Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Report from Louisiana: Gibson out as Endymion Grand Marshall

Posted: January 9, 2023 by Pat Austin in Uncategorized
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 By: Pat Austin

SHREVEPORT – Epiphany has come and gone and now it is Mardi Gras season. This is a very big deal in Louisiana and of course especially in New Orleans who relies on those tourist dollars in a big way.

One of the major krewes in New Orleans, Endymion, announced over the weekend that the Grand Marshall of their parade would be actor Mel Gibson.

Now, when I read that shortly after the announcement, I admit, my very first thought was…”Ooooo his father is a Holocaust denier…is Mel Gibson even relevant?” Then I let it go and moved on about my day.

And then later I opened my news feeds and Gibson is out.

As it turns out the outcry against Gibson as an anti-Semite and a racist was enough to cause Endymion to walk back their choice:

Local Jewish leaders were outraged that Endymion had sought to celebrate Gibson, given the celebrity’s history of antisemitic and offensive remarks and outbursts. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Greater New Orleans Rabbinic Council issued a joined statement saying they were “appalled that Endymion chose Mel Gibson as the parade’s 2023 Grand Marshal to begin with.”

The statement said, “Mel Gibson has a long history of making antisemitic, racist and misogynistic slurs. While the actor has made half-hearted attempts to apologize for his remarks over the years, there is still a great deal of pain associated with his name and deep wounds in the Jewish community from those controversies, which may never heal. Given his history of fueling antisemitism and other forms of hate, we find his choice as Grand Marshal of Endymion was completely insulting and shortsighted.

“Although we are relieved he is no longer riding, we hope the Endymion leadership will take the opportunity to learn why the selection of Mel Gibson caused such pain and disappointment to the Jewish community, as well as the marginalized communities he has harmed in the past.”

Well. That didn’t take long.

I don’t really follow pop-culture much so while I did remember reading about Gibson’s father years ago, I did not actually know that Gibson had the same reputation against Jewish people. I personally find it abhorrent, if true. A quick internet search finds several documented instances to support these claims, and the concerns of the ADL. I won’t link them because it is disgusting and if you want to read that garbage you can find it, easily.

For me, I’m eschewing “city” Mardi Gras once again this year in favor of the Cajun tradition of courir de Mardi Gras. Now that…THAT is Mardi Gras! Oh my heavens what an experience!

As for Mel Gibson, well, as of this writing he has not issued a statement.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Five Thoughts Under the Fedora A GOP Reminder, No Outrage Over Denver, No Priest Involved? Nothing to see, Upsets Online, 10 in a Row but Still Going

Posted: January 9, 2023 by datechguy in Uncategorized

An important reminder concerning the GOP speaker fight.

Any promise to pass bills that repeal Obamacare or get rid those extra IRS agents or to solidify the national definition of “man” and “woman” are meaningless because such bills have to not only get passed by a Democrat controlled Senate but signed by Joe Biden.

A much better idea is to make sure that investigations take place and regular order is restored. These are the promises that the House can do without the left and if I’m a member of the conservative caucus that’s what I’d focus on.

Let’s see what gets done.

Remember when the programs of GOP Gov Abbott of Texas and GOP Gov DeSantis of Florida bussing illegal immigrants to places like NY & Chicago that declared themselves sanctuary cities provoked an outcry of angst among the national media.

Well apparently it’s different when a Democrat governor does it because Dem Gov Jarred Polis  of Colorado is joining the crowd in sending such folk to what they call “their final destination”

For some reason this is not producing the national condemnation that the previous moves from GOP governors have done. I wonder why?

Actually I don’t.

Speaking of stories you haven’t heard of. I saw one this weekend concerning sexual complaints against public school employees in Chicago last year by students.. Apparently there were 470 of them

This is in one school district in one year in one city. Yet the national media did not find the topic newsworthy enough.

Could you imagine if there was 1/10 of that number involving students at Catholic schools? There would be no other story on the next.

In my 1970 Draft league the New York Yankees took the Red Sox in six games to win the AL pennant and in a huge upset the 1970 San Francisco giants who did win 99 games managed to defeat a Cincinnati Reds team that won 116 games.

It just goes to show you that you never know in sports

As of this writing the Giants are up 2 games to 1 vs the Yankees. In each game so far the winning team has scored at least 10 runs.

In my face to face baseball league it’s been a real drought. I was sitting pretty in 1st place but thanks to a series of injuries I’ve managed to lose my last 10 in a row.

One of the hardest things to do is to keep playing when you haven’t won a game since October but part of being in a league with other people is give your best effort even when it all falls apart.

But I’ve got to say when you can’t buy a win it can really be a struggle.

One Quick Note on McCarthy Winning the Speakership on the 15th vote

Posted: January 7, 2023 by datechguy in Uncategorized

As Kevin McCarthy officially became speaker after midnight and we wait to discover if his promises to those who had held out mean anything let me point out something.

Over and over we heard that there were Democrats ready to oppose Pelosi as speaker during her time. There were a ton of stories on the matter, but not once did these so called maverick democrats have the guts to do what the GOP holdouts had here.

The Biden Regime is once again trampling on the First Amendment

Posted: January 5, 2023 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
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This is a topic I’ve covered far too often since Joe Biden was installed in the White House two years ago.  My defense is that I am only chronicling a long train of abuses committed by Joe Biden and his fellow progressives.  They have far too frequently obliterated the First Amendment protections guaranteed to each and every American.

The latest installment in this horror show of abuses is aimed at doctors and other members of the medical profession.  Joe Biden issued an executive order forcing all members of the medical profession to perform abortions, sterilizations, and sex change operations, even if these operations violate the religious beliefs of the medical workers

The Biden administration will withdraw a Trump administration rule that would have allowed any healthcare worker to refuse to participate in abortions, sterilizations, or sex-change operations for reasons of conscience.

Healthcare workers will still be allowed to opt out of abortions and sterilizations unless doing so would cause “undue hardship to their employer, ” the San Francisco Chronicle notes, under an existing 1973 federal law.

And a recent judicial order barring a Biden administration mandate on transgender surgeries in a Catholic hospital remains in effect (even though the judge confined the effect of the ruling to the parties in the case).

However, they would not be able to opt out at will, and might not be able to apply that law to so-called “gender-affirming care,” the administration’s euphemism for surgery or drugs that mimic opposite sex characteristics and that fall short of formal sterilization (such as the removal of breasts as a treatment of gender dysphoria).

The federal government forcing anyone to violate their religious beliefs is a direct violation of the Free Exercise of Religion Clause of the First Amendment.  The original 1973 law, which is now back in effect thanks to Biden’s executive order, did not go far enough because there is no “undue hardship” exception to the First Amendment.

As you can see from this next quote, President Trump understood the First Amendment far better than progressives because his rule was instep with the original understanding of the Free Exercise od Religion Clause.

The Trump-era rule, as described in 2018 in the Federal Register, aimed ” to ensure vigorous enforcement of Federal conscience and anti-discrimination laws” within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): “The final rule also encourages the recipients of HHS funds to provide notice to individuals and entities about their right to be free from coercion or discrimination on account of religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

The right of conscience is absolutely integral the Free Exercise of Religion Clause of the First Amendment.  That is not just my opinion. It is a well-established fact, as you can see from this quote from the transcript of the debates in the House of Representatives when the Amendments to the Constitution that became the Bill of Rights were debated.  The designation for that particular session is 5, 17 , 20 Aug. 1789Annals 1:729–31, 755, 76

Mr. [Daniel] Carroll.–As the rights of conscience are, in their nature, of peculiar delicacy, and will little bear the gentlest touch of governmental hand; and as many sects have concurred in opinion that they are not well secured under the present constitution, he said he was much in favor of adopting the words. He thought it would tend more towards conciliating the minds of the people to the Government than almost any other amendment he had heard proposed. He would not contend with gentlemen about the phraseology, his object was to secure the substance in such a manner as to satisfy the wishes of the honest part of the community.

Mr. Madison said, he apprehended the meaning of the words to be, that Congress should not establish a religion, and enforce the legal observation of it by law, nor compel men to worship God in any manner contrary to their conscience. Whether the words are necessary or not, he did not mean to say, but they had been required by some of the State Conventions, who seemed to entertain an opinion that under the clause of the Constitution, which gave power to Congress to make all laws necessary and proper to carry into execution the Constitution, and the laws made under it, enabled them to make laws of such a nature as might infringe the rights of conscience and establish a national religion; to prevent these effects he presumed the amendment was intended, and he thought it as well expressed as the nature of the language would admit.

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