As IF Times

Source: Joe Biden’s affectionate, physical style with women comes under scrutiny – The Washington Post

There’s not a chance that I would be defending a man like Joe Biden.  This person has spent his entire lifetime in the political arena, doing essentially nothing of any import and who has a value system that is as slippery as eels in a oil can. Biden has been and still is the Poohbah of pandering; he’ll bend to any demographic and interest group that he may be able to wring some votes from. However, the unspoken truth  is that he’s a relatively harmless character; sort of an Elmer Fudd without the hat and gun. Thus, his gaffe filled career, which could be comedy gold in a Netflix series, flourished despite demonstrable ineptitude.

But suddenly, he seems to have outlived his usefulness.  The warm confines of the Democratic Party have become decidedly less friendly as the recent allegations of improper behavior from his past are being levelled at him from women appearing  out of nowhere.  Take that Brett Kavanaugh! In Joe’s case, there are no explicit accusations of any actual sexual misconduct; rather they all fall into the realm of creepiness, as in, they were made to feel ‘uncomfortable’.  Oddly, after a lifetime of being a Democratic pillar, suddenly women are rushing to tell their tales of hair sniffing, shoulder touching and nose rubbing.  Women and hurt feelings.  Well that’s kryptonite.

It’s amusing to see Uncle Joe being hoisted on his own petard since he was at the forefront of the ‘women must be believed’ narrative when the flames were under the feet of his Republican opponents.  But whatever schadenfreude satisfaction we may derive is eclipsed by the dark reality of the evil of the default tactic being used today to discredit and neutralize political opponents.  That heinous crime of course,  is hurting someone’s feelings.  To make matters worse, there’s no statute of limitations on the transgression.  If someone feels like venting after 20 years and even with fuzzy recollections, it’s as good as yesterday’s crime….if you can get the right media attention.

Women, but also gays, lesbians, transgenders, cis-genders and of course minorities and certain religious sects are apparently particularly vulnerable to hurt-y feelings and consequently, those not in the aforementioned groups, which leaves mostly men, are expected to yield to their demands for all and sundry manner of reparations and concessions.

In direct contrast to the just and equal society that everyone bleats about, we have instead balkanized the population into discrete subclasses of the oppressed, the aggrieved and the slightly inconvenienced. The idiocy has extended past actual transgressions, to include even things that merely make someone feel unsafe.  The not yet fully formed minds of college kids are convinced that such a thing as a safe place can actually exist. If you’re not a male, especially a white male, then the chances are good that you are being oppressed or somehow violated even if you don’t know it.  Some may recognize this as the famous communist dictum that all are equal, but some are more equal than others.

This pervasive spread of delusion is not isolated.  It has brought forth political aspirants who espouse the most unhinged views which only years ago would have gotten them fitted in suits with the fancy arms that tie at the back. Now, these nutters have their hands on the levers of power, of the military and the future of the nation’s children. Vague and squishy notions borne of irrational emotions and weepy sentiments are eclipsing the logic and sobriety required of  public policy.

Joe Biden may be a marginal character but if they are willing to throw that old Democratic warhorse under the bus in pursuit of an even nuttier agenda, you know that the zombies have taken over that party.

Source: College admissions cheating scandal: Prosecutors detail how Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and more allegedly rigged college entrance – CBS News

Perhaps the only thing that’s really surprising in this recently exposed scandal are the eye popping amounts of money involved. That the parents would pay such usurious sums to enroll their progeny into a name brand school reveals at least 2 things.  First, that there is too much money available to these people and secondly, the kids have to be real dummies in order to need this level of enrollment help.   It’s one thing to be a C student in math, but according to the stories, entire resumes were fabricated in order to nudge the darlings ahead of other qualified candidates. This is essentially affirmative action for rich but dumb people.

People with a grip on reality know that this protocol has been around since….forever. There was probably someone taking bribes to get onto the Ark as the waters were rising. Anyone who’s ever stood in line to get into a restaurant or night club knows that the process can be skipped by slipping some currency into the hands of the gatekeepers. (As an aside, that’s why you always need cash, it’s not that easy to bribe someone with a debit card)

No, the reason for the shock and outrage is the fact that the people endlessly preaching  sanctimony to the public about equality, tolerance and diversity are the very ones that are parties to the perpetuation of the policies of exclusion. To be clear, institutions and people should have the prerogative to do as they wish with their own institutions. But at the very least, be honest about it.

If you are one of these vaunted academic institutions, just advertise that you only take people who either; pass some level of academic competency, are good at a kid’s sport, or be wealthy enough to get a coveted space in the lecture halls. Admit that diversity really isn’t that important and that you are really only interested in making money. That way, at least people will know to which institutions they really want to send their kids. Maybe these schools should issue prospectuses as they do in the stock business wherein they issue a phone book sized document with plenty of fine print legal mumbo jumbo about risks.

Regardless, it’s become clear that the value of a degree received from many of the heretofore august educational institutions have no bearing at all to the cost involved in achieving them. Certainly not as measured by employability. Does one really need a degree in advanced gender studies from USC to be a Starbucks barista or to be a You Tube star when a simple junior college diploma will do? Let’s not kid ourselves; a primary reason that people push their kids to get into top level schools is so they can have them mix with the scions of the wealthy and famous. You get to mix with the cool kids.

Spoon feeding the children of the rich and famous to get into the best schools and the best clubs is a privilege accorded to those that have reached success in their lives.  It’s like the old joke about what is the best way to catch fish. Answer; have someone throw it to you.  This we can expect.  What we don’t like are those same groups telling us that it ain’t so.

Update:  a revelation from an hired enabler