Back in the day, you wouldn’t take the fishmonger’s word for it, you’d submit the “catch of the day” to the smell test. We can satisfy our skepticism using our own corporeal senses; it’s also a biological defence mechanism to protect us from eating rotten food.
Where else in your life might such a test be useful right now?
They’re winding up for a U.S. Presidential election, with candidates making their pitches. Lots of fancy footwork from people like Jeb Bush who were ready to carpet-bomb Iraq back into the Stone Age on a lie: that they were behind 9/11 and were hoarding WMD. Plenty of egg on Hillary’s face too. But hey, a lot of US companies made a lot of money rebuilding the country after the Americans destroyed it, so it’s all good now right? Forgive but never forget. Scratch and sniff. If s/he smells rotten, don’t vote for the SOB. Oh and when you write the history of ISIL don’t forget to thank The Dubya.
They’re winding up for an Australian election too, with Tony Abbott channelling John Howard every chance he gets, and emulating the ‘me too’ strategy of the Kevin ’07 campaign. He’s keeping Smokin’ Joe on a tight leash, but letting his media attack dogs off the leash early to see if Bolt and Co. can inflict some early casualties. All in the forlorn hope that the official World’s Worst Political Leader might get a bounce in the polls. I can’t see it happening, especially if the Minister for Women (unruly bunch that they are) has decided that it is in fact women who are to blame for our fiscal woes; not rich, tax-exempt women like Gina Rinehart or course, but those fraudsterish single mums and equally larcenous stay at home mums. Curse all child-bearing women not of calibre!
I know a dead fish when I see one, I don’t want to get close enough to smell him. Speaking of calibre, Julia Gillard would be laughing her tits off right about now.