View Full Version : thwarts to intellectual freedom everywhere
iris lilies
9-15-22, 3:09pm
Here on this thread we can note the instances of governmental censorship carried out by President Joe Biden and his minions, and in other places where freedom of expression SHOULD ring but does not seem to.
The egregious error of setting up a Ministry of Truth ( Department of Misinformation) backfired when hilariously, it was found the woman appointed to head it up pushed her own conspiracy theories. What a dunderheaded move. That effort was quickly retracted.
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/3472878-joe-bidens-ministry-of-truth/
Last week we learned that the White House, in trying to establish Facts and Truths, pressed .twitter to cancel Alex Berenson, a journalist who reports on, among other things, Covid news. Many of his reports are not to the liking of The White House.
Berenson plans to sue the government. I can’t see how that will end well for him, but who knows.
https://www.outkick.com/alex-berenson-posts-emails-that-show-biden-administration-pressuring-twitter-to-ban-him/
I liked the quote from AOC about being factually correct versus morally right.
littlebittybobby
9-16-22, 11:27am
A guy named "Joe" didn't get into the Oval Office by chance. He's just a Josef, re-invented. See the toothy smile; plus he's much taller than the original Joe, and has ditched the "support our troops" rhetoric, & loves on everybody he can. Yup. See Photos. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.48324833
One could conclude that the government cannot be trusted to tell the truth, regards of which party. However, the big lie and climate denial are hard to top.
iris lilies
9-16-22, 1:51pm
One could conclude that the government cannot be trusted to tell the truth, regards of which party…..
Yes. To determine The Truth. Not the government’s job.
This is exactly why Government censorship is creepy regardless of the party carrying it out.
If you take an issue, like the big lie for example, at some point a person has little choice but to trust one branch of the government or another to say what is true. Or we can trust the mainstream media or social media. An actual department of truth or what ever raises suspicions by it's very existence.
ApatheticNoMore
9-16-22, 2:49pm
The mainstream media has generally been more reliable than the government. Not saying anything is perfectly reliable. Social media? Maybe, if you have a lot of ability to mentally filter information. Many people seem to lack that ability though so it's not going to work.
iris lilies
9-16-22, 3:16pm
If you take an issue, like the big lie for example, at some point a person has little choice but to trust one branch of the government or another to say what is true. Or we can trust the mainstream media or social media. An actual department of truth or what ever raises suspicions by it's very existence.
I am not sure what the big lie is but Imthink you mean Trump’s claim of a stolen election. I have to look up most of these things. Just yestersay I was laughing to myself about the “Dark Brandon” reference going around, me thinking it refered to his Reich-like setting for his speech last week. But I am wrong, apparently “Dark Brandon” is a POSITIVE characterization of our President, hunh who knew.
but getting off track here. Yes I *DO* want to believe government most of the time and in fact DO believe it most of the time for most of what it says on most topics. Or let’s say I believe any government talk is true from their point of view. I may not always buy i to their point of view.
frugal-one
9-16-22, 3:37pm
Here on this thread we can note the instances of governmental censorship carried out by President Joe Biden and his minions.
The egregious error of setting up a Ministry of Truth ( Department of Misinformation) backfired when hilariously, it was found the woman appointed to head it up pushed her own conspiracy theories. What a dunderheaded move. That effort was quickly retracted.
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/3472878-joe-bidens-ministry-of-truth/
Last week we learned that the White House, in trying to establish Facts and Truths, pressed .twitter to cancel Alex Berenson, a journalist who reports on, among other things, Covid news. Many of his reports are not to the liking of The White House.
Berenson plans to sue the government. I can’t see how that will end well for him, but who knows.
https://www.outkick.com/alex-berenson-posts-emails-that-show-biden-administration-pressuring-twitter-to-ban-him/
The article you referenced is just an opinion...
I think the government should have a place to check for misinformation. All the stupid conspiracy theories that people are gullible to believe should have a place to be verified. And, no, facebook does not cut it... as someone else mentioned. trump really screwed up this country. Now people are wary to believe anything... as Hitler did to the media in Germany starting in 1934.
ApatheticNoMore
9-16-22, 3:38pm
I suspect the lighting was deliberately playing up the dark Brandon memes, even though they say it was a lighting error. Anyone making a big deal out of that needs something better to do.
I suspect the lighting was deliberately playing up the dark Brandon memes, even though they say it was a lighting error. Anyone making a big deal out of that needs something better to do.
I don't think it was an error, someone devised it to set a tone. It just didn't work as intended.
ToomuchStuff
9-16-22, 4:43pm
Here on this thread we can note the instances of governmental censorship carried out by President Joe Biden and his minions.
The egregious error of setting up a Ministry of Truth ( Department of Misinformation) backfired when hilariously, it was found the woman appointed to head it up pushed her own conspiracy theories. What a dunderheaded move. That effort was quickly retracted.
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/3472878-joe-bidens-ministry-of-truth/
Last week we learned that the White House, in trying to establish Facts and Truths, pressed .twitter to cancel Alex Berenson, a journalist who reports on, among other things, Covid news. Many of his reports are not to the liking of The White House.
Berenson plans to sue the government. I can’t see how that will end well for him, but who knows.
https://www.outkick.com/alex-berenson-posts-emails-that-show-biden-administration-pressuring-twitter-to-ban-him/
Probably not well on Twitter (TOS, not free speech), however if they caused actual press to stop carrying him, he might have a case.
I liked the quote from AOC about being factually correct versus morally right.
Yes. To determine The Truth. Not the government’s job.
This is exactly why Government censorship is creepy regardless of the party carrying it out.
Nor is determining morals, IMHO.
iris lilies
9-16-22, 5:59pm
The article you referenced is just an opinion...
Of course it’s an opinion. I linked an article just to refresh everyone’s memory as to what the Department of Misinfornation was. I could link to a straight news article about the Department of Misinformation but it’s not going tell you if it was a good thing or a bad thing if it is decent journalism, you have to make up your mind on that one. Unless you want to take President Joe Biden‘s view of it.
I think the government should have a place to check for misinformation. All the stupid conspiracy theories that people are gullible to believe should have a place to be verified. And, no, facebook does not cut it... as someone else mentioned. trump really screwed up this country. Now people are wary to believe anything... as Hitler did to the media in Germany starting in 1934.
I can see that in your world because you are a black-and-white thinker, there is an easy way to identify something as Truth or Not Truth. Good for you! I think life must be easier in binary land.
frugal-one
9-17-22, 7:38pm
IL ...At least I am a thinker. You say you respect someone's opinion so you don't do the due diligence to check the facts but just take their word for it. You repeatedly say you haven't checked stuff out... but voice an opinion. You take others opinions as facts.
iris lilies
9-18-22, 12:13pm
IL ...At least I am a thinker. You say you respect someone's opinion so you don't do the due diligence to check the facts but just take their word for it. You repeatedly say you haven't checked stuff out... but voice an opinion. You take others opinions as facts.
I like hearing smart people expound on one topic and analyze it. That is their opinion And yes, I value that exercise.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 9:35am
Tulsi Gabbard has left the Democratic Party.
Too bad, a sane voice that could have tempered some of the problematic issues of her former party. Lack of respect for free speech was one problem she named with the Democratic Party.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 9:59am
I will expand the scope of this thread to include all instances of thwarting intellectual freedom. While it may be stretching a bit that theme, I will include instances of legacy media failing to deliver responsible reporting of events.
to that end:
You all may remember the hot topic story last year where Canadian officials discovered 100+ bodies of Native American children in a mass grave. That was a news story that consumed mainstream media for the required 3 days.
As it turns out, that was not true. Fake News if you will. And the journalist who diligently pursued the story has been blacklisted and canceled. It is important to note this reporter knows the subject area well, the poor treatment of Native Americans in earlier decades in Canada. He’s knowledgeable and sympathetic to that plight. He says it does not help anyone’s cause to make up stories as this was made up.
https://quillette.com/2022/07/22/how-fake-news-in-the-new-york-times-led-to-a-canadian-social-panic-over-unmarked-graves/
p.s. The original story of the mass grave was carried in the New York Times. Even if we dump by their point of you, I thought we were supposed to be able to count on them for facts. I guess not.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 10:18am
Central Park Karen…remember her? The woman who called the cops on the guy who asked her to leash her dog in Central Park?
our friends at CNN/MSNBS/NPR etc. left out MANY points of context which include:
*dogs ARE allowed off leash in Central Park at certain times of the day (but apparently not in this specific area?)
* The woman had health problems which made her extra careful about approaching humans in the six week period after Covid hit. Remember that in New York City people were dying all over the place and they were ramping up the fear factor pretty hard there
* her phone call to policeman sounds increasingly hysterical, labeled “performative” by main stream media. But the inside story is that her phone was breaking up and the police dispatcher could not hear her, which is why she kept shouting louder and louder into her phone
* the man showed threatening postures toward her and her dog, including him luring her log with a dog biscuit.
* the man immediately changed his tone of voice to that of scared victim in asking her to stay away from him (yet he is luring her dog toward him, to what end? ) when he began recording
And the sealer of the deal:
*the man who was birdwatching and who asked her to leash her dog has had several altercations with dog walkers, including a physical altercation resulting in a police report of assault; a local newspaper reporter talked with several others who experienced his threatening presence in the park in the same circumstances
The man has since proudly stated he started off the year of racial protests in 2020, his incident and the death of George Floyd were twins.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 10:26am
Tired of being manipulated yet by mainstream media?
I know that the few times I delve into one tiny issue being blasted all over Mainstream media, I find reasonable alternative explanations for what was supposed to have happened. I have no time in my life to devote to looking deeply into the thousands of news stories that cross our path, especially the hot topic ones of the day. But my experience in deep dives tell me, it is not always (or even often?) as it appears from mainstream media’s portrayal.
frugal-one
10-14-22, 11:15am
Sounds to me like you bought into the "fake news" propaganda. As you know, a ploy of Hitler. Sure there are always stories that are exaggerated. In recent memory Brian Williams did such and was canned.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nbc-news-anchor-brian-williams-suspended-6-months-without-pay/
I have had occasion to take a bit of offense to the mainstream media and it's liberal presentation of certain issues, but not all, in a more general sense. They are more than offset by radio talk show hosts.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 11:26am
I have had occasion to take a bit of offense to the mainstream media and it's liberal presentation of certain issues, but not all, in a more general sense. They are more than offset by radio talk show hosts.
Free yourself from tyranny of broadcast, and listen to podcasts. There’s some very goid Podcasters out there, trying sincerely to bring rational reality to reporting of events and balancing out mainstream media.
catherine
10-14-22, 11:47am
Free yourself from tyranny of broadcast, and listen to podcasts. There’s some very goid Podcasters out there, trying sincerely to bring rational reality to reporting of events and balancing out mainstream media.
I agree 100%
iris lilies
10-14-22, 12:13pm
Sounds to me like you bought into the "fake news" propaganda. As you know, a ploy of Hitler. Sure there are always stories that are exaggerated. In recent memory Brian Williams did such and was canned.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nbc-news-anchor-brian-williams-suspended-6-months-without-pay/
I welcome your discussion of either of the two hot topic new stories I referenced above. Specific discussion where you bring in facts you believe to be correct.
I wonder how many people listened to Alex Jones’ podcasts? Those people were getting such great information that he now has a nearly one billion dollar defamation judgement against him.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 12:17pm
I wonder how many people listened to Alex Jones’ podcasts? Those people were getting such great information that he now has a nearly one billion dollar defamation judgement against him.
Alex Jones is not one of the Podcasters who sincerely attempts to bring rational discussion to world events.
Alex Jones is not one of the Podcasters who sincerely attempts to bring rational discussion to world events.
I imagine at least some of his listeners would strenuously disagree with you.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 12:34pm
I imagine at least some of his listeners would strenuously disagree with you.
iris: attempts reasonable, rational Discussion about reasonable, rational Podcasters
jp: advocates Alex Jones in the discussion
Iris: pretends that everyone in the world is as capable of deducing who is a rational podcaster and who isn’t.
Jp: points out that that isn’t the case.
Iris: gets annoyed.
JP now: if everyone was as capable of rational thought in determining what is real and what is fake news there would not have been a dude with a gun showing up at the pizza parler in DC to save the children in the nonexistent basement. (Another of shitbag podcaster Jones’ lies).
I know someone who is an honest-to-goodness Flat Earth podcaster. He has lots of followers, and the whole thing does not appear to be a joke. They actually believe the Earth is flat (well, it's more complicated than that, but...), and reinforce each others' beliefs.
There are some things we clearly didn't think through enough when we invented the Internet.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 12:57pm
Iris: pretends that everyone in the world is as capable of deducing who is a rational podcaster and who isn’t.
Jp: points out that that isn’t the case.
Iris: gets annoyed.
JP now: if everyone was as capable of rational thought in determining what is real and what is fake news there would not have been a dude with a gun showing up at the pizza parler in DC to save the children in the nonexistent basement. (Another of shitbag podcaster Jones’ lies).
aw jp, I gotta love you ‘ cause you make me laugh.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 1:00pm
I know someone who is an honest-to-goodness Flat Earth podcaster. He has lots of followers, and the whole thing does not appear to be a joke. They actually believe the Earth is flat (well, it's more complicated than that, but...), and reinforce each others' beliefs.
There are some things we clearly didn't think through enough when we invented the Internet.
Yes, and as one of my jobs at the library was heading up Interlibrary Loan service, I can tell you that our copy of “We Never Went to the Moon” was constantly out on interlibrary loan to other libraries across the country.
So it ain’t just the Internet, baby.
So it ain’t just the Internet, baby.
I think the problem is that the Internet lets people with extremely niche interests find each other, and share their interests.
Our local crazy "sovereign citizens" group likely wouldn't have gained any traction without the Internet.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 1:28pm
I think the problem is that the Internet lets people with extremely niche interests find each other, and share their interests.
Our local crazy "sovereign citizens" group likely wouldn't have gained any traction without the Internet.
that is true and is the wonder and the horror of the web.
participating in a tiny forum or two on the monster of crazy, Reddit, I DO appreciate the ability to meet other like minded people and to feed and tease our obsessions.
There are some things we clearly didn't think through enough when we invented the Internet.
Al Gore certainly didn't anticipate the directions it has taken.
I don't listen to news podcasts and I'm sure there are good ones, but feel like I can get along fine with mainstream news. Some things are worth digging into a little and there's not a perfect news source. Or at least one that agrees with all of my opinions. Some news is worth ignoring. I do occasionally catch BBC world news in the evening and have streamed al jazeera in the past. It's interesting to get a point of view from an outside source.
Al Gore certainly didn't anticipate the directions it has taken.
I was at the first Interop event, and worked on the NCP->TCP transition, and did one of the first from-the-specs implementations of IP/TCP to verify the specs were adequate. I do not recall seeing Al at any of these events, or any of our IETF meetings, but perhaps he didn't have a jet yet so it was difficult to attend.
iris lilies
10-14-22, 3:09pm
Iris: pretends that everyone in the world is as capable of deducing who is a rational podcaster and who isn’t.
Jp: points out that that isn’t the case.
Iris: gets annoyed.
JP now: if everyone was as capable of rational thought in determining what is real and what is fake news there would not have been a dude with a gun showing up at the pizza parler in DC to save the children in the nonexistent basement. (Another of shitbag podcaster Jones’ lies).
JP, the logical extension of your argument is that we deny all sources of information to those who cannot process that information adequately. And by “adequately” I mean a way that meets with your approval. That probably means coming up with conclusions you agree with.
Perhaps you do in fact think that all information should be run through the Ministry of Truth?
I was at the first Interop event, and worked on the NCP->TCP transition, and did one of the first from-the-specs implementations of IP/TCP to verify the specs were adequate. I do not recall seeing Al at any of these events, or any of our IETF meetings, but perhaps he didn't have a jet yet so it was difficult to attend.
Of course I was just joking about Al Gore, but thanks for helping with that. I saw a sci-fi film where sometime a few decades ago the world was split into two parallel worlds. One had the internet, cell phones, etc just like now. The other advanced but never developed that technology. The world with out internet was not a good place to live. Although I'm not convinced the it's evils may catch up with us one day, it was an interesting premise to think about.
frugal-one
10-14-22, 4:26pm
I welcome your discussion of either of the two hot topic new stories I referenced above. Specific discussion where you bring in facts you believe to be correct.
Truthfully, I did not bother to read the long post.
frugal-one
10-14-22, 4:28pm
Alex Jones is not one of the Podcasters who sincerely attempts to bring rational discussion to world events.
I don't listen to tv that has hosts giving their opinions either. Who cares? Make your own decision.
frugal-one
10-14-22, 4:31pm
Al Gore certainly didn't anticipate the directions it has taken.
I don't listen to news podcasts and I'm sure there are good ones, but feel like I can get along fine with mainstream news. Some things are worth digging into a little and there's not a perfect news source. Or at least one that agrees with all of my opinions. Some news is worth ignoring. I do occasionally catch BBC world news in the evening and have streamed al jazeera in the past. It's interesting to get a point of view from an outside source.
I do the same. It is interesting to check out BBC ... a look at how the world views us and sometimes hearing about things here that are not televised.
I don't listen to tv that has hosts giving their opinions either. Who cares? Make your own decision.
I thought you were a big Maddow fan?
I do the same. It is interesting to check out BBC ... a look at how the world views us and sometimes hearing about things here that are not televised.
For real fun, check out Pravda:
https://english.pravda.ru/
frugal-one
10-14-22, 4:53pm
I thought you were a big Maddow fan?
Interesting facts....
Maddow has explained that she is in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower-era Republican party platform.
In January 2008, she became a political analyst.
Maddow has stated that her show's mission is to increase the amount of useful information in the world. She often begins a broadcast with a lengthy and in-depth monologue that sometimes lasts up to 24 minutes. She researches history and shows how it has shaped today's world. If this is considered opinion, then I am guilty as charged.
Among Rachel's several books, her New York Times Bestseller, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, was published in 2012. It's about the role of the military in postwar America.
JP, the logical extension of your argument is that we deny all sources of information to those who cannot process that information adequately. And by “adequately” I mean a way that meets with your approval. That probably means coming up with conclusions you agree with.
Perhaps you do in fact think that all information should be run through the Ministry of Truth?
And perhaps you think everyone is entitled to their own truth. The logical (and actual) result of that is 300 people running for office who think (or at least state publicly) that they think the seditionist head of the Republican Party actually won the last election.
frugal-one
10-14-22, 4:56pm
For real fun, check out Pravda:
https://english.pravda.ru/
"fun"... that is heavy stuff!
iris lilies
10-22-22, 1:53pm
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p-c2eUltH58
I enjoyed Bill Mahr’s piece about cancel culture “Explaining Jokes to Idiots.” In it he offers a sobering comment about how George Carlin stopped performing at mainstream venues and for homogenized audiences so that he could truly be himself and offer real truths to his audiences.
You know where Carlin went to do this comedy? college Campuses. And now they are the center of wokeness, the least tolerant of audiences.
edited to add: Mahr said. “ Kids once went to college to lose their virginity. Now they go there to lose their sense of humor.”
to anyone who thinks cancel culture is not real, you are not paying attention. The canaries in the coal mine are professional comedians who have their gigs canceled, their material constrained, their livelihood affected. As Mahr said we should require a moment of silence in our society for the loss of insightful jokes because the number of off-limit subjects deemed offensive is growing exponentially.
iris lilies
10-22-22, 2:07pm
Interesting facts....
Maddow has explained that she is in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower-era Republican party platform.
In January 2008, she became a political analyst.
Maddow has stated that her show's mission is to increase the amount of useful information in the world. She often begins a broadcast with a lengthy and in-depth monologue that sometimes lasts up to 24 minutes. She researches history and shows how it has shaped today's world. If this is considered opinion, then I am guilty as charged.
Among Rachel's several books, her New York Times Bestseller, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, was published in 2012. It's about the role of the military in postwar America.
Of course it is opinion work Maddow offers.
Also, she is not a trained journalist. Her degrees are not in journalism. But if someone wants to put her on the air as a journalist, and people want to watch her and consider a journalist, so be it.
I could offer many NYT bestseller titles by Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Donald Trump, and etc etc.
So what? What does NYT bestseller status convey about being correct?
What does NYT bestseller status covey about being correct?
Nothing.
frugal-one
10-22-22, 3:05pm
Of course it is opinion work Maddow offers.
Also, she is not a trained journalist. Pedigrees are not in journalism. But if someone wants to put on the air as a journalist, and people want to watch her and consider a journalist, so be it.
I could offer many NYT bestseller titles by Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Donald Trump, and etc etc.
So what? What does NYT bestseller status convey about being correct?
I have not and will not read her book. I mostly listen to the info she has researched and backs up...
ApatheticNoMore
10-22-22, 3:06pm
to anyone who thinks cancel culture is not real, you are not paying attention. The canaries in the coal mine are professional comedians who have their gigs canceled, their material constrained, their livelihood affected.
maybe my top issue when voting should be a job guarantee for comedians. But it's really not.
iris lilies
10-22-22, 3:11pm
maybe my top issue when voting should be a job guarantee for comedians. But it's really not.
Haha goid one!
But I’m bringing this up as a social problem, not one that needs legislated. Yet anyway. And certainly the legislation that has been attempted circling back to White House efforts is pretty awful.
catherine
10-23-22, 9:19am
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p-c2eUltH58
I enjoyed Bill Mahr’s piece about cancel culture “Explaining Jokes to Idiots.” In it he offers a sobering comment about how George Carlin stopped performing at mainstream venues and for homogenized audiences so that he could truly be himself and offer real truths to his audiences.
You know where Carlin went to do this comedy? college Campuses. And now they are the center of wokeness, the least tolerant of audiences.
edited to add: Mahr said. “ Kids once went to college to lose their virginity. Now they go there to lose their sense of humor.”
to anyone who thinks cancel culture is not real, you are not paying attention. The canaries in the coal mine are professional comedians who have their gigs canceled, their material constrained, their livelihood affected. As Mahr said we should require a moment of silence in our society for the loss of insightful jokes because the number of off-limit subjects deemed offensive is growing exponentially.
To your point about the canaries in the coal mine--I agree with you completely that if we start canceling our comedians, that is very bad sign. SNL is a perfect example: Lately, headlines have proclaimed the show is on its last legs and other headlines talk bout how "upset" fans are by one skit or another, like the one a week or so about about January 6.
Here's a good article if you can get past the registration dialogue box to read the whole thing, but just the headline makes a point: "Saturday Night Live’s big dilemma: How to write a political joke for an audience that’s done laughing." (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/saturday-night-live-political-jokes-dilemma-b2207299.html)
iris lilies
10-23-22, 11:32am
To your point about the canaries in the coal mine--I agree with you completely that if we start canceling our comedians, that is very bad sign. SNL is a perfect example: Lately, headlines have proclaimed the show is on its last legs and other headlines talk bout how "upset" fans are by one skit or another, like the one a week or so about about January 6.
Here's a good article if you can get past the registration dialogue box to read the whole thing, but just the headline makes a point: "Saturday Night Live’s big dilemma: How to write a political joke for an audience that’s done laughing." (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/saturday-night-live-political-jokes-dilemma-b2207299.html)
SNL is such a problem because so much of it just isn’t funny. I don’t watch it when it is broadcast, but I do watch clips on YouTube of skits getting lots of buzz. The cream rises for us all to get the best of it via YouTube.
But to the point of what is funny and who finds comedy unfunny…the times they are a changin. I haven’t seen the new guy doing a Trump impersonation but I hear he’s better than Alex Baldwin. I’m not a Trump supporter so it’s really not about politics. Melissa doing Sean Spicer was probably the best thing to come out of that season.
I listen to the podcast Dana Carvey and David Spade do which is largely about SNL years. They always have someone on the interview, someone who is associated with SNL in some way. Dana does a great imitation of Lorne Michaels.
catherine
10-23-22, 12:20pm
I haven’t seen the new guy doing a Trump impersonation but I hear he’s better than Alex Baldwin. I’m not a Trump supporter so it’s really not about politics.
James Austin Johnson is unbelievable as Trump. Check out the video, but go to 4:09 to get to his bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU-WdnXJabs
That voice is spot on. So is the content! Unfortunately, he looks like James Cromwell from Babe and I love James Cromwell and I can't unsee it.
iris lilies
10-23-22, 1:35pm
Catherine I couldn’t see your link but I did look him up on YouTube. He is exactly it. Now I remember I did see him earlier walking along New York City streets in the Scooby Doo piece. But with make up and a good set he’s golden as Donald J. Trump.
DJT’s Stream of consciousness way of talking has always been… Kind of funny to me. And fascinating as if I’m watching a crazy person.
Our new cat is quite a talker. I’m not a fan of talking cats which is one reason why I deliberately avoid the skinny talking Siamese types. But he’s here now and he is our boy, and he talks a lot. My friend suggested I rename him “Donald” for his endless yakking that makes little sense.
Teacher Terry
10-23-22, 3:05pm
That’s funny about your cat. SNL hasn’t been funny in decades except for a few skits.
iris lilies
12-7-22, 11:27am
To your point about the canaries in the coal mine--I agree with you completely that if we start canceling our comedians, that is very bad sign. SNL is a perfect example: Lately, headlines have proclaimed the show is on its last legs and other headlines talk bout how "upset" fans are by one skit or another, like the one a week or so about about January 6.
Here's a good article if you can get past the registration dialogue box to read the whole thing, but just the headline makes a point: "Saturday Night Live’s big dilemma: How to write a political joke for an audience that’s done laughing." (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/saturday-night-live-political-jokes-dilemma-b2207299.html)
I listened to Al Franken on a podcast talk about a very early SNL skit where a woman had breast cancer and had breast amputation, and how her husband was treated as the unhappy victim in that satiric comment on male selfishness. That was back circa 1980 And I remember thinking it was funny.
I think that joke would not fly today. I remember that someone I worked with was very unhappy about making any kind of joke about breast cancer, but that’s not what the joke was about, yet I suspect fragility amongst most of society today would not support that joke.
I’m not sure what the taboo topics are in my mind, I suppose they are child abuse and animal abuse. And yet, the recent Balanciaga saga is rich material for satiric jokes, even though I can’t make them. I could appreciate them though if someone clever made the jokes.
iris lilies
12-7-22, 11:37am
I am watching the Elon Musk unveiling of Biden adjacent involvement in the Hunter Biden laptop story on his Twitter platform. I don’t know if any more than we already know is going to shake out, but I was pleased to see Barry Weis involved in that journalistic investigation. She is a 1st amendment supporter of major proportion. Surprisingly, a diminishing number of journalists are dedicated to First Amendment these days. And I guess the ACLU has abandoned it as a cause worth defending all together.
And yet, the recent Balanciaga saga is rich material for satiric jokes, even though I can’t make them. I could appreciate them though if someone clever made the jokes.
The Babylon Bee (formerly banned on Twitter) is running a piece on a teddy bear who forgot the safe word.
.... Melissa doing Sean Spicer was probably the best thing to come out of that season.
....
Or any season, probably.
And I guess the ACLU has abandoned it as a cause worth defending all together.
Actually they seem to be working on quite a variety of first amendment cases currently. At least if the list of current cases on their web site is to be believed.
https://www.aclu.org/court-cases?issue=free-speech
iris lilies
12-7-22, 10:33pm
Actually they seem to be working on quite a variety of first amendment cases currently. At least if the list of current cases on their web site is to be believed.
https://www.aclu.org/court-cases?issue=free-speech
that is good, I will spend some time with this list. There are other issues that… Well I don’t remember what they didn’t take up but maybe I’m wrong. Sometimes it happens. But I do know there’s a new kid in town, a different organization that focuses on first amendment legal challenges exclusively and as you can imagine, has hardly any money to do it. Can’t think of the name but it’ll come to me.
I do hope the ACLU is taking up both “ sides” of free speech issues.
iris lilies
12-11-22, 10:25pm
Actually they seem to be working on quite a variety of first amendment cases currently. At least if the list of current cases on their web site is to be believed.
https://www.aclu.org/court-cases?issue=free-speech
Of the few cases on that list, I can’t see any of them that would be representative of the old ACLU which used to take up First Amendment cases that would seemingly be on both sides of the political spectrum. These listed are one-sided and one of them, the Vlaming case, has the ACLU promoting compelled speech. Oy.
So no, the ACLU no longer takes up important free speech speech cases it should take up. My money hasn’t gone to them in a long time.
But thanks for forcing me to spend a few minutes with their website.
I guess you were hoping for something more like this?
https://www.nj.com/union/2021/07/nj-town-drops-case-against-resident-over-f-bomb-anti-biden-flag-display-after-aclu-intervenes.html?outputType=amp
iris lilies
12-12-22, 9:44am
I guess you were hoping for something more like this?
https://www.nj.com/union/2021/07/nj-town-drops-case-against-resident-over-f-bomb-anti-biden-flag-display-after-aclu-intervenes.html?outputType=amp
yes! Thank you.
iris lilies
3-2-23, 11:07pm
I have been negligent in reporting here any of the growing number of incidents where the federal government is infringing on free-speech.
The intimidation by government goons of Twitter has been taken up in recent congressional hearings. That is a scary thing. Your President Biden at work.
Entirely different, The one I just learned about today is What the fk. Whoever made the decision to suppress free speech of those entering the National Archives building needs to be fired. Here’s what happened: people holding a pro life gathering in Washington DC stopped into the National Archives building to look at the Bill of Rights document. Those people were told to cover up their shirts and buttons expressing support for pro life issues.
Wearing a political statement is free speech. Could it be any more ironic, this group of people who are there to look at the Bill of Roghts found their basic right denied? Once again, you can’t make this stuff up, this is not the Babylon Bee, this is real life.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/10/national-archives-sued-for-abortion-opponent-clothing-flap.html
iris lilies
3-3-23, 10:34am
The American Center for Law and Justice is representing the pro-life people in their lawsuit against the federal organization that denied them free speech. Where is the ACLU? Isn’t this their kind of gig? They are nowhere to be found.
The American Center for Law and Justice traditionally defends religious freedom and expression in lawsuits.
This is a free speech issue, adjacent to religious freedom.
Remember, these are Americans paying American dollars to support this American institution, and they wanted to view the quintessential American document, the Bill of Rights. They were harassed by museum staff for wearing non-swear words on their clothing.
Employees in the gift shop of the National !archives also harassed these people.
If the incident was just one security guard wrongly exerting his understanding of museum policy, that would be one thing. But this represents a pervasive culture oF political persecution. Those who express wrongthink are not welcome at The National Archives.
iris lilies
3-3-23, 10:53am
https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/02/23/national-archives-fires-security-officer-ordered-students-remove-pro-life-apparel/
This article gives more detail, and as I thought it was more than just one security officer who harassed people. I just knew, because I worked in this kind of place, that the building supervisor of the day instructed staff to ask people to remove their clothing with pro-life slogans.
Since the National Archives claims their public attendance policy expressly allows political speech on clothing, I will cut them slack (although I would like to see the date of when that policy was enacted) and I hope that the offer to give a private tour kills the lawsuit.
And then there's florida republicans, trying to ramp the hate on free speech up to an eleven.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-bill-require-bloggers-write-governor-legislators-register-stat-rcna73191
iris lilies
3-3-23, 12:42pm
And then there's florida republicans, trying to ramp the hate on free speech up to an eleven.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-bill-require-bloggers-write-governor-legislators-register-stat-rcna73191
a proposed bill? I will join you in outrage when
1) it has passed
2) I have read the bill
a proposed bill? I will join you in outrage when
1) it has passed
2) I have read the bill
Given the authoritarian direction of republicans in florida it won't be particularly surprising if this becomes law. Just as it's no surprise that the dictator there has publicly recommended that the new Reedy Creek Improvement District board use their position managing physical stuff important to Disney to try and force Disney to alter content to suit the snowflakes in the republican party. God forbid that whiny delicate ass be forced to confront the fact that there are people who don't look like him or have his lived experience.
Here's the text. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1316/BillText/Filed/HTML
iris lilies
3-3-23, 9:52pm
Given the authoritarian direction of republicans in florida it won't be particularly surprising if this becomes law. Just as it's no surprise that the dictator there has publicly recommended that the new Reedy Creek Improvement District board use their position managing physical stuff important to Disney to try and force Disney to alter content to suit the snowflakes in the republican party. God forbid that whiny delicate ass be forced to confront the fact that there are people who don't look like him or have his lived experience.
Here's the text. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1316/BillText/Filed/HTML
I’m not terribly concerned about this because it’s so egregious that there’s no way the Supreme Court or any court would allow it to stand.
and because I am a polite person, and not a thread policeman, I allow you to post on my thread about Biden threats to intellectual freedom your posts that are not about Biden administration threats.
over on the Mr. money mustache forum they would be yelling at you because there are some real anal people there who require that the content of a thread really be what the title says it is. I like the more relaxed atmosphere of our own simple living forum here in that regard.
I’m not terribly concerned about this because it’s so egregious that there’s no way the Supreme Court or any court would allow it to stand.
How long does that process take to play out? How much money and life energy does that require? Does it have a chilling effect on speech in the meantime?
Come now, we know how this game is played.
iris lilies
3-3-23, 10:00pm
How long does that process take to play out? How much money and life energy does that require? Does it have a chilling effect on speech in the meantime?
Come now, we know how this game is played.
I know! I personally am very sick of whichever president in the White House making his unconstitutional actions such as forgiving student loans as example. He has no power to do that. Congress can do it if they so choose. And certainly the state legislators make dumb laws that will not pass muster.
. I don’t like it, taking up court time and tax dollars to adjudicate these obviously incorrect actions by our elected officials. And the intimidation factor is as you point out a real problem. Agreed.
I don’t like it, taking up court, time and tax dollars to adjudicate these obviously incorrect actions by our elected officials. And the intimidation factor is as you find out a real problem. Agreed.
And I see it done at every level of government, from HOAs to County/City to State to Federal, by all "sides". It's bullying of citizens who may not have the $$$, connections, time, expertise, and willpower to contest the oppression.
We need to bring back the Rupes Tarpeia for these sorts of politicians and governmental officials.
iris lilies
3-3-23, 10:28pm
And I see it done at every level of government, from HOAs to County/City to State to Federal, by all "sides". It's bullying of citizens who may not have the $$$, connections, time, expertise, and willpower to contest the oppression.
We need to bring back the Rupes Tarpeia for these sorts of politicians and governmental officials.
when things come down to the HOA level, I always assume those idiots do not know that they’re operating outside of constitutional authority.
For state legislators, many of whom are attorneys who presumably have some familiarity with the Bill of Rights and constitutional law, they should know they are making some obviously illegal laws.
when things come down to the HOA level, I always assume those idiots do not know that they’re operating outside of constitutional authority.
My HOA has, by design, extremely limited powers. It is tasked only with road maintenance, fire safety, and a miniscule amount of architectural review for new construction limited entirely to verifying that setbacks and utility easements are honored.
We have a constant stream of incomers to the neighborhood who see "HOA" and assume "huge powers", perhaps like whatever hellhole they moved from. So they show up at our HOA meetings and ask that certain things be done. Things that are not within the lawful powers of the HOA, and that will be very expensive to litigate and lose. Things that are so clear from reading our minimal controlling documents. It is maddening.
We had someone a couple years back who wanted "to ban, or at least register, all the firearms in the neighborhood" and actually managed to get a couple of the Board members to start discussing it.... We had another who wanted us to trespass "to see what Bob is doing back there on the invisible corner of his lot...". Another who advocated for internal home inspections to make sure nobody was up to anything... Some poor fellow had a couple of bee hives, and new incomers wanted to ban that, somehow.
It's a constant struggle, and that's just in a small HOA, with a small board. If the day ever came when there weren't a few sane people who could read the rules on the Board, I'm pretty sure the HOA would go hog-wild trying to regulate things in short order, even though they have zero legal ability to do so.
And on the other side, we have incomers to the community who limit their actions and expressivity "because we're in a HOA, surely it'd be illegal if I did X...", even though they have total freedom to do X.
Anyways, this is why my home is painted various lovely shades of purple, and why I have a rainbow colored flock of flamingoes at my driveway entrance. (Incomers a few years back wanted an "natural tones only" paint rule imposed, though again, there was no power to implement such a rule. For fun, I picked all the purple shades from plants located within a 5 minute walk from my front door.)
iris lilies
3-3-23, 11:05pm
My city neighborhood, which had a historic code that was a city ordinance, did not regulate color on houses. I kind of admire the places that do. Santa Fe’s historic district limits paint colors to various tones of beige, tan, and cream. I like that.
The telling thing about the sad sack assholes in Florida is that they excluded newspapers from their pathetic law. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that they did that because they don’t want news media lawyers taking them on. They want to make fighting this as difficult as possible. Pathetic. Anyone who would not be horrified by that blatant attempt to make fighting this absurdity is not a fan of the first amendment.
iris lilies
3-4-23, 9:42am
The telling thing about the sad sack assholes in Florida is that they excluded newspapers from their pathetic law. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that they did that because they don’t want news media lawyers taking them on. They want to make fighting this as difficult as possible. Pathetic. Anyone who would not be horrified by that blatant attempt to make fighting this absurdity is not a fan of the first amendment.
This is a good point, jp.
a proposed bill? I will join you in outrage when
1) it has passed
2) I have read the bill
I’m inclined to agree with you. A proposal by a single state senator doesn’t seem worth freaking over. Unless perhaps there’s a particular governor you’re trying to paint with a particularly broad brush.
I’m inclined to agree with you. A proposal by a single state senator doesn’t seem worth freaking over. Unless perhaps there’s a particular governor you’re trying to paint with a particularly broad brush.
So if this does become law will you actually express displeasure over it, or will you treat it with the same dismissiveness you do for all the more mundane ugly things republicans have done such as attempting to overthrow the government?
So if this does become law will you actually express displeasure over it, or will you treat it with the same dismissiveness you do for all the more mundane ugly things republicans have done such as attempting to overthrow the government?
I wouldn’t like to see it pass, no. DeSantis jumps the shark on the woke-baiting thing sometimes, but I’d be surprised if he signed something this silly. I don’t think we’ll see a Florida Bureau of Disinformation Management anytime soon.
I dunno. He seems pretty invested in the whole "shutdown speech I don't approve" aspect of his persona. It will be interesting to see if he only succeeds in turning the New College into a republican indoctrination center, which looks to be near certain at this point, or if he manages to destroy the whole public university system similarly.
A proposal by a single state senator doesn’t seem worth freaking over.
If it were a single proposal by a singular wackadoodle politician, sure, just a slow news day, who really cares?
If however there are hundreds of bills being introduced all over the country by a wave of media-seeking politicians, well, I'd say there's something to be concerned about.
iris lilies
3-4-23, 5:20pm
I wouldn’t like to see it pass, no. DeSantis jumps the shark on the woke-baiting thing sometimes, but I’d be surprised if he signed something this silly. I don’t think we’ll see a Florida Bureau of Disinformation Management anytime soon.
He does like to get them riled up.
He does like to get them riled up.
Yes. Own the libs does seem to be the defining aspect of the Republican agenda anymore. Thankfully a majority of Americans don’t seem particularly impressed with such a childish pointless agenda, judging by the national results of the past few elections.
iris lilies
3-4-23, 10:07pm
Yes. Own the libs does seem to be the defining aspect of the Republican agenda anymore. Thankfully a majority of Americans don’t seem particularly impressed with such a childish pointless agenda, judging by the national results of the past few elections.
Oh, for heaven sakes, it’s not a defining aspect, it’s just a little side action and usually in response to provocation anyway.
Oh, for heaven sakes, it’s not a defining aspect, it’s just a little side action and usually in response to provocation anyway.
Other than that and senseless investigations into non-issues what exactly do the republicans want to do. Watching them do their performative skits in congress these days it’s tough to see that they have any other agenda. At the state level the only agenda they seem to have is hurting people they don’t like and controlling the ladies’ bodies.
I know I’ve asked this question repeatedly and only ever gotten a wish list of stuff that Republican politicians most definitely do t seem interested in doing (at least judging by the utter lack of any legislation being suggested by any of them with regards to these wish list items), but I’ll ask again. If not own the libs and control how people live their lives WTF does the current Republican Party want to accomplish?
... WTF does the current Republican Party want to accomplish?
Their decision to simply not issue a party platform was informative.
iris lilies
3-4-23, 11:48pm
Their decision to simply not issue a party platform was informative.
To be fair, they had a good reason for not doing it after I investigated it. They didn’t have enough people during .cO.vI.d times meeting to give the representation they felt they needed to give to issues.
Besides, do you think it’s really going to change much from year to year? if you showed me the past four platforms for the democratic party I probably couldn’t tell which platform from which year.
perhaps the Democrats are just more monolithic OneNote thinkers, perhaps there’s not as much diversity within the party and fewer people can create their platform. I don’t know. I know they have a bigger central organization than the Republicans do.
Now that we’re out of covid times has the Republican Party put together a platform? Or are they sticking with the nonplatform they’ve been working with for 6 years now?
But thank you for at least attempting a response. Based on your response I’ll assume that like the half dozen times I’ve asked before, the Republican Party has absolutely no platform that can be explained to someone who asks what their platform is. Thanks for confirming.
iris lilies
3-5-23, 9:55am
Now that we’re out of covid times has the Republican Party put together a platform? Or are they sticking with the nonplatform they’ve been working with for 6 years now?
But thank you for at least attempting a response. Based on your response I’ll assume that like the half dozen times I’ve asked before, the Republican Party has absolutely no platform that can be explained to someone who asks what their platform is. Thanks for confirming.
well, I agree that finding a way to put together a current platform would be a good step toward getting back into the swing of things.
iris lilies
7-21-23, 4:51pm
This funny thing happened: a Stanford University faculty member violated Stanford free-speech policy by shutting down the talk of a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump. The federal judge was speaking at an event on campus.
She berated him for many minutes about whatever it was he had done from the bench or thought about doing and she would not let him speak.
While that was not a good thing, Stanford University put out a policy statement that she had violated their policy and she was wrong. This is excellent! I can get behind this response and think the issue need go no further than that.
But now it turns out that this employee has left the employment of Stanford, presumably of her own accord and Reportedly due to cool relations she’s having with fellow faculty members.
Hers was probably not a fireable offense, but since she was the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer of that faculty, she had a Teflon cocoon around her. God forbid you fire your DEI hire.
iris lilies
7-21-23, 4:56pm
If only Anheuser-Busch had immediately put out an apology for their marketing head’’s , snarky, disrespectful comments about their customers, I would’ve gotten over the Bud Light fiasco months ago.
sincere apology offered in a timely way goes a long ways with me
....I would’ve gotten over the Bud Light fiasco months ago.
I think the real fiasco here is the "beer" itself. An apology would consist of making "real beer".
sincere apology offered in a timely way goes a long ways with me
I don't know who or why they should apologize. (Other than Bae's comment about their watered down excuse for beer). I even googled "Bud's snarky comments"?
I think the real fiasco here is the "beer" itself. An apology would consist of making "real beer".
‘AB InBev apologizes for erroneously assuming that trans people might want to drink Bud light.’
I don't know who or why they should apologize. (Other than Bae's comment about their watered down excuse for beer). I even googled "Bud's snarky comments"?
I think people weren't thrilled to be represented as fratty and out of touch, and therefore in need of replacement by a guy performing on TicToc as a parody of a girl. I suppose it's not necessary for a marketer to respect their base, but it's probably poor form to publicly announce it to the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnI3MJMUZlk
This funny thing happened: a Stanford University faculty member violated Stanford free-speech policy by shutting down the talk of a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump. The federal judge was speaking at an event on campus.
She berated him for many minutes about whatever it was he had done from the bench or thought about doing and she would not let him speak.
While that was not a good thing, Stanford University put out a policy statement that she had violated their policy and she was wrong. This is excellent! I can get behind this response and think the issue need go no further than that.
But now it turns out that this employee has left the employment of Stanford, presumably of her own accord and Reportedly due to cool relations she’s having with fellow faculty members.
Hers was probably not a fireable offense, but since she was the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer of that faculty, she had a Teflon cocoon around her. God forbid you fire your DEI hire.
I see Stanford’s president is also leaving. Something about fudging his research data.
I think people weren't thrilled to be represented as fratty, out of touch....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnI3MJMUZlk
Maybe she studied marketing at Stanford.
and therefore being replaced by a guy performing on TicToc as a parody of a girl.
And republicans wonder why most LGBTQ people think they are the a$$hole party.
And republicans wonder why most LGBTQ people think they are the a$$hole party.
Are you implying that silly persona he projects is not a parody? And didn't he say at one point that he began dressing and acting as a girl because he wasn't having much success as a male actor and a friend suggested he do something to draw attention to himself?
He reminds me of a PeeWee Herman type character.
iris lilies
7-21-23, 9:31pm
Maybe she studied marketing at Stanford.
Haha!
The Bud Light fiasco for me has ALWAYS been about this broad Alissa Heinersheid and her highly insulting words about her customers and her fake concern about “kindness and goodness” and most especially her virtue signaling to her fancy friends in New York City. And then AB followed her by making stupid ads, non-apology statements, and “explanation” tours by the CEO.
Dylan Mulvaney herself is a ridiculous figure and no one with brains takes her seriously. We all had annoying friends like that in college, those musical theater majors who pranced around shouting “look at me.”
I wonder about people who can get so upset about a beer company's random marketing antics.
Well, no, I don't.
We all know what's being said.
iris lilies
7-21-23, 11:18pm
I wonder about people who can get so upset about a beer company's random marketing antics.
Well, no, I don't.
We all know what's being said.
no, I don’t think you do.
Haha!
The Bud Light fiasco for me has ALWAYS been about this broad Alissa Heinersheid and her highly insulting words about her customers and her fake concern about “kindness and goodness” and most especially her virtue signaling to her fancy friends in New York City. And then AB followed her by making stupid ads, non-apology statements, and “explanation” tours by the CEO.
Dylan Mulvaney herself is a ridiculous figure and no one with brains takes her seriously. We all had annoying friends like that in college, those musical theater majors who pranced around shouting “look at me.”
Maybe your college life was different from mine. Rock on with your oh so experienced life. By all means tell us about how your non-standard sexuality influenced how it was affected.
Are you implying that silly persona he projects is not a parody? And didn't he say at one point that he began dressing and acting as a girl because he wasn't having much success as a male actor and a friend suggested he do something to draw attention to himself?
He reminds me of a PeeWee Herman type character.
You're clearly more invested in this than I am so by all means keep trying to explain to us what they were doing while somehow also explaining how you aren't hating on trans folks. Maybe it would help if you went with the "some of my best friends are trans" line of defense.
no, I don’t think you do.
Then you need to do some self reflecting because it's pretty clear to the rest of us. And it's not pretty.
Haha!
The Bud Light fiasco for me has ALWAYS been about this broad Alissa Heinersheid and her highly insulting words about her customers and her fake concern about “kindness and goodness” and most especially her virtue signaling to her fancy friends in New York City. And then AB followed her by making stupid ads, non-apology statements, and “explanation” tours by the CEO.
It’s the sort of scene Tom Wolfe might have written, isn’t it? The flack for a cheap beer brand seeing herself as a sort of missionary to the great unwoke, and the hysterical aftermath.
Where is the Tom Wolfe for the current generation? There is certainly no lack of comic material. Are they (or the publishers) afraid of getting cancelled?
iris lilies
8-20-23, 7:11pm
In free speech restrictions and cancelations this month:
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/helen-joyce-books-relating-to-gender-identity-were-removed-from-yorkshire-libraries-due-to-internal-hr-matter-rather-than-politics-4248029#
The woke brigade in a Yorkshire library has removed standard recent works by respected gender critical mainstream authors. I’m not surprised. I saw book challenges come from both “sides” of a political issue in my library.
A Seattle popculture museum has removed J. K. Rowling’s name from their exhibit about Harry Potter books. The greatest publishing phenomenon of the past 50 years, and not only only that but an important contribution to children’s literature. Author cancelled.
“In the wake of the controversy, the Museum of Pop Culture curators decided to remove Rowling's name and likeness from various galleries to "reduce her impact." The blog post adds that "it's not a perfect solution, but it's what we were able to do in the short-term while determining long-term practices."
Though memorabilia from the Harry Potter films is still included in the "Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic" gallery, the author is no longer cited in the exhibit. “
https://ew.com/celebrity/j-k-rowling-removed-from-seattle-museum-of-pop-culture-anti-trans-remarks/
College professor in the UK silenced, told not to talk about her gender, critical research, etc. etc., the usual stuff.
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/harassed-silenced-for-my-gender-critical-views/
That’s just this week, all these incidents.
iris lilies
8-20-23, 7:35pm
I wonder about people who can get so upset about a beer company's random marketing …
you don’t understand how important Budweiser is in my town. Now Billy Busch is offering to buy back the brand from the idiot Brazilians. I doubt that Billy has the Dinero, and he’s kind of a drunken asshole himself, but I appreciate the gesture, we all do.
Derrick Jensen was supposed to speak on environmental topics at a panel in September, something he is eminently qualified to do, and they cancelled him because he also speaks out on radical feminism, including gender critical topics. His career has gone the way of J.K. Rowling's.
I do not agree with many of his assertions, but I feel badly that people will lose out on the benefit of his insights on the environment because he is being cancelled everywhere on an unrelated issue.
Where is the Tom Wolfe for the current generation? There is certainly no lack of comic material. Are they (or the publishers) afraid of getting cancelled?
That's an intriguing question. We'd have to first find enough readers in the "current generation" who have read Tom Wolfe. They might have a ready answer about his successors. My guess is they're out there, but I'm on the wrong side of the hill.
That's an intriguing question. We'd have to first find enough readers in the "current generation" who have read Tom Wolfe. They might have a ready answer about his successors. My guess is they're out there, but I'm on the wrong side of the hill.
My daughter is of the current generation, but most of the literature she reads is from the 11th Century or earlier. Heck, her apartment was built about the same year Middle English started becoming Modern English. Maybe they snuck some Wolfe in during her schooling, but, doubtful. Now, she has some rather startling opinions on the work of Máel Muire mac Céilechair.
There seems to be a certain fear out there of mocking the reigning pieties, especially in publishing and film. Or even for expressing heterodox opinions unrelated to a writer’s work.
Look at the fun you could have with that incident in Colorado (why is that state so dedicated to thought policing?) where a kid got pulled out of class because of the Gadsen flag patch on his backpack. Apparently the school believed that flag to have “origins in slavery”., and therefore a threat to the safety of their students. Will anyone stand up to that kind of idiocy with even a single joke on late night television?
Look at the fun you could have with that incident in Colorado (why is that state so dedicated to thought policing?) where a kid got pulled out of class because of the Gadsen flag patch on his backpack. Apparently the school believed that flag to have “origins in slavery”., and therefore a threat to the safety of their students. Will anyone stand up to that kind of idiocy with even a single joke on late night television?
My local news said that it wasn't the Gadsen flag so much, but the fact that it was surrounded by numerous patches of assault weapons. Once the assault weapon patches were removed, he was allowed to keep the flag patch and return to class (after a lot of media attention). That's the news I got anyway. Thought police and violation of the first amendment in that case? Someone somewhere distorted the facts to make a political statement. There's another side to the distorted original story, but there's always the question of who to believe.
We can blame the biased media for much of the social fear and anger.
On August 29th The Vanguard School sent this statement:
“There has been National media attention on our charter school, The Vanguard School, related to a student having the Gadsden flag on his backpack. Unfortunately, this story is incomplete. The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons. The student has removed the semi-automatic patches. As a school district, we will continue to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment. The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack. The Vanguard School and Harrison School District 2 worked in collaboration to resolve this matter.”
My local news said that it wasn't the Gadsen flag so much, but the fact that it was surrounded by numerous patches of assault weapons. Once the assault weapon patches were removed, he was allowed to keep the flag patch and return to class (after a lot of media attention). That's the news I got anyway. Thought police and violation of the first amendment in that case? Someone somewhere distorted the facts to make a political statement. There's another side to the distorted original story, but there's always the question of who to believe.
We can blame the biased media for much of the social fear and anger.
On August 29th The Vanguard School sent this statement:
“There has been National media attention on our charter school, The Vanguard School, related to a student having the Gadsden flag on his backpack. Unfortunately, this story is incomplete. The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons. The student has removed the semi-automatic patches. As a school district, we will continue to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment. The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack. The Vanguard School and Harrison School District 2 worked in collaboration to resolve this matter.”
After the school’s board of directors forced them to let the kid keep the flag patch, they began emphasizing the gun images: an infringement on free speech they could agree on.
After the school’s board of directors forced them to let the kid keep the flag patch, they began emphasizing the gun images: an infringement on free speech they could agree on.
So JROTC marksmanship badges would be right out?
After the school’s board of directors forced them to let the kid keep the flag patch, they began emphasizing the gun images: an infringement on free speech they could agree on.
I didn't see the video that apparently went viral, but did any of this come out in it, or was it just the patch and slavery issue. Seems like there is quite a bit to ponder in the whole story of who said what and how the story ended.
I was browsing my high school annual and I'd forgotten that we actually had a competition girls rifle team. The traditional single shot .22 target rifles with the heavy shooting jackets, but no assault weapons or pistols. I wonder if those sorts of things still exist. It seems like it was sort of a good thing, although the girls in the photos weren't exactly the cheerleader types.
It seems like the jackets always had a bunch of NRA marksman type patches on the back.
So JROTC marksmanship badges would be right out?
If a school is frightened by pictures on a backpack, I doubt they have the vertebrae for a JROTC program. Hell, some universities don’t.
I didn't see the video that apparently went viral, but did any of this come out in it, or was it just the patch and slavery issue. Seems like there is quite a bit to ponder in the whole story of who said what and how the story ended.
I was browsing my high school annual and I'd forgotten that we actually had a competition girls rifle team. The traditional single shot .22 target rifles with the heavy shooting jackets, but no assault weapons or pistols. I wonder if those sorts of things still exist. It seems like it was sort of a good thing, although the girls in the photos weren't exactly the cheerleader types.
It seems like the jackets always had a bunch of NRA marksman type patches on the back.
I saw the video and there was no mention of anything other than the Gadsden Flag patch. I also saw the initial written response to the student's mother from the school board, no other patches were mentioned in that either. As LDAHL mentioned, I suspect the weapon patches came up after the kerfluffle was exposed to sunlight.
When I was in the Air Force I was awarded the Marksmanship ribbon with bronze star to commemorate my expert qualification with service rifle (M16) and pistol, and wore it proudly on my uniform for the duration of my enlistment. I wonder if that would be allowed on school grounds these days?
I saw the video and there was no mention of anything other than the Gadsden Flag patch. I also saw the initial written response to the student's mother from the school board, no other patches were mentioned in that either. As LDAHL mentioned, I suspect the weapon patches came up after the kerfluffle was exposed to sunlight.
When I was in the Air Force I was awarded the Marksmanship ribbon with bronze star to commemorate my expert qualification with service rifle (M16) and pistol, and wore it proudly on my uniform for the duration of my enlistment. I wonder if that would be allowed on school grounds these days?
When I qualified with the M16 and the 9mm Beretta (which was the USAF gentleman’s sidearm at the time), the instructor said, “Well, if it wasn’t good enough it wouldn’t be the minimum”.
When I qualified with the M16 and the 9mm Beretta (which was the USAF gentleman’s sidearm at the time), the instructor said, “Well, if it wasn’t good enough it wouldn’t be the minimum”.
In the early/mid 70's it was the S&W .38 revolver, but of course, I was no gentleman.
In the early/mid 70's it was the S&W .38 revolver, but of course, I was no gentleman.
I was told it was guys like me who made the development of precision guided munitions so necessary, so I’m proud of that sort of. I doubt my Senior Space and Missile Badge would arouse much terror in any elementary school. It’s a bit on the abstract side. Of course, if you’re creative enough to link the Gadsen flag to slavery, anything’s possible.
I suppose a basic question might be whether, in a state with a reputation for mass shootings, a twelve year old should be wearing clothing hinting at the promotion of assault rifles among juvenile peers who may be unstable and easily influenced. What actually happened and the sequence of events is up for debate.
I was quite good with a 12 and 20 gauge in my bird hunting years.
Another basic question might be whether the curtailment of free expression can be justified by some imaginary, tenuous or indirect impact we want to assume on the observe’s behalf. The Gadsen flag requires an exceptional amount of mental gymnastics to believe children will somehow associate it with slavery. But I think the same applies to images of guns.
Agreed on the association of the Gadsen Flag and slavery is a long stretch. Not so sure about ar-15 patches in middle school. We're not in Kansas anymore.
Agreed on the association of the Gadsen Flag and slavery is a long stretch. Not so sure about ar-15 patches in middle school. We're not in Kansas anymore.
Our current society has become adept at demonizing just about anything, I wish they'd spend more time on psychopaths than their tools.
I also wonder which does the most harm in a school setting if we're worried about influencing kids, a rifle or NRA patch on a book bag or a Grand Theft Auto book bag sans patches?
It's too bad we live in a culture of fear, where a 12 year bold kid with an AR-15 patch may not ever have a bad intention but may think he could actually need one for self-defense. Maybe in a mass shooting event. It could be more of a people problem, like you say psychopaths, but there are those in the public that promote it. The tools and the whackos are inextricably related.
It's too bad we live in a culture of fear, where a 12 year bold kid with an AR-15 patch may not ever have a bad intention but may think he could actually need one for self-defense.
Well, there are several different cultures involved in the issue.
For instance, I'm from the culture where by the age of 12, my grandparents had instructed me how to properly use firearms, including their M1 Garands and M1 Carbines. For hunting and sporting purposes, and yes, to use as a tool to defend self and others. "Fear" wasn't really part of it though. These were both men who'd fought *actual* Nazis.
My high school allowed us to have our firearms on campus, we just weren't allowed to keep them in our dorm rooms, but could check them out for practice or when we were out on the prairie. We even used them in physics class for practical lab exercises.
My own daughter was similarly brought up to view and use firearms as tools, and not totems of fear.
Well, there are several different cultures involved in the issue. My own daughter was similarly brought up to view and use firearms as tools, and not totems of fear.
I suspect modern mainstream culture has little exposure to firearms as practical tools, though I understand what your saying. I was plinking at cans with a .22 probably around ten and hunting rabbits and quail by 15. There was a time when hunting rabbits with father was something of a father son bond, but in some cultures is probably socially unacceptable now. I forget how many bars I had on my NRA Sharpshooter medal for .22 target shooting. My father flunked out of fighter pilot school in The War and ended up playing trumpet in a military band. I just ran across his records qualifying for .30 cal M1, though. I suspect there are people who went through horrors of war that never wanted to see another firearm.
I never thought I would want a self-defense weapon until recent times, geologically speaking. The common concept of needing urban self-defense weapons is fairly recent. Although I did have a great uncle who slept with a Colt Peacemaker under his pillow and kept large amounts of cash in a Folgers can in his basement.
There was a time when urban self defense weapons had a practical purpose.
5622
iris lilies
9-8-23, 10:52am
More threats to intellectual freedom (why are the trans activists always at the top of these efforts? There are so many other issues that could be involved.) Anyway…
The Oxford Union, associated with Oxford University, is the oldest and most respected debating club in the Western world.
https://oxford-union.org/about
Current efforts by students to essentially shut down the open debate of free-speech there, which they call giving “no platform “ were tied to speaker Kathleen Stock. Much hue and cry accompanied her appearance at the Oxford union several weeks ago. Kathleen Stock is a mild mannered, logically reasoning lesbian professor who espouses gender critical thoughts.
The issue of “no platform “at the Oxford union was debated across Britain. Many supporters of free-speech and free thought such as Richard, Dawkins and etc. spoke strongly against de-platforming anyone.
I enjoyed this defense of free speech from Katy Hopkins several years ago on the subject. She is entertaining and speaks truth. You can skip to 12:01 to hear her more serious points.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IkSBfdXNWWk&pp=ygURT3hmb3JkIHVuaW9uIGthdHk%3D
More threats to intellectual freedom (why are the trans activists always at the top of these efforts? There are so many other issues that could be involved.) Anyway…
The Oxford Union, associated with Oxford University, is the oldest and most respected debating club in the Western world.
https://oxford-union.org/about
Current efforts by students to essentially shut down the open debate of free-speech there, which they call giving “no platform “ were tied to speaker Kathleen Stock. Much hue and cry accompanied her appearance at the Oxford union several weeks ago. Kathleen Stock is a mild mannered, logically reasoning lesbian professor who espouses gender critical thoughts.
The issue of “no platform “at the Oxford union was debated across Britain. Many supporters of free-speech and free thought such as Richard, Dawkins and etc. spoke strongly against de-platforming anyone.
I enjoyed this defense of free speech from Katy Hopkins several years ago on the subject. She is entertaining and speaks truth. You can skip to 12:01 to hear her more serious points.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IkSBfdXNWWk&pp=ygURT3hmb3JkIHVuaW9uIGthdHk%3D
Richard Dawkins has an interesting podcast called “The Poetry of Reality”, where he often talks about the corruption of science by politics in areas such as Covid, climate change, gender, etc. Having read a few of his books, I have to say he comes across as much more mild in his speaking persona than in his writing.
iris lilies
10-10-23, 1:58pm
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/racial-vilification-law-australia
Australia, like many Western nations, has government limits to speech that clamps down on free expression more so than here in these United States with our important First Amendment.
I will watch with interest if some of those protestors (presumably Muslim, but perhaps not) who have been shouting “Gas the Jews” and “Kill the Jews” in Sydney will be charged with breaking the law.
Nazis can march here, and did, in Skokie in that famous event where people of a liberal political persuasion allowed them to march, repugnant though they are. I wonder if Australia will extend the same support to their shitheads.
Nazis can march here, and did, in Skokie in that famous event where people of a liberal political persuasion allowed them to march, repugnant though they are. I wonder if Australia will extend the same support to their shitheads.
https://asitoughttobe.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/screenshot-2017-09-10-at-8-20-13-pm.png?w=640
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/racial-vilification-law-australia
Australia, like many Western nations, has government limits to speech that clamps down on free expression more so than here in these United States with our important First Amendment.
I will watch with interest if some of those protestors (presumably Muslim, but perhaps not) who have been shouting “Gas the Jews” and “Kill the Jews” in Sydney will be charged with breaking the law.
Nazis can march here, and did, in Skokie in that famous event where people of a liberal political persuasion allowed them to march, repugnant though they are. I wonder if Australia will extend the same support to their shitheads.
I doubt today’s ACLU would champion Illinois Nazis right to be March. They seem to have adopted a less absolutist stance on free speech.
iris lilies
10-10-23, 2:40pm
I doubt today’s ACLU would champion Illinois Nazis right to be March. They seem to have adopted a less absolutist stance on free speech.
Sigh. Don’t you know it.
I have on my donation list for the year to give money to FIRE.
iris lilies
5-9-24, 1:34pm
https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hres894/BILLS-118hres894ih.pdf
This Resolution passed the US House by a huge majority. What does it really accomplish? It is just a position statement, right? The position that antisemitism is bad, that is what is says.
The news reporting source Al Jazeera calls it “dangerous” to free speech and while I think the resolution is unnecessary and Congress likes to look like it is “doing something” what does this really accomplish? Makes large donors happy?
https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hres894/BILLS-118hres894ih.pdf
This Resolution passed the US House by a huge majority. What does it really accomplish? It is just a position statement, right? The position that antisemitism is bad, that is waht is says.
The news reporting source Al Jazeera calls it “dangerous” to free speech and while I think the resolution is unnecessary and .congress likes to look like it is “doing something” what does this really accomplish? Maes large do ors happy?
I agree...
Mostly it's just positioning. But I think #4 goes too far: "clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism." I think there is too much ambiguity there to say that question is "clear." Naomi Klein wrote an interesting article calling Zionism "the false idol of Judaism". https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/24/zionism-seder-protest-new-york-gaza-israel. There's no doubt that a lot of anti-Zionists will also be antisemitic, but not all. The Anne Frank House takes the position that "although many Jews identify with Zionism, there are still many different points of view. That is reason enough not to mix up the words 'Jew', 'Israelis' and 'Zionists'"-- and so I don't think the #4 declaration should be codified in a House resolution.
littlebittybobby
5-9-24, 2:25pm
okay-----i tell you kids what----anybody tries ta "thwart" MY intellectuall freedom, is gonna get what they got coming to 'em!!! Yup. just fxxk around 'n find out! but yeah---hope that helps you some. thenkk mee.
iris lilies
5-9-24, 7:38pm
I agree...
Mostly it's just positioning. But I think #4 goes too far: "clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism." I think there is too much ambiguity there to say that question is "clear." Naomi Klein wrote an interesting article calling Zionism "the false idol of Judaism". https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/24/zionism-seder-protest-new-york-gaza-israel. There's no doubt that a lot of anti-Zionists will also be antisemitic, but not all. The Anne Frank House takes the position that "although many Jews identify with Zionism, there are still many different points of view. That is reason enough not to mix up the words 'Jew', 'Israelis' and 'Zionists'"-- and so I don't think the #4 declaration should be codified in a House resolution.
yes, that #4 lept out at me too. I swear since last fall I looked up Zionism several times to see if they are wildly divergent definitions. They don’t seem to be.
I’ll look at the guardian article later
iris lilies
5-10-24, 1:04pm
Hmmm, according to the
nalomi .wolfe article, Zionism like most things is more complicated than “respect the rights of Jews to have a homeland and not be persecuted.”
But that said, I am still pretty much (not 100%) pro-Zion philosophy.
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