Why Leftism [sic] Fails: An Historical Study, part 2

Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis

“Let me continue this series on the Persian empire based upon the words of historian Will Durant (see article one in this series). Again, we must study history to determine what works. If we practice what has succeeded in the past, we will see true ‘progress’ — not just by following the good, but by rejecting the bad, the mistakes countless generations before us have made. But Leftists [sic] want to revise history. Notice what they are doing with our own. According to the liberal [sic] ‘scholar,’ the Founding Fathers were not great men who built a solid foundation for a successful country. They were ‘terrorists,’ ‘elitists,’ ‘racists,’ or ‘slave owners,’ who oppressed other people and exploited resources for their own selfish aggrandizement. Leftism [sic] must tear down in order to build up what they want.” (03/18/24)

https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2024/03/18/why-leftism-fails-an-historical-study-part-two-n2636615

Cubans stage rare street protest over power blackouts

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“Hundreds of people in Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago, staged a rare public protest on Sunday over chronic power blackouts and food shortages. The island is facing its worst economic crisis for three decades, with large parts of Cuba being left without power for more than 14 hours a day. Videos on social media show people chanting ‘power and food’. Its president blames the situation on US sanctions, but critics say it is down to government mismanagement. Since 1960, the US has maintained an economic embargo against Cuba which puts strict rules on trade between the countries. The economy in Cuba, a communist-run island with a population of about 11 million, has been in dire straits in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic put further strain on the cash-strapped nation, which has led to vast shortages of food, fuel and medicine.” (03/18/24)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-68595885

Cutting the Pentagon Down to Size: Daring to “Look a Sacred Cow in the Teeth”

Source: TomDispatch
by William Astore

“In an age when American presidents routinely boast of having the world’s finest military, where nearly trillion-dollar war budgets are now a new version of routine, let me bring up one vitally important but seldom mentioned fact: making major cuts to military spending would increase U.S. national security. Why? Because real national security can neither be measured nor safeguarded solely by military power (especially the might of a military that hasn’t won a major war since 1945). Economic vitality matters so much more, as does the availability and affordability of health care, education, housing, and other crucial aspects of life unrelated to weaponry and war. Add to that the importance of a Congress responsive to the needs of the working poor, the hungry and the homeless among us.” (03/18/24)

https://tomdispatch.com/daring-to-look-a-sacred-cow-in-the-teeth

China: Three teenagers detained in Handan over classmate’s death

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“Authorities in the northern Chinese city of Handan have detained three teenage boys over the brutal death of their classmate, local media report. The case of the 13-year-old boy, identified only by his surname Wang, has sparked anger and furious debate on juvenile crime. Authorities found his remains buried in an abandoned vegetable garden. The boy was bullied in school, according to his father. Police are investigating the case as an intentional homicide, state-run Global Times said. All three detained teens are under 14. Under Chinese law, those above 12 years of age but under 14 can face criminal prosecution only when allowed by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the country’s highest public prosecutor. The victim and his classmates are ‘left-behind children,’ a term used to describe kids in China who live with their grandparents in rural areas while their parents work in the cities.” (03/18/24)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68594364

Standardized tests aren’t the problem; Here’s what’s really holding students back

Source: Fox News
by Jeremy Tate

“After making standardized tests optional for admissions during the pandemic, elite universities like Dartmouth, MIT, Yale and, most recently, Brown have recognized their error and reimposed a testing requirement for all applicants. Originally, these schools caved to critics who derided the SAT and ACT as discriminatory, inequitable and even racist. The critics were always wrong to blame demographic differences in test scores on racial animus, but they were right about something: The SAT and ACT do put students at a disadvantage – all students. Debates about testing often focus on how different socioeconomic or racial groups compare within the system, questioning why wealthier students get better SAT scores than poorer or if the ACT favors Whites and Asians over Blacks and Hispanics. This focus on disparities makes us blind to a much more vital question: Do these tests even measure what’s important?” (03/18/24)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/standardized-tests-arent-problem-heres-what-is-really-holding-students-back

Nigeria: Gunmen kidnap at least 87 in Kaduna state

Source: Reuters

“Gunmen in Nigeria have kidnapped at least 87 people, including women and children in Kaduna state, residents and police said on Monday, in a fresh attack after an armed gang seized 286 students and staff from a school in early March. Kidnappings by criminal gangs demanding ransom payments have become an almost daily occurrence in Nigeria, especially in the north, with authorities seemingly powerless to stop them. Kaduna police spokesperson Mansur Hassan confirmed the incident in Kajuru Station village on Sunday night but could not give a figure of those missing. He said security agents had been deployed to try to rescue the villagers. Tanko Wada Sarkin, a village head, said 87 people were taken. ‘We have so far recorded the return of five people back home who fled through the bush. This attack makes it five times that these bandits are attacking this community,’ he told Reuters by phone.” (03/18/24)

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kidnap-least-87-nigerias-kaduna-state-say-residents-police-2024-03-18/

SCOTUS rejects appeal by former NM county commissioner banned for January 6 insurrection

Source: SFGate

“The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a former New Mexico county commissioner who was kicked out of office over his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Former Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, a cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing then-President Donald Trump with a series of horseback caravans, is the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Trump. At a 2022 trial in state district court, Griffin received the first disqualification from office in over a century under a provision of the 14th Amendment written to prevent former Confederates from serving in government after the Civil War.” (03/18/24)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/supreme-court-rejects-appeal-by-former-new-mexico-19198412.php

On Today’s Absurd New York Times Hit Piece

Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi

“In advance of oral arguments tomorrow in the Supreme Court for Murthy v. Missouri, formerly Missouri v. Biden, the New York Times and authors Jim Rutenberg and Steven Lee Myers wrote a craven and dishonest piece called, ‘How Trump’s Allies Are Winning the War Over Disinformation.’ The Times implies both the Twitter Files reports and my congressional testimony with Michael Shellenberger were strongly influenced by former Trump administration official Mike Benz, whose profile occupies much of the text. Benz is described as a purveyor of ‘conspiracy theories, like the one about the Pentagon’s use of Taylor Swift,’ that are ‘talking points for many Republicans.'” (03/18/24)

https://www.racket.news/p/on-todays-absurd-new-york-times-hit

Report: RFK Jr. to name wealthy attorney Nicole Shanahan as 2024 running mate

Source: New York Post

“Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to tap California attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, according to a report. Shanahan, a Democratic donor who was once married to Google cofounder Sergey Brin, funded Kennedy’s pricey Super Bowl campaign commercial, Mediaite reported Saturday. The pair ‘align on numerous issues,’ including his condemnation of vaccines, and she can help funnel money into Kennedy’s long-shot bid and get him on ballots in all 50 states, sources close to the campaign told the outlet. The pick notably keeps New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whom Kennedy said was considering as his Vice President, off the November ballot. Kennedy’s campaign declined to confirm that he’s made a decision.” (03/17/24)

https://nypost.com/2024/03/16/us-news/rfk-jr-to-name-nicole-shanahan-as-running-mate-in-white-house-run-report/

Drawing lines of peace in Gaza

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“Facing an American demand to ‘put civilians first’ even as it rids Gaza of Hamas fighters, Israel announced Wednesday that it would follow that core principle of the rules of war in a particularly difficult choice. Palestinian civilians in Rafah – perhaps all 1.4 million of them – would be moved out of harm’s way before Israel launches major assaults on Hamas sites in the besieged city. The civilians would be settled in ‘humanitarian islands’, or guarded encampments of tents across southern Gaza. In the history of modern warfare, negotiating such a deal to protect the innocent and ensure them aid is never easy. It requires those who uphold international law to take a principled stand.” (03/14/24)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2024/0314/Drawing-lines-of-peace-in-Gaza