bookmark_borderNews anchor Kate Merrill sues CBS for anti-white discrimination

Kate Merrill, a news anchor for WBZ News (the Boston affiliate of CBS), has filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer for anti-white discrimination.

According to Fox News, back in 2021, parent company CBS called WBZ “too white” (a blatantly racist statement), “the least diverse station for on air talent” (why is a station’s proportion of non-white people being equated with diversity?), and “the whitest of all their stations” (as if this is somehow a bad thing).

As part of the resulting push for “DEI” (which in reality is anything but), WBZ hired a black meteorologist named Jason Mikell and laid off a white meteorologist named Zack Green. (This sounds like a blatant instance of racial discrimination.)

Subsequently, Mikell made an inappropriate sexual comment about Merrill on air. (This sounds like pretty egregious misconduct.) Merrill attempted to remain on civil terms with Mikell despite this. One day, she texted him to correct his mispronunciation of the town Concord (sounds reasonable), and he responded by loudly, aggressively, and unprofessionally yelling at her in the studio (sounds highly unreasonable).

Other colleagues reported the sexual comment to HR, and Merrill herself reported the aggressive yelling. But no one did anything to discipline Mikell for his conduct. Instead, Merrill was informed that she was the subject of an investigation. Mikell had filed a complaint against her for having “treated coworkers differently because of their race.” Her crime? Allegedly being critical of Mikell and – gasp! – failing to ask him about his weekends. As punishment for these horrendous deeds (sarcasm by me, in case that wasn’t obvious), Merrill was demoted from weekday morning co-anchor, to weekend nights. Advised by colleagues and union leaders that the demotion was career-ending, she opted to resign, but was barred, due to a non-competition provision, from working in the field for over one year.

The lawsuit states: “Merrill vehemently challenged the validity of Defendant Mikell’s allegations and denied (and denies) any of her actions, inactions, or comments were as described or motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias. Based on the falsity and/or and misleading nature of Defendant Mikell’s allegations, Defendant Mikell acted with malice and/or improper motive in lodging a complaint against Ms. Merrill.”

I agree with this lawsuit 100%. WBZ’s decision to hire Mikell and lay off Green was discriminatory. Mikell’s actions towards Merrill were mean, inappropriate, and wrong, and his decision to file a complaint against her was completely baseless. The station’s decision to discipline Merrill, and not to discipline Mikell, was absolutely egregious. In short, both the station collectively and Mikell individually, acted unjustly, wrongly, and immorally. They should be ashamed of themselves, and they deserve the harshest possible punishment.

Mikell’s actions, and WBZ’s response of declining to punish him and instead punishing his victim, exemplify the trend in our society in which black people are able to do anything, no matter how wrong, bad, or harmful to others, with impunity. Because if a white person criticizes or complains about a black person in any way, no matter how justified and no matter how completely unrelated to the person’s race, we are accused of being racist, and we are considered to be the problem. Thereby creating a society in which white people are allowed to be criticized, and black people aren’t. If that isn’t an example of systemic racism, then I don’t know what is. It’s despicable that so many people go on and on about the existence of “white privilege” when the opposite is actually the case.

I remember Kate Merrill from the days when I was actually able to watch the local news without being subjected to PTSD attacks thanks to DEI supporters’ violent destruction of everything that makes my life worth living (but I digress). I hadn’t known about her departure from the station or the reasons behind it until I came across this Fox News article. I hope that she succeeds in her lawsuit.

bookmark_borderPossible good news on Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus, Ohio

The statue of Christopher Columbus in the city that bears his name, Columbus, Ohio, could potentially be coming back to public view. 

The organization “Reimagining Columbus” (I don’t really consider this an appropriate name for such an organization, but that will have to be explained fully in another blog post if I ever have the time and energy to write one) has unveiled its plan for a new park that includes the statue. The park, unfortunately, will not be centered on the statue. And it will include informational text about Columbus, which unfortunately has a high likelihood of being disparaging, somewhat defeating the purpose of returning the statue to public display. Visitors will be able to reach the statue after walking along a path lined with art and inscriptions and, interestingly, will be able to view the statue either by looking up at him from the ground, or from a hill where they could look him in the eyes. 

All in all, this does not sound like an ideal situation, but it is better than nothing.

Source: We The Italians

bookmark_borderA new batch of statues arrives…

Yet another bit of positive news regarding statues: a new batch of Confederate statues has arrived in the United States, thanks to the organization Monuments Across Dixie. 

They posted a reel of going to pick up the new monuments here, and a picture of the crates containing them here.

The new statues include one of Admiral Raphael Semmes, a heartwarming picture of which can be seen in this post from the SCV camp named after him. 

More details to come on the rest of the statues…

bookmark_borderGood news on Frank Rizzo statue

Another piece of good news relating to statues: the statue of Frank Rizzo, the first Italian American mayor of Philadelphia, will be reappearing in some capacity.

The statue, one of many murdered in 2020 in an effort by intolerant bullies to eradicate all public art depicting people who differ from the norm, used to stand outside the city’s municipal service building. He was damaged by racist vandals before being removed overnight by the cowardly city government in June of 2020. Disgustingly, the acts of vandalism included throwing noodles and gravy at the statue, attempting to set him on fire, and spray-painting the word “fascist,” which is ironic given that the people who did this were the people engaged in a campaign to obliterate from existence all people who differ from the norm.

But I digress.

Yesterday, the city agreed to return the statue to the Frank Rizzo Monument Committee, the organization that had originally created and donated it to the city. Unfortunately, under the terms of the agreement, the committee can only display the statue behind a fence on private property. However, this resolution is at least better than the statue being kept out of sight in storage, and it’s a good thing that Rizzo will be owned and displayed by people who actually like and respect him. Plus, the city will cover the cost of the repairs necessitated by their own cowardice.

A spokesperson for the committee said that they are “delighted with the Art Commission’s approval of the litigation settlement reached with the City’s lawyers. We get the Statue back, immediately, and the City will pay for all repairs. We will determine where it will be placed once repaired, and we are in active negotiations with the Parker Administration on its future location and hope to have an announcement soon.”

Sources: Italian Sons & Daughters of America, We The Italians, CBS News

bookmark_borderRobert E. Lee’s name restored to a high school in Texas

Despite the attempts of cruel, vicious, and brainless bullies to destroy this happy occasion, a high school in Texas has restored Robert E. Lee’s name. 

Midland Lee High School had its name changed to Midland Legacy High School in 2020 as part of the campaign by intolerant bullies to eradicate the existence of all people who are different from the norm. But this past Tuesday night, the school committee voted to change the name back! 

The school board meeting took over 3 hours, involved what was described as “a loud, woke opposition,” and ended with a 4-3 vote. This means that unfortunately, a large number of people, including 3 members of the school board, are intolerant bullies who believe that people who are different from the norm should be excluded, bullied, hurt, and ultimately obliterated from the earth.

However, the bullies lost. This high school once again has a name which sends the message that people who are different from the norm have a right to exist. Kids who are different, who have trouble making friends, who don’t fit in, will receive the message that they are just as good as anyone else and have a right to exist just as they are. This school name sends the message: Robert E. Lee was different from the norm, and he is being respected and honored, so you have the right to be respected and honored, too.

What a revolutionary concept. 

The Alamo City Guards SCV Camp made an excellent post in which they noted, “Renaming LEE to its original name, Robert E. Lee, is a step towards embracing our diverse cultural backgrounds.” I could not agree more strongly. Without honoring Confederate historical figures in our public spaces, there is no meaningful diversity at all.

Posts and further info:

bookmark_borderPete Hegseth on statues…

“We recognize our history; we don’t erase it. We don’t follow the woke lemmings off the cliff that want to tear down statues. We look at and learn from our history, all aspects of it, and so Arlington deserves to have, and we’re grateful to the state of Virginia for partnering with us, it wasn’t easy, we fought to make it happen, and the Reconciliation Monument will return to Arlington, where it belongs, to recognize the service of Americans of all chapters. We’re not tearing stuff down; we’re done with that. We’re putting statues back, we’re putting paintings back, we’re recognizing our history, we’re restoring the names of bases, as we’ve done across the country, because we’re proud of our history, as difficult as it may have been in some chapters. We’re gonna teach it, we’re gonna live it, and we’re gonna fight for it.”

 – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Amen to that. Let’s hope that the Arlington monument and the Albert Pike statue are not the last statues to make a comeback, but rather just the beginning of a dramatic reversal.

Source: Fox News

bookmark_borderDisrespect for Italian American heritage in Newton, MA

I haven’t had time to write in depth about the situation in Newton, MA in which the mayor ordered the erasure of red, green, and white stripes down the center of a main road in the city’s predominantly Italian American neighborhood. The mayor, Ruthanne Fuller, claimed that traffic regulations necessitated her actions, and I don’t have enough knowledge to form an opinion on whether or not this is true. But it certainly seems discriminatory to erase the colors of the Italian flag at the same time as communities all across the state and country have been actively painting crosswalks with colors that represent gay and trans people.

In lieu of writing a longer blog post, I am going to share an excellent post from the Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL), which you can read here.

An excerpt:

“Why is there a push to erase the heritage, the contributions, and the cultural gifts that Italian Americans have given to this country? This isn’t just about paint on a road. This is about erasing history. Dismissing legacy. Silencing pride”

Amen to that.

The IACRL made another post about the community’s response to the erasure, which included attempts by residents to repaint the lines, resulting in one individual being briefly arrested. “What was erased in silence is being restored in unity,” the post notes. I agree with the IACRL that seeing the locals repainting the symbol of their heritage is a beautiful thing indeed. I admire their bravery and spirit.

bookmark_borderA win for Columbus Day in Philadelphia

The good news continues: an order by intolerant, authoritarian former mayor Jim Kenney to abolish Columbus Day in the city of Philadelphia has been overturned by a court. According to Judge Patricia A. McCollough of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, the executive order that Kenney signed in 2021 “runs afoul of the separation of powers… and, accordingly, is invalid.”

Source: We The Italians

See also: column by Primo Magazine, with more details and quotes

bookmark_borderA new sign at mega flag site in Alabama

Another piece of positive news: the site of a huge Confederate battle flag in Alabama has been spruced up with a new sign. The flag, along highway I-65 between Montgomery and Birmingham, is maintained by the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp. It received a new, permanent sign this past weekend after the previous one was destroyed by a storm.

Source: Dixie Forever

More photos can be seen at this Facebook post by the Prattville Dragoons.