Insight: “It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.” —Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

Upright: “I started out like most young, black men in the country where default is being liberal. Default is being a Democrat. … When I became a police officer, I was still a liberal. I voted for Barack Obama. Thank you, Barack Obama, because Barack Obama is what really made me leave … what I call the plantation. I paid taxes for the first time, significant amount of taxes when I was a cop. … It made me feel like I need to know what’s going on. Then Barack Obama started talking real bad about police, and that really turned me off. I opened my eyes in understanding to the other side.” —former Tucson, Arizona, police officer Brandon Tatum

Spin doctors: “As best I recall, the sequence of statements coming from the government and ‘experts’ since the beginning of COVID-19 has gone something like this: You don’t need to wear a mask and it’s no more serious than the flu; you do need to wear a mask, though the virus is so small it can penetrate all but the N95 brand, so you should wear two masks; a vaccine will protect you from catching the virus and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you won’t have to wear a mask if fully vaccinated; you must still wear a mask even if fully vaccinated because of the Delta variant; if you have been fully vaccinated it is unlikely you will catch the Delta variant, but wear a mask anyway just in case; kids may or may not return to school and if they do return, they may or may not be forced to wear masks, even though young children appear to be less affected by the virus. Is that clear? I didn’t think so.” —Cal Thomas

Friendly fire I: “Imagine for a moment that Donald Trump was throwing a massive birthday party for himself and 475 conservative friends in Martha’s Vineyard next weekend? What do you think the reaction would be from liberals, given that America is currently in the grip of a very dangerous new phase of the coronavirus pandemic with the Delta variant of COVID that has seen infections rise 148% in the past two weeks and hospitalizations by 73%? … I think we all know what Trump’s liberal critics would say: that it’s shamefully selfish, incredibly reckless, and a former President of the United States should be setting a better example to the American people at such a perilous time for the country. And they would be right. But it’s not President Trump who is having the party, it’s President Barack Obama.” —Piers Morgan

Friendly fire II: “Why do we allow the people who just want to [complain] always win? … This is called a purge. It’s a mentality that belongs in Stalin’s Russia. How bad does this atmosphere we’re living in have to get before the people who say cancel culture is overblown admit that it is in fact an insanity that is swallowing up the world?” —Bill Maher

Non compos mentis: “The recommendations are for kids under 12, that they avoid being in places where they might get infected, which means recommendations of mask-wearing in schools and at home. Parents of unvaccinated kids should be thoughtful about this, and the recommendation is to wear masks there as well. I know that’s uncomfortable. I know it seems weird. But it is the best way to protect your kids.” —NIH Director Francis Collins

Braying jenny: “It’s wrong to hope [Senator Lindsey Graham] dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend.” —Rhode Island Democratic Party chief strategist Kate Coyne-McCoy

And last… “If America is not strong, the world will be at the mercy of tyrants and enter an era we dare not imagine.” —Mike Pompeo