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

INSPIRING – FROM FOX:  The wreck of the USS Juneau, which was sunk by a Japanese torpedo and lost 687 sailors in 1942, has been discovered by billionaire Paul Allen’s crew.  Five brothers from the Sullivan family were famously lost on the USS Juneau. Their story, which attracted widespread attention, was depicted in the 1944 movie “The Fighting Sullivans.” Two US Navy ships have been named “The Sullivans” in memory of the brothers.  The brothers wanted to serve on the same ship, despite naval policies preventing siblings from serving together.  When I was a kid, the story of the Sullivans was part of American heroic folklore.  Now the boys are largely forgotten.  Maybe this discovery will revive their names.

THEY'LL LEARN AS ADULTS – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   A new survey of college students has found that a narrow margin of millennials believe diversity is more important than free speech.  The Gallup-Knight Foundation surveyed 3,014 U.S. college students and showed the ramifications of diversity programs and social justice teachings in the classroom.  “While U.S. college students show strong support for the First Amendment, many also approve of limits on speech to foster an environment where diverse perspectives are respected. These competing views and habits can have an effect on the freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees. Understanding them will help to preserve our most fundamental rights into the future,” states a release from the Knight Foundation.  The majority of college students surveyed, 56 percent, still believe protecting free speech rights is important. Separately, 52 percent of these same students find a diverse and inclusive society to be extremely important part of democracy.  The results are discouraging, as freedom is the heart of our republic.   But these are kids, and they will presumably become more mature as adults.  Presumably.

THE RIGHT MOVE – FROM THE SUN-SENTINAL:  Gov. Rick Scott wants armed police officers at every access point outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, and he’s willing to send Florida Highway Patrol troopers to the campus to make it happen.  The governor made the offer in a letter Tuesday to Broward Sheriff Scott Israel and School District Superintendent Robert Runcie. “Recent events at the school have demonstrated the need for additional security measures to be implemented,” Scott said, an apparent reference to Monday’s arrest of Zachary Cruz on trespassing charges.  Cruz, whose brother Nikolas is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for shooting up the school on Valentine’s Day, is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.  That the brother of a mass murderer could ride his skateboard onto the campus in broad daylight sent chills throughout the school community.   Common sense tells us to protect the schools as the first measure needed.  It is our moral responsibility to put children's lives, not political agendas, at the top of our priority list.  But tell that to a liberal.

March 20, 2018