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

A FERGUSON IN NEW YORK? – The race industry fervently hopes so.  There is a Ferguson-like case before a grand jury in New York City.  The case involves an African-American man who died while struggling with a police officer who allegedly had him in an illegal choke hold:  From CBS:  "NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A grand jury decision is expected to come soon, in the case of the apparent police chokehold that killed Eric Garner on Staten Island this past summer.  Garner, a father of six, died in July after being placed in an apparent chokehold by Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Garner was being arrested for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.  The grand jury began hearing evidence in the case Sept. 29.
As CBS2’s Tony Aiello reported, a small, but spirited protest about the Garner case was held outside the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.  'I hope that Officer (Daniel) Pantaleo is indicted,' said Steve Quester of the group Stand up for Racial Justice.  Quester said he would like to see the officer who was seen on video placing Garner in the chokehold charged with murder."  The grand jury will decide.  Among the issues is whether Garner had the man in an illegal chokehold and whether that was the cause of death. You may be sure that anything short of a murder indictment will bring out the heavy-hitting agitators, regardless of the facts.

PAUL TO RUN AGAIN FOR SENATE – Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky announced today that he would run for the Senate again in 2016.  Paul is also considered a presidential contender for that year, but has a problem:  Under Kentucky law he cannot run for president and Senate simultaneously.  The legislature in Kentucky is controlled by Democrats, and they're not going to ease Paul's way by changing that law.  At some point he'll have to decide.  My guess is that he'll give up the presidential run because support for him, thus far, has been limited.

OIL ACTION SLOWS – The United States is becoming so successful at finding new oil and marketing it, that prices are plunging.  Inevitably, that has resulted in a slowing of oil exploration as the industry may well become less profitable.  From Reuters:  "(Reuters) - Plunging oil prices sparked a drop of almost 40 percent in new well permits issued across the United States in November, in a sudden pause in the growth of the U.S. shale oil and gas boom that started around 2007.  Data provided exclusively to Reuters on Tuesday by industry data firm Drilling Info Inc showed 4,520 new well permits were approved last month, down from 7,227 in October.  The pullback was a 'very quick response' to U.S. crude prices, which settled on Tuesday at $66.88 CLc1, said Allen Gilmer, chief executive officer of Drilling Info."  We are becoming energy independent.  We'll be free of blackmail, and free to explore new types of clean energy at our own pace, and in the best way.  The left is crushed, depressed.  I believe that a portion of oil profits should go to providing psychiatric care and rest homes for leftists and shattered enviro-nuts.  It's only fair. 

December 2,  2014