Westlake Legal Group > Posts tagged "Allow Media Exception" (Page 52)
Best-Selling Author Nicholas Sparks's Private Christian School Comes Under Legal Fire for Banning an LGBT Club
in Allow Media Exception, bigotry, Christianity, Culture, Culture & Faith, Education, Faith, Featured Story, Front Page Stories, LGBT, News, North Carolina, Press Releases, religion, Uncategorized
[Screenshot from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGIGG6QLjLg]
Did you know mega-author Nicholas Sparks founded a Christian school? I didn't.
Apparently, the joint promotes views on morality that are — brace for impact — biblical.
The North Carolina prep venture's called the Epiphany School of Global Studies — a (as per The Daily Beast) "faith-based academy focused on world issues with an emphasis on language-learning, regular visits to other nations, and a shared understanding that 'learning about the world' [is] an integral part of 21st-century life."
The school's mission statement notes that it's "anchored in the Judeo-Christian commandment to Love God and Your Neighbor as Yourself."
Another anchor, however, has caused waves of oppressed sexuality in the mind of one disgruntled ex-employee.
Since 2014, epiphany's been engaged in a fight (and not the romantic kind like in The Notebook) with former headmaster and CEO, Saul Benjamin. He claims the school enacted bigotry in various forms.
Here's Saul's attorney:
"Sparks and members of the Board unapologetically marginalized, bullied, and harassed members of the School community whose religious views and/or identities did not conform to their religiously driven, bigoted preconceptions."
Saul's alleged the school is racist, as illustrated by its small number of black students. He also asserts a board member once told him she avoids a particular black-staffed Wal-Mart. When he hired the first full-time black employee, he says, he was met with "unwelcome comments and increased scrutiny."
And then there's the issue of the LGBT club, as laid out by TDB:
Rumor spread that Benjamin had formed what Sparks called a "gay club," and the Board of Trustees insisted the club be banned. Two bisexual teachers approached administrators about the group, and were allegedly threatened with termination if they continued to discuss the issue, according to Benjamin's complaint. It further alleges that at a board meeting on Oct. 30, 2013, a Board of Trustees member claimed Benjamin was "promoting a homosexual culture and agenda." Sparks allegedly warned Benjamin against pushing the subject, suggesting it would be "wasting time on a side issue," according to the complaint.
That sounds like a bit of strife, but would it be illegal, given that the school is private and can therefore dictate its own values?
According to the Beast, there was a lot of resentment brewing:
By November, resentments were running high. That month, Benjamin states in his complaint that two LGBT students approached Benjamin and informed him of their plan to stage a protest during chapel. They planned to remove their clothes and announce their orientation in body paint. Benjamin says he asked the girls not to protest, claiming it "was a time for healing, not heroics." Instead, in the Friday morning Chapel Talk, a weekly tradition at the school, Benjamin spoke about bullying, and the school's commitment to "loving their neighbors."
According to emails involved in the legal dispute, on November 17th, 2013, Nicholas expressed to Saul disappointment over his pressing of the gay issue:
"I told you this would happen…if you didn't follow our advice, which was simply 'don't rock the boat on this particular issue.'"
Additionally, he said it was important to "make sure all Christian traditions feel especially Christian, especially as we move into the Christmas season."
The romance writer also defended the school against Saul's contention of racism:
"Regarding diversity, I've now told you half a dozen times that our lack of diversity has NOTHING to do with the school or anyone at the school. It's not because of what we as a school has or hasn't done. It has nothing to do with racism or vestiges of Jim Crow. It comes down to 1) Money and 2) Culture."
A half a dozen's a lot.
The next day, regarding the LGBT contingent, Nicholas wrote that "not allowing them to have a club is NOT discrimination."
Furthermore:
"Remember, we've had gay students before, many of them. [The former headmaster] handled it quietly and wonderfully… I expect you to do the same."
Now things get really goofy: Three days after the email, Nicholas, Saul, and the Board of Trustees met. Saul was asked to resign. He insists the A Walk to Remember author acted in a "loud, ranting and physically intimidating manner." In the legal complaint, he also charges he was made victim of "false imprisonment," as he wasn't allowed to use the bathroom or speak to a lawyer.
He resigned, ending his 98-day term.
So what's Nicholas think about all of this?
As described by The Daily Wire:
In a declaration, Nicholas Sparks denied all the allegations brought against the school, asserting that Benjamin lost his job as headmaster of the Christian school for being "aloof, even rude, elitist and dismissive of their beliefs or backgrounds." He also claims that Benjamin intentionally tried to start an LGBT club on campus in violation of the school's policy.
It'll be interesting to see how all this plays out in court. If private organizations can't defend their religious views against internal engineering, American liberty is lost. And American liberty — it seems to me — is the whole point of America.
What are your thoughts on all this? Please let us know in the Comments section.
Over His Latest Anti-Trump Book, Michael Wolff Gets Called Out Again For Wrong 'Facts.' His Response Is A Head-Scratcher
The Vatican Drops A Gender Fluid Bomb On Pride Month, & People Are Mad
Brad Pitt, Journalists, & The City Push Back Against Boston's Straight Pride Parade, But The Rally Gets A Hilariously Unexpected Grand Marshal
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The post Best-Selling Author Nicholas Sparks's Private Christian School Comes Under Legal Fire for Banning an LGBT Club appeared first on RedState.
Here are the Top Social Media Platforms You Can Join and be Free of Censorship
in Allow Media Exception, Censorship, Facebook, Featured Story, Free Speech, free thought, Front Page Stories, Media, News, Press Releases, Social Media, twitter, Uncategorized
Right now, there's a manhunt on for those who practice free thought and free speech when it comes to the mainstream social media platforms. If you haven't been banned or suspended for something, then don't worry, because eventually, you will be if you speak out against the accepted belief system of the left.
Over the past year, this went from being a problem that could hopefully be solved through communication and reason and shifted to ideological war between those who believe in leftist stances and everybody else. Exacerbated by Vox's war on YouTube, we now see social media platforms openly punishing people who don't even break their rules but skirt them.
This has created an unsteady ground for many, and only prove that platforms are ready to ban anyone who even remotely upsets members of the left.
This is why people have begun migrating to various other platforms who do not limit their speech at all, and can speak openly without fear of suspensions, bans, or even shadow-banning. These platforms are still young and developing to be better by the day, but they're wild west when it comes to what you might see and hear. While some might find it shocking, it's a breath of free air for everyone else.
Here are the platforms that many have begun moving to.
This is arguably the most popular alternative social media platform on the block right now. Parler has a look and feels that are similar to Twitter, so you won't experience much of a learning curve upon joining. This has caused thousands to sign on to the app and begin using it almost immediately, including big names such as Dana Loesch, Candance Owens, Paul Joseph Watson, and more. Publications have already created accounts to spread their news around as well, including the Daily Caller and Breitbart.
I myself have an account as well, which you can find by going here.
The app is still perfecting itself and the experience may be a tad rougher than using Twitter, but one thing you can do is decide for yourself what you do and don't want to see on Parler instead of the network deciding that for you. It treats you like an adult, which is more than can be said for Twitter.
Bitchute
As many people find themselves being silenced, demonetized, or completely removed from YouTube, many have been making their way over to its increasingly popular competition, Bitchute. If you're right-leaning, then expect to find your favorite video creator there. Even I have an account and post my latest videos to the platform, and so does Steven Crowder, and Tim Pool.
The great thing about Bitchute is that it directly allows you to contribute money via the channel. Bitchute does not rely on advertisers to pay video makers for their content, it relies on you, keeping it free from having to cave to corporations for money.
I advise, however, that you prepare yourself to see things you'll find horrible. This is a free speech platform, and as such you're going to see people support things you're vehemently going to disagree with such as white supremacy and pro-Russia propaganda. Of course, if you're heading somewhere to enjoy free speech, then it should go without saying that you're going to run into this kind of thing.
Minds is an alternative to Facebook that many have gone to in the last year. The platform definitely doesn't have the interconnectivity that Facebook does, the user interface can be a bit wonky, and troubleshooting is still something they're working on. Getting a hold of them to solve problems can be a difficult thing to do.
Despite that, many have moved there simply due to the fact that they can post whatever they want and not be removed, suspended, or silenced for it. Like Bitchute, Minds also relies on user donations and allows payments to other users to take place in order to keep away from corporate interference.
Gab is another platform that many have found a home on. I can only describe it as something of a Twitter/Facebook mashup that is strikingly easy to use. You'll typically find people who have been banned from Twitter on this platform such as Nick Monroe and Sargon of Akkad.
Gab has been around for some time and as a result, members of the alt-right have found their way there to set up shop. Don't be surprised to come across their opinions while they're there, but again, this is a quest to find free speech.
Like Parler, if you don't want to see their posts you can mute them. Gab allows you to define what kind of experience you want to have while on their platform.
If you're looking for a Facebook alternative, then MeWe is a budding platform that many have found easy to use and fun to be on. It focuses primarily on chat rooms and forum posts, but otherwise operates as a normal social media platform would. In terms of audience, you may not find a whole lot of people there, at least right now. It's definitely the underdog in the exodus, but it's an otherwise solid platform.
There are others that people have been using freely, but it would be exhausting to make this list exhaustive. The ones I listed above seem to be the most popular at this time, but as mainstream platforms crackdown on speech and thought, expect alternatives to pop up like meerkats left and right.
At least for now, you have a solid direction to go.
The post Here are the Top Social Media Platforms You Can Join and be Free of Censorship appeared first on RedState.
Nancy Pelosi Trolled Mitch McConnell With a 'Grim Reaper' Chart This Week. He Trolled Her Right Back.
in Allow Media Exception, California, Congress, Culture, democrats, Featured Post, Featured Story, Front Page, Front Page Stories, Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, News, North Carolina, Politics, Press Releases, republicans, Social Media, socialism, Uncategorized, washington D.C.
"Cocaine Mitch" graphic. Image via Team Mitch.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) had some choice words for Sen. Maj. Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at her weekly press conference on Thursday. During the presser, she displayed a colorized "McConnell's Graveyard" chart that displayed some of the bills that passed the House but had gotten little to no action in the Senate.
The Hill reports:
"Leader McConnell seems to take great pride in calling himself the 'Grim Reaper,' it's part of his political campaign," Pelosi said at the press conference. "It's part of the pride he takes as leader of the Senate."
"None of these things are going to pass," she continued. "They're not even going to be voted on."
The poster depicted more than a dozen bills currently stalled in the Senate, including the Equality Act, which would codify nondiscrimination language protecting Americans on the basis of sex and gender identity in federal law, as well as the Violence Against Women Act.
Here's video of Pelosi talking about the legislation below as well as the tweet version of the chart:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi brings a poster titled "McConnell's graveyard" with bills she says Leader Mitch McConnell "wants to bury."
"Leader McConnell seems to take great pride in calling himself the Grim Reaper, it's part of his political campaign," she says https://t.co/AfEIFrfeM5 pic.twitter.com/pdksaCUU00
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 13, 2019
.@SenateMajLdr is so obsessed with blocking votes on commonsense solutions passed by the House, he's taken to calling himself "the Grim Reaper." But Americans are tired of waiting – they want action on their priorities now. #ForThePeople pic.twitter.com/g2vhXvMnHW
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 13, 2019
In an interview with Fox News's Laura Ingraham that evening, McConnell proudly embraced the "Grim Reaper" label, and explained why:
"She's got it right," McConnell said, referring to Pelosi. "She's got it absolutely right. For the first time in my memory, I agree with Nancy Pelosi."
"I am indeed the 'Grim Reaper' when it comes to the socialist agenda that they have been ginning up over the House with overwhelming Democratic support, and sending it over to America," he added. "Things that would turn us into a country we have never been."
McConnell told Ingraham he does not plan to approve any items that would move the country in a left-wing direction.
"This is full-bore socialism on the march in the House. As long as I'm the majority leader of the Senate, none of that stuff is going anywhere," he said.
Watch McConnell's response to Pelosi in the video clip below:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): "For the first time in my memory, I agree with Nancy Pelosi. I am indeed the 'Grim Reaper' when it comes to the socialist agenda that they have been ginning up over the House with overwhelming Democratic support" pic.twitter.com/bB7t61Qi1s
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 14, 2019
McConnell's re-election campaign team got in on the act, too – by offering t-shirts of McConnell's socialism graveyard:
Nancy Pelosi would really hate it if you got this t-shirt.
— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) June 13, 2019
The troll game is strong with the McConnell crew, y'all. Very strong.
—Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–
The post Nancy Pelosi Trolled Mitch McConnell With a 'Grim Reaper' Chart This Week. He Trolled Her Right Back. appeared first on RedState.
Transgender TV Actor Tries to Rob NY Trumper of His Sidewalk Sign & A Violent Viral Mess Ensues. Plus: Sex Ed
in 2020, Allow Media Exception, Culture, democrats, donald trump, Featured Story, Front Page Stories, LGBT, New York, News, Press Releases, transgender, trump tower, Uncategorized
[Screenshot from World TopStories, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbNbVjsQbtc]
You may have caught the viral video of Dion Cini's skirmish with activist, writer, and thespian Indya Moore earlier this month.
Indya's a man identifying as a woman.
Dion's a man identifying as a Trump supporter.
Here's what went down: Dion had his bicycle and a custom-made $250 Trump 2020 sign set up on the sidewalk across the street from Trump Tower. Indya's not a fan, so when he walked by, he decided to stomp on Dion's bendable sign and folded bike.
The dude then looked as if he was just gonna take off with the sign.
Apparently referencing the television show in which he acts — FX's Pose — Indya strangely remarked something to the effect of, "You guys are fans of my show and we don't want you to be fans."
Dion sprung into action to retrieve his property, but Indya wouldn't let go.
People got between 'em before things got too out of hand, but for a bit, there was a serious physical fight escalating. Dion got in some major shoves, and Indya knocked off the Trump man's red MAGA visor.
Cops got involved.
Some online observers framed the incident as an assault on Indya by a — say it ain't so — white man. A "deranged" one, that is:
Police intervened after the white man with a @RealDonaldTrump #MAGA hat started shoving #Black people & screaming. #LGBTQ https://t.co/BbSXA3J1VH
— LGBTQ Nation (@lgbtqnation) June 10, 2019
JustJared called it an attack, despite acknowledging that Indya tried to commit theft.
"Pose" actress Indya Moore was attacked after trying to take a Trump supporter's sign and the moment was captured on video https://t.co/ThR06aWaAp
— JustJared.com (@JustJared) June 10, 2019
Others thought JJ needed some correcting:
Accurate headline: "An actress you've never heard of, from a bullshit show you've never watched, took property out of another adult's hands and proceeded to stomp on it while recording video to score internet woke points…then decides she is the victim."
— JTFC (@JTFC_TM) June 10, 2019
If you missed the melee, check it out now:
In the aftermath, Dion filed larceny charges.
Indya tweeted from the disposition of a persecuted minority:
"Thank you for loving my community, fighting for us, supporting us fight for ourselves and others who are experiencing an increase of oppression and violence under this current administration."
Now Dion — who's been regularly demonstrating in favor of Trump for the past two years — is speaking out about the dustup.
Enjoy his interview with The Daily Caller below. In it, he expresses his thoughts about the framing of the altercation and standing up for oneself.
As a point of interest, Indya's been featured at RedState before. I covered his comments on gender and sex in February.
The article's titled "Transgender TV Star: 'If A Woman Has A Penis, Her Penis Is A Biologically Female Penis.'"
Biology, identity, and attraction appear to be a particular topic of interest on his part. For your education, here's a January Twitter exchange including Indya and Grey's Anatomy actress Sara Ramirez spotlighted by Pride.com for the purpose of sexual enlightenment:
If you are attracted to women You are attracted to trans women. Whether you are proud of that or not.
Being attracted to trans women does not make you gay because trans women are not men. If trans women were men, woman attracted men would not be attracted to trans women.
— IAM (@IndyaMoore) January 14, 2019
If he is attracted to a trans woman who happens to have a penis it does not make him bi because she is still a woman nor less regardless of her sex parts. You are not weird just ignorant and forgiven. sexuality doesn't change w a trans womans ability/ desire to have vaginoplasty. https://t.co/MK3CF6E1SF
I will also add that if he's attracted to his own gender AS WELL AS other genders different from his own, or to folks regardless of gender, then he is "non-monosexual" or "bisexual" or "pansexual" or "fluid" or "queer".
— Sara Ramirez (@SaraRamirez) January 15, 2019
i'm honestly asking, how is a person pansexual as well as bisexual. i've always wondered this.. when you have said it in the past
— 𝐛𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢 (@divaslcment) January 15, 2019
Bisexual only accounts for two binaries and sort of erases all genders in between
Imma step in here. Friendly reminder that bi+ activists have evolved the definition & it no longer limits "attraction to 2". It now means "attracted to my own gender & genders that aren't my own ("more than 1") which includes trans/non binary folks.
"Bisexual Plus" is a new term some folks are using to include all non-monosexuals who may prefer a diff term. "Pansexual" was a term recently reclaimed by a trans woman of color to avoid bi-antagonism & bi-phobia ontop of transphobia.We create division if we're not aware of this.
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The post Transgender TV Actor Tries to Rob NY Trumper of His Sidewalk Sign & A Violent Viral Mess Ensues. Plus: Sex Ed appeared first on RedState.
Tech Billionaire to Joe Rogan: 'The Left Has Won the Culture Wars. Now They're Just Driving Around Shooting Survivors'
in Allow Media Exception, Culture, democrats, Featured Story, Front Page Stories, Jack Dorsey, Media, News, Press Releases, Social Media, Uncategorized
[Screenshot from TheDC Shorts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BEhDW_Vwno]
On The Joe Rogan Experience — a podcast I highly recommend you check out if you enjoy uncensored, open-minded discussion on a bevy of topics — tech-start-up billionaire investor Naval Ravikant said the culture war is over, thanks in part to social media.
Guess who didn't win?
Companies such as Twitter and YouTube have, of course, come under fire for censorship appearing to target conservative thought.
In fact, watch Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admit (on Joe's show, no less) to doing that very thing here.
Joe asked Naval:
"I wonder who has won the culture war? There's certainly a battle that's been won in terms of control of social media."
No sh**!
Naval offered this:
"One great tweet I saw was, 'The Left won the culture wars. Now they're just driving around shooting survivors.' This is unfortunate for conservatives, but technology is a force that also pushes left."
It pushes left? Yessiree, Bob.
To Naval, left-wing politics and technology go hand-in-hand:
"Technology actually empowers the individual. The individual means that you have the breakdown of family structure and religion…but generally, technology leads the world left."
Interesting idea.
The two noted the incredible cultural power of those who control the major sites. And man...are they ever right.
Take it away, Naval:
"The most powerful people in the world today are the people who are writing the algorithms for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram because they're controlling the spread of information. They're literally rewriting people's brains. They're programming the culture."
What an evolution: People categorized as geeks just a few years ago are now the cool kids.
And their disproportionate power is disconcerting.
Politicians, Naval said, are going to have to realize that those behind online media platforms are really pulling the country's strings:
"[They need to] realize that these social media platforms are picking the next president, the next congressmen — they're literally picking — and they have the power to pick, so they will be controlled by the government."
Holy cripes.
Joe pointed out a disturbing recent turn of events over at the blue Social Network. A user shared a parody video of Nancy Pelosi (see the video below), and he got vilified and given up:
"What is even more disturbing is that Facebook gave up his information. For what? Because he said something funny?"
We seem to be living in uneven times. In my opinion, the Left and the Right have, in the past, countered one another somewhat equally. But that's going away due to the emerging and impending imbalance of power due to the imbalance of access. Conservatives have put themselves in the hands of social media; it could've been the new talk radio, but the censors in charge think the Right stinks. Add Left-controlled film & television and the mainstream media (here, here, and here), and what landscape remains?
What are your thoughts? Let us all know in the Comments section.
Relevant RedState links in this article: here. here, here, and here.
Every House Democrat But One: 234 Elected Officials Demand The Extermination Of Women's Sports. #TimesUp
Pennsylvania University Promotes Men's Cuddle Group To 'Redefine Masculinity' & Prevent Crime
Don Jr. Just Called Newsweek 'A Piece Of' This Bodily Function – 2 Guesses
The post Tech Billionaire to Joe Rogan: 'The Left Has Won the Culture Wars. Now They're Just Driving Around Shooting Survivors' appeared first on RedState.
Sex Strike Activist Alyssa Milano Releases Abortion Map to Inform Hollywood Where They Should and Shouldn't Film
in abortion, Allow Media Exception, Alyssa Milano, Culture, democrats, Entertainment, Featured Post, Featured Story, Feminism, Front Page, Front Page Stories, Georgia, Hollywood, News, North Carolina, Politics, Press Releases, Pro-Life, Uncategorized
Incensed over her failure to stop Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) from signing the state's fetal heartbeat bill into law last month, but emboldened by her role in getting close pal and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden to flip on the Hyde Amendment, abortion queen and sex strike activist Alyssa Milano is on a new mission.
Variety reports on a state-by-state abortion map she collaborated on that will help inform Hollywood virtue signalers where they should and should not film:
In response to the introduction of multiple "heartbeat bills" across the country, actress and advocate Alyssa Milano has created a shoot location tool for filmmakers that lists the status of abortion legislation in all 50 states. The bills have caused uproar in Hollywood and inspired boycotts in production-heavy states like Georgia.
"Following the passage of a number of draconian attacks on a pregnant person's right to choose in 2019, including those in states in which the motion picture and television industries conduct significant business, it has become apparent that those in our industry need to be able to make informed choices," Milano and activist co-author Ben Jackson said in a mission statement accompanying the report.
The survey, published exclusively with Variety, is meant to help actors, producers, directors and studios decide "where it is safe for women to work."
Alyssa Milano has created a shoot location tool for filmmakers that lists the status of abortion legislation in all 50 states https://t.co/0a4mAHQVQQ
— Variety (@Variety) June 14, 2019
In addition to the toolkit/map, Milano is working with Atlanta's (Democrat) mayor on an app that would pinpoint areas they believe progressive safe space Hollywood types in Georgia should avoid:
She is also working with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to develop an app location managers in Georgia could use that would guarantee not spending money in places that fund voter suppression or inequality, according to Variety.
There are Democrat governors in certain "under threat" and "most threatened" states who won't like that the map was released. My state, for example, is controlled by pro-life Republicans in the state legislature but we have a pro-abortion Democratic governor here (Roy Cooper).
In April, Cooper vetoed a Born Alive bill that would have provided protections for babies who survive botched abortions. Because Republicans don't have a super-majority here anymore, they tried but failed to fully override the veto.
In spite of the political makeup of this state, which for now ensures that pro-life legislation has no chance, Milano chose to list it as "under threat."
Quite frankly, I wish she would have listed it as "most threatened" because I'd prefer sanctimonious Hollywood hypocrites like Milano be so outraged as to not step one foot inside this state.
I pray for so-called "feminists" like Alyssa Milano, who have made it their life's mission to guarantee a woman's "right" to terminate the life of their unborn child. Ghouls like Milano feel like states should prioritize cold hard cash ahead of protecting innocent unborn life. That she feels like that stance puts her on a higher moral ground than pro-life advocates speaks volumes about her character – and none of it good.
The post Sex Strike Activist Alyssa Milano Releases Abortion Map to Inform Hollywood Where They Should and Shouldn't Film appeared first on RedState.
It's Not Paranoia, You Are Being Watched: Inside Facebook's New Process To Label You As A 'Hate Agent'
in Allow Media Exception, Featured Story, Front Page Stories, News, Popular Culture, Press Releases, Social Media, Uncategorized
Breitbart's Technology analyst Allum Bokhari has obtained a document (from a source within Facebook) which outlines their "process" of tracking an individual's offline activity to determine if they should be labeled as a "hate agent."
The document is called the "Hate Agent Policy Review." It lists a "series of signals" which will establish whether or not one is worthy of this distinction. If your offline behavior meets their criteria, you may be "banned from Facebook."
According to Bokhari, "these signals include a wide range of on and off-platform behavior." Here are several examples cited in the document:
If you praise the wrong individual, interview them, or appear at events alongside them.
If you self-identify with or advocate for a "Designated Hateful Ideology."
If you associate with a "Designated Hate Entity" (one of the examples cited by Facebook as a "hate entity" includes Islam critic Tommy Robinson).
If you have "tattoos of hate symbols or hate slogans." (The document cites no examples of these, but the media and "anti-racism" advocacy groups increasingly label innocuous items as "hate symbols," including a cartoon frog and the "OK" hand sign.)
If you possess of "hate paraphernalia." (The document does not specify what this would include.)
For "statements made in private but later made public." (Bokhari points out that "Facebook holds vast amounts of information on what you say in public and in private — and as we saw with the Daily Beast doxing story, the platform will publicize private information on their users to assist the media in hitjobs on regular American citizens.)
Paul Joseph Watson was designated as a "hate agent because he praised Tommy Robinson and interviewed him on his YouTube channel." Others include conservative activist and writer Candace Owens, and conservative author and terrorism expert Brigitte Gabriel and British politicians Carl Benjamin and Anne Marie Waters. Regarding Benjamin, Bokhari explains:
The Benjamin addition reveals that Facebook may categorize you as a hate agent merely for speaking neutrally about individuals and organizations that the social network considers hateful. In the document, Facebook tags Benjamin with a "hate agent" signal for "neutral representation of John Kinsman, member of Proud Boys" on October 21 last year.
Facebook also accuses Benjamin, a classical liberal and critic of identity politics, as "representing the ideology of an ethnostate" for a post in which he calls out an actual advocate of an ethnostate.
According to the document, there are three tiers of hate speech. (Note: Facebook "considers attacks on a person's "immigration status" to be hate speech.")
An individual will be determined to have engaged in hate speech "if they have made public statements, or statements made in private and later made public, using Tier 1, 2, or 3 hate speech or slurs." Three instances of hate speech in one statement or appearance or five instances in multiple statements or appearances over one month will be considered a "hate signal."
Other hate signals include "carrying out violence against people based on their "protected or quasi-protected characteristics," attacks on places of worship, and conviction of genocide."
This, unfortunately, is the world we live in.
The post It's Not Paranoia, You Are Being Watched: Inside Facebook's New Process To Label You As A 'Hate Agent' appeared first on RedState.
Even When It Comes To Vaccines, Is Striking Down Religious Exemptions A Good Idea?
in Allow Media Exception, Featured Story, Front Page Stories, Health Care, New York, News, Press Releases, religion, religious liberty, Uncategorized
FILE- This Feb. 6, 2015, file photo shows a measles vaccine is shown on a countertop at the Tamalpais Pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. The Australian government has ramped up pressure on parents who oppose vaccination by threatening to withhold child care and other payments from families that fail to immunize their children. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
The headline asks a question not because I'm trying to convince you of an answer. The typical rule of headlines is that if they ask a question, the answer is always "No." However, I don't actually know this answer.
The question stems from a recent law signed in New York to revoke religious exemptions on vaccines, meaning that if you object on religious grounds, you still are required to get them if you wish to attend a "public" place, like public schools.
Amid an ongoing measles outbreak, New York is requiring schoolchildren to be vaccinated, even if parents have religious objections.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Thursday that removes nonmedical exemptions from school vaccination requirements. The law goes into effect immediately, his office said.
The move, which comes despite opposition from anti-vaccination activists and religious freedom advocates, puts New York alongside other states that do not allow nonmedical exemptions: California, Mississippi, West Virginia and Maine.
"The science is crystal clear: Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to keep our children safe. This administration has taken aggressive action to contain the measles outbreak, but given its scale, additional steps are needed to end this public health crisis," Cuomo said in a statement Thursday.
"While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health and by signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks," he said.
On one hand, I get the overall idea here. I don't blame New York for taking action. After all, it's right in their backyard.
New York's belief, and I think this isn't faulty logic, is that your rights do, in fact, end where the next person's rights begin. Your rights, freedoms, liberties, etc. all end the moment you negatively impact someone else. When it comes to the ideas of herd immunity and the protection of those who, through no fault of their own, are biologically incapable of getting vaccines (because of autoimmune disorders, etc.), yeah, the rights of those you're negatively impacting with your decisions do count as much as your own. And, by sheer number, you are affecting more people's right to life with your decision to not vaccinate.
But… I am also deeply, deeply terrified of ceding ground to the government largely because we don't ever take enough power away from it. We give and it takes. Never vice versa. If we give up religious exemptions on this, what religious rights are we going to let them take next? That's the fear I have, and it's a fear I feel like not enough people have. That's a major breach of the religious freedom inherent in the Constitution.
I'd feel a whole lot better if the measure were made a whole lot narrower. The fact that it appears to be very broad in what it's calling for is a big red flag for me.
So, where do we draw the line? That's a question we need to be asking.
Now before anyone throws around any sort of accusation: I'm 100% pro-vaccine and I think the people who oppose them because of non-existent links to autism are among the most ignorant people on the planet. There is no connection – a fact that a recent study of hundreds of thousands of people clearly explains to us once again – and people should stop using faulty science to try and make one. But it's hard to be as angry with people who claim religious exemptions, whether or not they are based on poor religious doctrine.
In New York, the problem arises in the Hassidic Jew community, which has been led to believe that vaccines are a violation of Jewish law. Even though they aren't. It's way more difficult to force someone to violate their religious beliefs than to simply say "You're using the wrong science." It's the same way for some Christians, who oppose the use of vaccines because they historically used fetal tissue. While that is no longer really the case, the taboo has stuck and many Christians will not get their kids vaccinated.
While the information being used to justify their religious exemptions are wrong, the overall freedom to not be forced to do something against your religious beliefs is still enshrined in the First Amendment. It is not something we can or should give up lightly.
At the same time… these are kids we're putting in danger here. The longer many of these people go around unvaccinated, the greater the threat on the American public.
It's not necessarily a case of "Well abortion could be next!" because it's not a comparable issue. That is within the confines of one body, and having an abortion doesn't affect the greater public. But it is still a slippery slope to allow the government to be able to say "Your beliefs don't matter when it comes to 'x'" because you'll eventually have a problem when they come back and say "And we'll also take away your religious exceptions for 'y', too."
So, I lay the question before you because it's a subject I think we really need to have a conversation about. You in?
The post Even When It Comes To Vaccines, Is Striking Down Religious Exemptions A Good Idea? appeared first on RedState.
Chilling: Transgender Activist Lays Ground Rules for What 'She' Considers Allowable and Unallowable Speech
in Allow Media Exception, Culture, democrats, Featured Post, Featured Story, Feminism, First Amendment, Front Page, Front Page Stories, LGBT, News, North Carolina, Politics, Press Releases, transgender, Uncategorized, washington D.C.
Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Charlotte Clymer. Screen grab via CBS This Morning.
It's another day of the week that ends in "day", and another day where a transgender woman believes they have the authority to set the ground rules on what is and is not allowable speech.
Today's example is Charlotte Clymer, spokesperson for the progressive bullying organization better known as the Human Rights Campaign.
Chris Field from The Blaze sets the scene for how it all started:
Clymer set people off with this tweet (allegedly in response to recent statements by anti-vaccination advocates):
Not all opinions are equal.
Not all opinions are deserving of our time and consideration.
Not all opinions should be given space in the public square.
If you push a "belief" that is directly harmful to others, you have moved past "opinion" and into a threat to public safety.
— Charlotte Clymer (@cmclymer) June 13, 2019
Now, many people (mostly conservatives — including me) initially believed that Clymer was referring to disagreements over beliefs on LGTBQ issues.
However, NOTHING in Clymer's initial tweet said anything about vaccinations, and Clymer has a record of being an unreserved (and crude) trans advocate. So critics of the anti-free speech tweet had every reason to assume Clymer was pushing the typical left-wing propaganda.
Oh there's zero question that that's what Clymer was doing, as other tweets that came from her later made clear, like these:
No, Sweetie, you just want the unchecked freedom to spread hateful nonsense that directly harms others, and that bullshit does not belong in the public square. Period. https://t.co/Y4HpcoIHt3
Once again, gotta love the bad faith framing here. A literal, explicit call for violence is not required to encourage violence and discrimination against marginalized communities.
And the irony with your tragic misunderstanding is that even explicit threats are often ignored. https://t.co/ISv45lTLcH
Now, for most people who don't have their heads stuck up their [word that rhymes with "molasses"],"hate speech" would be defined as something deliberately obscene or vulgar that may or may not have explicitly communicated a threat of physical harm. Like "I hope somebody rapes you so you can see what it's like", or "You should have been aborted" or "You're a piece of Nazi trailer-trash."
Examples of what could be considered expressly violent speech are "I'm gonna find you and hurt you" or "Better hope you're never caught walking outside alone." Things like that.
But in the eyes of the Charlotte Clymers of the world, any speech they find "offensive" is considered "hate speech." That includes mere political disagreement, calling a transgender woman a man, advocating for a woman's right to safe spaces in bathrooms, locker rooms, fitting rooms and the like, and/or going on record as stating you find it unfair that transgender women are allowed to compete in women's sports.
People who don't cotton to the radical transgender dogma – in particular biological women who are in positions of influence and/or power – suddenly become Public Enemy Number 1, and they must be named and shamed, burned in the social media public square, and exiled into obscurity.
And when you ask transgender activists for detailed specifics on what defines "hate speech" and what doesn't, they oftentimes won't answer:
Hey Charlotte! A question on behalf of the censorship skeptics;
Do you have a complete list of speech that goes too far?
Or is it a constantly evolving list?
Or is it just when *you* think speech is harmful?
(This is a serious question – I have no dog in fight etc)
— Alasdair Johnston (@AlasdairJohnst7) June 13, 2019
As of this writing, Clymer has not answered those questions.
Clymer, of course, is not alone in this regard. Conservatives frequently find themselves on the receiving end of charges that they are "inciting violence" for the mere act of criticizing a Democratic politician, especially when that politician is a "progressive woman of color."
In the end, these are all shutuppery tactics brought to you by the modern Democratic party and their activist allies on the left. These people have rarely met a Republican or conservative whose opinion they didn't find "offensive" in some way, shape, or form.
So much for that whole "diversity" in thought thing, right? You will be made to conform – or else.
Related –>> Pot, Meet Kettle: Transgender Women's Cycling Champ Who Bullies Female Sports Figures Condemns "Toxic Masculinity"
The post Chilling: Transgender Activist Lays Ground Rules for What 'She' Considers Allowable and Unallowable Speech appeared first on RedState.
Pompeo Confirms U.S. Intelligence Points To Iran Attacking Oil Tankers
in Allow Media Exception, CNN, Congress, donald trump, Featured Post, Featured Story, Front Page, Front Page Stories, International Affairs, Middle East, Mike Pompeo, Morning Briefing, News, Press Releases, Social Media, Uncategorized, War, washington D.C., white house
Two oil tankers traveling in the Persian Gulf out of the Straits of Hormuz were attacker earlier today and The United States believes it was by Iran. According to CNN…
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for an attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying the assessment was based on intelligence, but offered no evidence to support his claim.
"It is the assessment by the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," Pompeo said in specially scheduled remarks at the State Department Thursday, as investigations into the attacks were beginning.
"This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," Pompeo said.
This comes on the heels of 4 tankers being attacked in May by the same method. Magnetic mines being attached to the hulls of the ship.
The timing of the attack seems odd being Japanese Prime Minister Abe is in Tehran for talks with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Why in the world would the Iranians attack a ship bound for Japan when their head of state is visiting? Why would the Iranians attack any ship going through the Gulf?
Mostly because they think this makes them players on the world stage They have done this in the past when they want to show how tough they think they are when they are not getting their way on the international stage. The United States will have to do what it has done before, beef up our patrols in the area to make sure ships can travel safely through.
The other option, of course, is that we reenter into the disaster that was the Obama-Iran deal which gave the Ayatollah a ton of cash and gave us assurances ( wink wink) that they would not build a nuke for ten years. Could have been for ten months but John Kerry won't tell us the details.
That Trump decided to pull America out of the Obama deal might be having a bigger impact than we have been lead to believe on the Iranians. If they decide this is the route they want to pursue that won't end well for them.
The post Pompeo Confirms U.S. Intelligence Points To Iran Attacking Oil Tankers appeared first on RedState.