http://stilgherrian.com/politics/kanimbla_blackhawk_crash/ All publication is a political act. All communication is propaganda. All art is pornography. All business is personal. All hail Eris. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:53:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://stilgherrian.com/politics/kanimbla_blackhawk_crash/#comment-7165 Stilgherrian · Digging deeper into the Black Hawk crash Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:55:00 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/politics/kanimbla_blackhawk_crash/#comment-7165 [...] up my post about the Black Hawk helicopter crash on HMAS Kanimbla, it seems the helicopter suffered “rotor droop“, a sudden loss of power. The questions [...] [...] up my post about the Black Hawk helicopter crash on HMAS Kanimbla, it seems the helicopter suffered “rotor droop“, a sudden loss of power. The questions [...]

]]> http://stilgherrian.com/politics/kanimbla_blackhawk_crash/#comment-6821 Cossie Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:45:33 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/politics/kanimbla_blackhawk_crash/#comment-6821 The video should be public. The military should be encouraged to be accountable. We must remain sensitive to those families who have lost loved ones but they, and those who come after them, also have something to gain by such publicity. Families across Australia who have lost loved ones in military accidents or incidents all complain of the lack of transparency of military culture. Many struggle for closure while the ADF keeps a lid on things under the blanket of 'national security'. Many also complain of their contact with the military, the immediate move to close ranks, peddle deception and act in generally unaccountable ways. There are numerous cases: Air Vice Marshal Peter Criss (Air Commander Australia) was summarily dismissed by Defence Chief Errol McCormack under dubious circumstances, as was Air Commodore Aerospace Combat; others too, Major Allan Warren is a flagship example of the collusion between military leadership and state executive, one man amongst a number who have been targeted and terminated through the avoidance of due process and within a culture of boys clubs and 'protecting your mates'. At the soldier end of the hierarchy there are many cases of abuse and injustice, often ending in the death by suicide of good young Australian (generally) men: Nicholas Shiels was so poorly treated after a tragic mishap in a training exercise he eventually took his own life, high achieving Jeremy Williams was humiliated into suicide at Singleton and his case hidden under the haze of military investigations and so called justice, others too; Appleby, Hayward, Satatas, the list goes on. And given the chance the Military, even when told pointblank that their version of justice has failed, remains steadfast in the avoiding transparency. Namely by rejecting the 2005 Senate Inquiry's recommendations for greater independence on the military justice system. Whatsmore, this opacity is building in a context of greater political deception and the increasing politicisation of the military, see Tampa (truth overboard), the removal of Lt Col Lance Collins from his intelligence role in the ADF, the political targeting of intelligence Officer Peter Wilkje for 'telling the truth' about Iraq -- the list goes on. The military is radically unaccountable and often aggressive in tracking down those who don't fit their square. Place this culture in the context of the growing culture of political deception and the implications are clear: democracy as we have known it is taking a beating. Accountability comes with transparency, letting the public know what is happening, showing videos like the blackhawk accident is a small contribution to that process. The video should be public. The military should be encouraged to be accountable. We must remain sensitive to those families who have lost loved ones but they, and those who come after them, also have something to gain by such publicity. Families across Australia who have lost loved ones in military accidents or incidents all complain of the lack of transparency of military culture. Many struggle for closure while the ADF keeps a lid on things under the blanket of ‘national security’. Many also complain of their contact with the military, the immediate move to close ranks, peddle deception and act in generally unaccountable ways. There are numerous cases: Air Vice Marshal Peter Criss (Air Commander Australia) was summarily dismissed by Defence Chief Errol McCormack under dubious circumstances, as was Air Commodore Aerospace Combat; others too, Major Allan Warren is a flagship example of the collusion between military leadership and state executive, one man amongst a number who have been targeted and terminated through the avoidance of due process and within a culture of boys clubs and ‘protecting your mates’. At the soldier end of the hierarchy there are many cases of abuse and injustice, often ending in the death by suicide of good young Australian (generally) men: Nicholas Shiels was so poorly treated after a tragic mishap in a training exercise he eventually took his own life, high achieving Jeremy Williams was humiliated into suicide at Singleton and his case hidden under the haze of military investigations and so called justice, others too; Appleby, Hayward, Satatas, the list goes on. And given the chance the Military, even when told pointblank that their version of justice has failed, remains steadfast in the avoiding transparency. Namely by rejecting the 2005 Senate Inquiry’s recommendations for greater independence on the military justice system. Whatsmore, this opacity is building in a context of greater political deception and the increasing politicisation of the military, see Tampa (truth overboard), the removal of Lt Col Lance Collins from his intelligence role in the ADF, the political targeting of intelligence Officer Peter Wilkje for ‘telling the truth’ about Iraq — the list goes on. The military is radically unaccountable and often aggressive in tracking down those who don’t fit their square. Place this culture in the context of the growing culture of political deception and the implications are clear: democracy as we have known it is taking a beating. Accountability comes with transparency, letting the public know what is happening, showing videos like the blackhawk accident is a small contribution to that process.

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