SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:48 P.M. ET:

MADNESS – From Britain's Independent:   One third of all the fire brigade vehicles that would be called out if terrorists set off a “dirty bomb” are being scrapped to save money.  The decision – which has provoked protests because of the secrecy surrounding it – comes at a time when the Government has been warning of the danger of terrorists threats to the UK, after the 13 November attack on Paris. The Incident Response Units (IRUs), with their distinctive red colouring with yellow stripes, were introduced at a cost of £54m in 2004, when the government feared that terrorists would strike in revenge for the Iraq war.  Equipped to deal with a chemical, biological or nuclear attack, the vehicles are distributed around fire stations so that they would never have to travel far to an incident, though they do not belong to the fire brigade but to the Department of Communities and Local Government.  This is complete craziness.  But, if truth be told, Britain, despite some tough words from some prime ministers, has consistently reduced its defenses over the years, the better to pay for the welfare state.  Do not underestimate the pervasive power of the British left.

ISIS HAS PASSPORT POWER – From the Jerusalem Post:   BERLIN – Islamic State obtained tens of thousands of blank passports in Syrian, Libyan and Iraqi towns since 2014, according to Western intelligence agencies.  The Welt am Sonntag paper cited intelligence officials in its report Sunday on Islamic State selling “real fake documents” to raise money. The terrorist organization is offering passports for between $1,000 and $1,500 on the black market.  In addition to the blank passports, Islamic State seized machinery for the production of passports and personal identity papers.  Security officials are concerned that jihadists will use the passports to disguise themselves as refugees and infiltrate Europe, the paper reported.  Now why would anyone think that?  These are simply misunderstood people with a colorful point of view.

GAS PRICES PLUNGE – From Bloomberg:   Just as Americans start to hit the road for the holidays, the average price of gasoline at the pump has dropped below $2 a gallon for the first time in more than six years as global oil supply continues to surge.  The average pump price fell to $1.999 a gallon at about 4 p.m. New York time on Saturday, according to data from GasBuddy Organization, a price tracker based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. That compares with an average price of $2.11 a month ago and $2.44 one year ago.  Low oil prices tied to overproduction and to lower seasonal demand are “the main catalyst” for the decline, said Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, in a phone interview.  Good news for consumers, but the caution signal must be sounded.  An oil price that is too low can stifle exploration, and roll back the progress we've made in oil production in the United States.  We're becoming energy independent, and we don't want that process to be frustrated by prices so low that the profit incentive disappears.

December 20, 2015