Comments on: Meanwhile, at the retirement reception for Senator Larry Craig…

By: V. Henry

V. Henry — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:33:06 +0000

Ditto that!

By: Darth Vader 101

Darth Vader 101 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:55:08 +0000

no. Just no.

By: rhorho

rhorho — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:59:38 +0000

*pats top of hand rapidly*
Al! Al!! You’re having a bad dream!

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:53:34 +0000

*meaning*

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:48:11 +0000

See, see! I told you Liberal has a different meanting. But would you believe me? NOOOOOOOOOOOO! You had to get in your head that I’m like.. like.. *gasp* Al Gore!
*faints from the mere thought*

By: rhorho

rhorho — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:46:12 +0000

I might add that, in theory, our Republicans are allegedly economically conservative, but with spending gone through the roof, and more due to fly out the windows, that’s a tough case to make these days!

By: rhorho

rhorho — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:41:29 +0000

Thank you very much for putting all of the descriptions together like that! It gets confusing quickly, especially when I try to get a spin-free description from an Aussie on a LOL website. (Not you, Eds!)
)

By: zoe

zoe — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:01:56 +0000

no Australian Liberal Party are socially conservative and economically liberal (meaning privatisation, free market etc etc) ALP is not a fringe party, they are the other major party, Labor currently being in power. think Libs=Republicans, Labor=democrats

By: Sinead

Sinead — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:34:09 +0000

So true

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:48:31 +0000

Judging by the number of grammar mistakes I’m making, I think I stayed at the guitar festival too late last night.
(Xavier Rudd and Ash Grunwald were awesome, BTW)
I think I’ll just crawl under my desk for a snoozle.

By: commenting...

commenting... — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:30:55 +0000

irony.
that is all.

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:07:59 +0000

I don’t think the Taliban would qualify as a security firm. They were the controlling government in Afghanistan, hence, he was deemed a combatant. You can’t equate the Taliban with Blackwater because their function is completely different.
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You can call it semantics, but Hicks was a traitor regardless.

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:44:01 +0000

You can ployed by a private security firm that is contracted by a foreign government, as is happening in Iraq.
Seems to me to be a case of semantics taking the place of ethics – like ‘enemy combatants’ not being subject to the Geneva Convention.

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:41:19 +0000

They were the governing faction of Afghanistan, an aaly of the US, yes?

By: Charlie Foxtrot

Charlie Foxtrot — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:37:06 +0000

depends on how you look at it for one.

By: Charlie Foxtrot

Charlie Foxtrot — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:35:51 +0000

The problem with this administration is that because of their excessive disregard for the law of land warfare the resulting backlash will severely constrain future intelligence interrogations, just as the reaction to Human Intelligence abuses during the 1960’s continue to hamper Human intelligence operations today, that and Pres Bush’s and VP Cheney’s destruction of HUMINT by disclosing Valarie Plane’s cover.

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:29:56 +0000

I’m not sure what the laws are in Australia, but in America if you go fight for another country, you can be stripped of your citizenship. So had it been me, I probably never would have gone in the first place.

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:02:22 +0000

Beached as, bro!

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:00:03 +0000

These people need to make a distinction between the national debt and the account deficit, which became a surplus under Howard.
The account is the national budget funding – what the government has to spend each year. Howard made a big deal of spending less then he had – a fairly easy thing to do when you slash welfare programs and sell off major government owned assets.
The national debt is what we owe to international banks and monetary funds, etc. This sky rocketed under Howard to never before seen levels.
If this is fiscal conservatism, give me socialism any day!

By: Charlie Foxtrot

Charlie Foxtrot — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:49:29 +0000

Only one problem…The Taliban was never a US Ally. They evolved from some of the more zealous factions of the mujahadin that the US helped to fight the Soviet Union, but they quickly seized control of the country and led it down an extremist path alowing al-Queda a place to organize, plan and train after they were booted out of Sudan.

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:42:21 +0000

*dessert….*gives up and slinks back to lair*

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:40:50 +0000

*you’re…..*head desk*

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:39:46 +0000

*height*….*sigh*

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:38:28 +0000

Got ANY credible evidence of this claim? I heard he just sat at his post and surrendered as soon as the coalition forces were close enough to see a white flag.
He was initially employed by the Taliban when they were the legit Afghani government and considered a US ally. He was trained in the same training camp as all Taliban forces, not as a member of Al Quaeda, but as an Afghani government employee.
Then 911 happens and he finds himself in the employ of a government that has gone from being an ally to an enemy overnight.
Tell me, Eddie – if you were stuck in the middle of Afghanistan at the hieght of Taliban power, would you desert and trust that you could find your way out of Afghanistan with a traitor lable on your head, or would you just do as your told and hope for the best?
Actually, don’t bother telling me – just like me, you’ll never know until you find yourself in that situation, so anything either of us said would just be posturing.

By: zhuk

zhuk — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:24:16 +0000

Did a SOOO much more appropriate caption for this pic (even if i do say so myself lol)

BUT only Aussies may get it. bwahahaha

http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=2724437&vk=L2DMSXVx%2baApWeV9Qrt5yKh8SKEO8qrhYAeGCmA7qYrdfL3Z2dl2TzguizqvgM0R6TKpJvPlKHf3YGMt9iHloQ%3d%3d

By: Madz

Madz — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:20:33 +0000

I want to explain to you that going into deficit isn’t as bad as it seems for the economy but Van Helsing is distracting me :/

By: rhorho

rhorho — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:06:38 +0000

Thank you! I was thinking that the small U.S. Libertarian Party would be a closer comparison, as it promotes socially liberal and fiscally conservative policies, seemingly to go to both polar extremes, being more liberal than the Democrats and more conservative than the Republicans. If I’m thinking correctly, the Libertarians promote both legalizing marijuana and deregulating industry, for the same reasons: small, cheap government, and a return to freedom. With the Wall Street collapse just prior to the election, pushing for industry deregulation was a hard sell, so no matter. IIRC, the Green, Libertarian, other fringe parties, independents and write-ins combined to account for 1% of the popular vote.

By: rhorho

rhorho — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:52:03 +0000

Thank you! I think you’ve gotten me sorted out, or at least redirected.

By: rhorho

rhorho — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:29:55 +0000

I’m not happy. I’m still thinking about the month at the spa…

By: Red Cat

Red Cat — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:59:58 +0000

Yes, thanks.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:01:16 +0000

I’m only commenting on the names ’cause I didn’t see it up there. That is former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and the guy receiving is Peter Costello. Point of interest, Costello actually released his memoirs recently. Even if you hate him it might prove interesting. Another point of interest, John Howard is idiotic and I’m glad he’s gone.

By: AoA

AoA — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:14:39 +0000

Err yes I get that prop 8 is a crock but in Australia the federal govt is in control of “family law” including marriage. So allowing people to have defacto status is a big thing here. In australia something like prop 8 can be introduced without having to go to the polls there would be no public vote.

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:16:56 +0000

Ok, I’ll admit my comment was superficial and trollish (happy RedCat?). However, despite my personal feeling about Gillard, I still wouldn’t see her as that great at her job. If anything, she’s pretty average. But I will admit she’s better then Palin.

By: PiMan

PiMan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:08:40 +0000

Well there were people who criticised those criticising McCain based on age and appearance. Just as you can criticise her appearance, and people criticise you for doing so. However, I think McCain's age was more relevant than Julia's looks. Being really ugly won't prevent someone from being a politician, but being really old will (and when I say really ugly/old, I'm talking exaggeratedly so).

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:58:34 +0000

Thanks! I haven’t been called that in ages!!

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:53:21 +0000

Well geez, the dumbass was shooting at American/Coalition forces. I’m supposed to be forgiving?

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:50:46 +0000

Oh fine.. when the American elections were going on everyone went on and on about how ‘old’ McCain is. So now someone who doesn’t like Gillard voices their opinion, they’re a pig? Two words for ya, mate and it ain’t Fiscal Year..

By: PiMan

PiMan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:30:27 +0000

I disagree entirely. The election wasn’t sitting on that seat alone, and a win for Labor was slightly more likely than a loss for Howard.

By: PiMan

PiMan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:17:59 +0000

Last I checked, he was held without trial and eventually charged with “providing material support for terrorism”. Something which wasn’t even a crime when he was first detained.
The US constitution prohibits ex post facto laws, but of course people in Gitmo aren’t subject to any sort of human rights guarantees like that.
.
I find it astonishing that anyone would support conditions in Gitmo for
criminals, let alone people whom aren’t proven to be criminals yet.

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:12:14 +0000

Oh, Eddie, you troll!!

By: stepnerd

stepnerd — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:11:13 +0000

No, the Liberal Party could more closely be compared to the British Conservative Party. Little Johnnie was a BIG fan of former British PM, Maggie Thatcher.

By: PiMan

PiMan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:00:15 +0000

I wouldn’t know since Howard had been Prime Minister for almost as long as I can remember.
.
Perhaps Jeff Kennett (former Victorian Premier, most recent Liberal Party premier here) is what your looking for, I’m not sure. I mostly remember him as the one that cut funding so much and many hospitals and schools were closed. I was young back then, so politics weren’t that important to me (when he left, I was 10 years old).

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:58:14 +0000

Yep, a milk bar is a convenience store. They sell just about everything, just in small quantities. They also have newsagents which sell newspapers and stuff. But, a lot of them also double as a post office, so if you can’t get it at the milk bar, you can go to the newsagent.
-
As for Burger King, here it’s called Hungry Jack. Same thing, same burgers, same menu, but a different name. They did have Burger King for a bit, but I think most of them closed down. Oh, and they have Wendy’s, but it’s ice cream not burgers.
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And last but not least, the company I work for owns both Target and Kmart (as well as a few other companies) which are exactly like the stores there. Although, I think Target here is a bit nicer. They have Big W which is like walking into Wal-Mart, but it’s not the same company.
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When you go to grocery stores, things look exactly the same, but different. Things on the shelves look similar, but the names are different. It’s almost like a parallel universe.
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Corvettes you will see a few around, but not many. I’ve also seen the new Mustangs, but they sell for a premium here. One that costs $26k there will sell for over $120k here.

By: rhorho

rhorho — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:41:49 +0000

Okay, so what are milk bars? Convenience stores? Under-18 night clubs?
.
When I was a kid, an Australian couple stayed with us for a week. The husband took several pictures of the local “Burger King” restaurant. At that time, just below the big sign was a smaller sign that read, “Home of the Whopper.” He also took a lot of pictures at the Corvette dealership. To him, seeing 200 or so Corvettes parked together was a sight to behold.

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:10:57 +0000

Still the yank accent, but I’ve picked up the idiom:
When hanging up the phone, you end with either ‘cheers’ or ‘ta’.
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Everyone gets called ‘mate’ (yes, even the women, but mostly the guys.)
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You don’t go to the store, it’s always the ’shops’.
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And the best thing they have are ‘milk bars’. You’ll be driving through a residential area when you suddenly come upon a store. First few times I came across that I’m thinking, “What the..?”
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There’s lots and lots of other terms as well, but mostly it’s in the way you pronouce things. Case in point is the Nissan car. Here it’s Nis-sen, in the States it Nee-san. My wife is always correcting the way I say things.. *sigh*

By: Serpentine

Serpentine — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:37:35 +0000

Neo-Liberals, actually. Economically liberal, socially conservative. No, “liberal” doesn’t mean “conservative”. We have to distinguish between big-L Liberal and little-l liberal 9.9

By: Red Cat

Red Cat — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:22:57 +0000

I think it was a joke relating to Howard giving Costello’s nob a ‘polish’. Lighten up!

By: Red Cat

Red Cat — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:21:00 +0000

eddiepscetti, why the fuck does it matter what Julia looks like?? She is an accomplished, intelligent, successful woman – you are a pig.

By: Canberra

Canberra — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:33:05 +0000

The only people in Australia with boomerangs are the American tourists ;P

By: aussielozzy

aussielozzy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:31:21 +0000

hes signed the kyoto protocol, said sorry to aboriginal australians, introduced new work laws to get rid of John Howards work choices crap… yeah definatly better. He might be a bit of a kissarse but at least he’s done a few good things too.