The Patriot Post Digest 12-14-2016

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 12-14-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

Mid-Day Digest

Dec. 14, 2016

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Climate alarmists are afraid Trump will mess with their precious data.
Why the Interior Department and Trump’s pick to lead it matters.
Democrats' real goal in blaming Russia is to delegitimize Trump.
And more news, policy and opinion.

THE FOUNDATION

“Public affairs go on pretty much as usual: perpetual chicanery and rather more personal abuse than there used to be.” —John Adams (1826)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Climate Frauds Rush to Protect Data ‘Integrity’1

Some cover stories are so conspicuous you can’t help but chuckle. A ridiculous new Washington Post puff piece is no exception. The article2 begins, “Alarmed that decades of crucial climate measurements could vanish under a hostile Trump administration, scientists have begun a feverish attempt to copy reams of government data onto independent servers in hopes of safeguarding it from any political interference.” Because “independent servers” worked so well for a former presidential candidate…

Of course, government agencies should be concerned. As we noted3, “With both the choices of Scott Pruitt to head the EPA and now [Rick] Perry [at the Department of Energy], Trump is showing that he is committed to the goal of rolling back as much government over-regulation as possible.” But that’s a terrible reason to begin frantically importing information. So what’s going on here?

The science community’s history of malice yields the most plausible theory. It began with ClimateGate4 in 2009 in which a hacker exposed a concerted effort by some of the world’s most influential climate scientists to keep evidence of global cooling in a shroud of secrecy. That was followed by NOAA’s denying a global warming hiatus in 2015 and then outright refusing to present behind-the-scenes collaboration to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Add to all this the fact that the globe’s official measurement bearers are artificially adjusting5 temperature trends and a likely reason for the frenzy emerges: They’re worried that incriminating information will be exposed by the Trump administration.

Remember, though Trump falls into the “skeptic” category, he has pledged to keep an open mind when it comes to addressing climate change. Regardless, the Left is conjuring up fear that he will manipulate climate data. Which is pretty ironic considering this ruse is quite possibly intended by alarmists to hide the fact they are gerrymandering the truth. They’re no more worried about the integrity of climate data as they supposedly are about the integrity of our elections.

Trump Looks to the Big Sky for Interior Choice6

Donald Trump’s final choice for secretary of the Interior Department is Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), not Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) as was previously reported. So, given the last-minute mind change, who is Ryan Zinke?

Zinke is a former Navy SEAL (1986-2008.) who recently won his second term as the lone congressional representative from the state of Montana. He’s a life-long hunter and fisherman who has staunchly defended public access to federal lands7. So much so that he resigned as a delegate from the Republican National Convention over his disagreement with the party platform on federal lands. He said at the time, “What I saw was a platform that was more divisive than uniting.” Unfortunately, by that he means turning federal lands over to the states is bad. For this reason, Zinke has been described by some as a “Theodore Roosevelt Republican.”

That said, he has a strong record on advocating for an environmentally responsible energy policy that supports coal extraction and gas and oil drilling. He has criticized Barack Obama’s restrictive energy policies, too. Regarding the Interior Department’s rule that aimed to limit methane from oil and gas operations on federal land, Zinke said, “Clean air and clean water are absolute top priorities when we talk about responsible energy development. However, the final rule issued by the Obama administration does nothing to further protect our resources. This rule is a stark reminder that we need to invest in infrastructure projects like the Keystone pipeline, so we don’t need to flare excess gas.”

Given the vast amount of land8 — beyond national parks — owned and managed by the feds, Zinke will have a big influence on how that land is used. Recall that the major expansion in energy exploration over the last eight years occurred in spite of Obama essentially placing public land off limits. Let’s also hope Zinke can manage it without Obama’s social engineering9.

Top Headlines10

Anything to delegitimize Trump’s election! Now 40 electors demanding intelligence briefing on Russia hacks. (Hot Air11)

Stein spent nearly $1 million of recount funds on consultants, staff, administrative expenses. Sorry Hillary. (Washington Free Beacon12)

Trump has companies rethinking plans to move U.S. jobs abroad. (Bloomberg13)

New York City offering workers therapy to cope with Trump-induced stress. (New York Post14)

Despite an already extravagant vacation price tag15 on taxpayers' dime, Obama looks forward to a “decent vacation.” (Washington Examiner16)

Settled bureaucracy: Energy Dept. refuses to name staffers who worked on climate. (The Hill17)

Congress moves to strengthen authority of inspector general. Time for accountability? (The Washington Times18.)

Fed set to hike rates, policy outlook now hinges on Trump presidency. (Reuters19)

Gov. John Kasich vetoes Heartbeat Bill, signs 20-week abortion ban. (The Columbus Dispatch20)

Google releases small batch of national security letters to the public — a small win for transparency. (Reason21)

Policy: A how-to guide for rolling back Obama’s regulatory state. (National Review22)

Policy: The Middle East won’t miss Obama (Hudson Institute23)

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Russian to Judgment24

By Lewis Morris

Democrats have blamed everyone but Santa Claus and their own 2016 presidential nominee for Hillary Clinton’s election loss in November. But now, with Russia as their latest scapegoat25, they’re upping the ante to not only place irrefutable blame, they’re even claiming Republican candidate Donald Trump’s collusion in the affair. Their evidence is based on a flimsy claim made an unnamed spook at the CIA.

An intelligence assessment26 made public by the CIA claims with certainty that Russia meddled in America’s 2016 presidential election through email hacking27, cyberattacks, and good old-fashioned Cold War-style espionage. This corroborates statements by other intelligence agencies who claim to have the identity of individuals with connections to the Russians who sought to sow discord in the American electoral process during the election.

The CIA report, however, goes further by stating that the actual intent was to specifically influence the outcome of the election by leaking information that was detrimental to Clinton’s campaign, thereby boosting Trump and swinging the election in his favor.

As if working-class voters devastated by the Obama economy and slandered as “irredeemable” “deplorables” by Clinton changed their votes because Vladimir Putin told them to.

The FBI argues the Russian objective was to undermine faith in the American electoral system more generally, not to help Trump win.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also does not share28 the reported CIA conclusion. While there is general agreement in the intelligence community that Russia played a nefarious role in meddling in our election process, the CIA reached its conclusion based on the fact that only Democrat information was leaked.

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 12-14-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

“It [was] a thin reed upon which to base an analytical judgment,” an ODNI official told Reuters.

The CIA often deals in the shadows, and it’s not in the habit (nor should it be) of putting specific people on public record in pulling together its reports. But other agencies that deal in intelligence, such as the FBI, operate in courts of law. They need hard evidence and corroborative testimony to make their case. Russia is not our friend, and Moscow isn’t above this sort of dirty work, but the CIA will have to do better if it’s going to lay blame for this mess at the feet of the president-elect.

Our current president hasn’t done us any favors in this regard. Barack Obama, speaking on The Daily Show — “fake news29,” anyone? — said, “None of this should be a big surprise. This was reported on before the election.”

Very true, yet at that time, Obama chose to do nothing about the matter other than stump for Hillary with the information. Perhaps he, like every Democrat, believed that Clinton was going to win the election anyway. So why stir the pot? After all, the Russians weren’t really a problem, right? At least according to the Obama worldview.

Obama infamously belittled Mitt Romney in 2012 for trying to remind us that Russia was and still is a menace — our primary geopolitical foe. Obama and Clinton repeatedly misread or completely misunderstood Russian intentions in Crimea, Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Syria. Heck, the Clintons cashed in for $500,000 to sell uranium to the Russians.

It should also be pointed out that during Obama’s tenure, cyberattacks against the government and the private sector have increased dramatically. Yet he has repeatedly shrugged them off30 as the price of doing business in the 21st century — all while his secretary of state was operating an unsecured private email server with his knowledge and participation31.

If there is to be an investigation into the Russian hacking of the 2016 election, there should also be a sincere look at just what the Obama administration could have done about it. Because it appears that the president and his cronies only seem interested now that our lack of security allegedly foiled their plans to maintain power in the White House.

There will surely be congressional investigations and a public demand to learn just what the CIA and the White House knew and when they knew it. Although it seems unlikely that Clinton will get her wish to declassify the CIA report32 for the nation’s 538 presidential electors.

That isn’t to say we should let this one slide. We need to get to the bottom of this inexcusable meddling in our electoral process, flawed though that process may be. We won’t be doing ourselves any favors, though, if we allow Democrats to use this episode to delegitimize Donald Trump’s presidency before it even gets off the ground. We may not know with certainty what goal the Russians had in mind, but we certainly do know delegitimizing Trump is what the Democrats want.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Report Exposes U.S. Abortion Clinics as Filthy and Unsafe33 — Anything goes as long as the Left’s sacrament is protected.
Obama’s Balkanizing of America34 — He seeks to establish a new minority ethnic classification.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Jonah Goldberg: Trump and the Russian Hacking Claims: A Toxic Situation35
Walter Williams: Please, No More Miracles36
Jeff Jacoby: Why Miss World Silences Anastasia Lin37

For more, visit Right Opinion38.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Jonah Goldberg: “The real debate is over whether the Russian meddling — which echoes similar meddling across Europe — was intended to get Trump elected or simply to erode confidence in the democratic process. I fail to see how this is an either/or choice. The hacking could have started with mere mischief in mind and evolved into a pro-Trump effort by the end. Most experts, including those on Trump’s team, didn’t expect to win (contrary to a lot of post-election spin), and it’s doubtful that Russia’s psephologists are that much better than ours. So the most likely goal for the Russians was to set up a defeated Trump to denounce the validity of the election and the integrity of the political process. But then Trump won on the merits. The great irony is that the Democrats and the media — which not long ago were denouncing any suggestion that the system is rigged — are now echoing the very talking points Putin wants. It’s a poisonous situation all around. … The only hope is that after Trump has been sworn in, both sides can revisit the issue of Putin’s clearly insidious agenda, without the specter of a ‘do-over’ coloring everything people say — and everything Trump hears.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “A tyrant … is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.” —Plato (429-347 BC)

Upright: “There are a lot of reasons to criticize [Jill] Stein right now. Perhaps the most significant one is that calling for recounts in noncompetitive races delegitimizes recounts in the eyes of the public. They stop being a tool to ensure the correct winner and start becoming a tool for sore losers to live in denial for an extra couple of weeks. They start becoming a cynical fundraising tool instead of an emergency tool in rare cases of extremely close results. Which is more frightening, that no one around Stein thought of this, or they did and she just doesn’t care?” —Jim Geraghty

Smackdown: “[For Romney] to go and do homage to this guy he said awful things about, I don’t think that shows much character. Mitt Romney is somebody I had respect for. I have none anymore.” —Harry Reid (“I was indeed very critical of Mr. Trump during his campaign. But now he has been elected president and accordingly, if I could have helped shape foreign policy to protect the country I love, I would have been more than willing to do so. As for Mr. Reid, I lost respect for him when he repeatedly lied about my taxes and later admitted to it cheerily. Good riddance, Mr. Reid. The Senate will be better served without you in it.” —Mitt Romney)

Race bait: “We have by no means overcome the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow and colonialism and racism.” —Barack Obama

But … but … racism! “[Donald Trump is] going to be our man for the next four years at least, probably eight, and he’s amenable to listening to people who did not vote for him. I fell in love with him because he really talks about helping African-American, black people and that’s why I’m here.” —former NFL star Jim Brown

ObamaCare predictions: “There’s division among the Republicans within their own ranks as to timing and substance. I don’t think they’re going to repeal the Affordable Care Act.” —Nancy Pelosi

And last… “Before Obamacare, you could go bankrupt if you got sick. After Obamacare, you go bankrupt from premiums before you get sick.” —Frank Fleming

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.