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Category Archives: Federalist

Mother Of Officer Sicknick Says The Media Got Her Son’s Death Wrong – The Federalist

Posted: February 25, 2021 at 1:03 am

The mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died one day after the Capitol riots in January, rejected media assertions weaponized by Democrats in their impeachment trial that her son was killed from head trauma by a fire extinguisher.

He wasnt hit on the head, no. We think he had a stroke, but we dont know anything for sure, Gladys Sicknick told the Daily Mail in an interview published Tuesday. Wed love to know what happened.

The false narrative first came from the New York Times, which headlined an article, Capitol Police Officer Dies From Injuries in Pro-Trump Rampage, published on Jan. 8, two days after the riot.

[Pro]-Trump supporters overpowered Mr. Sicknick, 42, and struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials, the paper reported. Democrats repeatedly cited the story and even introduced it into evidence at the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

Subsequent reporting, however, shed doubt on the papers claim, which resulted in only a quiet correction more than a month later once the Senate impeachment trial began to wrap up.

New information has emerged regarding the death of the Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick that questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police, an update now reads at the top of the page.

Medical examiners told CNN in a story published on Feb. 2 that they failed to find signs that Officer Sicknick sustained any blunt force trauma, let alone by a fire extinguisher. ProPublica cast doubt on the fire extinguisher story much sooner, publishing comments from Sicknicks brother, Ken, on Jan. 8. Ken said his brother texted the family hours after the attack that he had been pepper-sprayed but was doing fine.

He texted me last night and said, I got pepper-sprayed twice, and he was in good shape, Ken told ProPublica. Apparently he collapsed in the Capitol and they resuscitated him using CPR.

House Democrats, however, still cited false evidence at their impeachment trial that Sicknick was conclusively killed by a blow from a fire extinguisher. They even included the story in a pretrial memo. Insurrectionists killed a Capitol police officer by striking him in the head with a fire extinguisher, Democrats wrote.

The Sicknick family, meanwhile, is still awaiting answers regarding the officers death.

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After Its Threats To Australia, It’s Clear We’ve Got To ‘Unfriend’ Facebook – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

Facebook blocked the entire nation of Australia from sharing news on its platform last week. The social media company argued it took the drastic action in reaction to a disagreement over planned Australian government legislation. Although the company finally restored Australian news pages after a five-day standoff and reaching an agreement, the whole episode is a sobering reminder of the enormous power the company possesses and the degree of harm it could cause with a few simple clicks.

Last summer, the Australian government introduced a draft news media bargaining code, which sought to address the bargaining power imbalances between Australian news media businesses and digital platforms, specifically Google and Facebook. The government decided such a law was necessary because surveys find more than half of Australians used Facebook as their top source of news.

Facebook and Googles near-monopoly leaves little room for traditional media to compete. Indeed, along with Google, Facebook controls about 81 cents of every dollar of digital advertising in Australia.Arguing that Facebook and Google should pay their fair share to other media outlets for their journalism, and that a vibrant, competitive news industry is crucial for the longevity of democracy, Australia is attempting to address the imbalance between traditional news media and tech companies.

The Australian governments legislation doesnt mandate how much tech companies have to pay for content that appears in their news feeds and search results. Instead, it establishes a negotiation framework that allows news organizations and tech companies to bargain in good faith and reach binding agreements.

If the two sides cant reach an agreement, the legislation ensures an independent arbiter will step in. The proposed legislation which has passed Australias House of Representatives and is now waiting for a vote in the Senate also sets clear and workable minimum standards for digital platforms including requiring 14 days advance notice of deliberate algorithm changes that impact news media businesses.

Google and Facebook oppose the legislation and initially threatened to leave Australia, arguing that sharing news content and links has benefited publishers more than it has their platforms. Microsoft, however, expressed full support for the proposed legislation.Representatives at some publications, such as Quillette Co-founder Clair Lehmann, have also voiced opposition:

Its a stupid set of laws anyway. What happens when a citizen captures a newsworthy event on their phone & uploads it to Twitter? Will they get paid for their news? What if MSM reuse it? Happens every day.

Google softened its stance by recently announcing that it reached agreements with several Australian media outlets, including News Corp and Nine Entertainment, to share a portion of advertising revenues and pay for certain content.

Facebook, however, initially took the my way or the highway approach. It imposed a news ban in Australia. Since last week, Australian users have been blocked from viewing and sharing local and international news, while local publishers are restricted from sharing or posting any links on their pages.

Facebooks ban is so sweeping that many non-news organizations in Australia have been blocked too, including an organization for victims of domestic violence, a Christian media and art organization, the Australia Trade Council, and even Facebooks own webpage.

The worst harm Facebooks ban has caused is to prevent government agencies such as fire departments from sharing fire warnings and health departments from sharing important information related to COVID-19. This goes to show Facebook is so obsessed with getting its way that it is willing to endanger public health and safety in the middle of a global pandemic.

In a statement posted on Facebook (ironically), Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Facebooks actions to unfriend Australia were as arrogant as they were disappointing. Facebook finally restored its news pages in the country, after putting Australia through a five-day ban, and got the government to change the proposed legislation, including demanding an additional round of negotiation with media companies before binding arbitration kicks in.

Unfortunately, what happened in Australia isnt the first time that Facebook has shown us that its enormous power could be a destructive force in a democracy. Last October, Facebook intentionally limited the distribution of The New York Posts story on Hunter Bidens questionable financial dealings in Ukraine and China. Many regarded Facebooks suppression of important news related to a family member of the Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden as a form of election interference.

Facebook insisted it did so to prevent the spread of misinformation, but after the November election, Hunter Biden himself confirmed that he was under federal investigation for his financial dealings in Ukraine and China. This proved The New York Posts story was not misinformation, but many American voters were prevented from knowing about it because of Facebooks interference.

After the Jan.6 riot at the U.S. capitol, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg blamed smaller social media platforms such as Parler and Gab, which were popular among conservative users. Yet data collected by a liberal watchdog shows Facebook bears much greater culpability for the riot than Parler, because the riot would have still happened without Parler, but not without Facebook. Rather than taking responsibility, Facebook joined other big tech companies to de-platform Parler, essentially removing a small but fast-growing competitor from the market.

Adding insult to injury, while Facebook is censoring political speech its leftist employees dont support, it is actively promoting disinformation and propaganda for authoritarian regimes. In Myanmar, where the military staged a coup and arrested democratically elected civilian leaders, Facebook has let the military use its platform to recruit soldiers, promote businesses backed by the military, and even spread hate speech against the Rohingya Muslims and other minorities.

Although Facebook is banned in China, five out of six top news pages on Facebook are Chinas state-own media outlets, including China Daily and CGTN.A Press-Gazette investigation found that Facebook has not only allowed Chinas state-owned media to post misinformation and propaganda but also helped promote this propaganda to millions of people in the west.

For example, for less than $400, Facebook helped China Daily, a state-owned newspaper, to promote a hit-piece that accuses Western governments and journalists of lying about the governments human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

For less than $500, Facebook promoted a video by CGTN, a state-owned TV station that was banned in the United Kingdom recently, pretending the internment camps for Uighur youth are harmless boarding schools. With Facebooks marketing sway, this CGTN video reached more than 1 million people in the west a good return on investment for the Chinese Communist Party, but an insult to humanity.

Jason Kint, the chief executive of U.S. publisher Digital Content Next, condemned the move:

Itshould be outrageous to anyone who cares about the gears of democracy, even humanity, that in the very same week Facebook has announced it will reduce legitimate political news on its platform, it is booking revenue from Chinese state TV covering up genocide.

What Facebook did to Australia has drawn worldwide condemnation. The head of Germanys BDZV news publishers association called for governments all over the world to limit the market power of the gatekeeper platforms. The European Union is working on a new rule, similar to Australias news code, stating search engines and news aggregators should pay news sites for links.

As Lehmann rightly points out, its correct to be wary of more government regulations because what government bureaucrats come up with is often ineffective, counter-productive, or worse. There is another solution, however, suggested by Stephen Scheeler, the former Facebook CEO for Australia and New Zealand, whos urging Australians to delete the Facebook app, because for Facebook and Mark [Zuckerberg], it is too much about the money and the power.

As hard as it may be initially, all of us should stop using Facebook, cancel our accounts, and delete the app from our smartphones once and for all. We will have to either find other ways to share news and cat pictures or build new platforms. The only way we can escape Facebooks control and reject its power over us and our society is to unfriend it.

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Harry And Meghan Don’t Have A Clue What It Means To Be Aristocracy – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

Just when we thought Meghan and Harry had left the public spotlight and were ready to raise their family in privacy, theyve thrust themselves into the headlines again.

Last Monday, CBS announced the former royals will hold a 90-minute primetime intimate conversation with talk show host Oprah Winfrey next month.

The saga of Meghan and Harry isnt just a case of two elites wanting to have their cake and eat it. It also reflects a modern misunderstanding of what the purpose of elites in society is or whether they have any purpose at all.

Harry and Meghan have a long and awkward relationship with publicity. In October 2019, during a $340,000 tour of Africa, Meghan told ITV News that Not many people have asked if Im ok, implying that she wasnt getting enough support from the royal family.

Would it be fair to say, [youre] not really ok? Its really been a struggle? ITVs Tom Bradby asked, and Meghan nodded yes.

Im sure adjusting to married life and motherhood was at times challenging for Meghan, like it is for every wife and mother. But when you married a prince, basically live in a castle, and have every material amenity at your fingertips, the commoners dont want to hear you complain.

Then came Megxit in January 2020. Rather than making a joint decision with the queen, Harry and Meghan announced through an Instagram post that they planned to step back as senior royals. Under a glossy photo of the smiling couple, they expressed plans to carve out a progressive new role for themselves and to split their time between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ever since their abdication of royal responsibilities, Harry and Meghan have been popping back into our lives to sign deals with big Hollywood companies and lecture us while claiming they want to be left in privacy.

In July, Harry was caught on a hot mic asking Disney executive Bog Iger about potential career opportunities for Meghan. Months later, Meghan signed a voiceover deal with Disney.Theyve also signed deals with Netflix and Spotify.

In September, they broke protocol that prohibits royals from involving themselves in politics. Two months before the American presidential election, they urged Americans to reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity in the most important election of our life. A month later, they met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom for an hour-long introductory meeting.

Theyve touted the evils of climate change, while also using private jets to travel around the world. Harry has lectured online audiences about unconscious racial bias, from the couples $14 million mansion in California.

Most recently, after the queen confirmed the permanence of Harry and Meghans departure from royal service, Harry and Meghan issued a statement insisting We can all live a life of service. Service is universal. The statement appeared to be a pointed and defensive reaction to the queens decision to allow them to step down from public duties, as they wished.

As modern Americans steeped in a culture of individualism and liberal thought, we see little use for any concept of aristocracy or nobility. Our aversion to elites is well-founded; Western history is fraught with examples of abused power.

But in rejecting the concept of nobility, weve also lost our ability to understand it. In its best form, aristocracy isnt simply the tyrannical rule of the many by the powerful few.An ideal aristocracy, however rarely it is actually achieved, is based on the principle that those who have power or advantage in society have an obligation to steward it well and invest back into the community.

This concept is defined as noblesse oblige, a French phrase meaning nobility obligates. Oxford defines it as the inferred responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged.

Of course, human nature is self-serving, so this concept of aristocratic service is usually perverted by the desire for power. As a result, we usually view aristocracy as a dangerous and undesirable form of government. But even in a democratic society, the principle that people with advantages should steward those privileges well and use them to serve others is applicable.

As part of one of the last remaining vestiges of nobility in the West, Harry and Meghan should have used their position to serve the people around them. The British royal family has a long history of doing so. Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837-1901, greatly increased the royal familys charitable patronages, and called for royals to be benefactors of mankind.

During World War II, a young Elizabeth joined the Womens Auxiliary Territory Service, working as an auto mechanic. Today, under her leadership as queen, the royal family is involved in almost 3,000 charities.

By seeking to keep the positive publicity and public platform of royal celebrities while rejecting the responsibilities of monarchy, Harry and Meghan are missing the point of their station. Royals earn their keep by investing back into their country; otherwise theyre simply reality TV stars.

The concept of noblesse oblige doesnt imply that the masses are too simple to take care of themselves and therefore must be ruled by self-appointed elites. Rather, it requires each of us to use whatever gifts and station we have in life to serve others.

Anyone with life advantages should employ the practice, pouring back into their communities. These advantages dont have to be socio-economic; they can also be talents, educational opportunities, interests, and areas of influence.

This is nothing less than the biblical command that to whom much was given, of him much will be required. As citizens in America, where we reject the social strata of aristocracy, we can still use our talents and advantages to serve those around us.

Indeed, that community investment is what keeps an individualistic and democratic society from becoming a ruthless free-for-all. The responsibilities that tie us to other members of our community are the foundation for society. Without them, were all self-serving wannabe reality stars fighting for the limelight.

Elle Reynolds is an intern at the Federalist, and a senior at Patrick Henry College studying government and journalism. You can follow her work on Twitter at @_etreynolds.

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Top Democrats Who Ignored Violence Receive Big Bucks From Big Biz – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

While corporate donors fund Democratic members of Congress who have signaled their approval for violence so long as it is heralded by leftist groups Antifa and Black Lives Matter, they hypocritically threaten to yank funding from the 147 Republicans who voted not to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

As cities burned across the country this past year, many top Democrats did not condemn the rioting and looting, or merely brushed it off as mostly peaceful. This narrative was likewise promoted on CNN and MSNBC, as reporters stood among fiery streets and lied to our faces about the violence in the name of social justice.

Virtue-signaling is the foremost appetite of corporate America right now, as the rich and powerful attempt to save face by promoting the notion that their values do not align with Republican voters at all costs. The precedent being set, though, is a confusing one based on arbitrary distinctions conservatives would be keen to review the next time leftists embrace violence.

If these sanctimonious corporations truly believe in law and order, why did they not rescind the funding of Democrats who openly supported violence this summer and thereafter? Those names include some of the top ones in the party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

At the height of the leftist rioting and looting in June, Harris said in an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the violence would not stop. She made no effort to encourage those among her party to cease their tirade and rejoin civil society, sending a clear message of support and backing for the political violence.

Theyre not going to stop. Theyre not going to stop. This is a movement, Im telling you. Theyre not gonna stop, Harris repeated. And everyone beware because theyre not gonna stop. Theyre not gonna stop before Election Day and theyre not going to stop after Election Day. And everyone should take note of that. Theyre not gonna let up and they should not.

Also in June, Harris tweeted a link encouraging her followers to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, an initiative to bail out protesters who attacked police, bystanders, and private property.

As reported by The Daily Caller, the fund promoted by Harris notably bailed out six men who were accused of domestic violence after June. The fund also bailed out a twice-convicted sex offender who was accused of sexual relations with a minor.

In September, the Minnesota Freedom Fund released financial information indicating that only 6 percent of donations to it after the death of George Floyd were allocated toward actually bailing out protestors.The vast majority went toward legal assistance for those accused of violent crimes leftists find sympathetic, like Reece Omaur Bonneville, who reportedly left officers with a black eye and cuts and bruises after they apprehended him following reports that he abused his girlfriend.

Throughout Harriss career, Google parent company Alphabet has given $10,000 to Harris directly as a company and $252,126 when including employee campaign donations. Harris received $1,000 from AT&T and $152,933 from affiliated individuals.

Alphabet has suspended all campaign donations after the Capitol breach, as has AT&T.But why did they not take this action when it was the Democrats egging on violencewhereas not one Republican member of Congress supported the Jan. 6 mayhem?

In July, Rep. Nadler, D-N.Y., was confronted in Washington D.C. by a reporter who asked if he was willing to condemn the BLM and Antifa violence in Portland, Oregon that had at that point gone on for about 60 nights straight.

Thats a myth, he said plainly, neglecting what America could see with one eye shut. Eventually, it would be reported that the leftist anarchist uprising was estimated to cost Portland at least $23 million in damages.

Nadlers comments caught on video in July came after a speech he gave in June on the House floor arguing that Antifa is an imaginary organization.

Yet when it wasnt leftist violence that had occurred, Nadler promptly pressed the Department of Justice to prosecute all the rioters involved in the Capitol breach. The representative is insanely hypocritical for not applying this standard to all who commit violence in plain sight. The left did so for months, and police were routinely ordered to stand down and the rioters excused and overlooked by Democrat elected officials.

In the 2020 election cycle, Nadler received $12,000 from Walt Disney Co and $18,653 total from the company and its employees. He received $10,000 each from AT&T, Alphabet, Comcast, and Microsoft. These corporations have now either threatened or already rescinded GOP donations over the violence Republicans roundly condemned during the Capitol riot.

Where is their dignity in applying this precedent to lawmakers like Nadler who openly cheer on or deny leftist violence?

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in January during a weekly address that Senate Democrats plan to conduct a rigorous investigation of the events that culminated in the Capitol breach, including the role of white supremacy, disinformation, and the gross disparity in force between the Trump administrations response to the Capitol rioters and the administrations response to the racial justice protesters last summer.

There is one glaring issue with Schumers statement here.Is he legitimately calling leftist rioters and looters that inflicted the most expensive riot damage in U.S. historyan estimated $2 billionmerely racial justice protestors? It sure appears so.

After reconvening in the Senate that same day, Schumer made a reference comparing the Capitol breach amid which five people died to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2,403 Americans, but repeatedly referred to the murder and mayhem all summer long as mostly peaceful. That is also true of the Jan. 6 Trump rally, but point that out and you are endorsing domestic terrorists while getting roundly condemned by applying an equal standard to the leftist 2020 riots all across the nation.

During the 2020 cycle, Deloitte LLP gave $10,000 to Schumer through a LeadPAC in his name. During the years 2012 to 2020, they gave him and his PAC $59,000 combined.This is the same company that said in a statement after the Capitol breach that it will not support those who work to undermine the rule of law, essentially saying that Republicans who operated through a legal process were undermining the government.

JPMorgan Chase and Co. has given the most out of any PAC to Schumer throughout his career, at $65,000, not including the $309,312 that went to Schumer from its employees. Goldman Sachs comes in at second, with $53,000 donated and $609,015 in total including employees. Both corporations have suspended GOP donations over the breach.

JPMorgan Chase and Co. spokeswoman Patricia A. Wexler declined to comment and Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to a media request by The Federalist.

If these corporations take this action in retaliation for a small mob of Trump supporters who committed violence for one day, why do they fail to use the same standard for top Democratic politicians who openly supported the months-long Antifa and BLM attacks that resulted in a significantly higher death count?

We know the answer to this question; to all of the questions above. Companies are willing to turn a blind eye to Democratic malfeasance for which they punish Republicans. A political double-standard controls corporate America.

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Hemingway: Limbaugh Taught A Generation How To Fight Totalitarian Left – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

Federalist Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway remembered iconic broadcast host Rush Limbaugh on Fox News Wednesday after the pioneer of conservative talk radio passed away from lung cancer.

There was no more prominent conservative who represented the right half of the country for 30 years than Rush Limbaugh, Hemingway said. It is not too much to say that he gave an entire generation of Americans a way to think and talk about the politics and meaning of America, and that he gave the people a vocabulary to fight back against a portion of the left that has grown increasingly anti-American.

Limbaugh died at age 70 this week after revealing his diagnosis with late-stage lung cancer just more than a year ago. President Donald Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the presidents final State of the Union address the day after Limbaugh announced to millions of listeners his new diagnosis.

Limbaugh thank his listeners in one of his final broadcasts at the end of last year after outliving his initial prognosis.

I wasnt expected to be alive today, Limbaugh said. I wasnt expected to make it to October, and then to November, and then to December. And yet, here I am. And today, got some problems, but Im feeling pretty good today.

Read the most touching tributes to Limbaugh here.

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Tiger Woods In Surgery With Major Leg Injuries After Car Crash – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

Professional golfer Eldrick Tiger Woods is undergoing major surgery for multiple leg injuries following a serious vehicle collision in California on Tuesday morning.

He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support, his agent, Mark Steinberg, told Golf Digest.

The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department announced the roll-over in Rolling Hills Estates on Tuesday afternoon, explaining that the single-vehicle crash, which occurred early in the morning, required the jaws of life to remove the professional golfer from the wreckage. The 45-year-old Woods suffered injuries that required immediate transportation to the hospital.

FOX 11 reported, Woods was in the area to film something at the luxury Terranea Resort and lost control of the vehicle while traveling downhill because he was unfamiliar with the steep terrain.

According to Golf Digest, Woods was in the state to host the PGA Tours weekend Genesis Invitational and spent Monday on the Rolling Hills Country Club golf course with Dwayne Wade and David Spade to shoot something for a film, giving on-course lessons to a number of celebrities, but he mostly provided instruction and hit a few putts. While the Digest notes that Woods was in good spirits on Monday, concerns began to surface after he did not arrive to the course for the second day of shooting.

Woods recently underwent a fifth back surgery, keeping him away from competitions until anupcoming MRI before he could ramp up practicing and training for a return to competition. During the Monday shoot, Woods did not hit balls or play any holes.

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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We Need To Have A National Conversation About Offensive Muppets – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

After too many years of silence on the matter, Disney has taken the courageous step of adding an advisory to The Muppets to warn viewers that we are about to see harmful and racist content. Its about time we have a national conversation about these offensive muppets who, in their ignorance, have perpetuated harmful stereotypes through their puppet privilege.

This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now, reads the Disney Plus disclaimer finally. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.

The Muppets was anything but diverse, inclusive, and inspirational.

Take Kermit the Frog, for starters. The straight male protagonists prejudice shows every time he opens his little amphibian mouth. Kermits statement in his hit The Rainbow Connections, that rainbows are only illusions, is clearly a direct attack on the LGBT community. According to an unnamed source, Kermits lyrics are actually a frogwhistle to Pepe and his ilk to literally erase trans people.

And how about his constant gripes about his skin color? Its not that easy bein green? Kermits attempts to brand himself as a frog of color is offensive to the BIPOC community.

Sam Eagle must be canceled as a white supremacist theocrat, who is reported to be a member of the Proud Boys. A quick internet search revealed that his Facebook cover photo says Blue Lives Matter. Animal evokes Trumpian rhetoric about MS-13 and is offensive toward illiterate musicians. And Statler and Waldorf are symbols of the white patriarchy, who are Me Too accusations just waiting to happen.

The Swedish Chef is undoubtedly racist and a glaring example of cultural appropriation because, as critics say, Hes a stereotype, possibly offensive, certainly bumbling, and probably not even Swedish.

His vocal cadence is clearly more Norwegian. English-speakers, though, dont use this lilt and dont know the difference, Jen Doll noted in her vital essay in The Atlantic. Boorishly, we just lump everyone into the same Scandinavian group, calling him Swedish because, well, thats his name.

Please understand: Sweden is not just Ikea and meatballs, and America needs to try harder. Your ignorance is racism, and the chef is not amusing.

Miss Piggy is perhaps the only Muppet who doesnt deserve to be canceled. Its nice to see representation from the gender-fluid community. Frank Oz did such a beautiful job proving to young minds that men can indeed be women or at least female porkers. The character seems to be a microaggression against orthodox Jews, but they dont matter.

Its nice to see Disneys commitment to ally-ship because its previous silence was violence. But if we want to have the cultural reckoning we really need, we need to evaluate all the ways The Muppets have steeped our society in racism, sexism, and all the other -isms.

Any talk show hosts who have ever featured Kermit should probably take a hard look in the mirror and ask whether they can honestly consider themselves to be antiracists. Can we ever again listen to Harry Bellefonte or watch Steve Martin? How about Jimmy Kimmel or Ellen DeGeneres? As a white person, its not my place to say. But absolutely not.

If we dont recognize the systemic racism and sexism of old films and shows such as The Muppets, we will never successfully transition to completely unproblematic entertainment, such as Disneys new Mulan, which was created without any cultural appropriation and definitely no human rights abuses. Thank you to the CCP for helping make that dream a reality.

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Becerra Refused To Call For Free Elections In Cuba When He Met With Fidel Castro – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will gear up for its second day of confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden nominee Xavier Becerra to be the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Yesterday, The Federalist highlighted Becerras ardent pro-choice stance, particularly in regard to partial-birth abortions. Today, it is time to turn back the clock to 1997 Cuba, when then-Rep. Becerra, D-Calif., met with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and failed to take action on loosening the trade embargo with the communist state. He also refused to call for free elections in Cuba.

As reported by Fox News, Becerra insulted several members of Congress by his visit to Cuba, such as Florida Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who then resigned from the House Hispanic Caucus. Diaz-Balart told the press he would not be willing to participate in the Hispanic coalition until Becerra demonstrates minimal respect for the rights of Cubans to be free and calls for free elections for that oppressed island, as initially reported by the Los Angeles Times.

When pushed on calling for free and fair elections in socialist Cuba, Becerra did not budge. This is an issue that the caucus doesnt take positions on, he said. Becerra continued to face ridicule by Congress for his failure to repudiate the repressive Castro regime, but seemingly never understood the rationale behind those who left the House Hispanic Caucus.

Im very disappointed that the two members decided to take this action. I consider them friends, Becerra said. And I know that they are very passionate about the issue. Certainly, it the whole issue of Cuba is one that the caucus, because there has not been a strong consensus, has decided not to take on. I as the new chair of the caucus, it was not my intention to change that policy either. They chose, however, to make it an issue.

Becerra has been notably soft on Cuba, particularly in 2007, when he supported an amendment put forth by New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel to urge President George W. Bush to lift the ban on travel to Cuba, as well as foster trade. The amendment failed to pass 245-182.

The message is very clear, Diaz-Balart said at the time. There will be no possibility of a relaxation of sanctions until there is a democratic constitution in Cuba.

As of today, it appears moderate Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are undecided on their Becerra vote. GOP senators will face off with the progressive HHS nominee, aiming to throw a wrench in his confirmation.

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After Burst Pipes Flooded Texas Homes, Many Are Blessed With Free Repairs – The Federalist

Posted: at 1:03 am

LUBBOCK, Texas As millions of Texans grapple with the aftermath and destruction caused by Winter Storm Uri last week, including struggling to find access to clean water and funds to clean up their flooded homes destroyed by pipes that burst as they froze and thawed, some are benefitting from the generosity of kind strangers who have dedicated their time, effort, and money to repair the state one pipe at a time.

Ashleigh Cedillo, a 36-year-old single mother in Lubbock, is one of the many people in Texas who faced no heat, no water, and burst pipes that flooded part of her home. Despite her unfortunate circumstances, Cedillo has also experienced the generosity and care of her fellow Texans as she works to return to normal.

Last summer, Cedillos air conditioning and heating unit broke, leaving her home with no internal temperature control other than space heaters to keep her home warmed in the winter months. So when record subzero temperatures and a blistering wind chill plagued the south plains last week, Cedillo and her 7-year-old daughter gave up trying to find more space heaters, which were sold out at many local stores, and sought shelter at a family members house for a few days with the hopes of staying warm.

We made do with what we had, Cedillo told The Federalist.

When she left her house early in the week, Cedillo said her kitchen sink faucet froze due to the increasingly dropping temperatures outside and in. It wasnt until she received a phone call from her brother on Thursday that she realized the water pipes in her kitchen had burst, gushing water over her countertops and flooding her floors. While the water department acted quickly to shut off her water and prevent further damage to other areas of her home, Cedillo immediately knew the repairs were going to be costly.

I dont really have money for a plumber right now, she said. I have a sister. She allowed me to go over there, but of course, she has her own family and I dont want to get in the way. And so I didnt know [what to do].

With her water turned off, no money to fix the catastrophe that struck her kitchen, and a sudden return to work and school after a crazy week, Cedillo and her young daughter were forced to get creative with how they would continue their daily lives, buying storage tubs from a local dollar store to carry and store water.

I went to the neighbor on the corner and Im like, I dont mean to bother you and this might sound strange, but can you fill this water up for me? This is what we use right now to flush our toilets, Cedillo explained.

The neighbor eagerly agreed to help, filling up the tub so Cedillo and her daughter could flush their toilets, take showers using plastic sacks with holes, and wash their faces. She also bought a case of water bottles to use for brushing teeth.

Ive heard theres boiling notices like around the surrounding areas, and I just want to be safe with my daughter and just make sure that no matter what, were safe, Cedillo explained.

When her daughter asked how long they would have to pull water from a plastic tub to complete their daily routines, Cedillo said she didnt know.

Today was the first day at school, Cedillo told The Federalist on Monday. We woke up 30 minutes extra just in case anything went wrong, but it worked out. I mean, were able to brush our teeth and we washed our face with it and then also to take a shower.

Just as Cedillo started to settle into a routine without running water, a man and his wife, whose names she couldnt remember, came to her house and offered to fix her pipes for free. In just one day, Cedillos water was up and running again.

All I had was $30, and he didnt even charge my card, Cedillo said choking back tears. I dont know why he did it, but he just fixed it for me and he said, Thank you and have a good day, and then went on about his business. Texas takes care of Texas for sure.

The man and his wife are Will and Raquel Arausa, who own and operate Flatland Plumbing in Lubbock, a family-owned business with family values. Together, they are offering their services to people in their community hit by the effects of the recent weather on a pay what you can basis.

The idea to provide gratuitous plumbing services to those in need first came to the Arausas two years ago after an elderly customer, whose home required thousands of dollars worth of repairs, requested Wills help. At first, he told the woman he couldnt do the job at the payment plan rate she suggested, but after stewing on it, Will ultimately decided to take a week off of his normal paid plumbing schedule to help her.

I didnt ask her for any money, I didnt. And she was so grateful, Will told The Federalist. She was just such a beautiful lady. It was awesome to see how appreciative she was of it. It was the womans genuine gratitude for the act of generosity that Will said pushed him to keep up some of his free services.

I got with my wife and we prayed over it, and I was like, you know what, we need to be doing this for our customers that cant afford this because there is a need for plumbers that even the elderly, they cant afford it, Will said. Plumbing is expensive, crazy expensive, so we came up with a couple of game plans.

While Will said the plans didnt always stick, he knew when the storm hit last week that it would be a prime opportunity to give back to the community and help anyone who needed it. The response, he said, was overwhelming.

We started with [putting] a Facebook post out and telling our story about this lady that I did the work for and also offering the pay what you can or name your price, Will said. We were going to run it for a week from Friday to Friday. So we did that and were still getting calls from it now. Theres so much need for it, but thats where were at now and weve been running calls until 10 or 12:00 at night, since Thursday or Friday. We worked all the way through the weekend, taking care of customers, and weve still got a list of about 40 people left.

Will, who is the only plumber at Flatland, is responding to the influx of calls from Texans all across his city by himself. Its a lot of work but were trying our best, he said.

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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After Burst Pipes Flooded Texas Homes, Many Are Blessed With Free Repairs - The Federalist

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It’s Been One Terrible Week For The Democratic Party – The Federalist

Posted: February 14, 2021 at 2:02 pm

It has been one tough week for the left.

Impeachment for political theatre was squashed, the Never Trump Lincoln Project further imploded when it was reported its leaders knew about the sexual harassment allegations against co-founder John Weaver, and the petition to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom D-Calif. reached 1.5 million signatures to likely trigger a special election.

The Donald Trump Charlottesville rhetoric lie was debunked again, and now, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y. is facing bipartisan flack from lawmakers after a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) request showed as many as 9,000 COVID-19 infected patients were sent to nursing homes under his directive, resulting in one of the nations worst COVID scenarios.

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump was acquitted in impeachment proceedings for the second time in two years, 57-43 in the Senate. It was the outcome anyone practical knew was coming for weeksand one that only adds fuel to the lefts endless and compulsive disdain for the 45th president.

While seven Republicans and two independents voted to impeach Trump with the Democrats, they still ended up 10 votes short to achieve the grand number of 67.

Those in favor of impeachment tried to push the unsubstantiated narrative that Trump incited the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, regardless of the fact that The New York Times documented people were already rioting 20 minutes before his speech even began.

Impeachment may be overcrossing our fingers unless Democrats in Congress unconstitutionally try yet againbut the lefts perpetual obsession with Trump will not end. The blue check marks on Twitter were having a difficult time coping with the expected news on Saturday.

In January, journalist Ryan Girdusky broke a bombshell story in The American Conservative about Never Trump political action committee (PAC) The Lincoln Projects co-founder John Weaver. Girdusky talked to dozens of young men who alleged Weavers sexual harassment and misconduct towards young conservatives and abusing his power. A week after, Weaver resigned and admitted to the mounting allegations.

On Friday, Steve Schmidt, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and a former senior campaign advisor in 2008 to John McCains presidential campaign, also resigned. Schmidt claims to have known about Weavers misconduct and made his release on Twitter.

I am resigning my seat on the Lincoln Project board to make room for the appointment of a female board member as the first step to reform and professionalize the Lincoln Project, Schmidt said.

According to several Lincoln Project employees, leadership at the PAC was briefed on 10 of the allegations against Weaver in June 2020. The organization thus intentionally concealed this information.

Now former employees at The Lincoln Project have demanded immediate release from the non-disclosure agreements signed when Weaver was at the company, to inform the public about more details. Schmidt also came under heavy scrutiny after going on a rampage on Twitter and inappropriately posting screenshots of a direct message conversation between co-founder Jennifer Horn and a reporter from The 19th working on a damning story about the anti-Trump organization.

The petition to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom reached 1,509,000 signatures on Fridaythe minimum needed to lead to a special election.By March, the recall effort has to have received 12 percent of signatures from Californians, which will then be vetted by the California secretary of state.

The Federalists Western Correspondent Tristan Justice and Staff Writer Jordan Davidson hosted Rescue California campaign manager Anne Dunsmore on The Federalist Radio Hour on Friday.

Thisisacitizenmovement, thisisnotapoliticalmovement, Dunsmore said. Were pursuing a political process to fixtheproblemforsure, butthisisntaTrumpversusBidenthing.

As discussed on the podcast, the intensifying of the recall effort comes after tyrannical lockdowns Newsom instituted in California throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, endlessly shifting goal-posts. Newsom was found hypocritically dining at The French Laundry in December of last year, days after pulling the emergency brake on state reopening implementation plans and instituting new lockdown rules.

The Republican National Committee donated $250,000 to the recall efforts, as Newsom looks more and more probable to defend his rule to voters quite soon.

Since the Charlottesville, Va protests in Aug. 2017, Democrats have continually pushed the false narrative that President Trump said there were fine people on both sides, referring to white supremacists. This has been debunked many times by non-leftist media sources, and was justly given the national attention it deserves on Saturday during the impeachment trial by lead defense attorney David Schoen.

After the clip that corporate media used to manipulate the public, Trump says the following: You have people, and Im not talking about the neo-Nazis and white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally, but you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists

Destroying the Charlottesville fine people hoax, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, Make sure you watch this all the way through and see if it aligns with what the media told you Trump said. Hint: IT WONT Todays media is a disgrace.

So much for the lefts infatuation with calling Trump a racist because of this purposeful editing botch.

What conservative media outlets have reported on for months is finally being accepted by those on the left. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., sent as many as 9,000 COVID-19 infected elderly patients back to nursing homes, which led to high rates of deaths in his state among the elderly.

On Friday, Cuomos top aide released a statement acknowledging that the office delayed reporting on fatality data because of concerns that it was going to be used against us.A court order and New York state attorney general report showed in the last few weeks that the total nursing home fatality rate is one-seventh of all residents living in nursing homes in the state. 15,000 died in total.

In August, President Trump was vocal about Cuomos mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic Now AP estimates that the real Cuomo number of people killed because of his total incompetence is 11,000, not the 6000 that was originally thought! Trump tweeted.

Nonetheless, leftists sided with Cuomo and assisted with his coverup, all to oppose the bad orange man. Now, though, Democrats are waking up to his incompetence. Several Democratic New York senators signed a joint letter to strip Cuomo of emergency powers and state Sen. Jessica Ramos D-N.Y. sent a separate letter.

At a time when we need New Yorkers to trust their elected officials the most, the governor and his administration knowingly chose to lie and play politics with New Yorkers lives, Ramos wrote, the same day the New York GOP congressional delegation sent a letter asking the Justice Department to investigate obstruction of justice in Cuomos blocking of the nursing home investigation.

BREAKING: NY GOP Congressional delegation is calling on @TheJusticeDept to open Obstruction of Justice investigation into Cuomo/his admin. They covered-up the true consequences of his nursing home policy & now its being reported they withheld info to block a DOJ investigation! Republican state Rep. Lee Zeldin tweeted.

We witnessed five catastrophes worsen for Democrats, all in the course of one week. One only wonders how bad it will continue to get as the ill results of COVID lockdowns continue to become impossible to ignore.

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It's Been One Terrible Week For The Democratic Party - The Federalist

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