A Virginia teacher fired for refusing to use a student's so-called preferred pronouns had his lawsuit against the school board revived by the Virginia Supreme Court Thursday in a landmark victory for religious freedom.Peter Vlaming was a high school French teacher at West Point Schools when he was terminated for refraining from using pronouns that denied a student's biological sex‚ which he argued would violate his religious beliefs‚ Blaze News previously reported. Instead‚ when referring to the female student‚ who claimed to identify as male‚ Vlaming carefully avoided using any pronouns.The teacher agreed to call the student by a preferred name and even encouraged all students in his class to select a new French name for the duration of the course so that the trans-identifying student would not feel singled out.Unsatisfied with Vlaming's work-around‚ the West Point School Board ordered him to use the student's preferred pronouns. When the educator refused‚ the student lodged a complaint against him.School administrators accused Vlaming of violating harassment and nondiscrimination policies. In a 5-0 vote‚ the school board ended his employment in 2018."Mr. Vlaming was recommended for termination due to his insubordination and repeated refusal to comply with directives made to him by multiple WPPS administrators. That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that. The parent had expressed that. They felt disrespected‚" West Point Schools Superintendent Laura Abel stated.In 2019‚ Vlaming filed a lawsuit against the school board‚ but the Virginia Circuit Court dismissed the case. The Virginia Supreme Court decided Thursday to reverse the lower court's ruling‚ reviving Vlaming's case."The issue here is not whether the School Board's policies forbidding discrimination and harassment of students applied (as the School Board asserts) or did not apply (as Vlaming asserts) to the compelled-speech situation alleged in the complaint. The issue is whether Vlaming's sincerely held religious beliefs caused him to commit overt acts that 'invariably posed some substantial threat to public safety‚ peace or order‚'" the court's ruling contended‚ "and if so‚ whether the government's compelling state interest in protecting the public from that threat‚ when examined under the rigors of strict scrutiny‚ could be satisfied by 'less restrictive means.'"When religious liberty merges with free-speech protections‚ as it does in this case‚ mere 'objectionable' and 'hurtful' religious speech or‚ as in this case‚ nonspeech‚ is not enough to meet this standard‚" the ruling continued. In the opinion‚ the court stated that Virginia's constitution "seeks to protect diversity of thought‚ diversity of speech‚ diversity of religion‚ and diversity of opinion.""Absent a truly compelling reason for doing so‚ no government committed to these principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs‚" it added.Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Chris Schandevel‚ who represented Vlaming‚ stated‚ "Peter wasn't fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn't say. The Virginia Supreme Court rightly agreed that Peter's case against the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia Constitution and state law should proceed.""The West Point School Board violated that constitutional command when it tried to force Vlaming to endorse the school's ideological viewpoints on gender identity‚" Schandevel said. "And the Virginia Supreme Court rightly vindicated Vlaming's right to stand by his convictions in its decision."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

German and Dutch officials captured four Hamas terrorists believed to have been plotting an attack on European soil. The men arrested Thursday are said to have been specifically targeting "Jewish institutions in Europe." While these arrests coincided with Denmark's apprehension of another four suspected terrorists‚ Danish authorities told CNN there is "no direct connection." The federal public prosecutor's office in Berlin indicated that two of the suspects captured in Germany‚ Abdelhamid Al A. and Ibrahim El-R.‚ are from Lebanon. Mohamed B.‚ an Egyptian national‚ was also caught in Berlin. Nazih R.‚ supposedly a Dutch national‚ was the lone Hamas member captured by Dutch police in Rotterdam. Prosecutors indicated the four men "have been long-standing members of HAMAS and have participated in HAMAS operations abroad. They are closely linked to the military branch's leadership. This included Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz‚ the second in command at the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassem' Brigades." Kharraz‚ also known as Abu Klaled‚ was successfully eliminated by an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon late last month along with three other terrorists. Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese media indicated Kharraz assisted with the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel‚ "leaving behind a legacy for the Resistance." German officials noted that Abdelhamid‚ taking orders from terrorists in Lebanon‚ began searching for an underground weapons depot in Europe earlier this year. In October‚ Abdelhamid‚ joined by Mohamed and Nazih‚ made multiple trips to and from Berlin in search of the weapons with Ibrahim "providing assistance." The weapons they were tasked with collecting were "to be taken to Berlin and kept in a state of readiness in view of potential terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe." German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann thanked everyone involved in capturing the suspects‚ stating‚ "We must do everything we can to ensure that Jews in our country do not have to fear for their safety again." Israeli intelligence agencies commended the "successful counter-terrorist operation" in a joint statement. The Mossad and Shin Bet further suggested that while foiled‚ the apparent terror plot demonstrates how "Hamas has striven to expand its operational capabilities around the world‚ especially in Europe‚ in order to realize its aspirations to attack Israeli‚ Jewish and Western targets at any price." These arrests come just days after the Dutch counterterrorism agency raised the country's threat alert to its second-highest level. The national coordinator for the agency noted "the violent conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories‚ Quran desecrations in various European countries and calls for attacks from terrorist organizations have increased the threat from jihadism." Denmark also announced arrests of potential terrorists on Thursday. Two male suspects‚ ages 57 and 29‚ and a 19-year-old woman were captured inside the country. A fourth‚ scheming to execute "an act of terror‚" was captured in the Netherlands‚ reported the Associated Press. The elder male — a migrant who prosecutors indicated knows his way around "gang environment" — and the woman will remain in custody until a Jan. 9 hearing. The younger male was cut loose. Danish prosecutor Anders Larsson told Danish media that an additional four suspects were charged despite not being present. Officials in Copenhagen indicated the arrests had "threads abroad" and were connected to "criminal gangs." Despite the officials' vagueries‚ the operative head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service let slip that police had "a special focus" on Jewish institutions. "This is extremely serious‚" said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. "It is of course completely unacceptable in relation to Israel and Gaza‚ that there is someone who takes a conflict somewhere else in the world into Danish society." Frederiksen stressed the incident was "about as serious as it can be." "There are people who live in Denmark who do not wish us well. Who are against Danish society and everything we believe in. Happiness. Democracy. Freedom. Equality‚" she added. There are reportedly multiple suspects still at large. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The divergence between what you see and what you hear is about to explode. With nearly 11 months to go till the general election‚ the country is trembling on the verge of civil war‚ Donald Trump is about to start murdering generals and shooting people at the White House‚ and Hitler Hitler Hitler Hitler Hitler. Watch this amazing mash-up of sober warnings from Very Serious Peopleâ„¢ in mainstream media about the Orange Monster preparing to murder and imprison everybody‚ but be warned that it opens with Liz Cheney. Handle it like a solar eclipse and avoid looking at it directly. — (@) This is what's coming: a blitzkrieg of brutally stupid fearmongering that will escalate like the storm scene from “King Lear.” By next October‚ America is going to be more terrifyingly dangerous and horrible than the actual ravine at Babi Yar‚ but only on television. A considerable public discourse will be committed to inducing psychotic terror in the voting population — and I mean literally psychotic‚ in the sense that the induced fear will break with reality. Sharply. Seeing the country reminded me that a high-trust society still exists. If you don't know that‚ go drive around. It's fake‚ it will be increasingly fake‚ and it will work. You can’t soak your neurons in fear chemicals every day without hurting your brain. Aggressive repetition of hysterical terror signals works if you let it in the neurological door. But you don't have to open that door. You don't even have to loosen the deadbolt. The first way to protect yourself against what's coming is to shut off the television. Think of mainstream media in roughly the same terms you would think of mainlining rat poison‚ and don't do it. But the second way to protect yourself is more important‚ and I beg you to take this seriously: Go to America. Anchor yourself in the real. Take road trips. Go camping. Visit other places in your own country. Know your countrymen. They're worth knowing. In the last few months‚ as the hysterical wave of fear-messaging has grown‚ I've been driving around the country: Kansas‚ Nebraska‚ South Dakota‚ northern Nevada‚ eastern Colorado‚ the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. I discovered something shocking doing all of that‚ and I hope you'll check it out yourself: America is awesome. Nearly everybody is friendly‚ kind‚ and happy to help a stranger. Things are far from perfect‚ and the cost of living is a real crisis‚ but people all over the country are just fine. I live in Los Angeles‚ and the way people in small-town Nebraska leave their cars running while they go into the store or the post office is still blowing my mind — with the windows down‚ ladies and gentlemen‚ and the keys in the car‚ and try to imagine my urban decline-trained facial expression right now — but seeing the country reminded me that a high-trust society still exists. If you don't know that‚ go drive around. If you read the news‚ America is experiencing a youth mental crisis‚ and the problem is that children don't have anywhere near enough access to mental health services. The solution is more government and more pills. In Humboldt‚ Kansas this summer‚ I ate breakfast and watched a group of older children running down Bridge Street together. A boy tripped and fell‚ hard‚ scraped up his hands and knees on the sidewalk‚ stood up with blood running down his legs‚ shrugged‚ and went back to running down the street. You're the future of America‚ kid‚ and I'm praying for you. Keep going. The solution to the youth mental health crisis is go outside with your friends. The solution for adults is not substantially different. Go look for that child and for all the other versions of him. Go meet his parents‚ his neighbors‚ and his brothers and sisters. Go to America. A certain U.S. president infamously said that Americans are bitter losers who cling to their guns and their religion. If you go to the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene‚ Kansas‚ you can see the life journey of a leader who tried‚ consciously and constantly‚ to see himself and to depict himself as ordinary‚ a man from and of the people. Go meet this young man: Ohio: Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower (right)‚ second in command of the Army's first transcontinental motortruck convoy‚ stops for chicken dinner on the lawn at the Firestone Homestead Farm near Columbiana‚ Ohio‚ July 13‚ 1919. At his right is Harvey S. Firestone Jr.Bettmann/Getty Images I cried like a little girl in front of his grave‚ until an actual little girl wandered in and looked at me like she thought I was an idiot. She may have been on to something. Speaking of that young army officer‚ get yourself a copy of a book called “American Road” by an English writer (of all things) named Pete Davies. It's about the summer in 1919 when the U.S. Army decided to see if it could race a convoy of these newfangled motor vehicles from one coast to another‚ by road‚ to defend the country. It took a little more than two months‚ frequently dragging trucks through the mud of the alleged "road" with ropes. But the convoy personnel's biggest challenge was the way towns greeted them as they crossed the country. No‚ the commander of the convoy had to explain‚ we can't stay for any more dances and banquets; we have orders to get to the other side of the country as quickly as possible. They did stop for the occasional truck convoy marriage‚ though‚ as soldiers met the locals. This is America. It's still out there. You're staring down the barrel of a disgusting yearlong psyop to make you think it's gone. It's not gone. Go see.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy commented that the company garnered approximately 124‚000 pay-per-view buys on its own platform after pulling the show from YouTube. The Google-owned site had demanded that the company censor content that was deemed "harassment."At the end of November 2023‚ the company's fan-favorite reality show "Surviving Barstool" featured an episode that YouTube said contained scenes of a cast member engaging in "harassment" that "threatens an identifiable individual‚" according to a screenshot shared by Portnoy on X.YouTube appeared to tell Barstool that it needed to delete the video and upload a different version of the episode that edited or removed the "violative scenes‚" or else the company would receive a Community Guidelines strike. According to the same screenshot‚ YouTube also wanted Barstool to edit or remove "vulgar language" and "excessive profanity" or else an age restriction would be placed on the video.Community Guidelines strikes can restrict a YouTube channel's ability to post‚ livestream‚ or use the platform all together. An age restriction forces users to sign in on YouTube with an account of appropriate age in order to watch."We pulled the episodes. ... I'm not changing the f**king episodes‚" Portnoy said in response. "F**k YouTube if they're not actually smart enough to watch a reality show and realize what's going on‚" he added. — (@) The content in question focused on broadcaster Kirk Minihane‚ who jokingly threatened to blow up the house of the reality show's host. Minihane's comments were in response to the host saying "anything goes" in terms of the show's rules‚ with Minihane responding that he would attack his house since there are no rules.Despite the host laughing while the comments were made‚ YouTube still allegedly determined the remarks to be worthy of censorship.Portnoy announced the following day that the reality show would indeed be moved to Barstool TV‚ the company's own streaming site‚ available for $9.99. Within five days the total number of pay-per-view orders for the show surpassed 100‚000."Thank you to everybody who bought and continues to buy #survivingbarstool we really do have the best fans on earth‚" Portnoy wrote on X.The owner remarked on a December 13‚ 2023‚ video from Barstool's Chicago headquarters that the program had amassed approximately 124‚000 buys‚ totaling $1.24 million.The company managed the impressive numbers despite an employee accidentally spoiling the last episode of the show by revealing the final three contestants the morning before the finale was set to air.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A pair of men started shooting at another man on a Chicago street after midnight Saturday — but the victim is a concealed carrier and returned fire with a deadly aim.What are the details?The victim‚ a 31-year-old man‚ was outside in the 1600 block of North Hamlin Avenue in the city's Humboldt Park neighborhood when two other men in a car pulled out guns and started shooting‚ WBBM-TV reported.But the victim‚ a concealed-carry license holder‚ pulled out his gun and returned fire‚ striking the two offenders‚ police told WBBM.Chicago police officers responded to scene around 1:17 a.m. and found all three men hit by gunfire‚ the station said.One man in the car was shot in the chest and pronounced dead at the scene‚ WBBM reported‚ adding that the Medical Examiner's Office identified him as 44-year-old Edwin Lopez. The other car occupant‚ a 37-year-old man‚ was shot in the shoulder and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in fair condition‚ the station noted.The victim was shot in the torso and was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition‚ WBBM said.The station added that Area Five Detectives are investigating.No information about arrests or criminal charges was immediately available‚ WLS-TV reported‚ adding that weapons were recovered at the scene. Concealed carry holder shoots 3‚ kills 1 on Chicago's West Side youtu.be How are folks reacting?Commenters on WBBM's X post about the shooting were on the victim's side:"Thank you‚ conceal and carry holder!" one commenter wrote. "I'm so happy that you had your protection on you. Praying for healing and a speedy recovery.""Good job‚" another commenter noted before adding‚ "A shame the second guy lived.""Proof that [carrying] a gun can save your life‚" another commenter declared. "Get a license. Get a gun. Protect yourself and family because elected officials‚ especially [Democrat Chicago Mayor] Brandon Johnson‚ don’t give a s**t about you."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The American Mind recently published what I think may be the most concise and incisive explanation of the challenge of modern motherhood that I’ve ever read. In “The Mother’s Gauntlet‚” author Lane Scott wrote: Total freedom is in some ways the source of the dissatisfaction. The lack of supervisors and peers‚ the absence of enforced schedules‚ and the loss of systems and productivity boosters which all working Americans enjoy makes job performance a little problematic‚ to say the least. Most of the time‚ no one is watching. No one is cheering. No one is there to keep you honest; and worst of all‚ no one is there to tell you what ought to be done now vs. later that day vs. next week vs. never. What this means is that there is no system to prevent you from slipping into your worst habits day in‚ day out. And your habits are the crux of the issue. Life at home with small children requires self-governance … If we are going to ask women to stay home and raise children‚ if we are going to tell them to pull their kids from schools and homeschool them‚ we should know what it is that we are asking. The stay-at-home mom cannot escape into a system and hide from her own ungovernability. Not only will she tell on herself‚ but her children‚ her life’s greatest work‚ will eventually tell on her‚ too. It is a monumental task‚ calling forth resolution and self-possession on a scale that most of us have never practiced. For that very reason‚ it is ennobling. But it is also a severe and demanding road bereft of honors and outside encouragement. Our advertisements for homemaking should include that fact—this is a spiritual battle‚ not a cakewalk. Expectations need to be set at that level. In the ongoing mommy wars‚ some social conservatives seem to have taken up a new position on the woman question: Women should leave their careers and return to their homes‚ which are havens in a heartless world‚ the management of which is easier than formal paying work. A common refrain: Why slave away in your cubicle when you could cuddle your baby all day long? “Girlbosses‚” according to this particular memeplex‚ only choose to work outside the home because of brainwashing and outsized vanity. The implicit leisure of domestic life is more logically appealing‚ but logic isn’t in women’s wheelhouse anyway. Scott’s position radically diverges‚ not in the conclusion that it is good for women to be home‚ but in its justification. Homes are built‚ she insists. The “haven‚” if it is to exist‚ must be carefully‚ systematically crafted and routinely re-examined. Good homes are vectors and mirrors of civilization. This implies a certain process of refinement‚ of cultural carpentry in homemaking. It implies that the stuff of the home begins as chaos and is brought into order through certain processes. But someone must enact those processes. Put simply: Peace and order begin with the homemaker. Homemaking‚ Scott admits‚ isn’t easier than formal remunerative work. In many ways‚ it’s more difficult. Rather than a matter of mindless luxury‚ it is an opportunity to master self-government and to participate in something of great consequence. This is a sometimes harsh reality that many women‚ often women who were very successful in their professional lives‚ face if they do take the leap and choose to raise children full-time. The skills aren’t precisely transferrable; negotiating with a toddler is nothing like negotiating a contract. On top of that‚ you’re the janitor and cook now‚ too. But if homemaking is the kind of civilizing force that Scott describes (for all members of the family‚ especially the mother)‚ then it has deep political implications‚ too. How many of the criminals terrorizing American streets were raised with any intention at all‚ let alone by mothers who loved them and regarded their role in their lives such as to make them both self-governing and governable? As conservatives (aside from Scott) struggle to articulate the reality of women’s lives‚ liberal feminists will acknowledge the difficulty of stay-at-home moms‚ but only in service of the prefabricated conclusion that responsibility that involves (particularly feminine) difficulty should be avoided. The present dynamic is a tragedy. Liberals continue winning the culture wars. The conservative attitude has room to shift more in the direction of Scott’s — acknowledging the difficulty and dignity of the vocation of motherhood while still offering no quarter for self-indulgent complaining. Imagine a cultural movement that‚ instead of diminishing the role of a homemaker‚ either by right-wing neglect or left-wing manipulation‚ publicly recognized motherhood as a sacrificial service to one’s country. It wouldn’t be the first time in history‚ nor would it be unique among contemporaries. If we are seriously concerned about the future of a country with dismal birth rates‚ we can afford to reconsider the current methods anyway.

The tour‚ celebrating Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts‚ features an array of guest artists in a 3-hour performance. The post Allman Betts Family Revival Tour Honors Dickey Betts on His 80th Birthday appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

Stellaris is one of the finest grand strategy games on Steam‚ and time has only made it better as developer Paradox Interactive continues to develop it more than seven years after its original launch. It’s a crown jewel in the roster of the publisher behind the likes of Crusader Kings 3‚ Age of Wonder 4‚ Cities Skylines 2‚ and Europa Universalis 4‚ yet its development team shows a consistent desire to deliver regular upgrades - even if that means making bold changes‚ like its latest set of “experimental” tweaks now available in a Stellaris open beta. Continue reading Stellaris open beta lets you test its “experimental” new tech tree MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Stellaris review‚ Stellaris mods‚ Stellaris DLC guide

Curiosity‚ the experimental classic from Fable creator Peter Molyneux‚ remains one of my favorite gaming memories. Arriving back in 2012‚ it was a huge multiplayer experience with a deceptively simple premise. There was a huge cube‚ and when you tapped on the cube‚ it removed a single tile from one of its many‚ many layers. Every player was working on the same cube; for a few weeks‚ we were all united in this enigmatic task‚ slowly chipping away to find out what lay at the cube’s center. Eventually‚ we got there. The player who tapped away the final tile was awarded a special prize - they would become the creative ‘god’ of  Godus‚ the subsequent strategy game from Molyneux and his studio 22cans. Now‚ ten years and a ‘mostly negative’ user rating later‚ the ambitious project from the co-creator of Fable‚ Black and White‚ and Populous is being removed from Steam. Continue reading Peter Molyneux’s ‘mostly negative’ strategy game pulled from Steam

Ever wonder what happens to all the scrap when a space battle doesn't go someone's way? Star Citizen's latest alpha update‚ Wrecks to Riches presents one slightly grim answer and lets you scrap ships for resources or credits. Continue reading Star Citizen’s latest update lets you be a galactic scrap merchant MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best simulation games‚ Best multiplayer games‚ Best space games