Peace Activist Rails Against Australia

After being deported by the Australian government, U.S. peace activist Scott Parkin has ridiculed claims against him in The Australian. "If I am such a threat, why have the FBI not even phoned me since my return from Australia to follow up [Australian intelligence]'s silly allegations? ... As I always say and sincerely believe, it is unprincipled to do anything violent at any time, including in a protest situation." Under the front-page headline "Deported activist was to teach tactics of violence," The Australian's Foreign Editor, Greg Sheridan, and co-author John Kerin reported claims from anonymous intelligence sources that Parkin's civil disobedience training was "likely to increase violence" at demonstrations. It is not the first time Sheridan has breathlessly reported spin from an intelligence source. On July 12, 2003, he wrote that "well-informed sources" told him U.S. troops had discovered what they believed to be "decisive proof of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs." [from PRWatch.org]