The Patriot Post Digest 8-4-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 8-4-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest

Aug. 4, 2017 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/50619

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Mueller has impaneled a grand jury, which means his investigation is now a criminal one.
The anti-gun Brady Campaign has exploited victims to advance its agenda.
More fake news from The New York Times — this time about the DOJ and race.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“It is proper you should understand what I deem the essential principles of our Government. … Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever persuasion, religious or political.” —Thomas Jefferson (1801)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Mueller’s Grand Jury Is Significant1

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington, a significant move in his investigation2 into Russia’s election interference. As Andrew McCarthy of National Review writes3, “The most significant conclusion we can draw … is that the so-called Russia investigation, officially, is a criminal investigation.” So, what does and doesn’t this mean? Well, McCarthy explains, “That makes it categorically different from a counterintelligence investigation,” which is how Mueller’s probe began. We warned it would expand. It has.

Impaneling a grand jury doesn’t necessarily mean that a crime has been committed, nor does it mean that the filing of criminal charges is imminent. It does, however, imply that the investigation is growing in both scope and scale, and it indicates that Mueller has determined there is enough cause to warrant access to subpoena powers afforded by a grand jury. As The Wall Street Journal describes it4, “Grand juries are investigative tools that allow prosecutors to subpoena documents, put witnesses under oath and seek indictments, if there is evidence of a crime. Legal experts said Mr. Mueller’s decision suggests he believes he will need to subpoena records and take testimony from witnesses.”

The public knows neither which individual or individuals are the target(s) of this now-criminal investigation, nor the alleged crime. But in any case, none of this bodes well for Donald Trump. As we’ve noted before, the fact that at least eight members of Mueller’s investigative team have contributed to the presidential campaigns of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton makes it look all the more like an anti-Trump crusade5.

The American public deserves to know who is now under criminal investigation and for what alleged criminal wrongdoing. Otherwise this will only continue to look like a witch-hunt. Mueller needs to name names and name the crime.

Brady Campaign Leaves Victims Out to Dry6

“Never let a serious crisis go to waste,” said Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in 2009, borrowing the concept from leftist political rabble-rouser Saul Alinsky and his “Rules for Radicals.” In fact, one could argue that this idea spurs on leftist activism. The unvarnished truth is that it’s simply a devious way to take advantage of people when they’re at their most vulnerable for the express purpose of furthering an agenda.

Such is the case in the sad story of the Philips family. In 2012, their daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was one of 12 people murdered in the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater by James Holmes. Experiencing this horrible tragedy would have many a grieving parent questioning laws and demanding answers. And following Emanuel’s maxim, the anti-Second Amendment Brady Campaign didn’t let a crisis go to waste. The Brady Campaign gave misleading advice to the Philips and encouraged them to file a lawsuit against Lucky Gunner, the gun store from which Holmes legally purchased his ammunition. We say misleading because the Brady Campaign was well aware of the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was expressly designed to protect firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held responsible for the criminal actions of a third party.

After selling their home and belongings, the Philips lived in a camper and traveled the country advocating for the Brady Campaign’s gun control measures. Essentially, they sold everything for the cause. Then the Philips experienced another personal and financial blow — the judge hearing the case threw it out, declaring their lawsuit frivolous, and he ordered that they pay Lucky Gunner’s legal fees, a sum of over $200,000. That may seem harsh, but it’s just and fair. The man to blame for the Philips’ daughter’s death is Holmes and Holmes alone, not the gun store, which processed its transactions legally.

The decent thing for the Brady Campaign to do would be to at least pay the Philips’ legal fees. But that would be allowing another “crisis go to waste.” Far better to promote the tragic story of a legal system bankrupting grieving parents, who were simply seeking justice for their daughter. Will the Brady Campaign, which took in $25 million in revenue in 2014-2015, do the right thing and fix a problem it created by exploiting this couple’s grief and pain? Don’t count on it.

Top Headlines7

Senate confirms dozens of nominees as they leave for August break. (The Hill8.)

Senate blocks Trump from making recess appointments during August break. (Washington Examiner9)

McMaster has “list” of White House officials he plans to fire. They’re all key Trump allies. (The Washington Free Beacon10)

Emails supply new evidence of Hillary Clinton pay-to-play scheme, watchdog argues. (The Daily Signal11)

Wasserman Shultz: My staffer was under suspicion because of anti-Muslim bias. (National Review12)

West Virginia’s Democratic governor announces switch to Republican Party. (Fox News13)

Economy adds 209,000 more jobs in July, unemployment rate at 16-year low. (CNBC14)

Report shows more violations of Americans’ religious freedom. (The Daily Signal15)

If the shoe fits… Half of Detroit’s 8 mayoral candidates are felons. (Detroit News16)

Preschools are rife with “heteronormativity”? Oh the horror… (Campus Reform17)

Policy: Want renewable power? Clear the path for nuclear energy. (The Hill18.)

Policy: Why single-payer will only make health care more expensive. (The Heartland Institute19)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report20.

Coast Guard Birthday21

On Aug. 4, 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard was created by Congress, which authorized Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton to build a small fleet of 10 cutters to protect the coast. As the Coast Guard marks its 225th birthday and continues to serve a critical role under the Department of Homeland Security, we at The Patriot Post offer our thanks for a job well done. Happy Birthday and Semper Paratus!

Please visit the Patriot Post Shop22 for a great selection of items bearing the Coast Guard’s insignia.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Fake News: The DOJ and College Admission Discrimination23

By Michael Swartz

It’s no secret that over the last few months fake news has reached a fever pitch2 in the DC swamp. One of the more blatant recent examples came this week when a New York Times reporter jumped on24 a leaked Justice Department hiring call for staff to conduct “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.” To the Times writer, this meant that the “Trump administration is preparing to redirect resources of the Justice Department’s civil rights division toward investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants.” The Washington Post quickly followed suit with the same assumption that this would benefit white students25, and another piece of fake news26 was hot off the press.

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The Patriot Post Digest 8-4-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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In reality, the Justice Department mentioned no race in the call. But to maintain the illusion that the Trump administration caters to its “alt-right” racist supporters, these reporters just knew in their bones that the intent of the attorney general — that child of the pre-civil rights South, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III — was to return us to the days of Jim Crow. Those who make their living in the East Coast echo chamber27 not only took the bait but swallowed hook, line and sinker.

Thus, the next afternoon the Department had to come out with a clarification: “The posting sought volunteers to investigate one administrative complaint filed by a coalition of 64 Asian-American associations in May 2015 that the prior administration left unresolved. The complaint alleges racial discrimination against Asian-Americans in a university’s admissions policy and practices.”

So the “prior administration,” which would be the one run by the supposedly progressive and colorblind Barack Obama, allowed a case of alleged discrimination against a minority group to lie dormant for over a year and a half without resolution, but those cold, heartless racists in charge now are making a priority of addressing it? No wonder the Leftmedia can’t report straight news anymore.

Certainly this group has a case28, although leftists are more skeptical that Asian-Americans are victims. (One valid point made in The Atlantic29: The term “Asian” encompasses as wide of a range of different cultures as the generic term “Latino,” which is understood to cover such diverse backgrounds as Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, and so forth.) The Left is also less likely to see Asians as a true minority group, even though their numbers bear out the fact that they are one. Perhaps it’s because, as a group, their median income is over twice as high30 as black Americans and about 75% higher than the average Hispanic’s.

Because Asians are less likely to be impoverished, leftist social justice warriors are free to remind us the Supreme Court is alright with a certain amount of discrimination in college admissions as long as the institutions don’t resort to outright usage of numeric quotas in their efforts to promote “diversity” on campus. There are plenty of rich, privileged people on campus already so Asians fit right in with that group; we don’t need any more of them, leftist logic goes.

Even so, the narrative will continue to be presented that Donald Trump’s Justice Department only looks out for the interests of people who look like the president. (Granted, many believed the same thing about the last president but the mainstream media wasn’t carrying the water to make them believers.)

Sadly, we have devolved to the point where the truth seemingly cannot be told about the president regardless of what he does: If he’s on the side the media favors and does something detrimental to the nation, the spin machine is put on full throttle. It’s how we get the leftist illusion of Barack Obama being a scandal-free president31. On the other hand, when a president like Trump or someone in his administration does something good for America like help out a long-standing friend and ally in Central Europe32 or make sure justice is served for all, as in this case, it’s made out to be a completely different story.

If there’s anything in this country we need to #Resist, it’s the temptation to believe anything the media reports. This fake news, created from a leaked document not intended for public consumption in the first place and misinterpreted in the second, is just another reason not to buy what they’re trying to sell.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

An Olympic Size Bill for Los Angeles33 — In recent decades, the Games have saddled host cities with debt long after the world stops watching.
More Data Tampering at Australia’s Climate Bureau?34 — The Bureau of Meteorology’s excuse for nixing chilly temperature recordings doesn’t pass the smell test.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

David Limbaugh: Major Acosta Fail35
Hans von Spakovsky: The Second Amendment Won in Washington; Why Won’t the Supreme Court Enforce It?36
Paul Kengor: Ronald Reagan and Karol Wojtyla — Two Freedom Fighters in America37

For more, visit Right Opinion38.

OPINION IN BRIEF

David Limbaugh: “On Wednesday, CNN’s Jim Acosta unwittingly demonstrated the difference between an unbiased, truth-seeking media and a biased, hostile and advocacy media. … Sneeringly, Acosta attacked [Stephen] Miller, painting the [RAISE Act39] as racist and discriminatory. He implied the policy would violate the welcoming spirit of the Statue of Liberty toward the tired and poor of other nations. … As a self-righteous liberal, Acosta simply must impugn conservatives in the administration every time he gets a chance. So twisted is he that he apparently believes that those who support assimilation and a common language are bigots. Unless you promote open borders and Balkanization, you must hate people of different ethnicities. Given such toxic biases, it’s no wonder Americans rarely have good-faith, constructive debates on pressing issues. With such misguided finger-pointing, it’s no wonder most people are appalled at the monolithic mainstream media. I don’t ordinarily use the term ‘fake news,’ but there was nothing remotely authentic about Acosta’s disgraceful performance and even less that resembled an unbiased approach to the facts. I sincerely hope that Acosta and his like-minded colleagues continue in this posture, further exposing themselves as the preening, demagogic leftist partisans they are.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “No one can be free unless he is independent… In reality, he who is served is limited in his independence.” —Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

For the record: “Polling shows that more than 80% of Americans support English as our national language. But many immigrants are not learning English, even those who have been here for a decade or more. It is telling that on everything that defines a nation, the Left and our elites see these fundamental values as a hindrance to their radical agenda, an agenda which the American people reject.” —Gary Bauer

Upright: “I have encouraged the president and now I encourage [Chief of Staff] General Kelly to fire every single person that has had anything whatsoever to do with backbiting, undermining other people for their own benefit or leaking — and not to be cautious about it. If there is even a thought that somebody else was involved, get rid of them! I mean, It is unseemly what is happening at the White House… These people should be fired! They should be out of government! They are disloyal to our government!” —Sen. Bob Corker

Friendly fire, part I: “[The broadcast of Trump’s phone transcripts] is beyond the pale and will have a chilling effect going forward on the ability of the commander in chief to have candid discussions with his counterparts.” —former Obama National Security Council member Ned Price

Friendly fire, part II: “I would’ve lost my mind if transcripts of Obama’s calls to foreign leaders leaked. He wouldn’t have sounded so dumb, but it’s still absurd.” —Tommy Vietor, National Security Council spokesman under Obama

And last… “Maybe we’ll make a carve-out in the [RAISE Act] that says The New York Times can hire all the low-skilled, less-paid workers they want from other countries, and see how you feel then about low-wage substitution.” —Stephen Miller to NY Times’ Glenn Thrush

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.