Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. (Oscar Wilde, 1854 -- 1900)

The idea for Dr. Dreimer’s diary came from the excerpts from the diary of Samuel Pepys published daily in the National Post. We thought it would be interesting to write a modern diary using the more formal language of an earlier era – in this case we have attempted an approximation of 18^th Century expression. What is perhaps most evident is the capitalisation of nouns, which gives an emphasis, and suggests a cadence entirely missing from current written expression. The language is more cumbersome and formal, and tends to favour the use of parallel structure for rhetorical emphasis.

Style is inseparable from attitude and tone. Dr. Dreimer observes mankind as if from a great height, or from another, more sensible century.

As it has turned out, the diary is not a conventional diary at all. Apart from the occasional references to the mythical Aunt Myalgia, languishing in the Shady Hollow Psychiatric Facility in downtown Toronto, or to the Lumpenbangen Studios in the inner reaches of Hamilton, or to the Haven of Wind-in-the-Pines at Silver Lake, we gain little insight into the trivia of Dr. Dreimer’s own life.

The diary is, in fact, a commentary on events in the news.

Rejoice and Hallelujah!

We have cudgelled our poor Brains over the Problem of militant Islam for many Years.

We have made little Progress, except to become more bold in our Assertion that the Difficulty is deeply entrenched in the Religion of Islam itself.

As we have read some Verses of the Koran, we have realized that many Passages may be taken as a Sanction of all the Islamist Aggressions and Cruelties. We have ceased to believe that Islamism is a Perversion of a benign and peaceful Religion, but have come to see it as a reasonable Expression of an Unreasonableness at the very Heart of the Faith.

The Exhortations to kill Apostates and Unbelievers, and the Insistence on the Supremacy of Religious Law over Secular Law have led us to believe that Islam itself is incompatible with western Democracy.

That is not to say that Muslims may not live comfortably in our Societies; however, they must ignore and abjure some Elements of their Religion in order to do so.

There seems to be no official Recognition that this is the Case. Governments are so blinded by their Notions of the Ideal – that all Religions and Cultures are equal – that they cannot accept the Reality which we, ourselves, now see so clearly.

Thus, we have made some Progress in our Thought – but that Progress has taken us farther from a Solution.

But again: "Rejoice and Hallelujah!"

One Possessor of such a Brain is Mark Zuckerberg, whose Creativity and financial and business Acumen have made him a Legend of our Times.

With piercing and brilliant Insight, Mr. Zuckerberg has seen the Solution which has so long eluded us:

Rejoice and Hallelujah! We stand amazed at the Simplicity of the Solution!

The Creation of of a World where Everyone feels cared for and loved is surely – in this modern World of instant Communication – the Task of but a few Weeks! Facebook itself may well play an active Rôle in ensuring Messages of Love and Support are sent to Each of its Customers.

For the Rest – the only slight Difficulty we anticipate is the Manufacture of a sufficient Number of Hallmark Cards and some logistical Difficulties in Distribution. But there is Nothing here which is insurmountable.

As an added Measure – a direct Targeting of the most crucial Market -- Flowers and Chocolates could be sent to Members of all Terrorist Organizations, with an extra Note assuring them of our enduring Regard.

Rejoice and Hallelujah! Our Problems are solved!

*Alas, Mr. Zuckerberg does not realize that "Each" is singular, and requires a singular Verb.

So attractive is the Siren Call of the Isle-That-Can-Never-Be, that People continue to sail towards the fated Shores, confident that they will find an easy Passage, a large welcoming Pier, and a happy Landing which will allow them to live amidst the fortunate Music of the soft and sultry Paradise of which they have so long dreamt.

One of those Islands – or Worlds – is that of Multiculturalism.

With Multiculturalism, it is assumed that the Abyss of great cultural Divides can be ignored; it is held that Cultures having antithetical Values may live in blessed Harmony – no Doubt that very same Interplay of Sweetness and Light promised by the ancient Singers of the Sea.

But, we must repeat – this is mere Illusion. The Sirens always call with an Intent of Shipwreck. The soft and sultry Paradise is but a Mirage which masks the tempestuous Seas and jagged Rocks of Reality, the Divisions of real Difference.

A few People, at last, are beginning to see through the Mirage.

The other Day, a Reader of the National Post commented that, since many Values of Islam are contrary to our own, Canada should ensure that Immigrants to its Shores should be required to share our Values, and accept Canadian Sovereignty.

We pointed out two great Difficulties which stand in the Path of that Goal.

It is unfortunately true that some of the "Values" which we hold dear are self-destructive. They help to ensure that other Values can never be defended.

The first false Value is that of Equality. So many pretend that there is an Equality of Persons, Ideas, Groups, Cultures and Religions. It makes them feel an agreeable Warmth inside. They luxuriate in the happy Glow of their own benign Egalitarianism, their God-like Acceptance of all human Children as equally worthy. They become strong Practitioners of the pernicious Art of Political Correctness. Since all Things are equal, Criticism becomes not merely foolish, but subversive.

To be critical of an Idea or Culture suggests that it has not a Measure of Equality with some Other. The Feelings of Someone might become ruffled, teased, or -- in some fashion -- upset. The Universe would then begin to wobble, the Stars would lose their Balance, and a terrible galactic Re-Ordering would assuredly ensue.

The second Difficulty bears a close Relation to the First.

It is the false Belief that Tolerance is a universal Good. The greater the Tolerance, it is supposed, the greater the Virtue displayed. Once again, this Notion provides for a wonderful Balm of Self-Congratulation. To be more tolerant than one’s Neighbour is surely a Sign of superior Sanctity, a Marker of ineffable and generous Goodness, a secure Passport to the Republic of high public Regard.

In fact, of course, Tolerance is laudable only in Context. One does not, admirably, tolerate Thieves or Murderers. As we have observed elsewhere: "Tolerance extended to the intolerant looks very much like Stupidity."* An Excess of Tolerance suggests – as G. K. Chesterton noted –a Lack of Conviction. Only One without a moral Compass can become lost in a Landscape of infinite, unvarying Tolerance.

In our Response, we went on to conclude that, while the Values of Islam and of liberal western Democracies are often antithetical – there is little Likelihood that Canada will ever attempt to ensure that Immigrants subscribe to our Views on important matters of Culture. We have too much Tolerance; we have too great a Belief in Equality.

When we allow a new Citizen to wear a Niqab – with all its symbolic Significance – at a Ceremony of Citizenship – we are sending a clear Message. We are most committed, not to a Defence of our Customs and Values – but, in anxious Deference, to an Abandonment of them on Request.

In some other Countries, there may be some small Hope.

We note an Article this Day at Breibart News which reports that, in Germany, Thomas de Maizière, the Minister for the Interior since 2013, has said that Immigrants would be denied permanent Residency if they refused to learn German, or look for a Job.

It is this Kind of Realism that is a necessary Counterweight to the soft and sultry Isle, the fond and foolish Dream of Multiculturalism.

*Observation  #234 (variant)

We see that Mr. Obama is visiting Cuba. He is not there, apparently, for an all-inclusive and relatively inexpensive Holiday by the Beach.

Rather, his Visit appears to be a symbolic Move in Support of his Attempt to improve Relations between Cuba and the United States. Last July, he announced the Re-Opening of an Embassy in Havana.

The Aim – Improvement of Relations – and by some magical Process – the Lot of the Cuban People -- seems noble enough.

However, we question whether Mr. Obama – whose Record of Accomplishment we would describe as definitively Stygian rather than beneficently Shining – is the Individual most Capable of undertaking that Task.

We wonder whether such an Effort might be best begun taken closer to 2018, when Mr. Castro steps down. This, of course would be rather too late for Mr. Obama to attempt to burnish his leaden Legacy with a quick Dusting of Gold.

It is our Understanding that Cuba is a totalitarian and repressive Dictatorship.

We note a Comment in the Washington Post:

It also remarks on a certain Imbalance in the Feel-Goodery:

We would note that Mr. Obama’s has a Fondness for attempting to bring Peace to Earth and create Goodwill amongst Men. In Cairo, in 2009, he extended an Olive Branch to the Muslim World. That Gesture has resulted in little Return of Oil – but an Abundance of Pits.

Ideals are often like the Sirens of mythology – a seductively attractive lure to shipwreck. (Observation # 492)

We have long railed against our Universal Health Care System.

Our chief Objection has always been that it is coercive. It is as if all auto Mechanics were in the Employ of the Government, and Repairs were covered by Government Insurance. Your Vehicle is fixed without Charge – on the other Hand – there are a limited Number of Mechanics available. Thus, you are at the Mercy of the System. Your Alternator will be replaced – just as soon as your Number is called.

Your Number is called when a Hoist is available. In the Meantime, it is wise to retrieve the Bicycle from the Back of the Garage, and apply for Lessons in Skateboarding.

Increased Demand will not increase the Cost of Repair – on the other Hand – neither will it increase the Number of Mechanics. Mechanics have more than enough Business, and are inclined to give Priority to the Orderliness of their Bookkeeping, so that the Government will pay them on Time.

They are forbidden by Law from taking any Money to provide speedy Service, and so prefer to work at a steady, unhurried Pace. Customers, knowing that Money will not provide them with better Service, attempt to frequent drinking Establishments, or join Golf Clubs favoured by local Mechanics. They make a point of attending Birthday Parties or passing on Stock Market Tips where they feel most Favour may be obtained.

Since no Private Mechanics are permitted by Law, a Customer needing immediate Alternator Repair must have his Vehicle towed out of the Country, where it will be fixed at the going Rate in the foreign Jurisdiction.

Our second and third Complaints are suggested by the First. The System is inefficient, and the Claim that it is egalitarian is hypocritical. Auto Mechanics and their Friends and Golf Partners always seem to obtain Alternator Repairs more rapidly than anyone else. Also, the Manufacturers of Alternators, certain Deliverymen, and Alternator Sales Representatives are never seen on Bicycles, or attempting to master the Art of Skateboarding.

Some Patients balk at the Rôle of silent, uncomplaining Supplicant, and have the Temerity – and Funds – to leave the Country for immediate Care. Unfortunately, if Things subsequently go wrong – and there are "Complications" – they, quite naturally, turn to the public System for Assistance. This Assistance, apparently costs many Millions of Dollars each Year.

As the Post Editorial states:

                   ...a major hidden cost of our current rigid system, including its aggressive prohibition on

The Flaws in the System are so obvious, the Question arises – why has Nothing been done to correct them?

Aha! What you must understand that the Health Care System is not – as you may have thought – a System for providing Health Care.

Not at all! It is far, far, more than that. It is a shining Beacon, a Towering Light, a glowing Palace of Crystal. It is a blessed Monument to the egalitarian Ideal. It falls short, of course – just as each Person of Faith, trapped in the Reality of Moments, can never quite achieve his angelic Potential. But what is important is not the Shortcoming, but the Protestation of Faith, the Commitment to the saving, luminous Ideal.

Yes. That is why Nothing is ever done about our System of Health Care. To repair it would be an Admission that it is broken. To Change it would be to surrender the Ideal – to feed it – callously, coldly, and deliberately – into the insatiable Maw of Reality.

This World is such a Vale of Tears and Injustice, that we scarce know how to face each Day – it is so like to bring Discouragement, Disappointment, and Despair.

The latest Outrage we have encountered may well be too difficult and delicate a Matter for our Readers to contemplate.

If you are feeling particularly vulnerable or in Need of Counselling, we suggest you read no further. A cheerful Walk in the nearest Cemetery, with Reflections on the Transience of Life and the ultimate Hopelessness of Everything, may well provide more Comfort than the News which we feel bound -- by journalistic Duty -- to reveal.

It appears that a terrible Breach of Protocol and Proper Thinking has occurred at Bowdoin College, in the State of Maine. (Breitbart News, March 7)

A Group of feckless, insensitive, and unworthy Students attended a Birthday Party at which Tequila was served. This Fact alone put them on dangerous Ground, for Tequila is associated with the Country of Mexico. We do not hear of Japanese Tequila, Zambian Tequila, or the Tequila of the Outer Hebrides.

There is some legitimate Consideration to be given to the Claim that Tequila is so Mexican, that it should not be consumed by those living in -- or claiming Birth Origin in – Japan, Zambia, or the Outer Hebrides.

These ignorant Students – we do wonder what they are being taught in our advanced Centres of Learning these Days – besides drinking Tequila – also wore – we can hardly bring ourselves to name their Criminality – Sombreros.

We are not surprised to learn that two Members of Bowdoin’s Student Government are facing Impeachment. We assume that they attended the Party, and, by Silence, gave their Consent.

We should applaud, however, the Response of Bowdoin’s President, Clayton Rose, who declared:

And there is some small Comfort in the Words of Michelle Kruk, a Vice-President of Student Government, who said:

Indeed. We would have thought that intensive Courses in Ethnic Stereotyping an Cultural Insensitivity were mandatory at any Institution of Higher Learning. It almost suggests that Students are allowed to pass such Courses with very low Marks indeed.

While it is true that the General Assembly of Bowdoin Students has issued a "Statement of Solidarity" with those deemed affected by the cultural Damage caused by the Party, and has recommended that the Administration acknowledge the "deep hurt" caused, and set aside a "safe space" for those affected – we are not sure that these Measures are sufficient.

We hope that No One would object to our modest Proposal that covert Surveillance Devices be installed throughout the Facility. In this Way, Conversations might be recorded and examined by appropriate Faculty Members, and the general Vulnerability to Stupidity of the College might be assessed. If Matters of egregious Folly are detected early, and dealt with swiftly, doubtless many terrible Events can be avoided.

When the Freedom to wear a Sombrero is measured against the Devastation of Cultural Insensitivity, no great Aggregation of Intellectual Sophistication is required to make an assured and felicitous Choice.

We note that Archbishop Terence Prendergast has termed assisted Suicide as "evil." (National Post, March 7, 2016)

He has also suggested that the Church might refuse to conduct a Funeral "when families strongly support and champion their loved one’s assisted-death decision."

This is what happens when the Ideal World comes into Contact with the real One.

In the Ideal World, God has a Plan, and since God is Perfection personified, one should not interfere with that Plan, lest He become angry and upset.

Interfering with the Plan is legitimate, if it involves improving one’s Life and Circumstance, but there are certain Areas of Life in which God has sole Jurisdiction.

Thus, if He has planned that you should have a long, lingering miserable Death – for no particular Reason – it is an evil Thought to wish to interfere with the Plan.

It is acceptable to minimize Suffering with Drugs, of course, but, in the Ideal World of the Ideal Plan, Life is sacred, and is God’s own untouchable Territory.

The Sacredness falls off a Bit, in the Case of War, or the Death Penalty, or Self-Defence.

Then God’s Plan is best overlooked. If the Plan were to be perfectly consistent, it would be a great Evil to take the Life of Another, regardless of the Threat. So – a few reasonable Exceptions must be made.

Refuge must be taken in a careful, respectful, non-judgmental Response: God moves in mysterious Ways his Puzzles to display.

Indeed, if one has the Temerity to look at the non-human World, one sees that God’s Plan involves a clear Principle: most Creatures survive by eating other Creatures. It is puzzling that Life is so sacred in the human Sphere, but so readily – and necessarily – expendable in the non-human Sphere.

Once again, One has to do a little fancy Rationalizing: the Worlds of Man and Beast are completely different. God has one Plan for his chosen Creature, Homo Sapiens – and a completely different Plan for all the Rest.

Unfortunately, it has been discovered that Homo Sapiens is made of the same genetic Building Blocks as all other Life Forms. Indeed, it appears he evolved from other, more primitive Creatures.

Thus, it is necessary to bring in another arbitrary Concept: At some magical Point, God decided that Homo Sapiens should be given special Treatment. There would be a new, wonderful Plan for him, and the old Plan – the Law of the Survival of the Fittest – would apply to Everything Else.

At some Point, too, rational Human Beings must get tired of constant Rationalizations and Evasions – the constant Attempts to fit the awkward, square Pegs of Reality into the fanciful Notion of God’s wonderful Plan.

At that Point, they decide that the true Evil is insisting that People suffer when they would prefer to die. They decide that the Idea of God’s beneficent, perfect Plan, is an impossible, devious, twisted Contortion of Reason -- is nothing more than  a baffling bamboozling Boatload of Bullshit.

Political correctness values feelings over facts, fiction over freedom. (Observation # 582)

It is interesting to note the Wimpification of America.

We had always thought of Americans as sturdily independent, carving a Country from the inhospitable Wilderness.

But it appears that they have fallen Victim – at least in some important Milieus – to the Siren Call of Political Correctness. In that wondrous Land of Correctness, sturdy Independence is no longer required; there is a Nanny who will protect them from Criticism, Offense, and any Ideas that suggest that, in Fact, the Big Rock Candy Mountain is not real, but an idealistic and impossible Conception.

Apparently, in a recent Talk at the University of Pittsburgh, Milo Yiannopoulos said many disagreeable Things:

The Response of the Students did not involve a Refutation, or even a Discussion of these Ideas. It appears that the overwhelming Reaction was of helpless Fragility.

Marcus Robinson, President of the Pittsburgh Rainbow Alliance, said "So many of us shared in our pain. I felt I was in danger, and I felt so many people in that room were in danger." He also felt that counsellors should have been available in another room to "protect" students "traumatized" by the disagreeable Opinions.

The Student Board President, Nasreen Harun, admitted to an Episode of Lachrymosity upon hearing of the Students’ Ordeal.

Another Student, Claire Matway, gave as her Opinion: "That so many people walked out of that [event] feeling in literal physical danger is not alright."

Indeed, the Student Board found it necessary to send out a Letter of Apology for the Event, declaring: "If you were in the audience and were disgusted and hurt by the speaker’s remarks, we understand and empathize with you."

All Civilizations seem to reach a Height from which there is an inevitable Decline into Irrelevancy. We know little of History – but we speculate whether there is a Similarity of Cause.  Does the Climbing of the Ladder of Success lead to some Plateau of Deception, where the Ladder and all its Rungs are forgotten, or are but dimly perceived through some distorting and subversive Prism? Does the Civilization become consumed with Idleness, Luxury, and Folly? Does meaningless Hubbub and Natter mask the Sound of Barbarians at the Gate, and enable an unexpectedly sudden Collapse and Defeat?

We have no Answers to these Questions. We do have our Suspicions.

Laws Against Blasphemy:

How truth, and laws of science stand serene!
Their sole defence -- but facts in reason's theme.
Yet anxious faiths and Gods of priestly scheme --
'Gainst such deceits --'tis ruled  -- shall none blaspheme!  

(Observation #374)

Just Yesterday we had occasion to mention an Imam in Denmark who preaches the Disturbance that is Islam: a primitive, barbaric Religion which favours Stoning of Adulterers and Death for Apostates.

It is interesting that the primitive Notions of the Seventh Century are given Voice in the Twenty-First. What is as remarkable is the Claim that such Proclamations of Cruelty, should be beyond Criticism, and that they should be accorded such Protection because they represent religious Beliefs.

And further, so weak-minded are Many, so bamboozled by the Notion that "Freedom of Religion" excuses any barbaric Stupidity, that they remain silent, believing that they are thereby exercising the Virtue of "Tolerance."

In Fact, such Tolerance is a Kind of voluntary Acceptance of the Principle which informs Laws against Blasphemy.

Five Years ago, Shahbaz Bhatti, a lone Christian in the Pakistan Government, was assassinated by the Taliban. A liberal Muslim, Salmaan Taseer, criticized the Murder, and was himself killed by Mumtaz Qadri. (Breitbart News, March 3)

Mr. Qadri was hanged for the Crime this Week.

One might conclude that a certain Amount of Justice had been done.

But a Hundred Thousand People attended Mr. Qadri’s Funeral – in a Celebration of his Crime.

So much – one might say – for the Enlightenment which is Pakistan. Thank the Universe we live elsewhere.

But such Expressions of Gratitude might be premature.

Imam Muhammed Asim Hussain, of the City of Bradford in the United Kingdom found it appropriate to make the following Comment on Facebook:

But, of Course, Islam is a Religion of Peace.

We would be showing our Intolerance if we were to suggest that continued, relentless, and harsh Criticism of Islam is the only virtuous Choice for Anyone with a Moral Compass.

It's a cruel world: idealistic dreams usually end up costing as much as regular stupidity. (Observation # 586)

After a period of ascendancy, and a period of decline, Islam is in the process of reform -- a return to the barbarism, intolerance, and cruelty of its seventh century roots. (Observation # 587)

People are so anxious to hear Happy Stories, that, when a Happy Story appears, they tend to respond with unthinking Acceptance and Contentment.

One of the Happy Stories currently popular is that Islamism is an illegitimate Child of Islam. Islamism is horrific, but it is a Perversion of a Religion of Peace and Tranquility.

It is true that once Islam was progressive and influential in the "Golden Age" from the mid- eighth to the mid-thirteenth Centuries:

The Golden Age seems very distant. Today, Islam seems determined to return to its Roots -- to the Verses of the Koran which justify Stupidity and Barbarism. The Happy Story is that there is still an "original" Islam which is peaceful and benign. The Problem is that the Evidence to support the Happy Story seems elusive. If the benign and peaceful Islam exists, it is modest, quiet, shy, and retiring.

A secret Film was made of radical Preacher, Abu Bilal Ismail, showing him saying:

The Imam also repeated the familiar Notion that Death is an appropriate Punishment for Apostasy.

It is interesting that the Chairman of the Mosque, Oussama El_Saadi, noted that the Imam cannot say things contrary to Sharia. In the practical Danish Context Sharia may not be valid:

No, not valid in Denmark – but valid in the Context of Islam as a Religion.

And yet this is the Religion which, it is held – out of Politeness -- we must not criticize.

We suspect that there is a Limit to which Happy Stories can be believed.

(Thomas Huxley, 1825 - 1895)

In a time of rapid and relentless Change, we are comforted by certain eternal Verities. The Universe seems more friendly, when one has Expectations which are consistently and reliably met.

One of those Verities, in recent Years, has been the Predictability of the Climate Alarmists.

We know that, whatever the Evidence, the Alarmists will continue to predict the submerging of tropical Islands, the boiling of the Oceans, and the Loss of Polar Bears. They will cite the Perversity of Mankind as the Cause.

David Suzuki will call for those who disagree with him to be jailed. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will continue in not permitting a single Skeptic to be interviewed. CTV will reliably report on Climate Change Conferences in those same Tones of Gravity used to describe the Loss of a Canadian Hockey team in International Competition.

Alas! It appears that these Certainties may not persist.

We recall that as recently as last Summer, there was a desperate Attempt by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to get rid of that irritating Peskiness – the Lack of Global Warming over the last Eighteen Years.*

The Peskiness arises from the Fact that all the Climate Predictions assume a proportional Relationship between Greenhouse Gasses and Global Temperature. When Gasses rise, but Temperature remains the same, the Theory is cast into Doubt and Disarray. Careers are threatened, and the Population of earnest Fools is threatened with an unseemly Explosion.

The Black Cloth Technique was met with some Derision, and --sure enough -- a new Study has been published in Nature Climate Change, which confirms the Existence of the Pause, (Breitbart, February 28)

Further, one of the Authors of the Study is none other than Michael Mann – that same Michael Mann of alarmist Hockey Stick Fame – that same Michael Mann whose alarmist Credentials cannot be denied.

In an Article in Breitbart News, James Delingpole likens this Apostasy to the Desertion of Rats from a sinking Ship. He speculates as to whether the Media, who have committed themselves to Alarmism, will actually report on this unexpected Twist.

We are fairly confident that they will not. For to do so would be to diverge from those left-wing Politicians whom they consistently support.

Politicians are, by genetic Make-Up, little concerned with Truth. Climate Alarmism has become central to their Policies and their Views of the World.

We cannot imagine Premier Kathleeen Wynne giving up the Taxes she expects to levy on the Basis of anthropogenic Climate Alarmism. She has already been filmed, determinedly jogging Global Temperatures into Submission. She cannot now jog backwards.

Nor can we imagine Mr. Trudeau, awkward and befuddled, giving up the dramatic Gesture and heroic Stance of the Paris Conference. It would be like admitting he wears a Wig.

Our Verities may be wounded. The Loss of Blood may eventually prove critical. But, for a little Time yet, they will remain comforting Markers of our peculiar intellectual Landscape.

*See Drivel, July 26, 2015.

It is a Truth most generally acknowledged that Inequality is the most grievous Circumstance which afflicts Mankind. Thus we are pleased, indeed, to see that great Strides are being made towards the cherished, and long-sought Goal of Equality.

Imagine our Surprise this very Day on learning that The Cinder Block Comedy Festival -- a Comedy Festival in New York City -- is planning to charge a higher Fee for Tickets to "straight white men." (Breitbart News, February 25)

At first we thought that this was merely a clever Advertisement, some artful Trick to capture Attention which would have some comic Resolution made clear with additional Details.

Instead, it appears that it represents the Kind of Advance in Sensibility for which we have waited, in breathless Anticipation, lo these many Years.

We can now exhale in Exultation. For too long have those of weak Intellect been bamboozled by Martin Luther King’s Claim that what is important is not the Colour of One’s Skin, but the Content of One’s Character. Character is Something increasingly irrelevant in the Modern Age – for it can be changed in an Instant.

Far more important are those Things that cannot be changed – One’s Gender, Orientation, or Skin Colour. These are the Things by which People are properly judged, and to which far more Attention must be paid.

To the Layman, this Task may appear to be difficult, but for those skilled in Equality Mathematics, Algorithms are readily available. Indeed, our one Quarrel with the Cinder Block Comedy Festival is that they have not made use of any such advanced Techniques. They appear to lump Gender, Orientation, and Colour indiscriminately. This appears to be counter-productive.

Surely each of these Deficiencies should be given its own unique Value, and compensating Discount Prices of varying Amounts be applied.

Putting that – for the Moment --aside -- the single, undifferentiated Discount is still a great Step forward.

If we were forced to any further Criticism of the Comedy Festival, it would simply be that the Range of Inequalities addressed is still pitifully restricted. For surely it must be recognized that the left-handed are inferior to those whose primary Hand is on the right, that those with blond Hair are superior to those provided with dark. And both of these – it is superfluous to point out -- are preferred to the Drabness of Grey – or to the Curse of Baldness.

The Nirvana of Equality may not be reached Tomorrow, but it is comforting to learn that some, blessed with Intellect, Sensitivity, and Foresight are robustly engaged in so worthwhile a Battle.

We thought we had become inured to living in this Vale of Tears. From every Side comes News of Misery, Death, Disappointment, and Destruction.

Yet, until now, we have been able to soldier on with our little Life – aware of the general Gloom but managing to keep a slim precious Hold on Equanimity.

But this Day, all has changed.

We have learned of the most heart-rending Circumstance at two Universities in the United States.

Indeed, we have taken to our Bed, from which Location we currently write. There is little Prospect that we will leave it without Grief Counselling, a stiff Drink, or both.

We advise the Reader to sit on a comfortable Sofa, take an Anti-Anxiety Pill, and try to remember a few Happy Scenes from Childhood before reading further.

There. Are you comfy?

It appears that, at the University of Michigan it was found necessary to hold a Group Therapy Session for traumatized Students.

Similarly, a few Days earlier, at Rutgers University, Students experienced unprecedented Horrors.

The Reaction of the Students there was reported by Breitbart News on February 18th:

The Students at both Universities had been subjected – we do have Difficulty in articulating this – to a Speech by Milo Yiannopoulos.

If the Reader has Difficulty in continuing – we do understand. We suggest taking out the Garbage, cleaning the Toilet, banging the Head against a convenient hard Surface, or some other soothing, stress-relieving Activity.

Those at Breitbart News were sufficiently sensitive not to indicate the Contents of Mr. Yiannopoulos’s Speech. We had to do an extensive Search on Google in order to ascertain some Hints of the horrendous Truth.

While we were unable to find Copies of the Speech, we were able to ferret out enough Information to suggest why Group Therapy Sessions were needed at both Universities.

Put bluntly – there is no polite Way of saying this – Mr. Yiannopoulos appears to believe that Feminism has gone too far – and further, that it has shown itself to be antithetical to Freedom of Speech. He feels that Men have been unfairly tarnished as evil Monsters and derided as incompetent, scarcely necessary, inferior Beings. Women, on the other Hand, have been promoted, favoured, and elevated, and worshipped as the only reasonable Form of Humanity.

We cannot understand how Mr. Yiannopoulos is allowed to remain at large.* That he should be permitted to speak to young, sensitive, immature Students at University Campuses is a Circumstance beyond all reasonable Understanding.

Freedom of Speech may be all very well on a theoretical Basis. But the legitimate Demands of Sweetness and Light must take Precedence on every Occasion. In particular, we must protect our Innocent Students – the future Leaders of our World -- from any Form of Trauma, Distress, Worry, or Unexpectedness.

We know not what Action may be taken against Mr. Yiannopoulos – but we hope that better Minds than ours are devising appropriate Remedies.

*We understand that Mr. Yiannopoulos responded to legitimate Student Outrage with the unconscionable, disgraceful, scurrilous Remark: "I don’t care about your feelings."

We always try to draw Generalizations from particular Instances. One of our Observations is that "Too much of a good thing is always a bad thing."*

This may be re-stated as the Positive Principle Paradox – all positive Principles must defer to the Law of diminishing Returns. Thus, the Principle: "Apples are good for you" is subject to numerical Limits. One Apple a Day may well be good for you; One Hundred Apples may have a negative Consequence. "Be kind to your Neighbour" seems an admirable Commandment; but if your Kindnesses and earnest Solicitations are too numerous, you may well become a dreaded and intrusive Pest.

To this Idea of Number or Volume, we must also add Circumstance. If, in Fact, you are allergic to Apples, even One Apple may not be good for you. If your Neighbour is trying to kill you, it may not be advisable to accede to his Request to borrow your new high-powered Rifle.

Our final Definition then, is this: The Positive Principle Paradox holds that Positive Sentiments must defer to the Law of diminishing Returns and the Presence of Contrary Indicators.

All right. We admit we are having a Bit of Fun. What we really mean to say is that Ideals must often defer to the practical Difficulties of Implementation.

We thought of the Positive Principle Paradox as we drove Yesterday from Hamilton to Wind-in-the-Pines.

On the Radio was a Program obviously designed to support Mr. Trudeau and the Liberal Government in their Refugee Program.

It would be churlish of us to suggest that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has a vested Interest in supporting the Liberal Regime because they expect the kind of financial Largesse which Liberal Governments are inclined to bestow on a supportive Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

So we will refrain from making that Suggestion.

Nor will we imply that there is a happy Confluence of Values shared by the Corporation and Left-Wing Governments.

To do so would be to cast Aspersions on the Impartiality of the Corporation. We will studiously refrain from casting Aspersions of any Kind, in any Direction.

Thus, the Program obviously designed to support the Trudeau Refugee Program was a Result of the high Idealism and Concern for the Greater Good of our fair Nation.

Unlike the learned Professor, we have not lost the greater Portion of our Marbles.

Unfortunately, the Positive Principle Paradox soon comes into Play.

While we can understand how Ten or Twenty Refugees might be welcomed and absorbed into a foreign Culture – or even a few hundred -- as the Numbers Rise, we see practical Difficulties.

Those Difficulties arise from Tribalism – the Differences among Cultures. We do not defend Tribalism, by the Way. We simply see it as an Fact of Existence – a Propensity of Human Nature which cannot be altered in the near Future. Ignoring Facts will not make them go away.

Sometimes those Difference may be small. We suspect that large Numbers of Canadians might move to the United States with little Difficulty.

But sometimes those Differences are large. That is the Case when religious Loyalties are in direct Contradiction to the Principles of secular Societies.

As we are fond of pointing out, there can be no convenient Resolution made between those who believe that Religion should dictate the Principles upon which Government should operate, and those who passionately believe that it should not.

Thus, when small Numbers of Immigrants arrive, they may be persuaded to modify their Culture, and be absorbed into the Mainstream. But when large Numbers of Immigrants arrive, they tend to congregate in congenial, self-reinforcing Lumps. They are not blended into the Mix: they persist as an alien Tribe within a Tribe. The Principle "When in Rome do as the Romans do" – a bit of ancient tribal Wisdom – is now considered, on all Sides, to be outmoded and antithetical to the Greater Wisdom of the Big Rock Candy Mountain. Thus there is almost no Pressure to Integration.

In France and Britain, this Lumpiness of Tribes who have not been assimilated has led to considerable Division and Strife.

And as we have pointed out in our Diary Entries of February 2nd, 17^th, and 18^th it is causing an Erosion of Freedom of Speech and of the Press, in Germany, Britain, and, potentially, in Canada.

Anxious to combat the Tribalism of the indigenous Population, idealistic Governments seek to restrict Criticism of the foreign Tribes. They may be aided by sympathetic Media – such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

To repeat: we are in Favour, in Principle, of welcoming an unlimited Number of needy Refugees.

From a practical Perspective, we think it is Madness.

One ignores the potent Force of Tribalism at one’s Peril.

*All dreams must defer to an underlying paradoxical principle: too much of a good thing is always a bad thing. (Observation # 286)

Yesterday we wrote of the Perversity of the Police in Scotland, who have warned that "harsh criticism" of the Influx of Muslims will not be tolerated. They have arrested a Citizen for a critical Posting made on Facebook.

In this Way, it would seem, a cultural Suicide is to be effected. A Country with a History of defending Freedom of Speech has changed its Mind. In its Stead, a new Principle – a Principle espoused by Followers of Islam – a Religion which accepts no Hint of Criticism – will be instituted.

What an Irony! A Culture which is more successful in Terms of providing Freedom and Comfort, a Culture which allows varied artistic Expression and encourages scientific Pursuits for its Citizens, will defer to those from another Culture, manifestly less successful, riven by religious Conflict, and desperate for Sanctuary elsewhere.

There seems to be no Consideration given to the faint Possibility that the Success of the welcoming Culture may be due in some small Part to its Defence of Freedom of Speech and its Separation of Church and State. Nor does it seem to be thought that the Lack of Success of the desperate Culture may be due in Part to the Dominance of Religion, and the Strictures against free Expression.

In the Province of Quebec, Bill 59 is currently being considered.

(National Post, October 19, 2015)

Note the Vagueness of the Terms: "fear of the other," and "deemed offensive to any individual."

Further, the Claim that such Speech was "true" or "in the public interest," would not be a defence.

Thus, this Law would seem open to much creative Interpretation. It amounts to a Carte Blanche for those wishing to protect Islam – it provides exactly that Kind of Status of Infallibility that Islam demands: Islam must be considered a Belief System that is beyond Criticism.

Further -- as with the anti-Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan – it appears to provide a convenient Vehicle for the Pursuit of personal Vendettas.

Sometimes we are convinced that the World has gone mad.

See also Diary, December 9, 2015 and February 17, 2016 below.　

We have not been a Student of History, but we imagine that the Societies of past Ages have been much afflicted with Inequality – with Systems of hereditary Rulers and Arrangements of Classes and Castes.

The Great Promise of America was that of Equality of Opportunity – of a Society in which any Citizen could grow up to be President.

But Pendulums have a Habit of swinging from one Extreme to Another; People are no longer satisfied with so miserable a Portion of Equality, and are overcome with the Desire for an infinite Dish of it.

Thus we have seen the Rise of the Concept of Multiculturalism – the Equality of Cultures -- within a single Country; Women are urged to become Captains of Industry, and Wizards of Astrophysics; Those with Disabilities are described as alternatively gifted; No Idea is considered better than any Other; Criticism of any Kind is discouraged, lest those criticized might feel offended, and the notion of the essential Goodness and Harmony of the Universe might be cast into Doubt..

One wonders how far the Pendulum may swing before the Clock is so far out of Balance, that it crashes to the Floor, and is incapable of giving any true Estimate of the Time.

We will not waste our limited intellectual Resources in Speculation about such Matters.

In the Meantime, it has been decided that the Notion of Equality is so fundamental and essential that it must be preserved and cherished regardless of the Cost. This Enterprise is known as "Political Correctness" – a kind of Social Policy which refuses to recognize any Element of Fact which might oppose the Imminence of Nirvana, the incipient Realization of a happy Space on the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

There are two Articles in Today’s Breitbart News which speak to our Point.

The First notes a Comment by Ajit Pai, of the the Federal Communications Commission in the United States:

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai warned about the erosion of free speech in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, making a crucial point about how a generation comfortable with thuggish intimidation on campuses and the Internet will have a weak immune system against the virus of official censorship. Liberty is a habit, which Pai perceptively warned we are losing. (Breitbart, February 17)

The second Article concerns the Attempt to silence all Criticism of Refugees from Syria admitted into Western Countries.

The essential Problem is that all Cultures are not equal. Some Cultures have Values that are diametrically opposed those of Others. There can be no amicable Resolution of the Belief that Government should be beholden to Religion, and the Belief that it should absolutely not be so beholden.

Political Correctness is, of course, founded upon the Notion that Facts which are ignored will go away. The determined Pretence that all tribal, cultural Differences are not important must be maintained regardless of the Reality.

We noted in our Diary of February 2^nd (below), that the German Government is attempting to censor Criticism of Refugees in the Press.

Now, we have learned that Police in Britain have arrested a Citizen who lives on the Scottish Island of Bute. The Population of the Island was about Six Thousand Five Hundred in 2011, and is expected to receive about One Thousand Syrian Immigrants.

The Crime of the Citizen was to have posted an "offensive" Comment on Facebook.

The Policy appears to be clear:

We had thought that the Concept of Freedom of Speech was an important Principle of Democracy.

It would appear that that Principle is giving way to the Principle that People should not be offended.

It is difficult to overemphasize the Importance of this Shift. The welcoming Country is abandoning a Principle of its Culture in Favour of a Principle of Muslim Culture – which holds that Freedom of Speech be severely restricted -- for it holds that no Criticism of Islam is permissible.

We do not think these Matters will end well.

Tolerance extended to intolerance looks very much like stupidity. (Observation # 234)
 

* Breitbart, February 5, 2016: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/02/05/facebook-censorship-and-the-war-on-free-speech/

Yesterday, we had Occasion to write, once again, about our favourite Boondoggle – Climate "Science."

Today, we have encountered further relevant Information. It is from an Article by Lawrence Solomon in this Morning’s Post.

It appears that The United States Supreme Court has struck Dismay and Discord into the Ranks of the Obama Brigade of the First Division of Warming Alarmists.

The Story begins with Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama, of course, suffers from Virtuous Exemption Syndrome – that strange Malady which afflicts those who believe that their own Virtue and Benevolence exempts them from observing customary Rules and Procedures. Suffering a severe V.E.S. Attack, Mr. Obama had decided to introduce a Clean Power Plan for the United States without bothering to obtain any Permission from Congress.

Doubtless he felt that Congress was busy with other Matters, and there was no Point in needlessly disrupting their Work.

This Plan would have had the Effect of shutting down all Plants designed to produce Power through the use of Coal. A Number of States and State Agencies greeted this Prospect less than complete Enthusiasm, and appealed to the Supreme Court.

That Court has agreed that, busy though Congress may be, it must be consulted on the Matter.

This will have some far-reaching Effects. It seems unlikely that Mr. Obama will see the Approval from Congress before he leaves Office. This Rebuff may cause him considerable Disappointment and Frustration, and shows that very occasionally, People get some small Portion of their just Rewards.

And if the Republicans should be elected, it seems unlikely that they will have quite the same Enthusiasm for destroying their Country which Mr. Obama has shown on every possible Occasion. It may happen that the Emphasis on changing the Climate will be deferred until that Day when the Scientists have a better Understanding of the Causes of Climate Change, and have shown that they are able to make accurate Predictions.*

In that Case, Mr. Obama’s Reputation would receive further Injury, which would somewhat renew our Faith in Karma. We might even look more favourably on the Notion of a wise, just, and interfering Deity.

In his Article, Mr. Solomon suggests that either Mr. Cruz or Mr. Trump, if elected, might refuse to fund the noxiously political Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

We become giddy at the Prospect. But our View of the World is such that we think it unwise to give much Credence to the Possibility of so sweeping an Eradication of Chicanery.

There are further Ramifications. In the Absence of the Plan, the United States will be unable to reach its Commitment to reduce CO2 Emissions by 2030. Other Nations, such as India and China, who have made similar Pledges at the recent Convocation in Paris, may feel a lesser Sense of Obligation in this Regard.

And this might signal the Beginning of the End of one of the most extraordinary popular Delusions in the History of Mankind.

*We note that an unforeseen Event – such as a large volcanic Eruption might negate all such Predictions anyway.

Of all the offspring of Time, Error is the most ancient, and is so old and familiar an acquaintance, that Truth, when discovered, comes upon us like an intruder, and meets the intruder's welcome. (Charles Mackay, 1812 -1889)

The world is made up for the most part of fools and knaves. (George Villiers, Second Duke of Buckingham 1628 - 1687.)

Climate "science:" The wolf of politics wearing grandma's lab coat. (Observation # 522)

One of the Things that makes the World interesting is observing how often a majority Opinion strikes One as foolish and ill-advised.

The usual Cause is that People are congenital Optimists. Thus, Religions assure us that God is in his Heaven, and all is right with the World. It often holds out the Promise that Death is but a temporary Condition which will give way to The Big Rock Candy Mountain – or Something of a great and pleasing Similarity.

In Canada, we have just elected a Politician who promises Sunny Ways, despite not having provided any Morsel of Evidence that he has any sophisticated Understanding of the World. Indeed, we find "Sunny Ways" to be a great Rarity in our Corner of the Universe – One which it is unwise to predict or expect.

Similarly, the United States elected a President on the Basis of "Hope and Change" – despite the Fact that the Politician had had no Experience in changing Anything – or even managing to keep any modest Enterprise on an even Keel.

At first Glance, the Belief in catastrophic Climate Change does not seem to fit the Pattern – since it threatens Destruction and Disaster.

However, it is perhaps the Prospect of avoiding the Disaster which has Appeal to the optimistic Mind. It is the Finger-in-the-Dike Syndrome of Heroism that seems to have captured the Imagination of many Politicians.

Canada’s contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions is about .015% of the World Total. Yet Canadian Politicians are much imbued with the Notion of leading the Peoples of the Earth to the Promised Land of unchanging Temperatures. Ms. Notley is an Enthusiast; we have seen Kathleen Wynne athletically jogging along a Country Road, promising to pound Climate Change into Submission. And Mr. Trudeau has promised a Carbon Tax.

In Contrast, we would like to make Reference to a recent Article by Lord Christopher Monckton at Breitbart News on February 9.*

Mr. Monckton refers to a Physicist, Professor William Happer, of Princeton, who claims that Computer Models of Global Warming are flawed, because they make erroneous Assumptions about the Interaction of CO2 Molecules with other "infrared photons."

Further, the Climatologist Richard Lindzen, of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has shown that the official Theory – which holds that Feedbacks of direct Warming triple the total Amount of Warming – is a significant Exaggeration of the Truth.

We confess that we are unable to assess the Validity of these Claims. We would not know an infrared Photon if it should suddenly appear in our Soup.

Nor have we any Expertise in the Matter of direct Warming Feedbacks. Our Experience is limited to altering the Thermostat Dial in order to make the Furnace deliver more Heat.

However, what it does seem reasonable to conclude is that the oft repeated Proposition that Ninety-Seven Percent of Scientists believe that Climageddon is at the Doorstep -- and that it can only be averted by a Destruction of Industrial Civilization as we know it – may contain some modest Economies with Respect to the Truth.

Over the Years, we have noted many other Reasons for disbelieving the Alarmists. In his Article, Mr. Monckton goes on to list ten awkward Questions which might be asked of the Alarmists. They are Questions which expose the Gap between the Claims and the Reality.

Our Position remains unchanged. If "Climate Science" is indeed a Science, it will be able to show an Accuracy of Prediction. Thus far, that Crucial Test has not been met.

Until then, the Majority Opinion regarding Climate Change is mere anticipatory Nonsense. It only serves to prove how vulnerable is Humankind to bad Ideas that have, somehow, captured the fallible, untutored, human Imagination.

*The Profiteers of Doom Were Wrong About Climate, February 9, 2016.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/09/the-profiteers-of-doom-were-wrong-about-climate/

It has come to our Attention that the German Government has taken the wise Precaution of influencing Public Opinion, not merely through the normal Means of Public Statements, but by more discreet and covert Procedures.

It is well known that the Common People are foolish, fickle, and of weak Understanding; they are inclined to come to Conclusions of which no Government could possibly approve.

What more sensible, what more Germanically efficient, then, than to keep a watchful Eye on what is reported in Newspapers, and ensure that certain Things are reported, and other Things are conveniently left for future – probably indefinite -- Consideration?

It is only unfortunate that News of this Government Control has leaked out; such Matters are best kept secret. For if they become widely known, People lose Trust in what Newspapers report, and the benevolent Plans of the Government are placed at unnecessary Risk.

The National Public Service Broadcaster, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), was recently forced to apologize for Failure to report on such Matters as Migrant Violence and Sex Assault.

And now, a former Bureau Chief has admitted that Journalists have received Instructions to write News which would be agreeable to the Chancellor, Ms. Merkel.

Dr, Wolfgang Herles, a former Head of ZDF has admitted:

It seems rather careless of the Government to allow Dr. Herles to make such Accusations. We can only hope that a Retraction will be forthcoming in the next Few Days. Perhaps Dr. Herles will be found to be suffering from advanced Schizophrenia, or terminal Veracity Syndrome.

It should be clearly understood that the Government is on the Side of the Angels. It has welcomed great Numbers of Refugees who have been unable to find Welcome in Countries near their Homeland. It is committed to the Notion that their Magnanimity and Benevolence should not diminished by the Stain of negative Consequences. Noble Ideals always justify minor Lying, Obfuscation, and Subterfuge.

One must always think of the Big Picture.

The Truth about mass Immigration, should it become generally known, would suggest that Multiculturalism is a rather more difficult Project than is generally admitted. It is best to keep Reality significantly at Bay when engaged in Idealistic Enterprise.

There is another Item in this Day’s News which is further to our Point.

At a Meeting in the German Town of Bad Schlema, Residents expressed Concern over the Harassment of Children by those seeking Asylum. One Man asked what would happen in Summertime, when his Granddaughter would be wearing less Clothing.

The Mayor, a most sensible Gentleman, refused to acknowledge that Refugees might be responsible for any Difficulty. To do so, would be to contradict the Government Narrative.

His Solution was eminently reasonable:

We are saddened to report that the Residents of the Town were not calmed and mollified in the least. They felt that they should not have to alter their Habits and Customs in order to accommodate the Seekers of Asylum.

This foolish and unreasonable Selfishness simply confirms our View of the Common People. They are not sufficiently educated or sophisticated to sacrifice their petty Comforts in the Name of a great humanitarian Enterprise.

They do not understand the big Picture. They insist on focussing on Minutiae.

This is even more Evidence of the Correctness of the Government Position with Respect to Refugees. The common People must be convinced – by whatever Means possible – that the real World – so sordid, petty and niggling – should defer to the glorious, uplifting, Ideal.

If that requires a controlling of the News, we see no Reason to complain.

Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. (G.K. Chesterton, 1874 - 1936)

"Tolerance" becomes totalitarian when it denies the right to criticize. (Observation # 566)

It is our Perception that People are in Favour of Freedom of Speech, except when it is Speech which they find objectionable.

Thus we are not surprised to learn that The Guardian has decided to censor Contributions to its Commentary Section entitled "Comment is Free."

The Difficulty appears to arise from the Fact that the Guardian approves of certain Views of Race, Immigration and Islam. We hesitate to characterize or delineate those Views, because we are not sure – but, because The Guardian complains of "toxic commentary" and Views "below the line." we suspect that they are "politically correct."

The politically correct View is that all People, Cultures, and Ideas are equal. Thus it must follow that Immigration is always a Good Thing, and Islam should not be criticized.

With respect to Race, we must tread carefully, for the Word "Racism" is much misused and misunderstood. Clearly, it is foolish to criticize Anyone for his Race, for that is Something which is beyond the Control of any Individual. On the other Hand, it is perfectly legitimate to criticize Someone for his Culture, for that is Something which can be modified.

We take it as self-evident that some Cultures are superior to others in their Capacity to provide for Freedom, Comfort, and Opportunity for artistic Expression and scientific Achievement.

Where cultural Attitudes and Practices seem destructive to the greatest Happiness of the greatest Number, we think that they should be criticized. To hold the Contrary, is to claim that Tact and Delicacy are the chief Goods and highest Values in Society, and that Truth and honest Opinion should be silenced.

If the Word "Racism" were properly used, it would very seldom be seen. While Bias on the Basis of Race was once widespread, it is now generally found only in Government Policies and in Matters of Aboriginal Affairs.

We suspect that when the Guardian uses the Term "Race," they really mean "Culture."

Now that we have defined that Term – we will venture to say that The Guardian’s View is probably that any Culture – whatever it may be – should not be subject to "toxic" Criticism.

It is our Sense that The Guardian’s politically correct Views have had – over the past several Years -- much Publicity. We have constantly been told that all Ideas, Cultures, and Religions are equal. In particular, we have been told that Islam is a Religion of Peace. The more Atrocities that have been committed in the Name of Islam, the more we have been assured that the Religion is unrelated to the Actions of those who claim precisely the Opposite.

The Rewards for such Beliefs have been largely psychological. We all like to congratulate ourselves on our moral Superiority – on our benign and benevolent Tolerance.

It is our Perception that the Gulf between the Ideal and the Reality has become rather too large to be dismissed as an insignificant Crack which can be patched in with a little verbal Fudge.

More and more People are sensing that they have been told Lies, and have been treated like small Children who should take their Cues from Those-Who-Know-Best.

This accounts for the "Toxicity" of Comments about Culture, Immigration, and Islam: it is Anger at those who have lied, and Fury at having been told to keep quiet.

We suspect that the current Popularity of Donald Trump in the United States is in Part due to the Fact that he has rejected Political Correctness in calling for a Ban on Muslim Immigration.

As a Test of our own Commitment to Freedom of Speech, we have asked ourselves whether we would permit the Promotion of Cultures and Religions which we find inferior and wanting.

The Answer is "Yes" – but only providing that Criticism of them is also freely permitted – not restricted in the Name of "Tolerance."

"Tolerance" as we have pointed out elsewhere, is not a universal Good. It is appropriate or not according to the Circumstances. When "Tolerance" is used to suppress Truth and Opinion – it is no better than Totalitarianism.
 

*Quotations are from Breitbart.com. Comment Isn’t Free: Guardian to CLOSE Comments On Articles About ‘Race, Immigration and Islam’ (February 1, 2016)

Pie-itis: Disease affecting cognition and perception. Characterized by specific hallucinations concerning edible desserts (they are usually round, and crusted) navigating in the earth’s atmosphere. (Observation #555)

Political correctness is a refusal to make judgments about value – lest the ideal of equality be betrayed. (Observation #511)

We have seen this Day a comforting Picture – at Breitbart News – of our esteemed Pope enjoying a Moment of cosy Laughter with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran.

Indeed, if our Heart contained any Cockles, we would say that they were not merely warmed, but have been turned a toasty brown, with the odd cockle-coal glowing an enthusiastic red.

It is indeed edifying to see the Pope conducting some personal Outreach to One of another Faith.

The Fact that Mr. Rouhani’s Faith is inextricably connected to the obtaining of nuclear Weapons and the Destruction of Israel, is merely a Measure of the Pope’s Outreach Capabilities, and his pious Devotion to exercising them.

For how is a Sinner to be saved, if he is ignored, and left to languish in his Desolation of Sin and Error? No, it is far better to engage with those on a Wayward Path, share a fine Meal, a Bottle of Wine perhaps, and a few Jokes of a cheerful and uplifting Nature.

The Article underneath the Picture gives us some considerable Dismay.

Apparently Leonard Leo, Executive Vice-President of the Federalist Society, has sent an Internet Missive to the Vatican, complaining of the Unseemliness of the Photograph, and characterizing the Smiles of the two Men as "joyful, gleeful, and beaming." (Breitbart, January 29) He has written:

We do deplore such moralizing in both Tone and Content! There is no Need for such a petty and narrow View of the World. There is Nothing, after all, that is Right or Wrong but Thinking makes it so.

The Pope realizes this. In his larger View, the Tiger will lie down with the Lamb, the Sinner and the Holy Man will share a Bottle of Wine, and all moralistic Distinctions will be lost in a Warm Sea of Relativism. The Pope, thank God, believes in a Higher Power.

That Higher Power – the God of Equality -- needs only one simple and irrefutable Commandment: no one Thing is better than any Other.

We hope that the Pope will continue in his important pastoral Work, undeterred by the carping Criticism of the unenlightened and narrow-minded

Appeasement of those proclaiming manifestly bad ideas will be taken as a mark of approval, and a sign of consent. (Observation #553)
 

We find it a Source of great Comfort and Satisfaction that we live in an Age characterized by a wonderful Sense of Delicacy and Refinement.

We have been pleased to see the Rise of Political Correctness, which is based on the undeniable Notion of Equality. Since all People, Ideas, Cultures, and Religions are equal, it follows as naturally as the Day subsides to Night, that Criticism of any Kind is foolish and divisive Nonsense.

While Political Correctness has not been fully victorious in every Location or in every Sphere, the Battle is largely over. There may be a few Skirmishes in the remote Backwaters of unenlightened Society, but we have every happy Expectation that the Forces of Equality will triumph over those noxious Nitpickers whose chief Motive is to create Discord and hurt Feelings.

Today we are doubly thrilled to see that the same exquisite Sensitivity which is to be found at the Heart of Political Correctness has been extended to the highest Levels of diplomatic Engagement.

During a recent Visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Rome, it was seen fit – by the thoughtful Italians – to cover some Statues – whose State of Nudity might be considered offensive to the Iranian Leader.

It was also decided that Wine would not be served at Dinner.

This Move by the Italians surely represents a Pinnacle in Diplomatic Delicacy.

Beyond being a Representative of so admirably forthright a Culture, Mr. Rouhani has considerable personal Achievements.

In 2003, Iran declared that it would suspend, voluntarily, all Uranium Enrichment and processing Activities. But Mr. Rouhani has declared that the Suspension never took Place – that subsequently the Bushehr nuclear Reactor and the Arak Heavy Water Plant were constructed and the Number of Centrifuges at Natanz was increased from 150 to 1,700. (The Clarion Project, August 6, 2013)

Thus, it is clear why the Italian Sensitivity is to be so admired.

Mr. Rouhani is the Representative of a proud and self-confident Regime with strongly held Views based on Religion – a Derivation of divine Revelation. It would be unseemly indeed to suggest that theocratic Certainties about Dress and Alcohol are not universally held. It would be crude and awkward to risk hurting Mr. Rouhani’s Feelings on that Account.

Further, Mr. Rouhani is noted for his Devotion to Deception. A nude Statue reveals all; thus such Openness would be an implied Rebuke to Mr. Rouhani’s Way of Being in the World.

We have an earnest Hope that the Italian Example will be a shining Beacon to all Nations as they engage in Diplomatic Relations. No Amount of Sweetness and Light can be considered an Excess.

Nirvana is, we believe, but a few short Steps away.

We are sometimes given to speculate on the Limits to human Stupidity.

We suspect that we may never come to a definite Conclusion – such as Three and a Half Miles, or One Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand Miles per Second, or as far as the Horizon on a clear Day in Saskatchewan.

Thus far, we have not been discouraged. We have taken some Comfort from the Fact that we share the Earnestness of those mediaeval Theologians, who were reputed to pass their Time in estimating the Number of Angels who might conveniently cavort on the Head of a Pin.

Doubtless they were aware of some of the Difficulties of their Task; yet, we are sure they did not waver in their Determination; nor did they compromise with the Adoption of some lesser Goal.

Our recent Calculations have suggested that Human Stupidity is, at the very least, Gargantuan, but new Information has suggested that it may be astronomical in Nature.

We have learned that an unfortunate Teenager at a Mosque in Pakistan made an Error in Understanding the Question of an Imam. The Imam asked if there was anyone present who did not believe in the Teachings of Mohammed. Other Questions – like "Who among you is a follower of Mohammed?" had required a positive Response. (Breitbart News, January 20)

In misinterpreting, and in an abrupt Eagerness to proclaim his Belief, the Boy put up his Hand.

The Imam, a Man of infinite Wisdom, thereupon denounced the Boy as a Blasphemer.

When the Boy returned Home, he cut off the offending Hand – even though it had not offended. He then travelled to the Mosque to present it to the Imam.

One might think that this Pair of  Follies might be enough to raise all our earlier Estimates of the human Capacity for Stupidity to the Power of Ten.

But even that Limit is insufficient:

This shows the great Danger of religious Fanaticism: the Sacrifice of real Humanity at the Altar of cruel and unsubstantiated Theory.

We are given to understand the Sentiment against "Blasphemy" in Pakistan is increasing, and the Laws against Blasphemy are a convenient Means of settling Scores*

We think we need no further Calculations on the Matter of human Stupidity. It is without Limit and beyond the human Capacity for Estimation.

*Laws against Blasphemy

How truth, and laws of science stand serene!
Their sole defence -- but facts in reason's theme.
Yet anxious faiths and Gods of priestly scheme --
'Gainst such deceits --'tis ruled -- shall none blaspheme!  

Every Day, we are grateful that we live in a World filled with Sweetness and Light, where the Promise of Nirvana itself hangs, like an exotic and seductive Perfume, fragrant in the lustrous Air.

It appears that the Country of Iran has given up entirely its base nuclear Ambitions. We have heard that, in those Instances in which their Facilities have not been encased in Concrete, they have been turned into Homes for the Aged, Botanical Gardens, or Food Banks for the Needy.

Mr. Obama has been seen on Television, congratulating himself for his Prescience, Wisdom, and Diplomacy.

Another happy Bit of News is that Mr. Kerry has welcomed the Return of some Sailors captured after their inadvertent Straying into Iranian Waters. He has expressed extreme Gratitude that Iran has vouchsafed their Return. He is no Doubt relieved that the Iranians were content only with inflicting minor Humiliations and requiring relatively short televised Apologies on the Part of the Sailors.

We have not heard whether he has congratulated himself on his Prescience, Wisdom, and Diplomacy, but we think it extremely likely.

The Iranians, as we have noted before, are blessed with an exquisite Sense of Humour, and take much Delight in good-natured Kidding Around.

The latest Evidence of this wonderful Light-Heartedness is in Today’s News: Iran is vowing to continue its ballistic Missile Program:

                                                                                    (The Daily Caller, January 19)

These Missiles are entirely defensive in Nature, and are designed in such a Way that Nuclear Warheads cannot possibly fit:

We imagine that, instead, the Missiles are designed specifically for a Payload of Soap Bubbles, which will be used to confuse and confound the Enemy.

The other positive News which gives us Cheer comes from the United Kingdom.

The Parliament there has discussed the Banning of Donald Trump from the Country lest he pollute the sceptered Isle with unwelcome Opinions. Mr. Trump would be only one Addition to a List of People such as Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, and Geert Wilders.

What all these Individuals have in common is a distressing Tendency to criticize Islam, the Religion-Which-Is-Not-To-Be-Criticized.

The Argument which has been given for Banning in the Past is that certain Opinions might pose a "genuine, present, and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society." (Breitbart News, January 19)

We must commend the British Parliament. It is our earnest Position that Society would be far better off if Criticism of any Kind were banned entirely. What does Criticism do, except make People upset, cranky and miserable? How is Harmony to be achieved and maintained if Criticism is allowed a free Rein? Surely in the Competition between Harmony and Complaint, Harmony must always be our first and only Choice!

And when one considers a whole Religion, with many Devotees, all anxious to avoid Criticism, it seems only wise, judicious, and benevolent to prevent Critics from pursuing their noxious, petty, disrespectful Ends. Religions are especially deserving of the Protection of the State, because they are based on no Evidence at all. They are mere Suppositions and Speculations piled on a Quicksand of Hopefulness. If anything deserves the Protection of the Government, it is that which is utterly defenceless, which cannot raise a single worthwhile Argument in its Favour.

We understand that a Vote has not yet been held, but we look forward to an Expression of Wisdom from that ancient Seat of Governance, where, in the Tradition of Centuries, Freedom has always been constrained in the Pursuit of Harmony.

It has been a most hopeful Day.

We look forward to more good News Tomorrow.

The Life of a Contrarian is not easy, but it is interesting.

There are some Ideas so lacking in Charm, so utterly contrary to contemporary Ways of Thinking, that we cannot resist an unseemly Indulgence in repeating them whenever an Opportunity presents itself.

The Idea that we find irresistible this Morning is a favoured Child who seems to beg for a comforting Tousling of the Hair, an avuncular chucking under the Chin.

It is that perennial Favourite: Idealism – unless it is bound, gagged, and possibly blindfolded -- leads almost invariably to Folly.

The Idealism we comment on today is that shown by the German Government in welcoming unlimited Numbers of Syrian Refugees.

We find it intriguing that German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, once strayed into the Realm of Reality. In 2010, there appeared this Item of News from the British Broadcasting Corporation:　

More recently, she seems to have changed her Mind.

We understand, of course, that the old German Idealism – that Germans were a favoured and superior Race was not entirely successful. A contrary Idealism – that no one Culture is better than any other is, perhaps, a natural Reaction.

The Idealists, driven entirely by Compassion, would answer: "Yes."

If you answer, "No," then you must accept that you are a hard-hearted Realist. If you would not allow Millions, you have established the Principle for not allowing a Few.

Of course, Principles are awkward, and are often diluted in their Implementation.

We suppose there is a mushy Middle Position which adheres to the Principle of Practicality, but softens it with the Sop of compassionate Gesture. This is the Canadian Position – which welcomes sufficient Refugees to claim Moral Superiority, but not enough to cause real Damage.

Only Time will tell what Kind of Cake that Recipe will produce.

In Germany, the Recipe based on unlimited Compassion is being questioned.

What we have learned in the last few Days is that cultural Differences have become an Issue in Germany. Six Hundred and Fifty Women in Germany have filed Complaint about Sex Attacks on New Year’s Eve in Cologne. The Implication is that the Perpetrators are Refugees.

Forty Members of Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party have signed a Petition to close Germany’s Borders to those seeking Asylum. (National Post, January 14)

The only reasonable Way we can see through the ethical Dilemma is through a Policy which is highly discriminatory. We believe that Multiculturalism – where cultural Values are antithetical – cannot work.

A slow Admission Process which involves careful "Acculturation" – call it Brainwashing, if you will – is the only reasonable Approach. In advocating this, we are accepting ancient tribal Realities. No Tribe accepts new Members without some Form of Initiation.**

Accepting the Trojan Horse without looking inside -- in View of the Story of that ancient City -- seems the Kind of idealistic Folly which cannot end well.
 

We are most concerned that Religion – so criticized and beset on all Sides – is now to be made a Target once again.

The TransCanada Corporation has decided to sue the American Government because of the recent Rejection of a proposed Pipeline into the United States.

This is a grievous Sacrilege.

It is well known that the Pipeline was not rejected on rational Grounds. The State Department recognized that the Impact of the Pipeline would be inconsiderable: if the Pipeline were blocked, the Oil would flow by Rail.

The State of Nebraska, after some Grumbling, became compliant.

Mr. Kerry himself, whose Degree of Wisdom has never been shrouded in Mystery, has said:

Rather, the Decision was made on sound, unimpeachable, mystical Grounds:

The Rejection was not made on the Basis of Numbers – those silly Squiggles claiming to represent some hypothetical Aspect of Reality!

Rather, it was a symbolic Move – first to show Leadership to other Nations – and second – most importantly – to show the Piety and Devotion of the United States to the leading Theology of our Time!

That Theology, itself, is not based on Numbers. The Numbers predicted by the High Priests have always failed to show Themselves in Accordance with the Prophesies. What of it? Why should there be such a Concern for foolish Facts and asininical Accuracy?

The Theology is, rather, based on Faith. Numbers and Predictions are but as Chaff in the Wind, compared with the Solidity and Reliability of earnest Belief.

What is needed now – as has been needed always – is a Faith anchored firmly in Diddly Squat. A sufficient Number of People have been convinced that Humankind is solely responsible for Global Warming. There is no Reason or Need for competing Ideologies. Worship of the old Gods – the Sun and Variations in the Earth’s Core – such Devotions are divisive, false and idolatrous.

The only Salvation for Mankind is a unifying Belief, a Belief which shows the Existence of Sin, and is capable of uniting All in Human Sacrifice.

We certainly Hope that the wretched TransCanada Corporation – an abominable atheistic commercial Enterprise – is unsuccessful in its sacrilegious Efforts.