Hellery Clinton is not inevitable, and thank God for that! Walt endorses Bernie Sanders, just to give the Democratic Establishment a scare and make things interesting. If Bernie becomes the Dems candidate -- which I doubt, even if he wins today -- it would for once give Americans a clear choice between two "outsiders".
What "outsider" do I commend to Republican voters? I wouldn't be fussed if Ted Cruz squeaks through, but, if I could vote in Iowa, I'd vote for Donald Trump... just to make things really interesting. Besides, Mr. Cruz was born in Canada. He can deny his birthright all he likes, but he's got the taint of maple syrup about him.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Yes, I'm from Ukraine
People occasionally ask me if I'm from the Ukraine, or at least Ukrainian. "With a name like 'Walt(er)', what else could you be?" they ask. Well no, I'm not Ukrainian, ethnically or by citizenship. But a couple of my agents are, or their ancestors were, or both. One of them sent me these answers to annoying questions Ukrainians get asked by non-Ukrainians.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Lamestream media moan about backlash against Muslim "refugees"
Walt is wetting himself (almost) reading the sob stories in the liberal lamestream media about how the racist and Islamophobic Europeans are turning against the waves of "refugees" and asylum-seekers washing up on their shores. Worst of all are the Canadian meeja, led by the state-owned CBC, who smugly assure their audience that the "failure of human compassion" would never happen in Canada. Canadians, they say, overwhelmingly support the welcoming of 1000s of aliens who won't integrate into their supposedly multicultural society any better than will those who the Europeans now seek to get rid of.
Typical of the tripe that's being fed to gullible Canucks is "The refugee crisis is shredding the cords that bind Europe", commentary by Kelly McParland in the so-called National Post. In the FB comments section following the piece, one perceptive reader calls Mr. McParland an "ethno-masochist, multiculturalist shill". [Don't you wish you'd thought up "ethno-masochist"? Ed.]
Be that as it certainly is, I'm going to repost a large chunk of the blog, because, even if the slant is wrong, Mr. McParland has the facts right. The Europeans don't want any more refugees. In fact, they'd like to send those who have already snuck into their countries back where they came from. That's a fact!
In Europe [Mr. McParland writes], one flood is running into another. The tide of refugees pouring across the Mediterranean in search of a new life is meeting a counter-flow of antagonism from countries increasingly unprepared to grant them their wish.
Dishearteningly, staunch resistance is now coming from some of the wealthiest countries. A Dutch proposal would have Syrians landing in Greece put on a boat straight back to Turkey. Denmark has passed a law allowing it to collect valuables from refugee claimants to pay their costs. Sweden’s Interior Minister said this week some 80,000 asylum-seekers -– about half the total -– could be deported if Stockholm can find enough planes for them. Not to be outdone, Finland revealed it expects to reject 65% of asylum applicants....
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron this week dismissed refugees gathered in France as "a bunch of migrants" and rejected any suggestion they should be allowed into Britain.... The EU government in Brussels, meanwhile, has taken to blaming Greece –- easily it’s [sic] weakest member -– for failing to keep the tide from spreading beyond its borders.... Brussels is now threatening to impose border controls if Athens can’t find a way to save the other 27 member countries from being afflicted with the migrants.
The most dramatic shift remains in Germany, however, where there is a very real chance the coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel could unravel.... Merkel is scrambling desperately to convince other European powers they must act together if the EU is to survive. A poll released Friday found 40% of Germans feel Merkel should resign over her handling of the situation. She was able to hold her government together this week only by agreeing to new restrictions demanded by her two main allies, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, and Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer.
Seehofer in particular has pressured Berlin to tighten the liberal policies championed by Merkel, who argues that Germany has a historical responsibility to aid as many asylum-seekers as possible. He wants a cap on the number Germany will accept, and an expanded list of "safe" countries from which applicants will be rejected.
Critics complain that thousands of people from North Africa have sought to take advantage of the chaos to claim refugee status in wealthier European countries. Norway said recently it would send home thousands of Russians who have crossed into the country by bicycle after spotting a loophole in immigration laws.
Merkel has shown herself to be among the most adroit leaders in the western world. But after more than a decade at the top of the European pole, the ground beneath her may be collapsing. It could swallow her, as well as Europe as a union. Built to avoid war, it could fail over the limits of human compassion.
On this side of the water (Walt speaking now), Canada's Liberal government keeps saying it will admit 25,000 "refugees" by the end of February, and as many as 50,000 by the end of 2016, whether Canadians like it or not, and whether the migrants want come of not. See "Surprise! Syrian refugees welcomed by Canada want to go home", WWW 25/1/16.
South of the world's longest undefended border, Barack Hussein Obama thinks the Paranoid States of America should be able to accommodate a mere 10,000 of the tired, wretched, huddles masses. His likely success, Donald Trump, thinks that's 10,000 too many, and numerous public opinion polls suggest many more Americans agree with the Donald than with the Prez.
Assuming the USA effectively slams the door on the "refugees", that would seem to leave Canadians as the only ones foolish enough to let their deluded liberal elites (Hello, Kelly McParland!) lead them, lemming-like, over the cliff to societal suicide.
Typical of the tripe that's being fed to gullible Canucks is "The refugee crisis is shredding the cords that bind Europe", commentary by Kelly McParland in the so-called National Post. In the FB comments section following the piece, one perceptive reader calls Mr. McParland an "ethno-masochist, multiculturalist shill". [Don't you wish you'd thought up "ethno-masochist"? Ed.]
Be that as it certainly is, I'm going to repost a large chunk of the blog, because, even if the slant is wrong, Mr. McParland has the facts right. The Europeans don't want any more refugees. In fact, they'd like to send those who have already snuck into their countries back where they came from. That's a fact!
In Europe [Mr. McParland writes], one flood is running into another. The tide of refugees pouring across the Mediterranean in search of a new life is meeting a counter-flow of antagonism from countries increasingly unprepared to grant them their wish.
Dishearteningly, staunch resistance is now coming from some of the wealthiest countries. A Dutch proposal would have Syrians landing in Greece put on a boat straight back to Turkey. Denmark has passed a law allowing it to collect valuables from refugee claimants to pay their costs. Sweden’s Interior Minister said this week some 80,000 asylum-seekers -– about half the total -– could be deported if Stockholm can find enough planes for them. Not to be outdone, Finland revealed it expects to reject 65% of asylum applicants....
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron this week dismissed refugees gathered in France as "a bunch of migrants" and rejected any suggestion they should be allowed into Britain.... The EU government in Brussels, meanwhile, has taken to blaming Greece –- easily it’s [sic] weakest member -– for failing to keep the tide from spreading beyond its borders.... Brussels is now threatening to impose border controls if Athens can’t find a way to save the other 27 member countries from being afflicted with the migrants.
The most dramatic shift remains in Germany, however, where there is a very real chance the coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel could unravel.... Merkel is scrambling desperately to convince other European powers they must act together if the EU is to survive. A poll released Friday found 40% of Germans feel Merkel should resign over her handling of the situation. She was able to hold her government together this week only by agreeing to new restrictions demanded by her two main allies, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, and Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer.
Seehofer in particular has pressured Berlin to tighten the liberal policies championed by Merkel, who argues that Germany has a historical responsibility to aid as many asylum-seekers as possible. He wants a cap on the number Germany will accept, and an expanded list of "safe" countries from which applicants will be rejected.
Critics complain that thousands of people from North Africa have sought to take advantage of the chaos to claim refugee status in wealthier European countries. Norway said recently it would send home thousands of Russians who have crossed into the country by bicycle after spotting a loophole in immigration laws.
Merkel has shown herself to be among the most adroit leaders in the western world. But after more than a decade at the top of the European pole, the ground beneath her may be collapsing. It could swallow her, as well as Europe as a union. Built to avoid war, it could fail over the limits of human compassion.
On this side of the water (Walt speaking now), Canada's Liberal government keeps saying it will admit 25,000 "refugees" by the end of February, and as many as 50,000 by the end of 2016, whether Canadians like it or not, and whether the migrants want come of not. See "Surprise! Syrian refugees welcomed by Canada want to go home", WWW 25/1/16.
South of the world's longest undefended border, Barack Hussein Obama thinks the Paranoid States of America should be able to accommodate a mere 10,000 of the tired, wretched, huddles masses. His likely success, Donald Trump, thinks that's 10,000 too many, and numerous public opinion polls suggest many more Americans agree with the Donald than with the Prez.
Assuming the USA effectively slams the door on the "refugees", that would seem to leave Canadians as the only ones foolish enough to let their deluded liberal elites (Hello, Kelly McParland!) lead them, lemming-like, over the cliff to societal suicide.
Another product for the fat of the land?
Mrs. Walt received, the other day, a promotional package of something called Herbacin. What's that? Could be a herbicide. I don't know. It was "her" stuff. Included as a little bonus was what I call an emery board -- something you use to file your nails. [I don't file mine. I just throw `em away. Ed.] It's the top one in this photo.
While Mrs. Walt was giving herself a manicure, I observed that she was struggling somewhat with the board. (It should be noted here that Mrs. Walt is petite, and not Born in the USA.) It seemed a bit bigger than necessary for her delicate fingertips. I got one of her "standard" emery boards for comparison -- the bottom one in the picture -- and found that the new one is a tad shorter but almost three times as thick as the old one.
Why so? My guess is that the Herbacin board -- I think it's just a promotional item, not the Herbacin product itself -- is yet another product designed for the hopelessly fat. By "hopelessly fat" I mean the average American. I first wrote about this trend to "fatten up" everyday products to match the expanding population almost five years ago. See "Fat and fatter", WWW 3/3/11.
Pens, cutlery, emery boards -- everything is getting super-sized, so as to be more easily managed by people with finers like sausages. There are curved shower curtain rods to accommodate those who bulge out over the edge of the tub. See "Showers for those who can't see their toes", WWW 29/4/11. Even coffins are being built bigger. See "FAT in life, FAT in death", WWW 14/1/12.
And the list goes on. Just this week we learn that Barbie has put on some weight. It's not that the new Barbie is "fat", you understand. That word is no longer politically correct. To call someone "fat" is "body-shaming". Tut tut! No, the new, bigger Barbie is "curvy", or you might say she has "a more realistic body shape". That's the official Mattel line, anyway. But the pix I've seen suggest that Barbie, like emery boards, has been redesigned for not-so-little fingers.
While Mrs. Walt was giving herself a manicure, I observed that she was struggling somewhat with the board. (It should be noted here that Mrs. Walt is petite, and not Born in the USA.) It seemed a bit bigger than necessary for her delicate fingertips. I got one of her "standard" emery boards for comparison -- the bottom one in the picture -- and found that the new one is a tad shorter but almost three times as thick as the old one.
Why so? My guess is that the Herbacin board -- I think it's just a promotional item, not the Herbacin product itself -- is yet another product designed for the hopelessly fat. By "hopelessly fat" I mean the average American. I first wrote about this trend to "fatten up" everyday products to match the expanding population almost five years ago. See "Fat and fatter", WWW 3/3/11.
Pens, cutlery, emery boards -- everything is getting super-sized, so as to be more easily managed by people with finers like sausages. There are curved shower curtain rods to accommodate those who bulge out over the edge of the tub. See "Showers for those who can't see their toes", WWW 29/4/11. Even coffins are being built bigger. See "FAT in life, FAT in death", WWW 14/1/12.
And the list goes on. Just this week we learn that Barbie has put on some weight. It's not that the new Barbie is "fat", you understand. That word is no longer politically correct. To call someone "fat" is "body-shaming". Tut tut! No, the new, bigger Barbie is "curvy", or you might say she has "a more realistic body shape". That's the official Mattel line, anyway. But the pix I've seen suggest that Barbie, like emery boards, has been redesigned for not-so-little fingers.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
When the Muslims take over Italy...
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made a state visit to Italy earlier this week. To ensure that everything was politically correct and Muslim-friendly for his visit, Italian authorities covered up nude statues, so as not to offend Islamic sensibilities.
This may be only a foretaste of things to come. When the wave of Muslim "refugees" inundates Italy completely, expect the dirty artworks to be covered up, or indeed destroyed as in the ISIS "caliphate". Once Sharia law becomes the law of Europe, even paintings of women's faces could be affected. Like this.
This may be only a foretaste of things to come. When the wave of Muslim "refugees" inundates Italy completely, expect the dirty artworks to be covered up, or indeed destroyed as in the ISIS "caliphate". Once Sharia law becomes the law of Europe, even paintings of women's faces could be affected. Like this.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Subban booed at Bell Centre as Canadiens lose another one
Poor Len here, and in a foul mood, as were all fans of the Montréal Canadiens after last night's debacle at the Bell Centre. For the second night in a row, the Habs lost 5-2 to the worst team in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Check out this picture...
"What's that noise?", alleged all-star defenceman P.K. Subban (76) seems to be asking. "Is it booing? Who are they booing? Surely they're not booing ME?!" But indeed they were, and deservedly so. Pernell Karl got assists on both Montréal goals, the second for a nice cross-seam pass to Alex Galchenyuk. But he also coughed up the puck a number of times (as is his wont), including two egregious giveaways which resulted in Columbus goals. -1 for the night.
So it's time once again (sadly) for me to ask, what's wrong with the Canadiens? Can it be fixed during the all-star break, or at least before the end of February trade deadline? Do the Habs have any hope of even making the playoffs, or will the nightmare continue until an early summer vacation?
Here (IMHO) is the problem in a nutshell. Les Glorieux are scoring just over 2 goals per game at the moment. Their goaltenders are allowing a slightly higher number, on average. Result? Loss after loss after loss. To fix the obvious problem, they must either score more or get scored on less.
I have much sympathy for the Montréal goaltending duo. Ben Scrivens, obtained from Calgary to replace the useless Dustin Tokarski, seems to be a graduate of the Mike Palmateer school of goaltending, but is doing his best. Mike Condon, elevated to the No. 1 role after Carey Price's injury -- will he ever recover? -- has a save percentage of around .910, which is reasonable for an NHL goalie. But his GAA is well over 2.00 and climbing, and... see preceding paragraph.
What Condon and Scrivens need is more help on defence. The Habs have some four defencemen -- Emelin, Petry, Gilbert, and Barberio -- who are either good or adequate. Greg Pateryn, brought up from the farm club last year, has been riding the pines most of this season, but would be OK if he were playing with the right partner.
Which brings us to Markov, Beaulieu and Subban. Andrei Markov appears to be getting tired. He's 37, so maybe he's just physically tired, but I believe his increasingly frequent flubs come from being paired with Subban and having to guess what the unpredictable "all-star" is going to do next. Perhaps it's time to give Markov a rest and let Pateryn play more, with Emelin perhaps, leaving Subban and Beaulieu to team up for the risky business.
As for the lack of scoring punch, I'm not alone in thinking that the forwards have a confidence problem. Knowing that Carey Price isn't back there to bail them out and the defence is suspect, they are playing to not make mistakes! They hesitate to carry the puck at top speed into the opponents' zone, lest they get trapped and then accused of being irresponsible on defence.
Instead, they leave it to the "offensive defencement" -- Subban and Beaulieu -- to initiate the break-outs. Subban tries to do this in one of two ways. Sometimes he tries what Don Cherry calls the "Alley Oop" pass, a lob up the centre which a forward is supposed to pick up for a breakaway. When that play works, it's great. At other times, Subban elects to carry the puck himself. Showboat that he is, he always makes a pivot or two along the way, which means that the forwards have to stop at the blue line to wait for him. Really. Not great.
There's my diagnosis. I'm running out of space so will only touch briefly on the question of who should be traded if the Habs are going to have a shot at the playoffs. The way things are now, if I were Marc Bergevin, I'd consider everyone except Carey Price a potential candidate for a trade. (Yes, some of them have no-trade clauses, but so what.) That includes P.K. Subban, who I think is not a team player, a disruptive force in the room and on the bench, and, on balance (as he often isn't!) a liability to the team.
"What's that noise?", alleged all-star defenceman P.K. Subban (76) seems to be asking. "Is it booing? Who are they booing? Surely they're not booing ME?!" But indeed they were, and deservedly so. Pernell Karl got assists on both Montréal goals, the second for a nice cross-seam pass to Alex Galchenyuk. But he also coughed up the puck a number of times (as is his wont), including two egregious giveaways which resulted in Columbus goals. -1 for the night.
So it's time once again (sadly) for me to ask, what's wrong with the Canadiens? Can it be fixed during the all-star break, or at least before the end of February trade deadline? Do the Habs have any hope of even making the playoffs, or will the nightmare continue until an early summer vacation?
Here (IMHO) is the problem in a nutshell. Les Glorieux are scoring just over 2 goals per game at the moment. Their goaltenders are allowing a slightly higher number, on average. Result? Loss after loss after loss. To fix the obvious problem, they must either score more or get scored on less.
I have much sympathy for the Montréal goaltending duo. Ben Scrivens, obtained from Calgary to replace the useless Dustin Tokarski, seems to be a graduate of the Mike Palmateer school of goaltending, but is doing his best. Mike Condon, elevated to the No. 1 role after Carey Price's injury -- will he ever recover? -- has a save percentage of around .910, which is reasonable for an NHL goalie. But his GAA is well over 2.00 and climbing, and... see preceding paragraph.
What Condon and Scrivens need is more help on defence. The Habs have some four defencemen -- Emelin, Petry, Gilbert, and Barberio -- who are either good or adequate. Greg Pateryn, brought up from the farm club last year, has been riding the pines most of this season, but would be OK if he were playing with the right partner.
Which brings us to Markov, Beaulieu and Subban. Andrei Markov appears to be getting tired. He's 37, so maybe he's just physically tired, but I believe his increasingly frequent flubs come from being paired with Subban and having to guess what the unpredictable "all-star" is going to do next. Perhaps it's time to give Markov a rest and let Pateryn play more, with Emelin perhaps, leaving Subban and Beaulieu to team up for the risky business.
As for the lack of scoring punch, I'm not alone in thinking that the forwards have a confidence problem. Knowing that Carey Price isn't back there to bail them out and the defence is suspect, they are playing to not make mistakes! They hesitate to carry the puck at top speed into the opponents' zone, lest they get trapped and then accused of being irresponsible on defence.
Instead, they leave it to the "offensive defencement" -- Subban and Beaulieu -- to initiate the break-outs. Subban tries to do this in one of two ways. Sometimes he tries what Don Cherry calls the "Alley Oop" pass, a lob up the centre which a forward is supposed to pick up for a breakaway. When that play works, it's great. At other times, Subban elects to carry the puck himself. Showboat that he is, he always makes a pivot or two along the way, which means that the forwards have to stop at the blue line to wait for him. Really. Not great.
There's my diagnosis. I'm running out of space so will only touch briefly on the question of who should be traded if the Habs are going to have a shot at the playoffs. The way things are now, if I were Marc Bergevin, I'd consider everyone except Carey Price a potential candidate for a trade. (Yes, some of them have no-trade clauses, but so what.) That includes P.K. Subban, who I think is not a team player, a disruptive force in the room and on the bench, and, on balance (as he often isn't!) a liability to the team.
The SPLC hates Judge Roy Moore... because he's RIGHT!
You might not think it from their altruistic-sounding name, but the Southern Poverty Law Center is a hate group! What they hate with consuming passion is intolerance. Make that religious intolerance. More accurately, they hate Christian intolerance, since they rarely inveigh against Islamic fanatacism or (Gott in Himmel!) Zionism.
Can you be more specific (I hear you ask) about who the SPLC hates? Why sure. According to Wikipedia, the SPLC recently counted 784 American societies, churches and organizations that it describes as "active hate groups". These included:
72 separate Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups with 52 websites
142 neo-Nazi groups with 89 websites
115 white nationalist groups with 190 websites
119 white power skinhead groups with 25 websites
21 Christian Identity groups with 37 websites
37 neo-Confederate groups with 25 websites
113 black separatist groups with 40 websites
165 general hate groups (subdivided into anti-gay, Holocaust denial, racist music, radical traditionalist Catholic and others)with 172 hate websites.
So let's see... If the SPLC is against groups which are anti-LGBT, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, etc., then they must be for queers, immigrants, Muslims, etc... right? And if they're against "Christian Identity" groups, who are they for? That would be a good question to ask their CEO, Richard Cohen.
The "Christian Identity groups" most often targeted by the SPLC are evangelical Protestants and "radical traditional Catholic" groups. High on their fecal roster are Catholic Family News/Catholic Family Ministries, The Fatima Crusader/International Fatima Rosary Crusade, and The Remnant/The Remnant Press, all of which Walt endorses whole-heartedly. [WWW didn't make the list though. Maybe Walt isn't as widely read as we like to think. Ed.]
The SPLC doesn't restrict its hate to groups. They routinely indulge in ad hominem attacks against named individuals including Michael Matt (see "Further viewing" below), John Vennari, Rush Limbaugh and the late Father Nicholas Gruner+. Since these individuals have all expressed disappointment (to put it mildly) with Pope Francis, you might think the SPLC is pro-Pope, but you would be wrong.
The SPLC doesn't restrict its scurrilous attacks to Catholics. Evangelic Protestants are pilloried for their fundamentalist Christian beliefs, and particularly their insistence that the United States of America was created as, and should remain a Christian nation -- "one nation under God".
Their primary target at the moment is the Hon. Roy Moore, Chief Justice of Alabama. Judge Moore, who has the temerity to wear Christian symbols on his lapel and signet ring, won fame (or notoriety) for three actions he took while serving as a circuit judge.
He posted a hand-carved wooden plaque of the Ten Commandments in his court room, opened court sessions with prayers led by a local clergyman, and later installed a granite monument to the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama State Judicial Building. For those acts, and for telling supporters at a rally in Tennessee that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and that Christians should "take back our land", Judge Moore was removed from the bench in 2003. He was reinstated in 2012.
Now, from his position as Alabama's chief justice, Judge Moore is leading the fight against gay "marriage". On January 6th he instructed the state's probate judges not to grant marriage licences to same-sex couples. He argues that a prohibition of the Alabama Supreme Court last year remains in effect, despite a recent ruling of the United States Supreme Court, because the USSC ruling involved four states other than Alabama.
Judge Moore has described homosexuality as "an inherent evil". Gay "marriage", he says, means "the destruction of the foundation of our country."
Richard Cohen, CEO of the SPLC, replies by calling the jurist "the Ayatollah of Alabama" and says his reasoning is "completely deceptive and legally bogus". Judge Moore's comment? "When you stand up for the truth these days, you are going to be attacked."
This week's Economist quotes Judge Moore as saying America was founded on "the God of the Holy Scriptures", and that those whose beliefs are contrary to God's laws live and worship in the USA on sufferance. He invokes Thomas Jefferson in holding that the religious freedom of Christians is granted by God, not by government. Thus, he says, social change, such as recognition of gay "marriage", "is not to be dictated by a court."
Millions of Americans agree with Judge Moore that their country's precepts have been forsake, and its greatness lost. That is why Donald Trump's slogan -- "Make America great again!" -- is resonating so strongly in Iowa, New Hampshire and America's heartland. And that's why the SPLC hates Judge Roy Moore.
Further VIEWING (Yes, it's a video!): "Michael Matt talks about the worldwide persecution of Christians, Vatican II and the victory of relativism", WWW 15/9/13.
Can you be more specific (I hear you ask) about who the SPLC hates? Why sure. According to Wikipedia, the SPLC recently counted 784 American societies, churches and organizations that it describes as "active hate groups". These included:
72 separate Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups with 52 websites
142 neo-Nazi groups with 89 websites
115 white nationalist groups with 190 websites
119 white power skinhead groups with 25 websites
21 Christian Identity groups with 37 websites
37 neo-Confederate groups with 25 websites
113 black separatist groups with 40 websites
165 general hate groups (subdivided into anti-gay, Holocaust denial, racist music, radical traditionalist Catholic and others)with 172 hate websites.
So let's see... If the SPLC is against groups which are anti-LGBT, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, etc., then they must be for queers, immigrants, Muslims, etc... right? And if they're against "Christian Identity" groups, who are they for? That would be a good question to ask their CEO, Richard Cohen.
The "Christian Identity groups" most often targeted by the SPLC are evangelical Protestants and "radical traditional Catholic" groups. High on their fecal roster are Catholic Family News/Catholic Family Ministries, The Fatima Crusader/International Fatima Rosary Crusade, and The Remnant/The Remnant Press, all of which Walt endorses whole-heartedly. [WWW didn't make the list though. Maybe Walt isn't as widely read as we like to think. Ed.]
The SPLC doesn't restrict its hate to groups. They routinely indulge in ad hominem attacks against named individuals including Michael Matt (see "Further viewing" below), John Vennari, Rush Limbaugh and the late Father Nicholas Gruner+. Since these individuals have all expressed disappointment (to put it mildly) with Pope Francis, you might think the SPLC is pro-Pope, but you would be wrong.
The SPLC doesn't restrict its scurrilous attacks to Catholics. Evangelic Protestants are pilloried for their fundamentalist Christian beliefs, and particularly their insistence that the United States of America was created as, and should remain a Christian nation -- "one nation under God".
Their primary target at the moment is the Hon. Roy Moore, Chief Justice of Alabama. Judge Moore, who has the temerity to wear Christian symbols on his lapel and signet ring, won fame (or notoriety) for three actions he took while serving as a circuit judge. He posted a hand-carved wooden plaque of the Ten Commandments in his court room, opened court sessions with prayers led by a local clergyman, and later installed a granite monument to the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama State Judicial Building. For those acts, and for telling supporters at a rally in Tennessee that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and that Christians should "take back our land", Judge Moore was removed from the bench in 2003. He was reinstated in 2012.
Now, from his position as Alabama's chief justice, Judge Moore is leading the fight against gay "marriage". On January 6th he instructed the state's probate judges not to grant marriage licences to same-sex couples. He argues that a prohibition of the Alabama Supreme Court last year remains in effect, despite a recent ruling of the United States Supreme Court, because the USSC ruling involved four states other than Alabama.
Judge Moore has described homosexuality as "an inherent evil". Gay "marriage", he says, means "the destruction of the foundation of our country."
Richard Cohen, CEO of the SPLC, replies by calling the jurist "the Ayatollah of Alabama" and says his reasoning is "completely deceptive and legally bogus". Judge Moore's comment? "When you stand up for the truth these days, you are going to be attacked."
This week's Economist quotes Judge Moore as saying America was founded on "the God of the Holy Scriptures", and that those whose beliefs are contrary to God's laws live and worship in the USA on sufferance. He invokes Thomas Jefferson in holding that the religious freedom of Christians is granted by God, not by government. Thus, he says, social change, such as recognition of gay "marriage", "is not to be dictated by a court."
Millions of Americans agree with Judge Moore that their country's precepts have been forsake, and its greatness lost. That is why Donald Trump's slogan -- "Make America great again!" -- is resonating so strongly in Iowa, New Hampshire and America's heartland. And that's why the SPLC hates Judge Roy Moore.
Further VIEWING (Yes, it's a video!): "Michael Matt talks about the worldwide persecution of Christians, Vatican II and the victory of relativism", WWW 15/9/13.
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