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Aussies deploy fancy new anti-terror weapons

posted at 1:09 pm on November 27, 2007 by Bryan
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If the Bush administration did something like this, there would be no end of caterwauling about it.

MEET Australia’s latest weapons in the war on terror – a florist, shop assistant and a publican.

The frontline of the fight against terrorism just got a whole lot closer to home, with police recruiting shopkeepers and businesses to be the eyes and ears of the community.

The country’s biggest counter-terrorism initiative – secureNSW – is being rolled out across the state.

Businesses on tourist strips, bars, restaurants, hotels, transport hubs and shopping centres – the sort of places targeted by terrorists overseas – are being asked to be on guard and report anything suspicious.

The aim is to raise awareness of the terrorist threat as police work with businesses to develop security, making the community less vulnerable to attack and saving lives.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think that the Australians have bought into all that BushCo nonsense that there’s an actual terrorism threat out there. How long before Naomi Wolf writes a book about Australia’s creeping fascism?

Emmanuel Theoharis, who has run the Eddy Avenue Florist at Central Railway Station for 37 years, is happy to be part of the plan.

“The police do a good job but they can’t be everywhere,” he said.

Chickenhawk!


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Layla makes me want to buy flowers

JasonG on November 27, 2007 at 1:14 PM

Big Bother’s watching, mate! Good on ‘em!

Frozen Tex on November 27, 2007 at 1:15 PM

Word. A thousand points of light.

Jaibones on November 27, 2007 at 1:15 PM

I wonder if the Aus gov’t issued a list to help guide people to identify what “suspicious” means… If there is no guidance this measure will backfire as a “tool to criminalize brown people” or something like that.

AlexB on November 27, 2007 at 1:17 PM

Chickenhawk!

Ha ha! I love it.

NTWR on November 27, 2007 at 1:18 PM

Layla makes me want to buy flowers

JasonG on November 27, 2007 at 1:14 PM

Seconded.

Burka? No freakin’ way, bub.

BKennedy on November 27, 2007 at 1:22 PM

I like turtles.

saint kansas on November 27, 2007 at 1:25 PM

Go Australia.

Oy oy oy!

Hawkins1701 on November 27, 2007 at 1:31 PM

Uncovered Meat

Kini on November 27, 2007 at 1:35 PM

How do I get on Layla Tavuz watch list?

DANEgerus on November 27, 2007 at 1:38 PM

“caterwauling??”

Now, there’s a word you don’t see everyday.

Watch out for them publicans.

locomotivebreath1901 on November 27, 2007 at 1:39 PM

Is Layla a weapon like those fabled Israeli “stripper soldiers” that peel off their uniforms and distract the stone-throwing Palestinians so other soldiers can sneak up on them?

Frozen Tex on November 27, 2007 at 1:53 PM

Businesses…are being asked to be on guard and report anything suspicious.

Can they be sued a la the “Flying Imams” for reporting this suspicious activity?

JetBoy on November 27, 2007 at 1:57 PM

Layla is definitely fancy…

Tim Burton on November 27, 2007 at 2:11 PM

They better have their eyes on those blue-eyed, little old ladies, who go to Church. Australia simply cannot forget all of the dead, at the hands of those blue-eyed, little old ladies, who go to Church.

OhEssYouCowboys on November 27, 2007 at 2:12 PM

Layla…..Lord have mercy!

The perfect face to go with the song.

infidel4life on November 27, 2007 at 2:41 PM

Bryan,

The Department of Homeland Security has been working with the private sectors since 2003, allowing average Joes to be the eyes and ears on the streets for their sectors. Truckers, real estate, water, electric, transportation, chemical, etc, all have what are known as ISACs to share information among themselves, and when needed, with the Feds to track suspicious people and activities.

Threats you hear about to bridges, highways, stolen uniforms, trucks, etc., don’t come from cops, they come from alert citizens working within the DHS framework.

That’s why I laugh about all the gibberish about domestic spying. The communications companies can do it themselves and simply share suspicious information with the Feds on the DL, which is how DHS designed it.

BelchSpeak on November 27, 2007 at 2:50 PM

I Am Average Joe.

Frozen Tex on November 27, 2007 at 3:00 PM

Quoted from the article above

“Emmanuel Theoharis, who has run the Eddy Avenue Florist at Central Railway Station for 37 years, is happy to be part of the plan.

“The police do a good job but they can’t be everywhere,” he said.”

I am concerned with Emmauel Theorharis’ name being included in the news item.

I wonder how long it will be before Emmanuel and other shop keepers are found dead.

But, don’t think anything about it if they are found dead, or even just harassed and vandalized, or threatened. It would never be a Jihadi who would kill them. After all, they are just being racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic, religiously intolerant infidels, and we all know that member of the Religion of Peace and Love, Compassion and Mercy, would NEVER hurt a flea!

If something happens to them, it must have been a fluke, or they did it to themselves.

William

William2006 on November 27, 2007 at 3:50 PM

Bryan, I think this is the funny post you have ever done.

Bill C on November 27, 2007 at 4:23 PM

Secure NSW ? New South Wales or something the state not all of Australia ?

SIJ6141 on November 27, 2007 at 6:13 PM

SIJ6141 on November 27, 2007 at 6:13 PM

Yes, it appears to be a regional initiative.

Frozen Tex on November 27, 2007 at 6:24 PM

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