The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Insight: “Arbitrary power has seldom … been introduced in any country at once. It must be introduced by slow degrees, and as it were step by step.” —Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773)

Upright: “I believe the church should be leading when it comes to what we call racial reconciliation, or what we call unity. … Leadership in churches has to make a concerted effort to even speak about these things. A lot of times they don’t because it’s uncomfortable for the people [who’re] sitting in pews. But these are the uncomfortable conversations that need to come from the pulpit as well as in the small groups, as well as around the dining table as well as in the homes — there needs to be an honest conversation about race. That’s how things change. Things change through repentance.” —New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson

“Imagine ‘life in a magical land where abortions and birth control are free and plentiful.’ This place exists.” —Planned Parenthood promoting a piece by Fusion’s Rosie J Spinks

Wrong prescription: “Only by recognising and treating Isis as a bona fide state can we hope to understand its workings and motivations and, ultimately, contain its murderous advance across the region.” —The Independent’s Vadim Nikitim on “Why it’s time to grant Isis diplomatic recognition”

The lady doth protest too much: “I don’t have horns.” —Hillary Clinton

Village Idiots: “We have built in some unfortunate incentives [into ObamaCare] that discourage full-time employment. … I really worry about it because there is a trend to try and move more and more people into part-time work.” —Hillary Clinton (That’s what happens when a bunch of bureaucrats with no free-market understanding approve an economic bludgeon. Clinton’s reforms wouldn’t solve any of these issues.)

Braying Jackass: “The only time I turn football on during the week … is when the Redskins play, because I love to see them lose. And they’ve lost more than they’ve won this year. If they’re ahead, I turn it off. I check back later to see if they’re losing.” —Harry Reid

And last… “A Bernie Sanders staffer patched into [Hillary Clinton’s] campaign model system but [you can] trust her email was safe from the Chinese.” —Stephen Miller