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Some questions for the Los Angeles Dodgers:

What happens next year if a group and out-of-state senator complain that the team is even acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community with a Pride Night? Will they cancel the event altogether?

What happens in two or three years if a group and an out-of-state senator complain that the team acknowledges the pioneering Jackie Robinson and highlights the racism he experienced while playing, alleging that it is "critical race theory"? Will the Dodgers stop recognizing Robinson?

The Dodgers folded like a house of cards in a light breeze this week when conservative politicalCatholic groups and an opportunistic Florida politician complained that the baseball team was honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for decades of good deeds. What's to stop the next odious group from getting the organization to abandon its decisions?

The Dodgers have opened the door for anyone to step up, make a minor fuss and get their stance supported, no matter how disgraceful or faulty the reason. They can't now be surprised if a clown car's worth of crying zealots comes rolling through.

Great job. Really.

As part of this year's annual Pride Night on June 16, the Dodgers were set to honor the Los Angeles chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for its years of community service. The Sisters are a 44-year-old satirical group that dresses in nun's habits as they minister to, in the group's own words, "those on the edges" of society. They first appeared in San Francisco in 1979 and began caring for gay men with HIV/AIDS at a time when very few would. Since then, SPI chapters across the country and around the world have continued to work throughout their communities to help those most in need. They are about inclusion and spreading campy joy wherever they go.

The Dodgers are scheduled to hold a Pride Night on June 16 at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) must have felt like he needed to grab the sectarian spotlight back from others in his partywho have been fighting culture wars against the LGBTQ+ community. Rubio and the group CatholicVote the president of which called the Sisters a "hate group," which is objectively false denounced the Dodgers for honoring the Sisters. In a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, Rubio said he opposed the group because it "mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith."

The team caved to those howls and is rescinding the Sisters' award, audaciously using the phrase "spirit of unity" and saying "we are removing [the Sisters] from this year's group of honorees" in the same pathetic social media statement.

And now that there is an outcry about the Dodgers' embarrassing capitulation, with multiple LGBTQ+ groups saying they won't attend the team's Pride Night due to its treatment of the Sisters, the Dodgers are scrambling, reportedly trying to find a compromise.

Compromise how? You cannot be tolerant of the intolerant, and the team already failed that test.

The Dodgers can't reinvite the Sisters after this. Well, they could try, but if the Sisters' response were to lift the hems of their habits and show the Dodgers their behinds, no one could really blame them.

Some of us are terrified by the speed at which human rights are being stripped away from Americans who are just trying to live, whether at a drag brunch or as a drag performer, or for pregnant people who do not want to be pregnant for whatever their personal reasons, or for Black or Muslim or Native American people who want their children to be able to read books with characters who look like them and tell the stories of their ancestors.

A big part of the reason these things are happening so quickly is because of organizations like the Dodgers giving in at the slightest sign of complaint or discomfort and prioritizing the objections of the intolerant over standing in support of the oppressed.

What is the point of having a Pride Night if you aren't going to go all-in? Its very essence is supposed to be inclusion, creating a welcoming atmosphere or at least the illusion of one; looking at you, myriad NHL teams for those who far too often have been told they don't belong.

The Dodgers want credit for celebrating Pride, but this week they showed that they aren't committed to the cause of uplifting the LGBTQ+ community, which chooses a rainbow as its symbol for a reason: because members of the community come in many metaphorical colors.

You cannot say you want to celebrate Pride and then pick and choose which LGBTQ+ groups are acceptable.

Or, as the San Francisco Sisters wrote in condemning the Dodgers' decision, "Do not let people who hate us all decide that some parts of our community are more tolerable than others, that some shall be seated at the table while others are locked out."

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Dodgers lost meaning, purpose of Pride Night in caving to culture war pressure - Yahoo Sports

Ron DeSantis doesnt just want to run for the presidency, the Florida governor seems to already have declared himself president as he tries to wrest clear federal responsibilities away from the U.S. government with a new Florida law that heavily penalizes employment of undocumented immigrants, gives state officials more authority to investigate potential immigration violations and forces hospitals to collect immigration status, among other things.

Almost 150 years ago, in 1875s Chy Lung vs. Freeman, the Supreme Court established that regulating immigration was exclusively the domain of the national government, not states. That hasnt stopped plenty of states from trying it anyway. Thirteen years ago, Arizona set off the modern wave of immigration organizing in enacting the disastrous SB 1070, most of which was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court as a violation of the Supremacy Clause.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

More recently, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken it upon himself to appear tough on the border, sending National Guardsmen to an ill-fated and ultimately pointless deployment, almost setting off an international incident with Mexico over truck inspections, and of course busing migrants here and elsewhere without any coordination or notice.

Apparently envious of the havoc Abbott was wreaking, DeSantis joined the clown show, using a shadowy former Army counterintelligence agent to trick migrants into boarding planes bound for Marthas Vineyard, paid for by a dedicated state fund that this law has now expanded. DeSantis seems wholly indifferent or apathetic to the fact that the consequences of his culture war are being suffered by his own state.

Since the law was enacted, there have been reports of employees fearful of returning to work in a variety of industries, and even attempting to arrange boycotts. The short-term impacts are still uncertain, but it seems clear that in the long run, Florida will lose out on the contributions of an important population, just as it will face a brain drain from DeSantis heavy-handed crackdown on academia and anti-business war with Disney. The governor doesnt care; his eyes are set northwards, to Washington..

Originally posted here:
Going the Ron way: DeSantis' new immigration law and culture wars will backfire - New York Daily News

Michael Gove

Minister says focus should be on economics and public services a day after Suella Bravermans highly partisan speech

Conservatives need to recognise that elections are won on economics and public services rather than culture wars, Michael Gove has said in what will be seen as a rebuke to Suella Braverman.

Addressing the National Conservatism (NatCon) conference in Westminster, a day after Braverman gave a highly partisan speech to the same event which condemned experts and elites and political correctness, Gove was at pains to make no direct criticism of the home secretary.

But asked in an onstage interview whether Conservatives needed to engage with such issues, Gove highlighted what he said were the virtues of gentleness and stability and discourse.

He said: I think that the overwhelming majority of people in this country prefer civility. This goes to the whole question of the so-called culture war that is raging at the moment.

There are certain principles you should defend, absolutely. And it is absolutely critical that we dont deny biological reality or that we dont feel that we should apologise for aspects of our past, which are genuine sources of pride.

But we should do so with the self-confidence that means we dont need to be strident.

Gove, the communities secretary, said the changing media and social media landscape had helped increase the prominence of culture war issues. The way in which algorithms work tends to drive people towards poles, and the way in which particular sections of the media work means that they tend to become echo chambers, he added

However, he argued, voters were far more likely to judge parties and governments on other areas.

I actually think that economics is still central, Gove said. When it comes to the boring and vulgar task of winning general elections, and the even more boring and even more dispiriting task of government, the most important thing to do is to concentrate on the right economic policies, the right policies for public service delivery and so on.

Goves words are a polite rebuttal of the increasing tendency of some Tories, as highlighted by the NatCon gathering, organised by a rightwing US thinktank, to take more overtly combative approach to subjects like race and sexuality, and to borrow ideas from populists such as Hungarys Viktor Orbn and Giorgia Meloni of Italy.

Braverman devoted much of her speech to railing against what she said was an attempt by the left to devalue Britains heritage, while Tory MP Miriam Cates said cultural Marxism was one reason for the UKs falling birthrate.

Gove, who was at pains to praise Bravermans call for a reduction in legal migration numbers, said such divergent views were a sign that our party and our broader movement is healthy, that you can have debate.

However, he did stress the need for recognising what is distinctive and cherished in Britain and in the United Kingdom, amid a conference which has seen other speakers praise Orbn and Donald Trump, and describe a supposed plot by leftwing groups to eradicate democracy.

In some of the commentary that there has been around national conservatism, I think people are trying to suggest that this is somehow an attempt to import American ideas, American ideology and American conservatism into the UK, Gove said, saying this should not be the case.

He also gently dismissed the idea of another argument by a Tory MP, Andrea Jenkyns, at a grassroots Tory conference on Saturday, that many of her party colleagues would fit better in the Liberal Democrats.

Gove said: The coalition government was five fascinating years, but I cant think of a single Conservative who reminds me of Chris Huhne.

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Michael Gove says Tories will not win election with culture wars - The Guardian

Former President Donald Trump helped deliver the Republican nomination for governor to Attorney General Daniel Cameron, but its unclear if the Trump effect will help in his efforts to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

Cameron, whose campaign has been built on his record as attorney general and his conservative values, defeated 11 opponents in the primary. Now, he will face one of the most popular governors in America, according to a Morning Consult poll.

The two have a history of disagreeing. On the campaign trail, Cameron often notes that he sued Beshear to reopen churches during the coronavirus pandemic. More recently, Cameron has proposed putting a Kentucky State Police post in Louisville as a way to control violent crime, but Beshear said that idea shows a lack of confidence in the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Trumps endorsement of Cameron was announced early in the race, June 2022. The former president also voiced support for the attorney general in a brief tele-rally the Sunday before the primary election.

Cameron thanked Trump for his endorsement after the race was called Tuesday.

Let me just say, the Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky, Cameron told the crowd gathered at his watch party in Louisville. Trump won the state in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

On Wednesday, Trump called Cameron a star and gloated on Truth Social that another candidate backed by his potential 2024 GOP presidential opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, came in a DISTANT third. Though he didnt say her name, Trump was referring to Kelly Craft, whom he appointed to ambassadorships to Canada and the United Nations.

Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said Trumps endorsements can help in Republican primaries but hurt candidates in general elections when it comes to swing voters. In the Kentucky Republican primary, Trump supporters could have been divided between three candidates Trump-backed Cameron; Craft, who emulated Trumps cultural policies; and Eric Deters, a suspended attorney from Northern Kentucky who captured Trumps style on the campaign trail and on social media.

The one thing Trumps endorsement may have done is not a positive but a negative in the sense that Cameron previously had been seen as a McConnell protege and Craft wanted to tie Cameron to the McConnell wing of the party, which is unpopular with right wingers, Voss said. But Cameron having the Trump endorsement was like armor against attacks related to McConnell.

Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator who has worked in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnells past campaigns, said Republican presidential hopefuls could show up to support the GOP gubernatorial nominee.

Trump would be the biggest, and I think on balance I think hes a net positive for if youre trying to juice Republican turnout, Jennings said. One of the things about governors races is turnout is low. Primary turnout was low. General election turnout is low. And so, you think about trying to pull out voters who wouldnt normally pay attention to a governors race, yeah, Trump has the capacity to help you do that.

The general election will be the first serious exploration of what Beshear has accomplished in Frankfort and his policies, Jennings said. He characterized Beshear as a nonpartisan technocrat who shows up to hand out hugs and water when something bad happens.

Heading into the fall, Kentucky Republicans will likely press the governor on culture issues, Jennings said, adding Beshear is outside of the mainstream where most Kentucky voters are. Cameron is also likely to excite voters, including some independents, he said.

Daniel Cameron is at worst a generic Republican, which is a good thing to be in Kentucky, Jennings said, and at best and I think probably more tilting towards best he is something more than that. He is a young transformational sort of candidate to our partys future.

Beshear does have an advantage in being the incumbent, Jennings said. But he noted, incumbents do lose, pointing to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019 and Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in 2022.

Jonathan Miller, a former Democratic state treasurer, said facing Cameron will likely be a heated race for Beshear, but remained optimistic that the governor will get a second term.

I think its going to be very close and there are going to be tens of millions of dollars put into the race for both sides. Its probably going to get quite negative, Miller said. And ultimately, I think because of the relationship that the governor has established with the people of Kentucky, its going to overcome the fact that we are mostly a red state.

Voters in Louisville will likely be energized to vote against Cameron because of his work in the Breonna Taylor case, Miller said. In 2020, LMPD officers killed the unarmed Black woman in her apartment.

Critics of Cameron, who was the special prosecutor for the case, have questioned why his office did not bring murder charges against any officers when later the Department of Justice announced federal charges against four police officers.

Beshear has faced some criticism of his own, especially from Republican candidates in the primary election, particularly on his coronavirus response and the veto of Senate Bill 150, an omnibus anti-trans bill, earlier this year.

Voss said that the Republican nominees criticisms of Beshear will likely be the same as presented in the primary election.

In a press call last week, Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Colmon Elridge said of the criticism of the governors COVID-19 response, bless them if thats the road they want to go down.

Gov. Beshear has a clear record of showing up when Kentuckians needed him the most, Elridge said. So, insofar as COVID is concerned, the governor across the board, regardless of party affiliation, continues to get high marks because he set a standard for care, for compassion and for making decisive decisions that kept people alive.

As for the veto of the anti-transgender bill, Eldridge echoed Beshears comments of treating others with dignity and respect.

He has made it a priority for our party to echo those values in how we do our work, how we build our party to see the humanity in everyone and to treat everyone with dignity and respect and, as the governor says, as a child of God, and so we will continue to echo those values through Election Day and beyond.

Miller said Beshear established a connection with Kentuckians for his responses during the pandemic and natural disasters, so much so that it might sway even conservative voters who normally vote Republican.

In Kentucky, we really have a personal relationship with our governor, Miller said. Its different from every other elected office.

The race will likely heat up soon with ads on both sides trying to bring down the others approval, Miller added.

While on opposing sides of the political spectrum, Cameron and Beshear do have some career commonalities. Cameron is in his first term as attorney general as he leads his gubernatorial campaign. Beshear also served one term as attorney general before facing Bevin in 2019.

Their law careers also overlapped. Their offices were on the same hallway in Stites & Harbison, a Louisville law firm.

Jennings said the attorney general offers Kentucky Republicans something they didnt have in the 2019 election a unifying top of the ticket which is a huge advantage.

One of the main problems with Bevin in 19 is there were just a whole bunch of Republicans that didnt want to vote for him, and guess what? They didnt.

Beshear defeated Bevin by about 5,000 votes in the 2019 general election.

Jennings pointed out that more Kentucky voters are registered Republican than when Bevin was seeking reelection. Cameron will benefit from the work done in the primary by all of the candidates, Voss said. The contested GOP primary encouraged voters to register and gained their attention. Heading into the primary election, 1,587,478 Kentucky voters were registered Republicans. Democrats had 1,534,606.

And, Jennings said, Cameron has widespread support geographically and in the ideological wings of the party.

Voss agreed, saying the Republican candidates had very few differences between them despite the numerous negative ads.

This primary has been mostly gain for the GOP, despite the fact theyve attacked each other, Voss said.

But Voss and Miller disagreed about whether the attack ads by his GOP rivals would hurt Cameron in the general election.

Voss said the damage would likely not linger but Miller said damage has been done by negative ads.

Kelly Crafts ads were not just seen by Republican primary voters but by general election voters as well, and so I think that that weakens Cameron as a general election candidate, Miller said.

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Beshear, Cameron face-off seen as referendum on culture wars in ... - Commonwealth Journal's History

A controversial free-speech activist and author is slamming the London Public Library for barring her from delivering a public lecture at the downtown branch, a move she calls textbook illustration of contemporary censorship.

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Joanna Williams, a British commentator and lecturer, said she was scheduled to speak on Sex, Gender and the Limits of Free Speech on Campus at a meeting of a Canadian academic freedom group, but the librarys refusal to rent them space forced a change of venue.

Make no mistake, it is very clearly my views that the library objects to here. . . . They have set themselves up as gatekeepers of what can and cannot be said, she wrote in a column in Spiked, a publication that advocates for free speech.

The London Public Library seemingly has no problem hosting drag queen storytimes for young children. By stopping me from speaking, it is clearly taking sides in the gender debate and preventing the opposing view from being heard.

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Williams claims library officials asked the event organizers for background details on the content of her lecture during the process of booking the room. The request to rent space was denied by library officials, who said her lecture violated its policy and was likely to pose a risk of physical danger to participants or the audience or misuse of the property or equipment, she wrote in Spiked.

In a statement Thursday, London Public Library said there were multiple policy-related concerns that the board and senior leadership team considered when deciding not to rent space to the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS).

The library said there was a risk or likelihood of physical danger to participants or the audience along with the potential or likelihood the event would negatively impact other peoples enjoyment of the facilities.

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The library also said the events content is or is likely a violation of its policies, including the rules of conduct and workplace harassment and sexual harassment prevention policies.

We respect that not everyone will agree with this decision, and we value the many perspectives that may be shared about this situation, library officials said in a statement.

London Public Library is committed to supporting Londoners and the community of London. We are guided in this work by our primary values of exceptional customer service and anti-racism and anti-oppression, which we hold alongside the values of strong relationships, digital empowerment, accountability and responsibility.

Debates over gender identity and the inclusion of transgender individuals in traditionally single-sex spaces and sports have flared in recent years, with strong opinions on both sides.

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Williams is speaking during the annual meeting of the SAFS, which was founded in London in 1992.

The non-partisan Halifax-based group advocates against codes of conduct for speech, so-called anti-hate legislation that infringes on academics ability to teach and research controversial subjects and diversity policies that favour student or faculty groups based on race or sex instead of merit-based grounds, its website says.

The non-profits two-day annual meeting starts in London on Friday.

Williams talk is now being held at a downtown hotel, the Delta London Armouries, Friday evening.

Williams is also the author of several books, including How Woke Won: The Elitist Movement that Threatens Democracy, Tolerance and Reason, which was released last fall.

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Culture wars flare at London library over speaker's blocked lecture on gender - The London Free Press