wnd--2020-06-17--Trump incentivizes reforms with policing order

Derek Chauvin , a white officer with the Minnesota Police Department , put his knee on the neck of George Floyd , a black man arrested for allegedly trying to buy a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit bill , for eight minutes and 46 seconds .
Floyd is dead , Chauvin and three other officers involved in the arrest have been charged with murder or aiding and abetting it , and cities across the country have seen both peaceful protests by day and rioting by night .
Now , three weeks later , President Trump is ready to sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC If that order is not a direct result of Floyd ’ s death , as sources inside the administration told reporters late Monday , the subsequent outcry certainly provided a catalyst to speed reform .
Once signed Tuesday morning , the order will affect every officer nationwide , from county sheriffs to city cops .
The stated goal is simple : Bring police closer to the communities they serve .
“ We ’ re not looking to defund the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action explained .
“ We ’ re looking to invest more and incentivize best practices.
” And the catchword for this new Trump brand of policing is very much “ incentive.
” The president will incentivize local police departments to work with independent certifying organizations to ensure they meet professional standards .
The order incentivizes information sharing .
It also incentivizes partnerships with mental health professionals in answering some police calls .
The administration had been working on this suite of reforms since the beginning of the year , a sequel to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into law in late 2018 .
It was heralded as historic .
The White House hopes for a similar result with election season quickly advancing , and that means threading the needle between what police need to do their job and what the public now demands of them .
Key aspects include : According to a summary obtained by RealClearPolitics , Attorney General William Barr will certify independent organizations that will credential police departments according to their adherence to professional standards .
These organizations will give passing or failing grades to departments after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early warning systems to identify personnel issues , and use-of-force standards .
The use of chokeholds , including the one that killed Floyd , will not be outlawed .
But the new certification program aims to enforce standards that comply with local , state , and federal law and limit their use .
Why would local police go to the trouble of obtaining this extra certification ?
Because a passing grade means the difference between more or less federal funding .
According to the memo : “ DOJ will strictly condition applicable DOJ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or are seeking credentials.
” “ You don ’ t necessarily have to demonize them or withdraw funds , ” an administration official explained .
“ But if you create an equal system based off of best practices , there 's going to be more so a race to create the best application to get access to the funding.
” After all , the official added , that ’ s how things normally work and the administration would rather prioritize funding mechanisms than “ anything that would seem like we 're trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create a national system administered by the attorney general that will capture and catalogue records of cases , once fully adjudicated , against officers guilty of excessive force .
Again , grants to local and state police departments will be conditioned on their participation .
The Trump White House has rejected the suggestion that there is systemic racism in American police forces .
It instead says there are bad apples , and argues that the order will keep bad apples from hopping into a different basket and spoiling a police department elsewhere .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained , would give the federal government the “ ability to track people who have excessive use-of-force complaints so that people can ’ t leave one law enforcement department and then get hired at another.
” “ Nobody hates bad cops more than good cops , ” the official added .
“ And we want to make sure that we can track that and take action.
” The order will require the attorney general and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to identify programs offering resources to train officers on how best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mental health , homelessness , and addiction .
“ A lot of the work that police officers are doing today deals with medical issues and homelessness , ” the official explained .
“ We want to make sure that police officers can do policing and that they can implement best practices throughout the country to figure out how they can deal with a lot of the other issues that come up along the way.
” The executive order was developed with buy-in from both community leaders and police advocates , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not meant to be final .
The administration anticipates working with Congress to sign more reforms into law .
But two things are non-starters .
First , Trump will not entertain any effort to defund the police .
Second , as White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted and senior administration officials reiterated Monday , the president will not touch qualified immunity , the legal doctrine that shields police from lawsuits except in certain situations .
Democrats on Capitol Hill have introduced legislation that would ban that exemption , and House Speaker Nancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lynching .
That makes for a fraught political landscape as the White House tries to find a tenable solution to police brutality while juggling a pandemic and an economy officially in recession .
Much of the onus on actually implementing the reforms in the order fall to governors and mayors and other local leaders .
It is on brand for an administration that regularly defaults to a federalist approach to governing .
What was not expected was that Trump , who ran as a tough-on-crime Republican candidate , would back both criminal justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press time , Trump was expected to deliver remarks and sign his executive order in the Rose Garden at noon .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]

By Philip Wegmann
Real Clear Politics
Derek Chauvin, a white officer with the Minnesota Police Department, put his knee on the neck of George Floyd, a black man arrested for allegedly trying to buy a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit bill, for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Floyd is dead, Chauvin and three other officers involved in the arrest have been charged with murder or aiding and abetting it, and cities across the country have seen both peaceful protests by day and rioting by night. Now, three weeks later, President Trump is ready to sign an executive order on policing.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
If that order is not a direct result of Floyd’s death, as sources inside the administration told reporters late Monday, the subsequent outcry certainly provided a catalyst to speed reform. Once signed Tuesday morning, the order will affect every officer nationwide, from county sheriffs to city cops.
The stated goal is simple: Bring police closer to the communities they serve. “We’re not looking to defund the police,” an official previewing the action explained. “We’re looking to invest more and incentivize best practices.”
And the catchword for this new Trump brand of policing is very much “incentive.”
The president will incentivize local police departments to work with independent certifying organizations to ensure they meet professional standards. The order incentivizes information sharing. It also incentivizes partnerships with mental health professionals in answering some police calls.
The administration had been working on this suite of reforms since the beginning of the year, a sequel to the criminal justice reform bill that Trump signed into law in late 2018. It was heralded as historic. The White House hopes for a similar result with election season quickly advancing, and that means threading the needle between what police need to do their job and what the public now demands of them. Key aspects include:
Certification and Credentialing
According to a summary obtained by RealClearPolitics, Attorney General William Barr will certify independent organizations that will credential police departments according to their adherence to professional standards.
These organizations will give passing or failing grades to departments after examining their policies on de-escalation training, early warning systems to identify personnel issues, and use-of-force standards. The use of chokeholds, including the one that killed Floyd, will not be outlawed. But the new certification program aims to enforce standards that comply with local, state, and federal law and limit their use.
Why would local police go to the trouble of obtaining this extra certification? Because a passing grade means the difference between more or less federal funding. According to the memo: “DOJ will strictly condition applicable DOJ discretionary grants for departments who have received or are seeking credentials.”
“You don’t necessarily have to demonize them or withdraw funds,” an administration official explained. “But if you create an equal system based off of best practices, there's going to be more so a race to create the best application to get access to the funding.”
After all, the official added, that’s how things normally work and the administration would rather prioritize funding mechanisms than “anything that would seem like we're trying to defund police.”
Information Sharing
The executive order will create a national system administered by the attorney general that will capture and catalogue records of cases, once fully adjudicated, against officers guilty of excessive force. Again, grants to local and state police departments will be conditioned on their participation.
The Trump White House has rejected the suggestion that there is systemic racism in American police forces. It instead says there are bad apples, and argues that the order will keep bad apples from hopping into a different basket and spoiling a police department elsewhere.
Information sharing, the senior administration official explained, would give the federal government the “ability to track people who have excessive use-of-force complaints so that people can’t leave one law enforcement department and then get hired at another.”
“Nobody hates bad cops more than good cops,” the official added. “And we want to make sure that we can track that and take action.”
Mental Health, Homelessness and Addiction
The order will require the attorney general and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to identify programs offering resources to train officers on how best to interact with individuals who are impaired by mental health, homelessness, and addiction.
“A lot of the work that police officers are doing today deals with medical issues and homelessness,” the official explained. “We want to make sure that police officers can do policing and that they can implement best practices throughout the country to figure out how they can deal with a lot of the other issues that come up along the way.”
Next Steps
The executive order was developed with buy-in from both community leaders and police advocates, according to the White House. It also is not meant to be final. The administration anticipates working with Congress to sign more reforms into law.
But two things are non-starters. First, Trump will not entertain any effort to defund the police. Second, as White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted and senior administration officials reiterated Monday, the president will not touch qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields police from lawsuits except in certain situations.
Democrats on Capitol Hill have introduced legislation that would ban that exemption, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi likened the use of chokeholds to lynching. That makes for a fraught political landscape as the White House tries to find a tenable solution to police brutality while juggling a pandemic and an economy officially in recession.
Much of the onus on actually implementing the reforms in the order fall to governors and mayors and other local leaders. It is on brand for an administration that regularly defaults to a federalist approach to governing. What was not expected was that Trump, who ran as a tough-on-crime Republican candidate, would back both criminal justice reform and policing reform.
As of press time, Trump was expected to deliver remarks and sign his executive order in the Rose Garden at noon.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]


wnd--2020-06-16--House GOP charges Dems' nursing-home policy was deadly

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
The pandemic put a spotlight on Democratic governors across the country , and in the press , the likes of Andrew Cuomo , Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer were painted as courageous leaders guided only by science in their fight against the coronavirus .
It was quite the contrast to their GOP counterparts and to President Trump , whose dizzying and occasionally contradictory advice was panned as anti-science and conspiratorial .
TRENDING : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Republicans on the House Oversight Committee led by Ranking Member Steve Scalise .
While the administration was accused of bungling a public health crisis , they say Democratic governors were making decisions that ended in thousands of needless deaths in nursing homes .
In a letter to Cuomo on Monday , they wrote : “ We write seeking information , at a granular level , about the science and information used to inform your decision to mandate nursing homes and long-term care facilities admit untested and contagious COVID-19 patients from hospitals.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ likely contributed to the thousands of elderly deaths in New York State.
” Four similar letters were separately written to Newsom in California and Whitmer in Michigan , as well as Govs .
Phil Murphy in New Jersey and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania .
All were first obtained by RealClearPolitics .
Each is blunt .
Scalise notes that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance on March 13 insisting that states allow new patients infected with the virus only if those facilities could follow Centers for Disease Control quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher risk of contracting the virus , as the letters note , CMS Administrator Seema Verma warned that “ under no circumstances should a hospital discharge a patient to a nursing home that is not prepared to take care of those patient ’ s needs.
” In a now deleted directive issued by the New York Department of Health , the state mandated that “ no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the [ nursing home ] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.
” “ For clarity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisory mandated nursing homes accept known COVID-19-positive patients and , further , mandated that nursing homes not even test patients for COVID-19 prior to admission.
” New York posted that directive on March 25 , more than a week after CMS warned of the danger .
The Pennsylvania Department of Health had mandated earlier on March 18 that nursing homes “ must continue to accept new admissions and receive readmissions for current residents who have been discharged from the hospital.
” California did the same , mandating on March 30 that a patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to bar admission to a nursing home .
New Jersey issued a similar order on March 31 .
Gov .
Whitmer signed an executive order mandating that nursing homes “ must not prohibit admission or readmission of a resident based on COVID-19 testing requirements or result.
” She signed it on April 15 .
It has not been rescinded .
The elderly are already at higher risk of succumbing to the disease because of underlying health conditions and compromised immune systems .
Elderly in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through congested areas with ease and with deadly results .
According to a New York Times database , at least 28,100 nursing home residents and workers have succumbed to the illness , a grim number that accounts for one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths .
Cuomo has not escaped criticism for his decision to fill nursing homes with coronavirus patients .
“ What New York did was to follow what the Republican administration said to do .
Don ’ t criticize the state for following the president ’ s policies , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who wants to point blame at him for the death toll , he said , “ should ask President Trump .
I think that will stop the conversation.
” It has not , however , stopped the discussion .
Scalise accused Cuomo and the other governors of issuing “ death sentences ” to seniors .
“ The decision of several governors to ignore CDC protocols and mandate COVID-positive patients go back to their nursing homes ended up being a death sentence for some of our country ’ s most vulnerable citizens , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to RCP .
Rep. Mark Green , a Florida Republican and practicing physician , pronounced the death toll a dereliction of duty .
“ The governors of these states must provide details about their decisions to send contagious COVID-19 patients into nursing homes , ” he told RCP .
“ The American people , and their loved ones , deserve answers.
” [ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Philip Wegmann
Real Clear Politics
The pandemic put a spotlight on Democratic governors across the country, and in the press, the likes of Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer were painted as courageous leaders guided only by science in their fight against the coronavirus.
It was quite the contrast to their GOP counterparts and to President Trump, whose dizzying and occasionally contradictory advice was panned as anti-science and conspiratorial.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
It did not sit well with Republicans on the House Oversight Committee led by Ranking Member Steve Scalise. While the administration was accused of bungling a public health crisis, they say Democratic governors were making decisions that ended in thousands of needless deaths in nursing homes.
In a letter to Cuomo on Monday, they wrote:
“We write seeking information, at a granular level, about the science and information used to inform your decision to mandate nursing homes and long-term care facilities admit untested and contagious COVID-19 patients from hospitals.”
“This decision,” they conclude, “likely contributed to the thousands of elderly deaths in New York State.”
Four similar letters were separately written to Newsom in California and Whitmer in Michigan, as well as Govs. Phil Murphy in New Jersey and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania. All were first obtained by RealClearPolitics. Each is blunt.
Scalise notes that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance on March 13 insisting that states allow new patients infected with the virus only if those facilities could follow Centers for Disease Control quarantine guidance. Because the elderly are at higher risk of contracting the virus, as the letters note, CMS Administrator Seema Verma warned that “under no circumstances should a hospital discharge a patient to a nursing home that is not prepared to take care of those patient’s needs.”
In a now deleted directive issued by the New York Department of Health, the state mandated that “no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.”
“For clarity,” Scalise writes, “this advisory mandated nursing homes accept known COVID-19-positive patients and, further, mandated that nursing homes not even test patients for COVID-19 prior to admission.”
New York posted that directive on March 25, more than a week after CMS warned of the danger. The Pennsylvania Department of Health had mandated earlier on March 18 that nursing homes “must continue to accept new admissions and receive readmissions for current residents who have been discharged from the hospital.”
California did the same, mandating on March 30 that a patient’s COVID-19 status could not be used to bar admission to a nursing home. New Jersey issued a similar order on March 31.
Gov. Whitmer signed an executive order mandating that nursing homes “must not prohibit admission or readmission of a resident based on COVID-19 testing requirements or result.” She signed it on April 15. It has not been rescinded.
The elderly are already at higher risk of succumbing to the disease because of underlying health conditions and compromised immune systems. Elderly in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are at even greater risk because the virus sweeps through congested areas with ease and with deadly results. According to a New York Times database, at least 28,100 nursing home residents and workers have succumbed to the illness, a grim number that accounts for one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths.
Cuomo has not escaped criticism for his decision to fill nursing homes with coronavirus patients.
“What New York did was to follow what the Republican administration said to do. Don’t criticize the state for following the president’s policies,” he said on May 23. And anyone who wants to point blame at him for the death toll, he said, “should ask President Trump. I think that will stop the conversation.”
It has not, however, stopped the discussion. Scalise accused Cuomo and the other governors of issuing “death sentences” to seniors.
“The decision of several governors to ignore CDC protocols and mandate COVID-positive patients go back to their nursing homes ended up being a death sentence for some of our country’s most vulnerable citizens,” the Louisiana Republican said in a statement to RCP.
Rep. Mark Green, a Florida Republican and practicing physician, pronounced the death toll a dereliction of duty. “The governors of these states must provide details about their decisions to send contagious COVID-19 patients into nursing homes,” he told RCP. “The American people, and their loved ones, deserve answers.”
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]


wnd--2020-06-16--How University of California regents ditched 'racist' SAT

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations . ]
The Board of Regents of the University of California spoke as one when it scrapped the Scholastic Aptitude Test in a virtual meeting last month .
TRENDING : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC “ I believe the test is a racist test , ” said one regent , Jonathan Sures , whose day job is co-president of the United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills .
“ There 's no two ways about it.
” Unsurprisingly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted 23-0 to eliminate the SAT over the next five years -- a victory for the system 's president , Janet Napolitano , who has long called for scrapping its use in university admissions .
But very surprising to some at UC was this : The regents ' decision flouted a unanimous faculty senate vote a few weeks earlier to retain the SAT for now -- after a year-long study by a task force commissioned by Napolitano herself found the test neither “ racist ” nor discriminatory nor an obstacle to minorities in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loaded with hundreds of displays of data from the UC 's various admissions departments , found that the SAT and a commonly used alternative test , ACT -- also eliminated – actually helped increase black , Hispanic , and Native American enrollment at the system 's 10 campuses , and that their use should be continued .
“ To sum up , ” the task force report determined , “ the SAT allows many disadvantaged students to gain guaranteed admission to UC.
” The contradictory , lopsided votes raised the question : How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major university system reject the imprimatur of its own liberal faculty researchers and kill a diversity accelerator in the name of the very diversity desired ?
The answer , according to numerous interviews with people concerned , is that the urgency of political momentum against the tests -- reflecting a wider national mood of racial grievance -- proved irresistible and swept away the research and data .
Now the university system faces the challenge of mollifying public opinion while coming up with a solution -- a test alternative or none at all -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perceived problem , much in the way Black Lives Matters-inspired moves to “ defund the police ” raise obvious challenges of ensuring public safety .
Eddie Comeaux , a professor of education at UC-Riverside and co-chair of the faculty task force , said in a Zoom interview that “ many of us thought that the process might be a political one.
” “ There were several very prominent figures whose public statements made pretty clear their opposition to tests even before the task force started its undertaking , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preordained .
There was n't even much debate at the regent 's meeting.
” “ We know their minds were already made up because they said so publicly , ” Kip Tellez , a professor of education at UC-Santa Cruz and one of the drafters of the task force report , said .
The regents , with ultimate authority over the governance of UC , are made up of unpaid political appointees , all but two of them on the current board named to their posts by Democratic governors , several of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made no secret of his opposition to the SAT .
Last year , for example , Newsom vetoed legislation that would have allowed school districts to use the SAT , instead of the state 's own 11th grade tests , saying the SAT exacerbates inequalities for under-represented students .
Requests for interviews sent to the Board of Regents and to Napolitano 's office were declined .
At the meeting last month , regents were given five minutes each to present their views , and a few did express some interest in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of them in the end went along with the anti-test mood , testament perhaps to the power of the progressive , racialized narrative to sweep away opposition .
“ I very much appreciate the task force 's work and the database it put together , ” one regent , Maria Anguiano , said , making the kind of argument that won the day , “ but I also believe in peer review as part of the research process , and there 's been decades of research showing that SAT scores are mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ca n't support this use of this tool .
It 's an exclusionary and filtering mechanism.
” Perhaps ironically , standardized tests were originally created about 100 years ago by what became the College Board to provide qualified Jews , Italians , Irish and others a better chance of getting into elite institutions dominated at the time by privileged , well-connected , mostly Protestant families .
The idea was that the test created a national standard by which all students from all parts of the country and backgrounds could be compared .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have scored significantly lower on the test than others .
This has led many educators , civil rights activists , and some academic researchers to argue that the tests are racially biased obstacles to the goals of opportunity and diversity .
They say the tests favor affluent families , most of them white , who are able to pay for things like private tutoring and summer enrichment programs of the sort that are out of reach for poorer families .
This was the prevailing view among the UC regents .
“ The strongest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in college , ” Eloy Ortiz Oakley , the chancellor of California 's huge network of two-year community colleges , told the regents .
The debate , far from new , is complicated and something of a scholarly maze with numerous research studies seeming to support one or another side of the question .
There is research that finds private tutoring gives rich kids an unfair leg up , and research showing that tutoring actually has an almost negligible effect on scores .
While there is no doubt some correlation between scores and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be between scores and the level of educational advancement within a student ’ s family .
That would be one reason why many Asians from modest economic backgrounds have been acing the test — and getting into UC in numbers far above their proportion of the population .
But there was little ambiguity in the findings of the rebuffed UC faculty task force – scholars from different fields who in almost any context would be considered solidly liberal , and who studied the SAT specifically as it is used in the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report , the UC system in 2018 admitted 22,613 applicants with weak grades but strong SAT scores .
A quarter of those students were members of under-represented minorities , or URMs , and nearly half were low-income or first-generation students .
Breaking down these numbers , 24 % of Hispanics , 40 % of blacks , and 47 % of Native Americans who gained admission to UC did so because of their SAT scores , not despite them , the task force found .
“ The original intent of the SAT was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privileged circles who might have the potential to succeed at university , ” the report said .
“ This original intent is clearly being realized at UC.
” A far greater barrier to admissions than a student 's performance on standardized tests , the task force determined , is the low numbers of minority students who attend high school without completing the college prep coursework required to even be considered for admission at UC .
But among those who do qualify for the applicant pool , it 's more often their low grades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them rejected .
“ UC does n't cut anybody any slack on his grades , ” Andrea Hasenstaub , an associate professor and neuroscientist at UC-San Francisco and one of the drafters of the task force report , told the regents ' May meeting .
“ Students with lower grades are just not let in .
This appears to be where URMs are getting cut out in the admissions process.
” Despite this finding , many opponents of tests , including several of the regents who spoke at the May meeting , advocate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admissions measure , rather than test scores .
The task force ’ s report rebuts another frequently made criticism of standardized tests – that they are poor predictors of college success .
“ Test scores do n't just help predict freshman grades , ” Hasenstaub said .
“ They also help to predict retention , graduation rates and final GPA , and this is true of students subdivided by income , race and family educational history.
” Ironically , even though the regents seemed to be against testing altogether , their decision technically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue at UC .
Napolitano even told the meeting , “ Our admissions process is better with testing than without it.
” The proposal adopted by the regents requires a feasibility study to determine if a new and better test can be devised within five years , one that , as Napolitano put it , would “ more closely align with what we expect incoming students to know to demonstrate their preparedness for UC.
” Only if the university fails to come up with such a test would standardized testing be eliminated altogether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and most of the regents certainly seemed to think a new test was a good idea .
“ I do n't think we 'll have a perfect test , ” said Patricia Gandara , an associate professor of education at UCLA , “ but I do think we have the technology to enable students to do better in a test that they can actually learn from.
” But others on the task force and even a few of the regents asked how a new test would avoid the flaws of the old ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give advantages to the rich over the poor , that it would be expensive to create and administer , and that it would cause the same anxiety among students as the SAT and ACT .
“ Why would n't we just be exchanging one evil for another ?
” asked Sherry Lansing , the former Hollywood movie producer and a member of the Board of Regents .
Li Cai , a UCLA psychologist and statistician , said creating a new test , or modifying the existing test California students now take to measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ You 'd spend $ 150 [ million ] or $ 175 million , and at the end of the day , you 'd end up with more or less the same thing , ” Cai said in a Zoom call with RCI conducted after the regents meeting .
“ It 's just a smoke screen , ” Haim Weizman , a chemistry professor at UC-San Diego and a member of the task force , said during the same Zoom call .
“ The regents did n't want to make a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement.
” At bottom , the debate has to do with something indisputable , which is that , with the notable exception of Asians , there are far fewer minorities and low-income students admitted to UC than their proportion in the population .
According to the task force report , 37 % of UC 's students are under-represented minorities , but they make up 59 % of California 's graduating high school classes .
Years ago in California , the main way of redressing the balance was affirmative action , giving preferential treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But in 1996 , a constitutional amendment known as Proposition 209 , which banned consideration of race , was adopted by voters .
For a while , minority enrollment at UC did decline as a result of Prop 209 , but in recent years it has actually gone up , thanks to what 's known as “ comprehensive ” or “ holistic ” evaluation , by which the various UC admissions departments can use up 14 factors in an applicants ' profile , test scores being only one of them .
Theoretically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors , but in actual practice the admissions departments give preferential treatment to students from low-performing high schools and less affluent neighborhoods or to applicants who would be the first in their families to go to college , which often translates as black , Latino , or Native American students .
“ Scores are interpreted differently for different groups , ” Hasenstaub said .
In fact , she noted , the average SAT scores of admitted black students is 200 points lower than their white and Asian counterparts – on a scale of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disadvantaged backgrounds are admitted when applicants from advantaged backgrounds would n't be , ” Hasenstaub said .
Many students who would not qualify for admission because of their low grades get places in the UC system because their SAT scores are over a certain threshold , even if those scores are lower on average than students from more privileged backgrounds .
This explains the task force findings , as the report put it , that “ the SAT allows many disadvantaged students to gain guarantees of admission to UC.
” [ Editor 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Real Clear Investigations . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations.]
By Richard Bernstein
Real Clear Investigations
The Board of Regents of the University of California spoke as one when it scrapped the Scholastic Aptitude Test in a virtual meeting last month.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
“I believe the test is a racist test,” said one regent, Jonathan Sures, whose day job is co-president of the United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills. “There's no two ways about it.”
Unsurprisingly, given comments like that, the regents voted 23-0 to eliminate the SAT over the next five years -- a victory for the system's president, Janet Napolitano, who has long called for scrapping its use in university admissions.
But very surprising to some at UC was this: The regents' decision flouted a unanimous faculty senate vote a few weeks earlier to retain the SAT for now -- after a year-long study by a task force commissioned by Napolitano herself found the test neither “racist” nor discriminatory nor an obstacle to minorities in any way.
The 228-page report, loaded with hundreds of displays of data from the UC's various admissions departments, found that the SAT and a commonly used alternative test, ACT -- also eliminated – actually helped increase black, Hispanic, and Native American enrollment at the system's 10 campuses, and that their use should be continued.
“To sum up,” the task force report determined, “the SAT allows many disadvantaged students to gain guaranteed admission to UC.”
The contradictory, lopsided votes raised the question: How could the liberal governing board of a major university system reject the imprimatur of its own liberal faculty researchers and kill a diversity accelerator in the name of the very diversity desired?
The answer, according to numerous interviews with people concerned, is that the urgency of political momentum against the tests -- reflecting a wider national mood of racial grievance -- proved irresistible and swept away the research and data.
Now the university system faces the challenge of mollifying public opinion while coming up with a solution -- a test alternative or none at all -- that isn’t worse than the perceived problem, much in the way Black Lives Matters-inspired moves to “defund the police” raise obvious challenges of ensuring public safety.
Eddie Comeaux, a professor of education at UC-Riverside and co-chair of the faculty task force, said in a Zoom interview that “many of us thought that the process might be a political one.”
“There were several very prominent figures whose public statements made pretty clear their opposition to tests even before the task force started its undertaking,” he said. “The regents' vote was kind of preordained. There wasn't even much debate at the regent's meeting.”
“We know their minds were already made up because they said so publicly,” Kip Tellez, a professor of education at UC-Santa Cruz and one of the drafters of the task force report, said.
The regents, with ultimate authority over the governance of UC, are made up of unpaid political appointees, all but two of them on the current board named to their posts by Democratic governors, several of them by current incumbent Gavin Newsom, who has made no secret of his opposition to the SAT. Last year, for example, Newsom vetoed legislation that would have allowed school districts to use the SAT, instead of the state's own 11th grade tests, saying the SAT exacerbates inequalities for under-represented students.
Requests for interviews sent to the Board of Regents and to Napolitano's office were declined.
At the meeting last month, regents were given five minutes each to present their views, and a few did express some interest in the special task force's findings, but all of them in the end went along with the anti-test mood, testament perhaps to the power of the progressive, racialized narrative to sweep away opposition.
“I very much appreciate the task force's work and the database it put together,” one regent, Maria Anguiano, said, making the kind of argument that won the day, “but I also believe in peer review as part of the research process, and there's been decades of research showing that SAT scores are mostly correlated with wealth and privilege, so I can't support this use of this tool. It's an exclusionary and filtering mechanism.”
Perhaps ironically, standardized tests were originally created about 100 years ago by what became the College Board to provide qualified Jews, Italians, Irish and others a better chance of getting into elite institutions dominated at the time by privileged, well-connected, mostly Protestant families. The idea was that the test created a national standard by which all students from all parts of the country and backgrounds could be compared.
But over the years some minority groups have scored significantly lower on the test than others. This has led many educators, civil rights activists, and some academic researchers to argue that the tests are racially biased obstacles to the goals of opportunity and diversity.
They say the tests favor affluent families, most of them white, who are able to pay for things like private tutoring and summer enrichment programs of the sort that are out of reach for poorer families. This was the prevailing view among the UC regents.
“The strongest correlation is with wealth, not success in college,” Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the chancellor of California's huge network of two-year community colleges, told the regents.
The debate, far from new, is complicated and something of a scholarly maze with numerous research studies seeming to support one or another side of the question. There is research that finds private tutoring gives rich kids an unfair leg up, and research showing that tutoring actually has an almost negligible effect on scores. While there is no doubt some correlation between scores and family wealth, an even stronger correlation may be between scores and the level of educational advancement within a student’s family. That would be one reason why many Asians from modest economic backgrounds have been acing the test — and getting into UC in numbers far above their proportion of the population.
But there was little ambiguity in the findings of the rebuffed UC faculty task force – scholars from different fields who in almost any context would be considered solidly liberal, and who studied the SAT specifically as it is used in the University of California system.
According to their report, the UC system in 2018 admitted 22,613 applicants with weak grades but strong SAT scores. A quarter of those students were members of under-represented minorities, or URMs, and nearly half were low-income or first-generation students.
Breaking down these numbers, 24% of Hispanics, 40% of blacks, and 47% of Native Americans who gained admission to UC did so because of their SAT scores, not despite them, the task force found.
“The original intent of the SAT was to identify students who came from outside relatively privileged circles who might have the potential to succeed at university,” the report said. “This original intent is clearly being realized at UC.”
A far greater barrier to admissions than a student's performance on standardized tests, the task force determined, is the low numbers of minority students who attend high school without completing the college prep coursework required to even be considered for admission at UC.
But among those who do qualify for the applicant pool, it's more often their low grades rather than their test scores that get them rejected.
“UC doesn't cut anybody any slack on his grades,” Andrea Hasenstaub, an associate professor and neuroscientist at UC-San Francisco and one of the drafters of the task force report, told the regents' May meeting. “Students with lower grades are just not let in. This appears to be where URMs are getting cut out in the admissions process.”
Despite this finding, many opponents of tests, including several of the regents who spoke at the May meeting, advocate using high school grades as the key admissions measure, rather than test scores.
The task force’s report rebuts another frequently made criticism of standardized tests – that they are poor predictors of college success.
“Test scores don't just help predict freshman grades,” Hasenstaub said. “They also help to predict retention, graduation rates and final GPA, and this is true of students subdivided by income, race and family educational history.”
Ironically, even though the regents seemed to be against testing altogether, their decision technically left open the possibility that testing will continue at UC. Napolitano even told the meeting, “Our admissions process is better with testing than without it.”
The proposal adopted by the regents requires a feasibility study to determine if a new and better test can be devised within five years, one that, as Napolitano put it, would “more closely align with what we expect incoming students to know to demonstrate their preparedness for UC.” Only if the university fails to come up with such a test would standardized testing be eliminated altogether.
Some members of the task force and most of the regents certainly seemed to think a new test was a good idea. “I don't think we'll have a perfect test,” said Patricia Gandara, an associate professor of education at UCLA, “but I do think we have the technology to enable students to do better in a test that they can actually learn from.”
But others on the task force and even a few of the regents asked how a new test would avoid the flaws of the old ones, among them that it would still give advantages to the rich over the poor, that it would be expensive to create and administer, and that it would cause the same anxiety among students as the SAT and ACT.
“Why wouldn't we just be exchanging one evil for another?” asked Sherry Lansing, the former Hollywood movie producer and a member of the Board of Regents.
Li Cai, a UCLA psychologist and statistician, said creating a new test, or modifying the existing test California students now take to measure their progress, would be very expensive.
“You'd spend $150 [million] or $175 million, and at the end of the day, you'd end up with more or less the same thing,” Cai said in a Zoom call with RCI conducted after the regents meeting.
“It's just a smoke screen,” Haim Weizman, a chemistry professor at UC-San Diego and a member of the task force, said during the same Zoom call. “The regents didn't want to make a new test. They wanted to make a statement.”
At bottom, the debate has to do with something indisputable, which is that, with the notable exception of Asians, there are far fewer minorities and low-income students admitted to UC than their proportion in the population. According to the task force report, 37% of UC's students are under-represented minorities, but they make up 59% of California's graduating high school classes.
Years ago in California, the main way of redressing the balance was affirmative action, giving preferential treatment in admissions, especially to black applicants. But in 1996, a constitutional amendment known as Proposition 209, which banned consideration of race, was adopted by voters.
For a while, minority enrollment at UC did decline as a result of Prop 209, but in recent years it has actually gone up, thanks to what's known as “comprehensive” or “holistic” evaluation, by which the various UC admissions departments can use up 14 factors in an applicants' profile, test scores being only one of them.
Theoretically, race is not one of those factors, but in actual practice the admissions departments give preferential treatment to students from low-performing high schools and less affluent neighborhoods or to applicants who would be the first in their families to go to college, which often translates as black, Latino, or Native American students.
“Scores are interpreted differently for different groups,” Hasenstaub said. In fact, she noted, the average SAT scores of admitted black students is 200 points lower than their white and Asian counterparts – on a scale of 1600. “Low scoring applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds are admitted when applicants from advantaged backgrounds wouldn't be,” Hasenstaub said.
Many students who would not qualify for admission because of their low grades get places in the UC system because their SAT scores are over a certain threshold, even if those scores are lower on average than students from more privileged backgrounds. This explains the task force findings, as the report put it, that “the SAT allows many disadvantaged students to gain guarantees of admission to UC.”
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations.]


wnd--2020-06-16--Supremes' trans activism to bring 'years' of brutal court fights

The Supreme Court 's decision Monday to expand the definition of `` sex '' in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include `` gender identity '' and `` sexual orientation '' means that homosexuals and transgenders now have special protections in employment .
And much more .
`` The ruling will lead to a tsunami of polarizing court cases and further degradation of Americans ' natural rights to free speech , to free association , and to worshiping God as their consciences require , '' warns Joy Pullmann , executive editor of The Federalist .
`` All this in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has become a totalitarian weapon , '' she wrote .
TRENDING : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC Pullman called the decision `` a disgrace to these bedrocks of Western civilization , our nation built upon them , the voters who vote for them , and to these men ’ s honor . ''
`` President Trump ran promising judges who wouldn ’ t murder America , and [ Justice Neil ] Gorsuch just gave him and everyone who voted for him a giant middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The court ’ s newfound weakness will also be exploited and explored by leftist legal agitators whose goal is the destruction of the American system . ''
She warned , `` Get ready for years of legal battles . ''
Pullman explained that courts are not supposed to legislate `` because citizens can not consent to legislation imposed by courts , and have no direct means for altering Supreme Court decisions like we can alter laws through our elected representatives . ''
`` When courts legislate , they disenfranchise the people , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes , our God-given natural right to rule ourselves .
By adding words to statute that Congress did not put there , and has repeatedly and explicitly refused to add , these judges are destroying our Constitution , our way of life , the people ’ s sovereignty , and thus our human dignity . ''
She cited author Christopher Caldwell calling the Civil Rights Act the United States ' second constitution , `` which is at war with its first : the identity politics laws and regulations passed largely since the 1960s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Caldwell writes in `` Age of Entitlement '' : `` Just as assuming that two parallel lines can meet overturns the whole of Euclidean geometry , eliminating freedom of association from the U.S. Constitution changed everything .
At the time , it was n't obvious how 'extra rights ' could destroy natural rights .
But it is now . ''
The Washington Examiner reported social conservatives contend that one of the byproducts of the decision will be an end to women 's sports and freedom of speech .
Justice Samuel Alito and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision amounted to the court legislating from the bench .
Princeton professor Robert George online said the `` legislation handed down by the court will have far-reaching consequences , including the eventual destruction of all-women ’ s sports . ''
`` As I tell my students , and constantly remind myself , 'remember , when you sign on to a proposition you are signing on to all it logically presupposes and entails . '
'' Alito said that by advocating for protections in employment , the majority justices were casting their lot with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women 's sports , housing , religious employment , health care and freedom of speech .
Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center said it will take decades to settle the legal questions that the decision created .
And he told the Examiner women 's sports now are doomed , noting its regarded as offensive to say a man can not compete in women 's sports .
`` To allow that male to take part but to bar a male who IDs as male would also be discrimination on the basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports . ''
Jennifer Roback Morse , the president of the Ruth Institute , said the decision `` erases womanhood . ''
`` It is the end of women in sports and women ’ s rights to privacy .
Thanks to the sexual revolutionaries on the court , our laws will refuse to distinguish men who say they are women from real women , '' she wrote .
She said the decision bears no relationship to the law , `` nor to reality itself . ''
`` The Supreme Court can distort the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change reality .
If you ’ re born a man , you ’ ll remain one to your dying day , regardless of what you believe or do to your body , '' Morse said .
Michelle Cretella of the American College of Pediatricians , agreed with Morse .
`` The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against science , common sense and the bedrock of Western Civilization when it redefined ‘ sex ’ to include gender identity and thereby erased females from American law , '' she wrote .
`` From the scientific point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an organism 's biological role in reproduction ; it is an innate and immutable trait that is solely biologically determined .
Thanks to the betrayal of conservative justices John Roberts and Neil Gorsuch , all Americans and American institutions ( including churches ) must pretend that sex is a mere state of mind that can be changed at will .
This means that all Americans are now compelled by federal law to lie – compelled by law to speak and behave as though people are whoever or whatever they claim to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moore of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission also issued a warning to lawmakers , because they now `` wo n't know what they are voting to pass – because words might change cultural meaning dramatically . ''
Pullman said , `` Given all that has happened after Obergefell v. Hodges , which we were vociferously told was ridiculous to forecast — transgenderism immediately going mainstream , pushing religion inside the closet LGBT people were vacating , limiting people ’ s ability to freely express their faith and ideas , forcing education institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s naive to think such scenarios will not quickly become reality as a result of this court decision .
`` Queer theory is now reigning U.S. employment law .
This means it must also dominate all institutions of higher education that are not explicitly religious , both public and private , '' she said .
`` Religious schools and homeschooling now offer the only potential safe haven to parents who don ’ t want their children indoctrinated to believe it ’ s awesome to amputate healthy penises and breasts .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will take oodles of litigation to work out the details . ''
And she advocated a response : `` People need to frequently contact their representatives about this issue , and get on the email lists of state and national groups working on this issue — like Mass Resistance , the Hands Across the Aisle Coalition , the Americian Family Association , Family Research Council , 4thWaveNow , and Transgender Trend — to read up on this issue and take action on bills .
`` All elected officials and candidates need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ videos immediately posted to social media , why they aren ’ t doing anything to keep naked men from getting access to naked girls in showers , bathrooms , and locker rooms , '' she said .
Alito pointed out that more than 100 federal laws prohibit discrimination because of sex .

The Supreme Court's decision Monday to expand the definition of "sex" in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" means that homosexuals and transgenders now have special protections in employment.
And much more.
"The ruling will lead to a tsunami of polarizing court cases and further degradation of Americans' natural rights to free speech, to free association, and to worshiping God as their consciences require," warns Joy Pullmann, executive editor of The Federalist.
"All this in the name of 'equality,' a word that has become a totalitarian weapon," she wrote.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Pullman called the decision "a disgrace to these bedrocks of Western civilization, our nation built upon them, the voters who vote for them, and to these men’s honor."
"President Trump ran promising judges who wouldn’t murder America, and [Justice Neil] Gorsuch just gave him and everyone who voted for him a giant middle finger," she said. "The court’s newfound weakness will also be exploited and explored by leftist legal agitators whose goal is the destruction of the American system."
She warned, "Get ready for years of legal battles."
Pullman explained that courts are not supposed to legislate "because citizens cannot consent to legislation imposed by courts, and have no direct means for altering Supreme Court decisions like we can alter laws through our elected representatives."
"When courts legislate, they disenfranchise the people," she said. "They invalidate our votes, our God-given natural right to rule ourselves. By adding words to statute that Congress did not put there, and has repeatedly and explicitly refused to add, these judges are destroying our Constitution, our way of life, the people’s sovereignty, and thus our human dignity."
She cited author Christopher Caldwell calling the Civil Rights Act the United States' second constitution, "which is at war with its first: the identity politics laws and regulations passed largely since the 1960s in the name of 'antidiscrimination.'"
Caldwell writes in "Age of Entitlement": "Just as assuming that two parallel lines can meet overturns the whole of Euclidean geometry, eliminating freedom of association from the U.S. Constitution changed everything. At the time, it wasn't obvious how 'extra rights' could destroy natural rights. But it is now."
The Washington Examiner reported social conservatives contend that one of the byproducts of the decision will be an end to women's sports and freedom of speech.
Justice Samuel Alito and two other justices dissented, charging the decision amounted to the court legislating from the bench.
Princeton professor Robert George online said the "legislation handed down by the court will have far-reaching consequences, including the eventual destruction of all-women’s sports."
"As I tell my students, and constantly remind myself, 'remember, when you sign on to a proposition you are signing on to all it logically presupposes and entails.'"
Alito said that by advocating for protections in employment, the majority justices were casting their lot with transgenders in disputes over locker rooms, women's sports, housing, religious employment, health care and freedom of speech.
Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center said it will take decades to settle the legal questions that the decision created.
And he told the Examiner women's sports now are doomed, noting its regarded as offensive to say a man cannot compete in women's sports.
"To allow that male to take part but to bar a male who IDs as male would also be discrimination on the basis of sex. So end to female-only sports."
Jennifer Roback Morse, the president of the Ruth Institute, said the decision "erases womanhood."
"It is the end of women in sports and women’s rights to privacy. Thanks to the sexual revolutionaries on the court, our laws will refuse to distinguish men who say they are women from real women," she wrote.
She said the decision bears no relationship to the law, "nor to reality itself."
"The Supreme Court can distort the law, but it can’t change reality. If you’re born a man, you’ll remain one to your dying day, regardless of what you believe or do to your body," Morse said.
Michelle Cretella of the American College of Pediatricians, agreed with Morse.
"The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against science, common sense and the bedrock of Western Civilization when it redefined ‘sex’ to include gender identity and thereby erased females from American law," she wrote.
"From the scientific point of view, sex is defined according to an organism's biological role in reproduction; it is an innate and immutable trait that is solely biologically determined. Thanks to the betrayal of conservative justices John Roberts and Neil Gorsuch, all Americans and American institutions (including churches) must pretend that sex is a mere state of mind that can be changed at will. This means that all Americans are now compelled by federal law to lie – compelled by law to speak and behave as though people are whoever or whatever they claim to be irrespective of the facts."
Russell Moore of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission also issued a warning to lawmakers, because they now "won't know what they are voting to pass – because words might change cultural meaning dramatically."
Pullman said, "Given all that has happened after Obergefell v. Hodges, which we were vociferously told was ridiculous to forecast — transgenderism immediately going mainstream, pushing religion inside the closet LGBT people were vacating, limiting people’s ability to freely express their faith and ideas, forcing education institutions to promote LGBT politics and behavior — it’s naive to think such scenarios will not quickly become reality as a result of this court decision.
"Queer theory is now reigning U.S. employment law. This means it must also dominate all institutions of higher education that are not explicitly religious, both public and private," she said. "Religious schools and homeschooling now offer the only potential safe haven to parents who don’t want their children indoctrinated to believe it’s awesome to amputate healthy penises and breasts. Even those options are under threat, and it will take oodles of litigation to work out the details."
And she advocated a response: "People need to frequently contact their representatives about this issue, and get on the email lists of state and national groups working on this issue — like Mass Resistance, the Hands Across the Aisle Coalition, the Americian Family Association, Family Research Council, 4thWaveNow, and Transgender Trend — to read up on this issue and take action on bills.
"All elected officials and candidates need to start being asked in public, on videos immediately posted to social media, why they aren’t doing anything to keep naked men from getting access to naked girls in showers, bathrooms, and locker rooms," she said.
Alito pointed out that more than 100 federal laws prohibit discrimination because of sex.


wnd--2020-06-16--Amazon's sale of 'Blue Lives Murder' shirt sparks outrage

Amazon sold T-shirts with the message `` Blue Lives Murder , '' referring to police , before complying with the demand of Blue Lives Matter NYC that the product be removed from the retail giant 's site .
The New York Post reported Monday the shirts manufactured by the company COTINAC were sold for $ 19.99 plus shipping .
The Amazon sales page became inactive after the Post published its story .
But shirts with the same message and others , such as `` Cuts of Pig '' and `` Slap Your Local Racist , '' continue to be sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC The founder of the pro-police group , Sgt .
Joe Imperatrice , said he understands the anger over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
But he argued the shirts only fueled the resentment against law enforcement officers .
`` It shows that [ Amazon is ] bending over backwards for this movement like many other companies are .
That ’ s not OK , '' Imperatrice said , according to the Post .
`` People ca n't be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ cops ] .
It 's going to cost somebody , more than likely a police officer , their life . ''
Imperatrice called on Amazon to immediately stop selling the shirt , which makes people `` believe it 's OK to have this mentality . ''
The Post reported a review of the product on the Amazon page , before it was removed , called the shirt `` disgusting '' and said it `` promotes , incites and glorifies hatred . ''
Imperatrice said officers are `` taking abuse more than ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shirts with the same slogan are still sold on many other websites , including the site of America Hates Us , which describes itself as `` a contemporary lifestyle brand that reflects the current landscape of politics , health & socioeconomics . ''
A `` Blue Lives Murder '' T-shirt sells for $ 30 and a hoodie for $ 60 .
The sales pages feature a quote from activist Dominique Christina .
`` Without the truth , they get to disappear us , they get to stop us about a tail light and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plant evidence and claim we threatened their lives ; they get to arrest us because we made eye contact with them , beat us , hogtie us , and then throw us into a police van on our stomachs , unbelted , handcuffed and bruised to be thrashed against a metal partition until our spine is severed . ''
Another anti-police shirt , `` Guide to Police Work : Cuts of Pig , '' has an image of a pig with individual cuts labeled with words such as `` Theft , '' `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Another message is `` Slap Your Local Racist , '' which likens supporters of President Trump to members of the Ku Klux Klan .
A hat , which is sold out , features an American flag with a flame on it .
The sales page features a poem that concludes , `` I burn any flag that promotes flag fetishism and pep-rally nationalism that forestalls a global alliance for peace and ecological sanity . ''

Amazon sold T-shirts with the message "Blue Lives Murder," referring to police, before complying with the demand of Blue Lives Matter NYC that the product be removed from the retail giant's site.
The New York Post reported Monday the shirts manufactured by the company COTINAC were sold for $19.99 plus shipping.
The Amazon sales page became inactive after the Post published its story.
But shirts with the same message and others, such as "Cuts of Pig" and "Slap Your Local Racist," continue to be sold on many other websites.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The founder of the pro-police group, Sgt. Joe Imperatrice, said he understands the anger over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But he argued the shirts only fueled the resentment against law enforcement officers.
"It shows that [Amazon is] bending over backwards for this movement like many other companies are. That’s not OK," Imperatrice said, according to the Post.
"People can't be making shirts up, turning people against [cops]. It's going to cost somebody, more than likely a police officer, their life."
Imperatrice called on Amazon to immediately stop selling the shirt, which makes people "believe it's OK to have this mentality."
The Post reported a review of the product on the Amazon page, before it was removed, called the shirt "disgusting" and said it "promotes, incites and glorifies hatred."
Imperatrice said officers are "taking abuse more than ... the likes of any generation."
Sold elsewhere
Shirts with the same slogan are still sold on many other websites, including the site of America Hates Us, which describes itself as "a contemporary lifestyle brand that reflects the current landscape of politics, health & socioeconomics."
A "Blue Lives Murder" T-shirt sells for $30 and a hoodie for $60.
The sales pages feature a quote from activist Dominique Christina.
"Without the truth, they get to disappear us, they get to stop us about a tail light and then shoot us in the back, plant evidence and claim we threatened their lives; they get to arrest us because we made eye contact with them, beat us, hogtie us, and then throw us into a police van on our stomachs, unbelted, handcuffed and bruised to be thrashed against a metal partition until our spine is severed."
Another anti-police shirt, "Guide to Police Work: Cuts of Pig," has an image of a pig with individual cuts labeled with words such as "Theft," "Bribery" and "Excessive Force."
Another message is "Slap Your Local Racist," which likens supporters of President Trump to members of the Ku Klux Klan.
A hat, which is sold out, features an American flag with a flame on it.
The sales page features a poem that concludes, "I burn any flag that promotes flag fetishism and pep-rally nationalism that forestalls a global alliance for peace and ecological sanity."


wnd--2020-06-16--The catastrophe of a fatherless America

The catastrophe of a fatherless America

Much of the mayhem we see today is linked to fatherlessness .
Around this time we celebrate Father 's Day , but recently fathers in our culture have not appeared very important – at least according to Hollywood and other culture-shapers .
We used to have programs like `` Father Knows Best '' or `` Leave It to Beaver '' with a respectable father figure .
Then we devolved to Archie Bunker on `` All in the Family . ''
He was the stereotypical bigoted , benighted patriarch who was not worthy of emulation .
Then we devolved to Homer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything but a role model .
Of course , in many households today , there is no dad .
And that 's a serious problem .
So many of the children in fatherless homes begin life at a serious disadvantage .
The breakdown of the family at large has caused a huge crisis in our society .
For instance , statistics show that the majority of prison inmates come from broken families .
TRENDING : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC Fatherlessness is a serious blight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes , so goes society .
And , contrary to what the left says ( who spend much of their energy diminishing traditional gender roles and arguing that whatever `` family you choose '' is just as good as the real thing ) , fathers are integral to the life of a child .
Take an example .
What is it that is devastating the black community today ?
Many in our current climate would say the main issue is racism .
But sociologically , cultural pathologies are linked closely to poverty .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ structure of the family .
Government subsidies ( by which the left buys votes ) has created a permanent underclass of people by subsidizing fatherlessness and unemployment .
Prior to the Great Society , the rate of illegitimacy in the black community was relatively low and families were intact .
And as economist Thomas Sowell points out , the poverty rate for African Americans fell by 40 % from 1940 to 1960 – just before the Great Society welfare programs began .
Today , the illegitimacy rate is over 75 % , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I remember many years ago when I attended an `` evangelical church '' in Chicago that was a little on the liberal side .
One of the lay leaders , a man , got up and prayed , and he said , `` Our Father , Our Mother … '' I was thinking , `` What ?
!
? ''
So I asked him after the service about the unorthodox prayer .
His response was that that church was in the shadow of the most notorious housing project in the city , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
Most people growing up there had a negative feeling about their earthly father because he was absent or drunk or abusive .
Cabrini-Green was such a disaster that it has since been torn down .
In his book , `` Hearts of the Fathers , '' Charles Crismier notes that many American children today lack the `` God-ordered earthly anchor for soul security '' because dad is not in the home .
He notes , `` It is well-known but seldom discussed , whether in the church house or the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ root of nearly all of the most glaring problems that plague our modern , now post-Christian life . ''
For example , take the issue of poverty .
Says Crismier , `` Children living in female-headed homes have a poverty rate of 48 % , more than four times the rate for children living in homes with their fathers and mothers . ''
He points out that fathers are so important in the Bible , beginning with God the Father , that the words `` father , '' `` fathers '' and `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , children in fatherless homes can survive and even thrive despite that handicap , but what a better thing it is to follow God 's design for the family .
There 's also a link between fatherlessness and unbelief .
About 20 years ago , when he was a professor at New York University , Dr. Paul Vitz wrote a book , `` The Faith of the Fatherless . ''
In that book he showed how famous atheists and skeptics in history had virtually no father figure in their life or a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cites Voltaire , Bertrand Russell , H. G. Wells , Friedrich Nietzsche , Jean Paul Sartre , Thomas Hobbs and Sigmund Freud , among others .
Conversely , Vitz found that strong believers often had positive fathers or father figures .
In an interview for Christian television , he told me , `` I would say the biggest problem in the country is the breakdown of the family , and the biggest problem in the breakdown in the family is the absence of the father .
Our answer is to recover the faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll recover fatherhood .
And if we recover fatherhood , we 'll recover the family .
If we recover the family , we 'll recover our society . ''
If you 're a father and you stay with your children and you love your wife , you 're a real hero and role model .
Keep it up – our nation is counting on you .

Much of the mayhem we see today is linked to fatherlessness.
Around this time we celebrate Father's Day, but recently fathers in our culture have not appeared very important – at least according to Hollywood and other culture-shapers.
We used to have programs like "Father Knows Best" or "Leave It to Beaver" with a respectable father figure. Then we devolved to Archie Bunker on "All in the Family." He was the stereotypical bigoted, benighted patriarch who was not worthy of emulation.
Then we devolved to Homer Simpson, the buffoonish dad who was anything but a role model.
Of course, in many households today, there is no dad. And that's a serious problem. So many of the children in fatherless homes begin life at a serious disadvantage. The breakdown of the family at large has caused a huge crisis in our society. For instance, statistics show that the majority of prison inmates come from broken families.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Fatherlessness is a serious blight on American life. As the family goes, so goes society. And, contrary to what the left says (who spend much of their energy diminishing traditional gender roles and arguing that whatever "family you choose" is just as good as the real thing), fathers are integral to the life of a child.
Take an example. What is it that is devastating the black community today? Many in our current climate would say the main issue is racism. But sociologically, cultural pathologies are linked closely to poverty. And poverty is linked closely to the structure of the family. Government subsidies (by which the left buys votes) has created a permanent underclass of people by subsidizing fatherlessness and unemployment.
Prior to the Great Society, the rate of illegitimacy in the black community was relatively low and families were intact. And as economist Thomas Sowell points out, the poverty rate for African Americans fell by 40% from 1940 to 1960 – just before the Great Society welfare programs began. Today, the illegitimacy rate is over 75%, which is devastating – by virtually all accounts.
I remember many years ago when I attended an "evangelical church" in Chicago that was a little on the liberal side. One of the lay leaders, a man, got up and prayed, and he said, "Our Father, Our Mother …"
I was thinking, "What?!?" So I asked him after the service about the unorthodox prayer.
His response was that that church was in the shadow of the most notorious housing project in the city, Cabrini-Green. Fatherlessness was a huge problem there. Most people growing up there had a negative feeling about their earthly father because he was absent or drunk or abusive. Cabrini-Green was such a disaster that it has since been torn down.
In his book, "Hearts of the Fathers," Charles Crismier notes that many American children today lack the "God-ordered earthly anchor for soul security" because dad is not in the home. He notes, "It is well-known but seldom discussed, whether in the church house or the White House, that fatherlessness lies at the root of nearly all of the most glaring problems that plague our modern, now post-Christian life."
For example, take the issue of poverty. Says Crismier, "Children living in female-headed homes have a poverty rate of 48%, more than four times the rate for children living in homes with their fathers and mothers."
He points out that fathers are so important in the Bible, beginning with God the Father, that the words "father," "fathers" and "forefathers" appear 1,573 times.
Obviously, children in fatherless homes can survive and even thrive despite that handicap, but what a better thing it is to follow God's design for the family.
There's also a link between fatherlessness and unbelief. About 20 years ago, when he was a professor at New York University, Dr. Paul Vitz wrote a book, "The Faith of the Fatherless." In that book he showed how famous atheists and skeptics in history had virtually no father figure in their life or a very negative father.
As examples, he cites Voltaire, Bertrand Russell, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean Paul Sartre, Thomas Hobbs and Sigmund Freud, among others.
Conversely, Vitz found that strong believers often had positive fathers or father figures. In an interview for Christian television, he told me, "I would say the biggest problem in the country is the breakdown of the family, and the biggest problem in the breakdown in the family is the absence of the father. Our answer is to recover the faith, particularly for men, and we'll recover fatherhood. And if we recover fatherhood, we'll recover the family. If we recover the family, we'll recover our society."
If you're a father and you stay with your children and you love your wife, you're a real hero and role model. Keep it up – our nation is counting on you.


wnd--2020-06-17--Our totalitarian moment: Will we survive it?

America feels like it 's falling apart .
That 's because it is .
There are two ways to achieve unity in any group .
The first is to set up a few serious standards of conduct , policed with the absolute minimum of compulsion , and then allow freedom in all other matters .
This was the founding vision for our federal government .
In this vision , we agree not to infringe upon one another 's life , liberty and property , and we create a government capable of preventing or prosecuting such infringements .
Then , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standards , we are free to pursue our own paths .
Diverse ways of life can coexist within this broader group membership .
Governance becomes largely a matter of localism – places with homogenous values setting further standards for their group membership .
But our broadest-group membership is easy to obtain and easy to maintain .
The founding vision for unity presupposed a flawed human nature : People were capable of sin individually but capable of the greatest sin when backed with the power of federal force .
The founding vision for unity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rights and liberty : No man had a right to demand anything from his neighbor .
Furthermore , the founding vision for unity presupposed that our strongest bonds would exist outside of government – in our families , our communities , our churches .
The founding vision has now been abandoned in pursuit of something more fulfilling : a communitarian vision of reality in which the will of the mob is perceived as virtuous ; in which every man has the right to protect himself from the vicissitudes of life and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his neighbors ; in which our strongest bonds are forged at the most centralized level .
TRENDING : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC This second path toward unity requires purification .
This path seeks homogeneity in place of diversity , top-down standards in place of localism .
Standards for membership are not weak or broad – membership can not be obtained simply by avoiding encroaching on others ' life , liberty or property .
Membership can only be obtained and maintained through strict compliance with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standards .
Politically , this means a demanding legal regime with heavy coercion .
Culturally , this means braying mobs of ideological enforcers , casting out unbelievers into the cornfields .
This second model of governance is promoted by the political left today .
In this view , diversity of viewpoint can not be allowed ; unity of viewpoint in all things is the predicate for all serious change .
Once the group has been purified , change will require only the snap of a finger .
No more gridlock ; no more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly and powerfully .
This second model of governance is totalitarian in nature , and it is toward that model we are now moving as a society .
Politically , those who deny that the collective ought to have the power to override individual rights must be punished ; culturally , they must be exiled .
They must be deemed unworthy .
To stand up for individual rights in this climate means to be labeled a defender of privilege .
To deny the systemic evil of the United States means to betray your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the second model of unity – the totalitarian purification rituals we watch before us – will never achieve unity .
It will achieve further division , as more and more people fall short of ideological purity , or refuse to bow before the ideological demands of the perpetual revolutionaries .
We could agree to live with one another , as individuals under the broader rubric of rights .
If we do n't , we wo n't be living with one another at all .

America feels like it's falling apart.
That's because it is.
There are two ways to achieve unity in any group. The first is to set up a few serious standards of conduct, policed with the absolute minimum of compulsion, and then allow freedom in all other matters. This was the founding vision for our federal government. In this vision, we agree not to infringe upon one another's life, liberty and property, and we create a government capable of preventing or prosecuting such infringements. Then, so long as we abide by those simple standards, we are free to pursue our own paths. Diverse ways of life can coexist within this broader group membership. Governance becomes largely a matter of localism – places with homogenous values setting further standards for their group membership. But our broadest-group membership is easy to obtain and easy to maintain.
The founding vision for unity presupposed a flawed human nature: People were capable of sin individually but capable of the greatest sin when backed with the power of federal force. The founding vision for unity also presupposed an agreement on the nature of rights and liberty: No man had a right to demand anything from his neighbor. Furthermore, the founding vision for unity presupposed that our strongest bonds would exist outside of government – in our families, our communities, our churches.
The founding vision has now been abandoned in pursuit of something more fulfilling: a communitarian vision of reality in which the will of the mob is perceived as virtuous; in which every man has the right to protect himself from the vicissitudes of life and the cruelties of history by demanding redress from his neighbors; in which our strongest bonds are forged at the most centralized level.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
This second path toward unity requires purification. This path seeks homogeneity in place of diversity, top-down standards in place of localism. Standards for membership are not weak or broad – membership cannot be obtained simply by avoiding encroaching on others' life, liberty or property. Membership can only be obtained and maintained through strict compliance with an increasingly arcane set of rules and standards. Politically, this means a demanding legal regime with heavy coercion. Culturally, this means braying mobs of ideological enforcers, casting out unbelievers into the cornfields.
This second model of governance is promoted by the political left today. In this view, diversity of viewpoint cannot be allowed; unity of viewpoint in all things is the predicate for all serious change. Once the group has been purified, change will require only the snap of a finger. No more gridlock; no more conversation. The collective can be activated quickly and powerfully.
This second model of governance is totalitarian in nature, and it is toward that model we are now moving as a society. Politically, those who deny that the collective ought to have the power to override individual rights must be punished; culturally, they must be exiled. They must be deemed unworthy. To stand up for individual rights in this climate means to be labeled a defender of privilege. To deny the systemic evil of the United States means to betray your moral unworthiness.
The great irony is that the second model of unity – the totalitarian purification rituals we watch before us – will never achieve unity. It will achieve further division, as more and more people fall short of ideological purity, or refuse to bow before the ideological demands of the perpetual revolutionaries.
We could agree to live with one another, as individuals under the broader rubric of rights. If we don't, we won't be living with one another at all.


wnd--2020-06-17--The white supremacist lynching hoax

The white supremacist lynching hoax

If you type `` # HoustonLynching '' in Twitter 's search engine , hundreds and hundreds of tweets appear .
Thousands more appear under the hashtags `` # Lynchings '' and `` # Lynched . ''
Social media activists supporting the Black Lives Matter movement have spread a terrifying story : Evil racists are hanging black men from trees across the country .
In the wake of the George Floyd incident in Minnesota and three weeks of riots , America is in the grips of a purported epidemic of white supremacist violence that harkens back to the Jim Crow era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Except that it 's all a big fat lie .
Actress Deborah Brooks exclaimed : `` Their ( sic ) LYNCHING our Black men and no one is screaming like hell !
So I will , the white racists are LYNCHING OUR BLACK MEN !
California , Houston Chicago . ''
Ray McClusky , whose Twitter bio sports # EndRacism and # VeteransResist identifiers , fumed : `` There 's no way they are suicide or coincidence .
I think they are all connected & are serial murders by lynching .
White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' TRENDING : Helpless 92-year-old woman injured after being ruthlessly knocked to the ground in NYC Self-described `` foundational Black American '' Tariq Nasheed raged that `` cops are working with white supremacists '' to cover up the `` lynchings . ''
Rebecca Smirnov demanded to know : `` Why is n't the press reporting on these lynchings … How many more must die before the press connects the deaths ?
Who is investigating the # Lynchings ? ''
A BLM activist who calls himself `` SJPeace '' posited : `` It ca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no reason to rule out that these were racial terror lynchings !
BLACK LIVES MATTER ! ''
The `` black man '' in the Houston suburb of Shady Acres who was allegedly a `` lynching '' victim was , in fact , a Hispanic adult male `` whose family said he was suicidal , '' according to local authorities .
Moreover , of the other four alleged lynching victims lumped together by social justice propagandists : – Bronx native Dominique Alexander was found on June 9 in a Manhattan Park .
His death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has declined to comment publicly except to disclose that they are grieving and loved Alexander .
– Robert Fuller of Palmdale , California , had been the subject of a missing persons flyer describing him as having a `` history of mental illness '' before his body was discovered June 10 hanging from a tree .
– Malcolm Harsch of Victorville , California , was found hung from a tree in his homeless encampment 10 days before Fuller on May 31 .
His death was initially reported to police by his girlfriend who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Law enforcement authorities did not recover any evidence from the scene suggesting foul play .
Family members who have stirred conspiracy theories in the media live across the country in Ohio .
Harsch reportedly had both a long-distance wife and the girlfriend .
– TeTe Otis Gulley was a black , transgender homeless person who was found hanging from a tree in a park on May 27 .
He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia .
The suicide rate for transgenders , according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More than 40 % of transgender men and women in the U.S. have attempted to take their own life .
Fact : On average , one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes in the U.S .
Fact : In 2014 , according to the American Association of Suicidology , `` 2,421 African Americans died by suicide in the U.S. … The overall suicide rate per 100,000 was 5.46 . ''
Fact : Hangings accounted for 26 % of suicides in 2010 , up from 19 % at the start of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study published just last fall .
But let 's not let facts , or the utter lack of them , get in the way of expedient narratives to paint our country as irredeemably bigoted and unsafe for non-whites .
Mainstream outlets from Voice of America to National Public Radio to The New York Times and CBS have all failed to tamp down the lynching hysteria .
Prominent , Twitter-verified influencers are fueling this Mother of All Hate Crime Hoaxes , too .
Left-wing billionaire Tom Steyer baldly asserted : `` Black people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Liberal writer and `` comedian '' Tony Posnanski tossed his echo into the chamber : `` Five African Americans were lynched this week . ''
And Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III lamented : `` These horrifying deaths of Black men conjure up the worst racist sins of our nation 's past . ''
Here 's the ultimate truth : Fear-mongering opportunists and anarchy vultures do n't care about the dead black men they are using to advance their America-smearing agenda .
Instead of confronting the nation 's suicide , homelessness and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hustlers connecting random dots of real tragedies and conjuring up invisible hangmen to stir more hatred and division .
Somehow , all these conspiracy theorists have escaped the increasingly authoritarian regime of Silicon Valley thought policing , `` moderation '' tools or algorithmic discrimination directed at any who dare criticizes BLM .
On Tuesday , NBC News pressured Google to demonetize The Federalist and ZeroHedge websites because liberal activist reporters did n't like the rival media outlets ' coverage of BLM violence .
There 's only one thing hanging from the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out-of-control lynch mob : The credibility of American journalism is swinging in the wind .
R.I.P .

If you type "#HoustonLynching" in Twitter's search engine, hundreds and hundreds of tweets appear. Thousands more appear under the hashtags "#Lynchings" and "#Lynched." Social media activists supporting the Black Lives Matter movement have spread a terrifying story: Evil racists are hanging black men from trees across the country.
In the wake of the George Floyd incident in Minnesota and three weeks of riots, America is in the grips of a purported epidemic of white supremacist violence that harkens back to the Jim Crow era with noose-wielding Klansman lurking on every corner.
Except that it's all a big fat lie.
Actress Deborah Brooks exclaimed: "Their (sic) LYNCHING our Black men and no one is screaming like hell! So I will, the white racists are LYNCHING OUR BLACK MEN! California, Houston Chicago."
Ray McClusky, whose Twitter bio sports #EndRacism and #VeteransResist identifiers, fumed: "There's no way they are suicide or coincidence. I think they are all connected & are serial murders by lynching. White supremacists are terrorizing the black community."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Self-described "foundational Black American" Tariq Nasheed raged that "cops are working with white supremacists" to cover up the "lynchings."
Rebecca Smirnov demanded to know: "Why isn't the press reporting on these lynchings … How many more must die before the press connects the deaths? Who is investigating the #Lynchings?"
A BLM activist who calls himself "SJPeace" posited: "It can't be a coincidence. There is no reason to rule out that these were racial terror lynchings! BLACK LIVES MATTER!"
Just a few teeny, tiny problems.
The "black man" in the Houston suburb of Shady Acres who was allegedly a "lynching" victim was, in fact, a Hispanic adult male "whose family said he was suicidal," according to local authorities.
Moreover, of the other four alleged lynching victims lumped together by social justice propagandists:
– Bronx native Dominique Alexander was found on June 9 in a Manhattan Park. His death was ruled a suicide. The family has declined to comment publicly except to disclose that they are grieving and loved Alexander.
– Robert Fuller of Palmdale, California, had been the subject of a missing persons flyer describing him as having a "history of mental illness" before his body was discovered June 10 hanging from a tree.
– Malcolm Harsch of Victorville, California, was found hung from a tree in his homeless encampment 10 days before Fuller on May 31. His death was initially reported to police by his girlfriend who lived with him in a tent. Law enforcement authorities did not recover any evidence from the scene suggesting foul play. Family members who have stirred conspiracy theories in the media live across the country in Ohio. Harsch reportedly had both a long-distance wife and the girlfriend.
– TeTe Otis Gulley was a black, transgender homeless person who was found hanging from a tree in a park on May 27. He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The suicide rate for transgenders, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is nearly 10 times the national average. More than 40% of transgender men and women in the U.S. have attempted to take their own life.
Fact: On average, one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes in the U.S.
Fact: In 2014, according to the American Association of Suicidology, "2,421 African Americans died by suicide in the U.S. … The overall suicide rate per 100,000 was 5.46."
Fact: Hangings accounted for 26% of suicides in 2010, up from 19% at the start of the decade, according to a Johns Hopkins study published just last fall.
But let's not let facts, or the utter lack of them, get in the way of expedient narratives to paint our country as irredeemably bigoted and unsafe for non-whites. Mainstream outlets from Voice of America to National Public Radio to The New York Times and CBS have all failed to tamp down the lynching hysteria. Prominent, Twitter-verified influencers are fueling this Mother of All Hate Crime Hoaxes, too.
Left-wing billionaire Tom Steyer baldly asserted: "Black people are literally still being lynched in this country."
Liberal writer and "comedian" Tony Posnanski tossed his echo into the chamber: "Five African Americans were lynched this week."
And Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III lamented: "These horrifying deaths of Black men conjure up the worst racist sins of our nation's past."
Here's the ultimate truth: Fear-mongering opportunists and anarchy vultures don't care about the dead black men they are using to advance their America-smearing agenda. Instead of confronting the nation's suicide, homelessness and pandemic crises, we have callous race hustlers connecting random dots of real tragedies and conjuring up invisible hangmen to stir more hatred and division.
Somehow, all these conspiracy theorists have escaped the increasingly authoritarian regime of Silicon Valley thought policing, "moderation" tools or algorithmic discrimination directed at any who dare criticizes BLM. On Tuesday, NBC News pressured Google to demonetize The Federalist and ZeroHedge websites because liberal activist reporters didn't like the rival media outlets' coverage of BLM violence. There's only one thing hanging from the end of the rope at the hands of an out-of-control lynch mob:
The credibility of American journalism is swinging in the wind. R.I.P.


wnd--2020-06-17--'Fed-up' Jewish leaders use bolt cutters to reopen park closed by city

( NATIONAL REVIEW ) -- Jewish residents in Brooklyn used bolt cutters to cut through a lock placed on a @ @ @ @ @ thousands of protesters gathered in the borough a day earlier to express support for black @ @ @ @ @ Monday on social media showed members of Brooklyn 's Orthodox Jewish community taking bolt cutters @ @ @ @ @ Playground in south Williamsburg .
The New York City Parks & Recreation department had welded @ @ @ @ @ ’ four entrances Monday morning but later undid the welding job and locked the entrance @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Playgrounds across the City are closed for the safety of our children , @ @ @ @ @ this community to find a solution , ” a city Parks Department representative said .

(NATIONAL REVIEW) -- Jewish residents in Brooklyn used bolt cutters to cut through a lock placed on a Brooklyn park Monday evening after thousands of protesters gathered in the borough a day earlier to express support for black transgender people.
Footage posted Monday on social media showed members of Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish community taking bolt cutters to the lock on Middleton Playground in south Williamsburg. The New York City Parks & Recreation department had welded shut one of the parks’ four entrances Monday morning but later undid the welding job and locked the entrance with a chain and padlock.
“Playgrounds across the City are closed for the safety of our children, and we will engage with this community to find a solution,” a city Parks Department representative said.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-06-18--'That '70s Show' actor charged with raping 3 women

( FOX NEWS ) -- Danny Masterson has been charged with “ forcibly raping three women ” in separate incidents @ @ @ @ @ and 2003 , Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Wednesday .
The three @ @ @ @ @ or fear come after a three-year investigation of Masterson , 44 .
The charges were @ @ @ @ @ arrested late Wednesday morning , jail records showed .
He was being held on $ @ @ @ @ @ “ That ‘ 70s Show ” star is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman in @ @ @ @ @ complaint .
He is also accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in 2003 , and @ @ @ @ @ months October and December of that year is accused of also raping a 23-year-old woman @ @ @ @ @ into his Hollywood Hills home , according to a news release from the District Attorney @ @ @ @ @ ) Office .

(FOX NEWS) -- Danny Masterson has been charged with “forcibly raping three women” in separate incidents that took place between 2001 and 2003, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Wednesday.
The three counts of rape by force or fear come after a three-year investigation of Masterson, 44. The charges were filed Tuesday and Masterson was arrested late Wednesday morning, jail records showed. He was being held on $3.3 million bail.
The “That ‘70s Show” star is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman in 2001, according to the complaint. He is also accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in 2003, and "sometime" between the months October and December of that year is accused of also raping a 23-year-old woman, whom the actor invited into his Hollywood Hills home, according to a news release from the District Attorney’s (DA's) Office.
Read the full story ›