The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2017

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

May 8, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

    With ObamaCare failing harder all the time, Democrats are shifting blame.
    The Rainbow Mafia succeeded in torpedoing a great nomination for the Army.
    Leftist police-bashing has yielded deadly results, according to a new FBI report.
    Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

ObamaCare’s Failure Is Trump’s Fault?1

In an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace on Sunday, Jonathan Gruber, one of the primary architects of ObamaCare, was questioned as to who was at fault for the law’s failure. Gruber responded, “Before President Trump was elected there were no counties in America that did not have an insurer. … Then you have a president who comes in, undercuts open enrollment, doesn’t honor the obligations this law makes to insurers and as a result premiums are going up and insurers are exiting.” In other words, ObamaCare is failing because of Donald Trump. What a conveniently deceitful excuse. The reality is that insurance companies have been swallowing losses for years, prompting many to leave the government exchanges well before Trump even became a candidate for president. And while Trump has talked about cutting funding to ObamaCare, to date none of those threats have been enacted. Once again, Gruber is simply peddling a lie2.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama was given the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award over the weekend. In his speech he touted his and Democrat brave efforts in forcing ObamaCare onto the American public, all the while ignoring the skyrocketing costs and general wreckage to Americans' freedom his law created. He declared, “These [Democrat] men and women did the right thing. They did the hard thing … and most of them did lose their seats.” Yes, many Democrats did lose their seats, but Republicans are proving that their “sacrifice” was worth it by their own unwillingness to potentially suffer a similar fate in repealing the disastrous law for the good of the country.

Finally, while Trump is not to blame for ObamaCare’s imminent collapse, he has hampered Republicans' efforts at repealing and replacing the law. The fact of the matter is that Trump likes too many things about ObamaCare. His demand that the replacement law retain some of the more costly elements of the “Affordable” Care Act has only proven to deepen divisions within the Republican Party, weakening their ability to comprehensively repeal and replace. We’re discovering he and many moderates simply don’t want true repeal. Just this past weekend Trump tweeted, “Of course the Australians have better healthcare than we do — everybody does. ObamaCare is Dead! But our healthcare will soon be great.” It’s strange to offer praise of a single-payer system, which is what Republicans are trying to avoid.

So, while Democrats continue to spin the fiction of the “successes” of ObamaCare, Trump and Republicans are saddled with a disunified effort to fix the mess they were given.

Dr. Mark Green Withdraws From Army Secretary Nomination3

This is a sad day for Army Patriots serving our nation and for our national defense.

The Rainbow Mafia, with the help of its Senate Republican “friends,” Lindsay Graham, Jeff Flake and the now-senile John McCain, refused to let Donald Trump’s extraordinary nomination of Mark Green for secretary of the Army move forward. The reason: His views on homosexuals and Islamists did not pass the PC litmus test.

I wrote about Dr. Green’s nomination and exceptional qualifications last week, noting that this would be a litmus test for Republicans — a choice between military readiness or political correctness: Time to Restore Courage, Character and Integrity to this Office4.

The Rainbow Mafia will now endeavor to derail his campaign for governor in Tennessee5 (if he reactivates that campaign) by mounting a defense threatening boycotts, as it did in neighboring North Carolina to overturn that state’s legislation to keep men out of little girls' restrooms6.

Falling on his sword so as not to become a distraction to Trump’s health care revisions in the Senate, Dr. Green issued this statement: “It is with deep regret today I am withdrawing my nomination to be the Secretary of the Army. I am honored that President Trump nominated me for this position. I appreciate his support and confidence in me, as well as that of Secretary Mattis and many others, and their desire to Make America Great Again by preparing our military to face the many challenges in the world for the safety and security of our nation. But to meet these challenges, there should be no distractions. And unfortunately due to false and misleading attacks against me, this nomination has become a distraction. Tragically, my life of public service and my Christian beliefs have been mischaracterized and attacked by a few on the other side of the aisle for political gain. While these attacks have no bearing on the needs of the Army or my qualifications to serve, I believe it is critical to give the President the ability to move forward with his vision to restore our military to its rightful place in the world. Camie and I look forward to finding other opportunities to use our gifts to serve others and help Make America Great Again.”

Thank you, Mark, for your willingness to be subjected to this disgraceful rejection.

Top Headlines7

    Trump’s first international trip reveals that the Middle East is a priority. (The Daily Signal8.)

    GOP tweaks to pre-existing conditions will likely affect just 0.5% of Americans. (The Federalist9)

    Report: ICE has 27 different databases for visa overstays, catches only 0.4%. (The Washington Free Beacon10)

    Texas governor signs anti-“sanctuary city” law. (The Washington Times11)

    Georgia governor signs campus gun measure. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution12)

    OIG report: More than 100 veterans died while waiting for care at Los Angeles VA. (The Washington Free Beacon13)

    EPA dismisses half of its scientific advisers on key board, citing “clean break” with Obama administration. (The Washington Post14)

    Dozens of groups press Trump to exit Paris climate deal. (Washington Examiner15)

    Macron won a historic French election. (Time16)

    U.S. may send up to 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan. (The Washington Times17)

    Policy: Why Trump should pull out of the Paris climate change agreement. (The Daily Signal18.)

    Policy: How court reviewing challenge to Trump’s travel ban swung left under Obama. (The Daily Signal19)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report20.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Police-Bashing’s Contemptible Consequences21

By Arnold Ahlert

An unclassified FBI report22 reveals the consequences of the American Left’s penchant for police-bashing.

According to “Assailant Study — Mindsets and Behaviors,” which examined “multiple high-profile police incidents across the country,” the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the ensuing mayhem it engendered “initiated a movement that some perceived made it socially acceptable to challenge and discredit the actions of law enforcement,” the report states. “This attitude was fueled by the narrative of police misconduct and excessive force perpetuated through politicians and the media.”

“Hands Up Don’t Shoot” has been the most enduring narrative promoted by the Leftmedia and their political allies, despite being ultimately labeled23 one of 2014’s “biggest lies of the year” by Washington Post “fact-checker” Glen Kessler. The lefty Kessler also reminded24 us that four Democrat members of the Congressional Black Caucus “raised their hands during their speeches in solidarity” with the anti-cop gesture it spawned, despite the reality the “grand jury had questioned this characterization by then.”

For a racially polarized Obama administration, the grand jury that ultimately exonerated Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson was considered insufficient. The Justice Department, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, conducted its own investigation — and much to the dismay of a race-baiting left, Wilson remained un-indicted.

But what about the plethora of witnesses who claimed Michael Brown’s hands were in the air when Wilson shot him? “All of these purported witnesses, upon being interviewed by law enforcement, acknowledged that they did not actually witness the shooting, but rather repeated what others told them in the immediate aftermath of the shooting,” the DOJ report reveals.

Moreover, forensic evidence backed Wilson’s version of the events.

None of it mattered. “Hands up don’t shoot” is now a business. Amazon sells t-shirts25 with the phrase, and merchandise like stationery, bags and home decor is flacked26 at Redbubble. And as the http://handsupdontshoot.com/27 website insists, “‘Hands Up Don’t Shoot’ DID happen.”

No, it didn’t. But that hasn’t stopped leftists from exploiting the lie. A CNN article insists28 hands up don’t shoot “has transcended the specifics of Ferguson to make a longstanding grievance a national issue.” An NPR article titled “Whether History Or Hype, ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ Endures” speaks29 to Holder throwing “cold water on the hands-up scenario,” but quotes Holder insisting it “remains not only valid but essential to question how such a strong alternative version of events was able to take hold so swiftly and to be accepted so readily.”

How about “the lie told often enough it becomes the truth?”

Unfortunately, that lie spearheaded the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a despicable collection of anti-police activists with ties “to Cuba, Northern Ireland, Europe and the Middle East,” according to a report30 compiled by noted criminologist and law enforcement expert Ron Martinelli.

Martinelli also reveals a substantial portion of BLM’s funding comes from “George Soros through his Open Society Institute.”

BLM’s mission? “The Black Lives Matter organization is relatively transparent in its intent to create a new Marxist style policing and criminal justice paradigm,” he writes. “However, their less than transparent and ultimate goals to achieve this objective are to disenfranchise and diminish law enforcement officers in the eyes of the low-informed and disengaged general public and media.”

The FBI report reveals they are making serious inroads. An examination of 50 of the 53 incidents where officers were killed in the line of duty in 2016, (the three cases involving minors or unknown perpetrators were excluded) reveals most assailants using deadly force did so to avoid capture. But the report states 28% “expressed a desire to kill law enforcement prior to carrying out their attacks,” because they had a “hatred of law enforcement.” Furthermore, “assailants in this category posted their beliefs on social media and/or informed their friends and family of their intentions prior to ambushing or initiating violence against law enforcement.”

BLM? “Specifically in the Dallas, TX and Baton Rouge, LA attacks, assailants said they were influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement and their belief that law enforcement was targeting black males.”

Who’s targeting whom? Five police officers were murdered31 and seven injured in Dallas. Three officers were slain32 and three others injured in Baton Rouge.

The BLM movement hardly stands alone. “Due to the coverage of the high-profile police incidents,” the FBI report states, “it appears that immediately following the incidents, assailants were constantly exposed to a singular narrative by news organizations and social media of police misconduct and wrongdoing.”

It also states the decriminalization of drugs has fueled a “turnstile justice system” that in turn fuels the “increase in violent attacks on law enforcement,” courtesy of those who believe “consequences no longer exist for criminal acts,” or those in drug-induced psychoses “more willing to shoot an officer to stay out of jail.”

And what does this toxic mix engender? “Ask any police department recruiter across the country about efforts to attract new officers and you will likely get a similar answer — fewer people are willing to wear the uniform, fewer see a future in policing, fewer want to risk their futures on a profession where you face public disdain, media attacks, and the increased potential for financial wreckage from unwarranted charges,” former assistant FBI director Ron Hosko explains33.

Officers still on the job? “Departments — and individual officers — have increasingly made the conscious decision to stop engaging in proactive policing,” the report warns. “The intense scrutiny and law enforcement officers have received in the wake of several high-profile incidents has caused several officers to (1) ‘become scared and demoralized’ and (2) avoid interacting with the community.”

The oh-so predictable results? In 2016, one year after the nationwide murder rate rose34 at its fastest pace since 1990, it ticked35 up another 8%, according to a report36 by Matthew Friedman, Ames C. Grawert and James Cullen of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

One city under virtual siege is Baltimore, now enduring37 its highest murder rate per capita ever. It’s also operating with the smallest number of police officers in approximately a decade. Neither fact is surprising in a city where politically motivated prosecutor Marilyn Mosby attempted and failed to punish police officers for the death of Freddie Gray, and city officials ordered police to stand down38 while those using Gray’s death as an excuse to riot were given “space” to destroy the city.

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 5-8-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

“All the data studied over the past two and a half years proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the Ferguson Effect is real,” explains39 Manhattan Institute scholar Heather Mac Donald. “But what we often forget is that beyond these abstract numbers are the faces of real people, our innocent fellow Americans, who might still be alive today had the police been allowed to do their jobs.”

Innocent victims are largely irrelevant to leftist activists who believe identity politics and racial grievance-mongering remain vital components of their ability to maintain political power. Better to rule in a tribalist nation than serve in a united one.

Cop-bashing? A contemptible means to an anarchistic end. Nothing more, nothing less.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

    The Handmaid’s Tall Tale40 — Leftists might be on to something if they replaced Christian red dresses with Islamic black burkas. But they ignore the obvious.
    Nationalism Is Here to Stay41 — French citizens selected Emmanuel Macron as their nation’s newest president. He handily defeated Marine Le Pen.
    Jimmy Kimmel, Please Don’t Use Your Child to Ballyhoo ObamaCare42 — The late-night TV host used the emotional story of his own child to make a crass political play against the GOP.
    The GOP’s Shutdown Paranoia43 — Republicans are overthinking their plight, as usual, and thus are not willing to use the leverage voters gave them.
    Tillerson’s Non-Controversial Statements44 — The Leftmedia attempts to gin up controversy over the secretary of state’s non-controversial statements.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

    Joe Bastardi: Defund Climate Change Research to Pay for Pre-Existing Conditions45
    Peggy Noonan: Trump Has Been Lucky in His Enemies46
    Ed Feulner: Reducing the Regulatory Burden47

For more, visit Right Opinion48.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Peggy Noonan: “Mr. Trump has struggled so colorfully the past three months, we’ve barely noticed his great good luck — that in that time the Democratic Party and the progressive Left have been having a very public nervous breakdown. … The closest they got to meaning recently was when [Tom] Perez found it helpful to say, of a Democratic mayoral candidate who’d backed some pro-life bills, that that kind of thinking had no place in the party. Bernie Sanders rightly called this out as madness. You can’t do this ‘if we’re going to become a 50-state party.’ Imagine a great, lost party defining itself by who it’s throwing out. They’re like the Republicans the past 20 years, throwing people out for opposing Iraq or George W. Bush, or for not joining NeverTrump. Where does this get you? It gets you to where we are. … It is a party blowing itself up whose only hope is that Donald Trump blows up first. He may not be lucky in all of his decisions or staffers, or in his own immaturities and dramas. But hand it to him a hundred days in: He’s lucky in his main foes.”

SHORT CUTS

The Gipper: “It is not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work — work with us, not over us; stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.”

Missing the forest for the trees: “This is a remarkable thing, this nation of optimistic people who would declare their independence, fight a war, build a country with a sacred founding document committed to liberty and justice for all — and thank God they made them amendable so that we could further expand freedom.” —Nancy Pelosi (Unfortunately, the Democrats' idea of “expanding freedom” for the so-called marginalized is to take it from others. Unalienable rights are supposed to be just that — unalienable.)

Predictions: “My guess is that Leader McConnell is going to take some time here, and while he may ultimately pass a bill in the Senate, I think he will send it to conference with the House. That conference will go on a very long time, and we won’t actually see a final product until after the ‘18 elections.” —Sen. Chris Coons, who speculates “that there are going to be administrative actions by the Trump administration in the coming weeks and months that will drive the existing marketplaces into the death spiral they talk about”

Braying Jackass: “If you use the Bible as your science textbook, no, there is no reconciling [God and evolution]. But enlightened modern religious people recognize their holy text as figurative accounts, in a time when people had no other way to think about it, and they embraced science, but they used the Bible for their own spiritual fulfillment and enlightenment.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson

Non Compos Mentis: “I hope that current members of Congress recall that it actually doesn’t take a lot of courage to aid those who are already powerful, already comfortable, already influential. But it does require some courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm — those who often have no access to the corridors of power.” —Barack Obama, who will be filling his coffers via $400,000 speeches

And last… “Want single-payer? Join the military! Then you can experience the glories of government-run health care that we veterans love so much.” — Jon Gabriel

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.