Values

Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose Removing Confederate Statues, Defunding Police

A Washington Post/ABC poll shows a majority of Americans oppose removing statues of Confederate soldiers or U.S. presidents who had slaves. The Washington Post reported on its poll, which highlighted a stark partisan divide: The new poll finds that 52 percent of Americans oppose removing public statues honoring Confederate generals, while 43 percent support their removal. That includes an 80 percent majority of Republicans and 56 percent of independents in opposition, while 74 percent of Democrats support the removal of these statutes. Almost 6 in 10 white people, along with just over half of Hispanic people, oppose removing statues of Confederate soldiers, while over three-quarters of black people support their removal. The Black Lives Matter movement continues to enjoy majority support, with 63 percent of Americans saying they support it, including 46 percent who say they “strongly” support it. But there are sharp differences among partisans, with 92 percent of Democrats and 62 percent of independents saying they back the movement, while 68 percent of Republicans oppose it. The poll found that a 69 percent majority of respondents believe minority groups are not treated the same as white people but “generally opposes calls to shift some police funding to social services.” The sentiment comes in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in the custody of Minneapolis police in May, and the protests that followed nationwide.

Again, we agree with that silent majority that doesn’t want to see our history erased, or our cops “defunded.”  Now, more than ever, we need to support those great men and women in law enforcement who do an increasingly thankless, yet critical, job…and are getting it from all sides.

As for the Confederate statues, monuments, and flags..  History is what happened; not what we wish had happened.  If we don’t study, or have reminders of what happened, then history has a way of repeating itself.  So, we say..  Keep the statues and monuments.  If you don’t like them, then don’t look at ’em.

Opinion/Analysis: Trump makes punishing leftist anarchists for desecrating monuments a priority

President Trump was elected in large part on the issue of law and order. It’s been an issue for generations in this country, as Americans have watched the decline of social cohesion ever since the left enjoyed sympathetic coverage by the mass media during the Vietnam War. What we are seeing today with riots, vandalism and the wanton destruction of public property and art is a natural and cancerous outgrowth of the encouragement and coddling of leftists and their violent but farcical anarchy. The good news is, we are seeing Mr. Trump emerge, once again, as the right man at the right time. After weeks of seeing chaos and anarchy unfold on the streets with no apparent response from law enforcement at any level, the White House and Department of Justice have begun to make it clear that there will be serious repercussions for those engaging in mob violence. This should be a no-brainer, but the Republican Party has a historic problem known as “No Spine Syndrome.” The GOP has been scrambling for its binky and hoping no one would knock on their door. Not needing the help of sucklings, Mr. Trump stepped forward. He tweeted on June 26, “I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues — and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!” That order “enforces laws prohibiting the desecration of public monuments, the vandalism of government property, and recent acts of violence, withholds federal support tied to public spaces from state and local governments that have failed to protect public monuments, and withdraws federal grants for jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies that fail to stop their desecration. It also provides assistance for protecting the federal statues,” Fox News reported. This aggressive federal posture sends a message, in fact it gives permission, to hesitant and even frightened local leaders, that capturing and punishing the mob is a priority. Cases in point: On June 27, The Oklahoman reported, “Protesters blamed for the violence that broke out in Oklahoma City the last weekend in May were charged Friday with terrorism, rioting and assault. … Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater made the decisions himself on the charges in a get-tough approach meant to deter others from going too far during protests in the future. ‘This is not Seattle,’ Prater said Friday. ‘We’re not putting up with this lawlessness here.’” In Colorado, the governor is “warning protestors that ‘destruction and vandalism are not the answer’ after three suspects were arrested in connection to a fire set to a pedestal of a toppled Civil War monument outside the State Capitol building,” Fox News reported. On Friday, June 26, I had the opportunity of guest hosting for Laura Ingraham on Fox News and spoke with acting Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli. I told him how disturbing it was to see wanton anarchy in various cities with apparently no arrests or repercussions for the mob. Here’s part of that exchange: KEN CUCCINELLI: “We can go around the country and I can rattle off places where federal forces have been employed to deal with local violence, not peaceful protesting, local violence. And that’s still going on — the president still has us leaning forward doing that.” TAMMY BRUCE: “Have there been arrests? How many arrests have there been? We know that these are televised events, felonies are occurring, property being destroyed.” CUCCINELLI: “There have been arrests.” BRUCE: “How many?” CUCCINELLI: “Yeah, there have been arrests. I don’t actually know the total number, but it’s an enormous number. And I’ll tell you there are a large number of federal investigations going on right now following up on the violence you’ve seen, the destruction you’ve seen.” The next Monday, the White House press secretary noted at the start of her briefing that there had been more than 100 arrests, with 200 investigations ongoing. Additionally, the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force arrested four men for vandalism of the Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Park. Indicative of the president’s commitment to acting quickly against the mob, on Tuesday he responded to the vandalism of the iconic statues of George Washington in New York City’s Washington Square Park. He tweeted, “We are tracking down the two Anarchists who threw paint on the magnificent George Washington Statue in Manhattan. We have them on tape. They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison based on the Monuments and Statues Act. Turn yourselves in now!” This incident will ruin the lives of the two people captured on surveillance video, and should send a significant message to every menace who thinks they can act with impunity. The president is illustrating that law and order is of paramount importance and is at the foundation of everything else. We know he understands the policy issues on which he was elected, but now it is more important than ever to show the American people that he’s acting to secure this nation, as the legacy media is working overtime to convince us that chaos reigns. Why? Because, like abusers and batterers everywhere, they tell you if you just surrender, they’ll stop hurting you. That’s a lie, and it will be rejected in November.

Let’s hop you’re right, Tammy.  Tammy Bruce is the author of that piece.  Tammy is president of Independent Women’s Voice, is a radio talk-show host, and is a New York Times best-selling author.

Editorial: The use and abuse of history: Removal of statues means historically rudderless America

Two days ago, the mayor of Detroit ordered a bust of Christopher Columbus removed from its pedestal. It was a peaceful removal for the Italian-born discoverer of the new world. After all, last week in Boston he was beheaded and in Richmond he was pushed into a lake. One supposes he is used to the harsh treatment. In many cities and states, his namesake holiday has long been replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day. In a few decades, it is not inconceivable he will be relegated to a proverbial footnote of history. Of course, who or what Columbus will be a footnote to is now a live question. Statues of Confederate generals are also being torn down and desecrated. They were on the losing side of history, so many Americans proclaim they won’t be missed. Since they remind us of an ugly time in our past, better to eradicate their presence altogether. Then it will be as if it never happened. Or so the logic would appear to run. But wait! After wiping out the leading lights of the Confederacy, it seems that Northerners, too, have a little housekeeping to undertake. This week, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh supported a circulating petition to disappear (let’s not sugarcoat matters) a statue of Abraham Lincoln standing before a freed, kneeling African-American. The petition reads: “My name is Tory Bullock and I’ve been watching this man on his knees since I was a kid. It’s supposed to represent freedom but instead represents us still beneath someone else. I would always ask myself “If he’s free why is he still on his knees?” No kid should have to ask themselves that question anymore.” Of course, the erstwhile slave is not kneeling before or even looking at President Lincoln. He is staring off into the distance, in a position, shackles now broken, to rise. The scene, seen from a perspective different from Mr. Bullock’s, is of hope and vitality. Lincoln is less the author of the slave’s freedom than a midwife. And in a sense, he is already forgotten as the rising figure looks out and away into the distance, expectant and resolute. What will happen next is easy to predict. Statues and depictions of the Founding Fathers will come down. It does not matter if you authored the Declaration of Independence. You’re out. It will take a little while, but the will and hatred on the progressive left is strong. Their ability to instill knee-jerk fear in average Americans is pernicious (see the Mayor of Boston), and common-sense and knowledge of history has so departed any would-be opponents that in the coming decades an outright revision of American history — both as it’s symbolized in statues and memorials and as its published in books and taught in our schools — will occur unimpeded. It won’t stop with the Founding Fathers. Anyone, of any gender, found with a less-than-ultra-progressive stamped passport is on the chopping block. This is a race to the bottom. And in the end, we will be left with a historically rudderless America. Gone will be any shared sense of purpose or pride. In its place we will find new totems, decided by those in power. The wholesale eradication of a person’s (and a people’s) history is a tactic most commonly seen in authoritarian countries. Mao and Stalin and Castro understood this well. If you go back far enough, these are the great teachers of America’s progressive left. They are loathe to admit it, but it’s right out of the totalitarian playbook. And now that playbook is being put to use in our country. If this does not sit well with you, if you sense the Founders of this country, imperfect though they were in private life, nonetheless created a republic with good and true ideals to aspire toward — timeless principles like “all men are created equal” and the “self-evident” notion “all men are created equal” — and that these ideals are worth preserving, then now is the time to push back against the progressive agenda. In a few years, it will be too late.

Agreed..  Thanks to the editorial staff at The Washington Times for the timely piece.  This whole purging of our history is very very dangerous.  Its what the Germans and Japanese have done with respect to their involvement in WWII.  History is what happened; NOT what we wished had happened, don’t want to talk about because it hurts our precious tender feelings.  The Civil War happened.  To those who have a problem with that fact,  get the hell over it!  We need to fight to ensure these statues of Christopher Columbus, Confederate generals and so on stay standing.  They are reminders of what happened and where we came from…and in many respects, how far we’ve come.  And, we need to revisit American civics in school.  If you have kids,  a MUST read is “The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History” by Thomas Woods.  Its all the stuff you weren’t taught in junior high, and high school from our country’s founding through about the Bill Clinton presidency.  You can get it at Amazon for under $20 new…and it’s worth it.

Trump tells West Point graduates America’s institutions endure against ‘passions and prejudices of the moment’

President Trump on Saturday addressed the graduating class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, telling them they are the “bravest of the brave” and hailing the durability of America’s institutions “against the passions and prejudices of the moment.” “To the eleven hundred and seven cadets who today become the newest officers in the most exceptional Army ever to take the field of battle, I am here to offer America’s salute. Thank you for answering your nation’s call,” he said. The address at West Point in New York was the one remaining military service academy where he had yet to give a graduation address. “This premier military academy produces only the best of the best — the strongest of the strong — and the bravest of the brave,” he said. “West Point is a universal symbol of American gallantry, loyalty, devotion, discipline, and skill.” Trump’s speech comes amid a backdrop of dueling crises of the coronavirus pandemic and recent protests and questions about police conduct related to the recent death of George Floyd in police custody. He made a number of references to national unity, telling the graduates that they “exemplify the power of shared national purpose to transcend all differences and achieve true unity.” Later, he hinted at the instability rocking the country: “What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal,” he said. On the topic of foreign policy, Trump declared that his administration is “restoring the fundamental principle that the job of the American soldier is not to rebuild foreign nations, but defend — and defend strongly — our nation from foreign enemies.” “We are ending the era of endless wars. In its place is a renewed, clear-eyed focus on defending America’s vital interests. It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never even heard of,” he said. In a lighter moment, he drew applause when he used his power as commander-in-chief to absolve “all cadets on restrictions for minor conduct offenses, and that is effective immediately.” The address comes amid tensions between Trump and the military. Trump reportedly yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for opposing his call to use active-duty troops to quell rioting. Meanwhile, Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said it was a “mistake” to accompany Trump on a trip to St. John’s Church on June 1. Critics had accused Trump of putting cadets at risk of coronavirus for the purposes of a photo opportunity. A group called Veterans For Peace held a protest outside West Point’s main gate against what it called “Trump’s dangerous narcissistic Photo-Op Stunt at the West Point Graduation.” But Army officials defended the move, saying the cadets would have had to brave the health risks of traveling back to campus anyway for their final medical checks, equipment and training. The cadets had been home since spring break, just before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic. They returned to campus in late May. A number of health precautions were in place to stop the spread of the highly contagious virus. The recently commissioned second lieutenants wore masks as they marched onto West Point’s parade field, instead of into Mitchie Stadium, the longtime commencement venue. They were also sitting six feet apart, and saluted the president instead of shaking hands. Meanwhile, there were no guests, with family and friends watching online instead.

The speech by the President this morning at West Point was excellent.  It wasn’t political.  It was perfect for the occasion, and I think the cadets appreciated it.  To see it, click on the text above.  To all the cadets today, congrats from a former Army Major.  Go Army!     🙂

CBS Poll: 55% of Americans Support Restrictions or Ban on Abortion

A new CBS poll released Monday found 55 percent of Americans support either restrictions on abortion or a ban on the procedure entirely. The telephone poll surveyed the views of 1,309 Americans, including 454 Democrats, 331 Republicans, and 524 independents. The results indicated that, while 43 percent of participants said abortion should be “generally available,” 55 percent said the procedure should be restricted or completely banned, including 31 percent who said it should be “available but under limits,” and 24 percent who said it “should not be permitted” at all. With political party as a factor, only 20 percent of Republicans said abortion should be “generally available,” while 66 percent of Democrats and 39 percent of independents said the same. On the issue of abortion restrictions, 44 percent of Republicans, 21 percent of Democrats, and 31 percent of independents agreed with limits on the procedure. A ban on abortion was seen favorably by 35 percent of Republicans, 12 percent of Democrats, and 27 percent of independents. Thus, 79 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of Democrats, and 58 percent of independents said abortion should be restricted or banned. According to CBS, interviews for the poll were “conducted in English and Spanish” and the data “have been weighted to reflect U.S. Census figures on demographic variables.” The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, but CBS said that figure could be higher for subgroups. Polling in recent years has shown Americans do not support unrestricted abortion, and that the label “pro-choice” does not automatically mean a person supports unlimited abortion. A Marist poll released in January found most Americans reject the 1973 ruling that created a right to abortion. According to the poll, which was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, 62 percent of Americans say that if the Supreme Court revisits Roe v. Wade, it should rule to allow states to determine abortion restrictions (46%) or make abortion illegal (16%). This outcome included 39 percent of those who identify as Democrat and 40 percent of those who consider themselves “pro-choice.” Only 33 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal at any time without restriction. The poll found 41 percent of those who identify as pro-choice are more likely to vote for candidates who support abortion restrictions, as are more than nine in ten, or 96 percent, of those who identify as pro-life. Additionally, 65 percent of Americans, and the same percentage of registered voters, said they “are more likely to vote for” candidates who would limit abortion to at most the first three months of pregnancy. This outcome included 88 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of independents, and 44 percent of Democrats. “What our polling makes clear is that millions of Americans describe themselves as ‘pro-choice’ because they believe in some choice, which would include life of the mother, rape, and incest as examples, but very few agree with abortion throughout pregnancy,” said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson in an interview with Breitbart News at the March for Life in Washington, DC. “Many of the people who describe themselves as pro-choice are actually in agreement on policy with pro-lifers,” he continued, noting a pattern in the annual poll. “The trend is steady: seven out of ten Americans for a decade want significant restrictions; four out of ten Democrats want significant restrictions.” Similarly, a YouGov survey, published in February 2019, found most Americans who identify as “pro-choice” oppose late-term abortions. The Associated Press reported at the same time as well that 66 percent of adults who identify as pro-choice opposed third-trimester abortions, while 68 percent opposed abortions the day before a baby is born. Among all adults surveyed, 79 percent rejected late-term abortion, and 80 percent opposed day-before-birth abortion. Furthermore, 82 percent of all those surveyed disagreed with withholding medical care for a viable newborn, including 77 percent of pro-choice adults. In June 2019, Gallup reported 60 percent of Americans said abortion should either not be legal at all (21%) or only legal in a few circumstances (39%). A bombshell study released in July 2019 also found that 96 percent of 5,500 biologists who were asked when life begins affirmed that life begins at the time of fertilization. In his doctoral research at the University of Chicago, Steven Jacobs, Ph.D. asked the biologists, who hailed from over a thousand academic institutions in 86 countries, when life begins. Overall, the study found 96 percent of biologists affirmed the view that a human’s life begins at fertilization (95% confidence interval [95-97%]).

As a rule, we try very hard to avoid the whole abortion topic here at The Daily Buzz.  That being said, we felt this piece by Dr. Susan Berry worthy of sharing as it shows that despite liberal CBS’ efforts to skew this poll  (over 100 more Democrats were polled than Republicans, therefore not a fair assessment by any measure), it still netted these results.

Georgia state trooper tells protesters in viral video: ‘I only kneel for … God’

A law enforcement officer in Georgia is going viral after he said he “has much respect” for Black Lives Matter protesters after the death of George Floyd — but he only kneels “for one person.” Georgia State Trooper O’Neal Saddler was allegedly asked to kneel during a demonstration in Hartwell while a bystander was recording. “If I didn’t have any respect, I wouldn’t [be here],” Saddler explained. “I was supposed to be out of town this weekend with my wife. I took off today, this weekend, but I’m out here to make sure y’all are safe.” He added, “Don’t go there with respect, OK? I have much respect, but I only kneel for one person.” Someone in the crowd replied: “And that’s God,” which the trooper confirmed: “God.” “God Bless him!” Ryan Fournier, founder and co-chairman of Students for Trump, wrote in a tweet. Others praised him in the original post as “one of the best in the business.” The state trooper’s comments come as many police officers have been urged to take a knee in solidarity with protesters as some are pushing to “defund the police.”

Georgia State Trooper O’Neal Saddler is definitely a role model.  To see the video in question, click on the video.  Great job, Sergeant!      🙂

 

Opinion: The left’s poisoning of the educational infrastructure

Courtesy of our educational infrastructure having been transformed into leftist indoctrination centers, the result is politicians who care only about ideology where citizens are collateral damage in their march toward a leftist utopia. Our media is populated with news-actors who are similarly bound to their teachers’ idols of social justice, political correctness and identity politics. All of our institutions are suffering from the twin masters of identity politics and woke philosophy. In New York City during the riots, two individuals were arrested for attempting to bomb a marked New York Police Department cruiser with a Molotov cocktail. Upon arrest, police found additional material in the car to make more Molotov cocktails, and the booking complaint alleges they intended to hand out the bombs to other rioters. The kicker? Both of the suspects are lawyers. One, Colinford Mattis, a 32-year-old man had been working with a corporate law firm in New York City, and is a graduate of Princeton University. The other, Urooj Rahman, a 31-year old woman, is a graduate of Fordham Law School and was admitted to the bar in 2019. On her Facebook page, she fashions herself a “human rights lawyer.” His background as an “anti-poverty intern” for a mayor of San Francisco was listed on LinkedIn, as well as being president of the Princeton Black Student Union. With such promising backgrounds and illustrious educations, we must ask, what went wrong? Education went wrong, which is a dangerous realization, considering its importance not just as a conveyer of information, but as an important and formidable influence on character and values. With the breakdown of the American family, for many, the leftist indoctrination at the academy is the only instruction on life and principles to which they’ve been exposed. On Twitter, the Federalist’s Molly Hemingway noted, “Battle lines are more clearly being drawn these days, between those who clearly believe America is irredeemably evil and must be violently overthrown and those who believe America remains the greatest country on earth, based on rule of law, individual liberty, and inalienable rights. Decades of public education have given the former group a *huge* advantage, reinforced by media that awards itself prizes to indoctrinate message. The seriousness of that side now being impossible to ignore, however, finally forces the rule of law side to realize the fight must be engaged.” As leftists consumed public education, they accepted open-minded young people into their realm and are now vomiting them back up as heartless anarchists. The issue is not just at Ivy League institutions, it is a systemwide problem. Case in point is brought to us by the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). In the midst of violent rioting in dozens of cities across the United States, and on the same night rioters set fire to Washington, D.C.’s historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, Sarah Parcak, a faculty member of UAB went to Twitter encouraging people to topple a local monument she deemed a racist insult. “Ms. Parcak began coaching rioters about how to tear down monuments as networks covered the unrest in Washington on Sunday night. ‘PSA for ANYONE who might be interested in how to pull down an obelisk* safely from an Egyptologist who never ever in a million years thought this advice might come in handy,’ Ms. Parcak tweeted. She went on to fire off more than a dozen tweets demonstrating how protesters could topple obelisks …,” The Washington Times reported. On Parcak’s bizarre tweet frenzy encouraging mayhem, Mark Bauerlein, the editor of First Things Magazine, a journal on religion and public life, said, “The crucial point in this maniacal tweet is that this professor has been honored by TED, the Smithsonian, and the Guggenheim,” and asked, “Many advocates of disorder now occupy elite institutions that have in the past been the guarantors of order. Who let them in?” Kyle Shideler, the director/senior analyst for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, has the most direct answer: “They took over the academy and all credentialing. The middle and lower-middle-class families in this country paid millions to let the Weather Underground raise their kids in hopes they would climb the social ladder,” as he responded on social media. A Fox News producer inquired with UAB if it had any comment about a faculty member encouraging the destruction of property and mayhem on a night when the nation was aflame in violence. UAB responded, “These are not the opinions of the university. Our 45,000+ students, faculty and staff often use social media to express thoughts that do not necessarily reflect the voice of the university. If a public comment by a member of the campus community needs to be addressed by Student Affairs or Human Resources, it would be. However, personnel and student conduct matters are addressed privately between the individual and the institution.” Whoever Mattis’ and Rahman’s professors were, they weren’t out fixing up Molotov cocktails Sunday night, but for some reason their young charges allegedly were. And Parcak was no doubt comfortable in a chair during the 10 p.m. hour on a Sunday as she was tweet-inciting others to put themselves and their futures at great risk. Why put yourself on the line when others who look up to you are too naive to know you’re stuffing them into a cannon?

No kidding…  Thanks to Tammy Bruce for that outstanding op/ed.  Tammy is president of Independent Women’s Voice, is a radio talk-show host, and a New York Times best-selling author.   Excellent!!    🙂

PHOTOS: Rioters Fly Mexican Flags as American Flags are Torched Across U.S.

Rioters across the United States have waved Mexican flags in various American cities to protest the death of George Floyd, allegedly at the hands of a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer. While rioters waved Mexican flags, American flags were routinely burned at riots in Los Angeles, California, Atlanta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon; and Chicago, Illinois. In one video posted online, a rioter with a Mexican flag can be seen helping beat a man who was carrying and waving an American flag. In another post, rioters in Los Angeles torched an American flag while rioters with Mexican flags attacked police vehicles. Click here to see these photos and videos.

Awful…

Opinion/Analysis: Democrats, rioters don’t care about George Floyd — they’re just using him

Why is anybody surprised to see the racial extortion, lawless rioting and selfish looting in the streets of America’s big cities today — all in the name of an unarmed black man named George Floyd, who died in police custody last week? There is a whole political party in America today that is entirely built upon such racial exploitation. Democratic Party leaders in Washington do not actually care about the hardships of blacks in America today. They simply want to weaponize those hardships into votes year after year after year. Or, as one major Democrat in South Carolina famously said: “I don’t want to buy the black vote. I just want to rent it for a day.” That “day” being Election Day. They can all go back to their misery all the other days of the year. Like President Trump said: “What have you got to lose?” Lawless rioting? That is but a mere extension of the bald dishonesty and unhinged lawlessness that defines the Democratic Party today. Take their lawless pursuit of Mr. Trump, for instance. Ever since he got elected, Democrats have accused him of everything under the sun from colluding with Russians to steal the election to bribing the Ukrainian government to sparking the Chinese pandemic. All of it has been exhaustively investigated to no end. Some Democrats in Washington are actually still defending the secret evidence they claim to have proving that Mr. Trump has committed all sorts of their invented crimes. It’s all lies. Their trumped-up, manufactured charges against the president expose the profound lawlessness that even many of their own supporters now realize were nothing more than fantasies. So, really, is it any wonder that you would have roving bands of lawless thugs in masks thronging the streets, torching police cars, smashing windows and burning churches? They learned it from the best. And what about the rampant looting? I mean, why not? As President Obama’s chief of staff — who later became the mayor of Chicago — openly preached: Never let a crisis go to waste. You need a 60-inch high definition, plasma TV? Well, just grab a red cart, smash the windows at Target and load up as many as you can wheel out the door. All in the name of George Floyd. Want a free case of liquor? Take a tire iron and pry open the steel door from the alley and grab all the booze you can carry. All in the name of George Floyd. Truth is, these people don’t care about George Floyd. Or anybody else, for that matter. They are worthless criminals who belong in jail for the rest of their lives. They do not belong in civilized society. But is it any different than the example set by Democratic politicians in Washington today? When the pandemic hit earlier this year, Washington Democrats in the House used it as an opportunity to loot the American treasury for all manner of ill-gotten booty for all their various special interests. At the height of the global emergency, Democrats passed smash-and-grab legislation to pay off all their constituencies, including labor unions, the U.S. Postal Service, illegal aliens and universities. They also decided to hijack all future American elections to make it easier to commit election fraud. All in the name of the coronavirus pandemic that was on its way to killing more than 100,000 Americans. So, is it any surprise that the looters and rioters burning American cities today would do the same thing? The really sad part of all this is that George Floyd deserves better. Now, we don’t know everything that led up to his unfortunate death. But certainly, he did not deserve to die. At a time when very few things unify America, Mr. Floyd’s death unified the country. But that spark of hope was quickly doused. Soon, lawless looters and violent thugs decided to exploit Mr. Floyd’s death for their own gain. Like the man said, never let a crisis go to waste.

No kidding..   Thanks to veteran columnist Charles Hurt for that spot-on op/ed.  He’s another one who is saying what needs to be said.  These punks, thugs and losers are using the tragic death of George Floyd as some pretext to commit all of these awful acts of violence and mayhem.  It’s disingenuous at best.  Even those marching (more or less peacefully) during the day are rallying around lies.  The whole holding their hands up and chanting “Stop, don’t shoot” is a reference to Ferguson, MO in August of 2014,  and what turned out to be a lie.  In August 2014, Michael Brown NEVER said that as Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, a decorated officer, tried to arrest him.  After MULTIPLE autopsies, and several investigations including testimonies from eye-witnesses and video footage, it was determined that Officer Wilson acted appropriately, and only shot Brown in self defense as he was going for the officer’s gun.  And to those who are holding up signs, or wearing t-shirts that say, “Justice for George Floyd”…Here’s a newsflash..  The cop in question, Derek Chauvin, was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department.  His wife has filed for divorce, and oh..btw.. He was arrested and has already been charged with multiple charges including murder and manslaughter.  So, justice IS being served, as well it should be.  What he did was abhorrent, and he’s in jail.  Done and done.  The system worked.   Time to move on.  Anyways..  Charlie can be reached at churt@washingtontimes.com or @charleshurt on Twitter.   Excellent!!     🙂

Americans Across Country Embrace Patriotism During Coronavirus: ‘Put the Flag Up’

Many Americans across the country are turning to patriotism to find hope during the coronavirus outbreak. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called on his constituents to rally around Old Glory during a Friday press conference. “We’ve been attacked by this virus. We have to pull together,” DeWine said, according to WOWK. “Fly that flag every single day.” DeWine told the media about the act of one 7-year-old girl. The governor said he received an email from the girl’s mother which said, “Mr. DeWine, we do not have an American flag to hang outside our home. Today after your news conference, my 7-year-old daughter made this flag for our house in honor of your request.” “I would like to thank 7-year-old Elaina in Radnor, Ohio for the beautiful flag,” DeWine said. Cleveland.com reported there have been “lots of flags” put up around northeast Ohio in response to DeWine’s call. Others have done similar acts. The Buffalo (New York) News reported: ” Joe Riccio is the kind of person who, after a big storm, goes up and down much of his Town of Tonawanda street, snowblowing the sidewalks in front of his neighbors’ homes. So when he heard Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz on TV the other day urging people to put up an American flag in a show of Covid-19 inspired solidarity, he thought bigger than just his own lawn. Riccio on Thursday planted small flags in the front yards of every house on Kenton Road, a one-block street between Delaware Avenue and Delaware Road that runs into Kenmore West High School.” “I was just trying to show that we’re unified, we’re all in this together,” 70-year-old Riccio told the paper. Boy Scouts in Hamilton, Michigan, placed flags in front of area businesses. “You turn on the TV and people are talking about staying home, things shutting down, people are getting nervous,” scout master David Nevins told Fox 17. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and I think this is a way to make people feel better.”

Agreed!!  And well said, David!  If ever there was a time to put your flag out, it’s now.  And hey, if you don’t have one or the one you have needs replacing, here is a url of a place where you can order a new one:   www.ahouseofflags.com   🙂