The gap between the Unites States and the likes of the Taliban and the mad Mullahs of Iran is rapidly narrowing, what with their mutual disdain of gay and TG people, their shared fear of institutions dedicated to justice, such as the ICC, and their onanistic excitement atthe public display of executions.
Whatever side taken on the question of capital punishment, it's back to the good old days of Newgate prison, sadly abolished for vultures way back in 1868.
Tuesday, Thirteenth November, 1849
Sir,
I was a witness of the execution at Horsemonger Lane this morning. I went there with the intention of observing the crowd gathered to behold it, and I had excellent opportunities of doing so, at intervals all through the night, and continuously from daybreak until after the spectacle was over. I do not address you on the subject with any intention of discussing the abstract question of capital punishment, or any of the arguments of its opponents or advocates. I simply wish to turn this dreadful experience to some account for the general good ...
...I believe that a sight so inconceivably awful as the wickedness and levity of the immense crowd collected at that execution this morning could be imagined by no man, and could be presented in no heathen land under the sun. The horrors of the gibbet and of the crime which brought the wretched murderers to it faded in my mind before the atrocious bearing, looks, and language of the assembled spectators. When I came upon the scene at midnight, the shrillness of the cries and howls that were raised from time to time, denoting that they came from a concourse of boys and girls already assembled in the best places, made my blood run cold. As the night went on, screeching, and laughing, and yelling in strong chorus of parodies on negro melodies, with substitutions of “Mrs. Manning” for “Susannah” and the like, were added to these. When the day dawned, thieves, low prostitutes, ruffians, and vagabonds of every kind, flocked on to the ground, with every variety of offensive and foul behaviour. Fightings, faintings, whistlings, imitations of Punch, brutal jokes, tumultuous demonstrations of indecent delight when swooning women were dragged out of the crowd by the police, with their dresses disordered, gave a new zest to the general entertainment. When the sun rose brightly— as it did— it gilded thousands upon thousands of upturned faces, so inexpressibly odious in their brutal mirth or callousness, that a man had cause to feel ashamed of the shape he wore, and to shrink from himself, as fashioned in the image of the Devil. When the two miserable creatures who attracted all this ghastly sight about them were turned quivering into the air, there was no more emotion, no more pity, no more thought that two immortal souls had gone to judgement, no more restraint in any of the previous obscenities, than if the name of Christ had never been heard in this world, and there were no belief among men but that they perished like the beasts. (in full here)
Welcome to mad King Donald and Pete Kegsbreath's Unites States, Mr Dickens.
And now, as you've splendidly evoked the hive mind, it's on to the lizard Oz this morning...and what do you know, the man with no ticker was top of the page, and all over the bloody shop...
Don't expect the pond to waste time on that dropkick loser and waste of time.
Those masochists in urgent need of a verbal flogging by him and "Ned" must head off to the intermittent archive ...
‘The public knows our nation is heading in the wrong direction’
Josh Frydenberg says our politicians are missing moral clarity. Will he stand up and mount a political comeback?
By Paul Kelly
"Ned" double dipped on this loon, but the pond stayed firm ...
Josh Frydenberg has a blueprint for our nation’s future
If Josh is the future, then it's just the past recycled on an endless treadmill of despair.
Even the lizard Oz editorialist, while indulging in some TG folk bashing, found time to chip in with a fawning piece:
The former treasurer, who showed strong leadership after October 7 and Bondi, recognises bigger government is not the answer.
By Editorial
...A Grateful Son will be widely viewed as laying the foundations for a political comeback. That is a matter for both Mr Frydenberg and the voters of Kooyong. Much has changed since his first election in 2010, when more than 80 per cent of Australians backed a major party. That is now under 50 per cent. And the right, especially, is in disarray. But the book is a fascinating insight into recent political history and provides a thoughtful contribution to the current debate about what is needed to turn our country around.
Sheesh, how far up a Josh can a creepy crawly reptile go?
The man himself also made his seemingly statutory appearance:
I gave the former prime minister my total allegiance in the interests of the country and our party. Then I learned that loyalty for him was a one-way street | EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT
By Josh Frydenberg
What a deeply wretched, pathetic jihad.
Go bleat at the clouds, you whiny, needy loser, as the pond's eyes wandered over to the extreme far right, and discovered the bromancer in residence, and lordy lordy, how pleasingly gloomy he was ...
Ugly and dysfunctional: Democrats in control of the House and Senate will go to war with Trump
9 min
The caption for the snap of the mad king: How did Donald Trump, and the Republicans, get here? The answer lies in the three Is – Inflation, Iran and Irrational outbursts.
Go the G, whatever the consequences: Make us preferred on Google
Relax, at the end of it all, the bromancer treated the dismantling of the Unites States as an entertainment, a rough equivalent of a wrestling match, with the mad king in the role of the heel, and very few mentions of his and his minions "achievements".
The pond knew that a 'toon approach would be the perfect supplement/complement:
American politics will awaken from the genteel slumber of the past two years (maximum irony alert!) – all hell will break loose.
Republicans now have a razor-thin margin in the House, 218 to 214. In the Senate, their majority is better, 53 Republicans to 47 Democrats (including two nominal independents caucusing with Dems).
After that irony alert - irony, the bro thinks he does irony - the reptiles slipped in an AV distraction:
Republicans in ‘desperate shape’ as midterm race heats up
Democratic Strategist Jim Kessler says Republicans are in “desperate shape” in the lead-up to the crucial midterm elections. “They’re trailing in the polls in a lot of races,” Mr Kessler told News24. “The House is certainly going to flip from Republican to Democrat. “12 months ago, we wouldn’t have dreamed the Senate could flip, but I think it's at least a 50/50 chance.”
What a cue for a 'toon ...
House and Senate are very different. Almost every president in recent decades whose party controls the House loses it in the midterm elections. Bill Clinton lost the House in 1994’s midterms by a huge margin. George W. Bush, uniquely, won extra seats in 2002’s midterms because of a surge in support after the 9/11 terror attacks. But Bush lost the House in the 2006 midterms.
The next three presidents, Barack Obama, Trump and Joe Biden all lost the House in their first midterm elections.
Only an exceptionally strong president could keep the House in a month’s time. Politically, Trump is not exceptionally strong. He’s a strong individual, for better and worse, but he’s in a weak position politically. The RealClearPolitics poll of polls has his overall approval rating at 38 per cent. CNN’s poll of polls puts him at 34, noted election analyst Nate Silver at 37. Whichever way you slice it, these are dire figures. Some 61 per cent think America is on the wrong track, 32 per cent say it’s going in the right direction.
Sensing the need for movies, the reptiles flung in another AV distraction:
GOP alarmed as Trump approval rating slides
House Republicans are growing increasingly concerned about their prospects in next month's midterm elections as US President Donald Trump's approval rating falls in internal polling.CNN is reporting that some Republicans are considering shifting campaign money away from races they now see as increasingly difficult to win.These include races in states like Iowa, New Jersey and an open seat in Nebraska.House Speaker Mike Johnson remains publicly confident Republicans can retain control of the chamber.
The bromancer tried to get serious ...
The Senate is harder to pick. There are 100 senators and generally one-third are elected every two years for six-year terms. Thirty-five face election this time, including 22 Republicans. It was long thought Republicans would hang on to the Senate. Not any more. Democrats need a net gain of four for control. A 50-50 result leaves Republicans in control, relying on the casting vote of Vice-President, JD Vance (the vice-president is automatically president of the Senate).
There are at least seven Republican Senate seats now seriously at risk of falling to Democrats. These are: North Carolina, Texas and Alaska, in all three of which the Democrats have been consistently ahead, plus Ohio, Maine and Iowa, which are all very close, and Nebraska, where the Republican leads narrowly. The Democrats could lose one of their own, Michigan, where the far-left radical candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, was chosen in the Democratic primaries and is dead even with Republican rival Mike Rogers. Elections always produce surprises; other seats could swing unpredictably.
Dangerous radicals ... Demonstrators during the ‘No Kings’ national day of protest in LA in March. The November 3 vote is shaping up as a verdict on one of the most turbulent presidencies in US history. Picture: Etienne Laurent / AFP
The US has a slightly lower inflation rate than Australia – indeed on almost every economic measure except debt, it’s doing much better than we are. But US inflation has risen sharply because of the Iran war. Diesel fuel is well over $US6 per gallon. Inflation eats incumbent governments everywhere. US interest rates have also gone up, with many mortgages now over 7 per cent. One of Trump’s biggest pitches, in all three of his presidential elections, was that he wouldn’t go to war, and didn’t go to war, especially in the Middle East.
Then he went to war in Iran. Before the Iran war, Brent Crude oil was about $US70 ($100) per gallon. Today, it’s over $US100 per gallon. Trump didn’t prepare the American people for a long war in Iran, or ask of them any sacrifice. He told them at its start it would go for 4-6 weeks. It’s now entering its eighth month.
But think of the upside ...
Trump won in 2024 with a historically high share of Hispanic voters. Overwhelmingly, Hispanics work for wages in the lower half of the income spread. They are savagely hit by inflation and deserting Trump.
The graphics editor added to the gloom with one of those mindless snaps the remnants of the graphics department are addicted to, like petrol sniffers with addled brains ... Global petrol prices continue to climb as supply and transportation disruptions in the Middle East persist. Picture: Brandon Bell/Getty Images/AFP
But surely it's good news ...
Allow the bro to explain all the ways that Faux Noise has produced a healthy balanced diet ...
Trump’s sometimes bizarre statements and deeply questionable personal behaviour are much worse this time than last. That Trump family members are making billions of dollars from Bitcoin ventures with countries Trump’s doing security deals with is offensive to democracy and ethics.
Trump’s perfectly demented determination to get every government building named for himself is seen by supporters as an endearing eccentricity. But it’s much more annoying when there’s a mess and it looks like he is neglecting the issues that affect people directly.
Characteristically, Trump has imposed on his party some terrible candidates now likely to lose seats the Republicans should hold easily. Trump chose incompetent, toadying loyalists rather than accomplished politicians.
Then came Ken ...
Ken Paxton: 'If We Lose Texas...We Lose America'
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton compared his U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico to a fight for America, speaking at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas.
At last came that WCW analogy ...
Trump threatened a primary campaign against another respected Republican senator, Thom Tillis in North Carolina. To avoid this, Tillis retired. The Democrat former governor, Roy Cooper, is now favoured to win North Carolina. If the Republicans lose these two seats and thus lose their Senate majority, it will be all Trump’s work.
Democrats in control of the House and Senate will go to war with Trump. It will be ugly and dysfunctional. They will subpoena many members of Trump’s family to examine business deals. They will subpoena administration officials. They will surely impeach Trump again, and impeach cabinet secretaries. Trump’s instinct will be to defy all congressional subpoenas. He will rule by executive decree. Most second-term presidents become progressively more bipartisan. Don’t expect that from Trump. His reaction is always to fight.
The heightened US political polarisation and gridlock will disturb the world, make Washington less effective internationally, and undermine what residual stability there is in the global system.
Democrats have chosen some candidates from a new, populist far left, such as El-Sayed, and some centrists, such as Cooper.
The Republicans face similar internal battles. The extreme edges of both parties could yet give us shockingly bad presidential candidates in 2028.
Hold on to your hats. As they used to say of World Championship Wrestling: anything can happen and probably will. As ever with Trump, we’re sure not gonna die of boredom.
Greg Sheridan is the Australian’s foreign editor
Perhaps he should have referenced a comic book instead?
The pond had no regrets for having a little 'toon fun, but the hive mind was outraged by the bromancer's tone...
American voters are smart hard working and enterprising. Why would they elect the extreme left Democrats to destroy the economy and plunge the poorest Americans into poverty? Why would any journalist think the extreme left controlling the American Congress is a good thing?
The Donald Trump that Greg Sheridan describes is not the one that I admire and respect and believe is a political miracle.
Sure, there was the odd contrarian doing a little trolling, but when you're deep in the hive mind ...
Relax, punters, alert minds are on the job to ensure chaos is kept at bay ...
After that, the pond could skip past Kim, trying to get himself back into the reptile good books with an anodyne outing, though it meant the pond had to personally save him to the archive ...
Nationwide school music learning vital to build young Australians’ creativity, resilience, cognitive skills
The nation’s future workforce hinges not on algorithms or data – but on teaching children to sing, compose and play.
By Kim Williams
Self-interest much?
Kim Williams is the chair of the ABC and a former chief executive and chairman of Musica Viva Australia.
In that spirit, the pond has determined that the pond must be read aloud in all schools, so that the younglings can bound into the future full of misery and despair.
The pond also skipped snappy Tom ...
Every major party has finally shown its hand in what has become a numbers game – with the stakes higher than ever.
By Tom Dusevic
Columnist
A teaser trailer will suffice - spoiler alert, it's the close:
The Australian Daily Zionist News continued apace ...
Green Party surge in London by-election sparks alarm over controversial anti-Israel policy
The fact that nearly a third of north London voters backed Green leader Zack Polanski days after his party’s ‘poisonous antisemitism’ is deeply worrying.
By Jacquelin Magnay
Europe Correspondent
The pond couldn't summon the strength to do the Haaretz ethnic cleansing thingie again - perhaps on the morrow - and instead turned to the dog botherer, imagining he was Peter Finch in Network ...
The dog botherer opened with a pitiful attempt at self-awareness:
Even into my 65th year I do not want to be an old man yelling at the clouds, and even as a professional opinionator I do not want to be a purveyor of false doom. Swayed by both of those considerations I would suggest my commentary over recent years has been too restrained, too moderate.
The old professional cloud shouter and doom and fear monger proceeded to do both and the pond got so mad it reduced his irrational outburst to a series of screen grabs ...
Nothing to see there, and by resorting to screen caps, the pond managed to dodge an overload of dog bothering, what with him turning up in two AV distractions ...
That's too much, but there was more to come...
The dog botherer is rapidly reducing himself to a grumpy old man caricature, worthy of an animation ...
As for a Taliban perspective? But the Unites States is showing how to do a dinkum public killing, and how to lead a rich fantasy life ...
Speaking of that public execution plan ...
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