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The New Dogma: How Labels and Laws Are Silencing Free Thought

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Written by: Op-Ed Monty

 In 1925, a small courtroom in Dayton, Tennessee, became the stage for a battle over ideas. The Scopes Trial - immortalised in the film Inherit the Wind - pitted a young teacher, John Scopes, against the state’s Butler Act, which banned the teaching of evolution in schools.

The trial wasn’t just about science versus religion; it was about who gets to control thought.

Clarence Darrow, defending Scopes, warned that dogmatic gatekeepers -religious or secular - pose the greatest threat to the human right to question and reason.

A century later, that warning feels prophetic.

Today’s battle over free inquiry isn’t fought in courtrooms but across digital platforms and halls of government. Governments in the UK, Canada, and Australia are wielding vague laws and weaponised labels - “racist,” “bigot,” “misinformation” - to silence dissent, all in the name of protection.from Australia’s under-16 social media “delay” to the UK’s arrests for “mean tweets,” we are edging toward a digital Butler Act.

Only bold resistance - by figures like Elon Musk and by ordinary citizens - can halt the quiet march on freedom.

Read more: The New Dogma: How Labels and Laws Are Silencing Free Thought

Wings Over the Outback: The Story of the Flying Doctor

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Written by: Op-Ed Bushie

I spent most of my working life in the Aussie bush. It is a way of life most Australians would struggle to understand.

Picture this. You’re on a cattle station the size of a small European country. The nearest hospital is many hundreds of kilometres away, the roads are red dust tracks, and someone in the family has taken a bad turn. No phone, no ambulance, no chance of a doctor riding up on horseback.

Then -  a sound overhead. A single-engine plane rattles in from the horizon, wheels kicking up dust as it lands in a paddock. Out climbs a doctor, medical bag in hand. For us blokes out bush, that wasn’t just a plane. That was hope.

That’s the story of the early Royal Flying Doctor Service -  or as most people know it, simply “the Flying Doctor.”

Read more: Wings Over the Outback: The Story of the Flying Doctor

From Gala to Galah: Dusty Flyers Fling - the Great Hat Rebellion

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Written by: Op-Ed Ratty News

Ratty News Exclusive
By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special Correspondent (aisle seat, back row) Reporting from the Ratty Flyers Fling 

In Longreach, the Flyers Ball is elegance under the stars -  gowns, pearls, champagne flutes tinkling in perfect rhythm, and speeches that last longer than the sunburn on a tourist’s nose. It is a celebration of generosity, of polish, of refinement.

In Dusty Gulch, we do not often attempt civilisation, but when we do, it is in a manner uniquely our own: sequins glued to bicycle helmets, lamington holsters duct-taped to battered Akubras, and one particularly dedicated fellow who strapped a sausage roll to his forehead to “improve aerodynamics.”

Read more: From Gala to Galah: Dusty Flyers Fling - the Great Hat Rebellion

The Secret Covenant...... Warning or Promise?

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Written by: The PR Blog

Back in 2002, an anonymous person sent an email from a disposable email address to a website. The email was headed The Secret Covenant.

It has, for over 20 years, been seen as a promise. But I believe it was a warning. 

If "The Secret Covenant" were interpreted as a warning rather than a promise, the meaning would shift significantly, and its tone would transform from sinister collusion to a cautionary tale. This interpretation would frame the document as a call for vigilance against the potential dangers of power, corruption, and manipulation in society.

It could serve as a critique of existing systems, urging people to be aware of the ways through which they might be controlled or misled. Instead of portraying a secret group plotting in the shadows, the document might be trying to highlight how societal manipulation already exists.

The "Covenant" would not be a manifesto of intent, but rather a metaphorical or symbolic description of the current state of the world. It could be warning us about how easily people can be misled, manipulated, or exploited by those in power through media, education, and economic systems. The warning could be against becoming passive consumers of information, blindly trusting authorities, or succumbing to propaganda. In this view, the "Covenant" is urging individuals to develop critical thinking skills, stay informed, and be cautious of any single narrative that seeks to dominate public opinion.

Read more: The Secret Covenant...... Warning or Promise?

I Pencil - a complex combination of miracles

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Written by: Op-Ed Guest Post

“We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.”  G. K. Chesterton

Leonard Read’s delightful story, “I, Pencil,” has become a classic, and deservedly so.

I know of no other piece of literature that so succinctly, persuasively, and effectively illustrates the meaning of both Adam Smith’s invisible hand—the possibility of cooperation without coercion—and Friedrich Hayek’s emphasis on the importance of dispersed knowledge and the role of the price system in communicating information that “will make the individuals do the desirable things without anyone having to tell them what to do.” - 

Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate, 1976

Read more: I Pencil - a complex combination of miracles

Albert Facey’s Fortunate Life: Endurance, Courage, and the Aussie Spirit We’re Losing

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Written by: Op-Ed Monty

Albert Facey’s A Fortunate Life is more than a memoir.

It is the voice of a man who endured almost unimaginable hardship and yet found gratitude where others might have only found despair.

His story is woven into the broader tapestry of Australia’s history....from the harsh bushlands of Western Australia to the blood-soaked cliffs of Gallipoli, through the Depression and the building of a family and a nation.

Facey’s life is not just his own - it is a story we can all see reflected in our national character: the courage, resilience, and quiet determination that built modern Australia.

Read more: Albert Facey’s Fortunate Life: Endurance, Courage, and the Aussie Spirit We’re Losing

Gaza, Pipelines, and the Dream of a Canal That Never Was

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Written by: Op-Ed Monty

A Journey Through Time: From the Suez Canal to the Speculative Ben Gurion Canal

Let’s embark on a voyage through history, geopolitics, and ambition, starting with Egypt’s Suez Canal and ending with the tantalising, yet unbuilt, Ben Gurion Canal. This is a story of trade, power, and strategic maneuvering, with Gaza and global players like the United States at its heart. 

Beyond the Suez: The Untold ‘What If’ of the Ben Gurion Canal.......

The dream of linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea is ancient. Pharaohs like Senusret III (19th century BCE) dug canals connecting the Nile to the Red Sea. But the modern Suez Canal , a 120-mile marvel – was completed in 1869 under French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps and the Suez Canal Company. Built through a decade of gruelling labour, it transformed global trade by bypassing the treacherous Cape of Good Hope.

Read more: Gaza, Pipelines, and the Dream of a Canal That Never Was

Saturday Morning at " The Flicks "

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Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane

When I was a kid, I used to go to the movies on a Saturday morning. Or, as my late Uncle ( Mum's brother )  used to call it, The Flicks. Others called it “ The Pictures “ or “ The cinema” … no matter, we went to see a movie and it cost a shilling. In fact, I had friends who called  it the Flea House, though I never really understood why. 

We would all sit down in our seats, the lights would dim and a movie of a Lady on a horse would appear.  We would stand up for the Lady on the horse and sing about saving the Queen. Only after we had sung about how wonderful she was and how important it was that we love our country, only then, could we sit down again and wait for the lady with the ice creams to come around.

It was magical. The crowded theatre; the Lady on the horse, the lady with the ice creams and the lady with the torch that led latecomers to their seats.

Read more: Saturday Morning at " The Flicks "

When Pirates Weren't the Government

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Written by: Op-Ed Monty

I recently watched  the film " Captain Philips " on Netflix. I had resisted for some time, given I am no longer a fan of Tom Hanks. But boredom got the better of me. I must confess to having enjoyed it and, as is so often the case, it sent me scurrying down rabbit holes. All to do with pirates. 

I also feel it was a comment someone made here a few days ago about having enjoyed the book " Treasure Island "  as a child. I then thought of " Kidnapped " another favourite from my early years of reading. 

In my travels, I stumbled across a rather colourful character known as Black Bart, also known as Bartholomew Roberts.

He was one of the most successful and feared pirates of the "Golden Age of Piracy" in the early 18th century. So sit back and enjoy a tale of a pirate from over 450 years ago whose legend still lives on. I wonder how many of our politicians will still be celebrated 450 years hence for their acts of piracy against us? ( I just thought I would put that in for a touch of modern day relevance. ) 

Read more: When Pirates Weren't the Government

Dusty Gulch Dispatch: Mission Improbable – Operation Selfie Strike

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Written by: Op-Ed Ratty News

By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special Correspondent (aisle seat, back row) 

The Prime Minister has officially hit Platinum-Plus on the Ratty Airways Frequent Flyer Club, logging more miles than a croc turbo-charged on WDPT boosters. His latest diplomatic detour: a lightning sprint to the UN, accompanied by Toto, whose primary task seemed to be preventing lamingtons from making a daring escape from his carry-on..... and to set up the selfie that the PM wanted so desperately.  

So, exclusive to Ratty News, here is how it went down and how Trump first learned of Dusty Gulch.... and how our PM got a selfie of global significance.

It all started when Ratty Airlines was taken over by Duck HQ to provide a flight for a Very Important Pruck, none other than the Air Bus himself. Our lead bi plane, powered by Whiskers Dynamic Propulsion, could get him to New York faster than UberRoo delivering a McFookit Burger from Dusty McFookit's burger joint to the Dusty Dingo. In other words, fast. 

But why the hurry? That was where I came in, your rodent with a nose for a story. Buckle up folks, you are in for one ducker of a ride,

Read more: Dusty Gulch Dispatch: Mission Improbable – Operation Selfie Strike

The Sky Guardians - The Flying Tigers of WWII

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Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat

Those who are not familiar with this title may be excused for thinking that it is the name of a circus troupe. After all, in WW1 the Red Baron’s squadron was popularly referred to as The Flying Circus so such an assumption is reasonable.

Those who are familiar with it will know that it was a name given to a group of American airmen fighting with the Chinese forces against the Japanese during and before WW2.

In Australia most knowledgement of this group is pretty thin and the full impact of their efforts on the outcome of the Pacific war is largely unknown. Their persistence in the face of impossible odds had a significant impact on the Pacific war in that they kept China fighting and by that means tied up somewhere between 500,000 and 750,000 Japanese troops that would have been otherwise available to fight the allies elsewhere.

Read more: The Sky Guardians - The Flying Tigers of WWII

  1. Memories are Made of This
  2. The Bailey Bridge: A Bridge Too Far Made Possible
  3. A Bridge Too Far
  4. What Makes Good Government?

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