Monthly Archives: August 2017

Earlier this week, the Twitter account for the American Civil Liberties Union posted an innocuous picture of a toddler wearing a tyke-sized ACLU T-shirt with the words Free Speech on the front. The little one was holding a stuffed animal in one hand and a mini American flag in the other. The tweet that accompanied the photo said This is the future that ACLU members want.

Within moments, the tweet was descended upon from the corners of the outrage twitter-sphere because thats what social media is now. The great social injustice committed here by the ACLU? The child in the picture was white and therefore declared as racist and propping up white supremacists. Senior Guardian columnist Steven Thrasher posted a humorous gif of Blackish star Anthony Anderson crying while others took it a bit more seriously.

But other than a handful of verified twitter users, there wasnt really a catch-fire moment. It wasnt picked up by media outlets or journalists on Twitter. There was a minor firestorm over a picture that attracted scant attention but in the end that didnt matter.

Within the hour, however, the ACLU posted a weird retraction of the image, stating When your Twitter followers keep you in check and remind you that white supremacy is everywhere, along with a Kermit the Frog gif.

If the ACLU cant even defend their own words on their own Twitter account, how are they supposed to defend anyone elses?

The issue here shouldnt necessarily be that the ACLU apologized for a picture they posted of a child wearing their own Free Speech merchandise and calling it white supremacy. It should be how quickly they were willing to placate a mob without any real influence. Other than a couple people with verified twitter accounts, this really wasnt an issue. But of course now it is.

When viewed through a larger lens, its a troubling pattern in the wake of the Charlottesville protests, where the ACLU has found itself walking a delicate line of speaking out for the rights of speech (everyones speech, yes, including idiot Nazi role players) while not being accused of being white supremacists themselves and/or finding themselves on the receiving end of a trademarked bottle of Antifa-brand urine bomb.

When the ACLU spoke out in defense of the rights of white supremacists, there was a collective meltdown, much, much larger than simply posting a picture of a cute little kid with a flag. The New York Times even ran an editorial by K. Sue Park saying, By insisting on a narrow reading of the First Amendment, the organization provides free legal support to hate-based causes. The title of the piece was The A.C.L.U. Needs to Rethink Free Speech.

Being publicly chastised by our elite betters seemed to be enough in that case. The ACLU appeased the mob by telling The Wall Street Journal that they will no longer defend hate groups protesting with firearms. Several men and women in Charlottesville were seen claiming to be a part of some kind of weekend militias and open-carrying firearms as a way of acting like a self-appointed police force. It should also be noted that after the ACLU made this declaration, members of Antifa outside the memorial service for Heather Heyer were seen carrying rifles.

But this is the corner the ACLU has now backed itself into, apologizing to random mobs of anonymous twitter accounts. The ACLU cant explain what is racist about the photo of the baby with the flag they posted. Instead they felt the need to clarify that its simply babies in onesies and directed followers to the official Instagram account where they not only feature babies in onesies, but support of protestors for Black Lives Matter and Chelsea Manning.

The image clearly was not meant to represent White Supremacy but that didnt matter. This is a time when the professional and political left is calling into the question the value of free speech and beginning to dip their toes into rationalizing limits that we, as a politically correct society, should put on speech.

Its not the job of the ACLU to apologize for its defense of speech. Its not their job to placate a random twitter mob that finds their stances problematic. Its their job to defend the speech rights and civil liberties of all Americans. If they cant even defend their own words on their own Twitter account, how are they supposed to defend anyone elses?

Stephen L. Miller has written for Heat Street and National Review Online. Follow him on Twitter at @redsteeze.

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The ACLU's Twitter account gets a lesson in political correctness - Fox News

Its the biggest unforced error of the week and in this political climate, thats saying a lot.

ESPN became a laughingstock Wednesday for pulling veteran announcer Robert Lee off a University of Virginia football game because his name is too close to Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general dead for nearly 150 years.

We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, ESPN said, simply because of the coincidence of his name.

Simply because of the coincidence of his name. This is the height of C-suite media condescension, though its unclear whos being condescended to: Is it red-state Trump voters? Does the network regard them as lumpen, half-wit knuckle-draggers who might take Lees presence as a tacit endorsement of white supremacy? Or is it the coastal, liberal elite that the network regards as babyish, too hyper-attuned to triggers and identity politics, ready to take offense at the inoffensive?

What if Robert went by Bob?

Within hours of ESPNs announcement, their Robert Lee was trending on Twitter. Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen weighed in. If this isnt the same Lee that led the Confederate Army, he tweeted, ESPN needs to reverse this idiocy.

Lee is Asian-American. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has extensive experience in both business and broadcasting. He graduated Syracuse University in 1999 with a B.S. in broadcast journalism. His most recent location is Albany. He speaks Mandarin. He describes himself as a team player . . . who meshes well with coworkers, customers and clients.

This is hardly the stuff of controversy. The networks overreaction only reminds us of its sad downward spiral: the bloodbath of over 100 employees fired in April; the flight of 10 million subscribers since 2011; the belief among liberal viewers that ESPN panders to conservatives and the belief among conservatives that ESPN is too liberal.

In trying to offend no one, theyve offended just about everyone. The networks tone-deafness extends to their statement. Its a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play-by-play for a football game has become an issue.

Indeed. If only they knew whom to blame.

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ESPN took political correctness to a ridiculous low - New York Post

The conversation happening in our nation in light of recent events is more about political correctness than the issue at hand. Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and terrorists are bad people. The ideals of these groups are in opposition to everything our nation stands for and everything that holds true to our founding principles. Their hatred of people dissimilar to them is un-American and it should not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Days ago, my colleague in the Senate, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, announced that he plans to introduce legislation that would remove all of the statues in the U.S. Capitol that honored Confederate soldiers. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has also called for the elimination of such statues. I respect their rights as elected officials to put forth legislation they believe is in the best interest of their constituents, however I simply do not agree.

As a Cherokee, I can attest to the fact that Native Americans have been on the losing side of history. Our rights have been infringed upon, our treaties have been broken, our culture has been stolen, and our tribes have been decimated at the hands of our own United States government. Native Americans have faced centuries of atrocities to their people, their land, and their culture all under various presidents who took an oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

When we censor our history by disguising our scars, we belittle the struggles our ancestors fought so hard to overcome. America doesn't cower behind political correctness. It defiantly and courageously moves forward, with its history as a reminder of where we have been.

Under President Andrew Jackson in 1830, our government passed the Indian Removal Act that drove thousands of Native Americans out of their homes on the treacherous journey better known as the Trail of Tears. Under President Franklin Pierce in 1854, parts of Indian Territory were stolen from tribes to create the Kansas and Nebraska Territories. Under President Abraham Lincoln, the Sand Creek massacre occurred in 1864 when the U.S. Army attacked the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes unprovoked, killing about 250 Native Americans. The Dawes Act of 1887 gave President Grover Cleveland the power to take back tribal land and redistribute the land to native people as individuals, not as tribal members. Under President Benjamin Harrison in 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took the lives of 150 Native Americans. Under President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, Indian and Oklahoma territories were unified to create the state of Oklahoma after Congress refused to consider a petition to make Indian Territory a separate state. President Roosevelt is even quoted as saying: I dont go so far as to think that the only good Indians are the dead Indians, but I believe nine out of every 10 are.

Let me ask you this: Is history not an opportunity to learn from ones mistakes? When we fall short of the high standard we set for our nation and its citizens, we make mistakes. What's most important is that our nation remembers and learns from them. As soon as we forget about our history, we are bound to repeat the same errors.

Still, we have professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick who refuse to stand during the national anthem and others who stand in solidarity with him in protest of the United States. To what end? To protest this country, a country that I love and my friends have died to defend? As an American, you have the right to protest me, or another individual, or a group, but I believe that protesting the United States for the mistakes it has made when it gave you the freedom to do so in the first place is disrespectful. Any attempt to coerce the United States into erasing our history is disingenuous. Especially, when our country has learned from the mistakes it has made and is determined not to repeat them.

Should we erase our history in the name of being politically correct? Can we not all agree that it is what shaped our country to be the great nation it is today? One that we know to be full of freedoms, liberties, and rights that other nations only dream of?

The removal of Confederate statues in the U.S. Capitol doesnt change our history. The removal of these statues merely attempts to disguise our ugly scars by hiding these statues out of plain sight. In an imperfect world, full of imperfect leaders, there are countless statues that may not live up to our American values. The statues of President Jackson and President Lincoln, both fervent oppressors of Native Americans, stand tall in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Still, these statues tell the history of the good and the bad of our nation.

America is and will always be a success story. We have African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and members of other ethnic groups elected to positions inside our governments. The American free enterprise system is the greatest tool to lift people out of poverty ever created in human history and when applied properly, does not discriminate by race, religion, or skin color. When we censor our history by disguising our scars, we belittle this process and the struggles our ancestors fought so hard to overcome. America doesn't cower behind political correctness. It defiantly and courageously moves forward, with its history as a reminder of where we have been. Let us look boldly into our history and learn the lessons that made us the shining city on the hill and the example for all other peoples.

Republican Markwayne Mullin represents Oklahomas 2nd congressional district.

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Congressman, Native American: When political correctness runs ... - Fox News

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," August 23, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: Hi, I am Greg Gutfeld, with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Juan Williams, Brian Kilmeade and she plays hide and seek in the dollhouse, Dana Perino -- "The Five."

We learned one thing last night: The media is the disease and Donald Trump is the cure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I mean, truly dishonest people in the media and the fake media. They make up stories.

I'm really doing this to show you how damn dishonest these people are.

Well, I mean, CNN is really bad. But ABC this morning -- I don't want it much but I am watching in the morning. And to have little George Stephanopoulos talking to Nikki Haley, right? Little George.

It's time to expose the crooked media deceptions and to challenge the media for their role in fomenting division.

And yes, by the way, they are trying to take away our history and our heritage.

These are sick people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD: "Little George." It got better. Trump taped an infomercial for FNC, knowing that it is airing on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I must tell you, Fox has treated me fairly. Fox has treated me fairly.

Someday they might not treat me fairly and I will tell you about it. Okay? But they've treated me fairly. And I don't mean all good, I got plenty of bad on Fox too. But at least it's within reason. And "Hannity," how good is "Hannity"?

And he's a great guy. And he is an honest guy. And "Fox & Friends" in the morning is the best show. And it's the absolute most honest show. And it's a show I watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD: "Fox & Friends." A poor man's "Five."

(LAUGHTER)

BRIAN KILMEADE, GUEST CO-HOST: We were here first. We were the Neil Armstrong of television.

GUTFELD: No. No. Your days are numbered, your days are numbered.

KILMEADE: You were in high school when we started.

GUTFELD: I know.

Anyway, you got to admit that is awesome trolling: Plugging FNC on CNN. That is like ordering a Coke at the Pepsi factory.

Now, by now we know Trump's spiel: The media makes a big deal out of nothing. It craps a redwood from an acorn. But just before his rally, ESPN proved him right. They fooled a reporter from the UVA game because his name was Robert Lee. Yes. It sounded too close to Sara Lee and their pound cake goes straight your hips. Actually, they were worried his name might cause teasing because of the fuss over statues. How sad: Protecting a grown man from jokes. Is ESPN still a sports network? What is the sport, patty cake? Talk about hysteria. And it supports Trump's media analysis: When you react preemptively over a cowardly fear of something that doesn't exist, you are broken.

And the media thinks Trump is unstable? ESPN is trapped in a mirage were all things are viewed irrationally because the poor saps are held hostage to fear. Note: They are not literally held hostage, just a figure of speech.

So, what's next, ESPN? Ban words like monumental or statuesque? What about players name Jefferson or Davis? But really, the story is a healthy sign: Once exposed, everyone did laugh at it. But it leads me to one question: Does ESPN still cover sports or just their asses?

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, CO-HOST: Oh my gosh!

GUTFELD: Kilmeade. Donald Trump gushing about "Fox & Friends." When you heard him do that, did you high five yourself in the mirror of your lonely sad hotel room?

KILMEADE: It's bit of a surreal experience. The President of the United States in front of the capacity crowd in Phoenix -- I expect that it was -- I fully expect my mom to do that.

GUTFELD: Yes.

KILMEADE: Because she does like "Fox & Friends" and she has got a lot of choices. She controls the channel. I don't know why because she even has movie channels. But I do say this.

(LAUGHTER)

KILMEADE: But that's what Donald Trump is. He is absolutely transparent in that he watched George Stephanopoulos give an interview after an Afghanistan policy about a war we are fighting and trying to win. He got one question out and it was back to eight days later. George Stephanopoulos. How do I hurt his feelings? Attack his height. So, what else do I have in my mind, I start the day with "Fox & Friends" and I like those guys.

GUTFELD: Yes.

KILMEADE: So, I just know Donald Trump as being somebody who speaks the truth, who agrees with my mom.

GUTFELD: I could never be president. I could never say how I start my day.

(LAUGHTER)

GUILFOYLE: So, gross.

GUTFELD: You don't know what that means!

GUILFOYLE: Oh, I do.

GUTFELD: So, Juan, should the NFL continue using Dixie cups on the sidelines?

JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: Dixie cups. Yes, that's a good question. That is about the equivalent in your mind.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WILLIAMS: That is how serious you think this is.

GUILFOYLE: Yes. Hard-hitting news here.

GUTFELD: What do you make of my connection between ESPN and Trump? That ESPN somehow proved them right but they're kind of like a radical thinking. Yes.

WILLIAMS: No. I don't think they proved him right but I think it was, you know, right before this speech and I think the conservative echo chamber exploded. I mean, you brought it up here.

GUTFELD: I'm part of the echo chamber, America.

KILMEADE: You thought ESPN was out of control --

WILLIAMS: No, no. I think it's an absurd and crazy decision. On the face of it, now there's a statement out from ESPN, which they said, it had nothing to do with anybody being offended by Robert Lee announcing the Virginia game. That in fact, it was about whether or not there would be means and hectoring and --

GUTFELD: They're worried about teasing.

WILLIAMS: Yes. Teasing Robert Lee and that Robert Lee was going to be --

GUILFOYLE: And heckling, yes.

KILMEADE: By the way -- ESPN, I might have to work there.

GUTFELD: Yes. Great move.

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

WILLIAMS: Who knows?

GUILFOYLE: The way the fortune-teller is talking over here. Oh my goodness!

GUTFELD: Yes. I've got my eyes on your seat. Kimberly, you buy -- Juan buys the excuse that they were protecting him from being teased.

GUILFOYLE: Uh-hm.

GUTFELD: It's kind of odd. I mean, would anybody protect you as an announcer?

GUILFOYLE: Has anyone ever protected me? No! Are you kidding me? I'm like the dark board, I'm like the local, you know, deadliest catch bar. Anyway, no. What I think though is, they were protecting themselves. They are not protecting Robert Lee. They want to act like they are altruistic, and we're just looking out for this guy and trying to protect their employee. I don't think that's the case.

I think they're worried that if they were going to face criticism, and it was going to be another sad round of publicity for them. But opps, that actually happened anyway because of the way they had it. And then all day long, you saw everyone was putting up a picture of Robert Lee, such a nice guy. Poor thing. And, you know, it is on and on. And now people are making fun of ESPN and saying, they have kind of no compass. Their compass is whether or not it might be bad press for them. Not about what the right thing to do is.

KILMEADE: Right. But what about the most famous sportscaster who's been there since day one, his name is Bob Lee, why did he escape? Why would they try to protect him from a meme?

GUILFOYLE: I will go by the short nickname like not the full --

GUTFELD: I just hate it when cable network gets bad controversy. Hey, Dana, doesn't this story reveal the difference between the perception of possible outrage and real outrage?

DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: Yes.

GUTFELD: And I think we operate the media by possible outrage, we are constantly worried about what we are going to say.

PERINO: I self-edit.

GUTFELD: Yes. You have a filthy mind. You know?

PERINO: I actually do think that -- I think that they were over thinking it.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: And I think they made a terrible decision and I was the first to say this was the most ridiculous story.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: But, I think that they probably were, when they got around the -- they probably have consultants who called in, like charging them a lot of money to sit around and say, we should really try to protect him.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: Because he is going to be the subject of all of these insults on Twitter. I can actually buy that. I don't think they were necessarily happened here. I think that they went way overboard. Because every action causes this overreaction in a situation. But Megan McArdle at Bloomberg, she wrote a piece today saying that we are all afraid of the online mob.

GUTFELD: Uh-hm.

PERINO: So that you're making decisions and editing yourself before you can even get anything out because you are afraid of the social media backlash. Actually, if you turn it off, it doesn't exist.

GUTFELD: No, it's like a cloudy day if you just look away. You don't see the clouds.

KILMEADE: Do you want to know how I do it? You have a pan handy? Do you want to try this?

GUTFELD: Yes.

KILMEADE: Okay. What I do is I forget my password. So, I don't log on. I have no idea what --

PERINO: Your password is not "password?"

GUTFELD: It's true. I know what it is, it's "I heart Lucy."

(LAUGHTER)

KILMEADE: We are not really sure. It would be more likely to be Ainsley. So, put it that way. I can't give away my password. But actually, I am not bothered by things I don't know.

GUTFELD: Yes.

KILMEADE: So, I love the line --

PERINO: This is actually the next step.

KILMEADE: I have no idea what's going on.

PERINO: I think people are going to start walking away. At least from the twitter side of this.

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

PERINO: Because there is not enough room for context. I re-tweeted something that Mike Rowe wrote today on Facebook and response to somebody who called a white nationalist.

GUTFELD: Uh-hm.

PERINO: And his response is so thoughtful. But it takes a lot longer for him to explain it so he does it on Facebook. I thought Tucker Carlson tonight, he said that he basically took Twitter off of all of his devices. And this is actually the next step in all of this which is, just walk away. Walk away from it.

WILLIAMS: Backlash. Backlash.

GUTFELD: Two sets of people. And I would include Juan in this, are happier people. You don't read your ad mentions on Twitter. I don't see you ever looking at anything.

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President Trump's media war and ESPN's political correctness | Fox ... - Fox News

Only the SPLC and friends have human rights in America today.By Allan Erickson on August 24, 2017 at 9:41am

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George and Amal Clooney donate $1 million to fight hate groups.

The headline should read Clooneys give $1 million to support a hate group, the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Clooneys are no doubt good folks, well-intentioned, rightly motivated, but deceived. Once a praiseworthy leader in the fight against the KKK, the SPLC now burns crosses in its own way.

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With this donation, the Clooneys join Amazon and J.P. Morgan Chase in shoveling many millions of dollars to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization now actively engaged in attacking and seeking to destroy traditional Christian organizations and designating them as hate groups, which results in violence and death threats.

Do you recall theattack on the Family Research Councilin 2012? Domestic terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins confessed he targeted the Family Research Council because it was cited on the Hate Map of the Southern Poverty Law Center website. Corkins got 25 years for using a firearm to attack FRC staff in their Washington, D.C., offices. He wounded a security guard.

According to National Review, The Southern Poverty Law Center, the civil rights watchdog group that ABC and NBC so prominently cite, has become a dangerous joke. Its a joke because the very idea that Christians are members of a hate group merely because they advocate for orthodox Christian principles and the liberty to live those principles is so intellectually and ideologically bankrupt that its barely worth addressing.

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The SPLC designates Liberty Counsel a hate group because LC advocates biblical marriage, engaging in the debate concerning homosexuality and same-sex marriage. But for the SPLC, free speech, religious freedom and exercising freedom of conscience are dog whistles for hate.

Among other groups condemned by the SPLC, traditional conservative groups having nothing to do with hate, racism, violence, fascism or discrimination:

Alliance Defending Freedom: Bill Bright (founder, Campus Crusade for Christ), Larry Burkett (founder, Crown Financial Ministries), James Dobson (founder, Focus on the Family), D. James Kennedy (founder, Coral Ridge Ministries), Marlin Maddoux

James Kennedy Ministries

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Family Research Council Tony Perkins, James Dobson

American Family Association

Baptist Churches

Pacific Justice Institute

American Freedom Law Center

Center for Security Policy

David Horowitz Freedom Center

Jihad Watch

Islam: the Religion of Peace

Tea Party Nation

Various Catholic and Jewish organizations are also condemned as hate groups. It appears the SPLC employs a conveniently simplistic methodology for identifying and then persecuting so-called hate groups: Anyone holding to traditional moral values such as heterosexual, monogamous marriage is immediately tagged; anyone warning of the dangers of sharia and jihad is automatically a hater; anyone concerned about preserving the Constitution and defending God-given rights is condemned; those holding to traditional Christian values are targeted, along with all pro-lifers, everyone in favor of strong national security and all people opposed to illegal immigration. All Trump supporters are haters, dont you know?

In other words, unless you toe the line according to what the SPLC dictates concerning positions on controversial topics of the day, you are targeted for destruction, which means you are sued, silenced and threatened. Only the SPLC and friends have human rights in America today.

Thanks to the hate group designation published by the SPLC, Liberty Counsel has receiveddeath threats.

Apparently all this has little influence on George Clooney, or perhaps he just doesnt know about the dark soul of the SPLC.

What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate, said Clooney, explaining his motivation to make the SPLC donation.

We agree, George. However, one does not douse the fire by pouring on gasoline or by turning on the good guys. Lets stand up to the real haters, not just Nazis and white supremacists. Lets include antifa, BLM, jihad, communists, anarchists and all enemies of liberty and justice for all, including the SPLC. Youd be wise to ask for a refund, George.

How ironic: seeing the Klan pass the torch to the SPLC.

The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website.

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Political Correctness With Fangs: The Southern Poverty Law Center - Western Journalism