Stupid Should Hurt

Do stupid things, win stupid prizes.

Example 1:

The Department of Justice has officially identified New York City, Portland and Seattle as cities where violence and destruction of property is being allowed or enabled by local officials. 

"The U.S. Department of Justice today identified the following three jurisdictions that have permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities: New York City; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington. The Department of Justice is continuing to work to identify jurisdictions that meet the criteria set out in the President’s Memorandum and will periodically update the list of selected jurisdictions as required therein," DOJ released in a statement Monday morning. "The list was published on DOJ’s website today in response to President Trump’s memorandum of September 2, 2020, entitled 'Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients That Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities'"...

“When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest,” Attorney General William Barr said about the situation.  “We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance. It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.”

And then there's this: 

Early this month, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber went through the woke “anti-racist” rite of confession: he published a letter confessing the ongoing racism at his university under his leadership. Such confessions serve to prop up the ridiculous claim that any racial disparities are ipso facto proof of “institutional racism.” Claims like Eisgruber’s are less a confession of actual fact and more a rhetorical weapon to push Marxist critical race theory...

Yet the Department of Education (DOE) decided to call Princeton’s bluff. According to a letter obtained by The Washington Examiner, the DOE launched an investigation into the Ivy League university. Princeton, like other schools that receive federal funding, pledges to abide by certain federal laws in order to receive federal funding...

“Based on its admitted racism, the U.S. Department of Education is concerned Princeton’s nondiscrimination and equal opportunity assurances in its Program Participation Agreements from at least 2013 to the present may have been false,” the letter explains. “Finally, the Department is further concerned Princeton’s many nondiscrimination and equal opportunity claims to students, parents, and consumers in the market for education certificates may have been false, misleading, and actionable substantial misrepresentations in violation of” U.S. law.

Therefore, the DOE is opening an investigation into Princeton and may end up removing funds from the university — and demanding Princeton pay back taxpayer funds it should not have received. “Based on the facts, the Secretary of Education may consider measures against Princeton for false Program Participation Agreement nondiscrimination assurances, including an action to recover funds"...

Eisgruber did not intend to confess to violating federal discrimination law. He meant to signal his virtue and convince people that America is institutionally racist in order to further his own political and ideological goals. That makes the Department of Education’s response brilliant — perhaps even hilarious.

I'm glad that we have a federal government that doesn't tolerate leftie "el toro feces" anymore.

Be stupid with your own money, not with federal money.

Update, 9/24/20:  Backtrack!

The Department of Education is investigating whether Princeton violated the Civil Rights Act after the school's president, Christopher Eisgruber, said that racism remains "embedded" in the university. In response to the department's inquiry, Princeton claimed that the school does not actively discriminate against minority students and faculty, but also that systemic racism still exists on campus...

On Sept. 2, Eisgruber told students and staff that "racist assumptions from the past … remain embedded in structures of the university itself." Following his statement, the Education Department requested information regarding Princeton's acceptance and hiring processes to determine whether the university discriminates against minorities. If found in violation of civil rights law, the school would become ineligible for the millions of dollars in federal funding it receives...

Princeton senior Rebekah Adams told the Washington Free Beacon she thinks the response letter was released to appease vocal student activists.

"Princeton released the statement to both claim that [it] uphold[s] diversity [and] that it is embedded in racism," Adams said. "[It's] an attempt to keep appeasing the vocal students who, for instance, wanted Woodrow Wilson's name removed."

Another Princeton senior, Tyler Eddy, said that the statement exemplified the way liberal institutions use phrases like "systemic racism" to delegitimize political opponents.

Those two students see so clearly what too many adults refuse to.