"Project Kraken" proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city

The Toronto Police Service [sic] (not exactly as pictured) assisted by forces from around the Greater Toronto [sic] Area, had a busy time in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning.

Following an eigh-month-long investigation -- dubbed "Project Kraken" -- into drugs and guns in the GTA, the boys in black did what they love to do -- dress up like soldiers and break into people's houses and apartments. The raids resulted in the arrest of 55 people. Add in 18 previously arrested for a total of 73, now charged with a grand total of 599 offences.

Who are these people (I hear you ask)? Where did they come from? Are they "old-stock Canadians", or perhaps "new Canadians" imported from the shitholes of the Caribbean, the Middle East and Africa. Inspector Knacker does not keep (or, perhaps, disclose) details of race, religion, or citizenship status. All we can do is peruse the list of names, as released by the TPS, and take an educated guess. Click on the link if you want to see details of who's charged with what. Don't expect any surprises.

Here, in alphabetical order except for No. 1, is the list of those charged. [This could take a while. Ed.]

1) Young offender (formerly known as "juvenile delinquent), of Toronto; 2) Aydid Adan, 31, of Toronto; 3) Mohamed Aden, 21, of Toronto; 4) Yasir Aden, 22, of Toronto; 5) Anas Ahmed, 22, of Waterloo

6) Tamim Ahmmadzai, 29, of Thornhill; 7) Fayaz Alakoozi, 24, of Ajax; 8) Nabil Amem, 30, of Newmarket; 9) Tamim Amem, 26, of Markham; 10) Alhaji Bangura, 31, of Ajax

11) Travis Bell, 27, of Oshawa; 12) Bobby Boating, 24, of no fixed address; 13) Salvatore Boccia, 32, of Toronto; 14) Mark Bollers, 29, of Toronto; 15) Jacob Braithwaite, 27, of Brampton; 16) Khadeono Burgess, 27, of Toronto

17) Attilio Commisso, 32, of Maple; 18) Cosimo Commisso, 74, of Thornhill; 19) Giovanni Commisso, 60, of Woodbridge; 20) Girolamo Commisso, 30, of Toronto (The family that plays together...)

21) Mekhi Cuffie, 21, of Markham; 22) Justain Dillon, 45, of Mississauga; 23) Kevin Douglas, 24, of Toronto; 24) Catherine Duffy, 44, of Toronto; 25) Treshawn Duffy, 24, of Toronto

26) Anthony Edwards, 29, of Toronto; 27) Rowan Gayle, 27, of Toronto; 28) Byra Ghafoor, 23, of Toronto; 29) Omer Gharibzada, 26, of Whitby; 30) Alexis Gomez, 23, of Toronto

31) Javade Gray (gray = black + white?), 29, of no fixed address; 32) Ed Greco, 42, of Sudbury; 33) Addul Nabi Hadi, 28, of Toronto; 34) Abdul Sami Hadi, 22, of Toronto; 35) Addul Wasi Hadi, 30, of Toronto; 36) Abdullahi Hassan, 20, of Toronto; 37) Houssein Hassan, 24, of Toronto

38) Tyler Henry, 29, of no fixed address; 39) Gabriel Khoury, 33, of Whitby; 40) Renee Korchinski Beals, 27, of Toronto; 41) Devon Lewis, 25, of Toronto; 42) Shemar Lue, 23, of Ajax; 43) Sergei Manukian, 30, of Aurora; 44) Arielle Maxwell-Rodney, 29, of Toronto; 45) Henok Mebratu, 26, of no fixed address;

46) Makador Mohamed, 25, of Innisfil; 47) Shahabeldin Mohamed, 23, of Toronto; 48) Sasha Morid, 24, of Toronto; 49) Maurice Mullings, 30, of Toronto; 50) Jahche Myers, 26, of Toronto

51) Shadab Nabizada, 29, of Toronto; 52) Deshayne Newman, 24, of Toronto; 53) Tyrel Osborn, 26, of Ottawa; 54) Chad Pillay, 27, of Toronto; 55) Trevor Poland, 33, of Sudbury

56) Karen Pringle, 44, of Toronto; 57) Mustafa Qazi, 28, of Toronto; 58) Omaid Rahmani, 22, of Ajax; 59) Kennedy Richards-Coleman, 26, of Toronto; 60) Kordell Richards-Coleman, 25, of Toronto:

61) Narisa Riel, 28, of Ottawa; 62) Eryk Rivard, 45, of Sudbury; 63) Clayton Robichaud, 28, of Hamilton; 64) Daniel Robinson, 41, of Toronto; 65) Karine Rouleau, 24, of Oakville

66) Hasibullah Sakhiyar, 25, of Whitby; 67) Marvin Toussaint, 28, of Oakville; 68) Jermaine Williams, 27, of Toronto; 69) Jhelisha Wilson, 23, of Toronto; 70) Le Keisha Wocker, 25, of Mississauga

71) Chenelle Woods-Francis, 25, of Toronto; 72) Christopher Wright, 31, of Ajax; 73) Thong Yi, 50, of Markham

Errr... that's it. Don't be telling me it's all those damn Muslim refugees. I only counted 3 Mohammeds and a couple of Abduls. The others are a real mixed bag, a fine fine example of the inclusivity and multiculturalism that makes "Greater Toronto" what it is today. "Diversity is our strength!" (copyright, J. Trudeau)

Allowing millions of 3rd Worlders into Europe "cardinal mistake": Putin

When it comes to the wisdom (or otherwise) of filling your country with unassimilable Muslim "refugees" and asylum-seekers, Vladimir Putin is on the right track. Speaking at the beginning of the G20 summit in Osaka, the Russian president declared recently that liberalism in Europe and the US has "outlived its purpose".

The Father of All the Russias [Archaism! Ed.] criticised Western views on gay rights, immigration and multiculturalism, all of which he sees as parts of an attack on traditional family values. Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Putin said the "liberal idea" was on its way out, as the public has turned its back on "social justice" issues. And he called German chancellor Angela Merkel's 2017 decision to allow more than a million "refugees" into her country (and thus into the European Union) a "cardinal mistake".

President Putin said, "[Liberals] cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades. This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done. That migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected. Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population."

Indeed. But do you hear anything like that from any of the mainstream political leaders in western Europe or the AABC countries? Sadly, no. Walt would like to hear one, just one of the 20+ hopefuls looking to lose the 2020 election say at least that it's time to have a "conversation" about the wisdom of the Democrats' liberal (and worse) policies. But I'm not holding my breath.

Further reading: "Francis Fukuyama: unassimilated immigrants pose threat to liberalism", WWW 18/6/19.

Muslim columnist accuses Canuck PM of pandering to Muslims... and Sikhs... and everybody except straight white males

Ed. here. We don't usually give this space over to a repost, in full or in part, of an opinion column written by someone else, but Agent 6 (PBUH) has sent us the link to "Dividing Canada into vote banks, one tribe at a time", by Tarek Fatah (a Muslim), in the Toronto Sun, 25/6/19. Agent 6 says Mr Fatah "accurately describes Canada’s immigration/political problems...calls a spade a spade." So he does. This piece is so good that we're going to run most of it (edited slightly for brevity), and hope that Mr Fatah and his employers will take it as a compliment and not ask for a royalty. Hey, Walt doesn't make any money on this!

The slow and steady ghettoization of Canada's urban political scene is gathering pace. Ethnicity, religion and tribalism is being promoted as a tool in the upcoming October elections, instead of debating competing visions about Canada’s future. Political commentators in the media, academics in universities and vote-hungry politicians may have become numb or blind to what is unfolding, but the rest of the world and most immigrants like me are watching our democracy being used to promote religious hatred, ethnic division and extremism overseas.

On Monday, a leader of India’s opposition Congress Party, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh lambasted the Trudeau Liberal government over "its overt and covert support to the Khalistani movement." In a statement issued in New Delhi, Singh said, "It was more than apparent that Canada had been extending its support to Khalistanis despite New Delhi’s protestations."

To gain insight into what Amarinder Singh is talking about, one needs to take a peep into the city of Brampton just northwest of Toronto, which is a microcosm of all that ails urban Canada and how the federal Liberal Party plays a role in unwittingly inflaming racial and religious minority community divisions. All five Liberal Party candidates in that city are Sikhs, the party effectively shutting its door to the myriad of other citizens who just want to be Canadian and are not bound by religious ties to a Temple, Church or Mosque. This has led to Brampton's Hindu community throwing their weight behind the opposition Conservatives.

Elsewhere on June 21 in Toronto, many prominent Liberals appeared alongside a group called 'Canadian Muslim Vote', where Justin Trudeau himself implied opposition Conservatives were Islamophobic and racist, sending the partisan Liberal Party Muslim tribe into a thunderous applause. Notwithstanding Minister Maryam Monsef's shout-out at the event that "Muslims are rocking it in Canada," Trudeau's remarks were disgraceful as was the conduct of his Muslim vote bank who gave their handsome leader a thunderous standing ovation.

Canadian Muslim Vote? What next? Imagine a Canadian Jew Vote? How about a Canadian Catholic or Buddhist Vote? Why not Hindus as well? Shouldn’t they too rally their troops and get prepared for a medieval showdown with Muslims in our cities to rival the horror of the 1947 Partition? Now the head of the Quebec Council of Imams Hassan Guillet has also joined the Liberal bandwagon from the Montreal riding of Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel. He told Postmedia "the Muslim community is as big as the Italian community. The demographic changed enormously."

Footnote from Walt: In case you think Tarek Fatah is making this up or simply afraid of Muslims, check out "Don’t underestimate the political power of Canada’s Muslim community", by Seher Shafiq [What part of Ireland is he from? Ed.] in the Toronto Red Star, 25/6/19, the same day that Mr Fatah's column appeared.

Another footnote from Walt: Also on June 25th Mr Socks' government unveiled its shiny new "Anti-Racism Strategy", as recommended by M-103, a motion proposed MP Iqra Khalid, who is both female and... wait for it... Muslim. M-103 was just a recommendation. Now comes the law, including a definition of Islamophobia as "includ(ing) racism, stereotypes, prejudice, fear or acts of hostility directed towards individual Muslims or followers of Islam in general. In addition to individual acts of intolerance and racial profiling, Islamophobia can lead to viewing and treating Muslims as a greater security threat on an institutional, systemic and societal level." Hmm.

Aux canadiens "pure laine", BONNE FÊTE NATIONALE

C'est aujourd'hui la Fête nationale du Québec (known originally and still as la Fête Saint-Jean-Baptiste / Saint-John-the-Baptist Day). Throughout la Belle Province and in many communities across Canada, "Canadiens de souche" (old stock francophone Canadians) gather to mark the feast day of the patron of French Canada, and celebrate francophone culture with public events including concerts, parades, and firework displays. Families and neighbourhoods also get together to hold their own smaller celebrations -- picnics, bonfires and barbecues -- for la Saint-Jean.

Walt and (especially) Poor Len Canayen, [and Ed.! Ed.]

wish all our French-Canadian friends and readers

BONNE FÊTE NATIONALE!

Poor Len Canayen: P.K. has left the building

Poor Len Canayen here, waiting to read what Brendan Kelly, alleged sports jock with the Montreal Gazette, has to say about today's news that "transcendant defenceman" P.K. Subban has been traded by the Nashville Predators to the New Jersey Devils for a bag of pucks and other considerations.

OK, it was actually Dave Stubbs who coined the "transcendant defenceman" phrase, not long before leaving the Gazoo for parts unknown, but it was Kelly who called the Montréal Canadiens' Marc Bergevin crazy and several other nasty things for trading the Giant Skating Ego to Nashville just three seasons ago.

Ever since, Kelly has ranted and whined that the Habs got the worst of the deal, that Shea Weber was washed up (especially when Weber missed the first half of this past season) and that Subban is still the best D-man in the business. After all, Stubbs and Kelly both said, didn't P.K. win the Norris Trophy in 2012-13. Yeah, but that was a short, 42-game season because of a Bettman lockout (more to come?), in which Subban had 11 goals and 27 assists, with a plus-minus of +12. This year he played in 63 games this past season due to a back injury, posting career-low 9-22-31 totals with a +5. Nashville saw he's going downhill and gave him a little shove.

This makes the second time in three years, then, that the "transcendant defenceman" has been deemed surplus to requirements by two of the better teams in the NHL. Now he's with one of the worst. Here's what New Jersey gave up to get him: defencemen Steven Santini (split his season between the Preds and their AHL farm team), Jeremy Davies (played for Northeastern University), a second-round pick at this year's NHL Draft and another second-round pick next year. And NJ has to pick up the remaining three years of Subban's 8-year, $72-million contract. Nashville's not eating any of it.

Said Preds GM David Poile, "We appreciate P.K.'s contribution to the Predators and the Nashville community over the past three seasons, which have seen our organization have unprecedented success. We had to make a business decision. With an aim at strengthening our forward corps this off-season, and the continued strength of our defensive group, we felt it was necessary to clear up salary cap space this way." And don't let the dressing-room door hit you in the ass on your way out.

Further reading: "Poor Len Canayen explains Habs' Subban for Weber trade", WWW 29/6/16. Three years and week later, who was right? Messrs Stubbs and Kelly or moi? As Nelson Muntz would say, "HAha!"

Further viewing: If you think I'm the only one who's down on Subban (so to speak), check out yesterday's video from The Hockey Guy, starting at 3:55. THG is kind of soft-spoken, but he's making the same point. If you subscribe to THG's channel, which I recommend, tell him Poor Len Canayen sent ya!

Book Review: Liberal bias in the media is old news

Ed. tells me that quoting oneself is poor form. [It's narcissistic. Ed.] Nevertheless, I want to lead off with the penultimate sentence of my earlier post today. Liberal bias is pervasive in the meeja, the civil service, and the schools of not just Canada, but the USA, the UK, and indeed just about every country of the Western world. This is not fake news. Nor is it new news. It's something Bernard Goldberg discovered in February of 1996 when he wrote an editorial for the Wall Street Journal entitled "Networks Need a Reality Check".

In the piece, Mr Goldberg accused his employers at CBS, and in particular the editors of CBS Evening News, reporter Eric Engberg and then-anchor Dan Rather of a profound liberal bias. He wrote: "The old argument that the networks and other 'media elites' have a liberal bias is so blatantly true that it's hardly worth discussing any more. No, we don't sit around in dark corners and plan strategies on how we're going to slant the news. We don't have to. It comes naturally to most reporters."

The reaction to this CLM [Career-Limiting Move. Ed.] was swift, vicious and totally predictable. Mr Goldberg failed to follow "Walt's Rules for Survival in a PC World", as set forth in "Government publishes censorship checklist - comply or else!", WWW 11/6/19, yet he seems to have been taken by surprise to find himself defamed and in danger of being defenestrated. He tells all in Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News (Regnery Publishing 2002), which Walt recommends.

To quote from the dust jacket synopsis [Getting lazy? Ed.]:
If you've suspected your nightly news is slanted to the left, it's far worse than you think.... Bernard Goldberg reveals a corporate news culture in which the close-mindedness is breathtaking, journalistic integrity has been pawned to liberal opinion, and "entertainment" trumps hard news every time.... As the author reveals, "liberal bias" doesn't mean simply being hard on Republicans and easy on Democrats. Real media bias is the result of how those in the media see the world -- and their bias directly affects how we all see the world.

You can skip over the first two chapters, which are a rehash of Mr Goldberg's feud with Dan Rather, now also in the realm of old news. Start reading in earnest at Chapter 3, "The Emperor is Naked". The examples are dated, but the truths are as fresh as this morning, for, since the election of Still-President Trump, the bias has broadened and deepened exponentially. If you doubt me, just watch The View. [Oh please! Not that! Ed.]

Let me quote just this one passage, from Chapter 13, "The Ship Be Sinking":
Right after my op-ed came out, Mike Wallace was asked..."What is your reaction to CBS News reporter Bernard Goldberg's charges of liberal bias in the media?"
     Mike replied, "When people suggest there is a bias in the media and we have all this power and then of course the bias is always supposed to be liberal and not conservative, well then, under those circumstances how many Democratic presidents and how many Republican presidents have there been beginning with Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan twice, George Bush. It's just in my estimation, it's almost a joke."
     I think Mike Wallace is great, but in this case the joke's on him.

Just because Americans, starting in 1980, elected Republicans president four times...and Democrats only two times...doesn't prove, as Mike seems to think, that there's no liberal bias. A more likely explanation is that TV news viewers simply aren't influenced by the bias they're being fed from network anchors and reporters whom they lost trust in a long time ago.
     Besides, the problem of bias is not that the big network news divisions are reliably pro-Democratic...or even predictably anti-Republican. It's about how they frame the big issues of the day -- feminism, abortion, race, affirmative action, even taxes. On these issues they are reliably and predictably left of center.

Mr. Bloomberg wrote those words in 2002. Fast forward to 2016 and witness how Donald J. Trump won the election against the concerted opposition of Hollywood, the lamestream media, and all right-thinking (read: left-thinking) people on both coasts. Only Middle America supported The Donald, and he's president today, and will be president tomorrow, and so on until January of 2025. (Lifetime pct .986.) Mr Goldberg, who is now where he belongs (with Fox!) must be tired of saying "I told you so!"

"No Liberal bias here, folks" sez Elections Canada. Sez Walt, "Eh?"

Elections Canada is a theoretically independent body which organizes and supervises federal elections in Canuckistan. However, it is funded by the Liberal government of Canada -- Just In Trudeau, Prop. -- which has left churls like Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, who accused the agency of being a "Liberal lapdog" when he heard about EC's latest brain fart -- an ad campaign to encourage young people (read: potential Liberal voters) to register and vote in October's federal election.

The original idea was to put out two videos, one English and one French, featuring 13 "influencers" -- "famous online personalities" such as Lilly Singh (pictured), music icons, TV stars, and even former Olympians. Besides Ms Singh (talk show host), the list includes: Mitch Hughes (YouTuber), Andre De Grasse (Olympic sprinter of colour), Katherine Levac (alleged comedienne), Elle Mills (another Prideful YouTuber), Maripier Morin (TV host), Alex Nevsky (alleged singer), Penny Oleksiak (Olympienne), Nicolas Ouellet (another TV host unknown in English Canada), Max Parrot (another Olympian), Thanh Phung (blogger, unrelated to Walt), Maayan Ziv (CEO of AccessNow, a human rights, public policy, and advocacy group) and Ashley Callingbull (First Nations activist and model).

What could go wrong? Well, M Poilievre and others have suggested that the 13 "influencers", while as diverse and inclusive as all get out, might be rather exclusive when it comes to political thought, or should we say political bias. Ms Callingbull, for example, said in social media posts before the 2015 election, "we are in desperate need of a new prime minister." And so it came to pass when Mr Socks prevailed over Steve Harpoon.

Articles which appeared in Le Droit and Flash Québec in February of 2018 described Mlle Levac as saying her ideal man is... wait for it... Justin Trudeau. And in December of 2015, Ms Singh posted a photo of Mr Socks, praising his appointment of a gender-balanced cabinet along with the hashtag #mancrushfriday. She has posted nothing between then and now indicating her view of the Prime Minister has changed.

Elections Canada, apparently stung by suggestions that the Gang of 13 were members of the liberal elite, decided to scrap the ad campaign, at a cost to Canadian taxpayers of at least C$325,000 ($246,000 in real money) which had already been spent on shooting the videos, paying the unbiased "influencers", etc. According to Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault, the decision to shut down the initiative was taken to avoid the risk of using "influencers" who might appear to have some partisan bias.

M Perrault refused to name names or say what kind of bias the "influencers" might have. On CBC Radio's The House, he said, "It was clear from the outset that it had to be beyond any reproach, beyond any possible interpretation that, whether for lifestyle choices, or comments, or pictures, that these could be tied to a particular partisan point of view. It's important for Canadians to understand and know that Elections Canada is a completely independent agent of Parliament, that we are non-partisan, that everything we do, including the media campaign, is done with that in mind." This was on radio, not TV, so we couldn't see if he was able to keep a straight face.

Liberal bias is pervasive in the meeja, the civil service, and the schools of not just Canada, but the USA, the UK, and indeed just about every country of the Western world. I'll have more to say about that in my next post, a review and recommendation of Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News, by Bernard Goldberg (Regnery Publishing, 2002).

George Washington High School to cover up mural of... guess who?

Walt was saddened but not surprised to read a report on the FrontPage Mag site that a California high school named after the founder of the Excited States of America plans to cover a mural depicting George Washington.

Why? Need you ask? Because some liberal SJWs have complained that it's offensive and demeaning to Native Americans and African Americans (or "Indians" and "blacks", as they were once called).

Need I add that this over-the-top genuflection to political correctness is happening in America's gayest city -- San Francisco? The San Francisco school board is expected to decide next week whether to simply cover the image or, better yet (the guilt-ridden liberals say) paint over it. Whatever they do, they certainly won't leave the image in the open wherer students might look at it.

Daniel Greenfield, writer of the piece, comments that the cover-up "should be followed by a book burning of any volumes about George Washington and any history books featuring him." Indeed.

And now a word from the folks at Belmash Power Tools

And that word is "satisfaction", that being the name of the 2000s pseudo-music video to which this one pays homage. The hotties lipsyncing the word and twerking [Ed., is that what it's called? I'm so old...] are employees of the Belmash company, a manufacturer of power tools based in Mogilev, Belarus.



It was those lovelies who persuaded the company to allow them to wear more revealing attire to work during a recent spell of hot weather. (Air conditioning is unknown in Belarus, it seems, and thank goodness for that!) Belmash's new dress code allows employees to wear "swimsuits and beautiful lingerie" when testing equipment (drills, saws, log-splitters and suchlike) if it is hotter than 27C (80.6F) outside. Presumably this applies only to female employees. The word "sexism" doesn't translate into Belarussian. [Yes, it is a distinct language, not the same as Russian. Ed.]

Walt's comment: Let's see the Swazi girls top this!

WWW: politically incorrect and proud of it!

Francis Fukuyama: unassimilated immigrants pose threat to liberalism

Meet Dr Francis Fukuyama, one of the world's most celebrated political scientists. He's the author of The Origins of Political Order, Political Order and Political Decay, and The End of History and the Last Man. In that now-famous work, he argued if you imagined history as the process by which liberal institutions -- representative government, free markets, and consumerist culture -- become universal, it might be possible to say that history had reached its goal.

Last summer, Dr Fukuyama, "postponed" the end of history, saying that liberalism was not triumphant after all, but threatened by the desire of identity groups for recognition. Click here to read all about his remarkable volte-face in "Francis Fukuyama Postpones the End of History" (New Yorker, 27/8/18). [How often is it that Walt recommends an article from the New Yorker?! Ed.]

Dr Fukuyama's name came up again today in an article by the Toronto Sun's Anthony Furey, who quotes liberally [Careful. Ed.] from "Against Identity Politics: The New Tribalism and the Crisis of Democracy", the essay the good doctor wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine, which inspired the New Yorker article.

Since Mr Furey commends the article to Canuckistan's Minister of Refugees, Immigration and Citizenship -- Somali-born Muslim Ahmed Hussen -- I trust he (Mr Furey) won't mind if I repost the three quotes he selected, just in case Mr Hussen is a reader of WWW.

The real debate [Dr Fukuyama wrote] should...be about the best strategies for assimilating immigrants into a country’s creedal national identity. Well-assimilated immigrants bring a healthy diversity to any society; poorly assimilated immigrants are a drag on the state and in some cases constitute security threats.

Assimilation into a dominant culture becomes much harder as the numbers of immigrants rise relative to the native population. As immigrant communities reach a certain scale, they tend to become self-sufficient and no longer need connections to groups outside themselves.

Democratic societies are fracturing into segments based on ever-narrower identities, threatening the possibility of deliberation and collective action by society as a whole. This is a road that leads only to state breakdown and, ultimately, failure.

As Mr Furey points out, "Against Identity Politics: The New Tribalism and the Crisis of Democracy", isn't entirely about integration, nor is it a "safe space for right-wing views", with its very critical takes on President Trump's policies. All the more reason why it should be read by Mr Hussen and all those liberals who think that "carefully controlled" immigration is the key to growing Western economies and that "diversity is our strength".

Red Green on climate change: we're getting too comfortable

First it was "global warming". After a couple of unusually harsh winters, the Luddites, liberals and tree-huggers changed the the name of the game to "climate change". That way they were covered no matter whether the temperature went up or down. But ordinary people like Walt (and you, dear reader) remain unconvinced. So now it's been upgraded to a "CLIMATE EMERGENCY". So says the Liberal majority in Canada's House of Commons, in a vote taken in the last days of the current Parliament.

Last night the Canuck Minister of the Environment and Climate Change [sic] Catherine McKenna (aka "Climate Barbie") put forward a motion describing climate change as a "real and urgent crisis, driven by human activity." In their wisdom, the MPs noted how the "crisis" is impacting Canadians, and affirmed the need to pursue clean growth methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The House of Commons passed the motion declaring a national climate emergency, and supporting Canada’s commitment to meet the Paris Agreement emissions targets, by a vote of 186-63, with only Andrew Scheer's Conservatives mildly opposed.

"CLIMATE EMERGENCY! Lordy, lordy! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Walt doesn't believe it. Every day, when I log into Win10, Bill Gates shows me pictures from around the world of beautiful natural landscapes, untouched by fire, flood or other disasters attributable to "climate change". Here is a picture I took just a couple of weeks ago -- postcard quality, if I do say so myself -- of one such scene.

When Two Jack Lake dries up, or is covered in ice in July, or a bubbling brown pool of shit, then and only then can you talk to me about "climate emergency"!

On the same point, kind of... I just stumbled upon a short essay by my old buddy Steve Smith (aka Red Green), from Duct Tape Is Not Enough (Hatherleigh Press 2002). It's called "We're Getting Too Comfortable".

Every generation gets a little wimpier than the one before it. Our ancestors lived in wooden shacks without running water or electricity. We have central heat, central air, central vac...humidifiers, dehumidifiers, carbon filters, ozone detectors, smoke detectors, chest protectors, bomb deflectors and house inspectors.

We can push one button in our house and another in our car and as long as we have an attached garage, we will never leave an atmosphere of constant temperature, humidity, oxygen content, and clarity. It makes for an easy, comfortable life, but, over time, Mother Nature will devolve us to the point where we can't handle any change in our environment.

Sure it might be nice to never shiver or sweat -- but not if it means that every time you open the fridge or oven door, you have a massive cardiac infarction. So don't try so hard to make it so easy. Human beings survive a lot better when they have something to fight against.

UPDATED: NBA championship celebrations: a black day for Toronto

Agent 3 was born in Toronto and went to school there for a time, in the daze when it was "Toronto the Good". Now he avoids the self-styled "world-class city" like the plague. A report sent to us last night explains why.

Last Friday, Canada's only NBA team, the Raptors, defied the odds-makers and denigrators of Toronto sports teams (Hello, Poor Len!) by winning Game 6 of the NBC championship series, beating the Golden State Warriors in a very close, seesaw battle. Cue pandemonium in downtown Toronto, including a shooting that took place as celebrations were wrapping up. Inspector Knacker said a 19-year-old man became involved in an altercation with another man, who produced a gun, shot the 19-year-old man and continued to shoot even as the man had fallen with life-threatening injuries.

The suspect then fled with a group of friends, but was stopped by cops who were surveilling [Is this a word? Ed.] the area. Guns and drugs were seized. Charges were laid against... wait for it... Abdulrahman Abdullahi, Kamal Hassan, Ilyas Riyaleh, Jovane Watson, Zachary Cust and Nathaniel Campbell, all from Toronto.

While the [insert adjective] Six were appearing in court on Monday, well over a million basketball lovers were converging on Nathan Phillips Square (= city hall square) for the official celebration. Canuck Prime Minister Just In Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Toronto Mayor John Tory (a liberal, in spite of his surname) were on hand to gush about diversity being Canada's strength and how the Raptors were "Canada's team" even though not a single player was born in the Great No-longer-white North.

Just as the circle jerk was getting under way, shots rang out near the south-east corner of the square. Police originally said that that two people were found with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries near Bay and Albert streets. Toronto's head cop (who is black, by the way) later told the meeja that the number of wounded was, errr, four. "Officers arrived relatively quickly," he said, "and as a result of that three people were arrested in total, two on one incident and one on another."

Investigators also said that two firearms had been recovered. No information was provided regarding charges or the identities or diversity of those arrested. Earlier in the day, four people were injured in two separate stabbing incidents near the Eaton Centre, a popular hangout for certain types, just northeast of city hall. Police have not made any connection between any of the incidents, except maybe the common thread which cannot be mentioned for reasons of political correctness.

In a statement released sometime later, Toronto Mayor John Tory had nothing to say about the "incident" except that "it is disappointing and I'm sure a source of anger for more than just me that anyone would carry a gun and discharge it at what was otherwise a joyous celebration. I hope those found responsible will be held to account to the full extent that the law permits."

He didn't say anything about the elephant in the room, which is Toronto's ongoing problem with black crime, which is one of the poisoned fruits of Canada's open-door policy on immigration, begun 50 years ago by Trudeau Père. Hands up, all those who think that the perpetrators (and victims) of the violence which marred the celebrations were white, old-stock Canadians. Anybody? I thought not. Says Agent 3, "I could have cleaned up betting on that, but couldn't find a bookie who would give more than 3 to 1."

UPDATE ADDED at 1617: The Toronto Police Service [sic] has released the names of the three men arrested at the scene of the shooting: They are Shaquille Anthony Miller, Thaino Toussaint, and Abdikarim Kerow. They all face a number of firearms and drug charges, but the coppers haven't hit them with attempted murder... yet.

Further reading: "Raptors parade was a disaster on many levels", by Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun, 18/6/19

Further viewing: "Diversity Our Strength" - stream of consciousness about the "diverse city" (geddit?) with (Torontonian) Faith J. Goldy, 18/6/19

VIDEO: Voting for pro-abort candidates/parties is mortal sin, sez Bishop

Yesterday Walt commented on the disgraceful apology made by Most Rev. (but not "most Catholic") Michael Mulhall, Archbishop of Kingston, Canada, to the gay pride nazis.

The prelate reprimanded one of his diocesan priests for having the temerity to point out in a church bulletin that homosexual acts are contrary to Christian Faith and morals, and supporting or encouraging homosexuality is sinful. That's what the Catholic Church has always taught, and it is incomprehensible, to me, that an archbishop (no less) should back away from that teaching for the sake of "inclusivity", "diversity" or other politically correct nonsense.

Today, I'm pleased to report that there another bishop, closer to the South Pole than the North, who does not accept Pope Francis' "Who am I to judge?" philosophy, and has had the courage to speak plainly and publicly on another "controversial" sin, abortion.

Speaking on the Argentinian TV programme Keys to a Better World on Saturday, Msgr Héctor Aguer, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of La Plata, urged the faithful not to vote for candidates or parties that support abortion. The prelate told his audience that "the abortion issue is one of the chief topics to consider," in choosing whom to vote for in Argentina's upcoming elections. "Opting for a pro-abortion candidate or for a party that includes abortion in its platform is a mortal sin." Here's the video.



Walt regrets that there are (as yet) no English subtitles, but hopes the message will register with Spanish-speaking Catholics and (more urgently) with priests and bishops like Abp Mulhall who are compromising with the secular humanists on matters of faith and morals, in the name of "accompaniment". Let us pray that Our Lord and His Blessed Mother will, by the example of Abp Aguer and others, set the modernists and those who are lukewarm in the Faith back on the right path.

UPDATED: Priest censured by bishop for warning vs Pride Month

Canuckistan's CTV News has a disturbing report today from Kingston ON, whose Archbishop, Most Rev. Michael Mulhall, has publicaly reprimanded Father Robert Chisholm, the pastor of St Gregory the Great Church in nearby Picton ON, for warning his flock in the parish bulletin that good Catholics should not participate in any Pride Parade or other Pride Month activities.

Why not? Because, wrote Fr Chisholm, homosexual activites are contrary to Christian Faith and morals.

In response to complaints from the LGBTQ2Setc Nazis, Abp Michael Mulhall released a statement, saying in part, "I did not sanction this message, and it does not reflect the spirit of accompanying charity and compassion that should always characterize our faith." The statement goes on to say, "The Archdiocese has spoken with the pastor of the parish. He regrets any hurt that his inappropriate comments have caused."

Abp Mulhall has obviously drunk deeply of the "church of accompaniment" flavour of Pope Francis' Flavoraid. Walt suggests, with all due respect, that the prelate read "What the Catholic Church teaches about homosexuality", WWW 12/6/19, particularly the following:
5. Since the homosexual "orientation" is intrinsically evil, any and all acts, whether sexual or not, by which a person knowingly chooses to move toward, cooperate with, reinforce, or act upon a homosexual "orientation" is itself a sin, either venial or mortal.
Which is pretty much what Fr Chisholm said. Who's right? You don't have to be the judge. God will take care of that.

UPDATED ADDED 17/6/19: Walt is pleased to report that LifeSite News has started a petition to support Father Chisholm. Click here to read the text and (please!) sign! And don't forget to share this post with your Catholic friends, maybe even your parish priest! The article also contains a link to the e-mail address through which you can contact Abp. Mulhall. Oh... just gave it to you! Please be respectful. And you can click here to send an e-mail of support and encouragement to Father Chisholm.

Walt explains the link between events in Hong Kong and Québec

The events of yesterday and today on two opposite sides of the world say something (to those who are paying attention) about the natural desire of "nations" (in the French sense of the word) to protect their culture and identity when threatened with submersion in a larger multicultural society.

At 0400 EDT on Sunday, Québec's National Assembly -- note the term -- passed, not without opposition, Bill 9, which sets out the framework for a Québec values test that all immigrant wannabes will need to pass in order to become permanent residents of la Belle Province. The new law allows the government to cancel some 18,000 applications to immigrate.

The opposition Liberals complained that since putting Bill 9 on the table in February, the Québec government has provided "no credible explanation" for doing that, but the province's Immigration Minister argued that "We are changing the immigration system in the public interest, because we have to make sure that we have an immigration tied to the needs of the labour market."

What does that mean? The opposition whines that the new test will discriminates against prospective immigrants from Third World shitholes, who don't speak French and don't have the European/American work ethic or experience. Being a truck driver in the Punjab or a street vendor in the Congo won't count for much, it seems. Nor will wanting time off to observe religious holy day.

Which brings us to another proposed law, Bill 21, which will come to a vote later today or tomorrow, since closure has been invoked to end any further argy-bargy over what has been nicknamed "the Secularism Bill" or, more tellingly, "the anti-Muslim Bill". Bill 21 is a proposed ban on the display of religious symbols in the public service, included in the proposesd Charter of Québec Values, which Québeckers have been fighting for (or against) for donkey's years.

Under the new law, anyone giving or receiving public-sector services must not display any headgear or other accessories or symbols of any religion. That includes Jewish and Christian symbols like the kippah and the crucifix, but critics whine that the clear target is Muslim women who wear the hijab, niqab or burqa. (If you're not sure what these things are, see "Hijab, niqab, burqa -- what's the difference?", WWW 28/7/10.)

Last Wednesday, the National Assembly spent more than an hour going over just one phrase — "in fact and in appearance" — in the religious symbols bill. Minority groups, legal experts, SJWs, multiculti types and (of course) United Nations human rights monitors have expressed concern that Bill 21 will institutionalize discrimination and... wait for it... racism. Be that as it may, the new régime was one of the main planks of the CAQ election platform, and Québécois voted for it, overwhelmingly, last fall. Now they're going to get what they voted for. Imagine that!

Meanwhile, in "Fragrant Harbour" (aka Hong Kong) today, hundreds of thousands took to the streets again today as the Umbrella Revolution (v.2) continues. On Saturday (local time) it appeared that the pro-Beijing puppet government of the former British colony had caved, as Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that an extradition bill that would allow some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China had been "suspended indefinitely". But, the pro-democracy demonstrators say, that's not the same as "withdrawn altogether and forever".

Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents, mostly clad in black, jammed the city's streets Sunday in a vehement show of opposition to proposed legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing. They carried signs reading "Hong Kong is not China!", and that is precisely the issue. When the perfidious British handed the colony over to the Communist Chinese in 1997, the Reds pledged that Hong Kong's "special status" would allow it to keep the Western legal, electoral and social systems and values which had been in place for over a century. Yeah... sure...

The marchers, who numbered over a million earlier last week, are demanding that Hong Kong's leader first scrap the proposed extradition law, then resign. Last week the peaceful protests degenerated into violent clashes with the police, who fired rubber bullets and teargas at the unarmed (except for umbrellas) demonstrators. Several protesters were injured and scores were arrested, in the toughest test of the territory's special status since the Communists took control.

The link between these events is that both betoken the determination of citizens of a part of a larger whole to assert their autonomy, especially when it comes to "values". "Hong Kong is not China!", its people cry, and Québécois said (in French, of course) in last October's election "Québec is not Canada!" They are both examples of a "distinct society", a loaded phrase which carries with it -- if the larger society, China or Canada, denies the special status and rights of the smaller one -- the threat of separation, perhaps even peaceful or not-so-peaceful revolution.

VIDEO: Dr Taylor Marshall and Faith Goldy talk about the infiltration of the Catholic Church

Dr Taylor Marshall is not a "cradle Catholic". He grew up in Texas in a conservative home and became an Episcopalian priest. After further studies in of history, philosophy and theology, he became convinced that the traditional Catholic faith is the True Faith. His doctorate (Ph.D.) was on St. Thomas Aquinas, natural law and the Beatific Vision. He is President of the New Saint Thomas Institute, which offers online theology classes to more than 2500 students in over 50 nations.

Dr Marshall is also a prolific author. He has published books on topics including Judaism, Catholicism, and Thomas Aquinas. He has also written a best-selling novel, Sword and Serpent: A Retelling of Saint George and the Dragon. If you subscribe to his blogsite, he'll send you, FREE, a .pdf copy of Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: A Quick Layman's Guide to Thomism.

We thank Canadian conservative activist Faith Goldy -- a hyuge thorn in the side of Canuck gliberals -- for posting a lengthy (nearly two hours) interview with Dr Marshall, in which he discusses Thomas Aquinas, the crisis in the Catholic Church, and the plot of secular humanists and other enemies of the Church -- some within the Vatican itself -- to destroy Holy Mother Church. Here it is.



If you like what you hear, you'll find lots more videos and articles on Dr Marshall's website, Taylor Marshall: Stay Salty My Friends. Walt recommends it highly. And don't forget to give a thumbs-up to this video. You'll find more good stuff on Faith Goldy's YouTube channel.

Poor Len congratulates St. Louis Blues - Stanley Cup Champions!

Poor Len Canayen here. The loooong NHL season is finally over. Last night the St. Louis Blues surprised everyone -- perhaps including themselves -- by defeating the big bad Boston Bruins 4-1 to take the Stanley Cup back to their city. Congratulations to them!

The story of the Blues' rise from last to first, to win their first ever championship, is a truly remarkable one. On New Year's Day they were dead last in the NHL. Instead of talk of a playoff run, the chatter around the club six months ago centred around which players would be available at the trade deadline.

Then they got a new "interim" coach, Craig Berube, who worked some kind of magic with a squad of has-beens, never-weres and rookies. They went 30-10-5 to make the playoffs and disposed of the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks in the first three rounds. The final series went the full seven games, culminating in an outcome which was the opposite of that predicted by most punters, notably "Donless" Cherry and (ahem) yours very truly.

The star player in the Blues' climb from outhouse to penthouse was rookie goalie Jordan Binnington. He was called up on December 9th, and during the regular season gave no indication that he would become the Blues saviour. But he sure shone in the playoffs. I haven't seen anything like it since Ken Dryden came from nowhere in 1971 to help the Montréal Canadiens win Lord Stanley's silverware. Dryden was voted playoff MVP that year. Binnington set a rookie goalie record, with 16 W's in this year's payoffs, and looks a sure bet to take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.

But the big win was the result of an outstanding team effort. The Blues hit hard, forechecked hard and they were unrelentingly diligent in their own end. Whatever shots the skaters didn't block, Binnington saved. They were also overwhelmingly physical, no mean feat against the rough tough Bruins. It was a textbook road game, grabbing a quick(ish) lead and then defending fiercely until the final buzzer. The best team won, and we at WWW salute them. Well done, Blues!

Speaking of unnatural practices...

Agent 34 sent us what he refers to as "the ultimate headline". I came across this in the slush pile just after putting up the post about what the Church teaches about homosexuality (see below). Seems suitable for Gay Pride month.

Thanks and a tip of the rainbow bonnet with the ostrich plumes.

What the Catholic Church teaches about homosexuality

This is further to today's earlier post about the Gay Mafia blocking attempts to address the issue of homosexuality in the clergy. Here is the theory -- emphasis intentional -- of what Catholics are supposed to believe about homosexuality. This is taken from "Satan's Ultimate Revolt Against God: Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality", by Father Michael Rodriguez, of the Diocese of El Paso TX, in the Fatima Crusader, Spring 2019.

The truth taught by Jesus Christ and His Church: (Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality)

1. All sexual acts, outside of natural marital relations open to life, are instrinsically evil and always objective mortal sins.

2. All unnatural sexual acts are intrinsically evil and always objective mortal sins.

3. All sexual acts between persons of the same gender are intrinsically evil and always objective mortal sins. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The constant teaching of the Catholic Church, based on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, is that "homosexual acts are [always] acts of grave depravity and intrinsically disordered" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2357).

Leviticus 18:22, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, because it is an abomination."

The four sins that cry to Heaven for vengeance are mortal sins which are especially heinous: willful murder (Genesis 4:10), the sin of Sodom (Genesis 18:20-21), oppression of the poor (Exodus 2:23), and defrauding labourers of their wages (James 5:4).

4. The homosexual "orientation" itself is intrinsically evil; it is objectively disordered (see CCC 2358), but it is not itself a sin, because sins are acts involving the intellect (knowing) and the will (choosing).

5. Since the homosexual "orientation" is intrinsically evil, any and all acts, whether sexual or not, by which a person knowingly chooses to move toward, cooperate with, reinforce, or act upon a homosexual "orientation" is itself a sin, either venial or mortal.

6. Since the homosexual "orientation" is intrinsically evil -- a moral disorder -- it is contgrary to the will and plan of God. Thus, persons with a homosexual "orientation" have a moral obligation to attempt to change, and so conform themselves to God's holy will, "male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)

7. With the help of God's grace all things are possible; this certainly includes conversion from a disordered homosexual "orientation".

8. All persons are creatures of God. No person is intrinsically evil, even if he or she has an intrinsically evil sexual "orientation".

9. All human persons deserve just and charitable treatment; this obviously includes those with a homosexual "orientation".

10. The promotion and spread of homosexuality is an abomination before God; this work of the devil causes the gravfest harm to marriages, families, the Church, and society in general.

11. The adoption of children, or the bearing of children through immoral means, by two persons of the same gender, is contrary to the will and plan of God.

12. Sinful behaviour, e.g. homosexual activity, should never be encouraged by any person or group, nor by society in general. Society has the right and the duty to enact laws wh ich discourage and punish sinful acts that cause serious harm to society.

When it comes to the Gay Mafia in the hierarchy of the Church, and those who tolerate its existence and influence (Hello, Jorge Bergoglio!), seems to me there's a cognitive dissonance -- something outta whack there. I would say "Practise what you preach!", except that almost no-one (except maybe Father Rodriguez) preaches about this any more. But God will not be mocked. A reckoning is coming....

Vatican's "Gay Mafia" blocks discussion of abuse by homosexual priests

In his first extended interview since publishing a scathing letter calling on Pope Francis to resign, Archbishop Carlo Viganò, the former Vatican ambassador to the USA, told the Washington Post a Gay Mafia in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is blocking attempts to seriously address sexual abuse by homosexual priests.

The prelate told WaPo that the sexual abuse crisis would be "far less severe" if the "problem of homosexuality in the priesthood were honestly acknowledged and properly addressed.... Given the overwhelming evidence, it is mind-boggling that the word 'homosexuality' has not appeared once, in any of the recent official documents of the Holy See." Instead, he said, a "gay Mafia" among the bishops, seeking to protect themselves, was "sabotaging all efforts at reform."

Note from Ed.: I can't vouch for the authenticity of this picture, scraped from Blazing Cat Fur. Might be a PhotoShop job. Take it for what it's worth.

Further reading:
"Pope has known about gay sex scandals in US Church for years", WWW 26/8/18
"Michael Matt talks about calls for Pope Francis to resign, calls Archbishop Viganò 'Instrument of Divine Intervention'", WWW 2/9/18 - video featuring the editor of The Remnant newspaper.
"American Catholics to lead revitalization of the Faith? Really???", WWW 8/5/12

Umbrellas unfurled again in Hong Kong protest

In a fit of tone-deafness remarkable even for the Chinese Communists, the puppet government of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong chose the week of the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre to introduce in the legislative council a new law that would enable the extradition of Hong Kong Chinese (including those resident overseas) to the mainland for trial on any criminal charge. That would include treason, spying, and any act against the state or the Communist Party.

In response, Hong Kongers are turning out in the hundreds of thousands to protest the erosion of the "special status" in matters social, political and legal that Hong Kong was supposed to retain after the handover of the former British colony to Red China in 1997. Organizers say that over 1,000,000 people joined in the demonstrations today, blocking two main highways near government headquarters. Since the population of HKG is roughly 7,000,000, that's a pretty good turnout! Most of the protesters are students and young people. Students were boycotting classes to attend the rallies.

Despite official calls to disperse, demonstrators continued to march today. They overturned police barriers and stood their ground even when confronted with pepper spray and a threat by police to use force if they continued to oppose their orders. Some protesters left umbrellas on the police barricades, an homage to the "Occupy Democracy" movement that began in 2014. "Didn’t we say at the end of the Umbrella movement we would be back?" pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo told the meeja, referring to the name often used for the 2014 "Occupy" demonstrations. The massive, months-long campaign was prompted by constitutional reforms that allowed Beijing to approve candidates for Hong Kong elections.

Many in Hong Kong are also upset by the creeping authoritarianism in Hong Kong, after they were promised autonomy when the perfidious British handed it back to the even more perfidious Chinese in 1997. Before and since, China has promised Hong Kong self-rule under the slogan of "one country, two systems". The move to allow extradition to China is only the latest example of the falsehood of the Communist Chinese "guarantees", their poor human rights record and blatant disregard for the rule of law.

The puppet government is still backing the extradition bill, which is expected to pass its final reading on June 20th. However, the Legislative Council (LegCo) announced late today (local time) that the second reading will be "delayed", the excuse being that the protests have clogged u p the streets around the LegCo building to the point where not enoough legislators were able to get in to attend the session. Agent 78, who knows a thing or two about Hong Kong and how things work in the People's Republic, says this is clearly a face-saving measure, and doesn't mean that the "umbrella revolutionaries" have won. "You can fight the puppets, but you can't beat the puppet-master." Stay tuned.

Further reading:
"Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Revolution' - paying the price for democracy", WWW 29/9/14
"5 things you should know about the Umbrella Revolution", WWW 3/10/14
"Do not forget the martyrs of Tiananmen Square", WWW 4/6/19

Araw ng Kalayaan

On June 12th the Philippines celebrates the 121st anniversary of its independence. To all our Filipino readers, friends etc (especially "etc"), Walt sends best wishes for Independence Day and the future of your country!

If you'd like to hear a really great version of Lupang Hinirang -- the national anthem of the Republic of the Philippines -- click here. Every time I hear it, it makes me want to go out and shoot an imperialist!

Government publishes censorship checklist - comply or else!

Saw this today on Blazing Cat Fur and had to pass it along.

Are you in compliance? If not, please commit to memory
Walt's Rules for Survival in a PC World.
1. Don't think.
2. If you think, don't speak.
3. If you think and speak, don't write.
4. If you think, speak and write, don't sign your name.
5. If you think, speak, write and sign your name... don't be surprised.

You're welcome.

VIDEO: Flying the de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk

Agent 17 e-mailed us to say that the photo of the de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk (in "Take off, eh! de Havilland Canada flies again!", WWW 3/6/19) brought back happy memories. That thank-you prompted Ed. to hunt around for some video, and here's what he came up with.

Just short of 18 minutes, you'll see the narrator take his first flight at the controls of a Chipmunk, from the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association at Windsor ON. 17, this is for you!



For more information on the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association, click here! If you decide to join, or go to one of their events, or anything... tell `em Walt sent ya!

MUSIC VIDEO: Walt harks to the sound of the nickelodeon

It's been a long time since Walt opened the mailbag to respond to readers' questions. That's because most of the questions are inane or boring. But today I'll answer the most frequently asked query, which is... try reading this aloud with the intonation of Ed McMahon asking Johnny Carson... "How old are you?" Here is the answer.

I am so old that I know three distinct meaning for "CD". Younger folks probably think first of a silvery disc, about 4.75" across, which you stick into some kind of music machine [or the coffee cup holder on your computer. Ed.] to hear music. From their chairs in the home, your parents may remember when "CD" stood for "Certificate of Deposit", which was a fancy piece of paper that banks and S&Ls gave you in return for your hard-earned cash, sometime prior to 2008, and which turned out to be worthless. Their parents may remember being taught in grade school to "duck and cover" in the event of an A-bomb attack. That was part of the "CD", meaning "Civil Defence" drill.

Another word ["CD" isn't a word. Ed.]... OK, another term which has seen its meaning changed over the last century is "nickelodeon". If you're anywhere south of 40, you probably think first (and only) of "Nickelodeon", an American pay television network which was launched on 1 December 1977 as the first cable channel for children. I haven't watched it since they cancelled Ren & Stimpy, having belatedly realized that the excellent cartoon show wasn't really for kids. A poster on YouTube asks, "Why were we allowed to watch this?" Wouldn't happen today. Political correctness...

But I digress. The "nickelodeon" of which I speak is not the "Nickelodeon" mentioned in the first 1000 hits if you search the term on Google. Nooo... The nickelodeon was the first type of indoor exhibition space dedicated to showing projected motion pictures. Usually set up in converted storefronts, these small, simple cinemas charged five cents for admission and flourished from about 1905 to 1915.

"Nickelodeon" was concocted from nickel -- the name of American and Canadian 5-cent coins, and the ancient Greek word ᾨδεῖον [Ōideion], literally "singing place", a roofed-over theatre, the latter indirectly by way of the Odéon in Paris, emblematic of a very large and luxurious theater, much as Ritz was of a grand hotel. But wait... there's yet another meaning.

In 1949 a Tin Pan Alley lyricist incorporated into a popular song ("Music, Music, Music") the refrain "Put another nickel in / in the nickelodeon...", evidently referring to either a jukebox or... wait for it... a mechanical musical instrument such as a coin-operated player piano or orchestrion. That's a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll, like that used in a player piano. The sound is usually produced by pipes (smaller and with different voices than those of a pipe organ) as well as percussion instruments, sometimes including the piano.

The sound of the orchestrion is the sound I heard as a child -- yes, I was a child once -- riding the carousel at an amusement park called Sunnyside. You can hear the music of the carousel in an eponymous Folkways LP (LP - ancestor of the CD), or you can watch and listen to this terrific video featuring a restored Wurlitzer 146B carousel organ from Norumbega Park in Newton, MA.



Wurlitzer was the leading name in orchestrions, as well as the organs for which it is still rightly famous. But it wasn't the only name. The The J.P. Seeburg Piano Company of Chicago was the Avis to Wurlitzer's Hertz. In the mid-1920s, a group of Seeburg and Marquette Piano Co. execs formed the Western Electric Piano Company, as a secret subsidiary of the Seeburg company. In late 1926, Western Electric, which had been in a different location in Chicago, moved into the Seeburg factory. The cabinets and piano assemblies, and most of the pneumatic stacks, were made by Seeburg, with pumps, roll mechanisms, extra instruments, controls, and coin mechanisms of different design resembling the earlier Cremona (Marquette) parts.

TMI? OK, here's a fascinating video in which James Pavel Shawcross explores and explains "a piano like none you've ever seen" -- a J.P. Seeburg orchestrion which he found at Bill Kap's Piano in Cleveland OH. I find James a little bit "gee whiz" -- to him, everything is "so cool" -- but I'd probably have the same reaction if I had a chance to see and hear one of these wonderful machines up close and personal. Enjoy.

Why you should care about World Oceans Day

Walt is aware that WWW is hardly a clarion voice for environmentalism. But that doesn't mean we're unaware of the mess we humans [Speaking for yourself? Ed.] are making of the world in which we live. I speak not of "global warming" and CO2 emissions and so-called "climate change", about which I remain skeptical. What I am not skeptical about, because I see it everywhere, every day, is the pollution of our habitat by discarded garbage. Especially plastic.

In a recent episode of Family Guy, Brian and Stewie discover "Garbage Island", a huge floating mass of debris so solid that castaways have been able to live there, quite comfortably, amidst the filth and debris. It looked something like this.

That there actually are islands of garbage, approaching the size of small continents, floating in our oceans is old news. But is anyone doing anything about it? The answer is yes! At least, some folks are trying. Amy Taylor sent us an e-mail reminder that June 8th was World Oceans Day. Hoping that I'd post something on that date -- sorry! -- she sent along info on SLOactive, a "social enterprise" [??? Ed.] dedicated to cleaning up our oceans.

SLOactive recently published a guide, titled Plastic Pollution: Single Use Plastic Impact on our Oceans, which I recommend to all WWW readers concerned about putting a stop to the excessive use of plastics. It details the facts and figures of plastic pollution, the impact on our oceans and marine life, and much more. Click here to get the PDF and find out more.

To answer the question posed by the headline... you should care because some of that plastic garbage may be yours!

Do I have your attention yet? Browsing the SLOactive website, I notice they also have a line of "sustainable swimwear and wetsuits". Need I say more? Tell `em Walt sent you!

Further reading: "Environmentalist writer shocked to find his book wrapped in plastic", WWW 3/12/18.

AUDIO ONLY: Mark Steyn, Lindsay Shepherd, John Robson heard by Canadian MPs; TV blacked out

I need to set this up for you and explain why there's no video -- only audio -- of most of yesterday's meeting of the Canadian House of Commons Committee on Justice and Human Rights. It appears that in Canuckistan, "human rights" does not include the right to say anything even mildly negative about Muslims or transexuals or anyone except straight white males. Nor does it include the right to have your testimony before a committee of parliament televised if, like our old friend Mark Steyn, you're a conservative who's expected to say something politically incorrect.

The background. The Committee has been holding hearings on the problem of "hate speech". In other words, they're study how to better censor the ideas and opinions of anyone the government doesn't agree with. Last week they gave Faisal Khan Suri, president of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council, considerable time to whine about Islamophobic posts on social media, discrimination against followers of the "religion of peace", and so on ad nauseam.

After enduring a quarter-hour of this, Conservative MP Michael Cooper had had enough and took the witness to task, telling Mr Suri he should be ashamed of himself, and quoting (as he said later) "the words of a white supremacist anti-Muslim mass murderer in an ill-advised attempt to demonstrate that such acts are not linked to conservatism." The whitey in question was Brandon Tarrant, who murdered 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, this spring.

Mentioning Mr Tarrant by name, let alone quoting from his online manifesto, proved to be a hyuge CLM (Career Limiting Move) for Mr Cooper. For his sins, he was immediately removed tom the Committee by Hon. Andrew Scheer, Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and chief panderer of the Kuckservative Party of Canada. Clutching his pearls, the champion of the mushy middle said it was "insensitive and unacceptable" to quote the Christchurch shooter to a Muslim witness. Oh, the horror!

But the removal of Mr Cooper from the Committee wasn't enough for the Liberal and NDP (socialist) members. Yesterday, before more witnesses were called, they demanded that Hansard be amended to remove Mr Cooper's words, entirely, from the record of the proceedings. Flushed down the memory hole, as George Orwell would have said. The remaining Conservatives on the Committee, doubtless admonished by Mr Scheer not to be politically incorrect, caved.

Yesterday's meeting was to have been televised, so the viewers (Sid and Doris Bonkers) who follow Canada's CPAC channel could see and hear what Mark Steyn, Lindsay Shepherd and John Robson had to say on the subject of free speech. Click here to see what happened.

Sorry about using the word "see". You will only be able to see the first couple of minutes. After the Committee voted to expunge Mr Cooper's remarks from the record, a pinko -- sorry, NDP -- member demanded that the proceedings not be televised, after all. You can see and hear this shameful exercise in what progressives now call "deplatforming". After that, there's only audio. Shameful. But at least the voices of conservatism and common sense can still be heard. But for how much longer?

Imagine that! Muslims feeling unwelcome in Denmark

Let's have a good cry for the poor, oppressed Muslim "refugees" and asylum-seekers who weren't smart enough to stop in Angela Merkel's Germany but went on through to Denmark, the home of the happiest people in the world. (See "Why the Danes are the happiest people in the world", WWW 17/3/16.)

Seems that growing numbers of the followers of the Prophet are reporting verbal abuse, "exclusion" and "hate crimes" since Denmark's mainstream political parties began adopting the anti-immigrant policies of the Danish People's Party. To win back increasingly Islamophobic voters, both the ruling centre-right Liberal Party and the opposition Social Democrats are saying... now... that a tough stance in immigration is needed to protect Denmark's cherished welfare system and to integrate (if possible) the "refugees" and other migrants already in the country.

The number of immigrants (and their numerous descendants) from Middle Eastern and African shitholes who have allegedly experienced discrimination because of their ethnic background rose to 48% last year from 43% two years earlier, according to the Danish National Integration Barometer.

Although government statistics don't make any connection between racist incidents and the tone of the immigration debate, the fact is that the number of racially or religiously motivated hate crimes registered by Danish police jumped to 365 in 2017 from 228 the year before.

"If people are ready and willing to be part of Danish society and want to contribute to it, then we invite them to become part of one of the best-functioning societies in the world. But we need to be able to discuss openly if there are problems with groups of people," said a spokesthingy for the Liberal Party, citing the large number of immigrant women from the Middle East who have not found work in Denmark.

About 5.5% of Denmark's population now identify as Muslims. That's a slightly higher proportion than in other countries of western Europe. Large numbers of them arrived in the tidal wave of "refugees" who washed ashore in Europe in 2015. Earlier this year, the government passed a law that would mean more refugees could be repatriated, the latest move to discourage non-western immigration. See "New Danish law: refugees will no longer become immigrants!", WWW 23/2/19.

The law was passed with support from the anti-immigration Danish People's Party, a key ally of the minority government, and the Social Democrats, the country's biggest party, which has hitherto had a softer stance on immigration. It means residence permits for refugees will be temporary, there will be a limit on the number of family reunifications, and a cut in benefits for immigrants.

The Liberal Party said lower benefits would encourage people to work. Less than half of the "refugees" who have lived in Denmark for more than three years were employed by the end of 2018. However, only 19% of Muslim women had jobs compared to 57% of men. But while employment has risen (at the end of 2015 it was only 20%), assimilation of immigrants has not kept pace. Government stats show that more young men descended from non-Western immigrants commit crimes than Danes. [Do we keep those kind of statistics here? Ed.]

The Social Democrats, notionally even more liberal than the Liberals, have repeatedly said they want to limit the number refugees. Party leader Mette Frederiksen said earlier this month, "You are not a bad person, just because you are worried about immigration." The shift to the right by Denmark's mainstream parties has parallels elsewhere in Europe. But it may come too late not just for the liberals but for the Danish People's Party itself, which is facing competition from far-right parties the New Right and Hard Line, the latter a new grouping that wants Islam banned and Muslims deported. "Conservatives" take note!

Note from Ed.: I was looking for a "Mohammed cartoon" to accompany this article, and clicked on the bookmark I had saved for a blog called "Creeping Sharia", which was hosted by WordPress. Guess what? It has been removed "for violation of our Terms of Service". Freedom of speech is being restricted a little more every day, even in America, where it's supposed to be protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Do not forget the martyrs of Tiananmen Square

In the People's Republic of China (aka Communist China), foreign teachers of English, History or any subject are forbidden to teach about, talk about or even mention the "Three T's". The first two are Tibet (as in "Chinese occupation of" and "genocide") and Taiwan (which stubbornly refuses to admit that it is and has always been a province of China). The third "T" is the Tiananmen Square massacre, an atrocity perpetrated by China's Communist rulers 30 years ago today. The story is encapsulated in this single iconic image.

In China, the massacre of student protesters is referred to (when mentioned at all) as "the June Fourth Incident" or "Six Four". Student-led demonstrations in Beijing in mid-1989 inspired a popular (except with the Red government) national movement called the "`89 Democracy Movement". In response to the protests, the Communists declared martial law and sent in the military to occupy central parts of Beijing. People's Liberation Army troops armed with assault rifles and accompanied by tanks fired at the demonstrators, killing perhaps as many as 2500 and wounding 1000s more.

The international community and human rights organizations condemned the Chinese government for what can only be called a massacre. Western countries imposed arms embargoes on China. The Communists made widespread arrests of protesters and their supporters, suppressed other protests around China, expelled foreign journalists, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic press, strengthened the police and internal security forces, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. Some of those arrested died in prison, and some languish there even today.

The suppression halted the "open and reform" policies of liberalization instituted by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Considered a watershed event, the protests set the limits on political expression in China up to the present day. Its memory is widely associated with questioning the legitimacy of Communist Party rule and remains one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China. Even now, as noted above, foreign teachers are forbidden to mention the massacre, on pain of instant dismissal and deportation.

Foreign visitors do well to feign ignorance of "the June Fourth Incident". Real ignorance, however, is inexcusable, which is why Walt is posting this reminder. In Hong Kong there is still -- for a limited time only -- some liberty to speak out for democracy and freedom of expression. Here we see a student at Hong Kong University cleaning the monument memorializing the Tiananmen Square massacre. We in somewhat free countries must not forget what happens when you dare to oppose a repressive totalitarian government like that of Communist China or... some other country....

Further reading:
"Encroaching Totalitarianism in The West", by E. Jeffrey Ludwig, in American Thinker, 4/6/19
Harrison Salisbury: Tiananmen Diary: Thirteen Days in June, Little, Brown & Co., 1989