A Successful " Sting " Operation !

 International crime was thrown into disarray when America's FBI created an App that promised communications security.  Crime fighters were listening in when this was adopted by gangsters and a film at a Sydney murder tial jury watched live scenes as a man ran up to a solicitor in a Sydney street and shot him dead.

The murdered man was was Ho Ledinh (65) and he was shot three times.   The prosecution alleges Mr Ledinh was killed by Arthur Kelikilo and that Abraham Senai collarorated with the shooter to arrange for the muerder to be carried out.  Mr Senai has pleaded not guilty.

This seems to have been a classical " sting " operation.  The prosecution allege Mr Sinai communicated with the shooter, Arthur Keleklio to arrange Mr Ledinh's murder. The App was an encrypted platform used by about 12,500 international crime figures when it was deemed " safe "  by hundreds of Australian criinals.

This was the breakthrough law enforcement has long awaited.  It appears to have ensnared one of Australia's most wanted criminals who has been hiding out in Turkey.  Law enfoprcement is keeping very quiet about where the gathered information may be taking them, but international crime syndicates are known to be very worried.

The electronic era has been infiltrated by criminals who are usually several steps ahead of the law.  The " deep web " as it is known holds many secrets that allow illicit drugs to be trafficked fairly openly and it seems that criminals have been duped into using a system that has been penetrated by the law.

Law enforcement has been successful in catching and prosecuting the small time criminals who are the conduit between the drug scene and the end customers, but the big players remain encrusted behind tight security and move their money about on the international scene.

This highly secretive, three year App operation , codenamed ' Ironside  " in Australia and " Trojan " in the US has so far led to 224 arrests across Australia, while 2.7 tonnes of drugs, 104 weapons and $ 45 Million in cash has been seized.

The news media has been reporting hyper activity in rounding up criminals here in Australia and now we know why this is happening.  This has been a massive security breach that reaches right into the world of casinos and banks and is upsetting the money trail.

There is panic in the underworld, and it seems likely that this penetration still has a long way to go to reach its end !

A " Scare " Campaign !

 The 2016 Federal election was won by the Liberal/National coalition, but Labor made up lost ground when it ran a scare campaign that suggerstesd cutbacks in the universal health system. There are indications that a similar strategy will again apply when we next go to the polls.

The government has plans to reform Medicaire and from July 1, more than 900 Medicare benefits will be charged across orthpedics, general surgery, cardiac surgical servceas, vascular and general practice care numbersy

These reforms come from the Medicare Benefits Taskforce final report which was prepared by a team of medical experts.  The task forces five year review was completed last year and contained 1400- recomenndations.  It was the largest audit since the system was introduced in 1964.

Labor is going hard against these reforms ansd says it will be part of the party's upcoming campagn platform..  Labor leader Anthony Albanese wrote on Twitter that Labor built Medicare and protecting it is in our DNA.   The Liberals opposed Medicare and cutting it back serves their interest.

The party gained ground in the 2016 election when it accused the Federal government of trying to sell off   Medicare.  It was obvious that Medicare was of significant concerrn to voters.

Over the years more drugs and procedures have been added to the services that Medicare provides, but little in the way of communications that alert the medical profession as to what changes are beimg consdidered.  Adding items increases the cost and it is necessary to spread the load to keep the servivce viable.

A spokesman for Health Minister  Greg Hunt said the changes were based on medical advice, including some new or extended items, and some extended rebates.  It was perfectly clear that the government had no intention of discontinuing this valuable medical service.

It is quite clear that many Labor supporters saw through the 2016 attack by then Labor leader Bill Shorten. A launch by new leader Anthony Albanese may give it some credence, but many will carefully evaluate the figures given and decide it is a replay of a failed accusation.

Given the problems many other world countries are experiencing in tryong to introduce a universal health service the Australian Medicare system gains widespread praise.  There are indications that it will evolve further as new treatments come online and for that to happen existing procedures meed constant review.

Scare campaigns ared simply a tactic of party politics!

A Bandit Regime !

  Qantas is Australia's National Airline and we are accustomed to seeing its Kangaroo logo at world airports.   It has an impeccable safety record and is the only commercial airline that holds a Trusted Trader accreditation with the Australian Border Force.

What that means in the world of international air freight is that every employee has been subjected to a fit and propper test.  We have not been advised of any of our people failing that test and yet we are hearing claims that organized crime has infiltrated the Quantas network and using this cover for the importation of illegal drugs.

An internal Qantas security report contends that " trusted insiders " at Australia's biggest airline have links to organized crime and were able to " casuse significant harm "  to the community by facilitating smuggling across borders.

An internal Qantas security report tabled in 2020 revealed that a former baggage handler turned into a wealthy Sydney racing identity pleaded guilty in May to importing $68.5 million worth of Cocaine,.  It was later found his import of Cocaine was valued at one billion and that this crime had not been publicly revealed.

Now a classified Federal law enforcement intelligence report has revealed that a significant number of Qantas staff - and a hundred and fifty have been suggested as being involved -  are linked to criminality. Crime agencies believe Qantas has been infiltrated by bikies and other organized crime groups to  facilitate drug importation and other activities that pose a risk to national security.

It stands to reason that given the number of aircraft movements each day, a few corrupt officials in the right location would be able to screen cargo that is not listed on the manifest and this could then pass through customs unchecked.  It could also explain why quantrities of drugs regularly appear on our streets that appear immune to law enforcement activities.

Obviously, this movement of drugs involves payment fort those creating  the right facilities to break the law and compensate for the risks involved.  In many cases it seems likely that the people providing drug cover at airports are also involved in street trafficking which provides an extraordinary gain in overall renumeration.  Such a person should stand out to authorities by the very nature of the toys they can afford for their peronal lifestyle.

Perhaps the quickest way to shut down this conduit of drug importation would be an investigation of the lifestyle of all Qantas employees.   Those living far beyond the expectation of their salary level would obviously have some explaining to do.

Wealth from. unexplaijned sources would bring the type of security attention that these criminals would most like to avoid.  Knowing they were under scrutiny would bring compliance !

A Threat to Democracy !

 Joseph Goebbells, propaganda minister for Adolph Hitler's Nazi party added a dictum that many politicians have used to their advantage.  " If you tell the same lie often enough, the majority of people will believe it is true ".

Donald Trump lost the last Presidential election  and tried to cling to power with the claim that this was the " stolen election ".  He urged his followers to storm the Capital building and for a few hours the American Democratic institution hovered on the brink of anarchy.

It is perfectly clear that Joe Biden's win was in accord with the election laws in place in America, but Trump persists with that lie and the vast majority of the Republican party supports his claim.  He is now promising that he will stand for election to the oval office at the next election, in four years time.

It seems perfectly clear that he will probably succeed in gaining Republican nomination to again try for that office.  The Republican voting block has clearly demonstrated that it will vote down any investigation of Trump's abuse of power and use of his office for personal advantage.

Trump's term in office was marred by many doubtful decisions.  At essence, he is a property developer unsuited to the machinations of  inter-government affairs. His relationship with women crossed boundaries and he failed to table his own tax returns when questions arose about his tax liabilities.,

Now out of office, he is shielded by the Republican vote from any in depth investigation which might subject him to court action which may preclude him from another attempt to hold office. Without such an investigation, he is free to maintain the lie that he actually won against Biden and that illegal voting was used to deliver an unfavourable total.

It is quite possible that with the advantage of being able to publicly maintain the untruth that Trump votes were deliberately exclusded from the count to manufactuere a Biden vicrtory, he may gain sufficient public sympathy to again win a term in office.

Such an outcome would seriously damage the American political system.  Whern a political party votes as a block to shield its leader from legitimate questionuing about his conduct in office, the integrity of politics comes into disrepute.

Republicans who now voice doubt about Trump's conduct are finding their entire structure moving against them to deny them official sanction to hold office.   They are disendorsed and replaced by others willing to toe the party line.

If this is allowed to rule politics unchecked, it will probably end party politics which has served the nation well since the United States became a Democratic entity.

Country Medical Standards !

 It is surprising the number of people who do not have a regular doctor they consult for their medical needs, and many of these live in a country town where obtaining an appointmewnt with a GP involves a very long wait.

Usually, the appearance of annoying symptoms alerts them to the presence of a medical problem and they present at a regional hospital where it is suggested that having a blood test will determine the cause. A blood sample is taken and sent to pathology and in due course the analysis report delivers the bad news. 

The patrient is suffering from one of the common ailments  that  appear as we age and the patient is connected to a doctor in a city hospital far away by tele-conference,.  It is suggested that a treatment course would be helpful and that is prescribed as the recommended treatment.

In the majority of cases this delivers relief and as the prescription  needs renewal this happens automatically, signed off by that distant prescribing doctor.  The doctor and patient never physically meet together and treatment consists entirely on the result of that blood test.

This is fast developing into the way country medicine is being practised,.  The economics of having a registered doctor stationed at remote country hospitals has been replaced by the tele-conference, aided by the prescribing doctor making visits to actually see the patient at long intervals.

That usually quickly reverts to an overload situation.  The patients treated by tele-conference grows in number and only a select few can be fitted into face to face consultation during a visit to a local hospital.Treatment standards remain unchanged as improvements come online because each case does not come under regular review.

This comes in contrast to the practice of medicione in cities where the doctor and patient  meet in consultation whenever a prescription needs renewal.  That provides an oppoertunity to discuss new medication and how that may deliver improvements to the treatmentt being offered.

Often, it is the patient who resists review by the visiting doctor.  Getting to the hospital for a timed visit would involve driving they didnt want to undertake and they were satisfiesd that the medication prescribed was offering relief.  In many cases they were suffering from a range of differing conditions, not all of which were being treated.

It would be desireable to bring country medicine as near as possible to city standards. That would be attained by making prescription renewal conditional on each third renewal being required during a face to face consultation.

Too many treatment regimes are solely ordered as the outcome of a blood test !

Making a Safe Exit !

 Criminal bikie gangs maintain a crime wave across many cities and their activities are closely monitored by the police.  Recently, information reached police ears that a member of the Finks gang had pawned a quantity of jewellery, a motorcycle and a boat with a Riverstone pawnbroker in exchange for a $11,500 cash advance.

There was a degree of mystery about the ownership of these goods. When a bikie elects to leave a club in which he is a member it is usual to impose a substantial exit fee.  It seems that this departing member actually owed his club money and this caused the club hierarchy to approach the pawnbroker and demand the jewellery be handed over.

Intimidation was threatened and the request was refused, and that caused the police to raid  seven bikie , homes in Chatswood, North Richmond, north St Marey,s, Tregear, Bidwell and Raymond Terrace.  What they discovered at these locations was knuckledusters, nineteen explosive devices, two firearms, a motorcycle engine, outlaw motorcycle gang clothing and a small amount of cannabis and steroids..

Police allege the bikies sought to extort the pawnbroker to recover money their member owed to the club. The man who is the president of that Finks chapter is an avid body builder and has been a finalist in various competitions and boasts an extensive male modelling history according to his press releases.

He has been charged with  demanding property in company, with intend to steal, intimidating to cause fear of physical harm, participating in a criminal group and not keeping a firearm safely.  He was refused bail at Parramatta local court and will again appear on June 7.

This is a timely warning to young men thinking of joining a bikie gang because of the good life it offers. His modelling portfolio describes him as an experienced model who feels very strongly about personal appearances and is open to a wide variety of photo shoots.

He was also charged with contravening a court order preventing him from associating with other bikie gang members and all these charges will be answered when he next appears in court.  It tends to illustrate the complexity of withdrawing from a bikie gang and the costs that will be involved.

Bikie gangs are usually involved in drug distribution and the penalties that apply,  The average member spends a lot of time in court and usually much longer behind prison bars.  The nature of the club activities  makes interest by the police inevitable.

This sad case of the harassment of a legitimate pawnbroker brings to focus the exceptional obligations expected of members choosing to quit their club and move onwards.  Farewells are much more -onerous than a mere shaking of hands at departure.- and that is rarely clearly understood at the time of joining the club.

Picking a Leader !

 Jodie McKay stepped down as leader of the Australian Labor party in New South Wales when support retreated in a by-election for the seat of Upper Hunter. It now seems likely that party leadership will need to be resolved by a ballot amongst party members.

The problem is that the Labor party comprises many factions and it is unlikely that whoever is selected will gain universal party support.   The front runners scrambling to put together a majority vote are Chris Minns and former leader Michael Daly, both of whom claim to have the numbers to succeed.

In a democracy like ours the party that sits in office and controls the Treasury is decided by the voters at a general election. It is usually factional disputes that rob Labor of the chance to govern and that divide looks likely to cause Labor to fall short in the future.

The voters have switched their support from the old days of a Liberal/Labor divide to create several minor parties which form the crossbench. It usually takes the party in power to attract a majority from the crossbench to get legislation to become law.

It seems unlikely that either Chris Minns or Michael Daly would attract sufficient crossbench support to form government.  The balance of power remains with the crossbench  and it seems that this arrangement sits well with the voters.

It seems possible that Jodi McKay may cling to power by default. She has a good record of settling factional disputes but many in her party find her gender a hindrance.  It seems we we are still a long way from being gender neutral in politics.

Both the state premier and the leader of the opposition are women while the makeup of parliament is primarily men.  Both parties claim to be working towards a better gender balance, but it is factional balances that seem to determine who wins seats.

In politics, it is ideal if the opposition is snapping at the heels of government and ready to take office the moment an election is called.  The government should be ready to be called to account for its spending priorities at any time and be ready to defend its actions in a vote of confidence.

Factional alliances prevent the opposition from speaking with a united voice.   The opportunity now exists for a moderate leader to arise from its ranks and clearly state how the party would govern.  If it is going to embrace socialism - and if so - to what extent.

At present, that is a mystery because it simply depends on which faction has a firm grip on power. Its manifesto means different things to different people.- and that is why its vote is divided.