America's got the FEAR!

Walt occasionally refers to the U.S.A. as the Paranoid States of America. IMHO Americans are scared of everybody: terrorists (imported and domestic), kneegrows, Hispanics, furriners and, of course, Muslims. Especially Muslims. Like this kid.

He's Ahmed Mohamed, 14 years old, a Grade 9 student at MacArthur High School in Irving TX. And, in case the name didn't tip you off, he's a Muslim. Perhaps that explains the over-reaction of Authorities when he took the electronic clock he's holding to school to show his teacher. He made it at home, you see, all by himself, and he was proud of it.

It probably never occurred to young Ahmed that his clock might be mistaken for a bomb. But it was. Officers of the Law were dispatched in force to the school, where they promptly cuffed and arrested the boy, hustling him off to juvy so fast that his feet didn't even touch the ground.

Although they acknowledge that Ahmed had insisted to teachers, the school principal and to them that it was only a clock, they said he could face charges of making a hoax bomb. After the laughter subsided, they let the boy go, without charges being laid. But... get this... Ahmed has nevertheless been suspended from school for three days.

But (as Vince Offer sez) wait! There's more!

The Principal of MacArthur High, Dan Cummings, sent a letter to all parents of kids in his school. Here's part of what it said:

"I recommend using this opportunity to talk with your child about the Student Code of Conduct and specifically not bringing to school items that are prohibited. Also this is a good time to remind your child how important it is to immediately report any suspicious items and/or suspicious behavior they observe to any school employee so we can address it right away. We will always take necessary precautions to protect our students."

There now. Isn't that reassuring? Don't you think the good burghers of Irving will feel better knowing that their kids are under the watchful care of folks like Mr. Cummings (even if he gets only a "B" in English).

Walt feels the key word, "necessary", deserves some examination. Have the Authorities not exercised an over-abundance of precaution here? Could they not have given the "suspicious item" to the janitor to dunk in a bucket of water? Did the cops really have to slap the cuffs on the kid to prevent him -- all 100 pounds or so of him -- from overpowering them? I think -- and I am not alone -- the whole thing was ridiculous. But hey, this is the U.S.A. in the 21st century. Or, I say again, P.S.A. -- the Paranoid States of America.

God bless America!

Happy Independence Day

to all our American readers

from 

Walt and Poor Len

[and Ed.! Ed.]

God save the United States of America!

Happy Independence Day!

At the request of the Department of Homeland Security and Paranoia, Walt [and Ed.] will refrain from extending our good wishes for a bang-up Fourth of July. Instead,

Walt [and Ed.] wish

all our American readers

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Religious persecution rampant in 15 countries. Guess which ones...

Earlier today I wrote about the increasing persecution of Christians -- and Muslims and Buddhists -- in Communist China. See "Religious freedom guaranteed by Communist China's constitution? LMAO!" But China is not the only country whose government is out to get believers.

In its newly released annual report for 1914, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the State Department to designate (or redesignate) 15 nations as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) because they are places “where particularly severe violations of religious freedom are tolerated or perpetrated.”

Here's the USCIRF list, in alphabetical order, with notes from Walt on who's persecuting whom.

CPCs -- Countries of Particular Concern
Burma - Buddhist majority would like to drive Muslim and Hindu minorities out of the country entirely.
China - No discrimination, persecutes all religions. Follow the link above.
Egypt - Cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood at the moment, but Coptic Christians are a much persecuted minority.
Eritrea - The Eritrean government tolerates Orthodox, Catholics, Lutherans and Muslims, but has cracked down in the last decade on evangelical Protestants. "In Eritrea, 'Persecution greater than ever and getting worse'"
Iran - The Ayatollahs are still in charge. No infidels allowed.
Iraq - Like Iran except that the Muslims are killing each other, with Christians caught in the middle. See "'We are a ruined church': Patriarch Sako talks about Christianity in Iraq"
Nigeria - "Boko haram". Virtual civil war between the militant Islamists in the north and the somewhat Christian south.
North Korea - Worse than China.
Pakistan - Kill anyone who dares to blaspheme against the Prophet.
Saudi Arabia - Worse than Iran.
Sudan - Another Islamic state. Christians should refugee to strife-torn South Sudan PDQ.
Syria - Worse than Iraq, even without the "help" of America.
Tajikistan - No. 44 (only) on the OpenDoors watch list of countries that persecute Christians.
Turkmenistan - See Tajikistan (above) or Uzbekistan (below). All the "Stans" are the same -- no place for infidels.
Uzbekistan - Human Rights Watch said in its 2013 World Report authorities "persecute religious believers who worship outside strict state controls". Yes, even Muslims.
Vietnam - Like China, only smaller, and with no to worry about. Like Cuba in struggling to suppress the Catholic Church.

"Governments that engage in or tolerate violations that are serious, but which are not CPC-level violators"
Afghanistan - No comment necessary.
Azerbaijan - Another state where all citizens are theoretically free to choose their religion. In practice the government -- like those of China and Eritrea -- maintains many Soviet-era controls over religion. 90% of the people are non-observant Muslims.
Cuba - Communist government hasn't been able to extinguish the deep Catholic Faith of the people, but the Church is far from free.
India - Supposedly a secular state, but violence by Hindu extremists against Muslims and (especially) Christians goes unpunished.
Indonesia - World's biggest Muslim nation (by population), with Sharia law being promoted in some places (like Aceh province) and ongoing violence against Christians.
Kazakhstan - Another "Stan"; see Pakistan, Tajikistan, etc.
Laos - Majority Buddhist population. Government doesn't mind Catholics, but seeks to control incursions by Protestant missionaries. Malaysia - Very Muslim, but Christians aren't killed so much as locked up if they don't follow Islamic laws and customs. For instance, a Christian who dares to say "Allah" could do some jail time.
Russia - Probably on the list because the USA doesn't like the Putin government. Orthodox Christianity is the established religion -- antagonism to Catholicism lurks below the surface -- but it's really the Protestants who are targeted.
Turkey - Officially a secular state, becoming more and more Islamic in practice.

Countries which persecute religious minorities but somehow got left off the USCIRF list
Israel - Even John Kerry knows it's a de facto "apartheid state".
United States of America - Where the secular humanists who run the media and the so-called administration of President Hussein Obama are trying harder than ever to restrict or eliminate entirely the freedom of Christians -- especially Catholics and evangelical Protestants -- to live their lives in accordance with their religious convictions. Or, we might say, to obey God rather than the godless.

Freedom of religion is enshrined in the United States constitution. Just like that of Communist China.

4th of July greetings from Walt [and Ed.] !!!

Happy Independence Day

to all our American readers

from Walt [and Ed.!]

"Be my guest", says Obama to Egyptian Islamist leader

William "Montgomery" Burns, Deputy Secretary of State of the US of A, had a little facetime yesterday with Mohamed Mursi, newly (and democratically) elected president of Egypt. At the news conference which followed, Mr. Burns made the usual motherhood-and-apple-pie statements about improving relations with America's longtime friend, yada yada yada. No news there.

But hold on. Reuters reports that Burns omitted a small detail of his interview with the new leader. We are indebted to one of Mursi's aides, Yasser Ali, for letting us know that during their little talk, Mr. Burns conveyed to Mr. Mursi a personal invitation from none other than Barack Hussein Obama to visit the United States in September.

"Yes sir," said Yasser, "Washington is cultivating stronger ties with the Islamists. Yes sir..." Until recently the folks at Foggy Bottom had been wary of Islamists. And of course the USA was a strong supporter of former president Hosni Mubarak. But with the election of a (purported) American president, who may himself be a Muslim, the wind has shifted, and now the Islamists are America's friends. Right?

None more so than the Muslim Brotherhood, the group behind Mursi's win. Mursi formally resigned from the group when he won the presidency. Whether Obama is still a member is unknown.

So Mursi is coming in September, when he'll be in the neighbourhood to address the General Assembly of the Useless Nations. That an election campaign will be in full swing at that time is just a coincidence. Don't let his visit influence your vote.

To all Walt's friends in the US of A: Happy Independence Day!

A big Wide World of Walt 4th of July greeting to all my friends and followers in the Excited States of America! "Excited" because Americans always seem to be all hyped up about something, even when the weather suggests a nice snooze in a hammock.

Walt has a little present for you Americans, a gift from your friends on the north side of the world's longest undefended border.



Walt sincerely regrets the graphic, knowing that soccer (or "football", as the foreigners call it) is not really an American game -- nor Canadian either. The singer, however, is the late, great Roger Doucet, who for years sang the national anthems at the old Montréal Forum. I have heard a lot of singers attempt the Star-Spangled Banner -- not an easy tune -- and fail. I have never heard anyone sing it better than M Doucet.

One last word. The USA is about four months away from a Very Important Election. When you vote, please don't forget the concept represented by that lady at the right of the picture. The USA is about nothing, if not LIBERTY. Don't give up any more of it!

PS - Click here to hear Roger Doucet sing both national anthems. In the video clip, which I think dates from 1976, you'll catch a glimpse of Walt's old friend, Don Cherry, behind the Boston Bruins' bench.

To da moon! Newt's not kidding!

As I wrote yesterday, I had a hard time believing reports that Republican presidential wannabe Newt Gingrich had actually called for colonization of the moon. But Canadian Press has the story today. Yes, Newton is already defending his insistence that the United States should build a colony on the moon. In fact, he thinks Luna could become the 51st state!

Speaking in the debate at Jacksonville FL, Gingrich said, "By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American! I’d like to have an American on the moon before the Chinese get there."


Talk about grasping at straws! The reason for this lunar nonsense is that Newt is trailing "Catcher's Mitt" Romney in the polls in Florida against Mitt Romney just a few days before the state primary, and desperately needs to inject a positive note into his extra-negative campaign.

So Newt has proposed a "Northwest Ordinance for Space". Once the population of the moon reaches 13,000, its residents can apply to become one of the United States. Walt is not making this up.

As he restated his lunar proposals during the debate, Gingrich’s rivals seemed to be struggling not to burst into laughter. Congressman Ron Paul -- obviously one of Walt's followers -- quipped, "We should send some politicians to the moon."

If, as some say, the moon is made of green cheese, Walt thinks Newt's cheese has slipped off his cracker.