CNN Shoots Itself in the Foot, Uses Hate Rhetoric "Crosshairs" in a Political Context. UPDATE: They Apologize.

Aw geez, now it looks like I must apologize for using such violent imagery in my headline.

Please forgive me.



Via Weasel Zippers. Cross-posted.

QUAINT: "Mother's Name" and "Father's Name" on Passport Applications. HIP: "Parent One" and "Parent Two"

Unfortunately, if you were raised by a pack of coyotes, 'circus folk', or a tribe of Tasmanian Aborigines, you're still gonna have to clarify that yourself on the application.

Maybe they should add a third line: "Please Elaborate."

The words “mother” and “father” will be removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with gender neutral terminology, the State Department says.

“The words in the old form were ‘mother’ and ‘father,’” said Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services. "They are now ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two.’"

A statement on the State Department website noted: “These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child’s parents and in recognition of different types of families.” The statement didn't note if it was for child applications only.

The State Department said the new passport applications, not yet available to the public, will be available online soon.

Sprague said the decision to remove the traditional parenting names was not an act of political correctness.

“We find that with changes in medical science and reproductive technology that we are confronting situations now that we would not have anticipated 10 or 15 years ago,” she said.

Gay rights groups are applauding the decision.

“Changing the term mother and father to the more global term of parent allows many different types of families to be able to go and apply for a passport for their child without feeling like the government doesn’t recognize their family,” said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of Family Equality Council.

Via Fox News. Cross-posted.

"We've Gotten a Lot of Responses From People...Who Don't Have 'Princess Boys'"

Yeah, I'll bet.

Call me an old-school parent, but in my book there are only three appropriate responses to seeing your 5-year-old boy prancing around in a pink tutu:

1. Horrified cringing.
2. Nervous laughter.
3. Corporal punishment.

I certainly wouldn't write a book about it and go on the Today Show.

Via Breitbart. Cross-posted.

PC Pinheads Want to Ban the Word 'Obese' So As Not to Offend Fat Kids

Forget about losing the language. We long ago lost it. But now it's just getting downright stupid. We've gone and used various terms to avoid calling fat people fat and here in America we've got the First Lady running around spending ungodly sums of money on some battle against obesity so we can still use the term here. But over in Britain they've lost all sense of reality and are now afraid of offending the little chubsters and chubettes so they now want to use the term unhealthy weight.

In an age of widespread political correctness almost any term can be deemed to offend someone at some time.

But one council has been condemned after it announced it would consider banning the word 'obese' because it could offend fat children.

Town hall bosses want to want to replace it with the phrase 'unhealthy weight' so children are not stigmatised.

The move has caused fury among parents and anti-obesity campaigners who have branded the scheme 'preposterous and laughable.'

But health campaigners say they are concerned it will lead to the issue of obese children not being taken seriously enough.

The proposal was made by a group of 90 schoolchildren taking part in the Liverpool Schools' Parliament when the council asked them to come up with a variety of ideas as part of its Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP).

Now Liverpool Council will formally consider the proposal to drop the word from all local authority schemes and strategies aimed at improving the health of children. Tam Fry of the obesity prevention charity the Child Growth Foundation, said: 'If you’re obese you’re obese. 'I can see where the children are coming from and the word carries a stigmatisation but unfortunately some times schoolchildren have to be taught the realities of life.

If these nitwits don't think kids are going to be stigmatized and ridiculed, let them spend 10 minutes on a playground. Ridicule can be a powerful motivator.

This comment at the link nails it.

If all these "offensive" words are banned, we'll end up with a two word vocabulary, Yes, No and pointing. But thinking about it, even No has a negative connotation!

PC madness strikes again!

Thanks to Hot Air for the link. The commenters have some suggestions for proper terms so as not to offend anyone.

'Had We Launched an Investigation of Hasan We'd Have Been Crucified'

Yes, and they'd have been crucified by the left, the ACLU, CAIR and all the military-hating scum out there now twisting themselves into pretzels to avoid the obvious: We've got jihadis in our midst are are too damn afraid to do anything about it. Of course, since Fox is reporting this, it isn't "real news" so take it for what it's worth.

The claim comes as officials in different branches of law enforcement and the military squabble over who knew what when about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's leanings toward faith-inspired violence, and as charges fly that 'political correctness' prevented officials from taking action and is still being used as a crutch in explaining the rampage after the fact.

Investigators would have been "crucified" over First Amendment rights if they had they launched a full-scale probe into e-mails Fort Hood massacre suspect Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly sent to a radical imam, a government investigator told Fox News.

The claim comes as the squabble grows among officials in different branches of law enforcement and the military over who knew what, and when, about Hasan's leanings toward faith-inspired violence, and amid charges that "political correctness" prevented officials from taking pre-emptive action.

The government counterterrorism investigator familiar with the FBI's review of the Fort Hood case told Fox News that they simply did not have enough evidence to launch an investigation. Though officials discovered Hasan's e-mails to the imam, the investigator said the messages suggested he was seeking "spiritual and religious guidance."

"Had we launched an investigation of Hasan we'd have been crucified," the investigator said, adding that the communications were shared with the "appropriate chains."

Besides, why look at the obvious when you can float preposterous reasons like this.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley pointed to America's "love" affair with guns as the driving factor behind last week's shooting at Fort Hood, becoming the latest and possibly most prominent figure to show a reluctance to cite religion.

Daley, whose city has suffered through a rash of violence in recent months, made the connection while talking to reporters.

"Every day in society someone's being killed. Unfortunately, America loves guns. We love guns to a point that we see the devastation on a daily basis," he said. "You don't blame a group. You don't blame a society, immigrant community because of actions of one group, one individual -- you cannot say that."

No, we can say it. It was one individual, and he comes from a certain group and we all know this. Which is why the majority of us want this investigated as terrorism. As to the 40% who have no clue, they're beyond hope.

Political Correctness Kills Another Southern Tradition

Another southern tradition has been sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. Soon there will not be any such thing as a southern tradition or heritage, which is just what the PC crowd wants.

It is so sad to watch a region of the country which is steeped in so much history and rich in traditions just disappear. For some it is all about race, but it goes far beyond that.

This week it is the University of Mississippi which has been ordered to quit playing their signature piece "From Dixie With Love". The genteel people just couldn't allow the band to continue performing a song with the word Dixie in the title and was a blend of the two anthems of the Civil War: Dixie and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

So another piece of southern culture and tradition disappears just like the Buddhas in Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban.

Here is the University of Mississippi band performing, unbeknownst to them, From Dixie With Love for the last time.

Losing the Language: Phrase 'Right-hand man' Now Deemed Racist

Not just that phrase but a whole host of other innocuous phrases. This is complete insanity. Wait, can I still call something insane?

It could be construed as a black day for the English language — but not if you work in the public sector.

Dozens of quangos and taxpayer-funded organisations have ordered a purge of common words and phrases so as not to cause offence.

Among the everyday sayings that have been quietly dropped in a bid to stamp out racism and sexism are “whiter than white”, “gentleman’s agreement”, “black mark” and “right-hand man”.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has advised staff to replace the phrase “black day” with “miserable day”, according to documents released under freedom of information rules.

It points out that certain words carry with them a “hierarchical valuation of skin colour”. The commission even urges employees to be mindful of the term “ethnic minority” because it can imply “something smaller and less important”.

The National Gallery in London believes that the phrase “gentleman’s agreement” is potentially offensive to women and suggests that staff should replace it with “unwritten agreement” or “an agreement based on trust” instead. The term “right-hand man” is also considered taboo by the gallery, with “second in command” being deemed more suitable.

Many institutions have urged their workforce to be mindful of “gender bias” in language. The Learning and Skills Council wants staff to “perfect” their brief rather than “master” it, while the Newcastle University has singled out the phrase “master bedroom” as being problematic.

Advice issued by the South West Regional Development Agency states: “Terms such as ‘black sheep of the family’, ‘black looks’ and ‘black mark’ have no direct link to skin colour but potentially serve to reinforce a negative view of all things black. Equally, certain terms imply a negative image of ‘black’ by reinforcing the positive aspects of white.

Of course this politically correct nonsense is being met with some resistance, at least until the re-education camps open up.

Marie Clair, spokeswoman for the Plain English Campaign, said: “Political correctness has good intentions but things can be taken to an extreme. What is really needed is a bit of common sense.”

Hot Air links. Thanks!

Schoolbooks Sanitizing Islam

Don't count on your kids see Islam in the proper light now that textbooks are being cleansed of any unpleasant information about the violent deathcult.

A new report issued by the American Textbook Council says books approved for use in local school districts for teaching middle and high school students about Islam caved in to political correctness and dumbed down the topic at a critical moment in its history.

"Textbook editors try to avoid any subject that could turn into a political grenade," wrote Gilbert Sewall, director of the council, who railed against five popular history texts for "adjust[ing] the definition of jihad or sharia or remov[ing] these words from lessons to avoid inconvenient truths."

Sewall complains the word jihad has gone through an "amazing cultural reorchestration" in textbooks, losing any connotation of violence. He cites Houghton Mifflin's popular middle school text, "Across the Centuries," which has been approved for use in Montgomery County Schools. It defines "jihad" as a struggle "to do one's best to resist temptation and overcome evil."

"But that is, literally, the translation of jihad," said Reza Aslan, a religion scholar and acclaimed author of "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam." Aslan explained that the definition does not preclude a militant interpretation.

"How you interpret [jihad] is based on whatever your particular ideology, or world viewpoint, or even prejudice is," Aslan said. "But how you define jihad is set in stone."

A statement from Montgomery County Public Schools said that all text used by teachers had been properly vetted and were appropriate for classroom uses.

Aslan said groups like Sewall's are often more concerned about advancing their own interpretation of Islam than they are about defining its parts and then allowing interpretation to happen at the classroom level.

Sewall's report blames publishing companies for allowing the influence of groups like the California-based Council on Islamic Education to serve throughout the editorial process as "screeners" for textbooks, softening or deleting potentially unflattering topics within the faith.

Before long the books will probably say September 11, 2001 was just another sunny Tuesday.

PIRATES AHOY!

It's inevitable, isn't it? The Royal Navy, once the scourge of brigands on the high seas, has been told by the Foreign Office not to detain pirates because doing so may breach their human rights! Warships patrolling pirate-infested waters, such as those off Somalia, have been warned that there is also a risk that captured pirates could claim asylum in Britain. The Foreign Office has advised that pirates sent back to Somalia could have their human rights breached because, under Islamic law, they face beheading for murder or having a hand chopped off for theft. All the more reason TO send them back to Somalia I would have thought! The pernicious advance of so-called "Human Rights" legislation is like a cancer, destroying everything it touches.

Cross posted on A Tangled Web.

Mystery 'Man' Sought in Chicago Murders

A brutal mass murder on the south side of Chicago on Saturday provides yet more evidence of Reuters mindless political correctness. Here is the article by my good friends at Reuters:

Five women killed in Chicago-area store shooting

TINLEY PARK, Illinois (Reuters) - Five women were shot and killed inside a clothing store at a suburban Chicago shopping center on Saturday in what police said appeared to be a botched robbery.

Police were searching for a lone gunman spotted outside the store by a witness, but said they had not identified him.

Awful crime, right? You'd like to see the murderer caught ASAP, right? Might be helpful to have an accurate description in the paper to help catch this crud, right?

Here's the description published by Reuters:

The suspect had fled and they issued an alert for a man wearing black jeans, a black waist-length winter coat and a black knit cap, police said.

So you know for sure that the suspect is a man. That's it.

For comparison, I now offer the corresponding description in the article carried by CNN, not exactly a right wing bastion of law and order itself:

Nurse, social worker among five slain in store

A witness who saw the gunman leave the front of the store described him as a black man, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing between 230 and 260 pounds, Tinley Park Police Sgt. T.J. Grady told CNN on Sunday. He was wearing a waist-length black winter coat, a black cap and dark jeans.

Notice much difference? Gee, I wonder why Reuters editors ran a generic description that could fit every man alive?

Reuters, documenting their stupidity and political agenda, every day.

PC BBC More 'Hideously White' Than Ever

Typical far-left outfit. Preach diversity and tolerance, but don't practice it yourself.

Of course, now they promise to do something about it, but it will just subject them to charges of reverse racism and litigation.

The BBC is more "hideously white" than ever, after it was revealed that the number of black executives has dropped to the lowest in years.

Embarrassing new figures show it has even fewer ethnic minority bosses now than it did four years ago when former director general Greg Dyke used the phrase to describe the corporation.

Now the BBC has controversially said it will "fast-track" young ethnic staff to senior positions, leading to accusations of positive discrimination.

This will see it ring-fence half the places on a course designed to find new senior staff specifically for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

This has sparked fury from some politicians who have claimed it is further evidence of the BBC's obsession with "political correctness".

They have also claimed the scheme, which the BBC says will give ethnic staff a "leg-up" the ladder, is "positive discrimination" and may be illegal.

Conservative MP Philip Davies has contacted Sir Trevor Phillips at the Commission for Equality and Human Rights to complain about it.

The politician who sits on the culture, media and sport select committee said: "This kind of approach is absolutely typical of the politically correct culture that dominates the BBC. Jobs should be given on merit, irrespective of ethnic background."

He added: "This is just clear cut positive discrimination and this is the type of thing that just makes people's blood boil. They should be colour blind when employing people."

Latest figures show not only has the BBC failed to hit targets, it has actually gone backwards, in the number of non-white senior staff.

Reminds me of our first black president, who didn't appoint nearly as many minorities to cabinet-level positions as his successor did.

UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds links. Thanks!

Also at ATW.

Free Mark Steyn

Via Doug Ross and reprinted here. Other bloggers, please join in and send a message to the Canadians, politely, of course.

Mark Steyn and Macleans Magazine stand accused of offending the human rights of Osgood Hall law students and the Canadian Islamic Congress for publishing excerpts of the book America Alone.

According to the Ottawa Citizen's John Robson, complaints have been filed with the first three Canadian Human Rights commissions. The first two have agreed to "launch inquiries" and the third is reportedly undecided.

1) Canadian Human Rights Commission
344 Slater Street, 8th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1E1, Canada
Telephone: (613) 995-1151
Feedback: Contact form
Commissioners: Jennifer Lynch, Q.C. - Chief Commissioner, David Langtry - Deputy Commissioner, Aimable Ndejuru, Carol McDonald, Harish Chand Jain

2) British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
1170 - 605 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5J3, Canada
Telephone: (604) 775-2000
Feedback: Contact form
Email: BCHumanRightsTribunal@gov.bc.ca
Tribunal members: Chair Heather MacNaughton, Tonie Beharrell, Barbara Humphreys, Barbara Junker, Lindsay Lyster, Diane MacLean, Ana Mohammed, Kurt Neuenfeldt, Abraham Okazaki, Judith Parrack, Marlene Tyshynski

3) Ontario Human Rights Commissions
180 Dundas Street W. 7th Floor, Toronto ON M7A 2R9
Telephone: (416) 326-9511 (Human Rights Office)
Telephone: (416) 314-4500 (Head Office)
Email: info@ohrc.on.ca
Commissioners: Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall, Patrick Case, Pierre Charron, Ruth Goba, Kamala-Jean Gopie, Alana Klein, Raja Khouri, Fernand Lalonde, Christiane Rabier, Ghulam Abbas Sajan, Bhagat Taggar, Richard Théberge, Maggie Wente, Albert Wiggan

Let them know -- politely -- where you stand.

PC Wackos Kill Another Tradition

You'll never guess who might get 'offended'.

Then again, maybe you will.

Scouts lose; adults "simply moving forward"

In England, where the Scout movement originated, political correctness rears its ugly head.

For almost 70 years, Scouts and Guides have savoured their place of peaceful worship under the trees.

But no longer. The woodland chapel has been demolished - its wooden pews and rudimentary cross and altar removed. In its place is a campfire circle.

The change has been imposed by the Scout Association, which believes the chapel excludes non-Christian Scouts.

Damnable nitwits.

When Liberals Eat Their Own

Rich Lowry notes how liberals always gave Don Imus a free pass, until now. In typical fashion, they're running for the tall grass like the cowards they are.

Don Imus has to wonder where all his friends went. Just yesterday, his radio/TV show was the favorite venue of the journalistic and political elite, who delighted - or pretended to delight - in his ribald comments. Today, most of them appear shocked that Imus was ever given a show.

The unedifying Imus controversy is almost entirely a liberal conflagration, a perfect bonfire of the profanities: with journalists and politicians caught out ignoring their own standards of political correctness; with left-wing grievance-meisters doing their grim work on the mainstream media's favorite shock jock; with the culture of victimology running its ritualistic course. Armed only with the dubious loyalty of his frequent guests, Imus didn't stand a chance.

Read the rest.

I'm sure after rehabbing himself for a stretch, Imus will find a gig elsewhere. And if he goes back to trashing Rush Limbaugh and George W. Bush four hours a day, the usual suspects will gleefully return.

Hypocrites all.

West in a Trance

A rather interesting piece in the Washington Times today by Barry Casselman, who observes that Western society seems to be in a hypnotic state, oblivious to events evolving around them. He makes a great point, especially here:

I am increasingly convinced that the West is in denial of what is truly happening in the world. This self-delusion is the most dangerous response possible to the intense and rapid change all over the planet. This self-denial takes many forms, including obsessions with abstract issues of little real consequence, e.g., animal rights, capital punishment, celebrity gossip, political correctness, etc. It is accompanied by the rise of secular mandates and the suppression of spiritual values. It exhibits excesses of greed that threaten both capitalism and representative government.

The malign forces that conspire against the West (in contrast to the benign forces which only wish to compete with it), however, are not paralyzed. They are moving and growing at great speed.

Not entirely unrelated, Diana West suggests we are running from reality.

I've finally discovered what they call "linkage" between the war in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But, instead of seeing any connection between what goes on inside Iraq and that fraudulent "peace process" by which the one party wanting "peace" (Israel) is gradually destroyed by the other party using "process" (the Palestinians)I see linkage in the overall American approach to the two war zones. Our strategy is identical. In both cases, it is based on a complete and willful suspension of disbelief. It ignores all evidence to ward off reality.