American Communists visiting Cuba

Walt has been doing some spring cleaning out behind the cabin in the pines. He won't be allowed inside until he scrapes the mud (etc) off his boots. Ed.

VIDEO: Why Cubans are praying for régime change

As is known by anyone who's seen Godfather II, the revolutionary forces of Fidel Castro came down of the hills of eastern Cuba and seized power from the decadent régime of Fulgencio Batista on 1 January 1959. 

The "people's revolution" was organized, aided and abetted by the USSR, thus so Sr Castro became the first openly Communist dictator in Latin America.

The brutal dictatorship of Castro, his cronies and his successors has lasted until this day. How could it  not, since elections are not part of the Communist system. 

Until today, the Americans have made no serious attempt to overthrow the Cuban government, bar the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion, undermined by a weak Democrat president.

Cuba's "national day" is May 1st -- "International Workers Day" -- celebrated by Communists, socialists and "social democrats" around the world. A bigger-than-usual fuss was made about it in 2024, as it was the 65th May Day under Communist rule. 

Is it possible that the government expected Cubans to celebrate this? It doesn't matter, because, as in 1984, popular demonstrations in Cuba are as tightly scripted as the "mostly peaceful protests" that occur "spontaneously" in the US of A.

But the truth -- the real feelings of the real Cuban people -- will out, and in 2024 it did so in the form of memes like this.

And there was also this video, which we post as a shoutout to Agent 10, showing the Cuban people turning out in their 1000s to show their gratitude and celebrate the triumph of Communism.

For some reason [possibly lack of electricity, food and water! Ed.] May Day celebrations were more muted last year. Walt predicts that, with any luck and a bit of help from President Trump, there will be no May Day celebrations in 2026, because the Castroite Communists will be gone! Lifetime pct .988.

Next! The island prison that is Cuba

We are less interested in the capture of the dictator Nicolás Maduro and the probable (but not certain!) overthrow of his socialist régime than in what that portends for the future of the even worse dictatorship of Cuba.

Agent 10 says it is well known that Cuba has been propping up the failing Maduro régime for years, and has sent military aid to Venezuela, including elite troops to serve as bodyguards to Sr Maduro.

Yesterday, Cuba's Communist Castro regime decreed a two-day period of mourning to honour 32 minions of the Cuban military allegedly killed during the American law enforcement action that resulted in the capture the socialist dictator.

The figurehead "president" of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel claimed that the Cuban soldiers were "helping" protect Sr Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. 

For decades, the Castro regime has had a significant influence in Venezuela under the auspices of Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Numerous reports published over the years revealed how the Castro regime aided its fellow ideological ally to reshape Venezuela’s security and intelligence services to implement a brutally repressive apparatus.

Fidel Castro also stole American companies, not to mention the businesses that the Communists appropriated from fellow Cuban citizens who were never compensated, many of whom are now American citizens. There are many good reasons for taking back what the Cuban Communists stole, and terminating the Communist system of theft, terror, and enslavement forever on the Island Prison of Cuba.

President Donald Trump referred to Cuban casualties in remarks given to the New York Post over the weekend, but reportedly said he did not know the precise death toll among Cuban and Venezuelan forces. 

"Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That’s where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn’t work out too well in this case," POTUS the Post. "You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that? Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move."

In a comment made while aboard Air Force One, President Trump added that he doesn't think the US will have to do anything to bring about the downfall of Cuba's Communist régime because "it's already falling apart." Walt's comment: Maybe so, but it would be better to speed up the process!

This article is a HOAX, but worth reading anyway!

Ed. here. Let's get the "hoax" part out of the way. Thanks to Agent 5 for passing along this article, but checking reveals that Dr Emanuel Tanay (March 5, 1928 – August 5, 2014), a Holocaust survivor, was not German, but Polish-American physician and forensic psychiatrist. (Source: Wikipedia). The following article has been attributed to him, but is most likely a mash-up, based on his book Passport to Life with comments on the situation in Canada, UK, and Australia  added recently. 

A German's View on Islam

Dr. Emanuel Tanay was a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist. A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. 

When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. "Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. 

"I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.

"We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is a religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

"The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. 

"It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers. The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous. 

"Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

"The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace-loving'? 

"History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun."

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

What do statistics tell us: not later than 2051 France will have more Muslims than Christians, The Netherlands to follow just a couple of years later, Belgium probably by the year 2060, and Germany already has over 8 million Muslims which is to say, 10% of its population and every week new ones coming from war-torn countries. 

Mosques are mushrooming all over the E. U. receiving construction permits on a daily basis. Go and ask for a church construction permit not even as far as Saudi- Arabia, just start asking in Turkey and you'll feel a hard kick in your butt. 

Now Islamic prayers have been introduced in Toronto and other public schools in Ontario, and in Ottawa too, while the Lord's Prayer was removed (due to being so offensive?). The Islamic way may be peaceful for the time being in our country... until the fanatics move in.

In Australia, and indeed in many countries around the world, many of the most commonly consumed food items have the halal emblem on them. Just look at the back of some of the most popular chocolate bars, and at other food items in your local supermarket. Food on aircraft have the halal emblem just to appease the privileged minority who are now rapidly expanding within the nation's shores. Why? Because they dare in the name of God. 

In the UK, the Muslim communities refuse to integrate and there are now dozens of no-go zones within major cities across the country that the police force dare not intrude upon. Sharia law prevails there, because the Muslim community in those areas refuse to acknowledge British law.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts -- the fanatics who threaten our way of life, in the name of God. Anyone who doubts that the issue is serious is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. Let us hope that thousands world-wide read this, think about it, and pass it on before it's too late!

VIDEO: Wm. F. Buckley talks with Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia

Regular readers of WWW will know that I have an abiding interest in Zimbabwe, a dictatorship in southern Africa which went from being the second-most prosperous on the Dark Continent to what Still-President Trump would now call a "shithole".

I lived and worked in Zimbabwe in the 90s, and could see the handwriting on the wall after the former Big Man, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, decided to pay all his "war veterans" gratuities of Z$50,000 each after they had staged a series of protests, claiming that they had not received the "benefits" of their revolt against the "white settler regime", viz: white cars, white houses and white women.

The unbudgeted payouts saw the Zimbabwe dollar lose its value by 70% in one day -- I remember it well -- and analysts say the move signalled Zimbabwe's well-documented economic collapse. Banknotes were issued in denominations of billions and even trillions of dollars and were literally not worth the paper they were printed on.

The Mugabe government abandoned the "Zimkwacha" because of hyperinflation in 2009 -- 1 US dollar was worth around Z$35 quadrillion at the time -- and started using American dollars and South African rand. 

But I digress. I was about to tell you that when I first went to Africa, there was no Zimbabwe. The country was then known as Rhodesia, a former British colony which declared its independence from No-longer-great Britain on 11 November 1965. I went there about four years later, over five years before William F. Buckley Jr. went there to record this interview with Prime Minister Ian Smith. 

I went to Rhodesia on a fact-finding mission, to see for myself whether the Africans (by which was meant "blacks") were so badly off under white minority rule as was argued by the "progressives" at the United Nations, the World Council of Churches and elsewhere. I concluded that it would be a mistake -- detrimental to the well-being of the Africans -- to overthrow the "white settler government" and impose "majority rule". But it was clear even then, in 1969, that the mistake was going to be made, in the name of "freedom and equality, yada yada yada. The mistake was made, and the result is the shithole that is Zimbabwe today. 

In this interview, recorded in April of 1974, Ian Smith makes the case for the continuation of minority rule until the majority population should be ready to govern themselves. Mr Smith was right, but of course that doesn't matter now, does it. 

One thing to note, at about the 38-minute mark, is that Mr Smith asserts that the black revolutionaries were financed and trained by Communist China. Of course today's China would never do that kind of thing.

Further viewing: Thames Television documentary visit to Rhodesia, June 1975. Includes interview with Ian Smith.  

VIDEO: Wuhan woman risks life to complain about Communists

Agent 35, bless her, has passed along an interesting video posted on social media (such as it is) in China but a woman from Wuhan -- the original focal point of the corona virus -- who is fed up with... well... everything in general and the Communist Party of China in particular. The woman has since disappeared!



Agent 35 writes:
The woman's comment about TV holds true in our country too. When I was growing up, I used to hear TV referred to as the "idiot box" or "boob tube", which I thought was a comment on its frivolity. Today the two labels are still true, but more insidious is its new use as a propaganda source found throughout our homes in various rooms and even in our pockets.
This woman is imprisoned in the type of society the Left envisions as Utopia for us.

Vatican-China agreement "terrible, terrible, terrible": Cardinal Zen

There is another prelate of the Roman Catholic Church -- still alive, thank God -- whose reproaches to the mainstream Church are in the news today. He is Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B., who is one of only two living Chinese cardinals. He served as the sixth Bishop of Hong Kong, and was made a cardinal in 2006. He has been outspoken on issues regarding human rights, political freedom, and religious liberty, often attracting criticism from the Communist Party of China and, sadly, highly placed people in his own church. (Hello, Cardinal Parolin!)

In a recent interview with New Bloom, Cardinal Joseph Zen describes Vatican policy toward China as "terrible, terrible, terrible!" The prelate says that he strongly suspects that a diplomatic agreement between the Holy See and the Chinese government, which has never been made public, is substantially the same as a previous draft accord with Pope Benedict XVI refused to sign. (See "Vatican bends the knee to Chinese commies in secret accord", WWW 23/9/18.)

The Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, who has warned frequently about the campaign by the Chinese government to exert control over the Church, told New Bloom that his own recent relations with the Vatican have been "simply disastrous." He revealed that when he first became a bishop, he worked closely with Cardinal Jozef Tomko, who at that time was prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization, in efforts to ease tensions between the Church and the Beijing regime. He said that these efforts had borne fruit, with the Vatican regularizing the status of several bishops who had been appointed by the government but were ready to pledge loyalty to the Holy See.

However, Cardinal Zen continued, the Vatican's involvement took a different path when Cardinal Tomko was succeeded by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, whom he bluntly characterized as "no good." Cardinal Sepe in turn was succeeded by Cardinal Ivan Dias, who (Cardinal Zen commented) was a disciple of the late Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Secretary of State from 1979 to 1990. Cardinal Casaroli was noted for his willingness to seek accommodations with (read: sell out to) Communist regimes.

Still more recently, Cardinal Zen said, Vatican policy toward China has been driven by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the current Secretary of State. The Chinese cardinal has frequently criticized Cardinal Parolin for failing to see the dangers in an agreement with Beijing. As for his relations with Pope Francis, Cardinal Zen said that they are "personally wonderful." However, he said, "he doesn’t answer my letters." No surprises there! He also accused Francis of having "low respect for his predecessors" and "shutting down everything done by John Paul II and by Pope Benedict."

Will Pope Francis and Cardinal Parolin pay any attention to what Cardinal says, or to the ever-increasing persecution of Chinese Catholics by the Communist dictatorship? Errr, no. Our Lady of China (Simplified Chinese: 中华圣母, Traditional Chinese: 中華聖母), pray for Cardinal Zen, for all Catholic Chinese, and for all who hold and teach the True Faith.

UPDATED VIDEO: The free speech event Antifa couldn't shut down

So what was that -- the antifa/communist not-so-peaceful demonstration outside Mohawk College in Hamilton ON on 29 September -- all about? It was, as Maxime Bernier and Frank Vaughn said in videos recorded on the 30th, an exercise by radical leftist thugs of their view of "free speech" -- which means, to them, that you're free to speak as long as your views agree with theirs.

The symposium, "Uncensored: Free Speech in Canada", was organized by the People's Party of Canada, and featured popular American YouTuber David Rubin, in a roudtable discussion with PPC leader Maxime Bernier. The usual suspects -- antifa, union leaders, left-wing academics etc -- had demanded that Mohawk College cancel the event, but Mohawk (to their credit) said the McIntyre Arts Centre was for rent to the public (including the PPC) and the event could go ahead.

So about 100 loonie lefties gathered outside the venue and made would-be attenders run the gauntlet. About 500, including Agent 3 did, that, and thoroughly enjoyed the main panel discussion, featuring Messrs Bernier and Rubin, with PPC candidates Frank Vaughan (on the left in the picture, but not politically!) and Prof. David Haskell.

The warm-up act (so to speak) was a speech by Dr Salim Mansur, a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario. Dr Mansur is a former columnist for the London Free Press and the Toronto Sun, and has contributed to various publications including National Review and the Middle East Forum. He is an immigrant who became a Canadian citizen, and a Muslim. And he is now the People's Party of Canada candidate in London North Centre. And they say the PPC is racist and Islamophobic? Hah!

Here is a video of the entire event -- Frank Vaughan's introduction, Dr Masur's speech, and the panel discussion. It runs just over an hour and a half, and every minute is worth watching.

VIDEO: Antifa thugs assault elderly PPC supporters at Hamilton rally

What was supposed to be a "peaceful protest" outside last night's "Uncensored: Free Speech in Canada" roundtable -- featuring libertarian YouTuber (((David Rubin))) and Maxime Bernier, leader of the People's Party of Canada -- in Hamilton ON turned violent Sunday evening as supporters of the PPC were attacked by Antifa/Communist protesters as they tried to enter the venue at Mohawk College. The leftist terrorists -- you can see a Communist banner in the video -- went so far as to push an elderly lady using a walker!



There were a number of other confrontations and scuffles. Two men from opposing sides of the protests were led away in handcuffs by Hamilton police. Inspector Knacker said there were a total of four arrests for "breach of the peace", but all those detained were later released without conditions. Free speech, perhaps? Hamilton police are continuing their investigations.

Inside the McIntyre Arts Centre, When the event got underway, Maxime Bernier emerged on stage while "Eye of the Tiger" played. He received multiple standing ovations throughout the night for pledging to increase "personal freedoms" for all Canadians. He was joined onstage by American YouTuber and political commentator Dave Rubin, and two PPC candidates -- Prof. David Haskell (Cambridge-North Dumfries) and Frank Vaughan (Northumberland-Peterborough South), who acted as moderator. "Mad Max" praised all of his candidates, saying "[They] are not real politicians, and that's great! People don't trust politicians anymore."

The four chatted at length about preserving freedom from censorship in Canada, their doubts about climate change science, keeping government small and the PPC's plan to repeal the Multiculturalism Act. They also talked about immigration, with M Bernier saying the party's plan is "not racist, not anti-immigration and not pro-mass-immigration." The party would drastically reduce immigration to Canada, he said, and focus resources on those citizens already in the country.

When asked if he'd be willing to engage in a debate with protesters outside the venue, Mr Rubin said "I'd be happy to talk to them if they're not in my face and screaming at me and calling me a Nazi." He found that not just offensive but funny, considering that he's Jewish (also gay!) and that last night was the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

"If I could sit down with any of those people and chat about it, I would try to do exactly what I did tonight", he said, "which is really try to get them to understand what are your rights, where do your rights come from and how special it is to live in a place like Canada or the U.S."

Hong Kong government ramps up violence vs pro-democracy protesters

As I write, in the wee hours of the morning, Hong Kong time, the city is relatively quiet. Pro-democracy protesters, the majority of them high school and college students yesterday, are licking their wounds -- literally -- after a day filled with violence and terrorism, perpetrated by the Hong Kong police to quell yet another day of anti-government protests.

For over thirteen weeks now -- a quarter of a year -- the Hong Kong "Special Administrative Region of China" has been convulsed by sometimes violent protests and mass demonstrations, in response to a proposed law by the Communist-backed administration of CEO Carrie Lam that would allow people suspected of crimes on the mainland to be extradited to face trial in Chinese courts.

Today was supposed to be back-to-school day in Hong Kong, but yesterday over 100,000 students chose to go on strike to force the puppet government not just to withdraw completely the extradition bill, but guarantee the people of Hong Kong the democratic freedoms they were promised under the "one country two systems" provisions of the agreement between Britain and China when the Brits handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997.

The student demonstrators tried to make their point peacefully -- chanting and holding up signs -- while at the same time obstructing the flow of traffic in the city-state's streets and around the airport, one of the world's busiest. Hong Kong police responded by using pepper spray against travellers on the city's Mass Transit Railway (MTR), beating them with batons regardless of whether or not they were involved in the pro-democracy demonstrations.

Radio Free Asia reported that police began beating individuals indiscriminately at the Prince Edward MTR station, attacking them with pepper spray which they were sitting quietly on trains. RFA cited video which showed that "the police, who wore the black, armored uniforms of the 'raptor' special forces, appeared to be in pursuit of protesters, but instead attacked passengers indiscriminately, the footage showed. One was a small boy who was left with head injuries." Footage appeared to show individuals, including protesters, trying to stop police from beating innocent bystanders but largely failing to prevent the violence.

Just a few minutes ago, Reuters reported that Ms Lam, speaking in last week to a group of businesspeople, said she has caused "unforgivable havoc" by igniting the political crisis engulfing the city and would quit if she had a choice. But she doesn't. Under Hong Kong's current political set-up, the Chief Executive is chosen indirectly, by a group of electors (not unlike the American Electoral College!) chosen in elections rigged to favour pro-Beijing candidates.

At the closed-door meeting, Ms Lam told the group that she now has "very limited" room to resolve the crisis because the unrest has become a national security and sovereignty issue for China amid rising tensions with the United States. "If I have a choice," she said, speaking in English, "the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology."

She suggested that Beijing had not yet reached a turning point, and had not imposed any deadline for ending the crisis ahead of China's National Day celebrations scheduled for October 1. And, she said, China had "absolutely no plan" to deploy People's Liberation Army troops on Hong Kong streets. World leaders have been closely watching whether China will send in the military to quell the protests, as it did a generation ago in the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

Ms Lam noted, however, that she had few options once an issue had been elevated "to the national level" -- meaning the Communist Party Pollitburo in Beijing -- "to a sort of sovereignty and security level, let alone in the midst of this sort of unprecedented tension between the two big economies in the world."

Walt, spent the better (?) party of two years in Hong Kong and its twin across the bay, Shenzhen, is watching too, and is in complete sympathy with the protesters. Will our leaders, who preach democracy and freedom (except of course in their own countries) do anything to help the people of Hong Kong in their struggle to avoid total domination by the Chinese Communists? I'm sad to say I think the chances are slim and none. But stay tuned.

Do not forget the martyrs of Tiananmen Square

In the People's Republic of China (aka Communist China), foreign teachers of English, History or any subject are forbidden to teach about, talk about or even mention the "Three T's". The first two are Tibet (as in "Chinese occupation of" and "genocide") and Taiwan (which stubbornly refuses to admit that it is and has always been a province of China). The third "T" is the Tiananmen Square massacre, an atrocity perpetrated by China's Communist rulers 30 years ago today. The story is encapsulated in this single iconic image.

In China, the massacre of student protesters is referred to (when mentioned at all) as "the June Fourth Incident" or "Six Four". Student-led demonstrations in Beijing in mid-1989 inspired a popular (except with the Red government) national movement called the "`89 Democracy Movement". In response to the protests, the Communists declared martial law and sent in the military to occupy central parts of Beijing. People's Liberation Army troops armed with assault rifles and accompanied by tanks fired at the demonstrators, killing perhaps as many as 2500 and wounding 1000s more.

The international community and human rights organizations condemned the Chinese government for what can only be called a massacre. Western countries imposed arms embargoes on China. The Communists made widespread arrests of protesters and their supporters, suppressed other protests around China, expelled foreign journalists, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic press, strengthened the police and internal security forces, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. Some of those arrested died in prison, and some languish there even today.

The suppression halted the "open and reform" policies of liberalization instituted by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Considered a watershed event, the protests set the limits on political expression in China up to the present day. Its memory is widely associated with questioning the legitimacy of Communist Party rule and remains one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China. Even now, as noted above, foreign teachers are forbidden to mention the massacre, on pain of instant dismissal and deportation.

Foreign visitors do well to feign ignorance of "the June Fourth Incident". Real ignorance, however, is inexcusable, which is why Walt is posting this reminder. In Hong Kong there is still -- for a limited time only -- some liberty to speak out for democracy and freedom of expression. Here we see a student at Hong Kong University cleaning the monument memorializing the Tiananmen Square massacre. We in somewhat free countries must not forget what happens when you dare to oppose a repressive totalitarian government like that of Communist China or... some other country....

Further reading:
"Encroaching Totalitarianism in The West", by E. Jeffrey Ludwig, in American Thinker, 4/6/19
Harrison Salisbury: Tiananmen Diary: Thirteen Days in June, Little, Brown & Co., 1989

Vatican bends the knee to Chinese commies in secret accord

Writing in the Fatima Crusader almost 11 years ago, a supporter of the "underground" Catholic Church in China predicted that the Vatican's efforts "to proceed on the path of a respectful and constructive dialogue with government authorities, in order to overcome past misunderstandings" between the Holy See and Communist China would eventually result in the betrayal of the many 1000s of Chinese Catholics who had been imprisoned, tortured and even martyred for their fidelity to Rome.

"We must ask some hard questions," the writer concluded. "Will the Vatican find itself forced into an immoral compromise? Will they wrongfully try to force the faithful to end their 'underground activities' and worship only in the Communist-controlled 'church'? Surely the thousands who have been persecuted, even martyred for the sake of True Faith deserve better!"

In fact, the sellout to the Communists began at least six years earlier, by the Holy See's Secretariat of State, as part of its wrong-headed Ostpolitik. Cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君) saw it coming, and fought against it from the beginning, when he was Archbishop of Hong Kong and after his retirement, right up to today. See, for example, "Cardinal Zen again warns Vatican not sell out to Chinese Commies", WWW 26/1/18. And click here to see all Walt's posts about the courageous prelate.

The Cardinal's warnings went unheeded, of course, and this weekend the Vatican announced the signig of an agreement with the People's Republic of China giving the Communist government "a role in the appointment of new bishops." Henceforth, the Beijing government will name candidates for episcopal office, with the Pope allowed a choice from among the government's nominees. What else were they given? We don't know, for the terms of the accord were not made public.

But, you may ask, hasn't the Roman Catholic Church fought against communism since the 19th century, going so far as to make it a sin to belong to the Communist Party or any secret society? How can the Vatican now order faithful Chinese Catholics to dismantle their "underground Church" and get into bed [into the pew, shurely! Ed.] with the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the schismatic "church" set up by the Communists after they took power in 1940?

Oh nooooo, dear reader! That's old-fashioned thinking! All that changed after Vatican II. This reconciliation with the enemies of Christianity is for the good of the faithful. "The objective of the Holy See is a pastoral one: the Holy See intends just to create the condition, or help to create the condition, of a greater freedom, autonomy, and organization" for the Catholic Church in China. So says Cardinal Pietro Parolin (aka "Peter the Roman") in a statement (in English, for some reason) explaining the accord.

Besides, the Vatican says, the agreement is "provisional" and "foresees the possibility of periodic reviews of its application." Which means... I guess... that they can renege, if it turns out the Commies got the better of the bargain. That would seem to be self-evident, since the Vatican apparently received, errr, nothing in return for its capitulation.

Opponents of the accord say that by giving greater power to the Communist government, the agreement will ultimately put greater pressure on the "underground Church" that has, up till now, resisted government control. Cardinal Zen said angrily that Cardinal Parolin should resign from office because of his betrayal of China's faithful Catholics.

As part of the deal, Pope Francis agreed to lift the excommunication incurred by bishops who had been installed by the Communist government without the approval of the Holy See. Also, the Vatican "persuaded" two bishops of the "underground Church", who had not been recognized by Beijing, to resign and be replaced by prelates of the CPCA. Perhaps the real bishops were lucky. At least they weren't imprisoned or executed!

Walt wonders how bad things would have to get to make the Pope (or should I say Cardinal Parolin, who pulls Francis's strings) see the trap into which he has led us, and call for a "review" of the accord... as if the Communists would actually let that happen. How many "house churches" would have to be raided? How many faithful Catholics would have to be arrested? How many priests and bishops would have to be shut up in prisons or "mental hospitals"? How many would have to be martyred?

Dear Catholic readers, please pray harder than ever for the faithful Catholics of China. They flock been delivered by the shepherds into the care of the wolves. Pray that God and His Holy Mother will give them the strength and courage to keep the Faith. O glorious Archangel St. Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, defend us in battle, and in the struggle which is ours against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against spirits of wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Further reading: "China -- not a good place to be a democrat or a Catholic", WWW 15/6/14.

Swarthmore pseudo-Marxists disband because of "white privilege"

It's getting very hard, nowadays, to tell the difference between life and satire in the Excited States of America. Conservatives and other right-thinking people have been saying for decades that our universities are hotbeds of immorality, Communism and worse. See, for example, such fine satirical stories as The Zebra Derby and Barefoot Boy with Cheek, by Max Shulman.

The author makes great fun of the pseuds masquerading as Marxists and SJWs striving to uplift the masses. Over six decades later we have news of a self-styled Marxist student group at Swarthmore College, which recently disbanded itself after realizing that its members were too rich and too white to be real Commies.

According to screenshots confidentially provided to CampusReform by an individual with access to the group's private Facebook page, the demise of the Swarthmore Anti-Capitalist Collective (SACC) came in the wake of a farewell letter from a member who had decided the group could never be an effective proponent of "unproblematized anticapitalist politics" due to its "history of abuse, racism, and even classism."

"From my understanding SACC disbanded because they realized the makeup and tactics of their group was at odds with their espoused principles," Swarthmore Conservative Society President Gilbert Guerra told CampusReform. "Their main support base was middle-upper class white kids who enjoy jogging."

The farewell letter corroborates Mr Guerra's understanding, asserting that "SACC's fundamental failure" was that "at its formation, it was made up of entirely white, with the exception of one person of color*, students." To make matters worse, "not one of [the founding members] are [sic] from low-income and/or working class backgrounds." Walt gives that statement a failing grade because, apart from the typical US collegians tenuous grasp of English grammar, the writer failed to include the phrase "white privilege".

Arguing that "low-income people of color [i.e. poor blacks. Walt] should never be an afterthought in a group whose politics supposedly focus on their liberation," the author then went on to accuse SACC of having a "history of abuse, racism, and even classism that was never adequately addressed or recognized despite constantly being brought up as an issue."

Think we're making this up? Click here to see the original story on the CampusReform blog. Thanks to "Red Square" at The People's Cube for bringing this to Walt's attention.

Amazing news from Hong Kong: Democrats win one!

In a result that no-one (not even Walt) predicted, the members of Hong Kong's Communist-dominated Legislative Council voted yesterday to rejected a controversial Beijing-backed election reform package that sparked mass protests -- "the Umbrella Revolution" -- last year.

The goal of the the Umbrella Revolution was universal suffrage -- to allow all Hong Kong Residents to vote for the next Chief Executive, in elections due to be held in 2017. But there was more to it than that. Following the Communist model for elections, the Chinese government had proposed that everyone should vote, OK, but only to choose from two or three candidates approved by Beijing. "Choose Commie A or Commie B!" Pro-democracy advocates rightly called that "fake democracy".  

Beijing's decision last August to control the candidates for the next leadership election sparked protests that drew crowds of more than 100,000 people to the streets, where they demonstrated and camped and demonstrated some more. Activists occupied major parts of the city demanding universal suffrage for several weeks. HKG police used violent force against demonstrators, as well as tear gas which the protesters repelled with upturned umbrellas, hence the term "Umbrella Revolution". After more than two months with no concessions -- not even the courtesy of a meeting -- from incumbent Chief Executive CY Leung, the protest camps were ultimately dismantled by police.

After the police finally cleared the streets, the protests moved into "Legco", Hong Kong's Legislative Council, which was the scene of raucous debates, recriminations, demonstrations and walk-outs for weeks prior to last night's vote. Pro-democracy members hoped that if Beijing's proposals were rejected, China would be forced to offer more far-reaching reforms, but there was considerable doubt as to whether the democrats could carry the day.

Then came the drama of last night's proceedings. For reasons unknown -- hey, it's the inscrutable Orient! -- pro-Communist government officials gave their final speeches hours ahead of schedule. Journalists scrambled to retake their seats in Legco's main chamber. Then a bell rang, reminding the solons to get into the hall to vote. With only minutes to spare, a voiced called out for a halt to the proceedings, but the chairman of the council declined. Then pro-government legislators walked out in protest, resulting in the government's "reform" plan, which needed 47 votes to pass, being defeated by 28 votes to 8.

Po-faced Chief Executive Leung said he was "naturally disappointed" that legislators had voted against the wishes of the majority of Hong Kong's people. Presumably he was referring to people other than the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who had hurled insults (and the occasional egg) at him for the last ten months.

A spokesthingy for the government in Beijing said the "reforms" would remain in force and were legal despite the vote. That's the Communist way -- votes don't matter.

Hong Kong protesters: they're baaaack!

When we tuned in last week, Hong Kong's pro-Communist CEO, Leung Chun-ying (aka CY Leung) had refused to step down to appease the 1000s of students and others demonstrating for free and fair elections in the former British colony. The protesters then defied Mr. Leung's ultimatum to vacate the areas they were occupying. So, in order to get them to go home without losing too much face, Mr. Leung promised the student leaders a meeting with his flak-catcher, Carrie Lam, on Friday.

Most of the demonstrators -- credulous souls -- went home, leaving just a few hundred camped out on Gloucester and Harcourt Roads, blocking a key thoroughfare in Hong Kong Island's Central and Admiralty districts. But sure enough, on Thursday the duplicitous Leung called off the promised talks, saying the protesters' refusal to end their campaign had made "constructive dialogue" impossible.

He also said (again) that he would not resign. In an interview with Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, he said the protests had "spun out of control" and did not rule out the use of force to end them. When asked about the protest camps, Mr Leung said, "We've resorted to all kinds of persuasions... We absolutely would not prefer clearing the venue, but if one day the venue has to be cleared, I believe the police will use their professional judgement and training using minimum amount of force."

So the pro-democracy protesters -- saddened but not surprised -- are back in the streets, in even greater numbers than before, paralysing parts of Hong Kong. In an open letter to China's Supreme Leader, Xi Jingping, a coalition of three protest groups proclaimed, "We cannot allow one person, Leung Chun-ying, to destroy the Hong Kong core values we so cherish."

Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung has insisted China will not change its mind on the format for elections in 2017, despite weeks of protests.

In the Basic Law under which Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, the Communists promised direct elections in 2017. But of course their idea of a free and fair election is one in which they choose which candidates are allowed to stand. Mr. Leung told TVB today that Beijing would not change its mind on the election format. "In achieving universal suffrage in 2017," he said, "if the prerequisite is to put down the Basic Law and the decision made by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, I believe we all know that the chance is almost zero."

The Basic Law (Hong Kong's mini-constitution) states that "the ultimate aim is the selection of the chief executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures". It was the NPC Standing Committee's decision on the make-up of that nominating committee that sparked the protest movement, since that format effectively gives ultimate control not to the people but to the Beijing regime.

Further reading on WWW: "Why Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Revolution' matters"

Comment from Ed.: Do you know when the Chinese have their best elections? Answer: just before bleakfast!

5 things you should know about the Umbrella Revolution

It is now the middle of the night in Hong Kong. The protesters are still in the streets of Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Tsa Tsui and Mongkok. (The streets of Mongkok are always full of people, but even more so tonight.) There have been scuffles with the police, but no more tear gas or pepper spray. Not yet.

Yesterday, Hong Kong's CEO, Leung Chun-ying -- that's him on the poster -- offered the demonstrators a very small olive branch. While saying again that he would never resign, he did say that he would delegate one of his minions, Carrie Lam, to talk with the leaders of the "Umbrella Revolution". After thinking about it overnight [and over noodles? Ed.], the protesters rejected the offer. The standoff continues.

Walt has posted two articles on this extremely important confrontation between the supporters of democracy and the rulers of Communist China. See "Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Revolution' -- paying the price for democracy" and "Why Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Revolution' matters", published here Monday and Thursday.

For those who are in the dark about what's going on and why this is important, Walt recommends "Hong Kong protests: 5 things to know about the 'umbrella revolution'". Aleksandra Sagan, of CBC News, answers these questions:
- Who are the protesters?
- What are their demands?
- What is Beijing's role in Hong Kong's government?
- How has the [Hong Kong] government responded?
- What happens next?

Elsewhere on the Net today, a student leader summed up the whole issue in one pithy statement: "We are afraid that in a few years Hong Kong will become China."

On the other hand, if Beijing can be made to keep its promise of a free, one-person-one-vote election for HKG's next chief executive, that could be the chink in the armour of the Communist regime. Stay tuned.

Note from Ed.: Walt has been waiting since the Umbrella Revolution started to use that "chink in the armour" bit. I couldn't restrain him any longer. Please forgive the pun.

"Communists stole our flag!" sez Pope

Maybe yesterday's post -- "a message for the Pope" seen at the Vatican (???) -- wasn't a joke after all. Like Art Linklater's kids, Francis says the darnedest things!

In an interview with Il Messaggero, the Party Pope was asked about a blog post in the Economist, which described him as a "Leninist" for his criticism of capitalism and calls for radical economic reform. Said Francis, "I can only say that the communists have stolen our flag. The flag of the poor is Christian. Poverty is at the center of the Gospel."

"Communists say that all this is communism," he said. "Sure, twenty centuries later. So when they speak, one can say to them: 'but then you are Christian.'"

The Pope went on to tell Il Messaggero that his own world view is "not dissimilar" to Communist ideology. He has often attacked the global economic system as turning away from the poor and not doing enough to share wealth with those who need it most. He has criticized the wealth made from financial speculation as intolerable. And he has said speculation on commodities is a scandal that compromises the poor's access to food.

Dear Catholic readers, something is outta whack here! Has the Holy Father forgotten that Karl Marx was a self-proclaimed atheist? That is was Marx who called religion the opium of the people? Francis's astonishing ad-libs -- "In my life I have met a lot of Marxists who are good people." -- must have his predecessors spinning in their tombs!

In 1907 Saint Pius X published his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, which condemned the errors of Modernism of which Karl Marx was a leading proponent. "How far this position is removed from that of Catholic teaching!", wrote the sainted pope. This was followed, in 1910, with The Oath Against Modernism, which was required to be sworn by all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries.

42 years after Pascendi, by which time Communist governments had enslaved Russia, eastern Europe and China, Pope Pius XII issued the Decree against Communism, which excommunicates all Catholics collaborating with Communists. Pope John XXIII confirmed the decree in 1962. Pope Francis probably never read Pascendi or took the Oath Against Modernism, but surely he must be aware of the Decree!

What we see here is yet another example of the infiltration into the highest levels of the church of Communists and Freemasons. The writer of the Traditio website points out that Francis is a product of the "new" Society of Jesus (Jesuits). With the "opening up" of the Church by Vatican II, many Latin American Jesuits decided it was OK to defy the Decree, and embraced Communism and so-called "liberation theology".

Well-known traditional Catholic author Malachi Martin, who was a former Jesuit, wrote in his book, The Jesuits (1988), about how the Modernists and Communists took over the order and turned it into a society of Communist sympathizers. Pope Francis was a committed member of that society.

Reflecting on the aftermath of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI said "the smoke of Satan has entered the Church". Now it seems the smoke has wafted all the way to the top.

RIP Tank man and all victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre

Let us not forget what happened 25 years ago today. Here is an iconic picture to serve as a reminder.

On 4 June 1989, the world -- outside of China -- saw this image of a lone man staring down a procession of tanks in Tiananmen Square, the main square of Beijing, the capital of Communist China. What happened to him is unknown, but he's presumed to have died, along with hundreds of students and other young people who were demonstrating for democracy and freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech, not to mention democracy, remains unknown in China. The so-called "People's Republic" remains in the iron grip of the Communist Party. Censorship is so complete that most of today's university students have never heard of Tiananmen Square and "the events of 6.4.89", as the massacre is known. When Walt was teaching in China, some years ago, we foreign teachers were forbidden -- on pain o9f dismissal and deportation -- to even mention "the three T's": Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen Square.

Those few students who had heard of the massacre had been brainwashed to think that the quelling of the demonstration -- it wasn't even an uprising, you understand -- somehow helped the development of a modern, prosperous China! Today, there will be demonstrations in Hong Kong, where a limited amount of free speech is still allowed. But in China proper, Tiananmen Square will not be mentioned. The Communists have succeeded in erasing it from the public consciousness.

However, the grim story remains alive in the West, thanks in part to the efforts of media like Frontline, the flagship public affairs series of American public broadcaster PBS. Frontline has produced an excellent documentary on Tiananmen Square called "The Tank Man". Click here and follow the links to watch it online. (Sorry, not available to Chinese IP addresses.)

North Korean leader's uncle thrown to the lions -- LITERALLY!

Dear readers, Walt assumes you follow the news assiduously -- local, national and international -- and heard or read yesterday's story about the downfall of Chang Song-thaek. Mr. Chang was -- note the past tense -- the uncle of North Korea's Dear Leader 3.0, Kim Jong-un.

Being an uncle of the Numero Uno (I don't know how to write it in Hangul script) doesn't necessarily make you loyal. Mr. Chang was accused of treachery and disloyalty and trying to organize a coup. If you were watching the TV news, you saw a video clip of two uniformed army types lifting Mr. Chang out of his seat at a special party meeting and frog-marching him out of frame to... well... to his death!

Today it is revealed that Mr. Chang was given a summary trial of sorts and promptly "executed". At least, that's what the English-language media are telling us. At first he was said to have been shot, in traditional Communist fashion. (The Chinese Communists make the family of the deceased pay for the bullet too.) But Agent 78, checking the Chinese media, tells a different story.

According to Agent 78, Mr. Chang was not shot, but eaten! A story published in a Hong Kong newspaper claims he was thrown into a cage of what 78 translates as "cheetahs", who made a meal of him...literally! It seems odd to Walt that there would be cheetahs in North Korea. [Try the Canadian Senate. Ed.] Perhaps it was lions. Or wolves. Or pigs. But it does seem like a fitting end for a corrupt politician.

Cardinal Zen: Vatican appeasement hurts true Church in China

It has been some time since Walt wrote about the plight of the "underground" Roman Catholic Church in China. To recap, the "official" Catholic Church, sponsored by the Communist Chinese government, is called the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA). It was organized following the Communist takeover of 1949, and many bishops and priests were coerced into joining. That is, they were pressured into switching their allegiance from Rome and the Pope to Beijing and Chairman Mao.

Putting it another way, the CPCA is schismatic -- not in communion with Rome and not truly part of Holy Mother Church. The remnant of Catholic priests and bishops who stayed loyal to Rome were driven underground, and the "underground Church" not only exists but thrives, in spite of continual harassment and persecution. See "Communist Chinese persecution of Catholic Church intensifies"

Finding a way to bring the CPCA back into the fold was to have been a priority of the pontificate of Benedict XVI. One of the key players was to have been Joseph Cardinal Zen Zekiun, Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong. See "Zen Catholicism".

Did the Holy Father's initiative work? Was the gap between the CPCA and the True Church bridged? Sadly, no. Why not? This week Cardinal Zen gave the answer which had long been apparent but not stated.

In a lengthy interview published in AsiaNews, the prelate charged that Vatican appeasement has helped the Chinese government strengthen its control over the CPCA as well as the underground Church. The Pope set appropriate policies, he said, but "his work was wasted by others close to him, who did not follow his line."

Who were those "others"? Cardinal Zen explains. "I mean people in the Vatican, but also those outside who, without the help of the Holy See, would not have done so much damage."

The cardinal said that Pope Benedict "has done things for China that he has not done for any other country," referring to the Pope's open letter to the Chinese Church, and that Chinese Catholics "should be profoundly grateful to him for this." But he repeated that Vatican officials had failed to follow the Pope's policies and failed to speak the direct truth about Beijing's efforts to seize control of the legitimate Chinese Church as well as their own schismatic group.

Here are the most significant passages from "Card. Zen: The Pope's great overture to China, held in check by the Vatican and Beijing".

"[The Pope] was a lonely voice in the wilderness. I have said and I repeat: his work was wasted by others close to him, who did not follow his line. I'm not here to judge consciences: it is likely that these his advisers thought that maybe he did not know enough about the situation [or] was unable to pursue the right strategy. In any case, these people have not implemented what Benedict XVI has established as the guidelines for the Church in China.

"We are facing an enemy that not only damages the Church, but China too, our motherland. They are government representatives and Church figures who indecently pursue their own interests, enslaving the bishops of the official Church with enormous pressures; leading them by the nose; forcing them to participate in illegitimate ordinations, making alliances with the worst elements.... If one day the supreme leaders of China decide to take a closer look at the work of these their representatives, they will discover horrors and atrocities....

"There are priests who are arrested, interrogated, beaten, tortured, imprisoned for days, but do not give up their faith and love for the Holy Father. Many priests will not accept illegal ordination, there is the case of Ma Daqin, the auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, who in deciding to quit the Patriotic Association was put under house arrest.

"Unfortunately, even in this case, the Holy See was too careful, it did not throw the full weight of its support behind his choice, opting for a policy of prudence and moderation. And we have lost an opportunity to help other bishops in China. While Msgr. Ma is deprived of liberty, they - especially the leaders of the so-called Chinese Bishops' Conference - are carted around in blue cars at the expense of the Party, to eat and drink at banquets, in exchange for obedience to the Party in making gestures against the Pope."

Who is responsible for relations between the Holy See and foreign governments? Who is the chief proponent within the Roman Curia of the long-discredited policy of Ostpolitik -- making nice with the Communists? It is none other than... wait for it... the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. Beyond any doubt, he is chief of the "others".