The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Insight: “Freedom of religion means the right of the individual to choose and to adhere to whichever religious beliefs he may prefer, to join with others in religious associations to express these beliefs, and to incur no civil disabilities because of his choice.” —Joseph L. Blau (1909-1986)

Political futures: “The explosion of migrants at the southern border and the expansion of ‘asylum’ migration are just two of many tools designed to bring in millions of new ‘voters,’ whose identity won’t be verifiable under the strictures imposed by H.R. 1. It isn’t just about ‘turning Texas blue’ or solidifying the increasing ‘blueness’ of Arizona. And California is already blue. So Democrats are now proposing to ship migrants all over the country, including into traditionally ‘red’ states, where the presence of a few thousand here or there will undoubtedly flip precincts in key counties of battleground states. If H.R. 1 passes, there won’t be a damn thing states can do about it.” —Laura Hollis

The bottom line: “The composition of Congress, the Electoral College and the Supreme Court; the presidential veto and congressional veto-override powers; and other limits on power were designed by the founders to produce conflict, stalemates, sober reflection and compromise. They were placed into our political system to ensure that the United States would never descend into the raw majoritarianism that progressives are calling for and Democrats seem hell-bent on achieving. Like all humans throughout history who were drunk with power, Democrats are planting the seeds of their own failures and — more ominously — the collapse of the country.” —Laura Hollis

Friendly fire: “I believe that in the first few weeks of the Biden administration, messages were confusing. They were compassionate messages that were understood by people in our country, especially the coyotes, to tell families, ‘We’ll take the children.’ And children can go, and once children are there, they will call their parents.” — Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei

For the record: “When Mr. Biden first came to Washington during the previous mini-Ice Age, federal debt was about $450 billion — a quaint little figure when you think about it these days. In the 48 years since Mr. Biden arrived on the banks of the Potomac, federal debt has exploded. Today, it stands at $28 trillion — a figure that is literally beyond comprehension. … Mr. Biden hasn’t been back in the White House three months yet as president and already he has blown through another $2 trillion that we don’t have. … And now comes Mr. Biden with yet another proposal to spend another $2.3 trillion of money we don’t have. This one is for ‘infrastructure,’ a word that Democrats have already begun torturing in order to include all their crazy pet projects.” —Charles Hurt

Re: The Left: “From a communications standpoint, I cannot for the life of me understand the decision to … leave [Afghanistan] on 9/11 and handing a propaganda tool to the Taliban.” —Fox News’s Dana Perino

No kidding: “It’s disturbing how many of the people in charge loathe the country they are supposed to represent.” —Lisa Boothe

Non compos mentis: “I don’t look at this as a liberty thing.” —Dr. Anthony Fauci on COVID restrictions (“That’s obvious.” —Congressman Jim Jordan)

Braying jenny: “I’m pretty tough. I’m a street fighter. They would have had a battle on their hands.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who last month postured, “[January 6] was a very difficult moment for us in the Capitol and those who care about our democracy.”

I’ve made a huge mistake… “We believe the best way to make progress now is for everyone to come together to listen, respectfully share concerns and collaborate on a path forward. We remain open to productive conversations with advocacy groups and lawmakers who may have differing views. It’s time to find common ground. In the end, we all want the same thing — free and fair elections, the cornerstone of our democracy.” —Coca-Cola now feigning “common ground” only because conservatives are boycotting its products

Race bait I: “I have seen for myself how the original sin of slavery weaved white supremacy into our founding documents and principles.” —Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the UN

Race bait II: “How could a trained officer make a mistake shooting an unarmed man with a gun instead of a taser? Hard to believe.” —Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Village idiot: “Why would any person of color ever comply with a police officer when there is a 50/50 shot of getting ‘accidentally’ shot?” —Chelsea Handler

Dumb and dumber: “I had the opportunity to go talk to these peaceful protesters. … Our city is calm now, thank you all who came out to peacefully protest then went home.” —Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott with a photo of himself in a Kevlar riot helmet

And last… “Dear cancel culture, Aim higher, go for the IRS.” —Kevin Sorbo