Tennessee vs. Critical Race Theory

     The Tennessee Legislature has approved a bill to stop the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools.

SB 623 (substituted for HB 580) incorporates the following:

This amendment also prohibits any LEA or public charter school from including or promoting the following concepts as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or instructional program, or allowing teachers or other employees of the LEA or public charter school to use supplemental instructional materials that include or promote the following concepts:

(1) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;

(2) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously;

(3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individual’s race or sex;

(4) An individual’s moral character is determined by the individual’s race or sex;

(5) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;

(6) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual’s race or sex;

(7) A meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex;

(8) This state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist;

(9) Promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government;

(10) Promoting division between, or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, social class, or class of people; or

(11) Ascribing character traits, values, moral or ethical codes, privileges, or beliefs to a race or sex, or to an individual because of the individual’s race or sex.

This amendment does not prohibit an LEA or public charter school from including, as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or instructional program, or from allowing teachers or other employees of the LEA or public charter school to use supplemental instructional materials that include:

(1) The history of an ethnic group, as described in textbooks and instructional materials adopted in accordance with present law concerning textbooks and instructional materials;

(2) The impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history;

(3) The impartial instruction on the historical oppression of a particular group of people based on race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, or geographic region; or

(4) Historical documents that are permitted under present law, such as the national motto, the national anthem, the state and federal constitutions, state and federal laws, and supreme court decisions.

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Mickey Mouse Goes Woke

Meanwhile, at Disney…

     Disney has gone all in on Critical Race Theory. Christopher Rufo yet again has the primary documentation of their internal struggle sessions.

     Sounds harmless, or even good, at first. However…

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Arizona vs. Critical Race Theory

     Yet another state is moving to stop that hateful disease known as “Critical Race Theory”: Arizona.

SB 1532 reads, in part:

D. A school district, charter school or state agency may not require a teacher, administrator or other employee of a school district or charter school to engage in training, orientation or therapy that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex. This subsection does not preclude any training on sexual harassment.

E. A teacher, administrator or other employee of a school district, charter school or state agency may not require instruction in or make part of a course the following concepts:

1. One race, ethnic group or sex is inherently morally or intellectually superior to another race, ethnic group or sex.

2. An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, ethnicity or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

3. An individual should be invidiously discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the individual’s race, ethnicity or sex.

4. An individual’s moral character is determined by the individual’s race, ethnicity or sex.

5. An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, ethnicity or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed by other members of the same race, ethnic group or sex.

6. An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress because of the individual’s race, ethnicity or sex.

7. academic achievement, Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist or were created by members of a particular race, ethnic group or sex to oppress members of another race, ethnic group or sex.

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A Surplus Of Healthcare Is Not A Problem

     Having so much excess expensive medical diagnostic equipment is a “problem” that most people in the world would love to have. Yet, in the United State, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines are so common and available, they can be used even when they aren’t necessary.

“Close to 40 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging procedures are performed annually. These MRIs enable doctors to peer deep inside the body, helping them to diagnose ailments or diseases in a non-invasive way.

“But the technology may also be exploited, according to new research by Gary Young, a professor of strategic management and healthcare systems. His study shows that doctors are often pressured to prescribe unnecessary MRIs procedures in order to funnel money to hospitals—thereby escalating the costs of healthcare.

“‘This isn’t a gray area,’ says Young, who directs Northeastern’s Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Research. ‘This is an area where these patients shouldn’t be referred for an MRI.’

“Though MRIs are relatively harmless to the patient, Young notes that the willingness to authorize unnecessary imagings heightens concerns that other types of inappropriate procedures—including surgeries—may be referred to patients inappropriately.”

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Green Equity

     Environmentalism isn’t actually about the environment, but about creating an a purported existential threat that requires totalitarian control of the population, even if it means harming the population for the sake of “Gaia”… or the holy doctrine of “equity”.

“‘Well, if we just thought like that it would be very convenient, wouldn’t it?’ Thunberg said. She continued, ‘Rather we need to see the holistic perspective. How can we…? If we take for example India, how could we expect India to take action when the developed countries who have actually promised to lead the way won’t do that?

“‘If we take into account the global aspect of equity I mean there are many, many people around the world who need to be able to raise their standard of living and if we who live in high-income countries aren’t able to take a few steps back in order to let other people raise their living standards then that just doesn’t make any sense.

“‘And of course those countries definitely need to take their responsibility as well. And that’s why we need global cooperation. Countries won’t take action when there is no global cooperation. If the U.S. for example, which is the biggest emitter in history, won’t take action then how can we expect other countries to do that? Taking action ourselves is also a guarantee that…I mean, it would be a snowball effect most likely. If one country does something then other countries will follow. If no country does something then no one will follow.’”

     Note the assumption here: By having more advanced countries destroy their economy and intentionally retard themselves, then and only then can other countries advance, and by doing so everyone will be able to “go green” together and immanentize the ecological eschaton. This is the crux of “equity”.

     But this clever scheme of theirs ignores the fact that you do not create wealth by destroying wealth creators, and those wealth creators are the one who also create environmentally friendly alternatives to the dirty emissions of places like China, which now produces more carbon dioxide emissions than the entire developed world together. It also ignores the fact that wealth is not a zero-sum game, and while the gap would be smaller between developed and developing nations, all nations would be worse off from the developed world’s economic collapse.

     This argument sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It has also been debunked over thirty years ago:

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News of the Week (May 9th, 2021)

 

News of the Week for May 9th, 2021


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Firing Line Friday: Resolved: That the Environmentalists Are Going Too Far, Too Fast

     In the hopes of encouraging a more civil, and illuminating, discourse, here is another episode of William F. Buckley, Jr.’s “Firing Line”.

     From the “Green New Deal” to a myriad of other initiatives, the question of whether “environmentalists are going too far, too fast” is not a new one, as William F. Buckley, Jr.’s debate with guests such as Jerry Brown, Larry Craig, Harry Jasinowski, Eugene Linden, richard Schmalensee, Carl Pope, and G. M. Woodwell demonstrate.

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Quick Takes – The Normalization of Killing Patients: New Zealand; Portugal; New Mexico

     Another “quick takes” on items where there is too little to say to make a complete article, but is still important enough to comment on.

     The focus this time: Death creeping around the world.

     First, a little mood music:

Death, Rx

     In another example of “just the tip” promise that euthanasia will be limited, comes a referendum in New Zealand.

“The result caused anxiety among parts of the disabled community today. Although the law forbids access to euthanasia on the grounds of disability alone, advocates feel it fundamentally changes the way vulnerable people will be perceived in New Zealand.

“There are also concerns that the law’s relatively narrow eligibility criteria could be broadened in future.”

     Par for the course for New Zealand now-a-days.

“Of course it will. That very loosening is happening as I write these words in Canada, only a few years post-legalization.

“As I ponder this, I am struck how Kiwis epitomize contemporary progressive secular culture. When there was a mass shooting, guns were confiscated very quickly without protest about individual rights.

“One of the country’s rivers has been declared a rights-bearing entity.

“New Zealanders also embraced one of the most draconian shut downs over COVID in the world.

“These are all symptoms of a civilizational disease. When human exceptionalism is discarded, the intrinsic value of human life becomes relativized and ‘eliminating suffering’ becomes the prime directive. If that means letting doctors eliminate sufferers, so be it. If it means sacrificing freedom on the altar of security, so be it.”

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The Ultimate in Wokeness: Genocide

     Not even the Nazis openly joked about committing genocide, yet a decedent Holocaust survivors apologized for making a Bernard College instructor and author was waxing poetic about committing genocide:

“During this program, an excerpt from his book was read where he considered what his actions would be in a race war.

“‘When this race war hits its crescendo. I’ll gather you all into a beautifully decorated room under the pretense of unity. I’ll give a speech to civility and all the good times we share; I’ll smile as we raise glasses to your good, white health, while the detonator blinks under the table, knowing the exits are locked and the air vents filled with gas.’

“After the host read this passage aloud, she responded by saying: ‘I mean that’s… I’m a Jewish person, and my grandparents survived the holocaust. I can’t tell you how it felt to read that sentiment, and I wanted to say to you that I’m so sorry that your experience of the world made you feel that way.’”

     This is not only evil, but something that only a person with real systemic privilege and real systemic power could get away with.

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Two Creeks, A Marsh, And Two Lakes Walk Into A Florida Courtroom

     The drive to grant “rights” to nature and to allow “nature” to sue (via human environmental extremists, of course) to stop any type of development or alteration has finally, despite state preemption, gone to court in Florida.

“Backers of the newly approved Orange County Charter amendment granting legal rights to nature elements have sued Florida on behalf of five water bodies to stop a development in southeastern Orange County.

“Technically, two creeks, a marsh, and two lakes are the plaintiffs suing, along with ‘rights of nature’ advocate Charles O’Neal of Apopka.

“As allowed under a radical, untested legal theory dating to the 1970s, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and a developer are being sued by Wilde Cypress Branch, Boggy Branch, Crosby Island Marsh, Lake Hart, and Lake Mary Jane, along with O’Neal, who is best known as president of the conservation organization Speak Up Wekiva.

“Proponents of rights of nature are saying the suit filed Monday in Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit is a big test case, not just in Florida, but nationally. It is the first-ever rights of nature enforcement case in the United States.”

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