News Weakly - 9/10/22

Excluded
Jason Aldean is a country music singer. His wife commented on Instagram that she was grateful that her parents didn't change her gender when she was going through her tomboy phase. That's it. The end of Jason's world. Because of his wife's "transphobic" remark his PR firm dropped him. Mind you, she gave no indication she was opposed to adults transitioning (like I would), but that's what we've come to. If you aren't wholly on board so to speak, you're nothing but a hater.

It begs the question. Why is it that all modern calls for "diversity, equity, and inclusion" seem to include the principles of uniformity of thought, unequal treatment for those who don't conform, and exclusion of those who disagree?

Behind the Times
Okay, I may be a little behind the times, but I'm guessing that if I am, some of you may be, too, so I'm sharing this now that I've found it. Apparently the National Archives has added "harmful language alerts" to America's founding documents. The documents with "harmful language" include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The "harmful language alert" is intended to warn readers on one hand and to stand as proof on the other that America has always been racist. "But we love America ..." Yeah, right. You keep using that word; I do not think that word means what you think it means.

Relentless Pursuit
Okay, let's look at the truth. The story is from Ireland, not here. The teacher who refused to use preferred pronouns was not arrested for refusing to use preferred pronouns. He was arrested for contempt of court because he went on the school grounds when he was suspended. Okay? Let's keep the facts straight. Not for his Christian beliefs, but for his violating court orders. Clear? Court orders that were made because he refused to violate his Christian beliefs. That such an order was made is a violation of the First Amendment is irrelevant because this is Ireland, and they don't have a First Amendment. He was suspended for holding to his beliefs, but not arrested for them. Still, don't be so sure it can't happen in this country. That "preferred pronouns" precipitated legal action tells you it's not a small thing and is not outside of the realm of possibility here, too.

Believe the Science?
I read about this a long time ago, early on in the COVID fiasco. Now the media is picking it up. Our bodies learn to fight off diseases by producing antigens. Then they remember what they did. If that disease mutates, the body is slow to respond to the new one because it thinks it already knows how to fight it. It's called in medicine "the original antigenic sin." So here's the question. If COVID is mutating and we keep giving people boosters to fight the original COVID, does that end up harming people because their bodies won't learn to fight off the mutations? Lots of data is looking that way. Meanwhile, the UK is reporting that COVID prevention may be causing more deaths than COVID did. As has been the case since the original pandemic of 2020, our response is, "Let's not think about it."

Counting the Cost
The governor of California signed the bill that would raise fast-food minimum wage to $22/hr by 2023. Fast-food restaurants are trying to stop it. Greedy? Not really. Something like 82% of McDonald's stores are owned by small business types -- franchisees. (McD's is aiming for 95%.) The other big fast-food chains have similar numbers. California is not sticking it to the corporations; they're sticking it to the small business owners. Factor in the additional cost of additional raises (How many shift managers will continue to work when their workers now make the same as they do, for instance?) and the cost of doing business goes up. Someone has to pay for it. Some will come out of the small business owners' pockets -- perhaps enough to drive them out -- and the rest will come out of the consumers' pockets, driving up prices everywhere and making $22/hr no longer a living wage ... in a state with perhaps he highest cost of living. Californians thank California.

Because They Care
As of this last Friday, teachers in Seattle have kept students out of classrooms for 3 days while they continue their strike. "We won't allow your children an education until we can coerce the government to give us what we want." Because they care ... oh, about what they want, not about your kids' education.

In Memoriam
Queen Elizabeth II died this week. She was 96. She was a grand woman who, they tell me, was a believer. After all these years as queen, she's now with the King.

Beeware, All Who Enter
With California's new "electric-only vehicles" rule coming and their power grid failing, Newsom is assuring his people that they'll have enough power ... if enough of them move to Florida. Switching to the Trump headlines, did you hear that the FBI is dropping the investigation into his nuclear documents? Turns out all he had was printouts of Hillary's emails. And in shocking ... simply shocking news, Stacey Abrams is claiming that the 2022 midterm elections have already been stolen. Dirty, rotten, anti-democracy Republicans.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.