The Patriot Post® · Austin Bomber Dead

There was breaking news Tuesday night that Mark Anthony Conditt, the individual responsible for terrorizing Texas with a series of package bombs, has been killed. Law enforcement gained several tips from video surveillance after a bomb exploded earlier this week at a FedEx facility.

Police tracked Conditt to a motel and engaged him when he attempted to flee. According to media reports, his vehicle ended up in a ditch and Conditt detonated a bomb when officers approached his car.

But concerns remain that more bombs may still be unaccounted for. Fred Milanowski, with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told reporters, “We are not 100 percent convinced there’s not other devices out there.”

Thank God for the people of Austin that this evil individual has been taken down. Seeing law enforcement in action over the course of these events is evidence of the courage and dedication of those protecting us on the Thin Blue Line.

Yesterday, President Trump offered his congratulations to law enforcement, tweeting: “AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!”

For all those who say that prayers don’t matter, I am sure the millions of people all across the country who have been praying for this violence to end quickly will beg to differ.

One final note: I hope law enforcement officials will be more transparent regarding this event than they have been with the Las Vegas shooting.

For example, video surveillance of Conditt has already been released. In Las Vegas, where cameras were all over the place, we have yet to see video footage of Stephen Paddock. Plus the incident has dropped out of the news. Where is the inquiring media demanding answers?

California Resistance

Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan said Tuesday that at least three illegal immigrants who escaped arrest last month after they were warned by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf were arrested after committing new offenses “including robbery and spousal abuse.”

I hope this news increases pressure on the Justice Department to indict Mayor Schaaf. Even most die-hard liberals are against criminals. It’s time to hold politicians accountable if they break their oaths to uphold the law, and especially if they empower criminals.

Just when you begin to think there is no accountability in our country, I am pleased to report that Gregory Salcido has been fired. You may recall that Salcido made headlines recently for telling his high school history students that American military personnel were “the lowest of our low” and worse.

Outraged patriotic parents, veterans and military families inundated the El Rancho Unified School Board and members voted unanimously to fire Salcido.

Board President Aurora Villon said, “His comments do not reflect what we stand for, who we are. The classroom should never be a place where students feel that they are picked at, bullied, intimidated.”

Perhaps Salcido would have been better off if he were an illegal immigrant. In that case, officials in the sanctuary state might have shielded him. I suspect Oakland Mayor Schaaf would have.

Here’s more good news from the Golden State. The Los Alamitos City Council voted this week to resist the state’s sanctuary law that protects illegal immigrants. Good for them. I hope other California cities follow suit.

And why not? If state lawmakers think they are free to ignore federal law, why can’t local lawmakers ignore state laws?

Illinois Results

Voters in Illinois went to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in crucial primary elections. Liberal Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner narrowly survived a challenge from his right, while billionaire J. B. Pritzker spent more than $70 million to secure the Democrat nomination.

Rep. Dan Lipinksi, one of the few remaining pro-life House Democrats, survived a tough primary fight from the Left. While he may not be good on everything, he is good on life and we applaud him for that.

It is telling that while 22% of Democrats are pro-life, only 1.6% of House Democrats are pro-life. According to NBC News reporter Steve Kornacki, just three House Democrats are pro-life.

I noticed that the group Democrats for Life has endorsed only two House incumbents. Rep. Lipinski is one of them, and the intolerant Left targeted him on that very issue.

Also in the category of good news on life and free speech, numerous reports indicate that liberal Supreme Court Justice Elana Kagan expressed concerns that the California law compelling pro-life pregnancy resource centers to promote abortion is unconstitutional. The decision in this case could be 6-3 or even 7-2 in favor of free speech.

Celebrating Life

Yesterday was World Down Syndrome Day. Sadly, many on the “progressive, tolerant” Left have no tolerance for these precious children. They cannot see their humanity and see only burdens to be disposed of.

Whether it is columnist Ruth Marcus at The Washington Post or so-called “ethicist” Peter Singer at Princeton, they are shockingly honest about their desire to “weed out the undesirables.”

The idea that some people are not fully human and possess no rights that we are bound to respect has taken us down very dark paths before.

Such was the “logic” of the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision legalizing slavery in America. It was the origin of Hitler’s eugenics program (and ultimately the Holocaust), which began with the granting of a “mercy killing” for a disabled child. And it is the foundation of Roe v. Wade, which has resulted in the destruction of more than 50 million innocent lives.

Those of us who believe that all life is sacred celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. We don’t see burdens. We see people made in the image of a loving God, people who deserve our respect and who bring tremendous joy to our lives.