Wednesday, November 09, 2005
TERROR SWOOP REACTION ROUND-UP
John Howard has been vindicated. So too has Kim Beazley.
With the arrests in Sydney and Melbourne, no matter what the outcome of the charges laid against various individuals yesterday, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition did the right thing last week.
The news sent others, such as the Democrats leader Lyn Allison, into a cosmic trip of conspiratorial fancy. “I suppose it’s not beyond the possibility that he would say to the state police commission, ‘Well, you know, is there not a raid that could be taking place at this time to justify it?”’ she told reporters in Canberra after the raids ...
Their perverted world view, so twisted with cynicism and distrust that they are not sure if the sky is blue, or if there even is a sky, doesn’t allow them to comprehend a terrorism threat for what it is.
And if you think the Greens are now retracting their vehement criticism, consult your local faith healer. Brown didn’t break stride yesterday, describing (accurate) newspaper reports about imminent raids as “criminal” and wondering in the Senate whether Howard hadn’t “endangered the intelligence and security” of the counter-terrorist operation by not acting earlier to amend the law.
If audacity were measured in gold bullion, Brown could make a takeover bid for BHP Billiton.
Brown ain’t backing down:
Liberal senator Richard Colbeck has called on Senator Brown to apologise for suggesting the terror warning was a smokescreen for controversial industrial relations reforms.
Senator Brown responded by saying many of Senator Colbeck’s fellow parliamentarians were “rednecks”.
This week an attack, how imminent we don’t know, has been nipped in the bud, a matter of relief and for congratulation of the relevant authorities.
Naturally, Fairfax failure Antony Loewenstein isn’t buying it:
The inherent acceptance of intelligence, government and police spin shows a public and media too afraid or gutless to question “reality.”
It’d be fun to see Loewenstein edit a daily for a week or so. Imagine his reporter briefings.