Roundup
(1) The Lia Thomas story is one of the best examples of the insanity of our age. I have no trouble with voluntarily calling Thomas “she” if that’s what she wants. But she should never be competing against biological women in a swimming competition. She was a fair but nothing-special college swimmer when she competed as a male, but she’s cruising to victory in the women’s field, hardly seeming to need to even put out much effort.
If you click on that link, you’ll see some photos that illustrate the advantages of a male body (which is what she has, having gone through male puberty quite some times ago) in that sort of sport and in fact in most sports. That’s why we have male and female categories that are separate, something like weight classes in boxing.
Here’s one of those photos of Lia Thomas:
(3) Meanwhile, enemies take advantage of Biden’s weakness. I say “weakness.” But actually, it might just be the natural and purposeful continuation of Obama’s foreign policy. Actually, I’d say it’s both.
The Iran deal redux.
(4) The latest Ukraine/Russia news:
The Kremlin, in a statement, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in the “near future” will recognize the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic regions in eastern Ukraine.
“Today, the leadership of the DPR and LPR received appeals to recognize their sovereignty in connection with the military aggression of the Ukrainian authorities, massive shelling of the territory of Donbas, as a result of which the civilian population suffers,” the Kremlin statement read, repeating claims of military aggression that Ukraine has repeatedly denied and disputed.
“With all this in mind, the President of Russia said that he intended to sign a corresponding decree in the near future,” the statement read, adding that the “President of France and the Federal Chancellor of Germany expressed their disappointment with this development.”
Stop calling “him” a “she”. It only makes it worse when we don’t stand up to such insanity.
Who are the Americans that actually really care about Ukraine/Russia? Not the left not the populist right (now by far the majority of Republicans) and certainly not independents.
Bill Krystol and Max Boot are not a constituency.
I’m not saying the US shouldn’t have a role in trying to resolve this but we should have absolutely ZERO military role or even a threat of that. None. Let Europe deal with this and especially Germany this is their neighborhood not ours.
As a side note how is $6 a gallon gas going to affect Inflation?
This tweet sums it up perfectly.
https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1495847183245000706
Re Thomas: in the spirit of creating a crisis and then turning it to advantage (a “Biden” tradmark, if not forte), there’s a real opportunity here to institute a strategy of rigorous penal “swim therapy” leading up to inter-penitentiary sports training and swim competitions…keeping in mind “Biden”‘s latest “inspiration”:
“Blue states consider letting anatomical males into women’s prisons, hiding their backgrounds”
https://justthenews.com/government/state-houses/blue-states-consider-letting-anatomical-males-womens-prisons-hiding-their
The point being, simply, elegantly, to provide an environment whereby the inmates/competitors can experience the awards of hard work and achievement, the values of fair play (well, “fair play”) and the joys of staying healthy…(along with tiring them out so that they get an excellent night’s sleep, spend less money on medication…and, it is hoped, enable them to be less of a danger to their “colleagues”.)
A daring, humane and innovative solution to a tricky challenge.
(Lia Thomas can mentor or coach them; but Kamala Harris should be placed in charge of the program—a great way to get her our of Europe ASAP).
..
Bkhuna:
One can stand up to the insanity part and still politely defer to a person’s pronouns, as long as it’s a voluntary act of politeness. That’s Jordan Peterson’s stance, and it’s mine as well.
I have made it crystal clear that Lia Thomas has a male body. That’s the important issue here for me.
“The Kremlin, in a statement, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in the “near future” will recognize the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic regions in eastern Ukraine.”
Well, Putin was going to take his time doing this, until he learned that………..drum roll please………… joe bidet’s top gun, KAMALA HARRIS was to be involved in this mess.
Putin, literally shite his knickers when hearing of this, because he (and the leaders of Iran, China, N.Korea, Cuba , Venezuela and Belarus) are scared shitless of her intellect, personality, world influence, power and authority.
So before she could force Putin to change course- merely by her presence on the European continent – he decided to launch a pre-emptive strike and basically just say the E.Ukraine is now part of the Russian Federation.
What a pity Kamala Harris was not dispatched sooner to oversee the Ukraine/Russia mess. The ONLY reason I can think of that she was not is because, …..well, Donald Trump.
But there is still hope folks; joe bidet can still send Antonio Blinken; a diplomat that makes Metternich or Bismark look like a nursery school, dunce cap, wearing girl
I love you Neo, but I agree with what Bkhuna said.
We got to this point because society was being “ nice”. Fox is going on and on about this one swimmer, but largely ignoring what has happened to shelters set up for abused women, with these bully trans pushing their way into the shelters, as if they are one of the girls. Or the damage being done to girls in schools with the unisex bathrooms made to pander to these people. Fox may have had an article about that once or twice, but “ for the children” does not seem to really matter.
This stuff is right out of “ 1984”, with the interrogator wanting Winston to lie about how many fingers he was holding up. That is how they got the power they have now.
I try to refer to people like Thomas as just that. Use their name at all possible times. Now if an individual goes through all the surgeries and lives as the other sex then maybe using their preferred pronoun is appropriate.
But just one day declaring yourself the opposite sex and then requiring people to refer to them as something that is not true is a step too far.
Regarding (1):
Several years ago (3?) two High School boys in Connecticut decided they were “women” and started wreaking havoc on race finalists and race times. When I saw footage from two of the races I was astounded no parents or coaches were stepping in to quell the farce.
Girls. Teen-aged girls were having years of hard work; hopes, dreams… trampled and destroyed and adults who were their coaches, mentors, even their parents… stood by silently and did nothing to protect those girls. How could a society produce grown adults that no longer instinctively protected girls?
I know little of psychology, but I can’t help but notice a pattern of how many “progressive” ideas and causes result in harm to women.
Nothing at all against women in the workforce (folks should be free to choose whatever paths they prefer), but how many mothers employed in middle management positions overseeing clerical departments in office cube farms enjoy dropping their children off at daycare centers that take 50% of their wages to work 8 hours a day to “increase shareholder value?” How many of those women are on anti-depressants or self-medicating with wine every evening?
Have no-fault divorce, abortion on demand, welfare benefits favoring fatherless households put women in a better position?
Now “trans” men seem determined to prove men are better women than women.
Human women are the pinnacle of God’s creation. Our society used to revere women. Why do we tolerate their persecution and destruction?
And, I’m sorry to get all Jordan Peterson’y here, but what does living in a society that permits this do to young men? If Jung and/or Peterson are correct, and the hero’s journey is hard-wired into human males; what happens when society removes the holy grail?
A life committed to a noble quest becomes an aimless meander.
Oh well, I guess they can “level up” playing video games.
“….still politely defer to a person’s pronouns”
Have to go with jon and Bkhuna here, Neo. I think he is a fraud and knows exactly what he is doing and should be held accountable. I see a world of difference between him and Jenner, and note Jenner does not endorse such competition between biological women and trans women.
I may be a bit prickly on this as a father of two daughters who have been athletic their whole lives. 3-sport kids until they were about 12, then settled entirely on soccer and still play as adults. I watched and encouraged their competing at a high level from 5 years old through college. I can easily imagine what the fathers of those actual women swimmers must be thinking as they see their daughter’s hard work and joy in their sport destroyed for an exercise in promoting non-reality.
All women who have to compete against this freak and slime ball should get up on their starting pylons and, when the go signal is given, simply climb down off them and go back to the suit-up room. This leaves the freak to simply swim around until he finishes and then climb out alone.
Women swimmers go along with this mad stupidity merely underscore their own weakness.
You will be made to care if they continue to have their way, and they won’t and haven’t been polite about it. When does coercion have to be polite? They are not interested in women, that’s just a construct, a mental thing.
There is also this in the Lia Thomas story. Thomas’ times magically improved five seconds since a race in January. There is also another trans swimmer in the Ivy League who Thomas is pals with and probably colluded with.
https://www.outkick.com/remember-those-lia-thomas-trans-race-collusion-accusations-back-in-january/
Griffin:
There is a legal (Latin) term false in one thing, false in all things IIRC. Honor among theives, splish splash, and all that.
I agree with Van der Leun’s designation of Thomas as a “slime ball”.
Nevertheless, I agree with Neo’s pronoun tolerance.
Therefore, regarding Thomas: she is a slime ball.
Gerard Van der Leun,
Rather, the boyfriend of one of the female competitors ought to bloody his nose. Why do you leave it to the women to battle a man? Are there no men left on Penn’s campus?
Rufus,
They are as terrified as the swimmers and their parents.
The Suzy Weiss piece is amazing just for the amount of people afraid to go on the record as anything.
I will never refer to a biological male as anything other than that…unless & until they go through the whole megillah of surgery & genital reconstruction.
Until then…they is what God made them.
After that…I’m just sad for them but polite as I can be.
A Dr I know tells me that while she will refer to them by their pronouns etc…she will medicate according to the original biology because some drugs have different effects in men than in women. Other physicians here might have a different approach…that’s just one I know who’ll talk to me about such things.
And I still contend that the only way this stops is for women to refuse to compete…simply withdraw at the start line…if there is a biological male in the competition. Women have to own this as the hill they will die on or it doesn’t go away.
1) as a matter of politeness, the problem with deferring to a person’s desired pronouns is that it elevates the replacement of objectivity with subjectiveness. It effectively establishes subjective ‘reality’ as the determinate of reality itself for both parties and more importantly, for society itself.
No such society can retain societal consensus when reality itself is determined by individual subjectivity.
Which BTW is the goal of the left’s support for trangenderism, a conflict between mind and bodily reality.
Nor can a societal consensus upon sanity itself be maintained.
We’ve already seen a huge amount of examples of this, see: ” It’s happening all across America and here’s why”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6NDpJbJNkw
3)The Iran ‘deal’ (capitulation and appeasement) ensures nuclear conflict, only the extent of it remains to be seen. It has always been so when dealing with fanatics.
4)The Ukrainian authority’s massive shelling in the territory of Donbas is an action designed to force Putin to at the least annex that region, providing the rationale for NATO then extending to the Ukraine NATO membership. A provocation that, as a clear national security threat, Putin cannot allow. No better distraction from domestic political concerns has yet been devised… than a ‘safe’ regional war.
1. I don’t advocate violence except in self defense or the defense of others.
2. If I were on the jury where the defendant is accused of beating the crap out of a bio-man who posed as a woman to take advantage, in any way, of the fairer sex, there would be a hung jury.
Both of the above are true.
I’m not deferring to the games people play. If Dr. Peterson wishes to, that’s on him. Bruce Jenner is Bruce Jenner and referred to properly as ‘he’.
It should not be discriminatory to divide the population into XX and XY chromosome categories for sports, bathrooms, prisons, etc., or on some other physiological basis that people can’t just say they “identify” with, or aspire to be.
I’ve come around to Bkhuna’s position.
The Left says there are 17 genders.
Actually there are 2 genders and 15 forms of mental illness.
Forgive my French but , If your born with a d1(k you ain’t a chick.
When people would walk around claiming to be Napoleon , they were put in a looney bin. Mental illness is a serious malady, do not participate in their lunacy.
Really, it only takes one look at Lia Thomas’s picture, posted here, to tell us why these swimming record are being broken. That is a male body, with tremendous upper body strength, and strength in the legs as well.
Putin’s “peacekeepers” on the move in eastern Ukraine.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2022/02/21/the-invasion-has-begun-putin-orders-troops-into-eastern-ukraine-n2603586
What will Brandon do? Spaciba.
Xi approves.
I just realized something. If I look just at the results of what’s going on in Ukraine, it’s actually not that bad for America’s national interests. We’re defacto acknowledging Russia’s sphere of influence in eastern Europe while demonstrating to western Europe that it can’t cravenly rely on Uncle Sam to bail them out if they’re going to be feckless with regards to Russia.
If only it didn’t appear those were the accidental product of terrifying levels of incompetence and dysfunction.
Mike
MBunge,
It’s more than that Germany is talking a tough game but not really doing anything so if they can’t be bothered then why should we. At this point continental Western Europe is pretty much a dead husk so if they want to get overrun by Russia then so be it. NATO is a joke we should be out of or at the very least become a lesser participant in. After all the bitching and complaining it’s time for the EU to take care of themselves.
If the Putins invaded Germany by way of the Baltic Sea, leaving Poland, and the Baltic states alone that would be shadenfreud justly rewarded. Possible, absolutely not, deserved? Certainly.
Actually, I am a little surprised there doesn’t seem to have been any diplomatic discussions like “ok, you can have the Donbass, but you then have to give up Kaliningrad.”
And Putin may still want a land strip from the Donbass to Crimea??
It’s shocking to look at the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in vain for signs of … personal freedom, tolerance, competence and such.
The UK will lift all pandemic restrictions and tell people to live sensibly. (But my understanding is that Scotland will NOT revoke their Covid rules)
@JimNorCal:
You can be arrested in the UK for a FaceBook post or Twitter comment, so forget about them. You can be arrested for quoting Winston Churchill.
Game Over.
As for Australia… I’ll sooner take my chances with Emperor Pooh or the fickle whims of Phrabat Somdet Phra Paramendra Ramadhibodi Srisinra Maha Vajiralongkorn Mahisara Bhumibol Rajavarangkura Kitisirisumburna Adulyadej Sayamindradhipeshra Rajavarodom Borommanat Pobitra Phra Vajira Klao Chao Yu Hua (yep… really).
Which reminds me… y’all need to memories the ceremonial name of Bangkok:
Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit
Long enough to be put to use as song lyrics:
https://youtu.be/atyEzS1zG5Q
“The Lia Thomas story is one of the best examples of the insanity of our age. I have no trouble with voluntarily calling Thomas “she” if that’s what she wants. ”
What if someone demands they be addressed as Jesus Christ or “Your highness, I am your undeserving slave.”
This guy Thomas is one incredibly selfish, emotionally immature #$%^.
Compare and contrast:
“Lia Thomas may have dominated Ivy Championships but tougher competition awaits at NCAAs”—
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/lia-thomas-tough-competition-at-ncaas
“How Eric Holder Tipped the Scales in North Carolina’s Redistricting Fight”—
https://freebeacon.com/elections/how-eric-holder-tipped-the-scales-in-north-carolinas-redistricting-fight/
Key grafs (in second link):
“A North Carolina judge who received $200,000 in contributions from former attorney general Eric Holder’s partisan redistricting network could soon cast the decisive vote in a legal battle over the state’s congressional maps….”
“…While Holder has accused Republicans of illegally gerrymandering maps in North Carolina and other states, he has stayed silent on the redistricting in New York, where Democrats passed what has been called the most ‘egregious’ gerrymander in the country so far this cycle. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D., N.Y.) approved a map that could create a seven-seat House swing in favor of Democrats.
“Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias pushed for the highly gerrymandered New York maps. He is also the lead lawyer on the National Redistricting Foundation’s lawsuit in North Carolina and has represented Holder’s network on other litigation.”
+Bonus
From the “Sweet Deja-Vu”: Department—Everything old is new again…
“Hillary Clinton’s ‘fake scandal’ attack on Durham probe revives strategy from Whitewater era;
“As investigators built case that first lady gave inaccurate testimony two decades ago, she unleashed attacks to undercut prosecutors.”
https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/hillary-clintons-fake-scandal-attack-durham-probe
Where did this Lia Thomas nonsense come from? It’s unfair. If Lia we’re swimming against a group of females, the odds of Lia winning would be astronomically high. In the limit, no one would watch because everyone would know the outcome as soon as the race began. If I am transphobic for saying that, so be it. But I can’t imagine this oddity will last that long. It is the death for women’s sports.
I agree up in an era where women’s sports hardly existed. Girls couldn’t play full court basketball. By the time my daughter started collecting blue ribbons for swim team, the world had changed radically for the better. Now, society appears to reversing course. This nonsense has to stop.
John Tyler:
A pronoun is different than the examples you give. It’s also possible to avoid a pronoun.
As I said, it’s voluntary on my part. Each person can decide for himself or herself whether to do this.
But to continue your examples – if someone legally changed his name to “Napoleon,” I suppose I’d address him that way. It doesn’t mean I believe he IS Napoleon.
“This nonsense has to stop.”
How many colleges and universities had to eliminate their wrestling programs or other male sports to conform with Title IX? This nonsense has been going on for a long time.
Mike