Shock-jock Limbaugh heading to slammer
Thursday June 29th 2006, 12:38 pm
Rabidly conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, famous for encouraging Wal-Mart to sell RU-486 at $1000 per tablet to “feminazis” and “lib[eral] babes,” as well as for his narrow escape last year from criminal charges arising from doctor-shopping for Oxycontin painkiller tablets, has been busted at Palm Beach (Florida) International Airport with a bottle of Viagra, which was not prescribed in his name.
Limbaugh’s sweet plea deal with the prosecutor regarding his illegal obtaining of Oxycontin tablets to feed a confessed addiction to the drug included that Limbaugh must not be arrested for any offence for a period of 18 months and must complete drug diversion counselling. In exchange, Limbaugh escaped being arrested and charged for obtaining prescription medications by fraudulent means.
Oops.
Limbaugh is also well known for his opinon that all drug addicts should be thrown in jail, despite the slim chance in reality that jail will ever cure addictions.
Clearly, Rush won’t mind spending a little time in the Big House.
-weez
Antonio Maria Costa: ‘High paid UN stooge’ of US drugs policy
Thursday June 29th 2006, 8:42 am
Remember Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)? It was almost exactly one year ago today when Costa parroted to the world the US Drug Czar‘s falsehood that ‘cannabis smokers support terrorism.’
Costa’s back again- with his apparently now annual suckup to the Bush Administration. In this year’s model of the zero-tolerance battering ram of lies, Costa said,
“Today the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin.“
So, cannabis is as harmful as cocaine and heroin- because they all come from plants? Yeah, ok. I’ll be looking at my dinner salad very differently from now on.
DrugSense FOCUS, a periodic newsletter for drug treatment health professionals, says:
Canadian Senator Larry Campbell wrote, “UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa claims that the world is experiencing a devastating “cannabis pandemic.” This gentleman is the same person who said we were putting “cannabis oil” on pasta. It was pointed out that is was hemp oil which is not a sativa product. He didn’t know the difference and appeared not to care. Simply another high paid UN stooge. Isn’t it amazing that the US only supports the UN when they toe the US “drug war” line.”
You can’t bully nor scare your way to victory in a ‘War On Drugs’- nor can you lie your way there. It’s debatable whether a ‘War On Drugs’ can be won at all. Consider that the first time you are caught out lying about the effects of recreational drugs, your audience slams the door in your face.
Given that Costa can’t be bothered with facts, he’s demonstrably not in the least interested in reducing drug use- he only wants to lick clean the path to Shrubya’s front door.
-weez
Leaker-in-chief damns finance spying leaks as ‘disgraceful’
Wednesday June 28th 2006, 8:00 pm
King George said that he’d sack any leakers in his administration.
Then His Majesty was found to have personally authorised the leak to the press of Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA analyst to punish Plame’s husband, Joe Wilson, for his anti-war op-ed piece.
Surprisingly, King George didn’t sack himself.
Now King George is all upset that CIA spying on international financial transactions has been leaked to the press.
His Highness says leaks which expose US intelligence operations are ‘disgraceful.’
The King is very well placed to know a disgrace when He sees one.
-weez
James Hardie wants tax breaks for killing workers
Saturday June 24th 2006, 10:12 am
The compensation payout deal to sufferers of asbestosis caused to James Hardie workers is in jeopardy as JH do not want to pay tax on the compo fund. JH is trying to pin the payout problems on the Australian Taxation Office– and the victims’ group spokesman is sadly going along with this notion.
Where else in industry would you get a tax break for poisoning your workers?
JH acknowledge their liability- the tax dispute is nothing but a delaying tactic. The longer they wait to pay out, the fewer claimants will be alive to bank the cheques- and Hardie know that full well.
Despite their corporate escape to the Netherlands, JH were brought to the Aussie compo bargaining table when numerous councils in Australia black-banned JH products. These boycotts have been lifted and now the financial pressure is off- and JH are right back to their old tricks.
Worse, the Labor Party’s NSW Premier Morris Iemma is supporting JH in their efforts to be rewarded for injuring their workers and delaying the payouts.
Labor Party, eh? If these are the working man’s political friends, they don’t need enemies.
-weez
Complaint against blogger dismissed
Tuesday June 20th 2006, 2:07 pm
![Medcraft with self-portrait Medcraft with self-portrait](http://web.archive.org./web/20190409144624im_/http://machinegunkeyboard.com/blogimages/jakas_horses_arse.jpg)
Former Sunbury councillor, Stephen/Jack Medcraft
Jack-also-known-as Steve (JAKAS) Medcraft (who uses either given name interchangeably depending upon the day) is identified as the president of ‘People Against Lenient Sentencing‘ (PALS). PALS lobbies government to levy harsher sentences and to compromise civil liberties in the pursuit of prosecuting more people. JAKAS frequently is sought for his hardline law ‘n’ order opinions by Murdoch journos. Up until recently, JAKAS also served on the Sunbury, Victoria council.
The Patrotik Yoof Leauge, a parody website by the illustrious Dr Cam Sexenheimer, is a spoof of the actual ‘Patriotic Youth League,’ an anti-immigration group which has white supremacist and neo-nazi connections, including to the Australia First Party.
Former Sunbury mayor, present Sunbury councillor and author of the blog ‘Guruann‘, Ann Potter, suffered a complaint by JAKAS to the Victorian Electoral Commission when she cracked wise on her blog that Medcraft’s views were ‘so right wing that he should join the Patriotic Yoof Leauge.’
JAKAS alleged in his complaint that Potter’s blog commentary could have caused voters to believe that he in fact is a neo-nazi, in the course of his pursuit of re-election to the Sunbury council.
The VEC on Monday handed down their decision in Potter’s favour, with costs of $2600 awarded against Medcraft (PDF, 15 pages, 468Kb).
The VEC decision is a major victory for bloggers who dabble in political satire, absent a Bill of Rights in Australia which might protect rights to free expression.
JAKAS is none too happy about the decision, claiming a loophole in the Victorian electoral law was exploited regarding the definition of a ‘candidate.’ Medcraft is vowing to have the law amended.
Personally, I can’t see why JAKAS isn’t happy with the letter of the law he loves so much.
-weez
Plagiarism sucks
Monday June 19th 2006, 10:24 am
I don’t care if someone shares opinions similar to those I write about on mgk. Bloggers commonly write about similar issues and link to each others’ writings.
However, it does bother me when my writings are liberally thieved and republished, without reference or credit. It’s even worse when my writing is not only ripped off but then badly rewritten.
Opinions expressed on mgk are those of the author; me.
Get your own damn opinions.
-weez
Suggestions for ABC board membership
Thursday June 15th 2006, 7:55 pm
In the wake of the elimination of the staff-elected ABC board position (which was won by Quentin Dempster, who was then unceremoniously dumped) and today’s appointment of extreme right-wing nutbag Keith Windschuttle to the ABC board, allow me to make a few more suggestions to complete the absolute destruction of the independence of a once legendary national broadcaster:
* Jamahl “Jim” Saleam, NSW secretary for the Australia First Party and well experienced neo-nazi
* Piers Akerman & Andrew Bolt, Murdochian right-wing fuckwits supreme and deluxe (respectively)
* Pauline Hanson, washed up One Nation pollie and hardcore racist
* Jack-also-known-as-Steve (JAKAS) Medcraft of People Against Lenient Sentencing (who really should join the Patriotik Yoof Leauge)
* Alan Jones, well-known race baiter and right-wing crank
* Drew Fraser, disgraced racist academic and dedicated anti-semite
* Janet Albrechtsen, hater of independent journalism (oops, she’s already on the board.)
It was your ABC. Now it’s John Howard’s mates’ ABC.
-weez
Australia’s only nuclear reactor leaked radioactive gas
Thursday June 15th 2006, 9:12 am
ANSTO reports that a burst pipe last week at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor caused a release of radioactive xenon and krypton gases into its Sutherland Shire neighbourhood, in an event reminiscent of the Three Mile Island accident in the USA in 1979.
John Howard thinks that we need nuclear power stations in Australia.
I think that if we can’t keep even one very small scale research reactor totally sealed, he’s dead wrong.
Pull the other one, Johnny.
-weez
Nannied to death
Wednesday June 14th 2006, 11:17 am
Smokers in Australia will be familiar with the newly mandated cigarette pack labelling with extra-yummy graphic gore.
If the nanny-state reckons we need truth in advertising to keep us safe from ourselves, let’s not discriminate.
-weez