E D I T O R I A L

Less Is More
Sometimes working in the union movement, weeks flow into each other and what should be a series of discreet campaigns begins to feel like one long struggle.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Still Flying
Flight Attendant�s Association international secretary Johanna Brem looks at life in the air since last September�s terrorist attacks.

International: President Gas
NSW Firefighter�s president Darryl Snow sent this missive to his members on the anniversary of a day when 343 of their colleagues died in the line of duty.

Politics: Australia: A Rogue State?
ARM director Greg Barnes argues that September 11 has summoned a new era of isolationism and international lawlessness.

Unions: Welfare Max
Maximus Inc is big, American and controversial. Right now its knocking on the door of Australian welfare delivery and there is every chance the Howard Government will usher it inside, reports Jim Marr.

Bad Boss: Welcome to Telstra!
A Telstra call centre has joined the race for Bad Boss after sacking a pregant woman who had the audacity to need to use the toilet.

Health: Fat Albert: The Grim Reaper
Workers Online's cultural dietician Mark Morey chews the fat over this week's conference on child obesity

Satire: Iraq Pre-empts Pre-emptive Strike
Saddam Hussein has launched a pre-emptive strike on the United States to prevent it from pre-emptively striking Iraq first.

Poetry: A Man From the East And A Man From The West
Resident Bard David Peetz has penned this ode to the sacked Hilton hotel workers

Review: The Sum Of All Fears
Tara de Boehmler checks in to see that America�s cultural cringe is alive, well and sponsored by Marlboro cigarettes

N E W S

Retailers Lift Veil on Outworkers

Is Cole Bad For Your Health?

Super Fund Leads Options Assault

Libs Flag Forced Job Cuts

Pressure Grows for Refugee Debate

Vale: Jack Ferguson

Cyber Campaigns Byte Bosses

Abbott�s Mates Apply the Hilton Slipper

Sydney Airport Wins On Casuals

Bushfire Recovery Rights Recognised

Millionaire Pleads Poverty

Combet Talks Up Global Ties

Premier Oil Pulls Out of Burma

Harry Bridges Comes to Town

Pub Trivia With YUM

C O L U M N S

Legends
Gough's Plaza
Labor's living legend challenged NSW Labor to lift its game as he attended a renaming of 2KY House to Gough Whitlam Plaza.

The Locker Room
Support The System That Supports You
This system is a certainty, a moral, a good thing and a knocktaker; well, at least according to Phil Doyle

Bosswatch
RIP Chainsaw Al
One of the heroes of corporate downsizing has been cut down but his memory lives on with golden handshakes for leaders of failed businesses still thick on the ground.

Awards
The Importance of Being Ernie
It was the tenth annual �Ernie� Awards for sexist behaviour and Labor Council�s Alison Peters was amongst the noisy punters

Week in review
Lest We Forget
You can�t help a sneaking suspicion, Jim Marr writes, that George Bush is conscripting the dead of September 11, 2001, to lead his push for another war in the Gulf�

Activists
Workers Out!
Gay and Lesbian trade unionists are organising an international conference to develop a global response to homophobia in the workplace, writes Ryan Heath

L E T T E R S

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Why We Are a Terrorism Target

Thank you Peter Lewis for pointing out how the response to the events of September 11, 2001, has demonstrated what a fragile and hypocritial facade had concealed the reality of Western so-called democracy.

The self-appointed leader of the Free World, the USA, has been built upon layer after layer of exploitation and deceit. Firstly the early colonists and those who followed not only stole the land from its indigenous inhabitants, by signing treaties which were never honoured, but with the use of firearms against bows and arrows succeeded in reducing a proud and environmentally aware race of people into a pathetic remnant relying on Government handouts, and living in reservations far from their original homelands.

These "lovers of freedom" then built up their new empire using slave labour transported from Africa under the most horrendous and inhmane conditions, and continued to treat their unpaid workers with contempt and sadism.

When America became involved in World War II (and this is one thing for which we are indebted to that country) they built up such a large armaments industry that, following the war, the nation's economy depended upon its continutation.

And so they sold arms to anyone who was willing to pay, regardless of what use to which they would be put. It is a popular theory, and one which I find no trouble in believing, that the USA clandestinely created wars around the world in order to profit from its arms sales.

And of course the only interest America really has in keeping the Arab nations under control is to maintain its primary source of oil.

What self-righteous Westerners, and especially Christians have overlooked is that, with the exception of a fanatical minority, Muslims take their religion very seriously. They actually practise their religion rather than just paying lip service as is the case with a large proportion of Christians.

By driving ahead with his simplistic, ill-informed hawkish lust for vengeance, Bush, followed by his lap dog Howard, is in danger of initiating the real Armageddon. The most likely result of his planned illegitimate attack on Iraq is that honest, God-fearing Muslim people throughout the world will unite to resist the neo-tyrant, George Bush.

Mark Latham euphamistically described Howard's relationship with Bush as "arse-licking." "Suppository" would have been a more accurate term.

And why does Australia have to get involved at all? We have had no terrorist attacks on our soil. But by blindly following President Bush into a battle that can never be won, our dick-head Prime Minister is making Australia a potential target for serious terrorism.

Julian Hancock

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005