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February 2020

VIDEO: Heather Mac Donald defends due process, debunks 1-in-5 rape stat as hostile crowd shrieks in protest

https://www.thecollegefix.com/video-heather-mac-donald-defends-due-process-debunks-1-in-5-rape-stat-as-hostile-crowd-shrieks-in-protest/

Heather Mac Donald stood at a Colgate University podium last Thursday night in front of a hostile, emotional audience who barraged her during a Q&A with highly charged questions after she gave a speech there at the behest of the school’s Open Discussion Club.

Mac Donald, author of “The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture,” drew a protest of students who filled the auditorium making it so those open to the Manhattan Institute scholar’s views could not get in.

The plan among student activists was to listen to music with headphones or read a book by a “radical” during Mac Donald’s speech — then bombard her with hard-hitting questions during the Q&A, according to emails activist sent around before the event.

Perhaps the most tense moment of the evening took place when a woman took the mic to ask about campus rape culture, according to exclusive video obtained by The College Fix.

“In 2008 you wrote an article called ‘The Campus Rape Myth’ where you decided to claim that rape could be attributed to ‘sluttish behavior’ and that it’s women’s fault for getting drunk,” the question began amid applause, cheers and moans of shock from the surrounding audience, mostly students dressed head to toe in black to protest the scholar’s visit and views.

“You also said in a 2019 interview with the Hoover Institution that ‘all college-aged women can avoid 100 percent of so-called campus rape,’” Mac Donald’s questioner continued in an impassioned tone before dropping her bombshell:

“As someone who has been assaulted on this campus, do you believe that I am at fault?!”

The question drew a boisterous and prolonged round of cheers and applause that went on for roughly 30 seconds as Mac Donald stood at the podium and collected her thoughts.

Her reply showed that Mac Donald would not be cowered by the emotion and frenzy of the moment.

“Thank you for your question. And I do not know the facts of your incident and I am very sorry for what …,” but whatever she said next was once again met with loud gasps and groans from many in the crowd.

International Migrants Day by Judith Bergman

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15514/international-migrants-day

The project of multiculturalism in Europe, including the integration of people from the Middle East and Africa, has fared extremely poorly until now and no amount of denial from the UN or the World Economic Forum, including leveling accusations of “hate speech” and “fake news” at its critics can alter that fact.

Many migrants have made it clear that they have no wish either to contribute to, or become part of, the European societies into which they have migrated. Parallel societies… have sprung up all over Western Europe.

In Germany, authorities believe that it will take decades to get rid of the Middle Eastern family crime clans that have spread their criminal activities throughout the country. Sweden also is reeling from the many shootings and explosions that migrant crime gangs are responsible for throughout the country.

None of these grave issues was even hinted at by the UN’s and the World Economic Forum’s “experts” on migration in their statements on International Migrants Day. Instead, they encouraged states to clamp down on critics in the name of “hate speech”. What are they afraid of?

When the UN marked International Migrants Day on December 18, 2019, the theme was “social cohesion.” António Vitorino, director general of the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) wrote in an op-ed entitled “Social Cohesion: Recognizing Migration is a Benefit that Works for All”:

“This year on International Migrants Day, the IOM has chosen to focus on social cohesion, in recognition not just of migrants, but of the communities in which they can and do flourish…

“Too often, when we speak of migration, we debate whether it is good or bad, costs too much or pays out too little… But to view migration as an accounting practice is to reduce it… It is an evolving…yet integral part of our societies, enriching them in multiple, intangible ways…

“Today’s political climate is challenging; oftentimes migrants make for an easy scapegoat for all the ills of society, rather than one element of a cure…we need to constantly remind the international community of the reality – both historic and contemporary – that when well managed migration works, closed societies can become open, and political tensions fade away.”

Are Turkish Cypriots Done with Ankara? by Burak Bekdil

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15631/turkish-cypriots-turkey

For the Turks, Turkey is the homeland and Cyprus is the “baby homeland.”
In January 2018, several thousand Turkish Cypriots marched against what they said was Turkey’s unwanted influence that has emboldened hard-right groups to try to silence opposing views.
Erdoğan’s government has been generously sending Turkish taxpayers’ money to religious foundations, associations, NGOs and Quranic schools in Turkish Cyprus via the Turkish Aid Delegation. Turkey also built a (Sunni Muslim) theology academy at the same time as it ignored local criticism against it.
“There have been mosque constructions in all areas in northern Cyprus, including former Greek Orthodox churches. All that effort has upset Turkish Cypriots.” — Yusuf Kanlı, a prominent Turkish Cypriot columnist, to Gatestone Institute, February 18, 2020.

A famous tweet by an unknown Turk and shows how pathetically crazy some Turks can get in their never-ending wars with the rest of the world:

“We should bomb Turkish Cyprus to show the world what a psychopathic nation we are. The world should ponder what the crazy Turks would do to the others if they did this to their ‘baby'” — @spleenistanbul

“Turkish Cyprus” here is the breakaway statelet of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey — also known among the Turks as the “baby homeland.” Since Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in 1974 in response to a coup by Greek Cypriots that aimed to annex Cyprus to Greece, the “Cyprus cause” has been emblematic in reflecting Turkey’s militarist and nationalist sentiment.

The Left Dumps NeverTrump The love affair between the Left and NeverTrump Right appears to be over. For real, this time. Julie Kelly

https://amgreatness.com/2020/02/24/the-left-dumps-nevertrump/

The love affair between the Left and NeverTrump Right appears to be over. For real, this time.

After working in tandem for four years to try to destroy Donald Trump and everyone in his orbit, NeverTrump and the Left are breaking up in a very public and a very ugly way. And for those of us who’ve been close observers of this twisted political romance, watching their divorce play out is deeply gratifying.

The split couldn’t be happening to a more deserving couple—or dare I say, in honor of former Representative Katie Hill (D-Calif.), a more deserving throuple since it also included a willing canoodler in the corporate media.

But, for now, it looks like they are done brushing each other’s hair and sending late-night boozy texts confessing their mutual lust and loyalty.

NeverTrump is getting the boot for breaching the boundaries of this toxic relationship by daring to opine about the seemingly unstoppable candidacy of Bernie Sanders. Trouble in paradise began when NeverTrump changed the mood music from Orange Man Bad to Crazy Bernie Bad as the commie senator from Vermont began to dominate early Democratic presidential primary contests.

NeverTrump, consisting mostly of Democrats disguised as Trump-hating conservatives so they can keep their gigs on MSNBC and the Washington Post, are encouraging Democratic voters to dump Sanders in favor of a more reasonable Democratic candidate (LOL) who could beat Donald Trump in November.

Now, NeverTrump isn’t exactly known for their inimitable political instincts. In fact, the collection of failed magazine editors, washed-up campaign consultants, and dullards from legacy conservative outlets have been spectacularly wrong about almost everything for the past few decades, but never more so than during the Trump era. Their collective losing streak basically started with weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and has continued, nearly uninterrupted, from there.

In the UK, it now spells a product’s death if conservatives boast about liking it By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/in_the_uk_it_now_spells_a_products_death_if_conservatives_boast_about_liking_it.html

Once upon a time, manufacturers marketed their product based upon the product’s merits. In recent years, companies have been selling, not their products, but their politics. So, what’s a company to do when a disfavored buyer purchases the product in the free market? According to Britain’s social justice warriors (“SJWs”), the company is still responsible and must be punished.

Yorkshire Tea is just what it says it is: a company that sells tea. Its roots go back to 1886 and it is the most popular traditional black tea brand in Britain. In 1962, the current owners took over the company, rebranded the tea from “Taylors” to “Yorkshire Tea,” and have been selling the tea ever since. The company is still family-owned and has been holding its own against teas from Unilever, Tata (Tesco), Twinings, and Typhoo.

The company is still old-fashioned enough to advertise its product’s virtues and ties to lovely Yorkshire, often quite humorously:

House Hunters: A Window on a Derelict Culture By David Solway

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/02/house_hunters_a_window_on_a_derelict_culture.html

Like many people, I’ve been watching House Hunters and its cousin House Hunters International on HGTV with considerable interest, though perhaps not for the usual reasons. I understand the charm the program has for its viewers: the pleasure of visiting houses and their locales, the ideas one may get for redecorating one’s own dwelling, the information about places one may wish to visit or move to, the guessing game regarding which of the inevitable three houses the purchasers will settle for, or simply abundant material for one’s fantasy life.

But I do wonder how many viewers realize that the whole business is largely a scripted hallucination which may even be hazardous to one’s future decisions if taken seriously. And as we will see in the ensuing, it partakes as well of a progressivist rage for leftist queer and gender politics.

To begin with, House Hunters et al. paint a scrubbed and prettified picture of the subject. I recall several episodes dealing with the lovely Greek island of Paros, featuring gorgeous, well-appointed villas replete with lavish amenities including ample showers and impressive fireplaces. I lived in Greece for several years and know the island well — well enough to know that, like most Aegean islands, it suffers from critical water shortages and an equally critical lack of firewood owing to centuries of forest denudation. Showers will be few and winters will be rheumatoid. And unwary buyers will be sucking lemons.

This is only one instance of the HGTV lie. Cabo San Lucas is another popular HGTV fable, focusing on gleaming condominiums and stunning views. The hagglers, cheats, swarms of importunate vendors, heavy traffic, sewage treatment problems and evidence of extortionate prices are left on the cutting-room floor. Caveat emptor.

Moreover, dialogue and character must rank the program at the lowest end of the entertainment industry scale. The dialogue is cloyingly banal with its ceaseless empty chatter, and the prospective buyers/renovators are generally among the most vapid and unattractive cast of characters one could ever hope to avoid.

Conservative Activist Targeted by Mob at Ohio University Welcome to the world of higher miseducation. Jack Kerwick

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/attacked-conservative-activist-targeted-mob-ohio-jack-kerwick/

With each passing week, more proof mounts that the world of Higher Education is, as I note in the title to my book on this subject, Higher Miseducation.

It’s also an increasingly dangerous place for conservative students.

Unfortunately, it is not an exaggeration to say that violence against the person and property of conservative students has become something of a commonplace on college campuses.

This should (but, regrettably, most assuredly will not) shock the moral sensibilities of remotely decent people everywhere, irrespectively of their political partisanship.

The College Fix, a student-run publication dedicated to drawing the public’s attention to the systemic and systematic undermining of the University’s historic mission by political ideologues, informs us of the violence, the mob violence, to which conservative students and speakers are routinely subjected.

At Ohio University, Kaitlin Bennett, a conservative activist in her early 20’s who regularly records her exchanges with left-leaning students at college campuses around the country, was besieged by a mob—yes, a mob—of at least 100 students who attacked her and the rest of her crew—including her bodyguard (that one young, petite female even needs a bodyguard on a college campus for daring to express her conservative views speaks volumes).  

The Fix refers to the footage of the “huge crowd of students…yelling and screaming at Bennett” as she tries to film a video.  Also captured on the latter are the members of the mob who “eventually began throwing things at Bennett, her bodyguard, and her team from Liberty Hangout.”

Promising News (We Hope) from Britain Is the tide of reflexive silencing and appeasement about to turn? Bruce Bawer

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/promising-news-we-hope-britain-bruce-bawer/

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Britain is a basket case. In many jurisdictions, the police appear to be less interested in solving murders than in intimidating – and even arresting – law-abiding citizens who have criticized Islam on Twitter. Meanwhile new Pakistani “grooming gangs” are still being uncovered, and the numbers – the number of non-Muslim girls who turn out to have been raped, the number of men who have raped them, and the number of years this has been going on without anyone doing anything about it – are staggering. Yet given the scale and horror of these crimes, the public reaction to them has been bafflingly muted. One observer recently commented that if the British had any cojones, the grooming-gang scandals would have sent them out into the streets en masse, demanding the arrest and incarceration of every politician, journalist, social worker, and police officer who knew about the gangs for years and did nothing.

Yes, the Brits voted for Brexit. But they continue to let their media get away with using the word “Asians” to obscure the specifically Islamic roots of honor killings, forced marriages and the rape of infidels. Yes, supporters of Tommy Robinson, who played a key role in bringing the grooming gangs to light, have turned out in large numbers to cheer him on more than one occasion, but when he ran for a seat in the European Parliament he was trounced, suggesting that his popularity is not as widespread as one might have hoped. Indeed, for “respectable” figures in Britain, Robinson remains an untouchable: MPs such as Jacob Rees-Mogg may be estimable in certain ways, but not a single member of the House of Commons has ever dared publicly to praise Robinson, and only one of the 794 members of the House of Lords – that would be Lord Pearson – has stood up for him. I keep running across, and being initially impressed by, British YouTubers who present themselves as bold, outspoken enemies of political correctness, only to see them go out of their way, at the first opportunity, to distance themselves from Robinson, whom they reflexively smear as a racist and Islamophobe.

Richard Grenell: An American Hero Under Attack No figure in the Trump administration has been a greater champion of equality for gay people. Daniel Greenfield

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/richard-grenell-american-hero-under-attack-daniel-greenfield/

President Trump’s new appointee to be the Acting Director of National Intelligence is under vicious attack from the left and from the LGBT Left in particular – a telling fact since no figure in the Trump administration has been a greater champion of equality for gay people.

After the attacks of September 11, the position of the Director of National Intelligence was created to coordinate all of our intelligence agencies against the external terror threat. As the Spygate scandal continues to undermine trust in the intelligence community, the position is more important than ever.

President Trump’s appointment of Richard Grenell as Acting Director has infuriated the Obama veterans and holdovers responsible for Spygate, as well as the LGBT Left.

As Trump’s ambassador to Germany, Grenell successfully led tariff negotiations with German automakers, helped gain subsidies for American energy shipments to Germany, convinced most major German companies to pull out of Iran, closed German airspace to an Iranian airline, stopped $300 million euros in gold and currency from going to Iran, and got Germany to ban Hezbollah.

Coming off this successful winning streak, Grenell is already under vicious attack because his track record shows that he can get things done, and get them done for America. And that’s the last thing that the anti-American Left wants.

Making Sense of the Harvey Weinstein Verdict By Andrew C. McCarthy

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/02/harvey-weinstein-verdict-long-prison-sentence-likely/

The former Hollywood power-player is likely to face a long prison sentence despite being acquitted of the most serious charges he faced.

Though a New York State jury convicted Harvey Weinstein on two felony sexual-assault charges Monday, it acquitted him of three allegations of aggravated sexual assault, including the two most serious charges he faced. Still, the counts of conviction are likely to result in a severe prison sentence for the 67-year-old former Hollywood producer.

Weinstein was charged with five offenses, all arising out of two coercive sexual encounters: a 2013 rape of then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann, and forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Miriam Haley (professionally known as Mimi Haleyi) in 2006. Before we describe the five counts with more specificity, let’s turn to the two controversial elements of the case, which will make the charges easier to understand:

1. Predatory-sexual-assault charges
Annabella Sciorra, the most famous actress involved in the case, testified that Weinstein raped her about 27 years ago. State prosecutors could not base charges solely on this accusation because it is time-barred under the statute of limitations. Yet they used the Sciorra incident to exacerbate the Mann and Haley encounters into charges of predatory sexual assault (PSA).