The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Upright: “The rules flowing out of Brussels are in no way the source of all of Britain’s economic and social challenges, but when diktats come down about everything from the proper curvature of bananas to age requirements for the usage of balloons, you can understand why some Brits might be tempted to have their own version of a Boston Tea Party.” —Jonah Goldberg

For the record: “[T]he sheer magnitude of Sept. 11 can almost blind us to the metastasizing danger out there. … Few people are aware that Orlando was the 86th plot of Islamist terror in the United States since Sept. 11. That’s right: 86th. And only here in America. That number doesn’t count the Paris bombings in 2015, or the Brussels bombings this year, and many others.” —Ed Feulner

Non Compos Mentis: “[O]ur most effective response to terror and to hatred is compassion, it’s unity, and it’s love.” —Attorney General Loretta Lynch (On a personal level, sure, but not when your job is part of the U.S. national security apparatus.)

Belly laugh of the week: “Using the term ‘radical Islamic extremism’ is not a counterterrorism strategy. It is a political talking point, plain and simple. … [T]he president has implemented a strategy that has put increasing pressure on ISIL and has made the country safer, but he has not relied on a political talking point as a substitute for a counterterrorism strategy.” —Josh Earnest

Demo-gogues: “The fact is, the AR-15, the gun that [Omar] Mateen used, that’s a weapon of war. … And somebody who is buying that kind of a weapon isn’t buying it for target shooting. They’re not buying it to go out and hunt deer. … They’re buying it to do bad things and we need to recognize that and address it.” —Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

Alpha Jackass: “Here’s a little secret for my Republican colleagues: The NRA doesn’t care about you. It doesn’t care about your constituents. It doesn’t care about the constitutional rights of the followers. The NRA and its leadership care about [three] things: making money from gun manufacturers and making money from the NRA and selling more guns. ” —Sen. Harry Reid, who was previously endorsed by the NRA

Late-night humor: “Chelsea Clinton gave birth to a son this weekend. Unfortunately, due to his young age, he’s a Sanders supporter.” —Seth Meyers