Sydney Sideways

"The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason: terror and force."
Adolf Hitler.

"Conscience is a Jewish invention."
Adolf Hitler.

"To become history's greatest destroyer, Hitler had to free himself from the values he was taught and from personal inhibitions."
The Pathology of Evil.


All that could be done had been done. The city is about to be turned upside down. We who live here can only watch on from a remote and distant angle. The sensitivity was blown. My teenage son Sam is waiting for the computer to get on with his projects, although he seems to spend an awful lot of time on ITunes.


The cafe isn't open yet. The terror will come in different ways. Bowed down; beaten down; the masses can only look on from a distance. From beyond the wall. Beyond the Pale. The great unwashed can only stare; and the voices they have so deliberately silenced; all the changes that have been made; we sit in secrecy and we condemn.

Sydney is about to become world famous. The museums that have been passed, the clutches of old thoughts; the way the streets intersect through the old parts of town; the splashing beauty of the harbour and the thousands of secret rooms; the towers that mock the smallness of our own lives; everything is coming home to roost. The wall is under construction. The water cannon truck to quell the rioters is ready for action.


THE BIGGER STORY:

Sydney blockaded by 'ring of steel' ahead of APEC

SYDNEY (AFP) — A massive steel and concrete wall was being erected around Australia's largest city on Saturday as Sydney stepped up its preparations for the APEC summit with an unprecedented show of security.

A strong police presence was visible near the sprawling 2.8 metre high (9.2 foot) "ring of steel" barrier, which stretches 5.5km around the site and has been erected to deter unwanted guests when world leaders will meet this week.

The wall trails through Sydney's tourist centre near the iconic Opera House, is designed to help police manage large crowds and to block vehicle access, preventing the possibility of a car or truck bombing.

New South Wales police commissioner Andrew Scipione said hosting the September 8-9 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders was the biggest security challenge the city had ever faced.

"Right now, there's one priority, there's one show in town and that's APEC," he said.

"APEC must be delivered. It's the biggest security event we've ever had in this nation."

Australia has taken unprecedented security measures to ensure the safety of the 21 world leaders, who include US President George W. Bush, China's Hu Jintao and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while they take part in the annual APEC meeting.

Sydney will be in virtual lockdown from September 2-9, with some roads and train stations closed, many shops shut and Friday September 7 declared a public holiday to encourage residents to leave the city for the weekend.