UPDATED + VIDEO ADDED: Washington Post reveals its true colours

The "greats" of the lamestream media, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, make a big deal out of proclaiming their neutrality when "reporting" (read: writing opinion pieces described as news reports) on American politics. Since last year's presidential election, no-one with any smarts at all believes them, but it's still good to see proof of their pro-Democrat/anti-Trump bias every now and then.

Here, for your delectation, is an excerpt from an "analysis" (read: you have to believe this because I'm smarter than you are) piece by (((Kayla Epstein))) headed "Trump’s Twitter deactivation couldn’t have come at a worse political moment for the platform", published today, 4/11/17. Except for the substitution of "Twitter" for "the platform") in the first line, I have copied it exactly as it appears online. You can look it up.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) raised the question of [Twitter]’s political neutrality during a Senate Judiciary hearing with Facebook, Twitter, and Google on Oct. 31. The purpose of the hearing was to investigate malicious Russian activity on these platforms during the 2016 election, but Cruz took the conversation further.

“Given the percentage of news and political information that Americans receive online through social media or through other online avenues, the prospect of Silicon Valley companies actively censoring the speech or the news content is troubling to anyone who cares about a Democratic process with a robust First Amendment,” Cruz told representatives from the tech giants.

Cruz cited specific controversial incidents involving Google, Facebook, and Twitter, including Facebook’s Trending news team, and a temporarily suspended Twitter ad by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a candidate for Senate.

Did you catch the play? I'll bet you Ted Cruz didn't mean to say "Democratic" with a capital D. More likely he meant "democratic", as in having a choice between competing ideologies or parties. Lifetime pct .993.

VIDEO ADDED 10/11/17: Chris Wallace (American television anchor and political commentator who is the host of the Fox Broadcasting Company/Fox News Channel program Fox News Sunday) admits that when he says the media are biased against him "Trump may have a point".

FURTHER READING (ADDED 24/11/17): "Washington Post reporter caught plotting liberal agenda with billionaire George Soros", Fox News 24/11/17.

VIDEO: Canuck Minister tells The Rebel to stop calling her names

As part of his plan for the wussification of his country, Canada's self-proclaimed feminist Prime Minister Trudeau decided that at least half of his cabinet should be women (or wimmin) "because it's 2015". One minister who qualified because of what she has between her legs rather than in her head is Catherine Mary McKenna, who was appointed Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and has been focusing on the second part of her title, rather than the first, ever since.

Ms McKenna has annoyed the many Canucks who are skeptical about the "science" behind her hysterical cries that the sky is falling by labelling them "deniers", among other things. The Rebel Media has replied in kind by calling the Minister "Climate Barbie", a name which for some reason she finds offensive. In an exchange with Rebel reporter Christopher Wilson yesterday, the fragile snowflake demands that his organization stop it, STOP IT!



Walt's comment: C'mon you Rebel guys. Can't you see she's melting, SHE'S MELTING?! She can't help the way she looks, and really, not all bottle blondes are airheads.

Further reading: "An Avalanche Of Global Warming Alarmism Is About To Hit", The Daily Caller, 3/11/17.

VIDEO: "How can we keep the Faith?", Michael Matt opens Catholic Identity Conference

Kicking off last weekend's Catholic Identity Conference 2017, MC Michael J. Matt spoke of the present crisis in the Church as one without precedent. He explained why it is worse than the Arian crisis, and how the modern Church has brought this on by reneging on her own claim to be the sole means of salvation. Mr Matt then introduced His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider, this year's CIC honoured guest speaker.



The address by Bishop Schneider and all the talks from the CIC are available on demand at RemnantNewspaper.com. Tell 'em Walt sent you.

"Investigators seek motive" for NYC truck attack

The "Authorities" are still being less than forthcoming with the American public in their statements concerning the identity of the man who drove a rented Home Depot truck down a sidewalk in New York City yesterday, killing 8 and wounding a dozen more.

They're being tight-lipped, they say, so as not to compromise the investigation into who he was and why he did it. Since the "analysts" and "experts" seem incapable of seeing a blackberry in a saucer of milk, Walt will help out with a summary of the facts, as divulged by other, non-official sources.

The short, slight, bearded attacker was Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old who got into the USA legally in 2010, through... wait for it... the Diversity Visa Lottery. President Trump, along with Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA), has been calling for an end to the programme since August. Under the RAISE Act, introduced in February and endorsed by Mr Trump in August, the Diversity Visa Lottery would be eliminated altogether. Here's what POTUS tweeted this morning.

Mr Saipov has a Florida driver's licence but, according to the Clinton News Network, may have been staying in New Jersey. Records show Saipov was a commercial truck driver who formed a pair of businesses in Ohio. He had also driven for Uber. [Quelle surprise! Ed.] An Ohio marriage licence shows that a truck driver with one of Saipov's addresses and his name, spelled slightly differently, married a fellow Uzbek [Uzbek fellow? Ed.] in 2013. He also seems to have been known to police in St. Charles County MO, where the mug shot above was taken after an arrest a year ago.

So that's who he was, except to say that most Uzbeks are Muslims. CNN hasn't said (if it knows) whether the marriage recorded in 2013 was a proper Islamic marriage or otherwise, but Walt thinks it's a safe bet that Mr Saipov is a follower of the Prophet. (Lifetime pct .992) Or should we say soldier of the Prophet, in order to discern the motive which seems to have eluded government "investigators".

What Walt predicted yesterday (see "NYC attack: 'A statement consistent with terrorism'" WWW 31/10/17) has been confirmed by a 12-year-old student who had just left a nearby school. "A person hopped out of the car with two guns and started yelling and screaming," said the lad. "They were yelling 'Allahu akbar."' (Lifetime pct .992.)

Yet "investigators" are still saying they're trying to figure out what motivated Mr Saipov to commit this dastardly act. It would be incorrect to say they have no clue, because a note was found in the truck, "handwritten in a foreign language", according to one of the two law enforcement officials who spoke about the document. Both said its contents were being investigated but "supported the belief the act was terrorism." Notice that they didn't say "Islamic terrorism", even though note says (Walt can reveal) that the perp did it "for ISIS".

Now that I've saved the NYPD, FBI and other government agencies thousands of dollars which might have been spent trying to figure all this out, I would appreciate receiving my reward, in small bills please, to the usual address. You're welcome.

NYC attack: "A statement consistent with terrorism"

For the last couple of hours I have been watching non-stop live coverage of the "terrorist attack" -- so called by Hizzoner the Mayor -- on New York City's West Side. My first question (to myself) was "What's wrong with this picture?" The answer [You admit you talk to yourself? Ed.] was "Nothing!"

I understood perfectly well what I was seeing. It was a remake, for American audiences, of the London Bridge massacre of last June. Van drives along sidewalk crowded with pedestrians, kills 8 (so far), injures 12 (so far). Driver jumps out brandishing what appear to be firearms, but which turn out to be a pellet gun and a paintball gun. Shots are heard, fired, as it turns out, by a heroic NYC cop who wounds, but does not kill the perp, who is now in custody, assisting police with their enquiries.

Yep, the picture is clear enough. What's wrong is the audio. In two hours of listening to assorted commentators, "analysts" and "experts", not to mention Mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo [Thanks for not mentioning them. Ed.], I heard the words "terror", "terrorist" and "terrorism" countless times, but not once, not once did I hear the words "Islam", "Islamic" or "Muslim". The closest anyone came was one of the CBS "reporters" who said that, as he "exited the vehicle" (copspeak for "jumped outta the van"), the attacker "made a statement consistent with terrorism".

"A statement consistent with terrorism." What do you suppose he might have said? What would "a statement consistent with terrorism" sound like? Like, "ALLAHU AKBAR!!!", maybe? Lifetime pct .990.

Another thing I didn't hear was any reference to the race, ethnicity or religion of the assailant, even though he could be seen, albeit from a distance, on a video shot by a witness. In the video, from the way he ran, zigzagging through the traffic like a tight end, I'd guess he was a gentleman of the coloured persuasion, but I could be wrong. The only reason that I can think the police might have for not revealing his identity would be that naming him as yet another Muslim terrorist would trigger more Islamophobia, which we now know is not a real "thing". That's right. As the Mayor and the Governor told us, there is no need to be afraid of Islamic terrorism, even in "sanctuary cities" like, errr, New York.

The embarrassing avoidance by the Authorities of any mention of the nature of this dastardly attack -- other than calling it an act of (unspecified) terrorism -- reminds me of the response of the British police to the London Bridge attack. See "British cops refuse to name London Bridge jihadis", WWW 5/6/17. But the truth will out, and you can bet that when it does, the lamestream media will lay the blame at the feet of President Trump. Perhaps (they will say) he would have done well to issue an executive order banning Muslims from entering the USA. Or he might have thought about making a list of all the potential Islamic terrorists already in America. Or something. Whatever. Anyway, it's all his fault. That's what they'll say. Lifetime pct .990.

VIDEO: Douglas Murray discusses "The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam" with Mark Steyn

I have mentioned Douglas Murray's excellent book The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam a couple of times in recent weeks, most recently in "The irreversible browning of Canada", WWW 26/10/17, which is in the running to be one of Walt's most-read posts of the year. But until now we haven't put up a video of the author discussing his work. Ed. has found a number on YouTube -- Mr Murray seems to have done his book tour on the Internet! -- and has selected an interview with Mark Steyn, so you get two voices of reason in one video. Running time is just over an hour.



Further reading (and watching): You'll find a review of The Strange Death of Europe, copied from Goodreads, as well as a much shorter video (11 minutes) in "Douglas Murray explains the lie of multiculturalism", WWW 24/9/17. Now go out and buy the book. Tell 'em Walt sent ya!

Alexandria church removes Washington AND Lee memorials to create "safe space" for everyone, no exceptions

Walt never darkens the doors of Episcopal churches for religious reasons, but occasionally visited some of the fine old churches dotted around the USA to admire the architecture or take a trip back in time to bathe in the warm waters of history. [Please don't try to be poetical. Ed.] One church well worth a visit for either reason is Christ Church, just off North Washington Street, in Alexandria, Virginia. It's just a couple of blocks west of historical Gadsby's Tavern, where both George Washington and I ate (although not at the same table or time).

George Washington worshipped at Christ Church. A small nameplate still adorns the family pew. Robert E. Lee was confirmed there, and his place is similarly marked. Larger plaques on either side of the sanctuary memorialized both men.

"Why the past tense?", I hear you ask. Why not "memorialize"? Because, dear reader, both plaquest were removed this weekend by order of the vestry, the committee which administers the church. According to a letter circulated to members of the parish this week, the plaques were taken down in order to make Christ Church more "welcoming", and to prevent people from feeling "unsafe" in the sanctuary. Seriously? Well, this is what the vestry said.

"Hebrews 13:2 says, 'Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.' Christ Church lives into this call, feeding the hungry with our Lazarus ministry, welcoming the stranger in our refugee ministry, and inviting all to worship with us. The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome. Some visitors and guests who worship with us choose not to return because they receive an unintended message from the prominent presence of the plaques."

The letter, signed by all 13 members of the governing council, goes on to insist that the eras in which the two famed men lived are "much different than our own." It continues:

"We understand that both Washington and Lee lived in times much different than our own and that each man, in addition to his public persona, was a complicated human being, and like all of us, a child of God. Today, the legacy of slavery and of the Confederacy is understood differently than it was in 1870. For some, Lee symbolizes the attempt to overthrow the Union and to preserve slavery. Today our country is trying once again to come to grips with the history of slavery and the subsequent disenfranchisement of people of color.

"Many in our congregation feel a strong need for the church to stand clearly on the side of 'All are welcome — no exceptions.' Because the sanctuary is a worship space, not a museum, there is no appropriate way to inform visitors about the history of the plaques or to provide additional context except for the in-person tours provided by our docents."

The original focus of this exercise in virtue-signalling was the plaque honouring Robert E. Lee. Unfortunately for the SJWs and do-good weenies, some churl pointed out that George Washington, too, had been a slave-owner. So both memorials had to go, although church officials covered themselves with the figleaf that both plaques are being removed because the two occupy opposite areas of the sanctuary and the aesthetic look of the church would have been "unbalanced" if only the Robert E. Lee plaque were to be removed.