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Principled Ideas from the Centennial Institute Publisher, Dr. Donald W. Sweeting Volume 10, Number 8 • November 2018 Editor, Jeff Hunt • Assistant Editor, Antonette Smith

THE CULTURE WAR IS THE ONLY WAR Now back to the shooting. Medina told the FBI he started THAT MATTERS texting the other officers, saying “Who is that kid who is constantly in trouble? Who is that kid who got in trouble Dana Loesch, WCS 2018 for beating up another student?” Meanwhile, the murderer walks right into the school because there’s no secure access points. There’s no secure entrance or exit, the gate was open, the doors are open, everything’s unlocked. This kid walks in…and we know what happened. There are things that led up to this shooting. In fact, things over several years. The Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School in Florida held the record for the most student arrests in the entire state of Florida. The Promise Program was designed to fix that. They took kids who were committing misdemeanors and criminal activity, and instead of reporting them, they gave them music therapy and other support (are you kidding, music therapy?). Once in the program, they stopped reporting student crimes to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

Dana Loesch speaking at the 2018 Western Conservative Summit. Interestingly, Broward Sheriff Scott J. Israel was very supportive of this. He signed this whole thing at a big This is a very interesting time. The Second Amendment is photo op with Robert Runcie. They were proud of it, they restricted more than ever. Speech is restricted more than ever, implemented it, and then wouldn’t you know? In the first and these restrictions are continuing, growing, and strangling year, arrests dropped by 63%? They stopped reporting the free expression. criminal activity, and then said the Promise Program was a success. That Look at the Parkland massacre. Robert Runcie, he’s such a gifted Andrew Medina is a security officer at This Promise Program superintendent. And that Sheriff Marjorie Stoneman Douglas—was, is dangerous, and Scott Israel, he happily kneecapped he’s been reassigned since. You may his entire department so they couldn’t have seen his interview with the FBI. it’s in schools across follow up on anything. He said when the murderer walked into the school, he immediately knew the country. In the months before the massacre, something bad was going to happen. there were 45 reports that went to Medina said the shooter walked in with a couple of duffle the Broward sheriff’s office, two reports to the FBI. This bags, had “666” and swastikas on his backpack, and Medina murderer had been in trouble many times. He punched his knew something was up. mom so hard he knocked the teeth out of her mouth. Family members called the sheriff’s office because he had previously By the way, this was a kid who was known to be violent and held a gun to another person’s head. He was caught taking to have problems. He was in a disciplinary program called the Promise Program. Former President Barack Obama and Dana Loesch is an American conservative political activist, commentator, Department of Education Secretary Arnie Duncan created talk radio host, and author who serves as a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association. She is a former writer and editor for Breitbart News and the Promise Program to reduce the school-to-prison pipeline, was the host of Dana on TheBlaze TV. Loesch has appeared on Fox News, CNN, to make it so there are fewer crimes committed. Except, CBS, ABC, and HBO. they didn’t actually focus on creating fewer crimes, they Centennial Institute sponsors research, events, and publications to enhance just stopped reporting them and then pretended they didn’t public understanding of the most important issues facing our state and nation. happen. The shooter at Parkland was in the Promise Program By proclaiming Truth, we aim to foster faith, family, and freedom, teach citizenship, and renew the spirit of 1776. and Superintendent Robert Runcie knew it. bullets and knives to school, and he was all over social media could have been prevented if those recommendations had saying, “I’m going to be a school shooter” and that people been put into place. were going to know who he was. He was sending death threats Because the superintendent and sheriff knowingly prevented to classmates through social media (a felony), but because he a criminal record from being established, they allowed this was in the Promise Program that Robert Runcie and Scott dangerous, mentally-unstable individual to legally purchase Israel implemented, none of that was reported. They might a firearm. They could have prevented this had the shooter’s as well have bought the gun for him. criminal record been known. Instead, he murdered 17 Two months before the massacre, Scott Wexler, a retired people, and it’s all the fault of the NRA and Dana Loesch. Secret Service agent, was getting concerned about security at Now, here’s the difference between me and Sheriff Scott Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. Wexler’s children had graduated Israel: I’m not a coward. Here’s another. He said at the CNN from this school, and he knew about the Promise Program. town hall that I didn’t stand for kids. He didn’t stand for kids. He volunteered to perform a security risk assessment on He ran for the cameras to promote the Promise Program and the school. lost 17 kids as a result. Here’s another difference, I would The way Parkland was set up, in an emergency, the have followed up. I would have made this kid a prohibited assistant principal had to call the principal, and then the possessor, and I would have had him adjudicated mentally principal had to check, all before they could call a code unfit. He wouldn’t have been legally able to purchase. red and lock down the school. And according to a teacher And Robert Runcie knew all of this. If I were Robert whose anonymity we protected, the principal was hardly Runcie, I would never have implemented this Promise ever there. Program so I could get pats on the back Wexler said he pulled up to the school The problem isn’t a from Arnie Duncan. and sat in the parking lot for almost a This Promise Program is dangerous, half-hour, nobody said anything to him. lack of sensible law, it’s and it’s in schools across the country. He was able to go right into the school, a lack of enforcement Check and make sure your child’s the gate was open, the doors were school does not have this program, open. He walked through the school of the law. because it contributed to this tragedy with post-it notes “tagging” people. and protects criminals. That means he was sticking post-it notes onto people who We’ve had so many discussions about this shooting and gun would have been casualties in a stabbing or a mass shooting. laws and the Second Amendment. But nobody talks about He even walked right by Parkland cop Scot Peterson’s office, Dixon, Illinois or Southerland Springs, or Steve Williford which was situated so that his back was to the hallway. who stopped what could have been the worst shooting in Wexler presented his findings to the school—valuable Texas with his AR-15. A good guy with a gun! information, right? He said, “This is what you need to do. I want to throw two statistics at you. 98% of mass shootings When you hear a fire alarm, don’t have students go from a since 1950 have taken place in a gun-free zone. Only 7 known area, the classroom, into the unknown, a hallway. happened where people were lawfully permitted to carry a Have every adult at the school be able to call a code red and firearm. Think about that. Second, 16% of mass shootings lock down the school. And make sure you have secure entry from 2014 to 2017 have been stopped by a lawful gun owner. and exit points. Lock the doors.” That statistic would be much higher if it were not for gun- They didn’t do any of this. None of these recommendations free zones. We need to treat criminals like criminals and law- were put into place. On the day of the shooting, they abiding Americans like law-abiding Americans. When we couldn’t get a hold of the principal, and so the lock down do that, we will stop protecting criminals at the expense of didn’t happen. the innocent. So there is Andrew Medina on the day of the shooting Because, honestly, what would universal background checks watching a murderer walk right into the school. All of this have done in the case of Parkland? Remember, Sheriff Scott

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Centennial Review ▪ October 2018 ▪ 2 Israel and Superintendent Robert Runcie did everything Look, they don’t hate guns. They just don’t love you having they could within the Promise Program to make sure that them. They can’t have that. That scares them for some the shooter had no criminal record. Therefore, there was ungodly reason. no report to prevent the shooter from buying a weapon. Consider former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A There was nothing in the records because the shooter had few years ago, he was at the Aspen Institute where he said, been protected. “We just need to throw these young black men against the The problem isn’t a lack of sensible law, it’s a lack of wall and frisk them.” That is his actual direct quote, I have enforcement of the law. How many criminals are going the audio on my web site. He got so mad when he realized he to follow a universal background check? They won’t, was taped that he hired a lawyer and tried to stop them from they’re criminals! releasing it. Unfortunately for Bloomberg, the Daily Caller There are so many of these stories where the ball was dropped. got it and they went to town with it. How Jim Crow of him! Remember when former FBI Director James Comey said the But that’s who these people are. They love guns, they just reason the Charleston shooter was allowed a weapon was don’t want you having guns. because there was a paperwork error? As a convicted felon, I mean it when I say your Second Amendment rights are he should not have been able to buy a firearm and shoot up a more restricted now than they ever have been. Language church in Charleston. But there was a paperwork error. is more restricted, thought is more restricted. But these Sutherland Springs, the Air Force didn’t report it. Garland, restrictions are for us, for regular folks. They don’t apply to TX, the FBI had that guy on the watch list. So what? Orlando people on the left. shooter was on the watch list. Virginia On the left, they get a “progressive Tech, that guy was supposed to follow pass” when they say horrible things. up with his psychiatrist but slipped Look, they don’t hate You can be Samantha Bee and use through the cracks—and that was a horrible word to describe the court ordered. guns. They just don’t President’s daughter, and that’s okay. This is why no one wants to debate me love you having them. You can be Louis Farrakhan and tweet on this issue, or talk to law abiding gun that Jews are Satan and your feed is owners, or talk to the NRA—because not blocked. You can be Al Sharpton they’re terrified of facts. The problem is the enforcement of and incite a riot that leads to the burning of a Freddy’s the law. The system is only as good as the people running it. Fashion Mart. If you are a progressive, all sins are forgiven. I love how people like actress Alyssa Milano talk about That’s the double standard, and that’s why conservatives are protecting women and making sure that women are safe. so upset. We don’t like that it’s considered a greater offense Well, except when the NRA says, when a woman takes a to believe in the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of life protective order out against a domestic abuser, let’s fast track than to refer to the President’s daughter in vile language or to her concealed handgun license. Alyssa Milano and the Mom’s speak about Jews as being Satan. Demand Action folks say, “No! We can’t do that, that’s There is also a real push to emasculate the male sex. I’m the horrible!” Whose side are you on here? Women had the right mom of a boy and am very sensitive about this. We simply to keep and bear arms before we had the right to vote in must stop this matriarchal witch hunt. We’re replacing this country. the so-called patriarchy with a matriarchy of bossy and We’re told two things simultaneously. We’re told that women annoying women who think they know what is best are empowered. We are empowered to have one night stands, to have casual hookups, to have starter marriages, to get abortions when we don’t understand how birth control works—we can do all of these things. Women, you are so empowered you can actually serve in combat, but you can’t carry a gun at home. You’re not empowered enough for that. How do you reconcile that? How are you saying that women can go serve in combat but they’re too dumb and too stupid to carry a gun at home? The gun control groups say, women can’t have guns. Goodness, a woman could just pop up and shoot someone. What’s more, a domestic abuser could wrestle the gun out of her hand.

Centennial Review ▪ October 2018 ▪ 3 Centennial Institute Dana Loesch is the host of the award- Colorado Christian University winning, nationally syndicated daily radio 8787 W. Alameda Ave. show, The Dana Show: The Conservative Alternative. She also hosts “Dana” on Lakewood, CO 80226 The Blaze television network and appears regularly on Fox News, ABC, CNN, Return Service Requested among others. Dana’s original brand of young, punk-rock, conservative irreverence has found a fast-growing audience in multiple mediums. She is in the top 25 of Talkers Magazine‘s top 100 “heavy hitters”. A former award-winning newspaper columnist, Dana was ranked as one of the top 16 most powerful mothers online by Neilsen and one of the top 30 Under 30 according to the St. Louis Business Journal. She was the 2012 winner of Accuracy In Media’s Grassroots Journalism award, as well as the inaugural Breitbart Spirit Award. Dana was one of the original Breitbart editors selected by her late friend and mentor, Andrew Breitbart. She is the author of two best-selling books: Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America, and Flyover Nation: You Can't Run A Country You've Never Been To. In 2016 she was named Special Advisor on Women's Policy for the NRA's Executive Vice- President and CEO Wayne LaPierre.

for you. Trust me, there is no such thing as “toxic masculinity.” for being a law-abiding American who supports my Second- You can promote feminism without denigrating masculinity. Amendment rights, and I will stand for that until I can no Finally, do not give in to the rage mob. I participated in a longer stand. town hall recently. It was bad from the get-go. People in the When I left, it was to a chorus of insults and invectives. Jake audience called me “murderer” and when it was finished, Tapper said, “You need to go right now, we need to get you rushed the stage trying to grab at me and tackle me. I heard out of here.” As I walked through the crowd, people were someone yell “burn her,” and they screaming, faces contorted into anger started screaming “shame.” It was and range. I held my head high, and— minutes away from turning into a To people who say the not to be confrontational, I bow my 7,000-person riot. culture war doesn’t head to no one but the Lord—but I Out of all of the situations I’ve looked at every single person right in been in, that was the hairiest. matter, I say it is the the face. If I can do it, you can do it. But I had never been calmer in only war that matters. Never bow to a rage mob. Ever. my life, which was a God thing. To people who say the culture war I had the peace that surpasses doesn’t matter, I say it is the only war understanding. I looked at that audience and knew, I will that matters. Never bow, never give in, and always, always not be afraid, I will not be ashamed, I will not feel guilty give it to God and be on the right side. n

Centennial Review ▪ October 2018 ▪ 4