Mr Abetz says in Australia, measures like random breath testing or airline security show people are prepared to give up certain freedoms in exchange for safety and security.
"It's like going to the airport - nobody bats an eyelid about the fact that you have to be searched and we agree to that because we would much rather give up the freedom of not being searched than getting blown out of the sky," he said.
Tom Percy from the Australian Lawyers Alliance is opposed to the legislation and says the comments in Parliament were extraordinary.
"They run contrary to everything any Australian would believe is inherent to our national sense of democracy," he said.
The Opposition has proposed changes to the legislation which it says would provide greater checks and balances.

And now for the recent stats for the fabulous urban fantasy adventure about a neurotic vampire/thief and her wealthy blind client, now with Bonus! Cuban drag queen and military intrigue:

Project: Bloodshot
New Words Written: 2060 (meh)
Present Total Word Count: 70,032 words
Goal: 95,000 words by December 12





Things Accomplished in Fiction: Finally wrapped up that scene. It’s a good scene, and important — but it felt like it took forever to write. I’m sure I’ll get around to the revisions and decide it’s either (a). awesome, or (b). terrible and needs to be cut … but whatever. Sometimes you just have to write through these things, because there’s no pole-vaulting over them or tunneling under them.

Things Accomplished in Real Life: Day-job work; housework; important official correspondences exchanged; visited B&N forums to answer questions; did more prep for tomorrow night’s event; went to post office.

Reason for Stopping: Going to grab a bite to eat before Ellen comes over to do (yet more) prep work for tomorrow’s event. Then we’re going to jaunt out to the airport to pick up our friend Avionne and her husband Gordon, for they are flying in from Scotland to stay for a few days. In advance of having these folks in town and/or having other things eating my life, I think I’ll also try to sneak in some more day-job work, to keep my head above water.

My Flickr Pro account expires in four days. I have been making intermittent attempts to pay for the upgrade all bloody day and the payments section site is refusing to work for me, just as it was doing a few days ago.

I have had this problem with upgrading my Flickr account every. single. year. without fail (except for the years when others have kindly paid for my upgrade as presents or prizes). It's incredibly annoying that the only part of the process which doesn't fail is the fact that it always fails. Frustrating, or what?

So if any pictures disappear off my site for a while, that'll be why, until I can get the upgrade sorted out.

For the next few days, I’ll be lurking around in the Barnes & Noble forums — where Boneshaker is a November book club feature — answering questions and doing my best not to post any spoilers. If you’re a member, drop in for a digital visit and fire away. If you’re not a member, registration is free and easy and only takes a moment.

Here’s your chance to ask me anything you like, or just follow the conversation — whatever makes you happy. Click here to dip your toes in the mayhem.

[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

“I will come to a time in my backwards trip when November eleventh, accidentally my birthday, was a sacred day called Armistice Day. When I was a boy, all the people of all the nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Armistice Day, which was the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

“It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one and another. I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind.

“Armistice Day has become Veterans’ Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans’ dDy is not.

“So I will throw Veterans’ Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don’t want to throw away any sacred things.

“What else is sacred? Oh, Romeo and Juliet, for instance.

“And all music is.”

             --Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut, 1973

(I scoured the archives for a photo that would honor Veterans, girls in cheeky uniforms or posing with soldiers, but didn't find anything. Settled on this one which looks like the sort of pic a GI in WWII or Korea might have carried with him.)