"But we won, in the end, right?"

"I mean, we ended the Muslim civil war, we brought peace and democracy to Iraq and all those other places, and we saved the world from Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban. So we won... right?"

Errr... actually, NO! Ever since WWII, and particularly since the fall of the Twin Towers, the Paranoid States of America has considered itself the World's Policeman, on a mission to spread freedom, democracy, and the American way of life (ugghhh, brrrrr) throughout the rest of the world, whether ROTW wants it or not.

After 9/11, the words "al-Qaeda" became shorthand for Islamic terrorism anywhere in the world. The cry "Allahu akbar!" was  heard in London, Paris, Berlin [That's enough world cities. Ed.] and is still our best guess any time there's a suicide bombing or mass shooting or terror attack anywhere in the Middle East or the Western world.

With the US of A as the unwitting midwife, Al-Qaeda begat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Muslim civil war in Iraq begat the same in Syria. The American-led (but really America-only) missions in Iraq and Afghanistan ended in ignominious retreat. 

Saddam Hussein and Muammar Ghadafi were deposed and killed, but today the countries they ruled remain no-go zones for Westerners, as does the entire Muddled East from the Mediterranean all the way to Pakistan. (The possible exception is Israel, although it has its own wars with Palestinians and Hezbollah to worry about.) 

Instead of bringing the Islamic republics, sheikdoms, etc into the New World Order, American intervention (read: meddling) has turned the region into one huge shithole, stuck in the mentality of the Middle Ages and intent on bring the ROTW down to its level. I call our mission a failure, utter and complete.

Further reading: And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East, by Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News. Simon & Schuster, 2016. Clear and concise, not overly biased, easy reading.

Footnote: Regular readings should know that Walt fully supports Ukraine and Ukrainians in their reistance to the illegal Russian invasion and occupation of their land. Слава Україні! Героям слава! 

I believe we should give the Ukrainians as much humanitarian and military assistance as we can, short of putting US or NATO boots on the ground. Why stop at that? Precisely because of the mess America has made of every foreign intervention since (and including) Korea. That kind of "help" is the last thing Ukraine needs!

Democrat-run cities - the vision and the reality

What kind of city do you want to live in? Either move... of vote the Dumbocrats out, next chance you get. Same logic applies to states and, dare we say it, the entire US of A. Not sure about that? Look around you.

Recommended reading/listening for parents

While I'm on the subject of book/podcast recommendations (see "Where to find new stuff by Scott Adams", WWW 8/9/23)... Mrs Walt tells me our blog is too "male-oriented". She's not one of those feminazis, just suggesting that there should be more content that real women, particularly parents, would find interesting and helpful. So we're happy to pass along these recommendations from Parents As First Educators.

Parenting Great Kids is a highly recommendable podcast curated by Dr Meg Meeker. She's a founatin of information on topics such as: how to communicate with your children, keeping them sae online, and advice for homeschoolers.

Dr Meeker isn't the only speaker. Recent episordes have included "A Guide to Homeschooling" (209), with Jennifer Pepito is the author of Mothering by the Book, host of the Restoration Home podcast, and the founder of The Peaceful Press. 

"Overcoming Hidden Loneliness with the Power of Friendship" (211 - added today!), with guest Justin Whitmel, is about cultivating meaningful relationships for our children.

In "Navigating Children's Gender Dysphoria: The Hidden Dangers of Transgender Treatments" (204), Dr Meeker and Dr Jill Simons [a REAL "Dr Jill". Ed.] encourage listeners to ask themselves some tough questions, challenging popular narratives and encouraging informed decision-making. 

Lots of great stuff there. So it is, too, with the blog edited by Dr Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D. He's a primary care physician who has been speaking to parents on issues of child and teen development since 2001. His books include: Why Gender Matters, Boys Adrift, The Collapses of Parenting, and (shown at right) Girls on the Edge: Why So Many Girls Are Anxious, Wired, and Obsessed--And What Parents Can Do.

In this book, Dr Sax reveals the four biggest threats to girls' psychological growth and explains how parents can help their daughters develop a healthy sense of self. He argues that many girls today have a brittle sense of self. They may look confident and strong on the outside, but they're fragile within. 

He offers the tools parents need to help their girls become independent and confident women, with practical tips on everything from helping their daughter limit her time on social media, to choosing a sport, to nurturing her spirit through female-centered activities.

I hope you'll follow the links and check out these helpful resources. Do you want more of these reviews and recommendations? Use the comments window to let Walt know what you think.

Where to find new stuff by Scott Adams

I'm still like the fly on the rim of the toilet bowl -- pissed off! -- about the wokesters' cancellation of Dilbert, and its creator, Scott Adams. I imbibed the wisdom of Dilbert (and especially Dogbert) every day since the creation. It was from Dogbert that I learned how to answer questions about how many people read WWW.

 

But, as Mr Adams found out in February, you can only be politically incorrect for so long.

Scott Adams paid the price for being un-PC enough to say that he had given up trying to help blacks [that should be "Blacks". Ed.] If you wondered why you don't see the Dilbert comic strips in your local newspaper any more, click here to find out what happened.

 

But, I'm happy to report, Mr Adams refused to surrender to the libtard censors. His latest book, Reframe Your Brain, which was put on hold during the woke foofaraw, as now been published, and looks like it's going to be a big seller.

In an e-mail which he sent us recently Mr Adams, says he keeps hearing from people who have bought 2-10 copies apiece. It's in the Top 20 of all books on Amazon. There's an Audible version too.

What's Reframe Your Brain about? In his e-mail, Mr Adams told us: "Reframes are short sentences that tune your brain for a happier and more successful life. I have over 160 reframes for business, mental health, social life, and reality itself. People tell me they have achieved incredible results already."

If self-help books aren't your thing, and you're really looking for the Dilbert comic, it has been reborn as a spicier version, naughtier than newspapers allowed, available only by subscription: You can find it on X (formerly Twitter) by subscription at @ScottAdamsSays.

The strip is also part of the content on Coffee With Scott Adams. But wait (as Vince Offer used to say), there's lots more -- over two-hundred Micro Lessons (2-4 minutes) each teaching a useful skill or reframe, the occasional Robots Read News comic, daily livestreams on the headlines, frequent live streams from the Adams Man Cave in the evenings, and tons of other fun memes and posts including community stuff. 

If you subscribe or donate, please tell Scott that Walt sent ya!

Mass shooting in Canada's capital raises disturbing questions

It's a long weekend in the Great No-longer-white North, just as it is in the Excited States of America. The difference is that the Canucks spell the holiday "Labour Day" instead of "Labor Day". Normally nothing happens in Canada on a Labour Day weekend, but not this year.

The Ottawa police -- the heroes of the Freedom Convoy -- and the lickspittle media are trying out the best way to spin the news of a shooting at a wedding reception last night, which left two "Toronto men" (as Arnie would say) dead and injured six others. 

A spokesthingy for the cops police responded to reports of gunfire at about 2221 ["about"? Ed.] in Ottawa's s south end, near the airport outside a club where a wedding reception was being held. Initially the police would provide no information about the victims or suspects, except to say that there were no threats to public safety.

This afternoon, however, to quell certain rumors being spread about the gender preferences of the happy couple, they identified the deceased.

They are... or were... 26-year-old Said Mohamed Ali and 29-year-old Abdishakur Abdi-Dahir, both from Toronto. For some reason, nothing further was said about the ethnicity of the deceased, although we can pretty well figure that out. Same with their Religion of Peace. 

But what about their "gender identity"? Or their status in Canada? Were they, by any chance, homosexuals who were being united in a "gay marriage"? Perhaps they were "refugees" from Syria or Afghanistan or some other Islamic shithole, where homosexuality and the Sin of Fr James Martin are officially unacceptable or downright illegal. Just sayin'....

And the biggest question of all. What if the shooter turns out to be, not some rabid white supremacist, but a devout Muslim, one who is devoutly anti-gay? What would that do to the liberal narrative?

UPDATE ADDED 4/9/23: The Groan & Wail version of this story says the "Somali community" was involved. Lately there have been several "mostly peaceful" clashes between "refugees" from Somalia and Eritrea, and between two factions of the Eritrean community -- those who are opposed to the dictatorship and those who support the evil regime.

India releases video of moon landing

From the Babylon Bee, obviously and of course. Click here to read the article.

Walt can reveal that the Indian Space Research Organisation is planning, as its next mission, a landing on the sun. They are reported to have figured out how to cope with the extreme heat which the astronauts would encounter. "It will not be a problem," said ISRO Director Raj Patel. "Ve vill go at night!"

End of summer MUSIC VIDEO: Van Morrison: Come On In

It's been a while since Walt posted a music video, so we're grateful for to Agent 5 (our man in the music industry) for sending us the link to a great tune from Van Morrison's new album Moving On Skiffle. This is an old blues song by Washboard Sam. Enjoy!

 

Walt confesses to having forgotten both skiffle and Van Morrison. For younger folk who never heard of the genre, skiffle is American jazz or folk music played entirely or in part on nonstandard instruments (such as jugs, washboards, or Jew's harps). 

In the UK, the same name was applied to a derivative form of music featuring vocals with a simple instrumental accompaniment. Its popularity led to the formation of many new groups in Old Blighty, and saw the first musical steps by future stars such as Cliff Richard, Jimmy Page and... wait for it... the Beatles.