Enough is enough!

Full disclosure: Governor Cuomo once looked hard at me through the television screen. I didn’t like his tone and felt belittled and unsafe. Can I be number 8? It wouldn’t be much sillier than some of these claims against him.

The skinny: Cuomo may be guilty of impeachable offenses related to the nursing home scandal. Maybe we will get to the bottom of it. But, the sexual harassment complaints? Please. I don’t believe that 6 of the 7 sexual harassment complaints made against him even constitute sexual harassment, even if they come across creepy. And, even if the sixth is clearly harassment, not only is that anonymous, but I don’t believe any of them (except for Ana Liss, where there just isn’t anything even approaching harassment and he acknowledges that it describes his typical behavior). I don’t believe them because politics is involved and thanks to the war on men, mostly white men, our society is undergoing. Does he deserve these attacks, nevertheless? Of course he deserves to be treated unfairly. He is one more politician who lent his voice and power to the woke/cancel culture and thus, like Al Franken, who in normal times, deserved at most a “tsk, tsk” for being a clown, reaps what he sowed. Worst of all, if they impeach Cuomo on this, or force him to resign, they’d have to shoot Biden – except for the stunning hypocrisy of the left.

My bias. Let me get my bias against him out front. I am politically opposed to Gov. Cuomo of NY. He is part of the wave of left-wing craziness going on in this country, although certainly not the worst part. He has led NY further left, including dangerously when it comes to bail “reform,” and tragically when it comes to abortion. I have always thought since I became more familiar with him as New York’s AG, that he was a bully and over-zealous.

But, as much as I don’t like him, I do not think that the first five “sexual harassment” claims (which I’ll go over) or the seventh amount to at least pre-“woke” culture amount to sexual harassment – and I don’t take the one more serious sounding claim as viable because it’s anonymous. As NY, led by him, has reduced the standard for sexual harassment by law, the balance is tipped in favor of his culpability for almost any behavior that would trouble the most easily offended person. And, sadly, after the Kavanaugh hearing I just can’t believe any claims involving politics that are not proved beyond a reasonable doubt too seriously. The Democrats, in their blood-thirsty desire to punish Trump by stonewalling Kavanaugh, literally broke our system with their behavior, hysteria and hypocrisy.

I’ll address the claims against Cuomo one at a time.

Personally, I despise the NYTs, which was for most of my life my favorite paper and then “news” website, but is now literally a rag that lies and distorts without conscience. But, I went to them for this information because I think they will present the “evidence” in the most politically woke way against Cuomo. I do this because I am partially defending Cuomo (really, our society as we hustle down Fascist Ave.) and want to address the best case against him. That’s where I got most of the “facts.”

Charlotte Bennett was a 25-year-old aide to the governor, since resigned, who accused him of asking her about her sex life, whether she had sex with older men, if she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships. She felt this was a sexual overture, “understood” that he wanted to sleep with her and was uncomfortable and scared. There is no indication she ever asked him not to discuss sex with her, or in her words, showed him she was uncomfortable.

Lindsey Boylan, in her 30s, worked about 3 years for the state in the economic development agency. She became Chief of Staff. She was surprised that he paid attention to her when they met. She was warned by a co-worker to be careful around him.  She was told by her boss that he had a crush on her. He went out of his way to touch her lower back arms and legs, though I can find no detail on this – did he once pat her knee, or shoulder or back? If it is worse than just that, why have we not heard that from her?  In 2016, a co-worker told her that he thought she looked like his (supposed) old girlfriend Lisa and it was relayed to her through a co-worker that she should look “Lisa” up, and, that she was the “better looking sister.” He began calling her Lisa. In 2017 on a plane, sitting with a press aide and a state trooper, he said they should play “strip poker.” She wasn’t shocked. She responded (she says sarcastically) “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” After saying it, she felt she had been acquiescent. I think that means she felt she was flirtatious. I have spoken with women who have flirted with their bosses and then regretted it. One was a close friend who cried over having done so, because to some degree she felt she deserved his too enthusiastic dance with her. But, in the few instances I personally remember (admittedly, most, vaguely), the women were big enough to take responsibility for an increased interest by their boss.

Anna Ruch was also in her 30s at the time she met Cuomo at a wedding. She never worked for NY State or him. How is this even included? They had a discussion. He put his hand on her bare back and she removed it. He told her she was aggressive and putting his hands on her face asked if he could kiss her. She turned her head away but said she wasn’t able to speak. She does not say he actually kissed her or did anything to her. In other words, even without her saying “no,” he I think he took it for “no.” She said what infuriated her was that he physically dominated her and thought her taking his hand off her back should have been enough.

Karen Hinton, now 62, came out recently and said that in 2000, when she was 42, Cuomo gave her an unwelcome hug in his hotel room. He was at HUD at the time and she was a paid consultant who had worked for him previously and knew him well. She resisted a second hug and left, apparently without any problem at al. Cuomo completely denies this happened and says that she is a long-time political adversary. Certainly they had a contentious past when she had worked for him as a press aide. Often clashing, then making up.

Ana Liss, is now 35, also a former aide, and claims that she thinks he thought she was pretty, that he was friendly and flirtatious with her, often kissed her on the cheek to greet her and once kissed her hand. She did not think she would have been employed there if she was a man. She learned that she should wear heels and not to speak to him unless he spoke to her. She also thought it was a temperamentally explosive workplace that came from the top down. She wasn’t physically afraid of him, however thinks it was a “dangerous” workplace for women.

Cuomo has said that the way she describes his behavior is typical of him, he greets people by kissing and hugging. He now says that he realizes his behavior was wrong (I doubt he believes it; but famous people obviously feel they have to throw themselves under the bus a little to survive in the cancel culture) and if people were offended, he’s sorry. But, he still denies the other claims.

Anonymous. The sixth claim would be the strongest, of course, if it were true. An anonymous person claims that she was summoned at night to his mansion, and when alone with him he began reaching under her shirt and fondling her. He has completely denied that or anything like that happened. I repeat. An anonymous person. Which means no one should yet take it seriously without their being a good reason they are anonymous and proof of what happened. If you are shaking your head, imagine if someone anonymously accused you or a loved one of a sex crime – any crime, really. You would insist on knowing who it was and be infuriated if you were prosecuted or your reputation destroyed without it being said. Here, the media might act as if this claim is a proven fact, because the media is horrible, but it’s not consistent with any other of the claims.

Jessica Bakeman, is a seventh who has come forward. She was age 25 in 2014 when she claims “He took my hand, as if to shake it, then refused to let go. He put his other arm around my back, his hand on my waist, and held me firmly in place while indicating to a photographer he wanted us to pose for a picture.” That’s sexual harassment? Another time she claims during a conversation with reporters he put his arm around her. Okay, I wouldn’t do that. But, he’s a politician. And, she admits she said nothing. She didn’t work for him. She was a reporter and could have done something.

It gets worse. He once teased her about a purple phone (well, sorry, woman or not, it’s fair game for teasing – I don’t like purple myself) and for praising her for speaking over a male reporter and shutting him up. That’s harassment?

That was not harassment, even if it made people uncomfortable.

Has it become crazy to think that sexual harassment should have something to do with both sex and harassment? Sadly, actual sexual behavior or harassment is no longer required in many people’s mind – hence what is going on with Cuomo.  That’s the problem with the metoo movement. It went from concern for the genuine abuse of women in subordinate work positions to just being part of the age-old war between the sexes, amplified by the cancel culture. It became beyond ridiculous. Sexual harassment, at the edges, is by nature a vague and subjective topic. Of course, we should have some laws about it (the way I define it, of course) because sexual harassment or abuse is real and can be devastating.

I have always been open since the metoo movement that my own behavior when I was a young man, and the behavior of many men and women I knew, would be considered sexual harassment today by many people even if it was completely consensual and well-intentioned. Yet, the women who I am thinking of who could arguably say under today’s new rules applied retrospectively that I “harassed” them, remained friends with me long after we worked together and in some cases are still friends, some very good friends. In other words, they didn’t feel harassed. Considering the most aggressive thing I can think of doing with a co-worker, kissing her at the airport when she came to pick me up – I already knew it would be well received when I did it and even many years later she reminded me what of what fun she thought it was. The truth is, and I won’t expound (because it makes me look good) that I know what women I worked with generally thought because more than a few told me that they or others felt “safe” with me (which, though flattering, also felt a little insulting).

Now, I gave a lot of shoulder rubs to women I worked with who requested it, but would I just start with a women I had your typical non-flirtatious work relationship with, or put my hand on her bare lower back? No way. I almost always needed a lot of signals (although, of course that is subjective) from even a girl I was dating or met, before I would get physical.

Back in the day - and I presume people still do this in the real world – I sometimes began dating someone by actually kissing after getting to know someone and feeling the vibes. But, there were definitely times I tried flirting with women I didn’t know. Many times it went nowhere, but I don’t remember anyone reacting with anger or looking uncomfortable and it sometimes went well enough. That was without my being good looking or having what I think is still called a “rap” - but because I was usually (not always) careful about who I chose to try and flirt with. Most often I was reacting to them and the few times it was a stranger, I’d take baby steps. Perhaps sometimes the women weren’t as pleased as I was and I was none the wiser, but that doesn’t match up with the friendships or relationships that developed out of it.  I really don’t think anyone I worked with would have called me predatory or abusive, though, like I said, if they were looking at it through today’s prism, maybe. Did I ever offend anyone joking around in a non-sexual way? Absolutely. At least 5 times in my life that I remember – and I remember because it is upsetting to me if I offend someone (even, though, frankly, in some of those cases – they were far more offensive in joking than I was). Joke around enough and it is bound to happen.  

Based on what women I have been close enough with to discuss the subject (again, mostly when I was younger), it seems to me it is far more prevalent in college than in the workplace. This is not a surprise as most people grow up more after college. The most obvious type of abuse is unsolicited, unwanted touching. But, I don’t think it means all incidents of touching, even incident of kissing, etc. without more, are harassment.

The arbitrary rules that people who are supervisors can’t date their subordinates in many companies is just absurd and can ruin good careers for no good reason – because of course people are going to do it. My 30 year plus relationship started that way long before it was frowned upon (although she has been harassing me ever since). Many relationships have started that way and probably many still do despite the oppressive rules. It’s natural for people who see each other every day at work and get to know each other in a much more genuine way than in a bar, will date, particularly where an office is young. In my lifetime experiences, those relationships I observed in offices almost all ended well, that is, the relationships continued or, if it ended, was without harassment or revenge. Actual harassment or abuse was very rare that I saw.

This is part of what we are going through in our society, making some things illegal and punishing everyone because some people have bad experiences. I will give you a non-sexual example. By law, every seller of a house in NY has to give the buyer $500 at the closing. Why? The idea was that some people got defrauded when buying homes. So, the idiots in Albany passed a law so that sellers would have to fill out disclosure forms about the home, and by doing so, left themselves open to a lawsuit. Alternatively, the law allowed that the sellers could just pay the buyers $500 and avoid the risk. The problem was and is – every attorney has their client pay the $500. I’ve never seen it not happen (though I guess it has to have happened at some time). So where’s the protection from fraud? There really is none. It just costs every seller $500 for no reason. It’s the same with banning office dating. You are punishing people who would otherwise have relationships because for some people there might potentially be harassment or abuse.

I can well understand someone thinking that being a woman and having a 60-something guy like Cuomo come on to them is gross or creepy. I feel that way and I’m in my 60s. But, it does happen all the time and some women actually even seek older men – particularly if the man is rich or famous. There’s a reason so many hideous millionaires or celebrities have beautiful young women on their arm. Remember, we don’t get to hear Cuomo’s success stories and it would be harmful to his case if he raised them now, so don’t count on it.

I acknowledge that my own reaction of feeling a tad creeped out by Cuomo’s actions, shared by so many, is absolutely ageist, something few people seem to recognize or consider when they are jumping to find sexual harassment. Now, if anyone said to Cuomo, “please don’t do that” or “stop,” then he had to stop, or he was harassing them (not reported that I see). And no, he couldn’t, say, grab one of these women he barely knew and just “French” kiss her. Of course not.

Though I have not worked in an office for many years, I also remember from when I worked somewhere that sometimes comments were deemed offensive depending on who spoke them. I worked in one office where I had a very friendly relationship with my female co-workers and still do though it is decades later. No one was dating amongst us at all, but I could say almost anything to them and they would laugh. Our boss, who would acknowledge hitting on every women in the world, could get away with saying a lot, though not as much. A co-worker, who the girls didn’t like so much (though I think he was a nice man, he looked a little at women a little too hard for everyone’s comfort, including mine), was not allowed any “blue” comments. It was completely unfair. Based on what I have observed, that is often the case in the work world, and it’s not fair that one man’s flirtation or joke is another man’s harassment (again, unless there was a request to stop).

Of course, we also don’t know from the fragments we have about the Cuomo claims whether any of it was triggered by what would have looked like to many people as the women’s romantic interest in Cuomo. The “woke” generally deal with this by saying it is offensive even to raise it. Naturally, he’s the boss and people are always going to act interested in some way, but we also know that expressing romantic or sexual interest is different. Yes, absolutely some men do find even a smile or greeting as a sexual come on, but most women never have a problem with their boss hitting on them just because they are nice to them. I’m sure some people would disagree with me, but I don’t think that generally, a man looking at a woman with interest or vice versa (or man/man, woman/woman, for that matter) is harassment, though if it is intense or done at weird times, in weird ways, or is too persistent, of course it could be (again, “please stop” is appropriate, even with a boss).

I never felt sexually harassed in my life, though I have had women I was not interested in be overtly sexual or too familiar with me (very rarely a man). I’ve been brushed up against (I hear that’s harassment now – I guess if done enough it is), I’ve been sexually joked with and teased, propositioned, definitely demeaned (a few times by angry women in a really rough way, etc. I didn’t take it personally and it never occurred to me to bring a claim against anyone. It’s just part of life and I doubt very much my experiences were abnormal. Sometimes I have been stung by what someone said to me, even if they were joking, or thought it was a little cruel. I got over it immediately. What would I have done if it was worse? I can’t say because details are everything. Or they should be. In the new world order, that doesn’t seem to matter so much – just that someone was offended, maybe even years later. I tried to teach my daughter how to deal with abuse at work and I know she got it. We should teach all of your children how to deal with harassment at work, sexual or otherwise, and what to do when we are offended. It has to depend on what is done and the reaction should be appropriate.

So, I’ll stop there on the topic of whether he harassed these women, if the accusations were true. My answer is no again, the groping accusation doesn’t get credence from me while anonymous. Dozens of people in my life have greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, even on the lips. Sometimes I am surprised, but not offended.  If I go to kiss someone on the cheek because I think it is expected and they don’t seem too keen on it, I will back up big time and not do it again. It’s not harassment or even sexual (though, again, I guess if you make it weird, it could be). Though holding someone’s face seems a little weird for me – I think women hate it – it only looks right on the movie screen - for some people it’s not weird.

But, now, I have to add I don’t believe any of it except Ms. Liss’s claim, which in my opinion was literally nothing. It may be true that she is right that she got to work there because she was attractive. Maybe she wasn’t qualified (I am not sure if she is implying that, but maybe). I kind of got the feeling, if you read her statement, that she likes pointing out that she is attractive. I’m not saying that to punish her (as if she will read this) but because she said it more than once and because there was no actual harassment.

Why don’t I believe them? One, after the Kavanaugh case and the cascade of lies associated with it (not just by Prof. Ford) and the absurd, vicious behavior of the Democrats and their allies, most of all the media, with respect to it, I am very jaded. I know many people who reacted the same. Of course, it has never been true that women never lie about rape or harassment. Of course they do. Tawana Brawley, Crystal Mangum (Duke University “Rape” case,) everyone who accused Kavanaugh, are a few examples among many. Now, Anita Hill – I thought she told the truth, but the idea that what she described was harassment was crazy to me. Women lie like men lie, and when things are political, it is just too hard to believe them, especially now, in the cancel culture and post-Kavanaugh hearing age.

I could be wrong, of course. I have no crystal ball to tell me who is telling the truth. But, unfortunately, people like those women I named above who definitively lied, and usually suffered no consequences, make it harder to believe others. It used to be that I found it more likely there was harassment or abuse when a number of women came forward (like with Cosby and Weinstein). After Kavanaugh, I can’t believe it at all in political cases, just based on someone’s claim. However, and this is speculation, if I know women personally and trust their integrity, I do believe them and I would believe most women in a non-political case. Unfortunately, few of us have that luxury when cases are public.

There are other reasons not to believe Cuomo’s accusers. Karen Hinton’s claims are 2o-21 years ago. It doesn’t mean it is not true, but it is a reason for me to doubt it. She did not work for him and could have complained. He wasn’t even governor then. And of course I do not take “anonymous” seriously at all.

If Cuomo is impeached for sexual harassment, they are going to have to shoot Biden. My last point is about the political hypocrisy that permeates our system concerning harassment. If Cuomo’s described acts were reason to impeach him, what about Biden? I mean, have you seen the videos? They are astonishing, cringe worthy and far more plentiful than the complaints against Cuomo. All done in plain view.

Here is one of many. (62) Is Joe Biden's Touchiness Out Of Touch? Revisit His Mock Swear-Ins | NBC News - YouTube . Watch how many women he kisses on the lips, little kids he creepily touches, young girls he makes suggestions about their looks to or about dating, and particularly watch 2:00-2:04 where he puts his hand right near a women’s breast. Watch her face. Another time he does the same thing is shown earlier. The thing is, these are only a handful of the many times he’s done this in his life. His wife finally had to promise it would not happen again when he was running for president.

If you want, read about the 8 women, including Tara Reade, who came forward and said that he made them feel uncomfortable, invaded their personal space and the like. With Reade, it was way more as she accused him of digitally violating her while he groped her.  Do I believe Tara Reade and the others? Yes, because you can see Biden do cringe-worthy stuff on video and can know it is who he is.

Here’s another video. (62) Biden touching girls compilation (RAW CSPAN FOOTAGE) - YouTube Watch and cringe. Notice the first little girl he gets too close to and her reaction. She’s obviously uncomfortable. Watch the second one, who seems to be having a good time and laughing at him. But, watch his hand at 2:31-3:01. Why is his hand there at all, just below her breast? Why would anyone think that this is okay to do with any age woman? Watch the next one. He’s not as near the breast in this one, but why in God’s name does he have his hand there on a young girl at all? She’s not his date. I could go on and on. Why is he playing with that young girl’s hair? I get it if he knows her very well, but he doesn’t. More important, she doesn’t know him. It’s just weird. Here’s another. (62) Creepy Uncle Joe - YouTube.  Just go to 00:30-42 and look at the pictures. Look at the first photograph on the left. I couldn’t find it on video but I’ve seen it. He came so close to her breasts that she had to put her hands on top of his.

You want to see a man pin a woman to him during a photo op? Watch Biden on the tarmac with Hillary Clinton. (69) Watch Joe Biden give an endless hug to Hillary Clinton - YouTube. This was just distressing to watch and I don’t like her either. She actually taps out on his arm, meaning, let go of me, you moron. He takes his time.

Wait a second!!! Did I say Biden was hypocritical? We are going to need a new word for Biden, perhaps, hyperhypocritical. Today he said through his press secretary that the allegations against Cuomo were troubling and hard to read. Troubling? Hard to read? This from a man who is accused by 8 women of worse than Cuomo is accused of, including, by a named actual person, Tara Reade, of  . . . (you know).  Hmm, will the press call him out on it? Hmmmm? Hmmmm?

Enough is enough. Biden and his defenders are not the only hypocrites. Cuomo is too. Look at him protesting his innocence and now calling the complaints against him part of “cancel culture.” He is part of the cancel culture. Not only was he aggressively against Kavanaugh (he felt he had to take a lie detector test, even though they are so unreliable, they are not admissible in court unless everyone agrees). He was very active in bringing the new affirmative consent law to colleges, where sexual assault is a big problem, by determining that when sex is had, it is automatically deemed non-consensual if there is not affirmative consent given. In my experience, the consexual sex is the affirmation. Written or verbal question and response is something that probably rarely happens. According to this rule, if a women goes to bed with a man, and is silent, she can claim rape or assault. Even if they have a previous sexual history she can do this. Even if they try a new position she can.  Believe me, I hate sexual assault of any kind. All sex should be consensual. But, the idea that most college kids are going to know the law and have conversations assenting to sex is absurd, when it is often awkward enough, will likely lead to great injustices.

“Enough is enough” they say, as the basis for this law, but they went the wrong way. How about go back to male and female dorms, ban drinking and drugs on campuses (even pot will be legal soon) and put a lot more lights up around campus instead. And, though the “woke” are so keen on forcing people to take courses or watch videos on a lot of subjects, they don’t think that maybe educating young girls going to college of the dangers of getting drunk at a party or going off alone with a boy, and so on, is a good idea. In my experience (again, from when I was young), even many intelligent young women seemed clueless about putting themselves at risk and often rued it. Still, when this is suggested today – that young girls not make themselves vulnerable to assault, the person who recommends it is often accused of blaming the victim.

Of course, the media is obviously beyond mere accusations of hypocrisy. These are some of the worst and most hypocritical people in America, perhaps on earth. I heard a CNN reporter online compare Cuomo to disgraced former NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who was accused of actual violence against women and eventually took responsibility for it. It bears no resemblance to the accusations against Cuomo (except for the yet unimportant anonymous complaint).

Cuomo, possibly should possibly be impeached (after investigation finding he did cover up deaths) on the nursing home claims. He should not be impeached or forced to resign over the sexual harassment claims without actual harassment being shown, despite his own and his fellow Democrats’ insidious hypocrisy, bullying and attempts to make prisoners of us all in the workplace and elsewhere. Even federal lawmakers like Schumer, Gillibrand, Pelosi, AOC, etc., are piling on him without even considering applying the same standard to Biden.  

But, this is your party, Andrew. See what it's like for the rest of us?

Enough is enough!

Post script 3/21/21:   Oh, no. Yet another woman alleges sexually harassment against Cuomo. Fondling? Nope. Attempted rape? No. Insults? No.  He allegedly ogled her (probably looked at her), commented on her looks (how?) and made suggestive remarks. Again, how?  This one works for him presently. I have not changed my opinion at all. Same old, same old. What is most shocking, is that many people I have spoken with have no idea what the allegations are, and just presume it is actual harassment.  I know for a fact many women do not believe appreciative comments on looks or someone looking at you is harassment or makes a "hostile work environment (although I agree, if anything is exaggerated or over the top it could make it so). People need to speak up.

The Sick Man of North America

Sorry for the delay: Not that many could have noticed or cared, but some time, over a month, has gone by between my posts and I feel like grandiosely apologizing as if someone both noticed and cared.  I came down with Covid in early February. Actually, coincidentally, my first symptoms started the day of my last post. It got worse as it progressed. I did not go to the hospital, although on day ten it was a close call and I had tough flu-like symptoms for the next four days, after which my temperature broke. Obviously, it got better or I wouldn't be writing now. I'm 99% better. But, even after I was 95% better, some weeks ago, it was difficult to even start or complete a blog or do almost anything that took concentration. There is something called "Covid brain fog," which I'm pretty sure I had - maybe still do. New York Presbyterian Hospital's website describes it as "headache, fatigue, and dizziness, and clinicians across the country similarly report patients who complain of these symptoms along with memory loss, confusion, and difficulty focusing." In the beginning I had the first three, but after my temperature broke had complaints about the last three, which I have italicized. Sometimes, for example, I'd say to myself, okay, let me start writing that letter . . . or let me call John. But, then, half an hour later or longer, I'd realize I hadn't done it - even started. This might go on all day. Now, those who know me well might say, that pretty much just sounds like you - but I assure you it was worse than usual. I tried but couldn't get word one down on a post. I think I'm over it. We will see as this writing goes on.

The big segue: Just to use it as a very available, if initially unintended, segue, I was sick, but nowhere near as sick as our country. What is wrong with us? Most people I know who I consider moderates or moderate conservatives worry about it every day. It's not like it was back when I was disappointed when the country elected Obama, an inexperienced and obviously far left president (although, he was moderate compared to the left now), though I expected he would do, and think he did, an awful job. But, now, I think we face an existential threat - perhaps not one that we won't survive (but I wouldn't swear to it), but will survive in a diminished state, much like the elves that remained in Middle Earth after the age of man began. Too literary? Okay, I'm reaching then, but I'm quite serious about our plight. I don't watch the news, or any tv, anymore, but I do see news feeds on my laptop (I just found out how to it off) and read articles during the day, many of which I learn about through friends sending me links, usually with comments like "WTF?" or "This is insane?" And, I know I am diligent in looking at both sides of an issue (which does not mean they are always both legitimate in my mind) and in reading documents myself. It's the only advantage I have over many other people, and, it is also why I don't put stock in many people's opinions. Many opinions are often (obviously, not everyone) those people hear on CNN, MSNBC, the NYTimes, etc. I consider these companies not only extremely dishonest, but anti-American, racist, supportive of fascists like Antifa and BLM, groups which seek to force their views on others by force or violence based on their racist beliefs, if not fascist themselves.

The Cold War and Zombies: And it is happening as fast as the radicals can make it happen. A few months ago I quoted here from a book I was reading on the cold-war, as it seemed to me that the same tactics the communist USSR would apply to Eastern European countries, rapid fire - attack relentlessly, were techniques being applied in our country here and now. And, it seems to me most of the conservatives in congress barely fight back. I realize they are not in the majority now, but only a few of them call out the left for what it is doing. Thank God (said the atheist) for Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, even Marjorie Taylor Greene (despite that she admits to believing the QAnon conspiracy theories a few years back) and some others. Worse, it seems more than half the country, zombified by the media they rely on, no matter how smart some of them are, have no idea it is going on or think this is all normal and fine, just the usual change when a new administration comes in from another party.

The D assault on pretty much everything you care about: And, maybe though I don't hate with a passion those Republican Senators and congresspersons who voted against Trump on impeachment - it definitely lessened my respect for their intelligence and worthiness, as, not only is there zero evidence he could have known what some of the trespassers were planning - apparently for weeks before his speech, but he also urged them to be peaceful. Not to leave aside, of course, the fact that he was no longer president and this was just one more ridiculous attack by the Ds to use in their attempt to take over the government. But, even if in some twisted way those Republicans believed he caused or incited the riot (which, by the way, was unarmed despite being called armed, and not much of an insurrection. Not even Brian Sickwick, it appears, was killed by the rioters (not surprisingly, our FBI refuses to say he why he died in their opinion; my guess because it doesn't fit the narrative) - but one trespasser, Ashli Babbitt, was murdered in cold blood on video - but, I will be surprised if charges brought). But, by supporting the insane D attack, it gave cover to that party as if what they have been doing for over four years was somehow justified. I'm talking about the non-stop assault on our culture (cancel everything, including free speech), the attempt to destroy democratic institutions (the border, the electoral college, the Supreme Court - and, of course, capitalism), not to mention Trump - almost justifies their endless attempt to impeach him for anything they could think of, the gross embarrassment of the Kavanaugh hearing which still sickens me, the attempt to keep Trump from having a cabinet by means fair or foul, and so on) and the twisting and attack on virtually everything he said or did. 

Though I have never been what you might call a Trump supporter - I did not want him to run and have said for ten years he would bring down the R party - I do think he did a great job, much of which will be undone now in a frenzy of orders by Biden, and he did it while fighting off the most aggressive political assault on a U.S. president since Lincoln was shot in the head. 

Dr. Seuss? Pepe Le Pew? Seriously?: My main point today is not to list for you the almost endless daily craziness - true absurdities, but I can't seem to help myself. It's so crazy you just want to scream - just to go back a few days: Dr. Seuss's estate taking I believe six books off the market in a cancel culture suicide, because they supposedly had racist portrayals (and the WH taking him off their reading proclamation for kids, E-Bay and Chicago libraries, and I'm sure others, joining in the cancellation); Pepe Le Pew is being excised from the movie Space Jam because - get this, he comes on to females - because, I guess they think it helps women to pretend it does not happen - as if Pepe Le Pew is highly regarded for his character; Coca-Cola, which I might never drink again, actually issuing a racist statement against whites; the attempt to impeach NY's governor Cuomo or force him to resign - not because he covered up the death of thousands of people in nursing homes (the excuse - Trump would have used it politically if they admitted it) but because he's bad at flirting - you know, the usual over-the-top excesses of metoo that took that movement from one about women not having to put up with actual sexual assaults or harassment into a "bonfire of the vanities" type war of the sexes attacking men for having testosterone or just wanting to sleep with women. Not that Cuomo, a bully and sometimes demogogue, doesn't deserve it for backing the astonishing notion that if a man and woman sleep with one another in college - it's presumed rape by the man unless he can prove consent - the opposite of innocence until proven guilty. 

I thought I was done, but I have more in me - California's bill to force toy stores to have a gender-neutral toy section, whatever that even means; a renowned Dutch translator having to give up an assignment because she's not black like the author (is there anything more racist in the modern age than what some call "justice" in this day and age?); Amazon, a racist and I think fascist organization none of us can escape without getting off the internet, banning books for undefined "hate speech" - what amounts to digital book-burning; an idiot singer claiming that gender-reveal parties are transphobic (I guess because we are supposed to pretend that 99.x% of babies are not either clearly male or female);,, an idiot actor, whose talents I admired, demanding that criminal charges against BLM rioters be dropped, and; just to round it out yes - pretty much everything that AOC says, not least her wanting to archive the names and addresses of Trump supporters somewhere (I'm guessing so she can fill a dream of filling re-education camps), her assaults on American business and hatred of the same freedom of speech that allows her to spew (I normally avoid "spew" and "ilk," but she deserves it) what I think is actual hate speech and general craziness. 

The difference between right wing and left wing craziness: You can say those are anecdotal and also that there certainly are right wing equivalents. True. But, here's the difference - the crazies on the extreme right are pariahs to the right - nobody likes the Klan!!!!!. But the craziness on the left is the new norm for so many Ds, and those who don't agree with the excesses - don't condemn it or run from it either. I have to add, many moderates and some Rs too now fall into that fold. 

I'm not even considering here the craziness in the Biden WH that is so determined to show us that he is not Trump that he will risk our borders (if you want to believe we don't have a new crisis there - which Trump had previously solved - go ahead), our moral obligation to Taiwan, it seems Israel (never mind the obvious brewing of anti-Semitism of a large portion of the left - still no one Jewish voter can tell me how they justifying voting for a party of which 70%! of their congressional representatives voted against including anti-Semitism as prohibited discrimination). Can anyone even tell me how the Ds want to impeach Cuomo for unwanted flirting (if that), but won't stand the mention of the fact that Biden likely - literally - digitally violated Tara Reade (which I only believe because I've seen the many videos of him groping women and children). But, if I go down the Biden road, it will be a longer day here than I intended. Another day.

Wherefrom this sickness?: Now that I got some of that off my chest, my real question is this - where did this sickness come from? The sickness that believes that cops are shooting unarmed blacks, when the statistics show it is extraordinarily rare, the sickness that wants us to divide our country by reparations, which is, as Larry Elder puts it: “. . . the extraction of money from people who were never slave owners to be given to people who were never slaves,” the sickness that wants to do away with two sexes and allow trans-men to take over women's athletics, the sickness which has turned "I disagree with you" into "hate speech," the sickness that has modern day fascists blocking speech, trying to institutionalize one-party power, corrupting our young (teaching young whites that their white skin makes them evil or privileged and young blacks that they are victims and can only succeed by being given advantages), the sickness that has knuckleheads claiming that (sorry, I'm still a little traumatized by this one and repeat it often) Baby, it's cold outside is about date rape, the sickness that leads some to believe that socialism, which has been rejected by the world except for a few places that are economic/political disasters like Venezuela, Cuba, N. Korea, China (yes, a behemoth, but their per capita GDP is a little more than 1/6th our own) and so on. What is going on and what caused it?

Relax, I'm long-winded, but I have an answer: Well, sort of an answer. I think it is largely a combination of many factors, none of which will be thought well of by a lot of people. 

First, young people are ignorant and they are the heart of the cancel/woke culture. If you want, we could say "stupid," though I'm sure that would freak people out. You know, how dare you  call children stupid?  They aren't  inherently ignorant, but by lack of experience. The real stupidity is the adults who want to let them lead. I'm not picking on them. I was a stupid kid too. I believed all the crazy stuff my family told me about politics. It was only after a lot of studying, literally dozens of books, and watching C-Span for years to see the sausage being made in congress, that I feel that I was reasonably educated enough to vote - something I'd already done in my ignorance numerous times. Certainly I was not qualified to vote by any rational measure when I was allowed to at age 18. If you told me tomorrow, that the Constitution was being amended so that only those 30 years and older could vote, I'd get it. Because most people will not study, and are hopelessly girded to their partisanship they imbibed early on. Though there are many people over 45 I disagree with heartily whatever their education or experience, there is no way people who do not study, who just listen to cable news or perhaps their office mates or parents, can have the experience necessary to say, maybe my Dad wasn't right. 

But, little kids - which is what teenagers, even 18 years olds are, even to some degree many kids in their 20s and 30s - to suggest they should instruct us, have a say in what we do - that's plain nuts. There is an argument that if they are old enough to get drafted, they are old enough to vote (and drink), and there's a point there. But, we have a voluntary military now, one which will become increasingly fought by technology, AI and machines, so it is not much of an argument. Yet an idiot like Sen. Warren, who, in my opinion, is also vicious in a way I cannot like personally, the way I did, Barack Obama or Marianne Williamson, both of whom I also disagreed with, wants teenagers to decide our gun policy, wants some yet to be named trans-child to approve who her Secretary of Education would be. Is she nuts? Yes. of course she's nuts. I hate that Biden won, but definitely better him than her.

Second, while we slept, the far left took over education, big tech and entertainment. The virtually open anti-white racism and even fascism of companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and others helped win the election for Biden, partly by blocking conservative argument. They have triple, quadrupled down on it, simply going along canceling conservatives books, videos, and so forth. Someone uttering a conservative view probably wouldn't last one day teaching in schools in many areas, probably more metropolitan ones, but even many suburban ones. The school's aberrant racism favoring blacks kids, which is not just harmful to white, but to black children, who are essentially being told they can't make it on their own. These morons running schools who dictate that math should be taught as a sub-topic of social justice, or that learning about white privilege is more important than education in general - are destroying a generation of young, impressionable kids, including, perhaps especially blacks. If you fail, it's because whitey hates you. That is literally the administrations take in some lefty areas. 

The entertainment industry is lost, and though they have clearly not yet felt the titanic effects of my one man boycott, are fascist supporters (in some cases fascists) never the less. I used to not hate, up to a few years ago, but, the "dark-side of the force" type hatred of the left and the almost insane hatred of Trump that affects even many otherwise normal and intelligent people, has convinced me - when faced with such hatred, we must fight fire with fire. I hope we don't all lose common decency, as so many already have.

I'm not going boogaloo on you - I detest violence except for self-defense. But, in some areas in America, normal government has given away to the fascism. The arrest of Kyle Rittenhouse is a good example of it, as he was clearly defending himself against race-baiting fascists. Compare the quickness with which Rittenhouse, and the zealousness of the prosecution in trying to put him in jail, with the slowness to prosecute the murderer (again, on video) of Ashli Babbit. I think of that murderous mob trying to kill Rittenhouse - some armed with guns, and I lament how much of our youth seems lost to the proselytization (Hitler: "Whoever has the youth has the future"). Big tech, which we have foolishly (me too) let control our speech, has made itself not just obnoxious, but capable of taking away our freedoms in way we couldn't even imagine a few years ago. I didn't approve of the unarmed, mostly peaceful, democratic love fest in the capital (if you don't know, I'm making fun of the Democratic former mayor of Seattle, when young fascists took over several city blocks, before it all went to hell) at the Capitol building. But, I get their frustration at the lack of parity. Frankly, many of them seem like idiots who just wanted to get arrested or pose for pictures, not realizing they would be treated completely differently and much worse (because Biden is wrong about most everything) than BLM and Antifa. But, they see our country being lost and themselves frozen out. It is hard to answer the question of when do we fight back? I don't have an answer. But do you have to wait until its too late (or just on the nub of it)? That is normally the American way. Late to WWI. Late to WWII. Etc.

Third, in America today, almost everyone is Private Benjamin.  For those of you too young to remember or have seen the film Private Benjamin, Goldie Hawn played a young woman who, disappointed in life after her husband of a few hours dies, joined the army, only to find it was not what she had in mind. In response to another soldier calling her by her last name, military fashion, she makes a classic speech ruing having joined up which ends with: "I wanna wear my sandals... I wanna go out to lunch. I wanna be normal again!"

This is us. We want to putter around, play on the internet, watch sports, go to work, raise our kids, and generally not fight in the streets. I don't know about you but I was raised a pacifist and have not changed much. But, not that I'm praising bullying, macho-ness or psycho-aggressiveness, whether we like it or not, Teddy Roosevelt was right: “If we lose the virile, manly qualities, and sink into a nation of mere hucksters, putting gain over national honor, and subordinating everything to mere ease of life, then we shall indeed reach a condition worse than that of the ancient civilizations in the years of their decay.” 

I could do a whole post on Teddy's wisdom. Though yes, he was certainly a racist by today's terms - he was certainly not a virulent one and was far less so than most of the rest of the nation and one of the most stalwart supporters of justice for blacks in an age when they were not privileged, as now. Here's another of his quotes: “The worst lesson that can be taught a man is to rely upon others and to whine over his sufferings.” That's us. 

 

We are who we are, a nation of whiners and enablers. Instead of celebrating those who want us to be stronger just to the point of resisting the bullies, the psychos, the criminal - we tend to throw them in jail or fire them, particularly if they are the wrong color (i.e., white) and don't follow the narrative. It has become dangerous - because even the Roman Empire became soft and was prey to virile, energetic and aggressive Vandals, an apt metaphor for the vandals who think it is nothing to burn and loot cities today.

I can't tell you how many people have told me in essence, sometimes directly, that they would prefer to live in a fascist state than to have to give up television than defeat fascism. Our lethargy (mine too) is an addictive drug we may need to go cold turkey on. Blackmailers, Bolshies and Revolutionaries don't stop when you think you've paid for your appeasement.

Maybe capitalism has been too successful. Because people, and even many of the poor, have it so good now - smart phones, televisions, cars, paved roads, running water, heat, medicine, schools (which is also day care) and so on, that we live better than kings 100 years ago, and are content to let the world fall apart so long as no one rings our doorbell. Most people aren't capable and don't want to contend with the angry, energized mobs of young people who will beat them up, destroy their property or ruin their dinner. It has ever been so that a few energized people, if well organized and motivated, can change the world. The defund the cops movement is a perfect example. Who wants it? Only gangs that seek to brutalize or rob others. The radicals want it because then no one is protecting people from them and they can get their version of justice (which, of course, means justice by virtue of skin color)? Yet, a survey during the height of the BLM riots last year showed over 80% of blacks wanted the same or more police - they don't like the radicals either.  

Right now, the socialist wing of the D party is energized, and though not every D is a socialist, most are now not so concerned about it or refuse to acknowledge how many of their party, particularly the youth, want it. Maybe they forget what their president said (I mean Barack Obama, the worship of whom, I will never understand, as it seems to me he hurt the country in almost every way - but he was black, and that is what mattered to many people): "It is important to remember that capitalism has been the greatest driver of prosperity and opportunity the world has ever seen." Well, pretty hard to rationally deny it. Not that he would probably say that again now and make himself irrelevant to his own followers. Of course, for every good thing Obama said, he usually hedged and said something pretty much the opposite. But, he also said - in 2016 - 3 years after BLM was founded:

"If you had to choose one moment in history in which you could be born, and you didn’t know ahead of time who you were going to be–what nationality, what gender, what race, whether you’d be rich or poor, gay or straight, what faith you’d be born into–you wouldn’t choose 100 years ago. You wouldn’t choose the fifties, or the sixties, or the seventies. You’d choose right now. If you had to choose a time to be, in the words of Lorraine Hansberry, “young, gifted, and black” in America, you would choose right now."

I doubt he'll be saying that these days either. 

Fourth, we are ruining our children. It started happening a long time ago, before I was born. Not that I don't think not beating your kids is a good idea, or that many parents aren't (still) too abusive to kids. But, we have turned them into fragile little flowers who are too easily offended, who get too much, who we think are too young to learn to share or to behave, and can't do any hard work. I'm going to refer you to a racist/fascist website - Youtube (that I constantly use because there is no real competitor - I tried), owned by the company whose platform this blog is written on, Google, another racist/fascist company (who I'm sure would cancel me if they ever realize what I write here) to refer you to one of the greatest stand up comedians of my generation  - George Carlin. He specified the problem much better and funnier than I can in - (57) George Carlin Fuck The Children - YouTube (and no, it is not sexual or perverse). It's one of the best routines I ever saw. Take a few minutes and listen.

But, it's gotten  much worse since Carlin recorded that. What have we done to our kids now? Parents (and teachers) are teaching little children that if they are "minorities" (who, of course, actually are the privileged now) that they are victims and can only succeed by demanding advantages or subscribing to myths, or by fiercely and violently protesting, and if they are white kids that they are privileged (even if poor) and racist, and will only succeed by their "whiteness." I expect Martin Luther King, Jr. is looking down from heaven saying - "What the . . . ?  Because they have taken his teachings, encased them in concrete, and tossed them overboard. They've taken the righteous Montgomery bus boycott, organized because blacks were literally not allowed to sit up front in busses - and turned it into boycotting My Pillow and Goya Beans because the owners support Trump. They've taken the great courage shown at Selma by refusing to react to mob violence - and turned it into violent, even murderous rampages that would explode King's head to see. They've taken "We Shall Overcome" - and turned it into "We shall burn your house down if you don't do what I want." They taken the righteousness of being actual victims once subject to all of the horrors of slavery, lynching and Jim Crow, and turned it into the false victim narrative of Adolf Hitler, that the Czechs and Poles were killing Germans and must be invaded. They've taken the notion of mostly peaceful - and turned it into a synonym for violence. 

I'm not bragging about how I was raised myself. No, Sirree. I was pampered like the rest, not pressured to do or accomplish much with almost no responsibilities. My siblings and I like to joke that we were raised by wolves. But, it has gotten much worse these days. Every parent should be teaching their kids that "sticks and stones can break your bones, but names can never hurt me," instead of the way to get ahead is to be offended or afraid. 

Fifth, diversity is not our strength. Back on August 29, 2016, I posted on my thoughts on women in the 21st century and argued this - some people believe that -

"When an identifiable group has been historically oppressed, it is "just" to give them an advantage or to practice reverse discrimination, even at the risk of damage to people who do not share their superficial quality and even to themselves."

I haven't changed my mind on this. In fact, the last few years have solidified it in my mind. Of course, by no means do I mean all women or any historically oppressed group feel this way, but these practices are a basis for promoting identity politics or social justice. Clearly, for me at least, that is no help in ending discrimination at all (which I think since the '70s, we had moved towards with great strides, and people still maintain, despite the assaults on civil life), but furthers it, just with a different top and bottom.  

Frequently, we hear how wonderful Denmark or other Scandinavian countries are, or are confronted with lists of the happiest countries (based on various statistics which may or may not relate to actual happiness). Finland is on top these days. I note that according to Indexmundi, a respected gatherer of demographics, that country is 69.8% Lutheran, with no other stated religion being more than 2% of the population. As of 2018, migrants made up 0.26% of the country. Switzerland is next after Denmark on the happiness scale - it's ethnicity is nearly Swiss 69.5%, German 4.2%, Italian 3.2%, Portuguese 2.6%, French 2%, Kosovo 1.1%, other 17.3%, unspecified .1%. In other words, also very homogenized. There is only one religious specified religion with over 5% of the population and that is Muslim, followed by only 0.3 percent Jewish. Although Islam is still small there, the influx is fairly recent, and, in 2018, a wopping 40% of Swiss stated they mistrusted Islam or Muslims, about triple what it had been only 2 years earlier, and in 2017 Switzerland passed a new law to limit immigration. You can go down the list yourself. You can look at the rest of the top ten yourself, but they are relatively homogenous countries. You can argue that the homogeneity is not the reason, but it seems like the burden might be on you to show that. You might not like this, you might even thinks it is racist or unfair. Okay. But, still, diversity does not seem to be a great strength, at least in some ways. Given our history, and what is going on now, it does not seem so at all. It is neither racist nor wrong to suggest so.

And, so long as teachers and parents are teaching kids that what matters is not merit, character, hard work or (more luck than anything), it is not going away either. It is a problem we almost solved, which socialists and activists are exploiting, and our biggest challenge. 

Listen up, now. This is my big finish. 

If you think this post is about discrimination against blacks or women or any group, you just have no idea what you are saying. My position is always anti-racist (not the popularized kind which is actually racist, but actual anti-racist). I wholeheartedly believe that the worst thing you can do to children is indoctrinate them in this skin color only mentality.  Though I don't know the numbers, it at least seems to me that more whites support the radical nonsense than blacks, as it is largely populated by socialists.  Any time I have seen videos of the riots, it sure seemed like it was often more white kids than blacks, although there are still considerably more whites than blacks in whole in the country (not necessarily in urban areas where most riots occur). However, according to Pew, almost twice as many blacks as whites have at least a somewhat positive view of socialism (35%/65%) and Hispanics more than half. I presume most blacks, like most people, just want to go to work, school, watch tv and eat ice cream than agitate, protest or fight. My problem is not with any ethnic group, but racist groups like BLM, Antifa (fascists whose disguise as anti-fascists is more transparent than Superman putting on glasses to become Clark Kent), and other radical groups. They must be de-popularized, defunded (they are the richest gangs in America, it seems) defeated. I'd hope they could be defeated at the ballot box and there not be violence. I cannot say I am optimistic.