<p style="margin-left:0px;">The war between Russia and Ukraine is entering its second week with over 9,000 dead and over 1 million people displaced, according to Reuters. More than 100 buildings have been destroyed and circulating videos of war-torn Ukraine show families in bomb shelters and tanks crushing civilian cars. Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed his nuclear forces on alert.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">But <i>CBS</i> has chosen another angle to report on: the plight of transgenders in Ukraine.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">“Transgender acceptance in Ukraine is not widespread, and changing legal documents to match gender requires a long process with psychiatric examinations,” tweeted the network. “CBS News spoke with one woman in Kyiv who is now battling a ‘war within a war’ amid Russia’s invasion.”&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">The human-interest story from <i>CBS</i> centers around 31-year-old Zi Faámelu, who complained to the network about not being able to leave the country due to gender.&nbsp;</p><figure class="image image_resized image-style-align-right" style="width:50%;"><img src="/uploads/i_Stock_1281429302_35ccc9578c.jpg"></figure><p style="margin-left:0px;">“Faámelu doesn’t know what to do,” <i>CBS</i> moaned. “Even if she doesn’t face violence on her way to the border, she has no idea whether she will even be allowed to leave the country.”&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">“This is not a very rainbow-friendly place,” said Faámelu. “Lives for trans people are very bleak here. If you have a male gender in your passport, they will not let you go abroad. They will not let you through.”&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">Yesterday, two huge explosions rocked the Ukranian capital of Kyiv&nbsp;during a live report by <i>CBS.</i>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><i>CBS'</i> story about transphobia in the Ukraine appears to be in line with the Biden administration’s flippant approach to the war. The White House imposed sanctions on Russia, but Biden said “nobody expected” sanctions to deter Russia from invading Ukraine.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">“Nobody expected the sanctions to stop anything from happening,” Biden said. “It could take time and we have to show determination so that he knows what is coming and the Russian people know what he has brought them. That’s what this is about.”&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">“It’s going to take time, it’s not going to happen… he’s going to be like ‘oh my God, these sanctions are coming, I’m going to step down.'”&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview on Wednesday that “we are going to continue to do what we’ve done”, which is impose sanctions on Russia.</p>

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World News

'This is not a very rainbow-friendly place'

As war rages, CBS wants to talk about 'transphobia' in Ukraine

<h2>The Biden Administration keeping pornography in the public schools</h2><p>Most Americans believe the health and well-being of children should always be first and foremost, yet child pornography has now found its way into public school libraries. This has sparked a fierce debate among parents and officials about what children should be exposed to, as <i>Frontline News </i>recently <a href="https://frontline.news/post/pornography-now-in-public-school-libraries-did-you-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>. &nbsp;</p><p>While parents all over the country have been fighting local school boards and some states have passed legislation giving parents control over sexually explicit materials in schools, the federal government may have just made the parents' job more difficult. A <i>Fox News</i> report by Hannah Grossman in July 2023 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-admin-disrupting-parents-removing-pornography-schools-frighting-civil-rights-office" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained</a> that the Biden Administration “is starting to weaponize [the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights] <span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);">to combat parents' efforts in local districts under the threat of withholding funding, according to education experts.”</span></p><p>Grossman quoted Max Eden, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);">a research fellow focusing on </span>K-12 education<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);"> at the American Enterprise Institute who said “[t]he move signals that the DOE can investigate a district for simply reviewing parents' concerns about sexually explicit content in schools.”</span></p><p>Oli London tweeted highlights from the <i>Fox News</i> article:&nbsp;</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Biden administration has began weaponizing the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to punish schools that remove sexually explicit books targeting children from libraries. <br><br>The DOE can investigate a school district simply for reviewing parental concerns about… <a href="https://t.co/V3KGKRAW1L">pic.twitter.com/V3KGKRAW1L</a></p>— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1682191529341861888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>In another article, Grossman <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/rhode-island-dad-accuses-district-sick-agenda-use-abuse-children-pornography-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> on a <i>Fox News Digital</i> interview with Rhode Island father Rob Chiaradio who has been fighting the Westerly School District board to remove the book “Gender Queer,” which includes pornographic images, from its library bookshelves. Chiaradio told <i>Fox</i> that he believed that schoolchildren are being used and abused for a sick agenda:</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);">Rather than teaching these kids about math, English, and science…, these kids are being used and abused in order to help these people achieve some kind of sick agenda that they have.</span></p></blockquote><p>He also expressed concern that “destroying” children is one way in which officials may ultimately take down the country:</p><blockquote><p>These… so-called leaders of the district are trusted by these kids. The only thing that I can think of here is that these people have other motivations," he said. "And that's the thing that really, really gets me. Because the best way to take down a country or a society… is to destroy a generation of its youth.".</p></blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Rather than teaching these kids about math, English, and science, these kids are being used and abused in order to help these people achieve some kind of sick agenda that they have," Robert Chiaradio told Fox News Digital in an interview.<br>  <a href="https://t.co/KhZM1dydVf">https://t.co/KhZM1dydVf</a></p>—  (@DIHart1727) <a href="https://twitter.com/DIHart1727/status/1616828379914715141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Books in school libraries “unequivocally erotica”</h3><p>Senior Fellow of the Education Freedom Center for the Independent Women’s Forum Nicole Solas <a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/ED/ED14/20231019/116471/HHRG-118-ED14-20231019-SD004.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">penned</a> a Written Statement Before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Hearing: Combatting Graphic, Explicit Books in School Libraries. In her October 19, 2023, statement, she described the gravity of the situation including what is in the pornographic and sexually explicit books available to public school children.&nbsp;</p><blockquote><p>. . . This is not an occasional problem. On the contrary, the amount of sexually explicit books in school libraries is extensive and vast. . . . These books do not simply provide clinical sex education describing anatomy and reproduction. They contain numerous pornographic passages and pictures meant to instruct children on sexual pleasure, sexually excite children, or push a radical, ideological viewpoint of sex and sexuality. In many cases, these books are unequivocally erotica with both homosexual and heterosexual storylines framed against the youthful backdrops of high school, family, and friends. In one reported incident, hardcore pornography for adults was removed from a high school library and you can read an excerpt.&nbsp;</p></blockquote><p>Solas included a list of the books and links to excerpts, imploring the committee members to “take some time to review the listed excerpts and graphics list provided. . . You will be astonished,” she wrote.</p><h3>Significant harm to children</h3><p>To explain the impact that pornography has on children, Solas referred to the American Academy of Pediatrician's description of its harm to children:</p><blockquote><p>These negative effects include mental disturbance and unrest for the young school age child, including acting out and violent behavior. Because of its harmfulness to children, pornography must never be used as a tool to teach children human sexuality.”&nbsp;</p></blockquote><p>The Academy is quite <a href="https://acpeds.org/position-statements/the-impact-of-pornography-on-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detailed</a> in its description of the harms that pornography holds for elementary school children. The academy lists maladaptive behaviors and psychopathology that young children who have viewed pornography may display.</p><blockquote><p>. . . Pornography exposure at these young ages often results in anxiety for the child. &nbsp;Children also report feelings of disgust, shock, embarrassment, anger, fear, and sadness after viewing pornography. These children can suffer all of the symptoms of anxiety and depression. They may become obsessed with acting out adult sexual acts that they have seen, and this can be very disruptive and disturbing to the child’s peers who witness or are victimized by this behavior. Children under twelve years old who have viewed pornography are statistically more likely to sexually assault their peers. In sum, children exposed to pornographic material are at risk for a broad range of maladaptive behaviors and psychopathology.</p></blockquote><p>The Academy referred to a study done in the 1980s to explain the effect pornography had on <span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">older adolescents and young adults, They found that their moral compass was skewed and that their attitudes toward marriage, rape, and fidelity were compromised.&nbsp;</span></p><blockquote><p>The following observations were noted regarding young adults exposed to pornography compared to the control group:</p><ul><li>Male subjects demonstrated increased callousness toward women.</li><li>Subjects considered the crime of rape less serious.</li><li>Subjects were more accepting of non-marital sexual activity and non-coital sexual practices such as oral and anal sex.</li><li>Subjects became more interested in more extreme and deviant forms of pornography.</li><li>Subjects were more likely to say they were dissatisfied with their sexual partner.</li><li>Subjects were more accepting of sexual infidelity in a relationship.</li><li>Subjects valued marriage less and were twice as likely to believe marriage may become obsolete.</li><li>Men experienced a decreased desire for children, and women experienced a decreased desire to have a daughter.</li><li>Subjects showed a greater acceptance of female promiscuity.</li></ul></blockquote><h3>UK concerned about effects of porn on kids, too</h3><p>A 2023 <a href="https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/pornography-and-harmful-sexual-behaviour/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> by the UK's Children's Commissioner regarding online pornography, in preparation for an online safety bill, emphasizes the harm that pornography inflicts on children. The report was the result of an analysis of 502 cases reports of child-on-child sexual abuse. The commissioner reported that it shapes and fuels violence against women and girls and promotes harmful sexual behaviors and children abusing children. Much of the abuse is like that depicted in pornography. &nbsp;</p><blockquote><p>It is incredibly concerning that I found references to specific acts of sexual violence commonly seen in pornography in half of the interviews carried out following these cases of sexual abuse. Additional review of some of these cases found children suggesting direct links between pornography exposure and the harmful sexual behaviour exhibited.</p></blockquote><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>Books that help parents teach kids to stay safe</h2><p>Fortunately, there are books to help parents educate their children to recognize pornography when they see it and know what to do, as Louise Chambers <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/porn-proof-your-children-mom-pens-book-after-friends-son-sexually-abused-his-siblings-5610160" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> for <i>The Epoch Times</i>. <a href="https://www.defendyoungminds.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kristen Jensen</a> who was shocked to discover that a friend's son sexually abused his siblings after exposure to pornography was surprised that she could find no resources to help the family and soon found herself on a mission to address the issue.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color:rgb(47,47,47);">To do this, Chambers explained, Jensen met with parents, read a lot, and watched videos on YouTube by experts on the neurological effects of pornography. </span>Her efforts have resulted in the books <span style="color:rgb(47,47,47);">“</span>Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids<span style="color:rgb(47,47,47);">“ for children aged 7 to 11, and ”</span>Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds<span style="color:rgb(47,47,47);">“ for children aged 3 to 6, and other resources for parents and children.&nbsp;</span></p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:auto;">Mrs. Jenson’s book offers an age-appropriate definition of pornography so kids can recognize porn when they see it.</p><p style="margin-left:auto;">“Bad pictures show the private parts of the body that we cover with a swimsuit,” reads the book, which goes on to explain why these “bad pictures” are harmful, and offers a plan so that kids know what to do when they see them.</p><p style="margin-left:auto;">Mrs. Jenson said: “Educating kids on the harmful effects of pornography gives them good reasons to reject it. The book for older children describes the process of addiction, while the book for younger children presents the analogy of ‘picture poison.’”</p></blockquote><p>The books appear to have been successful at accomplishing their goals, as Chambers shared Jensen's stories about two children's experiences with recognizing pornography and reacting appropriately. The first happened on the school playground where one child showed porn to another child.</p><blockquote><p><span style="color:rgb(47,47,47);">One mom shared on social media that she read ‘Good Pictures Bad Pictures’ to her 9-year-old son, and three days later, he was shown pornography by another student on the playground during recess. Her son came home and told his mom what had happened. He said, ’I was scared, but I knew what to do.' Can’t you just feel the </span><i>burden</i><span style="color:rgb(47,47,47);"> coming off of his young shoulders? No child deserves to face the porn industry alone!</span></p></blockquote><p style="margin-left:auto;">The second incident occurred when an adult approached a child, showing him porn on his cell phone.&nbsp;</p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:auto;">The second anecdote came from a mother who had read “Good Pictures Bad Pictures” to her 6-year-old son. The incident occurred while dining at a friend’s home.</p><p style="margin-left:auto;">Recounting the incident, Mrs. Jenson said: “A renovation project caused their friends to put the children’s toys downstairs, so each child was allowed to run down and grab a toy to play with. While the 6-year-old stayed looking at the toys, the man who rented the downstairs apartment approached him and showed him a video of gay porn on his phone. The boy immediately recognized that he was seeing porn, and he ran up and told his mom. He got himself out of a very harmful situation.”&nbsp;</p></blockquote><h3 style="margin-left:auto;">Look inside the books</h3><p style="margin-left:auto;">Below are two book reviews of Good Pictures Bad Pictures and Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:auto;">The first is by Katie “a wife and home school mom of 6 kids who range from 13 years to 4,” on her YouTube channel “Life in the Mundane.”&nbsp;</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wWr9-3PYah0" title="The BIGGEST Mistake We Can Make When Protecting Our Kids Online" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p style="margin-left:auto;">The second is by Sarah Kimmel on her channel Family Tech. She is a “Microsoft Certified IT Manager, who is also a mom. She currently helps families understand and manage the technology in their homes.”</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kHwQkLW8Mlk" title="Unveiling the hidden gems in Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr and the Standard Version - Book Review" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p style="margin-left:auto;">In a day and age when parents are being marginalized and bypassed, when it comes to their children's welfare, these books can give parents a little peace of mind, knowing they have a resource to help their children navigate a potentially less-than-friendly world.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:auto;"><strong>Learn more:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.defendyoungminds.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Defend young minds</strong></a><strong> </strong>(Jensen's website with additional resources)</li><li><a href="https://www.truthloveparent.com/taking-back-the-family-blog/tlp-339-good-pictures-bad-pictures-kristen-jenson-interview-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taking back the family</a></li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/family-and-trauma/202308/silent-educator-the-impact-of-porn-on-young-minds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Silent Educator: The Impact of Porn on Young Minds</a></li><li><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/6-things-to-do-if-your-kid-sees-pornography" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">6 Things to Do If Your Kid Sees Pornography</a></li><li><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-64451984" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Children as young as nine exposed to pornography</a></li><li><a href="https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/parenting/should-we-teach-kids-about-porn-s-harms-yes-and-here-s-how.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Should We Teach Kids about Porn's Harms? Yes, and Here's How</a></li><li><a href="https://aifs.gov.au/research/research-snapshots/effects-pornography-children-and-young-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The effects of pornography on children and young people</a></li><li><a href="https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/2022/helplines-insight-briefing-legal-but-harmful-content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Children's experiences of legal but harmful content online</a></li></ul><p><strong>Related articles:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/pornography-now-in-public-school-libraries-did-you-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pornography now in public school libraries. Did you know?</a></li><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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US News

wokeness

Education

'Educating kids on the harmful effects of pornography gives them good reasons to reject it.'

How to porn-proof your kids and why you need to

<p><i>Very few Russian miners merit an obituary in the </i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/06/archives/stakhanov-a-soviet-miner-is-dead-name-was-byword-for-hard-work.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>New York Times</i></a><i>. Aleksei Stakhanov was an exception; when he died in 1977, the Times dedicated an article to his life and achievements, something most DEI managers can only dream of.</i></p><p>(More about Stakhanov&nbsp;in a moment.)</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Wind down in the comfort of your office building</strong></p><p>Good news for employees of Deutsche Bank in London — the company is building new “reset and recovery pods” to provide support for those with neurological conditions such as autism as well as women who may be “struggling with menopause or perimenopause symptoms.”</p><p>Each private, single-occupier booth will feature a reclinable chair as well as cooling and lighting controls. But that's not all — Deutsche Bank is actually constructing an entire “wellness suite” complete with a mindfulness space, a prayer room (multifaith, naturally), and GP clinics.</p><p>Not to be outdone, Shoosmiths, a British law firm, is also about to open its own “wellness rooms” for menopausal women, also featuring cooling and lighting controls but with the added perk of beds.&nbsp;</p><p>Alex Bishop, head of the firm's Birmingham office, told media that the impetus came from “menopausal women” themselves, who kept telling him how they would “really like a space that I could have a lie down after lunch, because I tend to get a headache, I tend to get really light sensitive.”</p><blockquote><p>That got us thinking in a completely different way from perhaps the more obvious diversity and inclusion needs.</p></blockquote><p>Shoosmiths is now planning to introduce these so-called wellness rooms in all its offices as part of planned refurbishments. &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Freemarket at work</strong></p><p>Shoosmiths and Deutsche Bank are large companies with thousands of employees. They can easily afford to install “reset and recovery pods,” mindfulness rooms, and the like. In the competitive environment of finance and law firms seeking the best talent to staff their offices, Shoosmiths and Deutsche Bank have gone the extra mile in catering to a subsection of their workforces, offering incentives that may woo potential employees while helping to retain current ones.</p><p>What are smaller businesses to do if they too want to attract quality staff? In a totally free market, they can offer benefits that large corporations lack, which we can sum up as “the personal touch.” (The cynically-minded might add that mental health breaks in private pods are only necessary for those working in a cut-throat environment.)</p><p>The problems only start when government decides to intervene and mandate companies of any size to provide what once were perquisites — and smaller businesses can't afford to keep up.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Don't worry, Big Brother is looking after you</strong></p><p>Providing a certain level of accommodation for women going through menopause is now legally required in the UK. New guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission stresses that companies could be in breach of discrimination laws if they do not supply such women with fans on their desks, allow them to come in late if they slept badly the night before, and permit them to work from home on hot days.</p><p>But of course regulating “consideration” for one's workforce is not restricted to worrying about women of a certain age.</p><p>At a recent conference, for example, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta called for private companies to use a more “democratic process” to advance “social equities," a scheme which, if mandated, could bankrupt lower revenue competitors.&nbsp;</p><p>Tim Carney of the American Enterprise Institute <a href="https://reason.com/2021/07/07/how-big-business-uses-big-government-to-kill-competition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">notes</a> thatmany big businesses employ similar tactics, and details Facebooks's plans to do so:</p><blockquote><p>[Zuckerberg] is calling for a mandate that platforms impose some sort of artificial intelligence to weed out misinformation or hate speech. Facebook can afford that, but Zuckerberg's smaller competitors [such as Rumble or Parler] would struggle to pay the thousands of content moderators and the expensive artificial intelligence that Congress may require.</p><p>Regulation doesn't just kill businesses. It keeps new businesses from ever entering.</p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Meanwhile, in the public sector…</strong></p><p>Not everyone is waiting for government guidance to implement their own supportive measures for employees going through tough moments. One <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/05/councillors-red-cards-leave-meetings-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">town council</a> in Norfolk, England, has come up with a novel idea for catering to “psychiatric emergencies” that occur during council meetings — councilors will be able to hold up a card and get permission to leave if their mental health feels under threat.</p><p>The new measure was prompted by an incident when Mr. Barrett, a member of the local Green party, experienced a “serious dissociative flashback” during a 45-second speech by another council member, and later explained that his attack was triggered by the lack of a “perceived means of escape.”</p><blockquote><p>It is difficult for me to leave a meeting as I feel that I need to give a reason or an excuse, which can sometimes be difficult to explain. This [new measure] will make the town council a more inclusive environment and offers a means of escape if it is needed.</p></blockquote><p>Barrett apparently is autistic and also suffers from ADHD and PTSD. He returned to the meeting after a 20-minute time-out. Reports of the incident did not elaborate on what he did during those 20 minutes, but the council now plans to set aside a special room where mentally afflicted councilors will be given water (presumably to drink) as well as advice on “grounding techniques” such as breathing exercises.</p><p>The local council in Norfolk can probably afford to employ someone to be on-call in case a troubled councilor suddenly needs help doing breathing exercises — the public purse is only too open for such DEI initiatives.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>And now for something completely different (perhaps)</strong></p><p>Trigger warnings are being slapped on all over the place lately, it seems, but this most recent example deserves attention for its originality.</p><p>The Lilian Baylis Studio theater in London has <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/07/theatregoers-trigger-warning-sound-of-people-eating-oranges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warned</a> those attending its performances of “Out” that during the play, performers will be <i>eating</i>.</p><blockquote><p>The performance contains sounds of people eating so those with misophonia might find some parts uncomfortable.</p></blockquote><p>What’s more, the play will also feature <i>oranges</i>, so those inquiring about ticket sales are told in advance that the performance may not be suitable for those with citrus allergies.</p><p>“Out” is described as a musical event which “defiantly challenges homophobia and transphobia” and aims to “reimagine, reclaim and celebrate aspects of Caribbean culture from a queer perspective.”</p><blockquote><p>Bravely embracing personal, political and cultural dissonance, this work smashes through our violent colonial histories to reimagine, reclaim and celebrate our delicious queer future.</p></blockquote><p>(No trigger warnings have been issued for those who may find the “queer” agenda discomfiting or offensive.)</p><p>Theater-goers, being of a certain class of people willing and able to purchase expensive tickets, are likely just as willing to subsidize some new “woke” scheme that makes them feel even more virtuous. However, smaller regional theaters which present more affordable options for the plebs will find all the demands for woke “sensitivity” compliance far more onerous and perhaps even prohibitive.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>So, how does Stakhanov fit in?</strong></p><p>Aleksei Stakhanov was 29 years old when, in 1935, he set a record of mining 102 tons of coal in five hours and 45 minutes, which was an incredible 14-times his quota.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="511" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nX2MHU5kZYI" title="The Stakhanov Movement (1938)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>According to the <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/08/31/otd-in-1985-the-stakhanovite-movement-was-born-a67092" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Moscow Times</i></a>, following this feat other workers “aimed to exceed their quotas and proudly become ‘Stakhanovites.’ Worker productivity and organization improved and ... the movement spread to other industries, including automobile, shoe, and textile manufacturing; timber; railroads; and agriculture.”</p><p>Stalin himself was actually more circumspect about the launch of what became known as the Stakhanov movement. According to <i>NYT</i>, the Soviet leader noted that not everyone was altogether enthusiastic:</p><blockquote><p>The Stakhanov movement is striking in that it started spontaneously and developed to a certain extent contrary to the will of the management of Soviet enterprises. Stakhanov had to defend his movement not only against certain responsible officials but against fellow workers who slandered his “novelty.”</p></blockquote><p>Indeed, across the USSR workers lived in terror of their “norms” being upped after a patriotic Stakhanovite in their factory proved it was possible to produce more.</p><p>In the USSR, people were too fearful for their lives to rise up against a movement that threatened to grind them into the dust.&nbsp;</p><p>In today’s West, can the same also be said?</p>

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Is government regulation killing us with 'kindness'?

The Stakhanov Effect and the elimination of small business

<p>On Monday, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) sent a letter co-signed by other congressmen to the federal government's Department of Education (DOE), demanding that the department carry out an internal investigation of its agents' decision to issue a $37.7 million fine to Grand Canyon University (GCU), the <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2018/05/02/how-grand-canyon-university-became-the-worlds.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">world's largest</a> private Christian school.</p><h2>Record fine</h2><p>The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) <a href="https://www.wnd.com/2023/12/biden-sues-nations-largest-christian-university-hitting-huge-fine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claimed</a> the university “used deceptive advertising and engaged in illegal telemarketing” when slapping the school with a record breaking fine.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In its latest assault on institutions that fail to adhere to its ideological bent, the Biden administration just imposed the largest fine in the history of the U.S. Department of Education on Grand Canyon University (GCU) — a school whose motto is "private, Christian, and…</p>— Mike Netter (@nettermike) <a href="https://twitter.com/nettermike/status/1734238940524315027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p>By way of comparison, the $37.7 million fine <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/biden-just-imposed-the-largest-fine-ever-on-a-christian-college/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">far eclipses</a> fines doled out to other schools for conduct that endangered their student bodies, according to the Goldwater Institute:</p><blockquote><p>And incredibly, the penalty is 10 times bigger than that levied against schools who covered up some of the worst sex offenders in U.S. history.</p></blockquote><h2>Coincidence?</h2><p>Interestingly, the investigation and fine of GCU came just as the federal government was investigating and fining another Christian school, Liberty University, as noted by Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At the same time, the biggest Christian Universities in America —Grand Canyon University and Liberty University are being fined $37 million each by the Biden administration. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenCorruption?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenCorruption</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gcu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gcu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LibertyUniversity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LibertyUniversity</a> <a href="https://t.co/jSXaJGIovm">https://t.co/jSXaJGIovm</a></p>— Kari Lake (@KariLake) <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1727202515392041305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><h2>Case collapses</h2><p>GCU was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing by multiple state agencies, which found that the federal allegations “could not be substantiated,” as <a href="https://www.wnd.com/2024/04/state-investigation-clears-christian-school-feds-dont-drop-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> by WND:</p><blockquote><p>The report revealed a review from the state auditor, through the Arizona State Approving Agency, found that risks identified by Biden's allegations "could not be substantiated, which means the private nonprofit's students can still use GI bill funding to pay tuition."</p><p>The report said University President Brian Mueller told KSTAR, "They said, 'Zero findings. Not a single one. Not one.'"</p><p>School spokesman Bob Romantic said in an interview with The College Fix that the audit covered all three allegations charged by the Biden regulators …</p><p>While the FTC claims the school misrepresented its cost, the report said "a degree calculator function on their website currently states the average number of continuation courses required for past students for each doctoral degree program in clear, red font above the program’s price listings."</p></blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Grand Canyon University <a href="https://twitter.com/gcu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GCU</a> has been cleared of wrongdoing by multiple state agencies while still facing a $37 million fine from the Biden administration. <a href="https://t.co/saA8GXnvDd">https://t.co/saA8GXnvDd</a></p>— The Lion (@ReadTheLion) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReadTheLion/status/1777362747275002312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><h3>Malicious?</h3><p>Despite Arizona's findings, the federal government refuses to back down and drop their fine, with Mueller suggesting that “Biden is ‘maliciously targeting’ the school.” This prompted a number of congressmen to take action and demand an investigation.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“A group of House Republicans, led by Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, sent a letter Monday to the Department of Education demanding an investigation into their $37.7 million fine recently imposed against Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest private Christian school in the U.S”… <a href="https://t.co/XUQ0LekZVi">pic.twitter.com/XUQ0LekZVi</a></p>— American Principles  (@approject) <a href="https://twitter.com/approject/status/1778148979605201382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p>If malice is at play, it didn't start with the DOE or the FTC, though they are not as commonly perceived as corrupt as other agencies:</p><h2>DOJ</h2><p>Many Americans have gotten used to the idea of a politicized Department of Justice (DOJ) throwing the book at small government activists, such as unwitting Jan 6 trespassers donning patriotic symbols, while <a href="https://frontline.news/post/mr-biden-wheres-dr-golds-pardon-for-peaceful-capitol-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dropping charges</a> against revolutionary rioters hoisting the hammer and sickle:&nbsp;</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);"><strong>Zero prison time</strong> was given to 209 of the 210 people charged with felony rioting for violence at the 2017 inauguration<strong>&nbsp;</strong>that <strong>injured six police officers</strong> and caused more than $100,000 in damage, with <strong>charges dropped altogether against 189 rioters </strong>… [emphasis added].</span></p></blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Alexander Starks, self-described antifa, attacked the office of a GOP senator with an ax. Given probation and the FBI gave him his ax back. <a href="https://t.co/XooVebWOUO">https://t.co/XooVebWOUO</a> <a href="https://t.co/pFaxtiZExL">pic.twitter.com/pFaxtiZExL</a></p>— Renna (@RennaW) <a href="https://twitter.com/RennaW/status/1535018770153951232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p>Political persecution extends to additional federal agencies, however.</p><h2>IRS</h2><p>The IRS was accused of meddling in the 2012 election <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1CV1TX/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by</a> "targeting organizations with such words as ‘Tea Party" or ’patriots' when they applied to the agency for tax-exempt status, starting in 2010." Lois Lerner, the IRS official who oversaw tax-exempt groups, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/irs-admits-targeting-conservatives-for-tax-scrutiny-in-2012-election/2013/05/10/3b6a0ada-b987-11e2-92f3-f291801936b8_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">admitted</a>, after the election, that the IRS created delays in processing requests by sending those groups “burdensome questionnaires and, in some cases, improper requests for the names of their donors — simply because of the words in their names.”</p><blockquote><p>The IRS admitted it was wrong when it based screenings of the groups' applications on their names or policy positions, subjected the groups to heightened scrutiny and delays and demanded unnecessary information from the groups, the agreement in the Washington case said.</p><p>The IRS "expresses its sincere apology," it said.</p><p>Senior management within the IRS's Exempt Organizations Division "was delinquent in its responsibility to provide effective control, guidance, and direction over the processing of applications for tax exempt status filed by Tea Party and other political advocacy organizations," the settlement document said.</p></blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hillary Clinton wasn’t indicted for mishandling classified information.<br><br>Lois Lerner wasn’t indicted for the IRS Targeting Scandal and for being held in contempt of Congress.<br><br>Hunter Biden won’t be indicted for numerous financial crime.<br><br>Joe Biden won’t be indicted for…</p>— David Giglio (@DavidGiglioCA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidGiglioCA/status/1661418632298237953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><h2>BOP</h2><p>One would hope that, in the unfortunate event they entered the federal prison system, prisoners would be treated no differently no matter whether they identified with the political Left or Right. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP), however, has been accused of politicizing its role in the justice system, endangering peaceful Jan 6 trespassers by placing them <a href="https://frontline.news/post/bureau-of-prisons-overrides-own-scoring-system-to-incarcerate-j6-defendants-in-more-dangerous-locations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">together with violent felons</a> and imposing <a href="https://frontline.news/post/congressional-representatives-set-october-6-deadline-for-bop-to-explain-solitary-confinement-of-j6-prisoner-of-conscience" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extended solitary confinement for minor infractions </a>such as mentioning their daily schedule in a phone call.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Matt Gaetz and MTG visit J6 prison housing Owen Shroyer, John Strand, after disturbing allegations of political retaliation.<br><br>They placed Owen Shroyer back into solitary confinement for 30 days simply for speaking.<a href="https://t.co/6j9KC22ZaG">https://t.co/6j9KC22ZaG</a></p>— Americat  (@catmurphy209) <a href="https://twitter.com/catmurphy209/status/1722604149332676614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p>Check back as we examine corruption at other three-letter agencies.</p><h4>Related Articles</h4><ol><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/bureau-of-prisons-overrides-own-scoring-system-to-incarcerate-j6-defendants-in-more-dangerous-locations"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Bureau of Prisons overrides own scoring system to incarcerate J6 defendants in more dangerous locations?</u></span></a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/mr-biden-wheres-dr-golds-pardon-for-peaceful-capitol-speech"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Mr Biden - Where is Dr Gold's pardon for peaceful medical speech at Capitol?</u></span></a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/feds-coerce-jan-6-defendants-to-waive-right-to-appeal-jail-time"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Feds coerce Jan 6 defendants into waiving right to appeal jail time</u></span></a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/feds-pressure-jan-6-defendants-to-falsely-confess-to-knowingly-trespassing"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Feds pressure Jan 6 defendants to falsely confess to ‘knowingly’ trespassing</u></span></a></li><li><a href="https://www.frontline.news/post/fbidojcourt-jail-dr-simone-gold-for-trespass-politicizing-medicine"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Politicizing medicine: FBI/DOJ/Court jail Dr Simone Gold for trespass</u></span></a></li><li><a href="http://frontline.news/post/fbi-no-time-to-interview-rape-victims-plenty-for-jan-6-trespass"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>FBI - No time to interview rape victims; plenty for Jan 6 trespass</u></span></a></li></ol>

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State investigators clear university; feds won’t drop record fine

Congressmen demand investigation into Feds' treatment of world's largest Christian school

<p style="text-align:center;">“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.”</p><p style="text-align:center;">&nbsp;Dr. Kenneth Fisher&nbsp;</p><h2>Only certain viewpoints are “diverse”</h2><p>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 <i>Authentic Medicine,</i> 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.</p><p>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 <i>LifeSite News, </i>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;</p><h3>“Diversity Policy” doesn't include religious beliefs</h3><p>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.”</p><p>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.”</p><hr><p>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:</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">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.</span></p></blockquote><hr><h3>Feels like a setup</h3><p>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:</p><blockquote><p>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.</p></blockquote><h3>No trial</h3><p>Snyder filed a suit for religious discrimination, citing Title<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(73,73,73);"> </span>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.</p><blockquote><p>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.</p></blockquote><p>Snyder's lawyers argued that this case raises important issues regarding Title<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(73,73,73);"> </span>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.</p><h2>EEOC fights against employees expressing religious freedom</h2><p>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.</p><blockquote><p>“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.”</p></blockquote><h2>Presidents determine religious freedom by executive order</h2><p>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.</p><p>Gjelten recalled that:&nbsp;</p><blockquote><p>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.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>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.</p><p>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.</p></blockquote><p>With the change of administration in 2021, Gjelten stated, this was again set to change, and indeed it has.</p><blockquote><p>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.</p></blockquote><h2>Companies divesting from diversity</h2><p>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 <i>KTHR News</i>.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Many companies beginning to sour on DEI initiatives.<br><br>Melissa MacKenzie of the American Spectator says companies see just how bad it is.<br><br>"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></p>— 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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