In which the pond consigns the snowflakes to eternal damnation and hellfire ...

Good old Barners, and good on the dog botherer …

It's the usual Australian tragedy, the suffering of the hapless male, the relentless burden of having to deal with the shrewish ball and chain, the impossibility of putting foot down and abiding by principles or seemliness when the bloody woman is on the prowl ...

It's all her fault:

Say that she rail, why then I'll tell her plain 
She sings as sweetly as a nightingale: 
Say that she frown, I'll say she looks as clear 
As morning roses newly washed with dew: 
Say she be mute and will not speak a word, 
Then I'll commend her volubility, 
And say she uttereth piercing eloquence: 
If she do bid me pack, I'll give her thanks, 
As though she bid me stay by her a week:
If she deny to wed, I'll crave the day 
When I shall ask the banns and when be married.

Oh if I be waspish, best beware my sting:

Uh huh, this bids to become an infinite saga of media jest … but stay, the pond has more serious matters afoot.

Was it only this morning that the pond predicted that the reptiles would keep droning on and on and on about religious freedom? Which is to say the freedom to abuse and demonise and defile the 'other' and the alien …

Oh the suffering, oh the humanity, though the actual header is a little too clever by half, suggesting as it does that churches not only preach bigotry, hate, fear, loathing, exclusion, prejudice and discrimination, but also practise it …

Indeed, indeed, and in the usual reptile way, Sexton QC is deeply concerned by the suffering of assorted fundamentalists and bigots, but finds it hard to talk about the suffering of assorted milksops, sooks and snowflakes who might take a view on being consigned to hell …

Of course the rubber will hit the road for the reptiles when they step up to the plate to defend the right of Islamic fundamentalists to speak their minds on assorted matters … say, the need to diminish the hegemony of the Catholic Boys' Daily … and proffer their thoughts on the political incorrectness of pig eaters ...

The AFC is the most politically correct of all the sporting bodies?

How silly is that? Even the pond knows that there's not a single gay player in the AFL.

Oh sure a comedian might have claimed he once had a brief relationship with a Sydney Swans player, and there's constant talk of someone, anyone, coming out, but usually it's Australia 'not ready' for an AFL player to come out gay …

...he has noticed that the practice of fans calling a hated player or umpire a "faggot" has not gone out of fashion.

At least one thugby leaguer came out, and quite a few in professional rugger bugger, although everyone in a scrum should be analysed for certain propensities, and it certainly could become interesting if David Pocock decides to give Folau a hug after a try is scored … and pardon the pond's complete ignorance of football, but wasn't Folau and the chemically addicted Hunt's poaching judged to be a failed experiment because he was useless at the game (well so it suggests here).

Folau was smartest. He wasted two years in the AFL but instead of toiling in a sport he was never going to go close to mastering, he left after 13 AFL matches. He managed 39 kicks in those 13 games. Given he was on $1 million of AFL industry money for both the 2011 and 2012 seasons, those kicks came at more than $50,000 a pop. At that rate, he threw in 41 handballs, 18 tackles and 22 marks.

Sheesh, "he could still be playing in the AFL" and at 50k the kick? Can the pond play too?

Of course the simple solution is to boycott union's sponsors, and thereby Folau, but as the pond has spent a lifetime boycotting union, league and the AFL, as well as the lizards of Oz, perhaps idle abuse remains the way to go ...

Enough of Sexton SC - the pond has little doubt he's destined for hellfire and eternal damnation for sounding silly about aerial pingpong - such an easy judgement and so final - because the pond feels the need to turn back to Barners' suffering …and Overington salivating …

Oh yes, it's on for young and old ...

Sheesh, that was clearly written before Barners made it clear it was all the fault of she who must be obeyed, the dragon lady, the little woman, the strife of life …

And now, in closing, an honourable mention … because the pond must acknowledge the ongoing efforts of the onion muncher to retain his place in the pond's sun …

By golly the onion muncher talks tough when there's not a single thing he can actually do about it, except talk tough … what a goer he is ...

A shirt front turns into robust discussions?

Et tu, onion muncher, the thought police led you to a form of political correctness? Oh the humanity, the humanity ...

For some strange reason, the pond was reminded of a couple of recent Pope cartoons, with more papal insights available in a much better gallery format here at his Canberra Times' home.