Thursday, March 06, 2014


One Nazi Wedding Cake to Go, Please

by Jim Goad

Last Wednesday, Arizona’s lizard-skinned Governor Jan Brewer vetoed what had largely been described as an “anti-gay bill,” even though the bill’s text doesn’t mention homos at all.

The luridly self-righteous cultural left, which long ago eclipsed social conservatives in their unhinged sense of shirt-rending, chest-thumping moral hyperbole, had described the law as shameful, disgraceful, horrifying, and hateful. Fanning the faggoty flames of fear, they warned that if the bill passed, it would usher in a new era of “Jim Crow for gays” and possibly even a homosexual Holocaust.

As far as I can tell, the bill only intended to allow business owners to refuse service to anyone if it violated their religious convictions. And as far as I feel, anyone should be able to deny service to anyone for whatever reason pleases them. If you only want to bake cakes for Filipino Satanists, that should be your choice. Some might think it’s a bad business decision, but a possible upside is that you’d corner the coveted Filipino Satanist cake market.

It is thought that the bill was inspired by a recent rash of high-profile cases in other states spurred by gays and lesbians who’d been denied service and decided to take the matter into court rather than to another shop down the block. This included a New Mexico wedding photographer who’d declined to shoot a lesbian couple’s commitment ceremony, as well as bakers in Oregon, Colorado, and Iowa who said their religious beliefs prevented them from baking gay-marriage wedding cakes in good conscience.

On the flip side of the equation, why would you want to buy a cake from someone who doesn’t like you? Better yet, why would you eat a cake baked by someone who doesn’t like you? Food tampering is not an urban legend, my friends.

Why be a noodge and go where you’re not wanted? Is there no end to such incivility?

I know someone who works in a sushi restaurant, and she says she dreads black customers because they are routinely rude, loud, and they never tip. Doesn’t forcing her to serve them violate the 13th Amendment’s clause against involuntary servitude?

In my years working as a Philadelphia cabdriver, I received a grand total of $1 in tips from my innumerable black customers. Even the black cabbies would complain about black customers’ stinginess. Why does their “right” to not be discriminated against trump my “right” to make money?

Because, I fear, “rights” are a zero-sum game, and the spoils usually go to whoever is pushiest.

And these days, the gays are pushing harder than a steroidal muscle fag mounting a bony twink from behind.

From the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s up to the ceaseless modern minoritarian onslaughts against the unwilling, the principle of “freedom of association” has been fairly stomped to death. Freedom of association involves the consent of both parties, because forcing someone to schmooze with someone with whom they have zero desire to engage is not freedom—it’s coercion.

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Le Pen to defund Muslim groups

PARIS (AP) — Marine Le Pen, whose party is riding a wave of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim voter sentiment around Europe, says it will cut public funds to religious groups in towns where it wins municipal elections this month.

Le Pen told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that secularism will be strictly applied in towns where her far-right National Front prevails on March 23 and 30, and that referendums will be held on major issues.

Le Pen, 45, praised the recent Swiss decision, in a referendum, to cap immigration, saying countries have an "inalienable right" to control their borders.

The National Front reached a high in 2012 when Le Pen scored 18 percent in presidential elections. But the party wants to establish itself in towns around France with the municipal vote.

Le Pen, who wants France to abandon the euro currency and leave the European Union, also hopes to boost her party's strength in European Parliament elections in May.

Her party is negotiating alliances with kindred European far-right parties to form a group in hope of gaining political weight and funding. She contends the EU, along with immigration and global financing, are crushing the values of French civilization.

Le Pen claimed the Swiss decision, passed by a razor-thin 50.3 percent "yes" vote, would have sailed through France with a 65 percent approval rating if such a referendum held here.

The National Front, rejuvenated by Le Pen, is seeing a sort of rebirth.

Le Pen — who took the helm from her father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2010 — has worked to remove the stigma that has kept the party out of mainstream politics by giving it a kinder, more politically correct face.

But the National Front has forged ahead with its anti-immigrant stance, especially regarding Muslims. That theme is reflected in other European far-right parties that she hopes will have resonance among voters choosing who runs their daily lives. France's municipal elections will determine who becomes mayor and give a party ownership of a town.

In towns the National Front might win, Le Pen said that local taxes would be lowered and public funds would be denied to any association with a religious character.

Current law forbids funding religious organizations, but they can receive money if their work also addresses the general interest. In reality, that means many associations would risk losing public funds.

A strict application of the principle of secularism could mean removing halal food in school cafeterias, forbidding Muslim women in scarves to accompany children on class trips, and prevent Muslim women from renting public swimming pools after hours.

"I'm absolutely not afraid to be called anti-Muslim because I'm not," Le Pen said.

She refused to predict the outcome of the municipal elections, except to say she is "certain" of a win in the town of Henin-Beaumont, her northern headquarters in an area with high unemployment and many Muslims.

"Our simple presence ... is already a victory," Le Pen said.

People running in this month's municipal elections must declare their candidacy by Thursday, and the National Front hopes to compete in 500 of the 3,000 towns of significance. It currently controls no towns.

Le Pen — who calls herself a "patriot" rather than a member of the extreme right — claims that her party neither deals in nor encourages the rising Islamophobia in France. She blames "political-religious groups" who want to install Muslim Sharia law in France and use "massive immigration" to do so.

"We don't have problems with Islam," she said. But "France has Christian roots. They (the French) want to recognize their own country, recognize their lifestyle, their habits, their traditions."

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The most ridiculous police appeal ever? Officers release picture of 'armed robber' with his face completely hidden - then won't call him a 'suspect' because it would breach HIS human rights

With his face covered by a makeshift balaclava and a knife gripped in his right hand during a robbery at a bookmakers, it is probably safe to say this man is up to no good.

CCTV footage also shows him threatening a cashier at Ladbrokes in the east Dorset village of West Moors before making off with cash from the till.

But today the county's over-cautious force refused to call him a suspect in the violent crime, in case it breaches his human rights.

And detectives have appealed for the public to help identify him - even though his face is impossible to see - and even hope he might come forward himself.

A force spokesman maintained today the man in the photos is not necessarily the robber, just 'someone we want to talk to' in connection with the attack.

This is because Dorset Police believe calling him a wanted man could impact on his 'right to a fair trial', and they say they would treat any person potentially involved in a crime in the same way.

Gawain Towler, a spokesman for UKIP, said: 'Actions like this are pointless and make the police laughable.  'It's all part of the retreat from common sense language. Calling a suspect a suspect does not imply guilt.

'In this instance they are being daft and it creates a lack of respect for the police if they can't be straight with us - it's counter productive.'

They have also failed to issue a description of the robber, leaving out key details such as his height, build and accent.

Members of the public who are being asked to help name the offender took to internet message boards to poke fun at the appeal.

One wrote: 'This has to be a wind up. Not sure what's more laughable, the detective asking the man to contact him - errr do you really think that's likely? - or the CCTV image showing a man with his face completely obscured from view?'

Dorset resident Carol Smith posted: 'How stupid is that? Shall we look for a man with a black woolly thing over his head?'

The robbery happened at 6.50pm on February 26.

Detective Constable James Lee, the investigating officer, said: 'I am now able to release CCTV images of the man I wish to speak with.  'I urge the man pictured - and anyone who recognises him - to contact me, in confidence, as soon as possible.  'I also would like to hear from anyone who saw this man enter or leave the premises around the time of the incident.'

When asked about the fact that the suspect's face is hidden, a force spokesman said: 'We are looking for people to identify the man, not just his face.  'We are not suggesting the man in the pictures is the suspect, just someone we want to talk to.'

The spokesman confirmed that no arrests have been made in connection to the raid.

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Teach children respect and how to cope under pressure by enrolling them in cadets, says British government minister

Pupils should be encouraged by state schools to join a cadet force to improve their character strengths, Michael Gove said last night.  The Education Secretary wants head teachers to boost children’s so-called soft skills, such as showing respect, being self-motivated and coping under pressure.

Mr Gove said employers demanded these traits, as well as resourcefulness and tenacity.

It was not enough for teachers to simply concentrate on academic progress – they must help create a workforce with ‘attractive personal qualities’, he added, which could be achieved by promoting more school cadet force units.

In a speech today to highlight the need for schools to do more to build children’s character, he was expected to say: ‘Business – quite rightly – points out that it needs workers who possess not just impressive academic qualifications but attractive personal qualities.

‘Employees need to be self-disciplined, capable of subordinating their own instincts and interests to the needs of the team, responsive and respectful towards others, resourceful under pressure, tenacious and self-motivating.

‘Increasingly, they also need to be creative in the face of adversity, quick-thinking when presented with unexpected challenges.

‘A central element of our long-term plan for schools is the cultivation of those virtues – character strengths – through activities such as team sports, cadet forces, debating, dance, music and drama. It’s why we’re expanding the number of cadet forces in state schools.’

Of the 256 school combined cadet force units in England, 196 are based at independent schools, with just 60 in the state sector.  The units can include cadets from the Army, RAF, Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

The Ministry of Defence provides uniforms, training expertise, equipment and access to military training areas, camps and courses. Prime Minister David Cameron, who was a cadet at Eton, has pledged to add 100 state school cadet units by the end of next year.

Mr Gove’s comments come after the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility and the CentreForum think-tank said last month that the development of children’s ‘character and resilience’ was so crucial that teachers should be made to organise after-school clubs. In a report, they called for teenagers to receive a school leaving certificate detailing their extra-curricular activities and employability skills.

The ‘character and resilience manifesto’ report said the certificates could show that pupils had gained skills such as the ability to bounce back from setbacks.

Meanwhile, the Education Secretary will today also call on all firms to offer apprenticeships for young people, saying concerns that it involved too much red tape had been addressed.

Speaking at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, he is expected to throw down the gauntlet to businesses and say: ‘There is no reason why every company in the country should not be offering apprenticeships.

‘We set ourselves the challenge of simplifying the apprenticeship programme and making it more responsive to employers’ needs, so no employer could have any excuse for standing aloof.’

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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