Below is my column in Fox.com on the current status of the investigation into the Biden classified documents. The search of the Rehoboth Beach residence did not find classified material. The search, however, raises the question of a massive amount of Biden material held at the University of Delaware. Biden has pledged to be “very transparent” but continues to block any public or press access to this material.
Here is the column:
We previously discussed the movement in journalism schools to get rid of principles of objectivity in journalism. Advocacy journalism is the new touchstone in the media even as polls show that trust in the media is plummeting. Now, former executive editor for The Washington Post Leonard Downie Jr. and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward have released the results of their interviews with over 75 media leaders and concluded that objectivity is now considered reactionary and even harmful. Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, editor-in-chief at the San Francisco Chronicle said it plainly: “Objectivity has got to go.” Continue reading ““Objectivity Has Got To Go”: News Leaders Call for the End of Objective Journalism”
Below is my column in the Hill on moves by some states to create greater choice and control for parents over the education of their children. The move to use funding to change the status quo could soon be used in higher education. Not only are alumni beginning to withhold contributions to schools with little or no diversity or tolerance on their faculties, but states could reduce their levels of support.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Captives or Consumers? Public Education Could Be Facing a Major Change”
Mark Houck, 48, was acquitted yesterday in a high-profile prosecution by the Biden Administration under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Houck was accused of pushing a Planned Parenthood escort during a clash outside an abortion clinic. It is a rare victory for Houck and the Thomas More Society (which represented Houck) under the act. Houck insisted that he was trying to protect his twelve-year-old son in the encounters with Love. There is also an interesting wrinkle in the jury deliberations. Continue reading “Pro-Life Father Acquitted in Trial Over Abortion Clinic Confrontation”
Last night, Res Ipsa passed the 67,000,000 mark in views on the blog. We have used these moments to give thanks for our many regular readers around the world and share our traffic data to give you an idea of the current profile of readers around the world. We do not have a running data page so these periodic postings allow our community to see the traffic profile of our blog. So let’s get at it. Continue reading “Res Ipsa Hits 67,000,000”
Below is my column in the New York Post on the pledge of transparency by President Joe Biden in the classified documents scandal. Yesterday, President Biden assured the public that it could take “the word of a Biden” on their bright future. That would be more reassuring if he would fulfill his pledge to be “very transparent” on his storage of documents from his time as senator and vice president.
Here is the column:
Continue reading “Does the “Word of a Biden” Extend to the Biden Delaware Documents?”
There is an interesting case out of Oregon where Judge Marco Hernández has ruled for a Portland State University Professor Bruce Gilley who was excluded from a Diversity Twitter page by the Communication Manager of the Division of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Oregon. (The manager is identified as “tova stabin” who the court notes “spells her name with all lowercase letters.”). Stabin has now left the school. The court rejects a critical motion to dismiss and said that Gilley has raised sufficient evidence to go to trial after stabin blocked Gilley for responding to a tweet with “all men are created equal.” Continue reading ““Racism Interruptor”: Court Rules for Professor Blocked from Twitter Page for Posting “All Men Are Created Equal””
Below is my column on the release of the videotapes in the Nichols case and what they suggest about the prosecution of the five officers accused of murder. This is the longer version of the column that ran in the New York Post.
Here is the column: Continue reading “The Nichols Tapes and Their Impact on the Prosecution of the Former Memphis Officers”
There is an interesting controversy brewing in Rhode Island where a high school vice principal, Stefani Harvey, sent an email to school staff seeking money to pay a “coyote” for transporting a student who entered the country illegally. Harvey was trying to help the student pay off the coyote fee, but there is a little problem with this fundraiser: transporting aliens is a federal crime. Even worse, these “contracts” for human smuggling often become human trafficking enterprises where those who cannot pay are used in prostitution or the drug trade.
It is a common lament that news today moves at a Nascar pace. With social media, reactions are immediate and can be wrong. It also fuels conspiracy theories on incomplete facts. That was the case with Paul Pelosi. Various sites pushed a theory that Pelosi knew his attacker David DePape and may have actually been in a romantic relationship. Others suggested that there was no danger or emergency when police first arrived at the Pelosi residence. Both claims were shattered by this videotape and offer yet another cautionary tale of the viral claims that can take hold in early coverage. Continue reading “The Pelosi Tapes: The Video of the October Attack Shows New Details and Refute Sensational Theories”
Jack Phillip, the Colorado baker who brought the challenge in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission has again lost an appeal in Colorado state court. After the Supreme Court effectively punted on the issue of his free speech and free exercise challenges to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (“CADA”), which protects against the denial of service in a place of public accommodation based on one’s identity. After the 2018 decision, Phillip faced additional demands including the creation of a gender transitioning cake. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the refusal to make the cake requested by Autumn Scardina did not constitute free speech. Continue reading “Masterpiece Cakeshop Loses Appeal Over Gender Transition Cake”
The Associated Press has announced that the article “the” should be avoided in many circumstances because it is “dehumanizing.” It warns writers to avoid saying offensive things like “the French”. It does not seem that we can even just add an x like Latinx. It is not a gender thing so “thx” will not suffice. It is now an article of faith to stop using the article “the” in referencing groups. It is reminiscent of Winston Churchill who was chastised for ending a sentence with a preposition. He responded by showing the artificiality of avoiding an ending preposition: “This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.”
The problem with universities overwhelmingly controlled by faculty on the left is that there are few to offer a dose of reality or rationality. Left to their own devices, some faculty seem to search for new ways to demonstrate woke priorities. British universities have long been ridiculed for policies controlling speech or symbols. Now, The Telegraph is reporting that British universities are adding trigger warnings to Greek and Shakespearean tragedies to protect students from being triggered by tragedy. Indeed, there are now warnings on other classics for everything from “ableism” to “depictions of rural life.”
With the recent passage of AB 2098, California took a highly controversial step in barring doctors from offering “false information” on Covid-19 and related subjects. The law is an extension of Democratic efforts to block or censor “misinformation” and “disinformation” in society from social media to medicine. However, this effort involves direct government action. As will come as little surprise to many on this blog, I opposed the measure as unconstitutionally vague and a threat to free speech. Nevertheless, Judge Fred Slaughter (C.D. Cal.) in McDonald v. Lawson held that this statute was likely constitutional and rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction. Now, however Judge William Shubb (E.D. Cal.) has reached the opposite conclusion in Hoeg v. Newsom, granting an injunction. Continue reading “Court Enjoins California’s Bar on Doctors Giving “False Information” on Covid”
We previously discussed the action of Hamline University not to renew the contract of an art professor, Erika Prater, who showed an image of Muhammad as part of an arts class. The action was an affront to both free speech and academic freedom. Prater has sued. In the meantime, the faculty has voted 72-12 to condemn the action and demand that Hamline President Fayneese Miller resign. With the exception of the 12 faculty dissenters, it is a relatively rare demonstration of academic courage in standing up to an anti-free speech mob. They are correct. Miller should resign immediately based on what we already know about this scandal. Continue reading ““We are the Faculty”: Hamline Professors Demand President’s Resignation After Abandoning Due Process and Academic Freedom”