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.

I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

DECEMBER 18,  2017

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

COMPLICATIONS – FROM THE HILL:   A New York cosmetics executive who publicly alleged Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s repeatedly solicited the future president to become his campaign makeup artist and to pitch her new product line in the months before her story roiled the 2016 race, according to the woman and her contemporaneous emails.   “Hi Donald, you are doing a tremendous job of shaking things up in the United States. I am definitely on Team Trump as so many others are,” Jill Harth wrote the future president in an Oct. 1, 2015, email sent to him through his New York company’s headquarters.   “I can’t watch television without seeing you or hearing your name everywhere! It’s a good thing for sure but PLEASE let me do your makeup for a television interview, a debate, a photo session, anything!” Harth wrote.  We have no independent confirmation here, but, if the story is true, this was a revenge hit against Trump...revenge for not giving the accuser a job.  I think we'll see many more stories like this, but each one must be verified.

ECONOMIC OPTIMISM SOARS – FROM CNBC:  American optimism on the economy is reaching new heights and President Donald Trump's approval ratings look to be benefiting, at least somewhat.  The CNBC All-American Economic Survey found that for the first time in at least 11 years, more than half of respondents to the survey rated the economy as good or excellent, while a near record 41 percent expected the economy to improve in the next year.  "We're not measuring a marginal change in the economy, we're measuring a different economy,'' said Public Opinion Strategies' Micah Roberts, the Republican pollster for the survey. The poll of 800 adults across the nation, with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, was conducted Dec. 10-13 by that firm and Democratic pollster Hart Research.  We hope it lasts.  Trump needs a strong economic engine to take into next year's midterms, which are crucial.  Remember, if the GOP loses control of the Senate, it means that all Trump Supreme Court appointments can be blocked.  If it loses control of the House, it means probable, if frivolous, impeachment of the president.  A strong economy is the best guarantee of electoral victory.

THE BLOG – FROM SCIENCEALERT.COM:   A vast mass of hot rock is welling up underneath Vermont and extending into other subterranean regions below New England, new research shows.
Scientists used a network of thousands of seismic measurement devices in the largest geological study of its kind, detecting the enormous blob upwelling under Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts – and possibly elsewhere.  "The upwelling we detected is like a hot air balloon, and we infer that something is rising up through the deeper part of our planet under New England," says geophysicist Vadim Levin from Rutgers University – New Brunswick.  Scientists have told me privately that this has something to do with the chemical interaction between Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.  Both are known for over-production of hot air.

December 18, 2017       Permalink

IF WE HAD REAL JOURNALISM, THIS WOULD BE A MAJOR SCANDAL – AT 12:52 P.M. ET:  The Obama administration made a devil's bargain in order to enhance the possibility of a nuclear deal with Iran, and thus establish what passes for Obama's legacy.  From Fox: 

The Obama administration gave a free pass to Hezbollah’s drug-trafficking and money-laundering operations — some of which were unfolding inside the U.S. — to help ensure the Iran nuclear deal would stay on track, according to a bombshell exposé in Politico Sunday.

An elaborate campaign led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, known as Project Cassandra, reportedly targeted the Lebanese militant group’s criminal activities. But by tossing a string of roadblocks holding back the project, Obama administration officials helped allow the 35-year-old anti-Israel criminal enterprise to evolve into a major global security threat bankrolling terrorist and military operations, the report added.

“This was a policy decision, it was a systematic decision,” David Asher, who helped establish Project Cassandra as a Defense Department illicit finance analyst in 2008, told Politico. “They serially ripped apart this entire effort that was very well supported and resourced, and it was done from the top down.”

When Project Cassandra leaders, who were working out of a DEA’s Counter facility in Chantilly, Virginia, sought an OK for some significant investigations, prosecutions, arrests and financial sanctions, Justice and Treasury Department officials delayed, hindered or rejected their requests, according to Politico.

COMMENT:  This is stunning.  The more we learn about the Obama administration, the worse the picture gets.  Cynicism.  Double dealing.  Real leftism.  Not good stuff.

Read the whole thing.  The fact that the original report came from Politico, a left-wing site, is significant.

December 18, 2017       Permalink

HAS THE RETHINKING BEGUN? – AT 11:39 A.M. ET:   We've noted here that we take sexual assault and sexual harassment seriously, but that the wave of accusations, day by day, is beginning to look like a dangerous reproduction of the Salem Witch Trials – men destroyed in one day based on accusations, with no ability to defend themselves.

Is that idea spreading?  Is there a second look by thoughtful people?  Maybe.  From The Hill: 

At least four senators, including two Democrats, have reportedly said that Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) should reconsider his resignation.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told Politico that the deluge of Democrats calling for Franken to resign was “the most hypocritical thing” he has “ever seen done to a human being.” 

“What they did to Al was atrocious, the Democrats,” Manchin added. “The most hypocritical thing I’ve ever seen done to a human being — and then have enough guts to sit on the floor, watch him give his speech and go over and hug him? That’s hypocrisy at the highest level I’ve ever seen in my life. Made me sick.”

Politico also spoke with sources familiar with a private conversation between Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Franken in which Leahy told Franken that he regrets calling for him to resign.

Two other senators said they were rushed to weigh in as pressure on Franken mounted, according to the news outlet, which added that they said did not put enough care and thought into their statements.

Franken announced earlier this month that he would resign after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged. One woman said he forcibly kissed her during a USO tour, and at least two others said he groped them while taking photos when he was in office.

Franken is one of three lawmakers to step down over sexual misconduct allegations as the #MeToo movement draws attention to similar cases in Hollywood and the media.

COMMENT:  Tavis Smiley, the African-American PBS host, is fighting back against charges, and I don't blame him.  As one performer said, 50 years of work is destroyed in one day, based entirely on accusations.

Some men have quickly conceded that the charges are true, and resignations by them, or suspensions, are appropriate.

But others have either denied the charges or offered explanations.  They are entitled to a defense, to their day in court.  But many have simply been thrown under the bus in the current madness.  Due process is the heart of our justice system, and it's being denied, just as it's been denied to college men facing similar, often vague accusations.

A backlash is developing that can destroy the important issues of harassment and assault.  Women will not be helped, and an opportunity to improve our society can be missed.  Mad stampedes and accusations never lead to anything good, except for some lawyers and some aspiring political candidates.

December 18, 2017       Permalink

A NEW STRATEGY – AT 11:09 A.M . ET:  President Trump outlines his new national-security strategy today.   Be prepared for the usual ridicule from CNN and The New York Times.  From advance notices, this will be a serious, well-thought-out speech.  From Fox: 

President Trump’s national security strategy, set to be unveiled in a major address Monday afternoon, restores references to the “jihadist” terror threat – in a tacit rebuke to the Obama-era decision to avoid such language.  

The president is expected to detail his administration’s strategy at 2 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C.

Trump is expected to discuss threats he'll deem as "rogue regimes," like North Korea, and "revisionist powers," like Russia and China, who aim to change the status quo.

But notably, the document repeatedly refers to “jihadist” terror groups, in a break from the Obama administration.

“The primary transnational threats Americans face are from jihadist terrorists and transnational criminal organizations,” the document states, according to excerpts released ahead of the speech.

Another section calls for strengthened missile defense and homeland security, vowing to “pursue threats to their source, so that jihadist terrorists are stopped before they ever reach our borders.”

Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump White House adviser, drew attention to the term in an interview Monday morning with “Fox & Friends.”

“The political correctness of the last eight years is gone,” he said. “You haven’t seen anything like this for 20-25 years.”

COMMENT:  Sounds good to me.  I can't wait to see how the Democrats react.

December 18,  2017     Permalink

DECEMBER 17,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 6:31 P.M. ET: 

END OF RUMOR – FROM FOX:   President Trump said Sunday night that he has no plans to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, dispelling a "rumor" that he intends to get rid of Mueller in an apparent attempt to end the Justice Department’s Russia collusion probe.  “No, I don’t,” Trump told reporters who asked upon his return from presidential retreat Camp David whether he intends to fire Mueller.  The latest speculation started after Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said in a local TV interview Friday that “the rumor on the Hill” was Trump was going to fire Mueller at the end of this week, after members leave Washington for Christmas break.  Mueller was appointed earlier this year as a Justice Department special counsel to determine whether Trump associates colluded with Moscow to influence the outcome of the 2016 White House race.  Smart move on Trump's part.  Firing Mueller, however justified, would simply make him a martyr.  Examining his work, and biases, is far more effective.

DISGRACE – FROM FOX:   A complete power outage at the nation’s busiest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, grounded flights Sunday afternoon, threatening to cause a holiday travel nightmare for fliers across the country just over a week before Christmas.  Airport officials said in a news release the power outage has forced the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend outgoing flights and implement a "ground stop" for incoming flights, which "means that flights headed to Atlanta are held on the ground at their departure airport."  You would think that the nation's busiest airport would have back-up power.  This sounds like third-world stuff.

OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:    The NYPD has to scrap the 36,000 smartphones it gave cops over the past two years because they’re already obsolete and can’t be upgraded, The Post has learned.  The city bought Microsoft-based Nokia smartphones as part of a $160 million NYPD Mobility Initiative that Mayor Bill de Blasio touted as “a huge step into the 21st century.”  But just months after the last phone was handed out, officials plan to begin replacing them all with brand-new iPhones by the end of the year, sources said.  The move follows Microsoft’s recent decision to stop supporting the operating system that runs the NYPD’s devices and nearly a dozen custom-engineered apps.  Law enforcement sources blamed the boondoggle on NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Information Technology Jessica Tisch, with one saying, “She drove the whole process.”  “Nobody purchases 36,000 phones based on the judgment of one person,” a source said.  New York considers itself a high-tech center, except, apparently, in city government.

December 17, 2017       Permalink

WARNING FROM THE BEST – AT 2:18 P.M. ET:  Former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton was one of the architects of New York City's successful crime-reduction campaign, which reduced the murder rate by 80 percent.  Now he is issuing a grim warning about the future of terror attacks in New York and other American cities.  From the New York Post: 

Suicide bombings like last week’s Port Authority attack will explode in frequency and become “a fact of life in America” — especially New York City, former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton warned on the Cats Roundtable radio show Sunday.

“The issue of terrorism is not going away — it’s probably gonna be amplified in the sense there will be be more attacks,” he said. “It is going to be a fact of life in America that you’re going to see more of that than we have in the past.”

Bratton cited three attacks in the last 15 months, including last week’s attempted suicide bombing, which he noted was the “first documented attempted suicide bombing in the city since the 9/11 event.”

On Halloween, Uzbek national Sayfullo Saipov plowed a rented truck down a west side bike path, killing eight people.

And last year, Ahmad Khan Rahimi detonated a homemade pressure-cooker bomb in Chelsea, injuring dozens of people.

“All three could be deemed successful,” Bratton said of the incidents, because they created casualties and stoked concern among New Yorkers.

Bratton, who has led police forces in New York and Los Angeles, said the Big Apple has the biggest bull’s eye on its back, thanks in part to its status as media capital.

“The idea is if you can attempt or succeed with a terrorist attack here, it has phenomenal ramifications around the world because the headquarters of all the major news companies are right here in New York,” he explained.

COMMENT:  We have been warned.  But we've gotten used to small attacks.  We forget about them in a few days.  We even forget about major ones.  Will it take another 9/11 to wake us up?

December 17, 2017       Permalink 

WHAT IS THIS? – AT 1:53 A.M. ET:  Reality strikes the new senator from Alabama.  Quick, call a doctor.  Or a liberal journalist.  From the New York Post: 

WASHINGTON – Senator-elect Doug Jones is already breaking with some prominent Democrats by refusing to call for President Trump to step down over ongoing sexual harassment allegations.

“I don’t think that the president ought to resign at this point,” Jones (D-Ala.) told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

In his first round of Sunday show interviews since securing a stunning victory in red state Alabama over accused sexual predator Roy Moore, Jones said he doesn’t want to get bogged down in Trump’s sexual harassment allegations and would rather work on “real issues.”

“I think we need to move on and not get distracted by those issues,” Jones added. “Let’s get on with the real issues that are facing the people of this country right now.”

That’s at odds with some high-profile Democrats like Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Cory Booker (NJ) who believe the president should step down because at least 19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.

Unlike other politicians who have stepped down, like Sen. Al Franken and Rep. John Conyers, Jones said the difference is the voters knew about these allegations and still elected Trump to the highest office.

COMMENT:  In their ecstasy over Jones's election, liberals forgot that he represents Alabama, one of the most conservative states in the Union.  He's got to be careful, as he wants to be elected to a full term.  He was just elected to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Sessions, who resigned from the Senate to become attorney general.  Jones will have to run again in 2020.

December 17, 2017       Permalink

STATE OF THE NATION – AT 12:56 P.M. ET:  We're now beginning to see more surveys on the state of patriotism in the United States.  The results aren't always wonderful.  From Daily Caller: 

Despite the real possibilities of alienating paying customers, the NFL, Starbucks, Target, Chick Fil-A and a host of entertainers continue choosing sides in an escalating culture war centering on America’s past and future. As a new poll documents, citizens increasingly fear expressing their love of country or expressing their political views, for instance by wearing a Make America Great Again cap.

George Barna, executive director of the American Culture and Faith Institute, recently released a patriotism poll documenting a surprising degree of polarization and politicization of Americans after the first year of President Donald Trump’s governance. Different world views, values and even meanings of words fragment the citizenry.

For conservatives, according to the poll, the most patriotic organizations and individuals include the National Rifle Association, Chick-Fil-A, the Republican Party, Fox News and Hobby Lobby. The least patriotic to conservatives are: CNN, The New York Times, NFL, Planned Parenthood, Target, Starbucks, Colin Kaepernick, Michael Moore, Rachel Maddow and Al Sharpton.

Liberals think the most patriotic institutions and people are the Democratic Party, Colin Kaepernick, the U.S. Supreme Court, Planned Parenthood, Michael Moore, The New York Times, and the NFL. The least patriotic to liberals are Chick-Fil-A, Fox News and Hobby Lobby.

To Barna, the NFL “take a knee” controversy was a cultural flashpoint demanding citizens and leaders to take a stand. His survey showed that conservatives were offended by the NFL while liberals were excited about the courage of those making a stand. Trump, Barna says, did the right thing to weigh in, as elected leaders have the responsibility to make sense of the reality unfolding around them.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's worth it.  There are other surveys coming out that give more detail about the views of Americans.  And remember that those views often change with age, and with the quality of candidates.

December 17,  2017     Permalink