It aims to be: "A light hearted and satirical, though frequently factual look at Australia and the world."
I remember a time when I was the most controversial identity here at the Australian Daily Issues Paper. Now I find that I'm being outdone by "white ants." Incidentally, the term "white ant" is incorrect for the purpose of describing those who have allegedly gutted One Nation. A termite eats the inside of a structure moving to the outside and often leaving a deceiving outer shell. What creature attacks something from the outside first? Let's hope one of the readers will be kind enough to let me know.
Finally Babs is going to sojourn down to the sleepy back water of Sydney, Australia. For one night only she will entertain an audience of about 27,000. When one invests a substantial amount of money, ($1500 per ticket will get you in the vicinity of the 19th row - $170 is somewhere near the car park.) one must consider the risk factors:
* Barbra is afraid of flying.
* Barbra is afraid of performing in front of a live audience.
* Barbra cancelled on Sony about 11 years ago. Mr Sony wasn't too happy about
all that money they lost.
*The performance is outdoors, making weather and sound quality a problem.
Still, it's dubbed a "once in a lifetime opportunity." Only once in a lifetime could anyone be so short sighted. Kerry Packer can afford to be stupid, he's booked the first two rows… At about $1700 per ticket.
The following article had me in hysterics - ABA can't even look after their own website!
The Sun Herald 2/1/00
Hackers take on the censor
Computer hackers have declared war on the efforts to censor the Internet, which became law this weekend.
Under Federal law, anyone who sees something offensive on the Internet can complain to the Australian Broadcasting Authority to get it banned. Australian-based Internet service providers (ISPs) will have to remove X-rated websites.
Anyone wanting to see R-rated material on the Internet has to give his name and prove he's over 18 with a credit card, passport, or birth certificate to get an access password from his ISP.
The ISP will have to offer subscribers Internet filter software that can block out Internet porn.
But critics say the new law can be bypassed easily by calling up overseas ISPs, which are not subject to Australian censorship laws. Hackers, angry at efforts to censor the Net, have begun sabotaging government websites and threatened to step up the campaign.
One hacker broke into the ABA website two weeks ago and posted an offensive warning that it could not censor him.
The ABA said it had increased security on its website.
C.J.C - the Corruption Justification Commission Contributed by Robert Doring
Our Australian society is supposedly based on the British Westminster system of government with the very important principle of the separation of powers. This means that the citizens can freely elect a candidate and not a party to represent them in parliament, who support or oppose laws on a majority vote. These laws are then subject to an upper house review and are finally sent for assent to the governor. Once in place they can be challenged in the courts and can be further reviewed and even rejected by the judiciary if they are found to be unlawful or unconstitutional or breach our basic rights. The laws, if accepted, are enforced by the police and the military forces, which all have to swear allegiance to the crown. The crown is represented by the Queen, whose only real power now is to dismiss the Governor General or State Governors if they step out of line and take a political stance. They must appear to be completely independent.
The important principle of government in our system is not in the powers it gives our government representatives, but in the powers it denies them. Each section must be independent or separate from the other and the rules or rights are clearly set out in the ancient documents of Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights of 1688, which have been part of our constitution since its inception. All government members and public servants must swear allegiance to these. Parliament is free to debate and pass any laws except any that limit their powers, such as the Bill of Rights and Magna Carta. This is the crux of the reason for the extremely serious situation we are now in.
Our elected governments, the media and even the Sporting Shooters Association selectively interpret these laws. Politicians are now saying that they can defy and deny this important principle while accepting their right to free speech in parliament and parliamentary privilege and also the freedom of the press and the media. They are denying the section granting all honest citizens the right to self-defence. Not just with firearms but with almost all other weapons. It is now illegal to carry even a small pocket knife. To even possess a cross bow or a gun in most states carries an $11,000 fine or five years in jail. However if criminals on drugs use a gun in a crime they are likely to only receive a suspended sentence and counselling, is there any wonder that the major crime rates are rising and the police in Queensland only received a forty four per cent approval rate?
Various statutory bodies such as the C.J.C or Criminal Justice Commission have been set up at great public expense to oversee and investigate any corruption or unlawful actions by the police. However it appears that their real aim is to conceal and protect the police from these crimes. Numerous examples have been presented which show this to be so.
My personal account began in October 1994. Chief Inspector John Howard McCoombe sent the police to my business to have me arrested and my property confiscated, solely on the totally false accusation and charge that I was advertising in the local paper, offering to women and pensioners free self defence classes. These allegedly involved the use of acoustical devices and anti personnel gases. The use of these devices was never mentioned in any advertisement and as no such advertisement could be produced the charges had to be dropped. This was later followed by a police raid by six armed police officers in March 1996 when they confiscated my entire stock of firearms and took me through three separate court hearings until they finally got a conviction for missing files in a folder which they illegally confiscated. During the first hearing on the twenty first of August 1996 it was proved that the police photo evidence was fabricated when they attempted to use this evidence to have me charged with a serious offence under the explosives act. The courts rejected this and the other false charges with costs awarded to me. The upshot of all this is that when my barrister and myself presented this evidence and complained to the C.J.C and also the P.C.J.C. they both rejected the complaint. The excuse that they both presented on behalf of the police was that officers had unwittingly moved the evidence to save having to take several photos. However it is illegal to move any evidence during the recording of evidence.
I have written to all state politicians in Queensland and only Bill Feldman of One Nation party has taken up my case and asked questions in parliament to the premier Mr Beattie and the police minister. They have refused to give any reply and the legal profession and media is totally uninterested in this issue. However there has been a degree of justice of some sort. The police person who we have been informed actually fabricated the evidence is now being investigated and could be charged soon with the stealing of a large number of firearms handed in under the failed gun buy back and confiscation scheme. Also, Inspector McCoombe has been dismissed from his position of head of the weapons licensing branch. Not because of my complaint but because he blew the whistle and spoke to the media of the total failure of the gun laws and disarmament programs. I have also been informed that Francis Ona, the Bougainville freedom fighter has declared that he and his followers will never disarm because they do not trust any Australian politician, especially after seeing what they have done to the Australian citizens. I believe the real reason Tim Fischer resigned was because of his immense feeling of guilt over this issue. This is the main reason that all those who are pushing for a republic are trying to deceive us into voting for it as only by having a republic can these crimes they have committed against us can in any way be absolved. If we let it happen then we can only hold ourselves to blame for the consequences that will surely follow. Meanwhile the police raids continue. The last one I heard of was a fully armed swat team of fourteen police who tore apart a home and strip-searched a family after the father became seriously ill and failed to renew his Roo tags. The police cancelled his licences and confiscated eleven firearms, all legally registered in his business as a Roo shooter. The supporters of the gun laws are saying that this is the way the laws should be enforced if the gun laws are to work.
We all do it.
We all enjoy it.
We all live for it.
We all just can't stop the urge.
We all gossip.
Next week I'll be featuring New Year's Resolutions for Australia. What would you like to see as the New Year Resolution for Australia in the Year 2000? Send me an email - the best of the best will be included.
Send me your goss at: thegrapevine@chickmail.com
Contributions of snippets, cartoons, jokes or just general comments are welcome. Nothing too scurrilous or slanderous please! Your name will not be included with your contribution unless you indicate that you would like your identity exposed.
Trott your goss on the Grapevine discussion forum