NYT Gives You Advice on How to Argue With Your Liberal/Conservative Uncle at Thanksgiving Dinner. It’s Ridiculous.

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On Tuesday, The New York Times published a piece designed to teach you how to most productive argue with your conservative or liberal uncle at the Thanksgiving table. Unfortuantely, the piece essentially argued that the best way to argue with your conservative uncle was to wait for him to admit that his support for President Trump was foolhardy and ignorant, and that the best way to argue with your liberal uncle was to agree with him. . .

The author of the piece, Dr. Karin Tamerius, a former psychiatrist and founder of Smart Politics, says that she has developed a “five-step method to help people have difficult conversations.” She then applies that method to arguing with one of your two politically-driven uncles. . .

You are advised not to ask about the definition of rights or who would pay for Medicare for All, because that would be offputting. Instead, ask Liberal Uncle why he’s so wonderful. And he’ll sure tell you! . . .

In the end, the Times insists that you ought to simply agree with Liberal Uncle and assume Conservative Uncle is a dunce. After all, as Tamerius explains, every liberal change begins with your stupid Conservative Uncle:

The civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the antiwar movement, the gay rights movement, the struggle for marriage equality – all gained acceptance through difficult conversations among family members who initially disagreed vehemently with one another.

(Read more from “NYT Gives You Advice on How to Argue With Your Liberal/Conservative Uncle at Thanksgiving Dinner. It’s Ridiculous.” HERE)

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Americans Disagree About What Racism Is, and It’s a Big Problem

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According to a recent NBC News poll, 62 percent of Americans polled said racism is a “major problem.” Last year, Gallup found that 42 percent are “very worried about race relations.” In 2001, when Gallup began that survey, the percentage was only 28 percent, and in 2010 it was a mere 13 percent.

There are many plausible explanations for this jump, including a spate of media-highlighted, race-related police shootings and the controversial presidency of Donald Trump. What is less clear is how our society can reverse this trend. One tremendous obstacle to improving race relations is that Americans cannot even agree on what racism is.

There are two basic definitions of racism in the United States, one roughly associated with progressives and one roughly associated with conservatives. The former describes racism as the failure to acknowledge and seek to redress systemic discrimination against select disadvantaged minority groups. It is very broad and captures everything from unconscious bias to white supremacy. The latter views racism as making assumptions about, or taking action towards, an individual or group on the sole basis of their race. It is narrow and generally requires belief, intent, and animosity.

These definitions don’t simply differ; to a great extent they actually contradict each other. Much of the contradiction stems from the fact that the progressive definition of racism requires that an advantaged individual or group must be attacking the less privileged. The more conservative and narrow definition of racism requires no appeal to power structures, only to bias, and can be committed by anyone towards anyone.

A very current example of this disagreement over the term can be seen in the media’s treatment of white women after the 2016 and 2018 elections. Many progressives have argued that white women voted in a racist manner in order to uphold their privileged place in the white male patriarchy. Many conservatives balk at this and claim a double standard exists, since a white person making similar attacks on a minority group would be almost certainly be called racist. (Read more from “Americans Disagree About What Racism Is, and It’s a Big Problem” HERE)

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Reporter Claims She’s Never Met Someone With an AR-15 Who Wasn’t a Killer, Gets Roasted

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By Daily Wire. Over the weekend, Newsweek writer Nina Burleigh discovered that law-abiding, gun-owning Americans take offense when you claim they’re all “mass murderers.”

Responding to Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-CA) suggestion that gun owners who resist government authorities who might confiscate their weapons could be literally nuked from orbit, Burleigh decided to wax poetic on why, exactly, she felt the nation’s 15,000,000 or so legally owned AR-15 rifles should be immediately taken from their owners.

No AR-15 owner she’s met, Burleigh said, has been anything short of a mass murderer.

. . .

The math didn’t occur to Burleigh, however, or the fact that a vast majority of AR-15 owners are hunters, target shooters, and former members of the military who wanted to take home a small piece of military technology. The vast majority of AR-15 owners are also, of course, not homicidal maniacs.

(Read more from “Reporter Claims She’s Never Met Someone With an Ar-15 Who Wasn’t a Killer, Gets Roasted” HERE)

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Newsweek Writer: Only AR-15 Owners I Know Are Mass Murderers

By The Daily Caller. Newsweek writer Nina Burleigh claimed Saturday that almost every person she has heard of who owns an AR-15 rifle “has been a mass murderer.”

And “based on Twitter sample the rest of them are scarily paranoid,” Burleigh tweeted.

“Get on the right side of history,” she urged, tagging NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and right-wing personality Joe Biggs, who are both outspoken supporters of the Second Amendment.

AR-15 rifles were used in the Newtown school shooting, the Orlando nightclub shooting, the Aurora, Colorado shooting at a movie theater, and other mass shootings. An estimated 8 million to 15 million people own AR-15s, making it the most popular rifle in America. (Read more from “Newsweek Writer: Only AR-15 Owners I Know Are Mass Murderers” HERE)

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Canada’s Trudeau Is Trying to Slip the LGBT Agenda Into the Trade Deal. These GOP Lawmakers Are Pushing Back

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There’s a language fight brewing with the LGBT lobby over the new trilateral agreement, and — what a surprise — it looks like far-left Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is behind it.

The Hill reports that a group of 38 GOP lawmakers has sent a letter to President Trump over proposed trade deal language meant to prevent sex discrimination. The problem is that the language equates “sexual orientation and gender identity” (SOGI) with sex.

“A trade agreement is no place for the adoption of social policy,” congressmen explained in a the letter dated November 16. “It is especially inappropriate and insulting to our sovereignty to needlessly submit to social policies which the United States Congress has so far explicitly refused to accept.”

“The inclusion of SOGI as part of the definition of ‘sex’ in a trade agreement or the elevation of SOGI to the level of sex will cause unnecessary confusion in future international treaties as well as domestic laws and policies,” the lawmakers conclude. “It sets a dangerous precedent for courts and future Administrations to build upon.”

The language was proposed by Trudeau, who called it a “big win” for the LGBT lobby, Politico reports.

If this issue gets any more traction from the legacy media and the LGBT activist cadre, you can bet your next paycheck that it will be presented in terms of the big, bad Republican congressmen begging the Orange Man™ to further strip away rights from gay and transgender people. The playbook has become pretty predictable.

What will most likely be left out, however, is that American proponents of this kind of policy have had all the time in the world to make this pitch to their fellow citizens and have thus far failed. The American people, via their representatives in Congress, have considered the same kind sort of legislation (the Employee Nondiscrimination Act) in nearly every session since 1994. And they’ve perennially decided against it. Yes, that even includes when Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid were all running the show at the same time. (For more from the author of “Canada’s Trudeau Is Trying to Slip the LGBT Agenda Into the Trade Deal. These GOP Lawmakers Are Pushing Back” please click HERE)

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School Bans Expensive Coats – Including Christmas Gifts – to Avoid ‘Poverty Shaming’

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By The Blaze. . .Parents of students at Woodchurch High School [in England] were reportedly given a letter from the school that stated, “Pupils will not be permitted to bring in Canadian [sic] Goose and Monclair [sic] coats after the Christmas break.” . . .

About 46 percent of the school’s students are considered low-income, according to reports. For example, the school provides free sanitary products and limits backpacks to a certain type, so parents aren’t pressured to buy ones that are more expensive. . .

Woodchurch is an open-admission co-ed secondary school serving 11-to 16-year-olds, the Washington Post reported. It’s also a Church of England academy and cites a ‘Christian Ethos’ as a part of its learning environment. The school also strives to celebrate diversity and make everyone feel welcome. . .

“Canada Goose opened its first flagship stores in Toronto and New York in 2016. And its coats are hardly the preserve of iconoclast explorers,” according to the Washington Post. “They’re ubiquitous in well-heeled circles, prompting backlash and making the coats a potent symbol of vexed class dynamics.”

The coats could cause problems for students whose parents can’t afford the $1,000 Canada Goose jackets, which feature an inverted North Pole and maple leaves. (Read more from “School Bans Expensive Coats – Including Christmas Gifts – to Avoid ‘Poverty Shaming’” HERE)

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School Bans Designer Coats to Stop ‘Poverty Shaming’

. . .Headteacher Rebekah Phillips told The Independent parents had asked the school introduce the ban.

“We are very concerned about the fact that our children put a lot of pressure on parents to buy them expensive coats,” she said. . .

Those pupils who did not have expensive outerwear were upset, she continued. “They feel stigmatised, they feel left out, they feel inadequate,” she said.

Parents had previously had the problem with children requesting designer rucksacks, which increased the price of attending school, the headteacher said. (Read more from “School Bans Designer Coats to Stop ‘Poverty Shaming’” HERE)

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Whistleblower Teacher Says 17 Students Are Changing Genders, Some Were ‘Tricked’

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Seventeen students at a British school are changing their genders and most of them who are undergoing the process are autistic, according to a teacher there, the Daily Mail reported. . .

The teacher, a 20-year veteran who asked to not be identified for fear of losing her job, told the news outlet she spoke out to help protect students. She said she believes schools and some politicians are peddling a politically-correct “fallacy” driven by “ a powerful transgender lobby.” . . .

She said many of the children believe they are the wrong sex because it helps them cope with problems caused by autism. Only a few of them have gender dysphoria a medical term used to describe someone who believes they were born “in the wrong body.”

Earlier in the year, the Daily Mail reported that one-third of children referred to the National Health Service in England had ‘moderate to severe autistic traits’. In all, “150 autistic teenagers were given puberty blocker drugs which stop the body maturing.” . . .

Regarding the student who is set to undergo a mastectomy, Carol said the child was diagnosed as autistic at age 14 and “certainly was not transgender. She had other complicated mental health problems. It is a tragedy her claim was accepted so readily. Now she is going to mutilate her body.” (Read more from “Whistleblower Teacher Says 17 Students Are Changing Genders, Some Were ‘Tricked’” HERE)

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Gamers Outraged Over City’s New ‘Amusement Tax’

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PlayStation just announced that due to a new “amusement tax,” any person with a billing address in Chicago will have to pay a 9 percent tax on essentially anything purchased through PlayStation, Steam, and other online services. That’s right, you can now be taxed for having fun in the privacy of your own home, and gamers are outraged.

Many cities have a so-called “amusement tax,” including cities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, and Wisconsin. But most states focus on taxing things like arcade games or music venues. The tax imposed in Chicago specifically targets digital media, such as the games themselves or access to participation (such as PlayStation Plus).

According to the tax ruling, the amusement tax classifies “Amusement” as meaning: (1) any exhibition, performance, presentation, or show for entertainment purposes, (2) any entertainment or recreational activity offered for public participation or on a membership or other basis, and (3) any paid television programming. . .

Not only does this affect PlayStation users, but also Steam users, and Xbox users have been paying this tax since last year. It is not the best time to be a gamer. Lately, gamers have felt bombarded by annoyances such as game companies increasing micro-transactions to try to squeeze every last penny out of their users, and being socially tarred as sexist, racist pigs due to video game design and a largely male user base. Now they are being singled out by Uncle Sam.

Gamers have taken to Reddit to express feelings of shock and disgust, as well as discuss what this means for the future of gaming. Reddit user Mulligen87 said “Chicagoan here. We already have one of the highest tax rates in the country ‘cause we have to pay a state, county, and city tax on top of whatever we buy. Looks like I might be traveling out to the suburbs more now to have fun. When a city is both broke and corrupt, they’re gonna tax you in every way possible.” (Read more from “Gamers Outraged Over City’s New ‘Amusement Tax’” HERE)

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She Claimed He Broke Into Her House and Assaulted Her. a Selfie Proved She Lied.

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By Daily Wire. Cristopher “CJ” Precopia very nearly spent the rest of his life in prison after being accused of assault by his ex-girlfriend.

The woman, who despite obviously reporting a false crime has still not been named or charged, claimed Precopia broke into her house and attacked her with a box cutter, slashing an “X” into her chest. Based on her story and the cleanly sliced “X” on her chest, Precopia was arrested.

The 21-year-old Williamson County, TX, man told KVUE News he was confused when he was arrested on September 22, 2017 at the lumber yard where he worked. He couldn’t remember when he last spoke to the woman, whom he had dated years earlier in high school. . .

The accuser said the attack happened on September 20, 2017 around 7:20 p.m., but Precopia’s mother, Erin, knew her son wasn’t even in town that night. He was with his mom at a Northwest Austin, TX, hotel — about 65 miles away from where the alleged attack happened.

And Erin had proof. She had taken a selfie with her son that night and posted it to Facebook. The photo was time-stamped and geo-located, proving Precopia was nowhere near the woman the night of the alleged attack. (Read more from “She Claimed He Broke Into Her House and Assaulted Her. a Selfie Proved She Lied.” HERE)

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How a Selfie Saved a Williamson County Man From 99 Years in Prison

By KVUE ABC. . .Precopia knew he didn’t do it. He knew he couldn’t have done it.

On the night of the alleged attack, he was with his mother, Erin, at a Northwest Austin hotel about 65 miles from the accuser’s home.

“I’m thinking, ‘this is awesome. By the grace of God, she said it happened on the day when I can say totally, 100 percent, where he was at,” Erin Precopia said. . .

The question still remained: Why had Precopia been arrested, and had police done a thorough investigation? There was hard evidence. It just needed to be found.

Police experts say, in most cases, investigators should try to interview a suspect before filing charges to determine if they have a possible alibi. In Precopia’s case, police reports show he returned a phone call to police and left a message before they moved to arrest him. (Read more from “How a Selfie Saved a Williamson County Man From 99 Years in Prison” HERE)

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Turns out the Caravan Is Reportedly a Bad Place for Gay and Trans People

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While the migrant caravan may have largely dropped off the media radar after the election, it’s still coming, and it’s apparently a really bad place to be for gay and transgender people.

According to a recent story at BuzzFeed News, gay and transsexual migrants actually had to leave and go ahead of the caravan because of how they were treated. The report focuses on the journey a migrant named Christian had made and some of the things he experienced along the way:

“We went ahead of the main caravan because we put our lives at risk on the road,” Christian told BuzzFeed News. “My heart feels lighter now that we’re here, we’re so close.”

The gay 24-year-old from Guatemala said that someone threw a bottle at him during the caravan’s march north. When the group, which includes several transgender women, would try to hitchhike while traveling with the main caravan, drivers who were offering a lift to other members of the caravan would deny them rides or leave them stranded along desolate highways, Christian said.

In fact, things are so bad for migrants like him that BuzzFeed reports one immigration group shelled out money for his group to ride on their own separate buses, away from the rest of the caravan.

Much as with the demands for near-unrestricted immigration from the Middle East, here we have another situation where two common policy positions of those on the Left find themselves at odds.

Here’s the question: If the caravan is such a dangerous place for gay people and transsexuals, why are so many on the Left so keen to let thousands of people who may treat them this way into the country on specious (if not outright bogus) asylum claims?

Sure, the open-borders crowd would find any way they can to deflect and change the subject if any of these migrants were to get drunk, drive a car, and kill or maim an American citizen, but what happens if any of them starts throwing beer bottles at pride parades?

Will those who harbor these kinds of views actually be expected to (gasp!) assimilate? But then, since calls for immigrants to assimilate and change their ways are so often decried as xenophobic and racist these days, what’s a leftist to do?

One big truth in politics: Absurd policy positions only lead to further absurdities. (For more from the author of “Turns out the Caravan Is Reportedly a Bad Place for Gay and Trans People” please click HERE)

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State to Ban Abortions After Fetal Heartbeat Is Detected

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Today, by a vote of 58-35, the Ohio House passed an abortion bill which the Cincinnati Enquirer says “would effectively ban abortions after the first six weeks of a woman’s pregnancy by penalizing doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.” The Republican majority in the House passed the bill knowing the risks: Governor John Kasich, a Republican who vetoed the previous Heartbeat Bill that made it to his desk, could very well veto it again if it comes up before he leaves office… or the state Senate could refuse to take up the bill at all.

However, if the Senate does end up taking up the abortion legislation and it passes, the Enquirer notes, “To override a Kasich veto, the Ohio House would need 60 votes – two more than the 58 who supported the proposal Thursday.” This could be a challenge, because seven Republicans reportedly voted against the Heartbeat Bill in the House: “Reps. Marlene Anielski and Nathan Manning from Northeast Ohio; Rick Carfagna, Mike Duffey, Anne Gonzales, and Scott Ryan from Central Ohio and Steve Arndt of Port Clinton.”

House Democrats wanted to add items to it, such as “requiring comprehensive sex education in schools [and] providing access to contraception.” In addition, Democrats were hoping to make it so that abortionists who might break this law, if passed, would have no criminal penalties. (Read more from “State to Ban Abortions After Fetal Heartbeat Is Detected” HERE)

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