Tuesday, August 31, 2021

We appreciate our sponsors! (UPDATED)

Ed. here. We've been blogging, here on WWW, for over 12 years. (How time flies when you're having fun!) We've never asked for donations, and the money we earn from the interstitial ads (which are inserted by Google, not approved or endorsed by Walt!) amounts to about $4 per year. Not even enough for a beer.

Yet, even though we don't get paid, and work from Walt's cabin in the pines, it costs us something -- more than $4 -- to keep this blog going. Think of the retainer we have to pay our legal beagle, and the expense of enteratining Poor Len Canayen! And of course gasoline for the Prius, for times when there's no electricity. 

So we are grateful to the handful of readers who send us a couple of bucks, every now and then, to keep us from having to ask for help from Those Who Control the Media. One way in which we can show our appreciation of our sponsors is to give a punt to their business or other endeavours. So today we'd like you to know about a sale being run on Webstore, featuring

NATIONAL LAMPOON, "The Humor Magazine"


Issue No. 1 (pictured centre) is sold, but dozens of issues from May 1970 to December 1977 are for sale now (offers welcome), with more coming. With one or two exceptions, prices are $5.00 or less (plus S&H). Visit our sponsor's store, to see the latest listings. When you buy, tell `em Walt sent ya!

WSJ: "You Are Living in the Golden Age of Stupidity"

Dear readers, please don't fail to read "You Are Living in the Golden Age of Stupidity", by Lance Morrow, in the Wall Street Journal, 29/8/21... even if you have to subscribe! (The WSJ is one of the few American news outlets that provides reasonably fair and balanced coverage of American politics.) 

This is the subhead: The convergence of many seemingly unrelated elements has produced an explosion of brainlessness. And here's the beginning.

"Stupidity," Jean Cocteau remarked, "is always amazing, no matter how used to it you become." 

We live in a golden age of stupidity. It is everywhere. President Biden’s conduct of the withdrawal from Afghanistan will be remembered as a defining stupidity of our time -- one of many. The refusal of tens of millions of people to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus will be analyzed as a textbook case of stupidity en masse. Stupid is as stupid does, or, in the case of vaccination, as it doesn’t do. Stupidity and irresponsibility are evil twins.

The slow-motion zombies' assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6 was a fittingly stupid finale to the Trump years, which offered dueling stupidities: Buy one, get one free. The political parties became locked in a four-year drama of hysteria and mutually demeaning abuse. Every buffoonery of the president and his people was answered by an idiocy from the other side, which in its own style was just as sinister and just as clownish.

Cable news provided the Greek chorus. American government and politics became cartoons. The Democrats, all unknowing, played Wile E. Coyote to Mr. Trump’s Road Runner. Twice, the Democrats’ Acme Impeachment Committee rigged up the big bomb (heh heh), lit the fuse and held its ears. 
"Trump is crazy!"
"Trump is Hitler!"
"Trump is a Russian agent!"
"Bob Mueller has the goods!"
Both times, the Road Runner sped away. Beep beep!

Of course there's more. The message I take from it is this.


Yes, President Trump told you so! Walt told you so! 1000s of other people, amazed and distressed by the prevailing stupidity, told you so! It's time to put an end to the stupidity. Mid-terms are coming up in just 15 months. You know what to do... don't you?!

Afghanistan - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Taliban soldiers, in American uniforms, holding American assault rifles, pose in front of a "decommissioned" American helicopter at Kabul airport. Today. August 31st. Right on schedule. The helicopter looks pretty well trashed, but I expect Chinese or Pakistani technicians will be able to make it airworthy in jigtime.

The US military and State Department are now boasting that the Great Skedaddle  was a great success, since it cost less than a billion dollars in matériel left behind, and the lives of 13 American servicemen and women whose bodies were successfully repatriated on the weekend. Mission accomplished!

 As for the 1000s of Americans left behind, The CIA (yes, really!) is already in talks with the Taliban to "procure" their release.  So everything's OK then!

But still... How could the nation with the biggest, mightiest, most advanced military in the world get run out of a shithole country by a ragtag gang of goat fuckers herders? There are a lot of questions to be answered. I imagine the Congress will begin an investigation, just as soon as they finish investigating the "insurrection" of January 6th. Stay tuned.

Further reading: "Biden Deploys Military Back To Afghanistan After Realizing They Left Behind Millions Of Masks", Babylon Bee, 30/8/21.

Memo from the PC police: "African-American" now offensive

You can't make this stuff up. Not the Bee reports that super-woke Brandeis University has updated its widely mocked list of "violent" and "identity-based" terminology ahead of the start of its fall semester.

Added to the compendium of politically incorrect words and phrases that must not be uttered on the Brandeis campus is the term "African-American".

What's wrong with that? Here's what the Brandeis PC police say: "For Black folks born in the United States, hyphenating their identity can be interpreted as othering. Some folks do prefer to use African-American, particularly in connection to their ancestral roots, while others may identify with other ethnicities. We recommend using Black as a default, but being open to adjusting if asked to."

Walt would like to know: What's "othering"? Does it mean identifying someone as different, when they (more or less) obviously are different? Is it a form of bullying? "Hey, you! You're not 'same'! You must be 'other'!" I guess that can cut in any direction. I would expect to be "othered" if I strolled through the South Side of Lori Lightfoot's Chicago. I don't know if it would happen at Brandeis. Maybe I just won't go there!

Monday, August 30, 2021

VIDEO: "A Dunkirk moment", "a Saigon moment" - Obama/Biden officials speak the truth about the Afghanistan debacle

Ed. here. We hope our readers won't think that the uncivility north of the World's Longest Undefended Border (TM) or the landfall of Hurricane Ida will make us forget about Sleepy Joe Biden's shameful cut-and-run from Afghanistan. He and his handlers certainly want you to forget, which is why we see the lickspittle media devoting lots of time to showing him "doing something" (what?) about Ida, and looking reverential as the bodies of 13 dead American troops were offloaded. 

Please, people, don't forget who brought "the world's only superpower" to this. It was Old Joe, and whoever's pulling his strings. That's not just my opinion. In this short (just under two minutes) video, David Petraeus, Leon Panetta, Jeh Johnson, Stan Crocker and others who served under the Prez and his successor but one give their opinions on what happened in Afcrapistan and why it happened. Produced by the Republican National Committee and presented by Walt as a public service.

 

Further reading
: "Biden Drone Strikes White House After Vowing To Kill Those Reponsible For American Military Deaths In Kabul", Babylon Bee (you know what that means, right?) 28/8/21.

[Clutching pearls] What happened to Canadian politeness?

 In response to our posting of a photo of a pickup truck [of course! Ed.] sporting a "Fuck Biden!" slogan on the tailgate  (WWW 23/7/21) -- well before the Afcrapistan debacle -- one of our well-mannered readers commented "What has happened to civility? So sad!"

Note from Ed.: You know you can post comments, right? From the WWW home page, click on the headline of the post to which you want to add something, and it will open up in a new window/tab, with a comments window at the bottom. I do moderate comments. Well-mannered disagreement is welcome, but don't bother calling Walt a racist or "Nazi scum" or anything like that.

Getting back to civility, it appears that the American tendency to throw F-bombs at less-than-loved political leaders has crossed the World's Longest Undefended Border (TM). The normally sheeplike residents of Canuckistan are actually taking to the streets to protest the ultra-woke policies of their prime minister, Blackie McBlackface. Banners emblazoned with "that word", like this one


being waved by a soccer mom (?) at a Liberal rally in Bolton ON, are now being seen everywhere Mr Socks goes.

Ed. did a quick search on Google and has found a plethora of similar banners, flags, signs, stickers, decals and buttons, which we imagine are selling like hot-under-the-collar cakes. Liberals and their controlled media (Hello, CBC!) are moaning about the loss of civility, yada yada yada, and Mr Socks Hisself is saying "This is not Canada. That's not who we are!"

I am not so sure about that. Here's a photo of a typical Canuck in the hamlet of Malakwa BC, who made his own sign.


Can't tell for sure but he appears to be giving the Salmon Arm Salute. Canadians can expect to see a lot more of such "uncivil actions" between now and September 20th, the date of the federal election. Having for six years sowed the seeds of division, pitting straight white native Canadians against just about everyone else, Just In Trudeau has only himself to blame.

Saturday, August 28, 2021

"Mostly peaceful protests" OK for Antifa & loony left, not conservatives

The CBC (Canadian Broadcorping Castration - the propaganda arm of Canada's Liberal government) has got itself all worked up over Friday's confrontation between Liberal leader Blackie McBlackface and a group of Canadians angry about forced vaccination against the kung flu and its more virulent Delta (read: made-in-India) variant. 

There were plenty of other things for them to be angry about, but "to be or not to be vaccinated" was the wedge issue Just In Trudeau was looking for, and he got it. In spades! 

The protest was more "mostly peaceful" than similar demonstrations by Antifa, BLM and the loony left seen in the Excited States of America.  A common obscenity was displayed on a banner and shouted numerous times. The Salmon Arm Salute (having the same meaning as the printed obscenity) was seen. But no punches (or objects) were thrown. No-one was physically assaulted or interfered with. "No harm, no foul!"

The CBC and its masters would have Canadians believe that this sort of thing is simply unacceptable, just "not who we are", as Mr Socks put it. That's just bullshit. The behaviour exhibited yesterday is perfectly fine with the liberal politicians and lickspittle media, if the "mostly peaceful protesters" are on the side of progress and wokeness!

Case in point: Antifa and other comsymp "protesters" roughing up elderly women and men at the rally for Max Bernier held by the People's Party of Canada at Mohawk College in Hamilton ON on 30 September 2019. 

The rally went ahead anyway -- "Mad Max" is no coward! -- but not one of the thugs clearly identifiable in the video was ever brought to trial, let alone convicted of anything. And now the CBC, which deplores the much milder behaviour of the protesters at Bolton, refuses to allow any mention of the "Hamilton incident" in the comments section of its hand-wringing, pearl-clutching story. 

Canadian readers take note, and remember all this on September 20th!

Footnote: Hey, this story even made it onto Fox News., which normally doesn't pay much attention to events in the No-longer-great No-longer-white North. See "Furious crowd forces Justin Trudeau to cancel campaign event: 'Need freedom'".

PPC ahead of Greens in latest poll: can Bernier join the Debate now?

In "Canada's only conservative leader barred from debate", WWW 21/8/21, I wrote: 

The Leaders' Debates Commission, a supposedly non-partisan group chaired by former Governor-General David Johnston, is organizing two Leaders' Debates, in French and English, to be televised on September 8th and 9th. The Commission announced, very quietly, late Friday afernoon (when all Canadians are en route to their cottages), that all the leaders had been invited to participate, with the exception of... wait for it... Maxime Bernier!

The excuse given by the Commission for deplatforming Mad Max is that to be eligible to participate, one must be the leader of a party which: - has at least one MP in the House of Commons who was elected as a member of that party -.received at least four per cent of the total number of votes cast in the 2019 election, and - has a national support level of at least four per cent, five days after the date the election is called, as measured by leading national public opinion polling organizations.

The first criterion was in place in 2019 but was struck down by a court challenge, since M Bernier had a seat in Parliament, having been elected as a Conservative prior to forming the PPC. So the second and third criteria were added to raise the bar high enouogh that the PPC would not qualify.

As it was, it was close. A poll released just ahead of Mr Johnston's announcement put the People's Party at 6% of decided voters, compared with 3% for the Soylent Greens. But the Commission calculated the PPC's average level of national support at 3.27%, just enough to lose out.

But guess what, campers?! The pollsters at Ekos -- usually great friends of Mr Socks and his party -- have just released some startling new numbers.


Ed. says the image will just be more fuzzy if he makes it bigger, so let me highlight these numbers:
Of the six parties which are now being tracked, the Greens now hold 6th (and last) place, with 4.2% of the voters polled. Le Bloc Québécois are second-last at 5.1%, but that should be marked with a * because they will only field candidates in Québec, and should be good for at least 10% of the 338 seats in the House of Commons.

Third-last (or fourth from the top), is Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada, with 6.3%! That number is in line with their support in a poll released the day that the Leaders' Debate Commission said that the PPC didn't have enough support to warrant including "Mad Max" in the debates scheduled for September 8th-9th. The Commission ignored that poll. Let's see them ignore this one!

Anti-vax protesters force Canuck PM to flee campaign rally

Walt has received a report, confirmed by Agent 2, that the Rt. Hon. Blackie McBlackface, Prime Minister of Canuckistan, was forced by angry protesters to run away from a Liberal Party rally which was to be held yesterday afternoon in Bolton ON, a once-peaceful village northwest of Toronto. 

Mr Socks is campaigning for a third term in a federal election to be held on September 20th. The sign seems to suggest that Trudeaumania v. 2.0 has run its course.
The angry crowd appeared to be anti-vaxxers for the most part, incensed about the Liberal Plan to introduce "vaccine passports" from coast to coast to coast. If this goes ahead, the sheeple of Canada will have to produce an electronic or paper "passport" -- i.e. have their papers in order! -- to be able to go to the cinema or the gym or a sporting even, or... just about anywhere. Just another rod in the fasces of state control.

Sergeant Dudley Doright, head of the security detail protecting M Trudeau, said that when they realized there were more protesters in the crowd than Liberal supporters, they reckoned that it was time for the soon-to-be-former PM to get out of Dodge, "in the interest of public safety" of course, not because he was afraid of getting roughed up.

Mr Socks and his team fled to "an undisclosed location" in nearby Brampton ON, where he held a presser in which he vowed to "meet anger with compassion." He said he recognized that the pandemic has been hard on everyone, including those who protested at his event. "We all had a difficult year. Those folks out protesting, they had a difficult year too, and I know and I hear the anger, the frustration, perhaps the fear."

The only fear visible in videos of the presser was that of His Wokeness, who appeared to be shaken (not stirred) by the sight of people who actually oppose his plan to transform the former Great White North into a "post-national state" where critical race theory is put into practice and straight white people are put in their place. (We note that the Liberal candidate whose sign appears in the photo is, to judge by his name, a Sikh.)

Sadly, the transformation of Canada into Canuckistan, begun by Trudeau I, has almost been completed by Trudeau II, who expressed his astonishment that some Canadians don't like what's happening to their country and their freedoms. 

He said he has never seen this level of anger or intensity on a campaign trail, including his time as a kid when campaigning with his father. "I think this is something that Canadians, all of us, need to reflect on," he said, "because it's not who we are." Walt sez, "Oh yeah?"

Meanwhile south of the World's Longest Undefended Border (TM), the Department of Homeland Security has released a list of the top three security threats to Sleepy Joe's America. 


Seems Canadians and Americans aren't so different after all!

Thursday, August 26, 2021

"Allahu akbar!" in Kabul: 12 US service personnel reported dead

Breaking news from Afcrapistan is that two separate suicides bombings around Kabul airport have left at some 40 dead -- including 11 United States Marines and a USN medic -- and scores wounded and injured. Is anyone surprised?

The bombings occurred outside the airport, where large crowds of people trying to flee Afghanistan have gathered as they await flights out of the country. Western nations had warned earlier in the day of a possible attack there in the waning days of a massive airlift.

Earlier today, several countries urged people to avoid the airport, with one saying there was a threat of a suicide bombing. But just days before the evacuation effort is scheduled to end, few appeared to heed the warning.

Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America's longest war and the Taliban's takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militant Muslims' brutal rule.

Already, some countries, inclluding Canada, have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signalling the beginning of the end of one of history's largest airlifts. The last Canadian Armed Forces flight out left just a few hours before the bombings.

Suspicion for any attack targeting the crowds would likely fall on a splinter Islamic State group called ISIS-K, not the Taliban, who have been deployed at the airport's gates trying to control the mass of people. The Taliban have so far honoured a pledge not to attack Western forces during the evacuation, but insist that foreign troops must be out by Sleepy Joe Biden's self-imposed deadline of this coming Tuesday.

This Mohammed here has been identified as the perpetrator of the "martyrdom operation". 


He is now in Islamic Paradise, one presumes, being serviced by 72 virgins.

This debacle, 20 years in the making, is the fault of the total and ajbect failure or the foreign policies of the Paranoid States of America and its Western Allies. For two decades, the USA, under both Republican and Democratic presidents, has insisted that it had a responsibility to protect the poor people of not just Afghanistan but the entire Middle East, and that the best way to do that is to act as peacekeepers and "nation-builders". Ha!

I'll say once again that we set ourselves up to be referees in a Muslim civil war which was none of our business -- none whatever! This War for Nothing -- if I may coin a phrase -- has cost the Western nations 1000s of lives and billions of dollars. All for nothing. And now four more Americans are added to the casualty list. Will they be the last? Five days to go. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

30 years of Ukrainian Independence! Слава Україні! Героям слава!

We've been so caught up with the Afghanistan debacle and the Canadian election (a choice between Liberal and liberal and ultra-liberal) that we nearly missed Ukrainian Independence Day, celebrated yesterday (August 24th) by Ukrainians and "honorary Ukrainians" around the world. 

Fortunately, Agent 5 reminded us that this was the 30th Anniversary of Ukrainian independance. In the video (running time 3 hours!) you will see the massive parade and ceremonies that took place in Kiev.

   

Agent 5 also forwarded this message from our old friend, Father Roman Galadza, Pastor of Saint Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church in Brampton ON. 

Дорогі брати-сестри, Українці! 
Слава Ісусу Христу! - Слава На Віки!
а в День Незалежності, 
Слава Україні! - Героям Слава! 

Якщо Ви це читаєте рідною, матірною нашою мовою, то розуміємося відносно значення святкування цього дня.

Пишу і одночасно дивлюся на наживу передачу урочистостей цього ранку в Київі.

Слів у мене бракує гідно висловити почуття мого серця - Хто би повірив, як ми виростали на колінах наших батьків, сиділи за столами наших суботних рідних шкіл, як рік за роком, 22-го січня брали участь в річних вивішеннях українського прапору на ратушах наших містах і селах, хто би повірив що дечекаємося такого свята!

Коби наші тати і мами дожили дивуватися, радіти цим днем… Але знайте, що це і таки вони святкують у нас, дітей їх, що задля старання їх вміємо це читати нашою мастірною мовою і можемо розуміти нашим українським серцем…. 

Радіймо, брати, сестри нашої парафії, що передали нам наші українські родичі, І молім Бога за дальші такі чуда в нашім миролюбнім, Христолюбнім житті! 

Father Roman is the father of Larissa Galadza-Cronyn, Canada's ambassador to the Ukraine. Canada was the first Western country to recognize Ukrainian independence in 1991, and is home to the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world (as a percentage of the total popularion, at least). Here is a picture of Mrs Galadza-Cronyn and her staff. 


Quote from their Independence Day message: Canada has always shared the aspirations of Ukrainian people for democracy and national independence.... The Embassy team sends its greetings and warm wishes to all Ukrainians, in Ukraine and around the world. Canada will continue to stand by an indepdendent Ukraine, and we reiterate our unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We at WWW share those sentiments! Слава Україні! Героям слава!

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

VIDEO: Biden's Afghanistan disaster summed up in 90 seconds

Ed. here. Walt wasn't pleased that I posted a music video yesterday (even though it was pretty good music!) instead of some commentary on the total chaos that is the American "withdrawal" from Afghanistan. The only way for me to keep him away from the keyboard was to promise something more trenchant today.

There are times when pictures speak louder than words. Now is one of those times. Donald Trump's Save America PAC has produced one of the most devastating political videos you will ever see. It perfectly captures the sense of helplessness in the face of crisis that Americans are feeling right now. Watch
.

If you visit the website and decide to donate, please tell `em Walt sent ya! We don't get any payment of any kind, just want President Trump to know we're helping!

Monday, August 23, 2021

MUSIC VIDEO: Foggy Mountain Breakdown: Floyd Central Highlanders

Ed. here. I told you a few days ago that Walt would be taking some time off, but then the policial news heated up, and I couldn't keep him away from the keyboard. He's like an old firehorse; when he hears the bell, he starts running... the bell being an alarm over some stupid political move made by some stupid politician. 

Anyhow... we've wrapped Walt in a wet sheet until he stops frothing at the mouth. (Can you believe he actually got banned from commenting on Breitbart News?) So let us lighten up a bit and have some good music. No, it's not Tuba Skinny again. We do like other authentic folk music... music of the people... and a friend recommended this bluegrass group to us. 

Actually when he said "FCTV", we heard "SCTV" and thought immediatelyh of the famously funny Canadian sketch comedy series. But no, it's FCTV, featuring the Floyd Central Highlanders, five girls from Floyd Central High School, in Floyds Knobs, an unincorporated area in Floyd County IN. Here's their very nice rendition of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown".

 

That's real American folk music, folks... from the real America!

Saturday, August 21, 2021

UPDATED: Canada's only conservative leader barred from debate

As some of our readers [Well, a few... Ed.] have noticed, the Rt. Hon. Blackie McBlackface, Emperor of Canada, prevailed upon the Governor-General (whom he appointed mere weeks ago) to issue the writ for a general election to be held on 20 September 2021. I understand M Trudeau (for it is he) has bought a whole new suit of clothes -- the Emperor's New Clothes -- for the occasion.

Mr Socks is the leader of one of the six parties with more than 1% of support in the polls contesting the election. They are, in alphabetical order:
- le Bloc Québécois, led by Yves-François Blanchet
- the Conservative Party of Canada, led by Erin O'Toole... with an "e", to be sure
- the Green Party of Canada, led by Annamie Paul, who is a black woman who professes to be Jewish, thus the current darling of the lamestream media
- the Liberal Party of Canada, led by Himself
- the New Democratic Party (60 years old this year), led by Jagmeet Singh, who is a south Asian Sikh but (too bad for him) not a woman
and... wait for it...
- le Parti Populaire du Canada / People's Party of Canada, led by Maxime Bernier.

You remember "Mad Max" don't you? If not, check out "Non à l'implantation d’un passeport sanitaire! / Say No to the Vaccine Passport!", a short video posted here six days ago. 

The Leaders' Debates Commission, a supposedly non-partisan group chaired by former Governor-General David Johnston, is organizing two Leaders' Debates, in French and English, to be televised on September 8th and 9th. The Commission announced, very quietly, late Friday afernoon (when all Canadians are en route to their cottages), that all the leaders had been invited to participate, with the exception of... wait for it... Maxime Bernier!


The excuse given by the Commission for deplatforming Mad Max is that to be eligible to participate, one must be the leader of a party which:
- has at least one MP in the House of Commons who was elected as a member of that party
-.received at least four per cent of the total number of votes cast in the 2019 election, and
- has a national support level of at least four per cent, five days after the date the election is called, as measured by leading national public opinion polling organizations.

The first criterion was in place in 2019 but was struck down by a court challenge, since M Bernier had a seat in Parliament, having been elected as a Conservative prior to forming the PPC. So the second and third criteria were added to raise the bar high enouogh that the PPC would not qualify.

As it was, it was close. A poll released just ahead of Mr Johnston's announcement put the People's Party at 6% of decided voters, compared with 3% for the Soylent Greens. But the Commission calculated the PPC's average level of national support at 3.27%, just enough to lose out.

Why do they want to keep Maxime Bernier from speaking to a national audience? Because the People's Party of Canada is the only truly conservative party in the race, and M Bernier the only leader to stand up for true social conservative principles and Western values -- particularly freedom of speech and the fair and open debate of ideas!

The mandate of the Leaders' Debate Commission -- never spoken or written but very clear for all that -- is to prevent Canadian voters from hearing and beind "misinformed" by the PPC's politically incorrect ideas

M Bernier said he is "disappointed, but not surprised" by the Commission's ruling. "I do not blame the Commission, whose criteria were clear and objective," he said [rather charitably. Ed.] "Rather, I blame the political establishment cartel, which refuses to debate the crucial issues we raise and has done everything to marginalize us since the founding of the PPC."

UPDATE ADDED 24/8/21: The latest poll from the Angus Reid Institute -- more respected than the liberal shitweasels Ipsos -- has the PPC at 3%, and I guess the decimals (not shown) put them ahead of the Greens, also shown at 3%. By that score, neither party qualifies for the Leaders' Debate, for which the threshhold (see above) was set at 4%, to keep Max Bernier off the platform! Yet the lickspittle media gives at least 30 seconds to Annamie Paul every day. For Max? Nada.

Babylon Bee reports AOC going to Afghanistan

Ed. here. Just saw this marvelous piece on Babylon Bee (your trusted source for Christian satire) and have to share it.



In fairness to the creative folks at the Bee, we won't repost the whole article -- you should click on the link to read it for yourself, but be sure you're sitting down -- but can't resist sharing just this one delicious paragraph. 

AOC then picked up her top-secret squad phone. "Get the squad together," she said. "We have brown people to save!" 

If Kamala Harris can bug out to Vietnam, why shouldn't AOC go to Afghanistan? Makes as much sense as anything else the Dumbocrats are doing to bring peace and prosperity to a world in crisis. We here at WWW are going to take the rest of the weekend off, just like Sleepy Joe.

Friday, August 20, 2021

A&Q about Mike Richards, selected (and de-selected) to host Jeopardy!

A: A seabird in the genus Sula, part of the family Sulidae.
Q. What is a booby?

A. He is being criticized for referring to "boobies" on an open mic in 2013.
Q. Who is Mike Richards, the new host of Jeopardy!?

A. Reverse racism, "toxic white masculinity".
Q. What are the real reasons Mr Richards' selection is being panned by the usual suspects?

A. Yes.
Q. Will the SJWs, BLMers etc succeed in getting Mr Richards fired?

Indeed. Mike Richards, the executive producer of Jeopardy! who was tapped to host the show in the upcoming season announced this morning that he won't be doing that, after all. "[O]ver the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show," he said in a press release. "As such [Why do people include that ungrammatical phrase in statements? Ed.], I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today."

Just a few days ago, Mr Richards was named permanent host of Jeopardy!, succeeding the late loveable Canuck Alex Trebek. For the sake of gender equity, actress Mayim Bialik was tapped to helm primetime specials and spinoffs. 

Mr Richards was in trouble from the minute his appointment was announced, because of a number of "issues" related to political correctness or lack thereof. He was forced to respond to allegations of "pregnancy discrimination" made in a lawsuit that started ten years ago. 

Earlier this week, he had to issue another apology after The Ringer uncovered a number of derogatory comments he made between 2013 and 2014 about women, Jews, and people receiving unemployment on the podcast, The Randumb Show. Apparently he used the word "boobies", not meaning the seabirds.

The real reason for the disapproval of the media elites, however, is that Mr Richards isn't LeVar Burton. Mr Burton, who is of the coloured persuasion, appeared to have the puck nailed to his stick [Will non-hockey fans get that? Ed.] because... errr, BLM, George Floyd, errr, you know....

Unfortunately, Mr Burton's performance in the role of Uncle Tom on a recent stint as guest host didn't go very well. While the erudite Alex Trebek appeared to understand what the correct answers (in the form of questions!) should be, Mr Burton as all wide-eyed, gee-whiz innocence. IMHO he lacked the gravitas to be permanent host. 

Viewers seemed to agree. Mr Burton's episodes drew the lowest average viewership numbers out of all of the recorded guest hosts. His turn behind the podium, from July 26th to 30th, saw an average rating of 4.4, according to Nielsen. This was lower than Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, who guest hosted Jeopardy the week before and garnered an average rating of 4.7, or CNBC's David Faber, who hosted from August 2nd to 6th.

A: Jeopardy! GOAT champion Ken Jennings.
Q: Who got the highest ratings as guest host?
Mr Jenning's week on the air had an average rating of 6.0. I dare to suggest that's because Jeopardy! is basically a quiz show for nerdy white guys who know a little about a lot -- like my goodself! The three Greatest Of All Time champions, who competed in a special GOAT tournament in January of 2020, were Mr Jennings, Brad Rutter, and the annoying James Holzhauer -- all white guys.

Over the years, white men have dominated Jeopardy!. South and east Asian men do pretty well, white women less so. BIPOCs lag well behind. You can draw your own conclusions about the correlation between race, gender and intelligence, but the fact remains that Jeopardy!, like hockey, is a white man's game. 

That's a fact that has not escaped the attention of the show's producers, hence Mr Richards and not Mr Burton. Now that Mr Richards has stepped [or been pushed? Ed.] down, Jeopardy! will continue with guest hosts until a suitable BIPOC can be found.

Thursday, August 19, 2021

VIDEOS: Afghanistan? It's all over! No-one's to blame. Let's move on!


And now for something completely undifferent -- another video from Sky News Australia. There's a clip from ABC's interview with Sleepy Joe (see "Stubborn Joe Biden Snaps, Falls Apart in Interview as Afghanistan Crisis Worsens", Breitbart News, 18/8/21), ridiculous statements by Gen. Mark Milley, and lots of examples of how the lickspittle media (and Americans generally) are turning on the worst president since Jimmy Carter!

 

But wait (as Vince Offer used to say), there's more! Here's Jesse Watters' take on the ABC interview. He's shocked, shocked!


What I found interesting in this commentary is that even the very woke Gen. Milley is now distancing himself from President Biteme, claiming that he told Sleepy Joe well before the fateful order was given that at least 2500 US troops should have been left in Krappistan. Lots of CYA going on now.... 

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Patrick Buchanan asks: Is America becoming a failed state?

America is unable to win the wars she chooses to fight.
She cannot or will not control and defend her borders from a mass migrant invasion.
She cannot halt an outbreak of criminality and killing in her great cities.
She has not run a trade surplus in four decades.
Her dependency upon foreign producers is unprecedented.
And her budget deficits continue to break records every year — as does her soaring national debt.

Is that not the description of a failed or failing state?


Excerpted from "Is America Becoming a Failed State?",  by Patrick J. Buchanan, Taki's Magazine, 10/8/21 (before the fall of Kabul but after the handwriting was on the wall).

Yes, I know many of our readers are getting tired of seeing pessimistic articles like this, not just in the conservative media but even in the controlled MSM. So let me add that if Mr Buchanan is right [Is there any doubt? Ed.], that doesn't mean the USA is doomed. Patriotic Americans can and must wake up, rise up, and do what must be done to save the country from implosion. 

A good place to start would be for those who voted Democrat in 2020 to realize that they made a huge mistake, and resolve to correct it, starting at the mid-term elections, or earlier in places where recall or other special elections will be held. If you love your country, you know what I mean. Do it!

Worth reading! "Endless wars = Endless refugees", by Michelle Malkin, in the UNZ Review, 17/8/21. Quote: "I want you to focus on what's best for Americans on American soil right here. Right now." 

Worth watching! "There is no way to more permanently wreck the country!", Tucker Carlson on Fox News, 13/8/21. Spoiler alert: He's talking about mass immigration, which is causing the most profound demographic change in the US of A since the 19th century. The new census figures show 5,000,000 fewer white people than there were ten years ago -- the first decline in the white population since the 19th century!

Quote from Pedro Gonzalez, Associate Editor of ChroniclesWhite people are being marginalized in America, and you're not supposed to notice that. You're not allowed to talk about it. And if you disagree, then you're a racist!

Monday, August 16, 2021

VIDEO UPDATE: Time to pull the plug on Sleepy Joe?

Most of our readers took "Report into the sanity of President Biden" (WWW 2/8/21) as satire, which is what was intended. However, in times like these, the line between fiction and truth is a dotted one. Here, only lightly edited, is a report by AP, via Breitbart News, of a suggestion made by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), who may have got the idea from Walt!

Sen. Scott weighed in this morning on the United States' disastrously-executed withdrawal from Afghanistan, raising the question of whether the time had arrived to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Joe Biden. He tweeted, "After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?"  

The Florida Republican used the question to resurface recent criticism regarding the various crises facing the country and its president. "Inflation is raging. The debt ceiling expired & U.S. debt is headed to $45 TRILLION. Kabul is falling to the Taliban & encounters in the #BidenBorderCrisis just hit a 20 YEAR HIGH," he wrote. "Democrats control the House, Senate & @WhiteHouse. What in the world is Joe Biden doing?"

The world watched in horror Sunday as Taliban fighters took over Afghanistan’s presidential palace in Kabul, declaring itself the new leaders of the war-torn country. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mohammad Naeem, Taliban spokesperson said the jihadist group was "ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection. Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years," he declared."Thanks to God, the war is over in the country."

As of Monday, approximately 6000 U.S. troops [up from 5000, as reported by Walt yesterday] will deploy to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport and assist with evacuations. On Sunday, the U.S. evacuated all of its personnel from the embassy.

Here endeth the AP/Breitbart report. However, this just in! Politico.com reported at 1259 EDT that the United States has suspended all flights out of a key airport in Kabul and is working to "reestablish security" after crowds of people rushed the airfield in an attempt to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of its capital city. 

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told the meeja that American troops are "working alongside Turkish and other international troops to clear the area of people," but "do not know how long this will take. [Therefore], out of an abundance of caution, there are no flights coming or going — military or civilian — and this is because of large crowds that are still on the tarmac" on the southern side of the airfield, which saw a series of breaches overnight.

Once again, Walt sez... stay tuned!

VIDEO ADDED at 1645: The disaster that is the Biden administration has attracted attention as far away as the Land of Oz. Here's documentary maker Ami Horowitz interviewed on Sky News Australia.

 

YouTube hates Sky News Australia, but so far hasn't been able to ban them. And a good thing too!

Sunday, August 15, 2021

VIDEO (Banned on YouTube): "The New Normal" - documentary from America's Frontline Doctors

Agent 6 is one of those who's veen skeptical, from the beginning, about the Covid-19 pandemic. He has forwarded to us this video, "The New Normal", published on the America's Frontline Doctors website. AFD has been accused by the usual suspects -- the liberal one-worlders -- of being "a handful of conspiracy-minded physicians" who believe that the whole point of the Dempanic, is to pave the way for the Great Reset, the beginning of the New World Order. 

According to the controlled media, they are guilty of "spreading misinformation" about a virus which is -- can we be honest here -- nothing more than a new form of the "flu" which has been with us for centuries. That's why YouTube doesn't want you to see this video. But here it is! Running time 53:13.

   

The video sure made a believer out of me! Agent 6's reaction: Maybe there was a good reason why they had us read Brave New World, Animal Farm, and 1984, back in high school days. (That shows you how old Agent 6 -- my contemporary.) 

Nowadays those books are being stricken from high school curricula in many "progressive" school districts. If you've never done so, read them while you can still find them! If you can do so and still trust your government and other elites to do the "right thing" for the good of the people, it's just possible that you've been infected with the "new world virus", beyond hope of a cure.

Comment from Poor Len Canayen: Did you see those clips of police mistreating and arresting people who were demonstrating against forcible vaccination? That's what Max Bernier was talking about! See video "Non à l'implantation d’un passeport sanitaire! / Say No to the Vaccine Passport!" WWW 11/8/21, and "FDR was right about one thing...", WWW 15/8/21. 

Another video worth watching:"'Illegal and unconstitutional' says Prof of Ethics Julie Ponesse", on the Max Bernier Show, 2/8/21. 

VIDEO: Max Bernier: Non à l'implantation d’un passeport sanitaire! / Say No to the Vaccine Passport!

Seems hard to believe that it was just over two years ago that our good friend Poor Len Canayen was enthusing about the formation of the People' Party of Canada / le Parti Populaire du Canada, facing its first ever test in that fall's election. The party was new, and faced tremendous challenges, not the least being the studied silence -- shall we say ignorance -- of Canada's lickspittle media. 

The PPC did not fare well in the polls, failing to elect a single Member of Parliament. "Mad Max" just missed being re-elected in the Québec riding of Beauce. (He had been elected previously as a Conservative.) 

It would have been easy for M Bernier and his followers to give up, and some did. But Max stuck with it, putting out a regular newsletter, hosting "The Max Bernier Show" on YouTube, and posting regularly on Facebook and Twitter. Max also toured the country from coast to coast, speaking at rallies in defence of freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom from political correctness, and freedom from control by Trudeau's overweening leftist nanny state. 

The most successful demonstration to date was held just yesterday in Montréal. 1000s of freedom-loving Canadians turned out to protest the Québec (and now Canadian) governments' plans for "vaccination passports", which would relegate the unvaccinated to the status of second-class citizens, unable to go where they please in the no-longer-Great, no-longer-White North. Here's part of Max's speech.

Discours du chef du Parti populaire du Canada, Maxime Bernier, dans le cadre de la manifestation contre l'implantation d’un passeport sanitaire tenue à Montréal le 14 août 2021.

   

Speech by the leader of the People's Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier, at the protest march against the implementation of a vaccine passport held in Montreal on 14 August 2021. 

Good stuff, EH! Whether or not you've had your shots (as we at WWW have, by the way), you should support the right of all people to decide for themselves whether to do so, not be forced into it by an authoritarian state bent on controlling every aspect of our lives. If you agree and would like to donate to Max and the PPC's campaign for election in September, click here. And tell Max that Walt sent ya!

UPDATED: Coming home soon...

Further reading: "Harris says she had key role in Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal decision", Politico, 25/4/21. The lede: The vice president confirmed she was the last person in the room before Biden made the decision to move forward with withdrawing US troops.

Actual photo (from Reuters) of US chopper over Kabul, today.


Also reported by Reuters today: "Afghan Pres Ghani leaves for Tajikistan". I love modern times, when you can watch the rats desert the sinking ship, in real time!
And from Breitbart News: "Biden's Vietnam: Historic Humiliation Unfolds", 15/8/21.
And don't forget who told ya so. "Biden reveals Afghanistan exit strategy", WWW 17/5/21.

UPDATE ADDED 15/8/21 at 1250: AP reports from Washington DC that Sleepy Joe, having ordered 3000 American soldiers (on top of the initial 1000) to go to Afghanistan right sharpish to cover the retreat, has decided 4000 won't be enough, and is sending another 1000 today. Errr... isn't that how the US of A got mixed up in that shithole in the first place? We have to wonder how many of the 5000 (and counting) will come home again.

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Canadian federal election Sept 20th?

BREAKING NEWS: Reuters reports that the Rt. Hon. Blackie McBlackface, the first black Prime Minister of Canuckistan, plans a short walk from Rideau Cottage to Rideau Hall to ask the newly-minted BIPOC Governor-General (handpicked by himself) if he can have an election to consolidate his grip on power. The projected date is 20 September 2021.

C'mon Canucks! Wake from your summer slumber. This is your very last chance to save your country from terminal wokeness and the New World Order. Don't say you weren't warned!

Note from Ed.: At least in Canada the lefties call themselves "Liberals", not "Democrats". The farther-lefties, however, call themselves "New Democrats" (even though the party is 60 years old), not "Communists".

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

FDR was right about one thing...


Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the last President of the Paranoid States of America to be elected more than twice, said that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

He was right then, and he is right now. Let us ask ourselves where the Great Fear is coming from. It is being preached to us, inculcated in us every day by the "experts", our "leaders", the lickspittle media, and all those who, when we are slaves, will be the masters.

Walt's message: Refuse to be afraid! We have been through much worse things than the Dempanic. Let us rise up, free and fearless, and face down the tyrants. We will not capitulate. We will not be enslaved!

Further reading: Walt suggests you check out NWO Report, featuring "Nwo News, End Time, Deep State, World News, No Fake News". Can you figure out what "NWO" stands for, boys and girls? I knew you could! Yesterday's featured story: "Why Fox News Cut President Trump’s Comments to Dan Bongino About the Rigged Election". 

Note from Ed.: There used to be a good video on YouTube with a title identical to the second-last sentence of Walt's message. It has been removed for "violating community guidelines", which means daring to suggest that there IS a New World Order being promoted and organized by certain international financiers and industrialists. Can you figure out who we're talking about? Hey, who do you think owns YouTube, referred to on Family Guy by a slightly different name?

Monday, August 9, 2021

African "refugee" jailed for setting fire to Nantes cathedral is released, stabs priest to death

Disturbing news today from France. Agence France Presse. reports that a Rwandan "refugee" suspected of causing a major fire that ravaged the Nantes cathedral last year murdered Father Olivier Mairein in the Vendée region yesterday.

On his way to the town of Mortagne-sur-Sevre, the scene of the dastardly attack, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted, "All my support for the Catholics of our country after the dramatic murder of a priest in the Vendee region." The effect was rather spoiled, though, when he answered the question of why the "refugee" was still in France by saying he couldn't be deported "while he was still under judicial control." 


Say what? The man, identified as Emmanuel Abayisenga, from Rwanda, was already under judicial control over a horrific fire at the historic Nantes cathedral in July 2020, to which he had confessed. Apparently the asylum-seeker (for such he was) had been in living in France for several years -- one of the great wave who came via Angela Merkel's Germany in 2015 -- and had worked as a volunteer at the religious community of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre. 

Inspector Clouseau, of the local police, said M Abayisenga had turned up at the police station, saying he had killed a priest. The victim of a brutal stabbing was Fr Olivier Mairein, aged 60, who had sheltered the "refugee" after he was released from arrest following the cathedral fire. 

Marine Le Pen, leader of le Front National, said that in France "you can be an illegal migrant, set fire to a cathedral, not be expelled and then reoffend by murdering a priest." Nothing like that would ever happen in the AABC countries -- America, Australia, Britain, Canada -- would it? Well... would it?!

Saturday, August 7, 2021

VIDEO: Bill Burr talks about "male feminists" (like Justin Trudeau)

Let me set this up for you. A few days ago I sent a little joke to a dear Canadian friend who I've known for nearly half a century. This is the joke. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed a major gathering of the Canadian First Nations peoples. He spoke for about an hour about his plans for increasing their present standard of living across many areas in Canada. Though very vague in detail with many ums ahs and ers, went on at great length about how much he wanted to help his indigenous brothers and sisters, and how sorry he was for all the bad things palefaces had done to them in the past.

Afterwards, the Grand Chiefs presented him with a nice handmade plaque inscribed with his newly given Native name -- "Walking Goose" -- which he accepted gratefully. Many pictures of this historic event were taken, and many minutes of video presented on the CBC News. 

After M Trudeau left, a reporter asked the Chiefs how they came up with this new Native name for him. They explained to him that "Walking Goose" is a name given to a bird that is so full of shit that it can no longer fly!

My friend's reply was "Careful...he’s my Walking Goose!"

My dear friend is, as you may have guessed already, a lady. We have never discussed why she is such a big fan of Mr Socks, but I suspect her adulation may have something to do with his constantly referring to himself as a "male feminist".

Today I remembered hearing someone talk about "male feminists". It was Bill Burr, in Paper Tiger, a hilarious rant delivered at London's Royal Albert Hall not quite two years ago. Here's what Mr Burr had to say.

 

There's a lot more good stuff in Paper Tiger, including a rant about Democratic presidents' wives. Click here to see the trailer

And to my dear friend, please don't be the last to see that the Emperor has no clothes... except the socks, of course!

Friday, August 6, 2021

Where's Walto?

Ed. here. Things are quiet in this corner of the forest -- too quiet? -- so Walt is going to sit under a pine tree for a few days, to contemplate his navel. 

In his absence, here's some food for thought from Aldous Huxley, from "The Ultimate Revolution", a speech given at Berkeley in 1962.  

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Leaked! Report into the sanity of President Biden

Around the middle of July, as the administration of President Biden neared the six-month mark, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked by Vice-President Harris to investigate the conditions under which Mr Biden, though obviously suffering from senile dementia, managed to continue to hold office.

SCOTUS referred the matter to a Special Commission, which held hearings in camera in late July. To ensure impartiality, SCOTUS appointed as the sole Commissioner the Hon. Merrick Garland, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Justice Garland's report, based on up to 36 hours of evidence and nearly an hour of careful deliberation, has been forwarded to SCOTUS. A photocopy was mailed to Walt in a plain brown envelope. Here's a summary of the findings.

The report finds that "though President Biden is suffering from advanced dementia as well as paranoiac schizophrenia and infantile regression, no-one could be held responsible Ior faiilng to detect his illness. Only his wife, Dr Jill Biden, had the opportunity to diagnose his condition, and she, not being a medical doctor, quite understandably said nothlng to anyone." Justice Garland describes Mrs Biden's conduct as "intensely laudable. A very wonderful lady."

President Biden, whom the Commissioner described as "a rather irritable fellow", was asked by White House doctors to not work so hard, following an incident in the spring when he was discovered planting bricks in the Rose Garden. When questioned by security staff, he said, "They should make a lovely display in the fall." He then was observed to leap in the air, deliver a passable imitation of a blue jay, and throw himself into the arms of one of the officers oflering to administer "the kiss of life".

The report continues: "None of the President's colleagues, prior to this disquieting incident, could be reasonably expected to have discerned his evident lunacy. Although many commented on his actions, such as changing his mind twice over anti-Covid masking, and ordering the airlifting of undocumented immigrants into Kansas and Wyoming, these were attributed to tiredness and the fact that he was working, on average, a 44-hour day.

Accusations that conditions in the Cabinet during the last four months had become intolerable are dismissed by the Commission, although the report suggests that much could be done to attract a "better type of person" to government work.

The evidence of one witness (not Jen Psaki) who described the Biden cabinet asas a "bunch ol dimwitted diversity hires" is stated by Justice Garland to be "'most probably' exaggerated and biased. Even if she is right it would not be in the public interest to admit as much. The Cabinet has a difficult job to do and were the public to lose confidence in its ability to do that job, then plainly conditions would become intolerable."

Answering allegations that President Biden was in the habit of leaping onto the cabinet table and saying "I can handle this! I've driven 18-wheelers before!" the Commissioner remarks that such incidents "may have occurred. ln view however of the President's ebullient personality and ready wit, his colleagues were justified in not paying too much attention to such exhibitions. The fact that he was complaining of deafness at the time did much to explain his behavior." 

The only person, in the report's view, who had reason to suspect the President's deteriorating mental condition was his wife. In her evidence, Dr Biden stated that she first suspected that something was wrong was when her husband began disappearing for long periods during the night. His explanation of his sorties from the confines of the Lincoln bedroom was that he was working for the CIA, the FBI, or (sometimes) SMERSH. He told her that he had been selected to take a number of immigrants to the moon, but instructed her not to tell anyone. He then leapt out of the window shouting, "Hiyo Silver, awaaaay!" 

The report praises Mrs Biden for "her devotion and courage" and. describes her as "a model lunatic's wife. If only more American lunatics were married to her, the country would be in a stronger position than it is today."

Justice Garland discounted the evidence of Benjamin Dover, a deaf-mute who claimed, through his attorney, that Mr Biden had "offered him a million dollars if he would keep quiet." The report also dismisses as "exaggerated" the photographs of immigrant corpses said to have been hurled from the top of the Washington monument. The Commissioner commented that it was all too easy to describe people as "dead" when in fact "not alive" woutd be a more apt description.

In conclusion, the Commissioner's report finds no fault in anyone bearing the surname "Biden", and makes no recommendation respecting or in any way referencing Article 25 of the Constitution. Copies of the report have been sent for non-action to the New York Times, the Washington Post and Vice-President Kamala Harris, POC.

Note from Ed.: On receipt of this shocking report, we contacted Ex-President Barack Hussain Obama for comment. "I've known that lying old fraud all my life," said the Prez, assuring us that the document was a total and utter fabrication. 

Sunday, August 1, 2021

VIDEO: Bad shepherds are leading the faithful to hell!

In this homily, preached on 18 July 2021 (before Francis' bombshell ukase against the Traditional Latin Mass), Fr Thomas Dufner, of the Archdiocese of St Paul & Minneapolis, discusses the importance of good shepherds, and the great damage being done right now by bad shepherds within the Church. And he names one of them! (Spoiler: it's not Francis.) Worth every one of the eight minutes.

 


Dilbert explains social media

 I hope Scott Adams won't mind our reposting this very succinct explanation of what "social media" is all about. [WWW doesn't make any money out of this. No-one reads the interstitial ads! Ed.]


On a related note, YouTube has banned Sky News Australia. Why? Because SNA was a staunch supporter of President Trump, and, since the fake election, has been trenchantly critical of President Biteme. Can you say "senile", boys and girls? SNA did, so must be silenced!