The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “Society cannot leap into Communism from capitalism without going through a socialist stage of development.” —Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971)

“[Colin] Colin was a man of integrity. He was deeply principled, shaped by bedrock beliefs that guided him throughout his life. … Colin loved soldiers and always held them to the highest standards. Yet he also took time to understand their struggles — personal and professional — and to comfort them when they suffered. The U.S. military was his second family, and he cherished the opportunities that it had given him and many others. … Colin believed that his life and all that he achieved were an affirmation of America’s possibilities. … Colin’s legacy more than anything else is the people who he helped; the people he inspired; and the people who he encouraged to — as he did — devote their lives to forming a more perfect union.” —former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

“The economic disruption associated with the COVID-19 epidemic did not cause our supply-chain weaknesses — it only revealed them. American consumers, like many others around the world, quickly changed some of their patterns and habits, shifting their purchases toward durable goods and taking their business online, away from brick-and-mortar retailers, much more quickly and substantially than had been expected. That has consequences on both sides of the trade ledger: Even with the Biden administration keeping most of the Trump administration’s tariffs in place, both U.S. imports and exports are up, and the worldwide trade in physical goods is expected to climb by 8 percent in 2021. There is no way that a highly regimented, clock-punching labor force was ever going to be able to adequately cope with that change. More important: There is no way that a highly regimented, clock-punching labor force is going to be able to adequately cope with the next one. And there will be a next one — having a more connected world means that all of us have exposure to events and conditions in places we rarely think about. That brings both great benefits and significant costs. If there is a productive role for labor unions to play in our modern global economy, it is not imposing a 20th-century factory model onto a complex shipping and logistics industry that requires something more supple.” —National Review

Theater of the absurd: “Don’t rant about short-staffed stores and supply chain woes.” —Washington Post columnist Micheline Maynard

Nope: “[‘Transgender’] Admiral Rachel Levine, who serves as the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health and head of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, was ceremonially sworn in as a four-star admiral. Admiral Levine now serves as the highest ranking official in the USPHS Commissioned Corps and its first-ever female four-star admiral.” —Department of Health and Human Services

The BIG Lie: “We know good schools depend on involved parents. … Glenn Youngkin’s taking my words out of context. I’ve always valued the concerns of parents.” —Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry “I Don’t Think Parents Should Be Telling Schools What They Should Teach” McAuliffe (“It’s never a good sign when you have to say the words ‘I’ve been taken out of context’ in a campaign ad two weeks before the election.” —Matt Walsh)

Toe the line, man! “You should have asked better questions early on. You should have asked questions your viewers care about.” —Terry McAuliffe pillorying a reporter for not tossing him softballs

Non compos mentis I: “Colin Powell was part of an administration that misled the American people into a war that cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, and then today he dies from complications from a disease that spread unchecked through America because another Republican administration misled the American people.” —MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan

Non compos mentis II: “People actually die as a result of watching Fox News, whether it’s going to war in Iraq or the pandemic.” —Mehdi Hasan

And last… “If you’re a taxpayer in a major American city now suffering from prospective police shortages due to the vaccine mandate, do you believe your politicians have their priorities straight? Would you rather have an unvaxxed officer show up to your 911 call, or no one?” —Ben Shapiro