The Patriot Post Digest 01-31-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 01-31-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jan. 31, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Obama is already expressing post-presidential displeasure with Trump.
Trump acts quickly in replacing rogue Attorney General.
It’ll take more than hot air to end bloodshed in Chicago.
And more news, policy and opinion.

THE FOUNDATION

“When right, I shall often be thought wrong by those whose positions will not command a view of the whole ground.” —Thomas Jefferson (1805)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Trump Tackles the Regulatory Tidal Wave1

Business owners have been gifted a much-needed reprieve thanks to Donald Trump’s swift action to reduce red tape. The rollback began immediately, on day one, when a regulatory moratorium “effectively halted nearly $200 billion worth of regulations2” by one estimate, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon. On Monday, Trump went even further with a Presidential Executive Order on Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs3. The order states, “It is important that for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be identified for elimination, and that the cost of planned regulations be prudently managed and controlled through a budgeting process.”

Similar to the Left’s rancorous and theatrical uproar over Trump’s travel ban4, Democrats are hyperventilating once again, slamming the move to reduce regulations as uncanny. But as The Wall Street Journal reports5, “Many civilized countries use such budgets to manage the regulatory state and stay competitive. Canada requires every rule that creates another hour of paperwork for business compliance to be offset one for one. The United Kingdom and Australia have harder versions that require the costs of new rules to be offset by deregulation of comparable net value.”

Just consider how convoluted the system is. The Washington Times says, “The Obama administration issued 3,853 final rules in 2016, the most in 11 years. Another 2,391 proposed rules were in the regulatory pipeline when Mr. Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20.” Moreover, “Federal agencies last year issued 18 rules and regulations for every law approved by Congress.” That’s absurd. No wonder the economy remains sluggish6.

As welcome and refreshing as Trump’s attack on regulations is, the best appears yet to come. The Times also notes that Trump “promised to set his sights next on rolling back the massive Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law. ‘Dodd-Frank is a disaster,’ the president told reporters in the Oval Office after a meeting with small business owners. ‘We’re going to be doing a big number on Dodd-Frank. The American dream is back.’” In 2008, Barack Obama said “this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow.” He was referring to “climate change,” of course, but there’s another ocean that actually is rising at unprecedented levels: the regulatory state. And Trump is ensuring that it truly, not just rhetorically, begins to recede.

He’s Back! Obama’s Silence Lasted Just 10 Days7

As predicted, that didn’t take long. Just a few weeks ago we warned8 that Barack Obama was laying the groundwork for his post-presidential activism. While out of the Oval Office for just 10 days, he already can’t resist expressing his complete and utter displeasure with President Donald Trump’s policy decisions. Through his spokesman, Kevin Lewis9, Obama let his cohorts know he “is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country.”

Lewis continued: “In his final official speech as President, [Obama] spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardian of our democracy — not just during an election but every day. Citizens exercising their Constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.” That’s funny — he didn’t' seem to care about “American values” when those protests were coming from members of the Tea Party.

Lewis concluded, “With regard to comparisons to President Obama’s foreign policy decisions, as we’ve heard before, the President fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion.” Yet, as we’ve stated, Trump’s travel ban is not unprecedented4. According to a 2013 ABC News report10, “Several dozen suspected terrorist bombmakers, including some believed to have targeted American troops, may have mistakenly been allowed to move to the United States as war refugees.” This prompted “the State Department [to terminate] processing Iraq refugees for six months in 2011 … even for many who had heroically helped U.S. forces as interpreters and intelligence assets.” Ironically, Trump’s newly enacted travel ban can even be considered somewhat of a bipartisan agreement. It was the previous administration, after all, that crafted the blacklist11.

Americans have every right to (peacefully) protest. And Obama, who is now a private citizen, has a right to express his personal views. But less than two weeks ago America observed the peaceful transfer of power, which didn’t happen to be the kind of transfer Democrats predicted. In short: Americans voted against what leftists are selling. That should send a message to Obama that he should sit back, be quiet and let things unfold. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. His narcissism won’t allow it. That’s why we’re in for years of more lecturing from the former community activist who is mostly to blame for today’s disarray.

Top Headlines12

Obama’s “Iran nuke deal13”? Mullahs test another ballistic missile. (Fox News14)

Former aide says U.S. will pull out of Paris climate deal within days. (Fox News15)

Trump adding CIA back to National Security Council. (Reuters16)

California considers enacting statewide sanctuary for illegals. (CBS LA17)

Texas governor to Austin sheriff: Reverse reckless sanctuary policy or forfeit state funds. (CNS News18.)

Bill de Blasio: Yes, we shield undocumented drunk drivers from immigration enforcement. (Hot Air19)

Rep. John Lewis and top aide hit with ethics complaint. (Washington Free Beacon20)

North Dakota demands paid pipeline protesters pay state income taxes. (The Washington Times21)

British doctors can no longer call women “mothers” because it’s not “inclusive.” (Washington Free Beacon22)

Boy Scouts invite transgender “boys” into programs. (CBS News23)

Policy: Now is the time to defund Planned Parenthood. (The Daily Signal24)

Policy: America’s national debt isn’t just a future problem. (Conservative Review25)

Don’t Miss Patriot Humor

Check out Twilight Zone26.

If you’d like to receive Patriot Humor by email, update your subscription here27.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Showdown in Bloody Chicago28

By James Shott

Unless you live on another planet, you have heard of the dangerous conditions in Chicago, where the level of violence is and has been at a crisis level for years. Chicago, like other major cities, has rampant crime and one of the higher murder and shooting rates, despite (or is it because of?) having some of the strictest gun laws in the country.

On a per capita basis, Chicago does not attract much attention because of its large population. Based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s last count in 2010, the estimated population in 2016 was 2.7 million, so its murder rate per 100,000 residents isn’t that large. But Chicago still wins a dubious prize for its total number of homicides and shootings29.

Data compiled by the Chicago Tribune staff shows that in 2016 there were 4,368 shooting victims in the city and 762 homicides. Things don’t look much better for 2017: As of Jan. 28, there were already 268 shooting victims, which is a little lower than Jan. 2016. But last January was the third-lowest month for shootings in 2016, so things could easily worsen.

At least 39 people were shot across Chicago over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, leaving 10 dead. Six people were shot while attending a memorial service30 for a shooting victim last week.

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The Patriot Post Digest 01-31-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Greg Zanis, a retired carpenter, creates wooden crosses for each person killed by gang violence in Chicago and places them in a grassy lot in the city’s Englewood neighborhood. Last year was the deadliest year in 20 years — 762 homicides, up from 496 in 2015 — so Zanis was busy.

Some shooting deaths result from action by police officers, but most shootings do not involve police and are attributed primarily to gang violence. Yet the deaths involving police officers attract much more attention than the far greater number of shootings and murders that do not involve the police. Data taken from the Independent Police Review Authority shows that in 2016 police were involved in only 11 of the 762 total shooting deaths. Police also wounded 14 people. The chance of being killed by a Chicago police officer is only 1.4%.

However, in the high-crime minority communities, there is an almost automatic reaction to blame the police in shooting deaths when they are involved, despite the fact that in the vast majority of cases the victim either initiated the incident or resisted or fought against a proper action by police.

These knee-jerk reactions arise before details are known and are based upon emotions and prejudice, ginned up by people whose political agenda is to blame police rather than face up to the reality that the victims have brought their fate on themselves through criminal behavior.

This false narrative continues even after police are exonerated and is responsible for protest demonstrations and hatred and mistrust of police. The effect too often makes police reluctant to patrol in neighborhoods where these confrontations have occurred and are most likely to recur, but where police presence is most needed, which, of course, makes matters worse.

Street violence has increased in the administration of Democrat Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served as the previous president’s chief of staff from 2008 to 2010 and was elected mayor in 2011. In addition to failing to control the crime-ridden city, Emanuel opened Chicago to illegal aliens, proclaiming, “Chicago has in the past been a sanctuary city. … It always will be a sanctuary city.” He also celebrated when Obama scapegoated Chicago’s police as he exited the White House earlier this month.

President Donald Trump, a vocal critic of urban violence, threatens to “send in the feds.” With rampant speculation as to what exactly will occur, he has many constitutional options available, the first being Senate confirmation of his attorney general nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions.

Citing former New York Mayor Rudy Gulliani’s actions while in office, National Review’s Andrew McCarthy suggests31 that approach would also work in Chicago, noting that the “U.S. penal code is better equipped to deal with street crime today than three decades ago.” McCarthy, however, acknowledges that the feds cannot totally solve Chicago’s problems.

“In Chicago, federal law enforcement could make a difference by using and building on task-force arrangements with the CPD and state police,” he wrote. “High-crime areas could be targeted over a sustained period for investigations of narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, violent crimes in aid of racketeering (racketeering can include street-gang violence and drug conspiracies), and extortionate interference with commerce by violence or threats. A healthy percentage of the cases developed … could then be indicted in federal court, where the penalties are stiffer and surer.”

Emanuel has failed to reduce crime in his city but is amenable to receiving assistance. Let’s pray that Trump’s focus on big city crime pays off.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Trump to Acting Attorney General: You’re Fired!32 — Trump acts quickly in replacing rogue AG.
Lawless Sanctuary Cities Look to the Courts33 — City officials vow to fight Trump’s executive order.
Terrorism by Any Other Name34 — The Ft. Lauderdale terrorist is indicted, but there’s one glaring omission.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Gary Bauer: Media Malpractice35
Rich Lowry: The Un-American Canard36
Stephen Moore: End the Foreign-Aid Racket37

For more, visit Right Opinion38.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Gary Bauer: “Let’s not forget why President Trump [imposed a travel ban]: ISIS has repeatedly told us that it was infiltrating the flow of refugees with terrorists. Western intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned us that ISIS was hiding jihadist fighters among the refugees. Last summer, CIA Director John Brennan told Congress: ‘[ISIS] is probably exploring a variety of means for infiltrating operatives into the West, including refugee flows, smuggling routes and legitimate methods of travel.’ We have problems that need addressing. … No one has an absolute right to enter our country or to come and go as they wish. … Here’s the bottom line: The Trump-Pence administration is cleaning up the mess that Obama made in the Middle East over the past eight years. Part of the reason dead Syrian children are washing up on the shores of Europe is that Obama drew red lines in Syria and then ignored them. That gave the Assad regime the green light, along with its Russian and Iranian allies, to do virtually anything they wanted.”

SHORT CUTS

Upright: “The restoration of the Mexico City policy is a great start, but Trump should take a much bolder step: Stop all non-emergency foreign aid now. … Just as the welfare state here at home has created cycles of poverty in families, aid abroad fosters dependency, not self-sufficiency. Local initiatives don’t take shape, because the attitude is that the foreigners will take care of the busted pipe or the downed power lines. … The best way to promote prosperity abroad is to fix America’s problems first. Then we can serve as a beacon of freedom and opportunity for nations around the globe. If we lead, the rest of the world will follow.” —Stephen Moore

Tread carefully: “The rocky rollout of the Trump [immigration] policy means that the administration is expending political capital on its executive order that would best be preserved for more important immigration-related causes, like getting Congress to pass a mandatory e-verify system to stop employers from hiring illegal labor and to emphasize skills in the legal immigration system — you know, other alleged betrayals of America.” —Rich Lowry

For the record: “Despite the real legislative and electoral accomplishments it helped achieve, the Tea Party was painted by Democrats and the media as a treasonous wing of racist insurrectionists. … Now that Democrats have been kicked out of the White House (and both chambers of Congress), liberals are attempting to create a Tea Party of their own.” —Stephen Miller in “How Liberals Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tea Party39”

Braying Jackass: “The fact is, Donald Trump loves the NRA. And during his campaign he embraced them and they embraced him. The city of Chicago had some of the most stringent gun control laws. How were they eviscerated? Because the NRA funded lawsuits against our gun control measures.” —Rep. Luis Gutierrez

Non Compos Mentis: “I would argue that we should go towards a discussion about a pathway in which there’s absolutely no screening. … And then maybe, let’s just make sure that if folks get to this country, and we suspect them of having connections to terrorism, that they shouldn’t be able to get an assault weapon.” —Sen. Chris Murphy

And last… “Surprisingly, open-minded Hollywood has not yet agreed to allow unvetted refugees to mill freely about their heavily guarded film studios.” —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.