Should we change this community's banner image to be this image?

I think we need a video on why it would be a good idea, because I can't think of one (at least for the general public). I mean it is a good idea from the perspective of people with multiple properties and mortgages even on their own home because it will keep prices high

I think he'd be pissed off at the ABC for missing the point and just covering the war crimes, effectively covering up the arses of those higher up.

soldiers were being wrongly accused and illegally investigated for war crimes.

Could mean exactly what I said as well

investigating the wrong soldiers to cover up

That's what I said. The two statements are not mutually exclusive

I'm pretty sure he thought war crimes were happening, he just thought they were investigating the wrong soldiers to cover up for higher-ranking and more decorated soldiers like Ben Roberts-Smith to pretend that they cared about war crimes

He couldn't have taken them to Spain: that wouldn't be responsible and he'd probably get busted. He could destroy the documents, but he wouldn't be able to take credit and try to drive up more awareness. Don't mistake intelligence for stupidity

So it's either A:

• David McBride is an idiot who misinterpreted what was happening as a defence lawyer investigating war crimes
• War crimes happened
• Commanders and Politicians aren't smart enough to cover up war crimes committed by PR exercises like Ben Roberts-Smith by investigating otherwise innocent soldiers

Or B:

• David McBride is not an idiot
• War crimes happened
• Commanders and Politicians are smart enough to attempt to cover up war crimes committed by the likes of Ben Roberts-Smith (Australia's most decorated soldier, was used to 'sell' the war to Australians).

I choose B, but hey, you know better because of some random BBC article and an ABC hit piece

Riddle me this then: Why would he hand evidence of war crimes being committed to a journalist if HE wanted people to know that soldiers weren't committing war crimes?

That Four Corners episode came out fairly recently. Tell me, what motives would Dan Oakes, an investigative journalist with a reputation, have to disparage a whistleblower who is about to be prosecuted? I dunno, maybe he doesn't want to be the target of prosecution himself and distancing from him is protection?

Why do you keep referring to the BBC article? It's quite poorly worded and oversimplified for an international audience. You won't find many articles about David McBride's motives from before the case because he was secret then, the ABC gave him up.

No you:

According to the affidavit, McBride wanted Australians to know that “Afghan civilians were being murdered and Australian military leaders were at the very least turning the other way and at worst tacitly approving this behaviour”.

He continued: “At the same time, soldiers were being improperly prosecuted as a smokescreen to cover [leadership’s] inaction and failure to hold reprehensible conduct to account.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/27/war-crimes-whistleblower-david-mcbride-reveals-why-he-went-to-the-media

I find it amusing how confidently incorrect they are quoting some BBC article (because the BBC would have the best idea as to what is going on in Australia).

I'd advise that you do some research before making claims like this

Planet X will be what Mars is renamed to once Elon takes it over

Indeed, even if you don't care about the war, I don't like the idea of foreign companies influencing our taxpayer-funded research

Yeah that's fair, I mean I hate Boeing as well because of their dodgy safety record. But getting UQ to dissociate with Boeing is hardly likely to actually achieve anything in the context of war. Weapons companies don't give a shit about morals - otherwise they wouldn't exist. When students protest something it makes the news, and making the news is not something David McBride has been doing

He looks like he knew what was going to happen. Modern day equivalent would be to suggest naming a planet ligma

Whatever changes in society, I don't think people will look down on those who risked their lives to ensure we had a tomorrow, those who engaged in wars in DEFENCE of Australia will never be looked down upon. It's those who participate in wars that were started for political reasons, where peace was definitely an option but not the default. Even then, I don't think poorly of those who fought in those wars, even though that war was pointless and politically motivated, they though they were doing what they thought was the right thing to do. Soldiers committing war crimes though. Nah, fuck them, there will be a warm place in hell for them.

More than 10 I might add

As a young person who is also an undergraduate student (so no excuses I guess for not starting a movement myself) I fully agree, and even though I nuked my social media except Facebook (that is a work in progress), we even have that problem here. I become so disenfranchised when I switch from 'local' to 'all' because it's just US politics --mostly identity politics-- and I manifest on those problems which I feel like they will be an endless debate, and it is very distracting from the very real problems of today, especially in Australia. Like who actually gives a fuck about Taylor Swift? or Joe Biden? or whether someone shouldn't be used in a meme template because they said something we don't like?

Sidetracked a bit there, what I'm really trying to say is. Yes. Shut up about America and give a fuck about Australia

I’m certainly not qualified to make decisions on what we should and shouldn’t know and i doubt you are either

I'm a citizen of a modern western democracy, pretty qualified I would think.

It’s bad to know we have to live in ignorance, but imagine if an asteroid was coming to earth tomorrow 50/50 of hitting, the right thing would be tell everyone and let us make our own decisions. The ramifications from that though would be monumental. Yes this is hyperbole but it I think gets my point across.

I think every disaster movie ever aims to disprove that

Sometimes people in power know better

In your previous quote you argue that people shouldn't know if the end of the world is imminent: who does that protect? In the case where the world ends you get chaos but they were going to die anyway, they got a chance to enjoy their last moments because they knew them. In the case where the world doesn't end - the people in power effectively lose their power. It's a bad way to think in a democracy, it's how we slip into tyranny if we trust power.

if this was the worst thing happening then we’re not doing to bad

Someone has been sentenced to prison for exposing war crimes were being committed, damaging Australia's international reputation and were actively being covered up by senior leadership. Meanwhile those committing and covering up the war crimes are not being investigated because "Sometimes people in power know better". The fact that the media is complicit in this (especially the ABC who released a hit piece against him on 4 Corners). Sure we could be in complete civil war or have executions, but this (and the secret Morrison Ministries and Governor General David Hurley's support of said cover up) sets a very dangerous precedent.

I don't want to downvote because that's not good conversation.

I also recognise it’s a slippery slope that will lead to criminal investigations etc being leaked and punished just as hard to keep a politician or police officer safe.

That is exactly what is going on here - those in power in the military were covering up their own failures and investigating innocent soldiers instead of those committing war crimes, i.e. Ben Roberts-Smith who was their PR guy basically who the politicians were using to sell the war.

The difference is the military is here to protect everyone, the police are here to protect those in power.

Given the premise for our military engagements since WW2 it is quite difficult to argue that. I think it's dangerous to think that the military can be above the law and do things which may damage Australia's international reputation without the consent of the Australian people. If we don't know what's happening we can't consent to it.

Yeah that's actually not that bad. but he'll miss out on a lot of his daughter's life and his dog's which is probably the saddest part of it. I'm surprised people don't care about this case, like there are students protesting in Universities about something going on in the middle east something they will have very little influence over. No such protests over David McBride.

note: I'm not saying I disagree with the free Palestine protests.