Cheerio, my friendlies and welcome back to another edition of Laura's Links. I'm writing to you from something called the "Red Control Zone" here in southern Ontario, which is still one of the most locked down jurisdictions in all of North America. It means that Ontario Premier Doug Ford's benevolent government has decreed that I can get a haircut, and use my gym. Oh thank you, Dear Leader, for your gracious crumbs! May I kiss your feet for the crumbs you have sprinkled upon us peasants?
Well I did get my haircut thankyouverymuch, but people living five minutes away from me on the other side of the border between my suburb and Toronto cannot go to the gym or for personal grooming because SCIENCE you see. All the businesses on the south side of the border street are in Toronto Wuhan Flu Grey Lock Zone. That virus remains very, very clever. It even understands municipal borders! Will Wuhan Wonders never cease?
I had occasion to be in downtown Toronto last week and it looks like a third-world sh&t hole. Actually, I take that back. That's really mean. Please forgive me, Third World. I didn't mean to insult you by comparing you to Toronto! The Toronto downtown core is full of boarded up stores, closed businesses and restaurants, and a generous sprinkling of drug addicts, mentally ill persons and assorted homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks. The only living souls on the street are pretty much the construction workers. Now, don't get me wrong, as a woman of a certain age, I'm very much in favour of burly men with tools, but that alone cannot sustain a city. Toronto is being destroyed and no amount of human misery and wreckage seems to be enough for the lockdown forever kooks know as Toronto mayor John Tory, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and our own goofy PM Hairdo. Canada is screwed.
Normally if I feel down, I indulge in a little bit of retail therapy. But online shopping is just not my jam and there's nowhere to wear nice clothes anymore anyway, so....
Alrighty then, before I sign off, I'll share something that I need to add to the extensive list of things I wish I had thought of and am really pissed that someone got to before me: "performative anti-bigotry". OMG. A keeper!! So perfect.
Another little bit I spotted was the observation that one of the problems we have in dealing with the lockdowns is that, as stated here,"lockdowns are woke". Indeed. This sentiment is very much in keeping with my own thoughts about how quickly political lines on the pandemic were established and the tribes solidified their positions according to party lines. You'll see some more lockdown talk in the links.
Lastly, if you didn't get your full fix of Steyn this week, I'd suggest you grab a cuppa or a flaska and review all these gems: here is Hizzzzzoner with Tucker Carlson with the demand to Get Your Rosaries Off My Whatever, some political musings in his Monday Notebook: "Free T-Shirt With Every Entry", a Chinese Penetration Update (GAH!!!), a selection of Things to Obsess About Until They Nuke Us, and a new Mark Steyn Show on Waiting for Durham (and waiting, and waiting and waiting coz that report is gonna solve EVERYTHING dang it). Also, his Song of the Week was Morningtown Ride.
Have a good week, and I'll see you in the comments.
~
North America:
So far, this is the most satisfying explanation I have read about the "MeToo-ing" of Andrew Cuomo. Well done, John Nolte! Is Michigan Governor Whitmer next?
Cuomo is a truly evil, wicked man.
Also via Breitbart, an exclusive interview about cancel culture with Mike Cernovich, one of the most interesting individuals on Twitter and in the new media in general. He's kind of an enigma and seems to be an insightful individual.
On "mandating kindness": "The second problem with mandating kindness, particularly with using the mask as a symbol, is that symbols aren't reality. A mask may symbolize that someone cares about their neighbors and takes the virus seriously, but this doesn't necessarily equate to actual care nor does it address the effects of the virus."
The New York Public Library system shows some balls.
Canadians deserve their roadmap to freedom: "Through all the 'red zones' and 'lockdowns' and 'stay-at-home orders,' Canadians have mostly shown an admirable willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. The prospect of herd immunity in just a few months' time is the time to reward them with concrete plans for when and under what circumstances they can get their goddamn lives back — and to encourage everyone to stay the course until that time. Let's hear those plans."
Cool story: "How America's 'First Female Cryptanalyst' Cracked the Code of Nazi Spies in World War II—and Never Lived to See the Credit"
"Reflections on becoming a US citizen."
"We're from the government and we're here to help you." (An unbelievable tale from Ontario, Canada. It's excruciating to read, hard to believe, but there it is.)
A Canadian doctor is being punished for having a contrarian opinion about the Chinese coronavirus and lockdowns. She is very brave and smart, the daughter of immigrants from India but she apparently has the wrong opinions and must be dragged through the muck and shamed. This is disgusting.
~
Israel and Jews:
"My grandma was a Holocaust survivor and a secret WW2 spy." Amazing.
"If not for you, I would be dead."
"Something is cooking between Israel and Saudi Arabia." Believe everything that cutie patootie Zvi Yehezkeli says – especially this, which the dumbkopf lefty radicals in the Biden administration are trying to ignore: "Our neighborhood is beginning a new era and a new order."
Mazel tov! "Hidden" Jew celebrates his bar mitzvah. I've met a number of non-Jewish persons throughout the years who have a strange, and very close affinity to the Jewish people for no particular reason (that is to say, no religious impetus). I get the Jewlepathy vibes on a lot of them and, if you're that type, I think it's a good idea to look into your roots to see if the JewJu vibes are emanating for a particular reason or whether it's some kind of random affinity.
Hallevai that he can be brought home to rest in Israel.
~
The Biden Middle East:
Arabs not too hot for Biden's Middle East.
Abraham Accords ripple effect?
~
The Formerly Great Britain:
This is a sad reflection on a terribly lonely life and a clearly uncaring society. Just terrible.
Lockdowns are evil. Covid psychosis is a real thing and this is what government fear mongering has done to otherwise healthy and normal people.
Brendan O'Neill skewers the Duchess of Kvetch, here as well. There's a pretty prescient video about the trajectory here, about 20 minutes if you're interested.
Nothing to see here: British Covid hospital with a capacity of 500 to close without having treated a single Covid patient.
This is fabulous. Fox is running for Mayor of London in case you hadn't heard!
~
Evil, Anal China:
~
Humourless and Kook left, Wokestapo and Trans:
Good grief this is pathetic. Painfully pathetic.
The meaningless life of Jane Fonda and how activism filled the gap. Feh. But gives you an interesting window into what is definitely an archetypal woman of some kind. No meaning in life, fill it with something...
The Miseducation of America's Elites: Read the whole thing from Bari Weiss. The saddest part for me is actually the lede-that these rich parents are too scared to use their own names and identities as they organize against something that they are clearly passionate about-their children and their children's education. Anonymity is the biggest part of the problem. Always. You cannot fight the Wokestapo anonymously. Sorry. The end. There are always other schools, other friends, other jobs. But you only get to raise your kids once and it's better to raise them not to be cowards or brainwashed Woke Stormtroopers.
~
Human Grace:
A remarkable story of self-sacrifice.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from week that was or the election results that never will be. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. 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. Meet your fellow Club members, including Laura, in person by joining us on our rescheduled Mediterranean cruise alongside Tal Bachmann, Michele Bachmann, and Conrad Black among Mark's other special guests.
