News Weakly - 10/16/2021

Only in California
California is requiring insanity from all large department stores. The law now dictates what stores can sell and how. They must sell toys and toothbrushes and the like in "gender-neutral ways." They must sell these items with "a reasonable selection." Why? Because the daughter of a staffer of the guy who authored the bill asked why certain items in the store were "off limits" to her because she was a girl. The proper, parental answer should have been, "They're not." Instead, the answer is, "Let's dictate what stores believe and can sell." The problem is, of course, that California is not Vegas. What happens in California doesn't stay in California.

Who Determines "Misinformation"?
On Face the Nation, foreign affairs and national security expert Fiona Hill is warning that the January 6 debacle was a "dress rehearsal" for a government takeover. Never mind that the FBI informant said there was no plan at all. She knows, so we need to be afraid. And if you disagree, you're just a conspiracy theorist ... or something.

RIP
I'm sorry to report the death of humor. I grew up in a different era. Perhaps a different nation. The one I grew up in loved the union of a man and a woman, sought to tolerate differences among people, and even laughed at itself. We had humor like Polish jokes and "dead baby" jokes and "Your mama" jokes. Comedian Dave Chappelle got himself in trouble recently by making jokes about transgender (that I can't repeat here). Labeled "anti-trans," "homophobic," and "mysogynistic." Without addressing anything he said (because I know very little of what he said), let me just say, if joking about something equates with hate, then we were in a lot of trouble in my earlier era (as in "anti-mama," for instance) and we will need to apply the same standard to everyone who ever tells any joke. I'll wait ...

The New America
Texas Governor Abbott took a bold step issuing an executive order banning all COVID vaccine mandates. "No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19." (I particularly appreciate that "including prior recovery from COVID" line which is something I've been asking for months and months.) He says, "The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced." He isn't anti-vax; he's just standing squarely on the principle of American freedom. I'm pretty sure the government won't let that stand. "This is America! We do not 'freedom' here!"

File Under "Misrepresentation"
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is being asked to resign after a June video in a speech at a church surfaced showing him calling transgenderism and homosexuality "filth." Oh, no, I'm sorry, that's not the story. He was "likening gay and transgender people" to "filth." Now, without even trying to justify the man -- I have no information about his character or the background of his story (or why someone decided to broadcast in public a speech made in church) -- I have to point out that Mr. Robinson did not liken gay and transgender people to "filth." The quote was regarding the "isms," the concepts of transgender and homosexuality. He wasn't opposing people; he was opposing concepts. And, if you're paying attention, his real concern was teaching it to children. If you don't see the difference, I'm not sure I can be more helpful. But what we have here is a man -- a black man -- being asked to step down for his beliefs. The message is clear. "If you believe what we deem unacceptable, you should not work." Like, "If Paul believed that homosexual behavior was a sin (1 Cor 6:9-10), then Paul should have had to cease being a tentmaker and Apostle."

Long Term
A new study suggests that exposure to phthalates may lead to over 100,000 premature deaths per year among older Americans. Phthalates are synthetic chemicals found in lots of stuff from plastics to soap, and they may be killing you. Mind you, these things have been around a long time and it's only now that they're starting to think they might be bad for us. Why, then, do people hate it when I ask, "What are the long term effects of the COVID vaccine?" as if that's a pointless question?

Equity Issues
The story goes that Mt. Bachelor near Bend, Oregon, is instituting a new "fast pass" where skiers can pay extra to bypass certain chairlift lines and get up quicker and down faster and have so much more fun than those ... who don't. Well, we'll have none of that if you please. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is asking them to delay it until they can look at "equity issues." People with money should not be allowed to spend that money for better conditions than those who don't have so much. Expect more shenanigans to follow as some have discovered that people with more money can, for instance, stay in nicer hotels than those with less money, a clear equity issue.

Equality Fail
A school administrator in Fort Worth suggested that if a classroom has a book about the Holocaust, it would have to have a book with "opposing views." A Texas law "requires teachers to present multiple perspectives when discussing 'widely debated and currently controversial' issues.'" Now, if a school has a book on Evolution, there is no need to have an "opposing view" on that, and if a school has a book on gender or LGBT issues, any books with "opposing views" would be banned, but this one ... settled historic fact (not controversial) ... should have "opposing views" offered to students. You know, for the sake of equality.

In Other News
Perhaps you've heard that they are planning to make a Superman movie with a bisexual Superman. (No joke.) Well, for the sake of diversity, DC comics is introducing a straight Christian Robin. (In your dreams.) In another story, a boy who tweeted that the emperor had no clothes was banned from Twitter for misinformation.

Must be true; I read it on the internet.