Tim Blair

Amateurs.

Experienced net-hands know that you should always search sub-sets of your sentences if the first try fails, because of hypenation or footnote insertion type issues.

Thanks for the lesson in double-checking facts before speaking. Hope the looney critics learn this lesson as well as the more important lesson - the blogosphere is self-correcting.

So this is why you stay up so late, Tim--to make your opponents miserable when they wake up and turn on their computers over their morning coffee. Good work.

PLASTIC HYPHEN! PLASTIC HYPHEN! PLASTIC HYPHEN!

I love where Gummo says:

I've been trying this for the past ten minutes

It took him ten minutes to not find the sentence that was actually there (sans hyphen)?

Did he do the same search a hundred times? Did he hand-enter the search phrase instead of copying and pasting?

The only reasonable response for Gummo would be to now slap his forhead and say "D'oh!".

Dont expect any retraction from them - as we all know being a left has the advantage of never admitting that you were wrong - sort of like the Fonz on happy days.

I retract fully. I apologise for the link and to Andrew Bolt. AS for Phillip Adams, it seems to me he should be sacked.

And these people complain that Iraq's WMD haven't been found yet ...

The left sure are a bunch of super-sleuths, what with their "supressed pentagon reports", investigations into Bolt and plastic turkeys.

Sheesh, basic computer research skill--don't search for paragraphs. Search for phrases likely only to appear in the paragraph you want.

Hey, that's very gracious of you, Tim D. Well done.

Tim.D and Gummo aren't beyond sincerity but as for Christopher Sheil well if he lived 120yrs ago he would be selling snake oil from the back of a wagon.

The thing that surprises me is that people werent *especially* careful when trying to fact check Bolt. As a very prominent columnist, and one that takes others to task for their misquotes and occasional outright lies, i imagine he is incredibly cautious about what goes out under his name. See the attempted 'expose' of him by some looney at Crikey. IN between telling him to get f_cked, Bolt also took apart his 'arguments'. Amusing to read.

Have started searching for the phrase 'part Aboriginal', haven't found the para you referred to yet, although I only just started looking, and could increase the string of text I'm searching for to make it quicker. However, I did find this:

"3 Neither the evidence in this trial, nor these reasons for judgment, deny the existence of "the Stolen Generation". Writings, both contemporary and historical, (not all of which were presented as evidence in this trial) tell tragically of a distressing past. Many would take it for granted that "the Stolen Generation" is a catch phrase that truly describes what happened to many part Aboriginal children for many years. But this trial has focussed primarily on the personal histories of two people: Lorna Cubillo and Peter Gunner."

Steve

As a media watchdog, Gummo seems pretty toothless.

Thank you. I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitresses.

Bolt has manufactured a quote - simple as that. He added a hyphen that wasn't there and tried to pass it off as an actual quote by including it in quotation marks. This is exactly the same thing that Phillip Adams did - God bless his chubby little "national treasure" toes. Exactly the same! Bolt must be sacked!

Hope I'm not stating the overly obvious but 'Gummo' is the half forgotten Marx Brother. 'Groucho', 'Harpo', and 'Chico' are well known. "Gummo Trotsky" would've been a good band name. The kid should get credit for a clever handle if for nothing else.

Meanwhile, it's business as usual for Chris Sheil over at Gummo's comments section. He's arguing that Gummo is in the right because Bolt preceded the quote with the word "the" where the judge wrote "that", as in "that evidence does not support a finding...". While this is a slightly dodgy rhetorical move on Bolclaim was that those specific words did not appear in the ruling.

Meanwhile, Chris cements his reputation as an ideological fundamentalist, willing to say anything to avoid conceding even the most straightforward of his opponents' points.

Oops. That was meant to read: "While this is a dodgy rhetorical move on Bolt's part, Gummo's claim was that those specific words did not appear in the ruling." Apologies.

Steve, you're right, but while the court's findings in that case do not deny a Stolen Generation, they do nothing to prove the existence of one, either. There might be other cases.

And there might be a polka-dotted flying rabbit hovering just behind my head and just because I can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Especially if people take it for granted that the rabbit is real.

Bolt's argument is that there aren't any other cases, and he's not misusing that quote if he's using as part of a larger argument that there's no evidence of a Stolen Generation. It's a perfect example that there's no evidence.

What the Hell does "verballed" mean? I'd horsewhip him if I had a horse.

Gummo lied
hyphen died.
Well done Surfer Tim. See, it's not hard to admit you were wrong. Us ex-lefties will make a RWDB of you yet.

I knew Bolt's quote was legit because I READ THE DAMN CASE (yes, the whole massive, excessive bloody judgement) when it came out, before commenting on it. Not that I practise in that area of law.

But before I comment on a case, I like to READ it, or at least read any headnotes and skim over the judgement. As Keynes would say, "What do you do, sir?"

Gummo's admitted his error. Good for him. I think it's a demonstration of good faith on his part ie he hasn't done the "OK you caught me out but let me move on as if you didn't and argue that the real issue is something else that obscures the fact that I got it wrong".

This is turning into National Sorry Day.

Gummo's admitted his error. Good for him. I think it's a demonstration of good faith on his part ie he hasn't done the "OK you caught me out but let me move on as if you didn't and argue that the real issue is something else that obscures the fact that I got it wrong".

You've been reading Chris Sheil, haven't you?

Well, I'll be hyphenated.

What? Bolt 'verballed' rather than 'albrechted'? But I thought the latter had entered everyday language? What gives?

That would be in the same sense that the bloghead is part human, no doubt. So what snide point are you making? Just another minor skirmish in the culture wars, huh?

The point is, why do you need to hide behind Bolt's coattails? Can't you come just out and proud in your denial of the oppression of the Aboriginal people. Next you'll be telling us the holocaust never happened. Or else you'll be getting someone else to say it for you.

What a low mongrel pamphleteer you are.

Go pluck hairs from your arse, Miranda. But be careful, your brain is only inches away.

The Cubillo and Gunner cases were a result of a wide search by plaintiff lawyers for the best cases to bring forward to prove the "Stolen Generation" allegations in the "Bringing Them Home" Report.

These cases were designed to nail the Commonwealth Government once and for all. The fact is they failed on all counts. There has been no further attempt to bring additional cases forward to substantiate Wilson's Report.

The Gunner and Cubillo cases provided no evidence to support the allegations of forceable and systemic removal of Aboriginal or part aboriginal children. While the judge pointed out that his conclusions do not deny the existence of the "Stolen Generation", it's up to those making the assertion to prove their case. Roland Wilson clearly did not test the evidence brought forward and the trump cards of Cubillo and Gunner were beaten in spades.

So that's what Miranda's problem is: ingrown hair. Makes sense: having her comment here is rather like having anal fistulas.

Miranda,
I'll spell it out for you...
I think the point was that people like Gummo, Shiell and Dunlop can not be relied upon to do basic internet research. If they cannot think to search on phrases or part phrases, if they're willing to quoute stuff which they haven't actually read and understood, then they do not deserve to be listened to.

BTW, Tim's never been into Holcaust denial - I hereby invoke Godwins Law.

Due to having lived amongst Aborigines a a boy (decades ago) I just do not believe in the stolen generation myth. So I read the judgement of the case in question with intense interest.
My feelings are that despite the written apology of the judge for his failing to do so he could not find evidence to support this despicable myth.
I found the judicial cringe in this case appaling.
Bolt is to be applauded for having the guts to take on the "luvvies"

I think Gummo raised money for the Iran earth quake so he is a real do-gooder so he deserves some slack.

Anyone can make a mistake, but Gummo retracted with grace and wit. He has done so on at least one other occasion to my knowledge. This is a rare quality in any blogger, left- or right-wing, and should be applauded and emulated (the retraction, not the mistake).

Google-impaired...obviously a medical condition...is there a government subsidy?

If we were warm-hearted conservatives we'd pitch a fund to get the guy some google-glasses.

"Anyone can make a mistake, but Gummo retracted with grace and wit. He has done so on at least one other occasion to my knowledge. This is a rare quality in any blogger, left- or right-wing, and should be applauded and emulated (the retraction, not the mistake)."

Well lets not forget its rare for bloggers to bugger up so badly! But yes kudos to gummo and Tim Dunlop.
Poor old Chris Sheil ended up looking like a right twit by doing his usual ‘defend the indefensible’ crap before having the plank well and truly pulled out from under him by the apology.

I think the point was that people like Gummo, Shiell and Dunlop can not be relied upon to do basic internet research. If they cannot think to search on phrases or part phrases, if they're willing to quoute stuff which they haven't actually read and understood, then they do not deserve to be listened to.

Actually, it was only Gummo who performed the faulty search and quoted from Bolt and the report.

Chris Sheil posted a "Good work Gummo" comment on Gummo's blog, and Tim Dunlop posted a link on his blog to Gummo's blog. They took Gummo's story in good faith, and when the error was pointed out, both Gummo and Tim Dunlop posted retractions on their respective blogs.

There's some delicious irony in your "willing to quote stuff which they haven't actually read and understood" comment, which I'll graciously leave alone :-)

"Can't you come just out and proud in your denial of the oppression of the Aboriginal people. Next you'll be telling us the holocaust never happened. Or else you'll be getting someone else to say it for you."

Nah, that schtick is more popular among your clients these days... The destruction of the zionist entity, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, holocaust denial - they have it all going on Bigtime! And you're an important part of the team Miranda! Yeeehaaaaaww!

/Döbeln

-Stabil som fan!

Ver sad day today. Macedonia President Boris Trajkovski has killed in plane crash Thursday. Drago think that Bosnia peoples do this Grrr! Please to not make Drago MAD!!!

Sir Humphrey Appleby lives on- in his bastard son, Christopher Shiel.

Exceptionally courageous post, sonny.

I think we have a new word: Sheiling - to deny an obvious mistake by burying the explanation in impenetrable prose.

This is not "the 'evidence ...'" as Bolt has written, but is explicitly limited to that specific evidence that was presented in that specific court in relation to that specific case, evidence that "does not" in any event, the court explicitly finds "deny the existence of the stolen generation". Thus, while a comprehensive examination of this issue may have to go to the actual evidence that was presented and its evaluation, on the surface, the change of verballing, or "albrechting", appears to stand.

This type of prose surely serve as the inspiration for the acronym "WTF".

You are a disgrace! Full stop.

Dead wrong, Sheil.

Full stop.

Actually, the verb you refer to, Randal, is properly pronounced "Kerrying." As the past master of explaining how a butt-obvious contraction of policy is not a contradiction, John F'n Kerry has no superior and probably no equals. Check out any of his windbag explanations of how a vote to authorize Gulf War II was actually a vote to go to the UN and not go to war. Priceless.

Timely quote of Costello's yesterday, referring to Latham's habit of surfing for policy:
"You can't run a nation by Google."

So your miserable point is what? Aboriginals should just shut up and put up with the crappy hand dealt them by white Australia? You strip them of their land, their culture, their dignity, their identity, their children and then tell them to shut up and stand in a corner? So their miserable story didn't stand up in court. So fucking what, their lives are still broken, they and their ilk are still condsidered little more than dirt by most white australians, egged on by their dog-whistling PM, with attack dogs like Bolt and Blair in the vanguard.