World Cross Country Champs rocked by visa rejections – US denies visas for 14 Ethiopian athletes
Ethiopia’s record U20 medal streak at World Cross Country set to end after US embassy denies visas
I would ask, “why would anyone want to host a major international sporting event in the US these days”…but then I look at World Cup ticket prices and have my answer.
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We can’t have another Jesse Owens moment can we?
Yes. There is so much wealth in the hands of a segment of the US population that foreign funds are unnecessary. There are millions of Americans who can afford the outrageous World Cup ticket prices. Too bad for the soccer fans who are less flush.
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Imagine you are Putin’s son-in-law and he says he’ll give you the reins to Russia when he kicks if you can destroy the USA and NATO from within. Now try to think of something worse for the USA and better for Putin than what Trump has already done.
DId you think of something? Document it here because this is how you predict Trump’s actions.
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Texas A&M tells professor to cut Plato, ‘race and gender ideology’ from syllabus
A professor at Texas A&M University was told by the school’s philosophy department that he must drop class readings from his syllabus because they violate the school’s new policy on “race ideology and gender ideology” in course content.
Philosophy professor Martin Peterson submitted the syllabus for his Contemporary Moral Issues class for the spring 2026 semester to department leadership for review during the school’s winter break. The syllabus included readings from Plato’s Aristophanes’ Myth of the Split Humans, Diotima’s Ladder of Love and a textbook titled Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, which were all flagged by the university.
“The College leadership team and I have discussed your syllabus and the Provost office’s requirements with the new system rule,” wrote Kristi Sweet, head of the university’s department of philosophy. “You may mitigate your course content to remove the modules on race ideology and gender ideology, and the Plato readings that may include these.”
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article314236831.html
In December, Texas A&M’s Office of the Provost issued a guidance prohibiting faculty from “requiring or encouraging students to hold certain beliefs, particularly regarding gender or race ideology or sexual orientation, or to feel shame for belonging to certain racial or ethnic groups.”
Professors “require or encourage students to feel shame”? How do they do that?
Prof said that he does not advocate any ideology:
“I have made some minor adjustments to the module on Race and Gender Ideology,” Peterson wrote. “These topics are commonly covered in this type of course nationwide. Please note that my course does not ‘advocate’ any ideology; I teach students how to structure and evaluate arguments commonly raised in discussions of contemporary moral issues.”
Meanwhile, the opposition:
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, an organization that frequently advocates for free speech on college campuses, has vehemently denounced the school’s decision to alter Peterson’s syllabus, claiming the university’s decision violates the First Amendment. “Texas A&M now believes Plato doesn’t belong in an introductory philosophy course,” wrote FIRE Director of Campus Rights Advocacy Lindsie Park in a statement. “This is what happens when the board of regents gives university bureaucrats veto power over academic content. The board didn’t just invite censorship, they unleashed it with immediate and predictable consequences. You don’t protect students by banning 2,400-year-old philosophy.”
Hopefully they sue the public institution.
There have been plenty of cases where professors insist that you have to feel a certain way about an issue. Antisemitism was an issue - there were Jewish students who professors attacked, assuming they supported Israel without asking, then insulting them in front of the class. This happened in classes that had nothing to do with the conflict there.
If someone is teaching a class on Race and Gender Ideology, they have to accept that some students will come into the class disagreeing with them, and may write papers that will try to rebut things that are being taught. They can’t automatically give those papers bad marks, if the arguments are well thought out and make sense, just because it goes against their narrative.
That sounds reasonable, and reasonable teachers don’t do this. And students should have some means of redress.
Do you understand that this is VERY DIFFERENT from preventing information from being disseminated (banning stuff from a syllabus), as the Texas Law is trying to do? I.e., censoring, in violation of the First Amendment?
I already noted that the professor (claims that he) wasn’t doing this.
Dude should put it on his optional reading list.
Dude should have these books available on shelves in the the rooms where he teaches.
Dude should have these banned books in his office for students to read on their own.
But then, he might be deemed “obsolete” by the state.
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Introduction to the gifted article at the link below:
It was a joyous day, the fulfillment of a quarter-century of hard work and relentless fund-raising. Srinivasachary Tamirisa, a retired doctor living in Sugar Land, Texas, beamed with pride as his dream — to erect a statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman on the grounds of a temple he had helped found — came to life.
A helicopter circled overhead, blanketing flower petals on the glittering likeness of the god, revered for his strength, selflessness and devotion to faith. Priests in white and saffron robes mounted a crane to anoint the 90-foot-tall statue and drape it with garlands of flowers. A crowd of hundreds gathered as both India’s national song, “Vande Mataram,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” were played, a perfect encapsulation of Indian Americans’ easy blending into the mores of their adopted home even as many maintained their own traditions.
But just outside the temple walls, dozens of conservative Christian protesters gathered, castigating what they called “a demon god.” Local right-wing politicians seized on the topic. “Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation,” a U.S. Senate candidate wrote on social media.
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Seems Texas is its own nation, unburdened by that US Constitution.
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I guess it is the smallest part of the idiocy, but what is a “false statue“?
There was a “Banacek” I saw recently…
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While I agree with the idea you’re trying to communicate, I do wonder: how is this a First Amendment violation?
As I understand it, the State of Texas has a law; a part of the State of Texas (Texas A&M is a state-run university) is being obliged to revise its syllabus; and a state employee is being required impacted in his role as an employee of the state.
If this were about Rice University (a private school) being required to change what it teaches, this would be a First Amendment issue.
If this were about the Texas A&M professor being disciplined for expressing opinions when acting in a role other than a state employee, that would probably be a First Amendment issue.
This, however…it’s stupid, but I’m not certain it’s a First Amendment problem.
Probably not, since no one will get jailed, dude will just lose his job. Stupid, sure. Again, why does the State need to get involved in such minutiae?
Talk about your nanny state. “We need to protect people from ideas!”
Dude will probably comply, making it “not required reading.”
Were I him, I’d post the “banned from required reading” list in every classroom I’d teach in.
Plato, though. Still wondering what the ideas he had that are so objectionable to The State.
I mean, some of his stuff is pure anti-democratic MAGA. Google AI search:
- Critiques of Democracy: Plato’s Republic famously critiques democracy, suggesting it can lead to tyranny and ineffective leadership, a view often seen as anti-liberal.
- Political Philosophy: His ideas, particularly in The Republic, advocate for a structured society led by philosopher-kings, which can conflict with modern liberal democratic values.
Here is how you can tell.
I know, it’s stuff online, you have to take it with a block of salt. And it’s 2026, after a thoroughly crappy last year I’m trying to be more optimistic last year.
And, I try to avoid hyperbole and hysterics and stay level-headed and calm.
But reading what’s going on in and around Minneapolis tonight, I think we’re getting really close to something snapping, and people having to decide what their next move is for themselves and their families - and when [not if] it happens, it’s the “point of no return for the country that was formed in 1776” moment.
This is more like a “Boston Massacre,” to be named “Incident on Portland Avenue” by the aggrieved party, moment than Lexington & Concord.
Except in this case, John Adams won’t be needed to exonerate the standing army who “stood their ground.” Pardons by the scads for this jackass for killing someone " who deserved it." A statue will be raised one day.
