This document is part of an archive of postings on Tongue Tied, a blog hosted by Blogspot who are in turn owned by Google. The index to the archive is available here or here. Indexes to my other blogs can be located here or here. Archives do accompany my original postings but, given the animus towards conservative writing on Google and other internet institutions, their permanence is uncertain. These alternative archives help ensure a more permanent record of what I have written.
This is a backup copy of the original blog. See here for backups of my other blogs
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press" -- 1st amendment
June 24, 2024
Actually speaking your mind? Now there’s an idea
The pitchfork brigade is coming, but Danielle Harvey doesn’t care.
Harvey, who is director of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, says she is determined to push back against “cancel culture” by platforming “contrarians”.
“I really don’t want to live in a world that doesn’t allow people to ask questions and hear different opinions,” she told The Australian, as she prepared to unveil a line-up of speakers that includes Jews concerned about rising anti-Semitism, defenders of JK Rowling, and men speaking out about a more positive masculinity.
Harvey says she wants to bring “hard conversations” to the masses, adding: “It’s up to you whether you want to buy a ticket.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by former editor of The Age Michael Gawenda and headliner Josh Szeps – both journalists who believe many festivals have a “lack of respect for an audience’s intelligence”.
Her stance comes after anti-Israel agitators this year interrupted theatre events; annoyed audiences by jeering at Jerry Seinfeld; and targeted writers festival organisers in the hope of cancelling events by Jewish authors, among them Deborah Conway.
Big Oil protesters have thrown paint at the Mona Lisa and Stonehenge, and anti-Israel forces have caused havoc in Britain, with the Hay, Wimbledon and Edinburgh writers festivals suffering a catastrophic loss of funding.
The UK investment firm, Baillie Gifford, this year cancelled all of its sponsorship deals with literary festivals and while few organisers have been prepared to speak about the issue, the Edinburgh festival director, Jenny Niven, said there had been “intolerable” pressure on her team.
Gawenda, author of My Life As A Jew, said he was disappointed not to be invited to speak at the Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide festivals this year. He rejects the notion that ideas can be “dangerous” saying: “Why can’t you discuss these things without people being bullied into silence? I think it’s ridiculous to call these ‘dangerous ideas’. The only thing that’s dangerous about them is that some people will want to cancel you for discussing them.”
Gawenda mourns the performance of “bravery” akin to discussing such concepts in the festival’s line up, suggesting “we’ve reached a point now where people feel unable to discuss virtually anything without feeling threatened that they will be targeted for holding this position … (it’s) a pretty pathetic point in terms of public debate that you need a festival to discuss these issues (that are) being faced every day in universities, in work, in the media. We can’t be dictated to in this way.”
Harvey laments the habit of arts festivals “blasting themselves” by being reluctant to platform “challenging ideas”, telling The Australian the contest of ideas was paramount.
“If we provoke ire from different corners of society, so be it. I think more arts festivals need to realise you’re not actually meant to be for everyone,” she says, adding: “One of the hardest things to do is to be curious these days.
“We try and make space for all sides to be represented – we look at it as less of a binary and more of people’s disciplines and ideas rather than their views; what are they experts in, tackle the same problems from multiple angles and test ideas.”
In response, FODI has invited resident “bad feminist” Roxane Gay, host of The Witch Trials of JK Rowling podcast Megan Phelps-Roper, black conservative Coleman Hughes, and Jews Don’t Count author and comedian David Baddiel.
Also invited is podcaster Szeps, who quit the ABC earlier this year, saying he wanted to be able to have “free conversations about controversial issues”.
“My whole professional mission is about having conversations that aren’t cookie cutter or predictable like I would have to do at previous jobs, particularly the public broadcaster,” he says.
“We need to find a way to have conversations without constant fear of having our lives ruined for not sticking to a script.”
He says he has experienced a “relaxation” in the shoulders since quitting his old job to charge towards an “intellectually diverse community.”
Under the theme “sanctuary”, the festival attempts to create an “alternative safe space” for attendees, where contentious ideas come to the forefront and are discussed.
US psychologist Jean Twenge will unravel the impact of smartphone access on young people, while Talking Politics podcaster David Runciman flirts with extending the vote to six-year-olds (and considers the impact it would have on democracy).
She aims for events in which “point-scoring and gotcha moments” are absent.
“We’re letting everybody say their piece, speak to their area of expertise and it’s their ideas,” she says.
The move isn’t without trepidation, since the inclusion of iconoclasts can have “serious consequences” she says.
The festival has previously hosted Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie and anti-Putin punk band Pussy Riot.
Last year’s controversy centred around the inclusion of “the last taboo” – a conversation about intimate connections between humans and animals, wrongfully condemned as a celebration of bestiality.
“We don’t seek out controversy,” says Harvey, but “shining a light on certain topics will force people used to not having nuanced conversations into state”.
“It’s a really complex time,” she says, adding: “If you don’t get out of the news that you consume and seek out different opinions, you may be unwittingly walking towards a very, very bad path.
“We’re not here to preach. We’re here to inspire. This festival exists because people still need to make a choice to be critical and curious. To me, that’s what the sanctuary needs to be.”
The festival program also includes “Stacks of Danger” tours affording punters the chance to peek at concealed works at the State Library NSW, hidden for “various sensitivities”, and an intimate Last Supper dinner where guests – without phones – can participate in dinner party conversation with stars of the line-up.
A horror film night, curated by Talk to Me writer-director Danny Phillippou, will canvass the best psychological primal fear narratives of all time.
“We’re looking for people who are genuinely curious, have experience and expertise, whether that’s through study, lived experience – we want them to tell us their thoughts,” Harvey says.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/actually-speaking-your-mind-now-theres-an-idea/news-story/60ea34501d2f0317aeaccf560f0391c8
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June 24, 2024
Why Did Google Ban Winslow Homer?
The artist's sketches of Confederate soldiers aren't “dangerous or derogatory content"—they're historical evidence.
Claudia Strauss-Schulson has been running Schulson Autographs, which sells historical documents like letters signed by presidents or a doodle by Marlon Brando, for around 15 years. Strauss-Schulson, speaking to me from Millburn, New Jersey, tells me she was “flabbergasted” when she got an alert that Google—her site is optimized for the search engine, meaning would-be buyers are shown her products in their results—had flagged a small sketch of a Confederate soldier by the artist Winslow Homer as “dangerous or derogatory content.”
The alert advised: “Update your products to ensure a safe and positive experience for customers,” and went on, “Products that display shocking content or promote hatred, intolerance, discrimination, or violence are not allowed.” The note said the breach meant the sketch would be prevented from showing “in all countries,” though the work is still searchable via third parties, like the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.
Strauss-Schulson thinks the small sketch, which reads, “Winslow Homer, New York, March 4, 1869,” was flagged, possibly by a bot, because she labeled it “Winslow Homer Sketch of a Confederate Soldier Signed.” She has not updated her original listing and notes that the sketch is hardly hardcore Confederacy-worshipping propaganda, and far from the most shocking thing for sale online. There isn’t even a Confederate flag in the image.
“To me it looks like a universal soldier who’s looking right at you about the horrors and sadness of war,” says Strauss-Schulson
https://www.thefp.com/p/google-ban-winslow-homer
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June 23, 2024
Australian guy got stood down from his job after uttering the N-word to his workmate at a dinner.
The N-word refers to Africans. The derogatory word for Aboriginals in Australia is "b**ng", an old tribal reference. So he was not deliberately being derogatory to the Aboriginal girl below. He was not referencing her at all
A public servant and ex-policeman who was suspended on full pay after saying 'my white n***er' to an Indigenous colleague has tried to argue the term is 'just a word' that his daughter and her friends often use as a greeting.
Bryce Waite, 61, was stood down as a compliance officer for the Queensland government's Department of Environment and Science over comments he made during a work dinner at the Oxford Hotel in Rockhampton on February 22, 2023.
Mr Waite had been debating the racist slur with another colleague when a young, Indigenous female co-worker joined the conversation and became upset after she heard him say the offensive phrase.
When challenged on the matter, he said: 'What, it’s just a word, n***er.'
Mr Waite tried to fight the suspension in an appeal to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, but it failed last week. He has now been asked to show cause why he shouldn't lose his job.
He is not allowed to comment until the matter is finalised, but his partner Sharon told Daily Mail Australia the father-of-two thinks the situation is unfair.
She said he also regrets the interaction and now knows he should not use the term at all.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13545229/Bryce-got-stood-job-uttering-eyebrow-raising-phrase-workmate-dinner-says-just-word-hes-seen-TV-ruled-that.html
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June 20, 2024
No sense of humour
A childcare centre has removed a 'sexist' sign from the boys bathroom after a complaint from a parent, but the manager insists it was just a 'bit of fun' and kids wouldn't understand it.
Tiddlywinks Dance and Play centre in Brisbane took down what some parents considered to be a 'very inappropriate' sign from the boys toilets on Thursday.
Someone who was at the centre for his niece's birthday party noticed the sign which gave tips on how to 'please a woman' and a much smaller section on pleasing men.
The sign said that women needed men to 'love', 'die for', and 'be interested in' them while men were simply pleased by women if they 'show up naked' and 'bring beer'.
The disgruntled uncle sent an email to management demanding the sign be removed from a bathroom that was primarily used by 'five-to-12-year-old boys'.
After other parents sent follow-up emails of their own, the centre's manager said they were the first complaints he'd received in the 15 years it had been in there.
The business owner explained that the centre opened for adult functions at night and that children would not comprehend the context of the poster.
'A kid may be able to read it, however would have no concept of the meaning,' a screenshot seen by Yahoo News read from the manager.
'I'm aware of the sign — consider it gone. We open at night for adults and it's just a bit of fun, we didn't mean to offend anyone.'
Photos of the sign eventually made their way online where it received even more backlash from other parents who said they found it 'gross', 'creepy' and inappropriate.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13529819/Tiddleywinks-Brisbane-bathroom-sign.html
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June 19, 2024
Oregon high school track & field coach claims he was fired for proposing ‘open division’ for transgender athletes
An Oregon high school track and field coach claims he was fired after he challenged state officials’ policies on transgender athletes after he witnessed a trans athlete being “booed” during the state championship.
John Parks, the former coach at Lake Oswego High School, called for a change in the current state laws that he believes undermine the integrity of girls’ athletics by allowing transgender students to compete under the gender they identify as, according to KATU.
Parks wrote letters to the Executive Director of the Oregon Student Activities Association (OSAA), Peter Weber, and to state Sen. Rob Wagner, asking the state to consider encouraging an “open division” for transgender athletes that does not discriminate against them “but offers an opportunity to participate.”
His concerns arose while at the state championship in May, when the former coach observed a transgender athlete being “booed” after winning a girls’ event and felt the current policy may be doing more harm than good for students, Parks said.
The former coach says he had two transgender athletes on his track and field team during the spring season and only aired out his concerns after witnessing the backlash firsthand, he disclosed in an email to The Oregonian.
“I support them like all other athletes and only seek a solution that is a win for all as we don’t need any athletes subjected to what happened last month,” he said.
In his letters to state officials, he noted how a transgender student-athlete was favored to win the 200-meter and 400-meter dash and is on a trajectory to break the state records in both events.
His concerns arose while at the state championship in May, when the former coach observed a transgender athlete being “booed” after winning a girls’ event
Instead, he asked OSAA to consider creating a separate section for events like the state championship, which already has one for “para-athletes in wheelchair and Unified competition.”
“The solution to trans athletes is to have an open category like a gender neutral bathroom,” Parks wrote.
“Allows competition opportunities but doesn’t make a mockery of the reason females compete in their own category.”
Despite respectfully making his grievances clear in his letters, the Lake Oswego School District canned him.
The Director of Communications at Lake Oswego School District, Mary Kay Larson, confirmed to KATU that Parks was no longer working for the district but declined to go into detail on what grounds they found to terminate his employment.
Parks, who started working at the school in Jan. 2023, claimed the district removed his ability to express his opinion to state officials.
But Parks isn’t going down quietly and has decided to appeal his termination. “I’m going to fight now because I got wronged,” the former coach said.
“I … am fighting for girls, I’m fighting for female sports, and I’m fighting that it be fair for everybody.”
Nevertheless, dozens of parents and student-athletes, upset over his termination, showed their support for the dismissed coach at a board meeting on Monday, according to KATU.
“I think that John wants the best for everybody,” Lake Oswego High School freshman Addie Rodriguez told the outlet.
“He wants the best for the transgender female athletes and wants the best for the rest of the female athletes, and I don’t think this had anything to do with being against transgender people.”
“It’s about making sure we have fair and safe opportunities for all of our female athletes, and that’s all that he asked for,” Lake Oswego parent Kristen Binkley said.
Parks had been a sprints coach at the professional and Olympic levels for 20 years before he began working at Lake Oswego High School, according to The Oregonian.
Oregon Student Activities Association 2016 policy permits students to participate in the category aligning with their “consistently asserted gender identity,” which is designed to promote inclusivity, according to the association’s handbook.
https://nypost.com/2024/06/19/us-news/oregon-high-school-track-amp-field-coach-john-parks-claims-he-was-fired-for-proposing-open-division-for-transgender-athletes/
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June 18, 2024
I’m the NYC mom who was booted from a parent council over calling out antisemitism — I refuse to be silenced
Manhattan mom Maud Maron was booted from the parent council of the city’s largest school district because she spoke out against hate in a February New York Post article about an anti-Israel op-ed published anonymously in Stuyvesant High School’s student newspaper.
The city Department of Education determined her criticism was “derogatory and offensive.” Maron has also been publicly bashed for private remarks she’s made about transgender students.
She was expelled from the Community Education Council for District 2 — which covers most of lower and midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side — as was the president of Brooklyn’s CEC 14, Tajh Sutton, who banned Jewish parents from meetings and organized pro-Palestine student walkouts.
Maron, 53, is one of three plaintiffs in a lawsuit charging CEC 14 and Chancellor David Banks with violating First Amendment rights to free speech. On Saturday, she tells The Post she refuses to be silenced.
"Late Friday, the chancellor removed me from my elected position as a member of CEC 2 and informed me that it was because of my quote in the New York Post about antisemitism at my daughter’s high school.
He also removed the CEC 14 president for what appears to be a laundry list of violations, including violating the state’s Open Meetings Law.
My official infraction was my quote in February about the anonymous op-ed in The Spectator, which dripped with inaccuracies and rank antisemitism. The author proudly noted that they rejected calls to condemn the terrorism against Israel on Oct. 7th and instead called it “resistance;” falsely asserted that Hamas militants did not hide under hospitals or use inhabitants as human shields; perpetuated the myth that Israelis sterilized Ethiopians; and claimed that Israel “kidnaps” children and is committing an ongoing “genocide” of Palestinians.
“If you are going to repeat revolting Hamas propaganda and transcribe your ignorance and Jew hatred, put your name to it,” I added.
The student editors later issued corrections but Jewish students had to wait weeks. Meanwhile, they have endured a rising tide of antisemitism at school, which the chancellor has struggled mightily to address.
But the real reason the chancellor wants to remove me is because the Democratic establishment in New York City is furious because I know the difference between male and female and am willing to say so in polite company."
https://nypost.com/2024/06/15/opinion/im-the-nyc-mom-who-was-booted-from-a-parent-council-over-calling-out-antisemitism-i-refuse-to-be-silenced/
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June 17, 2024
Has Google unleashed their AI on me?
I am inclined to think they have. For years they never censored any of my politically incorrect posts on any of my blogs but in the last 6 months they have deleted quite a few. For instance, my post of 10th on "Dissecting Leftism" has been deleted.
That is not a big problem for any regular readers. Any reader of any of my blogs can read my deleted posts on either of my backup sites, so I am not too bothered by the deletions. See:
http://jonjayray.com/ or http://johnjayray.com/
I am more bothered to think that I have been censored by a machine rather than by an intelligent human being. A human being can potentially feel guilt, embarrassment, regret etc., but a machine can not.
What is really bothersome to me is a less direct way that they censor me: "search blocking". I think quite a few people over the years have come to my writings via a search. They do a search on some particular topic and come to my comments on that topic. That will now not happen any more. Any result to a search that comes up with a reference to (say) "Dissecting Leftism" will now not be displayed.
A search for "Dissecting Leftism" will bring up the front page of that blog but a search for any content within that blog will yield nothing. It will yield posts by others under the same heading but not my posts.
And "Greenie Watch" is even more heavily blocked. A search for that name will not even bring up the front page. The blog effectively does not exist for Google. They really loathe it.
Where that matters is when I point out the big holes in some piece of research. For instance I commented on a claim that has has had a fair bit of publicity lately:
"An estimated 135 million premature deaths linked to fine particulate matter pollution between 1980 and 2020"
I put up today on "Greenie Watch" a comment showing that the research underlying that claim is pure rubbish from an academic viewpoint. I am a retired academic so I read and understand the detailed statistics in an academic journal aticle. And that is where the holes show.
But because anyone curious about that claim will NOT be directed to my comments by Google, they may never find out what rubbish that claim is. Only people who regularly read my blogs will know how unfounded the claim is.
So it is an important act of censorship. The only way my critical comments will become widely known is if readers of my blog publicize them in some way. I hope that happens.
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June 16, 2024
Australian nuclear expert Rob Parker 'cancelled' after single tweet
A nuclear scientist who claims he was axed from presenting to hundreds of guests after a single, critical tweet from renewables advocate and investor Simon Holmes a Court highlights the fraught debate around Australia's energy future.
Rob Parker, who holds masters degrees in nuclear science and civil engineering, has also been a member of Engineers Australia for 30 years. He was due to present 'How to avoid an energy blunder Down Under' to more than 400 guests at an Engineers Australia webinar last Wednesday.
'The talk had been planned and signed off on months before,' Mr Parker told Daily Mail Australia.
'Emails from head office all the way to the Newcastle office - where the talk was to be hosted. All the approvals, everything was done.'
But 24 hours before he was due to speak, the Teal's number one financial backer Mr Holmes a Court posted on X: 'Seriously @EngAustralia? You're hosting an anti-renewables event for @NukeForClimate? i would have thought your body was dedicated to improving understand [sic], not muddying the waters!'
Just minutes after the tweet went live Engineers Australia responded on X: 'Thanks Simon. This event has been pulled. This does not meet our guidelines and we are investigating how it was scheduled.'
That tweet was quickly deleted by Engineers Australia after Mr Homes a Court deleted his original tweet upon learning that the event was cancelled. Engineering Australia then sent an email to the guests registered for the event stating 'this event was cancelled due to the speaker being unwell'.
Mr Parker told Daily Mail Australia it was entirely untrue that he was sick and he never suggested to Engineers Australia that he was. He only found out he was banned from the event he'd been invited to speak at via social media.
'They cancelled it on X before even bothering to contact me. I was all ready to go. This was a knee jerk reaction to Simon Holmes a Court winding them up on X.'
Mr Holmes a Court rejected Mr Parker's claim saying: 'The event was cancelled before my tweet. The reporting on this issue is false.'
Mr Parker says the misleading and false excuse given by Engineers Australia for banning him - claiming that he was sick - is a breach of their own code of ethics which calls for integrity amongst members.
'They don't even live up to their own standards', he said.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13528823/PVO-Aussie-nuclear-expert-Rob-Parker-cancelled.html
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June 13, 2024
I'm Suing the Biden Administration To Save Gen Z's Free Speech
By Brad Polumbo
TikTok is not just cat videos, cringe-worthy dancing, and bad lip-syncing. Millions of Gen Z Americans like myself use TikTok to express ourselves, share news, and debate our ideas. Yet the federal government is trying to take this unique communication platform away from us.
In April, President Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan bill enacting a de facto ban on TikTok. As a TikTok content creator whose content promoting individual liberty and free markets reaches a unique audience of millions on the platform, this unconstitutional law will strip me of my voice. That's why I'm teaming up with the Liberty Justice Center to file a lawsuit challenging this legislation as an unconstitutional violation of my First Amendment rights.
Some defenders of this legislation insist that it does not actually ban TikTok, but simply forces the sale of the app. But, in effect, the legislation is an outright ban because ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is likely legally prohibited from selling the TikTok algorithm by China's export control laws. And TikTok without its algorithm is not really TikTok at all.
Many of the legislation's supporters in Congress, like Reps. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.), have come right out and stated that this is, in fact, a ban on TikTok.
So, the grim reality we face is an effort by the federal government to strip more than 100 million Americans of a platform they use to consume information, advertise their businesses, and express themselves. If enacted, this ban would constitute one of the most egregious acts of censorship in modern American history, which is why First Amendment watchdogs ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression have come out against the bill.
As much as supporters may want to deny it, there's no escaping the fact that this law regulates Americans' speech by effectively banning a medium of communication—TikTok—that people like me use to engage in protected political speech.
It's not enough to simply point out that there are other platforms we can use, just like the existence of other newspapers would never justify government censorship of Newsweek. TikTok is unique among social media platforms—its algorithm allows me to reach audiences I cannot reach anywhere else, as well as an existing audience of subscribers I would lose access to.
Such a blatant restriction of my First Amendment rights could only ever withstand legal muster if the Biden administration could prove that it serves a compelling government interest and is "narrowly tailored." But it doesn't—and it isn't.
Many proponents of the TikTok ban in Congress have cited the content on TikTok, describing it as "propaganda," as part of their motivation for banning the app. Yet shutting down political speech you dislike is not a legitimate government interest, let alone a compelling one—on the contrary, it only serves to make the bill look even more like an unconstitutional, content-based restriction on speech.
The other concern touted by proponents—protecting Americans from the hostile influence of the Chinese government—may well be a compelling government interest in general. But the actual concerns about TikTok being used as "Chinese government spyware" are almost entirely hypothetical and abstract.
In reality, TikTok is not run by the Chinese government, but by ByteDance, 60 percent of whose ownership consists of global investors, including Americans. The company also has thousands of American employees. Heck, ByteDance's five-person board even has three Americans on it.
What's more, there is no compelling evidence that the Chinese government has ever accessed TikTok data to harm Americans. And, if there ever was such an effort, wouldn't one of the countless Americans involved immediately blow the whistle?
You know the concerns are overblown because the Biden campaign itself continues to use TikTok despite the president supporting a ban on "national security" grounds. If it was really so dangerous, you'd think the president of the United States would've led by example and deleted his account! And, former president Donald Trump just joined TikTok just last week.
https://www.newsweek.com/im-suing-biden-administration-save-gen-zs-free-speech-opinion-1911962
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June 12, 2024
White 'trad-wife' influencer says n-word while filming herself cooking - but refuses to apologize
This story is a little puzzling. The fact that she is a tradwife means she is married and is at least in part supported by her husband and probably has generally conservative views. Note the gun in the pic above. She looks rather a tough cookie
And what she was doing was rejecting claims that in order to be a trad wife she must have married a rich man. Women who do that are often insulted by being called "gold-diggers" and she was responding to that insult.
And there are two puzzles. Why was she not aware that using the n** word is demonized and why did she make the improbable claim that all of her married friends were married to N***s?
The anwer to the second question appears to be that she was using the n*** word in a very old-fashioned way to refer to "losers" in general, black or white. So it was the worst possible use of that word
So how come she was apparently unaware of how heavily the Left have demonized any use of that word by whites? It probably means that her social circle is entirely comprised of people as conservative as herself who have no time for Leftist agonizing. So it seems that free speech can survive Leftist pressure in some parts of America
A white 'trad-wife' influencer who said the 'n-word' while filming herself cooking refused to apologize before telling her followers she was fired from her job after her racist rant.
TikToker Lilly Gaddis used the n-word, and made references to 'dumb whores' and 'immigrants fresh off the boat looking for a green card' while talking about gold diggers recently on Twitter and TikTok under the handles @llddiiss and @llddis respectively.
Though she acknowledged that the video upset 'members of a certain community,' she went on to say that 'the backlash made me do a deep dive and a soul search and after all that I still couldn't find a care.'
On Friday, she posted: 'Oh no I just got fired! #mob,' that garnered some 307,000 views, though it's unclear if she was joking about her employment status.
Her Twitter account was temporarily suspended. It is not clear if she was banned from TikTok as well, but it's currently unavailable.
Dressed in a floral apron with her hair pulled back, she filmed herself sprinkling a garlic powder, pepper and olive oil in a bowl, as she spoke her mind.
'Guys certain guys think all girls are gold diggers. I don't know if you get your information from street interviews from Miami at 3am outside of a nightclub,' she says in the video.
'You are getting the opinion from some dumb whores and immigrants fresh off the boat looking for a green card. Yes, they are probably gold diggers but that is the exception - I am the rule,' she says tapping herself to further express her point.
'Everyone I know that is married right now is married to broke ass n*****, and they don't care. We don't give a f*** about money.
Gaddis then released another Twitter video where she told her followers, 'A recent video of mine seems to have upset members of a certain community.
'All the backlash made me do a deep dive and a soul search and after all that I still couldn't find a care.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13518513/white-trad-wife-influencer-n-word-video-refuse-apologize.html
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June 11, 2024
Refusal to index is also a form of censorship
As far as I can tell, none of my blogs is indexed by Google. If you do a Google search for something that I have written on one of my blogs, you will not find it. Bing.com indexes some of my blogs but even they will not touch my "Greenie Watch" blog.
The surprising thing is that the files for all Blogspot blogs are held on Google's servers. They have my writings in their files but refuse to mention them in response to a search. I am "search blocked"
In the circumstances, it is a bit of a surprise that on some occasions they go to the trouble to wipe some of my posts off their servers completely. Even if you come to one of my blogs as a regular reader rather than via a search you will still not see what I have written. They are clearly very motivated to suppress conservative ideas. It's ironical that a very succesful private enterprise is so protective of government
Fortunately a search on duckduckgo.com or yahoo.com does find my writings
I would not be surprised if all my Blogspot blogs vanished into thin air one day. I long ago took precautions against that by keeping two backups of everything I write. You can access that via jonjayray.com or johnjayray.com
You can't keep a good blogger down!
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June 10, 2024
Top cancer charity apologizes for using word 'cervix' instead of trans-friendly 'front hole'
"Front hole" sounds rather rude to me
The Canadian Cancer Society, which is run by philanthropist Andrea Seale, acknowledged the LGBTQ+ community on a webpage dedicated to cervical cancer, under the page's 'words matter' section.
The non-profit said that 'many' non-binary people and transgender men have 'mixed feelings' or 'feel distanced' from the term cervix.
'We recognize that many trans men and non-binary people may have mixed feelings about or feel distanced from words like "cervix",' the statement said.
'You may prefer other words, such as “front hole.” We recognize the limitations of the words we’ve used while also acknowledging the need for simplicity. Another reason we use words like “cervix” is to normalize the reality that men can have these body parts too.'
Cervical cancer occurs when a growth of cells form inside the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.
Most of the time, it's caused by the common sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV).
The cancer can be treated with radiation, chemotherapy, medicine and surgery to remove the cells.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, anyone with a cervix, 'regardless of gender or sexual orientation,' should get regular cervical cancer screenings or pap smears by the age of 25.
The non-profit added that people need to get screened every three years regardless if they are taking testosterone or not.
'It’s important to tell your healthcare provider if you are taking testosterone because this can cause changes to cervical tissue that can affect your test results,' the charity added.
The Canadian Cancer Society also noted that healthcare providers 'should help you understand the benefits and limitations of cancer screening.'
'They should affirm your gender and perform any tests in a way that reduces your discomfort and any feelings of gender dysphoria you may have as much as possible,' the charity said.
The charity also highlighted ways that trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people face 'significant barriers' when accessing healthcare, including transphobia and discrimination, limited knowledge from healthcare providers, concerns about emotional and physical safety, and a 'lack of trans-specific resources.'
Many commenters quickly flocked to social media to respond to the non-profit's stance.
'Cervix! I have a damn cervix. This is just gross. You will never receive another donation from me,' one said.
Another wrote: 'How uncaring are you to ignore the identity, biology amd [sic] feelings of people who actually have a cervix. You need to be ashamed.'
Tom Quiggin, a former military intelligence officer and intelligence contractor for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also commented on the statement.
'It may be time to walk away from the Canadian Cancer Society. They have lost the plot,' Quiggin said on Friday.
Another commenter said: 'I guess the Canadian Cancer Society doesn't want our donations. Why else would they insult women like that
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13510709/cervical-canadian-cancer-society-cervix-hole.html
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June 09, 2024
Wow! Google are getting very hot on what they allow you to say about Covid
My posts of 5th on "Dissecting Leftism" have been deleted. I had two posts up that day: One based on an article in the NYT and one based on an academic article. I am not sure which was the "incorrect" one but both are still online in the places where they originated:
On 7th, I put up links to where they originated but they deleted that too. There clearly are some ideas that they don't want mentioned at all.
I may eventually have to move the blog to Substack but I do have already a couple of backup sites that record everything that I write each day but in a less convenient order.
http://jonjayray.com/archive.html
and my draft site:
https://jonjayray1.typepad.com/
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June 06, 2024
Conservative Physician Group Claims Victory in 1st Amendment Case in 5th Circuit—Taking on Powerful Boards & Biden Admin
A precedent-setting ruling in favor of the First Amendment was issued today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. This active court tending to favor challenges to perceived government censorship among other topics established the right to object in court to censorship of physicians’ speech on topics ranging from government Covid policies to abortion, stated Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS) General Counsel Andrew Schlafly.
The AAPS, a non-profit, is considered a conservative interest group often chastised by the medical establishment for “conspiracy” thinking.
In this recent case, the Court held that there is a constitutional “right to hear” that enables a sponsor of conferences, such as the Plaintiff Association of American Physicians & Surgeons Educational Foundation (“AAPS”), to challenge censorship that chills presentations at its events. “This landmark ruling will be cited nationwide for decades to come,” Mr. Schlafly observed.
The Case
AAPS sued three medical specialty boards for their threatened actions against the board certifications of physicians because of speaking out on medical controversies. Physicians earn and need these board certifications in order to practice medicine in most hospitals and remain in most insurance networks, as Mr. Schlafly pointed out.
Defendants are the American Board of Internal Medicine (“ABIM”), the American Board of Family Medicine (“ABFM”), and the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (“ABOG”). In addition, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary, is a defendant due to alleged government interference with freedom of speech.
The Fifth Circuit also invalidated Galveston Local Rule 6, by which that federal district court has infringed on plaintiffs’ right to amend their lawsuits. The Fifth Circuit agreed with AAPS that this district court rule is contrary to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and thus must be voided.
“AAPS can now pursue its claim against censorship by the Biden Administration,” AAPS Executive Director Jane Orient, M.D., stated.
Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho agreed with the panel majority on the key issues and wrote separately to decry attempts by some today to impose censorship on others. “In America, we don’t fear disagreement—we embrace it. We persuade—we don’t punish. We engage in conversation—not cancellation,” Judge Ho wrote.
“We know how to disagree with one another without destroying one another. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work,” Judge Ho added as he sided fully with this lawsuit against censorship.
“With this landmark ruling in favor of the First Amendment, our country can end improper censorship of viewpoints,” Andrew Schlafly stated.
https://www.trialsitenews.com/a/conservative-physician-group-claims-victory-in-1st-amendment-case-in-5th-circuittaking-on-powerful-boards-biden-admin-312f8064
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June 05, 2024
Australia’s Internet Regulator Drops Case Against X Over Stabbing Video
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has announced she is withdrawing Federal Court action against Elon Musk’s X Corp over the platform’s carrying footage of the stabbing of a religious leader in a Sydney church in April.
In what she called a “consolidation” of the cases brought against the social media platform, she will now rely on another case also underway—this time in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal—for a final ruling on the matter.
eSafety wanted X Corp to take down, across the entire platform, about 60 instances of footage of the alleged attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Wakely church on April 15.
X complied by geo-blocking all posts on the stabbing within Australia, despite disagreeing with the ban.
However, it refused to remove the graphic videos internationally, leading the Commissioner to seek a ruling.
The Court then granted an interim injunction barring X from allowing anyone, anywhere, access to the video, but the company refused to comply.
But then, on May 13, in a major setback to eSafety’s case the Court ruled that its jurisdiction could not extend beyond Australia’s borders.
The Commissioner had, until today, continued the case, hoping to convince the court to fine the company for refusing to obey the interim injunction.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/australias-internet-regulator-drops-case-against-x-over-stabbing-video-5662884
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4 June, 2024
‘White devil’: The Indigenous protest song that has parents up in arms
Australian aborigines could reasonably be grateful for the way white settlement has increased their lifespan etc but the Left have taught them hate
NSW Education Minister Prue Car has intervened after a parent complained about a song calling Captain James Cook a “white devil” being played at a public primary school in Sydney’s south.
Bagi-la-m Bargan, a song by Indigenous rapper and activist Birdz, was chosen as the school bell song in the week before and during reconciliation week, an education department spokesperson confirmed.
The song, told from the perspective of an Indigenous warrior, describes Cook as “a murderer without licence” and mentions a “desire to kill any white devil [that] wanna test my will”.
An anonymous father told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning he had to explain to his son that “complex things” had happened in Australia’s past after he had asked whether there was “something wrong with being white”.
The complaint prompted Car to call the radio station and tell listeners the lyrics were “pretty concerning” and the education department was investigating.
“Anything that creates any sort of division we can’t have in our schools,” she said. “Reading the lyrics and listening to it, I can understand why parents are concerned.”
A department spokesperson said no one had complained to the school directly but apologised “for the distress caused to any parents or children”.
“The song was chosen to mark Reconciliation Week and was not intended to be divisive,” they said. “The school’s leadership has been counselled about making appropriate choices for the school bell song.”
The song has been removed from the school’s playlist.
Premier Chris Minns suggested schools may need to go back to traditional bells instead of songs.
“Rap songs, in general, [are] probably not the best for NSW schools,” he said.
Birdz (real name Nathan Bird) told Apple Music in 2021 the song was told from the perspective of a Butchulla warrior “standing on Indian Head on K’gari (Fraser Island) witnessing Captain Cook sail past”.
Cook’s diary entry from May 20, 1770, makes note of the moment the Endeavour sailed past the bluff “on which a number of the natives were assembled, which occasioned my nameing [sic] it Indian Head”.
“[They] trying to warn Captain Cook: ‘You’re going the wrong way’,” Birdz said. “How would you feel, and what would you do, if you’re in that position where you know everything is going to be taken away from you? Your people and your family are under threat.”
The song’s title means “fighting boomerang” in Butchulla language.
Bird grew up in Katherine in the Northern Territory and describes himself as a proud Murri man with Badtjala, Juru, Scottish and Melanesian heritage.
He is a prominent Indigenous activist, describing his music as a “declaration of survival” and “a form of resistance against a system that is geared towards the ongoing dispossession of my people”.
His father was removed from his family in childhood and grew up in and out of institutions before being reunited with his grandmother on the Cherbourg mission as a teenager.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/white-devil-the-indigenous-protest-song-that-has-parents-up-in-arms-20240604-p5jj0x.html
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June 03, 2024
The self-indulgent "free speech" advocates are anything but
They are just antisemites and ignoramuses
They want their right to chant "from the river to the sea" without having to take into account how that impacts on others. My guess is most wouldn't know which river they're chanting about.
They want to ban Jewish speakers, intimidate Jewish students because it's their right to say what they want. There's no place for others to have their say.
They have no time for the reality of living in a free society. That's where we together agree to behave in a way that gives each other those freedoms. A social contract we make with each other so we can all enjoy freedom and live together.
Yes, it does mean some limits on free speech. Counterintuitive as it may be those limits actually maximise the opportunity for all of us to express our views. Reciprocity is not on the agenda of protesters. So taken are woke managerialists with the simplistic "free speech" notion that they let the demonstrations at universities get out of hand.
Their first obligation is to the safety and wellbeing of all on campus. Either they forgot that or were too stupid to see where it was all going. Now it's a mess.
Criticism of Netanyahu and the Israeli government has lazily morphed into anti-Jewish sentiment against Israel and its people or Jewish people worldwide. Their hatred is reserved for Jewish actions.
Does anyone, especially those with any clout, ask themselves how it comes about that these protests are happening? Do they imagine they are just spontaneous outbursts of shared thought among like-minded people who just happen to be in the same place at the same time? How stupid do universities have to be to not consider outsiders both misusing their students and inflaming the protests in any event?
Have they asked themselves why there weren't similar protests supporting the Uighur, Somalians, Syrians, Yemeni ... and on the list goes.
Worse, the anti-Israeli protesters display a remarkable incapacity to offer criticism of Hamas or the Palestinians. Some even say that Israel's conduct prior to October 7 last year justifies the horrific Hamas attack. Terrorism, killing, raping, degrading women and children is apparently, for some people, justifiable.
They call such vile acts resistance. Against military personnel or infrastructure you might stand a chance. But not with the depravity of the October 7 attack. Against kids at a music festival and civilians, you're not freedom fighters you're cowardly, sick, perverted and depraved. A disgrace to humanity. Wild animals do not behave like that. No wonder none of their neighbours want them.
I hope our decision to take some people from Gaza with limited if any security checks doesn't turn out to be the mistake I think it was. Gaza is riddled with Hamas terrorists. Giving people from there visas and saying you did all the checks for the visa you chose is just a misleading play on form over substance.
When Hamas recognises that Israel should be there to stay, stops its ongoing war against Israel, stops its cowardly and cruel act of hiding soldiers and weapons behind civilians under hospitals and schools, stops using Palestinians as shields for their aggression, stops siphoning off aid to their war effort and returns what hostages are left there might be a chance. Until then it's a pipe dream.
https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/8637434/amanda-vanstone-reciprocity-not-on-agenda-in-israel-gaza-protests/
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June 02, 2024
US supreme court boosts NRA in unanimous free speech ruling
Court rules state official unlawfully retaliated against gun rights group
The court gave a boost to the influential gun rights group that has accused the official of coercing banks and insurers to avoid doing business with it and, in the process, violating the NRA’s free speech rights.
The justices, in a unanimous decision from the nine-member bench, threw out a lower court’s ruling that dismissed the NRA’s 2018 lawsuit against Maria Vullo, a former superintendent of New York’s department of financial services.
The NRA, in the case NRA v Vullo, claimed that Vullo unlawfully retaliated against it following a mass shooting in which 17 people were killed at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
The NRA was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Biden administration argued some of its claims should go forward, an unusual alliance between often opposing parties considering the NRA is a strongly Republican-aligned organization.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/article/2024/may/30/us-supreme-court-nra-free-speech
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