Insight: “American tyranny has come gradually, like a slowly rising river. Each of us does not realize the danger until the water comes in our door. Until then, it is merely someone else’s problem and a problem that we fool ourselves into thinking won’t reach us.” —Charley Reese (1937-2013)

For the record I: “I could make an argument that the first five months of the Biden administration have been the best of Vladimir Putin’s political life. Just from an economic standpoint, folks know that Vladimir Putin was 3-0 when it comes to pipelines. … But then Joe Biden gave him a political win. He invited the Russian dictator … to sit down with him. And, as a result of that, Vladimir Putin was on the world stage with equal billing with the leader of the free world, and he made no concessions.” —former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe

For the record II: “Vladimir Putin got something that the American people haven’t gotten. He’s had four hours with Joe Biden and an ability to conduct really a physical and mental assessment, evaluation and differential diagnosis. And why that’s important … [is because] as intelligence professionals, when it comes to foreign leaders, whether it’s videos or pictures, I mean, we look at every tick, every tremor, every bobble. … Vladimir Putin … a former KGB spy, a seasoned intelligence officer, had four hours directly with Joe Biden … who we all know fell up a flight of stairs for no apparent reason twice, someone who couldn’t remember the name of his own secretary of defense, couldn’t remember the name of the Pentagon, and someone who has uttered more incomprehensible words and sentences than any American would care to admit.” —John Ratcliffe

Re: The Left: “Crime is a problem all over America. It’s going to get worse as some of it is driven by gangs and drugs, which are pouring across the border in record numbers. But it is most prominent in places where the left is in complete control. At some point the voters of these cities have to wake up. By the way, I couldn’t help but notice the irony of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot declaring racism a ‘public health emergency.’ Not only is this the same bigoted mayor who refuses to grant interviews to white journalists, she had the audacity to declare: ‘At almost every single point in our city’s history, racism has taken a devastating toll on the health and well-being of our residents of color — especially those who are Black.’ Well, Democrats have dominated Chicago for decades. So, I guess we know who’s to blame for the city’s history of racism.” —Gary Bauer

Leftist double standards: “Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is a member of a whites-only beach club, the Gov of Virginia either wore black face or a Ku Klux Klan robe, and Joe Biden said he didn’t want his kids to grow up in a racial jungle. But Democrats want to lecture about racism in America…” —Lisa Boothe

The bottom line: “Critical race theory is bigoted, it is a lie, and it is every bit as racist as the klansmen in white sheets.” —Senator Ted Cruz

Belly laugh of the week: “We have the highest ethical standards of any administration in history.” —White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

Non sequitur: “Let me just say that I’m a big supporter of Roe v. Wade. I am a mother of five children in six years. I have some standing on this issue as to respecting a woman’s right to choose.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when asked, “Is an unborn baby at 15 weeks a human being?”

Race bait: “I don’t think America has seen enough people like me. I don’t think America intimately knows enough people like me. I would love America to see black people, especially black gay men, as, and I hate this word, normal, and as human beings, and as part of the culture. … I don’t know if America sees black people and especially black gay men as fully human, and as deserving of the American dream.” —CNN’s Don Lemon

Stop digging: “It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves. … And that’s the reason why I say people who then criticize me about that are actually criticizing science.” —Dr. Anthony Fauci

And last… “Tony Fauci is not acting as a scientist or a doctor anymore. He’s acting as a Democratic Party activist in a white lab coat.” —Senator Tom Cotton