Regardless of what you think about Donald Trump he does exactly what it says on his tin.
That’s not to say what is in the tin is especially nourishing. Personally I would not like to be sitting down for a steaming bowl of Trump every day for the next four years. The Americans voted him in and it’s their lot now.
But what is surprising is how surprised the US media is whenever Trump makes a policy announcement.
First we had the immigration bans. The US media went into a profound almost anaphylactic shock over that one. Trump had promised it and he made good on his pledge.
Since Trump concluded his European tour WaPo, The NY Times, Politico, the New Yorker and The Atlantic among many others have reported almost breathlessly in musings of the “will he, won’t he?” type regarding the Paris Accord.
Full column here.
Terrorist killed about eight minutes after start of attack and alarm being raised. that seems like great work from those responsible.
i wonder if the NSW and Vic police are sitting down over a coffee today and working out whether their response would have been as quick and decisive.
You make a very good point, mate and in the absence of any argument to the contrary, I am inclined to agree with Tony Abbott in support of ADF special forces intervening in the event of a major event like the Lindt Cafe siege.
JTI
The Army has around 30,000 personnel scattered around the country and overseas.
The NSW police have 16,000 in NSW.
I think it is better to train the police than depend on the Army.
I am sure the NSW Police are going to get a lot more practice at handling these atrocities and will get better at it as the causalities mount.
At some point, the defenders of this archaic faith will be pressured to reform their religion to allow its followers to live in a secular country ruler by secular law. My only hope that me and mine will not be part of the deaths that will bring this about.
I have not seen any reports of universal condemnation of the London attacks by the hierarchy of the Islamic world. Their silence speaks louder than words.
I think we should stop all Islamic immigration from the Middle East until they sort this problem out – it their bloody problem and we keep making it ours.
Corbyn never spoke truer word when he said that there should be some very serious discussions with the Saudis.
Funny thing Jack, I got attacked here a year or so ago for suggesting such a thing as armed ADF on the streets.
More to the point, as has been observed, an arguement to the contrary is simply the time to get such forces to the crisis. It’s a long haul from Swanbourne to Sydney for example. One answer is better distribution of special forces around the country, but there’s a logistical and monetary price to pay for that.
By the bye, the special forces who acted in London were police I believe. Next question, will our special force police be armed appropriately, and trained to sufficient capability?
I spoke recently with a senior figure from the CT world. His view was that Australia isn’t a mature enough nation to tick off on the executive orders stuff. He believed the U.K. was as it had cut its teeth on the IRA over many decades (pun intended). I agree with him.
Remember if Monis was taken out early by a sniper there would have been a Coroners hearing into why police shot a mentally ill man without negotiating with him.
That assessment sounds about right. Govts and law enforcement need to be better in acting in the national interest.
I actually think government and law enforcement would be up for it JTI. It’s the punter who, when they realise what they are ticking off on, may not be so happy.
Again who would have stood up and backed the sniper who took the shot against a mentally ill person. The left would have went Ballistic!
“The left would have gone ballistic”. Don’t be ridiculous Razor, the man was armed and holding hostages. The coppers have shot plenty of deranged people before and I don’t recall “the left going ballistic.”
Where do you want to start JB. Royal commission in Victoria as a result of reporting in the Age for a start.
You call that ballistic? And ……………………………… ?
http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/rip/21-40/rip34.html
Yep, that is what they train for, or should. Remember “Who Dares Wins”.
They are also subject to prosecution under State law Mack……..At the moment they ain’t covered. Murder anyone?
i’m a little rusty on this but seem to recall there are legal issues involved in using the ADF.
nothing that couldn’t be solved and i agree it should be explored.
it’s more than that though, the reactions of the police seem paralysed by excessive caution.
I believe there are, mate. Not insurmountable though.
It’s called DAC request Jack. Defense Assistance to a Civil Power. Very very difficult in Australia in all but natural disasters. There would have to be major legislative change and as I have previously said the Australian public will have to be up for all that legislative change means.
Just on the excessive caution front Jack. Coppers own assets and if they are not legally covered why should they put those assets at risk? The Public have got the Police Services they asked for………
Jesu Christo!
Tony Abbott leaps in to advocate the army takes the lead in hostage situations. What happened to States being “sovereign in their own spheres”?
It’s amazing just how often and quickly the big government centralists in the national capital ditch any pretence of support for our federal structure the moment there’s the slightest excuse to get Canberra involved. They’ve rooted the federation.
On television and all, you must, yes must see “Preacher”. Small series. Mind blowing goood. The decent into hell scene alone is done so well, the angels, omg the angels, and comic books. Funny as hell, dark, did I mention the Irish drunken vampire? And god, makes a cameo, also brilliant. Do yourself a favour you old ‘agnostic’, illegally download if you have to.
love.
What should I do if a nuclear bomb explodes close by Jack The Insider?
Vaporise.
Face the other way to avoid the flash and keep your hat on. You’ll be right, mate.
Take the advice given to the school kids when the Cold War was at its maximum – sit under your desk.
Act quickly, bend over, grasp the back of your knees firmly and kiss your arse goodbye.
One exception, if Kimmie sent it, the bomb will probably burst out its contents of well coordinated, impeccably dressed marching girls with immaculate smiles yelling boooom.
slip slop slap
Don’t fart/
I found this to be a well considered essay.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/02/climate-change-denial-clive-james
Yeah right JB. When faced with a lengthy articulate proposition from Clive James, and a growing scepticism of the “science”, Monbiot pulls the ageist card. Piss weak mate.
How many of the alarmist predictions are put out there fifty, a hundred years hence. Fact is, many of the pontifications won’t be realised in the timespan of those pontificators.
Clive: “When the scientists are the main contributors to the script, the tipping point will be something like the forever forthcoming moment when the Gulf Stream turns upside down or the Antarctic ice sheet comes off its hinges, or any other extreme event which, although it persists in not happening, could happen sooner than we think. ”
NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-study-shows-antarctica-s-larsen-b-ice-shelf-nearing-its-final-act
Clive: “Even now that the global warming scare has completed its transformation into the climate change scare so that any kind of event at either end of the scale of temperature can qualify as a crisis, Australia remains the top area of interest, still up there ahead of even the melting North Pole, despite the Arctic’s miraculous capacity to go on producing ice in defiance of all instructions from Al Gore. A C-student to his marrow, and thus never quick to pick up any reading matter at all, Gore has evidently never seen the Life magazine photographs of America’s nuclear submarine Skate surfacing through the North Pole in 1959. The ice up there is often thin, and sometimes vanishes.”
NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/2016-arctic-sea-ice-wintertime-extent-hits-another-record-low
Now, we know that JB doesn’t rate NASA. Do you?
Yes it is a lengthy articulate proposition, essentially an ad hominin attack on serious scientists. He does nothing more than regurgitate the same absurd obfuscations and outright lies put about by paid stooges for vested interests. It’s lengthy and articulate, smug smart arse bullshit by someone who knows bugger all about the science.
You can call it the “ageist card” but if the facts back up his claims, as they do, then it is not just a legitimate card to play but an important one in advising younger people to disregard the opinions of AGW denying old fools.
https://agrdailynews.com/2015/05/22/global-mean-temperature-is-rising-overall-there-has-been-a-persistent-global-warming-trend-every-decade-since-industrial-age-began/
A “well considered essay” JB ??
I note that Monbiot’s piece in the link you posted implies that the 60+ cohort make up the majority of the climate sceptics.
He appears to entangle his mental meanderings with a reference to Ernie Becker’s anthropological proposal that much of the evil in the world (including “vital lies”) is a consequence of the need for the over 65’s to deny their own mortality. Monbiot’s implication of course is a flimsy attempt to link the oldies’ fear of death (as suggested by Becker) with the fear created by the climate alarmists. Therefore most of the oldies deny climate change is happening.
Of course, most of Monbiot’s critique is ridiculous.
You either missed that bit JB or you’re obviously unaware that it’s widely held the judicious application of knowledge is found with the 60+ demographic me old mate.
Careful dear Carl, the astute Mr Baptiste is good at laying “landmines” for the unsuspecting to walk into mmm. Cheers
Wrong again. He is making an analogy, the same sort of denial. Pay attention.
A 2009 article JB? Surely you jest!
Do you know of any articles written in 2009 that retain legitimacy Razor? The point you are trying to make evades me but here you go, something more recent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-global-warming-greenland-ice-melting-rate-sea-levels-rise-a7147846.html
Now, try to think. How much extra heat does it take to melt that much ice? If it didn’t melt in the last eleven thousand years, and is melting now in precise concert with the increases in man made greenhouse gas emissions then what is causing it melt so suddenly?
Take your time.
Here you go you “up to the minute” modern wonderboy.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/93310922/the-psychology-of-climate-change-denial-why-sceptics-refuse-to-believe-the-science
The climate is changing JB. It always has. Ice Age, Medieval warming period, Thames frozen over in the 1800’s. Also Clive’s example of the Sub surfacing at the North Pole!
The old dill didn’t mention this though did he?
http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/lawsuit-accuses-saudi-arabia-of-funding-9-11-al-qaida-attacks-1.13294266
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/arctic-ice-shrinking-graphic-environment-text
opsie!
or this
https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/
he misses the bleeding obvious, those of us in our sixties and who haven’t lost their marbles can recall all those catastrophic predictions dating back to the sixties.
Precisely. I find myself reminding people of history when they start the Chicken Little routine. When I was in elementary school we did “duck and cover” drills.
Well actually the vast majority of the “catastrophists” of the sixties are being proved right, erring only in underestimating the rapidity of the effects of AGW by as much as a century. In mitigation no-one in the sixties could have been reasonably expected to anticipate the spectacular increase in carbon emissions since.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/12/science/earth/ocean-warming-climate-change.html?_r=0
Still barracking for Paul Ehrlich? He might accidentally be right someday–in predicting something that happened yesterday.
Geez Dwight, that was a pathetic bit of cherry picking. Desperate are you?
Where were you in eighties or is your memory in denial as well?
https://www.universetoday.com/94468/1981-climate-change-predictions-were-eerily-accurate/
Really, is that the best you dozy old chicken hearted codgers can do. Pick the most radical outlier for some weird rationalisation that proves disciplined science is invalid?
All those predictions which are now being realised. Only many in their 60’s refuse to acknowledge it because they would then have to admit their part in the ignorance. Autumn in Southern Australia 1.5 degrees above long term average. Northern Australia just about 2 degrees over long term average.
Paul Erlich had a win lately has he?
the ice age just around the corner is it?
Geez, the old codgers are touchy tonight!
So tell me at length, grampses, what are your thoughts on so-called “gravity”? And is there a “growing scepticism” around the bingo tables of Australia about the existence of atoms?
Most importantly, can one of you oldtimers fill me in on which badly-designed websites I should prefer to the combined output of the world’s scientists in forming my opinion on these matters? If you can remember the address…
Judith Curry is interesting JOH. Carter, may god rest his soul, and Pilmer aren’t bad either.
As an aside it’s Trooping the Colour in a couple of weeks, thousands of spectators to keep safe. Friend in Manchester is going to the benefit concert tonight UK time and will be doing as the authorities ask and not taking a bag/backpack.
Lets hope all are safe Tracy.
This coming Thursday 8th June the Brits go to the Polls, Mr Insider, and how the waters are muddied now with the 2nd lot of terrorist attacks in a week or so. Will this have any affect on the outcome? I don’t know but well before this attack today the Polls had narrowed considerably. May vs Corbyn in the big Title fight!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2017
I think the attacks will help May and Brexit. The left is the problem, not the solution. But how many will show up?
Sad and deluded madness in London last night but I suggest impossible to police against. Imagine if tghey had the same gun laws there as they do in the US?!!
Indeed Milton I tend to agree May will most likely benefit and also Corbyn has recently shown himself as a bit weak Security wise in not saying when vigorously quizzed that he would Defend the UK with Nuclear Weapons should that dreadful situation ever arise. Cheers.
Get the feeling though that the authorities won’t be taking any prisoners.
You want a really scary one – Mad Trumper is proposing to sell off the US aircraft flight control to private industry. Not sure I would want to be in a plane being landed by a company straining to minimise costs and wages!
Jesus Christ! Let us pray Larry Silverstein isn’t looking for a new project.
Link please Bassy…….
Last week Dictator trump he wanted to sell off over half of the US’s strategic Oil reserves almost as smart as supporting a coal mine that will drop the price of coal even further. D’oh.
Cleanest coal in the world and a guaranteed 100% supply chain! Since the coal isn’t going to India at the moment how will it drop the price? If it was being inserted into current existing avenues then the price might drop.
World Market? FFS you have again proven how ill informed you. My goodness it is no wonder people like brandis, dutton, canavan Christensen etc get voted in up there. Goodness help us all.
No you have proven you are a mouthpiece for Getup propaganda and have never had an original thought in your life. I’ll make it simple.
All Adani’s coal is going to one point which is not currently in the market. That’s the idea if the project. Adani is cutting out the middle man. One source one destination, one use.
By the way, from an environmental perspective, are they better off using coal from elsewhere or ours? Simple question because they will be buying.
Get Up propaganda, Razor?
You have to wonder, footage of the London streets after the attack, blue lights, Police, people hurrying away and there is one woman with headphones on jogging😳
Jogging is supposedly good for you health, Tracy. Headphones though are a no no.
There’s another photo I’ve seen (Oz yesterday) of a guy hurrying down the street with a pint in his hand. That man deserves a medal. The perfect reply – I am not intimidated
Not intimidated Wiss, but probably pissed. I bet he missed his shout.
Banksy: https://twitter.com/thereaIbanksy/status/871142496054554624