You can call Kevin Rudd many things, but serial killer?

BG says:

05:02pm | 05/08/09

‘Super-nerd, sanctimonious, workaholic’ You can add ‘economic vandal’, ‘weasel’ and ‘spin-meister’ to that list. But whilst Rudd is in fact an idiot, this Erin Burnett is a completely uninformed moron for making such a stupid statement.

Aunt Pol says:

05:03pm | 05/08/09

I watched this rant against Rudd and I must say that I was pretty cranky with the way they carried on…I for one am sick to death of how the American’s view other countries. Yes, what Rudd is doing is wrong, I will agree with that..The problem I had was with the wally who must be this woman’s co-host saying ‘I didn’t know they even had an airforce’....who the hell backs you morons up whenever you decide that it’s time to ‘invade’ another country so that they can be ‘free’? If a news program over here decided to brand their President a ‘seriel killer’, what the heck would happen? That’s right, they’d be carrying on a treat.

Jonathan says:

05:05pm | 05/08/09

I laughed when I read the original article.  The news person thingy said something about all the meat and milk going to waste: not sure she has any idea of how big Australia is, although I would say she has as much idea about Australia in general as she does about the camel plague.
She’s more than welcome to get down here and set up a camel dairy.  I’d give camel milk a go for sure, to wash down a nice camel curry.
Then I’d smoke a camel.  And go for a ride in a Sopwith Camel.  While eating jersey c(ar)amel. 
Happy hump day, everyone!

People Eating Tasty Animals says:

05:14pm | 05/08/09

She’s cute, but is like a lot of Americans, they stick their mouth in gear while their brain is in neutral.  It’s like those who complain about Australia’s farm practices and roo culls.  Get them down here and explain things to them, show them the reality and basically give them a clue about what goes on outside the 48 mainland states of America and they quickly change their tune.

Bob says:

05:18pm | 05/08/09

Wouldn’t be the first time someone from another country abused animal treatment in this country without checking facts. Pink springs to mind. At least she was big enough to admit she made a mistake, hopefully Ms Burnett is too. Undoubtedly someone will bring up an occasion when an Aussie has done the same thing to another nation, and fair enough too. One of the pros about the information age is impulsive people have a knee jerk reaction without thinking things through, and all of a sudden their foolishness is there for all to see in the blink of an eye. Turnbull + Oz Car = perfect example.

Steve says:

05:20pm | 05/08/09

She’s hot so it doesn’t matter.

Toby says:

05:20pm | 05/08/09

oh how I hate how some Americans feel that they can tell us what we should and shouldn’t be doing.  I hope I am right in saying that Australians don’t interfere in their domestic issues.  I am not a great lover of Rudd, but the camels are a pest, they were introduced and are now feral.  They need to be culled to protect our environment and all the fauna and flora that is so important to our country.  Can you imagine rounding up these camels in the outback to try and milk them - what a fool!

As for the imbecile making a comment about our airforce; he needs a swift kick up the rear end.  What about WW1, WW2, Vietnam etc etc etc.  Who comes running everytime America asks us.

Rev says:

05:20pm | 05/08/09

Rudd might be an idiot (as far as I’m concerned) but this only proves the old statement true: only in America.

Donb says:

05:20pm | 05/08/09

Firstly I don’t like Kevin Rudd, BUT, for some person who has never been to Australia to condemn him for doing something he is paid to do is a bit much. He is protecting our ecology and environment against an animal which has become a pest, read here, Vermin. Erin, get your facts right first and visit our beautiful country before you get on national TV and mouth off crap just to get your ratings up.

Jim J.K.B. says:

05:21pm | 05/08/09

Yep, this is quite possibly the dumbest thing anyone could say on this issue. Fair enough that a meat and milk industry would be good, but until someone actually does something about it, we can’t just let our environment disappear. She could have at least made an effort to get some information on the issue before blowing up like an indignant, ignorant moron. Real journalists use facts.

My guess is that she has a nice mental image of stately camels travelling single file across the desert, faring merchants to their next oasis. Fair enough if you don’t want to air-bomb that, but a million feral animals trampling our backyard into nothingness? Wasn’t the outback desolate enough before these camels began making things a million times worse?

Oh dear, what a world away from reality this girl must live in. Perhaps she should travel over here herself, apparently she has a pretty good idea how to take care of these animals properly. Hell, I’d pay for her airline ticket just to see it.

Truekiwijoker says:

05:22pm | 05/08/09

This woman is clearly a moron. Beyond the fact she has strange ideas about the reasons for animal culling, feral camels or the market demand for Camel meat & milk, there’s the strange idea that she’s somehow an authority whose opinion is of some credence.
It will never cease to amaze me how easy an attractively presented woman can get a TV profile in the USA…

Nathan says:

05:23pm | 05/08/09

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond the Daily Telegraph wrote this http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/5973531/Australians-urged-to-eat-camels-not-cull-them.html
Seems our English cousins may be crap at cricket but good at journalism. They at least asked those who are affected by the Camel plague. That stupid bimbo has probably never set foot off Manhattan Island so wouldn’t know a thing about the real world.

alf says:

05:26pm | 05/08/09

The most vocal and il informed critics of Australian culling programs are always foreigners with little or no understanding of the underlying issue.

We heard similar sentiments from Paul Mcartney and PETA Co. during the planned Roo culling programs in the ACT, despite independent scientific advice recommending roo control on humane and environmental grounds.

While I support roo culling on the basis of maintaining ecological stability , I can understand opposition to it, given the native and iconic status of the animal.

Opposition to camel culling in Australia however, shows a particular nativity, and a complete lack of understanding of the environmental issues caused by feral animals.

I think this particular detractor should do a little more research before she defames foreign political leaders. Better still, she should stick to what she does best - i.e. reading the news.

(ps… Lets hope she doesn’t get wind of the ‘Cane-toadicide’ perpetrated by Australians for decades…)

Adam says:

05:30pm | 05/08/09

Surely better to launch airstrikes against camels than village, schools and weddings in Afghanistan?

BFG says:

05:32pm | 05/08/09

Neither would I Kevin07.

America, actually the United States, as part of the North American continent is frighteningly insular, and bigotted. Many of the central and mid-west who get onto places like Yahoo! Answers ask questions or provide answers that indicate they know nothing about what is beyond their town limits; sad but true and very frightening.

Camels, rabbits, cane toads, foxes, .... the list goes on - introduced vermin, illegally, usually.

Ignore the ivory tower soothsayers for they think a ten thousand hectare bush fire is huge and “bigger than Texas” but a Victorian Alpine fire of 2003 or 2007 at between 1 and 2 MILLION hectares EACH is smaller.

iansand says:

05:32pm | 05/08/09

We should send her the camel meat.  She deserves it.  The stuff tastes as though it has been marinated in its own urine.

Patrick says:

05:37pm | 05/08/09

Oh how I laughed. Here she is supposedly a serous financial analyst and VP, at Citigroup no less, describing how we are culling camels and not harvesting the carcasses or milk. In a desert that dwarves their largest states we are supposed to cull camels by helicopter then before they perish in the 40C degree heat take their carcasses back to the non existent camel meat processing plants to feed into our barely existent camel meat market. Now in 40 years , I have eaten emu, roo, crocodile, rabbits, cattle, sheep, chicken and duck. But I am in no hurry to eat camel. If Erin wishes to invest in the camel meat market good luck to her. Personally I think she has a promising career in comedy and until then I shall call her ” That Camel Toad”.

Fro says:

05:39pm | 05/08/09

why is it you never people from PETA picketting out the front of bikie clubhouses in protest of them wearing leather…......

Steve B says:

05:45pm | 05/08/09

Erin Burnett, you are an ignoramus and should be ashamed to consider yourself a professional journalist. Comments like this just go to show that you got where you are on your looks alone and not on any actual journalistic ability. But somehow I suspect you don’t care.

desert ship says:

05:56pm | 05/08/09

Does she want one or two humps!

Nancy says:

05:55pm | 05/08/09

As a regular watcher of this lady on the earlier CNBC 11pm (our time) show, she is a class act. She is clever, witty, and unafraid to criticise Americans. She has travelled - did a shows recently on the pirate problem, on a real ship, in the problem area. She did another trip to Africa, looking at investment opportunities. Produced a very good show.
If you want her to come to Australia to see our camels, invite her. Maybe that is what she wants? I am sure she would admit we have an environmental problem with these animals, though she most likely wouldn’t budge on her criticism of the killing method. But don’t let her near our aboriginal centres. Wouldn’t want the world seeing those,now,  would we?
Sorry alf. She does much more than “read the news”

Brad says:

06:01pm | 05/08/09

Why is a financial journalist getting involved with environmental concerns of another country?  Maybe we could start having our talking heads go on and on about how pathetic America’s gun control laws are…and today’s media is another prime example for them to use.

brendan says:

06:01pm | 05/08/09

i agree . i am against killing camels for any reason.

evenNABisbetter says:

06:01pm | 05/08/09

Small wonder CitiGroup had to be bailed out by the US taxpayer: with executives this bright ...

MF says:

06:01pm | 05/08/09

Hey, I’d be flattered if someone called me a super-nerd!

Brad Coward says:

06:07pm | 05/08/09

Rudd has been killing the Australian economy with his free money program.  So yes, he is a serial killer !

Jamie says:

06:11pm | 05/08/09

I though their nintendo-pilots held the record for setting things on fire from the air? Usually people.
If there was oil in the outback then the camels would suddenly be “terrorists” and we’d need to be “liberated” by the good old US of A. Stones in glass houses lovie.

A-Lo says:

06:15pm | 05/08/09

Camel is actually a delicious meat - but I doubt most Australians would be willing to eat it and I also don’t believe the infrastucture is in place to convert camels into meat. Erin Burnett is obviously a few camels short of a desert, but there could be an industry there…

Caitlin says:

06:41pm | 05/08/09

Sorry to rehash a very overused argument but what about the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians the US army has killed in their “War on Terror”? I suppose camels are more important.

I’m going to assume this woman is a vegetarian, doesn’t wear leather etc etc so if she gets her way the earth is going to be overrun with humans & animals overpopulation is already a problem as it is. These camels are destroying vegetation & there numbers will double in 10 years; if shes so worried about them maybe she’d agree to adopt them all and they can be safe and happy in her backyard?

miketron says:

06:53pm | 05/08/09

Um, does she have anything to say about the good ole USA culling Camel Jockeys in Afghanistan and Iraq for the last 8 years?

Bubba says:

06:56pm | 05/08/09

Love how the people who usually so enjoy attacking Rudd for the most ridiculous reasons are suddenly leaping to his defence. To make use of a quote from Mrs Krabapple in the Simpsons referring to Principal Skinner - “he might be a weenie, but he’s our weenie”. Having seen the damage that camels (and donkeys, goats and pigs) are doing to our native environment, I would heartily approve of air strikes against them. Would strongly suggest that this news chick make more use of her brain in future and much less of her more visible assets.

Eric says:

07:01pm | 05/08/09

Caitlin, that’s not an argument—it’s an outright fallacy.

Very few civilians were killed by the US Army. Many more were killed by terrorists. And there were never “hundreds of thousands” killed in the invasion.

susan says:

07:14pm | 05/08/09

maybe she meant cereal killer, not serial killer.  and maybe she meant Codex Alimentarius, not camel.  Camel meat wouldnt meet the Codex guidelines.  not enough hormones and genetic tampering.

Mick says:

08:19pm | 05/08/09

Adam says:
Surely better to launch airstrikes against camels than village, schools and weddings in Afghanistan?

Couldn’t of said it better myself, she calls our PM a Serial Killer? Do we have to mention Bush to this idiot or now that Obama is President the past is forgotten? What a moron.

Bill Grieve says:

08:27pm | 05/08/09

She has to be related to Sarah Palin…......

Eddy says:

08:45pm | 05/08/09

Won’t mention the alleged TV ranter, BUT, IMHO and all honesty, disregarding the damage being done to Australian Fauna, (it’s OUR bloody fault in the first instance) the humble camel DOES have a place in our food chain.
We are simply too stupid, lazy to deal with it.
Some years back, similar claims were made regards the feral GOAT, today our Pastorilists look upon it as a saviour, bring in much needed financial benefits with very little outlay.
No shearing, crutching or dipping, just round em up every six motnhs or so and put the money in the bank.
I do recall some years ago, our camels were being exported to the middle east, it was claimed at the time, they were the healthiest camels around, and their DNA was much desired to keep the biodiversity of the camels in the M.E. healthy.
Clearly, that didn’t last too long.
We need to get up off our fat arses and corral these animals, domesticate them once more and benefit from them.
YES, I’m aware, that will cost some intially, but in the long run, it WILL pay dividends.

Terry Gallo says:

08:56pm | 05/08/09

Kev should just tell the world how much CO2 a million camels put out every year and the American liberal left will soon shut up.

Although, on the other hand….Organically grown, free-range camel meat.
Maybe there is a market for it.

Vanessa says:

09:13pm | 05/08/09

What a pair of morons. I bet they couldn’t even point to Australia on a map. Typical Americans, they think their opinion on the world… (if they know there’s one out there) actually counts for something. Sorry America but unlike your country we don’t kill things for no reason. Goes to show you don’t need an IQ higher than a small child’s to be a “news anchor”.

Gregory says:

09:15pm | 05/08/09

Well, hype aside - I learned a few things- apparently Camels are one of Australia’s largest exports AND they are very “human-like” when you get up close (perhaps only to Americans vis a vis the teeth) -  both very good counter reasons to fastrack the destruction of our continent. I guess rabbits are also very cute!!

chris says:

09:18pm | 05/08/09

As a New Yorker transplanted in Melbourne and therefore inundated with Australian media, the hypocrisy in these comments is irritating and in my opinion bordering on bigotry. This woman is a fluff sidekick on a financial talk show on a fluff “news” network. I could understand the ridiculous prominence that this story has carried down here if she had Kerry O’Brien’s equivalent platform, but that’s just not the case.

Does the person above who thinks that a good-looking woman with a modicum of communication skill getting a job in “journalism” is unique to the US? I see the same thing on Aussie “news” every day. Americans “stick their mouths into gear when their brains are in neutral”? I witness acts of astonishing stupidity in the Australian domestic media on a daily basis as well.

The person who cites Afghanistan and Iraq - are not Australian soldiers involved in those conflicts as well? Australians who get upset at Americans who tell them how to live must be unaware that the reverse happens with much more frequency. And does anyone really believe that our political leaders aren’t subject to scrutiny that borders on the extreme by elements of the Australian media that are given not as silly hyperbole, but instead under the guise of “rigorous political discourse”?

Erin Burnett’s piece was stupid, but if anything, the culturally/ morally superior reaction to this story in the Aussie blogosphere and the “dobbing” watchdog mentality of making a mountain out of a molehill regarding any about Australia that is reported in the US or UK media should make any intelligent Australian embarrassed. It’s like an acceptable form of bigotry in Australia to engage in the kind of bashing witnessed above. Some of you need to pull your heads in.

M Cooke says:

09:28pm | 05/08/09

They got that right, Rudds a killer, killing Australia.

frustrated says:

09:42pm | 05/08/09

So americans can get away with killing innocent civilians and invading other countries but australians are the killers? does she know what genocide is? obviously not. lets forget about rawanda,hiroshima, Iraq and austria then. according to burnett killing an introduced pest is genocide….....

Cly says:

09:48pm | 05/08/09

So it would be OK in her mind if profit was being made from the cull - that’s what she’s saying.

Ron L says:

09:52pm | 05/08/09

Total ignorance of OUR feral camel problem and a typical strident voice to match. 

caution says:

09:57pm | 05/08/09

As is usual with uninformed Americans.
This is the same America that conducted its own camel extermination program in New Mexico and Texas after WW1 and WW2 with clean up programs since.
It is ironic that the evolutionary origin of the Camel was in the Americas that migrated across the land bridge into Asia and thence onto the Middle east
The eradication program in the States was as a result of the US Military importing and breeding Camels for the formation of camel squadrons to patrol the arid lands bordering Mexico and having a reserve of trained camel riders equipped for desert warfare!
So as i understand it this country America condemns us for trying to preserve the unique ecology that is Australia? This after legislating the protection of the introduced pest that became the wild horse?
America wind your neck in and clean up your own back yard and for once get the correct information!

Caitlin says:

10:25pm | 05/08/09

Eric,

If you look at a lot of the data showing the casualties from US airstrikes on insurgents many also have a large number of civilian casualties; which would’ve been big news in 2003 but now its lucky if it gets a mention. Two years ago US troops were responsible for around 41% of civilian deaths but now its 24% so yay for them thats an improvement (note sarcasm). The remainder of casualties can be attributed to terrorist attacks, mostly suicide bombings, so heres another little fact to aide my argument; 4/5th of all the suicide bombings in the past 25 years have taken place after 2001 & increased again once the war “officially” started, there was 542 in 2008.

So forgive me for not thinking my argument is “outright fallacy” I just figured an article on camels wasn’t really the right forum to launch a full scale attack on the US govt, no matter how much I enjoy a good debate.

Aussie T says:

11:10pm | 05/08/09

Ms Burnett…......you don’t have the faintest idea of our country and until you know the geography, the ecology and the “ferals” we have here, you’d be best to keep that mouth shut. You don’t have a clue. 
You yanks have a very well known problem with guns and history shows that you NEARLY wiped out a complete speicies of buffalo(some 600 million +) and your emblem….the Bald eagle. Anyone in the World knows that.
And that ‘stooge” who you were talking to, really…....a comedy in the making. Don’t don’t hang out for any Oscars.
You look like a Barbie doll with no home…....go find ‘Ken”. Oh…that’s right…he turned out “GAY”

Amy says:

12:00am | 06/08/09

Go back to reporting on the economy, love.
This so-called “journalist”, Erin Burnett, needs to shut her mouth. As if she even knew who Kevin Rudd is before today.
I don’t recall us ever labelling Bush a “serial killer”, but I’m sure we’d have more of an argument than she does to use that term.

Joy says:

12:22am | 06/08/09

Well, of course he’s a “serious” killer along with Peter Garret.
It seems as though every animal he looks he wants to kill it for food.
Our Australian Kangaroos are in very real danger of being wiped by Kevin Rudd and Peter Garret, to feed the Chinese.
And of course we must not forget our Emus.
Yes, the Australian Coat of Arms could very easily disappear within a few years with this pair of killers on the rampage.

susan says:

12:32am | 06/08/09

Caitlyn, I’m with you.  Why are we debating camels when hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi and Afghani civilians have been killed, injured, displaced and traumatised for so many years now.  This displacement of focus in priority is mind numbing.  And lets not even talk about the trauma, depression and suicide of the troops involved after active duty.  The anger and bitterness in some of the responses to this seems so out of sync with the issue.  Camels.  Human beings.  America.  Australia.  Media.  Camelsh*t

Jeff says:

12:34am | 06/08/09

Perfect. A kiwi news reporter commenting on an American story (on a financial segment) about an obscure Australian incident. Here’s a simple truth: Until she mentioned it on CNBC we (Australians) had no idea about it. That alone should be cause for concern.

Al says:

01:05am | 06/08/09

Just a simple case of an idiot willing to do anything to get their name out there (chk chk boom anyone?).  The fact that she features in mens magazines as well is arguably telling of that fact.  Just the kind of imbecile that PETA would recruit.

TinaD says:

02:32am | 06/08/09

And yet North Americans have a “hunting season” where they sell camo gear, guns and all types of hunting things so they can go out into the bush and kill their bears, deer, moose etc FOR FUN.  If you have ever been to North America you will know that being able to hunt and kill their native animals is a favorite pasttime.  Hypocritical morons.

Stevo in HK says:

02:35am | 06/08/09

We don’t have an airforce?...Okay,.. well as we can’t buy those whizz bang F-22’s the USAF can’t even afford ( but somehow Japan and Australia COULD, if you let us buy ‘em), and get the off cut F-35’s,.. I suppose the next time you get into a scrape say ohh,.. defending american microchip manufacturing interests against an invasion of Taiwan,.. I suppose you’ll forgive us while we sit that one out…

After all we don’t have an airforce now do we? One history lesson here. Vietnam. where the USAF needed our Canberras on low level penetration missions till you built your copies of our bombers. Plus the fact that there was a real desire to have our homegrown Avon-Sabres dogfighting NVA MiG’s but they wern’t silly enough to try it on our RAAF boys.

So Ms Cheerleader reject USA, so find some hero quarterback with a brain smaller than his shoe size to have kids with. perpetuate stupidity..

Hey News Just in Erin….. Bank of China just rang and are calling in all loans to Obama/ the USA. So I’d start learning Cantonese/Mandarin

Luke says:

05:57am | 06/08/09

Make a comment about Obama like that and the tyraid would be huge.

As much as I am not at all a fan of KRudd, I have respect for the position.

Typical American attitude against anyone else but their own.

Michael says:

06:18am | 06/08/09

I wouldn’t worry about the Emus joy, Australia has 900,000 approx in the wild and America has 1.3 million in farms, Kangaroos breed very fast and the way we have changed Australia with livestock infrastructure its highly doubtful they will be in trouble any time soon, but your like most Australians when it comes to wildlife, deluded.

Darren says:

07:19am | 06/08/09

*sigh* how did such a minor comment get blown into a prime time news piece here and in the UK, Singapore, etc?  yes it was mindless and irresponsible, but why do we care what she thinks?

i’m going to go back to eating my cereal.  please don’t brand me as a cereal killer.

Brian says:

07:42am | 06/08/09

Speaking as an American, resident of Sydney and surrounds since 1996 and an Australian citizen since 2003, Erin Burnett’s opinion shouldn’t be taken as specifically ‘American’ as much as just plain ignorant. One idiot does not a national character make, unless you think that the world should perceive dolts like Piers Akerman as representative of all Australians.

Burnett should stick to getting her kit off for lads’ mags- she’s not scoring a lot of gravitas or credibility as a journalist.

eag says:

09:19am | 06/08/09

That’s the problem with the media…the hype from the uninformed and ignorant who know nothing of the situation or see that some solutions have to be unpopular because it’s the only way to save our fragile and precious country.

tim says:

10:18am | 06/08/09

How about lazy ,Erin doing some considered research ?, before running off the mouth about Camels. The 800,000 camels arew winning and destroying desert areas .Think USA citizens would be livid if Aussie reporters were so , lazy as to besmerck your Obama.
Plenty of real jobs here in Australia , leading the western world in economic growth ,while USA wriths in agony over rising unemployment.!!!Find a real issue for Erin.

Stevo in HK says:

10:42am | 06/08/09

We don’t have an airforce?...Okay,.. well as we can’t buy those whizz bang F-22’s the USAF can’t even afford ( but somehow Japan and Australia COULD, if you let us buy ‘em), and get the off cut F-35’s,.. I suppose the next time you get into a scrape say ohh,.. defending american microchip manufacturing interests against an invasion of Taiwan,.. I suppose you’ll forgive us while we sit that one out…
After all we don’t have an airforce now do we? One history lesson here. Vietnam. where the USAF needed our Canberras on low level penetration missions till you built your copies of our bombers. Plus the fact that there was a real desire to have our homegrown Avon-Sabres dogfighting NVA MiG’s but they wern’t silly enough to try it on our RAAF boys.
So Ms Cheerleader reject USA, so find some hero quarterback with a brain smaller than his shoe size to have kids with. perpetuate stupidity..

Hey News Just in Erin….. Bank of China just rang and are calling in all loans to Obama/ the USA. So I’d start learning Cantonese/Mandarin and get the hang of chopsticks now.

alf says:

10:45am | 06/08/09

You’re absolutely right Nancy -  “She does much more than “read the news”. I forgot that she also takes her clothes off for mens magazines. She has professionalism and integrity written all over her…

She may be great at a lot of things but journalism aint one of them… Any journalist of professional merit would at least mention both sides of a story (e.g. the land degradatuion caused by feral camels)...

YT says:

11:13am | 06/08/09

Is she sure it’s Australia and not Austria?  People like this nutbag give all Americans a bad rep.

As for PETA… well I think the cuter an animal is, the better it tastes… Examples include a lamb, calf, duck, rabbit…

Eva says:

11:47am | 06/08/09

Yank Marketing 101:  There’s no such thing as “bad” publicity.  It doesn’t matter whether they’re talking about you in a complimentary or denigrating fashion… as long as they’re talking about you.

I’m a Yank transplant since 1997, became an Aussie citizen just in time to vote Kev in and LOVE the fact that we have a truly compassionate leader who sincerely cares for all of us in this country, including the least of us in social eyes (well, Turnbull might be an exception but I’m pretty positive Kev wouldn’t run him over if given the opportunity).  I’m appreciative that we had leadership during the “good times” who knew how to save and build the coffers for the “rough times”.  I’m grateful that Australia is a country having a relatively easier time of it in this global situation than most other countries.  I’m also appreciative that Aussies know how to combine progress with a big chunk of “she’ll be right” so that enough of us can enjoy the beauty of Oz without missing out by copying the nose-to-the-grindstone of many Yanks - progress at any cost.

I’m also appreciative that there are some people out there now seriously pondering the idea about making use of camels to avoid culling them.

All is good, y’all!

J says:

11:56am | 06/08/09

Just an update to this - she has now admitted it was a ‘dead-pan’ joke. Regardless of whether she thought it was a joke that she was announcing, it just seems like very odd behaviour.

If she believed in animal rights she wouldn’t be making jokes about it and further, if it was a joke it just isn’t funny at all. American sense of humour is usually pretty bad, but I don’t think even Americans would have found this one side-splitting.

Personally, I think it is a good idea that the camel numbers are controlled.

johnv_au says:

12:06pm | 06/08/09

OK lets start at the begining who give a f##k what some plonker in america says abut what we do in australia she probably doesnt know where we are anyway and were not shootin ethnic minorities like them (the lambs off but the camel is nice sir)

jezibel says:

12:46pm | 06/08/09

Oh, I see Erin is now claiming this as a ‘dead pan joke’.

The joke is really on us then eh? I tend to think rather that someone has tapped her on the shoulder and explained that Australia is not located in the middle east,  camels are destructive introduced animals here and that Kevin Rudd matters (albeit slightly) to the U.S government - providing troops to it’s Afghan and Iraq conflicts abroad…

Thanks for a good idea though Erin, next time I get things woefully wrong in my profession, and plant both feet firmly in mouth, I’ll try your “I was only dead-pan joking’ excuse.

Stick to getting your kit off for magazines and reading auto cues my dear…

Jasna says:

12:57pm | 06/08/09

It’s actually quite hilarious that AMERICANS call our prime minister a serial killer when good ol’e Dubbya, has murdered a reported 1.8 million Iraqi’s.

It was probably to take away from the attention that Obama hasn’t pulled his troops out of Afghanistan. Americans have no RIGHT to call anyone else a serial killer, not when they murder anyone that stands in the way of their “national security.” What a fucking joke Americans are.

Rob says:

12:58pm | 06/08/09

Bah! 

We even cull native animals - wallabies and kangaroos, in some areas when needed.

I wonder what this woman would say about culling wild boars in the outback, or attempts to kill off the cane toad?

Tomorrow night she’ll be reporting about “cannibalism” in China.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,25887052-1702,00.html

rob says:

01:44pm | 06/08/09

@Jasna, AMERICANS aren’t calling our prime minister anything, this is about ONE citizen of the USA, not the whole or majority of the country, just ONE.

She’s a bloody finance reporter having an irrelevant rant to express HER OPINION, not the sentiment of a whole country.

Don’t tar everyone with the same brush or you’re just as bad as her.

Sophie says:

02:30pm | 06/08/09

She’s a bloody idiot.

If she’s so concerned about the feral camels we should ship all of them to her doorstep.

johnv_au says:

03:03pm | 06/08/09

Well Tory Maguire you certanly started something here I wonder if you had a whale story, that would be interesting for our american freinds they have the power to stop the slaughter of them, who are doing no harm at all

GG says:

03:35pm | 06/08/09

Her co-anchor suggested taking the camels to a place where they were needed. Anyone need 1 million feral camels? Please call Erin and have them arranged to be shipped to you.

johnv_au says:

04:11pm | 06/08/09

GG says:
Her co-anchor suggested taking the camels to a place where they were needed. Anyone need 1 million feral camels? Please call Erin and have them arranged to be shipped to you.
The Camels are going to a better place ( my dinner plate )

Amanda says:

05:33pm | 06/08/09

I wonder how it feels to be hired simple because of a pretty face? CNBC doesn’t think she has much talent, and neither do we. If this crap was at all funny, we would be laughing, deary. Besides, Pres. Bush killed thousand when he invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. Maybe you should be calling him a serial killer, mass murderer?? Nah, you wouldn’t have the guts.

Lorelle says:

10:49pm | 06/08/09

Don’t worry about the camels,  I hear they have camelflage.

Chase Stevens says:

01:20am | 07/08/09

Doesn’t she do the weather?

Pedro says:

11:10am | 07/08/09

I’m so sick of dickhead americans.  Check out this vid for an accurate assessment of their intelligence.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Hilarious-Proof-of-How-Bad-U.S.-Educational-System-Really-Is.aspx

As an Aussie, I know more about their history than they do.  The problem is these people then go on to be presidents and ruin life for the rest of us. Freedom and liberty my arse

Frank says:

04:43pm | 07/08/09

I’m still absolutely amazed at the description she gave on how these animals are culled (or slaughtered, using her phrase). Air strikes! I know how this works during any pest culling, but still, the first picture that jumped into my mind was FA-18’s flying in low, strafing the area with cannon fire, followed by more planes carpet bombing with napalm. Maybe even a couple of C130s, equipped with Gatling guns on both sides, tracer rounds lighting up the sky. (You know, the way the US does when it goes on it’s usual rampaging in Pakistan and Afghanistan). I’ll bet this is probably the way most Americans view how the process is done. A sharp shooter in a small ‘bubble’ helicopter wouldn’t come to mind there.

B.Bechir says:

02:22am | 23/01/10

Hi
at first excuse the quality of my english
I read that the Australia gonna kill thousand camels. It’s bad.
I am ready to receive here in Tunisia the maximum of camels you can send. Can you help me find an organization or people volunteered to transport the camels from Australia to Tunisia.
My best wishes
F. Bechir Ben Saidi
tel: 00216-21008931
mail: abcd19@gmail.com