Forget about free speech. There's not even freedom of thought for prospective teachers at the University of Minnesota

We read:

"A branch of the University of Minnesota may require all education students at the school to understand and accept that they are either privileged or oppressed and that they be well-versed in issues like "white privilege," "institutional racism” and the "myth of meritocracy in the United States."

Critics are condemning the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, which proposes making race, class and gender issues the "overarching framework" of all teaching courses.

The task group, formed as part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative at the state university, aims to change how future teachers are trained, based on the assertion that the teachers' lack of "cultural competence" contributes to minority students' poor grades.

But the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) says the Race, Culture, Class and Gender group is going beyond addressing how teachers are educated and is trying instead to mandate their beliefs and values. "Unlike what many schools of education have in terms of cultural competence, this task group really wants to invade the minds of future teachers and demand that they hold the 'right' values attitudes and beliefs about society, about themselves, and about race, class, culture, and gender, to a degree to which it really violates the freedom of conscience of future teachers," Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program, told FoxNews.com.

Kissel wrote a letter last week urging the university to reject the group's proposal on the premise that "as a public university bound by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the university is both legally and morally obligated to uphold this fundamental right."

Source

Australian bank tries to explain supply and demand -- to much criticism

Their "wickedness" was to raise mortgage interest rates by less than one half of one percent

"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has chastised Westpac for sending an email to customers justifying its recent interest rate rise by comparing the bank to a business selling banana smoothies.

In the email, the bank likens itself to businesses selling banana smoothies after storms have decimated banana plantations and forced the price of the fruit to rise dramatically. "In some ways a bank is really just like a company that sells banana smoothies. A bank is a business that buys and sells something ... only in this case that something is money," the company says in a video attachment to the email.

The bank said its decision to increase rates by 45 basis points, well above the 25 point rise delivered by the Reserve Bank last week, was vital to its business. However, Mr Rudd said the company was dealing in matters that affected peoples' lives. "I think Westpac should have a long, hard look at itself," Mr Rudd told ABC Radio in Townsville. "[They are] talking about peoples' most basic things in life - a mortgage, an affordable mortgage, to underpin things as basic as a home."

Source (Video at link)

Must not criticize homosexual marriage promoters in Maine

We read:

"A longtime newspaper reporter says he was unjustly fired after writing a personal e-mail to gay marriage supporters rebuking their tactics.

The Portland Newspaper Guild has filed a grievance on behalf of 58-year-old Larry Grard, who says he was fired Nov. 10 from the Morning Sentinel in Waterville. Grard sent an e-mail to the Human Rights Campaign the day after Maine voters repealed a law that would have allowed gay couples to wed.

Grard said he was offended that the organization claimed gay marriage opponents used hate and said it was supporters who were being hateful. A worker who saw the e-mail complained to the paper.

Grard said his lapse in judgment shouldn't warrant dismissal.

Source

Lapse in judgment to state obvious facts?

So much for the First Amendment if you criticize Obama policy

We read:

"So much for the First Amendment. Morris Davis, the retired Air Force Colonel who served as the Chief Prosecutor of the Military Commissions at Guantanamo from September 2005 until his resignation in October 2007, has just lost his job at the Congressional Research Service (a branch of the Library of Congress) for writing, in his personal capacity, an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, in which he drew on his wealth of experience of the Commissions to criticize the Obama administration for its decision to prosecute some Guantanamo prisoners in federal courts, and others in Military Commissions, and a letter to the Washington Post, in which he criticized former Attorney General Michael Mukasey for scaremongering about the administration’s decision to try Guantanamo prisoners in federal courts.”

Source

Free speech has been hard won

We read:

"December 7, 1941 — Pearl Harbor — has since ‘lived in infamy.’ But December 7 had been infamous in America before. In 1683, Algernon Sydney, one of American colonists’ primary inspirations and sources of insight into political liberty, was executed for treason on that date, after a trial blatantly violating his rights (violations so egregious that Parliament overturned Sydney’s conviction in 1689), for opposing England’s King Charles II as overstepping his powers. The key evidence was nothing more than a private, unpublished manuscript arguing that the king was not above the law, which later was published as Discourses Concerning Government.”

Source

Australia: Growers go bananas over gum ad

We read:

"The chewing gum maker Wrigley's has dug its heels in over an advertisement that portrays the humble banana as a junk food that rots teeth, triggering a threat of a nationwide boycott of its products by farmers.

The body representing 800 Australian banana growers is planning to stage the protest this month after the multinational company refused to remove the banana from a TV commercial promoting Wrigley's gum.

In the ad, a banana appears alongside a doughnut, popcorn and coffee in a rogue's gallery of the food and drinks most likely to lead to a build-up of plaque.

The marketing manager of Australian Bananas, David Chenu, said the ad ''denigrated the health and nutrition benefits'' of bananas, which Wrigley's denies.

Dentists, who are cited in the ad recommending Wrigley's sugar-free gum, have now weighed in to defend the banana.

Source

Are banana growers the latest group that needs to be apologized to? What next?

British government Ministers told: Don't call Islamic extremists Islamic extremists

We read:

"Ministers have been BANNED from using words like Islamist and fundamentalist - in case they offend Muslims. An eight-page Whitehall guide lists words they should not use when talking about terrorism in public and gives politically correct alternatives. They are told not to refer to Muslim extremism as it links Islam to violence. Instead, they are urged to talk about terrorism or violent extremism.

Fundamentalist and Jihadi are also banned because they make an "explicit link" between Muslims and terror. Ministers should say criminals, murderers or thugs instead. Radicalisation must be called brainwashing and talking about moderate or radical Muslims is to be avoided as it "splits the community".

Islamophobia is also out as it is received as "a slur that singles out Muslims".

The guide, produced by the secretive Research, Information and Communications Unit in the Home Office, tell ministers to "avoid implying that specific communities are to blame" for terrorism. It says more than 2,000 people are engaged in terror plots.

The guidance was branded "daft" last night by a special adviser to ex-Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. Paul Richards said: "Unless you can describe what you're up against, you're never going to defeat it. Ministers need to be leading the debate on Islamic extremism and they can't do that if they have one hand tied behind their back."

Source

Must not oppose taxes

Cornell professor writing in NYT says that opposition to taxes is like car stealing and vandalism:

"Anti-tax zealots denounce all taxation as theft, as depriving citizens of their right to spend their hard-earned incomes as they see fit. Yet nowhere does the Constitution grant us the right not to be taxed. Nor does it grant us the right to harm others with impunity. No one is permitted to steal our cars or vandalize our homes. Why should opponents of taxation be allowed to harm us in less direct ways?"

Source

And the guy is supposed to be an expert in ethics! Sounds like he could use some ethics himself. Or is free speech not ethical?

Connecticut School Official Defends Ban on Christmas

We read:

"Happy Winter" just doesn't have the same ring as Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, but in one Connecticut elementary school, that's about all you'll see and hear this holiday season.

Erik Brown, principal of Walsh Elementary School in Waterbury, Conn., has reportedly banned all religious festivities and many decorations from the classroom since arriving at the school five years ago. Brown, who declined comment through a spokeswoman to FoxNews.com on Friday, explained to The Republican-American newspaper that state law mandates that a public school cannot knowingly exclude children.

"This is not a church," Brown told the paper. "It's a school and it's a public school. I have to do things that include every child. So what we do is celebrate winter."

Board of Education member John Theriault told the paper that many of Waterbury's 20 elementary schools display Christmas ornaments and allow Christmas parties. "I felt there was inequity," Theriault said. "If one school has Christmas parties for the kids, then others should too."

Brown told the paper that songs celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa will be sung during Walsh's "Winter Celebration" on Dec. 21, and as in previous years, presents will be given to students.

Source

It would establish a church if his school put up a Christmas tree? He has delusions of grandeur.

Christmas Trees would pollute U.N. Conference‏

We read:

"Participants at Copenhagen's global climate summit will be meeting during the holiday season, but they will not be surrounded by festive Christmas decor, according to Denmark's Foreign Ministry. Since Christmas is a religious holiday, it has no place at a United Nations event, said officials planning the event.

A sponsor providing fir trees for the conference's Christmas trees learned this the hard way when it was turned away by planners of the international event, the Copenhagen Post reported. The trees, commonly used as Christmas trees in Denmark, were originally to be placed outside the Bella Center, where the 11-day conference will be held from Dec. 7 — Dec. 18.

"We have to remember that this is a U.N. conference and, as the center then becomes U.N. territory, there can be no Christmas trees in the decor, because the U.N. wishes to maintain neutrality," said Denmark Foreign Ministry official Svend Olling.

Fir trees otherwise reach the climate-friendly standards of the conference planners. Firs bind carbon dioxide and prevent its release into the atmosphere.

Source

When in Denmark, do as the Danes do? Apparently not.

Must not agree with Glenn Beck

Certain opinions may not be held: In the twisted minds of the Left, it is racist to say that Obama is racist, apparently. No attempt to mount a rational argument about the matter: Just abuse. And if someone does try to look at it analytically ...

"ColorOfChange.org has successfully urged over 80 advertisers to cut ties with Glenn Beck's show after he called President Obama "racist." Murdoch is now backpedaling to keep advertisers from dropping FOX altogether.

Last week, Murdoch said, "if you actually assess what he was talking about, [Beck] was right" to say Obama is racist. When heads turned, Murdoch's spokesman insisted, "He does not at all, for a minute, think the president is a racist."[4]

But the meaning of Murdoch's words was clear. And he hasn't agreed to stop FOX's race-baiting.
FOX's top hosts are using racism to whip up opposition to President Obama:

Source

More details here. Glenn Beck claimed to see racism in some of Obama's decisions and words but you are not allowed to think that nor are others allowed think that, apparently. Obama CANNOT be racist and that is that. And don't you dare think otherwise!

Must not see bad motives in Obama

We read:

"Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman discovered the power of the Internet on Friday when comments he made on Facebook about President Obama generated both heated criticism and hearty support from coast to coast.

By afternoon, Wiseman had deleted his own Facebook account, but two new pages had been put up -- "Support Russell Wiseman" and "Tell Russell Wiseman To Respect Charlie Brown And Our President."

The firestorm started after the national media and bloggers picked up an article in The Commercial Appeal about Wiseman complaining that Obama purposefully scheduled his speech about the war in Afghanistan at the same time as the annual "Peanuts" Christmas television special.

In Wiseman's first Facebook post, he wrote "Ok, so, this is total crap, we sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose. Ask the man if he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he will give you a 10 minute disertation (sic) about it....when the answer should simply be 'yes'...."

In another post to his more than 1,600 Facebook friends, he also attacked the President, his supporters and Muslims, by saying "...you Obama people need to move to a muslim country...oh wait, that's America....pitiful."

Source

The one politician who may not be criticized. You can say that a Christian gentleman like George Bush is a Nazi and people will smile indulgently but say that Obama (who was brought up as a Muslim in his early years) is a Muslim and Leftists start to foam and rage and shriek.

Canada: Boissoin exonerated at last

In the Canadian system, a Court of Queen's Bench is the top court of the Province:

"A Court of Queen's Bench judge has ruled an anti-gay letter written by a former Alberta pastor in 2002 was not a hate crime and is allowed under freedom of speech.

Justice E.C. Wilson overturned a 2008 ruling by the Alberta Human Rights Commission that the letter by Stephen Boissoin that was published in the Red Deer Advocate broke provincial law. At the time, the commission said it may even have played a role in the beating of a gay teenager two weeks after it was published. The commission had ordered Boissoin to refrain from making disparaging remarks about homosexuals and to pay the complainant, former Red Deer high school teacher Darren Lund, $5,000 in damages.

Neither order can now be enforced, as Wilson declared them "unlawful or unconstitutional."

The letter carried the headline "Homosexual agenda wicked" and suggested gays were as immoral as pedophiles, drug dealers and pimps. Boissoin had argued he was simply commenting on government policy by criticizing homosexuality being portrayed positively in the public school curriculum....

The Canadian Constitution Foundation, a free-speech advocacy group, issued a news release saying it was pleased with Thursday's ruling. "Unfortunately, the law that was used against Reverend Boissoin to subject him to a expensive and stressful legal proceedings for more than seven years is still on the books," said executive director John Carpay.

That law, the Alberta Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act, says no one shall publish a statement that is likely "to expose a person or a class of persons to hatred or contempt" because of their sexual orientation.

"In spite of today's court ruling, Albertans need to continue to exercise extreme caution when speaking about public policy issues, lest they offend someone who then files a human rights complaint," said Carpay. "No citizen is safe from being subjected to a taxpayer-funded prosecution for having spoken or written something that a fellow citizen finds offensive."

Source

CA: Must not quote the Bible

What the Mayor said is all in Romans chapter 1 -- and elsewhere:

"Hundreds of people crowded the steps of Vallejo City Hall on Tuesday to protest a published comments by Mayor Osby Davis that gay people would not go to heaven. The protesters waved rainbow flags, held signs demanding the separation of church and state and some called for Davis' resignation.

And then there was a roar. From inside City Hall came the sounds of more than 100 people clapping and cheering, praising God. "Lord, we're not against anybody. We're for our children," prayed New Hope Church Community Senior Pastor Terrence Nichols. "No matter what outside forces may stir up the pot, it is the inside residents who will work together to bring solutions to Vallejo. "Thank you God for the peace of this city."

The city has been anything but peaceful, however, since a New York Times column on Nov. 20 quoted Davis as saying of gay people, "They're committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven. ... But you don't hate the person. You hate the sin that they commit." Davis later apologized for offending anyone, said his remarks were taken out of context, but did not expand on his religious beliefs.

Shortly before the protest began, the New York Times released an audio version of the interview on its web site that expanded on Davis' remarks. In the interview Davis said that as a Christian he disagrees with homosexuality, but "loves" and "prays" for gays to see the "error in their ways."

The protest before Tuesday's City Council meeting, organized by former Vallejo City Council and school board candidate Lou Bordisso, brought out hundreds of the mayor's supporters and detractors....

Jones also called for those who oppose Davis' beliefs to stop with "perfectly understandable" but harmful tactics like threats that have reportedly been levied against the mayor. "All those tactics do is legitimize in the minds of the haters that the people they vilify deserve it," Jones said.

Source

Hate speech against the military from a Leftist babbler

Reaction forces backdown:

"MSNBC's Chris Matthews apologized on Wednesday for saying that President Barack Obama had traveled to an "enemy camp" at West Point to address the nation on the war in Afghanistan.

The pundit had made the remark Tuesday during on-air analysis of Obama's speech, noting that he saw skepticism and little enthusiasm in the faces of cadets and officers at the U.S. military academy, a place where former President Bush made a hawkish speech in 2002 before the Iraq War started. "I didn't see a lot of warmth in the crowd out there," he said. "He went to maybe the enemy camp ... to make his case."

Matthews said on his show Wednesday that he had gotten "some very tough calls" from former cadets and parents of cadets, who told him the audience of military officers and officers-in-training are trained not to show the kind of emotion that he thought was lacking. He said he had no reason to assume that those in Obama's audience were more hawkish on the war than the president.

"I've heard too many politicians say, `Oh, that was taken out of context,' to explain something they wish they hadn't sent," he said. "Let me just say to the cadets and their parents, former cadets and everyone who cares about this country and those who defend it, I used the wrong words and, worse than that, I said something that is just not right and for that I deeply apologize."

Source

Must not fly Old Glory??

We read:

"A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy — his neighbors. Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners' association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face "legal action."

The homeowners' association at Sussex Square community told Barfoot that the freestanding, 21-foot flagpole that he put up in September violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines. Barfoot had sought permission to install the pole shortly after he moved into the community — a complex of townhouses where the grounds are community property — last June. The board denied his request in July.

But Barfoot and his family say there is no provision in Sussex Square's rules that forbids erecting flagpoles. And for Barfoot, that's a cause worth fighting for. "There's never been a day in my life or a place I've lived in my life that you couldn't fly the American flag," Barfoot said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In a statement released last night, the association sought to defend its position against a growing chorus of outrage. "This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," reads the statement from the association..

Source

Italy: Council defies court ruling and displays crucifix

We read:

"The council in the Sicilian city of Catania has defied a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights and endorsed a proposal to display a Christian crucifix from Wednesday. The move is a direct response to a decision by the court which last month ruled that the symbol could not be displayed in public premises, in particular state schools.

"Before being a testimony of faith, the cross is a symbol of civilisation for Europe and the West," said a statement approved and signed by the city's municipal council. The proposal was approved by the council and only one councillor opposed the move.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 3 November that placing the crucifix in classrooms infringed parents' right to educate their children "in conformity with their convictions".

The court ruling has sparked fierce debate in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy where the Vatican earlier this month strongly rejected the ruling, saying it was "wrong and myopic" to exclude a symbol of charity from education.

Source

I prophesied on Nov. 5 that Italians would defy the EU court ruling.

'Allahu Akbar' can be hate speech

We read:

"In his Nov. 25 letter ["Warning constitutes 'hate speech'"], Tom Panarese chastised the editors for publishing a Nov. 20 letter titled "Everyone, take cover at these words." This earlier letter's author stated, "I have instructed my family and friends to take cover when they hear the phrase, 'Allahu Akbar.'"

Mr. Panarese, a journalism educator, accused The Free Lance-Star of irresponsibly printing "hate speech" by publishing the earlier letter.

Sir, wake up. For tens of thousands of innocent people, "Allahu Akbar" have been the last words in the air prior to their violent, sudden, and senseless deaths. That isn't hateful; it is a fact. Recently, 13 of our brave and dedicated soldier-citizens died and dozens more were injured in a hail of gunfire as these words were shouted out by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

While the phrase can be used in peaceful settings, Islamist terrorists have appropriated the words to deliberately strike fear in the hearts of the "infidel non-believers," this according to written directions provided to the 9/11 hijackers.

Through his critique of the FLS and the earlier letter, Mr. Panarese identifies himself as a poster child for passively complicit, misdirected PC behavior. Hopefully none of his journalism students is part of the Fort Hood massacre investigation team.

Source

An amusing post from a man whose surname means "anger" (Zorn)

(In German/Yiddish)



We read:

"Hate speech straight from Bible to bumpers: There’s a new slogan making its way onto car bumpers and across the Internet. It reads simply: “Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8”....

Here's the verse you find when you consult scripture: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office".

And here's the verse that immediately follows: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow" ...

As though Biblical context is irrelevant. As though "let his days be short" is anything other than a prayer for death.

Source

So he accuses Christians of hate speech on the basis of a verse that they did NOT quote. The quote from verse 8 is in no way improper. It is simply asking for Obama's time in office as President to be short. It is verse 9 that talks of death and which our zornig (angry) man is fuming about. But I guess that a zornig man can be expected to fume. He probably says things akin to Psalms 109:9 at times too. He certainly sounds pretty zornig about the bumper sticker concerned.

Whether it is right to pray for someone's death is a theological question that I will not venture to address in any comprehensive way but it surely depends on whose death is concerned. Praying for the death of a tyrant or oppressor (for instance) sounds pretty reasonable to me -- and that seems to be what the scripture is about. Amusing that our angry Leftist seems to think he is an authority on theology, though. I wonder what he thinks of Leviticus 20:13 or Romans 6:23? He should probably leave Biblical exegesis to those who know something about it.

From memory there is something in the Orthodox Haggadah in which Jews call down death on Christians too -- so wishing death on your enemies is probably pretty human. Don't I remember a Leftist movie in which the killing of George Bush was portrayed?

No free speech allowed in free speech tunnel?

Confused thinking from the very "correct" campus at UNC-CH

"Last week, we received several pictures via e-mail of offensive, sexist and hateful attacks on UNC-CH women taken in the Free Expression Tunnel. The content of the photos is too misogynistic to reprint here. The tunnel writings target UNC women, but in the process reveal a disturbing mindset that attacks all women. Here are the thoughts of one individual who wrote to us expressing his concern:

“HUNDREDS of students are being exposed to and getting a message that this is OK behavior. Why would someone write this versus positive things about N.C. State football? Why wouldn’t someone cover it up during the roast and say that’s not acceptable as a Wolfpack family? Why isn’t it repainted over by other students yet? We don’t tolerate racial hatred on this campus but we DO tolerate a lot of sexism. Until we address that and take a stand, we will always be writing letters and having discussion about ‘isolated’ incidents.”

Source

Must not question Obama



We read:

"A controversial billboard in a small Colorado town portrays President Barack Obama as a terrorist and questions his citizenship. "Since Fort Hood, I've had it," owner Phil Wolf (the creator of the billboard) told FOX 31 News on Friday. "You can't suggest things. You can't profile. You gotta call a spade a spade."

Naturally, others disagree: columnist David Sirota, “This conservative hatred of Barack Obama is out of control, and this brings together all those strands of it: the racism, the anti-Muslim fervor. It's one thing to criticize the president on health care, or Wall Street reform, or immigration. But this is outrageous."

Source

Must not sing about a unified Germany

"The song of the Germans" ("Das Lied der Deutschen") was written in 1841 long before Germany became a nation in 1891. It expressed the common wish at that time that the many German Kingdoms and other entities should come together as a single nation. One of the verses of the song is Germany's national anthem to this day. The first verse, however, speaks of "Germany above all" ("Deutschland über alles") and that is politically incorrect these days -- although it originally meant that a single German identity should supersede regional identities. All the verses were part of the national anthem before Hitler so he cannot be blamed for it. Historical awareness is very shallow everywhere these days, however and the guy who sang the song (below) was probably being mocking

"British rocker Pete Doherty was hauled off stage at a weekend music festival in Germany after he began singing the Nazi anthem Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles during his set, reports say.

Revellers at the on3 festival in Munich booed and shouted at Doherty, but he carried on singing until organisers removed him from the stage, Bavaria's TZ newspaper reported.

Doherty's tirade was broadcast live on Bavarian public radio, the festival's organisers said. "We decided to stop Peter Doherty's appearance on stage as quickly as possible,'' organisers Bayerischer Rundfunk said in a statement.

The lines come from the first verse of the Song of Germany and this verse was used as the national anthem under the Nazis. While the verse is not banned in Germany, it has not been sung since World War II because of its close links with Adolf Hitler.

Source

More background on the song here. Since Germany has in fact only recently been reunified, the song would in fact be highly relevant today except for current "sensitivities".

The first verse of the song quite clearly specifies that it about German lands only:

Von der Maas bis an die Memel,
Von der Etsch bis an den Belt

That described the geographical limits of the German lands at the time when the song was written.

"Retard" a bad word

Story from New Zealand:

"I have to say that Paul Henry has reached a new low. Last week, he again made another infamous outburst on Breakfast when he used the 'r' word to describe new music sensation Susan Boyle.

I will not use the full word that Henry uttered due to the fact I find it offensive. As a member of the disability community, I stand in solidarity with my comrades from the learning disability community on this issue. Therefore, I fully support IHC's statement condemning Henry's outburst and asking people to complain to TVNZ, the Human Rights Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Authority over it.

Source

It is certainly a term of abuse and a common one in lots of places these days. So should all terms of abuse be banned? We seem to be heading in that direction. Calling someone a "bastard" is a common term of abuse in Australia but that no doubt could be held as a slur on "ex-nuptial children". And very stern rebukes from feminists can no doubt be expected whenever the traditional American expletive "Son of ..." is used. And I don't mean "son of a gun".

Fla. school district agrees to end ban on fliers for children’s event at church

We read:

"Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have reached a favorable settlement with the Collier County School Board on behalf of a local church barred from participating in a flier distribution program open to other community groups. In June, ADF attorneys filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Cypress Wood Presbyterian Church after school officials rejected its request to include fliers promoting an upcoming Vacation Bible School for children in the flier program.

“Churches shouldn’t be discriminated against for their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. “We commend the district for its quick actions to end the unconstitutional exclusion of religious materials and allow all community groups to participate equally in the flier distribution program. Far from barring schools from including religious fliers in such programs, the First Amendment actually prohibits schools from favoring certain viewpoints over others.”

Cypress Wood Presbyterian Church contacted the district’s Community Request Office to inquire about participating in the flier distribution program, which allows non-profit community groups to send written materials home with students. The church was advised that the district “did not allow religious events to be promoted” but that the church should submit its proposed materials anyway.

After submitting its materials, the church received no response. The assistant superintendent later informed the principal that the fliers would not be distributed. As part of the settlement, however, the school board agreed to revise its policies prohibiting religious organizations from distributing materials through the school flier forum.

Source

Must pronounce "Iran" correctly

Just one viewer not liking your pronunciation can cause big trouble:

"Clippers longtime play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith were suspended one game by the Fox Sports Prime Ticket cable network for their comments about Memphis center Hamed Haddadi. Lawler and Smith made their off-the-cuff comments about the Iranian-born center during Wednesday night's telecast from Memphis. The on-air banter offended a viewer who e-mailed Fox to complain.

The transcript of the conversation between Lawler and Smith, which occurred late in the game, was printed on the Los Angeles Times' Web site:

Smith: "Look who's in."

Lawler: "Hamed Haddadi. Where's he from?"

Smith: "He's the first Iranian to play in the NBA." (Smith pronounced Iranian as "Eye-ranian," a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.)

Lawler: "There aren't any Iranian players in the NBA," repeating Smith's mispronunciation.

Smith: "He's the only one."

Lawler: "He's from Iran?"

Smith: "I guess so."

Lawler: "That Iran?"

Smith: "Yes."

Lawler: "The real Iran?"

Smith: "Yes."

Lawler: "Wow. Haddadi that's H-A-D-D-A-D-I."

Smith: "You're sure it's not Borat's older brother?"

Smith: "If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I'm going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part."

Lawler: "Here's Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball."

Smith: "Especially the post players.

Lawler: "I don't know about their guards."

Source

ACLU gets one right

We read:

"The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed a federal lawsuit today against a state school district, claiming administrators illegally infringed upon their students' right to free speech.

The suit alleges that Alachua County School District officials violated the constitution by suspending high school, middle school and elementary school students for wearing tee shirts which publicized their religious beliefs at school events this year, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The tee shirts which induced the suspensions said "Jesus answered I am the way and the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me'" on the front and "Islam is of the Devil" on the back.

Before filing the lawsuit, the ACLU submitted 27 slogans the students wanted to wear to the school district and asked which would be acceptable to wear to school events. The district did not offer any guidance.

Howard Simon, ACLU of Florida executive director, told the news source, "The message on the t-shirts is an unfortunate expression of religious intolerance, but the School Board's policy of banning any messages that are offensive to others or inappropriate, unfortunately draws the line in a way that unconstitutionally prohibits freedom of speech."

The ACLU has said it does not support the message printed on the tee shirts.

Source

ACLU logic-chopping is too deep for me to follow. But the courts are probably to blame too.

3rd Circus Outlaws Christmas music in NJ schools

We read:

"Singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" might be okay in Maplewood-South Orange schools. But "Silent Night" and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" are still out.

A board of education policy that prohibits celebratory religious music in district schools was upheld today by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The three-judge panel said there was "no constitutional violation" in the policy because other constitutional principles require public schools to remain strictly secular environments.

"Those of us who were educated in the public schools remember holiday celebrations replete with Christmas carols, and possibly even Chanukah songs, to which no objections had been raised. Since then, the governing principles have been examined and defined with more particularity," Judge Dolores Korman Sloviter wrote for the court.

The judges said public school administrations can discern which songs are most appropriate according to those constitutional guidelines because schools already are charged with the responsibility of creating a secular "inclusive environment" for students every day.

Source

Must not call a youth a youth in Britain

We read:

"It is not a word usually associated with causing offence, even when those referred to have broken the law. But 'youth' has been banned from guidelines on the treatment of criminals aged 16 and 17 - because ministers think it is too demeaning. Instead, offenders must be referred to as 'young persons' in the latest code for prosecutors. The newly fashionable phrase is used 101 times in the document.

The change of wording was mocked yesterday by the Tories, who described it as the 'bizarre' invention of a new taboo. Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve added: 'Yet again, ministers have shown that they are more bothered about pandering to political correctness than coming down hard on the crime and antisocial behaviour that blights communities.'

Disapproval of language considered to give the wrong impression has been a hallmark of Labour's years in power. Its Youth Justice Board has tried to prevent 'gang' in case it criminalises youngsters who gather together. It prefers crime committed by such gatherings to be described as 'group-related'.

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I guess that Brits too now mostly realize that "youth" mostly means "black" when used in crime descriptions. Changing the labels will not change the reality of pervasive black crime, however. And word will always get around about that. Despite widespead media coverups, how many Americans don't know that blacks are on average much more dangerous than whites? Even Jesse Jackson knows that.

I wonder when pictures of offenders will be banned? African features looking at you from so many crime reports do add up to a pretty clear story eventually.

Canada: Welcome to Caledonia, where flying the national flag is officially forbidden

But native flags are fine, of course:

"A Caledonia family - Dave Brown, Dana Chatwell and their teenage son Dax - are suing the Ontario government and the OPP for a total of $7-million for effectively abandoning them to the lawlessness surrounding a native occupation of a former development site called Douglas Creek Estates. The family's home is bordered on two sides by the site, part of a simmering Six Nations land claim.

The world of Mr. Brown and Ms. Chatwell, and to a lesser degree that of other Caledonia residents whose homes were also close to the site, was Kafkaesque, a bewildering place where black was white, right was wrong, up was down.

One night, when he asked that the OPP station a car near his house, he implored the dispatcher, "Just don't ignore my calls okay? It's unsafe here, if you ask me. They're shining spotlights all over, all around the perimeter." Police notes duly stated that "Occupiers are in multiple vehicles, shining lights everywhere."

As Christmas of 2006 approached, with Mohawk Warrior flags all over the DCE and on Mr. Brown's street, Caledonia residents had had enough, and decided they would carry or hang a Canadian flag. Mr. Brown decided to fly one in his front yard.

"The Canadian flag was not allowed to be flown," he said. "I'm a very, very proud Canadian. I'm proud of my country. This was my opportunity and my right to believe we still live in this country. "The OPP was not concerned with the Mohawk flags all around my property and on all the telephone poles. They were agitating me.

Mr. Brown's flag was stolen a few days later, and, he told the lawyer, he stood with his uncle, three police cruisers in his driveway, as the "OPP let them [the natives] stand there with my Canadian flag."

Source

Eskimos and red Indians are near-sacred in politically correct Canada. They have in practice FAR more rights than anyone else.

WA: "I’m completely supportive of freedom of expression" -- except when I'm not

A confused young lady writes to her college newspaper:

"I found myself very troubled after walking to the campus bookstore on Monday morning. Outside the doors to the most popular building on campus was a table with two men behind it, calling themselves “de LaRouche.” As I approached the table I saw a poster of Obama with a Hitler mustache on it, and as I walked by one of the men asked me how I liked the poster. I heard them talking about how Obama is going to hell, trying to recruit other students into their clan.

I stood there disgusted and confused as to how these people could actually believe Obama is comparable to Hitler, and how he has imposed a mass genocide on the country as they propose he has. I, along with countless other students, am enraged by this group and the images they are displaying as we make our way to class.

The open visitor policy on campus is not effective when a group presents hateful ideas in an intimidating way to young students. I’m completely supportive of freedom of expression, but the line needs to be drawn between free speech and hate speech. [The lady seems easily intimidated. For her sake, let's hope she never experiences REAL intimidation]

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Italian prosecutors seek jail for Google executives over bullying video

We read:

"GOOGLE executives could be jailed over a video showing a teen with Down's Syndrome being bullied. Italian prosecutors have accused four current and former Google executives of defamation and failure to exercise control over personal data.

Google strongly denounced the case, calling it "a direct attack on a free, open internet."

The case, being heard in a Milan court, stems from a complaint by an Italian advocacy group for people with Down's Syndrome, Vivi Down, and the boy's father. The video shows four male high school students in the Italian city of Turin humiliating the youth. It was filmed from a mobile phone and posted on the site in September 2006, where it remained for two months.

The prosecutors said the need to safeguard fundamental rights took priority over business and that it was not an issue about freedom but responsibility of companies, the sources said. They are seeking jail sentences ranging from six months to a year. The maximum sentence for such charges - complicity in defamation and harm to private life - is three years in prison.

A Google spokesman said the company would defend and support its employees and that Google did what was required under European and Italian law. "This prosecution is akin to prosecuting mail service employees for hate speech letters sent in the post," Google's spokesman said. "Seeking to hold neutral platforms liable for content posted on them is a direct attack on a free, open internet and could spell the end of Web 2.0 in Italy," he said.

Source

Italy does have some oppressive internet laws

Pathetic British Conservative Party leader

We read:

"Two years ago he derided politically-correct Christmas cards which do not mention the word Christmas as 'insulting tosh'. But last night David Cameron was facing a backlash from his own party after it emerged the Conservative official cards have the message 'Season's Greetings'.

The Christmas cards, which are available on the party's website, avoid all religious imagery - preferring generic winter scenes and pictures of robins to pictures of Jesus and the Three Kings. And the word Christmas does not appear on them at all.

Yesterday, Tory back-benchers were furious with indications that their party is becoming so politically correct. Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, said: 'If this decision has been made on a PC basis it would be totally unacceptable and I would be extremely saddened. 'This kind of pandering to extreme elements of the PC brigade is not something I would envisage from the Conservative Party. I have yet to meet anyone of any religion who is offended by people in this country celebrating Christmas.

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Google resists censorship pressure sometimes

We read:

"GOOGLE is running advertisements to explain the appearance of racist and anti-Semitic material in search results, including a picture which depicts US First Lady Michelle Obama as a monkey.

"Sometimes Google search results from the internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries," the US search giant said in an ad signed The Google Team. "We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google," the company said.

The Google ad appears on a page of image search results for Michelle Obama which includes the offensive depiction of the wife of President Barack Obama.

"Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the internet," Google said. "The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, as well as the opinions of the general public, do not determine or impact our search results."

Google said it will remove pages from search results if they violate the company's guidelines but it "views the integrity of our search results as an extremely important priority". "Accordingly, we do not remove a page from our search results simply because its content is unpopular or because we receive complaints concerning it," Google said.

Source

I'm glad they stick to principle sometimes, even if they feel the need to apologize for it. Will they also apologize for including abuse of Christians in their searches?

"Best Buy" wouldn't say "Merry Christmas", but have wished Muslims "Happy Eid Al-Adha"



We read:

"Best Buy stands by its decision to wish U.S. Muslims a Happy Eid Al-Adha, a rep for the company said, and though some Best Buy customers took offense, a Muslim advocacy group praised the move.

The retailer got some flak this week for including, along with its circular advertising Thanksgiving Day sales, a note saying "Happy Eid Al-Adha," which refers to a holiday of sacrifice for followers of Islam on Nov. 27 this year.

After TechCrunch ran an item about the circular, some claimed offense and said they'd take their business elsewhere. "I spent about $3,000 with . . . your store. I will be shopping somewhere else," one consumer wrote on Best Buy's Web forum. "BB has the Muslims covered with the 'Happy Eid,' but what about the rest of us Americans?" wrote another. "Do we get a 'Happy Thanksgiving'?"

Source

I guess they want only Muslim customers. Christians should take the hint and stay away. BB do seem to be worried about that. They now say they are going to recognize Christmas this year.

When you are the Prime Minister of Russia you have a LOT of freedom of speech



We read:

"Vladimir Putin has undiplomatically poked fun at the Georgian leader, Mikheil Saakashvili, saying that it may not be safe to wear a tie around him. Asked at a news conference in Yalta about Saakashvili's visit to Kiev last week, the Russian leader, who is known for his sharp tongue, said that the Georgian leader and Ukraine's fiercely pro-Western president, Vikor Yuschenko, should meet wearing open-necked shirts.

"The two presidents would be better off holding a dinner - if they are to hold it - without ties. Ties are pricey these days....Well, you understand what I mean," he said, eliciting laughter from officials and journalists. "Yuschenko's guest will scarf up his tie."

Putin was alluding to widely circulated video footage of Saakashvili with the tip of his tie ino his mouth, chewing on it as he waited to be interviewed last year. In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Putin, who was in Yalta for talks with the Ukranian prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, said that Yuschenko and Saakashvili would have much to talk about. "The fighters reminisced about past days and battles that they have lost together," he mused.

Source

There is something I rather like about Putin. Being plainspoken may be part of it and he has certainly got a very skeptical eye. He is a very traditional Russian in many ways and frequently attends church. And unlike Obama, he never hesitates to stand up for his country. Russia has got a LOT to apologize for but it is Obama who does the apologizing, not Putin.

The picture above is of Putin and the Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. Even at age 49, Yulia is quite a dish. Do an image search on her and you will see what I mean. She's rich too.

GA: Lawmakers to review “so help me God” police oath

We read:

"City council members in Marietta, Ga., will consider changing the oath of office that the city’s police officers take so that recruits can swear to uphold the law without saying the phrase ’so help me God.’ But a police spokeswoman says that to her knowledge, nobody has ever objected to saying those words, and the city’s mayor promises he’ll veto any change to the oath that removes them.

Det. Gwen Lewis, a police spokeswoman, said no complaints have been received recently regarding the five-sentence oath the Marietta Police Department last adopted in August 2001. To her knowledge, she said, no would-be officer has ever objected to saying ’so help me God’ as part of the oath.” (11/23/09)

Source

Nubian fury at 'monkey' lyric of Arab pop star Haifa Wehbe



Once again we hear that Arabs don't think much of blacks:

"One of the Arab world's biggest pop stars has provoked a torrent of outrage after releasing a song which refers to black Egyptians as monkeys.

Haifa Wehbe, an award-winning Lebanese diva who has been voted one of the world's most beautiful people, is now facing a lawsuit from Egyptian Nubians claiming the song has fuelled discrimination against them and made some Nubian children too afraid to attend school.

The row has cast fresh light on the position within Egyptian society of Nubians, who are descended from one of Africa's most ancient black civilisations and yet often face marginalisation in modern Egypt.

The latest accusations of racism came after the release of her new song, Where is Daddy?, in which a child sings to Wehbe, "Where is my teddy bear and the Nubian monkey?".

Wehbe has since apologised profusely for the offending lyrics, insisting they were penned by an Egyptian songwriter who told her that "Nubian monkey" was an innocent term for a popular children's game. That hasn't stopped a group of Nubian lawyers submitting an official complaint to Egypt's public prosecutor and calling for the song to be banned.

Source

9th Circus does something useful

We read:

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled Friday that a federal district court should have considered whether a Gilbert, Ariz., sign ordinance unconstitutionally discriminates against religious signs among all non-commercial signs. The court sent the case, filed by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund who represent Good News Community Church, back to district court for a decision.

“Churches shouldn’t be discriminated against by a city’s sign ordinances,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman, who argued the case before the 9th Circuit on April 15. “The government cannot require churches to abide by stricter rules than it places on other non-commercial signs. The Constitution prohibits government officials from singling out religious groups for that kind of discrimination.”

In its opinion in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the 9th Circuit wrote that “Gilbert has adopted a sign ordinance that makes one’s head spin to figure out the bounds of its restrictions and exemptions.”

Source

Another British foot-shooter

We read:

"Ben Elton has been forced to apologise for his royal rant on Good News Week which enraged Brits this week. The comedian and writer's opinions on the monarchy, British sporting prowess and more have disgusted the British and led to several newspapers - including the Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Sun - running outraged stories about his comments on the comedy show.

Displaying his vitriolic wit and sarcasm on the comedy show, Elton made a series of comments regarding the UK, calling the Queen "a sad little old lady", Prince Philip a "mad old bigot", joking about sex with Margaret Thatcher and saying Prince Charles was just a "disillusioned ex-hippy".

He said London had scored the 2012 Olympics in order to give Britons some chance at sporting success and because the rest of the world felt sorry for the British when it came to athletic prowess, and launched a royal rant against the Queen calling her "a sad little old lady who lives in state sponsored accommodation". On sex with Thatcher he said: "She sort of annoyed me because she would always want to smoke afterwards and I hated that because that was so dirty".

Source

He obviously does not want most Brits to watch his shows or buy his books -- because many won't after this.

Post a vulgar comment while you’re at work, lose your job

We read:

"A single vulgar word cost a man his job on Friday. It all started with Friday’s edition of Talk of the Day, a regular blog on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s website, STLtoday.com. Talk of the Day is exactly that. A conversation around the water-cooler topic of the day. Friday’s edition is often a little lighter. Last week, it was about the strangest things you’ve ever eaten, loosely pegged on a story about deer meat.

By mid-morning, a number of folks had commented about their experiences with Bird’s Nest Soup, octopus, cow brains and rattlesnake. Then, while I was in our 10 a.m. news meeting, someone posted in reply a single word, a vulgar expression for a part of a woman’s anatomy. It was there only a minute before a colleague deleted it.

A few minutes later, the same guy posted the same single-word comment again. I deleted it, but noticed in the WordPress e-mail alert that his comment had come from an IP address at a local school. So I called the school. They were happy to have me forward the e-mail, though I wasn’t sure what they’d be able to do with the meager information it included.

About six hours later, I heard from the school’s headmaster. The school’s IT director took a shine to the challenge. Long story short: Using the time-frame of the comments, our website location and the IP addresses in the WordPress e-mail, he tracked it back to a specific computer. The headmaster confronted the employee, who resigned on the spot.

Source

Must not express a preference for Anglo names

Even in the British Conservative party

"A former Tory Parliamentary candidate was suspended by the party last night after complaining that people bidding to become an MP did not have ‘normal’ English names. Councillor Peter Hobbins is accused of sending racist emails to colleagues attacking the list of prospective Parliamentary candidates for the Orpington seat in Kent.

Mr Hobbins, who stood unsuccessfully for the Tories at the 2001 election and was shortlisted for the London mayoral race, suggested he should change his name to ‘Petrado’ to succeed in the party. One email said: ‘I have been contacted by a Mr Dilon Gumraj and a Zerha Zaidi and others who are all on the approved Conservative Parliamentary Candidates list. ‘Not one of them has a ‘normal’ English name.

‘Why are the Candidates Department so keen on these foreign names?!!!! Maybe I should change my name to something foreign – how does Petrado Indiano Hobbinso sound to you?!’

Mr Hobbins also said he was fed up with reading about ‘Africa’ on the CVs of would-be candidates.

A Tory spokesman said: ‘Councillor Hobbins has been immediately suspended from the Conservative Party and from the Conservative Group on Bromley council and he will play no part in the selection of the Parliamentary candidate. There is no room for racism in the Conservative Party.’

Source

The man was actually making a serious point. It is arguably true that Anglo voters are more likely to vote for candidates with Anglo names. Any political party in England that puts up a candidate with an obviously foreign name may well be doing a bit of foot-shooting.

Even Hispanics and Filipinos aren't supposed to use the word "negro"?

We read:

"A civil rights group has chided Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of famed Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, for using the word "Negro" in a public statement. The Color People Advancement Community (CPAC), a small Las Vegas-based ethnic rights group, was reacting to statements made by Mrs. Pacquiao after her son's match against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Arena on November 14.

Pacquiao, along with his entourage, had proceeded to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino a few blocks away for a post-fight party and mini-concert. There, Mrs. Pacquiao gave interviews and described her alarm at watching her son fight it out with Cotto for 12 rounds.

Mrs. Pacquiao also thanked all her son's supporters. "Nagpapasalamat ako hindi lang sa mga Pilipino. At pati na rin sa mga Amerikano at mga Negro. (I thank not only the Filipinos, I also thank Americans and Negroes)," she said.

According to reports from the Bandera tabloid and boxing website Philboxing.com, the CPAC in Las Vegas issued a statement asking Mrs. Pacquiao to refrain from using politically incorrect words in public "so as not to inflame emotional outrage" from groups in the United States.

Source

"Negro" was once the proper scientific term for the race concerned but these days the more ponderous geographical term "Sub-Saharan African" is used in scientific writing. That's a bit stupid, though, as there are about 4 million "Sub-Saharan Africans" who are white, mostly in South Africa.

Tribe battles to keep logo for the Fighting Sioux

We read:

"The most prominent defenders of the University of North Dakota's right to call its teams the Fighting Sioux are neither alumni nor hockey fans. They're Sioux.

A group of Spirit Lake Sioux won a temporary restraining order last week to stop the North Dakota University System from retiring the nickname and logo, one of the last in the country associated with an American Indian tribe. A hearing for a preliminary injunction is slated for Dec. 9 in Ramsey County District Court in Devils Lake, N.D.

Most such university team names have been abandoned in the face of criticism that they were offensive or derogatory, but that view isn't the only one in Indian country. Some tribal members take pride in their association with the Fighting Sioux and worry that eliminating the moniker "will cause isolation and a diminishing of public interest, knowledge and respect for Sioux history," according to the complaint. "There are more members of the Sioux tribe that support this than oppose it," said Frank Blackcloud, a Spirit Lake Sioux and member of the tribe's Committee for Understanding and Respect, which brought the complaint.

The committee's decision to weigh in on the Fighting Sioux nickname is the latest - and most ironic - twist in a decades-old debate over the university's nickname and logo. While Spirit Lake Sioux members are fighting to save the name, they're meeting resistance from largely nonnative groups like the faculty Senate, the College Anti-Racism Team and even the state Board of Higher Education.

Source

This is one indication that the assault on Indian team names comes primarily from Leftists rather than Indians.

TN: ACLU attacks Christian practices in schools

"Prohibiting the free exercise" of religion?

"A lawsuit has been filed against the Cheatham County School Board alleging that school officials have promoted their own religious beliefs and allowed and encouraged public prayers at school events.

Civil rights attorney George Barrett and the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in federal court today on behalf of four students, listed under aliases. Two were students who graduated last year from Sycamore High School, one is a current student at Sycamore High School and another attends Cheatham Middle School.

The suit seeks an injunction against the schools to prevent them from continuing the activities mentioned in the suit, and nominal damages for the two students who have graduated.”

Among the allegations are that a planned prayer took place at graduation; that the Gideons International were allowed to speak to classes and distribute Bibles; that a cross hangs in a classroom; and that a history teacher taught that the United States is a “Christian nation” and decried the separation of church and state....

Attorney Allen Woods of Woods & Woods, which represents the school board, said they hadn’t yet examined all the allegations contained in the lawsuit but that there is no policy of religious behavior being tolerated or persecuted.

“We believe that all of Cheatham County’s policies are in accordance with the recommendations of the Tennessee School Board Association, and the court will find it legal and valid,” said. “The schools in question and all Cheatham County schools neither endorse any specific religion nor interfere with the religion of its students. That’s what the Constitution requires.”

Source

Terms "Mental Retardation" and "Mentally Disabled" now wrong

We read:

"U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski today introduced Rosa’s Law, a bill that will eliminate the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from the federal law books. U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill.

Under Rosa’s Law, those terms would be replaced with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” in federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

Rosa’s Law replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senator Mikulski first heard about the state law from Rosa’s mother during a roundtable discussion about special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student who receives special education services at public schools has an individualized education program (IEP) that describes the student’s disability and the special education and services that child will receive. Rosa has an intellectual disability – Downs Syndrome – and so was designated as a student with “mental retardation” in her IEP, giving way to people at the school referring to Rosa as retarded. Senator Mikulski promised Rosa’s mother that if the bill became law in Maryland, she would take it to the floor of the United States Senate.

Source

Leftists have a long history of belief in verbal magic. They believe that by changing the name for a thing you somehow alter the underlying reality and people's attitude towards it.