Protesters in Sydney Photos - Biggest Sec.Op. in Australian Hist.

US President George W. Bush arrived in Sydney late Tuesday
for a regional summit with the city locked down in the biggest
security operation in Australian history.









Police officers stand guard by a closed road in Sydney, 02 September,
as preparations continue for the Asia-Pasific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit. Environmental activists targeting an Asia-Pacific summit meeting
broke into an Australian power station Monday and chained themselves
to a conveyor belt, a company spokesman said.



APEC protesters ready for Bush's arrival
4th September 2007, 17:42 WST

A last-minute legal bid will on Wednesday determine if an estimated 20,000 protesters can legally take to Sydney's streets amid an unprecedented APEC security lockdown.

US President George W Bush was due to touch down in Sydney on Tuesday night and as he moves through the city in his motorcade over the next few days, Sydney streets already affected by clearways and closures are expected to be gridlocked.

Mr Bush's arrival was preceded by the first official anti-APEC rally, with 200 people chanting anti-Bush slogans under the watch of a heavy police presence in central Sydney.

The demonstrations will continue on Wednesday, with a gathering outside the Sydney Court where an out-of-sessions hearing, beginning at 7am, will rule on whether protesters can march through parts of the city on Saturday. ...

http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=415588

that did the photo op wanted him there. I can't think of anywhere else he's wanted.

We sure as hell don't want him back.

protestors w/o barricades.... Obviously these policeman are not defenseless, but look at the image they project: we are here to keep order, please comply.

Contrast the barricade pictures in prep for the APEC--concentration camp? who are the actual inmates? What does it say about democracy, all that freedom to gather, to dissent stuff?

As an American witness to * "free-speech zones", the raging anarchist in me wishes to react; are the Australians in the pics in similar free speech zones? They don't appear to be. I guess I desire to believe that Australian law and order are not as tainted with reactionist authoritarian thuggery, but I could be wrong.

NoFederales

Proving once and for all that the inmates are in control of the asylum...

An Australian police officer looks on as U.S. President
George W. Bush arrives at his downtown hotel, Sydney,
Australia, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007.

them while he was asleep.

Why would Bush be any different?

Cheney wants to bomb Iran, but Rice doesn't.

To allow this guy to appear to have been re-elected.

Look at the damage Bush has done for each and every American's image in the eyes of ordinary people in our allied countries!

But we consider it worse that he had *any* chance of winning the SECOND one, after the world (but not the US, evidently) saw what he was capable of and what he had done in the first four years.

at least two people in Ohio were convicted of election fraud, stuffing the box. Investigations are ongoing in Michigan and other places, too.

But, you're right. it shouldn't have been close enough to steal. He should have been ran out on a rail in 2003. But the riech wing rounded up all the bible thumpers on the gay amendment. More people voted for Kerry in 2004 than any president has ever recieved, more than shrub got in 2000. And I beleive that Kerry actually did win the popular vote, even after the cheats.

2004 should have been a slam dunk, and I'm still scratching my head why Kerry didn't fight harder both before and after the election.

-Hoot

think of what would have happened had Kerry got in. Anything - I mean ANTHING that went wrong in Iraq, Katrina, *anywhere* at all - the right wing would have said "See! It's all Kerry's fault! If we had just left Bush in office he would have finished the job!"

And Bush would have gone out as a mediocre president. He had a 48% approval rating around the election, or 50% in some polls, and we would not have had the epic collapse of the Republican Party that we are witnessing at present (though historically these things don't last long either - maybe two cycles if we're lucky; that's why it needs to be built on *heavily* in '08 and '10).

But as things are NOW, the citizens of the US en masse finally see the lying, cronyism, corruption, and utter incompetence that the rest of the world saw at the beginning. Bush's approval rating is in the toilet and he will likely go out with the worst sustained approval ratings of any president *ever*. The Democrats have Congress and will probably even have a working majority in the Senate next year, and most likely the White House too.

Short term, it's awful he won, because Kerry might have pulled the troops out (eventually - he didn't say anything about withdrawl until way after the election) and he would have done a lot to improve the US's standing on the world stage, but from a historical point of view, wouldn't it have been more of an insult for Bush to go out as mediocre (or even great in the minds of many) rather than the abject failure and utter incompetent that everyone now knows he is?

:kick:

Glad to be #5.

Down with the ruling classes!!!!

To the barricades!!!!

The chain link fences? Sheesh them aussie cops must be tough just wearing bike helmets to deal with protestors.

-Hoot

They are cool, laid back, wonderfully warm, friendly, and cynical people who NEVER ORGANIZE, nor work together, unless beer and partying is involved.

No joke, this is the start of something new. and important. we could use some of that over here.

they can't stand Howard and are hoping to get him out next time. One lives in sydney and says the city is a mess right now. she took the week off and went snow skiing...its winter there.

the difference with them is they HAVE to vote or they get fined so 95% of the people vote. She said the conservative type party (not called that) goes around to the old peoples homes to old to know what they are voting for and gets all their votes...and just like in our country the rural people vote that way too...not for religion but for other stuff.

But iraq has stirred stuff up and now everyone is getting sick of howard...

They've been getting ready for this for many months, lots of new equipment, cops everywhere, helicopters, snipers on roofs, and a jet zoomed right past our building today. They are leaving nothing to chance.

They've warned protesters that if they get arrested, they wont be able to post bail until after APEC is over. They don't want repeat trouble makers apparently.


Regarding Aussie politics, a few comments:

The conservative party is ironically called "Liberal" and the liberal party is called "Labour". You get used to it.

John Howard (biggest Yankee Poodle ever) is trailing Kevin Rudd (Labour) by about 10%, so his 11-year reign looks like it's coming to end. Hopefully a harbinger for the US election.

In an election year, the party in power gets to go hog-wild using millions of taxpayer $$ buying "public service message" TV ads that are thinly veiled pro-government propaganda of course. For example, one from 2004 went "Haven't you heard? There's been some changes to Medicare!" and it goes on to say how much better things are now. (Would never fly in the US of course, shutter to think what Rove would've done with all that cash.)

They have socialized medicine, with some private for those with $$, and it works out pretty damn well.

Raising kids with Aussie accents is non-stop entertainment. (Daddy, I'm thirsty. Can I please have some wor-tah)

Look forward to moving back to the US someday, but not till the Dems are in the WH. Gore would speed things up even more.

:hi:

I can't stand Howard and hope you're right about his tenure coming to an end.

you teach your kids to have manners and ask politely. Just think of the Bush Twins, if you want a comparison.

And he's barely a man to begin with.

lucrative money he'll make on the speaker circuit after he's out of office....

:rofl: Is he kidding? Few except for the crazy 17% in this country that believe every word he says will ever bother to go hear him and the other 83% of the WORLD will be waiting to boo him and spit on him if they have the chance. He'll be a security risk and a wanted and hated man any where he goes. The only difference is that he won't have the ability to shut down cities anymore to keep him safe...he'll have to live on the run and in undisclosed locations....especially after he becomes an officially wanted War Crimes Criminal who is to be tried.

Cities will deny him admittance because they won't want to spend $millions for security for a washed-up ex-official.

And the Secret Service won't pay for helicopters and snipers everywhere.

How completely do we love these fine protestors? Bless them all. I hope they all went home feeling better, at least as much better as we feel, seeing what they've done.

Hope John Howard also felt the heat!