SEE, HERE’S THE THING — THE FACT THAT TRUMP IS “PROVOCATIVE” DOESN’T EXCUSE SHUTTING DOWN HIS RALLIES BY FORCE: Conservatives align with Black Lives Matter in rush to find blame for Chicago protests. “There was one thing which all of the coverage on cable news and social media had in common immediately last night and it was still carrying on when I grabbed some coffee and flipped on CNN this morning. This must all be Trump’s fault. (The fact that he never even showed up at the rally seems to be irrelevant to our sage observers.) The basis for this conclusion was that it was his previous rhetoric that led to the massive violence in the campus hall and out on the streets.”

I’m disappointed to see people’s eagerness to stop Trump causing them to forget, or ignore, this basic American principle: Offensive speech doesn’t justify violence. And here’s a hint for those throwing stones: “He made me feel bad so I had to burn down his house” is the essence of fascism.

Exit question: Since MoveOn has been so public about taking credit, will the famously litigious Trump sue them for conspiring to deprive him of his civil rights? Because I would, and the discovery would be fascinating.

UPDATE: Trump: Chicago protesters can be traced back to Sanders.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday blamed Bernie Sanders supporters for the massive protests that forced him to cancel a campaign rally in Chicago the night before.

Trump said his supporters at the rally “caused no problem.”

“They were taunted, they were harassed by these other people — by the way, some represented Bernie, our communist friend,” Trump said, drawing loud boos from the Dayton, Ohio, crowd.

“With Bernie, he should really get up and say to his people, ‘stop, stop.’ Not me.”

Secret Service agents rushed onstage to protect Trump late in his speech when it appeared that someone was attempting to rush the stage.

“I was ready for him, but it’s much easier if the cops do it,” he said after the situation died down.

Trump slammed his critics who said that he should take responsibility for the unrest at his rallies and tell his supporters to be nicer.

“My people are nice, folks. My people are great,” he said.

Trump also blamed President Obama for dividing Americans along racial and partisan lines, and encouraged people to come together.

Stay tuned.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Self-Defeating Radicalism at Western Washington University: Student activists demand millions to reshape their institution and punish faculty members who violate ‘social justice’ taboos. Screw these snowflakes.

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PUNCHING BACK TWICE AS HARD: Rubio Slams CNN Host Who Called Him A Global Warming Denier. “Chris Cuomo is the brother of the current Democratic Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.”

Related: Rubio Schools CNN’s Cuomo on Uselessness of Climate Regulations.

YOU STAY CLASSY, HILL: Hillary Lambasted, Apologizes for Praising Nancy Reagan’s AIDS Advocacy.

ASHE SCHOW: No remorse from administrators in Duke lacrosse rape hoax.

It’s been nearly 10 years since members of the Duke University lacrosse team held the party that would destroy their lives due to a false accusation of rape.

None of the campus administrators who branded the young men as rapists before the evidence was collected ever faced consequences, and it appears they have no remorse for their actions.

Richard Brodhead is still president of Duke, and in an interview with the Duke Chronicle, said he was “certainly at ease in my conscience” regarding the way he and his administration treated the innocent students who were falsely accused. Brodhead also said “I don’t spend my time looking back on this” and said the whole incident “was distracting.”

Oh, so sorry that forever tarnishing the reputations of innocent students was “distracting” for you, Mr. president.

In 2007, Brodhead showed a little more remorse, calling his actions “a mistake” and apologizing for what he had done. Yet now, Brodhead appears to be just fine with what he had done to the students and their families.

K.C. Johnson, who co-wrote the book on the case, pointed to a statement Brodhead made in 2006, in the heat of the accusation, where he presumed the guilt of his own students and blamed them for possibly being falsely accused.

“If our students did what is alleged, it is appalling to the worst degree,” Brodhead said back then. “If they didn’t do it, whatever they did is bad enough.”

This is victim-blaming, yet those who perpetuate the belief that rape is rampant on college campuses won’t admit that the falsely accused are victims, too.

Richard Brodhead is a horrible human being who brings disgrace upon Duke University and academia as a whole.

DADDY, DEAREST: Far left Brainwashing of My Dad filmmaker Jen Senko says conservative media made father a bigot.

Because, what better way to say “screw you, dad,” than attack him in your own Michael Moore-style agitpropumentary?

BECAUSE YOU CAN’T SPELL HYPOCRISY WITHOUT “O:”

Shot: EPA Spends $295,507 to Track Energy and Water Use of Office Workers.

Chaser: Obama’s Carbon Admission: ‘I Have the World’s Largest Carbon Footprint.’

FAT CHANCE: Roll Call: Obama Urged to Put Qualifications Over Ideology on Court Pick.

BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTERS BRAG ABOUT DISRUPTING DONALD TRUMP RALLY IN CHICAGO.

Related: ‘We shut Trump down!’ Admitted terrorist Bill Ayers cheers on anti-Trump protesters in Chicago. As Monica Crowley tweets, “MoveOn, BLM, Socialists, remnants of Occupy Wall Street, Bill Ayers…Getting the band back together for 2016.”

More: “That moment when the Trump is Hitler narrative falls apart. Again.”

Update: Sanders Supporter Denies She is Woman Giving Nazi Salute at Trump Rally.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Trump’s Big Lewandowski Problem.

Related: “Michelle Fields just said on Fox that she was privately a supporter of Trump’s ‘and look what he did to me,'” John Podhoretz tweets.

PRAISING REPUBLICANS IS DOUBLEPLUSUNGOOD: Clinton apologizes for praising Nancy Reagan’s response to HIV.

For fun, somebody should ask her about George W. Bush’s anti-AIDS efforts in Africa . . . .

GOOD FOR THEM: Top Minnesota faculty committee backs free speech resolution.

Yesterday, by a 7-2 vote, the University of Minnesota’s top faculty committee voted to “provisionally support” a strong statement backing the freedom of speech on campus as the University’s “paramount value”–more important than even the university’s commitment to creating a “climate” conducive to equity and diversity. . . .

The move comes after several recent campus controversies over free speech–including two incidents where protestors attempted to shout down guest speakers (see here and here) and the investigation and recommended public censure of faculty members by the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action for using an image of Mohammed from the cover of Charlie Hebdo magazine. Ironically, the image was used to promote a panel discussion on free speech and censorship after the terrorist massacre of the magazine’s writers and editors.

Full statement at the link.

FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMED: Swedish Police Tell Women Not To Go Out Alone Due To Migrant Violence.

PERPETUATING THE GREAT DEMOCRAT LIE: Obama Says It’s Easier to Order Pizza than to Vote in the U.S.

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Did Guns Doom Hillary In Michigan? Quite Possibly.

Sure, Sen. Bernie Sanders beat the odds and pulled off a significant primary win against Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s Michigan primary. But while most pundits credited disaffected white union workers and starry-eyed millennials with the Vermont senator’s win, another issue could have pulled in many of the late deciders who cast their ballot for Sanders.

During Sunday’s Democratic debate, Clinton tried to land some stiff blows against Sanders’ support of Americans’ gun rights and legislation that shields firearms manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits. His defense of the gun industry earned him a nod from the NRA, who applauded his advocacy of Second Amendment rights and citizen access to guns.

But there were others who were likely listening.

What Clinton might not have considered is that Michigan has a long hunting and shooting tradition and has some of the highest rates of hunting license sales and firearm background checks in the country. In 2015, the FBI processed over 500,000 background checks for gun buyers in Michigan, about the same number as in 2014.

And in 2013, the last year of available records according the the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the state sold nearly 800,000 hunting licenses. That means about 10 percent of the population of Michigan over the age of 15 are hunters. It’s not the highest rate in the country, but its well above Ohio, Florida, or even Iowa.

Researchers who look into the issue of concealed carry rights find that as of 2014, nearly half a million Michiganders hold permits to wear a gun. Rough back-of-the-napkin math shows that’s about 5 percent of the adult population of the state over the age of 21, the minimum age for permits.

In fact, there’s solid momentum in the state behind a bill introduced this year that would remove the need to even apply for a concealed carry permit. If it passes, Michigan would join Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Maine and — wait for it — Vermont as states that do not require a concealed carry permit for its citizens.

And if you look at the exit polls for the March 8 Democratic primary, while Clinton had the urban voters locked up, Sanders crushed Clinton in rural areas and in the southeast, southwest and the hunter-heavy north-central and Upper Peninsula of the state, where he beat the former New York senator by 20 points.

Ouch.

TED CRUZ: TRUMP CAMPAIGN BEARS SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VIOLENCE THAT DERAILED FRIDAY’S RALLIES. “Two rallies on behalf of Republican front-runner Donald Trump were derailed on Friday evening, after violence broke out in St. Louis, Missouri, and protesters took over a would-be rally in Chicago, Illinois. Ted Cruz hit The Donald on such violence, saying his campaign bears some responsibility for encouraging it.”

WHAT FAILURE LOOKS LIKE: Obamacare enrollment dropped off 25% over the course of 2015.

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HMM: Source: Clinton IT specialist revealing server details to FBI, ‘devastating witness.’

Also: Cruz: I would ‘absolutely’ go after Clinton on emails if elected.

SEVEN YEARS CAPTURED IN ONE SENTENCE: Obama to SXSW: Government Has Failed You But You Should Trust It Anyway.

WAPO: Trump’s voters aren’t authoritarians, new research says. So what are they? “Instead, Trump’s supporters are distinctive in another way: They are true populists. Authoritarianism and populism are easy to conflate, but they actually refer to very distinct tendencies.”

PERSONALLY, I LOVE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME: Why daylight saving time isn’t as terrible as people think. If I had my way, we’d have it year-round, and double-daylight-savings in the winter. I don’t care if it’s dark in the morning, but I hate it when it’s dark before I get home from work. When it’s dark in the morning, I feel virtuous for rising before the sun. When it’s dark on the way home, I feel like I’ve worked until bedtime. Living in Knoxville, which is just a stone’s throw (almost literally, it’s like 40 miles) from the dividing line with Central time, I kinda get that already. But I’m still sad when daylight savings ends.

‘WHOA’: TRUMP RALLY IN CHICAGO REPORTEDLY CANCELLED; Update from Trump campaign; Update: ‘Absolute chaos’; Update: ‘Nazis’ vs. ‘Communists’; Update: Now going after police cars, cops; Update: Trump tells MSNBC, ‘you can’t even have a rally anymore in this country.’

UPDATE:  Alex Seitz-Wald of MSNBC tweets, “Big (unofficial) pro-Sanders group that grew out of Occupy takes credit for pro-Sanders Trump rally disruptions.” He links to this tweet by the “People For Bernie” account:

“We are the danger,” People for Bernie adds:

“Buzzfeed reporter [Tracy Clayton] celebrates Chicago chaos and intolerance,” writes Richard Grenell:

Former Comcast-NBC spokeswoman Melissa Harris-Perry sounds like she’s OK with the riot:

Question asked and answered:

UPDATE: “Hey, it’s 1968 with Internet.” And from Paul Mirengoff at Power Line, “With no sense of irony, the protesters, having successfully shut Trump down, chanted ‘this is what democracy looks like.’ Many of them also chanted ‘Bernie,’ suggesting that they really mean ‘this is what Democratic Socialism looks like.’ In so, they probably aren’t wrong.”

UPDATE (8:35 PM PST): “MoveOn. org takes credit for #TrumpRally shut down, vows more disruptions.”

THE ATLANTIC: The Remarkable Rightness Of Rudyard Kipling.

Oh, he’ll be righter still, by and by.