Meanwhile, Back At Smith College

The NY Times cover the clash of an elite college mindset about race and racism with the ordinary lives of working class Joes. And Janes.

We've only seen the setup a million times:

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — In midsummer of 2018, Oumou Kanoute, a Black student at Smith College, recounted a distressing American tale: She was eating lunch in a dorm lounge when a janitor and a campus police officer walked over and asked her what she was doing there.

The officer, who could have been carrying a “lethal weapon,” left her near “meltdown,” Ms. Kanoute wrote on Facebook, saying that this encounter continued a yearlong pattern of harassment at Smith.

“All I did was be Black,” Ms. Kanoute wrote. “It’s outrageous that some people question my being at Smith College, and my existence overall as a woman of color.”

Folks who overcome their "Here we go again" instinct and press on to the fifth paragraph hit the plot twist:

The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN picked up the story of a young female student harassed by white workers. The American Civil Liberties Union, which took the student’s case, said she was profiled for “eating while Black.”

Less attention was paid three months later when a law firm hired by Smith College to investigate the episode found no persuasive evidence of bias. Ms. Kanoute was determined to have eaten in a deserted dorm that had been closed for the summer; the janitor had been encouraged to notify security if he saw unauthorized people there. The officer, like all campus police, was unarmed.

Smith College officials emphasized “reconciliation and healing” after the incident. In the months to come they announced a raft of anti-bias training for all staff, a revamped and more sensitive campus police force and the creation of dormitories — as demanded by Ms. Kanoute and her A.C.L.U. lawyer — set aside for Black students and other students of color.

But they did not offer any public apology or amends to the workers whose lives were gravely disrupted by the student’s accusation.

This is a tale of how race, class and power collided at the elite 145-year-old liberal arts college, where tuition, room and board top $78,000 a year and where the employees who keep the school running often come from working-class enclaves beyond the school’s elegant wrought iron gates. The story highlights the tensions between a student’s deeply felt sense of personal truth and facts that are at odds with it.

The Smith administrators seems to be facing the same problem opportunity as whomever is trying to mind the NY Times sand box newsroom.

Comments

[Narciso]

This escalated quickly

https://beckernews.com/2-president-joe-bidens-state-of-the-union-address-suddenly-appears-to-be-off-for-now-37114/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Seems to me the Dems carry the key to solve this whole critically important racial theory the left has;
Simply build POC separate but equal accommodations.
The Dems will be happy doing what they do best; segregation.
The ACLU will be happy doing what it does best; enforcing American communist liberties.
And the rest of us can do what we do best; ignoring these batshit crazy bastards and savoring the irony of the a-holes who have been hectoring us for years about our racism and their transcendent virtue reverting to their true Plessy v Ferguson form..

[Narciso]

In case you were wondering how mind arson spreads selectively

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/jodi-shaw-smith-college-bari-weiss-rapping-librarian-1132010/amp/

[Melinda]

Nick Searcy, INTERNATIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR
@yesnicksearcy
Look out, little boys everywhere. The @ProjectLincoln guys have rebranded.

New Conservative Party Project @ConservativeNCP
Real Conservatives believe in life NOT in guns. The only country where conservatives are related to guns is the US, and it is stupid.

1. Real Conservatives fight for gun control. Guns are against life, are against family. #ConservativesForGunControl

https://twitter.com/yesnicksearcy/status/1364956408345681920

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Willowed;
--This is what happens when so many depend on Taiwan’s TSMC to make their chips--

I'm confident our fearless leader's necrotic brain is still functional enough to secure our semiconductor chip supply chain through our friends in Peking rather than those unreliable Chiang Kai Scheckies.

[Narciso]

The Horde was just too far ahead of the curve.

[Narciso]

'The rebel scum will not escape this time'

https://www.google.com/amp/s/jezebel.com/i-too-require-payment-not-to-rap-1846329464/amp

[Narciso]

You thought it would be different

https://mobile.twitter.com/EmpowerWi/status/1364705721439432704

[Narciso]

If any place deserves a military intervention, its those campi

[henry]

Smith was once a fine destination for a road trip.

[MissMarple2]

New York Post
@nypost
·
1h
Obama says 'white resentment' made reparations a 'non-starter' during presidency https://trib.al/w0uQIQU
===========================================
Stirring the race pot one more time.

[Narciso]

Im all out of crazy pills

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/02/shapes-of-things-22.php

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Narc's 10:23 is perhaps the most dishonest thing I have read since...well, since the last time I read something Hillary Clinton said.
It utterly elides what actually happened to Jodi Shaw and utterly elides the truth of the incident TM blogged about above.
The comments are equally mendacious and ignorant.
They are now fully Stalinist in their call and answer incitement to each other's desire for ideological purity.

[MissMarple2]

Just got off the phone with my local friend.

Down in her area, i a road she frequents, is a cinder-block house which has had a huge Trump sign in the front. She went by there this week and they have painted on their windows "Biden is a pedo."

The back yard, which is visible from an intersecting street, has huge plexiglass sheets with "Biden is a pedophile" and "Pay attention!!"

This is a working class home. I figure people are talking and getting information from friends, some of which is garbled, I am sure. But if this is showing up in that neighborhood, I think that there is way more discontent in the land than the eltway people realize.

[Narciso]

Nuke it from orbit, just to make sure

https://issuesinsights.com/2021/02/24/the-government-censors-are-here/

[rse]

henry--

Unfortunately it is now a 'name' school for students whose grades and test scores weren't good enough, even with a boost for race, to get in elsewhere. The Diva had a good friend from elementary school (private Montessori) end up there where she became an SJW.

I still remember when the girl asked the diva how come she could read words she had never seen before. The Diva answered that "my mom taught me". My experience is that 5th graders who read poorly never become strong students however determined the parents are that they attend a 'name' school.

Brother is currently at that well known bus school on the charles river. He likes to hang out on our back patio when in town. The smith sister really wanted to go to wesleyan u but couldn't get in.

[henry]

rse, road trips weren’t for academic merits in those days either.

[Buckeye]

Mel

No credits left on Teslas.

Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT.

[rse]

MM--

My husband is half Ukrainian from Galicia with the first ancestors coming over anywhere from 1880s to about 1905 and half Irish with the ship manifest showing about 1878 from County Mayo. Just imagine what he thinks of reparations.

Yet I have been at emory events where black professionals have clearly been led to believe that all white americans presently here are descended from slaveholders. It's a historically illiterate assumption.

[Narciso]

John gill will be taking alid, melakon will be in place.

[henry]

Even for descendants of slave holders, since when do crimes of fathers stick to children of the generation 150 years later? The very idea of reparations is unAmerican.

[Neo]

Once-secret FBI informant reports reveal wider-ranging operation to spy on Trump campaign

Goal was to find "anyone" inside GOP campaign tied to Russia who could be get dirt "damaging" to Clinton, newly declassified memos reveal.
https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/once-secret-fbi-informant-reports-reveal-wide-ranging

But the memos' most explosive revelations are the sheer breadth of the FBI's insufficiently predicated dragnet targeting the Trump campaign, and the agents' clearly stated purpose of thwarting any Trump campaign effort to get dirt from Russia that could hurt his Democratic rival.

[Narciso]

Would that be dunham and emhoff and robinson or do they get a persil (a pass)

[Buckeye]

Dems and Xiden admin are are going bat shit on us.

Driving the gummint like they stole it.

[Narciso]

Enter the witcher

https://mobile.twitter.com/AlexBerenson

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Relinking this Powerline article which points out that while Amazon banned the sale of a book on the grounds that it is hate speech, that politely makes the case that a guy who whacks off his pee pee might just still be a guy, only minus a pee pee, is quite happy to sell you Main Kampf and has an entire store dedicated to psychopathic, communist mass murderer Che Guevara.

Sorry Jane; Bezos is asshoe.

[Buckeye]

Even for descendants of slave holders, since when do crimes of fathers stick to children of the generation 150 years later? The very idea of reparations is unAmerican.

Roger that Henry.

I didn’t get to pick my great great great grandfather.

[Narciso]

Murthy is the one that made thd cdc so woke (i hate that word) it was entirely useless in this recent kerfluffle.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Mel

No credits left on Teslas.--

Yes, but there's a push to allow another 400,000 cars per manufacturer to qualify for the Federal credit.

[Melinda]

Buckeye-

The credits on Teslas are Elon's, not customers. Only way he gets "Earnings".

[Buckeye]

Smith was once a fine destination for a road trip.

Like all colleges with cute girls:)

[Narciso]

Berensons recent fiction outing btw is his second attempt another project ran aground because crimethink.

[Narciso]

Theres not enough turbinium for that.

[Narciso]

Yikes

https://mobile.twitter.com/InezFeltscher/status/1364688936480686081/photo/1

[Jim Eagle]

In re Smith: Of the Seven Sisters only Vassar and Radcliffe accept males. All the others (i.e. Smith) are Female only. Ironically, Frederick and his best buddy spent 3 weeks for two summers at Camp Explo on Wellsely campus.

BTW, a beautiful campus. I think Dave (in MA) drives by it daily.

[Old Lurker]

Henry "since when do crimes of fathers stick to children of the generation 150 years later? The very idea of reparations is unAmerican."

Particularly since what they did was not a crime when they did it.

So add Ex Post Facto to the observation.

Our society is being changed before our very eyes into something much, much worse than what most of our forefathers fled Europe to escape.

[MissMarple2]

I still do not understand why it is considered fair to allow transgenders to compete as females in women's sports.

Regardless of how they feel, their bone and muscle structure is determined by genetics and hormones releasing growth at puberty. Males have (on average) stronger and denser bone structure than females and their muscles are also stronger. This also determines height.

This is determined by chromosomes which are determined at gestation, as I understand it.
Why should an emotional or mental condition allow someone to compete in women's basketball or track? If I have a cat who has been raised with dogs and thinks she's one of the pack, does she get to compete in the Westminster Dog Show?

[Jane]

No swear Iggy, I think he’s an asshole too - but he’s no longer running the Amazon store. He delegated it to a much bigger asshole. Now he’s working on space.

[Old Lurker]

Not to mention that said reparations are intended to flow to many who are not even descended from actual, you know, American slaves in the first place, and even if from slaves somewhere, not here.

[Jane]

You have to take the back road to drive by Wellesly Jib, which I did a lot, as I lived in adjacent towns on either side of it for years.

[Old Lurker]

And how about that construction we are asked to swallow: "This country was built by XYZ but descendants of XYZ do not own a fair share of what was built long ago."

Forget "Black Slaves". Tell me any other advanced country that has physical assets that were not built by laborers at the bottom of whatever Totem Pole existed back in the day.

[MissMarple2]

ICYMI: Leaked Insider Tape Reveals @Salesforce Plan to Deplatform ‘Broader Range’ of Customers Who Have ‘The Potential to Incite Politically Motivated Violence’

Salesforce Inexplicably Severs Ties with Project Veritas!#Salesfarce pic.twitter.com/HUbs3TziV9

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) February 25, 2021

Video at the link.

[henry]

My brother lived next to Wellesley for several years. Nice area.

[Old Lurker]

How odd is this:

"Dozens of House Dems Ask Biden to Give Up Sole Authority to Launch Nuclear Weapons"

He is either qualified to be POTUS or he is not.

If he cannot be trusted with THAT decision, then there is but one thing to do.

[Old Lurker]

And this one:

"Sen. Lindsey Graham to Newsmax TV:
'I Don't Think Biden's in Charge'

Anybody else sick to death of Ms Lindsay spouting off on every third odd numbered day when he thinks he can fool MAGA voters that he is one with them all over again?

Femall.

[Dave (in MA)]

I think Dave (in MA) drives by it daily.

It was along an alternate commuting route that I'd use when traffic was bad, but nowadays I commute in slippers.

[Gentlejim]

Am I the only one here picking up on the fact that rse’s hubby is half Mayonnaise? :)

[Dave (in MA)]

Good to see TM post some NYT snark, even if it's only in a quoted excerpt.

[Manuel Transmission]

To beat the dead horse a bit more, our propane runs about $2.10/gal being hauled on special one truck at a time landing craft. On the other hand, our electricity is only about a dime/kWh. At that price ratio propane is about 1/3 more cost efficient than strip heaters, but about three times less efficient when offset by the efficiency gain of the heat pump.

When we bought this place back in 94, the folks who rented it had suffered through a particularly cold winter and were freezing behind the old baseboard strip heaters and paying $800/mo. for the privilege. Needless to say I had no intention of following that path. The ‘summer cabin’ basis of the old place and its ~2K square foots size was enough to start with a clean sheet when we rebuilt.

[Melinda]

Halper made it up.

‘Spygate’ Professor Told FBI A Salacious Rumor About Michael Flynn And A Russian Student

https://dailycaller.com/2021/02/25/stefan-halper-michael-flynn-lokhova-fbi/

[Melinda]

Oh my......

the deadly river Neva
@pipandbaby
I wish Schültzie was here 😭

Translate Tweet
italians mad at food @ItalianComments

https://twitter.com/pipandbaby/status/1364951247313375238

[Old Lurker]

ManTran...propane in MA costs about $3/gallon on average in 2020 and more than $5 in some places.

[Jim Eagle]

Jane,

My neighbor here in The Hammock is from Needham but they are full time here. One year we stayed at in Boston at the Liberty (aka The Old Jail) hotel which was very nice. Great bar. One time in Needham. In Wellsley village there is a great ice cream place.

[Old Lurker]

Jack, The Liberty was our spot when the kids were doing their residencies next door.

It was nice.

[MissMarple2]

https://dailycaller.com/2021/02/25/ernst-abortions-hyseterectomies-informed-consent/

EXCLUSIVE: Ernst Introduces Bill Criminalizing Abortions, Hysterectomies Without Informed Consent

[Melinda]

97 yr old Charlie Munger can still slay them:

https://macro.economicblogs.org/zerohedge/2021/02/durden-munger-market-resembles-dot-com-bubble-calls-spacs/

[Neo]

Former House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving told senators he did not hear from Sund until 1:28 p.m. and that no formal request for National Guard assistance was lodged until after 2 p.m.

The National Guard aren’t like a SWAT or HRT that are on ready standby.
It takes hours, if not days, to mobilize the Guard.

[Manuel Transmission]

OL, ouch! That’s more like our gas prices. I pay about $3.70/gal for Super. On the mainland (Merica) it’s much less than a buck cheaper given the commies running Olympia. Not sure why the propane is relatively cheap, except we have 2-3 locals peddling it and they are fairly vigorous at beating the other guy’s price. Wait! Is that a free market?

[matt - deplore me if you must]

Clueless Newsom has really stepped in it again. He has made Blue Cross the distributor of all things vaccine and they haven't got a clue what they are doing. Blue Cross is a major campaign donor.

Just when you think they can't screw things up anymore they go and prove you wrong.

So is Oumou Kanote the next breakout star in the Woke Wars universe?

[Melinda]

7,000 were already on "alert, but unauthorized to move", if one were to believe Sund.

[Melinda]

Dr Naomi Wolf
@naomirwolf
LANCET: "Fragments of RNA can linger for weeks after infectious virus has been cleared,6 often in people without symptoms or known exposures....However, for public health measures, another approach is needed." PCR testing "not appropriate gold standard." thelancet.com/journals/lance…

https://twitter.com/naomirwolf/status/1364927915637551106

[Neo]

AP: “Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year.”

[Neo]

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has taken possession of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, a spokesman for the office told ABC News.

Prepare to be underwhelmed

[MissMarple2]

Hasbro used to make both a Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. Also, they were originally made to use real potatoes, not the plastic potato-shaped body one now sees.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-adviser-peter-navarro-mccarthy-house

Former Trump adviser says McCarthy 'has to go' over Liz Cheney impeachment vote fallout

[Jane]

Henry,

Newton or Natick? I guess Newton!

[Jane]

I forgot about Needham cause it’s on the other side.

[Neo]

Democrat voters are more concerned about "Donald Trump’s supporters" than anything else.

Living in their heads for free

[Melinda]

Sean Davis
@seanmdav
Clutch those pearls harder. twitter.com/marcthiessen/s…

Marc Thiessen @marcthiessen
Disgraceful twitter.com/howardmortman/…

twitter.com/marcthiessen/status/136499166323666

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1364993468439879682

[Neo]

After that 60 Minutes promo for Qanon, these Democrats should be worried.

Democrats always were into the Gnostic. Just ask any of them on Twitter.

[MissMarple2]

Melinda,

I love how she triggers not only the dems but the GOPe crew. Hilarious!

[Neo]

Melinda: LOL

[clarice]

I keep begging my very smart grand daughter to skip college and take the money saved for it to open the best bakery in Oahu.

[Jim Eagle]

OL,

Our room at The Liberty overlooked the Charles and the Harvard and MIT crews doing their practice rows. Impressive. There is nice coffee shop just off the Harvard campus and a number of the crew members were there one time when we went in. Big strong guys.

But what I love about the Harvard area are the bookstores that prominently display leftwing books and make you have to ask for anything by Buckley or D'Souza:)

[Jane]

Great idea Clarice. College has become a joke. She can take night classes once she’s a [millionaire!

[Jim Eagle]

Mean't to add that Frederick was really interested in BioMedical Engineering and I picked up a large BioMed text book by the pre-eminent guy at Harvard medical school. It was used and still cost me $67. New its like $280.

Not a cheap place to get an education:)

[Jane]

JIB, did you ever make it to Bartley’s Burgers when you were near Harvard?

[Jim Eagle]

Jane,

No but I remember someone telling us to go there but we didn't. Ande I think the coffee shop was a Peet's. Does that make sense?

We love Boston and all choices for food, bars, bookshops, funky stores, etc.

I knew it quite well from my time visiting our office during the Big Dig but seeing it away from Southie was terrific. Used the Boat Buses a lot.

[Neo]

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian denied the claims on Thursday, telling a press conference that "China has never required US diplomatic staff stationed in China to conduct anal swab tests".

Not all US diplomatic personnel are "stationed in China"

[Porchlight]

In re Smith: Of the Seven Sisters only Vassar and Radcliffe accept males.

Sure about that?

[Jim Eagle]

Porch,

Yes! If you have different info, share it.

[Porchlight]

I was making a trans joke, JiB.

Although it's not really a joke. Do you really think the other Seven Sisters refuse to accept men who claim to be women? I don't.

[Dave (in MA)]

In a related story, the appropriate term will now be President Mashed Potato Head.

Well this is stupid. https://t.co/vvp2GRgFHw

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) February 25, 2021

The Associated Press
@AP
·
Mr. Potato Head is no longer a mister. Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year. http://apne.ws/ZsGuwK0

[henry]

Jane, in the town of Wellesley a block from the school.

[Jim Eagle]

My reference is to undergrad not graduate since I think a few offer Phd to males. Not sure and not confidnent but I seem to remember hearing about that once.

[henry]

Yikes!

@WSJ

The state of Michigan announced two dozen felony charges including 20 counts of human trafficking against John Geddert, head coach of the 2012 Olympic gymnastics team and one of the closest allies of disgraced former team doctor Larry Nassar

[Jim Eagle]

The village of Wellsley is lovely. One time there they had a street festival. We spent hours there rummaging around.

[henry]

At least 50 Biden types bent more than the knee to China. Real tough n China.

@amuse

China apologizes for forcing Biden's staff to submit to anal Covid exams. Around 50 members of Biden's team were subjected to anal penetration on one or more occasions from Chinese Communist Party doctors. China promises to stop.

[Neo]

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday visited a local pharmacy in Washington, DC, to highlight the Biden administration's retail pharmacy vaccination program and combat vaccine hesitancy.

In my county, they have vaccinated about 20% of those who have requested it. So, why are they wasting their efforts of a bunch of recalcitrant fools.

[henry]

@amuse

2/ SHOCK: China claims that no member of Biden's team was forced to take an anal exam. Instead, CCP doctors only gave exams to Biden staffers who consented to anal penetration.

3/ REPORTED: Biden staffers who underwent anal exams by Chinese Communist Party doctors explain that they felt pressured to consent because they felt as though refusing the exam would be anti-gay/transphobic. ;)

[henry]

I thought Obama bowing to the world was a stupid show of weakness. This is beyond. Name names and ban these idiots from collecting our tax dollars.

[Neo]

SATIRE:
Breaking: Joe Biden has announced he is sending Secretary Buttigig to Beijing for a thorough investigation. And I mean THOROUGH.

[Buckeye]

At least 50 Biden types bent more than the knee to China. Real tough n China.

I couldn’t pen a better joke.

[Jim Eagle]

Henry,

The pussification of America continues after a 4 year stall.

[Neo]

I suppose they will be rename Barbie's boyfriend, Ken to Wang

[Porchlight]

Good grief. This has to be China bragging, not "apologizing."

[Dave (in MA)]

pic.twitter.com/dPmOUal4Gq

— matt’s idea shop (@MattsIdeaShop) February 25, 2021

[Dave (in MA)]

rename Barbie's boyfriend, Ken to WangIronically.

[Jim Eagle]

Who is that stupid 4 eye, imbecile with the yawning mouth?

[matt - deplore me if you must]

So anal probes are the new kowtow?

How many of them volunteered for seconds?