The Patriot Post Digest 12-1-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 12-1-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Dec. 1, 2016

IN TODAY’S EDITION

The latest hit job by the Rainbow Mafia — targeting HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Ecofascists' preferred climate regulations actually impedes carbon reduction.
Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos to head the Dept. of Education is particularly encouraging.
And more news, policy and opinion.

THE FOUNDATION

“This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither have they fled…” —Thomas Paine (1776)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Fixating on the Fixer-Uppers1

Expressed by the “inclusive” message of “conform or die, you backward bigots,” tolerance as defined by the Left has more in common with the Inquisition than Webster’s Dictionary. The latest intolerant lynching comes from the Internet’s leading “lolcat” gif distributor, BuzzFeed, which occasionally takes a stab at journalism. The site unearthed a “shocking” possibility about two HGTV superstars with the headline, “Chip and Joanna Gaines' Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage.” What’s so shocking about Christians holding the orthodox view that homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage are sinful? Nothing, but from the Rainbow Mafia’s perspective, this “intolerant” belief must not be tolerated or allowed to go unpunished.

But what’s the story here? A lovable Christian couple with a hugely popular fixer-upper show may believe something — that has never been mentioned on the show — that the Left deems offensive. Clearly, this hit piece was designed not to report a story, but to threaten a popular couple should they not disavow beliefs the Left finds reprehensible. Buzzfeed is merely acting as the thought police.

The template for this is simple. Back in 2014, the Benham Brothers, who own a successful real estate company in North Carolina and happened to be conservative Christians, were fired from HGTV after the Rainbow Mafia bullied the network. BuzzFeed knows they can foment a major “issue” because HGTV is so otherwise flamboyantly “gay.” This is also reminiscent of Mozilla’s CEO Brendan Eich being forced out of his job over donations to California’s Prop. 8 on same-sex marriage. Or the Oregon bakers who were put out of business and fined $135,000 for declining to cater a lesbian wedding. The list of examples is growing all the time.

One reason why a large majority of evangelicals voted for Donald Trump was to push back against the leftist social engineering and destruction of America’s values — specifically these kinds of threats to religious liberty. Obviously, the Rainbow Mafia intends to double down, and Chip and Joanna Gaines are just the latest victims.

Climate Regs Impede Carbon Reductions2

Under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol, participating nations were to pursue a roughly 5% emissions reduction, relative to 1990 levels, by 2012. The endeavor was considered a success by most environmental warriors. As a newly released Breakthrough Institute study notes3, “Every country achieved their emissions reduction commitments.” But was the agreement really all it’s cracked up to be? The aforementioned Breakthrough study goes on to reveal that, no, it’s not.

“Overall, the carbon intensity of economies that were party to the Kyoto Accord fell more rapidly in the decade before the agreement was signed than in the decade after,” according to the report. “In the 10 years before signing, the compound annual growth rate for carbon intensity was -0.7%. In the 10 years after signing it was only -0.2%.”

“Similarly,” the study continues, “the low-carbon share of energy was growing at an annual rate of 1.0% in the ten years prior to 1997, and only at a rate of 0.3% annually for the ten years after, meaning deployment of clean energy stalled or slowed in comparison to fossil fuels in these countries after they signed Kyoto.” What’s the explanation? “What becomes clear in looking at climate policy as it has been implemented at the international level is that most countries have only been willing to commit to decarbonization targets that are consistent with expected business-as-usual trends, accounting for measures that they have intended to take in any event.”

Thankfully, America did not participate in this scheme, thanks to the Republican Senate blocking Bill Clinton and Al Gore. And though the Obama administration cosigned the U.S. to last year’s Paris climate accord, past efforts to implement a carbon-reducing system would have fallen short, just like the Kyoto Protocol. According to Reason’s Ronald Bailey4, “The Breakthrough analysts conclude that U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have actually fallen faster since 2010 than they would have had the the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade scheme been adopted by Congress. The U.S. trend toward lower carbon dioxide emissions was helped along by the global financial crisis, a weak recovery, and the ongoing switch from coal to cheap natural gas for electricity generation.”

As for what comes next, Breakthrough says, “Even should the next administration withdraw from the Paris Agreement5 and abandon the Clean Power Plan, the United States might outperform the commitments that the Obama administration made in Paris if it keeps the nation’s nuclear fleet online, continues tax incentives for deployment of wind and solar energy, and stays out of the way of the shale revolution. By contrast, a Democratic administration indifferent to the fate of the nation’s existing nuclear fleet and hostile to shale gas production might ultimately slow US decarbonization trends.”

Given these circumstances, the most pertinent question is this: Why are ecofascists hampering our ability to reduce emissions, which can be accomplished without onerous government regulations?

Top Headlines6

Welcome to our retooled Top Headlines section. Our objective is to save you time by reviewing hundreds of news and policy sites every morning. In addition to our top-of-the-fold Right Analysis and Hook summaries, here are more of today’s top stories.

Tennessee arson wildfires leave 7 dead. Fortunately, rain has put most fires out. (NBC affiliate7)

Overwhelmed Border Patrol Agents are spending an increasing amount of time taking care of kids and families instead of enforcing border law. (Washington Free Beacon8.)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot announced this week that he’s “going to sign a law that bans sanctuary cities.” The timing will undoubtedly sit well with incoming president Donald Trump. (The Hill9)

Black officer not charged in shooting death of black man who brandished a stolen gun — and didn’t comply with police orders. (Fox News10)

A Tacoma police officer was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call. (The News Tribune11)

California’s new cow fart regulations stink. (Reason12)

Fake news13 alert: A bisexual student in Chicago falsely claimed she was antagonized by “anti-gay” Trump supporters. (Washington Times14)

Trump vocalizes opposition to flag burning. Naturally, protesters burned flags outside Trump’s hotel. (The Hill15)

“Far more costly than previously thought”: Thanks in part to Obama’s unilateral rule, taxpayers are projected to dole out $108 billion in student loan forgiveness. (Wall Street Journal16)

Levi’s prefers defenseless shoppers, bans firearms from its stores. (Pajamas Media17)

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read Mainstream Media ‘Fake News’13. The MSM conglomerates are now the most prolific and insidious “fake news” propagators in the marketplace of ideas.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here18.

Publisher’s Note

Your Patriot Post Team needs your help today.

Freedom is not free, and neither is publishing. To protect the integrity of our content, we have never accepted advertising, which could influence objectivity. Nor have we ever charged a subscription fee, which would limit our ability to reach large numbers of students or those on fixed incomes.

We are a small organization and depend on many Patriots who volunteer their time and effort to our mission, while others receive only a modest salary. However, publishing and operations costs are substantial.

Because there isn’t a special interest or parent organization financially backing us, our team of editors and staff depend entirely on the voluntary financial support19 of Patriots like you for our operations budget.

We have only a few more weeks to raise the remaining half of our annual budget. Please support The Patriot Fund19 with a donation to our 2016 Year-End Campaign today. Thank you for all you do for Liberty. —Mark Alexander, Publisher

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The Patriot Post Digest 12-1-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Larry Elder: Clinton vs. Trump II, 202020
Mark West: King Trump vs. We the People21
Victor Davis Hanson: Beware the Law of Unintended Consequences22

For more, visit Right Opinion23.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
The Top School Choice24

By Allyne Caan

While most leftists have spent the last 23 days bemoaning the election results and pushing for recounts25 for no reason other than they lost, President-Elect Donald Trump has been building a cabinet that has some refreshingly solid picks. His list includes Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Sen. Tom Price for HHS secretary, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to head Transportation, Gov. Nikki Haley as UN ambassador, Rep. Mike Pompeo as CIA director, banker Steve Mnunchin for Treasury, and financier Wilbur Ross for Secretary of Commerce. Some more prominent posts are yet to be filled, but the rumor mill includes some intriguing names.

As National Review’s Jim Geraghty writes26, “We may quibble with a few here and there, but overall it’s a really good group … [and] a pretty darn conservative cabinet.” Indeed, for anyone concerned Trump’s cabinet may include more Fruity Pebbles than brain food, his picks thus far should help allay those fears.

And while we’ve noted before that it’s difficult to select our least favorite federal agency (there are so many), Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos to lead a consistent contender — the Department of Education — is particularly encouraging. A longtime school choice advocate and chair of the American Federation for Children, a pro-school choice organization, DeVos is a firm believer in empowering parents — especially those from low-income families — to choose the best educational options for their children. In her state of Michigan, DeVos helped pass the state’s first charter-school bill. Who better to lead an agency whose stated mission is “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access”?

In DeVos, children will finally have an advocate who cares more for their educational opportunity than for carefully preserving a government behemoth that condemns too many students to mediocrity and even complete academic failure.

Unfortunately, some would rather see the behemoth saved and children sacrificed. No sooner had Trump named DeVos than the usual suspects in the battle against educational opportunity — the teachers unions — emerged in full force. National Education Association (NEA) president Lily Eskelsen Garcia claimed27 DeVos has “undermined public education,” “lobbied for failed schemes, like vouchers,” and “consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education.”

And American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten tweeted28, “Trump has chosen the most ideological, anti-public education nominee since the creation of the Dept of Education,” adding29 Trump’s choice makes “maks [sic] it clear his admin will focus on privatizing, defunding and destroying public edu [sic].”

Of course, as Wall Street Journal editorial writer Jason Riley notes30, “Since what’s good for the unions is often bad for the schools, and vice versa, Ms. Weingarten’s apoplexy is reason to cheer.”

Indeed, while critics claim Michigan’s charter schools are examples of what doesn’t work, National Review Senior Editor Ramesh Ponnuru blasts craters31 in this argument, noting the purported “disaster” of Michigan’s charters led to “more learning in a year” for charter students than for traditional public school students.

But that matters little to the unions who care more for maintaining their own political power than for educating children. As we’ve noted before32, charter school teachers aren’t unionized; ergo, they don’t pay union dues. Traditional public school teachers, on the other hand, are often forced to pay the union as a condition of employment. Cha-ching. And as Star Parker points out33, in the 2016 election cycle, the NEA and AFT spent more than $33.6 million in political contributions and more than $3 million on lobbying. Do you think they were lobbying for educational opportunity for kids? No, they were lobbying for things like higher taxpayer-funded pensions for teachers. That and they were donating to Democrats.

Riley writes that while DeVos has stated she hopes to “tear down the mindset that assigns students to a school based solely on the zip code of their family’s home,” Weingarten “has fought to keep persistently failing schools open because they still provide jobs for her dues-paying members.”

Bottom line: Those who categorically reject the belief that parents should be able to choose the best educational environment for their child will never approve someone like DeVos, a fierce advocate for children.

Thankfully for the thousands of students hoping for a shot at a better education, DeVos doesn’t need their approval.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Swamp Draining Suggestions34 — Here are some key ways for Trump to keep his campaign promise.
Democrats Pick Pelosi … Again35 — They stay the course behind the San Francisco lefty.
Castro a Great Guy, Say Ignorant Young People36 — It’s “tough” to say whether Trump is better.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Larry Elder: “Every sane person expects Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s attempt to overturn the election with her vote recount effort to crash and burn. Given this, why would the Hillary Clinton campaign file a motion in support of a Stein-initiated request for a hand vote recount in Wisconsin? Under the reasonable assumption that what’s good for the Clintons is good for the Clintons, one is left with but one conclusion. Hillary Clinton’s political death is premature. After the election, Donald Trump analysts, having seen the Clintons pull a raft of rabbits out of a hat, should know better. There is no such thing as the ‘end of the era of the Clintons.’ With the Democrats' Trump Derangement Syndrome already in full bloom, and the clowns at MSNBC practically drafting articles of impeachment of President-elect Trump, Hillary Clinton expects the Trump presidency to be a disaster, or at least to be quasi-credibly attacked as such — which is the same thing. Health permitting, she’s gearing up for another shot in 2020. In fact, it’s inaccurate to say ‘gearing up.’ She never stopped.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “The dominant purpose of the First Amendment was to prohibit the widespread practice of government suppression of embarrassing information.” —Justice William O. Douglas (1898-1980)

Penitence: “The filibuster no longer acts as an emergency brake on the nomination. I do regret that. Frankly, I think many of us will regret that in this Congress because it would have been a terrific speed bump — potential emergency break — to have in our system to slow down the confirmation of extreme nominees.” —Sen. Chris Coons

Friendly fire: “I am deeply disappointed today, as the House Democratic Caucus has decided to double down on its failed strategy of recent years. It is obvious that the current strategy doesn’t work; millions of Americans don’t feel that our party represents them anymore and they’ve said so, loudly, in multiple elections” —Rep. Krysten Sinema denouncing Nancy Pelosi’s continued “leadership”35

We can keep our doctor too, right? “Michelle will never run for office.” —Barack Obama

Non Compos Mentis: “Good journalism continues to this day. There’s great work done in Rolling Stone.” —Barack Obama about the rag that just lost a major defamation lawsuit37 for publishing fake news

Alpha Jackass: “[Justice Antonin Scalia] was actually the leading advocate of fag burning, not flag burning.” —ex-Rep. Barney Frank

Warnings: “I think it would be the height of folly if the next administration were to tear up that [Iran nuclear] agreement.” —outgoing CIA Director John Brennan

And last… “It’s time for all freedom-loving Americans to rise up and stand with HGTV and the Gaines family. To the militant LGBT mob, we say stand down. … Perhaps next season Chip and Joanna spend a few episodes refurbishing safe spaces for emotionally fragile snowflakes?” —Todd Starnes

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.