SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:47 P.M. ET: 

LATEST TREND IN EDUCATION – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Brown University is implementing a change to its graduate school application that will allow applicants to “self-identify” as persons of color. Multiple efforts by The College Fix to clarify the details of this change were ignored by campus officials.  The policy comes as a result of complaints made by graduate students on the Graduate School advisory board that international and Asian American students are not treated as members of historically underrepresented groups by the university, according to The Brown Daily Herald.  One graduate student, Lydia Kelow-Bennett, told The Herald that this decision has led to “institutional invisibility” for these students. Brown defines historically underrepresented groups as “American Indian, Alaskan Native, African American, Hispanic or Latinx and Native Hawaiian and/or Pacific Islander.” The school’s diversity initiatives are intended to benefit members of these groups.  Brown’s criteria for historical underrepresentation “caused some students to not receive invitations to certain events, such as a multicultural student dinner,” The Herald reported.  I personally will choose to identify as turquoise.  I've always liked it.  Bright, cheery, optimistic, yet diverse.  Please send me my dinner invitation.

TAX BILL HITS A BUMP –  The GOP Senate tax bill was sailing along toward passage until late afternoon, when a report indicated that would would add $1.0-trillion to $1.7-trillion to (check one) the national debt or budget deficit, depending on which news source you use.  It is incredible to see how these numbers and terms are just thrown around.  So now the lawmakers are meeting to find a way to avoid that warning, which is a dealbreaker to some members.  The vote, which was to be held tonight, has now been put off until Friday morning.  Republicans have had years to come up with a new tax plan, yet are still arguing down to the wire over provisions that should have been settled a long time ago.

NO JUSTICE FOR KATE – FROM ABC:   In a surprising verdict, the jury of six men and six women deliberated and came back with a not guilty verdict for Jose Ines Garcia Zarate. The defendant was facing second degree murder charges for killing 32-year-old Pleasanton resident Kate Steinle on July 1, 2015 at Pier 14 in San Francisco. While Garcia Zarate can technically walk out of the courtroom, it's expected that he will be taken into custody by Immigration officials and eventually deported back to his native Mexico.  The case gained notoriety because Garcia Zarate is an undocumented immigrant who had been deported several times and had a number of felony convictions. Steinle's death became part of the immigration debate in this country. During his campaign, President Trump criticized San Francisco for its sanctuary city status.   The verdict was a farce.  The jury could have chosen manslaughter instead of murder, but acquitted this creature of all counts except a technical weapons possession charge.  Of course, the San Francisco mentality holds that the murderer is really the victim.  I would have loved to hear the jury deliberations.  I wonder how many times the phrase "understanding other cultures" was used.

November 30, 2017