Published in Crikey.com 5th June 2009

KILLING GREG SHACKLETON AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Mr. Green,

Editor,

My name is Shirley Shackleton. Would you please consider publishing this article? It refers to Shooting Balibó by Tony Maniaty.

My own book will be published in May next year: The Circle of Silence is a memoir about the tragedy and triumph of East Timor. .

By Shirley Shackleton.

I'm trying to think what to do about a recently published book ­ there is not much choice because of the laws of defamation. It’s ironic, anyone can print what they like and get away with it. Why? There is no protection in law for the dead, that’s why. A live person cannot even use the D word against someone who is assassinating a dead person’s character because of the likelihood of being charged with defamation. Since the D word does not exist in law regarding a deceased person, it cannot be used to defend them.

The Oracle who wrote this book D’s my husband in every possible way.

Greg Shackleton can be described by a whole raft of D words. Determined, dashing, desirable, delectable, decent, dedicated and Daddy. However the only word that matters is dead.

Because of this book he has to die over and over and over again.

Then there is the M word. Machiavellian. Mr. M’s opinion of Greg Shackleton rests on supposition. They met and talked for five to ten minutes in 1975 when the author was running away from Balibó in Portuguese Timor. He advised Greg Shackleton not to proceed. Unfortunately he and four colleagues failed to realise that the propaganda about Gough Whitlam’s wonderful relationship with General Suharto, the dictator of Indonesia was just that. P for propaganda.

In other words the Balibó Five, unlike Mr. M did not possess second sight.

The D’s in the book are far ranging. They include blaming all the murdered journalists for their own deaths and even include criticism for a surgical intervention on Shackleton’s nose. I haven’t yet read this master of the clairvoyant art’s learned musings as to the inner thought and motivations of Roger East who also committed a deadly sin by failing to heed the Oracle. A whole raft of O words applies to Mr. M: outmatched, opinionated, offensive, oleum, otious, outjockey, onerous, overkill and opportunistic.

I make no claims to be clairvoyant I just put two and two together by studying the evidence.

Next Mr. M will be blaming the Anzacs for their own deaths too. And police shot while attending a crime scene.

What a blessing to ASIO and the police force, to forensic science and to all medical institutions this paragon would be. If only he could stick to the facts and not write fiction.

Shirley Shackleton 337 Dorcas Street South Melbourne 3205 Fax/phone (03) 9699 1002 Email: swirlyshack@westnet.doc.au

Back to June Menu
May
World Leaders Contact List
Main Postings Menu