Paul Toohey
Paul Toohey is a senior reporter for the News Ltd group of papers, currently based in the United States of America.
Articles by Paul Toohey
Our special forces don’t always need special treatment
We admire them, but we’re not entirely sure why. We allow them to operate in the shadows; we rarely ask…... Read more
The brave chronicler of Mexico’s deadly drug war
Ciudad Juarez, which shares a border with El Paso, in Texas, is the most violent city on earth. But you…... Read more
Reports of Ron Paul’s death are greatly exaggerated
Reports of Ron Paul’s political demise have been greatly exaggerated and his tactical genius is becoming apparent as he gives…... Read more
The seedy little CD store where music is strict taboo
A few months ago, Bill, the owner of Rainbow Music, spent several hours trapped under collapsed piles of CDs in…... Read more
New forms of language actually make us more liter8
The computer has cleaned up poor handwriting by eliminating it. Everyone can now write in a legible font and everyone,…... Read more
Stolen and raised by a different tribe
As best I know, Australia has no true accounts of white people being kidnapped or rescued and raised by tribal…... Read more
Zero tolerance on crime: Can you dig it?
Watching from afar, I noted a press release from a federal minister talking about a Brisbane suburb. It was headlined:…... Read more
Of caged monkeys and scientific men
A week or so ago, in New Mexico, I met a man who spent decades interfering, on a scientifically aggressive…... Read more
The saddest, weirdest, most honest little town in America
New Mexico is strange country. On the White Sands Missile Range, they conducted the first atmospheric test of an atom…... Read more
Mao is dead, but his doublespeak lives on
The first and last time I was in mainland China was 1988. I caught a train from Guangzhou to Shanghai.…... Read more
The unsung aviator who helped saved Darwin
A genuine American war ace who did his greatest fighting 70 years ago over the skies of Darwin has passed…... Read more
Steubenville: The place dreams aren’t made of
There is no Dean Martin Museum in Steubenville, Ohio. And the town’s other most famous export, former porn star Traci…... Read more
Back when the barstuds boiled their bloody billies
Published in 1943 and given to every American serviceman heading Down Under to help with the war effort, the US…... Read more
Death by dingo: The 32-year old saga that has to end
It is easy to understand why the parents of Azaria Chamberlain, Lindy and Michael, who have long since gone their…... Read more
American story: meat the last butcher in Little Italy
Moe Albanese is the last butcher standing in New York’s Little Italy. His father, Vincenzo, was a butcher from Polizzi…... Read more
Paradise lost, but a pocket of America found
Just looking at him, elderly Miami resident Pedro C. Alvarez is not the type who would be inclined to take…... Read more
Dog ownership laws a load of total bullpit
Max, a young and handsome American pit bull, sits on death row in Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services, a victim of…... Read more
Over-rated Redford and the Sundance kidding
Robert Redford was born in Santa Monica, California. Burt Lancaster was born in East Harlem, New York. There the similarities…... Read more
The futility and hypocrisy of the Occupy stragglers
Across her neck, the contradiction of a permanent tattoo shackle that reads: “Freedom.” Across one forearm, a tattoo that reads,…... Read more
Disco: When music made straight for your groin
Someone had to pay for disco. Nile Rodgers took the bullet in late 1979 when it finally became official: disco…... Read more
Buried basements, witch hazel and bay rum
Once your eyes adjust to the blur of big city New York, you start to notice there’s another world here.…... Read more
New York I love you, but Christmas here is a let-down
Bing Crosby – or maybe it was Bob Hope, or perhaps even Jimmy Stewart – on New York’s Fifth Avenue,…... Read more
Sweet home Alabama is only sweet for some
Sailor’s Lounge caters to the hard-bittenest drinkers in the deep south coastal town of Mobile, Alabama. There’s a woman, maybe…... Read more
Filthy murderous mobsters are no Goodfellas
It doesn’t matter if these days they’re modern boardroom businessmen in Ermenegildo Zegna suits and Bally shoes. They’re still the…... Read more
Our American dream, our American nightmare
When the Reverend Seth Kaper-Dale took over the running of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, in New Brunswick, New…... Read more
Don’t cry for me Australia. Truth is, I’m glad I left you
What’s Australia like? A sizeable question, but a young Argentine student who has returned home to Buenos Aires after a…... Read more
A walking, talking, real-life zombie from Haiti
Twenty years after his death, Clairvius Narcisse, a zombie from Haiti, stood staring down at his own tombstone. The inscription…... Read more
Blood, gore and a respectful handshake in rural America
Killing animals with antlers and hooves gets some men going. They will cross the world to do it. They like…... Read more
Nannying in New York is a black and white issue
It never looks quite right. On any sunny afternoon in Manhattan’s wealthy Upper West, there are swarms of black nannies…... Read more
The Ronald Reagan Revival
Many regarded him as a dangerously simple man who wanted to save the world by blowing it up. Hell, we…... Read more
Like flickering candles, the 9/11 babies symbolise hope
The lack of comprehension for the atrocity committed on September 11 is such that it has taken 10 full years…... Read more
The day America said no to God
It’s a brave or foolish American who turns his back on God. But that’s what New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg…... Read more
The KKK kicked Butts, then Butts kicked back
Sometimes you can meet a person and feel blessed. I don’t mean touched by the hand of God. I just…... Read more
Bin Laden: From hide and seek to show and tell
Was it a hit squad? The Americans’ codename for Osama Bin Laden was Geronimo. Geronimo was the Apache leader who…... Read more
The US now wants to bury the rest of Al Qaeda
President Barack Obama, whose presidency has been instantly and spectacularly rejuvenated, will visit Ground Zero in Manhattan tomorrow and provide…... Read more
Charlie Sheen: just another American psycho
The author Bret Easton Ellis thinks actor Charlie Sheen has changed once and for all the nature of celebrity, for…... Read more
Dog of a trip on the Greyhound to Tennant Creek
They reckon the world is shrinking. It’s not. Far-places are still far-flung, no matter how fast your laptop starts up.…... Read more
Harry Potter and Australia’s Prince of Darkness
About 15 years ago, Nick Cave’s The Ship Song became the preferred Australian bogan wedding waltz. The song entered the…... Read more
The songs remain the same: the best lyrics of all time
The grimmest master songwriter shares something with the shiniest, tiniest pop princess. Both would struggle to explain how they came…... Read more
An extraordinary story about personal responsibility
It is not the done thing for one reporter to quote vast slabs of another reporter’s work. There’s one’s own…... Read more
We can and will win this war
Apart from the two stars stitched onto his collar, there’s not much that sets Major General John Cantwell apart from…... Read more
Grieving lost soldiers doesn’t equate to supporting the war
NOW there will be a new Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, who will have the rotten task of taking to the…... Read more
Troglodyte is not an insult: inside the mind of Bob Katter
Those delegates from Labor and the Coalition who are hoping to win over Bob Katter ought to make sure they…... Read more
Inspired tribute to a man who loved Jesus and cocaine
Tex Perkins and his band made something special happen at the Darwin Amphitheatre on Sunday night, though for a while…... Read more
Nauru, unemployment 90%, is ready for business
Nauru has the greatest airline in the world. It’s called Our Airline. The leased-from-Taiwan 737-300 looks a little dated, not…... Read more
Watching East Timor as China gets a military toehold
EAST Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has taken in recent weeks to heavily bagging Australia, including a strange speech in…... Read more
The 10 best gunshot scenes in movies
Some like dialogue. Others go for the actors, the love scenes, the mood, the era or the style. But who…... Read more
Heartlessness at the centre of an immigration scandal
It must be hard for a conservative politician to make a decision he or she knows will distress heartland followers.…... Read more
Labor close to fission over nuclear waste dump
Few would dispute that Australia is in urgent need of a radioactive waste management facility. Over 50 years, some 4000…... Read more
First casualty of war is truth, closely followed by logic
The Defence Department posted this image from Afghanistan on its website on Tuesday. As you can see, the faces of…... Read more
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Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it
An email was sent to almost every politician in Australia this week saying that someone should cut off…
Our special forces don’t always need special treatment
We admire them, but we’re not entirely sure why. We allow them to operate in the shadows; we rarely…
A good holiday is about unrest, not rest
Like a fat full-stop, it lay in my hand. A small orange – not exactly fresh, but purchased anyway…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments
Michael S says:
"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone
Change Up! says:
I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments
A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more
