Yesterday, the Chicago Police, pursuant to a judge's order, released the dash cam video showing the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old black youth, by a Chicago cop last year. The same day, it was announced that the cop, Jason Van Dyck, was charged with first degree murder. As the video went viral, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of District 1 police headquarters downtown and protested through the night. It was mostly peaceful.
The video shows McDonald, apparently under the influence of PCP and a knife in his hand, walking down the middle of a street and being confronted by police cars who had been called to the scene. As McDonald is walking by one police car and turning away from two policemen with guns drawn, Van Dyke apparently opened fire on McDonald dropping him to the ground. A total of 16 shots were pumped into McDonald all apparently by Van Dyke. There is no audio.
Van Dyke is entitled to a trial and there may be more facts that arise, but from what I have seen on the video, this looks very bad, indeed. McDonald did appear to have his left hand in his pocket with the knife in his right hand. We don't know what commands were given to him before Van Dyke opened fire, but McDonald was shot multiple times after he hit the ground.
Of course, this could not come at a worse time, and it only adds to the narrative of white cops shooting black suspects. Never mind that amid these cases, tens of thousands of arrests are carried out without incident day in and day out. Never mind that the overwhelming majority of these shootings are justified (Michael Brown). Once again, all cops are being painted with a big brush, and that isn't fair.
What also looks suspicious is the charges coming the same day that the video was finally released. Why did it take so long to conduct the investigation?
I am also going to level some mild criticism here at Sean Hannity, a person whom I greatly admire. He has a habit of telling his on the scene reporters to ask demonstrators hard questions, questions that are entirely appropriate, but questions that could result in his reporter getting punched in the mouth someday. He did it again last night, telling a Fox News reporter to ask demonstrators why they don't march when blacks kill other blacks in Chicago, something that happens thousands of times a year. It's an appropriate question, but if I were the reporter, I think I would prefer to choose my own questions- being in a volatile situation.
Just nit-picking here.
Anyway, I hope the people of Chicago keep it peaceful. The system is working, albeit slowly. As for Officer Van Dyke, he needs a good lawyer because this looks like a bad shooting. I will await the trial when all the facts come out, but the video is troubling, to say the least. He is going to have to make a case that he feared McDonald had another weapon besides that knife and still posed a threat (in his mind) while on the ground. That is not going to be an easy task.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Merkel's Madness
Hat tip Shirley
If you think Germany is going to be able to assimilate hundreds of thousands of incoming refugees and migrants from Syria, the Middle East and North Africa, watch this German news documentary. It is in German with English sub-titles.
If you think Germany is going to be able to assimilate hundreds of thousands of incoming refugees and migrants from Syria, the Middle East and North Africa, watch this German news documentary. It is in German with English sub-titles.
UC Berkeley: The Home of Free Speech?
Hat tip Campus Reform
"Hey! Where's Mary? Have you seen it?"
"Mary? Why no, I haven't seen it all day."
Where is Mario Savio when you need him? A UC Berkeley housing co-op has issued some pretty stringed language guidelines for its safe spaces including gender neutral language. So stringed that one might be advised to take a vow of silence.
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7022
I wonder what UCB Chancellor Nicholas Dirks has to say about all this.
Probably nothing.
"Hey! Where's Mary? Have you seen it?"
"Mary? Why no, I haven't seen it all day."
Where is Mario Savio when you need him? A UC Berkeley housing co-op has issued some pretty stringed language guidelines for its safe spaces including gender neutral language. So stringed that one might be advised to take a vow of silence.
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7022
I wonder what UCB Chancellor Nicholas Dirks has to say about all this.
Probably nothing.
Who Needs a Safe Space on Campus?
This article first appeared in Eagle Rising.
From coast to coast, there are new buzz words on our college campuses; triggering, micro-aggression, macro-aggression, and safe spaces to name a few. Led by the University of Missouri, campuses all over the nation are in turmoil due to perceived slights, real or imagined. University administrators are resigning or walking around in sack cloth and ashes apologizing to their student body for failing to take "sufficient action". In short, the inmates are now running the institutions.
So now certain groups are demanding more of their own in the study body as well as faculty. They want millions of dollars to be spent on academic centers to study and glorify their own groups.
And they want "safe spaces", places where only they can gather and feel safe from the hostility and storm clouds that hover over their campus. As yet, they have not demanded moats and guard towers around these safe spaces, but that will come in due time.
Our universities have returned to a level of insanity not seen since the 1960s. Perhaps, I shouldn't even include the 1960s because that was my generation, and it could be claimed that student unrest existed over serious issues like the Civil Rights Movement, more rights for women, and of course. the Vietnam war.
And what are the issues today on campus? For one, there is the Israel-Palestinian conflict, an issue that hardly affects students' lives. Another is sexual assault, which would have more legitimacy if universities would address the problem of binge drinking, which is the biggest causative factor. That seems to be taboo, however.
At this point, I must state in the interest of full disclosure that there is one group of students that I view as being at risk on campus; that would be the Jewish students. Yet, while many have spoken out about anti-Semitism on campus, I don't hear them asking for a "safe space", however. They are asking that their respective universities address the problem. Swastikas appearing on campus is clearly unacceptable.
However, creating a safe space for Jewish students is not a solution. Like every other student, one cannot remain in one spot on campus all day, every day. That is why the idea of safe spaces is silly on its face.
The University of Missouri case is the one drawing the most national attention. As best I can figure out, a white man came onto campus after having a few too many drinks, wandered onto some protest event, and was heard throwing out the n-word as he was led away. Nobody is defending that. I also understand some students at Mizzou have displayed the Confederate flag out of their dorm windows. I understand why black students are uncomfortable with that. What I don't get is why the entire school has to be turned upside down. I am not convinced that Mizzou is a racist institution.
If I knew that black students on campuses were being insulted, harassed, or assaulted as they walked around campus, I would be totally sympathetic. I don't see that, however. A few isolated incidents does not mean a university is racist or hostile to minority students. Instead, universities are having to deal with "micro-aggressions" and "macro-aggressions".
Gay students often complain of harassment. If true, it must be condemned. Call me naive, but campuses, with all their faults, are hardly intolerant toward racial minorities and gays. On the contrary, they bend over backwards to try and make them feel welcome.
Are we really doing students-especially minority students- any favors by coddling them this way? I say no. We owe them equal treatment. Anything less is insulting and fails to prepare them for the real world, where there are no safe spaces and aggressions happen all the time, both micro and macro. (Please don't ask me to define them.)
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the group most demonized on campus is-you guessed- white folks. They are "privileged" and must be made to confront that privilege, admit it, and accept whatever is said by the benighted "students of color". And don't think that it is just minorities that spout that nonsense. There are plenty of white students and leftie professors who say it all the time. (No, they have yet to ask for a safe space although I just read of some sort of White Students Association being established at the University of Illinois.)
Of course, one cannot point the finger at spoiled students without including the role of their faculty enablers. From the time they set foot into a humanities classroom, they are told by their professors that they are victims who cannot get a break in racist, imperialistic America. Never has the level and quality of professors in America sunk so low.
And here is what is really depressing. Every future president, senator or congressman/woman will or is walking through the halls of these universities.
From coast to coast, there are new buzz words on our college campuses; triggering, micro-aggression, macro-aggression, and safe spaces to name a few. Led by the University of Missouri, campuses all over the nation are in turmoil due to perceived slights, real or imagined. University administrators are resigning or walking around in sack cloth and ashes apologizing to their student body for failing to take "sufficient action". In short, the inmates are now running the institutions.
So now certain groups are demanding more of their own in the study body as well as faculty. They want millions of dollars to be spent on academic centers to study and glorify their own groups.
And they want "safe spaces", places where only they can gather and feel safe from the hostility and storm clouds that hover over their campus. As yet, they have not demanded moats and guard towers around these safe spaces, but that will come in due time.
Our universities have returned to a level of insanity not seen since the 1960s. Perhaps, I shouldn't even include the 1960s because that was my generation, and it could be claimed that student unrest existed over serious issues like the Civil Rights Movement, more rights for women, and of course. the Vietnam war.
And what are the issues today on campus? For one, there is the Israel-Palestinian conflict, an issue that hardly affects students' lives. Another is sexual assault, which would have more legitimacy if universities would address the problem of binge drinking, which is the biggest causative factor. That seems to be taboo, however.
At this point, I must state in the interest of full disclosure that there is one group of students that I view as being at risk on campus; that would be the Jewish students. Yet, while many have spoken out about anti-Semitism on campus, I don't hear them asking for a "safe space", however. They are asking that their respective universities address the problem. Swastikas appearing on campus is clearly unacceptable.
However, creating a safe space for Jewish students is not a solution. Like every other student, one cannot remain in one spot on campus all day, every day. That is why the idea of safe spaces is silly on its face.
The University of Missouri case is the one drawing the most national attention. As best I can figure out, a white man came onto campus after having a few too many drinks, wandered onto some protest event, and was heard throwing out the n-word as he was led away. Nobody is defending that. I also understand some students at Mizzou have displayed the Confederate flag out of their dorm windows. I understand why black students are uncomfortable with that. What I don't get is why the entire school has to be turned upside down. I am not convinced that Mizzou is a racist institution.
If I knew that black students on campuses were being insulted, harassed, or assaulted as they walked around campus, I would be totally sympathetic. I don't see that, however. A few isolated incidents does not mean a university is racist or hostile to minority students. Instead, universities are having to deal with "micro-aggressions" and "macro-aggressions".
Gay students often complain of harassment. If true, it must be condemned. Call me naive, but campuses, with all their faults, are hardly intolerant toward racial minorities and gays. On the contrary, they bend over backwards to try and make them feel welcome.
Are we really doing students-especially minority students- any favors by coddling them this way? I say no. We owe them equal treatment. Anything less is insulting and fails to prepare them for the real world, where there are no safe spaces and aggressions happen all the time, both micro and macro. (Please don't ask me to define them.)
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the group most demonized on campus is-you guessed- white folks. They are "privileged" and must be made to confront that privilege, admit it, and accept whatever is said by the benighted "students of color". And don't think that it is just minorities that spout that nonsense. There are plenty of white students and leftie professors who say it all the time. (No, they have yet to ask for a safe space although I just read of some sort of White Students Association being established at the University of Illinois.)
Of course, one cannot point the finger at spoiled students without including the role of their faculty enablers. From the time they set foot into a humanities classroom, they are told by their professors that they are victims who cannot get a break in racist, imperialistic America. Never has the level and quality of professors in America sunk so low.
And here is what is really depressing. Every future president, senator or congressman/woman will or is walking through the halls of these universities.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Fascist Brown Shirts: Meet the Pro-Palestinian Student Activists
Hat tip Frontpage Magazine
Richard Cravatts of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East has a hard-hitting post in Frontpage Magazine about the pro-Palestinian movement on college campuses.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260878/campus-fascists-and-suppression-academic-free-richard-l-cravatts
Given the long history of anti-Jewish activism by these punks, there is no other appropriate adjectives to ascribe to these groups other than "fascists" and "brown shirts".
"The shoe fits."
Richard Cravatts of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East has a hard-hitting post in Frontpage Magazine about the pro-Palestinian movement on college campuses.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260878/campus-fascists-and-suppression-academic-free-richard-l-cravatts
Given the long history of anti-Jewish activism by these punks, there is no other appropriate adjectives to ascribe to these groups other than "fascists" and "brown shirts".
"The shoe fits."
Statement of UC Regent Bonnie Reiss Re: Campus Anti-Semitism
On November 19, 2015. the University of California regents held the third in a series of meetings on the problem of anti-Semitism on UC campuses. This meeting was held at UC San Francisco. In this video, Regent Bonnie Reiss speaks forcefully on the issue and compares and contrasts the issue of anti-Semitic hate speech with the emphasis on micro-aggressions and macro-aggressions against other groups. The video lasts 8 minutes and is well worth a viewing.
Kudos to Ms Reiss for her eloquent comments.
Kudos to Ms Reiss for her eloquent comments.
Wesleyan Students Demand Micro-Aggression Tip Line
Hat tip The College Fix
"You have reached the Micro-Aggression Tip Line. To report a micro-aggression, press 1." To report a macro-aggression, press 2."
You can't make this stuff up. The little rascals at Wesleyan College are now demanding a micro-aggression tip line.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25169/
Well, Michael Roth, the president of the university (pictured below), shot that down real quick....sort of.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25185/
"Roth accepted no responsibility for the protesters’ demand that he issue a “statement of accountability” for “perpetuating the vilification of students of color,” saying only he has never intended to defend “those in positions of privilege at the expense of others.”
Here is a report from the campus newspaper, the Wesleyan Argus. You need to be sitting down for this.
http://wesleyanargus.com/2015/11/20/student-of-color-demands-is-this-why-president-michael-roth/
You gotta laugh to keep from crying.
"You have reached the Micro-Aggression Tip Line. To report a micro-aggression, press 1." To report a macro-aggression, press 2."
You can't make this stuff up. The little rascals at Wesleyan College are now demanding a micro-aggression tip line.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25169/
Well, Michael Roth, the president of the university (pictured below), shot that down real quick....sort of.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25185/
"Roth accepted no responsibility for the protesters’ demand that he issue a “statement of accountability” for “perpetuating the vilification of students of color,” saying only he has never intended to defend “those in positions of privilege at the expense of others.”
Here is a report from the campus newspaper, the Wesleyan Argus. You need to be sitting down for this.
http://wesleyanargus.com/2015/11/20/student-of-color-demands-is-this-why-president-michael-roth/
You gotta laugh to keep from crying.
Monday, November 23, 2015
UC Regents Working Group on Intolerance Reports Progress
Hat tip AMCHA Initiative and Daily Californian
“This is beyond hope, this is an absolute necessity,” said Regent Norman Pattiz as the regents revisited their ongoing discussion about the Statement of Principles Against Intolerance at their meeting Thursday morning."
Reference is made to my previous reports on University of California Regents meetings for the purpose of writing a statement of principles on intolerance. I have participated in two public comment forums at UC Irvine and UCLA.
In this article by the Daily Californian, it appears progress is being made on a final statement that will specifically address the problem of anti-Semitism on campus.
http://www.dailycal.org/2015/11/19/uc-regents-working-group-principles-intolerance-discuss-progress-made/
“The issue of the First Amendment has been used by some as a smokescreen to try and back us down from taking appropriate action to stop these acts of hate,” said Regent Bonnie Reiss during the meeting."
“We respond with more outrage and are quicker when the same acts of hate (happen) to other groups than to our Jewish students,” Reiss said, addressing the ambivalence with which she said anti-Semitic acts have been met in the past."
It appears we will have to wait until March to see the final product. Much work needs to be done to curb the rise of anti-Semitism on UC campuses as well as campuses all over North America.
“This is beyond hope, this is an absolute necessity,” said Regent Norman Pattiz as the regents revisited their ongoing discussion about the Statement of Principles Against Intolerance at their meeting Thursday morning."
Reference is made to my previous reports on University of California Regents meetings for the purpose of writing a statement of principles on intolerance. I have participated in two public comment forums at UC Irvine and UCLA.
In this article by the Daily Californian, it appears progress is being made on a final statement that will specifically address the problem of anti-Semitism on campus.
http://www.dailycal.org/2015/11/19/uc-regents-working-group-principles-intolerance-discuss-progress-made/
“The issue of the First Amendment has been used by some as a smokescreen to try and back us down from taking appropriate action to stop these acts of hate,” said Regent Bonnie Reiss during the meeting."
“We respond with more outrage and are quicker when the same acts of hate (happen) to other groups than to our Jewish students,” Reiss said, addressing the ambivalence with which she said anti-Semitic acts have been met in the past."
It appears we will have to wait until March to see the final product. Much work needs to be done to curb the rise of anti-Semitism on UC campuses as well as campuses all over North America.
Clock Boy Files Lawsuit From Qatar
I have tried to be tolerant with this kid, Ahmed Mohammed, the 14-year-old kid who brought a contraption to school that looked like a bomb. He became a cause celebe, met Obama, and has now moved with his family to Qatar. That's a good place for him. Now he and his family have filed a lawsuit over the incident.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/23/ahmed-mohamed-family-suing-texas-city-school-district-for-15-million/?intcmp=hpbt3
This kid is being used as a tool by his family-especially his father-a known Islamic activist.
First of all, I hope they don't get a penny. I say fight the case in a courtroom in front of a jury. Secondly, I hope that family stays right there in Qatar, the duplicitous, terror-supporting country from which Al Jazeera has sprouted. I can't believe we actually have Westerners, including Americans, working for Al Jazeera as reporters, anchors, and op-ed writers and accepting Qatari money.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/23/ahmed-mohamed-family-suing-texas-city-school-district-for-15-million/?intcmp=hpbt3
This kid is being used as a tool by his family-especially his father-a known Islamic activist.
First of all, I hope they don't get a penny. I say fight the case in a courtroom in front of a jury. Secondly, I hope that family stays right there in Qatar, the duplicitous, terror-supporting country from which Al Jazeera has sprouted. I can't believe we actually have Westerners, including Americans, working for Al Jazeera as reporters, anchors, and op-ed writers and accepting Qatari money.
Prince Charles and the Perfect Storm
Dope
God forbid that Prince Charles ever becomes King of England. The man is a dope. Now he has come out with his latest boffo statement linking Climate Change with the rise of ISIS.
http://nypost.com/2015/11/23/prince-charles-blames-climate-change-for-isis/
Has anyone ever heard ISIS make this claim? Of course, not. When Jihadi John was reading one of his manifestos before cutting off his victim's head, he said nothing about Climate Change. Yet, we have clowns like Prince Charles and some academics repeating this mantra. I'm sure that Al Gore believes it as well.
More Academic Madness: Yoga Canceled Because of "Cultural Appropriation"
Hat tip The College Fix
The University of Ottawa has canceled yoga classes because of concerns of cultural appropriation.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25226/
Yoga, as you may know, has roots in India. I can only wonder if Ottawa's Indian students complained of their culture being "appropriated". I rather doubt it.
If you follow this line of thinking, than we might as well cancel all foreign language courses in college. After all, isn't that the height of "cultural appropriation"?
The University of Ottawa has canceled yoga classes because of concerns of cultural appropriation.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25226/
Yoga, as you may know, has roots in India. I can only wonder if Ottawa's Indian students complained of their culture being "appropriated". I rather doubt it.
If you follow this line of thinking, than we might as well cancel all foreign language courses in college. After all, isn't that the height of "cultural appropriation"?
France at the Crossroads
Hat tip CBN News
The below video, which is less than 5 minutes long, is produced by CBN News and shows what is happening with the Muslim population In Paris. Given the attacks in Paris last week, it could not be more timely.
http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnnewsplayer/cbnplayer.swf?aid=17933
The question goes beyond what percentage of these incoming "Syrian refugees" are terrorists. The larger issue is that virtually none of the people arriving share French or European values. That's because Islam is more than a religion. It is a totalitarian political ideology that is antithetical to Western values of freedom and democracy. Most of those who have already been in Europe for years have failed to assimilate.
Nobody in France was surprised at what happened in Paris last week, just as nobody was surprised at the attacks against Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish market. Nobody doubts that it will happen again and again and again. The people themselves don't want it. So why are the Europe leaders allowing hundreds of thousands of these people to swarm into their countries? I wish somebody would explain that to me.
The below video, which is less than 5 minutes long, is produced by CBN News and shows what is happening with the Muslim population In Paris. Given the attacks in Paris last week, it could not be more timely.
http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnnewsplayer/cbnplayer.swf?aid=17933
The question goes beyond what percentage of these incoming "Syrian refugees" are terrorists. The larger issue is that virtually none of the people arriving share French or European values. That's because Islam is more than a religion. It is a totalitarian political ideology that is antithetical to Western values of freedom and democracy. Most of those who have already been in Europe for years have failed to assimilate.
Nobody in France was surprised at what happened in Paris last week, just as nobody was surprised at the attacks against Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish market. Nobody doubts that it will happen again and again and again. The people themselves don't want it. So why are the Europe leaders allowing hundreds of thousands of these people to swarm into their countries? I wish somebody would explain that to me.
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