The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “The real ‘haves’ are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities. On the other hand, the real ‘have nots’ are they who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor.” —Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)

Upright: “To believe from early childhood that you walk through life held in contempt by all of your fellow citizens who are white is to walk through life with much more than a chip on your shoulder. It is more like a heavy boulder. It means that you will walk through life with two paralyzing burdens: anger and victimhood. Either one is enough to ruin your life. Combined they’re devastating. It gives one an idea of how cynical the left is that it would want to cultivate both of these life-ruining emotions in as many Blacks as possible.” —Dennis Prager

For the record: “The damage the left is doing to America may be mortal. When it is widely deemed OK to destroy statues of Abraham Lincoln, society is experiencing a moral earthquake which may eventually destroy it. But the damage the left is doing to so many Blacks — to their moral compass, to their happiness and to their relations with their white fellow citizens — is not in the realm of ‘may do.’ It is done.” —Dennis Prager

Political futures: “Trump will remain underwater precisely until the moment that Joe Biden is forced to come out from the shadows and start speaking. When average, voting Americans actually see and hear Joe Biden as he now exists, everything is going to change. Trump exudes no statesmanship, but Biden inspires no confidence that he can make it through the next statement, no less the next four years.” —Peter Heck

The BIG Lie: “The idea that somehow [Trump] didn’t know [about Russian bounties] is a dereliction of duty if that’s the case. And if he was briefed and he didn’t do anything about it that is a dereliction of duty.” —Joe Biden

Non compos mentis, Part I: “I’ve been tested [for cognitive decline] and I’m constantly tested.” —Joe Biden

Non compos mentis, Part II: “Look [unintelligible] all you gotta do is watch me and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I’m running against.” —Joe Biden fumbling his remarks regarding his “cognitive ability” when taking questions from reporters for the first time in 89 days. He fumbled again regarding tearing down statues: “Don’t be surprised if somebody pulls down a statue of Jefferson Davis. It’s better that they do not. But it’s fundamentally different than pulling down the statue, or going into the Lincoln Memorial and trying to pull, uh, you know, not Lincoln Memorial…”

And last… “The highest coronavirus numbers, the worst police brutality cases and the most violent riots have been in Democrat-run cities. That’s just a fact.” —Allie Beth Stuckey