04 Culture

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Excerpt from freedomist.com

Anti-American seditionist college professors are planning on refusing to issue final grades for students, preventing thousands from being able to graduate and seek gainful employment. Their motivation behind this is to force their colleges, most of them publicly funded, to support the genocidal death cult Hamas in its efforts to purge Israel of the Jews.

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Excerpt from www.thegatewaypundit.com

Joe Biden’s DOJ/FBI is hunting down pro-life conservatives while ignoring Antifa and BLM militants and the radical Hamas supporters shutting down and terrorizing college campuses.

Under Biden, the DOJ weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law that prohibits interfering with anyone obtaining or providing “reproductive health services,” as a punishment for the Supreme Court’s reversal of  Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

After the Supreme Court ruling, Biden formed the DOJ-led Reproductive Rights Task Force to enforce the act.
According to The Epoch Times, The FACE Act has now been used 130 times against pro-life individuals but only used three times against pro-abortion protesters.

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Excerpt from www.lifesitenews.com

(Campaign Life Coalition) — I’m delighted to announce the second annual National “Pride” Flag Walk-Out Day on June 3rd!

More about that in a moment, but first, I want to share some relevant background…

In 2023, on the heels of a budding parental rebellion against school board indoctrination of children with LGBT propaganda, we launched the first ever National “Pride” Flag Walkout Day to coincide with the first day of June.

Our strategy was to cause classrooms across Canada to be noticeably emptier on the day that most school boards begin a month-long transgender and homosexual indoctrination campaign.

We hoped that would send a strong message to teachers, principals and elected trustees that parents are fed-up with radical sexual programming being forced on their kids.

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Excerpt from www.breitbart.com

Schools in England will be told by the government not to teach children about progressive theories on so-called “gender identity” and sex education in general to children under the age of nine.

Fresh guidance from the government will inform schools that they should not teach children that they can change their gender identity and that if asked, should only provide children with “biological” information about sex. Schools will also be required to inform children that they cannot legally change their gender until after they are 18. Meanwhile, teachers will be told that they should refrain from engaging in “explicit” conversations about sex until the age of 13, The Times reports.

The guidance, which will be published on Thursday, will also say that teachers should, if asked about the topic, inform children that “gender ideology” is contested, according to the BBC.

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Excerpt from www.lifenews.com

Liz Carr is an actress, comedian and disability rights activist produced a documentary titled; Better off Dead? that was aired on May 14 by BBC1.

Carr who is best known for her role as Clarissa Mullery on the BBC series Silent Witness, interviewed Ellen Wiebe, a Vancouver doctor who has committed some of Canada’s most controversial euthanasia deaths.

Elmira Tanatarova reported for the Daily Mail on May 15 that many of the viewers of the Better off Dead? documentary were uneasy with Wiebe as she giggled when discussing the number of her euthanasia deaths. Tanatarova reports:

A Canadian doctor who has personally euthanised more than 400 people has left viewers feeling ‘uneasy’ as she ‘giggled’ while discussing the solemn topic with a disability rights campaigner in a new BBC documentary.

Speaking to Liz Carr’s programme, Better Off Dead?, Dr Ellen Wiebe, who works with Dying With Dignity, had audiences feeling uncomfortable as she laughed and smiled while discussing assisted death.

‘I love my job,’ she said in the show, which aired on Tuesday night. ‘I’ve always loved being a doctor and I delivered over a 1000 babies and I took care of families but this is the very best work I’ve ever done in the last seven years.

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Excerpt from www.louderwithcrowder.com

 

Claiming to be born in the wrong body is logically equivalent to claiming to be born with the wrong ears, toes, and hair. That’s not how reality works and some countries understand that better than others.

Out of all the places in the world, who would have thought that Peru would lead the world back to sanity?

The Peruvian government had declared that the gender-bender crowd is, in fact, mentally ill. They claim this clarification was made so that they can get the mental help they need and are guaranteed the proper care. And so far, I don’t see what the problem is but the left will of course scream about a nonexistent trans genocide and yell platitudes like, “Trans people exist.”

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Excerpt from www.louderwithcrowder.com

One of the biggest problems with the left’s argument regarding systemic racism is that it doesn’t exist. This is why they have to manufacture it themselves.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state will block businesses owned by white men from $2.3 billion in contracts to renovate JFK International Airport, as the bidding process is reserved exclusively for non-White or women-owned businesses.

“New York remains committed to providing travelers with a premier experience that includes world-class amenities and record involvement by local minority- and women-owned businesses will ensure just that,” Governor Hochul said in a press release. “This transformative project uplifts these businesses and deepens investments in the community while bolstering the state workforce.”

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Excerpt from www.lifenews.com

Since the pro-life Dobbs decision in 2022, which overturned the 50-year reign of Roe v. Wade, the debate on the life issue has only intensified. A new layer of the onion was revealed in late February, when Alabama lawmakers wrestled with the topic of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and whether frozen embryos were considered unborn children.

The Alabama Supreme Court ultimately ruled “that anyone who destroys a frozen embryo may be held liable under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act — a law that has historically applied to born and unborn children.” Such a decision was not free from backlash, and months later, both Democrats and Republicans continue to hash out their views on the matter. However, a recent Pew Research poll revealed some interesting insight to where both parties stand.

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Excerpt from uk.news.yahoo.com

Roger Ver has quietly moved on from his role as the CEO of Bitcoin.com to executive chairman of the company, as it is “increasing output and pace of progress,” Ver told The Block.

The famed cryptocurrency investor did not specify the output and progress his company is pursuing. However, Ver announced last year that bitcoin.com, a wallet provider, was planning to buy or develop its own exchange. On Bitcoin.com’s website, it is stated that the exchange will launch in 30 days.

The University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill revealed on Monday, May 13, plans to divert $2.3 million of funding originally designated to pay for DEI officers and programs. Instead, the funding will be used to beef up their campus police presence.

The move comes after Hamas supporters terrorized the university after the Gaza War broke out. This is the same school where fraternity brothers went viral for protecting an American flag from Hamas activists.

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Excerpt from amgreatness.com

On Monday, the board of trustees at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill voted to completely abolish the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and will redirect the remaining funds towards the campus police and other public safety measures.

According to Fox News, the decision by the board was unanimous. The reallocated funding is at least $2.3 million, compared to the university’s overall budget of $4 billion.

 

The growing list of Pro-Life activists behind bars under the direct action of President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) now includes 30-year-old Lauren Handy, who was arrested after peacefully protesting in front of an unborn child murder center. She is a member of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.

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Excerpt from thefederalist.com

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced a pro-life activist on Tuesday to 57 months in prison and three years supervision for her participation in a peaceful pro-life protest at one the capital city’s most controversial abortion facilities.

Lauren Handy, 30, was one of several members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a primarily leftist organization with a pro-life streak, who initiated a “rescue and protest” at late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo’s Washington, D.C., facility in October 2020.

“Some simply kneeled and prayed at Santangelo’s facility, some passed out pro-life literature and counseled abortion-minded women, and others roped and chained themselves together inside the facility,” Handy’s lawyers at the Thomas More Society noted.

Handy, PAAU’s director of Activism and Mutual Aid, decided to protest at Santangelo’s facility in particular after she heard him admit on an undercover video that he “would not help” a baby born alive after a botched abortion.

“My belief that was formed after watching the video was if the fetus survived the abortion attempt, they were left to die,” Handy told the court during witness testimony.

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Excerpt from www.theblaze.com

 

The board at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted to cut funding from diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and instead divert the funds to increase public safety.

If approved by the full board, the decision would move $2.3 million to help police the campus.

“It’s important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university’s operations,” said budget committee vice-chair Marty Kotis. “It takes away resources for others.”

‘I don’t think it gives a return on investment to taxpayers.’

He also said that the funds needed to be funneled to police in order to provide enough security to protect students and faculty.

“They do not have all the tools they need right now to keep this campus safe from a larger threat,” Kotis said about the police.

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Excerpt from www.breitbart.com

A woman at the Central California Facility for Women says she witnessed the immediate aftermath of a jailhouse rape by a transgender inmate.

Mimi Le provided a sworn declaration to lawyers with the Women’s Liberation Front, which will be included in the organization’s case against California, according to evidence from the filing obtained by Reduxx.

Le reportedly said she was one of many inmates who saw events involving what was described as a “sexual assault” committed by a man who identifies as a woman and was therefore locked up in a women’s prison.

On May 19, a female inmate was taken to a medical-administrative building after other female inmates reported to staff that she had been raped, Le explained, adding that she found the woman to be “barely conscious.”

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Excerpt from news.bloomberglaw.com

The 21 young plaintiffs leading the most closely watched US climate lawsuit of the last decade face an uncertain legal future, thanks to a federal government victory that threatens to end the case for now.

Judges from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit quashed the case on May 1, accepting a February mandamus bid from the Justice Department asking for the panel to dismiss the lawsuit.

The decision compels Judge Ann Aiken of the US District Court for the District of Oregon to toss the case, which she had resurrected last year under an amended complaint that raised the possibility the young people would make it to trial.

The move to permanently defeat the case is “tragic and unjust,” and the US should come to agreement at the settlement table instead, according to Julia Olson, Our Children’s Trust chief legal counsel and an attorney in Juliana v. US.

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Excerpt from www.thecollegefix.com

Advocacy groups say schools must do more to protect staff from antisemitism

A Jewish administrator has a new home at a Catholic college after she says a “hate-filled” backlash drove her from job at Clark University

Mary Jane Rein recently resigned as executive director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the Massachusetts college, citing “unruly and hate-filled” backlash to her Jewish advocacy work and a lack of support from Clark’s administrators.

Now, she works at Assumption College, a Catholic institution, where she said she feels more welcome.

A Jewish advocacy organization predicted more colleges will lose valued scholars like Rein unless they do more to stop antisemitism.

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Excerpt from www.thegatewaypundit.com

Over the weekend, a Louisiana church that was filled with families and small children got a shock as a teenager dressed all in black entered the building during a first communion mass armed with a rifle.

Luckily, the parishioners acted quickly and piled on top of the would-be shooter, stopping him in his tracks.

This is an excellent reminder that people have to be aware, be vigilant, and act quickly at the first signs of trouble.

RedState has more details:

Terrifying Moments: Teenager With Gun Stopped at First Communion Mass in Louisiana

The folks at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville, Louisiana, were having a First Communion mass for about 60 kids on Saturday. They likely thought that they were going to have a beautiful celebration together.

But unfortunately, they also had some scary moments that intruded on the solemnity of the day. As the priest Fr. Nicholas Duper was on the altar, at about 48 minutes in, you can see a man come up to the altar, bend over, and whisper in his ear. That is certainly not a usual occurrence during a Catholic mass. You can see the priest absorbing something, and then he suddenly asks the parishioners to sit and to pray, as he starts to say a “Hail Mary.”…

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Excerpt from www.thecollegefix.com

George Mason University has at least 87 staffers working on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to an analysis by The College Fix. To put that in perspective, there are 59 full-time history and art history professors employed at the school.

Of the 87 DEI posts, it’s a mix of employees and students with full-time or part-time positions working to advance DEI in some capacity, and most of those positions appear to be paid and full-time, the analysis found.

The roles include vice president for DEI and chief diversity officer, director of the Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment, and director of faculty diversity, inclusion and well-being.

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Excerpt from www.thecollegefix.com

‘Depriving people of meaningful rituals,’ anthropologist says

Many high school seniors lost the opportunity to attend commencement four years ago due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Now, some of those same students are graduating from college and, once again, missing out on the momentous occasion.

Columbia University, the University of Southern California, Pomona College, and Emory University, among others, recently canceled or modified their commencement ceremonies due to safety concerns after raucous pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

Other recent graduation ceremonies have been disrupted by protesters, including at Duke University, Virginia Commonwealth University, UC Berkeley, Emerson College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Axios reported.

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Excerpt from www.infowars.com

 

A court in Germany ruled on Monday, May 13th that the anti-globalist, anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) can be designated as a “suspected extremist organisation.” This means that the domestic intelligence agency, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), has the right to spy on the party, using such intelligence tools as phone tapping, intercepting emails, or recruiting informants from inside the party.

In its verdict, the court said “there is sufficient evidence that the AfD pursues goals that run against the human dignity of certain groups and against democracy.” The judges added: “There are grounds to suspect at least part of the party wants to accord second-rank status to German citizens with a migration background.” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser welcomed the ruling as showing that the “state has instruments that protect our democracy from threats from within.”

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Excerpt from gaycitynews.com

Pride merchandise on display at a Target store in Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York, in May of 2023.

Duncan Osborne

One year after Target scrambled to remove Pride merchandise in response to threats from right wing groups and individuals, the retail giant is again restricting LGBTQ-themed products in stores this year.

Target will sell Pride merchandise in select stores based on product performance and feedback, according to a fact sheet posted on the Target website. Target will, however, still sell all of its Pride merchandise online.

“We’re offering a collection of products including adult apparel and home and food and beverage items, curated based on consumer feedback,” Target said in the fact sheet. “The collection will be available on Target.com and in select stores, based on historical sales performance.”

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Excerpt from www.lifesitenews.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Heather Idoni, 59, who had a stroke two weeks ago, disclosed to LifeSiteNews that she is a victim of gross medical neglect at the D.C. jail, which has failed to administer essential medication for her heart while falsifying her medical record as she awaits sentencing next week for taking part in a traditional pro-life rescue.

Idoni said she received three stints above her heart for three major arteries. While she was prescribed several medications, some of which she has been given, she has been denied one essential medication prescribed by the doctor to be taken once a day to lower her blood pressure.

“It’s just the metoprolol that I’ve had a difficult time with,” she said. “I haven’t even been given one dose.”

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Excerpt from thefederalist.com

I recently was back in the basement of my parents’ home, digging through old yearbooks and photo albums. My brother nagged me to find the old stereo with the turntable and vinyl records. In an age of modernity, it seems we can’t help but long for the things that have been indeed “crushed,” as recently illustrated by Apple’s new iPad ad.

Last week, Apple faced so much backlash to its new commercial bragging about the destruction of humanity, that the company quickly apologized and admitted it “missed the mark.” Particularly for those of us who are old enough to remember all of the musical, gaming, and artistic icons crushed by the huge hunk of metal’s descent to generate the “thinnest iPad ever,” the ad justified every fear we have of technology overtaking our lives. It also goes to show how out of touch the technocratic elites are with not only the experience of everyday Americans but humanity.

British actor Hugh Grant said it best in his caustic criticism of the ad: “The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.”

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Excerpt from www.louderwithcrowder.com

While “wide right” and “fake punt” still haunt me from the AFC divisional round, the Kansas City Chiefs are the 2024 Super Bowl Champions. Harrison Butker, the team’s kicker, gave the commencement address at Benedictine College, where he blasted alleged Catholic Joe Biden for being the most pro-abortion president America has ever had.

See, while the media wants us to believe Joe Biden is a “devout” Catholic because those are the talking points given to them by the Biden Admin, Butker is of the belief that a devout Catholic wouldn’t give the sign of the cross at the pro-abortion rally (in front of literally tens of people).

Our own nation is led by a man who proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of The Cross during a pro-abortion rally… Being Catholic alone does not cut it… We need to stop pretending that the church of nice is a winning proposition.

A Nassau County, NY order that banned transgendered “women” and “girls” from playing in girls’ school sports was struck down by County Judge Francis Ricigliano. The judge claimed he struck down the ruling because the county executive had no authority to create the order.

He claimed the County Executive, Bruce Blakeman, had no authority to effectively create legislation. He stated “In doing so, this Court finds the County Executive acted beyond the scope of his authority as the Chief Executive Officer of Nassau County,”

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Excerpt from townhall.com

On Friday, a judge struck down an executive order in a New York County that prohibited so-called “transgender” athletes from competing in women’s sports.

To recap, Townhall previously reported how Nassau County, New York banned girls’ sports leagues that permit so-called “transgender” athletes to compete against females. The move was done through an executive order signed by County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Shortly after, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sent a cease-and-desist letter to the county over the order.

In response to the cease-and-desist letter, Blakeman announced that the county would sue James.

According to Fox News, Judge Francis Ricigliano ruled that Blakeman did not have the authority to issue the order banning transgenders from women’s sports (via Fox News):

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Excerpt from catholicherald.co.uk

Diocese was justified in firing gay teacher, rules federal appeals court

NEW YORK – In a reversal of a 2021 decision, a federal appeals court has ruled that a Catholic school in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, was justified in firing a substitute teacher over his same-sex relationship.

Lonnie Billard, the teacher, sued Charlotte Catholic High School and the Diocese of Charlotte in 2017 for firing him from his teaching position after the school found out about his wedding to another man, which he posted about on Facebook.

In September 2021, U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn sided with Billard, ruling that Charlotte Catholic High School and the Diocese of Charlotte violated his constitutional rights – a decision the school and diocese appealed. On May 8, the appeal was successful.

“We conclude that because Billard played a vital role as a messenger of CCHS’s faith, he falls under the ministerial exception to Title VII,” Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Harris stated in her ruling. “Accordingly, we reverse the district court’s order with instructions to enter judgment for CCHS.”

Billard has 14 days to ask the Fourth Circuit to rehear his case, or 90 days to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Billard taught English and drama at Charlotte Catholic High School for more than a decade before eventually transitioning to a role as a regular substitute, typically working more than a dozen weeks per year. However, Billard was let go from his position in 2014 after the school discovered the Facebook post he made about his upcoming wedding.

According to the original lawsuit, soon after the firing then-Diocese of Charlotte spokesperson David Hains said that Billard was let go for “going on Facebook, entering into a same-sex relationship, and saying it in a very public way that he not does not agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

Billard eventually sued in 2017. His lawyers argued that his firing violated federal employment law. Specifically, the prohibitions against sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. At the time, Billard said in a statement that he didn’t believe his commitment to his husband “has any bearing on [his] work in the classroom.”

Then, after the 2021 decision in his favor, Billard said in a statement that he had a “sense of relief and a sense of vindication,” and that the decision “validates that [he] did nothing wrong by being a gay man.”

Lawyers for Billard did not respond to a Crux request for comment on the May 8 decision.

Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, which represents the diocese in the case, said that the May 8 decision is a victory for all people who cherish freedom of religion.

“The Supreme Court has been crystal clear on this issue: Catholic schools have the freedom to choose teachers who fully support Catholic teaching,” Goodrich said in a May 8 statement. “This is a victory for people of all faiths who cherish the freedom to pass on their faith to the next generation.”

Allana-Rae Ramkissoon, an assistant superintendent of schools in the Diocese of Charlotte, said that it’s important for children who attend diocesan schools to get a faithful Catholic education.

“Many of our parents work long hours and make significant sacrifices so their children can attend our schools and receive a faithful Catholic education,” Ramkissoon said in a May 8 statement. “That’s because we inspire our students not only to harness the lessons and tools they need to thrive, but to cherish their faith as a precious gift from God.”

Follow John Lavenburg on X: @johnlavenburg

(Credit: Becket Fund)

In a reversal of a 2021 decision, a federal appeals court has ruled that a Catholic school in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, was justified in firing a substitute teacher over his same-sex relationship.

Lonnie Billard, the teacher, sued Charlotte Catholic High School and the Diocese of Charlotte in 2017 for firing him from his teaching position after the school found out about his wedding to another man, which he posted about on Facebook.

In September 2021, U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn sided with Billard, ruling that Charlotte Catholic High School and the Diocese of Charlotte violated his constitutional rights – a decision the school and diocese appealed. On May 8, the appeal was successful.

“We conclude that because Billard played a vital role as a messenger of CCHS’s faith, he falls under the ministerial exception to Title VII,” Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Harris stated in her ruling. “Accordingly, we reverse the district court’s order with instructions to enter judgment for CCHS.”

Billard has 14 days to ask the Fourth Circuit to rehear his case, or 90 days to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Billard taught English and drama at Charlotte Catholic High School for more than a decade before eventually transitioning to a role as a regular substitute, typically working more than a dozen weeks per year. However, Billard was let go from his position in 2014 after the school discovered the Facebook post he made about his upcoming wedding.

According to the original lawsuit, soon after the firing then-Diocese of Charlotte spokesperson David Hains said that Billard was let go for “going on Facebook, entering into a same-sex relationship, and saying it in a very public way that he not does not agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”