Let’s be clear-although terrorists could well attack any airport, our responses and even evidence gathering of such an horendous crime of a man being beaten to death in front og 100’s is woeful.

Yet the media have indulged in an orgy of self congratulation over the NSW police pursuit of a former judge avoiding a speeding ticket ?. Does anyone actually understand about prioritising ?

Where is the intelligence ? Where is the prevention ?. There isn’ ‘t any. How many Allan Kessings do we need ?. How many Haneefs ? How many AWB scandals ?. The AFP are a nasty bunch who with the ASIO mugs can get away with anything because Attorney Generals continue to allow them to prosper despite their failings. Robert McClelland has already implied his role is to protect the Commonwelath.-but not from the illegal actions of bent cops-just from compensation claims they may cause.

And While we are at it-when will the media begin to examine the dark connections between Child Wise and the AFP and how they exert so much influence over Keelty and Stephen Conroy whilst $millions are poured into their coffers that go no-where to actually aiding a real live child in danger ?

We have fanatics in control of certain institutions and the bikie killing shows we are all at risk because of it.

If anyone thinks there won;t be a serious terorist inciodent in Asutralia they are dreaming. If they think our authorities are prepared-your’e in the dream time.

And press reports suggest that weapons were brought into the departure lounge area. A source has told us the scanning staff handled themselves creditably during the brawl. But it’s a significant concern if weapons were brought through, given the whole purpose of that apparatus is to stop them.

Yes you can’t prevent a bunch of people gathering with the intent of engaging in violence without prior intel. But not at a place which has been the focus of tens of millions of dollars worth of security measures for several years.

I should have noted also that Qantas owns the terminal at which the events occurred. I’ve seen some comments suggesting Mac Airports does, but that’s not the case.

An agent for the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company tells a Joad neighbor, Muley Graves, that they’re being evicted:

Muley’s son (Hollis Jewell): Who’s fault is it?

Agent: You know who owns the land. The Shawnee Land and Cattle Company.

Mulley: And who’s the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company?

Agent: It ain’t nobody. It’s a company.

Mulley’s son: They got a President, ain’t they. They got somebody who knows what a shotgun’s for, ain’t they?

Agent: Oh son, it ain’t his fault, because the bank tells him what to do.

Agent Tulsa: What’s the use of pickin’ on him? He ain’t nothin/ but the manager. And he’s half-crazy hisself tryin’ to keep up with his orders from the East.

Muley: Then who do we shoot?

Agent: Brother, I don’t know. If I did, I’d tell ya. I just don’t know who’s to blame.

It rarely seems to get mentioned that when governments flog public assets they are also washing their hands of responsibility for when things go wrong. Parking charges too high? Blame MacBank. Murder committed in full view of security guards? Blame MacBank. Never the government who flogged the airport in the first place.

His attitude leaves a lot to be desired and he isn’t fit for the job. Why doesn’t he have police stationed at the Airport as happens in other vulnerable areas?

It makes me sick that as a result of this debacle there are calls to introduce new draconian laws when the police cannot even manage with the ones we have at the moment.

Time to take the fall Mick.

Remember Mick Young’s undeclared teddy bear import? And Liberal ministers Moore and Mackellar’s colour TVs in 1981? They were shot at dawn (the ministers, not the luggage…). Now we are protected by vision and mission statements, whistleblower legislation, FOI, etc., but these days the Koperbergs and Keeltys would have to mug Prince Phillip in a lift to get the boot. (Well, Princess Anne then…)

The culture of avoiding accountability goes right to the bottom, the vast murky depths of councils, provincial govt. departments and obscure “authorities”. In fact it’s much worse down here. Kafka rules, not least because the urban critics couldn’t give a stuff. We need to revise our crikerions of newsworthiness. Try to get even a brief letter to the ed. published in Melb. about, say, the cesspit of corruption known as Ballarat Council (pre-2008). I could go on, but you’re not interested….(sobs, fondles 12 bore crowd-pleaser…)

Mmmmm…let us think this over…machine guns in a confined, crowded public space…..methinks that the sort of people who make that sort of proposition have not seen what automatic weapons can do.

Personally, I’m not opposed to machine-gun carrying cops in airports, as is seen in many countries (how funny is the scene in the second Bazza McKenzie film where they shoot up his stash of Fosters?). Many Aussies would regard it as over-the-top, though.

I’m repeating myself but my point seems to stand: Keelty should have gone by now - Haneef and the Bali 9 are two good examples of when he should have gone - but the security mess at Sydney airport is the responsibility of government and private sector failures way beyond his control.

What evidence have you got to that accusation Peter O’Brien? Because it is an accusation and a libellous one at that. What is not is an known fact nor even an accepted innuendo.

Keelty was appropriately heavily criticised with respect to the Haneef debacle and his comments in relation to the Sydney airport gang brutality were, like Peter O’Brien’s, at best naive, certainly stupid and possibly delinquent.

While Mick Keelty’s apparent insouciance is typical of the above, in fairness it is difficult to protect the public against the dreadful thuggery at Sydney Airport. The airport is simply a public place where many people congregate and no one could have anticipated what occurred, any more than they could have in a shopping mall, cinema complex, railway station, hotel or public street. The more pertinent question, as BK suggests, is are we exposed to a Mumbai-style terrorist attack? In the absence of good advance intelligence, one would have to think we are.

The only other person who faced an individual accountability process was me. At Mr Keelty’s behest, I was investigated by the Queensland Legal Services Commissioner but the complaint was dismissed.

I may not be completely objective but “ironic” springs to mind.