SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:29 P.M. ET:

UKRAINE UPDATE – From The New York Times:  "KIEV, Ukraine — An American-backed deal to settle the crisis in eastern Ukraine fell flat on Friday as pro-Russian militants vowed to stay in occupied government buildings, dashing hopes of a swift end to an insurgency that the authorities in Kiev portray as a Kremlin-orchestrated effort to put Ukraine’s industrial heartland under Russian control."  One word from Comrade Vladimir and those pro-Russian militants would be gone.  I guess Vladimir doesn't want to utter the word.

DOUBLE STANDARD? – From Fox:  "Roughly 25 Muslim drivers dispatched to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport are refusing to drive cabs adorned with advertising for the region’s upcoming Gay Games, citing religious reasons.  Two of the three companies operating at Ohio's largest airport were informed by the drivers — one-third of the airport’s total fleet — last week that they will no longer participate in the airport’s dedicated taxicab program. The companies, Ace and Yellow Taxi Cab, were told by the drivers that their decision was based on religious reasons, airport spokeswoman Jacqueline Mayo told FoxNews.com."  Hmm.  I wonder what will happen, now that Christian institutions are being ordered by courts and the Obama administration to provide health services to employees that violate the institutions' religious teachings.  Will Muslims be given an exemption?   Why did I think they will?

ALMOST HILARIOUS – Media Matters is a profoundly left-wing organization that goes after media that won't follow the leftist party line.  Of course, that doesn't mean they have to like their own workers.  From Fox:  "Media Matters for America is apparently resisting an effort by Service Employees International Union Local 500 to unionize its staff.  Last week, the union filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board, indicating that the nonprofit media watchdog organization rejected an effort by the union to organize MMFA's staff through a Card Check election."  Monumental hypocrisy, but nothing new.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? – Apparently Ms. Hillary doesn't check things out too well, like the security around our embassies and consulates...and book titles.  From National Journal:  "Hillary Clinton's upcoming memoir, which is expected to look back at her time as secretary of State, now has a name: Hard Choices. Which is an okay title! She no doubt had to make some tough decisions while at State, and has at least one big decision to make coming up in the next year or so.  But the former Cabinet member and possible future presidential candidate may have been better served by a different title—like, say, Tough Decisions. Because Hard Choices has already been used. By another former secretary of State.  In 1983, Cyrus Vance, who served as secretary of State in the Carter administration from 1977 to 1980, released his memoir about his own years in office: Hard Choices: Critical Years in America's Foreign Policy."

April 18, 2014