Don't mention the war

They saw no evil, heard no evil, and certainly will not speak of it - the US administrations' lack of response to prisoner abuse by the new Iraqi regime

Australia 'soft on terror, hard on gays' - our failure to get our priorities, er, straight

Second US paper says its reporting before war fell short of mark

ginmar's magnificent tirade on fools who don't get feminism, Welcome to the party, Sherlock:

You get the idea that if you're a cute, pretty polite feminist, that you'll get what you want. The idea that women are entitled to things is still alien to society. We still have to earn them.

Problem is, women have been polite and nice and all the rest of that shit for thousands of years. It hasn't worked. Strangely enough, kissing ass never does, does it?

ETA: For those wondering, the price of gas in the US is on average 31 cents a gallon higher than it was at the same time last year. The cost at the pump wanders up and down in response to various factors, including the chaos in Iraq. Could this be bad news for US oil companies promised a share in the sp(oil)s?

Tyrannosaurus recs

Harry and Draco discover their animagus forms at _hdcomic, a mix of filfth and Hallmark cuteness. Delightful!

Oral Sex, by Isis. Snape/Sirius, with rude words but no actual clotheslessness. Splendid!

From shoebox_project, Many Notes, One Photograph, One Confrontation: the Marauders pass notes in class. Told with a mixture of text and found objects. Brilliant!

Indefinite Detention

Terrifyingly, the High Court recently found that the government has the right to detain an asylum seeker forever if they can't be deported. No charge. No trial. No right to judicial review.

Australian Democrats press releases:

Democrats initiate urgent debate on High Court Decision on indefinite detention

Democrats will pursue every avenue to defend rights of asylum seekers

Senator Bartlett's speech:

Senator Andrew Bartlett speaks to Matter of Urgency: Asylum Seekers - Court decision on indefinite detention

ETA: You can get the Dems' email refugee newsletter by sending an email to refugees@democrats.org.au.