thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Steve Glover Talks About His Efforts to Cut the Metro Budget and Bob Mendes’ Disgraceful Tweet

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Metro Nashville ’ s City Council Member-at-Large Steve Glover to the studio .
During the third hour , Glover discussed his efforts to cut spending in the Metro budget and how another tax increase is on the horizon in about three years .
He also weighed in on the Bob Mendes tweet and said that if it was him who had done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately .
Leahy : We are in the studio with our very good friend Steve Glover Metro Council Member-At-Large .
Steve , before we talk about Metro Council member Bob Mendes and his very very not nice shall we say tweet , I mean I could use different words , but we ’ ll get to that in a second .
I do want to say something positive about something positive going on here .
You know here we at The Tennessee Star Report we ’ ve got a little bit of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Leahy : And we do that this will be our fourth year .
Leahy : We ’ re doing it on October 24 in Brentwood .
Leahy : You know why we picked Brentwood ?
It ’ s because we have no ability to rely upon what the dictatorial tyrannical mayor of Nashville will do with venues .
Leahy : This month .
and so in Brentwood on October 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We have a constitution to be for any student in the United States 8th grade to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a book that you can get on the Guide of Constitution and the Bill of Rights .
The winner of this Constitution Bee will get a $ 10,000 educational scholarship .
Leahy : And so if you ’ re in the listening audience if you ’ re if you are 8th grade to 12th grade or your kids or your grandkids .
You can go to guidetotheconstitution.org and you can sign up for the be have a chance to win $ 10,000 and it ’ s a fun day .
So this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steve because there ’ s so much negative here in Nashville .
And speaking of the negative .
Glover : So and here we go .
And we ’ re off and we ’ re off .
Leahy : And we ’ re off .
So your colleague on the council , Metro Council Member-At-Large , Bob Mendez a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School .
He ’ s a native Nashvillian on Tuesday night during the debate sent a tweet out and that ’ s our start lead story at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a racist m dot dot dot dot f dot dot dot.
” We reach out to him and he confirmed that he did say that and he ’ s left it up there .
What a disgrace this guy is .
All of our commenters are saying the guy should resign .
Are those standards of conduct for elected officials ?
Glover : Well , I don ’ t know that there are not like that .
I mean , you know , and don ’ t get me wrong Michael , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in public , you don ’ t say certain things like that .
You know he is our president of our United States .
Glover : And frankly let me just say this , you know , I know that ’ s who I ’ m going to vote for .
I don ’ t make any bones about it .
I did not vote for Obama .
But let me tell you Obama was the President of the United States .
You respect the office .
If you like the person fine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the person that ’ s your choice .
But you know , the decorum in the entire country right now has left the building .
I ’ ve had things happen to me on that floor that I ’ ve never seen before .
I ’ ve been called on the floor called an old White guy .
Leahy : Are they saying you ’ re bad because you ’ re an old White guy ?
Glover : Because I ’ m a White guy .
And apparently , you know , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one thing that drives me crazy about the younger generation .
They don ’ t want to hear what we have to say .
They don ’ t want to know what we ’ ve lived through , but I ’ m telling you Leahy : They are very closed-minded .
Glover : I have been here for almost 20 years .
I know a lot of things about history .
I know a lot of things about the city .
Am I the smartest apple in the barrel ?
No , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so , you know , I try to do my homework I try to get ready .
I try to know what I ’ m talking about before I talk about it and to have these kinds of things happening constantly and it seems to be okay from there .
Now if I did it , let me just start let ’ s flip it .
if I had done that right there .
Oh , the other side , they wouldn ’ t be asking for resignation and they ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing whatever .
So I think it ’ s sad .
Leahy : So Carol Swain who is usually here on Thursdays is traveling today and you ’ re gracious enough to sit in for Carol .
Steve , I appreciate it .
Here ’ s what she said about this tweet by Bob Mendes Metro council member at large who tweeted on Tuesday night and has kept it up and has confirmed to us at The Tennessee Star of that .
He did in fact tweet this he tweeted “ Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dot dot dot.
” Carol Swain who by the way , I don ’ t know .
She ’ s Black and she ’ s a conservative .
She ran for mayor against John Cooper and I think many people now are regretting their votes for John Cooper .
But here ’ s what she said about this Bob Mendes tweet .
“ It is disgusting and disappointing when our elected officials resort to gutter language rather than rational discord , of course , to press disagreement .
Bob Mendes has disrespected the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world his contempt for President Trump who as a man who has done more for Black Americans than any other president elected during my lifetime .
Mendes has proven his unfitness for higher office by posting such a vulgar and vile tweet.
” Tennessee Republican Party Chairman , Scott Golden emailed The Tennessee Star on Wednesday and said he hoped that Mendes would quickly delete his post .
Apparently , that ’ s not happening .
Here ’ s the Golden quote .
I want to get your reaction to the quote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses are being closed workers being laid off sponsoring and passing a 34 percent property tax rates and the prospect of the city being over by the state for financial mismanagement that councilman Mendes would spend his evenings in a more productive way.
” That was Scott Gould that was a very calm response to what was an inflammatory and factually incorrect assertion by Bob Mendes .
What ’ s your reaction to all this ?
Glover : Well , what else say is that Scott Golden , first of all , lets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solid rock for the Republican Party in the state of Tennessee .
He ’ s always very logical about the way thinks and in the way he presents .
And he ’ s thorough frankly .
I think he ’ s very thorough in his analysis .
So , you know , I ’ m glad we ’ ve got Scott there .
What do I say about this ?
I think it ’ s disgusting right now .
We ’ ve got major problems in this city .
And I hate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might as well get ready for this one .
We didn ’ t we cut any expenses ?
Leahy : They raised them five percent .
Cooper did .
Leahy : This is during the complete economic collapse of coronavirus .
Glover : That ’ s right .
So we didn ’ t cut anything .
And then got a $ 121 million .
I still don ’ t know exactly how it ’ s being spent etcetera .
I know it comes through resolution council but blah blah blah .
And then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more and he got denied it .
We haven ’ t learned any lessons .
Here ’ s the bad news Nashville .
A 34 to a 37 percent property tax increase and the government will come back and hit you again in three years because we didn ’ t curb one doggone thing .
Leahy : Spending has gone up .
Glover : A $ 100 million is going to go into reserve funds this year .
It needs to be replenished .
I agree .
I don ’ t agree with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I don ’ t agree with it .
But then what ’ s that other 100 million going to be used for next year in that budget ?
Oh , let me think about that one .
It ’ ll be utilized for more bonding capacity greater debt in order to take on more .
More toys that we don ’ t need to be buying right now .
We need to be taking care of our infrastructure .
We need to be working on our roads .
We need to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire department up to speed .
Our police officers up to speed but you know for 34 to 37 percent property tax increase would you get out of it Michael ?
Nothing .
Nothing but a continued abuse of spending and taking advantage of the taxpayers in Nashville , Tennessee .
That ’ s what you got for 34 to 37 percent .
Did you get an improvement in your roads ?
Did you get an improvement in your schools ?
Did you get anything ?
And the answer is no you didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know what you better enjoy it because we ’ re going to come back again and do the same thing to you .
That ’ s what they basically have said .
They ’ ve been so arrogant on this tax increase .
I tried to meet in the middle somewhere .
Oh , no , there was no discussing that , and here ’ s the other fact that people need to understand .
My first proposal came in at around 12 to 14 percent .
I cut .
Man , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing .
I was going to furlough the employees for a four-week period over a year .
Leahy : And none of them had been furloughed .
Glover : I mean if I had to hold the that would have saved us 40 million dollars by the way .
I cut about a hundred some-odd million dollars on my first one .
But here ’ s the problem .
You can ’ t get it on the floor until the finance department signs off on it and says , yes , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the chairman of that ?
Glover : Well , there ’ s not a chairman of it .
It ’ s the finance department for Metro .
And so finally on my third or fourth revision is where we landed .
Leahy : By the way , we asked Nashville Mayor John Cooper ’ s office for comment on that on the utterly disgraceful comments of Bob Mendes .
Apparently , they approve it because they haven ’ t called back and giving us any statement at all .
Glover : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I can ’ t imagine they ’ d say anything .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Background Photo “ Nashville City Hall ” by Nicolas Henderson .
CC BY 2.0 .

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Metro Nashville’s City Council Member-at-Large Steve Glover to the studio.
During the third hour, Glover discussed his efforts to cut spending in the Metro budget and how another tax increase is on the horizon in about three years. He also weighed in on the Bob Mendes tweet and said that if it was him who had done that, he’d be fired immediately.
Leahy: We are in the studio with our very good friend Steve Glover Metro Council Member-At-Large. Steve, before we talk about Metro Council member Bob Mendes and his very very not nice shall we say tweet, I mean I could use different words, but we’ll get to that in a second. I do want to say something positive about something positive going on here. You know here we at The Tennessee Star Report we’ve got a little bit of a little foundation that does a Constitution be.
Glover: Oh good.
Leahy: And we do that this will be our fourth year.
Glover: Okay.
Leahy: We’re doing it on October 24 in Brentwood.
Glover: Okay,
Leahy: You know why we picked Brentwood? It’s because we have no ability to rely upon what the dictatorial tyrannical mayor of Nashville will do with venues.
Glover: Right
Leahy: This month. and so in Brentwood on October 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We have a constitution to be for any student in the United States 8th grade to 12th grade. We’ve got a book that you can get on the Guide of Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The winner of this Constitution Bee will get a $10,000 educational scholarship.
Glover: Wow.
Leahy: And so if you’re in the listening audience if you’re if you are 8th grade to 12th grade or your kids or your grandkids. You can go to guidetotheconstitution.org and you can sign up for the be have a chance to win $10,000 and it’s a fun day. So this is what I wanted to bring something positive Steve because there’s so much negative here in Nashville. And speaking of the negative.
Glover: So and here we go. And we’re off and we’re off.
Leahy: And we’re off. So your colleague on the council, Metro Council Member-At-Large, Bob Mendez a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. He’s a native Nashvillian on Tuesday night during the debate sent a tweet out and that’s our start lead story at The Tennessee Star.
“Trump is a racist m dot dot dot dot f dot dot dot.” We reach out to him and he confirmed that he did say that and he’s left it up there. What a disgrace this guy is. All of our commenters are saying the guy should resign. Are those standards of conduct for elected officials?
Glover: Well, I don’t know that there are not like that. I mean, you know, and don’t get me wrong Michael, I’m no little angel. But in public, you don’t say certain things like that. You know he is our president of our United States.
Leahy: Donald Trump is president.
Glover: And frankly let me just say this, you know, I know that’s who I’m going to vote for. I don’t make any bones about it. I did not vote for Obama. But let me tell you Obama was the President of the United States. You respect the office.
If you like the person fine and if you don’t like the person that’s your choice. But you know, the decorum in the entire country right now has left the building. I’ve had things happen to me on that floor that I’ve never seen before. I’ve been called on the floor called an old White guy.
Leahy: By your colleagues?
Glover: Yeah.
Leahy: Are they saying you’re bad because you’re an old White guy?
Glover: Because I’m a White guy. And apparently, you know, the knowledge I have. that’s one thing that drives me crazy about the younger generation. They don’t want to hear what we have to say. They don’t want to know what we’ve lived through, but I’m telling you
Leahy: They are very closed-minded.
Glover: I have been here for almost 20 years. I know a lot of things about history. I know a lot of things about the city. Am I the smartest apple in the barrel? No, but I’ve never claimed to be and so, you know, I try to do my homework I try to get ready. I try to know what I’m talking about before I talk about it and to have these kinds of things happening constantly and it seems to be okay from there.
Now if I did it, let me just start let’s flip it. if I had done that right there. Oh, the other side, they wouldn’t be asking for resignation and they’d begin demanding it and then protesting and doing whatever. So I think it’s sad.
Leahy: So Carol Swain who is usually here on Thursdays is traveling today and you’re gracious enough to sit in for Carol. Steve, I appreciate it. Here’s what she said about this tweet by Bob Mendes Metro council member at large who tweeted on Tuesday night and has kept it up and has confirmed to us at The Tennessee Star of that.
He did in fact tweet this he tweeted “Trump is a racist m dot dot dot f dot dot dot.” Carol Swain who by the way, I don’t know. She’s Black and she’s a conservative. She ran for mayor against John Cooper and I think many people now are regretting their votes for John Cooper.
But here’s what she said about this Bob Mendes tweet. “It is disgusting and disappointing when our elected officials resort to gutter language rather than rational discord, of course, to press disagreement. Bob Mendes has disrespected the office of the presidency and has shown the world his contempt for President Trump who as a man who has done more for Black Americans than any other president elected during my lifetime. Mendes has proven his unfitness for higher office by posting such a vulgar and vile tweet.”
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, Scott Golden emailed The Tennessee Star on Wednesday and said he hoped that Mendes would quickly delete his post. Apparently, that’s not happening. Here’s the Golden quote. I want to get your reaction to the quote.
“One would think as national businesses are being closed workers being laid off sponsoring and passing a 34 percent property tax rates and the prospect of the city being over by the state for financial mismanagement that councilman Mendes would spend his evenings in a more productive way.” That was Scott Gould that was a very calm response to what was an inflammatory and factually incorrect assertion by Bob Mendes. What’s your reaction to all this?
Glover: Well, what else say is that Scott Golden, first of all, lets, you know, Scott Golden is solid rock for the Republican Party in the state of Tennessee. He’s always very logical about the way thinks and in the way he presents. And he’s thorough frankly. I think he’s very thorough in his analysis.
So, you know, I’m glad we’ve got Scott there. What do I say about this? I think it’s disgusting right now. We’ve got major problems in this city. And I hate to break the news to everybody but you might as well get ready for this one. We didn’t we cut any expenses?
Leahy: They raised them five percent. Cooper did.
Glover: We didn’t cut any expenses.
Leahy: This is during the complete economic collapse of coronavirus.
Glover: That’s right. So we didn’t cut anything. And then got a $121 million. I still don’t know exactly how it’s being spent etcetera. I know it comes through resolution council but blah blah blah. And then he had asked for what 83 million more and he got denied it. We haven’t learned any lessons. Here’s the bad news Nashville. A 34 to a 37 percent property tax increase and the government will come back and hit you again in three years because we didn’t curb one doggone thing.
Leahy: Spending has gone up.
Glover: A $100 million is going to go into reserve funds this year. It needs to be replenished. I agree. I don’t agree with the way we’re doing it. I don’t agree with it. But then what’s that other 100 million going to be used for next year in that budget? Oh, let me think about that one.
It’ll be utilized for more bonding capacity greater debt in order to take on more. More toys that we don’t need to be buying right now. We need to be taking care of our infrastructure. We need to be working on our roads. We need to get enough police officers. We need our fire department up to speed.
Our police officers up to speed but you know for 34 to 37 percent property tax increase would you get out of it Michael? Nothing. Nothing but a continued abuse of spending and taking advantage of the taxpayers in Nashville, Tennessee.
That’s what you got for 34 to 37 percent. Did you get an improvement in your roads? Did you get an improvement in your schools? Did you get anything? And the answer is no you didn’t. And by gosh, you know what you better enjoy it because we’re going to come back again and do the same thing to you.
That’s what they basically have said. They’ve been so arrogant on this tax increase. I tried to meet in the middle somewhere. Oh, no, there was no discussing that, and here’s the other fact that people need to understand. My first proposal came in at around 12 to 14 percent. I cut. Man, I cut the fire out of that thing. I was going to furlough the employees for a four-week period over a year.
Leahy: And none of them had been furloughed.
Glover: I mean if I had to hold the that would have saved us 40 million dollars by the way. I cut about a hundred some-odd million dollars on my first one. But here’s the problem. You can’t get it on the floor until the finance department signs off on it and says, yes, it’s financially sound.
Leahy: Who’s the chairman of that?
Glover: Well, there’s not a chairman of it. It’s the finance department for Metro. And so finally on my third or fourth revision is where we landed.
Leahy: By the way, we asked Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s office for comment on that on the utterly disgraceful comments of Bob Mendes. Apparently, they approve it because they haven’t called back and giving us any statement at all.
Glover: They were partners on the tax deal. I can’t imagine they’d say anything.
Listen to the full third hour here:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Background Photo “Nashville City Hall” by Nicolas Henderson. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--#FightBack: Rittenhouse Lawyer L. Lin Wood to Sue Joe Biden for Smearing His Client in Anti-Trump Vi

#FightBack: Rittenhouse Lawyer L. Lin Wood to Sue Joe Biden for Smearing His Client in Anti-Trump Video

An attorney representing Kyle Rittenhouse , the teenager who fatally shot two agitators , and wounded another during a violent riot in Kenosha , Wisconsin , has vowed to sue Joe Biden and the Biden/Harris Campaign for libel .
Biden , in an effort to paint President Trump as a racist supporter of white supremacism , tweeted out a video montage of alleged white supremacists that included an image of the 17-year-old Rittenhouse carrying an AR-15 rifle in Kenosha during the August 25 riot .
“ There ’ s no other way to put it : the President of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the debate stage last night , ” Biden tweeted .
Wood demanded a public retraction from the Biden/Harris Campaign on behalf of Rittenhouse , as no evidence has emerged to suggest that Rittenhouse or any member of his family are linked to white supremacists , or any other far right extremist groups .
All three of the antifa rioters who were shot by the teen—Joseph Rosenbaum , Anthony Huber , and Gage Paul Grosskreutz—had violent criminal backgrounds , including armed burglary and child molestation .
They were part of a violent BLM/antifa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kicking him and beating him in the head with a skateboard after he ’ d fallen to the ground .
One of them was illegally armed with a handgun that he pointed at the teen .
The shooting took place around 11:45 p.m. near a car dealership as antifa/BLM rioters rampaged through town for the third night in a row following the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake .
The teen was part of an armed group that was there to protect local businesses and offer first aid to activists and Kenosha residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , Rittenhouse had helped clean graffiti off of a Kenosha school .
Rittenhouse , an Illinois resident , was arrested by police on August 26 for first-degree murder before the case had been adequately investigated .
This 11-minute video shows the timeline of events before the shootings .
“ Biden/Harris Campaign & @ JoeBiden only needed to spend 11 minutes to know their accusations against Kyle Rittenhouse were blatantly false PRIOR to publication of video falsely accusing Kyle , ” Rittenhouse ’ s lawyer L. Lin Wood tweeted Wednesday morning .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That is a promise .
I keep my promises.
” The attorney is also suing Facebook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for defaming his Rittenhouse .
“ In addition to suing Facebook for being falsely accused of being mass murderer , Kyle Rittenhouse has defamation claim against Joe Biden for falsely accusing him of being white supremacist & militia member responsible for violence in Kenosha , ” the lawyer wrote in a subsequent tweet .
“ Candidate Biden = Defendant Biden.
” Wood also represents Covington Catholic teen Nick Sandmann , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media after his viral confrontation with Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington DC in March of 2019 .
The attorney has sued a number of news organizations for defamation against his client , including the Washington Post and CNN , both of whom settled with Sandmann for undisclosed terms .
The fired-up lawyer also tweeted : “ Biden video identifies Kyle Rittenhouse as Wallace condemns white supremacists & militia members for adding to violence in Kenosha .
Biden has forgotten @ N1ckSandmann & his lawsuits against CNN & WaPo .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realDonaldTrump is not Biden ’ s biggest problem.
” “ I also hereby demand that @ JoeBiden immediately retract his false accusation that Kyle is a white supremacist & militia member responsible for violence in Kenosha , ” Wood tweeted .
In addition to Rittenhouse and Sandmann , Wood also represented Richard Jewell , the hapless security guard who was falsely accused by the FBI of setting the Centennial Olympic park bomb in Atlanta , Georgia in 1996 .
Wood announced on Twitter that his partner Todd McCurtry and lawyer/journalist Ron Coleman would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ libel case against Biden .
Marina Medvin , a defense lawyer who joined the Rittenhouse criminal defense team , wrote a response to Biden ’ s “ defamatory allegation ” against her client .
Medvin pointed out that there is not even “ a pinch ” of evidence to suggest that Rittenhouse is a “ white supremacist ” as alleged in Biden ’ s video .
“ My client is a 17 year old patriotic , dutiful , American boy who came to ‘ help people , ’ ” she wrote .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Medvin said .
Wood snarked that the Biden and his campaign need to “ advise their donors that they are actually contributing to the Kyle Rittenhouse Scholarship fund .
”

by Debra Heine
An attorney representing Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who fatally shot two agitators, and wounded another during a violent riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has vowed to sue Joe Biden and the Biden/Harris Campaign for libel.
President Trump “is not Biden’s biggest problem,” attorney L.Lin Wood declared on Wednesday.
Biden, in an effort to paint President Trump as a racist supporter of white supremacism, tweeted out a video montage of alleged white supremacists that included an image of the 17-year-old Rittenhouse carrying an AR-15 rifle in Kenosha during the August 25 riot.
“There’s no other way to put it: the President of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night,” Biden tweeted.
There’s no other way to put it: the President of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night. pic.twitter.com/Q3VZTW1vUV — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 30, 2020
Wood demanded a public retraction from the Biden/Harris Campaign on behalf of Rittenhouse, as no evidence has emerged to suggest that Rittenhouse or any member of his family are linked to white supremacists, or any other far right extremist groups.
All three of the antifa rioters who were shot by the teen—Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Gage Paul Grosskreutz—had violent criminal backgrounds, including armed burglary and child molestation.
They were part of a violent BLM/antifa mob seen on video chasing Rittenhouse, kicking him and beating him in the head with a skateboard after he’d fallen to the ground. One of them was illegally armed with a handgun that he pointed at the teen.
The shooting took place around 11:45 p.m. near a car dealership as antifa/BLM rioters rampaged through town for the third night in a row following the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake.
The teen was part of an armed group that was there to protect local businesses and offer first aid to activists and Kenosha residents during the rioting. Earlier in the day, Rittenhouse had helped clean graffiti off of a Kenosha school.
Rittenhouse, an Illinois resident, was arrested by police on August 26 for first-degree murder before the case had been adequately investigated.
This 11-minute video shows the timeline of events before the shootings.
“Biden/Harris Campaign & @JoeBiden only needed to spend 11 minutes to know their accusations against Kyle Rittenhouse were blatantly false PRIOR to publication of video falsely accusing Kyle,” Rittenhouse’s lawyer L. Lin Wood tweeted Wednesday morning. “See you in court, Joe. That is a promise. I keep my promises.”
The attorney is also suing Facebook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for defaming his Rittenhouse.
“In addition to suing Facebook for being falsely accused of being mass murderer, Kyle Rittenhouse has defamation claim against Joe Biden for falsely accusing him of being white supremacist & militia member responsible for violence in Kenosha,” the lawyer wrote in a subsequent tweet. “Candidate Biden = Defendant Biden.”
Wood also represents Covington Catholic teen Nick Sandmann, who was smeared by assorted liberals and members of the media after his viral confrontation with Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington DC in March of 2019. The attorney has sued a number of news organizations for defamation against his client, including the Washington Post and CNN, both of whom settled with Sandmann for undisclosed terms.
The fired-up lawyer also tweeted: “Biden video identifies Kyle Rittenhouse as Wallace condemns white supremacists & militia members for adding to violence in Kenosha. Biden has forgotten @N1ckSandmann & his lawsuits against CNN & WaPo. I am going to remind him. @realDonaldTrump is not Biden’s biggest problem.”
Biden video identifies Kyle Rittenhouse as Wallace condemns white supremacists & militia members for adding to violence in Kenosha. Biden has forgotten @N1ckSandmann & his lawsuits against CNN & WaPo. I am going to remind him.@realDonaldTrump is not Biden’s biggest problem. https://t.co/xnJ3o63yyF — Lin Wood (@LLinWood) September 30, 2020
“I also hereby demand that @JoeBiden immediately retract his false accusation that Kyle is a white supremacist & militia member responsible for violence in Kenosha,” Wood tweeted.
Formal demand for public retraction is being prepared for Biden/Harris Campaign on behalf of Kyle Rittenhouse. I also hereby demand that @JoeBiden immediately retract his false accusation that Kyle is a white supremacist & militia member responsible for violence in Kenosha. pic.twitter.com/GrZyE8nI7Z — Lin Wood (@LLinWood) September 30, 2020
In addition to Rittenhouse and Sandmann, Wood also represented Richard Jewell, the hapless security guard who was falsely accused by the FBI of setting the Centennial Olympic park bomb in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996.
Are you sick & tired of a propaganda media & corrupt politicians falsely accusing minor children like @N1ckSandmann & Kyle Rittenhouse for money & perceived political gain or is it just me? Nicholas was 16. Kyle is 17. At least Richard Jewell was 33. Enough is enough. — Lin Wood (@LLinWood) September 30, 2020
Wood announced on Twitter that his partner Todd McCurtry and lawyer/journalist Ron Coleman would join his legal team in pursuing the libel case against Biden.
Marina Medvin, a defense lawyer who joined the Rittenhouse criminal defense team, wrote a response to Biden’s “defamatory allegation” against her client.
Medvin pointed out that there is not even “a pinch” of evidence to suggest that Rittenhouse is a “white supremacist” as alleged in Biden’s video.
“My client is a 17 year old patriotic, dutiful, American boy who came to ‘help people,’” she wrote. “The lies and propaganda need to stop,” Medvin said.
Response to Joe Biden's defamatory allegation that my client Kyle Rittenhouse is a "white supremacist" — pic.twitter.com/m2QUJ25rAt — Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) September 30, 2020
Wood snarked that the Biden and his campaign need to “advise their donors that they are actually contributing to the Kyle Rittenhouse Scholarship fund.”
– – –
Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Kayleigh McEnany Upbraids Media for Obsessing About ‘White Supremacy’ While Ignoring Antifa

Reporters on Thursday badgered White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on the question of why President Trump won ’ t denounce white supremacy , when in fact , he has done so countless times .
The corporate media have been aggressively pushing a false left-wing narrative regarding Trump and “ white supremacists ” that is beneficial to the Biden Campaign , while ignoring the ongoing violence of left-wing extremist groups like antifa and Black Lives Matter .
“ I ’ d like to ask you for a definitive and declarative statement , without ambiguity or deflection , ” said Fox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roberts .
“ As the person who speaks for the president , does the president denounce white supremacism , and groups that espouse it in all their forms ?
” he asked .
McEnany , understandably frustrated and baffled by the media ’ s bizarre obsession with a question that has already been answered numerous times , noted that Trump condemned white supremacy as recently as yesterday .
“ This has been answered yesterday by the president himself , ” she replied .
“ The day before by the president himself on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this and he said ‘ sure ’ three times .
Yesterday , he was point-blank asked ‘ Do you denounce white supremacy ’ and he said ‘ I ’ ve always denounced any form of that.
’ ” McEnany went on to list a number of other examples of Trump specifically denouncing racism , neo-nazis , white supremacy , and the KKK .
“ He has condemned white supremacy more than any president in modern history , ” she declared .
In the face of this overwhelming evidence that the president has , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without “ ambiguity or deflection , ” Roberts pressed the press sec .
to “ clear things up ” by making a declarative statement that the president denounces white supremacy .
“ I just did , ” McEnany replied wearily .
“ You ’ re contriving a storyline and a narrative , ” she added .
Roberts pushed her to make a declarative statement just one more time .
“ I just did , I read you all the quotes , ” she told the Fox News reporter .
“ Do you need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will put them in an email.
” As McEnany attempted to move on , Roberts interrupted to insist on an answer to his oft-answered question .
“ Can you right now denounce white supremacy and the groups that espouse it , ” he demanded .
“ I just did !
” the frustrated press secretary shot back .
“ The president has denounced white supremacy , the KKK , and hate groups in all forms .
He signed a resolution to that effect .
The president just last week—perhaps you all weren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the KKK permanently prosecuted as domestic terrorists .
This president has advocated for the death penalty for a white supremacist—the first federal execution in 17 years .
His record on this is unmistakable , and it ’ s shameful that the media refuses to cover it.
” The very next question pressed McEnany on what the White House was doing to combat the threat of racially motivated violence .
The feisty White House spox concluded the briefing by blasting the media for “ turning a blind eye ” to the left-wing domestic terrorist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Democrats , the media apparently agrees with Gerry Nadler that antifa violence is a myth , ” she began .
“ In the August Senate hearings , Democrats refused to condemn antifa—again , no journalistic curiosity here despite the fact that Andy Ngo , who is a victim of antifa , said Democrats have mastered—he should add the media too—have mastered the art of making the violence appear innocuous.
” Their violence isn ’ t innocuous , ” McEnany argued .
“ Antifa is not an idea .
Andy Ngo can tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group of antifa protesters , suffering brain bleed , ” she added .
“ Another man can tell you this who in 2019 , the victim—his name is Adam Kelly—suffered from a concussion and got 25 staples in his head.
” The press sec .
shamed Democrats for ignoring the escalating violence .
“ In fact , as we just saw recently , there was a Trump supporter who was killed by a ‘ 100 percent antifa ’ man—that is how he described himself , ” she said .
She chastised the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shocking story out of Portland , Oregon .
( American Greatness covered it here and here . )
“ Again , no reporting here , but I guess I did the job of the media by getting this information myself , ” McEnany said indignantly .
“ This man who was 100 percent Antifa .
.
.
in fact been arrested before , ” she added , pointing out that he was arrested for carrying an illegal weapon during a “ protest ” and resisting arrest .
“ He was taken to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citation and put back on the streets .
And the very next month , this 100 percent antifa man was lying in wait before he killed an innocent Trump supporter , ” McEnany informed the reporters .
“ Ideas to not target police officers .
Ideas do not burn down buildings , ideas do not kill innocent Americans .
Organizations do , she declared , before pointing out the gross double standard at play among Democrats and their media allies .
“ Democrats should condemn this shameful organization in the same manner President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
As McEnany left the podium , a female reporter could be heard loudly asserting that [ the president ] “ is not condemning white supremacy.
” Following the contentious press briefing , McEnany tweeted directly at Roberts alerting him to his own wife ’ s reporting at ABC from the day before .
“ @ johnrobertsFox I would refer you to your wife ’ s reporting from 21 hours ago… accurate reporting I cited in the White House Press Briefing , ” McEnany wrote , retweeting Kyra Phillips ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” denounced white supremacists .
“ Just now :  @ realDonaldTrump tells me he DENOUNCES white supremacists  @ ABCPolitics @ ABCNewsLive @ ABCWorldNews @ ABC @ johnrobertsFox , ” Phillips ’ s tweet reads .

by Debra Heine
Reporters on Thursday badgered White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on the question of why President Trump won’t denounce white supremacy, when in fact, he has done so countless times.
The corporate media have been aggressively pushing a false left-wing narrative regarding Trump and “white supremacists” that is beneficial to the Biden Campaign, while ignoring the ongoing violence of left-wing extremist groups like antifa and Black Lives Matter.
“I’d like to ask you for a definitive and declarative statement, without ambiguity or deflection,” said Fox News’ Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts. “As the person who speaks for the president, does the president denounce white supremacism, and groups that espouse it in all their forms?” he asked.
McEnany, understandably frustrated and baffled by the media’s bizarre obsession with a question that has already been answered numerous times, noted that Trump condemned white supremacy as recently as yesterday.
“This has been answered yesterday by the president himself,” she replied. “The day before by the president himself on the debate stage. The president was asked this and he said ‘sure’ three times. Yesterday, he was point-blank asked ‘Do you denounce white supremacy’ and he said ‘I’ve always denounced any form of that.’”
McEnany went on to list a number of other examples of Trump specifically denouncing racism, neo-nazis, white supremacy, and the KKK.
“He has condemned white supremacy more than any president in modern history,” she declared.
In the face of this overwhelming evidence that the president has, indeed, repeatedly denounced white supremacy groups without “ambiguity or deflection,” Roberts pressed the press sec. to “clear things up” by making a declarative statement that the president denounces white supremacy.
“I just did,” McEnany replied wearily. “You’re contriving a storyline and a narrative,” she added.
Roberts pushed her to make a declarative statement just one more time.
“I just did, I read you all the quotes,” she told the Fox News reporter. “Do you need to see them in writing? I will put them in an email.”
As McEnany attempted to move on, Roberts interrupted to insist on an answer to his oft-answered question.
“Can you right now denounce white supremacy and the groups that espouse it,” he demanded.
“I just did!” the frustrated press secretary shot back. “The president has denounced white supremacy, the KKK, and hate groups in all forms. He signed a resolution to that effect. The president just last week—perhaps you all weren’t covering it—expressed his desire to see the KKK permanently prosecuted as domestic terrorists. This president has advocated for the death penalty for a white supremacist—the first federal execution in 17 years. His record on this is unmistakable, and it’s shameful that the media refuses to cover it.”
John Roberts asking Kayleigh McEnany if the President denounces white supremacists after she reads half a dozen quotes from the President denouncing white supremacists is the most insane clip I've ever seen. WTF? He's pushing a false narrative in the face of the actual facts. pic.twitter.com/oTyziCnn0d — Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) October 1, 2020
The very next question pressed McEnany on what the White House was doing to combat the threat of racially motivated violence.
The feisty White House spox concluded the briefing by blasting the media for “turning a blind eye” to the left-wing domestic terrorist group antifa.
“Carrying the water for Democrats, the media apparently agrees with Gerry Nadler that antifa violence is a myth,” she began. “In the August Senate hearings, Democrats refused to condemn antifa—again, no journalistic curiosity here despite the fact that Andy Ngo, who is a victim of antifa, said Democrats have mastered—he should add the media too—have mastered the art of making the violence appear innocuous.”
Their violence isn’t innocuous,” McEnany argued. “Antifa is not an idea. Andy Ngo can tell you that because he was beaten by a group of antifa protesters, suffering brain bleed,” she added. “Another man can tell you this who in 2019, the victim—his name is Adam Kelly—suffered from a concussion and got 25 staples in his head.”
The press sec. shamed Democrats for ignoring the escalating violence.
“In fact, as we just saw recently, there was a Trump supporter who was killed by a ‘100 percent antifa’ man—that is how he described himself,” she said.
She chastised the corporate media for failing to report on the shocking story out of Portland, Oregon. (American Greatness covered it here and here.)
“Again, no reporting here, but I guess I did the job of the media by getting this information myself,” McEnany said indignantly.
“This man who was 100 percent Antifa . . . in fact been arrested before,” she added, pointing out that he was arrested for carrying an illegal weapon during a “protest” and resisting arrest.
“He was taken to jail where he was merely given a citation and put back on the streets. And the very next month, this 100 percent antifa man was lying in wait before he killed an innocent Trump supporter,” McEnany informed the reporters.
“Ideas to not target police officers. Ideas do not burn down buildings, ideas do not kill innocent Americans. Organizations do, she declared, before pointing out the gross double standard at play among Democrats and their media allies. “Democrats should condemn this shameful organization in the same manner President Trump continues to condemn white supremacy,” she said.
As McEnany left the podium, a female reporter could be heard loudly asserting that [the president] “is not condemning white supremacy.”
Thank you @PressSec for talking about the REAL threat of organized & deadly antifa violence against myself & countless other victims. Those who want to support my lawsuit against Rose City Antifa for their assault can donate to my @Liberty_Ctr legal fund: https://t.co/j7jaIkxy8f pic.twitter.com/qsrrP5U9nf — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 1, 2020
Following the contentious press briefing, McEnany tweeted directly at Roberts alerting him to his own wife’s reporting at ABC from the day before.
“@johnrobertsFox I would refer you to your wife’s reporting from 21 hours ago… accurate reporting I cited in the White House Press Briefing,” McEnany wrote, retweeting Kyra Phillips’ report showing that Trump had “definitively” denounced white supremacists.
“Just now: @realDonaldTrump tells me he DENOUNCES white supremacists @ABCPolitics @ABCNewsLive @ABCWorldNews @ABC @johnrobertsFox,” Phillips’s tweet reads.
.@johnrobertsFox I would refer you to your wife’s reporting from 21 hours ago… accurate reporting I cited in the White House Press Briefing. https://t.co/dV3Hzp1UaI — Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 1, 2020
– – –
Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Commentary: Advancing Liberty by Divesting from China

No President in our lifetimes has been tougher on China than President Donald Trump .
The Trump administration has courageously and steadfastly taken on China ’ s many trade abuses , threats to national security and human rights abuses .
His Art of the Deal got China to agree to a phase one trade agreement even though it left tariffs of 25 percent on $ 250 billion of goods and another 7.5 percent on the remaining $ 300 billion of goods .
The administration have made it clear to Beijing that its continued actions that threaten Hong Kong and Taiwan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense Department has named 31 companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges that are either owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and military .
Recently , and in addition , the Trump administration through the Thrift Savings Plan Board has made the all-important decision to exclude risky Chinese state-owned , non-transparent assets from the federal employees ’ 401 ( K ) Thrift Savings Plan .
On May 13 , the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board delayed implementation of switching the I Fund benchmark to the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have included China .
Significantly , U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia stated that stopping the inclusion of Chinese assets in the Thrift Savings Plan was necessary because it , “ would place millions of federal employees , retirees , and service-members in the untenable position of choosing between forgoing any investment in international equities or placing billions of dollars in retirement savings in risky companies that pose a threat to U.S. national security.
” Secretary Scalia ’ s statement matters because the Labor Department also has a legal responsibility to ensure that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the same rationale used to urge federal retirement accounts be protected from unsafe Chinese investment , the Department should immediately end all private retirement investments in Chinese assets .
The Secretary can do this simply by amending the current pending “ Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments ” regulation to disqualify all companies that do not adhere to the transparency requirements of Dodd-Frank and Sarbannes-Oxley .
The obvious question is if Chinese assets are too risky for inclusion in the federal TSP , why would they be allowed to be included in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same argument directly applies ?
The answer is that they are not , and under ERISA it is the Labor Department ’ s job to protect private sector retirement specific investments or pensions from choices that are unsuitably risky .
In a July 7 letter from National Security Advisor Robert O ’ Brien and Larry Kudlow , Director of the National Economic Council to the head of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board , they state , d “ The NRRI ’ s Trust ’ s investment in the PRC exposes the retirement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unnecessary economic risk.
” Once again the question is why should private pension investments be allowed to be put into this risk when other public retirement funds are being urged to protect their retirees by ending these investments ?
O ’ Brien and Kudlow continue by citing the exact transparency risk which directly puts Chinese assets in conflict with both the letter and intent of ERISA , “ Another key reason why the NRI Trust ’ s investments in PRC companies expose American railroad retirees to substantial economic risk is because the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on U.S. exchanges from complying with applicable U.S. securities laws , leaving investors without the benefit of important protections.
” In addition , the U.S. Department of Labor ’ s Bureau of International Labor Affairs annually issues a report on countries which use child and slave labor in the manufacture of goods .
China is listed not once , not twice but twelve times in the latest report for using children and slaves to make goods , many of which find their place on the shelves of U.S. retailers like Walmart .
Artificial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coal , cotton , electronics , fireworks , footwear , garments , nails , textiles and toys are all listed as being made with child or slave labor in China .
The very Christmas ornaments we put on our trees , the toys , clothing under that tree including the latest Colin Kaepernick shoe , and the phone or other Chinese made electronics are likely the product of the blood and toil of children and slaves .
The Department of Defense has also condemned the vast concentration camp system in China said to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muslims in Xinjiang province alone .
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver told a Pentagon briefing , “ The [ Chinese ] are using the security forces for mass imprisonment of Chinese Muslims in concentration camps , ” justifying the use of the term because “ given what we understand to be the magnitude of the detention , at least a million but likely closer to three million citizens out of a population of about 10 million ” .
Finally , there is the ongoing genocide for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Uighurs and others , according to the Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China .
Currently , according to the U.S. Treasury , U.S. investors have $ 381 billion invested in Chinese and Hong Kong stock exchanges and bonds , an estimated $ 251 billion of which is held by mutual and pension funds .
While moral determinations are not part of ERISA , American pensions and 401 ( k ) investors are unquestionably underwriting the grotesque abuse of helpless and oppressed Chinese religious minorities and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans would be appalled to learn that they were effectively providing the capital for the enslavement of their fellow man , and President Trump can stop it .
While China ’ s tyrannical regime would certainly make a case for sanctions historically under any other circumstances to prevent all U.S. investment into Chinese companies — including China ’ s refusal to come clean about the true origins of COVID-19 .
In the very least , blocking non-transparent , risky assets whose reliance on slavery rightfully offends our national sensibilities is obligated under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ERISA — and it is the right thing to do .
The American people can be grateful that President Trump is the first President ever to take on the China threat .
Nobody has a stronger record on this issue , making the determination that Chinese assets and other risky non-transparent assets have no place in America ’ s retirement portfolios an easy one for the President .
The stand he takes will not only protect national security and our nation ’ s economic prosperity — it will advance the cause of human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans for Limited Government .
Photo “ Xi Jinping ” by Narendra Modi .
CC BY 2.0 .

by Rick Manning
No President in our lifetimes has been tougher on China than President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has courageously and steadfastly taken on China’s many trade abuses, threats to national security and human rights abuses. His Art of the Deal got China to agree to a phase one trade agreement even though it left tariffs of 25 percent on $250 billion of goods and another 7.5 percent on the remaining $300 billion of goods. The administration have made it clear to Beijing that its continued actions that threaten Hong Kong and Taiwan will not go unchecked. And the Defense Department has named 31 companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges that are either owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and military.
Recently, and in addition, the Trump administration through the Thrift Savings Plan Board has made the all-important decision to exclude risky Chinese state-owned, non-transparent assets from the federal employees’ 401(K) Thrift Savings Plan. On May 13, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board delayed implementation of switching the I Fund benchmark to the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Ex-U.S. Investable Market Index, which would have included China.
Significantly, U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia stated that stopping the inclusion of Chinese assets in the Thrift Savings Plan was necessary because it, “would place millions of federal employees, retirees, and service-members in the untenable position of choosing between forgoing any investment in international equities or placing billions of dollars in retirement savings in risky companies that pose a threat to U.S. national security.”
Secretary Scalia’s statement matters because the Labor Department also has a legal responsibility to ensure that private retirement investments are suitable, and under the same rationale used to urge federal retirement accounts be protected from unsafe Chinese investment, the Department should immediately end all private retirement investments in Chinese assets. The Secretary can do this simply by amending the current pending “Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments” regulation to disqualify all companies that do not adhere to the transparency requirements of Dodd-Frank and Sarbannes-Oxley.
The obvious question is if Chinese assets are too risky for inclusion in the federal TSP, why would they be allowed to be included in private 401(K) investments where the same argument directly applies? The answer is that they are not, and under ERISA it is the Labor Department’s job to protect private sector retirement specific investments or pensions from choices that are unsuitably risky.
In a July 7 letter from National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and Larry Kudlow, Director of the National Economic Council to the head of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, they state,d “The NRRI’s Trust’s investment in the PRC exposes the retirement funds of railroad workers to significant and unnecessary economic risk.”
Once again the question is why should private pension investments be allowed to be put into this risk when other public retirement funds are being urged to protect their retirees by ending these investments?
O’Brien and Kudlow continue by citing the exact transparency risk which directly puts Chinese assets in conflict with both the letter and intent of ERISA, “Another key reason why the NRI Trust’s investments in PRC companies expose American railroad retirees to substantial economic risk is because the Chinese government prevents companies with Chinese operations listed on U.S. exchanges from complying with applicable U.S. securities laws, leaving investors without the benefit of important protections.”
In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs annually issues a report on countries which use child and slave labor in the manufacture of goods. China is listed not once, not twice but twelve times in the latest report for using children and slaves to make goods, many of which find their place on the shelves of U.S. retailers like Walmart. Artificial flowers, bricks, Christmas decorations, coal, cotton, electronics, fireworks, footwear, garments, nails, textiles and toys are all listed as being made with child or slave labor in China. The very Christmas ornaments we put on our trees, the toys, clothing under that tree including the latest Colin Kaepernick shoe, and the phone or other Chinese made electronics are likely the product of the blood and toil of children and slaves.
The Department of Defense has also condemned the vast concentration camp system in China said to be housing up to 3 million Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province alone. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver told a Pentagon briefing, “The [Chinese] are using the security forces for mass imprisonment of Chinese Muslims in concentration camps,” justifying the use of the term because “given what we understand to be the magnitude of the detention, at least a million but likely closer to three million citizens out of a population of about 10 million”.
Finally, there is the ongoing genocide for organs of political prisoners including Falun Gong, the Uighurs and others, according to the Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China.
Currently, according to the U.S. Treasury, U.S. investors have $381 billion invested in Chinese and Hong Kong stock exchanges and bonds, an estimated $251 billion of which is held by mutual and pension funds. While moral determinations are not part of ERISA, American pensions and 401(k) investors are unquestionably underwriting the grotesque abuse of helpless and oppressed Chinese religious minorities and political dissidents, and capitalizing slavery. Americans would be appalled to learn that they were effectively providing the capital for the enslavement of their fellow man, and President Trump can stop it.
While China’s tyrannical regime would certainly make a case for sanctions historically under any other circumstances to prevent all U.S. investment into Chinese companies — including China’s refusal to come clean about the true origins of COVID-19. In the very least, blocking non-transparent, risky assets whose reliance on slavery rightfully offends our national sensibilities is obligated under the Labor Department’s statutory responsibility under ERISA — and it is the right thing to do.
The American people can be grateful that President Trump is the first President ever to take on the China threat. Nobody has a stronger record on this issue, making the determination that Chinese assets and other risky non-transparent assets have no place in America’s retirement portfolios an easy one for the President. The stand he takes will not only protect national security and our nation’s economic prosperity — it will advance the cause of human liberty.
– – –
Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
Photo “Xi Jinping” by Narendra Modi. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Judson Phillips Commentary: What If We Are Wrong About 2020?

Conservatives are looking at the 2020 elections and make a couple of assumptions .
Without any dishonesty in the election process , President Trump will win a historic victory .
The second assumption is they Democrats are going to try and steal the election and if they can ’ t , they will use the chaos from the attempt to tie the President down in his second term .
What if we are wrong about 2020 ?
Not that we are wrong about Donald Trump .
But what if we are wrong about the left ?
Yes , they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can , but what if they have a different goal ?
On September 25 , Lanny Davis launched a tweet storm .
It was fifteen or more tweets .
The first one started out , “ Dear Red States ; We are leaving .
We ’ ve decided we are leaving .
We intend to form our own county and are taking the other blue states with us…that includes Hawaii , Oregon , California , New Mexico , Washington , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Illinois , and all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said can not be understated .
Lanny Davis is not someone on Twitter , just trying to get retweets .
Lanny Davis is a major player in the Democrat Party .
He is hard-wired into the Democrat establishment .
He is a thought leader in the party .
He uses Twitter to communicate to the masses .
He doesn ’ t just rattle off with some random tweet .
There are two immediate takeaways from this incredible tweet .
First , that tweet is an admission that the Democrat leadership does not believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
But second , it reveals something the Democrat leaders are thinking about .
They are thinking about splitting the country after President Trump wins a second term .
It isn ’ t just Lanny Davis saying this .
The so-called “ Transition Integrity Project ” met in early September to wargame out the possible results of an election .
The players were Democrats and Never Trump “ Republicans.
” The results were fed to the Washington Post , which dutifully repeated them .
As a part of one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the West Coast states to secede and form a nation called Cascadia .
The Democrats recruited for the wargaming included major Democrat figures , such as John Podesta , Donna Brazile , and Jennifer Granholm .
These are not minor players in the Democrat Party .
Like Lanny Davis , these are major players .
This idea of secession is something that has been discussed at the highest levels of the Democrat Party .
Indeed , party leaders have told Biden that under no circumstances should he concede the election .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but as crazy as they have become , it is possible .
The last time states tried to secede we had a bloody civil war .
Would we have another civil war ?
Or would Donald Trump create the ultimate deal ?
We don ’ t know what will happen .
What is evident is that some very significant people in the Democrat Party are thinking about forming a blue America after this election .
This nation may not be one nation , indivisible , much longer .
Judson Phillips is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tea Party Nation .
Photo “ Lanny Davis ” by Lanny Davis .

by Judson Phillips
Conservatives are looking at the 2020 elections and make a couple of assumptions. Without any dishonesty in the election process, President Trump will win a historic victory. The second assumption is they Democrats are going to try and steal the election and if they can’t, they will use the chaos from the attempt to tie the President down in his second term.
What if we are wrong about 2020?
Not that we are wrong about Donald Trump. But what if we are wrong about the left? Yes, they are going to sew as much chaos as they can, but what if they have a different goal?
On September 25, Lanny Davis launched a tweet storm. It was fifteen or more tweets. The first one started out, “Dear Red States; We are leaving. We’ve decided we are leaving. We intend to form our own county and are taking the other blue states with us…that includes Hawaii, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and all of the Northeast.”
The importance of what is said cannot be understated.
Lanny Davis is not someone on Twitter, just trying to get retweets. Lanny Davis is a major player in the Democrat Party. He is hard-wired into the Democrat establishment. He is a thought leader in the party. He uses Twitter to communicate to the masses. He doesn’t just rattle off with some random tweet.
There are two immediate takeaways from this incredible tweet.
First, that tweet is an admission that the Democrat leadership does not believe Biden can steal, much less win the election.
But second, it reveals something the Democrat leaders are thinking about.
They are thinking about splitting the country after President Trump wins a second term.
It isn’t just Lanny Davis saying this.
The so-called “Transition Integrity Project” met in early September to wargame out the possible results of an election. The players were Democrats and Never Trump “Republicans.” The results were fed to the Washington Post, which dutifully repeated them. As a part of one of the scenarios, the Biden team called for the West Coast states to secede and form a nation called Cascadia.
The Democrats recruited for the wargaming included major Democrat figures, such as John Podesta, Donna Brazile, and Jennifer Granholm. These are not minor players in the Democrat Party. Like Lanny Davis, these are major players.
This idea of secession is something that has been discussed at the highest levels of the Democrat Party. Indeed, party leaders have told Biden that under no circumstances should he concede the election.
This is arguably the nuclear option for the Democrats, but as crazy as they have become, it is possible.
The last time states tried to secede we had a bloody civil war. Would we have another civil war?
Or would Donald Trump create the ultimate deal?
We don’t know what will happen.
What is evident is that some very significant people in the Democrat Party are thinking about forming a blue America after this election. This nation may not be one nation, indivisible, much longer.
– – –
Judson Phillips is a long time conservative pundit and founder of Tea Party Nation.
Photo “Lanny Davis” by Lanny Davis.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Just Before Obama Left Office, U.S. Officials Feared Hunter Biden Firm in Ukraine Paid Second Bribe

Twenty-two days before President Obama left office , the U.S. ambassador to Kiev wrote top officials in Washington that she feared Burisma Holdings had made a second bribe to Ukrainian officials around the time a corruption probe against Hunter Biden ’ s natural gas employer was closed before Donald Trump took office .
The concerns are detailed in new memos belatedly released to Just the News under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the State Department .
The suit was brought on behalf of the news organization by the public interest law firm the Southeastern Legal Foundation .
Then-Ambassador @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised in a Ukrainian news story about a Russian-backed fugitive lawmaker in Ukraine , who alleged Burisma had dumped low-priced natural gas into the market for officials near Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to buy low and sell high , making a bribe disguised as a profit .
The scheme was confirmed by U.S. officials before Yovanovitch alerted the top State official for Ukraine and Russia policy in Washington at the time , Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland , the memos show .
“ There are accusations that Burisma allegedly had a subsidiary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay bribes , ” Yovanovitch wrote Nuland on Dec. 29 , 2016 , noting the story “ mentions that Hunter Biden and former Polish President Kwasniewski are on the Burisma Board.
” The alert was the second in two years in which the embassy alleged Burisma had paid a bribe while Vice President Joe Biden ’ s son served on its board .
Back in February 2015 , then-embassy official George Kent reported to the U.S. Justice Department evidence that Burisma had made a $ 7 million cash bribe to Ukrainian prosecutors before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United Kingdom by failing to produce required evidence .
The second alleged bribe in December 2016 was brought to the attention of Yovanovitch and Kent , then a top aide to the ambassador , shortly after the Christmas holiday when a story appeared in the Ukrainian press .
“ Lots of accusations/innuendo , ” Yovanovitch was told in an email .
“ Mentions Biden ’ s son and Kwasniewski are on board of Burisma , which allegedly had a subsidiary dump natural gas recently as a way to pay bribes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shorthand State officials in the U.S. embassy in Kiev used to refer to Petro Poroshenko , the Ukrainian president , who was close to Vice President Biden .
Because the allegations were first raised by Oleksander Onyschenko , a fugitive in Ukraine who was tied to Russian sources , as well as Radical Party Leader Oleg Lyashko , embassy officials checked them out and confirmed them before telling Nuland .
“ The dumping part is true , ” the embassy ’ s deputy economic counselor wrote Yovanovitch a few hours after the story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The official told the ambassador a major Ukrainian figure close to Poroshenko was “ photographed meeting with [ Burisma founder Mykola ] Zlochevsky in a Vienna restaurant over the weekend , and Zlochevsky may have handed over a suitcase .
You can ’ t make this up.
” Within a few days of the bribe claim , word emerged in Ukraine that the prosecutor general ’ s office had settled their long-running corruption case against Burisma in exchange for a tax penalty .
Anti-corruption activists in Ukraine quickly expressed their displeasure to American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials who had worked alongside Vice President Biden for years were resigned to the closure of the case and frustrated that a company tied to Hunter Biden had undercut U.S. efforts to fight endemic corruption in Ukraine “ The Burisma tale of getting a court to shut down a PGO investigation noted below would amount to nearly the same mechanism — rich connected businessman politician seeks to use the court/judge of unknown reputation to close an investigation of a business with a dodgy reputation , ” Kent wrote Yovanovitch on Jan. 13 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
Right up to Obama ’ s last day in office , the U.S. embassy officials continued to follow and remark on Burisma ’ s escape from prosecution .
For more than a year , the Bidens , congressional Democrats and their allies in the American media have sought to portray the story of Hunter Biden ’ s work for Burisma as a Russian-inspired conspiracy theory that had been discredited .
But the Obama-Biden era documents gathered by this news organization over more than a year under FOIA clearly show State officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearance of a conflict of interest because Joe Biden continued to preside over anti-corruption policy in Ukraine while his son worked for a company under investigation for corruption .
And now the latest documents show those same officials had reported not one , but two alleged efforts by Burisma to pay bribes to end the investigations while the vice president ’ s son served on the company ’ s board .

by John Solomon
Twenty-two days before President Obama left office, the U.S. ambassador to Kiev wrote top officials in Washington that she feared Burisma Holdings had made a second bribe to Ukrainian officials around the time a corruption probe against Hunter Biden’s natural gas employer was closed before Donald Trump took office.
The concerns are detailed in new memos belatedly released to Just the News under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the State Department. The suit was brought on behalf of the news organization by the public interest law firm the Southeastern Legal Foundation.
Then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s concerns were first raised in a Ukrainian news story about a Russian-backed fugitive lawmaker in Ukraine, who alleged Burisma had dumped low-priced natural gas into the market for officials near Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to buy low and sell high, making a bribe disguised as a profit.
The scheme was confirmed by U.S. officials before Yovanovitch alerted the top State official for Ukraine and Russia policy in Washington at the time, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, the memos show.
“There are accusations that Burisma allegedly had a subsidiary dump natural gas as a way to pay bribes,” Yovanovitch wrote Nuland on Dec. 29, 2016, noting the story “mentions that Hunter Biden and former Polish President Kwasniewski are on the Burisma Board.”
The alert was the second in two years in which the embassy alleged Burisma had paid a bribe while Vice President Joe Biden’s son served on its board.
Back in February 2015, then-embassy official George Kent reported to the U.S. Justice Department evidence that Burisma had made a $7 million cash bribe to Ukrainian prosecutors before those prosecutors killed a separate corruption probe in the United Kingdom by failing to produce required evidence.
The second alleged bribe in December 2016 was brought to the attention of Yovanovitch and Kent, then a top aide to the ambassador, shortly after the Christmas holiday when a story appeared in the Ukrainian press.
“Lots of accusations/innuendo,” Yovanovitch was told in an email. “Mentions Biden’s son and Kwasniewski are on board of Burisma, which allegedly had a subsidiary dump natural gas recently as a way to pay bribes to P2 inner circle.”
P2 was the shorthand State officials in the U.S. embassy in Kiev used to refer to Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, who was close to Vice President Biden.
Because the allegations were first raised by Oleksander Onyschenko, a fugitive in Ukraine who was tied to Russian sources, as well as Radical Party Leader Oleg Lyashko, embassy officials checked them out and confirmed them before telling Nuland.
“The dumping part is true,” the embassy’s deputy economic counselor wrote Yovanovitch a few hours after the story surfaced and before Nuland was alerted.
The official told the ambassador a major Ukrainian figure close to Poroshenko was “photographed meeting with [Burisma founder Mykola] Zlochevsky in a Vienna restaurant over the weekend, and Zlochevsky may have handed over a suitcase. You can’t make this up.”
Within a few days of the bribe claim, word emerged in Ukraine that the prosecutor general’s office had settled their long-running corruption case against Burisma in exchange for a tax penalty. Anti-corruption activists in Ukraine quickly expressed their displeasure to American officials.
Inside the embassy, U.S. officials who had worked alongside Vice President Biden for years were resigned to the closure of the case and frustrated that a company tied to Hunter Biden had undercut U.S. efforts to fight endemic corruption in Ukraine
“The Burisma tale of getting a court to shut down a PGO investigation noted below would amount to nearly the same mechanism — rich connected businessman politician seeks to use the court/judge of unknown reputation to close an investigation of a business with a dodgy reputation,” Kent wrote Yovanovitch on Jan. 13, 2017, one week before Trump took office.
Right up to Obama’s last day in office, the U.S. embassy officials continued to follow and remark on Burisma’s escape from prosecution.
For more than a year, the Bidens, congressional Democrats and their allies in the American media have sought to portray the story of Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma as a Russian-inspired conspiracy theory that had been discredited.
But the Obama-Biden era documents gathered by this news organization over more than a year under FOIA clearly show State officials believed the Bidens’ behavior created the appearance of a conflict of interest because Joe Biden continued to preside over anti-corruption policy in Ukraine while his son worked for a company under investigation for corruption.
And now the latest documents show those same officials had reported not one, but two alleged efforts by Burisma to pay bribes to end the investigations while the vice president’s son served on the company’s board.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Trump to Slash Refugee Admissions to Record Low

The Trump administration said on Wednesday it intends to further slash the number of refugees the U.S accepts to resettle from 18,000 to 15,000 in the 2021 fiscal year , setting another record low in the history of the modern refugee program , ABC News reports .
The notice was sent to Congress late Wednesday , just 34 minutes before a statutory deadline to do so .
The state department said the proposal reflected the Trump administration ’ s prioritizing of the “ safety and well-being of Americans , especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
” The proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persecution on the basis of religion from Iraq who helped the United States ; and for refugees from El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Hong Kong , Cuba , and Venezuela , according to the state department .
The proposal will be reviewed by Congress , where there are strong objections to the cuts , but lawmakers will be largely powerless to force changes .
The move comes after President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Duluth , Minnesota talked about how refugees can be an unwanted burden .
He claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to flood the state with foreigners .
“ Biden will turn Minnesota into a refugee camp , and he said that — overwhelming public resources , overcrowding schools and inundating hospitals .
You know that .
It ’ s already there .
It ’ s a disgrace what they ’ ve done to your state , ” Trump told supporters .
Trump froze this year ’ s refugee admissions in March , citing a need to protect American jobs as fallout from the coronavirus pandemic crashed the economy .
Secretary of State Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country ’ s history of leading the world in providing a safe place for refugees .
“ We continue to be the single greatest contributor to the relief of humanitarian crisis all around the world , and we will continue to do so , ” Pompeo told reporters in Rome on the sidelines of a conference on religious freedom organized by the U.S. Embassy .
“ Certainly so long as President Trump is in office , I can promise you this administration is deeply committed to that.
” Advocates fear the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 fiscal year as a way to eventually eliminate the refugee programme .
Trump has slashed the number of refugees allowed into the country by more than 80 % .
The previous 18,000 cap was already the lowest in the history of the program .
Catherine Smith reports for American Greatness .
Photo “ Citizenship Paperwork ” by Grand Canyon National Park .
CC BY 2.0 .

by Catherine Smith
The Trump administration said on Wednesday it intends to further slash the number of refugees the U.S accepts to resettle from 18,000 to 15,000 in the 2021 fiscal year, setting another record low in the history of the modern refugee program, ABC News reports.
The notice was sent to Congress late Wednesday, just 34 minutes before a statutory deadline to do so. The state department said the proposal reflected the Trump administration’s prioritizing of the “safety and well-being of Americans, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
The proposal includes specific allocations for refugees who suffered persecution on the basis of religion from Iraq who helped the United States; and for refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Cuba, and Venezuela, according to the state department.
The proposal will be reviewed by Congress, where there are strong objections to the cuts, but lawmakers will be largely powerless to force changes.
The move comes after President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Duluth, Minnesota talked about how refugees can be an unwanted burden. He claimed the former vice president Joe Biden wants to flood the state with foreigners.
“Biden will turn Minnesota into a refugee camp, and he said that — overwhelming public resources, overcrowding schools and inundating hospitals. You know that. It’s already there. It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to your state,” Trump told supporters.
Trump froze this year’s refugee admissions in March, citing a need to protect American jobs as fallout from the coronavirus pandemic crashed the economy.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration is committed to the country’s history of leading the world in providing a safe place for refugees.
“We continue to be the single greatest contributor to the relief of humanitarian crisis all around the world, and we will continue to do so,” Pompeo told reporters in Rome on the sidelines of a conference on religious freedom organized by the U.S. Embassy. “Certainly so long as President Trump is in office, I can promise you this administration is deeply committed to that.”
Advocates fear the government is intentionally delaying its plans for the 2021 fiscal year as a way to eventually eliminate the refugee programme.
Trump has slashed the number of refugees allowed into the country by more than 80%.
The previous 18,000 cap was already the lowest in the history of the program.
– – –
Catherine Smith reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Citizenship Paperwork” by Grand Canyon National Park. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Vanderbilt Class of 800+ Students Forced to Choose Between Calling Constitution Racist or Losing Gra

Vanderbilt Class of 800+ Students Forced to Choose Between Calling Constitution Racist or Losing Grade Points

A Vanderbilt University assignment asked students whether the U.S. Constitution was “ designed to perpetuate white supremacy , ” and the “ correct ” answer to that question was “ true.
” According to screenshots obtained by Young America ’ s Foundation , students were asked , “ Was the Constitution designed to perpetuate white supremacy and protect the institution of slavery ?
” According to YAF , one student in the class lost points after answering “ false.
” The screenshot of the online assignment shows that the correct answer was “ true.
” A Vanderbilt student who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remain anonymous told Campus Reform that the questions and answers came from a recorded lecture .
“ All of the quiz ’ s answers would come directly from a recorded lecture…the questions were exact quotes from the lecture , ” the student said .
“ Even if the student disagreed with the statement about the original writing of the Constitution , they obviously weren ’ t paying attention to the lecture , ” the student told Campus Reform .
“ I don ’ t think they should be upset about losing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the instructions or lecture , ” the student added .
The quiz was a requirement for a course called U.S .
Elections , which , according to the school ’ s website , is offered “ during presidential election years.
” The course examines “ the presidential and congressional elections , the recruitment of candidates , nomination processes , financing campaigns , media coverage , polling , predictive models , and implications of results.
” The university ’ s course schedule states the online class has a capacity of 800 students ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screenshot from the course syllabus obtained by YAF says that the course is the “ largest class that Vanderbilt has ever taught.
” The student who submitted the tip wished to remain anonymous “ out of fear of retribution.
” Campus Reform reached out multiple times to Vanderbilt University as well as the class ’ s four instructors , Political Science Professor Joshua Clinton , Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences John Geer , Assistant Professor of Political Science Eunji Kim , and American Politics Professor Jon Meacham .
Campus Reform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not hear back in time for publication .
Benjamin Zeisloft is a Pennsylvania Senior Campus Correspondent , reporting on liberal bias and abuse for Campus Reform .
He is studying Finance and Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania .
Benjamin also writes for The UPenn Statesman and the Wharton International Business Review .

by Benjamin Zeisloft
A Vanderbilt University assignment asked students whether the U.S. Constitution was “designed to perpetuate white supremacy,” and the “correct” answer to that question was “true.”
According to screenshots obtained by Young America’s Foundation, students were asked, “Was the Constitution designed to perpetuate white supremacy and protect the institution of slavery?” According to YAF, one student in the class lost points after answering “false.”
The screenshot of the online assignment shows that the correct answer was “true.”
A Vanderbilt student who is currently enrolled in the course and asked to remain anonymous told Campus Reform that the questions and answers came from a recorded lecture.
“All of the quiz’s answers would come directly from a recorded lecture…the questions were exact quotes from the lecture,” the student said.
“Even if the student disagreed with the statement about the original writing of the Constitution, they obviously weren’t paying attention to the lecture,” the student told Campus Reform.
“I don’t think they should be upset about losing a point when they didn’t listen to the instructions or lecture,” the student added.
The quiz was a requirement for a course called U.S. Elections, which, according to the school’s website, is offered “during presidential election years.” The course examines “the presidential and congressional elections, the recruitment of candidates, nomination processes, financing campaigns, media coverage, polling, predictive models, and implications of results.”
The university’s course schedule states the online class has a capacity of 800 students; 825 students are currently enrolled.
A screenshot from the course syllabus obtained by YAF says that the course is the “largest class that Vanderbilt has ever taught.”
The student who submitted the tip wished to remain anonymous “out of fear of retribution.”
Campus Reform reached out multiple times to Vanderbilt University as well as the class’s four instructors, Political Science Professor Joshua Clinton, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences John Geer, Assistant Professor of Political Science Eunji Kim, and American Politics Professor Jon Meacham.
Campus Reform reached out to Vanderbilt for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
– – –
Benjamin Zeisloft is a Pennsylvania Senior Campus Correspondent, reporting on liberal bias and abuse for Campus Reform. He is studying Finance and Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Benjamin also writes for The UPenn Statesman and the Wharton International Business Review.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-02--Ohio Professor Apologizes for ‘America Needs College Football’ Article, Pledges to Commit to ‘Anti-R

Ohio Professor Apologizes for ‘America Needs College Football’ Article, Pledges to Commit to ‘Anti-Racism’

An Ohio professor apologized , saying he would devote himself to “ anti racist learning ” after receiving criticism for an article he co-authored about college football .
Professor and program chair at The Ohio State University Matthew J. Mayhew apologized in an Inside Higher Ed article for his “ disconnected whiteness ” after reportedly receiving backlash for a previous piece published by the same outlet that said college football can help unite the country .
“ I am sorry for the hurt , sadness , frustration , fatigue , exhaustion and pain this article has caused anyone , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community and beyond , ” Mayhew wrote .
He said in his apology that he learned from his students and other academics around the country that parts of his case for college football as a “ distraction ” from political division were “ harmful.
” “ Black men putting their bodies on the line for my enjoyment is inspired and maintained by my uninformed and disconnected whiteness and , as written in my previous article , positions student athletes as white property , ” he said .
“ Words like ‘ distraction ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ painful moments within the nation and especially the Black community.
” Mayhew and Musbah Shaheen , a Ph.D. student at Ohio State and a research assistant at the College Impact Laboratory , wrote in the original article that college football could unite America during contentious political times .
“ Essentializing college football might help get us through these uncharacteristically difficult times of great isolation , division and uncertainty , ” they said .
The Ohio State University and Mayhew did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation ’ s requests for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Ohio State Football Game ” by Steven Miller .
CC BY 2.0 .

by Mary Rose Corkery
An Ohio professor apologized, saying he would devote himself to “anti racist learning” after receiving criticism for an article he co-authored about college football.
Professor and program chair at The Ohio State University Matthew J. Mayhew apologized in an Inside Higher Ed article for his “disconnected whiteness” after reportedly receiving backlash for a previous piece published by the same outlet that said college football can help unite the country.
“I am sorry for the hurt, sadness, frustration, fatigue, exhaustion and pain this article has caused anyone, but specifically Black students in the higher education community and beyond,” Mayhew wrote.
He said in his apology that he learned from his students and other academics around the country that parts of his case for college football as a “distraction” from political division were “harmful.”
“Black men putting their bodies on the line for my enjoyment is inspired and maintained by my uninformed and disconnected whiteness and, as written in my previous article, positions student athletes as white property,” he said.
“At this point, you're probably curious about what crime Mayhew committed. You're thinking, at the very least, this guy wore a heck of a lot of blackface 30 years ago.” No, he wrote a column about why Football Is Good. That’s it. https://t.co/Wb9ghHYezd — Robby Soave (@robbysoave) September 29, 2020
“Words like ‘distraction’ and ‘cheer’ erase the present painful moments within the nation and especially the Black community.”
Mayhew and Musbah Shaheen, a Ph.D. student at Ohio State and a research assistant at the College Impact Laboratory, wrote in the original article that college football could unite America during contentious political times.
“Essentializing college football might help get us through these uncharacteristically difficult times of great isolation, division and uncertainty,” they said.
“Indeed, college football holds a special bipartisan place in the American heart.”
The Ohio State University and Mayhew did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
– – –
Mary Rose Corkery is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Ohio State Football Game” by Steven Miller. CC BY 2.0.