Comedy is hard because wokeism has moved almost beyond satire. This has required me to take seriously Melbourne’s Enterprise Professor Bruce Pascoe, the ABC’s favourite Aborigine. For example, he’s been advocating that we meat-eaters cut planet-wrecking CO2 emissions by gathering roadkill for the table.
My 500th essay went up on Quadrant Online last week, all searchable on my public archive. Years ago I had in mind retiring at the 500th, but doing these things is a nice hobby for an 83-year-old in his lean and slippered pantaloon, so I’ve re-set the target to 1000.
My first QO essay was on January 30, 2012, titled, “Sinking, sinking not: Tuvalu”. Climate lies are so entrenched that in my 501st essay 12 years later, I’m still pointing out that Tuvalu’s area is expanding.[1] Even Russ Skelton’s RMIT/ABC Fact Check has joined me to combat the ‘drowning islanders’ meme. My piece included some mirthy material from the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference:
Read more: Comedy is Hard because Wokeism has Moved Beyond Satire...... A Diary of Reality?
People who live lives that are out of the ordinary run the risk of being hailed by succeeding generations as legends, and of having the most intimate details of their lives scrutinized. All of us leave public records that may in the future be used to piece together our lives for better or for worse, though at the time we never consider that possibility.
Big Brother and others have tabs on us even in death. Hannah Glennon, ‘Red Jack’ of horse breaking, droving and bush racing fame, would no doubt be totally perplexed by the interest shown in her today, as she never sought fame. She would also be horrified by the public airing of her dirty linen (she was a laundress at one stage) gleaned through official records; such, however, is the price of fame.
It is a long lamented sadness that we are now governed by people who care not for us or our Nations, but for themselves. Too few nations have Statesmen at the helm Too many of our so called leaders are merely opportunists who are more focused on opinion polls and less focused on doing what is right for their country.
Therein lies the entire problem. Focus gro ups, social media " persuaders " and self interested career politicians care more about their fat pay cheques than they do about b uilding a Nation and bus ilding a future for which we can all be proud.
Take a walk or stroll ( if you are allowed these days ) through a park in a town or city: it is filled with trees and memorials to those who saw past the 5 year plan or the next election cycle. It is gently shaded by magnificent oaks and triumphant majesty borne from visionaries who thought, not of themselves, but of their children and grandchildren and many generations yet to come.
Read more: Nation Builders are needed - they dared to think big and think of the future
While antisemitism convulses Australia, the Human Rights Commission runs dead. One reason is its pro-Hamas fifth column – on one estimate it totals more than 20 per cent of staff.
They intimidate and insult their HRC President Rosalind Croucher (above) with impunity. Some turn up for work in keffiyehs. Imagine a Jew going to the HRC in Sydney about racist threats, and greeted by staff in Palestine headgear!
Meanwhile Croucher strives to placate her insurrectionists while issuing blancmange condemnations pairing “antisemitism and Islamophobia”. An odd coalition now want the HRC axed and/or Croucher defenestrated. [thrown out the window ]
Read more: The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Very Own Intifada
As our youngsters sit behind their computers or have radical leftist doctrines shoved down their throats, it is time to remember what we are truly capable of, if we set our minds to the task.
These days, parents won't let their kids go to the corner shop alone.
It’s 1932 and Australia is in the grip of the Great Depression. One in three workers is unemployed.
Decrepit shanty towns hug the outskirts of the big cities. Much like today.
Out in rural Australia, a 9 year old boy works to keep his family afloat. All the while helped by his best friend, a pony named Ginger Mick.
He embarked on a journey that would be unheard of today. Back then, he was just going for a ride....
Read more: The Legend of a Boy and a Pony.. Are you Tougher than your Ancestors?
The 17th of March marks the date of the death of St Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. St Patrick was actually born in Britain but, when he was 16, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. It was about the year 415 and there was no kids helpline or social media available to send out a cry for help.
So he planned and plotted and eventually managed to escape. Alas, Paddy was no Houdini and he was sent off to France where he was introduced to Christianity.
He escaped again and managed to return to Ireland, which he now accepted as home. Converted to the Christian religion, he set about spreading the Word throughout Ireland. Perhaps the most well-known legend of St. Patrick is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.
Read more: St Patrick's Day - Snakes, Spuds and Irish Eyes of Blue
In history, certain dates carry weighty significance, their very mention evoking a sense of foreboding or consequence. Among these, the Ides of March stands as a poignant reminder of the impulsive and unpredictable nature of fate and the tumultuous currents of human affairs.
Originating from ancient Roman traditions, the Ides marked the midpoint of the month in the Roman calendar, typically falling on the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of other months. However, it is the Ides of March, particularly in the year 44 BC, that has become immortalised for its association with betrayal and political upheaval.
The most enduring event tied to the Ides of March is the assassination of Julius Caesar, one of the most influential figures in Roman history. On that fateful day, Caesar, adorned in the regal purple robe, entered the Theatre of Pompey, unaware of the conspiracy brewing against him. As he took his seat, a group of senators, led by Brutus and Cassius, struck him down, plunging Rome into chaos and altering the course of history.
Read more: The Ides of March: Unraveling the Legacy of a Fateful Date
Some years ago I worked in a large private organisation that was engaged in facility management. It was a very happy workplace and we still have an annual get together like a bunch of old schoolboys.
There were about 40 of us in the management echelon and we did many trips into the Outback, then when Australia had been fully covered we did a trip down Route 66 in America and another one to Cuba.
We formed ourselves into a little organisation called The Drinking Man’s Travel Company.
In early 1951, New Zealand’s waterfronts weren’t just bustling ports - they had become battlegrounds.…
205 hits
Ratty News Special: “From Gondwana to Dusty Gulch: The Ostrich Problem” By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
408 hits
During World War II, Australia was a vital cog in the Allied machine, sending troops…
483 hits
Of all the magnificent units and regiments of the Australian Army I doubt if…
451 hits
The Emu War is one of Australia’s strangest historical events. In late 1932, the government…
373 hits
For nearly a decade, I’ve poured my soul into this blog. Twelve hours a day,…
350 hits
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy…
418 hits
We live in a strange age where even computers can sound like they care. AI…
314 hits
RATTY NEWS EXCLUSIVE: DIGITAL DINGO’S BIN BONANZA By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Chief Correspondent, Dusty…
394 hits
On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the…
401 hits
Democracy: Now With 97% Less Majority Rule Because who needs the will of the people…
474 hits
NEWSFLASH FROM DUSTY GULCH By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Dusty Gulch Bureau Chief Hold onto…
405 hits
Between the “Scrap Iron Flotilla” and “the Rats of Tobruk,” turning insults into a point…
405 hits
Before Xbox and iPads, we had mist, mud, and pinecones - and we waged battles…
376 hits
Picture trench warfare, and you’re probably seeing World War I’s muddy, rat-infested ditches, with soldiers…
425 hits
Digitally Removed in Shocking Duck Directive - Trevor the Wallaby Victim of “Knee-Free” Policy – Gulch Governance…
468 hits
How my father’s final hour barefoot in the sun taught me what it really means…
412 hits
What a healed bone, the smell of leather, and a soldier’s burden reveal about who…
401 hits
Thomas Pritchard, Australia's last "Rat of Tobruk" passed away at the age of 102 on…
527 hits
In a thoughtful historical essay published on this blog, John Ruddick celebrated the British discovery…
453 hits
From immigration policy to identity politics, energy to ideology - the erosion of Western society…
474 hits
In the 1970s, listening to Pirate Radio was more than entertainment - it was defiance.…
566 hits
DUSTY GULCH IN TURMOIL AS SOCIAL MEDIA MELTDOWN HITS MULTI-SPECIES SCHOOL By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
479 hits
“Every tyrant must begin by claiming to have what his victims respect and to give…
544 hits
The sea doesn’t warn you. It doesn’t care who you are, what rank you hold,…
463 hits
National First looks into how compulsory voting shackles true democracy. Australia likes to pat itself…
478 hits
At nine years old, I felt the silence of the lambs, long before I knew…
470 hits
While the new aces argue about the runway, the old crew still knows how to…
475 hits
When a lifetime isn’t enough to be believed I know a person... in her older…
553 hits
RATTY NEWS SPECIAL BULLETIN By Roderick “Whiskers” McNibble, Editor-in-Cheese It has been a busy week…
454 hits
Before he was a U.S. Senator, Vice President, or bestselling author, J.D. Vance was just…
516 hits
From the rat-hunters of age-old sailing ships to the black-cloaked Catalinas prowling the Pacific skies,…
500 hits