STOP RIGHT THERE

"Stop right there," came the instruction; and again they were forced to replay his dreams, his mutterings, his occasional words. As if it all meant something, as if it could all go away. As if these re-run dreams were something worth fighting for; or observing.

"We tried to connect him with others, but he wouldn't have a bar of them," someone said; and if everything went flashing away, if everything was caught in The Places In Between, then so be it, there would be no tomorrows, and a million tomorrows.

"There aren't many people like us," he said to the old man on the island, when it seemed like everything was predestined, he had been sent there by fate and fortune and the spirits, and it had become the only place he could finish what he had started.

"You are under my protection," the old man had said; and then everything came into force, and he could do what he had to do, "finish the task at hand". 

But it was after that he became disoriented, distrustful, as suspicious as ever, and refused to communicate. 

"You would be foolish to think there was not cooperation," he said to one inquiring officer as he walked down a mountain path, thereby in an instant betraying those who had fed him so much.

But these were all secret, invisible things. They could not be proved. No one would ever really know, or believe. When the possible was ruled out, the impossible became plausible.

"You were abducted by aliens and I've been trapped on this planet for a hundred million years," he told the old man with a kind of homely laugh, as they settled in to play chess for the afternoon, after he had finished work.

They were kind to each other, and he missed him still. 

"You will make a fortune, you will be very successful," the old man predicted. "I can see it." 

He shrugged. Life had already been very long. The time for regret was over.

THE BIGGER STORY:

http://theconversation.com/the-security-benefits-of-warrantless-surveillance-are-as-clear-as-mud-

Based on bipartisan laws passed in March 2015, Australian government agencies were given access to the data of millions of citizens without a warrant. Last week, this regime came into effect.

It has been implemented despite ongoing confusions about costs, what metadata actually is, and whether the telecommunications sector is ready to retain and encrypt this data.

At the heart of justifications for the data retention laws is the claim that these will protect us from terrorism. For advocates, mandatory data retention is integral in preventing a 9/11-type attack. But long-standing questions remain as to whether such programs are actually an effective counter-terrorism tool.

In the wake of National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations, it can be argued that mass metadata surveillance has proven to have little to no unique value in thwarting terrorism. And while the US and others are being forced to revise and restrict their surveillance laws, Australia is moving unreservedly in the opposite direction.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-21/joe-hockey-reflects-on-political-career-in-farewell-speech/6872268

Joe Hockey has used his final speech in Federal Parliament to defend his legacy and flag a suite of tax changes the Government should pursue.

Mr Hockey has ended his 19-year career in the House of Representatives after being dumped as treasurer last month when Malcolm Turnbull took over as prime minister.

During his 25-minute valedictory speech, Mr Hockey became emotional at times, telling colleagues he believed he was leaving Canberra having made a contribution to the future of the country.

"Most people leave this Parliament as a result of defeat, death, disillusionment or disgrace," he said.

"We all have to work hard to leave with dignity."

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