Decadence and Decline

Greetings and thanks for checking out this week's edition of Laura's Links.

As you may recall, I spent some time last week discussing antisemitism and the most recent murders of Jews in Israel by Palestinian terrorists. I questioned where the bereaved draw their almost supernatural strength from, and how they are able to push themselves day in and day out to live the rest of their lives brokenhearted.

I suppose I could spend a lot more time talking or writing about antisemitism, but it gets so depressing sometimes that I just can't. I'm also not sure I can always add something new or significant or noteworthy to the conversation. But sometimes, other people do it for me. Every so often, I read something that precisely articulates a gnawing feeling that I have had in my gut for a while about a given topic or event. And while I'm mulling over the trend, thinking about it while going about my day, or consciously trying to really nail down the exact thing that is making my writer's sense tingle ("write about THIS"), someone else has hit the "publish" button.

As I have described previously, it is both a writer's delight and (minor) nightmare combined to have the "I wish I had thought of that" or "I wish I had written that" moment. The case in point for today, is a remarkable column written by Brendan O'Neill. It is, as the title suggests, specifically about the shameful British silence on the most recent massacre of Jews – a mother and her two daughters – in Israel. But I think whether intentionally or not, the article actually goes so much deeper than just a frank and candid discussion of this particular moment in British antisemitism. It is also a dark, foreboding and truly unsettling portrait of the indisputable moral decline of Britain and a snapshot of the utterly repugnant and vile moral rot that has penetrated the formerly upright moral conscience, compass and value system of such a once great nation and empire.

When I collate news items in the category of "The Formerly Great Britain", this is the thing I am referring to. If you look at the articles in that section today, you will see a dreadful and unfortunate pattern. You will see stories that reflect an utter indifference to what were once clearcut issues of morality. You will see stories of sexual predation, perversion, the weak and infirm being attacked and euthanized, indifference to child rape, and the abdication of law enforcement. As Mark says, England is now a place where "everything is policed except crime".

Previous collections of links in this category have highlighted the enabling of the invasion of England, and other glaringly obvious, irreparable signs of decadence and a downward spiritual journey. And of course, Mark himself, has been bringing attention to this decline for decades in print, and most recently, with his tremendously articulate and thoughtful guests on The Mark Steyn Show. These guests all have different stories, but in many ways are telling the same sad tale, painting a vivid and devastating picture for us all through sharing their lived experiences .

When I highlight news items happening in "The Formerly Great Britain", the stories themselves tell the tale of the horrifying moral collapse of a once great nation, its anesthetized slide into an uninhabitable quagmire of moral relativism and the disintegration of all of its formerly held common and shared values.

It is said that the greatest writers "show, not tell".

We are showing it to you.

We don't have to tell you what to think about what is happening in the world around us.

We are all watching it unfold in real time.

The world we knew is changing. It's almost surreal, but it is indeed reality. Thus, we must muster all of our strength, turn to G-d and still refuse to go gentle into that good night.

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North America:

They want your children.

"Another reminder that today's progressivism hates women." Indeed.

VDH: Can anything be done about America's decline? Dunno.

As per Neil Oliver: this is happening because the people in power want it to be happening.

"Lockdowns worked."

Ontario is a terrible place. These doctors deserve medals and Ontario does not deserve them. I hope they get jobs in a free country.

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Israel and Jews:

WOW.

Bibi: The Churchill of the Middle East.

"The sacred football field, earlier this morning." Imagine a place so holy that you play soccer on it to own the Joooooooos.

BYJew. More here.

"G‑d gave you a talent," recalls Masinter. "Instead of just making people smile, use it to really help uplift the world." RIP Al Jaffee.

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Jewish Wisdom:

Why do bad things happen to good people?

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Middle East:

This is not a great development. Nice going, Biden admin.

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Europe:

Do we still not know how the fire started? Just curious.

"Imagine a mosque holding a Christian event."

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The Formerly Great Britain:

"You don't have a choice whether or not you learn about LGBTQ+ and if you refuse to do it, you will be dealt with severely"

The horror indeed.

Many more conversations like this need to take place.

What in the actual fresh hell is happening to Britain? It's a complete hell hole.

~

Kook Leftists and Predatory Bepenised Transperverts:

This is pure, unmitigated evil, and they are making you swallow it. Right down the gullet. Expect more of this. And more of this.

Another day, another bepenised "woman" on the attack. Nothing to worry about or see here.

"Red pill in real time..."

Delightfully diverse greetings for Good Friday from Ottawa, Ontario.

~

Human Grace:

What "Never Again" really means. This is a Holocaust survivor pictured with her grandson and his brothers in arms.

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.