The False Propaganda of Gleiwitz’ Casus Belli
September 1st, 1939 marks the official beginning of World War II, with Germany’s invasion of Poland, which had an agreement with Britain, and which aggression brought the Brits into the war. It was complicated, and we may more to say on this, but what struck me the other day was that the Nazis needed a casus belli, some provocative incident to justify their action.
There was none, so they manufactured one, with what has come to be known as the ‘Gleiwitz Incident’: The SS (Schutzstaffel) staged a false attack on a radio station. They had arrested an innocent 43 year old unmarried man, Franciszek Honiok, poisoned him, dressed him as a saboteur, shot him in the head to look as though he had been killed while storming the station. (He is considered the first victim of the war, with more than 39 million yet to go – and no memorial exists in his honour). To add to the drama, they took some prisoners from Dachau, dressed them in Polish uniforms, drugged them also, then had them also shot and their faces disfigured, to make identification impossible – so they too appeared to be insurgents. There were other fake incidents, made to look as though Germany was under attack, magnified by the media and Goebell’s efficient propaganda machine. All this came out in the Nuremberg trials after the war, but people believed it at the time.
All to say, that things are not always – and nowadays, not often – what they seem to be, and we are in a much more illusory world than was possible in 1939, as we see events mediated through the ubiquitous screen, filtered by layers of control, censorship, mangling and manipulation. We usually only see what they want us to see – the ‘they’ being whoever controls the media.
We are all in Plato’s cave, watching images of images of images, believing them all to be ‘true’, immersed in a hall of mirrors, and an echo chamber. What happens to the philosopher who comes down from the outside world where there is sunshine, rolling hills, fresh air, rivers, lakes, books and poems and all that ‘reality’ means – and tries to convince the benighted denizens to leave behind their illusions, and follow him to freedom and truth? Well, read through the linked section for Plato’s description, but one might guess…
Hence, caveat lector, let the reader beware, but also, more to the point now, let the viewer beware. If something seems fishy or odd, or violates common sense, trust your instincts. Filter all that you see through logic, reason and faith, placing all things before God in prayer, Who will lead all those of humility and good will to the truth, that will truly set us free. The truth wins out in the end – notice the plaque says not Polish provocation, but Nazi – they provoked themselves to all the evil they were permitted, until the rug was pulled from under them, and their lies and deceits exposed, and just punishment upon their own heads.
So trust and hope, dear reader.
Teach me Thy way, O Lord, that I may walk in Thy truth. (Ps 86:11)
Carney’s Amoral Majority
After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→
A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop
As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→
Remembering Father Alphonse de Valk
(Today marks the sixth anniversary of the death of Father Alphonse de Valk, C.S.B., a faithful, courageous and indefatigable Basilian priest, pro-life-and-family apostle, and the founder of Catholic Insight magazine. Here is what we wrote those on his entering into eternity five years ago, as we continue to remember him in our prayers and thoughts)[…]Continue reading→
A Tale of Two Benedicts
A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→
Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk
As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→
The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus
As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→
Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace
Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→
Payette’s Payout
I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→
Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów
We celebrate Saint Stanislaus today (+ April 11, 1079), in light of this Easter Octave, a bishop and martyr who accepted the episcopacy only at the direct order of Pope Alexander II. He proved a wise and courageous leader of his flock, put to death by his own king, Boleslaus, for rebuking the monarch’s ‘immoral[…]Continue reading→