Let the Fun Times Begin!

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

It looks like the upcoming elections in Thailand will be very entertaining. Our Bangkok correspondent H. Numan has the story.

Let the fun times begin!

by H. Numan

I reported about the elections in The Netherlands, and now it’s Thailand’s turn. Prime Minister Prayuth sort of dissolved the cabinet and announced elections. That date is now published: the 14th of May. The day before, he will officially dissolve the government. So he is not a caretaker prime minister, but acting prime minister. Great. That means we’re in for a LOT of fun! Hope you still got your colorful shirts; you’re going to need them. Let me explain.

A Thai prime minister can call for elections whenever he wants. Nothing unusual here; many prime ministers have the same privilege. They usually do that when they consider the moment to be right, for themselves. Sometimes they have to call for elections simply because they run out of options. A cabinet, even a Thai cabinet, usually has term limits. They may find it difficult to postpone the inevitable. Just look at how the British Conservative Party tries to stay in power. At the moment it’s more an Italian operetta than anything else. Prayuth is having some problems in the popularity department and with the clock. He survived a vote of no confidence. By survive I mean: found a legal loophole to invalidate it. Don’t get me wrong; Prayuth is fairly popular among the population. It’s the opposition who really hate him.

And that brings me to the fun part:

You know who’s running again? Yup, the Thaksins. Not one, but no fewer than three this time. All his children are running for office. That surprised me a bit, because so far they didn’t appear to be interested in politics. Daddy got three children to run for prime minister. One is sure to win, the others are to support the winner. He also announced he wants to end his voluntary exile, and return to Thailand. Even if that means going to jail. He is in his seventies right now, and has spent well over a decade in exile. That means he is certain of victory. With good reason, mind you. Every time a Shinawatra runs for office they win by a landslide.

You see, the democratic system in Thailand is a quite different from the West. A vote is worth Bt. 500 or $15. That a big difference. Buying votes is illegal, it also is expected. Another big difference is how parties work. Yes, we do have a plethora of parties here. But parties themselves don’t matter. It’s the big shots in a party who matter. Parties merge, split, work together, become enemies or friends, according to the whims of the big shots. Very few parties are older than a couple of years, and almost all have a very local power base. In that district or province they hold an absolute majority, but anywhere else almost no presence at all.

When Thaksin Shinawatra became prime minister his cabinet was the first cabinet in the history of Thailand to be a single party cabinet. That was because at that moment Thaksin was already a billionaire and merged many smaller parties into his own. Yes, he was hugely popular. Even without mergers his party would have been the biggest by far. Smaller parties simply merged to get a slice of the pie. Better something than nothing, right?

Voters expect some compensation as well. I spoke with a rural voter who said: of course they’re bribing us. We’re not that stupid! Both the Pheu Thai Party and the Democrats offer us a new four lane road to the village. We know the Phu Yai Baan (elected village headman, sort of mayor) will pocket the money, and his friends will build that road. If we vote for Pheu Thai, we get at least a two lane road. If we vote for the Democrats we get nothing. Who would you vote for?

I wrote this long ago, but it is still true today. Somehow the big shots of Thai politics never seem to understand that they have to deliver at least something of their many electoral promises. That means problems. Just about everybody over the age of six expects a landslide victory for one of the Shinawatras. They wouldn’t run, and certainly not three together, if they weren’t certain of victory. Their secret is no secret at all. They simply deliver what they promise. And why shouldn’t they? It’s tax money anyway.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/25/2023

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/25/2023 The Bulgarian prime minister announced that his country will not be sending any fighter jets or tanks to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Finnish defense minister rejected a Ukrainian request for fighter jets.

In other news, inflation in the U.K. shot above 10% in February as food prices continued to rise.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, László, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

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Vaccine Roulette, Part 3

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

This is the final installment of a three-part German documentary on the adverse effects of the experimental mRNA treatment intended to mitigate the effects of infection with the Wuhan Coronavirus. Previously: Part 1, Part 2.

This excerpt summarizes the plight of patients featured in the previous installments, and introduces several additional victims of “adverse events”. It also features a medical practitioner who treats patients with severe reactions to the jab using a process known as apheresis, in which all their blood is drawn out and passed through a relevant treatment process before being returned to the body.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video link

Video transcript:

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Legal Under Islamic Law: Women, Honk If You Love Sharia

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

The following report by Clare Lopez was published earlier this month by Sharia TipSheet. See the original for the embedded links.

Legal Under Islamic Law: Women, Honk If You Love Sharia

by Clare M. Lopez

Clare says: “If we can get folks to understand the extent to which all of this is literally legal under Islamic Law, and is taught as such to Muslim kids (including in madrassas across America) from the earliest ages, we’ll have come a long ways to changing perspectives about Islam.”

“Italy: Muslim migrant murders his mother with hammer blows”, by Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch, 12 March 2023

Although this likely was a so-called “honor killing”, Italian authorities investigating the killing claim that “the motive for the crime is unknown”.

“Afghan universities open solely for men amid ‘heartbreaking’ ban on women” by Estelle Emonet & Qubad Wali, Times of Israel, 6 March 2023

Despite 20 years of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, once the Taliban took over again in August 2021, shariah-based restrictions on women began again. It is unfortunately impossible to export a Judeo-Christian-based Western-style of liberal governance to a people and place entirely unwilling to accept it.

“Iran’s judiciary says women will be punished for violating Islamic dress code -IRNA”, Reuters, March 6, 2023

Iranian regime demand that women wear a hijab (head-covering veil) is based firmly on Qur’anic verses (Q 24:31 and Q 33:59). The September 2022 killing of the young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, by Iran’s “morality police”, who bludgeoned her to death because her hijab slipped & showed some hair, launched the 6 months of street protests by the Iranian people which continue to this day.

“Denmark: Muslim migrant takes 12-year-old to Somalia for marriage with 75-year-old, sells her when she refuses”, by Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch, March 1, 2023

Under Islamic Law (shariah), women and girls are essentially commodities to be owned, abused, sold, and raped by men.

“‘TRAUMATIC DEATH’ Young woman, 20, ‘stabbed to death with metal spike by uncle then dumped “like rubbish” in honour killing’”, by Holly Christodoulou, The Sun, 1 March 2023

UK court records indicate the young woman was murdered by her uncle in an honor killing in her own home in Bradford, England.

“VIDEO: 10-year-old girl stabbed in the stomach — ‘Allahu akbar’”, Samnytt, March 2, 2023

Perpetrator was caught & arrested, but as usual, even though he was chanting “Allahu akbar” during the attack, Swedish authorities state “the reason for the assault is still unclear”.

“France: The sex offender Abdoulaye D. lured little girls into his room in the Adoma dormitory and then sexually abused them. He claimed ‘that he was teaching them the Koran’”, Medforth, February 28, 2023

As Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch commented, “And maybe he was”. The Qur’an teaches that infidel women can be lawfully taken for sexual use (Q 4:3, Q 4:24, Q 23:1-6, Q 33:50, Q 70:30)

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/24/2023

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/24/2023 President Joe Biden paid a visit to Ottawa today and gave a speech in the Canadian parliament. During his speech Mr. Biden mistakenly praised China when he meant to say Canada.

In other news, the banking crisis apparently spread to Europe, as Deutsche Bank shares lost 15% of their value.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Caroline Glick, Dean, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

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Milan Resists the Woke Imperative

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Many thanks to HeHa for translating this video report, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video link

Video transcript:

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Queer as a Three-Dollar Bill

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

When I first posted the above graphic about five years ago, it was still a joke. But it’s not a joke any longer. It’s a simple fact, at least in Germany: if you “misgender” someone, you can go to jail. And to the woke zealots who now control the judicial system, your crime is one of the worst imaginable.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from Pleiteticker.de. The translator’s comments are in square brackets:

Punishment for “misgendering”: This verdict will have consequences

The wish is often not only the father of the thought, but also decisive when it comes to one’s own gender and the corresponding form of address. The district court of Frankfurt am Main has now issued an injunction against Rome Medien GmbH, which also operates this website, and prohibits our author Judith Sevinc Basad from calling a biological man a “man”. Violators face a fine of €250,000 or imprisonment for up to six months.

The decision, against which we will appeal, caused a stir among lawyers, above all because it puts a person’s biological sex behind the desired one for the first time and forbids the naming of biological facts.

The background is a essay by Judith Sevinc Basad, which, among other things, deals with the fact that the biologist Marie Vollbrecht was publicly criticized and put under pressure by trans activist Janka Kluge because she asserts the scientifically undisputed fact that there are two biological sexes. Kluge was referred to in the text as a “trans woman” or “man”. The court has now prohibited the latter. In an affidavit, Kluge declared in court that he had undergone sex-altering surgery in the 1980s and that he had changed the registration data.

Of course, there is no justification for the judge’s decision in the ruling. Reference is only made to the legal basis, especially Art 2 of the Basic Law, which guarantees the free development of personality. Compared to freedom of the press and freedom of expression, but also compared to the biological facts, the general right of personality is now rated significantly higher in this decision.

The temporary injunction also made waves in the queer scene, because it was seen as the first legal blow against so-called “misgendering” (non-acceptance of the desired gender). “Nobody has to accept being deliberately assigned to the wrong gender,” explains Janka Kluge’s lawyer, Jasper Prigge. “The regional court has decided here in individual cases, but the decision has a signal effect. Various studies show the negative effects of misgendering on those affected. We pointed this out in the process. Misgendering is a serious encroachment on general personal rights and can have legal consequences.” The scene’s activists have been working for a long time to “overcome” biological genders and the “heteronormative world view”. [It’s called NATURE, stupid.]

The verdict must also have been received with interest in the traffic-light coalition*. Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) and Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) are working there on a draft for the so-called “Self-Determination Act”. According to the “key points” that have already been presented, it should in future be possible to have the gender entry in the population register changed once a year by means of a simple verbal declaration. The non-observance of the desired gender should therefore be punished with up to €2,500. According to the previous regulation of the “Transsexual Act”, the gender entry can already be changed today if you submit two medical-psychiatric reports. Trans activists reject this as degrading.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/23/2023

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/23/2023 President Biden’s “vaccine” mandate has been blocked by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, the president’s approval rating dropped to a new low of 38%, according to a recent poll.

In other news, a German policeman was wounded during a shootout with a right-wing group that wants to overthrow the Bundesrepublik and reinstate the Kaiser.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, GvP, LP, McN, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

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Enricher vs. Enricher Knife-Play in Milan

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this article from the online daily Affaritaliani.it:

Milan — attempted homicide in the Central Station: 29-year-old arrested

March 22, 2023

A 29-year-old Gambian stabbed a 32-year-old Somali several times with a knife: Arrested by police

Last night around 11:30pm, in Duca D’Aosta Square, in front of the Central Station, police arrested a Gambian citizen, 29, illegally in the country and with previous arrests, for attempted homicide against a Somali citizen, 32, who was stabbed several times with a small knife. The victim, who tried to defend himself with a bottle shard, was transported in yellow code [mid-level emergency] to Fatebenefratelli Hospital where he is still recovering, but is not in life-threatening condition. The attacker, on the other hand, was taken to San Vittore [prison].

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/22/2023

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/22/2023 Among the topics discussed by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during their meeting in Moscow was their joint plan to replace the dollar as the reserve currency for international transactions. Meanwhile, after the British announced they would be sending depleted uranium tank shells to Ukraine, Mr. Putin said that Russia would respond accordingly.

In other news, German Minister of Health Karl “Klaboosterbach” Lauterbach acknowledged publicly that the COVID-19 “vaccinations” cause severe permanent disabilities.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, Fjordman, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

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It Really is a Landslide Victory

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

After the final tally came in for the recent Dutch elections, our Dutch correspondent H. Numan revised his analysis of the significance of the results.

It really is a landslide victory

by H. Numan

A few days ago I reported about the provincial elections in The Netherlands. A bit negative, because that’s usually the way things work out. Now we have more accurate results, I have to correct my earlier article. It truly is a landslide victory, and almost certainly the end of Rutte.

What made me change my opinion? The results. The senate has 75 seats. Parliament has 150. That means that the margin of error is double (or half, looking the other way). It appears BBB has won 17 seats, not 15. That changes everything. Just a two seat difference, but it’s enough.

Not only that, but the ‘inevitable victory’ initially claimed by the left proved to be a crack-pipe dream. We have a bunch of left-wing parties, all with a slightly different agenda catering for a different electorate. Two of them decided to form one faction in the Senate, Labor and GL (ex-)communists. Together they pulled 15 seats. The cooperation has gone down the drain already. Labor caters to lower-class voters, while the die-hard communists do likewise for the progressive elite. Labor lost a seat and the (ex-)commies gained one, which would give them the upper hand. That was a no-go for Labor, so they pulled the plug. What’s going to happen there, I have no idea. But poor socialists versus rich socialists is never a good idea anyway. At least Labor leaders admit openly they blundered here.

Likewise, Wopke Hoekstra, of the Christian Democrats, is repenting his sins as hard as he can. I hope he likes being in the history books. Being the chap who led the Christian Democrats to self-destruction. The biggest CDA victory was 54 seats. Right now, he’s lucky if they get 9. What would Jesus say? Nope, ain’t going to raise that sorry lot from the grave!

In the Dutch system any law passed by Parliament must also pass the Senate. That means that from now on, Mark Rutte is politically dead. At the very least he faces the worst crisis in his career. He just lost his majority in the Senate. His very close cooperation, one might call it blatant surrender, with the progressive demands from D66 didn’t gain him any friends. His usual defense is to pin the blame on someone else, giggle a lot and forget everything. “I have no such recollection” has been his often-used phrase for the last couple of years.

He is the longest ruling premier ever, definitely not the most beloved one. He was able to giggle his way around the opposition; not anymore. The opposition is now united. There are huge differences, but they clearly see that Rutte is limping on his last legs. All they have to do is kick away his crutch.

Now about BBB. The name stands for Boeren Burger Beweging or Farmer Citizen Movement. The leader is Mrs. Caroline van der Plas. Don’t be mistaken by her somewhat sloppy appearance. She’s not really a farmer, rather a career politician from upper middle-class stock. She started her career as a Christian Democrat, but left the party soon to set up BBB. In less than three years she achieved more than Wilders has in a decade. Though I have to say that without Wilders she wouldn’t be there. Her biggest problem now is to find reliable people to fill up the seats in the Senate. Every new party always gets a herd of wannabes and get-rich-quick types looking for opportunities.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/21/2023

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/21/2023 Rasmus Paludan, the leader of Stram Kurs in Denmark and Sweden, has been banned from entering the UK. Mr. Paludan had announced his intention to burn a Koran in Wakefield in the North of England.

In other news, Greta Thunberg has been awarded an honorary doctorate in theology by the University of Helsinki.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, DV, László, McN, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, Steen, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

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Vaccine Roulette, Part 2

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

This is the second part of a German documentary on the adverse effects of the experimental mRNA treatment intended to mitigate the effects of infection with the Wuhan Coronavirus. Part 1 is here.

This excerpt focuses on the plight of a lawyer who received the AstraZeneca “vaccine” and was subsequently afflicted with an autoimmune reaction that caused thromboses and a severe cerebral hemorrhage, leaving him with brain damage and permanent disabilities. The state of Bavaria recognized that his illness was caused by the vax, but AstraZeneca is exempt from any liability. Nevertheless, the lawyer has filed a quixotic lawsuit against the vaccine manufacturer.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video link

Video transcript:

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Chained to the New Trivium

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Baron Bodissey

Jocelynn Cordes’ new guest-essay concerns the stifling intellectual straitjacket in which post-modern university writing courses are confined.

Chained to the New Trivium:

Somewhere in the Bowels of the University, Teachers and Students Alike are Crying Out “Please, Let’s Explore Something New!!”

by Jocelynn Cordes

A few years back, I was at a faculty meeting with the rest of the composition department at the university where I was then teaching. There were both tenured professors present as well as adjunct (part-time) shmucks such as myself who, for a pittance, taught incoming freshmen what is universally considered an essential skill — writing. Despite occupying the lowest tier in the university caste system, we adjuncts were a crucial part of these planning sessions, for we taught the bulk of the courses comprising the university’s writing curriculum.

The objective of this meeting was to plan the next year’s syllabus for Composition I and II. Although the types of essays we assigned students to write would not change — they were classic essay forms chosen to make students nominally prepared for the sort of writing their college coursework would require of them — other things could be altered, such as the theme around which our assignments revolved.

Ideally, a theme helps make things both interesting and organized. It provides focus for an instructor who would otherwise spend the semester floundering amidst a vast sea of potential essay topics. For students, it furnishes a subject to delve into and explore for the entire semester, a thread that will run through their assignments in some unifying fashion. A department-approved theme for each instructor’s class also provides some coherence for the department itself, an assurance of sorts that its instructors weren’t going to go off the deep end and introduce all manner of inappropriate subjects into what is fundamentally supposed to be a class centered on a craft.

So at this particular meeting, all we had to do was come up with our theme. Now, a lot of us who had been teaching composition for a while had zero expectations that the topic selected would differ much from previous years; consequently, an air of resignation issued from most of those present — a lassitude generated by the prospect of having nothing new to look forward to. After all, anyone even remotely familiar with the zeitgeist of the contemporary university would have been able to guess that our theme would most certainly revolve around some aspect of the new trivium, race, class, and gender, that unfortunately replaced the old one, grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

For the uninitiated (a group shrinking by the hour) a quick summary of the ideas that might be canvassed in a writing course designed around any one or all of these subjects might be in order. A course with gender as its theme would involve examining how gender is a social construct detached from biological sex, a consideration of how gender is actually fluid, as opposed to fixed, and must of necessity include a critique of patriarchy. A course centered on the subject of race would present issues such as determining what, if anything, constitutes race, how race (when it exists) impacts privilege, as well as the obligatory critique of colonialism. Finally, any focus on economic class will most certainly entail an examination of how class structures bestow privilege. This politicized set of ideas, with their educational and moral telos firmly fixed at the outset, have been drummed into students’ heads throughout their short lives, and for those who attend university, the beat will continue with gathering intensity for several more years.

This short summary reveals the essential nature of a writing course designed around any part of this triumvirate: it is a class in which the student’s attention is briefly directed outward (the sociological/anthropological element) before being redirected back to themselves. I’ve often quipped that these courses could easily be described as a more elaborate version of the “All About Me” pamphlets often assigned in elementary classrooms.

But that day something completely unexpected occurred at our meeting. Out of the blue, someone suggested we do something different, that we consider organizing our composition courses around a subject — an actual object of inquiry.

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