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Posted by Amy Miller on August 29, 2015 2 Comments
This week was a terrible week in news: We dove even deeper into the depravity of the pro-choice movement. We watched the factions of the conservative movement turn on each other. We were forced to contemplate "President Biden." We found out that Hillary Clinton's minions might be violating election laws...all in the name of making sure their opponents don't vote. Hillary Clinton...she keeps showing up...spit in the faces of those seeking the truth about her emails. We watched two young news pros die on live TV... ...and then we learned that their murders were motivated by hatred. As bloggers and activists, we aren't isolated. We choose to expose ourselves to the best and worst that the world has to offer; but...good grief...this week. It's time for a palette cleanser in the form of a comedian taking PC culture to the cleaners. It's a laugh-or-cry subject, but why let that get us down? Just do it:

Posted by Amy Miller on August 24, 2015 16 Comments
Let's start the week off right with a topic I think we can all agree on: the Westboro Baptist church protesters are monsters. If I've lost you with that one, just click away; this isn't the blog for you. The so-called congregation of the Fred Phelps-led Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for their hate-fueled protests against everything from gay marriage, to military funerals, to the entirety of Silicon Valley. God hates fags---and their smartphones, or something. As it turns out, God also hates Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters. (I, too, was expecting Him to come out against Nickelback, but the Lord works in mysterious ways. Who are we to question?) Westboro turned out to protest the Foo Fighters' Friday night gig in Kansas City, and ended up getting Rick-Rolled* by a pickup full of sign-waving Foo. Watch:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 23, 2015 129 Comments
The progressive war on faith isn't limited to the condemnation of bakers who stand for their religious principles; indeed, that's a relatively new development.  Before bakers, high schools were (and still are) the target of these attacks on faith in America.  From Texas cheerleaders banned from using Bible verses on their banners to schools banning Christian clubs to schools banning religious Christmas music at "winter"—or sometimes "holiday"—concerts, we repeatedly see this war on faith play out across the nation. One such incident occurred in Brandon, Mississippi, where the high school band was benched and unable to play their half-time show for a Friday night football game because it had been banned from playing the hymn, "How Great Thou Art." Todd Starnes reports:
There was no halftime show under the Friday night lights at Mississippi’s Brandon High School — the marching band had been benched.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 22, 2015 12 Comments
Yesterday, Ted Cruz was keynote speaker of the Iowa Rally for Religious Liberty, and while some news outlets are portraying the event as an "evangelical" pitch to the "religious right," Cruz explains that there is a war on faith in America. CNN reports:

Cruz spoke about his experience defending freedom of religion at the Supreme Court and what he said were the threats facing religious liberty.

"These threats have been growing, they have been growing for decades but never have the threats been greater to religious liberty than they are right here and now today," he said.

"These threats are not imagined, they're not made up. These are real people leading real lives who found themselves facing persecution simply for living out their faith. There is a war on faith in America today."

Audience members frequently murmured "Amen" as Cruz spoke.

The event featured guest speakers who had faced consequences of upholding their religious beliefs, from losing a job to vandalism to losing a business.

"They didn't ask for confrontation and the government came to them and said, 'Choose between faith and obedience to government power,' and they said, 'I follow a higher power and that is God almighty,'" Cruz said.

Watch Cruz's keynote speech at the Rally for Religious Liberty:

Posted by Amy Miller on August 22, 2015 30 Comments
Welcome to the flashback sequence no one asked for: it's time to talk about Chick-fil-A again. The fast food chain's reputation as a supporter of traditional marriage has drawn another series of boycott threats, this time from the Denver city council. The council is currently debating whether or not to sign a contract with the restaurant for a spot at Denver International Airport. From the Denver Post:
Councilman Paul Lopez called opposition to the chain at DIA "really, truly a moral issue on the city." His position comes despite ardent assurances from the concessionaires — who have operated other DIA restaurants — that strict nondiscrimination policies will include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 19, 2015 9 Comments
Put on your trollin' pants, people---it's time to sit down the federal government for an annual review. The federal government has partnered with online review service Yelp to set up official government agency profiles that Americans can drop in on to leave a tip, a review, or a (one star? probably) rating. A message from Yelp's official blog touts this as the government's next big foray into social media:
It’s clear Washington is eager to engage with people directly through social media. Earlier this year a group of 46 lawmakers called for the creation of a “Yelp for Government” in order to boost transparency and accountability, and Representative Ron Kind reiterated this call in a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA). Luckily for them, there’s no need to create a new platform now that government agencies can engage directly on Yelp. As this agreement is fully implemented in the weeks and months ahead, we’re excited to help the federal government more directly interact with and respond to the needs of citizens and to further empower the millions of Americans who use Yelp every day.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 17, 2015 19 Comments
International support for blasphemy laws has been growing in recent years with Muslims pushing for them in Europe and Obama seemingly advocating for them at the U. N. In Quebec, a bill has been introduced that will target those who "write against the Islamic religion." Robert Spencer reports, initially quoting from The National Post:
“Bill 59 assigns new powers to the Quebec Human Rights Commission (QHRC) to combat hate speech, as well as a variety of other provisions meant to protect against extremism, by censoring speech that promotes ‘fear of the other.’ Ominously, the bill would allow the QHRC to pursue websites that in its estimation describe and denounce Islamism….Jacques Frémont, the commission’s president, explained that he planned to use the requested powers to sue those critical of certain ideas, ‘people who would write against … the Islamic religion … on a website or on a Facebook page.'”

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 16, 2015 20 Comments
While small acts of kindness from citizens can touch the lives of police officers many miles away, police officers across the country increasingly face public aggression, disrespect, and violence.  In the wake of Ferguson and the execution of police officers in NYC and across America,  America's police face an untenable situation as they attempt to do their jobs. Watch this report on police under attack: The recent attention has brought with it a heightened awareness among police officers . . . and hesitation.  An Alabama police detective, saying that he was concerned about media attention, was pistol-whipped with his own gun last week.  CNN Wire reports:
An Alabama police detective is pistol whipped with his own gun. He says the coverage of deadly police shootings across America is partly to blame.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 02, 2015 15 Comments
While most toddlers celebrate turning two with animated character-themed parties, some are more interested in personal injury lawyers. "Planning out Grayson’s second birthday party, Ms. Dobra chose a different theme, one that reflected her little boy’s most passionate interest: New Orleans personal injury lawyer Morris Bart," writes the Wall Street Journal. According to the WSJ:
Mr. Bart is a familiar face in Louisiana thanks to his ubiquitous TV ads and a firm motto that would make Saul Goodman proud: “One Call, That’s All!” Maybe it has to do with the flashing lights and music featured in the spots, but Grayson can’t stop watching his ads, said Ms. Dobra, a nurse from Prairieville, La. “He’s always been very drawn to Morris Bart commercials,” she told Law Blog. “He used to watch ABC and color videos, and he used to love those. But now he wants to watch Morris Bart commercials.” When they’re not on TV, he watches them on YouTube.
Inside Edition explains:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 02, 2015 44 Comments
As the Internet Mob rages against the American dentist who killed the famed lion, Cecil, there is a new potential target for its ire: The hunter's "glamourous" wife.
Tonette Palmer was formerly the vice president of a family-run import and export company although recent employment records list her as secretary for a Minneapolis real estate developer. The mother-of-two seemingly shares her husband's zeal for killing wildlife, with public records revealing that she has held as many as seven sport licenses entitling her to fish in Florida and hunt in Alaska. Her husband's numerous kills - all by bow and arrow - include a moose, a buffalo, a polar bear and a mountain lion. Their two homes are thought to be crammed with stuffed heads and mementos from his safari slaughter spree, with more items stored in his personal office at his dental surgery in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Egads! How dare this woman have hunting licenses! The piece goes on to reveal that the dentist, Walter Palmer, and his wife enjoy $1 million home filled with hunting trophies. Based on this article, the media seems to be expanding its net of outrage to include Palmer's children, too, as it describes the marriage of his daughter. Fueling the fire of environmental justice outrage that is now consuming Palmer and those close to him, the report is essentially nothing more than a caricature of a rich, selfish family completely devoid of compassion for nature.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 01, 2015 37 Comments
Following the shooting of Cecil the lion, the Daily Mail is reporting that his brother, Jericho, has also been shot dead by poachers in Zimbabwe:

Cecil the lion's brother Jericho has been shot dead in a park in Zimbabwe.

The animal was protecting his lion cubs after he was shot dead by Minnesota dentist, Walter Palmer earlier this month, sparking outrage around the world.

Johnny Rodrigues, Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, said in a statement: 'It is with great sadness and regret that we report that Jericho was shot dead at 4pm this afternoon.

'We have no further details but will advise as soon as we know more.'

Before his death there had been concerns Jericho would not be able to hold the territory of Cecil's cubs alone and could be chased away by rival lions.

Unprotected, the lionesses and cubs are now under threat and also move away or be killed.

Last week Mr Rodrigues, told the Daily Mail Online Jericho was keeping the cubs safe from any rival males.

Twitter is atwitter at the news:

Posted by Jay Caruso on July 31, 2015 9 Comments
The book 13 Hours, based on events on the ground in Libya on September 11, 2012 has been adapted for the big screen and the movie will be released in January, 2016. Mitchell Zuckoff, the author of the book opted, instead of trying to wrap a narrative around the book, basically just told the story of what happened on the ground, leaving politics largely out of it. The film was directed by Michael Bay which will be a departure of sorts for him. While Bay has directed fun, popcorn style action movies with lots of explosions, the subject matter here is much more delicate. It's real and four Americans were killed including the Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. The real question is: How will it be received by Democrats, particularly, Hillary Clinton? Here is the trailer:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 31, 2015 50 Comments
Though it's seemingly impossible to discuss the tragic tale of Cecil the lion without invoking a comparison war, there is an entire part of this story that those with their hair ablaze forgot to consider -- what do Zimbabwean's think? It appears I'm not the only one pondering the African perspective. While Americans are calling for the extradition of the dentist who killed Cecil the lion and the hashtag #lionlivematter was trending on social media, Zimbabwe had one question -- what lion?

Posted by Amy Miller on July 30, 2015 59 Comments
This week's collective global meltdown over the killing of Cecil the Lion has brought out the worst in both activists and everyday citizens who found themselves upset at Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer over the allegedly illegal hunt. Actress Mia Farrow tweeted Palmer's personal address. Screenshot via Twitchy: farrowtweet Other Twitter uses were quick to report the dox to the platform's support staff, prompting Farrow to delete the tweet. Instead of leaving it at that, she decided to post another tweet, this time including Palmer's business address:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 29, 2015 79 Comments

It's enough to be upset, without drawing comparisons....

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 28, 2015 24 Comments
You know what I always ask myself when considering my stance on any hot-button piece of legislation, particularly matters of national security? Gee, I wonder what Hollywood thinks. Except I don't do that because I have a brain. One that I enjoy using. But there must exist people who demand Hollywood's expertise on matters of national importance or videos like this one wouldn't exist. Utilizing one of the most annoying video formats in existence, various celebrities work together to complete a sentence. Like this one:
"I love playing frisbee with my sons. I love the sound of the waves on the Pacific at sunrise. I love curling up with a good book. I love to see my grandkids smile. But if Congress sabotages the nuclear deal with Iran, we could be denied the very moments that make our lives worth living."
minion-gifs-1

Posted by Michael Stopa on July 26, 2015 30 Comments
Heather MacDonald of the Manhattan Institute, has made a career of painstakingly going into the police departments and town meetings and impacted urban neighborhoods to research the facts on the ground about how police practices actually affect lives. On July 21, 2015, MacDonald appeard on the Harvard Lunch Club Political podcast, hosted by radio talk show host Todd Feinberg and me.  The full 35-minute podcast segment is at the bottom of this post. MacDonald spoke out against the crippling influence that the "Black Lives Matter" movement is having on the quality of life in the very neighborhoods where the protests are taking place:
I think this is an even more extreme example of the way this country deals with race and policing, which is to talk fanatically about police in order not to talk about the far more difficult problem of black crime.
Proactive policing practices have been the target of protests against "police racism." Speaking about this so-called "broken windows" method of policing, where police detain perpetrators for minor, quality of life violations like turnstile jumping or loitering and smoking weed, MacDonald notes:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 26, 2015 4 Comments
Amidst the Confederate battle flag hoopla, the KKK and the New Black Panther Party held dueling protests at South Carolina's capitol. From the chaos, a hero emerged. A hero bearing a sousaphone. Following KKK members to their rally, this might be the best example of real life trolling on the Internet:
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