by Simon Black
Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty and finances.
New York City starts banning words
You can now be fined $250,000 in New York City for using the term “Illegal alien” in a negative way according to new guidance from the City’s Commission on Human Rights.
This applies to landlords, employers, and in public accommodations.
So if a landlord says, “I can’t rent to rent to illegal aliens,” or a prospective employer says, “I can’t hire you because you’re an illegal alien,” you could be facing a quarter of a million dollar fine.
Click here for the full story.
Nurse takes newborn away after parents refuse vitamin K shot
A newborn’s first twelve hours of life were spent without her parents after they told a nurse not to administer a vitamin k shot.
The nurse announced she was reporting the family to child services, and left the room with the infant.
An old Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) policy classified parents who refused the vitamin K shot as negligent. The policy had been rescinded, but hospital staff still routinely use it to threaten parents.
The baby was returned without explanation. The next day a DCFS employee visited the parents and said there would be no actions taken, but that someone would still have to visit their home to check on the other children.
That’s what you get for having the nerve to choose what elective medical treatments you think are best for your child.
Click here for the full story.
Germany proposes three years in prison for insulting EU flag
It’s already illegal in Germany to insult foreign flags and German national emblems.
We’ve highlighted a case where a German man living in Germany was charged for reading an offensive poem about the Turkish Dictator.
Now, one chamber of the German legislature has passed a law that will apply those rules to the European Union as well.
Germans could get three years in prison for denigrating the ‘values’ of the European Union.
(We’re curious whether those EU values include negative interest rates?)
If the second chamber passes the bill, it will become hate speech to speak out against the European Union, insult its flag, or criticize its anthem.
Click here for the full story.
Flag of communist China raised above Boston City Hall
How far Boston had fallen since 1776.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Communist takeover of China, the Chinese Progressive Association of Boston held a ceremony and raised the Chinese Communist flag over city hall.
With a death toll of at least 45 million, Communism in China is nothing to celebrate… making this a clear indication of how powerfully the Socialist fever is gripping the Land of the Free.
Click here for the full story.
Police SWAT team responds to meme
A “Threat Assessment Unit” in full SWAT tactical gear stormed a Florida man’s home after he posted a meme.
The man shared a picture of former National Rife Association President Charlton Heston holding a rifle, with a caption of Heston’s catchphrase– “from my cold dead hands.”
In the post, the man named three local anti-gun politicians, and said he hoped they were the ones who would come to confiscate his guns.
One of the politicians’ wife reported the meme, saying she felt threatened.
And that was more than enough for the police to enter the man’s home (without a warrant) to interrogate him.
Click here for the full story.
Utah woman arrested and charged for being topless in her own home
If you’ve ever installed insulation, you know how aggravating the little fiberglass pieces can be on your skin.
So a Utah woman and her husband stripped their shirts off so they wouldn’t get fiberglass all over the house on the way to the shower.
The woman’s stepchildren saw her bare chested. That, she said, was a little embarrassing. But she used it as a teaching moment to ask why topless men and women should be treated any differently?
A year or two passed and suddenly the woman was arrested and charged with lewdness in front of a child.
Click here for the full story.