In the absence of an extremely unlikely recovery of public confidence in the President and the Democrats‚ the voters will attempt to return the White House and the Senate to the Republicans in November. As to the presidency‚ Trump is the beneficiary of an accelerating collapse in the traditional Democratic coalition that rested on a foundation of white working class and minority voters. And there aren’t enough “highly-educated” voters to prop up this crumbling edifice. With regard to the Senate‚ the Democrats face a brutal map this year. Of the 33 seats up for election‚ 23 are held by Democrats. Even worse‚ several of these are in states that Trump won by double digits in 2016 and 2020. Michigan is another crucial swing state that has significantly expanded mail-in voting. In pre-COVID America‚ it was possible to look at such data and predict a good Republican year with a reasonable amount of confidence. Indeed‚ a recent CNN report conceded that Trump could win the White House back even if he loses Arizona‚ Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Unfortunately‚ most of the swing states that will decide the presidential and Senate elections are governed by Democrats who have unequivocally embraced mail-in voting and ballot harvesting. This means millions of votes counted in 2024 will have ostensibly been cast by people who never go anywhere near a traditional polling place. Moreover‚ these votes will be transported by entities that have little incentive and less ability to keep them secure. (READ MORE from David Catron: Non-Citizens Have Been Voting Since 2008) Sadly‚ this includes the U. S. Postal Service (USPS). Most Americans have long since stopped paying bills through the mail and‚ last year‚ the USPS itself issued a warning against mailing checks‚ according to a story in the Washington Post: “Mail theft is surging‚ the U.S. Postal Service reports‚ and federal regulators have warned banks and other financial institutions of rising check fraud.” Yet we are expected to believe that voting by mail is safe. Indeed‚ the Post has published countless op-eds encouraging its readers to ignore warnings from election integrity experts about the lack of security associated with mail-in ballots. As recently as last week‚ however‚ the USPS issued this less than reassuring update on its main security initiative: Today‚ the U.S Postal Service (USPS) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced an update on Project Safe Delivery‚ a joint initiative to protect postal employees and secure the nation’s mail and packages … Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455.  Additionally‚ individuals are encouraged to report allegations of Postal Service employee misconduct‚ including attempts to corrupt a Postal Service employee‚ to the USPS OIG at 1-888-877-7644 or www.uspsoig.gov. It’s obvious that the USPS and the USPIS are engaged in a running gun battle with the perpetrators of mail theft. Still‚ the important swing state of Nevada opted to allow all elections to be conducted by mail beginning in 2022. The Silver State’s recently elected Republican governor‚ Joe Lombardo‚ attempted to end universal vote-by-mail‚ but the Democrat-dominated legislature blocked the effort. Meanwhile‚ the local CBS affiliate in Las Vegas reports‚ “A technical issue was causing primary mail-in ballots across Nevada to show as counted when voters had not mailed their ballots or voted at all.” Cisco Aguilar‚ Nevada’s Democratic Secretary of State‚ shrugged the issue off as a mere “glitch.” Michigan is another crucial swing state that has significantly expanded mail-in voting. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state’s Democrat-controlled legislature approved dozens of new election laws in 2023‚ including “permanent absentee voting.” Previously‚ voters who wanted to vote by mail had to apply for an absentee ballot before each election. Under the new law‚ voters can apply online and get “no-reason” absentee ballots for all future elections unless they move out of the state or choose to opt out. In addition‚ the state provides pre-paid postage for all absentee ballots. For a sense of how “expansive” Gov. Whitmer’s new voting laws are‚ this is how the far left Brennan Center for Justice reacted to them: Michigan enacted 12 expansive voting laws in 2023‚ the most of any state. While the number of laws doesn’t always indicate the breadth of the voting-access reforms‚ Michigan’s new laws put in place a wide range of major expansions. Of the six laws passed in Michigan since our last roundup‚ four expand access to voter registration. These laws extend automatic voter registration to new government agencies‚ open up pre-registration to those as young as 16‚ and widen access to online voter registration. The other two laws allow voters to apply online for a mail ballot and repeal a prohibition on hiring transportation for taking voters to the polls. These people insist such laws expand “our democracy.” In reality‚ of course‚ they facilitate election skulduggery. In the 2024 scenario noted above‚ CNN suggests that Trump can win the White House back even if he loses Arizona‚ Pennsylvania‚ and Wisconsin. But that requires him to win the two swing states that have led the movement to expand mail-in voting — Nevada and Michigan. Is it possible for Trump to recapture any of the other three? It’s theoretically possible‚ but as I pointed out here‚ the Democratic governors of all three have demonstrated that the veto pen is mightier than election integrity. They have killed every election integrity bill‚ particularly those involving mail-in voting‚ that somehow reached their desks. (READ MORE: Trump’s Swing State Challenge) Which brings us back to the U. S. Postal Service. As Hans A. von Spakovsky asked in the American Spectator after the 2022 midterms‚ “If you won $500 million in the Powerball lottery‚ would you put your winning ticket into an envelope and trust the U.S. Postal Service to deliver it to the state agency that administers the lottery?” The obvious answer is‚ “Hell No!” Yet this is the organization many voters will trust to deliver their ballots in an election that will decide the fate of the republic. There is very little doubt that the voters will attempt to return the White House and the Senate to the Republicans in November.  Nonetheless‚ many will foolishly entrust that winning lottery ticket to the USPS. Thus‚ the election may get lost in the mail. The post Will the 2024 Election Get Lost in the Mail? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Military history is replete with famous battles that turned the tide in war. When a superior force overextended itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. These include the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC‚ where 10‚000 Athenians and one-thousand Greek allies surprise attacked a force of 15‚000 Persians‚ causing them to flee. By the time they reached their ships‚ the Persians had lost 6‚400 men and the Greeks less than 200. The defeat erased the Persian threat to Western Civilization for a decade. So emboldened did this power make leftists‚ they crossed the line into madness: That men can be women. Then there was Napoleon’s unwise invasion of Russia in 1812. His army managed to victoriously march and fight its way into Moscow‚ but the Russians’ harassing retreat and burning of the capital left the soldiers stranded and underfed. Their journey home in the Russian winter plus the tactical attacks on them starved‚ froze‚ and routed the French‚ permanently diminishing Bonaparte. (READ MORE from Lou Aguilar: When Rightist Eyes Are Smiling) The greatest modern example of a war turnaround occurred 82 years ago at the fatefully named Battle of Midway (June 3-6‚ 1942). Four Japanese aircraft carriers sailed on Midway Island‚ their Zeroes swatting American fighter planes from the island and shooting down two waves of unprotected torpedo bombers from the U.S. carriers‚ Hornet and Enterprise. By the hand of God‚ a third bomber wave caught the Zeroes on deck refueling and rearming‚ and set three carriers ablaze‚ eventually the fourth. The Japanese military never recovered‚ and from then on‚ the Americans took the offensive in World War II. Even absent flaming ships and frozen men‚ your keen Culture War correspondent can report that the tide has turned there as well. I’ve written for some time that the “transgender” agenda was “a Rainbow Bridge too far” for the Left. And by pushing it‚ for the first time ever‚ its minions are now in retreat. For a while they had managed to warp reality and bend normalcy with other lunatic ideas: That killing unborn babies — and in some cases born ones — was a reproductive right. That same-sex marriage was equivalent to a husband and wife. That women were physically equal to men. That current anti-white racism can compensate for past anti-black racism. That “defunding the police” would decrease crime. That removing border obstacles could control immigration. All these canards‚ promoted by academia and mainstream media‚ the populace swallowed. So emboldened did this power make leftists‚ they crossed the line into madness: That men can be women‚ then become pregnant and breastfeed young victims. That their transformation should begin in children‚ ahead of their surgical butchery to create Frankensteinian nightmares‚ only unlike Mary Shelley’s monster‚ with nonfunctional external body parts. And if transgender adherents chose to spare themselves such a mutational horror‚ merely stating they were the opposite sex made them so. Thus‚ at the Left’s insistence‚ mediocre male athletes could crush champion sportswomen‚ men could gape at naked girls in female locker rooms‚ and “transgender” prisoners could rape and somehow impregnate women inmates. While previously unheard of terms like “misgendering” and “deadnaming” became actual hate crimes. For too long‚ the progressive freaks got away with it‚ secure in their unceasing cultural victories and power. Their social media hegemony — Twitter‚ Facebook‚ YouTube‚ others — canceled any objector or mocker merely for using the “wrong” pronoun. Just two years ago‚ Twitter suspended The Babylon Bee for naming Biden’s most absurd official (out of many choices)‚ “Admiral” Rachel Levine‚ the magazine’s Man of the Year. That arrogant act started the counteroffensive which today has the Left on the run. Last year‚ an outraged Elon Musk bought Twitter and promptly restored the The Babylon Bee account. Last year‚ the Bee named the ridiculous female-impersonator Dylan Mulvaney its 2023 Man of the Year. And this time there wasn’t a damn thing the progressive castrati could do about it‚ except watch their empire crumble‚ beginning with the once popular‚ now flopping Mulvaney-celebrating beer‚ Bud Lite. (READ MORE: Will Men Make a 1980s-Style Comeback?) Last week‚ the anti-transactivist bombs just kept exploding like the Japanese carriers at Midway. In Florida‚ a court upheld Governor DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education Act‚ which “prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in K–3 classrooms.” In Kansas‚ a judge denied the state’s Department of Revenue from allowing “transgender” persons to change their sex classification on their Kansas-issued identification. But the biggest blast took place across the Pond in the socialist-sinking United Kingdom. Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) just stopped prescribing puberty blockers for children. For the left-compromised ministry to basically acknowledge the irreparable damage these treatments can do to kids should start a chain reaction of sanity around the world. Even the usually reserved Times of London called the practice “quack medicine‚” urging that it be “reined in entirely.” Nonetheless‚ terminally woke British territorial states Scotland and Wales stand by the quackery. The Welsh government hopes “to make it easier to ‘change gender’ in Wales.” While the Scottish government “wants to speed up and simplify the existing process by which people can obtain a ‘gender recognition’ certificate.'” Outspoken actor and Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox had a brilliant thought about what the UK can do with the two countries. “At this time it might be a good idea to just give Wales and Scotland back‚” he posted on X.   The post Midway in the Culture War appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

If you compare the way President Biden treats Americans with the ways he treats citizens of foreign countries‚ it’s hard not to conclude that he doesn’t like us very much. He’s preparing our base at Guantanamo Bay‚ Cuba to receive thousands of Haitian refugees so that they can be flown to the U.S. Biden — who could secure our borders by reversing the same executive orders with which he opened them — refuses to take any actions that would do anything to secure our borders. Hamas terrorists — since October 7 — have held several American hostages among the others they captured. At least five — Edan Alexander‚ 19‚ Omer Neutra‚ 22‚ Hersh Goldberg-Polin‚ 23‚ Sagui Dekel-Chen‚ 35 and Keith Siegel‚ 64. A sixth‚ Itay Chen‚ was confirmed to have died recently in Hamas’s hands. Hamas also‚ according to a Wall Street Journal report‚ holds the bodies of Americans Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai‚ who had also been taken hostage. (READ MORE from Jed Babbin: The Coming Ramadan War) All Biden has done to recover them is to pressure Israel to accept a cease-fire deal that would leave Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip. Thirty-two Americans were among those Hamas slaughtered on October 7. They’re not even an afterthought to Biden &; Co. WNBA player Britney Griner was taken prisoner by the Russian government and released after several months. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was taken prisoner by the Putin regime and has been held for a year on phony charges. Biden has done nothing effective to get Gershkovich released. He’s more interested in pushing Congress for more aid to Ukraine. Five American hostages were released from Iran in return for a $6 billion ransom payment last year. Others may still be in Iranian prisons. At least a few of us remember the hundreds of Americans left behind in Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal debacle Biden created in 2021. Have all of them been able to reach freedom? We’ll probably never know. Which brings us to the mess in Haiti which Biden is handling in much the same manner that he handled Afghanistan. President Biden has sent at least $680 million in aid to Haiti to help stabilize it and create some sort of government there‚ but it remains what former president Trump called it a few years ago: a s***hole country. Much — probably most or all — of the aid sent before and during the Biden administration has been siphoned off by government and other corruption. There is no government in Haiti since its president resigned (from a safe distance) about a week ago. The country is run by brutal gang lords such as Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier. (READ MORE: Biden Blackmails Israel) We don’t know how many Americans are stranded in Haiti. One group of American missionaries was begging to be evacuated. On Saturday‚ the State Department announced that it was chartering flights from Haiti and all people with U.S. passports were welcome to take one of the flights. The big problem is that many Americans are in Port-au-Prince‚ Haiti’s capital‚ and the flights are leaving from Cap-Haitien which is 130 miles away. State also said that travel to Cap-Haitien was at the traveler’s own risk. Why? Why isn’t our citizens’ safety guaranteed by a few companies of Marines? America has a long and troubled history of military intervention in Haiti and Nicaragua. Woodrow Wilson sent Marines to both countries in 1915 and we occupied Haiti until 1934. Wilson had a bizarre notion that it was up to him to remake the world after World War One‚ which you can read about in Margaret MacMillan’s masterpiece‚ Paris 1919. (The Nicaraguan intervention and all the fighting that took place in its jungles had one side benefit. It taught a particularly smart Marine named Lewis B. Puller how to fight the Japanese in World War Two.) We shouldn’t invade Haiti with more force than is needed to evacuate U.S. citizens. But we should put enough troops in — preferably Marines — to force the issue and then get everyone‚ including our troops‚ out. Meanwhile‚ what is Old Joe doing? He’s preparing our base at Guantanamo Bay‚ Cuba to receive thousands of Haitian refugees so that they can be flown to the U.S. The Guantanamo Bay naval base — aka “Gitmo” — is about forty-five square miles in size. It has runways that can handle large military or commercial aircraft. It’s no tropical paradise. The rest of Cuba may be pretty nice‚ but Gitmo is scrub desert and rough seacoast. About seventeen years ago‚ I visited the terrorist detention facility at Gitmo. It’s ten or twelve acres in size and‚ we hope‚ the terrorists held there won’t be mixed with the Haitians coming to America. But Biden is capable of anything including bringing the terrorists to the U.S.‚ as both he and Obama want to close the Gitmo facility where they are held. (READ Flashback: Send Them to Gitmo‚ Mr. President) We don’t know how many Haitians Biden plans to house at Gitmo temporarily but he will create a flow of Haitian refugees into the U.S. where Biden’s Homeland Security Department will release them into the general public. There are already about 250‚000 Haitian refugees in the U.S. and the new refugees will be added to them in unknown numbers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is trying to interdict the flow of Haitians into his state. He may succeed in keeping them out of Florida but he won’t stop the influx that Biden has planned. The safety and recovery of Americans held in the Gaza Strip‚ Russia‚ Iran‚ and Haiti should be a top priority for Biden. It would be for any Republican president‚ but Old Joe seems to have forgotten his duty to them. He is far more interested in bringing more foreign refugees and illegal immigrants into the U.S.     The post Biden Does Nothing for Americans Held Abroad appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

The meteoric rise and fall of Quarterback Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh in less than two short years (actually‚ in Pickett’s case‚ less than a year and a half of games) is taking the NFL by storm. Personally‚ it’s the most stunning thing I’ve witnessed in 50 years as a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers — an organization known for stability‚ not chaos. And yet‚ it’s an organization currently wheeling and dealing players with an alacrity heretofore unseen in the storied history of the franchise. Fans accustomed to knowing all the starters will need a players’ guide next year. The Kenny Pickett era began with great drama and rejoicing. (I wrote about it here at the time.) On draft night‚ April 28‚ 2022‚ it was the legendary Franco Harris‚ on the 50th anniversary year of his “Immaculate Reception‚” who excitedly announced the Pickett pick. For Steelers Nation‚ where football is like religion‚ it seemed like a sacred laying on of hands‚ with the Hall of Fame running back providing his annunciation of the local University of Pittsburgh star as the Steelers new franchise quarterback. Franco was ecstatic as he revealed the choice of Pickett‚ and Steelers fans went wild‚ as captured on ESPN and various video posts that went viral on social media. Many fans literally wept tears of joy. He deserved far better than what happened to him in this iconic football town. Pickett was greeted with hosannas. In his first preseason game‚ an unusually large preseason crowd turned out simply to see him. When he took to the field‚ the crowd went bananas‚ jumping‚ clapping‚ cheering‚ chanting his name. Pittsburgh was now “Pickettsburg‚” with t-shirts sporting names like that or “Kenny-wood” (Kennywood is the city’s historic amusement park). The shirts sold like Primanti Bros. sandwiches in places like the city’s popular Strip District. It was Kenny-mania.  (READ MORE:NFL: Greedy‚ Woke‚ and Stupid) Pickett got the start several games into his rookie season. The season finished strong‚ with the rookie clearly starting to flourish‚ and the team just missing the playoffs with a late-season surge. National analysts at NFL Network and elsewhere marveled at how Coach Mike Tomlin had already found himself a franchise QB to replace recently retired future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. Yes‚ just like that. Wow. Damn‚ the Steelers were lucky! Wait ’til next year. The 2023 season began with tremendous enthusiasm. Pickett exploded with one of the statistically best preseasons in the history of NFL football‚ an effectively perfect passer rating‚ generating sky-high predictions of the Steelers winning 12‚ 13‚ 14 games‚ going to the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl. The regular season‚ however‚ started very rough‚ with a bone-crushing visit by the ultimately Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers‚ whose physicality shocked the whole Steelers team. Still‚ Pickett and the team recovered and posted a solid record (7-4) that had them headed to the playoffs‚ even as his passing numbers lagged. There was debate over who was most responsible for the team’s poor offense‚ though pretty much everyone blamed Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada‚ and rightly so. Long before Pickett‚ even under Big Ben‚ the Steelers stalled under the Canada offense. None of the team’s QBs did well under Canada’s offense. Touchdowns were not frequent. Clearly‚ Canada needed to go. The caterwauling got so loud that “Fire Canada!” chants filled the arena even at Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games. Well‚ fans got their wish. Once Canada was fired‚ it looked like the blame on him was absolutely accurate‚ as Kenny Pickett in his very next start had far and away his best game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. He looked terrific‚ and everyone was thrilled‚ relieved. The game after that he appeared to be picking up where he left off‚ with a solid first quarter. This was another good sign. Previously‚ Pickett tended to start cold but had an uncanny ability to finish on fire in the fourth quarter‚ rallying the team to last-minute victories‚ leading the league in fourth-quarter comebacks. The situation now looked very promising. But then‚ in that first quarter‚ he got hurt‚ with effectively a season-ending high-ankle sprain requiring surgery. Still‚ for the Steelers faithful‚ this seemed sufficient evidence that the problem had been Matt Canada all along‚ not Kenny. And besides‚ as most people with common sense know‚ and as was repeatedly stated by ex-Steelers QB and current analyst Charlie Batch‚ “a young quarterback needs time to develop.” Yes‚ of course. And that has always been particularly true of Kenny Pickett. When he was at Pitt‚ he wasn’t very good his first four years. In fact‚ his stats were remarkably similar to his performance with the Steelers: namely‚ few touchdowns per passing attempts. But then‚ in his fifth year‚ it clicked for Pickett. He exploded‚ tossing 42 touchdowns versus only seven interceptions. In his final year‚ he posted Heisman-like numbers and obliterated all of Hall of Famer Dan Marino’s records at Pitt. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He gave the Pitt Panthers their best season in 40 years. To repeat: a young quarterback needs time to develop. At Pitt‚ Kenny Pickett was given that time. Of course‚ Steelers fans and sports media should know better than anyone that a good QB needs time to develop. Their most successful quarterback ever‚ Terry Bradshaw‚ a number one pick in the 1970 draft‚ stunk consistently and did not thrive until the late ‘70s. He ended up winning four Super Bowls. Pickett’s 62.6 percent career completion percentage far outshined Bradshaw’s 51.9 percent. Bradshaw himself just three weeks ago urged Steelers fans to stick with Pickett and have patience. (READ MORE: Eldridge Cleaver: Black Conservative) Indeed‚ in the past‚ Steelers fans and the organization had patience and loyalty. They gave players time to develop. A year before drafting Bradshaw‚ they drafted Notre Dame star QB Terry Hanratty‚ who they waited six years on. Lest anyone think that such patient loyalty was a virtue of the distant past‚ the Steelers organization in recent years waited and waited on number one draft picks like Devin Bush and like‚ well‚ pretty much every no. 1 pick. Only 1996 no. 1 pick Jamain Stephens was dropped quicker than Pickett. As for those commentators who are now asserting that Pickett had a sudden attitude problem‚ well‚ that begs dubious comparisons to what the Steelers tolerated from their vaunted “Killer B’s”: Antonio Brown‚ Le’Veon Bell‚ and Big Ben with his horrible off-field activities that could have landed him in jail and did land him in the emergency room. The current Steelers put up with childish‚ petulant antics from wide receivers Chase Claypool‚ JuJu Smith-Schuster‚ George Pickens‚ Diontae Johnson. And yet‚ for Pickett‚ the leash turned out to be incredibly‚ unusually short. And for what unforgivable offense? According to Steelers beat reporter Gerry Dulac‚ team officials judged that Pickett had displayed a bad attitude since his injury in December. He was angry that he didn’t get to start over Mason Rudolph at the end of the year once he healed from his injury (Rudolph was playing splendidly‚ far too well to be benched). He was especially upset when the Steelers last week signed veteran QB Russell Wilson from the Denver Broncos on a one-year contract‚ to compete with Pickett for a job that Pickett believed was rightly his. Pickett’s crime was simple: The guy is a winner‚ a fierce competitor. He was angry about not automatically getting back the no. 1 spot. That’s a good angry for a young guy. But if Pickett had acquired a bad attitude‚ it wasn’t strictly because of those moves by the Steelers brass. The overwhelming negativity among fans and sports media must have shocked him and sent him reeling. Of those 24 games‚ Pickett won 14‚ and it’s not right to say he lost 10 because the losses included games where he came in late or left early. If Pickett read the sports pages‚ checked X/Twitter‚ or listened to sports talk-radio‚ he would have been dumbfounded at how quickly everyone in Pittsburgh almost inexplicably turned on him. Even the most sophisticated critics at best could brandish a few handy stats‚ such as Pickett’s low touchdown-per-pass-attempt ratio‚ using that to definitively declare him a bust‚ an irreparable failure. Such critics rarely counter-balanced these coveted factoids with positive things that Pickett did‚ such as fourth-quarter rallies or (conversely) a commendably low interception ratio. The loudest of these voices emanated from Pittsburgh’s sports station‚ 93.7 FM‚ The Fan‚ which broadcast a painful litany of 24-7 nit-picking denunciations of Pickett. Even Pickett’s biggest defender at The Fan‚ Andrew Fillipponi‚ was besieged‚ constantly‚ daily‚ incessantly tugged toward the dark side by his co-host‚ Chris Mueller‚ who rarely summoned anything good to say about the young QB. Mueller‚ to his credit‚ is at least articulate‚ as opposed to the caveman elements in the Pittsburgh sports media. An especially brutal Pickett media critic is vulgarian Mark Madden‚ who rejoiced in the news of the Pickett trade by thundering “bullsh**t!” (a favorite catch-all expression) at Pickett and grunting that the 26-year-old newlywed had “no balls!” Madden raged at Pickett with crudely characteristic lack of grace: Small hands‚ big ego‚ no balls. Farewell to a gutless coward who’s running away from failure to hide across the state. Anybody doubt that Seattle story now? BIG ***KING BABY. Arrogant w/o accomplishment. I was right all along. HAW‚ HAW‚ HAW‚ HAW! I accept your apologies. Early in the 2023 season‚ Madden had so wedded himself to his “Pickett-failure” narrative that even Pickett’s revelatory first game without Matt Canada elicited no credit whatsoever from Madden‚ who was bent on vindication‚ screaming out (literally) his view that Kenny Pickett was some sort of vile‚ cowardly cretin (with no testicles). (READ MORE from Paul Kengor: Cabrini: It Gets Worse) In all‚ personal attacks like this must have really hurt Pickett‚ especially given the stunning 180. At the start of the 2023 season‚ the Pittsburgh crowd was shouting hosannas. By season end‚ even as his last game before his injury had been terrific — a reality somehow purged from the collective memory bank of the fanbase — the crowd had become a mob ready to chase him out of Pittsburgh with torches and pitchforks. It was a stunning shift to observe‚ almost inexplicable in its intractable nastiness and forgetfulness. And thus‚ with all of that being the case‚ it sounds as if Kenny Pickett had had enough and asked to be traded last week after the team’s signing of Russell Wilson. He requested to be sent home‚ to his childhood football team‚ the Philadelphia Eagles. If accurate‚ then that would seem an emotional reaction if not a mistake by Pickett. It’s an understandable rash move by a young athlete who needs to develop emotionally (Bradshaw and Big Ben were perfect examples of that). But far worse is the apparent bigger emotional reaction by the adults in the Steelers organization‚ from head coach Mike Tomlin to General Manager Omar Khan to owner Art Rooney II. They should have paid a visit to Pickett at his home‚ sat down privately and charitably and thoughtfully with him and his young wife‚ calmed him down‚ waited a few days‚ even weeks‚ and aimed to keep in Pittsburgh the planned franchise QB in whom they had invested so much time and faith. Indeed‚ remarkably‚ in the preceding weeks‚ Steelers’ management consistently expressed in public their fullest faith in Pickett. (Click here for an excellent analysis by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review sportswriter Tim Benz.) But in a way‚ the failure of these men to keep Pickett is symptomatic of everything they did wrong with him from the outset. They began with the terrible mistake of saddling Pickett with Matt Canada; they finish by letting go a no. 1 draft-pick who at the least would be a solid no. 2 backup to Russell Wilson in 2024. With Pickett‚ the team had its only remaining QB on the roster who knew the playbook‚ the players‚ and could be had at an extraordinarily cheap price. Instead‚ the brass bailed on Pickett for three draft picks‚ two of them in the pitiful seventh round. As for Pickett‚ in Philadelphia he will backup star QB Jalen Hurts‚ who’s a year younger. He will play only if Hurts gets injured. Nonetheless‚ the Philadelphia Eagles have the system and staff to help him succeed. Ironically‚ the Steelers were finally doing the same‚ notably with the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith as Matt Canada’s replacement. Smith specialized in precisely the kind of QB scheming and game planning that Pickett had needed. Still‚ again‚ one can understand Pickett’s frustration in wanting to be traded. He deserved far better than what happened to him in this iconic football town. Often in recent weeks‚ when listening to The Fan or reading sports pages or glimpsing the steady drumbeat of moronic “news” alerts‚ I muttered to myself‚ “I hope Kenny Pickett isn’t catching this. These people are crucifying the poor guy.” If I was Pickett and heard trash like that‚ I would have probably wanted to be traded as well. The astonishing night-and-day shift of loyalty from hero to pariah must have had his head spinning. In sum‚ here’s the surreal if not stupid spectacle that Pickett witnessed: Fans and media chased out of town their heroic future franchise QB after a mere sample size of 24 games‚ which is less than a season and half. Of those 24 games‚ Pickett won 14‚ and it’s not right to say he lost 10 because the losses included games where he came in late or left early. His wins often unfolded in dramatic fourth-quarter splashes when he was free of the constraints of Matt Canada’s limited playbook and could let it rip and be himself. Those were some of the most entertaining games of the last two seasons for the team. Now instead‚ the team pivots from its prospective franchise replacement of Big Ben to a veteran QB winding up his career with a one-year contract‚ and who is being greeted as the new conquering hero. One suspects the mob will give Russell Wilson about a six-game trial before turning on him with torches if he doesn’t light the league on fire. As for Kenny Pickett‚ we can wish him the best of luck in Philadelphia. It’s hard to imagine the notorious Philly fans treating him kindly there‚ but then again‚ it couldn’t be worse than how fans and media turned on him in Pittsburgh. The post The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Pickett Mob appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Everyone who has seen the play Hamilton knows that the nation’s capital was moved to the present site in the District of Columbia due to a dinner-table bargain in 1790 between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.  Hamilton needed Jefferson’s support in Congress to win approval for federal assumption of revolutionary war debts; in return‚ Jefferson wanted Hamilton’s support in moving the capital from New York City to a location nearer to the population and geographical center of the country‚ later carved out between the states of Maryland and Virginia. The country needs a fresh start after decades of conflict‚ stagnation‚ and bureaucratic inertia. For most of the nation’s history‚ the District of Columbia was an inhospitable “swamp” with relatively few permanent residents and a minimal federal establishment.  Pigs and cows roamed the streets; summer heat and humidity were unbearable; slavery was widespread until it was outlawed in 1862.  Congressional sessions were brief: representatives and senators did not enjoy life in the capital‚ and did not stay there any longer than necessary. The expansion of government since the 1960s (along with air conditioning) has changed that:  Washington today is a company town‚ with government as its sole business — and a growing business at that. It is increasingly remote from the people it is supposed to serve‚ a development feared in 1787 by supporters and opponents of the Constitution as incompatible with representative government. The Capital today is far removed from the geographical and population centers of the country‚ which today are located well beyond the Mississippi River.  The westward movement of the United States during the 19th Century turned Washington into a far distant capital for most citizens — perhaps more so than any other major capital in the world.  Representatives travel vast distances to get there‚ and must travel back and forth to their states and districts to serve constituents‚ leaving Washington under control of its permanent residents‚ nearly all of them Democrats. (READ MORE from James Piereson: Thomas Piketty’s ‘Le Capital’) The time has arrived to think the unthinkable: we should move the capital.  The reasons for doing so are more compelling today than they were in 1790 when Jefferson originally raised the subject. Washington‚ D.C.‚ as an urban center‚ is something of a joke compared to other important capitals around the world‚ like London‚ Paris‚ and Berlin‚ and compares unfavorably with the capitals of many impoverished nations.  Crime has been out of control in Washington for decades but has now moved into areas frequented by politicians‚ office workers‚ and visitors‚ thanks to recently approved legislation that reduced penalties and eliminated bail for many crimes. The public schools are like those in other major cities: lavishly funded but poorly performing.  A few years ago‚ in the midst of the pandemic‚ protestors and rioters ran amok through the city‚ smashing storefronts‚ tearing down statues‚ and threatening the White House‚ with the implied support of the mayor and city council. Schools across the country used to send their students on annual field trips to the capital to see Congress in action and to visit the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials‚ along with other historical sites.  That is increasingly a thing of the past‚ in view of what has happened to the capital city in recent years.  Americans were once proud of their capital city but think differently about it today. The city is overwhelmingly populated by Democrats — and‚ on top of that‚ by the most partisan and far-left Democrats. Over the past five presidential elections‚ an average of 91 percent of the vote in the city has gone for Democratic candidates. In neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia‚ Democrats typically carry between 70 and 80 percent of the vote.  Federal bureaucrats living in those jurisdictions are nearly all Democrats‚ and use their powers to advance Democratic Party causes.  Why should we have a capital city that is dominated by one party with a vested interest in the growth of government? The partisan bias in the region expresses itself in every area of law and politics. Protestors swarmed the White House while Donald Trump was President; they have not done so during Biden’s tenure‚ and never will.  Whenever public officials are accused of crimes‚ they face jury pools composed entirely of Democrats: those juries reliably acquit fellow Democrats and convict Republicans‚ irrespective of the facts.  Special Prosecutor Jack Smith brought charges against former president Donald Trump in the district because he knows Trump will face a jury composed entirely of partisan Democrats‚ and will therefore win an easy conviction.  That is not how things are supposed to work under the rule of law‚ rather than the “rule of politics.” For these reasons‚ it comes as no surprise that law enforcement agencies — the FBI‚ IRS‚ and the Justice Department — have been weaponized by Democrats to threaten Republicans and conservatives.  They routinely investigate Republicans like Trump and his allies‚ while looking the other way when Democrats do the same kinds of things.  They are prosecuting Trump for retaining classified documents‚ while absolving Biden for having done the same thing‚ and possibly worse.  Just a few years ago‚ the FBI took a phony piece of opposition research from Hillary Clinton’s campaign and used it as a basis for an investigation of President Trump.  This is now commonplace in the capital.  A few years ago‚ the Attorney General used a memorandum from a teacher’s union to label parents as terrorists simply because they showed up at school board meetings to express opposition to school policies.  Yet Democratic groups freely do this kind of thing (and much worse) all the time without hearing a peep from federal law enforcement authorities. (READ Flashback: A Time for Choosing)  Democrats have been successful in building effective networks among members of Congress and their staffs‚ interest group representatives‚ and influential journalists.  In any agency or issue area‚ federal officials work with Congressional committees‚ advocacy groups‚ and well-placed journalists to advance their agenda‚ sometimes by well-timed leaks of sensitive material or by working with interest groups to develop policies then mobilizing the groups to lobby for them or collaborating with journalists to develop “investigations” that are published at exactly the right time to advance one or another cause.  This kind of exercise is on display continuously in Washington — in the Russia collusion conspiracies‚ in the Kavanaugh hearings‚ in the Trump impeachments‚ and in many other situations. Republicans could do it also‚ but they have to work in a city that is controlled by Democrats.  This is a large problem for Republicans.  When they win national elections‚ they soon discover that they must steer a gigantic administrative operation controlled by the opposition party — a nearly impossible task.  The bureaucrats have an infinite number of ways at their disposal to embarrass Republican presidents and cabinet officers — and they use them to their advantage. When‚ for example‚ a Republican cabinet officer drafts a memorandum to change this or that policy‚ he will soon find that bureaucrats have leaked it to the press in order to mobilize opposition to it.  There have been times when bureaucrats have advised cabinet officers to remodel their offices‚ then (once the job is finished) leak the expenses to the press to embarrass them. We now have a capital city that is organized on behalf of one party and in opposition to the other. Democrats‚ knowing all this‚ have proposed legislation to turn Washington into the 51st state for the obvious reason that it would add two more Democrats to the Senate and give formal representation to the bureaucracy in town.  They believe they can do this by routine legislation approved by a majority in Congress and signed by the president; though others say it requires a constitutional amendment to turn the capital into a state.  Democrats have an answer to that objection: they will pack the Supreme Court so that it will approve statehood via simple legislation. Republicans are opposed to this‚ and for good reason‚ but (in view of proposals to turn the capital into a state) they should go further to call for the capital city to be moved to another less partisan location. What would happen in that case to Washington‚ D.C.‚ and the historical sites located there?  It is a valid question: much of the nation’s historical memory is concentrated in the current capital‚ though Democrats and city residents seem to care less and less about that particular aspect of their city‚ since they trash U.S. history and the founding fathers at every opportunity.   The obvious solution: The city should be attached in parts to the adjoining states of Maryland and Virginia‚ and given representation in Congress through those avenues. The Constitution sets up no barriers to moving the Capital to a new location.  Article I‚ Section 8 says only that Congress shall exercise exclusive jurisdiction over a district designated as the seat of government as ceded by particular states and not exceeding 10 square miles in area.  Congress can move the capital by statute if it wishes to do so.  A constitutional amendment is not required. It will not be easy to move the capital‚ and difficult also to win support for it in Congress.  Yet the city is going downhill quickly — many members of Congress are well aware of it.  People may still visit the city to view public buildings and historical sites‚ though at some point not far in the future crime and disorder will keep them away as in other major cities. (READ MORE: A Visit to the DC Gulag) It is a good question how long those memorials will remain intact with a “woke” city government putting pressure on Congress to remove or rename some of them. It may be a matter of time until residents demand that the city be given a new name — George Washington having been a slaveowner.  At that point‚ few Americans will care what happens to it. As to the Congress‚ many members are already fed up with disorder and partisan bias in the city; and there are many Democrats from West coast and Midwest who might prefer to see the capital relocated to a spot nearer the center of the country. President Trump made a few mild gestures in this direction when he tried to move some government agencies to new locations outside Washington‚ D.C.  He raised a good point: why should the Interior Department be located in Washington when it might better carry out its functions in Montana‚ Idaho‚ Utah‚ or the Dakotas?  For that matter‚ why are the FBI or the Commerce department located in Washington when they might better be located in Kansas City‚ Wichita‚ Dallas‚ or any number of other cities?   There are government agencies located outside of the capital.  The nation’s space center is based in Houston; the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention is located in Atlanta. Yet‚ when Trump proposed to move some of these agencies‚ bureaucrats loudly protested — after all‚ they are comfortable in Washington. They need not have worried: Democrats‚ once in power‚ reversed Trump’s initiatives‚ for obvious partisan reasons.  It appears that half measures will not work: it will be necessary to move the capital‚ once and for all. A new capital might be moved to various sites nearer the center of the country.  It is not a new idea.  In the decades after the Civil War‚ some called for the capital to be moved to St. Louis‚ in part to divert the country from the north-south struggle‚ and also because that city was located nearer to the new geographical center of the country.  T.D. Shields‚ in her novels Into Shadow and Into Light‚ placed the capital in western Kansas after Washington‚ D.C. was overrun by war‚ crime‚ and climate change.  There are many areas in the states of Kansas‚ Nebraska‚ Utah‚ and Colorado out of which a new capital city might be carved out‚ much as the District of Columbia was carved out of a swamp more than 200 years ago.  Washington‚ after all‚ was a new city‚ built entirely as the seat of government.  It can be done again. Other countries in recent decades have either moved their capital cities or built entirely new cities as seats of government. Brasilia‚ the capital of Brazil‚ was planned and developed as a new city in the late 1950s.  Sejong City was established just two decades ago as the administrative capital of South Korea. Egypt has been building a new capital city outside Cairo since 2015. Malaysia moved its capital city in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya‚ envisioned as a new form of electronic government emphasizing digital communications — a concept worth considering in the USA. Kazakhstan moved its capital to Astana following the collapse of the Soviet Union.  West Germany created a new capital in Bonn in 1949‚ but relocated it to Berlin again when the country was unified in 1990.  There is no reason why the United States cannot do something similar.  The country needs a fresh start after decades of conflict‚ stagnation‚ and bureaucratic inertia.  A new capital would signify a new beginning for the nation‚ a re-creation of the spirit of 1776 and 1787. Former President Trump recently said that the United States should create new cities to relocate citizens from failed urban centers like Chicago and Washington‚ D.C.  That is not a bad idea. A good place to start might be with a new capital city.  Mr. Trump‚ if he is elected this year‚ should put it at the top of his agenda. James Piereson is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.   The post Let’s Move the Capital. Washington DC Squandered Our Trust. appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

As a proud alumnus of Georgetown University‚ I am troubled by an emerging pattern: The relentless lawsuits and other efforts to “get Trump” too often lead back to my alma mater and‚ more specifically‚ Georgetown Law School. The same characters populate these assorted Trump-hating schemes. To “defend democracy‚” those people keep crushing democracy. This pro-Democrat/anti-Republican activity raises troubling questions about the tax-exempt status of Georgetown Law and the broader university. Even worse‚ in what I call Hoyagate‚ this cabal’s intensely partisan actions at a non-profit university raise questions about Georgetown’s qualifications to receive federal grants and remain tax-exempt. (READ MORE from Deroy Murdoch: For Democrats‚ ‘Illegal’ Wasn’t Always Hate Speech) Several of these individuals joined the Transition Integrity Project. TIP engaged prominent legal‚ governmental‚ and media players in “war games” that prepared for the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. How unusual: After most elections‚ the vanquished go home‚ and the victors govern. Instead‚ TIP weighed other scenarios: Which populations would accept or reject wins and losses? Would tight results trigger domestic unrest? How would Washington‚ the press‚ and even the armed forces respond? The behavior of TIP members and their colleagues during and after these simulations should terrify patriots. Rosa Brooks was a senior advisor in Obama-Biden’s State Department and Pentagon. She has collaborated for decades with the galaxy of far-Left groups that revolve around neo-Marxist über-donor George Soros. She co-founded TIP. Brooks confirmed her commitment to democracy just 10 days into the Trump Administration. In her Foreign Policy magazine article headlined “Three ways to get rid of Trump‚” she offered another idea. “The fourth possibility is one that until recently I would have said was unthinkable in the United States of America: a military coup.” Does anything verify one’s faith in democracy more than recommending a coup d’etat? Remember: This was less than a fortnight into Trump’s tenure. Brooks barely let the ink dry on Trump’s stationery before demanding that the Pentagon pry him from power. Regarding the centuries-old American norms of civilian control of the military‚ Brooks argued in 2016: “It’s time to toss them aside.” Rosa Brooks is a Georgetown Professor of Law and Policy and Associate Dean for Centers and Institutes. John Podesta was Obama’s chief of staff and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager. He portrayed Joe Biden in TIP. Podesta reacted to a “clear Trump win” neither by conceding nor requesting recounts. Instead‚ Podesta/Biden convinced TIP’s “governors of Michigan and Wisconsin” to send Congress alternate lists of pro-Biden Electoral College representatives. Amazing: Biden’s stunt-double — whom the real Biden named on January 31 as his new “climate czar” — advocated a “fake electors scheme.” This is perfectly legal. In fact‚ President John F. Kennedy sent his own electors from Hawaii in 1960‚ never mind that GOP Governor William Quinn had certified the Aloha State for Nixon. However‚ JFK won a late recount‚ and his “fake electors” became legitimate and were tabulated. While the real Kennedy and ersatz Biden supported alternate electors without consequences‚ Trump faces potential prison in Georgia for precisely the same thing. According to TIP’s final report‚ released August 3‚ 2020 — at least three months before Trump’s alleged conspiracy to “overturn the election” — Podesta/Biden melted down after Trump’s hypothetical re-election. In a “frankly ridiculous move‚” as one TIPster called it‚ Podesta/Biden followed “advice from President Obama” and threatened that California‚ Oregon‚ and Washington State would merge as Cascadia and secede from the Union! Trump has never even joked about such sedition. This is extreme‚ un-American‚ and so 1861. Is this Team Biden’s idea of getting “back to normal?” Podesta/Biden reportedly offered to abandon the Cascadia concept if Washington‚ D.C. and Puerto Rico scored statehood. This would have added four members to the U.S. Senate‚ almost certainly Democrats. (READ MORE: Saturday Night Lies: Biden Screams Hoax About Trump and Fallen Vets) Podesta/Biden’s next step: Slice California five ways and quintuple the Golden State’s Senate seats to 10‚ most likely majority-Democrat. Podesta/Biden’s coup de grace: “eliminate the Electoral College.” Matt Taibbi’s January 26 Racket dispatch details further norm-demolition by Podesta and TIP’s other stalwarts for “our democracy.” John Podesta is an alumnus of and Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law School. Peter Strzok resembles shadowy‚ Deep State functionary Doug Stamper in Netflix’s House of Cards. The former FBI counterintelligence agent is one of Trump’s most tireless tormentors. Strzok spied on his 2016 campaign and helped launch the Crossfire Hurricane probe that powered the three-year Russian-collusion hoax. Strzok notoriously texted his in-house mistress‚ FBI attorney Lisa Page‚ on August 15‚ 2016. According to Strzok‚ “There’s no way Trump gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.” This “insurance policy” seems to be the FBI’s sabotage of Trump and the platform that the American people elected him to implement. Eleven days later‚ Strzok notoriously texted Lisa Page: “Just went to a Southern Virginia Walmart. I could SMELL the Trump support.” Strzok now sniffs at Trump and his base via cable news. He complained December 27 on MSNBC: “adherents and supporters of the former president are engaging in threats of violence‚ and there’s a comparative absence of any sort of like behavior on the other side.” Strzok must have missed the anti-Trump vandalism and arson on Inauguration Day January 2017‚ the Summer of Love riots that killed at least 19 people in 2020‚ sporadic ANTIFA and BLM mayhem‚ and today’s deadly anti-Semitic upheaval by pro-Hamas activists — all on the Left. Peter Strzok is an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law. Donald B. Ayer was a deputy attorney general under Daddy Bush. As a charter Never Trumper‚ Ayer skewers Trump in one paper after another. Ayer pens such pieces with fellow Brookings Institution scholar Norman Eisen‚ a TIP member. Ayer has written or co-authored “The DOJ Must Prosecute Trump‚” “Don’t Let Donald Trump Take His Case to Federal Court‚” “Trump on Trial: A Model Prosecution Memo for Federal Election Interference Crimes‚” and more. Donald B. Ayer is an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law‚ where even his online biography bashes Trump: “Professor Ayer has written extensively on rule of law issues‚ including many articles addressing the abuses of our legal system perpetrated by the Trump administration.” Jacob Glick was an investigative counsel on the Left-slanted‚ Trump-loathing January 6 Committee. This was the first House panel ever to have its designated minority members (Republicans Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio) vetoed by a House speaker (California Democrat Nancy Pelosi). After obliterating this centuries-old bipartisan norm‚ the J6 Committee bolstered “our democracy” by releasing a one-sided report and then destroying its own records. Nothing screams “Democracy!” more loudly than shredded documents. Glick assisted the House Managers’ legal team during Trump’s second impeachment trial. It unprecedentedly pursued him after he left office. If Georgetown lets at least half a dozen law professors and staffers exhibit such blatant partisanship‚ should it still receive federal taxpayer subsidies. Jacob Glick is Policy Counsel at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. ICAP spews Trump-hating litigation. This has included a first-ever lawsuit targeting pro-Trump electors‚ a defense of California’s sanctuary cities against Trump’s Justice Department‚ a brief supporting illegal aliens in the Census for reapportionment‚ and more. And then along came Mary. “More than any other Lawfare operative within Main Justice‚ Mary McCord sits at the center of every table in the manufacturing of cases against Donald Trump‚” The Conservative Treehouse explains. She appears like Zelig in virtually every Get Trump endeavor. “Mary McCord submitted the original false FISA application to the court using the demonstrably false Dossier‚” TCT’s summary continues. “Mary McCord participated in the framing of Michael Flynn. Mary McCord worked with ICIG Michael Atkinson to create a fraudulent whistleblower complaint against President Trump; and Mary McCord used that manipulated complaint to assemble articles of impeachment on behalf of the joint House Intel and Judiciary Committee. Mary McCord then took up a defensive position inside the FISA court to protect the DOJ and FBI from sunlight upon all the aforementioned corrupt activity.” McCord exhibits zero interest in swaying Trump or offering him policy options. Instead‚ around the clock‚ she undermines a President Trump 2.0. “We’re already starting to put together a team to think through the most damaging types of things that he [Trump] might do so that we’re ready to bring lawsuits if we have to‚” McCord said. McCord also co-hosts an MSNBC podcast that advances her anti-MAGA agenda. Its understated title? “Prosecuting Donald Trump.” Mary McCord is a Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law and Executive Director of ICAP. For McCord and the Georgetown Trump haters‚ it’s not about a presidential honeymoon‚ better ideas‚ or compromise. It’s about girding Democrats to pounce‚ the moment Trump says‚ “So help me God” next January 20. This would parallel the Washington Post headline‚ “The campaign to impeach President Trump has begun‚” published at 12:27 p.m. on January 20‚ 2017 — precisely 27 minutes into Trump’s first term. The same Leftist Democrats who praise “our democracy” plotted Trump’s ouster literally during his swearing-in ceremony‚ before he had signed one bill or commenced his inaugural parade. McCord’s comment appeared in a January 14 NBC News story headlined‚ “Fears grow that Trump will use the military in ‘dictatorial ways’ if he returns to the White House.” This heaping helping of paranoia typifies the feverish thinking that guides Georgetown’s Hate Trump‚ Inc. This horror thriller by Peter Nicholas et al. speculated that a re-elected Trump might use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to inject the Armed Forces “in the face of domestic protests or if the midterm elections don’t go his way.” In their desperation to smear Trump as a Nazi dream come true — Hitler‚ with blond hair — NBC’s writers concealed multiple inconvenient truths: First‚ as president‚ Trump discussed the Insurrection Act in early June 2020‚ when the George Floyd riots came to Washington‚ D.C. ANTIFA and BLM radicals there yanked down statues‚ wounded at least 60 Secret Service agents outside the White House‚ and set ablaze historical St. John’s Episcopal Church on Lafayette Park. (READ MORE: How Do You Kill Democracy? Vote Democrat) President Trump never invoked the Insurrection Act‚ although some of America’s most admired chief executives did just that. And yet Trump threatens democracy. Huh? Second‚ the 2018 midterm elections did not go quite Trump’s way. Republicans gained two seats and held the U.S. Senate. However‚ amid Democrats’ Russia! Russia! Russia! lies‚ Republicans lost 41 seats in and control of the House. And yet‚ Trump never deployed the Insurrection Act. Third‚ while Trump never unleashed the Insurrection Act‚ 12 presidents have done so‚ 19 times. Republican Ulysses S. Grant used it to suppress the Democrat-founded Ku Klux Klan‚ and Democrats FDR‚ JFK and LBJ invoked it to quell riots in‚ respectively‚ Detroit; Oxford‚ Mississippi; and Washington‚ D.C. Trump merely mentioned in 2020 doing what Lyndon Baines Johnson actually did in 1968. Trump’s critics accused him of imposing a veritable Third Reich measure. He took no such action. Such breathless‚ baseless lies typify the panic that Georgetown-based Trump haters foment among voters. This crowd cannot merely oppose Trump’s policies or propose alternatives. So‚ they hallucinate pitch-black fantasies of life under an American Führer. If these hyper-partisan lies oozed from a privately funded pressure group‚ like Media Matters‚ so what? But the fact that Georgetown Law hosts this boiling cauldron of anti-Trump venom should anger taxpayers. This pro-Democrat/anti-Republican activity raises troubling questions about the tax-exempt status of Georgetown Law and the broader university. Does an institution poisoning one party’s presumptive nominee violate the IRS’ requirement that 501(c)(3) organizations remain politically neutral? Georgetown and donations thereto have been tax-exempt since 1973. In return‚ the IRS expects Georgetown to remain non-partisan‚ or at least even-handed. IRS regulations state: “activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates‚ will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.” Another vital question: If Georgetown lets at least half a dozen law professors and staffers exhibit such blatant partisanship‚ should it still receive federal taxpayer subsidies‚ including Pell Grants‚ student loans‚ and research fees? Between Fiscal Years 2017 and ’20‚ under Trump‚ Georgetown scored $540‚132‚354. In FY ’21 and ’22‚ under Biden‚ Georgetown secured yet another $430‚227‚567. Should a university that has collected $970‚359‚921 from federal taxpayers in just six fiscal years enjoy even more such largesse and serve as the Vatican of Trump Hatred? Or should it choose between these conflicting objectives? Congressional investigators should answer these questions and give Georgetown University the tough love it needs to become‚ once again‚ the center of balanced intellectual inquiry that I recall so fondly. Manhattan-based Fox News Contributor Deroy Murdock graduated cum laude from Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1986. The post Hoyagate: Georgetown Law is Vatican of Trump Hatred appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.