s Walkley Nomination

This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 14, 2021

Tamed Estate: arrest of FriendlyJordies producer attests to dangerous state of democracy

The arrest of a producer of YouTube journalist and comedian FriendlyJordies has disturbing implications for free speech and civil liberties. That a counter-terrorism unit would be sent in to arrest a government critic has eerie parallels to repressive regimes around the world, writes Michael Tanner.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 13, 2021

The Difference Between Totalitarian Regimes And Free Democracies

Listen to a reading of this article:
In totalitarian regimes they have massacres and wars. In free democracies they have humanitarian interventions.
In totalitarian regimes they use torture. In free democracies they use enhanced interrogation techniques.
In totalitarian regimes they fund terrorist groups to create instability. In free democracies they fund terrorist groups to create stability.
In totalitarian regimes evil dictators bomb their own people. In free democracies we do it for them.
In totalitarian regimes a single party upholds and enforces the status quo. In free democracies, two parties uphold and enforce the status quo.
In totalitarian regimes the government controls the press and determines what information the public is allowed to have access to. In free democracies it is billionaires who do this.
In totalitarian regimes they wage brutally violent crackdowns on protesters to quash dissent. In free democracies they do this also, but then they kneel while wearing kente cloth.
In totalitarian regimes you know exactly who rules over you. In free democracies the true rulers hide behind fake puppet governments.
In totalitarian regimes any elections they have are rigged, and challengers are hand picked by the authoritarian rulers. In free democracies the rulers rig the elections and hand pick the candidates, and they do this to other countries as well.
In totalitarian regimes they imprison journalists for revealing inconvenient truths about the powerful. In free democracies they imprison journalists for revealing inconvenient truths about the powerful, and all the other journalists jump on social media to say he deserved it.
In totalitarian regimes they don’t let political dissidents speak. In free democracies they just refuse dissidents any influential platforms and use algorithms to keep revolutionary ideas from being heard by a significant number of people.
In totalitarian regimes they circle the planet with military bases, wage endless wars which kill millions, and work to destroy any nation which disobeys their government. Whoops, sorry, that’s actually free democracies.
In totalitarian regimes political speech is heavily regulated by the government. In free democracies political speech is heavily regulated by the government via Silicon Valley.
In totalitarian regimes the citizenry are kept impoverished while the rulers live lavishly with more than they could ever spend. In free democracies the citizenry are kept impoverished while the rulers live lavishly with more than they could ever spend.
In totalitarian regimes there is lack. In free democracies there is artificial lack.
In totalitarian regimes the government spy agency tells the news media what stories to run, and the news media unquestioningly publish it. In free democracies the government spy agency says “Buddy, have I got a scoop for you!” and the news media unquestioningly publish it.
In totalitarian regimes bands of armed thugs patrol the streets to enforce obedience to authority. In free democracies bands of armed thugs patrol the streets to enforce obedience to authority and Hollywood makes movies about how heroic they are.
In totalitarian regimes students are taught to mindlessly worship a picture of the evil dictator. In free democracies students are taught to mindlessly worship the flag.
In totalitarian regimes students are taught never to question authority. In free democracies students are taught never to question the news reporters.
In totalitarian regimes they commit evil deeds which free democracies could never get away with doing. In free democracies they have totalitarian regimes commit those evil deeds for them.
In totalitarian regimes the people are kept too brutalized and cowed to rise up against their rulers. In free democracies the people are kept too propagandized and brainwashed to rise up against their rulers.
In totalitarian regimes the powerful determine what happens regardless of the desire of the people. In free democracies the powerful determine what the people will desire to happen.
In totalitarian regimes everyone is a slave to the powerful. In free democracies everyone is a Slave™ to the Powerful™.
In totalitarian regimes you are forced to obey. In free democracies you are trained to think your obedience was your own idea.
In totalitarian regimes you are not free, and you know it. In free democracies you are not free, and you don’t know it.
___________________
The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following me on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud or YouTube, or throwing some money into my tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal. If you want to read more you can buy my books. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here.

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This post was originally published on Caitlin Johnstone.
June 11, 2021

Governments back privileged in education, public schools bear burden

Nearly half of students at public schools are considered disadvantaged – either living remotely, with a disability, having an Indigenous background or from a low socio-economic background – compared to just 20 per cent at private schools, yet private schools receive far more government funding. Trevor Cobbold reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 7, 2021

Di was in constant pain from her multiple sclerosis, yet still rejected by the NDIS

Misleading tactics from the NDIS have devastated many Australians. One mother had always been given advance notice that her son’s plan was being reviewed. This time, it was only at the end of the phone call to discuss her son’s support package that she realised the call was in fact the review. Natasha May reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
June 7, 2021

Time to ‘release the hounds’ on ransomware gangs

Labor has called on the federal government to get on the cyber offensive and “release the hounds” on global ransomware gangs following a series of high profile cyber-attacks against Australian companies and hospitals.

Last week Australia’s largest meat processor JBS Foods was forced to shut down its local operations for a day following a ransomware attack against the global company that the US government has said originated from a Russian criminal organisation.

Days later, the US Department of Justice confirmed that it would be upping its investigations of ransomware attacks to a similar level as terrorism.

Speaking in Parliament last week, shadow cybersecurity minister Tim Watts said these events should be a wake-up call for the government, and reiterated his calls for a national ransomware strategy.

“It’s a timely reminder of the economic cost of the scourge of ransomware – it’s a jobs and investment destroyer when the economy can least afford it. It also highlighted the urgent need for the Morrison government to adopt a national ransomware strategy to combat these attacks,” Mr Watts said.

“The JBS Foods barbeque stopper should be a wake-up call for the Morrison government to finally take responsibility.”

Tim Watts

Mr Watts said the government should be proactive in its fight against ransomware gangs, and its spy agencies should be actively trying to disrupt these organisations.

In Senate Estimates last week it was revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) did not take any offensive operations against those responsible for the cyber-attack on Nine, despite appearing to know who was behind it.

“As part of a national ransomware strategy, the Morrison government needs to get serious about using its signals capability to disrupt cybercriminals and deter attacks on Australian targets,” he said.

“To date, these ransomware crews have been able to target Australian organisations with impunity. No wonder we’ve seen these attacks increasing in their scale and frequency. In general, the position of the Morrison government is not to tell us or the cybercriminals targeting Australia what they are doing to disrupt them. A secret deterrent is no deterrent at all.”

The ASD should create a “target list” of the top 10 ransomware groups targeting Australia and ramp up efforts to disrupt their operations, he said.

“The scourge of ransomware has become an intolerable burden on our nation – a $1 billion annual burden, collectively. It’s time that we said enough is enough. It’s time to release the hounds on these ransomware crews,” Mr Watts said.

“Ransomware groups should fear the consequences of being added to ASD’s targeting list. We need to end the age of impunity for ransomware attacks and teach these ransomware groups that there are consequences for targeting Australian organisations with ransomware attacks and that these attacks are not worth the potential benefits.

“The Morrison government has left Australian governments, businesses and community groups to combat these international ransomware groups for too long,” Mr Watts said.

“It’s time it took responsibility, did its job and developed a national ransomware strategy. These groups are the modern day pirates, and it’s time we treated them that way.”

Mr Watts also recently called for the government to implement a mandatory ransomware notification scheme, with businesses or individuals to report details of an attack to government agencies. At Senate Estimates last month, Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo confirmed it was “likely” that such a scheme would be introduced.

The post Time to ‘release the hounds’ on ransomware gangs appeared first on InnovationAus.

This post was originally published on InnovationAus.
June 3, 2021

Landforces’ brothers in arms: how a weapons peddler qualified for charitable status

The Coalition is cracking down on charitable organisations. However, the Australian charity promoting arms deals on behalf of weapons makers that profit from humanitarian catastrophes is unlikely to be in the government’s sights. With the weapons expo LandForces wrapping up in Brisbane this week, Michelle Fahy delves into the charity behind LandForces.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
May 30, 2021

Senate Misled: Watergate deal negotiated directly with Swiss-based Cayman Islands director

New documents show the government negotiated the controversial $80m Watergate deal directly with the Cayman Islands company founded by Energy Minister Angus Taylor. The Department failed to notify the Senate. Jommy Tee investigates the email trail between the Department, then overseen by Barnaby Joyce, and secretive Switzerland director and Taylor associate Connor Maloney.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
May 28, 2021

Breakthrough Aussie war drone may target civilian protestors

An Australian breakthrough in drone technology, making it easier to locate hidden enemy on the battlefield, could also be used to target civilian protesters. The US government has already used surveillance drones to monitor Black Lives Matters protests, while Israel last week reportedly used small drones to drop tear gas on Palestinian protesters. Michelle Fahy investigates.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
May 24, 2021

More will be Given: home owners rewarded in budget as homelessness continues to surge

Rates of homelessness are rising alarmingly, particularly among Australians aged 65 to 74. The government offered them nothing in the budget, in defiance of the Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations. Jeff Fiedler reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
May 20, 2021

Black Mark on Red Cross: decision to ignore 5c test for contaminated blood proved fatal

The Red Cross failed to deploy a 5c blood test which could have averted thousands of Australians being infected with contaminated blood. Elizabeth Minter reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
May 17, 2021

Going to War: power rests in the hands of one Australian, Prime Minister Scott Morrison

The power to send Australian troops to fight in foreign wars rests in effect with the Prime Minister alone, yet a huge majority of Australians think parliamentary approval should be required. With both major parties refusing to budge, Australians for War Powers Reform has launched a GoFundMe campaign Be Sure On War to put pressure on them to change their stance. Alison Broinowski reports.
This post was originally published on Michael West.