Thursday, June 30, 2016
Hate speech in the wake of Brexit
The report below is from the "Guardian", Britain's major Leftist paper. So in the best Leftist style, it leaves out half the story. The other half is that there has been a huge outpouring of hate towards those who voted to "Leave" -- coming from those who voted "Remain". The remainers are furious that they are now remainders. One account of that here. The truth of the matter is that a climate of political correctness is being challenged -- with some people feeling free to say what was previously forbidden and those who favour political correctness being furious at its breakdown
David Cameron has condemned “despicable” xenophobic abuse after the EU referendum as figures suggested a 57% increase in reported incidents.
The country would not stand for hate crime, the prime minister told MPs. “In the past few days we have seen despicable graffiti daubed on a Polish community centre, we’ve seen verbal abuse hurled against individuals because they are members of ethnic minorities,” Cameron said.
“Let’s remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country. We will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks, they must be stamped out.”
Police believe there has been an increase in hate crimes and community tensions since last week’s referendum. Initial figures show an increase of 57% in reported incidents between Thursday and Sunday compared with the same days four weeks earlier, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said – 85 incidents were reported compared with 54 during the earlier period.
Cameron’s condemnation came amid a growing chorus of concern over intolerance and hostility. The mayor of London and the UK’s biggest Muslim organisation spoke out against a spike in racist abuse in the aftermath of the referendum.
The Polish embassy in the UK said it was shocked at incidents of xenophobic abuse directed at members of its community in the past few days, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was alarmed by reports of harassment and abuse.
SOURCE
Award-winning advertisement accused of sexism and promoting rape culture
A PROMINENT agency has been forced to withdraw an award-winning advertisement accused of promoting rape culture and sexism.
The Brazilian arm of the global creative agency AlmapBBDO won a Bronze Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the following advertisement:
Its purpose is a bit confusing. Given the association between aspirin and a hangover, the assumption seems to be that “Babe” is intoxicated and doing something they’ll regret the next day (hence the need for aspirin), and the narrator is their... mate? Partner? Random shag?
The ‘.mov’ suffix, which signifies a movie file on a computer, implies a video file has or is going to be made.
Feminist critics slammed the ad, saying it was “selling rape culture” by implicitly filming someone without their consent.
Among its critics were Cindy Gallop, the well-known English advertising consultant who founded the companies IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn.
The reaction on social media prompted the brand owner Bayer to pull it from circulation.
AlmapBBDO has since withdrawn all its Bayer work from the festival at the request of the agency’s global creative chief David Lubars.
Social media users were divided on whether the ad was offensive or not. Many on Twitter were quick to slam it as an example of sexist attitudes being used for commercial entertainment:
SOURCE
It's a pretty dumb advertisement, however you look at it. I guess it's supposed to be "edgy".
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
The Problem with Hate Speech
My friend Kathy Shaidle has recently posted a no-holds-barred article on the disaster of “hate speech” legislation, focussing on a proposed Liberal bill to punish “anti-transgender speech” by up to two years in prison. She reminds us that such totalitarian interventions into a presumably democratic society are by no means unique to Canada. As she writes, “bear in mind that New York state, for one, already has similar laws on the books, and they carry fines of up to $250,000. And [an] Oregon 'transmasculine' teacher got $60,000 because her colleagues wouldn’t refer to ‘it’ as ‘they.’”
The notion of “hate speech” has begun to infect an entire culture quivering under the aegis of political correctness, with the result that multitudes of subjects are increasingly off limits. But are there not things in this world that are truly hate-worthy? Should we not hate a racially supremacist ideology like Nazism or a totalitarian philosophy like Communism? Should we not hate individuals like Hitler or Haj Amin al-Husseini or Stalin or Pol Pot or Mao or Che Guevara or any mass murderer who comes to mind? Should we not hate tyrants who subjugate entire populations? Should we rather pity or love or labor to make excuses for those who blow up buildings and massacre thousands of ordinary citizens going about their daily lives? Are such movements and people not genuinely hateful? And is there not, as the Preacher exhorts, “A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak?”
When we observe pervasive cultural trends which are based on demonstrable falsehoods, like the global warming boondoggle or the feminist distortion of sound tradition and common sense or the epidemic of dodgy rape claims in a gynolatric culture or the Middle East Studies flagrant revisions of the historical archive or the politicization of the educational system as occurred in the Germany of the 1930s, is this not “a time to speak”?
If we are dismayed by the concerted attack on biological reality that leads to grotesque bodily mutilations and social policies that favor violations of the natural order while stigmatizing the skeptical and, as Robert Reilly cogently argues, promoting “the substitution of pure will as the means for unshackling us from what we are as given,” should we not be permitted to voice our outrage or express our beliefs, however unseasonable? If we object to the “slaughter of the innocents,” aka pro-choice abortion, which has given us the atrocities of Planned Parenthood’s craniotomies-for-profit, why should a free society not allow for debate and discussion?
Why should morally responsible convictions be tarred as “hate speech” and become socially rebarbative or even prohibited by law? It is the very essence of what we are as human beings that will have been rendered offensive or repugnant—a shrivelling of the self that is the signet of despotic societies everywhere. Indeed, where does “hate” enter into the equation? Or if we insist that it does, why should those on the side of repression not be equally accused of “hate speech” or, for that matter, outright hatred against those whom they would ostracize or imprison?
The term “hate speech” is like a kind of verbal spandex taken off the rack that can stretch to fit any intended wearer. If I should make a joke of the inherently preposterous identity category of transgenderism and refer to it as “transJennerism,” would I be liable to prosecution under Canada’s tendered Bill C-16? It’s not beyond the realm of possibility. “Hate speech” has come to mean anything one wants it to mean, just as “sexual assault” in the repuritanized West may encompass nothing more than a flirtatious look or compliment. The notion of “hate speech” is a convenient, multi-purpose strategy for silencing opposition to the shibboleths of our current political and cultural mandarins, subjecting us to what French philosopher Gilles Deleuze dubbed the “microfascism of the avant-garde.” In the last analysis, it is the broad and malleable concept of “hate speech” itself, which has developed into a license to abuse, that is hateful
SOURCE
Disney under fire for making Polynesian god FAT in new children's film because it 'stereotypes' Pacific Islanders
But adult Polynesians ARE conspicuously fat
Disney have come under fire for making a Polynesian god appear 'stereotypically' obese in an upcoming children's film.
Pacific Islanders have expressed their disappointment in the portrayal of the heroic Polynesian demi-god Maui in the animated Disney film Moana which is set to be released in December.
A Samoan rugby union player said the burly figure looks 'half pig, half hippo', while New Zealand Labour MP Jenny Salesa slammed Disney for perpetuating 'unacceptable' stereotypes about people from the Pacific Islands being overweight.
SOURCE
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
The Left Endangers the Rest of Us When It Uses Terms Like ‘Haters’ and ‘Bigots’
In August 2012, a gunman entered the office building in downtown Washington, D.C., that houses the Family Research Council (FRC), a Christian organization dedicated to traditional moral teaching. By his own account, available on video, he was alerted by secular progressive “watchdog” groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, that painted the FRC as a “hate group.”
The shooter explained that this made him intend to kill as many of its members as he could, as he later told the FBI. In the event, he fired at and hit a security guard, who disarmed him before his dream of mass murder could be fulfilled.
As was noted at the trial, where the gunman was given a twenty-five-year sentence, without that guard’s quick action, in all likelihood the result would have been a bloodbath.
Moreover, the would-be killer intended to move on to attack another Christian group, the Traditional Values Coalition, that had been similarly designated by progressive watchdogs for “hating.”
Yet social media and other denigrations of religious believers as “haters” and “bigots” and the rest by so-called watchdog groups roll on—exactly as if words mean nothing.
SOURCE
Monday, June 27, 2016
Must not be happy when an innocent person is cleared
The Baltimore police union is facing criticism after sending two tweets that appeared to celebrate a police officer's acquittal of charges in the death of Freddie Gray.
One of the tweets that was posted to the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police's Twitter account showed a meme of actor Leonardo DiCaprio toasting with a glass of champagne from the popular film The Great Gatsby.
'Here's to the Baltimore 6 defense team, the FOP and Detective Taylor,' the text in the meme read.
The police union posted another meme on Saturday morning with a photo of Baltimore's State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby with a caption that read, 'The Wolf That Lurks.'
The two tweets were posted after Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. was cleared of all charges in Gray's death earlier this week.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and City Council President Bernard C. Young were just two of many people who condemned the tweets.
SOURCE
Must not mention that a lot of rapes are being committed by "refugees" in Europe
A formal complaint has been made against a councillor after he repeatedly referred to refugees as 'rapefugees' and sparked a council meeting walkout.
The comment was made by Pontypool Independent councillor Mike Harris who wrote 'Rapefugees or BREXIT?' when he posted a newspaper article in the Torfaen Matters group on Facebook.
Following the comments Labour AM for Torfaen, Lynne Neagle, has made a formal complaint.
Yesterday at a Safer Communities committee meeting at Torfaen County Borough Council committee members walked out over concerns about Cllr Harris' suitability.
He said he believes there are 'genuine refugees' but that he supports what UKIP leader Nigel Farage says.
The comment he made on social media sparked outrage with users who hit back at the councillor saying it was a 'horrible word' and one said 'you can't seriously call all refugees rapists'.
Now Ms Neagle has filed a formal complaint. She said: 'Mike Harris' use of the term 'rapefugees' to describe people fleeing persecution is completely unacceptable.
'This inflammatory and discriminatory language is even more disturbing given that he has the responsibility of chairing the Safer Communities Committee in Torfaen - a position he has now brought into disrepute.
SOURCE
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Must not tell an 11-year-old girl 'you scrub up well'
A lollipop man [pedestrian crossing supervisor] made what he considered to be a 'complimentary' remark to a young girl as she crossed the road - but it led to him being suspended by the local council.
Hundreds of outraged parents have now launched a campaign to reinstate popular Colin Thompson, 71.
Mr Thompson made the remark to the youngster and her mother at his crossing in Bridlington, Yorkshire - but another parent walking behind the pair overheard him and lodged a complaint about his 'inappropriate' comment, leading to him being suspension.
Grandfather Colin, who has been the lollipop man at Burlington Junior and Burlington Infant schools for four years, now faces a council investigation.
More than 300 people are backing the 'Bring Back Colin the Lollipop Man' petition which was launched by mother-of-three Mary Green.
Ms Green, 47, said: 'The woman and her child didn't complain, it was someone else. If they had done, fair enough. It's just getting ridiculous.
'Freedom of speech and everything has been taken away from you - you can't compliment anyone now.'
SOURCE
Australian anti-immigration politician backs a controversial joke
As I mentioned on 24th, there has been a long-running controversy in Australia about an obvious joke told by a football commentator which hysterics have said encourages violence against women. A female politician has now put it into a good perspective
Under-fire Collingwood boss Eddie McGuire has found the support of one prominent woman for his joke about drowning AFL journalist Caroline Wilson.
Pauline Hanson says it was obvious McGuire was joking, and she's had similar thoughts herself. "Some of these journalists, I'd drown half of them," she told the Seven Network on Monday.
Hanson, who is standing again for the Senate, said she had been subjected to many similar comments over the years and people needed to toughen up. She said the McGuire incident had been blown completely out of proportion.
McGuire, North Melbourne chairman James Brayshaw and All Australian selector Danny Frawley are at the centre of a controversy after suggesting Wilson should be the only participant in next year's charity ice slide at the AFL's Freeze MND charity match.
SOURCE
Friday, June 24, 2016
Black hoaxer goes to jail
A Kean University graduate was sentenced to 90 days in jail, followed by five years probation and an agreement to repay more than $80,000 in damages caused by her fake tweets threatening to kill black students.
Kayla McKelvey, an African-American activist who claims she sent the fake tweets to "shine a light on an issue that is important to me," received the sentence after admitting she left a campus protest last November to create the fake Twitter account and send the messages. She then returned to the protest and told everyone about the alleged threats.
She pleaded guilty to a charge of creating a false public alarm, and will have to repay $82,328 to law enforcement for the investigation of the tweets, which caused a panic on campus. More than half of Kean students missed two or three days of classes due to fears that they would be targeted for violence.
SOURCE
Australia: Jocular comments about shutting up a talkative female journalist provoke anger
Football club president Eddie McGuire made the comments on radio station Triple M last Monday, during the ‘Big Freeze at the G,’ where celebrities slid into ice water to raise money for research into motor neurone disease
McGuire landed in hot water after saying he would pay $50,000 to see Caroline Wilson stay under a pool of iced water and charge an extra $10,000 for "everyone to stand around the outside and bomb her".
The comments came just days before McGuire welcomed a new AFL women's team into the Collingwood fold, and the furore arrived during the White Ribbon AFL round, which is aimed at prevention of violence against women.
Frawley, also an ex-Richmond coach, chimed in by saying Wilson should be held under the freezing water, adding: "I'll actually jump in and make sure she doesn't [come up] ... I'll hold her under, Ed."
The segment was part of Triple M's coverage of the Big Freeze at the MCG on the Queen's Birthday public holiday, which raised more than $2 million for motor neurone disease research and awareness.
Triple M had crossed to McGuire as he prepared to enter the pool of iced water when he went on a diatribe about Wilson.
"In fact, I reckon we should start the campaign for a one-person slide next year - Caroline Wilson," McGuire said.
"And I'll put in 10 grand straight away, make it 20. And if she stays under, 50. What do you reckon guys?"
North Melbourne president and media personality James Brayshaw also agreed to McGuire's plan.
Brayshaw suggested the crowd would also contribute to the fundraiser. "If you ran that auction from down there, I reckon you'd start grabbing some bids out of the seats too. There'd be money piling in everywhere," he said. Frawley added: "I'll be in amongst it, Ed."
To which McGuire replied: "I reckon we could charge 10 thousand for everyone to stand around the outside and bomb her."
In a media release, Mr McLachlan said he contacted McGuire, Brayshaw and Frawley on Sunday.
"The AFL expressed the strong view ... that although seeking to be light-hearted, the language and tenor of the wording could be seen to be supporting violent attitudes or actions against women, and was therefore clearly not appropriate," he said.
SOURCE
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Must not say that British-born people are most likely to know what's best for Britain
Infighting has broken out in the Remain campaign after pro-EU Apprentice boss Lord Sugar said a Brexit campaigner should not 'tell us British what we should do' because she is from Germany.
He was attacking Labour MP Gisela Stuart, who is from Bavaria and moved to Britain in 1974 and was representing the Brexit camp in the last major TV debate before Thursday's referendum.
James McGrory, the spokesman for the official Britain Stronger In Europe campaign, said his remarks were 'utterly unacceptable'.
It was an extraordinary outbreak of infighting within the Remain campaign just hours before polls open in Britain's first referendum on EU membership in 41 years.
Ms Stuart, now a British citizen, was representing the Leave campaign alongside Boris Johnson and Tory minister Andrea Leadsom in front of 6,000 people at a high-stakes debate Wembley Arena.
Businessman and Remain backer Lord Sugar took exception at her appearance in the debate, tweeting: 'I find it strange that Gisela Gschaider a 1974 immigrant from Germany is on the Brexit panel telling us British what we should do.'
He added: 'She immigrated to UK from Germany in 1974. 30 mins ago was advocating that we stop immigration from the EU.'
And after one of his Twitter followers branded him a 'racist', Lord Sugar replied: 'You ignorant fool. How can my comment be classified as racist. Crawl back under your rock'.
[Lord Sugar is Jewish]
SOURCE
The perils of being honest about black crime
In March, a white award-winning broadcast news anchor in Pittsburgh posted on her professional Facebook page what she claimed was a heartfelt call to action on the perceived black-on-black crime epidemic in the United States, particularly in the city she’d covered for almost 20 years.
The post came two weeks after she covered a mass shooting at a backyard barbecue that left four people injured and six dead, including a pregnant woman, in Wilkinsburg, a majority black borough. The district attorney called the heinous crime calculated, planned and one of the “most brutal” he had seen in his 18-year tenure.
Police did not immediately release names or descriptions of the suspects. When WTAE-TV anchor Wendy Bell took to Facebook, there had been no arrests.
Yet the veteran journalist drew her own conclusions about the perpetrators anyway, comments that were decried as racist and demeaning — and that eventually cost her her job.
“You needn’t be a criminal profiler to draw a mental sketch of the killers who broke so many hearts two weeks ago Wednesday,” Bell wrote on Facebook, words that were later deleted. “… They are young black men, likely in their teens or in their early 20s. They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system before. They’ve grown up there. They know the police. They’ve been arrested.”
Almost immediately, critics called her words racist and accused Bell of having a white savior complex. Two days later, the anchor removed the Facebook post and apologized. Seven days after that, on the same day as a meeting between the station management and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, the TV station fired her.
SOURCE
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Nigel Farage dismisses fury over his pro-Brexit immigration poster
Nigel Farage today insisted there would not have been such a 'row' over Ukip's controversial pro-Brexit immigration poster if Jo Cox had not been brutally killed.
The Ukip leader complained he was the 'victim' of hatred and insisted the party would be putting out more material focusing on the key issue of control over our borders.
The defence came as politicians from all sides in the EU referendum battle lined up to slam the 'racist' poster.
Mr Farage unveiled the image - which featured the headline 'Breaking Point' over a photograph of refugees walking into Europe through Slovenia - on Thursday just hours before Labour MP Jo Cox was shot dead and the referendum battle was suspended.
Mr Farage today rejected the charge of stoking up hatred, telling ITV interviewer Robert Peston: 'I think I have been a politician who has been a victim of it, to be honest with you.
'When you challenge the establishment in this country, they come after you, they call you all sorts of things. We saw the Chancellor a few minutes ago - despite the fact that overnight he talked about turning down the rhetoric - doing the same thing again.'
Mr Farage said: 'That poster reflects the truth of what's going on. We have a new poster coming out tomorrow morning and we'll unveil a new poster for every day.'
SOURCE
Don't calls girls 'girls' or 'young women' in case it offends pupils questioning their gender identity, schools are told
Teachers at Britain's leading girls' schools have been told not to call pupils 'girls' or 'young women' in case it offends any questioning their gender identity.
Head teachers belonging to the Girls' Schools Association were instructed to use gender-neutral words like 'pupils' or 'students' to avoid discrimination.
The advice issued last week also banned the phrase 'young ladies' and recommended the creation of unisex lavatories.
Caroline Jordan, President of the GSA and headmistress of £33,000-a-year Headington School in Oxfordshire, backed the advice saying it affects an increasing number of young people questioning their identity.
'In assemblies, instead of saying "Girls, go to lessons," staff should consider saying "Pupils, go to lessons," or "Students, go to lessons,"' she told the Sunday Times.
'I do not want anyone to think that girls' or boys' schools are invested in one way of being a girl or one way of being a boy.
'My view is that where you can use gender-neutral language about people that is a good thing,' she added.
The advice was given to the GSA by Gendered Intelligence whose chairman, Jay Stewart, branded the phrase 'young ladies' sexist and 'transphobic'.
Parents criticised the move claiming children should be allowed to 'enjoy their innocence'.
SOURCE
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
When an opinion is a "vile, hate-filled outburst"
The leader of a US neo-Nazi group ‘supported’ by Jo Cox’s accused killer last night launched a sickening attack on the murdered MP saying: ‘She put a target on her back.’
In a vile, hate-filled outburst Will Williams said he felt ‘no guilt’ about the killing.
Williams, 69, is the leader of the white-supremacist National Alliance, from which Thomas Mair bought £430 worth of books in 1999 and 2003, including texts on how to build homemade guns and explosives.
Williams said: ‘I hear that she loves the idea of bringing a bunch of Muslim refugees from Syria or wherever. ‘You can see how people would be opposed to that. So she put a target on her back. He [Mair] is the effect. ‘The cause is clear to him and he’s reacting. That’s how I look at it.’
SOURCE
Must not stress individual responsibility
Doctors do sometimes get frustrated by the avoidable injuries they have to deal with
A hospital has apologised to the grieving family of a dead motorcyclist after a junior doctor criticised him on Facebook for not wearing a helmet.
The grieving family and friends of Darren Neate, 32, a married father of two, claim the insensitive post has left them even more traumatised after his fatal accident in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on June 8.
After his death, Doncaster Royal Infirmary doctor Ellie Pierce, who had treated Mr Neate, posted on Facebook, questioning whether he thought a safety helmet was a 'fashion choice'.
In a post later seen by the family, Dr Pierce described Mr Neate's injuries as 'gory'.
'The thing going on in my mind at this moment? Not was there something that I could have done, because there wasn't,' she wrote in the Facebook post.
'But why the bl**dy hell wasn't he wearing a crash helmet? It's not a fashion statement, it's because they save lives! This person learned the hard way.'
She ended the post, which didn't mention Darren by name, urging motorcyclists to wear a crash helmet. The post was later deleted.
SOURCE
Monday, June 20, 2016
Homeland Security pushes to ban the words 'sharia' and 'jihad' in new program to steer millennials away from ISIS
The Department of Homeland Security thinks censorship will help stop American millennials from becoming drawn to groups like ISIS. DHS' Advisory Council has released a report, suggesting that we stop making the fight against radical Islam an 'us versus them' fight.
In order to do this, the department says it should 'reject religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning by using plain meaning American English'.
The Department of Homeland Security has suggested doing away with words like 'jihad' and 'sharia' to help curb American millennials from becoming radicalized.
That means doing away with Islamic terms like 'jihad' - which means holy war- and 'sharia law,' which are rules that govern ways of life in Muslim governments.
The department also says we should stop using the term 'Muslim Americans' and 'the Muslim world', and replace them with 'American Muslims' and 'Muslim communities'.
Homeland Security is leading an effort to address young Americans becoming radicalized online by groups such as ISIS and the al-Nusra Front.
The department is asking that $100million be used to fund the effort, which will go towards paying experts and creating social media programs and technology to steer millennials away from terrorist recruiters.
SOURCE
Good to see Leftists becoming more civilised, less nasty, less hyperbolic, more reasoned, more respectful
"The freedom Britain needs is freedom from a nasty Brexit Lie Machine run by tax dodgers and multi-millionaire liars fuelling anger and hate"
SOURCE
The writer of that piece of boiling hate was Alastair Campbell, a big wheel in the British Labour party. The issue he was addressing was Brexit, the vote for Britain to leave the EU being held shortly. The establishment, including the Labour party, are mostly in favour of Britain remaining in the EU but the Brexiteers seem to have the numbers at the moment.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Pictures of bottoms are very risky
Olympian Louis Smith has been accused of 'casual sexualisation of women' after he posted a zoomed-in photograph of a 16-year-old girl gymnast's leotard-clad bottom on his Instagram.
Former Strictly Come Dancing champion Smith, 27, had shared the picture of American gymnast Carly Patterson while the then-teenager was competing at the Athen's games in 2004.
He captioned the snap, featuring Patterson in her red leotard: 'My sport has its moments', according to The Sun, but sparked the anger of fans who slammed him for sexualising the athlete, now 28.
The picture was later removed from the site by moderators, although screengrabs of the shot were posted on Twitter by other users.
SOURCE
Twitter Bans Top Conservative For Telling the Truth About Islam and the Left
Milo Yiannopoulos has been suspended from Twitter.
The controversial conservative flame-thrower was booted off the social networking site Wednesday for reasons that have yet to be determined, though Milo has been under fierce attack from Muslims for his criticism of the left for “choosing Islam over gays.”
Milo told Heat Street on Tuesday: “I saw the shootings happen and realized this has been something I’ve been speaking about for a very long time and although I’m constitutionally opposed to saying, ‘I told you so,’ this did strike me as an illustration of something I’ve been warning against for quite some time.”
SOURCE
Friday, June 17, 2016
Incorrect cakes??
A cake maker has been attacked by animal rights activists after posting photos online of her stunningly realistic creations of animals being cut with a knife.
Hannah Edwards, who has a six-month waiting list, uploaded images of cats, dogs, penguins and other creatures onto Facebook which received dozens of ‘likes’.
But extremists objected to shots where customers did what they’re supposed to do with a delicious cake – and chopped it up.
One commented under an image of a husky dog: ‘Disgusting idea. Maybe do a sweet baby child, then see if you get any likes for that.’
Miss Edwards, 33, said: ‘I was getting a huge number of enquiries after I made a husky cake and someone had a go at me saying it was cruel to do as it was encouraging violence to animals.
‘I have had other stuff where there have been pictures of cut cakes and they have been reported to Facebook for encouraging animal cruelty.
‘You have to cut it as it is a cake. I just think when they get realistic it weirds people out.’
Facebook has not removed any of the images that provoked complaints.
SOURCE
Australian rural conservative refuses to apologize for jokey video
Bob Katter has suggested he was unaware of last weekend’s massacre in Orlando when he put out a campaign video that included a mock shooting because he doesn’t watch TV or read newspapers.
The maverick independent Queensland MP hit back at the “politically correct brigade”, including Sunrise host David Koch, for describing the satirical advertisement as tasteless and crossing the line.
In the video two men, one wearing an LNP shirt, the other an ALP one, nail a sign into the ground reading “Australia For Sale”.
Katter, a bitter opponent of foreign investment in agricultural industries, takes the sign down and inserts NOT into the slogan.
The scene cuts to Katter blowing smoke from his pistol and grinning sourly; a wider shot showing the prone bodies of the two men he has apparently killed.
The footage, produced by satirical newspaper the Betoota Advocate, earned the ire of Koch, who asked Katter whether it “crosses the line” in light of Sunday’s mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando
“I thought it was screamingly funny,” Katter said, explaining the video had been shot last week before the massacre. He was apparently unaware it had happened until after the video’s release on Wednesday.
SOURCE. Video at link.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
You can call George Bush a chimp but not Obama
In the wake of a meeting yesterday with Delta Country Republican Chair Linda Sorenson, who shared a Facebook meme comparing Obama to a Chimp, Colorado GOP Chairman Steve House promised racial-sensitivity training for party leaders, but he would not say whether Sorenson will resign, according to a story today by the Grand Junction Sentinel’s Charles Ashby.
Sorenson will “take responsibility” for the Post, House told Ashby, who also reported that House said that [Sorenson’s] backing of [GOP Senate candidate Darryl] Glenn, who is black, shows that Sorenson isn’t a racist, but was being racially insensitive.”
For her part, Sorenson issued an apologized today for “being insensitive and not thinking of others in the heat of the moment” when she shared a Facebook meme comparing Obama to a Chimp.
But she also complained that “the left is only about tolerance when they are demanding that YOU tolerate their latest nutty idea, and if you don’t like it, then you’re automatically a ‘hater,’ a ‘bigot,’ and a ‘racist.’”
SOURCE
You can be punished for things you say in a private email?
The lawyer who secured the multibillion-pound TV deal for the Premier League exchanged a string of 'despicable' sexist emails with football boss Richard Scudamore, a hearing has heard.
Nicholas West, a 'exemplary' lawyer who works as a TV rights specialists, swapped 14 emails with the Premier League chief in which they 'ridiculed' women with 'sexually explicit' remarks.
In one email, high-flying Mr West, a partner in London-based DLA Piper, told Mr Scudamore to: 'Save your cash in case you find some g***.'
In another, the pair made jokes about their 'dongles' and 'shafts' as they made sleazy remarks and discussed 'female irrationality'.
The pair claimed they had exchanged the messages as close friends and sought to keep the content private.
But the hearing was told Mr West, who had known Mr Scudamore since he began working on TV deals for the league in 2000, had 'blurred the distinction' between friends and clients.
The incident, which was widely reported at the time, led to Mr West missing out on a £25,000 bonus as he issued a grovelling apology for his actions.
He has now been fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 in costs after appearing at the Solicitors' Regulation Authority tribunal for breaching the principles of integrity, public trust, and the promotion of equality.
Handing down the fine, Mr Spooner said: 'These exchanges were said to have been between friends but the respondent was a solicitor and the Premier League was his client.
SOURCE
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Why shouldn't we sing "Rule Britannia"? says British old ladies' club
Aside from the odd racy calendar, the Women’s Institute has an abiding image of polite ladies united in a common cause, happy to make jam and sing Jerusalem.
But an almighty row has broken out between the normally civil members... over a ‘jingoistic’ performance of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory.
In honour of the Queen’s birthday, WI organisers decided to model the close of this year’s annual meeting in Brighton on the Last Night of the Proms.
Around 4,500 women, some wearing full Union Jack outfits, stood and waved flags during the hearty renditions on Saturday.
But many thought the tunes were ‘outdated’ and ‘inappropriate’ and refused to stand. Others accused the organisation of ‘racism’ and of turning the meeting into something akin to ‘a UKIP rally’.
The vitriol became so intense that at least one member has quit the 220,000-member organisation – with more threatening to follow.
There have been growing conflicts in the organisation over its changing nature in recent years, when its membership has become younger and more diverse.
The row erupted after Cambridge-educated doctor, Jag Picknett, took to social media after refusing to stand during the songs.
Afterwards she said: ‘I’m a confident, educated, second-generation immigrant to this country and the finale was like being at a UKIP rally.
‘I sat down all the way through it – I should have walked out. I haven’t felt this uncomfortable since the 1980s. If you want diversity and inclusivity the National Federation of Women’s Institutes needs to take a long hard look at itself.’
But members rounded on the GP from Bingley, West Yorkshire, telling her it was a ‘British institution’ and she should leave if she felt out of place. Hilary Forbes said on social media: ‘It’s just a bit of British tradition and fun.
SOURCE
Term 'Illegal Alien' to Remain at Library of Congress
The Library of Congress will continue using the term “illegal alien” following Friday’s passage of the annual legislative funding bill.
The Library of Congress had proposed changing the term, saying the term “has become pejorative.”
Republicans insisted that the library use terms that reflect federal law, and included language maintaining the federal terminology in the funding bill.
Title 8 of U.S. Code refers to foreigners as aliens, both legally and illegally.
“For seven and a half years we have had a president that wants to ignore the intent of the laws of our land,” Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) said in defending the language. “We will not allow this body, this House, to ignore the definitions nor the words of the laws that have been voted on in this body, passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president.”
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) told House members he opposed keeping the language “because we understand that even words that start off as neutral descriptors, can over time be used as verbal weapons and knives to inflict pain and disrespect and sow division.”
Late last year Castro introduced the CHANGE act calling for the removal of the term “illegal alien” from federal law and replacing it with “undocumented foreign national.”
SOURCE
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Texas politician condemned for tweeting a Biblical message just hours after Orlando massacre
Why should he not? It's accurate Christian theology. Romans chapters 1 & 2 condemns homosexuals and says that they will feel God's wrath. And the text in Galatians simply reminds us of that. The tweet is reinforcement of Christian beliefs. Those who object to it are obviously non-Christians or pseudo Christians
In the deadliest gun massacre in US history, a suspected Islamic extremist held more than 100 people hostage on Saturday night before gunning them down.
As the country reels in response to the news, Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick - a fierce anti-LGBT campaigner - posted a picture of a
'Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galations 6:7,' the tweet read.
His tweet sparked outrage. 'Where is your compassion?' one Twitter user hit back. Another said: 'You should be ashamed of yourself.'
Despite the backlash, Patrick's social media team responded by posting the message again on his Facebook page at 10am.
SOURCE
Must not disparage the looks of any woman
Conservative Australian politician in hot water
Daniel Parasiliti, who was lucky to survive as a candidate after it emerged last month he posted racist and sexist abuse on Facebook, is again in hot water with his party, this time over a post he made on Twitter nearly three years ago.
Mr Parasiliti criticised the use of Frozen actor Kristen Bell in a beauty product advertisement because she was, in his eyes, ugly. "If you want to sell skin care don't have a d-class celebrity with a head like a half-eaten pie to sell ur product," he wrote.
Labor's spokeswoman for Women's Interests Simone McGurk said Mr Parasiliti's comments were unacceptable.
"I think the Liberal Party must have standards and if the Liberal Party won't make him stand down I think the premier should step in and make the call because he does not want someone making offensive comments against women representing the Liberal Party in the state election," she said.
Mr Cox on Monday accused Labor of double-standards and said Labor's emergency services spokesperson Margaret Quirk had previously retweeted inappropriate comments about federal Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop.
SOURCE
Not sure what Mr Parasiliti could have against Kristen Bell. She looks great to me. He is of Italian origin so maybe he just likes dark eyes. But everybody is entitled to their own tastes
Monday, June 13, 2016
Blackface is NOT FUNNY!
Though it often seems to amuse students. Comedy is very risky these days
A racism probe has been launched at a leading university after a medical student 'blacked-up' in a bid to portray a senior lecturer during an end-of-year production.
Cardiff University confirmed it has launched an investigation focusing on the School of Medicine after the third-year student wore black face paint while dressing up as lecturer Doctor T Jeff Allen.
The incident occurred during a student-led annual end-of-year stage production called Anaphylaxis – a satirical comedy about the Medical School which is run every year by the third-year pupils.
The university said it triggered 'a number of complaints' from both students and parents at the play. As those complaints were investigated, a string of 'other issues' were identified, the university said.
A review, ordered by staff, will now be led by Dinesh Bhugra, Professor of Mental Health and Diversity at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry.
SOURCE
Popular generalizations about ethnic groups are not allowed on TV
A Fox Sportd reporter who was filmed making a string of racially insensitive and anti-Semitic remarks has been benched by the network.
Emily Austen, a sideline reporter who covers the Tampa Bay Rays and Orlando Magic for Fox in Florida, insulted the intelligence of Mexicans and gloated about her disregard for Jewish customers during her days as a waitress during a live broadcast on Thursday.
Her comments came during a 35-minute interview with Barstool Sports on their daily Rundown show that she knew was being shown on the website's Facebook page - which has over 600,000 followers.
Austen's comments about Mexicans came when she and the other guests appearing on the broadcast began to discuss Mayte Lara, a Texas high school student who finished first in her class and will be attending University of Texas, Austin on a full scholarship later this year.
Lara is also an illegal immigrant, and wrote on Twitter earlier this week: 'Valedictorian, 4.5GPA, full tuition paid for at UT, 13 cords and medals, nice legs, oh and I'm undocumented.'
When asked to share her thoughts on this story, Austen said: 'I didn't even know Mexicans were that smart.'
Kevin Clancy, also appearing on the show, then asked what Austen thought about black people, which resulted in Austen saying: 'I love black ... I love all people. I don't care if you're white, yellow, brown, purple...'
'Jews?' asked Katz, 'kind of a little stingy...'
This goading caused Austen to launch into a story about her days as a server, saying: 'Yeah, I went to school in Boca, so I know most of that.
'The way I used to talk to Jews in Boca, they hated because I was a server, and I just didn't care and they would complain and bitch about everything.
'I gave a guy a beer, and he was complaining to me that there was too much head and I knew that he was a stingy asshole and that he wasn't going to give me a tip, so I go, "So you're the first guy that's ever complained to me about too much head."'
She ended the story by stating: 'I got fired like two weeks later.'
That very same fate may befall her again as well it seems, with Fox Sports releasing a statement about Austen's appearance on Friday which revealed she would be off the field for the near future.
SOURCE
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Must not mock women drivers
Fiat has been forced to withdraw a handbook in Argentina which assumed drivers would be exclusively male and was packed full with sexist language.
The booklet, handed out to owners of new Fiat cars, enraged women by referring to 'short skirts', 'nice legs' and 'wandering hands'.
The handbook, written in Spanish but handed out only in Argentina, is written on the basis that the only women in the cars will be passengers and drivers will be male.
Women are referred to as 'co-pilots' and it advises them: 'If a lady's skirt is too short, we recommend that she travel in the backseat to keep our (driver's) concentration. 'If the skirt is not that short but you tend to have a wandering hand, she should also travel behind.'
Feminists were also apoplectic about another excerpt which says women who intended to sit in the front 'must at least have nice legs'.
Carolo LaFleur told Mail Online: 'The worst thing about Fiat was that they didn't apologise for what they said. They don't think they were wrong. They only apologised for our interpretation. And that's sick.'
The author of the booklet seems to have missed his true vocation writing 1950s-style romantic fiction.
At one point he writes that the driver should 'behave like a gentleman' and adds: 'You should know that if your partner, girlfriend or squeeze travels with friends, you should become the chauffeur for each and every one of them, taking the spot of the alpha male and dropping each one of them safe and sound at their resting place.'
Last week a massive demonstration took place in the capital, Buenos Aires, aimed at drawing attention to sexist attitudes in Argentinian society.
The group that organised the protest published a photo of the handbook on its Facebook page and called it 'a summary of stereotypical and misogynistic messages'.
Silvina Quintans tweeted 'If this is their sales strategy, it would be good to remember that women also drive.'
SOURCE
Furore over a popular children's soft toy continues
The owner of an Enid Blyton gift shop has been banned from her town's window dressing competition because her entry features a tea-towel with a picture of a golliwog.
Viv Endecott specialises in selling the old-fashioned children's toy at her store in Corfe Castle, Dorset - shifting thousands because they are now so hard to find anywhere else.
For the Purbeck Arts Festival, she designed a tea-towel and mug celebrating 'English freedom', featuring a golliwog along with a description of what she regards as key national values.
But the trader has accidentally sparked a huge controversy as the festival organisers held an emergency meeting and ruled that the display should be banned.
They claimed the image of the golliwog - seen by some as a racial stereotype - was offensive and could not be endorsed by the festival.
Ms Endecott, 55, who is mixed-race, made a tea-towel listing a number of concepts which she believes either support or oppose the values of English liberty.
Terms such as 'freedom of speech, 'common law' and 'decency' appear in red, while other words such as 'slavery', 'sharia law' and 'political correctness gone mad' are in grey.
The items are displayed prominently in the window of the Ginger Pop store, which is dedicated to local hero Blyton, the author of books such as Famous Five.
The Dorset Race Equality Council also objected to Miss Endecott's display - head Adnan Choudry said: 'Golliwogs don't just offend black people, they're offensive to people of any race.
However, Miss Endecott insisted that golliwogs are not offensive and pointed to their role in traditional literature through the ages.
'It is about time the English started celebrating our culture,' she said. 'The golliwog is a part of our culture and no one needs to be offended by it. 'You cannot ban bits of history you don't like, history is part of our country.
'I sell thousands upon thousands of golliwogs in the shop every year. There are so few places to get one these days because most people are too frightened to sell them.'
SOURCE
Friday, June 10, 2016
Brewers use damages from lawsuit to create First Amendment Society
The Flying Dog Brewery made headlines when it first released its signature Belgian IPA-style beer back in 2009, becoming the center of a freedom of speech lawsuit.
“Some of our names, some of our artwork can be considered a little edgy,” said Erin Weston, who works at the Frederick brewery.
The name of that particular beer was perhaps a little too edgy for the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, which banned its sale in the state after its release. Its members claimed that the beer and its label were “detrimental to the health, safety and welfare” of its residents.
But after a six-year legal battle, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the brewery, and the ban on the beer was lifted in Michigan.
“This, at the federal level, sets a precedent for all 50 states,” said Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso. “It puts political officials on notice – that if they have some politically correct agenda, there are consequences to imposing that agenda on businesses - whether you’re a brewery, a winery or a distillery.”
Flying Dog decided to use the damages from the lawsuit to start a First Amendment Society, to raise a glass to the arts, journalism and civil liberties.
“Whether you agree with it or not – as Americans, we have the right to say it,” said Weston, who is the nonprofit group’s executive director. “Just because it might be offensive to you, or offensive to somebody that you know - that doesn’t take away that person’s right to be able to express that.”
Public libraries in Frederick County will drink to that, and they’re organizing free events to address free speech issues.
SOURCE
Must not say that women should shave their legs
Most women do so I don't know what the fuss is all about
A mother has slammed a promotional email she received from high street shoe brand Office reminding its customers not to forget to shave their legs.
Mumsnet user Katy, who is on the mailing list, said she would no longer be shopping at the retailer after receiving the 'sexist' email which was advertising its summer collection.
The subject line of the email was 'Show a little leg', while the tagline below read: 'Just don't forget to shave them'.
Katy, 24, who posts under the username AliceInWonderland2, felt others 'should know what s*** they email women' - and criticised the brand for trying to make her 'feel disgusted by something natural'.
SOURCE
Thursday, June 09, 2016
Must not diss a champion black boxer
Piers Morgan SLAMMED as racist after insensitive Muhammad Ali comments
This weekend the Good Morning Britain presenter caused a HUGE backlash on Twitter after he made a controversial tweet - calling Muhammad Ali far more racist than Donald Trump.
This comes after Muhammad Ali - the late boxer - died on Friday from a 30-year battle of Parkinson’s disease.
Celebrity couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen were quick to argue and accuse Piers of being racist after his statement.
It all started when Piers tweeted: "Muhammad Ali said far more inflammatory/racist things about white people than Donald Trump ever has about Muslims. #fact"
And clearly - not seeing that his tweet could be seen as offensive - the GMB presenter defended his tweet by explaining that it’s a fact.
He said: "Nothing egregious about it, just a fact."
However on Good Morning Britain today Piers tried to justify his comment by saying: “His [Ali's] preferred world is segregated. Black people living with black people, white people living with white people.
SOURCE
Ali was a segregationist. He liked George Wallace, the segregationist Alabama governor who ran for president. Ali wanted blacks and whites to live separately: Apartheid
House Speaker Paul Ryan stated today that Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding Judge Gonzalo Curiel are both “racist” and “indefensible,”
Just days after Speaker Paul Ryan formally endorsed former rival Donald Trump, the House Speaker was taken aback by Trump’s recent “racist” statements regarding a federal judge’s Hispanic heritage. Ryan was quick to repudiate Trump’s statements, lashing out at the Republican nominee, reports the Washington Post.
“Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment. It’s totally unacceptable,” said Speaker Paul Ryan.
Last week, Donald Trump infamously stated that federal judge Gonzalo Curiel could not be impartial in the Trump University lawsuit because he is “a Mexican,” despite being born in Indiana. Trump’s assertion wasn’t, as some of his previous statements have been, a slip of the tongue from which the candidate quickly backed off. This one Trump hammered home again and again. Speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Trump reiterated the attack over and over again, stating that he does not believe that a judge can fairly oversee a case against him if that judge is of Mexican descent.
SOURCE
Judge Curiel was an Obama appointee and has ties to the Mexican revanchist organization "La Raza", which means "The Race", the alleged Mexican race. The judge has also already made rulings against Trump. Judge Curiel is the one in the wrong. Because of the perceived conflicts of interest, he should recuse himself from the case. Trump's comments may achieve that.
Wednesday, June 08, 2016
Liberal Website Refuses Trump Advertisement
Nice that it cost them money, though
The "safe space" where college students retreat when ideas make them uncomfortable has come to American journalism:
Buzzfeed has reportedly backed out of a million-dollar advertising deal with the Republican National Committee because showing ads for Donald Trump hurts the feelings of the website’s wimpy employees.
Politico obtained an email founder and CEO Jonah Peretti sent to Buzzfeed employees Monday morning, detailing why the site was turning down the $1.3 million deal.
“Since signing this advertising deal [in April], Donald Trump, as you know, has become the presumptive nominee of his party,” wrote Peretti. “The tone and substance of his campaign are unique in the history of modern US politics.”“Trump advocates banning Muslims from traveling to the United States, he’s threatened to limit the free press, and made offensive statements toward women, immigrants, descendants of immigrants, and foreign nationals.”
“The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs,” he continued.
This is what millennial journalism looks like. But if Buzzfeed is so worried about candidates that are averse to American values we have some suggestions for them.
It's true that some of Trump's policies are constitutionally problematic. But is he any worse than Bernie Sanders, who celebrated a Communist USSR that pointed thousands of nuclear weapons at the United States? Are his statements any worse than Hillary Clinton's shady dealings with totalitarian Arab regimes that treat women like dogs and deny religious freedom to minorities.
A truly principled organization would examine these issues and apply their new standards across the board. But Buzzfeed isn't a principled organization. It's a cat meme website masquerading as a serious news organization, run by loony left-wing millennials. The thing about shameless, loony liberals is that they're incapable of feeling a shred of guilt about their obvious hypocrisy. Sean Davis of the Federalist did the best job of highlighting this hypocrisy:
The left believes in free speech to the extent that it advances left wing secular morality. All ideas deserve a fair hearing when left-wing ideas like gay marriage are accepted by a small minority of Americans. But the moment left-wing ideas gain some popular momentum, competing ideas and perspectives no longer have any value. They become "wrong," and those that hold them "evil."
Buzzfeed is well within its rights to deny RNC funding over their moral disagreement with Donald Trump. It would be nice if they recognized that other American businesses have the same right.
SOURCE
School Sends Sheriff to Order Child to Stop Sharing Bible Verses
A public school in California ordered a seven-year-old boy to stop handing out Bible verses during lunch — and it dispatched a deputy sheriff to the child’s home to enforce the directive.
“This is a clear, gross violation of the rights of a child,” said Horatio Mihet, a Liberty Counsel attorney representing the first-grader who attends Desert Rose Elementary School in Palmdale. They are also representing his parents, Christina and Jaime Zavala.
Here’s the back story:
Mrs. Zavala made it a practice of including a Bible verse and an encouraging note in her son’s lunch bag. The boy would tell his friends about the note and read them aloud at the lunch table.
It wasn’t long before children asked for copies of the notes and Mrs. Zavala obliged — including a brief note to explain the daily Bible verse.
On April 18, a teacher called Mrs. Zavala and said her son would no longer be able to share the Bible verses because he was “not allowed to share such things while at school.”
Liberty Counsel said the school would only allow the child to distribute the Bible verses outside the school gate — after the bell rang. It said the teacher told Mrs. Zavala that her son “could no longer read or share Bible verses or stories at lunch” — citing “separation of church and state.”
So, Mr. and Mrs. Zavala complied with the school’s clearly unconstitutional edict. But on May 9, the school’s principal decided to implement a complete ban on the Bible verse sharing.
Liberty Counsel alleges the boy was ordered to stop handing out notes because “it was against school policy.” The principal told the boy and his father to move to a public sidewalk. They complied with the principal’s demand.
It would be just a few hours later when the Zavala family heard a knock at their front door.
“The deputy sheriff said he had been sent by the school,” Liberty Counsel attorney Richard Mast told me. “The deputy went on to tell the parents that the school was worried that someone might be offended by the Bible verses.”
Liberty Counsel said the deputy sheriff was not belligerent or threatening. The family was not served with any sort of legal documents. It appeared to be a “friendly” warning.
“It was outrageous and should shock the conscious of every freedom-loving American,” Mihet told me. “Apparently all the real criminals have been dealt with in Palmdale — and now they’re going after kids who share Bible verses during lunch time.”
Raul Maldonado, the superintendent of Palmdale School District, told me they are reviewing the matter and consulting with legal counsel.
“I can confirm the District’s understanding that a member of the Sheriff’s department visited the home,” he said. “However, the District is not yet clear as to the specific nature of that engagement.”
It appears to me that the deputy sheriff was dispatched to the home as part of a strategy to intimidate the Zavala family.
“I would expect something like this to happen in Communist Romania — where I went to elementary school — but cops don’t bully seven-year-olds who want to talk about Jesus in the Land of the Free,” Mihet said.
Students do not check their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door, he said. “If students are permitted to pass out Valentine or birthday cards at school or to talk about Superman and Captain America at lunch, they cannot be prohibited from sharing Bible verses and discussing their faith during their free, non-instructional time,” Mihet told me.
Liberty Counsel is demanding the school stop its policy of suppressing and censoring student religious speech. If it fails to comply, the school could face a federal lawsuit.
SOURCE
Tuesday, June 07, 2016
You must watch your abbreviations
I think very highly of the Japanese but I sometimes refer to them as "Japs". It's just an abbreviation, as far as I can see. But it is true that some do regard abbreviations as a slur. In Britain, for instance, it is generally safe to refer to a Pakistani as a Pakistani -- but if you abbreviate that to "Paki", you are likely to have policemen knocking on your door. And Australian Leftists try to tell us that abbreviating "Aborigine" as "Abo" is a slur. And "Homo" is another one -- for guess whom? All quite stupid. We use abbreviations for all sorts of things, why not for human groups?
Last week, Congressman Peter King dropped a bomb when he referred to Japanese as “Japs” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
“National defense and homeland security are issues that mean the most to me and there’s real issues with him, real problems with his views,” King said. “I don’t know if he’s thought them through, or it’s just like the guy at the end of the bar that says, ‘Oh screw them, bomb them, kill them, pull out, bring them home. You know, why pay for the Japs, why pay for the Koreans?”‘
King brushed off the ensuing uproar over the use of the racial slur by stating that “we’re getting too politically correct” and “oversensitive”.
SOURCE
Republican policies are all hate speech
We have the authority of Chelsea Clinton for that. But wanting to "fundamentally transform" America is not hate of America, of course
Hillary supporters packed a Metuchen pub and a Bloomfield housing complex to hear Chelsea Clinton as she stumped for her mother on Friday.
Clinton, who is pregnant with her second child, said voting as a mother now has made the election more personal for her and railed against "hateful rhetoric" from Republicans.
"I never thought in my lifetime I'd see the normalization of hate speech from the Republican party," Clinton said. "The daily diet of racism, sexism, Islamophobia, homophobia, anti-immigrant rhetoric, anti-worker's rights rhetoric, rhetoric against Americans with disabilities – and the policy proposals that flow from that. To build a wall around our country. To keep a list of Americans based on religion. To have discriminatory policing of certain neighborhoods. None of that is the country I want to live in or have my children grow up in."
SOURCE
Monday, June 06, 2016
Only Leftists can talk about white privilege
Leftists are always talking about white privilege but only in order to condemn it. To celebrate it is not allowed. Black pride is good but white pride is bad. And the flag the kid below brought along is from a time and place of clear white privilege so was appropriate.
It is certainly true that there is white privilege, depending on whom you are comparing whites with. An average white IQ of 100 compared with an average black IQ of 85 certainly is a big privilege -- and certainly something for whites to celebrate. But compared to East Asians with a average IQ of 105, whites are not privileged at all. But the privilege is not because of racism. It is just the way things are. Groups differ in various ways, and trying to abolish that won't work
GLENDALE, Wis. —Nicolet High School administrators alerted parents Wednesday to what they called a “derogatory and offensive demonstration” involving a Confederate flag inside a classroom.
Parents said a student showed up to school with the flag and announced during an English class that it was white privilege day.
Police were called to the school, and the student was suspended.
Nicolet High School Principal Gregory Kabara sent an email to parents, letting them know what happened.
“This action disrupted the class and upset many students. While district policy allows for students to initiate conversation about a controversial issue, it must be presented in the ordinary course of classroom instruction and cannot be disruptive to the educational setting. The student's actions were a clear violation of this policy,” Kabara’s statement read in part.
Kabara said the incident has been taken seriously by school administrators and is under investigation. School personnel are being made available for students to talk with about the incident, he said.
SOURCE
Academic suspended for criticising Australian flag
What do you think of the heading above? Sounds outrageous, does it not? It is on the header of the latest mailout from "New Matilda". And, knowing the underlying story concerned, it did give me a laugh. I was even more entertained when the opening sentence of the story described the suspended one, Roz Ward, as a "respected Melbourne academic". Respected by whom? Other Far-Leftists, no doubt.
But the heading is deceptive in the usual Leftist way. The woman did not just criticize the flag. Harold Scruby has been doing that for decades without incident. Having the Union Jack quartered in the Australian flag has long steamed up some Leftists. Ms Ward actually denigrated the flag and what it stood for, which is a more serious matter
The story below is fairly factual, quite devoid of the huffing and puffing one usually gets in Leftist writing. So it leaves the reader in a position to make up their own minds about the matter. I would note two additional points only:
1). Universities these days are very sensitive about speech, "hate" speech, particularly. So LaTrobe would have risked great cries of hypocrisy if they had let Ms Ward's quite blatant hate speech go uncontested. An accusation of "racism" is pretty toxic these days. And directing such an accusation at the university's source of funding just could not be risked. Funding is the thing that universities most passionately believe in these days.
2). The flag is a symbol of the nation so it was Australia as a whole that Ms Ward was denigrating. And Australians are a pretty patriotic lot in a quiet way so there is no doubt that the utterance concerned would have cause widespread offence -- particularly as it came from a source well deserving of opprobrium: A Communist. Glass houses and all that. Just the woman's obvious self-satisfaction was offensive enough, considering the horrors she stands for. So the whole thing was just bad PR for the university. And universities spend a lot on PR these days
No doubt Ms Ward will eventually be found to have uttered "free speech". It's only conservatives who can utter hate speech these days
Roz Ward – a respected Melbourne academic and one of the co-founders of the Safe Schools program – has been suspended from her job at La Trobe University this afternoon, over a private Facebook post which criticised the Australian flag as “racist”.
Ms Ward, who has been at the centre of a News Corporation engineered media storm this week, was notified in writing this afternoon of her immediate suspension (with pay) from the university.
Fiona Reed, the Executive Director of Human Resources at LaTrobe accuses Ms Ward of breaching her employment conditions by embarrassing the university, causing the Victorian Government – a major funder of LaTrobe – to divert resources to defending Safe Schools, and of putting her colleagues at risk by creating an ‘unsafe’ environment.
Last week, under a photograph of the gay and lesbian flag flying above Victorian parliament, Ms Ward joked with a friend on Facebook: “Now we just need to get rid of the racist Australian flag on top of state parliament and get a red one up there and my work is done.”
The ‘red’ is a reference to the Marxist flag – in addition to her work with Safe Schools, Ms Ward is a prominent figure in Melbourne’s Marxist political movement.
The post was leaked to The Australian newspaper, which began a campaign last week to remove Ms Ward from her position with Safe Schools Victoria Coalition, which is funded by the Victorian government and auspiced by LaTrobe.
By early this week, former Liberal Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett – the Chairman of charity beyondblue, which has been a major funder of LaTrobe – had joined the attacks, telling media that if Ms Ward remained in her role with Safe Schools, he would personally argue against any further funding to the university’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, which administers the Safe Schools program on behalf of LaTrobe.
This afternoon, Ms Ward was handed a letter by LaTrobe University, immediately suspending her from her job Specifically, La Trobe claims Ms Ward’s conduct:
“a. … Undermined public confidence in the Safe Schools program by undermining public confidence in you as a researcher and as a person associated with the Safe Schools program.”
“b. … Damages the reputation of the Safe Schools program and aligns the Safe Schools program with views which have nothing to do with the program and its message and content.”
“c. … Has required members of the Victorian Government to take up their time in defending the Safe Schools program, rather than be positive advocates for the Safe Schools program.”
“d. … Has required senior staff at the University to take up their time in defending the Safe Schools program, rather than be positive advocates for the Safe Schools program or undertake other duties they have.”
“e. … drawn (your colleagues) into the negative publicity around Safe Schools and this has impacted on their ability to continue with their research in a safe environment.”
SOURCE
Sunday, June 05, 2016
UCLA shooter bleached by L.A.cops
Initial press reports suggested that the UCLA shooter was a "six foot white male." The LA Times reports:
"The gunman who shot and killed a UCLA professor Wednesday has been identified as Mainak Sarkar, a former doctoral student who had accused the victim of stealing his computer code and giving it to someone else, according to Los Angeles police"
Sarkar, 38, took his own life after killing William Klug, 39, in a small office in UCLA Engineering Building 4, sources confirmed. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Thursday did not identify the shooter, although it did confirm the victim’s identity Thursday morning.
Klug was an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and had been the target of Sarkar’s anger on social media for months. On March 10, Sarkar called the professor a “very sick person” who should not be trusted.
SOURCE
He was in fact a brown man -- a Hindu Indian from Kolkata (Calcutta). Pic below
Next they'll be telling us he was a conservative and an admirer of Donald Trump. In fact, he was almost certainly psychotic -- and nothing else is relevant
UK: Number of arrests for 'offensive' social media posts soars as police target internet
The number of people being arrested over laws to stop 'offensive' social media posts is soaring, new figures show.
Statistics released by the Metropolitan Police show more than 850 people in London were detained under the controversial Communications Act last year.
The number of arrests has jumped by more than a third in the past five years, during which time police in the capital have questioned people over more than 3,500 allegations.
The figures, published by The Register, mean that during 2015, more than two people were arrested in London every day for allegedly posting messages which fall foul of the rules.
The law allows people to be prosecuted for sending 'offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing' messages on 'public communication networks' such as Facebook or Twitter.
The laws have been used to tackle online harassment, stalking and repeated 'trolling', but critics fear overzealous use of the rules could clamp down on free speech.
The act came under scrutiny in 2012 when Paul Chambers successfully challenged a conviction he got for tweeting that he would blow up Robin Hood Airport when it closed after heavy snow.
After his prosecution - for what he insisted was no more than a 'silly joke' - guidance was given by the Director of Public Prosecutions raising the threshold for prosecutions.
But figures released last year showed that, around the country, more than 1,200 were prosecuted in 2014 for offences under the act.
Last month, Markus Meechan from North Lanarkshire was arrested under the Communications Act for uploaded footage of his girlfriend's dog doing a Nazi salute and jumping when it heard words 'gas the Jews'. He insisted he is not racist and taught the dog the trick to 'annoy my girlfriend and give my friends something to laugh at'.
SOURCE
Friday, June 03, 2016
TV show in hot water over ‘Indian’ skit
This absurd "cultural appropriation" stuff again. The whole world appropriates our culture
THE Today Show faced a viewer backlash this morning after weather presenter Steve Jacobs presented a segment as an “Indian” in Native American costume.
Viewers took to the Today Show’s Facebook page to express their disappointment and anger at the skit, which some dubbed a “racist caricature”.
“Just cause we live in Australia doesn’t give us an excuse to be ignorant to the fact that native Americans have been subject to incredible violence, especially when indigenous Australians have been subject to similar genocidal treatment. Dressing up as them and then making a mockery of their culture is disgusting,” wrote one viewer.
Others expressed anger that Jacobs also briefly adopted an Indian accent before announcing, “Wrong Indian.”
Jacobs isn’t the first person in the public eye to face a heated backlash after co-opting Native American dress and culture. In 2012 American band No Doubt were forced to pull the high-budget video for their single Looking Hot mere hours after it debuted because of its ‘Cowboys and Indians’ theme, including singer Gwen Stefani dressed in Native American attire throughout.
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BDS is free speech, says Dutch government
You can criticize Israel all you like, as long as you don't criticize Islam -- as Geert Wilders has found out. He is on trial for hate speech again at the moment
The Netherlands has affirmed that activism calling for boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel is a form of free speech.
In response to parliamentary questions from Green Left MP Rik Grashoff, Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders said that “statements or meetings concerning BDS are protected by freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, as enshrined in the Dutch constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.”
Koenders also said that the Dutch government regularly discusses BDS with Israel and makes clear to Israel that it “opposes a boycott of Israel, but that endorsing BDS falls under freedom of expression.”
The Dutch government’s statement also comes as lawmakers in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, last week rejected a law that would have punished BDS activism.
Civil liberties groups and legislators had warned that the law would have violated fundamental free speech rights.
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Thursday, June 02, 2016
Defense Secretary Ponders How to Change 'Unmanned' Job Titles to Gender-Neutral Wording
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter expressed openness today to editing military job titles to make "man" more gender-neutral, even as he struggled with a way to make "unmanned" less masculine.
The Marine Corps Times reported last week that the service is reviewing its job titles -- rifleman, infantryman, etc. -- in the wake of all combat roles being opened to women and a January directive from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus for the Corps and the Navy to ensure those job descriptions are gender-neutral.
Every job title that includes "man" is up for review and potentially on the editing block.
Meeting with reporters today at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., Carter was asked whether he saw "a benefit or a need to do that throughout the military."
Carter said it was "a very good question."
"And, you know, of course one wants to signify a reality, which is a very favorable reality for us in defense, of the modern era, which is that we're making full use of the wonderful talents of half of the population of the country," he said.
"And it would be a huge mistake not to do so. And that's why I wanted to see all military operational specialties opened to qualified females. That doesn't mean that they'll get in and it doesn't mean that they'll choose to do it. But it does mean that I have the opportunity to pick from the entire population of the country. And since it's an all-volunteer force, I would be -- wouldn't be fulfilling the needs of having the best force if I weren't fishing in the widest possible pond."
Carter stressed "that's the logic behind the position of women in our Department of Defense in today's world."
"And signifying that in all appropriate ways is I think exactly that -- very appropriate and needed," he added.
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Australian do-gooder wants us to stop saying gender-based terms like 'guys'
What the f*** are we supposed to say?
Australian of the Year and former Army chief David Morrison says the term "guys" should no longer be used in workplaces.
The retired Lieutenant General is today launching a new Diversity Council Australia video which aims to crack down on language which excludes minority groups.
"Exclusive language, gender-based language or inappropriate language, has as much a deleterious or disadvantaged effect as something where you're saying something blatantly inappropriate to another human being," General Morrison told ABC News Breakfast.
He said he was not trying to become the "language police" by supporting the new campaign, and expected to be criticised for the idea.
The #WordsAtWork campaign video depicts a group of women rolling their eyes at being called "girls" by a male colleague.
"All the campaign is doing is saying look, it's a proven fact that more inclusive [and] more diverse workforces create real diversity of thinking and are more productive, more effective," General Morrison said.
"And one of the ways that you can engender that type of environment is being careful about how you speak to other people, talking to them with respect and listening to their views with respect."
General Morrison said he was now trying to personally stop using the word "guys" when speaking to groups of people.
"I have now removed that from my lexicon as best I can, I think it's important."
However, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop cautioned against interfering with freedom of speech.
Ms Bishop said words such as "guys" were generic enough they should not cause offence.
"I don't think we should try and interfere with the freedom of speech in this country to a point where people are too concerned about day-to-day conversations," she said.
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Wednesday, June 01, 2016
UK: Must not mock the dead
A 50-year-old man will appear in court after a photograph surfaced showing a man wearing a t-shirt with offensive comments mocking the victims of the Hillsborough disaster.
Paul Grange has been charged with a public order offence following an incident where somebody was snapped sitting in the beer garden of the Brewers Arms pub in Worcester yesterday wearing an offensive t-shirt.
The black top had white writing on the back comparing the 1989 Hillsborough disaster victims to pests.
The photo provoked a furious response from Liverpool supporters and the pub's landlord Mark Daniels said the man was thrown out as soon as staff noticed the shirt.
West Mercia Police confirmed a 50-year-old from Worcester had been charged.
A force spokesman said: 'He is accused of a Section 5 Public Order Offence relating to the display of threatening and abusive sign and writing, likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.'
Grange was released on bail to appear at Worcester Magistrates' Court on a date in July.
In a statement on the Brewers Arms Facebook page, the pub said: 'We would like to apologise for the offensive t-shirt worn by one of our customers.
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Must not joke about mothers in law anymore
A bar has caused outrage after writing a misogynistic joke that mocked family violence on a blackboard at the front of the building.
Staff of The Elbow Room Sports Bar in Mahora, on New Zealand's North Island, have been forced to apologise after the pub's footpath blackboard stated: 'I saw six men kicking and punching my mother-in-law. My neighbour said, 'Are you going to help?' I said, 'No, six should be enough'.
Duty manager Roger Wright, who wrote the message, said it was the first complaint he had received in two years after writing a new joke each week on the blackboard, according to The New Zealand Herald.
Complaints to local media reportedly said jokes written on the sign were 'degrading and senseless' and often made women scared to walk past the pub which is mainly occupied by male patrons.
Bar owner Mike Newrick was quick to condemn the joke and has now reportedly banned the blackboard from displaying jokes.
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