Salute to Australia

Tim Blair is my blogfather, and I’m proud to claim him as such. He created a unique cyber-community where Australians and Americans could find areas of mutual interest, and his comment section was the most fun place in the blogosphere (and still is, of course; he has moved here). Because I got my start in blogging through the indulgence and encouragement of Tim, I feel an obligation to continue building bridges of goodwill with my Australian friends.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of the Australian political system is rather limited. If you were to tell me that the Prime Minister is chosen by putting the chiefs of the major parties in a cock-fighting pit and having them pummel each other with stuffed platypuses until only one was left standing, I’d be reluctant to venture the opinion that you were pulling my leg. But there are definitely things about Australia that I think I’ve got a handle on and that are worthy of admiration.

Cricket
I had always been under the impression that cricket was played by men dressed like male nurses employed by an asylum for the criminally insane, and that the matches went on for days, with occasional breaks for tea and cucumber sandwiches. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the game is actually played by beautiful women in bikinis, like this lovely young corn-fed girl:


I certainly hope that the matches go on for days!

Diggers
Steadfast in friendship, implacable in opposition, these are the kind of “blokes” that you want to have beside you when you're in a tough spot:


Fauna
How can you not love a country where, in creating the animals, God let his sense of humor run wild. Behold, the bandicoot!


Let’s face it: every right-thinking American (that’s you and me) would gladly pick Australia as his or her adopted home. So, hat’s off to our friends “down under”!