Hi again and welcome back to another edition of Laura's Links. I am filing this column from southern Ontario, in the Deranged Dominion, where once again we are in a modified version of "Stage 2" lockdowns. Essentially that means that all the small modica of joy one could finally "have back", like indoor dining, getting a properly brewed coffee at a cafe, and taking care of one's body and mind at the gym have, once again, been tyrannically removed from our grasp. For 28 days. Why? Because SCIENCE!
Apparently the Kung Flu is very conscientious about following government orders. It knows it must be on better behaviour for 28 days. Not 22 or 26 or anything silly like 25. Yes. Our "Conservative" government knows that 28 more days, in addition to the 7th month of two weeks to flatten the curve, will work. The virus also knows when to come out, day or night! But it's also so clever that it remains on surfaces, currency, in sperm, eyeballs and definitely in Halloween candy. We here in Ontario are approaching the Christmas Edition of 2 Weeks to Flatten the Curve (catch it on CrapFlix.)
Do I sound annoyed? I'm just getting started.
As the Great Prophet Mark Steyn has noted on more than one occasion, tyranny is capricious in nature. And that is certainly what we are seeing throughout the entire "civilized" and "democratic" world. While there are some signs that the Cover Your Butt stage of the epidemic is emerging, it evolves in tandem with the search for scapegoats. I think that many, many lawsuits will be needed to force our idiot, pandering, virtue-signalling leaders into a cessation of doing the wrong thing. Kudos to all those mounting these legal challenges.
In other news, you may have seen Bari Weiss' interesting exhortation and warning to American Jews about where we're at in terms of leftist anti-Semitism and tyrannical wokeism. I'd urge you to read the entire Weiss essay, despite the relatively gratuitous and silly Yes But Orange Man Bad parts. I'm flogging it up front here in the column because anti-Semitism is never actually about the Jews, and its effects and terrible consequences never just stick to "just" to the Jews. Canary, meet coal mine, my American, Commonwealth and other Western friends.
The other YUGE and pretty much existential fight we have on our hands is against Big Tech. This is something Mark has been sounding the alarm bell on for years, and gee whiz, imagine if Republicans held the presidency AND the senate and could do something about it...oh wait, silly me. They'll just continue to send out super butch tweets and send the Big Tech overlords very sternly worded letters. That should solve everything. The great Daniel Greenfield spells out the situation very clearly here, and it's worth a read. Gah!
Honestly: PICTURE MY FACE!!!!!
Anyhoo, in case for some unimaginable reason you missed the utterances and elucidations of the Great Prophet Mark Steyn over the week, let me get you up to speed. There was Bread and Circuses, Kinks and Dinks; Feeding Time with Tucker Carlson and a very important update on the crushing of free speech: The Last Copier in the Woods. Mark also did a fantabuloso keynote on Zoom with Australia's Institute of Public Affairs. Sadly, he remained fully clothed, (super spiffily and bespokely) the whole time. But because it's 2020, The Beasty B*tch of a Bat-Filled ChiComm Year, this is noteworthy behaviour! The CNN protocols for online meetings are obviously somewhat different. And in case you missed it, Mark spends some time on Jeffrey Toobin's penis here. OMG NOT LITERALLY you perverts!
*insert self-satified Zionist SteynOnline In House Jewish Mother guffaw here but not the kind of #MeToobin self-satisfaction that you can allegedly go blind from*
*composes self*
*waves to Mark*
Aaaaaaaaand, on that happy note, let's take a look at the very schlong and crazy week that was, and I'll see you in the comments.
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North America:
What's behind the WHO's mixed messages on lockdowns?
Chris Selley: "lockdowns — total or partial — are by no means the be-all and end-all of fighting this virus". Exactly.
"They've killed people with their lack of understanding."
Lockdowns are crimes against humanity. Period.
Lockdowns are a step too far in "combating" Covid-19.
"This is digital civil war." The precise way to look at Twitter's assault on free speech.
The Covid-19 hustler, Dr. Scott Gottleib.
Justin Blackface Trudeau and his tainted brand.
Any idiot who mandates a mask for a two-year old has never personally interacted with a human toddler.
CDC study finds an overwhelming majority of people getting ChiComm19 were wearing masks. So do masks "work" or not?
President Worst Hitler Ever's Dad helped save a NY synagoge serving Holocaust survivors. I dunno, these Trumps are just really, really bad at antisemitism. They really suck at it.
Digital assets are a thing. It's a whole new world, pay attention.
The stupid is so strong with this one. Check out the replies.
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Israel and Jews:
I add these tears to my drink as I say l'chaim.
Why music is fundamental to Jewish prayer.
SO GOOD. Such a good writer, so well written: From Liel Leibovitz at Tablet: Religion, Science and the Religion of Science
Jewish wisdom: always be very aware of the power of speech.
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Europe:
The lockdowns are a China-inspired crime against humanity.
Sweden is my hero.
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The Formerly Great Britain:
Let's actually talk about obesity and Covid-19.
The medical community revolts against lockdowns (finally).
Laurence Fox begins the arduous task of re-claiming British values. Really good, read the whole thing! Also, good on him for making fun of the ridiculous kook names these little tyrants are coming up with for additional CCP-style lockdowns of free-born persons and populations ("FIREBREAK, CIRCUIT BREAK, GAZONGA KUNGFLU KILLAH).
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Africa:
All cultures are equal, so celebrate "cutting month" or else you're a hateful, icky, terribly yucky kucky raaaaacist!
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Today in Satan:
Scramble the Exorcists, STAT!!!!
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Humourless and Kook Left, Wokestapo and Trans:
Cornell university now helpfully providing free menstrual products in the men's bathrooms. Here's a tuition update on this School of Madness. You're welcome.
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Human Grace:
Arab contractor donates Jewish prayer area to settlement in the Shomron.
Doctors in Israel open baby's tumour-blocked airway halfway through birth.
When a blind young man sang with a star and blessed the people.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from the last week. Mark Steyn Club membership comes with many perks, not the least of which is access to the bustling comment section. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity and no ad hominem attacks. If you want to join in on the commenting – one of many perks reserved for members of The Mark Steyn Club – you can pick up a membership here. Meet your fellow Club members – and Laura Rosen Cohen – in person by joining us on our rescheduled Mediterranean cruise alongside Tal Bachman, Michele Bachmann, and Douglas Murray and other of Mark's special guests.
