Student 'forced to leave' university after saying extremist Islamic groups kill LGBTI people

Charlie Mathers

Alfred MacDonald pointed out to a friend that in some Muslim countries he could be killed for being LGBTI

 "Alfred MacDonald left University of Texas at San Antonio after feeling ‘difficult to stay motivated’.

"He had made the comments during an out-of-class conversation with another graduate student. They had been discussing the ‘religious leanings of philosophy professors.’

"He pointed out that in some Muslim countries, he could be executed for being bisexual.

"A few days after the conversation, he was called in for a meeting with Dr Eve Browning. She is the Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Classics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. MacDonald studied here at the time.

"This event took place in September 2016 but Alfred MacDonald only went public with it this summer.

"Dr Eve Browning said if his behavior continued, he would be referred to the student conduct board. She said they would recommend dismissal.

"A university head of department threatened a bisexual student with dismissal after he made a comment regarding LGBTI executions in Islamic countries.

" ‘There are Muslim countries where I could get executed’" . . .

Via Weasel Zippers

A drone just flew over Auschwitz and captured something incredibly powerful

Youtube

What are ‘bump stocks?’

Youtube

Rick Monday, Kaepernick, and the American Flag

Mark A. Hewitt  "On April 25, 1976, a few months before the Nation celebrated its Bicentennial, a former U.S. Marine, Rick Monday, performed what some have considered “the best play in baseball.”  At Dodger Stadium, during the fourth inning a pair of protesters ran onto the field with an American Flag.  A man doused the Flag with lighter fluid.  His first attempt to light a match and immolate the flag was unsuccessful.  Before the protesters, a father and son team, could light another match, the Chicago Cubs centerfielder ran in from his position and snatched the flag from the protesters.  Rick Monday still has that flag.

"The man who achieved more notoriety for saving Old Glory from certain immolation than anything he accomplished on the baseball field has been interviewed a number of times regarding his thoughts on Colin Kaepernick, as well as the other athletes who sit or kneel during the pregame performances of the National Anthem.

“ 'For me it disrespects everyone who has served in this country of ours.  I cannot understand the argument. " . . .

Michelle Obama Tells Women Republicans Are ‘All Men, All White’

The Federalist   . . . "The Obama family was the first minority couple to reside in the White House. They represented a sign of equality and the notion anyone regardless of race or background can succeed in politics. It’s understandable Mrs. Obama wants to see more success stories like their own. But identifying a politician’s body of work by the color of his or her skin, age, or sex seems counterintuitive in the efforts to eliminate such prejudices.

"That reminds me of the prejudice Michelle Obama displayed for her own sex last week when she publicly said, “As far as I’m concerned, any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice in a way.”

"She didn’t stop there. “To me, it doesn’t say as much about Hillary…No, no, no. What does it mean for us as women? That we look at those two candidates, as women, and many of us said, ‘That guy. He’s better for me. His voice is more true to me.’ Well, to me that just says you don’t like your voice. You like the thing we’re told to like.' ”

Why Late Night Hosts Like Jimmy Kimmel Are Suddenly So Political

Back in the day, even during the Vietnam war:

The Federalist

Late night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel are substituting political diatribes for monologues. In totally unrelated news, their viewership is steadily declining.

"Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s recent habit of substituting political diatribes for his opening monologue—which, to be fair, is no great loss—is a sign that late-night talk show hosts have decided to get more political. 

"The first time around, when Kimmel used his son’s illness as an excuse to wade cluelessly into the political debate over an Obamacare reform bill, seemed like it might be a one-off on an issue where he was emotionally invested (even if emotion still isn’t substitute for knowledge and clear thinking). But then we found out that he gets his health-care talking points from Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, which gives this a little more of an air of calculation.

"Now, after his latest rant about the shooting in Las Vegas, and the spectacle of other late-night hosts following suit—all met with pathetic fanboying from DC journalists—it is becoming a pattern.
. . . 
"As The Federalist’s David Marcus explained recently, Democrats are becoming the party of the celebrity sockpuppet. In totally unrelated news, viewership of late-night talk shows is steadily declining.

"Jon Stewart spin-off Stephen Colbert has clawed his way to the lead of the pack with a nightly audience just a bit over 3 million. But that’s a pale shadow of what late night used to be. Back in the day, Jay Leno regularly pulled in 6 million viewers and sometimes more than 10 million.

"So maybe these two phenomena are related—but perhaps not in the way you’re thinking. Maybe viewership is declining because late-night talk show hosts have become more political (and less funny). Or maybe the hosts are getting more political because their viewership is declining." . . .

The U.S. Air Force is 24 Percent Short of the Fighters it Needs

The National Interest

"Arguably the federal government’s first obligation to Americans is to keep us safe from foreign attack and to defend our vital national interests wherever they are threatened.

"Alarmingly, our government is on the verge of failing in this core responsibility. Our military is minimally ready, rapidly aging, and has so shrunk in size that even senior military leaders question its ability to adequately meet its national security obligations.

"This is a disservice to Americans in general and, most especially, to those who are tasked with carrying out the duty of protecting our nation.

"Two weeks ago, voicing his concerns about the military’s condition and the impact that restricted funding is having on America’s security, Secretary of Defense James Mattis was quite blunt:

[N]othing has done more damage to the readiness of our armed forces than the continuing resolutions that stop us from taking initiative, than the lack of budgetary predictability. … I bring this up because if we don’t get budgetary predictability, if we don’t remove the defense caps, then we’re questioning whether or not America has the ability to survive. It’s that simple.

. . .
Recommended: America Can't Shoot Down a North Korean Nuke 
Recommended: The Case for War with North Korea 

Canada Holocaust memorial omits any mention of Jews, anti-Semitism

Times of Israel

Add caption

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends the inauguration of the National Holocaust Memorial in Ottawa on September 27, 2017.

. . . "Prior to the opening of the monument last week, Canada was the only country from the Allies in World War II that did not have a Holocaust memorial, according to the National Post.

"A similar omission caused waves in the US earlier this year after American President Donald Trump issued a statement for International Holocaust Remembrance Day that failed to mention Jews or anti-Semitism.

"The White House later defended the statement, saying Jews weren’t the only group targeted and murdered by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime."

Senator Linda Frum Senate of Canada (Conservative)

Trump, Sanders Supporters Join Together to Protest Clinton Book Tour Event

Washington Free Beacon

"Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and President Donald Trump participated in a bipartisan protest of two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton outside of her book tour event in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Tuesday.

"Clinton spoke to more than 2,500 supporters at a sold-out event at the Broward  Center for the Performing Arts, where attendees paid $50 to $375 to see her promote her 2016 election book, What Happened, according to the Palm Beach Post.

"In addition to discussing "common-sense gun reform" following the Las Vegas shooting on Sunday night, Clinton addressed climate change and blamed her 2016 presidential loss on a "perfect storm" of negative media coverage, the FBI investigation into her private email server, and "information warfare waged against us from within the Kremlin."

"Supporters of Trump and Sanders, meanwhile, were outside the event trading jabs at Clinton and taking pictures together while holding up signs, according to a tracking video posted by the NTK Network.

"One Sanders supporter complimented the Trump backers multiple times and said they were more well-mannered than Clinton supporters after taking a picture with two of them, one of whom was holding a sign that read, "What happened in Benghazi.' " . . .

NFL Moving Closer to Social Activism Month to Appease Protesters

Get ready for Social Activism Month because it’s coming and may be here just in time to turn off even more fans during the key month of November, sink the Thanksgiving Day games and create a wave of anger that will poison playoff ratings and culminate in dragging Super Bowl ad rates to all-time lows.

Downtrend  "With no end in sight to the black player protests against issues that they are unable to articulate beyond platitudes to Kaepernick and opposition to President Trump, the NFL is reportedly working to find a way to accommodate the malcontents.

"As was previously reported, four Kaepernick allies sent a letter to the league office calling for the NFL to set aside an entire month for social justice (translation: anti-police, anti-white, anti-America) promotions along the lines of Breast Cancer Month.

"While at first, it would be easy to dismiss such a letter, considering that troublemaker Michael Bennett – a man who lied about the Las Vegas Police and racial profiling – was behind it but that was before the NFL and its commissioner picked sides in the culture war.

"Now such a period for the promotion of a Black Lives Matter style of agenda appears to be closer to fruition as league poohbahs, player’s union honchos and race-obsessed players are engaging in a quiet series of meetings." . . .

NFL, NFLPA meet to discuss player social activism

ISIS Supporters Rejoice At Las Vegas Attack On Social Media: 'What Now Trump? You Banned "Radicalized Muslims" From Traveling To America! Allah Sent His Soldier From Within Your People'

The Middle East Media Research Institute   On October 2, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) news agency A'maq claimed responsibility for the previous evening's deadly shooting attack at a country music festival in Las Vegas, in which over 50 people were killed and several hundred were wounded.[1] Police identified the attacker as 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock. Subsequent posts on numerous ISIS-affiliated Telegram channels noted the ISIS claim that Paddock was a recent convert to Islam. In the hours after the attack, and following the A'maq Agency claim, there have been many celebratory posts on pro-ISIS social media accounts on platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram. The following report will include some of the reactions to the Las Vegas attack.

"A pro-ISIS channel named Las Vegas USA is dedicated to celebrating yesterday's attack, criticizing President Trump, and issuing further threats. One graphic shows an image of President Trump waving on one side, and the other side of the graphic shows the aftermath of an attack. The quote featured in the graphic reads: "The so called President Trump can't help you survive, you should be scared, long night is coming Americans, either you submit willingly or be prepared for your men to be slaughtered and your women enslaved." . . .

PolitiFact Fact Checks Hillary on Gun Silencers

"Hillary Clinton offered her unwanted take on the mass shooting in Las Vegas earlier this week. Fiftynine people were killed and over 500 injured after the murderer pointed his gun at a country music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. In a pair of tweets, the defeated 2016 Democratic presidential candidate pointed fingers at the NRA and offered a specific recommendation.

 The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots. Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get. — Hillary Clinton 

Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again. — Hillary Clinton  

"PolitiFact decided to test her theory. In a new fact check posted Wednesday, staff writer Manuela Tobias notes that Clinton and her staff provided “no evidence” to suggest that the Vegas shooting would have resulted in even more casualties if a suppressor had been used. Tobias upended Clinton's narrative with some research of her own. In their analysis, experts discovered that suppressors would not have significantly reduced the sound of a gun blast." . . .