November 22, 2003
TO HELL WITH SECURITY
Eight happy Australian drunks -- well, that we know of -- were at Telstra Stadium last weekend to witness our defeat of New Zealand. After the match, an incident took place in an elevator ...
The floor before they were due to get off, the lift stopped and the doors opened. At the elevator door, waiting to get in, stood the Man of Steel himself, Johnny Howard, PM. After initial stunned silence they loudly cheered and invited him into the lift. Johnny's security advised against it but the Man's gut instinct led him into the elevator and into the embrace of eight super drunks who all shook his hand and gave him a pat on the back.
Hit the link (which I should've linked to earlier). You've got to see the picture.
UPDATE. It's Mark Steyn's picture of the week! Check the right-hand panel.
Posted by Tim Blair at November 22, 2003 03:47 AMMy dad went to the game.
He said it was a great match.
Fantastic. There'll always be an Australia...
Damn, how I wish I could read about this happening in the US. I blame Reagan for the security overload - remember those ridiculous White House guard uniforms? (Though perhaps the various assasination attempts had something to do with it...).
Had a trip to Bali planned for New Years to show support (moral and financial) but it got postponed by the wankers at Head Office. Soon though, God willing.
Posted by: Fred Drinkwater at November 22, 2003 at 04:30 AMFred - sorry, but you can't blame Reagan for the 'security overload' or the crazy uniforms. The uniforms were one of Richard Nixon's more unhinged ideas, and as for security. . .well, let's just say that Kennedy was the last President to ride in an open-top car. So you're right about the assassinations. Unfortunately, as opposed to a happy country like Australia, there are simply too many whacked-out, hate-filled nonentities (especially on the left), to ever let an American President act like Howard. Dubya, especially, would have his head blown apart in no time flat and the entire Democrat leadership would proclaim a day of celebration.
Posted by: Ripper at November 22, 2003 at 05:19 AMNo fair, Tim....how am I supposed to stay in the proper anti-Aussie frame of mind for tomorrow when you link to something like that?
Still, JH might be a fun sort of bloke, but he's second best in the rousing, blood and thunder, inspirational message stakes, isn't he? Henry V? Churchill? Pah!!
Meantime, in further happy RWC news, our know-nothing sports minister has been repatriated against his will. No freebie, no chance to ask why Beckham isn't playing. Aaah, diddums.
Anyway, back to business: FitzSimons! Campese! Keating! Joe Scully from Neighbours! Rolf Bloody Harris! I'm in the zone again!
Posted by: oiskin at November 22, 2003 at 06:34 AMI've emailed Murph to see if he'll let me do a toon on the event.
John Howard rocks.
Posted by: Chris Muir at November 22, 2003 at 06:59 AMJohn Howard is a great man. Who the hell is Niall?
Posted by: Fred Boness at November 22, 2003 at 09:24 AMFitzSimons mentioned favourably in Blair's blog -- now that's a first!
Posted by: slatts at November 22, 2003 at 10:09 AMJohn Howard is the prime minister of Australia, Niall is something he unfortunatly stepped in, though he managed to scape most of it off on the curb.
Hope that clears thing up for you, Fred!
Posted by: Amos at November 22, 2003 at 11:21 AM
I like the Green Bay Packers' colors. That dude in the middle looks like my wife on game day!
Tell him to tell his new bud, John Howard, and all like minded Aussies, "Thanks for standing up!"
(Yes we live in New Mexico, USA, but my wife is from Merril, Wisconsin, USA-- she makes me follow the Packers.)
Posted by: Reese at November 22, 2003 at 01:10 PMYes Reese, you are a fine foward thinking American.(Who just happened to marry the right kind of women.) Chicago Bears are a EVIL, EVIL!! football(american)team. I love My Green Bay Packers.
Posted by: Homer Robinson at November 22, 2003 at 03:51 PMWhat would happen if Bill Clinton got into an elevator with 8 drunken party animals
Ah, cheese-heads. I'm not much of a Bears fan, but "EVIL?" I would say that they're too bad to be evil.
Posted by: Peter S. Chicago, IL at November 23, 2003 at 01:07 AMWas JH trying to emulate Kathy Freeman with his speed at the medal presentation? Anyway, a happy day here in the village local- drinking, singing, cheering, all screaming joyous abuse at Steve 'Catch-it-if-you-can' Thompson & "The 'Bok Bastard" (aka our esteemed referee Mr Watson who wouldn't know a proper scrummage if it took him from behind without the help of vaseline.....)
Wilko's winning drop, final whistle, then out of 'anti-Aussie mode' (though I won't deny that I enjoyed the sight of Eddie Jones looking as though he'd swallowed a wasp, ho! ho!), and there's still FitzSimons' little sackcloth-and-ashes column to look forward to in Monday's Telegraph: life is good sometimes.
Anyway, well played Wallabies, and thank you Australia for a wonderful tournament.
Posted by: oiskin at November 23, 2003 at 08:31 AMI noticed the PM's speed with the medals, too. Not happy, and he didn't disguise it. Let's see if Wilkinson gets any special treatment at customs ...
Posted by: tim at November 23, 2003 at 10:45 AMEspecially funny was the apparently schizo Howard-basher in the comments, who tried to turn him/herself into an entire protest group, only to get smacked down by an admin who's all over the ball. It's really sad when your self-esteem is so fragile you have to post messages of support for yourself under different aliases, just to convince yourself you're not a loser.
And the same person then tries posting from a new computer, declaring "Just because they all had the same IP and posted within minutes of each other, doesn't prove they were the same person!"
Comedy gold, I tell you.