The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” —Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

“The time is long overdue to stop looking for progress through racial or ethnic leaders. Such leaders have too many incentives to promote polarizing attitudes and actions that are counterproductive for minorities and disastrous for the country.” —Thomas Sowell

“The last thing we need more of in this country is the victim mindset. Responsibility is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind, and men must be held responsible for their actions. Still, can we be surprised that after years of being told they are the problem, that their manhood is the problem, more and more men are withdrawing into the enclave of idleness and pornography and video games?” —Senator Josh Hawley

“As a father of six and grandfather to 16, it has been my experience that success in the classroom and beyond is not just based on extraordinary teachers and a strong curriculum, but on robust parental involvement. Parents have and always will be invaluable advocates for their children, and we do not expect, nor will we tolerate, attacks to the contrary. Parents’ passionate concerns and debate regarding the divisive practices of critical race theory, school safety and other education decisions that directly impact their children should be encouraged and supported, not attacked and disregarded. Recent actions by the federal Department of Education, Department of Justice, and activist teachers’ unions to intimidate and stifle the voices of concerned taxpaying Americans are shameful and harmful to students.” —Congressman Burgess Owens

D'oh! “What happens in Virginia will in large part determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on.” —Kamala Harris last week

Leftmedia, Exhibit A: “We do, in part, rely on all of [the media] to convey the truth and actual facts. And if you all want to write about this amazing tax cut for families and children that’s really transformative, that would be really helpful.” —Congressman Ted Lieu

Leftmedia, Exhibit B: “Most of the coverage right now and the better part of the last few months has been on process, which of course makes sense because we are engaged in a complex legislative process to get these bills across the finish line. But that, in some respects, obfuscates away from the substance of these incredibly important, consequential pieces of legislation that will have lasting impact on the American people and American families.” —Congressman Joe Neguse

Non compos mentis I: “If Rupert Murdoch were applying for American citizenship today, there would be ample evidence to classify him as a domestic threat and deny citizenship. He’s a dangerous man who should be treated as the anti-democratic propagandist he is.” —Lincoln Project adviser Stuart Stevens

Non compos mentis II: “Arguably the greatest threat to our democracy continues in its quest to rot this country out from the outside. No, no, not the Republican Party this time. I’m talking about Fox News.” —MSNBC’s Joy Reid

Non compos mentis III: “The Murdochs and Tucker Carlson, their primetime pyromaniac, appear to be hell-bent on dragging this country into a civil war. Jefferson Davis would be proud.” —CNN’s Jim Acosta

Non compos mentis IV: “I think it’s a mistake for us to think of January 6 as an isolated event.” —New York Times’s Astead Herndon

Village idiot: “The stakes are high. When this election is over in Virginia, we will know: Have we seen the emergence of the Delta variant of Trumpism? The Delta variant of Trumpism. In other words, [Glenn] Youngkin, same disease, but spreads a lot faster and can get a lot more places.” —CNN’s Van Jones

And last… “Turns out calling concerned moms domestic terrorists doesn’t bode well for winning an election.” —Danielle D'Souza Gill