What happens if you kill an animal in Toronto

A few weeks back, a resident of Toronto, fed up with raccoons rummaging in his garbage and his garden, beat a couple to death with a shovel. A neighbour (and animal-lover) saw the commotion, called 9-1-1, and before you could say "Doctor Dolittle", the miscreant was hauled off to the bureau de gendarmerie and charged with cruelty to animals.

This weekend, also in The Little Apple, two men slaughtered a sheep in a city park. Police were called by a woman claiming she saw someone trying to escape from the trunk of a car. She managed to get the licence plate and officers later found the vehicle in a northwest Toronto neighbourhood. Inside the trunk were binder twine, duct tape (the handyman's secret weapon) and, errr, sheep shit. Or possibly cherry stones. Hard for a cop to be sure.

Moments after the car was located, two men came running towards it, and were about to be taken into custody. However, they told officers that they had sacrificed a sheep, which they bought for about $150 from a farm [Cash? No sales tax? Ed.] in York Region. They slaughtered the sheep for good luck, they explained.

What are the chances, Walt asks, of charges being laid against the sheep-killers? Would they be treated more severeley than someone who kills a raccoon? After all, sheep are bigger! (Not cuter though. Have you ever really looked at a sheep, close up?)

Perhaps it depends who...or what...you are. The distraught gardener who slew the coons is Vietnamese. The two men who wanted to get lucky are most likely not Vietnamese. It's more likely that they are "south Asians", as the lamestream press calls Indians and Pakistanis these days. And quite possibly Muslims to boot. So that will be all right then.

War criminals: wanted by the CBSA, protected by the CBC

Earlier this month, the Canada Border Services Agency (counterpart to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services) published a list of 30 international war criminals believed to be hiding in Canada. Some of them are legal immigrants. And you won't be surprised to know that some of them are not.

According to the CBSA's website, "These individuals are the subject of an active Canada-wide warrant for removal because they are inadmissible to Canada. It has been determined that they violated human or international rights under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act or under international law." Here's the list.

This list, or at least a link to it, has been published by virtually every newspaper and TV network or station in Canada. Except the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The "people's network" -- for it is largely funded by the state, that is the Canadian taxpayer -- has reported the story, after a fashion, but steadfastly refuses to give the names, let alone show the pictures of the wanted men.

Why? The CBC cites privacy concerns. Yet when warrants are issued for the arrest of people like Tubby Black and DSK, their alleged crimes get extensive coverage.

The real reason for the CBC's reticence, Walt can reveal, is political correctness. If you haven't already done so, check out the list. Note the ethnicity of those at large. Not one North American in the lot. Otherwise, a real United Nations: some South Americans and east Europeans, several Africans and Asians. Yes a real mixed bag -- racially mixed and religiously mixed, with several Muslims in the list.

But there's one thing they all these "usual suspects" have in common. They're all immigrants -- legal or otherwise. And that's why the CBC won't identify them. Because the Canadian public might somehow get the impression that amongst the barrels of immigrants being welcomed through Canada's porous borders are more than a few bad apples.

The Canadian Broadcorping Castration, you see, does not agree with their government's plans to crack down on immigration and crime. Rounding up and deporting a few bogus refugees? Stripping criminals of their citizenship and sending them back whence they came? Oh no! That would be contrary to the ideals of multiculturalism and diversity which are so good for Canada and so universally admired by all right-thinking people.

If you're Canadian, and you are fed up with the CBC's constant pushing of multiculturalism, gay rights, and the rest of the left-liberal agenda, you can write to: Audience Relations, CBC, P.O. Box 500 Station A, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5W 1E6

Send a copy to your Member of Parliament. You don't need to spend 59 cents (plus tax) on a stamp. It's free to send anything -- even a cow patty in a brown envelope (not recommended by Walt!) -- to [Name of your member] MP, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0A6.

It probably won't do you any good, but it'll make you feel better.

If you don't like sending snail-mail by Canada Post (and who could blame you?), go to this page and you'll find a form you can use to send an e-mail. The CBC is constantly encouraging viewers/listeners to send e-mails, but Walt suspects that they're only counted, not read. However, because no-one writes letters any more, you're might actually get a response to a real letter.

Things White People Like

Found an interesting blog: Stuff White People Like. Apparently it's very popular, claiming 83,202,905 hits as of this morning. That's at least 83 million more than Walt's blog.

The title is a bit misleading. It should actually called Things White Liberal Americans Like. One of the 134 entries (No. 75) is "Threatening to Move to Canada". A footnote adds that Canadian liberals threaten to move to Europe, and Europeans are unable to threaten to move anywhere.

Other articles include "Expensive Sandwiches", "Bottles of Water" and "Multilingual Children". Worth a look, unless you're a white American liberal, in which case you probably will either be offended or not get it. "Doesn't everyone like these things?"

Overheard on Air Force One

Tradition dictates that the first trip abroad by a new U.S. president should be to Canada. Following the tradition, the just-inaugurated President Obama went to Ottawa -- the second-coldest capital city in the world* -- on February 19, 2009.

Walt has just received, in a small brown envelope, an audio tape of a conversation on the Air Force One intercom, between the Prez and the pilot. Apparently the Leader of the Free World and Defender of Democracy wasn't sure of the name of the Canadian Prime Minister and was looking for some advice. Here's what was said...

BHO: Captain, this is your President.
Pilot: Yes, Mr. President. How can I help you?
BHO: Do you know who's the President of Canada?
Pilot: I believe they call him "Prime Minister", sir, not "President".
BHO: Well, do you know who's Prime Minister of Canada?
Pilot: Yes...
BHO: Yes, who?
Pilot: Yes, Mr. President!

* Ulan Bataar, Mongolia. You're welcome.

Karzai's time just about up

On July 18th, Walt predicted the imminent demise of Hamid Karzai, the so-called democratically elected president of Armpitistan.

This morning brings news from Reuters that Haidam Hamidi, the mayor of Kandahar city, was killed in a suicide bomb attack on Wednesday. Kandahar is the area recently vacated by Canadian troops, who, having succeeded in pacifying the Taliban/insurgents/crazy ragheads, went home. Some pacification, EH.

The assassination was perpetrated by yet another suicide bomber. No word yet about whether he had the bomb hidden in his turban. It comes just two weeks after the assassination of President Krazai’s brother, Wally, in the same city.

Reuters now says there's a power vacuum in Kandahar. Alas, no wall outlet into which to plug it. When will the Krazai guy join the others in paradise to be serviced by 72 virgins? Stay tuned!

Nutbars left and right

Having been accused myself of being a racist right-winger*, I must say something about Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian who stands accused of killing 93 people and injuring many more in attacks on Friday.

It has been suggested in the lamestream press that Breivik did what he allegedly did because he's anti-Muslim, anti-multiculturalism, a fascist, a nazi, a blonde white guy, and probably can't ski either. Putting it another way, the suggestion is that Breivik, although he appears quite rational, is a raving racist loony monster. QED.

I understand where Breivik (according to his own public utterances) is coming from. There are lots of perfectly valid reasons to be against Muslims and against multiculturalism, both of which threaten what's left of our Christian, European civilization. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people hold similar views, although you'll never know it because polls showing such are routinely suppressed by the PC correct media.

However... neither I nor any right-thinking person [Could you define that term? Ed.] could possibly endorse the means Breivik has chosen to make his point. There is no -- absolutely no -- way that using the tactics of al-Qaeda and the Taliban will help to defeat terrorism. Anyone who kills innocent civilians, especially women and children (hello NATO!) descends to the level of those who find Osama Bin Laden an inspiring leader.

Terrorism, whether emanating from the extreme right, the extreme left or the extreme centre, is immoral. End of story...for now.

* I am a tired (but lovable) old man, and have lived long enough to know that the idea that "we are all the same under the skin" is bovine excrement. That makes me not a racist, but a realist.

Escaping the inevitable decline of South Africa

There hasn't been a lot about South Africa in the news lately. Compared with the "Arab spring" sweeping North Africa, the Western campaign to turn Libya into a heap of rubble, civil wars in west and central Africa, and famine in east Africa, not much is going on in the south.

Yet South Africans of the pale pink variety are deserting the ship which is slowly sinking into the morass of corruption, incompetence and chaos that is Africa today. They are coming to "white" countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in record numbers.

The UK, however, is not a preferred destination because South Africans, particularly the Afrikaners, remember that it was once-great Britain (and later the United States of Civil Rights) that forced majority (i.e. black) rule on a country that wasn't ready for it, and was getting along quite nicely, thank you, as it was.

The Afrikaners - white South Africans of Dutch, German and French Huguenot descent - had their first real beef with the British in the mid-19th century. They got understandably tired of being told by English missionaries how to deal with the "noble savages", how to govern their society, even how to worship. So they left, trekking north across the Oranje and Vaal rivers to establish their own republics: the Transvaal and the Oranje Vrijstaat (Orange Free State).

Fair enough? Not in the eyes of the British. There followed a series of wars between the imperialist Brits and the fiercely independent Boers, as the Afrikaners became known. ("Boer" means "farmer", and that's what most of them were.) The first was in 1880-1. The second and third lasted from 1899 through 1902 and are collectively known here as "the Boer War".

The conflict is known in South Africa as "the Anglo-Boer Wars", which is more accurate as the British were the instigators. They sought to impose one-man-one-vote democracy, enforced racial equality, English law and the English language on a society not suited to any of those things. (Reminds you of the Middle East today, doesn't it?) For their part, the Afrikaners wanted only to be left alone.

The British won the war, not without more than a little difficulty in spite of a huge superiority of men and materiel. The definitive account of how they did so - including a description of British concentration camps - is to be found in The Boer War, by Thomas Pakenham (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1979; Futura Books, 1982). An earlier, shorter book of the same title was written by John Selby, and published by Arthur Barker Ltd., London, 1969.

In his The Boer War, Selby states, as the fact is, that although the British won the war, the Boers won the peace. One of the terms of the 1902 treaty that ended the war was that the Afrikaners could decide racial questions for themselves. In 1948 the mainly Afrikaner Nationalist party won the union-wide election. It then applied the policy of separate development - "apartheid" - to the entire country.

Selby says: In 1899, although world opinion favoured the Boers, many individual countries supported the British. In 1968 it seems that world opinion is against the South African government...but as in 1899, a large body of opinion is on their side. This group applauds the success the South Africans have made of their ecnomy...and it watches, with some sympathy, the South African government trying to do its best for the country.

That was in 1968. The campaign of the one-worlders and reverse racists against "white supremacy" intensified throughout the 60s, particularly in Britain and America. Britain divested itself of its African colonies, long before they were ready to manage their own affairs. And in the USA the civil rights movement and that great lover of racial equality, LBJ, brought about the "reforms" that have produced the peaceful and harmonious society Americans enjoy today.

We return to Selby: There are obviously some things that are wrong in South Africa...but to many observers the present government appears to be handling their task with common sense, and to be trying to be as fair as they can to all races, faced as they are with such a racial mixture.

The government undoubtedly believes that, geared as it is to Western industrialization, South Africa without white men to run it would certainly face economic ruin and might even become a Congo or Nigeria. And they are not willing that either should happen.

The South African government to which Selby refers handed power to the black majority in 1994, thanks largely to pressure from the "white" governments of the West. The world waits now, hoping (but not betting) that Selby will be proven wrong. White South Africans, however, are voting once more...with their feet.

Amazing American author knows his hockey

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be singing the praises of a book about hockey penned ["keyboarded", surely. Ed.] by an American. But today's the day.

C. Michael Hiam was born in Boston in 1962, and came of age as a hockey fan at the height of the Bobby Orr era. As an undergraduate, he both played hockey and attended as many Bruins games as he could. Today, Hiam is a licensed psychologist, living in Newton MA. When he's not picking wigs, he coaches in the Newton Youth Hockey Association.

His book, Eddie Shore and That Old Time Hockey, is a masterpiece of sports literature, or at least hockey literature. On the subject of what led him to write it, Hiam has to says:

I initially set out to write a book about the Big Bad Bruins of the Bobby Orr years, late 1960s and early 1970s. A few weeks into my research, however, I realized, for various reasons, that I this was not a book that I really wanted to write and so began to cast around for another subject.

Eddie Shore came to mind, and I was surprised to learn that relatively little biographical work had been done on him despite the fact that he was such a giant — and a colorful and controversial one at that — of NHL history. So, I buckled down and began to write about his life and hockey times.

For me, [the book] represents the days when the sport was considerably more violent than it is today, when it was (with the rare exception) purely Canadian, when most players were expected to give generously of their blood, and where colorful personalities, both on and off the ice, defined the game.

What I (Walt) find amazing and praiseworthy is that this American superfan never once minimizes the Canadianness of the game, as it was back in the day. Nor does he attempt to inflate the contribution made by his compatriots. Americans who played and developed the professional game receive due recognition, but no more.

Not only that. Hiam takes great care to get his Canadian spelling and geography correct, right down to the accents on the French names. Considering that virtually everyone who played with or against Eddie Shore -- including many virtual unknowns -- gets a mention in the book, Hiam has done a helluva job on his research. In fact, the five pages of source notes make a fine starting point for anyone who wants to read all there is to read about hockey and the NHL.

One thing bothers me though. Hiam tells Shore stories by the score [Still punning, eh? Ed.] but never repeats, even to deny it, the anecdote told by Don Cherry (the Mouth of the North) about Shore's method of training a goalie to stand up. Exasperated by a goalie who went down too early, Shore, during practice, threw a rope over one of the arena rafters, and tied the other end in a noose around the hapless goalie's neck, forcing him to stay upright or be hanged. So the story goes. Wonder if it's true...

Eddie Short and That Old Time Hockey is published in the USA by Random House and in Canada by McLelland & Stewart. Walt recommends the book most highly to anyone who knows who Art Ross was.

Readers' comments that needed editing

Hi. Ed here. Walt and I always welcome readers' comments and feedback. For my sins, Walt makes me "moderate" [meaning "edit"! Walt] them before posting them. Or not. Here are a couple that wanted a bit of moderation.

"Ambler Nagy" is duelling in cyberspace with our old friend, fraud and fake "Kemi Olunyoyo", or whatever her name is today. He directs our attention to "Who is Kemi". Interesting reading.

I note that comments from the Nigerian Nemesis are still appearing in the online editions of a couple of newspapers, but it's been a while since she's been interviewed by the Canadian Broadcorping Castration.

Kasidy Nelles writes about Help Kids Canada, which is still sending kids door to door and standing them in front of banks and supermarkets to hawk chocolate bars, supposedly in aid of a worthy cause.

Here's what Kasidy says: "I just recently quit from this job. I worked for [name and Niagara region phone number supplied] for about 5 months and I'm disgusted at what I'm hearing. I cannot believe I was tricked into this. I'm only 13 years old! Douche."

People of Walmart

Reacting to yesterday's post on the subject of the new oppressed minority (or white trash, or chavs...whatever), the shy and reclusive Agent 1 has drawn Walt's attention to the existence of a whole website devoted to ordinary people...the people of Walmart. Here's a sample of the trashy pictures you'll see there.


Be warned that there's worse...much worse. If ever your self-esteem is a little on the low side, check out the Walmart shoppers; you'll definitely feel much better about your ownself!

More about chavs

According to Wikipedia, the word "chav" (see previous post) probably has its origins in the Romani word "chavi", meaning "child" or "chavo" meaning "boy", or "chavvy", meaning "youth". The word may have entered the English language through the Geordie dialect word "charva", meaning a rough child.

Many urban legends have sprung up around the etymology of the word. These include the backronym "Council Housed And Violent" or "Council House Associated Vermin". Though widely known and believed, these are definitely recent after-the-event inventions as attempts to explain the word.

The widespread use of the "chav" stereotype has come in for some criticism as amounting to no more than simple snobbery and elitism. Critics of the term have argued that its users are "neo-snobs", and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class.

In a February 2005 article in The Times, Julie Burchill argued that use of the word is a form of "social racism", and that such "sneering" reveals more about the shortcomings of the "chav-haters" than those of their supposed victims. The writer John Harris argued along similar lines in a 2007 article in The Guardian. And that is the premise of Owen Jones's book, referred to in my last post.

Do we have chavs in North America? Your comments are invited.

The new oppressed minority

Rednecks. Trailer trash. White trash. Or...a little more gently...poor whites. There's millions of these "ordinary people" out there. I shop with them at Walmart. And I listen to the stories of their pathetic lives every day on Judge Judy. (Yes, yes. I know a lot of the "litigants" on Judge Judy represent the black underclass, but those aren't the ones we're talking about.)

In Britain they have another word for the young, "disadvantaged" louts you see hanging out at the malls and the welfare office. The word is "chav". Here's a picture of the female of the species.

A chav is a stereotype of certain people -- aggressive teenagers, of working class background -- who repeatedly engage in anti-social behaviour such as street drinking, drug abuse, rowdiness and other forms of juvenile delinquency. Although the term is most often used to describe teenagers, today's teen chavs are tomorrow's adult chavs. "Chavhood" is forever, it seems, and represents a huge social problem in today's Britain... and America... and Canada.

What do we do for... or with... the chavs? That's the theme of a new book by Owen Jones: Chavs: the Demonization of the Working Class. Jones says that looking down on, and putting down poor whites has now become completely acceptable to urban liberals. On the other hand, the poor from other ethnic groups are trated with respect, assumed to be the victims of racism, and showered with welfare and special programs to help them become, errr, not chavs.

This phenomenon has interesting political ramifications. The "elite" view of poor whites is one of the reasons for the populist backlash against the liberal parties of the USA, UK and Canada. These parties used to be the champions of the common man, the defenders of the poor, of families, of "ordinary people". Now the liberals have abadoned the white lower classes in favour of hipper minorities. (Hello refugees!)

Will the liberals get away with neglecting the man and woman on the 113 bus? Probably, because no matter how much the Tea Partiers might wish otherwise, the poor white minority doesn't vote.

End nears for Krazai guy

Walt's been off for three days. The heat makes my beard feel hot and itchy and I get too grumpy even to write.

Besides, not much has happened. I note, though, that Taliban gunmen took out Jan Mohammed Khan, an adviser to Ahmid Karzai, the democratically elected President of Afraghanistan. Khan, who was governor of Uruzgan province in the southern part of the armpit from 2002 until March 2006, was shot along with Uruzgan lawmaker Mohammed Ashim Watanwal.

Last week, you will recall, the Taliban (or somebody) put away the President's half-brother, Wally. Then a suicide bomber sent himself and five others to paradise at Wally's memorial service.

So there's the half-brother gone, and now two of the Prez's close advisers and fellow tribesmen. Getting pretty close to The Man Himself, wouldn't you say? Walt predicts that before the end of 2011, Karzai will either have been assassinated or fled to sanctuary in a friendly country -- Iran, perhaps. You read it here first. Lifetime pct: .977.

Footnote: The suicide bomber who self-detonated last week had the bomb hidden in his turban. It could happen here because, of course, we wouldn't deny someone the right to wear the headgear prescribed by his religion. Mustn't discriminate.

Canadians quit; Kandahar reverts to Afghan type

Catching up on the latest news from Armpitistan. The Canadians pulled out of Kandahar province on time -- the "withdrawal method" in action -- and the chickens immediately came home to roost.

Kandahar was ruled, in theory and in practice, by Ahmed Wali Karzai, half-brother of democratically elected Afghan President Hamid Krazai. The Canadian forces in his fiefdom were criticized for propping up the murderous, thieving, corrupt scumbag, but Steve Harpoon's government said that without his strong presence on the local throne, things would get even worse.

No sooner had the Canadians left than Wally's presence turned into an absence, thanks to a case of lead poisoning administered by one of his own bodyguards. And who bribed the bodyguard to do the deed? Some say it was the Yanks wot killed Wally! If not, the Taliban would no doubt have done for him before much longer.

Having been too late to get AWK (as Wally was known), the Taliban got in on the action by sending forth a suicide bomber, who walked into the mosque where the obsequies were being held, and blew himself to little Talibanbits, along with five mourners. Fifteen others were wounded.

Kandahar City had now turned into a ghost-town, as national and "coalition" forces patrol the streets in huge numbers. Citizens are taking discretion as the better part of valour, remaining indoors. Shops are closed and life has pretty much come to a standstill, as everyone waits for the retaliation which is sure to follow.

Meanwhile the Canadian media are falling all over their politically correct selves with glowing wrap-ups of the "success" of the Canadian mission. "Journalists" on the scene in Kandahar are practically wetting themselves jumping out of the way of their own shadows, all the while singing the praises of the Canadian troops and the benefits of peace and democracy which they've brought to the armpit of the world. As Edna Krabopple would say, "HAH!"

Insulting the President

In "Sticks 'n' stones" I asked you to believe that, if I chose to, I could find strong words with which to insult President Bush or any other president. A reader challenges me to give an example. I will give two.

I could have said that President Carter is so dumb that even the Peachtree Street dogs don't think it worth their while to growl at him.

But I didn't.

I could have called President Clinton a smug, ignorant, self-opinionated, addle-pated, spud-faced, snotty-nosed, mealy-mouthed, clap-ridden gobshite.

But I forebore.

So rather than be excoriated for referring to President Bush II as "Dubya" and "the Bushman", I feel I should be commended for my self-control. Three cheers and a tiger for me!

Offensive names

Speaking of names that could be found either funny or offensive -- the distinction is in the mind of the reader -- I'll pass along a true story recounted by my role model, Fred C. Dobbs, the Bard of Beamsville.

For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, Toronto was part of the County of York. In those days it was a very WASP town, home to many Masonic lodges and huge Orange parades, and very proud of its British ancestry and connections. Like all proper English counties, it had a hunt club, where the landed gentry donned their pinks and rode to the hounds.

Naturally, it was called the York Hunt.

In the 1940s-50s, horse racing was considerably more popular in Ontario than it is now. Back then, going to the races was the only legal form of gambling known in the province.

Many of the owners had not just a desire to increase their wealth, but a sense of humour as well. One of them named a promising thoroughbred after the hunt club, thinking that it would be great fun to hear the track announcers choke on the name, especially since the faster you say it, the more it sounds like, errr...

Well, one announcer -- perhaps the legendary Darryl Wells, but I can't remember -- was a gentleman of the old school, and there was no way he was going to say "those words". He would refer to York Hunt as "the number 5 [or whatever] horse", "you know who" or, simply "that horse".

Today, of course, the Ontario Jockey Club wouldn't register the name in the first place. Just like the chap in Florida -- see previous post -- too many people have lost their sense of humour.

Sticks 'n' stones

Had an angry e-mail today from a chap in Florida -- a Glenn Beck fan, it appears -- who was offended that I referred (elsewhere) to a former president of the USA as "Dubya" and "the Bushman". Those are "insulting terms", I'm told.

Well, c'mon... Even the junior Bush's friends called him "Dubya". As for "the Bushman", I used it only as a familiar or slang term, in the same way I might have referred to a couple of his predecessors as "Ronnie", "LBJ" or "Tricky Dick". If I really wanted to insult someone, president or lesser mortal, I could find much stronger words. Believe me.

I think there are a lot of Americans, on the right and left of the political spectrum, who need to lighten up. As I said in reply to the e-mail, "It's never wise to be too reverent or serious about our politicians. Life -- especially political life -- is too short to take too seriously."

Over two years, still here

When I started this blog, on July 3, 2009, someone told me that the average blog lasts about two months and over that time attracts about 20 visits.

Just over two years and well over 800 posts later, I would say we (Walt and Ed.) have done OK. We don't count readers or visits, but I know from comments and other feedback that you're out there.

Thank you to our agents, and to you, our assiduous readers. Keep in touch.

Planned Parenthood: widespread abuse revealed

On July 7th, Americans United for Life released its investigative report on Planned Parenthood. The Case for Investigating Planned Parenthood asks Congress to consider the step already taken by several American states, cutting public funding for America’s busiest abortion provider.

The report calls for a full investigation into the misuse of over $350 million in government funding received by Planned Parenthood each year. “It’s really, really time to take a very hard look at them and what it is that they are doing with our money,” said AUL president Charmaine Yoest.

Analyzing records from 20 years of Planned Parenthood activity, the AUL report found widespread evidence of problems including: misuse of federal funds, failure to report sexual abuse of minors, efforts to thwart parental-notification laws, cooperation with criminal activities such as prostitution, inappropriate use of abortifacient chemicals, and distribution of inaccurate information about the medical effects of abortion and of contraceptives.

Islam, imams and the Canadian Charter of Rights

Walt is still waiting for Christian clerics to say something -- anything -- about the Toronto District School Board's decision to allow Muslim imams to lead Friday prayers in their schools. Bishops and pastors may be silent, but, inevitably, constitutional law experts are starting to cast a few pearls.

Donning the boxing gloves lawyers use to pick flyspecks out of pepper, the University of Toronto's Ed Morgan told parentcentral.ca cases under the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms have said ... you cannot accommodate the desire for prayers or religious instruction in a public school. Something after school, or on weekends, would be fine, he added. So it would seem the Charter operates only during business hours!

Another way around the problem is suggested by Shaikh Yusuf Badat, imam of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto. "I trained students from Lester Pearson Collegiate near our centre in Scarborough to do [run] their own Friday service.... They’ll write sermons about things like honesty and I provide the readings for them from the Qu’ran. There are no hard and fast rules about it having to be led by an imam, and if there are concerns about an outside person coming in, even a Grade 8 student can be trained to deliver a sermon," he said. Of course, he added, it would have to be a male. Of course.

Our last comment today comes from TDSB trustee Gerri Gershon, responding to questions about what "accommodation" is made for Christian students. "The system is set up to accommodate Christian students; Christmas and Easter are already holidays," she said. Ms Gershon is, errr, of the Hebrew faith.

Canada Post: is dis a system?

Yesterday, July 8th, Walt received a letter posted from Canada's biggest city on June 10th. Agent 3 says the delay was caused by Canada Post/Postes Canada being on strike "as far as we can tell".

Canada Post's American equivalent, the USPS, sells "forever" stamps. No matter what you pay -- the price will increase with inflation -- each "forever" stamp is good forever. It says so on the stamp.

Agent 3 reports that Canada Post has similar stamps which just bear the legend "P", presumably for "permanent". Perhaps they were afraid that customers would take "forever" to mean the amount of time it takes them to deliver a letter.

UK school's "IslamSoc" closed

From the Noticeboard of the New Coalition Academy (formerly Brown's Comprehensive)

Mrs. May is very sorry, but she has had to close down the school's popular IslamSoc. A number of pupils attending the inspiring lectures given by visiting imams, such as Abu Hanzof and Mullah Lite, have been getting over-excited and may have been implicated in the attempts to blow up the girls' dance class on the grounds of "immodesty". You can't be too careful.

Source: Private Eye. It's just possible this may be a piece of satire.

Muslim prayers in Toronto schools: a Muslim viewpoint

Another voice heard from in the ongoing controversy over the Toronto District School Board's policy of allowing Muslim imams to conduct Friday prayer services in at least one so-called public school. Here's part of what the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, had to say in an interview with the Toronto Sun.

According to Tarek Fatah, the prayer sessions — traditionally set up with boys in the front and girls behind them — are patriarchal and should not be conducted in publicly-funded schools. "My concern is the Toronto District School Board (is) using tax money to tell girls that they are second-class citizens."

He charged that proponents of the prayer sessions are allowing them to happen because of "white, liberal guilt". Well, imagine that! Isn't that what Walt -- and so many others outside the lamestream media -- have been saying for years! Perhaps now that a beneficiary of the liberal guilt complex says it, someone will listen.

A spokesthingy for the TDSB confirmed today that prayer sessions at Valley Park Middle School are "traditional", with boys and girls as Mr. Fatah says. The spokesperson saying so is Shari Schwartz-Maltz, who, as her name suggests, is ... errr ... not Muslim.

Mr. Fatah also played the race card, with a remarkably fine backhand shot. "Deep inside" he said, "is a racist view that Muslims are not considered equal human beings, and that they can treat women how they want, and it’s nobody else’s concern."

He explained that strict Islamic traditions dictate that young women who begin menstruating must be singled out and sent to the back of the room while the prayer session is taking place. "It’s a fearful time for a young woman to get her first period, and right at that time you have this man (the imam) telling them they are unclean. That should not happen in Canada."

Walt is still waiting for a Christian leader -- any old Christian leader -- to weigh in on this topic.

Update on Islamization of Toronto schools

In "Tolerant Toronto", Walt told you how the Toronto District School Board, champion of keeping religion out of Ontario's public schools, was providing facilities for Muslim prayers at its Valley Park Middle School. A protest is to be mounted by Canadian Hindu Advocacy.

Now comes news that two other powerful advocacy groups are joining the anti-Muslim chorus. [Don't you mean "speaking out for separation of church and state"? Ed.] The usual suspects now advocating freedom from religion now include the Canadian Secular Alliance and the Jewish Defence League.

No surprises there, then. Oh... wait... The Jewish Defence League??!! The Canadian Secular Alliance, Walt can understand. The name says it all. But is the JDL really saying that the TDSB is going too far in inviting a religious leader to lead services on school property? Suppose the services were being organized for the Jewish kids and led by a rabbi? What would the JDL say then?

Let me guess at the answer. The Jews might well say that they have their own schools in which little Jewish kids can learn Hebrew and practise their religion. Because that's the case. Toronto's Jews are an older, more established community than Toronto's Muslims. And, yes, richer. They don't need the "accommodation" of the TDSB.

But let us not accuse the JDL of inconsistency. Those of the Hebrew persuasion have always been in the forefront of the fight to get religion -- meaning Christianity -- out of the schools and other public institutions in Canada and the USA. Look at the names of those who have led and supported the JDL, the ACLU/CCLA, and other secular and humanist organizations. You won't find many O'Rourkes or Husseins.

What Toronto is seeing is another skirmish in the jihad, the "holy war" against Christianity and Christians. The camel's nose is now in door of the public schoolroom. How long will we have to wait to see the demand for "equal accommodation" in the Catholic schools? And will the private schools follow? What would the JDL say about that?

Tolerant Toronto

Toronto -- the one in Canada -- has to be the most multicultural city on earth. Well, in North America at least. OK, maybe in Canada. Or at least Ontario. But it really is like the United Nations there, a great, big lovey-dovey rainbow nation. The civic anthem is "Kumbaya" and everyone holds hands in a great big circle when they sing it, after which they all exchange big warm hugs.

Except maybe when it comes to religion. The province of Ontario has two separate, publicly-funded school systems. One is Catholic, albeit in name only as there are no priests or religious teachers, and no instruction in the Faith. Why not? That would offend all the non-Catholic students whom the Catholic schools are obliged to accept because they receive the government's dollar.

The other school system is resolutely secular. No religious observance of any kind is allowed. Period. Fifty years ago students were compelled to recite the Lord's Prayer (the Protestant version of the Our Father) before the start of classes. No more. And they don't sing "O Canada" any more so they don't have to cope with the phrase "God keep our land..."

Yep, secular humanism is the order of the day in Ontario's public schools.Except for Valley Park Middle School in Toronto. For three years now Valley Park's administration has been allowing a local imam to use the school's facilities to hold Friday prayers for the school's Muslim students. This is supposed to help with the safety of students, who don't have to leave school to go to the mosque. Obviously this was a problem since many of the little Muslims failed to return to class after Friday services.

School officials said the prayer sessions are working well and they haven’t been approached about making changes. Until last week. Even though school's out for the summer, the Canadian Hindu Advocacy is now planning to protest outside Valley Way until the prayer sessions are stopped.

“This is alarming and unacceptable,” said Advocacy director Ron Banerjee. “We respect the separation of church and state. There’s not supposed to be any religious classes taking place in public schools. Our organization has received many complaints from Hindu students and parents in the Valley Park Middle School region.”

Christian students and parents are, needless to say, too politically correct to complain...or to say anything at all.

Salute to America

to all Walt's American friends and readers. While you're waving your flag, don't forget to say a little prayer for the U.S.A.
God bless America! She needs Him now more than ever.

Trivia for a summer Sunday II

More trivia as sent to us by Agent 9:

The first novel ever written on a typewriter was Tom Sawyer.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David; Hearts - Charlemagne; Clubs - Alexander the Great; Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
[Could be. My calculator couldn't handle it. Ed.]
If a statue of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you
would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand.

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
[Earplugs, however, were invented by men. Walt.]

The only food that won't spoil is honey.

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. (Mead is a drink made of fermented honey.) Because the Babylonians' calendar was lunar-based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the "honeymoon".

Many years, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. The phrase inspired by this practice is "Wet your whistle".

At least 75% of the people who read the preceding post actually tried to lick their elbow!

Trivia for a summer Sunday I

Agent 9 (long time no see!) forwards these bits 'n' pieces:

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence the "rule of thumb".

Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. Its rule was "Gentlemen Only....Ladies Forbidden"....and thus, the word GOLF entered the English language. [Hmmm. Really? Ed.]

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury. [Hard to tell the Monopoly money from the greenback these days. Walt]

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better. [Eh? Walt.]

Coca-Cola was originally green.

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven is $16,400.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. [They probably have more magnetic personalities too. Ed.]

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

B.C. follows B.C. through Patagonia

When I reviewed In the Empire of Genghis Khan, I mentioned Bruce Chatwin, one of the best of the British travel adventure writers. He was one of those rare birds who did what many of us dream of doing -- quit his job and went off to see the world.

In 1975 Chatwin sent a telegram to his then employer, saying "Gone to Patagonia for six months." That trip was the basis for his first (and perhaps best) book, In Patagonia, which I've just reread and recommend highly to those who like to read tales of the exotic and the bizarre.

What attracted me to the book the first time was the promise of the story of what really happened to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The eponymous movie -- one of Walt's favourites -- places their demise in a hail of bullets in Bolivia. However, in Butch Cassidy My Brother, Lula Parker Betenson paints a considerably different picture, suggesting that Butch and his sidekick (or was it the other way around) returned to the USA to end their days.

Bruce Chatwin picks up the outlaws' trail in Patagonia, and reports on several confirmed sightings. And this is just one of numerous stories about strange characters which delay him on his travels through one of the most remote and inhospitable places on earth.

In Patagonia is full of incident and anecdote and the oddest facts imaginable. Chatwin's enquiring mind takes him to the truth -- and there is truth -- behind the stories of prehistoric animals in Patagonia, the Kingdom of Arucania, and the Patagonian giants.

The book wins high praise from Paul Theroux, who followed in Chatwin's footsteps ... literally. The two later collaborated on Patagonia Revisited, which is next on my must read list.

Homosexuality and Islam -- not a good fit

All the queers [LGBTs, please! Ed.] in the world -- OK, maybe not the whole world -- are gathered in Toronto this weekend for the annual Pride (formerly Gay Pride) parade. According to Agent 3, the traffic leaving the Little Apple yesterday was horrendous -- normal people getting out of Dodge.

A report in today's Toronto Star tells us there is another event taking place this weekend in Sodom-by-the-Lake. "Journey of Faith" is a major Islamic conference intended to teach people "how to respect one another and live in peace". So says the leader of the conference, Toronto imam Saed Rageah.

The Star says one of the featured speakers will be Bilal Philips, a "charismatic Jamaican-Canadian religious scholar who embraced Islam in 1972 in Toronto, where he was raised. In a Thursday interview, Philips cheerfully advocated death as a punishment for males who 'confess' to homosexual behaviour, or are seen performing homosexual acts by four reliable witnesses, in countries governed by Islamic law.

"Lesbians should only get lashes, he said. In secular countries like Canada, he said, even gays should not be punished. But the word of the Qur’an must be followed in Islamic countries, he said, and the Qur’an says gays must be killed.

"'In a country that has subscribed to secular rule — in Canada — that’s how it is. I accept that. But if you ask me what would the situation be within an Islamic state, or Islamic government, then it would not be permitted, and the punishment is applied, yes,' he said.

"In the interview, he also confirmed that he believes homosexuality is 'evil', like pedophilia and bestiality, and that God gave gays AIDS to penalize them for their deviancy."

So there you have the Muslim view of sexual deviation. Those, especially in "the LGBT community", who are pushing for "religious tolerance" might want to think about what the coming Islamization of the West will hold for them.

Civil unions seriously sinful, says RI bishop

Thomas Tobin, Bishop of Providence, has issued a strong statement lamenting the passage of legislation permitting civil unions in Rhode Island. He warned atholics that they cannot be involved in such unions, on pain of what used to be called mortal sin.

The legal acceptance of civil unions, Bishop Tobin said, involves “a social experiment that promotes an immoral lifestyle, is a mockery of the institution of marriage as designed by God, undermines the well-being of our families, and poses a threat to religious liberty.”

After reaffirming the Church’s teaching that homosexual activity is gravely sinful, Bishop Tobin instructed the faithful not to be a part of civil unions:

Because civil unions promote an unacceptable lifestyle, undermine the faith of the Church on holy matrimony, and cause scandal and confusion, Catholics may not participate in civil unions. To do so is a very grave violation of the moral law and, thus, seriously sinful. A civil union can never be accepted as a legitimate alternative to matrimony.

Bishop Tobin concluded his public statement with an appeal for prayer for the future of the state.

Can there be any doubt that Almighty God will, in His own time and way, pass judgment upon our state, its leaders and citizens, for abandoning His commands and embracing public immorality? I encourage Catholics to pray for God's patience, mercy and forgiveness in these distressing times.

Empasis above is mine. Click here to read the complete text of Bishop Tobin's statement.

Happy Canada Day!

Walt wishes all Canadians a great day. Do something patriotic! Go out and stand in front of a flapole and sing O Canada. Here are the words.


Then, after you've dropped the puck, slap some steak on the BBQ and rip the top off a couple of cold Canadians. Cheers...eh!