In a move which has nothing (or everything) to do with the conviction and sentencing of Dr. Benjamin Levin (see "Pedophile 'educator' gets what's coming to him, but his influence lingers"), the Halton (Ontario) District Catholic School Board will debate, on June 2nd, a motion by Trustee Anthony Dankos introduced a motion to delay the introduction in Halton schools of the Ontario's controversial new sex education curriculum.
Mr. Danko says he filed his motion because it would be detrimental for children to be taught that sex is acceptable for children of young ages, before they are ready for committed love, marriage and children of their own. "The text never mentions love at all," he says, "thereby separating sexual activity from any notion of love, commitment and marriage."
Trustee Anthony Quinn told Inside Halton that as a parent of four children, he doesn't want this curriculum taught to his own children, which he says contradicts Catholic teachings about sex and marriage in a number of areas.
"I will...be supporting this resolution as a parent of four children attending elementary school in the HCDSB in response to the lack of meaningful or transparent consultation between the Ministry of Education and parents as to the nature of the material and age of children to which the material contained in the revised curriculum is scheduled to be taught."
Catholic school board trustees have the responsibility to prevent anything that negatively affects Catholic faith being included in curriculum. Mr. Danko agreed with Mr. Quinn that the program challenges specific Catholic teachings in a number of areas, such as by teaching Grade 6 children that masturbation is "not harmful".
The HCDSB trustees are asking for a delay even though the Ontario Ministry of Education has promised Catholic boards "a Catholic-specific teaching resource". Mr. Quinn says the resource won't be complete by September. For that reason they want to delay bringing the program into schools so that the public has sufficient time to see the resource and schools aren't forced to implement it under chaotic conditions.
The Halton Catholic motion addresses the concerns of parents in one Catholic board, but Mr. Danko sees wider implications, for the province-wide, multi-board movement against the curriculum. By allowing Catholics to have their own program, says Danko, the Ontario government has acknowledged that their new plan conflicts with the views of people who disagree with a hedonistic approach to sex.
"The separation of sex from any notion of love, commitment and marriage is considered bad formation by all faiths and cultural backgrounds, including those of no particular faith," he said. "Why don't we join with the thousands of Ontarians of all faiths in ensuring that no child is formed by this poorly conceived program? I believe that if it's bad for Catholic children then it's bad for all children. Why would we only think of protecting Catholic children from this harmful idea, namely that sexual activity is fine for its own sake, unrelated to love?"
Friday, May 29, 2015
Pedophile "educator" gets what's coming to him, but his influence lingers
Walt was pleased to hear from Agent 3, a few minutes ago, that Dr. Benjamin Levin -- the Ontario "educator" who was convicted of three kiddy porn offences (out of seven with which he was originally charged) -- has been handed a sentence of three (3) years in the federal rock hockey arena.Those who don't remember Dr. Levin did can catch up by reading "Lesbian premier of Ontario pretends not to notice as pervert who drafted new sex ed curriculum pleads guilty to kiddy porn charges" and "Pervert responsible for Ontario sex ed curriculum claimed he had sex with pre-teen daughters, court hears".
In that second headline is the reason why every Ontario parent should be concerned. Dr. Levin may be on his way to prison, but his philosophy on sex and morality -- "you can't get children into sex too soon!" -- pervades Ontario's new pro-queer sex education curriculum, which he had a hand in drafting while he was the province's deputy education minister.
Lest you think I'm being unfair in characterizing the good doctor's attitude to kids and sex as immoral and perverted, consider what he admitted to and was punished for: possession of child porn (6 months), making child porn (12 months) and counselling to commit sexual assault (18 months).
During his trial, the court heard that Dr. Levin used to frequent online forums for the discussion of sexual activities with children. In some online conversations, he claimed to have sexually abused each of his daughters. And, while chatting with women posing as being interested in sexual activities with children, he counselled them to get their children started at as early an age if possible. Yes, even if it hurt.
In sentencing the old pervert, Judge Heather McArthur said, "Mr. Levin [sic] ...had a hidden dark side. Unbeknownst to his friends, colleagues and family, he had become deeply immersed in a deviant and depraved online world." She ruled that, for five years, Levin can't go to public parks, pools, daycares and schools unless he's supervised by someone over 21 years of age who knows of his conviction. His use of internet will be limited and he cannot work with children under 16 again. He was ordered to provide a sample of his DNA for the sex offender registry and will be registered for life.
Dr. Levin was arrested in July 2013 when a search warrant was executed at his Toronto home. At the time of his arrest, he was a faculty member at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He previously served as Manitoba's deputy minister of education. He went on to serve as deputy education minister in Ontario and was in that position when Ontario's proudly lesbian premier, Kathleen Wynne, was Minister of Education.
No matter how much Ms Lynne may dissemble, the fact is that Dr. Levin was instrumental in the drafting of Ontario's new sex education curriculum. His influence can be seen clearly in the inclusion of material which is inappropriate for elementary school children, having regard to their age -- teaching about genitalia as the age of six -- or their families' ideas of sexual morality -- teaching about oral and anal sex, for instance.
Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington has called for an enquiry into Dr. Levin's role in putting all the immoral, pro-queer material into the new curriculum being forced into Ontario schools in spite of growing protests by tens of thousands of concerned parents. See "Liberals can't deny Levin's role with sex-ed curriculum".
Is Ms Wynne or Minister Lez Sandals likely to call such an enquiry? Walt doesn't think so. (Lifetime pct .936.) However... Agent 3 notes that the Liberal government's complete mismanagement of the education portfolio has led to strikes by teachers in three large school districts. Back-to-work legislation was passed yesterday, but the teachers are now going to "work to rule".
That means they won't be attending training sessions on the new curriculum. Agent 3 thinks that might well provide a fig leaf with which Mizzes Wynne and Sandals can cover a strategic "postponement" of the introduction of the curriculum, which, like Dr. Levin, deserves the soubriquet "deviant and depraved".
Thursday, May 28, 2015
VIDEO: Absolutely amazing airshow stunts!
All you aviation buffs -- I know you're out there -- will surely join Walt in thanking Agent 17 for this short (4+ minutes) video of highlights from the 2014 edition of the Cameron Air Show 2014. Agent 17 said watching this array of cunning stunts was good for his bowels. Walt agrees.
The Cameron Air Show is held every year in Cameron MO [No surprises there. Ed.], hard by St. Joe. The 2015 show is just one month away -- June 27th and 28th. Here's the FB link with the lineup and other details. Air ya gonna be thar?
The Cameron Air Show is held every year in Cameron MO [No surprises there. Ed.], hard by St. Joe. The 2015 show is just one month away -- June 27th and 28th. Here's the FB link with the lineup and other details. Air ya gonna be thar?
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
VIDEO: How goes the war against IS/ISIL/ISIS? It's a fiasco!
In the past ten days, while Walt was preoccupied with weightier matters [The NHL playoffs? Ed.], the "Caliphate" struck back, seizing the key cities of Ramadi (in Iraq) and Palmyra (Syria). The loss of the latter is sad for the West because it was a centre of culture and civilization since for millennia, and priceless antiquities are now threatened with destruction by the Islamic barbarians. The toll of dead (beheaded and otherwise) and displaced (refugees) in both places continues to mount.
How did this happen? For over a year now, it will be remembered, the Paranoid States of America and its running dogs (O Canada!) have been bombing the excrement out of targets -- latrines, dumptrucks, and so forth -- in Iraq and Syria, with the avowed aim of "degrading" (not "defeating") "ISIL" (as Obama and Harper still call it), and keeping our countries safe from the dreaded Islamic terrorists.
Now, with the fall of Ramadia and Palmyra, the shekel has dropped. The coalition's defence honchos have belatedly realized that without boots on the ground, the mission against ISIS is futile. They tell us that they already knew that, but were relying on the Iraq's alleged army -- trained and advised by coalition troops -- to get the job done. How's that working out? At Ramadi, the Iraqis, although outnumbering the jihadists 10 to 1, turned tail and ran.
Pause for a little levity...
Q. How many gears to Iraqi tanks have? A. One forward, four reverse!
Q. What's the forward speed for? A. In case they're attacked from behind!
United States Secretary of Defense Ass Carter ["Ash"! Don't do that again. Ed.] didn't actually tell that joke on CNN last Sunday, but did, on the national air, criticize Iraqi soldiers for not being willing to fight and defend themselves. He blamed the biggest ISIS victory in almost a year on something that sounded a lot like Iraqi cowardice. What he actually said was, "What apparently happened [in Ramadi] is that the Iraqi forces showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. And yet they failed to fight."
Mr. Carter’s frustrations are apparently shared by the Prez. Mr. 0 told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg that "if the Iraqis are not willing to fight for the security of their country, then we cannot do it for them."
In "Why Iraq's Military Has No Will to Fight" Matt Schiavenza says it’s easy to see why Washington is unhappy with Baghdad. He writes: "In the eight years since the US formally occupied Iraq, the US invested $25 billion in training and equipping the country’s armed forces before withdrawing in 2011. To this day, a much smaller number of American soldiers remain in the country in order to train Iraqi soldiers.
"What accounts for the Iraqi military’s failure? Many problems stem from the Bush administration’s decision to disband the existing Iraqi military in 2003 and build a new one from scratch. Intended to rid the institution of officers linked to Saddam Hussein, the move instead left thousands of armed men unemployed and embittered. This contributed to a security vacuum within Iraqi society and fed a vicious anti-US insurgency. Many high-ranking officials who served under Saddam have now become senior commanders with ISIS.
"The Iraqi army is also notoriously corrupt, a legacy of Nouri al-Maliki’s years as prime minister. Fearful that a strong military would pose a threat to his power, al-Maliki replaced top commanders with political clients drawn from his Shiite sect, undermining any attempt to establish a merit-based system of promotion. So-called 'ghost battalions' draw salaries despite never reporting for duty, and the forces who do remain are no match for fanatical ISIS fighters.
"'Military training, no matter how intensive, and weaponry, no matter how sophisticated and powerful, is no substitute for belief in a cause,' William Astore, a former US Air Force lieutenant colonel, wrote last year in the American Conservative."
That's a very good analysis from a respected -- and liberal -- source. But it begs the question Walt and others have been asking since the beginning. What are "we" -- Obama's "coalition of Western democracies" -- doing there? Why are we meddling in the Middle East, taking sides in Islamic civil wars and jihads which are really none of our business? See "Canada re-ups for another year of the Obama war" and "Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks about the 'war within Islam'"
Quoting the Schiavenza article again: "The main problem with the Iraqi military is the problem with Iraq as a whole -— the country effectively no longer exists as a unified state. Kurdistan, for all intents and purposes, acts as an independent country. Much of the Sunni population lives in territories controlled by ISIS. The rump Iraqi government, meanwhile, operates in close cooperation with Iran, which funds Shiite militias that act as a paramilitary force. The Iraqi military, then, is less a cause of the country’s failures than a reflection of them."
Dear readers, Iraq is a fiasco! So says Ron Paul, in a dialogue with Daniel McAdams, the latest installment of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Here's "Who Won't Fight in Iraq?".
How did this happen? For over a year now, it will be remembered, the Paranoid States of America and its running dogs (O Canada!) have been bombing the excrement out of targets -- latrines, dumptrucks, and so forth -- in Iraq and Syria, with the avowed aim of "degrading" (not "defeating") "ISIL" (as Obama and Harper still call it), and keeping our countries safe from the dreaded Islamic terrorists.
Now, with the fall of Ramadia and Palmyra, the shekel has dropped. The coalition's defence honchos have belatedly realized that without boots on the ground, the mission against ISIS is futile. They tell us that they already knew that, but were relying on the Iraq's alleged army -- trained and advised by coalition troops -- to get the job done. How's that working out? At Ramadi, the Iraqis, although outnumbering the jihadists 10 to 1, turned tail and ran.
Pause for a little levity...
Q. How many gears to Iraqi tanks have? A. One forward, four reverse!
Q. What's the forward speed for? A. In case they're attacked from behind!
United States Secretary of Defense Ass Carter ["Ash"! Don't do that again. Ed.] didn't actually tell that joke on CNN last Sunday, but did, on the national air, criticize Iraqi soldiers for not being willing to fight and defend themselves. He blamed the biggest ISIS victory in almost a year on something that sounded a lot like Iraqi cowardice. What he actually said was, "What apparently happened [in Ramadi] is that the Iraqi forces showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. And yet they failed to fight."
Mr. Carter’s frustrations are apparently shared by the Prez. Mr. 0 told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg that "if the Iraqis are not willing to fight for the security of their country, then we cannot do it for them."
In "Why Iraq's Military Has No Will to Fight" Matt Schiavenza says it’s easy to see why Washington is unhappy with Baghdad. He writes: "In the eight years since the US formally occupied Iraq, the US invested $25 billion in training and equipping the country’s armed forces before withdrawing in 2011. To this day, a much smaller number of American soldiers remain in the country in order to train Iraqi soldiers.
"What accounts for the Iraqi military’s failure? Many problems stem from the Bush administration’s decision to disband the existing Iraqi military in 2003 and build a new one from scratch. Intended to rid the institution of officers linked to Saddam Hussein, the move instead left thousands of armed men unemployed and embittered. This contributed to a security vacuum within Iraqi society and fed a vicious anti-US insurgency. Many high-ranking officials who served under Saddam have now become senior commanders with ISIS.
"The Iraqi army is also notoriously corrupt, a legacy of Nouri al-Maliki’s years as prime minister. Fearful that a strong military would pose a threat to his power, al-Maliki replaced top commanders with political clients drawn from his Shiite sect, undermining any attempt to establish a merit-based system of promotion. So-called 'ghost battalions' draw salaries despite never reporting for duty, and the forces who do remain are no match for fanatical ISIS fighters.
"'Military training, no matter how intensive, and weaponry, no matter how sophisticated and powerful, is no substitute for belief in a cause,' William Astore, a former US Air Force lieutenant colonel, wrote last year in the American Conservative."
That's a very good analysis from a respected -- and liberal -- source. But it begs the question Walt and others have been asking since the beginning. What are "we" -- Obama's "coalition of Western democracies" -- doing there? Why are we meddling in the Middle East, taking sides in Islamic civil wars and jihads which are really none of our business? See "Canada re-ups for another year of the Obama war" and "Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks about the 'war within Islam'"
Quoting the Schiavenza article again: "The main problem with the Iraqi military is the problem with Iraq as a whole -— the country effectively no longer exists as a unified state. Kurdistan, for all intents and purposes, acts as an independent country. Much of the Sunni population lives in territories controlled by ISIS. The rump Iraqi government, meanwhile, operates in close cooperation with Iran, which funds Shiite militias that act as a paramilitary force. The Iraqi military, then, is less a cause of the country’s failures than a reflection of them."
Dear readers, Iraq is a fiasco! So says Ron Paul, in a dialogue with Daniel McAdams, the latest installment of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Here's "Who Won't Fight in Iraq?".
Monday, May 25, 2015
VIDEO: Quick! Go see Cuba before the Americans spoil it!
A couple of months ago, when the Prez announced that the Paranoid States of America was finally going to normalize relations with the evil communists lurking just off the Florida coast, Walt kidded Agent 2 -- a regular visitor to Cuba -- that the days of cheap, quiet vacations on the beach would soon be over. The barbarians are at the gates, I said. [That would make a good book title! Ed.]
Turns out my fears of the dire consequences of the arrival of hordes of rotund not-quite-grown children in silly clothes were shared by others, especially Canadians. In spite of the weakness of the Beaverbuck (compared with real money), the snowbirds have for decades been the largest source of tourists for the People's Republic. Why? Could be the horrors of the Canuck winter. Could be that Cuba, alone of the Caribbean sunspots, is the one place Americans couldn't go. Until now.
But is the end of discount holidays for Canadians really over, now that Cubans have taken down the "Yankee go home!" signs and put up new ones reading "Keep Cuba green! Bring American dollars!"? Jury Krytiuk, who's been "selling Cuba" for decades says don't worry about it. Cuba will have to make some changes to accommodate all the Americans who want to visit, and the improvements in infrastructure and the tourism industry will benefit everybody.
For more information on visiting Cuba, visit the A. Nash Travel website. And yes, Jury will be happy to help Americans, Canadians, Ukrainians or anyone else enjoy all that Cuba has to offer. Tell him Walt sent ya! And no, I'm not getting paid for this. It's an unsolicited recommendation!
Turns out my fears of the dire consequences of the arrival of hordes of rotund not-quite-grown children in silly clothes were shared by others, especially Canadians. In spite of the weakness of the Beaverbuck (compared with real money), the snowbirds have for decades been the largest source of tourists for the People's Republic. Why? Could be the horrors of the Canuck winter. Could be that Cuba, alone of the Caribbean sunspots, is the one place Americans couldn't go. Until now.
But is the end of discount holidays for Canadians really over, now that Cubans have taken down the "Yankee go home!" signs and put up new ones reading "Keep Cuba green! Bring American dollars!"? Jury Krytiuk, who's been "selling Cuba" for decades says don't worry about it. Cuba will have to make some changes to accommodate all the Americans who want to visit, and the improvements in infrastructure and the tourism industry will benefit everybody.
For more information on visiting Cuba, visit the A. Nash Travel website. And yes, Jury will be happy to help Americans, Canadians, Ukrainians or anyone else enjoy all that Cuba has to offer. Tell him Walt sent ya! And no, I'm not getting paid for this. It's an unsolicited recommendation!
No wonder the Church is losing respect and influence
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, must be shedding rivers of tears in Heaven as she looks with profound sorrow on what has become of Her children in the last half-century. Two news stories this month confirm that the Church no longer has any significant influence on the morals and lives of the majority of people in two nominally Christian countries -- the United States of America and the once ultra-Catholic Republic of Ireland.
On 12 May 2015, a new study by the respected Pew Research Center revealed that in just seven years under Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, the number of self-identified Catholics in the USA has fallen from 23.9% (in 2007) to 20.8%. And now, for the first time, the "Catholics" are outnumbered by those claiming no church affiliation.
The study says that nearly a third of American adults (31.7%) reported being raised Catholic. The bad news, for the mainstream Church, is that fully 41% of that group no longer identify with Catholicism. This means that 12.9% of US adults are former Catholics, while only 2 (two) per cent of US adults have converted to the Church from another religion. No other religious group in the study had such a lopsided ratio of losses to gains.
Meanwhile... In Eire, what Patrick Buchanan called "the long retreat in the culture war" continued, as over 60% of Irish voters -- over 90% of whom would have been baptized Catholics -- voted in a binding referendum to legalize "gay marriage".
Irish bishops had urged them to vote "NO", but Pope Francis sat out the campaign, refusing to make any definitive pronouncement. Walt suggests Catholic voters read more into the Pope's silence -- "Who am I to judge?" -- than the appeals of their own church leaders.
Not that the Irish bishops were very strong in their condemnation of the abomination that is homosexuality. Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, pointedly refused to preach on this one of the Four Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance, singled out in the Holy Bible (Genesis 18:20-21). Following the vote, Abp. Martin told the Irish state broadcaster RTE: "We [the Church] have to stop and have a reality check, not move into denial of the realities.... I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution."
What Abp. Martin is really saying is: since the secular humanists and pushers of perversion disagree with God's commandments, God's Church must change the rules to follow the prevailing "morality". Here's a commentary from St. Peter's List on that astonishing proposition.
The “Sin of Sodom” is described as "carnal sin against nature, which is a voluntary shedding of the seed of nature, out of the due use of marriage, or lust with a different sex." Given modernity’s substitution of God and Nature with the will of the individual as an autonomous moral universe, sodomy – more specifically active homosexuality, not orientation – has become part of the new post-Christian norm. Neither Divine Law nor Natural Law form an external guide for the modern man; thus, the only boundary of autonomous individual is the autonomy of another. The boundary for what is and is not moral appears to be consent. Consequently, moral dialogue has been flattened to mere platitudes, e.g., this isn’t hurting anyone, it’s my body and my choice, love is love. Many often comment on the modern West’s apparent lack of morality, but few comment on the fact the West has lost the vocabulary to even discuss on morality.
Walt wonders if the Holy Father was properly instructed in the Catechism of the Church. "Who am I to judge?" he asks. And it seems he was a great fan of the notorious gay activist, radical priest, Michele de Paolis, with whom he is seen here concelebrating the Novus Ordo Mass.
Father di Paolis openly rejects Christian morality, pontificating: "Homosexual love is a gift from God no less than heterosexual." To claim that God is the author of evil is blasphemy, a damnable sin against the First Commandment. Moreover, Fr. De Paolis is a well-known promoter of the "anarcho-Catholicism" of the extreme left, which has been dominant since the 1970s in parts of Italy and South America, from whence comes Pope Bergoglio.
Getting back to the Irish vote... One could also interpret the vote in favour of "gay marriage" as a rejection by the Irish people of the Church that tolerated and covered up the perversions of sinful priests and religious who for decades assaulted Irish children in the most vile ways. So hostile had Eire become to the predations of the clergy that in 2010 its prime minister warned Benedict XVI not to include the Republic (or Northern Ireland) in a proposed tour of the "British Isles" because his safety could not be guaranteed.
But it's not just the paedophile priests who are to blame for the increasing rejection of the Church. Nor is it the lay gay Catholics or LGBT secular humanists outside the Church who are hell-bent (literally) on wiping out the Christian religion. No, dear Catholics, it is the Gay Mafia in the Vatican, and the Popes themselves! They are the stars pulled down from Heaven by Great Red Dragon, who stood before the "Woman clothed with the sun", when she was to be delivered, that he might devour Her son. (Apocalypse 12:1-4).
There is something seriously wrong -- dare we say immoral or even unChristian -- with the leadership of the mainstream Roman Catholic Church. It should come as no surprise, then, that people who once looked to the Church for guidance, direction and a moral code by which to live, are now deserting in droves.
Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady Help of Christians, Queen of the World, pray for us!
Further reading:
"Commentary on the 4 Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance", St. Peter's List, 1 February 2014.
"Pope Francis’ meeting with homosexual activist Fr. De Paolis: the unanswered questions", LifeSiteNews, 28 May 2014.
"Papal Silence: The Most Decisive Factor in Ireland's Same-Sex 'Marriage' Victory" by Roberto Mauro, in Catholic Family News, 27 May 2015.
On 12 May 2015, a new study by the respected Pew Research Center revealed that in just seven years under Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, the number of self-identified Catholics in the USA has fallen from 23.9% (in 2007) to 20.8%. And now, for the first time, the "Catholics" are outnumbered by those claiming no church affiliation.
The study says that nearly a third of American adults (31.7%) reported being raised Catholic. The bad news, for the mainstream Church, is that fully 41% of that group no longer identify with Catholicism. This means that 12.9% of US adults are former Catholics, while only 2 (two) per cent of US adults have converted to the Church from another religion. No other religious group in the study had such a lopsided ratio of losses to gains.
Meanwhile... In Eire, what Patrick Buchanan called "the long retreat in the culture war" continued, as over 60% of Irish voters -- over 90% of whom would have been baptized Catholics -- voted in a binding referendum to legalize "gay marriage".Irish bishops had urged them to vote "NO", but Pope Francis sat out the campaign, refusing to make any definitive pronouncement. Walt suggests Catholic voters read more into the Pope's silence -- "Who am I to judge?" -- than the appeals of their own church leaders.
Not that the Irish bishops were very strong in their condemnation of the abomination that is homosexuality. Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, pointedly refused to preach on this one of the Four Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance, singled out in the Holy Bible (Genesis 18:20-21). Following the vote, Abp. Martin told the Irish state broadcaster RTE: "We [the Church] have to stop and have a reality check, not move into denial of the realities.... I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution."
What Abp. Martin is really saying is: since the secular humanists and pushers of perversion disagree with God's commandments, God's Church must change the rules to follow the prevailing "morality". Here's a commentary from St. Peter's List on that astonishing proposition.
The “Sin of Sodom” is described as "carnal sin against nature, which is a voluntary shedding of the seed of nature, out of the due use of marriage, or lust with a different sex." Given modernity’s substitution of God and Nature with the will of the individual as an autonomous moral universe, sodomy – more specifically active homosexuality, not orientation – has become part of the new post-Christian norm. Neither Divine Law nor Natural Law form an external guide for the modern man; thus, the only boundary of autonomous individual is the autonomy of another. The boundary for what is and is not moral appears to be consent. Consequently, moral dialogue has been flattened to mere platitudes, e.g., this isn’t hurting anyone, it’s my body and my choice, love is love. Many often comment on the modern West’s apparent lack of morality, but few comment on the fact the West has lost the vocabulary to even discuss on morality.
Walt wonders if the Holy Father was properly instructed in the Catechism of the Church. "Who am I to judge?" he asks. And it seems he was a great fan of the notorious gay activist, radical priest, Michele de Paolis, with whom he is seen here concelebrating the Novus Ordo Mass.
Father di Paolis openly rejects Christian morality, pontificating: "Homosexual love is a gift from God no less than heterosexual." To claim that God is the author of evil is blasphemy, a damnable sin against the First Commandment. Moreover, Fr. De Paolis is a well-known promoter of the "anarcho-Catholicism" of the extreme left, which has been dominant since the 1970s in parts of Italy and South America, from whence comes Pope Bergoglio.
Getting back to the Irish vote... One could also interpret the vote in favour of "gay marriage" as a rejection by the Irish people of the Church that tolerated and covered up the perversions of sinful priests and religious who for decades assaulted Irish children in the most vile ways. So hostile had Eire become to the predations of the clergy that in 2010 its prime minister warned Benedict XVI not to include the Republic (or Northern Ireland) in a proposed tour of the "British Isles" because his safety could not be guaranteed.
But it's not just the paedophile priests who are to blame for the increasing rejection of the Church. Nor is it the lay gay Catholics or LGBT secular humanists outside the Church who are hell-bent (literally) on wiping out the Christian religion. No, dear Catholics, it is the Gay Mafia in the Vatican, and the Popes themselves! They are the stars pulled down from Heaven by Great Red Dragon, who stood before the "Woman clothed with the sun", when she was to be delivered, that he might devour Her son. (Apocalypse 12:1-4).
There is something seriously wrong -- dare we say immoral or even unChristian -- with the leadership of the mainstream Roman Catholic Church. It should come as no surprise, then, that people who once looked to the Church for guidance, direction and a moral code by which to live, are now deserting in droves.
Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady Help of Christians, Queen of the World, pray for us!
Further reading:
"Commentary on the 4 Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance", St. Peter's List, 1 February 2014.
"Pope Francis’ meeting with homosexual activist Fr. De Paolis: the unanswered questions", LifeSiteNews, 28 May 2014.
"Papal Silence: The Most Decisive Factor in Ireland's Same-Sex 'Marriage' Victory" by Roberto Mauro, in Catholic Family News, 27 May 2015.
Friday, May 22, 2015
@POTUS draws negative (even racist!) comments. Surprised?
Walt has never done Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any of the other anti-social media. (I call them that because it seems most of the people posting on FB etc are so busy posting that they have no time to socialize with anyone in person. See Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, by Robert D. Putnam (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000). But I digress...)
When I heard, earlier this week, that the Prez -- Barack Hussein Obama hisself -- had his very own Twitter account, @POTUS, I was sorely tempted to sign up. A White House aide said @POTUS would "serve as a new way for President Obama to engage directly with the American people, with tweets coming exclusively from him."
Since Mr. 0 never returns my phone calls, I figured I could send him a message on Twitter. Not that he'd read it personally, of course, but it would make me feel better for having sent it. Seems like hundreds of thousands of other people had the same idea. The New York Times reports today that it took only a few minutes for Mr. Obama’s account to attract "racist, hate-filled posts and replies". Gee! Whoda thunk it?!
Posts addressed him (the Times continues) with racial slurs, called him a monkey and one had an image of the President’s neck in a noose. The posts reflected the racial hostility toward the country’s first black President that has long been expressed in stark terms on the Internet, where conspiracy theories thrive and prejudices find ready outlets. But the racist tweets are different because now that Mr. Obama has his own Twitter account, the slurs are addressed directly to him, for all to see.
Within minutes of Mr. Obama’s first, cheerful tweet -- "Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really!" -- Twitter users lashed out in sometimes profanity-laced replies that included exhortations for the President to kill himself and worse. One person posted a doctored image of Mr. Obama’s iconic campaign poster, instead showing the President with his head in a noose, his eyes closed and his neck appearing broken as if he had been lynched.
Instead of the word “HOPE” in capital letters as it appeared on the campaign poster, the doctored image had the word “ROPE.”
Another Twitter user responded to the president with just two words: “Black monkey,” a comparison that was not uncommon in the posts addressed to Mr. Obama. “Get back in your cage monkey,” another person wrote.
What Walt (and the Times) finds surprising is that anyone finds this surprising. The liberals claims that the election of Mr. 0 proves that American society is now "post-racial". The Prez hisself says so. Political correctness may restrain politicians, the meeja and just others who don't want to be called racists from saying what they really think, but when you open a Twitter account that gives people a forum for freedom of speech, look out! Let's see how long @POTUS lasts.
When I heard, earlier this week, that the Prez -- Barack Hussein Obama hisself -- had his very own Twitter account, @POTUS, I was sorely tempted to sign up. A White House aide said @POTUS would "serve as a new way for President Obama to engage directly with the American people, with tweets coming exclusively from him."
Since Mr. 0 never returns my phone calls, I figured I could send him a message on Twitter. Not that he'd read it personally, of course, but it would make me feel better for having sent it. Seems like hundreds of thousands of other people had the same idea. The New York Times reports today that it took only a few minutes for Mr. Obama’s account to attract "racist, hate-filled posts and replies". Gee! Whoda thunk it?!
Posts addressed him (the Times continues) with racial slurs, called him a monkey and one had an image of the President’s neck in a noose. The posts reflected the racial hostility toward the country’s first black President that has long been expressed in stark terms on the Internet, where conspiracy theories thrive and prejudices find ready outlets. But the racist tweets are different because now that Mr. Obama has his own Twitter account, the slurs are addressed directly to him, for all to see.
Within minutes of Mr. Obama’s first, cheerful tweet -- "Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really!" -- Twitter users lashed out in sometimes profanity-laced replies that included exhortations for the President to kill himself and worse. One person posted a doctored image of Mr. Obama’s iconic campaign poster, instead showing the President with his head in a noose, his eyes closed and his neck appearing broken as if he had been lynched.
Instead of the word “HOPE” in capital letters as it appeared on the campaign poster, the doctored image had the word “ROPE.”
Another Twitter user responded to the president with just two words: “Black monkey,” a comparison that was not uncommon in the posts addressed to Mr. Obama. “Get back in your cage monkey,” another person wrote.
What Walt (and the Times) finds surprising is that anyone finds this surprising. The liberals claims that the election of Mr. 0 proves that American society is now "post-racial". The Prez hisself says so. Political correctness may restrain politicians, the meeja and just others who don't want to be called racists from saying what they really think, but when you open a Twitter account that gives people a forum for freedom of speech, look out! Let's see how long @POTUS lasts.
Conservationists win a round in the fight for the Caledon Badlands
Last summer, Walt asked you to sign a petition to save the Caledon Badlands (aka "Cheltenham Badlands", "Finger Hills" or "The Funny Place") from the depredations of hordes of tourists -- city people from the Little Apple -- who were destroying the natural beauty of the place.
Imagine the four people shown in this picture multiplied by 100 and you'd have an idea of what it was like there of a summer Sunday afternoon. Imagine the amount of litter, for city people always think that someone else is going to clean up their trash. Trouble is, the Town of Caledon is (or was) a rural municipality. Although some of the richest people in southern Ontario live there, they had no money (so they said) to maintain the Badlands. Let someone else -- like the Bruce Trail Association -- look after it.
Strangely, the Town did find money in its budget to pave the road going by the Badlands. And they thought it would be nice to pave over at least a part of paradise and put up a parking lot. (Hello Joni Mitchell! Hope you're getting better.) The petition was an effort to stop further destruction of this unique site/sight.
Walt is delighted to pass on a message received from Alex Mior, who started the petition on Change.org. Alex reports VICTORY! The proposed parking lot has been stopped. But -- here come the weasel words -- the town council has stopped the project "for further review". It's true that can me "put on hold forever", but sometimes bad ideas get resurrected, so Walt advises lovers of the Badlands to NOT relax their vigilance.
There is, however, a further piece of good news. Earlier this month, the town council listened (for once) to the concerns of local residents, environmentalists and conservationists, and decided to put up a big fence along the road, to keep visitors off the "dramatic barren landscape", before it gets even more barren! A look at the photo in the story from the Caledon Enterprise will show you why fencing off the Badlands was long overdue.
Now the question is, should the fence be made permanent? There's already an outcry about denying access to public property. But serious nature lovers and outdoorsy types can still walk through the section of the Bruce Trail that skirts the southern perimeter of the Badlands. Check out the notice in the Bruce Trail News. It's only the city folk who will be shut out.
Further reading: "Caledon’s Cheltenham Badlands temporarily closed", on the Ontario Heritage Trust website. Walt urges you to follow the links at the end of the article to learn more about how you can help conserve the Badlands, and participate in discussions about the future of this beautiful piece of the Ontario landscape.
Imagine the four people shown in this picture multiplied by 100 and you'd have an idea of what it was like there of a summer Sunday afternoon. Imagine the amount of litter, for city people always think that someone else is going to clean up their trash. Trouble is, the Town of Caledon is (or was) a rural municipality. Although some of the richest people in southern Ontario live there, they had no money (so they said) to maintain the Badlands. Let someone else -- like the Bruce Trail Association -- look after it.
Strangely, the Town did find money in its budget to pave the road going by the Badlands. And they thought it would be nice to pave over at least a part of paradise and put up a parking lot. (Hello Joni Mitchell! Hope you're getting better.) The petition was an effort to stop further destruction of this unique site/sight.
Walt is delighted to pass on a message received from Alex Mior, who started the petition on Change.org. Alex reports VICTORY! The proposed parking lot has been stopped. But -- here come the weasel words -- the town council has stopped the project "for further review". It's true that can me "put on hold forever", but sometimes bad ideas get resurrected, so Walt advises lovers of the Badlands to NOT relax their vigilance.
There is, however, a further piece of good news. Earlier this month, the town council listened (for once) to the concerns of local residents, environmentalists and conservationists, and decided to put up a big fence along the road, to keep visitors off the "dramatic barren landscape", before it gets even more barren! A look at the photo in the story from the Caledon Enterprise will show you why fencing off the Badlands was long overdue.
Now the question is, should the fence be made permanent? There's already an outcry about denying access to public property. But serious nature lovers and outdoorsy types can still walk through the section of the Bruce Trail that skirts the southern perimeter of the Badlands. Check out the notice in the Bruce Trail News. It's only the city folk who will be shut out.
Further reading: "Caledon’s Cheltenham Badlands temporarily closed", on the Ontario Heritage Trust website. Walt urges you to follow the links at the end of the article to learn more about how you can help conserve the Badlands, and participate in discussions about the future of this beautiful piece of the Ontario landscape.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Don't leave your kids' education to "experts", warns Pope
Just saw, on the Radio Vaticana website, a report of the catechesis given by Pope Francis at the General Audience this morning. Click here for the English version.
In remarks which might well have been directed especially to the people of Ontario, the Holy Father focused on the role of parents in the education of their children, which he called "an essential characteristic" of the family.
Intellectual critics, he said, "have silenced parents in many ways, to protect the young generation from the damage -- real or imagined -- of family education.... The family has stood accused, among other things, of authoritarianism, cronyism, of conformism, of affective repression that generates conflicts."
Pope Francis went on to say that so-called experts took over the "role of parents even in the most intimate aspects of education.... On the emotional life, personality and development, rights and duties, the 'experts' know everything: objectives, motivations, techniques."
Worse, he continued, "Parents tend to entrust ever more to the 'experts', even for the most delicate and personal aspects in their lives.... And this is very serious!"
Indeed. The problem of trusting the liberal, secular humanist "experts" is at the core of the controversy over the Ontario Ministry of Education's new, pro-LGBT sex education curriculum. Much of the protest against it comes from immigrants from "backward" places like the Middle East, Asia and Africa, who have not yet learned that the "experts" -- like the disgraced child pornographer Benjamin Levin -- know better than they do.
Parents of Ontario (and the rest of Canada, the United States and all the ships at sea), listen up! Pope Francis says some strange things, every now on then, but in the matter of who's responsible for your children's education, he's speaking natural common sense. Don't leave your kids' education in the hands of the likes of Dr. Levin, Lez Sandals and Kathleen Wynne. Stand up on your hind feet and fight back!
In remarks which might well have been directed especially to the people of Ontario, the Holy Father focused on the role of parents in the education of their children, which he called "an essential characteristic" of the family.
Intellectual critics, he said, "have silenced parents in many ways, to protect the young generation from the damage -- real or imagined -- of family education.... The family has stood accused, among other things, of authoritarianism, cronyism, of conformism, of affective repression that generates conflicts."
Pope Francis went on to say that so-called experts took over the "role of parents even in the most intimate aspects of education.... On the emotional life, personality and development, rights and duties, the 'experts' know everything: objectives, motivations, techniques."
Worse, he continued, "Parents tend to entrust ever more to the 'experts', even for the most delicate and personal aspects in their lives.... And this is very serious!"
Indeed. The problem of trusting the liberal, secular humanist "experts" is at the core of the controversy over the Ontario Ministry of Education's new, pro-LGBT sex education curriculum. Much of the protest against it comes from immigrants from "backward" places like the Middle East, Asia and Africa, who have not yet learned that the "experts" -- like the disgraced child pornographer Benjamin Levin -- know better than they do.
Parents of Ontario (and the rest of Canada, the United States and all the ships at sea), listen up! Pope Francis says some strange things, every now on then, but in the matter of who's responsible for your children's education, he's speaking natural common sense. Don't leave your kids' education in the hands of the likes of Dr. Levin, Lez Sandals and Kathleen Wynne. Stand up on your hind feet and fight back!
"Legal terrorist" files third complaint to enforce "rights" of Muslim students at Catholic University
Meet John F. Banzhaf. Not just plain ole John F. Banzhaf, but Professor John F. Banzhaf, the Third (no less). Wikipedia describes him as a law professor at George Washington University and a "legal activist", which is like calling Ted Cruz "somewhat conservative". Prof. Banzhaf's own website says he's been called a "legal terrorist", "the Osama bin Laden of Torts", and a "legal bomb-thrower". And that's still putting it mildly.I say that because the good professor is well known in liberal, secular humanist circles -- and notorious in legal circles -- for filing dozens of human rights complaints, including those alleging discrimination against non-smokers, women, and just about every poor, down-trodden minority you can name. They're all being put down, you know, by the racist, sexist, homophobic, yada yada yada white upper class.
So Prof. Banzhaf has form, as they say. Even so, his jihad against Catholic University is, IMHO, over the top. It began back in 2011, when he filed two complaints with the DC Office of Human Rights against Catholic University (which, honestly, is a Catholic university), on behalf of CU's Muslim Students Association. No Genevieve, I am not making this up. Nor do I have any idea why Muslims would want to go to a Catholic university, but they do, and they are organized. Here's a picture of some of the members of the student group.
Sadly, the Muslim Students Association is not officially recognized by the university. Prof. Banzhaf's complaint to the DC Office of Human Rights was not based on any communication with the Muslim students, but on an article he read in the Washington Post in which one Muslim undergrad said he was told that he could not create an Islamic worship group. But CU does have an official group for Jewish law students [Jewish law students? Really?! Ed.], ergo the Muslims were being discriminated against. So said Prof. Banzhaf.
That complaint, filed in October, was actually the second made by the "legal flamethrower". A couple of months earlier he said the Muslim kids' rights were being violated when CU eliminated coed dorm floors. One would think that dorms segregated by sex ["gender"? Ed.] would be more in keeping with the commandments of the Prophet, but there you are.
Both complaints are still "pending". However, Robert Tuttle, a law professor at GWU -- the same GWU at which Prof. Banzhaf teaches -- said Washington’s anti-discrimination law has a broad exemption for political and religious groups. He told the Post in October 2011 that the complaints are "not likely to be successful if [the exemption] is read the way other courts have read other human rights exemptions."
That seemed to shut Prof. Banzhaf up for a while, at least as far as CU was concerned. But perhaps he was just thinking of something else to complain about. And he came up with a doozy. He filed yet another complaint -- or maybe it was another part of one of the two complaints already mentioned* -- saying that the presence of crosses and crucifixes in the rooms of Catholic University were offensive to Muslim students and prevented them from praying.
According to an article in beliefnet news, Prof. Banzhaf alleged that CU "does not provide space – as other universities do – for the many daily prayers Muslim students must make, forcing them instead to find temporarily empty classrooms where they are often surrounded by Catholic symbols which are incongruous to their religion."
Even worse (the complaint goes on), Muslims must pray at the school’s chapels "and at the cathedral that looms over the entire campus – the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception." Oh those terrible, racist, Islamophobic Catholics!
beliefnet news quotes Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society as saying "This attorney is really turning civil rights on its head. He’s using the law for his own discrimination against the Catholic institution and essentially saying Catholic University cannot operate according to Catholic principles."
Another commentator, Thomas Peters, asks "Can you imagine a law professor helping Catholic students to sue a
Jewish or Muslim school to demand that the schools install crosses,
remove their religious symbols, and allow the Catholics to construct a
chapel on their property? Can you imagine the argument
being that Jewish and Muslims schools using their religious symbols and
following their faith traditions would be described in the legal brief
as 'offensive'?! Normally I would have confidence that this lawsuit will be deemed
without merit, but the way things are going these days, I just can’t be
sure anymore. Simply incredible."
* FOOTNOTE AND CAVEAT: This story has been all over the Internet this month, especially on conservative and religious websites, but no-one except yr obdt servant seems to have noticed that the original stories in the Washington Post and beliefnet news were posted in October of 2011.
* FOOTNOTE AND CAVEAT: This story has been all over the Internet this month, especially on conservative and religious websites, but no-one except yr obdt servant seems to have noticed that the original stories in the Washington Post and beliefnet news were posted in October of 2011.
beliefnet news quoted a spokesthingy for the DC human rights commission as saying they were investigating Prof. Banzhaf's complaints, and that the inquiry would take at least six months. But there has been no news since. Walt [and Ed.! Ed.] has [have! Ed.] searched in vain for updates or follow-ups, but have found nothing. I'm beginning to wonder if the whole issue, including the good professor, was a figment of someone's imagination. Anyone who can shine some light into this dark corner of abusive "human rights" complaints is requested to e-mail us.
How Canuck immigration cops spot fake marriage fraud
There are a lot of pink faces -- white faces blushing -- in Ottawa and Vegreville AB [Where dat?! Ed.] as the Toronto Red Star reveals the contents of a manual issued to Canadian immigration officials to help them recognize fraudulent "marriages of conveniences", entered into for the purpose of getting one of the partners into Canada.
(Vegreville AB is the village in the hinterland where immigration applications are processed. It also happens to be the home of the world's biggest pysanka -- Ukrainian Easter egg -- but I digress...)
The three-page training guide, titled "Evidence of Relationship", lists clues officers should look for in assessing a spousal sponsorship application. Here's the list.
Looks pretty contrived to me. On the other hand, they're both white (or pinkish), so they probably passed. If one of them had been, ohhhh, let's say Chinese, what would the result have been.
The training material, obtained under an access to information request and posted online by immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens, has created an uproar on social media among some Canadians and their foreign-born spouses. Mr. Murrens told the Star, "I am surprised that a Chinese marrying a non-Chinese, or a Canadian who is poor trying to sponsor a spouse, is an indicator of marriage fraud. That they actually put that in writing is surprising. I’d like to think that most immigration officers would realize how ridiculous that part of training was and would just ignore it."
At least one of Walt's agents would certainly agree.
(Vegreville AB is the village in the hinterland where immigration applications are processed. It also happens to be the home of the world's biggest pysanka -- Ukrainian Easter egg -- but I digress...)
The three-page training guide, titled "Evidence of Relationship", lists clues officers should look for in assessing a spousal sponsorship application. Here's the list.
- University-educated Chinese nationals marrying non-Chinese
- Photos without parents or any family members, just a small group of friends
- Private marriage ceremony performed by either a minister or justice of the peace
- Informal reception in a restaurant
- Sponsor is uneducated, with a low-paying job or on welfare
- The couple do not kiss on the lips in photos
- Couples who do not have a honeymoon, not even a couple of days away, usually because of university and/or no money
- There are no “diamond” rings
- Wedding photos done professionally but pictures are very limited
- Some submit photos dressed in pajamas or cooking, to show they are living together
- Photos have them wearing the same clothes in various locations
- Are they touching each other in the photos, or trying not to touch?
- Photos of activities taken in the Niagara Falls area, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto.
Looks pretty contrived to me. On the other hand, they're both white (or pinkish), so they probably passed. If one of them had been, ohhhh, let's say Chinese, what would the result have been.
The training material, obtained under an access to information request and posted online by immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens, has created an uproar on social media among some Canadians and their foreign-born spouses. Mr. Murrens told the Star, "I am surprised that a Chinese marrying a non-Chinese, or a Canadian who is poor trying to sponsor a spouse, is an indicator of marriage fraud. That they actually put that in writing is surprising. I’d like to think that most immigration officers would realize how ridiculous that part of training was and would just ignore it."
At least one of Walt's agents would certainly agree.
Monday, May 18, 2015
The new boat people: how come nobody wants them?
Two related stories in the meeja this weekend are causing a good deal of handwringing and hypocrisy at urgent sessions of the Disunited Nations, the European Quasi-union and other One-World talking shops. The Brotherhood of Man is being challenged by the arrival of boatloads of 1000s of mostly Muslim "refugees" from north Africa, the Middle East and south Asia now washing up on the shores of Europe and southeast Asia. Although no-one likes to admit it, the real reason no-one wants them is to be found in the two words preceding "refugees" in the previous sentence.
First, the bad news from the Mediterranean. In spite of widely reported drownings of hundreds of refugee wannabes, the tidal wave of dark people keeps increasing in size, and now threatens to inundate Italy and slop over into Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Everyone agrees that Something Must Be Done. Surely we're not going to let those "poor" people drown! But what is to be done? And by whom?
To make matters worse [Is that possible? Ed.] an adviser to the Libyan government [They have a government? Ed.] told BBC News this weekend that Islamic State (IS) fighters are being smuggled into Europe in the midst of the "genuine" refugees. Officials in Italy and Egypt have previously warned that IS militants could reach Europe by migrant boat, but say now -- possibly for fear of being labelled as "racists" or "Islamophobes" -- that it is very difficult to verify or assess such claims.
The Libyan official, Abudul Basit Haroun, based his claim on conversations with smugglers in parts of North Africa controlled by the militants. He "alleged" -- the BBC's word -- that IS was allowing the boat owners to continue their operations in exchange for half of their income. Earlier this year, -- the EU’s "alleged" -- Walt's word -- border control agency, Frontex, warned that it was "possible" that foreign fighters were using "irregular migration routes" to get into Europe.
Egypt’s ambassador to the UK has warned of "boats full of terrorists" if the international community does not act, while the Italian government has expressed fears of militants infiltrating the boats, while emphasizing that the boats are... wait for it... a "humanitarian crisis".
So what to do? BBC News reports today that EU foreign and defence ministers are expected to approve a mission to destroy the boats used by people-smugglers operating in war-torn Libya. (Notice how no-one talks any more about who start the war that destabilized Libya. Ye reap what ye sow.)
Speaking on arrival for an urgent meeting with the sprouts in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "today the main point will be taking the decision to establish the operation, the EU operation at sea to dismantle the criminal networks that are smuggling people in the Mediterranean." She did not say whether the boats would be destroyed before or after they were loaded.
Meanwhile, a parallel "humanitarian crisis" unfolds 1000s of miles away, in the Indian Ocean, where three countires -- Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia -- are being condemned by the do-gooders at the UN for refusing to rescue, let alone accept, 1000s of Muslim migrants adrift in the Andaman Sea.
Last week, at least 700 Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar were rescued off the Indonesian island of Aceh, bringing the numbers of "refugees" in camps there to at least 1500. The Rohingyas, if you haven't heard of them, are an ethnic group who have lived for yonks in northwest Burma [or Myanmar. Take your pick. Ed.] but are denied citizenship because they are, errr, Muslims, and Burma is a Buddhist country. 1000s of Rohingyas have shipped out, fleeing persecution and poverty in Myanmar. They are stranded at sea along with additional 1000s of Bangladeshis -- also Muslims -- who are just looking for work.
Aid agencies say a "grave humanitarian crisis" is in train as countries in the region refuse to accept the migrants. Visible on the sides of the refugee boats are numerous black marks which appear to have been made by ten-foot poles. Thailand, the closest country to Bangladesh and Burma is, like Burma, a Buddhist country, which doesn't want to be overrun by Muslims. Thailand's reluctance is understandable, given that they already have a problem with Islamic terrorists in their southernmost provinces.
Malaysia and Indonesia are, errr, Muslim countries, but don't seem any more disposed to receive their co-religionists than the Buddhists of Thailand. Indonesian authorities have told fishermen not to help the migrants unless their boats are sinking or they are in the water. Military spokesperson Fuad Basya said fishermen could deliver food, fuel and water to the boats, or help with repairs, but that bringing them to shore would constitute an illegal entry into Indonesia.
The Muslim boat people are believed to be severely malnourished. Survivors who have made it to shore say there have been deadly fights on board over food. UNHCR spokesthingy Vivian Tan called the lack of rescues over the past weekend "a bad sign" and warned that "time is running out" to help the migrants. The BBC quotes her as saying, "We were hoping that more ships would be found, and that more people would be rescued and allowed to come onto shore. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to have happened".
Who will take in the poor Muslim "refugees"? Walt suggests that American and Canadian authorities keep their eyes on their countries' Pacific coast, to see what the tide will bring in. Hey, it's happened before, and of course we "Christians" couldn't refuse entry to these huddled masses, because to do so would be anti-Muslim, racist, etc etc etc.
First, the bad news from the Mediterranean. In spite of widely reported drownings of hundreds of refugee wannabes, the tidal wave of dark people keeps increasing in size, and now threatens to inundate Italy and slop over into Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Everyone agrees that Something Must Be Done. Surely we're not going to let those "poor" people drown! But what is to be done? And by whom?
To make matters worse [Is that possible? Ed.] an adviser to the Libyan government [They have a government? Ed.] told BBC News this weekend that Islamic State (IS) fighters are being smuggled into Europe in the midst of the "genuine" refugees. Officials in Italy and Egypt have previously warned that IS militants could reach Europe by migrant boat, but say now -- possibly for fear of being labelled as "racists" or "Islamophobes" -- that it is very difficult to verify or assess such claims.
The Libyan official, Abudul Basit Haroun, based his claim on conversations with smugglers in parts of North Africa controlled by the militants. He "alleged" -- the BBC's word -- that IS was allowing the boat owners to continue their operations in exchange for half of their income. Earlier this year, -- the EU’s "alleged" -- Walt's word -- border control agency, Frontex, warned that it was "possible" that foreign fighters were using "irregular migration routes" to get into Europe.
Egypt’s ambassador to the UK has warned of "boats full of terrorists" if the international community does not act, while the Italian government has expressed fears of militants infiltrating the boats, while emphasizing that the boats are... wait for it... a "humanitarian crisis".
So what to do? BBC News reports today that EU foreign and defence ministers are expected to approve a mission to destroy the boats used by people-smugglers operating in war-torn Libya. (Notice how no-one talks any more about who start the war that destabilized Libya. Ye reap what ye sow.)
Speaking on arrival for an urgent meeting with the sprouts in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "today the main point will be taking the decision to establish the operation, the EU operation at sea to dismantle the criminal networks that are smuggling people in the Mediterranean." She did not say whether the boats would be destroyed before or after they were loaded.
Meanwhile, a parallel "humanitarian crisis" unfolds 1000s of miles away, in the Indian Ocean, where three countires -- Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia -- are being condemned by the do-gooders at the UN for refusing to rescue, let alone accept, 1000s of Muslim migrants adrift in the Andaman Sea.
Last week, at least 700 Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar were rescued off the Indonesian island of Aceh, bringing the numbers of "refugees" in camps there to at least 1500. The Rohingyas, if you haven't heard of them, are an ethnic group who have lived for yonks in northwest Burma [or Myanmar. Take your pick. Ed.] but are denied citizenship because they are, errr, Muslims, and Burma is a Buddhist country. 1000s of Rohingyas have shipped out, fleeing persecution and poverty in Myanmar. They are stranded at sea along with additional 1000s of Bangladeshis -- also Muslims -- who are just looking for work.
Aid agencies say a "grave humanitarian crisis" is in train as countries in the region refuse to accept the migrants. Visible on the sides of the refugee boats are numerous black marks which appear to have been made by ten-foot poles. Thailand, the closest country to Bangladesh and Burma is, like Burma, a Buddhist country, which doesn't want to be overrun by Muslims. Thailand's reluctance is understandable, given that they already have a problem with Islamic terrorists in their southernmost provinces.
Malaysia and Indonesia are, errr, Muslim countries, but don't seem any more disposed to receive their co-religionists than the Buddhists of Thailand. Indonesian authorities have told fishermen not to help the migrants unless their boats are sinking or they are in the water. Military spokesperson Fuad Basya said fishermen could deliver food, fuel and water to the boats, or help with repairs, but that bringing them to shore would constitute an illegal entry into Indonesia.
The Muslim boat people are believed to be severely malnourished. Survivors who have made it to shore say there have been deadly fights on board over food. UNHCR spokesthingy Vivian Tan called the lack of rescues over the past weekend "a bad sign" and warned that "time is running out" to help the migrants. The BBC quotes her as saying, "We were hoping that more ships would be found, and that more people would be rescued and allowed to come onto shore. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to have happened".
Who will take in the poor Muslim "refugees"? Walt suggests that American and Canadian authorities keep their eyes on their countries' Pacific coast, to see what the tide will bring in. Hey, it's happened before, and of course we "Christians" couldn't refuse entry to these huddled masses, because to do so would be anti-Muslim, racist, etc etc etc.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Le Canadien: bilan de Poor Len Canayen
Note from Ed.: Walt is sitting in front of the TV, waiting to see Game 7 of the NHL playoff series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and "our team", the Montréal Canadiens. Until he realizes that it never happened, we're not likely to hear anything from him. So now is a good time to give Poor Len Canayen his parting shot for the 2014-15 season.
Merci, Ed. My most recent analysis of why La Sainte Flanelle didn't get beyond the second round of the playoffs got a lot of hits. A couple of readers have been churlish enough to suggest that "Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin" was long on criticism, but short on suggestions as to what M Bergevin should do in the off-season to help the team go farther next year. OK then, here are my recommendations, starting from the goal line.
Goal: In his final interview with the press, Marc Bergevin asked if he should trade Carey Price to get a big centre, because (he said) that's the price to have to pay. Well of course you don't give up Price! It would be nice, though, to have a reliable back-up goalie, someone with more size and experience than the incumbent. Not a priority, but if Jonathan Bernier wants to leave the hell that is Toronto, talk to him.
Defence: Only one change needs to be made here, and regular readers know I'm referring to The Player Who Cannot Be Criticized. What about Markov, I hear you ask. Markov is getting old and slowing down, but I think a part of his mediocre performance in the playoffs was due to his having to mentor -- and cover for -- TPWCBC. We talk of "defence pairs", but what happens when a man doesn't know where his partner is or what he's going to do next? Putting Markov together with Emelin would help them both.
If M Bergevin actually trades Subban -- to get a top line centre, let's say -- that leaves the Habs with a vacancy on the blue line, now that Gonchar and Weaver are gone. I hope they haven't given up on Jarred Tinordi. He's huge and tough. If he can learn to keep his mean streak in check [Geddit? Ed.], he should be able to stick with the big team.
Offence: That's what le Canadien lacked all year long, particularly on right wing. The team has three dependable centres: Tomáš Plekanec, Lars Eller, and Tori Mitchell. And three snipers on the left: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher -- love that kid! -- and Alex Galchenyuk, who, not matter what they say, is not a natural centre! The following players are, IMHO, surplus to requirements: Devante "Cement Mitts" Smith-Pelly, P.A. Parenteau, Jakob De La Rose, and -- I hate to say it -- David Desharnais.
Without checking on the status of their contracts with other teams, here's my list of forwards I'd like to see wearing the CH. I'd trade P.K. Subban for any of them.
Right wing: James Neal (Pittsburgh); Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders); Jeff Carter (LA); Wayne Simmonds (Philthydelphia). [See? Len's not a racist! Ed.]
Centre: Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh); Logan Couture (San Jose); Matt Duchene (Colorado); Nicklas Backstrom (Washington).
Left wing: Patrick Marleau (San Jose); James van Riemsdyk (Toronto); Matt Moulson (Minnesota); Brad Marchand (Boston). Those who know me will be surprised by that last one, but I'd rather have him in the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.
One more thing. It's time to forget about political correctness or marketing considerations and name a captain. The position requires more than a big mouth. It requires drive, leadership and maturity. (It would be nice to have someone who can speak French, but none of this years four -- count `em, 4 -- assistants is bilingual.) To my mind, the obvious choice is Max Pacioretty. M. Bergevin, don't listen to guys like Dave Stubbs. Listen to me!
Merci, Ed. My most recent analysis of why La Sainte Flanelle didn't get beyond the second round of the playoffs got a lot of hits. A couple of readers have been churlish enough to suggest that "Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin" was long on criticism, but short on suggestions as to what M Bergevin should do in the off-season to help the team go farther next year. OK then, here are my recommendations, starting from the goal line.Goal: In his final interview with the press, Marc Bergevin asked if he should trade Carey Price to get a big centre, because (he said) that's the price to have to pay. Well of course you don't give up Price! It would be nice, though, to have a reliable back-up goalie, someone with more size and experience than the incumbent. Not a priority, but if Jonathan Bernier wants to leave the hell that is Toronto, talk to him.
Defence: Only one change needs to be made here, and regular readers know I'm referring to The Player Who Cannot Be Criticized. What about Markov, I hear you ask. Markov is getting old and slowing down, but I think a part of his mediocre performance in the playoffs was due to his having to mentor -- and cover for -- TPWCBC. We talk of "defence pairs", but what happens when a man doesn't know where his partner is or what he's going to do next? Putting Markov together with Emelin would help them both.
If M Bergevin actually trades Subban -- to get a top line centre, let's say -- that leaves the Habs with a vacancy on the blue line, now that Gonchar and Weaver are gone. I hope they haven't given up on Jarred Tinordi. He's huge and tough. If he can learn to keep his mean streak in check [Geddit? Ed.], he should be able to stick with the big team.
Offence: That's what le Canadien lacked all year long, particularly on right wing. The team has three dependable centres: Tomáš Plekanec, Lars Eller, and Tori Mitchell. And three snipers on the left: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher -- love that kid! -- and Alex Galchenyuk, who, not matter what they say, is not a natural centre! The following players are, IMHO, surplus to requirements: Devante "Cement Mitts" Smith-Pelly, P.A. Parenteau, Jakob De La Rose, and -- I hate to say it -- David Desharnais.
Without checking on the status of their contracts with other teams, here's my list of forwards I'd like to see wearing the CH. I'd trade P.K. Subban for any of them.
Right wing: James Neal (Pittsburgh); Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders); Jeff Carter (LA); Wayne Simmonds (Philthydelphia). [See? Len's not a racist! Ed.]
Centre: Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh); Logan Couture (San Jose); Matt Duchene (Colorado); Nicklas Backstrom (Washington).
Left wing: Patrick Marleau (San Jose); James van Riemsdyk (Toronto); Matt Moulson (Minnesota); Brad Marchand (Boston). Those who know me will be surprised by that last one, but I'd rather have him in the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.
One more thing. It's time to forget about political correctness or marketing considerations and name a captain. The position requires more than a big mouth. It requires drive, leadership and maturity. (It would be nice to have someone who can speak French, but none of this years four -- count `em, 4 -- assistants is bilingual.) To my mind, the obvious choice is Max Pacioretty. M. Bergevin, don't listen to guys like Dave Stubbs. Listen to me!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin
Walt and I [and Ed.! Ed.] told you so.See "If Canadiens lose to Lightning, this will be the reason", "Playoff recap: Montréal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators", and "Re-re-evaluating P.K. Subban".
Not that there's a dearth of blame to go around. With the exception of Carey Price -- he did what he could but, alas, can't score goals -- the Montréal Canadiens looked terrible last night against Tampa Bay, ending the Habs' playoff run not with a bang but a pathetic whimper.
With the exception of game 4, when Lightning goalie Ben Bishop was chased from his net, the Habs just couldn't score. Max Pacioretty had the most shots last night, and got a mulligan much too late in the game. Brendan Gallagher tried hard throughout. Everyone else pretty much stood and watched, waiting for Montréal's most offensive defenceman to put a blistering slapshot past the opposing goalie's ear, which he did... once in twelve games.
Last night, the Habs had two alleged power plays, the second more pathetic than the first. P.K. Subban -- for that's who I'm referring too -- gave another dazzling display of puck-hogging. Pass? What's that? Unless, of course, you count the half-dozen "alley-oop" shots up the middle, all of which were picked off by Tampa, who are onto that trick.
Last night, too, Pernell Karl took yet another dumb penalty -- delay of game -- late in the first period, when Montréal was down only 1-0 and looked on the verge of a comeback. He was also on the ice for two of Tampa's four goals.
The Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs would say that the reason his "transcendant" defenceman is on the ice for so many goals is because he leads the team in minutes played. I say that's because Michel Thérrien is under instructions that Subban is the team's marquee player and can't be made to ride the pines even when leaving him out there -- for the full two minutes of a power play, for example -- is risky.
Mon cher Marc... it's high time you and Thérrien and J-J Daigneault and the rest of the Habs' management had a frank conversation about P.K. Subban. He's getting C$9 million a year. Is he earning his keep? I say no. Is he an asset to the team? I say no, he's a net liability. [Geddit? Ed.] It's time to think the unthinkable and start talking about moving him.
Monday, May 11, 2015
UN PC police out to change naming of certain diseases
The soppy liberal one-worlders who run the United Nations are at it again. The "progressive thinkers" at the World Health Organization, one of the supposedly more useful branches of the UN, has decided that the names we've been using to identify certain diseases are potentially offensive to certain people and... wait for it... certain animals.
So... according to an article in the Daily Mail, they've just released a list of guidelines for naming diseases in the proper, politically correct way. Why? Because, according to Dr. Keiji Fuduka, the org's Assistant Director-General for Health Security [Who comes up with these titles? Ed.], "We’ve seen certain disease names provoke a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities, create unjustified barriers to travel, commerce and trade, and trigger the needless slaughtering of food animals."
The WHO guidelines warn us that "Terms that should be avoided in disease names include geographic locations (e.g. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, Rift Valley fever), people’s names (e.g. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chagas disease), species of animal or food (e.g. swine flu, bird flu, monkey pox), cultural, population, industry or occupational references (e.g. legionnaires), and terms that incite undue fear (e.g. unknown, fatal, epidemic)."
Got that? This is not funny! This is a serious problem! Mind you, not everyone agrees. The Daily Mail article quotes Prof. Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist, as saying, "This won’t save lives. It comes under the heading of political correctness and I am very sceptical it will have any permanent benefit. As for avoiding upsetting animals, that is a load of rubbish."
Yes indeed. Politically correct rubbish. But Walt fears there are many more shitloads to come before the wave of suffocating politically correctness recedes.
So... according to an article in the Daily Mail, they've just released a list of guidelines for naming diseases in the proper, politically correct way. Why? Because, according to Dr. Keiji Fuduka, the org's Assistant Director-General for Health Security [Who comes up with these titles? Ed.], "We’ve seen certain disease names provoke a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities, create unjustified barriers to travel, commerce and trade, and trigger the needless slaughtering of food animals."
The WHO guidelines warn us that "Terms that should be avoided in disease names include geographic locations (e.g. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, Rift Valley fever), people’s names (e.g. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chagas disease), species of animal or food (e.g. swine flu, bird flu, monkey pox), cultural, population, industry or occupational references (e.g. legionnaires), and terms that incite undue fear (e.g. unknown, fatal, epidemic)."
Got that? This is not funny! This is a serious problem! Mind you, not everyone agrees. The Daily Mail article quotes Prof. Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist, as saying, "This won’t save lives. It comes under the heading of political correctness and I am very sceptical it will have any permanent benefit. As for avoiding upsetting animals, that is a load of rubbish."
Yes indeed. Politically correct rubbish. But Walt fears there are many more shitloads to come before the wave of suffocating politically correctness recedes.
VIDEO LINK: Pontifical High Mass for Father Nicholas Gruner
His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX, celebrated a Pontifical High Mass on Saturday for the funeral of Father Nicholas Gruner, RIP, who passed away on April 29th.
Over 600 people attended the Mass at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, in Niagara Falls, Canada.
Click here to see the Fatima Center video of the entire Mass. And in your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Gruner.
Over 600 people attended the Mass at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, in Niagara Falls, Canada.
Click here to see the Fatima Center video of the entire Mass. And in your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Gruner.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women,
And Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
A prayer mourning the prohibition of public prayer
In mid-April, Canada's activist liberal Supreme Court decided to emulate its American counterpart by ruling, once and for all, that although a nation may be "under God", it's a violation of some people's "human rights" to invoke His help and mercy in public, as, for instance, at the opening of a meeting of a municipal council.
The court ruled on April 15th that the mayor and council of Saguenay QC must stop praying before meetings. And -- get this -- they must pay compensatory and punitive damages of C$30,000 (nearly $25,000 in real money) to an atheist who complained of discrimination!
Alain Simoneau had complained to the Québec Human Rights Tribunal of discrimination because the Saguenay mayor and council pray before their official meetings. The tribunal ruled he had been discriminated against and ordered the mayor and council to pay damages. Saguenay Mayor Jean Tremblay, a devout Catholic, began soliciting funds to fight for the right to pray at council meetings and appealed the tribunal ruling to the Québec Court of Appeal, which overturned it. The Supreme Court of Canada reinstated the tribunal's judgment and ordered the payment of the original fine plus interest.
Mr. Justice Clement Gascon (who probably describes himself as a Catholic) wrote, "The prayer recited by the municipal council in breach of the state's duty of neutrality resulted in a distinction, exclusion, and preference based on religion -- that is, based on Mr. Simoneau's atheism -- which, in combination with the circumstances in which the prayer was recited, turned the meetings into a preferential space for people with theistic beliefs."
"People with theistic beliefs", eh... Like Mayor Tremblay. Like Walt [and Poor Len and Ed.! Ed.] And, Walt is sure, like the anonymous 15-year-old Minnesotan who (according to Agent 6, to whom be thanks) wrote the following New School Prayer, to be said in the place of the now-prohibited "Lord's Prayer" (or "Our Father", as we Catholics call it).
The court ruled on April 15th that the mayor and council of Saguenay QC must stop praying before meetings. And -- get this -- they must pay compensatory and punitive damages of C$30,000 (nearly $25,000 in real money) to an atheist who complained of discrimination!
Alain Simoneau had complained to the Québec Human Rights Tribunal of discrimination because the Saguenay mayor and council pray before their official meetings. The tribunal ruled he had been discriminated against and ordered the mayor and council to pay damages. Saguenay Mayor Jean Tremblay, a devout Catholic, began soliciting funds to fight for the right to pray at council meetings and appealed the tribunal ruling to the Québec Court of Appeal, which overturned it. The Supreme Court of Canada reinstated the tribunal's judgment and ordered the payment of the original fine plus interest.
Mr. Justice Clement Gascon (who probably describes himself as a Catholic) wrote, "The prayer recited by the municipal council in breach of the state's duty of neutrality resulted in a distinction, exclusion, and preference based on religion -- that is, based on Mr. Simoneau's atheism -- which, in combination with the circumstances in which the prayer was recited, turned the meetings into a preferential space for people with theistic beliefs."
"People with theistic beliefs", eh... Like Mayor Tremblay. Like Walt [and Poor Len and Ed.! Ed.] And, Walt is sure, like the anonymous 15-year-old Minnesotan who (according to Agent 6, to whom be thanks) wrote the following New School Prayer, to be said in the place of the now-prohibited "Lord's Prayer" (or "Our Father", as we Catholics call it).
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And any time my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, and precise;
Prayers spoken aloud are serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate;
God's name is prohibited by the State.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles,
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot, my soul please take!
AMEN!
African-Americans kill cops; protests NOT expected
Walt remembers what Hattiesburg, Mississippi was like half a century ago, or perhaps a little more. The city fathers were white. The police where white. Most of the general population was black. But everyone kind of rubbed along together according to the natural order of things, and Hattiesburg was a sleepy, more-or-less peaceful burg.
So it was until the folk-song army and agitators from New York came to town preaching "civil rights", integration, an "end to slavery", yada yada yada. Not without a struggle, Hattiesburg did change. Today the mayor, Johnny DuPree, is black, and the police force is integrated. That was proved this weekend as two officers, Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate, were killed in the line of duty. Officer Deen was white. Officer Tate was black. Both officers were shot dead. Equal in life, equal in death.
Here's how it went down. About 8:30 PM on Saturday, one of the officers stopped a gold-coloured Cadillac Escalade in an industrial area of town for a traffic offence. For reasons as yet unknown, he called for backup and was joined by his colleague. Someone in the Cadillac started shooting and, just like that, the two officers were down. They died of their wounds later that night.
Police put out APBs for two "known felons" -- the words of Mayor DuPree -- Curtis Banks and Marvin Banks. If you still haven't guessed what colour the Banks brothers are, here are their pictures.
You probably guessed it the minute you read "gold-coloured Cadillac Escalade", right? It didn't take long to find them. Warren Strain, spokesthingy for the MS Department of Public Safety, told AP that Marvin tried to escape in a police car, but "he didn't get very far, three or four blocks, and then he ditched that vehicle." No dummy he!
Police arrested Marvin and charged him with capital murder. Also charged with capital murder is Joanie Calloway, who is also, errr, black. Curtis Banks, Marvin's younger bro, has been charged with being an accessory to the murders. Cornelius Clark was arrested yesterday afternoon and charged with obstruction of justice. [I haven't been able to find a picture of him yet. Ed.]
The Hattiesburg incident is kind of a switch on the several recent stories about white cops killing poor, oppressed black people. Well, OK, the Baltimore cops accused of killing Raymond Gray were a mixed lot. Baltimore has a black mayor and an integrated police department, just like Hattiesburg. It doesn't matter. Cops killed a black guy and that's the cue ["excuse", surely! Ed.] for taking to the streets for the customary rioting and looting. And, of course, the customary bleating from the Prez and other Forces for Good about what's wrong with America and how it's somehow all the rich, white people's fault.
Walt would like to know when the protests are going to start in Hattiesburg and Oxford County. When will newly-appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch arrive to spearhead the investigation into the violation of the cops' civil rights? When will the "Reverend" Al Sharpton come to lead the march for "Justice for Deen and Tate"? When will President Obarmy start wringing his hands on national TV as he calls for reform of America's racist police? Answer to all three questions: probably never!
Further reading:
"Attorney General Lynch Follows a Liberal Formula In Baltimore"
"Why cops shoot so many black Americans"
So it was until the folk-song army and agitators from New York came to town preaching "civil rights", integration, an "end to slavery", yada yada yada. Not without a struggle, Hattiesburg did change. Today the mayor, Johnny DuPree, is black, and the police force is integrated. That was proved this weekend as two officers, Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate, were killed in the line of duty. Officer Deen was white. Officer Tate was black. Both officers were shot dead. Equal in life, equal in death.
Here's how it went down. About 8:30 PM on Saturday, one of the officers stopped a gold-coloured Cadillac Escalade in an industrial area of town for a traffic offence. For reasons as yet unknown, he called for backup and was joined by his colleague. Someone in the Cadillac started shooting and, just like that, the two officers were down. They died of their wounds later that night.
Police put out APBs for two "known felons" -- the words of Mayor DuPree -- Curtis Banks and Marvin Banks. If you still haven't guessed what colour the Banks brothers are, here are their pictures.You probably guessed it the minute you read "gold-coloured Cadillac Escalade", right? It didn't take long to find them. Warren Strain, spokesthingy for the MS Department of Public Safety, told AP that Marvin tried to escape in a police car, but "he didn't get very far, three or four blocks, and then he ditched that vehicle." No dummy he!
Police arrested Marvin and charged him with capital murder. Also charged with capital murder is Joanie Calloway, who is also, errr, black. Curtis Banks, Marvin's younger bro, has been charged with being an accessory to the murders. Cornelius Clark was arrested yesterday afternoon and charged with obstruction of justice. [I haven't been able to find a picture of him yet. Ed.]The Hattiesburg incident is kind of a switch on the several recent stories about white cops killing poor, oppressed black people. Well, OK, the Baltimore cops accused of killing Raymond Gray were a mixed lot. Baltimore has a black mayor and an integrated police department, just like Hattiesburg. It doesn't matter. Cops killed a black guy and that's the cue ["excuse", surely! Ed.] for taking to the streets for the customary rioting and looting. And, of course, the customary bleating from the Prez and other Forces for Good about what's wrong with America and how it's somehow all the rich, white people's fault.
Walt would like to know when the protests are going to start in Hattiesburg and Oxford County. When will newly-appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch arrive to spearhead the investigation into the violation of the cops' civil rights? When will the "Reverend" Al Sharpton come to lead the march for "Justice for Deen and Tate"? When will President Obarmy start wringing his hands on national TV as he calls for reform of America's racist police? Answer to all three questions: probably never!
Further reading:
"Attorney General Lynch Follows a Liberal Formula In Baltimore"
"Why cops shoot so many black Americans"
Saturday, May 9, 2015
UPDATED: Link to photos from Father Gruner's funeral
Dear Catholic friends, in your charity you are asked to pray for the repose of the soul of Father Nicholas Gruner, RIP, who was laid to rest today in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, following a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX.
A PHOTO GALLERY of scenes from Father Gruner's funeral is now available on Catholic Family News.
A PHOTO GALLERY of scenes from Father Gruner's funeral is now available on Catholic Family News.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Walt will return next week
Note from Ed.: Walt is occupied elsewhere this weekend, and will return to this space on Monday.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
May the fourth be with you
I know, I know... A day late and a dollar short. That's the way things go around here. Right, Ed.? In this case, TWO days late, Star Wars Day having come and gone before "we" got the joke and Ed. got around to finding some memes to show you. I guess it means we're not real fans?
Frankly, I didn't think much of Parts I, II and III, and am not looking forward to Part VII at all at all.
Frankly, I didn't think much of Parts I, II and III, and am not looking forward to Part VII at all at all.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Former Society of St. Pius X priest calls "close co-operation" with Rome "harmful, even destructive"
We are not against a return to a normal juridical status in the Church for Catholic Tradition, but the circumstances and timing have to be right.
Regular readers of WWW will know that Walt is an old-fashioned, traditional Roman Catholic -- a "scary right-winger" -- and unrepentant about being criticized by the likes of Jeff Mirus and others who have partaken of the poisoned fruit of Vatican II.
There are some "Catholics of Tradition", notably Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the Society of St. Pius X, who wish and work for reconciliation with Rome. There are others, like Bishop Richard Williamson and a growing number of former SSPX priests, who think bending the knee to Rome and accepting the "principles" of Vatican II would be tantamount to spiritual suicide.
Father Brendan King is one of those who have become disaffected with the SSPX. On May 3rd, he left the order, joining Fr. Edward MacDonald, who quit just after Easter to become an independent Traditional Catholic priest. Fr. Paul Morgan, District Superior of the SSPX in Britain and Ireland, is leaving his position shortly for a year's "sabbatical".
On the occasion of his departure, Fr. King gave a sermon explaining his reasons for leaving, which you can read in full on the Respice Stellam blogsite. Here Walt presents the conclusion, Fr. King's "Statement of Position", which is a very good summary of Traditional Catholic thinking on the problems of the modernist Church.
In our opinion we think close co-operation with the post conciliar authorities at the present time would be harmful and even destructive for the goal that we are working towards which is the full restoration in the Church of Catholic tradition and the establishment of the Social Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the aim and objective of our founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and that of all the modern Popes up to the time of Vatican II.
Rome has always been the centre of Catholic unity and the Papacy the guardian of orthodoxy for two thousand years. Tragically, Catholic Rome and the successors of Peter have for the past forty years succumbed to the powerful influences of liberal protestantism and modernism leading to the weakening of the faith of millions of souls and drawing the Church of Christ towards apostasy. As a consequence of this, devout Catholics have been obliged to withdraw their obedience and allegiance from the post-conciliar authorities in order to preserve their faith and Catholic way of life. We must obey God and the authority of Catholic Tradition, rather than the false modernist shepherds of contemporary Rome. This situation and choice has been forced on traditional Catholics by modernist Rome because Vatican II is the cause of the crisis.
We do not accept that Rome is now more sympathetic towards Tradition and is more favourably disposed towards the Society. Rather and on the contrary, there are so many instances of a very aggressive attitude towards any group or individual turning to tradition coming under ecclesiastical censure. It is beyond dispute that Rome is now more modernist and liberal than during the Pontificate of John Paul II, so rather than seek a rapprochement with Rome, we need to maintain our position of prudent but respectful detachment.
Surely, our firm and constant adherence to the perennial magisterium of the Church is the best witness we can give to modernist Rome. We have no right to imperil the hard earned fruits of forty years of combat for the Faith simply because the Roman authorities are nice and approachable and tell us we can trust them. We have far too much to lose and in our opinion such a rapprochement would be an enormous gamble. We must not and cannot squander the glorious legacy and heritage of Archbishop Lefebvre.
Regular readers of WWW will know that Walt is an old-fashioned, traditional Roman Catholic -- a "scary right-winger" -- and unrepentant about being criticized by the likes of Jeff Mirus and others who have partaken of the poisoned fruit of Vatican II.
There are some "Catholics of Tradition", notably Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the Society of St. Pius X, who wish and work for reconciliation with Rome. There are others, like Bishop Richard Williamson and a growing number of former SSPX priests, who think bending the knee to Rome and accepting the "principles" of Vatican II would be tantamount to spiritual suicide.
Father Brendan King is one of those who have become disaffected with the SSPX. On May 3rd, he left the order, joining Fr. Edward MacDonald, who quit just after Easter to become an independent Traditional Catholic priest. Fr. Paul Morgan, District Superior of the SSPX in Britain and Ireland, is leaving his position shortly for a year's "sabbatical".
On the occasion of his departure, Fr. King gave a sermon explaining his reasons for leaving, which you can read in full on the Respice Stellam blogsite. Here Walt presents the conclusion, Fr. King's "Statement of Position", which is a very good summary of Traditional Catholic thinking on the problems of the modernist Church.
In our opinion we think close co-operation with the post conciliar authorities at the present time would be harmful and even destructive for the goal that we are working towards which is the full restoration in the Church of Catholic tradition and the establishment of the Social Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the aim and objective of our founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and that of all the modern Popes up to the time of Vatican II.
Rome has always been the centre of Catholic unity and the Papacy the guardian of orthodoxy for two thousand years. Tragically, Catholic Rome and the successors of Peter have for the past forty years succumbed to the powerful influences of liberal protestantism and modernism leading to the weakening of the faith of millions of souls and drawing the Church of Christ towards apostasy. As a consequence of this, devout Catholics have been obliged to withdraw their obedience and allegiance from the post-conciliar authorities in order to preserve their faith and Catholic way of life. We must obey God and the authority of Catholic Tradition, rather than the false modernist shepherds of contemporary Rome. This situation and choice has been forced on traditional Catholics by modernist Rome because Vatican II is the cause of the crisis.
We do not accept that Rome is now more sympathetic towards Tradition and is more favourably disposed towards the Society. Rather and on the contrary, there are so many instances of a very aggressive attitude towards any group or individual turning to tradition coming under ecclesiastical censure. It is beyond dispute that Rome is now more modernist and liberal than during the Pontificate of John Paul II, so rather than seek a rapprochement with Rome, we need to maintain our position of prudent but respectful detachment.
Surely, our firm and constant adherence to the perennial magisterium of the Church is the best witness we can give to modernist Rome. We have no right to imperil the hard earned fruits of forty years of combat for the Faith simply because the Roman authorities are nice and approachable and tell us we can trust them. We have far too much to lose and in our opinion such a rapprochement would be an enormous gamble. We must not and cannot squander the glorious legacy and heritage of Archbishop Lefebvre.
Does "body-shaming" really work?
Ed. here. In my footnote to Walt's post earlier this morning, I said I was looking for suitable pictures to go with the story on "body-shaming". Without searching hard, I found hundreds of pix of people whose appearance invites rude comments. Here's one, from the People of Walmart site.What do you suppose the tattoos say? "Pass/Don't pass"? "Safe side/suicide"? Better not look too closely. Just be glad we're not seeing her from the front!
Honestly, I don't know how people can go out of the house (or mobile home, whatever) dressed like that. Do you really think people who look like this could be offended if someone looks sideways at them? Would they feel embarrassed enough to change the way they look or, at least, dress? By buying a t-shirt big enough to cover front and back, for instance? I doubt it.
Warning! "Body-shaming" latest form of political incorrectness
For decades -- centuries, even -- "fat jokes" were staples in the routines of every comedian and comedian wannabe, right up there with mother-in-law jokes. Walt remembers one alleged comedian, Leonard Libitsky, who made fun of his own fatitude, calling himself "Fat Jack Leonard". In 1964 he did a record called "How to Lose Weight with Fat Jack". The premise was that fat people could change if they wanted to, for instance if they got tired of being the butt of "fat jokes".
Walt also remembers a regular bit on the Garry Moore Show in which Garry's sidekick Durward Kirby, in the role of Senator Claghorn, did a half-dozen or so fat jokes, along the lines of:
"She's so fat that the post office is going to give her her own zip code!"
"She's so fat that when she gets into the same elevator you're in, you'd better be going down!"
"She's so fat that when she takes off her girdle, you'd better stand back or you'll get flabbed to death!"
Badabing, badaboom!
And then there was Married with Children, in which Al Bundy constantly made fat jokes about and at the expense of large ladies who came into his shoe store. Here's a video mix.
Yes, there's a "skinny joke" in there too. And an ageist "ugly joke". Bad, bad Al! Bad, bad writers! And bad, bad audiences, to laugh at other people's "challenges". How lucky we are to live in the enlightened 21st century, when that type of low humour is forbidden.
That's right, folks. It's now politically incorrect to make mooing sounds as fat women in yoga pants waddle down the street. Why, that's "body-shaming", a type of "bullying" which you can expect to be added to the ever-lengthening list of behaviours prohibited by our ultra-PC human rights codes.
Nowadays, thanks to the suffocating political correctness spread over the land like a wet blanket by our lamestream media and politicians, everyone (except old, straight, religious white guys like us here at WWW) is entitled to the protection of the nanny state from any form of insult, offence or embarrassment. So the next time you see someone who looks as if she/he/it belongs on the People of Walmart website -- I've got that one bookmarked! -- keep your mouth shut. Don't say you weren't warned.
Note from Ed.: While looking for a picture to go with this post, I stumbled on a website called Girls In Yoga Pants. Some of you may find it of interest. Some may find it indecent. Whatever your opinion, please keep it to yourself. Don't risk the wrath of the PC police!
Walt also remembers a regular bit on the Garry Moore Show in which Garry's sidekick Durward Kirby, in the role of Senator Claghorn, did a half-dozen or so fat jokes, along the lines of:
"She's so fat that the post office is going to give her her own zip code!"
"She's so fat that when she gets into the same elevator you're in, you'd better be going down!"
"She's so fat that when she takes off her girdle, you'd better stand back or you'll get flabbed to death!"
Badabing, badaboom!
And then there was Married with Children, in which Al Bundy constantly made fat jokes about and at the expense of large ladies who came into his shoe store. Here's a video mix.
Yes, there's a "skinny joke" in there too. And an ageist "ugly joke". Bad, bad Al! Bad, bad writers! And bad, bad audiences, to laugh at other people's "challenges". How lucky we are to live in the enlightened 21st century, when that type of low humour is forbidden.
That's right, folks. It's now politically incorrect to make mooing sounds as fat women in yoga pants waddle down the street. Why, that's "body-shaming", a type of "bullying" which you can expect to be added to the ever-lengthening list of behaviours prohibited by our ultra-PC human rights codes.
Nowadays, thanks to the suffocating political correctness spread over the land like a wet blanket by our lamestream media and politicians, everyone (except old, straight, religious white guys like us here at WWW) is entitled to the protection of the nanny state from any form of insult, offence or embarrassment. So the next time you see someone who looks as if she/he/it belongs on the People of Walmart website -- I've got that one bookmarked! -- keep your mouth shut. Don't say you weren't warned.
Note from Ed.: While looking for a picture to go with this post, I stumbled on a website called Girls In Yoga Pants. Some of you may find it of interest. Some may find it indecent. Whatever your opinion, please keep it to yourself. Don't risk the wrath of the PC police!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
UPDATED: Pontifical High Mass for Father Nicholas Gruner
UPDATE FROM ED. 12 MAY - Click here to find the link to the Fatima Center video of the Mass for Father Gruner.
The Fatima Center has announced the following arrangements for the funeral of Father Nicholas Gruner, RIP, who passed away on April 29th.
Visitations:
USA - Wednesday, May 6th, at Amigone Funeral Home, 3644 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga NY, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The Holy Rosary will be recited at 8:30 PM.
Canada - Thursday, May 7th and Friday May 8th at Benner Funeral Home, 1105 Benner Road, Fort Erie ON, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The Holy Rosary will be recited at 8:30 PM.
His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX, will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass on Saturday, May 9th, at 9:30 AM, at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, 6815 Stanley Avenue, Niagara Falls ON. The Holy Rosary will be recited prior to the Mass, beginning at 9:00 AM.
Interment will follow at Saint Michael's Cemetery on Stonemill Road, Fort Erie ON.
The Fatima Center has announced the following arrangements for the funeral of Father Nicholas Gruner, RIP, who passed away on April 29th.
Visitations:
USA - Wednesday, May 6th, at Amigone Funeral Home, 3644 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga NY, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The Holy Rosary will be recited at 8:30 PM.
Canada - Thursday, May 7th and Friday May 8th at Benner Funeral Home, 1105 Benner Road, Fort Erie ON, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The Holy Rosary will be recited at 8:30 PM.
His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX, will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass on Saturday, May 9th, at 9:30 AM, at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, 6815 Stanley Avenue, Niagara Falls ON. The Holy Rosary will be recited prior to the Mass, beginning at 9:00 AM.
Interment will follow at Saint Michael's Cemetery on Stonemill Road, Fort Erie ON.
VIDEO: Inside the statue of Christ the Redeemer, overlooking Rio
Speaking of feats Walt wouldn't even attempt, how about walking out onto the outstretched arms of the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, which overlooks Rio de Janeiro. In this video you can join the Pirelli maintenance crew doing just that. The view is both terrifying and breathtaking. Thanks -- obrigado -- to Agent 6 for sending along the link.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Parents to pull kids out of school to protest ON pro-LGBT sex ed plan
Ontario's lesbian premier, Kathleen Wynne, met last week with a token handful of parents opposed to her new sex education curriculum, which normalizes homosexuality, transgenderism, and premarital sex. Shortly after the meeting she again refused to budge on their call for a serious consultation with parents. She announced that there would be no changes in the content of the curriculum, and no delay in implementing it.
Starting in September, Ontario teachers -- even in taxpayer-funded "Catholic" schools -- will start telling kids as young as six everything the state things they need to know about homosexuality, gay "marriage", and the ins and outs of sex [Watch it! Ed.] including the deviant varieties.
Given the intransigence of Premier Wynne and the queer lobby in Ontario's Minister of Education, concerned parents are going ahead with plans for a student strike, now set for the week of May 4th. LifeSiteNews quotes one organizer as saying the curriculum is in conflict with the religious beliefs and cultural values of many families.
For Ghada Melek, of The Well Informed Parent, it is the content that is most disturbing. Ms Melek told LifeSiteNews she got together with about 30 professionals in the Brampton area to analyze the sex ed curriculum and to gather the expert opinion of psychologists, doctors, and child educators. They found 22 objectionable or age-inappropriate components and drafted their own alternative curriculum. When they presented their draft to the government, they were patronized with clichés and their recommendations were rejected.
Ms Melek said the biggest problem with the sex ed curriculum was its promotion of gender identity with primary school students. "We propose putting it off to Grade 10. Introducing it earlier, when children may be innocently exploring gender roles, is too risky. It might lead children to draw the wrong conclusions about their own identities."
The Well Informed Parent group's research also indicated that teaching about "sexual consent"” in Grades 7 and 8 is also problematic, because it might make children think that if they aren’t having sex by then they are abnormal. "It normalizes and legitimizes pretty dangerous behaviour."
The group also found the curriculum overestimated the effectiveness of condoms in prevent sexually transmitted diseases. They are supporting the strike, and encouraging those who can’t afford to take a week off to at least pull their children out of school on the first day, May 4th.
For more information on the planned strike, click here to go to the Facebook page "Parents & Students Strike: one week no school".
To sign up for the latest news, and join the strike, click on Ontario Parents & Students Strike. Tell them Walt sent you!
Further reading on WWW: "What's really in Ontario's new sex ed curriculum", VIDEO with Ezra Levant.
Starting in September, Ontario teachers -- even in taxpayer-funded "Catholic" schools -- will start telling kids as young as six everything the state things they need to know about homosexuality, gay "marriage", and the ins and outs of sex [Watch it! Ed.] including the deviant varieties.
Given the intransigence of Premier Wynne and the queer lobby in Ontario's Minister of Education, concerned parents are going ahead with plans for a student strike, now set for the week of May 4th. LifeSiteNews quotes one organizer as saying the curriculum is in conflict with the religious beliefs and cultural values of many families.
For Ghada Melek, of The Well Informed Parent, it is the content that is most disturbing. Ms Melek told LifeSiteNews she got together with about 30 professionals in the Brampton area to analyze the sex ed curriculum and to gather the expert opinion of psychologists, doctors, and child educators. They found 22 objectionable or age-inappropriate components and drafted their own alternative curriculum. When they presented their draft to the government, they were patronized with clichés and their recommendations were rejected.
Ms Melek said the biggest problem with the sex ed curriculum was its promotion of gender identity with primary school students. "We propose putting it off to Grade 10. Introducing it earlier, when children may be innocently exploring gender roles, is too risky. It might lead children to draw the wrong conclusions about their own identities."
The Well Informed Parent group's research also indicated that teaching about "sexual consent"” in Grades 7 and 8 is also problematic, because it might make children think that if they aren’t having sex by then they are abnormal. "It normalizes and legitimizes pretty dangerous behaviour."
The group also found the curriculum overestimated the effectiveness of condoms in prevent sexually transmitted diseases. They are supporting the strike, and encouraging those who can’t afford to take a week off to at least pull their children out of school on the first day, May 4th.
For more information on the planned strike, click here to go to the Facebook page "Parents & Students Strike: one week no school".
To sign up for the latest news, and join the strike, click on Ontario Parents & Students Strike. Tell them Walt sent you!
Further reading on WWW: "What's really in Ontario's new sex ed curriculum", VIDEO with Ezra Levant.
Friday, May 1, 2015
If Canadiens lose to Lightning, this will be the reason
Poor Len Canayen here. Saw this pic on the Net today and hope it's not a preview of the NHL playoff series between Montréal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, starting tonight.
If les Glorieux lose, chances are 50-50 (at least) that it'll be because of a defensive lapse by P.K. Subban. Don't listen to those other guys (Hello Dave Stubbs!), listen to me, and place your bets accordingly.
One more thing... I'll tell you again what's wrong with the Habs power play. As it has been all season long, the playbook calls for Markov and Subban to pass the puck back and forth until Subban can get a clear shot, leaving the forwards with nothing to do but watch. The other teams know this. Michel Thérrien probably knows it too, but taking P.K. off the PP would be bad for business...
If les Glorieux lose, chances are 50-50 (at least) that it'll be because of a defensive lapse by P.K. Subban. Don't listen to those other guys (Hello Dave Stubbs!), listen to me, and place your bets accordingly.
One more thing... I'll tell you again what's wrong with the Habs power play. As it has been all season long, the playbook calls for Markov and Subban to pass the puck back and forth until Subban can get a clear shot, leaving the forwards with nothing to do but watch. The other teams know this. Michel Thérrien probably knows it too, but taking P.K. off the PP would be bad for business...
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