Why Columbia Matters

Think the Columbia protests are just kids acting out? Think again

Get used to seeing these “college” protests nationwide, friends — they’re going to be a major factor going into the presidential election.

Here’s why:

• These anti-Israel protests are organized and funded from central sources, i.e, progressive activists groups. Up close, they look much like the Occupy and George Floyd demos/riots (as I went into in this prior posting).

• This explains why, early last week, numerous events occurred nationwide in different cities. That is no accident.

• Which is also why they have pre-printed placards, matching tents to “occupy” in, etc.

• Further, Netanyahu’s Israel will not be backing down, with the full-scale invasion of Rafah in the offing. And it won’t be over quickly.

SO, as we enter the summer protest season:

• Wait until all this moves to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where we have a weak mayor, an understaffed police force, and a location roughly equidistant from NYC, Minneapolis, and even L.A (Monday, August 19 - 22) (who thought that was a good idea?).

• The leadership in the blue cities will have few options beyond cosmetic arrests that result in no incarceration (as we saw here in NYC). The bail reforms, Soros prosecutors, and progressive leadership will ensure this.

So what about the feds?

• Since laws are being broken — including federal laws like Civil Disorder and likely Conspiracy — DOJ could bring cases. The best way to do it would be to go after the common-denominator funders/organizers of these coordinated protests. BUT:

• This is a rock they will not turn over, because the same groups are funding Democratic campaigns — likely including Biden’s.

• Any investigations would involve pulling emails, financial records, etc. — which will ensnare the same funding Dem candidates are relying on in this election year, and God knows what else. That pipeline can’t be shut down.

• Biden is also afraid of this newly radicalized base — esp. re: Michigan.

SO:

• Expect no major DOJ arrests — even as the protestors invoke Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are designated terrorist entities that would normally inspire counter-terrorism investigations.

• At least at the colleges, the only real recourse now is for Columbia and others to follow the lead of Vanderbilt, Google, and others: stay strong against these brats and keep bringing charges. And expel all involved.

• But: Columbia is already backing down. As I explained above, local options are mostly toothless — the protestors are already back in their tents. And the colleges, too, fear these kids and their social media power.

• The Dems have created their own progressive monster. A monster with the energy and ignorance of youth.

COMING NEXT:

• May Day (May 1). Many of these activists identify as communist — and May Day is their Fourth of July. So: brace for impact.

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Columbia — Build A Fence!

So while Columbia University finally took the step of enforcing charges against the students activists encamped on their great lawn, the protestors at Columbia were all released the same day — this because for nearly all of them, what was charged was “Trespass — Violation.”

In the New York Penal Law, it reads so:

S 140.05 Trespass.
  A person is guilty of trespass when he knowingly enters or remains
unlawfully in or upon premises.
  Trespass is a violation.

As a violation, it only garners a summons, nothing more. No fingerprints, no photographs. A slip of paper. An administrative nuisance, at most.

BUT: Were Columbia to throw a fence of any sort around that ENTIRE lawn (only some of it currently appears enclosed), we’d get “Trespass — 3rd Degree”:

S 140.10 Criminal trespass in the third degree.
 A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the third degree when he
knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building or upon real
property
  (a) which is fenced or otherwise enclosed in a manner designed to
exclude intruders

This is a B Misdemeanor.

Would the offenders see jail time? No — not under New York’s current criminal justice reforms. But the imposition will be significantly greater. The activists would be fingerprinted, photographed, and would have an arrest record.

Further: the photographs are a public record. So these could be released to the media.

A great many of these “activists” are essentially coddled children from wealthy backgrounds. Trust me when I tell you that this would be a great shock to them.

And it would almost certainly end the college “occupy” aspect of the current protests.

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The Trial of Donald Trump - Podcast

We covered it last time, with a primer on what is really going on with this case. But for those of you with podcast access, click here to hear Paul, Chris, and Eric take a scalpel to this history-making event in more detail.

With collective law enforcement experience of over 80 years — much of it dealing with the Manhattan DA’s office — it’s a take you won’t get elsewhere.

And interestingly — we don’t always agree! (Aside from agreeing that overall, the case is a disgrace).

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Crime Is Down?

A fascinating crime analysis by statistician Sam Antar, who is crunching numbers here in NYC like no one else.

Despite the crowing of our leaders that “crime is down” for the year, if we include ALL assaults (not just felonies, which generally involve permanent disfigurement), as well as ALL sex assaults (not just Rape), NYC’s numbers for the year look like so:

That is to say: up nearly 5%.

Hey Mayor Adams: Nice try.

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Is New York Wising Up?

Speaking of feckless leaders, Governor Hochul has finally bowed to reality and signed into law measures intended to crack down on the rampant shoplifting that has retailers closing up shop due to “shrinkage” (what a euphemism!).

The new law makes assaulting a retail worker a felony. It also allows cops to aggregate the amount of stolen goods from different stores into one sum amount — meaning that if the sum is above $1,000.00, felony Grand Larceny could be charged.

Will this matter?

I’m skeptical. Getting to a thousand dollars in shoplifted goods is rare. Shoplifting is generally penny ante — a death-by-a-thousand-cuts for fed-up storeowners.

And most shoplifters don’t actually assault retail workers. As we’ve noted before, retailers — including the security guards — don’t see much upside in tangling with shoplifters who often have little to lose by fighting.

At most, this could impact high-end shoplifters — that is, organized rings that target boutiques like Coach and Gucci in ritzy neighborhoods.

But for the average bodega or Duane Reade… not so much.

As usual, Albany never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

And as usual, NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been happy to add his voice to the deafening silence from the city’s leaders.

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No, New York Is Not Wising Up

From the indispensible Jason Curtis Anderson, via X:

(click the image for the link)

I gotta get out of this town. We have a Marxist. In charge of the money!

And in case you hadn’t realized: Teen Vogue is an indoctrination mechanism on a par with a North Korean grade school.

I guess once you graduate from Teen Vogue, you head over to NPR.

Hey, Katherine Maher: When you’ve lost Bill Maher….

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And finally….

Speaking of Bill Maher: While I generally like to end on something lighter, this one is important. Maher nails this like few people have (or could). This is a MUST WATCH.

As someone once said, “Hollywood is how America talks to the world.” But it’s also how America talks to itself.

Meet the fine people framing the conversation (click the image for the link):

No matter how much many of us have grown to hate Hollywood… it could never be enough.

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