* “This is not fake news: U.S. Surgeon General warns that parenting is a health hazard” (Kimberly Ells, Mercator)
From the article — This Surgeon General’s Advisory is the first time I recall seeing an official government entity framing children as a clear and present danger to their parents. It reminds me of radical feminist Sophie Lewis’ assertion that babies in utero commit “fetal violence” toward their mothers by introducing health threats to and demanding nourishment from their unfortunate maternal hosts. Likewise, Suzanne Sadedin says an unborn baby employs “manipulation, blackmail, and violence” against its mother while floating in the womb and usurping whatever sustenance it can suck from her body.
What does the Surgeon General say should be done about this assault on parents’ health? The “We Can Take Action” section of the advisory starts with this preface: “While parents and caregivers may have the primary responsibility for raising children… [it] is a collective responsibility.” It then gives a laundry list of collectivist solutions including the following…
* “The Oslo effect” Israelis won’t forgive or forget the left’s weaponization of the hostages to do Hamas’s dirty work for it.” (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service)
From the article — Israelis are being increasingly maddened by grief and horror over the unconscionable fate of the hostages trapped in the hell holes of Gaza. Last week’s cold-blooded murder of six of these captives by Hamas savages has tipped many Israelis over the edge.
The demonstrators’ demand for an immediate ceasefire deal to release the hostages is not only ludicrous to the point of near derangement but also poses a direct threat to Israel’s security and indeed existence—precisely the outcome that Hamas intends through its diabolical manipulation of the hostages’ plight.
* “Why Corporations Are Ditching Wokeness” (Dan Morenoff, City Journal)
From the article — The growing number of corporations pledging to abandon “antiracist” policies and to restore the primacy of profit-seeking is encouraging. Only time will tell if their statements are sincere. While we wait to find out, it’s worth considering another detail of this reversal: Why now? The efforts of activists and journalists like Robby Starbuck and my colleague Christopher Rufo have played an important role in these developments. Their work has exposed discriminatory corporate policies and raised public awareness to a critical mass.
A more cynical interpretation, however, may help explain these decisions, too. Corporate decision makers may be pulling back from “woke” initiatives because they care more about legal exposure than they do about ideology. Courts are ever-more willing to hold executives responsible for racial discrimination. In a little-noted consensus, at least eight of the 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals—all those taking a position on the issue so far—have agreed that the individuals who participate in racial contracting discrimination are liable for the harms caused, even if a lawyer signed off on the practice. Since the 1970s, that liability has extended to directors who vote for discriminatory policies.
* “Why aren’t governments tackling the epidemic of sexual abuse in America’s public schools?” (Michael Cook, Mercator)
From the article — “The Justice Department and many law enforcement agencies and school systems have failed to take basic steps to prevent sexual misconduct and root out abusive cops,” the Post claims. The tragic thing is that these allegations come as no surprise. It is just the latest in a steady trickle of stories in the media about sexual abuse in American public schools. No doubt the problem is similar in other countries. The difference is that collecting meaningful information about abuse in schools is far more difficult in the US because of its sheer size and the number of jurisdictions – 50 states plus the District of Columbia and other territories, divided into more than 13,000 school districts.
Three articles by journalist James Varney for RealClearInvestigations highlight a massive problem which emerges from time to time but has never been comprehensively studied. He writes: “For a variety of reasons, ranging from embarrassment to eagerness to avoid liability, elected or appointed officials, along with unions or lobbying groups representing school employees, have fought to keep the truth hidden from the public.”
* “The Adventure of the Black Paw” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Ministries)
In this 8 and 1/2 minute video clip, Denny recounts perhaps the most exciting day of his life…with a couple of moral applications of universal relevance. Check it out. You’ll enjoy it.