Hampton@: Your June 21st Sunday Summary ...

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Dear Friend of TJI,

In National Review, David Harsanyi says the coronavirus lockdowns "are subjectively enforced by politicians whose devotion to science is predicated on circumstance." (click here). NR Editor Rich Lowry calls social-distancing rules "one of the great scams in American life." (click here). Politicians really shouldn't wonder why the public stops listening to them.

Meanwhile ...

1.) Steve Haner, the Jefferson Institute's Senior Fellow for Tax Policy asks in The Roanoke Times, "Who Pays the Rent?", pointing out that someone, somewhere will eventually have to pay for months of rent (and utility) forbearance. (click here). TANSTAAFL: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

2.) More than 100 national conservative leaders have issued a letter calling for Justice, not Chaos, in pursuit of a More Perfect Union, pointing out that black Americans and other people of color "have dealt with pain and abuse, pain that makes it harder for some to trust the police, but rejecting the sweeping claim that all of law enforcement is racist. (click here). Looking at the big picture, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn makes it all real here.

3.) Which is not to say policing doesn't need reform. One such reform was offered by Virginia Congressman Ben Cline during markup of Nancy Pelosi's bill. His amendment would withhold federal funding from state or local law enforcement agencies that enter into a Collective Bargaining Agreement containing any one of several provisions that prevent accountability and transparency, such as delaying interview of an officer after alleged wrongdoing, purging disciplinary records, and requiring arbitration of disputes related to disciplinary penalties.

The amendment put Democrats in a visibly difficult situation, so much that they attempted to delay it, which prompted Congressman Doug Collins to to point out dozens of areas where Congress does not fear to tread and Congressman Matt Gaetz to ask "whether black lives matter to the majority more than their fidelity to organized labor." Watching the debate, the Left's ability to contort themselves into a pretzel, and a full-throated call out of their hypocrisy is a well-invested 20 minutes of your time (click here).

4.) From Seattle's Capital Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), where residents are enjoying a flashback to the sixties, the Media Research Center offers nine of the dumbest photos of what's taking place (click here). And Dr. Frazier Crane offers advice to the beleaguered residents (click here).

5.) The violent mobs on a rampage are often ignorant of history as exemplified in Richmond by vandalism of a plaque honoring civil rights pioneer Oliver Hill Sr. (click here). In The Bull Elephant, Hans Bader notes examples from around the world, of destruction of statues commemorating Union Generals, including Ulysses S. Grant, and white abolitionists (click here and here).

6.) Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott, who is black, notes in a Wall Street Journal interview, that he's been stopped by police 18 times since 2000, including seven times in one year and four times while wearing his lapel pin by Capitol Police who are paid to recognize members of the US Senate. His work on police reform was put down by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin as a "token." Yet, he notes: "In our society we spend so much time on the 'root causes' and the disadvantages that we forget to talk about the solutions and the advantage we have over the rest of the world." If there is a future direction of Reagan-like optimism for conservatives, it runs through men and women like Tim Scott. (click here).

7.) Conservatives warned weeks ago that when unemployment insurance was combined with federal CARES Act money, some Virginians would receive almost $1,000 a week while not working, creating a disincentive to going back to work. Customary accusations of cold-heartedness followed. Now, the Virginia Employment Commission reports that 12,000 Virginians have refused work when offered to them (click here).

8.) Governor Ralph Northam has made Juneteenth, June 19^th, a paid state holiday and announced he would introduce legislation to make it permanent, which was immediately endorsed by Republican General Assembly leadership and first declared a holiday in Texas by Republican Governor Bill Clements. The celebration has waxed and waned over the years but any measure so bipartisan is worth examining. The Roanoke Times' offers an exploration of its history in Virginia (click here) the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star's dives into its meaning for freedom (click here), and the Virginian-Pilot observes why Hampton is central to Juneteenth's meaning (click here).

9.) If that isn't enough reason for celebration, in Roll Call, David Winston demonstrates how America shows its resilience and the reasons for optimism (click here). A reminder just in time for Independence Day, two weeks away.

Finally, today is Father's Day. And if you're a Father with a graduating senior this year, you missed out on a graduation with all the speakers and pageantry that comes with it. We hope this makes up for it and helps you celebrate the day (click here).

Happy Sunday Everyone.

Now go play catch.

Cordially,