… Scott Eric Kaufman and ilk will call it RACIST!!!!! anyways.

It really is almost amusing how SqEK’s malignant bigotry compels him to keep dealing from the bottom of the stack of race cards he carries at ready in his roomy pockets. Certainly he knows this …

Well, it undermines the reverse-racism jujitsu Jeff taught Darleen to do, for one thing, because the existence of actual racists countermands the post-racial narrative Jeff and Darleen require to perform it. (By which I mean, they need to be able to say that there aren’t any racists anymore in order to claim that liberals are the real racists for noticing the race of people who oppose affirmative action, etc.)

… is such unfettered bovine excrement, untethered to any thing I, or Jeff, have ever written that either Scott has abandoned any pretense at moral behavior or he is suffering from some hysteric breakdown of Andrew Sullivanesque proportions.

No where can Scott cite one statement where I posit “there are no racists” or where I have engaged in a “post-racial” narrative.

Racism is collectivism at its basest. Racism is the belief that melanin-level is an indicator of character. Racism can be virulent — as in the hostility of the KKK towards Blacks, or the New Black Panthers towards Whites. Or racism can be corrosive — as in the patronizing racism of leftists toward certain minorities (i.e. Blacks, Hispanics) holding them to lesser standards of behavior ensuring they’ll never be taken seriously, but will be expected to be grateful supplicants.

Racism is also the belief that melanin level dictates politics and that an “improper” political stance (always so designated by some unelected, self-selected leader) negates the “authenticity” of the individual. This is the modern, metastasized version of the Left “feminist” trope the personal is the political.

In all cases, racism is collectivism and as such is anathema to any one that holds the individuals are ultimately responsible for themselves and should be judged, good or ill, on the same basis. Racism and charges of racism, like collectivism, is the realm of the intellectually lazy. No need to deal with individuals, just categorize them by looks and dismiss them.

“Reverse-racism” is a misnomer. It is all racism, regardless whether it is directed towards the melanin-enriched or the melanin-challenged.

And with all due respect to Jeff and his efforts to expose identity politics for the illiberal, misanthropic, totalitarian shell game they are, I learned my anti-racist/anti-collectivist, American principles from my parents.

Of course, for Scott, it makes no difference if a person is not racist themselves. Merely being a non-leftist and actually writing from that perspective is, in and of itself, race-baiting

By virtue of the fact that anything Ed Morrissey and his ilk write will bait racists into revealing themselves in the comments, every post of his is race-baiting.

This nonsense, of course, is just a variation on a theme we’ve seen often from the anti-American Left when it comes to 9/11 or Nidal Hasan — America creates terrorists. If only America didn’t [support Israel, have troops in the Middle East, et al] or convert to Islam they would love us. Hence, non-leftists create racists. If only non-leftists would SHUTUP (or convert), there would be no racism.

For all of the attempts by certain “conservative” bloggers and columnists to “watch their language” and “not give offense”, it doesn’t matter, it never mattered. It is not that we are misunderstood, it is that we are told to shut up or else because we are understood and our principles stand in the way of the Left’s Utopian agenda.

So, as I said at the top, Scott will shriek “RACIST!! ELEVENTY!!” and his band of noxious, know-nothing nabobs will drool their way through another set of straw non-leftists. Any honesty about “race” is the last thing these Utopians want to discuss. Oh my, their plantation pets might get ideas.

Out of economic necessity / desperation, I’m thinking about taking protein wisdom to the subscription model. In order to sustain the site (and myself, should I entertain returning here with regular content), I need to raise a minimum of $600 monthly.

The problem is, the only people willing to pay for website subscriptions are the die hard regulars, and having been away for so long, I haven’t the foggiest idea how many of those remain — or even if they’d be willing to donate monthly to keep this site going, what with other sites providing “free” content financed by advertisements or paid agreements with satellite sites (for instance, the Hot Air writers each receive in the neighborhood of 10x each what I’d require to keep the site going; PJM contributors likely between 3 - 20x, depending on the contributor).

So. Here’re my questions to all of you. Would you be willing to pay a monthly subscription fee for protein wisdom? If so, how much would you be willing to spend ($5, $10, $20, more / less)? Would you pay for a yearly subscription up front at a discounted rate, or would you prefer a month-to-month model? Do you like the multiple contributor model? Would you prefer more dedicated content from me? Would you be amenable to a part free / part “insider” content model? — a kind of OUTLAW nation within the parameters of a larger site?

Please drop a note in the comments below. If you don’t feel comfortable divulging your identity, use a fake name and email address (problems with trolls and proxy IPs are one of the reasons I’ve decided perhaps to go this route — so smoke ‘em if you got ‘em).

Thanks for taking the time. I’ll keep this post around for about a week or so to gauge the response. I look forward to implementing any changes that need to be made around here in order to keep the site going in a way that works both for its readers/commentators and its content providers.

And I mostly look forward to being able to write here again without the instant personal attacks that seem to crop up in the comments of any post with my byline.

Evidently, I scare the shit out of certain types.

… in the taste of movie audiences

The Blind Side nearly knocked off New Moon as the number one movie at the box office over the weekend. New Moon pulled in $42.5 million which was down a stunning but not unanticipated 70%. In comparison The Blind Side shot up over 17% from its opening weekend for $40.1 million. That puts it at $100 million in just nine days of release while New Moon has collected $230 million in the same time frame.

I reviewed The Blind Side here. It’s a film Frank Capra would have made if he were still alive.

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Related:

Even though I am of a certain age, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m an aficionada of true cinematic erotica. Unfortunately it does not exist in today’s offerings which can only be described as soft porn and even beyond that. [...]

Erotica should be what arouses sensuality and sexual desire in the imagination. Pornography is a cheap substitute to genuine sensuality by replacing it with naked thrusts and bursts of faux gasps of passion. How trite compared to visions created in our minds stimulated by a simple touch, look or gesture.

Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson quit when her clinic was pressured to increase the number of abortions it performed and she was also required to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion procedure. Vagina Warriors cried hoax and Planned Parenthood filed suit against Johnson. Now Planned Parenthood quietly withdraws the lawsuit.

White House party crashers looking to cash in.

Hack[ed] AGW scientists claim emails only a distraction. Mark Steyn asks “Who peer-reviews the peer-reviewers?” Especially when they throw away data.

Tis the season to act stupid. Or indecent.

At your next check-up, the nurse will weigh you, take your blood pressure and quiz you on what kind of light bulbs you use.

A woman pissed off and emotional because her company offers training to women to learn how not to be pissed off and emotional.

More good news from the Nationalized Medical front.

It was an ugly game, but the Trojans won, on a day when four inches of Anthropogenic Global Warming covered the local mountains.

My recent post on Palin hate was less about Sarah Palin than on the reaction to her and what that bespoke of the sufferers from Palin Derangement Syndrome. I concluded, thusly:

Sarah Palin, agree with her or not, is a symbol of the apolitical American citizen who wants to live their life, go where their talent and ambition takes them, provide and protect their families and does not want to think every waking moment about a bloated, hostile central government poised to control their every waking behavior.

It comes down to power and the Palin-haters reveal their deep-seated conviction that “soccer moms” and everyone like them should have none. Even over their own lives.

Ever.

It didn’t take long for one of the cut-n-paste trolls to litter the comment section by slapping down the race card with a couple of risible links. When I dismissed them, along came Scott Kaufman to attempt a full hand of race cards in libeling me directly a “racist” because my post approves of people controling their own lives. In Progspeak that

“advocates creating and maintaining structural inequalities that disproportionately affect people who just happen to not be white.”

Oh snap. Shorter SqEK: If everyone doesn’t get to the finish line at the exact same moment, the race was rigged and the winners cheated. Q.E.D.

Of course, SqEK decided to add “proof” of Palin’s [and anyone that doesn't want her dead] racism by providing links to a handful of photos of the Fort Bragg without SqEK-approved levels of melanin. William A. Jacobson at Legal Insurrection, takes a ginsu knife to both of SqEK’s race-mongering posts.

Scott Eric Kaufman, at the Lawyers, Guns and Money blog, thought counting non-white people at Sarah Palin book signings was a cool way to prove that Palin and her supporters were racist because there were so few non-whites pictured in available photos.

In fact, all Kaufman proved was that he was capable of playing the race card. Dividing and classifying people by skin color for political purposes has become the most convenient political tool of the American left-wing. [...]

What nonsense. Even if true that the crowd did not match the local demographics, it would prove nothing other than that Kaufman has a fixation on race and suffers from Palin Derangement Syndrome.

It is so easy for the Kaufmans of the world to falsely accuse people of being racist. In his post, since it was not enough to smear the crowds at Palin book signings, Kaufman also maliciously and falsely referred to one conservative blogger as a “noted racist.” Kaufman was so emboldened because this is the internet, and no one is held accountable.

Mr. Jacobson links to this MSNBC reporter covering a Palin book signing and at 1:45 the reporter states:

“I can tell you this crowd today was very, very diverse, a lot of people from different races, ages, all coming to see Palin and wanting get a glimpse of who this lady is that says that she’s going rogue.”

Reporter on the scene? PFFFFT! Scott “I see white people!” Kaufman knows better sitting at his desk in his office at University in Irvine checking the melanin level of crowd shots.

Not that this kind of nuclear option towards Palin is new. It certainly came out almost as soon as her first public appearance regardless of who attended. As Jeff pointed out then when analyzing a remarkable, even for a progressive, bit of demagoguery equating the linking of Bill Ayers to Obama as “racist” against Palin and non-leftists

And of course, Mr Daniel, in his self-righteous pique, fails to mention that “portraying Obama as ‘not like us’” is — rather than “another potential appeal to racism” — another instance of Obama’s own racial demagoguery: after all, it is Obama who peppers his stump speeches with accusations that the ideological opponents he caricatures will be frightened that we don’t see anyone like him on our currency, or that he has a “funny name.”

I shouldn’t have to remind Mr Daniel that one doesn’t see many who look like Sarah Palin on our currency, either — and that she’s been drawn in the media as everything from a ditzy bimbo to a snowbilly trailerpark queen, a shallow Inuit-humper playing government in the great frozen kindergarten state of Alaska.

Because that kind of bigotry is acceptable — particularly when the target falls outside the establishment idea of who gets to be a “feminist”, and so who is member in good standing of a “protected” class.

Indeed. And it is that kind of ubiquitous bigotry that must be addressed and exposed at every opportunity.

Progressives are desperate to marginalize, demonize, threaten and even physically assault people who politically disagree with them.

We can’t let them.

If the anemic California GOP doesn’t have this bit of audio already cued into their possible ads against Jerry Brown’s almost certain run for CA governor again, they need to be tarred and feathered. At least certainly replaced.

Allegedly, Attorney General Moonbeam promised to investigate ACORN after investigative tapes produced by O’Keefe and Giles surfaced on San Bernardino, Los Angeles and San Diego; but he also opened an investigation into O’Keefe and Giles at the same time. ACORN spokesman David Lagstein subsequently bragged the fix was in and Brown’s office had told him “the fault WILL be found with the people that did the video — not ACORN.”

More than 20,000 internal ACORN documents were unceremoniously carted out of ACORN offices and into a dumpster. The documents included all manner of sensitive information including Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and credit card statments. Yet, Jerry Brown’s rambling interview goes everywhere but to ACORN’s malfeasance in dumping these documents. Indeed, at 2:20 Jerry Brown makes this jaw dropping statement

You are supposed to have a little privacy in your garbarge can. As a matter of fact there was a case that I … um …. that I handles when I was a very young lawyer back in the sixties where the police went and looked in somebody’s garbarge can and they found some marijuana cigarettes and, ultimately, the US Supreme Court threw it out because they said you have an expectation of privacy in your garbage can.

This man is California’s Attorney General yet he either doesn’t remember that the ruling in California v. Greenwood is the exact opposite of what he states, or he’s lying in order to create a sympathetic climate in which to go after the whistleblowers on ACORN’s criminal activities.

Either way, this man whose election as AG was legally questionable and has the documents from his prior stint as California governor locked way for fifty years is clearly demonstrating he is more interested in partisan politics than in doing what is right.

Shopping is ok, but I hate crowds. I hate even more pushy crowds. I have managed to completely avoid any shopping mall on two of the most [IMHO] gawd-awful days of the year to be anywhere near a store with a ONEDAYDOORBUSTERS! sign out front: The day after Christmas and today, Black Friday.

However, over the past month I’ve been been keeping out an eye for a good deal on bikes for the twins. The boys are 50 inches tall and have outgrown the two-wheeler kiddie bikes.

Yesterday at Thanksgiving dinner, #2 daughter, their mom, clued me in on a doorbuster deal this morning I just couldn’t pass up and, God forgive me, hubby and I woke up at 4 am and rolled out to Sports Chalet (opened at 5 am) picked up two 20″ freestyle bikes at less than 1/2 price.

The huge crowds hanging outside Target and Kohls in the same mall location greatly encouraged us to beat a hasty retreat from the area after we manuevered the bikes into my car.

A nap later is on the agenda. Before or after getting up the Christmas lights is still an open question.

Do these kind of bargains get you out to the stores? Are you spending less this year? How do you think retail sales will end up this Christmas season?

Michael Ramirez

To continue where we left off for recipes, rites and memories, here’s an open thread to expand on the day’s theme.

Football isn’t the only game to be watched this day. For a lot of families this will be the first gathering mixing branches over a table eleven months after Hope-n-Change blew into Washington. Will you be asking your illiberal Democrat members how its going for them? Do you hold your tongue to hold the peace? Will you sit at the dining table reading Going Rogue? How much different will be their attitude from last year? Or will you rub it in?

More Thanksgiving linkies:

The gals of The Cotillion gather onsite with yummy recipes
Michelle Malkin offers up several videos from our troops
Scott at Powerline posts on one of the forgotten lessons of the Pilgrims at Plymouth - one we are poised to repeat.
Redstate posts the best ever Thanksgiving comedy bit of television history — WKRP in Cincinnate’s “Turkey Drop”. “With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”

At least, according the Minnesota Board of Teaching

In a report compiled last summer, the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group at the U’s College of Education and Human Development recommended that aspiring teachers there must repudiate the notion of “the American Dream” in order to obtain the recommendation for licensure required by the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Instead, teacher candidates must embrace — and be prepared to teach our state’s kids — the task force’s own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic.

The task group is part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative, a multiyear project to change the way future teachers are trained at the U’s flagship campus. The initiative is premised, in part, on the conviction that Minnesota teachers’ lack of “cultural competence” contributes to the poor academic performance of the state’s minority students. [...]

The report advocates making race, class and gender politics the “overarching framework” for all teaching courses at the U. It calls for evaluating future teachers in both coursework and practice teaching based on their willingness to fall into ideological lockstep. [...]

The task group recommends, for example, that prospective teachers be required to prepare an “autoethnography” report. They must describe their own prejudices and stereotypes, question their “cultural” motives for wishing to become teachers, and take a “cultural intelligence” assessment designed to ferret out their latent racism, classism and other “isms.” They “earn points” for “demonstrating the ability to be self-critical.” [...]

Future teachers must also recognize and denounce the fundamental injustices at the heart of American society, says the task group. [...]

…the task force recommends requiring “our future teachers” to “articulate a sophisticated and nuanced critical analysis” of this view of the American promise. In the process, they must incorporate the “myth of meritocracy in the United States,” the “history of demands for assimilation to white, middle-class, Christian meanings and values, [and] history of white racism, with special focus on current colorblind ideology.”

What if some aspiring teachers resist this effort at thought control and object to parroting back an ideological line as a condition of future employment? The task group has Orwellian plans for such rebels: The U, it says, must “develop clear steps and procedures for working with non-performing students, including a remediation plan.”

Bill Ayers approach to education is not a fluke.

I began teaching when I was 20 years old in a small freedom school affiliated with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The year was 1965, and I’d been arrested in a demonstration. Jailed for ten days, I met several activists who were finding ways to link teaching and education with deep and fundamental social change. They were following Dewey and DuBois, King and Helen Keller who wrote: “We can’t have education without revolution. We have tried peace education for 1,900 years and it has failed. Let us try revolution and see what it will do now.”

I walked out of jail and into my first teaching position—and from that day until this I’ve thought of myself as a teacher, but I’ve also understood teaching as a project intimately connected with social justice.

Since the 60’s, Left totalitarian radicalism started a systematic “transformation” via higher education - from schools of “journalism” that eschew even attempts at objectivity in favor of “advocacy journalism”, to schools of education that turn out teachers dedicated to “social justice” rather teaching kids to read and write.

If the Minnesota Board of Teaching is successful in its political litmus test for teaching licenses, how long before they undermine and effectively ban homeschooling in that state?

And what other Licensing Boards will follow?

h/t Hot Air

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UPDATE: via Hot Air, FIRE became concerned enough by this report to look into it and found out is even worse

FIRE is deeply concerned about new policies at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities proposed by the College of Education and Human Development. According to documents published by the college (see http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cehd/teri), it intends to mandate certain beliefs and values-”dispositions”-for future teachers. The college also intends to redesign its admissions process so that it screens out people with the “wrong” beliefs and values-those who either do not have sufficient “cultural competence” or those who the college judges will not be able to be converted to the “correct” beliefs and values even after remedial re-education. These intentions violate the freedom of conscience of the university’s students. As a public university bound by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the university is both legally and morally obligated to uphold this fundamental right.

With the Left controlling admissions, graduations and licensing for teachers, who really needs to even discussion narrative and intentionalism? Words will mean whatever the Task Group say they mean.

h/t Lamontyoubigdummy