Across the front page of the SMH this morning “Wave of Terror sweeping across the globe”. They go on to list the bali bomber death, the blasts in Jordan, etc. etc. One small omission: the 26,000+ people that have died in Iraq as a result of miltary intervention. A war which involves our own defence forces.

“Oh but that doesn’t count as ‘terror’”. Why? “Because it’s the military, because we are ‘liberating’ Iraq”. Such a twisted view of the world that can live with 26,000 deaths abroad, but speak of “horror” and “terror” when we lose “our own”. Until we wake up and realise this, the terrorist threat in Australia, and the west, will continue unabated.

Meanwhile our Prime Minister is pushing anti-terrorist laws described by one NSW politician as being a quality to make Hitler smile. And our democratic devices (namely the Senate) have been put on a leash and, without a Liberal back-bench revolt, will be passed into law. So who are we bringing “democracy and freedom” to again?

You’re probably all aware of the suspected terrorist attacks in London overnight (our time). It’s hard to comprehend the impact of these events on the people who have been injured, or have lost loved ones. When I saw images of the bus that had been attacked you can’t help but get a horrible sinking feeling…

It’s hard to know how to feel about Blair’s “afternoon visit” to London, pulling himself away from the G8. Discussion of resolving debt in African nations, trade talks, and the need to look appropriately shaken but still resolute vs. dealing with a tragedy at home. Tough call.

During the blanket coverage on the major news networks, incessantly repeating the same unconfirmed, pointless information, I turned to the wikinews story on the attacks (via Joi Ito).

I have to admit I’ve been a sceptic about the wikinews project, but last night it became clear just how valuable it is. IMO it was the best coverage of the event around, and continues to develop and evolve (the article that’s there today is very different to the one that was there last night). All of the relevant phone numbers for hotlines established by embassies etc. are there, along with the clearest picture I’ve seen of reported events.

Both the end-result, and the near real-time developments last night were invaluable in getting some idea of what was happening. It is a different approach, but I think provides a valuable addition to the media sphere.

Doc Searls has more, and points to the wikipedia article.

It’s All Newsweek’s Fault! Pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter As an aside, it turns out that there were in fact reports on mishandling, including prisoner claims of flushing. So, in the end the Newsweek story wasn’t off base in terms of content, just the way the news was sourced.

Webdiary: Eloquent Scot reclaims English language - quiet Americans bemused

British MP George Galloway’s masterpiece in controlled anger before a US Senate committee this week should remind everyone that the most damaging censorship of all is the kind we impose only on ourselves.

Mojo Blog: Empty Promises in Afghanistan.

With $300 million in aid pledged to eradicating poppies in Afghanistan, but a mere $120 million earmarked for alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers, it’s hard to see how Afghan farmers can even afford to stop growing poppies.

SMH: Ethical tourism on an untouched island. All good and well, just don’t mention the oil, which of course would provide a significant boost to the Timor Leste economy. It is a disgrace what our government is attempting to do here.

Iraq Body Count now lists over 20,000 casualties. This report lists September 11 casualties at 2,819. That’s around 15% of the number killed in Iraq. And the Iraqi’s weren’t even implicated in the Sept 11 attacks. And that figure doesn’t include casualties in Afghanistan. It’s a mixed up world.

Scott Rosenberg: Terri Schiavo, political football. You may not have heard of the Schiavo case - but the US media (and weblogs) have been at it for the past couple of weeks. Rosenberg’s piece seems to capture the essence of the situation.

In a case like this, we’re all entitled to our opinions, of course. But only if you’re a congressman or a president do you get to ignore the courts, overrule judges and have your opinion trump the law.

… The hypocrisy would be ludicrous if the case weren’t so heart-rending. We will turn our backs on the myriad deaths in Sudan, we will pay any price in casualties to root out phantom weapons of mass destruction, we will execute the mentally retarded without lifting a pardoning executive finger — but heaven forbid the courts from concluding that one poor woman whose brain shut down many years ago would have preferred her relatives let her die in peace. No, that cannot stand; we must bend or break our system of government to stop it.

AlterNet - Peek: Halliburton steals and soldiers have to purchase their own armor.

John Faulkner, ALP, as reported on Margo Kingston’s Webdiary:

Today I wish to place on record some facts about the civilian casualties of the Iraq War. … But here is a number you won’t hear from this government: 16,389. That is the number of verifiable civilian deaths reported by at least two independent news sources and recorded in the “Iraq Body Count” project, a volunteer, not-for-profit effort to record civilian casualties. … The survey results suggest that even excluding Falluja, 98,000 more Iraqis died as a result of the invasion of Iraq than would have if the invasion had not taken place.

That this was tabled in parliament is a fairly strong move - especially given Labor’s relative lack of enthusiasm in going after the government in this regard.