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

A TRULY GREAT MOMENT IN EDUCATION – FROM THE L.A. TIMES:   The Los Angeles Unified School District underwent a dramatic political shift Tuesday night, as the curtain dropped on what has been the most expensive school board election in the nation’s history.  The election has been a proxy war between wealthy charter school advocates and public employee unions. Charter supporters appeared to secure their first-ever majority on the seven-member Los Angeles Board of Education, a move that could accelerate the already-rapid expansion of charter schools across the city.  As a rule, charter schools are good.  They don't all work out, but most do, and improve the educations of inner-city kids.

AND A LESSER MOMENT IN EDUCATION – FROM AOL:  A professor at Orange Coast College in California barred members of a school club from attending Women's History Month events last March, advocating for a "safe space event."  OCC professor of sociology and gender studies Jessica Ayo Alabi reportedly emailed campus officials stating her intent to ban members of the school's Republican Club from attending an African American/Women's roundtable discussion this past March. According to the Washington Examiner, Alabi explained the event and defended her position to tell the Republican Club they "could not come" to the event in an email.  Apparently, the Republican Club is fighting back, and now making demands that the "professor" reverse her policy and that the school enforce free speech rights for all students.  Good for the Republican Club.  Fight the left-wing thugs!

SCARY INCIDENT – FROM BLOOMBERG:   Fighter jets escorted an American Airlines plane to Honolulu after a passenger attempted to breach the hardened cockpit door.  Based on initial reports, the man placed a laptop by the entrance and tried to get through the reinforced barrier required on airliners following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said a person familiar with the matter. The Department of Homeland Security said it was prepared to help investigate the incident on Flight 31 from Los Angeles.  The incident added to fears about flight safety as the Trump administration has warned of a heightened risk that terrorists could use laptops to conceal explosives. Homeland Security is considering banning electronic devices larger than mobile phones from airline cabins on flights from Europe to the U.S. A prohibition was adopted in March for flights from 10 Middle Eastern and North African airports.  The unruly passenger was later described as Turkish.  We don't know yet whether this was a terrorist incident.

May 19, 2017