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Competition To Find Aussie PM's Email Address

Internet Ninja writes "While we can all send anti-war emails to 'president' of the USA and even the Australian opposition, nobody can email the Prime Minister of Australia. So the opposition party started a competition to track it down as reported in Australias Sydney Morning Herald."

352 comments

  1. That's going to be as hard to find by t0qer · · Score: 2, Funny

    as Paul Hogan at the Oscars

    1. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least you Americans only have to deal with Hogan making a movie occasionally.

      In England, Rolf Harris is on TV.

    2. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by chamenos · · Score: 0

      chances are the spambots might have found it already.

    3. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by swordboy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not really - some groups often set up extranet's that they assume to be private when they really aren't. A while ago, FOX took over Speedvision because it was becoming very popular, yet didn't show much in the way of FOX's ASSCAR (Redneck's turning left). FOX saw this as a threat, so they conveniently bought up the station so they could cram the content down the viewers throats - the US seems to be hip to eating up *whatever* is delivered to them.

      In all, I became frustrated so I scoured the net for some information. It turned out that there was an "affiliate" site set up by FOX that was completely open and unsecured. I was able to get some stuff... Here are the regional VP's contact info:

      Northeast
      CT, DE, DC, MN, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, WV
      Bill Lyons

      (212) 822-9023

      blyons@foxcable.com
      1211 Avenue of the Americas
      31st Floor
      New York, NY 10036

      Central
      IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI
      Ken Tremback

      ktremback@foxcable.com

      (314) 206-7029
      700 St. Louis Union Station
      Suite 300
      St. Louis, MO 63103

      Southeast
      AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, Puerto Rico & Caribbean
      Chris Killebrew

      (404) 230-7317

      ckillebrew@foxcable.com
      1175 Peachtree Street N.E.
      100 Colony Square, Suite 200
      Atlanta, GA 30361

      Southwest
      AR, CO, ID (Southern), LA, MT, OK, TX, UT, WY
      Rob Evanko

      (972) 868-1801

      revanko@foxcable.com
      100 East Royal Lane
      Suite 200
      Irving, TX 75039

      West
      AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID (panhandle), NV, NM, OR, WA
      Matt Cacciato

      (310) 286-3713

      mcacciato@foxcable.com
      10000 Santa Monica Boulevard
      Los Angeles, CA 90067

      Go ahead and ping them if you aren't happy with their decisions as of late (Futurama, etc).

      --

      Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    4. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by swordboy · · Score: 1

      Here it is!

      They had taken it down for some time but it has appeared again. I bet their web guy gets canned this time...

      --

      Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    5. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by Mr_Cheeky · · Score: 0

      Sum'bitch. Looks like we got anothur one of these for'urn types. Hey Clem, hand me that lead pipe.....

    6. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Paul Hogan at the Oscars

      We'll send Nicole and Russ instead.

    7. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      How does this relate to finding the PM's email address?

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    8. Re:That's going to be as hard to find by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well,
      it doesnt,
      but hey
      This is slashdot

  2. Get rid of aussie spam. by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 3, Funny

    Once the PM's email is made public, he will get tons of spam.

    How long do you think it will take them to write laws to kill spam and execute spammers?

    1. Re:Get rid of aussie spam. by mpe · · Score: 5, Funny

      Once the PM's email is made public, he will get tons of spam.

      He's probably more concerned about getting "flamed" right now.

    2. Re:Get rid of aussie spam. by h4mmer5tein · · Score: 4, Interesting
      "Once the PM's email is made public, he will get tons of spam.

      How long do you think it will take them to write laws to kill spam and execute spammers?"

      And this is a bad thing because........?

    3. Re:Get rid of aussie spam. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "How long do you think it will take them to write laws to kill spam and execute spammers?"

      I don't know, but I hope it's soon!

    4. Re:Get rid of aussie spam. by Foddrick · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hold it. In Australia all we do is give spammers a good booting.

    5. Re: Get rid of aussie spam. by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1


      > > Once the PM's email is made public, he will get tons of spam.

      > He's probably more concerned about getting "flamed" right now.

      Grilled spam makes a great sandwich.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    6. Re:Get rid of aussie spam. by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      I think it was being implied that this was a good thing.

    7. Re:Get rid of aussie spam. by gmuslera · · Score: 1

      A better competition would be find the Chinese PM email address... and post it in all "unsubscribe" links. Spam will go down fast worldwide after that.

  3. Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    ...or does there seem to be an awful lot about Australia on /. these days? And a lot of those stories are pushing the boundaties of relevance, as far as "Nerds" and "Geeks" are concerned. Not that I'm accusing anybody of bias or anything... ;-)

    1. Re:Is It Just Me... by alister · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Mate.

      I hope you're not suggesting that:

      a) Australians can't be nerds or geeks
      b) that finding little Johnny's email address isn't a valid exercise for said nerds and geeks

      Maybe there are just a lot of us around. And, after all, where does Samba come from?

      Alister

    2. Re:Is It Just Me... by tenjah · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, well, perhaps you haven't quite yet worked out that the INTERNET is an INTERNATIONAL medium, and that what with AUSTRALIA being a COUNTRY in the WORLD then you are very likely to have stories concerning it.

      Particularly more so than the somewhat less "developed" countries such as Khazakstan, Guatemala, and Bangladesh where little tech news/discoveries/events are happening..

      I'm guessing you are an american right? Too bad, but I have no axe to grind. I aint an Aussie either, but it's people like you who make this Americans annoyed by all this international shit on the internet report all the funnier.

      Anyone noticed the amount of american stories appearing on /. recently? Give me a break son.

      Oh, and the relevancy of the story to readers is inherent to the competition to discover the PM of Australia's email addre....ahh...forget it

    3. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Australia is a country? I always thought it was some kind of British prison.

    4. Re:Is It Just Me... by mcbridematt · · Score: 1

      > a) Australians can't be nerds or geeks
      I better hope some insensitive clod doesn't say that. Anyone, one of them (I can't be sure, it could be both) got forked and was called a 'Atomitican'.
      . a) Maybe there are just a lot of us around. And, after all, where does Samba [samba.org] come from?. Uh, blame the Australian education system for that. My friend hates Linux because it has too much 'Saftey'. (Someone please tell me how to panic a kernel safely so I can prove him wrong)

    5. Re:Is It Just Me... by Charm · · Score: 1
      was called a 'Atomitican'

      And I sit at my desk reading this wearing a Atomic T-shirt from the first issue of atomic magazine. What a co-incidence.

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    6. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      As opposed to somewhere to send all the religious loonies nobody wants?

    7. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not just Australia, is all the political bs that's posted here.

      Thanks to Slashdot I now know the main reason why people hate Microsoft.

      Apparently it's not the bugs.

    8. Re:Is It Just Me... by zwoelfk · · Score: 4, Informative
      1. I agree with you, Americans have a tendency to believe that anything they read on the net should be relevent to them. However, they aren't the only ones.

      2. Slashdot isn't the internet. I'm very happy to see international stories on Slashdot, but the expectation of the original poster that Slashdot not post too many non-US-related stories is understandable given this from the FAQ:


      Slashdot seems to be very U.S.-centric. Do you have any plans to be more international in your scope?

      Slashdot is U.S.-centric. We readily admit this, and really don't see it as a problem. Slashdot is run by Americans, after all, and the vast majority of our readership is in the U.S. We're certainly not opposed to doing more international stories, but we don't have any formal plans for making that happen. All we can really tell you is that if you're outside the U.S. and you have news, submit it, and if it looks interesting, we'll post it.

      Answered by: CmdrTaco
      Last Modified: 10/28/00


      3. The original poster was trolling. Don't feed the trolls! TIA.
    9. Re:Is It Just Me... by connor_macleod · · Score: 1

      Cheers mate, you can drop round mine for a barbie and some VB's anytime ya like ;)

    10. Re:Is It Just Me... by vandy1 · · Score: 1

      Yep, quite easy to get a kernel to panic, just write a shit module, insmod as root and bingo!

      Although I struggle to see why you want to do this, I mean, it doesn't give you a blue screen, just a black one, although the keyboard lights flashing is cool :)

      Michael

    11. Re:Is It Just Me... by cheekyboy · · Score: 0

      with the demise of usa into 'argentina' with in the next 2-5 years, usa wont matter much. (read www.financialsense.com and www.depresion2.tv and gold-eagle.com, perfecteconomy.com)

      Enjoy your high dollar for the next few months then its free fall like a rubble.

      --
      Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
    12. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yes atomic sucks....lets buy an expensive water cooling system to increase our p42.3ghz to 2.5ghz, when we culd buy a 3ghz for the same price.

    13. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are so many American stories because it's Americans that do all the actual work. The rest of the world just sort of follows our lead until we try to defend ourselves, then they protest, etc. like they actually matter.

    14. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just think!
      We could then post on your web sites saying how much your country sucks and attack those who aren't layabouts by calling them "evil" money makers all while eating your government cheese once we Americans invade your borders.

    15. Re:Is It Just Me... by Neurotensor · · Score: 1

      ...or does there seem to be an awful lot about Australia on /. these days?

      It's all part of John Howard's cunning plan to make Australia the newest state of the USA. The first step is to get Americans used to the name Australia, and the very idea that it exists outside the US. Once they have gotten over that shock to reality, the next step is to send our troops to a war for American oil. They will see, in time, that we really *are* willing to be led around by Bush, just like real Americans!

      We've got 20 million people, plenty of desert and a shortage of intelligent, rational people, as evidenced by our choice in leaders. We could be the next redneck state of the US ;) (yay!)

      Disclaimer: I am Australian. Therefore I enjoy the use of sarcasm.

    16. Re:Is It Just Me... by fuzzywig · · Score: 1

      Woha wait up son, you have to line up behind Blair, he's pretty determined to make the UK the next US state.

    17. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Americans tend to believe..."

      Americans also tend to dislike being lumped into a single class where all act or think one particular way.

      There *are* a few Americans who don't fall into your generalizations. Non-native born americans might have some interest in the rest of the world, for example. Many native-born americans like myself follow the world news as well.

      If most americans didn't follow the world news, then it would seem unlikely that the daily paper would bother to have a world section. It wouldn't financially make sense for newspapers and tv news to bother reporting news that few wanted to hear.

    18. Re:Is It Just Me... by Melantha_Bacchae · · Score: 1

      Actually, I (American) think the international quality of the web is great. I love to read news sites from other countries, especially Japan (big Godzilla fan).

      Because of this, I am well aware of the Australian wild fires and things like Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad going round and round with Australia's Prime Minister John Howard over Howard wanting to play "MiniMe" to Bush. Also, while CNN portrays the two Koreas as readying for another Korean War, they have actually been holding many reunification talks, complete with plans for running roads through the demilitarized zone and reuniting families.

      The September 11th attacks got me in the habit of watching the news. Problem is, as I quickly discovered, news sources like CNN are biased, slant stories to the point of omitting parts that don't agree with their bias, and are woefully inadequate in checking their facts (they actually reported one thing about someone in show-biz based on what their home-page said). Going to other countries' web news sites helps me filter out the bias, round out the facts, and hear stories that our media would never tell.

      "The path of peace is yours to discover for eternity."
      Japanese version of "Mothra" (1961)

    19. Re:Is It Just Me... by Capsaicin · · Score: 1
      Howard wanting to play "MiniMe" to Bush.

      That is the most concise summary of the sorry state of current Australian politics, I've heard. And the reckon the seppos don't know anything about intl affairs!

      Problem is, as I quickly discovered, news sources like CNN are biased, slant stories to the point of omitting parts that don't agree with their bias, and are woefully inadequate in checking their facts (they actually reported one thing about someone in show-biz based on what their home-page said). Going to other countries' web news sites helps me filter out the bias, round out the facts, and hear stories that our media would never tell.

      Problem is when Rupert Murdoch and Conrad Black control the media in every country in the world, they will be able to control what (almost) everyone believes is self-evident truth.

      --
      Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
    20. Re:Is It Just Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not exactly safe, but

      some sed search and replace of random bytes on the file /dev/mem should do the trick.

  4. Do Not Be Alarmed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    This is just the Prime Minister's pre-emptive strike in the War on Spam.

    No email address = no spam.

    1. Re:Do Not Be Alarmed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      This is just the Prime Minister's pre-emptive strike in the War on Spam.

      Nope, the explanation is really quite simple (well at least if you know anything about John Howard.) There was no email in 1954, therefore having an email adress is obviously evil.

  5. heh... by rgoer · · Score: 2, Funny
    "While we can all send anti-war emails to 'president' of the USA..."
    I didn't know Dick Cheney's email address was made public...
    1. Re:heh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny
      It wasn't.

      It's still in an undisclosed location.

    2. Re:heh... by phrantic · · Score: 0

      many years ago while in University DCU a computer studies student found a still logged in Vax terminal session belonging to a first year business student, and decided for the hell of it to send a mail to Bill Clinton, where among other things threatened the presidential cat, it was called "socks" I believe. Computer studies student goes back to the bar and continues to drink heavily. Fast forward a couple of weeks and the father of the business student gets a knock on his door. It is the special branch (Irish version of the FBI I guess). After having the story explained to him and having his rather generous offer of tea refused he is finally getting the picture, it is "a federal offense" to threaten the life of the president and they US authorities handed this to their Irish counterparts. College sys admins lock the business student out, and word gets out that the Business student is in deep poo with the ploice, the computer applications student then owns up to it and has his time with the police. Apart from getting around his school trip to "SOVIET RUSSIA" when it still meant something and his little hammer and sickle badge the police believed that he wasn't actually in a position to follow up his threats. And they all lived happily ever after except that

      1) Nobody had told the university president and being asked to comment by the newspaper reporter was not the way to tell him
      2) The rumor was that the Computer applications student was put on a blacklist which would mean never being allowed into the US
      3) His family was put on the same list
      4) As was the business student
      5) And all her family
      6) Socks the cats is fine...

      --
      --My sig is bigger than your sig--
    3. Re:heh... by stevejsmith · · Score: 1

      president@whitehouse.gov and vice.president@whitehouse.gov??? I thought everybody knew this...

    4. Re:heh... by stevejsmith · · Score: 1

      Whoops, it looks like yet again, I only got the joke after I read the parent post...

    5. Re:heh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Consider yourself lucky if you even get an auto responce from this pair! Just for laughs check out Dubya's bio at whitehouse.gov and guess where he was born! No it was not Midland Texas as his bio so strongly suggest. In fact he was born in New Haven CT!!!!!

  6. Email him here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Providing a Feedback form rather than just an email address is a very good way of limiting the spam that the PM would receive.

    1. Re:Email him here by Currawong · · Score: 1
      ...and the feedback form is probably read by one of his zillion "private secretaries" while he sits comfortably in one of the Chesterfield's he had installed in his office, snubbing the furniture specially made for the PM's office...I can't imagine him having a computer in that lot at all.

      The only flame he's going to open his window to are those over west where there are now just the ruins of 400 homes.

      --

      What is the point of the internet?
    2. Re:Email him here by echucker · · Score: 2, Informative

      .... and by reading the article, you would have noticed that the opposition party has already acknowledged the existance of said form. They want a direct email address.

    3. Re:Email him here by DJPenguin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So if he had an email address, that would definately be read by him?

      Do you really think that when you email Mr. Bush at the white house, that little voice says "You've got mail" and he turns round in his chair to click on it?

      I'm sure whitehouse.gov email gets read and responded to by secretaries too.

    4. Re:Email him here by blibbleblobble · · Score: 1

      "Providing a Feedback form [pm.gov.au] rather than just an email address is a very good way of limiting the spam that the PM would receive."

      Howabout writing a Perl script such that when you email some other address, it loads that page, and submits it with the email attached?

      Maybe even implement it as part of an anonymous remailer chain, and you'll have the added advantage of anonymous free speech.

    5. Re:Email him here by InadequateCamel · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, Georgie used to check his messages in just that manner, but once the anthrax scares started up he had someone else handle his mail. ;-D

    6. Re:Email him here by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      Do you really think that when you email Mr. Bush at the white house, that little voice says "You've got mail" and he turns round in his chair to click on it?

      Isn't that what the VP's for?

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    7. Re:Email him here by skware · · Score: 1

      Pfft, given that he's hardly in canberra anyway, and more often in sydney where he *lives*, I think South would be the general direction that he would be looking were he to bother to make more than a token effort to visit what should be his home town. /rant :)

    8. Re:Email him here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it's safe to say that the "secretaries" that read and respond to the President's is almost certainly Secret Service. You can bank on that.

    9. Re:Email him here by v8interceptor · · Score: 1

      Trust me, John Howard would be interested in herbal viagra and lengthening his, er, John Howard :)

      --
      --- Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit? | Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?
    10. Re:Email him here by G-funk · · Score: 1

      Funniest.

      Post.

      Ever.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    11. Re:Email him here by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      And that would be fun (or even fucking interesting) how?

      And why do you care how much spam he gets? Don't you think he'd do more (ANYthing) about it if he got MORE of it?!?

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    12. Re:Email him here by InadequateCamel · · Score: 1

      Thank you. Most of my posts get responses like

      Please.

      Stop.

      Talking.

      I should let the little voices in my head take over more often...

    13. Re:Email him here by br0ck · · Score: 1

      It looks like the form post page is configured to display code CF for errors. Maybe the email address is somewhere in the code on that page and would be available to someone that passed in the correct parameters?

  7. publicity stunt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    this is a pretty funny publicity stunt.

    as the labor party is well aware, federal politician's email addresses are pseudonyms and changed quickly if they fall into the 'wrong hands'.

    furthermore all senior federal politicians have access to the other email addresses, so the labor party already has johnny's email address.

    1. Re:publicity stunt by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      what if he just doesnt care to even HAVE an email address.. maybe his secretary takes care of hard things like that..

      it's not like bush would read all the mail sent to him..

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:publicity stunt by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 1
      it's not like bush would read all the mail sent to him

      WHAT? Bush knows how to *read*?

  8. Re:NO SUBJECT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ya, email will stop America from doing what needs to be done.

    Considering America has shown no intention of doing what actually needs to be done (renouncing terrorism and stopping the arming and funding of terrorism would be a good start) how can anything, including email, stop them?
    Instead the US prefers to send another few billion in the direction of the biggest terrorist mob in the Middle East.

  9. e-mail him from here by patch-rustem · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can e-mail the Prime Minister by following the steps set out if you folloe this link . .

    http://www.pm.gov.au/your_feedback/feedback.h tm

    --
    Karma: Bad due to google bombing - Robert Watkins woz 'ere.
    1. Re:e-mail him from here by psychofox · · Score: 1

      Like it says in the article - this is not an email address it's a web feedback form.

  10. Anti-war petitions by Kingpin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've recently received chain-letter-like anti-war petitions, stating that they origin from the UN that are in the process of gathering signatures.. (Why they would want to do that is beyond me). These are hoaxes, but how do I convince the people that send me these, that this is the case? I have tried pointing them to the page at the UN that explains that they don't do petitions, that didn't work.

    Could it be, that these mails have some effect, despite they are not from the UN, I mean, do they end up on someones desk, or in a killfile?

    --
    Unable to read configuration file '/bigassraid/htdig//conf/14229.conf'
    Geocrawler error message.
    1. Re:Anti-war petitions by JW+Troll · · Score: 1, Funny

      all I know is, any dimwit who sends me that crap ends up on my own personal killfile. Start educating those retards, man.
      While yer at it, enlighten 'em as to the manifold benefits of the BCC field. I'm sure they'll get the hint.

      --
      just like the humble blood clot... turboporsche@telus.net
    2. Re:Anti-war petitions by dago · · Score: 1
      For education about hoaxes (and a wonderful list of hoaxes), there's one big reference site : hoaxbuster, lots of really easy to understand explanations of what is a hoax, why not forward it, ...

      Maybe it has a little drawback for you -> french-speaking oriented (mainly with hoaxes from FR,BE,CH,QC.CA).

      .

      --
      #include "coucou.h"
    3. Re:Anti-war petitions by Charm · · Score: 3, Informative
      These are hoaxes, but how do I convince the people that send me these, that this is the case?

      I used to get a lot of these. First find a case of that letter on a anti hoax site saying that it is a hoax. Reply and tell them they have been hoaxed. If they are forwarding it to a lot of people then forward the anti-hoax information as well. Having backup from a anti-hoax site reinforces your statement and they will look like an ass and think twice before sending such letters again.

      Some Anti-hoax sites
      Hoax Busters
      Virus Myths
      Just search on google for urban legends and you will get more sites.

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    4. Re:Anti-war petitions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and they'll consider you an ass and not want to have anything to do with you anymore. It seems you need all the friends you can get, so it's not advisable for you to do this.

    5. Re:Anti-war petitions by GregWebb · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Why doesn't Outlook Express show the BCC field, though? Have to turn on 'Rich headers' to get it...

      Anyway... I tend to regard this ignorance of BCC as very useful. Means whenever I receive such mail I can explain this to all their friends as well as just them. Not only do I get many times the opportunities for cluestick practice but all now understand that such a mail can lead to public shame. Very useful :-)

      --

      Greg

      (Inside a nuclear plant)
      Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!

    6. Re:Anti-war petitions by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      Also, if you're a spammer, you get some more free certified addresses!! You'd be positively encouraging them!!

      No, really, I don't spam...

    7. Re:Anti-war petitions by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Means whenever I receive such mail I can explain this to all their friends as well as just them.

      Yes, I have done this many times. Virus warnings, chain letters, urban legends, Viruses itself. However, people absolutely hate it when you do that: You get flames back stating "don't spam me", or "who the fuck are you?". Normal people don't understand email. Of course, it also might have to do with the fact that I often have a sarcastic undertone in my emails.

    8. Re:Anti-war petitions by GregWebb · · Score: 1

      I suspect this mostly depends on the character of the people who receive the mails :-)

      In all the years I've been doing this (5+) I've had _one_ flame back. I've had more appreciative comments and a distinct downturn in these things, so maybe it's actually working!

      --

      Greg

      (Inside a nuclear plant)
      Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!

    9. Re:Anti-war petitions by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 1
      Oh, I had many... Ranging form "This is not my problem", or "Forwarding such a tiny mail doesn't harm anyone". I always try to explain that sending email harms network performance and server load. Nobody wants to listen. It could of course be my writing style that incites such reactions. Or that some friends of my friends are just morons. My direct friends usually don't complain.

      What I need is a link to a website which explains comprehensively what impact these small chainletter like emails have on networks.

    10. Re:Anti-war petitions by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "These are hoaxes, but how do I convince the people that send me these, that this is the case?"

      Remind them that the real UN only gets in touch with the general populace when they're looking for money (like UNICEF).

    11. Re:Anti-war petitions by suwain_2 · · Score: 1

      Just this morning, I got another idiotic chain letter (informing me that on January 14th [a week ago] AOL would start charging people for AIM.) It was obviously a hoax, but, like you said, it's hard to convince people of this.

      So I started thinking... I want to start a site that will collect e-mail hoaxes (allowing people to submit hoaxes), and investigate / explain why they're hoaxes. (For example, in this case, they could call up AOL and have the AOL people confirm it's a hoax.) Then I could elaborate on the parts of the e-mail that should have clued people in that it was a scam, such as that AOL can't track my e-mail, especially if neither I nor those who I send it to use AOL. (Or that it was sent almost a week after they were supposed to have made it non-free... that was a good indicator.)

      I'm tempted to to register a domain, such as hoaxlist.com, and start this, although it'd need to become somewhat popular before I could actually have a fairly inclusive list of hoaxes.

      Does anyone else think this is a good idea? (BTW, anyone should feel free to steal my idea... I don't really have the time to implement anything like this anytime soon.)

      --
      ________________________________________________
      suwain_2 :: quality slashdot p
    12. Re:Anti-war petitions by bareminimum · · Score: 1

      The best way to start a good anti-hoax site would be to provide an email interface.

      i.e. I get a mail that looks like a hoax, I forward it to submit@hoaxlist.com, and if the site determines it is in fact a hoax it automatically emails all TO: and CC: fields in the forwarded email informing people of the fact. Also, it could mention fair and square the person who was at the origin of the propagation in said group of people. That would definitely make them think twice before they forward that junk again.

      This could also be useful in tracking the spread of hoaxes.

      For added efficiency, put all the email addresses that you collect that way on a spam list and that will certainly make people hate chain-letter forwarders. :)

    13. Re:Anti-war petitions by SectoidRandom · · Score: 1

      Why doesn't Outlook Express show the BCC field, though? Have to turn on 'Rich headers' to get it...

      Doesn't the meaning of BCC being Blind Carbon Copy explain why Outlook doesnt display the field? Odd that you can see it at all, I thought it was hidden automatically by the server?

    14. Re:Anti-war petitions by norton_I · · Score: 1

      I think the poster meant that outlook doesn't show the BCC field when composing mail unless you enable rich headers.

      FWIW, at least Pine has this characteristic, too.

  11. Re:i think.. by aagha · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Or is it:

    keep_out_minorities_and_preserve_the_white_austr al ian@aph.gov.au

    or maybe:

    keep_immigrants_and_refugees_in_internment_camps @a ph.gov.au

    (spaces not made by author)

    Fight the hate.

  12. Email Address by ZenJabba1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    J.Howard.MP@aph.gov.au

    Taken from an old usenet posting when he was still a MP, and it doesn't bounce, so I'm assuming its good

    --
    `find / -name "*your_base*" -exec chown us:us {} \;`
    1. Re:Email Address by Tyreth · · Score: 2, Informative
      Seems to bounce now. I think they may have changed it?

      This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. Delivery to the following recipients failed. J.Howard.MP@aph.gov.au

    2. Re:Email Address by toastedDonkey · · Score: 1

      Got webmaster@pm.gov.au from the feedback form source. Who knows, it could be him!

    3. Re:Email Address by BlacKat · · Score: 1

      Actually, you got that email from the source for the page, the actual form itself has no email address information in it...

      I couldn't get any relevant information, other then errors, trying to pass, uh... "interesting" data to the form. ;)

    4. Re:Email Address by Surak · · Score: 1

      No, I think it's billg@microsoft.com :-P

  13. Re:Since it's bound to get /.'ed some time soon... by elnerdoricardo · · Score: 1, Funny
    Not really, though...

    From what I've heard and seen (there is a nude beach here in Toronto) the ones that you want to see naked never get naked... and the ones that you would never want to see naked are always first to shed their clothes. ick.

    And another thing: I hope that all those seats are getting a good steam cleaning after the flight. Nasty.

    Now, *if* the stewardesses... er I mean flight attendants were to go sans clothing; well... sign me up!

    --
    IN SOVIET RUSSIA, sig changes you!
  14. Care to provide a link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your search- J.Howard.MP@aph.gov.au - did not match any documents.

    1. Re:Care to provide a link? by ZenJabba1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie =UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=J%2EHoward%2EMP%40aph%2Egov%2Eau

      Seems to work fine for me without a problem

      --
      `find / -name "*your_base*" -exec chown us:us {} \;`
    2. Re:Care to provide a link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ahhh. when you said usenet I did a group search not a web search.

      Interestingly enough a group search for pm@aph.gov.au turns up one result as well.

    3. Re:Care to provide a link? by losttoy · · Score: 1

      http://www.vthc.org.au/campaigns/20011017_peace.ht ml From google. Also, http://www.myworldvision.com.au/getinvolved/advoca cy/child_soldiers.asp http://www.geocities.com/ansettcentral/polliesem.h tml

  15. Re:Hmm? by Tyreth · · Score: 1, Funny
    We are slowly taking over, while distracting you with "too US-centric" comments!

    But now that you have discovered our secret plan, we must remove all references to your e-mail address on the web so that you cannot communicate to any other geeks! Muahahaha!

  16. Has it come to this now?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now slashbots aren't even reading the title of a story anymore. gee this site really needs idiots like you.

    1. Re:Has it come to this now?? by October_30th · · Score: 1
      No. The real question is: Has it come to this now that posters don't anymore read the article or posts they are replying to?

      Did you see that first line of text in my post? The one in bold? Obviously not. Well, it is a quote from the article. See? The president of the USA was actually mentioned in the article. And why the word "president" was in apostrophes? Well, that's left as an exercise for you. Think of it as a chance to give the family braincell a workout.

      --
      The owls are not what they seem
    2. Re:Has it come to this now?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Has it come to such a point where posters don't read the article?

      I think a better question would be:
      Has it ever left?

  17. so many to choose from! by ardiri · · Score: 5, Funny

    doing a search on yahoo.com (people search) is normally a pretty good start, and, a few interesting ones i found in the list of 200 or so are:

    gstjohnny yahoo.com.au
    john_howard_pm_2000 yahoo.com.au
    pm_john_howard hotmail.com
    johnhowardmp yahoo.com
    nakedhornyguy yahoo.com (hahaha)

    now, first - i have to apologize to all those other John Howards out there (yes, even the multiple in australia) for having to share this name - i really cannot believe the guy is still in power.

    oh.. and, how many guys will respond for a measy crate of coke and $100 or linux software? (isn't most linux software = free?). maybe someone at SMH just wants john to be spammed.

    1. Re:so many to choose from! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      how many guys will respond for a measy (sic) crate of coke...

      Well, if geeks were a bit more street savvy, they would know they could just cut the coke with laxative, offer the first line free and make a killing. Seems like a fair amount of cash to me :)

    2. Re:so many to choose from! by E-prospero · · Score: 1

      now, first - i have to apologize to all those other John Howards out there (yes, even the multiple in australia) for having to share this name

      It's not just the commoners who have to deal with the shame - there's a reasonably prominent TV actor in Australia by the name of John Howard. He's in a few TV shows at the moment (He was in SeaChange, now in Always Greener).

      This was played to great effect in a satire show called "The Games"; in the show, John Howard (the actor) went on TV to apologise for the governments historical treatment of the indigenous population - something that John Howard (the PM) refuses to do.

      Russ %-)

      --
      ... and never, ever play leapfrog with a unicorn.
    3. Re:so many to choose from! by G-funk · · Score: 1

      ...went on TV to apologise for the governments historical treatment of the indigenous population - something that John Howard (the PM) refuses to do.

      God damn I'm sick of people whinging about this. John Howard has publicly stated that he regrets it, offers his condolences, yada yada yada. That's the best ANY prime minister can do. It's simple really - the prime minister is the face of the government. If he apologizes, that act constitutes the government taking responsibility for the child-nappings. Then it's open floodgates for the aborigines to sue. They'll get a little, but mainly the lawyers will profit, as the case goes back and forth all the way to the supreme court - all at taxpayers' expense.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    4. Re:so many to choose from! by E-prospero · · Score: 1

      God damn I'm sick of people whinging about this. John Howard has publicly stated that he regrets it, offers his condolences, yada yada yada.

      Settle, Gretel. Read my comment again. I did nothing but state the facts - John Howard has refused to apologise. And he has (using pretty much those words, IIRC). I made no suggestion or demand that he _should_ apologise, or _must_ apologise. I very deliberately avoided doing so.

      That's the best ANY prime minister can do

      On this point, you are wrong. There is precedent.

      The PM of Canada apologised for the treatment of the Innuit. In a public reconciliation ceremony just a few years back, he used the exact words "We Are Sorry". You will note that the Canada has not imploded as a result.

      A "should he apologise" discussion is badly off topic here, but I had to correct you on this point.

      Russ %-)

      --
      ... and never, ever play leapfrog with a unicorn.
    5. Re:so many to choose from! by G-funk · · Score: 1

      /me ticks the "no karma bonus" button....

      "We Are Sorry" is not an apology. It's an expression of sympathy, not an admission of being at fault. I don't know if said PM of canada also apologised, so I can't speak for the rest of the ceremony.

      And I didn't mean to annoy before, I just deal with a lot of un-though-out bullshit from sympathisers here in meat-space.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
  18. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    My neighours lost their houses today. There is total devastition everywhere, and I'd still rather be here covered in ash than sharing a cave with you and your petty, immature, vengeful ideology. If you saw the scene here and the efforts of people to deal with it, you wouldn't make those comments, or you wouldn't be human. Suffering and tragedy don't know race or politics or ideology. Just be thankful you're not a part of this.

  19. easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Respond to them with photos and video footage of the infants and babies and toddlers and women laying sprawled out on the street as a result of Saddam Hussein's gassing of his own people a few years back.

  20. At the end of the competition, PM will send you by jsse · · Score: 0, Funny

    Dears Champion,

    With gratitude we must thank you for finding my email, which was created and forgotten years ago.

    I'd be much grateful if you'd also join the next competition - To Find Aussie PM's password to his own Email Address. The first price would be another thank you letter and three years waive of mandatory anal inspection for people who don't vote dearest Howard(laws will be passed along with other Internet laws later this year), second price is two year...and so on.

    This is a life-time offer you wouldn't want to miss.

    John Howard,

    Prime Minister of Australia

  21. Re:Anti-American sentiment by dracocat · · Score: 0

    I agree. Something like that is so childish.

  22. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most of us are descendants of immigrants, not coinvicts. Your ignorance is only exceeded by your malice and insensitivity. Taking joy in others suffering is evil. Ther's no excuse for it, regardless of ideology or culture. It must be a very sad person who is so filled with hate for a people they've never met.

  23. Re:Hmm? by CableModemSniper · · Score: 1

    we must remove all references to your e-mail address on the web

    How kind of you! Maybe I'll stop getting all this spam...

    --
    Why not fork?
  24. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Tyreth · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The difference is Australians don't pretend that they are some Righteous God-Fearing nation that is the Light of the World, and represents the Forces of Good against the hordes of evil.

    Australians have no problem (well, I don't) in admitting their faults, and have no motivation to pretend that they are holy or righteous when in fact they aren't.

  25. Save your votes people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    The source is not going to be slashdotted. It's the Sydney Morning Herald, basically one of the largest and most respected newspapers in Australia, and its server has held out many times before.


    Yes, I know I sound harsh, but I just had to point this out before everyone with moderator points goes overboard in rewarding this karma whoring.

  26. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, right, I moved here in 1873. Turn off caps lock and take your medication.

  27. Re:Anti-American sentiment by cranos · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How is this anti-american? Its a publicity stunt from the opposition party playing on our PM's well known techno-phobia.

    I for one am glad the Labor party has finally settled on a platform re Iraq. To me it seems quite hipocritical to pound one dictatorship into the ground for suspision of having Weapons of Mass Destruction and yet play the softly softly game with another that we KNOW has Nukes.

    Check your facts before you spout off.

  28. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    both of you are idiots for taking that thread so far

  29. email -> cgi gateway? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Since we know that email to Johnny is to be sent via this page, if people are determined to send him email via an email address, why doesn't somebody set up an email->cgi gateway? It would be pretty simple to set up an email address that posts the content to http://www.pm.gov.au/admin/pm2/feedback.cfm, or replies with instructions if the required fields aren't supplied in the original email.

  30. DUH! by indiigo · · Score: 3, Funny
    It says it right there!


    Send comments about this site to the WEBMASTER


    He's obviously running the site himself to throw everyone off!
    --
    fslg503-985-8686503-985-8686503-985-8686503-985-86 8650 3-985-fdsg8686503-985-8686503-985-8686503-9
  31. Re:Anti-American sentiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    How is this anti-american?

    'president' of the USA

  32. This is pointless by bobthevirus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Seems to me as though this isn't going anywhere anyway, i mean, how will we know that its the right address??

    --
    Who me? Crazy? Never.
  33. Quit wasting your time here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    1. Re:Quit wasting your time here by Mupp252 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      The above post is the exact reason why I submitted this photoshop idea to Fark.

      Sorry guys, there's more to life than Knights who say "Nee" ... farking dorks.

    2. Re:Quit wasting your time here by dracocat · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Thanks for the link. Great humor, and I love the moderator war. Fun Read.

    3. Re:Quit wasting your time here by Telemakhos · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      My only regret, despite winning only 11 votes, is that I used a screencap from MSIE in Adobe Photoshop. Only now, in this late hour, do I realize my folly -- I should have used Konqueror and the GIMP. Perhaps three people reading the photoshop thread would have understood -- I could've been up to a whole 14 votes.

  34. Re:i think.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    keep_out_islamic_terrorists_who_want_to_kill_us_al l@aph.gov.au

    People like you just have a death wish! Did you not hear the announcement by Osama to Muslims yesterday to put away their differences and fight non-Muslims? You may tolerate them, but they will not tolerate you.

    If good doesn't fight, evil will win.

  35. Re:Anti-American sentiment by cranos · · Score: 1

    Thats not anti-american thats anti-bush. You can be for america but against bush you know, or are you calling the Democrats traitors now?

  36. Re:NO SUBJECT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    renouncing terrorism and stopping the arming and funding of terrorism would be a good start

    The three biggest funders of terrorism are North Korea, Iran and Iraq. China is fourth.
    If you're insuating aid to Israel is funding terrorism, Israel is a sovereign state with the right to defend itself.
    The fact that the Palestinians either sold their land or moved to other Arab lands with the promise that they could move back after the Arabs defeated Israel (they didn't) doesn't make them refugees.
    It makes them stupid. Get a clue, loser.

  37. Re:The winner gets a case of Coke?! by Wizord · · Score: 1

    Well, it IS actually legal on many countries.

    In Peru and some other countries, you can purchase coca leafs on the same places you obtain your tea bags. You can do a slightly exciting infussion with those coca leaf bags; it doesn't generate addiction. It's even legal to take them across the borderline.

    --
    Regards, Wizord.
  38. Heh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bet you can't find my email in this post.

    1. Re:Heh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it... heythatsmyass@goatse.cx ?

  39. Someone who can help us by MoceanWorker · · Score: 1

    Maybe the "Spam Queen" can help us find his e-mail address ;-)

    --


    "The ones who dont do anything are always the ones who try to pull you down" -- Henry Rollins
  40. Re:Anti-American sentiment by A+Gremlin+In+Kremlin · · Score: 1

    It's not anti-america, it's anti-Bush, which is fine by me. It's also pro-democracy, which is kinda ok too, as long as it's anti-Bush.

    --
    bius sig file. This is a moebius sig file. This is a moe
  41. Barking up the wrong tree by superyooser · · Score: 1, Insightful
    If they want to effectively protest the war, they should be sending e-mail to shussein@presidentialpalace.gov.iq (would be a logical guess)

    To war or not to war, that is the question... for Saddam Hussein.

    And the Australian PM has what say in this conflict??? The peaceniks might as well be bugging CowboyNeal. Here ya go: cowboyneal@slashdot.org. That will have just as much effect on the war. Seriously.

    1. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Get a clue about US and Western foreign politics in the Near and Middle East since the 1920's first, and then come back. Duh.

      Anyone else think that the USA are seriously threatened by Iraq?

    2. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by Malcontent · · Score: 1

      There is nothing Saddam or anybody else on this planet can do to stop GW from invading Iraq.

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    3. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by garyevesson · · Score: 1

      The Australian PM wants to send troops to "help". Most Australians seem to object to this rather strongly. Nothing to do with what Americans will or will not do.

    4. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he could leave the country....
      Since the stated goal was regime change....

    5. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The stated goal is regime change, the actual goal is control of oil, vengence for his father, making him feel like a man, getting a hard on because he killed muslims, proving to the world that we are a bunch of bad ass mutherfuckers.

    6. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by TekPolitik · · Score: 1

      And the Australian PM has what say in this conflict???

      I'm glad you asked.

      Once day, in the body, there was a fight between the organs of the body over who was the leader. The brain said "I'm the leader because without me we couldn't think". The heart said "I'm the leader because without me your blood wouldn't circulate and we'd all die". The lungs said "I'm the leader because without me we couldn't get air and we'd all die". The asshole said "I'm the leader", and the others laughed. So the asshole clammed shut. Nothing got past for days. Then weeks. The passages started filling up, poisons started leaking into the blood stream, and eventually the other organs conceded and gave power to the asshole. Which just goes to show that you don't have to be a brain to be leader, you just have to be a retentive asshole.

      Now, what does this have to do with Little Johnny? Well, aside from the obvious retort, Johnny is lodged so far up Bush's posterior that he could choke off that exit route, thus leaving Bush incapable of doing squat about the "war". What's Johnny doing there, I hear you ask? As near as I can tell, he's shining a flashlight so Bush thinks the sun shines out of his ass.

    7. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by Error27 · · Score: 1

      >>And the Australian PM has what say in this conflict???

      It's as much Australia's business to attack Iraq as it is for the US to attack Iraq. I heard that Australia is considerring a preemptive attack on North Korea, Zimbabwe and France.

      It's only logical after all.

    8. Re:Barking up the wrong tree by superyooser · · Score: 1

      I agree, Australia definitely should be concerned about what goes on with Iraq. However, nothing the PM says or does would change whether the U.S. attacks Iraq or not. Sending e-mail to the Aus. PM protesting the war will not change U.S. policy. Like I said, they might as well be complaining to CowboyNeal.

  42. Does he have one?? by losttoy · · Score: 1

    This brings us to the question, does he have an email id?? Maybe everyone just writes to the PM's office (maybe his personal assisstant's or some other bureaucrat's address or something) which in is turn screened and the important mails are given to the PM in hardcopy. The PM then dictates the replies to the secretary who then replies to people.

    Not very efficient, I know, but then he is a politician!!!

    1. Re:Does he have one?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Close.

      I have certain links to politics in Australia.
      The MP's staff take care of the correspondence for them. They will write the replies and send them. There isn't much in the way of dictation these days.

      And of course e-mail is screened before handed to the MP.

      People always go on about electronic petitions. Why bother with them, the politicians don't.

      For a petition to be of any use to the politicians office, they have to have a full name and ADDRESS for the person. It's no good having a petition signed by "1337 #a*0r d00d" and "Zero Cool", and in some cases an e-mail address. How many electronic petitions do you see that have peoples full name and address? probably none. This information is needed to verify that a person actualy exists. These details are checked for every person that signs petitions and send them to their MP. If the person can not be verified, their name on the list is useless. Even though there can be thousands of names on a list, they are still checked.

  43. The British Way by Tomun · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perhaps they should try this tactic ?

  44. Ok, what ithe heck by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 3, Insightful

    is with the quotes around president? Yes people, George Bush is the president of the United States. You may not like him or agree with his politics, you may even think he's a moron, that's fine you aren't alone. He is, however, the president and of that there is no debate.

    1. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Cyberdyne · · Score: 1
      Ok, what ithe heck is with the quotes around president? Yes people, George Bush is the president of the United States. You may not like him or agree with his politics, you may even think he's a moron, that's fine you aren't alone. He is, however, the president and of that there is no debate.

      I took it as meaning "the email doesn't really go to GWB himself, just his office/staff/whatever", but if it meant what you think, may I just point out that Tony Blair is not elected - not 'the election was questionable', but there was no election for PM. Instead Blair became PM because Labour dominates the Commons (British version of the House of Representatives) and he is Labour leader ('elected' mostly by the unions).

      However inaccurate the counting in Florida is - and I think virtually everyone agrees it was a close run thing, however you count it - at least Americans had an election for President, where you could vote for or against Bush; Britain did not hold one in the first place!

    2. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

      Well the point with the president has nothing to do with the Florida counting, the popular vote or anything like that. Bush is the president and has been confirmed as such. That's just how it goes.

    3. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by nagora · · Score: 2, Insightful
      there was no election for PM.

      Which is fair enough in a party system. The US system doen't fill me with excitement at the idea of having a separate election. If we'd don it that way then Thatcher would have stayed in power for ANOTHER two years before we could kick her out. It makes no more sense to vote for PM than it would to vote for leader of the opposition or chancellor of the exchequer. They are all just cabinet posts and the pary can fill them as it sees fit.

      Labour leader ('elected' mostly by the unions)

      Labour leader is elected by the Labour MP's and Blair wouldn't get many union votes today if they did have any say in it.

      at least Americans had an election for President, where you could vote for or against Bush; Britain did not hold one in the first place!

      Why do you think this is a big deal? We voted (or not) for parties in the full knowledge of who their leaders were and those leaders were a substantial factor in the way people voted.

      TWW

      --
      "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
    4. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by swb · · Score: 1

      Why do you think this is a big deal? We voted (or not) for parties in the full knowledge of who their leaders were and those leaders were a substantial factor in the way people voted.

      I wonder, do Britons care very much about who their MPs are? Do they go to the polls thinking about how great Tony Blair is but hating the labor MP candidate for their district and vote for him anyway because he's labor and they want Blair for PM?

      My guess would be that given the strength of the parties in Britain your individual MP wouldn't matter all that much, since they're almost always vote the party line which is mostly directed by the PM.

      In America there's quite a lot of stir over congressional elections, and many people deliberately split their vote between President and congress, even when the candidates in question directly oppose each other on policy.

    5. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by nagora · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I wonder, do Britons care very much about who their MPs are? Do they go to the polls thinking about how great Tony Blair is but hating the labor MP candidate for their district and vote for him anyway because he's labor and they want Blair for PM?

      It's wrong to generalise.

      But I'll do it anyway.

      I think most people here do vote on party lines although it might be truer to say that they vote on policy lines. If the party supports a policy they like then people will vote for it, especially if they think the leader of the party will push that policy. So, if the PM is kicked out by the party mid-term as happened to Thatcher, people might still be happy if the policies are still what they want (not in that particular case, however).

      In some places the individiual candidate matters, particularly in marginal seats, but the reality is that no one likes politicians and most of them are as dull as the next so it usually doesn't matter. The issue of who the leader of the party is very mixed. Currently Blair is pretty well hated but Labour are seen as better than the other options while the Labour MPs themselves can't decide if the bloodbath unleased by giving him the boot would leave them in power and none of them want to start the experiment. Iraq is the first time I've seen Blair under any real pressure from public opinion but, again, there are no obvious alternatives in the other parties so I doubt that he'll have any trouble joining in the attack when the time comes.

      My guess would be that given the strength of the parties in Britain your individual MP wouldn't matter all that much, since they're almost always vote the party line which is mostly directed by the PM.

      This is quite true of all the parties, not just the governing one that the PM belongs to: each party has its "whips" which tell the sheep, er...MPs how to vote. The whips have a lot of power since being dropped by the party at the next election for being a trouble maker is normally a one-way ticket to palookaville (sp?) since the voters will just vote for your faceless replacement. Again, there are a few exceptions but they are very, very rare indeed.

      many people deliberately split their vote between President and congress

      It is worth noting that the PM has very reduced powers compared to the President so this doesn't make as much sense over here; there's no real way in which the PM's power needs to be balanced by putting a different party in opposition to it. There are more differences in the two systems than most PMs would like, I think.

      TWW

      --
      "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
    6. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by swb · · Score: 1

      It is worth noting that the PM has very reduced powers compared to the President so this doesn't make as much sense over here; there's no real way in which the PM's power needs to be balanced by putting a different party in opposition to it. There are more differences in the two systems than most PMs would like, I think.

      The US President may have more direct powers over the executive branch, but the way we were taught was that the PM as more effective legislative power because his party leadership coupled with party discipline meant that it was much easier for his policy slate to be made into law than the Presidents.

      Although as you indicate, it helps for the party in power to actually like its leader. If you're a hated leader of the party in power and you're there only because the party doesn't trust the outcome of outsting you, then, well, maybe you have less effective power than you think.

    7. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by u38cg · · Score: 1
      Actually, the UK PM has more effective power than the US president. With royal prerogative (ie without Parliament's approval) he can ratify treaties and declare war. Huge numbers of appointments are legally in his gift, even if many are exercised by committee - such as the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

      You have to think of the PM as leader of Congress as the President as his obedient flunky to get a picture of how it works here. I actually think it works pretty well, except when a party gets elected on the back of a popular baying for blood, as happened in '97. Still, I don't see major reforms any time soon.

      --
      [FUCK BETA]
    8. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US has an electoral college to balance out the difference in population between states. With states the size and population of California, who would bother campaigning in state like Vermont or Rhode Island? Texas, California and half a dozen other western states would dominate in the polls. Smaller states would lose any power in the system. The electoral college was designed to balance out these issues. As no system is perfect and someone will always bitch, it at least addresses shortcomings in systems like in Venezuela, Uruguay and Chile.

    9. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by nagora · · Score: 1
      With royal prerogative (ie without Parliament's approval) he can ratify treaties and declare war.

      That's true; but day to day power is less, I think. It has grown, however, mainly at the expense of the monarch but also simply because we've not had any really tight elections for quite some time (1974 was a majority of 3 and 1992 was the only other majority under 30 since 1964) and that reduces the power of dissenters within the ruling party and strengthens the leadership. With a majority of more than 160 Blair's leadership is very strong and centralised.

      the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

      Not exactly earth-shattering, though, is it? I still think the Bishop of London's better, too. He looks like he could take on a few of Satan's minions down the east-end! "Oh, no! It's da Bishop!" Sorry, drifted off there.

      Still, I don't see major reforms any time soon.

      No, turkeys don't usually vote for christmas!

      TWW

      --
      "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
    10. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Idarubicin · · Score: 1
      Ok, what ithe heck...is with the quotes around president?

      I don't think any slight was intended. The President of the United States (for at least the last few administrations) has always had the email address president@whitehouse.gov.

      So for any sitting President of the United States the people have the option of sending an email to 'president'. Perhaps the legitimacy of Bush's Presidency deserves to be challenged and perhaps not--but this time the quotes were legitimate and had nothing to do with the mess in Florida.

      --
      ~Idarubicin
    11. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by RollingThunder · · Score: 1

      Rather than "the President" (proper noun), it's my opinion that 'president' is an excerpt from 'president@whitehouse.gov' or whatever it is. That's why it's in quotes - it's a quotation.

    12. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by bcboy · · Score: 4, Informative

      > However inaccurate the counting in Florida is - and I think virtually everyone agrees it was a close run thing, however you count it

      This just isn't true. It wasn't close. Between the "Jews for Buchanan" vote and the Democratic voters that brother Jeb arbitrarily threw off the voter rolls, Florida overwhelmingly tried to vote for Gore.

      In any case, the voting results weren't used. The Supreme Court justified installing Bush by pointing to press accounts of the election. Bush was elected by Fox News.

      The take-home lesson: your vote doesn't count; what the media report counts.

    13. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Guppy06 · · Score: 1
      "Why do you think this is a big deal?"

      We think it's a big deal because:
      1. It means that one political party is in control of both your legislature and executive by definition. This gives one organization control over most of your government.
      2. It means that you end up voting for political parties as much (if not more) than you vote for the individuals themselves. If the candidate that is otherwise the best choice for the legislative position isn't from the correct political party, they won't get elected.
      3. Involvement in government requires membership in a political party. This both gives political parties much more power in government than they would otherwise while making the government less accessible by the common person.
      Let's compare that system to the US:
      1. One political party gains control of two branches of govenment only after voting specifically allows it. The majority of US voters vote on a cross-party ticket. This is how my home state of Louisiana voted for Bush in the 2000 elections but is still represented by two Democrats in the US Senate (even after last year's election).
      2. Voters are free to vote for the candidate they feel is best for the job. While some voters do vote on straight party tickets, the majority of US voters do not. Membership in a political party need not enter the decision process at all.
      3. While most people think of US politics being a "two-party system," the fact is that membership in a political party is not required to hold public office. There are several party-independent mebers of US Congress and many more at the state and local levels. This is a legal impossibility in most Euroepan countries (as well as other democracies around the world, such as Australia).
      It's not the way you handle your parties' political power in government that concerns us, it's the way you give them such power to begin with.

      By the way...

      "If we'd don it that way then Thatcher would have stayed in power for ANOTHER two years before we could kick her out."

      You assume she would have gotten a second term to begin with (or even a first term). You have literally no way of knowing who voted for her party directly and who voted for a candidate who happened to be a member of her party.
    14. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Guppy06 · · Score: 1, Troll

      "Between the "Jews for Buchanan" vote"

      On a ballot that was publicized weeks ahead of the election.

      "the Democratic voters that brother Jeb arbitrarily threw off the voter rolls"

      The governor has no say in who is elected to the Florida Supreme Court. They are chosen by direct election.

      The governor has no say in who is elected elections commissioner. They are chosen by direct election.

      "The Supreme Court justified installing Bush by pointing to press accounts of the election."

      The vast majority of the members of the US Supreme Court were approved of by a Democrat congress.

      The Supreme Court did not pick the winning candidate. The deicision boiled down to "Not our problem" after looking at both the US and Florida consitutions. The popularly-elected Florida high court did what they felt was required by Florida law. The popularly-elected commissioner signed off on the results.

      Was the deck stacked against Florida voters? Perhaps. But they did it to themselves.

      "The take-home lesson: your vote doesn't count; what the media report counts."

      No, the take-home lesson is what it always has been in democracy since its inception: caveat emptor

    15. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by sckeener · · Score: 1

      He is, however, the president and of that there is no debate

      Ok, what rock were you under when he got elected?

      --
      "Only one thing, is impossible for god: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." Mark Twain
    16. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by ziriyab · · Score: 1

      Seems you're a bit defensive about the legitimacy of W's rule after his bloodless coup of 2000. You have every right to be, but fear not. The quotes probably refer to the fact that when you send email to the 'president,' he's not the one actually reading it. Some intern (who the president is definitely not bonking in an effort to restore honor to the office of the president) is. The letters then get compiled into a report with large letters and small words the president can read and understand.

    17. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

      I am not defensive, I just get sick of people being delusional and trying to distort the truth. Regardless of what you or anyone thinks of the 2000 elections, Bush is president. Love it, hat it, it is a fact. Now I personally think the 2000 election shows that we really need to reform the way the election process is done, staring with the abolition of the electorial system and a move to a pure popular vote for president. HOWEVER, this does not change the fact that Bush is president. Your personal like or dislike of the man does not change that fact.

      Also you need to consult a dictonary. The word coup, in this context, means: "the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group". Bush did not overthrow the existing government, it remains intact as it did before. He was declared the victor of the 2000 elections and as such became the president. You may (and obviously do) disagree with the method that was taken to arrive at the decision that he was teh victor, but none the less it was conducted in according to the laws of this country. More importantly, it was not something that destroyed the governemt nor altered it fundimentally. Even if you believe that Bush became president through outright fraud, that's still not a coup.

    18. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moderators on drugs? A guy that posts facts is marked as a troll and the guy that claimed Florida voted "overwhelmingly" Democrat is given a +5. Wow, facts mean nothing to moderators.

    19. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

      None. The contraversies of the election do not change the fact of the present. He is president. Right or wrong, that's how it is. There is no war over it, it's not like some states disagree and are rebelling, he is the president of the union. There is great debate as to wether he should be or not, but the fact that he IS is not something that is up for debate.

      I fail to see how this is such a hard concept to grasp. You may believe that Bush illegally, fraudantly, and so on came to be president, hwoever he has been confirmend as such and is now our president until the next election. There is a difference between how something came to happen and what happened.

    20. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by ziriyab · · Score: 1
      Also you need to consult a dictonary. The word coup, in this context, means: "the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group"

      Oh fun. The dictionary attack. Can I play?

      OED has a bunch of other definitions for coup, one of which is "A dislocation or fault by which a coal-seam is tilted up." I'm surprised you didn't use that one to suggest that I had implied W tilted up a coal-seam in Gore's ass in 2002.

      There are other definitions for coup ("a successful move," "a sudden and decisive stroke of state policy," "a sudden and great change in the government carried out violently or illegally by the ruling power," etc.) that don't require violence. In any case, the bloodless in my original post made it clear that I didn't think the coup was violent.

      USA! USA! USA!

    21. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

      As I stated, the definition for coup I used is the one that relates to the present discussion. I would think you could understand that words have different meanings in different contexts.

      At any rate Bush's ascention to presidency utterly fails to meet the defeinition of coup in any form. The government was not substintally altered or indeed altered at all. The constitution is still the supreme law of the land, the three branches still remain. The only change was that a new president came to power, as is the intent of an election when the current president is not permited to run.

      Now the 2000 election was frought with contraversy. There was allegation of misconduct on both sides (please do not forget the allegations that Gore attempted to block military votes, and bribed homeless peopel to vote with cigarettes). According to Florida law, there were recounts. Then, the Florida supreme court (a body elected by popular vote in Florida) and the election commisoner (also elected by popular vote in Florida) decided that it was done, and Bush had won. This was then challenged to the US Supreme Court (the supreme judicial review in this country) who also decided it was over and that Bush had won. This was all done according to the law.

      Now you may believe, and may be right, that Bush engaged in misconduct to win the election. However, that does not change the fact that he is the president, nor the fact that it was not a coup. You should, perhaps, travel abroad to a country that has experienced a real coup and get some first had accounts of what it means.

    22. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by cyberformer · · Score: 1

      The take-home lesson: your vote doesn't count; what the media report counts.

      Not quite true. The lesson for Democrats is that they need to win by a decisive margin, not a relatively small one that can be overturned by the Supreme Court. That means people need to go out and vote against Bush.

    23. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by mino · · Score: 1
      There are several party-independent mebers of US Congress and many more at the state and local levels. This is a legal impossibility in most Euroepan countries (as well as other democracies around the world, such as Australia).

      No party-independent parliamentary members in Australia?

      I don't know that I would exactly say that...

      Admittedly, the majority of them are total fruit loops, but hey, someone voted for them.

    24. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Captain+Large+Face · · Score: 1

      I heartily recommend reading "Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore for an interesting insight on this statement.

    25. Re:Ok, what ithe heck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact that there are quotes around president makes it a debate.

      Maybe you should read more.

      Here are some things to google for:

      supreme court bush 2000

  45. keep your hands off my seat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...it's nice, but I'm tight with it

  46. found it by davesag · · Score: 1
    On his own blog. http://johnhoward.blogspot.com/

    enjoy

    --
    I used to have a better sig than this, but I got tired of it
    1. Re:found it by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1

      I doubt that jhlog @ hotmail.com is his 'real' email address.

  47. Internet? What's That? by femto · · Score: 1, Funny

    Based on some of his tech policy, the Australian PM hasn't yet figured out that the Internet exists, yet alone got an email address.

  48. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Mark+(ph'x) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Criminals? Actually Australians are most likely to be a blend of many different cultures... and generally we are a racially tolarant country. Most of them are people that have chosen to come and live in our great country... and when I look at your DMCA etc, i truly believe that Australia is the real Land of the Free.

    I'm fortunate to live in a country whose leaders dont see it as their business to poke into the affairs of other nations. I think its great that in every crisis we can get away with sending a few rowboats and a handful of troops to keep dictator Bush happy.

    Our nation is of peace and tolerance. The US seems to be about profit and imposing its 'freedoms' on others by force.

    Im proud to be Australian.

    Please dont take enclosed joke too seriously ;)

    There was an Aussie, an American and an African father in the maternity ward... and the nurse announces that all the births were successful, however the staff had got the babies mixed up. The fathers would have to go in and identify their child. So the Aussie grabs the African baby and says 'This black one must be mine!'. 'Surely sir this is the African mans baby?'. 'Well, maybe... but one of the others is American, and i cant take that risk'

    Karma: Rock Bottom, mostly due to insulting all the american mods :D

    --
    those who control the past, control the future. those who control the present, control the past.
  49. Have you been in Canberra lately? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remove all the "not"s from your statement and you have described Australia's capital (before the fires of last weekend).

    If four dead Australians and 400 burnt houses stop us going to war then it is worth the price even though it was my own house and my own self.

  50. I don't like Feedback Forms (was: Email him here) by Advocadus+Diaboli · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I don't like those fancy feedback forms for some simple reasons:

    1. They force me to fill out fields with things like my name or address and that's something what my email-client or my signature would provide automatically.
    2. There is usually no way to store what I wrote there in my email archives. But I like to file my outgoing messages.
    3. They always want my mail address but they want to hide their own mail address.

  51. Re:Anti-American sentiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Labour hasn't said much against war before now. It's just trying to shun John Howard's name, but not doing a very good job at it. "His e-mail is private? Lets sack him!"

    Nonetheless, calling that anti-american is quite rediculous when America is the leader of the countries that want war.

    "Anti American" seems to be a term I hear quite alot from Americans.

  52. The Actual Challenge Details by CCIEwannabe · · Score: 1


    Bah! Only worth doing for the case of Coke and AUD$100 of linux merchandise. Like they will listen. Info can be found on the challenges official web site Where's John?

  53. Re:NO SUBJECT! by Cackmobile · · Score: 0

    Maybe not. how about the Palestinian land being forcefully taken, and still is. I believe that both sides are as bad as each other. THey should both get over it and live peacefully. Jews and Arabs live along side each other fine here in OZ.

    --
    -- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
  54. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Cackmobile · · Score: 0

    Nice call. I am a fellow Aussie and totally agree with you.

    --
    -- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
  55. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by femto · · Score: 0

    What have the Aboriginals (first Australians) done to deserve crap like this?

  56. Coke?!? by neillewis · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't that be a case of Mecca Cola...

  57. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1. The Bali bombings were intended to kill Americans, as the bomber claimed. He said it was a failure.
    2. Hardly any of the population were decended from convicts.

    Should we start looking at the USA's past? A nation founded by war and violence?

  58. Be Pro-War by frizzzanks · · Score: 0

    Be pro-war, especially when it deals with an axis of evil like Iraq, North Korea, and Iran. All three are the equivelant of gansters. America can take care of the threat to prevent innocent lives being lost. Iraq has already attempted to assinate former president George Bush (Sr). Iraq has also funded the families of palestinian suicide bombers. North Korea is developing nuclear weapons to sell to the highest bidder. Iran is just fucking crazy. Write your politicans declaring your support for military action against these nations of evil. Be a team player

  59. You are wrong by Cpt_Corelli · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why email Saddam Hussein? If you have followed recent news you will find that it is the US that is about to invade Iraq, not the other way around.

    I bet that the coming US invasion of Iraq will end up in this list pretty soon...

    1. Re:You are wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to sound like I care much about politics because I don't, but, Saddam is like every other nazi-istic leader... deal with them NOW or deal with them LATER. Right now, we know he can't nuke another country (Like Korea can NOW). Can you imagine what another Hiroshima or Nagasaki episode would do to the world right now? Right now, he MAY can send chemical attacks... MAY. Making chemical weapons doesn't require much. Leave him alone like you suggest, and he WILL gain a chemical arsenal. They are way easier to make than nukes... given time, he'll have nukes too. It would be NOTHING to buy them from Korea now. Then what do you do? There is a strong possiblity several nice nuke strikes over there will affect us here (or you wherever you are). Most of those countries have been at war for longer than the rest of the civilized world has been around. You think it will stop ever? I can only think of one scenario that would make it stop.

      Everyone thinking this "war" has to do ONLY for oil, think again. To the politicians, maybe you are right. Keep your eyes on Korea for the full answer. Now they have nukes, and can make them ANY TIME they want. You will get to see what kind of insane requests they demand (requests may not go public FYI). This is nothing more than blackmailing the world.

    2. Re:You are wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Exactly. Of course, everyone is either
      1. Already with America.
      2. Already with the Muslims.
      3. Like France, ready to accept whatever ruler they have as long as it keeps the peace (and that includes being moved into the religion too. That should scare all those aethiest Europeans).
      I realize that if America doesn't fight this now because of the political anti-war stuff, we won't fight it ever. If we don't fight it, the rest of the world is going to be under a Muslim rule. As a Christian rule, I will die rather than forsake God.
    3. Re:You are wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get lost - usefull idiot.

    4. Re:You are wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your not a christian.

      There all commies like Jesus. Give away all you posestions now and stop haterid, you christian you.

    5. Re:You are wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please, Mr Moore is a pampered cry-baby. His latest antics in England have been discussed at length. If you think he's some wise, insightfull fellow, then you're mindless. But don't worry, there are lots of folks like you who post on slashdot and are ill-informed. Feel free to call yourself stupid.

  60. Re:i think.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, they should have replaced those towers with Sadam's palaces.

  61. Re:He doesn't read his email by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LBJ, Lyndon Baines Johnson. He was a US President. Started the Vietnam War^H^H^HPolice Action, among other things.

    If you don't understand cultural references, don't use them.

    BTW, a better LBJ chant was: "Hey, hey, LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?"

  62. Linux.conf.au by Dnigh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Considering Linux Conf.au kicked off today, maby the Labour Council is just looking to give geeks something to do between presentations ?

    Seriously though, this is just a cheap publicity stunt for the Labour Council and should be treated as such.

  63. It's not the opposition searching for his email by Currawong · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The original submission is wrong. It's not the opposition party that's searching for his email address (duh, they work in the same building for *#(%'s sake!), it's the Labor Council of NSW, that represents unions in Australia - that is searching for his email address. The page offering the reward of AU$100 worth of Linux merchandise and a case of Coke (to geeks nonetheless!) says it all.

    --

    What is the point of the internet?
    1. Re:It's not the opposition searching for his email by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      May I suggest that we geeks should strike for higher pay? :^P

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  64. Here it is. I found it by RedWolves2 · · Score: 1
  65. Try pm@pm.gov.au by Skevos+Mavros · · Score: 5, Insightful

    j.howard.mp@aph.gov.au might be the correct address, but I would guess it just forwards to whoever is looking after whatever Mr Howard's portfolio was at that time (you didn't give a date to the usenet posting).

    A little birdy told me (I briefly worked in the Australian Federal Public Service a long time ago, and I have a few friends that still do) to try pm@pm.gov.au instead. Though I'm betting it forwards to the same place that web site form seems to go to - webmaster@pm.gov.au.

    Anyway, I don't really see the point of this "competition", even from a publicity stunt point of view. No one REALLY thinks that the Australian PM (or the US President or the French President etc) sits at his desk each morning, opens up Outlook/KMail/whatever and checks his incoming email, do they?

    Maybe they think the PM opens all his own mail too. And that he really does write every word of every document that has his signature on it...

    1. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Odds are one political party wants to show how inaccessible another party's elected officials are to the masses they're supposed to represent. My $.02.

    2. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by fiftyfly · · Score: 1
      Maybe they think the PM opens all his own mail too. And that he really does write every word of every document that has his signature on it...

      heck - I wouldn't mind having a PM the _read_ every word of every document that has his signature on it...

      --
      "Sanity is not statistical", George Orwell, "1984"
    3. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, I wouldn't expect the Honorable Mr. Howard to read his e-mail, but I would expect that his staff would report the quantity of e-mail received on a given subject as well as a summary of which way the general sentiment seems to be leaning.

      I visited Australia a couple of years ago, right after the Olympics. I liked it very much, the locals were very hospitable, but I have to admit that I was a bit surprised at how far removed they were from the action at Canberra. There were several proposals regarding the GST and other major financial/tax issues being decided in Parliament which, IMNSHO, should have had the taxpayers/voters in an uproar. Nope, they merely shrugged and accepted it without another word.

      Sorry, but I think Aussie voters need to stop being so polite to the people they voted to represent them in the government and start making those reps work on their behalf. Aussies seem to embrace new technology readily, and have a generally positive attitude - I'd like to see them find some creative ways to run their country. Having to pay a 48% income tax AND a 10% GST seems a bit ludicrous to me (an American).

    4. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're exactly right. It is just the typical Labor technique of diverting attention away from the fact they have no platforms or solutions for anything. Unstead they rag on their opposition without providing a single strategy to improve Australia.

    5. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Aussies seem to embrace new technology readily

      No, no, no, no... Australians on /. embrace new technology readily. trust me. I'm Australian and do student support in computer labs at one of the bigger uni's in NSW. They may be interested in trying new tech. but rarely do the masses understand and/or use it.

    6. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But then having a welfare system, public hospitals and schools might seem ludicrous to you an American too..

    7. Re:Try pm@pm.gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They have plenty of platforms and solutions. Knowledge Nation was one of the greatest pieces of politocal vision I have ever seen.

  66. And in other news... by AndroidCat · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    US 'tracking Saddam' as showdown goes on

    The US has reportedly launched a military and intelligence effort to track down and possibly kill Saddam Hussein.

    The plans emerged as the chief UN weapons inspectors ended two days of talks in Baghdad, during which they again urged Iraq to co-operate with their disarmament efforts.

    USA Today newspaper said US special forces, CIA paramilitary units, satellite imagery, radio intercepts and airborne reconnaissance are all being used in the operation against Saddam.

    After reading Slashdot, the CIA has also said that anyone who does discover the location of Saddam will receive a typical computer geek's prize of a case of Coke and $100 of Linux merchandise.

    [snip]

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  67. Danger Danger! It's another timothy submission! by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

    Obviously the Austrialian PM's been aubducted by those UFO's spotted by by the SOHO space probe! :^)

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  68. Anybody got Saddam's e-mail address? by Walles · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd like to know where to send my anti-dictatorship e-mail. Anybody got Saddam's e-mail address?

    --
    Installed the Bubblemon yet?
    1. Re:Anybody got Saddam's e-mail address? by Kamel+Jockey · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Anybody got Saddam's e-mail address?

      press@uruklink.net. This account was broken into recently as well. Although this is a "press" email, it is the one that appears on Saddam's own webpage.

      --
      In case of fire, do not use elevator. Use water!
  69. Its ThePresident@au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Surely? :)

  70. Re:The British Way - please no by tqft · · Score: 1

    If you have seen a pic of little Johnnie you would know why no-one in their right mind (/.'s naturally excluded?) would do this. Almost made me physically sick to even think of it. It wouldn't even be funny. Also Oz has some nasty defamation laws with the PM's legal bill paid for taxpayers. Need another beer now. Also I have already submittedmy entry - $100 will buy me a decent nex linux book with distro. For the record my bet is johnhoward@johnhowardmp.com. johnhowardmp.com is where his electoral website is hosted. Can't be sure as I am not expecting a return email.

    --
    The Singularity is closer than you think
    Quant
  71. Re:Anti-American sentiment by pkphilip · · Score: 1

    I agree completely with the parent.

    The rest of the world seems to have suddenly developed a hugely self-righteous attitude towards the Americans.. Its getting to be quite irritating.

    No, I am not American.. and no, I do not agree with a lot of things US is doing at the moment.. including the war on terror, all the rhetoric about the Axis of Evil etc..

  72. UK Prime Minister's address? by JimDabell · · Score: 1

    What about Tony Blair's email address then?

    1. Re:UK Prime Minister's address? by mpe · · Score: 1, Troll

      What about Tony Blair's email address [bloggerheads.com] then?

      Why bother, all he appears to do is parrot GW Bush?

  73. Sounds familiar by popeydotcom · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The guys at Bloggerheads have been doing a similar task to find the email of Tony Blair (British PM for those not in the know).

    Slightly different as Tony promised that he would release his email address, but so far has not. Quite funny, worth a read.

  74. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what a troll... I can't resist. There are 290 million US citizens. Would you condemn all of them on behalf of 19 million Australians? To judge an entire country by the actions of its politicians is ridiculous.

  75. It's grandefromage@pm.gov.au by skinfitz · · Score: 1

    Do I get my prize now?

  76. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... and when I look at your DMCA etc, i truly believe that Australia is the real Land of the Free.


    Granted, the DMCA is quite the black eye, but I do seem to recall a small bit about .au banning GTA3 ...

  77. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Mark+(ph'x) · · Score: 1

    GTA3 was banned after it was released before it had gone though the ratings bumf. Basically someone forgot to get it checked out, so it was pulled off the shelves.

    Once the publishers got off their butt (or the government found the paperwork) and it got its rating... (MA15 from memory) it was of course un-banned, back on the shelf and installed on my box :)

    --
    those who control the past, control the future. those who control the present, control the past.
  78. Who is the judge ? by sgurujee · · Score: 0

    i have the address . who is going to confirm my answer is correct or not?

  79. Re:Better reading further down.... by Private+Baldrick · · Score: 1

    Hmmm when it does go public I bet the first bit of SPAM is....

    Australia, Sydney.
    Attention: The President/CEO/Prime Minister
    Dear Sir/Madam,
    Confidential Business Proposal
    Having consulted with my colleagues and based on the information gathered from the Austrlian Chambers Of Commerce And Industry, I have the privilege to request for your assistance to transfer the sum of AUD47,500,000.00 (forty seven million, five hundred thousand Australian dollars) into your accounts. The above sum resulted from an over-invoiced contract, executed commissioned and paid for about five years (5) ago by a foreign contractor. This action was however intentional and since then the fund has been in a suspense account at The Central Bank Of Victoria...

    Pvt. Baldrick

    --
    I have a cunning plan...
  80. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you want sympathy from Americans, you have to stop all your peaceniks from calling us the terrorists. We have a chance to defend ourselves against what's ailing us, and we are going to do so, whether the rest of the world likes it or not. We had a tragedy of our own a while back, dipshit.

  81. Re:Anti-American sentiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, the Democrats are traitors. Furthermore, they're out of touch with what actual Americans want. When I see a Democrat talking on tv, I know I can safely ignore anything he says.

    If you'd bother actually thinking for once, instead of aligning yourself with a party that think for you, you'd realize that Democrats are hell bent on creating a new nobility in America.

  82. Re:i think.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm amazed how incredibly thick and narrow-minded some people can be.

    Do you _personally_ know Muslims that want everyone that's not a Muslim, dead? I happen to be a Muslim and don't know any.

    I'm sure you're right, there ARE Muslims out there that want everyone that's not a Muslim dead, but there are also Christians and Jews out there that want everybody that's not a Christian or a Jew, respectively, dead.

    That's what fundamentalism is: (sometimes) idiotic, drastic swings in one direction or the other that lead to broad generaizations, such as your implied generalization that all the Muslims who are immigrants to Australia fall in the "I want everyone that's not a Muslim dead" category.

    Idiot.

    See, I think _you're_ an idiot, and even though I'm a Muslim, I don't want _you_ dead!

  83. Re:i think.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So are you saying that Islam is evil?

    If so, then end of discussion with the red-necked bigots...

  84. Well this should narrow it down... by labratuk · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...it has to be

    bruce@ something

    --
    Malike Bamiyi wanted my assistance.
  85. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Zirnike · · Score: 1

    Neither do most Americans. The US government, however, especially in this holier-than-thou incarnation, is perfectly happy to inform the world that they should really remember our halos before they criticize us.

    --
    I'm not shy, I'm stalking my prey
  86. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Rip!ey · · Score: 1

    To judge an entire country by the actions of its politicians is ridiculous.

    No actually, its not rediculous. Might I remind you that America is a democracy. The entire world has every right to judge your entire country by the actions of those whom the American people voted into power.

    Anonymous Coward indeed. That speaks volumes in and of itself.

  87. Ummm.... by hbean · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.pm.gov.au/your_feedback/feedback.htm appears to be a form to email the australian PM. Unless I'm blind and the words "Email the Prime Minister" don't mean that anymore.

    --
    "Give someone a program, frustrate them for a day... Teach someone to program, frustrate them for a lifetime."
    1. Re:Ummm.... by devleopard · · Score: 1

      If it's on a web page, it could easily just write the values of the form to a database. (or for shits and grins, /dev/null) This could be considered email in a broad sense, even though there's no "email address" as we know it.

      --
      The best thing about a boolean is even if you are wrong, you are only off by a bit.
    2. Re:Ummm.... by hbean · · Score: 1

      Yes, and if it's an email address it could be just as easily disposed of. I certainly hope that no one actually thinks that gwbush@whitehouse.gov (or whatever his email address is) is actually the president?!? At best it's a white house intern who just reads and deletes email all day. I don't see this form as being any different!

      --
      "Give someone a program, frustrate them for a day... Teach someone to program, frustrate them for a lifetime."
  88. Re:Anti-American sentiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Blah, blah, blah.
    We know you hate Bush. We know it pains you that he manages to outsmart Democrats and idiots like you again and again.

  89. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Rip!ey · · Score: 1

    What have the Aboriginals (first Australians) done to deserve crap like this?

    The same as the American Indians. Absolutely nothing.

  90. He doesn't have email. by Zeno · · Score: 1

    John Howard doesn't have email, I win! Seriously, as hard as this is for everyone to imagine (including me), he probably doesn't have an email address. Besides this small point, what politician actually checks their publicly accessable email? They all have their secretary or campaign manager scan and reply.

    1. Re:He doesn't have email. by devleopard · · Score: 1

      Even a business knows not to use email for mission critical tasks - email is always a front-line to phone, face-to-face, or snail-mail. And I seriously doubt that the PM wastes his time with non- "mission critical" stuff. If he has an email at all, it would nothing more than a pretty interface to the public, kinda like those a tour guide at the White House (of course, you can't get tours now, but you get my drift) - nice for the public, but have nothing to do with the "real" government.

      --
      The best thing about a boolean is even if you are wrong, you are only off by a bit.
  91. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by dukerobillard · · Score: 1
    Well...there's a theory that the original inhabitants of Australia did a lot to create the Western Desert using slash-n-burn techniques. And also, the orginal inhabitants of the Americas almost certainly drove the vast majority of the large American mammals to extinction. (The buzzword for the Google search here is "overkill.")

    Neither of these facts have anything to do with some kind of bizarre "divine retribution" theory of natural disasters though. I suspect the original post here was just a troll.

  92. Howard probably doesn't read email. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    He is very likely to be one of the countless hordes of superannuated dorks who get their secretaries to print out their email and filter it manually.

    Sorry, but the man is an unspeakably vile and stupid little twerp. He's a cockroach, born to be trodden on. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest his erogenous zones. May all his sons have many fathers... All right, I'll shut up :-}

  93. Send Bush a pro-freedom email! by LinuxWhore · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    While we can all send anti-war emails to 'president' of the USA...

    I shall take this moment to send an email to our president thanking him for the courage, in the face of opposition, to stand up for freedom of not only this country, but the freedom of the oppressed in other countries as well. But I guess you'd call that a pro-war email. Never forget those who died for freedom. Whether they be soldiers in the middle east, or an average Todd on a captive airliner.

    Let's Roll.

    --

    I am MuchTall
    1. Re:Send Bush a pro-freedom email! by CrashRide · · Score: 1

      Excellent response. That throw away line about sending anti-war Email to our 'president' did not belong in this story. I get sick of the knee-jerk left-wing propoganda that slashdots 'editors' routinely insert into otherwise legitimate posts.

    2. Re:Send Bush a pro-freedom email! by doyoudig · · Score: 1

      here here!

  94. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what happened to the aborigines, then? Were they so overcome by your tolerance and generousity that they just went away?

    Please - save your self-righteousness. You're no better than the U.S. is.

  95. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course. And to carry on your argument, America is still an outpost of Great Britain, populated by gold-diggers, imported slaves and people who need Bill Gates to tell them how to spell. (not that he can even get that right)

  96. MOD PARENT TROLL/OFFTOPIC by devleopard · · Score: 1

    Despite whether I agree/disagree, this post seems like bait for arguing the merits of a war with Iraq. No place for that in this story - I encourage mods to do the Right Thing and for posters to refrain from replying.

    --
    The best thing about a boolean is even if you are wrong, you are only off by a bit.
    1. Re:MOD PARENT TROLL/OFFTOPIC by LinuxWhore · · Score: 1

      This story alone is bait for arguing the merits of a war with Iraq. Please mod story as troll.

      Seriously. While we're passing judgment, let's remove that comment from the story submission about sending "anti-war messages to our 'president'". A comment like that deserves if not requires response.

      Moderators, please mod this comment (as in the one you are reading now) offtopic, because it is.

      --

      I am MuchTall
  97. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Rip!ey · · Score: 1

    Thank you for your incredibly sensitive and insightful post.

    Might I remind you that when parts of America recently went up in flames, Australian and New Zealand firefighters travelled half way across the globe to help.

    If your reaction is what we have reaped from that which we sowed, I sure hope we let you burn (instead of helping) should it ever happen again. Of course, we wouldn't do actually do that (refuse to help). Its not the Australian way.

  98. Sounds great to me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd like to send him an email telling him he has my full support to do whatever necessary to protect the people of the world.

  99. Anonymous Howard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If we cant find the address, perhaps hes Anonymous Howard?

  100. Re:oh dear god by diodegod · · Score: 3, Informative

    Once the PM's email is made public, he will get tons of spam.

    He's probably more concerned about getting "flamed" right now.


    For all you non-Australians out there, I'm guessing you haven't heard of the horrific bushfires plaguing our capital city (Canberra, where the Prime Minister lives, hence the PM getting "flamed". I hate it when I have to explain jokes). Maybe the 4 dead and 400 homes razed to the ground (the last I heard of it) doesn't warrant air-time on your news networks compared to "let's go to war!"

    Typical, us Aussies had 11/9 plastered on our tv sets for weeks, and !@#$!@#$

    Sorry, teen angst.

    ~Duane

    --
    The beatings will continue until morale improves.
  101. Re:oh dear god by IMarvinTPA · · Score: 1

    Um, what happened on November 9th?

    If it makes you feel any better, I don't watch much news of any kind. I tend to read stuff online though. I probably should watch the news on the BBC-US channel that my cable company has.

    (BTW, I am aware he's using the international date format up there.)

    IMarvinTPA

  102. Re:Ok, what the heck by fuzzywig · · Score: 1

    But the PM has a lot less power than the president. It's my (limited) understanding that Bush can do pretty much whatever he wants providing he puts it in a presidential order thingy. Offically, Blair isn't allowed to do anything without parliment's go-ahead. However you get leaders, both systems work (kinda).

  103. Re:oh dear god by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Duane, it's not that we don't care about Australia. It's simply that we get brush fires in the south western U.S. every freakin year where lots of people are killed and hundreds of homes are destroyed. Believe it or not, those stories get very little airtime too (except on south-western t.v. stations). With all the war crap going on I doubt they'd get any airplay right now either.

    Not to mention the fact that a brush fire that killed 4 people does not compare to what happened on 9/11 (or 11/9 as you would say in Australia).

    Marc

    p.s. Believe it or not there's a lot of us in the U.S. who don't want to go to war with Iraq (but that doesn't get much airtime either). :(

  104. Easy! by steevo.com · · Score: 1

    bruce@bruce.bruce.au

    (No Poofters!)

  105. Land of the free by fuzzywig · · Score: 1
    5.9 million, or 1 in 34 Americans are currently in prison.
    Source: USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics, August 2000.
    (See Also)

    Still think the US it the "land of the free"?

  106. Why... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    ...would anyone want to send an anti-war email?

    I also think anyone who wants to send one should have to present an Honorable Discharge from the military in order to be considered qualified to make a judgement on the matter anyway.

    -(Signed) A Veteran fed up with peaceniks.

  107. VoteNoWar.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    votenowar.org is a real site set up by International ANSWER (Act now to stop war and end racism). They organized a protest where a few hundred thousand showed up at Washinton DC this saturday. You might want to tell the people chain mailing you that their chain mail is probably fake and point them here.

  108. Re:oh dear god by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 1

    I believe that Aussies use the form dd/mm/yyyy for their dates.

    DISCLAIMER: I LIVE IN THE USA.

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  109. bruce@gov.au by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    bruce@gov.au

    If that doesn't work, try

    bruce2@gov.au

    etc.

  110. Re:oh dear god by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

    No offense, but that happens all the time over here.. A few months ago, there were three fires started in the span of a few days (all accidental or natural), that put LA under a nice cloud of smoke.. One of the fires was within 5 miles of where I was staying.. Another was South of LA. I had the pleasure of driving out to a home there.. It was kinda surreal when your entire field of view in front of you is fire, and then realize it's still miles away..

    When I was a kid, I grew up in nowhere, Florida. Pretty much, grab a Florida map, and figure out how much space is at least 100 miles from any city with a population over 1000.. There's lots of it. There'd be fires all the time, caused by lightning strikes, or stupid people not putting out camp fires.. LA's fires make the news, because they're close to major news offices.. The fires in Florida would sometimes be huge, and maybe make a 5 second blurb on the nearest cities news channel.

    4 dead, 400 homes isn't international news. Well, it would be, but it ranks right up with little Timmy with his hand stuck in the toilet (again).

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  111. It's how he got into office by Ellen+Spertus · · Score: 1

    I use scare quotes around "president" because I consider the U.S. presidency to be an elected position. I do not believe that George W. Bush was fairly elected to the position. I do not use scare quotes when referring to any other recent presidents, whether I dislike them or not, since I believe they were fairly elected.

    1. Re:It's how he got into office by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 0

      George Bush was declared president as according to U.S. law. You have to remember that in the U.S. the popular vote does not elect the president. Perhaps you think it should (I certianly do) however for now it does not. Now there are state and federal laws dealing with cases of close elections as with teh last one. These laws were followed, and in the end, Bush came out as president. The important theing to note is that the law was obeyed. Regardless of what you think of the process for election, it is the law in theis country and must be obeyed. We can't simply ignore it because we don't like it. We can change it, but not ignore it.

      The simple fact is that Bush IS president. You certianly may not like it, or like how it came ot be, but it IS the fact of the matter. I don't see why this is such a hard concept.

  112. Safe Kernel Panics by einhverfr · · Score: 1

    Uh, blame the Australian education system for that. My friend hates Linux because it has too much 'Saftey'. (Someone please tell me how to panic a kernel safely so I can prove him wrong)

    2 ways I know to do this--
    1-- Make a bootable CDROM without support for any filesystems in the kernel (kernel panic when trying to mount root).

    2-- Turn off APM in your BIOS, use an APB-based kernel, and then halt your system.

    Neither of these means have any possibility of harming your system ;-)

    As for where does Samba come from? Samba is a dance form from Latin America ;-) Besides, I don't see any reason what Latin American dances have to do with Australians being geeks ;-)

    --

    LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
  113. He found it by $0.02 · · Score: 1

    Joshua Mbungu from Nigeria has already found his email and sent him a very urgent proposal to transfer $28,000,000,000.00 (Twenty Eight Billion Dollars) to the National Bank of Australia.

    --
    If enithin kan gow rong it whil. (Murfey)
  114. Re:Ok, what the heck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, the president just enforces and implements the laws congress passes (i shouldn't say "just" :)). Bush can't make laws, he can issue directive however, but they are not the same thing and do not carry the same legal weight.

  115. Redundant? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How can a first non-fp post on an article be redundant?

  116. The form goes nowhere by Mazurbul · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you look at the code for the feedback form:

    You'll notice that mailto has no value, I'd say it doesn't submit anywhere.

    1. Re:The form goes nowhere by Captain+Large+Face · · Score: 1

      It submits to http://www.pm.gov.au/admin/pm2/feedback.cfm. One imagines it is then sent on using a hardcoded value.

  117. Re: Mate... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe it's more likely that Slashdot has been hijacked by people with a nationalistic barrow to push (Hi Tim! Hi Chris! Hi...). Let's transfer the site over to www.slashdot.org.au where it now firmly belongs, and find ourselves a new site, where the news is what matters, and not where it comes from.

  118. Yuh huh by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

    And in 1775, George III was King of North America, and of that there was no debate.

    You see, the thing about politics is that there's always a debate, and just because some guy called George declares himself my lord and master doesn't preclude me from saying that he's a thieving parasite with no more mandate to rule than any other monarch appointed by a partisan Council of the Wise rather than a popular vote.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:Yuh huh by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

      No, there really isn't. Bush is president. Congress agrees, the military agrees, his opposition (Gore) agrees. They may not like it, they many not have wished it, but it is the fact of the matter. There is no war being fought over it, Bush simply is president, it has been decided. You may not agree with the way it came to be, but it has been decided and that is that.

      Also I get real, real sick of this popular vote shit. The president is not, and never has been, elected by a popular vote. The U.S. system was NOT designed that way. Now personally, I think it should be a popular vote election, but for now it isn't. Bush is also not the first persident to loose the popular vote but win the election.

      The system can (adn I think should) be changed, however as it stands popular vote is not the method for election. This is again, simple fact. You can try and deny this, just like denying that Bush is president but that does not make you right, it just makes you out of touch with reality.

  119. Re:Ok, what the heck by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

    Do some reading. The US Constitution is available online and defines pretty narrowly what El Presidente is allowed to do (not that it stopped Bush from committing the US to war - sorry, "regime change" - with Iraq before consulting with the Senate, but the principle is there). Now try and find out what the limits on Tony Blair's powers are. Any luck? Didn't think so.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  120. Re:oh dear god by Quikah · · Score: 1

    The fires have been on the national news in the US. Many stories. Last years fires were as well.

    --
    Q.
  121. Re:Australians reaping what they sowed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Keep those generalizations coming. Shows the rest of us how thoughtful and insightful you can really be.

  122. Re:oh dear god by peterarm · · Score: 1

    The brushfire stories have been on the national news in Canada as well. Although you are alone in dealing with them of course, you aren't ignored--not like that's any consolation though :-(

  123. POTUS by Bob+Uhl · · Score: 1
    George W. Bush is not `the "president" of the United States'; he's the President of the United States. He was elected in the appropriate Constitutional manner by electors from the fifty states (and DC?), and his election has been accepted by said states and the courts. He is the president.

    When it comes to how people voted, he did win the majority in Florida, as has been constantly demonstrated.

    I'm really not all that keen on him (I voted for Brown), but the fact remains that George W. Bush is our president. The leftists who try to pretend that he's not (incl. Michael Moore, whom I saw on British television making near-treasonous comments regarding Bush) need to get lives. But then, that applies to all leftists.

    1. Re:POTUS by Cid+Highwind · · Score: 1

      'm really not all that keen on him (I voted for Brown), but the fact remains that George W. Bush is our president. The leftists who try to pretend that he's not (incl. Michael Moore, whom I saw on British television making near-treasonous comments regarding Bush) need to get lives. But then, that applies to all leftists.

      Treasonous, my ass. How long did you right-wingers wait after Clinton left office to chisel those "Charlton Heston is MY President" stickers off your trucks?

      --
      0 1 - just my two bits
    2. Re:POTUS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Treason? What, are you living in the middle ages or something?

  124. There is only one God by yerricde · · Score: 1

    If we don't fight it, the rest of the world is going to be under a Muslim rule. As a Christian rule, I will die rather than forsake God.

    There is no god but God. Abraham was his prophet. Moses was his prophet. Jesus was his son and prophet. Muhammad was his prophet. Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. The core of God's commandment (love God, and love one another) is consistent across all religions. Thus, if Europe and America fight the Middle East in World War III, the battle of Armageddon, it will be a war fought over trivialities.

    I Am Not A Theologian, but here's my advice: Just prepare for the end times and accept God into your life.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
    1. Re:There is only one God by superyooser · · Score: 1
      Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God.

      That is a lie from the pit of hell. The Koran flatly contradicts Judaism and Christianity. If followers of both the Bible and Koran worship the same God, then God is a vicious liar, and is not worthy of worship by anybody. God's name would deserve to be reviled and spat upon. If God is the source of all religions, then he is indistinguishable from Satan, the father of lies, the Great Deceiver, according to my religion. Religions have vastly different concepts of God, good & evil, life, and reality. I don't think I exaggerate when I say that there is as much difference between some religions as there is between anarchy and totalitarianism or Mother Teresa and Nero.

      The core of God's commandment (love God, and love one another) is consistent across all religions.

      How the injunction to "love" is actually lived out varies vastly from religion to religion. An act of love or worship in one religion may be considered an act of hatred, deceit, and/or insanity in another religion. Don't let the similar vocabulary of "God", "love", and "peace" fool you. Differences in doctrine can change the whole landscape in intrepreting the meaning of words and their religious application.

      What is love? Love how? Love whom? What about people I don't like? How often? Under what circumstances? Why? Do I love under religious compulsion or free will? To what degree? As much as I love myself?

  125. Some countries' Presidents are accessible by billstewart · · Score: 1
    Vaclav Havel wasn't in his office in Czechslovakia the day I stopped by, and I wouldn't have wasted his time even if he had been, but his office was in a part of the main castle in Prague that tourists could just walk up to, though of course his secretary might not let you by. (This was before the Czech-Slovak split). That also doesn't mean he reads email directly from the public, any more than he reads all his paper mail from the public; I'd expect staff members to handle that and forward the more important mail to him.

    On the other hand, if you want to Slashdot the PM, go ahead, or ask Joe Baptista about how to fax the entire government of a province or email the US government.

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  126. easy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The man is a technology morom, he does not have an eMail address. He also does live in the National Captial. Imagine if the Pres of the USA didn't live in the White House. He is not worth the time of Day, let alone eMails. Aknowledged by his own party as the worst treasurer in Oz history.

  127. Re:oh dear god by chenwah · · Score: 1

    Actually, John Howard is notable for being the first Prime Minister to not actually live in our national capital.

    He lives with his family in the Sydney's historic Kirribili House, not in the traditional Prime Ministerial residence, the Lodge in Canberra.

    dickhead :-)

  128. Re:oh dear god by Narcissus · · Score: 1

    400 homes isn't international news? That's all kinda relative I suppose: being in Australia, we hear about any relative large fire in the US where homes are destroyed, as well as tornadoes etc.

    So maybe 400 homes isn't international news in America, but in a lot of other places it is.

    Especially when we are talking about 400 homes in our capital city. We're not talking some pokey town in the middle of the bush. If Washington DC had 400 homes burn down in bushfire, would you expect us to know about it?

    I've wondered a few times why it would be that we seem to hear about any fires over there, and yet you guys seem to not hear/care about anything over here. I suppose the first instinct is to say (like, unfortunately, most things) "Well, what do you expect? It's not happening in America, so it's not really happening...", but maybe it's also more a matter of what we are tuned to. In Australia, no matter where you live, from a very young age you are taught about bushfire safety and survival. They're so common that it's assumed that you will need to know how to survive/deal with one at least once in your life. So when there are bushfires overseas, we feel for that a lot more, and so show it on TV.

    Don't know: as far as I'm aware, there's no real way of doing a good test on that at the moment. We can't really compare that to anything happening over here that you guys would be feeling for right now.

    Then again, part of the reason we heard so much of your bushfires last year at least was because of the number of firefighters we sent over to help.

  129. Howard doesn't live in Canberra by boldra · · Score: 1

    John Howard chose to keep "Kiribilli House" on Sydney's north shore as his primary residence. He was the first Prime Minister for about 30 years to reject the official residence "the lodge" in Canberra.

    --
    I've been posting on the net since 1994 and I still haven't come up with a good sig!
  130. Pointy-Haired Prime Ministers.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have the web form printed out and read to them.

  131. Re:Ok, what the heck by nagora · · Score: 1
    Rather than debate these details I'd rather suggest that the lesson on both sides of the Atlantic is that money buys too much access to the law-makers. I can't see that these differences in electoral and governmental theory have played out in either country to a practical improvement in the people's involvement in and representation by the government of the day.

    Almost all politicians are crooks at heart and any system that involves them is doomed to become corrupt over time no matter how well designed it is initially. "Who watches the watchmen?" is the eternal question in representative democracy and the answer is always "no one" in the long run.

    It happens than I don't think that the American system is better even in theory but it is not important anymore as both systems have now failed utterly from their ideals; neither Americans or Britons have any real involvement in what are becoming two of the the world's greatest Plutocracies.

    TWW

    --
    "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
  132. Re:Anti-American sentiment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you trying to say that there is no justification for this?

    No other countries are self-righteous enough to attack another country pre-emptively.

    I'm not self righteous. It is just that watching people getting murdered/bombed on CNN leaves one hell of a bitter taste in my mouth and not saying anything seems like a total betrayal of human values.

  133. John Howard's Email addy by os2fan · · Score: 1

    is eParliment eHouse, eCanberra, e2600 :)

    --
    OS/2 - because choice is a terrible thing to waste.
  134. Re:oh dear god by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Um, what happened on November 9th?

    Yeah I always wonder that too when people go on about 9/11 ...

    an aussie

  135. well.. US news sources are rubbish.. by kinsalis · · Score: 1

    If you check out the average American news source... there is very little international coverage. Contrast this to news in Australia, Canada, the UK etc and you will see why it is easy for a US citizen to be unaware of the world around them. Hell, most news shown on TV seems to barely make it out of the state, let alone the US!

    Fact is it doesn't make financial sense to cover the world events because
    1) Americans don't know or care about most of the places that will pop up in news stories
    2) It is much more lucrative to be focusing in on the murders and local news.

    The world news you supposedly follow is most likely "US Iraqi conflict" and nothing more.
    Swap CNN for the BBC or the Sydney Morning Herald and you'll start to see a bit more of world news and events.

  136. I Know what it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Easy
    foul.little.turd@onenation.org.au

  137. You're being sarcastic?!?!? by weighn · · Score: 1

    Nah mate, its the truth. I read it in a Murdoch paper.

    --
    Mongrel News all the news that fits and froths
  138. Not everyone agrees with you too :-) by /Idiot\ · · Score: 1

    Mr. Moore (http://www.michaelmoore.com) often puts it in quotes.

    It's not about disagreing with his politics (which many do) or thinking he is a moron (ahem, ditto) or anything else. It's about if he is infact an elected presedent or if he installed himself in the position with the help of the courts, a big wad of cash and daddys old mates...

    --
    /dev/Idiot/
  139. Don't waste your time... by /Idiot\ · · Score: 1

    Download this:

    http://www.pm.gov.au/images/newsroom/head_shot.j pg

    Print it on nice paper and use it for whatever you like, you can even talk to it :-0 /me ducks

    --
    /dev/Idiot/
  140. How to reach him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just hire one of the spam companies to send all of Austrailia a "Refinance", "Herbal Viagra", "Lolita" or "Kangaroo Sex" email, with an opt out in it.

  141. John Howard's Livejournal by petbath · · Score: 1
    http://www.livejournal.com/users/john_howard/

    By crikey its the real thing cobbers!

  142. Hey! Don't joke by hayden · · Score: 1

    We've already had one Prime Minister go missing. Went swimming one day and the body was never found. Rumour has it he was picked up by an American submarine ...

    --
    Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
  143. Can't even own guns? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I can recall, the American government wanted to ban guns several times, but were restricted to do this by their constitution.

    Anyway, my opinion of this is that if someone is free to kill someone then the other person should be able to be free not to be killed.

  144. Re:oh dear god by buck_wild · · Score: 1

    I wonder how many people we sent over to there to help you?

    --
    If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  145. OMG... you are all idiots by DzugZug · · Score: 1

    http://www.pm.gov.au/your_feedback/feedback.htm

    This took me all of 15 seconds to find. :P

  146. Re:oh dear god by brettper · · Score: 1
    Canberra, where the Prime Minister lives...


    Well that's the idea anyways. In practice Johnny seems to spend most of his time in Sydney, ostensibly because his kids go to school there but I think they've left school by now.
  147. lets go beat up on some cats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What was the name of the little dog in the Bugs Bunny Show who used to urge the big dog to go beat up some cats and ended up facing the Kangaroo.Johnny Howard???

  148. Re:oh dear god by sg_oneill · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well, none. But us Aussies are quite gratefull of the letters (we read in newspapers) from american firefighters offering (and being frusturated about not being able to repay the aussie firefighters by coming over and helping).

    I recon if politicians had as much international solidarity as firefighters seem to, war'd be an arcane memory from the history books.

    We sure do get alot of fires down here, heck australian fires are probably the hottest (Eucalyptus trees oft burn at many thousands degrees +(celcius) , but this canbera thing is rather ungood.

    That said there was a part of me that was hoping to see parliment on fire ;) [note for international kids;- Aussies tend not to be precious about our politicians.. So the nothing-sacred humor should be taken in that context]

    --
    Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
  149. I Agree.... This is nuts. by Teancum · · Score: 1

    There is a vocal minority on /. that is very defensive about the fact that Gore did not win the 2000 US Presidential election. More to the point, Bush knew the rules and was a very observant politician knowing that it wasn't popular votes but rather electorial votes that got him elected. He decided to go along with that strategy and won.

    The whole thing in Florida wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't been able to get so many other electorial votes from other states (think Mondale in 1984).

    In regards to the electorial college being disbanded, I think there are some very good reasons to keep it around:

    1) Just in case of a serious accident. If the president-elect were to die somehow before being sworn into office, there is no constitutional provision to deal with who should take his place. The electorial college would then have a free-for-all in deciding a new president (although I would guess that it would probabally be from the same political party as the president-elect in this case).

    2) The electoral college gives smaller states a larger voice in the presidential elections. A voter in Wyoming, for instance, has three times as much voting power (or more it could be argued) than a voter in California or Texas. That is the way it was set up when the constitution was written, because states like Deleware and Connecticut felt they were going to be left out whenever a federal election was going to occur.

  150. Re:oh dear god by Narcissus · · Score: 2, Funny

    It would be interesting to see parliament on fire, if only to see how many people really wouldn't piss on a politician, even if they were on fire...

  151. Flamebait?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How is this flamebait. Hey moderator, ever been to Australia? You'll find every word wombat wrote is true!

  152. Re:oh dear god by buck_wild · · Score: 1

    You know what they say:

    Light a man a fire, and he's warm for the night.
    Light a mon ON fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.

    --
    If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  153. Re:oh dear god by Alan_Exs · · Score: 1

    >We're not talking some pokey town in the middle of the bush

    Never been to Canberra, have you?

  154. Re:i think.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i was reading this quickly and thought you said "the only good muslim is a dead muslim" lol darn mental freudian slip

  155. Re:oh dear god by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bushfire in DC?
    whats gonna burn...

    The President?

    are you making a threat? ...cause if u are...
    that's it

    WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!