In which the pond goes into ABTE mode thanks to the Major and the Oreo ...

The pond was anxious to begin the week in ABTE mode - anything but the election - and what joy that the Major was on hand to help, with some thoughtless reptile sloganeering, and a valiant effort to polarise the debate about Christianity and Islam even more …

As usual in lizard Oz bizarro world, whenever a reptile summary suggests one thing, be sure that the perverse reptile will wander off in another … but as a spoiler, might the pond just note how disappointing and predictable the opening unsigned graphic is, how mindless and meaningless, as it juxtaposes a way to make a phone call with other apps … how did Skype get into the mix? What next? Reptile podcasts? (And speaking of podcasts, the pond hopes everyone has heard This American Life on Alex Jones and conspiracy theories … it helps explain the world of reptile la la land in a trice, and can be found under Beware the Jabberwock).

And now, for those who insist on sticking with the Major ...

Actually, if the pond might be so bold, the lizard Oz long ago developed a theme: how could it most effectively display its complete intolerance for deviants of the Islamic kind, and anybody who might have an unkind word about Xianity …

At the time, the far right wing Murdochian media was wallowing in an "attack the infidels" debate, arguing that the Islamics should just like it or lump it, and never mind the failures of the 1% to share their wealth … just blame it all on the Islamics, and bring the Donald to power, skew the taxation system even more, and all would be well …

And now to jump the shark and nuke the fridge with the Major ...

It's a long way back in the gobbet, but did anyone notice that line about "the most despicable act of violence since World War II"?

The pond can think of any number of despicable acts of violence that knock 7/11 off its perch, which is not to diminish it, but simply to note that it was the Major that introduced the comparative voice …

Why, there's the Vietnam war, the most despicable and useless act of violence in the 1960s, long after the second world war. And how about the Russians in Afghanistan, another despicable and extended act of violence, and at the same time, completely futile and an abject failure? 

And if despicable acts of war aren't your thing, how about the Rwandan genocide in 1994? According to assorted data, an estimated 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and some moderate Hutus were slaughtered, though some estimates range as high as 2 million (here).

If Colbert were to get out his calculator, he could probably help with the Major's western-centric calculations. One dead American surely equals at 10,000 dead Rwandans, and that's how it easily becomes "the most despicable act of violence since World War II".

Of course this sort of dispute highlights the inability of the Major and increasingly far right reptiles to handle complex discussions, when simplistic, mindless, almost moronic rhetorical devices are deployed, without a nanosecond's thought as to what is being scribbled …

And now, inevitably, it's back to the Folau matter … even though, as a result of his behaviour in the matter of the Order of Lenin medal, the Major himself should be facing a stiff sentence in purgatory … if not an eternity in hellfire … since being a serial liar and dissembler is one of those crimes that attract the attention of imaginary friends ...

Again if the pond might be so bold, the notion that nobody mentions homosexuals being tossed off buildings by fundamentalist Islamics is such a blatant lie that the Major certainly deserves a stint in purgatory.

There's no moral equivalence here, there's no get out of jail excuse for Folau, preaching exactly the same fundamentalist tripe and bigotry as that preached by Islamic fundamentalists. If anything, it only makes it worse … because his words are the sort of incitement that was used to toss homosexuals off cliffs in Sydney not so long ago, or see youths patrol beats so that they could bash poofters to death.

And that other excuse, that Folau is stating what most people have believe to be true for most of the last two millennia, and therefore somehow how it isn't homophobic and intolerant, but rather the natural order of things, is even more irritating. The bible can be used for many purposes, but one of the favourite uses made of it by fundamentalists is the preaching of hate, fear and loathing, of the different and the other.

And so all the fundamentalism to be found in Islam, the stonings to death, the acceptance of slavery, and so on and so forth, and often for petty matters, can be found in the old Testament, as might be expected of Abrahamic faiths that share many traditions, including bigotry, hate and homophobia.

And yet, though all this known, and within the pond's lifetime, gays were sent to jail or chemically castrated, or cast out as distilled essence of social evil, somehow it's the fault of social media ...

Ah fucketty fuck, did the Major just blame feminists and black women? … though he didn't dare say "black" and instead in his mealy-mouthed, hypocritical way, he led with "women of colour".

Well it's probably because he wanted to illustrate the point that the Major's social theory lacks subtlety of thought and historical depth … as he meanders off down the Crusader bypath to distract attention from what he just said … and next drags in the Chinese ...

Say what?

"Our own Mabo decision is based on the High Court's findings about the intent of British colonial administrators to protect the interests of our first inhabitants."

What the fuck does that mean?

British colonial administrators landed here with the notion of terra nullius. And protecting the interests? How about turning a blind eye?

I have myself heard a man, educated, and a large proprietor of sheep and cattle, maintain that there was no more harm in shooting a native, than in shooting a wild dog. I have heard it maintained by others that it is the course of Providence, that blacks should disappear before the white, and the sooner the process was carried out the better, for all parties. I fear such opinions prevail to a great extent. Very recently in the presence of two clergymen, a man of education narrated, as a good thing, that he had been one of a party who had pursued the blacks, in consequence of cattle being rushed by them, and that he was sure that they shot upwards of a hundred. When expostulated with, he maintained that there was nothing wrong in it, that it was preposterous to suppose they had souls. In this opinion he was joined by another educated person present. Bishop Polding, 1845 (here).

They never face up to anything, these reptiles, do they? There's always the dissembling, and sometimes the outright lying or the Orwellian distortions.

Forget purgatory, off to imaginary hellfire for the Major so that instead the pond might dally with the Oreo …

Yes, you won't find this Oreo thinking or acting like your average celebratory Oreo …

Instead it's even more Folau … and a completely absurd exaggeration, as a dispute between an employer and an employee is suddenly taken as putting the bible on trial, and perhaps might even involve the entirety of Western Civilisation … all of it leavened by that special brand of paranoia and fear-mongering for which the Oreo is famous, and has seen her celebrated in assorted universities around the world ...

Um actually the point here is that Folau made a deal with his employer not to go down that path again, and even made an offer …

But he didn't walk away from his contract immediately, did he, because the righteous are generally righteous only up to the point of cash in the paw, and never mind the camel and the eye of the needle.

Not to worry, you can't stop the Oreo from getting paranoid and hysterical and dragging in everything - though sadly she does fail to mention workers quoting the kitchen sink - so that she might arrive at the highest level of persecution complex, whereby Christians become the PC establishment's highest prey… which no doubt explains why the Donald and his adoring acolyte Mike Pence are right at this moment busy persecuting Xians in their usual way, and fawning all over gays, black women and such like …

Such are the reptile fears and phobias, the pond couldn't help reading this reptile story, as a supplement to the Oreo's fear and loathing, as another sign of the suffering of the favourite prey ...

The only two names explicitly mentioned in the story? Pell and Phillip Adams …

Come back when you've got a really story Fergo, because that one was truly pathetic …

If you're going to whip up a conspiracy, a few names beyond a convicted pedophile and an alleged atheist socialist with a thin millionaire skin would help ...

And so back to the Oreo, who really does know how to lather up a persecutory storm ...

Say what?

"Big business is Big Brother"? 

The Oreo has gone full Marxist!? Is it any wonder that the pond has trouble keeping up. One minute business is good and right and proper, the next minute business has plunged the pond into an Orwellian nightmare from which it will never wake …

And now for a full embrace of poofter-bashing and a deep love of homophobic bigotry, and much wailing and tears and ashes ...

Creeping Christophobia?

Is the Oreo making a play to score an entry in rational wiki here?

Christophobia is the irrational fear or hatred of Christianity or Christians. While Christophobia is a real thing, it is usually used as a snarl word by some Christians with a persecution complex and (at most) only a passing familiarity with reality. There's probably a good overlap with the people who claim there's a liberal bias in the media. For whatever reason, the term hasn't really caught on well as more verbose alternatives such as "anti-Christian bias."

Snarl word? Check. The Oreo is full of snarls.

Persecution complex? Check.

Only a passing familiarity with reality? Check.

Overlap with people who claim there's a liberal bias in the media? Check.

The only noticeable omission? People who see business as Orwellian … hmm, that wiki could do with an update …

Overlap with people who see business as Orwellian? Check.

And so to the pond's confession of its own phobia … graphically illustrated by the Rowe of the day, with more graphic Rowe here …