The Patriot Post Digest 4-27-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-27-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Apr. 27, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“It is an unquestionable truth, that the body of the people in every country desire sincerely its prosperity. But it is equally unquestionable that they do not possess the discernment and stability necessary for systematic government. To deny that they are frequently led into the grossest of errors, by misinformation and passion, would be a flattery which their own good sense must despise.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788.)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

The Presumptive Nominee?1

Donald Trump drew one step closer to sewing up the Republican nomination by winning stronger-than-expected majorities in all five states that voted Tuesday. His wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island present two sides of a coin. On one side, none of those five state (except perhaps Pennsylvania) is in play for Republicans in November. On the other side, Trump’s saving grace has been his crossover appeal, meaning he may in fact remake the election map — though even that may not work out in his favor when he’s trailing Hillary Clinton in places like Utah and Mississippi. Trump declared in his victory speech, “I’m a unifier. I unify people. We’re going to have such unity. … We’re going to win and we’re going to beat Hillary Clinton.”

Strong opposition to Trump remains among conservatives, however, which is perhaps due to factors like Trump reportedly never voting in a Republican primary. Or maybe it’s statements like the one he made in 2004: “In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.” But at least we know Trump’s New York values2 play well in certain sectors of the Northeast, while Ted Cruz’s conservatism decidedly does not.

After a predictably dismal finish, Cruz asked, “Can Republicans stop the media’s chosen Republican candidate3?”

It’s looking less likely. As National Review’s Rich Lowry observed, “Trump’s [Tuesday] numbers are what you would expect of a frontrunner who is beginning to put a race away.” All eyes will now turn to winner-take-all Indiana, which may be Cruz’s Alamo. California looms large, as well. Trump still must win a majority of the remaining delegates to reach 1,237, so the race isn’t over.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton likewise moved closer to securing the Democrat nomination, with wins in four of Tuesday’s five states. She too claimed, “We will unify our party to win this election.”

The most frustrating thing right now is that the Republican who by all appearances will fare worst against Clinton is none other than Trump. She should be indicted with felonious handling of classified information, but as of a judge’s decision Tuesday, Trump will be the defendant in a suit alleging he defrauded people through Trump University. And they’ve got a good case4. Which one do you think the Leftmedia will give more play? And which will swing more votes — procedural arguments about email, or defrauding poor people?

Obama Suddenly Advocates Missile Defense5

Barack Obama addressed North Korea’s nuclear shenanigans in an interview with CBS, attempting to look presidential while the Middle East falls apart. He told Charlie Rose, “Our first priority is to protect the American people and our allies, the Republic of Korea, Japan, that are vulnerable to the provocative actions that North Korea is engaging in.” He continued, “It’s not something that lends itself to an easy solution. We could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals. But aside from the humanitarian costs of that, they are right next door to our vital ally, Republic of Korea.”

Well, yes, and we could easily destroy Iran with our arsenals, too. Or most any other nation for that matter. But if these remarks were intended to stave off any future nuclear development, don’t bet on that happening. Obama did, however, go on to say, “One of the things that we have been doing is spending a lot more time positioning our missile defense systems, so that even as we try to resolve the underlying problem of nuclear development inside of North Korea, we’re also setting up a shield that can at least block the relatively low-level threats that they’re posing right now.”

Here, he’s absolutely right. To force change, you must demonstrate strength, and a missile defense shield is an excellent way to do it. But where was this sentiment during the early stages of Obama’s presidency when he outright retreated from a planned missile defense shield in Europe and cut billions from missile defense programs? Regardless of what fantasies this administration choses to indulge in, Iran still wants The Bomb and is working tirelessly underground to get it. Why should our response to Iran be any different than our response to North Korea? Or Russia? Or any other fundamentalist or geopolitical foe?

Obama’s newfound revelation is also an about-face when it comes to, well, North Korea. As Ed Morrissey writes6, “It’s worth noting that Obama had the opportunity to demonstrate missile-shield capabilities in this region before. The US Navy has the capability to operate its ABM system in the region and at one time had deployed it there, but Obama didn’t order its use when Pyongyang fired off a long-range missile a few years ago. Perhaps a demonstration of that strength might be in order soon.” If there’s one thing you can count on with this administration, it’s unbridled flexibility. And that’s the scariest thing.

Breaking U.S. Law to Push Climate Treaty7

Current U.S. law prevents the United States from forking over money to a United Nations organization if a group that is not an officially recognized state is also a member. And while it may seem like the rule splits hairs, there’s good reason for it. As The Hill explains8, the rule was established so that the Palestinians can’t pull a foreign policy fast one and leverage the UN to declare statehood without first sitting down and negotiating a lasting peace deal with Israel. But peace in the Middle East isn’t as important to Barack Obama as cementing a legacy of climate change policies that pander to ecofascists.

Senate Republicans point out that the U.S. cannot give $10 million a year to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) because the Palestinian Authority also signed onto the framework. But as the whole climate change treaty wasn’t a treaty when Obama didn’t want to try winning approval from the Senate, Obama says the organization the treaty established is not an organization. “The UNFCCC is a treaty, and the Palestinians' purported accession does not involve their becoming members of any UN specialized agency or, indeed, any international organization,” State Department spokesman John Kirby argued. “Further, we do not believe that it advances U.S. interests to respond to Palestinian efforts by withholding critical funds that support the implementation of key international agreements, which could undermine our ability to pursue important U.S. objectives.” See? The ends justify the means.

But Obama’s arguments don’t hold water, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Brett Schaefer and Steven Groves. The two wrote9 that UNFCCC is an organization established by the treaty — one that employs about 500 people, similar to organizations like INTERPOL. As a result, Congress should exercise its power of the purse and pull the strings shut on this implementation of Obama’s ecofascist plan.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Jonah Goldberg: With Indiana a Critical Battleground, Pence Must Pick a Side10
Walter Williams: A Superior Vision11
Rich Lowry: The Working-Class Meltdown12

For more, visit Right Opinion13.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Voting for Criminal Justice Reform14

By Lewis Morris

The GOP is putting criminal justice reform on the list of items to focus on after the recent Republican National Committee spring meeting in Florida. Taking the lead of conservative states such as Texas, Alabama and Georgia, the national party crafted a resolution15 that would support efforts to lower mandatory minimum sentencing in nonviolent cases and allow well-behaved inmates to earn time off their prison terms.

Bipartisan legislation16 in the House and Senate was introduced last year, but there has been some back and forth over whether the bill is too soft on certain types of crime.

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-27-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Regardless of the debate over how crimes should be treated on the federal level, many advocates for reform on both the Left and Right believe that mandatory minimum sentencing may have done more harm than good. “Minimum mandatory penalties are not always bad,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said last October. “The problem is that some of them impose sentences that are plainly excessive in relation to the behavior they are trying to punish.”

Mark Holden, an attorney for Koch Industries, argues that Republicans need to position themselves to own the criminal justice reform issue. “The RNC position makes it clear that Republicans can and should continue to lead on this critically important issue,” Holden said in a statement. “The federal legislation is based on the same reforms that have worked so well in the states to reduce crime rates and safely reduce incarceration rates.”

Let’s not forget that reducing the prison population will also reduce the government spending required to run those prisons.

Criminal justice reform is one of those rare instances when Republicans and Democrats can actually agree on the basics of a plan. The trouble is Democrats aren’t motivated by the same concerns, and thus they have alternative ends. Leftists will pay lip service to reducing recidivism and public safety and so forth, but what they are really after is votes17.

Democrats are looking to loosen up the prison population because they want to turn ex-cons into voters. And, like it or not, ex-cons tend to vote Democrat.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe clearly demonstrated this when unilaterally restoring voting rights17 for 200,000 felons in his swing state — something he didn’t have the constitutional authority to do18. McAuliffe has always been a bagman for the Clintons, and he wants Hillary to win Virginia.

Obama’s commutation of a few dozen prison sentences for drug offenders could be just a primer for a wave of pardons and commutations in the days before he leaves office, putting enough new voters in circulation to ensure his legacy and put more Democrats in office. Indeed, a few commutations would pale in comparison to his release last year of thousands of “nonviolent” federal prisoners19.

For Democrats, it’s not just about adding a few voters to the rolls, either. Obama recently praised the concept of mandatory voting20 in Australia, suggesting that the United States might want to try something similar. To do this, though, you might need an ID to vote, which is an abomination to Democrats.

An informed voting public is necessary to the life and longevity of a republic. One of the ways to ensure that voters are informed is to instill a voting process that requires individuals to actively register and take part in civic debate. What is earned is always more appreciated than what is simply given.

The “progressive” ideal is to give everyone the vote regardless of any circumstance because they know that the masses can be easily swayed by smooth talkers and endless governments gifts. Giving freedom to felons followed by giving them the right to vote without earning it (never mind requiring the vote) is just one example of such a government gift. Republicans need to ensure that prison reform takes place for the right reasons, not to pad the Democrats' voter rolls.

MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE

ANALYSIS: Bypassing Security Screening to Import Syrians21
Flint Residents Pin Blame of Lead-Laden Water on EPA22
Alarmists Censor Sound Science While Silencing Dissenters23
Fired Professor Plays the Censored-Gender-Race Card24
Nanny State to Regulate Daycare Foods25
What’s in Hillary’s Purse?26

TOP HEADLINES

Florida Target Welcomes Man to Use Women’s Room27
Cost of U.S. Regulations Larger Than Germany’s Economy28
Feds to Keep iPhone-Hacking Method Under Wraps29

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report30

OPINION IN BRIEF

Jonah Goldberg: “Someone slap a photo of Mike Pence on a milk carton. The Indiana governor may not have been abducted, but he’s certainly missing in action on the central question facing the Republican Party: Are you with Trump, or against him? … If current general-election poll results are even remotely accurate, Trump would go down to a defeat of biblical proportions in November. … Pence is surely aware of Trump’s unfavorables. But what he may not have considered is that if Trump loses the general election in a landslide, the recriminations will be ferocious. The postmortems will undoubtedly focus on who had a chance to stop Trump when it was possible. Among the first in the dock: the Hamlet of the Hoosiers. … As I’ve been saying for months, the Republican primary season will end in tears no matter what. If Trump is the nominee, many conservatives will stay home or vote for a third-party candidate. If he’s not the nominee, many of Trump’s supporters will stay home. So why not fall back on principle and pick a side? Pence has spent his career cultivating a reputation as a principled, full-spectrum conservative with a populist’s disdain for D.C. Beltway games. In other words, he is entirely simpatico with Cruz ideologically. With Kasich out in Indiana, Pence can no longer claim that voters don’t face a stark choice. It’s time for him to show that he has the courage of his convictions.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing.” —Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1693)

For the record: “As expected, Volkswagen’s scandal over emissions cheating is spreading to other car makers. … In an honest world the scandal would now spread to the agencies and politicians that conspire to set implausible rules and then help create ways around them for industries that employ millions of their voters and whose products are of vital daily purpose to virtually everyone in their societies.” —Holman W. Jenkins Jr.

Delusions: “There are things I’m proud of. … Saving the world economy from a Great Depression — that was pretty good. … For us to be able to mobilize the world community to take rapid action to stabilize the financial markets, and then in the United States to pass Wall Street reforms that make it much less likely that a crisis like that can happen again, I’m proud of that.” —Barack Obama (Never mind that the economy is a major factor31 in the increased suicide rate.)

She’s just like us! “I’ve gone hunting, I’ve gone skeet shooting, I understand the important role that guns play in so many people’s lives.” —Hillary Clinton

He has a point: “Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she’d get 5% of the vote. The only thing she’s got going is the women’s card. And the beautiful thing is, women don’t like her.” —Donald Trump

Non Compos Mentis: “I can’t think of anything else that could literally destroy the planet other than climate change.” —Rep. Alan Grayson

And last… “Curt Schilling is of course correct with the science in saying that claiming to be a woman when you have the chromosomal and anatomical structures of a man does not make you such. You’re still a man no matter what you think or how you dress.” —Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist in chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital

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.