Stories & Opinions Worth Knowing but Maybe Not Quite Threadworthy 6/6

[SVPete]

Proactive alumni credited with prompting VMI diversity chief to quit

https://www.thecollegefix.com/proactive-alumni-credited-with-prompting-vmi-diversity-chief-to-quit/

A proactive alumni group working to curb diversity, equity and inclusion at the Virginia Military Institute has been given credit for prompting the school’s DEI chief to quit.
...
While the Post’s article suggested the dislike of DEI at VMI is due to disgruntled white male alumni, former students there have told The College Fix in recent years they seek to preserve honor and meritocracy at the institute in the face of equity programming. They also said they reject the argument the institute is steeped in racism and sexism.

As The College Fix previously reported, the controversy dates back to a 2021 consultants report that accused VMI of “institutional racism and sexism” and recommended the implementation of new DEI measures.

Last year alumni began actively writing to state lawmakers about their concerns, including Gov. Glenn Younking, as well as voice complaints on social media.

Earlier this year, alumni said they will withhold donations as VMI implements DEI programming. Most recently, concerned alumni in late April filed a lawsuit against the VMI Alumni Association.

“The complaint alleges that the Association refused members’ requests for records that will permit them to communicate with 20,000+ fellow members by email — the same vehicle the Association uses, and permits others to use,” Bacon’s Rebellion reported.

"The people are revolting!

They most certainly are!

[Ralph Wiggum]

PGA Tour, LIV Golf, DP World Tour announce merger

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the LIV Golf League, which have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle for more than a year, have agreed to merge and move forward in a larger commercial business, the circuits announced Tuesday.

The tours called the stunning development "a landmark agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis."

The landmark deal was reached without the knowledge of many PGA Tour members and LIV Golf players and agents.

Said one PGA Tour player reached by ESPN on Tuesday, "No f---ing way."

In a statement, the circuits said the parties have signed an agreement that "combines PIF's golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game's best players."

"After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. "This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour's history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV -- including the team golf concept -- to create an organization that will benefit golf's players, commercial and charitable partners and fans."

As part of the deal, the sides are dropping all lawsuits involving LIV Golf against each other effective immediately. The LIV Golf League, which was being financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and fronted by two-time Open Championship winner Greg Norman, and 11 of its players, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, had sued the PGA Tour in federal court last year, alleging that the PGA Tour had used its monopoly power to squash competition and influence vendors, media companies and others from working with LIV Golf.

The PGA Tour filed a countersuit, alleging that LIV Golf had interfered with its contracts with players. Still to be determined is how players like Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, who defected to Saudi-funded LIV Golf for nine-figure bonuses, can rejoin the PGA Tour after this year.  Also unclear was what form the LIV Golf League would take in 2024.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to players that a thorough evaluation would determine how to integrate team golf into the game. "They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing," Monahan said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, will join the board of the PGA Tour, which continues to operates its tournaments. Al-Rumayyan will be chairman of the new commercial group, with Monahan as the CEO and the PGA Tour having a majority stake in the new venture. The PIF will invest in the commercial venture. The PIF had dumped more than $2 billion into the golf enterprise, which critics have claimed is a form of sportswashing to repair the Saudi Arabian monarchy's history of human rights violations.

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/37805785/pga-tour-liv-golf-dp-world-tour-announce-merger

[SVPete]

Pushback: Christian adoption agency wins against NY’s attempt to force it to send kids to queer families

https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/pushback-christian-adoption-agency-wins-against-nys-attempt-to-force-it-to-send-kids-to-queer-families/

Bring a gun to a knife fight: When two different New York state agencies threatened to investigate and penalize the Christian nonprofit New Hope Family Services because it refused to place orphans with queer couples, instead insisting that the children under its care be adopted only by a mother and father, New Hope sued — twice — and has now won two settlements that will allow it to continue to place children in the manner that matches its beliefs.

aith-based adoption provider New Hope Family Services secured a second victory against New York state officials, after securing a favorable settlement and a payment of $250,000 for attorneys’ fees in a related lawsuit settled last month. In settlement of the second lawsuit—which challenged an attempt by a different New York state agency to punish New Hope for adhering to its religious convictions—New York officials agreed to pay an additional $25,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs, and broadly confirmed New Hope’s right to continue its critical work of placing infants in permanent homes without government harassment.

The first lawsuit [pdf] against New York’s Division of Human Rights was filed in September 2021, and has now been settled with the state required to pay all of New Hope’s legal fees and to cease persecuting it for following its religious beliefs. The second lawsuit [pdf] against the New York State Office of Children and Family Services had previously been settled in 2022 after two courts ruled [pdf] the state had been violating New Hope’s First Amendment rights and must stop its harassment immediately.

The Alliance Defending Freedom strikes again! This is an example of why the SPLC has slandered the ADF as a "hate group". The ADF keeps representing and winning cases for people Progs hate.

[DefiantSix]

...In a statement, the circuits said the parties have signed an agreement that "combines PIF's golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game's best players."

 

Have these folks ever WATCHED golf??? 

[Eupher]

Kirby Weighs in on Report About Biden Family's Foreign Income. There's Just One Problem.

In Monday's White House press briefing, the National Security Council's John Kirby flatly denied having any national security concerns about the millions of dollars that made their way from foreign nationals into the bank accounts of President Joe Biden's family members — as detailed in reports from the House Oversight Committee led by Chairman James Comer (R-KY).

As Townhall reported in early May when the most recent Oversight Committee report showed more than $1 million being transferred from a Romanian national to an associate of the Biden family and eventually deposited in a handful of Biden family members' accounts:

According to Comer, while Biden was "lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies," a Romanian national transferred more than $1 million dollars in payments to Biden family associates that was subsequently passed to Biden family members. Conveniently, Comer explained, payments from the Romanian national stopped flowing after Biden was no longer vice president. What's more, the Romanian national identified by the committee was under investigation and later convicted of corruption in Romania...

Five weeks after Romania's president visited Washington and met with then-Vice President Biden, an entity called Bladon Enterprises Limited — reportedly Gabriel Popoviciu’s Cypriot company used to do business in Romania — started depositing funds, eventually totaling more than $3 million, into the Robinson Walker, LLC account — one of at least 15 companies created by Biden associates after Joe Biden became vice president.

After the transfers from Bladon to Robinson Walker, bank accounts owned by members of Biden's family "received approximately $1.038 million from the Robinson Walker, LLC account...while Joe Biden was Vice President." Those family members include Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, and a still-unknown Biden bank account.

The House Oversight Committee's memo points to a previous NBC News report that explained "Hunter Biden’s work for Popoviciu in 2016 went unreported at the time, but Joe Biden’s involvement in Romania was very much public."

When asked by the Daily Caller's Diana Glebova about the Oversight Committee report on foreign funds flowing freely to Biden's family while he was vice president, Kirby said "no," he didn't have any national security concerns about the committee's findings. But Kirby also said "no," he had not read the report. Watch:

(Lotsa Twatter)

How is it that Kirby can be so certain about a report he, admittedly, has not read? Deny, deny, deny — that seems to continue to be the White House's playbook whenever its spokespeople are faced with a growing pile of questions about the Biden family's business dealings. From the payments detailed by the Oversight Committee to the recently uncovered FBI record of allegations that then-VP Biden himself engaged in a multi-million dollar criminal bribery pay-for-policy scheme, the White House continues to try brushing off the seemingly damning information, even when they don't have knowledge of the reports disclosing it.

SharterJoe and his henchmen truly believe that this issue is going away just by pretending it isn't there. KJP doesn't take the tough questions because the WH press corps might actually be doing its job anymore, but Kirby - a retired Navy rear admiral - looks like the pretender he is.

[SVPete]

Rantz: Equity director fired after racist comment about Mexicans

https://mynorthwest.com/3895243/rantz-equity-director-fired-after-racist-comment-about-mexicans/

Washington state’s first Office of Equity (OOE) director was ousted after complaints of racist remarks about Mexicans. She was even accused of using a “White supremacy” metaphor.

Karen Johnson, Ph.D., — who lists her pronouns as she/her/Beloved — was unceremoniously fired by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 17. The OOE is tasked with fighting systemic racism Democrats pretend permeates government institutions.
...
One white employee said “they perceived to be evidence of bias against Mexicans,” according to the report.

The staffer claimed Johnson referenced a “self-identified” Mexican by saying, “This may take some time for me because I generally distrust Mexican people. Mexican people have the option of being White when it is convenient for them.”

Another employee, who is Hispanic, complained that Johnson created an “us vs. them” environment. This unidentified employee alleged Johnson singled them out as not having “lived experiences” when it comes to racism, comparing them to white co-workers.

Two words: Good riddance! She was so arrogant in her racism that she forgot that Hispanics are also a PC ethnic group.

[Ptarmigan]

Like, Totally Orwellian: Nearly A Third Of GenZ Favors 'Government Surveillance Cameras In Every Household'
https://zerohedge.com/political/totally-orwellian-nearly-third-genz-favors-government-surveillance-cameras-every

Nearly one-third of Generation Z says they'd be just fine with government-installed surveillance cameras in every household under the guise of reducing domestic violence and other illegal activity.

"Would you favor or oppose the government installing surveillance cameras in every household to reduce domestic violence, abuse, and other illegal activity?" asks a new survey from the Cato Institute. Of the responses, 29% of those aged 18-29 said yes.

As the NY Post notes;

In 1791, the utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham proposed building a “panopticon” in which people’s behavior could be monitored at all times.

But Bentham’s panopticon was meant to be a prison. A sizable segment of Generation Z would like to call it home.

Really disturbing, especially with Generation Z.

[ExGeeEye]

PGA Tour, LIV Golf, DP World Tour announce merger

Why are we supposed to care about this one?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Why are we supposed to care about this one?

Several reasons. It involves billions of dollars and politics, including President Trump.

The LIV tour was a start up tour that separated themselves and made the players who joined persona non grata on the PGA and European Tours last year. The players who left their tours were given multi-millions as signing bonuses to join. Additionally, LIV is funded by the Saudi government, which is a touch controversial to begin with. Once Trump ran for President, both major golf tours stopped holding events on courses that he owned. The LIV tour hosts several tournaments on Trump owned courses.

A comparison that I like to use is that the PGA Tour were "never Trumpers", disdaining the star players who defected to the upstart tour.

Could type many more paragraphs, but that's about the most concise summary I can type at the moment.

[ExGeeEye]

AITA if, having read all of that-- twice-- I still don't care?

[Ralph Wiggum]

AITA if, having read all of that-- twice-- I still don't care?

Not everyone cares about everything that is posted. It did make news, hence my reasoning. Whatever floats your boat.

[SVPete]

Like the thread series title says, "Stories & Opinions Worth Knowing but Maybe Not Quite Threadworthy". In my area of interest, I won't post the results of the 2024 Boston Marathon, but Run Disney resuming doing events in Disneyland (which they announced several months ago) or a major marathon organizer ceasing to do events in a major city due to crime, i.e. something of potentially broader interest, I might.