$200,000 note

By Jim Fryar.

Those who extol the virtues of a centrally planned economy should be proud to read the following report by Nelson Banya from the Australian, this guy just has to be the ultimate.

ZIMBABWE'S central bank will issue a higher denomination bank note today to cope with the hyperinflation ravaging the southern African country. President Robert Mugabe's Government lopped three zeroes off the local currency a year ago but Zimbabweans still need to carry huge wads of cash for basic transactions.

In a statement today, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said a $200,000 note would come into circulation from August 1. Currently, the highest banknote in circulation is Z$100,000.

The new note is worth one $1.16 on Zimbabwe's black market for foreign currency and about $15.16 at the official rate. The IMF said today Zimbabwe's year-on-year inflation rate could top 100,000 per cent by the end of the year.

Last month, the Government ordered prices to be cut for all goods and services and effected a price freeze after prices had risen by as much as 300 per cent within a week. This has deepened an economic crisis, marked by severe food, fuel and foreign currency shortages as well as high unemployment.

The price blitz led to hundreds of business people and traders being arrested and fined for overcharging or failing to display prices. It has worsened shortages of most basic goods such as the staple maize-meal, cooking oil, meat and sugar.

Mugabe's Government says the crackdown is necessary to bring order in commerce and industry, and to stop what he says is a drive by opponents to try to oust him through economic sabotage.

Mr. Mugabe, 83 and in power since independence from Britain in 1980, denies he has run down one of Africa's most promising economies with his controversial policies.

He says the economy is a victim of Western opponents seeking to overthrow his ZANU-PF government for seizing and redistributing white-owned commercial farms.

Fortunately, as a good 'leftie' he can find someone else to blame.

How much longer is the world going to stand by and allow this piece of shit to destroy the nations economy, hold farcical elections, and use his armed thugs to brutalize any opposition?

Does the world just stand by and watch another refugee crisis destabilize another part of the world? Are we going to be asked to take in another flood of them, so he can continue to get his jollies?

Is it till the US, Britain, Australia, and a few others reduce their overseas commitments and can spare troops to do something about it?

Can’t the Germans, French or other European countries do something?

Apparently not.

‘War’ on Verbs and Nouns

The Haneef case here has been a shambles of shoddy investigation and political interference in that investigation.

The subject of the case was an Australian resident doctor who was related to the idiots who attempted the bombings in the UK, and who had lent his sim card to one of them.

One of my big concerns is the way that the media accept terminology handed to them which muffles the actual intentions, in this case, "to secure successful outcomes in counter-terrorism cases.”

To counter this I have sent a letter to the editor of 'The Australian' outlining this: -

In reference to the article: “Blunders leave agencies exposed” from Patrick Walters, July 28, 2007,I find the following disturbing.

“The AFP has been under intense political pressure to secure successful outcomes in counter-terrorism cases.”

This is not just a matter, which should concern ‘civil’ libertarians, or mainstream libertarians, but also any person who values our freedoms. Without any doubt the term ‘successful outcome’ relates to obtaining a conviction, which is only a successful outcome if the subject of the investigation has committed a crime.

Justice should be separated from the political need for ‘Positive or successful outcomes’, and the prevailing of truth and justice should be recognized as the only successful outcome.

The Haneef case certainly had enough circumstantial evidence about it to warrant an investigation, however it is now apparent that there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The failure to obtain enough evidence to charge him is only relevant if it is subsequently proven that such evidence existed and was not discovered. Any ongoing investigations should uncover whether this is the case.

The public and the media have to become more circumspect about supporting the current fad of politicians of declaring ‘war’ on verbs and nouns, and demanding more power to the authorities and less security from injustice for the public, in order to ‘fight’ those ‘wars’. Terrorists are common criminals and should be dealt with as criminals; treating them any other way gives them political credibility.

Apart from the ‘war on terror’, other great rhetorical wars of the last decade or so, have been on poverty, child abuse, domestic violence, drugs, guns, and the list goes on. The common threads to these wars have generally been, lack of success, greatly increased power to the state, massive expenditure, and the erosion of rights to the population.

Catholic Town

The following is taken from an article by Susannah Meadows in 'Newsweek'.

Reaching 100 feet in the air behind a 65-foot crucifix, the Oratory will anchor Ave Maria, a whole new town and Roman Catholic university 30 miles east of Naples. Ground was officially broken last week, and the plan is to build 11,000 homes—likely drawing families who already hold the church at the center of their lives.

For Tom Monaghan, the devout Catholic who founded Domino's Pizza and is now bankrolling most of the initial $400 million cost of the project, Ave Maria is the culmination of a lifetime devoted to spreading his own strict interpretation of Catholicism. He controls all the commercial real estate in town (along with his developing partner, Barron Collier Cos.) and is asking pharmacies not to carry contraceptives. If forced to choose between two otherwise comparable drugstores, Barron Collier would favor the one that honored that request, says its president and CEO, Paul Marinelli.

The ACLU of Florida is worried about how he's playing the game. "It is completely naive to think this first attempt [to restrict access to contraception] will be their last," says executive director Howard Simon. Armed with a 1946 Supreme Court opinion that "ownership [of a town] does not always mean absolute dominion," Simon will be watching Ave Maria for any signs of Monaghan's request's becoming a demand. Planned Parenthood is similarly alarmed. So far, Naples Community Hospital, which plans to open a clinic in Ave Maria Town, says it will not prescribe any birth control to students. Will others be able to get the pill? "For the general public, the answer is probably yes, but not definitely yes," says hospital point man Edgardo Tenreiro. The Florida attorney general's office says the issue of limiting access will likely have to be worked out in court. Barron Collier and Monaghan say they're following Florida law.

If any group of citizens wish to freely live together, in a separate community I do not object, and fail to see any reason for the state to prevent them from doing so, and as a group accepting such rules as the group make, as long as they can do so without causing harm to anyone.

To quote Thomas Jefferson, The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

Provided that the association is voluntary it isn’t any business of any other party, in fact it is discriminatory to prevent them from doing so, even though I don’t believe separating yourself from the wider community is a good idea.

The efforts of the ACLU are just another form of bigotry, not in any way much different to what happens between different religions or denominations.

As a Christian I often think that God has a great sense of humour, he would need it to love some of his more bizarre followers. He could have a great deal of fun by setting it up so that when bigots who discriminate come through the pearly gates, they come into the presence of a chubby oriental guy in saffron robes. The looks on their faces would be hilarious.

Iranians want democracy

I picked this up on CNN, and present you with exerpts of it . The full story is here.

Poll: Iranians want democracy, nuclear inspections

(CNN) -- Most Iranians support nuclear inspections, a democratic government and normal relations with the United States, a poll by a U.S.-based organization has found.

Terror Free Tomorrow found 80 percent of Iranians support full inspections and a guarantee not to develop nuclear weapons in return for aid from other countries.
Slightly more than half, however, said they still favor the development of nuclear weapons.

But when presented with an option to give up nuclear weapons development in return for outside aid, only 17 percent still supported nuclear weapons development.

The economy is more important to Iranians than developing nuclear weapons. Eighty-eight percent said they want economic improvement to be the government's top priority.

Additionally, 61 percent of those interviewed "were willing to tell our pollsters over the phone that they oppose the current Iranian system of government, where the Supreme Leader rules according to religious principles and cannot be chosen or replaced by direct vote of the people."

Instead, 79 percent support a democratic system in which leaders are elected through free, direct elections.

And while nearly two-thirds support financial assistance for opposition groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, 55 percent of Iranians support recognizing Israel and Palestine as independent states in exchange for normal relations with the United States.

The group's advisory board includes Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, and the co-chairs of the 9-11 commission, Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, and Tom Kean, a Republican. The group says it was also chosen as a participant in the 2006 Clinton Global Initiative.

--------------------------------------

This makes an interesting contrast to what the left and the Islamic apologists are saying.

More Carbon Sense Coalition

Here is another press release from Viv Forbes. While I don't discount the possibility of some man made contribution, I believe the arguments on both sides, but especially the 'global warming side' tend to be partisan to the point of zealotry. I am uncertain about the "No Problem" argument, to the point of some skepticism, however I consider the pro-warming proponents to be extreme and politically driven.

The whole 'debate' could do with an injection of intellectual honesty. I told one warming zealot on another site a couple of days ago, "If you ever get religion you will be scary".

Viv Forbes is a very intelligent and honest sort of person, and I trust his opinion, so here it is: -


“Policies for Poverty”

The newly formed Carbon Sense Coalition today described the Global Warming Policies of both Federal and State government and opposition parties as “Policies for Poverty’.

Chairman of the new group, Mr. Viv Forbes, says that at a time when scientific and informed opinion was becoming more skeptical of the apocalyptic prophecies of the Global Warming Industry, politicians and the media were competing to propose the most extreme and expensive options to ‘solve’ a non- problem.

‘A coalition of big business, big government and state funded media and research bureaucrats is colluding to impose job losses, power shortages and increased costs for electricity, transport and food on the unsuspecting Australian community ­ a well designed total package of Policies for Poverty.’

‘Ordinary workers, consumers and taxpayers will be sacrificed on this Altar in the vain hope that it will have some beneficial effect on earth's future climate’.

‘Even casual analysis of the evidence will show that even if Australia closed every coalmine and power station, and stopped all cars, trucks, ships and aeroplanes, it would be impossible to detect any effect on world temperature’.

‘Politicians seem prepared to impose enormous costs on the Australian people in order to achieve miniscule effects on a non-problem’.

‘Professor Lance Enderbee has published graphs of mean temperatures from 27 rural recording stations in Australia for 100 years from 1890 to 1990. The trend is horizontal, with mean temperature in 1990 below that for 1880. This has occurred during the century of the motor car, two world wars, and massive growth of coal burning for steel production and power generation. Rising carbon dioxide levels have had no effect on temperatures’.

‘A similar data set for six Australian capital cities shows a generally rising trend in temperature since 1950 ­ that is, rising temperature in Australia is an urban effect, not a result of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.’

‘Urban heating is caused by air conditioners pumping heat into or out of buildings, motors cars exhausting hot fumes, hot factories, millions of hot bodies, politicians emitting hot air, hot concrete and bitumen, polluted air, fewer breezes and less cool pastures, swamps and scrub.’

‘This urban heating will be made worse by the silly proposal to replace electric appliances (whose source of heat and emissions is controlled in an isolated power station in the countryside) with millions of small open fires burning in gas stoves and hot water systems in every home all over the city.’

‘The federal government and five state governments have six different programs and models covering emissions trading, carbon caps, carbon taxes and renewable energy schemes. Each jurisdiction is rushing to set up new energy, greenhouse and climate change offices with hierarchies of expensive public officials to staff them’.

‘Merchant banks are gearing up for the easy profits to be generated by carbon trading. Lawyers are preparing for the rush of new business from the disputes, legal challenges and shady deals which will follow the complicated sets of laws and regulations on carbon caps, emissions trading rules, conditions covering free permits, penalties, exemptions, offset policies, early abatement rules, reporting requirements and international trading rules’.

‘All of this is creating a totally artificial industry living on the sweat of ordinary workers, farmers, miners, foresters, consumers, taxpayers and shareholders.’

‘Every carbon cap or tax will increase the cost of electricity in every home, farm and factory. Every increase in power costs will drive one more business and its jobs to China or India. Every subsidy for playthings like solar collectors or wind farms will cause an increase in taxes. And every ethanol plant built will increase the costs of every bit of food on the table of every home in the country ­ all of these are Policies for Poverty.’

‘The long-term effects on the community will be obvious, but different. Emission traders and regulators will get bonuses in their pay packets. The beautiful people in the leafy suburbs will cut back on cappuccinos. Grain and sugar farmers supplying ethanol plants will prosper. All other farmers and consumers will suffer losses as grain, sugar and electricity costs rise. Coal miners will lose their job. Factory workers will lose their house. Politicians will lose office.’

Mr. Viv Forbes
Chairman
The Carbon Sense Coalition
info@carbon-sense.com


(More information on The Carbon Sense Coalition can be found on our web site at www.carbon-sense.com

Carbon Sense has responded to the latest Policy for Poverty in Queensland¹s “Climate Smart 2005”. It is entitled: “Look before you Leap”.

In it, The Carbon Sense Coalition accuses the Queensland Government of proposing draconian policies, which will have no effect whatsoever on global temperature, but will, if pursued, do tremendous damage to most Queenslanders.

(The full text of “Look Before you Leap” can be downloaded from:

http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/look.pdf

DEAR Premier Peter Beattie:

The following is a letter to the editor of the ‘Gympie Times’ that was published recently.

The background of it is that the state government are forcibly resuming properties in the Mary Valley near Gympie to build a massive dam to supply water to Brisbane. This dam will cover 76 Sq Km (20,000 Acres) to an average depth of 6m (20 feet), providing an ideal environment for salvinia, water hyasinth, blue green algae, European carp, cane toads, and other assorted introduced pests, as well as removing the last habitat for three endangered species, including the unique Mary River Lung fish.

About 2-3000 people will be displaced including the letter writer and his family. This is a great letter as it attempts to use the governments own language to put the boot on the other foot. More information can be found here.

DEAR Premier Peter Beattie:

As you may well be aware - beef and dairy cattle face reduced grazing capacities during cold and dry winters.

The need to improve pastures is always our top priority, and we shall continue to do this consistent with standard practices and initiatives within our local communities, and we are always listening to the people and reviewing our practices.

However to continue to supply top quality beef and milk to the good people of South East Qld we are currently forced to look for other options that may include, resumptions of property for grazing and recycling of milk and beef products.

Recycling can be very efficient, however public support is still lagging and an education policy is still being fabricated.

To deal with our crisis, we have decided to make it yours. We have therefore decided to reclaim lost grazing areas of Wilston and the surrounding suburbs. This decision may adversely affect your property, and we shall endeavour to continue to "update" you and your family as we strive to provide a better service for Qld.

Prime fresh beef and milk may run out within three to four years should we not "acquire" your property and return it to its original grazing capacity.

We understand that this decision may bring hardship to you and your family, and in turn we shall send you letters of longwinded information to help confuse the issue and render you unreasonable and ignorant of the facts. However, to help with your unreasonable anger we shall provide free counselling services at an indirect cost to you.

We understand, that your community and family may have to make a sacrifice for the greater good of this great state.

The standard procedure will be this: We shall endeavour to make an amiable sale of your property at a price that suits us. We shall "stand in the market" with our own valuation team (that your money indirectly pays for) and ridicule your property with terms such as "depreciation" and "unimproved value", until you finally realise that our words of compassion and integrity are not backed up with any real credible actions.

Should you not agree with our valuation we shall send you to our court system to have a fair accurate assessment made. There are no avenues to question this authority that works for us, and that you pay for. Should you never agree to sell your property we shall forcibly, acquire your land for the good of South East Qld, and you may well end up breaking the law by choosing to stay, even though you are the lawful property owner.

Our strategy for our local community must be realised, if we are to continue to enjoy whatever want, and take it from whoever we want, whenever we want. Feasibility studies with unlimited budgets shall now be undertaken but are in no way meant to change this decision that is already made.

The purpose, however, is to allow you to think that a healthy democracy still exists in Qld and to provide more employment and overtime to an already strained public service.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Courtney MacRae.

Bureaufuhrers

The following are from the pages of the Gympie Times on the 5/6th Jul 07: -

EIGHT Gympie families will lose their livelihoods this month in a major victory for Queensland’s culture of complaint, with the closure of the iconic Wises Road sawmill.
One complainant, it seems, has more say than all the mill’s other neighbors and all the people who depend on its social and economic contribution.

The mill’s image, subject of an award winning painting by Gympie artist Peter Hughes, hangs today in Queensland Parliament House as a symbol of Gympie city.

We could rebuild it, if we knew we were going to have timber in 10 years time, but they keep locking up the forests, part owner Rod Godwin said in the mill’s tiny old-fashioned office yesterday.

ONE-MAN bands are altering the character of a Gympie neighborhood and Kevin Gomersal says if it keeps happening, the city’s old world charm will be lost.

Bureaucratic nonsense, is how neighbors of Elliott’s Sawmill describe the action taken to close down the mill which they say has contributed to the cohesion of their community for as long as it’s been in operation.

The mill was here long before these houses were built, Mr. Gomersal said. We’ve lived next to the mill since 1975, raised all our children here and have never had a problem with the noise, you get used to it.

Strong support for the boys who work the mill has been expressed by every homeowner who lives near the mill; it’s believed the complainant who prompted Workplace Health and Safety to take action lives in a rental property.

Lisa Gomersal has lived opposite the mill all her life and questions how a complaint from one person can shut the whole thing down. I hope they feel proud of themselves because I think it stinks, she said. The mill workers are always there if any of us need a helping hand. From getting rid of snakes in our backyard to jump starting our cars, they have always given us a sense of security especially the elderly ladies in the street.

The complainant’s neighbour, Carly Tinker, says it’s a young couple that is doing all the winging, and a better solution would be for them to move. They complain about the whole neighborhood, she said. And the neighborhood fully supports Elliott’s Sawmill.

Many of the neighbors are worried about what will become of the property after the sawmill has been abandoned. They feel it may become derelict and will provide a home to vagrants or possibly could be developed into a large block of units.
The whole time we’ve lived here we have not heard one complaint they start cutting late in the morning and finish when the kids get home from school. A normal sawmill doesn’t work like that they will cut all day.

This is not the first time, as recently the Town Hall Clock was subject to an order by the state ecofuhrers, banning it from ringing at night , at the instigation of the owner of a recently acquired property, and over the objections of numerous residents.

So, I wrote to the Editor as follows

In May I wrote to you beginning as follows: -

"How good it is to see the proud smiling face of the man who stopped the bells of the Town Hall clock on the front page of the Times."

"How refreshing is it to know that those who are intolerant of any minor inconvenience, can buy a place nearby call a government agency, and spoil it for the rest of us."

This time we do not see a smiling face to associate with the closure of a valuable, job providing, evidently community orientated industry, which has for many years contributed in its own way to the economic, and the community structure of the town.

This time we see people put out of work, families thrown into turmoil, as only people who loose a reliable form of employment can fully understand.

This time, it is not people buying near an existing industry and wanting it closed, it's people renting near an existing industry and wanting it closed. If there is such a thing as Karma their landlord will decide that owing to the 'improved amenity' of the area the rent should go up dramatically.

This should not be happening. We as a community have enough on our plates with the social and economic destruction, of recent government decisions, without the petty bureaufuhrers traipsing around the state closing people down on behalf of lone, petty, intolerant, misfits. Yes misfits is the only way to describe people who wish to trample on the rights of the rest of the community over perceived petty problems.

The worst of this is in fact that it is not just happening to us. All over the state and probably the nation wingers will be going to government, and petty officialdom will destroy more industry.

I am reminded by this of the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote in “Lay Morals”, (“The Day After Tomorrow”)
This is over; laisser faire declines in favour; our legislation grows authoritative, grows philanthropical, bristles with new duties and new penalties, and casts a spawn of inspectors, who now begin, note-book in hand, to darken the face of England.

THE CARBON COALITION

The following is a Media Release from Viv Forbes. Viv is a man who’s opinion I hold in the greatest respect. I am posting it for your information.

Climate Smart?


A new organization called “The Carbon Coalition” has been set up to defend the role of carbon on earth and in the atmosphere.

Chairman of the new group, Mr. Viv Forbes, a pasture manager, soil scientist and geologist from Rosevale in Queensland, says the group is concerned at the growing and unjustified vilification of carbon by politicians and the media.

More information on The Carbon Coalition can be found on our web site at
carbon-sense.com/.webloc


The impetus for the formation of the group was, firstly the proposal that carbon dioxide be labeled as a pollutant in the Federal National Pollutant Inventory, and secondly a set of wholly destructive policy proposals from the Queensland government in their document “Climate Smart 2050 ­ Queensland climate change strategy 2007 ­ a low carbon future”.

The response from The Carbon Coalition to “Climate Smart 2005”, is entitled:

“Look before you leap”.

In it, The Carbon Coalition accuses the Queensland Government of proposing draconian policies, which will have no effect, whatsoever on global temperature, but will, if pursued, do tremendous damage to most Queenslanders.

(The full text of “Look Before you leap” can be downloaded from:
carbon-sense.com/look-bef#53C00


Mr Forbes said that Queensland, more than any other state or country, depended heavily on carbon products for its past and future livelihood.

“It is unbelievable that the Premier of the state with the resources and skills to lead the world in coal, cattle, sheep, tourism and mineral processing, all of which depend on carbon, should try to lead the world into a low carbon future.”

“Queensland is a big decentralized state. It is heavily dependent on diesel fuel and coal power for the road, rail, sea and air transport which moves our mineral and food exports, our fishing fleets and brings our tourists. All of these cornerstone industries are threatened by carbon caps or taxes”.

“What is also of great concern, is the spectacle of Australian state governments trying to out-bid the Federal government with silly carbon promises. They should all cease their emissions.”

“Carbon is the building block for all life on earth. It provides all of the food and most the energy for the human race. Carbon dioxide is a tiny part of the atmosphere, yet it sustains all life on earth. It is NOT a pollutant. To be anti-carbon is to be anti-life and anti-human.”

“It is unbelievable that many in politics and the media are whipping up public hysteria about “global warming” when the best evidence suggests that for the 100 years ending in the year 2000, the century of coal, steel, electricity, the internal combustion engine, jet planes, two world wars and a population explosion, the average surface temperature rose by only 0.6 deg, and there has been NO increase in temperature since 1998. In many areas, surface temperatures have been falling for decades.”

“Even if the water vapor and carbon dioxide produced by man did cause some slight warming of the earth, is this a problem? Eons of geological history show that a warm, moist, carbon-rich atmosphere encourages all life on earth. These periods are referred to as “Golden Ages”. The cold barren periods are those to be feared ­ they get called ³The Dark Ages”.

“Most people prefer warm climates and look forward to summer. They do not flock to Alaska, Archangel or Antarctica for winter ­ they head for Bermuda, the Black Sea or Bali, and Australian politicians find reasons to visit Cairns. All over the world, the human race is migrating towards the sun belts ­ Florida, the Riviera, and Queensland ­ very few volunteer for Siberia. President Putin voiced what many Russians must think ­ “a bit of warmth would be welcome here”.

“Moreover, a bit of warmth would vastly increase the land suitable for growing food and natural fibers. On the other hand, a slight cooling would take much of the farmlands of Canada, Northern Eurasia and New Zealand out of production, and parts of Tasmania and Victoria may have to convert from producing wheat and dairy products to farming caribou or reindeer.”

“There is no evidence that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is driving surface temperature, and there is plenty of evidence to show that current levels of temperature and carbon dioxide are neither extreme nor of concern”.

“Carbon dioxide plays a wholly beneficial role in the atmosphere, and there is no evidence that this would change should carbon dioxide levels rise. It is being vilified because it is a so-called ³Greenhouse Gas”.

“However, it is not even an important ³Greenhouse Gas² ­ water vapor is more effective and 100 times more abundant. Moreover, these atmospheric gases are earth¹s protective shield ­ without them we would fry by day and freeze at night.”

“The unprecedented Climate of Fear gripping the Western World is based on long term forecasts of surface temperature produced by some complex and highly dubious computer models which cannot forecast the weather with any accuracy beyond 5 days and cannot forecast the path of a cyclone from hour to hour.”

“The output of a complex computer simulation of the atmosphere is not “evidence”. It is a fluttering flag of forecasts, hung on a slim flagpole of theory, resting on a leaky raft of assumptions, which is drifting without the rudder of evidence, in cross currents of ideology emotion and bias, on the wide deep and restless ocean of the unknown.”

“There is no evidence, no consensus among scientists, no clear benefits, no reliable projections but huge potential costs if Australia does indeed pursue a ³low Carbon Future”.

“To understand the phenomenon requires more than knowledge of science, the carbon cycle and atmospheric processes - it requires an understanding of mass psychology, the field of choice for many in politics and the media.”