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Title: The Patriot Post Digest 11-8-2017 Post by: nChrist on November 08, 2017, 05:02:10 PM ________________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 11-8-2017 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) ________________________________________ The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest Nov. 8, 2017 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/52308 IN TODAY’S EDITION Democrats won big in Virginia and New Jersey. Does it mean anything for 2018? Trump’s South Korea speech about North Korea was a needed show of strength. Is it okay to be white? Not if leftist reactions to such signs are any indication. Google and Facebook are effectively monopolies, but should government weigh in? The adoption tax credit is pro-life policy. The GOP tax reform would end it. One year after Trump’s election win, here’s a look back at what we’ve seen. Comey thought Clinton was “grossly negligent.” Then those words were changed… Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts. THE FOUNDATION “To model our political system upon speculations of lasting tranquility, is to calculate on the weaker springs of the human character.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788.) IN BRIEF Dems Win NJ and VA — Is It a Bellwether?1 By Thomas Gallatin One year2 after Donald Trump’s surprising election victory, Democrat anxiety has been given a brief reprieve as they gained gubernatorial victories in the states of New Jersey and Virginia. While much of the mainstream media and Democrats have begun to spin the election wins as a repudiation of Trump, in reality it’s more of a mixed bag. Both New Jersey and Virginia were states won by Hillary Clinton, for starters. The fact is New Jersey was never really in play for Republicans. Outgoing Gov. Chris Christie, more moderate than conservative, had fallen out of favor in the state ever since Bridgegate3 and he has thrown in the political towel. His lieutenant governor had little chance of escaping the perception of Christie’s scandal-plagued shadow. Virginia is the state over which Democrats were most anxious, as a loss there would have meant further repudiation of the party’s brand. However, it’s now Republicans who will be struggling to establish their brand. Republicans were not only unable to win the governorship after the term of Clinton bagman Terry McAuliffe, but they suffered losing control of the state’s House of Delegates, where they entered the night with a 17-seat margin. Democrats were able to wrestle control away from Republicans as they picked up 14 seats last night. So was this the repudiation of Trump that Democrats and the Left have been looking for ever since his election? Not so much. The truth is much of this leftist turn within Virginia can be blamed on the DC swamp spreading into northern Virginia. The commonwealth’s three most populated counties of Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun, in which some of Washington’s largest suburbs are located, voted nearly two to one in favor of Democrats. This has been a growing pattern, and Virginia is only going to become more blue. It also appears that the Democrats’ campaign to label all Republicans as racist, white supremacists ever since the events in Charlottesville4 seems to have reaped dividends. Recall that McAuliffe quickly took the opportunity to politicized Charlottesville by labeling conservatives as supporters of racism, while blasting Trump for failing to show “real leadership.” This may be a warning to the GOP of constituent disillusionment with congressional Republicans who have failed to do what they promised they would. Democrats insist this is a harbinger for the 2018 election cycle. If so, and the Senate flips, the change of rules regarding SCOTUS nominees — if there is not another opening ahead of that election — is a severe threat to Liberty5. ‘Do Not Underestimate Us’6 By Nate Jackson President Donald Trump is making the rounds in Asia this week, and he gave an important speech to South Korea’s National Assembly Wednesday morning. “Today, I hope I speak not only for our countries, but for all civilized nations, when I say to the North: Do not underestimate us. And do not try us,” Trump warned an increasingly belligerent North Korea. “We will defend our common security, our shared prosperity, and our sacred Liberty. We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. We will not be intimidated. And we will not let the worst atrocities in history be repeated here, on this ground we fought and died so hard to secure.” Furthermore, he declared, “The world cannot tolerate the menace of a rogue regime that threatens with nuclear devastation.” Trump didn’t just promise to defend U.S. interests and allies, he took aim at Kim Jong-un’s regime in other ways. “North Korea is not the paradise your grandfather envisioned,” Trump said to Kim. “It is a hell that no person deserves.” He also took on the Kim regime for its human rights abuses, using words like “fascism,” “cult,” tyrant" and “sinister.” It’s hard to overestimate how unusual it is for anyone to speak so forcefully against North Korea from just across the border in South Korea. Trump’s words were a strong message in the face of communist tyranny, and a welcome sign of strength for U.S. foreign policy. Next up is continuing to deal with China. Trump went from Seoul to Beijing, where he is reportedly expected7 to push China to cut financial ties with North Korea. Trump made an effort to honor Chinese President Xi Jinping even while preparing to challenge him — honor is an important thing to keep in mind in Asian cultures. “I want to just say that President Xi … has been very helpful,” Trump said. “China is out trying very hard to solve the problem with North Korea.” In reality, of course, as Mark Alexander wrote in September8, China is “using the Kim/NoKo nuclear threat as a king pawn to protect their own trade and foreign policy interests.” In other words, China benefits from keeping North Korea as a bargaining chip and insurance against economic action the Trump administration might take against China. The American Leftmedia continue to push the narrative that China is doing all it can, but the reality is Beijing is using Pyongyang’s saber rattling to its advantage. Top Headlines9 Trump, speaking in Seoul, warns North Korea: ‘Do not underestimate us’ (Fox News10) Virginia, New Jersey voters pick new Democrat governors (USA Today11) Transgender “woman” elected to Virginia legislature (CNS News12) Republican Curtis wins Chaffetz’s former Utah House seat (The Hill13) Socialist Bill de Blasio re-elected to second term as NYC mayor (New York Post14) CBO’s static analysis says GOP tax bill would add $1.7 trillion to debt, but that doesn’t account for economic growth (The Hill15) Schumer hints Dreamer amnesty will be part of year-end spending bill (The Washington Times16) Good — the U.S. is now the only country not part of Paris climate agreement after Syria signs on (USA Today17) Fusion GPS official met with Russian operative before and after Trump Jr. sit-down (Fox News18.) ‘Today’ show actually brought on Dan Rather — Dan Rather! — to discuss made-up news stories (Washington Examiner19) Policy: There is no domestic violence loophole in military law (National Review20) Policy: Game of Thobes: Saudi Arabia (American Enterprise Institute21) For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report22. Thank You As a Patriot Post reader, we know you stand alongside us in the mission to arm Americans with the right information and analysis that is so lacking in the mainstream media. You, our readers, make this work possible. We will continue to work hard for you. The rights our Founders fought for were not made secure overnight; and in the same spirit, we are in this for the long haul. But to continue this critical work, we need your help. Since our founding 20 years ago, we have never charged a subscription fee or accepted advertising. We rely completely on the voluntary financial support of our readers. I hope you’ll strongly consider supporting23 The Patriot Fund’s Year-End Campaign today. On behalf of The Patriot Post editors and staff, thank you for standing with us. —Christy Chesterton, Director of Advancement FEATURED ANALYSIS Is It Okay to Be White or Not?24 By Lewis Morris It’s almost too easy to tweak leftist noses these days. They take themselves way too seriously, believe that their views are completely infallible, and can only seem to fall back on violence and rage when they meet any form of opposition, no matter how slight. Take for instance a recent prank that hit several college campuses this past week. A group on 4Chan, an anonymous Internet forum, launched a campaign to post signs declaring, “It’s okay to be white.” The goal25 was to prove that “leftists and journalists hate white people.” The outcome would be that middle-of-the-road people would turn against the left, creating a “massive victory for the right in the culture war.” Title: The Patriot Post Digest 11-8-2017 Post by: nChrist on November 08, 2017, 05:03:30 PM ________________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 11-8-2017 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) ________________________________________ The verdict on the outcome of the culture war is still out, but this particular campaign certainly stirred the hornet’s nest. In campuses around the country, students, faculty and administration, and in some cases entire communities melted down in what they all claimed was a racist attack against people who believe in diversity. Harvard, Princeton, Tulane, Western Washington, Auburn, the University of Kansas and Concordia College all reported seeing the signs on campus. Dutiful lefty students and administrators tore them down wherever they saw them, and every campus announced that there would be investigations into the incidents. Mary Womack, student body president at the University of Kansas26 voiced a typical response by the so-called injured masses: “I am deeply disgusted that this organized online campaign to divide university communities across the country has come to our campus. It is shameful that anyone would use these posters to promote a racist agenda.” So it’s racist to say, “It’s okay to be white”? Does one then logically conclude that it’s not okay to be white? Renay Johnson, principal of Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland where fliers were also found, went even further27. “Our research so far has indicated that this may be part of a concerted national campaign to foment racial and political tension in our school and community,” Johnson said. Really? A national conspiracy to create racial division at a Maryland high school? The offended masses all claimed that the signs were meant to cause racial division. Of course, according to these students and the leftist professors who have indoctrinated them, it’s perfectly permissible to say that Black Lives Matter™, that Islam is a Religion of Peace™, and that we should be celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day™28 instead of Christopher Columbus every October. But claiming that it’s okay to be white goes against this narrative. The leftist view of the world wants to put all of society’s problems past and present at the feet of white people. For their view to have merit, it cannot be okay to be white. The social media chair of the Auburn University Student Union, who would go only by the name Hunter, told the College Fix, a student-reported higher education website, “The overarching idea for the campaign was quite simple — post an innocent pro-white message which states a simple truth that anyone who doesn’t hate white people agrees with. … Because of this simple value statement, it is easy to identify that anyone who disagrees as prejudiced against white people. If the signs had said, ‘It’s Okay to be Black,’ anyone outraged by that wording would be labeled a racist.” We have been living with the double standards of the leftists for quite some time. This campaign, which easily and cleverly exploits double standards regarding race, angers the Left to no end because to a rational mind, their reaction is indefensible. The trouble is the mainstream media is not rational. It has bought and perpetuated the race-war mentality of the Left because reporters earned their degrees on the very college campuses that spew leftist hate speech and race-baiting. Concordia College president William Craft said on Facebook, “It is indeed okay to be white — and to be black, to be brown, to be Christian, to be Muslim, to be straight, to be gay, to be conservative, to be liberal, and so on. We are stronger for this diversity of identities.” But the Left doesn’t really want diversity. And therein lies the crux of the problem. MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST Even Comey Thought Clinton Was ‘Grossly Negligent’31 — The revelation that his initial assessment was watered down in a legally significant way is another mystery. Monopolizing the Internet32 — The increasing size and influence of Google and Facebook have elicited cries for trust-busting. Keeping the Adoption Tax Credit Is a Pro-Life Policy33 — But the House GOP tax reform plan eliminates this credit, much to the dismay of family advocates. Trump’s America: Year One in Review2 — Trump has had some significant wins, and some major setbacks in his first year. BEST OF RIGHT OPINION Ben Shapiro: What an American Hero Looks Like34 John Stossel: Simpler Tax Simplification35 Star Parker: How Rep. Steve Cohen Keeps His District Poor36 Michelle Malkin: An ICE Agent’s Quest for Justice37 Walter Williams: Ignorance Versus Stupidity38 For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion39. OPINION IN BRIEF John Stossel: “Americans spend about seven billion hours trying to comply with today’s tax rules. That’s the equivalent of 3.7 million people working 40-hour weeks. What a waste. I spend hours filling out forms and forwarding paperwork to an accountant. I distort my spending and investments because of tax rules. What a waste. America’s first 1040 form was four pages long. Today’s code is more than 3.7 million words. No one understands it. Even the tax specialists get things wrong. … Ideally, tax cuts should be accompanied by even larger spending cuts to avoid expanding that $20 trillion debt. But that’s not happening. How about a variation on Trump’s two-for-one regulation rule (cut two regulations for each new one you propose)? Cut two dollars from the budget for every dollar in tax reduction. That way we won’t end up deeper in the hole. The best way to avoid Washington’s spending getting out of balance is to avoid giving it our money in the first place. I’m rooting for a tax law so simple that everyone understands it, and one that will keep as much money as possible out of government’s hands.” SHORT CUTS The BIG Lie: “Nobody cares what Donna Brazile has said in a book. Nobody.” —Terry McAuliffe (Millions of Bernie Sanders voters beg to differ.) You’ve been warned: “The Virginia governor’s race is an example for how future elections will be run by Democrats. The days of ‘when they go low, we go high’ are dead.” —Siraj Hashmi Food for thought: “It’s a useful thought experiment to ask what America would look like if the gun controllers started to rack up policy victories, confiscating guns from law-abiding gun owners. Aside from the massive financial windfall for the NRA, millions of Americans would have their darkest suspicions confirmed, and the deep resentment already felt in much of ‘red state’ America would intensify beyond anything we’ve experienced lately.” —Jonah Goldberg Non Compos Mentis: “When men feel disenfranchised, and usually it’s white men, they will find a way to feel enfranchised — and killing … people is them trying to fill that empty feeling. That drive is motivated by a toxic masculinity and a person who is deeply effected by that toxicity can fall prey to any kind of fanaticism. It can be rabid white, misogynistic nationalism and it can be ISIS. There’s a similarity in how America and ISIS teaches men to be: men must be virile, strong, powerful. And men are convinced that the reason they don’t have that [power] is because of gains made by women.” —Kutztown University of Pennsylvania professor Colleen Clemens Alpha Jackass: “[The Texas massacre victims] were in church. They had the prayers shot right out of them. Maybe try something else.” —actor Michael McKean Vile contempt: “The NRA is soaked and bathed in blood. How do its adherents sleep at night?” —Joy Reid (Given that a former NRA instructor stopped the shooting, and NRA members don’t perpetrate them, we’d venture to say NRA “adherents” remain confident in their God-given Second Amendment rights.) And last… “Each time an evil human being decides to attack innocents, it isn’t the Twitter battles that stand between the monsters and children. It’s heroes. It’s men like Stephen Willeford.” —Ben Shapiro Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen. Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Nate Jackson, Managing Editor Mark Alexander, Publisher |