God and mammon

The usual suspects have latched onto Rupert Murdoch's declaration this week that that we must be careful of 1.2 billion Muslims in every nation on earth because their faith "supercedes any sense of nationalism wherever they go."

Where to start? Let's begin by quoting that dangerous reactionary tract of the Christian religion, the Bible: "Render unto Cæsar what is Cæsar's, and render unto God what is God's." That was Jesus talking.

While some declare this a clarion call for the seperation of church and state, surely Christians would ask: if we rendered unto God all the things that belong to God, there would be nothing left for Cæsar.

Food for thought when powerful media moguls whose own influence sweeps across the continents start taking swipes at religion. And let's not get started about Matthew: "No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve God and mammon."

Coonan plugs the porn dam

John Griffiths' online news service, The Concat, has the best analysis today of the Government's plans to save us from Innernet porn.

He writes:

Commonications Minister Senator Coonan has released a package of measures intended to keep the kiddies safe on the internet. $93.3 million of that will go on the Government paying for filtering software for parents too cheap to protect their own children.

I look forward to this principle being applied to cars, with the Government paying for safety capsules and whatnot. On this principle can we expect free health care for all the children too?

On the other hand if it's enough to stop the crazies who want Australia to be disconnected from the global internet, for fear of smut addled young minds, then I suppose it's a smallish price to pay.

Check it out here.

Cash-for-pollies scandal

Check out The SMH today for my Heckler piece on the Press Gallery's innovative fundraising tactics: cash-for-pollies.

The gallery's running a charity online auction as part of its annual Midwinter Ball at Parliament's great hall tonight. The Herald didn't run the link to the auction, so check it out here and place a bid.

Fancy cocktails at the Lodge, followed by a day at the cricket with John Howard? Or a round of golf with Mark Vaile; a hearty dinner with Kim Beazley, maybe, or a walk in the forest with Bob Brown? It could be all yours, courtesy of the gallery and corporate sponsors.

I took a gentle sledge at the notion of journalists organising the social diaries of politicians in my piece, but I hope they raise a motza tonight. Jean Kittson will MC tonight's event, and we trust she'll have the skewers out for guest speakers John Howard and Kim Beazley.

The gallery's choir, the House Howlers, will tackle the politicians' group, the Parliamentary Poets, led by Peter Garrett, in a sing-off - the winner will take all the cudos.

In the lead-up to tonight's event, I'll be setting the scene with Canberra radio 2CCC's Mike Welsh just after the 5.30 news.

Laurie Schwab, soccer visionary

Sasha Uzunov writes:

In all the hoopla surrounding the rising success of Australian soccer, the media has forgotten the late but great Laurie Schwab, former soccer writer for Melbourne newspaper, The Age, whose life was cut short by cancer ten years ago.

He was a visionary and pasionate in his campaign to raise the profile of Australian soccer. I believe Laurie, the son of German immigrants, should be on par with the late Johnny Warren, former Socceroos captain and SBS TV commentator.

I began my journalism career as a soccer writer in 1985 when Laurie gave me my start on the now defunct but legendary soccer newspaper, Soccer Action (David Syme publications), a member of Fairfax stable of publications. Laurie subsequently took on senior editorial roles in Fairfax suburban newspapers while keeping a firm commitment to soccer.

Laurie would have loved the success of the A league and the performance of the Socceroos. It's through the hard work of people like him that Australian soccer is finally outgrowing its provincial roots and succeeding on the world stage.

On ya bike Osama!

Independent photojournalist Sasha Uzunov writes:

Not content with making mayhem using car and truck bombs, the Iraqi resistence movement has taken to using peddle power against Western forces. The US and Australian military in Iraq are now concerned at the use of bicycle bombs against its troops and civilians.

I was contacted this week by concerned soldiers serving in Iraq. They heard on the grapevine that I was interviewed by Derryn Hinch on radio 3AW last week about Australian soldiers in Timor being denied the use of their mobile phones. So they have tipped me off about concerns in Iraq.

The fear is that copycat terrorists in Europe, or Australia could also use the bike bomb, capitalising on its apparently innocuous nature. A bike bomb would not be regarded as suspicious if left at railway stations, shopping centres or anywhere else here in Australia, unlike a bag or package.

Soldiers have told me that the explosives are hidden inside the bike pump or water bottle and even in the front night light on the handle bars.

Hugo says: The bike bomb is not an unheard of phenomenon. The Washington Post reports today that a Greek leftist group is claiming responsibility for last month's bicyle bomb attack on Greece's Culture Minister George Voulgarakis. That attack failed. But in Iraq, it can be fairly assumed, the assailants are more determined to wreak havoc.