posted
The main reason you're a nuclear threat is that you'd be the only country with no mutually assured destruction. I mean how much more barren could Australia get?
Posts: 2018 | From: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
What I want to know is how Mr Ford managed to discover our secret plans. You're not allowed to tell anyone unless you've personally witnessed them devouring two whole pieces of Vegemite on toast.
-------------------- "Do not dance on the sand" Posts: 340 | From: Redmond, WA | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Errata: The main reason you're a nuclear threat is that you'd be the only country with no mutually assured destruction. I mean how much more barren could Australia get?
True, and we (well, the British) have nuked some of the barren bits already, so what have we got to lose?
Canuckistan
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
quote:What I want to know is how Mr Ford managed to discover our secret plans. You're not allowed to tell anyone unless you've personally witnessed them devouring two whole pieces of Vegemite on toast.
It was easy. Argentina squealed.
And, as we all know, "Buenos Aires" is Spanish for "nuke-seeking hippies."
-------------------- People need to stop appropriating Jesus as their reason for behaving badly. It's so irritating. (Avril) Posts: 8429 | From: New York run by the Swiss (Toronto) | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Em: [QB] [QUOTE]But if Mr Ford, already a US congressman, wins his bid to become a more powerful senator, Australia had better watch out.
Because according to Mr Ford, Australia has an interest in nuclear weapons and is part of the broader nuclear threat to the US.
And Mr Ford's opinion of American bases here in Australia...? Surely they could keep an eye on things
-------------------- All the way with Paulie Jay Posts: 476 | From: Sydney, NSW, Australia | Registered: Jun 2006
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-------------------- High on the wind, the Highland drums begin to roll, and something from the past just comes and stares into my soul... --Mark Knopfler Posts: 3402 | From: New Bern, NC | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Don't worry, all you Aussies. Canada still loves you
Maple"But oh, is vegemite toxic stuff..."Leaf
-------------------- "For me, religion is like a rhinoceros: I don't have one, and I'd really prefer not to be trampled by yours. But it is impressive, and even beautiful, and, to be honest, the world would be slightly worse off if there weren't any." -Silas Sparkhammer Posts: 3239 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Soooo... Shawn's two visits from Brisbane weren't because he's a dear friend and he loves my family. He visited because he's a spy and he was after our secrets!
Egads! What a plan! Befriend the daughter of a retired military man and her husband, a former soldier as well. He did so well. I actually believed he liked us!
I'm sort of dumbfounded about Mr. Ford's claims. Maybe he saw this and got worried.
-------------------- "Is it ME? Am I a MAGNET for these idiots?"~Pearl Forrester MST3K Die-Hard Engineers, Big Red One my Dad's website "Must be a 'snopes' thing..." ~my entire family when I try to explain something. Posts: 4524 | From: South of Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I doubt that Ford is exactly the world's leading expert on nuclear proliferation, but there seem to be some inconsistencies in the article. Did he ever refer to Australia as "a nuclear threat" as the title quotes? I also don't get this:
quote: Yesterday he stumbled into gaffes on the North Korean nuclear tests and then mentioned Australia in the same breath as rogue nations wanting to go nuclear. [snip] "Today nine countries have it - more than ever before - and 40 are seeking it, including Argentina, Australia and South Africa," he said.
Argentina and South Africa are rogue nations?
Posts: 1699 | From: New York | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
None of you remember the first Australian-American war? The Australian-American war the was the biggest war since the big one! I tell ya, I didn't do two tours and take boomerang shrapnel in my head to come back here and have a bunch of hippies deny our history!
(10 points for reference)
-------------------- Obi Wan: "Only a Sith deals in absolutes!" Anakin: "Um, isn't your last statement an absolute?" Posts: 166 | From: San Antonio, Texas | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
I believe there are currently plans for a large fence to surround Oz for the next session of the Congress.
-------------------- Focus On The Family- An opinion group who think more about Gay Sex than gay people do- Rick Mercer Posts: 590 | From: Rawdon, Quebec | Registered: Nov 2005
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Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
quote:Originally posted by Steve: I doubt that Ford is exactly the world's leading expert on nuclear proliferation, but there seem to be some inconsistencies in the article. Did he ever refer to Australia as "a nuclear threat" as the title quotes? I also don't get this:
quote: Yesterday he stumbled into gaffes on the North Korean nuclear tests and then mentioned Australia in the same breath as rogue nations wanting to go nuclear. [snip] "Today nine countries have it - more than ever before - and 40 are seeking it, including Argentina, Australia and South Africa," he said.
Argentina and South Africa are rogue nations?
Indeed - it sounds as though he made a factually correct statement about nuclear capabilities, and somebody decided to make a story of it. It's still odd that he picked those three out of 40, if he was trying to make a point, though.
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
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Okay, I'm wondering, was he born stupid, or is it something he's been striving for?
Don't mind me as I shake my head, and roll my eyes. What an idiot.
-------------------- Beware corporate zombies! They will purchase your brain on E-Bay! Posts: 2310 | From: California | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Frog_Feathers: Soooo... Shawn's two visits from Brisbane weren't because he's a dear friend and he loves my family. He visited because he's a spy and he was after our secrets!
Egads! What a plan! Befriend the daughter of a retired military man and her husband, a former soldier as well. He did so well. I actually believed he liked us!
I'm sort of dumbfounded about Mr. Ford's claims. Maybe he saw this and got worried.
Yep, looks like you found dumb, all right.
Oy. Here's hoping the moron doesn't get elected!
-------------------- Beware corporate zombies! They will purchase your brain on E-Bay! Posts: 2310 | From: California | Registered: Jul 2003
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Okay, I'm wondering, was he born stupid, or is it something he's been striving for?
Don't mind me as I shake my head, and roll my eyes. What an idiot.
But what did he say that was so stupid? I realize he confused North Korea's nuclear test with its missile launch, and I'd rather that people running for the Senate were informed on such matters. But I'm a bit surprised at the reaction to his comments.
Posts: 1699 | From: New York | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by queen of the cara-mummies: I believe there are currently plans for a large fence to surround Oz for the next session of the Congress.
Okay, I'm wondering, was he born stupid, or is it something he's been striving for?
Don't mind me as I shake my head, and roll my eyes. What an idiot.
But what did he say that was so stupid? I realize he confused North Korea's nuclear test with its missile launch, and I'd rather that people running for the Senate were informed on such matters. But I'm a bit surprised at the reaction to his comments.
Would you also like your Senators to be sufficiently informed about Australia's nuclear capability/ ambition/ perceived threat? That is the point of the thread.
-------------------- All the way with Paulie Jay Posts: 476 | From: Sydney, NSW, Australia | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
Please point me to where Ford called Australia a nuclear threat to the United States.
Pogue
-------------------- Let's drink to the causes in your life: Your family, your friends, the union, your wife. Posts: 11325 | From: Kentucky | Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Frog_Feathers: Soooo... Shawn's two visits from Brisbane weren't because he's a dear friend and he loves my family. He visited because he's a spy and he was after our secrets!
Egads! What a plan! Befriend the daughter of a retired military man and her husband, a former soldier as well. He did so well. I actually believed he liked us!
I'm sort of dumbfounded about Mr. Ford's claims. Maybe he saw this and got worried.
Yep, looks like you found dumb, all right.
Oy. Here's hoping the moron doesn't get elected!
Actually, the idiot is whomever wrote the article. Ford said that Australia is one of many countries seeking nuclear weapons technology. He also said that rogue nations that seek nuclear technology are a threat.
He did not say that Australia was a rogue nation.
And the "Call me" ad wasn't pulled due to protests; it was pulled because it was replaced by another one, as is pretty typical.
The entire article is really, really badly written.
-------------------- "When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty."--George Bernard Shaw Posts: 19266 | From: Nashville, TN | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
I think he is factually incorrect about Australia seeking nuclear weapons technology. That would be a truly huge change in national policy. The closest we go is exporting uranium. I don't think that is the case at all. There has been some public discussion about returning to the debate about nuclear power (which we have never consdered in the past), but that is the closest we are likely to ever get. We don't have nukes and don't want them.
me
-------------------- Check out my handmade pens Check back often because the page changes often Posts: 831 | From: Brisbane, Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by me, no really: I think he is factually incorrect about Australia seeking nuclear weapons technology. That would be a truly huge change in national policy. The closest we go is exporting uranium. I don't think that is the case at all. There has been some public discussion about returning to the debate about nuclear power (which we have never consdered in the past), but that is the closest we are likely to ever get. We don't have nukes and don't want them.
-------------------- Let's drink to the causes in your life: Your family, your friends, the union, your wife. Posts: 11325 | From: Kentucky | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Sounds to me like Ford made a slip of the tongue there, but I'm trying to figure out what he did mean to say. The obvious mistake would be if he meant Austria, but I think they're even less likely to be working on nuclear weapons than Australia.
However, I admit his grasp of the issue generally seems a bit vague.
Incidentally, and largely irrelevant: I've recently finally gotten a copy of "America: The Book" by the writers of The Daily Show. In the section at the end, where they do a quick overview of the rest of the world, they point out some of the similarities between the US and Australia -- including the fact that New Zealand is "Australia's Canada." (Basically, they say, New Zealand is pretty much like Australia, except they have Maoris instead of abos and The Lord of the Rings was filmed there. They also note that New Zealand has an incredible 50 sheep for every orc!)
quote:Originally posted by Pogue Mahone: Please point me to where Ford called Australia a nuclear threat to the United States.
Pogue
Well I can only go off the info from the article, and these two lines led me to believe it:
quote:Because according to Mr Ford, Australia has an interest in nuclear weapons and is part of the broader nuclear threat to the US.
quote:Yesterday he stumbled into gaffes on the North Korean nuclear tests and then mentioned Australia in the same breath as rogue nations wanting to go nuclear.
And this section too:
quote:"Today nine countries have it - more than ever before - and 40 are seeking it, including Argentina, Australia and South Africa," he said.
Mr Ford was referring to the nine known nuclear weapon states: the US, the UK, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and now North Korea.
Australia is not seeking nuclear weapons, and has had a modest nuclear program for many years. What else could he be saying?
If the article was poorly written then so be it.
-------------------- All the way with Paulie Jay Posts: 476 | From: Sydney, NSW, Australia | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
The first statement you quoted, Paulie, is the article's writer's, and is not supported by any of the quotes from Ford.
The author seems to have made a gigantic leap in logic.
-------------------- "When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty."--George Bernard Shaw Posts: 19266 | From: Nashville, TN | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
I took the thread title from the headline of the article. I originally posted it in Weird News because I thought it fit the "important if true" tagline with an emphasis on the "if".
Since it's been moved to Rantidote, the humour I saw in the idea of Australia somehow being seen as a nuclear threat to the US, or to anyone else for that matter, obviously wasn't as clear as I thought it was.
posted
I doubt Australia would be a threat to anyone except themselves. Nuclear devices don't mix well with boomerang technology.
Just joking, I have a great respect for the Australian military. The way they handled the East Timor crisis was a school book example on how international intervention should be done (although they could have been a couple of days faster, but I understand that such things take time to arrange), and I wish other nations could learn from that. Very little "power shows", just move in on the ground with a clear message: "Stay calm. Anyone who starts a fuzz starts a fuzz with us.", and it worked like a charm. Once they moved in, the violence ceased almost immediately with hardly a shot fired. Well done, Aussies!
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Pogue Mahone: URL=http://www.nautilus.org/~rmit/forum-reports/0624a-broinowski.html]This guy[/URL] thinks differently.
Pogue
My reading of that essay, is that he is not saying that Australia has intentions to develop nuclear weapons. It reads as a speculative piece. He has noted a few (well documented) comments that have been made by the Prime Minister that suggest that we should reconsider our nuclear options. By that he seems to primarily mean nuclear power generation. The article you linked to seems to have as one message that power generation could also lead to possession of weapons grade material. He is saying that the Australian government needs to do some work to reassure our neighbours that the intention is not to develop weapons. That is a far cry from saying we intend to develop a weapons program.
me
-------------------- Check out my handmade pens Check back often because the page changes often Posts: 831 | From: Brisbane, Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Troberg: I doubt Australia would be a threat to anyone except themselves. Nuclear devices don't mix well with boomerang technology.
Just joking, I have a great respect for the Australian military. The way they handled the East Timor crisis was a school book example on how international intervention should be done (although they could have been a couple of days faster, but I understand that such things take time to arrange), and I wish other nations could learn from that. Very little "power shows", just move in on the ground with a clear message: "Stay calm. Anyone who starts a fuzz starts a fuzz with us.", and it worked like a charm. Once they moved in, the violence ceased almost immediately with hardly a shot fired. Well done, Aussies!
By "a couple of days faster", do you mean something like 23 years perhaps?
The inaction by the Australian Govt when Indonesia invaded East Timor back in the '75 was pretty shameful in my opinion. Admittedly, I can see why... the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam in '73 was still very fresh in people's minds -- I doubt the public wanted to see another war so soon.
I guess we made some sort of amends for it by assisting as the primary peacekeeping force during East Timor's independence from Indonesia. I don't think it would have been much comfort to the people that had been killed during the occupation though.
-------------------- "victory thru self-deception" Posts: 2211 | From: Western Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Well, to be honest I wouldn't have expected anyone who wasn't an Australian to be familiar with our inaction in '76.
I did realise you were referring to the actions of the Australian military from 1999 to 2002 (or thereabouts). It was good, it was well done... but just two decades too late. That isn't a military failure though but one of government.
At any rate, I certainly didn't take any offense at your comments. I just don't like that our inaction in '76 is something that I see as a black mark on our books.
-------------------- "victory thru self-deception" Posts: 2211 | From: Western Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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