SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

FAREWELL – FROM FOX:  Award-winning actress Nanette Fabray, known for her roles in “The Band Wagon” and “Caesar’s Hour,” passed away Thursday at 97 years old, according to her family.
Fabray’s son, Dr. Jamie MacDougall, told The Associated Press that his mother died at her home in Palos Verdes Estates. He told the Los Angeles Times that she passed from natural causes. The starlet began her successful career at the age of 3, singing and dancing in Vaudeville performances as Baby Nanette.  Over the course of decades in show business, Fabray racked up a number of accolades. She earned a Tony award for her role in the 1949 musical “Love Life,” as well as a nod for her part in “Mr. President.” She earned three Emmy awards – two for “Caesar’s Hour” and one for best comedienne, the Times reported.   She was one of the best comic actors  in the golden age of Hollywood. 

THERE WILL BE A PARADE – FROM THE POLITICO:  President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House-backed military parade are beginning to take shape.  The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.  The memo, which was summarized to POLITICO by a senior administration official, was sent from McMaster to Secretary of Defense James Mattis. It says that Trump wants Mattis to brief him on “concepts of operation for this event.”  The memo also said that the parade route should begin at the White House and end at the Capitol. This was laughed at when Trump first proposed it.  And, of course, the usual suspects declared Trump a militarist, a would-be dictator and all related labels.  But don't underestimate Trump's ability to pull off a spectacular event, dedicated to veterans.  The intellectual snobs will turn their collective noses up, but the American people will love it.

TRUMP GETS IT RIGHT – FROM BREITBART:  Thursday, during a meeting at the White House on preventing school shootings, President Donald Trump said gun-free zones in schools are part of the problem.
Trump said, “We have to harden the schools, not soften them up. A gun-free zone to a killer or somebody that wants to be a killer, that’s like going in for ice cream. That’s like, here I am, take me. We have to get smart on gun-free zones. When they see it says this is a gun-free zone, that means nobody has a gun except them. Nobody will be shooting bullets in the other direction. And they see that as such a beautiful target. They live for that.”  As usual, the president's words were awkward, but he speaks certain truths that clarify a situation and expose the face of so-called "progressive" policies.  He is, of course, fully correct about gun-free zones.  He is speaking common sense. Judging by his rising approval ratings, he's getting through to millions of Americans.

February 23, 2018