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How to control 5th Graders...and the world - Opinion

“The diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy has become excessively rigid, acting as speech and thought police. With increasing frequency, they have encouraged student mob behavior silencing those with different viewpoints.”&nbsp;Dr. Kenneth Fisher&nbsp;<h2>Only certain viewpoints are “diverse”</h2>The above quote by Dr. Fisher was <a href="https://authenticmedicine.com/2023/05/dei-and-stanfords-law-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">included</a> in his article “DEI And Stanford’s Law School,” published in Authentic Medicine, as a criticism of DEI policies in law schools and academia in general. The quote, however, may be just as true for business as it is for education. And, apparently, it's also true for the government.The Thomas Moore Society, as <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/biden-christian-worker-fired-lgbt-pride/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">republished</a> by LifeSite News, is defending metalworker Daniel Snyder, who was fired from his lead operator position at Arconic’s lightweight metal engineering and manufacturing facility in Davenport, Iowa in June 2021.&nbsp;<h3>“Diversity Policy” doesn't include religious beliefs</h3>Snyder says he was fired for his religious beliefs as he objected to the use of the rainbow as a symbol of "gay pride month" in a survey, stating his biblical belief that the rainbow should not be used in this manner as it is offensive to God; the rainbow “is not meant to be a sign for sexual gender.”Arconic notified Snyder that another employee was offended by his comment. Snyder was suspended and ultimately terminated for allegedly violating the company's “Diversity Policy.”<hr>For readers who may not be familiar with the biblical meaning of the rainbow, it is <a href="https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8173/jewish/Chapter-9.htm#v12" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found</a> in Genesis 9:12-15, after the flood in which Noah, his family and select animals were saved but during which the rest of humanity and the animal kingdom were destroyed. The rainbow, God told Noah, would stand as a sign of His covenant with mankind that even though they may be sinning and deserving of destruction, He will remember his promise and not destroy the world with another flood. Hence, the rainbow is more than just a marvel in the sky; it contains significant religious meaning to those who follow the Bible:<blockquote>This is the sign I am making, testifying to the covenant between Me and you and all living souls, forever: I have put my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Myself and the world. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, and I will remember the covenant between Myself and yourselves and all living souls, and there will never again be a flood to destroy all life.</blockquote><hr><h3>Feels like a setup</h3>Making the termination even more egregious, according to Snyder's attorneys, is the fact that Snyder did not even know that the expression of his religious beliefs was going to be shared publicly. According to the “Opening Brief of Plaintiff-Appellant” <a href="https://assets-global.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/655d49ea71e92add0f4ee146_Filed%20-%20Opening%20Brief%20of%20Plaintiff-Appellant%20Daniel%20Snyder%20-%2011-21-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">filed</a> on November 21, 2023, Snyder thought he was responding to an anonymous survey, not a comment on an article about the survey, that appeared online:<blockquote>Defendants-Appellees Arconic, Corp., and Arconic Davenport, LLC (“Arconic”), a large aluminum manufacturer [sic], fired Plaintiff-Appellant Daniel Snyder for making a single religious comment on the company’s employee website opposing its use of the rainbow to promote “Pride Month.” He explained that he thought he was responding to an anonymous company survey, although the statement appeared as a comment to an article about the survey. Arconic fired him anyway.</blockquote><h3>No trial</h3>Snyder filed a suit for religious discrimination, citing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, yet his case was dismissed with the judge saying Snyder failed to make a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prima%20facie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prima facie</a> case that it was religious discrimination before it ever got to trial.<blockquote>Snyder sued Arconic for religious discrimination and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Iowa Civil Rights Act (“ICRA”). He moved for summary judgment on the discrimination claims, and Arconic moved for summary judgment on all claims. The District Court granted Arconic’s motion and denied Snyder’s on the ground that he allegedly failed to establish a prima facie case.</blockquote>Snyder's lawyers argued that this case raises important issues regarding Title VII's "application to non-disruptive religious expression in the workplace, and the Supreme Court’s new “undue hardship” standard in Groff v. DeJoy, 600 U.S. 447 (2023)" and duly requested 15 minutes for oral arguments. Their request was approved.<h2>EEOC fights against employees expressing religious freedom</h2>Ironically, the federal government's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), said Thomas More Society senior counsel, Michael McHale, was to be in court to defend the employer, Arconic, on April 9, 2024, when oral arguments were to be presented before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.<blockquote>“Ironically,” noted McHale, “Arconic is the one refusing to respect the diversity of Mr. Snyder’s beliefs or to acknowledge that he was offended by the company’s choice to co-opt the rainbow to promote ideologies that conflict with the Biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality. And Arconic’s outright refusal to acknowledge that he was just trying to answer a company survey, rather than impose his views on others, was illegal.”</blockquote><h2>Presidents determine religious freedom by executive order</h2>Government opposition to religious freedom has become “an Executive Order Battle,” as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/934505425/religious-freedom-arguments-give-rise-to-executive-order-battle" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">described</a> by NPR in its 2020 article by Tom Gjelten recounting its Morning Edition talk, "Religious Freedom Arguments Give Rise To Executive Order Battle." As such, the battle over religious freedom morphs depending upon who is the U.S. president at the time, and the turn it has taken with the current administration was expected at the time of his election in 2020.Gjelten recalled that:&nbsp;<blockquote>In 2014. . . President Barack Obama unilaterally issued an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating in their hiring practices on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.</blockquote><blockquote>Four years later the Trump administration weakened that order with a unilateral move directing that contractors facing a discrimination claim under Obama's order should be entitled to a “religious exemption.The Labor Department then proposed a rule that would give the directive the force of law and permit faith-based contractors to give hiring preference to individuals with particular religious beliefs, such as an opposition to same-sex unions or transgender identities.</blockquote>With the change of administration in 2021, Gjelten stated, this was again set to change, and indeed it has.<blockquote>Such back-and-forth executive orders are now set to continue under President-elect Joe Biden, who has promised to reverse President Trump's hiring directives.</blockquote><h2>Companies divesting from diversity</h2>This lawsuit, and the government's support of Arconic's "Diversity Policy," comes at a time when many companies are beginning to rethink DEI policies now being recognized as racist, as depicted by this tweet from KTHR News.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Many companies beginning to sour on DEI initiatives. Melissa MacKenzie of the American Spectator says companies see just how bad it is. "They are starting to see the downsides...there are people suing over these racist policies...it is all a big scam," she says. <a href="https://t.co/uncfPVuKsw">pic.twitter.com/uncfPVuKsw</a>— KTRH News (@ktrhnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ktrhnews/status/1777977468726477016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

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wokeness

Legal News

EEOC, designed to protect employees, asks court to approve termination in name of 'diversity'

Fired for not supporting pride rainbow; government sides with employer

<h2>Education has changed over the last 40 years!</h2>Someone recently returned a library book that was 37 years overdue to the Riverside Library and Cultural Center in Weld County, Colorado. The book “Psychedelics” which was checked out in 1987, finally found its way home last month, with a Post-it note inside stating: “Sorry so late! It’s been a long, strange trip,” beside a drawing of a smiley face.The most interesting aspect of the book's return, though, may be its designation as a “young adult” book. Were children on a higher academic level 40 years ago? Community relations and marketing manager for the library district, James Melena, <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/overdue-library-book-returned-37-years-late-with-funny-note-inside-heres-what-the-borrower-wrote-5615381" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> Louise Chambers, in an interview for The Epoch Times, that today this book would be considered college-level psychology.&nbsp;Now, “young adult” books call to mind books like "The Hunger Games." Melena added “it really might be just showing a sign of the times that the term ’young adult' meant a lot more, or meant something very different, back then.”<h2>Pornography bared from TV, offered in school libraries</h2>The change in what's considered “young adult” isn't the only shift in education that's taken place. Public schools, long thought to be safe havens for children, have become dangerous places in some localities as many public school libraries now carry sexually explicit books.Pornography and indecency have long been understood as being inappropriate for children. Television programming had been severely restricted during those hours when children were expected to be awake and watching. Yet, today, children are picking sexually explicit books off the shelves of public school libraries across the country.&nbsp;Articles such as <a href="https://www.westernjournal.com/virginia-public-schools-toxic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virginia Public Schools Are Toxic</a>, written by Julie Gunlock in November 2021 for The Western Journal, explain what students are being exposed to. Gunlock, who removed her three sons from the public school system, shared the following:<blockquote>Consider this: It recently came to light that numerous Virginia high school libraries stock a graphic novel (a genre geared to preteens) that includes extreme and violent sexual content. Parents understandably objected.. . .A parent brought the existence of this book to the attention of the Fairfax County school board and read sections of the book out loud, revealing the obviously inappropriate content. The school board pulled the book from the libraries and is reviewing whether it should continue to be carried.</blockquote>Not only was the book's material inappropriate for children, but for adults as well, Gunlock continued.<blockquote>Independent Women’s Voice created an advertisement to raise awareness about this issue, which included images from the book. The ad was rejected as too explicit to run during the 11 p.m. hour on television in Virginia. Think about everything you see on TV and imagine what it takes for a television station to decline to run an ad that late at night.Parents and citizens should be asking one question: Why are our schools so much less protective about what high school students as young as 14 are exposed to than TV stations catering to adults?</blockquote><h3>Back on the shelves</h3>The books, “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe and “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison, were both removed from Fairfax County library shelves only to find their way back not long ago. Reasons given for their return included that the books “reflect the student population” and that they would be helpful to children who could relate to them, as Heather Zwicker <a href="https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/fcps-reinstates-pornographic-books-to-school-libraries/article_cf63abf2-53ab-11ec-affa-cbfc8074da6a.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> for the Fairfax County Times. &nbsp;The anonymous committee that reviewed the books in question also determined that they don't violate any legal codes.<blockquote>The committee determined that the images in the book do not qualify as obscene per the definition in Virginia Code 18.2-372 and is also not harmful to juveniles as defined in 18.2-390. They also found Code of Virginia 18.2-376 inapplicable and said “the book aligns with FCPS Regulation 2603 supporting members of the gender expansive community and affirming individuals in their identity.” They found that the book was an appropriate addition to library collections in accordance with FCPS Regulation 3013.</blockquote>Two years later, at the end of December 2023, as Frontline News previously <a href="https://frontline.news/post/virginia-school-board-official-sworn-in-on-child-pornography-books" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">covered</a>, a Fairfax County, Virginia man was sworn in as a school board official on a stack of pornographic books aimed at children rather than on a Bible.<h2>Some kids get it, even if adults can't</h2>While some adults don't seem to identify pornography as inappropriate in a school library, there are students, such as Knox Zajac, who do. “Nick and Charlie” is a sexually explicit book that he found displayed in his Maine middle school library and brought to the attention of his father, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/11-year-old-speaks-out-against-pornographic-content-maine-middle-school-admin-should-be-prosecuted" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to Fox News's Joshua Q. Nelson. When he went to check out the book to show his father, the librarian asked him if he wanted others and if he wanted the graphic novel version. He is 11 years old and in sixth grade. The age advisory in the book is 14 years of age and older.Knox Zajac is seen reading from the book at a school board meeting in the tweet below.&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">An 11–year-old sixth grader reads a sexually explicit book "Nick and Charlie" in front of the school board in Maine. The book was on display at his middle school library. These are the books being offered to kids in public schools. <a href="https://t.co/rLzxlFoNmZ">pic.twitter.com/rLzxlFoNmZ</a>— 3sidedstory (@3sidedstory) <a href="https://twitter.com/3sidedstory/status/1629505943569584129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>School board members protect their ears</h2>Pastor John K. Amanchukwu, Sr., <a href="https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/this-is-immoral-pastor-slams-nc-school-board-over-pornographic-library-book-john-amanchukwu-north-caolina-asheville-city-perfectly-normal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">confronted</a> a North Carolina school board about a book in their library called “It's Perfectly Normal,” asking the school board who gets to decide what's normal. Even school board members didn't want to listen to pornography — they cut him off as he was about to read from the book:<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Pastor <a href="https://twitter.com/REVWUTRUTH?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@REVWUTRUTH</a> confronts NC school board over 'pornographic' library book 'It's Perfectly Normal,' board cuts him off when attempting to read a passage. <a href="https://t.co/0DrE4zYMpH">pic.twitter.com/0DrE4zYMpH</a>— Crisis in the Classroom (@CITClassroom) <a href="https://twitter.com/CITClassroom/status/1658884132577869843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Learn more about the debate on pornography in public schools:<ul><li><a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/02/23/ryan-walters-says-library-books-contain-porn-what-do-experts-say/72697294007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ryan Walters claims 'Glass Castle,' 'Kite Runner' contain porn. What do experts say?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/oregon-school-district-books-contains-pornographic-sex-acts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oregon school district books contain pornographic imagery of sex acts, according to portal</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/16/dearborn-parent-reads-graphic-passages-in-revolt-against-pornographic-books-in-school-libraries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michigan mom reads graphic passages in revolt against pornographic books in school libraries</a></li><li><a href="https://www.heritage.org/education/commentary/parents-objecting-pornographic-material-school-libraries-arent-book-banners" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Parents Objecting to Pornographic Material in School Libraries Aren’t “Book Banners”</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2022/10/24/heres-how-many-utah-parent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here’s how many Utah parent complaints have been filed — so far — about ‘pornographic’ books in schools</a></li><li><a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/ED/ED14/20231019/116471/HHRG-118-ED14-20231019-SD004.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Independent Women's Forum: Written Statement Before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Hearing: Combatting Graphic, Explicit Books in School Libraries</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-libraries-book-challenges-1.6851688" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Libraries are being accused of offering child porn. Librarians explain why that's not true</a></li><li><a href="https://yaf.org/news/illinois-to-defund-schools-public-libraries-that-protect-children-from-graphic-sexual-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Illinois To Defund Schools, Public Libraries That Protect Children From Graphic Sexual Content</a></li><li><a href="https://www.whqr.org/local/2022-07-08/nhcso-investigated-schools-for-obscene-and-pornographic-books-da-found-no-unlawful-content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NHCSO investigated schools for ‘obscene and pornographic’ books, DA found no unlawful content</a></li><li><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/do-these-books-belong-public-school-libraries-you-judge-opinion-1802689" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do These Books Belong in Public School Libraries? You Be The Judge | Opinion</a>&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>How to porn-proof your kids</h2>While parents can become more vigilant about what their children are being exposed to in their schools, as Gunlock and others have done, children can be exposed to pornography by many other means.&nbsp;In an upcoming article, Frontline News will show parents how they can help keep their children safe from pornography.Related articles:<ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/appellate-court-upholds-texas-right-to-protect-children-from-online-porn">Appellate court upholds Texas' right to protect children from online porn</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/virginia-school-board-official-sworn-in-on-child-pornography-books">Virginia school board official sworn in on child pornography books</a></li></ul>

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Education

'Why are schools so much less protective about what high school students as young as 14 are exposed to than TV stations catering to adults?'

Pornography now in public school libraries. Did you know?

Almost three years ago, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), Pharma's latest wonder-drug, was being portrayed as just what everyone had been waiting for.People didn't have to wait long for the drug—it was the clinical trial results showing that it worked that they had to wait for.Well, now they're here.We'll allow <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/authors/jeremy-samuel-faust-md-ms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Jeremy Faust</a>, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Editor-in-Chief of Medpage Today, and author of Inside Medicine on Substack, to <a href="https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/paxlovid-does-not-reduce-symptoms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">present</a> them for us.Frontline News' comments follow in red.&nbsp;Jeremy Faust MD: Pfizer finally&nbsp;published its <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309003?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study&nbsp;</a>of Paxlovid’s effects on symptoms for standard-risk and high-risk vaccinated patients with Covid-19.Finally. Pfizer actually commenced this study in August, 2021 and promised to release the results by December of the same year, when public interest in the drug was probably at its peak. By now, most people have forgotten about it.JF: The upshot of the trial, known as EPIC-SR and published in the&nbsp;New England Journal of Medicine, is that Paxlovid did not reduce the amount of time until patients got symptom relief. For anyone who thinks Paxlovid helps reduce symptoms, we now have high-quality, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial data—from the makers of the drug&nbsp;and published in the most prestigious medical journal in the world—saying otherwise.&nbsp;This isn’t actually the first time that the “upshot of the trial” has been published. Another “<a href="https://www.epicresearch.org/articles/paxlovid-significantly-reduces-covid-19-hospitalizations-and-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">upshot</a>” appeared in September, 2022 and was hailed by no less than the White House COVID commissar, Dr. Ashish Jha, as “pretty compelling stuff”—despite the fact that the results released back then were not from a “high-quality, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled” study, but rather, from the unadjusted data. In other words, <a href="https://frontline.news/post/why-is-the-white-house-covid-czar-promoting-junk-science-analysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">junk science</a>.Based on those “findings,” the United States government spent $5 billion on Paxlovid.JF: Here’s what played out: In the Paxlovid group, 0.8% (5 of 654 participants) were either hospitalized for Covid or died (any cause), compared to 1.6% (10 of the 634 participants) in the placebo group. Though some might see that as a 50% relative reduction, the 0.8%&nbsp;absolute&nbsp;difference (1.6%-0.8%=0.8%) was not statistically significant.A 50% relative reduction sounds quite impressive to the average Joe. Not quite as impressive as the 95% relative reduction of Pfizer’s COVID shots, of course.But wait. Dr. Faust is now saying that relative reduction isn’t the thing. It’s absolute difference that matters. For Paxlovid, that was just 0.8%, not statistically significant, and therefore, the science has determined that Paxlovid is a dud.What was the absolute difference between the Pfizer shots and placebo? Curiously, it was <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9115787/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">0.85%</a>.JF: So, while not a death knell for Paxlovid, this study should profoundly change our “priors” on what to expect from the forthcoming PANORAMIC&nbsp;<a href="https://substack.com/redirect/1096e8d1-552f-40aa-a21d-41dac299ab3f?j=eyJ1IjoiMXVkdWlhIn0.OUHglwwANIeBURA5ROrUJlpPIzMYTcsRBuDu5k8pS6Q">trial</a>&nbsp;out of the United Kingdom (a massive study of thousands of vaccinated patients randomized to get Paxlovid or not).Not a death knell? Well... But at least it should “profoundly change our ‘priors’” on the efficacy of the COVID shots. And perhaps a large randomized long-term study would be in order there, too, only unfortunately that is now impossible, because the randomized studies already conducted were unblinded just a few months into the trial, and everyone was given the shots.JF: Why does this study go against what you’ve heard?Maybe we can help Dr. Faust out with some answers.<ol><li>Because all the three-letter agencies pushed Paxlovid as the greatest thing since sliced bread (other than the shots themselves)?</li><li>Because none other than Dr. Fauci, aka “The Science,” promoted it, donating his own body to scientific research when he took not just one but two courses of the drug (because his COVID rebounded after the first dose)?</li><li>Because the preliminary (albeit worthless) results from the trial were published years ago and gave a highly misleading impression?</li></ol>JF: We are in a weird moment here. Paxlovid remains the best anti-viral we have, but the data supporting it are not nearly as impressive as they once were.&nbsp;It truly is a weird moment when Paxlovid is, despite devastating trial results, still considered “the best anti-viral we have” by a doctor. Many readers may have suggestions for other “best anti-virals” such as ivermectin. But perhaps Dr. Faust still thinks that’s a horse drug.JF: It’s time to think ahead. The search for better anti-viral options for high-risk Covid-19 patients should start to feel more urgent. I hope the drug companies see an opportunity here.Don’t worry, Dr. Faust. Drug companies are always seeing opportunities.

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Paxlovid

Harvard Medical School professor doesn't connect the dots?

According to 'The Science,' Paxlovid's a dud. By the same criteria, so are the shots

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World News

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How to control 5th Graders...and the world - Opinion

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Latest Articles

Fired for not supporting pride rainbow; government sides with employer

Pornography now in public school libraries. Did you know?

According to 'The Science,' Paxlovid's a dud. By the same criteria, so are the shots

Extraordinary Gaza achievement overlooked - 200 terrorists eliminated in hospital; none of 6200 human shields killed