Greetings and welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links.
It's a rainy cool night here in southern Ontario and I'm nursing a cup of Earl Grey tea as I put the last few touches on this column. My special needs son is tucked into bed and Mr. C is watching the Washington Wizards versus Orlando Magic basketball game (so he can keep an eye on his favourite player, Israeli Deni Avdija). It's nice and quiet at the moment, for the moment.
Earlier today, we took my son for a swim, and of course, had a chance to chit chat with the Persian lifeguards. They're young and hardworking, pleasant and intelligent, and each one has a story of someone murdered by the regime, someone in prison or family members in precarious situations in Iran. We don't hear a lot about what's happening inside Iran lately, but this article is a really sad and stark reminder of the utter sadism and repulsive nature of the Iranian regime.
Something about this story is so painful and tragic, I think it's the idea of forcing someone to write a song, forcing someone to use their particular gift from G-d against their conscience. Forcing a songwriter to write a song, an artist to paint, a baker to bake. It's all the same force of evil. These are atrocious, anti-human, murderous, savage thugs.
~
Speaking of evil. On Wednesday, Mark posted this excellent essay "Red Shoes in the Sunset". It got me thinking of the predominance of "trans men" doing bad things; to women, to girls and to society via public policy. As I commented in the comment section, I love men, and I'm very pro-men, but it does seem to me like we in the Western world are being led/bullied by some of the most mentally ill, sociopathic men on planet Earth. The "trans", i.e "Not Men" are the absolute worst of them. Could this be a direct result of the feminization of society? Did women just start to take over too much of the world, so these aggressive, sick men just figured that if they "identify" as women, they can go about their business-acting perversely, raping women in prisons, slicing the breasts of girls (some of the most 'successful' trans surgeons are trans Not Women themselves), removing the penises of boys, making military policy, smashing up women in sports-and just generally behaving in a sociopathic manner toward girls and women with impunity-with societal applause?
Could it be that these sociopathic, misogynistic men saw the slow emasculation of men everywhere around them and anti-men women taking over large swaths of society, and figured-hey, I want a piece of the power action. Isn't it odd how they just swooped in, with "trans" giving them almost complete immunity, an almost invincible get-out-of-jail card? And even the men that are not trans, like Boris Johnson are emasculated Not Men as well. You don't have to be wearing a dress and fake breasts to cause a lot of Not Man damage to the world and to women and children instead of Real Man protecting them.
Tucker Carlson did an interview with Dr.
But when the Pope met with the trans prostitutes, my feeling was that it was essentially blasphemy because these people think that they know better than G-d the Creator what they are, and the Pope was essentially sanctioning that and putting a seal of approval on that with the meeting. The "trans" movement, therefore, must at least in part be seen as an attempt to trans-cend G-d and there's something profoundly evil and even idolatrous about it. No wonder so many supporters of this ideology are miserable and so profoundly nihilistic and joyless.
~
I talked about mental health and therapy in last week's column. Here's a couple of very good essays, here and here, that are pretty much where I'm at more or less, but I'm open to hearing other viewpoints on therapy, good and bad, from readers.
~
Lastly, let's talk about things you changed your mind about as an adult. I'm interested in hearing if there's any big issue that you were very firm about for years or decades, and then read something, met someone, or experienced something that changed your mind completely. I'll offer up one of mine. My kids are older now, but if I were doing it over, and if any parents with young children ever asked me, I would say: NO SLEEPOVERS.
Have a good weekend and I'll see you in the comments.
~
North America:
American paralysis and decline.
Yes! Interested.
~
Israel and Jews:
An hour long show, with English subtitles on a four year old hostage of October 7.
Jews for censorship.
~
The Great Walkbackening, Reckoning and Accounting:
"Commies and their Memory Holes.
I guess bodily autonomy and informed consent is a thing again.
~
The Formerly Great Britain:
This is what your leaders wish for you.
And what could possibly be wrong with that?
~
Europe:
Celebrate diversity in Belgium.
~
Evil Wokestapo and Trans:
I guess it's not a secret anymore.
Sociopathic men have found a way to abuse women with impunity.
This appears to be a feature and not a bug.
Good. Go away.
WHERE ARE THEY GONNA PUT 'EM???
~
Human Grace:
"The second of my three sons fell in battle on October 7.
Bari Weiss: "What It Means to Choose Freedom."
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.
