The Patriot Post® · Thursday Short Cuts

Observations

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” —Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD)

“If it takes a law to stop you from holding a classroom discussion with 5-year-olds about sex, you shouldn’t be a teacher. Actually, you shouldn’t be allowed within several miles of a school.” —Allie Beth Stuckey

“Taiwan’s free economy is among the most prosperous in the world. It is one of the few countries that has experienced continuous economic growth during the past five years, and last year, it experienced its strongest economic growth in a decade. Practically every electronic device in the world — from smartphones to the computer chips in our own Air Force’s F-35 fighter jets — contains essential parts that are manufactured only in Taiwan, by Taiwanese companies. This makes the island democracy an immensely important strategic objective. If the CCP could take Taiwan by force, it would also likely gain command over the market for advanced chip manufacturing for the global market. That control would be catastrophic for America and our allies.” —former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

“U.S. taxpayer money … should be used to help Americans get new jobs, ramp up oil production at home, and lower gas prices through the increased supply. This is something that should have been done throughout 2021, but instead Biden did the opposite. He discouraged oil investment, closed new oil leases, and his team promised laid-off Americans they could get a new job in the green energy business. The odd part about that strategy is not that the Left believes in green energy or wants to cut down American production of oil. That has been the case for quite some time. The peculiar thing about all this is that Biden pushed that strategy while supposedly operating off intelligence that Russia would invade Ukraine and interrupt the oil market. … But if he were expecting Putin’s war and knew it would cause an increase in gas prices for the American people, then why didn’t he take the steps needed to ensure cheap fuel to avoid added burden for the nation? Well, it seems obvious that he did it because he truly does operate from an America Last standpoint.” —Tim Meads

“[Biden] said defending freedom comes at a cost. … It’s the environmental claptrap that comes as a cost. This is not about freedom. There would be no cost if we didn’t demonize drilling, if we didn’t shut down pipelines, if we didn’t demonize fossil fuels. So, it’s not about defending Ukraine. It’s about exposing the destructiveness of, I would say, the green ideology, which is part of a larger ideology of punishment.” —Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld

A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut

“This just exposes how insane it is that … we rely on energy from authoritarian leaders and we are not self-reliant on our own energy.” —MSNBC’s Katy Tur

Hot Air

“We’re already seeing climate refugees around the world. If you think migration has been a problem in Europe in the Syrian war, or even from what we see now, wait until you see 100 million people for whom the entire food production capacity has collapsed.” —climate czar John Kerry

Non Compos Mentis Award

“It’s a form of bullying. It is horrific. … Why are Florida leaders deciding they need to discriminate against kids who are members of the LGBTQI community? What prompts them to do that? Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school, in their communities?” —White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

And Last…

“Sending Kamala Harris to Poland to solve the Ukrainian crisis is like sending Dr. Jill Biden to do heart surgery.” —Charlie Kirk