Politics is a dirty word

Reports show the United States has spent nearly $6 trillion on war and killed over half a million people since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University looked at the total cost of military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere. There may be some decent people in the United states, but as a nation, Americans are a blight on humanity.It's a pity they don't confine their violence to killing each other, surely the regularity of mass shootings all over the country should be enough to satisfy their blood lust?

The fuss over Australian sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is a bit of the fizzer. The parent company of Electro Optic Systems is EOS Defence Systems USA whose president is former General Phil Cocker - so of course it will sell arms in the Middle East.

The Australian Government may be considering developing electronic warfare technology to boost the county’s defence capabilities. Electronic systems are expected to be more cost effective than building or buying sophisticated weapons for the air force, army and navy. India is developing its electronics industry to bolster its defence forces and Australia could do the same.Australia could become a world leader in developing an electronic weapons and defence industry to meet most future defence requirements rather than relying on expensive military hardware from the US or Europe.Russia has been perfecting electronic equipment to disrupt guidance and navigation GPS systems. It is believed to have been broadcasting a combination of jamming and spoofing signals from Syria known as “smart jamming.” The signals have disrupted civilian and military GPS systems in the Middle East.

Iran is preparing for a violent confrontation with the US. It lacks intercontinental ballistic missiles, but it has a variety of short and medium range missiles capable of reaching any target in the Middle East. It has developed a version of the US MQ1 Predator drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, able to carry four air-to air or air to ground missiles plus two laser guided bombs. The US manufacturer, General Atomics sold Predators to saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco sand Italy.The US has a history of supplying arms to the Middle East. It sold fighter jets and Hawk missiles to Iran when the Shah was in charge. It sold missiles and chemical weapons to Sadam Hussein in Iraq, plus weapons to the Taliban when they were fighting the Russians.Generals in the Pentagon are incensed that Iran managed to shoot down a high flying spy drone - especially with a home-built missile. But the US only has itself to blame. The Sayyad 3 missile system is a clone of the US Hawk missile sold to Iran. Conf...

It's time for revolution, Australians need to protect the freedom of journalists and whistleblowers to inform the public when wrongdoing is uncovered. Federal Police raided ABC offices to seize documents relating to a 2017 investigation into allegations of Australian soldiers unlawfully killing Afghan civilians. This followed a Federal Police raid on the home of News Corporation journalist Annika Smethurstabout a story she wrote a year ago exposing government plans to spy on its own citizens using military technology.

North Korea is said to have launched a 3000 ton submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles. If confirmed, the launch demonstrates the country's strike capabilities and the futility of US President Donald Trump's rhetoric against North Korea.

There’s nothing strange about a comedian leading the vote in presidential elections in Ukraine – after all, Australia has been run by clowns for a couple of decades – it’s time we shared the chaos.