Thursday, February 28, 2019

Noon-toon


Pinkerton: Why the People’s Republic of China Fears Religion�

Pinkerton: Why the People’s Republic of China Fears Religion�:
Image result for wikicommons images Christian Symbols
Perhaps that’s what the Chinese government fears most: the sort of spiritual and psychological transformation that undid Soviet communism.  Yes, the Beijing government possesses many tools of tyranny, including its new social credit system.  And yet no tool that the communists possess can get inside the human soul.
Thus the godless authoritarians—by turns, cruel toward their people and fearful of the future—are left to rage.
In the meantime, the faithful of all faiths, knowing that their greatest power is hidden in their own souls, might prayerfully hope that better days will come to China.

United Methodists Fracture: LGBTQ Plan Rejected - The Atlantic

United Methodists Fracture: LGBTQ Plan Rejected - The Atlantic:
  • The mainline denomination voted on Tuesday to toughen its teachings against homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and LGBTQ clergy. 
  • It must now decide whether it will stay together.
"The United Methodist Church has fractured over the role of LGBTQ people in the denomination. 
At a special conference in St. Louis this week, convened specifically to address divisions over LGBTQ issues, members voted to toughen prohibitions on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. This was a surprise: The denomination’s bishops, its top clergy, pushed hard for a resolution that would have allowed local congregations, conferences, and clergy to make their own choices about conducting same-sex marriages and ordaining LGBTQ pastors. 
This proposal, called the “One Church Plan,” was designed to keep the denomination together. Methodist delegates rejected its recommendations, instead choosing the so-called Traditional Plan, which affirmed the denomination’s teachings against homosexuality..."
Read all.

• Chart: The State Of The Unions | Statista

• Chart: The State Of The Unions | Statista:
"Trade union membership has experienced a significant decline in the United States.
Back in 1983, the membership rate was 20.1 percent and they fell to just 10.5 percent by 2018. Today, there is a significant difference on membership between states and a total of 29 (and the District of Columbia) have membership rates below that 10.5 percent average..."
Read on.Infographic: The State Of The Unions | Statista

#1 This day 1979-----Rod Stewart - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? (Official Video)

Respected Think Tank Shatters Michigan ‘Teacher Shortage’ Myth – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Respected Think Tank Shatters Michigan ‘Teacher Shortage’ Myth – Michigan Capitol Confidential:
  • Uncritical media has repeated this false teachers union claim

A well-respected research organization released a report this month refuting the often-stated claim in the media that Michigan has a teacher shortage.
See the source imageThe Citizens Research Council of Michigan published a 66-page report in February with the conclusion that available research does not support claims of a teacher shortage in Michigan’s public schools.
The report should serve as a sharp rebuke to a mainstream media that for at least two years has reported as fact that Michigan’s public schools are suffering from a teacher shortage.
Dozens of media outlets have published news reports repeating an alleged teacher shortage without questioning the narrative.
The list includes the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, MLive, the Herald-Palladium, the Cadillac News, WDIV-TV, the Daily Mining Gazette, Bridge Magazine, Michigan Radio, Detroit public TV, WDET and the Garden City Telegram, among others.
...The rationale for promoting a teacher shortage narrative is largely political..."
Read all!

Yup!


"Trust us, we're from the government"


Democratic Primary & Reparations: Not Serious Project | National Review

Democratic Primary & Reparations: Not Serious Project | National Review:

Image result for flickr commons images Kamala HarrisOne group of Democrats proposes something daffy, vague, and impractical, and another group of Democrats says, “Of course that’s daffy, vague, and impractical — but at least they started a conversation!” This is said in the tone kindergarten teachers use with toddlers who test the maxim that there is no such thing as a dumb question. It’s something to see: a political party condescending to itself.
None of the Democratic 2020 contenders currently talking up reparations for slavery is serious about the project. Those of them who are serious about anything are serious only about winning the party’s nomination and the role that flattering a small but influential congregation of left-wing intellectuals might play in that.

Deadline Detroit - Sacred Heart Seminary: Ground Zero for Catholic Abuse Scandal in Detroit

Deadline Detroit - Sacred Heart Seminary: Ground Zero for Catholic Abuse Scandal in Detroit
The author, a freelance writer and former Detroit Free Press reporter, attended Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit in the 1960s. 
By Michael Betzold
“If an investigator knocks on your door, ask to see their badge, not their rosary.”
That’s what Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told Catholics last week, warning them not to trust the church to self-police its abuse scandal. 
She said that, like Michigan State University investigating Larry Nassar, the Catholic Church is more interested in protecting itself than serving its flock. 
I share her suspicions.
Self-policing didn’t work well when I was a high school student boarding at Sacred Heart Seminary in the 1960s. 
Featured_sacred_heart_seminary_34555From the close of evening prayers until we sat down to breakfast in the refectory the next morning, Grand Silence was in force.
You were supposed to be praying for discernment about your vocation, not joking around with your classmates. 
Talking was punishable with demerits, and enough demerits could get you expelled. 
But any time the proctor was out of the dorm, teenage taunts and tricks would erupt. 
For some of the less pious among us, our seminary years were spent learning how to defy arbitrary rules that were enforced by a larger patriarchal code of Grand Silence.
I didn’t learn about what that code protected at Sacred Heart until decades later, when a close friend finally revealed that he’d been assaulted by a faculty priest during his senior year. 
He was not the only victim..."
Read all.

AM Fruitcake


History for February 28

See the source image
History for February 28 - On-This-Day.com
Linus Pauling 1901 - Nobel prize for chemistry in 1954, Nobel peace prize winner in 1962, Earl Scheib 1907, Charles Durning 1923 - Actor ("Spy Hard", "Dick Tracy", "The Hindenburg")
Image result for Linus Pauling QuotesImage result for Earl ScheibImage result for Charles Durning

Gavin MacLeod 1931 - Actor ("Love Boat", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"), Mario Andretti 1940 - Auto racer, twin of Aldo Andretti, Bubba Smith 1945 - Football player
Image result for Gavin MacLeodImage result for Mario AndrettiImage result for Bubba Smith

1854 - The Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI. About 50 slavery opponents began the new political group.
Image result for Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI.

1993 - U.S. Federal agents raided the compound of an armed religious cult in Waco, TX. The ATF had planned to arrest the leader of the Branch Davidians, David Koresh, on federal firearms charges. Four agents and six Davidians were killed and a 51-day standoff followed.
Image result for U.S. Federal agents Waco, TX Branch Davidians,

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Every Senate Presidential Hopeful Voted to Block Newborn Care

Image result for flickr commons images newborn handsEvery Senate Presidential Hopeful Voted to Block Newborn Care:

Every senator seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination voted to deny care to newborns who survive abortion.

The way we were-----Peter and Gordon - True Love Ways

Boob-tube-----Andy Griffith Don Knotts Gettysburg Address

Yes, ‘This Is America, 2019’ – American Greatness-By Victor Davis Hanson

Yes, ‘This Is America, 2019’ – American Greatness
"There have been so far about three general reactions to the concocted Jussie Smollett psychodrama.
See the source imageOne, and the most common, has been apprehension that Smollett’s lies will discredit future real incidents of hate crimes against gays and minorities. This could be a legitimate concern, given the tensions within a multiracial society.
Yet, in fact, there is no evidence in the past that false reports (some lists of such fake hate crimes put the number at around 400) have had such an effect—either on spiking real hate crimes, suppressing reporting, discouraging police investigations, or preventing even more race-crime hoaxes.
As Heather Mac Donald has recently once again noted, the 2017 upswing in reported hate crimes from the prior year may well be largely because an additional 1,000 police agencies were for the first time reporting such crimes. Mac Donald also notes that a “hate crime”—a micro percentage of reported violent crime—is narrowly defined not to include general interracial violent victimization, a category in which African-Americans on average commit 85 percent of such crimes..."
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From 2012...and still we are silent-----How Government Wrecked the Gas Can - Foundation for Economic Education

How Government Wrecked the Gas Can - Foundation for Economic Education:

  • A whole generation will come to expect these things to work badly.

"The gas gauge broke. 
There was no smartphone app to tell me how much was left, so I ran out. 
I had to call the local gas station to give me enough to get on my way. 
The gruff but lovable attendant arrived in his truck and started to pour gas in my car’s tank. 
And pour. 
And pour.
“Hmmm, I just hate how slow these gas cans are these days,” he grumbled. 
“There’s no vent on them.”
Who would make a can without a vent unless it was done under duress?
That sound of frustration in this guy’s voice was strangely familiar, the grumble that comes when something that used to work but doesn’t work anymore, for some odd reason we can’t identify.
I’m pretty alert to such problems these days. 
Soap doesn’t work. 
Toilets don’t flush. 
Clothes washers don’t clean. 
Light bulbs don’t illuminate. 
Refrigerators break too soon. 
Paint discolors. 
Lawnmowers have to be hacked. 
It’s all caused by idiotic government regulations that are wrecking our lives one consumer product at a time, all in ways we hardly notice..."
Read all.

Mark Levin: ‘We Need to Engage’ in Debate on Freebies, Taxes or ‘We’re Going to Lose This Country’

Mark Levin: ‘We Need to Engage’ in Debate on Freebies, Taxes or ‘We’re Going to Lose This Country’:

Image result for flickr commons images Mark Levin“The Democrat Party has gone so hard left that even liberals, in some cases, find it unrecognizable,” stated Mark Levin. “Free universal basic income. I forgot to mention the Green New Deal. Free health care; free college; family leave; reparations; 70-90 percent marginal tax rate; a value added tax on products and services; a wealth tax on that which you’ve already earned and created every year, they’ll take from it. We need to engage in this debate. We need to engage in this debate. We need to take them on, or we’re going to lose this country.”

Hate driving them to insane violence-----New Jersey officials say 81-year-old man was attacked for wearing MAGA hat

New Jersey officials say 81-year-old man was attacked for wearing MAGA hat
"An 81-year-old man was allegedly attacked in New Jersey by someone who confronted him for wearing one of President Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats.
Somerset County prosecutors said that the man was assaulted at a supermarket after being confronted by the alleged assailant over the hataccording to a local NBC affiliate.
The victim had minor injuries from the alleged attack and refused medical treatment, the outlet reported, citing local prosecutors.
The cap flashing Trump's signature slogan has fueled other altercations in recent years..."
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72 Media Mistakes in the Trump Era: The Definitive List | Sharyl Attkisson

72 Media Mistakes in the Trump Era: The Definitive List | Sharyl Attkisson
Wethe media have “fact-checked” President Trump like we have fact-checked no other human being on the planet—and he’s certainly given us plenty to write about. 
That’s probably why it’s so easy to find lists enumerating and examining his mistakes, missteps and “lies.”
 But as self-appointed arbiters of truth, we’ve largely excused our own unprecedented string of fact-challenged reporting. 
The truth is, formerly well-respected, top news organizations are making repeat, unforced errors in numbers that were unheard of just a couple of years ago.
Our repeat mistakes involve declaring that Trump’s claims are “lies” when they are matters of opinion, or when the truth between conflicting sources is unknowable; taking Trump’s statements and events out of context; reporting secondhand accounts against Trump without attribution as if they’re established fact; relying on untruthful, conflicted sources; and presenting reporter opinions in news stories—without labeling them as opinions. 
What’s worse, we defend ourselves by trying to convince the public that our mistakes are actually a virtue because we (sometimes) correct them. 
Or we blame Trump for why we’re getting so much wrong. It’s a little bit like a police officer taking someone to jail for DUI, then driving home drunk himself: he may be correct to arrest the suspect, but he should certainly know better than to commit the same violation.
So since nobody else has compiled an updated, extensive list of this kind, here are:

72 Notable Mistakes and Missteps in Major Media Reporting on Donald Trump

1. Aug. 2016-Nov. 2016:

The New York Post published modeling photos of Trump’s wife Melania and reported they were taken in 1995. Various news outlets relied on that date to imply that Melania—an immigrant—had violated her visa status. But the media got the date wrong. Politico was among the news agencies that later issued a photo date correction..."
Keep reading.
NEVER trust the hate-driven, liberal media.

Lunch video-----The Politician Behind California High Speed Rail Now Says It's 'Almost a...

Noon-toon


Planned Parenthood: 'There's No Such Thing' As Infanticide. Lila Rose: WRONG. | Daily Wire

Planned Parenthood: 'There's No Such Thing' As Infanticide. Lila Rose: WRONG. | Daily Wire:

Image result for flickr commons images capital hillDemocrats just went on record as pro-infanticide.
Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion mill, quickly came out to spin the ghoulish optics for Democrats, chalking up the no-vote as a “win” for women.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the abortion company’s leader, Leana Wen, issued tweets suggesting there is no such thing as born-alive survivors of abortions or even late-term abortions.
“There is no such thing as abortion until or after birth,” reads the Planned Parenthood tweet.

Siren companies contribute to politicians...BIG TIME-----Noise-weary New York ponders a gentler, European-style siren

Noise-weary New York ponders a gentler, European-style siren
See the source imageNEW YORK — If two New York City lawmakers get their way, the long, droning siren from police cars, fire trucks and ambulances that has been part of the city's soundtrack for generations — WAAAAAhhhhhhh — would be replaced by a high-low wail similar to what's heard on the streets of London and Paris — WEE-oww-WEE-oww-WEE-oww.
Their reasons for the switch: The European-style siren is less shrill and annoying and contributes less to noise pollution.
..."Europeanizing" New York sirens would not change the decibel level — still topping out at roughly 118 — but would lower the frequency and thus make the sirens less shrill but still ear-catching enough to grab attention.
...If approved in a council vote —which has yet to be scheduled— the legislation would require sirens on all emergency vehicles to transition within a two-year period..."
Read all.

California Professor Believes Cops Should Be Killed - Law Officer

California Professor Believes Cops Should Be Killed - Law Officer:
"I first heard about a UC Davis professor who thinks cops should be killed late in Fall Quarter. 
There were murmurings in the newsroom about his in-class discussions, and rumors of how the professor had given an interview that advocated for violence against law enforcement. 
It bothered me, but I assumed that what I heard was typical hearsay and likely exaggerated. 
I wasn’t shown anything concrete; there were no words to read, no sound-bites to parse over. 
The story seemed too extreme to be believed, because only the intellectually dishonest would even broach such blanketed and violent sentiments — certainly not a highly-regarded professor at a top public university. 
But I kept the rumors at the back of my mind.
The killing of Natalie Corona changed everything. 
Corona, an up-and-coming Davis police officer who was gunned down last month, was the type of person who makes labeling all law enforcement as “bad” a simple exercise in fallacy..."
Read all.

#1 This day 1964-----The Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand - Performed Live On The Ed Sulliv...

“Smollett has shown that the most absurd narratives imaginable will continue...

Instapundit  Blog Archive  VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: 
“Smollett has shown that the most absurd narratives imaginable will continue to gain credence because they fill a deep psychological, cultural—and, yes, careerist—need for millions in the country to believe that 

  • hate crimes are epidemic, 
  • that they are the currency of the Right, and 
  • that they can only be addressed by more government scrutiny of a particular class of victimizers such as the 
Duke Lacrosse team, 
the Covington kids, or 
Smollett’s mythic red-hatted Trump racists.”---Posted by Glenn Reynold"

There ain't much edjakatin' goin' on there.


PayPal CEO Admits Partnership with Far-Left SPLC to Blacklist Conservatives | Breitbart

PayPal CEO Admits Partnership with Far-Left SPLC to Blacklist Conservatives | Breitbart:
Image result for flickr commons images PayPal Logo
PayPal CEO Dan Schulman admitted during an interview with the Wall Street Journal that PayPal works with the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) when it considers blacklisting conservatives.

Bring Back the Golden Fleece! | Power Line

Bring Back the Golden Fleece! | Power Line
"Back in the days when some Democrats actually cared about government waste, Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin became famous for his “Golden Fleece” award, which exposed absurd federal spending boondoggles. 
Since then, the government’s hemorrhaging of our tax dollars has only gotten worse.
The same thing is going on at the state level. 
Democrats consider all spending, no matter how stupid, to be an “investment” and therefore desirable. My home state of Minnesota is even worse than most, which is why our State Arts Board hands out an unbelievable amount of money to “artists” for just about anything. 
In 2018, the Arts Board gave Jim Denomie a $10,000 grant:
Denomie will create a series of large paintings in response to Standing Rock and other contemporary events from a Native American perspective.
“Standing Rock” refers to left-wing protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline..
In any event, Mr. Denomie has now produced his Standing Rock painting. 
It was hailed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune
This is it; click to enlarge:
The painting is so poorly executed that it is hard to tell what is going on. 
We know that it depicts President Trump groping Lady Liberty only because the Strib’s news story tells us so. 
The painter is so inept that he can’t render a recognizable image of Donald Trump, one of the most easily recognizable people in the world. 
Similarly, the news story tells us that “Barack Obama is portrayed as a sitting duck.” 
Can you find him? 
My only candidate is a guy who appears to be seated on a toilet and bears little apparent resemblance to Obama. 
Is he a “sitting duck”? 
Beats me.
The real question, of course, is why Minnesota’s taxpayers should be forced, against their will, to support inept left-wing artists...
This particular painting is not alone, of course. The Minnesota State Arts Board also approved contributions like these:
Rosy Simas, Minneapolis $9,875
“Weave” honors the interwoven, interdependent nature of our world in an intersectional Indigenous dance project that envelops the audience in an immersive experience of story, dance, moving image, and quadrophonic sound.
***
Deborah Thayer, Saint Paul $10,000
Thayer will choreograph “All Hail the Queen,” using somatic explorations to unearth experiences of the female voice and vagina. The piece will be presented as an evening length dance installation in Minneapolis.
***
Cecilia M. Cornejo, Northfield $10,000
In collaboration with the Mexican community of Northfield. Cornejo will complete Ways of Being Home, a poetic documentary that addresses issues of marginalization and belonging as experienced by that community.
This one is hilarious:
Jason Coyle, Minneapolis $10,000
Coyle will complete and distribute the documentary short Charlie, Bella, Cooper, which examines the deaths of three domestic pets whose lives were ended by law enforcement.
Furry lives matter! The list goes on and on, this is just a sampling:
Diana M. Fraser, Saint Paul $10,000
Across the course of the 2017-2018 project year, I will produce a broadcast length documentary about queer women’s access to safe medical spaces in the Twin Cities.
Some of the grants make no sense. 
See if you can figure out what this is all about:
Jennifer Glaws, Mound $10,000
Glaws will exhibit The Collectiveness (Of Ourselves), an interactive, multimedia performance installation investigating acts of belonging. A work in progress presentation will be shown at the Art Attack event in the Northrup King Building...
Cello concerts “reflecting global racial injustice and genocide”
Seriously?..."
Incredibly, there is more.
Much more.
Read all.