Friday 29th of March 2024

the sideshow of self-importance .....

the sideshow of self-importance .....

Paul Keating, the former prime minister and architect of the current APEC structure, said those complaining should "grow up, count yourselves lucky".

"Here you have leaders representing 60 per cent of the world gross domestic product, a massive power grouping, coming to your city to discuss world affairs, and we think it's a bother? Really?" he told the Herald. "Look who's here - the President of the US, the President of China, the Prime Minister of Japan, the President of Indonesia, the President of Russia.

"They are going to sit, personally and convivially, to discuss important measures. They honour us with their presence."

The Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, who will meet Mr Bush on Thursday, said he was welcome and had nothing to apologise for.

Sorry For The Trouble I Cause, Says Bush

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Gus: Well Said Mr Keating... Unfortunately, putting APEC in the hands of Rattus Rustii is aking to giving a violin case to a member of the New York Mafia... his Pacific Solution, his war in Iraq to support his mate Bushit, his dismantling of public services in this country, his porkying about not doing things but then doing it, and many more dangerous gymnastics, all represent the behavior of a snake oil merchant. The concept of APEC is great, Mr Keating but when the representative of the strongest country on Earth is George Bush, one can only worry about what rubbish they might concoct. We might be lucky that the other participants have some enlightenment.


The APEC mantra: Striving for free trade

APEC's goals:

Since its inception, APEC has been driven by three core principles:

· Promotion of sustainable economic growth;

· Developing and strengthening the multilateral trading system; &

· Increasing the interdependence and economic prosperity of its members.

These principles underpinned the Bogor Goals, agreed by APEC leaders in 1994. The Goals sought to achieve "free and open trade and investment" in the region by 2010 for industrialised economies and 2020 for developing members. In 2005 APEC conducted a review of progress towards the Bogor Goals, and issued the "Busan Roadmap" to chart further progress.

APEC members pursue the Goals through a range of channels, including unilateral measures, APEC collective action plans, global trade talks (in the World Trade Organisation) and free trade agreements. Progress towards the Goals by member economies is monitored through a peer review process.

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Gus: All this sounds fine in principle, except there is NO MENTION of environmental protection and none of the way we eat our future with this "economic prosperity" via shaky credit lending and destruction of the environment - including global warming, old growth forest devastation and nuclear waste... In this economic creation, humanity's diversity becomes mono-phased and also becomes a commodity in which various traditions and sound philosophical beliefs are replaced with Hollywood fantasies and cultural vacuum... to be replaced by happy pills...

On top of this, the extraordinary display of police force and military muscle to stop a few protesters has plunged this country into a fascist state even more...

Selling anything at any cost will cost us the earth.

latest terra scare .....

A public school teacher was arrested today at Sydney International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a setsquare, a slide rule & a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney General Ruddock said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

He did not identify the man, who has been charged with carrying weapons of math instruction.

"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Ruddock said. "They desire solutions by means & extremes, & sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like 'x' & 'y' & refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, "There are 3 sides to every triangle'."

When asked to comment on the arrest, John Howard said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers & toes."

Aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the Prime Minister.

confrontation or carelessness?

From NineMSN

Police radio theft sparks APEC fears
Sunday September 2, 2007

The theft of digitally encrypted police radios has prompted security fears on the eve of the APEC summit in Sydney.

Police have been advised against using special frequencies that can be picked up by the missing radios during the APEC long weekend, News Limited reports.

Sources told the paper three radios were stolen from Newtown on July 8, Leichhardt on August 10 and Burwood on August 27.

The radios are worth $5,000 each and cannot be picked up by regular scanners.

It is also understood several digital radios have been stolen from NSW Fire Brigade stations in the city's inner west in recent weeks.

A bulletproof vest was also stolen from a locked police car in Newtown on Thursday, police said.

Sneaky hubris

The Rattus is at it again... Saying something like: "there would be no need for the extraordinary security at the APEC meeting if people did not plan violence..."... RUBBISH. Hubris of the sneakiest order...

No-one is planning violence. Some people may be planning protests but this does not mean violence. Protest is the right of every citizen should we disagree with major government policy such as going to war on a whim or deliberately manipulated "intelligence". Protests are regulated and permission need to be got. Unfortunately protests are often stirred by "agent provocateurs" who work for the government to discredit the legitimacy of protests... Beware.