POLICE KILLINGS
'No, police killings are not common; law-abiding citizens are more likely to be struck by lightning than shot by the police. No, they’re not racially-motivated; once you control for crime rates, police kill whites just as often as they do blacks. And while racism is certainly a part of American society, to say that it’s the whole thing is ridiculously reductionist, a potted, politicized tall tale that excuses, maybe even encourages violence." Aaron Sibarium, National Review Online 6/9FASCISM
"The sophomoric and ahistorical charge that President Donald Trump and his supporters are fascists is now a staple of elite left-of-center opinion. That it has gained such traction is a sign of the ever-increasing ideological radicalism of Trump’s opposition and of the ever-diminishing ambit for free and open debate — fascists are to be shut down, as the Times staff insisted, not tolerated . . .
"No one has talked about crushing peaceful protests. No one has urged the stifling of dissent (no one, that is, outside of the New York Times and other “woke” circles). No one has talked of suspending the election. In fact, to this point, Trump has been faulted for wanting an overly normal election, with a traditional convention and standard in-person voting." Rich Lowry, NRO 6/9
KNEELING
"Kneeling may have evolved into a more solemn act, but Kaepernick’s protest was not conceived as an act of respect. Nor do cable-news hosts have the moral authority to define it. Kneeling is a tacit admission to a number of contentions that I simply don’t believe: I don’t believe that the United States, a nation conceived and run by flawed human beings, is inherently racist. I don’t believe there is institutional racism in America anymore or that the police, as a matter of policy, are hunting down black men. Murder like that of George Floyd is a rare event. Chauvin was charged with murder, as were his accessories. There is not a single politician in the country who excused what happened.
"But the definition of racism is always expanding. Now anyone who disagrees with the political aspirations of Black Lives Matter and its supporters — champions of a hodgepodge of leftist causes — can be accused of being a bigot. Well, most Americans want to find ways to improve everyone’s lot, even if they have different ideas about how to accomplish it. Perhaps those of us who don’t kneel are mistaken in that belief, and perhaps more facts and arguments will change our minds. Smearing us as racists for refusing to engage in mass acts of performative contrition will not." David Harsanyi, NRO 6/9
A MORAL DUTY
"Christians have a moral duty to vote their conscience—and defend religious freedom. As Archbishop Viganò elegantly explains: “It is important that the good – who are the majority – wake up from their sluggishness and do not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people with unavowable purposes. It is necessary that the good, the children of light, come together and make their voices heard.” Prayer, says Viganò, is our most effective way to make our voices heard. The ballot box is the second-most effective way. Pray now. In November, vote against Christian persecution by Democrats. Freedom of religion is the most fundamental freedom of speech." Katie Kieffer, Townhall 6/9
RHETORICAL BOMBS
"We don't listen enough to each other's stories. Instead, too many throw rhetorical bombs (and during the recent riots Molotov cocktails), reinforcing prejudices and stereotypes. The media are conspirators in this because they rarely show pictures or do interviews with peaceful protesters, or even those African Americans who aren't protesting." Cal Thomas, Townhall 6/9
STUPIDITY
"Our national discussion was quickly overrun by those who wanted to use the actions of Chauvin and his fellow officers to define all police across the country, and those who wanted to use the actions of the looters and rioters to define everyone participating in the protests. Anyone with eyes can see that not all police officers are Derek Chauvin, and not everyone who attended a protest, march, or demonstration in response to Floyd’s death was looting and committing acts of violence. But if some cops are bad, then police forces across the country might have to accept changes in procedure. And if some people who came out to protest exploited the moment as an opportunity to commit selfish crimes, the protesters would be forced to acknowledge that the police play an irreplaceable role in protecting the public and restoring order at times of unrest . . . Where are the sane grown-ups? Isn’t anyone willing to take a break from the usual partisan food fight to spend just a little time trying to solve our actual problems? Or are we just destined to be bystanders in a Civil War of Stupidity indefinitely?" Jim Geraghty, NRO 6/10
HISTORY
"At many colleges and universities, history departments have grown over the last several decades while the number of students taught has been falling. Why is that?Retired history professor David Kaiser thinks he knows. As he argues in today’s Martin Center article, students are losing interest because academic historians are increasingly peddling politically correct material that they, the faculty, find appealing." George Leef, NRO 6/10
LAW & ORDER
"You cannot have a disucssion about police reform when cops are being targeted, beaten, shot at, and run over with vehicles. The rioting, looting, and vandalism also undercut the need for a national dialogue. When order breaks down, law and order always win out. We're dealing with a left-wing mob. It's time to put them down." Matt Vespa, Townhall 6/10
NONSENSE
"In the end, our republic runs only so long as we're able to hold some semblance of logical conversation with one another. But the republic isn't running. Instead, we are battered with logically incoherent nonsense, a variety of messages that carry only one consistent bottom line: Shut up. Believe. Repeat. The chaos of the moment isn't a bug; it's a feature. And the more confused we are, the less we can possibly hold together, despite the fact that nearly all Americans agree on the most important issues." Ben Shapiro, Townhall 6/10
ACADEMIC DISASTER
"Democratic-controlled cities have the poorest-quality public education despite their large, and growing, school budgets. Consider Baltimore, Maryland. In 2016, in 13 of Baltimore's 39 high schools, not a single student scored proficient on the state's math exam. In six other high schools, only 1% tested proficient in math. Only 15% of Baltimore students passed the state's English test. That same year in Philadelphia only 19% of eighth-graders scored proficient in math, and 16% were proficient in reading. In Detroit, only 4% of its eighth-graders scored proficient in math, and 7% were proficient in reading. It's the same story of academic disaster in other cities run by Democrats. Walter Williams, Townhall 6/10
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