Our Religious Correspondent Reports ...

Millenarian Andrew Bolt, author of the new catechism Veritas de Mendacia has come in for a bit more attention over the past few days than some people might think he deserves. At Sedgewick's place Colostomy Lugs ties with Comical Ali for the 2004 Ari Fleischer award. And at Crikey, Iain Lygo says:

When the Sydney Institute gets Andrew Bolt to speak about truth in journalism, their last tiny shred of credibility has surely evaporated into thin air.

Lygo goes on to examine Bolt's own record of truthfulness in journalism in some detail. There's some interesting E-Mail feedback from the Lugs himself after Lygo's article. Bolt's initial retort to Lygo provides food for thought:

But going through the rest of his crud would be a waste of time, given that the only people who could possibly be convinced by what he says are those who are impervious to reason and evidence.

With that in mind I might take the rest of the week off.

(Thanks to Chris Sheil for the links).

Update: In the first of today's Bulls, Erogatio Superciliens, the Southbank Savonarola has finally nailed his colours to the mast - almost:

Among the politicians, Treasurer Peter Costello was one of the few, along with Health Minister Tony Abbott, who dared to attack Latham's populist prancing over this – that is, until Howard, the man they both hope to replace, started prancing, too.

...

And now, with even the lure of the super gone, the danger is clear. Soon the only people who will think the pain, frustration, effort, abuse, humiliation, uncertainty and loneliness of federal politics is worth that $102,000 will be the obsessives – or mediocrities who couldn't find easier money elsewhere.

I'm talking about people who couldn't even get [a] job as a researcher, or middle manager at a transport outfit.

And when that happens, we really will have an excuse to despise our politicians – as well as the leaders who did so much to keep our brightest people out of politics and the running of this great country.

That's a very clear and unequivocal statement of where Andrew stands on the future leadership of this country - he's firmly in the "Anybody but Howard or Latham" camp. It's equally clear that he won't be putting himself up for Judith Troeth's spot on the Liberal Party Senate ticket at the next election.

In today's second Bull, Bolt presents his catechism on the Redfern riots:

WHO'S to blame for the Redfern riots? Drunken thugs and guilt-ridden whites who have poured money into the hands of Aboriginal agitators.

He concludes:

Who gives a f... about white society any more?

"White" society? No, it's civilisation that's at stake - a civilisation that offers more hope to Aborigines than any Lyall Munro.

And I do give a care. The question is: do enough others now care, too?

That's actually helpful; now I know the polite way to ask a right-wing sheila if she'll let me into her pants.