How Obama fooled the Jews and took their money

This week the Security Council of the (Dis)united Nations voted to condemn the illegal seizure by the Jewish state (Israel) of Palestinian lands in Jerusalem and the occupied Left Bank. Much to the chagrin of the powerful Zionist lobby in Washington, the USA abstained, even though its veto would have defeated the resolution.

The Jews are predictably furious, accusing President 0 and his minion, John Kerry, of betraying them. This after all the Jews did for Obama and the Democrats. Israel's enemies dream of destroying the Jewish state as the first phase of establishing a global caliphate. Now Obama has now encouraged that dream, and the Jews are rending their garments.

The Jewish Federations across North America (JFNA) issued a statement saying it was "deeply disappointed" that the US did not veto the UN motion. The refusal to do so, they said, "undermined a core principle of American foreign policy that has been embraced by Democratic and Republican Administrations for decades." Moreover, they said it was "tragic that the [Obama] Administration chose to mar its legacy of support for the Jewish State and set back the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace."

The Orthodox Union joined the JFNA at the wailing wall, announcing that it was "gravely disappointed" with the Prez. Not vetoing the motion, they said, "undermined his legacy" and was an "unprecedented and deeply disturbing break from the past."

The leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said that there was "no justification or explanation that validates the United States failure to veto the one-sided, offensive resolution adopted by the Security Council," and that the "United States vote will be seen as a betrayal of the fundamentals of the special relationship" between Israel and America.

One of the loudest cries of anger and anguish came from famed criminal lawyer (((Alan Dershowitz))), a lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party, Barry Obama and, yes, Shrillery Clinton. Mr Dershowitz defended Mr Obama in the court of public opinion when people said the Prez was, if not a practising Muslim, at least an anti-Semite. Now it seems the bromance is over.

In "How Barack Obama fooled the Jews and betrayed them once he had their money" (National Post, 30/12/16), (((Lawrence Solomon))) writes that Mr Dershowitz "finally sees the evidence that had been in plain sight all along, and now understands the extent of Obama's deception. It was 'so nasty. He pulled a bait-and-switch', he says, explaining how Obama in private pretended that it was 'the settlements deep in the West Bank' that were negotiable, not the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, so core to Judaism and to Israel’s heritage."

Mr Solomon presents another, even more trenchant quote. "'(President Obama) called me into the Oval Office before the election and he said to me, 'Alan, I want your support. And I have to tell you, I will always have Israel's back.' I didn't realize that what he meant was that he'd have (Israel's) back to stab them in the back."

The article goes on to explain that winning Jewish support wasn't especially important to Obama and other Democrats in terms of votes. Jews represent just 2% of the American electorate, so they don't count for much at the ballot box. But Jews are huuugely important — even decisive — when it comes to political donations. The Jews are overwhelmingly liberal, and their 2% of the voting population accounts for about two-thirds of all donations received by the Democratic Party. Putting it another way, Jews donate twice as much to Democrats as the 98% of voters who are non-Jews.

The importance of Jewish money to Democratic fortunes (Mr Solomon writes) explains why Mr Obama waited to make his moves against Israel until after his two presidential campaigns and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, who he hoped would preserve his legacy. If Jews had understood his real intentions toward Israel, Mr Obama knew, they would have stopped writing cheques.

Walt predicts that it will take the Democrats at least a generation to recover from B. Hussein Obama's betrayal of their rich and powerful Zionist benefactors. Jews don’t like being made fools of, especially in public, especially by someone of Mr Obama's complexion!

Socrates' Test of Three

As we consider the meaning of the events of the past year, and contemplate the year to come, the week before New Year's is a good time to be philosophical. In that spirit, Agent 17 sends us a little story about the Socratic Test of Three.

The problem with information is that you never know what will turn out to be important. Take Socrates for example. In ancient Greece, Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom, for his rational and reasoned view of the world. One day the great philosopher was wandering in contemplation when he was approached by an excited admirer. "Socrates! Socrates!", the man began. "There's something you should know about one of your students..."

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."
"Test of Three?"
"That's correct," Socrates confirmed. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say."

"The first test is Truth. Are you absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man replied reluctantly. "Actually I just heard about it from another guy."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if the information is true or not. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"
"Well, no," the man said sheepishly. "Not really."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not certain it's true?"
The man shrugged, embarrassed. "I thought you'd want to know..."
Socrates continued, "Okay. Then let me ask you this: Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"
The man shrugged again, "It depends, I suppose. I don't know."

"So," concluded Socrates, "you want to tell me something that you don't know is true, it's certainly not good information and may in fact be harmful to my student and friend, AND you don't know if it will even be useful to me. Why tell it to me at all? Why not just keep it to yourself until you are sure?"
The man nodded, ashamed at his impulsiveness. "You are wise, Socrates. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
It's also why Socrates never found out Plato was banging his wife.

VIDEO: Snowflakes celebrated in song

Since we're in the Octave of Christmas, Walt will refrain from posting anything that doesn't spread peace and cheer to all men/women/undecided/persons of goodwill. Ed. has discovered a lovely little ditty celebrating the arrival in our midst of all the snowflakes who are melting away in the heat of the Trump. Here it is.



Ed. here. I found this in the comment section following "Militant snowflake: new insignia for social justice warrior", posted by "Red Square" on The People's Cube. Lots of funny stuff there, like this sign, soon to be seen in your neighbourhood.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

"Et peperit filium suum primogenitum; 

et pannis eum involvit et reclinavit eum in præsepio" 

(St. Luke 2:7)

Walt, Poor Len [and Ed. Ed.] wish all our readers

a Happy and Holy Christmas,

and for the New Year 2017, peace and prosperity.

VIDEO: Politically incorrect Christmas song

Only two more sleeps until Christmas Day, so it's time for a little seasonal music.



"White Christmas" was sung by The Drifters, featuring Bill Pinkney, lead bass, and Clyde McPhatter, tenor. Cartoon by Joshua Held.

In denial about black crime in Toronto

Back in the hippy-dippy `60s -- beginning around 1964-5 with the passage of the Civil Rights Acts -- a wave of white guilt swept across America. Nearly 100 years after the end of the Civil War, black people were still discriminated against, disadvantaged and "marginalized" not just in the South but all over the US of A, and by golly the enlightened progressive thinkers of Washington, New York and Los Angeles were going to fix all that, with just a couple of strokes of LBJ's pen.

Where the US leads, Canada will surely follow. The problem for Canada's Liberal government was that, at that time, Canada didn't have very many citizens of the coloured persuasion on whom to lavish love and money in reparation for the sins of the horrible segregationists to the south. Solution? Import some black people, so Canadians could rejoice in being more tolerant, inclusive and (let's face it) smug. Wide were thrown the gates of immigration, with invitations extended to anyone and everyone from Guyana northward to Chicago and all points in between. Especially Jamaica.

What Canada imported on the No-longer-underground Railroad was black crime, and lots of it. Before long, Toronto newspapers had perpetrator descriptions including phrases like "spoke with a Jamaican accent" set in cold type. That phrase, and even the use of the words "Negro" [arch. Ed.] and "black" were dropped from crime stories, because (of course) they weren't politically correct. How in hell, the cops asked, do you expect us to catch any criminals if we can only say they're "male", of a a certain height and weight? But if you say they're black, the liberals moaned, you're demonizing a whole group of people, some of whom might actually be innocent! Describing people with reference to their colour is racist!

Half a century later, in Canada even more than in the USA, we have the same censorship, the same political correctness...in spades! [Watch it! Ed.] Today the Toronto meeja reported that the coppers had rounded up 16 of the usual suspects in connection to an armed robbery ring allegedly committed by gang members originating from the northwest corridor of Toronto. They identified the two gangs involved as The Complex Crip Gangsters and the Treyy Money Gang.

Nowhere in the story on the Global News website will you find the word "black". Nor will you see the names of the accused, names like "Javonte", "Shamir", "Lamar" and "Marvin". Nor will you find a picture of any of the accused in which his face is visible. To have your suspicions confirmed, you need to go to the official news release from the Toronto Police Service, where you will see these pictures.

Black people make up something like 10-15 percent of Toronto's population. (Whites are in the minority, by the way.) Yet they account for roughly 90% of the city's murderers and murderees, and the majority of criminals accused of crimes like holding up convenience stores. (The convenience store owners are almost always south and east Asians. The CBC actually has an alleged sitcom called Kim's Convenience!) Call me a racist if you like, but those are the facts in the "world class city" which is forever "celebrating diversity". If I lived in Toronto, I wouldn't be celebrating. I'd be moving!

Credit where credit is due: The sign is available from ThePeople'sCube.com. Get one for your front window...if you dare.

A typical Canadian scene

Agent 34 sent us this picture from a place called Stony Plain, in the western part of Canuckistan.

Yep, it's a Zamboni [an ice-surfacing machine. Ed.] being driven through the local Tim Hortons [Americans call it a "coffee and bake shop". Ed.] by Jesse Myshak, a typical hoser [Canadian. Ed.] Mr Myshak was at his shop on Tuesday, working on the new toy he bought to flood his rink in his backyard. [Some people have swimming pools. Canucks have ice rinks. Ed.]

He finished whipping it into working order and was ready to take it to his home, nearly two miles away. Mr Myshak, being a practical man, told CBC News, "I figured I'd just drive it home. Guys at work were kind of laughing after I was driving home. [They said] to drive through Timmies and get a coffee," and that's just what he did. End of story...eh.

"Experts" admit looking in the wrong place for MH370

Looks like this second-last week of 2016 is going to be the biggest newsweek -- not to be confused with the useless magazine of the same name -- of the year. It's only Tuesday and so far we've got four Islamic terrorist attacks, the election of Donald Trump by the Electoral College [not really news. Ed.] and now... wait for it... confirmation of what Walt has been saying for well over a year: The "experts" conducting the search for Malaysian Airlines MH370 have been looking in the wrong place!

That's right, folks. You read it here as early as 18 December 2014 ("Just fancy that!"), and even before! (Click here to see all of Walt's posts on MH370.) For two years, in spite of questions raised by my goodself and numerous other sceptics, the Australian-led search team have been looking for debris from the missing B-777 in a remote patch of the Indian Ocean west of Australia. Today, at last, the sleuths made what was surely a painful admission: they've probably been looking in the wrong place. Probably? Hah! Definitely is the correct word. And I have no hesitation in saying: I told you so!

The latest analysis by a team of international investigators concluded the vanished aircraft is "highly unlikely" to be in the current search zone and may instead be in a region farther north. Since the plane disappeared in March 2014, the "experts" have analyzed a series of exchanges between the aircraft and a satellite to estimate a probable crash site somewhere in a vast arc of ocean in the southeastern part of the Indian Ocean. A deep-sea search of a tens of thousands of square miles of water along the arc came up empty.

To make matters worse, as Walt told you last May ("MH370: 5 pieces now, all in 'the wrong place'"), pieces of debris kept turning up on shores at the western end of the Indian Ocean, in such places as Madagascar, Réunion, Mozambique and South Africa. To elucidate the fuzzification, the "experts" went back over the satellite data and did a drift analysis of the (by now) more than 20 items of debris likely to have come from the plane. The analysis, based on where the items washed up and when, suggested the debris originated somewhere "farther north".

The report identifies a 25,000 square kilometre area to the north of the current search zone as the most likely place where MH370 hit the water, the report said. The investigators concluded with "a high degree of confidence" that the plane is not in the current search area, and that the new area needs to be searched.

So will they extend the search to that area, beyond the planned completion date of 31 December? Errr, no. Australia’s transport minister, Darren Chester, who has to wear this one, suggested the analysis wasn't specific enough to justify continuing the hunt. In other words: show us where it is, and we'll have a look. Besides, there's no more money. So that's it, then. MH370 and over 200 pax and crew can rest undisturbed in their watery grave. Let's move on to other things that are less likely to prove embarrassing for all concerned.

Surprise, surprise! Electoral College votes for Trump!

What with all the news of deliberate attacks by persons of indeterminate ethnicity whose beliefs and motives have not yet been ascertained -- i.e. Islamic terrorists -- it was easy to overlook the fact that the electors chosen by the American people to vote for the next president of the USA met in their state capitals yesterday to do their duty.

An effort, reported here yesterday, by assorted Democrats, celebs, SJWs and other Progressive Thinkers to persuade Republican electors to abandon President-elect Donald Trump came to practically nothing. Despite noisy demonstrations outside state houses, the voting went pretty much as planned, according to tradition.

With all Republican states reporting, Mr Trump only lost the two electors in Texas. Shrillery Clinton lost four electors in Washington state. Three voted for former secretary of state Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle. Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidensity. With a number of states yet to report, Mr Trump has 304 votes and Mrs Bill Clinton has 169. As Nelson Muntz sez...

The election is over, the talking is done,
Your party lost, my party won.
So let us be friends, let arguments pass,
I’ll hug my elephant, you kiss your ass.

Your militant Muslims today (Islamic terrorism update)

Following up yesterday's posts on attacks in Europe and the Middle East for which fanatical Muslim terrorists are responsible...

In Germany, the toll from the death truck which was deliberately crashed into people thronging the Christmas market near Kaiser Wilhelm church in Berlin has climbed to an even dozen (12), with four dozen (48) reported injured.

Die Polizei arrested a Muslim-looking person caught running away from the scene, who turned out to be... wait for it... a Pakistan asylum-seeker. But now Herr Inspektor Hitler [Ed., please check name.] says they may have got the wrong man. "They all look the same," he told the press.

In a separate statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose policy of Willkommenskultur has opened Germany's legs [Arms! shurely. Ed.] to over a million "refugees" and asylum-seekers in the last year, said she was "disappointed". Walt says she's not half so disappointed now as she will be after next year's elections.

The gunman who assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey turned out to be a native-born Muslim, hardly surprising since the vast majority of Turks are followers of the Prophet. If Turkey is ever admitted to the European Union (which now seems highly unlikely) it would be the first Muslim nation to be included in once-Christian Europe. The whole idea of Turkey being considered a European nation is ludicrous, but I digress...

Turkish police say it was easy for the assassin to get close to the ambassador since he (the killer) was an off-duty policeman. As he pulled the trigger (eight times) he shouted "Allahu akbar!" and other dire imprecations in Arabic, but then switched to Turkish for a rant about Syria and Aleppo. Although his family and roommates are helping police with their investigation, it's unclear whether the killer was acting in support of ISIS or the militias who are revolting against the Syrian government. This one may not be "Islamic terrorism"... merely a "political statement".

The excitement over the Berlin and Ankara attacks was such that a less spectacular incident in Switzerland got buried in the inside pages, so to speak. In Zurich, a gunman wounded three people attending prayers at an Islamic centre, before turning the gun on himself.

Witnesses to the attack reported that the gunman, dressed in dark clothes and a woolen cap, had escaped on foot after the shooting. Swiss police have not identified a motive for the attack on the Islamic centre, which was largely frequented by members of Zurich's community of Somali "refugees". An update on the investigation is expected momentarily.

Finally to the Middle Eastern sandpit of Jordan, where seven members of the country's security forces, two local civilians and a Canadian tourist were killed on Sunday in an attack on a Crusader-era castle in Karak, south of the capital, Amman.

At least four gunmen laid siege to the popular tourist attraction for reasons as yet "unexplained". Four of the attackers were shot dead by police. 15 members of the security forces were injured along with 17 Jordanian civilians and two foreigners, including the son of the Canadian lady who was killed. The attack is said to be one of the bloodiest incidents in Jordan in recent memory. ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of weekend shootings, in a statement released today by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant internet traffic.

Further reading: Geert Wilders says Angela Merkel has blood on her hands, after Berlin attack. Fox News, 20/12/16.

Islamist truck attack in Berlin leaves 9 dead

The mojo wire is hot, really hot today! BBC and other reports from Germany say that a large truck has ploughed into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing nine people and injuring many more, perhaps as many as 50. Video footage from the scene shows stalls knocked over and people lying injured on the ground. We have raw footage, which may be difficult to watch! [Got your attention now? Ed.]

NOTE FROM ED. ADDED 11/12/18. The video which was embedded in this post has apparently been deleted by either Global News or the PC police enforcing Canada's notorious M-103 (Say nothing bad about Muslims) policy.

The market is at Breitscheidplatz, close to the Kurfuerstendamm, the main shopping street in the city's west. It is situated at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was kept as a bombed-out ruin after World War Two. The truck drove into the crowd around 8 PM local time, when the market was crowded with people drinking mulled wine and eating sausages. [C'mon! If this happened in Detroit you wouldn't talk about people eating fried chicken and watermelon, would you? Ed.] Speaking to CBC News from Berlin, freelance journalist Nick Spicer said "If you wanted to hurt a large number of people with a truck, this is the kind of place you would go to."

Die Polizei have arrested the truck driver, but have so far declined to provide details of his ethnicity and religion. Nor have they confirmed or denied reports that cries of "Allahu akbar!" were heard. This event evokes memories of a similar attack massacre of Bastille Day crowds in Nice, France, when 86 innocent people were massacred. That atrocity was perpetrated by "soldiers" of the Islamic State.

Walt will not be able to confirm this as a case of Islamic terrorism until the German police deny that there is any link between the attack and Angela Merkel's "Willkommenskultur". Ms Merkel is up for re-election next year. Today's massacre could be a Russian attempt to discredit her and cause her to lose!

Further reading: "Ten cases of Muslim refugee Islamic terror arrests and convictions in the United States", on Dr. Rich Swier's blog, 15/12/16.

Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead! "Allahu akbar!"

This is breaking news so just a short post pending details. AP reports that Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, has been shot and killed in a gun attack [How else would you be "shot and killed"? Ed.] in the capital Ankara.

An AP photographer said a gunman fired shots at Karlov at a photo exhibition where the ambassador was making an address.

According to Burhan Ozbilic (the photographer), the ambassador was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar!" and fired at least eight shots.

The AP photographer was alert (and steady) enough to snap a pretty good photo. Here it is. Pretty snappy dresser for an Islamic terrorist, eh. You were expecting maybe a turban? It is not clear whether the killer was against Russians or against paintings depicting people (forbidden by Holy Qu'ran) or both. The Russian/Turkish/American reaction should be interesting. Stay tuned. I'll make the popcorn.

Martin Sheen, Ashley McMillan, Alex Hamilton and the Electoral College

In a few hours the Electoral College meets to finalize and formalize the election of Donald Trump as 45th president of the Paranoid States of America. For the benefit of non-American readers, Walt should explain that although US voters mark their ballots [or pull their levers. Ed.] for the candidate of their choice, the popular vote doesn't decide the issue directly. The popular vote in each state determines which party wins the right to send that state's electors to Washington for the real election, which is today.

That's what the Democrats (and the celebrities, the lamestream media, the globalists, the liberal elites) are pissing and moaning about. Shrillery Clinton got more of the popular vote than The Donald, but because her votes were concentrated in New York and (naturally) Lalaland, Mr Trump won enough of the flyover states -- where the real people are -- to gain a comfortable majority of votes in the Electoral College.

Unless, of course, some of the Republicans who are pledged to vote for their party's candidate can be persuaded to change their mind. That's where "the Hamilton Electors" come in. [Who they? Ed.] They're a small group of rogue electors led by Bret Chiafalo, a Democrat (naturally) from Washington (state). They cite an essay by Alexander Hamilton (currently starring in a Broadway musical) which states that there should be a "moral certainty that the office of president will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications." Since La Clinton is allegedly a woman, their use of that passage would seem to be directed against President-elect Trump, and so it is.

Mr Chiafalo and his buddies have called a Hail Mary, urging Republican electors to ignore their pledges and cast their votes for anyone except the Donald. If Mr Trump falls short of winning a majority (270) of the electoral votes, it would fall to the House of Representatives to choose the next president. The Hamilton Group seems to have forgotten that the Republicans have a majority in the the House. But hey, that's their plan. Gives the lamestream media something to talk about during this slow news week.

The Hamilton Group are not alone in this foolishness. A group of Hollywood celebs have come out with their own last-ditch bid to convince electors to vote "anyone but Trump" today. You may have seen the video, featuring Martin Sheen, well-known as a Hellery supporter and contributor to the Dems' campaign. Mr Sheen played fictitious President Josiah Barlett on The West Wing, so he's obviously the go-to guy whenit comes to deciding who's fit to be president.

Mr Sheen's "actor-vist" group has some egg on its collective face this morning, following the public airing of a personalized video addressed to "Mr Ashley McMillan" one of the Kansas electors pledged to vote Republican. In the video [removed from YouTube of we'd have it for you. Ed.] to follow the example of America's Founding Fathers, and become one of the 37 electors who would have to go back on their pledges in order to throw the election into the House.

Just one problem with that pitch: "Ashley McMillan" isn't a man.! The Kansas elector is Ashley McMillan Hutchinson, vice-chair of the Kansas GOP. Interviewed by The Daily Caller, she said, "It’s my job to represent the people of Kansas on Monday. It was Martin Sheen's job to get my name right. He failed. I won't." Ms McMillan plans to vote for President-elect Trump.

VIDEO: Trump and Clinton dance to the same tune

During the fourth debate in the run-up to the late election, Mrs Bill Clinton claimed that Donald Trump -- now President-elect Trump, ahem, ahem -- was Vladimir Putin's choice for the presidensity, and, if elected, would be no more than Putin's puppet. Mr Trump replied that he was "No puppet! No puppet! No puppet!"

At another point in the debate, Mr Trump said that President Putin had no respect for Shrillery and would have his way with her (figuratively speaking) if she were in the White House.

Some observers feel that it doesn't matter which of Trump or Clinton occupies the Oval Office. They will both have to dance to the tune played by... guess who??? Thanks to Agent 6 for sending us this delightful little video clip.

US to retaliate vs Russia for election "interference"? LMAO!

Heard the Prez on the rangdeedio last night -- on NPR, natch -- say that the Excited States of America would retaliate against the Russkis "at a place and time of our choosing", for such dirty tricks as allegedly releasing John Podesta's e-mails to influence Americans to vote for Trump rather than Mrs Bill Clinton.

Earlier in the day, a spokesthingy for the Obama maladministration suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized the hacking of the Dems' e-mails in the run-up to the presidential election and said it was "fact" that hacking had helped President-elect Donald Trump's campaign. The White House also levelled an attack on Mr Trump himself, saying that it "appears" he must have known of Russia's interference. No proof was offered for any of the accusations

"At a place and time of our choosing" were Mr 0's exact words. They were the same words chosen by President Bush II to warn the A-rabs responsible for 9/11 of their impending doom, and look how that turned out! President Putin must be quaking in his boots, when he's not falling down laughing. He has said nothing, so far, but his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has called the allegations "laughable".

Further viewing: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange tells Sean Hannity source for hacked Podesta, DNC emails "is not the Russian government". Click here to see the video on Fox News.

Why President-elect Trump doesn't trust CIA "intelligence"

An assiduous reader has e-mailed to enquire whether Walt thinks President-elect Trump knows what he's doing. Of particular concern (to him) is The Donald's seeming disinterest in the daily briefings to which he (TD) is entitled so that (in theory) he'll be fully in the picture when he takes over in January.

The Prez (outgoing) has already tut-tutted to the lamestream media that Mr Trump doesn't seem to be paying attention, thus may have some rude surprises in store. To this slur, the President-elect [Walt loves rubbing that in! Ed.] replies that the briefings come from the CIA and other agencies which did such a great job on the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMD) file when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. What, he implies, can he learn from them that he can't hear on Fox News?

Good point! Could it be that Mr Trump has read State of Denial, by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster, 2006)? Although this post will be longer than Ed. usually allows, I want to share the last four pages or so from Chapter 25, in which the author summarizes the testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, on 28 January 2004, of Dr. David Kay, who headed the Iraq Survey Group which took over the search for WMDs in the summer of 2003. The emphasis is mine.

Kay testified..."We were almost all wrong, and I certainly include myself." Kay said 85 percent of the work was done and he had no reason to believe they ever would find WMD stockpiles in Iraq. "It is important to acknowledge failure," Kay said....

[The next day Kay had lunch] with Bush, Cheney, Rice and Andy Card in a small dining room off the Oval Office. How did you reach your conclusions? Bush wanted to know. And how did U.S. intelligence miss all this?

"We missed it because the Iraqis actually behaved like they had weapons," Kay said. "And we weren't smart enough to understand that the hardest thing in intelligence is when behavior remains consistent but underlying reasons change." ...

Bush wanted to know why Kay thought Saddam hadn't just come clean on WMD long ago. Why had he risked his whole life, his government, instead of just throwing the doors open? Kay said he thought Saddam never believed the U.S. would actually invade. But more important, more than he feared the U.S.., he feared the Shiites and Kurds who lived in Iraq. He knew that they in turn feared him because they thought he had WMD.

"You know...totalitarian regimes generally end up fearing their own people more than they fear external threats. It's just the history of totalitarian regimes," Kay said. "We missed that." And, he said, they were expecially susceptible to missing it because they had so little human intelligence, and instead relied on technical collection....

"The disease of the intelligence community is this over-focus on current intelligence," meaning what was going on that week, as opposed to longer-term, strategic intelligence. "Look," he said, "current analysis is better if you turn CNN on or read the paper. Quite frankly, the press does a better job."

"A good example of this is the PDB" -- the President's Daily Brief. "Do you understand that if you respond positively to anything in it, you're going to get nothing but that stuff for the next month of so?" The president's expression of interest put it at the top of the agenda in the intelligence community. "George [Tenet, CIA Director at the time] takes it back and it drives it and it will keep appearing. They respond to it. If you ever respond to a PDB item, it's going to be there for a very long time with more and more information." Presidential interest suggests it is important and the intelligence flow just snowballs out of control....

Bush wondered how the CIA and the U.S. intelligence could have been so wrong.

"You know, one of the problems for a director is if he's inside the political process, he loses his balance," Kay answered. "For example, George comes here every day for the briefing. And inevitably that communicates a sense of the political process to the people at the agency."...

The next day, Rice called Kay back to the White House. "There was something you said to the president that really hit a nerve," she said. She was struck by a point he'd made about how one of the hardest things to do in intelligence is discern real change, to figure out why someone keeps doing the same thing, but for different reasons....

Intelligence services [Kay said] don't do a very good job trying to understand the soft side of societies -- how well the government is working and the fundamental attitudes of the people.

Kay felt there was more than enough blame on the intelligence failures to go around. Some of it definitely fell on Rice's shoulders. Her job had been to guard the president's backside and she had not done so.

Tenet was at fault too. He had been brought in not as an intelligence professional but as a sort of big-picture leader, someone who boosted morale and rebuilt the clandestine service. He had fallen victim to his greatest weakness, Kay felt, which was a lack of affinity for the detailed drudgery of intelligence analysis.

But the real villain at CIA, Kay thought, was [Deputy Director John] McLaughlin. Tenet had made his way on the political side of the intelligence world, but McLaughlin had been with the agency for more than 30 years. He was the professional, and Kay felt he had also been the one who clung most stubbornly to the belief that Iraq had mobile biological weapons labs....

Whatever the excuses for the WMD intelligence, [McLaughlin believed], he, Tenet and the CIA had failed. Tenet would later acknowledge in private that the CIA didn't have a leg to stand on.

That's what happens when "intelligence" is driven by a political agenda, and vice versa. Think about this week's "revelation" by the CIA that the Russians are responsible for the election of Donald Trump. Who could blame President-elect Trump for dismissing such allegations for the ridiculous rubbish they are?

Walt's plan for the war in the Middle East

During the US election campaign, Hellery Clinton responded to challenges on what she was going to do to win the war against the Islamic terrorists -- the ones she wouldn't call by name -- by saying that she had a plan, which included the capture of Mosul, which would fall in a matter of days. Donald Trump said that even if the anti-ISIS "coalition" succeeded in liberating Mosul, they'd find the IS leaders long gone, precisely because La Clinton had given them plenty of notice, plus details of President 0's plans to "degrade" the soldiers of the Prophet.

As I pointed out a few days ago, in "Meanwhile, in the Middle East...", predictions of the capture of Mosul turned out to be premature. Latest reports are that the Kurds, advancing from the area they control in northern Iraq, are stalled at the gates of the city. The alleged Iraqi National Army, coming up from the south, has been unable to prevent ISIS fighters from breaking out to the west and south, heading for Syria. Enough of the terrorists remain in Mosul to make its fall uncertain at best.

Meanwhile, the eyes and ears of the world have turned toward Syria, where ISIS has retaken the ancient city of Palmyra, which it lost some nine months ago. Turns out this great victory for the "coalition" was, errr, of a temporary nature. As in Afghanistan and Iraq, "we" learned that occupying and securing a given area is rather more difficult than taking it in the first place. I can almost hear the cries of "They're baaaack!"

If you believe the propaganda dished out every day by the lamestream media, the retaking of Palmyra by ISIS isn't that big a deal. What is a big deal is the fall of Aleppo -- once Syria's biggest city -- not to ISIS but to [SHOCK! HORROR!] the forces of the evil, devilish, inhuman Bashir al-Assad! With more than a little help in the form of airstrikes by the Russians, Syrian government forces have entered and taken control of 99% of the eastern part of Aleppo, which had been held by rebel militias for years. MORE SHOCK! MORE HORROR!

The chattering classes and spokesthingies for liberal democracy are engaging in an orgy of handwringing, pissing and moaning that almost defies description. Here's a sample, written by someone called Terry Glavin [Who he? Ed.] in today's Emotional Post. "J’accuse! May Allah look down in his mercy upon Aleppo — no help is coming from us. This is what we have become. This is the depravity to which we have all sunk. Aleppo has fallen and so has humanity. We are disgraced."

Walt doesn't see it quite that way. There have been some civilian casualties in the battle for Aleppo, to be sure, including women and children. Hundreds, not thousands, have been killed, but those numbers pale in comparison to the numbers executed -- not killed in fighting, but executed -- by ISIS. So why is it the "end of civilization" when Syrian government forces do the killing, but not when atrocities are committed by the Sunni Muslim rebels and the Islamic extremists of ISIS? Answers on the back of a postage stamp, please, to the usual address.

As of this morning, the Assad government controls most of western Syria, which is the only part of the country worth having. The Kurds have most of their homeland in northern Iraq. ISIS holds their capital, Raqqa, as well as Mosul (still) and Palmyra (again). The alleged Iraqi government has a tenuous hold on Baghdad, but not much else. Their ill-trained and timorous army is (sometimes) fighting it out with ISIS for eastern Syria and south-central Iraq. I'll go out on a limb here and predict that there will be no significant change of any kind in the year to come. Lifetime pct .985.

What, then, should the USA, soon to be under new management, do about the Middle East? I've given it a lot of thought [All this week? Ed.] and can come up with no better plan than to bug out and let the Muslims duke it out amongst themselves. That, in essence, is what Ron Paul has been saying for years. The Syrian armed forces, with the help of the Russians, will keep pushing eastward, while the Kurds, helped by the Iranians, will keep pushing down from the north. Let them destroy the Sunnis (ISIS plus assorted rebel militias) if they can, and good luck to them. We’ve got no skin in that game.

Further reading: "Some Perspectives on the War on Terror: Anyway you look at it, it's a failure", by Philip Giraldi, in The Unz Review, 20/12/16.

Am I the only one who thinks this is funny?

It's an ad for the 1963 Mercury Comet. "...new scat in '63's fun car..." ??? Do I really want scat in my car? That's a pretty big dog....

VIDEO: Hungarian mayor's warning to illegal immigrants

While pussies like President 0 and Canada's Justin "Hairboy" Trudeau trumpet their love of "refugees" and asylum-seekers -- especially Muslims -- and fling open the doors to their countries, other countries and other leaders are standing up on their hind feet to say, "We don't want you! Go back where you came from!"

One leader who is not afraid to be politically incorrect is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. At the height of the 2015 Million Muslim March into Europe, Mr Orban's government built a wall -- an inspiration to Donald Trump? -- to block the-called "refugees" from crossing through Hungary to get to Austria and Germany.

Mr Orban declared himself the defender of a Christian Europe, and accused the European Union of trying to force Hungarians to accept and "serve" foreigners in their own country. "[Mass migration] is masquerading as a humanitarian cause, but its true nature is the occupation of territory," he declared, but "There shall be no mass disorder. No immigrant riots here, and there shall be no gangs hunting down our women and daughters."

Even as Mr Orban spoke, the mayor of the southern Hungarian town of Asotthalom produced a video warning migrants they could be jailed if caught in the country. Here it is.



The message is clear: "Hungary is a bad choice. Asotthalom is the worst." Walt is waiting for patriotic civic officials in the USA, UK, Canada -- any of those "liberal democracies" -- to commission videos of their own. Walt is also waiting for hell to freeze over.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East...

A random selection of headlines from this weekend's news...

- 25 dead after bomb explodes during Mass at Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo

- Turkey stadium bombing death toll rises to 38, including 30 police officers

- 9 months after being driven out, IS militants recapture Palmyra

- Iraqi offensive against ISIS stronghold in Mosul stalls; Defense Secretary Carter arrives to assess situation

- Syrian army, Russian warplanes pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt

- Death toll hits 45 in Yemen suicide bombing

- Kerry calls for "grace" as Syrians set to take Aleppo

- US Sends 200 More Troops To Syria Days After Obama Lifts Ban On Arms Supplies To Rebels

Meanwhile, the Prez (soon to be ex-Prez) thinks the most important thing he should do before leaving office (at last!) is to prove that the Russians are responsible for the election of Donald Trump. You couldn't make this stuff up.

Further reading: "Trump’s Promised 'New Foreign Policy' Must Abandon Regime Change for Iran", by Ron Paul, 4/12/16.

"Amoris Laetitia" -- Pope Francis leads Catholics into error

Amoris Laetitia (Latin for "The Joy of Love") is an "apostolic exhortation" published over the signature of Pope Francis the Humble on 8 April 2016, following the second meeting (in 2015) of the controversial Synod on the Family. It pushes the Pope's agenda of "reform" of Catholic teachings on morals, sexuality, marriage and divorce, and (particularly) the position of divorced and remarried Catholics. It has been hailed by "progressives" (especially non-Catholics) and panned by traditional Catholics. The majority of Catholics, up to and including bishops and cardinals, are just plain confused.

And no wonder. The text was released initially in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. As of 14 May 2016, there was no Latin version which by Church law would have been authoritative. The English text runs to some 250 pages and 325 numbered paragraphs, with nearly 400 footnotes. There are quotations from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and earlier popes, and from the Second Vatican Council -- now regarded by many as invalid -- but also such dubious "authorities" as Martin Luther King, Jr, Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Antonin Sertillanges, Gabriel Marcel, and Mario Benedetti. A very mixed bag indeed.

The confusion that Amoris Laetitia has spread among the faithful -- Are we still Catholic or not?! -- is such that, in September, Cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Raymond Leo Burke, Carlo Caffarra and Joachim Meisner submitted to Pope Francis their dubia (an expression of questioning or doubt) asking him to clarify five fundamental points of Catholic doctrine and sacramental discipline. Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia, they wrote, appears to conflict with Scripture and/or Tradition and the teaching of previous papal documents, notably Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Veritatis Splendor and his apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio.

On December 8th (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception), 23 Catholic academics expressed "profound gratitude and full support" of the dubia, saying clarification of Amoris Laetitia is urgent, as they believe the barque of Peter is "drifting perilously like a ship without a rudder" and shows signs of "incipient disintegration". Professor Joseph Shaw wrote, "The Holy Father alone has the power to resolve the current confusion, and must urgently do so for the good of souls."

Also this week, two leading Catholic scholars, John Finnis and Germain Grisez, addressed a letter to Pope Francis and "to all the bishops in communion with him, and to the rest of the Christian faithful", urging the Pontiff to stop the "misuse" of Amoris Laetitia. Dr Finnis, a retired Oxford philosophy professor, and Dr Grisez, a moral theologian who taught for years at Mount St. Mary's, are among the world's most respected Catholic thinkers. In their letter, they argue that popular misinterpretations of Amoris Laetitia are being used "to suppport errors against the Catholic faith." They call on the Pope to repudiate these errors, and ask "all bishops to join in this request and to issue their own condemnations of the erroneous positions we identify."

The errors they identify, which contradict Church teaching but have been advanced as consistent with Amoris Laetitia, are these:
- that priests can give absolution from sins even when penitents have no intention of amendment;
- that people may be too weak to obey God’s commandments;
- that there is no moral rule to which there can never be exceptions;
- that moral laws are ideals, and it is unrealistic to expect that they will be fulfilled;
- that in some circumstances it is best to violate a moral law;
- that sexual activity is only wrong if someone is exploited or hurt;
- that a valid marriage can dissolve; and
- that there is no one condemned to hell.

"An Open Letter to Pope Francis" was posted on the First Things website (of the Institute on Religion and Public Life) yesterday, December 9th. The article begins: "We invite readers’ attention to The Misuse of Amoris Laetitia To Support Errors against the Catholic Faith, a letter we have addressed 'to the Supreme Pontiff Francis, to all bishops in communion with him, and to the rest of the Christian faithful.' The letter was dispatched for delivery to Pope Francis on November 21." The underlined words -- "The letter" -- were supposed to link to the full text of the open letter. But the link is dead -- removed by command of the Vatican perhaps?

VIDEO: Mess with Price and you'll pay the price!

Poor Len Canayen here, still excited after watching last night's game between the Montréal Canadiens and the Devils of New Jersey. It was a very entertaining affair, with les Glorieux emerging victorious, 5-2. The highlight, though, occurred near the end of the first period, when the best goaltender in the world, Carey Price, lost his customary cool after having been run into for the second time. Here's the video.



Those who think Price overreacted to having his feet knocked out from under him, from behind, by the Devils' Kyle Palmieri should keep in mind that in May of 2014, when the Habs were well into a playoff run which could have netted them their first Stanley Cup since 1993, New York Rangers' Chris Kreider took a run at Price in exactly the same way, crashing him into the goalpost and putting him out of the game and out of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Habs then lost. See "Montreal Canadiens’ goalie Carey Price out of Eastern Final with injury", Toronto Star, 19/5/14.

This kind of deliberate (or at least negligent) crease-crashing has got to stop! Price got a double minor penalty for roughing. IMHO he should have got a medal!

The difference between Canada and the USA

This pictures encapsulates all ye know and all ye need to know. Thanks and a tip of the turban to Agent 6.

Merkel does a big 180 on "refugees", Muslim headgear

Amazing news from Essen, Germany, where Angela Merkel's governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is holding a party congress this week. Chancellor Merkel announced last week that she would be running for a fourth four-year term in an election expected next September. But first she must be chosen to lead her party for another two-year term.

German public opinion polls and lamestream media assure Frau Merkel that she's a shoo-in, in spite of widespread grumbling about her "Willkomenskultur" policy, under which millions of "refugees" and asylum-seekers, most of them Muslims, have been admitted to Das Vaterland, where they have committed numerous acts of rape, terrorism, and general ingratitude.

Frau Merkel is a political survivor, not foolish enough to trust the polls and the media. In a speech today, she announced that she would take steps to prevent a repeat of last year's huge influx of Muslim invaders. And... wait for it... she advocated banning burqas and niqabs -- the full-face veils used by some Muslim women -- "where possible".

She told the CDU congress that her immediate priority is to make sure a crisis-shaken Europe doesn't get any weaker. Germany will continue to take in people in genuine need of protection, she said, but her government has moved to toughen asylum rules and declare several countries "safe", meaning that people coming from those places can't expect to get refugee status and all the cash and other benefits that go with it. Furthermore, Frau Merkel told delegates, "parallel societies" won't be tolerated. "In communication between people, which is of course essential to our living together, we have to show our faces, so the full veil should be forbidden wherever legally possible."

Isn't it strange that Angela Merkel can say things like that and be applauded, yet when Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders says the same things, he gets called a racist! But hey, the lower house of the Dutch parliament voted just a few days ago to ban Islamic headgear, as has also been done by France and Belgium, so it would appear that Frau Merkel is simply catching up. The USA and (especially) Canada may take somewhat longer.

Further reading: "Hijab, niqab, burqa -- what's the difference?", WWW 28/7/10.

Pontifical High Mass (Tridentine) at La Crosse WI, December 10th

Our friends at The Remnant have sent along an invitation received from Una Voce La Crosse, as follows:

Our founder, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, will offer the 1st ever Pontifical High Mass (Tridentine) at the Shrine he founded in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Saturday December 10th. We are hoping to get the word out to have a great group for him and the Sacred Tradition.This will be the first Pontifical High Mass His Eminence has offered at the Shrine he founded in 2008. There will be priests from the FSSP, Institute, and Diocese of La Crosse assisting as familiari. All are warmly welcome.

Opportunities to hear Holy Mass as it should be celebrated are few and far between in the USA these days, and a Pontifical High Mass is a rarity indeed. Good Catholics are urged to make every effort to attend, for the greater honour and glory of God first and foremost, but also as a way of showing support and appreciation for the strong stand in defence of Holy Mother Church that Cardinal Burke is making at this very moment.

VIDEO: "Génération Identitaire" declares war on immigration, multiculturalism, globalism

From Europe this weekend, we're getting mixed signals as to the appeal of right-wing populism.

In yesterday's rerun of the rigged presidential election earlier this year, Austrian Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer lost to the Green Party's Alexander Van der Bellen by a margin of about 5%. No recount is being demanded. It seems that many Austrian voters are still fearful of being labelled "neo-Nazis", so have decided to sell out their country and their culture to the forces of globalism and multiculturalism. But, since the presidency of Austria is only a ceremonial position, this temporary setback doesn't matter all that much.

There's better news from Italy. Pinkish Prime Minister Matteo Renzi yesterday announced he would resign, following a stinging defeat on his proposals for constitutional reform. His defeat is seen as a body blow to a European Union already reeling under anti-establishment anger that led to Brexit -- the shock exit of UK from the club in June.

Mark Willis, head of an investment consultancy, told Thomson Reuters, "It's not very hard to see a new election, and it's not very hard to see the [opposition] 5-Star Movement taking power and they've basically said they want to get out of either the European Union or the euro or both. For Italy, establishing stable governance and a plan to guide the nation is of critical importance given the fragility of the economy, challenging policies and the liquidity problems in the banking system."

Next to France, where even-more-pinkish Président François Hollande said last week he would not seek re-election next year. M Hollande is the least popular president in the history of any of the French Republics. His decision to not face the people again is the first time in history that a French president has bailed rather than let the people of France judge him on his record.

To understand why M Hollande shrinks from running again, Walt presents an old video, first posted in October 2012, then banned from YouTube for a time (although it has now reappeared). This is a "Declaration of War", posted as a kind of founding document by members of Génération Identitaire -- young, white, Europeans agitating in France and across the continent against immigration and Islam, and for a future rooted deep in Europe's white Christian past.

As an older person proud of his European ancestry, I never fail to be inspired and encouraged by this video. It gives me hope for the youth of Europe. I just hope that the youth of North America will be long in catching up. There are English subtitles for those who don't understand the language of Molière.



À voir: Marche Génération Identitaire "On est chez Nous", à Paris, 28/5/16.

VIDEO: Gavin McInnes rips the shit out of "Rogue One"

I'm tempted to repost every episode of The Rebel ever made featuring Gavin McInnes. But they have their own site plus a channel on YouTube [plus you don't want to appear so lazy. Ed.] so I'll leave you to follow them on your own. I reserve my right, though, to pass along, through WWW, rants that tickle my funnybone more than a little. One such is Mr McInnes's comments on the excruciating political correctness of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, disappearing soon (if we're lucky) at a cinema near you.

WARNING: This video contains language and thoughts which some snowflakes may find objectionable!

There's more to The Rebel than Gavin McInnes. Ezra Levant, one of the founders, has been featured on WWW before, and remains one of my favourites. Mr Levant has come up with a brilliant plan to help The Rebel beat the CBC! Click here to hear all about it. I'm going to support them. How about you?

Secret refugee deal to bring 2500 potential terrorists to USA

In the first of many "poison pills" which the Obama maladministration is fixing to ram down the throats of Americans, the State Department this week announced that it has signed a bilateral agreement with Australia, under which 2465 "refugees" being held for the Australians on neighbouring islands will be shipped to the USA. In return, the Australians will take a similar number of "refugees" from Central America currently claiming asylum in the Land of the Free.

Details of the agreement -- such as where the "refugees" come from, and their races and religions -- have been "classified". Questions from American congressmen have been rebuffed. No-one is going to know anything about the "newcomers" until they move into your neighbourhood!

All the State Department will say is that the Obama administration is proud of its role in taking in refugees, even ones other nations don't want. "The United States has agreed to consider referrals from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of refugees now residing in Nauru and Papua New Guinea," says State's statement.

When Congressional staffers asked for details of the number and origins of individuals being considered for resettlement, they were told those details are "classified", even though refugee admissions are traditionally public. Officials, however, did confirm countries of origin to be Iran, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and Sudan. As well, some of the potential "new Americans" are deemed “stateless.”

Iran, Sudan and Syria are the three countries currently on the US government's State Sponsors of Terrorism list. What State neglected to mention is that the asylum-seekers are being held offshore because they have already been rejected by Australia! Nobody wants them and they can't be sent back where they came from, so now Obama has generously put out the welcome mat. Why not? They won't be living next to him!

In an interview with Fox News, Don Barnett, of the Center for Immigration Studies, calls the agreement with Australia "a backroom deal, wheeling and dealing with another country's refugee problem. I don’t believe for a moment it’s a one-time deal. That’s for public consumption."

The move has also raised a red flag among Congressional oversight members. In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia) complained about the lack of transparency. "This situation is concerning for many reasons," they say, charging that "your departments negotiated an international agreement regarding refugees without consulting or notifying Congress."

The Goodlatte-Grassley letter also asked why Australia and other countries refused to take in the refugees. In Mr Barnett's opinion, "If they’ve been vetted and deemed inadmissible, the US can’t say, 'You don’t want them, so we’ll take them.... These could be Burmese Muslims, who have posed assimilation issues for every nation which has taken them. It’s a dangerous precedent which says, 'We’ll take any ethnic group with which you don’t get along.'"

Quite right, but by the time Donald Trump is sworn in as President, this lot may already have landed. Coming soon, to a location near you....

Burqa, niqab banned in Netherlands

France has a law that effectively bans the wearing of the burqa and niqab in public. So does Belgium. Now the Netherlands is set to follow suit. (Please pardon the pun.) Lawmakers in the lower house of the Dutch parliament today approved a limited ban on "face-covering clothing".

Nothing against Muslims, you understand. The law, which still requires approval by the upper house, would cover [That's enough puns. Ed.] ski masks, full-face motorcycle helmets and, errr, Islamic robes, such as the burqa, and veils such as the niqab worn by the lady (?) in the picture. The veil makes it difficult to tell whether the person underneath is a devout Muslim lady or a devout male Islamic terrorist.

The Dutch law which passed the lower house today does not go as far as the complete bans in force (but not always enforced) in France and Belgium. It applies to the wearing of "face-covering clothing" on public transport, in educational institutions, in health institutions such as hospitals, and in government buildings.

In the debate leading up to today's vote, Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk acknowledged that public dislike of Islamic dress had played a major role in the ban. But Mr Plasterk, who is from the liberal Labour Party, said that in a free country like the Netherlands people should be allowed to appear in public with their faces covered, if they want to. But speaking out of the other side of his mouth, he added that in government buildings, schools and hospitals people need to be able to look each other in the face.

Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party, called the limited ban "a step in the right direction" and said he will push for a full burqa ban if his party wins elections due in March. Walt wonders if notice is being taken in the UK and USA. Let's see what the new year brings.

Further reading: If you're still not sure about the difference between hijabs and niqabs and burqas, please consult "Hijab, niqab, burqa -- what's the difference?", an all-time favourite of WWW readers. Readers who still think of themselves as male (in spite of the efforts of the gender identity warriors) may also enjoy "Walt's Muslim swimsuit issue!". Warning: provocative video embedded!

UPDATED: Ohio State attacker was a Muslim refugee

Reports are coming in on the mojo wire of an "active shooter" (or two) at Ohio State University in Columbus. It's said that seven or eight or nine people have been taken to hospital. The university has issued a series of tweets warning students in the vicinity of the engineering building to "run, hide, fight". No-one has actually reported hearing shots, but everyone is afraid, very afraid.

Who are they afraid of? If, in fact, someone is running amok at OSU, what kind of person could it be? Two possibilities spring to mind:
A) A radicalized extremist of the Islamic persuasion -- the sort of person B. Hussein Obama and/or Hellery Clinton would not call by name even if they were on the sharp end of the attack.
B) A young liberal snowflake so deranged by the election of The Donald that he/she/it felt compelled to attack others to protest the Nazification of AmeriKKKA.

Since "authorities" have been vigorously denying all knowledge of any motive for the attack, let's rule out (B). If the President-elect could be blamed, he surely would be blamed! So that leaves, errr, (A). Stay tuned for the first mention of cries of "Allahu akbar!"

UPDATE: Fox News reports that two law enforcement sources told them the attacker (no longer a "shooter") came into the United States as a Somali refugee, and was granted status by the Obama administration as a legal permanent resident. Quelle surprise!

The suspect's name was yet not released and "the motive behind the attack is still unclear", according to law enforcement sources. Ohio State Police Chief Craig Stone said the attacker drove over a curb and into pedestrians before jumping out and flailing around with a butcher knife. "This was done on purpose," he said. (Duh, Walt says.)

Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs said police were looking into whether it was a terrorist attack. Let me save the Chiefs some trouble. If the now-deceased attacker was a Somali, he was 99% likely to be a Muslim. He is equally likely to have been one of 1000s of Islamic terrorists infiltrating the USA and other "Christian" countries in the guise of "refugees" for the purpose of killing as many of us "infidels" as possible. Donald Trump was right!

More PC madness -- Hampshire College hauls down US flag

This afternoon there will be a demonstration in Amherst MA protesting the decision of the Board of Trustees of Hampshire College to stop flying the flag of the United States of America.

Why would they do that? Well, Hampshire College is a small liberal arts college in that most liberal of states, Massachusetts, once the fief of the Kennedys and more recently Mitt Romney. Obviously the election of Donald Trump represents a defeat for all that is Liberal and Good in America, so the flag had to come down!

The Hampshire Board of Trustees voted to stop flying flags on campus after several high-profile incidents, including an "informal decision by some on campus" by some on campus to lower flags to half-staff after the election. Later, someone burned a flag on campus. The school issued a statement saying that removing the flag would allow a discussion about its many possible meanings to students from around the world.

Speaking for the snowflakes, John Courtemanche told CNN, "Our goal is to give voice to the range of viewpoints on campus across cultures, and hopefully find common ground. We've heard from members of our community that, for them and for many in our country, the flag is a powerful symbol of fear they've felt all their lives because they grew up as people of color, never feeling safe."

Amherst Mayor Domenic J. Sarno will join today's protests, along with veterans groups and other pro-American activists. His office office said he will "attend in support and stand in solidarity with our cherished veterans and our American flag in protest of Hampshire College's continued refusal to fly the flag, which is so disrespectful to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in order for all of us to live the lives we lead. God Bless America!"

Two strange stories about Africans and their undergarments

Walt's man on the Africa desk sent along two (2) stories that appeared on the same day on the (Zimbabwe) NewsDay website. Here they are, with my comments following.

Man jailed for stealing aunt’s undergarments

An 18-year-old Marondera man, who on different occasions stole petticoats and panties belonging to his aunt and gave them to his female neighbour, has been slapped with a four-month jail term. Shelton Muderere will serve an effective two-month jail term after Marondera magistrate Tatenda Makwenya suspended one month on condition of good behaviour, with the other month set aside on condition that he restitutes [sic] $64 to Beauty Jinga some of the missing undergarments.

Makwenya found Muderere guilty of stealing 17 petticoats, two of them belongings to Jinga, before giving the undergarments to his neighbour, Shallet Mutsengi, aged 45. The value of the stole [sic] undergarments was pegged at $94 and only $30 worth of them was [sic] recovered.

According to the State, sometime between May and November this year, Mutsengi instructed Muderere to steal petticoats and panties belonging to the complainant and bring them to her. The matter came to light when Muderere was spotted by one Narietta, while trying to steal some sanitary napkins belonging to the complainant that were on the washing line.

Investigations were carried out and revealed that Muderere had stolen 17 petticoats and two panties and gave them to Mutsengi. Muderere led people to the paddock, where four petticoats were hidden by his alleged accomplice and a report was made to the police, leading to the arrest of the two.

Mutsengi pleaded not guilty to the offence, denying claims by Muderere that she sent him to steal the undergarments. She will return to court on November 28 for continuation of trial.

Walt sez: That's Mr Muderere's story now. But what was he wearing when  he was arrested?!

Man found with hyena nose, tail in his undergarments

A Dete man left people attending Hwange Magistrates’ Court shocked when it was revealed how [sic] he was found in possession of a hyena [pictured. Walt] nose and tail in his undergarments claiming these were charms to protect him from any
danger.

Ability Mhlanga, 34, of Mansisiya Village in Tinde, revealed this when he appeared before Hwange regional magistrate, Portia Mhlanga facing charges of illegal possession of fake notes and removing parts of a wild animal.

The State told the court that on November 22 at around 8 PM, Mhlanga, who was at Indlovu Night Club, bought a bottle of Gold Blend brandy and two energy drinks for $10 using a fake $50 note. The barman, Nobert Ngwenya, told Mhlanga to wait for his change before being told by his colleagues that the note was fake. The police were immediately notified and during the search, Mhlanga was found in possession of four $50 notes in his pockets that bore similar serial numbers. [The notes, not the pockets. Walt]

As they continued to search him, they found a skinned nose and tail of a hyena in his undergarments, leading to his arrest. Quizzed about the nose and tail found in his pants, Mhlanga responded, "I was given this by my uncle in Binga when I was a small boy. I was instructed to always have it in my pockets or underpants wherever I go as it was going to protect me from any bad omen that could befall me.

"It used to work for me, but on that day in the bar, I do not know what went wrong because it hadn’t communicated of any danger. My uncle died some few months ago, so I didn’t know that it then stopped working. I beg the courts to forgive me as all these things were given to me by different people."

Mhlanga pleaded not guilty to the offences, arguing that a gold panner, who had hired him as a helper, should be answerable for the fake notes. He also said his late uncle and some of his relatives were answerable for the hyena body parts. He was remanded in custody to December 8 for trial.

Walt sez: I've heard of putting a sock, or maybe a banana, in your Y-fronts as a lucky charm -- something to help you get lucky -- but this is... just... weird.

VIDEO: George Carlin explains why Americans should give thanks

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS LANGUAGE WHICH SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND OFFENSIVE.

This seems like an appropriate video for Thanksgiving Day.



Don't complain to me that this was recorded a long time ago. Are you going to tell me that America has improved since then? What a pity that George Carlin didn't live to see and comment on this month's election.

VIDEO: Yiddish Hillbillies -- the music of Mickey Katz

Agent 3 sent us this riddle joke...
Q. What has four legs and chases cats?
A. Mrs Katz and her lawyer!
Better, I guess, if you hear it instead of reading it.

Here's the connection to the video. Agent 3 and Walt share a liking for klezmer (Yiddish: כליזמר or קלעזמער) music. [So let's have no more talk about Walt being anti-Semitic! Ed.] Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations. In the United States the genre evolved considerably as Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, who arrived between 1880 and 1924, met and assimilated American jazz.

Which brings us [at last! Ed.] to Meir Myron "Mickey" Katz (15/6/1909 – 30/4/1985), an American comedian and musician who specialized in Jewish humor. He was the father of actor Joel Grey -- famous for his portrayal of Emcee in Cabaret -- and grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey. His first moments of fame came in the 1940s as a member of Spike Jones's City Slickers, where he was known for his "glugging" vocal sound effects on tunes like "Cocktails for Two".

Mr Katz He later went on to form his own band, Mickey Katz and His Krazy Kittens. He created his own parodic musical review and recorded highly popular "ethnic" comedy albums, including English-Yiddish parodies, on the Capitol label. He was recognized as a master of klezmer-style clarinet and had several hits during his long career. Though Katz sang primarily in Yiddish, he is often as recognized as one of the godfathers of American song parody which would later be advanced by the likes of Allan Sherman and Weird Al Yankovic.

In 2009, a chap who posts on YouTube as "CineGraphic Studios" put some of Mickey Katz's music together with some vintage 16mm films -- one of his first attempts (he writes) at manipulating film to music. Here is the very fine result.



Like it? Click here to see the trailer for The Mickey Katz Project, a movie about the life and work of Mickey Katz. [Duh! Ed.]

Most outrageous pun of the YEAR

Although it's not yet the end of November, Walt thinks it's not too soon to declare a winner in our ongoing search for the Most Outrageous Pun. The MOP for 2016 was submitted, just in time for the festive season, by Agent 34. Thank you!

PC madness in Bloomington IN

Here's another one for our "You couldn't make this stuff up" file. The Bloomington (IN) Herald-Times reports that there will be no more Good Friday and Columbus Day holidays in Bloomington, Indiana. Really. The holy day and holiday in question will henceforth be known as "Spring Holiday" and "Fall Holiday".

Why? Because the new super-politically correct names will help make the holidays more inclusive, according to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton. (Mayor Hamilton is unrelated to Alexander Hamilton, the subject of the eponymous Broadway musical, which also happens to be very PC.) Mayor Hamilton sent a memo to city employees this week in which he explained that the centuries-old names imply cultural insensitivity. The new names will avoid even the remotest possibility of giving offence to anyone except Christians and Italian-Americans.

In his memo, Mayor Hamilton raised to new heights the bar for "celebrating diversity" ["pandering", surely. Ed.]. "We are terrifically proud of our diverse workforce at the city," Hizzoner wrote. "That diversity makes us stronger and more representative of the public we proudly serve. These updated names for two days of well-merited time off is another way we can demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity."

Mr Hamilton's unilateral decision to rename the days will be no surprise to residents of Bloomington. Thanks to the presence in the city of that great seat of liberal learning, Indiana University, Bloomington and surrounding Monroe County are overwhelmingly populated by guilt-ridden white liberals. The county gave Hellery Clinton 58.6% the vote on November 8th, preferring her to President-elect Trump [Walt loves that phrase! Ed.] by nearly 14,000 votes.

Book recommendation: Guilt, by Ann Coulter (Three Rivers Press, 2009). Amongst other things, you can read about all the confused white gliberals who "self-identified" as "oppressed minorities" and all the "hate crimes" that turned out to be hoaxes perpetrated by SJWs.

VIDEO: Trump victory has turned America into a kindergarten

Earlier today I said I hoped we'd have no more posts analyzing the Trump triumph. This video featuring Michael Matt is not about the election. It's about the aftermath -- the demonstrations being fomented by the real hate industry in which the fragile little snowflakes are encouraged to take to the streets to whine that they didn't get their way on November 8th.

The editor of The Remnant talks about the election, whining liberals, and the largest hate group in America -- the liberal left. Plus... President-elect Trump faces his first test: Will he cave in the face of hate industry pressure to fire senior adviser Steve Bannon, or will he hold his ground and stick a finger in eye of the most dangerous Christophobes in America. This is YUUUGE.

Cause for beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to proceed

Two and a half years ago, Walt was saddened to report that the cause for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen had stalled, because of a dispute between the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Peoria over the location of his remains.

Before a beatification can be finalized, the remains of the deceased must be inspected and first-class relics prepared. This would normally be done in the place where the person to be beatified was buried. Archbishop Sheen is buried in the crypt of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, but the cause for beatification is being led by the Diocese of Peoria, where Archbishop Sheen was born and raised, and began his priesthood. Hence the conflict.

This week, New York Judge (((Arlene Bluth))) ruled that Archbishop Sheen's remains should be transferred from New York to Peoria, as requested by the late prelate's family, who showed that in his will the archbishop had indicated a desire to be buried in a cemetery in Queens, New York -- a wish the archdiocese had apparently ignored. The judge said that it was "understandable and important" that the family now wished to have Archbishop Sheen buried in Peoria, since the move would resolve the ecclesiastical conflict that has blocked the cause for the archbishop's beatification.

"Whitelash" only part of reason for Trump triumph

I think it's almost time to call a halt to the analysis of -- and liberal hand-wringing over -- the triumph of Donald Trump in the late presidential election. The lamestream media and "progressive" chattering classes have convinced themselves the 60 million Americans who voted for Mr Trump are all racists, and have run out of other things to say. The moaning of the snowflakes is dying down as cold weather forces them to move inside into safe spaces.

Enough reading of the entrails, then. The last you'll read of the topic here -- I hope -- will be the following precis of an article by Joseph Brean in today's National Post, headed "Theory that racist 'whitelash' was behind Trump victory ignores true reasons, experts say". I've selected just a couple of paragraphs.

According to Gil Troy, a presidential historian at McGill University, putting too much emphasis on race, to the exclusion of economic, cultural and security concerns, is precisely the same mistake that cost Hillary Clinton the White House.

"To reduce these people to racists, as so many Democrats are now doing with their 'basket of deplorables', misses a subtlety," Troy said in an interview. "Whitening Trump’s support too much plays into the identity politics which led Hillary to misread the electorate in the first place. Simply seeing it through a black and white lens misses the economic dimension, which I think Trump and Sanders understood, which is that at the core of the anger, the core of the frustration, is a sense of too much month left over at the end of the money.... I really think it starts with the economics."

The infrastructure of middle class American life has "exploded," he said, and the very same consumers who demand low cost products are, ironically, the same people who lose their jobs as industry and the market shifts accordingly. There is widespread unease about a declining culture, with compromised security and poor economic prospects, and a danger for the left is that fixating on Trump's blame-game rhetoric against immigrants or Muslims can risk minimizing those primary concerns. "I think the ugly bits (of Trump’s rhetoric) were reinforcers," Troy said. They were not the main message....

In an election between two disliked candidates, with a large number of voters lacking party affiliation, and economic factors pushing against Democrats after eight years in power, Clinton simply lost, as much from tactical error as from racist uprising. As the Columbia University political scientist Mark Lilla put it, Clinton pitched to every identity group except white people, and her failure in the vote should mark the end of "identity liberalism".

Footnote: I asked Mrs Walt yesterday if she had finalized her battle plan for Black Friday. "There is no more Black Friday," she told me. "It's not PC now. They're calling it 'Hot Friday' or 'Crazy Friday'." Unbelieving, I started listening to commercials on the boob tube, and sure enough.... Apparently this started last year. See "Is Black Friday racist? These college students say it is", TheRebel, 27/11/15.