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Shock horror – Ruddock protects free speech rights

Ruddock has stood up for the rights of Asstralians against the United Stupids! Team Rodent may be so keen to make up poll losses that they are saying something right (read electorally popular) for a change.

A plea deal condition that prevents David Hicks speaking to the media for 12 months would not be enforceable in Australia, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says.

Mr Ruddock said Australia had no law making it a crime for Hicks to talk, and the United States would only be able to act on a plea bargain breach if Hicks came “within their reach”.

But for Australia to agree to an extradition, a charge similar to the one laid overseas must exist under Australian law, Mr Ruddock said.

“In Australia, we have a position about freedom of speech,” Mr Ruddock told ABC’s Lateline program.

“I’ll leave it to your imagination as to a way in which somebody seeking extradition in relation to a party for breaching a so-called gag order would be able to be delivered up through the judicial processes in Australia.”

Asked if the gag order meant nothing, and Hicks would be able to speak to the media, Mr Ruddock responded: “I suspect you are probably right”.

Mr Ruddock said the United States included the clause in the plea bargain and it was a matter for the United States, Hicks and his advisers.

“I don’t think it’s a matter for us to enforce,” he said.

Will the gobblement still be able to grab Hicks’ story proceeds if the US Supreme Court declares the kangaroo court under which he was “sentenced” null and void at some time in the future? At the time of his arrest, Hicks had not broken any Whorestralian laws.

Although prisoners in Oz jails can’t hold press conferences, if he was released pursuant to the above, Hicks may become a *very* rich fellow from the telling of his sorry tale sooner rather than later. Perhaps there would also be a potential for an action against the US government for unlawful imprisonment and maltreatment. Sadly, on the 2 April, despite the dissent of 3 judges, the US Supreme Court did not uphold the habeas corpus rights of two convicted defendants.

Hicks is to pursue his education during his Australian jail term. It would be deliciously ironic if he decided on a legal career.

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Chief Seattle’s Speech

Delbard Matisse Rose

Thanks to 40c for reminding us of Chief Seattle’s wonderful speech which we reprint here to help spread the word.

THE EARTH IS PRECIOUS

In 1854, the “Great White Chief” in Washington made an offer for a large area of Indian land and promised a ‘reservation’ for the Indian people. Chief Seattle’s reply, published here in full, has been described as the most beautiful and profound statement on the environment ever made.

Chief Seattle Speaks (1971 Revision)

How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Continue reading “Chief Seattle’s Speech”

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Slog Plog or Plog Shag?

The avante garde blogospherical catchword describing a political blog apparently is plog.

Would that make Beyond the Fringe, as a satirical, political blog, a slog plog, plog slog, stog plog, plog stog, shag plog or plog shag?

Plog Shag, whilst rolling off the tongue, reminds one of those ubiquitous, self-congratulatory, neocon, pundit plogger circle jerks – plogshaggers, the lot of them.

So what about Sharplog? Beyond the Fringe – the Essential Sharplog.

Something for the semiotically obsessed gits prancing round the pocket pissing Asstralian blogocracy to grogblog and plogshag about.

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National Summit on Climate Change

Kevvy has a new site up for airing the outcomes, transcripts and vids from the ALP’s National Summit on Climate Change. Sadly, there’s no facility for interaction, no forums, no blogs. Despite their apparent fascination for broadband tech, as media whiz Trevor Cook points out, Kevvy’s team is behind the net-times!

Nevertheless there’s some interesting-looking downloads on carbon trading at which we’ll have a closer look soon. As yet we can’t spot anything on U, though there’s clean coal info.

We wonder how many Laborites will be inspired enough to put their money for the first time into the enticing range of cleaner energy tech stocks on the market.

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Uncle Frank on Censorship

Here’s a classic vid of Frank Zappa saying it like it needs to be said. And there’s an excellent interview with Frank Zappa by Gerald Seligman here, where Frank argues cogently against the proponents of censorship.

Statistically, I think, that since the beginning of musical time there have been more hymns than there are heavy metal songs. And if the number of words written about Jesus or doing good had any effect, then we’d all be really terrific people, wouldn’t we? Or when they start talking about factors pertaining to suicide, the largest single instance of suicide in the last decade is Jonestown, and there was no Ozzie Ozborne or AC/DC albums down there: there was only religious fanaticism.

Some more of our favourite Uncle Frank pearlers:

“My best advice to anyone who wants to raise a happy, mentally healthy child is: Keep him or her as far away from a church as you can.”

The crux of the biscuit is: If it entertains you, fine. Enjoy it. If it doesn’t, then blow it out your ass. I do it to amuse myself. If I like it, I release it. If somebody else likes it, that’s a bonus.

There is no such thing as a dirty word. Nor is there a word so powerful, that it’s going to send the listener to the lake of fire upon hearing it.

Frank may have been inspired by Francis Bacon, who in the 15th century opined

Liberty of speech invites and provokes liberty to be used again, and so bringeth much to a man’s knowledge.