Christians are brutally persecuted the world over. According to the watchdog group Open Doors, over 380 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, and over 4,476 were killed for their faith in 2024 alone.

While the top 10 worst countries for Christians are all in Africa, Asia, and the Indian subcontinent — Nigeria, for instance, saw over 300 Christian schoolchildren abducted during a raid by bandits on Friday — Christians are also subjected to violent attacks, discrimination, and state suppression in supposedly civilized Western nations.

’15 incidents featured satanic symbols or references.’

The U.S. and Canada have together, for instance, seen thousands of acts of hostility against churches in recent years.

Across the Atlantic, a British court handed a grieving father a criminal sentence last year for praying silently near the abortion clinic that killed his unborn son. In France, Christians were reportedly arrested at gunpoint for peacefully protesting the mockery of their faith during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. In Spain, a maniac broke into a monastery in November 2024, savagely attacking several people and fatally bludgeoning a Franciscan monk. Farther afield, an Islamic terrorist stabbed an Assyrian bishop on April 15, 2024, in an Australian church.

The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, a Vienna-based watchdog group, recently revealed that violent attacks on Christians spiked in Europe and the U.K. last year.

The watchdog noted in its annual report that a total of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes were documented by European governments and civil society organizations in 2024.

OIDAC hinted that the actual number of hate crimes may be much higher, as surveys indicate they are grossly underreported. In Poland, for example, nearly 50% of Catholic priests surveyed indicated that they were met with aggression sometime in the past year, yet over 80% failed to report such incidents.

RELATED: ‘Mass slaughter’: Trump moves to help Nigerian Christians under attack

Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images.

Nevertheless, OIDAC indicated that this reflects a general decrease over 2023 — a year when there were 2,444 reported hate crimes. The decrease is partly the result of a dip in recorded incidents in France but largely the result of “lower figures reported by U.K. police, which noted a change in methodology in its official report,” the report reads.

Of the 516 anti-Christian hate crimes independently recorded by OIDAC last year, the most frequent form of violence was vandalism, at 50% of reported incidents, followed by arson attacks, 15%; desecration, 13%; physical assaults, 7.5%; theft of religious objects, 5.5%; and threats, accounting for 4% of incidents. These figures do not account for burglaries at religious sites, of which there were nearly 900 additional recorded cases.

While reported anti-Christian hate crimes have generally decreased, the number of personal attacks — including assault, harassment, and threats — “rose from 232 in 2023 to 274 in 2024.”

The watchdog indicated on the basis of police and civil society data that the top five European nations most affected by anti-Christian hate crimes last year were, in descending order, France, Britain, Germany, Austria, and Spain.

Among the incidents highlighted in the worst-rated country, France, were the destruction of historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer by an arsonist on Sept. 2, 2024, and the March 11, 2024, vandalism of a church and desecration of the cemetery in the village Clermont-d’Excideuil, where “Isa will break the cross” and “Submit to Islam” were spray-painted on graves, the war memorial, and the church door.

Since many of the offenders have not been apprehended, the watchdog group could not say definitively what is driving this trend. However, among the 93 cases OIDAC documented wherein the perpetrators’ motives or affiliations could be established, “the most common were linked to radical Islamist ideology (35), radical left-wing ideology (19), radical right-wing ideology (7), and other political motives (11). Additionally, 15 incidents featured satanic symbols or references.”

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​Europe, Faith, Religion, Christianity, Christian, Catholic, European, France, Spain, Leftism, Islam, Terrorism, Crime, Politics 

The speed of tech is a formidable force, so we have paused to catch you up on the cutting-edge devices and gadgets you might want to bump to the top of your list if you’re hoping to speedrun Black Friday this year.

Best wearables to buy during Black Friday

Apple Watch Series 10 or 11

Apple Watch is one of the best-selling wearables on the planet, largely due to its customization options, iconic style, and wide range of fitness features. However, while Apple used to add fun new sensors and capabilities every year, newer Apple Watches have reached a point of innovation stagnation. Aside from battery life improvements, last year’s Series 10 has all the new features that landed on the Series 11, including high blood pressure detection and sleep score tracking, plus all the usual tricks like heart rate monitoring, ECG scans, blood oxygen levels, AFIB detection, and more.

There’s no telling how long the gadgets on your list will be on sale.

While I do recommend an Apple Watch for anyone in the Apple ecosystem, your money would be better spent on a Series 10, if you can find one. Otherwise, you’re looking at $399 MSRP or more for a Series 11.

The Series 11 looks great, but for your money, the Series 10 wins out.Photo courtesy of Apple

Pixel Watch 3 or 4

On the Android side, Pixel Watch has quickly become one of the best wearables available. With Fitbit integration, heart rate tracking, daily readiness scores, and a host of other features, Pixel Watch is the best that Android users can buy. As for which model deserves a spot on your wrist (or list), last year’s Pixel Watch 3 is where the device really started to hit its stride, while the newest Pixel Watch 4 for $349.99 adds quality-of-life improvements (40 hours of battery life per charge and a larger domed display) that further refine the experience. You’d be safe with either one of these under the tree this season.

The Pixel Watch 4: just like the 3, only better.Photo courtesy of Android

Oura Ring 4

For anyone who wants an ultra-sleek or unconventional wearable fitness tracker, Oura Ring 4 is easily the best ring the company has ever made. With a new slimmer design, it looks more like a piece of jewelry than a tech gadget. It comes in a range of sizes and finishes from $249 to $499, and it tracks everything you’d expect from a larger smartwatch, including heart rate data, sleep and rest, and stress levels. Although Oura Ring is great for men and women, its added female health features make it especially great for the lady in your life.

Oura Ring 4 hits new highs.Photo courtesy of Oura

One more thing: Speaking of Fitbit, it’s easy to recommend a Charge series fitness band or Versa watch to anyone looking to slim down in the New Year. However, hold off for now. Google recently confirmed that new devices are on the way soon, so only buy a Fitbit this week if you get a really good discount.

Try something totally new for Black Friday

For the more adventurous gift-giving type, a new product category is making waves in the tech space. From Apple to Google, Meta and more, everyone is trying their best to make augmented reality, virtual reality, and extended reality glasses, goggles, and headsets a thing. The category is still very young and OEMs are still trying to figure out exactly what users want, but if you’d like to try it out for yourself or with a loved one, here are a few devices to keep in mind.

Apple Vision Pro

Apple’s first foray into AR didn’t go so well. The first-generation Vision Pro was heavy, clunky, and very expensive. It didn’t sell in high numbers, either. However, that didn’t stop Apple from finally launching a sequel that hit shelves last month. With a much faster M5 chip and an improved dual-knit headband for comfort, the second-generation Vision Pro offers an immersive spatial computing experience that puts you directly inside your work, movies, and memories. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to wear an iPad on your face, this is the one to do it.

First was worst, second is best: the new Vision Pro.Photo courtesy of Apple

One more thing: Vision Pro is an impressive piece of tech, but keep in mind that developers have been slow to create apps for the headset. Nearly two years after the first version launched, several critical apps are still missing from the App Store, including YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify. At this point, there’s no telling if or when the platform will ever take off like iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac, so only pick this one up if you’re really curious about AR/VR/XR.

RELATED: Fooled by fake videos? Unsure what to trust? Here’s how to tell what’s real.

Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Samsung Galaxy XR

Almost one full year ago, Google announced its glasses operating system called Android XR. Even then, the company hinted that the first Android XR device would come from Samsung, and after months of teases and unveils, it is finally here. Samsung Galaxy XR is Android’s first direct Apple Vision Pro competitor. Using the same concept — building a product that lets users dive directly into the action — Galaxy XR differentiates itself in several key ways. For starters, Gemini sits at the center of the user experience, helping users navigate the UI, pull up information, and learn more about whatever they see on their screens. The device itself is also lighter than Vision Pro, making it easier to wear for longer sessions. Android XR supports most apps already found on the Google Play Store, which means it does have access to YouTube, Netflix, and other entertainment apps, all ready to go.

Samsung’s Galaxy XR wants you scrolling past the Vision Pro.Photo courtesy of Samsung

One more thing: While Samsung Galaxy XR is an interesting alternative to Apple Vision Pro, its underlying software is brand-new. Developers will likely make tweaks and squash bugs as they flesh out the feature list for Android XR. It’s also worth noting that Google has a reputation for killing projects early if they don’t amass a large user base within the first several years. In other words, if the Samsung Galaxy XR isn’t a success, Android XR may get the axe sooner than later. No one has a crystal ball, though, so it’s hard to predict what will happen until a bit more time has passed.

Ray-Ban Meta Glasses (Gen 2)

Where Apple Vision and Samsung Galaxy XR are meant to be worn while sitting down in a controlled space, Ray-Ban Meta Glasses (Gen 2) are smart glasses that are meant to be worn with you out in the world. These don’t have displays, but they have built-in cameras controlled by an AI assistant that can see what you see and tell you about the world around you in real time. Ask it about the architecture of a building, capture high-quality videos and photos of memories as they happen in front of you, or play music through the built-in open-air speakers. If you ever wanted an AI assistant for your face, Ray-Ban Meta Glasses (Gen 2) are a good place to start.

Play it cool with the new Meta Glasses, and you might not get the wrong kind of stares.Photo courtesy of Ray-Ban/Meta

Let the deals begin!

The Black Friday deals have already started to roll out, and many of them will carry into Cyber Monday and the weeks leading up to Christmas. Still, there’s no telling how long the gadgets on your list will be on sale, so grab them sooner rather than later to make sure you have exactly what you want under the tree.

Happy Black Friday weekend and merry Christmas!

​Tech 

Nearly a dozen whistleblowers have accused an organ procurement organization of numerous offenses, including allegedly covering up an attempted organ recovery from a patient who showed signs of life.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) sent a letter on November 19 to the New Jersey Sharing Network demanding documents and over 30 transcribed interviews with staff following the whistleblower claims.

‘Industry interests have tried to dismiss allegations in the past as hearsay, but, in this case, the call is coming from inside the house.’

The letter accused the organization of “several egregious actions and potential violations of federal and state statutes that raise serious concerns about whether [the Sharing Network] has fraudulently billed Medicare and should retain their tax-exempt status.”

The letter claimed that the Sharing Network skipped hundreds of patients on the wait list, harvested organs without appropriate consent, operated a fraudulent taxpayer-funded research program, potentially lied to Congress, and created a culture of fear and retaliation within the organization.

In one alleged instance where the Sharing Network ignored the proper sequence of the wait list, dozens of those skipped have since died, while several others have been removed because of worsening medical conditions.

Lawmakers expressed concern “that under the current Medicare reimbursement framework, OPOs are incentivized to allocate out of sequence in this manner to ensure reimbursement and can provide a quid pro quo to transplant hospitals.”

The whistleblowers’ most shocking allegation claimed that the Sharing Network attempted to “cover up” details involving a circulatory death case. Circulatory death occurs when there is an irreversible loss of circulatory and respiratory function.

RELATED: ‘Donor may still be alive’: How organ donation groups allegedly exploit grieving families to cash in on billions

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The lawmakers’ letter, which redacted the incident date, stated that the patient “reanimated” after the organ recovery process began. When the administrator on call contacted the Sharing Network about this, the organization allegedly told staff to proceed with the recovery despite the patient’s signs of life. The hospital ultimately intervened and stopped the recovery process.

The hospital did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

According to whistleblowers, the Sharing Network “deleted or otherwise manipulated” documents related to the case.

The OPO was also accused of discarding 100 pancreata in one day. The organs were reportedly processed for research. The committee expressed concern that the bulk discarding pointed to an effort to artificially boost Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services performance metrics by recovering more pancreata than needed, under the guise of performing so-called research.

“While organ research has driven remarkable innovations that improve and save lives, it is concerning that [the Sharing Network] is alleged to have taken advantage of a loophole in the current framework,” the letter read.

A senior Ways and Means staffer familiar with the investigation stated that Rep. Smith, if necessary, is prepared to use subpoena power to require the Sharing Network to produce the requested documents and to compel staff interviews.

“The allegations these brave whistleblowers have brought forward are some of the most disturbing we have seen in our ongoing investigation into organ procurement organizations,” read a statement from Smith provided to Blaze News. “Families place extraordinary trust in this system at the most painful moments of their lives, and what we have uncovered puts the integrity of America’s organ procurement system at stake. Every organization entrusted with this lifesaving work must meet the highest standards, and any refusal to do so is unacceptable.”

“If this OPO or any of its senior officials attempt to mislead Congress, destroy records, or obstruct our efforts to get the truth, subpoenas are on the table,” Smith continued. “Compliance is not optional. The Ways and Means Committee will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal to protect patients, taxpayers, and the families who rely on a system that must be built on trust, as well as the brave whistleblowers who have come forward from retaliation.”

RELATED: Harvested alive: Organ donor wakes up on the table

Rep. Jason Smith. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Many individuals familiar with the organ donation industry have sought to bring more national attention to issues and abuses within the OPO networks.

Greg Segal, the founder and CEO of Organize, told Blaze News that this latest congressional investigation suggested that the Sharing Network’s “patient abuse is premeditated and systemic, rather than just accidents or one-offs.”

“This letter was informed by a dozen whistleblowers who shared documentation regarding specific abuses and potential crimes,” Segal said. “Industry interests have tried to dismiss allegations in the past as hearsay, but, in this case, the call is coming from inside the house. This is a watershed moment and, I believe, moves these investigations squarely into criminality and corruption, rather than just incompetence or bad federal policy.”

Jennifer Erickson, a senior fellow with the Federation of American Scientists, called it “a public health emergency.”

“The Ways and Means Committee documented shocking allegations of cover-ups at the highest levels of New Jersey Sharing Network, including the attempted harvesting of organs from a patient who was still alive,” she told Blaze News.

“This is a public health emergency, and just as the Trump administration recently moved to protect patients in Florida, I hope they now take immediate action to protect patients in New Jersey,” Erickson added, referring to steps taken by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to decertify a Miami-based OPO accused of Medicare fraud and lapses in patient safety.

HHS, CMS, the HHS Office of Inspector General, and the New Jersey attorney general were copied on the committee’s letter.

When asked if it could confirm receipt of the letter and whether there were any plans to investigate the allegations, the attorney general’s office stated, “As a general rule, the office doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of investigations.”

HHS told Blaze News that the Health Resources and Services Administration had received the letter and had directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network “to investigate these allegations.”

“As highlighted in the July 21 and September 18 HHS press releases, under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS is restoring integrity and transparency to organ procurement and transplant policy by putting patients’ lives first,” HHS stated. “These reforms are essential to restoring trust, ensuring informed consent, and protecting the rights and dignity of prospective donors and their families.”

CMS informed Blaze News that it is collaborating closely with HHS to ensure that organ procurement organizations adhere to the highest standards. The agency emphasized its ongoing commitment to protecting patients, enhancing accountability, and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, adding that it will continue taking appropriate action to safeguard patients and the Medicare program.

The Sharing Network did not respond to a request for comment.

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​News, Organ procurement organizations, Organ procurement organization, Opos, Opo, New jersey, Jason smith, David schweikert, New jersey organ and tissue sharing network, Njto, Organ procurement, Organ donation, Greg segal, Jennifer erickson, Ways and means committee, Ways and means, Politics 

This Thanksgiving, consider the poor turkey. Is there any animal we consume with less gusto?

It has become something of annual tradition to denigrate the day’s traditional fare. Nearly 35% of Americans claim turkey is their least favorite part of the feast, according to one recent survey.

This vintage Better Homes and Gardens recipe is a bit of a cheat, as it does use turkey — although not in any form you’re likely to recognize

The internet just stokes the hatred. Every year the same tiresome “contrarian” opinions: “Stop pretending you like turkey. It’s no good on Thanksgiving, or any other day.”

Even celebrity chefs can’t resist punching down. “Turkey is wildly overrated,” says restaurateur David Chang.

“The only reason to cook the turkey is to get the gravy, and then you can just give the turkey away.”

We must admit that turkey-haters have a point. Yes, turkey meat can be dry and flavorless (although brining is a dependable way to avoid that). And yes, the tradition of eating turkey — and most Thanksgiving foods — was essentially created by advertising in the early 20th century. (College freshman home for fall break voice: “It’s all a scam by Big Cranberry!”)

While we’re content to stick with the standard flightless fowl, there were plenty of other contenders in the great battle for the Thanksgiving table. As a service, we provide the following recipes for anyone wanting to change it up.

1. Roast eel (1621)

Among the meats served at the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth would surely have been this vital freshwater food source. The 1622 promotional pamphlet for the Plymouth colony “Mourt’s Relation” describes how the Wampanoag native Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) taught the Pilgrims to catch the slippery, succulent treats.

Tisquantum went at noon to fish for Eels, at night he came home with as many as he could well lift in one hand, which our people were glad of, they were fat & sweet, he trod them out with his feet, and so caught them with his hands, without any other Instrument.

Here’s how they might have prepared it:

Ingredients

2 lbs cleaned freshwater eel Salt, splash of vinegar Sage or bay, butter

Instructions

Soak eel 30 minutes in salt water and vinegar.Dry; rub with salt and herbs.Split a roasting stick down the middle, coil eel around stick. Roast over open fire 20-25 min. Baste with butter.

2. Roast swan (17th-18th centuries)

Long a favorite of European royals (peasants were forbidden to hunt them), swan was plentiful in the New World and was most likely one of the waterfowl consumed at the first Thanksgiving.

Here’s a recipe from Hannah Woolley’s “The Queen-like Closet,” (1670) a cookbook that later colonists would have had in their kitchens:

To bake a Swan.
Scald it and take out the bones, and parboil it, then season it very well with Pepper, Salt and Ginger, then lard it, and put it in a deep Coffin of Rye Paste with store of Butter, close it and bake it very well, and when it is baked, fill up the Vent-hole with melted Butter, and so keep it; serve it in as you do the Beef-Pie.

For something more elaborate, here’s a preparation from the late 14th century cookbook “Le Menagier de Paris”:

Pluck like a chicken or goose, scald, or boil; spit, skewer in four places, and roast with all its feet and beak, and leave the head unplucked; and eat with yellow pepper.

Item, if you wish, it may be gilded.

Item, when you kill it, you should split its head down to the shoulders.

Item, sometimes they are skinned and reclothed.

RECLOTHED SWAN in its skin with all the feathers. Take it and split it between the shoulders, and cut it along the stomach: then take off the skin from the neck cut at the shoulders, holding the body by the feet; then put it on the spit, and skewer it and gild it. And when it is cooked, it must be reclothed in its skin, and let the neck be nice and straight or flat; and let it be eaten with yellow pepper.

3. Passenger pigeon pie (1700s)

Though extinct for more than a century, passenger pigeons were once as abundant as the kind you see fouling statues in urban parks. While we wouldn’t recommend eating those birds, Cornish game hen or squab make a decent substitute.

Mock-passenger pigeon pie:

Ingredients

2 Cornish game hens (substitute for extinct passenger pigeons)1 onion, quartered2 tbsp butter2 tbsp flour1-1½ cups chicken or turkey stockSalt and pepper, to taste1 tsp dried thymeDouble pie crust (bottom + top crust)

Instructions

1. Prepare the meat

Simmer game hens with the onion until fully cooked and tender.Remove hens; pick the meat from the bones.Place shredded meat in a bowl.

2. Make the gravy

Melt butter in a pan.Add flour and cook until lightly browned.Stir in stock to form a smooth gravy.Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.Simmer until slightly thickened.

3. Assemble the pie

Line a pie dish with bottom crust.Add shredded meat.Pour warm gravy over the meat.Cover with top crust and seal edges.Cut a small vent in the center.

4. Bake

Outdoor Dutch oven method (historical):

Preheat Dutch oven with coals above and below.Elevate pie pan inside the Dutch oven on metal hooks or a trivet.Bake ~10-20 minutes, checking frequently to avoid burning.

Modern oven method:

Bake at 375°F for 35-45 minutes, until crust is golden.

5. Serve. Let cool slightly before slicing.

4. Sautéed calf’s brains with mushrooms, sour cream, and dill

In 1904, railroad heir George Vanderbilt and his wife, Edith, hosted a lavish Thanksgiving at their Asheville estate, Biltmore. Turkey was on the menu — but so were calf’s brains. Here’s one preparation that guarantees a delicate, custardy mouthfeel:

Ingredients

1 lb brains (veal, pork, or lamb) Water for soaking Salt (for poaching water) 2 tbsp butter 1 cup sliced white mushrooms 2-3 tbsp sour cream 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, minced Toasted bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Prep the brains

Soak brains overnight in cold water to remove blood pockets. Drain. Poach gently in salted water (bare simmer) for 10-15 minutes until firm. Cool slightly, then peel off the thin outer membrane. Cut brains into bite-size pieces.

2. Cook the mushrooms

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until they release their juices and the butter turns lightly browned and nutty.

3. Add the brains

Add chopped brains to the skillet. Toss gently with the mushrooms and browned butter for 1-2 minutes.

4. Finish the sauce

Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sour cream to form a loose sauce. Add minced dill. Adjust salt if needed.

5. Serve. Spoon the mixture over warm toast. Serve immediately.

5. Celery au naturel (late 1800s-early 1900s)

Now the most unwanted vegetable on the crudite platter, this Bloody Mary garnish was a highly coveted status symbol of the Gilded Age (it was hard to grow). Everyone will want the recipe.

Ingredients

1 bunch crisp celery Cold water Ice cubes (optional) Salt (for serving, optional)

Instructions

1. Trim the celery

Cut off the root end. Remove tough outer stalks if desired. Trim leafy tops to a neat fan.

2. Refresh the stalks

Place celery in a bowl of cold water (add ice for extra crispness). Chill 15-30 minutes.

3. Present with appropriate ceremony

Stand stalks upright in a tall glass, vase, or celery jar. Arrange so the tops flare elegantly.

4. Serve. Place the celery in the center of the table. Offer a pinch dish of salt on the side.

Note: In the late 19th century, this was considered a showpiece delicacy. Your guests are encouraged to admire its beauty before eating it exactly as it is.

6. Turkey lime molded salad (1969)

This vintage Better Homes and Gardens recipe is a bit of a cheat, as it does use turkey — although not in any form you’re likely to recognize.

Ingredients

2 packages (3 oz each) lime-flavored gelatin ¼ tsp salt 2 cups boiling water ½ cup cold water 1 (7 oz) bottle ginger ale 2 cups diced cooked turkey 1 cup sour cream ¼ tsp ground ginger 1 (16 oz) can pears, drained and diced 6½-cup gelatin mold

Instructions

1. Make the gelatin base

Dissolve lime gelatin and salt in 2 cups boiling water. Add ginger ale and ½ cup cold water. Chill until partially set.

2. Prepare the turkey layer

Fold diced turkey into the partially set gelatin. Pour into a 6½-cup mold. Chill until almost firm.

3. Prepare the sour cream-pear layer

Beat sour cream, ground ginger, and ½–1 cup of the remaining unset gelatin until smooth. Chill until partially set. Fold in diced pears.

4. Add second layer

Spoon the pear-sour cream mixture over the firm turkey layer. Chill until completely set.

5. Unmold and serve

Dip mold briefly in warm water. Invert onto a serving platter. Lift mold carefully to reveal two layers.

​Thanksgiving, Lifestyle, Culture, Recipes 

“Every facet of the coffee industry, in fact, is rooted in racism. From the moment the whites viciously stole coffee from black and brown people to the present-day Karen sipping her morning cup of white supremacy, whites have been able to drink the fruits of our labor and our culture with impunity.”

What you just read is an actual quote from an article published in 2023 — back when literally everything was labeled racist by the woke mafia.

In this throwback Allie Beth Stuckey piece, we remember some of the most ridiculous things the critical race theory-obsessed left has used to label white people racists over the years. And sadly, coffee isn’t even close to the most absurd one on the list.

Picnics

A 2020 article from the Philadelphia Inquirer posited that “picnics” were racist because there was once a time when “Southern white people made lynchings a regular occurrence at picnics.”

If you are going to continue using the word “picnic,” then you need to make sure “that history is being talked about,” author Elizabeth Wellington wrote.

“That’s not what people think of when they’re thinking of going out to a park, laying a blanket down, and eating some sandwiches,” scoffed Allie.

Brain pairings (like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches)

Speaking of sandwiches, PB&Js are apparently the perfect metaphor for “implicit bias” against black males in America, according to a video released by the New York Times in 2016.

Social psychologist and management professor at the New York University Stern School of Business Dolly Chugh argued, “I somehow know that if you say peanut butter, I’m gonna say jelly. That’s an association that’s been ingrained in me. … In many forms of media, there’s an overrepresentation of black men and violent crime being paired together.”

Dairy

In 2022, a KFF Health News article reported that 28 civil rights and child advocacy groups — including one led by Al Sharpton — sent a letter to the USDA accusing the National School Lunch Program of “dietary racism.”

Their reasoning? Offering only cow’s milk, ignoring non-dairy alternatives, was racist because children of color apparently have higher rates of lactose intolerance.

Bicycling

A 2021 article from the Washington Post argued that American cycling is racist because a really long time ago, black people were excluded from bicycling clubs.

And then, of course, there’s the issue of racist white cops. “For black Southerners, the cost, dangers and white policing of cycling mobility combined with the weakening of its middle‑class status, meant that the popularity of the bicycle declined within the black community,” author Nathan Cardon wrote.

Equestrianism

If a piece of equipment doesn’t fit you properly, the designers are obviously racist against you. At least that’s the position the New York Times took in a front-page article from 2023 titled “Black equestrians want to be safe. But they can’t find helmets.”

In it, author McKenna Oxenden condemned racist manufacturers of equestrian equipment for not making helmets that accommodate certain black hairstyles, like dreadlocks.

“Is a helmet going to be safe if it’s like six inches off of your skull? No, it’s not. I don’t think it has anything to do with you being black,” Allie retorted.

Recreational running

In 2020, Medium published an article titled “Running is too white. It doesn’t need to be,” in which author Ryan Fan complained that America’s recreational running community is “too white.”

There was only one possible explanation for that, said Fan: systemic inaccessibility and exclusion. All those white runners just make people of color feel unsafe and unwelcome.

“We can do better. We have to,” he pleaded.

“Agree. I don’t like running, so running is too white. And it is because I am an ally that I choose not to,” Allie joked.

National parks

In 2020, ABC published a melodramatic article titled “America’s national parks face existential crisis over race.” In it, authors Stephanie Ebbs and Devin Dwyer reported that national park visitors were “overwhelmingly white” — 77% compared to 23% of non-whites.

The piece quoted then-Associate Director of the Sierra Club Joel Pannell, who fretted that this racial disparity in park visitors spelled doom for the country’s national parks (many of which have been going strong for over a century).

“If we don’t address this … then we’re going to risk losing everything,” he lamented.

“Not enough black people are going outside, so that’s the problem,” Allie mocked.

STD names

In 2022, NPR published an article titled “Critics say ‘monkeypox’ is a racist name. But it’s not going away anytime soon.” In the piece, author Bill Chappell quoted several critics upset about the name monkeypox, as it apparently stigmatizes the black and LGBTQ+ communities.

“There is a long history of referring to blacks as monkeys. Therefore, ‘monkeypox’ is racist and stigmatizes black people,” said global health advocate Ifeanyi Nsofor, ignoring the fact that the virus’ name was coined after it was originally discovered in lab monkeys in 1958.

Energy

Yes, energy — the stuff that powers the world — is “inherently racist,” suggested a 2022 article from Utility Dive.

Author Robert Walton reported that environmental justice advocates were up in arms because the U.S. energy sector is supposedly structurally racist due to historical policies like redlining and discriminatory infrastructure, which have disproportionately burdened low-income and communities of color with high costs and pollution.

Highways

In 2021, the Washington Times published a piece titled “When highways are racist,” in which author Cheryl Chumley lambasted Biden’s Department of Transportation for weaponizing civil rights laws to block a Houston highway project under the absurd pretext that infrastructure can be racist.

Ballet

A 2021 article from Marie Claire bemoaned the art of ballet as structurally white supremacist. Author Chloe Angyal argued that ballet — its aesthetics, history, and culture — is inherently racist because it reinforces a narrow, European ideal that marginalizes dancers of color.

“Ballet is not just white. It is white on purpose,” Angyal complained.

“There’s just not enough black people going up on their tiptoes,” Allie jeered.

Camping

Pitching a tent and roasting some marshmallows under the stars isn’t as innocent as it sounds, said Fast Company writer Elizabath Segran in a 2021 article called “The unbearable whiteness of camping.”

The monopoly white people apparently have on the outdoors all goes back to our colonial roots when colonizers took Indigenous land and turned it into “wilderness” for white recreation, she argued. Those mean ol’ white settlers romanticized themselves as “pioneers” while condemning Native people as “savages” for living out in nature, only to turn around and make nature an element of white culture.

Fast-forward a few hundred years and that same stigma still keeps non-whites from venturing outdoors. Patagonia jackets are too expensive; REI ads are too pale; and black people are apparently disproportionally targeted when they brave the elements.

Philosophy

Much of the genius that came from some of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment and German Idealist philosophy has bias baked into it, argued Aeon writer Avram Alpert in a 2021 piece titled “Philosophy’s systemic racism.” Ideas from the likes of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel must be “decolonized,” meaning we must expose how their core logic secretly ranks non-Europeans as irrational “savages” who need white reason to evolve, then flip the script to affirm that people of color already have their own internal progress — no European “uplift” required.

Organized pantries

Those little spice jars with the labels and the matching containers for your pasta and rice? Yeah well, they’re racist, said Associate Professor of Marketing at Loyola University Jenna Drenten.

Dubbing the trend of having aesthetically pleasing cupboards “pantry porn,” Drenten wrote, “Cleanliness has historically been used as a cultural gatekeeping mechanism to reinforce status distinctions based on a vague understanding of ‘niceness’: nice people, with nice yards, in nice houses, make for nice neighbors. What lies beneath the surface of this anti-messiness, pro-niceness stance is a history of classist, racist, and sexist social structures.”

“So you hear that black people? This professor doesn’t think that you can organize your pantry; you need to make it messy in order to really be pro-black and anti-racist,” laughed Allie.

This throwback to the peak-woke era — when coffee was cultural theft and PB&J pairings were microaggressions — proves one thing: The fever has broken, but the receipts still make us laugh.

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Is there any hope for this perpetually outraged leftist?

I’d like to think so. After all, I’ve written about opening your home to others — even perhaps strangers — on Thanksgiving. But Robert Jensen is a hard case.

Redistribute land and wealth? No wonder his fellow leftists would rather gorge on stuffing.

That’s because Jensen, who writes at AlterNet — the spiritual home of the fevered far left — wouldn’t be much fun at your Thanksgiving table. That’s because he says we need to “replace the feasting with fasting and create a National Day of Atonement to acknowledge the genocide of indigenous people that is central to the creation of the United States.”

Holiday haters

Jensen is one of those Thanksgiving haters. He’s been writing about this for years, popping up in November with dark sentiments about the “evils” of Thanksgiving.

But his irritation has grown exponentially in recent years, apparently because he hasn’t been able to convince his fellow leftists to give up their turkey and pumpkin pie. They’re just not feeling his “fast and atone” vibe. And who could blame them?

Some of them, in fact, have the unmitigated audacity to suggest that coming together on Thanksgiving can celebrate love and connection with family and friends.

But Jensen, who is more left than your garden-variety progressive, is just not having it.

“The moral response — that is, the response that would be consistent with the moral values around justice and equality that most of us claim to hold — would be a truth-and-reconciliation process that would not only correct the historical record but also redistribute land and wealth,” he wrote last year.

Redistribute land and wealth? No wonder his fellow leftists would rather gorge on stuffing. As much as they love to dream about wealth redistribution, they’re never referring to their own wealth, of course, and leftist struggle-sessions don’t really lend themselves to a festive atmosphere.

Last year, he wrote about how he teetered between these two (delightful!) choices:

We can go to the Thanksgiving gatherings put on by friends and family, determined to raise these issues and willing to take the risk of alienating those who want to enjoy the day without politics. Or we can refuse to go to such a gathering and make it known why we’re not attending, which means taking the risk of alienating those who want to enjoy the day without politics. … We must refuse to be polite when politeness means capitulation to lies.

Are you feeling sorry for Jensen’s family yet?

Imagine, if you will, slurping down your mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce to this rant: “In the white-supremacist and patriarchal society in which we live, operating within the parameters set by a greed-based capitalist system. … What political activity can we engage in to keep alive this kind of critique until a time when social conditions might make a truly progressive politics possible?”

Much to his family’s relief, Jensen ultimately chose to sit home by himself and contemplate additional dark thoughts involving “genocidal Europeans.”

But he’s mad that his people dare to define the holiday as an opportunity to rest, enjoy loved ones, and eat a delicious meal.

“We don’t define holidays individually — the idea of a holiday is rooted in its collective, shared meaning,” he wrote. “When the dominant culture defines a holiday in a certain fashion, one can’t pretend to redefine it in private.”

(I can think of a few things rooted in a collective, shared meaning that the left has redefined in private — and then tried to shove down our throats. But I digress.)

RELATED: This Truthsgiving, I’m thankful for European settlement

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Jensen reports that he also has the option of participating in a public event that resists Thanksgiving. However, on that topic, last year he confessed, “I’m not aware of (an anti-Thanksgiving event) happening in my community, and because of commitments to other political projects, I didn’t feel I could organize an effective event in time for this Thanksgiving Day.”

He’s been whining about this since at least 2017, so I’m not sure how he ran out of time to “organize an effective event.” Oh, that’s right: “Commitments to other political projects.”

Do these people ever unclench and be human, or is it always “political projects” time?

What Jensen’s missing

We all know that the Native peoples in America were not treated wonderfully as American history unfolded. But things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows before European arrivals, either. Tribes regularly warred against and slaughtered each other, taking and retaking territory and resources.

What Thanksgiving commemorates, however, is really something remarkable.

Consider this sequence of events:

In a village of the Wampanoag tribe, a young boy named Squanto grew up, was kidnapped by a European sea captain who sold him into slavery in Spain, and was eventually released due to some kindly monks. He made his way to England and onto a boat sailing back to the New World, where he found his village had been wiped out by some sort of disease.Shortly thereafter, the pilgrims — who’d been aiming for Manhattan island — were blown off course and ended up landing basically at that same abandoned village, finding land already cleared, food stores, and fresh water sources.A few months after their arrival, Squanto returned. He had learned English, so he was able to communicate with the Pilgrims, and he had been introduced to Christianity, so he understood them. He set out to help, teaching them to plant crops and helping them negotiate agreements with Chief Massasoit.Even with all the help, about half of the original Pilgrims died due to the harsh conditions. Leader William Bradford recognized Squanto, his skills, and his welcome were all a gift from God without which none of the Pilgrims might have survived.The Wampanoag also benefited from their relationship with the Pilgrims, which held off attacks by the Narragansett and others.

The inclination to celebrate that first fall harvest sprung from profound gratitude for the food, Squanto, and for God guiding them to the one point on the continent where they would encounter an English-speaking Native and build a peaceful and productive relationship.

Ninety Indians joined the 53 remaining Pilgrims for the three-day event, which included feasting and shooting games. And it is that history that informed President Lincoln’s decision, many years later, to institute the holiday of Thanksgiving. It honors the pivotal role of the first Pilgrims, the lifesaving role of the Wampanoag, and the societal benefit of a day devoted to gratitude.

So, Robert Jensen, I sincerely hope you might consider that if white Europeans and brown Natives could feast together, you might be able to sit with your family and enjoy some turkey and pie too.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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Before the NFL had three Thanksgiving games — or any games at all — the tradition was already under way in one part of the country.

The northeast is credited with creating the Thanksgiving game tradition. But, no, it wasn’t the New York Giants or the New York Jets that started it. Rather, the tradition began in the upscale setting of Princeton and Yale.

‘People in this area … are used to having football with their turkey.’

Back in 1876, the two schools played what is considered to be the first college football game on Nov. 30. Just 1,000 fans sat through a 2-0 Yale victory in Hoboken, New Jersey, that would start a tradition for the ages.

Over the next two decades, the annual game grew in popularity, with Princeton winning 6-0 in front of more than 50,000 fans in 1892, according to History. While this was the last time the schools met on Thanksgiving, the tradition was in full swing as colleges, high schools, and clubs played around 5,000 games on Thanksgiving Day throughout the 1890s.

Thanksgiving Pros

While most associate the start of the Thanksgiving tradition in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, there was more than a decade of games on the holiday before it became a fixture in the Motor City.

On Thanksgiving 1920, teams like the Akron Pros and the Dayton Triangles shut out the Canton Bulldogs and Detroit Heralds, 7-0 and 28-0, respectively. Even non-league teams like the Elyria Athletics and Chicago Boosters played that Thanksgiving.

In 1922, the Chicago Bears played their first of 17 consecutive Thanksgiving games. One of those games was against the Lions in 1934 after entrepreneur George A. Richards bought the Ohio Spartans for just under $8,000 and moved them to Detroit. In order to draw fans, he invited the champion Bears for the Thanksgiving game.

A record 26,000 fans watched the game at the University of Detroit Stadium, setting a record for a football game in Detroit. Even though the Bears won 19-16 — finishing with an undefeated season — it sparked a Lions tradition that continues to this day.

RELATED: Free speech and football: Why they matter and why you should be thankful for them

Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Lions and Cowboys and Cardinals, oh my!

Since the Lions became the Lions, they have hosted a Thanksgiving game every year — except between 1939 and 1944 during World War II.

The first televised game came in 1953 for the Green Bay Packers-Lions game, but fans would have to wait another 13 years for a second Thanksgiving game to come on the airwaves.

On November 24, 1966, the Dallas Cowboys became the second team to host a televised Turkey Day game. They beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 at the Cotton Bowl in front of more than 80,000 fans that day.

The area was thirsty for the tradition to continue. Cowboys General Manager Tex Schramm remarked at the time that Texas football fans had become accustomed to the holiday game.

“People in this area, because of the Texas-Texas A&M game, are used to having football with their turkey,” he said.

For nearly a decade, the Cowboys hosted the second game. However, in 1975 the NFL wanted to showcase the St. Louis Cardinals’ highly-touted offense and gave the team a few years to show it off. They lost in 1975, 1976, and 1977 — including a loss to the Cowboys in ’76 — before the league asked the Cowboys if they wanted to take the tradition back for the 1978 game.

“I said only if we got it permanently,” Schramm told the Chicago Tribune in 1998, according to History. “It’s something you have to build as tradition. He said, ‘It’s yours forever.'”

RELATED: NFL player apologizes over backlash for doing Trump dance: ‘I did not mean to offend anyone’

Turducken and a third game

Late and great coach-turned-commentator John Madden has brought the football world so many things: Madden video games, hilarious telestrator segments, and, of course, his sideburns.

Another addition in his 85 years was bringing the joy of eating to the Thanksgiving Day broadcast.

Calling 22 straight Thanksgiving games starting in 1981, Madden’s three-bird roast was born in the lead-up to the 1996 broadcast, according to ESPN. Along with his annual Turkey Leg Award for player of the game that started in 1989, the turducken became an annual staple, with Madden explaining his complex process on how to cook, cut, and even eat the birds.

In 2002, he even tore the roast open with his bare hands to create a working diagram.

“It’s a deboned chicken stuffed in a deboned duck stuffed in a deboned turkey, with dressing between the chicken and the duck, and the duck and the turkey. So as you cut down that way, you go turkey, dressing, duck, dressing, chicken,” he instructed.

Unfortunately, Madden retired just a few years after the NFL expanded its Thanksgiving schedule to three games in 2006, which would have offered a lot more opportunities to spread his turducken joy.

Although no specific host team is used for the third game, players have recently carried on Madden’s tradition by eating turkey on the field after the game — or even just a carrot.

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