The Patriot Post Digest 6-6-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-6-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jun. 6, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Surprise, surprise — a key intelligence leaker is an anti-Trump activist.
Unfortunately, Trump himself might be the biggest anti-Trump activist.
Politics is so contentious because there’s too much at stake at the national level.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy.” —Samuel Adams (1779)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Anti-Trumper Arrested for Leaking Top-Secret Info1

A 25-year-old government contractor, Reality Leigh Winner (yes, that’s her name, in reality), has been arrested and charged by the Justice Department for illegally handling and leaking top secret national security information. This past February, Winner took her top secret job with defense contractor Pluribus International working at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. She is alleged to have copied a classified top secret document from the National Security Agency on May 9th and sent it to The Intercept, which subsequently published the report. The document revealed that Russia had made attempts at hacking U.S. voting systems prior to the election.

The DOJ stated, “Winner admitted intentionally identifying and printing the classified intelligence reporting at issue despite not having a ‘need to know,’ and with knowledge that the intelligence reporting was classified. Winner further admitted removing the classified intelligence reporting from her office space, retaining it, and mailing it from Augusta, Georgia, to the news outlet, which she knew was not authorized to receive or possess the documents.”

That’s not all. Winner’s Facebook and Twitter accounts reveal her to be a fairly rabid leftist. “The most dangerous entry to this country was the orange fascist we let into the white house,” she tweeted. She’s a Bernie Sanders supporter and is strongly opinionated on leftist hot-button issues. Other social media posts include statements like “CLIMATE CHANGE is the biggest threat facing us all,” and that anger over flag burning was “white privilege at its finest.” It’s pretty clear that Winner was motivated by her anti-Trump sentiments to attempt to further the Resistance™ cause by leaking this top secret information. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison. So in reality, she’s not a winner.

Trump Can Be His Own Worst Enemy2

President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban has been the subject of much consternation for several months. After he issued a lawful (if ill-conceived) order regarding incoming travel from several dangerous Islamic countries, a lawless judiciary3 struck it down based not on the order but on Trump’s campaign statements about Muslims. So he tried again with a revised order4 that attempted to address the judicial concerns. That too was struck down, and Trump is now appealing to the Supreme Court.

But shortly after announcing the appeal, he proceeded to shoot himself in the foot with another Twitter tirade. “People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want,” Trump tweeted. “I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!” He added, “The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.”

Where to begin? He signed off on the revised order, but he’s throwing Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the DOJ under the bus. That kind of buck-passing was pathetic when Barack Obama did it, and it’s no less so now. The revision was not “watered down,” either, but on better legal footing than the original. The Wall Street Journal notes, “Had the White House done such legal due diligence in the first place, the travel ban might not have become a political bonfire — not least because the President enjoys wide constitutional and statutory discretion over immigration and national security.”

Worse, his legal team has already had a tough time with judges who’d rather look at his campaign rhetoric than the actual executive order. Trump just made his defense harder.

We’ll give him one thing: He is absolutely right about courts being “slow and political,” though even there he could help by moving to fill the 131 federal judicial vacancies instead of starting Twitter firestorms.

Some constructive criticism (again) for the president: Yes, Twitter helps him reach his base, and it’s very likely most grassroots folks see this as Trump speaking truth to corruption. But he needs a legal win on the policy, not accolades from people who already voted for him. Set Twitter aside and govern.

We suppose the good news is that there are more effective security strategies than this temporary travel ban — better vetting, for example, which the ban was supposed to provide time to accomplish — so even if Justice Neil Gorsuch writes the unanimous majority opinion striking it down, Trump won’t be out of options.

Top Headlines5

Senate committee launches new Clinton corruption investigation. (The Daily Signal6)

Gore dodges fact-check on his 2006 prediction: Earth at “point of no return within 10 years.” (CNS News7)

Why European map is littered with terrorism attacks — except for Poland. (Poland Radio8.)

Latest terror attack demonstrates value of 2A gun rights. (Reason9)

London “known wolf” terrorist featured in BBC documentary “The Jihadis Next Door.” (The Washington Times10)

Senate passes measure calling on Trump to move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. (Washington Examiner11)

Attorney in $550 million Social Security fraud case disappears. (Hot Air12)

DOJ attorneys who stalked, groped female colleagues rewarded with bonuses. (The Washington Free Beacon13)

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey declares state of emergency over opioids. (Washington Examiner14)

Policy: The Congressional Budget Office needs to be reformed. (National Review15)

Policy: Why privatizing air traffic control will work. (Investor’s Business Daily16)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report17.

Honoring the Heroes of D-Day18

Today is the anniversary of D-Day. On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight Eisenhower issued this charge: “You are about to embark upon a great crusade. … The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of Liberty loving people everywhere march with you. … You will bring about … the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe. … Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely. … And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”

More than 160,000 troops landed on a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified beaches along the Normandy coast of France in what was the largest invasion force in history, involving more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft. Some 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded that day. We owe these Patriots and generations of others an enormous debt of gratitude, and we owe them our steadfast devotion to Liberty over tyranny in our own day, so that the gift of Liberty may be extended to the next generation.

Read more18.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Politics Is Contentious Because So Much Is as Stake19

By Todd Johnson

While much of the American media will be focused on James Comey’s testimony this Thursday or pursuing other ancillary stories pertaining to Donald Trump’s presidency, they’re missing a much larger development that will have a significant impact on national politics. It’s no secret the media is engaged in a war of words with Trump and his surrogates. But they have been so focused on the foibles emanating from the White House that they have completely ignored the Democrat Party’s failure to develop a coherent policy message or a plan that addresses any of the challenges facing the country.

Following Hillary Clinton’s dramatic loss last November, the Democrat Party was in a state of shock and disbelief. Much like the stages of grief, Democrats wrestled with the feelings of anger and depression following the election. However, since Trump became the president in January, Democrats have made a conscious decision to ignore the last stage of grief, acceptance. Instead, they are morphing into a vapid and recalcitrant mob more fixated on creating dissension at the national level and waging a war against any decision made by the current administration. They call it the Resistance™.

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-6-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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This type of political polarization is not only dangerous for the two-party system but a critical symptom of a disease that has metastasized over the last 50 years — the ever-growing power of the national government.

One of the main reasons for intense national power struggles is because of the amount of influence that resides in the nation’s capital. In his insightful analysis20 last fall, our own John Bastiat argued, “Decisions that used to be made by individual states or local governments are now decided somewhere in Washington, DC, often by a single branch, or even worse — and more often the case — an unaccountable sub-entity within that branch. As a result, elections nowadays are ‘for all the marbles.’”

The solution to this vexing problem is to redistribute power amongst the three branches of government and back to the states. Sadly, this scenario won’t likely be happening anytime soon. This situation is one of the main reasons why the Democrat Party focuses so much time and energy on devoting assets to national races and eschewing races at the state and local levels.

A look at the 2016 Democrat Party platform21 shows a leftist platform focused on usurping control from the lowest levels of government and bringing all decision-making to the national level. The Democrat Party has been in a tailspin for the last eight years, as evidenced by their loss of22 12 governorships and numerous state houses. This dynamic doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon23, as Republican candidates have won the last two special House elections and the mayor’s race in Omaha, Nebraska. In many ways, Democrats have zeroed in on the White House at the expense of building from the ground up.

It’s ironic that the Democrat Party touts itself as being an inclusive entity, yet it has no problem shunning anyone who doesn’t march in lockstep with its progressive and far-left agenda. That’s why Democrats have difficulties finding quality candidates to run for office. It’s also a reason why their main power bases are relegated to the Northeast and Pacific regions of the country. However, this dynamic can change rapidly if the Republican Party fails to follow through on its promises from the last election cycle.

If the Grand Old Party wants to continue holding majorities in the House and Senate, Republicans must find creative ways to enact changes to the personal24 and business25 tax codes, pass an infrastructure bill26, replace27 the Affordable Care Act, and most importantly, avoid any legislation that takes power away from the state and local levels.

While many Republicans had high hopes for President Trump, it’s apparent he has little appetite for leading the Party, and if he continues his self-destructive behavior, he will soon find his administration in no position28 to develop or execute policy. Therefore, it will be incumbent upon the GOP leadership to lead in a manner that reflects the values of the membership and act in the best interests of all Americans. Anything short of that will be political malpractice because, after all, a lot of marbles are at stake.

Don’t Miss Patriot Humor

Check out Beheaded29.

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MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Portland and the ‘Peaceful Protesters’31 — It wasn’t the pro-Trump crowd causing trouble; it was leftist “anti-fascist” thugs who attacked police.
The Journalist’s Creed: Another Forgotten Tradition32 — It seems the days of honest reporting of the facts is long gone, replaced by the activist-as-journalist pushing an agenda.
Mob Rules at Evergreen State College33 — Student protesters take over school and demand the president capitulate to their ridiculous demands.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Mark Hendrickson: Mark Zuckerberg’s Call for a ‘Universal Basic Income’34
Stephen Moore: Climate Change Hypocrites35
Rich Lowry: Can Wonder Woman Just Be Wonder Woman?36

For more, visit Right Opinion37.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Mark Hendrickson: “[Mark] Zuckerberg … enthusiastically espouses the progressive doctrine of meliorism — the doctrine that it is the federal government’s role to make life easier for Americans, whether by making it easier to vote or easier to afford whatever they want to do. To accomplish the latter goal, Zuckerberg proposed a ‘universal basic income’ (UBI) whereby the federal government would disburse the same living allowance to every adult American. … The glue that holds a society together is the social division of labor. We already have the problem of more than 10 million healthy men in their prime years having dropped out of the labor market. They consume wealth that others have produced without making any contribution to the production of wealth. A UBI would facilitate such lifestyle choices, leaving us with a society in which those who work bear the burden of supporting those who choose not to work. If you have to ask, ‘What could possibly go wrong?’ then you don’t know history. Spiritually and psychologically, for grown men not to have to strive to overcome challenges is to leave their potential untapped, their character undeveloped, and their sense of purpose and fulfillment unknown. What a waste. Two things I have observed in my lifetime: 1) human beings need to work; and 2) easy lives can be tragically blighted lives.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “The free man owns himself. He can damage himself with either eating or drinking; he can ruin himself with gambling. If he does he is certainly a damn fool, and he might possibly be a damned soul; but if he may not, he is not a free man any more than a dog.” —Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)

Observations: “Did the president obstruct justice? That’s what everybody is waiting for. I don’t think there’s anything of great interest other than that. And [James Comey’s] answer I think is going to be obvious. He will navigate to a point where he says, ‘Well, you know, there might’ve been some pressure but it’s not obstruction.’ Why? Because if it were obstruction, then he is indicting himself.” —Charles Krauthammer

Good question: “The press is … having a field day with the story that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SolarCity, has resigned from a Trump economic advisory council out of protest. But Musk, according to the Los Angeles Times, has received almost $5 billion in government subsidies. SolarCity and Tesla are likely out of business without all the taxpayer-funded green handouts. Why doesn’t the press report that Musk has a multibillion-dollar personal stake in global warming?” —Stephen Moore

Non Compos Mentis: “The Bible tells us that to minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us and that is just what we are doing by walking away from this [climate] accord.” —Nancy Pelosi

Gorecast: “It is true that we have the sustainability revolution underway, and it’s very exciting, it has the magnitude of the industrial revolution but the speed of the digital revolution. But we’re still not changing fast enough, because it’s not just the scientific community warning us now, it’s mother nature. Every night on the TV news is like a nature hike through the book of Revelation.” —Al Gore

And last… “Oil-soaked Qatar hasn’t been in the news this much since it gave $100,000,000 to Al Gore.” —Twitter satirist @hale_razor

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.