More pieces of MH370 (?) spark calls for renewed search

This is the 42nd post in which Walt has discussed or mentioned the mystery of the Malaysian Airlines B-777, operating as flight MH370, which vanished off the face of the earth on 8 March 2014. Here are the links to some of the key pieces.
14/3/14 "MH370: Three guesses from Walt" - Note the third suggestion!
19/3/14 "MH370: 1 + 3 = ??? Walt puts two possibilities together"
26/3/14 "For the second time: Diego Garcia is a key piece of the MH370 puzzle" - Diego Garcia is the site of a huge US military installation which dominates south Asia and the Indian Ocean
17/6/14 "Latest on MH370: Inmarsat says search was off target; Canadian ex-pilot blames Malaysian authorities for "bungled inquiry", suggests ulterior motive"
18/12/14 "MH370 - Just fancy that!"

Up to this point, not a trace of the missing aircraft had been found. The theories of Walt and others as to what happened to MH370 were based largely on speculation. Then, in July of 2015, pieces of debris started to turn up. See
29/7/15 "Wreckage of MH370 (?) surfaces" and
31/7/15 "Current thinking on MH370" - Here's where I made a diagram of the currents which brought the debris to the shores of Réunion and (later) Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa. See
24/3/16 "Wreckage on shores of WESTERN Indian Ocean IS from MH370" and
12/5/16 "MH370: 5 pieces now, all in "the wrong place"

For reasons about which we can only speculate, the "authorities" and "experts" kept searching off the west coast of Australia, and, as Walt predicted, came up with nothing. Nada. Zippo. Lifetime pct .984.
20/12/16 "'Experts' admit looking in the wrong place for MH370"
6/1/18 "New search for MH370 - Walt's advice on how to get answers"
30/7/18 "MH370: 'Third party interference' (= hijacking?) can't be ruled out" - The final report of the official investigation, in which the "authorities" concede that they had no explanation whatever for one of the Great Mysteries of the Sea. Having ignored Walt's advice, they said they really didn't have a clue. Nothing to see here, folks. Fuggedaboutit.

But the families of the 239 people who went down with the plane don't want to forget. They want answers, and are demanding another search, the more so since more pieces of wreckage keep turning up. Here we see the Malaysian Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, examining a piece of debris believed to be from the missing aircraft. This is one of five pieces presented to the Malaysian government today by representatives of people who perished.

Their spokesperson, whose mother was on flight MH370, said the new debris was found by villagers in Madagascar (again!) over the past two years as part of a privately funded search. She said one of the pieces has a readable label and is believed to be a floor panel from the plane. She urged the Malaysian government to make a thorough search in the area Walt suggested years ago -- for debris that could be either buried in sand or floating in waters off the coast of southern Africa and the adjacent islands.

Minister Loke said the debris will be verified by investigators but the government is only open to continuing the search if there is credible evidence of the plane's location. Kind of a funny condition when you consider that without a search, the location of the plane (or what's left of it) can't be determined.

American wreckage hunter Blaine Gibson, on the right in the picture, said the debris has been inspected by independent experts, who believe it is from a Boeing 777. The piece that may be a floor panel indicates the plane may have shattered on impact and that there is no intact fuselage underwater, he said.

As Walt reported, the Malaysian-led independent investigation report released in July highlighted shortcomings in the government's response to the plane's disappearance, including lapses by air traffic control, and a failure to monitor radar continuously and immediately initiate an emergency response.

It also raised the possibility of "intervention by a third party" -- not the US military, of course -- and reiterated the Malaysian theory that the plane was deliberately diverted and flown (by whom?) for over seven hours after severing communications. The report said there was insufficient information to determine if the aircraft broke up in the air or during an impact with the ocean. In summary, the authorities don't have a clue, and, for some mysterious reason, don't seem to want one. Nothing to see here, folks. Fuggedaboutit.

VIDEO: Remembering the cast of "Hee Haw"

As I've told you before, word travels slowly from the headwaters all the way down to this corner of the wood. I just learned today of the passing, on November 15th, of Roy Clark, one of the stars of Hee Haw. What? You don't remember Hee Haw? Where were you in the 70s and 80s, on another planet?

OK, well... Hee Haw was an American television variety show (created by a couple of Canucks - Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth) featuring country music and humour from "Kornfield Kounty", not far from Walt's hometown. It aired on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. And it's still available on RFD-TV.

The show, centered on country music and rural culture, was hosted by country music artists Buck Owens and Roy Clark for most of its run. Other big names -- some already famous from the Grand Old Opry and other popular radio and TV shows -- who appeared regularly included Grandpa Jones, String Bean, Archie Campbell, Gordie Tapp, Minnie Pearl and the legendary Roy Acuff.

Like Roy Clark, all of those listed have rung down the final curtain. Passed on. Gone to Hillbilly Heaven. A chap by the name of Robert Marshall has put together a video tribute to them, and others who are no longer with us. Here it is.



Sadly omitted from the video is one of my favourites, Don Harron (aka Charlie Farquharson). He passed away on 17 January 2015. Country music fans who read WWW may use the Comments section to remind us of others. I miss them all.

UPDATED AGAIN: Walt explains why MP Grewal has NOT resigned

On Saturday, Walt reported on the sympathetic treatment the Canuck lamestream media are giving to Raj Grewal, the once and still Member of Parliament for the Sikh-majority riding of Brampton East. See "Canuck media treat troubled Liberal MP with kid gloves", WWW 24/11/18. In a tweet to his constituents and the Liberal Party whip -- yes, Mr Grewal is a Liberal -- the rookie MP said he was going to quit to deal with "personal and medical" problems. Prime Minister Just In Trudeau expressed his sympathy and said that Mr Grewal was doing the right thing.

When pressed (lightly, no starch) for specifics of Mr Grewal's problems, fart-catchers for Mr Socks issued a statement saying that Mr Grewal had informed the PM's office that he was receiving treatment from a health professional "related to a gambling problem that led him to incur significant personal debts. Based on these circumstances, we agreed that his decision to resign as member of Parliament for Brampton East was the right one. We hope he receives the support he needs."

The prime ministerial flaks also said they were "not aware" of any investigations being carried out by the Brampton police. All they knew about, they said, was the RCMP investigation into Mr Grewal's doings in connection with Mr Dress-up's ludicrous trip to India earlier this year. It seems Mr Grewal invited along a person with whom he had had business dealings, and from whom he had received a sum of money for "professional services".

Today, Canada's Global TV News, which is probing the story with a lot more vigour than, say, the state-owned CBC, reports that although Mr Grewal said publicly that he was going to resign, he has yet to do so! Apparently there's a clear parliamentary procedure that must be followed when an MP resigns his/her seat. Notices must be given to certain officials before Elections Canada can declare the seat vacant, and Mr Grewal hasn't done the necessary.

Why (I hear you ask) has Mr Grewal not followed through on his stated intention? Walt was churlish enough to suggest that at least one more shoe would drop, sooner rather than later. Agent 3 has now put his legal mind to the matter, and draws Walt's attention to the Government of Canada website which explains the privileges and immunities of Members of Parliament. About half-way down the lengthy page, one may see the heading "Freedom from Arrest in Civil Actions".

A Canuck MP, the article explains, is not immune from arrest for a criminal offence. However, a Member may not be arrested under civil process, including for civil contempt of court. Such as? Such as failing to appear for examination as a judgment debtor, or in answer to a subpoena in a civil trial. The privilege of freedom from arrest exists from the moment of the execution of the return of the writ of election by the returning officer, and continues while the House of Commons is sitting, as it is now. It also applies 40 days before and after a session of Parliament and 40 days after a dissolution of Parliament.

In other words, if Mr Grewal resigns, rather than just promising to do so, he loses that immunity and can be immediately brought before a civil court to face whatever consequences flow from his "significant debt (and other?) problems". Of course the loss of that privilege has no bearing whatever on Mr Grewal's dragging of his Liberal feet.

UPDATE OF THE UPDATE, added 28/11/18: Somewhere below the fold [Only Editors will understand that. Ed.] CBC News is carrying a report from Canadian Press that word of Raj Grewal's gambling debts surfaced on police wiretaps in a much broader probe into other people suspected of money laundering and terrorist financing. 

A source with knowledge of the events, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the MP's debts came to the attention of the Ontario Provincial Police during an investigation of some "particularly shady guys" who might be involved in laundering drug money destined for an extremist group in the Middle East.

My innocent question: What "extremist group in the Middle East" sprang to your mind as you read that? Wouldn't it be more than strange for a Sikh to be helping with the financing of Islamic terrorists? Maybe not.

Majority of Québécois want crucifix displayed in National Assembly, religious headgear banned in public sector

During September's provincial election campaign, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) vowed, if elected, to end once and for all the pandering to minorities that kept both the Liberals and the Parti Québécois from passing lawas to prohibit the display in public places of religious objects, including religious clothing, such as the Jewish kippah, Sikh turban and Muslim burqa/niqab/hijab. Banning such things was, they said, the will of the majority of Québécois, and sure enough, the people of la belle province gave the CAQ a strong mandate.

Ever since, the usual NPCs, SJWs and liberal chattering classes -- not your typical francophone Québeckers, but English speakers -- have been pissing and moaning about "minority rights", Islamophobia, and (of course) racism. Such discriminatory legislation, they whine, is not in keeping with real Québec values, and the election result didn't really reflect the will of the people.

The lamestream meeja and others hired a couple of pollsters to give Québeckers another chance to come up with the politically correct answers to a couple of decades-old questions:
Do you support a ban on the wearing of religious symbols by public-sector workers? and
Should the crucifix be removed from its place of honour above the Speaker's throne in the Assemblée Nationale?
You'll never guess how the real people responded...

Or maybe you will. A CROP poll taken from the 14th to 19th of November estimated that 72% of Québécois supported banning visible religious symbols for judges, 71% supported banning them for prosecutors and police officers, and 65% backed extending the ban to public-school teachers. CROP also found widespread support (55%) for leaving the crucifix in its place in the National Assembly; only 28% wanted to see it removed.

CROP's president told Radio-Canada (the French-language state broadcaster) that the results indicated unprecedentedly high levels of support for banning religious symbols. "I think we can conclude that the average Quebecer really wants to remove religion from the public sphere," he said, "especially for people who hold positions of authority.... The numbers are high but they are the product of a public discussion that has lasted since Bouchard-Taylor," he said, referring to the public commission into reasonable accommodation that wrapped up in 2008.

In the month after the October 1st election, Vox Pop, which polls for the CBC and Radio-Canada, surveyed 4000 people about identity issues. Respondents were shown images of various types of religious clothing and symbols and asked to choose different situations where they should be banned. The results suggested no less than 87% (!) in favour of preventing police officers and judges from wearing the burqa. If you're not sure what that is, check out "Hijab, niqab, burqa -- what's the difference?", WWW 28/7/10.

The number in favour of a ban dropped to only 65% for the turban and kippa. The Vox Pop findings also suggested Québeckers are divided about what religious symbols teachers should be allowed to wear in the classroom. The kippah was opposed by 49%, the turban by 51%, the hijab by 52% a large cross by 53%. Vox Pop summarized its findings by noting that a majority of survey participants -- 55% -- backed the Bouchard-Taylor consensus referred to above.

Tomorrow, the National Assembly begins its first session. The CAQ government has indicated that introducing a bill to replace the previous government's Bill 62 (which was never enforced) would not be its first order of business, but that it would tackle the issue early in the new year, confident that it is doing the will of the people of Québec.

Footnote: The burqa and other Islamic attire has already been banned in the Netherlands, Denmark and even Muslim-majority Morocco. The Québec government is behind the curve of public opinion on this one, but not so much as the government of Canada, which refuses to discuss the issue, let alone admit that the majority of Canadians would support such legislation. M-103.

Canuck media treat troubled Liberal MP with kid gloves

For an example of how the liberal/Liberal bias of the Canadian lamestream media plays out (see "Canada's liberal propagandists to get $600 million reward", WWW 24/11/18), consider the kid-glove treatment given to Raj Grewal, the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Sikh enclave of Brampton East, who resigned from Parliament and from the Party on Thursday.

When the story broke, all of the Canuck meeja swallowed -- hook, line and sinker -- a statement from Mr Grewal that he was leaving for "personal and medical reasons". That's all. Nothing to see here folks. And no-one -- especially no-one from the CBC -- asked any questions. To do so would have been, errr, racist, eh!

Chief Government Whip Mark Holland sent a memo to Liberal MPs instructing them "to refrain from speculating or commenting publicly" about Mr Grewal's resignation. "It's sad. It's very unfortunate that he's facing very serious personal issues. It was very challenging, but the right thing to do," said Mr Holland. "It wouldn't be respectful to him to comment further." And on Thursday night, Just In Trudeau tweeted that Mr Grewal's decision to resign "was the right one. I hope he receives the support he needs."

The next day, however, someone timidly asked about the nature of Mr Grewal's problems. There were rumours floating around the Sikh community, it was said, about Mr Grewal's relationship with Yusuf Yenilmez, CEO of ZGemi Inc., a Brampton construction company. Someone remembered that Mr Grewal had invited Mr Yenilmez, who had previously paid him for "legal advice" to come along with Mr Socks and his family on the disastrous trip to India in February. An ethics investigation into that little affair is ongoing.

So... a bit of clarification was needed. On Friday the Prime Minister's fart-catchers issued a statement echoing the Trudeau tweet, saying that Mr Grewal had informed the PM's office that he was receiving treatment from a health professional "related to a gambling problem that led him to incur significant personal debts." Aha. "Based on these circumstances," the statement continued, "we agreed that his decision to resign as member of Parliament for Brampton East was the right one. We hope he receives the support he needs."

Then came the sound of a shoe dropping. In its statement, the PMO also said it was "unaware of any investigation by Peel Regional Police" into Grewal's situation. Inspector Knacker sent an e-mail to the CBC refusing to confirm details about ongoing investigations.

So that's that, except that the PMO had to admit, in the same statement, that it did know the Mounties had made inquiries related to a complaint made earlier this year to the federal ethics commissioner by Charlie Angus, MP, about the participation of Mr Grewal and his boss in the junket to India.

Perceptive Canucks (and yes, there are some) must be wondering what a man who was under pressure to repay "significant personal debts" would do to satisfy his creditors. Words like "bribe", "embezzlement", "influence peddling" and "corruption" spring to mind. Such things are unknown in India, of course, but are not unimaginable in the Great No-longer-white North. The other shoe is bound to drop, but don't depend on the Canuck lamestream meeja to tell you.

Canada's liberal propagandists to get $600 million reward

First the funny stuff. Today, on its Toronto page, CTV News has a story headed "Police issue arrest warrant for suspect in violent attack on teen girl and her mother". (The suspect's name is Harry -- originally Hari -- Rajkumar. Can you say "Diversity is our strength!", boys and girls?) Here's a screen grab of the suspect description.

Evidently CTV, like the rest of the Canuck meeja, can't afford proofreaders any more. That Canadian newspapers and even TV networks are struggling is not news. Even the state-run (and taxpayer-funded!) CBC is crying stinking fish, laying off "workers" (but not execs, of course) and begging for (a) subscriptions and (b) government handouts.

The gentlemen and ladies (and those who aren't sure) of the fifth estate got their wish for (b) on Thursday when the gliberal government of Prime Minister Just In Trudeau announced, in its fall budget statement, that it would dole out C$600 million ($450 million in real money) to publishers and joournalists, to keep such organs as the Toronto Star from having to lay off more staff or even close its doors for good. Good news for the ink-stained wretches, not so good for taxpayers.

The problem is greater than a mere 600 mill added to Canada's soaring deficit. As Postmedia's Andrew Coyne points out (to his credit), in "Liberals' $600M aid package for news media will irrevocably politicize the press", it is hard not to see the massive handout as a less-than-subtle attempt to buy off what's left of the independent press, and co-opt them into the liberal/Liberal propaganda machine... as if the dominance of the CBC and the Red Star weren't bad enough.

But (I hear you ask), didn't the government say that the recipients of the pieces of silver would be determined by an "independent panel of journalists"? Oh yes... a panel chosen by the government in the same way and for the same reasons as the "independent" senators now being packed into the Red Chamber. Mr Coyne writes, "I don’t actually think the government will appoint a group of card-carrying Liberal hacks to this 'independent panel.' They won’t need to."

Indeed. Walt predicts that those appointed to the "independent" panel will be reliably "progressive" journalists of a pinkish hue, like CBC propagandists Rosemary Barton, Paul Hunter and Keith Boag, and CTV's Evan Solomon. Not appointed will be Rex Murphy, Ezra Levant, Mark Steyn and Gavin McInnes. Lifetime pct .989.

"To hell with it," mr Coyne concludes. "To hell with all of it. No newspaper publisher should have anything to do with this plan. And no journalist worthy of the name should go anywhere near that accursed panel."

Further viewing: "Trudeau gives $595M to media — but The Rebel isn't for sale", video by The Rebel's Ezra Levant. Running time 7:25.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2018

Walt, Poor Len [and Ed.! Ed.]
wish all our American readers
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

This meme comes from Blazing Cat Fur

and is dedicated to Agent 17. I should have taken your bet!