Looking Back On 2022

Happy New Year! I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start and it will continue throughout 2023. I’m not sure if everyone does what I do at the start of the new year. I reminisce a lot. I’m not much for resolutions. I learned long ago that I didn’t keep the ones I made so I quit. An analyst would likely say that I like to look back rather than forward. That’s not totally true. We do learn from the past, so I do try to remember those things that were important.

Looking back on 2022, I am thankful for many blessings during the year. I’m also prayerful about things that didn’t happen that I wish could still come to fruition.

I am remembering how different things are today than even just a few years ago. Whoever thought, not too long ago, that there would be such a struggle to convince educators that parents expect children to be taught to read and write in school, and not to be taught sexual pornography. Of course, it isn’t called pornography anymore. I was watching some parents trying to read a book to a school board that was being read in the classroom. A board member silenced them saying it was inappropriate to be read in this setting. Excuse me? It’s too explicit for adults to read in public but okay for children in a classroom.

In today’s world, much of what we think must be parody is real. Stanford University published a report, “Elimination of Harmful Words.” The report is an index of forbidden words on the school’s website and computer code. A warning prefaces the list: “This website contains language that is offensive or harmful. Please engage with this website at your own pace.”

The Wall Street Journal pointed out the lunacy of this report.

Don’t call yourself an “American”. Instead use “U.S. citizen.” “Gangbusters” should never be used because it “invokes the notion of police action against gangs in a positive light, which may have racial undertones.” One should never use the word “immigrant” but “person who has immigrated” instead.

Never “beat a dead horse” because this phrase “normalizes violence against animals.” Surely this phrase came from a brilliant tenured professor.

Do not “master’ your craft. According to Stanford, “historically masters enslaved people”. Blind studies are no longer acceptable. Instead, one should use the phrase “masked study”. Blind “unintentionally perpetuates that disability is somehow abnormal or negative.” Why are simple known facts considered negative?

According to Stanford, the report took 18 months and lots of collaboration with stakeholders. Imagine how much it must cost. Obviously, there is not enough real work for people to do there. No wonder tuition is unaffordable.

After the list was discovered, Stanford hid it from public view. Now only those with a password can have access to these forbidden words. They’re afraid that we “stupid people” will never understand the brilliance of such crap.

Biden finally did something right. He repealed the vaccine mandate for our military members. After causing the dismissal of thousands of troop members and dangerously low recruitment numbers, the requirement has been repealed. Wonder if the dismissed military personnel will have an opportunity to return?

Speaking of Covid vaccine requirements, did you hear about the 14-year-old girl who has been denied a kidney transplant by Duke Hospital because she is unvaccinated? She was adopted from Ukraine and suffers from a degenerative kidney disease. Her parents have filed a lawsuit against Duke. I hope they win.

A federal appeals court has blocked the Biden administration from forcing Religious Sisters of Mercy and other Catholic organizations to perform gender transitioning procedures against their beliefs. At least one court has upheld the Constitutional Freedom of Religion clause.

I’m thankful for the court decision in Planned Parenthood vs Moore. This was a challenge to five laws affecting abortions in North Carolina. Planned Parenthood petitioned the courts for a voluntary dismissal. They realized these were common sense requirements and, I believe, they didn’t want publicity opposing these simple things that most people would agree with.

I hope 2023 is your best year ever.