For thousands of years, a diagnosis of leprosy meant a life sentence of social isolation. People afflicted with the condition now known as Hansen’s disease were typically taken from their families, treated with prejudice and cruelly exiled into a lifetime of quarantine.
In America, patients were sent to separate settlements but were deprived of fundamental civil liberties: to work, to move freely and see loved ones, to vote, to raise families of their own. Some who bore children had their babies forcibly removed.
In Australia, people were exiled to quarantine facilities. Many " patients " died there.
Read more: The Disease of 2023: Social Leprosy and the Division Bell is Tolling
Throughout our modern world, we are seeing people being thrown into a battle over land rights. It seems strange to me that the welfare of the land is becoming a secondary issue to money. Much like parents bickering over who gets custody of the kids. It is no longer about the land. It is about the money. The power. Control.
And the people who prosper? Well, it's not really black or white, is it?
Australia is heading to the courtroom later this year in a custody battle that is turning ugly and becoming more divisive by the day. It will ultimately end in divorce proceedings and the separation of the aboriginal " mother " and the rest of us, also known as " Dad ". Without " Dad " Australia would not be the country it is today. " Up until " The Voice ", we were mucking along quite nicely and I didn't even realise that we had a problem in the marriage.
So let us have a look at how we got to this sorry state of affairs.
Read more: Land Rights and Custody Battles - It's not really Black or White
When I was young, one of my favourite books was " Wind in the Willows. " Even today, as I approach 70 years of age, I can still relate to this book and, if anything, it means more to me now than when I first read it about 60 years ago. Why do I feel that we are cruising down the river with a weasel at the helm and the " riverbank" is no longer home?
Are we asleep at the wheel?
Having become enchanted with Chaucer's adventure on the Wunderlust II, I found myself increasingly drawn back to the wonderful work of Kenneth Grahame. Written to enchant, excite and amuse, it makes me sad that children today no longer see such work in their school libraries, much less sit back in bed and snuggle down to share the joy of a tale woven out of love and the soothing pleasure of beautiful words. But, even in this lovely tale of friendship, home and the importance of family, there was a sinister threat that lurked. The Weasels.
Read more: Cruising Down the River With a Weasel at The Helm...... Are We Asleep at the Wheel??
Read more: PARIS TO LYON BY CANAL ON THE WANDERLUST II - Part 3
Does anyone else feel that we are on a roundabout and we don't know how to get off? Are we feeling dizzy with the government putting dollars over decency? Do we feel we are swinging by our necks on a government noose?
Of late, " I remember " has taken on a sense of urgency. It is as if our minds need to share as much as possible before the lights go out on the old world we grew up in and the New World Order takes over. Nostalgia is comfort food for the soul.
Particularly in these days when we are being driven crazy by profit over patriotism and callousness over care.
Read more: Roundabouts and Swings - Why Childhood is so Important
As 15th August ( the surrender by Japan in WW II ) approaches one can anticipate the usual diatribes from the unwashed and soy-latte sets lecturing us on how bad we were in 1945 to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. None of these know-alls were even alive in 1945 so whatever they have to say comes from their collective backsides.
Britain, Germany and the USA were all working to become the first to master nuclear fission. Thankfully it was America who won.
The American effort began in 1939 when Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt setting out the possibilities and predicted consequences of unleashing nuclear power. Einstein, a German born Jew, left Germany to study in Zurich and renounced his citizenship in 1896 to avoid compulsory military service.
Read more: Hiroshima and Nagasaki - a Moment in Time or Just in Time?
On July 28, 2023, Weekend Australian Magazine published a bombshell report based on an exclusive interview with Dr. Robert (Bob) Kadlec, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) who served under Donald Trump. Basically, the subtext of the interview can be summarized as “it was all Tony’s fault, not mine.”
To many readers this may seem like just more Washington, DC Kabuki theater with a side order of limited hangout (much like the prior Vanity Fair article in which Kadlec provided a generous scoop of spin with a topping of CYA). Personally, I find this whole “inside the Beltway” rush to deflect blame for the gross “public health” mismanagement and rampant lying during the COVIDcrisis slightly amusing, in a twisted sort of way, but definitely popcorn worthy.
I have often pondered why mankind decided to go after the humble whale. After all, the whale was out there, in the ocean, minding his or her own business and wasn't really causing any problem. Unless you were a seal, krill or plankton. In which case, you probably had a civil rights claim or two.
Yet this gentle giant ( as far as humans are concerned ) was not bothering anyone. All the whales wanted to do was what they have done since God first had a great idea " I think I'll make a whale. " and the whales just cruised around, having babies, blowing bubbles and migrating to warmer places and having a jolly old time.
So what did the poor whale do to us? Well, let me tell you a whale of a tale and how the Industrial Revolution saved it.
“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.”
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
How many times in our lives has it been said or thought that things could not get worse, weirder, more absurd, more dangerous, more immoral, more brutal, more controlling, more restrictive, more perverted, more murderous, or more insane? Can those thoughts even be considered in this day and age of complete and total lunacy? What has happened to mankind, and can it all be blamed on brainwashing and indoctrination by the ruling class over the rest of society?
I am motivated to write this article after reading a post online elsewhere where a person said that he was culling his " followers " from his social media.
Why?
Because they couldn't argue their case. Instead, they were resorting to ridicule, abuse, insults and one-line comebacks, instead of pointing out why they held an opinion that was worthy of consideration.
Herein lies the problem.
You see, today, people have lost the ability to debate. To argue their case. To defend their position. To exemplify why they are right. How they came to their conclusion, where they found their information in order to form their opinion and when they came to form their opinion in the first place.
We were to be a crew of three, John, Adriane and myself. Adriane, however, using her keen feminine wisdom suggested we post an ad on the bulletin board in the American Church seeking a shipmate. An American student who was living in Paris for the summer made quick response.
Mary was a smart and pretty girl of twenty-one from an upper, middle class, Washington family. She was to return at summer's end to an executive training position with General Electric. Mary, obviously bright, had competed for that chance among several hundred applicants. We advised her to consider the proposition overnight. The following morning Mary arrived with her bag packed and ready to go.
Read more: PARIS TO LYON BY CANAL ON THE WANDERLUST II - Part 2
At 9:41am on Monday, 15 December 2014, Man Haron Monis forced Tori Johnson, the manager…
221 hits
Recent news in Australia has sparked debate: a ban on social media for under-16s. The…
304 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Special Scandal Edition By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Foreign Correspondent, Rodent…
304 hits
Back in 1904, H. G. Wells published a short story called “The Country of the…
344 hits
Education, often celebrated as a beacon of enlightenment and progress, can also become a potent…
343 hits
On December 9, 2019, New Zealand's White Island erupted .claiming 22 lives and leaving survivors…
361 hits
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, and nowhere is that truer than…
338 hits
Before the sun had fully risen over Hawaii, a chain reaction had begun — one…
444 hits
“Minor Problem: I Identify as a 73-Year-Old Tabby, Therefore I’m Legally Entitled to X (and…
457 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Special Duck Census Edition By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Foreign Correspondent,…
356 hits
Flysa spent some of the early years of his life managing construction projects in the…
405 hits
In the heart of Ballarat in 1854, a ragtag coalition of gold miners took a…
507 hits
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty-One Years On — A Legacy That Still Breathes, Bleeds, and…
374 hits
Henry J. Kaiser: The Self-Made Miracle Worker and the Legacy of Vision This article builds…
430 hits
The birth of Australia’s iron ore industry wasn’t just an economic milestone - it was…
415 hits
The Quiet Hanson: Why Lee Sherrard Might Just Save One Nation (and Why She Might…
594 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Emergency Midnight Edition November 27, 2025 – Vol. 147, No. 320…
434 hits
From a disease-ravaged ship anchored off a windswept coast… to thirteen scrappy colonies telling the…
390 hits
In Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a charismatic Edinburgh teacher enchants her…
557 hits
Elon Musk is more than a billionaire tech mogul...he’s a disruptor, a visionary, and a…
405 hits
Yes, let’s be honest. The days when the Irish, Scots, Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Poms,…
422 hits
Picture this: You’re sitting down for a family dinner, and instead of chatting about school,…
423 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette November 21, 2025 – Vol. 147, No. 312 By Jedediah "Dust" Harlan…
441 hits
by Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble - Chief Correspondent for Ratty News - Aeronautical and Ornithological Division…
437 hits
A green hill in the Irish Sea has stood for 1,045 years. It has seen…
450 hits
There are many ships of the Royal Australian Navy that are dear to the hearts…
422 hits
In military history, there are countless tales of bravery, valour, and unwavering dedication from soldiers…
432 hits
After the Great Green Reset wiped out civilisation back in the 2020s, the surviving humans…
408 hits
On the night of 30 October 1938, millions of Americans leaned close to their radios…
450 hits
Identity crisis cured by $2.50 DNA kits, cold beer, and one large crocodile By Roderick…
448 hits
The Day Seven Blackfellas Saved This Blonde Coastie’s Bacon – And Taught Me What Aussie…
442 hits