LIFTER WANTS TO SWITCH SIDES

NEEDS TO TRANS-ITION

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, wants to make sure biological males can compete in women’s powerlifting events. She recently sent USA Powerlifting a letter requesting that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison investigate USA Powerlifting, which she says won’t let transgender women compete in women’s events.

Her congressional district constituent, JayCee Cooper, she wrote, is being discriminated against because of her gender, which she says is a violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

USA Powerlifting issued a ban on biological males competing in women’s events last month, saying, “Men naturally have a larger bone structure, higher bone density, stronger connective tissue and higher muscle density than women. These traits, even with reduced levels of testosterone, do not go away. While [male-to-female athletes] may be weaker and less [muscular] than they once were, the biological benefits given them at birth still remain over that of a female.”

Omar, though, said transgender women having a “direct competitive advantage” is a myth not supported by medical science. However, she provided no medical science backup for such a statement. She also cited International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines in her letter about how to incorporate transgender athletes but overlooked the fact the IOC “allows sports to determine the impact on fair play through such inclusion.”

Look to see this issue on a playing field near you.

ASKED AND ANSWERED

As cable news organizations do, CNN took a quick poll of what viewers thought of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union message last week.

As the network’s political director, David Chalian, pointed out, 59 percent of respondents gave the message very positive ratings, and 17 percent tabbed it somewhat positive, so it had an approval rating of 76 percent of viewers.

Of course, that wasn’t what the far left network hoped to hear. “So I just want to stress here, for a State of the Union address,” Chalian said, “the president’s partisans, his supporters, tend to turn out to watch the speech. … So tonight, we saw a heavily Republican skewed audience turn out to watch the president’s speech.”

Which begs two questions. If CNN knew what it was going to get in the poll, why did it bother to take it? And if Trump’s partisans were watching CNN, who was watching FOX?

Chalian also must have had to swallow hard when he told viewers the president’s “very positives” were higher this year than in 2017 and 2018.

‘TEST OF HUMANITY’

Panera Bread’s socialist experiment should have lessons for the newly minted members of Congress anxious to push the U.S. into a purely socialist future.

This week the company will close its last pay-what-youcan restaurant, with a food sector publication reporting that none of the five locations was self-sustaining.

The business model of the Panera Cares restaurants, created to serve low-income customers, was that patrons could dine for a donation. The company’s founder, Ron Shaich, said in 2010 the program’s aim was a “test of humanity.”

How did humanity do? Well, it was reported that homeless people and students “mobbed” the restaurants and paid nothing. The Portland location eventually had to limit its homeless patrons — some of whom were coming in for every meal a week — to a few meals per week. Elsewhere, it was said security guards manned entrances at some restaurants and glared at customers, and managers often had to tell off customers for “abusing the system.” Further, it was reported, visitors who tried to pay but couldn’t afford the suggested amount left feeling shamed.

Shaich, who stepped down as company CEO in 2017, admitted last year “the nature of the economics did not make sense.”

There’s a lesson there for young congressional socialists.

GUCCI BOO BOO

Fashion label Gucci recently pulled its black balaclava sweaters from its shelves and immediately flogged itself for any offense the sweaters may have caused.

What did they do?

The sweaters come up and cover the neck but extend farther, also covering the area around the mouth (but with red lips outlining the mouth). To someone looking to be offended, and someone apparently was, the sweater looked like someone wearing blackface.

“Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava sweaters,” the company wrote. “We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.” It was, the statement added, a “powerful learning moment.” At the 2018 Fall/Winter runway show, the New York Post said this of the $890 tops: “Inspired by vintage ski masks, multicolored knitted balaclavas walked the runway, adding a mysterious feel to this collection.”

Why the Post didn’t call out Gucci for such blatant racism last fall is anyone’s guess. But maybe because it saw the items as sweaters.