The problem with Poilievre

 As I was saying... The front-runner in the race to become the third leader of the Conservative Party of Canada since the defeat of Steve Harpoon in 2015 is Pierre Poilievre, who says that he is running not for the Tory leadership, but to become Prime Minister of Canada. 

The Canadian parliamentary system [Is dis a system? Mr Natural] doesn't work quite that way, since Canucks don't elect their prime minister directly, as Americans do their president. But no matter. M Poilievre promises to make Canada "the freest nation on earth" and urges Canucks to "take back control of your life!"

M Poilievre (the one on the left) chooses freedom from the overarching command and control of Emperor Trudeau's nanny state as the hill on which he will die. Or so he says. That's why he supported the Freedom Convoy. But for doing so he has been attacked by the leader wannabe, currently a distant second in the race, the once-and-future liberal Jean Charest.

John James "Jean" Charest is Yesterday's Man. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1984 as a Progressive Conservative, and served in several federal cabinet positions between 1986 and 1993. He became the leader of the PC Party in 1993 and remained in the role until he saw a better opportunity, and jumped into provincial (Québec) politics in 1998, as leader of the Québec Liberal Party. The Liberals formed the government in 2003, and M Charest held the office of Premier until 2012.

Now Jean Charest, or "JC" as his supporters call him, has risen from the political dead, and stalks the land, zombie-like, urging Conservatives to put "Progressive" back in the party's name, and save Canada from the evil conservative PP.

In fact, M Poilievre is no conservative, at least when it comes to social issues. He is pro-choice (read: pro-abortion). He does not propose to close Canada's porous border, or reduce immigration levels to a number which would be acceptable to most Canadians [like zero? Ed.] He does not promise to cut taxes and/or reduce out-of-control government spending. His pitch is "to make Canada the freest nation* on earth" -- sufficiently vague that it can be embraced by everyone from "moderate conservatives" to the rightist hard core.

And that's the problem with Pierre Poilievre. At the end of the day, he's still a professional politician, more interested in power than principle. After graduating from the University of Calgary, he founded (with a partner)  a company called 3D Contact Inc., which focused on providing political communications, polling and research services. He worked on Stockwell "Doris" Day's campaign for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance, a short-lived successor to the PC Party, and after Mr Day's tenure as Leader of the Official Opposition, worked for him as an advisor.

In 2004, at the tender age of 24, Pierre Poilievre was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, and  he's been there ever since. He served in Steve Harpoon's cabinet from 2013 until the Tories got the boot in 2015, and now sits on the other side of the House as Bad Cop to the Good Cop of the two Fredos who've held the title of Leader of the Opposition.

One more thing. M Poilievre is not as French-Canadian as his name suggests. In fact he's not French-Canadian at all. The little bastard's biological mother was 16 years old when she gave birth to him, and is of Irish descent. Her father, whom  wee Pierre first met as an adult, was Irish-Canadian. [Sure and what's wrong with that?! Ed.]  

M Poilievre was born in Calgary, and adopted at birth by schoolteachers Marlene and Donald Poilievre. He was raised in Calgary and has never been heard to speak a word of French. *If he were even somewhat bilingual, he'd know better than to use the word "nation" in his campaign slogan, because in French, "nation" means a people, not a nation-state as is the meaning in English. So in multi-cultural Canada, particularly in la Belle Province, "nation" is a loaded word.

A good politician -- a professional politician -- is like a good defenceman in hockey. He'll go hard into the corner and do What Must Be Done, and emerge smiling, and occasionally licking drops of blood off his teeth. Winning is the name of the game for Pierre Poilievre. He talks the conservative talk right now, because he wants to win the Conservative leadership. But winning the party is not the same as winning the country, and if M Poilievre has to ditch conservative principles and policies for the sake of appealing to the moderate majority of Canadians, that's what he'll do.

Coming soon-ish: The other contenders for the Conservative leadership, and how I'd play it if I were [Sorry. You're out of space again. Ed.]

Angry Canucks hit the streets again; cowardly Conservatives MIA

Ed. tells me that at least one reader has demanded to know where I've been since Tuesday. He (the reader) accuses Ed. of having me drawn and quartered, then burying me in the backyard, under the blanket of creeping charlie. Terrible stuff that. If you stand still for more than five seconds it'll curl around your shoes and pull you down.

The accusation is baseless, of course. Ed. doesn't have a horse, let alone the four required for a proper quartering. In fact Ed. hates horses, because they're smarter than he is. Smarter, in fact, than most humans and all animals except maybe pigs. And there's some debate about that.

Pigs are very smart. Did you know that pigs can be trained to shit in one corner of their pen and to push, with their snouts, a button which flushes the excreta into a trough? I have seen it with mine own eyes, at the Central Experimental in Ottawa, Canada.

Which brings me to the reason for my absence. I was preparing to be part of the latest iteration of February's Freedom Convoy, which saw 100s of truckers and other fed-up Canadians take to the streets of the world's second-coldest capital to protest against vaccine mandates, Just In Trudeau, censorship, Trudeau, the lickspittle media, Trudeau, Covid lockdowns, Trudeau, inflation, and... You get the picture.

The new rally for freedom, unfolding right now, has been dubbed "Rolling Thunder", and I thought I would fit right in, since Mrs Walt says rolling thunder is the noise I make when we play "Dutch Oven" in bed on cold winter nights. Turns out the new protest is being led, not by truckers but by bikers! So it seemed you needed a motorcycle to participate, and I won't get on one of those things since Dave (an old buddy of Agent 6 and my goodself) got seriously injured when his bike jumped on top of him.

So I didn't go, and spent last night in the company of Poor Len Canayen, watching the final game of the Montréal Canadiens' season, about which he will write later this weekend. While we were crying in our beer (Molson, of curse), Rolling Thunder started rolling. Many of the demonstrators were also part of the Freedom Convoy. 

The protest started relatively calmly on Parliament Hill, but as night fell a line of big rigs, campers and other trucks made their way into the city core. Protesters gathered around the trucks, and police in tactical gear formed a line and faced them down. Police said in a release that seven people were arrested on various charges, including assaulting police, and 24 vehicles were towed. At least one truck also had its windows broken.

Rolling Thunder protest is expected to continue today Saturday) with the convoy of hundreds of motorcycles moves through downtown Ottawa, with a stop at the National War Memorial, before moving to Parliament Hill for another rally.

I'll be waiting to see whether any of the candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada (yes, the "help wanted" sign is in the window again) shows up to support or at least talk with the protesters. When the Freedom Convoy hit Ottawa in February, Prime Minister Blackie McBlackface went to ground at a cottage somewhere in the Laurentians. Then Tory leader Erin O'Tool was said to have met with some of truckers at an undisclosed location out of sight of cameras.

"Mad Max" Bernier, leader of the People's Party of Canada, mingled with the truckers and made supportive noises, but he's just a conservative with a small C. The only big-C Conservative who did likewas was Pierre Poilievre, now the front-runner in the race to succeed Mr O'Tool. [You're out of space. Come back later. Ed.]

VIDEO: Tidal wave of illegal immigrants hits southern border

That's not the porous border between Mexico and the Great State of Texas I'm talking about, but the World's Longest Undefended Border -- and that's the problem! -- between Canada and the US of A. 

Maybe the numbers of "refugees" and "asylum-seekers" fleeing "war-torn America" isn't as great as the millions who are inundating the US as part of the Biden/Soros Great Replacement, but the numbers of illegal border crosseings at the notorious Roxham Road entrance to Québec keeps increasing, with a majority of the migrants being unvaccinated.

To make matters worse, the Liberal government of Blackie McBlackface not only doesn't try to stop the unassimilable third-worlders from coming in, it actually welcomes then. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are there to help them with their bags and direct them to the welfare office at Lacolle. That's because the "refugees" are not supposed to work, but are entitled to generous welfare benefits for as long as it takes to "resolve their cases" (read: give them permnanent resident status).

Does the democratically-elected (by 33% of the voters) Emperor Trudeau II have any plan to stem the flow or otherwise address the growing alarm of native-born Canucks that they're becoming a minority in their country? We asked Alexa... meaning Alexa Lavoie of Rebel News. Here's her report.

Thanks to a backroom deal between the Trudeau Gliberals and the far-left-but-not-quite-communist "New" Democratic Party, the Canadian sheeple won't have any chance to express at the polls their delight (or otherwise) at having to live with -- literally -- 1000s of "refugees" from the shitholes of Africa and the Middle East until 2025. Walt predicts more Freedom Convoys as the snow begins to melt. Lifetime pct .985.

More on electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) generators

Just after Christmas of 2020, Walt ran a series of three articles about a mysterious explosion in Nashville TN. See "Some awkward questions about the Nashville explosion" (WWW 26/12/20), "James Bond & the Electromagnetic Pulse" (WWW 27/12/20) and "Nashville explosion: Nothing to see here, folks ???" (WWW 28/12/20).

I raised what I thought was a good question: was the explosion the result of an electromagnetic pulse, aka an EMP. Was it just an accident, or an experiment gone wrong, or was it a test of a new device which the newly- (and fakely-) elected Brandon-Harris administration didn't want you to know about. Just askin'...

Maybe it was just the Christmas week slump, but the articles got hardly any "hits", and my questions were never answered,. It's interesting, though, that two of the video clips in the second article  were removed by YooToob. Just a coincidence? Just askin'...

The sceptics have pointed out that EMP generators have been around for ages. You can even buy them online at prices ranging from $40 to $4000. The model shown at left is available from AliExpress [Ali???! Ed.] for about $50. The problem seems to be that a gadget like that isn't going to deliver the kind of punch you would want to, say, wipe out more than a couple of buildings.

But hold on! My attention has been drawn to a recent story in the Fort Mudge Morning Mishap, reporting how a local man, Calvin Hoogevin has figured out how to focus the EMP so as to create a... wait for it... death ray!

We pick up the story in Mr Hoogevin's own words.

I was watching this program on T+A [probably "T+E". Ed.] which explained that UFOs likely travel by some form of electromagnetic propulsion which we Earthlings haven't figured out yet. I thought, well, how hard could that be? All you need to do is focus the energy, like what a Waterpik does.

This led me to experiment with instantaneious, total-voltage release in dry cell batteries, and to the perfection of a workable flux conversion cycle based on the principle of phased electromagnetic pulses at the wavelength of hydreogen, with resultant catastrophic elimination of hydrogen bonds.

I tested my death ray. Here are some results:

Bugs - Total vaporization

Mice - Total vaporization

Dogs - Vaporization. Some ashy residue

Birds - No traces found. Some smoke when hit

Goldfish - Vaporization. Some slime on top of water

I haven't completed penetration and range tests yet, but here are a few of the tests I did finish:

Four feet of concrete - No noticeable reduction of power

Test with target cat on golf course at range of 500 yards: No noticeable difference in effect achieved at point blank range

Those were all the tests I could do before some men in black suits and sunglasses came to have a talk with me. It seems President is very interested in my theories so they will be coming back tomorrow to take me to meet him. They told me to keep it a secret, but I had to let you [the newspaper reporter. Ed.] know because, hey, it isn't every day someone from this little town gets to meet the first black woman to be elected to the highest office. Right?

I can't understand why the national meeja hasn't picked up this story. A practical death ray seems like something which could be useful if the American government really wanted to vanquish its enemies abroad... and at home. Hope I haven't said too much.

VIDEO: President Trump's keynote speech at Amelia FL (FULL)

"We reject the discrimination and oppression of so-called 'equity' and we embrace the eternal principle of equality under the law!" So said President Donald Trump, in a keynote speech to the Heritage Foundation, at Amerlia FL, on April 21st.

Former Mr Trump spoke up for American constitutional principles, not the distorted values pushed by the "new" Democrats. He spoke fervently in support of the Constitution, America's founding documents, and the principle of equality. He rejected equity as defined by the "social Democrats" and emphasized the first duty of government -- to defend and protect America First. Here's the full 80-minute speech.

   

It is now less than seven months until Americans get the opportunity to judge the Brandon-Harris administration. President Trump's speech is full of things patriots should keep in mind when they go to the polls. Please feel free [Geddit? Ed.] to share this video with your friends and neighbours.

Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес!

 

Resurrection Matins and Liturgy 

from Saint Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church, Eparchy of Toronto, Canada. 

Walt [and Ed.] wish all our Catholic and Orthodox readers,

who follow the Julian calendar,

a Happy Easter. 

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Guy Lafleur, RIP+

Ed. here. Poor Len Canayen has just sent us this report of a great loss to hockey.

Montreal Canadiens icon Guy Lafleur, who captured five Stanley Cup titles with the Montréal Canadiens, and was a hockey hero in Québec long before his NHL playing days, has passed away, at the age of 70. RIP.

The cause of death was not announced, but Lafleur was a heavy smoker and had only recently appeared in a promotional video supporting the fight against cancer. In September of 2019, he underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery, followed by lung surgery two months later. Then, in October of 2020, he endured a recurrence of lung cancer.

For decades, Lafleur, aka "the Flower", scored seemingly with ease at all levels of hockey and grew into the role of one of the game's flashiest superstars. He often mesmerized fans with his signature long blond hair flowing behind him as he rushed up the ice before unleashing one of his patented booming slapshots. 

Lafleur's arrival in Montreal, like his departure years later, was controversial. General manager Sam Pollock made a deal with the California Golden Seals to move up in the NHL draft to select Lafleur, passing on another highly touted French Canadian, Marcel Dionne. 

Dionne outscored Lafleur in their rookie seasons, leading some fans to think Pollock had made a mistake in selecting Lafleur. But the critics backed off by 1973 as Lafleur hoisted his first Stanley Cup with the franchise. All doubt was erased in the 1974-75 season when Lafleur broke out with his first of six consecutive seasons with at least 50 goals and 100 points. 

He dominated the latter half of the decade, leading the Habs to four consecutive Stanley Cup titles from 1976 to 1979, and won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player twice during that period. He also captured the 1977 Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. Here's the goal that I will always remember, scored in Game 7 of the 1979 Stanley Cup semi-final series against the Boston Bruins, as described by the legendary Danny Gallivan.

  

Guy Lafleur's scoring prowess was so dominating in the late '70s that Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Dick Irvin Jr. called him the greatest player in the world. 

Lafleur's relationship with Habs' management started to sour in the 1980s. He was asked to rein in his free-wheeling style of play in favour of a more defensive style by Hall of Fame linemate and then coach Jacques Lemaire. After the team refused to meet his demand for a trade, he shocked the hockey world when, at only 33 years old, he abruptly announced his retirement weeks into the 1984 season. For the next three years, Lafleur played publicly only in charity hockey events. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. 

That same year, New York Rangers general manager Phil Esposito convinced him to come out of retirement and return to the NHL. Lafleur played a season in New York, highlighted by a two-goal performance at the fabled Montreal Forum, resulting in a rare standing ovation for an opposing player. He then played two more years with his hometown Quebec Nordiques before calling it a career for a second and final time following the 1991 season. 

At the time, Lafleur was only the second player in league history, after Gordie Howe, to return to the NHL as a player after being inducted into the Hall of Fame. In his post-playing career, Lafleur became an ambassador for the Montreal Canadiens and established the Guy Lafleur Award of Excellence, a prize given annually to the top student-athlete hockey player in the province of Quebec. 

Today his statue stands outside Montreal's Bell Centre arena alongside Canadiens all-time greats Howie Morenz, Maurice Richard and Béliveau. His No. 10 hangs in the rafters of the arena after being retired on 16 February 1985. 

Guy Lafleur, RIP+.

The Holy Land: plus ça change...

Two reports from Jerusalem, a holy city to Jews, Christians and Muslims. The first, datelined today (22/4/22), is from Al-Jazeera. 

A new Israeli raid at Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem this [Friday] morning left 31 Palestinians injured, including three journalists. Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades as they entered the compound of the Muslim holy site.

Palestinians threw stones at the Israeli police, who were dressed in full riot gear (see photo below). A small fire was also reported at the compound, with Palestinians blaming Israeli police for setting a tree alight, while the police said that the fire was the result of Palestinians throwing fireworks. Israeli police blamed Palestinians for throwing rocks, and said that they waited until early morning prayers ended before entering the compound. 

The Muslim holy site has been the centre of days of violence amid heightened tensions following a series of attacks inside Israel and police raids in the West Bank, which Israel is illegally occupying.In a meeting with a United States State Department delegation on Thursday, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said Israel was responsible for the escalation in the occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. 

Tens of thousands of Muslims are expected at Al-Aqsa later in the day [today. Ed.] for Friday prayers. Visits by Jewish groups were suspended from Friday for the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year, the fasting month has coincided with the Jewish Passover and major Christian holidays, with tens of thousands of people from all three faiths flocking to Jerusalem's Old City. 

The second report is from P.J. O'Rourke's excellent book, Holidays in Hell.

The dim interior of the Al-Aqsa Mosque was the size of a large suburban house lot. There were no furnishing at all except luminous antique carpets spread two and three deep across the entire floor. Scores of columns, thick as automobiles, supported a roof so high it was nearly invisislbe. A few of the slippered worshipopers knelt alone on prayer rugs; others gathered in small groups along the walls. For the next four hours,...I hid in these majestic shadows.... 

There was, in fact, a demonstration after prayers, though not a very exciting one.Men came out ofr Al-Aqsa and yelled; women came out of the Dome of the Rock and shrieked. An imam...was hoisted upon shoulders and carried around the Dome. Dozens of pocket-sized Qu'rans were waved in the air.

True to Arab form, the demonstration immediately broke into two quarrelling factions: the group hoisting the imam wanted to keep a strictly religious tone of outrage to the proceedings; the other group wanted to wave a small, homemade Palestinian flag and scream at the Israelis.

The soldiers along the walls looked tense, and one platoon moved into the enclosure and stood along the edge of the Dome's platform with weapons in array. But they didn't interfere. A few young Muslims made feints at collecting stones to throw but didn't follow through. With nothing to oppose it, the demonstration died down in half an hour.

P.J.'s account, dated January 1988, is from the chapter entitled "The Holy Land -- God's monkey house". Nuff said.

True Stuff Dept: There really is a Ukrainian war stamp

On March 23rd, Walt posted "Ukraine announces new commemorative postage stamp", which showed an image of a Ukrainian soldier giving a Russian warship the one-finger salute at Snake Island. At the time, we assumed this was satire. Turns out the design shown in our post was an essay for a real stamp, which has now been issued.

The new "war stamp", depicting a lone Ukrainian soldier flipping the bird at a grey Russian warship, perfectly captures the country's spirit of defiance through one of the iconic moments of the 56-day-old war. 

The image is based on the response of Roman Hrybov, the commander of a State Border Guard Service unit of 19 who were stationed on Snake Island, a Ukrainian outpost in the Black Sea, at the start of the war. 

On February 25th, the guided-cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, approached the island and demanded that the Ukrainian garrison capitulate. "This is a Russian warship," someone says in an audio recording of the exchange between Commander Hrybov and the Moskva. "I ask you to lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary deaths. Otherwise, you will be bombed."

Cdr Hrybov can be heard playfully asking a member of his unit if he should make his position clear. He then responds with a line that is now on billboards and bumper stickers all over war-ravaged Ukraine: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself1" 

Cdr Hrybov and the other guards were initially believed to have been killed, though it turned out they had been taken prisoner. All 19 returned to Ukraine in a prisoner swap late last month, and Cdr Hrybov was awarded a medal. 

But the story gets better! A week ago, the Moskva, which had fired cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities throughout the first seven weeks of the war, sank! Russia claims the warship accidentally caught fire and then sank while being towed to dock for repairs, but Ukraine says it went down after being struck by two anti-ship missiles.

Слава Україні! Героям слава!

NEW from our sponsor: 11 lots of vintage DOONESBURY paperbacks, FREE SHIPPING

"Hey campers!" Remember where you used to see that phrase? Why sure! It was in DOONESBURY, the long-running comic strip by G.B. (Garry) Trudeau, featuring Mike Doonesbury, Mark Slackmeyer, B.D., Zonker Harris, Uncle Duke [Remind you of anyone you know? Ed.] and Honey, Joanie Caucus, Rick Redfern, et al. 

Ah yes... a very funny strip, with lots of social and political satire which you had to laugh at, no matter which your side of the cultural divide. Many found it on the leading edge of social commentary. Now our dear sponsor (to whom be much thanks!) is offering 11 lots of vintage DOONESBURY paperbacks, on his Webstore. Like this:

And this...

And this! The books are used, in good shape, and ridiculously cheap. One low starting price, $18.88, includes free shipping to USA and Canada (only). It's a great offer. If you decide to buy [How can you resist? Ed.], tell `em Walt sent ya!

Easter in Brandon's America: more "racial injustice"

Easter weekend, when Christians celebrate the resurrection and the hope that it brings us of peace in this world and the next, has come and gone. In the Paranoid States of America, it seems, peace and harmony will have to wait for the life hereafter, as the weekend was marred by three separate mass shootings and many smaller instances of gun violence as communities across the country grapple with spikes in the murder rate.

Two teenage boys were killed and eight other people were wounded after gunfire erupted at a party in a short-term rental home in Pittsburgh early on Easter Sunday. Police were alerted to shots fired shortly after midnight, and arrived at a rental property where a party was allegedly being held. 

The cops found rifle and pistol casings and set up as many as eight crime scenes spanning a few blocks in the area. A spokesthingy told a local TV station, "The initial investigation reveals a large party was being held at the short-term rental property, with as many as 200 people in attendance, many of them underage."

According to the cops, at least 50 gunshots were fired in the home in question by multiple people who had been drawn into some sort of fight. A handful of partygoers were injured but not shot, suffering cuts and broken bones while jumping out of windows in a desperate attempt to get to safety.

First responders took several of the victims to a hospital, including two 17-year-old boys Pittsburgh boys, Matthew Steffy-Ross and Jaiden Brown,whom doctors later pronounced dead. Others who were shot but survived took their own rides to the hospital. No word, of course, as to the race or ethnicity of those involved, so let's not jump out of windows to any conclusions.

Meanwhile, also early on Sunday, gunfire which erupted at a nightclub in Hampton County, South Carolina, injured nine people. None of the wounds reported at Cara's Lounge, about 80 miles west of Charleston, were fatal, said officials, who had not immediately announced any arrests in that case.

A more serious "incident" occurred in South Carolina's capital on Saturday, when a gunfight inside a busy shopping mall left nine people, ranging in age from 15 to73, with bullet wounds. Five people were injured while attempting to flee to safety. 

Columbia Police Chief "Skippy" Holbrook told the meeja, "We don't believe this was random. We believe [those involved] they knew each other and something led to the gunfire." Investigators believe that at least three suspects displayed firearms inside the mall but are working to determine how many ofo them actually fired weapons. 

22-year-old Jewayne Price, was jailed following the shooting on accusations of... wait for it... unlawfully carrying a pistol. On Sunday afternoon, his bail was set at $25,000. Benjamin Crump is expected to arrive today, accompanied by "Rev" Al Sharpton, to post bail and demand justice for Jewayne.

That's Jewayne there, in the middle of the top row, along with some of his friends. The pic isn't from their high school yearbook, or from police files related to this weekend's shootout, but from a report of arrests made in the May 2018 shooting death of a 17-year-old in Richland County SC.

Amon Rice, 17, and another victim were found with gunshot wounds, after a dispute of some kind near Unity Missionary Baptist Church in Hopkins SC on 10 May 2018. A mother and her three children were arrested at the end of May. In June, the Richland County Sheriff's Department arrested 20-year-old Jordan Terrell Myer, 18-year-old Kenneth Roger Robinson Jr., 18-year-old Jewayne Marquise Price, 39-year-old Twana Ivery, and 18-year-old Thaiyeah Keisha Keel, in connection with the murder.

Jewayne Price was charged with accessory before the fact. Ed. couldn't find out if he was ever tried, but if he was convicted, he evidently didn't learn any lessons from his brush with the law. Perhaps the judge let him off lightly because of his being the victim of centuries of oppression, racial discrimination, yada yada yada, according to the Ketanji Brown Jackson Sentencing Guidelines.

True Stuff Dept.: At least the tigers didn't get them!

Q. Other than being residents of the state of Maharastra, in western India, what do Sandeep Tukaram Pawar, Mangesh Kamtekar, Akshay Kamtekar and Ramesh Ghag have in common?

A. According to India Today, the four hunters were arrested by the Maharashtra forest authorities for allegedly raping a bengal monitor lizard, like this one, in the Sahydari Tiger Reserve. 

The forest officials came to know about the incident when they checked the mobile phone of the accused after the four were booked for illegally entering Chandoli National Park, which is part of the reserve, with one of them carrying a gun for hunting.

On April 13th, my good Mr Patel, an official of the Maharastra Forest, told reporters, "During the investigation, the forest officials found that the accused had allegedly raped a Bengal monitor lizard. Their act was also recorded in a mobile phone of one of the accused persons. We have recovered all the related evidence from the accused and they were granted forest department custody initially, but are out on bail now."

India Today described Maharashtra forest officials as "perplexed" by the "abhorrent crime" and reported that they "will take up the matter with the Indian Penal Court" to determine appropriate charges against the suspects. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code states that "anyone who voluntarily commits intercourse with an animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine."

Walt is likewise perplexed. Did you see the size of the claws on that thing? The reptile can grow up to five and a half feet long and weigh almost 16 pounds! Can you imagine...?! Even with three of your mates holding her ["him", "it"? Ed.], you'd be taking your life, as well as your hangings-down, in your hands.

Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Walt [and Ed.]

wish all our readers

a

HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER

VIDEO for Holy Saturday: "Bless the Lord, O My Soul" (Rachmaninoff)

Bless The Lord, O My Soul (Sergei Rachmaninoff "All-Night Vigil" / Vespers, op. 37) 

Singers (from the left): Adrian Nikiel, Katarzyna Bieniaszewska, Michał Raczkowski, Joanna Dacko, Irina Bogdanovich (solo), Adrianna Jarzębowska, Jakub Kozioł, Teresa Gręziak, Rafał Brzeziński. 

From the Cathedral of Saint Mary Magdalene, Warsaw.

   

Thanks to Arnie at BCF for the link.

VIDEO: Holy Week: the love story that built Western civilzation

 From Michael Matt and the good people at Remnant TV.

About 1989 years ago, this happened...

The Fatima prayer, taught by the Blessed Virgin Mary to the three shepherd children:

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

You can stream or download Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ by signing up for a free trial membership on Flixzone. Walt recommends the movie, but not necessarily the site. Please NOTE that this appears to be a negative option deal, meaning that your credit card will be charged if you do not cancel your membership within the specified time. 

"Back to Africa with ye!" - BoJo to asylum-seekers

Ever read Heart of Darkness, the 1899 novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad? The story, which provided the inspiration for Apocalypse Now, is that of Charles Marlow, a sailor who takes on an assignment from a Belgian trading company as a ferry-boat captain in the African interior. Although Conrad does not name the river where the narrative takes place, it is generally understood to be the large and economically important Congo, which gave its name to two -- count `em, two -- countries in central Africa.

To the east of the smaller Republic of the Congo (aka Congo-Brazzaville) lies the larger and much worse Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaïre, and before that the Congo Free State, and before that the Belgian Congo. Of all the shitholes of Africa, the DRC is arguably the shitholiest. See: Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe; Why Nations Fail, by James Robinson; All Things Must Fight to Live, by Brian Mealer, and many more.  

To the east of the DRC lies the tiny republic of Rwanda, which in the 1990s was even worse. Africa's World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe analyses a bloodbath that swept across central Africal in the mis-1990s, ultimately leading to the deaths of some four million people. So bad was it that in 1996 some two million refugees - a third of Rwanda's population - fled to exile in Zaire. Believe it or not.

[Where are we going with this? I've been pretty patient. Ed.] OK, OK! I just wanted to explain the shrieks of horror and clutching of pearls that greeted this week's announcement by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of his government's plan to deal with the steady stream of would-be asylum-seekers crossing the English Channel to seek refuge in Old Blighty.

In a speech delivered this morning at the Channel port of Dover, BoJo said "From today...anyone entering the UK illegally as well as those who have arrived illegally since January 1 may now be relocated to Rwanda."

Cazart! Send `em back to Africa! What a novel concept! Well, not really. For years now, pollsters in Britain [and the rest of Europe and North America! Ed.] have shown an ever-increasing anti-immigration backlash. Taking back control of the UK's borders was a major rallying cry of the Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union, and Mr Johnson’s pro-Brexit government has been under pressure for a perceived failure to adequately tackle the English Channel crossings. 

Recent opinion polling conducted by Ipsos Mori suggests nearly two-thirds of Britons are unhappy with the government's handling of immigration. Of the 3206 people surveyed by the company on the issue in the first two months of this year, 59% said they were dissatisfied. More than half cited "not doing enough to stop Channel crossings" as a reason for their displeasure.

The details of the plan have yet to be confirmed, but the British Johnson noted the deal between London and Kigali [Rwanda's capital. Ed.] was "uncapped" and could potentially see Rwanda "resettle tens of thousands of people in the years ahead."

He claimed the scheme, which will cost over US$150,000,000, will save countless lives from human trafficking and disrupt the business model of people-smuggling gangs. In Kigali, "My good Mrs Patel" (the British Home Secretary), described the deal as a "global first" and said it will "change the way we collectively tackle illegal migration."

Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said his country welcomes the partnership with the UK. He said Rwanda would offer "asylum seekers and migrants...legal pathways to residence", adding "better them than those damn Europeans!" [Ed., please check that quote. I only have one source.]

Now that the pseudo-conservative Brits have belled the cat, so to speak, one wonders if the liberal democratic governments of the other AABC countries will follow suit. Don't bet on it. Lifetime pct .978.

Fight against "racial injustice" continues in NYC

America cannot achieve “restoration” unless the nation acknowledges “racial injustice” and a “betrayal” of black Americans, said billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey in the most recent episode of her eponymous Apple TV series, The Oprah Winfrey Conversation, Breitbart reports. 

The episode featured Winfrey’s interview Bryan Stevenson, a graduate of Harvard Law School and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization with a focus on “racial justice.” Stevenson repeatedly described America as a nation plagued by an “ideology of white supremacy.”

That's from an article which appeared in the Deplorable Tribune* in September of 2020. The good folk at Blazing Cat Fur republished it just today, perhaps because Sarcasticat thought it juxtaposed nicely with a piece which quotes New York City's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams as calling for a “national response” to rising violence, following yesterday's fusillade which wounded over a dozen people who dared to ride the city's subway.

I had already composed a comment on the "incident", which I'd headed "'Allahu Akbar!' in the Big Apple". Ed. advised me to hold everything on the off chance that the perp might not be an Islamic terrorist. Ed. was right! [Ahem! Ed.]

Nor was the gunman (and would-be suicide bomber) a deranged postal service employee or an "incel" bent on exterminating the Karens women who are responsible for the mess that is today's Paranoid States of America. [Bill Burr said that once. You can look it up. Ed.]

No siree. The NYPD located the rented ban used by the attacker to get to the scene of the crime. [You mean he didn't take the subway? Ed.] The rental papers have led them to issue an APB for one Frank R. James, aged 62, who has addresses in Wisconsin and Philthydelphia. As a public service, and for no other reason, we publish theses photos of Mr James.

The New York Times ("All the news that fits the narrative") reports that Mr James "appears to have posted dozens of videos on social media in recent years — lengthy rants in which he expressed a range of harshly bigoted views and, more recently, criticized the policies of New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams."

The Times, always in the forefront of the struggle for racial justice and equality, points out that Mr James was not named as a suspect, only a "person of interest" -- someone the police believe may have information related to a crime. 

Likewise, the Times doesn't give details of Mr James' "harshly bigoted views". Nothing about "Justice for George Floyd" or "Kill Whitey!", then? Too bad that if Mr James is apprehended and charged, he won't be able to appear before Judge KBJ, who is no longer in the bidness of slapping the wrists of Offender of Colour, to make up for centuries of "racial injustice".

French presidential election: hold your applause

Ed. here. I was a little late getting in this morning, and failed to prevent Walt from committing the grave sin of combining two topics into one post. The Michael Matt video about Viktor Orbán and the "Current Thing" should have been separated from the preceding thoughts on yesterday's French election. For readers who went right to the video without reading what came before, here's what Walt had to say about the results... and what he thinks will happen on April 24th.

Frenchmen and women voted yesterday in the first round of the election for the preisdency of the French Republic. Walt rejoiced (see previous post) when Marine Le Pen fnished a strong second to "Effete Emmanuel" Macron, whom she will now face in the runoff election on April 24th. 

However, I must warn you, dear readers, to be careful how you bet. A superficial analysis of yesterday's result suggests that Mme Le Pen would have finished first, but for the candidacy of the extremist Eric Zemmour, who got a little over 7% of the vote. 

You would think his supporters would go to Mme Le Pen in the runoff. That would be fine, except that it would give Mme Le Pen about 31% of the vote, which would be far from enough to win a straight two-way fight. 

The likelihood of large numbers of centrists, leftists and Communists moving into the National Rally camp is slim. More likely is an ABLP coalition which would push M Macron into the Élysée Palace for a second term -- just as it did in 2015. Walt will be hoping (and praying!) otherwise, but betting? Nooooo....

VIDEO: Michael Matt rails against "the Current Thing"

Before we get into the latest episode of The Remnant Underground, a word about yesterday's French election. Frenchmen and women [and "others"? Ed.] voted in the first round of the election for the presidency of the French Republic. Walt rejoiced (see previous post) when Marine Le Pen fnished a strong second to "Effete Emmanuel" Macron, whom she will now face in the runoff election on April 24th.

However, I must warn you, dear readers, to be careful how you bet. The likelihood of large numbers of centrists, leftists and Communists moving into the National Rally camp is slim. More likely is an ABLP coalition which would push M Macron into the Élysée Palace for a second term -- just as it did in 2015. Walt will be hoping (and praying!) otherwise, but betting? Nooooo....

 

Now then, about the video. Michael Matt, editor of the Remnant newspaper, doesn't talk about the French election, because it was unfolding as he was recording this episode. He does, however,  discuss the victory of Viktor Orbán, who last week, against all odds (and opposition from the entire Soros machine), won a fourth term as Prime Minister of Hungary.

"Did you hear about that (Mr Matt asks)? No? Maybe that’s because they don’t want us to know about that. If we think of Orbán at all, the media will help us to think of him not as a family man and father of five beautiful children, but rather as a goose-stepping Nazi who’s coming to take us away, oh my! So, what’s Orbán all about, and what does his stunning victory portend?"

Mr Matt analyses "the Current Thing" as defined by G.K. Chesterton a hundred years ago. "What is the Current Thing (Mr Matt asks) and how is it being used – from Covid to Ukraine – to create 'right thinking' throughout the world and to punish anyone who questions the current narrative." He uses the media misinformation about Viktor Orbán to make his case that we're being lied to about a lot of things going on in the world today, including and especially the war in Ukraine. He says it's time to wake up!

Walt joins Mr Matt in wishing all our readers a miserable Holy Week.

Aux Français! Votez aujoud'hui pour la France!

Polls have been open for over six  hours now for the first round of the French presidential election. President Emmanuel Macron, a member of the champagne liberal elite if ever there was one, is facing a strong challenge from National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, running a close second in the latest polls. Jean-Luc Melenchon, tribune of the loony left, is a distant third.

Difficult as this may be for Americans to understand, France operates a manual system for elections. Voters are required to present themselves in person, with photo ID. They place their ballots in envelopes which are then sealed and deposited in plexiglass ballot boxes. Once the polls close, votes will be counted by hand. What a concept!

With populist Viktor Orban winning a fourth consecutive term as Hungary's prime minister days ago, the eyes of the world -- or of Europe, at least -- have now turned to France's resurgent right, especially Mme Le Pen, who wants to ban Muslim headscarves in streets and halal and kosher butchers, and drastically reduce immigration from outside Europe. 

The French election has the potential to reshape the country's tarnished identity and indicate whether European populism is ascendant or in decline. Stay tuned. And if you're a French citizen, get out and vote for France!

UPDATE ADDED at 1320. Summary of BBC reports shows...

* Firm projections suggest Emmanuel Macron will face a run-off against Marine Le Pen in the second round of France's presidential election, to be held on April 24th. 

* M Macron comes first with 28.4% of the vote while Mme Le Pen receives 23.4%, according to national broadcaster France Télévision.

* Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon comes in third place with about 20% of the votes.

* M Macron is addressing supporters in Paris. Mme Le Pen earlier vowed to put France "in order".

Freedom Rallies against leftist misrule break out in... wait for it...

Seems it's not only in Canuckistan that people are fed up with leftist governments that promise the sun, moon and stars but deliver only inflation, shortages, homelessness and ever-increasing government control of every aspect of the lives of struggling citizens. 

Walt's focus today shifts to the island state of Sri Lanka. Thanks to a decades-old religious connection, I have several friends (and two agents) there, from whom I'm getting disturbing reports of protests over the nation's severe economic crisis.

Just like Canada's "leader" Just In Trudeau did, when confronted by the truckers' Freedom Convoy, Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently declared a state of emergency as angry citizens demand that something be done about rising prices, shortages of essentials and rolling power cuts. 

When mostly peaceful protests turned violent, the government implemented a countrywide curfew, and placed a block on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. (Does any of this sound familiar to readers in Canada? It should!)  The chairthingy of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission said the measure was carried out on instruction from the Defence Ministry and aimed to "maintain calm" (read: silence dissent).

In the central city of Kandy (home to the Temple of the Tooth), police used tear gas to disperse university students and other young protesters, including our Agent 35. Inspector Buruva of the local constabulary said about 750 people were gassed, but none were arrested. So that's all right, then.

In Colombo, the capital city, around two dozen opposition leaders protested at police barricades near Independence Square, some shouting "Gota(baya) go home!" They say the roots of the crisis, the worst in several decades, lie in economic mismanagement by successive governments that amassed huge budget shortfalls and a current account deficit. Notice the sign that reads "How much debt are we really in?" That would be a good (if rather polite) question for President Brandon!

The crisis was accelerated by deep tax cuts President Rajapaksa promised during the 2019 election campaign, which were enacted months before the Covid pandemic, which wiped out parts of Sri Lanka’s economy. 

Opposition leader Eran Wickramaratne called the curfew and other restrictions "unacceptable" Others stood in small groups outside their homes or gathered in the street, some holding handwritten anti-government banners or waving the national flag.

A student at the University of Colombo told Reuters, "This government, we do not want them anymore. They have had years and years to show us that they could do change but there is nothing. The situation has just gotten worse by the day. We really need a change, we are stripped of our basic rights...people are fed up!"

How much longer can the anger of fed-up citizens of the AABC countries (America, Australia, Britain and Canada) be contained? How high does the price of gas have to go... how much do taxes have to be increased to pay for the "reparations" and the redistribution of wealth... how bad do things have to get before the sheeple of the Anglosphere do likewise? 

KBJ makes history! First non-biologist named to SCOTUS!

OK, I admit to "adapting" the headline from the one created by the very talented writers at the Babylon Bee. Their excellent post continues: The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the highest court in the land, making her the first Supreme Court Justice to be confirmed without a degree in biology. 

"No, Ketanji Brown Jackson has no idea what a woman is, but that's understandable as she's not a biologist," said Romney. "I think she'll be fine, as the 8 biologists currently on the court will be able to get her up to speed. The important thing here is that she's black. And a woman." 

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) was one of three RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) who voted to confirm the most important diversity hire since Kamela Harris. 

To Mitt's left is Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and to his farther left (geddit?) is Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). File this picture in your memory for reference when you next get to vote. They supported a judicial activist who think the United States Constitution is either mutable or does not apply in all cases.

The silver lining in the dark cloud (geddit?) is that the other cisgender "woman" of colour (albeit a lighter shade) whose name was mooted for the position on the highest court in the land*, Kamela Harris, remains in her position, which (they say) is Vice-President to Dementia Joe Brandon.

That's OK though. America has been advanced by feckless Democratic men towards the goal of being fully feminized, diversified, inclusified... and totally emasculated.

* Footnote: The Supreme Court of the United States is not, in fact, the highest court in America. Its elevation above sea level is only 95 feet. You can look it up.

Canucks wait in fear for this woman to speak

From somewhere north of the World's Longest Undefended Border (TM), Poor Len Canayen reminds us that, for our beloved Montréal Canadiens, the NHL hockey season is nearing an end. Next game is tonight when the Habs visit the Devils of (ugh) New Jersey. Game time is 7:00 EDT, on RDS. 

Three hours earlier, it's federal budget day in Canada. The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy to Prime Minister Blackie McBlackface, Minister of Finance and Printing More Money, and Diplomat of the Year 2018 (you could look it up), will tell the Canadian sheeple how much more they will have to pay for the socialist utopia in which they live.

No-one is looking forward to Ms Freeland's budget speech. But, Walt reminds our many Canadian readers, things could be worse.

The fragrant and lovely Ms Freeland could become prime minister, if Mr Socks decides not to risk leading his Gliberals into a fourth election, and hands her the poisoned chalice, as Lyin' Brian Mulroney did to Avril Phaedra Douglas "Kim" Campbell in 1993. It could happen! Lifetime pct .982.

Multicult fails, France heading for civil war, sez former intelligence chief

"All my accumulated experiences make me foresee a dark, and even very dark, future for our children and grandchildren." That's what Pierre Brochand, the former director of DGSE, France’s top intelligence agency, told Le Figaro in an interview published on March 24th.

The interview is in French (of course) and is behind a paywall, so we're quoting from a translation posted on Remix News, a trustworthy site for European news. Their summary is headed: France's former intelligence chief warns against possible civil war due to mass immigration.

The stone truth which the people of western Europe and North America recognized -- but which their woke liberal leaders won't acknowledge -- is that the mass immigration of unassimilable racial and religious minorities is destroying our societies and our countries. As M Brochand puts it,  "All 'multicultural' societies are doomed to more or less deep rifts. In such a situation, it happens that minorities are violent winners, and majorities placid losers."

According to the former DGSE head, there is so much talk about immigration in France today because it is "increasingly difficult to prevent the French from seeing what they see" -- scenes of urban guerrilla warfare, fights between police officers trying to enforce the law and violent multi-recidivist criminals that were the initial cause of riots, shootings, and arson, as well as ambushes set up against the police squads called in as reinforcements.

M Brochand goes on to say that "a breakthrough personality has suddenly appeared in the formulaic world of politics that has encouraged them to open their eyes." He is referring to Éric Zemmour, who has succeeded in placing immigration at the heart of the current campaign for the presidency of the French Republic. Polls show an overwhelming majority opposed to immigration.

Although M Zemmour has succeeded in fixing voters' focus on the immigration issue, the more moderate Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National, looks like the choice of conservative voters in the election to be held later this month. An Ipsos Sopra Steria Cevipof poll for Le Monde showed the small-but-perfectly-formed incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, would lead in the first round of votes on April 10th, with 26.5% versus 21.5% for Mme Le Pen. In the April 24th run-off, the pollsters say M Macron would beat Mme Le Pen by 54% to 46%. QED.

The Remix News article notes that Éric Zemmour is drawing the biggest crowds to his election rallies, and breaking audience records during his television appearances? Ironically, it may be M Zemmou's "unacceptable views" which make Mme Le Pen look like a moderate by contrast, although they both advocate the same solution for which M Brochand argues. "If we really want to regain control over our demography, we have no other choice than to make a 180-degree turnaround, that is to say, to send the message, loud and clear, that France will no longer be, for the foreseeable future, a welcoming country. This implies a global approach to the problem and unabated resolve in its implementation."

M Brochand goes so far as to warn that if Emmanuel Macron is re-elected and France does not radically change its policy, a civil war is on the horizon. "I hold the type of immigration, which we have been experiencing for half a century, to be an event 'out of category', without precedent in our history. And, quite honestly, I confess that I do not understand how free and enlightened minds can still underestimate its seriousness."

In order to see the seriousness of it, he explains, "one just needs to enumerate coldly its characteristics" and look at "the impact of what is happening to us." He points to the massive immigration flows, the type of immigration, with mostly migrant settlers, the "absence of political and economic regulation," the fact immigrants are mostly Muslims from outside Europe, their "spirit of post-colonial revenge," their "reluctance to mix" with the French, their "preference for endogamy," their "crystallization in diasporas," their fertility rate (higher than that of the French), and above all their "non-convergent evolution over generations," i.e. the fact that younger generations born of immigrants are "even less integrated with French society than their parents." 

For the former head of French intelligence, "this gradual upheaval of the French population, if not the only challenge we face, is the only one that directly threatens civil peace on our territory."

Le Figaro asked M Brochand if it's already too late to avert the destruction of French society. He answered, "It is very late. Let us face it: We are no longer dealing with dispersed individuals, that is to say, so many 'special cases', but with diasporas -- entities formed by immigrants and their descendants...who are grouped together and whose numbers reach a critical mass sufficient for social pressure to encourage the perpetuation of the beliefs and ways of life of the countries of origin, with which relations remain tense. This way, more or less closed foreign enclaves are spontaneously formed that turn their backs on the host country and its customs."

Sadly, M Brochand is very pessimistic about his country's future: "While I refuse to give up hope, I do not have too much illusion either about the possibility of the authorities regaining control over immigration flows. When we see that the program of the incumbent president, who is running for his re-election, continues to superbly ignore the subject, one cannot but reflect on how much history can be inescapable and irreversible, even when it leads us straight to the greatest misfortunes. 

"All my accumulated experiences make me foresee a dark, and even very dark, future for our children and grandchildren. At best, they are heading toward an unsuspected collapse of their quality of life (an implosion); at worst, we are leading them to terrible confrontations (an explosion)...." 

VIDEO: The story of the Super Guppy

Our dear sponsor has been doing a brisk business selling vintage airliner postcards, highly collectible items for people with an abiding interest in aviation. (Hello, Agent 17!) He just sold a nice card showing the Aero Spacelines B377SG Super Guppy, N1038V.

Ed. [who shares the same interest. Ed.] found this video, "The Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy". The introduction to the video says: As the US honed in on what it hoped would be its notable first in manned space exploration, a problem arose that required a unique solution. Surprisingly, the answer to this problem of cutting edge technology turned out to be an obsolete piece of equipment that came as the result of the vision of a daring private entrepreneur, with the help of a few two-by-fours. 

   

Hope you enjoyed that. It's a nice change from politics and religion. But don't worry. We'll come back down to the ground later today.

VIDEO: Hungarians overwhelmingly reject LGBT gender ideology

Further to "A victory for Christian democratic, conservative, patriotic politics", Walt is grateful to "CookeV" for posting this comment in the Globe & Mail report on the referendum which was included in this weekend's Hungarian election.

Along with the election, a referendum was held on four LGBT questions. There was a 50% voter-turnout threshold needed for the results to be valid, which was not met with the percentage sitting at about 44% as I write this. Nevertheless, of those 44% valid votes, here are the results: 

Do you support the holding of a sexual orientation session for minor children in a public educational institution without the consent of the parent? Yes: 7.66%, No: 92.34% 

Do you support promoting gender reassignment treatments for underage children? Yes: 4.11%, No: 95.89% 

Do you support the introduction of sexual media content to minor children that affects their development without restrictions? Yes: 4.68%, No: 95.32% 

Do you support showing media to minors showing gender change? Yes: 4.83%, No: 95.17% 

What's interesting was the spoilage rate at about 20%. Leading up to the referendum, LGBT activists had encouraged voters to spoil their ballots to prevent the 50% turnout threshold from being met. Which looks like is what occurred.

And yes, Ed. found a very appropriate video: "Jordan Peterson debunks leftist gender ideology in 8 minutes". Here it is.

What's the matter with Americans and Canadians that they can't see through this liberal "woke" plot to emasculate men and destoy what's left of our Christian civilization?!

A victory for Christian democratic, conservative, patriotic politics

The Europe editor for the BBC, Katya Adler, reporting on this weekend's election in Hungary, said "You could almost hear the collective thud of EU hearts sinking last night," as pro-life and pro-family Prime Minister Viktor Orbán -- seen here with Marine Le Pen, leader of France's National Rally -- has won a resounding victory in his quest for a fourth term as the nation's leader.

Giving the lie to (((controlled media))) polls predicting his defeat Mr Orbán's conservative Fidesz-KDNP party won in a walk, defeating a six-party "progressive" coalition to take a supermajority in Hungary's parliament, taking 135 of the 199 available seats.

Addressing a cheering crowd last night, Prime Minister Orbán said that they had "won a great victory -- a victory so great you can see it from the moon and certainly from Brussels" [the capital of the European Union]. "The entire world can see," he added, "that our brand of Christian democratic, conservative, patriotic politics has won. We are sending Europe a message that this is not the past. This is the future, our common European future."

That message may not sit so well with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the former actor and comedian who starred in the TV series Servant of the People, in which he played the role of the Ukrainian president. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular. A political party bearing the same name as the television show was created in March 2018, and mere months later fiction became reality as Mr Zelenskyy became president of Ukraine.

Volodymy Zelenskyy is the darling of the Western media these days, the hero of the resistance, the David who will defeat Goliath Putin, yada yada yada. In recent videos such as "Putin's War: Biden, Soros and the Ghost of John McCain", our old friend Michael Matt warns us that Mr Zelenskyy is firmly in the camp of the European liberals, sponsored by and beholden to George Soros, the WTF and the same globalist elites that control North America and Western Europe.

As Mr Matt says in the linked video, "It's easy to repeat after the talking heads on TV: 'I stand with Ukraine,' or 'Putin’s an evil madman!' But how does this help the suffering Ukrainians on the ground? And how is it beneficial to Americans, now that powerful voices in Washington are beating the drums of war in Europe?"

Mr Matt asks, "What led up to this crisis? Who stands to gain from war in Ukraine? And why is this dominated by the ghost of John McCain? George Soros brags how he'd set up a foundation in Ukraine to 'reimagine and rebuild' the country.... Think the Crisis in Ukraine started three weeks ago? Think again! Joe Biden, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Amy Klobuchar, Hunter Biden…what were they doing over there, and don’t we have the right to know what’s going on before we start sending our kids off to fight another war in Europe?"

In the run-up to the Hungarian election, the lickspittle media (including the BBC and AP) kept repeating the liberal party line about Viktor Orbán being a "longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin" and "famed for his warm relations with Vladimir Putin." Mr Orbán, however, has always insisted that his dealings with the Kremlin have strictly practical bases, such as keeping gas prices down and the maintenance and expansion of nuclear energy production. 

Hungary has been the only EU member-state bordering Ukraine which has refused to allow weapons shipments to cross into the embattled country through its territory. But it has been generous with other forms of aid, including support for the many thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have entered the country.

I conclude with a reminder that Our Lady of Fatima warned that if Russia was not consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart, the "errors of Russia" would spread throughout the world causing the downfall of Western civilization and "the annihilation of nations". 

What did the Blessed Virgin mean by "the errors of Russia"? Certainly she meant godless Communism, and the insane secular humanism -- the denial of not just God's law but natural law -- which pervades Western society today. 

It is Vladimir Putin, not Volodymyr Zelensky, who is standing up to the Soros-led one-worlders. I support and pray for the Ukrainian people, who are fighting to preserve their country's independence. But I reject the notion that we should go to war for gay rights and the rest of the "progressive" prescription for a New World Order!