Welcome to the weekend edition of The Mark Steyn Show, with Mark's update on Campaign 2020, the "respectability" of China, roaring roller babes, moats with alligators, the slough of despond, seeds and colonels, and much more.
Click above to listen.
Please join Mark this evening for the latest episode of his new Tale for Our Time - a contemporary inversion of a classic, The Prisoner of Windsor.
Mark Steyn Club members interested in using their personal podcast players to listen to our new Mark Steyn Shows or our series of audio adventures Tales for Our Time can find instructions here - and the RSS page itself here.
If you prefer to read your radio shows, Steyn Club members can peruse the transcripts here. For the full archive of our new shows in a handy Netflix-style tile format, please see here.
The Mark Steyn Show is made with the support of members of The Mark Steyn Club. As Mark always says, Club membership isn't for everyone, but it if you're interested you can find more information here.
Comment on this item (members only)
Submission of reader comments is restricted to Mark Steyn Club members only. If you are not yet a member, please click here to join. If you are already a member, please log in here:
Member Login
52 Member Comments
"The dems were complacent in 2016...." they were only complacent because they thought they had enough voter fraud in place to win. They had plenty of voter fraud in 2008 here in Massachusetts to get their guy over the finish line in first place. This time the leftists are putting a much more aggressive voter fraud machine in place. If President Trump doesn't put people he can trust in key places to investigate every car trunk filled with ballots to offset the real voters then he'll be hard pressed to win even with a huge majority of voters.
Here in Massachusetts Scott Brown won in 2010, and the leftists were flabbergasted that the voter fraud they had already put in place to help obama win didn't do the trick. Next time 'round elizabeth warren and the dems were much more aggressive about making sure no amount of real voters could out do their composite ones.
We all need to pray and pray for America. Never take the blessings of this country for granted. When they're gone there's nowhere else to go.
Dear Mark,
Thank you very much for mentioning the passing of Herman Cain. He was indeed a great man. I had the pleasure of appearing as a guest on his radio show in Atlanta on several occasions, and in 2009 he invited me to speak at his Atlanta rally to oppose Obama's healthcare plan. 13,000 people stood in the sun on that hot August day in Centennial Park to hear Herman's pro – freedom message.
The moment I read that Herman had passed away, I knew what was coming next: he had dared to appear maskless at Trump's Tulsa rally. Of course the media narrative will be that Trump killed him.
Herman Cain repeatedly said "The American founders did their job; now we have to do ours". He knew that the ongoing task of maintaining our freedom is not a spectator sport.
Who knows where Herman caught the Chinese virus? Regardless, he surely knew that as a cancer survivor, attending that rally carried an even greater risk for him, with or without mask. I suspect he viewed his attendance at the Trump rally as a necessary exercise in support of freedom, and, right or wrong, I also suspect he felt that going without a mask demonstrated his passion for independence. He knew that we cannot afford to sit this fight out.
May God rest the soul of this great man who knew that freedom is not free.
Todd Williamson, MD
What I don't understand, Todd, is that everyone says the masks don't protect the wearer, but other people. Isn't that the story on masks? If so, Mr. Cain obviously didn't get the virus because he wasn't wearing a mask that wouldn't have protected him anyway, right?
Really good question. Don't believe the studies that have come out thus far about masks. They are all too small and don't cover a sufficient time period. (Incidentally, the same can be said about pretty much every having to do with COVID-19 thus far.....People are publishing in a hurry just to get their name out there, or to reinforce a political agenda).
In general, physicians and other healthcare personnel wear masks to protect the PATIENT, such as a surgeon in the operating room. If you're going to protect yourself from an infectious disease that is airborne, you need to basically have on a hazardous material suit. Everything else is simply offering a false sense of security. Additionally, all masks are certainly not created equally, and some may offer modest protection to the wearer and those around the wearer. The fashion masks that are being sold as part of a cottage industry probably offer little to no protection for either the wearer or those around the wearer.
The liberal left will have you believe that if you don't wear a mask, you're being irresponsible and putting your fellow man at risk. The bottom line is this: if you have COVID-19 and you have on a mask, and you cough or sneeze, those virus particles are going everywhere. I have spent much of my professional career wearing a mask. I can tell you in this instance, this mask business is propaganda. But the answer to your question is essentially that you are correct. By not wearing a mask, Mr. Cain did not put himself at dramatically increased risk. The only sure fire way to avoid getting COVID is to hide in your basement, like someone we all know...
Steven, I hope you don't mind if I offer another reply to your reply... your question made me think of two other points that reside at the current intersection of medicine and politics...
Point one: The often-quoted CDC has flip-flopped on several issues related to COVID. In the beginning, CDC said COVID-19 is not a respiratory illness and there was no reason to wear a mask. Subsequently, the CDC reversed its position TWICE on whether or not COVID can be contracted from a surface (as opposed to airborne transmission). My problem with this is not necessarily the flip-flop, but the fact that really important national policy was created based on these ever-changing opinions. Moral of the story: if you don't know something for sure, don't base restrictive national policy on it, and, when in doubt, err in the side of liberty.
Point two: Early on, Democrat Leaders including Nancy Pelosi were mostly concerned with minimizing xenophobic backlash against China and were famously downplaying the dangers of COVID. At the same time, the CDC said there was no need for masks. Then a light bulb came on over the head of the American left: they realized they could weaponize COVID-19. In an instant, Nancy Pelosi and Company begin calling for an economy-killing national shut down. At almost the exact same time, the CDC reversed it's initial position that masks were not needed, and we all better cover our faces fast or else. Coincidence? I think not. I'm not bashing the CDC as a whole. I've worked there before. Lots of good people doing lots of good work. But like many other national entities, those at the top have a political agenda that may differ from their mission statement. Bottom line? Never let a good crisis go to waste.
People wore masks during the 1918 flu epidemic and the flu spread like wild fire. We had to study microbiology, disease process and epidemiology in nursing school. A mask doesn't contain a virus unless it seals around your mouth and nose and has some sort of valve to filter air. That sort of mask will offer some protection for your respiratory system, but not your eyes which can be inoculated with bacteria and viruses when you touch them or someone coughs or sneezes near you.
I really hope someone in the White House reads Mark and listens to him and Tucker Carlson.
Me too!
There has been some discussion as to what President Trump's re-election campaign theme should be at this late date. MAGA evidently is a dog that won't hunt anymore. Does that mean that the Democrats have won the narrative war again by making the concept seem old and out of reach? The new theme, as Rush expounded, apparently should be keeping the American way of life. The problem is what exactly does that mean? Does it mean every neighborhood in the country is entitled to at least three places where you can get a burger and fries or a pizza at any time of the day or night? Does it mean that everyone is entitled to an Ipad? Does it mean Constitutional government and the rule of law? If so that requires a minimal grasp of authentic historical knowledge and perspective to know what those things actually signify. It seems doubtful that many people under 50 actually possess that. The experience of the last four years and beyond suggests that the ideas of Constitutional government and the rule of law are already dead letters. No Democrat believes in such things on an honest level. Or does the American way of life simply mean that we can get up every day and expect the sun to be shining, our well-paying job to be secure, and that we won't be stopped by a secret police agent and ordered to produce our papers every time we wish to cross the street? The American way of life is a serious concept, but how many would give a substantive answer if they were asked to explain it? I don't think Jared Kushner is able to handle this theme, let alone Republican messaging in general. Our history has already been largely taken from us.
Very disappointed to see that last night a Canadian hockey player knelt during the SSB then stood during O Canada.
What a POS!
A very compelling Steynian assessment, with 90+ days to go.
For the left, Covid deaths are a weapon in the war against Trump, and Herman Cain "ain't black" - so it's no surprise to see BLM types openly dancing on his grave.
On the opposing side, conservative anger directed at "face nappies" and Fauci - but not deaths caused by Chairman Xi - makes a Trump victory even more challenging (beyond the margin-of-lawyer).
Either way, the 150K-and-counting deaths are "just a statistic" - and tied to Trump. And Joe Biden is on target to upgrade from Air Force Two... Veep in tow.
Ah - slough desponds probably correct
The earth laments , sorry - exhales , suspect laments more accurate
Not much to be amused about these tremulous days , particularly when considering the pusillanimous gop and the lack of robust commentary they should be engaged in , November for me seems an abstract thing now , my life will go on not much unchanged downunder but I'm forever hopeful
The United States are not , and I suspect changed for many years , but we have seen such dramatic times unfold before and life goes on , let's hope for the best and plan for the worse
Mark! You are the farthest thing from heartless.
Signed, the In House Jewish Mother.
Laura, I'm catching up on all the great content (and comments... way behind) including your recent "Links" x2.
Great pieces on demography and free speech, to name a few. Thanks!
Thanks, Kate :)
It's hard to beat Steyn on "Slough", together with "I am (a) Woman".
What would Betjeman make of Portland, 2020?
Might have reflected, "I haven't hope. I haven't faith." I did.
Oops, should have listened longer. thanks for reading the poem. My grandfather's parents in law didn't come to the wedding because he was 'in trade'. This despite returning from the war as an acting Captain with a Military Medal (Military Cross for all in these democratic days but not on 1 July 1916).
When Ottawa was criticized for sending 16 tons of PPE to China in February, they wobbled around with various explanations.....the PPE was about to expire....the Provinces should not be relying on Ottawa for PPE, because we just don't have enough....we want to assist China in fighting the virus. And Mark is correct, in return China sent us masks that were not up to Canadian standards and swabs that were contaminated. Not sure what pathogens they were contaminated with, but who would want one of those stuck up your nose.
If they can adulterate infant formula with melamine—a useful compound, just not in infant formula—they can do anything. And have. And will again. Why in God's name...because it's white? Three hundred thousand babies were victims, many requiring treatment, though only six died. A proverbial adulterated drop in the bucket. A rounding error in the one-child era.
If you'd like a new "cop wanker" story from the US for future use on your program, look no further than the nation's capital where the DC police arrested two anti-abortion protestors across the street from Planned Parenthood for writing "Black Pre-born Lives Matter" on the sidewalk with chalk. The charge seems to be defacing public property. A little rain and the evidence of the so-called crime will wash away. There is a video online, natch, and people are commenting, so you'll be able to find it. (Try searching "students for life" or "DC arrests chalk" if the story doesn't pop up right away.) And then take a look at the DC Police's own online feeds to see the more serious crimes happening all over the city where no arrests happen.
The life of the fanatic is beset on all sides by the even more fanatical. Thus, our woke-drama will likely end as tragicomedy.
Not with a bang, but a bellowing psychotranny.
Sad!
Slough, eh? Reminds me of something I was working on in an email lately. But enough, though. Like a cough in Slough, I'm through.
English words ending in "gh" - try explaining why they have so many different pronunciations to a non-native-English speaker who has learned the language or even to an inquisitive child. Especially when paired with the "ou" vowel combo. Linguists out there can correct me if I'm wrong - and knowing one linguist especially well, I bet they will not hesitate to do so - but I think that back in Chaucer's day, the "ou" was pronounced like "ow" and the "gh" was a guttural hard "g". So all the words in Steven's comment would have rhymed and sounded like "owgg." Which is pretty unattractive. We should all be grateful for the great vowel shift and general softening of the English language in the 14th century. Certainly more grateful than for the rapid disintegration of our culture and society in the 21st.
Steven - I took your two suitably angry posts as a primal scream for someone to step up and save this once great country other than Donald Trump - now standing almost alone. Your great passion came through loud & clear man. I can come up with three groups that will not step up. The high command of our military despises our president across the board. General Milley made this very clear with the backing of too many retired Generals to list - essentially all of them. I have been pointing out along with many others that our silent majority suffers from a good deal more than mere silence - they tend to be apathetic and disinterested in politics and have meekly submitted to the tyranny imposed by their governors and majors - even here in 'red state' Arizona. Lastly, Christians have submitted as well to these overlords, still fearing to attend Sunday services. If it were possible to somehow quantify passion in America I'd guess that 95% would be on the left. Only one side has shown up willing to fight for the future of America. I doesn't take a seer to predict the final outcome.
How true, RAC. Plus, how much longer can we even support the police who recently stood by doing nothing while a pro-police demonstration was attacked by BLM and Antifa?
However, I wasn't trying to be cryptic with this post. Just having some fun with all the different ways the letters "ough" are pronounced in our language. I am far from threw!
"Christians have submitted as well to these overlords, still fearing to attend Sunday services."
You're right, R - and it's not fear of the virus, but fear of the government and its arbitrary decrees.
Compare with Christians in China who worship in defiance of the state (at great risk to their lives).
When I turned on the latest, eagerly-anticipated edition of the Mark Steyn Show, I had not expected to hear my own Barksdale Air Force Base mentioned. Mark, thank you for honoring the life-long service of Col Steven L. dePyssler. Today's memorial service for Col dePyssler was attended by a few active duty and civilian personnel in person and many more on-line. I'm told that Col dePyssler continued in his job even after he was no longer able to drive. He just found a ride. His dedication is truly inspirational.
Early in the pandemic Dr. Fauci advised against wearing masks. Dr. Fauci says he lied about wearing masks in order to save masks for medical personnel. But now that masks are required they don't appear to be medical grade masks. Many masks look homemade or are bandannas why wasn't that recommended rather than lying to the American people? Dr. Fauci can you explain?
Dr. Fauci is many things, including swamp creature. He's held his position since 1984, long enough to have seen a plague (AIDS) or two (Chi-Vi). But perhaps also long enough to believe in his own infallibility. Novel viruses are so called because they are, say it with me, novel. Without any guarantee on how an unknown pathogen will behave, one should fall back on first principles. And the first among first principles is: China lies. About everything. A distant second among first principles is that the WHO is bought and paid for by China, hence infected with its own virus (see principle one). Fauci can't be blamed for China's lies or for the WHO's cover-up. But he can be blamed for not calling them out on the lies and the cover-up, for not saying who the hell knows what's up with this thing, we can't get a straight word out of these diabolical goons. Or words to that effect. He can't be blamed for not knowing, but he can be blamed for not saying so.
Your points are well taken. But I would like to add one. Our politicians and government lie too. Fauci can't be blamed for China's lies, but he can be blamed for his own. Fauci's saying he lied because he wanted to keep masks for medical personnel sounds like pure marketing BS to me.
Dr. Fauci's greatest skill is 'splainin' his own bs. He recently insisted that promoting "mostly peaceful" mass demonstrations is totally consistent with restricting religious and economic activity. If it walks like a rat and talks like a rat... Personally, I think he's so dishonest, he could someday be governor of NJ.
"He can't be blamed for not knowing, but he can be blamed for not saying so." Absolutely, J., especially lately. Earlier in the piece he might have been excused for not knowing that he didn't know. Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare.
All good fare, as usual: dined out on the shellacking meted out to China. Many thanks.
If you take the Met Line outbound to a village named "Chorleywood" one walks though "Betcheman Gardens" a very nice low rise block of modern flats. The adjacent Common is relatively famous and boasts several nice pubs. I don't know about Slough, but I heard asked " How does one get to Watford from here ?" A voice rung out " Just follow the chavs."
Slough is Islam central. Mosques, halal shops, takeaway after takeaway after takeaway, women in burkas often with the face mesh (presumably the sight of a pair of human eyes through the letterbox is considered over-exciting for the menfolk) pushing buggies with 3 or 4 other kids in tow, pubs all closed and shuttered, cars parked everywhere, rubbish left out on the pavements to rot and barely a white face to be seen.
President Trump has a good term for places like this.
He does, J., and his term is certainly the first that comes to mind, but also credit to Bunyan, who foresaw it all: the Slough of Despond, which Pilgrim does well to avoid.
Ironically the once lovely village of Chesham, just two stops down the Metropolitan line from Chorleywood, is now know by all excepts it's inhabitants as "Bangla Chesh".
There's no witty rejoinder from me, J. I'm sure there are nice people there, but what an awful thing!
Slough is of course the setting for the original, British version of "The Office". In one of the episodes, Ricky Gervais' character David Brent recites that poem with resentful commentary about the poet after each line.
Perrance Shiri "went into the hospital and came out by the handles"? Omigosh, that has to be another Steynage (my portmanteau for Steyn + coinage). It sounded so natural, I took it as a commonplace expression new just to me. But it's new to Google, too, if my hasty search was accurate. I like it: it joins "assumed room temperature" and "won't be down for breakfast" among my favorite snarky euphemisms for death.
As for the lovely and talented Portland person of progesterone, her bellowing "I am a woman!" reminded me of Federico Fellini's Amarcord, in which one insane character, on afternoon leave from the nuthouse to enjoy a picnic with his family, escapes their company, clambers up a tree, and shouts across the echoing countryside, "I want a woman!" ("Voglio una donna!") It was brilliantly absurd then; now, it's just gross. See Marx's aphorism on history, tragedy, and farce.
I always liked Neal Boortz' "taking the eternal dirt nap."
What little remains of freedom of speech in the Peoples Republic of America took two more big hits in the last few days. A black conservative journalist covering the Portland riots was stabbed by a white Antifa activist and survived only by sheer luck. Last evening Tucker interviewed the female doctor whom was featured in that censored video of a group of doctors risking their reputations and their very lively hood by speaking the forbidden truth about H-C.- not surprisingly she has been fired. Neither story will ever see the light of day in 2020 America.outside of Fox News There is no safety in the world of sports now - in today's sports pages there is a glowing tribute to the Pelicans-Jazz teams and coaches taking a knee during the national anthem. Not a one remained standing. In an explosive speech at the John Lewis funeral Barack Hussein Obama let loose an ugly diatribe of race baiting designed to gin up even more extreme racial strife and hatred of our police in a once great country now coming apart before our eyes. Will the silent majority save us? To quote a fellow conservative on another web-site - "the silent majority isn't just silent , it's impotent and asleep". My thoughts exactly.
"[...] Barack Hussein Obama let loose an ugly diatribe of race baiting designed to gin up even more extreme racial strife and hatred of our police [...]." So, no change, then, R.? I was in Los Angeles when the same rabble-rouser tried to gin up a lynching for one of his citizens, a George Zimmerman. I was impressed. Lot of racial hatred there.
One player, Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic, stood with his head bowed for the anthem. While all his teammates and opponents wore blm shirts with various slogans he alone kept on his team jersey.
He predictably is "getting pelters" from the usual suspects in mainstream and social media for his disrespect. Less predictably and sadder is the fact that a small number of others are criticising him for not placing his hand over his heart. For heavens sake people give him a break. What he did was bloody brave.
The only change from his 8 years in office is that the gloves have come off now Segnes. He is the true Godfather of the racial strife and virulent raw hatred seeping across America today. He was a Marxist in college and never moved beyond that core belief in my view. He vowed to transform America and his fellow travelers are now very close to achieving his dream. If a man's greatness were to be measured by his impact alone on history - positive or negative - then Barack Hussein Obama is truly a very great man. By this criteria then so is Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Chairman Mao. Men who changed the course of history.
Well said, R.
This may seem off the subject, but I was in the finals of the Jazz Cruise virtual "Name That Tune" contest this week, defending my crown against some real professionals. YOU should have been there Mark. You would have stolen the show. As is, a great music historian, Loren Schoenberg, won. It was hosted by Ken Peplowski and Shelly Berg. Ironically the two song titles I guessed correctly in one clue were "It Was a Very Good Year" (by Ervin Drake, 1961) and "Fine and Dandy" (by Kay Swift, 1930). These titles don't seem to resonate well in the turgid year 2020 except perhaps for the stock market, the price of gold and your daily columns. Cheers!
Mark replies:
Commiserations, Gary. I met the long-lived Ervin Drake a handful of times over the years, but I knew rather better Kay Swift, who was such a laugh. I once got her to play an early and forgotten Irving Berlin song she loved, "That Mysterious Rag", which she performed brilliantly. If you'd named that tune, Mr Schoenberg would have been toast.
That's really a stinker of a song, isn't it? I'm slogging through the "Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin" this year and a lot of his early work is best buried. Of "That Mysterious Rag," daughter Linda Emmet writes "Irving Berlin in a letter to Cole Porter, September 2, 1943: 'Years ago, I remember the William Morris office booked me to play at the Winter Garden, where I came out and sang 'Mysterious Rag,' in a green spotlight, and the audience was very glad when I finished. I remember paying them 10% of my salary and would have been glad to give them the whole salary if they hadn't booked me there."
Both Ervin Drake and Kay Swift lived to about 97. Since you knew Kay Swift so well, perhaps she told you if she and George Gershwin were ever an Item? Did they ever consider wedding bells after her divorce to Paul James (Warburg) in 1934? I've often thought her song "Can't We Just Be Friends" was a lament to George's bachelor lifestyle.
I thought I'd met the man of my dreams
Now it seems
This is how the story ends
He's gonna turn me down and say, "Can't we be friends?"
Mark replies:
Indeed, Gary. But it was Kay's soon-to-be ex-husband, Mr Warburg (a banker), who wrote that lyric. So perhaps he knew better than his missus where the Swift/Gershwin thing was headed. We did talk a lot about George, rather poignantly - so maybe I'll do a George/Kay special one of these days.
At first, I thought the audio of the transgender athlete yelling was taken from a Joe Biden rally earlier this year! We all recall how Joe likes to cuddle his supporters.
As always, you hit the nail on the head with the China virus. The way the media and the Dems tarred Herman Cain when Trump nominated him for the Federal Reserve disgusted me. He was certainly more qualified them some of the other academic hacks on the Fed.
Mark, I was wondering about your take on the DNC campaign rally at the John Lewis funeral. I found it as odious as Jeffrey Epstein. And, I half-expect to see former President Obama waive the bloody shirt of George Floyd during his eulogy. I hope it turns off any folks flirting with the idea of voting for Biden in the fall. Thanks for another thought-provoking episode of the show!!
Two words, Michael: Wellstone Memorial.