There was shocking news Thursday night that it wasn’t the NRA that failed to protect students in Parkland, Florida. Government at all levels failed in its primary obligation — to keep citizens safe.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said during a press conference Thursday that video surveillance showed a member of his team, a 6-foot 5-inch armed deputy sheriff assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a resource officer, took up a position outside the building “and he never went in” for at least four minutes.

Asked what the officer should have done, Sheriff Israel responded by saying that he should have “went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.”

Add that failure to the guidelines local liberals created when they changed rules regarding school discipline. (Here and here.)

Sheriff Israel also said that his department is investigating how it handled numerous calls involving Nikolas Cruz, including at least one threat that he “planned to shoot up the school.”

And, as we know, the FBI also failed to follow its own protocols regarding warnings it received about Cruz.

Government at every level failed, yet there is a growing mob mentality on the Left seeking a scapegoat. The mob has set its sights on the NRA, even though the NRA had nothing to do with the Parkland shooting.

Three leading car rental companies — Alamo (844-357-5138), Enterprise (855-266-9565) and National Car Rental (844-393-9989) — announced that they are terminating their benefits programs for NRA members. Carol and I use Enterprise often, but it has lost our business unless it quickly reverses this decision.

First National Bank of Omaha (800-642-0014) has canceled the NRA’s Visa card. MetLife (800-638-5433) is ending insurance discounts for NRA members.

If you would like to provide your feedback to any of these companies, please call the customer service numbers provided above. Tell them you support the Second Amendment and won’t do business with companies that undermine our constitutional rights.

Attacking Billy Graham

Congressional leaders announced Thursday that the body of Rev. Billy Graham will lie in honor next week in the Capitol Rotunda. While our nation’s leaders are honoring the life of Billy Graham, leftists are demonizing him.

When news of Graham’s death broke, Teen Vogue columnist Lauren Duca tweeted, “The big news today is that Billy Graham was still alive this whole time. Anyway, have fun in h-ll, b-tch.”

She doubled down on her disrespect with this follow up: “‘Respecting the dead’ only applies to people who weren’t evil pieces of sh-t while they were living, thanks.”

While Duca may be getting most of the attention, there is plenty of hate on the Left. Progressives piled on former President Barack Obama for daring to say something nice about Graham.

The Left’s intolerance toward men and women of faith is obscene. It is also increasingly morphing into blatant discrimination. For example, an Ohio couple lost custody of their daughter this week because they refused to pay for her transgender hormone therapy.

In her decision, Judge Sylvia Sieve Hendon declared that “the child truly may be gender-nonconforming and has a legitimate right to pursue life with a different gender identity than the one assigned at birth.”

Metro City Church in Michigan has faced weeks of protests and threats simply for holding a seminar on biblical sexuality. One man has been charged by police after threatening that Antifa would show up at the church “armed and ready.” Left-wing state legislators are demanding the attorney general launch an investigation of the church.

Conservatives repeatedly warned that the redefinition of marriage by judicial fiat would inevitably lead to censorship of pastors and churches. The Left dismissed those concerns, saying the First Amendment would protect religious liberty. Tell that to the congregation of Metro City Church.

The Left doesn’t want surveillance of mosques to identify terrorists or find out if anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism is being taught. (And it is.) But it will threaten to shut down a church for teaching biblical and biological truth.

Don’t Be Complacent

President Trump addressed the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday. As Fox News put it, the president’s remarks were “fiery and freewheeling,” reminiscent of Trump’s stump speeches during the 2016 campaign.

President Trump highlighted a litany of accomplishments during his first year, including tax cuts, moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, repealing Obamacare’s individual mandate, a record rollback of regulations, a record number of circuit court judges confirmed and even the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. The crowd roared its approval.

And the American people seem to approve as well. The latest Rasmussen poll finds the president’s job approval rating at 50%, the highest it has been in seven months. It’s also five points higher than Barack Obama’s rating at this point in his presidency.

Given the stakes in the weeks and months ahead, I especially appreciated the president’s warning to conservative activists. Trump said he understood the “natural instinct” to relax after a big win, and his victory over Hillary Clinton was HUGE.

But Trump added:

“You just won, and now, you’re happy and complacent. Don’t be complacent! We have to get out there, and we have to fight in ‘18 like never before.”

My friends, President Trump is absolutely right! The battle for the heart and soul of America did not end on Nov. 8, 2016. As you know from reading these reports, it continues every day. And right now, the Left is fired up.

We must fight back!

We must elect more conservatives to Congress in 2018, especially to the Senate if we are going to restore balance to the courts.

The Left was convinced Hillary Clinton would win in 2016. The Left is convinced it is going to make big gains in 2018. Let’s prove it wrong again! And let’s make America great again!