There’s no situation so bad that Quadrant cannot make it worse. The once-influential right-wing magazine has, in recent years, become a fever bunker of deranged resentment and obsessiveness. Even so, they did not hitherto stoop to wishing for the violent death of their opponents. That changed with the Manchester bombing, when the publication’s “online editor” Roger Franklin — a preening swamp-man who likes to introduce himself as a “right-wing deathbeast” — hoped that a bomb would go off at Q&A:
“Life isn’t fair and death less so. Had there been a shred of justice, that blast would have detonated in an Ultimo TV studio. Unlike those young girls in Manchester, their lives snuffed out before they could begin, none of the panel’s likely casualties would have represented the slightest reduction in humanity’s intelligence, decency, empathy or honesty.
“Mind you, as [Q&A panelist] Krauss felt his body being penetrated by the Prophet’s shrapnel of nuts, bolts and nails, those goitered eyes might in their last glimmering have caught a glimpse of vindication.”
If I am reading that last paragraph correctly, Franklin is fantasising about the killing-by-nail-bomb of panelist Lawrence Krauss (whom Franklin calls “Richard”), and summoning up an (inaccurate) physical image of him, in order to make the suggested spectacle more visceral. Given that Franklin yearns for violent mayhem in the Q&A studio, he is presumably enthusiastic for the death of the program’s predominantly young audience because he didn’t like the panel’s attitudes to … a bomb at a gathering of young people. Very sane.
Uproar ensued on Tuesday morning as Franklin’s late-night rant circulated. By evening, the copy had been changed, with Krauss’ correct name substituted in, and the desire for a lethal nailbomb to go off in a studio full of people changed to: “Life isn’t fair and death less so. What if that blast had detonated in an Ultimo TV studio? …”
The slavering fantasy whereby the allegedly bug-eyed Krauss was torn apart by flying metal remained, however. One would say cooler heads prevailed, but there are no cooler heads at Quadrant. Most likely, one of the editors got a bit twitchy about how close Franklin had stepped to the law against encouraging terrorist acts.
Quadrant likes to whine about the enemies ranged against it. With Franklin uploading his psychotic nighthoughts, and Keith Windschuttle — one-time LSD-advocating Pol Pot supporter — returning as editor, there is no need of them. The magazine is a 10-instalments-a-year suicide note of Australian conservatism. (Franklin’s vile comments were defended by … Chris Kenny, of course). Quadrant lost its Australia Council funding last year. It may be reapplying for it in due course. Many pieces published on the internet disappear immediately. Franklin can be assured that his first draft effort of this one won’t.
Manchester was not bombed, one suicide bomber born in Manchester killed himself, 22 others and injured dozens more. Now Mosul has been bombed, so have dozens of towns and cities in half a dozen nations by the western cowards who bomb from 30,000 feet so they don’t have to face the carnage they inflict on the tens of thousands they have slaughtered.
Enough of the hyperbole please, from everyone. Killing any innocent people is repugnant, why do the west pretend it’s more repugnant if the people are western.
Bombs aimed at Islamic state strongholds at Mosul are aimed at stemming the march of Islamic theocratic tyranny. The bomb at Manchester was aimed at furthering it. That’s a helluva difference.
Excepts when the merkins miss their targets and drone 85 civilians instead and offer up little more than “whoopsie! wasn’t aiming for you guys. soz!” in response.
There remain two differences
First, deliberately targeting innocent children for ANY objective versus targeting combatants with collateral consequences for non-combatants.
Second, to pursue an objective of reducing human beings to theocratic slavery versus one of protecting human beings from theocratic slavery.
In each of those dichotomies the Islamic cult ticks the “contemptible” box.
Each of those is a reason not to import Moslem Fifth Columns into countries which respect human life and human rights. Countries like Australia.
So droning is *less* contemptible than single random acts of terror because the *idea* is to bomb enemy combatants and not children, even though the fall out is demonstrably more catastrophic when targets are missed, and it happens far more regularly?
Nor am I buying this idea of imperialistic warfare conducted by the west to “stem the march of Islamic theocratic tyranny” as though that’s their sole objective. “It’s that creeping Islam, again! Better stop it with bombs! Works a treat and always has!” Come on. 1.5 billion Mulsims on this planet but by all means tar them with the same brush of “cultist”.
All of that, though, misses the overarching point that Marilyn was trying to establish by highlighting the fact that lives in the west are perceived of by its inhabitants as having more value and worth than those we tacitly agree to bomb on a regular basis.
Importing Muslim Fifth Columns? The suicide bomber was born in the UK. But hey, no domestic culpability. None at all.
Kenny is a wart on the anus of civilisation, gleefully rubbing his hands at horror.
Careful, Marilyn, you’ll find yourself on the front page of The Telegraph, Abdel-Magied…!
Do you remember the filth Blair used to fling at Margo back in the day, though, as a matter of unremarked and meeja-unprotested routine? Come to think of it, by Bob Carr, too…remember the Bali bombing 2GB/Mark Steyn handouts-in-gallery-journo-pigeonholes pincer movement…?
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/19/1037682014953.html
Plus ca change Maz….I suppose Paddy/Quaddy was a bit more ‘respectable’ in them days, of course, and Bob an impeccable ‘mainstream’ left-progger, too…but there’s nothing much new in this ‘new low in public debate’, really, is there. It’s kind of ruefully amusing – encouraging – to see a few more mainstream journos Tweeting their protests, now…
Hope you’re well, Marilyn.
Why does no one observe that during her time working with the centenary of WWI organisers Yasmin as an outsider may have observed some inappropriate behaviour which she was unable to report to anyone.
Conservatism means conserving our natural, social and built environment, resisting degradation. Freaks, hobgoblins and monsters like Abbott’s metastases in the government ranks and the new “party” that has stepped outside them, defile the word “conservative” every time they hijack it.
Sorry Dion, they’ve not defiled it. They’ve defined it. There ain’t nothing left of the conservatism you describe in Australia – just the fetid waft from the bloated corpse that once was conservatism. All we have now are the Cartoon Conservatives. Loony Tunes.
We should refuse to accept their PC Newspeak as defining conservatism just as we should refuse to accept their PC Newspeak definition of representative government as “democracy”. In defence of the English language it should be challenged relentlessly.
Yup. And perhaps we should relentlessly challenge Newspeak like ” the march of Islamic theocratic tyranny”, too? Heaven knows, Islam’s been around for awhile: when did this march start? Who beat the drum?
Worst response?
The Terrorgraph demanded mass interments (of the “lock up all the Japs” variety), Katie Hopkins said “we need a final solution” (and I think you know what final solution she means), and the sex robot convened her Cobra task force (shut up, that’s a thing)… because Fleet Street isn’t like our backwater where any poisonous troll can half-arsedly phone it in.
Quadrant, Bolt and the Dog Botherer wouldn’t rate there (Malcolm Roberts would struggle, given his work ethic) – if they wanted their bilge noticed, they’d really have to bring it!
Franklin’s just hurting over the fact that we called Anders Breivik “white” – like any good kidney stone, he’ll pass.