The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Daily Digest

Jan. 22, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.” —George Washington, 1748

DC Blizzard? These Guys Never Take a Break

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TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Experts Agree: Clinton Is Toast1

Hillary Clinton kept information on her home-brew server that went beyond the government’s top-secret designation. This is information dealing with Special Access Programs, a security designation on information to which only a handful of people have access. Information so secretive that when members of Congress who sit on intelligence oversight committees are briefed on it, they cannot take notes2. When that level of information was found on Clinton’s server, the inspector general of the intelligence community had to get special security clearances just to continue the investigation.

Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey believes the FBI has enough cause to prosecute Clinton. “But will it be brought?” Mukasey wrote3. “That depends in part on the recommendation of FBI Director James Comey, a man described by President Obama, at the time the president appointed him, as ‘fiercely independent.’”

Anthony DeChristopher, a former Special Forces soldier and currently an intelligence analyst, wrote4 that when his team in Afghanistan lost a thumb drive with classified information and later found it for sale on the black market, the military changed its protocol for working with classified information — for a thumb drive. And as far as what’s been found on Hillary’s home-brew server, “Special Access Programs (SAP) is a game changer,” DeChristopher wrote. “It is now undeniably clear that the results of the FBI investigation will be the end of one of two things: Hillary’s bid for the White House or the legitimacy of the FBI — at least when it comes to prosecuting cases on the mishandling of classified material.”

Finally, in an interview5 with Hugh Hewitt, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, “given the fact that the Pentagon acknowledges that they get attacked about 100,000 times a day, I think the odds are pretty high” that whatever classified information is on Clinton’s server, China, Iran and Russia have it.

So given the punishment for Gen. David Petraeus6, where will Clinton find herself?

National Review Bucks the Trump Train7

The magazine whose writers developed the political philosophy embraced by Ronald Reagan, uniting a broad swath of America under a banner of Liberty, has opposed Donald Trump in its most recent edition. The editors of National Review wrote in their editorial8, “If [the Republican Party] cannot advance a compelling working-class agenda, the legitimate anxieties and discontents of blue-collar voters will be exploited by demagogues. We sympathize with many of the complaints of Trump supporters about the GOP, but that doesn’t make the mogul any less flawed a vessel for them. Some conservatives have made it their business to make excuses for Trump and duly get pats on the head from him. Count us out. Donald Trump is a menace to American conservatism who would take the work of generations and trample it underfoot in behalf of a populism as heedless and crude as the Donald himself.”

Predictably, Trump took to his Twitter feed to rant about the criticism Thursday night. “National Review is a failing publication that has lost it’s [sic] way,” he mocked9. “It’s [sic] circulation is way down w its influence being at an all time low. Sad!” In his next quip, Trump said10, “Very few people read the National Review because it only knows how to criticize, but not how to lead.” The lack of self-awareness is astounding.

Already, the principled stand for the publication comes at a price. The Republican National Committee dropped the magazine11 from co-sponsoring debates and forums, like the forum scheduled for Feb. 25, because NR expressed a bias against one of the participants. Trump may gloat, but he and his “New York Values12” are no Reagan 2.0. Reagan stood for Liberty — something that doesn’t seem to be as popular as it used to be.

Did we mention that Trump has never once voted in a Republican primary? He’s also changed his registration four times in the last 16 years, and endorsed Barack Obama in 2008.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
What Ever Happened to the Tea Party?13

By Nate Jackson

On Dec. 16, 1773, “radicals” from Boston, members of a secret organization of American Patriots called the Sons of Liberty, boarded three East India Company ships and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This iconic event, in protest of oppressive British taxation and tyrannical rule, became known as the Boston Tea Party. So one might say those of us on the Liberty side of the aisle have always been a rowdy bunch.

Three years after that very first Tea Party, the rebellion had grown to such extent that our Founders were willing to give up their fortunes and lives, attaching their signatures to the Declaration of Independence14, which said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The Founders didn’t take back their country; they created it and gave it to their posterity, all by overthrowing the establishment.

Fast forward to today and there has been much debate over the direction the modern Tea Party has taken. In response to the Democrats' outrageous spending spree in 2009 and 2010, the Tea Party rekindled under the banner of limiting government, particularly in the areas of taxing and spending.

As Mark Alexander put it in 201015, “Today, once again, we find ourselves subject to unjust taxation. And while we enjoy a token and technical representation in Congress, we are continually being taxed for purposes not expressly authorized by our Constitution. That tax burden is levied to satiate contemporaneous political constituencies, but at an ever-increasing cost under which free enterprise will, ultimately, collapse.”

At the time, Barack Obama disparaged Tea Party Patriots as a gang of malcontents “waving their little teabags,” belittling them as too ignorant for “a serious conversation.” After all, he was busy spending trillions of dollars on “stimulus” and other redistributive efforts to favored Democrat constituents, and he couldn’t be bothered with moderation, much less constitutional constraints. Even after the Tea Party fueled the wave elections of 2010 and 2014, Obama remained as dismissive and petulant as always.

But the Tea Party, too, held its ground. Alexander wrote, “The greatest strength of the grassroots Tea Party movement is its lack of any central organization — it is a genuine grassroots movement. Despite the best efforts of GOP establishment types, Libertarians and other special interest groups endeavoring to co-opt the Tea Party for their own political agendas, these Patriots have shown remarkable devotion to their guiding principles, rejecting any and all suitors attempting to commandeer the movement.”

That remains true for some contingent of Tea Partiers, but not all. As with all movements of any size, people of all kinds can be attracted to it and change it in various ways. This happened to the Tea Party as it expanded beyond fiscal issues to include social and national security ones. Now, it’s gotten to the point that some wonder if the Tea Party is dead16.

It’s true that there are those who identified with the movement who were always less interested in the principled, constitutional conservatism on which it was founded than on nationalist and populist anger. As Rush Limbaugh declared Wednesday, “Nationalism and populism have overtaken conservatism in terms of appeal.” We too noted Wednesday that this was particularly evident with Sarah Palin’s endorsement17 of Donald Trump, his “New York values12” notwithstanding.

The difference between the two philosophies is simple: Conservatism seeks to conserve a set of principles — to support and defend our Constitution, which sets forth a limited government of enumerated powers. Conservatism advances the cause of Liberty. By contrast, populism seeks to use whatever means necessary, including big government run by “our guys,” to reach the desired outcome of returning to bygone glory days. There’s a lot of overlap, but the two are not the same.

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Now, to be sure, the whole throwing tea in the metaphorical harbor thing is still a uniting factor. Trump supporters are angry and not gonna take it any more. So are most other conservatives. But it’s how we channel that anger that matters.

Take immigration. Our current system — if we can even call it that — is a disaster. Our border is Swiss cheese, but that’s not all. Hundreds of thousands are overstaying their visas18 and remain in the country illegally. Worse, we have a lawless chief executive. Yet immigration itself isn’t the root problem. Rather it’s politicians who want to carve out constituent groups and who want to divide us by color, preventing assimilation, unity or patriotism. We shouldn’t oblige them, because Liberty is colorblind.

Or take government spending, the original Tea Party cause. When it comes right down to it, most Americans are more than happy to cut spending — as long as it’s the other guy’s spending. “Don’t touch my ____!” is a rallying cry for just about everyone. Hence, spending keeps growing. Even the sequester only cut spending growth, not actual outlays. To put it another way, politicians in Washington didn’t sell out the American people, they heard exactly what the people were saying.

So we suppose the Tea Party is in a bit of an identity crisis. For those of us who treasure our position as heirs to the Liberty bequeathed by our Founders, our challenge is this: Remember our foundation. Remember our principles. Remember our Constitution. If we lose sight of first principles, the Tea Party becomes nothing but a failed anger management therapy group.
Honoring the Sanctity of Life19

Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the two most tragic Supreme Court decisions in American history, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Those decisions sparked a contentious debate between those who would deny legal protection for babies in the womb, and those who rightly acknowledge that those babies constitute “life” as understood throughout history and affirmed in our Declaration of Independence14. Tragically, that right has been denied to 58 million unborn children sacrificed on the altar of “choice” since 1973.

The biggest news in the last year on this front was, of course, the undercover videos20 exposing Planned Parenthood for trafficking in unborn baby parts. While it was long known that Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider, it was not common knowledge that the organization was harvesting organs and other tissue for sale. The revelation led to a funding battle on Capitol Hill, as pro-lifers sought to have half a billion dollars a year in taxpayer money pulled from the organization. Planned Parenthood claims this doesn’t fund abortion, but let’s be honest — they’re claiming that dumping water in the deep end of the pool doesn’t affect the shallow end.

Though this issue will never be resolved until the yearly number of abortions is zero, there are encouraging prospects to note as we consider the sanctity of human life. And every life saved is a victory.

Yet more and more ministries and public figures are pointing out the absurdity of a movement centered on choice that leaves a woman no choice at all. Online for Life21 is using the power of the Internet to reach out to those who search for pregnancy options. Former Planned Parenthood nurse Abby Johnson’s ministry And Then There Were None22 is giving a voice and a choice to those who desire to no longer work for the nation’s largest abortion mill. Project Rachel23 and Abortion Changes You24, among many other such ministries, are coming alongside the hurting women who have already experienced the pain of abortion. Save the Storks25 takes compassion to those who are in need with a mobile resource center housed in a luxury bus. Students for Life26 has a wide presence on college campuses.

In our own home town, we’re proud to support Choices Pregnancy Resource Center27 and the efforts of the wonderful people there to love women, men and their children.

These are just a few of the innovative ministries that are leading the way to a stronger, more understanding and more effective pro-life movement.

MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE

ANALYSIS: In Flint, the Buck Stops Where It’s Politically Convenient28
When It Comes to Generosity, America Is Number One29
Senate Turns Ugly After Refugee Bill Fails30
Putin’s Spy Game Is Alive and Well31

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Thomas Sowell: Do Emotions Trump Facts?32
Erick Erickson: Bruising Cruz33
Ed Feulner: Assimilation Nation No More34

For more, visit Right Opinion35.

TOP HEADLINES

Al Qaeda Bomb Expert Released From Gitmo36
Obama Eases Contentious Visa Regs37
Pro-Lifers Are More Hope-Filled Than Ever38

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report39

OPINION IN BRIEF

Thomas Sowell: “There was a time when someone who publicly mocked a handicapped man would have told us all we needed to know about his character, and his political fling would have been over. But that was before we became a society where common decency is optional. … With both establishment Republicans and anti-establishment Republicans now taking sides with Donald Trump, it is hard to see what principle — if any — is behind his support. … Trump boasts that he can make deals, among his many other boasts. But is a deal-maker what this country needs at this crucial time? Is not one of the biggest criticisms of today’s Congressional Republicans that they have made all too many deals with Democrats, betraying the principles on which they ran for office? Bipartisan deals — so beloved by media pundits — have produced some of the great disasters in American history. … What kind of deals would Donald Trump make? He has already praised the Supreme Court’s decision in ‘Kelo v. City of New London’ which said that the government can seize private property to turn it over to another private party. That kind of decision is good for an operator like Donald Trump. Doubtless other decisions that he would make as president would also be good for Donald Trump, even if for nobody else.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “For good or evil, man is a free creative spirit. This produces the very queer world we live in, a world in continuous creation and therefore continuous change and insecurity.” —Joyce Cary (1888-1957)

Upright: “Republicans in Washington are comfortable with Donald Trump as someone who will not rock their boat or upset the status quo. They already know from Cruz’s history that he intends to shake up Washington, and many of them could find themselves on an unemployment line. With a week to go until the Iowa caucus, Washington Republicans will side with Trump and do their best to bruise and stop Ted Cruz. Payback and power are more important to Washington Republicans than principle.” —Erick Erickson

For the record: “Hillary has spent decades defending her husband from allegations of sexual misconduct, including unfaithfulness to her, at least some of which we now know to have been true — and in the process, been unfaithful to her own professed feminist principles. The defense of him was successful: Not only was he elected and re-elected president, but he dodged removal from office for perjury and obstruction of justice. But it is increasingly possible that all this ugly history is catching up to her, and will deprive her of realizing her ultimate ambition. If that happens, Bill Clinton may find himself facing a tense situation at home, or at least in the Clinton Foundation boardroom.” —James Taranto

“We’ve been quite concerned about the ease with which … arms tend to flow across the border between the United States and Mexico, and … we’ve gone to great lengths to work with the Mexico government to try to shut down the flow of arms back and forth between our two countries.” —Josh Earnest (Fast and Furious aside, “A new report from the Government Accountability Office says 73,684 firearms (about 70 percent) seized in Mexico and traced from 2009 to 2014 originated in the United States.” —CNSNews)

Non Compos Mentis: “I think that some of [the $1.7 billion given to Iran] will end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists.” —John Kerry

“When you hear people claiming America is in decline, they don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re peddling fiction during a political season. … [Republicans] are racing to see who can talk down America the most.” —Barack Obama

And last… “Hillary Clinton is not a socialist. In the Senate, she only voted the same as Bernie Sanders 93% of the time.” —Twitter satirist @weknowwhatsbest

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

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.