The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2020

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2020
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest

Jan. 22, 2020

https://patriotpost.us/digests/68073-mid-day-digest-2020-01-22

THE FOUNDATION

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” —John Adams (1770)

https://patriotpost.us/fqd/68072-founders-quote-daily-2020-01-22

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

    Impeachment Trial Kicks Off1
    Trump Denounces Tyranny of Socialism at Davos2
    The Progressive Left Is Anti-Woman3
    Honoring the Sanctity of Life4
    Trump Slowing Illegal Immigration; Sanders Would Reverse Course5
    Free Speech and Fake News6
    Daily Features: News Executive Summary7, Videos8, Best of Right Opinion9, Short Cuts10, Memes11, and Cartoons12.

FEATURED ANALYSIS

Impeachment Trial Kicks Off13

The Senate kicked off its impeachment trial yesterday with votes on rules for the proceedings and opening statements from President Donald Trump’s legal team and his Democrat accusers. Chief Justice John Roberts presided and had to rein in a few tempers. “Those addressing the Senate should remember where they are,” Roberts admonished. Though this is only the third time in our nation’s history that a president has stood for an impeachment trial, the proceedings were remarkably — and predictably — unserious. And yet, somehow, that’s quite fitting.

House Democrats failed to make a compelling case for impeachment in their rush to vote before Christmas. They claim to have “overwhelming” evidence for impeachment, while simultaneously hollering about a Republican “coverup” to obstruct the evidence they need. House Democrats want the Senate to aid them by extending the investigation, including calling more witnesses that they didn’t bother calling (John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney, for example. Anyone but Hunter Biden or the whistleblower!). That’s not the Senate’s job, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is playing it all about as well as he can.

“Democrats really don’t want to hear more witnesses,” surmises14 The Wall Street Journal editorial board. “They merely want to pretend they do, get Republicans to vote against witnesses, and use that as an issue in November. Perhaps Republicans should call them on it.”

While the question of calling witnesses didn’t receive a vote yesterday, McConnell conceded to one more day for each side to present its case and to allow all House evidence without a Senate vote to admit it. The rules were officially adopted in a 53-47 party-line vote at 1:40 a.m.

Those who portray McConnell as having “caved” to moderates on those rules are either unfamiliar with Trump’s Art of the Deal or are willing to attribute such strategic moves only to Trump himself. McConnell has a strategy that provides political cover for Republicans in tough reelection battles like Susan Collins, Martha McSally, and Cory Gardner. As a bonus, he can point to having compromised with Democrats in order to be as fair as possible. Of course, that won’t stop Democrats from caterwauling about a “rigged” trial all the way until Election Day.

But did we mention that Democrats like Chuck Schumer have taken the opposite position on rules15 they took in the 1999 impeachment trial of Bill Clinton? We can’t quite put our finger on what’s different now…

Some highlights of the cases made by each side:

“The president is on trial in the Senate, but the Senate is on trial in the eyes of the American people,” pronounced Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He slammed Republicans for balking at more witnesses because “only guilty people try to hide evidence.” Except Nadler insisted just last week that testimony from either Hunter or Joe Biden would not be “relevant” because he had a “mountain of evidence” that was perfectly sufficient to impeach and remove Trump.

“Let me be very blunt,” said House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. “Right now a great many, perhaps even most, Americans do not believe there will be a fair trial. They don’t believe that the Senate will be impartial. They believe that the result is pre-cooked, the president will be acquitted.” Funny, but Schiff pre-cooked the impeachment inquiry in the House.

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, on the other hand, was right on the mark. Democrats have “no case” against Trump. But never mind that, he said; “They’re not here to steal one election, they’re here to steal two elections.”

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68070-impeachment-trial-kicks-off-2020-01-22

Trump Denounces Tyranny of Socialism at Davos16

While the Senate was wrangling over rules for its impeachment trial, President Donald Trump was in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum, where he gave one of the best speeches17 of his presidency. Trump was there to tout “the great American comeback” and to encourage world leaders to follow his lead and reject the doom-and-gloom prognostications of the globalist and their calls for socialism. “This is not a time for pessimism,” he declared. “This is a time for optimism. … The American Dream is back — bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. No one is benefitting more than America’s middle class.”

Trump blasted the climate alarmists for their fearmongering and destructive agenda: “Fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for tremendous hope and joy and optimism and action. But to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse. They are the heirs of yesterday’s foolish fortune-tellers. … They predicted an overpopulation crisis in the 1960s, mass starvation in the ‘70s, and an end of oil in the 1990s. These alarmists always demand the same thing: absolute power to dominate, transform, and control every aspect of our lives.”

He pointedly asserted, “We will never let radical socialists destroy our economy, wreck our country, or eradicate our Liberty. America will always be the proud, strong, and unyielding bastion of freedom.”

Overall, Trump’s speech was positive and full of hope for the future despite the looming impeachment trial he is facing at home. He concluded by stating, “Above all else, we will forever be loyal to our workers, our citizens, and our families — the men and women who are the backbone of our economies, the heart of our communities, and the soul of our countries. Let us bring light to their lives one by one and empower them to light up the world.”

(UPDATE: Link to speech and quotes corrected.)

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68068-trump-denounces-tyranny-of-socialism-at-davos-2020-01-22

The Progressive Left Is Anti-Woman18

Progressives claim to work for the advancement of women, yet any objective observation shows their efforts have little to do with advancing women and everything to do with increasing the power of political leftists.

Several recent stories bear this out.

On Sunday, The New York Times made its 2020 presidential endorsement19. Well, two, actually: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Justifying the dual endorsement, the Times wrote, “The events of the past few years have shaken the confidence of even the most committed institutionalists. We are not veering away from the values we espouse, but we are rattled by the weakness of the institutions that we trusted to undergird those values.” One wonders whether the NYT editors were looking in a mirror when they wrote that line.

The Times called Warren, the radical, a “gifted storyteller,” which is a hilariously diplomatic way of saying she is a pathological liar20. The paper called Klobuchar the “standard-bearer” for Democrat centrists, before noting she is campaigning for an economy-destroying policy of net-zero emissions by 2050 and a “more robust public option” in healthcare. In other words, socialized medicine.

It is a testament to how far left the Democrat Party has veered that Klobuchar could be considered a centrist.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2020
From The Federalist Patriot
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Though claiming to be nonpartisan, the last time the NYT endorsed a Republican was Eisenhower in 1956, even though two very accomplished Republican women, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and former Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, have run for president in recent years. Obviously, conservative women need not apply for the Times’s endorsement.

In other news, the Grammys last week fired its first-ever female boss, Deborah Dugan, in an apparent attempt to silence her. Though the Recording Academy (which owns the Grammys) claims she was put on leave because of allegations of “misconduct” (allegedly, a staffer has accused her of bullying), the timing is highly suspicious. Three weeks ago, Dugan sent a memo to the Recording Academy’s HR department, accusing the company of attempting to silence21 those who came forward with allegations of “sexual harassment, financial impropriety, and [improper] insider benefits.”

Apparently, protecting women is less important to the Grammys than protecting Hollywood’s wealth, power, and cultural influence.

Of course, these same progressive cultural icons lecture the rest of us that we must #BelieveAllWomen, yet are silent on — or attack — women who make accusations against powerful progressive men.

It was an open secret for decades in Hollywood that producer Harvey Weinstein was a serial rapist, yet the Hollywood glitterati looked the other way22 as he ruined the lives of countless women. Sacrificing these young women to his lusts was the price they paid for their fame and fortune.

The same goes for billionaire pedophile Jeffrey “Didn’t Kill Himself23” Epstein. He was a close friend and bankroller of Hollywood leftists and Democrat politicians, and they turned a blind eye to his crimes in order to advance their careers.

In other news, last Saturday was the fourth annual Women’s March in Washington, DC, and other cities around the country. But when you have to ask, “Does it still matter?”24 the answer is no, it doesn’t.

In 2017, an estimated three to five million people attended Women’s March rallies in more than 650 cities across the U.S. Last year, that number dropped to around 700,000.

Last week, the march in DC appears to have drawn less than six thousand people25. In LA, Philadelphia, and Chicago, there were not enough protesters to even fill a city park.

A major part of the problem appears to be that the so-called Women’s March never even had any pretense of being about women but rather about advancing leftist causes, including abortion, subsidized housing, illegal immigration, and climate change.

Luckily, there is a home for those who truly believe in advancing the cause of women, including protecting the unborn, because pro-life is pro-woman. They can be found this week at the March for Life26, which turns out hundreds of thousands of pro-life supporters each year.

The idea that the progressive Left supports women is laughable. It doesn’t want equality for women, where women compete on their own merits; it wants special rights. It doesn’t support women; it supports leftist women and attacks conservative women. It doesn’t protect women; it sacrifices them to the powerful and it kills them in the womb.

It is the definition of anti-woman.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68066-the-progressive-left-is-anti-woman

Honoring the Sanctity of Life27

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the two most tragic Supreme Court decisions in American history, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. (Pro-lifers around the nation celebrated Sanctity of Life Sunday28 this past weekend.) Those decisions sparked a contentious debate between those who would deny legal protection for babies in the womb, and those who rightly acknowledge that those babies constitute “life” as understood throughout history and affirmed in our Declaration of Independence29. Tragically, that right has been denied to nearly 60 million unborn children sacrificed on the altar of “choice” since 1973.

Though this issue will never be resolved until the yearly number of abortions is zero, there are encouraging prospects to note as we consider the sanctity of human life. And every life saved is a victory.

Trump Slowing Illegal Immigration; Sanders Would Reverse Course30

Since President Donald Trump went to work tackling the nation’s illegal immigration crisis, the number of illegal border crossings have decreased precipitously and nowhere more so than Arizona. As The Daily Wire reports31, “In Arizona alone, the Border Patrol was registering around 14,000 apprehensions per month by May of 2019, but in October of 2019, there were only 800 apprehensions. In December of 2019, the streak kept up, and apprehensions dropped around 90%.”

Much of the credit for this significant drop goes to Trump’s multifaceted approach in addressing the problem of illegal immigration, which includes the construction of border wall, the new “remain in Mexico” asylum policy, and agreements with Mexico and Central American countries to actively engage and limiting illegal immigration coming through their countries. Slowly but steadily Trump has made progress on one of his signature campaign promises, despite Democrat efforts to prevent him.

Speaking of Democrats, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders recently expressed his desire to end and reverse Trump’s successes in combatting illegal immigration. When asked if he supported tearing down the border wall, Sanders responded, “I don’t know, maybe the answer is yes.” He then equivocated slightly by suggesting, “If it’s going to cost me billions to tear it down, maybe the money would be better spent on child care in this country.” But Sanders didn’t stop with the wall; he ridiculously asserted that he would effectively end all but a fraction of deportations. “If someone has been convicted of a terrible, terrible crime, that might be an exception to the rule,” he explained. “A moratorium on 99% of deportations is nothing to sniff at, and I think the undocumented community would be very proud of that.”

While the “undocumented community” — otherwise known as illegal aliens — might be proud of that, no American should be. The truth is the only reason Sanders and Democrats are advocating for open borders and an end to deportations of illegals is because they see them as future voters. It’s all just about politics and lust for power. Sanders, who claims to want to serve Americans, expresses no concern for protecting and defending American citizens first, which is the primary job of the president. No, he’d rather blast those who are working to protect our citizens and secure our borders as acting selfishly and immorally. Frankly, it’s despicable.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68047-trump-slowing-illegal-immigration-sanders-would-reverse-course-2020-01-22

Free Speech and Fake News32

Grassroots Perspective from Roger Helle

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” —U.S. Constitution

Our Constitution is unlike any other. It guarantees American citizens rights and freedoms that were not seen anywhere in the civilized world when it was established. Freedom of the press was guaranteed, as was free speech. In protecting both free speech and freedom of the press, I doubt our Founders could have imagined the state we find ourselves in today with our media.

For three years now major media outlets have complained about how President Donald Trump calls them “fake news.” Yet they follow up by constantly speaking and printing “fake news,” totally failing to see why the public perception of the media is falling into the toilet. Let me give you just one recent example, as space does not allow me to detail the fake news stories from just this month alone.

[nChrist]

________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 1-22-2020
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Monday saw thousands of Second Amendment supporters (approximately 20,000) gather around the Virginia State Capital. The governor, based on “intelligence” (apparently not his), declared a state of emergency due to the threat of violence. As it turns out, there was no violence, but regular folks, including minorities, showed up to express their concern about the proposed gun laws being considered by Virginia legislators. Police were present but not in huge numbers that I could see on TV.

If you watched CNN, CBS, or MSNBC that day, you would have thought, at any minute, there would be violence, bloodshed, and a mass KKK white supremacist riot. According to these pundits, heavily equipped and armed riot police were tensely waiting for the violence to break out. CBS reported there had been violence all week in advance of the rally. There was not!

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell fretted about the mob of white supremacists that would show up, resulting in another Charlottesville racist riot. I could go on, but you see where I’m going with this. How can citizens know when they’re being told fact and not hyperbole or outright lies? We need freedom of the press to have a free society. But what happens when the media abuses that power?

It goes beyond their hatred of President Trump. It undermines the safety and security of our country. Media talkingheads tell everyone that police are bad and then we have police being assaulted and killed while just trying to do their jobs. Even worse, it makes our nation look weak to our enemies. That’s never a good thing. Many of us grew up getting our news from the major networks. Today, you do so at your own peril. On any given day you can turn channel to channel and they all say the same thing. It’s an echo chamber. It would be funny if it were not so critical to our future.

Free speech also needs to be truthful and factual. False reporting and deliberate lying regarding facts will only cause our country to be more divided. Maybe that’s why they’re doing it.

Something to think about?

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68048-free-speech-and-fake-news-2020-01-22

NEWS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“REMEMBER WHERE [YOU] ARE”: Chief Justice Roberts admonishes both sides at Senate impeachment trial, after marathon session erupts into shouting match; meanwhile, McConnell’s trial rules are adopted 53-47 (Fox News33)

LESSONS UNLEARNED: Virginia Senate advances “red flag” gun law, despite rally (AP34)

SETTING EXAMPLES: Virginia rally attendees pick up trash following event (MRCTV35)

TIT FOR TAT: Senate Democrats privately mull witness trade in impeachment trial: A Biden for Bolton (The Washington Post36)

SYSTEMIC HATE: Another Bernie staffer allegedly promotes violence: Kill the rich, put Republicans in camps (The Daily Wire37)

WARNINGS IGNORED: Hillary defends the Clintons’ longtime association with Harvey Weinstein, and it does not go well at all (Red State38)

“MALICIOUS INTENT”: Tulsi Gabbard files defamation lawsuit against Hillary for dubbing her a “Russian asset” (The Daily Wire39)

“MY GOAL IS TO UNVEIL THE TRUTH ABOUT ABORTION”: New England Patriots tight end and pro-lifer Benjamin Watson producing abortion documentary (The Hollywood Reporter40)

TAXPAYER-SOURCED FUNDING: Planned Parenthood’s annual report shows Big Abortion needs Big Government (CNSNews.com41)

“THE DEVIL HAD ME”: Kanye West preaches Jesus Christ to 12,000 students (The Daily Wire42)

POLICY: The lethal legal legacy of Roe v. Wade (Washington Examiner43)

POLICY: When will the #MeToo movement address pornography? (Washington Examiner44)

HUMOR: Democrats align with with Iraqi Baath party in last ditch effort against Trump (Genesius Times45)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights46.

The Patriot Post is a certified ad-free news service, unlike third-party commercial news sites linked on this page, which may also require a paid subscription.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68069-wednesday-news-executive-summary-2020-01-22

VIDEOS

    Video: ‘90s Pelosi Argues Against Impeaching Trump47 — If it weren’t for double standards, Democrats wouldn’t have any.
    Video: The Truth About Virginia’s Psycho Gun-Control Laws48 — And why thousands are rising up against them.
    Video: Everything on Demand49 — Competition makes entertainment better and cheaper.

SHORT CUTS

For the record: “The second vote Chuck Schumer ever cast as a United States Senator was to NOT allow witnesses in the Clinton impeachment trial. Today he’s spent nearly 10 hours fighting to call new witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial. What changed, Chuck?” —Charlie Kirk

Trailblazing: “Adam Schiff must be the first prosecutor to show up at a trial and say, 'Gosh, there are a bunch of things I don’t know about this case but would be interested in finding out.’” —Rich Lowry

Non compos mentis: “I’m not here to villainize and to say that billionaires are inherently morally corrupt — but they are, I mean, I think there is a case, but um, but, it’s not to say that, it’s to say that this system that we live in, life in capitalism, always ends in billionaires. If you don’t do it, someone else will. It’s who decides to make that choice is just kind of up to, you know, circumstance.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Pot, meet kettle: “Nobody likes [Bernie Sanders], nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. It’s all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it.” —Hillary Clinton on Bernie Sanders

Braying jenny: “How could we have known? [Harvey Weinstein] raised money for me, for the Obamas, for Democrats in general. And that at the time was something that everybody thought made sense. Of course, if all of us had known what we know now, it would have affected our behavior.” —Hillary Clinton

Belly laugh of the week: “We do have some well-off people who support Democratic candidates, there’s no doubt about that, but they’ve never bought a TV station. They’ve never gobbled up radio stations. They’ve never created newspapers in local communities to put out propaganda. That’s all been done not just by Murdoch and Fox, but by Sinclair and by the Koch brothers and by so many others who have played a long game about how we really influence the thinking of Americans.” —Hillary Clinton complaining that the Leftmedia doesn’t have enough influence

And last… “Watching Schiff lecture us all about fair process is like attending a sportsmanship conference hosted by the Houston Astros.” —The Daily Caller’s Eddie Zipperer

https://patriotpost.us/articles/68067-wednesday-short-cuts-2020-01-22

TODAY’S MEME

https://patriotpost.us/memes/68064-signs-of-the-times-2020-01-22

For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union51.

TODAY’S CARTOON

https://patriotpost.us/cartoons/28167

For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive52.

Join us in prayer for our Patriots in uniform and their families — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way, and for our nation’s First Responders. We also ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the Spirit of Liberty53 in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis