In 1992, Hurricane Andrew unleashed on South Florida the world’s most expensive insured loss for natural disasters up until that time. Florida quickly adopted new measures to protect against future storms, such as the wind provisions from the American Society of Civil Engineers’ standards—the national standard for wind requirements. They also took other steps, such as eliminating construction of “stick” frame houses in South Florida.
Significantly, it was found that “‘In the Miami-Dade [and] Broward county areas, they had very good prescriptive requirements before Hurricane Andrew, but … they weren’t being enforced very well,” said Timothy Reinhold, Tampa, Fla.-based senior vice president of research and chief engineer at Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.”
Today we’ve barely survived the most devastating storm of attacks on the U.S. Senate and the Constitution ever, unleashed by fanatical Democrats bent on derailing the Kavanaugh SCOTUS nomination by any means necessary. What has the GOP done to prevent a recurrence?
Nothing.
The Kavanaugh saga featured bottomless smears hurled at him by so-called lawmakers, along with do-whatever-you-please acting out by “protesters,” who, incredibly, have unfettered access to hallways and elevators in the Senate building plus intel about where key Senators can be found. That intel likely came from the Senators’ own staffs, some of whom are doubtless torch-carrying members of The Resistance.
The Senate self-degraded
Moreover, the U.S. Senate was held up to unprecedented humiliation, largely resulting from the Judiciary Committee’s own actions: the first day of hearings, during which Chairman Grassley permitted the Democrat members to speak long and repeatedly without his recognition, actually saying it’s easier to just let them talk. Never mind that their endlessly rehashed points throughout the first hearing had zero relevance to Kavanaugh’s qualifications.
After the leaking of the Ford letter came the Committee’s shameless groveling at her feet, giving her no less than seven postponements to testify. That allowed two additional accusers, even less credible than she, to come forward. It seems the thinking was, “If only she’ll allow us to hear her testimony. We must have it, no matter the cost!”
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End public confirmation hearings
The first SCOTUS confirmation hearing was in 1916, but the nominee, Louis Brandeis, did not attend the hearings. The first hearing where the nominee answered questions was not until 1959. These hearings have clearly become nothing more than a platform for Democrats to act out, punctuated by shouts from protesters in the gallery. They have no purpose that benefits the public and have become an embarrassment to the Senate.
The GOP must reclaim the nonexistent rights granted to protesters
Notable throughout has been the seemingly infinite number of enraged activists who have been—and still are—permitted to confront and scream at lawmakers in the Senate building and chase them from restaurants.
Anyone with even a double-digit IQ can clearly see that Democrat lawmakers will continue their seditious resistance and will intensify it. It’s equally obvious that the anger of the protesters will surge until someone is killed. (In June of 2017, four people were shot while practicing at the GOP baseball field, including House Whip Steve Scalise, who was seriously wounded. Apparently, this was not enough to waken Republicans to the need for security measures.)
The reason the Left’s maniacal behavior will continue is twofold: 1. lack of any penalty and 2. making no changes that might prevent a recurrence.
This immediately brings to mind the phrase incorrectly attributed to Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Regardless of the source, the legal definition of insanity is more appropriate, Ryan Howes, PhD points out in Psychology Today.It pertains to the inability to distinguish right from wrong:
Insanity. n. mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior.
Anyone can see that this, in fact, applies to the Democrats and their minions who are stalking GOP senators. Dr. Howes supplies two interesting words, which seem a perfect fit to the protesters and the Republicans respectively:
Perseveration [per-sev-uh-REY-shuhn]: the pathological, persistent repetition of a word, gesture, or act” and:
“Perseverance [pur-suh-VEER-uhns]: steady persistence in a course of action in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.”
That’s right: as the Kavanaugh affair fades in the rearview mirror, Republicans apparently have no plans to put new measures in place to prevent another outbreak of Democrat and protester pestilence—or worse—nor do they show any sign of enforcing measures that already exist.
During a recent Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham, Senate Majority Leader McConnell rejected her suggestion that they make the Senate building off limits to protesters. Only the Capitol Police, who are severely out-manned, are objecting to the present, irrational system.
Allowing continued access is not only irrational; it’s laughably idiotic—particularly at a time when the GOP wants to demonstrate the ability to govern wisely. The Party seems unaware how revolting it is for their base to watch, night after night, the criminal acts of these revolutionaries perpetrated with impunity, in the Senate building and on the streets.
Demonstrators and politicians do not have unlimited constitutional rights
Here’s a flash from the Constitution: The First Amendment says nothing about protesters’ absolute right to block major highways, nothing about their right to get in the faces of Senators and Trump Administration officials, screaming at them and spitting on them.
The First Amendment actually speaks only of: “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Likewise, politicians do not have the unrestrained right to say whatever they please. Ranting before a crowd in July of 2017, Maxine Waters channeled both Al Jolson and Alinsky:
If you think we’re rallying now, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Already, you have members of your Cabinet that are being booed out of restaurants who have protesters taking up at their house, who say, ‘No peace, no sleep. No peace, no sleep.’ God is on OUR side!
On the side of the children. On the side of what’s right. On the side of what’s honorable. And so, let’s stay the course. Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up and if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”
Having no penalty is begging for more offenses
What Waters did was evidently illegal:
18 U.S. Code § 2101 – Riots
(a) Whoever travels in interstate or foreign commerce or uses any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including, but not limited to, the mail, telegraph, telephone, radio, or television, with intent—
(1) to incite a riot; or
(2) to organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a riot; or
(3) to commit any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or
(4) to aid or abet any person in inciting or participating in or carrying on a riot or committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot;
~ Shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
The link at (2) clarifies that “Riot” is defined as—not only a violent act—but “a threat or threats of the commission of an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons.” Certainly, a crowd screaming in your face is a threat of violence to come.
There has been no penalty or censure of Maxine Waters, and no penalty for driving people from restaurants and screaming in their faces. Pam Biondi told Fox News the latter is assault—a crime—after it was done to her. No penalty for inciters or those who act on the incitement is an invitation to repeat and accelerate these abuses.
Enforce existing laws
There has to be a concerted effort to charge all perpetrators of such acts. AG Sessions should issue guidelines to local law enforcement to carry this out. Not to do so will eventually spawn vigilantism and civil war. Or has he recused himself from protecting our civil society as well?
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