Archive for the ‘Civil Rights’ Category

Thank God (literally) for William Clark, a high school senior at a charter school in Nevada. He and his mother filed a lawsuit, titled Clark v. State Public Charter School Authority, on the grounds that it’s violating his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

According to the lawsuit, “the young plaintiff William Clark and his mother Gabrielle Clark claim their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were being violated. Students were allegedly told that by refusing to identify with an oppressive group, they were exercising their privilege or underscoring their role as an oppressor.” That’s just part of it. Here’s more information on what’s happening:

William was directed “in class to ‘unlearn‘ the basic Judeo-Christian principles [his mother] imparted to him, and then [the school] retaliated against [him].”

“Some racial, sexual, gender and religious identities, once revealed,”the complaint states, “are officially singled out in the programming as inherently problematic, and assigned pejorative moral attributes by Defendants.”

That’s what real oppression looks like. That isn’t perceived oppression. It’s definitely real.

William Clark was required for assignments the legal complaint says “to reveal his racial, sexual, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities and religious identities,” by his teacher who greeted the students by saying, “Hello my wonderful social justice warriors!” Clark was told the next step would be to determine if parts of his identity “have privilege or oppression attached to it.” Privilege was defined as “the inherent belief in the inferiority of the oppressed group.”

The legal argument the Clarks make is that William is being compelled “to make professions about his racial, sexual, gender and religious identities in verbal class exercises and in graded, written homework assignments which were subject to the scrutiny, interrogation and derogatory labeling of students, teachers and school administrators.” The defendants “are coercing him to accept and affirm politicized and discriminatory principles and statements that he cannot in conscience affirm.”

This is professional brow-beating by unaccountable administrators. That’s otherwise known as indoctrination, which is totally unacceptable. Most importantly, telling people what they’re allowed to practice in terms of religion is what started the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which led directly to the Revolutionary War, then subsequently to the First Amendment. The oppressor isn’t white people. It’s Big Government Democrats! They’re the people governing by fiat. Think Tim Walz, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Andrew Cuomo, Lori Lightfoot, Keith Ellison and Eric Garcetti.

How many lives have those Democrats ruined this year? It’s disgusting. These Democrats have ruined lives through school indoctrination, COVID shutdowns and one-size-fits-all COVID policies. Whitmer, Newsom and Pelosi have disgusted people through the Democrats’ do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do fiats. It’s time to throw these jacka$$es out of office the next election.

Most importantly, it’s time to stand up for the Constitution and the First Amendment. If we do that, though, it’s essential that all who trust in the First Amendment stand up together. William Clark has provided the example. I pray that we all stand with him in this fight.

Keith Ellison is Minnesota’s chief law enforcement officer in name only. It’s indisputable that he doesn’t apply the laws equally. If there was any doubt that he’d turn a blind eye towards his political allies, this Powerline article puts that question to rest.

The story starts with “The organizers of a rodeo in the tiny northern Minnesota town of Effie are facing state punishment after disregarding warnings not to hold the event in violation of an executive order restricting the size of public gatherings. It’s the first time the state has brought an enforcement action against an entertainment venue that has operated ‘in open defiance of the law,’ Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a news release.”

Effie is roughly 40 miles from Grand Rapids. It’s literally timber wolf country. The thought that Keith Ellison would file this type of action is beyond disgusting. The first thing to do is sign this petition to tell Mr. Ellison that his double standard doesn’t comply with the Constitution, which requires equal application of the law. Specifically, the Fourteenth Amendment states “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

How many lawsuits has Mr. Ellison filed against Black Lives Matter-Minneapolis? Certainly, their riots in Minneapolis exceeded the limits of Gov. Walz’s EO. They didn’t wear masks and they didn’t social distance, either. This part is infuriating:

Ellison said in a news release that his office has been working with businesses and events across Minnesota for months to help them understand the law and the governor’s orders. In most cases, he says they have reached agreements that led to voluntary compliance, but his office is charged with enforcing the law when people don’t comply.

“Business owners and event operators need to know that they are not above the law. If they risk the health and safety of our communities, my office will take strong action, as we are doing today,” Ellison said in a news release.

“My office will take strong action” ‘except if they’re protesting against the police, rioting in the streets or share the DFL’s priorities. Apparently, then you’re invisible to his office. Tim Walz has been silent on this action. This picture explains why:

Finally, let’s remember that 1 person who attended the event got diagnosed with COVID. Let’s remember that a total of 125 cases have been reported for all of Itasca County since February. If Ellison won’t apply the law equally, then he isn’t fit for this job. He should be removed ASAP.

Scott Jensen and John Marty aren’t on the same page when it comes to COVID-19. This is where the 2 senators are at:

“We’re not going to get through this by having someone serve as an emperor of Minnesota,” said state Sen. Scott Jensen, R-Chaska. “I’ve heard dictator. I’ve heard tyrant. I’ve heard emperor,” countered state Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville. “I know Tim Walz and I don’t think he’s any of those things.”

I don’t know Tim Walz but I can analyze the things I’m seeing. According to Scott Johnson’s meticulous reporting, we’ve had 25 COVID-related deaths in the past week: 5, 5, 4, 3 & 8. That’s a health concern. It isn’t a health crisis by any stretch of the imagination.

While it’s subjective, let’s introduce Dr. Scott Jensen’s COVID report card:

Time for your COVID-19 report card Minnesota.

Today being was suppose to be “peak day” for COVID-19. Remember when @govtimwalz predicted 3,700 hospitalized in the ICU for July 13th & over 1,000 deaths in a day?

Let’s see how we all did…especially the politicians.#mnleg pic.twitter.com/GlN7V4xFqq

— Scott Jensen (@drscottjensen) July 14, 2020

Let’s go through Sen. Jensen’s report card:

Physical distancing, common sense and surges and peaks: “We’ve done pretty well.”
States rights in terms of being honored by the federal government, “doing pretty well.”
In terms of the federal government getting dollars to the states to make things work, so we can support the initiatives for COVID-19, “doing ok.”
Suspending air travel and securing borders: “We’re doing ok.”
“CDC botched up testing pretty good and they didn’t tell us and when it did get disclosed … they wasted more time.”
“Civil liberty encroachments?” “When Gov. Walz decides to send out addresses of every COVID-19 cases to 500 law enforcement agencies, it doesn’t really sound like we’re really protecting people’s private health information.”

Dr. Jensen then said that he wasn’t “holding Gov. Walz accountable for spreading misinformation or reckless advice … because he initially said we’d have 74,000 deaths”, then reduced it to 29,000. “Oh yeah, today is July 13th. This was supposed to be peak day. This was when our intensive cares were supposed to be overrun and we were supposed to have over 1,000 deaths per day in Minnesota. But, gee, over 5 or 6 months, we’ve only had 1,500 total and 1,200 of those were in long-term care facilities, which actually had active COVID-19 patients shipped into them” so “we don’t get a very good grade on that.”

Final assessment: “Our report card isn’t so great but if you look at the best grades we got, it’s because we leaned into you. We leaned into the personal responsibility of Minnesotans and Americans. We asked you ‘Please physically distance. Please honor the people around you.”

“If I were the teacher grading it, I’d give the politicians a D. I’d give Minnesotans and Americans a B or an A-.”

That’s a fair report card but I’d take it a step further. Generally speaking, the DFL has stunk at trusting Minnesotans. My state representative, Dan Wolgamott, has voted to support Tim Walz on COVID-related issues 100% of the time. He’s trusted the government to make the big decisions. He didn’t trust small businesses and families to make the biggest decisions.

Businesses and families are the front-line troops on the ground. They know what’s happening in their lives. State government is there to provide support. It isn’t there to make all the decisions for us. Thus far, Tim Walz has been an autocrat. He’s treated Minnesotans like his subjects. Dan Wolgamott has supported Tim Walz, not Minnesota families.

Finally, I’d give him a D- or an F. I’d give the DFL the same grade.

For the second straight night, gunfire interrupted the night in St. Cloud. For the second straight night, the St. Cloud police reacted with restraint and forcefulness. In light of the tinderbox that we’re living in, it’s difficult to picture a police department handling things perfectly. Nonetheless, the SCPD handled things well.

I’m basing that opinion on this Strib article, which reported “However, unrest resurfaced about 10:20 p.m. Monday, when authorities were alerted to gunshots in the same area where the officer was shot.”

There’s little question whether this is escalating, despite the best efforts of the police. The escalation is underway and intensifying. Tonight will be another tense night in St. Cloud.

According to police:

1. Officers arrived and found multiple people running from where the gunfire originated, and no victims were located.
2. Within a half-hour, roughly 200 people had gathered in the area. Some blocked traffic, and threw rocks at officers and passing vehicles.
3. Officers soon saw some from the crowd break through the front-door glass of the Southtown Liquor Store. Multiple people went inside, stole items and caused more damage.
4. Police ordered the crowd to disperse, followed by a warning that the gathering was considered an unlawful assembly. Officers then used “chemical crowd control munitions” to break up the gathering, a department statement read.

FYI- A loyal reader of LFR sent me information that said that the only person allegedly booked into the Stearns County Jail on Monday morning was Abdikarin Mohamed Omar. The arrest date/time in 6/15/2020 at 05:50 am. The charge was “Fleeing a peace officer-MS.” You’ll recall that the person arrested early Monday morning wasn’t identified. This explains why. I expect that CAIR-MN will be in St. Cloud by Wednesday mid-morning to claim this young man’s civil rights were violated. That’s BS on steroids. This collection of information explains why it’s BS:

Over the next four hours, however, officers responded in the same area of the city to numerous unlawful assemblies, multiple reports of gunfire, assaults involving people within the crowd, rocks being thrown and three dumpster fires. One person needed medical attention at a nearby hospital. “Crowd control measures” eventually proved successful in breaking up the gatherings of various sizes, the police statement continued.

Numerous officers were hit with rocks, but no significant injuries were reported. The unrest forced the Police Department to close its headquarters lobby Tuesday to the public.

That’s a small-scale riot. A meeting was held this afternoon in an attempt to suppress the violence:

Members who gathered at Lake George were those who signed the city’s community policing agreement, which was first signed by parties in 2005 and updated in 2018. Those involved include representatives from a number of civil rights organizations, churches and advocacy groups. Some meeting with Alberts said the militarized police force seemed heavy-handed for many of the people protesting and some thought that undermined the community policing agreement.

This is ridiculous. The police tried settling things without violence. When the people started raiding stores, there aren’t many options left. When the rioters start throwing projectiles at the police, the police officers’ nonviolent options should be taken off the table.

This manifesto highlights the tactics used by the Minneapolis rioters. It’s part after-action report, part cheerleading document, part tactics manual. Mostly, it’s a long read. What’s obvious throughout is that the rioters and looters acted in opportunistic fashion to help advance the overall goal.

One thing that’s immediately clear is this wasn’t just a bunch of activists protesting. They didn’t start off as organized in the traditional sense. They morphed as the nights went along. One of the key groups were the “Medical Support.” According to the manifesto, this “included street medics and medics performing triage and urgent care at a converted community center two blocks away from the precinct. Under different circumstances, this could be performed at any nearby sympathetic commercial, religious, or not-for profit establishment. Alternatively, a crowd or a medic group could occupy such a space for the duration of a protest. Those who were organized as street medics did not interfere with the tactical choices of the crowd. Instead, they consistently treated anyone who needed their help.”

We’ll find out later in the manifesto that the looters resupplied the medics with water by looting stores in the neighborhood near the Third Precinct. There were some looters out for personal gain. It’s just that lots of looters took the opportunity to steal what they needed to escalate the violence.

Peaceful Protestors

The non-violent tactics of peaceful protesters served two familiar aims and one unusual one:

1. They created a spectacle of legitimacy, which was intensified as police violence escalated.
2. They created a front line that blocked police attempts to advance when they deployed outside of the Precinct.
3. In addition, in an unexpected turn of affairs, the peaceful protestors shielded those who employed projectiles.

The supposedly peaceful protesters were used like human shields. In the future, police and national guards shouldn’t let these protesters go unpunished. If they simply protest, that’s protected. The instant that they’re used as human shields to protect rioters, they aren’t protected. The First Amendment protects “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”

Whenever the police threatened tear gas or rubber bullets, non-violent protesters lined up at the front with their hands up in the air, chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot!” Sometimes they kneeled, but typically only during relative lulls in the action. When the cops deployed outside the Precincts, their police lines frequently found themselves facing a line of “non-violent” protestors. This had the effect of temporarily stabilizing the space of conflict and gave other crowd members a stationary target. While some peaceful protestors angrily commanded people to stop throwing things, they were few and grew quiet as the day wore on.

According to their own words, these protesters were complicit in the violence. This isn’t police speculation. This is a manifesto written by the people who carried this out. While it’s true that this wasn’t organized in the traditional sense, it’s equally true that these ‘troops’ were well-trained in street warfare. Lots of people were capable of doing multiple jobs. This is displayed here:

After the police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, the ballistics squads also began to employ rocks. Elements within the crowd dismantled bus bench embankments made of stone and smashed them up to supply additional projectiles.

It’s difficult to picture how the entire crowd wasn’t complicit in these riots. With different groups moving from station to station, why shouldn’t we anticipate them getting into the action?

The manifesto is a lengthy read but it’s important reading. We shouldn’t think of these mobs as being poorly trained or ill-equipped. Clearly, they’re well-trained and properly equipped. Most importantly, they’re trained in restocking the shelves to sustain the rioting.

Finally, it’s important to state that the vast majority of protesters/rioters have never for a Republican in their life. These people don’t think the police serve a worthwhile function. These people are DFL mainstream in Minneapolis.

Each year, it’s easier to make the case that the Democrat Party is aligned with hate-filled organization. What’s worst is that the most hate-filled people are academics at elite universities. I wish it was surprising to know that Ivy League schools hate diversity of opinions. Unfortunately, it isn’t surprising whatsoever.

Jonathan Turley’s post highlights how disgusting the censorship movement has come. Though he didn’t say it in his post, it must break a constitutional law professor’s heart to see this type of censorship happening on college campuses.

At one point, Prof. Turley highlighted the fact that “What is most striking for me is the inclusion of Professors Mark H. Jackson and Cortelyou Kenney, who teach in the Cornell First Amendment Clinic. They are in fact the Director and Associate Director of the First Amendment Clinic, which is presumably committed to the value of free speech even at private institutions. So these professors teach free speech and just signed a letter that people who question the BLM movement or denounce the looting are per se or at least presumptive racists.”

I’ve written here multiple times that the First Amendment still protects hate speech. The First Amendment isn’t needed to protect popular or noncontroversial speech. The First Amendment is essential if you want controversial speech protected. While I don’t like hate speech or the burning of the American flag, I’ll defend to the death the right of people to say controversial or hate-filled things.

Congratulations to Professor Jacobson for eloquently defending himself in this interview:

Democrats only like free speech when the people speaking are saying things that they agree with. That isn’t free speech. That’s approved speech, which means someone is approving what’s getting said. That’s what happens in fascist countries. It isn’t what happens in the United States.

Despite the Democrats’ best efforts to deny reports that Seattle has quickly turned into a violence-riddled city, that’s what’s happening in Seattle. It’s clear because I’m quoting a statement issued by Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Stephanie Formas, Mayor Durkan’s chief of staff, read from the statement, saying “After events Sunday night, it was clear that the situation needed to be significantly defused and de-escalated. The cycle of conflict between demonstrators and officers was harmful to residents, demonstrators, businesses, officers, our city, and the opportunity to make real progress with the community. On Monday, Mayor Durkan concluded the situation could only be deescalated between officers and demonstrators by removing the barriers. After long consultations with Chief Best and SPD, on how to do so in a safe manner, the Mayor directed free access to Pine Street for peaceful demonstrations Monday evening.”

The definition of de-escalate is “to decrease in intensity, magnitude, etc.” If everything is calm in Seattle, then there isn’t a need for de-escalation. This is proof that Durkan is applying partisan spin to a difficult, if not dangerous, public safety situation.

Durkan and Gov. Inslee, both exceptionally progressive Democrats, have let the anarchists ruin one of the most beautiful cities in the Western Hemisphere. There’s a reason why Seattle’s nickname is the Emerald City. It isn’t surprising that the progressives essentially surrendered Seattle to the mob rule of Black Lives Matter and Antifa. This is Chief Best’s statement to the Seattle Police Department, aka SPD:

In her statement, Chief Best stated “We have heard reports that there are armed people ‘patrolling’ the streets near 12th and Pine. Of course, this is very concerning, especially because we don’t know who these people are. We’ve also received reports that these armed people may be demanding payment from business owners in exchange for some of that protection.”

Durkan’s statement talked about “peaceful demonstrations.” Armed men demanding payments from businesses are activities associated with peaceful demonstrations. They’re activities associated with the Mafia.

After these thugs are thrown out of their territory, let’s hope that they’re indicted for RICO charges and other serious federal crimes. These marauders have dramatically restricted Americans’ civil rights. When our God-given rights are restricted, then it’s time for American patriots of all political parties to end this assault on society.

Without God-given civil rights, the US is just another place on the map. That’s because God-given civil rights are what make the US exceptional. Fighting for American exceptionalism is always worth it.

In 1927, the hated New York Yankees put together one of the most feared lineups in baseball history. The middle of their order was known as ‘Murderers Row‘. Their batting order featured center fielder Earle Combs, left fielder Bob Meusel and second baseman Tony Lazzeri. The ‘Row’ also included 2 other guys — Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth — who, I’m told, were pretty decent, too.

The Democrats have a different type of Murderers Row. The Democrats haven’t hesitated in squashing people’s liberties. David Avella and Georgia State Senate Majority Leader Michael Dugan put together this article to highlight the right way to govern during the Wuhan Virus crisis.

Americans never wanted to see small-business owners treated like criminals. We never wanted our parks and beaches to be designated as inherently dangerous. We have never been required to stay away from loved ones who are sick or dying.

As a nation, we understand the severity of the health crisis we now face, but the law should never be used to persecute an individual’s freedom nor to prosecute Americans operating legal businesses to support their families. Charging small-business owners with crimes is just too much, especially when the public wants leaders to pursue a level-headed approach.

That’s why governors like Gretchen Whitmer, Tim Walz, Tom Wolf and J.B. Pritzker are experiencing frequent protests. They don’t care about people’s rights. They just care about feeding their appetite for power. They are legitimately titled tyrants. This is how incompetent Michigan is:

In Minnesota, Tim Walz’s regulators are still admitting COVID positive patients back into nursing homes. In Pennsylvania, the state’s Commissioner of Health moved her mother out of a nursing home when she found out that COVID patients were getting moved into that nursing home. That’s before talking about Walz’s Department of Health not properly transporting tests to the lab. (They forgot to refrigerate the kits.)

Hundreds of people have died needlessly because these tyrants are incompetent or vindictive or both. This is how to do things right:

On March 14, Kemp issued an executive order declaring a public health state of emergency, calling forth the emergency powers of his office with the compliance of the legislature. On March 16, the legislature convened to ratify Kemp’s order. At that time, the House and Senate each had the opportunity to concur with or terminate the governor’s declaration. Having determined the gravity of the situation demanded emergency action, the Senate and House quickly agreed.

There are also two other features of what was done in Georgia that would serve other states well to match. First, public health state of emergencies must have the concurrence of the General Assembly. Second, the legislature must maintain the right to terminate the state of emergency at any time.

Together, these checks on the executive branch limit what the governor may order and create a partnership where the executive branch of government is agile enough to meet citizens’ needs without legislation.

That’s doing governance right. Michigan and Minnesota are governance that only a tyrant would love.

John Solomon’s article goes a long ways towards explaining the difference between legitimate unmasking requests and illegitimate unmasking requests. By now, Washington, DC, is awash with the Democrats’ spin on why the Flynn unmasking wasn’t a big deal. It’s a new version of ‘no big deal, just keep moving.’ That isn’t the truth. This is a big deal.

For instance, Solomon explained that “If a Treasury official like Raskin or the U.N. ambassador requested the unmasking because they were trying to deal with a foreign official confused by U.S. policy during the transition, that likely would be deemed a lawful intelligence purpose. But if an official requested the information because they personally did not like the incoming Trump administration or wanted to thwart Flynn during the transition through leaking or other means, it could be deemed an act against a political adversary and a misuse of unmasking.”

According to this article, “The first request appears to have been made as part of a report on Nov. 30, 2016. Along with Biden, other Obama administration officials listed are Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.” That’s long before the Flynn-Kislyak call. The Flynn-Kislyak call happened in late December.

A final question for the investigators resides in the policy question about whether unmasking has become too easy to do and therefore infringes on Americans privacy, specifically the Constitution’s 4th Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure. On that front, there are already troubling revelations. Power, whose name was invoked for hundreds of unmasking requests, testified to Congress she did not make most of those requests attributed to her. That suggests some dangerous looseness in the unmasking system.

The political people who requested these unmaskings haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt. They each have a history of dishonesty.

It’s worth noting that Solomon said that Flynn isn’t the only member of the Trump team that the Obama administration unmasked. I suspect that there’s a closet of shoes left to drop on this. It might not be an Imelda Marcos-sized shoe closet but it’s still a shoe closet.

This CNN fake news article appears to be built more on wishful thinking than on reality. It says that “More than 82,000 Americans have died of coronavirus as of Tuesday. A top model now forecasts that 147,000 Americans will lose their lives by August. Millions are out of work. And the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is warning that reopening the country too early could have serious consequences. Which is all to say that the news is not good for President Trump. Death and despair threaten to swallow his reelection hopes. A Tuesday CNN poll found that most Americans (54%) believe the US gov’t is doing a poor job preventing the spread of the virus. And a majority (52%) still think the worst is on the horizon.”

That same poll showed President Trump leading in the battleground states by 7 points against VP Biden. Not in that poll is the fact that 2 Republicans won special elections Tuesday night. Mike Garcia won by 12 points in California. When Tom Tiffany won in Wisconsin’s 7th District by 14 points, Democrats insisted that represented a moral victory for Democrats because Trump won that district by 20 points in 2016. As Tiffany said, losing by 14 points isn’t a moral victory. This is rich:

Major news organizations are reflecting this grim reality with clear-eyed reporting, bold headlines, and historic front pages. So what is Trump, Fox News and the right-wing media machine doing? They’re constructing a separate alternate reality to keep their fans distracted from the news and outraged at the long-standing villains in the right-wing media universe. The general idea is that President Obama and others improperly used the levers of gov’t to conspire against Trump to win the 2016 election, with the “deep-state” later working to kneecap him when he was in office.

This isn’t an “alternate reality.” It’s just reality. The transcripts speak for themselves. Jim Clapper said under oath that he didn’t find “any direct empirical evidence” that President Trump or anyone in his campaign conspired with Russians. In fact, Fake News CNN and MSDNC haven’t talked much about the 63,000 pages of transcripts. Is that because those transcripts show that all 53 witnesses testified that they didn’t have any evidence of Trump-Russian collusion? Trey Gowdy said that he asked every witness that testified if they’d heard unsubstantiated rumors of Trump-Russia collusion. He even drew a blank on that. That’s what happens when political operatives attempt a coup against a duly elected president that the FBI hates. (Remember the Strzok-Page texts about the insurance policy.) These weren’t unbiased FBI agents. They were Democrat operatives. If you disagree, tell me the difference between Peter Strzok and Marie Harf.

This isn’t a wild conspiracy theory. The definition of theory is “a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact.” These statements aren’t conjecture. They’re stated facts. Most importantly, they’re stated facts in a case where the Obama intel community improperly surveilled Carter Page and other Trump advisers.

When a government throws the rules out the window, which is what the Obama administration did, to surveil American citizens, it’s a huge deal. The Obama administration didn’t get a warrant to unmask Gen. Flynn. Surveilling American citizens without a warrant is a violation of that person’s Fourth Amendment rights. That isn’t a distraction. That’s a major crisis. Cases can get thrown out when the government violates a person’s civil rights. If a person isn’t read their Miranda Rights, all the information gathered from that interview is inadmissible.

That CNN thinks that violating Americans’ civil rights isn’t a big deal is disturbing. Then there’s this:

Over the past few days, they’ve started hyping the supposed scandal as if it really was, in fact, worse than Watergate. Coverage is all over Fox News’ programming, covered by both the supposed “straight news” anchors to the opinion commentators like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham. As WaPo’s Phillip Bump noted earlier this week, mentions of Michael Flynn, who plays a central role in all of this, have surpassed mentions of the coronavirus on Fox News in recent days.

The Wuhan Virus isn’t the threat to humanity that the press has insinuated. When a government improperly surveils the opposition party’s presidential candidate based on gossip, that’s a powder keg waiting to blow.

What does CNN think of the fact that the Obama administration surveilled Trump campaign advisers without proper predication? Would they scream bloody murder if that happened with Hillary instead of Trump?