Ian Hanchett
BreitbartSat, 18 May 2024 00:00 UTC
On Friday's broadcast of HBO's "Real Time," former
New York Times reporter and current reporter and Head of Strategy at the Free Press Nellie Bowles argued that a full reversal of the left-wing excesses of 2020 should include "apologies to the people who got in a lot of trouble when they opposed those MIT DEI statements, let's say, or maybe some people would get their jobs back" but that hasn't happened.
Host Bill Maher said, "[W]e just had the fourth anniversary of the George Floyd murder, which, obviously changed a lot in this country. I think the big headline there should always be that it was a good thing that more of America got more impatient with racism, that's the main thing. But, like with everything in America — like with everything, we never just react, we overreact. And now some of these things seem to — that came out right after that seem to be being rolled back. For example, defund the police, that was a big thing, people aren't doing that anymore. And candidates who are for it aren't winning. DEI, that seems to have fizzled out a little bit and people said we did too much of that.
Forcing diversity statements, MIT said they're not going to do that anymore. That's where, when you — to get the job, you had to write out, here's what I would do to help the cause. It's like, okay, just be a good human being, we don't have to get the statement like we're in the Soviet Union."
Bowles responded,
"I don't think that we're in a point where this is being walked back or this is being totally reversed until we see maybe like some apologies to the people who got in a lot of trouble when they opposed those MIT DEI statements, let's say, or maybe some people would get their jobs back, a lot of people lost their jobs in the kind of spasms of cancellations over the last few years. You don't see any of that happening."
Comment: Nor have we seen much in the way of addressing or correcting for the totalitarian excesses of Covid policies. Though we are, here and there, seeing
bits of progress in that direction:
Charges Dropped Against New Jersey Gym Owner Who Defied Strict COVID Lockdown Rules
The owner of a gym in New Jersey who shot to national attention after defying COVID-19 restrictions by keeping his gym open has had all charges against him dropped.
Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, said in a statement on the social media platform X on May 18 that the more than 80 charges against him and the gym's co-owner Frank Trumbetti have been dropped with prejudice, meaning they cannot be revisited or refiled.
Among the charges levied against the two men by the state were violations of a governor's order, public nuisance, disturbing the peace, and operating without a license.
"The support we received locally, nationally, and internationally for our stand is something I will be forever grateful for," Mr. Smith said. "With that being said, I am thrilled to announce that we have achieved a major victory in the long, hard fight against the State."
Mr. Smith added that the "victory opens the battlefield again and gives us options to continue to push back and bring justice to the treasonous actions of Phil Murphy and his lackies [sic]," referencing the New Jersey Governor.
He further thanked his "fearless attorneys," adding that "some of the most high profile attorneys around the country ran from our case — knowing it would be a long, hard road and would make them a target of the stare."
"Again, thank you to all who supported us. We could not have done it without you ... Nobody is coming to save you, save yourself. Spit on your hands and hoist the black flag. No quarter," he concluded.
Gym Owners Rack Up Millions in Fines
Mr. Smith and Mr. Trumbetti racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines — including a $15,000 per day fine — for keeping their gym open in defiance of a state-wide order instructing non-essential businesses to close during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020.
The two men had argued that they had implemented a range of safety protocols at the gym and had only found a single case of the virus that could be traced back to the health facility, despite receiving upward of 84,000 visits.
However, state officials held steady with the fines, and in December 2021, Mr. Smith said they amounted to more than $1.2 million for violating the public health emergency rules, although he stressed he had no intention of paying them.
The two men were later arrested and charged on multiple counts, including one count of fourth-degree contempt, one count of obstruction, and one count of violation of a disaster control act, among others.
Despite the mounting charges against them, the businessman filed a federal lawsuit against the state accusing Mr. Murphy, along with then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and other New Jersey police officials accusing them of violating their constitutional rights by forcing them to shut down their business.
The Epoch Times has contacted the New Jersey Attorney General's Office for comment.
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Comment: Nor have we seen much in the way of addressing or correcting for the totalitarian excesses of Covid policies. Though we are, here and there, seeing bits of progress in that direction: