Australian government’s secret study on nuclear war between USA and Societ Union
Nuclear study unveiled ( Why did The Age remove this story from the Internet?)
The Australian government finally declassifies its most secret study of the potential impact on Australia of a nuclear war between the US and the former Soviet Union.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/nuclear-study-unveiled-20120803-23l9y.html
Nuclear study unveiled http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/169021/nuclear-study-unveiled/?cs=8 By Philip Dorling Aug. 4, 2012 More than three decades after it was written, the Australian government last week finally declassified its most secret study of the potential impact on Australia of a nuclear war between the US and the former Soviet Union.
Australia’s peak intelligence agency largely dismissed any danger to Australia from global radioactive fall-out or stratospheric distribution of smoke from burning cities.
In the top secret intelligence assessment released by the National Archives of Australia, the Office of National Assessments also questioned whether Australian cities would be targets for Soviet missiles, suggesting the US’ southern hemisphere ally would be a ”low priority” in a global nuclear exchange. But it acknowledged that direct attacks were a possibility.
“Nuclear energy and humankind cannot coexist.” – mayor of Hiroshima
As the mayor of Hiroshima said last August on the anniversary of the bombings, “Nuclear energy and humankind cannot coexist.”
the nuclear age is a suicidal age. We’ve had several near misses
Fukushima highlighted the dangers of accidents, and nuclear waste can never be truly safely stored.
This Aug. 6th, let us remember the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and let us finally get out from under the nuclear shadow.
On Hiroshima-Nagasaki anniversary, let’s end the nuclear age
http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion/columns/article/772925–on-hiroshima-nagasaki-anniversary-let-s-end-the-nuclear-age Darryl Lorenzo Wellington Aug 04 2012 On the 67th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we need to call an end to the nuclear experiment.
At 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing around 140,000 people. The death toll included men, women and children who died instantaneously, and thousands who died within months from the lingering radiation sickness. The U.S. attack on Nagasaki three days later took the lives of 75,000 more.
To these numbers should be added the plight of the Hibakusha: survivors of the nuclear bombings. The Hibakusha, who suffered lifelong diseases, including cancer, have been unwavering in their demand to ban nuclear weapons.
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Memorial Day is an occasion to ponder the destructive capacity of nuclear weapons, as well as the wisdom of all uses of nuclear energy — particularly given the spectre cast by the meltdown of the reactors in Fukushima, Japan, last year. Continue reading
Australia rejects proposal to base a US nuclear aircraft carrier group near Perth , The Independent, KATHY MARKS 03 AUGUST 2012 Australia, which tries to tread a fine line between supporting its closest ally, the US, and not upsetting China, its biggest trading partner, yesterday rejected a proposal to base a US nuclear aircraft carrier group near Perth,saying it did not want American bases in the country.
The idea was raised in a Pentagon-commissioned report by the influential Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, which suggested relocating a carrier and its support fleet from the US east coast to HMAS Stirling, an Australian naval base south of Perth, as part of a new strategic focus on Asia. Continue reading
The murderous drone technology – and its Australian connection
General Atomics makes big money out of weapons and nuclear power, and especially, lately, out of drones (unmanned strike planes) . Australia’s Beverley uranium mine is owned by Heathgate Resources − a 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of General Atomics (GA) , which also partially owns the adjacent Beverley Four Mile mine. GA / Heathgate has employed at least one private investigator to infiltrate environment groups in Australia. – C.M. 
War business booming: Pentagon orders $531 million worth of drones, TECHNOLOGY, JULY 20, 2012 Business booming for Pentagon’s war on terror contractors As Americans slide further down the rough path of service cuts, unprecedented surveillance and other related human rights abuses, the Pentagon has had defense spending spree this week, $24.5 billion over five days on defense contracts including $531 million worth of drones, a situation requiring more from lawmakers, Congressman Michael McCaul toldHomeland Security.
“General Atomics, the people behind the wildly successful Predator and Reaper drones, just scored two huge contracts this week,” reportsBusiness Insider Military & Defense on Friday.
“One contract is $411 million for Gray Eagle systems, a derivative of the Predator drone. The second contract is for $120.6 million and will buy MQ-9 Reaper spares for the Air Force. They’ll also get ground support systems and spares.”
Business Insider says, “America … enjoy your latest purchases.”
This week, the 2013 Defense Appropriations bill passed in Congress with 326 “Yea” and 90 “Nay.”
DHS drones to dominate U.S. skies in two and a half years Plans exist to allow the widespread use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, in civilian airspace,violating numerous human rights that prompted experts and members of the U.S. Congress told a House committee this week that lawmakers must do more to protect privacy and reduce the likelihood of sabotage….
In May, a young Pakistani filmmaker of the award-winning movie about drones, The Other Side,was denied entry into the United States to receive his prestigious award at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle. His film follows a child whose entire family was killed by a drone. http://www.examiner.com/article/war-business-booming-pentagon-orders-531-million-worth-of-drones
Prime Minister Gillard to visit India: sale of uranium a top issue
Gillard’s three-day visit here will provide an opportunity to India to push for early supply of uranium from Australia
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to visit India in October; supply of uranium, trade on cards Economic Times, NEW DELHI, 3 AUG, 2012: After a positive reversal of the policy on supply of uranium to India, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is scheduled to undertake her first official visit here from October 15 during which New Delhi willbe seen pushing for boosting civil nuclear ties.
The issue of civil nuclear cooperation is also expected to figure very high when India will also host Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Continue reading
Fears of Assange’ s mother are justified, as USA seeks to punish those who expose government corruption
Assange’s mother stated, “The US government feels that it can seek to try my son for espionage, and possibly executing him simply for doing the job of a good investigative journalist, which is telling the truth about power.”
Assange’s mother justifiably fears U.S. would torture, maybe kill him http://www.examiner.com/article/assange-s-mother-justifiably-fears-u-s-would-torture-maybe-kill-him?CID=examiner_alerts_article, AUGUST 3, 2012 BY: DEBORAH DUPRE
The mother of WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange is seeking refuge in the small safe haven nation, Ecuador, due the Assanges’ fear of United States persecution, a justified concern, according to The Guardian on Thursday. The American government, that claims world leadership in press freedom and democracy, is using Assange as an example of what will happen to other journalists and human rights defenders who expose high-level government corruption, The Guardian reports.
Assange’s and his mother’s concerns of U.S. persecution are justified on two counts, according to The Guardian:
“A grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, empanelled to investigate violations of the Espionage Act – a statute that by its very nature targets speech – has subpoenaed Twitter feeds regarding Assange and WikiLeaks. An FBI agent, testifying at whistleblower Bradley Manning’s trial, said that “founders, owners and managers” of WikiLeaks are being investigated.
“And then there is Assange’s 42,135-page FBI file – a compilation of curious heft if the government is “not interested” in investigating its subject.”
In considering whether Assangs’s concerns about being treated inhumanely if extradited to the US,The Guardian reports, “One need only consider how the US treated Bradley Manning, the army private who allegedly leaked the cables to WikiLeaks to see why.” Manning spent nearly a year in 23 hours a day solitary confinement and then eight months “under conditions designed to pressure him into providing evidence to incriminate Assange”: stripped of clothing and made to stand nude for inspection.
Thousands of people, including legal scholars and the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, have condemned the U.S. treatment of Manning as inhumane and torturous.
“There is no reason for Assange to expect he will be treated any better.” Continue reading
BHP Billiton chief Marius Kloppers dug himself into a hole over Olympic Dam uranium mine expansion
Rather gloomy tidings, in the business pages lately, about BHP Billiton, about the huge expenses it was all set yo embark on, about the uncertainties of BHP’s share price. Very soft-pedalled – is the news about CEO Marius Kloppers pet project – to develop the world’s biggest man made hole, -also being the world’s biggest uranium mine.
Seems as though Mr Kloppers has dug himself into a bit of a hole, about this project. Even the South Australian government is now back-pedalling about its future – C.M
Write-down ‘not enough’ The Age, August 4, 2012 Paddy Manning “…. Mr Kloppers’ leadership has been questioned lately, with The Australian Financial Review reporting that a confidential, influential Corporate Confidence Index showed investors’ ratings of his performance had declined. His once sky-high rating in the category of CEO effectiveness is now down to a bit below average…..” http://www.theage.com.au/business/writedown-not-enough-20120803-23kz9.html#ixzz22cduUHyV
Japanese disaster-zone students visit WA, THE AUSTRALIAN , AAP August 03, 2012 A WEST Australian school community is offering a hand of friendship to Japanese students forced from their village by radiation from the
Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
A group of 16 students from the village of Iitate, some 40km from the crippled reactor in northeast Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, have arrived for a 10-day cultural exchange in WA. They will homestay with students of Great Southern Grammar School in Albany who have learned Japanese in the classroom…… http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/japanese-disa
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 