If there’s one name CEOs don’t want to hear right now, it’s Robby Starbuck. The filmmaker-turned-culture warrior has become a one-man wrecking ball on corporate activism—exposing major brands who think their liberal activism will go undetected. But there’s no such thing as secret wokeism, as Tractor Supply Co. and John Deere both learned after being hauled into the spotlight for their radical policies on everything from LGBTQ+ Pride to transgenderism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Three months into his summer of corporate scalps, Starbuck just pulled off another coup: humbling American classic Harley-Davidson into submission.  “It’s time to expose Harley-Davidson,” Starbuck posted about the iconic brand on July 23, ticking off almost two dozen examples of the company’s extremism under German-born boss Jochen Zeitz. On this CEO’s watch, the beloved motorcycle manufacturer has publicly supported men in girls’ bathrooms, sports, and locker rooms; forced employees to undergo training to become “LGBT allies”; sponsored an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur boot camp; designated February and March as extra “Months of Inclusion”; fought to have fewer “white suppliers, dealers, and employees”; sponsored a Pride Ride; offered a blanket commitment to DEI practices; and received a 90% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.  “To put it mildly,” Starbuck pointed out, “Harley-Davidson seems to have forgotten who their core customers are.” Thousands of Americans seem to have agreed, inundating headquarters with calls to bring their values back in alignment with consumers. The goal, Starbuck wanted people to know, is “never destruction.” It’s to “inform customers about the values major companies are adopting so they can make choices about what they’re willing to support. That’s not cancel culture,” he argued, “it’s capitalism.” “When we use our voices and wallets to vote our values, we can change the world, and we can restore great American companies to a culture of sanity, meritocracy, and culture war neutrality,” Starbuck urged. Or, he offered, “We can inspire competitors to step up and fight for our business.” But before rivals even had a chance to capitalize on Harley-Davidson’s toxic politics, Zeitz had ordered a full-scale retreat on almost all the company’s divisive policies. In a statement released Monday, the brand admitted how “saddened” it was at all of the negativity directed at the company in the last few weeks but insisted, “We take this issue very seriously.” It is “our responsibility,” the Milwaukee-based business insisted, “to respond with clarity, action, and facts.” Among many things, executives vowed not to re-engage on the DEI front. “We do not have hiring quotas, and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals,” they underscored. Instead of funding and promoting LGBTQ+ causes, the chain will now spend its sponsorships “focus[ing] on the motorcycle business or on helping first responders, active military, or veterans.” In one of the most stinging rebukes of the Human Rights Campaign, Harley agreed to stop participating in HRC’s in-depth corporate rankings. Lastly, the executives promised to redirect company training away from “socially motivated” content. “As a consumer brand,” they concluded, “we will focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining our loyal riding community.”  Starbuck, who celebrated his “three for three” record in bringing major retailers to their knees, crowed, “Corporations can’t ignore our movement anymore. They have to take us seriously.” As for Harley, the social media influencer made it clear, “We still want the [Zeitz] gone too. He’s a true believer [in the Left]. … In his elite social circles, this move will not be popular. His world does not include bikers. This statement sounds like a board decision and not his decision. I’d be surprised if he was OK [with it].” Meanwhile, over at the Human Rights Campaign, panic must be setting in. The nationwide sea change we’ve witnessed since Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney is turning the once-powerful LGBTQ+ tyrants into paper tigers. If anything, the organization that used to have CEOs shaking in their boots seems to be crumbling under the weight of sustained grassroots pressure. All the Human Rights Campaign’s leadership could muster in response to Harley’s decision is that it must not “care about equality in the workplace” before pathetically trying to turn the debate back on former President Donald Trump. Walking away from its political activism was “an impulsive decision” on Harley-Davidson’s part, Vice HRC President Eric Bloem told Newsweek, “fueled by fringe right-wing actors and MAGA extremists who believe they can bully their way into dismantling initiatives that help everyone thrive in the workplace.” In a sign of just how mainstream the anti-woke movement has become, even self-described liberals like Fortune’s Diane Brady are arguing that while diversity may be “good for business, angry customers are not.” “Those who dislike companies pushing DEI policies are not all right-wing extremists or racist,” she points out. The reality is, Starbuck and the millions of fed-up Americans aren’t asking companies to become conservative. All they want is neutrality. “I’m asking you to make it a welcoming place for everybody,” Starbuck emphasized, “which means getting rid of DEI, getting rid of wokeness, and just being a workplace again. It’s not that hard. It is a very simple ask. That’s what we want. So you know what?” he said straight to the country’s CEOs. “Don’t wait for me to come for you. Fix it now. Get rid of these crazy policies. Save me time so I don’t have to come for you. Save your brand. Just do the right thing. Make work work again and focus on making great products with great customer service. You do that, and people are going to be very happy.”  As more activists are realizing, these woke policies “only exist as a byproduct of silence,” Starbuck said in a special video message. “People being silent allows customers to be fooled into thinking these companies have not gone totally crazy. The minute you shine sunlight on it, these companies face pressure that they cannot withstand. We have the power. So what this really tells us is we outnumber the crazy people who are pushing these policies by millions to one. The actual number of true believers in all this crazy woke stuff is infinitesimally small. We just have to use our voice and believe in the fact that we have the power to change things.”  But for now, Starbuck smiled, “It’s time for a victory lap.” Originally published by The Washington Stand We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Harley-Davidson’s Retreat on Woke Policy Revs Up the Grassroots appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In Lahore, Pakistan, federal authorities have apprehended a local man, Farhan Asif, alleged to have disseminated misinformation that has been accused of inciting recent riots seen in the UK. This development came to light on Wednesday as the radical fallout of a tragic incident that took place more than a week prior in Southport, UK, where three young girls were fatally stabbed, sparking large-scale unrest. Prompted by claims that one Pakistani-based website was the breeding ground for such misrepresentations, law enforcement conducted an in-depth investigation. Media outlets from across the UK singled out a platform by the name of Channel3Now as the epicenter of the false news story, wherein it was inaccurately stated that the main suspect, a 17-year-old UK native, was an immigrant of Muslim faith who had entered the country by boat. According to ITV News, a prominent broadcasting corporation in the UK, the person behind the propagation of this story was a Pakistani citizen. The arrest of Asif was prompted by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) filing of a report that accuses him of being the individual responsible for the spread of the misleading information. The FIR also indicates that Asif “admitted to providing misleading information to the BBC regarding his accomplices in an attempt to divert blame to others.” Upon arresting Asif at his home, a raid was carried out that resulted in the confiscation of two laptops and a mobile phone. A subsequent analysis of the seized data suggested that Asif’s alleged Twitter account “Channel3Nownews” was active when he allegedly shared the inflammatory post. Asif denied that he was responsible for any violence, saying: “I don’t know how such a small article or a minor Twitter account could cause widespread confusion. “Channel3 Now mentioned that [the perpetrator was] a Muslim and an immigrant, but this has no connection to the chaos, which is being caused by people in his own country. If there was misinformation, it could have been addressed calmly. Why was there such an uproar?” The arrest of Farhan Asif in Lahore for allegedly spreading misinformation linked to riots in the UK raises significant questions about the criminality of speech. While it’s clear that misinformation can have real-world consequences, the response of arresting individuals for their role in false speech presents a challenge to free speech principles. The principle is not merely about allowing speech that is favorable or benign but also protecting speech that may be unpopular or controversial or wrong. The essence of free speech is to ensure that individuals have the right to express their thoughts without fear of undue government retaliation or censorship, even if these ideas might be ultimately deemed incorrect or misleading. In the West, misleading or defamatory speech is usually dealt with civilly through defamation or libel lawsuits – but in the online era, there has been a growing trend to criminalize speech and arrest people for publishing false information. These phenomena can be weaponized. The move to arrest individuals for misinformation after the fact is a slippery slope for free speech rights. While governments have a duty to protect public order and safety, they must also safeguard the freedom of expression—a cornerstone of democratic societies. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Pakistan National Arrested For False News Article, Accused of Triggering UK Riots appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

'Behind Enemy Lines' Protesters Scuffle with Police, More Than 70 Arrested

Ask #Kamalanomics: How 'Bout Darn Near a Million Jobs 'Vanishing' and Looming Nasty Labor Strikes

You could never generate this amount of power yourself.

Well...it looks like Kamala Harris achieved nothing by replacing her Jewish VP pick.  Swapping in a Commie who spent taxpayer dollars on a Hitler-loving terrorist group just wasn’t enough to appease the He/She’s for Hamas. They still feel underappreciated by the Democrat Party. That’s why they sent 40,000 gender-confused jihadis to “shut down” the DNC all week.   Related: Anti-American Activist BLASTS Kamala Harris at Chicago Park Near DNC Tune into the latest episode of “Woke of the Weak” to see what they’re up to!   Follow MRCTV on X! The real highlight of DNC Night 2 is @MattWalshBlog crashing the event undercover as a lefty. Something tells us the leftist media isn't "ecstatic" about this one. pic.twitter.com/RmKs4YY81P — MRCTV (@mrctv) August 21, 2024  

The Daily Show’s temp host of the night, Desi Lydic, sought Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood’s help on Tuesday’s show from Chicago and night two of the Democratic National Convention as she tried to make sense of GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s supposed “anti-woman rhetoric.” Lydic put the ball on the tee for Underwood, “Speaking of extremists, JD Vance and others have been responsible for quite a bit of anti-woman rhetoric. What do you make of all this?”     Underwood was determined to give The Daily Show audience a dopamine hit, “You know, it is so clear to me that JD Vance has a deeply rooted pathology when it comes to his hatred of women. I really hope he is going to therapy. I really do. It is so clear that he needs therapy.” As the audience guffawed, Underwood continued, “It is clear to me—that, you know, we might laugh, but he does not belong in the White House. Now, JD Vance has told us about his dangerous, extreme policy agenda for American women, and it is up to us to believe him right now and to reject it and to make sure that we go out and vote.” To most people, wanting to send your opponents to therapy for wrongthink because you think anyone who is not a liberal is a hater might seem alarming, but not to Lydic. Instead, she brought the segment to a close by heaping effusive praise on her guest, “Oh, my gosh, it is such a delight to have you one. Thank you so much for all of the work you do. It is truly remarkable.” The only thing that is remarkable is just how soft The Daily Show’s DNC interviews have been, even by their standards. Here is a transcript for the August 20 show: Comedy Central The Daily Show 8/20/2024 11:28 PM ET DESI LYDIC: Speaking of extremists-- LAUREN UNDERWOOD: Yes. LYDIC:  JD Vance – LAUREN UNDERWOOD: Yes LYDIC: And others have been responsible for quite a bit of anti-woman rhetoric. UNDERWOOD: Yes. LYDIC: What do you make of all this? UNDERWOOD: You know, it is so clear to me that JD Vance has a deeply rooted pathology when it comes to his hatred of women. I really hope he is going to therapy. I really do. It is so clear that he needs therapy. It is clear to me – that, you know, we might laugh, but he does not belong in the White House. Now, JD Vance has told us about his dangerous, extreme policy agenda for American women, and it is up to us to believe him right now and to reject it and to make sure that we go out and vote.  LYDIC: Oh, my gosh, it is such a delight to have you one. UNDERWOOD: Thank you. Thank you, so much. LYDIC: Thank you so much for all of the work you do. It is truly remarkable. UNDERWOOD: Thank you.

CHICAGO, Ill. — Far-left and Antifa protesters gathered outside the consulate of Israel to express their continued anger toward the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. There were calls on social media for Tuesday's gathering to "make it great like '68," a reference to the riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Protesters wearing masks and all-black clothing raged not only against Democrats but also against the March on the DNC, the main organizer for protests this week, for being too peaceful on Monday. They argued that peaceful marches with help from the police betray the movement to "free Palestine."After rallying outside the Israeli consulate, the crowd of around 300 started to march straight into a Chicago police line despite being able to march either to the left or the right of the officers. A large fight broke out as police pushed and shoved the Antifa marchers back. At least one Antifa member was smacked in the mouth by a police baton. Multiple arrests were made as police grabbed marchers who refused to leave the area. — (@) — (@) The protesters who were not initially arrested after the clash gathered themselves into a formation and held a standoff in the street with Chicago Police, who had now vastly outnumbered the smaller crowd. On the other side of the police line, a few pro-Israel protesters rallied but left at the request of police for their safety.Eventually, the Black Bloc marchers started walking around downtown, with police following them to ensure they stayed on the sidewalk. The protesters made it onto a street and refused to disperse. Police then declared the remaining crowd to be an unlawful assembly and moved in to arrest the remaining marchers who did not leave after the declaration was made.Behind Enemy Lines ... announced on its Instagram page Wednesday morning some people who were arrested were starting to be released from custody. — (@) — (@) — (@) "We are appalled to see violence during the protest in front of our offices. This is anything but peaceful and completely contradictory to the spirit of the DNC. This vocal minority does not represent the vast bipartisan majority of Americans who stand strong in support of Israel," the Israeli consulate posted on its X account. "We are beyond disappointed with the ongoing support the mayor has been giving to the anti-Israel protests in Chicago, particularly during the DNC, and his continued disregard for the large pro-Israel and Jewish community in the city."While dozens of arrests were made, Behind Enemy Lines, the group that organized the unruly protest, announced on its Instagram page Wednesday morning some people who were arrested were starting to be released from custody."Tonight, Brandon Johnson's Chicago Police Department (CPD) rioted in defense of the genocide convention, the Death and Nakba Coronation (DNC). While the criminals orchestrating that genocide were gathered less than two miles away, the CPD waged a ferocious assault on free speech," BEL claimed.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Oklahoma State University will place QR codes directly on the helmets of football players so fans at home can make donations to players or the team as a whole.The QR codes will not be displayed in the stadium, but the scannable icons will be predominantly for viewers at home who wish to donate to the team's name, image, and likeness fund.OSU said in a statement that the move is believed to be the first of its kind, with Coach Mike Gundy calling it a "revolutionary" step toward supporting players."This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game," Gundy said in a press release. "It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I'm thrilled about this opportunity for our players."The codes will be 1.5 square inches in size and feature each player's name and number in their respective design. Placed on the back of the helmet, the codes will visible in postgame photos and on social media content, as well. Fans seated in the premium section of Boone Pickens Stadium will also notice the codes marked on drink coasters.'Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money.'The team added that the codes will be visible on players' school apparel and other signage throughout the stadium, along with the team equipment truck.Fans who scan the codes will be taken to the Pokes with a Purpose website, which showcases the "Saddle Up Campaign" and donation form.Donations can be made one time or on a monthly basis, with the first recommended donation size set at $100.By going to the website directly, fans can donate to an individual player or contribute to a pool of money that is distributed among the roster evenly.For example, when selecting a specific player, a message says, "Your support will be credited to: Parker Robertson."Coach Gundy was happy to move forward with the codes and recently expressed relief that the NIL negotiation period is over."The good news is the next five months we can just play football," Gundy said, according to ESPN. "There's no negotiating now. The portal's over. All the negotiation's history. Now we're playing football."Gundy added, "The business side of what we do now — we have to have those conversations with [the players]. 'Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money. It's non-negotiable now. It'll start again in December.'"Sports reporter Alejandro Avila called the QR codes a "gold mine" for OSU that serves as an "inexpensive and instant fundraising tactic.""Boozed-up fans can now donate money during games. Scan your TV; cash in the bag for Oklahoma State. Players may start wanting a bigger share of the general funds, but until then it's a total money machine," Avila added.According to USA Today's finance tracker, Oklahoma State is the 46th-most popular athletic program in the NCAA, collecting over $104 million annually. Just 12.46% of the revenue is allocated to student fees and the athletic department, among other places.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A defeat for Kamala Harris remains as easy to envision as a defeat for Donald Trump.