The Patriot Post Digest 7-17-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-17-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jul. 17, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Obama’s social engineering and climate change policies still harm military readiness.
Judicial overreach obstructs Trump’s agenda at the EPA.
Leftmedia credibility is so bad that people are increasingly tuning out.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“The Army (considering the irritable state it is in, its suffering and composition) is a dangerous instrument to play with.” —George Washington (1783)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Military Readiness Still Hampered by Obama’s Issues1

As Mark Alexander wrote2 last August, “Our Armed Forces personnel are the best in the world, but their effectiveness is being undermined by wasteful and absurd political mandates.” That’s because, under Barack Obama, the key objective for his Pentagon was social experimentation, not national security. Alexander noted, “Obama has used our military as a social testing ground for his homosexual agenda3, most recently ordering ‘gay pride celebrations4,’ opening the closets wide for transsexuals5, and naming a ship the USS Harvey Milk6 after a degenerate homosexual activist and pedophile.” Just last week, the House voted7 to keep taxpayer funding for sex-reassignment surgery, so the trend hasn’t ended with Obama’s exit.

It’s not just social issues, either; it’s climate change. From Obama’s “Great Green Fleet8” that uses alternative fuel as part of his mandate on military emissions to the “Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience9” directive issued in 2016, the previous administration was committed to fighting the phantom menace. The rationale was entirely political and had little to do with national security — albeit with such warnings as that 128 military bases were at risk of submersion due to rising ocean levels.

President Donald Trump has undone some of these policies, but not all or even most. While Defense Secretary James Mattis delayed the transgender enlistment policy for six months, it’s almost inevitable that it will be put into place. The Pentagon is still operating under an alternative fuel mandate, and it’s still tasked with combatting climate change. After 16 years of continuous combat operations, military equipment is in dire need of upgrade and replacement. The Air Force is hundreds of pilots short. Other branches are struggling to keep personnel and equipment at the ready. But money and manpower is being diverted to secondary concerns.

As Alexander concluded last year, “The net effect of Obama’s mandates and spending priorities is destroying our military’s most valuable asset, the morale of our warriors.” The effect can be deadly. It’s up to Trump to correct course.

More Judicial Overreach Stymies Trump’s Deregulation Agenda10

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling, recently reversed the decision by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt of a 90-day stay on implementing new methane emissions regulations created during the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency. Pruitt argued that the stay was needed in order to thoroughly review the financial impact of the new regulations on the fossil fuel industry. Even the EPA estimated the compliance cost to be as high as $530 million, which means it would most likely be far higher. Pruitt further argued that not enough time was given for the oil industry to weigh in before the regulation went into effect.

The court rejected Pruitt’s argument, with the majority stating, “The administrative record thus makes clear that industry groups had ample opportunity to comment on all four issues on which EPA granted reconsideration, and indeed, that in several instances the agency incorporated those comments directly into the final rule.”

But there’s one big problem here that demonstrates yet another example of judicial overreach in the era of Donald Trump. This action taken by the court is extraordinary in that the court itself has recognized that its authority is limited to the reviewing of “final agency actions,” which clearly EPA Director Pruitt’s 90-day stay does not merit. In her dissenting opinion, Judge Janice Rogers blasted the majority opinion, stating, “In contrast to our precedent, the Court’s opinion concludes a particular administration proceeding has innumerable final agency actions, including intermediate decisions. No authority supports this proposition.”

Pruitt can appeal to the Supreme Court, but he won’t get a ruling on it until next year, and in the meantime the Obama-era regulation will go into effect. This is yet another reason for Trump to get busy putting conservative judges on the bench. It’s clear that the Left will continue to appeal to activist judges to block as much of Trump’s agenda as possible.

Top Headlines11

The revised Senate health care bill is a major improvement over the status quo. (The Daily Signal12)

Six GOP senators who could kill ObamaCare repeal, replace. (PoliZette13)

House passes $696.5B defense policy bill. (The Hill14)

Monthly federal spending tops $400B for first time. (CNS News15)

Feds spend $373,522 to put subliminal cigarette warnings in video games. (The Washington Free Beacon16)

Feds spend $224,999 on “clean water” video game. (The Washington Free Beacon17)

San Francisco can’t stop illegal aliens, but they can keep chocolate milk out of schools. (Hot Air18.)

Leftist collusion: Russia suspected of using shell company to exploit American anti-fracking activists. (The Washington Times19)

Students file lawsuit after school denies pro-life club approval. (The Daily Signal20)

Humor: CNN Report: Millions of American voters may have colluded to elect Trump. (The Babylon Bee21)

Policy: Health care will bankrupt the nation. (Manhattan Institute22)

Policy: Most teens aren’t having sex, and they deserve more support for that choice. (Institute for Family Studies23)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report24.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Americans Are Tuning Out the Leftmedia25

By Robin Smith

The bias in the mainstream media has been present and acknowledged for years — indeed, it’s a big reason why we started this publication 21 years ago. So many individuals assuming the roles of key correspondents and reporters identify and speak as Democrats that Mark Alexander has identified this collusion between the Leftmedia and the Democrat Party as the Demo/MSM26.

The bias that unquestionably increased during Barack Obama’s two terms has gone off the charts with Trump Derangement Syndrome. There is ever more editorializing instead of investigative reporting or authentic journalism. After the historic political upset of American politics last November, Democrat media operatives can neither contain their disdain for President Donald Trump nor explain their coronation-gone-bad.

In essence, the meltdown expressed by so very many in the profession formerly known as journalism is now the new normal for regular programming in much of the cable and broadcast news networks, along with the high-brow print media, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Put simply, the new normal for leftists is fit-pitching. Lesson to learn: Working Americans are tiring of perpetual toddler-like fits from talkingheads and politicians. In the media, the constant blatant bias and unabashed contempt for the average American’s decision to elect Trump has opened the door for a new day and a new vocabulary.

Terms such as fake news, very fake news, leftist propaganda media and corrupt news have not only gained traction, they’re representative of the prevailing belief of the American public. Several polling surveys have recorded an existential destruction of the credibility of the news and journalism.

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-17-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Most recently, Harvard, no bastion of the political Right, polled more than 2,000 registered voters in May to document that 80% of Republicans, 60% of Independents and 53% of Democrats see fake news as prevalent among mainstream media outlets. Gallup’s July 10th polling included 85% of Republicans surveyed citing the news media’s reporting having a negative impact on American affairs, with 46% of Democrats echoing those sentiments.

Television ratings mirror these exact opinions with viewers abandoning networks like CNN27, the once-proud cable news pioneer founded for the purpose of excellence in reporting and news coverage. Within the June 26-July 2 ratings period for primetime viewership, CNN fell to 13th — behind Nick-at-Nite, which features reruns of the 1980s sitcom “Full House” and cartoons like “Yogi Bear.”

Examining the issue of fake news beyond newshounds and the political bases of each respective political party to the global investor community, James Freeman of The Wall Street Journal posited a question that reflects the decay of the news industry. A recent column28 asks, “Have Consumers Decided Most News Is Fake News?”

In his contrasting analysis of articles written by The New York Times and The Washington Times, Freeman lays out the two papers’ diametrically opposed reporting on an identical topic. But he pins these news items over the response of global investors as evidenced in the stock market and in other economic analytics to offer a statement that answers his question. Freeman writes, “Yet the world’s investors still like U.S. equities, despite constant media reports that U.S. constitutional governance is hanging in the balance.”

So despite the Leftmedia-parroted talking points that Trump was illegitimately elected and is an illegitimate president — and hence all of his voters have illegitimate opinions and voices — the actual economy grows and shows positive response to the Trump administration’s first six full months in office. Consumers are, to some extent, ignoring the media.

So in addition to the lesson that the tantrums of the media don’t resonate with average Americans, neither does breathless reporting that the end of our American government and our way of life is imminent. The lesson is that Americans are not idiots. They see their opportunities for employment rise, the plunge in the price of energy and a movement in our national security to prioritize Americans’ safety — not the picture of impending disaster painted by ad revenue-seeking media outlets.

Recently, some folks at the Huffington Post embarked on a trip to Middle America for a seven-week bus tour outside the safe spaces of uniformity and echoes of ideological agreement. Billed by Hot Air as a “safari” of sorts, HuffPo is most likely going to gawk at rather than understand the strange animal known as the Trump voter. We suppose HuffPo deserves one cheer for trying, but some “Bronx cheers” for the fact that it’s even necessary.

Indeed, therein lies the true problem: The media are a bunch of insulated coastal elites who’ve grown so out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans that they think a 20-minute meeting29 between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian attorney matters to anyone outside the Beltway echo chamber. Unless the media can correct course and figure out who they serve, an increasing number of Americans will cease to take them seriously and tune them out entirely.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Fiscal Recklessness Undermines National Security30 — Options for dealing with North Korea are limited by not just China but the economic decisions of the American people.
House Votes to Cover Cost of Military Sex-Change Surgeries7 — An amendment that would have prevented tax dollars from paying for transgender surgery was voted down.
The UN’s Nuclear Kumbaya Moment31 — Sorry guys: The UN nuclear weapons crackdown will be about as effective as Obama’s feeble deal with the Iranian mullahs.
Students Love Socialism… but Can’t Define What It Is32 — Campus Reform interviewed students in DC to get their opinions on Socialism. Yes, they love it. No, they’re not too sure why.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Hans von Spakovsky: Obama-Appointed ‘Ethics’ Officer Resigns — Good Riddance33
Ken Blackwell: It’s Time to Clean Up Our Elections34
Jeff Jacoby: A Nation on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown35

For more, visit Right Opinion36.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Hans von Spakovsky: “The nation’s top ‘ethics’ officer, Walter Shaub, announced that he is resigning, effective July 19. Barack Obama appointed Shaub to head the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) back in 2013. It’s a five-year appointment, so Shaub’s resignation merely ends his reign six months early. Shaub has already lined up a new gig. He is headed to the Campaign Legal Center, a partisan, Soros-funded advocacy group that has been working for years to restrict your First Amendment right to speak and engage in political activity. That tells you a lot about Shaub’s politics and why his resignation is cause for celebration. … Fittingly, Shaub may have committed an actual ethics violation in terminating his employment: 5 CFR 2635.702© specifically prohibits government officials from endorsing ‘any product, service or enterprise … including nonprofit organizations … and persons with whom the employee has or seeks employment.’ Shaub submitted his resignation letter on July 6 with an effective date of July 19. Yet on July 6, his future employer published a press release prominently mentioning Shaub’s current and future titles and quoting him as looking forward to improving the OGE’s program through his work at the Campaign Legal Center.”

SHORT CUTS

The Gipper: “Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things. It is the continuous revolution of the marketplace. It is the understanding that allows us to recognize shortcomings and seek solutions.”

Because the end justifies the means? “Scientific data are not the only medium of communication or its only currency. Narrative and emotion matter too. Most people simply have no idea how scary climate change is. However that terrible urgency is communicated, the world is better for it.” —Vox’s David Roberts

The BIG Lie: “Don’t forget when you lose, you tend to amplify ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve.’ When you win you cover up your sins. … We worked last year. We won the election. It was stolen.” —Jesse Jackson

Demo-gogues: “I’ve always been reluctant, because I think impeachment is something that really has an impact on the country. So when the facts are clear — the law is certainly clear — when the facts are clear, then this Congress will make a decision in that regard.” —Nancy Pelosi

Braying Jenny: “Senate Republicans’ final health repeal bill is sickening. They ignored moms and dads who are terrified that their sick kids will lose care. They ignored elderly Americans who will be bankrupted by medical costs. They were driven solely by their vicious hatred for President Obama. They’d let Americans lose lives all to notch an anti-Obama victory. That’s why we need to fight harder than ever to stop this bill from ever reaching the Senate floor.” —Nancy Pelosi

Alpha Jackass: “Senior White House adviser and Satan’s trophy wife Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News and used a little visual aid to drive home her point.” —"comedian" Stephen Colbert

And last… “Ever notice how environmentalists are the only ideological faction the left permits to hector women about their reproductive choices?” —Jonah Goldberg

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

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