Fairfax environment reporter Ben Cubby surprised and entertained us with his extraordinary tirade about the ultimate owner of the newly-approved Four Mile uranium mine.

In his piece for the Fairfax papers on Thursday 16 July, Ben gave us a strangely inaccurate description of the mining process as "acid corrosion" - it's actually called in-situ leach or solution recovery -  and darkly conspiratorial commentary about "colourful but reclusive billionaire" and "secretive arms tycoon" James Neal Blue.

Ben's piece is no doubt a piece of unwitting journalistic channelling, an incidence of random happenstance in which a  reporter, an editor and a publisher of a major metropolitan newspaper together unconsciously produce an article that exactly reflects the views of anonymous ideologues.

Probably inadvertently , the piece might create outrage about the Four Mile mine - and Environment Minister Peter Garrett for having approved it - by smearing the mine's ultimate owner.

Ben tells us that "Mr Blue once part-owned a cocoa and banana plantation in Nicaragua with the family of former president Anastasio Somoza". Mr Blue “refused to discuss any link to CIA operations in that country". (italics added)

Ben tells us that Jim Blue is a Director of the Four Mile majority owner, Quasar Resources, which is an affiliate of the US company General Atomics, chaired by Mr Blue, and which holds Pentagon contracts.

Are  you getting the picture now? The ultimate owner of a uranium mine in South Australia is associated with a company that does work for the Pentagon. Get it? Jim Blue is an American. Are you outraged yet? The company builds the Predator drone aircraft that the US uses to fight terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. See what a patsy Peter Garrett is? How can you not see it? Jim Blue's brother Linden was briefly imprisoned by Fidel Castro. For apparently violating Cuban airspace. Surely you get it now!

Actually, I've got to admit I don't get it. If you do, perhaps you'll tell us why any of this stuff has anything to do with Minister Garrett's decision. Or Ben, why don’t you let us know what the heck this is all about.

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