The Patriot Post Digest 11-21-2018

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The Patriot Post Digest 11-21-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest

Nov. 21, 2018 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/59620-mid-day-digest

THE FOUNDATION

“I do recommend and assign Thursday … next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” —George Washington (1789)

https://patriotpost.us/fqd/59618-founders-quote-daily

IN TODAY’S EDITION

We have much for which to be truly thankful.
Trump had a point about Osama bin Laden, even if he muffed it.
Where to shop this Black Friday. And where not to.
Daily Features: Columnists, Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, and Short Cuts.

EDITOR’S NOTE

In observance of Thanksgiving, we take a brief leave for the rest of the week to be with our families.

As always, we will be updating our Top Headlines1 and Right Opinion2 pages every day. Our regular editions will return on Monday, Nov. 26.

Nate Jackson
Managing Editor, The Patriot Post

IN BRIEF
Many Reasons to Give Thanks3

Thomas Gallatin

As we prepare to celebrate the uniquely American holiday of Thanksgiving around a bountiful meal with family and friends, here are but a few reminders of just how much we have for which to truly be thankful.

Across the nation — and in fact the entire world — poverty is on the decline. Over the past 25 years, the percentage of people in the world living in extreme poverty has fallen from 36% to 10%. And in the U.S. the number of people living in poverty has fallen for three straight years, down to 12.3%.

The economy is booming as more Americans are working and the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low. Minority Americans are seeing record-low employment numbers as well. In other words, virtually all Americans are enjoying the benefits from the growing economy. On top of that, 80% of American households received a tax cut this year, thanks entirely to Republicans.

As for our safety, despite the mainstream media’s continued over-the-top headline coverage of violent criminal acts, the reality is that Americans are safer than ever. Violent crime has dropped 75% since its peak in the early 1990s and remains at its lowest levels since the 1970s. And Americans have a greater chance of accidentally drowning in a bathtub than being killed by a foreign terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, the stereotype of Americans being little more than wealthy and selfish just doesn’t match up to the facts. Once again Americans have proven themselves to be the most generous people on the planet, giving over $410 billion in charity last year alone, while 77 million Americans have given their time volunteering to help those in need. Look at how quickly and aggressively Americans from across the country repeatedly reached out to help their neighbors and strangers in need after suffering loss due to everything from hurricanes to floods to fires.

The freedom we have to speak our minds and express our voice at the ballot box is still alive and well. While at times it may become discouraging seeing many of our fellow Americans expressing political, social, or religious views with which we may vehemently disagree, we can truly be thankful for the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and the constitutional protections to Liberty they established and that, well over 200 years later, are still standing.

Finally, we can be most thankful — like the pilgrims of old4 — for the many abundant blessings we receive daily from God’s hand.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/59616-many-reasons-to-give-thanks

McRaven Goes Left, Again5

Mark Alexander

Recall that in August, ahead of the midterm elections, Adm. William McRaven (USN Ret.) chose to enter the political fray, publicly criticizing6 President Donald Trump for his criticism of McRaven’s friend and Barack Obama’s former CIA Director John Brennan, a deep-state hack6.

McRaven was recently at it again, asserting that Trump’s attacks on the Leftmedia constitute “the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime.” When asked about that, Trump dismissed the criticisms of a “Hillary fan” and “Obama backer.” But he went further, saying, “Wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner?”

Later, Trump added more accurately, “Of course we should have captured Osama bin Laden long before we did. … President Clinton famously missed his shot.”

While McRaven ran the operation that took out bin Laden, he was not involved in finding him. Still, Trump had a point.

Between 1997 and 2001, prior to the 9/11 Islamist attack7, then-President Bill Clinton8 refused to give our special forces operators a green light to kill bin Laden9 when they literally had him in their sights.

George W. Bush unleashed a fury of attacks on Islamist strongholds, launching Operation Enduring Freedom10 in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom11, successfully capturing Saddam Hussein, who was executed. But Osama was deep down a rat hole and not to be found.

In 2011, despite Obama’s12 constricted rules of engagement, the CIA discovered Osama in Pakistan, where U.S. Navy SEALs killed him13.

A few months later, the vacuum left by Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton14 when ordering their 2011 retreat from Iraq created an Islamic resurgence15 of a far more dangerous incarnation of global Muslim terrorism — the Islamic State16.

That notwithstanding, Obama based his 2012 reelection bid on the false narrative that al-Qa'ida was “on the run17,” which necessitated the Obama/Clinton coverup of the 9/11 Benghazi attack18.

Perhaps nothing better exemplified Obama’s Middle East policy failures19 than his 2014 Rose Garden reception announcing that he exchanged five of the most dangerous Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay for the return of an America-hating Army deserter, “Sergeant” Bowe Bergdahl20. The deserter once again walked free21 last November.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/59617-mcraven-goes-left-again

The Conservative’s Guide for Where to Shop22

Our friends over at 2nd Vote23 have some helpful preparation advice for your Black Friday (or really any day) shopping.

First up, there are the retailers Patriots might consider avoiding because of the companies’ anti-conservative values. There are some predictable outlets on the list — Target24 for its transgender bathroom policies and anti-Second Amendment funding, Nike25 for promoting anti-American NFL kneeler Colin Kaepernick, and Amazon26 for billionaire owner Jeff Bezos’s socialism and its abortion funding.

Less obvious would be others in the list: The Home Depot, Walmart, Ebay, Best Buy, Levi’s, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, and Nordstrom. Each company actively funds causes and issues antithetical to conservative shoppers. 2nd Vote does the legwork27 to explain why each company doesn’t deserve your dollars.

But there are companies where your dollars don’t end up working against your beliefs — or maybe even support those values. That list includes28 Bass Pro Shops, Ace Hardware, Overstock, Tractor Supply Co., Patriot Mobile, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kay Jewelers, Academy Sports, Petco, Aeropastale, and Cost Plus World Market.

Conservatives have a real opportunity to vote with our wallets, so let’s make every dollar count.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/59614-the-conservatives-guide-for-where-to-shop