Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

Our Angel's Corner archive is here.

DECEMBER 18,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:31 P.M. ET: 

CULINARY DISGRACE – From the New York Post:   Students at an ultra-liberal Ohio college are in an uproar over the fried chicken, sushi and Vietnamese sandwiches served in the school cafeterias, complaining the dishes are “insensitive” and “culturally inappropriate.”  Gastronomically correct students at Oberlin College are filling the school newspaper with complaints and demanding meetings with campus dining officials and even the college president.  General Tso’s chicken was made with steamed chicken instead of fried — which is not authentically Chinese, and simply “weird,” one student bellyached in the Oberlin Review.  Forget nuclear proliferation.  Forget ISIS.  This is big!

IT DAWNS ON HAGEL – When Chuck Hagel was made secretary of defense it was clearly because he'd sold out his own Republican Party, opposed the Bush administration, and endorsed Obama in 2008.  None of that mattered.  From The Hill:  Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says White House aides tried to personally "destroy" him.  In an interview with Foreign Policy, Hagel opened up about his tenure in the administration, discussing the uncertainty over Syria strategy and accusing the White House of micromanaging the Pentagon, echoing similar criticisms from predecessors Robert Gates and Leon Panetta.  Tension between Hagel and other officials in President Obama's inner circle surfaced publicly last year, as the then-Defense chief and the White House disagreed over a number of policy initiatives.  Hagel and White House national security adviser Susan Rice "frequently butted heads" over Syria policy and the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, according to the Foreign Policy report.  Hagel, who did not mention Rice by name, told the magazine that even after he agreed to leave the administration, some White House officials continued to anonymously knock him in the press.  The name Susan Rice keeps coming up, as one of the most contentious, argumentative, and deceptive personalities in the Obama White House.  Other than that, she's beloved.

THE MARCH OF PROGRESS – From Bloomberg:  The self-driving car, that cutting-edge creation that’s supposed to lead to a world without accidents, is achieving the exact opposite right now: The vehicles have racked up a crash rate double that of those with human drivers.  The glitch?  They obey the law all the time, as in, without exception. This may sound like the right way to program a robot to drive a car, but good luck trying to merge onto a chaotic, jam-packed highway with traffic flying along well above the speed limit. It tends not to work out well. As the accidents have piled up -- all minor scrape-ups for now -- the arguments among programmers at places like Google Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University are heating up: Should they teach the cars how to commit infractions from time to time to stay out of trouble?  They should teach the cars to take the train.

December 18, 2015       Permalink

MAJOR EDUCATION NEWS – AT 10:12 A.M. ET:   There are rumors that Harvard is an intelligent place.  That contention is under study.  From the Boston Globe: 

Last week, Harvard students found themselves staring down at placemats in the dining hall that asked, among other interesting questions: “Why are Black students complaining? Shouldn’t they be happy to be in college?”

The university apologized on Wednesday for the “Holiday Placemats for Social Justice,” a misguided attempt to help students navigate winter break with curious family members after a tumultuous semester at many colleges nationwide.

The colorful, laminated sheets are divided into four topic areas officials thought family might ask about, including student activism, Islamophobia, the Harvard’s controversial house master title change and black murders in the street.

The placemats offered helpful responses like: “When I hear students expressing their experiences of racism on campus, I don’t hear complaining. Instead I hear young people uplifting a situation that I might not experience.”

In response to the criticism, Stephen Lassonde, dean of student life, and Thomas Dingman, dean of freshmen, apologized in a letter on Wednesday:

“Our goal was to provide a framework for you to engage in conversations with peers and family members as you return home for the winter break, however, it was not effectively presented and it ultimately caused confusion in our community,” they wrote. “To suggest that there is only one point of view on each of these issues runs counter to our educational goals.”

In the middle of the placemat, there are more general tips for talking to family members: “listen, breathe, ask, affirm and speak.”

In a column for The Harvard Crimson , student Idrees M. Kalhoon pointed out that the text for the placemats was taken word-for-word from a similar credited poster created by the group Showing Up for Racial Justice, whose aim is to move “white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability.”

COMMENT:  This is at one of America's leading universities.  It demonstrates once again that our colleges have been hijacked by the political left, and that our kids are not getting a full education.  The idea that a college would supply talking points for students to use with their families reminds us of life in the old Soviet Union.  And it's probably intentional.

December 18, 2015       Permalink

DONALD AND VLADIMIR, TOGETHER AGAIN! – AT 9:30 A.M. ET:  Is this an American presidential election, or a musical comedy?  From The Hill:

Donald Trump on Friday continued to flaunt his endorsement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, pointing to the oligarch's popularity in his home nation.

"He's a strong leader, he's a powerful leader. He's represented his country," Trump said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe,” though he conceded that Putin may run his own polling.

"Certainly over the last couple of years they've respected him as a leader. I think he's up in the 80s, where you see Obama is in the 30s and low 40s — and he's up in the 80s," Trump said of Putin's popularity.

"I don't know who does the polls, maybe he does the polls," Trump said.

The Russian leader praised the celebrity real estate developer-turned GOP front-runner during his annual press conference on Thursday, calling him a "really brilliant and talented person."

Trump, who has previously spoken warmly of Putin, said Thursday it was a "great honor" to be complimented by the Russian leader, who has received criticism for silencing opposition, stifling democratic reform, annexing the Crimean Peninsula and continuing to support the Syrian regime.

"Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough noted Friday that Putin "is a person who kills journalists, political opponents and invades countries."

"He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in our country," Trump responded.

"Again, he kills journalists that don't agree with him," said Scarborough, a former Florida GOP representative.

"Well I think our country does plenty of killing also, Joe, so ..." Trump said.

"You obviously condemn Vladimir Putin killing journalists and political opponents, right?" Scarborough asked.

"Oh sure, absolutely," Trump responded.

COMMENT:  Did you ever think you'd see the day when a Republican presidential candidate cherished the Putin vote? 

I have to tell you, I think Trump is getting embarrassing.  And I'm not at all sure that he's a Republican.

December 18, 2015       Permalink

WHAT IS IT WITH THESE DEMOCRATS? – AT 8:56 A.M. ET:  They have such trouble with modern technology.  From the Boston Globe:

The Democratic National Committee has told the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that it was suspending its access to its voter database after a software error enabled at least one of his staff members to review Hillary Clinton’s private campaign data.

The decision by the party committee is a major blow to Sanders’ campaign. The database includes information from voters across the nation and is used by campaigns to set strategy, especially in the early voting states.

The breach occurred after a software problem at the technology company NGP VAN, which gives campaigns access to the voter data. The problem inadvertently made proprietary voter data of Clinton’s campaign visible to others, according to party committee officials.

The Sanders campaign said that it had fired a staff member who breached Clinton’s data. But according to three people with direct knowledge of the breach, there were four user accounts associated with the Sanders campaign that ran searches while the security of Clinton’s data was compromised.

The Washington Post first reported the issue.

The suspension comes as Sanders prepares to face Clinton at the Democratic debate Saturday and as he received the endorsement of a major union, the Communications Workers of America, and a liberal group Thursday.

The Democratic committee blamed NGP VAN for the software glitch.

“This was an isolated incident, and we’re conducting a full audit to ensure the integrity of the system and reporting the findings to the DNC,” Stu Trevelyan, NGP VAN’s chief executive, said.

COMMENT:  Rather harsh punishment for Bernie.  It pretty much tells you who's running the Democratic National Committee.  It's a Hillary world. 

So one of Bernie's staffers breached the database and Bernie pays the price.  Hillary misused her e-mail system for several years, had a private server, and she gets to be the presidential nominee.  Class, what are the moral lessons here?

December 18, 2015       Permalink

DECEMBER 17,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:58 P.M. ET: 

I'M SO RELIEVED – From ABC:    Flanked by his national security team, President Obama reassured Americans that there was "no specific, credible threat" against the country ahead of the holidays.  "We do not have any specific and credible information about an attack on the homeland," Obama said today at the National Counterterrorism Center. "That said, we have to be vigilant."  Obama said security experts are constantly hard at work putting up safeguards to prevent terrorists from entering the country, while at the same time bringing the fight to terrorists plotting overseas.  Well, that certainly satisfies me.  If there were going to be an attack, wouldn't we have credible information about it?  Maps?  Exact locations and plans?  Didn't we have clear information before 9-11?  Fort Hood?  San Bernardino?  Oh, uh, maybe I'd better rethink this.

HE'S BAAACK – At least for a few hours.  From Breitbart:   Hyper-liberal Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore challenged Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump by holding a sign reading “We Are All Muslim” outside Trump Tower on Wednesday before penning an open letter to the candidate on Facebook...“We are all Muslim. Deal with it,” Moore concluded.  Moore has become increasingly vocal about his dislike for the Republican frontrunner; last week, he invited Facebook followers to report Trump for “hate speech” in an effort to have him banned from the social media service.  In an interview with the Daily Beast the day before his latest stunt, Moore said Trump should embrace his “female side.”  Moore might consider embracing his grown-up side, but would have considerable difficulty finding it.

BERNIE AIN'T FINISHED – From Buzzfeed:  WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders added more progressive grassroots support to his campaign Thursday, picking up the endorsement of the Vermont-based Democracy For America, which was founded out of Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign.  The endorsement gives the Vermont senator another big piece of the organized progressive movement to leverage for fundraising and grassroots organizing. It’s the first time DFA has endorsed in a Democratic primary since its founding, and the group pledged Thursday to throw its weight behind Sanders as the homestretch to the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries begins in earnest.  It’s an especially sweet addition to Sanders’ lengthy list of lefty boosters thanks to the way the endorsement came about. DFA asked its members to vote for who the group should endorse, as it does for most of its political endorsements. Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley each made direct appeals to DFA members. Dean, who founded the group and backs Clinton, wrote an email to DFA voters on her behalf: “I hope that Hillary will be your choice,” Dean wrote.  Unless Hillary is indicted, she probably has the nomination sewn up.  If she is indicted, Obama will engineer a Democratic Party coup by Joe Biden.  Bernie is a sentimental favorite, but he has little support among the minorities who have veto power over Democratic nominations.

December 17,  2015     Permalink

SAY IT AIN'T SO, MICKEY – AT 7:45 P.M. ET:   It had to come to this.  Some of America's favorite theme parks will now get extra security.  From the Orlando Sentinel: 

In a sign of how jittery the nation has become about terrorism and gun violence, Orlando's major theme parks on Thursday added metal detectors as a security precaution.

Walt Disney World placed walk-through metal detectors in front of its theme parks. Universal Orlando began using wand-style metal detectors in an area leading into its parks and nightlife district. SeaWorld also began using wand-style detectors.

The safety measures extend outside Orlando. Disneyland and Universal Studios in Hollywood are also using the devices.

Security in general has been a major concern following recent deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. On Wednesday, the federal Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin saying it was "especially concerned that terrorist-inspired individuals and homegrown violent extremists might be encouraged or inspired to target public events or places." It warned people to expect more police and more stringent security at large gathering places.

The apparently coordinated decision at theme parks seems to be "really kind of a destination statement of, 'Look, we're ensuring all our guests traveling to Orlando experiencing the parks, we're going to try to provide the safest environment possible,'" said Scott Smith, an assistant hospitality professor at the University of South Carolina.

Disney World — where a man was arrested last week after trying to enter the Magic Kingdom with a handgun — also said Thursday it would discontinue the sale of toy guns. New rules also include a ban on costumes for visitors 14 and older, even at Halloween parties. It is unclear whether people can still wear them at Disney races.

COMMENT:  Well, there goes my Minnie Mouse outfit.  But, if it protects people, it's worth it.  What we must also concentrate on is schools and universities.  Schools should be hardened and protected, even if it offends the gun-control crowd.  We protect jewelry stores better than we protect our kids.

December 17, 2015       Permalink

STRANGE ENDORSEMENT – AT 9:37 A.M. ET:  Donald Trump has a fan.  From AFP: 

Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as a talented and outstanding man, welcoming his stance on Russia.

"He is a very outstanding man, unquestionably talented," Putin told journalists after his annual press conference in Moscow.

"It's not up to us to judge his virtue, that is up to US voters, but he is the absolute leader of the presidential race," Putin added.

Putin said Russia is ready to work with the United States no matter who is elected president next year. "We are ready to work with any president chosen by the American people."

Trump, a tycoon and onetime reality television star who has unexpectedly become leader of the Republican presidential candidates' race, has been gaining both fans and enemies recently for his inflammatory remarks against Muslims.

He has vowed to ban all Muslims from entering the United States if he succeeds in his bid to become the next US president.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday called Trump's comments "divisive, stupid and wrong."

Putin said that Trump's comments to his domestic audience while on the campaign trail were not Russia's concern, but added that he likes the Republican hopeful's statements on Russia.

"On domestic politics, his manner of speaking, what he employs to raise his popularity" -- that is none of Russia's business, Putin said. "It's not our concern to evaluate his work."

Some of Trump's statements on Putin are apparently music to the Russian president's ear.

"He says that he wants a different level of relations, tighter and deeper relations with Russia, how can we not welcome that? Of course we welcome it," Putin said.

COMMENT:  Very shrewd comments by Putin, who is probably the best strategic player among the major world leaders.  Why should he attack Trump, like so many others?  What's in it for Russia?  By praising him, he has a friend should Trump get elected.  I'm not in favor of Trump, but watching Trump and Putin deal with each other would be a political feast.

December 17, 2015       Permalink

NOTHING TO SEE, NOTHING TO SEE – AT 9:09 A.M. ET:  We're sure these were just innocent tourists contemplating the beauty of our border areas.  From Judicial Watch:

A Middle Eastern woman was caught surveilling a U.S. port of entry on the Mexican border holding a sketchbook with Arabic writing and drawings of the facility and its security system, federal law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch.

The woman has been identified as 23-year-old Leila Abdelrazaq, according to a Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) report obtained by JW this week. Abdelrazaq appeared to have two accomplices, a 31-year-old man named Gabriel Schivone and a 28-year-old woman named Leslie Mcafee. CBP agents noticed the trio “observing the facilities” at the Port of Mariposa in Nogales, Arizona on December 2. Schivone was first noticed inside the entrance of the pedestrian area while the two women stood outside by the entry door, the CPB document states.

When federal officers asked Abdelrazaq why she was drawing sketches of the facilities she “stated because she’s never been to the border,” according to the CBP report. Abdelrazaq resisted showing officers the sketchbook, citing personal reasons, but subsequently handed it over. “During the inspection of the Abdelrazaq sketching book, CBPOs noticed the book contained writings in English and Arabic language,” federal officers write in the document. “There were drawings of what appeared to be vehicle primary inspection area and an additional drawing of pedestrian turn stile gate depicting video surveillance cameras above the gate.” The report proceeds to reveal that the drawings were “partial and incomplete.”

This distressing information comes on the heels of two separate—and equally alarming—incidents in the same vicinity. A few weeks ago JW reported that five young Middle Eastern men were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol in Amado, an Arizona town situated about 30 miles from the Mexican border. Two of the men were carrying stainless steel cylinders in backpacks, alarming Border Patrol officials enough to call the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for backup. DHS officially denies this ever occurred, but law enforcement and other sources have confirmed to JW that the two men carrying the cylinders were believed to be taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

COMMENT:  As the saying goes, our authorities have to be lucky every day.  The terrorists have to be lucky only once.  There is, according to every survey, tremendous apprehension in this country – a sense that there will be more attacks.  The apprehension is justified.  It may well affect the 2016 presidential election.

December 17, 2015       Permalink

JUST BRILLIANT – AT 8:51 A.M. ET:  It's hard to make this up.  From CNN:

Belgian authorities may have had the chance to arrest one of the Paris attackers two days after terror struck the French capital, but were unable to do so due to a law limiting police raids on private homes, the country's justice minister said Wednesday.

Koen Geens told Belgian media Wednesday that police had tracked Salah Abdeslam to an apartment in Brussels just two days after the Nov. 13 attacks killed 130 people and injured 350 others. However, authorities were forbidden to carry out a raid to capture the terrorist dubbed "Europe's most wanted man" due to an obscure law that prohibits police from entering private homes between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. The only exceptions to the law, which dates to 1969, are if a crime is in progress or if the home is on fire.

The apartment where Abdeslam was believed to be hiding out was located in Brussels' western suburb of Molenbeek, which has been singled out by authorities as a hotbed of jihadist activity. Abdeslam grew up in the neighborhood, as did the mastermind of the Paris attack, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a raid by French police Nov. 18

A spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office acknowledged to The New York Times that authorities did not seal off the area during the night and that Abdeslam was gone when police returned the following day to carry out their operation. Belgian media reported that investigators found evidence during their search that Abdeslam had indeed been in the apartment during the night, though that was not explicitly confirmed by authorities.

COMMENT:  Moral of the story:  Keep laws up to date, and interpret them sensibly.  Human lives are at stake.

December 17,  2015     Permalink