Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on July 26th, 2013
Good morning!
National Review Tells Young Whites To Avoid Blacks, Again
A top conservative publication published a column on Wednesday advising young white children to stay away from black people, despite firing a columnist roughly a year ago for writing a very similar piece in a different publication.
Victor Davis Hanson, a scholar of military history and longtime National Review foreign affairs columnist, has a habit of dipping his toes into racially uncomfortable water. In a past column, for example, Hanson accused President Obama of attempting to victimize white people for political gain.
His column today, however, directly echoes the now-infamous piece by self-described “race-realist” John Derbyshire that National Review deemed a firing offense. Derbyshire’s TakiMag piece, the conceit of which was that the author was giving a white equivalent of “The Talk” that black parents give their children about racism, included gems like “avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally,” “stay out of heavily black neighborhoods,” and “if accosted by a strange black in the street, smile and say something polite but keep moving.”
The thrust of Hanson’s argument — black men are criminals and you should stay away from them, my son — is largely indistinguishable from Derbyshire’s. “Be careful if a group of black youths approaches you,” Hanson quoted his father as saying before a move to San Francisco. “After some first-hand episodes with young African-American males,” he continued, “I offered a similar lecture to my own son.”
Hanson’s piece included some weak caveats seemingly aimed at distinguishing himself from Derbyshire. “Note what [my father] did not say to me. He did not employ language like ‘typical black person.’ He did not advise extra caution about black women, the elderly, or the very young…In other words, the advice was not about race per se, but instead about the tendency of males of one particular age and race to commit an inordinate amount of violent crime.”
This is bollocks. Hanson, like innumerates Richard Cohen and Kathleen Parker before him, is relying on a common mathematical fallacy, called the base rate error, to draw fictitious conclusions about the danger posed by black men. Even if black men are more likely to be violent, and that’s a big if, it still doesn’t follow that all others should avoid them: because the absolute rate of crime is extremely low, any individual black man is almost certainly not going to be a criminal. But, as Ta-Nehisi Coates puts it in a sterling critique of Hanson, “one of the effects of racism is its tendency to justify stupidity.”
The point, then, is that any supposed difference between Hanson and Derbyshire is a smokescreen. Both improperly manipulate crime statistics to make incorrect generalizations about the criminality of entire groups of people based largely on the color of their skin. The fact that Derbyshire is blunter about it makes no substantive difference.
When National Review editor Rich Lowry dismissed Derbyshire, he wrote that Derbyshire was advancing views with which “we’d never associate ourselves.” But Wednesday morning, they did just that.
*s*i*c*k*o*
Readers: It’s Friday…you know what to do.
Yw: I am sorry you had problems posting. I received your comment and posted it for you on yesterday’s blog.
Peace & Love
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
July 26th, 2013 at 11:47 am
What would you expect from republicans but this stuff. It is the only way to maintain their monopoly of the white vote. I tell my parents that our generation has grown past their racial bias without any encouragement from them.
They are still stuck in the past lying to themselves about how much better they are than the OTWs in this country because they are white.
July 26th, 2013 at 11:49 am
Hafa adai, it is getting crazy on the island when it comes to weed. The government is doubling down on its enforcement. One would think this was the most important law enforcement goal on the island.
July 26th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Father’s Age Is Linked to Autism and Mental Illness
“Can you believe it? She’s expecting—at her age!” When a woman who’s pushing or past 40 announces a pregnancy, loved ones’ hearty congratulations often are accompanied by concerns about her age. That’s because certain genetic problems, such as Down syndrome, are more common among babies born to older moms.
But nobody blinks when it’s the dad who is of a more advanced age.
That may be about to change. Reason: New research from Iceland shows that fathers pass on nearly four times as many genetic mutations as mothers do…and that the risk rises significantly as men get older.
This is no small concern, because some such mutations have been linked to various developmental and mental health problems—including autism and schizophrenia.
It makes sense when you stop to think about it.
Females are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have. But sperm are continually produced throughout a man’s life—and that nonstop production provides constant opportunities for genetic mutations to occur.
What does this mean for couples hoping to have kids later in life? I reviewed the research to get the skinny on “old” sperm.
WHEN DAD’S DNA LETS HIM DOWN
Participants in the study included 78 family groupings (each consisting of a mother, father and one child). Researchers looked for new mutations in each child that were not present in either parent…then determined whether that genetic material had come from the mother’s egg or from the father’s sperm.
What they found:
Fathers passed on nearly four times as many genetic mutations as mothers—on average, 55 versus 14. And the number of new mutations in children increased by two for every additional year of the father’s age, with the total number doubling every 16.5 years.
This means, for instance, that compared with a 20-year-old man, a 36-year-old man passes along twice as many mutations to his children…a 53-year-old man passes on four times as many mutations…and a 70-year-old man passes on eight times as many mutations.
Now, we can’t say for sure whether these results would apply across the board, because the study participants included a disproportionate number of families in which the children had autism or schizophrenia. But the research nonetheless raises important questions about a father’s age—questions that often go unasked.
MUTATION RISK REDUCTION
There are steps a man can take to reduce the odds of passing genetic mutations to offspring. For instance, you can consider…
Having children sooner rather than later.
Working with a geneticist or a genetics counselor before you and your partner try to conceive to gauge your risk of having a child with a genetic disorder. Your doctor can refer you to a counselor in your area.
Freezing some of your sperm now for use later if you think you are likely to want to father a child years down the road. Sperm-freezing costs about $300 for the initial processing plus $400 per year for storage—which isn’t cheap but may end up being a small price to pay for peace of mind.
If you do consider going this route, ask your doctor for a referral to a well-regarded sperm cryobank—improper storage reduces the viability of sperm and lowers the odds of conception.
Source: This study, “Rate of de novo mutations and the importance of father’s age to disease risk,” was reported in Nature.
July 26th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Hafa adai, you islanders on the mainland may not be aware of this but we have gambling on the island now. The downside is only one company Guam Music Inc has a monopoly and that is definitely not good.
http://www.guampdn.com/article/20130726/NEWS01/307260001/Gambling-licenses-spark-complaint
That’s the link for your perusal.
July 26th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Thanks Michelle, you are a doll.
July 26th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Making HIV/AIDS a Memory
July 26, 2013
Making HIV/AIDS a Memory
Last weekend, I was proud to join more than one hundred volunteers and supporters of the National AIDS Memorial Grove gathered for the monthly Community Volunteer Workday.
The Grove is a place of remembrance and renewal in the heart of the city that was hit early and hard by AIDS and responded as a community with prevention, treatment, and care. We have made a tremendous difference in this fight against HIV/AIDS and it is something that all of us should take as a source of pride.
At the Workday, I was humbled by the dedication of the “The Nancy Pelosi Leadership Walkway”. This Pathway stands as a tribute to San Francisco’s leadership in responding to the AIDS epidemic. None of what we achieved would have been possible without this city’s sense of community.
When we first established the Grove, we never thought we would be here, 22 years later, without a cure – so the work goes on until we make HIV/AIDS a memory. This is what brings us back to the Grove – to remember, to volunteer, and to recommit ourselves to the cause of an AIDS-free generation.
Americans Want Jobs
It has been 205 days since Congress convened this year and 125 days since the Senate passed a budget bill. House Republicans continue to refuse to bring forward a jobs bill or go to the negotiating table.
House Democrats extend a hand of friendship to try to work together to resolve the budget. But there are certain lines that we will not cross. We will not destroy jobs. We will not harm our senior citizens by cutting Medicare and Social Security. We will not put insurance companies back in charge of health care, while ending critical patient protections that are in the Affordable Care Act. This is the standard the American people want us to meet. This is the standard Congress should uphold.
When President Obama addressed the nation at Knox College this week, he put forth ideas to grow our economy and create jobs, upholding the principle that you grow the economy best from the middle out, rather than the top down. This is accomplished with a budget that promotes growth with good paying jobs, invests in innovation, grows the infrastructure of America, expands the economy, and responsibly reduces the deficit.
As the President said, one step that we can take to advance the economy and the middle class is to raise the minimum wage. Yesterday was the four-year anniversary since the last increase in the minimum wage. House Democrats have put forth legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and to ensure that it keeps pace with the cost of living.
Securing a living wage is also part of our agenda: When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families. It is about valuing work. It is about pay equity, and lifting the minimum wage is one part of that. It is about paid leave. The third part of it is affordable, accessible, quality child care.
Congress must act now. The American people deserve a budget that replaces across the board cuts with a plan to create jobs, strengthen the middle class, and responsibly reduce the deficit.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.
best regards,
July 27th, 2013 at 8:53 am
It’s a shame that so many white Americans have to feel they are better because of the color of their skin. My cousins are half white and half Japanese. The two that can pass for white get along well in school. The one that can’t is basically teased and abused by the other whites in their private school.
She says she wishes she could die because she doesn’t look like her siblings. It is an ugly world out there.
July 27th, 2013 at 8:56 am
This is another censored article I posted as a reply.
—————————————————-
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Cye
628 Fans
Become a fan
2 hours ago ( 6:37 PM)
No, she did what she was supposed to do: follow the law. As she explained, despite her own feelings, the evidence was not there for a conviction.
Favorite (1)
Flag as Abusive
Permalink | Share it
If a person kills someone, and there is no conclusive evidence that that person acted in self defense, a jury can convict on the grounds of manslaughter.
There was enough evidence to find Zimmerman guilty of manslaughter. We all know that if the colors of the actors were reversed, Zimmerman would have been found at least guilty of manslaughter, and the same people arguing so passionately that there was not enough evidence to convict would be screaming to anyone within earshot that the verdict of manslaughter for that black man killing a white kid was just.
Of course they all will vehemently deny it, but the prisons are filled with proof of my point. She did what those white jurors asked her to do. She sold the life of Trayvon and countless other black boys down the river for a little piece.
Now she presents herself to the world as if it was the law’s fault. White people passed that law to make it open hunting season on young black males. There was one before that in FL where a white man opened fire on a car of teenage black youths because they were playing their music too loud. He killed an unarmed teenage black kid.
His excuse is so close to what Zimmerman said, it is obvious they know what to say to invoke that stand your ground defense. To me she was a coward who sold justice for personal convenience.
=========================================
The secret “moderators” at post are using their “moderating” ability to manipulate the dialogue.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:11 am
it’s best to take heed to ALWAYS avoid large packs of blacks if you’re white.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:11 am
Fucking Niggers!
July 27th, 2013 at 9:12 am
William, dude….in america avoid all large groups of any people….they could be terrorists…or supremecists or gang members or devout mormons waiting to be zapped up onto the mothership or….well americans…. *Shivers* I keep to myself yall are bound to kill each other one day
July 27th, 2013 at 9:12 am
What “black areas”are you talking about? I’m from TO.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:13 am
I saw one black gentleman at a tea party rally on a video(available on youtube). He was battered by an SEIU thug who after brutalizing the poor black guy yelled: “What kind of a f***ing ni**er are you?” Funny how so little changes.
130 years ago the PRO-DEMOCRAT KKK was lynching black republicans and now the ALL-DEMOCRAT SEIU terrorizes them. Everyone saw what they did to Herman Cain for running as a Republican. I do not blame blacks for being afraid of leaving the Democrat plantation at all.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:15 am
Abi, You fucking camel nigger that is false.There are blacks in the tea party and in the Republican party…not many because most niggers love their welfare.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:17 am
Blacks are 12% of the population of the US, but commit more than half of all murders and at least 1/3 of all rapes.
Niggers are overrepresented as serial killers, more precisely they are more than 20% of all serial killers.
Many of the “white” school shooters are just as “white” as Zimmerman. Only the media calls them white, like with the 2 jews that shot-up Columbine (Google “Texxe Marrs Columbine” for more info).
You scum aren’t fit to be anything other than farm equipment. Picking cotton was the only time in the history of your entire disgusting race when you did anything useful. Now that you’re not good for that either, I see no reason why you should be allowed to exist.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:22 am
You dirty pink cave dwellers cause wars and caused harm to every race of people. The only thing that’s different is that you have your stupid systems set up after you savages have done your damage.
Now you whites are scared of everything that pose a threat to your little system. But please believe white devil the revolution is coming! Fear of a black planet! We will take back whats rightfully ours. You whites erased so much of our true history.
But the day will come when my people will awaken. My south african brothers already started. if it wasn’t for blacks. You thieving whites would still be living in caves.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:23 am
Per capita the great majority are African American.
The 6.1% of the US population that is African American male commits 54% (9x) of US murders, 35% (5x) of US rapes, 5x of school shootings and 1.5x of serial killings.
Serial killings are enabled by intelligence, hence the lower amount of elevation.
July 27th, 2013 at 9:24 am
Anon#16 Are you Cornel West in disguise?
July 27th, 2013 at 9:26 am
By The National Review’s logic (if you can call it that), I apparently should never bank with an institution run by a white guy in a suit?