Now this really angers me Iraq saying the shuttle was destroyed by God

Originally posted by 22point25
I read somewhere that 'The greatest single magic trick/propaganda act is how George W. Bush managed to shift US public sentiment from sorrow at the hands of Sep. 11 terrorists to anger and revenge-lust agasint Saddam Hussein'... however, he has done this legally, pursuing the issue through both American houses, where your trigger-happy oil tycoon politicians have pushed it through, albeit legally.

But this is not the case in my home town - Australia. Our Prime Minister John Howard is so keen to be a lapdog or deputy sherriff to George W. Bush that he has already sent troops to the gulf under the guise of war against terrorism. Howard fears putting the war through our House of Representatives and Senate because he knows there will be an uprising to oust him, yet he persists in the madness of sending troops to impending death at the hands of either chemical or nuclear weapons, depending on which propaganda channel you tune into.

The Australian people far from support Howard's pro-war stance, with most polls showing between 60 and 80 percent opposition to a conflict in Iraq. We have no reason to be there, and as history shows Australia have never started a conflict in it's history, being bullied into both World Wars and Vietnam as a result of our alliance to the commonwealth, but now that isn't an issue, with the power resting with the governor-general. Howard is so keen to kill our soldiers it's scary, and it is the reason that he will not be re-elected come election time later this year.

I feel ashamed to be asscoiated with you my friend. Most people I have spoken ( I am in Sydney at the moment )to understand the reasons for war, even though no one wants to see one happen. I bet you're a labor voter. I saw your leader Simon Crean - the driveling fool - trying to make his anti war pitch, I have never heard a weaker argument.
In my opinion it's about time Australia took a greater stand on issues of these importance.

I think I'd treat the (somewhat lost) origin of the thread with about as much respect as it - journalistically -deserves. Remember the "cheering Palestinians" from 9-11?
ABC managed to find a "government employee" (postman, dog-catcher, general?) and a mechanic, with names about as distinctive as John Smith.
I guess that, just as newspapers carry ready-made obituaries of the great and good (just in case) so they have the outlines for space stations, Concorde, shuttles etc. and there was a fairly obvious knee-jerk for this (Israeli, Indian, American) - and ABC made sure we got it.
A similar saga is unfolding at present in London where Abu Hamza is under threat of deportation. At least we can be reasonably sure he's (a) real (b) the source of the quotations.
We should not in any case be amazed that many, if not most or all, Muslims see "God's hand" in all events - I'm sure many millions of Christians still do (though the purpose is a mystery) - 400 or so years ago English Protestants saw God's hand in the defeat of the Armada, somewhat earlier Japanese saw a "divine wind" (kamikaze) in the wrecking of Kublai Khan's invasion fleet.
No, it's easy journalism, easy VoxPop quotations and -alas -all too easy indignation.
"Palestine, Texas"?..gosh what a coincidence.