The purpose of the “Back to Center” advice column is to provide perspectives for personal realignment and empowered living in the COVID era. Sarah encourages you to reach out to her with requests for advice about self-development and emotional and mental well-being in these complicated times. Please send your questions to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:advice@aflds.org">advice@aflds.org</a>. Looking forward to hearing from you!For all other inquiries, please direct your questions to <a href="mailto:info@aflds.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">info@aflds.org</a>.&nbsp;I’m pretty active in the COVID resistance movement. I don’t wear a mask and try whenever I can to inform people of their right to be exempt from mask-wearing. I speak out, I attend rallies for freedom. I send articles and research to friends and family who have been brainwashed about COVID. Sometimes I feel so fired up about fighting this fight. Other times, I just feel exhausted and depressed. I think, “What does it matter if I fight or not? This is all so much bigger than me.” I feel tempted to give up. What should I do when I hit those low points?Wow, you definitely are a fighter! Thank you for all you have been doing to bring more freedom and truth to the world. I want you to know that the motivational rollercoaster ride you describe is so real and normal. Let’s talk it through.Those moments of feeling fired up are awesome, right? There’s such an intense energy to them. You feel like you can take on the world, and nothing can stand in your way.&nbsp;But the times when you come off of that high, and dip down into fatigue, depression, and doubt…they feel bad. We don’t want to feel that way; it feels wrong, and there’s this impulse to want to scramble up out of them as quickly as possible and get back to that high place again.&nbsp;What I want to say to you is: Let yourself be low. It’s okay. It sounds like the effort you’re putting into fighting the COVID story is huge! It takes a lot of emotional and mental energy. None of us can operate at that all-out fight level all the time. Sometimes we will get tired, we won’t feel so great about things…but maybe that’s just a sign that we need a break.When your rollercoaster car plummets down into a dip, ask yourself, “What do I need right now?” Maybe the answer will be to take some extra naps or take a break from reading those articles. Maybe getting more fresh air and exercise or spending extra time with friends is what you need. Or maybe it will be to just do “nothing” for a little while.&nbsp;While you’re taking whatever kind of break you need, it will be important to catch and send away any self-judgmental thoughts about feeling the way you feel. Even without COVID in the picture, we all go through highs and lows of energy and motivation in life. Just letting yourself be wherever you are on that spectrum at this moment will allow you to fully absorb the rest and reenergize much faster.&nbsp;You said, “What does it matter if I fight or not? This is all so much bigger than me.” Yes, it is bigger than you. But you only have to fight your part of it; don’t take the whole world on your shoulders. And you can fight your fight and be gentle to yourself too.&nbsp;All the best!****I am a recovered alcoholic who has been sober six years. Before my alcoholism became a dominant factor in my life, I left my ex-wife when my daughter was an infant. I was a lost man at that time and could not fathom having a child grow up in a toxic environment, so I did what I thought was right at that time and left. My ex was very angry, and became vindictive, using my daughter to "get back at me." When my daughter was four years old, my alcohol use became unmanageable, and I destroyed my life due to addiction and my actions. For about four years, I had to focus on myself and my recovery so I could be the father my daughter deserves.&nbsp;I maintained contact with my daughter through phone and visits about every six to eight weeks.&nbsp; As my daughter got older, she "magically" began to want to stop all communication with me, and I only was able to get periodic updates through my ex-wife.&nbsp; After I had been sober five years, I knew I had to fight to be in my daughters’ life, and I obtained an attorney…During my dark times when I was medically incapable of making a sound decision, I was manipulated into signing legal custody over to my ex…When it came time for the COVID shot, I begged, pleaded, sent countless articles, videos, studies, evidence to my ex about how destructive and pointless the shot is, and how wrong it is to get a child "vaccinated" for something they will never die from. She did it anyway.... because "she (my daughter) wanted to get it, so I said it was ok."So here we are.&nbsp; I still send info and articles in hopes that there will be no more shots, but they're met with silence. I'm hurt. I'm sad. I'm scared. I'm perplexed. I'm baffled. I feel hopeless and helpless.&nbsp; I couldn't be there to protect my daughter, and my ex-wife made an irrational, emotional decision based on fear and selfishness.My question is simple, yet it isn't.&nbsp; How do I cope with this?&nbsp;Thank you for sharing your story with me. It’s a very raw and painful one. I&nbsp;hear your feelings of hopelessness, fear, and confusion, and truly hope my words will be helpful to you.I want to start off by witnessing you and your journey. You went through a dark and intense struggle with alcoholism that left you a “lost man,” as you said. But you did something that not everyone is strong enough to do: you made the long, hard journey back to sobriety, and have stayed there for six years. I want you to recognize for yourself what a tremendous accomplishment that is.&nbsp;Another thing I notice about your story is how despite the darkness and lost-ness of those years, it seems that through it all, you held on to the idea of wanting to do what was best for your daughter, as you understood it at the time. You left when she was a baby because you didn’t want her to grow up in a toxic environment. Later, when you were at your lowest point, you knew you had to focus completely on recovering “so I could be the father my daughter deserves.” You fought to stay in your daughter’s life after your wife cut off your contact with her. And when COVID came around, you tried with everything you had to convince your ex-wife to decide against the shot for your daughter.Whatever choices you have made throughout this journey, however lost you may have been, whatever regrets you may have, it seems to me that against all odds you have held on to the essence of what it means to be a father – to love and protect your child, and continually work to become the best you can be for her. It shines out from the words you write like a lighthouse in the dark.And now, you are wondering how to cope with the fact that your daughter has received the COVID shot against your wishes, and there’s no response from your ex-wife.I think the first step to coping with all of this is to forgive yourself.I’m not just talking about what happened with the shot; I mean all of it, the whole picture. Can you forgive yourself for having an addiction, for struggling, for the choices you made, for the years you couldn’t be there with your daughter?When we do things in life that we later regret, it can be so easy to get stuck in self-blame. I think the key to beginning the process of releasing that blame lies in the words you wrote about leaving your daughter and ex-wife: “I did what I thought was right at that time.” Doing what we think is right at the time, with the knowledge and experience we have in that moment, is all we can ever do. In hindsight, we might come to feel that we’ve made wrong choices, but we can also choose to view our past selves with compassion. We did the best we could at that moment.When working on self-forgiveness, it can be really powerful to write a letter to your past self, the one who made the choices you regret now. Try to use that voice of compassion, the one that says, “I understand where you were coming from. You were doing what you thought was best.” You can also tell your past self about who you are today – how far you’ve come, how much more you know now, and how you want to move forward in life.&nbsp;I believe that doing this work of self-forgiveness (and just know that it’s a process that will take time) will help you deal with the current situation you’re facing. It can help you shift away from still seeing yourself as the father who wasn’t there into a place of empowerment as the father you are now – one who is present and ready to connect.All of what I’ve written so far has been about you facing yourself, which I believe is a strong foundation for coping with your current situation. I do also have a suggestion about interactions with your daughter and ex-wife, if you’re open to it…I wonder what would happen if you were to hold off for now on sending more COVID shot articles and information. Instead, what would it be like if you sent personal letters from your heart? You could write to your daughter telling her how much you love her, how special she is, how proud of her you are…whatever loving words you want to tell her.&nbsp;As for your ex-wife, is there anything you can find to thank her for in the way she has raised your daughter? Even if it’s as basic as thanking her for providing a home for your daughter, feeding her, clothing her, sending her to school…I realize this idea might feel difficult, but I wonder what a letter like that could do to open up communication between all of you. Sometimes a few honest, heartfelt, humble words can change everything. It might give you a much better chance of having a say in decisions regarding your daughter going forward.This is going to be a journey, and you have come through so much already. I believe the strength you have shown in battling your own demons will help bring you to new places of self-forgiveness and peace, and hopefully a wonderful reconnection with your daughter. Wishing you every happiness!****I am a newcomer to the AFLDS site and similarly positioned media. I’ve only just recently started waking up to the idea that maybe the mainstream COVID narrative isn’t as true as I thought it was the past few years. I feel confused, disoriented, and scared – it’s a “not sure which way is up” feeling. I’m looking for some support. Thank you!Yes. What you are experiencing is big. You believed the story that was fed to you over the last two years, the story that probably most people around you believe too, and it shaped your view of the world. Now, you’re having the experience of “waking up,” as you say. It probably feels like those times when you wake up from real sleep, and for a long, disoriented moment you’re not sure what is dream and what is reality. The good news is those moments always pass. You will get through the way you are feeling now too.I will share with you that I went through my own process of “waking up” to the COVID story a while ago. When it was happening, I experienced huge waves of fear. The realization that perhaps COVID had been engineered by people with motives was far more terrifying to me than the idea of the virus itself. Something that really helped me was to take it slow. Limiting my conversations about it and the amount of reading I did to small bits at a time helped to ease my feelings of overwhelm. I would recommend the same for you. It’s a lot to take in; don’t try to do it all at once.&nbsp;Finding someone you can confide in as you reconfigure your view of things is also extremely helpful. If you have a friend or acquaintance who also understands what’s going on out there, ask them if you could be a support for each other. I think we all know it but forget sometimes: The power of just talking out how you’re feeling to someone you trust is incredible. It can help ease tension, clear up confusion, and settle those jittery, nervous feelings.The last thing I want to say might be a hard one to put to work for you right now, so feel free to save it for when you’re ready. Here it is: Be grateful to know the truth. I know; when the truth is scary or unpleasant, it can be so easy to long for blissful ignorance. How nice it would be to just trust that our governments are taking care of us, looking out for our health and well-being, that they know what they’re doing…Truth can be hard to swallow sometimes but seeing something clearly is always better than staying comfortable in a lie. Aligning yourself with reality allows you to step more into the real you. This is the “you” who can rise to the occasion and take on the challenge of being a person of truth and integrity, who doesn’t just follow the masses, but thinks and finds out things for herself. I would suggest doing some journaling around the question, “How does knowing the truth about COVID give me an opportunity to grow?”&nbsp;These are hard times, but you are doing great. I believe that there will come a time when the truth will be clear to the whole world; lies can’t hold up forever. When that time comes, you’ll be able to help others through the very same process you’re going through now. Stay strong!Previous columns:<ul style="list-style-type:initial;"><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/back-to-center-my-wife-is-willing-to-take-the-sacrifice-for-her-sister-and-im-sick-to-my-stomach-thinking-about-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'My wife is willing to take the sacrifice for her sister and I'm sick to my stomach thinking about it'</a></li><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/back-to-center-i-deeply-regret-taking-the-vaccine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'I deeply regret taking the vaccine'</a></li><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/back-to-center-married-39-years-and-i-thought-we-were-on-the-same-page-when-it-came-to-things-that-mattered-most/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'Married 39 years and I thought we were on the same page when it came to things that mattered most'</a></li><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/back-to-center-how-do-i-repair-this-relationship-or-accept-that-i-may-never-see-my-son-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘How do I repair this relationship or accept that I may never see my son again?’</a></li><li>‘<a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/back-to-center-how-can-i-stop-fear-from-controlling-my-every-thought-and-ruining-my-dreams/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How can I stop fear from controlling my every thought and ruining my dreams?’</a></li><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/how-can-i-pursue-my-dream-to-find-the-person-to-marry-when-its-so-hard-to-connect-with-new-people-because-of-covid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'How can I pursue my dream to find the person to marry, when it's so hard to connect with new people because of COVID?'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.org/news/post/how-can-i-feel-safe-these-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'How can I feel safe these days?'</a></li><li><a href="https://americasfrontlinedoctors.org/news/post/advice-column-premier-back-to-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Advice column premier: Back to Center</a></li></ul>Sarah encourages you to reach out to her with requests for advice! Please send your questions to <a href="mailto:advice@aflds.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">advice@aflds.org</a><figure class="image image-style-align-left image_resized" style="width:428px;"><img src="https://aflds.rbrdigital.app/uploads/image_def5830ec1.jpeg"></figure>Sarah Perron is a Certified Transformational Life Coach. Her passion is to help people create a powerful vision for their lives, identify and eliminate anything that holds them back, and step into their own unique greatness and mission in the world. She believes deeply in the power of coaching to bring fresh perspectives, ideas, and motivation to anyone who wants to thrive in life. Sarah works with clients one-on-one and in group coaching programs and presents exciting workshops on self-development topics. You can follow her on her YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTlPdMbwe8QAfP5NUR3GRRQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Find Your Fire</a>.You are invited to book a complimentary coaching call with Sarah! Please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalendly.com%2Fsarahperroncoaching%2F45min&amp;data=04%7C01%7Csones%40aflds.org%7C31d93fd5f0224c8ae79008da065d1c0c%7Cb86874a894e144f8891fcd4fa7ac80e6%7C1%7C0%7C637829294605931269%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=ypWrVm9gI8jDagbivpnoHD1M%2F%2F4CKS4v1YoGUWUGpMQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://calendly.com/sarahperroncoaching/45min</a>&nbsp;to choose a time that's convenient&nbsp;for you. She looks forward to meeting you!

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'I was a lost man at that time and could not fathom having a child grow up in a toxic environment, so I did what I thought was right at that time'

Back to Center: Can you forgive yourself for the years you couldn’t be there with your daughter?

This Wednesday, the senior editor of NPR, Uri Berliner, announced that he would be resigning from the organization for which he has worked for the past 25 years.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My resignation letter to NPR CEO <a href="https://twitter.com/krmaher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@krmaher</a> <a href="https://t.co/0hafVbcZAK">pic.twitter.com/0hafVbcZAK</a>— Uri Berliner (@uberliner) <a href="https://twitter.com/uberliner/status/1780610524411048183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The day before he tendered his resignation, Berliner had been suspended from NPR for five days without pay, due to the criticism of his colleagues regarding a piece he wrote for The Free Press, excoriating NPR for its progressive bias.&nbsp;&nbsp;The apology as a weaponInstead of resigning, Berliner could have apologized, recanted, and moved on — as many have done before him, especially when they cannot afford to lose their source of income. The more people take this route, the harder it is to be the outlier, especially as that outlier can be ostracized not only at work but also in his entire social circle, and perhaps even among family and relatives.In an environment where backing down and repenting one's “unwoke” ideas is increasingly idolized, groupthink becomes swiftly embedded and harder to resist.According to Dr. James Lindsay, embedding groupthink is part of the plan, and the plan was hatched not in the United States but in China, where its finer points were tested on the native population before being exported in order to destabilize and weaken China's main rival on the world stage.<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="681" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MjQp-ZLu0oI" title="James Lindsay on Struggle Sessions: Have Chinese Political Warfare Tactics Influenced American DEI?" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Dr. Lindsay explains that the “crimes” of the DEI age are intentionally vague.<blockquote>They're training you to recognize your crimes on a predetermined set of terms … and their goal is to pressure you psychologically into figuring out in their terms how you harmed other people.</blockquote>He notes the extensive use of the word “harm," a typically vague term that is essentially impossible to prove or refute.When a person is accused by someone in the workplace or any other setting of having “harmed” someone, he continues, what happens is that the person's social milieu is “weaponized” against them. The person comes under tremendous psychological pressure to “just apologize” and restore the good name of the company, social group, family etc.<blockquote>This is psychological torture that's effected through manipulating the social environment around you to create psychological struggle so that you recognize crimes that are ill-defined in reality…It ends with you selling yourself out.</blockquote>&nbsp;DEI or DIE?Berliner is a prominent example of what is happening in workplaces in many places around the world, where those who dare to resist the prevailing worldview of the institution (even, or perhaps especially, if said institution is supposedly practicing even-handed, <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3950550-the-truth-about-nprs-funding-and-its-possible-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">government-sponsored</a> journalism) are aggressively weeded out.According to a recent representative <a href="https://freespeechunion.org/the-edi-tax-how-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-is-hobbling-british-businesses/?mc_cid=1c18d61fed&amp;mc_eid=33114c8522&amp;utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">survey</a> conducted in the U.K., training in DEI (referred to in Britain as EDIC—Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Climate) is endemic in the British workplace. 65% of those surveyed said that they had been obliged to undergo some form of diversity training by an employer.Among those who underwent DEI training, the majority reported that they had felt compelled to hide their true opinions of the content. Over one in five said they had “said what they ought to say rather than what they thought.” Among Black and Asian respondents, this proportion rose to almost one in three. Apparently, their caution was well-founded, as 36 percent of those surveyed said that they had witnessed staff being penalized for challenging DEI training and 12 percent said they had seen staff fired.Almost half of those surveyed who went through training said that what they were forced to learn conflicted with their values, and almost a third of respondents said that they had left a job because their employer adopted “woke” ideology. Here, too, the proportion was higher among minority groups and also among those who identify as LGBT.&nbsp;The survey did not examine the reasons why those identifying as LGBT should object to woke ideas, but recent activity on the part of organizations such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/14/lie-of-gender-identity-spurred-founding-of-lgb-alliance-court-told" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LGB Alliance </a>against trans-promoting groups perhaps gives a clue to where they are coming from. While woke-trans is an ideology, many who call themselves L, G, or B do not allow their form of intimate attraction to define their entire identity and object to giving it so much prominence.The report's authors concluded that DEI is operating,<blockquote>… in effect, as a tax … Many ambitious employees and senior managers are leaving companies because of the excessive time they're expected to spend on these courses … Genuine diversity of thought is required for any business to thrive, but much EDIC training is having the opposite effect and embedding a new form of groupthink.</blockquote>According to Dr. Lindsay, this is exactly the plan being implemented by influential elements who have succeeded in permeating virtually all U.S. institutions, from the armed forces to the universities, corporations to smaller businesses, government local and federal — essentially, everywhere. Whether or not the United States will be next to adopt draconian thought-police laws like those now in place in Scotland remains to be seen.

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wokeness

New survey shows DEI destroying workforce caliber, creating 'groupthink'

Made in China: How Mao's minions weaponize DEI to subvert America

By Alex NewmanAs the global war on educational liberty heats up, Johns Hopkins School of Education is launching a new “<a href="https://education.jhu.edu/edpolicy/policy-research-initiatives/homeschool-hub/">Homeschool Hub</a>” that has experts and advocates deeply concerned. Many say it is part of the escalating effort to bring homeschooling families under government control.&nbsp;The new entity is funded by advocates of taxpayer funding for private and home education. The United Nations education agency in recent years has called on governments to fund “non-state education providers” with tax money in order to impose “equity” goals, national testing regimes, “non-discrimination” schemes, and more.&nbsp;Leaders in the homeschooling movement and Christian education told The Newman Report that this scheme by Johns Hopkins posed a “clear and present danger” to home educators. From the information that is publicly available so far, those concerns do not appear unreasonable.&nbsp;Virtually the entire leadership of prominent national and state homeschooling organizations have been opposed to government funding of home education. In fact, homeschooling families and advocacy organizations have been a constant thorn in the side of “school choice” advocates seeking to get home educators hooked on tax funds.&nbsp;The reason why leaders of the homeschooling movement have been largely united on the issue is simple. They believe control and regulation by government will be the inevitable result of taxpayer money — especially since this is what the historical record shows. Concerns about dependency and expanding the size and scope of government exist, too.However, by bringing a new player into homeschooling world — a powerful voice backed by academic credentials and big money seeking “school choice” funding — critics are concerned about possible nefarious intentions. The goal seems to be, in part, to sideline and displace existing voices in the movement. &nbsp; &nbsp;On its website, the new “Homeschool Hub” styles itself the “one-stop shop for current information on homeschooling data, regulations, and research across the United States.” Supposedly, in-depth data and information on all fifty states will be made available on the site, though it has not been fully fleshed out yet.&nbsp;“As homeschooling continues to expand and evolve, we need a better understanding of this growing and diversifying education sector,” argued Dr. Angela Watson, Homeschool Hub creator and assistant professor of education. “We need policy based on facts, not historical stereotypes. My hope is that the Homeschool Hub will help fill these needs.”There are already multiple established and credible services offering exactly that kind of information online. These include the <a href="https://hslda.org/">Home School Legal Defense Association</a> (HSLDA), a powerhouse with detailed insights on the legal environment serving hundreds of thousands of member families that opposes government funding and control of homeschooling.&nbsp;Another major resource on homeschooling data and research is the <a href="https://www.nheri.org/">National Home Education Research Institute</a> (NHERI). Widely recognized as the top repository for research on homeschooling in the world, NHERI and its leader, Dr. Brain Ray, have long been seen as the “one-stop shop” for the latest news, data, research, and insight into homeschooling. Dr. Ray also opposes government funding and control of homeschooling.&nbsp;On its website, the Hub suggests that it will seek to displace those sources to help inform future regulation and policy on home education. “Our goal is to remove barriers to rigorous research, increase transparency, and expand awareness to encourage evidence-driven policy,” the site says without explaining what barriers it believes may exist to research or “evidence-driven policy.”&nbsp;As the far-left Washington Post strategically targets existing homeschooling leaders and institutions, the new hub aims to become “the leader” in the field of homeschooling research. “As homeschooling grows, the Homeschool Hub will serve as the leader in promoting rigorous homeschool research and responding to the need for more transparency from this growing sector,” the site added.&nbsp;When the establishment speaks of “transparency,” that is generally a dog whistle for increasing surveillance, control, data-gathering, and intrusions on privacy.The new hub’s website, citing unnamed supposed “critics,” also cites the alleged risks that “unregulated” home education might feature, including “indoctrination” or even that parents with “conservative Christian values” may seek to “isolate” their children. &nbsp;On April 25, the new Homeschool Hub, hosted at Johns Hopkins “Institute for Education Policy” and its “School of Education,” will be holding a major event on home education. Headlined “Beyond the Traditional Classroom: The Rise of Homeschooling and Its Impact on Education in America,” the event will formally launch the new hub, according to the announcement.Numerous high-profile panelists with no real ties to the homeschooling movement will participate. These include various university officials and faculty members, an adviser to the scandal-plagued World Bank, an “education reporter” at the viciously anti-homeschooling Washington Post, and a senior U.S. Department of Education official.&nbsp;Johns Hopkins, notable for pioneering transgender mutilation of children and other barbarism, is open about the fact that it is partnering with <a href="https://www.edchoice.org/">EdChoice</a>, a well-known and well-funded group seeking what it calls “school choice.” The movement, launched by legendary economist Milton Friedman, is among the leading advocates of tax funding for home education and private schools. &nbsp;Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins is based in Baltimore, Maryland, the first state that sought to create a state-run homeschooling “council” to supposedly speak for homeschooling families and advise authorities. The controversial plan, which became a lightning rod of criticism among home educators, was widely seen as a ploy to bring in regulation and control.&nbsp;<img class="image_resized" style="width:332px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.freedomproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/3364780_1225x377_2500.jpg?resize=696%2C214&amp;ssl=1" alt="">With homeschooling becoming a major threat to the government’s “education” narrative and monopoly, it is no surprise to see the establishment work to crush it, co-opt it, or both. Tyrants across the United States and around the world are openly waging war on home education. As such, homeschool leaders and families are right to take the threat seriously.&nbsp;Originally published at <a href="https://www.freedomproject.com/2024/04/17/tnr20240417/">FreedomProject Media</a>.<a href="https://libertysentinel.org/author/admin/">Alex Newman</a> is an award-winning international journalist, educator, author, and consultant who co-wrote the book “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children.” He writes for diverse publications in the United States and abroad.

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Education

US News

University launching new 'Homeschool Hub;' experts and advocates deeply concerned

Johns Hopkins Homeschooling: Big Ed Seeking to Control Next Generation of Home Educators

<h2>Genetic engineering puts the natural world at risk</h2>Genetic engineering going from the lab, to the field, to the wildYou may have heard about the genetically modified mosquitos <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01070-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released</a> in Florida to mitigate a Florida invasive species spreading zika and dengue, yet that is only one aspect of how synthetic biology (synbio) can affect nature. Jim Thomas of ETC Group (Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration) <a href="https://www.etcgroup.org/content/video-lab-field-forest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spoke</a> about the potential dangers synbio may have on biodiversity and how we look after, conserve, share, and use the natural world.The video below, in which Thomas discusses the threats and new trends we'll have to start dealing with, gives us a window into a world that most of us may not be aware of, but should. His talk results from a discussion held by the Convention on Biological Diversity's Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group.&nbsp;Thomas brought forward the following three issues associated with the technology and nature:1. Tools of genetic engineering are being put out into the field. Previously, genetically engineered organisms would have been created in the lab. Now they can release genetically engineered viruses or organisms into the field that can genetically engineer other organisms out in the field. Examples he called "crazy" include a “project by the US defense establishment called ‘insect allies to genetically engineer plants’.” He expressed “worry about it being a potential bioweapon but also a big shift in terms of doing the genetic engineering in an uncontrolled environment and changing nature.”2. &nbsp;Synbio is being used for conservation applications. Previously, biodiversity and conservation were about protecting the natural world. Now synbio is being used for such projects as eradicating invasive species by releasing synthetic organisms or genetically engineering corals to withstand climate change. “The idea that conservation could be done by making synthetic ecosystems is a really big shift” he said.. . . . [N]ow you've got these proposals of turning the natural world into a kind of synthetic version of itself and that could really upturn how we protect the wild and natural world.&nbsp;3. Machines and algorithms, artificial intelligence, and robots are taking over genetic engineering.&nbsp;<blockquote>Large automated genetic engineering foundries called biofoundries that use artificial intelligence to make tens of thousands of organisms at a time, not from a human's mind but to design them using artificial intelligence, . . . &nbsp;and one day to go out into the environment. And, it raises a real safety question because, if you have something go wrong, you potentially don't understnd why it went wrong. With artificial intelligence, it's a bit of a black box. . . . If you're asking artificial intelligence to redesign nature and release that into the environment then you've got a big problem in terms of trying to understand safety and if something goes wrong understanding what went wrong.&nbsp;</blockquote>The group of experts, Thomas said, all “felt that there needs to be a process for scanning the horizon and monitoring and assessing new developments in genetic engineering. We began to set out what that should be . . .”<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e7ES6ZYNTjA" title="From the lab to the field to the forest: synthetic biology" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

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Technology

'The idea that conservation could be done by making synthetic ecosystems is a really big shift'

Danger ahead! Changing the natural world with genetic engineering and artificial intelligence

21 shades of…The University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) has unveiled not just one but twenty-one flags, in order to demonstrate “inclusion.”<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">In support of Pride Month, University Hospitals of North Midlands unveiled a new LGBTQ+ inclusion banner at Royal Stoke. The banner shows 21 different flags representing that everyone is welcome here at UHNM. Read more <a href="https://t.co/A541Z9pbRV">https://t.co/A541Z9pbRV</a> <a href="https://t.co/FCPGK7gEsI">pic.twitter.com/FCPGK7gEsI</a>— UHNM NHS Trust (@UHNM_NHS) <a href="https://twitter.com/UHNM_NHS/status/1668959772266168321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;For those who need to be brought up-to-date, here is a short guide to the flags:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Rainbow: Gay “pride” flag</li><li>Progress: “Pride” flag with the addition of stripes for trans, black, and brown people</li><li>Bisexual: Attracted to both sexes/genders</li><li>Pansexual: Attracted to “all genders”</li><li>Nonbinary: People who don't identify as either male or female</li><li>Transgender: People who identify as the opposite sex</li><li>Asexual: Those who feel no sexual attraction to anyone</li><li>Intersex: A genuine biological (and extremely rare) condition where someone has physical traits from both sexes</li><li>Gay</li><li>Lesbian</li><li>Polysexual: Attracted to “more than one gender”</li><li>Agender: Those who reject gender identity and “have none at all”</li><li>Androgyne: Those who don't look either masculine or feminine</li><li>Genderfluid: Unstable identity, veering between genders, multiple identities, and no identity at all</li><li>Genderqueer: Not following “gender norms”</li><li>Neutrosis: Lacking specific “gender identity”</li><li>Aromantic: Having little or no romantic feeling for others</li><li>Demisexual: Having sexual attraction to another only after becoming emotionally attached</li><li>Demiromantic: Having romantic attraction to another only after becoming emotionally attached</li><li>Polyamorous: Having relationships with multiple people simultaneously</li><li>Straight ally: None of the above, but “supports” them all</li></ol>&nbsp;Where's my flag?Commenting on UHNM's post, one X user wondered where “his” flag was.&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Which flag represents straight people?— Noah Matter (@matter_noah) <a href="https://twitter.com/matter_noah/status/1779823700235186397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Although the goal is “inclusion” and “making everyone feel welcome,” this apparently does not extend to those who are “straight” (i.e., heterosexual) and do not support the legitimization of traditionally non-standard lifestyles and practices.&nbsp;Fiddling while the hospitals burnOther X users wondered whether the money invested in this expression of “inclusion” might not have been better spent by the government, given the dire state of the UK's National Health Service.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Unbelievable. And in the city of my birth too. How much money was wasted on this? You should be treating the ill, not pushing this crazy activist rubbish.— Will C (@wjec77) <a href="https://twitter.com/wjec77/status/1780001702269128872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;Let's hoist these flags everywhere!Lisa Thomson is the Director of Communications and Charity and Executive Sponsor of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network (earning around $100,000 per year as an NHS “Director of People"). She <a href="https://www.uhnm.nhs.uk/latest-uhnm-news/posts/2023/june/uhnm-unveil-lgbtqplus-inclusion-banner-at-royal-stoke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stressed </a>that she was delighted at the initiative and hoped that others would adopt its message:<blockquote>It is fantastic to see our message “Everyone is Welcome Here” proudly displayed in the main entrance at Royal Stoke Hospital. Unveiling it in Pride month is really important as we need to actively show our support for colleagues from LGBTQ+ communities.&nbsp;Both the colleagues we work with and the people we care for come from a wide range of background [sic.] and represent many different communities. It is important we celebrate our differences and work together to ensure everyone is made to feel welcome. I the [sic.] look forward to seeing the banner up at County Hospital.</blockquote>&nbsp;Years of “gender oppression”?Other outraged X users focused their ire on UHNM's “gender” policy:<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">You stop chemically castrating gay boys yet?— Chris {∜} (@ChrisFourOhFour) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisFourOhFour/status/1780003381316141090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In its <a href="https://www.uhnm.nhs.uk/media/9035/20230929-c64-supporting-transgender-individuals-foi-ref-196-2324-2-of-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Policy Document</a> “Supporting Transgender Individuals,” UHNM sets out its commitment to “promoting an inclusive, diverse workforce … supporting human rights … to ensure that people are not discriminated against or disadvantaged…"UHNM's attitude toward woke ideology is perhaps best encapsulated in clause 1.4 which states:<blockquote>When a person transitions as an adult, sometimes in middle age or later, the years of oppression of the person’s gender identity at any age may have contributed to a deteriorating mental state. The treatment is therefore life enhancing and even lifesaving and is not taken lightly; it is not a lifestyle choice.</blockquote>&nbsp;Is “Demi” code-language for “moral”?According to <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-demisexual-5082519" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">verywellmind</a>, the word “demisexuality” became more mainstream as far back as 2008. They describe a demisexual person as someone who,<blockquote>experiences sexual attraction only when they feel a true emotional bond with another person.</blockquote><a href="https://www.webmd.com/sex/what-demiromanticism-means" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WebMD</a> defines a “demiromantic” person as,<blockquote>someone who only develops romantic feelings for another person when they have a strong emotional connection to them.</blockquote>Whatever one's views on the other 19 items on the list, it is possible that the inclusion of two terms that signify a move toward traditional morality is a step in the right direction, if only to give young (and older) people a "woke" option of refusing close physical contact outside the bounds of marriage.

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Medical

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21 'inclusion' flags but none for heterosexuals