wnd--2020-02-13--Former congressman: Dem strategy is to totally 'transform' nation

There 's a reason why Democrats hate President Trump so much , warns former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo , R-Colo .
It 's because he threatens their ultimate agenda of `` transforming '' America , as Barack Obama had promised .
It all revolves around immigration , the former congressman explained in an exclusive interview with the Gateway Pundit .
The report explains that Tancredo , who served in the Reagan administration and ran for president in 2008 and now is on the advisory board of We Build The Wall Inc. , believes `` Democrats have put all their eggs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thwarting the Trump presidency with endless investigations , and the dead-end impeachment fiasco '' for a specific reason .
TRENDING : 'Anonymous ' White House 'insider ' identified and will soon be gone , says DiGenova '' You have to understand , a big part of the impeachment was brought about by their absolute hatred of Trump .
They hate Trump so much .
Why ?
... What is it that puts them into this bizarre state of mind ?
Because he threatens one of the most important tactics in their strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what Barack Obama promised , a thorough transformation of America , '' Tancredo told Alicia Powe of the GP .
He says the agenda revolves around immigration .
`` You say , 'what does immigration have to do with these things ? '
It 's got everything to do with it , '' he said .
`` Opening the borders is a basic part of their agenda and Trump threatens that .
That 's one of the reasons why , honestly , I believe the impeachment was brought and they hate him so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad .
He threatens the immigration agenda that they have put together for the past 50 years . ''
Immigration and the security of the nation 's borders was , in fact , one of the first issues raised by Trump when he was just a candidate for the GOP nomination .
Since then he 's tried multiple ways to enhance the nation 's security , only to have Democrats in Congress try to block him .
Those issues have included a travel ban for people from regions of the world that foment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as refusing to allow the president money to fund security on the nation 's southern border .
The GP report noted that House Democrats recently offered the president $ 7.4 billion in the budget for border wall work , but then also demanded that the U.S. end immigration enforcement for any adult illegally crossing the border with a child .
The GOP leadership is calling that the `` Child Trafficking Encouragement Act . ''
Tancredo pointed out that giving random foreign nationals complete access to the U.S. is a foundational part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States into a socialist state .
`` They want an America that is constantly , constantly dealing with a permanent underclass because that permanent underclass will vote for bigger government all the time .
It is the reason that so many people on the left want open borders and fight Trump as hard as they can .
He challenges their power base , '' the former congressman told GP .
He said the Democrats simply `` want a different America . ''
Children often are used by drug cartels and gangs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 've been used for that , are trafficked themselves , the report said .
Tancredo said all kinds of evil are inflicted on women and children who are smuggled into the U.S. '' It 's not a peaceful , tranquil movement of people from one area to another .
It is all kinds of difficult and dangerous activities that are involved with this .
The sex trafficking is horrendous .
The drug trafficking is horrendous , '' he said .

There's a reason why Democrats hate President Trump so much, warns former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
It's because he threatens their ultimate agenda of "transforming" America, as Barack Obama had promised.
It all revolves around immigration, the former congressman explained in an exclusive interview with the Gateway Pundit.
The report explains that Tancredo, who served in the Reagan administration and ran for president in 2008 and now is on the advisory board of We Build The Wall Inc., believes "Democrats have put all their eggs in the basket of hating, resisting and thwarting the Trump presidency with endless investigations, and the dead-end impeachment fiasco" for a specific reason.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"You have to understand, a big part of the impeachment was brought about by their absolute hatred of Trump. They hate Trump so much. Why? ... What is it that puts them into this bizarre state of mind? Because he threatens one of the most important tactics in their strategy to take over America: To do what Barack Obama promised, a thorough transformation of America," Tancredo told Alicia Powe of the GP.
He says the agenda revolves around immigration.
"You say, 'what does immigration have to do with these things?' It's got everything to do with it," he said. "Opening the borders is a basic part of their agenda and Trump threatens that. That's one of the reasons why, honestly, I believe the impeachment was brought and they hate him so much and they want him out so bad. He threatens the immigration agenda that they have put together for the past 50 years."
Immigration and the security of the nation's borders was, in fact, one of the first issues raised by Trump when he was just a candidate for the GOP nomination.
Since then he's tried multiple ways to enhance the nation's security, only to have Democrats in Congress try to block him. Those issues have included a travel ban for people from regions of the world that foment terror, which Democrats have fought, as well as refusing to allow the president money to fund security on the nation's southern border.
The GP report noted that House Democrats recently offered the president $7.4 billion in the budget for border wall work, but then also demanded that the U.S. end immigration enforcement for any adult illegally crossing the border with a child.
The GOP leadership is calling that the "Child Trafficking Encouragement Act."
Tancredo pointed out that giving random foreign nationals complete access to the U.S. is a foundational part of the Democrats' desire to rebuild the United States into a socialist state.
"They want an America that is constantly, constantly dealing with a permanent underclass because that permanent underclass will vote for bigger government all the time. It is the reason that so many people on the left want open borders and fight Trump as hard as they can. He challenges their power base," the former congressman told GP.
He said the Democrats simply "want a different America."
Children often are used by drug cartels and gangs to serve as drug mules and after they've been used for that, are trafficked themselves, the report said. Tancredo said all kinds of evil are inflicted on women and children who are smuggled into the U.S.
"It's not a peaceful, tranquil movement of people from one area to another. It is all kinds of difficult and dangerous activities that are involved with this. The sex trafficking is horrendous. The drug trafficking is horrendous," he said.


wnd--2020-02-13--Lawsuit: Harvard prof assaults Jewish woman after she stands up to anti-Israel bullies

A Jewish-American woman is suing the Harvard Club of New York City and a Harvard University professor for assault after she rose to ask a question following a presentation by a pro-Palestinian lecturer .
The Harvard Club not only forced Vanesa Levine , 28 , to leave the February 2019 event , but later rescinded her membership , she says .
The social club was founded in 1887 and , according to its website , is intended to be a `` warm and friendly place '' for Harvard alumni to connect .
In her complaint filed in New York state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Levine alleges that Harvard finance professor Faris Mousa Saah assaulted , slandered and libeled her following a lecture by Rashid Khalidi called , “ The Hundred Years ’ War on Palestine.
” Khalidi is a former media officer with the Palestinian Liberation Organization .
TRENDING : 'Anonymous ' White House 'insider ' identified and will soon be gone , says DiGenova According to Levine 's court filing , she sought to ask Khalidi following his talk how peace could be achieved between Palestinians and Jews , if Palestinian children are taught from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Jews and Israelis , jihad , and not to recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel . ''
The audience became `` mob-like '' in shouting her down , and Saah allegedly forcefully grabbed Levine by the arm while trying to wrestle the microphone from her , Levine 's suit says .
Levine also claims Saah called her a `` whore '' in Arabic .
She says she immediately told the room that the professor had just called her a whore .
According to the suit , Levine 's mother -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and understands Arabic -- asked , `` Who do you think you are calling my daughter a whore ? ''
Saah then allegedly turned his fury against the mother .
Levine 's attorney , Jeffrey K. Levine , told The Western Journal the professor called her the `` daughter of a whore '' in Arabic .
Asked why his client attended the lecture , Levine said that she wants `` peace for the region '' and that she and her mother `` were very interested in what the other side had to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ask her question , but then Harvard Club security asked both women to leave , the suit says .
After Levine left the club , she was filmed talking about the incident and the next day uploaded the video to Facebook .
`` All I had was a simple question , and it took seven minutes to get the question across because every time I was talking , they kept booing me , '' Levine said .
`` So apparently one side is very hateful , the other one is looking for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m sure you can figure out which side is [ which ] , '' she concluded .
The person filming Levine can be heard off camera near the end of the video adding , `` I think it 's very sad that in a free country you 're not allowed to have free speech . ''
`` That is extremely sad , because where go we do from here .
Maybe we move to Israel , '' the person added .
The New York Post reported that the Harvard Club 's board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her Facebook video , which she refused to do .
In July , the board then voted to pull her membership following a hearing `` in which they allegedly dismissed her assault claim , even ignoring an internal report from club security confirming Levine ’ s version of events , she said in court papers , '' according to The Post .
In a statement to The Western Journal , Irene Reidy , director of marketing and communications for the Harvard Club of New York City , said , `` Ms. Levine disrupted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed from membership in accordance with the Club 's bylaws . ''
For his part , Saah told the Post , “ I don ’ t remember having been at the lecture.
” “ There ’ s not a single word of accuracy in any of that , ” he added , referring to the assault accusations .
Jeffrey Levine responded that the professor 's account does not add up .
“ Saah was also quoted in the Post as saying , everything my client said was a lie .
Well , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , then you don ’ t remember , '' Levine said .
`` How can Saah credibly say my client lied about what happened at the lecture while at the same time state he has no recollection of even being at the lecture ? ''
the attorney asked .
`` It ’ s either he remembers being at the lecture and can retell what did or did not occur , or he does not remember being at the lecture and consequently can ’ t truthfully comment one way or the other because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have it both ways . ''
`` At the time of his depositions , it will be very enlightening to see how he ’ s going to testify under oath , '' Levine said .
Vanesa Levine is seeking reinstatement in the Harvard Club and unspecified financial damages for the emotional and physical injuries she says she suffered .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

A Jewish-American woman is suing the Harvard Club of New York City and a Harvard University professor for assault after she rose to ask a question following a presentation by a pro-Palestinian lecturer.
The Harvard Club not only forced Vanesa Levine, 28, to leave the February 2019 event, but later rescinded her membership, she says.
The social club was founded in 1887 and, according to its website, is intended to be a "warm and friendly place" for Harvard alumni to connect.
In her complaint filed in New York state court at the end of last month, Levine alleges that Harvard finance professor Faris Mousa Saah assaulted, slandered and libeled her following a lecture by Rashid Khalidi called, “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine.”
Khalidi is a former media officer with the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
According to Levine's court filing, she sought to ask Khalidi following his talk how peace could be achieved between Palestinians and Jews, if Palestinian children are taught from a young age to "support terrorism against Jews and Israelis, jihad, and not to recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel."
The audience became "mob-like" in shouting her down, and Saah allegedly forcefully grabbed Levine by the arm while trying to wrestle the microphone from her, Levine's suit says.
Levine also claims Saah called her a "whore" in Arabic.
She says she immediately told the room that the professor had just called her a whore.
According to the suit, Levine's mother -- who was born and raised in Israel and understands Arabic -- asked, "Who do you think you are calling my daughter a whore?"
Saah then allegedly turned his fury against the mother.
Levine's attorney, Jeffrey K. Levine, told The Western Journal the professor called her the "daughter of a whore" in Arabic.
Asked why his client attended the lecture, Levine said that she wants "peace for the region" and that she and her mother "were very interested in what the other side had to say."
Vanesa Levine was eventually able to ask her question, but then Harvard Club security asked both women to leave, the suit says.
After Levine left the club, she was filmed talking about the incident and the next day uploaded the video to Facebook.
"All I had was a simple question, and it took seven minutes to get the question across because every time I was talking, they kept booing me," Levine said.
"So apparently one side is very hateful, the other one is looking for answers and for solutions, and I’m sure you can figure out which side is [which]," she concluded.
The person filming Levine can be heard off camera near the end of the video adding, "I think it's very sad that in a free country you're not allowed to have free speech."
"That is extremely sad, because where go we do from here. Maybe we move to Israel," the person added.
The New York Post reported that the Harvard Club's board of trustees demanded that Levine take down her Facebook video, which she refused to do.
In July, the board then voted to pull her membership following a hearing "in which they allegedly dismissed her assault claim, even ignoring an internal report from club security confirming Levine’s version of events, she said in court papers," according to The Post.
In a statement to The Western Journal, Irene Reidy, director of marketing and communications for the Harvard Club of New York City, said, "Ms. Levine disrupted a Club program. She was subsequently removed from membership in accordance with the Club's bylaws."
For his part, Saah told the Post, “I don’t remember having been at the lecture.”
“There’s not a single word of accuracy in any of that,” he added, referring to the assault accusations.
Jeffrey Levine responded that the professor's account does not add up.
“Saah was also quoted in the Post as saying, everything my client said was a lie. Well, if you don’t remember even being there, then you don’t remember," Levine said.
"How can Saah credibly say my client lied about what happened at the lecture while at the same time state he has no recollection of even being at the lecture?" the attorney asked. "It’s either he remembers being at the lecture and can retell what did or did not occur, or he does not remember being at the lecture and consequently can’t truthfully comment one way or the other because he can't remember. Saah cannot have it both ways."
"At the time of his depositions, it will be very enlightening to see how he’s going to testify under oath," Levine said.
Vanesa Levine is seeking reinstatement in the Harvard Club and unspecified financial damages for the emotional and physical injuries she says she suffered.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-02-13--Will YouTube ban this sketch skewering parents who let their children change gender?

So , the question is : How long does this stay up ?
It 's not just rhetorical .
A YouTube sketch comedy group that 's had one of its videos on gender issues banned in the past has produced a new video on the phenomenon of parents who let their children decide their own gender .
And you can pretty much start the pool in terms of how much longer this latest clip has on Google 's video platform .
According to The Christian Post , the sketch was posted by We The Internet TV late last month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3-year-old son has just told him he 's a girl .
TRENDING : 'Anonymous ' White House 'insider ' identified and will soon be gone , says DiGenova '' We ’ re all hanging out on the couch watching Netflix together , and Tommy turns to Sarah and me and says , ' I ’ m a girl now , ' '' the father says to a co-worker .
`` I had no idea , but who am I to question my 3-year-old child , right ? ''
`` Yeah , you 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
`` Well , it 's not actually 'his , ' '' the father replies .
`` Right !
Sorry , her , '' the co-worker responds .
Actually , it 's more complicated like that .
The young boy -- sorry , girl -- wants their own preferred pronoun , which sounds suspiciously like a fart .
Will [ fart noise ] start kindergarten ?
Well , it seems like they do n't want to do so -- and 3-year-olds are always right , after all .
“ Also , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on hormone blockers next week , so we don ’ t really have a lot of free time , ” the parent explains .
Meanwhile , another father comes in and says his potty-trained daughter has decided she 'd prefer to continue going in her pants .
Her decision , after all .
And then another parent comes in announcing her son 's an astronaut -- because , obviously , he told her so .
The sketch goes on like this for a while -- and then the boss comes in .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because who else would we listen to ?
This displays one of the essential fallacies of pre-teen transgender movement , particularly with children who do n't show signs of deep and profound gender dysphoria : We act as parents not because we want to oppress our children but out of love .
We do n't simply allow children to make their own decisions for themselves .
They ca n't play Nintendo Switch and ignore homework because they believe they 're Luigi .
We do n't let them eat an entire box of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it on the stove .
They 're not allowed to watch horror movies at age 5 .
Why ?
Because they do n't have that judgment .
But when it comes to gender issues , however , some parents are willing to grant an extraordinary amount of unscientific leeway .
The video has n't been taken down yet , so it 's hard to tell if that will happen , or if so , when .
That being said , this is the kind of trenchant logic that tends to get pushback on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous video the group did on transgender issues resulted in a YouTube ad ban in 2018 .
This was n't a comedy sketch , according to The Federalist , but an interview with Dr. Deborah Soh .
The interview was mostly about Soh 's support of James Damore , the Google employee who was fired after a paper he wrote on gender relations and political correctness within the company .
However , in `` the video that the banned ad promotes , called 'Sex , Gender and Bulls -- - , Part 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Lou Perez , interviews Soh about the transgender movement . ''
WTI said that the ad was banned because it promoted “ dangerous or derogatory content.
” Will the same happen here ?
Will the video get pulled down ?
Well , it certainly makes too much sense on an issue Google and YouTube have a very definite line on .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

So, the question is: How long does this stay up?
It's not just rhetorical.
A YouTube sketch comedy group that's had one of its videos on gender issues banned in the past has produced a new video on the phenomenon of parents who let their children decide their own gender.
And you can pretty much start the pool in terms of how much longer this latest clip has on Google's video platform.
According to The Christian Post, the sketch was posted by We The Internet TV late last month, and it deals with a father whose 3-year-old son has just told him he's a girl.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"We’re all hanging out on the couch watching Netflix together, and Tommy turns to Sarah and me and says, 'I’m a girl now,'" the father says to a co-worker.
"I had no idea, but who am I to question my 3-year-old child, right?"
"Yeah, you're just his parent," the co-worker says.
"Well, it's not actually 'his,'" the father replies.
"Right! Sorry, her," the co-worker responds.
Actually, it's more complicated like that. The young boy -- sorry, girl -- wants their own preferred pronoun, which sounds suspiciously like a fart.
Will [fart noise] start kindergarten? Well, it seems like they don't want to do so -- and 3-year-olds are always right, after all.
“Also, we’re starting [fart noise] on hormone blockers next week, so we don’t really have a lot of free time,” the parent explains.
Meanwhile, another father comes in and says his potty-trained daughter has decided she'd prefer to continue going in her pants. Her decision, after all.
And then another parent comes in announcing her son's an astronaut -- because, obviously, he told her so.
The sketch goes on like this for a while -- and then the boss comes in. The boss is a child, of course, because who else would we listen to?
This displays one of the essential fallacies of pre-teen transgender movement, particularly with children who don't show signs of deep and profound gender dysphoria: We act as parents not because we want to oppress our children but out of love.
We don't simply allow children to make their own decisions for themselves.
They can't play Nintendo Switch and ignore homework because they believe they're Luigi.
We don't let them eat an entire box of pasta for dinner -- much less cook it on the stove.
They're not allowed to watch horror movies at age 5.
Why? Because they don't have that judgment.
But when it comes to gender issues, however, some parents are willing to grant an extraordinary amount of unscientific leeway.
The video hasn't been taken down yet, so it's hard to tell if that will happen, or if so, when.
That being said, this is the kind of trenchant logic that tends to get pushback on YouTube -- especially when you consider a previous video the group did on transgender issues resulted in a YouTube ad ban in 2018.
This wasn't a comedy sketch, according to The Federalist, but an interview with Dr. Deborah Soh.
The interview was mostly about Soh's support of James Damore, the Google employee who was fired after a paper he wrote on gender relations and political correctness within the company.
However, in "the video that the banned ad promotes, called 'Sex, Gender and Bulls---, Part 1,' WTI’s head writer, Lou Perez, interviews Soh about the transgender movement."
WTI said that the ad was banned because it promoted “dangerous or derogatory content.”
Will the same happen here? Will the video get pulled down?
Well, it certainly makes too much sense on an issue Google and YouTube have a very definite line on.
You make the call.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-02-13--Fitbit 'female health tracker’ attacked for not including 'non-women who menstruate'

In an predictable turn of events , prominent health and wellness accessory developer Fitbit , Inc. has unofficially been chosen as the latest subject of the LGBT community 's collective scorn .
The organization is under fire this week on social media for , of all things , a supposed lack of gender `` inclusivity '' within the software for its popular fitness trackers -- which were recently revealed to be incapable of tracking the illusive male menstrual period .
Controversy seems to have initially spun up around the company Saturday , when a transgender Twitter user going by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' publicly called out Fitbit customer support for placing an app feature meant to track users ' menstrual cycles under the `` Female Health '' umbrella .
`` Hey @ FitbitSupport I love the 'Female Health ' tracker in your app . ''
Lilo wrote .
`` However , I 'm not female & I menstruate . ''
`` Many trans & intersex people are in this position and feel alienated from menstrual health access .
Could you please change the name to the neutral term 'Menstrual Health ' ? ''
Lilo asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'insider ' identified and will soon be gone , says DiGenova '' I do n't want to have to misgender myself and my body in order to access menstrual health tools . ''
What followed was roughly three days of round-the-clock updates from the transgender activist , which began with a screen shot of the menstrual cycle tracker 's interface , complete with `` the one issue circled '' for clarity -- that `` one issue '' again being the fact that an application meant to track a biological female 's window of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health . ''
Met with numerous responses , however -- some from the company itself and others from apparent supportive employees on their personal accounts -- the trans activist only seemed to grow more frustrated as the hours turned into days .
Many people seemed to agree with her , too , as the activist 's initial tweet garnered over 500 retweets .
And while admittedly cryptic technical responses were met with snide remarks or outright disappointment , things truly took a turn for the aggressive when the company made its most accommodating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an official company forum on which users could vote for new features and changes .
`` Oh [ for f -- - 's sake ] @ fitbit , '' Lilo wrote back , `` whether or not your product is inclusive to trans people should n't be something you put up for a 'vote . '
'' Lilo and her not-so-merry band of outraged activists would not see their Twitter storm materialize into change , however , as the company would eventually respond once more to the mob , affirming that changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently not in [ the ] product roadmap . ''
`` By default , female health tracking is hidden for users who have identified themselves as male in their Fitbit profile , '' the company wrote .
`` We 'll take note of your feedback as we strive to improve the quality of our products and services . ''
I guess you really do catch more flies with honey .
Of course , regardless of the candor ( or lack thereof ) displayed by the new left 's growing wave of transgender activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guns -- or at the very least , the biological facts of life .
No matter how loud figures like Lilo scream and shout into the raging winds of reality , men can not have periods .
The fact that the modern West 's increased academic and philosophical valuation of subjective experience -- and immense devaluation of objective truth -- has become so pervasive that our culture can not definitively say that men are not women and women are not men is deeply concerning .
All the more interesting , however , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been ushered in by the same individuals who claim President Donald Trump 's excessive employment of hyperbole has established a post-truth society .
And though I may be willing to meet them halfway in saying this president 's rhetoric has certainly contributed to the expansion of the post-truth society , the `` transgender rights movement '' is all the proof one needs to reveal it was the cultural left who created such a society in the first place .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

In an predictable turn of events, prominent health and wellness accessory developer Fitbit, Inc. has unofficially been chosen as the latest subject of the LGBT community's collective scorn.
The organization is under fire this week on social media for, of all things, a supposed lack of gender "inclusivity" within the software for its popular fitness trackers -- which were recently revealed to be incapable of tracking the illusive male menstrual period.
Controversy seems to have initially spun up around the company Saturday, when a transgender Twitter user going by the name of "Lilo the Autistic Queer" publicly called out Fitbit customer support for placing an app feature meant to track users' menstrual cycles under the "Female Health" umbrella.
"Hey @FitbitSupport I love the 'Female Health' tracker in your app." Lilo wrote. "However, I'm not female & I menstruate."
"Many trans & intersex people are in this position and feel alienated from menstrual health access. Could you please change the name to the neutral term 'Menstrual Health'?" Lilo asked.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"I don't want to have to misgender myself and my body in order to access menstrual health tools."
If people could retweet this to try to get @fitbit to see it, that would be helpful. It's a tiny change they could make that will make a huge difference to a lot of people. I don't want to have to misgender myself and my body in order to access menstrual health tools. — Lilo the Autistic Queer (@A_Silent_Child) February 8, 2020
Not everyone who menstruates is female. Not everyone who is female menstruates. Let's shift our language. — Lilo the Autistic Queer (@A_Silent_Child) February 8, 2020
What followed was roughly three days of round-the-clock updates from the transgender activist, which began with a screen shot of the menstrual cycle tracker's interface, complete with "the one issue circled" for clarity -- that "one issue" again being the fact that an application meant to track a biological female's window of fertility happened to be labeled "Female Health."
Met with numerous responses, however -- some from the company itself and others from apparent supportive employees on their personal accounts -- the trans activist only seemed to grow more frustrated as the hours turned into days. Many people seemed to agree with her, too, as the activist's initial tweet garnered over 500 retweets.
And while admittedly cryptic technical responses were met with snide remarks or outright disappointment, things truly took a turn for the aggressive when the company made its most accommodating response: one which included a link to an official company forum on which users could vote for new features and changes.
Oh ffs @fitbit whether or not your product is inclusive to trans people shouldn't be something you put up for a "vote" Like, either you support our existence or you don't. https://t.co/J5CT2KmSRO — Lilo the Autistic Queer (@A_Silent_Child) February 9, 2020
Fitbit seems to be reasserting that they do not believe men can have periods. https://t.co/3YbpaOiNJ9 — Lilo the Autistic Queer (@A_Silent_Child) February 9, 2020
"Oh [for f---'s sake] @fitbit," Lilo wrote back, "whether or not your product is inclusive to trans people shouldn't be something you put up for a 'vote.'"
Lilo and her not-so-merry band of outraged activists would not see their Twitter storm materialize into change, however, as the company would eventually respond once more to the mob, affirming that changes to the female health tool were "currently not in [the] product roadmap."
"By default, female health tracking is hidden for users who have identified themselves as male in their Fitbit profile," the company wrote. "We'll take note of your feedback as we strive to improve the quality of our products and services."
I guess you really do catch more flies with honey.
Of course, regardless of the candor (or lack thereof) displayed by the new left's growing wave of transgender activists, Fitbit should certainly stick to its guns -- or at the very least, the biological facts of life.
No matter how loud figures like Lilo scream and shout into the raging winds of reality, men cannot have periods.
The fact that the modern West's increased academic and philosophical valuation of subjective experience -- and immense devaluation of objective truth -- has become so pervasive that our culture cannot definitively say that men are not women and women are not men is deeply concerning.
All the more interesting, however, is the fact that this frame of mind has been ushered in by the same individuals who claim President Donald Trump's excessive employment of hyperbole has established a post-truth society.
And though I may be willing to meet them halfway in saying this president's rhetoric has certainly contributed to the expansion of the post-truth society, the "transgender rights movement" is all the proof one needs to reveal it was the cultural left who created such a society in the first place.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-02-14--Watch smile light up face of 5-year-old with cerebral palsy as he takes 1st steps after surgery

A 5-year-old Louisiana boy with cerebral palsy is walking unassisted for the first time in his life thanks to a life-changing surgery on his legs .
Merick Williams Jr. , who goes by MJ , has been working hard since his surgery to learn how to walk all on his own .
The boy 's mother , Kayla Nichols , told WAFB-TV that her son had a tendon releasing surgery approximately two months ago .
TRENDING : Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' MJ , from St. Helena Parish , has officially taken his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ milestone event for himself and his family .
“ He ’ s been working so hard , '' Nichols said .
`` It ’ s been tough on him with the progress , but I make sure he ’ s going to physical therapy and practicing almost every day at home to get better at walking . ''
MJ was born at just 23 weeks gestation and weighed only 1 pound , 4 ounces at birth .
He has had many medical hurdles to overcome in his young life but has shown incredible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of MJ 's first steps posted online by his mother .
`` His recovery was a tough process to get through but it was all worth it , '' Nichols wrote on Facebook .
`` We been through a lot to even get to this point , never gave up on him , even when times did get rough and I never will !
A true definition of a Miracle Baby ! ''
`` I 'm so bless to be your mom and I would n't change it for anything ! ''
Nichols @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proud of him !
!
Words ca n't even explain . ''
Nichols and MJ are looking forward to the spring and summer , as MJ plans to join a baseball team and celebrate his sixth birthday over the summer .
`` He 's going to be playing baseball this spring and we could n't be more excited for everything he 's doing , '' Nichols said .
Right now , MJ is working to overcome his fear of falling while walking on his own , she explained .
“ The main goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his legs and make sure he is very active because if not , his legs will tighten again , '' Nichols said .
She reported that her son 's doctors anticipate that MJ , with a bit more practice over time , will become a fully independent walker .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

A 5-year-old Louisiana boy with cerebral palsy is walking unassisted for the first time in his life thanks to a life-changing surgery on his legs.
Merick Williams Jr., who goes by MJ, has been working hard since his surgery to learn how to walk all on his own.
The boy's mother, Kayla Nichols, told WAFB-TV that her son had a tendon releasing surgery approximately two months ago.
5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy takes first steps without walker, two months after surgery in viral video https://t.co/LqDPNkXZuS pic.twitter.com/H1HMSuA7WH — CBS News (@CBSNews) February 13, 2020
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
MJ, from St. Helena Parish, has officially taken his first few steps completely unassisted, a milestone event for himself and his family.
“He’s been working so hard," Nichols said. "It’s been tough on him with the progress, but I make sure he’s going to physical therapy and practicing almost every day at home to get better at walking."
MJ was born at just 23 weeks gestation and weighed only 1 pound, 4 ounces at birth.
He has had many medical hurdles to overcome in his young life but has shown incredible perseverance, evidenced by a short video of MJ's first steps posted online by his mother.
"His recovery was a tough process to get through but it was all worth it," Nichols wrote on Facebook. "We been through a lot to even get to this point, never gave up on him, even when times did get rough and I never will! A true definition of a Miracle Baby!"
"I'm so bless to be your mom and I wouldn't change it for anything!" Nichols continued. "I'm just sooo proud of him!! Words can't even explain."
Nichols and MJ are looking forward to the spring and summer, as MJ plans to join a baseball team and celebrate his sixth birthday over the summer.
"He's going to be playing baseball this spring and we couldn't be more excited for everything he's doing," Nichols said.
Right now, MJ is working to overcome his fear of falling while walking on his own, she explained.
“The main goal is to continue to keep weight on his legs and make sure he is very active because if not, his legs will tighten again," Nichols said.
She reported that her son's doctors anticipate that MJ, with a bit more practice over time, will become a fully independent walker.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-02-14--MIT delivers dire warning: Web voting app can be hacked!

A web voting app that already has been tested in several states can be hacked , according to a new warning from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .
AP reports that the analysis focused on the Voatz app , which already has been used in pilots in Denver , Oregon , Utah and Virginia .
It 's been used mostly , so far , for absentee voters and overseas military personnel .
But the researchers found `` attackers could 'alter , stop or expose how an individual has voted . '
'' TRENDING : Obama officials who approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reform' '' We all have an interest in increasing access to the ballot , but in order to maintain trust in our elections system , we must assure that voting systems meet the high technical and operation security standards before they are put in the field , '' Daniel Weitzner told AP .
He 's one of the MIT authors of the report .
The changes could be made without being detected , the report said .
Voatz , which is based in Boston , did n't allow transparent third-party testing , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The company challenged the conclusions , with a statement that said the version studied was an old one .
They accused researchers of acting in `` bad faith , '' AP said .
AP commented , `` The report casts a harsh light on the looming proposition of online voting .
In 2018 , Alaska explored using an online voting system but shuttered the program because of security concerns . ''
The report noted there were those who were completely unsurprised .
`` Not to in any way diminish this ( excellent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an online mobile voting scheme has serious security flaws is ultimately unsurprising , '' Matt Blaze , a professor of computer science and law at Georgetown University , said in the AP report .
`` Every serious expert has warned against Internet voting . ''

A web voting app that already has been tested in several states can be hacked, according to a new warning from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
AP reports that the analysis focused on the Voatz app, which already has been used in pilots in Denver, Oregon, Utah and Virginia.
It's been used mostly, so far, for absentee voters and overseas military personnel.
But the researchers found "attackers could 'alter, stop or expose how an individual has voted.'"
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"We all have an interest in increasing access to the ballot, but in order to maintain trust in our elections system, we must assure that voting systems meet the high technical and operation security standards before they are put in the field," Daniel Weitzner told AP.
He's one of the MIT authors of the report.
The changes could be made without being detected, the report said.
Voatz, which is based in Boston, didn't allow transparent third-party testing, so the researchers said they simply reverse-engineered it.
The company challenged the conclusions, with a statement that said the version studied was an old one.
They accused researchers of acting in "bad faith," AP said.
AP commented, "The report casts a harsh light on the looming proposition of online voting. In 2018, Alaska explored using an online voting system but shuttered the program because of security concerns."
The report noted there were those who were completely unsurprised.
"Not to in any way diminish this (excellent) work, but the fact that an online mobile voting scheme has serious security flaws is ultimately unsurprising," Matt Blaze, a professor of computer science and law at Georgetown University, said in the AP report. "Every serious expert has warned against Internet voting."


wnd--2020-02-14--They say this angel in the sky was a weather phenomenon – what do you think?

A photographer from the U.K. snapped a photo of a rare weather phenomenon that has an other-worldly composition resembling an angel in the clouds .
Lee Howdle was hiking on Mam Tor , a hill in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire , central England , when he saw his larger-than-life shadow set against a low-hanging cloud .
Armed with his camera , Howdle snapped a few photos of the rainbow halo that glowed around his shadow .
“ My shadow looked huge .
It was in this circular rainbow , ” Howdle told the South West News Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took some photos of it and carried on walking .
It was like an angel in the sky over the hills , it was quite magical.
” TRENDING : Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' Howdle posted the image to social media , explaining that what he had photographed has a name : the Brocken Spectre , named after a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany called Brocken .
The Brocken Spectre is visible when a person is `` standing with the sun at your back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cast on fog , '' according to EarthSky .
`` Sometimes I Think I Am Lucky , '' Howdle captioned his photo .
`` Today I Saw This Rare Weather Phenomenon Called [ Brocken ] Spectre .
My Shadow And A Circular Rainbow Projected Onto A Low Cloud . ''
Though the image is indeed only a shadow , the photo serves as a reminder of the One -- the God who created the heavens and the earth -- who is sovereign over his creation .
The photographer said he felt blessed after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I have never seen this before in my life , '' Howdle said .
`` I read about it once on the internet . ''
The moment , preserved forever through Howdle 's lens , seems to have left a mark on the photographer 's heart .
`` It ’ s really amazing and I feel very blessed to have captured such a magical moment , '' Howdle said .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

A photographer from the U.K. snapped a photo of a rare weather phenomenon that has an other-worldly composition resembling an angel in the clouds.
Lee Howdle was hiking on Mam Tor, a hill in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, central England, when he saw his larger-than-life shadow set against a low-hanging cloud.
Armed with his camera, Howdle snapped a few photos of the rainbow halo that glowed around his shadow.
“My shadow looked huge. It was in this circular rainbow,” Howdle told the South West News Service, reported by KTTV.
“I took some photos of it and carried on walking. It was like an angel in the sky over the hills, it was quite magical.”
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Incredible 'angel in the sky' caught on camera thanks to weather phenomenon https://t.co/q4BXQohkdR — FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) February 13, 2020
Howdle posted the image to social media, explaining that what he had photographed has a name: the Brocken Spectre, named after a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany called Brocken.
The Brocken Spectre is visible when a person is "standing with the sun at your back, gazing at your own haloed shadow cast on fog," according to EarthSky.
"Sometimes I Think I Am Lucky," Howdle captioned his photo. "Today I Saw This Rare Weather Phenomenon Called [Brocken] Spectre. My Shadow And A Circular Rainbow Projected Onto A Low Cloud."
Though the image is indeed only a shadow, the photo serves as a reminder of the One -- the God who created the heavens and the earth -- who is sovereign over his creation.
The photographer said he felt blessed after witnessing such a splendor of nature.
“I have never seen this before in my life. I read about it once on the internet,” he told SWNS. It’s really amazing and I feel very blessed to have captured such a magical moment."https://t.co/kqktbH1Abi — FOX26Houston (@FOX26Houston) February 12, 2020
“I have never seen this before in my life," Howdle said.
"I read about it once on the internet."
The moment, preserved forever through Howdle's lens, seems to have left a mark on the photographer's heart.
"It’s really amazing and I feel very blessed to have captured such a magical moment," Howdle said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.


wnd--2020-02-14--Democrats aim to enslave us even more

Democrats aim to enslave us even more

The choice of Democratic voters – but not of party officials fearful of losing their cushy power and fat incomes – is becoming clear .
The increasingly leftist base of the Democratic Party prefers its presidential candidate to be Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , 78 , a self-described socialist who once honeymooned in the Communist Soviet Union .
Or they prefer former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg , a 38-year-old evasive politician and red-diaper baby whose father was a Marxist scholar and Communist Party supporter .
Like many prominent Democrats , Buttigieg studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imperialist Cecil Rhodes to brainwash bright young future American leaders into supporting British-dominated globalism .
A January Gallup poll found that 76 % of Democrats would vote for a `` well-qualified democratic socialist , '' as would 45 % of Independents and 17 % of Republicans .
Gallup found that 53 percent of Americans would not vote for a socialist .
A `` socialist '' believes that government should `` own the means of production '' and the economy .
Sen. Sanders says his socialism rejects the late Soviet Union and would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' In 2015 , the then-prime minister of Denmark gave a speech asking Sanders to stop calling his nation `` socialist . ''
Denmark has high taxes and the `` security '' of a generous welfare state , said Lars Løkke Rasmussen , but it practices free-market economics , honors its successful businesspeople and does not aim to own the means of production .
The socialism Sanders and Buttigieg embrace is slavery .
When John F. Kennedy was president , more than half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense .
Today , more than 72 percent of every tax dollar is expended on `` transfer payments , '' money taken out of your pocket and transferred to Democratic constituents whose votes are purchased with the expropriated fruit of your labor .
Thus are America 's productive `` makers '' enslaved – and their earnings are stolen from their own children – to enrich America 's unproductive `` takers . ''
With Democratic schemes to vastly increase these unequal , confiscatory taxes , the same leftists who demand we tear down statues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orwellian fashion rewrite our history ) are planning to turn today 's Americans into slaves .
Former slave Frederick Douglass recalled how his owner and slave-master `` exhorted me to content myself , and be obedient .
… He said , if I behaved myself properly , he would take care of me . ''
[ He ] `` taught me to depend solely upon him for happiness . ''
Like government taxes , wrote Douglass , this was the illegitimate theft of his life and work .
The left , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buys .
Government breaks their leg , then gives them a crutch it can snatch back at any moment .
They become government 's slaves dependent on its politicized handouts .
This Democrat-manipulated redistribution of wealth is unconstitutional .
What government for the most part can legally do is limited by the Constitution 's Article I , Section 8 , `` enumerated powers '' clause , which does not authorize coerced government `` transfer payments . ''
Its term `` general welfare , '' noted James Madison , meant things used by all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courthouse , not the giving of taxpayer money to politically favored individuals .
The 16th Amendment purportedly authorized an income tax , but not transfer payments .
Democrats have stolen this power to enslave us , and while they are quick to redistribute wealth earned by citizens , no Democratic candidates are willing to redistribute government power to the People .
Such power – government 's Big Lie that it , not you , owns you – is their greedy key to personal riches .
The Tax Foundation calculates that the average American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 1 to April 16 , 2019 , Tax Freedom Day ( which varies by high- or low-tax state ) , just to pay taxes .
President Donald Trump 's tax cuts gave a few days of added liberty , with Democrats fighting to keep every penny they steal from you .
Modern Democrat Nathan Robinson , owner of Current Affairs Magazine and author of `` Why You Should Be a Socialist , '' echoes Karl Marx in saying that private property should be abolished and replaced with collectivist government ownership .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants , including your militarily `` draftable '' body .
Government asserts unlimited control over your earnings , wealth and property .
We pay government direct or indirect `` rent '' merely to live .
But even this is not enough enslaving power for Bernie Sanders ; `` Wall Street Pete '' ( called `` Silicon Valley 's holographic candidate '' by Tucker Carlson ) ; or Democrats like Michael Bloomberg , a billionaire eager to buy the Democratic Party and government , outlaw your right of self-defense and dictate what you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are insane .
Lowell Ponte is a former Reader 's Digest Roving Editor .
His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal , the New York Times and other major publications .
His latest paper co-authored with Craig R. Smith , `` China 's Top Secret War , '' shows how to rethink several areas of investment to protect and grow your savings against the little-known economic threats the People 's Republic of China poses .
For a free , postpaid copy , call toll-free 800-630-1492 .

The choice of Democratic voters – but not of party officials fearful of losing their cushy power and fat incomes – is becoming clear.
The increasingly leftist base of the Democratic Party prefers its presidential candidate to be Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., 78, a self-described socialist who once honeymooned in the Communist Soviet Union.
Or they prefer former Midwestern Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a 38-year-old evasive politician and red-diaper baby whose father was a Marxist scholar and Communist Party supporter. Like many prominent Democrats, Buttigieg studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, a program endowed by wealthy gold-and-diamond imperialist Cecil Rhodes to brainwash bright young future American leaders into supporting British-dominated globalism.
A January Gallup poll found that 76% of Democrats would vote for a "well-qualified democratic socialist," as would 45% of Independents and 17% of Republicans. Gallup found that 53 percent of Americans would not vote for a socialist.
A "socialist" believes that government should "own the means of production" and the economy. Sen. Sanders says his socialism rejects the late Soviet Union and would be like Denmark.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
In 2015, the then-prime minister of Denmark gave a speech asking Sanders to stop calling his nation "socialist." Denmark has high taxes and the "security" of a generous welfare state, said Lars Løkke Rasmussen, but it practices free-market economics, honors its successful businesspeople and does not aim to own the means of production.
The socialism Sanders and Buttigieg embrace is slavery.
When John F. Kennedy was president, more than half of every tax dollar was spent on national defense. Today, more than 72 percent of every tax dollar is expended on "transfer payments," money taken out of your pocket and transferred to Democratic constituents whose votes are purchased with the expropriated fruit of your labor.
Thus are America's productive "makers" enslaved – and their earnings are stolen from their own children – to enrich America's unproductive "takers."
With Democratic schemes to vastly increase these unequal, confiscatory taxes, the same leftists who demand we tear down statues of long-dead Confederate slaveholders (and in Orwellian fashion rewrite our history) are planning to turn today's Americans into slaves.
Former slave Frederick Douglass recalled how his owner and slave-master "exhorted me to content myself, and be obedient. … He said, if I behaved myself properly, he would take care of me." [He] "taught me to depend solely upon him for happiness." Like government taxes, wrote Douglass, this was the illegitimate theft of his life and work.
The left, of course, also enslaves those whose votes it buys. Government breaks their leg, then gives them a crutch it can snatch back at any moment. They become government's slaves dependent on its politicized handouts.
This Democrat-manipulated redistribution of wealth is unconstitutional. What government for the most part can legally do is limited by the Constitution's Article I, Section 8, "enumerated powers" clause, which does not authorize coerced government "transfer payments." Its term "general welfare," noted James Madison, meant things used by all, such as a public road or courthouse, not the giving of taxpayer money to politically favored individuals. The 16th Amendment purportedly authorized an income tax, but not transfer payments.
Democrats have stolen this power to enslave us, and while they are quick to redistribute wealth earned by citizens, no Democratic candidates are willing to redistribute government power to the People. Such power – government's Big Lie that it, not you, owns you – is their greedy key to personal riches.
The Tax Foundation calculates that the average American worked like a serf or slave from Jan. 1 to April 16, 2019, Tax Freedom Day (which varies by high- or low-tax state), just to pay taxes. President Donald Trump's tax cuts gave a few days of added liberty, with Democrats fighting to keep every penny they steal from you.
Modern Democrat Nathan Robinson, owner of Current Affairs Magazine and author of "Why You Should Be a Socialist," echoes Karl Marx in saying that private property should be abolished and replaced with collectivist government ownership. But government already "owns" whatever it wants, including your militarily "draftable" body. Government asserts unlimited control over your earnings, wealth and property. We pay government direct or indirect "rent" merely to live.
But even this is not enough enslaving power for Bernie Sanders; "Wall Street Pete" (called "Silicon Valley's holographic candidate" by Tucker Carlson); or Democrats like Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire eager to buy the Democratic Party and government, outlaw your right of self-defense and dictate what you are permitted to eat. These power-addicted Democrats are insane.
Lowell Ponte is a former Reader's Digest Roving Editor. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other major publications. His latest paper co-authored with Craig R. Smith, "China's Top Secret War," shows how to rethink several areas of investment to protect and grow your savings against the little-known economic threats the People's Republic of China poses. For a free, postpaid copy, call toll-free 800-630-1492.


wnd--2020-02-14--Incompetent, imperial neocons and the Permanent State

Following the show of incompetence at the Democratic Iowa caucus , columns on competence proliferated .
One stood out for its ineptness : `` Make America Competent Again '' by David French at the Dispatch .
Mr. French is an attorney and decorated Iraq War veteran who was prominent among National Review 's `` Against Trump '' writers .
Back in June of 2016 , when the anti-Trump cabal was engaged in a political blood sport as degrading as dwarf tossing – Mr. French came into focus as the object of neoconservative Bill Kristol 's fantasies .
To wit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ashes of the Republican primaries would rise a man to stand for president against the victor , Donald J. Trump .
This Sisyphean task had been attempted and failed by 17 other worthies .
One of the political dwarfs tossed at Donald Trump by the aforementioned Mr. Kristol was Mr. French , who is vested in an aggressive , expansionist foreign policy and is a tool of democratic internationalism .
TRENDING : Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' The first sign of incompetence in `` Make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ column is hopelessly littered with the Imperial `` I '' : '' I THOUGHT – after federal officials let Jeffrey Epstein kill himself in prison – that I COULD no longer be shocked by incompetence .
Yet , HERE I AM , the day after the Iowa caucuses , shocked again .
… If you follow MY WRITING at all , you know that I THINK that … As I TYPE this newsletter … '' On and on .
Entitled `` The French Press , '' French 's blog would be better called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reference is to `` I , Claudius '' ( 1934 ) , an historical novel about the Roman Emperor Claudius .
Written in autobiographical form , `` I , Claudius '' later was turned into an award-winning television series .
( Which this writer watched as a child growing up in … Israel .
That 's what once passed for kiddy entertainment ! )
In any event , the use of the first-person pronoun in opinion writing is a cardinal sin .
To get a sense of just how bad someone 's writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he refers to himself solipsistically on the page .
The late , sphinxly Charles Krauthammer , who wrote a tight column , considered a single `` I '' in a piece to be a failure .
The Imperial `` I '' is fine when you 're a Roman emperor , or when the writer has earned the right to rhetorical self-absorption , due to his relevance to the story .
That excuse does not obtain in the case of the French puffery .
The promiscuous use of the first-person should be considered as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I feel like , '' which prefaces nearly every sentence spoken by a millennial .
Mr. French is doubly diminished when he declares : '' If you follow MY WRITING at all , you know that I THINK that policy is far less consequential to American life than culture . ''
Oh , the sins we commit when we omit .
Naturally enough , strong , competent writers credit those who inspire them ; they do n't crib from them .
Mr. French , on the other hand , appears to take a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to classical conservatism : `` The culture is upstream from politics . ''
Or , as Russell Kirk , the father of American conservatism , put it , `` At heart , all political problems are moral and religious problems . ''
Relinquish the ego .
Quit letting your reptilian brain lead you , and allow , in a sentence or two , that the stuff `` I THINK '' in `` MY WRITING , '' to parrot Mr. French , belongs to a proud conservative tradition .
That tradition might need revision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultural , has changed , metaphysically .
Although a man of the left , Canadian columnist Rick Salutin had , without doubt , advanced astute observations about the relationship between culture and politics .
Because they comport with the metaphysical changes alluded to , Salutin 's observations are the better ones .
Back in 1998 , Salutin offered up a prescient , if distressing , view of politics as culture , following `` the capitulation of most sources of opposition to the neoconservative … agenda . ''
In a culture of imagery and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show , entertainment .
[ F ] or the moment , politics in the democratic , electoral sense , is no longer about making choices [ left or right ] regarding social and economic direction .
… What 's increasingly clear to voters is that they are not choosing the direction of their society – that has already been settled ; they are voting for a cast of characters who will play the role of The Government on television and on [ Capitol Hill ] for the next [ couple of ] years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you get to decide who plays the parts on TV .
If Deep State durability has proven anything , it is that not even a fire-breathing political dragon like our president can fumigate the snake pit that is the Permanent State .
Neoconservatives like David French and the attendant ideology they promote – foreign-policy bellicosity , endless immigration , mindless consumerism , racial shaming and `` canceling '' of deviationists , conformity to an American identity that 's been melted away in vats of multiculturalism – these are in our country 's bone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : More incompetence from David French 's Press .

Following the show of incompetence at the Democratic Iowa caucus, columns on competence proliferated. One stood out for its ineptness: "Make America Competent Again" by David French at the Dispatch.
Mr. French is an attorney and decorated Iraq War veteran who was prominent among National Review's "Against Trump" writers.
Back in June of 2016, when the anti-Trump cabal was engaged in a political blood sport as degrading as dwarf tossing – Mr. French came into focus as the object of neoconservative Bill Kristol's fantasies.
To wit, never Trumpsters like Kristol imagined that from the ashes of the Republican primaries would rise a man to stand for president against the victor, Donald J. Trump. This Sisyphean task had been attempted and failed by 17 other worthies.
One of the political dwarfs tossed at Donald Trump by the aforementioned Mr. Kristol was Mr. French, who is vested in an aggressive, expansionist foreign policy and is a tool of democratic internationalism.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The first sign of incompetence in "Make America Competent Again" is that the column is hopelessly littered with the Imperial "I":
"I THOUGHT – after federal officials let Jeffrey Epstein kill himself in prison – that I COULD no longer be shocked by incompetence. Yet, HERE I AM, the day after the Iowa caucuses, shocked again. … If you follow MY WRITING at all, you know that I THINK that … As I TYPE this newsletter …" On and on.
This amounts to a big fat epistolary selfie.
Entitled "The French Press," French's blog would be better called "I, David." The reference is to "I, Claudius" (1934), an historical novel about the Roman Emperor Claudius. Written in autobiographical form, "I, Claudius" later was turned into an award-winning television series. (Which this writer watched as a child growing up in … Israel. That's what once passed for kiddy entertainment!)
In any event, the use of the first-person pronoun in opinion writing is a cardinal sin. To get a sense of just how bad someone's writing is, count the number of times he refers to himself solipsistically on the page. The late, sphinxly Charles Krauthammer, who wrote a tight column, considered a single "I" in a piece to be a failure.
The Imperial "I" is fine when you're a Roman emperor, or when the writer has earned the right to rhetorical self-absorption, due to his relevance to the story. That excuse does not obtain in the case of the French puffery.
The promiscuous use of the first-person should be considered as bad as the ghastly catchphrase, "I feel like," which prefaces nearly every sentence spoken by a millennial.
Mr. French is doubly diminished when he declares:
"If you follow MY WRITING at all, you know that I THINK that policy is far less consequential to American life than culture."
Oh, the sins we commit when we omit. Naturally enough, strong, competent writers credit those who inspire them; they don't crib from them.
Mr. French, on the other hand, appears to take a bow for a philosophical bent that belongs to classical conservatism: "The culture is upstream from politics." Or, as Russell Kirk, the father of American conservatism, put it, "At heart, all political problems are moral and religious problems."
Relinquish the ego. Quit letting your reptilian brain lead you, and allow, in a sentence or two, that the stuff "I THINK" in "MY WRITING," to parrot Mr. French, belongs to a proud conservative tradition.
That tradition might need revision. For the world, political and cultural, has changed, metaphysically.
Although a man of the left, Canadian columnist Rick Salutin had, without doubt, advanced astute observations about the relationship between culture and politics. Because they comport with the metaphysical changes alluded to, Salutin's observations are the better ones.
Back in 1998, Salutin offered up a prescient, if distressing, view of politics as culture, following "the capitulation of most sources of opposition to the neoconservative … agenda."
Wrote Salutin:
In a culture of imagery and spectacle, politics has become mostly a show, entertainment. [F]or the moment, politics in the democratic, electoral sense, is no longer about making choices [left or right] regarding social and economic direction. … What's increasingly clear to voters is that they are not choosing the direction of their society – that has already been settled; they are voting for a cast of characters who will play the role of The Government on television and on [Capitol Hill] for the next [couple of] years. The scrip is set, but you get to decide who plays the parts on TV.
If Deep State durability has proven anything, it is that not even a fire-breathing political dragon like our president can fumigate the snake pit that is the Permanent State.
Neoconservatives like David French and the attendant ideology they promote – foreign-policy bellicosity, endless immigration, mindless consumerism, racial shaming and "canceling" of deviationists, conformity to an American identity that's been melted away in vats of multiculturalism – these are in our country's bone marrow, by now.
That's politics qua culture.
Next week: More incompetence from David French's Press.


wnd--2020-02-13--Melania Trump and Kathryn Limbaugh vs. Nancy Pelosi and her coven

Like nearly everyone , my husband and I were stunned by Nancy Pelosi 's antics at the State of the Union .
`` That was so unladylike ! ''
I quipped .
My husband deadpanned , `` That 's no lady , that 's the speaker of the House . ''
My good hubby is a perfect gentleman , and in 35 years of marriage , I can count the negative things he has said about people on one hand .
He was so blunt this time that it made me laugh .
But the sad truth is that our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role models , and the most powerful woman in politics has failed to be one .
TRENDING : Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acts more like Cruella de Ville in Disney 's `` 101 Dalmatians '' than she does a woman at the apex of the nation that is the most prosperous and generous in the world .
Cartoonist Gary Varvel was genius in his recent illustration of Mrs. Pelosi as the evil Cruella throwing a vitriolic temper tantrum .
What Mrs. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emulate the children 's cartoon character is that the purpose of the villain is to teach that being treacherous is not something to which one should aspire .
Yet Mrs. Pelosi seems to relish it .
Does n't she care that our daughters are watching ?
While Mrs. Pelosi criticizes President Trump for his behavior , she engages in childish antics like a pro .
Remember her seal clap at last year 's State of the Union ?
Have you seen the expressions she makes behind the president 's back – the ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ears washed ?
It also did n't give me much hope for the young women watching when the camera focused on Mrs. Pelosi 's white-clad coven of cohorts .
Mercifully , at least they left their pink hats at home .
As the speaker gnarled and grimaced throughout the president 's brilliant speech , they seemed to be in a trance awaiting signals from their exalted leader about how they should react .
God forbid that any of our daughters would turn into the glassy-eyed robotic Democratic women in the U.S. Congress .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ night .
As the camera panned up to the House Gallery , America 's daughters were treated to two visions of loveliness in the forms of our elegant first lady and the beautiful Kathryn Limbaugh .
All of America knows of Rush Limbaugh and the good that he has done for freedom and for our country .
When the president bestowed the nation 's highest honor on Rush – the Presidential Medal of Freedom – we all witnessed the grace of Melania Trump as she awarded the medal to Mr. Limbaugh .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most Americans got their first glimpse of Kathryn .
Both Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Limbaugh have been targets of extreme vitriol over the years .
Both have watched their brave husbands brutally excoriated for standing up for truth and freedom .
Yet they remain women of dignity , composure and a very classy style .
Another poignant image emerged during the State of the Union that had the power to obliterate the ugliness the feminists attempted to force into America 's living rooms .
Our daughters and sons were treated to a brief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comfort that a wife can provide her husband .
A teary Rush Limbaugh , obviously overcome by the emotion of that night and the recent diagnosis of advanced lung cancer , leaned his face into his wife 's .
The tenderness with which she responded said volumes about her heart and femininity and their marriage .
Two lasting and very different types of women emerged during the State of the Union .
On the one hand , a childish , powerful woman willfully desecrated the office of the speaker of the House .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by bitterness that they could not even bring themselves to celebrate the victory of the lowest female unemployment rate in history .
On the other hand , two gracious ladies refused to allow the lies and hatred constantly spewed on them to penetrate their hearts of gold .
Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Limbaugh exemplify that true strength comes from character .
They reveal that real power is found in being gracious .
Mrs. Pelosi and her coven do n't seem to care that they do not have the right to be considered role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behavior , they have revealed the truth : Feminists do n't seek to inspire and lift women up ; they seek to destroy any cultural memory of what it means to be a lady .

Like nearly everyone, my husband and I were stunned by Nancy Pelosi's antics at the State of the Union.
"That was so unladylike!" I quipped.
My husband deadpanned, "That's no lady, that's the speaker of the House."
My good hubby is a perfect gentleman, and in 35 years of marriage, I can count the negative things he has said about people on one hand. He was so blunt this time that it made me laugh.
But the sad truth is that our culture is in dire need of female role models, and the most powerful woman in politics has failed to be one.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acts more like Cruella de Ville in Disney's "101 Dalmatians" than she does a woman at the apex of the nation that is the most prosperous and generous in the world. Cartoonist Gary Varvel was genius in his recent illustration of Mrs. Pelosi as the evil Cruella throwing a vitriolic temper tantrum.
What Mrs. Pelosi fails to realize in choosing to emulate the children's cartoon character is that the purpose of the villain is to teach that being treacherous is not something to which one should aspire. Yet Mrs. Pelosi seems to relish it.
Doesn't she care that our daughters are watching?
While Mrs. Pelosi criticizes President Trump for his behavior, she engages in childish antics like a pro. Remember her seal clap at last year's State of the Union? Have you seen the expressions she makes behind the president's back – the ones that look like a 5-year-old getting her ears washed?
It also didn't give me much hope for the young women watching when the camera focused on Mrs. Pelosi's white-clad coven of cohorts. Mercifully, at least they left their pink hats at home. As the speaker gnarled and grimaced throughout the president's brilliant speech, they seemed to be in a trance awaiting signals from their exalted leader about how they should react. God forbid that any of our daughters would turn into the glassy-eyed robotic Democratic women in the U.S. Congress.
Thankfully, all was not lost that night. As the camera panned up to the House Gallery, America's daughters were treated to two visions of loveliness in the forms of our elegant first lady and the beautiful Kathryn Limbaugh.
All of America knows of Rush Limbaugh and the good that he has done for freedom and for our country. When the president bestowed the nation's highest honor on Rush – the Presidential Medal of Freedom – we all witnessed the grace of Melania Trump as she awarded the medal to Mr. Limbaugh. And it was in those same moments that most Americans got their first glimpse of Kathryn.
Both Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Limbaugh have been targets of extreme vitriol over the years. Both have watched their brave husbands brutally excoriated for standing up for truth and freedom. Yet they remain women of dignity, composure and a very classy style.
Another poignant image emerged during the State of the Union that had the power to obliterate the ugliness the feminists attempted to force into America's living rooms. Our daughters and sons were treated to a brief but moving display of the love and comfort that a wife can provide her husband. A teary Rush Limbaugh, obviously overcome by the emotion of that night and the recent diagnosis of advanced lung cancer, leaned his face into his wife's. The tenderness with which she responded said volumes about her heart and femininity and their marriage.
Two lasting and very different types of women emerged during the State of the Union. On the one hand, a childish, powerful woman willfully desecrated the office of the speaker of the House. In her corner were women so consumed by bitterness that they could not even bring themselves to celebrate the victory of the lowest female unemployment rate in history. On the other hand, two gracious ladies refused to allow the lies and hatred constantly spewed on them to penetrate their hearts of gold. Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Limbaugh exemplify that true strength comes from character. They reveal that real power is found in being gracious.
Mrs. Pelosi and her coven don't seem to care that they do not have the right to be considered role models. With their selfish, sophomoric behavior, they have revealed the truth: Feminists don't seek to inspire and lift women up; they seek to destroy any cultural memory of what it means to be a lady.
America's daughters deserve better.


wnd--2020-02-13--Is Iran poised for a revolution … of hearts?

The political theater of Iran-U.S. relations is back in the news .
Once again , Iran is cast as the `` villain . ''
But what we do n't hear about are the `` hidden heroes '' inside Iran – the 800,000 `` secret '' believers in Iran 's explosive underground church movement .
Forty-one years ago , the Iranian-Islamic Revolution shrouded the nation in an oppressive , dark cloud .
But now amidst the latest political drama , God is causing a commotion in Iran as the most radical of all reformers – Jesus Christ – steps onto center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this biblical region of ancient Persia , home of such Bible heroes as Nehemiah , Esther and Daniel .
In the Bible , Acts chapter 2 lists Elamites , Parthians and Medes – all early Iranians – among those present at the feast of Pentecost celebration in the first century when the Holy Spirit made his power known among believers .
Today , that same power is on the move again in Iran , as true evangelistic revival sweeps the Islamic Republic – and nothing , no one , can stand in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Iran 's 82-million-strong population under age 35 , the majority of Iranians have only known religion used as a political power tool .
Christianity is a true revelation – offering forgiveness , peace and hope , all of which are in short supply in a nation dominated by religious plutocrats .
TRENDING : Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' Young Iranians , disillusioned with the hardline regime and its heavy-handed tactics , are eager to experience freedom , hope and joy .
As God moves upon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are finding that fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ .
Christians in Iran meet mostly in closeted house groups – known as `` secret '' or `` underground '' churches – to avoid detection by the police , arrest , imprisonment , beatings and even a sentence of death .
It 's illegal for Christians in Iran to share their faith with non-Christians , or hold church services in Farsi , the country 's common language .
Thousands do n't risk meeting with other believers in person at all .
They follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and watching videos online .
Whatever the secret church may look like , there 's a power that 's bursting forth from within – and , according to missiologists , forming the fastest-growing church movement in the world today .
However , conversion to Christianity in Iran comes at a heavy cost , and life as an `` apostate '' from the dominant religion is extremely dangerous , placing new believers under the constant threat of physical harm .
Iran 's fledgling Christ-followers desperately need the encouragement and strength that comes from others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and heartaches – to see , hear and interact with other Iranian believers who 've been disowned by their families and face tribulations .
They need strong encouragers like Barnabas , the disciple who uplifted the early Christians in the book of Acts .
At this very moment , these Barnabas-like encouragers are emerging from an unlikely source – satellite television .
Satellite TV programs can be beamed in Farsi into every home in Iran 24/7 .
Middle East broadcaster SAT-7 is providing the first opportunity for Iranian believers to share their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including extremists , interacting with them in real-time .
Jahan , a former Muslim extremist taught to hate Christians , called into SAT-7 's live `` Signal '' program to share his story .
`` Before I gave my heart ( to Jesus ) , I read the Book … and I found the way , '' he said .
`` My heart aches for my father and mother .
They do n't answer my calls , and I know if they found me , they 'd kill me . ''
Another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ softened after a taxi driver gave him a Bible .
`` I read John 15:16 : 'You did not choose me , but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit ' ( NIV ) … the very same words that I 'd heard in a dream . ''
Live TV testimonies like these are fueling the fires of Iran 's secret churches and causing many curious Muslim-background viewers to explore the claims of Jesus for themselves .
Bolstered by the Barnabas-like encouragers beamed into their living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new revolution .
Only this time it will be the love of Christ – not the fear of man or political forces – that fashions a new order in their beloved nation .
Things might appear hyper-volatile in Iran right now .
But watch closely and pray intently .
This could be the year that Iran 's `` hidden heroes '' show the world that the Prince of Peace is ready to bring a Revolution of Hearts to the Middle East .

The political theater of Iran-U.S. relations is back in the news. Once again, Iran is cast as the "villain." But what we don't hear about are the "hidden heroes" inside Iran – the 800,000 "secret" believers in Iran's explosive underground church movement.
Forty-one years ago, the Iranian-Islamic Revolution shrouded the nation in an oppressive, dark cloud. But now amidst the latest political drama, God is causing a commotion in Iran as the most radical of all reformers – Jesus Christ – steps onto center stage.
Jesus is building his church in this biblical region of ancient Persia, home of such Bible heroes as Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel. In the Bible, Acts chapter 2 lists Elamites, Parthians and Medes – all early Iranians – among those present at the feast of Pentecost celebration in the first century when the Holy Spirit made his power known among believers.
Today, that same power is on the move again in Iran, as true evangelistic revival sweeps the Islamic Republic – and nothing, no one, can stand in its way.
With more than half of Iran's 82-million-strong population under age 35, the majority of Iranians have only known religion used as a political power tool. Christianity is a true revelation – offering forgiveness, peace and hope, all of which are in short supply in a nation dominated by religious plutocrats.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Young Iranians, disillusioned with the hardline regime and its heavy-handed tactics, are eager to experience freedom, hope and joy. As God moves upon hearts, hundreds of thousands of them are finding that fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.
Christians in Iran meet mostly in closeted house groups – known as "secret" or "underground" churches – to avoid detection by the police, arrest, imprisonment, beatings and even a sentence of death. It's illegal for Christians in Iran to share their faith with non-Christians, or hold church services in Farsi, the country's common language.
Thousands don't risk meeting with other believers in person at all. They follow Christ covertly, tuning to Christian broadcasts and watching videos online.
Whatever the secret church may look like, there's a power that's bursting forth from within – and, according to missiologists, forming the fastest-growing church movement in the world today.
However, conversion to Christianity in Iran comes at a heavy cost, and life as an "apostate" from the dominant religion is extremely dangerous, placing new believers under the constant threat of physical harm.
Iran's fledgling Christ-followers desperately need the encouragement and strength that comes from others who are going through the same troubles and heartaches – to see, hear and interact with other Iranian believers who've been disowned by their families and face tribulations. They need strong encouragers like Barnabas, the disciple who uplifted the early Christians in the book of Acts.
At this very moment, these Barnabas-like encouragers are emerging from an unlikely source – satellite television. Satellite TV programs can be beamed in Farsi into every home in Iran 24/7. Middle East broadcaster SAT-7 is providing the first opportunity for Iranian believers to share their own stories live on-air with millions of viewers, including extremists, interacting with them in real-time.
Jahan, a former Muslim extremist taught to hate Christians, called into SAT-7's live "Signal" program to share his story. "Before I gave my heart (to Jesus), I read the Book … and I found the way," he said. "My heart aches for my father and mother. They don't answer my calls, and I know if they found me, they'd kill me."
Another viewer shared live on-air how his heart softened after a taxi driver gave him a Bible. "I read John 15:16: 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit' (NIV) … the very same words that I'd heard in a dream."
Live TV testimonies like these are fueling the fires of Iran's secret churches and causing many curious Muslim-background viewers to explore the claims of Jesus for themselves.
Bolstered by the Barnabas-like encouragers beamed into their living rooms, Iranians are on the cusp of a new revolution. Only this time it will be the love of Christ – not the fear of man or political forces – that fashions a new order in their beloved nation.
Things might appear hyper-volatile in Iran right now. But watch closely and pray intently. This could be the year that Iran's "hidden heroes" show the world that the Prince of Peace is ready to bring a Revolution of Hearts to the Middle East.


wnd--2020-02-13--China cracks down on free speech after news of coronavirus leaks

China 's online censors began scrubbing social media and shutting down messaging groups after an uncharacteristic period of online freedom in January .
Online discussions about the coronavirus and criticisms of local authorities ' handling of the crisis seemed to be unimpeded from Jan. 19 - Feb. 1 , Reuters reported .
This past week , however , the Cyberspace Administration of China began to crack down on the period of liberation by shutting down WeChat groups and taking down social media posts , according to Chinese reporters .
Tech firms that refused to monitor online speech were also reprimanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear that he expects efforts to strengthen ‘ the guidance of public opinion ’ to be increased , ” Fergus Ryan , an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute , said .
TRENDING : Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of 'FISA reform' “ We ’ ve already seen around 300 more journalists dispatched to Wuhan and surrounding areas to report on the outbreak .
It ’ s highly likely their brief is to paint a rosier picture of the government ’ s relief efforts rather than engage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Xi Jinping has bolstered online censorship efforts in China , but questions of transparency around the coronavirus have created suspicion and mistrust .
This became evident after the passing of Li Wenliang , a Chinese doctor who was allegedly detained in China for trying to warn his fellow medics about the coronavirus outbreak and later died from the virus itself .
According to a notice sent to an online Chinese news outlet , seen by Reuters , editors were told they could report on Li 's death , but should `` let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot search list , and guard against harmful information . ''
Li was an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital who sent out a warning about the coronavirus to his colleagues on Dec. 30 , according to the BBC .
Li had observed seven cases of a virus that looked like SARS , and he cautioned his fellow doctors to wear protective clothing to avoid possible infection .
The Public Security Bureau summoned Li four days later and forced him to sign a letter saying that he was “ making false comments.
” Seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ spreading rumors.
” Authorities later apologized to the doctor for their actions .
During January 's period of online liberation , people heavily criticized the officials in Wuhan for reprimanding Li and the other people accused of `` spreading rumors . ''
The CAC announced last week that is has punished websites and social media accounts for publishing commentary on the outbreak and asked platforms to control `` harmful information '' related to the coronavirus outbreak .
Chen Qiushi , a Chinese citizen journalist who had been reporting on the outbreak over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to The Associated Press .
He had posted pictures and videos of corpses and people infected with the disease crammed into Wuhan hospitals .
According to CNN , Chen has been forced into quarantine .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

China's online censors began scrubbing social media and shutting down messaging groups after an uncharacteristic period of online freedom in January.
Online discussions about the coronavirus and criticisms of local authorities' handling of the crisis seemed to be unimpeded from Jan. 19 - Feb. 1, Reuters reported.
This past week, however, the Cyberspace Administration of China began to crack down on the period of liberation by shutting down WeChat groups and taking down social media posts, according to Chinese reporters.
Tech firms that refused to monitor online speech were also reprimanded.
“Xi Jinping has made it clear that he expects efforts to strengthen ‘the guidance of public opinion’ to be increased,” Fergus Ryan, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
“We’ve already seen around 300 more journalists dispatched to Wuhan and surrounding areas to report on the outbreak. It’s highly likely their brief is to paint a rosier picture of the government’s relief efforts rather than engage in any muckraking or critical reporting.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has bolstered online censorship efforts in China, but questions of transparency around the coronavirus have created suspicion and mistrust.
This became evident after the passing of Li Wenliang, a Chinese doctor who was allegedly detained in China for trying to warn his fellow medics about the coronavirus outbreak and later died from the virus itself.
According to a notice sent to an online Chinese news outlet, seen by Reuters, editors were told they could report on Li's death, but should "let the topic gradually die out from the hot search list, and guard against harmful information."
Li was an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital who sent out a warning about the coronavirus to his colleagues on Dec. 30, according to the BBC.
Li had observed seven cases of a virus that looked like SARS, and he cautioned his fellow doctors to wear protective clothing to avoid possible infection.
The Public Security Bureau summoned Li four days later and forced him to sign a letter saying that he was “making false comments.” Seven other people were investigated as well for “spreading rumors.”
Authorities later apologized to the doctor for their actions.
During January's period of online liberation, people heavily criticized the officials in Wuhan for reprimanding Li and the other people accused of "spreading rumors."
The CAC announced last week that is has punished websites and social media accounts for publishing commentary on the outbreak and asked platforms to control "harmful information" related to the coronavirus outbreak.
Chen Qiushi, a Chinese citizen journalist who had been reporting on the outbreak over Twitter, also disappeared last week, according to The Associated Press.
He had posted pictures and videos of corpses and people infected with the disease crammed into Wuhan hospitals.
According to CNN, Chen has been forced into quarantine.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.