The Patriot Post Digest 4-17-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-17-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Apr. 17, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Dropping the MOAB signals that Trump has removed the military’s handcuffs.
And it provides a warning for North Korea, which Mike Pence echoed from South Korea.
When Congress returns from recess, it won’t have long to deal with the debt ceiling.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“War, like most other things, is a science to be acquired and perfected by diligence, by perserverance, by time, and by practice.” —Alexander Hamilton (1787)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Trump Removes the Handcuffs1

As the number of Islamic State militants killed by the Massive Ordnance Air Blast or MOAB nears 100, the U.S. as well as the rest of the world is assessing the larger and continued impact of the bomb. The strategic rationale for the using our biggest non-nuclear bomb was sound, as the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan near the border of Pakistan has become a recent hot zone for the U.S. military’s engagement with an off-shoot of Islamic State militants. In this instance, the MOAB eviscerated an elaborate network of jihadi tunnels. Gen. John W. Nicholson stated that MOAB “is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS.”

In the larger context, MOAB signals a significant change from the last eight years. Barack Obama was no fan of the U.S. military, and while he begrudgingly understood its necessity he did much to limit its ability to engage in effective warfare2. Donald Trump’s attitude is markedly different, demonstrated both by his campaign rhetoric in calling for the defeat of America’s enemies and his willingness to back-up his rhetoric by giving military commanders the green light to use necessary force. Significantly, when Trump was asked whether he authorized the bomb itself, the president answered, “What I do is I authorize the military. We have the greatest military in the world, and they’ve done a [good] job as usual. So, we have given them total authorization.”

A few of observations can be noted here. First, Trump has taken the handcuffs off U.S. military leadership, trusting in their expertise to wage effective warfare. Second, Trump believes in winning wars. Wars are won when one side defeats the other, and too often politicians prove to get in the way and end up prolonging war, leading ultimately to more suffering and lost lives. As David French of National Review states3, “Excessive American caution has cost American lives and American limbs.” Third, this bomb, coupled with the U.S. bombing of the Syrian air base4 responsible for launching the chemical attack, sends a clear message to both North Korea and Iran that Trump will use any means necessary, including force, to counter their aggression.

North Korea’s Failure to Launch5

North Korea has become increasingly belligerent6 over the years, as pathetic attempts at diplomacy — begun with Bill Clinton’s special emissary Jimmy Carter — failed to yield the desired results. In Saturday’s celebration of “the Day of the Sun,” the birthday of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung, the communist nation held a massive parade to show off its military prowess. This included numerous missiles on display (or at least on faux display7), some of which are intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Though it did not launch a ballistic missile or conduct a nuclear test, on Sunday morning, the North Koreans attempted a missile launch — it exploded almost immediately.

That failed launch was timed to coincide with Vice President Mike Pence’s departure for South Korea. “The era of strategic patience is over,” Pence warned North Korea from the demilitarized zone Monday. “President Trump has made it clear that the patience of the United States and our allies in this region has run out and we want to see change. We want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path of the development of nuclear weapons, and also its continual use and testing of ballistic missiles is unacceptable.”

The Trump administration is hoping for — and starting to receive — cooperation from China8. Over the weekend, Air China suspended its Beijing-Pyongyang route, which is a small but clear signal of disapproval. China said the decision was “market-based,” but coming from a Communist nation that’s obviously a smokescreen. Still, the question is whether North Korea will listen. Kim Jong Un is a bit of a loose cannon, and his government isn’t responding to Chinese requests for diplomatic meetings.

If Kim doesn’t settle down, however, Pence offered this warning: “Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria4 and Afghanistan1. North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the Armed Forces of the United States in this region.”

Top Headlines9

Feds collect record income and payroll taxes through March — still run $526,855,000,000 deficit. (CNS News10)

Holy sacred cow: Tax reform package to set churches free to campaign? (Hot Air11)

Trump refocuses on ObamaCare overhaul. (Washington Examiner12)

Gorsuch gets major religious liberty case for his opening week on the Supreme Court. (Washington Examiner13)

Haitians get word of Trump crackdown, slow flow to border by 97%. (The Washington Times14)

A deeply divided Turkey votes to give president far-reaching new powers. (CNS News15)

School forced to cut more than 20 classes in order to pay labor union. (The Daily Signal16)

UVA administrators fight for free speech. (The Daily Signal17)

Facebook breaks up fake account ring promoting news publication pages. (USA Today18.)

Draining the swamp apparently means hiding the White House visitor logs. (Reason19)

Policy: Calculating the threat from North Korea. (The Washington Times20)

Policy: How to use Tax Day to promote conservative ideas. (The Daily Signal21)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report22.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
The Bucks Don’t Stop With the Debt Ceiling23

By Brian Mark Weber

Congress is on vacation. Again. And while getting politicians out of Washington has its benefits, this year’s break is ill-timed. When members of Congress reconvene on April 25, they’ll have just four days to keep the government from shutting down as last year’s continuing resolution expires.

The importance of tackling budget issues has even more symbolic power this time around: Were the government to shut down, it would come on President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office. And we know the Leftmedia will jump at the chance to use that against the president and Republicans in Congress.

Now, once Congress comes back to town, don’t expect either party to panic over an impending government shutdown. In particular, Democrats have the most to gain from a shutdown — they’ll get credit with their base for the Great Resistance Against Trump, all while their accomplices in the press make sure Republicans get the blame.

But what about Republicans? After all, they control the White House, Senate and House. Surely we can rely on the GOP leadership to address this critical issue, right? Not so fast. Remember, this is the same Republican Congress that failed to agree24 on a bill to replace ObamaCare after seven years of promises, which now jeopardizes tax reform25 or anything else of substance.

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The Patriot Post Digest 4-17-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Thanks to the ineptitude of last year’s Congress to reach an actual budget agreement, we’re on the precipice of yet another government shutdown. In order to keep the government operating beyond April 29, Congress must vote on a budget or pass another continuing resolution in order to raise the debt ceiling. In laymen’s terms, our elected officials are about to kick the can down the road once again. It’s what they do best, and, frankly, it’s what most voters want them to do. Everybody wants cuts until their favorite program is on the chopping block. And every program is somebody’s favorite.

Republicans are simply too divided to agree on the budget. Some members are refusing to back any measure that defunds Planned Parenthood. Others won’t compromise on defense and security spending. And President Trump wants billions for the border security and the wall. Democrats, with everything to gain from a shutdown, oppose just about anything the Republicans might want in a budget bill or a continuing resolution. Suddenly, Democrats have become the party of “no.”

Even if Republicans can muster the courage to come up with a bill, they’ll need 60 votes in the Senate. That’s right. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is licking his chops. Last month, Schumer said26, “If Republicans insist on inserting poison pill riders such as defunding Planned Parenthood, building a border wall, or starting a deportation force, they will be shutting down the government and delivering a severe blow to our economy.” As far as the Democrats are concerned, it’s their way or the highway.

House Speaker Paul Ryan sees the writing on the wall, and he’s already signaling that health care, the border wall and tax reform will have to wait. Imagine that. Republicans, who now hold all the reins of power, still have to yield to Democrats in Congress to get something done.

There’s a simple reason for this. When it comes time to get things done (or to stop them), Democrats march in lockstep. Republicans, by contrast, are a herd of cats scattering in a hundred directions.

What should worry Americans more than a temporary government shutdown is the long-term impact of our country’s ever-growing debt. The overall share of the national budget needed just to service the debt will grow significantly in the coming years, leaving less funding for the military, infrastructure and other projects.

As the Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner writes for National Review27, “All of this budget maneuvering comes shortly after the Congressional Budget Office released an alarming new report warning that the national debt will double as a share of the national economy by mid-century. Interest payments on the debt will rise from $270 billion in 2017 to $768 billion in 2027, with catastrophic consequences for President Trump’s agenda of economic and job growth.”

The irony is that government shutdowns, which are usually short-lived and really have very little impact on the country, are characterized as the fall of the Roman Empire. Meanwhile, the long-term federal debt, which has the potential to seriously impact the economy, infrastructure, national defense and other major initiatives, isn’t even a priority.

The situation is akin to losing sleep over how to make the minimum credit card payment without even thinking about the bank that’s about to foreclose on your home.

Chances are, Republicans will go for minimum damage to their brand and work with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution before April 29. Gabrielle Levy writes28 in U.S. News and World Report that “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York have been negotiating for months on a deal to fund the government and have told reporters the talks have made significant progress ahead of the deadline.” While that may seem to be a positive development, a short-term deal this month will only set the stage for a real budget battle later this year.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

The Knives Are Out for Steve Bannon29 — The Leftmedia appear to be trying to take out Trump’s advisor, and it sure isn’t to help the president.
Trouble Brewing in the Catholic Church?30 — Amidst the ambiguity of Pope Francis’s teachings and actions, there are early rumblings of schism.
Social Security Reform: Not on My Watch, Says Trump31 — He’s always promised to avoid touching the third rail, but it needs reform. Will Congress act anyway?
Haley Calls Out Moscow32 — U.S. ambassador declares that it’s time for Russia to join civilized nations and give up supporting Assad.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

George Will: A Case for Preventing Children’s Scraped Knees33
Burt Prelutsky: This, That & the Other Thing34
Todd Starnes: University Students Vote to Make American Flag ‘Optional’35

For more, visit Right Opinion36.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Burt Prelutsky: “One of the nutty things about the way the Left has been attacking Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is that, on behalf of the Teacher’s Unions, they pointed out that she doesn’t have a degree in education; has no teaching experience; didn’t attend government schools; and didn’t send her kids to ‘public’ school. To me, that would be like opposing a superintendent of prisons because he had never been arrested, indicted or served time in a penitentiary. What highlights the fact that the Democrats in Congress who voted against confirming her were merely signaling that they were the pawns of the unions was the fact that everything said about DeVos could have been said of Obama’s Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. The difference, of course, is that Duncan was bought and paid for by the teachers' unions, and, as their official mouthpiece, never had a good word to say for private schools, religious schools, charter schools or home-schooling. Although liberals are forever railing against monopolies, they are always happy to make an exception when it comes to appeasing public school teachers, whose unions constitute the single biggest contributor to their elections.”

SHORT CUTS

The Gipper: “If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he’ll eat you last.”

For the record: “There’s a system, a legal justice system, in place. And the law deports people. Secretary Kelly doesn’t. ICE doesn’t. It’s the United States … that deports people.” —Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly

The BIG lie: “We don’t have any chemical weapons. We gave up our arsenal three years ago. Even if we had them, we wouldn’t use them. And we have never used our chemical arsenal in our history.” —Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad

Mainstream dissenter: “I’ve always said that when a president puts his credibility on the line with a red line, as President Obama did in saying that we would not allow [Syria] to use chemical weapons, I think it was the right step to take, but it was also important to then stand by that red line and enforce it. And I think when there was hesitancy … it sent the wrong message not only to Assad but I think to Russia as well.” —Leon Panetta, secretary of defense under Obama

And last… “One difference between the government and a mugger is a mugger doesn’t make you spend a day filling out a complicated [tax] form so he can rob you.” —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.