STOP AUSTRALIAN INCARCERATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS - SIGN THE PETITION!

I started this petition some time ago when the federal government and its friendly opposition were vying with each other to see who could torture people who had already been traumatised by their persecution due to wars which Australia had been busy fighting in countries with which it had no right to be involved in.

People quickly lost interest in the issue because of other scandals blowing up around that time and subsequently the two concentration camps used by the Howard government were found to be useful for incarcerating those managing to get to Australia alive!

It is time to resurrect the petition and ask you to get your friends to sign it too. Thanks for your assistance in this humanitarian crisis.

care2 petitionsite

Stop Australian Incarceration of Asylum Seekers

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http://www.thepetitionsite.com/13/stop-australian-incarceration-of-asylum-seekers/

Target: Australians and International communities
Sponsored by: Mannie De Saxe, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity, Melbourne

Australia is trying to negotiate an off-shore solution to Asylum Seekers coming to Australia in boats which are not seaworthy, and which have already been responsible for many drownings offshore. The latest attempt is the so-called Malaysian solution involving Australia sending 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in exchange for 2000 refugees in Malaysia. Both the Australian Government and its parliamentary Opposition are demonising people fleeing desperate situations in their countries of origin, mainly because of Australian military intervention in those countries.

The total numbers of asylum seekers trying to enter Australia is a miniscule number in terms of refugees and asylum seekers around the world, and most of the people in Australia illegally have arrived by plane!

Australia is signatory to United Nations conventions on refugees but is ignoring these UN documents in its political attempts to stop the demonised "boat people" ever setting foot in Australia.

Help to obtain justice for Asylum Seekers in desperate situations.

The situation has worsened with the federal government reopening the concentration camps on Nauru and Manus Island.

Get the government to close these camps now.

SAVE OUR SBS FAILED TO DO JUST THAT - PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION BELOW TO HELP SAVE SBS FROM SELF-DESTRUCTING!

Some time ago I started a petition to stop SBS having advert breaks in the middle of its shows.I had been in contact with someone from Save our SBS who was not in Melbourne at the time but promised that the organisation would help with the petition.

Of course the organisation did NOT help with it and it floundered.

I am now hoping to resurrect the petition and request you to get friends to sign it and ultimately to peresnt a petition to SBS with many hundreds of signatures.

Here is the petition and the details of what it asks:

• Care2
• petitionsite

SBS Television and advertisements

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/902/258/197/sbs-television-and-advertisements/

• signatures: 48
• • signature goal: 1,000
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• Target: SBS Management in Australia
• Sponsored by: Mannie De Saxe

SBS television was started in Australia some 30 years ago to assist the multicultural aspects of modern Australia's changing demographics. SBS was funded by the federal government but successive governments reduced their budget, so SBS began putting commercial advertising at the beginning and end of their programmes in order to raise revenue.

When a new CEO was apponted some 10 years ago, he decided that if the advertisements were played in the middle of programmes, more revenue would be raised for the station. This ploy failed miserably, and as a consequence SBS lost viewers and the quality of its programmes deteriorated rapidly.

Now in 2012, SBS has a new management and this petition is to urge the new team to drop the advertisments in the middle of programmes. SBS used to have the best news bulletins of all tv stations in Australia, and, because of the advertisements, it has lost continuity and quality - and some of its best newsreaders!

We are hoping to get enough signatures on this petition to induce SBS management to reconsider, and restore the service to its former glory!

Late in 2012 SBS started a new channel specifically for Indigenous programmes. These too are interrupted in the middle of interesting programmes by commercials. These need to be stopped now in order to make SBS what it was originally - the world's first - and best - multicultural broadcaster.

GILLARD'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL 2012 RENAMED DISCRIMINATION BILL!

The Gillard Government put out a discussion paper for a proposed bill to encompass 5 anti-discrimination acts and consolidate them into one act.

The bill is called the "Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012".

Now let's get this clear - we need to understand the meaning of anti-discrimination.

Basically anti is a preposition and derives from the Greek anti - against. In the English language the meaning in general usage is opposed to.

Discrimination means unfavourable treatment based on prejudice.

The proposed bill allows religious organisations to discriminate against certain members of the population which religions deem to be against their interests in relation to such issues as employment, teaching, administration and several others.

Although these institutions are tax exempt - another anomaly when it comes to anti-discrimination, many are in fact subsidised by the government to carry out their discriminatory activities.

As I mentioned in a previous post, in South Africa as soon as the apartheid government wanted to introduce a new discriminatory piece of legislation, it was couched in terms which seemed to suggest the opposite.

This is, in fact, the intent of the current bill. It is designed to entrench discrimination and is the opposite of anti-discrimination.

It can therefore not be supported in any way as the bill now stands and Gillard has firmly stated that she has no intention of changing the direction of the bill - and as I also said before - this from an atheist unmarried prime minister living with a partner against the teachings of the religious institutions to which she is providing exemptions and for which she continues to provide funding and provide tax exemptions.

Gillard may look more personable now with her glasses than she has ever looked before, but the person behind the glasses is as steely-minded as ever and as Margaret Thatcher so infamously said, "The Lady is Not For Turning".

OBAMA TORTURES TORTURE WHISTLEBLOWER - DIDN'T HE DENOUNCE TORTURE? - HAS HE CLOSED GUANTANAMO?

This post was received by email and it is of urgency and importance to all of us who believe that our governments have gone too far and need to be constantly reminded that we are watching them! PLEASE SUPPORT THIS PETITION TO LET OBAMA KNOW THAT HIS SECOND TERM NEEDS TO FULFIL THE PROMISES HE MADE WHEN FIRST ELECTED 4 YEARS AGO!

Tell Obama: Pardon CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou

SIGN THE PETITION

Dear Everybody,

President Obama has opposed waterboarding as torture since the 2008 campaign - so why is he sending the man who helped end that practice to prison?

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who helped expose the Bush administration's torture program, recently plead guilty to sharing the name of a colleague to journalists to use as a source. He is expected to receive a sentence of 30 months in prison.(1)

It's a cruel irony that the first agent connected to the CIA torture program to go to prison is the whistleblower who spoke out against the heinous practices of our government.(2)

From Bradley Manning to Aaron Swartz to John Kiriakou, the government's pattern of overzealously prosecuting activists and whistleblowers has ruined too many lives already. If President Obama wants to show he opposes torture and supports government transparency he should pardon Kiriakou immediately.

Tell President Obama to pardon CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou.

Click here to read and sign the petition: http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/pardon-kiriakou

In fact, the Justice Department has refused to pursue any of the people who sanctioned and carried out the torture Kiriakou helped expose. Yet they have gone after whistleblowers and activists with a zeal unmatched by any administration in history. Bradley Manning faces life in prison. Aaron Swartz took his life to avoid prosecution. Thomas Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, the list goes on and on.

Kiriakou is the sixth person to be indicted under the Espionage Act by the Obama administration.(3)

It's time the president end this war on whistleblowers. He can start by pardoning John Kiriakou.

Sign our petition demanding President Obama pardon CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou.

Kiriakou served his country in the CIA for over 15 years, risking his life as an undercover agent chasing Al-Qaeda overseas — he does not deserve this treatment. Kiriakou says he engaged in rendition that resulted in the torture of detainees. He did not personally carry out torture. His leak was not even made public and presented no harm the country.

Compare this to the reckless and very public outing of Valerie Plame — a case that resulted in four felony convictions for Scooter Libby, but not a single day in jail. It is unconscionable that Libby could avoid punishment, while Kiriakou must face years in prison for exposing the illegal and inhumane actions of the government — actions the Obama administration claims to oppose.

President Obama should not punish, but pardon John Kiriakou for his exceptional patriotism in speaking out against torture.

Sign our petition demanding President Obama pardon CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou.

Thank you for standing up for transparency and fighting to protect whistleblowers.

In Solidarity,
Brian Sonenstein
Campaign Director,
Firedoglake.com
Sources:
(1.) Pardon John Kiriakou, CIA Whistleblower Convicted of Classified Leak, Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 1/15/2013.

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/01/15/pardon-john-kiriakou-cia-whistleblower-convicted-of-classified-leak/

(2.) The Only CIA Officer Scheduled to Go to Jail Over Torture Never Tortured Anybody, Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 1/6/2013.

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/01/06/the-only-cia-officer-scheduled-to-go-to-jail-over-torture-never-tortured-anybody/

(3.) Obama’s War on Whistleblowing: Ex-CIA Agent Indicted Under Espionage Act, Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 4/6/2012.

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/04/06/obamas-war-on-whistleblowing-ex-cia-agent-indicted-under-espionage-act/

Firedoglake is supported entirely by small donations from people like you.

Can you chip in to keep us strong?

Click here to contribute.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION IS DISCRIMINATORY AND ENTRENCHES APARTHEID IN AUSTRALIA EVEN FURTHER!

In their scramble to put five different pieces of anti-discrimination legislation into one basic anti-discrimination law, the Australian Federal Government is further entrenching discrimination and apartheid.

Apartheid has been one of the basic modus vivendi of Australian politics since 1788, but it gets further entrenched with every government in every state and territory since that date.

In a country as rich and prosperous as Australia there is no excuse whatever for the Indigenous population to suffer the indignities, poverty, ill-health, lack of education and all the other diseases from which the poorest people in the world suffer.

Many people and groups have made submissions to the government's proposed changes to the legislation, but one of the groups which was given assurances by the prime minister from the outset was one of the religious lobby groups who were assured that the discriminations which they have perpetrated against certain groups in the communities would be allowed to continue as before and no legislation would be introduced to change those exemptions.

Oh, the hypocrisy coming from an atheist prime minister - and an unmarried one - to organisations which discriminate in employment against atheists and unmarried people, whether male or female!

All of these discriminatory practices might have some modicum of acceptability if these religious organisations paid taxes as most other organisations and indviduals are forced to do by legislation in order for public infrastructures to be financed.

But the horror of it all is that not only are there thses tax exemptions but many of the project carried out by the religious organisations receive government support funding.

The perfidy is endless and the government should be sxposed by the main stream media for its behaviour. But the main stream media is in thrall to its ownership and "friendship" with the conservative politicians - roughly about 95% of them,and so remains silent on the apartheid "anti-discrimination" proposals.

In South Africa, during the worst years of the apartheid government, every time they introduced more and more repressive legislation it was given titles such as "The equal Education" law and one knew straight away that the government was making laws which became worse and worse as "separate development" developed the country between 1948 and 1994.

Now the same process is well under way in Australia and the gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV communities can expect the worst outcomes from legislation which further enshrines inequality.

OBAMA CONTINUES TORTURE OF BRADLEY MANNING - IMPRISONED 3 YEARS WITHOUT TRIAL!

Protest Bradley's 1,000th day in prison!

On February 23, the Bradley Manning Support Network is calling for supporters to take action internationally. Bradley has been denied his right to a speedy trial. This day will mark his 1,000th day imprisoned without trial. Enough is enough. Please register events here, and contact emma@bradleymanning.org for assistance.

Soldiers have the right to a speedy trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Constitution. Judge Lind will rule on the motion to dismiss the charges against Bradley days after he will have spent 1,000 days imprisoned without trial.

For following his conscience and standing up for Americans' right to know what our government is doing with our tax dollars, young whistle-blower Bradley Manning has spent three birthdays in prison. His excellent legal defense continues to fight hard against a government prosecution that hinders attempts to access important evidence at every turn.

In addition to aggressively persecuting Bradley with the Espionage Act and an egregious “aiding the enemy” charge, the military subjected him to unlawful pretrial punishment and have denied him his Constitutionally-mandated right to a speedy trial. Bradley's pretrial treatment has been wholly un-American. It's up to us as fellow citizens to see that our Constitutional rights are upheld and to ensure that the military isn’t given a free pass for their mistreatment of Bradley.

Join us on Saturday, February 23, in protesting Bradley's 1,000th day in prison. We welcome protests at military recruiting centers and other locations of high visibility, as well as teach-ins at community centers in preparation for larger protests during the court martial.

Find events in your area, and/or register your own!

Reach out to Campaign Organizer Emma Cape for handouts, posters, and assistance in working with the media.

Please e-mail emma@bradleymanning.org if you plan to organize an event. We will help!

Transparency isn’t treason: New York Times journalists criticize “aiding the enemy” charge

Pressure is mounting on the government to drop the unprecedenteded and dangerous charges that have been laid by overzealous prosecutors. Both the LA Times and NYT journalists argue the government is being unreasonable, and that the charges seriously threaten the freedom of the press.

Unprecedented charges that have been laid against Bradley Manning threaten the freedom of the press.

Last week in Fort Meade, MD, government prosecutors said that if PFC Bradley Manning had released documents to the New York Times instead of WikiLeaks, they would still charge him with indirectly ‘aiding the enemy,’ which carries a life sentence.

This would be unprecedented: never before has a soldier been sent to jail for ‘aiding the enemy’ as a result of giving information to a news outlet. Government prosecutors argue that Manning needn’t have intended to aid the enemy; merely that he knew Al Qaeda could use the information is enough. This would turn all government whistle-blowing into treason: a grave threat to both potential sources and American journalism.

Following this contention in court, the Los Angeles Times called on the government to drop the ‘aiding the enemy’ charge, writing in an editorial, “That charge strikes us as excessive in the absence of evidence that Manning consciously colluded with hostile nations or terrorists.”

Since then, even higher-profile media members have condemned the military’s pernicious claim and the precedent it would set. In an email in which she explained she couldn’t speak on behalf of her newspaper but could comment as a lifelong journalist and a former newspaper editor, New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan said, “The implications for press freedom in the Bradley Manning prosecution trouble me, as does the federal government’s unprecedented targeting, in recent years, of whistleblowers and those who leak to the press. The issues certainly aren’t black and white, but if the public expects the press to do its crucial job in our democracy, people ought to be more worried than they apparently are. And I agree with the Los Angeles Times editorial that the “aiding the enemy” charge, which could result in a life sentence, is excessive.”

Read more ...

Help us continue to cover 100% of Bradley's legal fees! Donate today.

International campaign against the Jewish National Fund

Support the Plant-a-Tree in Palestine Delegation Saturday, December 22, 2012

Last year we sent a delegation to Palestine to document evidence and learn about the role of the Jewish National Fund in the on-going theft of Palestinian land and property land and cover-up of the displacement of the Palestinian people.

Per the request of the Palestinian Farmers Union, Stop the Wall Anti-Apartheid Committee, the Palestinian BDS National Committee and the villages who have lost trees, agricultural plots, farms and homes to the Israeli military, this year we are sending another delegation to plant trees in villages that are welcoming the effort to replant a fraction of what they have lost.

We are writing to ask you for your support for the January 5-14, 2013 Plant-a-Tree in Palestine delegation to build support for the Campaign to stop the Jewish National Fund (JNF). We are sending two delegates from the United States who will be planting trees and documenting the trip - taking photos and capturing video footage to create media and political education materials which we will use to grow the campaign.

Plant-a-Tree

The delegation will be planting 112 trees in 3 villages, one tree for each year the JNF has been colonizing Palestine. Many Palestinians have lost fruit bearing trees to JNF bulldozers- olive trees that had been tended for up to 1,000 years and citrus trees tended for generations. Members of the Palestinian Farmers Union and other local farmers will choose which kinds of trees they want to plant. Delegation participants will be actively participating alongside Palestinian farmers in resisting the goals of the JNF.

Please consider making a contribution to the delegation and/or planting a tree in Palestine. Each tree planted will go directly to one of the three villages and will contribute toward the delegation's expenses.

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