Griefgate
 
I can't think of a more horrendous thing for any parent than to lose a child.  It must be unbelievably painful to raise a child and send him off to war young and vital only to have him come home in a flag-draped casket. 
 
President George W. Bush regularly visited wounded warriors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  On one occasion, a grief-stricken mother, whose son was dying, screamed at the president and blamed him for her son's condition.  I don't recall anyone trying to politicize that event at the time.
 
I won't dignify the current "Griefgate" controversy involving President Trump by revisiting the accusations against him. 
 
But here's one salient fact that is being overlooked in virtually all of the media's coverage:  White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was in the room when the president made that call. At a press conference today, Gen. Kelly said he was "stunned" by the description of the president's words and "brokenhearted" by attempts to politicize the call.
 
Incredibly, the Associated Press, CBS, the Washington Post and other media outlets are now hounding Gold Star families to find out which ones Trump has called.  To its credit, the Post notes, "No White House protocol demands that presidents speak or meet with the families of Americans killed in action. . . But they often do."
 
Sadly, there is nothing leftists won't use -- even the death of a soldier -- to punish President Trump whom they hate so much.
 
Why would the left politicize this phone call?  In their more lucid moments they understand that they have a huge problem with veterans, law enforcement, men, blue collar workers and, more generally, patriots. 
 
They are trying to undercut one of Trump's great strengths -- his connection with Americans who love G-d & Country, who want to make America great again. 
 
That is why we only hear about Gold Star families when it is a Muslim couple committed to savaging Trump.  We did not hear about the Gold Star families when the NFL kneelers disrespected them.   Big media did its best to ignore the parents of the brave men killed in Benghazi.  
  
A few weeks ago, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) called Gen. Kelly "a disgrace to the uniform."  Kelly served 46 years in the military.  He lost his son in Afghanistan.  Gutierrez never apologized because no leading progressive politicians or media figures demanded he do so.
 
 
 
Left-wing Fascism
 
The media have been hyperventilating for days about a speech this afternoon at the University of Florida.  Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and mobilized hundreds of state and local law enforcement officers.  The university has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on additional security because the speaker is one of the racist leaders involved in the Charlottesville, Virginia, riots. 
 
As vile as his views are, at least the university recognized that he has a First Amendment right to speak.  And I am confident his speech will be poorly attended, thanks to the decency of the vast majority of Floridians.
 
That said, there is growing fascism in America, and it is coming from the left.  Here are just three recent examples:

• The fascist wing of the progressive left recently shutdown a meeting of the College Republicans at the University of California-Santa Cruz.​​
•  An Arizona restaurant was forced to close after the owners posted a message expressing their support for President Trump, our military, standing for the national anthem and first responders.  The message went viral and the owners started receiving death threats.  Vicious calls flooded into the restaurant, including threats to burn it down. 
• Dana Loesch, a spokeswoman for the NRA, has been forced to abandon her home and move with her children because of vicious threats from intolerant leftists, including one who threatened to rape her to death.

 
Whether its academics like Charles Murray, columnists like Ann Coulter or a kid wearing a MAGA hat, the circumstances are different but the theme is always the same.  Anyone expressing traditional conservative ideas and values now has to question whether they are willing to risk physical violence.  Not surprisingly, this political intimidation is affecting what people are willing to say to pollsters.
 
Sadly, too few voices on the left have been willing to speak up and denounce those so-called "progressives" who insist that violence is necessary. 
 
 
 
Promoting Life
 
President Trump's Department of Health and Human Services is revamping its strategic plan for the years ahead.  I am pleased to report that the document takes a number of pro-life positions.  Here are some examples:
 
"HHS accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities, serving and protecting Americans at every stage of life, beginning at conception."
 
"While we may refer to the people we serve as beneficiaries, enrollees, patients, or consumers, our ultimate goal is to improve health care outcomes for all people, including the unborn, across health care settings."
 
"A core component of the HHS mission is our dedication to serve all Americans from conception to natural death, but especially those individuals and populations facing or at high risk for economic and social well-being challenges, through effective human services."
 
When the left is in power, the bureaucracy does everything it can to advance the left-wing agenda.  Now that the Trump/Pence team is in power, they are taking steps to reverse the pro-abortion legacy of the Obama Administration. 
 
Make no mistake about it, my friends:  The left is pro-abortion.  Abortion-on-demand is a central element of their socialized healthcare scheme. 

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Economy Gaining Strength
 
As President Trump slashes regulations and pushes tax reform, the economy is gaining strength.  The stock market set another record this week and jobless claims fell to their lowest level since 1973.