|
nChrist
|
 |
« on: April 02, 2019, 05:28:48 PM » |
|
________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 4-2-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________
The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
Apr. 2, 2019
https://patriotpost.us/digests/62139-mid-day-digest
THE FOUNDATION
“A good moral character is the first essential in a man, and that the habits contracted at your age are generally indelible, and your conduct here may stamp your character through life.” —George Washington (1790)
https://patriotpost.us/fqd/62138-founders-quote-daily
IN TODAY’S EDITION
The old, white, male former VP faces allegations of inappropriate touching.1
“Red flag” laws are not protecting due-process rights.2
Daily Features: More Analysis3, Columnists4, Headlines5, Opinion in Brief6, Short Cuts7, Memes8, and Cartoons9.
IN BRIEF
Biden Learns Democrats Eat Their Own10
Joe Biden’s impending entry into the 2020 presidential race has been anticipated by a swirl of stories painting him as an out-of-touch, racist, sexist, dirty old man. And that’s just from the Democrats.
The leftists now dominating the Democrat Party have made plain that they are interested in nominating someone for president who fits a solid socialist profile. That’s not Biden, and therefore a plan has been set in motion to take him out.
Nevada politician Lucy Flores recently wrote a hit piece about Biden for New York magazine11 describing how he got too close for comfort and smelled her hair at a 2014 event. We’ll probably never know if Flores’s claim is true, though Biden does do such things in public all the time. But proof of such allegations in the #MeToo era is not necessary. Elizabeth “Fauxcahontas” Warren has already stated publicly, “I believe Lucy Flores. And Joe Biden needs to give an answer.” Another female presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar, likewise said she has “no reason not to believe” the allegation.
And as these things usually play out, a second woman — Amy Lappos, a former aid to Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) — alleges that Biden touched her inappropriately.
Some other facts about Flores12 include that she was a staunch supporter of Bernie Sanders in 2016 (who by the way had his own sexual-harassment trouble among campaign staff) and that until last year, Flores also sat on the board of Our Revolution, a group committed to rallying Sanders supporters for 2020. She was also spotted at a recent Robert O'Rourke campaign rally.
In the current political climate, it’s hard not to be cynical about the timing of the Flores piece, especially when considering her own political allegiances. But, to her credit, there is a long list of similar complaints against Biden going back decades.
Biden’s reputation as a handsy guy in a post-Harvey Weinstein world certainly doesn’t do him any favors, though he swears he’ll “listen respectfully” to any challenges to his behavior.
That doesn’t mean Biden doesn’t have a shot at the nomination. Democrats are experts at demonstrating selective outrage13 in such matters. In 1998, they rallied around serial sex predator Bill Clinton when it looked like he might get kicked out of office. It wasn’t until recently, as Clinton enters his sunset years, that a few Democrats have had the courage to call him out14 for his reprehensible behavior.
Similarly, recent credible allegations against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax went nowhere when it became evident that kicking him out of office might mean a Republican taking his place. For all the grandstanding Democrats do about protecting women from such sleazy predators, they can only be counted on to walk the walk when it’s politically expedient. If Biden represents the best chance at beating President Donald Trump in 2020, Democrats will look the other way again.
Leftists want to smother Biden’s campaign before it even launches, though, and his reputation as a cad is merely one tool they plan to use. Allegations of racism because of his stance on busing four decades ago, his inability to stop Clarence Thomas from reaching the Supreme Court, and other gems from Biden’s long political career are already being wheeled out.
Biden has even been attacked for his civility. He recently criticized Vice President Mike Pence’s foreign-policy statements on Twitter, but made the mistake of referring to Pence as a “decent guy15.” Former New York gubernatorial candidate and LGBT activist Cynthia Nixon slammed Biden for the remark, claiming that Pence was not a decent guy because his stance on same-sex marriage doesn’t conform with Nixon’s. A cowed Biden quickly apologized.
This is a glimpse into the Democrat Party in which Biden wants to secure the presidential nomination.
Joe Biden’s future as a candidate is very much up in the air. He’s a touchy-feely, gaffe-prone16 plagiarist who was veep to a president with no respect for the Constitution. Yet he would still be a formidable challenger to Trump if for no other reason than his connection to middle-class voters. But he still must survive the primary process in a party that has drifted too far left even for Joe Biden.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/62133-biden-learns-democrats-eat-their-own
Red Flags About ‘Red Flag’ Laws17
“Red flag” laws have become all the rage these days among those who want to do something — anything — to stop “gun violence.” Sometimes called Gun Violence Restraining Orders or Extreme Risk Protection Orders, these laws allow family, close friends, or coworkers to petition authorities to temporarily remove firearms from individuals they believe are a danger to themselves or others. Colorado is set to join18 the list of states enacting such laws.
If — and it’s a big IF — due-process rights are protected, we and other conservatives have acknowledged that, in concept, the idea has some merit because of how many red flags mass murderers tend to display. As our own Robin Smith wrote last year19, such orders “empower individuals closest to a potential threat to intervene rather than waiting on layers of systems that … have failed.” National Review’s David French also argued last year20, “The GVRO is consistent with and recognizes both the inherent right of self-defense and the inherent right of due process. It is not collective punishment. It is precisely targeted.”
In other words, rather than banning entire classes of guns or infringing on the rights of all citizens, focusing attention at potentially dangerous individuals is preferable, right?
The trouble is leftists have a way of distorting reality. In practice, these laws — as even President Donald Trump foolishly insisted last year21 — “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”
The National Rifle Association too was initially open22 to the concept of court orders with a high legal threshold for removal of firearms, but said of the Colorado legislation, “Unchallenged statements made by a petitioner before a judge … would be sufficient for law enforcement to enter that person’s home and confiscate their private property.” Only after having their gun(s) confiscated would an individual be able to go to court and work to get them back. Think an aggrieved former lover won’t be first in line to stick it to their ex?
That is not protecting due process; it’s an outright attack on it23, presuming guilt of someone who hasn’t even been charged with a crime, and then enacting preemptive punishment. That’s not the way to sensibly restrain people actually bent on doing harm.
In fact, some sheriffs are refusing to enforce such laws, adopting the “sanctuary” language24 of immigration law, but in this case to defend an actual constitutional right.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/62135-red-flags-about-red-flag-laws
ON OUR WEBSITE TODAY
Zuckerberg Calls for Regulation of the Internet25 — Facebook’s CEO doesn’t believe in free speech and wants a seat at the regulating table.
How a Sub Shortage Happened26 — And what the U.S. Navy needs to do about it to defend America’s national interests.
Video: Students Support Socialism … Until It’s Applied to Their GPA27 — Do you support forcing those with high GPAs to help those with lower grades?
GOOD NEWS
Singer Gathers 12,000 Letters to Medal of Honor Recipients28
“Singer and motivational speaker Janine Stange last month asked Americans to write letters to the 72 living Medal of Honor recipients. They delivered.”
“‘The outpouring was incredible,’ Stange, known as ‘National Anthem Girl,’ said in a press release sent to The Daily Signal.”
“She said letters came from elementary school students, senior citizens, veterans groups, corporations, hospice centers, police departments, and ‘those who served alongside our recipients.’”
Read more at The Daily Signal29.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/62114-singer-gathers-12000-letters-to-medal-of-honor-recipients
TOP NEWS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The installment of an “immigration czar” is among the options being explored by the White House to coordinate illegal-immigration matters. The czar front-runners are former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. The details are scare, but the Associated Press notes31 that “Trump’s focus on immigration had touched on numerous government agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Defense and Justice. And not all of those departments are always on the same page.” The czar would presumably help cultivate better camaraderie. |
