The Mighty Steam Shovels at work. ‘This’ll whistle down the wind’!

Dear reader,

In this captivating piece, Frank tells us about Whistles. 

As a member of the local steam enthusiasts and Traction Engine rally Club we are delighted to share our enthusiasm. Who could not thrill to the sound of Puffing Billy at Belgrave or the ominously low roar of the whistle on the giant steam shovel at Lake Goldsmith. In this piece Frank makes mention of other types of whistles. We’d like to add to his insights on Dutto and Dog-Whistling, but we’re hearing impaired and couldn’t hear a dog whistle in the first place. Hence we don’t quite understand what Frank is on about. 

Jacinta to Dutto; ‘See Peter, even the White bits are black’!

What we do know is the entire north of this country is riven with crime and sexual perversion. Such things JUST DO NOT HAPPEN below the BRISBANE LINE. 

For more filth read below, but we’d like to warn those who are hearing impaired to adjust their hearing aids. And if they haven’t got one because they can’t afford it, to hope that the dole is indexed as an afterthought to the splendid idea of massive tax cuts to the super rich. 

Frank writes; 

Amigos,

As a child I could whistle a creditable imitation of my canary.  I have long lost that ability and that is not the type of whistling I’m turning my attention to.  Neither is that famous painting currently housed at the Musée d’Orsay, Whistler’s Mother.

Johnny Howard. The undisputed leader on Dog Whistling

Take ‘whistlestop’ campaigning.  I believe this started in the U.S.A.  Political candidates would hire a train and make speeches from the rear platform at ‘whistlestop’ stations.  One of Richard Nixon’s whistlestops has gone into legend.  Political prankster Richard Tuck donned a station guard’s uniform and whistled the train to get going in mid speech (oratio interruptus).

These days the term whistlestop is used whether a train is involved or not.  On the ABC news I saw Peter Dutton flanked by Senator Jacinta Price on his second Alice Springs whistlestop since the election that toppled his former master (Scott who?)  I didn’t think it possible but opposition leader Dutton has managed to take over the mantle of that dog whistling virtuoso John Howard.
Alas in the NT there is no Richard Tuck doppelganger and we have to suffer wall to wall reportage of Dutton (flanked by Jacinta)’s visit.

Dutto and Jacinta have a handle on whistling.

I’m not saying that the crime wave in Alice Springs isn’t a serious concerning matter, but I think it disingenuous to pretend that it is all down to the inaction of the present Labor Federal and NT Governments.  This situation has been building up over decades and was greatly exacerbated by the NT Emergency Response (the Intervention) which was rolled out under John Howard and perpetuated in an even more draconian form under Rudd and Gillard.  I consider that the introduction by the Intervention of 500 non-NT (to us effectively foreign) police is one of the root causes of the current social disruption.  The calling for the Australian Federal Police to come out to help out the NT Police reeks of political opportunism and in my opinion and that of many others is not an answer and can only make matters worse.  Too much stick and not enough carrot.

You may recall that the NT Emergency Response was supposedly responding to alleged endemic sexual abuse of Aboriginal Children.  We’ve all heard it before: The alleged Jewish child sacrifices in Middle Ages England, the alleged mistreatment of Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia, the alleged Gulf of Tonkin incident, the alleged weapons of mass destruction, the alleged Libyan uranium purchases from Niger, the alleged Children overboard.
In my childhood I well remember how we were warned that the Gitanos kidnapped children.  I suppose they could come to the NT and work for welfare.

Whistleblowing aint all bad. Your own bib and accommodation in one of HM’s fabulous prisons. All rent- free!

During Peter Dutton’s dog whistling performance, he once again snuck it in: “kids here tonight who are going to be sexually abused”
When Peter Dutton solicited questions, the second question was from a reporter who asked him what evidence he had for his statement.  Peter Dutton dismissed the question as a typical ABC question and implied the reporter wasn’t local and didn’t know what he was talking about.  When the reporter said he was a local, the ABC switched to the cyclone alert and I didn’t get to hear what Dutton said next.

Maybe just as well as I can only listen to so much dog whistling which to me is painfully loud.

Sorry folks, I’ve run out of space, I try to keep the Dispatches brief lest your eyes glaze over.  There is another form of whistling. It is called whistleblowing.  Unlike dog whistlers, whistleblowers are persecuted in Australia. I’ll deal with this whistle blowing sometime in the future.  When I’m done with whistling, I may deal with ‘fear and loathing’ If you can’t wait, I suggest you get hold of Hunter S. Thompson’s book Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72. Just change the date and the names, and there you have it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGyFNDCpKHw

Chau,

Frank

PS I don’t have the answers but I know where to start stop whistleblowing and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYbs_O_iMfU

What the territory needs are MEN of CHARACTER like the TEXAS RANGERS!

Respect