Daily News Roundup

NOTABLE QUOTES

Anthony Fauci Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: “I’m sorry I know people must like to have their individual freedom… but I think that we’re in such a serious situation now, that under certain circumstances, mandates should be done”.

Wayne Allen Root contributor to Frontpage Magazine: Stars on clothing. It’s coming. The vaccinated get into restaurants, bars, concerts, supermarkets, planes and trains. They keep their jobs. The rest of us are marked as “subhuman” for life. That’s the star. That’s 1938.

Linda Sexton Oklahoma school board member’s shockingly ignorant statement: “It’s just not OK for kids to commit murder by coming to school without a mask. And when it comes down to it, it’s possible. They will cause a death of another child because they come to school without a mask. That’s not OK.”

John C. Eastman & Stephen Balch contributors to American Greatness: Testing the limits of national authority has a long history in American politics. Most frequently it has taken the form of state resistance to the positive exercise of federal power in a manner state leadership found abusive. Prior to the Civil War such confrontations were recurrent and touched a wide variety of issues, conspicuous among them the right of interposition claimed by Virginia in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, the nullification threat of South Carolina against “the Tariff of Abominations,” and Wisconsin’s and Vermont’s efforts to block enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act.

Lucretia contributor to American Greatness: The Republican Party at the national level is no longer a viable alternative: it is too corrupt, too weak, and too enamored of the trappings of power. The American people need to rally behind an alternative that will represent their interests. This alternative would be nothing like the “burn it down” efforts of the NeverTrump Republicans, who wanted to found a new “party of decency” in the wake of what they viewed as the takeover of the Republican Party by the crass, mean-tweeting Trump and his supporters. Perhaps more than anyone, these NeverTrumpers are responsible for the current ascendency of the Left through their unconscionable alliance with the Democratic Party and their refusal to support their own party’s standard-bearer—either before or after an election of questionable validity.

Christopher Roach contributor to American Greatness: The subordinate parts of the regime know the score. This is why the military is about to mandate COVID vaccinations. This is also why large parts of corporate America are doing the same. The fact that clinical trials are still incomplete, the control group was thrown out, and the current Delta variant appears to be unresponsive to (or perhaps even enhanced by) the vaccine is of little moment. Support for the restrictions and vaccine shaming demonstrate loyalty to the regime.

John Horvat contributor to The Imaginative Conservative: In the name of equality, the exclusively male draft could soon be discarded. Imposing the draft upon all young American women is a logical consequence of a new “woke” armed forces oriented not for war but inclusion and diversity.

John Horvat contributor to The Imaginative Conservative: Terrible as these outcomes may be, the equal opportunity to die on the battlefield is not the real reason why the left insists upon changing the draft. The left hates the traditional draft because it reaffirms the immense differences between men and women.

BEHIND THE DEEP STATE

Sundance: The Fourth Branch of United States Government
Why does government seem to control so much of our lives now? What significant changes happened in the past 15 years that created a social shift and allowed government to influence almost every facet of our activity? Why has the previously ordinary become so complex? Why is it more difficult to be comfortably invisible and just live out the creed of pursuing ‘life, liberty and happiness’? What is behind all this?…. We were not sleeping, we were wide awake. Perhaps distracted, yes; but we were wide awake when something shifted. A Fourth Branch of Government was quietly created, and technology allowed the tentacles of the system to touch us. That’s the root of it, and if we take the time to understand how the Fourth Branch originated questions about this perpetual angst start to make sense. […] . . . we pick up the expansive and weaponized intelligence system as it manifests after 9/11/01, and my goal is to highlight how the modern version of the total intelligence apparatus has now metastasized into a fourth branch of government. It is this superseding branch that now touches and influences every facet of our life. If we take the modern construct, originating at the speed of technological change, we can also see how the oversight or “check/balance” in our system of government became functionally obsolescent. […] I am going to explain how the Intelligence Branch works: (1) to control every other branch of government; (2) how it functions as an entirely independent branch of government with no oversight; (3) how and why it was created to be independent from oversight; (4) what is the current mission of the IC Branch, and most importantly (5) who operates it. […] We begin . . .
Read more at The Conservative Treehouse.

Eastman & Balch: How States Could Constitutionally Assume Abandoned Responsibilities of the National Government
The purpose here is not to justify the particulars of what seems to us to have been a huge and clumsy overreach. It is instead to point out what such robust assertions of police powers could achieve, constitutionally and politically, if put to different and more legitimate ends—protecting Americans’ health and safety against what predictably ensues when the federal government abandons one of its primary charges. It is a road which, if taken, could not only repair the harms of gross federal nonfeasance but usefully up the ante in the struggle to thwart the Left’s accelerating efforts to unmake America. In other words, a course of action that could materially improve public health, safety, and welfare while also firing a powerful salvo across revolution’s bow. We propose calling this the doctrine of “protective resumption” whereby, finding that the national government through negligence, inability, or malice had ceased to meaningly perform one or more of its core functions—thus endangering the health, safety, and welfare of a state’s citizens—the states either severally or acting in concert among themselves, could resume their core police power functions without being preempted by federal law. The states, it should be stressed, would not thereby be taking over national government functions, they would only be shielding, via recognized police powers, their citizens from the effects of these functions’ abandonment. This distinction is important since it would place limits both on what the states could do and how long they could do it. Moreover, it would not allow them to exercise any powers specifically denied the states by the U.S. Constitution.
Read more at American Greatness.

U.S. SUPREME COURT

Green: The Supreme Court has Become a Council of Kings
In this month’s edition of “let’s kill the Constitution,” we have the CDC’s eviction moratorium as the next demonstration that no one in our government feels compelled to comply with the Constitution anymore. In Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services, the Supreme Court upheld the CDC eviction moratorium and did so in a manner that vastly expanded the Court’s power and authority. The moratorium required that property-owners allow others to squat on their property, without compensation, for over a year. It was clearly a violation of constitutionally protected property rights. It restricted what property-owners could and could not do with their own property, without compensation or due process. A minority comprising Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Barrett held that the CDC does not have the authority to impose an eviction moratorium — even during a time of pandemic. Justice Kavanaugh agreed with this minority but then voted with Justices Roberts, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan to allow the moratorium to stand. Justice Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion. His rationalization was that the CDC did not have the authority to impose the eviction moratorium, but that the Court would allow it to stand, given that it was going to expire in 30 days anyway. He gave the Executive Branch permission to violate the Constitution for another month. In effect, Justice Kavanaugh issued a waiver to the Constitution. . . . This all raises the question: if it didn’t come from Article III, where did the Court get the authority to grant waivers?
Read more at American Thinker.

CONGRESS

DeMarche: Senate passes Cotton’s amendment preventing federal funds from promoting CRT in school
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted to pass Sen. Tom Cotton’s amendment in the budget reconciliation package that prohibits federal funds to be used to promote critical race theory in schools. Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who has been critical of CRT, posted that the Senate approved the amendment in a 50-49 vote. “The fight against CRT has gone national—and Sen. Cotton is leading the way,” he posted. […] The framework of the massive $3.5 trillion budget resolution was passed in a party-line vote early Wednesday. The plan calls for a 10-year cascade of federal resources that include historic sums for family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to help the climate.
Read more at Fox News.

Olson: Infrastructure bill faces tough hurdles in House as Dems demand massive $3.5T liberal wish list
The Senate passed the $1 trillion-plus bipartisan infrastructure bill Tuesday, meeting a goal that lawmakers have been reaching toward for months. It was a victory for the moderate senators who led the effort, especially Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. It was a victory for President Biden, who was urging Republicans and Democrats to compromise on infrastructure, and endorsed the legislation. It was a victory for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who hurried senators along when their negotiations seemed stalled. And it could even be considered a victory for Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who will unfailingly point to this bill every time Democrats start agitating to get rid of the legislative filibuster. But it is by no means a layup at this point to make it to Biden’s desk – the bipartisan infrastructure bill faces a rocky path through the House of Representatives with a litany of potential pitfalls. Chief among them is the fact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has sworn up and down she will not touch the infrastructure bill until the Senate gives her Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending wish list under budget reconciliation.
Read more at Fox News.

FAUCI’S VIRUS: IT’S POLITICAL

Sundance: Anthony Fauci Says Now is The Time to Eliminate Individual Freedom in The United States, Forced Vaccinations Are Now Required
Appearing on MSNBC [full interview here] Dr. Anthony Fauci finally admits the objective, freedom must be eliminated if bureaucrats are going to be empowered to run the country. Forced medical treatments, mandatory vaccinations, must now be mandated by the government. From his statement: . . .
Read more/Watch the 50 second clip at The Conservative Treehouse.

ASSAULT ON THE SECOND AMENDMENT

Nobel: More Than an Amicus Brief
An amicus brief means “friend of the court.” In this case, we mean the brief spearheaded by the Attorneys General of Arizona and Missouri, and joined by 26 other states, asking the Supreme Court of the United States to set aside restrictions in New York, and other states, that will not allow citizens to fully exercise their rights under the Second Amendment of the United State Constitution. About 6 states in the Northeast have restrictions that severely curtail both the right to own, but especially to carry, a firearm for self-protection. New York requires a permit to carry and then makes the process so difficult and expensive, that it deliberately is intended to deny Constitutional rights, based on an ideological basis. New York City is even more restrictive and they require that the applicant prove they also have a “special need.” This provision allows bureaucrats to exercise considerable discretion to play with arbitrary and subjective rules, usually denying the permit. The right to keep is one thing, the right to bear is another, and in New York, you virtually cannot have a handgun outside of the house. Since the Heller decision in 2008, the Supreme Court acknowledged that the Second Amendment applied to the individuals’ rights to “keep and bear arms”, and was not restricted to “the militia.” Despite this ruling, because of some subsequent muddled court decisions, states laws remain blocking the right to carry.
Read more at The Prickly Pear.

THE DEMOCRAT LED WAR ON AMERICA’S CHILDREN

Tremoglie: School Board Member Says ‘Its Not Okay For Kids To Commit Murder’ By Going To School Without A Mask
A school board member in Oklahoma stated Monday in a meeting that she fears small children might “murder” each other if they do not wear masks while attending school. Linda Sexton, a school board member for Norman Public Schools, fears that without masks, children will spread the coronavirus and kill each other, Fox News reported. […] Sexton urged her school district to defy Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has stated he will not impose a mask mandate for children returning to school this fall, . . .
Read more at Daily Caller.

PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD

Taft: Fight Back: Here’s How People Are Legally Resisting Dystopian Diktats to Get a Covid Shot or Be Fired
In the past week, Democrat governors and other Democrat Party elected officials throughout the country have launched a coordinated effort to threaten Americans’ economic security by issuing hasty “do what we say or your job gets it” Covid diktats. Democrats claimed these mandates were in the name of science to combat the virulent Delta variant — the latest of probably several versions — of Covid. This, at a time when it looks as if there is precious little that can be done about the virus, save perhaps shots and precautions like one would take for a nasty version of the yearly flu. Former CDC Director Robert Redfield says he believes the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology Lab and that the virus and its variants are here to stay. […] What’s to be done? Barnes said on his program “Viva and Barnes Law for the People” on Locals.com and Rumble that there’s an array of actual and planned lawsuits by people who have been threatened with job loss, mask mandates, and less freedom. Challenges to the FDA – The question to be answered is: “Did the FDA follow its own rules, follow it’s own procedures before taking any particular action, whether that’s the issuance of notices like their fact sheets, whether that’s approval of a vaccine as emergency use, or whether that’s full FDA approval and all of those components?” Barnes says citizens may file what is known as citizens petitions to identify any concerns they have or support existing petitions, such as the ones brought by Robert Kennedy, Jr. and others. […] Barnes believes there are First, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendment violations in these edicts. The question is, will you lose your job before these issues can be decided in court?
Read more at PJ Media.

Mills: Conservative Groundswell Shakes Up South Dakota School Board
For six years, Kate Thomas has been a lonely voice on the Rapid City school board, often the lone dissenter in votes on the South Dakota district’s budget, leadership, and academics. Her colleagues on the seven-member board were good people whose hearts were in the right place, she said. But Thomas had a different, more conservative vision for the city’s schools. Deb Baker, a retired businesswoman and great-grandmother, had never run a political campaign in her life. But she, too, worried about the direction of Rapid City’s schools, which some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren attended. When she saw a liberal candidate in her area was running for school board unopposed, Baker jumped in the race to stop her. “I prayed about it,” Baker told National Review. “I talked to my husband about it. He first said ‘No.’ And then I said, ‘If not me, who?’” Thomas and Baker weren’t alone. Across town, a young mother . . […] In early June, Thomas, Baker, Funke, and Doney all won their races, knocking off opponents endorsed by the local teachers union, and flipping control of the board. Thomas was reelected to a third term. The others were elected to their first. They were sworn into their seats in late July.
Read more at National Review.

CHINA: AMERICA’S MORTAL ENEMY

Hawkins: Trading with the Enemy is Wrong
The Navy and Marine Corps have kicked off their two-week Large Scale Exercise 2021, a massive effort that spans 17 time zones, to test their vision of how to conduct war on a global scale against peer competitors. Such an operation is reminiscent of the Cold War, but then we are in another Cold War facing a coalition of powers who want to dominate the international order. That coalition is lead by the People’s Republic of China with the strong support of a Russia seeking to recover from its defeat in the first Cold War. Both powers have been strengthening their ties with Iran at the intersection of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. In response, the U.S. has reenergized its alliances and expanded them, most importantly in partnership with India. The Trump administration recognized the danger of renewed Great Power competition, and the Biden administration is continuing many of its policies because the change in the White House has not changed what is going on in the outside world. The most prominent flashpoint is the South China Sea, where China has created artificial island bases backed by a naval buildup to support its claim to imperial sovereignty over this vital maritime realm in defiance of international law. China and a U.S.-led coalition are both conducting rival air and naval exercises in this sea demonstrating their ability to defeat the other. Beijing has complained to the UN that “The US has been stirring up trouble out of nothing, arbitrarily sending advanced military vessels and aircraft into the South China Sea as provocations.” Washington is not acting “unilaterally.” Great Britain has sent is new Carrier Strike Group to the region. Dutch and German frigates are there, along with a French task force to show NATO unity. Beijing’s state media outlet Global Times made a direct threat “We advise US allies to be particularly cautious…They must be bluntly told that if their warships rampantly behave as the U.S. military does in the South China Sea, they will more likely become an example of China defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity — just as a popular Chinese phrase indicates: To execute one as a warning to a hundred.”
Read more at American Thinker.

BIDEN/HARRIS/OBAMA REGIME: TRANSFORMING AMERICA

Griffith: Inflation REMAINS at a 13-year high at 5.4% – despite Biden insisting soaring prices are temporary: Used car prices and gas are both up a whopping 42%
It follows the Senate passage on Tuesday of President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which some Republican critics have dubbed an ‘inflation bomb. Rising inflation has emerged as the Achilles’ heel of the economic recovery, erasing much of the benefit to workers from higher pay. It has also heightening pressure on the Federal Reserve’s policymakers under Chair Jerome Powell, who face a mandate to maintain stable prices.
Read more at Daily Mail.

Root: This Is 1938: First, They Came for the Unvaccinated
This is the most important commentary I’ve ever written. It’s time for alarm bells. It’s time for me to play the part of Paul Revere: “The communist tyrants and dictators are coming! The communist tyrants and dictators are coming!” They’re coming first for unvaccinated Americans. This is 1938. I’m a Jew. I now understand just a little of what it felt like to be a Jew in 1938. No, it’s not the Holocaust. Nothing can be compared to the Holocaust. Ever. But 1938 was not the Holocaust. It was the pre-Holocaust. It was the time before the nightmare, when the foundation was being laid to destroy the freedom, free speech, businesses and lives of millions of Jews. Everything happening today to the American people … to the U.S. Constitution … to freedom … and particularly to unvaccinated Americans reminds me of 1938. This is only the beginning. It gets much worse from here. First, “the papers.” Vaccine mandates and vaccine passports are just like 1938, when the Gestapo demanded papers from every German. Republicans asked . . .
Read more at FrontPage Mag.

HISTORY 101

The American Story: Soul of Freedom
Every year in August, the oldest synagogue in America—Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island—holds a public reading of a letter written by George Washington to the congregation early in his first term as the first President of the United States. The letter ranks high among the documents affirming and defining the unprecedented American experiment in religious freedom.
Listen to the 7:05 minute audio at The American Story Podcast.

ACADEMIA

Weissberg: The Chain Reaction of Academic Lying
An uneasy relationship with the truth seems especially prevalent in America’s most prestigious schools. Ambitious academics quickly realize that upward mobility requires a knack for convincing deceit. Long gone are the days when brilliant scholarship was the ticket to moving up the ladder. The provost who can say with a straight face, “all of our students are equally capable of excelling in computer engineering” is a man soon to be short-listed for the school’s presidency. Lying in the academy is similar to Leo Szilard’s insight on atoms, which are increasingly split until their release of energy theoretically equals that of an A-bomb. In higher education, a single lie is too embarrassingly self-evident and therefore must be obscured by a second lie which, in turn requires four additional lies and, eventually, a torrent of lies to bury the initial falsehood. But, instead of the release of energy, the output of these layers of lies is an explosion of bureaucracy and turgid, dishonest reports.
Read more at Intellectual Takeout.