I just will drop this here that the #1 the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) recommends from their top five books is:
1. Economics in One Lesson (Henry Hazlitt, 1946)
The fact that I recently dedicated an article to this masterpiece shows the special attachment I have to Henry Hazlitt and this work in particular. In Economics in One Lesson, the author debunks a series of widespread economic fallacies using a simple and accessible language. If you wish to learn more about some basic, though important, economic principles, this is your book. One piece of advice before starting to read it: get rid of your prejudices and preconceptions so that you can make the most of it.
Stossel
John Stossel investigates a New York City park bathroom that cost $2 million to build. (This video was made 7-years ago… factor in inflation [printing money].)
For that price you might expect gold-plated fixtures—but it’s just a tiny building with four toilets and two sinks. New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver says $2 million was a good deal because “New York City is the most expensive place to build.” He estimates that future bathrooms will cost more than $3 million. Commissioner Silver argues that this park, on the outskirts of Brooklyn, will get so much use that it must be built to last, and that can be expensive. Yet privately managed Bryant Park, in the middle of Manhattan, gets much more use and its recent bathroom renovation cost just $271,000. Since government spends other people’s money, it doesn’t need to worry about cost or speed. Every decision is bogged down by time-wasting “public engagement,” inflated union wages, and productivity-killing work rules. Two million dollars for a bathroom. That’s your government at work.
Prager-U
Few people have had as profound an impact on modern economics as economist Milton Friedman. His Nobel Prize-winning ideas on free enterprise resonated throughout the world and continue to do so. Johan Norberg, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, tells Friedman’s fascinating story.
O.G. No Free Lunch
Milton Friedman gives his thoughts on something called the “free lunch myth”. The idea is that the government can provide stuff for free at nobodies expense. Milton Friedman thinks this is false and he tells us why. Share with Bernie Sanders supporters you know.
Father Robert Sirico | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
David L. Bahnsen and Father Sirico discuss the philosophical and theological foundations of American free enterprise. Father Robert Sirico is a Priest, Author, and the Cofounder and President of the Acton Institute.
Dr. Hunter Baker | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
In Episode 2, David and guest Dr. Hunter Baker define human action, defend the dignity of work, and dissect the dangers of collectivism. Hunter Baker, J.D., Ph.D. serves as dean of arts and sciences and professor of political science at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.
Dennis Prager | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
David speaks with guest Dennis Prager, author, host of The Dennis Prager Show and founder of PragerU, about the many ways covetousness and class envy corrode good economics, the nature of inequality, and how the Left’s culture of entitlement destroys the American value system.
Larry Kudlow | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
Bahnsen speaks with Larry Kudlow, former director of the National Economic Council and host of Kudlow on Fox Business, about why incentives are the heart of economics. The two discuss the history of supply-side economics, discuss the regulatory policies and problems that disincentivize businesses and households, and address the disease of wokeness in American boardrooms.
Ryan T. Anderson | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
Thanks to the Left’s culture of class envy, private property has become a four-letter word in popular culture. In this episode of No Free Lunch, Ryan Anderson, author and president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joins host David Bahnsen to examine the theological justification for accumulating private property, discuss how private property creates prosperity and encourages compassion, and debate the State’s role in private-property protection.
Doug Wilson | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
David hosts Pastor Doug Wilson to discuss virtue and discipline not simply as desirable moral characteristics in economics, but as the very necessity of free markets.
(BONUS EP.) Sen. Ted Cruz | No Free Lunch with David Bahnsen
David Bahnsen speaks with guest Senator Ted Cruz about the government’s role in free markets and the conservative vision for sound economic policy.
However, the PHRASE “There ain’t no such thing as free lunch,” is made into an acronym (TANSTAAFL). And it is used to great delight in various and sundry ways: here, here, here, here, here, and here, as some examples. It’s origin dates back quite some time. But QUOTE ORIGIN did some bang up work on the matter. LIBERTARIANISM.ORG has the intro to the fable:
“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” has been a popular libertarian slogan since the 1960s. The slogan’s meaning is simple: you cannot make something from nothing. In a political context, the state cannot promise fantastical benefits without eventually increasing taxes.
Although Robert Heinlein is responsible for popularizing the slogan, he is not its creator. The phrase might seem a little alien because it is associated with an old business practice that diminished over time following the Great Depression. Between 1870 and 1920, bars and taverns served free lunches with the purchase of a drink to entice new customers. Salty food was served to get customers to drink more beer and spend more money.
The first use of TANSTAAFL in its modern context can be found in an article entitled “Economics in Eight Words” in the El Paso Herald-Post from 1938, likely written by a man named Walter Morrow, editor-in-chief of The Southwestern Group of Scripps-Howard Newspapers.
“Economics in Eight Words”
Once upon a time a great and wise king ruled a populous and prosperous land. The width and breadth of his kingdom were measured in thousands of leagues.
But a plague of poverty came upon that land, and no man knew its cause. There were mighty and inconclusive arguments in the halls of government, and learned graybeards in the schools advocated this remedy or that.
The king, seeing that his people were starving and distressed in the midst of plenty, called his wisest counsellors from the four quarters of the kingdom.
Seated on his golden throne and arrayed in his royal robes, he commanded them to lend him their wisdom. Then began an argument that lasted all through the night, until the King’s head drooped wearily with the weight of the sapphires and diamonds in his golden crown. As dawn was breaking he arose and said:
“Here is only confusion of tongues. I have heard many of you speak of a science called economics, which may prove the key to my people’s troubles.
“Mark well my words: One month hence let all the economists of my kingdom assemble here, bringing with them a short and simple text on this subject of economics, so that I may find light and my people may be saved.”
A month passed. The economists assembled, and their number was two thousand and ten.
“Where is my short text on economics?” asked the king.
“O, sire,” replied the chief economist, “we have it not. To prepare such a text will require at least a year.”
“That,” said the king, “is a long time, and my people languish. But go, now, and get to work without delay.” A twelvemonth later the economists took their places in the great audience hall, around the crystal walls of which stood the palace guards, armed with spears and crossbows. Then stood forth the gray-bearded chief economist.
“O, King,” he said, “We have labored with all diligence and have prepared the short text on economics for which you asked. We have it here in 87 volumes of 600 pages each, profusely illustrated with charts and graphs.”
The king, exceedingly wroth, raised his scepter and let it fall with a crash, so that the great sapphire in its tip bit deeply into the table top before him. And the guards, raising their crossbows, shot one thousand and five of the economists.
“Now,” thundered the king, “get you gone, and return not until you have written me a really brief text on economics.”
And the remaining economists fled down the long hall, and the iron doors of the palace clanged behind them.
But, another year having passed, they returned, and the aged spokesman spoke with prideful voice:
“Sire, at last we have just what you want. We have reduced our work on economics to 63 volumes by eliminating the graphs and charts.”
Again the king raised his scepter and brought it down, with such force this time that the great sapphire remained embedded in the walnut and the pearl of the table top. Again the guards shot their crossbows, and again the number of economists was reduced by half. And those left alive fled once more from the king’s wrath.
Year after year they returned to the palace, bringing each time a slightly more condensed version of the text on economics. But never was the king satisfied, and each time the palace guards shot more economists until at last only one remained alive.
He was a man of profound wisdom, but aged and feeble, so that never had he been able to make his voice heard above the disputations of his colleagues.
And a day came when this last economist plodded slowly to the palace and sought audience with the king, himself now a graybeard, sad and bent with pondering the troubles of his people. Trembling, the last economist approached the throne, prostrated himself before the king, and spoke:
“Your majesty, I have reduced the subject of economics to a single sentence, so brief and so easily remembered that it was not necessary to put it on paper. Yet I will wager my head that you will find my text a true one, and not to be disputed.”
“Speak on,” cried the king, and the palace guards leveled their crossbows. But the old economist rose fearlessly to his feet, stood face to face with the king and said:
“Sire, in eight words I will reveal to you all the wisdom that I have distilled through all these years from all the writings of all the economists who once practiced their science in your kingdom. Here is my text:
There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch (Milton Friedman) – The Turney Collection
Milton Friedman, recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize for Economic Science, was one of the most recognizable and influential proponents of liberty and markets in the 20th century, and the leader of the Chicago School of economics. In this video from the grand opening of the Cato Institute’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 1993, Milton Friedman gives a talk about popular political aphorisms, one of his favorites being the one he helped popularize in the title of his 1975 book, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
How much do you know about Christmas – about its origins and its many beloved traditions? Do you know where the idea of stocking-stuffers comes from? Or how lights found their way onto the Christmas tree? Or why we all have the jolly, red-suited, white-haired image of Santa Claus in our heads? In this video, historian William Federer explores the holiday’s rich and unique history.
“This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We’re gonna press on, and we’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he’s gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.” — Clark W. Griswold Jr.
Should Americans celebrate Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude? Or should they mourn it as a day of guilt? Michael Medved, author of The American Miracle, shares the fascinating story of the first Thanksgiving. (See also my MAIN THANKSGIVING DAY POST)
SQUANTO
Dennis Prager interviews Eric Metaxas about his article entitled “The Miracle of Squanto’s Path to Plymouth.” In the discussion what becomes clear is that America had a divine hand in its founding and ultimately the reasoning for this was the overwhelming good in influencing other nations in her history. He has written a book on this a while back:
PRAGER UIf we don’t believe that biological men have a significant advantage over biological women in sports, then why did women’s sports ever need to be created in the first place? Let’s stop fooling ourselves.
I have more posts that include Selina Soule, the girl in the above video:
The Destruction of Women’s Sports No Big Deal… To the Left (March 2019)
Girls’ Civil Rights Violated By Trangender “Athlete” (August 2019)
1995 NIKE AD – From youth sports to collegiate athletics to the Olympics, female athletes in every sport and at every level deserve a safe and fair playing field.
What about this “intersex” charge? Does this then change our position as to being allowed into a female sport? No. XY is still present, as well as high levels of testosterone during puberty giving a life-long advantage over other [genuine] females:
Jessica Gill’s Insights Into “Intersex” | Plus: Poor Mans Podcast Stuff
DEI initiatives have emerged in business, academia, and government departments in the name of “diversity” and “inclusivity.” Bestselling author Heather Mac Donald and PragerU CEO Marissa Streit discuss how DEI policies that prioritize race and gender above merit are destroying Western Civilization by infiltrating key institutions, such as universities, medicine, and the arts.
The previous guys have always tried to get through all the questions in order, but we all bloviate a bit — I mean, it is a bunch of guys hanging together. So, I decided to — instead of going sequentially through the questions in the study book — camp out on a couple verses/topics. I made notes of where my thoughts were going from the text, which was 1st Thessalonians 5:12-28 (PDF)
But this audio served as an excellent addition to a point I was making, which is in verses:
16 Rejoice always
17 pray constantly
18 give thanks in everything …
I see these verses in similar fashion to the audio. The unthankful are not happy. And in the Christian faith, we have an awful lot to be thankful of. See my SEDERS post: “Keeping Our Christian Identity Through ‘Seders’“, especially points 4 and 5.
Here are some commentaries:
Thessalonians
16. Rejoice evermore] alway (R. V.)—same as in ch. 1:2. 2:16, &c. This seems a strange injunction for men afflicted like the Thessalonians (see ch. 1:6, 2:14, 3:2–4; 2 Ep. 1:4). But the Apostle had learnt, and taught the secret, that in sorrow endured for Christ’s sake there is hidden a new spring of joy. See Rom. 5:3–5, “Let us glory in our tribulations;” 2 Cor. 12:10; and the Beatitude of Christ in Matt. 5:10–12; also 1 Pet. 4:12–14.
This phrase supplied the keynote of St Paul’s subsequent letter, written from prison, to the Philippians (ch. 4:4, 5).
17. Pray without ceasing] Twice the Apostle has used this adverb (ch. 1:3, 2:13), referring to his own constant grateful remembrance of his readers before God. Numberless other objects occupied his mind during the busy hours of each day; and the Thessalonians could not be distinctly present to his mind in every act of devotion; still he felt that they were never out of remembrance, and thankfulness on their account mingled with and coloured all his thoughts and feelings at this time. In like manner Prayer is to be the accompaniment of our whole life—a stream ever flowing, now within sight and hearing, now disappearing from view, forming lie under-current of all our thoughts and giving to them its own character and tone.
18. In every thing give thanks] This again the Apostle taught by example as well as precept; see ch. 1:2; 3:9, 10; and comp. Ph. 4:6; Col. 4:2. “In everything,” even in persecution and shame, suffered for Christ’s sake; comp. Phil. 1:29, 2 Cor. 12:9, 10.
Prayer and Thanksgiving are the two wings of the soul by which it rises upward to God.
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you] Rather, to you-ward (R. V.):—“You Thessalonian believers—so greatly afflicted and tempted to murmuring and despondency—are the special objects of this Divine purpose, whose attainment is made possible for you in Christ Jesus. God intends that your life should be one of constant prayer, constant joy and thanksgiving.” In ch. 3:3 it was said that the Thessalonians were “appointed” to their extraordinary sufferings (comp. ch. 4:3). Now the reason of this appointment is shown; it is that they may grow perfect in thankfulness, grateful for the bitter as well as for the sweet in their experiences,—for
“each rebuff
That turns earth’s smoothness rough,
Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand, bit go.”
Such cheerfulness of soul needs strong faith, and is won through hard trial. Rom. 5:3–5 supplies the reasoning by which tribulation is made matter of thanksgiving and the sorrows of the Christian are turned to songs of joy.—On Christ Jesus, see note to ch. 2:14.
George G. Findlay, The Epistles to the Thessalonians, with Introduction, Notes, and Map, The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1898), 119–120.
NUMBERS
The section of the book beginning with these verses and continuing into chapter 14 recounts the development of a spirit of discontentment among the people, and their consequent murmuring against Moses and against the Lord. This murmuring, we are meant to understand, became a continuing characteristic and had a cumulative effect. It was not merely that the people murmured once or twice. They developed a murmuring, complaining spirit, and it was this that came to a climax at Kadesh Barnea, when they failed at a critical time of opportunity. They were turned back by God into the wilderness, and kept there for forty years. Israel finally entered into the Promised Land, but that generation of Israel did not, and were not allowed to enter by God. The lesson is not that they were finally lost, but that they were disqualified in the purposes of God—a grim and solemn reality. This murmuring, complaining, critical spirit, it is clear, got into them, and did something to them, rendering them progressively incapable of rising to their divine calling until, at a moment of crisis, they crashed.
[….]
The fact that this next instance of murmuring follows immediately after the incident recorded in verses 1–3 may suggest, that “the unbelieving and discontented mass did not discern the chastising hand of God at all in the conflagration which broke out at the end of the camp, because it was not declared to be a punishment, and was not preceded by a previous announcement.” This seems quite likely; otherwise it would be necessary to interpret the murmuring in this chapter as having reached such an extreme pitch that divine judgment was swift and general; whereas the pattern un folded in this and following chapters indicates rather that it had a cumulative effect, leading to the grim pronouncement at Kadesh Barnea (14:1ff.).
The spirit of murmuring becomes specific in these verses, and its cause attributed to the rabble among the people (this seems to be the force of the phrase “mixed multitude,” which one commentator renders as “riff-raff”). This rabble-rousing element among the people certainly spread a major disaffection throughout the camp. As Calvin comments, the contagion of vice easily spreads. But the responsibility for this disaffection fell upon Israel, and as the following verses show it was Israel, not merely the “rabble,” who were punished. The weariness they expressed with what they felt to be a monotonous diet of manna, and their disparagement of it, as they longed for the Egyptian fare they had known—fish in plenty and a variety of vegetables—kindled the divine anger.
One would have thought that Israel would never have forgotten the terrible conditions of their slavery in Egypt and the horrors, privations, and tortures that had made life such a misery for them, and would have been content with any change from that, let alone the dignity of a high calling and destiny and the provision of a faithful and bounteous God. But no; they were actually looking back to these Egyptian experiences as if they had been a paradise for them (v. 5).
From this we may learn that looking back on “the good old days” is always a matter of wearing rose-colored glasses. The one word to describe the attitude of those who do so is humbug! It was, of course, the existence of the false among the true in Israel that caused the trouble, for this is always a fruitful source of infection. The truth is, the spiritual destiny is intolerable for a worldly people to contemplate—hence the telltale phrase in verse 6, “nothing at all except this manna,” even when what follows (vv. 7–9) describes that manna as a pleasant, God-given food sent with the dew of heaven, and described in Psalm 78:24ff. as “the bread of heaven” and “angels’ food.” There are those for whom “nothing except manna” is heaven itself, and every kind of joy, and others for whom it is sheer hell and unbearable; for manna is a heavenly food, and to appreciate heavenly food one needs a heavenly taste.
James Philip and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Numbers, vol. 4, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1987), 124, 126–127.
PRAGER U
Have you ever envied someone else’s success? Do you sometimes wish you had another person’s life? Comparing yourself to other people will only put you on the fast track to an unhappy life. If You Want a Happy Life…
This week, Dennis shares an important message about what famous Christmas tunes call “the best time of the year.” ‘Tis the season to be merry, but happiness doesn’t happen to you. Pursuing happiness, like pursuing all good things in life, is a choice. How You Can Be Happy
Dennis Prager talks the connection between gratitude and happiness and much more in his latest Fireside Chat. Check it out, and have a very happy Thanksgiving! Fireside Chat Ep. 59 – Gratitude Creates Happiness
Want to be miserable, resentful, and bitter? Few people do, and yet many people are. Why? Because many people have the one primary character trait that leads to unhappiness. And you need to avoid it. Nationally syndicated talk show host Dennis Prager explains. The Key to Unhappiness
Is there an equation that can accurately predict how happy you will be? There is. Can you control the inputs of that equation, and thus your own happiness? You can. How? Dennis Prager, author of the best-selling book, “Happiness is a Serious Problem”, explains. Happiness Equation: U = I – R
Dennis Prager talks about one of humanity’s biggest pursuits–happiness. It’s mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Therapists and psychologists (and even pharmaceutical companies!) make their careers out of helping people be and feel happy. And we all know that being unhappy, and being around unhappy people, is no fun. Dennis will discuss why happiness, while great for personal and emotional reasons, is far more than a selfish pursuit. It is a moral obligation. Being happy around others is a necessary ingredient of growing up and accumulating friends. No one likes a Moody Mary. Also, more happiness makes for a better world. After all, how many of the world’s dictators and tyrants are motivated by happiness? None! So, learn how to be happy and learn why being happy is so important. Why Be Happy?
Doing what feels good in the moment may result in temporary pleasure, but will it lead to true happiness? This week, Dennis talks about the importance of not only having superficial fun but pursuing depth in your life. How is this achieved? Like all good things, you work at it! Ep. 318 — How to Live a Life of Depth
51% of young Americans are feeling depressed with a negative outlook on life, according to a recent survey. Why are they feeling so hopeless? Well if you are indoctrinated to hate your past, to live fearfully, and to expect the world to end, how could you not be? Ep. 186 — A Hopeless Generation?
This entire post bleeds into the video at the end. I suggest you at last skip all this fodder, as important as it is, and watch that video at the bottom.
This is the video [below] that caused Google to remove Prager University’s ap from their store:
(PJ-MEDIA)There are messages that do not conform to the Accepted Narrative. If the messengers cannot be controlled, they have to be eliminated. So it should come as no surprise that a tech giant, with a history of left-wing proclivities and a cozy relationship with Democrats in power, found the excuse it needed to silence a dissident voice. (See also RIGHT SCOOP)
Radical Islam poses a significant threat to our freedom. The rise of anti-American rhetoric and violence in cities and universities is a direct result of the indoctrination led by those perpetrating a religious war against the West. PragerU’s short documentary features first-hand accounts from those who escaped Islamic rule and have come to warn America.
Featuring:
Ayman Abu Suboh (later Dor Shachar), a Palestinian who escaped to Israel from the terror of Hamas and later converted to Judaism.
Sophia Salma Khalifa, an Arab Muslim born in Israel who moved to the U.S. to earn her master’s degree from Stanford University.
Omar Vieira, retired U.S. Navy SEAL who served for 21 years and led high-risk operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other locations in the Middle East.
Jason Tuschen, retired U.S. Navy SEAL Command Master Chief who served for 27 years and was responsible for executing National Security Strategy in the Middle East.
MORE:
Just a couple, related , stories that I cam across recently. But first, just some excerpts on what we already know: “Amid a bitter election-year debate over illegal immigration, FBI Director Chris Wray told a Senate panel on Monday that dangerous individuals have entered the United States illegally at the southern border. (ABC)”
This story garnered the Left’s attention to say, “Ha, the open border in the South is not the issue…”
736 known or suspected terrorists apprehended at U.S. border in fiscal 2023 – 66% of those apprehended at northern border (CENTER SQUARE)
However, the question becomes this… how many got away on our Southern Border? Remember, the number is higher today
These numbers don’t include gotaways, which are believed to also include KSTs. “Gotaways” is the official U.S. Customs and Border Patrol term that refers to those who illegally enter the U.S. between ports of entry, don’t return to Mexico or Canada, and are not apprehended. They total at least nearly 1.7 million since January 2021. However, the number is believed to be much higher because not all gotaways are known and or reported.
With people illegally entering the U.S. from over 170 countries, former ICE Chief Tom Homan told The Center Square some of these countries they are coming from are sponsors of terrorism.
“If you don’t think a single one of the 1.7 million [gotaways] is coming from a country that sponsors terrorism, then you’re ignoring the data,” he said. “That’s what makes this a huge national security issue.”
The Hijrah, in Islamic lore, was the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina, where the Muslims ultimately outnumbered the local population and took over the city. Ever since then, Muslim migration to non-Muslim lands for the purpose of turning them Muslim is part of Islamic doctrine.
In fact, in the Qu’ran, Sura 4, Verse 100 says…
“And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him, his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”
Confirming the above video, PJ-MEDIA notes the “Sharia Courts” growth in Europe. And now Europe is in a battle under reported:
…. The English actor-turned-political-activist Lawrence Fox recently noted what was happening: “The Mayor of London is a Muslim. The mayor of Birmingham is a Muslim. The Mayor of Leeds is Muslim. Mayor of Blackburn – Muslim. The mayor of Sheffield is a Muslim. The mayor of Oxford is a Muslim. The mayor of Luton is a Muslim. The mayor of Oldham is Muslim. The mayor of Rochdale is Muslim. All this was achieved by only 4 million Muslims out of 66 million people in England.”
This kind of thing has happened before, but few remember. Back in the days when our schools and universities concentrated on teaching actual facts rather than leftist propaganda, race hatred, and gender fantasy, every schoolchild learned about the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Nowadays one would be hard-pressed to find someone under twenty who knows what a “Norman” was (they were people from Normandy, in northern France, where a large number of Norsemen from Scandinavia had settled), but a few decades ago any random student would have been able to tell you that this conquest was not just a military victory. It heralded the thorough transformation of English society.
The invading Normans were few in number compared to the English, but once they had defeated the defenders, they set about systematically to ensure that England would remain theirs in perpetuity. They removed the native English from positions of political and ecclesiastical power. Norman French mingled with the Old English language, ultimately creating the English language as we know it today. Historian Richard Southern observed that “no country in Europe, between the rise of the barbarian kingdoms and the 20th century, has undergone so radical a change in so short a time as England experienced after 1066.”
Until now. Lawrence Fox continued: “Today there are over 3,000 mosques in England. There are over 130 sharia courts. There are more than 50 Sharia Councils. 78 percent of Muslim women do not work, receive state support + free accommodation. 63 percent of Muslims do not work, receive state support + free housing. State-supported Muslim families with an average of 6 to 8 children receive free accommodation. Now every school in the UK is required to teach lessons about Islam. Has anyone ever been given an opportunity to vote for this?”
All this has already transformed Britain, and much more is to come. JNS recently reported that “honor-based abuse cases in England rose by more than 60% in two years, with 2,594 cases in 2022 vs. 1,599 in 2020.” It pointed out that “such crimes are common in many Muslim countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh. (1.6 million people, or 2.7%, of the United Kingdom’s population identify as Pakistani, and 94,434, or 1.1%, as Bangladeshi, according to the 2022 U.K. census.)” Now honor crimes will be common in a new Muslim country, Britain. …..
Douglas Murray
‘Morally wicked’: Douglas Murray calls out commentator defending Hamas’ charter
Author Douglas Murray has called out an American political commentator for defending Hamas’ charter and claiming it does not want to kill Jewish people in Israel. Briahna Joy Gray claimed Hamas wants to limit the idea of a Jewish state and wants a democracy similar to what is seen in the United States. “There is something morally wicked about doing that. She would accept that in no other situation of something to explain what a terrorist group actually seeks to do,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
Susan Sarandon #MeeTooUnlessYouAreAJew
Now, Susan Sarandon
Hollywood Actress Susan Sarandon DENIES “All the R*pes” committed by Hamas on Oct 7th calling them ‘MYTHS’.
“Do you not know that all of those myths about babies in ovens and the r*pes have all been denied. You are not up to speed.”
NEWSBUSTERS has more on the issues with Susan and her #BelieveAllWomen… except Jewish women stance (BTW, the few week old video commentary included [to the right] has some rough language for those sensitive to it):
Susan Sarandon isn’t letting cancellation curb her pro-Palestinian views.
“There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”
She also shouted along with the crowd, “Long live the Intifada,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” according to The New York Post. Both comments are steeped in violent, antisemitic tropes.
[….]
Social media user Keren Picker walked with Sarandon during yet another pro-Palestinian protest in late April. Picker pressed the star on her positions regarding the Israeli/Hamas war. That included the mountains of evidence that Hamas did more than butcher hundreds of women.
The terror group sexually assaulted them in the most barbaric ways possible.
Sarandon dubbed those assaults mere “myths.”
“We know that all of those myths about babies in ovens and the rapes,” Sarandon said in response to Picker’s interrogation.
“It’s not a myth. You’re denying, you’re denying the terror actions made on October 7th to so many innocent civilians,” Picker countered. She shared the exchange on Instagram….
SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA covered this topic well:
AMI HOROWITZ
‘Me too unless you’re a Jew’: Ami Horowitz slams Susan Sarandon’s stance on Israel-Hamas war
Filmmaker Ami Horowitz says actress Susan Sarandon “dropped the veneer” of being anti-Israel and instead is openly an anti-Semite. Mr Horowitz joined Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi to discuss the actress’ stance on the Israel-Hamas war. “Susan Sarandon had dropped the veneer of simply being anti-Israel but being an open anti-Semite a while ago,” he said. “You can believe the New York Times – I’m sure is Susan Sarandon’s Bible, that interviewed 150 rape victims, rape counsellors, medical emergency personnel, and actually had video the rapes that happened, you can do that, or you can believe Hamas, because that’s essentially what she’s doing. “I mean, me too unless you’re a Jew.”
Her radicalism is reverberating through a film being made. Here is DAILY MAIL’S story on her anti-Semitism ruining what should b a fun film to make:
… The plot will follow three longtime friends who travel to Key West, Florida to be bridesmaids in a surprise wedding for their other close pal, played by Midler.
But despite playing a group of loving gal pals on screen, insiders tell DailyMail.com that the relationship between Sarandon and her co-stars was fraught on set after she persisted with her controversial campaign following her previous anti-Semitic remarks.
‘Bleecker Street is furious at Susan for the way she’s been carrying on. So is Bette, who is a proud Jew and hates what Susan is doing,’ a film insider told DailyMail.com.
‘Sheryl is upset at her too, as is Megan Mullally, the whole crew and cast are. It’s a mess.
‘Her co-stars are disappointed that so many people worked so hard on it, and now Susan is ruining it for everybody.’….
Screams Before Silence
Which brings me all the way to this excellent, but truly tragic — tragic because it had to be made at all — documentary:
A must-watch documentary. #ScreamsBeforeSilence sheds light on the unspeakable sexual violence committed on October 7. As heartbreaking as these stories in the documentary are, we cannot afford to look away. (ORIGINAL FILE)
Others have made the ultimate sacrifice so that you could be free. Remember them—today, and always. A moving tribute, written and narrated by former Navy SEAL and author Jocko Willink.
A few of the below are from the same heroes funeral,
a link to the story is in the pictures
Heroes!
March 4, 2002: John Chapman, an Air Force Combat Controller, along with a SEAL Team, are attempting to rescue their lost teammate. You’ll watch Chapman’s stunning and heroic actions as he saves the lives of his entire SEAL team, and another 18 members of a quick-reaction force, to earn America’s highest honor: The Medal of Honor.
How biased are these pushes? Mollie Hemingway and Laura Ingraham explain:
‘The Federalist’ editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway discusses NewsGuard’s global disinformation index categorizing right-leading media outlets as ‘risky’ and left-leaning outlets as ‘least risky’ for disinformation on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
THE WASHINGTON FREEBEACON has a frustrating story about the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a cult in-and-of-itself. (More on this in a bit.) Here is part of the Beacon’s story:
A spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center signed a statement denouncing Israel as an “apartheid state” and “ethno-nationalist project,” and blaming the Jewish state for provoking Hamas’s terrorist attacks that killed 1,400 Israelis.
Michael Edison Hayden, a senior investigative reporter and spokesperson for the SPLC, and Hannah Gais, a senior researcher and journalist for the SPLC, both signed on to the open letter, which was published by a group called Writers Against the War on Gaza last Thursday.
“Establishment media outlets continue to describe Hamas’s attack on Israel as ‘unprovoked,’” said the statement. “Writers Against the War on Gaza rejects this perversion of meaning, wherein a nuclear state can declare itself a victim in perpetuity while openly enacting genocide.”
“We stand with [Gaza’s] anticolonial struggle for freedom and for self-determination, and with their right to resist occupation,” said the signatories.
The statement also claimed that “Israel’s war against Gaza is an attempt to conduct genocide against the Palestinian people” and that “Israel is an apartheid state, designed to privilege Jewish citizens at the expense of Palestinians.”
The SPLC and Gais did not respond to requests for comment…..
I have posted some media in the past at various places on my site, but here is a good place to bring together two streams of them. One dealing with the charge of apartheid, and the other the extremist positions of the SPLC pointed out by some. Here is more of the BEACON’S story:
….The SPLC has yet to report on the surge in anti-Semitism in the United States in the wake of Hamas’s attacks, according to a review of its website. The Anti-Defamation League has documented a nearly 400-percent increase in anti-Jewish incidents nationally, while the New York Police Department said the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes reported in the city doubled.
The anti-Israel statement signed by Hayden and Gais could fall under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, which includes “justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion” and “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
The statement also called for an international boycott of Israel and linked to a website for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, a Ramallah-based group whose members include the Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine. The council is made up of Hamas and other designated terrorist groups, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The letter received hundreds of signatures as of Friday. It was organized by Writers Against the War on Gaza, a group of “writers, editors, and other culture workers” which describes itself as an “ad hoc coalition committed to solidarity and the horizon of liberation for the Palestinian people.”
Jazmine Hughes, a reporter for the New York Times magazine, resigned on Friday after signing the same letter. The Times magazine editor said her signature was a “clear violation of the Times’s policy on public protest.”
Update 2:13p.m.: Hayden responded to the Free Beacon after publication, claiming that the article was a “racist attempt” to target him. He said any “attempt to conflate my concerns about Palestinian rights with supporting Hamas is cowardly and vile,” and added that he has “made considerable sacrifices to undercut the activism of American antisemites.”
Of course it is racist. LOL!
Okay, let’s deal with the 1st claim I mentioned…
APARTHEID
In this excellent interview with South African up-and-coming scholar, law student, and African continent debate champion — Jamie Mithi. He grew up hearing about Israel being an apartheid state, and so, as a black South African he was interested in the subject. What he found out however was that Israel is the furthest thing from this awful designation. Enjoy Mr. Mithi and Dennis Prager talking about this important issue. Mr. Mithi’s Prager U video follows this interview:
Is Israel an “apartheid state,” as its enemies claim? Who better to answer that charge than a Black South African who lived through apartheid? Kenneth Meshoe, a member of the South African parliament, fits that bill. He examines the evidence against Israel and draws a compelling conclusion.
Dennis Prager in a NATIONAL REVIEW article notes the following regarding what constitutes an apartheid state and what Israel is:
….Israel has nothing in common with an apartheid state, but few people know enough about Israel — or about apartheid South Africa — to refute the libel. So let’s respond.
First, what is an apartheid state? And, does Israel fit that definition?
From 1948 to 1994, South Africa, the country that came up with this term, had an official policy that declared blacks second-class citizens in every aspect of that nation’s life. Among many other prohibitions on the country’s blacks, they could not vote; could not hold political office; were forced to reside in certain locations; could not marry whites; and couldn’t even use the same public restrooms as whites.
Not one of those restrictions applies to Arabs living in Israel.
One and a half million Arabs live in Israel, constituting about 20 percent of the country’s population. They have the same rights as all other Israeli citizens. They can vote, and they do. They can serve in the Israeli parliament, and they do. They can own property, businesses, and work in professions alongside other Israelis, and they do. They can be judges, and they are. Here’s one telling example: It was an Arab judge on Israel’s supreme court who sentenced the former president of Israel, a Jew, to jail on a rape charge.
Some other examples of Arabs in Israeli life: Reda Mansour was the youngest ambassador in Israel’s history, and is now Consul General at Israel’s Atlanta Consulate; Walid Badir is an international soccer star on Israel’s national team, and captain of one of Tel Aviv’s major teams; Rana Raslan is a former Miss Israel; Ishmael Khaldi was until recently the deputy consul of Israel in San Francisco; Khaled Abu Toameh is a major journalist with the Jerusalem Post; Ghaleb Majadele was until recently a minister in the Israeli Government. They are all Israeli Arabs. Not one is a Jew.
Arabs in Israel live freer lives than Arabs living anywhere in the Arab world. No Arab in any Arab country has the civil rights and personal liberty that Arabs in Israel have.
Now one might counter, “Yes, Palestinians who live inside Israel have all these rights, but what about the Palestinians who live in what are known as the occupied territories? Aren’t they treated differently?”
Yes, of course, they are — they are not citizens of Israel. They are governed by either the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) or by Hamas. The control Israel has over these people’s lives is largely manifested when they want to enter Israel. Then they are subjected to long lines and strict searches because Israel must weed out potential terrorists.
Otherwise, Israel has little control over the day-to-day life of Palestinians, and was prepared to have no control in 2000 when it agreed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to which it gave 97 percent of the land it had conquered in the 1967 War. The Palestinian response was to unleash an intifada of terror against Israeli civilians.
And what about the security wall that divides Israel and the West Bank? Is that an example of apartheid?
That this is even raised as an issue is remarkable. One might as well mention the security fence between the United States and Mexico an example of apartheid. There is no difference between the American wall at its southern border and the Israeli wall on its eastern border. Both barriers have been built to keep unwanted people from entering the country.
Israel built its security wall in order to keep terrorists from entering Israel and murdering its citizens. What appears to bother those who work to delegitimize Israel by calling it an apartheid state is that the barrier has worked. The wall separating Israel from the West Bank has probably been the most successful terrorism-prevention program ever enacted.
So, then, why is Israel called an apartheid state?
Because by comparing the freest, most equitable country in the Middle East to the former South Africa, those who seek Israel’s demise hope they can persuade uninformed people that Israel doesn’t deserve to exist just as apartheid South Africa didn’t deserve to exist……
OCCUPATION & DISCRIMINATION
Does Israel discriminate against Arabs? Is it today’s version of apartheid South Africa? Olga Meshoe, herself a South African whose family experienced apartheid, settles the question once and for all.
How many times have you heard that Israel “occupies” the West Bank? But have you ever asked yourself whether that’s true? Or even what it means? Eugene Kontorovich, professor of law at George Mason University, dives into these questions and uncovers some surprising answers.
What is life like for Arabs in Israel? Are they living under an apartheid state or treated like second-class citizens? Ami Horowitz interviews residents of an Arab village inside Israel about their work, lives, income, relations with Israelis, and whether life would be better in an Arab country.
ORIGINAL OCCUPIERS
Caller Asks Dennis Prager About Palestinian History (Israel) | A young caller – taking a history course – wants to respond to professor but asks Dennis Prager to explain the issue first.
1.Before the modern state of Israel there was the British mandate, not a Palestinian state. 2. Before the British mandate there was the Ottoman Empire, not a Palestinian state. 3.Before the Ottoman Empire there was the Islamic Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, not a Palestinian state. 4. Before the Islamic Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt there was the Ayyubid Dynasty, not a Palestinian state. Godfrey of Bouillon conquered it in 1099. 5. Before the Ayyubid Dynasty there was the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, not a Palestinian state. 6.Before the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem there was the Fatimid Caliphate, not a Palestinian state. 7.Before the Fatimid Caliphate there was the Byzantine Empire, not a Palestinian state. 8. Before the Byzantine Empire there was the Roman Empire, not a Palestinian state. 9. Before the Roman Empire there was the Hasmoneans Dynasty, not a Palestinian state. 10.Before the Hasmonaean Dynasty there was the Seleucid Empire, not a Palestinian state. 11. Before the Seleucid Empire there was the Empire of Alexander the 3rd of Macedon, not a Palestinian state. 12.Before the Empire of Alexander, the 3rd of Macedon, there was the Persian empire, not a Palestinian state. 13.Before the Persian Empire there was the Babylonian empire, not a Palestinian state. 14. Before the Babylonian Empire there was the Kingdoms of Israel and Judea, not a Palestinian state. 15.Before the kingdoms of Israel and Judea there was the kingdom of Israel, not a Palestinian state. 16.Before the Kingdoms of Israel and Judea there was the theocracy of the 12 Tribes of Israel, not a Palestinian state. 17. Before the theocracy of the 12 Tribes of Israel there was the individual state of Canaan, not a Palestinian state. 18.Before the Kingdom of Israel, there was the Theocracy of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, not a Palestinian state. 19.Before the Theocracy of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, there was an agglomeration of independent Canaanite city-kingdoms, not a Palestinian state.
In fact, in this corner of the earth there was everything but a Palestinian state!
(Nikos Sotirakopoulos) When it comes to Israel’s mortal enemies, the usual suspects are Arab authoritarian regimes, Iran, and the antisemitic far right. And yet, some of the most dangerous wannabe-destroyers of Israel have come from the left. Whether it has been communist states, or terrorist groups, or “peaceful” organizations, the left’s war on Israel has been long and determined.
Now, let us switch gears a bit… I have posted on the SPLC for years — noting other’s tireless works on this politically Leftist organization.
SPLC = HATE GROUP
This is a combining of some older posts staring in 2012 to more recent:
The Southern Poverty Law Center bills itself as a watchdog of hate groups. But is this just a cover for its true aims? Journalist and author Karl Zinsmeister explains.
Take note as well that many Black groups and individuals stand against the SPLC, as GARY DEMAR points out:
A coalition of African-American pastors and pro-family Christian and Jewish leaders held a press conference outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest the SPLC’s smearing of pro-family groups that oppose homosexual activism as “hate groups.”
The SPLC has been co-opted by a Leftist, pro-homosexual, anti-Christian agenda. If you don’t agree with the SPLC leftist litmus test, then you are a de facto “hate group.” With its new definition of what constitutes a hate group, the SPLC has become a fund-raising machine. It’s no wonder that the organization is flush with cash. At the end of fiscal year 2010 SPLC’s endowment stood at $216.2 million. Ultimately, the tactic is to strike fear in middle-America so the checks keep rolling in. Most communities don’t see skinheads or even KKKers, so the SPLC needs a tangible enemy.
In other words, a money maker from its left leaning donors. CONSERVAPEDIApoints out the obvious, that by labeling Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, Ron Paul, and Judge Napolitano, as well as conservative Christian oragnizations that stand against same-sex marriage in with other hate groups, that this “proves that the SPLC is a left-wing political organization rather than one focused on racism and civil rights.” (I wish to point out that Conservapedia includes as normative some groups I would not have, like the John Birch Society, VDARE, and others.)
While I can understand and maybe support their position on the John Birch Society and Alex Jones… the main point still stands: This … further proves that the SPLC is a left-wing political organization rather than one focused on racism and civil rights.
I didn’t realize that I was following in the footsteps of former Vanderbilt political science professor Carol Swain, who called the SPLC’s number in a post she wrote about it for the Huffington Post in September 2009. Professor Swain concluded the post: “Rather than monitoring hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center has become one.”
This could not stand. In today’s Wall Street Journal Professor Swain tells the rest of the story (The full WSJ article is in the Appendix):
The SPLC’s retaliation was vicious and effective. On Oct. 17, 2009, my photo appeared on the front page of my local newspaper, the Tennessean, with the headline “ Carol Swain is an apologist for white supremacists.” That was a quote from Mark Potok, at the time the SPLC’s national spokesman. The context for Mr. Potok’s attack was a review I gave for a film titled “A Conversation About Race.” I endorsed it for classroom use because it offered a perspective on race rarely encountered on university campuses. Mr. Potok argued that the filmmaker was a bigot. I felt then and now that the perspective needed to be heard.
This negative article was featured on the front pages of several newspapers and it went viral, especially in black media outlets. The attacks did not subside until this newspaper’s website published a lengthy article titled “In Defense of Carol Swain.”
Being targeted by the SPLC has had a lasting impact on my life and career. Offers from other universities ended and speaking opportunities declined. Once you’ve been smeared in this way, mainstream news outlets are less likely to cite you as an expert of any kind.
Professor Swain knows she is in good company:
[T]oday I wear the SPLC’s mud as a badge of honor because I know I am in the company of many good men and women who have been similarly vilified for standing for righteousness and truth. Other SPLC targets have included Ben Carson (who eventually received an apology and retraction), Somali refugee Ayaan Hirsi Ali, terrorism expert Steve Emerson, political scientist Guenter Lewy (who successfully sued the SPLC), attorney Robert Muise, Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy, and Princeton professor Robert P. George. The SPLC has tagged Mr. George, a devout Catholic intellectual, as “anti-LGBT.”…..
And the video at the top of this update is from PART TWO. But the Wall Street Journal article is a “pay-to-play” article. I have found a decent excerpt at FOX NEWS. PART THREE is more of a biography and statement of amazement regarding Professor Swain:
….According to her Wikipedia entry, Swain grew up in a shack without running water. She and her eleven siblings shared two beds. She did not have shoes and thus missed school whenever it snowed. She did not attend high school, dropping out in ninth grade.
When her mother and abusive stepfather moved the family to Roanoke, Swain appealed to a judge to be transferred to a foster home. When her appeal was denied, she lived with her grandmother in a trailer park.
Intimately familiar with the south and with poverty, Swain also knows about the law, having earned a master’s degree from Yale Law School. This was the culmination of an education that begin with a GED, and was followed by an associate degree from Virginia Western Community College; a B.A. in criminal justice from Roanoke College; a master’s degree in political science from Virginia Tech; and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Swain went on to become a professor at leading universities and the author of several books. One was cited by Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor. Two dealt with the topic of white nationalism.
There is an obvious disconnect when an African-American from the south rises from extreme poverty to glittering scholarly success, only to be branded an “apologist for white supremacists” by the Southern Poverty Law Center….
So what is the hub-bub about with the SPLC? One blogger calls it as they see it:
The Montgomery, Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), has quite a racket going on. Now, they don’t practice poverty law as their name suggests, but they do spread hate, and lots of it too. In the name of the almighty dollar, the SPLC will slander and defame anyone it chooses. Especially those with the temerity to oppose their extreme, leftwing ideological views.
[….]
The SPLC is a racket. Contrary to it’s name, the Southern Poverty Law Center does not practice poverty law, but instead serves a 2-fold purpose: 1) lining the pockets of Morris Dees, the SPLC’s staff, its directors, and various cronies; and 2) serve as attack dogs for the government and radical left (did I repeat myself?).
The following half-hour / in-depth review of the SPLC is by the John Birch Society, which… for the record — I do not endorse nor recommend their [John birch Society’s] resources. However, this presentation is a decent excoriation of the “craziness” over at this liberal propaganda machine:
Tucker Carlson Bombshell: FBI Collaborating With SPLC and is STILL Doing It
JOHN STOSSEL hits the proverbial ball out of the park!
The Southern Poverty Law Center Scam (January 2018) | There are dangerous hate groups in America. So a group called the Southern Poverty Law Center promises to warn us about them. They release an annual list of hate groups in America. The media cover it, but John Stossel says they shouldn’t. It’s a scam.
Southern Poverty Law Center Has Become a Left-wing, Money-grabbing, Slander Machine | The Southern Poverty Law Center promises to warn us about dangerous hate groups and extremists. In reality, it smears grassroots activists like “Moms for Liberty” for daring to disagree about policy.
TO WIT…. CBN notes the idea that “Hate is good for the bottom line”
Southern Poverty Law Center: When ‘Hate’ Is Good for Business | Ltg. Jerry Boykin notes they are one of the most evil groups today.
Lieutenant General William “Jerry” Boykin (Ret.), a genuine hero who was not only one of the original members of U.S. Army’s Delta Force, but wound up commanding it, led the Green Berets and the Army’s Special Warfare Center, was fired from Hampden-Sydney College, an all-male college in Virginia, earlier this week for remarks he made about the movement to allow transgendered people into any bathroom they choose. (DAILY WIRE)
Tony Perkins Points Blame At SPLC For Shooting | Family Research Council President Tony Perkins points finger at the Southern Poverty Law Center for shooting.
I have little to add to what you’ve read from Ace, John Sexton, R.S. McCain, Erick Erickson and others. We’re all thinking the same thing — see Twitchy for proof — and we’re all correct: Why yes, this is eerily similar to the left claiming after Gabby Giffords was shot that Palin’s “crosshairs” election map inspired Jared Loughner. With two differences. First, Loughner was not, in fact, inspired by Palin whereas this guy, per his own plea bargain, did consult the SPLC website in choosing people to kill. Second, you’ll see zero coverage of this inconvenient entry in the canon of political hate in wider media because it can’t be used as a blunt object with which to bludgeon the right. Sometimes facts that undermine the Greater Good need to be politely omitted. That’s what responsible journalism is all about.
Prosecutors say Corkins, who had been volunteering at a center for gay, lesbian and transgender people, was carrying ammunition and Chick-fil-A sandwiches in his bag. Chick-fil-A was making headlines at the time because of its president’s stated opposition to gay marriage.
Corkins intended to smear the sandwiches in the faces of his victims to make a statement about gay rights opponents, he acknowledged during a hearing Wednesday…
In his plea agreement, Corkins acknowledged he identified the [Family Research] Council as “an anti-gay organization” by visiting Southern Poverty’s website. The head of the Council, Tony Perkins, called on the group to stop labeling his organization and others hate groups because of their stance on gay issues. A spokeswoman for the Alabama-based Law Center did not immediately return a telephone message…
“He targeted us because we had been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which we think is very reckless,” [FRC employee Leo Johnson] says.
[….]
Funny thing, though: The SPLC itself was verrrrry quick to try to tie Jared Loughner to the “far right”, and kept at it long enough that they were posting speculative pieces about “political rhetoric” and its role in the Tucson shooting as late as 13 days after it occurred. Not only are they comfortable with a free-speech slippery slope when it’s right-wingers who are at risk, they’re willing and eager to add some grease. They richly deserve the bad PR they’re getting today, even if they’re blameless in the shooting. If you doubt that, visit Reason’s extensive archive on SPLC nonsense.
I paid a professional price when the group attacked me in 2009. Now I wear its mud as a badge of honor.
By Carol M. Swain (Sept. 11, 2017)
Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, was to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee about threats posed by domestic extremist groups. The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed because of Hurricane Irma. As a black conservative who has been smeared by the SPLC, I recommend against reinviting Mr. Cohen.
When Morris Dees and Joseph J. Levin Jr. started the SPLC in 1971, it was needed and it had noble goals. In recent years, however, it has become a tool of the radical left. Domestically, it uses its influence to paint with a broad brush that smears immigration restrictionists, orthodox Christian churches and pro-family organizations as “hate groups.”
What landed me in the SPLC’s crosshairs was a Sept. 10, 2009, Huffington Post blog entry titled “Mission Creep and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Misguided Focus.” I pointed out the SPLC’s silence about video footage released after the 2008 elections showing members of the New Black Panther Party, decked out in full paramilitary regalia, patrolling a polling precinct in Philadelphia where they were clearly intimidating white voters.
Although several news organizations covered the story, the SPLC ignored the incident. At the time, the law center was spending an inordinate amount of time attacking then-CNN host Lou Dobbs for his relentless focus on illegal immigration. It demanded that CNN fire the anchor. After CNN and Mr. Dobbs parted ways, the SPLC took credit for getting him off the air. I ended my post with a one-liner that raised the ire of the organization and had a devastating effect on my life. I wrote: “Rather than monitoring hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center has become one.”
The SPLC’s retaliation was vicious and effective. On Oct. 17, 2009, my photo appeared on the front page of my local newspaper, the Tennessean, with the quote: “Carol Swain is an apologist for white supremacists.” That was Mark Potok, at the time the SPLC’s national spokesman. The context for Mr. Potok’s attack was a review I gave for a film titled “A Conversation About Race.” I endorsed it for classroom use because it offered a perspective on race rarely encountered on university campuses. Mr. Potok argued that the filmmaker was a bigot. I felt then and now that the perspective needed to be heard.
This negative article was featured on the front pages of several newspapers and it went viral, especially in black media outlets. The attacks did not subside until this newspaper’s website published a lengthy article titled “In Defense of Carol Swain.”
Being targeted by the SPLC has had a lasting impact on my life and career. Offers from other universities ended and speaking opportunities declined. Once you’ve been smeared in this way, mainstream news outlets are less likely to cite you as an expert of any kind.
Yet today I wear the SPLC’s mud as a badge of honor because I know I am in the company of many good men and women who have been similarly vilified for standing for righteousness and truth. Other SPLC targets have included Ben Carson (who eventually received an apology and retraction), Somali refugee Ayaan Hirsi Ali, terrorism expert Steve Emerson, political scientist Guenter Lewy (who successfully sued the SPLC), attorney Robert Muise, Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy, and Princeton professor Robert P. George. The SPLC has tagged Mr. George, a devout Catholic intellectual, as “anti-LGBT.”
Whatever label the SPLC assigns, such smears are harmful and designed to destroy the individual’s credibility and ability to have influence in the public square.
Some of those vilified by the SPLC have been subjected to even worse treatment. The Family Research Council and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise have been violently attacked by individuals inspired by the propaganda the SPLC regularly dishes out—which is often accepted without criticism and passed on by media, law-enforcement agencies and universities.
The SPLC should not be dignified with invitations to provide congressional testimony about domestic extremism as long as it continues to advance a transparently partisan agenda—one Mr. Potok has publicly acknowledged is designed to “destroy” groups it opposes.
How do we make life better for those who live in Gaza? According to Palestinian political analyst Bassem Eid, we start by recognizing who is really responsible for the suffering that happens there.
Why don’t the Palestinians have their own country? Is it the fault of Israel? Of the Palestinians? Of both parties? David Brog, Executive Director of the Maccabee Task Force, shares the surprising answers.
It’s been seven decades since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and yet there are still an estimated 4 million Palestinian refugees…and zero Jewish refugees. With so many nearby Arab allies of the Palestinians, how did this happen? What does it say about Israel? What does it say about its Arab neighbors? Dumisani Washington, Diversity Outreach Coordinator for Christians United for Israel, explains.
