British Prime Minister David Cameron has a hidden agenda of "aggressive secularism", and is alienating Christians by promoting gay marriage. So says Very Rev. George Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury (head of the Anglican Communion), in a strongly worded article in the Daily Mail.
The still-influential Anglican cleric said Mr. Cameron's plan to legalize same-sex unions threatened the link between church and state. For American readers not clear on this point, Britain's largely unwritten constitution is opposite to that of the USA in that church and state are not separate, but linked together in the person of Her Majesty the Queen, who is both head of state and head of the schismatic Anglican church.
Wrote Lord Carey (as he is now known), "The danger I believe that the government is courting with its approach both to marriage and religious freedom is the alienation of a large minority of people who only a few years ago would have been considered pillars of society."
The former leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans also condemned what he saw as a lack of government support for Christians who choose to wear a cross at work, a practice that has been challenged in the past due to politically correct rules on religious expression at the workplace.
He referred to a ComRes survey, reported here earlier today, which revealed that more than two-thirds of British Christians felt they were a "persecuted minority".
Lord Carey opined that "it was a bit rich to hear that the prime minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularization' when it seems that his government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of the way."
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Most British Christians see themselves as persecuted minority
Yesterday (Holy Saturday) brought depressing news from the Disunited Kingdom, a.k.a. Once-great Britain. A survey done by pollsters ComRes revealed that more than two-thirds of British Christians feel they are now part of a "persecuted minority".
And guess who the persecutors are? Not Romans and Jews, as in the time of Jesus, or even Muslims, but the promoters of what the polling firm calls "aggressive secularism", which churchgoers increasingly feel threatens freedom of religion.
In the UK, even more than in the USA and Canada, court rulings against people who want to wear crosses at work, and legal action preventing prayers before council meetings, have combined with a persistent anti-religious bias in the press to make Christians feel marginalized.
Adding fuel to the flames of resentment is the British Government's decision to legalize "marriage", in spite of the opposition of the Church -- including, in a half-hearted way, the Church of England -- and a significant chunk of popular opinion.
According to the PressTV article on the poll, if the march of secularism continues unabated, by 2030 Britain will no longer be a Christian country. By that date, there will be more non-believers than Christians. Why, because immigrants from Asia keep their faiths, and "born Christians" (as opposed to "born-again Christians") don't.
In the past six years, the report says, the number of Muslims has surged by 37% to 2.6 million. Hindus have increased their numbers by 43%, and Buddhists by a massive 74 per cent. Meanwhile, people who choose to call themselves Christians declined in number by more than 4 million between the censuses of 2001 and 2011. In the latter census, fewer than 60% of all residents of the UK described themselves as Christian. That's down from 72% in 2001.
A former Archbishop of Canterbury -- head of the so-called Anglican Communion -- has a comment on the role of Britain's government in the decline of Christianity in his country. Walt will be posting a précis later today.
And guess who the persecutors are? Not Romans and Jews, as in the time of Jesus, or even Muslims, but the promoters of what the polling firm calls "aggressive secularism", which churchgoers increasingly feel threatens freedom of religion.
In the UK, even more than in the USA and Canada, court rulings against people who want to wear crosses at work, and legal action preventing prayers before council meetings, have combined with a persistent anti-religious bias in the press to make Christians feel marginalized.
Adding fuel to the flames of resentment is the British Government's decision to legalize "marriage", in spite of the opposition of the Church -- including, in a half-hearted way, the Church of England -- and a significant chunk of popular opinion.
According to the PressTV article on the poll, if the march of secularism continues unabated, by 2030 Britain will no longer be a Christian country. By that date, there will be more non-believers than Christians. Why, because immigrants from Asia keep their faiths, and "born Christians" (as opposed to "born-again Christians") don't.
In the past six years, the report says, the number of Muslims has surged by 37% to 2.6 million. Hindus have increased their numbers by 43%, and Buddhists by a massive 74 per cent. Meanwhile, people who choose to call themselves Christians declined in number by more than 4 million between the censuses of 2001 and 2011. In the latter census, fewer than 60% of all residents of the UK described themselves as Christian. That's down from 72% in 2001.
A former Archbishop of Canterbury -- head of the so-called Anglican Communion -- has a comment on the role of Britain's government in the decline of Christianity in his country. Walt will be posting a précis later today.
Easter Greeting
Christ is risen
Truly He is risen
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Walt [and Ed.]
wish all our readers
a
HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER
Saturday, March 30, 2013
New tests date Shroud of Turin to time of Christ
Andrea Tornielli has been mentioned in WWW before as one of the preeminent Vaticanistas (Vatican watchers). It is rumored that the "Pope Emeritus", as they want us to call Benedict XVI, used to turn to Sr Tornielli's "Vatican Insider" blog to make sure he was getting the straight goods from the Great Prevaricator (Cardinal Bertone).
Sr Tornielli's column of March 26th has an extremely interesting report on the results of fresh experiments on the Shroud of Turin, conducted at the University of Padua. The latest tests confirm that the Shroud does indeed date back to the 1st Century A.D. -- the time of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This makes its compatible with Catholic tradition, which holds that the cloth with the image of the crucified man imprinted on it is the very one Jesus' body was wrapped in when he was taken down from the cross.
The study was made by Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement, who cooperated with Saverio Gaeta to produce a new book, Il Mistero della Sindone ("The Mystery of the Shroud"), which cites the evidence of the new tests, conducted on fibres taken from the Shroud.
Further testing was required because some years ago a different group of researchers, after making Carbon-14 tests, claimed that the cloth was manufactured in medieval times. It now appears that the fibres tested previously were taken from a part of the Shroud that had been repaired following a fire around the 13th century. But the medieval dating was at odds with the style of painting used by artists of that period. Moreover, analysis of the "paint" itself failed to match any pigments or dyes known at that time or this.
The research conducted more recently included three new tests, two chemical ones and one mechanical one. The average dating of the three tests is 33 BC ±250 years -- 95% certain and 100% compatible with the historic date of Jesus' death on the cross.
Click here for more details of this and other stories on the Shroud of Turin. And -- believe it or not -- there’s an app for that! It’s called "Sindone 2.0" and you can get a free preview (in Italian) of the app in operation by viewing the video clip in this article from Oggi.
Sr Tornielli's column of March 26th has an extremely interesting report on the results of fresh experiments on the Shroud of Turin, conducted at the University of Padua. The latest tests confirm that the Shroud does indeed date back to the 1st Century A.D. -- the time of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This makes its compatible with Catholic tradition, which holds that the cloth with the image of the crucified man imprinted on it is the very one Jesus' body was wrapped in when he was taken down from the cross.
The study was made by Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement, who cooperated with Saverio Gaeta to produce a new book, Il Mistero della Sindone ("The Mystery of the Shroud"), which cites the evidence of the new tests, conducted on fibres taken from the Shroud.
Further testing was required because some years ago a different group of researchers, after making Carbon-14 tests, claimed that the cloth was manufactured in medieval times. It now appears that the fibres tested previously were taken from a part of the Shroud that had been repaired following a fire around the 13th century. But the medieval dating was at odds with the style of painting used by artists of that period. Moreover, analysis of the "paint" itself failed to match any pigments or dyes known at that time or this.
The research conducted more recently included three new tests, two chemical ones and one mechanical one. The average dating of the three tests is 33 BC ±250 years -- 95% certain and 100% compatible with the historic date of Jesus' death on the cross.
Click here for more details of this and other stories on the Shroud of Turin. And -- believe it or not -- there’s an app for that! It’s called "Sindone 2.0" and you can get a free preview (in Italian) of the app in operation by viewing the video clip in this article from Oggi.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Message for Holy Week
Agent 3 saw this sign in front of the Church of Our Lady of the Scapular, in Niagara Falls, Canada. (The reference is to the Brown Scapular which Our Lady gave to St. Simon Stock.) Very appropriate for Holy Week.
The Fatima Network offers you a Brown Scapular -- Our Lady's Garment of Grace -- FREE and with no obligation. Click here for details and an order form.
The Fatima Network offers you a Brown Scapular -- Our Lady's Garment of Grace -- FREE and with no obligation. Click here for details and an order form.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Incredibly meaty burger from McDonald's China
Walt's agents in China -- actually it's McDonald's Chinese website -- report that in their quest to be richer, better...and fatter...than Americans, the Chinese have come up with a "meal" that out-bigs the biggest Bic Mac.
Are you ready for the Sausage Double Beef Burger? Never mind a slice of cheese or a rasher of streaky. This is two -- count `em, two -- beef (?) hamburger patties plus two gynormous schnitzengrubens (you've seen Blazing Saddles, right?) drizzled with mustard.
No rabbit food but you do get a bun, of sorts, apparently added as an afterthought. At least that's the opinion of Charisma Madarang [a name to conjure with! Ed.], writing in Food Beast.
It's available now at McDonald's in the more progressive parts of China. Sightings and tastings have been reported from Shenzhen, Hangzhou and of course Shanghai, whose denizens fancy their city China's answer to New York. "Fucking delicious", says James Griffiths in Shanghaiist.
Is this an original Chinese idea? [Or is "original Chinese idea" an oxymoron? Ed.] Apparently McDonald's offers something similar in Germany. According to McD's press office, the "Nuremburger" includes three Nuremberg sausages topped with crispy fried onions and mustard sauce.
The Sausage Double Beef Burger will cost you 17.50 yuan -- about $2.80 in real money -- plus the plane fare to China. If you eat enough of them, a one-way ticket should do you.
No rabbit food but you do get a bun, of sorts, apparently added as an afterthought. At least that's the opinion of Charisma Madarang [a name to conjure with! Ed.], writing in Food Beast.
It's available now at McDonald's in the more progressive parts of China. Sightings and tastings have been reported from Shenzhen, Hangzhou and of course Shanghai, whose denizens fancy their city China's answer to New York. "Fucking delicious", says James Griffiths in Shanghaiist.
Is this an original Chinese idea? [Or is "original Chinese idea" an oxymoron? Ed.] Apparently McDonald's offers something similar in Germany. According to McD's press office, the "Nuremburger" includes three Nuremberg sausages topped with crispy fried onions and mustard sauce.
The Sausage Double Beef Burger will cost you 17.50 yuan -- about $2.80 in real money -- plus the plane fare to China. If you eat enough of them, a one-way ticket should do you.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The truth about St. Francis of Assisi
A few days ago, Walt told you that the new Pope chose his name, Francis, to honour St. Francis Xavier, a follower of St. Ignatius Loyola and one of the first members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), to which order Pope Francis belongs.
Only a day later, the Holy Father corrected those of us who were under this misapprehension. It turns out he had in mind St. Francis of Assisi, because he (the Pope) wishes the main theme of his papacy to be caring for the poor, as did St. Francis. All well and good, but some traditional Catholics think there are other matters which deserve as great or greater priority -- like restoring the Traditional Catholic Faith and (especially) the Mass of All Time.
The priest who writes the Traditio blog goes so far as to say that St. Francis was more than the great humanitarian and nature lover we remember today. In fact (he writes) St. Francis was an unapologetic traditional Catholic.
St. Francis personally accompanied the Fifth Crusade (1217-1219), inaugurated by Pope Innocent III, and attempted to convert the Muslim leader Sultan Malek-el-Kamil, saying to his face, "We have come to preach faith in Jesus Christ to you, that you will renounce Mohammed, that wicked slave of the devil, and obtain everlasting life."
Will Pope Francis follow in the saint's footsteps? Walt doubts it very much. Lifetime pct .976.
Only a day later, the Holy Father corrected those of us who were under this misapprehension. It turns out he had in mind St. Francis of Assisi, because he (the Pope) wishes the main theme of his papacy to be caring for the poor, as did St. Francis. All well and good, but some traditional Catholics think there are other matters which deserve as great or greater priority -- like restoring the Traditional Catholic Faith and (especially) the Mass of All Time.
The priest who writes the Traditio blog goes so far as to say that St. Francis was more than the great humanitarian and nature lover we remember today. In fact (he writes) St. Francis was an unapologetic traditional Catholic.
St. Francis personally accompanied the Fifth Crusade (1217-1219), inaugurated by Pope Innocent III, and attempted to convert the Muslim leader Sultan Malek-el-Kamil, saying to his face, "We have come to preach faith in Jesus Christ to you, that you will renounce Mohammed, that wicked slave of the devil, and obtain everlasting life."
Will Pope Francis follow in the saint's footsteps? Walt doubts it very much. Lifetime pct .976.
How to kill unwanted babies (and make loadsa dough)
That's what was done -- not just once, but many times -- at the "Women's Medical Center", a Philadelphia "clinic" run by Doctor Kermit Gosnell. So says Adrienne Morton, who used to work for the good doctor -- for $10 per hour, cash under the table -- administering drugs, helping with abortions and disposing of the remains.
Ms Morton is testifying at the trial of Dr. Gosnell for killing babies born alive -- "viable" is the term clinicians use -- following late-term abortions. So let's not split hairs about whether the beings whose spines were split were or were not "babies". Of course they were babies -- living human babies. Sometimes Ms Morton killed them. Sometimes another employee did it. And sometimes the abortionist himself took their little lives.
Of course, his lawyer says, Dr. Gosnell did it with the best of motives -- only to help the vizmin women, including refugees, who turned to him in desperation. The race card was also played in the defence's opening statement on Monday. According to his attorney, Dr. Gosnell returned to the impoverished neighbourhood after medical school, when he could have struck it rich in the suburbs. He called the prosecution of his client, who happens to be black, "a lynching".
Not that Dr. Gosnell suffered poverty himself. When authorities searched his home in 2010, they found a quarter of a million dollars in cash! But that money wasn't entirely the proceeds of baby-killing. Some of it came from running a "pill mill," where addicts and drug dealers could get prescriptions for potent painkillers.
Walt bets that the good doctor wishes he'd set up shop a bit further north. Why, in Canada, he'd have been given a medal -- the Order of Canada -- just like Dr. Henry Morgentaler. Mind you, Morgentaler wasn't black, so perhaps racism really is behind the prosecution of Dr. Gosnell.
Footnote: Unlike Kermit Gosnell, Adrienne Morton admitted that what she did was wrong. She pled guilty to murder in the fall of 2011.
See also "MD charges 2 MDs with killing unborn babies" -- another prosecution of a person of colour who was only trying to help her poor disadvantaged sisters.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
To understand hockey is to understand Canada
The Bettman-induced shortened National Hockey League season is a little more than half-way over. In another few weeks playoffs will begin. Hockey fans are happy, especially north of the World's Longest Undefended Border™ where "local" teams are doing surprisingly well.
To their fans' surprise -- and likely their own -- the Toronto Maple Laffs, although in a tailspin at the moment, are still playoff contenders, as has not been the case for years. And Walt's dear Montréal Canadiens -- Canada's team [Florida's too! Ed.] -- are leading their division. All is well with the world.
Why is that Canadians -- or a large proportion of them, at least -- get so passionate about hockey? Canuck sports writer Bruce Dowbiggin claims it's because hockey is a metaphor for Canada itself, a physical expression of the Canadian soul. So he writes in The Meaning of Puck: How hockey explains modern Canada (Key Porter, 2008). Here's an excerpt.
With their vast horizons and often passive nature, Canadians (English more so than French) are not necessarily a contemplative people and hockey is not a contemplative game. The Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford called it "an uninteresting sport played by Canadians." For many Americans -- used to the pauses and ellipses of baseball or football -- it is a busy, baffling spectacle. "Hockey on radio sounds like one long mistake," said former NBA coach Gene Shue.
Like dental surgery, hockey is a business best gotten on with briskly and without too much contemplation. Even when the pauses arrive in the sport -- be they intermissions or the contrived TV breaks -- there is little self-examination involved in hockey. Players have just enough time to catch their breaths, spit multiple times and then go at it once more. Fans seize a beer, put the kids to bed and then resume their appointed rounds. That matter-of-fact approach appeals to Canadians, its brisk rhythms warming them against the snow.
There's more in that vein, plus Mr. Dowbiggin's traditional diatribes against fighting in hockey and Don Cherry. Mr. D. succeeds in proving only that, in spite of having relocated to Calgary, he remains one of the latte-swilling, gentrified urban elite who, while they may understand TROC (The Rest Of Canada -- the Tim Hortons drinkers), are not a part of it.
Memo to Bruce Dowbiggin from Ed.: Next time, go with a publisher who's willing to spend a few Beaverbucks on editing and proofreading. "Steve Santos"? C'mon! And the index is a joke -- apparently compiled by someone who never read the book.
Note from Walt to Floridians: If you don't believe what I said about les Canadiens being Florida's team, go to a Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers "home" game and count the number of sweaters bearing the CH versus those with the logo of the "local" team.
Pop quiz: When was the last time five "Canadian" teams got through to NHL post-season play? You'll find the answer in "It looks like most of Canada will finally get to enjoy the NHL playoffs", in today's National Post.
To their fans' surprise -- and likely their own -- the Toronto Maple Laffs, although in a tailspin at the moment, are still playoff contenders, as has not been the case for years. And Walt's dear Montréal Canadiens -- Canada's team [Florida's too! Ed.] -- are leading their division. All is well with the world.
Why is that Canadians -- or a large proportion of them, at least -- get so passionate about hockey? Canuck sports writer Bruce Dowbiggin claims it's because hockey is a metaphor for Canada itself, a physical expression of the Canadian soul. So he writes in The Meaning of Puck: How hockey explains modern Canada (Key Porter, 2008). Here's an excerpt.
With their vast horizons and often passive nature, Canadians (English more so than French) are not necessarily a contemplative people and hockey is not a contemplative game. The Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford called it "an uninteresting sport played by Canadians." For many Americans -- used to the pauses and ellipses of baseball or football -- it is a busy, baffling spectacle. "Hockey on radio sounds like one long mistake," said former NBA coach Gene Shue.
Like dental surgery, hockey is a business best gotten on with briskly and without too much contemplation. Even when the pauses arrive in the sport -- be they intermissions or the contrived TV breaks -- there is little self-examination involved in hockey. Players have just enough time to catch their breaths, spit multiple times and then go at it once more. Fans seize a beer, put the kids to bed and then resume their appointed rounds. That matter-of-fact approach appeals to Canadians, its brisk rhythms warming them against the snow.
There's more in that vein, plus Mr. Dowbiggin's traditional diatribes against fighting in hockey and Don Cherry. Mr. D. succeeds in proving only that, in spite of having relocated to Calgary, he remains one of the latte-swilling, gentrified urban elite who, while they may understand TROC (The Rest Of Canada -- the Tim Hortons drinkers), are not a part of it.
Memo to Bruce Dowbiggin from Ed.: Next time, go with a publisher who's willing to spend a few Beaverbucks on editing and proofreading. "Steve Santos"? C'mon! And the index is a joke -- apparently compiled by someone who never read the book.
Note from Walt to Floridians: If you don't believe what I said about les Canadiens being Florida's team, go to a Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers "home" game and count the number of sweaters bearing the CH versus those with the logo of the "local" team.
Pop quiz: When was the last time five "Canadian" teams got through to NHL post-season play? You'll find the answer in "It looks like most of Canada will finally get to enjoy the NHL playoffs", in today's National Post.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Fatima Rosary Rally, Toronto Airport Sheraton, April 20th
Yesterday I told a reader in Uzbekistan -- no kidding -- that, now that the conclave is over, I probably wouldn't be writing too much about the affairs of the Church, unless the Holy Father drops some kind of bombshell on us. Such as a return to Traditional Catholicism.
Not much chance of that. I note with dismay that Pope Francis is to be "installed", not consecrated or crowned as tradition demands. Nor could he be anything other than "installed", since he, like Benedict XVI, was never consecrated as a bishop, merely "installed" according to the Protestant-style "New Ordinal" of 1969.
I note with even more dismay that, for the new Pope's first Mass, the Protestant picnic table was returned to its place of dishonour in the Sistine Chapel, concealing the beauty of Michelangelo's inspired art. And the message of his "homily" was hardly even Christian. What Francis told the Cardinals was that the Church should not -- repeat, not -- try to impose its message on a modern society that doesn't want to hear it. The Church needs to be "one with the people". In other words, the Faith should be made to conform to popular sentiment, rather than ask the faithful to conform to the Truth revealed by God.
So... going by first impressions, I'd say the outlook for a revival of the Faith of our Fathers is pretty gloomy. But we can hope. And we can pray! Good Catholics in the Toronto area -- and let's not forget Buffalo! -- are encouraged to attend a Fatima Rosary Rally, sponsored by the Fatima Center, to be held at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre on Saturday, April 20th, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The Miraculous Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima -- blessed by Pope Paul VI -- will be present. Father Nicholas Gruner, "the Fatima Priest", will speak, as will Walt's old friend John Vennari, editor of Catholic Family News.
You will have an opportunity to be enrolled -- with your family members if you wish -- in the Brown Scapular, Our Lady's protection in these dangerous times. Sacramentals and literature on the Message of Fatima will be available. Admission is free, and the benefits and graces to be obtained many.
For more information or directions to the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre, call the Fatima Center, toll-free, 1-800-845-3047. Tell them you read about the rally in Walt Whiteman's World!
Not much chance of that. I note with dismay that Pope Francis is to be "installed", not consecrated or crowned as tradition demands. Nor could he be anything other than "installed", since he, like Benedict XVI, was never consecrated as a bishop, merely "installed" according to the Protestant-style "New Ordinal" of 1969.
I note with even more dismay that, for the new Pope's first Mass, the Protestant picnic table was returned to its place of dishonour in the Sistine Chapel, concealing the beauty of Michelangelo's inspired art. And the message of his "homily" was hardly even Christian. What Francis told the Cardinals was that the Church should not -- repeat, not -- try to impose its message on a modern society that doesn't want to hear it. The Church needs to be "one with the people". In other words, the Faith should be made to conform to popular sentiment, rather than ask the faithful to conform to the Truth revealed by God.
So... going by first impressions, I'd say the outlook for a revival of the Faith of our Fathers is pretty gloomy. But we can hope. And we can pray! Good Catholics in the Toronto area -- and let's not forget Buffalo! -- are encouraged to attend a Fatima Rosary Rally, sponsored by the Fatima Center, to be held at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre on Saturday, April 20th, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The Miraculous Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima -- blessed by Pope Paul VI -- will be present. Father Nicholas Gruner, "the Fatima Priest", will speak, as will Walt's old friend John Vennari, editor of Catholic Family News.
You will have an opportunity to be enrolled -- with your family members if you wish -- in the Brown Scapular, Our Lady's protection in these dangerous times. Sacramentals and literature on the Message of Fatima will be available. Admission is free, and the benefits and graces to be obtained many.
For more information or directions to the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre, call the Fatima Center, toll-free, 1-800-845-3047. Tell them you read about the rally in Walt Whiteman's World!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Benefits of colonialism lost to Kenyan hookers
Kenya was one of the first colonies of British Africa to be granted its independence. That was about three years after Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous -- or infamous -- "Winds of Change" speech, which betokened the Brits' loss of will to govern.
Since then, under the misrule of the Kenyattas, the Mois and the Odingas [Those are African "big men", not tribal names. Ed.], Kenya has descended into the incompetence and corruption typical of sub-Saharan Africa. See "Meanwhile, elsewhere in Africa..." posted here over three years ago.
The British quit trying to govern the ungovernable half a century ago, but they are still there. British troops are "in station", as the saying goes, doing good works and standing by in case of an outbreak of Maumau terrorism or other disorder. Walt wouldn't kid you about that. The result of last week's "free and fair" elections is still in dispute, and blood may yet be shed, as is the custom.
Earlier this year, the officer commanding British forces in Kenya imposed curfews on his officers and men following a series of unpleasant incidents. Sadly, he recked not the law of unintended consequences. Without the patronage of British soldies, the Kenyan sex-for-hire business has suffered a sharp downturn, to the point where local hookers are being driven out of business.
Margaret Wambui, of the Kenyan Union of Commercial Sex Workers, told the International Business Times that the working girls in the garrison town of Nanyuki prefer British men -- especially the officers -- because they pay more for less.
"For normal sex the British pay you 4,000Ksh [£30], but the Kenyans pay 200Ksh or 300Ksh," she said. "Kenyan people take a long time but the British only take a few seconds, so you can go and find another customer."
For more on Kenya after independence, Walt recommends any or all of three books by British journalist and author Michela Wrong: In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz (2000); I Didn't Do It For You (2005); and It's Our Turn to Eat (2009).
Since then, under the misrule of the Kenyattas, the Mois and the Odingas [Those are African "big men", not tribal names. Ed.], Kenya has descended into the incompetence and corruption typical of sub-Saharan Africa. See "Meanwhile, elsewhere in Africa..." posted here over three years ago.
The British quit trying to govern the ungovernable half a century ago, but they are still there. British troops are "in station", as the saying goes, doing good works and standing by in case of an outbreak of Maumau terrorism or other disorder. Walt wouldn't kid you about that. The result of last week's "free and fair" elections is still in dispute, and blood may yet be shed, as is the custom.
Earlier this year, the officer commanding British forces in Kenya imposed curfews on his officers and men following a series of unpleasant incidents. Sadly, he recked not the law of unintended consequences. Without the patronage of British soldies, the Kenyan sex-for-hire business has suffered a sharp downturn, to the point where local hookers are being driven out of business.
Margaret Wambui, of the Kenyan Union of Commercial Sex Workers, told the International Business Times that the working girls in the garrison town of Nanyuki prefer British men -- especially the officers -- because they pay more for less.
"For normal sex the British pay you 4,000Ksh [£30], but the Kenyans pay 200Ksh or 300Ksh," she said. "Kenyan people take a long time but the British only take a few seconds, so you can go and find another customer."
For more on Kenya after independence, Walt recommends any or all of three books by British journalist and author Michela Wrong: In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz (2000); I Didn't Do It For You (2005); and It's Our Turn to Eat (2009).
Pope Francis: a traditional Catholic's view
Christopher A. Ferrara, Esquire -- that's the way he likes his name to appear -- has written several books and numeours articles on the struggle to uphold the traditional Catholic Faith against the onslught of secular humanism, modernism and syncretism within the Church itself. Walt has received in the overnight e-mail Mr. Ferrara's reaction to the election of Pope Francis.
What are we to make of the new Pope? In the journalistic arena from which this is being dispatched, one feels the pressure to say something definite almost immediately or risk dying the death of being ignored amidst a welter of “first impressions.” But this writer is going to let the story evolve.
It is said that as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Bergoglio was hostile to the traditional Latin Mass, but it is far too soon to make any prognostications in that regard. And now that he is pastor of the universal Church, in which the Latin Mass is returning to use on every continent, it is difficult to see him implementing any such merely parochial prejudice contrary to the letter and spirit of Summorum Pontificum and the liturgical restoration it has already launched. Indeed, as we learned today at the Vatican press conference, the first papal Mass, this evening in the Sistine Chapel, will be in Latin, even if it will not follow the 1962 Missal.
As further revealed at the Vatican press conference, after he prayed before the famous icon of Mary under the title Salus Populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman People) at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major early this morning, Pope Francis made it a point to pray as well before the tomb of Saint Pius V, who canonized the traditional Mass in perpetuity with his Bull Quo Primum. As one Italian traditionalist blog site observed of this gesture:
The conciliatory gesture escaped no one, seeing the terror that was wrongly spread among traditionalists and that some of their expressions of opinion have emphasized. Of Ratzinger it was said that he was a Rottweiler of the Catholic Faith, but instead he was a very sweet German pastor. Of Bergoglio they now say he is a South American revolutionary, and instead is seen a Pope in the line of his predecessors, who salutes the Pontiff of the Missal rehabilitated by Benedict XVI.
This much we know with surety from what we have seen thus far: that the new Pope is a humble man with evident Marian devotion. His first devotional act as Pope was to brush aside all concerns about security in order to pay a visit to the largest Marian church in Rome, bringing Our Lady a bouquet of flowers and leaving it before the icon of Mary as Protectress of the Roman People.
The most important question now before us respecting the new Pope is this: Will he perform the Consecration of Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart? For this we must pray, wait, and hope with renewed determination.
What are we to make of the new Pope? In the journalistic arena from which this is being dispatched, one feels the pressure to say something definite almost immediately or risk dying the death of being ignored amidst a welter of “first impressions.” But this writer is going to let the story evolve.
It is said that as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Bergoglio was hostile to the traditional Latin Mass, but it is far too soon to make any prognostications in that regard. And now that he is pastor of the universal Church, in which the Latin Mass is returning to use on every continent, it is difficult to see him implementing any such merely parochial prejudice contrary to the letter and spirit of Summorum Pontificum and the liturgical restoration it has already launched. Indeed, as we learned today at the Vatican press conference, the first papal Mass, this evening in the Sistine Chapel, will be in Latin, even if it will not follow the 1962 Missal.
As further revealed at the Vatican press conference, after he prayed before the famous icon of Mary under the title Salus Populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman People) at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major early this morning, Pope Francis made it a point to pray as well before the tomb of Saint Pius V, who canonized the traditional Mass in perpetuity with his Bull Quo Primum. As one Italian traditionalist blog site observed of this gesture:
The conciliatory gesture escaped no one, seeing the terror that was wrongly spread among traditionalists and that some of their expressions of opinion have emphasized. Of Ratzinger it was said that he was a Rottweiler of the Catholic Faith, but instead he was a very sweet German pastor. Of Bergoglio they now say he is a South American revolutionary, and instead is seen a Pope in the line of his predecessors, who salutes the Pontiff of the Missal rehabilitated by Benedict XVI.
This much we know with surety from what we have seen thus far: that the new Pope is a humble man with evident Marian devotion. His first devotional act as Pope was to brush aside all concerns about security in order to pay a visit to the largest Marian church in Rome, bringing Our Lady a bouquet of flowers and leaving it before the icon of Mary as Protectress of the Roman People.
The most important question now before us respecting the new Pope is this: Will he perform the Consecration of Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart? For this we must pray, wait, and hope with renewed determination.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Pope who? Francis? Who?
Walt's agent in the Vatican reports that the new pope's first words to the cardinals assembled for a late dinner last night were, "Let me be Frank with you..." [OK, you got that out of your system. Now get on with it. Ed.]
OK, seriously... Walt didn't have any bets on the outcome of this week's conclave, which was just as well as Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio was a 25-to-1 long shot so my wise barber would have been the richer, not I. Frankly [Don't make me come up there! Ed.], although Cardinal Bergoglio is said to have been the runner-up to Pope Ratzinger last time, I had never heard of him. All I know is what I read in the press.
Our new Pope Francis (not Francis I until there's another) is Argentinian, born in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrants. Nothing wrong with that. Lots of Argentinians have ties to Italy, and being raised in an immigrant family is said to be good for the character.
He is a Jesuit -- the first Jesuit pope in history. He took the name "Francis" in honour of St. Francis Xavier, the great missionary and evangelizer, and one of the first seven Jesuits formed under St. Ignatius Loyola. Over the centuries, the Jesuit order has had a somewhat fraught relationship with Rome. Sometimes the Jesuits have been great defenders of the Faith. Occasionally -- and recently -- some Jesuits have taken up the cause of liberalization and modernization, thus departure from Tradition.
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio stood against a powerful secular government on the issues of same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion. Argentina's laws on those matters have been liberalized, but not for lack of opposition by the prelate. In fact, Argentina's president once referred to him as "the opposition".
Francis is the first pope from the New World, and the first pope from the southern hemisphere. Considering that more than half of the world's 1,200,000,000 Catholics live in "the South", and that the Old World is in seemingly irreversible decline, it's good to see a recognition of the shift in the centre of power. And thank God the choice wasn't the "charismatic" (read "blowhard") American Cardinal Dolan.
Thank God too that the cardinal electors has the wisdom to steer clear of the trap set for them by the despicable and despised Cardinal Bertone. Knowing that he himself would not have a prayer of getting the position he coveted for all these years, Bertone put up his owned man, Brazil's Cardinal Scherer -- a prelate unloved even in his own country -- against the supposed front-runner, the Italian Cardinal Scola, who was backed by the large anti-Bertone faction within the Curia. Neither would have been a suitable choice.
The history of the papacy since the death of Pius XII has been a sad one. John XXIII, for reasons highly suspect but ultimately unknown, called the council which undertook the suicidal "reform" of the Roman Catholic Church. His successor, Paul VI, let "the smoke of Satan" into the Church. Those were Pope Pauls' own words!
Yes, the smoke of Satan entered the Church by way of Vatican II. It was rumored that John Paul I intended to undo some of the worst abuses of the Council -- notably the suppression of the Mass of All Time in favour of the vernacular "New Mass" -- but he died mysteriously just a month into his reign. How Italian is that!
Since then, under John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Church (especially the Vatican) is still filled with the "unholy smoke". The smoky stench of sin and corruption is everywhere, especially in the Curia. It is to be hoped that Pope Francis, who had no connection with Rome and the evil men who lurk there, will open the windows. Let this "new broom" sweep clean! Let us pray...
Recommended reading on the disastrous consequences of Vatican II: Has the Catholic Church Gone Mad?, by John Eppstein (Arlington House, 1971).
OK, seriously... Walt didn't have any bets on the outcome of this week's conclave, which was just as well as Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio was a 25-to-1 long shot so my wise barber would have been the richer, not I. Frankly [Don't make me come up there! Ed.], although Cardinal Bergoglio is said to have been the runner-up to Pope Ratzinger last time, I had never heard of him. All I know is what I read in the press.
Our new Pope Francis (not Francis I until there's another) is Argentinian, born in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrants. Nothing wrong with that. Lots of Argentinians have ties to Italy, and being raised in an immigrant family is said to be good for the character.
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio stood against a powerful secular government on the issues of same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion. Argentina's laws on those matters have been liberalized, but not for lack of opposition by the prelate. In fact, Argentina's president once referred to him as "the opposition".
Francis is the first pope from the New World, and the first pope from the southern hemisphere. Considering that more than half of the world's 1,200,000,000 Catholics live in "the South", and that the Old World is in seemingly irreversible decline, it's good to see a recognition of the shift in the centre of power. And thank God the choice wasn't the "charismatic" (read "blowhard") American Cardinal Dolan.
Thank God too that the cardinal electors has the wisdom to steer clear of the trap set for them by the despicable and despised Cardinal Bertone. Knowing that he himself would not have a prayer of getting the position he coveted for all these years, Bertone put up his owned man, Brazil's Cardinal Scherer -- a prelate unloved even in his own country -- against the supposed front-runner, the Italian Cardinal Scola, who was backed by the large anti-Bertone faction within the Curia. Neither would have been a suitable choice.
The history of the papacy since the death of Pius XII has been a sad one. John XXIII, for reasons highly suspect but ultimately unknown, called the council which undertook the suicidal "reform" of the Roman Catholic Church. His successor, Paul VI, let "the smoke of Satan" into the Church. Those were Pope Pauls' own words!
Yes, the smoke of Satan entered the Church by way of Vatican II. It was rumored that John Paul I intended to undo some of the worst abuses of the Council -- notably the suppression of the Mass of All Time in favour of the vernacular "New Mass" -- but he died mysteriously just a month into his reign. How Italian is that!
Since then, under John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Church (especially the Vatican) is still filled with the "unholy smoke". The smoky stench of sin and corruption is everywhere, especially in the Curia. It is to be hoped that Pope Francis, who had no connection with Rome and the evil men who lurk there, will open the windows. Let this "new broom" sweep clean! Let us pray...
Recommended reading on the disastrous consequences of Vatican II: Has the Catholic Church Gone Mad?, by John Eppstein (Arlington House, 1971).
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Champion of freedom of speech silenced by death
Mr. Christie was a Canadian barrister -- courtroom lawyer -- who adopted the almost-lost cause of freedom of speech. He believed that any person should be able to give voice to his sincere belief, no matter how odious it might seem to conventional or "progressive" thinkers.
He gained a national profile in 1984 when he took on his first major "hate-speech" case, defending James Keegstra, a teacher fired from his job and charged under the Canadian Criminal Code with promoting hatred, for teaching students that there was a Jewish conspiracy.
Mr. Keegstra was convicted of hate speech, but Mr. Christie successfully convinced the Alberta Court of Appeal court to overturn the conviction, though it was reinstated in 1990 by the Supreme Court of Canada, which effectively rewrote Canadian law to enshrine political correctness.
Over the years, Mr. Christie defended several others for whom no-one else would speak: German Holocaust downplayer Ernst Zundel; "neo-Nazis" Wolfgang Droege and Paul Fromm; white supremacists Doug Collins, John Ross Taylor and Terry Tremain; and alleged Nazi war criminal Imre Finta.
Although suffering from an aggressive liver cancer, Douglas Christie donned his gown and went to battle right up till the end. At the time of his death he was defending Arthur Topham, a British Columbia man facing trial on a rare charge of willful promotion of hatred online.
Mr. Christie had to withdraw from the case last week because the doctors wouldn't let him out of the hospital. He died on Monday, at the age of 66. RIP.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Waiting for the red shoe(s) to drop
Dear readers, I hope you don't expect much of Walt until at least tomorrow. As I write, the cardinals are just beginning to cast their first ballot to choose the next pope.
In the last 48 hours I've heard at least a dozen different news reports from a dozen different sources, all speculating on which princes of the Church might be considered front-runners. The same names keep coming up, but no-one dares to say Cardinal Whosis or Cardinal Dunnohim has a lock on it.
Some of Walt's people are in Rome but they are no closer to knowing the likely outcome than am I, sitting here on the outskirts of Fort Mudge. I have a sentimental favourite, of course, and am praying against at least two of the named front-runners. And I can't see anyone -- not one -- who would be even faintly likely to return the Church to the paths of Tradition.
I will write more when I have something to say.
In the last 48 hours I've heard at least a dozen different news reports from a dozen different sources, all speculating on which princes of the Church might be considered front-runners. The same names keep coming up, but no-one dares to say Cardinal Whosis or Cardinal Dunnohim has a lock on it.
Some of Walt's people are in Rome but they are no closer to knowing the likely outcome than am I, sitting here on the outskirts of Fort Mudge. I have a sentimental favourite, of course, and am praying against at least two of the named front-runners. And I can't see anyone -- not one -- who would be even faintly likely to return the Church to the paths of Tradition.
I will write more when I have something to say.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Is God displeased with His Church?
On February 11th Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy -- the first by a true pope since Celestine V in the 13th century. On that very night, the heavens struck the St. Peter's with a spectacular lightning bolt, which hit the top of the basilica's dome. A stunning metaphor for the highest levels of the Church?
Just over two weeks later, on February 27th, a publicity stunt which was supposed to show how pleased God is with Vatican II went horribly awry. From his balcony, the Holy Father released a dove which was supposed to represent "the Spirit of Vatican II". Walt thinks a cuckoo would have been more appropriate.
You've heard that bad things happen in threes? Well, on Tuesday, as the princes of the Church converged on Rome to squabble over who shall be the next pope, Heaven sent them a third sign. Mount Etna, some 300 miles away, lit up the Roman sky, unleashing a barrage of volcanic bombs and heavy ash hurtling hundreds of feet into the air. Towering fountains of lava -- veritable pillars of fire -- were to be seen.
What does it all mean? Is it just that nature has gone mad? Or could it be that God intends to destroy the Church he founded nearly 2000 years ago, which evil men have corrupted beyond saving. There is a precedent, you know.
Precedent? Walt refers to the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrha mentioned in the Old Testament -- Genesis 10:19 and Deuteronomy 29:23 and elsewhere -- the New Testament, and even in the Quran.
Even secular writers, and the criminal codes of many countries, refer to the sins of Sodom and Gomorrha for which the two cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone. In Abrahamic traditions, Sodom and Gomorrha have become synonymous with impenitent sin, and their fall with a proverbial manifestation of God's wrath.
Ever since, Sodom and Gomorrha have been used as metaphors for homosexuality and other deviant and degenerate vices. Their example has given rise to words in several languages, including the English word sodomy , which describes sexual crimes against nature, including anal sex -- either homosexual or heterosexual -- and bestiality.
What does God think, then, of the "Lavender Mob", the ring of practising homosexual priests and bishops "doing their thing" within the very walls of the Vatican. Here's a telling passage from the Epistle of St. Jude the Apostle:
(3) ...I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.
(4) For certain men are secretly entered in... Ungodly men, turning the grace of our Lord God into riotousness, and denying the only sovereign Ruler, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
(5) ...Jesus, having saved the people...did afterwards destroy them that believed not:
(6) And the angels who kept not their principality, but forsook their own habitation, he hath reserved under darkness in everlasting chains, unto the judgment of the great day.
(7) As Sodom and Gomorrha...in like manner, having given themselves to fornication, and going after other flesh, were made an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
(8) In like manner these men also defile the flesh, and despise dominion, and blaspheme majesty.
A little food for thought for the Cardinals, as they begin their deliberations.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Speaking of porcine troughers
Ed. here. As I was putting up the previous item about Chief Roger Redman, I was reminded that the Chief is not the only humongous boar ["bore", surely! Walt] feeding at the government trough. I was able to find, on the media website of the Conservative Party of Canada -- motto: "Here for Canada" -- a picture of another puffy politician who receives well over $100,000 per annum in taxpayers' money along with his great and good friend, the Prime Minister of Canuckistan. These two pix tell ye all ye know and all ye need to know.
Indian chief wins award for biggest snout in the trough
Pictured here with his good buddy "Call me Steve" Harper is a First Nation chief (formerly known as an Indian chief) who earns more Harpoon himself, thus winning the Canadian Taxpayers Federation 15th annual Teddy Award.
What's award-worthy about the chief's salary of $194,737? For one thing, the CTF calculates that sum would have the purchasing power of $317,583 if the chief were living off his Standing Buffalo reserve and had to pay taxes like other Canucks.
And checking the numbers, Harper is responsible (in theory) for the wellbeing of over 30 million other Canucks. The Standing Buffalo reserve -- it's in Saskatchewan, by the way -- is home to just 443 First Nations people (formerly known as Indians).
"While Robin Hood remains famous for his heroic efforts to steal from abusive tax collectors on behalf of local citizens, [the chief] collects from taxpayers and keeps the money for himself," the CTF said in a release.
Footnote: The CTF also says each of the Standing Buffalo band councillors earns more than the premier of Saskatchewan.
Further footnote: The chief's name is... wait for it... Roger Redman. No kidding.
Stompin' Tom Connors, R.I.P.
So, farewell then, Stompin' Tom Connors.
Born and raised in the Maritimes, never comfortable in Toronto or Vancouver, you were the archtypical real Canadian. And you wrote Canada's sound track. So long, eh.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Stompin' Tom will be held at the Memorial Centre in Peterborough ON on Wednesday, March 13th. As he wished, it will be open to the public. Check the Peterborough Examiner for details.
Born and raised in the Maritimes, never comfortable in Toronto or Vancouver, you were the archtypical real Canadian. And you wrote Canada's sound track. So long, eh.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Stompin' Tom will be held at the Memorial Centre in Peterborough ON on Wednesday, March 13th. As he wished, it will be open to the public. Check the Peterborough Examiner for details.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
American gun owners, be warned by the Canadian experience
The Canadian government, like that of Communist China, doesn't trust its citizens to have guns. That's a fact. The only people allowed to have firearms should be the police and the armed forces -- the agents the state uses to control ordinary Canucks. That's the plan.
Walt thanks Agent 17 for drawing our attention to a cautionary commentary by Brian Lilley, which appeared on SunNews back in January. Interestingly, although the link sent by our agent still works, the video itself no longer appears on the SunNews website. Is there something wrong with Ed.'s browser or is the ruthless Canadian "Ministry of Public Safety" trying to silence its critics? Fortunately, at least part of the video made it to YouTube. Here it is.
Agent 17 wanted to know if the story of Bruce Montague's prosecution by the Canadian authorities -- that should be in caps: AUTHORITIES -- is true. Yes, it is. But Mr. Montague is fighting back. Click here to go to his website, featuring details of the case and (more important) an analysis of how his treatment by the AUTHORITIES violates the Canadian Charter of so-called Rights and so-called Freedoms.
But this is nothing new. Back on the late 70s, one of Walt's own agents, kept a legally registered pistol in his office in Canada's so-called Province of Opportunity. Our agent was in the sort of business where it is not unheard of for malefactors and tortfeasors to show up on one's doorstep with booze in their bellies and mayhem in their minds.
That's exactly what happened one warm summer evening. When he heard heavy footfalls on the office stairs, our agent confronted the young punk and, apprehending an altercation, fired a warning shot across said punk's low brow. Guess who got arrested? You got it! Our agent spent a couple of nights in the county bucket and months in pre-trial detention before having several law books thrown at him by a judge who felt that our agent should have called the police, whose "local" office was some 15 miles distant.
Want more? Click here to read a similar story about New Brunswick resident Lawrence Manzer, who was (like our agent) charged with "possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace". There's a video report too. The title of the webpage is "Here's a reason to be ashamed to be a Canadian".
Dear readers, the argument against turning our countries into police states is old, simple and true. If your government succeeds in making it illegal for law-abiding citizens to have firearms for recreation and self-defence, the only people left in possession of guns will be the Agents of Control and, errr, the criminals to whom the law means nothing.
Walt thanks Agent 17 for drawing our attention to a cautionary commentary by Brian Lilley, which appeared on SunNews back in January. Interestingly, although the link sent by our agent still works, the video itself no longer appears on the SunNews website. Is there something wrong with Ed.'s browser or is the ruthless Canadian "Ministry of Public Safety" trying to silence its critics? Fortunately, at least part of the video made it to YouTube. Here it is.
Agent 17 wanted to know if the story of Bruce Montague's prosecution by the Canadian authorities -- that should be in caps: AUTHORITIES -- is true. Yes, it is. But Mr. Montague is fighting back. Click here to go to his website, featuring details of the case and (more important) an analysis of how his treatment by the AUTHORITIES violates the Canadian Charter of so-called Rights and so-called Freedoms.
But this is nothing new. Back on the late 70s, one of Walt's own agents, kept a legally registered pistol in his office in Canada's so-called Province of Opportunity. Our agent was in the sort of business where it is not unheard of for malefactors and tortfeasors to show up on one's doorstep with booze in their bellies and mayhem in their minds.
That's exactly what happened one warm summer evening. When he heard heavy footfalls on the office stairs, our agent confronted the young punk and, apprehending an altercation, fired a warning shot across said punk's low brow. Guess who got arrested? You got it! Our agent spent a couple of nights in the county bucket and months in pre-trial detention before having several law books thrown at him by a judge who felt that our agent should have called the police, whose "local" office was some 15 miles distant.
Want more? Click here to read a similar story about New Brunswick resident Lawrence Manzer, who was (like our agent) charged with "possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace". There's a video report too. The title of the webpage is "Here's a reason to be ashamed to be a Canadian".
Dear readers, the argument against turning our countries into police states is old, simple and true. If your government succeeds in making it illegal for law-abiding citizens to have firearms for recreation and self-defence, the only people left in possession of guns will be the Agents of Control and, errr, the criminals to whom the law means nothing.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Hamilton's Hillbilly Heaven draws flak over flag
Walt’s recommendation, a few weeks ago, of Hillybilly Heaven -- the Hamilton, Ontario southern BBQ restaurant -- drew a lot of interest. So did articles like this one in the lamestream media whining that someone should have the effrontery to put up signs saying he doesn’t serve "ethnic food" or "celebrate diversity". Business is picking up.
In fact, business is so good that owner Cameron Bailey is opening a second location on King Street East at Walnut Street North, in Hamilton's so-called International Village. (The original restaurant is still serving food for white folks at 647 Upper James Street, at the corner of Fennell.)
They've got some nice new signs, of course, featuring a symbol that shows clearly what Mr. Bailey and his establishment are all about.
Yessiree Bob, it's the Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America, known as "the Rebel Flag" for just over 150 years. To Mr. Bailey, the flag represents working class values, and the fight to protect a way of life.
Needless to say, the multiculti gang, leaders of the "diversity industry" and other "progressive thinkers" are up in arms. Many wrote letters to the city, and of course protests are planned for the second Hillbilly Heaven's grand opening later this month.
Is Mr. Bailey concerned? No way! "Is it against the law?" he asks. "No. Then no one should be complaining. If you want it to come down, take me to court and make it against the law. But until that's the case, I'm not doing anything wrong."
Chris Schafer, the executive director of the Alberta-based Canadian Constitution Foundation, told the National Post that as long as Mr. Bailey is not denying service to anyone, he has every right to post the Confederate flag over the door of his business. "By putting a Confederate flag up, beyond the fact that it doesn't have...meaning necessarily in Canada, if it's bad for business let the business owner suffer the consequences of going out of business," he said.
That's pretty much what Mr. Bailey thinks. "That's how it works in this country. If you don't like something, don't buy it." Walt cannot but agree.
Footnote: Hillbilly Heaven now has its own website. Click here to see it. And if you go for some great BBQ, tell `em Walt sent ya!
In fact, business is so good that owner Cameron Bailey is opening a second location on King Street East at Walnut Street North, in Hamilton's so-called International Village. (The original restaurant is still serving food for white folks at 647 Upper James Street, at the corner of Fennell.)
They've got some nice new signs, of course, featuring a symbol that shows clearly what Mr. Bailey and his establishment are all about.
Yessiree Bob, it's the Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America, known as "the Rebel Flag" for just over 150 years. To Mr. Bailey, the flag represents working class values, and the fight to protect a way of life.
Needless to say, the multiculti gang, leaders of the "diversity industry" and other "progressive thinkers" are up in arms. Many wrote letters to the city, and of course protests are planned for the second Hillbilly Heaven's grand opening later this month.
Is Mr. Bailey concerned? No way! "Is it against the law?" he asks. "No. Then no one should be complaining. If you want it to come down, take me to court and make it against the law. But until that's the case, I'm not doing anything wrong."
Chris Schafer, the executive director of the Alberta-based Canadian Constitution Foundation, told the National Post that as long as Mr. Bailey is not denying service to anyone, he has every right to post the Confederate flag over the door of his business. "By putting a Confederate flag up, beyond the fact that it doesn't have...meaning necessarily in Canada, if it's bad for business let the business owner suffer the consequences of going out of business," he said.
That's pretty much what Mr. Bailey thinks. "That's how it works in this country. If you don't like something, don't buy it." Walt cannot but agree.
Footnote: Hillbilly Heaven now has its own website. Click here to see it. And if you go for some great BBQ, tell `em Walt sent ya!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Ron Paul to visit Canada, with some advice
"Big Ideas for Conservatives" is the title of a yak-fest to be held in Ottawa, Canada later this week. The sponsor is the Manning Centre for Building Democracy: Presto Manning, Prop. Mr. Manning was the founder and one-time leader of Canada's Reform Party, the conservative movement that later got hijacked by "Call me Steve" Harper.
Walt may just strap on the snowshoes and head for the world's second-coldest capital* for the conference, since the line-up of speakers includes some real conservatives, including Walt's favourite libertarian, Ron Paul.
If the weather forecast looks iffy, Walt may have to be content with rereading the interview given by Dr. Paul to Paul Koring of the Globe and Mail. [That would be a "Paul-to-Paul" interview, eh. Ed.] [That's apauling! Walt.]
Dr. Paul thinks Canada and the USA could learn from each other and do more in concert to free the people from big government. For one thing, he says, the border should be more open, the way it used to be. As one who can recall hassle-free trips across the bridges and tunnels as recently as the `70s, Walt agrees.
Dr. Paul thinks too much is being made of the distinction between liberals and conservatives. Labels, including racial labels, are divisive, he told Mr. Koring. "To me the message of limited government is universal -- that is the message of liberty and why it is beneficial, not only to our personal lives as well as our economic lives."
You won't be surprised to learn that Ron Paul has not time for Canadian approaches to gun control and universal health care. He thinks Obamacare should be scrapped, and that health care should be left to the private sector because government doesn't do a very good job. "Obamacare is in chaos, prices are going up, there are shortages, doctors are quitting, so I don't see that government delivering a service or a good is of any benefit to the people."
Dr. Paul does think America could learn some budgeting prudence from north of the border. And he thinks NAFTA should be scrapped in favour of even freer trade. In all things, he says, let the people – and the market – decide.
Click here to read the Globe and Mail's longer version of the interview.
* Ulan Bataar, Mongolia. You're welcome.
Walt may just strap on the snowshoes and head for the world's second-coldest capital* for the conference, since the line-up of speakers includes some real conservatives, including Walt's favourite libertarian, Ron Paul.
If the weather forecast looks iffy, Walt may have to be content with rereading the interview given by Dr. Paul to Paul Koring of the Globe and Mail. [That would be a "Paul-to-Paul" interview, eh. Ed.] [That's apauling! Walt.]
Dr. Paul thinks Canada and the USA could learn from each other and do more in concert to free the people from big government. For one thing, he says, the border should be more open, the way it used to be. As one who can recall hassle-free trips across the bridges and tunnels as recently as the `70s, Walt agrees.
Dr. Paul thinks too much is being made of the distinction between liberals and conservatives. Labels, including racial labels, are divisive, he told Mr. Koring. "To me the message of limited government is universal -- that is the message of liberty and why it is beneficial, not only to our personal lives as well as our economic lives."
You won't be surprised to learn that Ron Paul has not time for Canadian approaches to gun control and universal health care. He thinks Obamacare should be scrapped, and that health care should be left to the private sector because government doesn't do a very good job. "Obamacare is in chaos, prices are going up, there are shortages, doctors are quitting, so I don't see that government delivering a service or a good is of any benefit to the people."
Dr. Paul does think America could learn some budgeting prudence from north of the border. And he thinks NAFTA should be scrapped in favour of even freer trade. In all things, he says, let the people – and the market – decide.
Click here to read the Globe and Mail's longer version of the interview.
* Ulan Bataar, Mongolia. You're welcome.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Father Gruner talks about the conclave and Cardinal Ouellet
Father Nicholas Gruner, director of the International Fatima Rosary Crusade, was interviewed on the popular Canadian television programme Morning Live on the last day of the papacy of Benedict XVI.
Father Gruner talked about the upcoming papal conclave, and on the possibility that Marc Cardinal Ouellet, the former Archbishop of Quebec, might become the first Canadian Pope. Father Gruner and Cardinal Ouellet were fellow seminarians in Montreal in the 1960s.
Father Gruner offered a positive appraisal of both Cardinal Ouellet's character and his chances. He made the point, though, that no matter who is chosen, the next pope's first duty is to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as was requested by Our Lady of Fatima requested. It is only through the Consecration, Father explained, that the problems facing the Church and the world will be solved.
The video clip runs for just over six minutes. Please allow a minute or so for it to load.
Catholics everywhere are urged to pray for the Church and for the conclave that will choose our new Pope. Click here for some recommended prayers.
Father Gruner talked about the upcoming papal conclave, and on the possibility that Marc Cardinal Ouellet, the former Archbishop of Quebec, might become the first Canadian Pope. Father Gruner and Cardinal Ouellet were fellow seminarians in Montreal in the 1960s.
Father Gruner offered a positive appraisal of both Cardinal Ouellet's character and his chances. He made the point, though, that no matter who is chosen, the next pope's first duty is to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as was requested by Our Lady of Fatima requested. It is only through the Consecration, Father explained, that the problems facing the Church and the world will be solved.
The video clip runs for just over six minutes. Please allow a minute or so for it to load.
Catholics everywhere are urged to pray for the Church and for the conclave that will choose our new Pope. Click here for some recommended prayers.
An interesting day for a senior couple
Ed. here. Thanks to Agent 5 for pausing on his way to the Caribbean to send an e-postcard.
Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting.
Well, for example, the other day, my wife and I went into town and visited a shop.
When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.
We went up to him and I said, "Come on, man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?"
He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. I called him an "asshole".
He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn-out tires.
So Mary called him a "shithead".
He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing more tickets. This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.
Just then our bus arrived, and we got on it and went home.
We try to have a little fun each day now that we're retired.
It's important at our age.
Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting.
Well, for example, the other day, my wife and I went into town and visited a shop.
When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.
We went up to him and I said, "Come on, man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?"
He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. I called him an "asshole".
He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn-out tires.
So Mary called him a "shithead".
He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing more tickets. This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.
Just then our bus arrived, and we got on it and went home.
We try to have a little fun each day now that we're retired.
It's important at our age.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Ron Paul's going to be on the radio. Listen up!
Regular readers of WWW will know that Walt believes if America had only listened to Ron Paul for the last decade or so, the country wouldn't be in the mess in which it is presently mired. Well, Mr. Paul is still alive and well, and intends to keep talking about the issues of the day, regardless of whether the powers that be are listening.
Ron Paul’s America will debut on March 18th. The twice-daily one-minute radio and podcast commentaries will feature America’s voice of liberty sharing his thoughts and opinions on the issues listeners care. Bestselling author Charles Goyette will be Mr. Paul's sidekick.
Says Ron “I am very excited to have this opportunity to take the message of freedom to more people than ever, especially now when our country needs it so much. Radio and podcasting are a much more powerful means of communication than speaking on the floor of Congress. I welcome this chance to interact with America in a new way, delivering a message that is timelier than ever and a philosophy that people are clearly hungry to hear more about.”
Click here to listen to demo recordings on the topics of: federal revenues; intervention in Mali; gun control; social security; optimism [Really?! Ed.] and more. And keep your ears open for Ron's daily commentaries!
Ron Paul’s America will debut on March 18th. The twice-daily one-minute radio and podcast commentaries will feature America’s voice of liberty sharing his thoughts and opinions on the issues listeners care. Bestselling author Charles Goyette will be Mr. Paul's sidekick.
Says Ron “I am very excited to have this opportunity to take the message of freedom to more people than ever, especially now when our country needs it so much. Radio and podcasting are a much more powerful means of communication than speaking on the floor of Congress. I welcome this chance to interact with America in a new way, delivering a message that is timelier than ever and a philosophy that people are clearly hungry to hear more about.”
Click here to listen to demo recordings on the topics of: federal revenues; intervention in Mali; gun control; social security; optimism [Really?! Ed.] and more. And keep your ears open for Ron's daily commentaries!
Washington Post likens opposition to gay marriage to racism
Shocking news from the capital of the Greatest Nation on Earth™. Believe it or not, the Washington Post is pro-gay! Who knew?!
The ultra-liberal rag's ombudsman ["ombudsperson" or just "ombud", surely. Ed.] said as much in "Is the Post 'pro-gay'?", published on February 22nd. Patrick Pexton was responding to "a steady stream of e-mails and phone calls from readers who assert that The Post has a 'pro-gay agenda' and publishes too many 'puffy' stories about gay marriage".
"Many journalists have a hard time giving much voice to those opposed to gay marriage," Pexton wrote. "They see people opposed to gay rights today as cousins, perhaps distant cousins, of people in the 1950s and 1960s who, citing God and the Bible, opposed black people sitting in the bus seat, or dining at the lunch counter, of their choosing."
Pexton recounted an e-mail exchange between a unnamed reader and an unnamed Post reporter:
The reader wrote that Post stories too often minimize the conservative argument: "The overlooked 'other side' on the gay issue is quite legitimate, and includes the Pope, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, evangelist Billy Graham, scholars such as Robert George of Princeton, and the millions of Americans who believe in traditional marriage and oppose redefining marriage into nothingness. .?.?. Is there no room in The Post for those who support the male-female, procreative model of marriage?"
Replied the reporter: "The reason that legitimate media outlets routinely cover gays is because it is the civil rights issue of our time. Journalism, at its core, is about justice and fairness, and that's the 'view of the world' that we espouse; therefore, journalists are going to cover the segment of society that is still not treated equally under the law."
The reader: "Contrary to what you say, the mission of journalism is not justice. Defining justice is a political matter, not journalistic. Journalism should be about accuracy and fairness. Good journalism also means not demeaning conservatives as 'haters.'"
The reporter: "As for accuracy, should the media make room for racists, i.e. those people who believe that black people shouldn't marry white people? Any story on African-Americans wouldn't be wholly accurate without the opinion of a racist, right?
"Of course I have a bias. I have a bias toward fairness."
Walt thinks it's a pity this dialogue, especially the illogical -- and patently unfair -- last comment of the reporter, isn't in the form of a video so we could see if the unnamed "reporter" was able to utter that line while keeping a straight face.
In "Equating Christians with Racists", the American Spectator says "That a major American newspaper likens Christians to racists would once have generated outrage. Now it inspires little more than a shrug. The paper's...ombudsman blandly notes it, wishes for a little more 'objectivity', and then moves on."
The ultra-liberal rag's ombudsman ["ombudsperson" or just "ombud", surely. Ed.] said as much in "Is the Post 'pro-gay'?", published on February 22nd. Patrick Pexton was responding to "a steady stream of e-mails and phone calls from readers who assert that The Post has a 'pro-gay agenda' and publishes too many 'puffy' stories about gay marriage".
"Many journalists have a hard time giving much voice to those opposed to gay marriage," Pexton wrote. "They see people opposed to gay rights today as cousins, perhaps distant cousins, of people in the 1950s and 1960s who, citing God and the Bible, opposed black people sitting in the bus seat, or dining at the lunch counter, of their choosing."
Pexton recounted an e-mail exchange between a unnamed reader and an unnamed Post reporter:
The reader wrote that Post stories too often minimize the conservative argument: "The overlooked 'other side' on the gay issue is quite legitimate, and includes the Pope, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, evangelist Billy Graham, scholars such as Robert George of Princeton, and the millions of Americans who believe in traditional marriage and oppose redefining marriage into nothingness. .?.?. Is there no room in The Post for those who support the male-female, procreative model of marriage?"
Replied the reporter: "The reason that legitimate media outlets routinely cover gays is because it is the civil rights issue of our time. Journalism, at its core, is about justice and fairness, and that's the 'view of the world' that we espouse; therefore, journalists are going to cover the segment of society that is still not treated equally under the law."
The reader: "Contrary to what you say, the mission of journalism is not justice. Defining justice is a political matter, not journalistic. Journalism should be about accuracy and fairness. Good journalism also means not demeaning conservatives as 'haters.'"
The reporter: "As for accuracy, should the media make room for racists, i.e. those people who believe that black people shouldn't marry white people? Any story on African-Americans wouldn't be wholly accurate without the opinion of a racist, right?
"Of course I have a bias. I have a bias toward fairness."
Walt thinks it's a pity this dialogue, especially the illogical -- and patently unfair -- last comment of the reporter, isn't in the form of a video so we could see if the unnamed "reporter" was able to utter that line while keeping a straight face.
In "Equating Christians with Racists", the American Spectator says "That a major American newspaper likens Christians to racists would once have generated outrage. Now it inspires little more than a shrug. The paper's...ombudsman blandly notes it, wishes for a little more 'objectivity', and then moves on."
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