The Ninth Circus Strikes Again
Yesterday the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued yet another ruling likely to cause the blood pressure of patriotic Americans to skyrocket. In this case, the court ruled that officials at Live Oak High School, in a San Jose suburb, were justified in ordering students to take off or turn inside out their American flag t-shirts in order to avoid racial violence.
Why would American flag shirts prompt violence? Hispanic students at the school were celebrating Cinco de Mayo, so the American flag had to be hidden. Rulings like this one have earned the court its nickname -- the Ninth Circus Court of Appeals.
It is a high bar to limit free expression in this country. I recognize that school authorities have an obligation to ensure order and safety. But this ruling is incredibly ironic and infuriating. Thankfully, attorneys representing the students are promising to appeal.
School officials should be required to ensure the safety of students, particularly when it comes to students expressing their love for the country the school is in, a country that guarantees free expression!
If there was a threat of violence, perhaps school officials should have directed their efforts at the Hispanic students who were celebrating a foreign holiday in an American school. Perhaps the Cinco de Mayo celebrations should have been cancelled.
A Socialist Speaks
Deposed Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych emerged from hiding today. He held a press conference in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Yanukovych had a lot to say. He spoke for more than an hour.
He blamed the West for his demise and insisted he was still in charge. He denounced the May elections as illegal, and added that he intended to "fight for the future of Ukraine."
In the last 48 hours, the Ukrainian people have discovered that while they were barely earning enough money to keep their heat on, the socialist government led by Viktor Yanukovych, using all the rhetoric we hear in the U.S., was living in incredible luxury.
The "one percent" would be jealous seeing the lifestyle of this avowed socialist. The Swiss and Austrians have announced that they are seizing Yanukovych's foreign assets.
It reminds me of hypocritical liberals and socialists in America who complain about energy consumption when they use more than a small subdivision. Or socialists who bash capitalism while reaping tens of millions in profits.
The left has a huge advantage -- the media. It never points out this hypocrisy, and frequently covers for it.
During his press conference, Yanukovych was asked whether there was anything he was ashamed of in last month. He could have talked for an hour about that alone -- the people killed, the money he wasted.
Instead, Yanukovych was defiant, saying he was only sorry that he could not maintain order. Wherever in the world you find it, that is the socialist mindset -- control and exploit the people.
A Role Model For Your Daughters?
[WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE]
During a September 2012 event that raised $4 million for his reelection campaign, Barack Obama praised pop singer Beyonce as a role model for his daughters. The president said, "Beyonce could not be a better role model for my girls because she carries herself with such class and poise and has so much talent." Of course, he also said he gets parenting advice from the Islamist prime minister of Turkey.
But I wonder if he still feels the same way about Beyonce. Her latest song lyrics are causing quite a stir. Consider this verse:
"Driver roll up the partition please / I don't need you seeing Yonce on her knees ... / Oh he so horny, yeah he want to f--- / He popped all my buttons, and he ripped my blouse / He Monica Lewinsky-ed all on my gown… / I just wanna be the girl you like, the girl you like."
Where was the class and poise in that filth?
Folks, I know what it is like to be a parent. I've raised three children, including two daughters. No one wants to be overly intrusive.
But you have to pay attention to what you're children are listening to. That song is not a model for how young women should act. Nor is it a model for how a young man should treat someone else's daughter.
The left likes to claim that conservatives are waging a "war on women." It's the exact opposite. The popular culture of the left, which assaults Judeo-Christian values of decency and reliable standards of right and wrong, debases women.