F*ck your humble pie, I'll stay cynical, fool!

Critics lose face, from head to toe;

You'll recall that when John Howard demanded an urgent, if peculiar amendment to the criminal code last week to counter a potential but unnamed terror threat, the Prime Minister was almost knocked flat by the corresponding sonic boom of cynicism.

Which, to a point, was entirely understandable. Howard may be our Great Protector, but when all is said and done he's still a crafty operator. To believe the PM doesn't weigh everything he says and does for political gain is like awarding Paris Hilton a Nobel Prize for services to chastity.

Nonetheless, the circumstances of last week's brouhaha meant the smart money was always on Howard acting in good faith.

Right, so we're still yet to have any convictions. Maybe the chaps arrested recently will go down or, perhaps they are actually innocent (we should presume). We'll see.

Now, the main gripe many critics have with Howard's approach and recent actions is his milking of the terrorism issue for all its worth, politically.

It ain't right, son.

Even assuming we have no deaths resulting from terrorism and only considering the various impacts fear has on society as a whole, this is some major sh*t.

In the language of the conservative: money, I'm sure business folk aren't too happy when their markets fold due to consumers going into lock down for fear of falling victim. Unfortunately, for Muslims in our community, they will suffer the negative manifestations of this collective vibe.

Not to worry, our pollies have an election to win, or lose.

So, as I clean the egg from my face, I believe it is worth noting that the investigation leading to these raids commenced almost a year and a half ago and that the AFP have been continually requesting the change to the law since then.