nutbean

“With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” the statement said. “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” You have also got to ask yourself the question - a Republican "opinion piece" is released however the Democrat rebuttal was not allowed to be released. I don't have a clue as to the accuracy of the memo but it gives you pause to think that a heavily politicised committee allows a Republican majority opinion to be released by won't allow a Democrat rebuttal ? Neither should be released if there is not consensus or both. I just am amused when Wrecker writes with authority that "it is clear". What is clear is nothing is clear.

So much hyperbole, exaggeration and just plain inaccuracy in two little sentences. And no, I won't bite to your next reply - "tell me where I am wrong" - I'd rather go with "Fact checking - zero".

Saily McSailface ?

I think James Cook was leader of the Greens after Bob Brown but before Christine Milne.

It will be my next read. What i found very eye opening was a quote from James Cook on observation of the Indigenous people during his exploration of the east coast "They live in a tranquillity which is not disturbed by the inequality of condition. The earth and sea of their own accord furnishes them with all things necessary for life. They covet neither magnificent houses or household stuff. They live in a warm and fine climate and enjoy wholesome air". Looks like no one took much notice of Jimmy's observations !

I blame Jack Watts

To me this is his Presidency in a nutshell. He is behaving the same way as he would business without the understanding that the rules ( for better or for worse) are very different. I would extend it further that it is not only separation of powers problematic but also his lack of understanding about the different standard of propriety between private business and elected public officials. I can't get over that he spends every second week at Mar-Lago and the Gov't is being charged for it for both his guests and all the admin and secret service he takes with him. If that is not a conflict of interest i don't know what is. In sense, he is not the first to do this as President's have traditionally taken themselves and guests to their second homes. And I am sure that there were added expenses for this however -hotel rack rates ???

i was talking generically. Hillary won't go to jail - not sure why Wrecker thinks she will. ( my comment on strong enough evidence - was more a reflection on the Whitewater saga going back some years) I can absolutely see Trump being indicted for obstruction. I was always iffy about anyone in the administration being indicted for collusion. The administration and campaign wasn't functional enough to tie their own shoelaces let alone collude.

It is not a matter of whether they are all crooks - I think that's a given it is a matter of whether there is strong enough evidence to get convictions.

All - this is not meant to start a political discourse but I have just finished "Aboriginal Australians - A history since 1788" by Richard Broome - well researched and not a difficult read. Highly recommend it. I also finished Fire and Fury - inside the Trump Administration by Michael Wolff. His writing style reminded me a lot of Caroline Wilson. He cleverly mixes quotes with words attributed to others that may be quotes but you are really not sure. He mixes a whole lot of quotes with opinion or what he thinks "may" have been said. It becomes so intertwined it leaves the reader none the wiser as to what actually was said and what wasn't said, what is fact ( quotes) and what is fiction ( pure opinion). Having said that - for the life of me, it must have been the biggest snowjob of all time that anyone connected with Trump allowed him one minute of access as he has zero good words to say about anyone in the Administration.

Don't disagree with you but for every billionaire there will be people who, through no fault of their own, be crushed by the system. Unfortunately there is no perfect system or to be completely accurate, good system that doesn't have inherent flaws when trying to balance competing needs.

okay - ill put it out there. The Poms really do make better television than the US. There. I said it.

I've been watching The Crown. Whilst I am hardly a fan of the royal family it is a very interesting watch and you can see why it costs sooooo much money to produce.

yes and no. The Caravan Club is no more ( don't get me started on the committee that runs the venue - grrrr) The owner is opening a new venue at the South Oakleigh Club called "The Phoenix Lounge" - Due to open April.

For history buffs - Slow Burn - a podcast about Watergate - really good.

macca - if you get a chance - The Jazz Party is playing at the Caravan on Friday night. The lovechild of Darcy McNulty - ex Clairy Browne and the banging Raquettes. Harry Angus (Cat Empire) and Emma Lubitz (Tinpan Orange) are also playing with the band. Should be a great gig.

We can always read history and find fringes and elements that go against the general theme. I think there needs to be great care taken ( read resistance) by placing too much emphasis on the exceptions and diminish what the history clearly is. In the case of the holocaust there is the indisputable facts -a repugnant regime with a documented, systematic policy of removing a race from the face of the earth. Nothing more nothing less.

History by its very nature generalises. I asked my father in law who hid with his family in a roof space in Zilina (Czeshoslovakia) during the Nazi occupation his recollections. Before they went into hiding there was a steady stream of escapees from the death camps that came through their town. ( I did not realise that escaping from the camps was not uncommon). He said that they indeed told stories of the gas chambers. Whilst no one for a minute was unaware of the brutality of the occupiers towards Jews, the stories of mass extermination were viewed as "stories from madmen" - they simply were incomprehensible and were just not believed.

I should have rolled my eyes when I typed it. It was directed at the farcical foreign policy of the expedient arming of groups to fight so called enemies only to have those same groups use the supplied weaponry against them.

Yesterdays friends are today's enemy's.

Agreed, and you have history on your side that back up your beleif. I personally think it goes further than ignorance of the religion. I have always believed that repressive regimes and groups operating under the banner of "religion" is in reality a smokescreen. If you scrape away the thin veneer that is religion, I find it is all about power, control and greed.

Also agree on this. It is just too easy and convenient. On the other side of the coin we have gone from no group wanting to claim responsibility for acts of terror to ISIS claiming responsibility for so many acts of terror where they have absolutely no connection.

Whilst I don't feel the need to defend Wrecker, this argument is disingenuous at best. There is a difference between an atrocity committed by a Christian and an atrocity committed in the name of Christianity. If you pointed out atrocities committed in the name of Christianity then i would have no argument. None of what you are suggesting can be linked to Christianity. If you want to compare terrorism that is enacted in the name of religion or even acts or events that are sponsored by legitimate Governments then all good ( the definition of legitimate Gov't is fluid) . For example ISIS, Iranian Imam causing riots over cartoon mocking the prophet, Hindu's blowing up mosques in India, the Lords resistance army in Uganda, Jewish settler blowing away worshippers in a mosque in Hebron to mention a few. There have been over the course Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist and Christian atrocities committed. I don't consider your examples Christian atrocities. (atrocities none the less)

When it comes to being Jewish I don't think the labels observant and non observant are as useful as identifying and non identifying - but that is a whole different discussion. I'd agree with most of what you have said except to say that I have found the younger generation of Jews ( my two daughters and their circle - mid 20's) are much more left leaning except on the issue of Israel. I would go even further and say that they are heavily conflicted over Israel and the actions of Netanyahu Government. There is a strong belief in the state of Israel however some angst over the current government.

I find so much of what he does worrying. He is completely unhinged.