NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Artist Couple Sue Texas City for Unconstitutional Restrictions on Murals By Janet Levy

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/11/artist_couple_sue_texas_city_for_unconstitutional_restrictions_on_murals_.html

Is a complaint that the colors of a mural on a private property are too bright valid?  Can it prompt a city to impose broad-brush restrictions on murals?  Waller, northwest of Houston, Texas, has done just that.  Its Mural Ordinance #609 sets into law arbitrary aesthetic and commercial preferences, thus violating free speech – deeply embedded in American identity and enshrined in the First Amendment.

The ordinance has also destroyed the $225,000 contract that brought Brad Smith and his wife Kay Ray-Smith to the city of around 3,000 people last year.  Brad, 61, has been painting murals since his teenage years.  Kay took up art as a healing process.  Their works have adorned walls in Burleson, Waco, Denison, Wynnewood, and other places in Texas and elsewhere.  Their firm Tilt Vision was contracted by Finishes Solutions to create 13 murals for its buildings in Waller.  They completed three, but the ordinance effectively bans any more so the contract was suspended indefinitely.  They have since had no new leads or contracts in Waller.

The artist couple are fighting back with a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.  They are being represented pro bono by the Pacific Legal Foundation, whose attorneys say the ordinance is unconstitutional and not only violates the First Amendment but also deprives the Smiths and other artists of their livelihood and the opportunity to revitalize communities.

The Smiths say they met Mayor Danny Marburger and some city council members even before they got the contract, reassuring the officials that their murals stayed clear of controversy.  “My murals make people smile,” Brad told Houston Public Media.  Indeed, they usually cover wholesome, all-American themes – patriots and war heroes, smalltown scenes, cityscapes, country roads, skies and clouds, and so on.

According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, someone apparently complained that the colors of this particular mural were too bright. 

ANTI-SEMITISM, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Mick Hume:How ‘hate speech’ laws appease the oldest hatred UK authorities cannot be trusted to police what we say, see or think. by Daniel Ben-Ami

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/11/03/how-hate-speech-laws-appease-anti-semitism/

The tumultuous weeks since the Hamas massacres of 7 October have exposed a lot of delusions about politics and culture in our nominally free, civilised society. One fallacy that should have been thoroughly exposed is the myth that ‘hate speech’ laws and other restrictions on free speech can help combat racism and promote tolerance.

Instead, what we have seen is the law being used to appease the forces of radical anti-Semitism, by clamping down on pro-Israeli and anti-Hamas messages.

The stomach-churning spectacle of thousands of Islamists and their useful idiots on the Islamo-left parading their poisonous worldview through London and other cities has angered many people. As they chant for ‘jihad’ on our streets, there are rising demands in media and political circles for the police and the law to do more to stop them.

Tory home secretary Suella Braverman has asked police chiefs to take firmer action, and there is talk of broadening the scope of Britain’s laws against incitement and so-called hate speech.

As ever with demands for restricting free speech, one central question is: who decides? Who are we supposed to trust to draw the line? And the past few weeks have demonstrated that it is the height of naivety to imagine that further empowering the institutionally woke UK police and prosecutors to control freedom of expression could be anything but bad news.

Instead, the British authorities have been wielding hate-speech and public-order laws to police anti-Hamas opinions and silence those few voices speaking up against the rising tide of anti-Semitism on our streets.

The Metropolitan Police came under fire this week after its officers were filmed tearing down posters featuring Israeli citizens kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on 7 October. Police officers tore the ‘kidnapped’ posters off the closed shutters of a pharmacy in Edgware, an area of north London with a large Jewish population. Reports said that the CEO of the company that runs the chemist’s shop had earlier branded Israelis as ‘filthy animals’ on social media.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Trans ideology is messing with children’s minds Teaching kids there are over 100 genders is grossly irresponsible. Pam Spurr

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/11/04/trans-ideology-is-messing-with-childrens-minds/

The rise of gender ideology in British schools has me fearing for my three young granddaughters. You might think that is excessive, but the trans takeover of British schools is no small matter. An unscientific belief system is now being pushed as fact, and our children are being bombarded with two ludicrous ideas – namely, that a person can change sex and that there are countless made-up genders to choose from.

Alarmingly, many teachers buy into this, or at least they toe the line with school diktats. This poses a serious problem for our children’s developing personalities. Trans ideology is exceedingly regressive and is based on old-fashioned attitudes about gender roles – that boys should wear blue and play with toy soldiers, and girls should wear pink and play with dolls. And, worryingly, if children don’t fit into these stereotypical moulds, it is assumed that something is wrong with them.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that little girls and boys have various interests and behaviours, many of which might be called ‘gender non-conforming’. We should celebrate these unique behaviours, rather than constricting children with a set of fantasy labels.

Placing new and confusing genders on kids who are just starting to figure out who they are is not helpful – especially when these labels are simply made up by activists. For instance, one gender group (which has helped inform Irish government legislation) claims that there are 58 genders to choose from. Another offers 72. Meanwhile one 2021 BBC programme, aimed at children aged between nine and 11, said there were over 100 genders. New genders are being invented all the time.

These made-up ‘gender identities’ tend to pander to childish, fanciful minds. After all, what young child, interested in science and outer space, wouldn’t enjoy calling themselves ‘astralgender’ and feeling somehow connected to the galaxy? And I imagine many children might identify with the so-called burstgender, when they experience sudden spikes of intense emotion and liveliness. It takes only a smidgen of common sense to realise that letting children’s personalities shine through is far more sensible than assigning them a new ‘gender’.

ELECTIONS, NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Iowa Poll Shows DeSantis, Not Haley, Is Trump’s Only Real Competition By: Jeffrey H. Anderson

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://thefederalist.com/2023/11/03/iowa-poll-shows-desantis-not-haley-is-trumps-only-real-competition/

Establishment Republicans are hopeful Nikki Haley can win in Iowa, but the latest polling of likely Iowa caucus-goers crushes that dream.

The corporate media’s headlines from a recent Des Moines Register poll in Iowa are that Nikki Haley has caught Ron DeSantis, and that she’s on the rise while he’s falling. In truth, the poll reveals that the Hawkeye State continues to look like a two-horse race between DeSantis and the clear front-runner, Donald Trump.

Yes, Haley’s support rose from 6 percent in the prior Des Moines Register poll (taken in August) to 16 percent in this one, while support for DeSantis dipped from 19 to 16 percent. (Trump’s support rose 1 percentage point, from 42 to 43 percent.) But essentially every other indicator in the newly released polling suggests that DeSantis is Trump’s only real competition in this pivotal opening state.

When likely Iowa caucus-goers were asked to name the two candidates whom they like the most, Trump was listed as the first or second choice by 55 percent of respondents, DeSantis by 43 percent, and Haley by 33 percent. (Tim Scott was listed by 17 percent and Vivek Ramaswamy by 13 percent, with everyone else in single digits.) DeSantis was the second choice of 27 percent of respondents, compared with 17 percent for Haley. (Trump was the second choice for 12 percent of respondents, Scott for 10 percent, and Ramaswamy for 9 percent.)

The poll also found that DeSantis had higher favorability ratings among likely caucus-goers than Haley did. DeSantis’ net favorability rating was +43 points (69 percent favorable to 26 percent unfavorable), which is up from +37 in August and is the highest of any GOP presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Scott is at +39 (61 to 22 percent), Trump is at +34 (66 to 32 percent), and Haley is at +30 (59 to 29 percent). (Ramaswamy is only at +6, with 43 percent favorable and 37 percent unfavorable.)

In all, the poll found that two-thirds of likely Iowa caucus-goers are “actively considering” Trump (67 percent), the same percentage who are actively considering DeSantis (67 percent). Only about half are actively considering Haley (54 percent) or Scott (49 percent). About a third (32 percent) are actively considering Ramaswamy.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

War Isn’t What It Used to Be by Amir Taheri

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20121/war-isnt-what-it-used-to-be

[T]his strange war [Russia’s invasion of Ukraine] is morphing into a pointless struggle that ignores the first rule of war, which is the setting of a final objective, in other words, a clear-cut victory.

Wars do not end with one protagonist declaring victory; they end when one protagonist admits defeat. In our postmodern era, however, a loser is not always allowed to accept his loss.

What Israel wanted from Hamas was for it not to launch an attack, something that Hamas could have easily offered. But what Hamas wanted, the elimination of Israel as a nation-state, was and remains impossible for Israel to contemplate let alone deliver.

Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetorical outbursts, the current struggle, presented as a war, may end up as a trompe l’oeil version of war. Even if possible, a return to the status quo that was shattered by the Hamas attack is undesirable, if only because of its conceptual fragility. A new status quo based on full reoccupation of the enclave is equally undesirable because, tested for decades, it provided no security for Israel.

Throughout history, at least until our post-modernist times, war was regarded as the highest of human pursuits, one that enlisted other pursuits such as politics, industry and even literature in its service. Aristotle gave war a thumbs-up because it was “the key to peace.” Neo-Platonics regarded war as the ultimate organizer and guardian of hierarchies within the polis (city-state) and among various states.

Over time, however, war, like some other human pursuits, has lost part of what the French would call its “authenticity”, leaving us with ersatz wars motivated by folie de grandeur, racial and religious hatred, and mercenary interests.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

The Untold Stories of Gazans What do ordinary Palestinians think about Hamas? The war? How are they surviving amid cascading tragedies? We spoke to them. Listen. Joseph Braude

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://www.thefp.com/p/the-untold-stories-of-gazans?utm_campaign=email-post&r=8t06w&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Watch this video of a grieving woman in Gaza cry out. She says: “All this is because of the dogs of Hamas.” She’s immediately—literally—silenced.

Why?

Since taking power in a 2007 coup, Hamas has violently repressed all opposition to its rule. There is much to repress: recent Palestinian survey data shows most Gazans distrust Hamas, want an alternative government, and prefer economic development over war. But their individual voices are rarely heard. Those who speak out face prison and torture.

In the first episode, a resident of Gaza City shares widespread Palestinian anxiety that international humanitarian aid for Gaza will not reach the people who need it. In Gazans’ experience, he says, “When Hamas distributes the aid, only Hamas members get the aid.” The same applies to Gaza’s healthcare system, where “Hamas families get preferential treatment” and even the most urgent needs of others “could be delayed for a long time so that Hamas loyalists are treated first.”

Some foreign journalists try to cover these voices but face deportation for doing so, while others show little interest in Palestinian grievances unrelated to the conflict with Israel.

My organization, the Center for Peace Communications, has been helping the population breach this communications blackout by interviewing Palestinians across the Strip, from all walks of life, about their travails and aspirations. A mother who dreams of her children getting a proper education. A photojournalist punished for taking pictures. A young couple who hopes to start a family, outside of Gaza. 

Earlier this year, we released their testimony in a series called Whispered in Gaza: 25 short segments, using video animation to protect their identities, accompanied by Gazan polling, rights reports, and reportage.

Following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, we reconnected with these and other Gazans to gather new testimony. We sought to understand their reaction to the Hamas assault and their views of the developing war, and to document their struggle to survive amid cascading tragedies. 

We are partnering with The Free Press to showcase their voices in a new series called Voices from Gaza, which you can watch below. 

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

MAJOR IMPACT BY OPEN THE BOOKS

Posted By on November 5th, 2023

https://mailchi.mp/009f641f40e3/35b-from-us-taxpayers-funded-world-health-organization-59783?e=0c8ccf8e98

POWER OF THE PURSE: U.S. HOUSE BLOCKS EPA SPENDING ON WEAPONRY USING OPENTHEBOOKS REPORT

This week, the U.S. House started voting on appropriations bills for federal agencies.
On Thursday, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) introduced an amendment to stop the EPA from using ANY funds to grow their already-huge cache of guns, bullets, and military-style equipment. 
“To me, this sounds like we’re arming a SEAL team,” Palmer told colleagues. “The difference is a SEAL team can explain why they need these things; the EPA cannot!”  
The amendment passed along with the EPA budget. This is an example of lawmakers using our research to make real-world changes.  

EDUCATION Comments turned off

Jacob Howland The Genocidal Logic of Academic Ideology A civilizational darkness not seen since the Holocaust has fallen. Shamefully, much of it emanates from our own institutions of higher learning.

Posted By on November 4th, 2023

https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-genocidal-logic-of-academic-ideology

God, the prophet Isaiah taught, established the Jewish people as a “light unto the nations.” The light of the people of Israel—of justice and mercy, sober intelligence and hopeful faith—has always been one of freedom, shining amid the gloom of tyranny.

When the light was first kindled, the nation in deepest darkness was Egypt. Reliefs at Karnak depict the man-god Pharaoh—immense, archetypically impersonal, and stiff—looming menacingly over herds of human beings. The Bible tells us that a Pharoah solidified control of the land during the famine of Joseph’s time. The Israelites were later forced to make bricks under the Egyptian lash, while organized squads of laborers quarried and hauled massive stones for obelisks and pyramids. The pharaonic machine spent enormous material and social capital on monumental constructions and lavish jewelry meant to bedeck the tombs of dead royalty.

Seeing that the Israelites multiplied abundantly and “filled the land,” the Egyptians imposed a death sentence on all their newborn males. But Moses liberated his brethren from physical and spiritual servitude and led them to life in a new land. It’s not just in theory that the people of Israel embrace life and freedom. They have refused history’s offer of enslavement and death more times than anyone can count. 

Like the ancient Egyptians, Islamists cherish death, particularly that of the children of Israel. But the barbarity of Hamas on October 7 would have made the Pharaohs blush. The terrorists murdered the unborn, babies, and children by beheading, aborting, and baking them alive. A civilizational darkness not seen since the Holocaust once again threatens to extinguish the light unto the nations. Shamefully, some of that darkness emanates from the academy, which has embraced an ideology from which it follows, as night follows day, that the Jews must be assimilated—or eliminated. 

ISRAEL Comments turned off

We Will Defend Ourselves Gadi Taub

Posted By on November 4th, 2023

https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2023/11/we-will-defend-ourselves/

PUBLISHED IN AUSTRALIA

We did not think we would ever see such sights in Israel. Helpless Jews—women, children, the elderly—tormented, raped, torched alive, beheaded, and mutilated. There is much that has not yet been made public, and may only reach few, because the gore is not just incomprehensible, but actually traumatising. In some of the worst footage the victims are recognisable, and so they have to be kept away from the public eye lest the victims’ families witness their loved ones tortured and killed. We are faced with Nazi-scale atrocities—inhuman barbarism.

It goes without saying that any civilised person would be deeply shocked. But that does not even begin to describe how this horror played on the collective Israeli psyche, indeed the Jewish psyche in general.

For two millennia, Jews have been helpless. When anti-Semitism swelled and rose around them, they could only try to flee or beg for mercy. They rarely had the chance or the means to organise and resist. Jewish history since the fall of the Second Temple reads like a string of expulsions and pogroms culminating with the Holocaust. The promise of Zionism, the promise of Israel, was therefore Never Again.

By Never Again, Zionism did not mean that Jews would be spared hate, or wars, or even violent death. Rather Zionism meant that we will defend ourselves or die trying. This is so deeply ingrained in the spirit of anyone who grew up under the influence of Zionism that it is an instinct, an existential orientation towards life and death, more than it is a thought or an ideology.

The late Hebrew University professor of history Zeev Sternhell was a child in a ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland. From a hiding place, in a hole in the ground, he saw Jews hunted like animals in the streets, men and women fleeing and shot in the back, shot children falling from treetops where they tried to hide. He survived, migrated to Israel and later served in the Israel Defense Forces. In an interview he gave to journalist Ari Shavit in 2008 in Haaretz he said that when he saw friends and men under his command die in battle, he thought that:

at least they died like human beings. They didn’t die being hunted on the streets. For me the state of Israel is not a political affair. It is something far more fundamental. Far more basic. It is a return to being human. A return to living like a human being. Because there, in the ghetto, there was a loss … of your human identity. You ceased to be a person altogether.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Jamaal Bowman Is Transforming into a Memorably Dumb Recurring Sitcom Character By Jeffrey Blehar

Posted By on November 4th, 2023

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/jamaal-bowman-is-transforming-into-a-memorably-dumb-recurring-sitcom-character/

A confession: I just assume that anyone as attuned as I am to the ongoing carnival of trolls that is Trump/Biden–era Washington must also be a fan of weird, bleak satire. You can’t do this job without a healthy sense of the absurd, at least not without having your spirit crushed. And I’m coming to realize over time that many of the keenest observers of American politics have become in their own way art critics as well, as one must be in an era of performative nonsense.

So what I’ve come to appreciate about New York congressman Jamaal Bowman is how he has played so predictably to a script, slowly morphing into an entertainingly dense bit player whose intermittent appearances in the news always promise a memorably dumb episode in our politics, like Tim Whateley the dentist converting to Judaism for the jokes on Seinfeld or George Santos showing up to sheepishly reveal a competitive Brazilian drag performance alias. He doesn’t dominate the narrative insufferably, like Matt Gaetz — the smug, prat-faced Wesley Crusher of Congress, forever inserting himself into random narratives as a useless B-story for 15 minutes of time-wasting. Instead you can rely on Bowman to pop up every now and then, get caught saying and/or doing something refreshingly funny in its hopelessly flat-footed stupidity, then disappear backstage again into what threatens to be a marvelously entertaining Democratic primary race this spring.

Like any solid character arc, this one begins a few episodes back, back near the end of Season 2 of the 118th Congress, when (as viewers will recall) Kevin McCarthy got unceremoniously axed from the show. Since National Review doesn’t do clickbait “episode guides,” I’ll just remind everyone that — spoiler alert — the day before McCarthy got decapitated as speaker of the House in an ending that perfectly mirrored the first season of Game of Thrones (most viewers were surprised, but I had already read the book), Jamaal Bowman yanked a fire alarm in the Cannon Building in order to delay a vote on a 45-day temporary debt-ceiling increase. As he had been caught on camera, his left-wing partisans then resorted to a delightfully mounting series of get-me-across-pitch defenses: He was confused! He was late to a vote! (He ran out of gas! He had a flat tire! He didn’t have enough money for cab fare! His tux didn’t come back from the cleaners!)