The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Upright: “[Flag burning is] a First Amendment right. But you do it in front of me, I’m going to beat the hell out of you.” —Sen. Joe Manchin

For the record: “[An estimated] 83 fires are currently raging across 6 southeastern states. Eighteen of those are classified by NIFC as large and uncontained. If you get most of your news from national TV networks, this is probably the first you’ve heard of any of this. … [B]ecause it’s not happening in New York or D.C. or Los Angeles, it doesn’t really count as news. When a few snowflakes begin to fall in Washington, it’s a national emergency. When Los Angeles has a lot of traffic on Thanksgiving, it requires an international APB. But when tens of thousands of acres are burning in the South following months of drought, it barely warrants a shrug.” —Sean Davis

Alpha Jackass: “That kind of dictatorship, that kind of authoritarian leader [referring to Fidel Castro] is very similar to Trump. They lie, they cheat, they are false prophets, they promise many things but are not going to be able to comply.” —former Mexican President Vicente Fox

Eternal fate: “Fidel Castro created hell on earth for the Cuban people. He will now become intimately familiar with what he wrought.” —Sen. Tom Cotton

Vacating the narrative: “To me, I never thought Donald Trump, and I still don’t believe it today, was a racist. I don’t believe that he’s anti-African-American.” —Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET)

Non Compos Mentis: “Maybe there will be a movement where people wear the head scarf in solidarity. You know, even if you’re not Muslim.” —CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota

Easy for him to say: “I think moving to a popular vote system [to elect presidents] is not without peril, is not without problems. It’s not a simple one choice is all good, the other is all bad. It’s a balancing act. But I think the balance has shifted, in my mind at least, and I think that we should go to a popular vote.” —Al Gore

And last… “Wasn’t one vapid pretty boy named Justin from Canada enough? At least Justin Bieber is eye candy without the heartburn. Justin Trudeau, on the other hand, is the twinkly-eyed boy toy who makes informed adults wanna hurl.” —Michelle Malkin