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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION

50 STATES AND DC, CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT

Biden Prepares to Strip College Students of Due-Process Rights By David Harsanyi

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/03/biden-prepares-to-strip-college-students-of-due-process-rights/

Either we believe principles are the best means of fairness, or not. Biden, it seems, only believes in them for himself.

It’s always worth reminding people that if President Joe Biden were compelled to live by the standards he intends to institute for college students accused of sexual misconduct, he would be presumed guilty of rape, denied any legitimate opportunity to refute Tara Reade’s charges, and tossed from office in disgrace.

The New York Times reports today that Biden’s Kafkaesque “White House Gender Policy Council” is “beginning his promised effort to dismantle Trump-era rules on sexual misconduct that afforded greater protections to students accused of assault.” The subhead informs us that, “The Biden administration will examine regulations by Betsy DeVos that gave the force of law to rules that granted more due-process rights to students accused of sexual assault.”

The most disingenuous word here — though the piece is brimming with them — is “more.” History did not begin in 2015, and former education secretary Betsy DeVos did not invent more due-process rights in Title IX; she simply reinstated time-honored fundamental due-process rights that have guided justice systems in the liberal world for hundreds of years. The Constitution says — twice — that no citizen shall be arbitrarily “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.” No means no.

It was only in 2011 that the Obama administration instituted fewer due-process rights through the force of law, denying the accused the ability to question accusers, the right to review the allegations and evidence presented by their accuser, the right to present exculpatory evidence, and the right to call witnesses. Basically, the right to mount a defense.

It was the Obama administration that asked schools to institute a system that empowered a single investigator, often without any training and susceptible to the vagaries of societal and political pressures, to pass unilateral judgment on these cases. Also, under the Obama administration rules, colleges were allowed to adjudicate sexual abuse and assault cases using a “preponderance of evidence” rather than a more stringent “clear and convincing evidence” standard.

The Smug Arrogance Of The ‘Science’ Crowd

https://issuesinsights.com/2021/03/09/the-smug-arrogance-of-the-science-crowd/

Last summer, fed up with Democrats’ claim that theirs is the “Party of Science,” we pointed out that it is in reality the Party of Science Fiction. We hope others have had their fill, too, and public opinion will force the Democrats to grow up.

“Science” is never invoked by the political left to illuminate, educate, or guide. It’s used to terminate discussion, to shut down debate. It’s employed in exactly the same way “racist” has been used for decades. Not as a legitimate charge but a bomb thrown into a conversation in an effort to “other” the person or persons the smear is directed toward. It’s a means closing off further dialogue, a bully’s tactic.

Those who respect an open marketplace of ideas, who believe that more speech rather than less is healthy for society, might wonder why the left wants to halt debate. It’s a good question with a clear and obvious answer: The zealous adherents to progressive politics know their ideas are empty of substance and therefore need to shout down, cancel, and indict those who dare think differently.

That would be the primary but not sole reason for those on the left to incessantly yell “science” and virtue-signal their beliefs. Many who appeal to “science” do so for status. It’s a convenient – and shallow – way of showing the rest of us that they’re intellectually and morally superior. They desperately want to think they’re on the right side of something, anything. Evidently doing so satisfies in them a need to overcome their deep insecurities.

Joe Biden’s mental capacity is diminishing before our eyes By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/03/joe_bidens_mental_capacity_is_diminishing_before_our_eyes.html

The worst kept secret in Washington, D.C., is that Joe Biden is suffering from serious age-related cognitive decline. In January, although some people predicated he would remain in office for up to two years before he was gently ushered out to make room for Kamala Harris, I looked at the man and thought he was going to be retired by June. Lately, though, Biden looks as if he’s heading for an April or May retirement. On Monday, he had his worst public appearance yet, when he was unable to remember either the name for his Secretary of Defense or the Pentagon.

Anybody who’s dealt with aging relatives unlucky enough to suffer from a cognitive decline, whether Alzheimer’s or age-related senility, recognizes what’s going on with Joe Biden. Sally Zelikovsky wrote with great compassion about what’s happening in Biden’s life right now:

Stress and anxiety don’t cause dementia but can exacerbate a dementia patient’s confusion. It can be brought on by something as mundane as a large family gathering, a change in routine, a fall, a visit to the hospital, or stress from a job.  While “sundowning” or decompensating after a family event are common fallouts from stress, the real challenge is the accumulation of stress and anxiety over time that leads to confusion and, ultimately, delusions, which, in turn, can foster increased levels of anxiety that can exacerbate the confusion experienced and result in even more delusions, and so forth and so on.  It’s a hellacious cycle.

Biden’s minders, including Mrs. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, are doing their best to insulate Biden from the stress. However, his title means that he must get out of the bedroom periodically and play at being president. That effort must be wreaking havoc with Joe’s tenuous grasp on memory and reality.

Jill Biden, the Meghan Markle in the WH, is egregiously guilty of elder abuse By Patricia McCarthy

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/03/jill_biden_the_meghan_markle_in_the_wh_is_egregiously_guilty_of_elder_abuse.html

The millions of Americans who were paying attention throughout the 2020 election campaign all became painfully aware of the fact that Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities were slipping and slipping fast.  His wife, as the person closest to him, should have been the one to call the campaign quits in order to reduce stress on the man.  

Instead, apparently so anxious to become the First Lady by any means necessary, Mrs. Biden continued to push her failing husband’s campaign forward as if he were mentally qualified.  Of course all those around him knew as well that he was in the throes of dementia; it was impossible to miss the signs.

They too ignored the obvious and because they always believe the American people are, as a collective, an order of fries short of a Happy Meal, they thought we wouldn’t notice.  Not only was his progressive neurological dimming clear, so was the fact that at no time throughout the campaign could he draw a crowd.  We all saw that he could not give even a short talk without a giant teleprompter.  The man was toast then.  Now he is burnt toast.  He no longer ever credibly read that jumbo teleprompter.

Each attempt to speak since Inauguration Day has been an embarrassing disaster.   And there is the not-Dr. Jill to step in to complete his sentences when she should be making the announcement that we all know is coming.  She must be waiting for the Democrats to implement that 25th Amendment they had hoped to use to get rid of President Trump.  She should be very, very ashamed of herself for allowing poor Joe to suffer the indignities of encroaching dementia in public.

Obama’s Wingmen Set to Take Over Justice Department Again If Joe Biden and the Democrats claim they want an “independent” Justice Department, Republicans should force the White House to be true to their word. By Julie Kelly

https://amgreatness.com/2021/03/08/obamas-wingmen-set-to-take-over-justice-department-again/

In his first public remarks, Joe Biden’s acting deputy attorney general promised he would spare no resource in the nationwide manhunt for anyone involved in the Capitol breach on January 6. 

“The investigation into those responsible is moving at a speed and scale that is unprecedented, and rightly so,” John Carlin said in a February speech on the threat of domestic terrorism. “Those responsible must be held to account, and they will be.”

Carlin referred to the Capitol melee as an example of “violent extremism.”

If Carlin’s name rings a bell, here’s why. Carlin headed Barack Obama’s National Security Division at the Justice Department for more than two years; his office handled all the evidence presented to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) seeking permission to spy on suspected enemies of America. 

Just weeks before the 2016 presidential election, Carlin’s shop persuaded the court, based on the so-called Steele dossier authored by a British operative paid by the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton, that Carter Page, a Trump campaign advisor, was a “foreign agent” of Russia. The dossier—consisting largely of unverified opposition research—was central to validating the FBI’s investigation into Donald Trump and his campaign.

Carlin left the agency on October 15, 2016—the FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page was approved by FISC on October 21, 2016, and reapproved three more times. An inspector general’s report later concluded the original FISA applications were filled with “significant errors and omissions,” to put it charitably; the secret court itself blasted the many failings of the Page FISA process.

Carter Page’s life was nearly destroyed, yet not one Obama-era government official responsible for initiating the crusade against him has so much as apologized. Instead, Carlin continued to perpetuate the phony Russian collusion myth by vilifying other Trump aides, including Lt. General Mike Flynn. In 2017, Carlin condemned Flynn’s “secret” conversations with a Russian ambassador as posing a threat to the country that must be investigated. 

He warned career Justice Department employees would resign if Trump fired Special Counsel Robert Mueller. As Democrats considered impeaching Trump in 2019, Carlin described Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president as “corrupt.”

The “Independence” Canard

Another Biden Bumble – He Can’t Remember the Name of His Own Defense Secretary By Stacey Lennox

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2021/03/08/another-biden-bumble-he-cant-remember-the-name-of-his-own-defense-secretary-n1430938

President Joe Biden appears to be fumbling and bumbling with increased frequency. Despite fawning reports of how he is early to bed following a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream, he seems to have difficulty whenever he speaks after lunch. Today, even with Vice President Kamala Harris at his side, as she often is to help direct him, Biden called Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “the (pause) former general (pause) the guy who runs that outfit over there.”

Biden could not come up with the position, Austin’s name, or the agency he leads, despite Biden having appointed Austin to head the Pentagon. Even more disturbing is that he appears to have written information in a folder and either doesn’t reference it or doesn’t know to reference it. More extended footage shows him closing the binder and leaving the podium without putting his mask on. Harris has had to remind him to do this before in keeping with the administration’s pro-mask stance.

The fact that this keeps happening is not what should bother Americans. Instead, the problem is no one in the corporate media is talking about it. In the last several weeks, Biden mangled the names of longtime Democrats in Texas and had had his live feed cut when he offered to take questions following a virtual meeting. His press secretary has had to answer questions about when he will have a solo press conference.

Jew-Hatred’s Many Strains What the BDS movement really wants. Joseph Puder

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/03/anti-semitisms-many-strains-joseph-puder/

The collective hatred of Jews can be defined as anti-Semitism. Like the coronavirus, it has developed many mutations. Anti-Semitism is the oldest hatred, which does not seem to fade away. It is found in the liberal United Kingdom, with the likes of Rev. Stephen Sizer, a vicar in the Church of England. In 2015, he posted an article on Facebook, accusing Jews and Israel of “responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.” Sizer has joined a long history of Jew-hatred. The Catholic Church’s anti-Judaism turned to rabid anti-Semitism by Martin Luther, which laid the foundation for Hitler’s Nazi genocidal efforts against the Jews. 

In the late 1990’s, while a graduate student at Seton Hall University (a Catholic institution), I was invited by the courageous and legendary late Sister Rose Thering to attend an address to the faculty by Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy, President at the time, of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and head of the Commission of the Holy See for Religious Relations with the Jews. In his presentation, the Cardinal made a distinction between anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism. He pointed out that the Catholic Church and its followers might have been anti-Judaic in history, but posited that anti-Semitism was not part of it.  

Sister Rose, who recruited me to Seton Hall, prodded me to ask a question of the Cardinal. She was not convinced that the Cardinal’s thesis was entirely accurate, and neither was I. So, I raised my hand and when acknowledged I asked, “Your Eminence, how do you define the July 4, 1946 pogrom in Kielce, Poland, in which 42 Jewish men, women, and children, all Holocaust survivors, were murdered? Was that an example of anti-Judaism or anti-Semitism?” The Cardinal appeared rather perplexed, was silent for a moment, ending up politely avoiding my question.  

Exposing the Media’s Protection Racket for Biden An Australian commentator ventures where American journalists don’t dare to go. Joseph Hippolito

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/03/exposing-medias-protection-racket-biden-joseph-hippolito/

Barely a month into Joe Biden’s virtual presidency, a political commentator on a major cable network said the ostensible winner of November’s election is too mentally incapacitated to serve.

What network transmitted those comments? Fox News? Newsmax? One America News? Perhaps even CNN or MSNBC? 

No. It was Sky News Australia, a conservative outlet.

And who made those comments? Cory Bernardi, a former Australian Senator from that nation’s conservative Liberal Party.

On Feb. 19, during his 5-minute commentary, Bernardi not only criticized Biden. He castigated the Democratic Party and traditional mass communications outlets in the United States for refusing to confront the issue.

“Never before has the leader of the free world been so cognitively compromised,” Bernardi said. “It’s clear to me at the least that U.S. President Joe Biden is struggling with dementia, and is clearly not up to the task he’s been sworn in to do.”

This was apparent to many during the election campaign. But such was the hatred of Donald Trump by the partisan and poisonous mainstream media, they chose not to highlight anything that may have derailed a Biden victory.  Even now, after he’s been sworn in, many of them are still refusing to speak the truth about Biden’s lack of capacity.

The Walls Close In on Cuomo Impeachment resolution filed. Jeffrey Lord

https://spectator.org/cuomo-resignation-impeachment/

Gov. Cuomo is in trouble. Big trouble.And he knows it.

Uh-oh.

Here’s the headline at Fox News:

New York Republicans announce Cuomo impeachment resolution: ‘We believe the time has come’

Cuomo is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and a federal probe into his administration’s tally on COVID-19 deaths tied to nursing homes

The Fox story begins this way:

Republicans in the New York State Assembly on Monday announced an impeachment resolution against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, saying they believe the Democratic governor has lost “credibility and trust” and has an “inability to lead” the state of New York amid sexual harassment allegations leveled against him and investigations into his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, alongside other Republicans, laid out the plan to introduce an impeachment resolution on Monday.

Gov. Cuomo insists he will not resign. He was elected, he says, not by politicians but the people of New York.

Alas for the governor, those very same people of New York elect the members of the New York state Legislature. And a lot of the members in the Legislature — alarmingly for the governor — are Democrats saying they want him out of the governor’s office.

Bad Judgment and Biden’s Pentagon Colin Kahl is the wrong choice to be chief Defense strategist.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bad-judgment-and-bidens-pentagon-11615246787?mod=opinion_lead_pos1

Another Biden nominee with a record of intemperate tweets is at risk of sinking in the Senate, and the press is comparing him to Neera Tanden, the President’s withdrawn first pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Yet whoever replaces Ms. Tanden is unlikely to change the trajectory of the Biden Administration’s progressive policies.

The Pentagon nomination of Colin Kahl, a dogmatic proponent of the Iran nuclear deal, is another story. A no vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee could push the Administration toward a Mideast approach that better serves America’s national interest.

President Biden has tapped Mr. Kahl for undersecretary of defense for policy, one of the most important non-cabinet jobs in the federal government. While the Secretary of Defense handles high-level defense politics, and the deputy secretary manages the department day-to-day, the undersecretary plays the leading role setting strategy—including representing the department at National Security Council deputies meetings.

Mr. Kahl’s strategic Mideast misjudgments have been pronounced. In 2015 as Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, Mr. Kahl argued for sanctions relief on Iran, declaring they “are not going to spend the vast majority of the money on guns, most of it will go to butter.” In the event, Tehran took advantage of the windfall to increase its financing for proxies in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.