Live Around the Planet: Tuesday June 19th

by Mark Steyn
Clubland Q&A
June 19, 2018

https://www.steynonline.com/8708/live-around-the-planet-tuesday-june-19th

Thanks for all your questions. If you missed the live broadcast, you can listen to the action replay here.

UPPERDATE! We're live now, so let's have at it!

UPDATE! We'll be going live in about ten minutes, so do get ready to fire off your questions via the comment form below. See you at the top of the hour. And, to listen, simply click the livestream feed.

Today, Tuesday, I'll be taking questions from Mark Steyn Club members live around the planet on a brand new Clubland Q&A, at our usual hour - 4pm Eastern in North America. We'll try to pin down the rest of the time zones below, but do, as they say, check local listings.

Up for discussion today are any questions you might have on the dissolution of the people in Europe and in America; the Inspector-General's report on the FBI/DOJ shenanigans in the 2016 election; Lionel Shriver's violation of the diversity industry's safe space; and the third anniversary of Donald Trump descending that Trump Tower elevator. As I wrote three weeks after he entered the race:

Donald Trump would also be the oldest man elected president, but like Bernie he too seems to be reaching parts of the base the younger and prettier types can't. Six months out, no predictions are possible about the first states: I assume a George Pataki or Lindsay Graham or two will have fallen by the wayside by January, but a lot of the rest seem to have just enough cash to hang in awhile and it's not clear there aren't a couple more still to come. With a dozen or more candidates many of whom are all in the single digits and within the margin of error, you might be able to win New Hampshire with, say, 14 per cent of the vote. In an open primary, if the youth vote is over with the Dems voting for Bernie, an older culturally conservative Perot vote might well show up in the GOP to vote for Trump...

That was a bit of an underestimate: Trump won New Hampshire with 35 per cent of the vote.

But here's the funny and consequential thing. Trump is supposed to be the narcissist blowhard celebrity candidate... The other fellows are sober, serious senators and governors. And yet Trump is the only one who's introduced an issue into this otherwise torpid campaign - and the most important issue of all, I would argue, in that ultimately it's one of national survival. And so the same media that dismiss Trump as an empty reality-show vanity candidate are now denouncing him for bringing up the only real policy question in the race so far...
Trump, like other philosophically erratic politicians from Denmark to Greece, has tapped into a very basic strain of cultural conservatism: the question of how far First World peoples are willing to go in order to extinguish their futures on the altar of 'diversity'...
Yes, it's distressing to persons of taste and discrimination that the only person willing to address that reality is Donald Trump. But that's because he's not the reality-show freak here. The fake-o lame-o reality freakshow is the political pseudo-campaign being waged within the restraints demanded by the media and Macy's. So, if Donald Trump is the only guy willing to bust beyond those bounds, we owe him a debt of gratitude. If, as Karl Rove proposes, other candidates are able to talk about the subject in a more 'inclusive' way, so be it. But, if 'inclusive' is code for not addressing it at all, nuts to that.

Jeb! and Marco and Kasich et al could have stolen Trump's issue, but they chose not to. So nuts, indeed, to that.

Whether or not you're a member of The Mark Steyn Club, you can listen to our Clubland Q&A live as it happens wherever you happen to be on this turbulent earth: Club membership is required only to ask a question. So, if you've been toying with signing up, either for a full year or a see-how-it-goes experimental quarter, there's still time to do so and shoot me a head-scratcher for today's show.

As soon as we go live, members are welcome to log-in and submit their queries via our comment form below - and I'll answer them as-it-happens on the audio livestream that should magically appear above (or possibly below - I forget which). And, if you disagree with my response, feel free to object to it in the comments, and I'll try to address a couple of the objections as we go along.

So see you back here this afternoon at 4pm Eastern in North America. That's 5pm Tuesday in the Maritimes, 5.30pm in Newfoundland, 6pm in Bermuda - and, beyond the Americas, 9pm in the British Isles, 10pm in Western Europe, 11pm in the Middle East, midnight in Moscow, 1.30am on Wednesday in Delhi for all you Newfoundlanders who move to India for the half-hour time-zones, 4am in Singapore and Western Australia, a 6am daybreak breakfast in Sydney and Melbourne, alas, and a rather more civilized hour for the kedgeree and eggs Benedict in New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu et al.

But, whatever time it is where you are, we do hope you'll be able to join us. To listen to the livestream, simply click the "play" icon on the audio player (in certain browsers, the audio will start auto-playing). And to pose a question simply use the comment form below.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:05 pm, Gary Perlman wrote:

The Q&A is a bit too early for us Tokyoites, but I thought I'd try posting a question here in advance. I wondered if you had seen the mega-hit "Hamilton". The show characterizes Alexander Hamilton, who was three-quarters British (one-quarter French), born and raised in British colonies and presumably steeped in British thinking and tradition (the Magna Carta and all that), as an immigrant to New York, which was at the time another British colony. It then argues how vital "immigrants" were to the founding of the US. Aside from the fact that someone from Georgia, say, would have been equally an immigrant in NY at that time, the show seems caught up in the whiteness of the Founding Fathers (versus the Caribbean Hamilton) rather than their common British cultural heritage. It's a tiresome argument -- whites colonized Latin America as well, and look at the mess they made there -- but what's disturbing is that the show is being presented in schools as a way to make history more "relevant" and fun. Any thoughts on all this?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:07 pm, Trudeau\'s Highbrow Eyebrow wrote:

Is it finally farewell time for Angela Merkel?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:08 pm, Judith Kempen wrote:

Mark--
Why aren't there more conservative news outlets and newspapers? There surely must be a few folks with enough resources to start one or buy an outlet or newspaper. What is the reason for this do you think?
Thanks,
Grandma Judy

On June 19, 2018 at 4:12 pm, David Kelley-Wood wrote:

Mark,

There are a few countries which seem unwilling to jump into the communal handbasket to oblivion in Europe, led by Poland and Hungary, and a few others. And, recently we've seen encouraging developments in Austria and Italy. Are you at all optimistic that we'll see a snowball effect? And, have you noticed whether the Trump administration has been supportive of their efforts to any tangible extent (You've been talking about the likely need for the U.S. to realign alliances for some time)?

Would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Thanks!

On June 19, 2018 at 4:15 pm, Bart Nielsen wrote:

Mark, where do you think the UK will end up in relation to the EU? The meaning of the Brexit vote was clear; the implementation of the will of the people, not so much.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:20 pm, Kevin Clark wrote:

Would you comment on the IG report? The whole Hillary email investigation seems to me like a real life "Emperor's New Clothes." We've known for a couple years now that she did everything she was accused of and virtually everything she offered in her defense was a lie, yet there are no consequences. Why didn't they just say they weren't going to investigate because even if she did everything alleged it was no problem?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:22 pm, John A Barrett wrote:

Hi Mark,

I'll put two recent names in the news in the same sentence: Tommy Robinson & Paul Manifort - persons sent to prison by the judiciaries of their respective countries. Is it too much of a stretch to think of them as "political prisoners" of the Left? In the case of Robinson to "shut him up"; in the case of Manifort to "make him talk"?

John Barrett, Dover, NH

On June 19, 2018 at 4:26 pm, Joseph Huber wrote:

Hi Mark,

Watching the American liberal media push the "families being separated" narrative immediately following the destruction of their "obstruction" narratives by the IG report has been quite amusing. I see the desperation dripping from their keyboards as a good sign. They're no longer capable of being intelligently deceptive, they have instead turned the entire media into some sort of huffpost blog, and the American people are seeing it for what it is.

My question is: Do you think we'll ever see a return to true journalism in the age of the internet?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:31 pm, David Giler wrote:

The time is inconvenient for me but, I'd like to ask whether anyone has drawn a connection between foreign intelligence agencies accessing HRC's emails and the dems IT person Amwar Khan? ISI is one of the most aggressive intelligence agencies. It seems they had ready access to the DNC emails as well as Hillary's.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:34 pm, Keith Hood wrote:

Mark,

Will we be seeing you less on Tucker Carlson Tonight? Please say no, we won't!!

On June 19, 2018 at 4:36 pm, Holly wrote:

Mark, do you think that CRTV launched your show in good faith and then changed their minds, or do you think they set you up for failure from the beginning? If the former, do you think your support for Donald Trump was the catalyst, or some other factor?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:40 pm, Jean-Paul Jean wrote:

What do you think about ABDUL EL-SAYED? He seems like a bright, handsome and a Democrat. If he wins the governorship in Michigan he may have a shot at the 2020 run similar to the way Obama came up.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:43 pm, Benjamin Car wrote:

Hey Mark, on the issue of U.S. demography, it seems that many deep blue states like California and New York seem ripe for massive emigration. How likely do you think it is that mass migration from deep blue states like California may flip the electoral map in favor of the democrats in the not-so-far future? Your home state of New Hampshire was once a red state till wealthy retirees from Massachusetts and Connecticut moved in for the lighter taxes and flipped NH blue.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:48 pm, Joseph Dornisch wrote:

Hi Mark, years ago, long before I was a big fan of yours, I was a big fan of Robert Novak. Did you know him well or at all? Did you ever write anything about him?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:48 pm, Fran Lavery wrote:

Where do people like Hillary Clinton mine the gonads to preach the Good News? First of all, if you want to put on a preacher's hat, shouldn't you know what you're talking about? The lesson, I believe, that Christ was trying to teach to his disciples was not about allowing children to suffer or not suffer, it was about how to be accepting of there being a kingdom that awaits us after this life on earth. To seek the inheritance of a heavenly eternal life, Christ taught that one just needs to follow the Commandments: not to be adulterous, not to murder, not to steal, not to lie, not to defraud, and to honor one's parents. From what I can tell, Hillary might want to refresh herself with the New Testament text before preaching it to us.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:48 pm, Rich wrote:

Hi Mark - it's my birthday tomorrow and I'd say a Clubland Q&A is a pretty solid early birthday present!

Your segment with Tucker re: the sentimentalization of policy was spot on. The media will sensationalize families being separated and lay the issue at Trump's feet, but I don't recall the political elite and a host of former First Ladies calling for immigration reform after Kate Steinle was murdered. I suppose if I have a question, it's something like this: how do conservatives combat the groupthink media coverage? Do you think we can or will ever reach the point where there's a national, universally respected media, or are we going to keep going down this road of the media only reporting on liberal causes?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:49 pm, Terry Quinn wrote:

Mark, what are the chances that Clinton, McCabe, Comey, Strock, et al would ever get a fair trial in the DC District court?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:50 pm, William Stroock wrote:

Hey Mark. You are very critical of 'Munich'. I was wondering if you've watched 'Fauda' on Netflix, which is a very, shall we say, 'nuanced' Israeli show about the Mossad and their targets.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:50 pm, Mark Ferrigno wrote:

Mark,

Do you see anyone ever been held accountable for anything with regards to the corruption of the FBI, DOJ, etc? I don't.

Mark Ferrigno

On June 19, 2018 at 4:51 pm, Simon Ollivant wrote:

Hi Mark,
Here in the UK we are grinding our way through the second series of The Handmaid's Tale. A chilling drama set in an imaginary misogynistic theocracy where women, draped in body-covering clothing, are utterly subservient to men; a world of brutal colonies and child brides, a world where women can be stoned to death for sexual impropriety and homosexual men hanged in public. Where is this terrifying place? Well, Christian America, of course. Where else?

My question is this: does everyone watch this show knowing that it is a fairly blatant allegory - if that is the right term - for the faith of which we dare not speak its name? Or are we all so cowed by the cultural Red Guards that the only admissable Bad Future must be American - and Christian?

Incidentally it's being shown on Channel 4, which vies with the BBC for offering the most Correct content.

On June 19, 2018 at 4:52 pm, Mike wrote:

Mark,

As an American Catholic I have been largely disappointed in the leadership of the Catholic Church under Pope Francis, contra my pride in John Paul II's term. His silence on the Irish referendum stands in contrast to his readiness to condemn the enforcement of any Western border. I have become reluctant to make generic collection donations each Sunday lest they be used for programs I disagree with. What do you think the Holy Father's focus is on for the Church's future?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:52 pm, Laura Rosen Cohen wrote:

What do you think of the timing of this latest frontal assault on the Trump administration (IG report anyone?), and the gaseous, disgusting and odious Holocaust comparisons?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:53 pm, Toby Pilling wrote:

Brexit in name only (BRINO) is the aim of many Remainer MPs in the UK, who excuse their behaviour citing the Burkean principle that they are the representatives of their voters, not the delegates. Shouldn't a referendum result trump this principle though, where the demos has directly expressed its will?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:54 pm, Mark Ferrigno wrote:

Mark,

Care to make any prediction on the Dems alleged "Blue Wave" this fall?

On June 19, 2018 at 4:55 pm, Steven Payne wrote:

What do you think Mark, bang or whimper?

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