VIDEO: Victor Davis Hanson: Germany is committing suicide!

On the latest episode of "The Daily Signal", Victor Davis Hanson weighs in on what appears to be Germany's death wish. He's talking about the country's domestic intelligence agency's labelling of Alternativ für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) as an "extremist" group -- just one level below "terrorist", evidently. 

AfD is challenging the designation in the courts, but Mr Hanson says the damage has already been done. He calls the move to effectively silence Germany's only rightist party about political control, not public safety as touted. The classification ensures AfD will never get its hands on the levers of political power, he says, no matter how many people support them.

If the AfD are "officially" extremists, Mr Hanson explains, "no government under [the German] parliamentary democracy system will ask them to join to form a majority government. So the process of ostracism and demonization of this party continues."

Why, he asks, would the German government do this? Because, the AfD offers a different vision, contrary to the politically correct narrative. "The party is advocating an alternative for the way that Germany is going." 

And where is Germany going? Mr Hanson paints a bleak picture of economic decline, energy failure, and political denial. But, he says, there is a deeper crisis -- one that strikes at the heart of Germany’s identity, and beyond that to the very idea of "Europe". 

The consequences of the denial of the rightist alternatives are both cultural and existential. Mr Hanson estimates that 16%  to 18% of Germany's population are foreigners -- not born in the Fatherland -- and have not not assimilated. "These are refugees -- or I don’t think they're refugees," he says. "They’re illegal immigrants from the volatile Middle East. Most of them are Muslim. Most of them do not have an intention of assimilating, intermarrying, and integrating fully in German society."

The [German] government's refusal to address this, he says, has allowed a demographic transformation to unfold without public debate or accountability. Today's Germany is a far cry from the Germany that once held Europe together. "For years, Germany was the powerhouse, the cohesive economic power that kept the EU together.... It's very tragic."

Instead of a healthy debate about what is to be done to resolve this crisis, Mr Hanson says the one party calling for such a debate and proposing solutions is being silenced. "They demonize [the AfD] because it's out of the norm. And the norm, unfortunately in Germany today, is national suicide."

Recommended reading: Suicide of the West, by James Burnham. The John Day Company, New York, 1964. That's right -- 1964. Conservative political pundits like Mr Burnham have seen this coming for six decades. Read the book (if you can find a copy) and marvel at the degree to which his vision of the future has become today's reality.

VIDEO: 10 warning signs that you might be a MAGA, far right, extremist

Full disclosure: This is actually a promo piece for Mike Lindell's line of MyPillow products. Here's what the folks at the Babylon Bee have to say about this video.

 

As the country slowly increases in racism and right-wing bigotry, it’s important to ensure you don’t get caught up in their evil MAGA ways. Here are some early warning signs to look out for that will help you nip any potential extremism in the bud.

 

"We can be great again!" - The retired general's anti-woke speech the "legacy media" won't let you see

Here's the headline and the lede from an article which appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on November 15th. 

Canadian Forces officers applaud speech slamming Canada's climate change policies, cancel culture, weak leaders

Serving senior Canadian military officers gave a standing ovation to a speech by a retired general who criticized everything from the removal of historical statues and apologies to victims to government climate change policies.

Did you note the date? November 15th. The speech referred to was made by Lt.-Gen. (Retd.) Michel Maisonneuve as he received the Vimy Award, a top Canadian defence award, on November 9th. Excerpts from his anti-woke speech appeared "below the fold" in some of Canada's lickspittle media a day or two later, but no video of the speech itself can be found. Believe me, Ed. has looked!

Nor has a full transcript been published, until today, when the editors of Canada's National Post summoned up the courage to run the full text, which apparently was submitted to them by the general, in response to popular demand. We've copied the whole thing, without permission, and believe Lt.-Gen Maisonneuve will be glad we did so. He wasn't talking just to hear himself, eh!

Lt.-Gen Maisonneuve is a decorated veteran of 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, and another 10 as Academic Director of le Collège militaire royal [Royal Military College] de Saint-Jean. He is a huge advocate for veterans, and served as the first Chief of Staff of NATO's Supreme Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk VA. In his November 9th speech, he pulled no punches in describing what he thinks needs to be done to make Canada great again. The emphasis is mine.

The Vimy Award. How humbling; what a tremendous honour. With this honour comes the opportunity to accept this award with a speech that acknowledges the spirit of Vimy and shares with you my vision for Canada today and for the future.

Canada — once we were great. We stopped the Americans in 1812, we gave the world Billy Bishop, Alexander Graham Bell and Lucy Maud Montgomery. We isolated insulin, invented the zipper and the snowblower. 

In World War One we mobilized 620,000 troops. We were victorious at Vimy Ridge. In World War Two we were brave enough to land at Dieppe, and we secured our beach on D-Day. The Devil’s Brigade remains the template for special forces the world over. Our small country boasted the world’s third largest navy at the end of that conflict. We became internationally recognized peacekeepers and more than 80,000 of us served on missions during the Cold War.

We beat the Russians on their ice in 1972 and a young man named Terry Fox continues to inspire us all with his unparalleled courage and determination. We gave the world the Canadarm in space; we won a world series. When the world changed again on 9/11, Canada stepped up — first to join the coalition of the willing and send in ships and JTF 2. Serving with distinction in Afghanistan — we still mourn the loss of our 159 men and women. Canada was a great nation and though we are faltering today I believe we can be great again.

Since this is my speech, I get to share what I believe Canada needs to do to take the world stage again; to be thought of first when it comes to seeking alliances, to be seen as a serious country once again. What will it take? Well, I believe it will take leadership and service. These two crucial foundations of greatness for any nation have somehow become secondary — lost in these days of entitlement, “me first”, “not my problem” and endless subsidies and handouts.

Let me start with leadership. Leadership applies in all pursuits and at all levels. Great leaders are distinguished by the success of those they lead and the entity they lead — be it a country, an army, a corporation or a sports team. When that entity succeeds, we recognize its leader … and when that entity fails, misses, or misses the playoffs, the leader must — should — take responsibility. 

History has given us many great leaders. Ask yourself: would those leaders have been as successful in today’s world? Well, let’s see; today’s world, where social media captures every move and word spoken — taken in context or not. Where cancel culture still flourishes and there is no call for redaction or amendment even when accusations are proved false. Truth is not a requirement; once cancelled, you are done.

Today’s world, where balanced journalism is difficult to find. The practice of presenting the facts — a truthful illustration of an event, a personality or issue that allowed the reader to form their own opinion — is no longer compulsory in mainstream media. The line between "news" and op-eds has blurred and too often we are subjected to sermons written not by seasoned journalists but by first-year graduates of woke journalism schools. Unbiased reporting seems to have died with Christie Blatchford and Matthew Fisher.

Today’s world, where extremism — once the almost exclusive purview of religious zealots — seems to be flourishing in all aspects of our lives, on the right … and on the left. Some of the most popular "causes" and beliefs of today are embraced by all manner of extremists with no thought of how to achieve this utopian ideal in a responsible or plausible manner.

For example, Canada’s prosperity is being sacrificed at the altar of climate change as opposed to being used to help the world transition to clean energy. Throwing soup and paint at the world’s art treasures is as heinous as it is useless. The perpetrators should be punished, not celebrated.

Today’s world is also where taking personal responsibility for our own actions has disappeared from the landscape while the phenomenon of collective apologies flourishes in our country. Individuals and groups fight over who gets to wear the coveted victim’s cloak. But any role they may have played in their own fate or in injuring others is dismissed as learned behaviour, inherited flaws or generational oppression.

So I am not here to debate whether those great leaders of yesteryear would be as successful in today’s world. But nor will I judge the decisions they made in their time against the standards of today. Enough statues have been toppled; erasing our history is not the solution. 

I believe that the most important leadership skills have not changed and are even more so today than ever. Number one is communication — it is more critical than ever in this world of sound bites and mic dropping. A good leader ensures his followers know where they are going and how to get there. A great leader makes them want to go there. A great leader can take a seemingly insurmountable objective and make it possible to achieve in the hearts and minds of their followers.

Thankfully these leaders still do exist in today's world and there is no better example than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In his nightly address he clearly, continuously, and passionately articulates the mission to his fellow Ukrainians. Dismissed early on as "an actor, a comedian, a dancer," President Zelenskyy has rallied the world to his just cause. He surrounded himself with good people, made difficult decisions and by communicating, has captured our hearts and souls with Ukraine’s plight. God speed Mr. President and Slava Ukrainii.

Secondly, cohesion, acceptance and tolerance. Today's leaders must stop dividing those they lead! Hasn't history shown us that success as a leader demands cohesion, unity and respect of all those they lead — not just those who agree wholeheartedly with them? Can you imagine a military leader labelling half of his command as deplorables, fringe radicals or less-thans and then expect them to fight as one?

Today’s leaders must find a way to unite; not divide. Leaders lead. There is a difference between making a good decision, based on research and consultation, and making a decision because it is popular or it polls well. The best decisions are those made for the good of the whole — not just good for friends of the leader. Today, special interests have trumped the collective good. Making decisions for the collective good requires strength of character, the communications skills to explain, and a great deal of courage.

Courage remains one of the most important qualities of a leader. The courage of ideas, courage in the face of criticism, the courage to guide and lead. The courage to create a vision for the good of all. The courage to recognize a mistake and accept responsibility — personal — for that mistake.

The second key to bring Canada back to prominence is service. Just a short two months ago, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, queen of Canada, died. It would be impossible to find a better example of service. On her coronation she promised that she would dedicate her life, whether long or short, to the service of all. Over the next 70 years, in good times and in bad, she placed the care of her realm and subjects above all else. She exemplified character and duty and provided us all with an example of dedication to service. She kept her promise. May she rest in peace.

The idea, the concept of service seems to be forgotten in our "me-first" culture. Service to others, to one's country, to humanity must be a noble aspiration. The obligation to give back in gratitude for a life filled with blessings, peace and good fortune should not be innovative. It seems that Canadians have lost the desire to serve and the need to serve their country.

The military — being in the service of one’s country — used to be a most highly regarded profession. Today, I see a military woefully underfunded, undermanned and under-appreciated; a force where uniforms have become a means of personal expression rather than a symbol of collective pride and unity: uniforms are no longer uniform. The idea of serving in our armed forces is getting little traction. Could it be because the moral contract under which our military serve is broken?

Members of the Armed Forces fulfill their side of the moral contract that exists between them and Canadian society — they serve and are ready to serve in dangerous missions at home or abroad to protect our country and project Canadian values. But Canada should also be holding up its end of the contract: providing them with the state-of-the-art tools they need, the best leadership, equipment, education and training to be safe and successful, and looking after them when they become veterans.

In my opinion, we are failing. Because for Canadians generally, the Armed Forces are not important until there is a crisis, and successive governments’ support of the forces reflect that mindset. Our troops who have dedicated their lives to serve this country deserve better.

We are in Veterans Week, commemorating those who exemplified the concept of service by putting their life on the line for us, and honouring those who gave up their tomorrows for our todays. Let's use them as our example to serve.

If more inspiration is required one need not look far: let’s remember the words of two of the finest leaders of our time: Margaret Thatcher believed "There’s no such thing as entitlement unless someone has first met an obligation." And of course, JFK most famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."

Soon the festive season will arrive; a season of generosity and benevolence. In the name of service, I challenge us. Offer to volunteer, no matter where: an animal shelter, home for the homeless, seniors or veterans. The most important gift we can give is our time. I challenge us all to donate — instead of selling that surplus coffee maker on Kijiji, let’s donate it to Mission Services or Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I challenge us to be compassionate: give the panhandler enough cash for a warm meal but also ask them their name, wish them well and shake their hand.

I believe we can make Canada better. To find common ground with our neighbour and to unite our country rather than divide it. To apply our leadership and service; to live with compassion, tolerance and patience — but most of all to be proud of Canada and everything we once stood for.

We Canadians live in the greatest country in the world with almost unlimited resources, a tolerant and diverse people, and an educated population who can aspire to the greatest heights. We should be prepared to serve our country and be proud to do so. And our leaders must share this vision. "If not us, who? If not now, when?" Because, as Satchmo has told us, in spite of it all … it is a wonderful world.

I thought the last line was kind of lame, but I understand the sentiment. Take out the reference to Queen Elizabeth and a few others which Americans wouldn't get, and Lt.-Gen. Maisonneuve's address would make a fine campaign speech for... errr... whoever you think could deliver it with a straight face and be believed.

VIDEO: Tucker Carlson on the untouchability of AOC

Fox News has not (yet) put itself beyond the pale. They still have Tucker Carlson and let's be thankful for that. Mr Carlson had some trenchant comments last Friday on AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, if you somehow didn't know) sending Inspector Knacker after a little-known California podcaster named Ryan Wentz.

Mr Wentz, who goes by the Twitter handle @queeralamode [tells you something right there. Ed.] isn't one of our extremists, but a left-wing, anti-war activist, who dared to post a video of some vague remarks made by AOC on the subject of Israel and Palestine, which he called "incredibly underwhelming."

His failure to recognize Ms O-C's expertise and insight wasn't appreciated by the erstwhile leader of all progressive Forces for Good, who sent the CHiPs around to his apartment California last week to warn him that he'd better stop "threatening" her. Mr Carlson picks up the story....

   

According to the New York Post, AOC's office has asked the concerned public to help identify critics in the past. On February 4th, her campaign e-mailed supporters asking them to "scan your social media to find posts with misleading information" about the congresswoman, and "use the built-in report feature to flag them for moderators."

Walt considers himself warned, and promises to refrain from any further comments about Ms O-C, unless she [Constraints of space force us to delete the rest of this post. Ed.]

VIDEO: Fed-up teacher slams Loudon VA school board's insane racism

Meet Lilit Vanetsyan, a self-described "educator" [Is "teacher" too simple a word for "educators"? Ed.] and reporter with Right Side Broadcasting Network. In only one minute, Ms Vanetsyan exposed the insanity of Marxist critical race theory, as embraced by the Loudoun County (VA) Public Schools.

This "extreme wokeness" (or "woke extremism?") teaches that hidden racism permeates American society, and encourages students to deconstruct the world around them to find hidden racism. Here's what Ms Vanetsyan thinks of it.

 

Critical race theory is the ideology which fueled the violent Black Lives Matter and antifa riots last summer. "Woke" school districts across the Excited States of America have rushed to get on the reverse racism bandwagon, but few more so than Loudoun County Public Schools, in the suburbs of Virginia, northwest of Washington DC.

For the sake of combatting perceived "systemic racism", the LCPS adopted curriculum from the far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and removed the still-popular Dr. Seuss books from its library shelves. See "Walt wishes Dr Seuss a Belated Happy Birthday" and "'The Cat in the Hat' tops Amazon's US best-seller list", and , both WWW 4/3/21.

The LCPS plan also includes the obligatory "anti-racism training' (read" brainwashing) for teachers. Walt has heard that one of the "modules" is entitled "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty", with the text being a book of the same name by Garry Trudeau.  [Ed., you'd better check this.] 

It is also rumoured that "educators" will be required to instruct their impressionable pupils on how to draft and circulate petitions calling for the renaming of the Loudoun County seat, which happens to be, errr... Leesburg... named after... you know who.

Don't be misled by the self-proclaimed good intentions of the SJWs. In the name of promoting "sensitivity" and "tolerance", critical race theory promotes racism and division. 

It's not just whites who are targetted. In a statement released on 23 February, the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York declared, "Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a hateful, divisive, manipulative fraud. One way or another, CRT wants to get rid of ​too many Asians​ in good schools. Asians are over-represented.​ CRT is today’s Chinese Exclusion Act. CRT is the real ​hate crime​ against Asians....

"CRT appears in our workplaces under the cover of ​implicit bias/sensitivity​ ​training​. It infiltrates our schools pretending to be ​culturally/ethnically responsive​ ​pedagogy​, with curricula such as the New York Times' ​1619 Project​ and Seattle’s ​ethnomathematics​. From its very roots, CRT is racist, repressive, discriminatory, and divisive."

VIDEOS: Canuck security minister won't acknowledge Sunni, Shia or Sikh extremism/terror threats

Poor ole Ralph Goodale. The Canuck Minister of Public Safety (kind of like "Homeland Security" in the Paranoid States of America") has been a member of Liberal governments for donkey's years, and always seems to get stuck with the task of explaining and apologizing for the nonsensical policies and actions of the fuzzy-minded one-worlders whom stupid Canucks elected in 2015.

When you don't want to put a Sikh (Hon. Harjit Sajjan -- see yesterday's post) or a Muslim (Hon. Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Refugees) in front of the cameras, it's time to pin the tail on Ralph. Check out his grovelling, mealy-mouthed performance yesterday, in which he defended the removal of three "S-words" from a terror assessment report that is supposed to update Canadians on the major terrorist threats they face.



Since Hon. Ralph didn't actually name names (M-103!), Walt can reveal that the words excised from the report were "Sikh", "Sunni" and "Shia". Here's how the report looked before the PC police got to it.

While the report, first released in December, had initially identified attackers "inspired by violent Sunni Islamist ideology" as the main terrorist threat to Canada, that line has now been cut. All mentions of "Sunni" and "Shia" extremism were also taken out of the annual report, along with section headings on both types of terrorism. The government had already cut the term "Sikh extremism" from the report following complaints from unidentified quarters. A section heading on violence linked to the fight for an independent Sikh homeland (= Khalistan) is now gone. But see "Sikh soldiers from Canada ready to liberate Punjab?", WWW 1/5/19.

The change was announced on Twitter and Facebook by Liberal Member of Parliament Ruby Sahota, who happens to be a Sikh [Really? Ed.] who represents Brampton North, an Ontario riding where Sikhs are the very visible majority. Ms Sahota wrote that she had worked with Hon. Ralph to "remove language... The report no longer contains the terms 'Sikh', 'Shia', and 'Sunni'. Words matter. Our agencies and departments must never equate any one community or entire religions with extremism." M-103!

Ms Sahota's treatment of M-103 as law rather than just an expression of the intent of Parliament is not helpful, according to a former staffer at Public Safety Canada, which produced the threat report. Phil Gurski, a former Canadian Security Intelligence Service analyst, likened the Liberal government's repeated second-guessing of the report to a comedy routine. "To my mind this is just political correctness and electioneering gone mad." Last night he tweeted, "Who is running the show at @Safety_Canada ?? The 2018 terrorist threat report keeps getting changed to appease lobby groups. Soon there will be no terrorist threat to Canada left."

Mr Gurski's opinion is not unanimous. There are lots of patriotic Canadians who agree with Ms Sahota. Here's an earlier video from Global News that presents correct thinking, as interpreted by Canada's lamestream politicians and media. [Why does Trudeau pronounce "Sikh" that way? Ed.] M-103 rules!

UN identifies root cause of terrorism

The following story appeared on the AP mojo wire this morning....

Government envoys, civil society advocates, social media gurus and U.N. officials have started a two-day conference billed as the first of its kind to tackle violent extremism, part of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s efforts to address the root causes of terrorism.

Jehangir Khan, director of a U.N. counterterrorism task force, said violent extremism is threatening all major U.N. missions and noted that Ban has made the issue a priority in his last year in office.

Following terror attacks in Paris, Brussels, Istanbul, Beirut and beyond in recent months, Khan said Thursday: "Today the spectre of violent extremism stalks the world again."

Ban is expected to speak to reporters as the conference, co-sponsored by Switzerland, ends on Friday. The results aim to complement a U.N. review of its counterterrorism strategy this June.

Let me précis that. Violent extremism is the root cause of terrorism. Thank God we have the United Nations to tell us that! It would be even more helpful if they could identify the religion/culture that embraces and preaches violent extremism. 

US Army brands Walt and Ed. "extremists"

Yes, dear readers, we've finally been outed. Walt [and Ed. Ed.] are members of a group of dangerous extremists. So says "Extremism and Extremist Organizations" -- a slide presentation used in training US Army Reserves in Pennsylvania.

Please don't check your calendar. April Fools Day has come and gone, but this Army training material is real! Click on the link and check it out for yourself. Scroll through to Slide 24 and you'll find a list of 17 forms or types of "religious extremism", such as the Ku Klux Klan and National of Islam. Also included are "Catholicism" and -- at the top of the list, no less "evangelical Christianity".

The text below the slide explains that “Every religion has some followers that believe that their beliefs, customs, and traditions are the only ‘right way’ and that all others are practicing their faith ‘the wrong way,’ seeing and believing that their faith/religion superior to all others.” [sic]

Well, DUH. If you don't believe your faith is "the right way", then why would you hold to that faith? Practising Christians -- and Jews and Muslims and Hindus and so forth -- cling to the tenets and practices of their religions precisely because they believe that doing so will make them better people/please God/save their souls/whatever. That's what they -- I should say "we" -- believe.

Last time I looked at the Constitution of the US of A -- not to mention that of other so-called "Christian" nations -- freedom of religion was guaranteed. An American, Aussie, Brit or Canuck [That's enough citizenships. Ed.] is free to believe whatever he or she pleases...even if he or she is wrong.

You would think, wouldn't you, that the Army of the US of A would be required to uphold and protect the principle of religious freedom. Apparently not. Slide 4 says, “Extremist organizations’ goals are inconsistent with the Army’s goals, beliefs, and values with regard to equal opportunity.”

Which means that, in the words of Slide 5, "Soldiers are prohibited from participating in an extremist organization’s public demonstration or rally, taking a visible leadership role in the organization, or distributing literature on behalf of the organization." That part about "a visible leadership role" would seem to place Army chaplains in an invidious position, to say the least. And God help the evangelical Christian soldier who distributes Bibles!

The slide presentation prompted a protest from the (US) Archdiocese for the Military Services. Its call for a review of Army training materials states "The Archdiocese is astounded that Catholics were listed alongside groups that are, by their very mission and nature, violent and extremist." Sounds to Walt like that's extremist language right there!

What the slide presentation really is is yet another example of the aggressive secularism and extreme political correctness which permeates the US government -- every root and every branch -- under Barack Hussein Obama.

The Archdiocese "calls on the Department of Defense to review these materials and to ensure that taxpayer funds are never again used to present blatantly anti-religious material to the men and women in uniform." If you're American and you agree, write to your Congressperson... as if it will do any good.

Footnote: According to Slide 24, "Mormans" [sic] are extremists too. Walt and Ed. are not "Mormans" or even "Mormons". And we wish they'd stop knocking on the door of our log cabin. But we think they're entitled to believe in the golden plates and all that without being demonized by the US Army.

Muslims on the march in Britain -- scary stuff!

In "Islamization of Ontario schools still part of government agenda" I mentioned a video, recently forwarded by Agent 6, showing Muslim fanatics marching through the streets of Luton, England. Their message: British police should go to hell! So should all "non-believers", meaning not Christians, Jews and... well... everyone except devout Muslims.

Ed. has located the file, so here it is. Turn the sound down if the voice of a shrill female with a horrible accent bothers you, but do have a good look and listen closely to the faces and voices of "the Muslim community" in a typical British city today.



So, gentle reader, how is it in your city? Still think we should all be tolerant and make nice with our newly-arrived Muslim neighbours?

How can we be silent in the face of Islamization of our country?

Martin Niemöller was a Protestant pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. He was an anti-Communist and, frightened by the Bolshevik takeover of Russia, at first supported Hitler's rise to power. But when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became disillusioned, and led a group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler.

In 1937, Niemöller was arrested and eventually confined in Sachsenhausen and Dachau. His crime was "not being enthusiastic enough about the Nazi movement". You have probably seen a version of his famous statement, "First they came...", frequently quoted as a warning about the dangers of political apathy. Here's one version...

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Catholic
Then they came for me
And there was no one left to speak for me.

Walt was reminded of this by an article sent to me by Agent 17. It begins with a quote from an (apparently fictional) German psychiatrist, a survivor of World War II, who was asked how many German people were true Nazis. His answer should guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

"Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, like the majority, I just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world as we knew it had come

Compare this with the Islamization of Europe and North America which is being perpetrated by Muslim extremists right now, while we, the silent majority of Western "Christians" -- like the three wise monkeys -- see nothing, hear nothing, and say nothing.

We are told again and again by "experts" and the talking heads of the lamestream media that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. This may be true, but so what? It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave.

It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The fact is that the peaceful majority of Muslims is a silent majority -- cowed and extraneous to the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic fundamentalists. The Soviet Union was populated by millions of Russians (and other nationalities) who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Soviet Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

The majority of China's 1.3 billion (and counting) people are peaceful too, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people. The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians -- most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And who can forget the more recent example of Rwanda, which collapsed into tribal butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace-loving"?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points. Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because -- like Pastor Niemöller -- they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the world as they knew it is at an end.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us Westerners, we must pay attention to the only group that counts -- the fanatics who threaten our way of life. We may be witnessing the beginning of the end, not just of their world, but of our own!

Footnote: The Afghan Taliban today launched a major spring offensive, with multiple attacks against Western embassies in the central diplomatic area and parliament in Kabul. Explosions, rockets and gunfire are rattling the city even as I write, and scores of casulaties are reported.

Follow-up: RCMP investigates threats against Indo-Canadian MP

Earlier this week, in a post headed "Sikh, Sikh, Sikh", I shared with you quotes by Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh on the subject of Sikh extremism and terrorism. Predictably, Mr. Dosanjh has now been threatened with death by anonymous posters on Facebook. Here is the Canadian Press report, as published in today's Toronto Star.

Members of the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team are investigating threats against B.C. MP Ujjal Dosanjh. Insp. Paul Richardson says his team was informed Thursday of what he described as “very serious” threats posted on Facebook, and an investigation is underway.

Several of the entries have been removed from the site but at least one posting on Friday morning urged the assassination of the Indo-Canadian politician, saying it would be better to pierce Dosanjh with bullets than compassion.

Dosanjh has been an outspoken critic of Sikh extremism, and most recently sounded the alarm that extremism might be on the rise in Canada after he was the target of veiled threats on a Punjabi-language radio show. He says some of the postings have been printed for him and “Canadians should take these threats very seriously as an indication of poisoned minds, born and raised in Canada.”

The one-time B.C. premier has received threats in the past and was severely beaten in 1985 for his condemnation of Sikh violence in the Punjab during the Khalistan separatist movement.

Innocent questions: Who do you suppose the anonymous posters might be? Do you think they might wear turbans? If any are ever identified, do you think they'll be prosecuted for uttering threats or hate crimes? Answers on the back of a postage stamp to Walt at the usual address.

Also see: "Canadian Sikhs: The shaming of the majority by the brutality of the few", by Anthony Reinhart, from the Globe and Mail, 25/4/10.