Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Protests vs. Riots
There was a very informative hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz. It was titled, "The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence."
As you might expect, Sen. Cruz focused much of the hearing on Antifa's role in fomenting violence and threatening free speech. Senate liberals were offered repeated opportunities to condemn Antifa. They refused, bitterly clinging to the notion that the protests have been mostly "peaceful."
Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli testified that the 140 federal law enforcement officers protecting the federal courthouse in Portland had suffered more than 270 injuries as a result of these "peaceful protests."
At one point, Sen. Mazie Hirono stormed out of the hearing. Sen. Cruz gave her another chance to condemn Antifa before she left. She did not.
Another witness at the hearing was U.S. Attorney Erin Cox, who was appointed by Attorney General William Barr to investigate violent anti-government extremists. According to Cox, the Justice Department has launched 300 domestic terrorist investigations since the end of May.
The Left vs. Law Enforcement
In yesterday's report, I noted how many of America's major cities are experiencing massive crime waves, especially a big spike in homicides. It's no coincidence that this rise in crime is occurring when the left has declared war on law enforcement.
Minneapolis, which wants to abolish its police department, has surrendered to the criminals. The police recently put out helpful tips on how to be mugged safely.
Portland, which has always been liberal, is now unrecognizable. Last night, the "peaceful protesters" attacked the police association's office, setting fire to the building.
There used to be a funny show called Portlandia, which made fun of the city's liberal elites. If only we had that now. It has become a city of violent revolutionaries.
Parts of Chicago have become killing fields with weekly casualty figures that look worse than Kabul, Afghanistan.
Just a reminder: All of these progressive cities are run by liberals. There hasn't been a conservative in office in decades. The controversies you see in these cities involve liberal politicians fighting really left-wing politicians, then blaming it all on the police!
But while more and more so-called "progressives" embrace efforts to defund the police, a new poll finds that only 14% of Americans actually support that radical idea. Seventy-six percent of Americans want law enforcement budgets kept at current levels or increased.
Yates vs. Comey
Former Obama Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates was on the heat seat today, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Under questioning from Chairman Lindsey Graham, Yates acknowledged that fired FBI Director James Comey went "rogue" with his investigation of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
"I was upset that Director Comey didn't coordinate that with us and acted unilaterally," Yates said.
The Squad Expands
The progressive takeover of the Democrat Party is continuing. That has been evident in recent primaries across the country and again last night. For example:
In New York, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who led the campaign against Amazon creating 25,000 new jobs in her district, was challenged last month by a highly-respected, well-funded journalist. AOC won 73% of the vote.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a pro-Israel liberal, barely survived a left-wing challenge. Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, did not. He was defeated by 15 points.
Last night in Michigan, Rep. Rashida Tlaib prevailed in a rematch against a well-known black leader. Two years ago, Tlaib barely won a divided primary. Last night, she won in a landslide, declaring, "It's safe to say the Squad is here to stay, and it's only getting bigger."
Indeed it is.
In Missouri yesterday, Rep. Lacy Clay was defeated by Cori Bush, a BLM activist with no elected experience. Clay's father, Rep. William Clay, held this seat for 32 years and was a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. Bush raised her profile in recent months by attending every radical demonstration in the district. She supports the anti-Israel BDS movement, and will no doubt join the Squad as a proud member.
Are You Registered?
The stakes this November are tremendous.
Everything is on the line: The House of Representatives, the Senate, the White House, control of the courts, the future of free speech, religious liberty, our Second Amendment rights, the direction of our economy.
In short, the fate of the country is on the ballot.
The outcome of this election will impact all of us, and every vote matters.
But you can't vote if you aren't registered.