Eccoman comments

GJDailleult, that's not a bad summary. I'd like to add that many of these world leaders - a very loose definition of them - are damned if they do and damned if they don't. They'll need to borrow even more, hike taxes to unpalatable levels or print money to reduce these debts, none of which are economically feasible due to even deeper deficits, electoral revolt or likely inflation.

And there is now way governments are going to allow large-scale bank failures. Sure, a few here and there are acceptable, but the real power-brokers such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and the like will never be allowed to crash. They pull the strings. Not sure about most of the central banks, but if Obama tried to cut the Fed out of the picture and create interest-free debt as the national currency instead of the scam run by the Fed, this would go a long way towards reducing the crippling and ever-expanding interest bill the US govt is accruing while trying to pump-prime the economy with public funds.

But that would likely get him dumped or suicided...

Foggia, you're right, of course it's not just hooligans arrested! Journalists who ask serious questions are also targeted: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0627/police-arrest-peaceful-protesters-g20/

They mustn't have meekly trotted over to the Orwellian "free speech" areas designated for opponents of the G20 talkfest, where they can be more easily watched and identified so they can be barred from future events. Violent rabble-rousers aren't considered serious threats; it's the brave investigators who risk their careers and sometimes lives to expose the people who attend these events and make decisions and diktats that affect our lives and shield themselves from accountability.

It's increasingly clear these summits do not have our best interests in mind. If these heads of government were actually looking out for the best interests of their constituents, why the incredibly expensive and heavy-handed security operations? Why arrest these journalists and activists and stop others from entering the country (Luke Rudowski of We Are Change) when the same violent rent-a-crowds who regularly disrupt international summits are allowed through? Primarily, the answer is that the violent fools are used to discredit genuine protesters so that intelligent dissent is overshadowed.

Grafton,

Or what are the odds on Rudd trying a come back? 3 years is a long time and he does seem to have made some of the voters happy.<

Not likely, I think. Rudd is now damaged goods in the Labor party, and his autocratic style hasn't won him a lot of friends in the parliamentary party. Add to this Rudd's enormous ego that wouldn't risk another crack at the leadership lest he lose the challenge. I predict he'll slink off to a cushy job at the UN and join the rest of those corrupt and incompetent bureaucrats.

Gillard is certainly more personable than the arrogant Rudd, but whether she makes a better prime minister, only time will tell. She owes a lot to the union movement who have backed her through her political career, and carries a lot of baggage such as the Building the Education Revolution fiasco (though Rudd took much of the brunt for this colossal waste of money).

This so-called bloodless coup has been in the making for a few weeks now. We've had Gillard regularly stating that Rudd has her complete support. In Australian politics, that usually means the opposite!

Perhaps if they get on with the job of auditing, then shutting down, the Federal Reserve and putting its operators on trial for fraud and treason, some real positive change may happen. Until then it's just shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic, since so many of the politicians are beholden to Big Finance and Big Business.

Johnnyreb, I was just making fun of a typo (which has since been corrected). Do agree with your sentiment though.

"Sea Shepherd Conversation Society" What do these guys do, gather in a circle and chat about saving the whales?

I suppose one difference between Hatoyama and Brown is that Hatoyama has inherited his mess, whereas Brown has played a large part in creating the UK's one.

When the judge asked the horse if she enjoyed the experience, she uttered a vehement "Nay."

Can we really trust totally corrupt organisations like the EU and UN to distribute this money to 3rd world nations (most of which are governed by crooks anyway)? Realist and Sundoor, you're both on the money: money stolen from us through unrepresentative carbon taxes will be used to fund world government. I doubt much of this money, if any, will make it to citizens of the poorest countries. At the same time we'll get slugged with restrictions on freedom of speech and movement, high taxes, and our kids will be continued to be brainwashed with this climate change bollocks at school.

I wonder whether, if this thing gets off the ground and reaches a critical mass, the loving, caring folks at DoCoMo will start charging for each transaction?

Of course they'll be free to get people in to start with, but caveat emptor...

Aso: "I only buy it for the articles"

Agree fully with the first poster. Geithner represents the interests of one group and one group only: the bankers. As long as they get what they want, Obama will keep his job and the US public will be economically raped. If, however, Obama actually goes beyond empty rhetoric and attacks the root of the problem with some real results, he might suffer an "accident" of sorts...

The Fed, of which Geithner was (is) a member, intentionally caused this crisis to concentrate money and power even further in the hands of the elite by creating credit for people who could not afford it and trapping them in debt. Notice how none of the banking and political elite have been negatively affected by this whole ordeal and have even had the temerity the expect bonuses?

Does JT just invent these "awards" just to keep us amused?

I bent my wookie

Wow, a meaningless trophy given by a fraudster to an incompetent git about something of rather uncertain provenance.

Good on the Irish! The headline demonstrates that the EU leadership and bureaucracy have absolutely no respect for the people of the only country that was even allowed to vote on the issue in a referendum.

Parliaments in other countries are clearly afraid of what their citizens want, so have instead railroaded ratification through assemblies instead of taking it to the people.

What's the Japanese term for pointless knee-jerk reaction?

This scanner is nothing more than a measure to condition people to ever increasing surveillance. It has nothing to do with security against terrorism.

What the mainstream media have failed to mention is that Obama and Clinton most likely held their meeting at this year's Bilderberg conference in Chantilly, Virginia.

It's not likely the actual mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks will be revealed in the foreseeable future, but I'm with Sabi in that it's unlikely Khalid was the man pulling the strings.

Skipthesong, of course engine debris would be found on the ground - due to the impact at high speed - regardless of who was flying the plane and how many people were murdered in the incident.

I strongly believe that 9-11 was our equivalent of the Reichstag fire, the false flag used to justify a power grab and excuse for war. This is something I've arrived at after several years of sifting through evidence and debunkings, plus observing what has happened since that watershed day.

Flame me if you will, but that's my position. Khalid was most likely a patsy, and whatever comes out of those kangaroo courts in Guantanamo Bay are suspect to say the least. It's clear the US govt holds its own constitution in utter contempt, otherwise they'd have nothing to fear in trying these alleged terrorists in open court.

<strong>Moderator: Readers, please do not turn this thread into a discussion on conspiracy theories.</strong>

If China's such a great place as these students seem to claim, why are they studying in Australia?