Review 21.16
01 December - 31 December, 1996

MORON? PLEASE EXPLAIN:

When Pauline Hanson made an appearance on Channel Nine's Burke's Backyard Don Burke asked Pauline if she had any heroes in politics. "Could she think of any politician in Australian history that she would term a hero, or at least look up to in some way?" Pauline's eyes glazed over and a sudden blankness gripped her face, in much the same response to Tracey Curro's 60 Minutes question about whether or not Pauline was xenophobic ( Pauline, of course, didn't know the meaning of the word and had to ask Curro in front of a nationwide audience to "please explain" xenophobia). This time, rather than suggest any political idols, Hanson just stayed silent, which Burke took to mean that she didn't see any of them as heroes. David Leser tried the same question in his Good Weekend profile on Pauline:

I ask Hanson who she most admires. Fifteen seconds later she simply says, "No"."

No political figure? "No"

In history? "No"

No musician, actor, writer? "Got to be alive, eh? That's a tough one..."

The problem is if either Burke or Leser had asked Pauline to name any Australian politician or historical figure, we think they probably would have received the same response. Pauline doesn't admire anyone because she doesn't know who they are. It's unlikely that she has ever sat down to study our founding political and historical figures. Which all may sound a little hard to believe, except word has it that she recently had to ask her svengali adviser John Pasquarelli who Andrew Peacock was!

GUARD OF HONOUR:

Don and Pauline spent the program looking over Pauline's acres of prime Queensland rural land. They also looked up and watched several airforce jets pass over. "Extra security?" Don asked laughingly. Pauline's head bobbled in what appeared to have been a nod. But little did Pauline or Don know, that the jets were F-5 fighters. So what? Well, Australia doesn't operate F-5 fighter jets. But Singapore and Indonesia do. The Defence Department confirmed to the Review that it was Singaporean pilots training in F-5 jets at the nearby Amberley Royal Australian Air Force Base who overflew Pauline's farm on that day. Run for the hills Pauline, the invasion's started!

WHO'S WHO:

The recent visit of US President Clinton saw a heavy hitting collection of Jewish Community identities invited to meet and greet the world leader. Invited to the Canberra joint parliamentary session address were Solomon Lew, Joe Gutnick, Rodney Adler, Richard Pratt, Peter Ivany, Graeme Samuel, Saul Same and ALP Melbourne Ports heir-apparent Michael Danby. Frank Lowy later joined Clinton and Prime Minister John Howard on an evening Sydney Harbour cruise.

The next day in Sydney, at Macquarie's Chair Clinton met with Henry and Miriam Greenfield, Isi and Mary Herzog, property developers Michael and Miriam Lasky, Australia/Israel Review Editorial Chairman Colin Rubenstein and wife Jan, Liberty and SOLO petrol men David Wieland and David Goldberger with their wives Marilyn and Geinia, AWU union bosses Bob Smith and Steve Harrison and Hyatt owner Ted Lustig and wife Heather. They all later adjourned to a reception that NSW Premier Bob Carr had turned on for the Melbourne interlopers. Interestingly, the invitations generally reflected the growing presence of younger, rather than traditional leaders in the community.

SPEECHLESS:

Talk about speech writers. It's been some time since the hallowed halls of Canberra have heard the rhetorical flourishes that Clinton delivered during his joint parliament session address. In fact Bill wowed them in the aisles as they squashed onto those front benches. Exporting democracy, combating drugs, rogue states and weapons proliferators, engaging Asia, social, religious and racial tolerance, free trade, technological revolutions - Bill had it all and delivered it well. We're talking rave reviews, which showed up many of our weaker parliamentary performers. In fact, if things had got any better Australia could have applied for membership as the 51st state of the Union.

Clinton even had a go at courting the youth vote, listing various talented rock bands that Australia can take pride in, including Midnight Oil. Which makes you wonder if Clinton's speech writer has ever listened to Midnight Oil. Songs like "US Forces" which call for American withdrawal from Australia may not exactly hearten the Pentagon:

US Forces give the nod
It's a set back for your country
Bombs and trenches all in rows
Bombs and threats still ask for more
Divided world the CIA
Who controls the issue....

Band leader Peter Garrett was also one of Australia's leading anti-American and anti-nuclear activists during the 1980's. In 1984 he even ran for Parliament on a no nukes, no US bases platform.

DR DO-LITTLE:

The Herald Sun carried an advertisement for David-no, I'm not a doctor-Irving placed by his relentless Australian publishers and promoters, Veritas Publishing Co. P/L. The publishing arm of the League of Rights, Veritas, asked you to write to them and hear "what David Irving is really saying". So the Review, never backward in coming forward, obliged. We received a nice little package - two copies of David Irving's Action Report.

The Action Report is great reading for all those psychopathological donors who fund Irving's international Holocaust denying campaigns, replete as it is with stories about how young David is fighting and winning against the world wide "traditional enemy of the truth" (read: Jews). David - who is getting a little pudgy around the jowls (cut out that sour kraut and you'll find it will drop off) - adorns his newsletter with pictures of himself with pretty young blond girls. He also has an entertaining column entitled "A Radical's Diary," which recounts his experiences as he traipses around his guber-international goose-stepping network. Irving reveals himself as something of a drama queen, publicity hound and hypochondriac, who refers to girls as "nymphets" as he does battle with booksellers who refuse to stock his works, publishers, reviewers, media outlets and of course the Jewish "traditional enemies of the truth." Typical of the fare is this story that he proudly recounts from his recent US trip:

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Copyright © 1996 J.O.I.N.