Thursday roundup

How stupid is "Modern Monetary Theory"? This stupid. Seriously, how has anybody anywhere ever embraced the notion that governments can just spend till the cows come home, deficits be damned?

Tweet of the week, from US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, in response to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's remark that "it chills a lot of us, especially in the LGBT community, to see that somebody like that can be in that kind of position of power":

For those of us in the LGBT community who deal in facts, we are chilled by recklessly repeated gossip. Mike Pence is a humble Christian who loves God, and all His creation. I know him. You obviously don’t.

From the the-UN-is-a-sewer-and-we-should-get-out-of-it-yet-this-afternoon file: Iran has been named to its "Women's Rights Commission":

Aside from the fact that it’s Iran, who already has an awful history of women’s rights abuses, this is an especially disgusting day for the UN to do this. Why? Because Iran just sentenced a female human rights lawyer to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes.

Iran has faced international condemnation after one of the country’s most prominent human rights lawyers, detained for eight months, said she had been sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison and 148 lashes, according to her husband.

Security agents arrested the lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, at her home in June last year. The government offered no explanation, but at the time Ms. Sotoudeh was defending women who had been arrested after removing their hijabs, or head scarves, in public protests.

What was her grave crime? She had the audacity to support women who are exercising their God given freedom to not cover their heads. Sotoudeh is just one of many who have been thrown in jail simply for fighting for their basic rights. Protests rocked the country last year on this issue before the Iranian authorities put a stop to them with their typical brutality. Ironically, the UN managed to pass a resolution in 2018 specifically condemning the actions of Iran’s government in regards to human rights, including a individual mention of their mistreatment of women.

If the UN weren’t more concerned with appeasing dictators and trashing Israel full-time, they might have taken note of their own vote pointing out Iran’s abuses against women. Instead they elevated them to the “Women’s Rights Committee,” where Iran will now sit in direct judgement of other country’s actions toward women. If the UN hadn’t released an official press release, no one would be blamed for assuming this was all a joke.

Here are some things Iran will “judge” as a member of the committee.

Iran is guilty of all of those. Literally, every single one. Now, as a member of the committee, they will be in a position to overlook such abuses to protect themselves. It’s unconscionable.

Rider University won't allow a Chick-fil-A franchise on campus, and for no real reason:

Does Chick-fil-A not serve gay people chicken sandwiches?  No, they serve everyone.

Does Chick-fil-A not allow gay people to work for them?  No, there are certainly gay people employed at their over 2,200 locations.

Now, Chick-fil-A does have a male and female sign on their respective restrooms, but so does McDonalds, so that theory is out.

What this actually refers to is the furor from comments Dan Cathy (COO) made in a 2012 interview that identified him as a Christian who holds to God’s design for human sexuality.  And that’s it.  That’s what prompted Rider’s decision.

But there is one inspiring figure in Rider's administration. Or, at least, she used to be in Rider's administration:

The whole thing was so ridiculous that it prompted Cynthia Newman, the aforementioned dean of the school’s college of business, to tender her resignation.  She wrote in her announcement:

“I endeavor every day to do exactly what Chick-fil-A puts forward as its overarching corporate value: to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to me and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with me.”

And that’s just it.  From Cathy’s statements in 2012 to the company’s current business practices, it has been consistent: treat people with respect, serve others, love people as Jesus loved them.  And that is what Rider University pompously announced was not consistent with their own “values.” 

Newman will be fine, will land on her feet, will be provided for by the God she loves, and will end up much better off than she was before.  But what an utter embarrassment for the school and everyone who has been and willfully remains associated with it. 

It would behoove US tech firms to address China's aggressive pursuit of 5G broadband.

Richard Grenell added,