There's no mystery surrounding the demise of Strathfield. It's just another case of Tony Hakim covering his tracks. He's been up this road with ASIC and ACCC before. Surrounding oneself with a web of corporate sleaze seems to be his modus operandi. Curious journos know Mr Hakim by reputation as well, which was his ultimate downfall in his 2002 fracas with Fairfax Press.

How utterly poetic that a defamation claim by Hakim against Fairfax for supposed losses incurred in 2002 because of bad press, should be heard so close to the lodging of 'exclusive dealing' claims by the corporate regulator. Seems that Fin Review journo was right all along. I hope ASIC root this bastard out and send him under. He's shadier than the underside of the rock he lives beneath.

Twice in a week, the supposed flagship news media outlet in this country, The Australian, has published articles by journalist Greg Roberts purporting to represent the Climate Change sceptic argument in the most disingenuous manner this blogger has yet seen.

"The Australian’s George Megalogenis got it right when he predicted a “horror, handout budget”. The government will claim that it’s a tough budget because there have been cosmetic cuts to so-called “middle class welfare”. In fact, it will be another handout budget from a government addicted to buying votes.

Stephen Bartholomeusz's column in Business Spectator this morning - Understanding Trujillo - provides some interesting counterpoint in the never-ending debate over just what 'racism' is, and how it ought to be defined.

I'm left wondering of late, what the attraction is that I have with online discussion groups, forums and the like.

You have to wonder what this fellow is so afraid of to be making ass-hat statements like this.

Remember the Birthers? That all-American (only ever in America!) group of Republican fruit-loop types who pretend that protection of the US Constitution is their goal, and they're not a mob of racists?

Only in America (and on Facebook which is inhabited primarily by Americans) could this sort of garbage make publication.

Absolutely bizarre!

Whilst the contract killing of 140 eastern grey kangaroos as a supposed safety measure in the lead-up to next week's motorsport fest at Mount Panorama, Bathurst might upset those who don't understand or appreciate motorsport, I dare say there will be 64 grateful drivers, a dozen or so team owners, almost uncountable corporate team sponsors and several million motorsport spectators who will welcome the Bathurst City Council decision.

It's little wonder Glenn Milne is often tagged 'the poison dwarf'. There's no traction to be gained from promoting his ideological flagship, at least in the federal sphere, because it's foundered and doesn't look like floating off any time soon. So, he figures he'll target the bureaucracy as a means of criticising the government. Actually, even criticising Ken Henry, or this lame attempt at claiming Henry is far from the impartial senior bureaucrat that he most surely is, falls well short of criticising the Labor government. Clearly the advice Henry gave, and is still giving, is working perfectly for the economy as a whole. The stimulus packages have succeeded in staving off the recession the rest of the world fell into. Milne et al, which includes Turnbull, Hockey and the rest of that poor collection of smiling assassins, have failed to find genuine fault with the government's strategies, and instead have seemingly decided to tear down their advisors.

Here's a news flash for the dwarf. That's what senior bureaucrats do. Advise the government of the day to the very best of their ability. It's a bureaucrat's job to advise, and carry out the edicts of the government of the day, which Ken Henry does very efficiently. That the government's collective ideological antithesis doesn't like the fact that bureaucratic advice is assisting the government to do the job it was elected to do speaks more of the nay-sayers, than of the government or its advisors.

Let's reiterate the position once again. A free and fair democratic election was held in November 2007. Conservatism was shown the door. Conservatism is yet to work out why. There isn't a hope in hell of conservatism returning to government in this country until it's brains trust works out why. If conservatism would do more navel gazing and less mindless nit-picking, perhaps it might start to come back into touch with the voters. I won't hold my breath on the subject.

Just about to doze off last night, with Radio National playing on the clock radio on a timer, when the midnight news came on.

This is an absolutely bizarre story, but strangely not at all out of place with American culture. Openly admitted to by the company concerned, Trijcon Inc.  apparently the inscriptions constitute the proselytising of religion by the US Military, which is constitutionally forbidden. Thing is, the US Military wasn't aware, or if it was, deliberately defied constitutional law. Something that I find really left field, and the truly bizarre part of the scenario.

Crusade?? Well, depends on when this bunch of corporate bible-bashers decided to start practicing this preaching through the point of a gun. Was it around the same time as the awarding of the US$660m defence contract? Surely, someone at the military end would have noticed, asked what the colon meant in the middle of a serial number? Serials aren't normally punctuated. Did anyone check, or is the end product accepted on delivery based on QA at the manufacturers end? Do all weapon sights from this manufacturer carry these inscriptions, or only those destined for use in Islamic theatres? One wonders why GWB didn't legislate for the Cross of St John to be emblazoned on all US military uniforms.

As if that isn’t preposterous enough for you, consider this. Audio bibles you can even hear in space!!! Bugger the food, water & medical supplies, or the financial where-with-all needed to get those essentials into the disaster zone. What about the eternal souls of those starving or dying of thirst & exposure? “Gahd sinds yoo hiz lurve!” A man may not live by bread alone, but he sure as hell can’t survive on fresh air & esoteric technology.

I know, Benjamin. Staggers my imagination as well!