From the ABC ….. 

Labor got it wrong on AWAs: Howard 

Prime Minister John Howard has
stepped up his criticism of Labor's pledge to abolish individual workplace
contracts, after an opinion poll revealed it has not impressed voters.

The AC Nielsen poll shows support for the ALP has dropped 3 percentage
points since the Labor Leader, Kim Beazley, pledged to do away with
Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA). 

Liberal? A very confusing word? or a word used confusingly? In the US the liberals are associated with the desire of real freedom in social policies, in Australia, the only liberalism being applied is for the rich to make more money on the back of everyone else... The rest is stuck in the dark ages of deliberately misunderstanding the moires of humanity. In the US, the fight is between the Liberals and the conservatives... In Australia the Liberals are the conservatives... And they hug the cream-cake like uncle Scrooge.

Quote from Wikipedia:
""Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. Broadly speaking, liberalism seeks a society characterised by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of minorities are guaranteed. In modern society, liberals favour a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed...""

From the ABC …..

Bush talks up progress in Iraq 

Americans can expect steady
progress in Iraq but it would be unrealistic to hope for "zero
violence", President George W. Bush said after a surprise trip to Baghdad
to bolster the new Iraqi Government. 

From the ABC

Howard should convert to Islam: Bashir
By Geoff Thompson in Solo, Central Java

Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir says Prime Minister John Howard should become a Muslim if he wants to avoid going to hell.

The cleric was speaking after his release from a Jakarta prison where he had been serving a sentence related to the 2002 Bali bombings.

While holding a late night press conference in his Ngruki religious boarding school, Abu Bakar Bashir was asked by the ABC if he had a message for Mr Howard when the Prime Minister visits Indonesia later this month.

"I think John Howard should convert to Islam," he said.

 
Meanwhile in the parallel universe of conservative
bed-time history for right-wing raised kiddies... 

From the New York Times 

Bush Discusses Iraq With Top War
Commanders ….. 

CAMP DAVID, Md. (AP) -- President
Bush declared Monday to a nation weary of war that democracy in the Middle
East is worth the high price to the United States. He also said Iraq's
neighbours should be doing more to help.

Hamas ends truce after beachside shelling .....

Islamic militant group Hamas has
called off a 16-month-old truce with Israel after attacks blamed on
Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians, including three children playing on
a beach. 

Israel's army, which had been
shelling northern Gaza to curb rocket fire by militants, says it is
investigating the deaths. 

There is more
to the Prime Minister's family history than modesty, honesty and hard work,
writes David Marr. 

‘The corner of Ewart Street and
Wardell Road in Sydney's Dulwich Hill is sacred ground for John Howard and the
modern Liberal Party. For nearly 30 years, the Prime Minister's father ran a
service station on this spot, setting an example his son thinks Australia
should follow. 

From the ABC …..

Stanhope to appeal to G-G to save civil unions law 

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope
will appeal to the Governor-General to try to save the Territory's civil
union legislation. 

Prime Minister John Howard and
the federal Attorney-General have announced they will advise the Governor-General
to disallow the law. 

‘“Power,” Harvard Professor Joseph Nye, Jr. tells
us “is the ability to alter the behavior of others to get what you want.
There are basically three ways to do that: coercion (sticks), payments
(carrots), and attraction (soft power).” Today’s American soft power—our
ability to influence others overseas through who we are and what we do—is
shrinking, as poll after poll shows. This loss of soft power reduces
America's ability to shape global developments in ways favorable to the
national interest. What can be done about this? 

 
Lawyers refuse to
undergo new security clearances .....

Lawyers representing a group of
men charged under the Federal Government's anti-terrorism laws say they
may go to the High Court to fight a requirement that they undergo security
clearances. 

Up to 50 lawyers representing the
men are refusing to submit to the clearances that are required under the
new laws. 

‘Something that senior officials call the "war
paradigm" is the Bush administration's central organizing principle. They
do not use the phrase publicly, just among themselves, but they bend policy to
serve it. After Sept. 11, 2001, they instantly adopted the war paradigm without
any internal discussion. George W. Bush, who proclaimed, "I'm a war
president" and insisted that he made decisions "with war on my
mind," assumed the war paradigm as his natural state and right.’ 

PM can't rule out premiums rise
with Medibank sale .....

Prime Minister John Howard says he cannot guarantee insurance premiums
will not rise when the Commonwealth sells Medibank Private. 

The major insurer is expected to be
sold in the next 12 months. 

The Federal Opposition says a
document inviting tenders for the public relations campaign shows Medibank
Private cannot guarantee premiums will not rise, and that it fears a class
action from members. 

From the ABC …..

Prominent Australians' Snowy letter given to Parliament

A letter signed by a group of prominent Australians calling for the sale
of the Snowy Hydro scheme to be suspended has been handed to Federal
Parliament. 

The signatories include former
prime minister Malcolm Fraser, actor Cate Blanchett and poets David Malouf
and Les Murray. 

From the ABC …..

US orders ethical training for troops 

A top US commander in Iraq has
ordered combat troops to be trained to abide by moral and ethical
standards on the battlefield. 

The move is an apparent reference
to allegations Marines killed civilians last year.