THE FOUNDATION
"I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love." —George Washington, 1789VETERANS DAY 2015
On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month...
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Millions of Patriots — American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen — have for generations honored their oaths to "support and defend" Liberty, as "endowed by our Creator" and enshrined in our Constitution.
Today, and every day, we formally honor them. We remain the proud and the free because they have stood bravely in harm's way, and millions remain on post today. For this, we, the American People, offer our heartfelt thanks.
Stay tuned for Mark Alexander's essay later today titled, "Veterans Day Valor — T/Sgt. Charles H. Coolidge."
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We Depend on You
Here's why we depend on your support: The Patriot Post is "free" because from our start in 1996, we wanted to offer the timeless message of Liberty to students, military personnel and mission field workers at no charge. That was a high-risk business model, but your voluntary support has sustained our mission and operations ever since. If you are not among those listed above, please consider making your donation to the 2015 Campaign today. We accept no advertising and are not sustained by any political or parent organization. Thank you for your support! —Nate Jackson, Managing Editor
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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Oh, So That's What a Real Debate Looks Like
By Nate Jackson
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There were fewer candidates on stage last night, too, as Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie were demoted to the "undercard" debate due to poor polling. Fewer candidates meant more speaking time for each one, and the result was positive. The tone was far more substantive, allowing each candidate to present his or her economic case — with some venturing into national security — to the American people without having to combat the moderators. On the other hand, most of the candidates were able to comfortably repeat talking points without being challenged.
Overall, the picture of the candidates remained largely unchanged. Marco Rubio is a good debater and a good candidate. Ted Cruz continues to impress, and once again won points for zinging the media. (Don't be surprised if the primary comes down to those two men, or if they end up joining forces on the ticket.) Carly Fiorina is well rehearsed and focused. Ben Carson's warm personality and down-to-earth observations often compensate for his unpolished policy chops. Jeb Bush avoided any unforced errors this time, but did little to improve his standing. John Kasich continues to run against his own party instead of the Democrats and his peevishness is tiresome. Donald Trump largely faded into the background for much of the night, perhaps because all he does is rearrange the words "America," "win," "unbelievable," "tremendous" and "great" to form vaguely coherent, tremendously repetitive and unbelievable sentences.
Rand Paul may have been the most improved. He stood out last night and reminded voters of his core appeal — solid and principled conservatism on fiscal issues and a contrarian take on national security that is informed by his fiscal views.
With that said, here are some of the highlights from the evening. (Please note that quotes are not necessarily indications of agreement.)
Rubio
"If you raise the minimum wage, you're going to make people more expensive than a machine. And that means all this automation that's replacing jobs and people right now is only going to be accelerated. Here's the best way to raise wages: Make America the best place in the world to start a business or expand an existing business, tax reform and regulatory reform, bring our debt under control, fully utilize our energy resources so we can reinvigorate manufacturing, repeal and replace Obamacare, and make higher education faster and easier to access, especially vocational training. For the life of me, I don't know why we have stigmatized vocational education. Welders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers."
"We can't even have an economy if we're not safe. Yes I believe the world — I don't believe, I know the world is a safer and better place when America is the strongest military power in the world."
Cruz
"The Democrats are laughing because if Republicans join Democrats as the party of amnesty, we will lose. And you know, I understand that when the mainstream media covers immigration, it doesn’t often see it as an economic issue. But I can tell you for millions of Americans at home watching this, it is a very personal economic issue. And I will say the politics of it would be very, very different if a bunch of lawyers or bankers were crossing the Rio Grande. Or if a bunch of people with journalism degrees were coming over and driving down the wages in the press. Then we would see stories about the economic calamity that is befalling our nation. And I will say for those of us who believe people ought to come to this country legally and we should enforce the law, we’re tired of being told, it is anti-immigrant. It’s offensive. I am the son of an immigrant who came legally from Cuba to seek the American dream. And we can embrace legal immigration while believing in the Rule of Law. And I would note, try going illegally to another country. Try going to China or Japan. Try to go into Mexico. See what they do. Every sovereign nation secures its borders and it is not compassionate to say we’re not going to enforce the laws and we’re going to drive down the wages for millions of hard-working men and women. That is abandoning the hard-working men and women."
Fiorina
"I think what's interesting about Dodd-Frank is it's a great example of how socialism starts. Socialism starts when government creates a problem, and then government steps in to solve the problem. Government created the problem. Government created the problem of a real estate boom. How did we create it? Under Republican and Democrats alike, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, everybody gathered together, Republicans and Democrats, and said, 'Home ownership is part of the American dream. Let's create a bubble.' And then government stepped in. ... And now what do we have with Dodd-Frank? The classic of crony capitalism. The big have gotten bigger, 1,590 community banks have gone out of business, and on top of all that we've created something called the Consumer Financial Production Bureau, a vast bureaucracy with no congressional oversight that's digging through hundreds of millions of your credit records to detect fraud. This is how socialism starts, ladies and gentlemen."
Carson
"People need to be educated on the minimum wage. Every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases. This is particularly a problem in the black community. ... How do we allow people to ascend the ladder of opportunity ... rather than give them everything and keep them dependent? I would not raise [the minimum wage]."
"We should vet all candidates. I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about. ... And, I don't even mind that so much if they do it with everybody — like people on the other side. But you know, when I look at somebody like Hillary Clinton, who sits there and tells her daughter and a government official that no, this was a terrorist attack and then tells everybody else that it was a video — where I came from, they call that a lie. ... People who know me know that I'm an honest person."
"In the two hours of this debate, five people have died from drug-related deaths, $100 million has been added to our national debt, 200 babies have been killed by abortionists, and two veterans have taken their lives out of despair. This is a narrative that we can change. Not we the Democrats, not we the Republicans, but we the people of America, because there is something special about this nation, and we must embrace it and be proud of it and never give it away for the sake of political correctness."
Bush
"We could get to 4% growth. The new normal of 2% puts huge demands on government. The reason why we have structural deficits is that more and more people are relying on government and the growth that we don't have makes the deficit grow. ... On the regulatory side I think we need to repeal every rule that Barack Obama has in terms of work in progress, every one of them. ... Hillary Clinton has said that Barack Obama's policies get an A. Really? One in 10 people right now aren't working or have given up altogether. That's not an A. One in seven people are living in poverty. That's not an A. One in five children are on food stamps. That is not an A. It may be the best that Hillary Clinton can do, but it's not the best America can do."
Kasich
"I'll tell you about Wall Street: There's too much greed. And the fact is, a free enterprise system is a system that's produced the greatest wealth for the world. But you know Michael Novak, the great Catholic theologian, says that a free enterprise system that is not underlaid with values — and we should all think about the way we conduct our lives — yes, free enterprise is great, profits are great, but there have to be some values that underlay it. And they need a good ethics lesson on Wall Street on a regular basis to keep them in check so we, the people, do not lose."
Trump
"The [Trans-Pacific Partnership] TPP is horrible deal. It is a deal that is going to lead to nothing but trouble. It's a deal that was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone. It's 5,600 pages long, so complex that nobody's read it. It's like ObamaCare; nobody ever read it. ... We lose a fortune on trade. The United States loses with everybody. We're losing now over $500 billion in terms of imbalance with China, $75 billion a year imbalance with Japan. By the way, Mexico, $50 billion a year imbalance. So I must say I just think it's a terrible deal. I love trade. I'm a free trader, 100%. But we need smart people making the deals, and we don't have smart people making the deals."
Paul
"China is not part of this [Trans-Pacific Partnership] deal. ... There is an argument that China doesn't like the deal, because in us doing the deal, we'll be trading with their competitors. ... There is an important point, though, about how we discuss these trade treaties. ... We should negotiate from a position of strength. And we also should negotiate using the full force and the constitutional power that was given to us. I think it's a mistake that we give up power to the presidency on these trade deals. We give up the power to filibuster, and I'm kind of fond of that power. We give up the power to amend. And I think, really, one of the big problems we have in our country is, over the last century, really, so much power has gravitated to the executive branch. Really, Congress is kind of a bystander. We don't write the rules. We don't make the laws. The executive branch does. So even in trade — and I am for trade — I think we should be careful about giving so much power to the presidency."
Next up: The second Democrat debate, coming Saturday, Nov. 14 on CBS. The fifth GOP debate is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 15 on CNN.
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TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Mizzou Prof Resigns After Intimidating Journalist
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MD Closes Ineffective Gun Casing Database
Yes, the newest technological advancement can be helpful for law enforcement, but it's no savior. In fact, it can be a huge waste. In 2000, the State of Maryland started a database to collect bullet casings from every gun sold in the state. The thinking behind the program was that each gun makes a unique "fingerprint" when the bullet is fired. Maryland's law enforcement wanted to create a database that could be used to solve crime. Now 15 years, $5 million and more than 300,000 bullet casings later, the state is closing the program after it hasn't helped in solving a single case. Former Governor Parris Glendening, who originally pushed for the program, told The Baltimore Sun, "Obviously, I'm disappointed. It's a little unfortunate, in that logic and common sense suggest that it would be a good crime-fighting tool." But liberal logic didn't jive with reality. Again. Maryland joined New York, which closed its program in 2012 for similar reasons. To paraphrase law professor Glenn Reynolds, gun control advocates don't mind spending money on onerous gun regulations and the legal fees associated with prosecuting to the fullest extent any citizen who violates those regulations. In Maryland's case, it also burned the money of its citizens who collected guns, as firing a vintage gun tarnishes its value.Comment | Share
The First Gay President?
Just as Bill Clinton was once touted as the "first black president," the nation's first actual (well, half) black president has become the first gay one. That is to say he's now on the cover of Out magazine as it's "Ally of the Year.""This is the first time a sitting president has been photographed for the cover of an LGBT title," said Aaron Hicklin, Out's editor-in-chief. He added that it's "a historic moment in itself, and a statement on how much his administration has done to advance a singularly volatile issue that tarnished the reputations of both President Clinton and President Bush. A president who came to office on a wave of euphoria, appeared to lose momentum halfway through, and has since rallied, helping us secure marriage equality, among other landmark initiatives that are transforming our place in America."
It's true that Obama has "fundamentally transformed" much of America, including on this issue. For example, he made quite a show of turning the White House rainbow colors and socially engineering the military, not to mention advocating the punishment of any who dare stand for traditional marriage. But just three short years ago, Obama was an anti-same-sex marriage "bigot" just like the rest of us hillbillies. Given Obama's political calculation for everything he does it's hard to know what his conscience really tells him. Democrats in general waited until the irate, tireless minority of homosexuals and their advocates had pushed public discourse far enough Left that hopping on the bandwagon would only help them politically. Nevertheless, Obama has another ideological trophy for his case.
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MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
- ANALYSIS: Obama Pushing for a New UN Climate Agreement
- FBI Ramps Up Clinton Investigation
- Middle East Christians Risk Being Expunged
- Gender Pay Gap Caused, in Part, by Temperament
- NATO Has Become Demoralized in Afghanistan
- Rolling Stone Sued for Campus Rape Story
- Cancer Scare and Global Warming
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- George Will: O'Reilly Makes a Mess of History
- Jonah Goldberg: Campus Commotions Show We're Raising Fragile Kids
- Terence Jeffrey: Will Five Justices Give One Man Control of U.S. Immigration Law?
TOP HEADLINES
- Congress OKs Bill Banning Gitmo Detainees From U.S.
- Oregon County Lets Sheriff Ignore 'Unconstitutional' Gun Laws
- In Major Win, Syrian Forces Break 2-Year ISIS Siege on Air Base
OPINION IN BRIEF
Jonah Goldberg: "Children are hardwired to play. That’s how we learn. But what happens when play is micromanaged? St. Lawrence University professor Steven Horwitz argues that it undermines democracy. Free play — tag in the schoolyard, pickup basketball at the park, etc. — is a very complicated thing. It requires young people to negotiate rules among themselves, without the benefit of some third-party authority figure. These skills are hugely important in life. When parents or teachers short-circuit that process by constantly intervening to stop bullying or just to make sure that everyone plays nice, Horwitz argues, 'we are taking away a key piece of what makes it possible for free people to be peaceful, cooperative people by devising bottom-up solutions to a variety of conflicts.' The rise in 'helicopter parenting' and the epidemic of 'everyone gets a trophy' education are another facet of the same problem. We’re raising millions of kids to be smart and kind, but also fragile. And what happens when large numbers of these delicate little flowers are set free to navigate their way through life? They feel unsafe and demand 'safe spaces.' They feel threatened by uncomfortable ideas and demand 'trigger warnings.' They might even want written rules or contracts to help them negotiate sexual relations. In other words, this is the generation the mandarins of political correctness have been waiting for."Comment | Share
SHORT CUTS
Insight: "The only good bureaucrat is one with a pistol at his head. Put it in his hand and it's good-bye to the Bill of Rights." —H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)Perilous times: "This year, five members of the Supreme Court decided that there is a constitutional right for two people of the same sex to marry — and, thus, that children have no right to a mother (or a father). Last week, the Supreme Court decided it would take up the case the Little Sisters of the Poor are fighting against the Obama administration. In this case, five justices could decide that the administration can force Catholic nuns — and other Christians — to cooperate in its plan to deliver abortion-inducing drugs and devices through employer-based health care plans. In this new case, five justices may get to decide if one man can change this nation’s immigration laws." —Terence Jeffrey
Village Idiots: "[The GOP] field ... makes Ronald Reagan look like Abbie Hoffman and Herman Cain look like Winston Churchill." —actor Bradley Whitford
Non Compos Mentis, part I: "To continue to ensure that the University of Missouri campus remains safe, the MU Police Department (MUPD) is asking individuals who witness incidents of hateful and/or hurtful speech or actions to [contact law enforcement]. ... While cases of hateful and hurtful speech are not crimes, if the individual(s) identified are students, MU's Office of Student Conduct can take disciplinary action." —Mizzou Police Department
Non Compos Mentis, part II: "I personally am tired of hearing that First Amendment rights protect students when they are creating a hostile and unsafe learning environment for myself and for other students here. I think that it's important for us to create that distinction and create a space where we can all learn from one another and start to create a place of healing rather than a place where we are experiencing a lot of hate like we have in the past." —Brenda Smith-Lezama, VP of the Missouri Students Association at Mizzou
And last... "Last week, the country and our media were demanding that public spaces, including women’s restrooms and locker rooms, be open to all. This week, apparently, private 'safe spaces' in public areas must be acknowledged and respected by everyone including media." —Stephen Miller
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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.
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