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A new nonprofit organization has released a map revealing leftist groups spewing hate and inspiring violence, countering the narrative that all animus and political violence comes from the Right. The map aims to balance the notorious far-left bias of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which gained its reputation by suing Ku Klux Klan groups into bankruptcy and creating a map to monitor Klan groups and others it claimed were fellow travelers. The SPLC’s “hate map” has since grown to include many mainstream conservative and Christian nonprofits that have nothing to do with hate, much less white supremacy, yet the SPLC continues to claim the map shows the “infrastructure upholding white supremacy.” The New Tolerance Campaign, a nonprofit dedicated to applying equal standards of tolerance to balance the Left’s cancel culture, launched its own hate map to counter that narrative. “I can forgive the general public for thinking that hate and violence are exclusively the domain of the far Right—that’s the message they’ve been receiving for years from much of the mass media and the Southern Poverty Law Center,” Gregory Angelo, founder and president of the New Tolerance Campaign, told The Daily Signal. “The NTC Hate Map is designed to counter that narrative by showing the volume of hate promoted and perpetuated on the American Left. If we’re truly going to address all hate in the United States, we need to be honest about it.” The NTC Hate Map includes 184 organizations, as of Friday. “All of the organizations and individuals listed have promoted, inspired, or directly engaged in physical violence against those with whom they disagree,” the campaign’s webpage states. “This list was compiled through an extensive review of extremist group publications and materials, and reports by the public, law enforcement, field sources and the news media.” By giving the veneer of objectivity but focusing only on one side of the equation, the @splcenter allows hate on the left to go unmonitored and unchecked.That ends now.Today, the New Tolerance Campaign is launching https://t.co/4MzlkQxjfF. pic.twitter.com/TPWE9yIher— New Tolerance Campaign (@New_Tolerance) July 31, 2024 Angelo said he intends to build up the list, but the New Tolerance Campaign also maintains far more stringent rules than the SPLC. The SPLC’s 2023 “hate map” includes 1,430 organizations branded “hate groups” or “antigovernment groups.” The SPLC has faced criticism for employing a sticky definition of hate: The Southern Poverty Law Center defines a hate group as an organization or collection of individuals that —based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities—has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics. An organization does not need to have engaged in criminal conduct or have followed their speech with actual unlawful action to be labeled a hate group. We do not list individuals as hate groups, only organizations. As I wrote in my book “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” the SPLC applies this definition overly broadly against conservatives and far too narrowly for any group on the Left. Among other things, the SPLC has cited as “hate” a Roman Catholic leader’s decision to cite the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This suggests the SPLC should brand the entire Catholic Church a “hate group” if it were to be consistent. The SPLC branded an openly gay group an “anti-LGBTQ hate group” earlier this year because the gay group opposes the sexualization of children. Although the SPLC does include the antisemitic Nation of Islam on its “hate map,” the rioters with Antifa and Black Lives Matter or pro-abortion agitators with Jane’s Revenge don’t make an appearance. Students for Justice in Palestine, a notorious anti-Israel group that often engages in harassment of Jewish students on college campuses, is also conspicuously absent from the SPLC map. The NTC Hate Map may include less than a fifth of the number of groups as the SPLC’s map, but it manages to correct SPLC’s most egregious oversights. The map includes Black Lives Matter and Jane’s Revenge, along with 12 chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and 12 Antifa groups (including Portland’s infamous “Rose City Antifa”). Students for Justice in Palestine has over 250 chapters, so NTC chose which chapters to include by examining evidence of direct antisemitic attacks and violence. The campaign’s map also includes Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the organizations behind the anti-Israel riots on college campuses earlier this year, and the John Brown Gun Club, a leftist pro-gun group that frequently associates with Antifa, the anti-police movement, and other leftist causes. Perhaps most notably, the NTC Hate Map includes the Southern Poverty Law Center itself. A terrorist used the SPLC’s “hate map” to target a conservative Christian nonprofit for an attempted mass shooting in 2012. The man, convicted on terrorism charges, confessed to using SPLC’s map to target the Family Research Council. Amid a racial discrimination and sexual harassment scandal in 2019, a former SPLC employee said the organization’s “hate” accusations were a “highly profitable scam” to bilk donors. The SPLC has faced many defamation lawsuits over its accusations, and one of those lawsuits—brought by the Dustin Inman Society—has made it to the discovery process, heading toward trial. The NTC Hate Map may be new, but it already shows signs of beating the SPLC at its own game. The post New Hate Map Counters SPLC Narrative That Violence Is ‘Exclusively the Domain of the Far Right’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Exceptions do not invalidate rules. Nor do people deserve scolding when they hastily recognize the rule in one of its rare exceptions. Nonetheless, when enough evidence has surfaced to suggest that a case might involve the exception rather than the rule, those who reacted in harshness and haste have a...

The group Mamavation tested 13 facial tissue brands for PFAS, otherwise known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Mamavation focuses on eco-wellness product investigations. “Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found indications of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ after analyzing popular facial tissues on the market today,” Mamavation wrote. “PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have been used for many decades as stain-resistant, oil-resistant, grease-resistant, & water-resistant chemicals in commerce,” the group noted. Looking for the safest FACIAL TISSUE like Kleenex? We tested all these brands for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.” https://t.co/3mUDGhYQbD #mamavation — Mamavation (@Mamavation) June 19, 2024 Mamavation summarized its findings: 46% of total facial tissue products tested had indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.” That’s 6 detections out of 13 facial tissue brands that had organic fluorine above 10 parts per million (ppm) according to our laboratory. 66% of the products with detections of organic fluorine were advertised made from bamboo. That’s 4 out of 6 products that had detections of organic fluorine. 100% of the products with detections of organic fluorine were advertised as having some type of environmentally friendly feature such as being made from bamboo, having a “sustainable” certification like Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), or being classified as “tree-free.” That’s 6 out of 6 products that had detections of organic fluorine. Ranges of organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS, were from 10 ppm to 25 ppm. These are not levels of PFAS that would be considered “intentionally added” and are more likely to be from contamination in the supply chain. It’s clear from the reporting we received from our EPA-certified laboratory that claims of “sustainability” or something similar have no bearing on traces of organic fluorine, which is an indicator of PFAS “forever chemicals.” Therefore, just because your box of facial tissue has a sustainable claim doesn’t mean they are avoiding all indications of PFAS. Our research also suggests that bamboo versions of facial tissue may have additional contamination issues that may not be shared by larger or more conventional tissue brands. Nothing to Sneeze at? PFAS Found in Popular Facial Tissue Brands 66% of products with PFAS indications were advertised as bamboo-based. All products with PFAS indications claimed some type of environmentally friendly feature or certification. https://t.co/nrTiieAK60 — Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) August 2, 2024 Mamavation organized the facial tissue brands into the following categories: “Not Our Favorite Facial Tissues” “Better Facial Tissues” “Best Facial Tissues” Testing of 13 brands of facial tissues reveals half of them contain “forever chemicals”. Mamavation tested 13 facial tissue brands for PFAS “forever chemicals” sold in the USA and found that 46% showed indications of PFAS, with 66% of products with PFAS indications being… pic.twitter.com/x9iBi96kGM — OutsideTheMatrix aka QRASH (@PaTrumpGirl) July 26, 2024 The Defender reports: Facial Tissues were purchased or donated from community members between January 2023 and April 2024. Our EPA-certified laboratory received and tested each box of facial tissues we sent. No products were donated by the manufacturer. Many types of facial tissue were represented — some of these brands were lotion-free, dye-free, soft, hypoallergenic or sustainable however, each brand is made for daily use. Some facial tissue boxes were donated to a local community center because we received more than we could test, i.e. many of the same brand of facial tissue was received when purchased online. Testing: Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory uses marker testing to identify the potential presence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in facial tissue. Organic fluorine is a marker for PFAS because all PFAS chemicals are carbon-based compounds that contain fluorine. The specific lab method used to test for total fluorine was the Determination of Total Fluorine by Oxygen Flask Combustion and Ion-Selective Electrode. If total fluorine was observed at a detection level of 10 ppm or greater, the lab did the “Determination of free Fluoride Ion” in the product by Ion-Selective Electrode and then subtracted that from the “Total Fluorine” to determine the amount of organic fluorine. This marker testing is likely to show the presence of PFAS. Organic fluorine can also capture other fluoropolymers, pharmaceuticals, and common hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, such as 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (commonly known as R-134a) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (commonly known as HFO-1234yf), which are all also PFAS. None of which you want around your food, personal care products, or facial tissue. Scott Belcher, Ph.D., an associate professor with the Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University said: “Fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are extremely common forms of PFAS that could be contributing to the organic fluorine found in facial tissues. Methods used for detecting individual PFAS, such as PFOA or GenX, cannot directly identify PTFE.” “However, the analysis of total organic fluorine (TOF) does account for all PFAS contaminants in facial tissues, including PTFE. Therefore, this method of testing serves as a good ‘spot-check’ of consumer products.” Mamavation organized the facial tissue brands as followed: Not Our Favorite Facial Tissues – “These facial tissue products were sent to our EPA-certified laboratory and it was reported back they had detections of organic fluorine, which is indicative of PFAS ‘forever chemicals,'” Mamavation stated. Amazon Aware 100% Bamboo Facial Tissues — 12 ppm organic fluorine Cloud Paper 100% Bamboo Tissue Paper — 17 ppm organic fluorine Gaia’s 100% Recycled Treeless, and Plastic-Free Facial Tissue — 16 ppm organic fluorine Puffs Plus Lotion — 25 ppm organic fluorine The Cheeky Panda Bamboo Ultra Sustainable Tissue made with natural bamboo — 10 ppm Who Gives a Crap You Smell Like a Fancy Candle Bamboo Tissue — 10 ppm organic fluorine Better Facial Tissues – “These facial tissue products were sent to our EPA-certified laboratory and it was reported back they had non-detect organic fluorine results. The detection limit of the testing was 10 ppm and thus anything under that amount would not be detectable to our lab. However, based on the materials used, they were deemed to be “better” and not ‘best’ based on the less environmentally friendly inputs used. They are more representative of regular tissues, but some may be soft tissues or sensitive skin tissues,” Mamavation stated. Kleenex Ultra Soft Hypoallergenic Tissues — non-detect organic fluorine Up & Up (Target) Kids Tissue — non-detect organic fluorine Kirkland Facial Tissue — non-detect organic fluorine Scotties Premium White Tissues — non-detect organic fluorine Best Facial Tissues – “These facial tissue products were sent to our EPA-certified laboratory and it was reported back they had non-detect organic fluorine results. The detection limit of the testing was 10 ppm and thus anything under that amount would not be detectable to our lab. These products were also made from materials that are less problematic to the environment,” Mamavation stated. Eco Soul Bamboo Ultra Soft Facial Tissues — non-detect organic fluorine Caboo Tree Free Facial Tissue — non-detect organic fluorine Seventh Generation 100% Recycled Facial Tissues Whitened without Chlorine Bleach 2-Ply Tissue — non-detect organic fluorine Read the full report at Mamavation.