Thanks for coming in for Al’s Afternoon Tea, a chance to sip on some of the latest news.

One of the things we can pray for on this National Day of Prayer is the safety of our first responders, specifically today those who are confronting Hamas-loving radicals and anarchists on campuses from coast to coast. 

And the Walls Come Down at UCLA

The same type of leftists who say walls don’t work built themselves a plywood wall around the “Gaza” encampment at UCLA on Wednesday. Early Thursday morning, LAPD and California Highway Patrol officers moved to take both the wall and encampment down. Masked demonstrators fought back, turning the home of the Bruins into a war zone.

A violent response seemed inevitable. Earlier Wednesday, Fox News’s Bill Melugin obtained a list of  UCLA’s anti-Israel protesters’ requests for donations: They wanted gas masks, knee pads, skater helmets, ropes, zip ties, wood for barricades, super-bright flashlights with strobe lights (you know, the usual “peaceful protest” gear). However, in bold letters, they wrote, “No sunscreen.” (What? Does sunscreen make it too slippery to use flashlights as weapons? Is protecting yourself from the sun racist? Was sunscreen invented by Jewish scientists?)

Other campuses are resorting to police activity more quickly now, rather than letting the anti-Israel radical rot fester. For example, Dallas cops moved yesterday afternoon at the University of Texas, Dallas.

Kudos to university administrators who have their heads screwed on right — for example, the ones at the University of Florida, where nine protesters were quickly arrested Tuesday. School President Ben Sasse couldn’t be clearer: “The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children — they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.”

This, as opposed to places like Northwestern, which quickly capitulated to protester demands. 

Patriotic UNC Frat Brothers Getting the Love

Meanwhile, the frat boys who protected the American flag at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill are getting some love. A Go Fund Me account was set up for the Pi Kappa Phi members who withstood pelting and abuse from anti-Israel agitators  to save Old Glory earlier this week; the organizers said it was “to throw this frat the party they deserve” for their heroic stand.

From the website:

But amidst the chaos, the screaming, the anti-semitism, the hatred of faith and flag, stood a platoon of American heroes. Armored in Vineyard Vines and Patagonia, fueled by Zyn and White Claws, these triumphant Brohemians protected Old Glory from the unwashed Marxist horde — laughing at their shrieks and wails and shielding the Stars & Stripes from Soviet missiles.

These boys … no, men, of the UNC Chapel Hill Pi Kappa Phi gave the best to America and now they deserve the best.

As of this morning, the Go Fund Me page had raised $358,000 toward a $400,000 goal.

One of the best photos of 2024 so far:

Fraternity brothers are pelted by anti-Israel protesters at UNC Chapel Hill while protecting the United States flag as it is re-hoisted following its removal by protesters.

Well done, gentleman. 🫡🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0DiBQcVLBu

— Max Meyer (@mualphaxi) May 1, 2024

But wait, there’s more. Country superstar John Rich is offering to put on a free concert for the frat members.

For the boys who protected the American flag at UNC, I'd like to offer a free concert for their celebration of freedom party👍(anybody know how to find these young men?)Maybe we could talk @dbongino into doing a live broadcast from their frat house? Cmon Dan, live a little🤣…

— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) May 1, 2024

Black Rep Called “Uncle Tom”

Rep. Byron Donalds showed up to the protest at George Washington University, and was promptly called an “Uncle Tom” and a “race traitor” … by a white guy. Because, you know, he’s black and doesn’t carry water for progressive masters.

His snappy comeback to the tired taunt: “That guy’s really old to be in college.”

Byron Donalds called "race traitor" and "Uncle Tom" by protester at GW@ByronDonalds claps back with "That guy's really old to be in college." pic.twitter.com/02uYn5aDRt

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 1, 2024

Even Lovey-Dovey Media Wondering “Where’s the President?”

Before entering the courtroom this morning for his ongoing “hush money” trial, Donald Trump blasted the situation on American campuses.

“This is a movement from the left. These are radical left lunatics, and they’ve got to be stopped now because it’s going to go on and on. And it’s going to get worse, and worse. And, you know, they take over countries, and we’re not letting them take over the USA. We’re not letting the radical left morons take over this country.” 

Earlier on Truth Social, Trump asked, “Where is Crooked Joe Biden?”

And where is Joe Biden? Even liberal, Biden-backing outlets like CNN and The New York Times were questioning his silence.

CNN’s Dana Bash yesterday griped that we’ve only heard from a deputy press secretary about it, not the commander in chief himself.

He’s the deputy press secretary, he’s certainly not the president, who we haven’t heard from. He’s not the communications director, who we haven’t heard from. He’s not the press secretary, who we haven’t heard from. This is very telling that this is what we have so far with everything that’s going on, from the White House and the President of the United States.

She says Democrats she’s talked to think Biden’s silence makes him look “weak.”

Sure enough, this morning Biden came out for some brief remarks condemning the violence.

“Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancelation of classes and graduation — none of this is a peaceful protest.”

He said, with a straight face, “As president I will always defend free speech.” (Unless somebody is criticizing his administration or policies, in which case, he will use Big Tech to shut them down and label them “domestic terrorists.”) Also with a straight face, he declared that America is not an “authoritarian nation” where we “silence people and quash dissent.”

Meanwhile, his political rival sits in a New York courtroom, enduring one of four criminal cases evidence strongly suggests his DOJ engineered, literally under a gag order. And J6 protesters, including hundreds who were not nearly as violent as those currently rioting on college campuses, sit inside a D.C. prison. 

Biden declared on the way out the door that he would not be changing any of his policies, and rejected the idea of sending the National Guard to quell the unrest. Also, you will notice in his speech he said nothing about what he’s going to do about the anarchists running rampant. There’s been no talk of the DOJ opening civil-rights investigations into the people harassing Jews. No talk of the DOJ investigating the links between the protesters and terrorist groups, foreign and domestic. No call for university presidents to take measures to protect Jewish students, and no talk of withholding federal funds from universities that refuse to do so.

In other words, just three minutes of words signifying nothing, which will have zero impact on what’s going on. 

But on the bright side, there were no major gaffes or stumbles in those three minutes, either.

Fast-Food Restaurants Try to Cope with Inflation

I know we’re enjoying our afternoon tea, but sometimes you just crave fast food. But who wants to take out a loan to go through a drive-through? I mean, hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, hold me up because I want to faint when I see the total.

Take California, where the $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers has sent prices skyrocketing. According to an analysis of menu prices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco, prices are up 10.6% at Chick-fil-A, 7.8% at Starbucks, 7.7% at Shake Shack, 6.9% at Chipotle, and 4.1% at Taco Bell.

McDonalds says it’s feeling customers’ pain. And not just the hunger kind — they say they have heard the complaints about prices and will be working to offer more value deals. President and CEO Chris Kempczinski insisted the chain has “a lot of great value” available on its app, and McDonalds needs to better market the existence of those values.

Here’s an idea: Congress likes giving away our money to ward off Russian attacks in Ukraine. Why not let us keep more of our money so we can afford to respond to Big Mac attacks? 

On the Stream Menu:

We were very excited this morning to add to The Stream family a new contributor — ministry leader Wanda Alger. Her first piece is up, called “Nineveh Was Waiting for Jonah to Obey God. America is (Still) Waiting for the Church.”  Please welcome Wanda by checking out her article. 

Tomorrow, Raymond Ibrahim is scheduled to have for us a “Cautionary Tale: Egypt’s Islamic Present Could Be the West’s Sharia Future.” 

We don’t serve Afternoon Tea on Fridays, so enjoy a great spring weekend and we’ll be open bright and early Monday morning for The Brew. 

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.