Hello again one and all and welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links. Another crazy week in so many ways.
War has broken out between Tsar Putin and Ukraine, Covid has suddenly just disappeared and as of March 1, Ontario's repulsive, useless and punitive vaccine passport is recent ancient history. It's hard to keep up with the pace of the news, and damned near impossible to discern what is actually going on in Russia and Ukraine. Obviously, I'm not rooting for Putin, but I can't be the only one who is more than a little bit uncomfortable to be anywhere 'on the same side' with the kook leftist media that I loathe, George Soros, and Trudeau et al about anything. Do you see where I'm going with this?
After having been lied to by politicians, the media, academia and public health and policy "experts" about Covid, lockdowns, natural immunity, vaccine injuries and the "true" nature of the truckers' protest, I hope you'll forgive me for not wrapping myself up in the Ukrainian flag right at the moment. I hope you'll forgive me being more concerned about the dictators (federal and provincial) in my own country who have stripped away civil liberties, bank accounts, and livelihoods. The ones who are still imprisoning Christian pastors (looking at you, Jason Kenney) and Indigenous women and keeping my son prisoner in his own country, unable – still – to board a plane within Canada or to leave Canada by plane either. Ontario also still has a mask mandate although I suspect that will be finally be gone in a few weeks' time. The government is sending out smoke signals about the mask mandates coming to an end, though I think they are just giving the hypochondriacs time to line up their therapists. All the Covid grifters are going to have to find a new side hustle. Maybe they will hawk "poured out" bottles of Russian vodka from the trunks of their Priuses or something.
As Mark noted earlier this week on The Mark Steyn Show, as a result of our decadent Western populations living in a hyper-present tense but under the illusion of permanence, there are very few people in most of our midst who truly have an inkling of an understanding of how blood soaked this earth really is and about humans' propensity for violence and appetite for war. The conservatives and more religious among us, the professional and amateur historians among us, those of us with even a moderate literacy in the Bible or literature have quite a different perspective because we look at the reality of human nature and appreciate the cyclical nature of history.
I don't know what will happen next in this war-torn region. But one thing I do know for sure is that they are not talking about transgendered bathrooms in Russia or Ukraine right now or asking civilians or soldiers about their preferred pronouns. So there's that.
I am often humbled by the bits of wisdom that I encounter on the internet, and even in the fetid swamp of Twitter. These gems are so valuable to me that it makes it worth wading deep into the water each week. Here are a few bits to consider: first of all this, I love this so much. Then, a question about when the catastrophe of lockdowns will be admitted. My guess: Neveruary. Here's a sage observation about what the nature of a cashless world will bring, and it's not great. Imagine for a moment the astonishing number of private companies that now have more power than entire states. That is not a good thing. And finally an exhortation from a wise corner of the internet: "Stop wearing those f--king masks. No more distance between you guys. Hug each other, love each other."
By the time you read this, I hope to have taken my disabled son to an indoor therapy swimming pool, something that has been forbidden to him for almost two years to the day. I will never forgive this cruelty and I will never, ever forget it. But I will similarly never forget every kindness extended to us, every prayer said, every thoughtful note sent, every thoughtful gesture and every kind word of support so thank you for that. I lost a lot during the pandemic, but I've also met so many tremendous humans possessing great depth and courage and tremendous moral fortitude, so I feel very blessed.
Have a good week, and I'll see you in the comments.
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North America:
OMG this is truly glorious! As per my bulging 'things I wish I had said first' file, here is the great Naomi Wolf: I'm not brave, you're just a p*ssy. She's on my girlcrush list, and not in a gay way, just in the totally heterosexual girlcrush way, like the 'hey I'd like to be your BFF way' and not that there's anything wrong with the gay way anyway.
Ahh, the glories of Democrat governance: California exodus visualized.
The miracle of Democrat science: political science, that is.
The great Douglas Murray on Justin Trudeau who has shown 'absolutely totalitarian behaviour'
This is an absolutely excellent essay, I would urge you to read the whole thing: "Reality Honks Back". A must read.
A summary of Canadian tyranny from Bruce Bawer: "Niceness in the face of aggression is gutlessness. Niceness in the face of tyranny is cowardice. And niceness in the face of evil...is evil."
Canada: A Banana Republic that shackles Indigenous women.
Please, America, make this happen. If this happened, Trudeau would cave.
Excellent Brendan O'Neill podcast interview with Canadian journalist Ruba Subramanya about why the truckers' revolt matters.
I'll have a large cup of NO F&CKING WAY, please.
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Israel and Jews:
A Kurdish treat becomes a Jerusalem staple. This is one of my favourite foods. EVER, EVAH EVAH.
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Formerly Great Britain:
"This is the head of MI6. If you live in the West, prepare mentally for a shift in the world order. The sun is setting on our power."
"I cannot confirm or deny that."
Nice ceramic career you got there. Would be a shame if your views on the binary nature of sex wrecked it all.
"Don't wear a damned mask." AMEN.
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Russia and Ukraine:
"Vladimir Putin's endgame, the final act of his career, is not just about territory (as important as that certainly is to him), but about preserving the character of Russia as he envisions it — his Russia, not an appendage of the West, not Yeltsin's sorry country, but the Russia that Putin identifies with in history and has tried to create anew in the present, even as he enriched himself at the expense of its people."
"Sorry, Eurocentrics." Honestly, Rupa Subramanya is becoming one of my favourite current event writers. Smart, sassy, contrary-love.
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Kook Left:
They are after your children. Don't say you didn't know.
The beginning of the end of gender decadence? This is an interesting development from America.
What the war between Ukraine and Russia is REALLY about, according to the kooks at CBS News in America.
Umm, excuse me WHAT???
All they do is DESTROY. Honestly, eff this.
Misc:
"Twitter is where people who don't read books explain things to those who write them." LOL. Troooof.
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Human Grace:
"A Texas couple adopts a disabled child." Just in the nick of time. Lots of beautiful, helping organizations linked here as well for those who are so inclined.
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.
