In Las Vegas, it's 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' The same can be applied to Australia, though without the risque subtext: 'What happens in Australia, stays in Australia.' Literally. It's like a black hole of news. No factual light escapes. Momentous events take place around the world and are duly reported by Aussie media. Local events make headlines here but rarely receive international attention.
On a day when worldwide financial markets shuttered from Wall Street's multiple meltdowns, two unrelated Aussie stories vied for top billing. The first happened this morning, when Liberal leader Brendan Nelson lost a surprise vote he'd instigated the night before in the hope of securing his hold on opposition party's reins. It backfired. Nelson was last seen yesterday waving a can of beans and raspberry jam at Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Parliament. Something about pensioners' needing additional government benefits to survive. A helluva final act. Now relative newcomer Malcolm Turnbull will be expected to flash daily parliamentary histrionics blaming Rudd and his ruling Labor party for Australia's boo-boos. It's all taken so seriously here, yet each parry & thrust has absolutely zero effect on the lives of Australians.
Today's other big story was the formal end of Australia's longest and largest ever 'terror trial'. In short, a self-proclaimed sheik named Abdul Nacer Benbrika was suspected of espousing jihad to a group of followers in Melbourne. Just about every state and Aussie investigative branch took part in recording the jihadists conversations and meetings between July 2004 and November 2005, when he and 12 others were arrested and charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. There were no formal plans for an attack, just tough-guy talk on blowing things up and thereby teaching the Western world that ... who the hell knows. I'd normally be extremely wary of criminal convictions (seven of the 12 were found guilty) for merely talking about committing terrorist acts or of guilt-by-association with what officials called a 'home-grown Muslim terror cell' (sounds like Cheney's been writing the prosecution's press releases). Big-mouthed jackasses are a dime-a-dozen in our angry, rich vs poor world. But I'm so fed up with religious zealots reaping the benefits of Western society while plotting its demise -- a demise that always includes the cowardly murder of innocents -- that I have little sympathy for the plights of fools caught fantasizing about blowing infidels to smithereens in the name of their Almighty God.
Of course, in prison they'll be free to preach intolerance and hate to a captive and sympathetic audience. Maybe soundproof 'Muslim terror cells' need to be included in the designs of future prison lockups.
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