Kosh's Shadow 4/13/2025 7:17:15 PM

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vxbush 4/14/2025 5:31:34 AM

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JCM: I saw that photo this weekend, and while it's funny, the question is: how do you interpret it? I bet that interpretation differs between Dems and Repubs. 

Here's a crazy story to start the day, although it is in line with a lot of thoughts in the Left: Wisconsin Teen Who Killed His Parents to Get Money to Kill Trump Linked to Satanic Cult

vxbush 4/14/2025 6:02:02 AM

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What Are They Hiding? Harvard Professors Sue Trump Administration to Block Review of Nearly $9 Billion in Federal Funds

Without going into the link to read it (yet), think about what this headline says: people who work at Harvard who are, supposedly, recipients of this money, are attempting to prevent the government from reviewing how the money is spent. 

I know, from frequent conversations with a friend years ago, any grant money received from the federal government then required careful documentation of how the money was spent, down to the penny. You had to account for everything. Again, without reading the article (yet), I would guess that isn't the case anymore and these professors are greatly annoyed at being second-guessed about how the grant monies were used. 

Now: let's see what the article says. Small excerpts: "Any good accountant knows that when the organization pushes back against an audit they are hiding something." Quoting Reuters: "The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a Boston federal court that the administration was trying to unlawfully undermine academic freedom and free speech on the school’s campus." 

So reviewing how money is spent--money that was given to Harvard with the assumption that it would be spent wisely and carefully documented--goes against academic freedom? Really? This is the argument they are making? Do these professors make this same argument with their spouses, their creditors? I'm guessing not.

The middle of the article pulls in a link to Claudine Gay, former president, stating that calling for genocide of Jews did not necessarily violate the school's code of conduct. While deplorable, that comment has little bearing on the topic of the article--unless it turns out the money was being spent to support such protests. That isn't stated or even implied in the article or the headline, though. 

Jim Hoft isn't a news reporter at a media organ, so I give him some slack for his writing style, but this is thinly sourced and contains minimal information.

Going to the Reuters article, the connection to the pro-Palestinian protests is made clearer because the letter from the Trump administration said that Harvard needed to ban the use of masks, eliminate DEI programs, and agree to cooperate with law enforcement. Many protesters have worn masks to hide their identity while they support Hamas on campus, so that makes a certain amount of sense. 

All in all, neither article really dives into the issues that well. Long-form news writing seems to be lost in this day and age, but I'd probably need to find someone in the Harvard circle who has a great deal more knowledge about the campus than the sources I've checked today. 

JCM 4/14/2025 7:16:56 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 2:

I've heard of other threats against officials in order to bring in chaos and collapse of society and the country.

Simply a whackadoodle that found birds of a feather is my honest guess. I'd like do know if he was diagnosed ADD, ADHD, etc... and prescribed psychotropics in school. I'd wager he was, and his profile matches a majority of school shooters.

The group as a whole a bunch of marginalized kids who found each other.

JCM 4/14/2025 7:18:40 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 3:

Accountability is unconstitutional! 

/Harvard Law.

JCM 4/14/2025 7:24:14 AM

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White House's new policy to ignore reporters who share their pronouns sparks debate

District Judges injunction in 3... 2... 1...

Alice in Dairyland 4/14/2025 7:46:55 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 2:  You know, I used to be really proud of being from Wisconsin. It's getting harder these days.  We used to have a great reputation for being hardworking, dependable, honest people (not to mention, sane!).  My father-in-law, born in 1912, always said he could go anywhere in this country and get hired at a job by just telling them he was from Wisconsin.  I'm not so sure that's true anymore.  I know it's not the first thing I tell people if I want to impress them.  I usually stress I'm from the northern part of the state, far, far away from Madison, if I have to tell them at all.  Sure would be nice to get things back to normal around here. 

vxbush 4/14/2025 8:31:58 AM

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In #7 Alice in Dairyland said: You know, I used to be really proud of being from Wisconsin. It's getting harder these days.  We used to have a great reputation for being hardworking, dependable, honest people (not to mention, sane!).  My father-in-law, born in 1912, always said he could go anywhere in this country and get hired at a job by just telling them he was from Wisconsin.  I'm not so sure that's true anymore.  I know it's not the first thing I tell people if I want to impress them.  I usually stress I'm from the northern part of the state, far, far away from Madison, if I have to tell them at all.  Sure would be nice to get things back to normal around here. 

That's fascinating. I can't think of any stories I've heard where people have simply shared where they are from and, as a result, have a reputation as trustworthy and hardworking. But it would be lovely to return to that standard, I agree. 

Is there a concept of "duty" today in the majority of America? 

JCM 4/14/2025 9:11:47 AM

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In #8 vxbush said: Is there a concept of "duty" today in the majority of America? 

Not that I can find, gone also is shame. 

JCM 4/14/2025 10:12:28 AM

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vxbush 4/14/2025 10:16:14 AM

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In #9 JCM said: Not that I can find, gone also is shame. 

Duty I can't find except mostly among older folks. That seems to be a result of the narcissism. 

But shame still exists--it seems to have morphed, though. I can't pin it down exactly, but people aren't ashamed of their actions. They are ashamed of getting caught, they are ashamed of their ancestors, but shame seems different today. The kids seem extremely fearful. 

JCM 4/14/2025 10:19:33 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 11:

Good point.

Cancel culture is shaming. But a toxic use of the concept. I would link the two concepts.

There would be shame in not fulfilling ones duty.

vxbush 4/14/2025 11:48:47 AM

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FIRST COVERAGE, THEN COVERUP

Keith Ellison makes a star appearance here. 

Occasional Reader 4/14/2025 12:50:43 PM

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Bukele: Nope, Ábrego is staying in El Salvador.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vedkm7w2do

Pairy 4/18/2025 5:32:43 AM

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