Going Whole Hogg

It has always been said that “power corrupts” and one need only look at David Hoggs to see the validity of that axiom. With the help of an agenda-driven media, Mr. Hogg transformed quickly from a student “activist” into an angry, self-righteous firebrand demanding the world change to fit his views.

His experience of surviving the Stone Douglas High School shooting qualified him in the media’s eyes to be held up as an authority on gun-control issues and because he is so young he has also been granted immunity from criticism. The media has, of course, shunned fellow students who do not agree with his agenda. Hogg has now become convinced of his infallibility and is wielding his power with fist-pumping speeches filled with revolutionary rhetoric that will result in the sale of t-shirts bearing his image.

Mr. Hogg lashed out at Laura Ingram for daring to criticize him and then brazenly called for (demanded?) a boycott of Ingram’s show. Several advertisers acquiesced to the bully tactic, forcing Ingram to apologize – an apology Hogg quickly rejected. He also had the ego-driven audacity to refuse going to the White House to talk with president Trump, saying that the president should come to him if he wanted to talk. His arrogance is expanding with media coverage.

Eighteen-year-old David Hogg has now attacked or blamed president Trump, Governor Rick Scott, Senator Marco Rubio, Laura Ingram, Senator John McCain, and the NRA, all targets approved by the progressive agenda. He has placed no blame on his high school’s policy of not relaying information to police about troubled students, a policy that allowed shooter Nikolas Cruz to avoid a criminal record and pass a background check to purchase the weapon for the murders – a policy that could have prevented the massacre.

Some may sympathize and say the media is using David Hogg like a puppet but that is not the whole picture. He is a Teenlink reporter for Broward County’s Sun Sentinel who transferred to Stone Douglas High School because of the television production classes offered, so he has been actively engaged in pursuing a career in the media. This, then, looks much like a career move for Mr. Hogg which begs the question: Who’s using who?

High school students are now encouraged to go “whole Hogg” with walkout protests and it is not hard to imagine how quickly this could get out-of-hand. Progressive educators will certainly be selective concerning approval of the issues being protested but they will gleefully allow walkouts. They will be considered college preparation and credits will be earned with each walkout.

David J. Hentosh

Bully Puppets

Many liberal progressives have adopted bullying as their main political tactic and have become little more than puppets echoing talking points and false premises fed to them by the aggressive far-left agenda. They are oblivious to hypocrisy, irony, and reality as they allow themselves to be emotionally manipulated.

Very few can cogently explain the reasons behind their vehement protesting. Instead, many offer bumper sticker sentiments and senseless platitudes that do little more than roil their emotions. False facts, incredulous exaggerations, and calamitous projections are being used as the basis for protests that are becoming violent in nature.

Bullying, a serious concern sweeping the nation in recent years, has become a normal and advocated tactic for the far-left. Those expressing any approval whatsoever of president Trump or his administration have become targets for bullying or worse and it is treated as a proper and courageous response against all opposition. The irony, of course, is lost on the self-righteous perpetrators who are blinded by emotional turmoil.

In a very sheep-like manner, protesters are being driven into the streets over issues and concerns that they have been falsely led to believe jeopardize their very existence. This develops a sense of fear and urgency that common sense or rationality cannot penetrate. As a result, many of these protesters engage in mob behavior that brings destruction and violence.

The media cannot control its bias so they treat these “bully puppets” as simple grassroot protesters and make sure every celebrity’s political ranting is given extensive coverage. Boycotts, further attempts at bullying, are being called for against individuals, small businesses, and large corporations unwilling to join the frenzied tirade against Trump. Colleges are allowing, and often advocating, students to ban opposing views from campus and bully those who do not express hatred of Trump.

This disgusting behavior comes from those demanding inclusiveness while hypocritically labeling the silent (and peaceful) majority that elected Trump as Fascists, Nazis, sexists, racists, haters and misogynists. It is getting dangerously out-of-hand and there is little hope for a united society if these bully puppets continue raging.

David J. Hentosh

Angry White Man Blames Angry White Men

Former president Bill Clinton complained that angry white men were responsible for Hillary’s election loss. In complete denial he also blamed Comley and Russian hacking, totally ignoring Hillary’s flawed campaign or an overbearing progressive agenda. There is always something sad about an angry white man complaining about angry white men.

Those who made identity politics their entire belief system surrounded themselves only with others who were like-minded and became convinced that everyone held the same views. They cannot and will not accept the harsh reality that shattered their “dream” world so they are clinging to denial and spreading blame wherever they can.

Obsessed with racial issues, they embrace black anger along with its resultant violence while blaming white anger for Hillary’s loss. Russian hacking is their second-best culprit even though the hidden, damaging information that came from the hacking was true. Comey, treated as a hero for not prosecuting Hillary, also shares blame for not being totally partisan like everyone else in the liberal bubble – and they are desperately trying to keep that bubble intact.

There has been an embarrassing display of denial along with shameful attempts to somehow undo Trump’s election. Celebrities, out of touch with the real world, are pleading for some kind of do-over, trying to edit reality as if it were a movie. They have reneged on hollow promises to leave the country yet still believe they have credibility with the masses. It would be comical if it weren’t so sad.

Colleges are indoctrinating students on the evils of “white privilege”; the BLM movement is fomenting violence against white cops; Trump is being accused of wanting to bring back slavery; and anyone not in favor of everything Obama does is called a racist. It is no wonder that there is white anger, but it was not responsible for Hillary’s loss. She did that to herself – with a lot of help from the bubble people.

Angry white men, along with many others, voted to stop the runaway progressive agenda and identity politics that Hillary promised to continue.

David J Hentosh

Snowflakes Are Melting

Many colleges across the country are witnessing the result of their liberal indoctrination and coddling of students. Faced with Trump’s win, many student “snowflakes” are melting, totally unprepared to deal with reality, adversity, and differing opinions.

Traumatized by the election result, students are being “supported” by the canceling or postponing of exams so that they may seek counseling. Cornell University held a “cry-in” for shocked and terrified students where they sipped Starbucks coffee and grieved together in a funeral-like atmosphere.

Bryn Mawr students demanded the canceling of classes because of depression and “safety concerns”, feeling their lives were now in danger from a Trump win. At American University in Washington, DC, angry students protested by burning American flags and shouting “f*ck white America”, putting the blame once again on racism.

The many “safe places” that colleges have been offering students on campuses kept them so totally out-of-touch and protected from differing views that they had no idea that Trump could win. They have been conditioned to believe they are right in all things.

It’s no wonder they are stunned. They have been indoctrinated with one view – and one view only. They have been bathed in identity politics, taught to believe only students of color, LGBTQ students, Native American students, and Latino students have the right to be heard. Freedom of Speech to them means freedom from speech they don’t want to hear and colleges have made sure unwanted speech is kept off campus. They have been deliberately isolated.

These “snowflakes” are one day going to inherit the country totally unprepared for the reality of everyday life and colleges are to blame for their fragile state. If losing an election is enough to “traumatize” them into counseling and therapy, how will they be able to handle true adversity? They have a lot to learn and, unfortunately, far too many colleges no longer offer the “liberal” education they really need.

David J. Hentosh

Read ‘Em and Weep – By The Numbers

The following is worth pondering:

Obamacare became law in 2010 primarily to provide health insurance for 30 to 40 million uninsured (approximately 10 to 12% of the population). Today, 20 million are still uninsured, health insurance costs continue to rise, and a growing number of illegal immigrants are obtaining free health care.

It is estimated that 3.5% of the population is homosexual. Only .3% of the population identifies as transgender but there is a push to pass new restroom laws in order to make them feel comfortable. Little concern is evident for the comfort of the other 99.7%.

Concern also seems to be missing for the 8.4% who have a substance use disorder, the 47,000 who died (in 2014) from a drug overdose, or the hundreds of thousands of veterans who died waiting for applications for care to be processed.

There were 12,942 gun homicides in 2015. There are over a million abortions, 41,000 suicides, 47,000 opioid drug deaths, and 88,000 alcohol-related deaths each year.

1.2 million high school students drop out each year. Only 37% of high school seniors are academically prepared for college but 65% will enroll in college after graduating and over 20% of them will take remedial classes.

Everyone from President Obama and John Kerry to Rachel Maddow uses the 97% scientist consensus to validate global warming, a percentage proven to be totally bogus.

The government claims a 5% unemployment rate but that ignores 94 million able-bodied people who can work but choose not to work or have stopped looking for employment. 34% of all Americans financially support the rest of the country.

According to Homeland Security, 99% of illegal immigrants who overstay visas aren’t investigated.

The top 1% earners pay 23.6% of taxes, amounting to 33.7% of their income. An estimated 45.3 % of households pay no federal income taxes.

An estimated $6 “billion” was spent in the 2012 political campaigns when 126 million people voted. That works out to $47.60 spent per voter. Approximately 93 million eligible citizens did not vote.

David J. Hentosh

Trauma at Rutgers

After a speech at Rutgers University by Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, some students and faculty members felt so “traumatized” that they held a group therapy session afterward to soothe their sensitive psyches. Yiannopoulos talked about “How the Progressive Left Is Destroying Education”, an opinion exemplified by protesting students.

The speech drew a huge crowd of students wanting to hear what Milo had to say but that only enraged some feminists and Black Lives Matter protesters further. Intent on disrupting the event because it does not follow the only agenda they believe should be allowed on campus, they smeared blood on their faces, screamed slogans, and vandalized before finally being forced to leave.

The fake blood, screaming, and vandalism caused no trauma; simply allowing the speech to occur did. Those “traumatized” did not even hear the speech but some needed group therapy because their ideas were being challenged, exactly what should occur in a healthy academic environment. Expecting everyone to think the same is foolishly immature. Demanding it is arrogantly asinine.

It is a failure of our education system to allow faculty members to advocate and participate in student demands to suppress differing ideas. Progressive faculties have taken over the education system from grade school to college, indoctrinating students with an agenda that now has students feeling “traumatized” by the very existence of a different point of view. That agenda has become more important than education.

If encouraged, the next step will be to make differing views illegal, something already beginning to materialize in schools through various restrictive speech codes. It is ironic that an agenda advocating diversity in all things demands total conformity of ideas – and it is as dangerous as it is foolish.

It is refreshing that at least at Rutgers, many more students were interested in hearing differing views than suppressing them. That could certainly change, and if schools do not stop faculties from indoctrinating students with a progressive agenda, it will.

David J. Hentosh

‘Free’ Bernie Sanders

It is not surprising that aging Hillary Clinton is having trouble getting the youth vote but young Democrat voters overwhelmingly supporting the even more aging Bernie Sanders has surprised many. However, when you consider what Bernie stands for, the reasons become obvious.

Bernie Sanders is strongly pushing for a “free” college education. That is, of course, attractive to anyone facing the rising cost of a college education and the ensuing burden of a student loan. It certainly speaks to today’s youth who have been thoroughly indoctrinated by a liberal education system advocating the socialistic ideal of cradle-to-grave government care. How we are to pay for that “free” education is not clear but it is also not relevant to those wanting and expecting freebies.

Sanders calls himself a “democratic socialist” but that distinction is not understood by most and it is certainly lost on today’s youth. The failure of our education system is responsible for the lack of knowledge concerning socialism’s failure throughout history and, consequently, today’s youth are gravitating towards socialism’s vacuous promise of a utopian society. The “Occupy” movement and unrealistic demands heard on college campuses are a product of this ignorance of socialism.

Sanders takes advantage of this ignorance with his socialistic promises of a “free” college education, guaranteed health care, and $15 an hour minimum wage – in other words, freebies. He demonizes corporations and the rich and rails against income inequality, an easy sell to young workers starting at low salaries. His 90% tax rate for the rich sounds fine to those far from the top but it is not enough and the middle class will have to reach further into their pockets to help pay for all the “free” stuff.

At the age of 74, Bernie Sanders is not considered too old for Democrats who expressed concern about John McCain’s age (71) in 2008 and Ronald Reagan’s age (69) in 1980. JFK was 43–yrs-old when he took office and Obama, 47-years-old in 2008, was touted as a youthful and energetic change much needed for the country. Meanwhile, Democrats accuse Marco Rubio (44) and Ted Cruz (45) of being much too young to be president.

What is most certainly getting old is the hypocrisy – along with Sanders (74) and Hillary (68).

David J. Hentosh

College Coddling

At Brown University, a debate between two women on whether or not there existed a “rape culture” on campus was felt to be too traumatizing for some students. Any criticism or doubt of the existence of a rape culture was felt to be “invalidating people’s experiences” and “damaging”, so the school set up a “safe space” for students complete with cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets and a video of frolicking puppies.

This school-provided kindergarten atmosphere is little more than a coddling of students raised in a progressive, PC culture that considers differing opinions to be “hate speech”. Colleges once deliberately subjected students to differing opinions in order to broaden their minds. That was the very goal of a “liberal” education. Now, it seems to be the exact opposite and “safe places” are proliferating on college campuses across the country to protect students from the “hostile environment” created by differing opinions.

Colleges have gone from challenging students to coddling them and the idea of “higher learning” has been lost. Remedial courses are on the increase for students ill-prepared for college and the curriculum has been dummied down at many schools to keep students matriculating. After 12 years of an overwhelming progressive and liberal education, students entering college have been conditioned to one view of complicated issues with no tolerance for dissent. Colleges are continuing that conditioning.

The government helped create this college coddling of students with the Title IX demand that schools receiving federal money (pretty much all of them) assure that the environment does not become hostile to students. Although this was addressing sexual assaults on campus, schools are playing it safe by allowing students to define “hostile environment” and, of course, it has gone overboard.

Colleges are more concerned with money than prestige, so they are coddling students used to being coddled rather than make waves (or lawsuits) by trying to expand their minds with differing views. Thus, colleges are caving in to outrageous demands and allowing students to run the show. Parents paying for much of this are the ones truly in need of “safe places”.

David J.Hentosh

WTF??

Black Lives Matter protesters disrupted students studying in the library at Dartmouth University by screaming obscene and racist remarks such as “F**k you, you filthy white f**ks” and “F**k you, you racist shits” and getting into physical altercations with the students. Dartmouth’s Vice Provost for student affairs, Inge-Lise Ameer, apologized…to the BLM protesters for the negative responses and media coverage that they received. WTF??

While French President Francois Hollande labeled the Paris attacks an act of war, President Obama called them a “setback” and Secretary of State John Kerry expressed surprise that the Paris attacks lacked the “rationale” of the Charlie Hebdo murders. WTF??

Bloomberg columnist Margaret Carlson minimized the dangers of illegal immigration and Syrian refugees arguing that “maybe” terrorists sneaking into the US would become patriotically Americanized and their anger would go away because we have a history of successfully integrating immigrants. WTF??

In Lowell, Mass., Lindsay Miller has been allowed to wear a pasta strainer on her head in her driver’s license photo because she is a religious member, a “Pastafarian”, of “The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster”, officially recognized as a religion in Poland. WTF??

Colorado’s State Legislature will hold a vote in June on whether or not to legalize the purchasing, selling, and distributing, of hard drugs including heroin, meth, cocaine, and peyote. According to State Senator John Perry Barlow, legalizing these drugs will “empty out the dregs of our prisons and bring in millions of dollars in tax revenues for our state” and “make drug abuse treatment a more viable option for addicts and doctors alike”. WTF??

Princeton students are demanding the university “acknowledge the racist legacy of Woodrow Wilson”; University of Texas students are demanding a tuition-free education and cancellation of student debts; and Occidental College students are demanding campus safety officers stop wearing bullet-proof vests. WTF??

David J. Hentosh

Marching For Free

Free public college, cancellation of student debts, and $15 an hour minimum wage for people who work on campus. Those were the core demands made by students across the country protesting in the Million Student March.

Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Network interviewed a student spokesperson for the march and it was nothing short of embarrassing. The “free” stuff demanded was to be paid for by the 1% and when presented with the fact that taxing the 1% at a 100% rate wouldn’t be enough to pay for it, the student simply said she didn’t believe that.

Perhaps $15 an hour for students working on campus is a good idea for schools that have been indoctrinating students with such “beliefs”. They could simply raise the cost of the “free” tuition, increasing student debts that are to be “cancelled”. Many students could then begin making money by attending college, becoming “professional students” working toward degrees that have no earning potential.

College student protests used to be about issues such as civil rights, women’s rights, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, etc. Even when student demonstrations were naively misguided, they displayed an idealistic sense of reality. “Free Mumia” has now turned into “Free stuff”, and a new generation is making its mark.

Reality check: No one is forced to take out a huge student loan or to attend a school costing $50-60k a year; terms of paying back student loans are understood and agreed upon up front; the amount of a loan is as important a decision as is the choice of school to attend; degrees in Parks Recreation, Fine Arts, or Liberal Arts from Ivy League schools do not increase employment opportunities or command higher salaries if a job can be found; college isn’t for everyone; and “free” stuff is not free.

Perhaps that is too harsh to hear for a generation used to: Not being graded; not hearing “no”; being told they are all great; playing soccer with no score-keeping; getting participation trophies; posting selfies on Facebook; wearing helmets and knee pads on tricycles; government freebies; parent’s providing health care until the age of 26; mood altering medication; political correctness; and rights without responsibility.

Reality scan be tough to take – as tough as watching the Million Student March.

David J. Hentosh