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31 December, 2003

ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY MORALLY EQUIVALENT?

Predictably, Karen Armstrong in The Guardian portrays Islam and Christianity as similarly violent and as morally equivalent. An English reader has emailed me the following riposte to that:

Karen Armstrong's article "When God goes to war" (December 29) seriously misleads about a topic of great importance. The equivalence of militarism between religions which she paints is utterly untrue.

Jesus Christ never retaliated even when he was assaulted and his life threatened, and he preached a gospel of total non-retaliation. His disciples heroically continued this total pacifism through three centuries of martyrdom and other persecution. Christianity grew only by persuasion and the honorable example of its many martyrs. Christian martyrs are still being killed in Pakistan.

By stark contrast, Mohammed was a multiple murderer (sorry but this does have to be said whatever the Mohammedanist censors would prefer), who contrived to get others to kill those who disagreed with him. Evidently he was also a coward. Islam was spread not by persuasion or honorable example but only by the sword-wielding of Mohammed and his collaboraters.

The Crusades were organised by rulers rather than saints and were a reaction to Muslim armies occupying the Holy Land and then trying to conquer Europe too. Of course there are many very honorable and pacifist Muslims, while much murder has been committed supposedly in the name of Christianity. But that original historical basis goes a very long way to explaining why it is only Islam that inspires people to become martyrs and murderers concurrently as suicide bombers. In no way can the anti-democratic militaristic multiple murderer Mohammed be a worthy example for our troubled times. Should we face that fact or retreat instead into politically-correct deceit?

30 December, 2003

MUSLIM RAPE IS OK

Charming: A female public prosecutor who helped put lots of gang-rapists behind bars has been attacked and discriminated against by all and sundry because the rapists were Muslims. Apparently rape by Muslims is OK. Who cares about the victims? Not the politically correct crowd, that's for sure. Upsetting people is their real aim, their hidden program. They hate ordinary people.


NEW YEAR BAD TOO

The PC crowd and the Saudis have a lot in common

"Morality police in southern Saudi Arabia plan to conduct raids to ensure that shops do not sell flowers, candles and gifts to those planning to celebrate New Year, a local newspaper reported on Monday".



29 December, 2003

DISGRACEFULLY UNPROFESSIONAL PREJUDICE AGAINST BOYS

But what do you expect of the Leftists and Feminists who dominate U.S. school teaching?

For many years, researchers and educators alike believed that reading problems affect far more boys than girls, with boys suffering problems at rates as high as five to one. About 15 years ago, our research group at Yale decided to investigate the occurrence of reading problems in boys and girls. Using data from our ongoing Connecticut Longitudinal Study (CLS) of learning we, too, found that elementary schools indeed were identifying nearly four times as many boys as girls as having a reading disability. However, when we individually tested each child, we found comparable numbers of boys and girls are affected by reading problems.

Why the difference?

School identification of a reading disability is dependent on teacher perceptions. Examining the CLS data, we discovered that teachers perceive boys and girls quite differently. In fact, they rate males as having more problems than females in virtually every area assessed. According to their teachers, boys are more inattentive, more active and exhibit more behavioral and academic problems. Yet, despite such teacher reports of difficulties in the classroom, we found that boys and girls perform similarly on individual tests of reading and math.

Why are more boys identified by their schools? The answer is behavior. For example, boys who may exhibit normal activity levels for their gender - but excess activity for girls - are perceived as outside the range of normal, and subsequently are referred for testing. Behavior is used as a proxy for a learning disability and here, the normally increased activity level of boys is perceived as pathological.

More here



28 December, 2003

NO FREE SPEECH FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

A 15-year-old Brookfield Central High School student's homemade rhymes earned him a five-day suspension and could get the honor student expelled because of a lyric deemed threatening toward the principal - perhaps the first such case in Wisconsin.

Over the course of three months, Sashwat Singh wrote and recorded a 32-minute, 14-track rap compact disc featuring rants that made reference to illegal drug use and explicit sexual acts. He denigrates classmates, his mother and his high school. One track is a rap he used when campaigning to be class treasurer...

Singh's suspension may mark the first time a high school student in Wisconsin has been removed from school for a song he'd written, said Ken Cole, the executive director of the Madison-based Wisconsin Association of School Boards... Dan Macallair, the executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco, said the suspension is indicative of a national trend toward zero tolerance in schools.

"We're punishing kids for things that we adults never would have been punished for when we were that age," he said. "If we try to criminalize every comment that adolescents made, all our kids would be locked up."

Neither Macallair nor Cole was familiar with any other case of a student being disciplined for a song recorded outside school...

More here


PROTECTING CRIMINALS IN THE NAME OF PRIVACY

Police Chief Drew Akings of Great Bend, Kan., hit a brick wall of silence when he tried to check on two murder suspects wounded in a shootout last May. Hospital officials refused even to say when the men would be discharged. "We worried these criminals might slip away, but protecting their privacy was more important to the hospital," he said. "It ultimately worked out, but it was very frustrating — and dangerous."



27 December, 2003

ANIMAL RESEARCH IS VERY INCORRECT

Better to let people die preventable deaths

"The Sunday Times published the details of a leaked Cabinet Office document on 21 December 2003, which suggested that Professor Colin Blakemore was not recommended for a knighthood because of his 'controversial work on vivisection'. Blakemore says he is now reconsidering his position as chief executive of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

This is not a case of sour grapes. Blakemore tells me 'it has nothing to do with whether I deserve an honour or not - that is not the issue'. His concern is that these revelations may discourage scientists from speaking out on controversial matters. 'My research is not particularly controversial', he points out; 'neither in terms of the animals I have experimented on - mice - nor in terms of the techniques I have adopted. But the point is that I have spoken out on these issues.' Indeed, Blakemore is one of the few British scientists who has consistently spoken out in favour of animal research".

More here. Background on the courageous Prof. Blakemore here.



26 December, 2003

AMERICA'S PC MILITARY

"If we do a Darwin Award for individuals who manage to kill themselves through stupidity what do we give to honor those who manage to destroy lives and opportunities for others through manipulation of legislation and policy? Muddy thinking is a waste of time and resources. It hurts individuals and confused the issue. Our military has been used as a re-engineering ground for the idea that male/female individuals are basically the same. This is like using your best china for Frisbees."


FOOD FASCISTS

Food fight "'Public Health Is Everybody's Business,' read the button a chirping woman pushed into my hand at November's annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Francisco. A day later I discovered firsthand that public health is everybody's business but mine. I was 'escorted' out of the meeting for the crime of documenting what America's food fascists have planned for our plates."



25 December, 2003

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO COME BY HERE

I am an atheist but I still love Christmas and am profoundly grateful for my Judeo-Christian roots. I hope other non-Christians can enjoy as much as I do this season of goodwill and hope.


HORRORS! "HOLIDAY" = "HOLY DAY"

"And if you think labeling our spruces and firs 'holiday trees' is the solution to the season's wars, just wait until the ACLU realizes what the dictionary already makes clear: That the word 'holiday' itself comes from the Old English 'holy day'." -- The Wall Street Journal. Via The Federalist


IN DEFENCE OF BAD LUCK

A society which can't accept that 'accidents happen' is destined to be governed by a stifling culture of blame. More here



24 December, 2003

SOME GOOD NEWS

How goes the annual battle to delete Christmas from schools and the public square? News is mixed, but on the whole, things are not going well for the Grinches. In New Jersey, for example, the Hanover Township school district said it was considering a ban on Christmas carols and other religious songs at school concerts. Parents protested and threatened to sue, so the school board beat a hasty retreat. "If a school wants religious music, they can have it, the way they could before," said the school board president.

The key phrase here is "threatened to sue." In the old days, when an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer would show up to hammer some tiny school board into submission, the legal costs of resisting were so high that the boards usually caved in. Now the anti-Grinches have legal muscle of their own. The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which supported the Hanover parents, claims to have 700 lawyers ready to fight anti-Christmas assaults around the country....

More here


JEWISH SYMBOLS ARE INCORRECT OF COURSE!

A homeowners association in California removed holiday signs from light posts because they had images of and words associated with the Hanukkah on them and some of its members complained that they were fostering religious messages, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The Dos Vientos Ranch East Homeowners Association thought the blue banners featuring a silver menorah and small dreidels would be a nice addition to the annual holiday display.

But less than two weeks after they went up, they were replaced by white banners with images green, red and blue presents on them. Association board member Kevin Corbett said the board was trying to stay away from religion.

"Many holidays have both a religious and a social context and it's the social context that the board feels is appropriate to publicly acknowledge," Corbett said. "The religious component is something that members of the community should celebrate in their own way."

Now, some Jewish residents are irked. Mark Alyn says the remaining banners symbolize Christmas, with their candy canes and red ribbons. "While this isn't blatant anti-Semitism and discrimination, it's intolerable," said Alyn. "Why can't we celebrate the holidays together and appreciate our differences?"

From Tongue-Tied



23 December, 2003

ATTEMPTED RECOVERY FROM PC EDUCATION

One of the most unlikely recent successes in the book world has been Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Being a light-hearted guide to the importance of correct punctuation, it is hardly the kind of thing you would have expected to fly off the shelves....

I believe that behind the success of Truss' book is anger at the British education system. Two generations now have not been taught grammar. The post-1960s consensus, that state education should be less didactic and 'pedantic', and more creative and pupil-orientated, has left a sizeable proportion with a feeble grasp of the English language and, consequently, little interest in it.

It is a serious matter. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between poor education and disposition to crime. Inarticulate people who cannot spell properly are also more likely to be unemployed.

More here.


EVEN BEING "ABRASIVE" IS NOW GROUNDS FOR CENSORSHIP

And saying anybody but whites can be prejudiced is DEFINITELY abrasive. Truth, of course, does not matter

No Free speech on the internet? "When Glendale Community College math Professor Walter Kehowski sent e-mails criticizing some Latino students' views as racist, the students fought back. They accused him of bigotry and demanded that something be done about it. The incident stopped there because little could be done legally to prevent professors from expressing their views outside the classroom. That would change if Rep. Steve Gallardo has his way. The Phoenix Democrat will introduce a bill in the Legislature that would prevent professors from using college computers to spread comments considered offensive or inflammatory toward minorities.... "



22 December, 2003

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MORMONS

I walked past the beautiful Mormon Temple here in Brisbane last night and just inside the main gate was a large, well-done and well-lit nativity scene. Obviously the politically correct brigade have not got inside Mormon temples yet. Give them time. In the meanwhile it was good to see someone keeping alive the traditions of the culture which created the modern world.


Jesus' birth if it happened today!

"And Joseph went up from Galilee to Bethlehem with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child. And she brought forth a son and wrappedhim in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds and said, "I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

"There's a problem with the angel," said a Pharisee who happened to be strolling by. As he explained to Joseph, angels are widely regarded as religious symbols, and the stable was on public property where such symbols were not allowed to land or even hover. "And I have to tell you, this whole thing looks to me very much like a Nativity scene," he said sadly. "That's a no-no, too."

Joseph had a bright idea. "What if I put a couple of reindeer over there near the ox and ass?" he said, eager to avoid sectarian strife. "That would definitely help," said the Pharisee, who knew as well as anyone that whenever a savior appeared, judges usually liked to be on the safe side and surround it with deer or woodland creatures of some sort. "Just to clinch it, throw in a candy cane and a couple of elves and snowmen, too," he said. "No court can resist that."

Mary asked, "What does my son's birth have to do with snowmen?" "Snowpersons," cried a young woman, changing the subject before it veered dangerously toward religion.

Off to the side of the crowd, a Philistine was painting the Nativity scene. Mary complained that she and Joseph looked too tattered and worn in the picture. "Artistic license," he said. "I've got to show the plight of the haggard homeless in a greedy, uncaring society in winter," he quipped. "We're not haggard or homeless. The inn was just full," said Mary. "Whatever," said the painter.

Two women began to argue fiercely. One said she objected to Jesus' birth "because it privileged motherhood." The other scoffed at virgin births, but said that if they encouraged more attention to diversity in family forms and the rights of single mothers, well, then, she was all for them.

"I'm not a single mother," Mary started to say, but she was cut off by a third woman who insisted that swaddling clothes are a form of child abuse, since they restrict the natural movement of babies. With the arrival of 10 child advocates, all trained to spot infant abuse and manger rash, Mary and Joseph were pushed to the edge of the crowd, where arguments were breaking out over how many reindeer (or what mix of reindeer and seasonal sprites) had to be installed to compensate for the infant's unfortunate religious character.

An older man bustled up, bowling over two merchants, who had been busy debating whether an elf is the same as a fairy and whether the elf/fairy should be shaking hands with Jesus in the crib or merely standing to the side, jumping around like a sports mascot. "I'd hold off on the reindeer," the man said, explaining that the use of asses and oxen as picturesque backdrops for Nativity scenes carries the subliminal message of human dominance. He passed out two leaflets, one denouncing manger births as invasions of animal space, the other arguing that stables are "penned environments" where animals are incarcerated against their will. He had no opinion about elves or candy canes.

Signs declaring "Free the Bethlehem 2" began to appear, referring to the obviously exploited ass and ox.

Someone said the halo on Jesus' head was elitist. Mary was exasperated. "And what about you, old mother?" she said sharply to an elderly woman. "Are you here to attack the shepherds as prison guards for excluded species, maybe to complain that singing in Latin identifies us with our Roman oppressors, or just to say that I should have skipped patriarchal religiosity and joined some dumb new-age goddess religion?"

"None of the above," said the woman, "I just wanted to tell you that the Magi are here." Sure enough, the three wise men rode up. The crowd gasped, "They're all male!" And "Not very multicultural!" "Balthasar here is black," said one of the Magi. "Yes, but how many of you are gay or disabled?" someone shouted. A committee was quickly formed to find an impoverished lesbian wise-person among the halt and lame of Bethlehem.

A calm voice said, "Be of good cheer, Mary, you have done well and your son will change the world." At last, a sane person, Mary thought. She turned to see a radiant and confident female face. The woman spoke again: "There is one thing, though. Religious holidays are important, but can't we learn to celebrate them in ways that unite, not divide? For instance, instead of all this business about 'Gloria in excelsis Deo,' why not just 'Season's Greetings'?"

Mary said, "You mean my son has entered human history to deliver the message, 'Hello, it's winter'?" "That's harsh, Mary," said the woman. "Remember, your son could make it big in midwinter festivals, if he doesn't push the religion thing too far. Centuries from now, in nations yet unborn, people will give each other pricey gifts and have big office parties on his birthday. That's not chopped liver."

"Let me get back to you," Mary said.



21 December, 2003

"INSENSITIVE" TO EXPECT LAWFUL BEHAVIOUR FROM MUSLIMS?

Discriminations has a story that I find a bit too sickening to reproduce here. We are really asking for trouble if we pander to Muslim arrogance that way.


MORE CAMPUS "TOLERANCE"

Mike Adams has some good questions:

Communications Professors: Last week, the College Republicans appealed a decision to de-recognize them as an official student group. During their appeal, a professor called the president of the group "arrogant" and their advisor "paranoid." He shouted them down every time they tried to make an argument. He also used a condescending voice just like that guy in the movie "Office Space" (did you get the memo I sent you?). The professor has tenure and teaches, of all things, communications. So, which one is easier to get, a hunting license or a PhD in communications?

Adrien Lopez: Why did former Student Body President Adrien Lopez (hereafter A. Lo) ask me to leave the university because I frequently criticize the campus diversity movement? How can you promote diversity and tolerance by kicking someone off campus because they don't share your views?



20 December, 2003

VOODOO CORRECT TOO?

"Prosecutors in a trial in Miami complain that their seats and evidence boxes are being covered with voodoo powder. US District Judge Patricia Seitz has been shown a large quantity of the greyish dust which was dumped in what's believed to be a Santeria ritual. ... Veteran Assistant US Attorney Richard Gregorie said he respects all religions but is tired of getting his suit coats cleaned of powder residue."


THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS

Vdare has some good posts about the PC war on Christmas. Excerpts:

"Just last night, for example, a Russian-speaking reader pointed out that our photograph of the multilingual but Christmas-free Queens Post Office "Holiday Greetings Board" actually did contain a reference to Christmas, cunningly disguised in the Cyrillic alphabet....

It's OFFENSIVE. Tom Fleming, the ferocious editor of "Chronicles Magazine", put it best it in his powerful article "Taking the Kwannukah Out Of Christmas", when he denounced "the insulting and Christophobic 'Happy Holiday.'" That's the point. "Happy Holidays" is Christophobic. It insinuates that the religion that founded America is unfit to be mentioned -- even allusively, even though Christianity pervades the English language.... "



19 December, 2003

MORONIC CORRECTNESS

Opinion Journal reports: "Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Ala., has suspended 15-year-old Ysatis Jones, a sophomore, for a "major drug offense," the Birmingham News reports. The offense? She took ibuprofen for menstrual cramps. "It is harsh. I will admit that," Nez Calhoun, a Jefferson County School District spokeswoman, tells the paper. "If we don't have consequences for aberrations of the rule, then we never will get a handle on drugs in the school." "


FASCISTIC UNIVERSITIES -- USA STYLE

"In a recent Washington Times commentary (December 7, 2003), I used language suggesting that the tactics of campus diversity proponents sometimes resemble tactics the Nazis used during World War II. A recent letter to the editor by UNC-Wilmington professor Dick Veit (rhymes with spite) lends credence to the analogy.

The UNCW College Republicans (CRs) have recently been involved in a highly publicized conflict with the university administration. The controversy began when the CRs tried to limit their membership to Republicans. The university wanted to force them to admit Democrats. When the CRs refused to capitulate, they had their official group status revoked and had their funds frozen by the university......"

More from Mike Adams here



18 December, 2003

THE LAW IS NOW WHATEVER THE PC ELITE THINK IS A GOOD THING AT THE TIME

PP McGuiness on judicial activism: He notes that Australian High Court judge Kirby "goes further, attacking the critics of judicial activism and asserting that judges should not hesitate to make new law and overthrow old law on the basis of their own beliefs about what constitutes justice and human rights... He never faces up to the major complaint about his so-called reformation, that it removes any certainty about the law when a rule which evolved over hundreds of years, or an approach which has become relied upon over decades, suddenly becomes subject to unpredictable reversal on a retrospective basis" Sowell gives an American perspective on the same problem -- pointing out that a judge is now called "conservative" in the media if he sticks to applying the law instead of creating new law.


And some relevant satire: "Just moments after former Vice President Al Gore endorsed former Vermont Governor Howard Dean for President in Harlem yesterday, the Supreme Court overturned his endorsement by a 5-4 margin. The Court, finding the former Vice President's endorsement of Mr. Dean unconstitutional, transferred his endorsement to President George W. Bush instead. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice William Rehnquist said, 'There's really no explanation necessary -- we're the Supreme Court, and if you don't like it, you can stick it where the moon don't shine.'"



17 December, 2003

A MOST INCORRECT LADY

Suzanne Fields says feminists don't know what it's about: "It's not very hip to consider the plight of single women who yearn for something so old-fashioned as men, all male and very virile." I'll bet Suzanne has a lot more fun than the feminists!



16 December, 2003

BULL CONNOR AT U.S. COLLEGES

College Republicans have been engaging in guerrilla theater, dramatizing the unfairness of Affirmative Action by selling cookies at lower prices to favored groups:

Want to buy a cookie? If you are a white male, that'll be $1; for white females, 75 cents; blacks, 25 cents. The price structure is the message.

The response by colleges and universities is usually to find an excuse to shut down these satirical acts of free political speech, and even to blame the Republicans for acts of violence and vandalism against them!

This is consistent with the elite view in 2003, during which the Supreme Court, following the whims of Sandra Day (Bull) O'Connor, has twice demonstrated its support for this attitude. First, it enshrined racism in its new disguise of Required Actions of Colleges In Support of Multiculturalism® (abbreviated RACISM). More recently it upheld the Campaign Finance "Reform" Act's suppression of political speech.

At Fox (where else could this story be told?), Wendy McElroy tells the inspiring story of this latest civil rights trend, where young college students are being harassed and attacked by the modern Bull Conners who are still defending racial discrimination.

(also posted at Useful Fools)



CHRISTMAS SUPPRESSED

It is only a week and a half until Christmas but I have noticed hardly any sign of it anywhere this year. I used to enjoy hearing the wonderfully joyous carols of Christmas everywhere I went before Christmas but that all seems to have stopped -- or at least it has in my neck of the woods. The killjoys of political correctness will no doubt be delighted to have deprived so many of such a simple pleasure.


PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS UNDERWAY

David Limbaugh has some new examples:

"The first involves the Meriden Public Library in Meriden, Conn., which banned five paintings of Jesus Christ, not because they were blasphemous or disrespectful, and not even because of ludicrously exaggerated concerns over church/state interaction.

The images were disallowed under a policy that prohibits "inappropriate" and "offensive" fare. That's right: Jesus is offensive. Library officials were concerned that children might be disturbed by these images. What kind of mindset is it that sees offensiveness in portraits of the One who embodies pure love, and wholly ignores the egregious intolerance of those who want to ban them?

In the second example, the Supreme Court is about to hear a case concerning Northwest College in Kirkland, Wash., denying student Joshua Davey a $3,000 scholarship because he wanted to use it for the study of divinity. Thankfully the Bush administration is not infected with the anti-Christian virus. U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson pointed out that the denial of the scholarship shows a government bias against religion (the Christian religion).

The third example involves Islamic indoctrination in California public schools -- a subject also addressed in my book. Seventh-grade history students at Royal Oak Intermediate School in Covina, Calif., didn't just learn about Islam. They practiced the religion, by fasting to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The school clearly endorsed the religion: The teacher enticed students to participate by offering extra credit".



15 December, 2003

SCHOOLS SHOULD BE BODYGUARDS??

"Two hours before she would be stabbed to death during sixth period, a lawsuit contends, Ortralla Mosley complained to teachers at Reagan High School that her ex-boyfriend was becoming increasingly violent with her and that she was worried about her safety. That suit, filed in Austin last week, says school officials knew of Marcus McTear's violence with girls but were 'deliberately indifferent.' Now Ortralla's mother, Carolyn, is suing the Austin Independent School District for wrongful death under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sexual discrimination in public schools. She seeks $23 million in damages."

More here


Enid blighted again

The following story appeared in the Brisbane "Sunday Mail" on December 14th., 2003 but does not appear to be online anywhere

THE word police have struck again at Enid Blyton's tales of adventure and mystery that have delighted generations of children. Censors have ruled the names of three central child characters in "The Magic Faraway Tree", "The Enchanted Wood" and "The Folk Of The Faraway Tree" are offensive and changed them.

Bessie was axed because of connotations of black slavery. She is now Beth. Fanny and Dick have become Frannie and Rick to stop youngsters' suggestive giggles.

In other changes the word "girls" has been deleted from Mother's instruction: "You girls can put up a little bed for him." And "I say!" has been changed to "Hey!"

The stories by Britain's most prolific writer had earlier lost Gilbert the Golliwog, while Noddy no longer feels "queer" or climbs into bed with his pal Big Ears. Stephen Green, of Chorion, which owns the rights to Blyton's books, said: "This is not about being politically correct, but about making the characters relevant to today's consumers. It in no way alters the magic of Enid Blyton."



14 December, 2003

A PC ARMY

The new, politically correct British Army seems to be ready for everything except fighting a war. As "Spiked" asks: "Which British institution describes itself as a 'broad-based, diverse, people-oriented organisation', whose central aim is to 'develop network-enabled capabilities designed to achieve a range of strategic effects'; as a 'major provider of training and education', which 'makes a substantial contribution to the government's drive to raise standards of education and skills'; as an 'exemplary employer in improving the literacy, language and numeracy skills of its personnel'? An educational body, perhaps? Some local council?" Rather amazingly, it is the official decription of the British Army.


HAND-WRINGING ABOUT BRITISH YOUTH

"One in five 15-year-olds are obese, one in four are regular smokers, teenage drinking is on the increase, and as many as 60 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds admit to not using condoms. Dr Peter Maguire, deputy chairman of the BMA's Board of Science, told the BBC: 'The UK is facing a crisis in adolescent health... All the talk of a 'health timebomb', however, seems to be contradicted by statistics that show that fewer people die young than ever before" More here



13 December, 2003

NOW TUNA IS BAD FOR YOU

The Japanese must feel foolish. They eat tons of the stuff. And they eat it raw

"The federal government plans to warn pregnant women, nursing mothers and even those thinking of getting pregnant to limit their consumption of tuna as part of a broad advisory concerning the dangers of eating fish and shellfish with elevated levels of harmful mercury. A draft advisory from the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency cautions women of childbearing age as well as young children to limit their intake of tuna and other fish and shellfish ..."


A BIT OF SATIRE

"Researchers have concluded that nursery rhymes show a cynical disregard for injuries, particularly to children. Sarah Giles and Sarah Shea, from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, say Humpty Dumpty should have been put on a spinal board immediately after his big fall. In a satirical letter to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, they added the presence of all the King's men suggests a 'shocking lack of crowd control.'"



12 December, 2003

And Rich Lowry has some good sarcasm about "Holiday Trees"


CAROLS BY FLASHLIGHT??

PC oppression seems to be pervasive throught the English-speaking world now. I noticed that one of the suburbs near me is putting on a carols by flashlight celebration this year. That nasty hot wax from candles might burn someone, you see. So in future many kids will grow up without ever having been to carols by candle-light. I suppose it is lucky that there are still any carols at all. I rather suspect that songs such as "Rudolf the Red-nosed reindeer", "Frosty the snowman" and "Jingle Bells" -- which do not mention Christmas -- will be the main fare.


DIVERSITY? CALL THE COPS!

From Opinion Journal

"The Christian Science Monitor reports a "religious upsurge" among American college students: "Religion on campus--particularly evangelical groups . . .--is thriving these days, but it doesn't always find an easy home in the intellectual, secular world of higher education." Example:

Evangelism, intolerance of homosexuality and other lifestyles, and the "our way is the only way" version of Christianity can be awkward fits in secular higher education, with its increasingly inclusive culture. At the University of Chicago, the school was so nervous about an evangelical speaker that it called in the campus police. And a few years ago, Tufts University derecognized the local InterVarsity [Christian Fellowship] chapter--though the group was later reinstated--after a very public dispute when a lesbian student filed a discrimination charge against InterVarsity.

See what we mean about the perversity of the left? An "increasingly inclusive culture" is one that deals with disagreement by calling in the cops and shutting down groups whose views are deemed unacceptable"



11 December, 2003

A RARE WIN

"Three federal judges in Michigan now have ruled that school districts violated the free speech rights of students. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen said the Ann Arbor School District acted improperly in the case of a Roman Catholic student who wanted to express her views on homosexuality. The case is 'about tolerance of different, perhaps, 'politically incorrect' viewpoints in the public schools,' Rosen wrote."


ANOTHER PC BURDEN FOR THE TAXPAYER

A very kind-hearted lady I know (she works as a geriatric nurse) told me with some horror recently about the current rules governing institutionalized female subnormals in Australia. Apparently they are allowed to have babies if they show any recognition of what a baby is! Any ability to look after, provide for or bring up the baby is apparently not required.



10 December, 2003

Blogger.com is having one of their "Improvements" today -- with the usual disastrous results. Apologies to those who have logged on and found no new posts. The posts have been there but blogger.com have not been publishing them onto blogspot.


THE MUSLIM U.S. POSTAGE STAMP

"In response to an email about the Muslim holiday stamp, one well-meaning person wrote the following: "Christ set an example of tolerance and acceptance. Christ taught of loving thy neighbor. Christ taught of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and clothing the naked - he did not call them names and denigrate them. He embraced them and earned their respect."

This man was well-meaning, but ignorant of much of the Scripture that does not support his contentions. "Tolerance and acceptance"? He neither tolerated nor accepted the money changers when he drove them out of the Temple with a whip. "He did not call names and denigrate them." How about when he called the religious leaders of His day "hypocrites" and likened them to whitewashed graves? He didn't care about "earning their respect." He told the truth, and didn't care one bit whether His listeners liked it!

Well, here's some truth our politicians won't like even a little bit. The reissuing of a US postage stamp commemorating a Muslim religious holiday (EID) which celebrates the end of Ramadan was a dumb move that has infuriated millions of Americans. The stamp was first issued in September, 2001 just ten days before the World Trade Center bombings. By that time good old short-memory America had already forgotten the thousands of Americans murdered by Muslim terrorists in the first World Trade Center attack in 1993, Pan Am 103, the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the military barracks in Saudi Arabia, the American Embassies in Africa, and the bombing of the USS Cole (to name just a few).

Prior to 911 many Americans were buying the "Islam means Peace" lie and the first printing of the stamp went pretty much unnoticed. But to re-issue the stamp in post-911 America is a slap in the face to the family members of the thousands who died because Muslims thought it was "holy" to kill them. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Just one of the dozens of Internet polls on the subject asks that very question. When I checked the results earlier today 22,500 had responded. By a margin of almost three to one, Americans felt that re-issuing the stamp was a "slap in the face" of those bereaved families.....

As I write this there is a movement forming to remove Christmas as a national holiday! And in its place they choose to honor a religion whose stated goal is the destruction of America and all that it stands for!

Americans are banding together to vocally boycott this stamp at our Post Offices. Boycott leaders are encouraging patriots to not only refuse to buy the stamps, but to SPEAK OUT at the Post Office against this stupidity. That sounds terribly intolerant, doesn't it?

How about a deal, Muslims? We'll promise to be more "tolerant" if you stop killing us! Sounds fair to me"'

More here


ONLY CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS ARE INCORRECT

"If a Christmas tree can stand in a school's halls during the holidays, then a model of baby Jesus and his manger should also be welcomed, contends a Queens, NY, mother who is going to court to prove her point. Andrea Skoros sued the New York City public school system after being told her kids' Nativity scene could not be a part of the holiday display, although a Hanukkah menorah and the star and crescent representing Islam could be exhibited. A federal judge in Brooklyn Thursday held a procedural conference on the suit and Skoros hopes the ban will soon be overturned."

More here



9 December, 2003

A PERSPECTIVE ON POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

An old hand on the Australian intellectual and political scene tries to put political correctness into historical perspective. Excerpts:

Earlier this year a prominent American commentator, Paul Weyrich, published a desperate open letter - of some 1800 words - lamenting the hegemony in America of what he called Political Correctness. He sees American culture as literally approaching barbarism. He attributes this to what he calls Political Correctness His alternative name for it is Cultural Marxism - that is, Marxism without the economics but retaining the determination to destroy bourgeois morality and to enforce Correct values. For him and like-minded critics it is a pervasive, comprehensive and dangerous social movement...

What began as a liberal assault on injustice has come to denote, not for the first time, a new form of injustice... my hypothesis is that Political Correctness is a leftist distortion of liberalism.....

It is time to define Political Correctness a little more closely. Its first and preeminent characteristic is that it calls for the politicisation - one might say te transformation - of life. It wants political direction of all departments from, say, children's fiction to judicial judgments. No profession is exempt. All must meet a political test - of correct thinking and progress. Lawyers, accountants, doctors, scientists, novelists, journalists and businessmen must all pass it.

Liberals of earlier generations accepted unorthodoxy as normal. Indeed the right to differ was a datum of classical liberalism. The Politically Correctors do not give that right a high priority. It distresses their programmed minds. Those who do not conform should be ignore, silenced or vilified. There is a kind of soft totalitarianism about Political Correctness......

The Politically Correct are self-righteous in a quasi-religious spirit.. A sort of vanguard of enlightenment, they do not accept the judgment of voters (unenlightened) or consumers (selfish) and are prepared to impose reforms against the public will, You can't make an omelette', as someone used to say,' without breaking eggs.'

You create the wealth, they said to business, we will change the national identity....

But if the New Left and the counter-culture retreated, they still did not admit defeat. They simply became Politically Correct. This has become, not a greater but a more elusive threat to the free society than the earlier leftist movements. Communism and the USSR represented a clear and obvious danger. So did the New Left with its repressive violence. Political Correctness however insinuates itself and permeates society piously, incrementally, without always attracting attention.


I AM A VICTIM TOO! YEH!

Further to my post below saying that most people can be seen as victims now, it has occurred to me that I am a victim too. Two of my ancestors came to Australia chained up in the holds of convict ships. I even know the names of the ships concerned. Maybe I should start an orgaization called: "White scars of bondage". Sounds good! There's sure to be money in it!



8 December, 2003

WE ARE ALL VICTIMS NOW

"Expert victimologists estimate that 91.2 percent of people in North America and Europe now qualify as victims, at least in their own minds. This is because hurt feelings keep spreading, and 'society' keeps grinding us down. As the everyone's-a-victim movement continues to gain momentum, here are some notable victims of 2003 ..."

MORE SCHOOL ABSURDITIES THAT HURT KIDS

In Georgia, three students at Conyers Middle School -- two 13-year-olds and a 12-year-old--"have been accused of violating the state Controlled Substances Act after a plastic bag filled with parsley was found at the school," another AP dispatch reports. "We believe, because of the way the parsley was packaged, at least two of the students believed it was marijuana," Rockdale County Sheriffs Deputy Myra Pearrell tells the AP. The sheriffs department says this constitutes a violation of a law banning "possession of a counterfeit substance, a felony."

And in Louisiana, the Shreveport Times reports that "a student expelled from Parkway High for a year for having Advil, an over-the-counter pain reliever, will not be allowed to return to the school." The headline: "Bossier School Board Upholds Advil Expulsion." Too bad they didn't leave it up to the less bossy one. From Opinion Journal



7 December, 2003

RIDICULE CAN DEFEAT PC

That "affirmative action bake sale" at Texas A&M University seems to have succeeded in getting the point across. A&M president Robert Gates announced this week that his institution will not engage in racial discrimination, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows it to do so. From Opinion Journal


SOME VIDEOS OF PC "CELEBRITIES" AT WORK

In response to my post about the Hollywood "Hate Bush" event, a reader writes:

I wonder if the irony of their "Two minute Hate" is lost on these morons holding this event? Calling everyone they disagree with a nazi and calling the United States under Bush an Orwellian nightmare is so disingenuous because they seem to not realize that they can say whatever they want and arent put in jail for thoughtcrimes by government thugs while at the same time they harass and restrict the first amendment rights of anyone they disagree with.

Good link for an example of this would be the videos at Brain-Terminal.com



6 December, 2003

SUSPENDED FOR SINGING "JINGLE BELLS"

The following email from a mother in Adelaide, South Asustralia has just been passed on to me

I am a Mother of a 13 year old Australian boy. He is a loving & caring child. He is NOT a perfect child & in fact I am pretty sure only one of them has ever been born in over 2000 years BUT he IS generally respectful of adults & a polite young boy. I know he has both good & bad points BUT what has happened to him recently is absolutely ridiculous.

On Wednesday at lunchtime my son & 2 of his friends were told off for singing " Jingle bells " in the school hall way.It was free time & not lesson time. They had just come back from singing practice. In Australia as the rest of the world ,it is a pretty much a normal thing for kids to be excited at Christmas time. For heavens sake's they ARE kids AND are allowed to be happy & enjoy themselves.

It appears that about a month ago one Muslim child joined our school community & he is in the classroom next to my son & his friends.Well this child went up to my son in the hall & punched him in the stomach for singing Jingle Bells & then went to a teacher & said that the boys were offending his religious beliefs by singing Jingle bells. The Vice Principal was called & the 3 boys got into trouble ! In the meantime this boy said IF any of them sang Christmas songs again that he would "knife them".

Anyway my son & his friends were NOT singing an actual Christmas Carol ONLY a Christmas song - Jingle bells ! IF they wished to sing something like Silent Night or the First Noel it would have also been quite in their rights to.Australia's IS suppose to free- we are NOT the old Communist Russia after all.

Then on the Wednesday night what is usually expected to be our School Christmas Carols night turned out to be a Multicultural night.There was NOT one Christmas Carol sung. There was a short Japanese play,our kids doing a South Pacific dance performance & heaps of songs about Father Christmas.At one stage there was a song about snow in USA.There was an American flag on stage.No where in the whole night an Australian flag to be seen.IF it was truly a multicultural night AND we are in Australia shouldn't ALL different races of Australia be considered - including the white Anglo-Saxons ( the majority ) who where the 1st ones to settle in Australia after our native aborigines ?

The parents voiced their annoyance by refusing to sing the only 2 community Christmas carols which were " Santa Claus is coming to town" & " Rudolph the red nose Reindeer."

Our new principal has gone too far. For the past 11 1/2 years I have been on school council & we have always had actual proper Carols with a song book provided..It's been a friendly picnic type atmosphere with families sitting side by side with folding chairs, snacks & soft drinks in Eskies.This year we had it in the High school next door's hall.

Australia is basically a Christian country. When I go overseas my family & I try & learn some of the culture before we go so WE can respect their traditions & religion. If people of other countries are welcome with open arms into my country to live & raise their families should the majority NOT be shown the same respect by newcomers?

My son & my family ARE being discriminated against because we are white Anglo-Saxons.

I can NOT understand IF it is good enough for virtually every council area in Australia to have Community Christmas Carols then WHY can't our kids sing Christmas Carols at a school functions ,let alone a Christmas song in the school yard or hallway without being told off.

I am NOT saying people of ALL religions should NOT be free to express their beliefs BUT what about my son & OUR families beliefs & my son's friends. Are NOT OUR beliefs being trodden on? Why do WE as Australians who are a majority Christian nation have to be discriminated against & suffer & deny our beliefs ,culture & heritage because there is a vague possibility that it MAY offend a minority that have come to our great country to live. After all did they not probably come here to make a better life for themselves & their children ?

After the past couple of day's incidents I had a big talk to son about what is it to be born an Australian or a free citizen of ANY country. I spoke about freedom & democratic rights. I mentioned that as he knew already that his ancestors had fought in many wars for the freedom of their generation & future generations of their families to live in a free & democratic society. I reminded him of his Irish & English ancestors coming to Australia for better lives for themselves & their children.I told him no one including ANY teacher had the right to tell him he could NOT sing Christmas Carols OR Christmas songs - IF it was in his own time & in the school yard..I said IF anyone told him off for singing he was very politely to remind them that he WAS an Australian living in a free & democratic society & it was his right to celebrate Christmas.

Well my little talk proved to go against my son today - my son & 3 of his friends were suspended from school. It seems my son told his friends that they could sing IF they wanted to & that it WAS their rights as Australians. to do so. At lunch time in the playground they were having fun & singing Jingle bells. The one & only Muslim child who had threaten to "knife " the boys IF they sang again - complained to a teacher about having his religious beliefs offended. WHY could he NOT walk away ? He WAS out to cause trouble ! The teacher's came over & then the Vice- principal THEN it was a case of poor minority child - let's protect him. Why not a case of majority rules ?

I also have no idea how this family is surviving in Australia at the moment. You can NOT walk into any shopping centre without seeing Christmas trees,nativity scenes & having Christmas Carols blasted at you from every direction. Does this family not eat or go shopping for the 8 weeks we have Christmas in our shops ?

My family & I have travelled extensively overseas & every time we do we try to learn a little about the culture of where we are going.This way we know how to act & avoid offending. We wear appropriate clothes into temples & shrines & do not walk on offering in the street. IF it is good enough for US as Australians to do this then WHY can not people who come to Australia do the same thing ? I always thought THAT was how a democracy WAS supposed to work.

I think one of the most interesting things will be to see IF these teachers at school ARE REALLY going to stand up for these principles & give up their 6 weeks paid holidays - after all IF it is NOT the right thing to celebrate Christmas AS an Australian - should these teachers NOT be available to teach these children who do NOT celebrate Christmas.I am sure it would be hypocritical of them to take 6 weeks paid holidays at the tax payer's expense IF they will not let the majority of children in the school celebrate Christmas as their families presume they will.I think it will be a cold day in hell before they give up their paid holidays -after all they ONLY get about 12 weeks holidays a year when the average Australian worker gets 4 weeks.


EVEN PRIVATE PARTIES CANNOT BE INCORRECT

Some satirical hijinks at a private party are now being attacked by officials at Penn State University

Pictures posted on the personal Web site of College Republicans chair Brian Battaglia spurred a strong response from student groups and university officials yesterday, with some calling for his resignation. The photographs, taken at a private Halloween party at Battaglia's apartment, show multiple students in what Battaglia called "controversial or politically charged costumes," which included portrayals of Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Vice President Takkeem Morgan, an "oversodomized frat pledge," "sorostitutes," a "liberal hippie" and a member of the Ku Klux Klan....

University spokesman Bill Mahon sent a statement to Battaglia yesterday, calling for an official apology from him and others in the organization....

Covener said any university action against the College Republicans would most likely end up in court. "This was a private party. The university has no business regulating what goes on in somebody's apartment," he said.


SICK BRITAIN

Peter Cuthbertson reminds us of what 77 year-old Bill Clifford endured a couple of years ago. "A gentleman who fought in the Second World War for this country, his retirement was plagued by feral young hooligans taking out their aggression on anyone who dared to challenge their tyranny of misery. As they broke his windows and attempted to kick down his front door one day, he flung open his door in fury and scared them off with a replica handgun.

You can probably guess what happened next. The police who were so indifferent to the suffering he endured were suddenly right on the scene, and the poor man faced criminal charges for his desperate efforts. On the day of his court appearance, Mr Clifford, who had harmed no one and had never been in trouble with the law before, hanged himself rather than endure the shame of being treated like the criminals against whom he defended himself."


YOUR PHONE WILL PROTECT YOU??

"A 71-year-old man was arrested for firing a gun at three men beating up his 63-year-old friend, striking one of the men in the arm, deputies said. Melvin B. Spaulding held up his .22-caliber pistol and told the men to stop hitting and kicking his friend George Lowe. When they didn't listen, he fired the gun, Pinellas County Sheriff's spokesman Tim Goodman said. 'I'm sure he was concerned for his friend's safety...,' Goodman said. 'The use of a weapon to stop a confrontation is not the right way. He would have been better off calling 911.'"

Maybe this story of how a house burnt down while several emergency calls went unanswered tells us something.



5 December, 2003

MUTILATION IS CORRECT

From NRO

"Young women killed for dating. Limbs amputated for petty theft. Makeshift courts deciding the fates of members of local Muslim communities. The Western world has grown accustomed to hearing about the brutalities of Islamic law. However, these primitive practices are no longer limited to the remote tribal areas of Pakistan, the backward kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or oppressive, mullah-dominated Iran. Today, thanks in large part to a massive flow of immigration from Muslim countries, sharia law and medieval customs are becoming increasingly common in the heart of Christian Europe......

Multiculturalists and leftist defenders of uncontrolled immigration, uneasy when confronted with episodes of the brutal application of sharia in Europe's Muslim ghettoes, are quick to predict that these incidents will disappear once Muslims are wealthier and better integrated into Western society through marriage to native Europeans. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that these predictions will come true in the foreseeable future. Muslims in Europe account for the vast majority of those living under the poverty line, and Muslim neighborhoods are the poorest areas in nearly every European city. Furthermore, statistics show that the majority of European Muslims are not marrying indigenous Europeans but other Muslims, either from their country of origin or from within local Muslim communities.

Politically correct European politicians, ever mindful not to offend their newly arrived Muslim brethren, have done little to aid in the assimilation process. As a result, immigrants who settle in Europe's Muslim communities are often greeted with the same sharia-inspired mayhem that they left behind in their countries of origin. From England to Holland to Greece, many European Muslims have managed to segregate themselves from society at large and maintain harsh traditions ill-suited to the West. As the number of unassimilated Muslims grows and Europe's elites continue to remain silent, the ultimate victim may turn out to be Western civilization itself"

SOME HATE SPEECH IS OK

"A group of liberal Hollywood actors and political activists have planned a 'Hate Bush' event scheduled for Tuesday night at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the Drudge Report announced on Monday. An invitation to the 'Hate Bush 12/2 Event' was sent out by Laurie David, wife of Larry David, the creator of the hit 1990s NBC series 'Seinfeld.' The invitation states that this meeting is 'most important' to attend and will serve as a concerted effort by Hollywood liberals 'to prevent the advancement of the current extremist right wing agenda' being promoted by President George W. Bush."



4 December, 2003

INCOMPREHENSIBLE

From Opinion Journal

"If you think political correctness has gone mad in America, consider this story from England: "A prison officer was sacked for making an allegedly insulting remark about Osama bin Laden two months after the September 11 attacks," London's Daily Telegraph reports.

It seems Colin Rose "threw some keys into a metal chute at the prison gatehouse. When someone said it sounded as if he had thrown them so hard that they were going through the tray at the bottom of the chute, Mr Rose said: 'There's a photo of Osama bin Laden there.' "

Another prison officer "told him to be quiet because two Asian women wearing headscarves and an Asian man were at the window of the gatehouse. The investigation never discovered whether the visitors heard the comment." "I took offence at the comment," assistant governor Andrew Rogers told a tribunal hearing Rose's appeal of his dismissal. "If the visitors had heard the comment, they might have taken offence, too." Seems to us Rogers is the one who should be sacked for bigotry, since he apparently thinks all Muslims are terrorist sympathizers."

ANTI-GUN INSANITY IN AUSTRALIA

"A POLICE officer faced court yesterday charged over an incident in which he shot at a stolen car which tried to run over him. Fellow police are outraged by the decision to charge Detective Sergeant Shane Cribb, describing him as a top "thief catcher". The charges relate to an incident on January 2, 2001, when Cribb was an acting detective sergeant based at Burwood and was on a task force devoted to halting a series of ram-raid thefts which plagued Sydney's inner-west. ..."It's going to send out a bad message," said Cribb's friend and former officer Steve Amiet. "People should be able to rely on police to protect them - and in doing so they get charged," he said".

At least one bullet hit the driver. The injured man tried to flee but was arrested and taken to Royal Price Alfred Hospital. The injured man, Shannon Troy Johnston, aged 30, from Lane Cove, underwent surgery to remove the bullet. Johnston pleaded guilty to the break-and-enter and was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond, with conditions that he be supervised and undergo counselling

More here



3 December, 2003

MORE INTOLERANCE MASQUERADING AS TOLERANCE

From the WSJ

The Detroit News reports that the Gay-Straight Alliance at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School last year "held a forum titled "Homosexuality and Religion" that included six religious leaders--all of whom were chosen by students because the clerics believe homosexuality is not incompatible with religion. The district denied a request from student Elizabeth Hansen to include an opposing viewpoint." The name of the event? "Diversity Week." Hansen sued, claiming the event violated her First Amendment rights, and she looks likely to prevail, based on the News's account of a hearing last week:

U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen said Monday the district's decision to shun alternative points of view was "un-American" and twice compared the district's reasoning to that of Nazi Germany and other totalitarian regimes that were intolerant of dissent. "Isn't this what led to book-burning in Nazi Germany?" Rosen asked.

The comparison to Nazi Germany is perhaps a tad overwrought; Rosen might better have invoked Orwell, since demanding uniformity and calling it "diversity" is classic doublespeak.

AMAZING

Is any word now safe?

A BOY, 7, was scolded and forced to write "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again" after he told a classmate about his lesbian mother, the American Civil Liberties Union alleged yesterday.

Marcus McLaurin was waiting for recess at Ernest Gaullet Elementary School on November 11 when a classmate asked about Marcus' mother and father, the ACLU said in a complaint. Marcus responded he had two mothers because his mother is gay. When the other child asked for explanation, Marcus told him: "Gay is when a girl likes another girl," according to the complaint. A teacher who heard the remark scolded Marcus, telling him "gay" was a "bad word" and sending him to the principal's office. The following week, Marcus had to come to school early and repeatedly write: "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again."

More here



2 December, 2003

MICE ARE CORRECT NOW

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that under an animal-protection law signed by former governor Gray Davis, it is now technically illegal to set mousetraps in California without a trapping license, "available only by paying a fee ($78.50) and passing a fairly complex test." Can rodent suffrage be far behind?

Via the WSJ

THOUGHT CRIME

Orwell invented the word "thoughtcrime" in his novel "1984". The Left are catching up

Another dangerous trend is the whole issue of Hate Crime legislation. In a nutshell, legislators are asking judges and juries to read minds. If you perform an act because IN YOUR HEART you harbored hatred toward one individual who is part of a special protected class of society, you will be charged (and punished much more severely) because of what was supposedly in your heart or mind.

How stupid is that?!? Two men get into a fistfight in a parking lot because one took a parking space that the other wanted. As a former deputy sheriff I can tell you that all most cops want to do is make the minor incident go away. If no one is seriously injured, we would simply separate the two men with a warning. At most they might both spend a night in jail.

HOWEVER, if one of the men is a flaming homosexual who wears lipstick like Michael Jackson and claims that the other man called him a "queer", chances are good that the straight man will be arrested, even if there are no witnesses to the supposed "hate crime." What would have been a minor incident that happens every day in every city will now become a major court case that could land him in prison for years.

More here



1 December, 2003

EVEN RAPE CAN BE CORRECT -- IF MUSLIMS DO IT

Miranda Devine writes that, in response to recent convictions of Australian Muslims for rape, some Australian feminists have "asserted that the gang rape cases were "nothing but racist prosecutions" ...

This is how an influential part of Sydney's legal and media circles thinks; many, to their eternal shame, are women, for whom a politically correct stance on multiculturalism is more precious than feminist principles or the safety of young women and girls. It makes them uncomfortable to acknowledge the fact that young Muslim men have been roaming around Sydney gang raping non-Muslim women, or as the rapists like to say, "Aussie pigs" and "sluts" who ask for it. Despite the evidence, they refuse to acknowledge it, and that this same pattern has been occurring in other Western countries, notably France.

There have been attempts to smear as racist, journalists or media outlets which present these facts to the public. In March, the Anti-Discrimination Board published a carefully concocted 123-page smear pamphlet Race For The Headlines, about "moral panic" and "anti-Arab, anti-Muslim" bigotry in the media. It was just one of many attempts by ideologues to diminish the real and lasting suffering of the brave young women who testified in court and ensured that at least some rapists were locked away.

But the social problem behind the rapes hasn't gone away. Whatever makes a subsection of immigrant families in Sydney bring up their sons with such disregard for "Australian" or non-Muslim females remains"

More here


ANOTHER ABOLISHED WORD

From the WSJ. Note that Orwell predicted abolished words in "1984"

"Gonzaga University has reaffirmed the value of freedom of speech after unfairly disciplining a student group for posting fliers with allegedly 'discriminatory' language," the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education announces in a press release.

As we noted last month, the Young Americas Foundation chapter at the Catholic campus in Spokane, Wash., got in trouble for using the word hate--though it was merely citing the title of guest speaker Daniel Flynn's book, "Why the Left Hates America."

"Administrators chose to place a disciplinary letter in the group's file for using the words "the left hates" on the fliers, suggesting that that use of the word 'hate' was 'discriminatory' and might constitute 'hate speech.' " This presented administrators with a logical conundrum, since if the word hate is "hate speech," all they can say without running afoul of their own stupid rule is that it might constitute "speech."