Meanwhile, a conservative woman becomes Prime Minister of Japan

We were so preoccupied with predicting the rise to power of the hard right in Europe that we nearly missed the game-changing election in Japan, where Sanae Takaichi, a hard right conservative, defeated four other colleagues to become leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Thus she is set to become Japan's first female prime minister when the Diet meets to elect a new one.

Ms Takaichi's vision of a staunchly conservative party prevailed over the calls of outgoing PM Shinjiro Koizumi for an inclusive approach. Her election as leader marks a triumph for the LDP's conservative wing. Her liberal critics are wringing their hands about the party's abrupt turn to the right, putting it down to "the Trump effect".

Viewed from our corner of the global forest, it's yet another sign of the trend in Western countries -- that includes Japan -- towards nationalistic, culture-warrior politics.

Ms Takaichi entered  the Japanese parliament in 1993, eventually serving atop the communications ministry and, most recently, as minister for economic security. Her election, however, is hardly a triumph for feminism or the idea of "gender equity".

A staunch social conservative, she opposes giving married couples the legal right to keep separate surnames or allowing female succession in the imperial line. Her political role model is Britain's "Iron Lady", Margaret Thatcher.

But her true mentor was the late prime minister Shinzo Abe, to whose policy agenda Ms Takaichi's bears strong similarities. She declares that "Japan is back!", favours stronger Japanese armed forces, and wants to complete Mr Abe's mission to revise the constitution imposed on Japan by America at the end of WWII.

Ms Takaichi also shares her mentor's revisionist views on Japan’s wartime history. She wants to make the LDP a party "that promotes pride in [Japan’s] traditions and history." She has been a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses the spirits of Japan’s war dead, including war criminals. If she goes as prime minister, during the shrine's fall festival which begins on October 17th, she will be the first Japanese leader to do so in more than a decade.

President Trump is expected to visit Tokyo on October 27th. Ms Takaishi, considers the alliance with the US of A the cornerstone of Japan's security. She will probably try to strengthen ties with Mr Trump through their shared friendship with Mr Abe. Whether she will attempt to modify the latest trade agreement between the two countries is an open question, given that Ms Takaishi, has an expansionist economic agenda.

The selection of Ms Takaishi comes amidst growing populist sentiment in Japan, a country in which (unlike many Western countries) tradition is still respected and valued. Some upstart populist parties that have made inroads in recent elections. By choosing Ms Takaichi, the LDP is signalling an intention to win back right-wing voters who abandoned in favour of some who have played to increasing resentment over a growing number of foreign workers and tourists. 

Ms Takaichi clearly understands popular sentiment. In her victory speech she vowed to "work, work, work" to rebuild the country and revive her country. She didn't say "Make Japan great again"... but she didn't need to.

Charlie Kirk, RIP

In April, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, posted, "Assassination culture is spreading on the left." Sadly, that proved to be prophetic, as an assassin took Charlie's life yesterday while he was speaking at Utah Valley University. He was only  31 years old.

Charlie Kirk's time as a Republican influencer in the new right was much too brief. Kirk founded Turning Point USA when he was just 18 years old and spent his media career making the argument for conservatism in a generally hostile media ecosystem. 

That’s what he was doing Wednesday afternoon when he was fatally shot in the neck. In the moment before the loud snap of a gun could be heard and a gushing injury appeared on his neck, he finished a sentence about "violence".

So far two suspects have been arrested and then released. As is customary these days, police say the shooting is still under investigation and they have no clue (duh!) as to the shooter's identity or motive. 

Still, it's impossible not to make any connection to politics and the growing wave of societal derangement. Mr Kirk was one of the American right's top conservative influencers. Now, after years of the progressive left preaching about revolution, about words being violence and about President Donald Trump being the second coming of Hitler, he's been "cancelled". RIP.

Charlie Kirk was reviled by the left not just because he was a Trump supporter, but also because he was so effective. He founded a media organization that, along with a handful of others on the right, played a key role in shattering the monopoly of ideas held by the left-leaning mainstream media. 

But he famous mostly for his debate-style "Prove me wrong!" videos, in which he sat with a microphone, listening to a long diatribe from a progressive audience member attempting to prove him wrong, and afterwards replying with a firehose of counterpoints. His style was sharp and humorous. It was a golden formula for engagement on Youtube, and no doubt an outlet for closeted young conservatives and disillusioned liberals who rarely get to see these beliefs expressed in the wild.

Charlie Kirk was a Christian*, a firm believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just last week, he quoted Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." A few days ago, he posted, "Jesus defeated death so you can live." Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

* On his vlog Return to Tradition, Anthony Stine reveals that, shortly before his death, Charlie Kirk and his wife began attending Holy Mass once or twice a month at St. Bernardette's Catholic Church in Scottsdale AZ, and was very close to coming into the Church.

Walt reviews the Great Veep Debate

Poor Len Canayen and I watched last night’s vice-presidential debate between Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz, and I want you to know we gave up a pretty scrappy game between the Habs and the Ottawa Senators to do so. We were hoping for a good scrap between J.D. and Mr Awalz, but were surprised when it turned out to be a pretty good -- and reasonably cordial -- debate.

No knock-out punches were thrown. There wasn't even a little light sparring. In fact, issues and ideas were put forward, some concessions were made, and a certain level of agreement was reached on a couple of topics. My overall impression was that these candidates for the second-highest office in the Excited States of America looked and sounded far more worthy than the two we saw last month.

Some of you are going to hate me for this [As if you care. Ed.] but I want to start with appearances. Elections aren't supposed to be beauty contests, eh, but people do make judgments like "He looks like the kind of guy you could have a beer with" or "I just can't see him/her as [fill in office]."

Tampon Tim, with his jowls and wide mouth turned down at the corners, reminds me of Rugor Nass, the boss of the underwater kingdom of Otoh Gunga, in the first episode of Star Wars. Sorry. Senator Vance, with his square jaw, neatly trimmed beard and perfect-but-not-too-perfect hair, is straight out of Central Casting.

OK, forget about that. Once you stopped looking and started listening, the match became more even. The two men spent more time attacking the other's running mate than each other during 90-plus minutes. Governor Walz had a shaky start but hit his stride when talking about abortion and the so-called "Capitol riot". Overall, though, Senator Vance came off as the better-prepared and more polished public speaker. The consensus of even the lickspittle media is that he was the winner in a relatively clean and friendly contest.

Both candidates tried to portray themselves as down-home boys. (Arentcha sick and tired of "I was raised in a middle-class family."?) Mr Walz, with all his talk of "my farmers" and "we grow corn and soybeans", over-egged the custard. Mr Vance did better with his stories of the problems of his family and other real people that will be remembered from his book.

Senator Vance seemed much more comfortable. His answers were smooth, and relentlessly on-message, constantly reminding the audience that for all of Vice-President Harris's promises, Democrats have held the White House for the past three and a half years and have done next to nothing about the problems which the Cackler now says she has a plan to fix. "If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle class problems," he said, "then she ought to do them now."

If Senator Vance was picked because he puts ideological meat on the bones of President Trump's conservative populism, on Tuesday night he put a polite, humble face on them, as well. One of his better lines was, "Something these guys do is they make a lot of claims about if Donald Trump becomes president, all of these terrible consequences are going to ensue. But in reality, Donald Trump was president. Inflation was low. Take-home pay was higher." 

It wasn't long before the CBS wimmin moderators violated their own rules and started in fact-checking Mr Vance. At one point, the microphones of both candidates were temporarily muted. But for the most part, the exchanges on stage were even-tempered. Indeed, there were several moments when the two men agreed on issues, if not on how the issues should be dealt with. Toward the end, Gov. Walz said, "There’s a lot of commonality here."

There was, however, an unpleasant moment when Timmy said the only reason Mike Pence was not at the podium occupied by Senator Vance was that he certified President Joe Biden’s victory, for which Republicans wanted to hang him!  Mr Vance missed a golden opportunity to reply that the only reason Mr Walz was the Democratic candidate is that Ms Harris didn't want a Jew as a running mate, for fear of blowing [Geddit? Ed.] the Arab-Muslim vote.

That said, Mr Walz showed some of the mid-western charm -- he knows which end of the straw to put in his mouth -- that the Dimocrats hope will counter the Cackler's California brass. He didn't do the Dems any harm. 

Senator Vance's strong showing is likely to convince a lot of those precious undecided voters, and boost Republicans polling numbers in the days ahead. Moreover, his polished and relatable performance may well convince members of the GOP that the junior senator from Ohio -- two decades younger than Timmy -- has a future in national conservative politics, no matter what happens on the Day of Reckoning. Ed. is already composing a headline on the theme of "Vance ascendant".

In conclusion, I'll repeat what I wrote about 24 hours ago. When you vote, you're electing not just a president, but the person who will succeed her/him in the event of his/her death. Which of these men would you trust to sit in the Oval Office, with his hands on the levers of power? Well???

VIDEO: PPC's Max Bernier will give it another shot

In spite of the ruination of their country "progressing" day after day of the Trudeau dicktatorship, the sheeple of Canuckistan don't think much about politics in May. Hey, the Stanley Cup playoff are on. But it's now officially spring, because the Leafs are out. So Canadians can now turn their attention to getting rid of the smarmy, smug and loathsome Blackie McBlackface.

The next federal election is not due until 2025, although it could come earlier if the pinko "New" Democratic Party gets tired of its role as Trudeau's bitch. However, there is a vacancy in the riding of Portage-Lisgar, a Manitoba seat previously held by Conservative Candice Bergen, who resigned in February. That means a byelection must be held not later than August. Yesterday, Maxime Bernier, erstwhile leader of the People's Party of Canada, became the first to throw his chapeau in the ring. Click here to watch the presser in which he announced his candidacy.

"Mad Max" (as he is known affectionately, and Walt means that sincerely), says the vote in Portage-Lisgar will be a choice between him and what he called a "fake conservative". He told supporters in Portage la Prairie, that the area reminds him of his home riding, and urged them to make history by electing the first member of Parliament representing his party to "open the floodgates." "This byelection" he said "is the starting of a major turning point in Canadian politics!"

  

Portage-Lisgar, in rural Manitoba, is definitely conservative territory. In the last federal election, the PPC candidate there got 22% of the vote, a much better result than in most other ridings. The people of that area want a true conservative, M Bernier said, comparing his party to the former Reform Party. He has learned from that party's mistakes in previous elections, he said, and has no plans to merge with the federal Conservatives Cuckservatives. 

M Bernier urged supporters to join a political revolution and took shots at the Liberals, the NDP and especially the Conservatives, whom he accused of only caring about voters during elections. He also said Canada has changed dramatically for the worse in recent years, railing against what he called "the woke cult" and "moral and cultural degeneracy." He claimed that Canadian society has been overtaken by evil and "those who reject it are silenced and smeared as intolerant, racist and transphobic."

Canada badly needs a truly conservative voice in its politics and its Parliament. Walt wishes "Mad Max" all the best. 

We welcome our first guest columnist

 Ed. here. Walt is indisposed, so has, for the first time in the nearly 12-year history of WWW, invited a guest columnist to contribute a post. Our guest is David Frump, a self-described conservative and contributor to The Atlantic & Pacific magazine, which no longer has much use for his anti-Trump articles.

Thank you, Ed. Being asked to write a column in Walt Whiteman's World would be a daunting enough prospect at the best of times. But when one has to be not just a guest columnist, but the first, one is reduced to total speechlessness.

Staring at my face in the mirror this morning, I asked myself: what do you believe? Do you really have any opinions? Are you essentially conservative or, as some would have it, merely a cuckservative? Who are you?

Is this 1000 words yet? [No, it isn't. Keep going. Ed.]

Such profound questions have no easy answers. Yet answer must be found, if I am to fill up the remainder of the space allotted to me. And filled it must be, or there will be a good deal of white space on this web page. 

Was it not Anton Chekhov, that great prophet of our age, who foesaw a world in which men were grey shadows, who said "the act of writing is in essence a destructive act, turning what began as nothing into what ends as nothing."?

From Chekhov it is only a short stop to Czechoslovakia, which P.J. O'Rourke, in his epic All The Trouble in the World, held up as an example of the ecological disaster which comes in the wake of laissez-faire environmental policies of the sort espoused by Donald Trump, whose re-election last November virtually guarantees the further rape and pillage of America's grasslands, forests, lakes, rivers, wetlands and... [That's close enough to 1000. Your cheque is in the mail. Ed.]

"We are the new Drudge!" - Steve Bannon launches new website

Populist Press is Steve Bannon's new site. Here's how he and his colleagues describe it in the banner.

ANNOUNCEMENT: We're Ad Free, Big Tech Hates us, We don't use social media so they can't censor us. PLEASE bookmark us, visit daily and email our page to all your friends. SINCE DRUDGE SOLD OUT TO CHYNA...WE ARE THE NEW DRUDGE! 

Walt is having a look now, but notes lots of good reports -- stuff you won't see in the controlled media -- many guest writers, interviews, and more. Thanks to Agent 35 for giving us notice.

Candace Owens VIDEO CENSORED by YouTube "restricted" mode

OK, time to shake off the lethargy induced by the lamestream media's obsession with trivia, like who paid a fixer to get their kid into Harvard. Let's take a moment to think about something that has real meaning.

On April 9th, conservative commentator and political activist Candace Owens testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Ms Owens is the Director of Communications at the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, and is known for her pro-Trump stance and her criticism of Black Lives Matter and of the Democratic Party. It is therefore remarkable that she was invited to appear before the Committee, but she was and and she did. Her excoriation of the leftist (((controlled media))) created several viral moments, one of which became the most-watched C-SPAN video of a House hearing on Twitter.

You might think that would guarantee that the clip would go viral on YouTube. You would be wrong, because the clip, posted by PragerU, has been placed in "restricted mode", meaning that the video is censored from all users that have enabled the website's "restricted mode" feature, which typically include libraries, schools, public institutions, or any place frequented by younger viewers.

Supposedly that's to block videos that (((someone))) has been deemed "inappropriate", such as those containing pornography or violence. Or those that tell the truth about the lamestream media's current campaign against "white nationalism" and "hate crimes". Said Ms Owens, "If they were serious about the rise of hate crimes, [the leftist media] would be examining themselves and the hate they have drummed up in this country." Check this out.



This is not the first of PragerU's videos to have ended up on the YouTube fecal roster. Dennis Prager, the organization's founder, told Breitbart News last February that 80 of their 400 videos are on the "restricted" list, "lumped with pornography and violence, so that kids in libraries and schools can't see them. If you are not on the left, you are to be shut down. We have never, ever had anything like this in American history. We are in a dark age because of the left's control of Silicon Valley, academia, and media. It' a dark age that we are living in right now, and it is entirely left-wing induced."

Handwriting on the wall for Justin "Mr Socks" Trudeau

Poor Len Canayen here, taking a break from my summer vacation to bring you news of omens of doom for Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau II. Earlier this month it was the convincing win of Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives [sic] in the Ontario general election. Now (OK, last night) the federal Conservatives crushed M Trudeau's ruling Liberals in a byelection in the Québec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord.

The byelection was precipitated by the resignation of rookie Liberal MP Denis Lemieux, and came just as "Mr Socks" picked a fight with American President Donald Trump over trade issues. POTUS has imposed a 10% tariff on aluminum imports and 25% on steel, claiming the security of the Paranoid States of America is put at risk by all those Canadian products coming across the border. M Trudeau called that suggestion "insulting" -- no kidding! -- and vowed to slap dollar-for-dollar tariffs on a range of US exports to Canada, starting on Canada Day, July 1st.

The riding is in Québec's Saguenay region, the heart of the province's aluminum industry. While opinion polls suggest Canadians have rallied behind Mr Dressup, the issue evidently didn't help Liberal fortunes in yesterday's byelection. Neither did hundreds of millions of dollars of pork-barrel promises.

In the first test of Conservative leader Andrew Scheer's effort to recreate the nationalist-conservative coalition that helped federal Tories dominate the province in the 1980s, his candidate, Richard Martel, captured 53% of the vote, more than 5000 votes ahead of the Liberal, who took 29%. The pinko NDP (led by a Sikh who wears a turban but not a tie) and the separatist Bloc Québécois received 8.7% and 5.7% respectively, with the Green candidate last at just 3.1 per cent of the vote.

The Liberals' handling of the impending trade war with the USA was certainly top-of-mind for the voters of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, but un petit oiseau tells me that a close second, not mentioned by the (((controlled media))) for reasons of political correctness, was the feds' failure to turn back the 1000s of bogus "refugeees" and asylum-seekers flooding across the border at Lacolle. See "Canuck Conservatives demand Liberals stop border jumpers", WWW 24/4/18. Mr Scheer has said he'd give Québec more power over culture and immigration and has promised to crack down on the influx of "irregular refugee claimants".

M Trudeau -- or at least the handlers who pull his strings -- should pay attention. The old-stock Canadians have had more than enough of the Liberals' incessant identity politics and pandering to minorities. At the first opportunity they will boot out the liberal elites, and dat's for sure, eh!

Paul Harvey's 1965 prediction of America's future proves all too true

Do you remember Paul Harvey? Paul Harvey Aurandt (his full name) was an American radio broadcaster who was heard for many years on the ABC radio network. He voiced News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments throughout the day, from the 1950s through the 1990s. Mr. Harvey was listened to by as many as 24 million people a week on 1200 radio stations and 400 AFN (Armed Forces Network) stations. His columns appeared in 300 newspapers.

Paul Harvey was a social conservative, who was clearly -- and rightly -- dismayed by the cultural revolution that engulfed the Excited States of America in the hippy-dippy 60s. With the folk-song army and leftist elites leading the great "civil rights" charade ["crusade", shurely! Ed.] and the likes of Abbie Hoffman urging Amerikan yoof to "tune in, turn on and drop out", the lamestream media proclaimed the dawn of a new and brighter tomorrow -- LBJ's "Great Society".

Very few commentators had the foresight or the guts to predict that it would all end in tears. Paul Harvey was one who foresaw a dark future (adjective chosen deliberately) for the USA and had the courage to say so. On 3 April 1965 he broadcast a piece called "If I Were the Devil" in which he described the sad state of the nation as we see it today, half a century later. Here is an updated version, recorded (audio only) in 1996. Running time 2:47.



Paul Harvey died on 28 February 2009, at the age of 90. Walt wonders how he was able to refrain from saying "I told you so!" Walt also wonders if, in his last days, Mr. Harvey consoled himself that he wouldn't be around to see things get even worse. Because they have!

Today, following Donald Trump's win in the Nevada Republican caucuses, the meeja have suddenly figured out that "Americans want change". That very headline appeared ina so-called "national newspaper" this morning. Well, DUH! But it may be too late for us to revert to the status quo ante. The Devil's forces rule the Western world. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to put the genie back in the bottle. Let us pray!