On Father’s Day 2008, candidate Barack Obama made his most honest speech on race, maybe his only halfway honest speech on race. The media barely noticed.
The site was the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago. From the pulpit Obama spoke to the gathered voters -- excuse me, congregants -- with uncharacteristic audacity. He reminded his audience that too many black fathers were missing from “too many homes.” He knew something of the phenomenon himself given that his father “left us when I was two years old.” Yes, that con again.
Putting aside for a moment his personal story, however fictitious, Obama made the traditionally conservative argument that fatherless children were five times more likely to grow up poor, nine times more likely to drop out of school, and twenty times more likely to get into serious trouble than children who grow up with both parents.
Those absentee fathers, Obama scolded, “have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.” In that it was Obama who made this argument -- not, say, Dan Quayle -- the mainstream media reported the speech uncritically.
Progressives, however, were uneasy about Obama giving voice to what one wag called his “inner Cosby,” and no progressive more so than Jessie Jackson. Even in a whisper, Jackson made his voice heard.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Why Every Man Should Be Strong
With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we’ve decided to republish a classic piece each Friday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. This article was originally published in August 2014.
When I first started the Art of Manliness, I didn’t put too much stock in physical strength as an important component of manhood. Strength of character, sure, but physical strength was more of a secondary pursuit. Maybe it was because I started AoM partly to get away from the overdone fetishization of getting ripped that was (and is) promoted by other men’s magazines. Maybe it was because I wasn’t in shape myself at the time. (We often construct our definition of manhood in accordance with that which describes ourselves best, and I’m certainly not immune to this temptation!) I had played football in high school, but after going to college, my workouts became halfhearted and sporadic. This was especially true in law school — between trying to keep up my grades and running a fledgling blog, exercise just wasn’t a top priority.
Over the last couple years, however, working out, and lifting weights in particular, has become a fundamental part of my life. It started with my 90-day testosterone experiment; I started exercising regularly to see what effect it would have on my T levels. When the official experiment ended, the habit stuck. I went from being fairly indifferent to exercise, to looking forward to my workouts as my favorite part of the day. And I found that building my body changed the way I felt and carried myself as a man.
At the same time, my research into the core of masculinity gave me a theoretical understanding of the role of strength in the ancient, universal code of manhood. This research convinced me that strength forms the nucleus of manliness, as it truly makes all the other manly virtues possible.
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When I first started the Art of Manliness, I didn’t put too much stock in physical strength as an important component of manhood. Strength of character, sure, but physical strength was more of a secondary pursuit. Maybe it was because I started AoM partly to get away from the overdone fetishization of getting ripped that was (and is) promoted by other men’s magazines. Maybe it was because I wasn’t in shape myself at the time. (We often construct our definition of manhood in accordance with that which describes ourselves best, and I’m certainly not immune to this temptation!) I had played football in high school, but after going to college, my workouts became halfhearted and sporadic. This was especially true in law school — between trying to keep up my grades and running a fledgling blog, exercise just wasn’t a top priority.
Over the last couple years, however, working out, and lifting weights in particular, has become a fundamental part of my life. It started with my 90-day testosterone experiment; I started exercising regularly to see what effect it would have on my T levels. When the official experiment ended, the habit stuck. I went from being fairly indifferent to exercise, to looking forward to my workouts as my favorite part of the day. And I found that building my body changed the way I felt and carried myself as a man.
At the same time, my research into the core of masculinity gave me a theoretical understanding of the role of strength in the ancient, universal code of manhood. This research convinced me that strength forms the nucleus of manliness, as it truly makes all the other manly virtues possible.
More
North Carolina governor orders Confederate statues removed from state capital, cites public safety
North Carolina has started to remove Confederate statues in the state capital, citing public safety concerns.
Gov. Roy Cooper has long advocated for the removal of such statues around Raleigh and has said that now is the time to finally act.
“If the legislature had repealed their 2015 law that puts up legal roadblocks to removal we could have avoided the dangerous incidents of last night,” Cooper said Friday.
“Monuments to white supremacy don’t belong in places of allegiance, and it’s past time that these painful memorials be moved in a legal, safe way.”
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Gov. Roy Cooper has long advocated for the removal of such statues around Raleigh and has said that now is the time to finally act.
“If the legislature had repealed their 2015 law that puts up legal roadblocks to removal we could have avoided the dangerous incidents of last night,” Cooper said Friday.
“Monuments to white supremacy don’t belong in places of allegiance, and it’s past time that these painful memorials be moved in a legal, safe way.”
More
https://www.foxnews.com/us/governor-orders-removal-of-confederate-statues-around-north-carolina-state-capitol
Nashville liquor store owner, 88, explains why she shot alleged shoplifter: 'I'm fed up'
Nashville liquor store owner May Boyce, an 88-year-old widow who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs 115 pounds, according to reports, got “fed up” of her store being robbed so she shot an alleged shoplifter.
She told police she grabbed her late mother Mary’s .38 Smith & Wesson snub-nose revolver and shot a suspect who was trying to steal alcohol last Tuesday, according to an affidavit obtained by McClatchy News Service.
“I did what I had to do, and I hope word gets out on the street that I’m fed up and I’m not taking it anymore,” she told The New York Post Saturday. “You’ve got to stick up for yourself sometimes.”
“I did what I had to do,” added Boyce, now out on $10,000 bond. “After you’ve been played for a fool by people stealin’ from you for years, you get fed up. And don’t put me in the category of a little old lady. I know how to take care of myself.”
More
She told police she grabbed her late mother Mary’s .38 Smith & Wesson snub-nose revolver and shot a suspect who was trying to steal alcohol last Tuesday, according to an affidavit obtained by McClatchy News Service.
“I did what I had to do, and I hope word gets out on the street that I’m fed up and I’m not taking it anymore,” she told The New York Post Saturday. “You’ve got to stick up for yourself sometimes.”
“I did what I had to do,” added Boyce, now out on $10,000 bond. “After you’ve been played for a fool by people stealin’ from you for years, you get fed up. And don’t put me in the category of a little old lady. I know how to take care of myself.”
More
https://www.foxnews.com/us/nashville-liquor-store-owner-88-explains-why-she-shot-alleged-shoplifter-im-fed-up
Biden Taps Former CIA, Obama Officials To Handle 'Pre-Transition'
Former Vice President Joe Biden has assembled a transition team for a smooth return to the White House, should he beat President Trump in the November election.
Leading the team is former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-DE), who filled Biden's senate seat when he became VP - and led Biden's 2008 and 2009 transition team, according to Fox News.
Kauffman says they're in the "very early stages of pre-transition planning" after hiring around six people - including "Obama Administration and Capitol Hill veterans," according to the report. There's also a former CIA official.
Yohannes Abraham, a longtime senior White House staffer in the Obama administration and former COO of the Obama Foundation, will manage day-to-day operations. Avril Haines, former principal deputy national security advisor and deputy director of the CIA, will manage the transition's national security and foreign policy efforts.
Other staffers will include Gautam Raghavan, chief of staff to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Angela Ramirez, chief of staff to Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico; Evan Ryan, a senior advisor to Biden during the Obama administration, and Julie Siegel, who worked for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as senior counsel for economic policy. -Fox News
"The next president will confront an ongoing global health pandemic and inherit an economy in its worst shape since the Great Depression," he said in a statement. "No one will have taken office facing such daunting obstacles since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Joe Biden is prepared to meet these urgent challenges on the day he is sworn in as president, and begin the hard work of addressing the public health crisis and rebuilding an economy that puts working families first."
According to team Biden, the timing of the transition staffing coincides with the "Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvement Act of 2015" which requires that campaigns begin initial transition work six months before an election.
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Leading the team is former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-DE), who filled Biden's senate seat when he became VP - and led Biden's 2008 and 2009 transition team, according to Fox News.
Kauffman says they're in the "very early stages of pre-transition planning" after hiring around six people - including "Obama Administration and Capitol Hill veterans," according to the report. There's also a former CIA official.
Yohannes Abraham, a longtime senior White House staffer in the Obama administration and former COO of the Obama Foundation, will manage day-to-day operations. Avril Haines, former principal deputy national security advisor and deputy director of the CIA, will manage the transition's national security and foreign policy efforts.
Other staffers will include Gautam Raghavan, chief of staff to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Angela Ramirez, chief of staff to Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico; Evan Ryan, a senior advisor to Biden during the Obama administration, and Julie Siegel, who worked for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as senior counsel for economic policy. -Fox News
"The next president will confront an ongoing global health pandemic and inherit an economy in its worst shape since the Great Depression," he said in a statement. "No one will have taken office facing such daunting obstacles since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Joe Biden is prepared to meet these urgent challenges on the day he is sworn in as president, and begin the hard work of addressing the public health crisis and rebuilding an economy that puts working families first."
According to team Biden, the timing of the transition staffing coincides with the "Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvement Act of 2015" which requires that campaigns begin initial transition work six months before an election.
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NPR Falsely Calls Victim Of Attack By Rioters A White Supremacist
The woman had her car blocked by a group of protesters, and had her hair ripped out and a gun pulled on her before she managed to escape
This week a woman in Louisville, Ky. was assaulted by armed rioters. The rioters blocked her car, and after a short conversation, tore out her dreadlocks and pointed a gun at her. The woman quickly drove backwards before they could shoot, then sped off, striking one of the assailants moving towards her.
The events were thankfully captured on a city crime camera, and police arrested two of the attackers after the victim reported the incident to law enforcement. It was three days later that she was marked as the new face of “far right extremism” by NPR.
More
This week a woman in Louisville, Ky. was assaulted by armed rioters. The rioters blocked her car, and after a short conversation, tore out her dreadlocks and pointed a gun at her. The woman quickly drove backwards before they could shoot, then sped off, striking one of the assailants moving towards her.
The events were thankfully captured on a city crime camera, and police arrested two of the attackers after the victim reported the incident to law enforcement. It was three days later that she was marked as the new face of “far right extremism” by NPR.
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Nathan Bedford Forrest Wins A Rare Victory Over Cancel Culture. Here's Why That's A Good Thing
In 2020’s version of the Bolshevik Revolution, almost any statue or monument that predates or doesn’t explicitly honor the Civil Rights era is a potential target for being defaced, damaged, or toppled entirely, Taliban-style. The woke social justice warriors who have somehow managed to seize the culture don’t seem to concern themselves much with whether these monuments honor Jefferson Davis, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill, Christopher Columbus, or even famous abolitionist Matthias Baldwin. To them, these are just dead old white dudes who belong in the dustbin of history because, well, they were probably evil, engaged in hate-think, and participated in and benefited from the structural systemic institutional racism of their era, or something.
However, while most conservatives will balk when leftists try to cancel Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and famous abolitionists, they have generally been pressured into ceding ground on anything relating to the Confederacy. Nobody is defending slavery today, but even those who have argued for these monuments’ retention based on historical reasons have mostly given up. Granted, there is certainly room to discuss, in a non-mob-like way, the peaceful, orderly removal - to museums or private property - of certain statues put on government property by segregationists or KKK members for the express purpose of intimidating minorities. Most reasonable people understand this.
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However, while most conservatives will balk when leftists try to cancel Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and famous abolitionists, they have generally been pressured into ceding ground on anything relating to the Confederacy. Nobody is defending slavery today, but even those who have argued for these monuments’ retention based on historical reasons have mostly given up. Granted, there is certainly room to discuss, in a non-mob-like way, the peaceful, orderly removal - to museums or private property - of certain statues put on government property by segregationists or KKK members for the express purpose of intimidating minorities. Most reasonable people understand this.
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Shootings, Violence Jump In Cities Where Mayors Have Restrained Police
Activist campaigns against police to have accelerated in the wake of a violent altercation between police and George Floyd that prefaced his death. In response, mayors of several cities have reduced police presence. This has led in several cases to dramatic increases in violent crime.
Seattle
Since violent protests against police have begun, there have been numerous reports of shootings occurring in Seattle and the six-block Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone over the last few days.
One protestor named Jake Scheels inadvertently caught a shooting on camera. In one moment, Scheels can be seen describing life in the CHAZ while he plays frisbee and walks around the area. A neighborhood overtaken by gun-toting anti-police vigilantes, CHAZ is also known as Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, or CHOP.
More/Video
Seattle
Since violent protests against police have begun, there have been numerous reports of shootings occurring in Seattle and the six-block Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone over the last few days.
One protestor named Jake Scheels inadvertently caught a shooting on camera. In one moment, Scheels can be seen describing life in the CHAZ while he plays frisbee and walks around the area. A neighborhood overtaken by gun-toting anti-police vigilantes, CHAZ is also known as Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, or CHOP.
More/Video
Ken Blackwell: Slaughter of Blacks Is Reality in Democrat-Run Cities
Democrats blame the “boogeyman of systemic racism” to avoid responsibility for the volume of violent crime in black communities in cities they run, said Ken Blackwell, former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, who offered his remarks on the Wednesday edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow.
“The real systemic and deadly reality is that black men and women are being slaughtered in cities and communities of color across the country in numbers that can only be compared to war zones in Iraq and Syria,” said Blackwell, reflecting on a column he wrote with former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik regarding crime in Democrat-run cities, “Every single one of those cities have been run by Democrats, and in some cases, [for] as long as 40 years. [Kerik and I] just took exception to the fact that these mayors were passing the buck. These local officials were passing a buck.”
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“The real systemic and deadly reality is that black men and women are being slaughtered in cities and communities of color across the country in numbers that can only be compared to war zones in Iraq and Syria,” said Blackwell, reflecting on a column he wrote with former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik regarding crime in Democrat-run cities, “Every single one of those cities have been run by Democrats, and in some cases, [for] as long as 40 years. [Kerik and I] just took exception to the fact that these mayors were passing the buck. These local officials were passing a buck.”
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Home Sales Plunged 9.7% in May as Coronavirus Lockdowns Kept Americans Indoors
Sales of previously owned homes fell 9.7 percent in May compared April, the third monthly decline, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.
Existing home sales are counted at the time of closings. So these would have been based on contacts signed in March and April, when most of the country was under instructions to stay at home and real estate showings were off-limits in many areas.
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Existing home sales are counted at the time of closings. So these would have been based on contacts signed in March and April, when most of the country was under instructions to stay at home and real estate showings were off-limits in many areas.
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RON PAUL: THE FEDERAL RESERVE IS GETTING DESPERATE
The only way Congress can avoid the Fed causing another great depression is to begin transitioning to a free-market monetary system by auditing, then ending, the Fed.
In a sign that the Federal Reserve is growing increasingly desperate to jump-start the economy, the Fed’s Secondary Market Credit Facility has begun purchasing individual corporate bonds. The Secondary Market Credit Facility was created by Congress as part of a coronavirus stimulus bill to purchase as much as 750 billion dollars of corporate credit. Until last week, the Secondary Market Credit Facility had limited its purchases to exchange-traded funds, which are bundled groups of stocks or bonds.
The bond purchasing initiative, like all Fed initiatives, will fail to produce long-term prosperity. These purchases distort the economy by increasing the money supply and thus lowering interest rates, which are the price of money. In this case, the Fed’s purchase of individual corporate bonds enables select corporations to pursue projects for which they could not otherwise have obtained funding. This distorts signals sent by the market, making these companies seem like better investments than they actually are and thus allowing these companies to attract more private investment. This will cause these companies to experience a Fed-created bubble. Like all Fed-created bubbles, the corporate bond bubble will eventually burst, causing businesses to collapse, investors to lose their money (unless they receive a government bailout), and workers to lose their jobs.
Under the law creating the lending facilities, the Fed does not have to reveal the purchases made by the new facilities. Instead of allowing the Fed to hide this information, Congress should immediately pass the Audit the Fed bill so people can know whether a company is flush with cash because private investors determined it is a sound investment or because the Fed chose to “invest” in its bonds.
More
In a sign that the Federal Reserve is growing increasingly desperate to jump-start the economy, the Fed’s Secondary Market Credit Facility has begun purchasing individual corporate bonds. The Secondary Market Credit Facility was created by Congress as part of a coronavirus stimulus bill to purchase as much as 750 billion dollars of corporate credit. Until last week, the Secondary Market Credit Facility had limited its purchases to exchange-traded funds, which are bundled groups of stocks or bonds.
The bond purchasing initiative, like all Fed initiatives, will fail to produce long-term prosperity. These purchases distort the economy by increasing the money supply and thus lowering interest rates, which are the price of money. In this case, the Fed’s purchase of individual corporate bonds enables select corporations to pursue projects for which they could not otherwise have obtained funding. This distorts signals sent by the market, making these companies seem like better investments than they actually are and thus allowing these companies to attract more private investment. This will cause these companies to experience a Fed-created bubble. Like all Fed-created bubbles, the corporate bond bubble will eventually burst, causing businesses to collapse, investors to lose their money (unless they receive a government bailout), and workers to lose their jobs.
Under the law creating the lending facilities, the Fed does not have to reveal the purchases made by the new facilities. Instead of allowing the Fed to hide this information, Congress should immediately pass the Audit the Fed bill so people can know whether a company is flush with cash because private investors determined it is a sound investment or because the Fed chose to “invest” in its bonds.
More
“Tear Them Down”: Race Activist Shaun King Calls for Removal of All Statues, Murals and Stained Glass Windows of “White Jesus and his European Mother”
Race activist Shaun King on Monday called for the taking down of all statues, murals and stained glass windows of “white Jesus and his European mother”. King issued his statement on Twitter to his 1.1 million followers.
“Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been. In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down.”
More/Video
“Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been. In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down.”
More/Video
Trump to Cut Legal Immigration by 525,000 by Suspending Five Classes of Work Visas
The Trump Administration announced on Monday it is suspending five classes of work visas, including H-1B visas through the end of 2020 in an effort to open jobs to Americans.
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs over the last few months due to the Coronavirus lockdown orders.
Trump is working to get Americans back to work by extending the Coronavirus-related immigration ban originally announced in April.
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Millions of Americans have lost their jobs over the last few months due to the Coronavirus lockdown orders.
Trump is working to get Americans back to work by extending the Coronavirus-related immigration ban originally announced in April.
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When the fattest pig in the sty wants you to pay for its extra helpings...
For conservatives, there's always a comfort of sorts in knowing that when it comes to any variety of socialism, anything that can't go on won't. Socialism is inherently unsustainable, always requiring a sugar daddy to pay its bills after all the money runs out. It always works, as Lady Thatcher put it, until you run out of other people's money.
This brings us to the municipality of Washington, D.C., which is going to see a vote for statehood in the House Friday but still wants Momma Government to take care of it like a prodigal toddler.
According to John Solomon's JustTheNews:
Like most other American cities, the District is required to balance its budget annually. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, city officials are claiming a $1.5 billion budget deficit and asking Congress for $3.15 billion over two years to alleviate the city's financials woes.
The Heroes Act, which passed through the lower chamber last month, allocates more money to Washington, D.C. than to several U.S. states. But according to a new report by Open the Books' Adam Andrzjewski, D.C. city employees are routinely paid (often significantly) higher salaries than their state and federal government counterparts.
This brings us to the municipality of Washington, D.C., which is going to see a vote for statehood in the House Friday but still wants Momma Government to take care of it like a prodigal toddler.
According to John Solomon's JustTheNews:
Like most other American cities, the District is required to balance its budget annually. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, city officials are claiming a $1.5 billion budget deficit and asking Congress for $3.15 billion over two years to alleviate the city's financials woes.
The Heroes Act, which passed through the lower chamber last month, allocates more money to Washington, D.C. than to several U.S. states. But according to a new report by Open the Books' Adam Andrzjewski, D.C. city employees are routinely paid (often significantly) higher salaries than their state and federal government counterparts.
Looters Destroy Ohio Woman’s Cupcake Shop, Then People Threaten Her Life for Cooperating With Police
An Ohio cupcake shop owner says she is receiving death threats for cooperating with police after her store was destroyed by looters.
Kelly Kandah owns Colossal Cupcakes in Cleveland, which was targeted by the rioters late last month while she and four of her employees hid in the bathroom. She has credited the police with saving their lives.
Appearing on Fox & Friends, Kandah said that along with the death threats, there have been people saying that once she rebuilds the shop “it’s going to get hit again.”
The small business owner said that people are upset that she is working with the FBI, which they say is “against the cause. She explained that “I’m actually absolutely for the cause, but it’s upsetting people that I would involve the police over something such as property.”
More
Kelly Kandah owns Colossal Cupcakes in Cleveland, which was targeted by the rioters late last month while she and four of her employees hid in the bathroom. She has credited the police with saving their lives.
Appearing on Fox & Friends, Kandah said that along with the death threats, there have been people saying that once she rebuilds the shop “it’s going to get hit again.”
The small business owner said that people are upset that she is working with the FBI, which they say is “against the cause. She explained that “I’m actually absolutely for the cause, but it’s upsetting people that I would involve the police over something such as property.”
More
Ignored by Media: Juneteenth Celebration Turns Bloody in Charlotte – 2 Dead, 9 Shot, 5 Hit by Vehicles — AND PARTIERS JUMPED ON BACKS OF FIREFIGHTERS!
This was completely ignored by the mainstream media!
Two people were shot dead and nine more were shot during an impromptu street party for Juneteenth in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday night.
The chaos included hit and runs, multiple shooters, and partiers jumping on the backs of firefighters who were called in to help the victims.
Two people were shot dead and nine more were shot during an impromptu street party for Juneteenth in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday night.
The chaos included hit and runs, multiple shooters, and partiers jumping on the backs of firefighters who were called in to help the victims.
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