Monthly Archives: October 2019

Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said on Tuesday that political correctness will destroy the nation.

The official was referring to the harsh criticism he received for an out-of-context comment he made at a staff meeting at homeless womens shelters in September that was allegedly offensive to the transgender community, the Western Journal explained.

The Washington Post published an article accusing Carson of referring to transsexuals as big, hairy men during the meeting.

However, a HUD official told the Post that although Carson said those words, he was referring to men who, pretending to be transgender people, were trying to gain access to federal shelters that were reserved for women.

Jennifer Wexton of Virginia urged the official to apologize to the transgender community during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on housing policy, CNN reported.

Carson clarified again on Tuesday that he did not use those words to describe transgender people, according to CNN.

I was relating a story that a womens group told me about big, hairy menwho are not transgender women, by the waycoming into your facility and having to be accepted because of the rules that were in place, Carson said.

No, added the HUD secretary, refusing to apologize for his words.

I think this whole concept of political correctnessyou can say this, you cant say that, you cant repeat what someone saidits total foolishness, and its going to destroy our nation and we need to be more mature than that, he added.

The danger for women

Currently and in the name of nondiscrimination against LGTBI individuals, male offenders, including violent offenders and sex offenders, are serving sentences in womens prisons in several Western jurisdictions, according to Quillette.

This is known as self-ID and means that their status as a man or woman is determined by their belief and what they claim and not by their actual biology.

Transgender prisoners enjoy privileges in prisons, such as the right to shower alone, to separate cells, and to request a change between male and female prisons.

Recently, the number of male prisoners who begin to perceive themselves as women and request their transfer to womens prisons is skyrocketing, leading to serious incidents that put the integrity of women prisoners at risk, according to The Telegraph.

A very symptomatic case is that of Karen White, a male rapist who was held in a womens prison in Wakefield, England, in 2017 and who in his first three months raped three women prisoners, according to Quillette.

In the UK, currently 1 in 50 male prisoners now claim to be women, according to an official prison control survey shared by The Telegraph.

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Political correctness will destroy our nation, says Ben Carson - thebl.com

What does it take to run for City Council in Long Beach?

Some might tell you having a screw loose, because no one in their right mind would run for local public office.

I can say almost categorically, most of the time, that's not the case. During my time in Long Beach, we've been blessed with candidates who truly do want to help our community. Yes, I know there also have been a few who like the concept of having "power," who live for making decisions that impact other people or who have the mistaken impression that a City Council member lives a glamorous life with lots of perks and maybe even a bump in the bank account occasionally.

The one or two or three with that kind of attitude typically get brought back down to earth quickly. But those tales are for another column.

Back to what it takes to run for election.

The basics are, well, basic. This from City Clerk Monique De La Garza's website:

"A candidate must be: A U.S. citizen 18 years old on or before election day A registered voter living in the jurisdiction identified on the Nomination Paper at least 30 days prior to the end of the nomination period (Long Beach City Charter Sections 201 and 502). A candidate may not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction."

That bit about living in the jurisdiction a candidate is running from has tripped up several California and one or two Long Beach politicians over time. There's a state law that makes it illegal to live outside your district. And I can recall at least one instance in Long Beach where gerrymandering (changing, for you non-political types) City Council district boundaries took a fairly formidable opponent out of the running for the incumbent's next election.

Still, pretty simple requirements most Long Beach adults interested in being a public official can meet. The bar is so low precisely because we believe that in a real democracy, pretty much anyone should have the chance to run for public office and that's a good thing.

That's in a perfect world. There are a few more requirements to have much of a chance to win a City Council election.

Some experience in serving the public commissions, task forces, even being president of the school PTA is helpful. Support from others, particularly other Long Beach leaders, is a big plus. And there's money, or the ability to raise some. It doesn't have to be much, particularly in the less active council districts, but there are some bills filing fees, for example you have to pay.

Oh, did I mention having a spotless background? I'm not talking showing you are a convicted felon here. These days, spotless means having never taken a wrong step from college on, based on the current morality and political correctness. There's not a lot of deep background digging amongst council candidates, but if you go any farther up the political ladder

There's one last thing that's a prerequisite for becoming a City Council candidate. I call it fire in the belly. Others call it passion for a cause. It comes down to the same thing a desire to make a difference.

I saw quite a bit of that fire in the belly Monday night at a candidate forum for those running in a special election to fill the vacant First District council seat. I was one of a panel of questioners quizzing seven of the eight people who want to take now-State Senator Lena Gonzalez's place at City Hall.

I believe only one of the group has ever run for public office before. One or two have specific axes to grind, and they all have the causes near and dear to their hearts. That's as it should be. It takes that crusading feeling to light the fire in the belly.

I may be a Pollyanna, or maybe its just the faith I have in the essential goodness of people (that's pretty much the same thing), but I saw a sincere desire in each and every one of those candidates to help make Long Beach a better place to live. We might disagree on the definition of "better," but the motivation is in the right direction.

Give them the respect they deserve, and find out who's running and why. And if you live in the First District, cast a vote. It's the least you can do.

Continued here:

IN CLOSED SESSION : What It Takes To Run - Gazette Newspapers

It is hard to objectively judge comedy what makes someone funny greatly depends on the audience, and every comedian has the potential to offend someone.

But when the entire basis of a comedy act is based on stereotypes, one should rethink laughing at these jokes.

Jeff Dunham will be returning to the Bryce Jordan Center this Friday, where he can easily reach his target audience of conservative white folks the population generally found in central Pennsylvania.

Dunham is one of the worlds wealthiest and most successful comedians, and the majority of his scripts are based on stereotypes and racism. And while he does have a character mocking old white men, this does not justify the blatant racism behind his other characters.

As a ventriloquist, Dunhams performances consist of him having conversations with a variety of puppets, all created from his own mind. His most controversial characters include Achmed the dead terrorist and Jos Jalapeo, a Mexican immigrant.

Dunham has specifically stated that he knows making fun of 9/11 will never be funny, and Achmed was created to make fun of Osama bin Laden instead but making any jokes associated with the terror attacks on 9/11 should be condemned.

In his latest Netflix special which is tagged as politically incorrect on the streaming site Dunham jokes that he has been hesitant to bring out his beloved Jos Jalapeo since President Trump was elected. He also said in todays politically correct climate, some people dont think it is okay for him to talk to Jos.

It is not okay to make insensitive jokes about Mexican immigrants especially when this special was filmed in Dallas, a city that relies greatly on its immigrant populations and is greatly affected by Trumps policies.

Clearly, people find Dunham funny, and this probably will not change considering his ongoing success. But his fans should be sure to understand how problematic his characters are.

Dunham pokes fun at politicians as most comedians do, and has created a new character who serves as one of Trumps advisers. When telling Cincinnati.com about the character, he even said he has to be careful due to the political-correctness garbage present in the United States today.

He is also quoted saying he has only offended a small percentage of people, but how is it possible for him to know this for sure? How does he define offending someone and where are these numbers coming from?

It is impossible for comedians to understand the experiences of every individual, so this should not be a standard for what is acceptable in comedy. But Dunham and his supporters need to better acknowledge that his jokes are offensive to many populations.

If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.

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EDITORIAL: Jeff Dunham's comedy act is more offensive than what should be accepted - The Daily Collegian Online

The stereotypes and aesthetic associated with leftist activistsespecially liberal menare annoying, low-hanging fruit, but are not entirely out of touch with reality: Cucks. Snowflakes. Betas. The list goes on.

It is incredibly hard to be articulate and precise on this issue, but you know what I mean. The left has a perception problem that its not willing to admit.

Although this topic seems ridiculous, its undeniable that these representationswhether or not we may exercise significant control of themturn off many moderates and uninvolved political participants from the left. Our insistence on politicking to signal virtue and the manner by which we self-righteouslyand often hypocriticallyconduct ourselves shape these representations and certainly hold us back.

Although one can take the moral high ground and want to believe that we dont want those votes anyways, the reality of the situation is that the status quo is a hellscape for vulnerable populations and Democrats need to come into 2020 swinging. That means establishing themselves as confident, assertive, yet uncompromisingly progressive. We desperately need a makeover in 2020, but Im not exactly sure what that process looks like and whether it can ever be an ethical prescription.

But I do know that Im tired of supporting a movement that unequivocally defends the belief that when they go low, we go high. Im tired of insisting upon the innocence of corrupted institutions when the current state of affairs empowers deceit, outrage and spectacle in politics. We restrain ourselves, attempt to understand the other and ultimately forgive instead of seriously confronting them on Twitter or cable news and hardly attempt to change the rules of engagement entirely.

Democrats need to play to win because anything else condemns us to the status quo: a pitiful, whiny existence that always seems to place us on the losing side of political scandal. Im not arguing that we should collude with foreign governments to improve our representations, but simply to critically think about perception and to refuse to be a group of pushovers. People are counting on the left in 2020 and Im ready to engage in some McConnell-level tactical maneuvering and scheming if thats what it takes to deliver.

45 was rewarded with the presidency for his vulgarity. I dont think that the left or even the country as a whole wants to see us fix that by showing compassion. Im tired of a liberal politics obsessed with being virtuous and ultimately boring in the name of not offending those with disagreements.

The current political sphere is anything but business as usual and its entirely unconvincing to respond by suppressing our natural human emotions. For instance, Betos raw speech about Trumps comments on the El Paso shooting was a huge turn-on for voters and is probably the only thing keeping him alive at this point; dropping f-bombs wont necessarily win us seats, but I think its safe to say voters minimally want their politicians to be authenticand thus outraged.

Moreover, the right has successfully branded itself as the party of sexy big-businesses and independent thinkers fixated on telling the truth when blue-pilled liberals cant step outside of their fantasy land. Internet trolls and conservative influencers poke fun at the liberal participation trophy culture, safe spaces from outside criticism, and our obsession with losing often, but at least ethically. And quite honestly, these strategies work really well.

I feel a strong, internal embarrassment, for instance, when thinking about Democratic candidates pandering to people of color, Portland Antifa dressing up as bananas, and Hillary desperately pleading for us to Pokemon Go to the polls. Voters can easily sense whos being real and whos trying way too hard to take the moral high ground by being woke. Its hard to point to specific examples, but the method by which so many on the left self-righteously conduct themselves, particularly on the internet to appeal to young voters, is blatantly cringe-worthy.

However, this issue with the lefts representations doesnt stem from its core values of compassion or empathy. The basic tenet of empathy is not mutually exclusive with being inspiring and assertive. The fight for emancipatory politics can and should be made sexy through a deliberate refocusing from issues like political correctness to energizing struggles against unjust authority and political elites.

Groups like Black Lives Matter and policies like Medicare for All or the Green New Deal, for instance, are certainly controversial but definitely not cringy. In fact, the right often plays to romanticized and nostalgic narratives about police officers, veterans, blue-collar workers and natural disaster survivors to garner sympathy and compassion just as often. The relevant difference is certainly an issue of our energy and framing.

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On the internet, the logic of cancel culture, the focus on microaggressions, and the Ellen & Bush debacle are all excellent examples of how liberals empower an unconscious system of desire that ultimately restrains leftist politics and empowers Donald Trump. The right finds immense pleasure in name-calling because it ruptures and trolls the social authority that out-of-touch liberals have mandated. In this sense, there exists a masochistic structure of enjoyment. Knowing that Trump is bad for people is not enough to lessen the enjoyment of his regime and realizing oneself as problematic is irrelevant when the right offers a more appealing method of living; for many, it almost seems impossible to imagine liberals having fun without constantly talking about how ethical they are. Liberals will argue that they are nevertheless on the right side of the issue and that they claim a truer vision of politics but such concerns are at best merely tangential for those not already sold on the left.

We cant control what the right calls us, but we can certainly alter the behaviors that enable such stereotypes. My vision is not a shift away from our current policy stances, but rather a refusal to solely rely on seeming trendy and virtuous. Those tangibly affected by the enactment of progressive policies dont care about our perceived moral high ground, or at least not enough to choose being ethical over a leftism that is fed up and willing to do what it takes to win back the White House and Senate.

David Min is a Trinity sophomore. His column, "milk before cereal," runs on alternate Thursdays.

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'Cucking the libs' - The Chronicle - Duke Chronicle

MADRID (AP) The grandson of late dictator Gen. Francisco Franco said that Thursdays planned exhumation of his grandfathers body is a profanation and that Spains interim government wants to turn it into a rally before a Nov. 10 general election.

Francisco Franco Martnez-Bordi spoke to The Associated Press hours before Francos remains were due to be moved from a grandiose mausoleum to a more discreet cemetery.

Its an all-out desecration, said Franco Martnez-Bordi, accusing Supreme Court judges who ruled in favor of the government the Catholic Church and center-right Spanish parties who didnt impede the reburial of being accomplices of prime minister Pedro Snchezs Socialists plan.

The government, he said, had to hop over several obstacles with the complicity of those people to arrive on time and be able to use the exhumation as part of the electoral campaign.

Spain, he said, is under the dictatorship of political correctness.

Associations of relatives of those who died in the 1936-39 Civil War and the ensuing dictatorship regard Francos presence at the gargantuan Valley of the Fallen as an insult.

The government says that its also against Spains standing as a modern democratic state and that no dictator should be enshrined in a state mausoleum. Snchez had initially promised to get the exhumation done by the end of 2018, but he faced a long legal battle with Francos seven grandchildren and political opposition.

Franco Martnez-Bordi, 64, and 21 other relatives will be attending Thursdays exhumation behind closed doors and a private Mass at the reburial graveyard in the outskirts of Madrid. Authorities have banned protests in the area and cameras will only be allowed outside of both sites.

What they want is to humiliate as much as possible, said Franco Martnez-Bordi, who criticized that the government has not allowed state honors in tomorrows ceremonies despite Franco having been Spains head of state and government for decades.

But the family has plans to use a Spanish flag with a black eagle, symbols associated with the Franco regime, over their grandfathers coffin on Thursday, when the hearse heads from a helicopter to the Mingorrubio cemetery. The flag is the same used for the original burial on Nov. 23, 1975.

The Supreme Court last month granted the government the right to rebury the dictators remains in the Mingorrubio cemetery, where Francos late wife Carmen Polo has been resting since 1988, over the relatives choice of Madrids Almudena Cathedral, where they own a grave slot. Authorities feared the cathedral could become another pilgrimage site for nostalgic fascists.

Franco Martnez-Bordi said the family planned to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights hoping to be granted permission to move Francos remains to the cathedral.

He also dismissed as a lie that relatives of victims buried alongside the dictator at the Valley of the Fallen had been asking for Francos removal from the site for decades.

Nobody, or almost nobody, gives a damn where my grandfather is buried, he said. Im not going to say that there isnt somebody around, but both winners and losers (in the war) are all dead. Their grandchildren are being influenced by the media and the associations who represent their grandparents.

Francos exhumation stems from amendments of a 2007 Historical Memory Law that aimed to seek redress for the estimated 100,000 Franco victims who are buried in unmarked graves across Spain, including thousands at the Valley of the Fallen.

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AP Interview: Franco grandson blasts Spain over exhumation - The Associated Press