lowest of the low, worst of the worse

No, I'm not referring to David Hicks with the above subject, but instead to the amoral scumbags Howard, Ruddock and (especially) Downer. These men are, without qualification, scum of the worst kind. They're completely without conscience, without ethics and without humanity.

Two articles from yesterday really demonstrate this. (here and here)

Prime Minister John Howard says David Hicks' refusal to speak to Australian consular officials makes it difficult to verify his claims of mistreatment at Guantanamo Bay.
The terrorism suspect alleges he was put in solitary confinement last time he was visited by an Australian consular official and has written a letter requesting no more visits.
"A refusal by Mr Hicks to see the consul makes it more difficult for the consul-general to ascertain the veracity of some of the claims that are being made,'' Mr Howard said.

Got that? Every time the Australian government turns up to make a token inspection of the Cuban Gulag and Hicks actually tells them about what's going on, he suffers additional punishments. Presumably if he was to actually tell Downer et. al what they wanted to hear ("no, no, it's lovely here!") he'd be left alone.

Here's the letter Hicks gave to the Australian government representative who wanted to see him:

To the Counsul:
30 Jan 07.
I  don’t want to see you.
I am afraid to speak to you.
Only last week an American impersonated an Australian embassy official by claiming he was “from the Australian embassy in Washington”.
This deteriorates my trust even further.
In the past I have been punished for speaking to you. I am not well, I am not OK and yet you have not done anything for me and the Aust govt keeps saying I’m fine and in an acceptable situation.
To speak with you and tell you the truth and reality of my situation “once again” would only risk further punishments. You are not here for me but on behalf of the Aust Govt who are leaving me here. If you want to do something for me then get me out of here.

Who knew? I mean, who could guess that letting an Australian citizen rot in a dentention camp, subject to arbitrary punishment and outside the rule of any laws, could lead to results such as this?

Oh - wait. Anyone with a brain could tell that.

But instead, we have vile scum in government and the media (Gerard Henderson, who was dumped from the Age some time ago, thank fuck) giving us, well, utter bullshit. Check out this vile Australian editorial, I'll clip just the first piece here:

IF justice delayed is justice denied, there is no arguing that David Hicks has received very rough treatment at the hands of the US. But there is also an overwhelming argument that his case is being used by opportunists intent on blaming the victims in the war on terror. Whether or not it takes another five weeks or another five years for Hicks to have his day in court will not change the uncontested facts he must face.

Later in the editorial we're informed that it's really only "Bush bashers and Howard haters" who are focussing on the Hicks case.

Burn in hell, you slimesucking fuckballs. And I sincerely hope that the day Downer, Ruddock and Howard finally die, their obituaries mention something like "Alexander Downer, one of the least effective Foreign Ministers when it came to protecting Australian citizens abroad, died today."

well, shit

Molly Ivins has died, aged 62.

Here's an interview with her from a couple of months ago.

And Alternet has the most complete archive of her columns that I can find. Here's a classic one from last year on the bill that legalised torture in the US.