October 02, 2004

NEWS BRIEFLETS

• The suicide bomber who attacked Australia's embassy in Jakarta abandoned his pregnant wife: "The widow gave birth to a baby boy a week ago, two weeks after her [husband] blew himself up, killing nine others. The baby is named Mohammad Jundullah, meaning soldier of God, which is as Golun wanted it."

• Sydney Morning Herald readers really love the Kyoto protocol.

• "Experts say Florida will again decide who gets to live in the White House," reports the Melbourne Age, citing Republican and Democratic strategists and various activists, but no independent experts.

• Keith Windschuttle, Catharine Lumby, and Garry Linnell are all friends of mine, so it's nice to see them appear in the same paragraph:

Keith Windschuttle is pleased to announce that an action for defamation he launched against The Bulletin magazine over an article written by Catherine Lumby in its February 12 2002 edition has been resolved. The editor-in-chief of The Bulletin, Garry Linnell, published the following apology in the edition of September 7 2004 ...

• "John Howard and his Government committed my country to war," writes Mitchell Lennard in the Melbourne Age. "I watched this decision being taken, I know that they decided to unleash the barbarity of modern war with little consideration of the consequences. I will vote them out, go home and hug my kids." Awwwww! Wonderful that someone who can by himself remove a government still has time for hugs.

• Something I missed from last month: "Australia should send 400 personalised stuffed koalas to the grieving families of the Beslan school massacre, Greens leader Bob Brown has proposed. 'We could send 400 koalas over there, you know, the fluffy toy koalas, with the name of each (victim), and deliver it to each of those open doors where the families are,' he said."

That'll fix everything.

Posted by Tim Blair at October 2, 2004 06:10 AM
Comments

"Australia should send 400 personalised stuffed koalas to the grieving families of the Beslan school massacre, Greens leader Bob Brown has proposed.

What a perfectly awful thing to say. I have a better idea. Instead of giving 400 stuffed koalas to greiving families, Let me give Greens leader Bob Brown 400 whacks at his stuffed head with my fist.

Posted by: Papertiger at October 2, 2004 at 06:23 AM

Tim, i'm a little puzzled here. perhaps it's the early morning .
was Jundallah married to his own mother ? or did both her son and husband blow themselves up?
Oedipus eat your heart out !

Posted by: davo at October 2, 2004 at 06:23 AM

Knowing bob brown ,i'm suprised he didn't ask us to send condolances to the terrorists, and give the koalas to them...

(Although I do think it amusing that Archbishop Hillarion took the opportunity to attack Bob Brown... off the record he's a staunch Liberal supporter)


To be honest though, I don't think its THAT bad an idea. Russians really do love stuffed toys and Australia, and I know from Aust. Aid for Chernobyle that kids really do appreciate it. Although I don't htink thsi should be something coming from the government.
I was actually in Russia a few weeks ago and flew out of Domoedova 8 hours after the planes were blown up... was rather scary.

Posted by: Tim (who isn't blair) at October 2, 2004 at 06:27 AM

Davo,

Confusing extract fixed! He was only a child-abandoning suicide murderer, not an Oedipal wreck.

Posted by: tim at October 2, 2004 at 06:55 AM

Speaking as a mother, I think I would be horrified if someone gave me a stuffed toy with my dead child's name on it. Better instead, a written promise to hunt down every last one of the s.o.b.'s who masterminded, gave aid to, or was involved in any way in, that atrocity.

Posted by: Rebecca at October 2, 2004 at 07:32 AM

Perhaps Mitchell Lennard should go over and offer hugs to grieving family members.

Posted by: Tyler at October 2, 2004 at 08:04 AM

I think Mitchell Lennard should save a hug for Mark Latham after his election loss.

Posted by: PW at October 2, 2004 at 08:16 AM

I am an independent expert! As is just and natural, Florida will indeed decide the election. We will thank President Bush at the polls for four tours of the destruction and all the hurricane aid.

Posted by: Donnah at October 2, 2004 at 08:26 AM

I see a worrying trend.
Patient engagement and diplomatic pressure need to be directed at getting them to blow themselves up before they reproduce.

Posted by: TT at October 2, 2004 at 09:23 AM

I hate f***ing koalas.

Controversial, eh?

Posted by: Harry Hutton at October 2, 2004 at 09:59 AM

Harry: It's not so bad if you can get the little buggars to shave their legs and have a brazilian wax.

Posted by: superboot at October 2, 2004 at 11:19 AM
Sydney Morning Herald readers really love the Kyoto protocol.
Clearly, they were confused by the butterfly ballot. 96% of the folks who checked "yes" meant to check "I don't understand the protocol." The other 4% meant to vote for Al Gore. Posted by: Aaron at October 2, 2004 at 11:34 AM

Put the marsupial down, Harry.

Posted by: Donnah at October 2, 2004 at 11:54 AM

I hate to break the news, but they actually did send the koalas. I believe the Australian Federal police sent little koalas dressed as cops or something. I don't know if Bob was involved somehow. I'll have a look around and see if I can find a link.

Posted by: Stan at October 2, 2004 at 12:19 PM

Yep. Here's one link (with pictures) . The AFP press release seems to have disappeared into archives with just the headline appearing in the Google search.

Posted by: Stan at October 2, 2004 at 12:25 PM

Just in time with this, I'd say.

Posted by: Donnah at October 2, 2004 at 12:46 PM

I would agree with giving the stuffed koalas if they were the annoying ones who stand outside shopping centers with buckets asking for money to save the wilderness.

Posted by: gubbaboy at October 2, 2004 at 12:53 PM

No no no, it's part of a cunning plan hatched by Howard.

The stuffed koalas will have a random weapon (gun? grenade? knife? It's koala surprise (tm)!) hidden within them. That way, when the terrorists come next time, they'll be ready to take them on.

Posted by: Andjam at October 2, 2004 at 01:05 PM

Send 400 SAS troops. Each troop shall memorise the name of one child. Just before the pull the trigger on one of the Chechen jihadis that name will be the last thing they hear.

Posted by: Troy at October 2, 2004 at 01:58 PM

Hey, I like the way Troy thinks...

Posted by: Quentin George at October 2, 2004 at 02:50 PM

Another practical suggestion by the Greens. I just watched an aid worker in Beslan state that they didn't need anymore stuffed toys or chocolates.

Maybe Kerry can do one of her research visits to Beslan to see the world how it actually is. If terrorists are willing to brutally kill children they're willing to kill all of us no matter how we respond to their demands.

Posted by: Trent at October 2, 2004 at 09:52 PM