Tim Blair

I guess this is the Australian equivalent of a lame duck Congress. And, God, is it ever lame.

No, we musn't offend them....otherwise they might get really mad and...carry out terrorist attacks!! And it'll be all our fault! Oh, wait a minute...

If I was Howard, I'd just sit on the bill until July. Then put it to a party vote...

heh, heh.

"Many Palestinians were offended"

and amny Australians are offerded/repulsed by Kerry Nettles moustach.

I am frequently "offerded" by the Greens, full stop.

I liked a comment I read today.
"Ariel Sharon has finally relented and is now willing to talk to Arafat..."

What? Who the hell voted for this thing? To pass it would have needed the entire ALP voting for it, wouldn't it? As well as every Democrat? Is there not a single ALP or Democrat senator with enough decency in his soul to vote against something like this? I mean, it's not as if there was a party whip for it - was there?

Personally, I can think of no better way of remembering Arafat than passing a motion.

If you were to distill everything I despise about politics into a person, it would be an exact duplicate of Kerry Nettle. Honestly, it's like she was put on this earth specificially to annoy me personally.

Does anyone else feel this way? Is Kerry my own personal Senate Satan or does she have this effect on other people too?

It's a shame your Senate is trying to do this. I feel Australia is to be congratulated for having one of the ONLY leaders with enough balls to state the truth about Arafat. I wish Pres. Bush had spoken as plainly.

Don't be too harsh on the Greens. You give a monkey a gun and it is bound to shoot something. The Greens will always be their own worst enemies. John Anderson was spot on - they are watermelons and will always go too far to rally enough support to rival what the Democrats were. They'll also continue to benefit the Coalition by driving decent people away from the left in horror at its excesses.

Could someone grasp the Nettle...tightly...by the throat?

Nettle- well named-Irish/green/wild and painful-
I wish she would migrate to 'Palestine' where she would be more appreciated- they do.t have enough greens in their diet

Gots to wonder how offended our Pally Pals would be by the fact that the motion was pushed by a party le d by a homosexual, i.e. Brown -- a big executable no-no with the religion of peace.

Of course, if the rumours about Arafat's cause of death are true, maybe not such a big deal.

To continue the quote from the article:

"Many Palestinians were offended by the prime minister's uncharitable attack on the recently deceased Palestinian leader," Senator Nettle said.

"This motion was in part intended to show that most Australians are capable of expressing appropriate condolences."As an Australian, I'm going to express appropriate condolences.

Short version:
P-F-F-F-T

Lomg version:
I'm truly sorry for the Palestinians. I'm sorry at their grief for Arafat. I'm sorry that so many of them have followed such a waste of space, such a load of ambulatory offal. I'm sorry that so many of them would rather kill Jewish kids than prevent the deaths of their own. I'm sorry they've been robbed blind by Arafat and his cronies in the past.

And that's my Last Word.

Have to be careful grasping the Nettle, full of little pricks that sting.

On the other hand leader Bob Brown often grasps.....ah, its not easy being Green

I hope we can find out the wording of the motion and who voted for and against it.

What do you expect from an "activist" who began her first speech in the Senate in 2002 with these words?

"I start by paying my respects to the Ngun(n)awal people, the traditional owners of this land. I acknowledge the pain and the suffering that so many Indigenous Australians have suffered as a result of the European invasion of this country."

If you're familiar with certain strands of radical Aboriginal politics, you'll know how Arafat was revered and how being a Muslim is the new rad chic for the urban black shit stirrer. Of course Nettle was going to do something like this. The surprise would have been if she hadn't.

"I start by paying my respects to the Ngun(n)awal people, the traditional owners of this land. I acknowledge the pain and the suffering that so many Indigenous Australians have suffered as a result of the European invasion of this country

If the poseurs who regularly trot out this crap really meant it, they would do the right thing and give the land back to the traditional owners, and return themselves to the land of their forebears.

``Australia's Senate -- to be reclaimed by civilised forces next July...''

Pardon my ignorance but I'd better get this straight before I read any further. Is the Oz Senate elected (as in the US) or appointed (as in Canada)? If the former, why the loooong turnover between the October election and a July transition? If the latter, what's holding things up?

Yup, Nettle sure does have a needling effect

If the former, why the loooong turnover between the October election and a July transition? If the latter, what's holding things up?

It's elected, but the terms are six years, and the Senate members don't go in the same time as House of Reps. The terms are fixed, regardless of when the election is called.

Therefore, the government gets to play with the old Senate for six months.

It is true then - one has to be barking mad to be a green! Disgusting filth.

Hey rog, I don't think Bob Brown has grasped any little ppricks for a long time.

This PC thing about thanking the Aborigines has infected both sides of politics. I attended a medical conference in downtown Adelaide a couple of years ago which was opened by Trish Worth, then Minister assisting the Minister for Health. She began by thanking the local tribe for allowing us to come on their territory. We all looked around with interest, expecting to see some Aborigines, in corroboree paint, brandishing spears against this invasion of North Terrace by doctors. Needless to say there was no-one.We were most disappointed.

Trish has since got the ass - well-deserved.

A few months back the South Australian government opened a fancy new facility for the storage of the State's historical records - such as the original proclamation, drawing of the State emblem etc. As part of the opening a representation of the Kuarna people (pronounced 'Garna' as in 'garna have to fix that one of these days') held a 'smoking ceremony'.
Would have loved to see the headlines the next day if the ceremony had gone horribly wrong and burned the whole shebang down.

Mr Magoo

You said:
Hey rog, I don't think Bob Brown has grasped any little ppricks for a long time.

I say : Other than his own

Rotten bloody watermelons!

If it's sharing in the Palestinians grief you want, then it'll involve going over there and shooting guns in the air amongst the large crowd.

If it's atoning your after, they should be really big guns.

Toryhere

He's been grasping his own little one for years and when he let's go MarkL's gonna grab it real tight.

"The Kuarna people held a smoking ceremony"? Finally, someone still allowed to smoke in public!

I have condolences to pass on to the Palestinian people regarding Arafat's death: I regret that they were not rid of him much sooner.