The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “The framers of the constitution knew human nature as well as we do. They too had lived in dangerous days; they too knew the suffocating influence of orthodoxy and standardized thought. They weighed the compulsions for restrained speech and thought against the abuses of liberty. They chose liberty.” —Justice William O. Douglas (1898-1980)

Upright: “Any normal race would be over. But this is not a normal election. We’ve gone from a race where the political wing of the conservative movement is at stake, to a contest where America finds itself teetering on the edge of political violence not seen since 1968. In such circumstances, patriots simply do not give up, and they especially don’t give up while there are still glimmers of hope. … Stand now. No matter the odds. There is no other choice.” —David French

Wait — weren’t you the one who threatened to go third party? “But just let me tell you, a third party guarantees — not 90% or 99%, [but] 100%— that Democrats will win. Probably Hillary.” —Donald Trump

“Ferguson. Baltimore. Chicago. Everywhere Leftist protesters occupy the streets, those whose opinions are deemed insufficiently progressive are abused, mocked, ridiculed, brutalized and physically menaced. This lawlessness is rapidly becoming the norm; the Obama administration, as well as leading media and cultural figures, need to decry that normalization and act strongly against these thugs now —before the American public square is transformed beyond recognition, and ceases to be an arena for free discourse. Although this violence and brutalization of political opponents is a new phenomenon in American politics, it has a historical antecedent: the Nazi Brownshirts.” —Robert Spencer

Non Compos Mentis: “I don’t know where [Bernie Sanders] was when I was trying to get health care in ‘93 and '94.” —Hillary Clinton (Flashback: “I’m grateful for the leadership that many people are giving to this great reform effort, and I’m grateful that Congressman Sanders would join us today from Vermont.” —Clinton, 1993)

Enough with the lectures: “[I]t’s worth asking ourselves what each of us may have done to contribute to this vicious atmosphere in our politics. … And while some may be more to blame than others for the current climate, all of us are responsible for reversing it, for it is a cycle that is not an accurate reflection of America. And it has to stop.” —Barack Obama

Late-night humor: “This weekend was Daylight Saving Time and we all lost an hour of our lives. Plus, I watched the Democratic debate so I actually lost three hours of my life.” —James Corden