Bill Maher Skewers The PC Police Over "Chinese" Virus Outrage - Blames China For Coronavirus

Every so often leftist Bill Maher gets it right. He's spot on when it comes to Islamic extremism and his support of Israel, and I'll now give him kudos for chiming in on the whole Chinese Wuhan Virus issue.

In the video, he brilliantly skewers the perpetually offended PC folk who are calling anyone who mentions anything about China in reference to the Coronavirus/Covid19 Flu as racists, in spite of the fact that many viruses have been named from whence they originated.

"Seriously, it scares me that there are people out there who would rather die from the virus then call it by the wrong name. This isn't about vilifying a culture. It's about facts, it's about life and death. We're barely 4 months into this pandemic, and the wet markets in China- the ones where exotic animals are sold and consumed - are already starting to re-open. The PC police say it's racist to attack any cultural practice that's different than our own. I say liberalism lost its way when it started thinking like that. And pretended that forcing a woman to wear this [photo of a burka] was just a different way instead of an abhorrent human right's violation. It's not racist to point out that eating bats is batshit crazy."

It's worth a watch.

Sidenote:  there are people who question the theory that the Wuhan Flu originated from consuming bats, but since other viruses have originated in those wet markets we need to make sure they are shut down forever.

PETA Wants People To Stop Hating On Animals By Not Saying "Bring Home The Bacon" and Other Mean Phrases

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals apparently is offended by phrases like "bring home the bacon", and "take the bull by the horns", so the radical social justice folk over at PETA want them replaced with animal-friendlier versions of their own.  They posted on the following on Twitter:

Bring home the bagels? Be the test tube? Bwahahaha. Good grief! I don't eat meat and I have no issues with those idiomatic expressions. Soon anything we say is going to offend someone.  Then what?

They then equated "speciesism"  with racism and homophobic language.

"Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start 'bringing home the bagels' instead of the bacon."

Um, big difference between animals and people. Though neither should be abused, animals aren't going to know you've maligned them.

Some pretty funny Tweets in response on CBS News, but this video from Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch beats all.

HuffPost Hates On #Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Other PC Foolishness

Christmas has progressively become a bone of contention in our ever increasing PC world. Now I have no issue with the catchall phrase "Happy Holidays", given there are other religions that celebrate holidays during this time of year, and you never know who might celebrate what.  But I do have a problem using that greeting simply to appease those people who are afraid "Merry Christmas" might offend someone. But there will always be PC folk finding ways to put the 'bah humbug' into the season.

Take Robious Middle School in Midlothian, Va. They've banned all Christmas songs mentioning the word Jesus for their 'winter concert', which no doubt, at some point in time, was called a Christmas Concert.  A concerned father contacted a teacher at the school to voice his complaint, but-

According to the teacher's email, after speaking with school administrators it was decided they would avoid singing anything of a direct sacred nature in order to be more sensitive to the increasing diverse population at the school.

Then the HuffPost, bastion of liberal PC-think, posted on Twitter a 2 minute plus video explaining just how "seriously problematic" the beloved Christmas classic movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is. The video is a mix of Twitter comments from last year, along with Huffpo's own inanities claiming the movie is racist and homophobic, Santa is a bigot and his operation lacks diversity, several characters encourage bullying, and Rudolf is marginalized. Totally missing the whole point of the movie. And it's just an animated movie, people. About reindeer and Santa!

Then a Cleveland, Ohio radio station has nixed the classic song "Baby It's Cold Outside" in light of the #metoo movement. The song form the musical comedy Neptune's Daughter actually has two versions, the male and female version. Not quite a Christmas movie, but often played during the winter season.  It was circa 1940s, different time, different societal strictures.




And Snowmen? Nope, SJWs want to rename them Snowpeople.

It's gonna get worse.

Kristen Bell Not Cool With The Prince's Kiss In Snow White - #MeTooFar

It appears that Fairy Tales are now the target of the liberal, feminist, p.c. movement. Yep. Apparently, people are taking offense to the kiss that the Prince bestows upon Snow White while she's "sleeping." Although I thought that was Sleeping Beauty? But what do I know- I never had kids, unless caregiving my 92-year-old mother qualifies as motherhood, and it's far too long ago to remember the details of the story. I do remember there were seven dwarfs and a poisoned apple, but that's about it.  Anyway, actress Kristen Bell, mother of two little girls, is not too happy about the apple or that kiss.

"Don't you think that it's weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?" Bell recalls asking her daughters. "Because you can not kiss someone if they're sleeping!"

Uh, hello Kristen, it's a Fairy Tale. Get a grip. Plus, both Sleeping Beauty and Snow White would have remained forever in limbo had not the Princes lovingly brought them back to the living with those kisses.

Keira Knightley has similar feelings about certain Disney stories. Her 3-year-old is forbidden to watch:

"Cinderella, banned because she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don’t. Rescue yourself, obviously," Knightley said. "And this is the one that I’m quite annoyed about because I really like the film, but… Little Mermaid. I mean, the songs are great, but do not give your voice up for a man. Hello!”

Uh, speechless.

Halloweeners over 13 could get jail or fined for 'Trick or Treating'

It appears Halloween has now become a target of the scaredy-cat, bah-humbug scrooge crowd and age restrictions are now being implemented in some cities across the nation. Not only that, in Chesapeake, Virginia, anyone over the age of 12 could land up to a 6 month jail term, and a $25.00 to $100.00 fine. Yep, "Trick or Treating" could get a young teen a misdemeanour charge.  Newport News and Norfolk, also in Virginia, have similar restrictions.

Are 13 and 14-year-olds no longer considered kids? I remember trick or treating, many moons ago, when I was 16. They claim they are trying to prevent any mischief, but come on.

And that's not all. According to Care2 Causes:

A bunch of towns in North Carolina cut kids off by 12 or 13. In Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey, trick-or-treaters can’t exceed 12 and there’s a strict curfew ending the festivities by 7 p.m. — it’s barely dark by then!

Care2 has a petition you can sign.

More here.

If kids want to have a little fun begging for candy, let 'em!

PC Police Shame Steve Martin Into Deleting Tweet Tribute To Carrie Fisher

Actor/Comedian Steve Martin wrote a rather innocuous Tweet as a tribute in response to the untimely death of his good friend Carrie Fisher.

"When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well."

 Then the PC patrol came along and lambasted him for his so-called "sexist" remark, so Martin caved to the easily offended and deleted the Tweet.

I'm female, and I find nothing offensive about his comment. It's not like he mentioned her great body parts. There is nothing sexual implied. Someone commented on a FB post that she was surprised that I  did not recognize what's at stake here.  What's at stake here is free speech, I find that far more dangerous than some feminist taking offense to some backhanded compliment.

More  here.

Al Jazeera English Bans Use of "Extremist", "Militant", "Terrorist", "Islamist"- Per Leaked Email Memo

ISIS-affiliated jihadists have claimed responsibility for the attack and car bombing of the Corinthia luxury hotel in Tripoli, Libya early this morning. The death toll varies, but it's around 9 or 10, with one American casualty.

Soon after the attack, Carlos Van Meek of Al Jazeera English sent out an email memo to Al Jazeera correspondents telling them they are not to use the terms "jihad", "Islamist", "extremist", "terrorist" or "militant" when referring to Islamist, extremist, terrorist militant jihadists. They want to "avoid characterizing people," because "one person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter." Right, because trying to establish an imperialist global caliphate is just freedom fighting. Beheading journalists, raping and killing Yazidi women, and keeping some as sex slaves is just freedom fighting.

BUT, it's perfectly okay to use the term militant when referring to people like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, or Norway's 'mass murderer' Anders Behring Breivik.

National Review Online's Brendan Bordelon got his hands on a leaked copy of that email:

From: Carlos Van Meek
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 10:06 AM
To: AJE-Newsdesk; AJE-Output; AJE-DC-Newsroom
Subject: Terrorists, Militants, Fighters and then some…

All: We manage our words carefully around here. So I’d like to bring to your attention to some key words that have a tendency of tripping us up. This is straight out of our Style Guide. All media outlets have one of those. So do we. If you’d like to amend, change, tweak.. pls write to Dan Hawaleshka direct who is compiling the updates to the Style Guide and they will be considered based on merit. No mass replies to this email, pls.


EXTREMIST – Do not use. Avoid characterizing people. Often their actions do the work for the viewer. Could write ‘violent group’ if we’re reporting on Boko Haram agreeing to negotiate with the government. In other words, reporting on a violent group that’s in the news for a non-violent reason.

TERRORISM/TERRORISTS – One person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. We will not use these terms unless attributed to a source/person.

ISLAMIST – Do not use. We will continue to describe groups and individuals, by talking about their previous actions and current aims to give viewers the context they require, rather than use a simplistic label.

NOTE: Naturally many of our guests will use the word Islamist in the course of their answers. It is absolutely fine to include these answers in our output. There is no blanket ban on the word.

JIHAD – Do not use the Arabic term. Strictly speaking, jihad means an inner spiritual struggle, not a holy war. It is not by tradition a negative term. It also means the struggle to defend Islam against things challenging it. Again, an Arabic term that we do not use.

FIGHTERS – We do not use words such as militants, radicals, insurgents. We will stick with fighters. However, these terms are allowed when quoting other people using them.

MILITANT – We can use this term to describe individuals who favour confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause. For example, we can use the term to describe Norwegian mass-killer Andres Behring Breivik or Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. But please note: we will not use it to describe a group of people, as in ‘militants’ or ‘militant groups’ etc.

Makes one want to slam one's head into the wall.

It's not the first leaked email to show just how biased the Qatar-based news agency is. After the Charlie Hebdo attack, National Review Online also managed to get a hold of other emails where Al Jazeera execs criticised the overwhelming global support for freedom of speech.

Maybe it's time Al Jazeera crawls back to Doha where it belongs.

Source: NewsBusters

All Things Piggy To Be Banned By Oxford University Press To Avoid Offending Muslims and Jews

Oxford University Press (OUP) has taken political correctness to an absurd level. Apparently, the schoolbook publishers have decided to ban references to anything porcine in their children's books in order to avoid offending Muslims and Jews. That means no mention of piggies, bacon, sausage. Nothing porky. Authors are being asked to take into consideration any 'cultural differences and sensitivities" when writing kiddies' books.

The bizarre clampdown, apparently aimed at avoiding offence among Jews and Muslims, emerged yesterday during a discussion about free speech on Radio 4’s Today programme.

Presenter Jim Naughtie – whose writer wife Eleanor Updale is in talks with Oxford University Press (OUP) over an educational book series – said: ‘I've got a letter here that was sent out by OUP to an author doing something for young people.

‘Among the things prohibited in the text that was commissioned by OUP was the following: Pigs plus sausages, or anything else which could be perceived as pork.

‘Now, if a respectable publisher, tied to an academic institution, is saying you've got to write a book in which you cannot mention pigs because some people might be offended, it’s just ludicrous. It is just a joke.'

A spokesman for OUP said:

 ‘Many of the educational materials we publish in the UK are sold in more than 150 countries, and as such they need to consider a range of cultural differences and sensitivities.

'Our editorial guidelines are intended to help ensure that the resources that we produce can be disseminated to the widest possible audience.’

The decision has been ridiculed by many including Tory MP Philip Davies who responded:

 ‘How on earth can anyone find the word “pig” or “pork” offensive? 'No word is offensive. It is the context in which it is used that is offensive.’

‘On the one hand you have politicians and the great and the good falling over each other to say how much they believe in freedom of speech and on the other hand they are presiding over people being unable to use and write words that are completely inoffensive.

'We have got to get a grip on this nonsensical political correctness.

‘The political correctness brigade appear to have taken control of our schools.

'The Secretary of State needs to get a grip over this and make sure this ridiculous ban is stopped at once.’

And by both Jews and Muslims. Muslim Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said:

"... That’s absolute utter nonsense. And when people go too far, that brings the whole discussion into disrepute."

Spokesman for the Jewish Leadership Council added:

 ‘Jewish law prohibits eating pork, not the mention of the word, or the animal from which it derives.

I know the Jews are not offended by things like The Three Little Pigs, and photos of bacon, but was glad to see the Muslim measured response. That's not to say there aren't Anjem Choudary types who were probably thrilled to hear about the ban, and who are offended by anything to do with pigs.  In Germany last year, Muslims protested a butcher shop that had a decorative pig display because they were offended. Back in 2007, a school in Amsterdam stopped teaching about rural life because the Muslim refused to talk about the pigs.

This has to stop.

Source and video: Daily Mail

Geert Wilders' Solution To The ISIS/Radical Islam Problem In The Netherlands

Geert Wilders gave an impressive speech to the Dutch parliament with a workable solution for the ISIS/Radical Islam war against the rest of the world, at least when it comes to his country.

In the video he blames the 'elite' for the current trouble with Muslims in the Netherlands, admonishing them for wasting 10 plus years doing nothing about the problem. And there seems to be a major one. Wilders tells them:

"According to a study 73% of all Moroccans and Turks in the Netherlands are of the opinion that those who go to Syria to fight in the jihad are "heroes"- people to be admired."

After 9/11 he says that:

"..three-quarters of the Muslims in the Netherlands condoned this atrocity."

According to Wilders, that's hundreds of thousands of Muslims condoning terrorism in his country, and calls it a ticking time bomb.

He then Quotes from the Quran to prove his point that the Quran is a handbook for terrorists, and a "hunting permit" for millions of Muslims. Essentially "A license to kill."

Surah 8, Verse 60:

Prepare to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah.
Surah 47, Verse 4:

Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks.

Surah 4, Verse 89:

So take not friends from the ranks of the unbelievers, seize them and kill them wherever ye find them.

He says this is not a clash of civilizations, but rather a clash between barbarism and civilization.

At the 7:53 mark on the video he comes up with his solution.

Watch the video here.

Definitely worth a watch. He's a brave man.

TN Student Suspended For Telling Classmate "Bless You" After Sneeze

Tennessee high school student Kendra Turner claims she was suspended for telling a classmate "bless you" after they sneezed. According to the Dyer County High School student certain phrases and words have been banned by her computer teacher-  "stupid", "my bad", "hang out", and the offending phrase "bless you" are verboten.

Believing her consitutionatl rights were violated, she took to social media to share what happened. Apparently, the teacher told her "We do not do Godly speaking in my class." As far as I know she left God out of it. Simply saying "bless you" shouldn't be offensive, unless you're a liberal or atheist or both.

"I stood up for my belief and said I have a constitutional right to speak about My God!!" the teen wrote on Facebook.

"So if any other teacher wants to get on to me for sticking up for my religion then go right ahead [because] in the end I will win [because] I'm doing what God wants me to do!!!"

Though they won't get into it, the school administration says it has nothing to do with religion.

"We can't discuss discipline issues because of right to privacy of students, but I can say there are two sides to every story," Assistant Principal Lynn Garner told the Dyersburg State Gazette.

"Sometimes people spin things and turn them to make them seem one way, but I cannot discuss anything specific in order to protect the child."

Fox news said the teacher claims the girl shouted "bless you" and disrupted class. She might have, who knows, but bottom line, what right does a teacher have to tell someone what they can or can not say?

More details here.

Do All Native Americans Consider "Redskins" A Racial Slur?

What's in a name? Apparently a lot, at least when it comes to the pro football team the Washington Redskins. Some 80 plus years later and people are now raging about how racist the name 'Redskins' is.

Apparently, the owner George Preston Marshall- who named the team Redskins after his coach William 'Lonestar' Dietz who claimed to be an Indian but probably was not- was a racist, but I would venture to say not than many people consider the name a racial slur. Other than congress, Barack Obama, the Oneida Indian Nation and the liberal PC folk, there is no indication as to how many Indians find it offensive.

The Oneida Indian Nation is at the forefront of the campaign to get the Redskins to change their name, but there are others who are not in the least bit offended.

There are Native American schools that call their teams Redskins. The term is used affectionately by some natives, similar to the way the N-word is used by some African-Americans. In the only recent poll to ask native people about the subject, 90 percent of respondents did not consider the term offensive, although many question the cultural credentials of the respondents.

All of which underscores the oft-overlooked diversity within Native America.

“Marginalized communities are too often treated monolithically,” said Carter Meland, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota.

“Stories on the mascot issue always end up exploring whether it is right or it is wrong, respectful or disrespectful,” said Meland, an Ojibwe Indian.

He believes Indian mascots are disrespectful, but said: “It would be interesting to get a sense of the diversity of opinion within a native community.”

Those communities vary widely.

Tommy Yazzie, superintendent of the Red Mesa school district on the Navajo Nation reservation, grew up when Navajo children were forced into boarding schools to disconnect them from their culture. Some were punished for speaking their native language. Today, he sees environmental issues as the biggest threat to his people.

The high school football team in his district is the Red Mesa Redskins.

“We just don’t think that (name) is an issue,” Yazzie said. “There are more important things like busing our kids to school, the water settlement, the land quality, the air that surrounds us. Those are issues we can take sides on.”

“Society, they think it’s more derogatory because of the recent discussions,” Yazzie said. “In its pure form, a lot of Native American men, you go into the sweat lodge with what you’ve got — your skin. I don’t see it as derogatory.”

Neither does Eunice Davidson, a Dakota Sioux who lives on the Spirit Lake reservation in North Dakota. “It more or less shows that they approve of our history,” she said.

More on the story here.

Some feel that even if one person is offended by something, then it is our duty to address that issue. I say, put on your big boy or girl pants and deal. If everyone is offended, then do something about it.

GA School Bans Cupcakes- Not Fair To Certain Kids

A Newnan, Georgia, elementary school has banned any kind of baked goodies for birthday parties because the kiddies with allergies might feel left out. Apparently, at least a whopping ten percent of the school kids have some form of allergy to anything from blueberries to peanuts to gluten.

Parents of Brooks Elementary School students received that dandy announcement via letter and school principal Julie Raschen had this to day regarding the decision:

“When parents have brought in goodies for birthdays, oftentimes these children are not included in the snack because of dietary restrictions and have felt left out. Parents can still send in treats for their child’s birthday, we just ask that they not be food items.”

What kind of treats might those be, one wonders.

But it's not just the actual allergies that concerns Raschen, it's the unfairness of it all.

“Although our first priority above all else is the safety of our students, we are also trying to create an environment in which all students feel included and not singled out. So both safety and a positive environment for all students were the reasons for this change.”

Well life isn't fair.  The sooner they learn that the better.

Though I don't have kids, many of my vegetarian friends did, and what they would do was bring goodies to those kinds of events so their children could enjoy a little treat.  Why can't the parents of the children with allergies do the same thing. If you're child can't eat gluten send him to school with a gluten-free cupcake. Why make everyone suffer.

Apparently, it will only apply to birthday parties and not to other holiday festivities.

Go figure.

Source: Daily Caller

The Ludicrous Liberal P.C. Racist Card- The latest roundup

We are becoming an increasingly overly sensitive, ridiculously p.c. society, and all it takes is for some special interest group or even one individual from the perpetually offended crowd to complain about some ludicrous thing and people immediately cave. No discussion. No fight. It's setting a terrible precedent, and we're at a major risk of losing our freedom.

The complaints usually revolve around something insignificant that someone or some group deems racist or offensive. What these people believe constitutes racism is truly astounding.

Here's a roundup of the most recent incidents.

1. Eating Tacos Is Racist

An on-going annual all-you-can-eat taco sorority fundraiser was labeled racist, and subsequently cancelled.

The event, known as the Pi Phiesta, has been labeled by some radical leftists as offensive due to the fact it includes an all-you-can-eat taco dinner.

In response to the manufactured outrage, the annual function has been completely scrapped at Dartmouth College, while members at Stanford University completely reinvented it.

Though the dinner is a consistent success and has been responsible for raising a significant amount of money for charity, activists nonetheless have expressed outrage over the entrée of choice. These protests coincide with widespread demonstrations on college campuses across the nation regarding Cinco de Mayo celebrations deemed offensive by certain students and groups.

2. The Song "YMCA" Is Racist.

Or at least the Indian costume is.

A performance of the Village People's "YMCA" at Bennett Elementary School in North Dakota was cancelled after one parent complained about it being racist.  In case you've forgotten, or are unfamiliar with the campy late 70s  song,  six men dress up as a cowboy, construction worker, biker, policeman, military man, and American Indian, and strut their stuff.  I'm sure you know which outfit mama took offense to.

Elaine Bolman said:

“I’m not in a position to do anything for these educators, and hopefully those people that are can make the right choices so all students of any culture and race won’t feel singled out or like their race is being stereotyped against.”

All it took was one complaint, and the school caved.

3. Camels Are Racist 

Or at least bringing one to a school could be considered racist, because you know camels live in the Middle East, and some Middle Easterner might find it offensive.

Apparently, a student organization at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, had planned on bringing a camel to celebrate "Hump Day"  until some other students said Middle Easterners might be offended, so the whole event was cancelled.

The “Hump Day” event, put on by the Residence Hall Association (RHA), was supposed to be “a petting zoo type of atmosphere” in which students could hang out and take photos with a live camel. According to Aaron Macke, the group’s advisor, the camel is owned by a local vendor and trained for special events.

I suppose we'll have to ship back to the Middle East all the camels in our zoos because maybe, just maybe, some Middle Easterner might find it offensive to see a camel in an American zoo.

And that's just recent incidents.  Remember in 2012 the State Department and NYC Department of Education wanted to ban racist or potentially offensive words and phrases like "Halloween" or "dinosaur" or "holding down the fort". Yes, this is not joke. There were about 50 of them they wanted nixed from our vocabulary.

And last year the word "Easter" was banned from an Easter egg hunt at some elementary school in Alabama. The whole thing was going to be cancelled, but they compromised by removing Easter.

And who can forget the Portland, Oregon school that banned the word  Peanut, Butter and Jelly sandwich because of it's racist connotations.  Go figure.

Moveon.org wanted the word illegal to be banned.

And there was the NYC school principal who wanted to ban a kiddies performance of "God Bless The USA."

And last but not least, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and p.c. liberal tools want to sugarcoat references to Islam in the "The Rise of Al-Qaeda" documentary that is showing at the recently opened 9/11 Museum in New York. CAIR is lobbying hard for changes to the video, believing that Muslims will be offended by some of the "stereotypical and stigmatizing terminology" like "Islamist extremism" and "jihadism."

These terms, particularly the generalizing manner in which the film uses them, conflate Islam and terrorism and carry the risk of misinforming museum visitors, particularly those unfamiliar with Islam.

It just so happens that the bulk of global terrorism these days happens to be rooted in Islam, and you'd have to have been living on another planet not to be familiar with Islam.

In a statement, CAIR-NY Board Member Zead Ramadan said: "After repeated requests to correct misrepresentations, the film ignorantly implies a religion, rather than a group of criminals, was to blame for the September 11 attacks. Instead of unifying all Americans against evil-doers, this film continues to offensively cast suspicion on faith rather address the terrorist act."

Criminals?  Whether they like it or not, those "criminals" and the "criminals" anywhere there happens to be an ongoing battle with extremists, those battles are firmly rooted in that religion. In Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere, those militants are fighting to establish Sharia law. That IS faith.  No-one is saying that all Muslims are extremists, but what the heck else are we to call those who are?

Boko Haram Not Muslim, Claims U.S. Ambassador Robert Jackson

At a recent Senate hearing on the ongoing terror activity in Nigeria, Ambassador Robert Jackson, deputy assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, claimed "Boko Haram is portraying its philosophy as being a Muslim philosophy, and that's just not accurate."

Really?  Let's see, they believe in Mohammed and Allah, read the Quran, and are trying to establish an uber-strict form of Sharia law in Nigeria. Doesn't sound like Hinduism to me. Or Buddhism. Or Judaism or Christianity. Hello, Ambassador Jackson, if it quacks like a duck. Oh, and Al-Shabaab, and the Taliban and al-Qaeda all believe the same thing.  They're all Muslims because they consider themselves to be, and because they follow the tenets of that religion. It would be like claiming the Westboro Baptists aren't Christians.  They might not be what we expect of Christians, they're almost as evil a bunch as Boko Haram, but they believe in Christ, so they are.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took on Jackson during the hearing.

“Is the prime motivator here of this instance, in your opinion — is the prime motivator the desire to deny young women access to education and empowerment?” Rubio asked.

“Senator, I actually think the prime motivator is to raise more funds for Boko Haram through ransom,” Jackson replied. “However, the fact that Boko Haram opposes Western education is certainly a reason why these girls were targeted.”

“Can I suggest that I think there’s another motivation that’s not getting nearly enough attention, and that is that this is clearly motivated by an anti-Christian attitude of this group,” Rubio continued, citing “a grotesque statement” from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau: “It is either you are with jahideen, or you’re with the Christians. We know what is happening in this world. It is a jihad war against Christians and Christianity. It is a war against Western education, democracy and constitution… This is what I know in Quran. This is a war against Christians and democracy and their constitution. Allah says we should finish them when we get them.”

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about what’s motivating them,” Rubio said. “One of their leading motivators here is this is not simply — and there’s no doubt that this is a part of it, but this is not just about girls going to school and it’s not just about raising money. There is a strong anti-Christian element of this organization and of this activity. Am I right in saying that?”

“Senator, there is a strong anti-Christian element, but I would offer that more of the thousands of people who have died as a result of Boko Haram’s activities are Muslim than Christian,” Jackson said.

Rubio stressed “we should not ignore the fact that there is a religious persecution aspect of this that is very significant and deserves attention, especially in light of what we are seeing not just in this part of the world but multiple areas of the world, where we are seeing horrifying instances of religious persecution against Christians, which, in my opinion, has been underreported.”

“Senator, I respectfully suggest while anti-Christian sentiment is a strong motivator, the fact of the matter is that Boko Haram is trying to portray its philosophy as being a Muslim philosophy, and that’s just not accurate,” Jackson said.

“I’m not claiming that this is somehow driven by legitimate teachings of Islam. What I’m arguing is that there is a strong anti-Christian element to this and that it is part of a broader anti-Christian persecution that we are seeing repeatedly throughout the world. Would you disagree with that statement?” the senator asked.

“I do not disagree, but I continue to want to emphasize that Boko Haram terrorizes all people,” the State Department official responded.

Jackson said about 85 percent of the more than 200 teens taken from the Chibok secondary school are Christian. Nigeria’s population includes about about 60 million Protestants and 20 million Catholics, according to Pew.

Rubio stressed that a crime against Muslims “is no less worse or less bad than a crime against Christians.”

“What I’m trying to put aside — what I’m trying to put forward here is that we cannot continue to ignore that persecution of Christians is a leading motivator not just of what’s happening in Boko Haram but in other parts of the world, as well, but in this specific instance, they are clearly motivated by anti-Christian attitudes and anti-Christian beliefs,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s even debatable, given their very own statement.”

Rubio was referring to a video statement by Shekau  that the schoolgirls had converted to Islam.

Source: PJ Media

The PC Lot Balk At References To Islam In 9/11 Museum Film

The National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York is set to open on May 21, and as part of the experience there will be a short film regarding what led up to the attack.

The film, “The Rise of Al Qaeda,” refers to the terrorists as Islamists who viewed their mission as a jihad. The NBC News anchor Brian Williams, who narrates the film, speaks over images of terrorist training camps and Qaeda attacks spanning decades. Interspersed are explanations of the ideology of the terrorists, from video clips in foreign-accented English translations.

The documentary is not even seven minutes long, the exhibit just a small part of the museum. 

Even though it's quite obvious who was responsible for the abomination that occurred on 9/11- not Christian or Hindu or Buddhist extremists but Muslim extremists- people are balking at how the film broaches the subject of Islam.

The museum has refused to back down after various panel groups, including some interfaith clergy, recommended making changes to the film. The one Muslim imam involved resigned back in March.

“The screening of this film in its present state would greatly offend our local Muslim believers as well as any foreign Muslim visitor to the museum,” Sheikh Mostafa Elazabawy, the imam of Masjid Manhattan, wrote in a letter to the museum’s director. “Unsophisticated visitors who do not understand the difference between Al Qaeda and Muslims may come away with a prejudiced view of Islam, leading to antagonism and even confrontation toward Muslim believers near the site.”

According to Joseph C. Daniels of the museum:

“From the very beginning, we had a very heavy responsibility to be true to the facts, to be objective, and in no way smear an entire religion when we are talking about a terrorist group."

What people are taking offense to, apparently, is the use of "Islamist" and "Jihad".  Critics want the film to refer to it as "al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism," not Islamic terrorism. Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington explains why

“The terrorists need to be condemned and remembered for what they did." “But when you associate their religion with what they did, then you are automatically including, by association, one and a half billion people who had nothing to do with these actions and who ultimately the U.S. would not want to unnecessarily alienate.”

More on the story here.

The majority of violence around the world is being perpetrated by Muslims. Yes, extremists, but Muslims nonetheless. You can't pussyfoot around that, and you can't whitewash the facts. It's the truth. I think most intelligent people realize that mostly radical extremists are responsible for the bloodshed, but there are a heck of a lot of them around these days.

Kissing 'Girlfriend's' Hand Gets 6-Year-Old Colorado Boy Suspension and 'Sexual Harassment Label

This is for the good grief file.

6 year-old Hunter Yelton is a cute young kid from Colorado who has a little girlfriend. As young lads are wont to do, he gave his little girlfriend an innocent kiss on her hand at school one day. It seems some fellow young 'uns tattled to the music teacher at a Cañon City school and Hunter landed a two day suspension for 'sexual harrassment'. That's right, sexual harassment!  The school planned on keeping that label on his school record- forever- but have since dropped the sexual harassment angle to 'misconduct', but still.  The little girl likes Hunter, so why would this qualify as sexual harassment? And a kiss on the hand?  Yes, he kissed her on the cheek on another occasion, but so what.

Hunter explains what happened:

"It was during class, yeah. We were doing reading group and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That's what happened."

Now the boy thinks he's done something wrong, and that a kiss on the hand is something terrible:

"They sent me to the office, fair and square. I did something wrong and I feel sorry."

Where are they, Saudi Arabia?

Hunter's mama, Jennifer Saunders, was furious that her son was labeled a sexual harasser, and that he's now questioning her about sex when those kinds of things should be far from his mind at that age.

"This is taking it to an extreme that doesn't need to be met with a 6-year-old. Now my son is asking questions -- 'what is sex, Mommy?' That should not ever be said, sex. Not in a sentence with a 6-year-old."

If he groped her in inappropriate places, or if she told him to stop and he didn't, sure, go ahead and punish the kid, but that wasn't the case.

What is happening to this country?!

According to this psychologist kissing is normal behaviour for kids that age, and that the suspension could have a negative impact on the child.

You can read more on Hunter, with video footage of the cutie here.

The Word "Easter" Banned By Alabama Elementary School

An "Easter" Egg Hunt was initially cancelled by Heritage Elementary School in Madison Alabama because principal Lydia Davenport was trying to do damage control before it even became a problem. Apparently, she'd had problems in the past and wanted to make sure religiously diverse parents would not be offended:

“We had in the past a situation where we've had a parent to question us about some of the things we do here at school. So we’re just trying to make sure we respect and honor everybody’s differences.”

Enough parents balked, but in order to keep the festivities there was a compromise: they will be doing away with the "Easter" part of the Easter egg hunt.

Davenport told WHNT TV:

“Kids love the bunny and we just make sure we don’t say ‘the Easter Bunny’ so that we don’t infringe on the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion,” she told the television station. “ A bunny is a bunny and a rabbit is a rabbit."

Source: Todd Starnes/FOX News
HT/ WIOD

Dr. Benjamin Carson's Anti-Obama Policy Prayer Breakfast Speech

I had heard raves about Dr. Benjamin Carson's speech during the National Prayer Breakfast on February 7th, but only just checked it out. What a lovely man, and what an incredible speech. No TelePrompTer, great solutions to the major problems this country faces, personable, warm, engaging- no wonder people are chattering about what a great president he would make. The polar opposite of Barack Obama.

Check out his interview with Sean Hannity explaining why he chose to speak out against Obama's policies. No wonder Obama remained poker-faced throughout most of Carson's speech. If you haven't watched it yet, focus on Obama.

US Army To Publish Manual Of Taboo Subjects- Taliban, Women's Rights, Pedophilia

Apparently it's the fault of U.S. troops in Afghanistan that they're being targeted by Afghan soldiers in green on blue attacks: they're just too darn insensitive and bereft of any understanding of Afghan culture. To remedy this the U.S. Army has decided to publish a handbook of no-no, taboo subjects soldiers are not allowed to discuss with their Afghan counterparts including: women's rights, pedophilia and how nasty the Taliban really are.

Not everyone is thrilled about it though. According to spokesman for the coalition forces in Afghanistan Colonel Tom Collins, the head honcho in that hellhole, U.S. Marine General John Allen, definitely does not approve.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) was privy to a version of the handbook, and published some quotes.

"Many of the confrontations occur because of [coalition] ignorance of, or lack of empathy for, Muslim and/or Afghan cultural norms, resulting in a violent reaction from the [Afghan security force] member."

The study, based on interviews with 600 members of the Afghan security forces and 200 American soldiers, painted a grim portrait of opposing cultures with simmering disdain for their counterparts.

The draft handbook includes a summary stating that some U.S. soldiers consider Afghan forces to be “basically stupid” thieves, "gutless in combat," "profoundly dishonest" and engaged in "treasonous collusion and alliances with enemy forces."

The draft handbook offers a list of "taboo conversation topics" that soldiers should avoid, including "making derogatory comments about the Taliban," "advocating women's rights," "any criticism of pedophilia," "directing any criticism toward Afghans," "mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct" or "anything related to Islam," according to the Journal.

Might as well just muzzle them.

Too bad much of what they think of the Afghan forces is true.


H/T Act For America

PB & J Sandwich- Banned At 2 Schools

The poor PB & J (peanut butter and jelly) has been getting a raw deal recently. In the past week the much maligned sandwich has made the news- twice. Once for its racist connotation (really), and the other for its ability to send some people into severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), even if they aren't the ones eating it.

Let's see how it came to be considered racist:

A lunchtime staple of students for years, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich could be considered one of the more popular items found in the sack lunches of school children.
But in conjunction with recent equity training in local Portland schools, one principal is raising questions about the mention of the sandwich, arguing it has broader implications about race, the Portland Tribune reports.

The sandwich was reportedly mentioned in a lesson plan last year. Verenice Gutierrez from the Harvey Scott K-8 School used it as an example of a subtle form of racism in language, according to the report.

“What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?” Gutierrez said, according to the Tribune. “Another way would be to say: ‘Americans eat peanut butter and jelly, do you have anything like that?’ Let them tell you. Maybe they eat torta. Or pita.”

 Read the rest here.

Then it was banned at an Arkansas school for a totally different reason, and some people are hopping mad about that.  Apparently, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was snatched from a hungry child's hand because it might cause an allergic reaction in other students sitting nearby. Well, maybe not quite snatched- and the kid was given other options from the school cafeteria- but same thing. The school has a "nut" ban in place, that the parents obviously had no clue about, so the kid was sent home with a note explaining the ban.

A Facebook page called "School Nut Ban Discussion" was created by the parents who were at odds with the school's policy.

In a Friday post on the FB page, one parent alleged that the Arkansas school created a "no-peanut-policy" on its own and only shared the rule verbally with a few parents at a meeting.

The post read:

"The Nut Ban is an Administrative Policy, not a School Board Policy. It is not in the Student Handbook, nor in the School Board Policies Handbook. Parents that were unable to attend Viola's Open House did not hear the verbal made at the Kindergarten meeting. I can speak for the packet sent home with one 1st grade class that there was no information about the Nut Ban."

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich bans are nothing new in many schools across America. However, this recent case gives rise to concerns parents have over nut allergies and school intervention.

As per usual, you have the parents who are happy about the decision, and others who are not.  Supposedly the only thing some children with autism will eat is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Who knew.

Read the rest of the story here.

I can understand the concern of the parents of kids with allergies, but banning the mention of the word because it's racist?  Good grief.  What next?