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31 August, 2015

Angry censors at Mozilla

Dislike of feminists not allowed

Mozilla CEO Chris Beard has publicly committed to firing a supposed employee spewing hate speech on Reddit—if the company can figure out who he is.

An anonymous Reddit user by the name of aoiyama, who claims to work for Mozilla, posted comments celebrating the departure of the firm's community organizer, Christie Koehler, adding that "when she and the rest of her blue-haired, nose-pierced asshole feminists are gone, the tech industry will breathe a sigh of relief."

(The user had previously posted in the MensRights subreddit alleging favoritism toward women at his company, though in those cases he didn't identify his employer.)

Koehler resigned from Mozilla earlier this month, decrying the company's failure to address diversity and accessibility issues in a series of tweets.

In remarks at a project meeting, Beard emphasized that the posts "crossed a line from criticism to hate speech," defining it as "when you start saying that 'someone's kind doesn't belong here and we'll all be happy when they're gone.' If that's not hate speech, it's pretty damn close and we're not going to walk that line as Mozilla."

While the employee probably felt he was free to vent privately on his own time without repercussions, most employment agreements are at will, and aoiyama's comments are harmful to an already troubled view of Mozilla's workplace culture.

SOURCE

It's "troubled" all right.  Former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was forced out of his job last year once it was revealed that he had donated to a pro-family cause. Eich donated $1,000 in 2008 to support Proposition 8, a California constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage.  So was Eich some ignorant no-account bigot?  Hardly. He is known as the father of the programing language JavaScript, in which Mozilla has a big interest.  Stalin was very good at sending the Russian intelligentsia to Siberia.  Mozilla is a modern-day Stalin.

Conservatives should really boycott Mozilla's Firefox so it's a pity Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" is such crap.  Google Chrome and Opera have got their acts together, however.






Hillary Compared Conservatives To ISIS

 Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton likened the 2016 Republican presidential field to "terrorist groups" on women's issues during a campaign stop Thursday in Ohio.

While speaking to a crowd at Case Western Reserve University, Clinton said that while she expects "extreme views" on women's rights to be espoused by "terrorist groups," she does not expect the same from "Republicans who want to be president" in 2016.

The former secretary of state named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the speech.

"Now, extreme views about women, we expect that from some of the terrorist groups, we expect that from people who don't want to live in the modern world, but it's a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States," Clinton told the crowd

SOURCE

Abuse is the Leftist substitute for logical argument




30 August, 2015

The inoffensive everyday phrases used by reporter Alison Parker that earned her a death sentence because black reporter deemed them 'racist'

Innocuous phrases Alison Parker used every day to describe her job may have led to her death, simply because Vester Lee Flanagan thought they were racist.

The 24-year-old TV reporter who was shot and killed by the disgruntled ex-employee on Wednesday somehow angered him by using terms like 'swinging' by an address or going out into the 'field' while she was an intern at WDBJ.

It sheds further light on the murderer's erratic behavior, details of which have emerged since he callously gunned down Parker and cameraman Adam Ward live on breakfast TV.

Flanagan, 41, clashed repeatedly with photojournalists, belittling them in public and intimidating them with his aggressive and violent temper, before he was fired in 2013.

Alison Parker somehow angered Vester Lee Flanagan by using terms like 'swinging' by an address or going out into the 'field' while she was an intern at WDBJ. The gunman believed they were racist and led to him filing a complaint against her in 2012

But now colleagues have revealed his assumptions were 'crazy' and even described one occasion where he believed someone bringing a watermelon in for fellow staff was a racist joke directed at him.

Ryan Fuqua, a video editor at WDBJ, told The Post: 'That's how that guy's mind worked. Just crazy, left-field assumptions like that.'  'He was unstable. One time, after one of our live shots failed, he threw all his stuff down and ran into the woods for like 20 minutes.'

SOURCE




George Zimmerman refers to Obama as an 'Ignorant Baboon'

And lots more.  He is saying what a lot of other Americans think but feel unsafe to say

In an inflammatory rant on social media on Thursday, the 31-year-old - who was acquitted of murder charges in the fatal shooting of African-American teenager in 2012 - posted a number of racial slurs alongside a selfie he took while smoking a cigar in a swimming pool.

Zimmerman told his 6,092 followers that Brown and Vester Flanagan, the man accused of killing two WDBJ reporters on air Wednesday, would be President Obama's sons.

Zimmerman also called President Obama an 'ignorant baboon' for statements after the Virginia shooting discussing the high number of deaths from gun violence in America.

On Wednesday, he posted another string of insulting messages just hours after the shooting on Wednesday: 'Pansy Fester (sic) lee Flanagan, too much of a daisy to deal w/racism. Murders 2 whites. Hate crime, 100%. Racist Obama says nothing condeming (sic).'

A couple of hours later, he posted two photos of reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, who were both shot dead by Flanagan on live TV on Wednesday morning.

He captioned the images, first seen by the New York Daily News: 'White woman & man get murdered by a Black P.O.S. 8 hours later B. Hussein Obama the divider still says NOTHING.'

SOURCE




28 August, 2015

Australia: Comedian criticised for ‘deeply offensive skit’ on public broadcasting show

If you’ve never heard of the term before, defensive architecture is an urban design trend in which public places are designed “in a way which discourages people (such as homeless people) from touching, climbing or sitting on them”.

In the three-and-a-half minute skit, Tom Gleeson interviewed a man called Spike Chippalone who spent years living on the streets.  Sometimes I think defensive architecture is the wrong way to go,” said Gleeson to Chippalone. “Like, we should have attacking architecture. It’s like a chair but it’s also a robot. People sit in it during the day and it could get up and attack homeless people at night.”

But the joke clearly went over some viewers’ heads.

“That skit was deeply offensive to homeless people,” said one angry person on Twitter.  “I find it difficult to understand how that was funny, in anyway,” wrote another. “I am sad and disappointed.”

In a statement to news.com.au, Gleeson said he thought it was obvious that he was “taking the piss”. [Being provocative rather than serious]

SOURCE





Republicans are "crazies" (?)

Asked to clarify President Obama's remark about the "crazies" who oppose him, White House spokesman Eric Shultz on Tuesday said the president "may have been a little flip in his language."

Obama told a Democratic fundraiser near Las Vegas late Monday that he and Senate Minority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had spent time "figuring out how we are going to deal with the crazies in terms of managing some problems."

Schultz told reporters, "After spending a few weeks away from the hustle and bustle of Washington, the president came back from vacation and was remarking with Senator Reid at the challenges they face this fall.

And he may have been a little flip in his language, but we have seen Republicans do wildly irresponsible things in the past, and that includes shutting down the government for ideological reasons. That's a prospect that came to fruition a few years ago, and it's something that Republican lawmakers in both the House and the Senate are floating this time as well."

SOURCE





27 August, 2015

'Anchor Baby' a bad Term?

On the Sunday, August 23 edition of CNN's "State of the Union," conservative Ben Carson dismissed criticism of the term "anchor baby," in reference to the child of a pregnant illegal alien who comes to the United States to give birth and use the baby as an "anchor" to stay in America.  “I think it is silly political correctness," Dr. Carson said. 

"Everybody knows what we are talking about," he continued.  "We need to talk about the actual issue, and stop getting pulled off into the weeds, and saying, you can use this term, you can't use that term.  It is so silly.”

SOURCE





Must not compare Jihadis to Nazis

Both have been brutal mass murderers but what the heck!

New York Rep. Peter King blasted ESPN's decision to suspend analyst Curt Schilling  over a tweet comparing radical Islamists to Nazis.

"It was disgraceful and cowardly for ESPN to suspend Curt Schilling for telling the truth by comparing Islamists to Nazis," King said in a statement to Newsmax. "ESPN has displayed the ultimate in political correctness."

"By suspending Curt from covering the Little League World Series, ESPN is telling the youth of America that it does not tolerate free speech," King said. "Maybe ESPN would have preferred that Curt Schilling attack cops instead of Islamists. That certainly would have been more politically correct!"

Schilling on Tuesday morning tweeted a photo reading, "It's said only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists. In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How'd that go?"  "The math is staggering when you get to true #'s," Schilling said.

The former major league pitcher deleted the tweet after it received backlash, calling it a "dumb decision" to post it.

But ESPN responded by pulling Schilling from his coverage of the Little League World Series and "Sunday Night Baseball."

SOURCE






26 August, 2015

Cop was told off for using the phrase 'Z for Zulu' by Britain's Department of Work and Pensions

Language is a modern minefield. Use the wrong word or expression and you could find yourself pilloried on social media or even prosecuted for 'hate crime'.

It's difficult to keep up. Words which were perfectly OK a couple of years ago are now political poison. And the ground keeps shifting.

Mail reader Dave Monk, an ex-copper, recently rang the Department of Work and Pensions with a query. He quoted his reference number, using the phonetic alphabet he had learned as part of his police training. But when he got to 'Z for Zulu', the assistant stopped him in his tracks.

'We're not allowed to say Zulu any more; it's been changed to Z for Zebra,' she told him.

Dave was flabbergasted. But then, if he's kept in touch with his ex-colleagues still in The Job, he should have known better. Public bodies, especially the Old Bill [British police], have become ever more vigilant when it comes to rooting out what could be perceived to be 'inappropriate' language.

I shouldn't be surprised to learn that the entire phonetic alphabet has been overhauled.

SOURCE

That junks a lot of army training too

Zulus in Kwazulu/Natal are very proud to be Zulus so this is actually dishonoring them




Actress leads campaign to change the name of her high school which honors a slave-owning Confederate general

Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore is campaigning that her high school change its name away from a Confederate general.

JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax, Virginia, was founded in 1959 and allegedly named in honor of the Civil War commander in apparent protest at the Supreme Court's decision to integrate schools.

Moore and her high school friend-turned-producer Bruce Cohen are demanding that the school rename itself, and started a Change.org petition that had already amassed more than 28,000 signatures as of Monday night.

The school formerly included the Confederate flag on its basketball court and in its school symbol. Moore said that students should not have to be embarrassed about a name with ties to slavery

Stuart was a slave owner who quickly left the US Army and joined the Confederacy shortly after Virginia seceded, according to the History Channel.

SOURCE





25 August, 2015

Professional Warmist wants anyone who mentions climate skepticism fired from the BBC


Bob Ward works for the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at  the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

The BBC's decision to part company with the Met Office has provoked a great deal of comment over the weekend (and a cartoon or two as well). Returning to my desk this morning I expected that the story would have run out of legs, but it has just been given a new lease of life via the [BBC] Today programme.

I've attached the audio file below. Justin Webb was discussing possible reasons for the the BBC's decision and he mentioned that some people had suggested that this might have something to do with the Met Office's stance on climate change. Given that the BBC is now arguably rather more alarmist than the Met Office, however, this seems somewhat counterintuitive.

To be fair it was just a throwaway comment, the aural equivalent of clickbait, and at least one bottom feeder has swallowed it whole.

Predictably bogus claim by @JustinOnWeb on @BBCr4today that BBC may have ditched @metoffice over climate change. Pure 'sceptic' propaganda.

— Bob Ward (@ret_ward) August 24, 2015

It is about time @BBCr4today had a clear out of its dinosaur presenters who promote the propaganda of climate change 'sceptics'.

— Bob Ward (@ret_ward) August 24, 2015

Stand back and admire, gentle readers, the majesty of a public-funded bureaucrat demanding that a public-funded journalist lose his job because he merely mentioned the existence of views that the bureaucrat found distasteful. What a shameful place the London School of Economics has become.

SOURCE





Conservatives must not oppose obesity

4Chan, the Internet lovechild of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, has a history of playing pranks (some funny, others not) and trolling people, but the site and its users really outdid themselves this week. 4Chan and Reddit users reportedly launched a new body-shaming campaign called Project Harpoon that wonders: "If the Tumblr fat acceptance/feminists make a big deal over photoshopping video game characters to make them look fatter than what they are, why don't we photoshop their own photos to make them thinner, more attractive, and, well, normal?" The stunt uses the hashtags #ThInnerBeauty and #SkinnyAcceptance (and a newly-created website at thinnerbeauty.org) to spread images of women photoshopped into skinner silhouettes

Let me first say that while I do not want to give 4Chan's Project Whatever-the-fuck any more attention, as a writer of the Internet — specifically a writer for a women's magazine on the Internet — I feel that it is my responsibility to take a few moments to check in with my fellow #Ladies and let them know that they have every right to be pissed off by the group's new body-shaming campaign.

It's not as if photoshopping women to unrealistic standards is anything new; sometimes ads get so overzealous that they erase entire limbs, turning women into paraplegic alien lifeforms. But the so-called campaign is particularly heinous because it targets everyday citizens without their permission, and because it is an attempt to get back at those who have pointed out that female video game characters have unrealistic body types. Worst of all, it does this under the guise of being body positive. In one post, Project Harpoon wrote, "We aren't here to mock or ridicule overweight individuals. We are here to help them overcome their problems. We love them and we want them to know they can love themselves, too!"

SOURCE




24 August, 2015

Must not disparage some female body shapes

The fashion boss whose damning comments on female body shapes were exposed in last week’s Mail on Sunday has been forced out of his job after provoking outrage.

Patrick Couderc’s bizarre declaration that ‘voluptuous’ and older women, as well as ‘committed lesbians’, should not wear Herve Leger’s famed ‘body-conscious’ bandage dresses went viral on the internet.

He was accused of being ‘lesbophobic’, a ‘body fascist’ and ageist as readers vented their anger online.

The owners of the French brand, worn by stars such as Kim Kardashian, acted swiftly to distance themselves from the outlandish statements.

Within 24 hours of this paper’s publication, they announced that Mr Couderc, managing director of the fashion brand’s UK licensor MJH Fashion, was no longer with the company. He had voluntarily offered his resignation.

The iconic bandage dress – so-called because it is made from strips of stretchy fabric like bandages wound around the body – was pioneered in the 1980s and has since been worn by a host of celebrities from Elle Macpherson to Victoria Beckham, Kate Winslet and Miranda Kerr.

Mr Couderc told The Mail on Sunday that he refused to give free dresses to celebrities if they are judged to lack sufficient class. He added that many ordinary women should not be wearing his dresses.

SOURCE

He was defending the image of his niche product. He did not want it to be worn where it would not look good.  And it does take a certain body shape to look good.  You are not allowed to mention that, however.




Facebook Tells Catholic Monsignor: You Can't Use 'Monsignor'

"Monsignor" is an honorific title given by the Pope to a priest  who has given outstanding service to the church

Monsignor Charles Pope, a popular blogger and a Catholic priest in Washington, D.C., has been blocked from using Facebook. The social media behemoth says it prefers users to use their “everyday names” so that people know who they’re connecting with, and formal titles can get tagged as inauthentic.

“It’s not just me, it’s a lot of people with titles who are having trouble,” Msgr. Pope told CNS News. “It’s people in the military, people in religious life – even Native Americans are getting blocked. They told me I can’t use monsignor, but that’s who I am.”

Pope scanned a copy of his driver’s license and sent it to Facebook, hoping that the company will quickly fix the problem.

He also noted that last year Facebook apologized to the members of the gay community who were blocked due to the “real name” policy.

"I want to apologize to the affected community of drag queens, drag king, transgender, and extensive community of our friends, neighbors, and members of the LGBT community for the hardship that we've put you through in dealing with your Facebook accounts in the past," Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox said in a statement.

Monsignor Pope said he is not expecting an apology, but just wants to be reinstated. “You can be one of over 50 genders on Facebook,” he said, “but I can’t be a monsignor.”

SOURCE




23 August, 2015

Corsets "sexist"



The company behind a corset-like belt that claims to make women 'look thinner in seconds' is facing backlash from social media users who have labeled the item as 'sexist', 'painful-looking', and 'terrifying'.

Called Miss Belt, the contraption cinches around waists to flatten and suck in stomachs at the middle, resulting in an exaggerated hourglass shape for the wearer.

However, many women - and some men - have a problem with the product's claim that it gives ladies 'the perfect waistline', arguing on Twitter that the belt's results look unnatural and ignore the progress that women have made from oppression over the past couple centuries.

Using compression technology, Miss Belt purports to be able to make women look two sizes smaller by tucking in bellies, reducing waistlines, and providing back support.

SOURCE





Rower who blacked up to pilot his boat The Golliwogger in river festival denies racism



A builder who blacked up in public then rowed his boat the The Golliwogger in a West Country river festival today defended the decision and said: 'Down in Cornwall it's a bit different.'

Giles Stawski, 35, has criticised the 'politically correct' people who were offended by his fancy dress at the event last weekend in Wadebridge, Cornwall.

Shocked festival-goers complained to national brewery Sharp's, who sponsored the event, who also described the situation as 'deeply disappointing'.

But Mr Stawski has denied that he had acted in poor taste and said: 'Other parts of the country have gone a bit too politically correct. Down in Cornwall it's a bit different.

'People took it in the good humour it was intended. I don't find it offensive but I understand other people might.'

Mr Stawski was not the only person to black up and was among a crew of five men and eight women who took part in the popular race on Saturday.

Three others were blacked up as cannibals and a couple more as cavemen on their makeshift boat which was named the Golliwogger.

They were among the 20 entrants in the annual Sharp's Brewery Raft Race on the Camel Estuary which was the highlight of the Camel River Festival.

One onlooker said: 'It comes across as racist. I don't see the point of getting dressed up like that. It's a bit extreme. They called the boat the Golliwogger.'

James Nicholls, Senior Brand Manager of Sharp's - brewers of Doom Bar ale - said: 'In no way do we condone the behaviour of this team of entrants.

SOURCE




21 August, 2015

There's no such thing as bad publicity?



Premier Estate Wines is the latest in a list of companies - including Protein World and Bic - that have split opinion with their tongue-in-cheek campaigns.

The Australian brand's new 30-second advert starts with a brunette woman describing a glass of Shiraz as 'luscious' during a party.

As she stops to talk to the camera, she places her glass of wine in front of her genital region and states: 'Australia practically jumps out of the glass. In fact, some say you can almost taste the bush.'

The clip ends with the woman smirking and the slogan - 'always a great wine' - appearing on the screen.

The advert, which the company said shows a tone 'born from classic British humour', has been met with criticism on social media with many users labelling it 'sexist' and 'tasteless'.

SOURCE



Democrats Oppose Putting Donald Trump’s ‘Racist’ Name on D.C. Hotel

A pair of Democrat congressmen are demanding that the Washington, D.C., City Council prevent Donald Trump from putting his name on a new D.C. hotel because, they assert, the Trump name is now synonymous with “racist” and should be kept from the public eye.

In a letter to the Department of Interior and General Services Administration (GSA), Congressmen Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Tony Cárdenas (D, CA) say that Trump should not be allowed to have his name “prominently displayed” on the hotel set to open in 2016 at the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, only a few blocks from the White House.

In the letter, the pair reminds the GSA that the government has “a responsibility to ensure that public lands are welcoming places” and then points to Trump’s “insulting comments” as a reason to keep his name out of public view.

“Trump’s recent and repeated remarks disparaging women, Mexican-Americans, and other Latinos are hateful, divisive and completely inaccurate,” the letter states.

SOURCE




20 August, 2015

Must not joke about eating cake

A cafe has come under fire for displaying a billboard which encourages people to eat cake because the 'more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap' in the town where April Jones was murdered.

Residents in Machynlleth, Mid Wales, claim to be outraged after spotting the blackboard outside a cafe which says: 'The more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap! Stay safe. Eat cake!!'

The chalk sign comes after five-year-old April was abducted near her home in Machynlleth in 2012.

Her disappearance sparked the largest ever search in UK history but her body was never found, and Mark Bridger was later convicted of her murder.

Residents said they were 'shocked' by the 'distasteful' billboard outside the town's Chimes cafe, claiming it was offensive not only to the family but also those in the town who remember the tragedy three years ago.

Angharad Penrhyn Jones said: 'In view of what happened to April Jones this is shocking.  'I went to talk to cafe owner and apparently the sign is "humorous", the kidnapping happened "years ago", and I am being "hypersensitive".

A cafe spokesman, who did not give her name, said the sign was not meant to be distasteful or offensive.

SOURCE




"Girls and Boys" wrong

From Hegel onwards, the Left have wanted us all to be like uniform little ants in an anthill. And guess who would be the Queen ants?   So even such a basic difference as male/female must be erased

To help “create a classroom where students aren’t limited based on gender stereotypes,” teachers should address classes using words like “friends or “students” rather than girls and boys, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) advises in a new back-to-school guide.

The first tip suggested by the HRC’s Welcoming Schools Initiative is for teachers to avoid using gender to “divide and address students.” The guide claims that separating students for activities according to gender “can leave some students feeling out-of-place, making them distracted or isolated and not able to focus on learning.”

SOURCE





19 August, 2015

Mississippi celebrities rally to remove Confederate emblem from state flag

Many famous current and former Mississippi residents are asking the state to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its flag.

Jimmy Buffet, John Grisham, Morgan Freeman and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning are among many celebrities who called for the removal of the emblem in an open letter.

Others who signed the public request were Kathryn Stockett (the author of The Help), Grammy-winning producer Glen Ballard, writer Richard Ford and Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell.

The celebrities joined others in signing the letter that appeared in a full-page ad in Saturday's edition of the Clarion-Ledger.

'It is simply not fair, or honorable, to ask black Mississippians to attend schools, compete in athletic events, work in the public sector, serve in the National Guard, and go about their normal lives with a state flag that glorifies a war fought to keep their ancestors enslaved,' a portion of the letter read.

A survey by the Clarion-Ledger found 64 of Mississippi's lawmakers supported changing the flag, 24 opposed it, nine said they were undecided, and 96 declined to answer.

Governor Phil Bryant said voters made their views clear in 2001, when 64 per cent rejected a proposal to change the state flag to 20 white stars on a blue field.

SOURCE




Spanish woman who took picture of police car parked in disabled bay is fined nearly £600 under controversial new 'gagging law'

Spain at the moment is governed by a Centre-Right party.  It is reasonable that police operations may sometimes require confidentiality but such provisions should not be used to cover up police misbehaviour or apparent police misbehaviour. 

A Spanish woman who took a picture of a police car parked in a disabled bay has been fined nearly £600 under a controversial new 'gagging law', it has been revealed.

The picture, taken by an unnamed woman from Petrer in Alicante, was put up online with the caption 'Park wherever the hell you like and they won’t even fine you'.

But within two days police had tracked her down and fined her €800 under Spain's new Citizens Security Law, it has been reported.

The legislation, passed in July, bars 'the unauthorised use of images of police officers that might jeopardise their or their family’s safety or that of protected facilities or police operations'.

Human rights organisations including Amnesty International, have already condemned the new law, for which fines can reach up to €30,000.

A police spokesman reportedly told the local newspaper Petrer al Día that the patrol car was in the disabled bay after officers had been called to a report of vandalism at a park.

The gagging law imposes fines for protests near parliament and for those who try to intervene when families who can't pay their mortgages are are being evicted.

The government says it will provide more effective security by rooting out protesters prone to violence.

SOURCE







18 August, 2015

Progressive confusion

Denying free speech is a deliberate tactic for them

A week ago, a handful of protesters associated with Black Lives Matter shut down a Bernie Sanders speech in Seattle to protest what they see to be his insufficient platform on racial justice. This event has provoked a fierce debate within the left, but what is instructive about the debate is the illiberal terms on which it has been conducted. Sanders’ critics have defended the protest on the grounds that Sanders has not done enough for racial justice.

His supporters have replied that he has. Hamilton Nolan, representing the pro-Sanders side, called the shutdown “dumb,” “stupid,” “unwise,” and “counterproductive” because, Nolan explained, “Bernie Sanders is the most progressive serious presidential candidate, and the most liberal, and the most vocal and wise on the issue of America’s entrenched and widening economic inequality.”

Nolan suggested that protesters instead shut down speeches from the likes of Donald Trump. Other Sanders fans have urged Black Lives Matter protesters to disrupt Hillary Clinton instead of Sanders. (Some protesters reportedly planned to do just that later in the week but were foiled by the Secret Service.) And so the debate revolved entirely around Sanders’ ideological merits, and whether preventing him from speaking advances or hinders the progressive cause.

Absent from the calculation on either side is a normative debate over shutting down political speeches. Nolan made very clear his belief that his only problem with the method is that it has been used against a politician he likes. But maybe there is a more important question here than mere tactics. Perhaps shutting down a political speech is, normatively, wrong.

SOURCE





Amy Schumer Won’t Do ‘Safe Material’ Despite Claims of Racial Insensitivity



Amy Schumer is firing back at critics — specifically, those who claim her material is racially insensitive.

In a Twitter post the comedian put online Sunday morning, Schumer refused to tone down her comedy on race amid recent criticism.

“I am a comic. I am so glad more people are laughing at me and with me all of a sudden,” she wrote. “I will joke about things you like and I will joke about things you aren’t comfortable with. And that’s ok. Stick with me and trust I am joking.”

“I go in and out of playing an irreverent idiot,” she went on. “That includes making dumb jokes involving race. I enjoy playing the girl who time to time says the dumbest thing possible and playing with race is a thing we are not supposed to do, which is what makes it so fun for comics,” she continued. “You can call it a ‘blind spot for racism’ or ‘lazy’ but you are wrong. It is a joke and it is funny. I know that because people laugh at it.”

Her post seems to be a direct response to an article posted by the Guardian this weekend, saying her comedy “has a shockingly large blind spot around race.”

Schumer also recently responded on Twitter to a similarly critical article from the Daily Beast, which said she “is being called subversive and transgressive, the truth is that many of her jokes aren’t as enlightened as they might seem.”

Schumer ended her message by saying that she is not a racist, and her goal is that everyone is treated equally.

SOURCE






17 August, 2015

Must not mention that homosexual men tend to be highly promiscuous

Newsnight is at the centre of a row over gay stereotyping after a presenter claimed dating app Tinder allows 'straight people to behave like gay men'.

The controversial comments were made by Evan Davis during the programme last night, ahead of a discussion about the impacts of dating apps.

Comedian Matt Lucas has lead a backlash against the remarks, branding the BBC 'pathetic' over the wording of the introduction.

Mr Davis, who is himself openly gay, was speaking ahead of a studio discussion of how dating apps on phones are changing the way people meet.

Mr Davis said: 'Tinder is the biggest of a number of apps that allow straight people of any gender to behave like gay men.

'It's an easy hook-up service. You upload your profile, and scroll through others, to find someone to meet.

'It's love at first swipe. Swipe left for the ones you don't like, swipe right for the folks you're interested in. And then if the feeling's mutual, you can message each other and take it from there.'

The strange comments provoked instant reaction on Twitter, where users complained they were 'offensive' and implied all gay men are promiscuous.

SOURCE




Must not boast about overtime

A Missouri police officer is being investigated after bragging about spending his 'annual Michael Brown bonus' on Facebook.

Todd J Bakula, a patrolman with St Louis County police, was believed to be boasting about overtime pay he was given for policing protests in Ferguson on the anniversary of Michael Brown's death.

In the post, under the alias of TJ Thekoola, Bakula says he is spending the money on a bed and breakfast holiday and cycle ride with his 18-weeks pregnant wife, Stephanie Bakula.

Images posted online by CopBlock show Bakula posing with his wife and fellow officers while wearing a polo shirt with a police badge emblazoned on it.

A state of emergency was declared in Ferguson last week as demonstrators took to the streets while one teenager was shot dead by police.

Tyrone Harris, 18, a friend of Brown's, was killed by police after reportedly opening fire on officers, while CCTV showed him pulling a handgun from his waistband shortly before he died.

His death caused a week-long state of emergency to be imposed, and hundreds of police officers were drafted in to enforce it, with many working overtime.

SOURCE






16 August, 2015

British prudery

A BBC radio DJ has been suspended after a bizarre rant in which he claimed that 'librarian-type moustached' women should not breastfeed in public. 

Alex Dyke, 53, said it was 'unnatural' and a 'throwback to the Stone Age' for women to publicly breastfeed, especially 'fat chavvy mums with their boobs out'.

The father-of-three, who also compared the act to having sex, later apologised for 'any offence caused'. But his comments sparked a huge online backlash, including a 8,000-strong petition which called for him to be sacked.

This afternoon, the BBC announced Dyke - who first joined the corporation more than 30 years ago - would not be presenting his Friday show. The show in which he made the comments has also been removed from iPlayer.

During a phone-in on his radio show at 10am, the veteran broadcaster - whom outraged listeners have since compared to Steve Coogan's comedy character Alan Partridge - described how he had been embarrassed after seeing a ‘big girl’ feeding her child on a bus.

He claimed it was a ‘special breed’ of women – ‘librarian types, the kind with moustaches’ - who indulged in the act and that attractive ‘yummie mummies’ would never be seen breastfeeding because ‘they know it’s not a great look’.

Even when he was confronted by angry listeners on social media about his comments, Dyke responded: 'My point was fat chavvy mums with their boobs out on buses isn't a good look. A classy discreet mum is absolutely fine.'

SOURCE





Fatties not wanted!

A woman wanting to gain entry to a top London night spot that plays host to A-list celebrities was told she and her friends could get in for free - so long as none of them were fat.

Promoters selling tickets for Soho-based Cirque le Soir - which Drake, Cara Delevingne, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna have all frequented - sent a list of rules to hopeful clubbers via Facebook and Whatsapp.

A Facebook message - one coming from Mia Md Mamun - sent to the promoters' VIP list outlined the stringent rules for entry into exclusive areas at the London club, where a bottle of champagne can set revellers back £1,000.

One read: 'Do not bring any big/fat girls/guys.'

A spokesperson for Cirque le Soir told MailOnline: 'We would like to distance ourselves from comments made by a so-called "promoter" who is not employed by us in any capacity and reassure you that this is not our door policy whatsoever.

'We would like to reiterate comments made have not come from anyone at Cirque le Soir, nor anyone connected to the club.

In separate messages, from promoters looking after the guest lists for Whisky Mist and Mason House in London, it was claimed that women wouldn't have to pay for entry if they were glam and wearing high heels.

Journalism student Elouise Bratt, 19, said she had received similar messages from promoters and blasted the club for apparently employing them.

Elouise, who studies at Nottingham Trent University and is originally from Gants Hill, east London, said: 'It's disgusting and it's discriminatory.

SOURCE





14 August, 2015

'Look like a girl. Think like a MAN': Outrage on Twitter over  'sexist' advert

Stationery company Bic has been forced to apologise for an advert celebrating Women's Day which encourages workers to 'Think like a man.'

The South African campaign featured an image of a business woman accompanied by the words 'look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a boss'.

The bizarre and contradictory choice of words has attracted a Twitter storm of outraged comments from offended men and women.

Jennifer Nonsense remarked: 'I got stuck at the part where Bic  wants us to look like girls. Would you tell men to look like boys?'

Girl on the Net tweeted: Look like a girl, Act like a lady, Think like a supervillain, Work to destroy the Bic corporation.'

The company has since taken to their Facebook page twice to apologise after removing their first comment from their page.

Its initial statement read: 'We would like to apologise to all our fans who took offence to our recent Women's Day Post. We can assure you that we meant it in the most empowering way possible and in no way derogatory towards women.

'We took the quote from a "Women in Business" blog site (link) The blog site explains the quote and what its intentions were when it was written. Bic believe in celebrating women and the powerful contribution women make to our society.'

SOURCE




Must not mention that people starved in concentration camps (?)

A logical comment was not "sensitive"

IT WAS the live-to-air comment that left Karl Stefanovic and Today show viewers gobsmacked.  Now, a prominent group has called for an apology for the “shockingly insensitive” remark.

The breakfast show’s go-to medical commentator Dr Ric Gordon took things way too far this morning with a strange comment during a segment about Australia’s weight problem. He said Australians needed to eat less food, just like people in concentration camps.

“As something controversial — there were no overweight people in the concentration camps. Now, they weren’t exercising a lot, they just weren’t eating,” Dr Gordon said.  “Now I’m not going any further with that except to say what you put in your mouth ends up on your hips,” he said.

The chairman of Jewish group the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission said this afternoon that he was “outraged and alarmed” by the comments.

“It’s clear that we have reached a new low in the abuse and perversion of the Holocaust,” Dr Dvir Abramovich said in a statement to news.com.au.

“To employ the unspeakable tragedy of the death camps, where more than 1.5 million people starved to death and were tortured and murdered in the gas chambers, as a way to bring attention to the importance of weight loss, trivialises and debases the memory of the Holocaust and diminishes the evil deeds of the Nazis.

SOURCE





13 August, 2015

Is "fat" the ultimate term of abuse?

Katie Hopkins has been accused of 'fat shaming' a member of the audience at her inaugural talk show by brandishing the woman a 'raging, angry fat person' during a televised debate.

The columnist became embroiled in a heated exchange with the woman, known only as Sheryl, when discussing whether fat people ought to pay more when flying.

Hopkins, who proudly wears her title as Britain's most hated woman, argued that any woman heavier than 9stone should have to pay £20 per extra kilo when boarding a flight.

When challenged by a member of the audience who slammed her view as 'pure hatred', she screamed back: 'You're a raging, angry, fat person in a pink jacket.'

Her outburst has been slammed by viewers as 'cruel' and 'unkind' with some labelling the columnist a 'bully'.

SOURCE




No free speech for senior British doctor

A leading cancer surgeon claims he has been forced out of his job at a renowned hospital for daring to criticise the NHS.

Joseph Meirion Thomas wrote a series of articles raising concerns about GPs, the scale of health tourism and his own treatment by senior management.

He has now been made to quit the Royal Marsden Hospital in London after being told he brought the institution into ‘disrepute’.

Mr Thomas, 69, suspects his exit was triggered by one particular article which warned that GPs do not even provide a ‘remotely personal’ service, work out of hours or see the same patient more than once.

The piece, published in the Daily Mail in November, triggered a backlash with doctors condemning him on Twitter as ‘ignorant, unprofessional and misinformed’.

Mr Thomas claims the hospital chief executive was told that GPs would stop referring their patients unless action was taken against him. The surgeon says he was asked to sign a document pledging not to write any more articles without permission and was subsequently made to leave at the end of March.

Efforts to negotiate a contract enabling him to stay on part-time to finish a research project were rejected.

Although he tried to launch a claim for bullying and harassment against bosses, Mr Thomas has just learned it has been thrown out.

Hospital bosses deny trying to ‘silence’ the surgeon and say his articles were ‘personal views’ which were not ‘evidence-based’.

It comes months after the Government unveiled sweeping measures to protect whistleblowers and encourage staff to speak freely.

SOURCE

I initially thought his claims had to be exaggerated but the fury that they aroused suggests that he hit on an uncomfortable truth.


12 August, 2015

Australia: Blacktown name change on the cards as council agrees to stage referendum

"Black" is a bad word?

Blacktown residents will go to the polls to decide if Blacktown Council and the region should change its name.

Blacktown Council last night passed a recommendation for a referendum on the issue expected to take place during next year’s council elections.

The push for change was led by Ward 3 councillor Karlo Siljeg who said the name Blacktown no longer reflected the region.

Blacktown Council general manager Kerry Robinson revealed the cost of staging an election was in the vicinity of $1.2 million dollars.

Last week, Blacktown Council released information about a rebranding exercise recently undertaken at a cost of $130,000.  The rebranding included new logos, slogans and marketing direction for Blacktown Council

Cr Siljeg had earlier suggested the region and council be renamed West Sydney but stressed the suburb of Blacktown would not be changed.

He also moved the Blacktown CBD be rezoned as a new suburb and renamed.  “There are many people who live in the Blacktown LGA who don’t associate with Blacktown,” he said.

Blacktown mayor Stephen Bali slammed the name change idea before Wednesday night’s meeting.  “It’s the most ridiculous thing I have seen,” he said.  “It doesn’t even mean anything. West Sydney means the entire western Sydney — it doesn’t even make logical sense.

“We have 332,000 people that live in the city of Blacktown and it’s their city of choice. If you don’t like the name, don’t come.

“I think the vast majority of people are happy with the name. To call it West Sydney, it has no identification. Every other council in western Sydney is going to be upset.”

SOURCE



Target Removes Gender Labels From Kids Sections After Complaints

Must not admit that boys and girls are different and tend to have different tastes and preferences

Target Corp. is removing gender labels from most of its children’s departments after customers complained about signs designating certain toys for girls.

The kids’ bedding section will no longer feature boy and girl signage, and the toy department will be without labels and pink or blue paper on the shelves, Minneapolis-based Target said on its website Friday. Gender labels will remain in the kids’ clothing section because of sizing and fit differences.

Retailers have been moving away from gender stereotypes, and some startups have emerged to break down the divide in kids’ clothing and toys. The signage that sparked the dispute at Target was for building sets, like GoldieBlox, that are targeted at girls.

“As guests have pointed out, in some departments like toys, home or entertainment, suggesting products by gender is unnecessary,” Target said. “We heard you, and we agree. Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance.”

In June, Ohio mom Abi Bechtel called out Target’s gender designations in its toy aisle. She posted a photo to Twitter that showed store signs for “Girls’ Building Sets” next to regular “Building Sets.” The outcry was swift, with angry shoppers calling for change.

SOURCE





11 August, 2015

Arby’s shows how to deal with offensive speech

"The Arby’s fast food chain is turning Jon Stewart's negative portrayal of its food into a positive with a tribute ad featuring several jibes the Daily Show host has lobbed its way over the years, Time magazine reported.

The ad, titled 'Thank You For Being A Friend,' is a 30-second supercut of insults from the comedian, set to a cover of the Andrew Gold song of the same name, which is most famous for being used as the theme for the sitcom The Golden Girls.

The commercial is one of two Arby's ads that aired during Wednesday night's episode. Stewart has made the restaurant chain the butt of several jokes on the show, usually in the form of mock slogans like, 'Technically, it's food.' Last year, he invoked its name to mock Fox News host Sean Hannity, calling him 'the Arby's of news.'"

SOURCE




Australian cable network lashed for anti-gay marriage ads

They put up ads both for and against but balance is not good enough!

FOXTEL is facing a backlash from some subscribers after it decided to screen advertisements opposing same-sex marriage.  THE ads, created by anti-gay marriage group Marriage Alliance, were knocked back by the Seven and Ten networks but have been screened by the pay TV provider.

People took to Facebook to vent their anger, with many saying they would cancel their Foxtel subscription. "Just cancelled my account - Netflix is much less homophobic, and better value," Brendan Terry wrote.  "What's new on Foxtel this week? Bigotry, hatred and lies," wrote Bradles McBell.

Some question Foxtel for airing advertisements for I Am Cait, the new reality show about Caitlyn Jenner's transition, alongside the anti-equality message in the ads. "I love how you can promote this and then also put up anti-marriage equality ads up too, haha self contradicting much?" Joel Hubbard said.

Marriage Alliance's campaign, which uses the line "It's not as simple as you think", says legislating to allow same-sex marriage may affect people's rights across the entire community.

Foxtel replied to concerns, saying it was aware its decision to air the ad "has caused hurt and distress to some customers".

"We believe this debate should be won by the force of the argument in favour of reform, not by refusing to engage in debate or allow contrary opinion to be put," a spokesman said.

The company says it is a strong supporter of marriage equality and that it is screening a series of celebrity-backed ads calling for marriage equality.

SOURCE





10 August, 2015

Supporters of Confederate history rally in North Carolina

"Nearly 1,500 people are expected to attend a rally in support of Confederate symbols in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on Saturday, the Herald Sun of Durham, North Carolina, reported.

The town board’s recent decision to start taking steps toward potentially removing Confederate signage from the Orange County Historical Museum has ignited opposition from Confederate heritage supporters in the area.

The Southern Heritage Ride and Rally was organized by Orange County Taking Back Orange County and Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, both private organizations."

SOURCE





Panel votes to keep Jefferson Davis statue in state Capitol

"A Kentucky commission will not remove a statue of Jefferson Davis from the state Capitol, saying the likeness of the Confederate president juxtaposes nicely with an imposing statue of fellow Kentucky native Abraham Lincoln as a testimony to the state's divisive history during and after the Civil War.

The Historic Properties Advisory Commission voted 7-2 on Wednesday to keep the statue in the cavernous rotunda but add an "educational context" to the display for the thousands of schoolchildren and other visitors who pass through the state Capitol every year.

By state law, the commission has final authority over what is displayed in the Capitol."

SOURCE




9 August, 2015

Must hide away any pictures of illegal drugs

A mother from New Jersey whose son died from a heroin overdose in 2010 has received a series of shocking abusive emails after accusing a clothing company of ‘glamorizing’ drugs.

Patty DiRenzo, from New Jersey, has been campaigning against the state’s escalating heroin crisis since her son Sal died five years ago, aged 26.

California-based clothing company Urban Stash Spot Clothing came to the attention of the grieving mother for its designs featuring the logos of numerous drugs - and instructions on how to take them.

When Ms DiRenzo emailed the company in protest, she received several abusive emails calling her a ‘b***h’ and a ‘lowlife’.

In her letter to the company, she wrote: ‘Explain to me how glamorizing drugs on clothes is good??? I lost my son to drugs and do not understand why you would create clothing that glamorizes them – I will be reaching out to my support groups through social media to fight against your clothing.’

‘I was so dumbfounded because I could not believe that a business would operate this way.’

The clothing company was formed by ‘two brothers and a close friend’ while in prison, according to its website. ‘They decided to get their lives on the right path by telling their stories through their designs,’ the company explained.  ‘Every design you see is based on actual events that they have experienced first-hand.’

Their designs are popular with musicians including Soulja Boy, Philthy Rich and Paul Wall, who have all featured the company’s clothes in music videos.

The company has defended the emails, saying that they ‘don’t sell drugs, we only put it on clothes. We teach kids how to put the drugs down and sell clothes with drugs on.’

SOURCE




No free speech about jury rights

"If you are a member of a jury in a criminal case, even if you think the defendant is guilty of the crimes charged, you are entirely free to vote for acquittal if you think that the prosecution is malicious or unfair, or that a conviction in that case would be unjust, or that the law itself is unconstitutional or simply wrong. And if you do so, there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

Judges and prosecutors know this. But they don’t want jurors to know it, which is why we occasionally see cases like this one, in which jury-information activist Mark Iannicelli was arrested and charged with 'jury tampering' for setting up a small booth in front of a Denver courthouse labeled 'Juror Info' and passing out leaflets.

Putting up a sign and passing out leaflets sounds like free speech to me, but apparently Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey feels differently."

SOURCE






7 August, 2015

Cultural appropriation nonsense again

Anything that is not copyrighted or patented is free for all to use

Allure magazine is facing a bitter backlash after featuring a white model in a beauty article about how to get the perfect afro hairstyle.

The feature, which focuses on 70s-style hairdos being re-vamped by the modern day woman, sees actress Marissa Neitling, 31, modeling what Allure refers to as a 'soft, imperfect afro', prompting many readers to lash out at the publication on social media, questioning why it chose to use a white woman to model a traditional African American hairstyle.

'Why would you ever in your life think this was okay?' one person questioned on Twitter, while another added: 'Peak caucasity in Allure magazine y'all.'

'This is a perfect example of when a staff has no diversity on their team to tell them to rethink their delivery,' someone posted on Instagram, along with a picture of the offending feature. 

SOURCE

Isn't it bigotry and racism to say that only blacks can do certain things?




At a Christian U, Free Speech suppression

Conservative student punished for political views expressed on social media

Texas Christian University has effectively suspended 19-year-old student Harry Vincent for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment right to free speech on Twitter.

After a series of derogatory tweets (which he posted while in high school) were packaged by a former middle school foe and brought to TCU’s attention on the social media platform Tumblr last April, Vincent found himself on the wrong side of school regulations.

Vincent, a sophomore at the Fort Worth-based university, apparently violated two Student Code of Conduct provisions concerning “infliction of bodily or emotional harm” and “disorderly conduct,” according to TCU. The series of tweets were posted during a six-month span during his days as a high school student.

“These hoodrat criminals in Baltimore need to be shipped off and exiled to the sahara desert (sic). Maybe then they’ll realize how much we provide for them (welfare, college tuition, obama’s phone’s, medicare, etc.),” read one tweet.

Several others referenced ISIS and the Mexican population, whom he called “beaners.”

Public colleges have to tread carefully lest they violate a student’s First Amendment rights, but this is not the case with private colleges. They have more latitude when it comes to disciplinary measures.

The 19-year-old told Vincent LifeZette he is puzzled at the one-sidedness of the free speech issue as it affects conservatives.

Vincent, a conservative, staunchly defends even the rights of the young woman who turned his tweets over to his college.

“She has said some vile things that make me very angry,” he told LifeZette. “But I would never give you her name, or take away her right to say those things.”

Vincent cannot attend football games, cannot participate in campus activities, and had to quit his fraternity. The initial email from the dean that alerted Vincent to a potential issue came during finals week last semester and stated no reason for a requested meeting.

“It’s so ironic,” Vincent said. “I am treated this way at a Christian college. They say they want to prepare future leaders, but it sounds more like they will discard a future leader if he or she doesn’t fall in line with the progressive, ‘PC’ crowd.

“I am willing to learn from my mistakes, and I have said I am sorry,” he added. “But do they have to go to these lengths to try to keep my views silenced?”

SOURCE





6 August, 2015

The bad girl of British TV questioned by police for 'inciting racial hatred'

Katie Hopkins, the outspoken newspaper columnist, has been questioned by police over allegations she incited racial hatred with an article about migrants.

The controversial media personality was criticised for a piece in The Sun in April in which she compared asylum seekers to "cockroaches".

Hopkins, 40, also said she would use "gunships" to halt boats from crossing the Mediterranean just a day after hundreds of migrants were killed off the Sicilian coast.

The column is alleged to have dehumanised migrants by labelling them “feral” and describing them as “spreading like norovirus”.

Hopkins' piece was reported to police by Peter Herbert, the Chair Society of Black Lawyers. He earlier claimed it included “some of the most offensive, xenophobic and racist comments I have read in a British newspaper for some years”.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service received allegations of incitement of racial hatred following an article published on 17th April.  "The Special Enquiry Team of the Homicide and Major Crime Command are investigating.

"On Thursday, 30 July, a 40-year-old woman attended a central London police station by appointment and was interviewed under caution. She was not arrested."

SOURCE




Must not mention Latinos doing menial work

Kelly Osbourne on "The View" asks an intelligent question:  Boo boo!

During a Hot Topics segment about Donald Trump's poll numbers with Latinos as conducted by Telemundo and The Wall Street Journal, co-host Rosie Perez read stats that found that 75 percent of Latinos do not like Trump; 61 percent said they viewed him very negatively; 13 percent said they viewed him in a positive light; and 50 percent found his immigration rhetoric offensive.

Perez said that, according to the poll, 55 percent of Latino voters agreed that Trump's comments about Mexico were 'insulting and racist and have no place in a campaign for president.'

Osbourne offered: 'If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet Donald Trump?'

A silence fell over the studio audience and you could see the other co-hosts were taken aback. Then Perez mumbled: 'Oh, that's not... oh, no!' as she shook her head in disbelief.

'Latinos are not the only people doing that,' explained Perez, looking seriously into Osbourne's eyes.

Osbourne backtracked and tried to elaborate. 'I didn't mean it like that! Come on, I would never mean it like that. I'm not part of this argument," she contested.

SOURCE





5 August, 2015

"Bloody Abe"?

When I recently wrote my low opinion of Abe Lincoln, stating that, having been responsible for the deaths of 750,000 Americans, his nickname shouldn’t have been “Honest Abe,” it should have been “Bloody Abe,” I expected some readers to spring to his defense. Instead, I heard from about a dozen people who agreed with me. That should teach me to never underestimate my readers.

They all acknowledged that his primary concern wasn’t the abolition of slavery, but the preservation of the Union, whatever the cost in other people’s lives.

But as it took the deaths of 750,000 young Americans, a number representing nearly three percent of the total population, I believe that only a Stalin, a Hitler or a Mao, would argue that preservation was worth the cost.

To me, the South’s desire to secede is like a wife who wants a divorce. But instead of granting it, the brutal husband beats her to within an inch of her life, turning her into an invalid, and, for good measure, murders most of their kids.

In the aftermath, making it even worse, historians and other assorted pinheads have gone around saying what a great guy he was.

SOURCE





One College’s War Against Terms ‘Mothering’ and ‘Fathering’

The University of New Hampshire’s “Bias-Free Language Guide” considers the words “mothering” and “fathering” to be problematic, biased language.

According to Campus Reform, the guide suggests replacing “mothering” and “fathering” with words such as “parenting” in order to “avoid gendering a non-gendered activity.”

Originally published in 2013, the guide gained attention recently following Campus Reform’s piece.

In response to widespread backlash, including a tweet from presidential candidate Donald Trump, University of New Hampshire President Mark Huddleston issued a statement distancing the guide from official school policy:

University of New Hampshire has subsequently blocked the page, making the guide inaccessible.

In its efforts to be ‘sensitive’, The Bias-Free Language Guide ignores an important truth: mothering and fathering are in fact distinct and cannot be considered “non-gendered activities”.

Sociology, psychology, and biology all support the fact that the complementary interactions mothers and fathers have with their children make a difference in the child’s development.

For example, the distinctiveness of fathers is shown by the fact that 35 percent of girls in the United States whose fathers left before age 6 became pregnant as teenagers.

By contrast, only 5 percent of girls whose fathers stayed with them throughout childhood became pregnant as teenagers.

Through seeking to eradicate the “exclusive” terms “mothering” and “fathering” in favor of the gender-neutral “parenting,” the University of New Hampshire’s Bias-Free Language Guide disregards the distinct sacrifices and contributions that mothers and fathers make for their children.

That’s offensive.

SOURCE







4 August, 2015

The censorship never stops: A dangerous song

Fitzgerald’s is an Irish pub in Chapel Hill, near the campus of the University of North Carolina, that counts among its attractions cheap burgers, flip-cup tournaments, and jolly music. One night last year, the soundtrack included “Blurred Lines,” the 2013 Robin Thicke hit, in which a night-club Lothario delivers a breathy proposition to a “good girl”:

    I hate these blurred lines
    I know you want it
    I know you want it
    I know you want it

A patron stepped into the d.j. booth to ask that the song be cut short—she later explained that she wanted to “create a safe space,” and that Thicke’s lyrics evoked threats of sexual violence. The d.j. rebuffed her, and in the days that followed she and her allies took to social media to voice their dissatisfaction, suggesting that the pub was promoting “rape culture.” Before long, Fitzgerald’s conceded defeat, apologizing to the patron on Facebook and promising that “Blurred Lines” would not be played there again and that the offending d.j. would never be invited back.

This was a small story, but something about it resonated: an account in the student paper, the Daily Tar Heel, was picked up by an irreverent site called Barstool Sports, which expressed its certainty that the complaining student was a “crazy ass feminist” who hated fun

SOURCE





Original Citizenship Oath now censored

More than two dozen House Republicans have proposed a bill that would prevent the Obama administration from changing the Oath of Allegiance that people take when becoming naturalized U.S. citizens.

The bill from Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., is a reaction to last week's announcement that the Obama administration's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wants to water down the oath. USCIS has said it will not require naturalized citizens to say they will "bear arms on behalf of the United States" or "perform noncombatant service."

The agency said it made the change to accommodate people's religion or conscientious objection. It said officials administering the naturalization oath are free to let people avoid those phrases if they claim to have a "deeply held moral or ethical code."

But the move angered many conservatives, who said the change further weakens U.S. immigration rules by giving people citizenship rights in the United States without some of the corresponding responsibilities to defend the nation. Black said Congress needs to ensure the Obama administration doesn't create a wave of naturalized citizens who don't feel obligated to defend the country they have adopted as their new home.

SOURCE




3 August, 2015

Must not refer to illegals as a "Swarm"

Rights groups have rounded on [British PM] David Cameron, saying his description of migrants in Calais as a “swarm of people” trying to reach Britain was dehumanising.

The prime minister’s words brought into focus the emotive language used by politicians and the media about the migrants in makeshift camps in the French port town.

Cameron told ITV News attempts to enter the UK had increased because “you have got a swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean, seeking a better life, wanting to come to Britain because Britain has got jobs, it’s got a growing economy, it’s an incredible place to live”.

He added: “But we need to protect our borders by working hand in glove with our neighbours, the French, and that is exactly what we are doing.”

A British official later denied Cameron’s words had dehumanised the migrants.

The Refugee Council was first to condemn Cameron’s language.

The charity’s head of advocacy, Dr Lisa Doyle, said: “It’s extremely disappointing to hear the prime minister using such irresponsible, dehumanising language to describe the desperate men, women and children fleeing for their lives across the Mediterranean Sea.

“This sort of rhetoric is extremely inflammatory and comes at a time when the government should be focused on working with its European counterparts to respond calmly and compassionately to this dreadful humanitarian crisis.”

SOURCE



  


"Jungle" another bad word

A senior BBC reporter triggered a furious response today after asking a group of black refugees: 'Are you going back to the Jungle?'

Viewers accused Diplomatic Correspondent Paul Adams of making a racist slur - not realising that the 'Jungle' is the real name of the huge migrant camp just outside Calais.

Mr Adams has spent the past two nights with migrants desperately trying to get to the Channel Tunnel and then on Britain.

After a group were repelled by French police at the fences around the Eurotunnel terminal the journalist asked them: 'Are you going back to the Jungle or will you try again?'

Shocked viewers, many of them watching early this morning on BBC Breakfast appeared to misunderstand the reference.

Ashleigh Lianne ?tweeted: 'Will you be trying again or going back to the jungle' a BBC reporter says to a Black man in Calais.. Wow'

Mark Davies wrote: Did I just hear a reporter on BBC ask a migrant if he was going to go back to the jungle?

SOURCE





2 August, 2015

A University President who REJECTS "correct" speech

A refreshing change

The President of the University of New Hampshire, Mark Huddleston, said in a statement Thursday that the Bias-Free Language Guide the university posted to its website is not the policy of the school. The guide suggested people stop using words like “homosexual,” “Caucasian,” “mothering,” “American,” “overweight,” “dumb” and “illegal immigrant” because their use could be offensive.

“I am troubled by many things in the language guide, especially the suggestion that the use of the term ‘American’ is misplaced or offensive,” Huddleston said. “The only UNH policy on speech is that it is free and unfettered on our campuses. It is ironic that what was probably a well-meaning effort to be ‘sensitive’ proves offensive to many people, myself included.”

George Orwell’s landmark novel on the effects of totalitarianism, “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” asserted that once a word didn’t exist, the idea the word represented could no longer be thought. What Orwell didn’t see is that thought-crime would be instituted through the effort to offend no one. On behalf of all “Americans” who value the freedom of thought and of expression, we hereby declare this language guide to be deeply “dumb.”

SOURCE




Now Instagram bans #goddess hashtag

Instagram has banned the hashtag #goddess because of 'inappropriate' images that 'violate' the company's Community Guidelines.

An Instagram spokesperson confirmed the block, explaining that '#goddess was consistently being used to share content that violates our guidelines around nudity.'

Unhappy users say the ban was unjustified, calling it an 'anti-woman move' alongside the site's banning (then un-banning) of the hashtag #curvy just last week.

Women are calling for Instagram to bring back the #goddess hashtag, posting campaign images on their personal accounts.

Instagram, however, says the move is justified. 'We only block hashtags when they are consistently being used to share images and videos that violate our Community Guidelines,' said the company spokesperson.

SOURCE





This is Tongue-Tied 2



"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"

Posts by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.)

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Is the American national anthem politically incorrect? From the 4th verse:
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."


Mohammad

"HATE SPEECH" is free speech: The U.S. Supreme Court stated the general rule regarding protected speech in Texas v. Johnson (109 S.Ct. at 2544), when it held: "The government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable." Federal courts have consistently followed this. Said Virginia federal district judge Claude Hilton: "The First Amendment does not recognize exceptions for bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance or ideas or matters some may deem trivial, vulgar or profane."


Even some advocacy of violence is protected by the 1st Amendment. In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held unanimously that speech advocating violent illegal actions to bring about social change is protected by the First Amendment "except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."


The double standard: Atheists can put up signs and billboards saying that Christianity is wrong and that is hunky dory. But if a Christian says that homosexuality is wrong, that is attacked as "hate speech"


One for the militant atheists to consider: "...it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg" -- Thomas Jefferson


"I think no subject should be off-limits, and I regard the laws in many Continental countries criminalizing Holocaust denial as philosophically repugnant and practically useless – in that they confirm to Jew-haters that the Jews control everything (otherwise why aren’t we allowed to talk about it?)" -- Mark Steyn


A prophetic comment on Norwegian hate speech laws: As Justice Brandeis once noted, repressive censorship “breeds hate” and “that hate menaces stable government,” rather than promoting safety; “the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies.”


Voltaire's most famous saying was actually a summary of Voltaire's thinking by one of his biographers rather than something Voltaire said himself. Nonetheless it is a wholly admirable sentiment: "I disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I am of a similar mind.


The traditional advice about derogatory speech: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you". Apparently people today are not as emotionally robust as their ancestors were.


The KKK were members of the DEMOCRATIC party. Google "Klanbake" if you doubt it


A phobia is an irrational fear, so the terms "Islamophobic" and "homophobic" embody a claim that the people so described are mentally ill. There is no evidence for either claim. Both terms are simply abuse masquerading as diagnoses and suggest that the person using them is engaged in propaganda rather than in any form of rational or objective discourse.


Leftists often pretend that any mention of race is "racist" -- unless they mention it, of course. But leaving such irrational propaganda aside, which statements really are racist? Can statements of fact about race be "racist"? Such statements are simply either true or false. The most sweeping possible definition of racism is that a racist statement is a statement that includes a negative value judgment of some race. Absent that, a statement is not racist, for all that Leftists might howl that it is. Facts cannot be racist so nor is the simple statement of them racist. Here is a statement that cannot therefore be racist by itself, though it could be false: "Blacks are on average much less intelligent than whites". If it is false and someone utters it, he could simply be mistaken or misinformed.


Categorization is a basic human survival skill so racism as the Left define it (i.e. any awareness of race) is in fact neither right nor wrong. It is simply human


Whatever your definition of racism, however, a statement that simply mentions race is not thereby racist -- though one would think otherwise from American Presidential election campaigns. Is a statement that mentions dogs, "doggist" or a statement that mentions cats, "cattist"?


If any mention of racial differences is racist then all Leftists are racist too -- as "affirmative action" is an explicit reference to racial differences


Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? "You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated." -- Spoken at the White House to a group of black community leaders, August 14th, 1862


Gimlet-eyed Leftist haters sometimes pounce on the word "white" as racist. Will the time come when we have to refer to the White House as the "Full spectrum of light" House?


The spirit of liberty is "the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." and "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it." -- Judge Learned Hand


Mostly, a gaffe is just truth slipping out


Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.


It seems a pity that the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus is now little known. Remember, wrote the Stoic thinker, "that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away."


"Since therefore the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more safely, and with less danger, scout into the regions of sin and falsity than by reading all manner of tractates, and hearing all manner of reason?" -- English poet John Milton (1608-1674) in Areopagitica


Hate speech is verbal communication that induces anger due to the listener's inability to offer an intelligent response


Leftists can try to get you fired from your job over something that you said and that's not an attack on free speech. But if you just criticize something that they say, then that IS an attack on free speech


"Negro" is a forbidden word -- unless a Democrat uses it


"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper


Why are Leftists always talking about hate? Because it fills their own hearts


Leftists don't have principles. How can they when "there is no such thing as right and wrong"? All they have is postures, pretend-principles that can be changed as easily as one changes one's shirt


When you have an argument with a Leftist, you are not really discussing the facts. You are threatening his self esteem. Which is why the normal Leftist response to challenge is mere abuse.


The naive scholar who searches for a consistent Leftist program will not find it. What there is consists only in the negation of the present.


The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) could have been speaking of much that goes on today when he said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."


I despair of the ADL. Jews have enough problems already and yet in the ADL one has a prominent Jewish organization that does its best to make itself offensive to Christians. Their Leftism is more important to them than the welfare of Jewry -- which is the exact opposite of what they ostensibly stand for! Jewish cleverness seems to vanish when politics are involved. Fortunately, Christians are true to their saviour and have loving hearts. Jewish dissatisfaction with the myopia of the ADL is outlined here. Note that Foxy was too grand to reply to it.


Foxy


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