‘Behaving very badly’: NATO boss has Australia’s back on China ‘bullying’

Latika Bourke - March 24, 2021

London: NATO’s Secretary-General has vowed to back Australia in its disputes with China, saying the superpower “had behaved very badly against Australia” after it pushed for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

Jens Stoltenberg said he wanted to expand the trans-Atlantic body to non-members as a way for “like-minded democracies” to stand up to what he called bullying by Beijing.

Stoltenberg is pursuing an ambitious broadening of NATO’s mission in the next decade. His strategy focuses heavily on pushing back against authoritarian Russia and China and calls for greater involvement of non-NATO member countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

Asked by the Herald and The Age to outline what greater co-operation would involve, Stoltenberg said it was vital to show a united front in the face of bad behaviour.

“They have behaved very badly against Australia after Australia asked for an independent investigation into the origins of coronavirus,” he said from Brussels during a virtual news conference.

“It is important to demonstrate we’re able to stand together when we see China trying to bully countries all over the world.”

Foreign ministers from NATO’s 30 member nations are meeting in Brussels to discuss adopting “a more global outlook”.

NATO bonds Europe and the United States and was formed in the shadow of World War II to deal with the threat of the Soviet Union and prevent further conflict in Europe. It considers an attack on any member state an attack on all.

Stoltenberg recounted being on the receiving end of Beijing’s retaliation in 2010 when he was prime minister of Norway and the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the democracy activist Liu Xiaobo.

Liu supported the student uprising that ended in the Tiananmen Square massacre and was a frequent critic of the Chinese government. He received the prize for his non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.

“China just immediately imposed a lot of heavy measures against Norway,” Stoltenberg recalled. It did not normalise ties with Norway until six years later when Norway promised it would “do its best to avoid any future damage to the bilateral relations”.

“So, this is a behaviour that just calls on all like-minded democracies to stand together,” Stoltenberg said.

“Of course we do that as 30 allies in NATO but we also see the value of doing that with like-minded countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea in the Asia-Pacific region.”

He said this could involve an exchange of information and jointly participating in unspecified “activities”.

“But first of all, I think we should sit down and see how we can gradually expand and strengthen our partnership,” he said.

Stoltenberg visited Australia in 2019 and nominated fighting terrorism, including Islamic State, bolstering NATO’s cyber defences and dealing with China’s economic and military might as future areas of greater collaboration.

Canberra’s world-leading ban on Huawei building Australia’s 5G telecoms network has since been adopted by the United States and Britain. NATO members are under pressure to ensure their telecommunications systems are reliable as part of Stoltenberg’s call for nations to adopt “whole of society resilience” strategy.

Rory Medcalf, the head of ANU’s National Security College, said it was logical for Australia to collaborate more with NATO, but that would not mean seeing NATO forces in the Indo-Pacific nor an Australian physical presence in Europe.

“Because security is global and doesn’t respect geographical boundaries what we can usefully do together is work on protecting our critical infrastructure, on cyber, on espionage and foreign interference,” Medcalf said.

”And in the long-run, Australia and NATO collaborating on the global power balance — managing China and Russia — is actually more important to both sides than our collaboration on terrorism, which is how Australia and NATO originally got together.“

Australia has been working with NATO since 2005 and is one of six countries considered an “enhanced” partner alongside Finland, Georgia, Jordan, Sweden and Ukraine.

Australia provides support to NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq and in 2018 took part in the NATO military exercise Trident Juncture in Norway that involved 50,000 participants from 21 nations.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Prime Minister Scott Morrison were contacted for comment.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/behaving-very-badly-nato-boss-has-australia-s-back-on-china-bullying-20210324-p57dgp.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixN7NySuyO4

>>13241520

China’s ‘blatant coercion’ of Australia is a lesson for the world, says Antony Blinken

Matthew Knott - March 25, 2021

Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has singled out China’s “blatant economic coercion of Australia” as an example of the urgent threats democratic nations around the world face from increasingly assertive authoritarian regimes.

In a major speech on America’s alliances, Blinken said the Biden administration will not force countries into an “us or them” choice with China. But he called for democratic nations to work closer together to counter the rising superpower’s “aggressive actions” and technological advancements.

Blinken, who clashed spectacularly with Chinese diplomats at a meeting in Alaska last week, said he would particularly like to see democratic nations join forces to develop an global alternative to China’s 5G technology.

“There’s no question that Beijing’s coercive behaviour threatens our collective security and prosperity, and that it is actively working to undercut the rules of the international system and the values we and our allies share,” Blinken said in a speech at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

“But that doesn’t mean that countries can’t work with China where possible, for example, on challenges like climate change and health security.

Blinken said the Biden administration knows its allies have “complex relationships with China that won’t always align perfectly”.

“But we need to navigate these challenges together,” he said.

“That means working with our allies to close the gaps in areas like technology and infrastructure, where Beijing is exploiting to exert coercive pressure.

“We’ll rely on innovation, not ultimatums.”

Blinken said the major threats faced by the US and its allies could be grouped into three categories, with the first being military threats from countries such as China and Russia.

“We see this in China’s efforts to threaten freedom of navigation, to militarise the South China Sea, to target countries throughout the Indo-Pacific with increasingly sophisticated military capabilities,” he said.

“Beijing’s military ambitions are growing by the year.”

The second category was non-military threats in the form of “technological, economic, and informational tactics that threaten our security”.

“From China’s blatant economic coercion of Australia, to Russia’s use of disinformation to erode confidence in elections and in safe, effective vaccines – these aggressive actions threaten not only our individual countries, but also our shared values,” he said.

The third category was global crises such as climate change and COVID-19.

Blinken said the co-ordinated sanctions imposed this week by Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom on Chinese officials for atrocities committed against Uighurs in Xinjiang was a model to follow in the future.

Retaliatory sanctions by China “make it all the more important that we stand firm and stand together, or else risk sending the message that bullying works”, he said.

Blinken said he was concerned that modern communications technology was “being encroached upon by our adversaries”.

“Consider 5G, where China’s technology brings serious surveillance risks,” he said.

“We should bring together tech companies from countries like Sweden, Finland, South Korea, the United States, and use public and private investment to foster a secure and trustworthy alternative.”

Blinken said the elevation of the “Quad” - a strategic dialogue between the US, Australia, India and Japan - to leaders-level meetings this month demonstrated the importance the Biden administration places on alliances.

“We share a vision of a free, open, inclusive, and healthy Indo-Pacific region, unconstrained by coercion, and anchored by democratic values,” he said of the four Quad nations. “We make a good team.”

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/china-s-blatant-coercion-of-australia-is-a-lesson-for-the-world-says-antony-blinken-20210325-p57duc.html

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Reaffirming and Reimagining America’s Alliances

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE - MARCH 24, 2021

https://www.state.gov/reaffirming-and-reimagining-americas-alliances/

>>13279431

Peta Credlin says she sacked staffer at centre of lewd video, alleges orgies in Parliament

Latika Bourke - March 25, 2021

Sky News presenter and former federal parliamentary staffer Peta Credlin has revealed that she sacked the Coalition staffer featured in a video masturbating on the desk of a federal MP at Parliament House.

During her segment on Sky News on Wednesday night, Credlin also alleged that, in a separate case, evidence was found showing that another staffer had held orgies inside Parliament, including during question time when their boss was in the chamber.

Credlin, who served as chief of staff to former prime minister Tony Abbott, said she was collecting evidence for the review being carried out by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins into Parliament’s workplace culture.

She said on Sky News that, years earlier, she had dismissed the staffer featured in the lewd video for disloyalty and leaking against his boss.

After terminating the staffer’s employment, the man backgrounded journalists against her, Credlin said. She alleged that the man called her a “bitch” and said that she was “too tough”.

“That bloke I demanded to be sacked years earlier for disloyalty, for lying, for leaking against his boss,” she said.

“I sacked him and I said he would never be back while I worked in that building.”

The staffer was rehired when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister, she said, only to be dismissed this week following the publication of the lewd videos.

“The bloke I sacked came back and dozens more like him. Mid-career women, women of ability, lost out in roles to well-connected factional twenty-somethings with not much on their CV of note other than the ability to stack branches,” Credlin said.

“Much of the current mess on the ministerial blue carpet for the Coalition is a legacy from the Turnbull years.

“These are my first comments on incidents in the past. They will not be my last.”

Credlin said she would be “getting out every file note, every document, every bit of paper … I’ll do my best to drive change” in relation to Ms Jenkins’ review.

She sent a message to the three other men in the video, saying: “I know who you are. I see you.”

Credlin added: “The former minister who it is alleged had his male prostitutes delivered to Parliament House by this spiteful gang – signed in and all kept quiet – former minister I see you too.”

She said that while she had never had to deal with an allegation of rape during her time working for Mr Abbott, she would have dealt with it very differently to the way Prime Minister Scott Morrison had handled the issue.

In a separate case, Credlin said evidence was found showing that another staffer held gay orgies inside Parliament House.

She claimed that the evidence showed the orgies included Labor staffers as well as the Coalition man, and “a number of others, too”.

“When the MP cleaned out the former staffer’s desk, and the computer, that MP uncovered evidence that for many months, that staffer had regularly met with other men during the middle of the day – while the MP was in question time – for orgies in political offices,” she said.

Quotas not the answer

Credlin also criticised Mr Morrison’s change of heart on quotas to boost the number of female MPs.

She said that in the case of Brittany Higgins, three women – cabinet ministers Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash and Senator Reynolds’ chief of staff, Fiona Brown – “mishandled” the case despite all being female.

“I’m not so sure what they could have done here to improve things,” she said.

“Of course, I want to see more women in public life but I want them to advance on merit, not gender.”

National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line: 1800 737 732. Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au)

https://www.1800respect.org.au

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/peta-credlin-says-she-sacked-staffer-at-centre-of-lewd-video-alleges-gay-orgies-in-parliament-20210324-p57dtj.html

>>13293704

EXCLUSIVE: Peta Credlin reveals Canberra staffer incidents for first time

skynews.com.au - 24/03/2021

Sky News host Peta Credlin has spoken publicly for the first time about incidents which occurred during her 16 years working in Parliament House Canberra.

“I'm not alone amongst staff who have worked there, or who are working there right now tonight, to say I regard it as one of the great privileges of my life, to have been a political staffer,” Ms Credlin said.

“I know there are a lot of staff in the building at the moment, I know they feel ashamed by recent events even though they have never been anything other than professional – Liberal staffers, Labor staffers, National Party and crossbench staff.

“I have never dealt with allegations of rape inside Parliament House, and if I had – the lawyer in me, the woman in me - I can guarantee you I would have dealt with it very differently. But the filthy behaviour of some male staff masturbating over the desks of their MP employers, because it is reported, some of those MP’s voted against same sex marriage did not surprise me.

“It sickened me, as I am sure it sickened you, but it did not surprise me.

“I will tell you something now that I have never said publicly.”

Ms Credlin spoke of her time in the Leader of the Opposition’s office, during which she “had reason to recommend” the sacking of a staff member for “lying and disloyalty”.

“When the MP cleaned out the former staffer’s desk, and the computer, that MP uncovered evidence that for many months, that staffer had regularly met with other men during the middle of the day – while the MP was in Question Time – for orgies in political offices,” she said.

“Labor staffers, not just this Coalition man, and a number of others too.”

Ms Credlin said she asked the leader of the then-Opposition to “reinstate the old Howard government staff committee to vet appointments from here on in”, but he refused.

“The man sacked by the Morrison government this week for his disgusting acts on his MP's desk and its distribution on a little chat group – I mean how do you even think about doing that sort of crap at work – that bloke I demanded to be sacked years earlier for disloyalty, for lying, for leaking against his boss,” she said.

“That bloke is not the same as the man I told you about in the orgies – that was another circumstance.

“But the bloke that was sacked this week was someone I sacked many years earlier, he never forgave me for it … but you never heard my side of it did you?”

Ms Credlin said that after Malcolm Turnbull “rolled Abbott” and she was gone, “he was back”.

“He is not the only one. The other three that Peter Van Onselen broke in his story earlier this week, I know who you are. I see you,” she said.

“The former minister who it is alleged had his male prostitutes delivered to parliament house by this spiteful gang - signed in and all kept quiet, former minister I see you too.”

Ms Credlin said she “copped hit after hit” for years from unnamed sources about “staff being vetted” and “complaints that I had knocked back applicants from some ministers”.

“Yes I did, and I stand by every decision I made to knock them back. And I would do it all again,” she said.

“What you have seen in recent weeks is why I did it, and as a woman – boy I made some enemies.

“I have never publicly spoken about my side before, but given where we are, given the recent issues regarding women, given the anger so many good staff feel today about the poor reputations they are copping over the behaviour of a few, I am not going to stand silent anymore.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6243305977001

>>13260735

>>13260752

Larissa Waters retracts tweet against Peter Dutton, apologises

Following a demand from Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton about online posts, Greens senator Larissa Waters has apologised.

Matthew Killoran - March 24, 2021

Greens senator Larissa Waters has issued an “unreserved” apology to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton after calling him a “rape apologist” last month.

The Courier-Mail revealed on Saturday Mr Dutton had sent a legal letter to the Queensland senator demanding the apology and removal of online posts containing the insult.

Senator Waters’ comments were made on social media site Twitter in February, in reaction to a news article in which Mr Dutton referred to not knowing the “he said, she said” in the Brittany Higgins rape allegations that have rocked Parliament.

“WOMEN DO NOT LIE ABOUT BEING RAPED (Peter Dutton) YOU INHUMANE, SEXIST RAPE APOLOGIST,” she posted, with similar comments made in a press release.

Tonight she posted an apology to both Twitter and her own website.

“On 25 February 2021 I published a media release on my website, posted on my Twitter account, and made in the course of a press conference false and defamatory statements that Peter Dutton is a rape apologist, that he has sought to conceal and dismiss reports of rape, and that he has no sympathy for victims of rape,” she said.

“I accept that there was no basis for those allegations and that they were false. I unreservedly apologise to Minister Dutton for the hurt, distress and damage to his reputation I have caused him.”

Senator Waters’ original tweet was no longer online last night.

She has been outspoken on the rape, sexual assault and cultural issues that have engulfed Federal Parliament in the past month, also taking part in the March 4 Justice in Canberra on Monday.

On February 25 Mr Dutton told reporters that he had not told Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the alleged rape of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins on Parliament grounds before it went public, because he wasn’t provided with “the ‘she said, he said’ details of the allegations”, but he did pass “high level” details on to the Prime Minister’s office.

The following day Mr Dutton defended the comments, saying the rule of law needed to apply and that sexual assault and harassment were among the “most abhorrent acts that a man could ever perform”.

Mr Dutton’s office was contacted for comment.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/larissa-waters-retracts-tweet-against-peter-dutton-apologises/news-story/11d9476ee5c340db4d30e18b7b6437f1

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Greens Senator Larissa Waters Tweets

“Apology to Peter Dutton On 25 February 2021 I published a media release on my website, posted on my Twitter account, and made in the course of a press conference false and defamatory statements that Peter Dutton is a rape apologist, that he has sought to conceal and dismiss 1/2

https://twitter.com/larissawaters/status/1374639256895844353

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reports of rape, and that he has no sympathy for victims of rape. I accept that there was no basis for those allegations and that they were false. I unreservedly apologise to Minister Dutton for the hurt, distress and damage to his reputation I have caused him." 2/2

https://twitter.com/larissawaters/status/1374639398441029636

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Apology to Peter Dutton

LARISSA WATERS - 24 MAR 2021

On 25 February 2021 I published a media release on my website, posted on my Twitter account, and made in the course of a press conference false and defamatory statements that Peter Dutton is a rape apologist, that he has sought to conceal and dismiss reports of rape, and that he has no sympathy for victims of rape. I accept that there was no basis for those allegations and that they were false. I unreservedly apologise to Minister Dutton for the hurt, distress and damage to his reputation I have caused him.

https://larissa-waters.greensmps.org.au/articles/apology-peter-dutton

>>13169267

>>13173867

Myanmar’s darkest day sparks global military response

JOSEPH LAM - MARCH 28, 2021

Australia’s Chief of Defence Angus Campbell has issued a rare joint statement with armed force leaders around the world to condemn “the use of lethal force” by the military junta in Myanmar. The rebuke comes after Myanmar security forces killed more than 100 people including children in a brutal crackdown on protesters on Armed Forces Day, an annual holiday.

It was the worst bloodshed since the military overthrew the democratically elected government in early February.

Myanmar Now, a local media outlet, reported at least 114 ­people were killed in 40 cities.

“A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting — not harming — the people it serves,’ the statement from General Campbell and military chiefs in the US, Britain, New Zealand, Korea, Canada, Japan and several other countries on Sunday read.

“We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces to cease violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions.”

In a separate statement, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia condemned “in the strongest terms the continued and horrific use of lethal force against civilians in Myanmar”.

“These latest events are a deeply concerning escalation in violence,” she said. “We call urgently on the Myanmar security forces to exercise restraint, uphold the rule of law and allow the Myanmar people to exercise their rights to peaceful protest.”

The military junta has separately detained Australian economist Sean Turnell, previously an adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/myanmars-darkest-day-sparks-global-military-response/news-story/c84c48a42f1357bccb3c83bd3e9d30f5

https://twitter.com/Myanmar_Now_Eng/status/1375854856775237636

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Joint Statement of Chiefs of Defense Condemning Military-Sponsored Violence in Myanmar

28 March 2021

Chief of the Defence Force

General Angus J. Campbell, AO DSC

''The following is a joint statement of the Chiefs of Defense of Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.''

As Chiefs of Defense, we condemn the use of lethal force against unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services.

A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting – not harming – the people it serves.

We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces to cease violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions.

https://news.defence.gov.au/media/media-releases/joint-statement-chiefs-defense-condemning-military-sponsored-violence-myanmar

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Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

Australia strongly condemns the continued & horrific use of lethal force against civilians in Myanmar. We urgently call on the Myanmar security forces to exercise restraint, uphold the rule of law & allow the Myanmar people to exercise their rights to peaceful protest.

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1375987777611784193

>>13184887

Who is Q? Maker of HBO docuseries ‘Q: Into the Storm’ believes he has the answer

MEREDITH BLAKE - MARCH 28, 2021

1/3

Warning: This story contains spoilers from future installments of HBO’s “Q: Into the Storm,” whose first two episodes aired Sunday.

The new HBO docuseries, “Q: Into the Storm,” attempts to answer one of the most urgent questions of our time: Who controls QAnon, the elaborate but baseless conspiracy theory whose followers believe the world is run by an elite cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.

Over the course of three years, as QAnon migrated from the fringes of the internet into mainstream American politics, filmmaker Cullen Hoback attempted to determine the identity of Q, the anonymous poster who claimed to be a high-ranking government official and managed to lure thousands — if not millions — of people into an alternate reality where JFK Jr. is still alive.

A documentarian with an interest in digital privacy — a subject explored in his 2013 film, “Terms and Conditions May Apply” — Hoback became curious about QAnon in 2018 when Reddit, the hugely popular message board, banned QAnon forums. “What was an idea that was so pernicious that they felt it warranted banning?” Hoback asks. “And might banning it actually make people more interested in it?”

That may be the case. Though QAnon originated in one of the most toxic corners of the internet — the unregulated image board 8chan, later known as 8kun, a notorious bastion for hate speech and breeding ground for mass shooters — it quickly spread to everyday platforms including YouTube and Facebook.

The six-part series focuses less on the many Americans sucked into the QAnon vortex, or even the theory’s destabilizing impact on democracy, than the digital cesspool from which it emerged. Hoback gained unique access to Fred Brennan, the founder of 8chan, as well as Jim and Ron Watkins, the shadowy father-son team who took over the platform and fought to keep it online amid growing public backlash.

“I wanted to unmask whoever was behind this, because I thought that that might bring the whole thing to a conclusion,” says Hoback, who spent a collective four months filming with his main subjects.

The investigation took him around the globe from Italy to the Philippines and finally to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 as an angry mob of Trump supporters — many outfitted in Q gear— stormed the Capitol. After pursuing several false leads, Hoback ultimately determines that Q is not a high-ranking member of the military nor even a shadowy political operative but Ron Watkins, a porn-loving bro with a flat affect, a nervous blinking habit and a disturbing lack of empathy.

Hoback unpacked his investigation and its conclusions for The Times; this conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Did you worry that by making this series you might be giving more attention to QAnon and granting a platform to people like Ron and Jim Watkins?

Over the last few years we’ve seen people try censorship, they’ve tried ignoring it, they’ve tried attacking it. And the only thing that hadn’t really been tried yet is just showing it for what it is and the personalities behind it. Now almost 20% of Americans believe in QAnon. Fifty-two percent of Americans, according to an NPR poll, think that it’s possible that our country is run by a group of pedophilic elites. [Editor’s note: 54% of Americans in the poll say either it’s true that a Satanic pedophile ring controls politics and the media or that they “don’t know.”] So whatever we’ve been doing so far hasn’t worked. I thought I would try a different approach, which was the antiseptic of sunlight. I think most QAnons, most people who deeply believe in Q, have no idea the kind of place that Q posts [8chan] and have no idea regarding the personalities behind it.

It’s not like we’re just handing Ron and Jim a microphone and saying “Go!” This is a carefully curated and thought-out piece of work designed to reveal Q for what it is. So it’s just a different way of thinking about it.

(continued)

>>13320247

2/3

You have been following the issue of digital privacy for years. What is your take on it now?

The situation on the internet has gotten far worse since I made [“Terms and Conditions May Apply”] back in 2013. Privacy is all but dead on the internet, and privacy needs to be dead for Silicon Valley’s business model to thrive. One of the things I’ve learned through this production is a lot of people right now are pointing at the speech and saying, “This speech is dangerous, this speech needs to be silenced.” And, to me, the speech is almost a symptom of something much deeper. Not just fractures in society but deeper problems with how the internet is currently functioning. We can trace it back to digital privacy. If all these companies hadn’t been collecting thousands of data points on each of us, then they wouldn’t have been able to target us with manipulation campaigns and drive us into echo chambers. By virtue of having these psychometric profiles on each of us, we now have this ecosystem of hyper-polarization and that manifests in the form of extreme speech.

It’s also worth noting that the algorithms drive us toward increasingly sensational content. QAnon wouldn’t have been successful without those algorithms.

One of the things you see in the series is we’re always going three hops away from some QAnon-related content. You could be looking at Tom Hanks in “Toy Story” on YouTube and be three clicks away from “Tom Hanks is a pedophile.” That’s completely factually ridiculous, but it didn’t matter. That’s how so many people gravitated toward QAnon, especially in the early days; YouTube didn’t really start restricting QAnon-related content until October of 2020. And [YouTube and others] didn’t describe the problem as the algorithms having driven people to this content. They just described the content as the problem.

Over the course of making this series, did you get a sense of why this theory — which seems so ludicrous on its face — has gained such a foothold with the public?

There’s a real anti-establishment thread that runs through most of the people who believe in QAnon and a high capacity for religious conspiratorial thinking. A lot of the people who follow QAnon feel like a lot of things in society have failed them. They’ve stopped trusting expertise. They’ve turned away from institutions. And they’re looking to other sources, but then they find sources that are much worse and far less reputable.

I think a big part of it is that people feel like there’s something wrong in the world. But the banality of evil isn’t sexy. It’s hard to understand. And what QAnon does is it takes heaven and hell and says actually it’s right here on Earth. It puts things in very black and white, super concrete — completely false, but concrete — terms that make it easier for people to understand, as opposed to looking at the nuanced complexities that lead to something like the banking crisis or the war in Iraq. It’s easy to use these old tropes saying there’s an evil group out there that’s out to get you as opposed to looking at the complex systems that allow this.

(continued)

>>13320253

3/3

Do you think the identity of Q even matters to followers? Will they care if Q is, in fact, just a troll with a powerful platform?

Absolutely. Something I heard a lot along the way from anons was that it doesn’t matter who Q was. But when I pressed all of them deep down, they all really wanted to know. So much of Q’s power is derived from anonymity. Q doesn’t come with any of the baggage that a normal person would come with. If you take off the mask, it reveals all of the ugliness and it’s all connected to a person. And Q understands that. I think a lot of people who follow QAnon are feeling pretty misled right now. They’re unsure if there was ever any plan at all. And they’re looking for answers, post-insurrection.

Something I’ve learned through the process of making this is just how powerful belief really is. Pretend to be something long enough and you become that thing. In the beginning I think a lot of people weren’t sure if they believed QAnon; they were kind of playing along, but over time they came to believe it. And over time those who were behind QAnon tried to make it become real, tried to meme Q into existence. And to some extent, that’s what happened on the 6th [of January], that was their attempt to make Q manifest.

Tell me about being at the Capitol on Jan. 6. You were clearly expecting something like that to happen.

I was extremely anxious going into the 6th. I personally thought it was going to be much worse than it was, I was expecting things to break out into a much more severe conflict. I didn’t get much sleep the two nights before it. I was there to document Jim and to see how he felt about his website’s involvement in what was happening that day. It was one of the more nerve-racking experiences. You can never tell if Jim is being sincere or joking. He uses humor to mask something more sinister. But when he’s there, screaming [to encourage people who’d penetrated the Capitol], “Out the window!” I think you see what his desires were.

Did you get any sense of what makes Jim and Ron tick — what motivates them? They’re pretty inscrutable characters.

When it finally clicked for me is that segment in Episode 4, where Ron is talking about Diogenes. He sees this pseudo-Socrates-gone-mad character as a role model: cynicism as an ideology. And he respects and enjoys the idea of taking a s— in the middle of the town square just to troll people, with this mentality of “Well, the dog can do it, why can’t I?” And I feel like that’s his entire mentality in life. They are the embodiment of the websites that they host. They’re constantly trolling and trying to provoke a response, whether that response is something that’s humorous or something that’s scary. They also see the world as a game. There’s a nihilism to it.

In the end, how certain are you that Ron Watkins is Q?

I think we made a very strong case in the series for Ron being the linchpin in QAnon, and having been that linchpin since late 2017 or early 2018. That’s not to say that there aren’t people working with Ron. We paint a picture of the bigger network. But Q only works with Ron. And when you see all of the things that he was covering up, the ways he changes his story and covers up his own fascination with all of the theories and ideas that he had; all of that, he had everything. He has the motive, he has the technical skills. … So yes, I do think Ron is Q.

Meredith Blake is an entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times based out of New York City, where she primarily covers television. A native of Bethlehem, Pa., she graduated from Georgetown University and holds a master’s degree from New York University.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-03-28/qanon-docuseries-hbo-who-is-q

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>>13307537

GT Voice: Complicating trade issues won’t help Canberra’s woes

Global Times - Mar 28, 2021

While some in Australia claim to be seeking talks with China to address bilateral trade tensions, ironically those Australians never stop playing political games by insulting China, drifting such a talk further away.

Over the weekend, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Chinese tariffs on Australian wine are "retaliation," and, quite ridiculously, he asserted that "I stood with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson" after China took the countermeasures of sanctioning a handful of UK individuals and entities for fabricating Xinjiang's using "forced labor" to pick local cotton.

His remarks came out against the background that China's Ministry of Commerce decided to impose anti-dumping duties ranging from 116.2-218.4 percent on imported Australian wine, starting from Sunday and effective for five years.

It is not the first time that Canberra has accused China's imposing anti-dumping duties as "retribution," while turning a blind eye to illicit trade practices taken by Australian wine companies.

In fact, Australian wine is not as innocent as it sounds. According to an application filed by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association, Australian wine exports to China reached 120,800 kiloliters in 2019, up sharply by 113 percent from 2015. During the same period, the average export price of Australian wine fell 13.36 percent in the Chinese market.

Impacted by cheap wine imports, China's domestic production of similar wine products suffered a significant drop of 61.11 percent, shrinking from 1.16 million kiloliters in 2015 to only 451,500 kiloliters in 2019.

From the initiation of the anti-dumping investigation to the final ruling, every move by China has been based on the comprehensive assessment of objective facts and data. Regardless of whether Australia will take China to the World Trade Organization, China's decision to levy anti-dumping duties is in line with Chinese laws as well as international trade norms.

It is true that China-Australia trade is currently in a downward spiral. But the irony is that the Australian government appears more willing to exploit politics, instead of resolving the real problems.

Since the administration of former US President Donald Trump, Canberra had always followed the heels of Washington politicians and other US allies to smear and insult China. For an example, on Friday, Morrison echoed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's criticism of China's "economic coercion of Australia." Morrison flattered Blinken, saying that Australia "really appreciates the great support we've had from liberal democracies all around the world. None less so than the United States."

Politicians in Canberra may think they can count on the US and other allies to put pressure on China and address its trade woes, but they are likely to be in for a big disappointment.

Beijing has adhered to an independent foreign policy and China won't budge before foreign pressure, no matter it is from Washington, London, Ottawa or Canberra.

China has been calling on Australia to take genuine measures to rectify its trade problems by stopping dumping its wine and other products to the Chinese market. And, we once again suggest Canberra reflect on its past behavior and stop interfering into China's internal affairs, but regrettably, Canberra has kept resistant to the path of making things right.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1219654.shtml

>>13327823

A lawsuit names Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell and alleges actions sinister even by his standards

JULIE K. BROWN - MARCH 30, 2021

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In early 2008, as financier Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyers were waging what would become a successful campaign to get the Justice Department to drop its sex trafficking case against their client, Epstein and his purported madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, were allegedly raping a 26-year-old South Florida real estate broker who claims in a lawsuit filed last week that Epstein trafficked her to other men, including a local judge.

The story stands out among a number of civil claims that have been filed in recent months against the late financier’s estate and his co-executors, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn. While most of the allegations involving Epstein and his associates follow a similar pattern involving how victims were recruited and abused, the case filed March 22 involves allegations far more sinister than others.

The woman, who is identified only as “Jane Doe,” claims that Epstein and Maxwell repeatedly raped her in front of her 8-year-old son at a hotel in Naples, Florida, in early 2008; that they trafficked her to have sex with a number of other men, including an unnamed local judge; and that Epstein forced her to undergo vaginal surgery so that he could market her as a virgin to one of their “high-profile” clients.

She is represented by two teams of lawyers, one from the New York law firm Phillips & Paolicelli; and the other Coffey Burlington, based in Miami, whose founding partner, Kendall Coffey, is a former U.S. attorney in Miami.

Indyke and Kahn’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Maxwell’s longtime attorney, Laura Menninger.

A video conference on the case is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday before a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale.

Doe, identified in the claim only as a real estate broker at the time who sold properties in and around Palm Beach, said she met Epstein and Maxwell sometime in late 2006 or early 2007 at a barbecue hosted by her employer, who knew Epstein well. Doe, who was approximately 26 at the time, was a native of Turkey who lived in Broward County, according to the complaint.

Her employer, who is not identified in the lawsuit, told her that Epstein wanted to rent or purchase a piece of real estate, and she ultimately found him a property to rent for $10,000 a month. The suit says he paid cash and she was directed not to identify the tenant or process Epstein’s identification.

Epstein expressed an interest in hiring her to work for him and as an inducement he gave her expensive gifts and promised to find her and her then-husband “highly-placed” employment, the suit says.

The woman claims that in the middle of 2007, Maxwell, who went by the nickname “G-Max,” took her passport for “safekeeping,’’ and Doe later learned that Epstein kept it in a locked box inside his Palm Beach estate, the lawsuit says.

About six months later, Doe, “persuaded by the persistent efforts of Maxwell,” agreed to consider working for Epstein. A trained hairdresser, Doe said she was hired to go to Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion in January 2008 to cut Epstein’s hair. When she arrived, Epstein was naked and, with Maxwell’s assistance, brutally raped her, according to the lawsuit.

At the time, the woman recalls Epstein had guns in his possession which were displayed to her in order to frighten and intimidate her.

After the assault, Epstein alleged gave Doe $200.

She attempted to leave, telling them she intended to report the rape. Maxwell, in response, claimed that she had already called the police. Two men who claimed to be police officers arrived at Epstein’s mansion and threatened to arrest Doe for prostitution, to take away her son and deport her, according to the suit.

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Then Epstein and Maxwell ordered Doe to drive with them in Doe’s vehicle, picking up her son along the way. During the trip, they pulled off the side of the road to a waterway filled with alligators.

“Epstein then ushered the plaintiff to the body of water and told her in explicit detail that — as had happened to other women in the past, according to the pair — she would end up in this body of water and be devoured should she ever reveal what Epstein had done to her,’’ the suit says.

At a hotel in Naples, over a period of days, Doe was repeatedly raped by Epstein and Maxwell in the presence of her young son, she said.

Over the next five months, until May 2008, they threatened and intimidated her by emphasizing Epstein’s influence over the FBI, the U.S. Office of Homeland Security’s Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Florida state and local law enforcement, according to the lawsuit.

The woman said Epstein also promised to help find her husband a job with the FBI, and used that incentive and others as leverage to force her to have sex with other men, including an older, heavyset man named “Walter,” and another older man who identified himself to Doe as a local judge, according to the complaint.

She was repeatedly photographed and videotaped naked and performing lewd activities during this time, she said.

Doe, who appeared much younger than 26, was told to tell clients that she was 17. In May 2008, she said Epstein forced her to have unwanted vaginal surgery, which was conducted “in a wealthy person’s home by a man with a Russian accent,’’ to “create the false impression that she was a virgin for a ‘high-profile’ client,’’ according to the lawsuit.

The procedure left the plaintiff mutilated and permanently damaged, the lawsuit alleges.

Doe said that in April 2008, she was directed to keep a locked box for Epstein, which she was instructed she could never open or she would be killed. She was also given burner phones and other electronic devices that Epstein was seeking to hide from law enforcement authorities, the lawsuit claims.

Eventually the box and other materials were retrieved by Maxwell in May 2008, according to the lawsuit.

It’s not clear when the alleged abuse ended. Jane Doe said she was so traumatized by the events and fearful of Epstein’s power that she was too afraid for both herself and her son to notify authorities. She was also from a devout Muslim family and worried that the facts would bring great shame on her family, the suit says.

During the time that the assaults are alleged to have occurred, Epstein had hired a roster of powerful lawyers to help defend him against charges that he had molested and assaulted at least three dozen girls, most of them 14 to 16 years old, at his Palm Beach estate. While federal prosecutors prepared a 53-page indictment, Epstein’s lawyers, including famed prosecutor turned defense lawyer Kenneth Starr, appealed to the Department of Justice in Washington, urging them to intervene in the South Florida case.

They argued that Epstein’s offenses did not rise to the level of federal offense. The then-U.S. attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta, ultimately signed off on a plea deal in which Epstein and a number of others were given federal immunity. Epstein was instead sentenced in state court on prostitution charges.

The multimillionaire was sentenced on June 30, 2008, and immediately sent to the Palm Beach County jail, where he would serve 13 months, much of it on work release at a nonprofit company that Indyke helped him set up in West Palm Beach, records show. Epstein completed his sentence in 2009.

Ten years later, in July 2019, Epstein was indicted on sex trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York. Authorities said he committed suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan a month later while awaiting trial.

Maxwell was indicted in July 2020 and faces similar sex trafficking charges. Her trial is scheduled for July 2021.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article250316759.html

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20533869-jane-doe-accuser-lawsuit-against-jeffrey-epstein-march-2021

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20533869/jane-doe-accuser-lawsuit-against-jeffrey-epstein-march-2021.pdf

RAAF planning for new military space command as it celebrates 100th anniversary

Andrew Greene - 31 March 2021

Australia's Air Force chief says planning is underway for a new military "space command" amid growing global competition for supremacy in the skies well above earth.

In an interview to mark the RAAF's 100th anniversary, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld has confirmed "a truly integrated space domain organisation" is on track to be established next year.

The RAAF chief is leading a space domain review for the military which includes plans for a new space command that would draw expertise from all parts of the Australian Defence Force.

"It's to allow us to establish an organisation to sustain, force-generate, operate space capabilities and assign them to a joint operation command if needed," Air Marshal Hupfeld said.

Unlike the United States, which has a separate military service known as the US Space Force, Australia is likely to opt for a joint command staffed by Air Force, Army and Navy personnel.

"I think we're probably about three or four years behind where I would rather be at the moment, but we're catching up quickly," Air Marshal Hupfeld told the ABC.

The RAAF chief says unlike other nations, such as China and Russia, Australia would not seek to develop technologies to attack enemy satellites.

"Space is a war-fighting domain but we're not going to militarise space," he said.

Last December, the Air Force chief joined Australia's allies in condemning Russia's testing of a new anti-satellite missile and he predicts there will be more incidents like it during his term.

"What we will be looking to do if there is someone who doesn't (follow international rules) is point it out," he said.

Controversial Joint Strike Fighter takes centre stage in celebrations

On Wednesday, over 60 vintage and modern military aircraft will take part in a spectacular Canberra flypast to help celebrate the RAAF's centenary, including the controversial Joint Strike Fighter.

In the United States, there are growing frustrations over the F-35's cost and technical challenges, with US Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown likening the aircraft to a Ferrari that should only be driven on Sundays.

Hitting back at Australian critics, Air Marshal Hupfeld said he was convinced the fifth-generation aircraft was the "the right capability" for the defence of the country.

"I would argue very strongly that some of our more speculative commentators don't have access to the specifications and capabilities and have not sat in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft," he said.

"It will gather information while it's flying, it has the ability to shoot like a fighter, but it can suck information in and it can distribute that through our networks, to a soldier on the ground, to a sailor on a ship and it can bring us back very coherently as part of the Joint Force."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-31/raaf-looks-to-space-as-it-celebrates-100-years/100039914

Australia to build its own missiles with $1bn guided weapons facility

David Crowe - March 30, 2021

Australia will gain the capacity to make its own guided missiles in a $1 billion federal plan to build a new weapons facility with a global arms manufacturer, preparing for greater tensions in the region.

The spending will upgrade Australia’s capabilities at a time of rapid advances in guided missiles, which are changing the dynamics of national defence with the development of hypersonic weapons that exceed the speed of sound.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce the plan on Wednesday with a warning the “changing global environment” highlights the need to create the sovereign capacity.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute estimates the country may have to spend $100 billion on missiles and other guided weapons over the next two decades to respond to rising powers such as China.

The new plan sets up a contest between private companies to bid for the contract to build the facility, with state governments also likely to lobby to gain the investment and jobs.

Companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Kongsberg and BAE Systems are seen as likely bidders for the work, which would allow Australia to replace missiles currently shipped from overseas.

Australia last made its own missiles in the 1960s when local researchers created the Ikara anti-submarine missile and launcher, which was built in Melbourne.

The need for a stronger local capacity was made clear after the government released a Force Structure Plan last July that emphasised the greater use of guided weapons, in part due to the increased tensions in regional sea lanes.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, having the ability for self-reliance be it vaccine development or the defence of Australia, is vital to meeting our own requirements in a changing global environment,” Mr Morrison said in a statement ahead of the announcement.

“It’s an imperative we now proceed with the creation of a sovereign guided weapons capability as a priority, accelerating this process following the idea first being explored in the Force Structure Plan.”

The facility is expected to manufacture air-to-air missile, ground-launched missiles as well as guided weapons used to defend ships.

The arrival of hypersonic missiles is a longer-term scenario, with the Australian Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group and others conducting research in the field.

ASPI analyst Marcus Hellyer last year said the emphasis on missile capacity was one of the major findings of the FSP review of the Australian Defence Force structure.

“Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the FSP is that the ADF has entered the ‘age of missiles’ with a vengeance,” he wrote.

“There’s potentially $100 billion in investment over the next two decades in missiles and guided weapons.

“That includes the offensive systems needed to deter and defeat an adversary from a greater distance, such as hypersonic weapons. Even the Army is acquiring long-range missiles.

“But it also includes greatly enhanced defensive systems, such as ballistic missile defence, which is something Defence has considered for a long time but never previously committed to.

“That’s a clear sign that the region is getting much more dangerous.”

Australia’s alliance with the United States is fundamental to the plan because the company making the missiles will need cooperation from the US.

“We will work closely with the United States on this important initiative to ensure that we understand how our enterprise can best support both Australia’s needs and the growing needs of our most important military partner,” Defence Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-to-build-its-own-missiles-with-1bn-guided-weapons-facility-20210330-p57fdm.html

South Australian MP staffer Ben Waters charged with child abuse-related offences

Tim Dornin - 31/03/2021

An adviser to a South Australian MP has had his employment terminated after being charged with child abuse-related offences.

Ben Waters, 38, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being charged along with another man whose identity has been suppressed.

Their alleged offending came to light after links were made to previous investigations, including one involving a man in Victoria.

In a statement, Labor MP and opposition human services spokeswoman Nat Cook said she was “shocked” to learn of the charges against her staff member.

“Naturally, my office has fully cooperated with Australian Federal Police and South Australia Police investigation and will continue to do so,” she said.

“As soon as I was made aware of the charges, I took immediate action and advised the Department of Treasury and Finance and requested that his employment be immediately terminated and that all access to buildings and IT be blocked.

“I also advised the Labor Party who I understand held an emergency state executive meeting this morning and expelled this person as a member.

“As the matter is now before the court, I am unable to make any further comment.”

Waters is charged with one count of producing child abuse material through a carriage service and four counts of possessing child exploitation material.

The other man, a 37-year-old senior corrections officer from Port Lincoln, has been charged with two counts of producing child exploitation material, one count of indecent filming and with possessing and disseminating exploitation material.

The Australian Federal Police said the allegations stemmed from records of online conversations between a 39-year-old SA man and a 27-year-old Victorian man about the sexual abuse of children.

When Victorian investigators arrested the Melbourne man earlier this year and forensically analysed his devices, they allegedly found links to the two SA men.

The AFP said investigators found a large amount of child abuse material on a USB device when they searched the Adelaide man’s home this week.

“Police are working to identify the children in the vision seized from the warrants, to check on their welfare and remove them from harm,” the AFP said in a statement.

“Inquiries are also ongoing into any other potential offending.”

Waters has been remanded to appear in court again in April while the other man will next appear in the Supreme Court in a bid to have his suppression order continued.

https://7news.com.au/news/crime/two-sa-men-charged-over-abuse-material-c-2481685

Resignations in the news

Nationals MP Michael Johnsen resigns from NSW parliament following rape allegation he denies

Michael McGowan - 31 Mar 2021

The New South Wales Nationals MP Michael Johnsen has resigned from parliament in the wake of allegations he raped a sex worker in 2019, which he denies.

The deputy premier and leader of the NSW Nationals, John Barilaro, announced on Wednesday that Johnsen had handed his resignation to the Speaker of the parliament.

It comes a day after Barilaro called for Johnsen to resign following media reports claiming the Upper Hunter MP had offered a sex worker $1,000 to attend NSW parliament for sex, as well as alleging that a string of lewd text messages and an obscene video were sent from his mobile phone while parliament was sitting.

In a statement on Wednesday Johnsen confirmed the resignation, saying he was an “imperfect human” while again denying the allegations against him as “devastating, unfair and unfounded”, and complaining of “harassment” from the media.

“A serious allegation has been made against me via the process of parliamentary privilege and the immediate leaking of my name to the media associating it with the speech – an action with clear political intent by that member of parliament and her support team to politically and personally damage me outside of the due process already under way,” he said in a statement.

“I vehemently deny this allegation, which is devastating, unfair and unfounded. And has significantly impacted on my mental health and overall wellbeing. Given the harassment of some sections of the media, which has gone beyond that which could be considered professional, the only way of navigating this situation has been to withdraw from public life.

“I am an imperfect human and I own that. I will fight the allegation and expect to have my name cleared, as it just didn’t happen.”

Johnsen had already stepped aside from his position as a parliamentary secretary and moved to the crossbench after it was revealed he was the subject of a six-month police investigation into a rape allegation made by the same woman.

He released a statement at the time saying he was “devastated” by the allegations, and that he was “confident any investigation will conclude that I am an innocent party”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Barilaro confirmed that following his calls for Johnsen to “do the right thing” and quit parliament, the MP had handed his resignation to the Speaker of the parliament.

“Last week I sought the resignation of the member for Upper Hunter Michael Johnsen as parliamentary secretary, removed him from the Nationals and Coalition party rooms and he was suspended from the National party in light of serious allegations and an active police investigation,” Barilaro said in a statement.

“Yesterday, following further reports, I told Mr Johnsen his position as a member of parliament was untenable and called for his resignation. Today I welcome Mr Johnsen’s resignation from the NSW parliament.”

The Guardian has contacted Johnsen for comment.

His resignation means the NSW government will be forced to defend its parliamentary majority at a byelection in the marginal seat of Upper Hunter.

The seat is currently held by the Nationals with a margin of 2.2%. In November the NSW Electoral Commission released proposed boundary changes which could see that margin reduced to 0.5% if they were introduced before a byelection.

In his statement, Barilaro apologised to residents in the Upper Hunter electorate.

“My message to the people of the Upper Hunter is I will always put integrity before politics, which is why I called for Mr Johnsen’s resignation,” he said.

“I want to say to the communities of the Upper Hunter that I am sorry, but please be assured the NSW Nationals’ focus has always been, and will always be, on delivering for the Upper Hunter and keeping our communities safe and secure.”

While losing the seat would mean the NSW government would technically lose its majority in the lower house, it is unlikely that it would force an early election due to the support of a number of crossbench MPs.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/31/nationals-mp-michael-johnsen-resigns-from-nsw-parliament-following-allegation-he-denies