"Land defence + dog sanctuary" - the ultimate in woke intersectionaity

You can't make this stuff up. A report in Canada's National Post reveals that, in a display of wokeness bizarre even by Canadian standars, the Vancouver Foundation gave C$300,000 ($216.000 in real money) to "decolonization activists seeking to block oil and gas pipelines with stray dogs. 

The "Decolonial Dog Sanctuary" -- consisting of a series of makeshift wooden structures and a converted bus in the forests outside Hazelton BC -- is the brain(?)child of  Teresa Brown, who lives on site and is described in the Vancouver Foundation grant documents as a "Wilp Matriarch and Hereditary Representative of the territory" [and not a Pretendian. Ed.]

The grant documents say the project is "a form of land-based re-occupation... deeply embedded in cultural, legal, and territorial frameworks maintained through relational, hereditary authority rather than external or colonial agreements."

Unmentioned is that the sanctuary was very explicitly established as an illegal forest blockade intended to hinder the construction of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline. The sanctuary carries the motto "puppies not pipelines". In a November 2024 profile published on the Indiginews website, which made clear the sanctuary's anti-pipeline mission, Ms Brown declared, "They’re not getting in here. Over my dead body!"

In recent posts to the sanctuary’s official Facebook page, Ms Brown has admitted she had limited knowledge of dog care before starting the sanctuary, but believed that aggressive dogs could "evolve into versions of themselves that thirst again for love." In a post last week, she said the project has been helpful in allowing her to reduce her dependence on pain meds and other prescription medications. That there is about all ye need to know.

12 reasons why some men have a dog, but no wife

Many thanks to Agent 9, who has neither, for sending along these 12 reasons why some men have a dog, but no wife.

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.

2. Dogs don't notice if you call them by another dog's name.

3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.

4. A dog's parents never visit.

5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.

6. Dogs find you amusing when you're drunk.

7. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.

8. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, "If I died, would you get another dog?"

9. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.

10. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.

11. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don't get mad. They just think it's interesting.

And... last but not least:
12. If a dog leaves, it won't take half of your stuff.

To test this proposition: Lock your wife and your dog in the garage for an hour. Then open it and see who's happy to see you.

UPDATED 14/12 - Pope Francis - losing it or already lost it?

A few weeks ago, Francis Cardinal George, on his retirement as Archbishop of Chicago, said he was struggling to understand Pope Francis and the latter's puzzling and often contradictory pronouncements. In a November interview with Crux ("Covering all things Catholic"), the prelate posed a series of questions he’d like to ask Pope Francis, including whether the pontiff fully understands the way some of his statements "leave people wondering if he still holds the doctrine."

Francis did two things this week that could only have increased the wonderment -- perhaps we can even say "doubt" -- of Cardinal George but 1000s of other churchmen and faithful Catholics.

The Dalai Lama visited Rome this week, and, like most tourists, had a yen to visit the Vatican and meet the Pope. But Francis -- the great apostle of ecumenism -- refused! How strange! In the name of ecumenism, this pope has met with leaders of our separated (Orthodox) brethren, going so far as to bow low to Patriarch Bartholomew I and ask for his blessing.

Strange behaviour for someone who is supposed to be the successor of St. Peter, and head of the Church established by Our Lord Himself.

Pope Francis has also met with Jewish leaders and (of course) Muslim leaders, in the name of the false ecumenism which he preaches nowadays. (What he's promoting is actually a form of syncretism, the heretical notion that all religions are equal, all leading towards the same God. This is contrary to Catholic dogma.) But for the spiritual leader of millions of Buddhists? Errr, sorry, no. That might upset the Chinese Communists, with whom the Church is trying to coexist peacefully, in spite of the fact that they keep killing our clergy and faithful.

Further reading on WWW:
"China -- not a good place to be a democrat or a Catholic"
"Archbishop of Chicago talks about the high price of US citizenship"

But wait, there's more! Mysteriously unreported on Jeff Mirus's Catholic World News website -- I call it "The Daily Pope" -- was Francis's pronouncement this week that... wait for it... all dogs go to heaven!

"One day," the Pope said, "we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures." Amazing! It may be a popular sentiment -- great news for all animal lovers -- but it's completely contrary to Catholic dogma, which teaches us that only human beings can go to heaven, because only humans have souls!

We really must wonder, with Cardinal George, if, in his quest for praise and popularity from the world at large, the Humblest Pope Ever has abandoned completely the Catholic Faith which it is his solemn obligation to protect. God knows.

Comment from Ed.: Perhaps Francis intends  his pronouncement to be the new "dog"ma. Geddit?! 

UPDATE AND CORRECTION! - Apparently there was much soiling of shorts at the Vatican over reports that Pope Francis said all creatures can go to heaven.  Deputy Spokesthingy Fr. Ciro Benedettini said he received a number of calls on the story on Friday, and was taken by surprise because he didn't recall the Pope saying anything like that in remarks at his weekly general audience on Nov. 26.

The New York Times, which ran a story on Thursday about the purported comment, acknowledged its mistake in a correction on Friday that it had misattributed a remark made by Pope Paul VI. So that's OK then because we know that Paul VI is only a step from sainthood, so he must be in heaven and he hasn't sent down a correction.

Another comment from Ed.: Sadly, the misquote may dog Francis' papacy for years.

Indian woman brings 8 street dogs to Canada

Today's Toronto Star has a heart-warming story about Naz Sayani, a part-time teacher at Hamilton's McMaster University. The good woman recently returned from a trip to her native India with 8 -- count `em, 8! -- "street dogs" she adopted.

Walt isn't sure if this actually happened, but picture the scene at YYZ (Toronto's Pearson International Airport) when the customs people saw the bitch and seven puppies. "They followed me home. Can I keep them?"

Apparently dogs can't make refugee claims. They don't even require visas. But they have to be cleared by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency! Does that mean they're being imported as food? But, errr, Indians don't eat dog...do they?

If you would like to adopt a puppy, or if you have any other message for Ms Sayani, you can e-mail her at luckucky@gmail.com. You're welcome.

In China, only one dog gets his day

The Economist reports that Shanghai is going to inaugurate a policy allowing families to keep only one pet dog. The new rules are modelled on the lines of China's notorious one-child policy.

Dogs which are surplus to requirements will presumably be eaten. [Tastes kind of like rabbit. Ed.]

Reporting the story, the Economist writes "Owners of the city's many unlicensed pooches insisted the local authorities were hounding them."

I wish I'd said that!