Greetings all, and welcome to May. Or should I say MAYDAY MAYDAY? Every day is MAYDAY here in Ontario, which is still a big, stinking prison so I'm still plotting and fantasizing about a jailbreak.
Meanwhile, in America (and in the UK from what I understand) things are opening up all the time, and the real normal is returning to much of the country, state by state. Oddly enough, the main objection to the real normal is coming from the White House, where that dithering and senile dementia patient who gives weeds to his wife (you know, the lady who is not an actual doctor but pretends to be one and makes people call her 'doctor' – that one). Yah – that's Ground Zero for Mask Kabuki.
For real and not for joking, wearing a mask outdoors and on virtual meetings with world leaders is deranged. I mean, I thought we were supposed to "follow THE science". President Harris should really have a talk with that masked, blundering anti-vax kook playing with the weeds. Hey hey, ho ho, Biden Binky's got to go.
The Biden Binky has definitely become a symbol and it's extremely creepy and weird. Michael J. Knowles just called it a "secular keffiyeh" and because I love that phrase so much I LITERALLY HATE MYSELF for not thinking of that first or at all. LITERALLY SHAKING!!!! Argh. Anyway, as far as vaccines and masks go, I like a lot of Bari Weiss' take on this stuff here.
In other news: Hizzzzzzonor, the Unwokey Blokey Fully Bespokey Mark Steyn had a very busy week! On Monday last week, he appeared live in Tennessee with other humans in the same room at a special event for Hillsdale College! I understand that he consumed a meal with other humans and had drinks with other humans as well?!?! I hear that he breathed air with many other humans and was his generally funny but gloomful, best-dressed self. I'm not a little jealous – I'm like drool-level jealous. I know Mark had a great time, and that his pocket squares were delighted to be out and peacocking about AS THEY WELL DESERVE, breathing fresh air and enjoying the delights of southern hospitality. Sounds dreamy.
The live stream was awesome and if we get video then we'll update you but in the interim, you can always watch Mark's excellent, long-form, Mark Steyn Show interview with Hillsdale President Larry Arnn right here. Don't miss Mark's urgent, urgent, urgent replay of the live Clubland Q&A right here, Song of the Week "I've Got You Under My Skin" and everythin' he's bin thinkin' about in the decade since Osama Bin Laden was sent to his 72 virgins.
Take care, have a good week, and I'll see you in the comments.
~
North America:
Not satire. This is how brazen and confident the left is. They stick it right in our faces and then laugh. Conservatives could really learn a thing or two from the left. It sucks to say it, but it's the truth.
This may be the most glorious and perfect story of all time. I just can't explain how much I love this story.
John Kerry and the Biden regime are pro-Iran and anti-Israel. Period.
John Brennan, the sentimental antisemite.
As Mark himself has pointed out on many occasions, if you want to enact change, start with your local school board. This is how it's done: BLUEPRINT.
Lockdowns are evil. State medicine kills.
~
Jews and Israel:
"You are not a guest." This is a fantastic and haunting piece and a lot of it really reminded me of my own trip to Poland with my father just over a decade ago.
Jewish wisdom: "We should never lose sight of the fact that G‑d has given us whatever we possess only as His partners, in order to refine it, elevate it, and transform it into His true home."
~
New Middle East:
~
The Formerly Great Britain:
Sir Tom Jones on coping with his wife's death, and the song he wrote about it. "Tom shared how Linda had remained ever-present in his work: 'There's a song on there, 'I won't crumble with you if you fall' because I was with her for the last 10 days in the hospital. She knew she was dying with lung cancer. She said, 'Look I've got to go, but don't fall with me now... you know you have got to carry on. You have got to get on that stage. You have got to do it.'"
The death of free speech in the UK.
More "grooming" stories.
~
Kook Left:
J.K. Rowling is denounced and cancelled... again.
Just went I think it can't get crazier, it does.
I hate wokeness so much for so many reasons, and forcing me to admit to agreeing with Geraldo is definitely one of them.
~
Europe:
The Louvre's entire collection goes digital.
"When words no longer have meaning, the ground gives way beneath us." Reflections on the murder of and miscarriage of justice in the antisemitic, jihadist murder of Sarah Halimi in France. The point about words is equally applicable to every Western country. We are living in a post-truth world where words have no meaning anymore. We need to reclaim truth by reclaiming the language, and stop ceding language to the left.
~
Human Grace:
Shave and a haircut, two bits.
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. 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 Michele Bachmann, Douglas Murray, and Conrad Black.