Wednesday, November 04, 2009

In Case You Missed it

Gallup says: "40 percent of Americans describe themselves as politically conservative, 36 percent moderate and 20 percent liberal."

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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 5:22 AM

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Now That This Important Business Has Been Dispensed With, Perhaps Our Commander-in-Chief Could Notice Afghanistan

Thanks to a bill signed into law by President Obama today, it's illegal to murder a gay person now.

What, you say? It was illegal yesterday?

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Labels: Crime, Culture, Defense, Liberals, White House

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 10:04 PM

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Another on Rush

Another on Rush, from a Steelers fan:

Dear Amy Ridenour,

I am glad people are talking about boycotting the NFL. I have already emailed them to let them know of my intent. I almost ditched the Steelers last Super Bowl when Mr. Rooney thanked President Obama. As a huge Steelers fan myself, this was the last straw for me and the entire NFL.

Thanks.

Joseph McCoy
Oil City, PA

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Labels: Business, Culture, Liberals, Limbaugh, Race, Radio

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 2:09 PM

Another Thought About Rush

Another observation about Rush and the NFL:

Unlike the opposition, Rush Limbaugh handled this situation with class. But let this be a warning! This is a good snapshot of what is happening to OUR country. How dare the left stand on their soap box and play the race card. So far their objectives and goals about Rush Limbaugh are the only transparent objectives and goals of this administration.

Best regards,

Jeanne

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Labels: Business, Culture, Liberals, Limbaugh, Quotes

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 8:03 AM

More on Rush Limbaugh and the NFL

On Rush Limbaugh and the NFL, more from the mailbag:

When our youngest (of 3) child became a serious soccer player, he introduced us to the world of international "football" or soccer. Now twenty years old, he has announced that he will never buy an NFL ticket or another NFL jersey, and he doesn't even listen to talk radio. If you were to check out his Facebook page, you would see an appeal to free Plaxico. He is well informed about the NFL and its players and the rather uneven penalties meted out to the players depending on where they may be found "guilty", and he may still watch a Panthers game or two, but he will save his money for English Premier League, European Soccer or World Cup.

And this is where the NFL is (pardon the expression) idiotic. The world of sports viewership is now global. And as William has pointed out this week to us, you don't hear the EPL players making political statements or any of the European or African players we follow. The governing bodies of international soccer may be territorial, but they are most definitely not commenting on the politics of team owners. A Russian thug can buy an English team, but that won't affect whether we root for Chelsea FC or not (we are, in fact, Arsenal FC, another London club, fans; and they are affectionately know as the "gooners", nothing politically correct about that, despite the rampant political correctness in the UK).

So, good luck NFL, I have been introduced to the excitement of the EPL and I will now allow that to monopolize my weekend viewing. An American actually owns a piece of Arsenal, but that doesn't affect my affections one iota. I will delight in the skills of players from Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, France, England, Bosnia, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Mexico, and any other country that produces Arsenal talent. And, guess what, these players even understand economics (unlike some loud mouths from the NFL who have no problem alienating me and my pocketbook) and have commented on how the increase of UK income taxes from 40% to 50% this year will affect where they choose to play and the contracts they negotiate. Witness the top player in the world leaving Manchester for a Spanish team this year.

We now live in a GLOBAL economy. The NFL has just revealed how provincial it really is. So weekdays if I'm in my car, I'll listen to Rush; and weekends I'll be tuned in to the soccer channels. I grew up on Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts. I'll relish my football memories as I savor political debate. Life is too short to waste time on Keith O's pregame show or whining football players. RIP, NFL. Your competition is global and your days are numbered. That's what they put the nets up for, regardless of the sport.

Mary Bejan
Durham, NC 27707

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Labels: Business, Culture, Liberals, Limbaugh, Radio

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:56 AM

Friday, October 16, 2009

Quote of Note: Did Rush Really Lose?

"...most of the same people who want Limbaugh ostracized are the same ones who think it is OK for Roman Polanski to drug and rape a 13 year old. These are also the same people, the white ones, who do not want Michael Vice to ever play again, or at least to make his life a living hell as long as he does play.

In the end, and to their shame, the group of potential owners caved in and removed Rush Limbaugh from the investor group saying that it was not worth it to keep Rush involved if it risked their not getting the franchise.

In the past 2 days ESPN and other media outlets have been announcing that Rush Limbaugh has been punted, and there is I am sure great rejoicing in this in many quarters, particularly in the black community and on the left. They see this as some great victory. This is very sad. Why? Because I ask the simple question, who really won and who really lost? Did Rush really lose? Did black players or even more so black Americans win?

Rush is still the most popular radio personality in America. He will still earn over $25 million a year, and he will still want Barack Obama to fail. Nothing has changed.

At the same time, will one black child do better in school? Will one less gang killing take place in Chicago, Philly LA. Will the Rams play any better? The answer is of course no. No new jobs have been created and Iran, North Korea are still feverishly building nuclear weapons.

This is a sad state for our nation. Black America in the grip of the Liberal establishment is more addicted to mediocrity than they are to 'Crack Cocaine.' They are the willing pawns in the Liberal game. This is a sad state. In the end everyone that needs to win loses."

-Eddie Huff, "NFL vs. Rush Limbaugh - Who's The Real Loser," New Black Thought, October 14, 2009

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Labels: Business, Culture, Liberals, Limbaugh, Project 21, Quotes, Race, Radio

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 11:56 PM

Cancelling the NFL Sunday Ticket

My favorite letter of the day, and not just because it is from a Pittsburgher:

Amy,

I completely agree with your suggestion to boycott the NFL. I too am originally from Pittsburgh and know exactly what you mean when you say that you care strongly about the sport. In fact, I almost feel like someone has died now that I canceled the NFL Sunday Ticket. I can't however continue to financially support an organization that would single out a private citizen for punishment simply because they don't agree with their political views. Is NBC aware of the hateful vomit that is spewed daily from Keith Olbermann?

In addition, I wonder what sacred "standards" the Commissioner was referring to in his press conference the other day. Are they the same standards that turn a blind eye to sadistic dog killers, wife beaters, suspected murders, and other unsavory thugs? Apparently the Commissioner is fine with filling the NFL ranks with the likes of Michael Vick, Dante Stallworth, Pacman Jones, and Ray Lewis - but conservative talk radio hosts need not apply. I am a proud conservative that is appalled at what is happening to this country. Too bad the NFL doesn't like my political views. I guess they don't like spending my money either. They will never get another penny of it.

It is a sad day for America,

Leah
Pembroke Pines, FL

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Labels: Business, Culture, Liberals, Radio

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 6:26 AM

Friday, September 25, 2009

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

On Rt. 50 this morning, I saw a black VW plastered with left-of-center bumper stickers. These made clear the driver's support for an expansion of the nanny state and for laws designed to protect us from ourselves.

Imagine my surprise to see the driver reading a document and pulling a cigarette out of a package all while attempting to drive down this heavily-trafficked major highway.

Guess she isn't familiar with the slogan, "Think globally, act locally."

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Labels: Culture, Liberals

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 2:24 PM

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Rebutting False Racism Claims - Upcoming Deneen Borelli TV Appearances

Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli will be a guest on Fox's "Your World with Neil Cavuto" today at approximately 4:10 PM Eastern to discuss claims by former President Jimmy Carter and others that critics of the Obama Administration are motivated by racism. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's comments today comparing current political rhetoric to that preceding the murders of two San Francisco elected officials in 1978 are also likely to be discussed.

The Fox News Channel has also booked Deneen for an appearance Sunday, September 20 at 11:05 AM Eastern.

Deneen also has been scheduled to appear as a part of the Great American panel on the September 24 Hannity Show on the Fox News Channel, and, as noted yesterday in this blog, will be a guest on Fox and Friends on Friday, September 18 at approximately 6:20 AM Eastern.

Deneen also continues to be interviewed by a variety of print and radio news organizations, so if you are a fan, keep an eye & ear out for her as she continues to rebut the offensive nonsense being spewed by the intolerant left (for example, this).

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Labels: Conservatives, Culture, Liberals, Project 21, Race, White House

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 2:03 PM

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Racial Politics and Pop Culture

Leftist reactions to the Tea Parties, Joe Wilson's 'liar' comment, and the recent expose of ACORN illustrate and verify that old sardonic joke often bandied about in conservative circles: "What is the definition of a racist? Anyone winning an argument against a liberal."

From Maureen Dowd's recent tirade in the New York Times chalking Wilson's outburst up to racism, to the charges of bigotry emanating from the ignorant lips of Bill Maher and Janeane Garofalo about Obama's dissenters, the humorous aphorism is proving evermore true. Mainstream talking heads on cable networks have not shied away from engaging in such vitriolic accusations either, fallaciously asserting that Obama's opponents do not oppose his policies, rather, they oppose and fear him because he is black, as Joe Klein elucidated recently on "The Chris Matthews Show."

All humor has an element of truth; sadly, this old joke has become indubitable fact. The reflexive reversion to the race card, as disgusting and transparent as it is, does show, however, that those in opposition to the administration's mass power grab and irreparably-flawed worldview are winning.

But while on this touchy subject of race, perhaps we ought to delve into a recent pop culture snafu which, though outside the purview of current policy debates, provides an interesting commentary on the societal double standard of contemporary racial finger pointing. Infamously at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night, Kanye West, black rapper and outspoken Obama supporter, rushed the stage as the award for Best Female Video was awarded to the young, soft spoken country singer Taylor Swift. Snatching the microphone from her small white hands, West proceeded to protest that it was Beyonce who deserved to win (leaving the subject of his rant shocked and tastefully outraged). West has been known in the past for his racially-charged criticisms of the Bush Administration and his frank words about his fundamental identity as a black man in America... Would he have done the same if Swift were black?

Had the tables been turned and say, Toby Keith had rushed the stage and wrestled a microphone from Beyonce's hands to protest for Taylor Swift, the charges of racism would be fast and loose from all corners of society. Little to no racial connection has been made to Kanye West's outrageous actions. Charges of racism, it seems, go one way (often erroneously and with unfortunate results, a la the Gates 'profiling' affair, the Duke lacrosse injustice, and the current subversion of honest consideration of Obama's policy agenda).

To be sure, there are individuals across the ideological spectrum who see the world through racially-tinged glass. It is, however, the liberal wing of American politics which wields the charge of racism as a convenient tool to avoid debate and achieve desired political ends. As we have seen, time and again, and as Project 21 consistently reveals with alacrity, charges of racism are often an exercise in leftist hypocrisy. Best to move forward and attempt to relegate such ugly sentiments to the proverbial dustbin of history.

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Labels: Culture, Project 21, Race, White House

Posted by Caroline May at 12:01 AM

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Reality Check

"Brevity is the soul of wit." It is also a purveyor of wisdom.

The original U.S. Constitution was 6 pages long, contained 4,400 words, and set the foundation for the freest, most prosperous nation in the world. Last week, Barack Obama spoke of his plans for a health care bill expected to exceed 1,000 pages.

Further compounding this departure from the beautiful simplicity of America's founding is the present day propensity to complicate legislative language. The Founders were careful to produce a document that all Americans could easily understand. The hotly debated health care legislation is too complicated apparently for even legislators to understand. As that staggering intellect, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), said, "I love these members, they get up and say, 'Read the bill,' What good is reading the bill if it's a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?"

My, how far we have come... but not for the better, I fear.

I comment on this abandonment of the ways of the past as it emphasizes a concern held by many: that this loss of legislative simplicity implies a complimentary loss of freedom. The eight year anniversary of the September 11 attacks is also a time to celebrate the liberty we, as Americans, have protected and maintained these many years. Though liberal activists have worked to marginalize the patriotic fervor of this most tragic anniversary, the majority of Americans not only remember those who were murdered, they also consider with reverence the strength and sustainability of America and her freedoms (so hated by our terrorist attackers). As we reflect on our liberty as Americans we should also remember the lurking legislative threats to our sacred freedoms, as signified by this rejection of simplicity.

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Labels: Congress, Constitutional Law, Culture, Defense, Government Health Care, Health Care, White House

Posted by Caroline May at 11:15 PM

Thursday, August 20, 2009

What's Happening Now

The British government health care waiting list problem has been solved.

"Racial overtones," says MSNBC, capping its entry into the Stupidest News Clip of the Decade Contest.

British tax dollars at work: National Health Service gives Viagra to man with 30-year history of child sex crimes.

Sweden's largest newspaper claims Israel is kidnapping Palestinians and harvesting their organs. On MSNBC next?

White House deal with PhRMA undermines democracy.

Another polar expedition trapped in ice. Bonus picture of Al Gore's houseboat. Or go here.

Obama has lowest Gallup approval rating at this stage since Truman, except for one President. Find out which.

Ukraine's Got Talent.

Thomas Sowell on death guidance.

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Labels: Culture, Europe, Foreign Policy, Government Health Care, Health Care, Media, Project 21, Race, Retirement, Scandals, White House

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 8:46 AM

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Washington Post: Obama Has a "Ready Command of Facts"

In "Polling Helps Obama Frame Message in Health-Care Debate" in Friday's Washington Post, reporter Michael D. Shear writes, "Obama is known for his soaring speeches and his ready command of facts..."

Ready command of facts?

Is he talking about the same President who admitted he was unfamiliar with a critical provision in his own trillion+ dollar health care plan?

Who thinks one of the functions of a living will is to stop extraordinary measures if "brain waves are no longer functioning"?

Who believes carbon dioxide emissions "contaminate the water we drink"?

Who says 14,000 people "every single day" will lose their health insurance unless we follow his advice on health care policy?

Who believes pediatricians remove tonsils?

Who says the health care plan he is backing will "keep government out of health care decisions"?

Who was under the impression that Austrians speak "Austrian"?

Who says with a straight face that his health care plan "will be paid for"?

Who keeps saying the U.S. is importing more oil today than ever before?

Who thought Emperor Hirohito personally surrendered to General MacArthur?

Who says the $1 trillion price tag on his health care bill is less than what we have spent on the war in Iraq?

Who repeatedly asserts that if his health care plan passes, "if you like your health plan, you can keep it, the only thing that will change is that you'll pay less."

The article in which this appeared, by the way, is about how the White House staff uses polls to determine what to put in the President's teleprompter. As one "top advisor" (evidently, his name is top secret), told the Post: "I mean, I'm looking at polling, like, all the time."

Right, dude.

Cross-posted at Newsbusters.

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Labels: Climate, Culture, Energy, Government Health Care, Health Care, History, Media, White House

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 4:22 PM

Thursday, July 23, 2009

What's Happening Now

A secret meeting. Others are not-so-secret anymore.

Opposed to government-run health care? Join the bus tour.

We need a special prosecutor.

Surprise! A letter to the Senate (pdf) on Sotomayor.

The House Democrats' health care bill and illegal aliens.

Bill Cosby is shocked at Barack Obama.

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Labels: Business, Congress, Constitutional Law, Corruption, Courts, Crime, Culture, Government Health Care, Health Care, Immigration, Race, Scandals

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 4:32 PM

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Video of Project 21's Mychal Massie on the O'Reilly Factor

Here's a video of Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie (right), guest host Laura Ingraham and Mark Sawyer, Ph.D. of UCLA on Friday's Fox News O'Reilly Factor.

They discussed President Obama's speech at the NAACP convention (including the President's curiously changed accent) and Senator Barbara Boxer's patronizing comments this week to a witness from the Black Chamber of Commerce at a recent hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Mychal also mentioned the National Center for Public Policy Research's recent poll of African-Americans on cap and trade.

Hat tip to AmericasNewsToday1 for posting the video on YouTube.

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Labels: Climate, Congress, Culture, Environmental Justice, Media, Project 21, Race, White House

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 1:00 AM

Sunday, July 12, 2009

A "Right" to an Enjoyable What?????

Britain's government-run health care system, known as the NHS, just spent six million pounds (almost ten million U.S. dollars) on an initiative to reduce teen pregnancies, with the result that young women who participated were more than twice as likely to get pregnant.

The NHS is also telling young people they have, as the Daily Mail put it, "a 'right' to an enjoyable sex life."

Maybe it's just me, but I think there may be a connection.

It's a good thing Britain doesn't have a written constitution, because it would have been really tough for them to get that "right to a good sex life" thing worded properly.

One wonders what Prince Albert would have thought.

What would it have been like had James Madison gotten that "right" into the Bill of Rights? Why, instead of resigning from public office after being caught employing members of the oldest profession, a certain long-time New York state attorney general likely would have been prosecuting Wall Street firms for not employing these professionals for the benefit of their employees.

There's more in the Daily Mail story that I'm not publishing here. Too racy for this blog. Click the link if you are interested and at least old enough for R-rated movies.

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Labels: Culture, Government Health Care

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 4:15 PM

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Something Odd to Be Grateful For

Next time you are having a bad day, you can console yourself that at least you're not naked in public with a clothes dryer on your head.

(Assuming you're not.)

Dave Chapman of New Zealand learned to appreciate this the hard way.

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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 8:00 AM

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Because Nothing Says "Slavery"...

Like "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."

There's a movement to take the word "plantations" out of Rhode Island's name because slavery once occurred in Rhode Island's agricultural areas.

Yes, I'm serious.

Four reasons why this is idiotic:

1) Slavery once occurred all over Rhode Island, yet they're not thinking of changing the entire name;

2) Slavery was associated with agriculture, but no one suggests Rhode Islanders stop eating in penance (only a meaningless thing -- a name change -- is proposed);

3) Newport (Rhode Island) was a major slave port, yet no one considers the name "Newport" synonymous with slavery, or suggests changing its name; and

4) Slavery was practiced all over New England and didn't start in Rhode Island. (If the Massachusetts Bay Colony had taken a strong stand against it, American history would have unfolded very differently.)

Even discussing this perpetuates the absurd notion that slavery existed only on plantations. Plantations, of course, are largely associated with the American South.

It is understandable that New Englanders would be comfortable perpetuating the myth -- as this does -- that the South is the exclusive location in North America in which slavery was commonplace and legal, but if a geographical region can be blamed for a moral failing, on the question of slavery, New England has much to answer for.

If the people of Rhode Island want to change their name because they probably are all forced to learn the long version in elementary school, never to usefully use the information again, I certainly can understand their thinking. But to do it as a moral stand is idiocy.

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Labels: Culture, Race

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 7:53 AM

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Outrage of the Day: To the Media, Some Murders Matter More Than Others

At the time of this writing, there are nearly 7,000 references to "George Tiller" in Google News.

There are under 500 for "William Long."

George Tiller, of course, was the Kansas abortion doctor murdered Sunday morning by a man who allegedly had political and religious motives.

William Long was the 23-year-old military recruiter murdered Monday morning by a man who allegedly had political and religious motives.

Are there 14 times more stories about George Tiller in Google News right now because Tiller's murder occurred approximately 24 hours before Long's?

Will there be approximately 7,000 references to William Long in Google News 24 hours from now?

I'm not holding my breath.

Postscript dated 6/2/09, 11:37 PM Eastern: As I add this postscript, it's approximately 24 hours after I posted the post above, and thus now time to see how many references to "William Long" will appear on Google News. If the number of news articles referencing William Long approximates 7,000, I will have been unfair. Checking now... the answer is... there are 949 references to "William Long" on Google News. A search for "George Tiller" now finds 8,561.

Cross-posted on Newsbusters, which has a wealth of additional coverage of perceived media bias in the coverage of the George Tiller murder.

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Labels: Culture, Media, Terrorism

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:42 AM

Friday, May 22, 2009

Outrage of the Day: Gay Pride in the Green Zone

In Al Kamen's May 22 Washington Post column, he reports the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will be holding it's first-ever "Gay Pride Theme Party" at a Green Zone pub called Baghdaddy's on May 29.

Embassy staff, invited through what Kamen said was an "All Hands Alerts" e-mail, are encouraged to dress in drag and/or as their favorite gay icon. Suggestions on the poster include Cher, Elton John and the recently-deceased Bea Arthur.

It's not the event itself that is outrageous, but where it is being allowed. Baghdad.

Having a high-profile homosexual event in the capital of an Islamic country calls the diplomatic tact of the Obama Administration - already marred by inappropriate gifts to heads of state and embarrassing mistakes in translation - into question yet again.

This is suprising on one hand because Islamic law and homosexuality are at odds with one another. It's surprising on the other hand because the other things that offend Muslims are the subject of harsh restrictions and punishments. For example:

* For soldiers fighting the war on terrorism, General Order No. 1 from Central Command prohibits "proselytizing of any faith, religion or practice." When Al Jazeera ran footage from a documentary showing some soldiers in Afghanistan wanting to give out copies of the New Testament printed in the Dari and Pashto languages, officials said the Bibles shown in the footage were collected by military chaplins and later destroyed - allegedly burned - to prevent their distribution.

* People wishing to send things to American servicemembers stationed in the Islamic world are warned that "Host countries mostly prohibit the entry of alcoholic beverages of any kind, narcotics, munitions, pork and pork by-products, pornography and material contrary to the Islamic religion."

* A Marine was pulled from duty in 2008 when he was found to be handing out Christian-themed coins to civilians in Iraq.

* Women reporters in the Middle East have always faced restrictions because of their gender (remember when Ashleigh Banfield cut her hair and dyed it brunette to report from Afghanistan?). The Obama Administration is no different in handling this issue. For his recent tour of Europe and the Middle East, women reporters covering Obama were told to not wear nail polish, to wear closed-toe shoes and not bare their shoulders, among other things.

But a gay pride party is OK? Expect this to provide yet another lesson for the Obama team about putting the prerogatives of their special-interest supporters above traditional business practices.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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Labels: Culture, Defense, White House

Posted by David W. Almasi at 4:35 PM

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I Say Yes

If a former Playboy centerfold decides that she cannot, "in good conscious" [sic] associate with you, is it a compliment?

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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 11:57 PM

Friday, May 08, 2009

Outrage of the Day: Erasing England's Religion and Culture

Between 1291 and 1294, twelve "Eleanor Crosses" were erected by the government of England to mark the spot where the funeral cortege of the queen of England, ueen Eleanor of Castile, stopped for each night of its 12-day trip from Lincoln, where she died, to Westminster Abbey, where she was buried.

In 1856, Queen Victoria created the Victoria Cross as Britain's highest recognition for valor in the face of the enemy.

In 1940, King George VI established the George Cross as an award, primarily for civilians, for 'acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger."

In 1969, Queen Elizabeth II created the Trinity Cross to recognize distinguished service in one of Britain's former colonies.

But now, in Britain, the London Times reports that five British law lords have determined that the creation of the Trinity Cross honor, because of its Christian reference, breaches "the right to equality and the right to freedom of conscience and belief."

The British government now is looking into whether this judgement will apply to other British decorations and honors, potentially overthrowing at least 718 years of English religion, tradition and culture.

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Labels: Culture, History

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 6:39 AM

Useless Knowledge

Evidently, on or about 10:22 AM GMT on June 10, 2009, the language of English will acquire its one millionth word.

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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:41 AM

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Outrage of the Day: No Tolerance for the Truth

Sometimes it seems there's no tolerance at all these days.

Even for telling the truth.

Witness the treatment of Carrie Prejean, aka "Miss California," who was (apparently) not only denied the Miss USA title for holding the same beliefs about marriage as has virtually every society on Earth for thousands of years, but, according to one of the Miss USA pageant judges, because she didn't lie.

Check out this Los Angeles Times blog post by Richard Abowitz:

If you had any doubt that Miss California, Carrie Prejean, lost the crown, if indeed she ever had a chance to win it, with her answer to Perez Hilton's question about states legalizing gay marriage, then read fellow judge Alicia Jacobs' account of her voting. After hearing the answer, Jacobs, a former Miss Nevada USA, writes on her blog, "if I could have made her 51st runner-up, I would have." In a blog item titled "Pretty is as pretty does," Jacobs offers a behind-the-scenes account of the judges and pageant officials involved. Included is Jacobs' account of her reaction as she heard the answer:

"As she continued to speak, I saw the crown move further & further away from her. When she finished, she looked strangely proud for a moment. Personally, I was STUNNED on several levels. First, how could this young woman NOT know her audience and judges? Let's not forget that the person asking the question is an openly gay man, at least 2 people on the judges panel are openly gay. Another judge has a sister in a gay marriage..."

According to this account, Miss USA pageant judge Alicia Jacobs was stunned because Carrie Prejean didn't lie.

So there you have it. Carrie Prejean was expected to know the political views of the judges, and lie if her own views did not conform with theirs.

Can it possibly be an honor to win the Miss USA pageant if lying to the judges is a precondition for victory?

A precondition so openly acknowledged, one of the judges is quoted in the Los Angeles Times expressing shock that a contestant didn't lie?

With all due respect to the winner of this little contest from Hades, I'd say it's no honor at all.

(By the way, the judge who reportedly is shocked Carrie Prejean didn't lie is a news reporter. Given the mendacious state of the news reporting industry, who's surprised?)

Next year, in addition to the main award and the Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic awards, the Miss USA pageant should have a "Best Liar" category.

Plus, there should be a new award, to be bestowed upon the most narcissistic of the judges: Most Self-Absorbed.

Addendum 1: A commentary on this by writer Roland S. Martin is pretty good. It begins, "A lot of folks are always saying they like to keep it real, that they want authenticity and straight talk. Yet when someone actually does it, there is hell to pay." Read it here.

Addendum 2: Speaking of a lack of tolerance, if the details in this story are true, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler certainly doesn't have any.

Addendum 3: Before anyone writes to say I've missed the core problem, which is not the promotion of dishonesty but increasingly totalitarian attitudes toward dissent from the PC line on gay marriage, I haven't. In fact, I recommend this document by the Free Market Foundation for anyone who is unaware that some are working to make dissent from the PC line on this issue against the law.

---

E-mail any comments to info@nationalcenter.org.
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Labels: Culture, Media, Outrage

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 7:35 AM

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Project 21's Horace Cooper on C-Span Friday to Discuss Race Issues in Obama's America - Watch or Listen Live

By David Almasi:

Project 21 member and National Center board member Horace Cooper has been scheduled to discuss how the dynamic of race relations is changed by Barack Obama’s election to the presidency on C-Span's "Washington Journal" program Friday morning.

You can see Horace live at 8:00 am eastern on C-Span (please check your local cable listings for station). You can also watch or listen to it live from your computer by clicking here and selecting the format appropriate for your computer on the right-hand side of the page (choose the format to the right of the blue C-Span logo to watch or the black C-Span Radio logo to listen only).

C-Span Radio is broadcast in the Washington/Baltimore area at 90.1 FM and available nationwide on XM Channel 132.

Later in the day, the show can be seen on the “Washington Journal” web page.

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Labels: Conservatives, Culture, Project 21, Race

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 11:25 PM

Friday, August 29, 2008

A Funny Quote

David Ridenour shares his appreciation of a recent Mark Steyn column:

This comes from Mark Steyn in the latest edition of Hillsdale's Imprimis. Steyn describes how, in order to ensure that Muslims aren't offended, local British councils are banning workers from displaying Pooh's Piglet on their desks, British banks have stopped giving away piggy banks, and all sorts of other absurdities.

Here's Steyn's funny quote...

As Pastor Martin Niemoller might have said, 'First they came for Piglet and I did not speak out because I was not a Disney character, and if I was, I'd be more of an Eeyore. Then they came for the Three Little Piges and Babe, and by the time I realized the Western world had turned into a 24/7 Looney Tunes, it was too late, because there was no Porky Pig to stammer, 'Th-th-th-that's all folks!', and bring the nightmare to an end.

Okay... Maybe Pastor Niemoller won't have put it exactly that way.

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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 11:32 PM

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Irena Sendler v. Al Gore

Irena Sendler v. Al Gore.

How would you have voted?
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Labels: Climate, Culture, Environment, Government Power, History, Human Rights, Political Correctness

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 11:19 PM

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Where is the Feminist Outrage?

Deneen Borelli wants to know: Where is the feminist outrage over jailing of British woman in Sudan?

Says Deneen:

"I'm amazed by the silence of the so-called women's rights groups like NOW. This is an example of their selective feminist outrage. When it fits their liberal agenda and bias, they are extremely vocal. When it doesn't, their silence is deafening."

My personal theory is the feminist leaders don't identify much with elementary school teachers. Teaching young children is a female-dominated profession, and feminist leaders tend not to think highly of those professions.

They are a little bit sexist that way.
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Labels: Culture, Foreign Policy, Liberals, Project 21, Social Issues

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 1:15 AM

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Black Activists Criticize Local NAACP, School Officials for Censoring Ohio School Play

Project 21 members believe the NAACP's criticism of Lakota East High School for producing the play "Ten Little Indians" is more than a little misguided:

Black Activists Criticize Local NAACP, School Officials for Censoring Ohio School Play

The Lakota East High School dramatic production of the Agatha Christie novel Ten Little Indians -- initially cancelled by school administrators after it was called racially insensitive by a local NAACP leader -- is back on, but with changes that imply the play will be compromised by political correctness.

Members of the Project 21 black leadership network call the actions of Butler County NAACP president Gary Hines inappropriate and detrimental to race relations. They say it presents the appearance of a shakedown of the southwestern Ohio school system. They are also critical of school officials for buckling under pressure from Hines.

"In this era of unprecedented equality, and particularly when it affects impressionable and innocent young people, Gary Hines is stirring the pot of racial animosity with a pretty big spoon," said Project 21 fellow Deneen Borelli. "It appears he whipped up a controversy that may generate business for him. Some people would call that a shakedown."

East Lakota students worked for months to produce the play "Ten Little Indians," which the Educational Theatre Association says is one of the top 25 plays produced by high schools nationwide. Based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, it is a murder mystery about a killer stalking a group of strangers trapped on an island. The killer knocks over Indian figurines after a murder is committed.

When it was first published in England in 1939, the title used the "n-word" instead of Indian, and the original English book cover had black figures on it. The American version, first published in 1940, as always used the term “Indian.” The stage version is sometimes titled "And Then There Were None."

Hines -- the owner of the GPH Consultants diversity training company and a reported long-time critic of the Lakota Local Schools system -- implied he was going to lead a protest of the play, which was supposed to be performed this weekend. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer the play is about "genocide" and that "kids don't have enough information about diversity." Referring to the original name and artwork of the novel published overseas over 70 years ago, he told the Cincinnati Post, "We can't run away from that." He said, however, he would not oppose the play being done by a community or professional theater group.

Lakota Board of Education president Joan Powell, referring to Hines' past criticism of the school system, told the Enquirer she believed Hines' financial goals may influence his actions.

Superintendent Mike Taylor today said the play will be performed next month, but with changes. It will be performed under its alternative title, contain unspecified additional material and will feature what the Associated Press describes as "conversations and other activities" that Taylor said will "honor diversity in the community."

Also unspecified is any participation by Hines -- paid or unpaid -- in the school's new diversity-related programming.

"To claim that harm will be caused by students re-creating a 1939 Agatha Christie novel, via a theatre production, is the height of political correctness run amuck," said Project 21 member Joe Hicks. "The trajectory of this nation's racial and ethnic relations has produced a radically altered ethnic and racial landscape. Today, America is the most tolerant industrial society in the world. The assumption that some imaginary hoops have to be jumped through to avoid hurting the feelings of some ultra-sensitive individuals with defined political agendas is simply incorrect."

Project 21 chairman Mychal Massie added: "This ridiculous capitulation further compromises what was already a grotesque abrogation of the students’ creative environment. The Lakota Local Schools is attempting to straddle the fence of racial intimidation. Those innocent school children have the right to their creative enterprise without being subjected to race mongers who are intent on inculcating their condemnable agendas. Instead of coming down on the side of common sense, the school district signaled their willingness to support this person's malevolence."

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Labels: Culture, Education, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 10:54 PM

Saturday, October 20, 2007

BET Rewards the Jena Six

Unbelievable.

The one positive note is that some of BET's viewers apparently are outraged.

Hat tip: Bizzy Blog and Green Mountain Politics.
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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 9:29 PM

Saturday, October 06, 2007

I Saw Your Nanny

An entire blog exists for people to report bad nannies.

Happily, some of the stories there are about good nannies, but if you employ a nanny, you might want to read this blog once in a while.
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Labels: Culture

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:20 AM

Saturday, September 29, 2007

What's Wrong With the Term "Trekkie," Anyway?

National Review Online is running a delightful Star Trek feature this weeked. No conservative Star Trek fan should miss it.

But I do wonder how James Lileks can not know the correct title of the ST:TOS episode guest-starring Joan Collins is "The City on the Edge of Forever."
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Labels: Culture, Media

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 3:02 AM

Friday, September 28, 2007

Inviting Government into the Living Room

David Leonhardt, a male New York Times economics columnist, sees men on the sofa while women are working, and concludes the answer is universal preschool and federally-mandated paid leave for new parents.

Leave it to the New York Times to try to federalize the problem of lazy spouses.

Is there anything the Times won't try to federalize?
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Labels: Culture, Liberals, Media

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 3:30 AM

Friday, September 07, 2007

Being PC More Important Than Welfare of Children

This pathetic story shows what happens when people -- in this case, local government employees in Britain -- place a higher priority on being politically correct than being morally right.

I hope the people who put their fear of being thought politically-incorrect over the welfare of children are, at the very least, fired, though in a big-government strong-public union country like modern Britain, I suppose it is unlikely. Governments everywhere take care of themselves first, and never more so than when public employees are permitted to unionize.
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Labels: Culture, Labor Unions, Political Correctness

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:27 AM

Friday, August 24, 2007

For Michael Vick and Hip-Hop Culture, No Sympathy from Kevin Martin

Michael Vick and hip-hop culture are the focus of these thoughts by Project 21's Kevin Martin:

Hip-Hop Hype Hurts, Just Ask Michael Vick

Hip-hop culture has claimed a high-profile victim: Michael Vick.

I refuse to have an ounce of sympathy for Michael Vick, who is reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors for his role in arranging dog fights on his Virginia property and allegedly killing several of the dogs himself when they did not live up to expectations.

It is mind-boggling to imagine what was going through Vick's mind when he first decided engage in dogfighting. This admired black NFL quarterback was pretty much set for life with the Atlanta Falcons - making millions of dollars a year on the field and off with his many retail endorsements.

Vick apparently could not break with the hip-hop lifestyle he embraced, and now he will more than likely end up in financial ruin, suspended or even banned from the NFL for life and going to jail because of what may have been his insane need to have street cred among hip-hoppers.

Dogfighting is a major component of hip-hop culture. It can be seen in videos and lyrics of hip-hop giants such as Jay-Z and DMX. According to an article recently posted on MTV's web site, "hip-hop is one of the only outlets in American where you'll find references to [dogfighting]."

I see many young black men dragged through the streets of Washington
DC by their angry-looking pit bulls. I suspect those dogs, from the looks of them, are the victims of repeated beatings and maybe even fed gunpowder to make them even more vicious. I expect they are being conditioned to fight.

These animals become so dangerous that, when they are abandoned for being either too old or no longer wanted, local animal control officials often euthanize them quickly because they are unable to control them.

There are those who will defend Vick or demonize his prosecutors for his already-admitted indiscretions. NBA star Stephon Marbury called dogfighting a sport and compared it to deer hunting - an activity that is highly-regulated by the government and not a vehicle for organized gambling. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference - the group founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - came dangerously close to turning its 50th anniversary celebration into a pro-Vick rally. Even the NAACP got dragged into it when Atlanta chapter president R.L. White said the NFL should show Vick mercy no matter what Vick's plea and punishment are.

I expect charges of racism will soon follow.

How many more Michael Vicks, Mike Tysons and Adam "Pacman" Joneses will it take before the black community wakes up and demands these athletes and others who embrace the hip-hop culture take personal accountability for their own actions? Vick and the others are suffering because of their own actions. Racism has nothing to do with it at all.

League commissioners, owners and fans, to their credit, seem no longer to be willing to play along with these bad-boy attitudes. People are not going to pay good money to see R-rated sporting events. The NBA found this out the hard way several years ago when people started calling it "thugball" and fan attendance started dropping off after players began physically assaulting fans and coaches.

In the end, I expect Vick will have learned a very valuable lesson - that his boys were not going to take the fall for him as they all turned state's evidence against him, forcing him to cut a deal. I guess the no-snitch rule among hip-hoppers went out the window. There truly is no honor among thieves.

It is here that we see the downside of the hip-hop culture. The ruined lives. Incarceration. It's not glamorous.

Vick's future now seems to include a fitting for a pumpkin-colored suit, soap on a rope and learning to sleep on his back. The only football he will be throwing around will likely be in the prison yard because, at the end of the day, he was just plain stuck on stupid and lost it all because he craved an image.

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Labels: Culture, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 5:04 PM

Friday, August 17, 2007

A Message for the Lady Who is Suing Don Imus

Project 21's Dutch Martin has a few words for the young lady who is suing Don Imus:

As a race, blacks endured hundreds of years of slavery and then legalized segregation, brutal racism and other forms of discrimination well into the 20th century. We emerged from this hardship a stronger and better people. Now, after all that we've been through, a few unkind words from one largely irrelevant white man is causing so many of us to fall to pieces and this one person in particular to be so devastated that she has to sue for damages? This is the kind of knee-jerk victim mentality that makes us, now more than four decades past the civil rights era, look pathetic.

This shows that too many people are still fixated on race, and I'm looking beyond Don Imus. If Ms. Vaughn and other aggrieved black women really wanted to strike a blow against the use of words like 'ho,' 'bitch' and 'trick,' they would be suing Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and other thug rappers and the record companies that have been proliferating and profiting off this kind of language for years. Don Imus was merely doing a poor job of parroting their words.

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Labels: Culture, Media, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 1:58 AM

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

There's a Difference Between Racism and Ignorance, Says Project 21 Chairman

A white person wary of black teens in baggy jeans is not necessarily a racist, says Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie in an article about continuing racism faced by blacks, especially black males, in New York state's Journal News by Dwight R. Worley (excerpted):

Bevolyn Williams-Harold watched her son sing and dance as he took part in a radio station promotion at The Westchester shopping mall in White Plains. She chatted briefly with the other mothers as their children played musical chairs and other games.

As the event continued, two black teenage boys dressed in baggy jeans walked through the food court laughing loudly. "The parents who were chattering just stopped talking and stared at these two young men," Williams-Harold said of that moment in October. "You kind of felt the tension."

The same white women who talked with her, seemingly oblivious to her dark skin, froze at the mere sight of the black boys.

She thought of her 7-year-old son, Jourdan, a first-grader at George Washington Elementary in White Plains, and wondered how long it would be before they cringed at the sight of him. She also considers the avalanche of obstacles he would face throughout his life as such negative perceptions provoked unfounded fears.

"Black men have a hard time in this country. It's a difficult road to walk," said Williams-Harold, a 40-year-old freelance writer who lives in White Plains. "I want people to understand how difficult it is to raise a black child and the added difficulty with a black male child."

Williams-Harold embodies an attitude common among many black men and women. While the notion of overt racism and discrimination seems outdated given advances in civil rights and changes in social attitudes, many blacks say there is still evidence of racism in their everyday lives...

...But the progressive attitudes most people believe they have seem to disappear when it comes to close encounters with black men, said Ernest Prince of Katonah.

Prince said he is often followed around stores by security staff and clerks when he shops, whether he's wearing sweats or a three-piece suit.

Such tales are a frequent complaint of young black men, whom merchants say often come into stores in groups and look suspicious. But Prince is 64 and president of the Urban League of Westchester County.

"They just automatically assumed black man - criminal," Prince said. "They don't see me, they just see black."

But that rush to judgment can cut both ways, and often does when blacks demonize whites, said Mychal Massie, the outspoken chairman of Project 21, a black conservative think tank in Washington.

Massie cited the controversy surrounding the rape case at Duke University, in which a group of white athletes were accused of raping a black exotic dancer. Serious doubts about the truthfulness of the woman's account have since been raised, but not before the men involved were tarnished with charges of racism, Massie said.

"There's a difference between racism and ignorance," he said. "Just because ... a person is put off by the sloppy gangster-style dress that we see so many of our young people, especially young black people, wearing, it does not make them racist. I don't believe that white people get up in the morning thinking about what they can do to oppress black people or hold black people down."

But as with the reactions by the women in the mall, Williams-Harold said, racism can be conscious or subconscious, and she believes it is more pervasive than many would like to admit...

...But Massie maintains that concerns about racism are often overblown, and suggests individual behavior and performance are key...

Read it all here.

Labels: Culture, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 10:07 PM

Monday, June 18, 2007

Black Conservatives Mark "Juneteenth" Civil Rights Holiday

Project 21 is commemorating Juneteenth:

Black Conservatives Mark "Juneteenth" Civil Rights Holiday

Members of the Project 21 black leadership network are asking that the oldest and most recognized commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States - "Juneteenth," observed on June 19 - be used as a day for reflection on the struggle for freedom and the ongoing quest for self-empowerment.

Project 21 members urge black Americans to use this day to embrace their inherent talents and strengthen their ties with family and community for the betterment of themselves and future generations.

"The abolishment of slavery paved the way for blacks to empower themselves and opened the doors for freedom and opportunities," said Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli. "Juneteenth celebrations are a reminder to all that freedom is never free."

Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of the arrival of Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. The soldiers carried with them the news that the Civil War was over and that slavery was abolished through President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation two-and-a-half years earlier.

The annual commemoration of this date, which became known as Juneteenth, quickly became a stabilizing as well as a motivating presence in the lives of the African-Americans who lived in Texas and faced the many uncertainties associated with their newly acquired freedom. The observance quickly spread from Texas to become recognized in black communities across the United States.

Juneteenth is celebrated in diverse ways, but over the years, education and self-improvement have been consistent themes at commemorative community gatherings and picnics. In 1980, Juneteenth was made an official holiday in Texas. According to the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign, 25 states currently recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday and it has been recognized by President George W. Bush in special presidential messages.

Project 21 member Murdock "Doc" Gibbs, a Texas resident, said: "June 19, 1865 was a turning point for the black people of Texas. It was a recognition of the equality between them and their former white masters. We must continue as a people to shake off the modern slave masters that threaten our families, our communities and our future - the slave masters of drugs, illegitimacy, family breakdown, poor education and crime. We can use this important holiday to remind us that we are the masters of our own destiny and hold the keys to our own survival through the choices we make."

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Labels: Culture, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 1:25 PM

Friday, June 08, 2007

NAACP Downsizing Because It's a Dinosaur

Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie is scoffing at the NAACP's explanation for its financial woes, reports Randy Hall at CNSNews.com:

Massie laid much of the blame for the NAACP's financial problems on Julian Bond, director of the organization's board of directors. Bond, he said, 'can find no good thing in society today and still asserts that America is living in the Jim Crow past when nothing could be further from the truth.''At the same time, they're not addressing the very real ills in the black community: out-of-control abortion, which amounts to nothing more than black genocide; out-of-control single-parent households; out-of-control black-on-black crime; and out-of-control disrespectful, misogynistic behavior directed toward women in rap music,' Massie said.'Instead, they are stuck in the antediluvian mantra of days past where 'white people are out to get us.' And that is wearing thin,' he said.

Mychal also told CNSNews.com that the NAACP is "a dinosaur."
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Labels: Culture, Liberals, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 2:02 PM

Monday, June 04, 2007

Parents Lose Legal Custody of Home-Schooled Children

The Massachusetts Department of Social Services took legal custody of two children, not because of any allegation of abuse or neglect, but because their parents were deemed "unfit" relating to home-schooling their children.

Parents Lose Legal Custody of Home-Schooled Children

To the consternation of officials from the Waltham Public Schools and the Massachusetts town's Department of Social Services (DSS), Kim and George Bryant decided to home-school their son, Nick, and daughter, Nyssa.

This decision ignited a legal fight between the local government and the Bryants that lasted over six years and became so contentious that the DSS took legal custody of the children.

The DSS was awarded legal custody of the Bryant children after the school district obtained a court ruling in 2001 stating the Bryants were "unfit" parents because they didn't file an educational plan or grading system meeting school district approval. The Bryants countered that their plan was very similar to one accepted for a familyin Framingham, another eastern Massachusetts school district.

Nonetheless, Kim and George were determined to be in "educational neglect" of their children, and the DSS was awarded legal custody of Nick and Nyssa. The children, however, continued to live with their parents and Bryants continued to provide and pay for all of the children's expenses. At no point did the DSS offer or provide any services. George Bryant explained, "DSS did virtually nothing to support the 'health' of my family," while claiming legal custody of the children. Both sides additionally agree the children were never abused mentally, physically, sexually or emotionally by their parents.

On June 12, 2003, DSS officials and four police officers arrived at the Bryant home at 7:45 am and ordered the children be taken to a hotel, where they would be given a standardized test. DSS worker Susan Etscovitz charged: "We have legal custody of the children and will do with them what we see fit... They are minors and they do what we tell them to do."

After the DSS failed to convince Nick and Nyssa to go to the hotel to sit for the test, the Framingham Juvenile Court issued a same-day ruling ordering their parents to take them. At the hotel, the children continued to refuse to take the test. Nyssa said, "We don't want to take the test. We have taken them before, and I don't think that they are a fair assessment of what we know." George Bryant echoed his daughter's complaint, saying, "Private school students do not take standardized tests. Why should our children be subjected to this, against their will?" He added: "We do not believe in assessing our children based on a number or letter. Their education process is their personal intellectual property." Surprisingly, Waltham School Superintendent Susan Parrella provided support to the Bryants' cause when she weighed in on the matter in quote to a local newspaper: "An acceptable home school plan is in place right now. I was not aware of any testing occurring today."

Nonetheless, a court hearing to determine whether a complete transfer of custody of the Bryant children to the DDS would take place due to their noncompliance was scheduled for the next day. But the hearing was later postponed indefinitely. George Bryant commented, "We were told [Thursday] that we must show up [Friday]. Several hours later we received a note in our door from DSS saying that it will be discussed at a later time." Since the issue was left unresolved, the Bryants were burdened for some time by the possibility that DSS officials and police officers would arrive at their door to demand their compliance with school district regulations, or perhaps to take the children to foster homes.

The Bryant case may be an extreme example, but home-schooling families in the Bay State often face hostile local governments. Scott Somerville, a staff attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association, notes "Massachusetts is a barbaric [state] for homeschoolers."

While Nick continued to be home-schooled, Nyssa chose to enroll in a public high school in the neighboring Belmont Public School District in the fall of 2003. To facilitate her placement, Kim compiled a transcript highlighting the work Nyssa completed during her home schooling. As a result of her past educational achievement, Nyssa began high school a grade above most students in her age group. She made the school's highest honor roll every semester.


Sources: Townhall.com (June 18, 2003), WorldNetDaily (June 2003 coverage), PrisonPlanet.com, Talon News (June 17, 2003), GOPUSA News (June 17, 2003), Childrenfirstamerica.org, Penwing.com, Home School Legal Defense Association, Kim Bryant, George Greeley Bryant

**Read this story and 99 other all-new outrageous stories of government regulatory abuse in the new fifth edition of the National Center for Public Policy Research's book, Shattered Dreams: One Hundred Stories of Government Abuse.

Download your free PDF copy today here or purchase a print copy online here.**

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Labels: Culture, Education, Regulation, Regulatory Victims, Social Issues

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:16 AM

Friday, June 01, 2007

Home Schoolers Banned in Calvert County

Calvert County, MD bans the use of a county building by home-schooled students on the grounds that such instruction, though open to the public, would duplicate county services and waste taxpayer dollars.

Activities Banned From Community Center: Alcohol, Crime... and Home Schooling?

You can take a foreign language class at community centers in Calvert County, Maryland. You can play ultra-violent fantasy wargames, possibly even ones based on pagan beliefs. You can even participate in Bible study classes. But Lydia Goulart and Kyle Travers have found out the hard way that you can't teach a class in fiber arts or host a geography club there if your lessons happen to be in conjunction with home schooling.

In Calvert County, using a county building to "home school" children ranks among prohibited activities like alcohol use, criminal acts or hosting for-profit events. According to county officials, allowing home schooling parents to use public facilities for their classes and extracurricular activities would be a waste of taxpayer money because it would create "duplicate services" already provided by the public schools. This decision stands despite the fact that Goulart and Travers planned on opening their activities to the public and sought to utilize rooms that otherwise were empty.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, arguing Calvert County officials violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection of the law. The court ruled against Goulart and Travers, allowing the ban on homeschooling activities to continue. HSLDA appealed the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. On September 26, 2003, the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court overturned the District Court, affirming that teaching the young is protected under the First Amendment. However, the court also held that the Community Center had not violated the rights of the homeschoolers by excluding them from the facilities. HSLDA decided not to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sources: The Home School Legal Defense Association, The Daily Record (Baltimore, Maryland) (September 29, 2003)

**Read this story and 99 other all-new outrageous stories of government regulatory abuse in the new fifth edition of the National Center for Public Policy Research's book, Shattered Dreams: One Hundred Stories of Government Abuse.

Download your free PDF copy today here or purchase a print copy online here.**
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Labels: Culture, Education, Regulation, Regulatory Victims, Social Issues

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 4:26 PM

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

On the Eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five

In honor of our forefathers, and an anniversary worth remembering, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Paul Revere's Ride.

If you haven't read it lately, take a moment to read it again. It's worth recalling that the very birth of this nation was a close-run thing. We have much to be thankful for.

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Labels: Culture, Defense, History

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 12:12 PM

Friday, April 13, 2007

Eugene Robinson: White People Can't Talk

In the Washington Post today, in-house columnist Eugene Robinson diminishes everything the true civil rights leaders fought for.

Eugene Robinson: "Why Imus Had to Go":

...For young black hip-hop artists to use such language [as "nappy-headed hos"] to demean black women is similarly deplorable -- and, I would argue, even more damaging. But come on, people, don't deceive yourselves that it's precisely the same thing. Don't pretend that 388 years of history -- since the first shackled African slaves arrived at Jamestown -- never happened. The First Amendment notwithstanding, it has always been the case that some speech has been off-limits to some people. I remember a time when black people couldn't say "I'd like to vote, please." Now, white people can't say "nappy-headed hos." You'll survive...

For Martin Luther King, Jr., it was about equality. For Eugene Robinson, it's about retribution. (Witness Robinson's evident satisfaction that there's something -- he believes -- white people are not permitted to do.)

Contrast Robinson's "blacks get to say awful things about blacks but white people can't" philosophy with Martin Luther King preaching about the importance of the content of character.

Imagine if Martin Luther King's earth-moving 1963 speech had instead have had a theme of, a la Eugene Robinson, "you've been mean to us for centuries; now we're going to be mean to you for a while."

It's hard to believe the civil rights movement would have uplifted the nation with that call to keep our civil ethics in the gutter, isn't it?

People of character do not call young ladies "whores." Even black people of character. Even people who spell and pronounce it properly.

Robinson furthermore mixes his issues in ways that betray the sloppiness of his reasoning process. Black people could always say "I'd like to vote, please." The fact that black men couldn't vote until 137 years ago was not about free speech, but suffrage. Likewise, the fact that landless white men couldn't vote in America until 200-151 years ago (depending on state of residence), or black or white women until a mere 87 years ago.

It's worth noting, too, that Don Imus was penalized because his employer chose to penalize him. How many white people have high-profile broadcasting positions? How many black broadcasters today believe saying "nappy-headed hos" on the air would strengthen their negotiating position at contract time? Not very many, I bet.

Yet black and -- sorry, Mr. Robinson -- white people all over America have been saying "nappy-headed hos" by the thousands for a week now, yet there are no reports of anyone other than Don Imus being fired for it.

The true issue here is civility. We all ought to be civil to one another, we all were endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, and we all ought to realize -- as Eugene Robinson apparently does not -- that one bad turn does not deserve another.

Addendum: I read a few other Eugene Robinson columns while having lunch.

Commenting on the story that Strom Thurmond's first cousin twice removed "owned" Al Sharpton's great-grandfather, Robinson writes: "Sharpton learned for the first time that his name came from Alexander Sharpton, a rich Edgefield County slave owner. Nothing unusual there -- that's the way we got our surnames, from our ancestors' owners..."

Who is "we"? It sounds like he means Sharpton, himself, and his readers. Does he write his column thinking only of readers who are descended from American slaves? (Never mind that a substantial part of the population, including the descendants of slaves, got their surname from their husbands.)

In a column on President Bush, Robinson strikes a blow against dividing people into simple categories: "A president who reduces the near-infinite variety of humankind to 'with us' or 'against us' has mired the nation..."

The near-infinite variety of humankind came down to just two groups when you wrote that blacks can say "nappy-headed hos" and whites can't, Mr. Robinson. "With us" or "against us," indeed.

And on global warming: "The first half of January 2007 was so balmy in the Northeast that crocuses bloomed."

And the middle of April is so cold they may cancel the Boston Marathon. The point?

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Labels: Culture, Media

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 1:20 PM

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Thoughts on a Don Imus Wannabee

Taking cues from Don Imus, Pat Oliphant, Jeff Danziger and the New York Times syndicate, Ted Rall, the Palestinian press, Julian Bond, Bellevue Community College in Seattle, the Universal Press Syndicate, someone at USA Today's website, Ann "Money-Maker" Coulter, radio host John "Sly" Sylvester and the Mid-West Broadcast Group, and especially Garry Trudeau (among others), leftie blogger TBogg decided the other day to call our Secretary of State "Brown Sugar."

I wonder if the thought of a successful black woman genuinely makes Mr. TBogg think of people who sleep their way to the top. It is equally likely that this was a ploy for attention. Or, perhaps, TBogg just says nasty things, but is not particularly original.

I asked Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie and Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli what they think of it.

Mychal Massie: "These comments meant to be insulting, calcify that which we have long known -- for liberals, it isn't what you say that matters, it's who you say it about. Imus's sin was clearly who he chose to comment about -- had he directed his insults at Dr. Rice or Justice Thomas not only would there have been no penalty or outcry from the cacophony of race-mongers we now hear, but we would be the only ones talking about it."

Deneen Borelli: "This Don Imus impersonator is ignorant of the fact that Dr. Condoleezza Rice is a successful black female, currently the Secretary of State, former National Security Advisor, former Stanford University Provost, has several honorary doctorates, served on numerous boards, is a concert pianist and is fluent in several languages. Cheap insults will never diminish her accomplishments."

I agree with both.

It does seem that, for many on the left, it's not what you say, but who you say it about. (It's also who says it. Rush Limbaugh can't even say the media wishes a black quarterback well, while rap singers and their corporate backers can say and promote atrocious filth.)

But Deneen is right, also. It's ludicrious for Trudeau and TBogg and others to imply that Condoleezza Rice owes her influence not to accomplishments, but to her alleged personal relationship with a man. They make fools of themselves.

Others blogging this include:

Gay Patriot

The Mahablog

Riehl World View

Blog-o-Fascists

186k Per Second

The Wiccan Warrior

Neptunus Lex

lgf

Gateway Pundit

Confederate Yankee

Villainous Company

captaincox.com

Right Wing News

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Labels: Culture, Liberals, Project 21

Posted by Amy Ridenour at 10:53 PM