Ottawa: The Charge of the Woke Brigade

Townhall.com ^ | February 22, 2022 | Christopher Chantrill

[Kaslin]

Remember President Clinton? I remember that, after he left office, he regretted that he'd never be ranked among the top presidents because he didn't have a war on his watch. Kosovo need not apply.

There's a "tell" here, of course. It is that the leader of a country is not there to hand out goodies in the latest ruling-class enthusiasm for spending other people's money. It is to keep a sharp eye out for enemies. And if an enemy shows up on his watch, he should stick a fork in it.

There's a reason why heads of state like the Kaiser and Joe Stalin and Mao Zedong -- and even Prime Minister Winston Churchill during WWII -- like to dress up in military uniforms. You'll have noticed that male members of the British Royal Family do the same. It's because.

So think of poor Justin Trudeau, whose only encounter with warpaint is that blackface photo that we've all sneered about.

What if he could send the Canadian cavalry charging into a crowd of rebels and insurrectionists with sabers drawn and sharpened? Why, then he could really stand with the great and powerful Oz.

Unfortunately, in another proof of God's existence, all that the fierce masked Canadian Flashmen could manage -- I assume they wore traditional cavalry mustaches under their masks -- was to knock over a little old lady on a mobility scooter -- now identified as an indigenous elder. Oh dear. I wonder what the book will be called? Flashman and the Little Old Lady? Alas, George MacDonald Fraser is dead, so he won't be able to write the book.

Still, we can take heart that Justin Trudeau knows how to dish out an insult, like any barroom brawler down the ages.

[Kaslin]

The Source is American Thinker.com, not Townhall.com

[Sirius Lee]

In today’s hyper snowflake environment, the Flashman series could never be published. I’m surprised the woketards aren’t having book burnings.

[sphinx]

I still recommend the Flashman books as an entertaining introduction to British imperial history. Flashman is the proverbial fly on the wall. The great figures in the background are treated fairly. The historical events are reported accurately and alternative explanations are often reviewed. The footnotes are true. Flashman is a comic anti-hero, but Fraser has heroes aplenty, who are mainly the good soldiers on both sides. And there are no modern PC double standards; Fraser is ruthless in exposing British foibles and failings, but he is equally unsparing in reporting on native misbehavior as well. The Fraser trinity of heroes: Lord Roberts, Sir Robert Napier, Colin Campbell — and Flashman was afraid of all three.

[cdcdawg]

No doubt. The first Flashman book should really be titled “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Afghanistan * But Were Afraid to Ask.” Those books are some of the best historical fiction out there. Flash for Freedom even predicts Barack Obama.