Now some of the cleric's fellow Muslims, including the Islamic Council of New South Wales, are calling his comments comparing immodestly dressed women to "uncovered meat" as "unIslamic, unAustralian and unacceptable."

Far from building bridges with the wider community, he seems to have dug himself an almighty hole.

Full story reported here: BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Australia's Muslims fear backlash.

"It is a storm in a cup ... no worries, mate, in Australian“

No one can sack me, says defiant Hilali | News | The Australian.

Why is the Australian media so het up over the purported – translated no less – statements by a cleric of a religious sect which is a minority in this country?

So, if she isn't being pulled by a fresh opportunity, did McKew feel pushed by changing times at the ABC? A new managing director, Mark Scott, was appointed in July, and this month announced anti-bias guidelines for the broadcaster.

McKew quiet about life after Aunty | Media | The Australian.

Valid question, I’d suggest. Especially given Scott’s black-and-white view of media presentation and his reticence to be seen as anything but plain vanilla. In his recent speech to that doyen of conservative thinktankism, The Sydney Institute, Scott was quoted as stating his new editorial guidelines …

would encourage diversity "ensuring the ABC is the town square where debate can flourish and different voices [be] heard".

Clearly Scott doesn’t have a great opinion of current ABC journalism ethics. I’d say Maxine won’t be the last of the current crop of ABC journalists to seek other pastures in which to graze. Why dine where the food is always plain and boring?

The Federal Opposition is calling on the Government to decide whether controversial comments made by the Muslim cleric Sheik Taj el-din Al-Hilali break laws against inciting violence.

Ruddock urged to decide legality of sheikh's comments

This issue of a muslim religious leader supposedly inciting violence through his preachings is now well and truly worn out. When politicians start to bat the situation back and forth, inflaming more than quelling the more controversial elements of the issue for sheer political capital, then the joke is dead, people!!!!

Leave the man alone! Leave the issue alone! It’s dead and now it’s starting to stink with the political and media-laid maggots devouring the corpse.

The origins of the tune are more complex. The discovery around 1970 of an original musical manuscript (today held in the National Library of Australia as MS9065), together with an undated letter by Christina Macpherson to Thomas Wood recalling the events surrounding the creation of the song, has finally led to Christina being accredited as the first ‘creator’ of the music. Yet as Christina openly acknowledged, she simply adapted the tune from an existing folk song.

I'm rather fond of the idea that our national song comes from an Irish folk song entitled "Ga'ng the De'il an' Shake Y'sel' ".

CATHOLIC schools have raised fears of government interference in their religious affairs after John Howard pledged $90 million for school chaplains, a move the former premier, Bob Carr, called a retrograde and divisive threat to the separation of church and state.

Catholics and Carr wary of school chaplains plan - National - smh.com.au.

On initial assessment, my thoughts were that yet again, this Howard government is attempting to manipulate social mores in order to sway ideologies. It is a mark of this government, to install greater conservative influences within the base levels of society. Non-secular religious influences, conservative school practices, raillery against women’s rights to self-determination of issues regarding their own bodies, and so on. It’s yet more fundamentalism running rampant out of Canberra. Even to the extent that this morning I hear Howard claiming that while he’s all fired up about this ‘Chaplain’ idea, he’ll reserve the right to dole out the money to those schools and individuals they wish to choose. In other words, he’ll decide the suitability of the person’s ideology, thanks very much.

To me, Chaplain means sky-pilot as opposed to what is genuinely needed in our education systems, both public and private, which is trained counsellors. Not bible-bashing pulpit thumpers. I’m with Bob Carr. Governments of any stripe must not indulge in boundary pushing on that imperative standing between church and state. Provide proper, trained and independent psychological support to school communities, but leave religion to those who really feel the need.

Prime Minister John Howard took a moment to reflect on the responsibilities of sending young soldiers to war, as he launched a new book on World War I.

PM reflects on sending young men to war.

and so he ought, although I have serious doubts that the PM has any real understanding of the responsibilities of sending young lives off to fight political wars. I firmly believe it to be the heights of hypocracy to pontificate about the moral pressures the PM may or may not have experienced, when it is clear that Australia’s involvement in the only real “war” Howard has send young lives off to is one of political convenience.

On the subject of Les Carlyon’s book, I’d be much more comfortable in recommending that readers watch Andrew Denton’s program, ‘Enough Rope’ this evening, than paying undue attention to what Howard has to say.

Courtesy of the Guardian’s Hilary Osborne

Chairman Beattie has urged all Queenslanders to get behind a combined Church campaign of prayer for rain, as an adjunct to water-saving efforts by constituents in this time of drought.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie is welcome to attend tomorrow's crisis talks on the plight of the Murray Darling basin

ABC News Online.

It’s an afterthought, and a direct insult to the Premier of the State which has the most to offer to the Murray-Darling river system, through discussions on the massive water storage and catchement zones allocated to the cotton industry on the Queensland-NSW border.

This week, the Senate sits primarily to debate the private members bill promoted by Senator Kay Patterson(Lib) and supported in kind by Senators Natasha Stott-Despoya (Dem) and Ruth Webber (ALP). The Bill, Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Embryo Research Amendment Bill 2006, offers much hope for suffers of genetic disease, but poses deeply divisive ethical questions.

A family friend last night said the decision to use a surrogate mother to give birth to their child was an "enormous" one for a politician.

Even bigger for a Labor pollie

 Stephen Conroy, Labor’s hard man, factional manipulator and shadow communications spokesman, is now a daddy. His wife, Paula Benson isn’t however, a mummy. Another woman is ‘mummy’ and a third woman was the oven. Strangely for me, as someone who doesn’t comprehend this seemingly mindless pursuit for immortality through loin-fruit, I’m happy for the Conroys. I can only hope that they too, are happy. Baking a bun with someone else's dough in somebody else's oven still gives you a bun at the end of the day……or baking……as the case may be.

Mr Howard made it clear he respected Bono's rock star status but that respect only went so far: "I don't accept preconditions from anybody."

Herald Sun.

Mikhail Gorbachev didn’t object. Bill Clinton didn’t object, Even ‘Dubya’ didn’t object to meeting with Bono to discuss global poverty and the importance of developed nations honouring the already agreed 0.7% of GDP allocation to resolution of global poverty.

Little Johnny Howler does, however. The arrogance of the man knows no bounds.

I’m in agreement with Peter Beattie and Mike Rann, in their calls for a constitutional convention in the aftermath of yesterday’s high court decision validating the governments Workchoices legislation in constitutional terms. Justice Michael Kirby, one of two dissenting judges, said it well.

"once a constitutional Rubicon such as this is crossed, there is rarely a going back".

This decision places enormous pressure on the constitutional federalism this country enjoyed before yesterday morning. John Howard’s claim, and I notice today, Peter Costello’s claim, that this government doesn’t want to take this decision any further in constitutional terms, doesn’t mean that it won’t. This decision opens doors, or more pertinently, opens a Pandora’s Box. Kim Beazley may well tear up the Workchoices legislation, however, the precedent has now been set. Governments post-Howardian now know they can exploit the constitutional gift of the Corporation’s Powers. Australia’s constitution, such as it is in these days, is sorely in need of amendment, in my view.

Last weeks High-Court ruling, denying a man the right to re-dress an unjust child support situation and claim against his former wife for financial loss and damage, has raised the ire of Alby Schultz, federal Liberal backbencher. This ludicruous ruling, which overturns on appeal a previous win for Mr Liam Magill, who took action against his former wife for deceit, shows clearly the built-in bias in Australia's family law statutes in favour of women.

As a matter of habit, I listen to Radio National programs in the form of Podcasts. Two reasons. Podcasting is convenient method of lulling me off to sleep after a mentally stressful day, and I enjoy several RN programs, not the least of which is “Late Night Live”. Without the benefit of podcast files, I’d be missing out on what I consider to be important issues, such as this program on Phillip Adams' show.

"While I think it's probably not viable at the moment, I think it will become viable within a 10- to 15-year time frame. And I think that's why we have to start planning now because if we were to leave it 10 to 15 years to start planning for the construction of these facilities, by then it may well be too late."

Thus spake  Martin Blakeman from the mining company Newera Uranium following the release and presentation of Ziggy Switkowski’s report on the Prime Ministerial Taskforce on uranium mining, processing and nuclear energy.

You really do have to ask yourself who pulls whose strings when it comes to deciding who comes to this country, and the manner in which they come.

Currently listening to ABC Radio National’s Saturday Extra. Geraldine Doogue’s style makes this radio current events and political expose` style program well worth catching. Today’s subjects – a nuclear Iran. Is it worth tolerating or removing?

Recent amendments to Pakistan’s Hudood ordinance which virtually makes rape a forgiveable crime under Sharia Law, seem to go at least some way towards women of that Islamic country attaining some measure of protection under law.

Reading through this article on the Times Online, I can’t help but feel that while Pervez Musharraf is clearly making good political ground with western observers, this latest accession to women’s rights is a carefully measured adjustment of Pakistan’s social scales, and little else. Any program of continual advancement of women’s rights will have to be supported from without Pakistan, I feel, as the will in that tribal, male-dominated society – which still urges adoption of Sharia Law under most circumstances – simply isn’t strong enough for progressive change to continue from within on its own.

At least now women who cry rape, do have somewhere, in law, to stand.

Let's take a good close look at this little piece of sleight-of-hand by a corporatised former government instrumentality, and arguably the largest of the Big 4 banks in Australia today.

David Hicks’ legal team has been granted an urgent hearing in the Federal Court, in a bid to have him released and returned home to Australia by Christmas. The hearing, in which Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer are to be sued for failing in their duty of care to protect the interests of an Australian citizen abroad.

Interesting piece in the Daily Telegraph.

Not a rag your Bannerman makes a habit of perusing, but the day is slow. Begs the question, are we really becoming a nation of tittle-tats? Is it the thing to do, tell tales? The fellow hosing off his concrete is certainly a naughty boy, at least on first appraisal. Perhaps though, he doesn’t bathe everyday, preferring to spend his shower allocation (Ye Gods, that we never get to that stage!) on maintaining a tidy courtyard. Who’s to know? Which is precisely the Bannerman’s point. Who is to know? Whose business is it, if not the man holding the hose?

Welfare cheats. Should we, as a society, be consciously taking note of people we suspect of being welfare cheats, dobbing them into Centrelink at the first opportunity? When do we do the dobbing? When we have cast-iron, categorical, produce-it-in-court proof, or do we simply tip off the welfare police and let them do their worst, trundling merrily on our way pleased that we’ve saved another few bucks for those who really need it? Trust your Bannerman. Experience says that Centrelink is akin to the blinkered cart-horse. It knows there’s a loud and frightening vehicle closeby, but unless it appears right in front, can’t see it and can’t turn it’s head to see due to the tight reins held by the driver. So you dob in a drone sucking off the welfare teat on disability support while doing mechanical car repairs on the sly up in the back shed. Who are you really hurting and who are you really benefiting?

Dob in a terrorist! Would you know what a terrorist looks like? Bannerman certainly doesn’t, that much is certain. Maybe if someone wearing a backpack on a commuter train suddenly screams out “Allahu akbar min kulli shay!” during the morning peak hour, Bannerman might twig that all wasn’t quite kosher but otherwise, keeps pretty much to himself, as 99.999633% recurring commuters do.

On the issue of dobbing, just because one can, is it to be deemed that most despicable of all jingoistic insults – UnAustralian? Bannerman seriously doubts the validity of such a nominative, given that there is no such animal as an UnAustralian. What is UnAustralian anyway?! Is it someone not born in this greatest of all non-plussed, capitalistic, consumer societies? Is it someone not yet naturalised? On that subject, perhaps someone not born on this soil, so to speak, can never be Australian, like that second class of citizens, the naturalised immigrant or visa-holding refugee. Oh, please, don’t accuse the Bannerman of discrimination! Look to Phillip Ruddock on that score.

And there, reader, we come to the crux of this dob-in-a-suspected-societal-suckhole issue. Dobbing, in the main, is not smiled upon by Australian society. At least it never used to be while Bannerman was growing up and being taught the wiles of survival on the streets of suburbia. One kept to one’s self. One minded one’s own business and kept one’s beak out of other people’s affairs. So what if that bloke down the way was getting DSP while hauling people’s engine blocks out of their cars on a block & tackle? Doesn’t the government have a brief as a part of their mandate to properly police such things without involving Hyperidian Bannermen? If Mr Tidy Courtyard wants to hose his concrete, is it any of Bannerman’s business? We all have water meters. Let council get off their collective arses and do a little monitoring of water usage instead of relying on Joe Public to do their job for them!

As for dob-in-a-terrorist……..موفقیت خوب باآن

Bannerman dislikes intensely highlighting the works of other bloggers, purely because there are very few, in the B-man’s eyes – who warrant attention being drawn. However, and this will not become a regular occasion, attention is drawn this morning to Dunlop’s Murdoch-sponsored bandwidth boon.

As always, Bannerman is not especially enamored by Dunlop’s style, however, he realises that not everyone has the same sense of delivery as he does. Allowances must be made. Let us take issue with the content. Citizenship, specifically Australian citizenship. A multicultural nation we most certainly are, more as a result of the egalitarian approach to distressful events in other parts of the globe from which people of all races, colours and castes fled. Post World War Two many persons immigrated to these shores from European countries devastated in that conflict. Following the Vietnam conflict of the seventies, many South-East Asian peoples fled oppression to come here. And so it’s gone.

Bannerman often vacations on the Queensland border, where great wines and good food are paramount considerations. The ethnicity of that region is primarily southern European, the original immigrants being sometime, if ever, english speakers who came here after the war. They brought their cultural mores with them. Wine-making being one. Bannerman hesitates to state that english was an immigratory necessity in 1946. One wonders how many Italian newcomers, for instance, could actually speak english, let alone know why the large star on the flag has seven points, for example.

The Australian Jewish communities posed a valid question in their submission to DIMIA on this subject.

“The proposition that Australia introduce a formal citizenship test begs the vital question of what it might test for, and how.”

And just who will formulate the basis upon which this test seeks it’s answers. Just what IS the ethos here? Is it really, as Howard stated, to determine just who will and won’t be prepared to defend the country should the need arise? A ridiculous assertion in Bannerman’s eyes. No, this citizenship test/affirmation/entry criteria is yet more ideology from the Howardian stable of staunchly pro-American, ethnically divisive, exclusionist ideals for which Australia is most definitely not known and admired, but for which Howardians desperately yearn. And the timing is just right. The Yanks are introducing a re-vamped test as well. What better opportunity?

The politics of Fear and Loathing are being taken to a new level. Not only will we decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come, we’ll decide by ameri-centric ethos who get’s to become a second-class of citizen and who remains as a citizenship pariah. The politics of disgust!

Bannerman is smiling sardonically at the responses from the usual media suspects in regard to Kofi Annan’s farewell speech today at the Truman Presidential Library, Independence, Missouri.

The time has come to recapture the centre. The time has come to forge a new coalition of political forces across the Australian community, uniting those who are disturbed by market fundamentalism in all its dimensions and who believe that this country is entitled to a greater vision than one which merely aggregates individual greed and self-interest.

The Monthly magazine - an intelligent, independent voice.

He says his thinking was influenced by meetings with low paid and unemployed workers from around the country, which he describes as confronting and eye-opening.

ABC News Online.

The venerated Tattersalls Club in Brisbane’s Queen Street has, once again, petitioned it’s  all-male membership on the issue of accepting female members. The vote was resoundingly to the negative. 1683 votes to 1577 votes. 106 votes against the issue.

Many things to many people. That’s Christmas. To the Bannerman, it’s nothing more than a whole lot of the post title. Humbug! Capitalistic, commodity-driven, materialism excited by wave after wave of pumped up media-promoted schmooze. Bannerman abhors carols, unless they’re female, 35 years of age with an hour-glass figure sporting bubble-butt hips & massive mammaries. The repetition as well! Silent night indeed……..if only it were. Then there are the trees, the decorations, the endless streams of tiny, flashing lights, wrapping paper which costs and is never given a thought to as it’s shredded uncaringly. Huge sessions of over-eating over-rich foods which cost much, much more than at any other time of year. Add in the screaming children who have been let out of school for six weeks and the picture is complete.

Wiki says Humbug is an archaic term meaning "hoax", or "jest". It also says that in indigenous patois it means “to pester or annoy”. Bannerman reckons Wiki is precisely on target. There is no more annoyingly false faux ceremonial than Christmas. Humbug! and a very merry Bah! to you all, from the Bannerman.

Bannerman is heading bush for the next fourteen days to get as far from the Xmas stupidity as possible. Take good care of yourselves. As the B-man so often says, no-one can or will look after you like you will. If you survive Christmas and make the sensible decision to go to bed at a reasonable hour December 31st without over-indulging in alcohol, loud music or attempting to fuck someone who is uglier than your usual low standards, Bannerman will be here to further educate you in 2007. Until 4th January 2007……….HUMBUG!

Bannerman doesn’t often indulge in supermarket exploratives. He finds the commercialistic falsehoods presented to be not only so very indicative of todays society, but also outrageously indicative of how easily we, the ardent consumer, are duped by the conservative push for globalism at any cost.

Bannerman was chatting to a friend this morning, about many issues, but one in particular which aligns with this article. Both B-man and his interlocutor are ‘baby-boomers’, inferring that both are long enough in the tooth to appreciate what proper parental responsibility, concern and control really means.

The US Office of Military Commissions also confirmed today that Hicks would likely be in the first group of Guantanamo Bay inmates charged.

NEWS.com.au.

Well, reader, Bannerman has the distinct feeling that he’s read this story before. Some time in the past, in fact. Maybe some thirty-one months ago?

Next week marks the fifth anniversary of David Hicks's imprisonment without trial in the notorious detention centre at Guantanamo Bay. He got there after being sold for $1000 to American special forces in Afghanistan by a Northern Alliance warlord.

Shane and Simone separated in mid-2005, but the leg spinner has expressed his desire for reconciliation, describing her as his "rock."

NineMSN.

The federal government is becoming increasingly out of touch when it comes to the child care needs of working families, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says.

Yahoo!7 News.

"The Western people are the biggest liars and oppressors and especially the English race," the Mufti of Australia said in Arabic during the extensive interview in Eqypt, his birthplace. "The Anglo-Saxons who arrived in Australia arrived in shackles. We paid for passports from our own pockets. We have a right in Australia more than they have."

NEWS.com.au.

Bannerman gave this dill the benefit of the doubt over his ‘plates of meat’ gaff. Statements like that above are quite simply the ravings of an ill-informed, arrogant, religious elitist who garners a dangerous following with his idiotic statements. There can be no claims of being taken out of context this time around, given the Imam was speaking in Arabic, to an Arabic speaking audience, in an Arabic speaking country. In fact, his country of birth. No, Bannerman believes the Sheik knew precisely what he was saying, despite the ludicrous nature of the statements.

This man cannot be permitted by his community to continue to inflame perceived cultural differences between his muslim community and the rest of Australia. If Muslims wish to be considered as Australians, wish to be considered as a part of Australia, it’s culture and its people, then this moronic religious nutbag must be disavowed and cast off as representative of the Islamic community. He is not worthy of that community, and most definitely is not acceptable as an Aussie.

Amid the lowest world oil prices in 20 months, an investigation has found petrol retailers have not passed any of the relief on to consumers.

Herald Sun.

Bannerman is stunned, nay, shocked to read that oil majors haven’t been treating consumers honestly these last several months….years….decades. 

"The formality of weddings has never been a big thing for me," Ms Gillard says. “I'm not an actively religious person, so you manage your relationships on the basis of whether you feel committed or not, rather than have you been through a particular ceremony. People have all sorts of choices - for me (marriage) doesn't loom large."

Julia Gillard.

Bannerman entirely agrees. He also entirely agrees with Ms Gillards estimation that motherhood and politics at the top level simply don’t mix. Consider Mark Latham. Not as a mother, although some might use that term in a derogatory fashion. His own focus on family would loom large in his failure, although from differing aspects than those which effect women in politics. Politics is most definitely NOT a mens only game, but women who believe that full-on motherhood and a top level political career are not only possible, but also achievable options together, simply aren’t being realistic.

Imagine, for example, Prime Minister Mother at an Asian Trade conference more concerned with her toddlers teething difficulties than avoiding being conned in trade negotiations. Yes, fanciful scenario and highly unlikely to ever occur, but Bannerman would ask the reader to consider just why said scenario would be so unlikely. The answer is quite simple. Motherhood and political leadership aren’t compatible. In fact, the very idea is laughable, just as is the concept of John W Howard caring about David Hicks.

Bannerman heard this snippet this morning and didn’t quite believe his ears. Looking up the internet news soon confirmed that his hearing is fine. He’s wondering if ALP policy makers thought processes are though.

The Federal Opposition is calling on the Government to take action against a Sydney cleric for encouraging Muslim children to die as martyrs. The head of the Global Islam Youth Centre, Sheikh Feiz Mohammed, also referred to Jewish people as pigs in a video of one his lectures.

ABC News.

"The rules even allow hearsay within hearsay, meaning that Mr Hicks could be placed in a position where he doesn't have the opportunity to cross-examine the person twice removed from the witness who actually made an allegation about him,"

theage.

He said that she said that he heard that David Hicks is a card carrying Al Qaeda member. That’s how Dick Cheney wants the military commission process to function. The process which was deliberately legislated as an act of government, to remove it from the reach of a justice system which decreed its predecessor illegal in 2006. David Hicks is still to be charged under this kangaroo court system. Why, escapes your Bannerman, although he does note, with some considerable chagrin, the stunningly loud silence with which the Australian government are complaining.

"The rules even allow hearsay within hearsay, meaning that Mr Hicks could be placed in a position where he doesn't have the opportunity to cross-examine the person twice removed from the witness who actually made an allegation about him,"

theage.

He said that she said that he heard that David Hicks is a card carrying Al Qaeda member. That’s how Dick Cheney wants the military commission process to function. The process which was deliberately legislated as an act of government, to remove it from the reach of a justice system which decreed its predecessor illegal in 2006. David Hicks is still to be charged under this kangaroo court system. Why, escapes your Bannerman, although he does note, with some considerable chagrin, the stunningly loud silence with which the Australian government are complaining.

Bannerman is concerned, but not really all that surprised that Little Johnny Howler should choose to be a party to a video supporting a Christian fringe group.

Howler is, supposedly, a Christian. Devout or otherwise is irrelevant, but that he chooses to use his Christianity for political advantage is not in question. He isn’t overt or radical about it, but he is openly considerate of Christian organisations, as this issue shows clearly.

Disingenuity aside, Bannerman considers overt displays of any form of religious allegiance by politicians like Howler to be not only poor politics, but openly ignorant and dismissive of faiths other than those promoted. Howler, if he really is as smart a politician as Bannerman considers him to be, should never have associated himself with an organisation like ‘Catch the Fire Ministeries’, or failed Family First candidates such as Danny Nalliah. Maybe he’s not that smart a politician. Certainly not if he’s happy to associate with religious nutbags like Nalliah and Scott.

Bannerman is outraged!!!  The man is alive, isn’t he?!!! What more can a concerned politician do???!

"The conclusions of the British parliamentary committee that you don't have the most basic standards applying at Guantanamo Bay adds weight to our view about the fact that David Hicks has been there for too long and ought now to be released." – Kelvin Thompson, Opposition Legal Affairs spokesman

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock was in transit but a spokesman said: "We've been assured the facilities at Guantanamo Bay are modelled on maximum security prisons in the United States".

Sydney Morning Herald.

Ruddock’s spokesperson needs to undertake a little research before opening their flapper:

‘In some jurisdictions, supermax prisoners can acquire increased privileges and amenities-e.g. more telephone calls, access to radio or a television, the ability to walk to the shower without handcuffs or shackles-as an incentive and reward for appropriate behaviour. But the privileges usually only reflect a tinkering at the edges of the basic model of confinement and do not significantly ameliorate the conditions. Moreover, these "privileges" are taken away as punishment for even minor infractions.’

‘Once an inmate is in a supermax, there is usually some sort of periodic review to determine if there is a need for continued segregation or, in facilities with progressive incentive levels, whether an inmate should be moved up or down. Unfortunately, the reviews are often perfunctory, concluding with reiterations of stale justifications. Staff rarely have adequate familiarity with or background information about inmates to make considered judgements -- and there are insufficient institutional incentives for them to give sufficient weight to the inmates' right to be free of unnecessary restrictions.’ 

Human Rights Watch ‘Out-of-Sight’ Briefing Paper on US Supermax Prison conditions, 2000

Bannerman wonders when David Hicks was last permitted to make a telephone call when he wanted to, listen to radio or watch television, walk to the showers unshackled. He also wonders what review process has ever been undertaken over the past five years to determine Hicks’ need to be held in almost continual solitary confinement.

Clearly, even though what we hear about through the media is often third hand, Guantanamo Bay does not meet even the Human Rights Watch assessment of US Supermax prison conditions. David Hicks must be released and repatriated to Australia without delay. Failure by the Howard government to see to this requirement with despatch condemns it for all time as failed guardians of Australian civil rights.

Prime Minister John Howard has called the move stupid and offensive, while Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says it is "political correctness gone mad".

ABC News.

Naturally, the leaders of the two major political parties would say that. Rudd after Howard especially. Howard most particularly because he so desperately wants, nay, needs to be seen by the electorate as the quintessential patriotic Aussie. Kevin Rudd is being led along by his political nose. What he really believes is not known because of his party’s need to be seen to be either strenuously opposed to Howard’s ideals in a strong public position, or with him in a perceived public position.

Bannerman applauds Andrew Bartlett and the democrats for stating the bleeding obvious. The symbol of nationalism – which is all a flag is, apart from a collection of stitched coloured cloth, is being used by those who see it to their benefit to do so. Such was the ethos of National Socialism in Germany, circa 1932. At every turn, the swastika showed the German peoples allegiance to an ideal. Just what ‘ideal’ are Australian’s being aligned with in this politically promoted allegiance to a flag which remembers a nations colonial heritage and nothing else?

The Democrats are quite right in supporting the stand of the Big Day Out’s organisers. Whatever our nation’s flag may be, whatever it may represent, it must not be permitted to be used as a rallying point for martyrs and jingoists, nor must it be permitted to be denigrated by those whose focus is other than a peaceful, united and rational Australian community.