Patriot Realm

When someone comes along and shatters the illusions of the grandeur of the ruling classes, things can get ugly. Someone brave enough to restore clarity of vision and thought is an enemy to the kings of deception. 

In the enchanted land of Veritas, mirrors were once sacred. They reflected the truth, allowing people to see themselves as they truly were. Some gazed into them to understand their past, others to chart their future, and many simply to admire or improve what they saw. But all that changed when King Ordain, fearing the power of reflection, decreed that all mirrors be placed under his control.

"A man who sees himself too clearly may question his place in the kingdom," the king proclaimed. "And we cannot have that, can we?"

At first, the people grumbled but complied. The king’s sorcerers crafted enchanted mirrors that showed only what he permitted - faces twisted into obedient smiles, thoughts bent to match the royal decree. If one dared speak of the old mirrors, they were accused of dangerous thinking.

But Veritas had always been home to those who sought the truth.

Whispers spread of a secret way to see oneself again. In the dim-lit corners of the city, wise folk donned the Cloaks of Obscura - woven with spells that shielded them from the king’s gaze. With these cloaks (Virtual Passages to Normality), they could slip past the enchanted mirrors and glimpse reality in hidden pools and polished metals the king had not yet touched.

When most people think of baseball legends, they picture Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, not a Princeton-educated catcher who dabbled in espionage.

But Moe Berg was no ordinary ballplayer - he was a man of mystery, a linguist, and a wartime spy whose life reads like a Hollywood script. As America gears up for another Super Bowl, the ultimate showcase of athleticism and strategy, it's worth considering the unexpected intersections of sports and subterfuge.

Just as the best football teams rely on intelligence, deception, and split-second decision-making, so too did Berg in his covert missions during World War II. 

When baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig went on tour in baseball-crazy Japan in 1934, some fans wondered why a third-string catcher named Moe Berg was included. Although he played with five major-league teams from 1923 to 1939, he was a very mediocre ballplayer. But Moe was regarded as the brainiest ballplayer of all time.

In fact, Casey Stengel once said: "That is the strangest man ever to play baseball."

I am a bit of a hoarder. I like to keep things in case " they come in handy. " Old cables, bits and important bobs. I have long forgotten what the bits were for and the bobs are much the same.... but, well, you just never know, do you? 

My Dad was great at keeping things for that one time when he would be looking for a special tool and he could wander out to his garage and find it in a screw top jar or a bucket or box labelled "odds and ends. " Or " Bits and bobs. "  Or "nuts and bolts. "

You know the drill.  But there comes a time in every household when the clutter becomes too much. The drawers won’t shut, the cupboard doors protest with a creak, and somewhere in the garage, an avalanche of forgotten treasures waits for the perfect moment to attack.

We all have that one drawer - call it the ‘junk drawer,’ the ‘bits and bobs drawer,’ or, as I prefer, the ‘museum of things I might need someday.’ 

Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and Donald Trump all connect - each defied convention, broke the so-called “rules,” and, in doing so, carved out their own paths to success.

Corrigan, the American aviator, was officially denied permission to fly to Ireland, yet he took off from New York in 1938 and miraculously “mistakenly” landed in Dublin, thumbing his nose at bureaucratic restrictions and achieving his dream.

Likewise, Bjelke-Petersen, the long-serving Queensland Premier, ignored political niceties and wielded power with an iron grip, building infrastructure and transforming the state’s economy while defiantly sidestepping traditional media and parliamentary norms.

Trump, in his own way, stormed into U.S. politics by disregarding the usual playbook ...discarding polished diplomacy for blunt rhetoric, bypassing legacy media through social platforms, and upending the globalist consensus with an unapologetic focus on national interests.

For centuries, dogs have been regarded as indispensable allies in the ongoing battle against pests, particularly rats. Their keen senses, agility, and unwavering loyalty has made them invaluable assets in various fields, from agriculture to urban sanitation. 

Rat plagues have haunted our societies since who knows when. Most children have heard the tale of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. 

We talk of " rats deserting sinking ships " and rats being used as euphemisms for liars and traitors. So today, I want to talk about rats. And the dogs who were bred to catch them. Our modern day Jack Russell's and Fox Terriers are a whole new breed.  Specially designed to hunt down and destroy human rats. 

In a world overrun with double-speaking politicians and gravy-train-riding bureaucrats, a revolutionary new breed of dog has emerged ...the Sniffrauder. Specially bred for its unparalleled ability to detect hypocrisy at fifty paces, the Sniffrauder can track down the scent of a backroom deal even through layers of taxpayer-funded luxury.

This tenacious hound comes equipped with an acute sense of deception, a bark that sounds suspiciously like a polygraph machine, and a bite that ensures accountability. Known for cornering its prey until they resign in disgrace, the Sniffrauder is every crooked person ’s worst nightmare and every honest citizen’s best friend. Future breeding programs hope to enhance its ability to detect "accidental" offshore bank accounts and any dodgy dealings.

Truly, the Sniffrauder is man's best friend - if man isn’t on the take.

In the wake of World War II, Australia found a steadfast ally in the United States, whose timely intervention on the battlefield not only ensured our nation’s survival but also forged a lasting partnership that would shape our future.

While the horrors of war brought our two nations together, it was America’s support, military and economic, that helped Australia rebuild and strengthen its position on the world stage.

Over time, the cultural exchange that followed further strengthened this bond, creating a powerful connection that continues to influence Australia’s growth and prosperity in the modern world.

Some years ago, I read an article that angered me. The thrust of the article was a denigration of Australia’s supposed subservience to the United States starting with our involvement in WW2 and gradual acceptance of American culture following WW1. 

I dispute that.