In an upcoming article in People Magazine, Barack and Michelle Obama discuss their experiences with racism and racial profiling. According to an advanced excerpt from the article that was received and reported on by IJReview, Michelle describes an instance of racism that apparently left a lasting impression on her:

The protective bubble that comes with the presidency – the armored limo, the Secret Service detail, the White House – shields Barack and Michelle Obama from a lot of unpleasantness. But their encounters with racial prejudice aren’t as far in the past as one might expect. And they obviously still sting.

“I think people forget that we’ve lived in the White House for six years,” the first lady told PEOPLE, laughing wryly, along with her husband, at the assumption that the first family has been largely insulated from coming face-to-face with racism. 

“Before that, Barack Obama was a black man that lived on the South Side of Chicago, who had his share of troubles catching cabs.

“I tell this story – I mean, even as the first lady – during that wonderfully publicized trip I took to Target, not highly disguised, the only person who came up to me in the store was a woman who asked me to help her take something off a shelf. Because she didn’t see me as the first lady, she saw me as someone who could help her. Those kinds of things happen in life. So it isn’t anything new.” 

Oh, the humanity! Somebody asked you for help? That bigot! Have race relations really sunk so low? Clearly, by explaining “…it isn’t anything new,” during a conversation about racism, the inference is that the unnamed woman asked her for help because Obama was black.

Interestingly, however, the Target story was modified a bit (we’ll say “modified” – far be it for me to imply an Obama would lie…) when she told it to David Letterman. In that interview, she explained:

“No one knew that was me. Because a woman actually walked up to me, right? I was in the detergent aisle, and she said — I kid you not — she said, ‘Excuse me, I just have to ask you something.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, cover’s blown.’ She said, ‘Can you reach on that shelf and hand me the detergent?’ I kid you not. And the only thing she said — I reached up, because she was short, and I reached up, pulled it down. She said, ‘Well, you didn’t have to make it look so easy.’ That was my interaction. I felt so good.”

So, you were asked for help because you were tall, and not because you were black, and it gave you a good feeling?

In the face of deteriorating race relations across the country, we can learn any one or all of the following lessons by combining Michelle’s two interviews:

• Asking a black person for help is tantamount to banishing them to the back of the bus
• Black people are discriminated against regularly, but for some reason, actually feel good about it
• Tall black women are more discriminated against than everyone else
• Target’s shelves are very, very high
• Race-baiting presidents and their wives can manipulate otherwise innocent stories depending on who their audience is and the purpose for which they’re telling it

Not long ago, I was in Michael’s, the craft store, buying wicker baskets to help organize my daughter’s toys. A woman came up to me and asked if I worked there. Why? Because I was the only guy in store filled with women? That’s sexism in the worst degree! Get the protesters ready, and find me the number of my local ACLU office – I’ve had enough!

Yes, indeed. We should all feel like we’ve had enough.

Ever since the September 30, 2014 publishing of 28 years old Lena Dunham’s “memoir” entitled “Not that Kind of Girl” the blogosphere and interweb has been on fire with equal parts praise and objection. (Full disclosure I have not read the book and have no intention of doing – I’ve seen a season of Girls; I’m good). The consternation was caused by two parts in the book, one in which she recalls doing “anything a sexual predator would do to” touch and kiss her younger sister and the other where she “names” her college attacker/rapist.

A November 3^rd piece in the National Review by Kevin Williams was the first to point out that “Lena Dunham’s sexual abuse specifically, of her younger sister, Grace, (is) the sort of thing that gets children taken away from non-millionaire families without Andover pedigrees and Manhattanite social connections.” Ms. Dunham quickly responded on November 4^th in Time Magazine, disavowing accusations of sexual abuse. It was a fast reply to an allegation about herself but Williams’s piece was not limited to outrage over her behavior towards her sister, it delved into the second issue – naming her attacker.

According to a Breitbart piece published on December 4^th Ms. Dunham names her attacker “Barry” which “Dunham does not identify as a pseudonym”. The Breitbart piece points out that “on three occasions Dunham tells her readers that her attacker is a Republican or a conservative, and a prominent one at that — no less than the “campus’s resident conservative.””

The piece continues to delve into the man many have misidentified as Ms. Dunham’s attacker – “Barry One”- in order to see if he met the other identifiers that Ms. Dunham describes in her book. On December 8^th it was revealed that Random House acknowledges that “Barry” in the book was in fact a pseudonym. On December 9^th 2014 Lena Dunham authored a piece for Buzzfeed entitled “Why I Chose to Speak Out” in which she indulges those critical of her disregard for another person’s life and potential safety with two throw away lines:

To be very clear, “Barry” is a pseudonym, not the name of the man who assaulted me, and any resemblance to a person with this name is an unfortunate and surreal coincidence. I am sorry about all he has experienced.

The rest of the 1,259 words are a mix of a survivor’s feelings and general obfuscation on the reason she has been the subject of criticism and disdain. Victims should be empowered to speak freely about their assault but the issue of concern was her victimizing another human being whom she should have been aware was being wrong fully identified as her attacked. Ms. Dunham knew from at least November 3^rd that there was a Barry from Oberlin College, who being a Republican and attending at the same time as her, was being accused of being her attacker. Yet instead of clearing this up on November 4^th when she found time to attempt to sweep issues of her relations with her younger sister under the rug she remained silent on this issue until December 9^th.

The plain sad fact of the situation is that Lena Dunham seemed perfectly comfortable letting an innocent person be crucified in the public arena for a crime she would later admit he did not commit. Now, while ignoring the content of the criticism itself, she is conveniently claiming to be the unjust subject of criticism herself for coming out about her attack. Moreover, if Ms. Dunham had not had the privilege of being rich and white, of going to an elite prep school, of being a media darling, there would be no debate over her celebratory writing of kissing and touching her sister inappropriately.

Ms. Dunham’s story of sexual assault may be true, but her seemingly purposeful consternation at letting an innocent man take the rap smells of a media savvy potemkin cruxi-FICTION. Self professed sexual predation and no social sanction (let alone legal penalties) – Lena Dunham, privileged much?

The rules to “Jeopardy!” are pretty simple. Among them, if you have a negative balance at the end of the second round, you don’t get to play in the Final Jeopardy round. How could you? Final Jeopardy requires the contestant to make a wager against the money they’ve accumulated to that point. If you have a negative balance, you’ve got nothing to wager. 

Pretty simple, right?

Oh, there’s one other rule that goes along with it: if you’re going to throw a tantrum because you seem to think the rules don’t apply to your crybaby of a daughter, don’t let her be a contestant on the show in the first place.

Okay, so that’s more of an unwritten rule, but still…

Here’s the situation, as reported by Radar Online (brought to their attention due to leaked emails from the Sony hacking scandal): near the end of one game during Jeopardy! Kids week (Dec. 1 – 5), one of the contestants ended up with negative dollars after the second round, meaning she wouldn’t be able to play in the Final Jeopardy round (the same way it’s been for the past 50 years). 

According to one of the emails, a producer writes that the girl was “visibly upset” and ran backstage crying, her mother close behind. 

I’m going to take a stab in the dark here: when she was very little, she won every game of Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders, because even the hint of losing a game sent this kid into a screaming tantrum that involved considerable feet stamping and door slamming. Am I close?

Apparently they were able to calm the girl down eventually, but the mother wasn’t done yet. She sent off an angry letter to the show’s producers saying that she was “quite a bit taken back” that host Alex Trebek didn’t take the time to console her daughter backstage. 

Is this woman out of her mind?

She goes on to lament, “If he had taken the time, he would have known, like you do, that my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game. She was upset about not being able to completely play the game to the end.”

She further concludes that “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for that.”

Listen lady – your kid lost. Congratulations to her for having the bravery to go on national TV and give it a try, but she lost. She couldn’t “play the game to the end” because she had a negative balance and so she doesn’t get to play the last round. Instead of losing well, she ran off stage crying. Maybe your time would be better spent teaching your daughter composure, how to be a good sport and why she shouldn’t be throwing tantrums when she loses, rather than demonizing Alec Trebek who, in case you didn’t realize it, is the host of a game show and not your daughters wet nurse. It’s not his responsibility to coddle your kid – it’s your responsibility to teach her to lose graciously. 

On the Flip Side: Alex Trebek Shows Us What’s Right With the World

While this aggrieved mother represents exactly what is wrong with how many people think, Trebek’s reaction to the situation is an example of more clear headed, right minded thinking – the kind we need more of. 

To appease the girl’s mother, producers asked Alex to reshoot part of the segment. While the trend in recent years seems to be to back down, give in and apologize in the face of even the slightest bit of pressure, Trebek made his thoughts on the matter quite clear. In an email response, he wrote: “If you all think I should retape the opening, I will. But I want to say that for 30 years I’ve defended our show against attacks inside and out. But it doesn’t seem to operate both ways. When I’m vilified, corporate (and certainly legal) always seems to say ‘don’t say anything and it’ll blow over,’ and I’m not feeling support from the producers, and that disappoints the s—t out of me.”

He ended his email with a suggestion that this request in this situation may be one step too far over the line: “If I’m making mistakes and saying things you don’t like, maybe it’s time for me to move on. It’s not a threat, but I want to let you know how I’m feeling.”

Good for him. It’s encouraging to know that there are still people who aren’t willing to bow to unqualified pressure. 

Agree? Please share using the buttons below, or leave a comment letting us know what you think. Have other examples of what’s wrong with the world? Tweet them to #wwww

Symbolically, the New Year is a time for renewal and rebirth. A time to let go that which does not serve you anymore and bring into existence that which you desire most in life. It’s a sloughing off of the old to make room for the new. New possibilities. New karma. New experiences. New life.

To make room for new goodness in your life, there are certain things that may be holding us back from experiencing total joy and satisfaction.

This list of what to let go of for the New Year will bring more success, more abundance, and overall – more happiness.

1. Negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are a worthless – a definite waste of time. They can surely hold you back from experiencing freedom and peace of mind. If you have a problem with constant fearful or dark thoughts – try meditation. Call it what you may – meditation, awareness, consciousness – the point is that it’s the first step in changing your thoughts (becoming aware that you are having them). Once you become aware of a negative thought, don’t judge or get down on yourself about it, simply choose another thought. A more positive and loving thought that opens up the possibility for a greater life and a worthwhile future.
   

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2. Grudges. It’s true that resentment is like drinking poison and wishing the other person gets sick. Holding anger and grudges against another is as it states. YOU are holding it, causing your own body more stress, pain and suffering. Forgive others as well as yourself for any failures or wrongdoings in the past to heal the body, cleanse the mind, and revive the soul.
   

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3. Feelings of inadequacy. You are enough. You are a wonderful expression of the creator. You are magnificent. Say these affirmations to yourself silently or aloud every morning and feel they are true. If you don’t believe in your own greatness who will? Know that you are exactly how you are supposed to look, be and feel. We are all travelers on the road to a better us. Accept who you are, yet search for your best you – every day (it’s a practice).
   

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4. Old stuff. Let go of the old to make room for the new. If you haven’t worn an item of clothing for over a year – it’s time to let it go. Donate items that remind you of bad experiences and the ‘old you’ and make way for the ‘new and improved you.’ Clear out your old filing cabinets, delete old files on your computer and old phone numbers and contacts. Donate furniture  and art that have become eyesores. Change your rooms and decor around for a fresh start.
   

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5. Loneliness. In this world of social media ‘friends’ and hiding behind a computer – we lack real connection. There’s no comparison to true connection. Connection of eyes, hugs, hands, and hearts. Now is the time to seek out your community and build a tribe that will support you in your every endeavor. People you who respect and can share your true thoughts and feelings with. Note: This may not be your family, current friends or even people you know yet (though it may). Engage in activities and meetups that resonate with you and your beliefs. Reach out to mentors and those you deem as wise to learn from their experiences and have something to strive toward.
   

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6. Your ego. This is easier said than done. By this I mean letting go of who you think you are to become what you might be. Often we spend so much time portraying a character that we want everyone to know us as. A mask. A personality. We are all in this together and all go through similar experiences we can all relate to. There’s no “good” you and “bad” me or vice versa – we’re all expressions of the same divinity, trying to find our way through the maze.

 Learn to release these six things before the New Year and you’ll be bringing in 2015 with a clean slate. Make it your best year EVER!

We all want to have sleek, shiny and beautiful tresses just like in the magazines. However, many of us don’t know the ways in which we are damaging our hair on a daily basis. Without proper care, our hair can turn into the four “D’S” – damaged, dull, drab, and dead.

Skaught Gibson, owner of Josephine Skaught Salon in Las Vegas, says that, “There are many ways that we are damaging our hair everyday without even knowing.”

This is his list of what causes the most damage to our lovely locks:

1. Washing too often. Skaught explains, “The first thing that most people are doing wrong is washing too often.  Shampoos are great for removing dirt and product from your hair, but they are also removing everything good, like natural oils that the scalp produces to keep hair moisturized and healthy.” He encourages washing only 2-3 times a week (never more).
   

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2. Heat products. Heat products like curling irons, flat irons, and blow-dryers can singe and badly damage the hair. Skaught advises to take it easy on the heat and air dry as much as possible. If you must, use pre-heat styling products that protect from harsh heat. “If the cuticle is damaged from over-styling, the inner core is exposed which causes dryness, a lack of luster, and static” he says.
   

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3. Shampooing from root to ends.  Gibson says, “Always remember to use shampoo in the scalp area only, and use conditioner through the middle and the ends.” Some hairdressers believe shampoo is unnecessary and becoming obsolete. Michael Gordon, the creator of Bumble and Bumble hair care line, believes people should stop using shampoo altogether. Instead, he encourages dry shampoo products.
   

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4. Rinsing with hot water. Who doesn’t love a nice hot stream of water over our head? What you may not know is that hot water opens the hair pores causing it to be more susceptible to breakage. “Rinsing your hair with cool water makes a big difference as well. If a hot shower or bath is a must just make sure you finish with a cold water rinse.
   

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5. Brushing too much. Skaught says that, “Over-brushing, especially with cheap brushes can also take it’s toll. Over-brushing causes too much consistent friction for the hair to handle, resulting in broken hair and split ends.” Try brushing when your hair is dry. Do it gently, starting at the end and slowly working your way to the root.
   

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6. Always putting your hair up. “Ponytails and braids can also be quite damaging. When pulled into these styles too tightly on a daily basis, permanent damage can occur.” We typically have our one favorite hairstyle that puts a hair tie in the same place on our hair day after day. This can cut into our hair fibers, causing damage and breakage.
   

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7. Chemical coloring. “Over processing hair can easily cause it to be brittle and dry instead of luxurious and shiny. If you aren’t trying to cover grey hair it is always best to go with a ‘deposit only’ or semi permanent color, as it is not as harsh and much less damaging.” Try and go without chemicals and learn to love your natural hair color.
   

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8. Harmful products. Try and go for organic hair products as opposed to lines with parabens, toxins and hard to pronounce ingredients. Gibson encourages a more DIY approach. “There are all kinds of things hanging out right in our very own kitchens that we can use as different treatments in our hair. Dairy products like yogurt and sour cream are able to reverse that damage and restore hair to a beautiful and shiny state. The lactic acid in the dairy gently strips away dirt and product while the the fat from the milk moisturizes.  A sour cream or yogurt mask can be used up to twice a month. Gently massage about 1/2 cup of either one into your hair, let sit for 20 minutes, and rinse with cool water” he says.

He also tells how beer is not just good for getting a buzz. “Flat beer is great for plumping up tresses and adding volume and shine because of the abundance of yeast.  Let beer sit out at room temperature for a few hours to deplete carbonation.  Wash hair as normal and use the beer s a conditioner for about 15 minutes, followed by a cool rinse” he recommends.

Avoid these eight no-no’s as taught by renowned hairstylist Skaught Gibson, and you’re on your way to a beautiful mane!

In his November 30^th piece for the Daily Beast, Rabbi Jay Michaelson makes an array of ridiculous attacks on parts of the common sense coalition that is the Republican Party.

He frames his tired left wing trope as a letter of concern. This is my response.

Dear Rabbi Michaelson: You’re a hack.

I don’t own a car,I use mass transit, live in an urban area, am Jewish, have Hispanic roots, am not part of the 1%, and am a hard core secularist / mild anti-theist. I am also a conservative Republican and welcome all people including evangelicals into the big tent that is the Republican coalition.

I know it’s unlikely for me to be writing you this public letter but much of what you wrote was so asinine it requires correction. First I want to thank you and the gay community. You may think “my side” is losing the culture war, but those with any sense of historical memory will recall a few decades ago when many in the gay community were in the vanguard of the sexual revolution, screaming at protests that marriage was outmoded, outdated, and dead. Yet today the gay community is fighting hard to redefine marriage to include gay couples; if imitation is the highest form of flattery this is hardly a “loss” for my side.

Rabbi Michaelson, you claim that the Republican Party doesn’t “really do anything about” evangelical views such as abortion. Abortion is not an evangelical issue – it’s a human rights issue. I am not evangelical, yet I know that different human DNA equals different human (even in “identical” twins we there is different gene expression).

Your purposeful pigeon holing of people and issues aside, as the other major issue of the culture wars – it’s also a win for “my side”. In 2013 alone 22 states passed a total of 70 laws guided by the incremental and pragmatic approach of common sense medical standards and consensus building with moderate self identified “pro-choice” Americans. These efforts at outreach, education, and coalition building is why polling shows that even a majority of self-described “pro-choice” Americans are for limiting abortion to the first trimester and support parental consent laws for all medical procedures involving a minor (something anathema to the modern pro-abortion movement). According to a 2013 Gallup poll 58% of all Americans, 57% of women, 57% of young adults aged 18-34, 59% of Independents, and 43% of Democrats oppose abortion in all or most cases. You may want to pretend otherwise, but the pro-life movement is winning the abortion debate and we are doing it by building bridges and using common sense legislation.

Rabbi Michaelson, you state that the Republican party “for 150 years have consistently been the party of the rich and ungenerous”. Have you no shame? Have you heard of history? According to your math the GOP was even an evil group in 1864, when the Civil War was still going on and Republican President Abraham Lincoln was in office.

Over the last 150 years the Republican Party freed the slaves, engaged in a short lived (killed by Democrats) but amazing program called Reconstruction, desegregated the military, built the interstate state highway system, supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in greater numbers than Democrats, presided over economic expansion, appointed the first Secretary of State of color, and has leaders that are Black, Hispanic, and of Indian ethnicity. You say that “by Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, it was complete. Republicans catered to conservative social attitudes on racial integration” and yet it was during Reagan’s presidency we engaged in a constitutionally legal, congressionally legislated, amnesty of illegal aliens. Where we learned our lesson, that this only encouraged more illegal aliens to come, you seem troubling incapable of learning from history, recent or otherwise.

Rabbi I’m concerned for you. You state that “Republicans have convinced many Christians not merely that the welfare state is a bad idea, but that generosity itself is a vice” but you should be aware that overall Republicans give more charity than Democrats. You should be aware that coercing another to give money to a third party is not charity. You should be aware that the Maimonides’s highest form of tzedukah (charity) is giving someone employment. Instead you seem oddly obsessed with taking an ahistorical dump on the Republican party. Me thinks you douth protest too much. Might you be projecting?

Because while you were spot on about one thing, that ours is an era of “inequality on the scale of ancient Rome”, your implicit “solution” is to double down on the same government expanding and tax raising progressive program that got our nation here in the first place.

Rabbi, it’s out of concern that I write this: you need help or maybe sleep. Engaging in stereotyping an entire group of people and arguing that they have a record of evil going back 150 years, ignoring the concrete successes of the “other side” at outreach and persuasion, and positing that charity means one should rob Shmuel to give to Yossi instead of letting Shmuel save his money so he can hire Yossi is insane. I know as a Prius driving vanilla latte man recycling is probably important to you, but recycling tired clichéd ideas won’t change the facts. 

From the early years of its creation, when the civilian murdering terrorist organizations where led in many cases by left wing normative Christian Arabs to modern day Islamicist organizations out for its proverbial head, the State of Israel has never had it easy. Every American should support the Israel in its struggle for survival for the very simple reasons of shared interests and values. Morality is not relative, the fact that in Israel (as in many modern nations) there is no legal protection against random search is a negative moral point, yet set against the backdrop of the absolute monarchy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan or the House of Saud, the ethnic dictatorship of Assad and the military regime in Egypt, it shines the bright light of accountable government in a dark sea of depravity.

Americans are right to rally for Israel’s survival – the Jew’s (like many minority groups) have often been the canary in the coal mine of history. It is not only for Israel’s sake that many worry of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Iran is a nation ruled by Shia fundamentalists with the messianic goal of globally expansionism. Iran seeks not only to erase the Jewish state but to create a nuclear veto with which to bully the weak kneed West for control of the Persian Gulf and through it, to gain a greater say in the global arena. Iranian desire to ethnically cleans the Middle East of the Jewish State via nuclear holocaust aside, Iran is a mal-actor on the global field playing attempting to play the same 19^th century merhcantile game that our other global pain-in-the-asses, Russia and China, are engaged in full throttle.

China and Russia already have the nuclear veto – which has limited our response to their territorial expansion. From the South China Sea – international waters defined as such by international law – which China has claimed as sovereign territory; South Ossetia, Ahbkazia, and more of Ukraine than just Crimea – Russia and China remain unafraid of a Western response. Russia has not only a nuclear but also an energy veto as it supplies a huge portion of Europe’s energy needs. The potential for European energy prices going up has helped cow Europe into quiet submission and its trading relationship with China has sealed its lips preventing official protest on human rights abuses and international law violations.

Through the nuclear veto, Iran seeks not only an insurance policy against regime change but also control of a huge section of the energy market. Our precipitous and ill thought out retreat from Iraq in 2011 has rewarded Iran with a client in the rump state that is Shia Iraq to use as a spring board to court the Shia populations of the Gulf monarchies. Add to that the perception, created by the Obama administration, that American commitment to the region is on the wane and no amount of increased domestic oil production will alleviate the potential pain of an Iranian controlled Persian Gulf.

Whether Iran succeeds in scaring the Arab states into submission or any number of them decides to get nuclear weapons as insurances for their own survival remains to be seen.  Yet for all the uncertainty the future holds, Israel’s ability to defend itself remains solid. From the 1981 bombing by Israel of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor to its bombing of the secret Syrian nuclear program in 2007, Israel is committed to preventing dangerous regional actors from obtaining nuclear weapons which may be used against it.

Our nation should continue to support Israel not only because the enemies which seek its destruction seek our harm but because both our societies cherish free speech, have a free press, have regular and contested elections and universal franchise. In a world in which totalitarian rule from the strong man rule of Putin’s Russia, the Chinese Communist Party, to Islamicist movements of Iran and ISIS are on the march free societies need to support each other.

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – John Adams.

Thus spoke our 2^nd President more than 200 years ago, and it remains true. However in the world we live in today, if the facts don’t fit the media and liberal narrative they can be willfully ignored or twisted to advance an agenda, something that has been rather commonplace in the last few weeks.

The most obvious examples are the Michael Brown, Eric Garner deaths. Two black men killed by the actions of white police officers. The mainstream media and the usual race-baiting suspects went crazy after grand juries did not indict both of the cops involved, even after the facts of both cases came to light:

Although a legitimate case can be made that Eric Garner’s only crime was denying New York City/State the taxes on the cigarettes he was selling and he should never have been arrested at all, the facts remain: 1) He resisted arrest, 2) The officer did not use a choke hold and 3) His death resulted mostly from his psychical condition especially his athsma.

The anger over the Michael Brown decision is even more egregious. He was a punk thug who strong-arm robbed a store and got in to a potentially lethal psychical confrontation with Officer Wilson that resulted in his being shot. And let’s not forget; he neither put his hands up nor said “Don’t shoot.”

So, the willful ignoring of stubborn facts has helped to set back race relations about 50 years.

Willful ignoring of facts may also make life even more unpleasant for victims of rape and those falsely accused of such a heinous crime. Rolling Stone put out a story about a young woman who claimed she was gang raped at a fraternity party at the University of Virginia. Problem is, it didn’t happen. Plus, had the Rolling Stone reporter done even a tiny bit of fact checking (They still teach that in journalism school right?) the story never would have seen the light of day.

But let us not let a story devoid of facts get in the way of the progressive agenda that colleges are hot beds of sexual assault mostly committed by arrogant privileged white males. Not helping are media members like MSNBC analyst Zerlina Maxwell who said; “We should always believe, as a matter of default, what an accuser says. Ultimately, the costs of wrongly disbelieving a survivor far outweigh the costs of calling someone a rapist.” Well I’m sure such people like the UVA fraternity members, the Duke Lacrosse team and Lena Dunham’s “Barry” would strongly contest that. The false narrative that sexual assaults are epidemic on college campuses (they’re not according to the FBI, which knows a little bit about crime) and stories like this are doing far more damage to the women liberals say they are trying to protect.

“The truth shall set you free” goes the popular saying. It would be nice if those we used to trust to present us the facts returned to that mantra. It would not only help their own bottom lines (many media outlets have seen massive loss of readership and viewership in the past decade) but help us truly be a United States.  

But let us not let a story devoid of facts get in the way of the progressive agenda that colleges are hot beds of sexual assault mostly committed by arrogant privileged white males. Not helping are media members like MSNBC analyst Zerlina Maxwell who said; “We should always believe, as a matter of default, what an accuser says. Ultimately, the costs of wrongly disbelieving a survivor far outweigh the costs of calling someone a rapist.” Well I’m sure such people like the UVA fraternity members, the Duke Lacrosse team and Lena Dunham’s “Barry” would strongly contest that. The false narrative that sexual assaults are epidemic on college campuses (they’re not according to the FBI, which knows a little bit about crime) and stories like this are doing far more damage to the women liberals say they are trying to protect.