We seem to have reached that point in the electoral process when the minds of our political hopefuls turn inexorably to dirt.

One suspects that the bogus leaflets distributed in Lindsay by Jackie Kelly’s supporters express in satirical form what many Liberal activists actually think. The fake flyer – purportedly from the “Islamic Australia Foundation” – smears the ALP as soft on terror and too close to Muslims: insinuations have been the subtext of Liberal campaigning ever since 9/11. It’s no wonder that Ms Kelly still thinks the fake flyers amount to nothing more than a bit of a giggle.

In any case, at least she possesses the courage of her convictions. By contrast, the Exclusive Brethren preach the infallibility of scripture but they don’t seem to have read the bit where the Psalmist warns: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies”.

John Howard’s favourite cultists have recently addressed themselves to the “citizens of Tasmania” with an open letter cautioning about Bob Brown’s “anti-development and immoral policies”.

The accusation of “anti-development” might seem odd coming from a sect that rejects modern devilry like television, radio and men wearing shorts (“God has no pleasure in the legs of a man”). But Biblical literalists learn early in their careers to overcome the hobgoblin of internal inconsistency. After all, somehow we all managed to descend from Adam and Eve without any hint of incest.

The Brethren’s open letter apparently refers Tasmanians to a website at www.greenswatch.com, where the concerned citizenry of the island can learn about how the Greens advocate bestiality, incited the Palm Island riots (“Greens clearly have blood on their hands”), and are responsible for violent attacks on police.

So who is behind Greens Watch? The “About” section of site says coyly:

… the authors aren’t supporters of a political party or members of a trade union or any religious group and aren’t business owners or members of a chamber of commerce. The authors are just ordinary people concerned about the future of their country.

Who could they be? Who knows, but there’s certainly something distinctly unholy in the strange alliance against the Greens.