The 19th Century French poet, Charles Baudelaire, wrote the devil’s greatest deception was convincing the world he didn’t exist.
On Monday a German federal court upheld the July conviction of Auschwitz SS camp guard, Oskar Gröning who admitted to witnessing the reality of Hitler’s Final Solution but had no direct role in the killings.
Oskar Gröning has been found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 Hungarian Jews. He was sentenced to a four year jail term.
The ruling is important because it overturns an almost 50-year-old German legal interpretation, where an SS dentist at Auschwitz was acquitted because direct knowledge without actual participation in mass murder was not regarded as sufficient proof of guilt.
Full column here:
Over on Breitbart they are organising a boycott of Kelloggs products because Kelloggs is pulling its advertising from Breitbart. They dont seem to have realised that by pulling their advertising Kellogs is actually anticipated that those guys will probably buy fewer Kelloggs products. The Breitbart people are geniuses… or maybe not.
I’m not a rabid Greens supporter – down here they tend to have a negative approach to most things. But I do admire Bob Brown, the man. Lovely person.
However I have to say that Richard di Natale seems capable of pragmatic compromise – unlike his predecessor. His support of the backpacker tax was a welcome relief from all Shorten’s posturing and political point scoring. It was good to see him with egg on his face and caught in a downright mistruth.. Not a good week for this two-faced man one would say.
So the fact the “compromise” will cost the Taxpayer more $ is of no consequence to you. Barracking for your team is a ridiculous and childish way to want the country run. The “mistruth” as you put it were flying thick and fast from the government as usual. The whole debacle was created by the government and the fact they took an option that will cost more $ shows they are negligent in their duties anyone supporting an outcome that cost more is as hypocritical as the coalition itself.
MESSAGE FOR ALL: I see the Aus has taken the Hinch article off comments and I should too. Apologies and feel free to chat off topic on assorted apocrypha and sundry trivia. If I am unable to turn comments off on this item, I’ll have to delete the entry and comments will come through on older ones. Again, my apologies.
OT. I see coalition have taken a Greens amendment for the Backpacker tax mess of their own doing that will cost the taxpayer, the Nation more by about $60 million a year than the 13% offered by Labor. Better economic managers? Pigs arse. The ridiculous horse trading we have seen this week to have some form any form of legislation pass Proves without a doubt the coalition are a joke not fit to lead and Turnbull and Hillsong Morrison have no credibility or morals. Lipstick on a pig anyone? What a disgrace.
So you would prefer 3 levels of taxation for 3 different types of people working on the same job. One for the backpacker, one for the Pacific Islander and another for a local.
Only the current Labor crowd could rationalize that setup and of course your good self who could rationalize anything except cricket where your observations are usually spot on..
Highlight where my comment states I “would prefer 3 levels of taxation for 3 different types of people” Which blog are you reading? What of your fear of government spending?? What of the Debt and Deficit Disaster that is now TWICE as bad as it was before your coalition were elected? You scream about the sky falling in on Health investment, you scream about the sky falling in on Education Investment but when the Government creates a problem by putting the 32% measure in the budget you are happy to accept the option that cost more $$? The ATO determination could have been regulated around. Backpackers do NOT earn the same as the Pacific Islanders that come for the season year after year. Australian citizens should maintain the tax free threshold status in fact it should be $25K. Backpackers bring money into the country spend the money they earn in the country and then share with people all over the world their experience in this country which can determine the huge tourism industries success or failure . Most of the backpackers would struggle to earn $10K, $8K of which would be spent here and the other going to their next flight ticket and pocket change to travel with. This was a cash grab that blew up in the government face and they have taken the most expensive option for the optics. The fact media outlets present it as a win proves how arse about thing are in the country. The fact you want to justify shows it is like the coalition about politics and ideology not the National interest.
Mitt Romney firming as favourite for US Secretary of State under President Elect Donald Trump, Mr Insider and looks a good fit too. In other good news tyrant Fidel Castro has at last been buried may he rot in hell for all his atrocities! Those praising him should immediately apply to themselves a solid uppercut in possibly a futile attempt to knock some sense into their bone heads! On the Australian front comical “current” PM Turnbull has given himself a glowing end of year “well done” as possible future contender ex ousted PM Abbott “simmers”. Lord almighty 2017 sure does look a “ballsy” year!
http://tinyurl.com/ly3h4bv
Jean Baptiste 11.29am 1/12
Thunders: ‘A denier is a denier.” Followed by “stupid”, “wilful”, “ignorant”, “reprehensible”, “self interested” and “weasely”.
I can imagine similar words were hurled to mock and hoot Galileo. As you may know JB, Galileo stood his ground and agreed with Copernicus that Ptolemy’s and Aristotle’s views on the universe were flawed. It was the battle of heliocentric v geocentric.
Galileo ended up with the chocolates.
Wouldn’t want you to end up a latter day Ptolemy. And please keep a check on your BP.
Thinking of you all the time me old mate.
The AGW-denier industry’s marketing strategy of hitching its wagon to Galileo is putting the cart before the horse.
It’s true that Galileo’s view was in the minority and raised the ire of some authorities for a short while, and he turned out to be right. It doesn’t follow from this that every such view is correct. Galileo was exceptional. Most of the time it simply means that view is wrong.
In any case the analogy is completely arse-about. Galileo was a scientist, and so used reason to interpret empirical evidence, as opposed to the Roman Inquisition who gave him so much grief, and who were willing to ignore facts to keep their Scripture intact. I have no doubt Galileo would be on the science side of the so-called debate were he alive today.
Can someone explain how it is possible to climb Parliament House, and to abseil down without being noticed by security? Who’s guarding the place, Barney Fife?
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=clancy+wiggum&client=safari&hl=en-au&prmd=ivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiSuOzpotLQAhUH2LwKHXAxB3MQ_AUIBygB&biw=1024&bih=672#imgrc=SJIJ0kSEVhZS0M%3A
Nice!
Extraordinary really – considering the trouble the day before.
Extraordinary really, considering the trouble they had the day before……
Privatisation.
A Parliament House security guard can neither approach nor detain a potential offender without first obtaining written permission from the local union safety rep who is only available for consultation between 12:05pm and 12:20pm. At all other times requests can be submitted via electronic mail and are guaranteed to be processed within 48 hours. I hope this helps.
Why would you want to abseil down? Ive rolled down the grass from the top twice. Anyway, its far too low to be any good for abseiling.
Who’s Barney Fife Dwight?
Good timing with the new fence laws – thanks a lot fellas.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Fife
Triv,
Andy Griffiths deputy – Don Knotts
Johnno
Ok, I remembered him, just not his name. It’s one of the better aspects of our society that our politicians don’t need to be surrounded by a cohort of secret service 24/7 (as an example). We should resist the inclination to change that.
Its called assentilation Dwight. We’ve been there twice this year and security is farcical, about the standard of the school lolly pop people, with the greatest respect for those supervisors of three year old urban terrorists and their Kamikaze four wheel driving mothers.
Mind you, after today’s effort in the Puzzlment, I have no idea whether I’d want to beak in or out of the big house.
A great day at the public gallery. Normally the best one can hope for is a whiff of perkins paste from Michael Danby working on his scrapbook but yesterday we got the exquisite double of crazy protesters getting all hot and sticky on that super expensive supa-glue followed by a solvent chaser. Please! Please! Do it again!
Perkins Paste! Now there’s a memory. Do they still make that?
Milton 3:43PM 30th.
Make the odds yourself and I’ll take the bet. Put your money where your mouth is. Oops, amendment, put your money where your mouth should be. I only do conspiracy facts Milton, if you reckon I’m wrong, debate me. I will make you look like a ridiculous simple child. Well, accentuate it anyway.
Simon T. Carl on the Coast.
Bollocks! A denier is a denier. An equally reasonable “epithet” to describe a stupid AGW denier, a wilfully ignorant AGW denier or a thoroughly reprehensible self interested denier. It stands on it’s own and has absolutely nothing to do with any other paradigm in spite of the weasely self interested efforts of deniers to avoid being considered in an appropriate light. If sounds otherwise to an AGW denier then it is just the faint niggling of a badly neglected conscience playing them up. Not the fault of anyone else.
Seventy years from now the remnants if any of humanity might just be organised enough to be hunting out and prosecuting participants and witnesses to the mother of all holocausts.
I think they will be using plenty stronger epithets than “denier” by the way.
Give ’em heaps.
To quote your hero, George Carlin: “Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” He must have had you in mind!
And you seem to be taking the Castro death pretty hard. Never mind, you still have old mate Kimmie starving millions. It must be in the commie handbook. On the plus side I doubt there is scurvy in Nth Korea.
Hi Milt, I may be wrong here, but I’m fairly sure that quote was from a Dilbert piece, unless Scott Adams stole it of course.
Johnno
Stimulating article. here but for the grace of the fates go I. Born in the subjects environment and exposed to his conditioning it’s hard to believe I would be any better and possibly a great deal worse. As a young easily influenced and led young patriot. No doubt there’s more Jesus Christ in some here.
The men who should be prosecuted , should have always been prosecuted and there’s plenty around even now who should be, are the old rich men who organise the young to further their ambitions protect their wealth and or acquire more.
The root of all evil is well known, and *War is a Racket”. (Smedley Buther)
As for innocence or ignorance, we are all witness to this,
https://www.unicef.org/mdg/childmortality.html
In the unlikely event of an afterlife these actual human beings, small usually dark skinned and undeniably innocent might be waiting along with the innocent war victims of our enemies and our own war victims , to cheer us through the gates to hell,
Of course we should remember the horrors of the past but self examination is the key to prevention and reform.
When the Fuhrer could apparently force Erwin Rommel to commit suicide it is hard to imagine what resistance some piss-poor NCO could muster, even if he were inclined.
Actually in the military norms of the day Rommel was being given the honourable way out.
For SS men in the camps there was always the alternative of transferring to the Waffen branch of the SS, which meant a 100% certainty of serving on the eastern front. Unfortunately for the SS the soviet army didnt normally take SS men prisoners (or Wehrmacht tank crews – who had the misfortune to wear black uniforms with a deaths head insignia. In the heat of battle that often resulted in soviet soldiers massacring surrendering tank crews).
Most of the SS staff at the camps were basically dodging service on the eastern front. The nuremberg defence does not help their cases.
Most people mistakenly assume the SS was a purely voluntary force. But there were a lot of conscripts in the SS, including in the Waffen SS (the fighting, or “military” arm of the SS), from the outset when Austrians were conscripted in 1938-39. Most of these guys were not highly motivated to serve on the eastern front and most of them preferred to live with the dishonourable activities in the camps. It was actually the heavily conscripted Waffen SS units that had the worst records for atrocities, mostly because they were ethnic germans (or worse “mixed” ethhnicity germans) conscripted from, and serving in, areas where ethnic germans had been in conflict with other ethnic groups for a long time. For example Serbian/German SS units in the balkans had a terrible reputation. Not being german speakers their german speaking officers often had difficulty controlling them and there were a number of mutinies and other incidents with those units. And the war in the balkans was pretty full on – Tito had about a million men and women under arms by the end of the war.
Darren,
In the earlier phases (roughly pre- 1943) recruits joining the SS were given an IQ test. High scores went Waffen SS and low scores went SS-TV (camp guards/ einsatzgruppen).
Later on pretty much everyone fit went Waffen.
Also many SS-TV officers rotated through Waffen units as part of their promotion trajectory.
One of the more famous SS-TV offficers (can’t remember his name)actually formed a einsatzgruppen unit made up of mentally disabled, criminals and other political prisoners who took the einsatzgruppen talent for brutality to a whole new level.
JOH,
I forgot to congratulate you the other day on getting through your degree. A hard task at any age but particularly so as an adult learner. I think you will be a lawyer with a conscience and the world badly needs that type.
Cheers!
P.S. I actually think darren is probably a lawyer of conscience it’s just his communication style that lets him down. He needs to loosen up a bit!
Thanks mate! I’ll do my best.
It would appear Ms Prior needs new lawyers.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/lawyers-for-cindy-prior-late-with-18c-appeal-bid-papers/news-story/651cc169df288c72fe39d81f34ea974a
One of these days she’s going to get a huge legal bill……….well, hopefully. How long is the tax payer to put up with this farce?