MRC Mad That DeSantis Immigration Stunt Likened To 'Reverse Freedom Rides' -- But Censors That The Comparison Is Apt
Topic: Media Research Center

The Media Research Center just loves Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis'own-the-libs mentality in treating migrants like political pawns by shipping them to Martha's Vineyard -- but it's quite sensitive about criticism. And when critics pointed out that his stunt smacks of the "reverse freedom rides" in the 1960s -- in which Southern segregationists sent black families to live in northern states by falsely promising them free housing and good jobs -- the MRC got a bit upset.

Graham spent part of his Sept. 16 podcast -- which, as we've noted, otherwise praised DeSantis' stunt largely because "it's audacious in getting right in the liberal media's face" -- complaining that the JFK Library sent a tweet reminding people of the reverse freedom rides. First, he sneered that "I like to call it the John Adulterous Kennedy Library, because you always gotta take the Kennedys down a bit," then whined that the library is "taxpayer-funded lberal trolling because the Kennedy Library and Museum receives an annual federal appropriation for building maitenance and pays a portion of their personnel costs." Grahamfinally got around to grousing about the tweet:

So they're comparing Ron DeSantis sending Venezuelans to Martha's Vineyard to basically the Klansmen sending Negroes, ad they called them in the headline in this thing, with one-way-tickes to northern cities. Liberals are so gross. They think they're so smart, and ths isn't smart at all.

Alex Christy whined about the comparison in a Sept. 17 post:

Friday’s CNN Tonight came up with several comparisons for Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis sending 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and none of them were good. Host Laura Coates compared the governors to segregationists while theGrio White House correspondent April Ryan cited the debunked scandal where border patrol agents were said to have whipped migrants with horse reins.

Coates kicked off the segment by trying to give viewers a history lesson, “they echo something that happened some 60 years of our past. Back to something called the ‘Reverse Freedom Rides.’ And maybe you've never heard of what this is. You certainly heard of Freedom Riders, right? But the Freedom Rides in the Reverse, were Black families who were tricked by white supremacists. They were lured by the promise of a job or a better home and they were bused to Hyannis, Massachusetts, right near John F. Kennedy's holiday home.”

[...]

Those victims would be Americans who were uprooted from their homes under false pretenses. These migrants are from outside the U.S. and even if they are granted asylum, they likely would not all have settled down in Texas.

However, not only did Coates compare Abbott and DeSantis to segregationists, she argued they could be considered even worse, “Now, the numbers, racked up by Governors Abbott and DeSantis put the segregationists of that dark period, well, frankly, to shame in the numbers alone. Now, the Reverse Freedom Riders, they tricked about 200 people into getting onto a bus. 199 or maybe even 200, far too many. While today's Republicans have moved more than 9,000 people, and are promising more.”

But it turns out those migrants were, in fact, being deceived as well. Christy failed to mention that the migrants were given a brochure that promised they would be eligible for "8 months cash assistance," "assistance with housing," "food," "clothing," "transportation to job interviews," "job training," "job placement," "registering children for school," "assistance applying for Social Security cards," among other benefits, when the arrived in Massachusetts -- which isn't true.

The MRC seems to be conceding this point. Aside from an Oct. 1 post by Geoffrey Dickens that repeated Christy's attack -- without admitting just how apt the comparison is -- it hasn't complained about the comparison again.

Christy also referenced "the debunked scandal where border patrol agents were said to have whipped migrants with horse reins" -- in fact, the only debunked scandal we found is the MRC falsely asserting that media outlets accused those agents of using whips.

WND Continues To Be Sad About Confederate Monuments Being Taken Down
Topic: WorldNetDaily

WorldNetDaily has long been sad that Confederate memorials are being removed as it occurs to people that it's a bad idea to honor those who led (and lost) a war against the United States. An anonymous WND writer expressed that sadness again in a Sept. 14 article:

A commission set up to evaluate the political correctness of the names of military bases and other sites around the nation says a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery has to go.

It's because it recognizes the Confederacy.

The Confederate Memorial at Arlington, according to the Washington Examiner, features a bronze woman and the coats of arms of the 13 states, as well as depictions of slavery.

It is "problematic from top to bottom," the commission concluded of the statue put up in 1914.

Because this anonymous WND writer is ignorant of history (or perhaps it's just laziness since the Washington Examiner article this story is lifted from is also ignorant of it), he or she omits the relevant history of Arlington National Cemetery -- namely, that it originaly the estate of the wife of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and was occupied by the U.S. government during the Civil War -- you know, the one that Lee fought on the losing side of -- and used to bury Union war dead. A descendant of the memorial's sculptor has denounced it, saying its suggestion of enslaved people as complicit in the Confederacy is offensive.

The anonymous WND writer went on to complain about the effort to remove vestiges of enemies of the United States from military installations:

The instruction is just part of a report from the commission which wants new names for military bases including Fort Bragg in North Carolina; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee, and Fort Pickett in Virginia; Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Polk in Louisiana, and Fort Rucker in Alabama.

The report explained, "The recommendations are part of a larger report by the commission that seeks to propose new names for Army bases and assets that commemorate the Confederacy. The Naming Commission is set to submit a three-part report to Congress by Oct. 1 that includes recommendations for all memorials, awards, scholarships, and 'inactive, decommissioned, or obsolete assets."

It is expected to cost taxpayers about $62.4 million to do the changes the commission is requiring.

Military officials have explained that the various names preserve history, but do not signal support for the Confederacy.

The anonymous WND writer did not any cite specific "military official" making that argument, nor was it explained why the U.S. should continue to honor losers and traitors -- or why ceasing to do so makes one "woke," as the headline claims.

 

New Season Of 'The View,' Same Old Vicious MRC Hate For Farah Griffin
Topic: Media Research Center

The Media Research Center's Nicholas Fondacaro continued his war on Alyssa Farah Griffin for ceasing to be the far-right Trump toady he remains as the new season of "The View" -- which named her as a permanent co-host -- arrived. The hate emanted from him as he spewed in a Sept. 5 post:

On the eve of yet another vapid and hate-fueled season of ABC’s The View, the Labor Day Monday edition of ABC’s Good Morning Americateamed up with new permanent “conservative” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin to promote the 26th season. In the course of the interview, Farah Griffin made the laughable claim that she and her fellow co-hosts aim to “elevate the discourse” of the country and chided politicians for not being able to talk like they do.

Seemingly hinting at Fox News, GMA co-host Janai Norman said Farah Griffin could have gone to “a place where others have views just like yourself, but you wanted to have that discussion with people with opposing views.” She also noted that “sometimes things get heated, especially during Hot Topics” on the show

“Listen, by the way, I survived the Trump West Wing. I think I can survive The View,” Farah Griffin pompously declared, despite how she often cowered to push back from the rest of the liberal cast when she was a guest host.

[...]

“[A]s a Republican, the table skews to the left. Umm. I'm not going in trying to change everyone's mind. Merely to show the other viewpoint, show how, you know, nearly half the country sees some of these issues,” Farah Griffin continued.

Still speaking as a “Republican,” she explained that she was looking forward to lecturing Republicans about her master plan for the future of the party from her perch in a New York City studio:

Fondacaro continued to whine that Farah Griffin refused to be the kind of blind ideologue he is in a post the next day:

During a Monday promotion for their new season, “conservative” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin claimed The View cast was looking to “elevate the discourse” on the show and in America. But during their 26th season primer on Tuesday, co-host Whoopi Goldberg’s audio dropped out as she cursed out Republicans and average hard-working Americans who opposed President Biden’s unfair and legally dubious student loan bailout

Fondacaro was furether angered that a comparison was made between student loan forgiveness and the Paycheck ProtectionPlan loans that were given out during the COVID pandemic, most of which have been forgiven:

Farah Griffin offered mild pushback, noting that “the PPP conversation is a little bit different. We artificially shut down the economy because of COVID, businesses were not allowed to operate. So, of course, private businesses were given rightfully PPP loans.” Goldberg refused to listen to reason and insisted they were exactly the same.

Fondacaro somehow forgot to mention that his employer received more than $1 million in PPP money, and it has shown no interest in repaying that money.

It's clear that Fondaaro is not going to elevate his discourse and continue to engage in the misogynist hate he's been spewing at the show. If he finds it so "vapid and hate-fueled," he should quit the MRC and do something else.

NEW ARTICLE: Newsmax's Trump Defense Brigade Against The Raid
Topic: Newsmax
When the FBI raided Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago compound searching for the classified documents he absconded with, Newsmax cranked out dozens of stories to defend him, and it even put Dick Morris on full defense alert. Read more >>

MRC Cheers DeSantis Immigration Stunt
Topic: Media Research Center

Because the Media Research Center is all about owning the libs and hating the immigrants (despite none ofthat being "media research") and absolutely loves right-wing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, it was totally jazzed about DeSantis' stunt of spending state money to fly undocumented immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard. Curtis Houck gushed over the owning-the-libs and abusing-immigrants-for-partisan-purposes angles, along with parroting DeSantis' PR flacks, in a Sept. 15 post:

On Thursday, CBS Mornings and NBC’s Today were nearly apoplectic over Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) sending two flights of illegal immigrants Wednesday to the rich, white, and liberal Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, calling it “inhumane” behavior “us[ing]” so-called “migrants” to play “politics” and overwhelm such a “great, great place.”

“Migrants are flown to Martha's Vineyard not knowing where they are. How they wound up being used for politics,” fretted CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson.

Socialist and fellow co-host Tony Dokoupil said DeSantis caused “an escalation in the political fight over immigration” by sending “[d]ozens of apparent migrants” to Martha’s Vineyard, which he attempted to paint like an East Coast Alcatraz by calling it “a rocky island in the Atlantic.”

[...]

For their part, Team DeSantis spokesman Taryn Fenske said the governor wanted to make sure illegal immigrants were sent to places like “Massachusetts, New York, and California” to “better facilitate the care of these individuals who they are invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as sanctuary states.” 

Houck didn't explain why he was so offended by calling migrants "migrants" that he employed scare quotes and the "so-called" modifier.He also didn't explain what evidence he had to support his description of Dokoupil as a "socialist" or what relevance doing so had to this discussion.

Nnicholas Fondacaro brought his misogynism to attack the co-hosts of "The View," whining that "the cackling coven of ABC’s The View started Thursday’s show by raging at Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for sending a load of illegal immigrants to the liberal safe haven of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts," going on to snark that "Martha’s Vineyard wasn’t as happy actually dealing with the illegals."

Kevin Tober cheered DeSantis' stunt as well while complaining it was called the stunt it was:

On Thursday, the three evening news broadcasts continued their meltdowns over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending two fights of illegal aliens Wednesday to the ritzy white liberal enclave of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Despite their calls for diversity, the left threw a temper tantrum over 48 illegal immigrants from Venezuela landing in their overwhelmingly white and rich vacation spot. 

"It's a stunt using human beings to score political points. 50 undocumented migrants, including several children, arriving in Martha's Vineyard. Flown in by Florida Republican Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis. An effort to turn the spotlight to immigration just two months before the midterm elections," ABC's senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce cried during her report on World News Tonight. 

Bruce didn't finish her tantrum, she went on to kvetch that "Local officials had no idea the families were coming, but DeSantis made sure cameras were there to capture it all."

[...]

The leftist networks should explain how it is okay for Texas and Arizona border towns to be overrun by illegal immigrants but it's frowned upon when they are inhabiting Martha's Vineyard. Perhaps it's because the elite leftists in the media and politics all vacation at Martha's Vineyard and their lectures about how immigration is virtuous was all a lie. 

Despite all his name-calling and whataboutism, Tober didn't dispute the truth of anything Bruce reported.

Tober apparently also believes that criticizing his beloved DeSantis makes one a "leftwing crackpot":

On Thursday night’s edition of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, leftwing crackpot and MSNBC political analyst Fernand Amandi had a complete meltdown over Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) sending two planes filled with illegal migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Amandi cried that it wasn’t a political stunt but was instead “an act of evil being done by evil men”>because DeSantis is apparently using the migrants as“political pawns, and political props.”

Amandi wanted everyone to know that “this is not a political stunt.”Doctor Oz running for the Senate in Pennsylvania when he resides in New Jersey.”

Again, Tober didn't dispute the accuracy of ahnything Amandi said.

Alex Christy whined that DeSantis -- along with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who his pulled similar stunts of shipping migrants against their will to "liberal" areas outside his state -- were being called out for who they were:

Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman sounded more like a Democratic politician or left-wing activist when he joined Friday’s Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC to accuse Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott of human trafficking for sending 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

Talking about the issue of immigration in more general terms, Tur wondered where Congress is in terms of solutions, “Well, that’s what I was going to ask, where's the solution from Congress? They're all, you know, fighting over this and pointing fingers, well the Republicans are pointing fingers saying everything is too loose, well where is the solution? Where is the legislation? Where's the compromise?”

Sherman lamented that, “The solution is nowhere. I mean—it’s-- Congress has tried multiple times over the last couple of years, and the last two presidencies, it has not tried in Joe Biden's presidency, I think because of COVID and just the political dynamics in the post-Trump era, but again, this is a very easy problem to solve.” 

Turning his attention to the governors, Sherman added, “Now, on the Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott angle, I just got off with a Republican consultant who was on when I was on my way to be on TV with you, who said that the donor class, the far-right conservative donor class, likes this.”

Under no credible interpretation of federal law could sending 50 migrants to blue cities be construed as human trafficking, unless Sherman is prepared to accuse Massachusetts of the same thing.

Just because something is legal doesn't make it right, Alex.

Houck got all snarky in a  Sept. 16 post:

Friday morning’s network news programs featured the third set of newscasts kvetching and screeching about how the liberal elite’s beloved Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts was beset with a “humanitarian crisis” of just under 50 illegal immigrants, who were turned into “pawns” thanks to “an audacious stunt” from Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

Thankfully for them, the brown-skinned individuals were deported from the island by midday Friday, so they won’t have to worry about them anymore (and in turn only the ones whom they pay to clean their mansions and mow their lawns).

Of coruse, Houck isn't going to mock DeSantis for getting rid of "brown-skinned people," even though that's the point of his stunt -- instead, he's cheering DeSantis' lack of compassion and abuse of them just to own the libs.

Kathleen Krumhansl read from the right-wing talking points playbook in attack Spanish-language media coverage:

The corporate media went berserk on Thursday calling Florida governor Ron DeSantis “inhumane” for sending undocumented migrants to Martha's Vineyard, but one Telemundo correspondent reported that the label seemingly described residents of the elite playground upset at the arrival of the new visitors.

Watch as Cristina Londoño confirms the double standard of those from the Massachusetts island - a sanctuary state - upset about having a border crisis in their own backyard. But instead of facing the cameras for all to see, those against the presence of the migrants at their exclusive haven chose anonymity rather than “be depicted as inhumane.” That was their excuse for turning down an interview with Telemundo.

[...]

What a relief that must have been for the residents of “the rich and powerful seaside resort of Martha's Vineyard” who found themselves, as per Londoño, “in the midst of a border crisis.”  At the very least, they got a sample of what the Biden Administration border crisis means; about the tolling effects it has on the far-from-rich border towns, not just one day, not with 50 persons, but hundreds, thousands, pouring in daily through the wide open southern border. 

Krumhansl did at least refer to them as  "undocumented migrants" -- which seems to have gotten past editing, given how the MRC loves to dehumanize them by referring to them as "illegals."

Mark Finkelstein complained that MSNBC's Joe Sacrborough "repeatedly accused Republicans of "grotesque" human trafficking, for their practice of sending migrants to northern locations," sneering that "You'd have thought the migrants were being stranded on a barren rock in the ocean. Willie never mentioned that the island in question is Martha's Vineyard, the tony isle second in elitism only to Scarborough's favored island summering spot: Nantucket."

Tim Graham devoted his Sept. 16 podcast to cheering that DeSantis and Abbott's stunts were working in pushing right-wing narratives and trying to spin away their lack of humanity:

Suddenly, when Gov. Ron DeSantis sends about 50 illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, the networks discover an "immigration crisis" in America. They denounced this "audacious stunt" -- but they prefer to avoid the border crisis entirely. DeSantis is forcing this into the "news."

The networks are heavily covering this story of DeSantis (as well as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott busing migrants to Kamala Harris's street in DC. This is a victory of sorts. They prefer to bury the border story. MRC Research Director Scott Whitlock found on five different months, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts managed ten minutes or less of border coverage. In three other months, they allowed no time at all. 

Then came the media anguish on Twitter. MSNBC host Chris Hayes said it was "deeply sick and dehumanizing to fling human beings somewhere vindictively." Asawin Subsaeng of the Daily Beast also said DeSantis was "hurling migrants at liberal cities and towns." They weren't launched out of a catapult, they flew on an airplane.

In the podcast itself, Graham gushed at how "conservative Twitter and the conservative media would love" DeSantis' stunt (which they did), adding: "Yes,it's true -- this is a stunt, and it's audacious in getting right in the liberal media's face,"adding that it's "designed to upset people like Gayle King," who "parties with the Obamas as their mansion in Martha's Vineyard." He also insisted that "it's also making a serious point" regarding border states -- though it's telling that "getting right in the liberal media's face" is more important to Graham than any supposedly "serious point" DeSantis was purportedly trying to get across.

Graham also whined that these migrants were geing called "asylum seekers," which he dismissed as a 'term of art" that lets people "pretend that they're all being persecuted in their homeland instead of coming from countries that are just plain poor." Graham didn't explain why "illegals" isn't also a "term of art" designed to help right-wingers like him dehumanize them. Graham then ranted:

But I just take exemption to this whole idea that they're going to say, "well, the immigrants are pawns." OK, maybe they're -- yes, they're bit players in this play. But the reality is they're the ones -- they're aggressors, I'm sorry. They're the ones marching into this country by the thousands, and when they get here, the media treats them like, poof, what do you need? Poof, what do you need? Oh, these people need jobs and these people need food and these people need clothes. Like, they're the most entitled people in America, and they're not even from here! ... What I don't like is this whole idea of, yes, what about people who are, you know, scraping by on low salaries, working two jobs maybe, and then it's like "Excuse me, I'm going to take some of your money and give it to the guy who just walked from Venezuela, and you're not allowed to be upset about that."

All in service of owning the libs, apparently.

CNS' Catholic Priest Still Thinks He's A Right-Wing Pundit
Topic: CNSNews.com

Rev. Michael Orsi is a Catholic priest who thinks he's a right-wing pundit, and CNSNews.com gives him a platform to do that. Orsi used a Sept. 6 CNS column to lash out at the Bidean administration's plan to forgive student debnt at "sinful":

It’s easy to reject Biden’s scheme as a transparent ploy to “buy” votes for Democrats from among the college educated.

I would also suggest that it’s a dandy way to pay back all those Antifa and BLM shock troops who spent their college years training to become street activists. After all, you want to make sure they remain loyal and ready to be mobilized in time for the next election.

Political concerns aside, however, let’s focus on the moral implications of reimbursement. There are three fundamental moral flaws that make this projected $240 billion program detrimental to the soul, and therefore sinful.

First, and most obvious, it heightens the sense of entitlement that’s already rampant in our society. Welfare and social-assistance programs, originally intended to provide a “safety net” for the poor, have grown into the primary source of income for a large and growing portion of our population.

[...]

Second (and a consequence of the first), Biden’s scheme robs people of the satisfaction that comes with paying off a debt. “Burning the mortgage” was once a valued symbol of accomplishment, a milestone in the life of a family, something of which to be proud.

If college becomes an entitlement, where’s the pride? For that matter, where’s the morally edifying sense of gratitude you might feel toward Mom and Dad for their sacrifices on behalf of your education, or to the donor of some scholarship for which you had to compete?

Third, in a very real sense, Biden’s “reimbursement” is a form of theft.

If enacted, this program wouldn’t just make all those loans go away. In actuality, it would shift responsibility for paying them off from the people who committed to these obligations — and received an education — to those who paid for their own college, those who never went to college at all, or (given the enormity of the plan and its indefinite ongoing extension) to generations yet unborn.

Orsi concluded by declaring that forgiving student debt "undermin[es] the integrity of our political system. That’s detrimental to your individual soul, and to the soul of the nation."

Orsi began his Sept. 20 column by complaining that Title IX demands thatwomen's school sports be treated the same as mens' sports "even though girls’ teams rarely generate as much public interest and revenue as the guys’ do." Then he channeled right-wing homophobic talking points in attacking the idea that federal law should expand protections to LGBT students:

My view is that the fix is in. All the resources of the left are being channeled into promoting this moral insanity. And it’s been reported that — because of a “secretarial error” — some 200,000 emails have mysteriously disappeared.

Under these circumstances, I would say that implementation of the changes is pretty much a given.

The consequences will involve considerably more than just the destruction of women’s sports — unfair as this may be to the many girls who have worked hard to develop their skills (and counted on athletic scholarships to underwrite their education).

If a student claims a gender identity that contradicts the observable characteristics of that individual’s being, teachers would be legally obligated to use whatever pronouns the student prefers.

This sounds stupid and comical, but it’s no joke. People have lost their jobs (and worse) over such claims, both in this country and abroad. And neither religion nor the long-established conventions of the English language can protect them.

Orsi didn't explain why the power of government must be used to hate and oppress LGBT students. instead, the hateful talking points continued:

Additionally, schools would be obligated to promote abortion to their female students, and make it readily available. This would be done in the name of sex equality, relieving the unfair concern about pregnancy which males do not face.

Naturally, such mutilation and life-changing (life-destroying) services would be provided without having to obtain the consent of parents.

All of this contradicts what we believe as Catholics. It’s anti-Biblical, and it’s depraved. It flies in the face of Judeo-Christian moral principles maintained for thousands of years, principles that are the foundation of our culture. It defies common sense, as understood by 99 percent of humanity.

It’s an overreach by government, an invasion of our private lives, an effort to manipulate us. It’s an attempt to make us into something different from how God created us.

I believe it’s also unconstitutional. This is not a piece of legislation being enacted by our elected representatives. Rather, it is arbitrary rulemaking by unelected bureaucrats who are committed to an ideological vision that is inhuman and evil at the core.

Actually, allowing people to be who they are is not an invasion of privacy, but Orsi's demand to be able to discriminate against people he personally hates is.

At this point, though, Orsi has clearly forgotten he's supposed to be a priests who cares about people and instead is  trying to make points as a right-wing wing pundit would rather appear on Fox News:

There is a solution to this situation, but it requires the kind of top-to-bottom reform that would be huge and difficult and unlikely to happen. Part of it would involve complete school choice, where parents receive vouchers or tax credits to fund alternative learning options.

Another would be eliminating the many levels of administrators, those “education specialists” who promote ill-conceived and ideologically driven curricular programs. Add to that limiting the activities of teachers’ unions to protecting the legitimate rights and working conditions of their members, and eradicating union influence on instruction methods and course content.

Also, schools should obtain textbooks and curriculum materials from publishers that don’t function as conduits for ideological and anti-human propaganda. They exist, but many are struggling against leftist domination of educational publishing.

Over the long term, we need to dismantle the national education bureaucracy, get the federal government out of the business of setting education policy, and return control of schools to states and communities.

DoesOrsi really thnk his preferred right-wing sources oif school curriculum aren't putting out "ideological propaganda"? He simply want his preferred ideology crammed down students' throats.

MRC Childishly Refuses To Give Biden Credit For Role In Averting Rail Strike
Topic: Media Research Center

How petty and hateful is the Media Research Center toward President Biden? It refuses to give him credit for the notable accomplishment of avoiding a disruptive rail strike. Alex Christy sneered in a Sept. 15 post:

President Biden managed clear the lowest of bars in the early morning hours on Thursday morning when railway companies and unions reached a tentative agreement to avoid a strike that would have devastated the economy. For ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce on Good Morning America and her NBC counterpart Peter Alexander on Today, not epically failing constituted a great success for Biden.

[...]

Of course Biden aides give Biden credit. A better description of events was provided by CBS’s Ed O’Keefe who was more matter-of-fact. On CBS Mornings, O’Keefe reported, “President Biden announcing the deal earlier this morning saying in a statement ‘these rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs. All hard-earned.’ A handful of the dozen railroad unions had been holding out for a better agreement on sick leave. They had until tonight at midnight to reach a deal or cause a strike that would have affected almost 7,000 trains across the country.”

Usually presidents get credit for implementing policies that improve the economy, but ABC and NBC give Biden credit for simply not making it significantly worse than it already is due to his inflation-causing policies.

Funny, we though that "the lowest of bars" a president needed to clear was walking down a ramp unassisted and drinking water like a normal person. But when Donald Trump failed those tests, the MRC didn't mock him but, rather, lashed out at the media for pointing out those failings. Joseph Vazquez whined that New York Times columnist Paul Krugman "tweeted a cringe joke that his cat is “superior to Donald Trump” because 'he can drink water with no hands!'”

Months later, the MRC was still bitter. After President Biden tripped on the stairs to Air Force One in March 2021, Curtis Houck huffed that "conservatives and Republicans recalled the liberal media’s wall-to-wall coverage of then-President Trump holding of a water glass and walking slowly down a ramp at the June 13, 2020 West Point commencement" and "the ordeal was treated like the 21st century’s Zapruder film," concluding: "But when it comes to Biden’s struggles, CNN and MSNBC both accepted his administration’s excuse that itwas a particularly windy day in the Washington D.C. metro area. Because when their friends are in power, friends don’t hang friends out to dry with such a concerning narrative about the Commander-in-Chief."A few days later, Scott Whitlock approvingly quoted Fox News complaining about the media "sounding the alarm over President Trump's use of a ramp" while purportedly ignoring Biden's trip. Neither Houck nor Whitlock explained why their fellow right-wing media bubble residents tried to quash those Trump stories.

WND's Farah Finds Biblical Justification In Begging For Money
Topic: WorldNetDaily

As much as Joseph Farah has been begging for money from WorldNetDaily's readers, it was inevitable he'd try to find a Biblical justificiation for doing so. He did just that in his Sept. 15 column:

Got an interesting letter to the editor the other day.

It was from a gentleman who asked this question about our current financial plight and my pleas to WND readers and subscribers for help: "If you believe that WND is God's work, then why do you seek help from man?"

Now, before going on, I must tell you what a difficult decision it was for me to ask WND's supporters for help at a most critical time. I was afraid it would sound like I was exaggerating the need just to secure some additional cash. I was afraid the desperation of my plea would further destabilize the company. I was afraid, since we have asked our readers and subscribers so many times in the past for support, that it would generate only the amount of support we typically expect from such messages.

And I was afraid because of the times and how people are faced with great need.

Yes, I was afraid – very afraid.

But, as I explained to everyone in one of those messages, I believe it actually was an answer to prayer. I had been asking God for help, and this was the only answer I got – "ask the people." I didn't even understand it, at first. "What people?" I wondered. Then it hit me: WND people.

[...]

The self-described "senior minister of Christ" offered this: "None of the apostles asked their followers for money to keep their ministry going."

But that's just not true.

In fact, in one of the most dramatic scenes in the New Testament, Peter asked all his followers to pool their resources. And when one couple – Ananias and Sapphira – held back some of the money they received from a property sale, they were stricken dead.

[...]

"If God wants WND going, he WILL provide the means miraculously," our letter writer concluded. "If God doesn't want WND going and you are forced to close it, it is the best thing that can happen to WND and you. May God give you the faith to believe this. You and WND are in my fervent prayers."

While I certainly appreciate this gentleman's prayers, I also appreciate that God inspired everyone who willingly gave financial support to WND following my recent plea. And that, I believe, is evidence of the miraculous, indeed.

And, therefore, I am no longer hesitant in the slightest to ask – because that's what God told me to do through His Holy Spirit.

If you haven't yet considered a financial gift to WND because of what Google has done to bankrupt us, cancel us, demonetize us, drive us out business, see us go insolvent, go kaput, please do so.

I have asked God directly as I do regularly. He’s OK with it.

This, of course, ended with a money beg. Farah didn't mention how God feels about him invoking His name as an excuse to publish lies, fake news and conspiracy theories.

MRC's Jean-Pierre-Bashing, Doocy-Fluffing Watch
Topic: Media Research Center

Nicholas Fondacaro took the Doocy-fluffing (and Karine-hating) duties at theMedia REsearch Center for a post on the Sept. 26 White House press briefing:

With crime soaring in American cities across the country as a result of extreme progressive district attorneys turning criminals loose without bail or without charges (including crimes involving firearms), safety is a major concern for Americans who call those places home. So, one would think the Biden White House would have a serious answer when asked if they think “America’s big cities are safe?” But, of course, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was as unserious as ever as Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked the simple question.

Putting off Doocy to near the end of the Q&A portion of the briefing, he asked the question as simply as possible: “Does President Biden think America’s big cities are safe?”

Jean-Pierre was rendered confused by the simple premise of the question, asking in return, “Can you say more?” “Well, we know that thefts and robberies are up about 20 percent in the first half of this year. So, I’m wondering if he thinks America’s big cities are safe?” he elaborated.

Still, Jean-Pierre felt like she was blowing in the wind in need of more solid information. Of course, Doocy obliged with more examples of runaway crime:

[...]

She proceeded to suggest Biden had “secured historic funding” for local police “in the face of opposition from Republicans.” She also blamed former President Trump, saying Biden “inherited a rising crime rate from the previous administration,” despite the fact the rising crime was in predominantly liberal jurisdictions.

“So, I guess, just the original question: Does President Biden think America’s big cities are safe?” Doocy plainly asked again in the face of her non-answer. “It is not – it is not a – um – It is not a yes or no question,” Jean-Pierre stammered.

Curtis Houck returned to his hateful duty for the Sept. 28 briefing:

In what might be her worst performance as White House press secretary (in what’s already been dominated by ineptitude), Karine Jean-Pierre faced searing heat Wednesday from across the ideological spectrum of the press corps after President Joe Biden called out to Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN) at a global hunger event despite the fact that Walorski died nearly two months ago.

ABC’s Cecilia Vega broke through as the second reporter called on, wondering “what happened at the hunger event” as Biden “seemed to indicate she might be in the room.” In response, Jean-Pierre claimed Biden was simply “acknowledging her incredible work” on food insecurity and, because her family will meet him on Friday, “she was on his mind” and “top of mind.”

Vega wasn’t moved: “He said, ‘Jackie, are you here? Where is Jackie? She must not be here.’”

Jean-Pierre doubled down that “she was on top of mind,” so it fell to CNN’s Phil Mattingly a few minutes later, who admitted he was “trying to get my head around” her excuse.

“Why was he looking for her? I’m not trying to be snarky here,” he added. Unfortunately, Jean-Pierre stuck to her explanation for what should otherwise be viewed as a sign of cognitive decline.

[...]

In the back rows, some reporters decided they had enough, including Newsmax’s James Rosen: “I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day but I'm not looking around for him anywhere.”

Jean-Pierre thought she had him caught with this dead fish of a zinger: “When you sign a bill for John Lennon — Lennon as president, then we can have this conversion.”

From there, chaos ensued. EWTN’s Owen Jensen first wondered “why don’t you just apologize” and continued as Jean-Pierre tried to escape by calling on a friendly reporter in USA Today ’s Michael Collins. 

[...]

A few minutes after things calmed down, Real Clear Politics’ Philip Wegmann had the last Walorski question and tried to see if Jean-Pierre would return to reality: “Does he believe he handled that reference appropriately or is this something that he would like to get back?”

Jean-Pierre played dumb and, after acknowledging it's “a question...many of you have had,” proclaimed “my answer is certainly not going to change.”

We don't recall Houck ever criticizing his beloved Kayleigh McEnany for making excuses for her boss, Donald Trump -- indeed, he cheered every time she refused to answer questions from reporters. Houck didn't explain why this is no different.

CNS Whines That 'Extremist' Applies To Both 9/11 Terrorists, 1/6 Insurrectionists
Topic: CNSNews.com

Susan Jones -- a "reporter" who loves to editorialize in her "news" articles -- complained in a Sept. 12 CNSNews.com article:

"Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation," host Margaret Brennan said as her Sunday talk show went on the air. Her next sentence: "Twenty-one years ago today, Americans united in their grief and in their opposition to extremist forces who attacked the country on September 11," she said.

The word "extremist" is frequently used these days to describe supporters of Donald Trump. President Biden most recently used the word "extreme" to describe those political opponents in a speech on September 9:

"Extreme MAGA Republicans just don’t threaten our personal and economic rights; they embrace political violence," Biden said. "They refuse to accept the will of the people. They threaten our very democracy. They — and that’s not hyperbole. To this day, they defend the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6th."

Funny thing, though: Jones made no effort to dispute the accuracy of that description as it applies to Trump supporters -- after all, they have heartily endorsed his lies about election fraud and the insurrection against the government that he led because he's mentally incapable of accepting the fact that he lost an election.She also did not provide an alternative description for such people that she would find more acceptable (though it may not be as accurate).

That's just bad and uninformative reporting. And CNS calls itself a "news" operation.

Ghouls: WND Exploits Executive's Death To Repeat A Lie
Topic: WorldNetDaily

We've repeatedly caught WorldNetDaily pushing the demonstrable falsehood that the financial woes of retail chain Bed Bath & Beyond are directly related to its decision to stop stocking MyPillow products in the wake of Mike Lindell's aggressive embrace of Donald Trump's Big Lie about election fraud. Joe Kovacs tried peddling that story again -- while ghoulishly exploiting a man's tragic death -- in a Sept. 4 article:

The chief financial officer of Bed Bath & Beyond, the company which ran into severe financial trouble after dropping Mike Lindell's MyPillow products, is now identified as the man who plunged to his death Friday from New York City's iconic new skyscraper called the "Jenga" building.

Gustavo Arnal, 52, also an executive vice president for the home-goods retailer, plunged from the 18th floor of the 60-story tower, known for its misaligned apartments that resemble the popular game "Jenga."

Just two days before his death, the company announced it was closing 150 stores of its roughly 900 stores, and laying off 20 percent of staff of about 32,000 employees overall.

[...]

Bed Bath & Beyond, once regarded as a "category killer" in home and bath goods according to Britain's Daily Mail, has in recent years seen its fortunes tarnished, especially in the wake of its cancellation of MyPillow products produced by Mike Lindell, the firebrand supporter of President Donald Trump who maintains the 2020 election was stolen through a wide range of vote fraud.

Again: There's no proof whatsoever that BB&B discontinuing MyPillow products has anything at all to do with the company's woes, and Kovacs offers none. Instead, Kovacs uncritically repeated the crass MyPillow propaganda that came out after Arnal's death:

Without mentioning the death of Arnal, MyPillow continued sending out commercial email messages Sunday, directly tying the financial troubles of Bed Bath & Beyond to its decision to no longer carry its products.

"In January 2021, Bed, Bath & Beyond sided with the liberal mob and dropped MyPillow products from their stores. Liberals celebrated," the email began, featuring this exemplary tweet:

In response, conservatives boycotted Bed, Bath & Beyond -- and bought their bedding from MyPillow.com using promo code USA1776 directly instead," MyPillow's message continued.

It then mentioned the news of the chain closing 150 of its stores, and proffered its own take on the matter:

"Canceling MyPillow was a big mistake! They forced conservatives to choose between a big box store and a man who fights for conservatives. With MyPillow winning, will other retailers stop fighting conservatives? Will we return America to the open economy it should be?"

Kovacs couldn't be bothered to fact-check MyPillow's claims -- that would interfere with the narrative he's pushing.

NEW ARTICLE: The MRC vs. Brian Stelter vs. Fox News
Topic: Media Research Center
Whenever CNN's Brian Stelter criticized Fox News, the Foxophiles at the Media Research Center were there to lash out at him for doing so. Read more >>

MRC Hates Dwyane Wade For Supporting His Transgender Child
Topic: Media Research Center

We've previously noted the Media Research Center's sick contempt for NBA star Dwyane Wade for supporting his transgender child. It has continued to spew at at Wade for expressing parental love for his child. Jay Maxson -- who, ironoically, remains so anonymous that we don't know what sex this sports blogger is -- ranted in a November 2021 post:

Want a “model” family that will make you a hero of the Left? Encourage one of your children to claim gender confusion and then tell the world how incredibly wonderful that is. This worked to perfection for former NBA all-star like Dwyane Wade, who said Tuesday night on Comedy Central's The Daily Show recently that his transgender son is developing into a beautiful young woman.

Papa Wade appeared with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show to promote his photo memoir, Dwyane, but the former basketball star’s support for the transgender movement is what was memorable. Noah asked him about his son Zaya (appearing at far left in photo), who assumed a female identity two years ago at the age of 12. Embracing the child’s gender confusion, Dwyane and his wife Gabrielle Union are considered among the best moms and dads ever by the Left.

[...]

On Monday, Delilah Gray of Yahoo Life fawned all over Zaya’s appearance in a Wade family photo. The photo was on a “whole other level” and Zaya “stole the show,” she wrote. “But seriously, Zaya looks so stunning in her suit and pointed boots — and we’re so happy to see her doing amazing.” Zaya’s life has been “a whirlwind so far after coming out nearly two years ago as a transgender woman. She’s been blossoming this past year with her new i-D photoshoot and advocating for people to be their most authentic selves.”

Gray added that Zaya’s parents are the “absolute best” (as they use the child like a pawn for the transgender movement).

Maxson whined in a May 6 post:

Dwyane Wade was an NBA champion and all-star who’s now in retirement and shilling for the LGBT agenda. His son, Zaya, announced at the age of 12 he was a “girl, but Wade is now saying he held his “daughter” in the hospital the day “she” was born. This startling contradiction of family history appeared in a Variety magazine interview Wednesday. 

Wade also says Zaya actually knew he was a girl at the age of three. Even though children that young do not understand biology or know what transgenderism is all about. Also, he says, he was looking at his “daughter” when Zaya was born – 12 years before he came out to his family. 

Papa Wade was slow to get with the LGBT program, but now he’s busy revising family and gender history. Of course, the left-stream media is not calling out Wade on his amazing and bizarre discombobulation of family history.

[...]

Zaya Wade has previously attended pride events, and Dwyane Wade publicly speaks out about the proper use of pronouns. Though he’s butchering biology, gender and grammar in the process. 

Maxson added: "Wade has been criticized for his parenting ability; he recently posted a photo of Zaya kissing a trans boyfriend, and some responders said he’s failing as a father." Yes, transphobes like Maxson would think Wade is "failing" his child by offering love and support; they would rather that Wade disown Zaya for not conforming to right-wing gender ideology.

Maxson's fellow sports blogger, John Simmons, issued his own attack on Wade and his child in a June 9 post:

Dwayne Wade is afraid for his son’s life, or as he would want you to say, his daughter.

At the TIME100 Summit on Tuesday, the three-time NBA Champion said that he fears that Zaya, his 15-year-old transgendered daughter, will live in a world where he will be hated.

“As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house,” he told CNN’s Poppy Harlow at the event. “And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world.”

Wade said in his emotionally-driven rant that he is afraid for Zaya because many states are banning transgendered women in sports or preventing doctors from giving gender-affirming care for youth (which are good things, by the way).

Interestingly, Simmons didn't dispute Wade's contention that transphobes like himself are putting Zaya's life in danger -- apparently, he's good with the idea that transgender people should be afraid to go outside for fear of their lives. Instead, he lectured Wade on being a parent -- despite offering no evidence that he is one himself:

First of all, a three year old is barely in any position to be taking care of their own basic needs, let alone decide one day that they are transgender. Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, should have immediately thought to themselves, “We should try to correct his thinking.”

Second, instead of Wade actually doing his job to persuade and correct his son, he let him go down this long and dark road of building his life on a lie.

Third, he makes the decision to go on stage at an event put on by the most iconic magazine in the world and not only support his son’s decision, but ridicule those who stand for truth. He also had the audacity to say that he might even run for office someday in the future.

What a convoluted mess that just further shows how desperately our country needs strong fathers.

Yeah, Simmons' demand that Wade hate his child for being the person he is will surely go over well.

In a similar vein, Maxson expressed anger in a Aug. 22 post that Wade defied the wishes and violent threats of Maxson's fellow transphobes to continue to support Zaya:

In the goofy gender-bending world of the Left, boys will be girls and girls will be boys. Zion Wade, the son of retired NBA guard Dwyane Wade, is attempting to legally become Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade, the “daughter” of Dwyane Wade. Wade the father fears that Wade the son/daughter will be the victim of violence.

Despite fearing violence against his transgender child, Papa Wade last week filed a legal petition to change the name and gender of his youngest son. Zion came out seven years ago on the Ellen DeGeneres show as a transgender and said he prefers to go by “Zaya.” The dad requested that a Los Angeles County superior court issue a legal decree recognizing that the minors’ gender is changed to “female.” 

Also, the petition specifically cites the reason for the change: “to conform with gender identity.” The court is expected to go along with this ruse, though gender is immutable. 

“We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self,” the elder Wade said.

[...]

Zaya’s parents (seen in photo with their trans son) take their role as parents so seriously, in fact, that throughout their child’s life, they merely give in to whatever reality he attempts to create. Which is highly concerning, given that what’s happening now can substantially impact the remainder of Zion Zaya’s life. 

The Wade parents seem more concerned about their own popularity, their son appearing on a red carpet and how “she” answered media questions and being how “she” is recognized as one of the “young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community.” It’s more about pleasing the Left than dealing with the child’s confusion, and that’s sad.

Like Simmons, Maxson did not dispute that Wade's fear of violence against Zaya is justified. Indeed, Maxson and Simmons care more about pleasing  the hateful right-wing anti-LGBT ideologues they work for than try to comprehend the love a parent has for his child. That's even more sad than anything they can come up with.

Another Month, Another 'Existential Threat' At WND
Topic: WorldNetDaily

WorldNetDaily is particularly fond of the phrase "existential threat," particularly when it applies to WND:

• One of Joseph Farah's first money begs in 2018 carried the headline "Existential threat: WND needs your help."
• A June 2021 column by Farah was headlined "The existential threat Google-Facebook represent to America." This echoed a column nder the same headline he wrote in 2019.
• A month later, WND managing editor David Kupelian declared that "WND is facing an existential threat. How you can help."
• An April 15 column by Farah was headlined "'Existential threat': WND seriously needs your help." Oddly, even though "existential threat" is in quote marks, that phrase does not actually appear in the column.

Which brings us to Farah's Sept. 23 column, which is headlined, yes, "Existential threat: WND needs your help." He went on to write:

For more than 25 years, WND, or WorldNetDaily, has championed the cause of "a free press for a free people," performing the vital job of fearlessly reporting the truth – something the "mainstream media" pretends to do, but, as is now painfully obvious to almost everyone, does not.

It's always been a challenge. Despite what many think, this is a very, very tough business.

While other top-tier alternative media organizations have been supported for years by billionaire backers, we at WND have pretty much always earned our own way – until recently.

The good side of that arrangement is, we've never been beholden to anyone other than the Good Lord. But these are exceedingly rough times in the news business. And right now, it pains me to tell you that not only have all WND's staffers had to accept pay cuts, but making payroll is often delayed as we attempt to overcome multiple crises that constitute an existential threat to the nation's oldest independent Christian online news-gathering company.

I'm asking you to help us in this time of need. It's not easy to make a plea like this to you, our faithful readers, and I do so in all humility.

I'll lay it out for you straight. We need to raise a minimum of $100,000 before the end of October.

We have questions. When WND did a money beg in early summer, he concluded it at the end of June by declaring that "we have been given a blessed reprieve from the urgent and imminent financial crisis we have been facing," citing a "particularly generous donor" who promised "another very significant contribution." But just a month later, Farah asserted that "We need to raise $65,000 by the end of August in order to pay our bills, including payroll." So one has to wonder about how WND is managing its money if it must continually beg for it so soon after claiming its needs had been filled. Honest answers from  Farah will certainly not be forthcoming, as he continued:

I can't go into all the details of the problems we are facing – some are global (like the major drop in ad revenues for news websites) and some are specific to WND – but I will mention one thing you may not know.

WND has been completely demonetized by Google and YouTube, which has dramatically impacted our ad revenue.

That's because they see us as "dangerous" for publishing the information you need – such as the truth about the 2020 election, and about the dangerous "vaccines" that were mandated by government, and about the unbelievable way our kids are being mutilated in hospitals nationwide as part of today's youth transgender craze.

Farah is lying, of course. WND spreads lies about the election and about vaccines, and no company wants to do business with a documented liar. He went on to present WND's dishonesty and bias as virtues he thinks people should send himmoney to perpetuate:

I'm asking for the help of those who recognize the unique role WND plays in reaching the God-fearing American audience that, like us, supports limited government, national sovereignty and the traditional Judeo-Christian values that made America truly great.

Donald Trump can't fight this monster alone. The MAGA movement can't either. They need strong voices like WND's to help them accomplish Trump's genuinely pro-American agenda and, at the same time, "drain the swamp." WND played a critical role in the 2016 election, and we are facing a critical election in 2022.

Please, help us to weather this storm by giving as much as you can to support us in this critical hour.

[...]

If this weren't an absolute emergency, I would never suggest it is. We really need your help – and we need it fast.

Yet it's not such an emergency that Farah is going to change his business model and stop doing the things that brought WND to this "esistential threat" -- that is, publishing lies and pushing bias. Why would anyone reward Farah for committing the same missteps and expecting the results to change?

MRC Complains That CNN Anchor Catches GOP Candidate Refusing To Answer Election Question
Topic: Media Research Center

The Media Research Center's Kevin Tober complained in a Sept. 4 post that a CNN anchor called out a Republican politican for her non-answer on the 2020 election:

The leftist media is never happy. If a Republican candidate or elected official claims the 2020 election was stolen, they throw a tantrum, if a Republican admits President Joe Biden was legitimately elected and he is the current President, they continue asking the question until the exact party approved phrase is uttered. This was the case on Sunday morning's State of the Union on CNN, where co-anchor Dana Bash asked Washington state Republican Senatorial nominee Tiffany Smiley three times whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Each time she said yes, but a simple yes apparently wasn't good enough for Bash.   

"Let's just drill down on this question," Bash prefaced before asking "simple yes or no, do you believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square?"

Smiley responded "Yes, he's our President. Yes," before going on to point out how "in 2016 Hillary Clinton had concerns, Stacey Abrams had concerns" about their elections. "This is an issue on both sides of the aisle. This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue," Smiley added.

Not happy with the way Smiley answered the question, Bash demanded she answer it again in a way that Bash's Democrat party approves of: "you said that President Biden is our President. Was he fairly elected, legitimately elected?"

"Yes, Joe Biden is our President," Smiley answered and went on to say she's focused on the voters in her state and not debating the 2020 election. 

Bash angrily snapped back that "you didn't say that he was legitimately elected. I just want to give you one more chance to say that or if you are comfortable with your answer, we'll move on."

Smiley once again repeated the same answer that she Bash gave twice: "Yes, I think I made it clear. He is our President and, again, I am focused on the voters of Washington state." 

Bash never said what the correct answer to her question was, but apparently saying yes, Biden is our President, isn't the Democrat Party [sic] approved answer despite what you might have believed.

Of coruse, simply conceding that Biden is president is not the same thing as saying he was legitimately elected. Bash was trying to get an answer to that question, and Smiley refused to provide one.

Tober didn't mention that his employer also believes that Biden was not legitimately elected, what with its version of the Big Lie conspiracy theory Donald Trump has promoted, in which it hired Trump's own pollster to further the lie.And Tober himself didn't reveal his own answer to the question: Does he accept that Biden is the president, or has he bought into the Big Lie too?