Happy May Day! Not in the Marxist International Socialist Workers sense, which isn't really my bag, but in the prancing-round-the-Maypole sense, to which I'm rather partial: here we go gathering nuts in May, and all that. We will gather our metaphorical nuts on today's edition of our Clubland Q&A, live around the planet at 3pm North American Eastern - which is 8pm British Summer Time/9pm Central European. If you chance to be elsewhere, do check local listings below.
Aside from May Queens and Morris dancing, May is also the season of Mark Steyn Club birthday observances, coming up in a few days' time. I hope our First Day Founding Members from seven years ago will want to re-up for their eighth season.
This May we have no shortage of nuts to gather. For example, corrupt election-interfering hack judge Juan Merchan. Actual headline from a dying republic:
Trump is allowed to go to Barron's high school graduation after he ripped judge for warning he may be stuck in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial
*Former President Donald Trump will be allowed to attend Barron's graudation
*Judge Juan Merchan made the call Tuesday
*Trump previously grumbled that he may not be able to attend the May 17 event
Ah. So it's only Republican presidential campaign events that Trump has to steer clear of. Glad we're all clear on that. I'm happy to see that over at Powerline my friend John Hinderaker - no particular fan of Trump - has come round to my view of this repellent charade:
I think that he would be legally and constitutionally justified in refusing to cooperate. He could ignore Merchan's partisan orders and decline to have anything to do with the proceeding. He could get back on the campaign trail, where he belongs. On this scenario, Trump presumably would be convicted in absentia, which would mean that he couldn't enter New York State for a while. But he is going to be convicted anyway, in all probability, despite the fact that, legally speaking, the prosecution is a joke. He can appeal, but appeals won't be concluded before the election.
In a prudent polity that cared a whit for its social tranquility, Judge Merchan would not be doing this. But that is not America, and Trump would be doing a service to the remnants of the republic by forcing the issue.
In New Zealand's BFD, Lushington D Brady exhumes an observation of mine from exactly two decades ago:
Reflecting on a walk in Montreal, a typically "multicultural" Western city, Mark Steyn noticed a Muslim covered, head to toe, in black. She was walking past a garish, gay condom boutique. "It was a perfect snapshot of the internal contradictions of multicultural diversity," says Steyn.
"In 30 years' time, either the Arab lady will still be there, or the condom store, but not both. Which would you bet on?"
Indeed. That was on the boulevard de Maisonneuve in the heart of downtown. It's only been twenty years, but the gay condom boutique is gone - and, while Justin Trudeau wears Ramadan socks to the Pride parade, he does not wear LGBTQWERTY socks to the Eid parade..
On today's show I'm happy to talk about that or whatever else is on your mind. I'm also up for any questions on my continuing legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic - against climate mullah Michael E Mann in the DC Superior Court, and against the UK state censor Ofcom in the English High Court. Many listeners have asked how they can support one or other or both of these free-speech lawsuits. There are several ways:
a) signing up a friend for a Steyn Club Gift Membership;
b) buying a near-and-dear one a SteynOnline gift certificate; or
c) ordering a copy of my latest book, The Prisoner of Windsor (you won't regret it, says Kathy Gyngell).
~Whether or not you're a member of The Mark Steyn Club, you can listen to our Clubland Q&A live as it happens wherever you chance to be on this turbulent earth: Club membership is required only to ask a question. As our seventh birthday looms, we cherish the founders of our Club, but we also love to hear from brand new members. Among the additions to our ranks in recent days are newbies from around the globe - from Norman, Oklahoma to Neunkirchen, Germany; from Brooklyn, New York to Brooklyn, Nova Scotia; from Toronto to Tunbridge Wells, Kansas to Kandanga. Whether you've joined this week either for a full year or a see-how-it-goes experimental quarter do shoot me a head-scratcher for today's show.
But, if you're not interested in joining, no worries, as they say in Oz: We seek no unwilling members - and as always the show is free to listen to, so we hope you'll want to tune in. So see you back here at 3pm North American Eastern - which is 8pm in London, 9pm in Paris, 10pm in Jerusalem; half-past-ten in Teheran; midnight-forty-five in Kathmandu; 3am in Singapore and Honkers (sorry about that); 5am in Sydney and Melbourne; 7am in Auckland, and a rather more convivial hour for the kippers and kedgeree in His Majesty's Dominions eastward across the Pacific, where you're so far ahead I've probably already lost my appeal by now...