Daily Archives: April 27, 2021

After George Floyd died in May 2020, countless school districts, businesses, and individuals rushed to affirm their support for the black community and express how they would create more equitable spaces. Now that the jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all charges, school districts and even higher education institutions around the nation are scrambling once again to appeal to the mobs screaming that conviction isnt enough with woke messages affirming more critical race theory-driven actions.

In Naperville, Illinois, parents and teachers were notified by Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges that the district will create spaces that are equitable, inclusive, and focused on [students] social-emotional needs following Chauvins conviction.

It is our duty to respond to traumatic events that might impact student learning, behaviors, and relationships at school, Bridges wrote in a statement obtained by The Federalist. The deaths of George Floyd and others and the recent verdict require us to be responsive to the emotional well-being of students and staff. Emotional responses from students could manifest in different ways. As educators, we are uniquely positioned to serve as allies and advocates. A trauma-sensitive school environment can benefit all students.

Families and educators in Arlington Public Schools in Virginia were alerted by Superintendent Francisco Durn on Tuesday that not only would counseling be provided for students who have many feelings that need to be processed about Floyds death, but the district would also continue to combat systemic racism in our justice system by encouraging so-called equity.

I want to take this opportunity to affirm our commitment to anti-racism and social justice, and to our continued work in schools and in our community, Durn wrote.

Another school district in Virginia, notorious for its history with critical race theory and extended school shutdowns, released a statement on Tuesday promising that Fairfax County Public Schools is continuing to grow and will bring forth change to ensure that our students and staff can learn and work in an environment where racism and hate are not tolerated, and all feel safe, valued, and included.

There is no justice in the loss of loved ones. Let us choose love and creation of a just environment. Let us choose hope and commitment to actions that breed hopefulness. Let us create brave and safe spaces for students and staff today and every day, the statement concluded before offering a list of counseling and other resources provided by organizations such as Facing History and Ourselves and the Center For Racial Justice In Education.

Spokane Public Schools in Washington issued a similar statement on Tuesday acknowledging that everyone in our system has not experienced this equitably and that the current events unfolding across our nation are highlighting the need for change across all systems and notifying students of opportunities to receive counseling.

We will continue our commitment to put our vision of excellence for everyone into practice with measurable action steps for systemic change, the district promised.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon released a statement to staff and students on Tuesday claiming that Chauvins conviction should be used to reevaluate and restructure institutions within the United States.

We must use this moment to critically examine the systems and structures in communities across this nation and in our own community in Cleveland, and challenge ourselves again to address the longstanding inequities that, together, form the public health crisis of racism and racial injustice, Gordon wrote. As I said at the time of George Floyds murder, each of us is either part of the problem or part of the solution. What we do or dont do today will truly determine whether George Floyds life and the lives of so many others will be honored.

In addition to providing staff and students with resources to address the racial trauma and repeated exposure to stories of violence and inequalities, Hamilton Southeastern Schools outside Indianapolis released a list of statements affirming anti-racism, equity, and the Black Lives Matter movement shortly after Chauvins verdict was read.

We also understand the pain that many of our students and teachers feel when discussing the inequities in the current judicial system, the statement read. We have heard from parents who have described the task of preparing their children for the two Americas. The racial division that we see today is not a new phenomenon; it is centuries-old, embedded in the fabric of our country.

Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.

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Read Propaganda Government Schools Blasted Out After The Chauvin Verdict - The Federalist

Adam Toledo is a name that has likely saturated your newsfeed over the past month. He was a 13-year-old Mexican-American boy who was fatally shot by a police officer on Chicagos West Side not one month ago.

This week, that name was overshadowed by MaKhia Bryant, a black teenager who died at the hands of law enforcement in Ohio. In both cases, leftist politicians and Twitter-verified journalists couldnt get the story out fast enough, absent facts, video, or nuance but the headlines wrote themselves: Racist Cop Shoots Unarmed Minority.

Also in both cases, the stories turned out to be completely wrong. On Wednesday we learned that Bryant wasnt just standing in her driveway unarmed, or just casually holding a knife, or even dueling with another armed kid in a knife fight when the officer discharged his weapon. After the officer arrived, she lunged with a knife at another black girl she had pinned against a car, after having already charged a different girl nearby. She was armed and dangerous. And the officer, although accused of being a racist pig by even the White House, instead saved at least one black girls life.

Not only did journalists kick off the Toledo narrative with the same racist-cop rhetoric, but when officer body camera footage was released, showing what appeared to be the boy holding a firearm right before the officer shot him, CBS News cropped out that part of the video and failed to note that he was armed in its write-up of the incident. Meanwhile, politicians peddled the line that Toledo was unarmed.

"Unarmed" https://t.co/KUBdFizzrb pic.twitter.com/Tu4McdM0KJ

Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 16, 2021

These erroneous stories arent flukes. Recent history shows repeatedly that corrupt media and politicians arent surprised or embarrassed when body cam footage or crucial details emerge that debunk their initial reporting.

Thats because they dont so much report as create. They dont get clicks and clout by uncovering and reporting what actually happened, but by feeding people and politicians pre-existing narratives. Thats why every lede and headline seems to be some variation of Black Lives Matter talking points.

Corrections, if issued at all, are usually stealthy and get buried instantly, and theres no room for nuance on a protesters poster board or in a presidential press release. Thus the narrative is set before any details emerge, and narratives are more powerful than facts in ginning up emotional responses and revolutions.

The media know this. The ruling class knows this. If they can convince enough people that America is systemically racist, they can infiltrate government schools with critical race theory and they have.

If they can make people believe police officers are irredeemably evil, they can nationalize local law enforcement and funnel more money toward their pet social programs. If they can convince corporations that performative antiracism is more important than profits, they can blackmail state lawmakers into passing legislation that gives them more power and they are.

These media and government elites have no problem injecting or ratcheting up racial tension that stretches and stresses countless unwitting Americans to their breaking points. While the ruling class gets whisked away to broadcast from their New York City high rises or to watch and tweet from their secure second homes, outmanned police officers and innocent store owners are forced to defend themselves against agitated Americans whose sole mission becomes to get attention and destroy.

Make no mistake: The ruling class is absolutely inciting violence. The same crowd that insisted President Donald Trump incited an insurrection is the one that outrageously lies to demonstrators claiming white cops go on search-and-destroy missions against innocent black Americans. These are the people who gaslight Americans with buzzwords like peaceful protests while they watch their cities light up in flames.

The way to bring revolution is to provoke unrest, and the best means to do that is to convince the public that isolated instances of evil represent endemic institutional problems through inflammatory rhetoric and disproportionate attention. Its a strategy, and it works.

Think back to the many nights of fiery and violent riots in Ferguson, Missouri, following the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. To this day, the slogan Hands up, dont shoot is a leftist talking point and a protest chant, popularized by media and race-baiters who used the phrase to evoke imagery of a submissive Brown being murdered by a racist officer, all for their political gain.

But it was a lie. The Department of Justice said hands up was inconsistent with the evidence, with then-Attorney General Eric Holder calling it a strong alternative version of events that [took] hold so swiftly, and eyewitnesses said Brown charged at the officer, who then shot in self-defense.

The same happened in the police shooting of Jacob Blake in August. LeBron James called it police brutality towards my kind, while other elites claimed contrary to the evidence that the police shoot first & detain second and that he could have been grabbedhe could have been tased.He could have immediately been stopped when he started walking around the car.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers opted for escalation, framing the shooting as yet another Black man or person shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country. Joe Biden did the same.

Again, the story was false, yet Kenosha, Wisconsin was already in flames. Nothing about the incident indicated it was racially motivated. Police were responding to a 911 call from Blakes girlfriend who said he wasnt allowed on the property and had taken her keys.

In fact, Blake had a warrant out for his arrest from the month prior information officers knew before arriving on the scene based on charges of third-degree sexual assault, disorderly conduct connected to domestic abuse, and trespassing. Officers had discharged their Tasers twice at Blake without successfully subduing him before Blake reached into the car, where a weapon was recovered on the floorboards and three children were in the backseat another fact officers knew because their mother allegedly kept screaming that.

But race baiters dont just manufacture or capitalize on police brutality. Theyll use whatever they can to get people fired up, including race hoaxes. The Jussie Smollett news cycle dominated the airwaves for days, with now-Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Cory Booker inflaming the rhetoric by going so far as to call it a modern-day lynching.

Remember the noose in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallaces garage that turned out to be a normal door pull cord? That was only revealed after the media had blasted the story as evidence of this countrys deep-seated racism, with CNN calling it anabhorrent, racist act and peddling the noose narrative unquestioningly under the banner America in Crisis.

The media and left-wing politicos do the same with riot porn, glamorizing filth and demonizing law and order. Its why were treated to glowing coverage of a nude protester planting herself in the middle of the street and spreading her legs in gross defiance to Portland police while the same media whitewash crime.

They said, Destroying property is not violence. They said protests dont need to be peaceful and called riots a proportionate response. They denied evidence of anarchy. They said violence works. They condemned the term riot as loaded, instead calling it democracy. They released a documentary claiming Riots Built America. And they flat-out pretended cities werent being ravaged, with Gov. Jay Inslee saying Thats news to me! when asked about the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, and Rep. Jerry Nadler calling Antifa a myth.

It isnt just sins of commission either. The media transgress with omission as well. Thats why youll hear MaKhia Bryants name infinitely more than youll hear Mohammad Anwars. His life was stolen by two black teens when they violently carjacked him in broad daylight in D.C. last month. One story can be spun to further the narrative that foments riots. One cannot.

Back in January, left-wingers in the media, on Twitter, and in the halls of Congress breathlessly reported that Trump had incited in insurrection. He was a seditionist and a fascist, they said, and he posed such a grave threat to public safety that his social media accounts were nuked from orbit, and Democrats immediately drafted articles of impeachment again. When he urged rioters at the Capitol to go home, calling for NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind, a ban on his Twitter prevented the message from going out.

Although the events of that day were awful, the ruling class lied about and amplified them to the point of repeated falsehoods, with The New York Times peddling a false story that rioters bludgeoned a Capitol Police officer to death with a fire extinguisher, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claiming Sen. Ted Cruz tried to have her murdered.

Nevertheless, the left will forever herald Trump as the president who incited violence with his rhetoric about the 2020 election, which they have dubbed the Big Lie. However objectionable Trumps remarks that day, and however criminal the rogues who stormed the U.S. Capitol, this Big Lie has no support among the vast majority of the nations leaders or institutions, including Republicans like those in Georgia Trump keeps battling, while a far bigger lie does.

The biggest lie is that the entire United States of America with its white people, police officers, institutions, and norms is irredeemably racist and evil to its core. The race-baiters who peddle this lie have incited more violence than Trump ever did. When you can convince people racism is rampant, and that silence about it is violence while actual physical vigilante violence is justice, you ignite a flame of division and destruction that can only end with bodies on the ground and cities leveled.

Weve yet to see the full fallout from the inflammatory and completely untrue racism narrative of the press, although the spin machines tactics become more egregious by the day. Just Wednesday night, NBCs Nightly News clipped the 911 call that drew officers to Bryant and deceptively edited police bodycam video to mask the knife Bryant was wielding and instead highlight it lying on the ground later. Weve watched them do this dance time many times without accountability while so-called racial justice activists take up their Molotov cocktails against innocent civilians.

As Shelby Steele says, Americas original sin is not slavery. It is simply the use of race as a means to power. While the ruling classes exploit tragedy to accrue more and more power, Americans become increasingly powerless as pawns in the race war, many paying with their sanity, others with their livelihoods, and even some with their lives.

Read the rest here:

Corporate Media & Other Race-Baiters Have Incited More Violence Than Trump Ever Did - The Federalist

After a noteworthy two weeks as Jeopardy! guest host that featured one contestant trolling him in his first episode, and several other contestants not knowing the history of his team, pro football quarterback Aaron Rodgers concluded his stint at the lectern April 16. In his place, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper took over beginning last Monday for a two-week run.

As part of the gig, Cooper will also raise funds for the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti; Jeopardy! will match the contestants winnings from his hosting stint, and donate them to the hospital instead of an honorarium.

Cooper has competed in four separate episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy!, so he knows the game fairly well. In prior years, his name often arose as someone who could succeed Alex Trebek as the shows permanent emcee, so giving Cooper a tryout as guest host made some sense.

That said, one word generally described Coopers first week of hosting duties: Meh. Unlike most of the other guest hosts, few notable traits or characteristics jumped out during Coopers time behind the lectern.

Ken Jennings had an earnestness about him, but also a nervousness that sometimes approached timidity. Katie Couric reprised her effervescent morning show personality. Dr. Mehmet Oz seemed confident, to the point of appearing brash. And Rodgers most closely emulated Trebeks mannerisms, but with a monotone voice so soothing that it almost became soporific.

Call his efforts workmanlike, or call them boring, but Cooper lacked many unique mannerisms while behind the lectern. He often seemed to take a moments pause before calling a contestants response correct perhaps waiting to see if the shows producers would speak into his earpiece to advise him on a ruling.

But other than those occasional pauses, Cooper did little to add to, or detract from, the play of the game. Whether that style generates plaudits or criticism may depend on ones view of the role of a Jeopardy! host or perhaps ones view of Coopers political views, and those of the network he currently represents.

On Wednesday, Jeopardy! announced what it said was its full lineup of guest hosts through the end of the shows 37th season. The lineup of guest hosts including former Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen, who will host the Tournament of Champions, set to air during the May sweeps period will run through mid-August. At that point, the show will likely air a few weeks of reruns until the start of its 38th season, presumably with a new permanent host, in mid-September.

Two items stand out from the announcement: First, to the great delight of the many who had signed a petition seeking his appearance on the Jeopardy! soundstage, former Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton will host a series of episodes in July. He joins ABC morning personalities George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, CNBC anchor David Faber, and Fox sportscaster Joe Buck among the last group of guest hosts.

But to accommodate all these guests, Jeopardy! had to shorten the duration of their hosting stints. Thus far, and continuing through mid-July, guests appeared on two weeks of shows which, given the shows taping schedule, made a great deal of sense. The show normally tapes five episodes (a weeks worth) in one day, two days per week (normally Tuesdays and Wednesdays). That tape schedule allows each guest host to tape two weekss worth of shows within a relatively brief two-day window, allowing easy travel for out-of-town guests.

But beginning with Stephanopoulos in mid-July, guests will only host one weeks worth of shows, taped within a single day. The compressed schedule explains why this space decided in January to review guest hosts after their first weeks appearances, thinking some would not have longer hosting stints.

All told, 16 individuals will guest host Jeopardy! episodes during the second half of its 37th season. Only time will tell if one of these 16 individuals is named as the permanent host, or another individual takes the coveted hosting gig.

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Who Wants To Be The Next 'Jeopardy!' Host: Anderson Cooper - The Federalist

Hollywoods China problem can be summed up neatly in one series of events from Sundays disastrous Academy Awards. In her acceptance speech for Best Director, Chlo Zhao was sure to cite her experience growing up in the Middle Kingdom and reflect on a Chinese proverb. The Chinese Communist Party still blacked her out.

For background purposes, Chinas notoriously sensitive censors have sought to blackout Zhaos success largely because she once said there were lies everywhere in the country during a 2013 interview with an obscure magazine. (Another interview initially contributed to the controversy, but as The Federalist reported this month, Zhao was genuinely misquoted.) This is hugely problematic for Disney, which tapped Zhao to direct Eternals, a big-budget film the company needs to succeed in China, where the CCP exerts extreme control over content. I went into more detail on this messy controversy here.

Observers have buzzed over how Zhao and Disney can right the ship with China since the country took measures to suppress discussion of the director in the wake of her success for Nomadland. Zhaos decision to use her precious time on stage accepting the most coveted award in her profession to cite a Chinese proverb and mention her childhood in the country was subtle, but seemed in this context like a very intentional appeal to the CCP.

Her reward? Another blackout. Liza Lin reported on Monday [t]wo state media reporters told The Wall Street Journal that they had received orders from Chinas propaganda ministry not to report on Ms. Zhaos victory, despite what they described as her status as a Chinese national, because of previous public opinion.'

Lin added more important context, writing, China has long sought the soft-power prestige that comes with awards like the Oscars, which makes the official silence surrounding Ms. Zhaos accomplishment particularly noteworthy.

The reticence comes amid a surge in digital nationalism, fanned by Chinas ruling Communist Party, which has led to explosions of online anger at Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB, the National Basketball Association, and others for perceived insults to Chinas national honor, she noted.

Thats all true, and it does not bode well for Eternals, a film reportedly made on a budget north of $200 million. The Chinese box office is now more lucrative than the American box office. That will, of course, mean more of our big-budget films will be watered down to appeal to both audiences, and Hollywood in general will be even more deferential to the CCPs extremely sensitive censors, which punish any dissent from the partys values in scripts or red carpet interviews or anywhere else with blacklisting.

Its too early to say what the CCP will do when Eternals heads to theaters later this year. Disney is enormously powerful and has shown a pathetic willingness to toe the party line for the sake of profit. (See: Mulan.) But Zhaos acceptance speech and the subsequent blackout is illustrative of a larger point: pleasing the CCP is nearly impossible, and Hollywoods unpatriotic efforts to secure Chinas blessings do not guarantee success but they do guarantee the utter corruption of its integrity and its art.

Lets not forget, it is an understatement to describe this years Oscars ratings as a disaster. The last decade of ratings have been a disaster. Sundays fractional ratings leave the Academy in a hole out of which it may never be able to climb. The industry could move the ceremony to Beijing, or restore its integrity and start focusing on meaningfully reprioritizing the American audience.

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Even At Its Most Deferential, Hollywood Won't Win With The Chinese Communist Party - The Federalist

April 26, 2021

Lake Bluff, Illinois-based Terlato Wines has expanded its partnership with Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits to 10 additional states. Strengthening the link between the two multi-generational, family-owned companies, the expansion is effective May 1 and will give SGWS the rights to distribute Terlatos portfolio in New York, Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado plus control states across the U.S.

This is a highly strategic move that will not only streamline our business, but will provide our company an unparalleled opportunity for significant and sustained long-term growth by improving our reach, accelerating retail development and ensuring we rebuild and win in the critically important on-premise segment, said CEO Bill Terlato.

Southern Glazers CEO Wayne Chaplin said, Terlatos portfolio of iconic luxury brands is an ideal fit for our business and our new fine wine and artisanal spirits strategy, adding that he sees strong long-term growth potential in the luxury wine and spirits segment in which Terlato competes.

The move brings Terlatos entire portfolio, including wines like Terlato Vineyards, Gaja, M. Chapoutier, Champagne Lanson, The Federalist, Dueling Pistols, and Cecchi, and spirits brands like Bunnahabhain Scotch whisky and Aperitivo Nonino, among others, into the SGWS fold.

Commenting briefly on market conditions, Terlato told SND, Before Covid the on-premise comprised close to 50% of our business. Very early on in the pandemic, we took immediate and decisive action to ensure continuity of the business by pivoting our channel priorities and changing our daily focus. Our pivot to retail happened very quickly and successfully. With restrictions loosening up all over the country, we not only expect to retain our off-premise gains, but to recover and win in the on-premise once again.Shane English

Tagged : Southern Glazer's, Terlato

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