Monthly Archives: February 2017

Strange, but in the final editing of my book, which is much concerned with the American conservative movement, I cannot find a single mention of the alt-right. I dont know what the alt-right is, or anyone in it. Perhaps it supplants the New Right which was more aggressive than the Old Right?

Ive never liked the term right; it reinforces the mythology that conservatism is even remotely aligned with fascism and Nazism. Such regimes, in their expansive power, have more in common with the Big Government of so-called progressives. And nationalism is inconclusive; FDR was no shrinking violet, and it was JFK who urged what you can do for your country.

Jake Turx is a correspondent for Brooklyn-based Ami Magazine. The orthodox Jewish reporter is one of many little-known journalists now permitted to participate in White House press briefings and news conferences. This is an affirmative action program hugely disfavored by the mainstream media. Thats because its real diversity.

Heres the background: Over last weekend vandals toppled headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in St. Louis. Recently there were reports of bomb threats to 48 Jewish centers. These reportsprompted Mr. Turx (pen name) to ask President Donald Trump what Turx thought was a friendly softball question about the president addressing anti-Semitism.

In response, it would have been both desirable and appropriate, and expedient, for President Trump to condemn anti-Semitism and racial and religious hatred. He should have done so, then. Instead President Trump called the question repulsive and insulting; but he might have added demeaning. (A) The presidents generic is not to reply to an attack, not yield even one inch to an unacceptable premise. (B) The presidents specific is that associating him in any way with anti-Semitism is outrageous. (C) The president saw the question premised on the political correctness of Jewish victimhood, and the thing Jews in the U.S. are victims of, is political correctness.

President Trump likely (and incorrectly) felt that responding properly would dignify the rap against him and his team and perhaps even be patronizing. He likely wanted to avoid a headline like Trump Denies Anti-Semitism or Trump Finally Condemns Hate. But his rhetorical diversion to the Electoral College convinced conspiracists the president had a sinister agenda. He supposedly did not want to disillusion his presumed anti-Semitic base.

I am the least anti-Semitic person that youve ever seen in your entire life, President Trump responded. His inelegant syntax, Bill Buckley would say, enabled CNN talking heads to conclude, as they did, that if President Trump is the least, then he is somewhat anti-Semitic. That may not qualify as Fake News; it is Fake Analysis.

The controversy has its roots in the relentless character assassination of candidate and now President Trump. First, there was the canard that he is an anti-Semite. That became implausible given, for example, his love for his daughter and his proximity to his son-in-law, both Orthodox Jews who raise Trumps grandchildren in that rigorous observance. In much greater detail I explained this and more to a vitriolic Trump hater who happens to be Jewish; he responded, But some Jews supported Hitler. There seems the inevitable comparison of Trump to Hitler, encouraged by CNN, which keeps replaying that neo-Nazi creep, who has almost no following, chanting Heil Trump.

Candidate Trump might not hate Jews, Trumps detractors said, but Trumps campaign is full of dog whistles because his campaign ads were coded to appeal to anti-Semites. That became implausible since only the liberal Jewish complainers deciphered the code. In reality, the only dog whistle to the anti-Semites is each time President Trump appoints to a major position someone who happens to be Jewish.

But if you accept the premise that Trump and his team are evil, the explanation is always ominous, and that helps explain the reaction on January 27, when the White House issued President Trumps statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The statement inexplicably and inexcusably failed to mention the Jewish victims; it was worse than insensitive. It sounded like Barack Obama; had President Obama issued the same statement, I would have criticized it.

Trumps adversaries had a theory: Presidential Senior Counselor Steve Bannon is a historical revisionist. Allegedly Bannon aligned with the alt-right and its anti-Semites who want to minimize the extermination of Jews.

It turns out the author of the statement was Boris Epshteyn, an assistant to President Trump. Epshteyn was born in in 1982 in Moscow, then in the Soviet Union; in 1993 he emigrated to the U.S. In 1979, when I visited communist-ruled Leningrad (St. Petersburg), the Red hosts insisted on a cemetery commemoration for the quarter of the citys population killed by the Nazis. The communists played down the genocide of Jews. If you visited Auschwitz when the communists controlled Poland, the exhibit and tour guide alluded to the victims Polish opponents of the Nazis, communists, gypsies, and, almost parenthetically, Jews; in fact, Jews were overwhelmingly the carnage at what evolved from a concentration camp into a death camp. After Poland became free of communism, the Auschwitz exhibit and guides properly emphasized that Auschwitz was dedicated overwhelmingly to the annihilation of Jews. In other words, it was the communists the Left that minimized the Holocaust.

Perhaps before 11-year-old Epshteyn emigrated to the U.S., the Soviet education system had inculcated the party line World War II, not the Holocaust. In any case, Boris Epshteyn is no anti-Semitic lackey. Like many Jews from the former Soviet Union, Epshteyn is proud of his Judaism and his political conservatism.

For leftists born into a Jewish family, anti-Semitism is not about people who hate Jews. Its about people that the Jewish leftists hate, notably President Trump and, guilt by association, his advisers.

Rabbi Marvin Heir of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles prayed at the Trump swearing-in. A few days ago a reporter asked Heir about President Trumps failure to condemn anti-Semitism. Rabbi Heir replied that the president would pick the time and place. And so it was yesterday, at the end of a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, that President Trump said the venue showed why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms.

About reports of increased anti-Semitism, he said, The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.

After reporting this, CNN interviewed one Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. My question to him: Do you think Anne Frank was murdered because of a lack of mutual respect?

Asked on CNN if he was satisfied with Trumps condemnation of anti-Semitism, Goldstein said absolutely not. To prove his good faith, Goldstein emphasized, Trump must fire Steve Bannon, supposedly (and with no evidence) an anti-Semite. Trump used to complain that in repudiating hatred and prejudice, he could never satisfy his critics. And Goldstein proved Trump correct.

So who is Steven Goldstein? Like Boris Epshteyn, Goldstein lived in New Jersey; both started in politics with former Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Thats where the resemblance ends. Goldstein epitomizes the Dark State of philanthropy, using tax-free dollars for political polemics. Goldsteins Anne Frank Center is a progressive voice for social justice, fighting hatred of refugees and immigrants, anti-Semitism, sexism, racism, Islam phobia, homophobia, transphobia Did Goldstein leave anything out? Is the legacy of Anne Frank now reduced to this potpourri of political correctness?

Steven Goldstein reminds me of a variation of a current cartoon. A man says, Women and gays should have no rights. Jews are pigs. Goldstein, gay and Jewish, would likely reply, You must be one of those alt-right creeps behind Donald Trump! The man might respond, No, actually these are my religious beliefs. Im a devout Muslim. And Goldstein, who presumes to judge Trump and demands that Bannon be fired, would likely respond, I apologize. I hope you dont think Im Islamophobic!

Read the original:

The Dark State of Political Correctness - American Spectator

One of the things I miss most about my youth and early years was our openness. Friends could and did frequently just sit and talk. We could and did make jokes about any and everything. We did not worry about offending anyone because they, as well as us, knew it was nothing more than a joke, a comment or observation and not meant to deride anyone. Today, one must be cautious beyond what I would feel would be a common occurrence. You cannot speak badly of anyone without worry about law suits, being called racist, one of the most misused nomenclatures of our day. If I mention I had a friend in college who was both colored and Indian, there are those today who say I was a racist. I was not nor am I now. I am an American who is fed up with Political Correctness.

In our society of today political correctness, the mention of anything the other person involved feels is out of line, you are in trouble. We have an elected President. One who seems to be the brunt of many political jokes and comments. Yet he and his administration have to put up with the Democrats dragging their feet on everything he wants to do. I thought the Republicans were a bunch of do nothings for the last 8 years, I was wrong. The Democrats seem to be even more so than any Republican recently. People protest (riot in most instances) because of generally little or nothing. I have heard of people who actually make a living by hiring out as protesters. I hope it is no more than a rumor or feeble attempt to gain some popularity.

Our society of today is showing signs of most Republics or history. They have allowed the population to have too much freedom. Those nuts on the fringe of society are finding that they can and will place their at times ridiculous ideas out there as main stream. Yet they are far from main stream they are just what they should be fringe ideas. Ideas who should have no hearing nor in depth look, which it could not survive. Those people have the right to protest. I spent 3 years of my life protecting their right to protest no matter how stupid it maybe. But I did not do it to allow them to push it way against the tide of public opinion.

The ability of everyone today to immediately have the opportunity of taking pictures, movies, of any happening and then again immediately send it out over the air with or without comments to millions of others who in turn have their own opinions as to what they saw or heard. The national media of today seems to be of the opinion that they know so much more than you or I do they should tell us the news as they want it not as it is. Some of the reporters can ask some of the most stupid and unrelated questions of a person that I have ever seen or heard. One cannot believe much of anything on television or radio or the Internet of today. Picture cropping and changing is prevalent. Reporters making up their stories have become common place today. I remember many times hearing of reporters, some of great repute, actually making up stories in such a way it made them look better than they were. And they had no compulsion about taking a story and bending it to their feelings not reality.

When I was young, you could make a joke about someones ethnicity and both would have a good laugh. Today, youre afraid to mention anything relating to ethnicity, religion, politics or much of anything else without fear of retribution. I remember some of the best ethnic jokes I heard were from those who were of than ethnic arena. I enjoy jokes, and related tales especially from those who were involved but not today do we feel we can do this. Our society seems to think that the elite of the country, the politicians, journalists, bureaucrats are so much smarter than we are they should lead and we follow. Not me daddyo, I prefer to make up my own mind about things, not be told what to think. I detest those who take things and make them fit the needs of the individual. And I detest being told after a political speech or comment what was meant by it. I have a mind and prefer to use it rather than allow someone else tell me what I heard and how to understand it.

I remember the 60s and the many riots, protests of the time. And feel that this was the start of the way things are today. Politics has gotten dirtier, nastier than I have ever seen it. Many people take the Internet as gospel, a huge mistake. People are afraid to do anything that may cause problems later on. Such as helping someone in danger or hurt. There may well be someone who will take a picture of it and spread it all over the world for everyone to see. You cant have an opinion that someone else does not adhere to any more. We are close to an Orwellian world and for one I abhor that idea.

We have and should have the right to protest and make our feelings known. But we also need to see just what that opinion may have or may not have that I like and agree with. I should and do check into things to be sure they are correct. That what I hear is not like the game we played when I was young where someone started a story and passed it around numerous people and the last one told us what he heard. And never was it at times even close to what was stated out originally. We need to think, be cautious of what we hear and what we believe. Make our opinions known and make them as true as possible. And most important make up your own mind. Look into things, digest them, check them then make them known. Be an American not a mouth piece for someone or something else.

Excerpt from:

Fed up with political correctness - The Rushville Republican

Andrew Heying, Deputy Opinion Editor February 21, 2017

In a polarizing time in American history, there has been immense focus on political correctness. Many political pundits have argued that the frustration created by the lefts hyper-focus on the importance of words when discussing race and gender led to the anger that elected Trump. While this may be true, it does not mean political correctness is any less important.

When children are little, they often make up names for everything. However, as they age, they are taught what things are truly called, and they start using correct names. For example, if a small boycalled all dogs Sammy because his own dog was named Sammy, he would be corrected. No one would think this was an attempt to brainwash anyone with fancy new words or liberal propaganda. Political correctness is no different. Transgender women are not trannies or shemales these terms are literally incorrect and also offensive. Correcting people who use terms such as these is simply reflective of the fact that humanity is more educated now than ever before. In a society where children are taught to aspire to knowledge and higher education, this correction should be looked upon positively, not with disgust.

One of the main targets of the anti-PC argument is college campuses. While many on the right see colleges focus on political correctness as liberal propaganda, for the most part this trend is just a result of learning more. Just as a doctor learns to call what is often labeled the funny bone the ulnar nerve, people learn that the veil often worn by Muslim women is a hijab, not a funny scarf. As a nation that prides itself on its world-renowned colleges, this transition should be a sign of success, not a threat to anyone. After all, no one would get mad at an economics student for using terms that the average person may not be aware of. Adults on both ends of the political spectrum love seeing young people go to college, so looking down upon people for using what they learn must stop if higher education is going to maintain its value.

In President Donald Trumps America, conversations about specific terminology are more important than ever. At the same time, it is worth noting that demonizing people who use outdated and offensive terms is unhelpful. These conversations must be respectful, otherwise people who may be more educated are simply being arrogant. Nevertheless, young people must continue the commitment to political correctness going forward. If not, then there is no point in aspiring for a higher education and intellectual advancement in general.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 13 print edition. Email Andrew Heying at [emailprotected]

Read more:

Better Education Responsible for Political Correctness - NYU Washington Square News

Theres a TV show called Law and Order, and like most TV shows and movies, it depicts situations and circumstances as they should be, not necessarily as they are. On this show, criminals break the law, law enforcement hunts them down and arrests them. They go to court, get convicted and go to jail to serve their sentence. Really? Well, all that may eventually happen, but in the real world, chances are it would take years. Many think, as I do, that political correctness has gotten so out of control it has our nation paralyzed with intimidation and fear. As a result, enforcing the rule of law has taken a back seat to political correctness. Really.

When, and at what point, was it decide that Americans had the right to choose what laws they would or would not obey? This obsession with political correctness has transformed our republic into a revolutionary free-for-all when it comes to obeying and enforcing laws and the doctrines outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Have we allowed slick lawyers and glib politicians to dilute and distort the U.S. Constitution by allowing them to use it for their personal political gain?

These questions need to be asked and answered before our American way of life melts down into anarchy. Cases in point: illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. When was the word illegal redefined in America to mean no harm, no foul? It used to be if something was illegal then it is unlawful. Unlawful meaning against the law. So, if an act is against the law, then it should be stopped and punished and certainly not rewarded. We encourage lawlessness by rewarding such bad behavior and illegal activities. For illegals we issue drivers licenses, knowingly hire and shelter them and spend billions of taxpayers dollars on medical treatment, welfare and social programs, protecting and sheltering those documented criminals whose own countries have rejected them. Why? Because they have political value. To make matters worse, over the last decade, our inept federal government (Congress) has been transformed into the vehicle of choice for diluting the U.S. Constitution and making the rule of law arbitrary. The two most egregious examples of this are federal funding for sanctuary cities and the proliferation of rights, benefits and legal services extended to illegals while millions of our own natural-born Americans live in poverty, receive inadequate health care and attend schools with few resources and subpar academic records.

Please dont get the wrong idea. Im not down on America nor am I being negative. These are all obvious observations. Our country and our American way of life have become much too politically charged and motivated. Why? Mostly out of the pursuit of greed, money and power. So much so that the checks and balances built into our Constitution by our forefathers (the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government) have been politically homogenized. Homogenized? Maybe a better word for this is contaminated? Either way, it is not a healthy situation and the task of righting America should be both a Democratic or Republican objective. Its the American thing to do. Im extremely confident that as Americans it is in our DNA to figure out the best way to preserve our country, our traditions and our American way of life. Lets get to it!

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Read the original post:

Publishers Pen - Political Correctness and Lawlessness: A Rant - Up & Coming Weekly