An excerpt from today's reading (St. Luke 2:25-32, DRV):
25. And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghose was in him.
26. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law;
28. He also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said:
29. Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to they word in peace;
30. Because my eyes have seen they salvation,
31. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
32. A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
We apologize to anyone who was offended by yesterday's "Ultimate click-bait" post... including those who clicked on the image or the text and were disappointed to find that it didn't lead anywhere! Here's something more edifying.
Walt was in South Africa in the mid-90s when the white-run country was handed over to the Marxist African National Congress. Predictably, it has slid downhill ever since, and is now just a small cut above Zimbabwe in terms of standard of living and everything else that matters. Now they want to seize white farms -- what took them so long? -- to ensure starvation.
South Africa is also (and again predictably) home to one of the world's worst epidemics of HIV/AIDS. At least 8.5 million of its people are living with HIV, and Sky News (the woke British version, not the painfully honest Aussie site) is whining that their treatment is in doubt thanks to President Trump's executive order freezing foreign aid for 90 days.
Until the introduction of Dubya's President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, African sufferers from the deadly disease were at the mercy of their witch doctors (not kidding -- look it up!) there was no medication. Nelly Zulu, an activist and mother living with HIV in Soweto told Sky News, "The government would tell us to take beetroot and garlic. It was very difficult for the government to give us treatment but we fought very hard to win this battle. Now, the challenge is that we are going back to the struggle."
In this video, a prostitute walks up to the security guards outside a shuttered USAid-funded sexual health clinic in Johannesburg's inner-city district. She looks around with confusion when she is told the clinic is closed. She tells Sky's reporter it has only been two months since she came here to receive her usual care. Now, she must scramble to find another safe place for her sexual health screenings and pre-exposure prophylaxis. Like many sex workers, free sexual health clinics are her lifeline. "You don't have to quit working. Just keep taking these pills, provided by those nice Americans."
Too bad, eh. But ask yourself why South Africa, still a comparitively wealthy nation -- compared with Zimbabwe, say -- should be receiving handouts from American taxpayers to mitigate the poor lifestyle... and political... choices of its citizens.
Meanwhile, South African boers (white farmers) say they are deeply worried by a land seizure bill has been signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Basically, this bill gives the government power to take the farmers' land, and even their domestic houses, and not pay any compensation, if there is "good reason" for so doing. What constitutes "good reason" has not been stated, but "to give it to blacks" is Walt's guess. (Lifetime pct .989)
Farmers who choose to move to someplace where they won't experience reverse racism will be looking to Australia, Canada, maybe even the US of A, where their agricultural expertise will be welcome. Souoth Africa's loss will be our gain! And here's a shining example...
Susanna Heystek's family migrated to Canada around the turn of the century. Things have gotten worse in South Africa since then. They're getting worse in the Great No Longer White North too, but for the time being, it's a better bet than the land they left.
You do realize, don't you, that the US of A and Canada are quite different in many ways. That's why our national holidays in July, although only three days apart, are celebrated differently. That's why President Trump's talk about Canada becoming the 51st state is just trolling the gliberals and never-Trumpers like Andy Coyne and Dave Frum. Chill, baby, chill!
It's the drugs, stupid! That's the thesis of Samuel Cooper, an investigative journalist and author of Willful Blindness: How a network of narcos, tycoons and CCP agents infiltrated the West. I haven't read this book -- just heard of it now, in fact -- therefore can't recommend it, but Mr Cooper certainly puts forward an interesting... and very scary hypothesis.
In this intereview with Daniela Cambone, Mr Cooper says, "There are very deep concerns that Canada is being used by China in a very sophisticated economic and truly criminal way." And that's the reason, he says, for President Trump's recent rhetoric about tariffs and Canada becoming the 51st state.
It's not a tactic to get Canada to renegotiate the trade deal with the US of A, he says, but a ploy to curb the massive illegal fentanyl trade originating from Canada. "China ships the precursors to the West Coast of Mexico and the West Coast of Canada," he says, "so Vancouver is used as a hub for these precursors." He also details how elite Chinese politicians involve Canada in illegal money laundering, while Canadian politicians turn a blind eye to it.
In just a couple of hours, President Trump is scheduled to have a telephone conversation with Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of All Canuckistan. Walt wonders if this is what they will talk about! Will we ever be told? Don't bet on it.
Good grief! Groundhog Day again! Walt got up at the crack of dawn, compiled this report on the festivities, then sealed up the crack and went back to bed.
North America's famous prognosticating rodents were split over spring’s arrival on Groundhog Day.
In rural Pennsylvania, hard by the Moshannon State Forest, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather watcher, was pulled from his warm burrow this morning and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.
On the other side of the World's Longest Undefended Border (TM), Ontario's Wiarton Willie, pictured, reportedly did not see his shadow, which is good news for people tired of wintry weather. But Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam and Québec's Fred la Marmotte saw their shadows, predicting a long winter ahead.
Tradition holds that if a groundhog doesn't see its shadow on Groundhog Day, springlike weather will soon arrive. But if a shadow appears, winter's icy grip won't let go for quite some time. Walt places more trust in Wiarton Willie [because he's white? Ed.], but cannot overlook the majority opinion -- 3 to 1 for more winter. Back to sleep.
Breitbart News reports today on an interview between Bill Maher and Peggy Noonan on yesterday's broadcast of HBO’s Real Time. Mr Maher stated that younger people have fallen into a dangerous level of self-loathing about America. A significant part of this is because, he said, "older generations read about Communism and socialism" and today's generation doesn't.
Mr Maher added, "Another, I think big gap between generations...is that the older generations just have a more positive idea of this country.... And kids today, I don’t know what they’re teaching them in school, it doesn’t seem like a hell of a lot, but they have this idea, that they live...in a bad country that has only done bad things and is probably the worst place in the world, if they could only find a way to get out."
Ms Noonan responded that while America is "not perfect. To say the least, it’s had an uneven history. But it is a great country, and, historically, has been a good country." To which her host responded, "And it does self-correct. It does correct more than other places."
"Self-criticism is good," the WSJ columnist agreed. "Self-hatred is sick. Self-criticism could get you to a good place. Self-hatred is going to stop you dead."
On reading this, I immediately rememberted George Carlin's special "Life Is Worth Losing", made for HBO in 2005. In the video, the stand-up comedian covers the downfall of America from our "inheritance" of "this beautiful country" to consumerism and today's politicians, "It's a big club and you ain't in it!"
As you watch this clip, ask yourself: Is this self-hatred, self-loating, or self-correction?
Mr Carlin isn't alive (RIP) to answer my question. I doubt that he intended it to be a recipe for self-correction, since his cynicism -- he was the ultimate kitchen cynic (geddit?) -- would suggest that self-correction is impossible for today's Americans. QED. This clip has had over 31 million views over the 19 years since it was made. I don't see anything or anybody changing. Do you?
