The Patriot Post Digest 4-13-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
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Mid-Day Digest

Apr. 13, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Did Trump flip-flop on China and NATO, or were there strategic reasons for a change?
Jeff Sessions outlines some key immigration policies that are big changes from Obama.
Progressives have pushed transgenderism to the point of child abuse.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“My policy has been, and will continue to be, while I have the honor to remain in the administration of the government, to be upon friendly terms with, but independent of, all the nations of the earth. To share in the broils of none. To fulfil our own engagements. To supply the wants, and be carriers for them all: Being thoroughly convinced that it is our policy and interest to do so.” —George Washington (1795)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

The Strategic Calculations Behind Trump’s Flip-Flops1

Headlines splashed across much of the mainstream media on Thursday morning stated that essentially Donald Trump had flipped his position on several campaign issues. Two of Trump’s policy changes were highlighted by the following headlines: Bloomberg’s headline, “Trump’s Reversal on China Currency His Latest Abandoned Promise2” and the other in the Washington Post’s headline, “Trump on NATO: ‘I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete.’3”

Given Trump’s typical off-the-cuff manner, it’s tempting to assume that he’s sliding into the realm of all flip-flopping politicians, but the truth — at least in these two cases — is more nuanced. In the case of China, Trump can’t think of its currency in a vacuum, but as part of his effort to contain North Korea4. The U.S. and China will have to cooperate to some extent, meaning labeling China a currency manipulator is off the table for now. And as for NATO, a huge part of Trump’s strategy in Syria is to put pressure on Vladimir Putin5. NATO is key in that calculation, thus it’s “no longer obsolete” — just as we argued6 from the beginning.

As with every campaign, the rhetoric of the politician is often overly simplistic, designed to present big picture issues in the most appealing way, while avoiding getting bogged down in the minutia of truly complex issues. Trump, like Barack Obama before him, proved to be skillful at connecting with Americans in getting his base message out clearly — “Make America Great Again.”

But unlike Obama, Trump truly was a non-establishment Washington outsider. Like anyone coming into a new job, there are things learned once on the job that can prove to change one’s perspective. To some degree, Trump is learning on the job, as have all presidents before him, but it would be naïve to suggest that Trump’s apparent flip-flop in policy position is due entirely to his newfound experience of being in office. Trump is a business man who is more of a pragmatist than an ideologue. He understands negotiating tactics — knowing when to “hold and when to fold.” And unlike Obama, Trump appears to truly listen to and trust the expertise of his cabinet and advisers.

On a final note, Trump’s shifting rhetoric on both China and NATO are encouraging and wise moves, but neither necessarily indicates that he has actually changed his policy position. This type of talking tough and then moving to the middle ground may have been his intention from the beginning.

Sessions Details Immigration Policy Changes7

Attorney General Jeff Sessions went to Arizona this week to spend some time visiting the U.S.-Mexico border as well as to give a speech in which he highlighted parts of the Justice Department’s plan for further tackling the problem of illegal immigration. Sessions referred to the border as “ground zero” in the fight against criminal aliens. Sessions said, “Transnational gangs like MS-13 and international cartels flood our country with drugs and leave death and violence in their wake.” He continued, “It is here that criminal aliens and the coyotes and the document-forgers seek to overthrow our system of lawful immigration.” Sessions then warned, “For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country, be forewarned: This is a new era. This is the Trump era. The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws, and the catch-and-release practices of old are over.”

Sessions then outlined five areas of change from Barack Obama’s immigration enforcement policy. These changes include cracking down on individuals who illegally transport and harbor illegal aliens, increased punishments for those found illegally crossing the border, tougher sentencing on repeat-offenders, adding fraud and identity theft where possible, and implementing greater protections for border enforcement agents via prioritizing the prosecutions of those illegal aliens accused of assaulting a “federal law enforcement officer.”

On that note, Fox News reports8, “The cartel member suspected of shooting and killing Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in 2010 with a gun supplied by the U.S. government was arrested in Mexico Wednesday.” Terry was murdered by an assailant with a weapon that was supplied to Mexican drug cartels by Obama’s “Fast and Furious9” scam.

Donald Trump is clearly committed to keeping his promise of making dealing with illegal immigration a top priority. The issue is one of the major reasons he was elected in the first place. Recent news reports showing a significant decline in illegal immigration10 since the election are validating many Americans' vote, as well as Trump’s choice of Sessions to lead the Justice Department.

Top Headlines11

Report: House tax reform plan would create 1.7 million jobs and increase after-tax incomes. (The Washington Free Beacon12)

Tillerson meets with Putin amid deepening tensions over U.S. missile strikes in Syria. (The Washington Post13)

Russia vetoes UN resolution to condemn Syria chemical attack. (CNS News14)

Trump: We’re not going further on Syria. (Hot Air15)

Ex-Trump campaign adviser Carter Page hits back against Russia reports. (Washington Examiner16)

Fast and Furious scandal: Suspected triggerman in border agent’s murder arrested. (Fox News8.)

Top Air Force officer: Budget from Congress more important than dollar amount. (The Washington Free Beacon17)

Lansing, Michigan rescinds “sanctuary” status after criticism from businesses. (Fox News18.)

Students out principal — How did she get past the school board? (Good News Network19)

Fire department cancels Easter egg hunt because parents trampled each other in rush to make sure every kid got one. (Reason20)

Policy: Hefty drop in border arrests a credit to Trump’s enforcement of U.S. law. (The Daily Signal10)

Policy: The magic disappearing $100 billion climate fund. (Hudson Institute21)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report22.
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read Scalia’s Legacy and Schumer’s Real SCOTUS Strategy23. The political contest for judicial control of the nation’s future is a four-dimensional chess match.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here24.
Publisher’s Note

In observance of Good Friday and in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will take leave tomorrow from the daily rigors of analyzing news, policy and opinion in order to focus on an eternal message.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Progressive Child Abuse25

By Allyne Caan

Trying to understand the logic of cultural leftists is an exercise in futility. After years — decades, actually — of downplaying and essentially denying any difference26 between the sexes and claiming gender roles are social constructs, they’ve done an about-face. Not only are certain characteristics indicative of gender but the sexes are so different that those who dislike their own can and even should claim another! Because there is no uniqueness between the sexes. Except when there is.

It’s bad enough that supposedly rational adults embrace such confusion, but now they’re seeking to validate their position by conducting medical and psychological experiments on children as young as kindergarten-age.

In a recent New York Times guest column27, Yale School of Medicine Research Fellow Jack Turban praises the medical (mal)practice of giving children who dislike their birth-gender implants to block the onset of puberty so they can prepare to “transition” to their chosen gender. He tells the story of 14-year-old “Hannah” — born a boy — who “is using a puberty-blocking implant and getting ready to embark on the path of developing a female body by starting estrogen.” The implant, Turban writes, is a “hard rod” just beneath the skin of “Hannah’s” arm which “releases a drug that turns off the brain cells that would otherwise kick off puberty. … [It’s] been in place for two years, preventing the process that would have deepened her voice and given her an Adam’s apple.”

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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In other words, beginning at age 12, “Hannah’s” parents, with the complicity of medical professionals, began giving this child drugs to stunt his brain cells and the natural progression of biology.

It’s absurd that the obvious even requires saying, but for the record, this kind of medical experimentation on children is not a mark of a civilized society. In fact, one might argue it’s child abuse. Then again, a nation that dismembers its in-utero children can hardly become queasy at blocking brain cells. That would be a bit incongruous, now, wouldn’t it?

In a fashion typical of those who embrace transgenderism and other manifestations of gender disorientation pathology28, Turban has hardly a negative word to say about any harmful effects of chemically altering children’s brain cells to deliberately stunt natural development. Instead, he paints a rosy picture, points to “Hannah” as “happy” with the implant, and calls him a “thriving teenager.” And he erroneously claims that “over the past few years, it has become clear that if we support these children in their transgender identities instead of trying to change them, they thrive instead of struggling with anxiety and depression.”

Putting aside for a moment the fact that the only ones trying to “change” children are those implanting drugs in their arms to botch brain cell activity, “thrive” is hardly an accurate word for thousands of individuals who bought into the deception that if only they could become the gender they wanted, they would find joy.

An astounding 46% of transgender men and 42% of transgender women have attempted suicide29, according to one study from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Among transgender individuals who underwent hormone treatment, the suicide-attempt rate was 45%. By comparison, less than 5% of the overall U.S. population reports attempting suicide in their lifetime.

In fact, the study authors specifically write30, “Overall, the most striking finding of our analysis was the exceptionally high prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts reported by … [transgender and gender non-conforming adults] across all demographics and experiences.”

This finding would not surprise Walt Heyer31, who underwent a sex-change operation and lived as a woman for eight years without finding the peace he craved. “Changing genders is short-term gain with long-term pain,” he writes. “Its consequences include early mortality, regret, mental illness, and suicide.” Heyer isn’t alone. His website, sexchangeregret.com, shares the stories not heralded by the media — the stories of what happens to people like “Hannah” weeks, months and even years down the road.

In a brand new column, Heyer writes32, “Doctors jam trans kids with puberty blockers and trans adults with cross-gender hormones, then recommend irreversible genital surgery, all without having long-term systematic studies of the effectiveness of such invasive treatment. Parents of trans kids don’t have the benefit of trustworthy information on the probable outcomes of up to 90 percent of gender changers.” That’s because the vast majority of post-trans surgery subjects are what’s called “lost to follow-up,” so no studies account for them. Some of that is intentional — just not counting those who transition back to their birth sex — because, according to Heyer, “LGBTQ studies purposefully exclude anything that would reflect badly on their overblown trans agenda.”

“Hannah” is searching for an identity that will never be found in medical inducements or surgical constructions. By telling him otherwise and applauding those who damage children psychologically and physically in the name of gender progressivism, the Jack Turbans of the world — never mind the parents and mad scientists who hurt these kids — aren’t giving hope; they’re endorsing child abuse.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Sacrificing Privacy for Health Care33 — As health care has become a “right,” more companies are beginning to monitor their employees' well-being.
New York’s ‘Free’ College Ensures Failure34 — Student snowflakes will be further inoculated from reality, but there are a lot of strings attached to this “freebie.”

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Victor Davis Hanson: Obama Is America’s Version of Stanley Baldwin35
Larry Elder: Obama Claimed ‘All’ of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Had Been Eliminated36
Rebecca Hagelin: Baby in a Jar37

For more, visit Right Opinion38.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Victor Davis Hanson: “Obama is the U.S. version of Stanley Baldwin, the suave, three-time British prime minister of the 1920s and 1930s. Baldwin’s last tenure (1935-1937) coincided with the rapid rise of aggressive German, Italian and Japanese fascism. Baldwin was a passionate spokesman for disarmament. He helped organize peace conferences. He tirelessly lectured on the need for pacifism. He basked in the praise of his good intentions. Baldwin assured fascists that he was not rearming Britain. Instead, he preached that the deadly new weapons of the 20th century made war so unthinkable that it would be almost impossible for it to break out. … Both seemed to believe that war breaks out only because of misunderstandings that reflect honest differences. Therefore, tensions between aggressors and their targets can be remedied by more talk, international agreements, goodwill and concessions. … Baldwin was popular when he left office, largely because he had proclaimed peace, but he had helped set the table for the inevitable conflict to be inherited by his successors, Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill. Obama likewise ignored rumbling volcanoes, and now they are erupting on his successor’s watch. In both cases, history was kind while Baldwin and Obama were in office — but not so after they left.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Our schools are, in a sense, factories, in which the raw products [children] are to be shaped and fashioned into products to meet the various demands of life. The specifications for manufacturing come from the demands of twentieth-century civilization, and it is the business of the school to build its pupils according to the specifications laid down.” —Ellwood P. Cubberley (1868-1941)

Upright: “In the end, capital punishment is a matter of justice and just deserts. It is justice for the dead and his or her relatives and it is just deserts for the murderer. On several occasions I have offered people opposed to the death penalty a deal. I will oppose capital punishment for the guilty, if they will oppose ‘capital punishment’ for the innocent unborn. I am still waiting to hear from them.” —Cal Thomas

From the “D'oh!” Files: “We were very pleased with the assurances we received from [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process.” —Nancy Pelosi 10 years ago this month when she snuck into Syria and met with Bashar al-Assad

Fair question: “In case you are keeping track at home, NATO is in, Russia is out, the Ex-Im Bank is in, labeling China a currency manipulator is out, and Janet Yellen is TBD. I’m happy with most of these changes, but has there ever been a president who is so blatantly and thoroughly up for grabs?” —Rich Lowry

For the record: “The reason that the Russians are in [Syria] is not an affection for Assad … but because, as a result of their involvement, they now have a naval base in the warm water Mediterranean, they have an active, very powerful airbase in Syria. They have a presence in the Middle East. They are the power. They have displaced the United States. And their entire foreign policy under Putin is to restore the glory and the territory and the influence of old Soviet Union, one piece at a time. And it does that by taking away from the United States. It’s a zero sum game.” —Charles Krauthammer

And last… “The most dangerous syllogism in Washington: We should do something. This is something. Therefore we should do this.” —Dan McLaughlin

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.