Young Dems; Old Anti-Semitism
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 12, 2019
Anti-Semitism is about as old as time - the Crusades, myriad pogroms, Jewish people exiled from virtually every European country, restricted from employment, trades, professions, housing, college admissions quotas, martyred for peacefully practicing their faith - proselytizing goes against Jewish law, and of course the Holocaust of European Jewry.
There’s no need to regale anyone with the hardcore statistics - for those feel free to visit the Anti-Defamation League website: www.adl.org - I have no affiliation with the ADL.
Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head throughout the United States since before its founding as a great nation. Without parameters, the “club” includes, but sadly, is not limited to political commentator Patrick Buchanan, Father Charles Coughlin, author Roald Dahl, former KKK Grand Wizard and state house member David Duke (R-LA), author T.S. Eliot, Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan, automobile magnate Henry Ford, actor Mel Gibson, Reverend Jesse Jackson (D), Congressional candidate and Holocaust denier Arthur Jones (R-IL), aviator Charles Lindbergh, author Ezra Pound, Congressman John Rankin (D-MS), Margaret Sanger - founder of what would become Planned Parenthood, and Reverend Al Sharpton (D-NY).
https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2018/02/gop-adl-dont-challenge-nazi.html
Thanks to social media, indoctrination in our classrooms and on our campuses, anti-Semitism is permeating the halls of Congress with a greater prevalence than in recent memory. Recent tweets by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) have opened a can of worms demonstrating the blatant anti-Semitism of someone who will remain unapologetic. Just wondering if she has a copy of Protocols of the Elders of Zion on her bookshelf.
Beginning Sunday evening February 10, criticism was rightfully hoisted upon Omar for suggesting that AIPAC paid or bribed members of Congress for their support of Israel.
AIPAC - the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - is a 501(c)(4) bi-partisan advocacy organization founded in 1951 promoting strong relations between the United States and Israel. (www.aipac.org) Don’t confuse the PAC in AIPAC with a PAC - political action committee, which far too many people do. AIPAC, of which I am a proud member, does not endorse or contribute to political candidates. Some of my most conservative friends are members of AIPAC, as are some of my most liberal friends. AIPAC truly exemplifies what bipartisanship is all about and perhaps Congress could take a few lessons there.
Initially, Omar alluded to AIPAC prior to mentioning its name, then when asked why such an organization would supposedly pay members of Congress for support, Omar tweeted “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” referencing a 1997 rap song by Puff Daddy. This is an old anti-Semitic canard about Jewish greed or obsession with all things financial. (Setting the record straight, Jews, while not monolithic in their charitable giving, are among the most generous of any ethnic or religious group.)
Because this is not Omar’s first foray in anti-Semitic screeds, elected Republicans, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and even leading Democrats called for the Somali-born House member to apologize. Republicans and members of Jewish groups also called for Omar to be stripped of her membership on the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee.
In part, the Democrat’s House Leadership wrote, in condemning Omar’s anti-Semitism: “Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted and condemned wherever it is encountered, without exception…
Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments…”
On February 11, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) tweeted, “In our conversation today, Congresswoman Omar and I agreed that we must use this moment to move forward as we reject anti-Semitism in all forms.”
Yet prior to her disingenuous “apology,” Omar not only mocked those calling her anti-Semitic, she added, “I’m always surprised by the criticism I get.”
Counselor to President Trump Kellyanne Conway called Omar’s remarks “sewage spilling from her mouth.”
Omar’s apology, is disingenuous because it is not her first apology for anti-Semitic remarks, and because it was conditional, doubling down on her attack on AIPAC.
“Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish American as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize.
“At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it,” tweeted Omar.
Virginia Democrat Congressman Gerry Connolly defended Omar calling her a “freshman. She’s young.”
Omar is not a 14 year old freshman in high school - she’s a 37 year old grown woman whose opinions and attitudes did not formulate on January 3 when she was sworn in.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez barely mentioned Omar’s name in a tepid, almost non-existent rebuke, instead offering boiler-plate pablum about the importance of the relationship between the United States and Israel. Additionally, Omar suffered neither punishment nor removal from any committee assignment - just lip-service from the Democrats at best. On the other hand, when Congressman Steve King (R-IA) used racist language in January, the GOP punished him with removal from all committee assignments.
Additionally, on November 16, 2012 Omar tweeted “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” Not only did Omar not apologize for that tweet, it still exists. More recently Omar said she thinks it’s a joke when Israel is called a democracy, comparing it to the despotic regime of Iran.
“Congressman Omar’s statements are deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself,” said fellow House freshman Max Rose (D-NY).
“Anti-Semitism has no place in the United States Congress,” said President Donald Trump about Omar’s statements. “Her lame apology - and she didn’t mean a word of it - I think she should either resign from Congress, or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” continued the President.
Omar is not the only freshman or Democrat of longer service to have made anti-Semitic remarks/texts or been supportive of anti-Israel legislation. Freshman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), another young House member at 42, not only penned a column for a Farrakhan-led Nation of Islam publication in 2006, she, like Omar, is a strong supporter of the virulently anti-Semitic BDS Movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanction). Freshmen Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), 45, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), 29, are also supporters of the BDS Movement.
In fact, an anti-BDS bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, January 29, 76-23 - including 24 Democrat senators voting in favor. However, six potential 2020 Democrat presidential aspirants voted against the measure allowing state governments to deny contracts to businesses supporting the BDS Movement. The six Democrat senators are Cory Booker (NJ), Sherrod Brown (OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Kamala Harris (CA), Bernie Sanders (VT), and Elizabeth Warren (MA).
Elected officials, like Omar and her cohorts, have a First Amendment right of free speech, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be condemned for hate speech - of which anti-Semitism most certainly is. Jewish voters, who vote in one of the strongest blocks for Democrats, better wake up and understand that this is not their grandparents Democrat Party. Even Democrat senators Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Brian Schatz (HI) - both Jewish voted against the anti-BDS bill.
The Republican Party is the party of the American people sans hyphens. The Republican Party doesn’t play identity politics and doesn’t believe in egregious taxation. The GOP used to believe in limited government and reduced spending and needs to return to those days of fiscal responsibility. The GOP understands the importance of a strong alliance between the United States and Israel and hopefully more Jewish voters will come to that realization and no longer allow the Democrats to take their votes for granted.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Enter Governor Kirk Cox?
Enter Governor Kirk Cox?
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 6, 2019
OK, it may be a bit premature, but judging by Democrat “principles,” and “standards,” Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring - all Democrats - should be exiting stage left - far left, any day now, for their various alleged peccadillos and indiscretions.
Apparently Virginia is for Losers, to change the phrase from “Virginia is for Lovers,” used since 1969. Let’s review. Both Northam, 59, and Herring, 57, have been found red-faced for their public displays in black face in 1984 and 1980 respectively, while Fairfax is accused of the more egregious charge of sexual assault in 2004.
Ironically, Northam’s picture, found in his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, prompted Herring to call for the governor’s resignation. Days later, Herring admitted he too took a turn in black face as a 19 year old attending the University of Virginia. He has since called it “the greatest shame I ever felt.” Democrats nationwide have been apoplectically falling all over themselves calling for Northam’s ouster, but that was prior to learning about Fairfax’s troubles.
Quite frankly, this is sleight of hand perpetrated by the Democrats as they are trying to deflect from Northam’s damning comments in support of infanticide just a day prior to his yearbook picture being made public. https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2019/01/infanticide-new-morality.html Why the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Ed Gillespie couldn’t unearth this photo in 2017 is inexplicable; it’s not like it was hiding under aunt Martha’s mattress.
Initially, the chorus of demands for Northam’s resignation was palpable. It seems to have quieted somewhat in light of Herring’s duplicate offense, but more so because of the accusations against Fairfax. Yet, the Democrats must continue the full court press against both Northam and Herring, otherwise they lose the supposed moral high ground and the right to continue to call President Donald Trump a racist, albeit incorrectly so.
Fairfax, turning 40 on February 17, may actually be in legal hot water, not just facing moral indignation. He has been accused of sexual assault by Dr. Vanessa Tyson during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, held in Boston.
“What began as consensual kissing, turned into a sexual assault,” said Tyson, an associate professor of politics currently on leave from Scripps College in Claremont, CA. “Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch. Only then did I realize he had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants. As I cried and gagged, Mr. Fairfax forced me to perform oral sex on him,” Tyson continued.
“At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months that followed it when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years,” said Fairfax.
“Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation. Given his false assertions, I’m compelled to make clear what happened,” added Tyson. The statements made by Tyson and Fairfax appeared on Fox News.
Now the Democrats find themselves in a quandary. Either they throw one of their own under the bus, by adhering to their so called principles, or they are hypocrites. These so called principles are to believe the female accuser regardless of bona fide proof, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court hearings of current Justice Brett Kavanaugh. With little specific memory of events, Democrat senators firmly stood behind Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
“Not only do women like Dr. Ford, who bravely comes forward, need to be heard, but they need to be believed. They must be believed,” said Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in defense of Ford then, while saying nothing to support Tyson now.
“I believe her because she’s telling the truth,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), using circular logic in support of Ford, yet the 2020 presidential aspirant had no words of support for Tyson.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said he believed Ford, calling her “the survivor,” adding, “she has provided the country with an amazing teaching moment.” Blumenthal himself is on shaky ground where the truth is concerned, having lied about his alleged military service in country during the war in Vietnam. He has had nothing to say in support of Tyson.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) called Ford “heroic” for coming forward. It was during the Kavanaugh hearings that Booker had his awkward “I am Spartacus” moment. Booker should be called hypocritical because he admitted to inappropriate sexual groping as a teenager, and has been silent on Tyson. The Democrats seemed to have ignored that aspect of Booker’s past, while welcoming him to the ranks of 2020 presidential hopefuls.
None of the Ford stalwarts, including senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), or Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have come to the defense of Tyson, whose memory of the events of 15 years ago seem clear, as compared to the blurred memories of Ford, attempting to recount events from 36 years ago. It seems Kavanaugh is guilty by association with President Trump, but Fairfax is being given quite a bit of the benefit of the doubt.
Where are the feminists now? Hearing crickets.
Will the Democrats, who pressed so hard in their attempts at keeping Kavanaugh from being seated on the Supreme Court, work equally hard supporting another supposedly victimized female - Dr. Tyson, or give Fairfax a pass in the name of party kinship and hypocrisy?
Should Northam, Fairfax, and Herring all have to fall on their swords, that would leave the door to the Governor’s mansion in Richmond open to the Speaker of the House of Delegates in the line of gubernatorial succession. Enter Governor Kirk Cox (R). Or will the Democrats’ hypocrisy and political zeal cause them to reevaluate their calls for resignations because Cox is a Republican?
Marvin Kirkland Cox, 61, represents the 66th District which includes Richmond suburb Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield County. Serving his constituents since 1990, Cox said he has no plans to attempt to seek Northam’s ouster. That statement came before the news that could sink the entire Democrat triumvirate. The stickiness of Virginia’s situation is sad, but what is truly sad, is that it is self-inflicted and could have been avoided.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He lived in Northern Virginia for nearly a dozen years.
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 6, 2019
OK, it may be a bit premature, but judging by Democrat “principles,” and “standards,” Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring - all Democrats - should be exiting stage left - far left, any day now, for their various alleged peccadillos and indiscretions.
Apparently Virginia is for Losers, to change the phrase from “Virginia is for Lovers,” used since 1969. Let’s review. Both Northam, 59, and Herring, 57, have been found red-faced for their public displays in black face in 1984 and 1980 respectively, while Fairfax is accused of the more egregious charge of sexual assault in 2004.
Ironically, Northam’s picture, found in his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, prompted Herring to call for the governor’s resignation. Days later, Herring admitted he too took a turn in black face as a 19 year old attending the University of Virginia. He has since called it “the greatest shame I ever felt.” Democrats nationwide have been apoplectically falling all over themselves calling for Northam’s ouster, but that was prior to learning about Fairfax’s troubles.
Quite frankly, this is sleight of hand perpetrated by the Democrats as they are trying to deflect from Northam’s damning comments in support of infanticide just a day prior to his yearbook picture being made public. https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2019/01/infanticide-new-morality.html Why the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Ed Gillespie couldn’t unearth this photo in 2017 is inexplicable; it’s not like it was hiding under aunt Martha’s mattress.
Initially, the chorus of demands for Northam’s resignation was palpable. It seems to have quieted somewhat in light of Herring’s duplicate offense, but more so because of the accusations against Fairfax. Yet, the Democrats must continue the full court press against both Northam and Herring, otherwise they lose the supposed moral high ground and the right to continue to call President Donald Trump a racist, albeit incorrectly so.
Fairfax, turning 40 on February 17, may actually be in legal hot water, not just facing moral indignation. He has been accused of sexual assault by Dr. Vanessa Tyson during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, held in Boston.
“What began as consensual kissing, turned into a sexual assault,” said Tyson, an associate professor of politics currently on leave from Scripps College in Claremont, CA. “Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch. Only then did I realize he had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants. As I cried and gagged, Mr. Fairfax forced me to perform oral sex on him,” Tyson continued.
“At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months that followed it when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years,” said Fairfax.
“Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation. Given his false assertions, I’m compelled to make clear what happened,” added Tyson. The statements made by Tyson and Fairfax appeared on Fox News.
Now the Democrats find themselves in a quandary. Either they throw one of their own under the bus, by adhering to their so called principles, or they are hypocrites. These so called principles are to believe the female accuser regardless of bona fide proof, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court hearings of current Justice Brett Kavanaugh. With little specific memory of events, Democrat senators firmly stood behind Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
“Not only do women like Dr. Ford, who bravely comes forward, need to be heard, but they need to be believed. They must be believed,” said Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in defense of Ford then, while saying nothing to support Tyson now.
“I believe her because she’s telling the truth,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), using circular logic in support of Ford, yet the 2020 presidential aspirant had no words of support for Tyson.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said he believed Ford, calling her “the survivor,” adding, “she has provided the country with an amazing teaching moment.” Blumenthal himself is on shaky ground where the truth is concerned, having lied about his alleged military service in country during the war in Vietnam. He has had nothing to say in support of Tyson.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) called Ford “heroic” for coming forward. It was during the Kavanaugh hearings that Booker had his awkward “I am Spartacus” moment. Booker should be called hypocritical because he admitted to inappropriate sexual groping as a teenager, and has been silent on Tyson. The Democrats seemed to have ignored that aspect of Booker’s past, while welcoming him to the ranks of 2020 presidential hopefuls.
None of the Ford stalwarts, including senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), or Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have come to the defense of Tyson, whose memory of the events of 15 years ago seem clear, as compared to the blurred memories of Ford, attempting to recount events from 36 years ago. It seems Kavanaugh is guilty by association with President Trump, but Fairfax is being given quite a bit of the benefit of the doubt.
Where are the feminists now? Hearing crickets.
Will the Democrats, who pressed so hard in their attempts at keeping Kavanaugh from being seated on the Supreme Court, work equally hard supporting another supposedly victimized female - Dr. Tyson, or give Fairfax a pass in the name of party kinship and hypocrisy?
Should Northam, Fairfax, and Herring all have to fall on their swords, that would leave the door to the Governor’s mansion in Richmond open to the Speaker of the House of Delegates in the line of gubernatorial succession. Enter Governor Kirk Cox (R). Or will the Democrats’ hypocrisy and political zeal cause them to reevaluate their calls for resignations because Cox is a Republican?
Marvin Kirkland Cox, 61, represents the 66th District which includes Richmond suburb Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield County. Serving his constituents since 1990, Cox said he has no plans to attempt to seek Northam’s ouster. That statement came before the news that could sink the entire Democrat triumvirate. The stickiness of Virginia’s situation is sad, but what is truly sad, is that it is self-inflicted and could have been avoided.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He lived in Northern Virginia for nearly a dozen years.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
The Picture of Democrat Priorities
The Picture of Democrat Priorities
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 5, 2019
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (CA) and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are a microcosm of the Democrat Party’s priorities and moral relativism. Pelosi calls walls (or any structure) that would help secure the southern border of the United States “immoral,” while living in her ivory tower-gated community as the peons below her literally pee on the streets of San Francisco sans repercussions.
When asked about the comments Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) made about late term abortion and infanticide, Pelosi feigned ignorance, as did myriad Democrats, taking cover under shrugged shoulders claiming not to have followed the day’s news cycle. Cuomo called the signing into law the absolute relaxing of abortion laws in New York, “a moral victory.” Late term abortion in New York State is legal up to and including the points of crowning and dilation. Here you go, Madam Speaker, read up: https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2019/01/infanticide-new-morality.html
OK, Pelosi didn’t feign ignorance, she has mastered it to an art form, the same way she manages a vote in the House of Representatives. Yet mere moments after a supposed yearbook photo of Northam surfaced on Friday, February 1, Pelosi is front and center calling for the Virginia governor’s resignation. The photo, from his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, shows Northam clad either in a KKK robe and hood or in black face - both equally despicable.
While crickets could be heard around the Democrat Party regarding late term abortion and infanticide, a frenzied cacophony swelled as Democrats couldn’t trip over themselves fast enough to call for Northam’s resignation. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) uttered nary a word pertaining to the slaughter of born infants, yet called the Northam photo “disturbing,” in demanding the governor’s resignation.
But is there room for redemption or forgiveness in the liberal/progressive bag of tricks? Apparently there is for criminal activity as opposed to stupidity. Case in point; Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who days ago tossed his sombrero into the ever growing list of presidential hopefuls, invited as his guest, Edward Douglas to attend the State of the Union address. Douglas earned himself a life sentence in 2003 for selling 140 grams of crack cocaine. Yet on January 10, Douglas was released under the auspices of President Trump’s “First Step Act,” giving criminals a second chance at a redeemable life. Douglas is forgiven a serious drug offense after 15-plus years, but Northam is persona non grata for a 35 year old yearbook photo. Such priorities.
While I’m certainly not endorsing racism, it seems the Democrats have their priorities completely backward - reacting apoplectically to a 35 year old photo while remaining silent to the legalization of the crimes that sent abortionist Kermit Gosnell to prison. To review, walls and borders - immoral; full term murder and infanticide - a moral victory.
https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2013/05/kermit-gosnell-soul-of-nazi.html
In their quest to out-liberal and out-progressive each other, moving so far to the left as to expect an endorsement from Pravda, Democrats seeking their party’s nomination during the summer of 2020 have further devalued life to its lowest common denominator, dollars and cents. “We believe that reproductive freedom leads to economic freedom for women,” said Northam. How he can claim the words he uttered the prior Wednesday on WTOP radio were taken out of context, when he doubled down with such a reprehensible notion. By the way, if women don’t want children, that’s perfectly acceptable, not they need my blessing one way or the other, obviously. There are ways to avoid motherhood that don’t involve the murder of a child - contraception, adoption, and abstinence.
Yet this is not the issue on which the Democrats wish Northam to fall on his sword. That would be the aforementioned yearbook photo, which apparently is more egregious than infanticide. Such priorities. And adding insult to his self-inflicted injury, Northam, with the nickname “Coonman,” appearing in the same yearbook, first apologized for the photo, then, the next day, after categorically denying it was him, figuratively shot himself in the mouth admitting he actually did appear in blackface attempting to emulate Michael Jackson in a dance contest in San Antonio. Northam actually had to be verbally prevented from demonstrating the Moonwalk by his wife. Where is his brain?
Some things the left-wing media simply can’t whitewash or protect, as they did regarding Northam’s abortion comments, as ABC, NBC, and MSNBC provided no coverage, and CBS less than 30 seconds. Make no mistake, the racism issue is a smokescreen the Democrats need to protect their precious abortion on demand through birth, of which the left-wing media is wholly complicit.
Add to the mix the new revelations of accusations levied against Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Fairfax is accused of sexual assault during the Democratic National Convention of 2004, something apparently The Washington Post conveniently failed to report during the campaign of 2017 when Fairfax won his current post. Such a quandary for the Democrats who insisted, nay, demanded, that all the accusers who came forth during the Supreme Court confirmation of now Justice Brett Kavanaugh must be believed. How much of a priority will this be for the Democrats to unearth the truth? Is Fairfax to be given a pass because he’s a Democrat? Is he to be given a pass because he is black? What is the pecking order of the ever changing rules according to the PC and thought police of the Democrat Party?
By the way, Booker admitted to unwanted sexual groping dating back to 1992, yet his voice was one of the loudest against Kavanaugh. Apparently admission of guilt by a Democrat nets one a continuing seat in the United States Senate, while a Supreme Court appointee by a Republican president is guilty without proof. Such priorities.
Liberals/progressives don’t get enough red meat going after conservatives, they eat their own now - just ask former Senator Al Franken (D-MN), former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, and actor/comedian Kevin Hart - of the three, only Franken deserved his ultimate political demise.
Be careful America, because the words you uttered or printed a decade or three ago, the costume you wore, harmless then, will undoubtedly come back to not just haunt you, but send your career to the dustbin. This, along with the liberal/progressive protection of abortion rights on demand will continue to be part of their Final Solution for total control of an America that once enjoyed freedom of speech and religion - unless we stand up and shout ENOUGH.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 5, 2019
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (CA) and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are a microcosm of the Democrat Party’s priorities and moral relativism. Pelosi calls walls (or any structure) that would help secure the southern border of the United States “immoral,” while living in her ivory tower-gated community as the peons below her literally pee on the streets of San Francisco sans repercussions.
When asked about the comments Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) made about late term abortion and infanticide, Pelosi feigned ignorance, as did myriad Democrats, taking cover under shrugged shoulders claiming not to have followed the day’s news cycle. Cuomo called the signing into law the absolute relaxing of abortion laws in New York, “a moral victory.” Late term abortion in New York State is legal up to and including the points of crowning and dilation. Here you go, Madam Speaker, read up: https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2019/01/infanticide-new-morality.html
OK, Pelosi didn’t feign ignorance, she has mastered it to an art form, the same way she manages a vote in the House of Representatives. Yet mere moments after a supposed yearbook photo of Northam surfaced on Friday, February 1, Pelosi is front and center calling for the Virginia governor’s resignation. The photo, from his Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, shows Northam clad either in a KKK robe and hood or in black face - both equally despicable.
While crickets could be heard around the Democrat Party regarding late term abortion and infanticide, a frenzied cacophony swelled as Democrats couldn’t trip over themselves fast enough to call for Northam’s resignation. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) uttered nary a word pertaining to the slaughter of born infants, yet called the Northam photo “disturbing,” in demanding the governor’s resignation.
But is there room for redemption or forgiveness in the liberal/progressive bag of tricks? Apparently there is for criminal activity as opposed to stupidity. Case in point; Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who days ago tossed his sombrero into the ever growing list of presidential hopefuls, invited as his guest, Edward Douglas to attend the State of the Union address. Douglas earned himself a life sentence in 2003 for selling 140 grams of crack cocaine. Yet on January 10, Douglas was released under the auspices of President Trump’s “First Step Act,” giving criminals a second chance at a redeemable life. Douglas is forgiven a serious drug offense after 15-plus years, but Northam is persona non grata for a 35 year old yearbook photo. Such priorities.
While I’m certainly not endorsing racism, it seems the Democrats have their priorities completely backward - reacting apoplectically to a 35 year old photo while remaining silent to the legalization of the crimes that sent abortionist Kermit Gosnell to prison. To review, walls and borders - immoral; full term murder and infanticide - a moral victory.
https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2013/05/kermit-gosnell-soul-of-nazi.html
In their quest to out-liberal and out-progressive each other, moving so far to the left as to expect an endorsement from Pravda, Democrats seeking their party’s nomination during the summer of 2020 have further devalued life to its lowest common denominator, dollars and cents. “We believe that reproductive freedom leads to economic freedom for women,” said Northam. How he can claim the words he uttered the prior Wednesday on WTOP radio were taken out of context, when he doubled down with such a reprehensible notion. By the way, if women don’t want children, that’s perfectly acceptable, not they need my blessing one way or the other, obviously. There are ways to avoid motherhood that don’t involve the murder of a child - contraception, adoption, and abstinence.
Yet this is not the issue on which the Democrats wish Northam to fall on his sword. That would be the aforementioned yearbook photo, which apparently is more egregious than infanticide. Such priorities. And adding insult to his self-inflicted injury, Northam, with the nickname “Coonman,” appearing in the same yearbook, first apologized for the photo, then, the next day, after categorically denying it was him, figuratively shot himself in the mouth admitting he actually did appear in blackface attempting to emulate Michael Jackson in a dance contest in San Antonio. Northam actually had to be verbally prevented from demonstrating the Moonwalk by his wife. Where is his brain?
Some things the left-wing media simply can’t whitewash or protect, as they did regarding Northam’s abortion comments, as ABC, NBC, and MSNBC provided no coverage, and CBS less than 30 seconds. Make no mistake, the racism issue is a smokescreen the Democrats need to protect their precious abortion on demand through birth, of which the left-wing media is wholly complicit.
Add to the mix the new revelations of accusations levied against Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Fairfax is accused of sexual assault during the Democratic National Convention of 2004, something apparently The Washington Post conveniently failed to report during the campaign of 2017 when Fairfax won his current post. Such a quandary for the Democrats who insisted, nay, demanded, that all the accusers who came forth during the Supreme Court confirmation of now Justice Brett Kavanaugh must be believed. How much of a priority will this be for the Democrats to unearth the truth? Is Fairfax to be given a pass because he’s a Democrat? Is he to be given a pass because he is black? What is the pecking order of the ever changing rules according to the PC and thought police of the Democrat Party?
By the way, Booker admitted to unwanted sexual groping dating back to 1992, yet his voice was one of the loudest against Kavanaugh. Apparently admission of guilt by a Democrat nets one a continuing seat in the United States Senate, while a Supreme Court appointee by a Republican president is guilty without proof. Such priorities.
Liberals/progressives don’t get enough red meat going after conservatives, they eat their own now - just ask former Senator Al Franken (D-MN), former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, and actor/comedian Kevin Hart - of the three, only Franken deserved his ultimate political demise.
Be careful America, because the words you uttered or printed a decade or three ago, the costume you wore, harmless then, will undoubtedly come back to not just haunt you, but send your career to the dustbin. This, along with the liberal/progressive protection of abortion rights on demand will continue to be part of their Final Solution for total control of an America that once enjoyed freedom of speech and religion - unless we stand up and shout ENOUGH.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Infanticide - the New Morality?
“I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” - Ronald Reagan
Infanticide - the New Morality?
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 30, 2019
My wife was born at five and a half months. Yet, in January 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered the spire of the new World Trade Center lit up in pink after signing into law the right of a woman to abort her baby through the third trimester to the point of dilation and crowning; celebrating the moment as a “moral victory.”
A moral victory? For whom? For the infants yearning to breathe free? For society? For the state of New York that does not have the death penalty for murderers, rapists, serial killers, yet now has the death penalty for newborns? More aptly an immoral victory for those in league with Satan; for those with no conceivable conscience or a moral compass.
Consider the powerful irony - on the site of the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States of America, where 2,753 (CNN) men, women, and children were murdered by Muslim extremists on September 11, 2001, Cuomo orders the acknowledgment of the law sentencing innocent life to death. Those calling for the excommunication of Cuomo from the Catholic Church are right. I’m not a Catholic, yet I understand the seriousness of this demand.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the home of the Pentagon - the building in Arlington where 184 innocent people were murdered on September 11, 2001 by Muslim extremists, the state legislature entertained a bill supported by Governor Ralph Northam to also allow the aborting - the murder, of innocent babies through the third trimester. Delegate Kathy Tran’s (D-Fairfax) bill “The Repeal Act,” allows for the abortion of human life through delivery. Ironically, Tran is the first legislator in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia to actually nurse her own infant on the floor of the State House.
As for Governor Northam, a pediatric neurologist, who clearly should know better, first announced he supported Tran’s bill during a WTOP radio interview during Wednesday’s “Ask the Governor” program.
Northam said such third trimester abortions are “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s not viable. So in this particular example, if a mother’s in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
And then a discussion would ensue? Sounds like infanticide. Sounds like murder. Sounds like the barbarism conducted by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele during the Holocaust of European Jewry.
Crimes that sent infamous abortionist Kermit Gosnell to prison, are now legal in New York and could possibly be in Virginia. (https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2013/05/kermit-gosnell-soul-of-nazi.html)
These are the supportive actions of the elected governors of New York and Virginia, not the work of Code Pink and Planned Parenthood. Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Rhode Island are also considering similar legislation. Where is the moral outrage? Where is the Catholic Church? Where are the Orthodox rabbis?
For those who would argue this is a woman’s choice as it is her body, no it most certainly is not. This is a human being, viable outside the womb of the so-called mother, who, if she chooses to abort her living, breathing baby, is no better than a murderer who points a gun and fires bullets into another person’s soon to be dead body.
Americans continue becoming more jaded and callous about the value of human life. More and more women publicly announce their abortions with pride with the same nonchalance as if just emerging from the dentist having had a tooth extracted. This lack of humanity is becoming increasingly dangerous. The disposable baby - a human being destroyed and discarded as though it were toilet paper. If you don’t want a baby, there are options. This may be unpopular with some, but use birth control. Put the baby up for adoption - there are myriad couples unable to conceive and would provide a loving home to your baby in a heartbeat. Don’t engage in the activity that created that baby in the first place - it’s something called self-discipline.
Today it’s women throwing away babies via abortion. When the time comes, a generation later, that same woman may have no one to take care of her, or worse, simply be discarded by the callous children she may produce and keep. Turnabout may not actually be fair play. G-d help us; and He will judge.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He grew up in the shadows of the World Trade Center in North Jersey and on September 11, 2001 he was a newspaper reporter in Northern Virginia.
Infanticide - the New Morality?
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 30, 2019
My wife was born at five and a half months. Yet, in January 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered the spire of the new World Trade Center lit up in pink after signing into law the right of a woman to abort her baby through the third trimester to the point of dilation and crowning; celebrating the moment as a “moral victory.”
A moral victory? For whom? For the infants yearning to breathe free? For society? For the state of New York that does not have the death penalty for murderers, rapists, serial killers, yet now has the death penalty for newborns? More aptly an immoral victory for those in league with Satan; for those with no conceivable conscience or a moral compass.
Consider the powerful irony - on the site of the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States of America, where 2,753 (CNN) men, women, and children were murdered by Muslim extremists on September 11, 2001, Cuomo orders the acknowledgment of the law sentencing innocent life to death. Those calling for the excommunication of Cuomo from the Catholic Church are right. I’m not a Catholic, yet I understand the seriousness of this demand.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the home of the Pentagon - the building in Arlington where 184 innocent people were murdered on September 11, 2001 by Muslim extremists, the state legislature entertained a bill supported by Governor Ralph Northam to also allow the aborting - the murder, of innocent babies through the third trimester. Delegate Kathy Tran’s (D-Fairfax) bill “The Repeal Act,” allows for the abortion of human life through delivery. Ironically, Tran is the first legislator in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia to actually nurse her own infant on the floor of the State House.
As for Governor Northam, a pediatric neurologist, who clearly should know better, first announced he supported Tran’s bill during a WTOP radio interview during Wednesday’s “Ask the Governor” program.
Northam said such third trimester abortions are “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s not viable. So in this particular example, if a mother’s in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
And then a discussion would ensue? Sounds like infanticide. Sounds like murder. Sounds like the barbarism conducted by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele during the Holocaust of European Jewry.
Crimes that sent infamous abortionist Kermit Gosnell to prison, are now legal in New York and could possibly be in Virginia. (https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2013/05/kermit-gosnell-soul-of-nazi.html)
These are the supportive actions of the elected governors of New York and Virginia, not the work of Code Pink and Planned Parenthood. Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Rhode Island are also considering similar legislation. Where is the moral outrage? Where is the Catholic Church? Where are the Orthodox rabbis?
For those who would argue this is a woman’s choice as it is her body, no it most certainly is not. This is a human being, viable outside the womb of the so-called mother, who, if she chooses to abort her living, breathing baby, is no better than a murderer who points a gun and fires bullets into another person’s soon to be dead body.
Americans continue becoming more jaded and callous about the value of human life. More and more women publicly announce their abortions with pride with the same nonchalance as if just emerging from the dentist having had a tooth extracted. This lack of humanity is becoming increasingly dangerous. The disposable baby - a human being destroyed and discarded as though it were toilet paper. If you don’t want a baby, there are options. This may be unpopular with some, but use birth control. Put the baby up for adoption - there are myriad couples unable to conceive and would provide a loving home to your baby in a heartbeat. Don’t engage in the activity that created that baby in the first place - it’s something called self-discipline.
Today it’s women throwing away babies via abortion. When the time comes, a generation later, that same woman may have no one to take care of her, or worse, simply be discarded by the callous children she may produce and keep. Turnabout may not actually be fair play. G-d help us; and He will judge.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He grew up in the shadows of the World Trade Center in North Jersey and on September 11, 2001 he was a newspaper reporter in Northern Virginia.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Karen Pence Goes Back to School
Karen Pence Goes Back to School
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 24, 2019
Second Lady Karen Pence is going back to work. Teaching art twice a week. At a Christian elementary school in Northern Virginia. A private school not taking government funds - a.k.a. taxpayer dollars. A school where she previously taught for 12 years.
I will speak up for Mrs. Pence, as Bill McGurn asked in his January 22, 2019 Wall Street Journal editorial, “The Shaming of Karen Pence.”
Only now that Mrs. Pence is Mrs. Vice President, are people taking notice of the nature of Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, VA - not admitting gay students or hiring gay employees. Now the hypocrites emerge from the woodwork - condemning Mrs. Pence for returning to work at a school for which she worked for 12 years when her husband was a “mere” Congressman. A school wishing to teach in accordance with Biblical precepts such as marriage being between a man and a woman, has a right to exist and hire Pence. Where was this condemnation a dozen years ago?
No laws have been broken by Immanuel Christian. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution grants and guarantees “we the people” freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Those who object to the teachings of this school are free to send their children elsewhere. This is a private school and the general public is not obligated to support it financially.
Should the Immanuel Christian school be forced to hire people antithetical to its mission? Should a Muslim school be forced to hire a non-Muslim if that potential employee does not subscribe to those beliefs? Should a Jewish day school be forced to hire a non-Jew if he or she does not subscribe to those teachings? I know, as a Jewish teacher, I might be uncomfortable in a Muslim school, but would not expect to be hired by one in the first place - and that’s fine.
Karen Pence is free to teach at Immanuel Christian and free to educate those students in the finer points of art.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 24, 2019
Second Lady Karen Pence is going back to work. Teaching art twice a week. At a Christian elementary school in Northern Virginia. A private school not taking government funds - a.k.a. taxpayer dollars. A school where she previously taught for 12 years.
I will speak up for Mrs. Pence, as Bill McGurn asked in his January 22, 2019 Wall Street Journal editorial, “The Shaming of Karen Pence.”
Only now that Mrs. Pence is Mrs. Vice President, are people taking notice of the nature of Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, VA - not admitting gay students or hiring gay employees. Now the hypocrites emerge from the woodwork - condemning Mrs. Pence for returning to work at a school for which she worked for 12 years when her husband was a “mere” Congressman. A school wishing to teach in accordance with Biblical precepts such as marriage being between a man and a woman, has a right to exist and hire Pence. Where was this condemnation a dozen years ago?
No laws have been broken by Immanuel Christian. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution grants and guarantees “we the people” freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Those who object to the teachings of this school are free to send their children elsewhere. This is a private school and the general public is not obligated to support it financially.
Should the Immanuel Christian school be forced to hire people antithetical to its mission? Should a Muslim school be forced to hire a non-Muslim if that potential employee does not subscribe to those beliefs? Should a Jewish day school be forced to hire a non-Jew if he or she does not subscribe to those teachings? I know, as a Jewish teacher, I might be uncomfortable in a Muslim school, but would not expect to be hired by one in the first place - and that’s fine.
Karen Pence is free to teach at Immanuel Christian and free to educate those students in the finer points of art.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Enter Sandman(n)
“I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” - Ronald Reagan
Enter Sandman(n)
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 22, 2019
In 1991 Metallica released “Enter Sandman,” a song dealing with the nightmares of a child. Nicholas Sandmann, a junior attending Covington Catholic High School is enduring a nightmare, not of his own choosing, thanks to the dastardly rush to judgment by members of both the left-wing media, and supposedly sophisticated celebrities.
Supposed for their profession places them, by choice, in the eyes of the media on an almost constant basis. Yet their behavior toward and treatment of children from Covington, Kentucky has been more than reprehensible.
Branded the face of hate by the media and others, including members of the so-called ruling class, teenagers, boys, like Sandmann and his fellow travelers - literally, as they were in Washington, DC for the March for Life, have received threats of physical violence, the outing of their personal information via doxxing, and even death threats.
What heinous crimes did these boys perpetrate to earn themselves and even their parents death threats? Their crimes were numerous: they are white males; they are Catholic; they are pro-life - after all they were on the Washington Mall participating in the 46th Annual March for Life; they stood silently in the face of adversity thrust upon them by adults; and most egregiously they wore red Make America Great Again caps. Apparently those MAGA caps are such the lightning rod to make people apoplectically lose their minds. (More on those MAGA caps below.)
Additionally, these boys from Kentucky - Covington is across the Ohio River from Cincinnati - were accused of mocking, jeering, disrespecting, and even accosting an American Indian elder. Reality proved those accusations to be patently false, thanks to video footage both exonerating the students and demonstrating who the bona fide culprits were. Yet, even video proof the boys were not behaving like miscreants did not dissuade many of their accusers from reversing their language and tone. Even guilty until proven innocent was not sufficient enough for the pompous and the preening.
For those who actually held judgement until viewing the video in its entirety saw an entirely different picture, commencing with the despicable verbal assaults unleashed on the boys by a group calling itself Black Hebrew Israelites. This group of unctuous rabble rousers has no connection to anything Hebrew or Israel, are virulently anti-Semitic, and condemned by both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. When the the ADL and the SPLC agree on anything, take it to the bank.
The Black Hebrew Israelites is an organization defended by freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN), in spite of its unconscionable vitriol directed at the Covington youths. Tweeting with utter malfeasance, Omar wrote:
“-The boys were protesting a woman’s right to choose & yelled ‘it’s not rape if you enjoy it’
-They were taunting 5 Black men before they surrounded Phillips and led racist chants”
This coming from the same person, Omar, who not only is an anti-Israel supporter of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, but wrote in 2012, “Israel has hypnotized the world.” None of what Omar Tweeted was true. If Omar bothered to watch the video, she would have heard the Black Hebrew Israelites shouting to the Covington students that they are “babies made out of incest, child molesting faggots, terrorists, and dirty ass crackers.” That seemed to have gone completely unnoticed by the left-wing media, perhaps with one exception.
The Washington Post referred to the Black Hebrew Israelites as “goading” the Covington teens. But that wasn’t good enough for the likes of Laura Wagner from Deadspin, who offered up a cadre of lies - the complete antithesis of reality, even after the longer video went viral.
As for Omar’s Tweet regarding the surrounding of Phillips, she is referring to American Indian Nathan Phillips, 64, and an elder of the Omaha Tribe, originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. The Covington students did not surround Phillips, in fact, he approached them banging his drum. This was in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Sandmann stood silently and motionless for several minutes with his classmates behind him. Neither Phillips nor the students violated any laws, but apparently Phillips told the teens to go back to Europe. Phillips, a political activist having made false claims of harassment in the past, also lied repeatedly about serving in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. While Phillips did, in fact, serve in the United States Marines, he was disciplined for going AWOL three times.
Phillips knew he could stoke some flames by approaching white males wearing MAGA hats, and that is precisely what transpired. Actress Alyssa Milano called the MAGA hats the “new white hoods,” alluding to KKK garb. White hoods? The Covington students are Catholic - the KKK isn’t recruiting Catholics. I could wear a MAGA hat, and I know the Klan isn’t recruiting Jews. I have dear friends who are black Trump supporters, and I’m certain the Klan won’t be breaking bread with them any time - ever. But according to Milano, we’re all Klansmen.
The MAGA hat was also subject of an interview conducted by Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s Today show. She asked Nicholas Sandmann if wearing his MAGA hat was the impetus of the fracus. Is it now a crime to don a political hat, t-shirt, or any other supportive paraphernalia? Would Guthrie have asked a victim of rape or sexual assault if her clothing were the cause of her attack? I’d bet heavily against it.
On the other hand, actress Jamie Lee Curtis initially wrote disparaging comments about the Covington Catholic students, then later wrote an apology - lesson learned about rushing to judgement. Sadly, this lesson has not been learned by many, and a possible lawsuit could be forthcoming.
Perhaps a lawsuit will be the one thing to get people thinking about the repercussions of their actions and words, about the repercussions of jumping to conclusions and rushing to judgement. Unfortunately, society has become less civilized and the extreme progressives are seeking, in the most desperate, worst possible manner, to remake the United States in ways even our parents’ generation would never recognize.
Verbal and physical attacks on those with whom one disagrees, silencing and censoring those with whom one disagrees, safe spaces on college campuses, wealth redistribution and now confiscation, political correctness to the point of thought control, support of illegal immigrants to the detriment of American citizens, abortion on demand through birth in some places, a rejection of American history in schools, a rejection of the Constitution, and a rise in overt anti-Semitism are what we the people are facing. If the forces of good and decency don’t fight this head on the Republic will be lost.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Enter Sandman(n)
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 22, 2019
In 1991 Metallica released “Enter Sandman,” a song dealing with the nightmares of a child. Nicholas Sandmann, a junior attending Covington Catholic High School is enduring a nightmare, not of his own choosing, thanks to the dastardly rush to judgment by members of both the left-wing media, and supposedly sophisticated celebrities.
Supposed for their profession places them, by choice, in the eyes of the media on an almost constant basis. Yet their behavior toward and treatment of children from Covington, Kentucky has been more than reprehensible.
Branded the face of hate by the media and others, including members of the so-called ruling class, teenagers, boys, like Sandmann and his fellow travelers - literally, as they were in Washington, DC for the March for Life, have received threats of physical violence, the outing of their personal information via doxxing, and even death threats.
What heinous crimes did these boys perpetrate to earn themselves and even their parents death threats? Their crimes were numerous: they are white males; they are Catholic; they are pro-life - after all they were on the Washington Mall participating in the 46th Annual March for Life; they stood silently in the face of adversity thrust upon them by adults; and most egregiously they wore red Make America Great Again caps. Apparently those MAGA caps are such the lightning rod to make people apoplectically lose their minds. (More on those MAGA caps below.)
Additionally, these boys from Kentucky - Covington is across the Ohio River from Cincinnati - were accused of mocking, jeering, disrespecting, and even accosting an American Indian elder. Reality proved those accusations to be patently false, thanks to video footage both exonerating the students and demonstrating who the bona fide culprits were. Yet, even video proof the boys were not behaving like miscreants did not dissuade many of their accusers from reversing their language and tone. Even guilty until proven innocent was not sufficient enough for the pompous and the preening.
For those who actually held judgement until viewing the video in its entirety saw an entirely different picture, commencing with the despicable verbal assaults unleashed on the boys by a group calling itself Black Hebrew Israelites. This group of unctuous rabble rousers has no connection to anything Hebrew or Israel, are virulently anti-Semitic, and condemned by both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. When the the ADL and the SPLC agree on anything, take it to the bank.
The Black Hebrew Israelites is an organization defended by freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN), in spite of its unconscionable vitriol directed at the Covington youths. Tweeting with utter malfeasance, Omar wrote:
“-The boys were protesting a woman’s right to choose & yelled ‘it’s not rape if you enjoy it’
-They were taunting 5 Black men before they surrounded Phillips and led racist chants”
This coming from the same person, Omar, who not only is an anti-Israel supporter of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, but wrote in 2012, “Israel has hypnotized the world.” None of what Omar Tweeted was true. If Omar bothered to watch the video, she would have heard the Black Hebrew Israelites shouting to the Covington students that they are “babies made out of incest, child molesting faggots, terrorists, and dirty ass crackers.” That seemed to have gone completely unnoticed by the left-wing media, perhaps with one exception.
The Washington Post referred to the Black Hebrew Israelites as “goading” the Covington teens. But that wasn’t good enough for the likes of Laura Wagner from Deadspin, who offered up a cadre of lies - the complete antithesis of reality, even after the longer video went viral.
As for Omar’s Tweet regarding the surrounding of Phillips, she is referring to American Indian Nathan Phillips, 64, and an elder of the Omaha Tribe, originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. The Covington students did not surround Phillips, in fact, he approached them banging his drum. This was in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Sandmann stood silently and motionless for several minutes with his classmates behind him. Neither Phillips nor the students violated any laws, but apparently Phillips told the teens to go back to Europe. Phillips, a political activist having made false claims of harassment in the past, also lied repeatedly about serving in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. While Phillips did, in fact, serve in the United States Marines, he was disciplined for going AWOL three times.
Phillips knew he could stoke some flames by approaching white males wearing MAGA hats, and that is precisely what transpired. Actress Alyssa Milano called the MAGA hats the “new white hoods,” alluding to KKK garb. White hoods? The Covington students are Catholic - the KKK isn’t recruiting Catholics. I could wear a MAGA hat, and I know the Klan isn’t recruiting Jews. I have dear friends who are black Trump supporters, and I’m certain the Klan won’t be breaking bread with them any time - ever. But according to Milano, we’re all Klansmen.
The MAGA hat was also subject of an interview conducted by Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s Today show. She asked Nicholas Sandmann if wearing his MAGA hat was the impetus of the fracus. Is it now a crime to don a political hat, t-shirt, or any other supportive paraphernalia? Would Guthrie have asked a victim of rape or sexual assault if her clothing were the cause of her attack? I’d bet heavily against it.
On the other hand, actress Jamie Lee Curtis initially wrote disparaging comments about the Covington Catholic students, then later wrote an apology - lesson learned about rushing to judgement. Sadly, this lesson has not been learned by many, and a possible lawsuit could be forthcoming.
Perhaps a lawsuit will be the one thing to get people thinking about the repercussions of their actions and words, about the repercussions of jumping to conclusions and rushing to judgement. Unfortunately, society has become less civilized and the extreme progressives are seeking, in the most desperate, worst possible manner, to remake the United States in ways even our parents’ generation would never recognize.
Verbal and physical attacks on those with whom one disagrees, silencing and censoring those with whom one disagrees, safe spaces on college campuses, wealth redistribution and now confiscation, political correctness to the point of thought control, support of illegal immigrants to the detriment of American citizens, abortion on demand through birth in some places, a rejection of American history in schools, a rejection of the Constitution, and a rise in overt anti-Semitism are what we the people are facing. If the forces of good and decency don’t fight this head on the Republic will be lost.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Start to Finish, Halladay, Martinez, Rivera Head to Hall
Start to Finish, Halladay, Martinez, Rivera Head to Hall
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 17, 2019
Once again, baseball fans, it’s that time of year where the shovels come out, not because some politician is giving a speech, but because enough snow is expected to fall this weekend to make us forget that in only three weeks pitchers and catchers report for duty in the sunny climes of Arizona and Florida.
In the interim, in frigid central New York, a little business will be attended to as the telephone will ring for a few Major League Baseball greats from the Village of Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
However, dispensing with the bad, the steroid/HGH-addled balloteers should only be admitted to the Hall of Fame with a paid ticket for admission to the museum.
“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote Hall of Famer Joe Morgan in a November 2017 letter to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), hoping to influence their Hall votes in 2018
The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating some from Hall of Fame contention; yet in the cases of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens the BBWAA voters’ support of Bonds rose from 53.8 percent in 2017 to 56.4 percent in 2018, and Clemens’ totals jumped from 54.1 percent in 2017 to 57.3 in 2018. Fortunately, trending downward, are Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez. Sosa’s support dropped from 8.6 percent in 2017 to 7.8 percent in 2018, while voting for Ramirez fell from 23.8 percent in 2017 to 22 percent in 2018, his second year on the ballot. Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa are on the ballot for the seventh year, and hopefully they will not reach the vaunted 75 percent by 2021.
The voting results are due to be released on Tuesday, January 22. What is not released are the ballots of the voting members of the BBWAA. I think they should be disclosed to the public. Let the BBWAA voters defend their votes as I defend mine, even if not as a member of the BBWAA.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of miscreants have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)
With voting in mind, were I a privileged member of the BBWAA charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019, seven former major leaguers would earn my votes - three first ballot candidates, and four holdovers. Of those seven, I expect only one to be enshrined on July 21, along with two others for whom I would not vote, but deserve induction. Candidates must receive at least five percent of the vote in order to remain on the ballot should they not attain 75 percent the previous year.
The lone realistic freshman on my ballot would be the late Roy Halladay, who pitched his 16 year career with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays. Halladay compiled a 203-105 won-lost record with a 3.38 ERA - one of six pitchers to win more than 200 games with a .650 winning percentage amongst hurlers whose careers began after 1900. In 2010 Halladay pitched a perfect game during the regular season, and adding to that gem, a no-hitter in the playoffs - only the second no-hitter in postseason history.
Along with eight all-star team selections, Halladay thrice won 20-plus games, won two Cy Young Awards with two runner-up placements, and tossed 67 complete games, leading the league in that category seven times. Halladay’s 67 complete games are the most from 1998 to the present, besting Hall of Famer Randy Johnson by 13.
Should Halladay earn admission into the Hall of Fame, it will be posthumously, as on November 7, 2017, at only age 40, he was killed when his plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
There are four holdovers from 2018 for whom I would vote, three of whom would have earned my vote last year and one I am giving a fresh look. Neither pitchers Mike Mussina nor Curt Schilling are likely to reach 75 percent this year, but I continue to support their candidacies. Mussina’s stock rose as he earned 63.5 percent of the vote in 2018, up nearly 12 points from 51.8 percent in 2017. Should he jump another 12 points Mussina would be Cooperstown bound. Schilling reversed a losing trend, adding more than six points to 51.2 percent in 2018, up from 45 percent in 2017.
With 270 career wins, six-time ballot occupant Mussina spent 10 years with the Baltimore Orioles and eight with the New York Yankees. A big fan of “Moose,” an economics graduate from Stanford University as an Oriole, it hurt my eyes to see him donning pinstripes. Mussina made five All Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves. While overshadowed by Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz in 2015, Mussina garnered more victories than Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal – with whom Mussina was compared, and Whitey Ford. Mussina ended his career at age 39, the oldest to record his lone 20-win season, going 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA.
Schilling, bloody sock and all, is a six-time All Star who pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, appeared in three World Series, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last five years, and while he probably won’t reach 75 percent this year, Schilling still belongs among those earning a plaque in Cooperstown.
Omar Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.
Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, who will no doubt be elected to Cooperstown in a near-unanimous vote next year. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.
At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits than all three.
In his ninth, and penultimate year on the ballot, I’m rethinking Larry Walker. More accurately, this is the closest look I have given Walker at all, but his numbers demonstrate a level of excellence and consistency on the field and at bat that should award him his plaque in Cooperstown.
Walker played 17 years for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. During that time, his career batting average was an exemplary .313, having won three batting titles, and batted .366 in 1997 while not winning the batting title. Walker slugged 383 home runs, drove in 1,311 runs, while stealing 230 bases - a solid combination of hitting, slugging, and some speed. Walker batted over .320 seven times, and won seven Gold Glove Awards. Walker compares more than favorably with his contemporaries, and more so when examining Hall of Famers from prior generations, yet with just 34.1 percent of the BBWAA votes in 2018, it’s less than likely that number will more than double over the next two years. (Perhaps the Today’s Game Committee will be an avenue for Walker further down the road.)
Because members of the BBWAA are permitted 10 votes, I’m throwing one vote each to first time candidates Kevin Youkilis and Michael Young. I like both players, they each had solid careers, just not Hall of Fame caliber, and neither is expected to survive the process beyond January 22.
On the other hand, the two candidates I expect to gain induction, but for whom I would not vote are Mariano Rivera and Edgar Martinez. I have been consistent in not supporting Martinez, ostensibly a career Designated Hitter, who garnered 70.4 percent of the vote in 2018 - five votes short. In this, his 10th and final year on the ballot, it seems a certainty Martinez, who played his entire 18 year career for the Mariners, will finally reach 75 percent. Martinez is one of only nine players to hit more than 300 homers, more than 500 doubles, bat over .300 with a greater than .400 On Base Percentage, and a greater than .500 Slugging Percentage. Ultimately, he will pave the way for more career designated hitters, such as David “Big Papi” Ortiz, who could be a first ballot inductee in 2022.
The answer to how does one vote against Rivera, is simple - pinstripes - the same answer I will write next year when not supporting sure fire first ballot inductee Jeter. Both absolutely belong in Cooperstown. Rivera, who played his entire 19-year career with the Yankees, could be a unanimous selection - here’s why: 652 saves, first all-time; 2.21 ERA, 11 years under 2.00; and an almost unconscious postseason record of eight wins, one loss, 42 saves, and a 0.70 ERA in 141 innings.
While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, and Sosa, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the community as so many before them have been.
Ambassadors such as Doug Harvey, Red Schoendienst and Willie “Stretch” McCovey, who sadly died in 2018 – Harvey at age 87, on January 13, Schoendienst at age 95, on June 6, and McCovey at age 80, on October 31. Harvey, inducted in 2010, was named second greatest umpire in history. Inducted in 1989, Schoendienst, at the time of his death, was the oldest living Hall of Famer. A first ballot electee, McCovey, inducted in 1986, was the first player to hit two home runs in an inning twice in a career. May their memories be for a Blessing.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 17, 2019
Once again, baseball fans, it’s that time of year where the shovels come out, not because some politician is giving a speech, but because enough snow is expected to fall this weekend to make us forget that in only three weeks pitchers and catchers report for duty in the sunny climes of Arizona and Florida.
In the interim, in frigid central New York, a little business will be attended to as the telephone will ring for a few Major League Baseball greats from the Village of Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
However, dispensing with the bad, the steroid/HGH-addled balloteers should only be admitted to the Hall of Fame with a paid ticket for admission to the museum.
“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote Hall of Famer Joe Morgan in a November 2017 letter to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), hoping to influence their Hall votes in 2018
The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating some from Hall of Fame contention; yet in the cases of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens the BBWAA voters’ support of Bonds rose from 53.8 percent in 2017 to 56.4 percent in 2018, and Clemens’ totals jumped from 54.1 percent in 2017 to 57.3 in 2018. Fortunately, trending downward, are Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez. Sosa’s support dropped from 8.6 percent in 2017 to 7.8 percent in 2018, while voting for Ramirez fell from 23.8 percent in 2017 to 22 percent in 2018, his second year on the ballot. Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa are on the ballot for the seventh year, and hopefully they will not reach the vaunted 75 percent by 2021.
The voting results are due to be released on Tuesday, January 22. What is not released are the ballots of the voting members of the BBWAA. I think they should be disclosed to the public. Let the BBWAA voters defend their votes as I defend mine, even if not as a member of the BBWAA.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of miscreants have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)
With voting in mind, were I a privileged member of the BBWAA charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019, seven former major leaguers would earn my votes - three first ballot candidates, and four holdovers. Of those seven, I expect only one to be enshrined on July 21, along with two others for whom I would not vote, but deserve induction. Candidates must receive at least five percent of the vote in order to remain on the ballot should they not attain 75 percent the previous year.
The lone realistic freshman on my ballot would be the late Roy Halladay, who pitched his 16 year career with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays. Halladay compiled a 203-105 won-lost record with a 3.38 ERA - one of six pitchers to win more than 200 games with a .650 winning percentage amongst hurlers whose careers began after 1900. In 2010 Halladay pitched a perfect game during the regular season, and adding to that gem, a no-hitter in the playoffs - only the second no-hitter in postseason history.
Along with eight all-star team selections, Halladay thrice won 20-plus games, won two Cy Young Awards with two runner-up placements, and tossed 67 complete games, leading the league in that category seven times. Halladay’s 67 complete games are the most from 1998 to the present, besting Hall of Famer Randy Johnson by 13.
Should Halladay earn admission into the Hall of Fame, it will be posthumously, as on November 7, 2017, at only age 40, he was killed when his plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
There are four holdovers from 2018 for whom I would vote, three of whom would have earned my vote last year and one I am giving a fresh look. Neither pitchers Mike Mussina nor Curt Schilling are likely to reach 75 percent this year, but I continue to support their candidacies. Mussina’s stock rose as he earned 63.5 percent of the vote in 2018, up nearly 12 points from 51.8 percent in 2017. Should he jump another 12 points Mussina would be Cooperstown bound. Schilling reversed a losing trend, adding more than six points to 51.2 percent in 2018, up from 45 percent in 2017.
With 270 career wins, six-time ballot occupant Mussina spent 10 years with the Baltimore Orioles and eight with the New York Yankees. A big fan of “Moose,” an economics graduate from Stanford University as an Oriole, it hurt my eyes to see him donning pinstripes. Mussina made five All Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves. While overshadowed by Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz in 2015, Mussina garnered more victories than Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal – with whom Mussina was compared, and Whitey Ford. Mussina ended his career at age 39, the oldest to record his lone 20-win season, going 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA.
Schilling, bloody sock and all, is a six-time All Star who pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, appeared in three World Series, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last five years, and while he probably won’t reach 75 percent this year, Schilling still belongs among those earning a plaque in Cooperstown.
Omar Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.
Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, who will no doubt be elected to Cooperstown in a near-unanimous vote next year. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.
At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits than all three.
In his ninth, and penultimate year on the ballot, I’m rethinking Larry Walker. More accurately, this is the closest look I have given Walker at all, but his numbers demonstrate a level of excellence and consistency on the field and at bat that should award him his plaque in Cooperstown.
Walker played 17 years for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. During that time, his career batting average was an exemplary .313, having won three batting titles, and batted .366 in 1997 while not winning the batting title. Walker slugged 383 home runs, drove in 1,311 runs, while stealing 230 bases - a solid combination of hitting, slugging, and some speed. Walker batted over .320 seven times, and won seven Gold Glove Awards. Walker compares more than favorably with his contemporaries, and more so when examining Hall of Famers from prior generations, yet with just 34.1 percent of the BBWAA votes in 2018, it’s less than likely that number will more than double over the next two years. (Perhaps the Today’s Game Committee will be an avenue for Walker further down the road.)
Because members of the BBWAA are permitted 10 votes, I’m throwing one vote each to first time candidates Kevin Youkilis and Michael Young. I like both players, they each had solid careers, just not Hall of Fame caliber, and neither is expected to survive the process beyond January 22.
On the other hand, the two candidates I expect to gain induction, but for whom I would not vote are Mariano Rivera and Edgar Martinez. I have been consistent in not supporting Martinez, ostensibly a career Designated Hitter, who garnered 70.4 percent of the vote in 2018 - five votes short. In this, his 10th and final year on the ballot, it seems a certainty Martinez, who played his entire 18 year career for the Mariners, will finally reach 75 percent. Martinez is one of only nine players to hit more than 300 homers, more than 500 doubles, bat over .300 with a greater than .400 On Base Percentage, and a greater than .500 Slugging Percentage. Ultimately, he will pave the way for more career designated hitters, such as David “Big Papi” Ortiz, who could be a first ballot inductee in 2022.
The answer to how does one vote against Rivera, is simple - pinstripes - the same answer I will write next year when not supporting sure fire first ballot inductee Jeter. Both absolutely belong in Cooperstown. Rivera, who played his entire 19-year career with the Yankees, could be a unanimous selection - here’s why: 652 saves, first all-time; 2.21 ERA, 11 years under 2.00; and an almost unconscious postseason record of eight wins, one loss, 42 saves, and a 0.70 ERA in 141 innings.
While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, and Sosa, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the community as so many before them have been.
Ambassadors such as Doug Harvey, Red Schoendienst and Willie “Stretch” McCovey, who sadly died in 2018 – Harvey at age 87, on January 13, Schoendienst at age 95, on June 6, and McCovey at age 80, on October 31. Harvey, inducted in 2010, was named second greatest umpire in history. Inducted in 1989, Schoendienst, at the time of his death, was the oldest living Hall of Famer. A first ballot electee, McCovey, inducted in 1986, was the first player to hit two home runs in an inning twice in a career. May their memories be for a Blessing.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.
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