SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

LOOK WHO HAS LEFT US – FROM THE HILL:   William Shakespeare, who was among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine, died of an unrelated illness at the age of 81.  Shakespeare left behind his wife of 53 years, Joy, along with two sons and grandchildren, after he had a stroke, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said, the BBC reported.  Those in his life spoke about the pride he had in being among the first to get the coronavirus vaccine.  “Bill was so grateful for being offered the opportunity to become one of the first people in the world to be given the vaccine,” his wife said, according to the BBC.  "It was something he was hugely proud of — he loved seeing the media coverage and the positive difference he was able to make to the lives of so many,” she added.   Of course, he's had media coverage before, especially when "Macbeth" opened,   It is reported from another source that he died from extreme stress brought on by indecision.  He couldn't decide whether to be or not to be.  (Okay, you don't have to laugh.) 

GROSSLY OUTRAGEOUS IN THIS DEMOCRACY – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:  Parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, are outraged over the public school district’s decision to start using an anonymous “Bias Reporting” form.  The parents, who are part of a recently formed political action committee called “Fight for Schools,” say the form “asks students to anonymously cancel each other” in an effort to root out racism.   “Another day in Loudoun County, another Orwellian move from Loudoun County Public Schools,” the group said in an email last week. “This time [the district] has created a system where students and parents can anonymously report other students for ‘bias.’ … What could possibly go wrong?!”  The message also includes a screenshot of an email reportedly sent by the school stating that students can “denote if they wish to have the incident followed up at their respective school.”  A spokesperson for Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) told The Washington Times that the form is part of the district’s “Detailed Action Plan to Combat Systemic Racism.”  “The specific reason behind this action step is to utilize it as a means to amplify and elevate student voice,” the spokesperson said in an email last week.  The decision to create the form stems from a 2019 “Systemic Equity Assessment” that “revealed some students who felt marginalized or had experienced bias,” the spokesperson said.  I guess the next move is to ask students to spy on their parents.  All in the name of fighting evil.

May 25, 2021