The Patriot Post® · Monday Short Cuts

Insight: “Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.” —Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)

Political futures: “The migrant surge at the southern border is getting worse with every passing day. Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly 100,000 illegal immigrants in February. That’s up 170% from one year ago, and it’s the highest number of February apprehensions in 15 years! Apprehensions of unaccompanied minors jumped 58% from January to February, and 166% from February of 2020. According to The New York Times, the Biden administration is now ‘scrambling’ to find more housing for all these unaccompanied minors. … It’s ironic that so many people voted for Biden because they thought he could handle a crisis. Well, he’s only been in office for 50 days, and he’s already created one!” —Gary Bauer

Observations: “Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, especially those like Remain in Mexico, were effectual at stanching illegal immigration inflows and restoring order to our porous border. Much as with the Biden administration’s kowtowing to the Iranian regime in the foreign policy arena, its reversal of Trump-era actions on immigration enforcement seems less motivated by genuine concern for the common good of the polity and more motivated by a blinkered case of ‘Orange Man Bad.’ Such posturing might play well among the blue-checked Twitterati, but the American people pay the price.” —Josh Hammer

For the record: “Democrats are telling themselves that it’s like 1933, when we were in the midst of a depression, whereas it’s more like 1983, when we were coming out of a punishing recession. … It is more supply — i.e., businesses being closed or supply chains disrupted — than demand that is hampering the economy now.” —Rich Lowry

Credit where it’s due: “I would absolutely tip my hat. … The Trump administration made sure that we got in record time a vaccine up and out. That’s a great thing and it’s something we should all be excited about.” —Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the White House’s COVID team

Forewarning: “This is about creating a gun registry to track guns of the American people. There is no way to implement what the Democrats are trying to implement without doing that.” —Congressman Chip Roy on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s latest gun control proposal

Gaslighting: “If you are afraid to vote for gun violence prevention because of your political survival, understand this: The political survival of none of us is more important than the survival of our children.” —Nancy Pelosi

Demagogue: “You’re just going to have to ask the virus [about additional COVID legislation]. … What’s interesting about this virus is that it’s resourceful, it mutates, it has variants, and so too must we be resourceful and resilient in how we deal with it, but we will be on top of it.” —Nancy Pelosi greasing the skids for perpetual COVID “relief”

Grand delusions I: “I don’t really see Disney as characterizing itself as right-leaning or left-leaning.” —Disney CEO Bob Chapek, whose company canceled actress Gina Carano for challenging cancel culture

Grand delusions II: “The fact is that we have a tremendous opportunity now to bring this country back together and unite people — one thing we can all agree on is the power of Disney to unite us all.” —Bob Chapek, whose company is purging classic films

Straight from the horse’s mouth: “We have chosen not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness.” —Amazon Vice President of Public Policy Brian Huseman

Then: “I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it.” —Kamala Harris on Joe Biden’s accusers | Now: “………………………………..” —Kamala Harris on Andrew Cuomo’s accusers

And last… “A couple months ago Gov. Cuomo was every Democrat’s hero while he was killing thousands of people in nursing homes. Says a lot about them that they’re only now coming around to the idea that he’s a terrible person.” —Caleb Hull