Did you see this headline in your local newspaper recently?

“Tennessee moves to the forefront with anti-transgender laws”

https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-transgender-laws-b8d81d56287d6ed9d56c5da2203596b0

Once again, the Associated Press proves that it’s more left-wing propaganda agency than press pool.  The article is supposedly news.  It’s actually radical left-wing opinion masquerading as news.  The bills the AP criticizes are nothing more than common sense; for example, keeping biological boys from competing against biological girls in sports, or forcing biological girls from sharing a restroom with biological boys.  These new laws are supposed to be, somehow, discriminatory, and aimed at oppressing transgender people, according to the AP. 

“’Tennessee is taking the crown for the state of hate,’ said Sasha Buchert, a Lambda Legal senior attorney.”  So says the story, without identifying Lambda Legal as a militantly-radical LGBTQ rights organization.  The rest is equally one-sided, with only one quote from a defender of the bills, and a particularly anodyne quote at that. 

The LGBTQ movement has quite successfully hijacked the language and logic of the civil rights movement, and is now trying to apply it to transgender people.  I mean no disrespect, but no matter how hard you pretend, a male can’t be a female, and a female can’t be a male.  Reality just doesn’t work that way.  Wishing won’t make it so, nor will any amount of shaming or propaganda.  Watching the radical left twist itself into knots in the effort is, at turns, amusing, alarming, and terribly sad, because it is so dishonest and divorced from reality.

But back to the AP.  Read their stories if you like, but understand that they are more approved left-wing narrative of the moment, whatever it happens to be, than news.  Or ignore them, and be no less well-informed than you are now.  Just be sure to remember where you read it, and hold that newspaper accountable.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Frankenstein Goes Viral

What if Covid 19 really was created in an experiment gone terribly wrong at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in which a researcher or 2 or 3 was accidentally infected?  The suspicion has been around since the beginning of the pandemic; dismissed, of course, by mainstream media since Donald Trump took the allegation seriously, because we all know that anything Trump takes seriously is a stupid, self-serving lie, right?  But what if, nonetheless, it’s true?  If nothing else, it’s a manifest warning of the catastrophe that can occur when science is unchecked by morality.  Mary Shelley already told that story.  This time, Frankenstein goes viral.

………………………………….…………………………………………..……………………

Mask Theater

Visiting the kids and grandkids in Cary, NC over the Memorial Day holiday, we went to Duck Donuts, internationally famous throughout eastern Carolina.  A perky young woman behind Plexiglas and a thick mask greeted me, “Mmphd mphing.  Mmph wmmphd mmphou mphk tmmph mmphve?” 

“I’m sorry, I can’t understand you behind that mask.  What was that again?”

“Mmph wmmphd mmphou mphk tmmph mmphve?”, she said again.  Guessing that she wanted to take my order, I asked for 3 donuts and 2 coffees. 

“Mmpht smmphz?” she asked.  “What?”  Obviously used to this, she perkily pointed to 3 cups, small medium and large.  “Oh.  Medium, with cream.”

“Dmmph mmphst, mmmpht mmphst, oph frmmph mmpht?”  Repeated 3 times, this turned out to be “Dark roast, light roast, or French roast?”  “Dark roast” I answered, “with cream.  I’m having an awful time understanding you behind that mask.”  Meanwhile, my son, standing behind me, was stifling laughter.  He couldn’t understand a word, either, but was enjoying my predicament.

Well, finally got my doughnuts, 1 glazed, 2 with cinnamon sugar, 1 medium coffee with cream, 1 with cream and sugar.  The doughnuts were good, the coffee was coffee.  I look forward to going back to Duck Donuts, the next time without the stupid mask theater.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

More Mask Theater

On the same trip we went to the Durham Museum of Life and Science, a first-rate kids museum that would do any town proud.  But, having apparently missed the memo, it still has a mask mandate.  As my dear wife was entering the building, she pulled out a mask and proceeded to put it on.  She was stopped by an imperious woman who wouldn’t let her take another step until the mask was in place.  My wife protested, and then, uncharacteristically, demanded “I’m fully vaccinated.  So, what’s the science?”  The woman replied – I kid you not – “The science is that it’s our policy.”

Oh.  Now we understand.  I have no doubt she was telling the absolute truth.  Thanks for clearing that up, Karen.

• Kenneth D. Gough © 2021