Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, got an extremely disturbing call Sunday.  While Zeldin and his wife were on their way home from attending a Columbus Day parade, they got a frantic call from one of their daughters.  There had been a shooting right outside their home.
 
According to police, the shooting appears to be gang related.  Two teenagers were walking past Zeldin’s home when an SUV pulled up and someone opened fire from inside the vehicle.  The teenagers jumped into Zeldin’s yard, dodging the bullets, one of which landed just yards away from where Zeldin’s daughters had been studying.
 
When the shooting began, they ran upstairs and locked themselves in a bathroom.  One daughter called 911, while the other called her parents.  Zeldin told reporters that at one point the injured teenagers were hiding under his front porch and in the bushes in his yard.
 
There is tremendous irony that this happened at Zeldin’s home because he has made combatting crime a major theme of his campaign.  Sadly, this is what many New Yorkers are experiencing every day. 
 
During an interview over the weekend, former Democrat Governor David Paterson echoed the fears of many New Yorkers.  He said:
 
“For the first time in my life, even in the late ‘80s and '90s when the crime rate was killing 2,000 people a year, I never felt as unsafe as I do now… You’re hearing about an assault on the subway almost every other day.”
 
And here’s the latest trend in our slide toward barbarism:  People who are severely injured or killed in accidents are being robbed on the streets before first responders can arrive! 
 
For most of the year, incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul has enjoyed a wide lead in the governor’s race.  But the most recent poll suggests it’s now neck-and-neck.  Frustrated New Yorkers who want to take their streets back and keep criminals behind bars have a clear choice this November. 
 
Vanderbilt Backs Down
 
We recently told you about how Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), one of the most prestigious hospital systems in the south, was outed by the real investigative journalism of Matt Walsh and the Daily Wire. 
 
They uncovered videos of Vanderbilt hospital executives saying how much money could be made by performing “gender transitioning surgeries” on children.  They were bragging about mutilating children for profit. 
 
Other videos showed their disdain not just for normalcy, but also for the conscience rights of medical professionals who object to such procedures.    
 
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee demanded an investigation, and scores of state legislators publicly rebuked VUMC.  There was also a huge backlash from Vanderbilt alumni and donors. 
 
Late Friday afternoon, the hospital announced that it was “pausing all gender affirmation surgeries for minors,” pending a review that could take months.  The hospital also acknowledged that lawmakers were likely to address the issue in its upcoming legislative session, and it vowed to “comply with any new requirements.”
 
No doubt hospital administrators are hoping that this statement will quell the controversy, so they can get back to making big bucks at the expense of our kids as quickly as possible. 
 
But for the time being at least, these grotesque procedures have been stopped, and that’s good news indeed.  It’s not every day that our movement can claim a victory, and this is a victory for common sense and parental rights.
 
To all our friends in Tennessee, please take a moment to contact your state legislators.  Urge them to protect children from damaging and irreversible medical interventions.