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Keith Ablow Demands You Declare War On Benetton For Its UnHate Campaign

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Doctor Keith Ablow has declared war on the international, Italy-based clothier Benetton, and demands you do so too. The 46-year old company just unveiled its latest advertising campaign, ensconced within the brilliant UnHate Foundation, and offered to the world six images of world leaders kissing. Photoshopped, of course. But Ablow, who has railed against other clothing companies, like J. Crew, before, does not see a message of love, peace, or tolerance in these beautiful and, yes, shocking images. Dr. Ablow sees an assault on Western culture and civilization itself, and actually sees not only a promotion of homosexuality, but in these images below, he sees “tongues and genitals.”

If ever there were a Rorschach test for homophobic, bigoted, small-minded psychiatrists, these Benetton ads would be published in every mental health textbook.

“The only psychological interpretation of such ads that makes sense to me as a psychiatrist is that the corporate leaders at Benetton literally believe that homosexual sex between world leaders — or at least homosexuality, as an orientation — would lead to world peace,” Dr. Ablow writes in an offensive, anti-gay, anti-intelligence opinion piece at Fox News titled, “In Benetton’s World, Gay Sex Solves Everything.”

“They have tipped their collective hands as a company and indicted marital fidelity, faith and heterosexuality, labeling them the real sources of hatred and suffering around the globe,” Ablow rails. “In the collective mind of Benetton, if religious leaders and political figures would just have sex with one another all would be well.”

One cannot help but conjure up an image of Dr. Freud in Vienna and Dr. Ablow on his couch. Pity the timing’s all wrong.

Is it possible that Dr. Ablow, 49, who has offices in New York City and Massachusetts, is a New York Times best-selling author, graduated from Brown, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins, has a world view that is so small?

Benetton has 6000 stores in 120 countries, and only 61 stores in the U.S. That’s right. One percent of their stores are in America. Does Ablow really believe Benetton, known for decades for their socially-progressive advertising, really made those ads for America?

America is one of the few countries where people actually don’t kiss when they say hello. Who hasn’t seen the photos of former president George W. Bush kissing Arab leaders? When Dr. Ablow’s employer, Fox News, published those images, did Ablow scream that a “new movement of homoerotic Utopians … are telling us, homosexual sex is what matters … and so much of it, in such unrestrained fashion as to unite men from democracies with men from dictatorships, Catholic and Muslim leaders, black men and white men”? Because that’s what he wrote about these Benetton ads.

READ: Keith Ablow Gets Slammed By Psychologist For Chaz Bono Column – Twice

Did Ablow — who has compared transgender people to heroin addicts and anorexics, who has likened pedophilia to sexual orientation — upon seeing his beloved President Bush kissing a Saudi Prince, scream, “Our connections must be made man-to-man, with our tongues and genitals. That is the only road forward”?

Seriously, look at these images — which, by the way, include Angela Merkel kissing Nicolas Sarkozy — and tell me you see genitals. Please, show me how bad my eyes are.

And isn’t it amusing that Dr. Ablow “forgot” to mention the Angela Merkel image, one of the six, in his anti-gay hate-filled screed? Given the number of female world leaders, I’d say Benetton got the ratio just about right.

What’s not right is Ablow’s thinly veiled suggestion that a homosexual political leader would be “a declaration of psychological warfare on religious tradition and cultural mores and one that elevates narcissism and sexual gratification above intelligence and leadership.”

Ablow’s religion preaches love, and demands he “turn the other cheek.”

But Ablow demands — demands! — that you see the “genitals!” Ablow demands — demands! — that you see the “wet kisses!” Ablow demands — demands! — that you see the “homosexual sex!” Ablow demands — demands! — that you see these leaders “erotically kissing!”

And Ablow demands that you see his belief – just as he demanded you see his belief that if your children saw Chaz Bono they could become transgender –that you have been attacked.

“I have been asked, why are people so outraged by these images? What is the psychological reason? The reason is simply this: Human beings still know, thank God, when they have been attacked for who they are.”

Sometimes, Dr. Ablow, just as the quote mis-attributed to Freud says, a cigar is just a cigar — and a kiss is just a kiss.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7vThuwa5RZU%3Fversion%3D3%26hl%3Den_US

Ablow leaves his readers with this, perhaps one of the greatest pieces of evidence of malpractice — journalistic, if not medical:

“If you are heterosexual, if you are a leader who believes your position demands decorum, if you are a person of substance who believes you should be valued for your mind, not just your sexuality, if you think that countries and religion deserve respect, not ridicule, you were attacked today by Benetton. You felt it. And you shouldn’t be talked out of your outrage.”

And no doubt, Dr. Ablow is willing to not talk you out of your outrage, for several hundred of dollars an hour, in one of his beautiful Manhattan or Massachusetts offices.

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‘Lame Duck’ Trump Loses Major Battle in Indiana: ‘Not Even Close to Being Close’

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President Donald Trump’s efforts to compel Indiana lawmakers to enact a mid-decade congressional map that could have wiped out all of the Hoosier State’s Democratic seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has failed.

“Republicans hold a 40-10 advantage in the state Senate but still rejected Trump’s pressure,” The Washington Post reported. HuffPost called it a “a furious pressure campaign by Trump.”

“Indiana’s proposed congressional map goes down in flames in the state Senate, 31-19,” Votebeat managing editor Nathaniel Rakich observed. 26 votes were needed for the new maps to have been adopted.

Politico reported that the “failed vote is the culmination of a brass-knuckled four-month pressure campaign from the White House on recalcitrant Indiana Republicans that included private meetings and public shaming from Trump, multiple visits from Vice President JD Vance, whip calls from Speaker Mike Johnson and veiled threats of withheld federal funds.

RELATED: ‘Shakedown’: Outrage Over Claim of Trump Plan to Defund Indiana in Map Clash

“Not even close to being close,” noted Bloomberg Government’s Jonathan Tamari. “I certainly did not predict the Indiana state Senate as a hotbed of Trump resistance.”

“Trump’s such a lame duck that he is getting his a– kicked by the Indiana State Senate,” remarked former Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer.

Journalist Todd Zwillich called it a “Wholesale rejection” of a “threat” from the conservative Heritage Action.

Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), noted that Trump “didn’t just lose that vote, he got blown out.”

Lesson for national Republicans,” wrote Jessica Riedel of the Brookings Institution. “You don’t have to sell out every principle and publicly worship Trump. Really, you can just do things. And you should ask why it took some state legislators in Indiana to finally stand up for common sense governance.”

You do, unironically and in earnest, have to hand it to the Indiana GOP for not giving in to the threats on their lives etc.,” declared Everytown Senior Director of Communications Max Steele. “Trump is a duck getting lamer by the day. Hopefully this emboldens others to do what’s right.”

READ MORE: ‘Where Is Antifa Headquartered?’: FBI Official Struggles Defending Top Threat Label

 

Image via Reuters

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‘Shakedown’: Outrage Over Claim of Trump Plan to Defund Indiana in Map Clash

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Heritage Action and President Donald Trump are coming under fire after the conservative advocacy organization made a claim that the president threatened to defund the state of Indiana should lawmakers not pass legislation to redraw its congressional district maps.

“President Trump has made it clear to Indiana leaders: if the Indiana Senate fails to pass the map, all federal funding will be stripped from the state,” Heritage Action wrote on social media on Thursday. “Roads will not be paved. Guard bases will close. Major projects will stop. These are the stakes and every NO vote will be to blame.”

The post ended with, “#PassTheMap.”

While President Trump has publicly threatened to support primary challengers against lawmakers who oppose his redistricting push, NCRM has not found any news reports confirming Heritage Action’s assertion. It is possible the group is relying on information that has not been reported or made public.

READ MORE: ‘Where Is Antifa Headquartered?’: FBI Official Struggles Defending Top Threat Label

Should Indiana pass legislation to redistrict, it reportedly could pick up only two more GOP-held seats.

Critics blasted Heritage Action, a sister group to the Heritage Foundation, for appearing to support Trump’s alleged threat, and blasted the president as well.

“The president and one of the most influential conservative groups in the country are threatening to deprive all Indiana residents of paved roads, guard bases, and major projects if they don’t pass an extremely gerrymandered map to deprive voters of choice,” noted Isaac Saul, founder of Tangle News. “Awesome stuff.”

“Heritage sure loves authoritarianism,” remarked Media Matters researcher Zachary Pleat.

Calling it “nonsense,” Joel Griffith, a senior fellow at the conservative group Advancing American Freedom wrote: “Appalling to see @Heritage_Action endorse this unconstitutional threat by @realDonaldTrump. The President does not have power to coerce state legislators to redraw congressional maps.”

Others appeared to aim their ire directly at the president.

READ MORE: ‘Shaky’ House GOP Leadership ‘Losing Control’: Report

“This is the behavior of a madman,” declared Tim Carney, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

“This isn’t conservative. This is fascist,” commented former Republican U.S. Congressman Joe Walsh.

Mother Jones’ D.C. bureau chief David Corn declared the move “dictatorial.”

“This does not sound like an appropriate or legal use of federal authority or presidential discretion,” observed Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias.

“Nothing about this shakedown is conservative,” noted CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Jacob Stewart, the deputy opinion editor for the IndyStar called the move “illegal.”

Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the conservative online magazine The Dispatch, wrote: “I remember when Heritage cared about federalism, the rule of law, separation of powers, and all that stuff. Now it’s all ‘We love Trump’s musk, do what he says (or what Tucker says).'”

“This is called extortion,” wrote former White House correspondent Sam Youngman, also deeming it “illegal.”

“If this comes to pass,” wrote IndyStar columnist James Briggs, “then the story will be that Trump is punishing Indiana citizens for reasons that have nothing to do with them and so-called Indianans will see the punitive measures for what they are.”

READ MORE: ‘You’re a Loser Dude’: Carville Scorches Trump as ‘Done’

 

Image via Reuters

 

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‘Where Is Antifa Headquartered?’: FBI Official Struggles Defending Top Threat Label

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A top FBI official struggled to explain his claim that Antifa is the “most immediate violent threat” America is facing, as he was challenged to provide details.

Former Trump FBI Director Christopher Wray stated in 2020 congressional testimony that Antifa is “not a group or an organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.” The BBC has explained that Antifa is “a loosely organized, leftist movement that opposes far-right, racist and fascist groups.”

“Antifa is short for anti-fascist,” BBC added. “It is a loose, leaderless affiliation of mostly far-left activists.”

House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson on Thursday asked Michael Glasheen, FBI National Security Operations Director, to describe “organizations that pose, on the domestic side,” the number one and number two threats to the homeland.

READ MORE: ‘Shaky’ House GOP Leadership ‘Losing Control’: Report

Glasheen asked for clarification.

“Any domestic terrorist organizations that poses a threat to the homeland as we speak,” Thompson replied.

Pointing to President Trump’s designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, Glasheen said, “That’s our primary concern right now.”

He described Antifa as “the most immediate violent threat that we’re facing on the domestic side.”

“So, where is the Antifa headquartered?” Thompson pressed.

After a pause, Glasheen said: “What we’re doing right now —” before Thompson cut him off.

“Where, in the United States, does Antifa exist?” he asked. “If it’s a terrorist organization — and you’ve identified it as number one.”

“We are building out the infrastructure right now,” Glasheen responded.

READ MORE: ‘You’re a Loser Dude’: Carville Scorches Trump as ‘Done’

“So what does that mean?” Thompson pressed. “Where do they exist? How many members do they have in the United States as of right now?”

“Well, that’s very fluid,” Glasheen said, describing it as “ongoing,” before comparing the situation to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

“I asked one question, sir,” Thompson replied. “I just want you to tell us. If you said Antifa is the number one domestic terrorist organization, operating in the United States, I just need to know where they are, how many people. I don’t want a name. I don’t want anything like that. Just, how many people have you identified with the FBI, that Antifa is made of?”

“Well, the investigations are active,” Glasheen replied.

“Sir, you wouldn’t come to this committee and say something you can’t prove. I know. I knew you wouldn’t do that. But you did.”

READ MORE: ‘His Heart Just Ain’t in It’: Report Reveals Trump’s ‘Achilles Heel’

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