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.

DECEMBER 13,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET:

HUH? – FROM BREITBART:   Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee amid suspicion that a portion of the $107 million it raised was misspent, according to a report.  The Wall Street Journal states the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office is in the beginning stages of probing whether the committee’s most prominent donors made sizable contributions “in exchange for access to the incoming Trump administration, policy concessions or to influence official administration positions.”  I'm getting more than a little uneasy about the "investigations" of the president that seem to crop up regularly.  Is there any evidence here?  Or is this part of the overall war on Trump being waged within the Establishment?  I don't doubt that people made donations with the hope that they could influence policy.  That happens every day.  The issue is whether a donation actually led to a provable change of policy.  I'm not interested in a donor's wishful thinking.

SICKENING – FROM CNS:   One of the first two Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress took a snide dig on Twitter at Vice President Pence for sitting with eyes closed during a heated Oval Office meeting, posting a photo with the caption, “Jesus take the wheel!” - and, the other incoming Muslim congresswoman applauded the insult.  Ihlan Omar’s (D-Minn.) tweet ended with the hashtag #BorderWall, a reference to the contentious issue discussed during President Trump’s meeting Tuesday with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)  The second Muslim woman elected to the House, Palestinian-American Congresswoman-elect Rashida Tlaib, “liked” Omar’s Pence tweet.  Imagine if Islam had been insulted.  CNN would do two weeks on it.  These two women are trouble.  They do not accept American concepts of religious tolerance, but they will be protected by the fashionable left-wing press.

GETTING SERIOUS – FROM CNS:  (CNSNews.com) – For 16 consecutive years, the State Department under three administrations has rejected advice from an independent statutory watchdog to blacklist Pakistan for religious freedom violations – until now.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Tuesday that he has designated the world’s second most-populous Islamic nation as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for egregious abuses of religious freedom.  Under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the federal government identifies countries that have engaged in or tolerated ”systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom” as CPCs, a designation that provides for sanctions or other measures designed to encourage improvements.  Pompeo also named nine other CPCs – Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.  A step forward.  If the Dems win the White House in 2020, they'll probably reverse it. 

December 13, 2018       Permalink

JUSTICE IN AMERICA? – AT 1:53 P.M. ET:  We have an attorney general here in New York State who needs to be treated, and medicated, and have her mouth washed out with strong soap.  From dailywire.com:   

New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James is buttressing President Trump’s claims that there is a “witch hunt” pursuing him; she told NBC News that she intends to investigate not only the president, his family and "anyone" in his circle who may have violated the law.

James blustered, "We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well,” adding, "We want to investigate anyone in his orbit who has, in fact, violated the law.”

NBC listed some of the investigations that James said she plans to pursue:

• Any potential illegalities involving Trump's real estate holdings in New York, highlighting a New York Times investigation published in October into the president's finances.

• The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian official.

• Examine government subsidies Trump received, which were also the subject of Times investigative work.

• Whether he is in violation of the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution through his New York businesses.

• Continue to probe the Trump Foundation.

Newsweek reported, “James also indicated she intends to probe government subsidies received by the president, as well as any illegal activities that might involve Trump’s real estate holdings in New York City.”

COMMENT:  This is madness.   Does this well-known leftist operative have any probable cause to believe there's been illegality?  It is it just a hunch?  An order from party officials?

The power of the prosecutor is always great.  It can easily be abused.  This is abuse, not public service.  Our attorney general needs to be restrained.  Even if you dislike the president intensely, you should insist on the due process required in a democracy.

December 13, 2018       Permalink

THE PRESIDENT HOLDS – AT 12:48 P.M. ET:  The pollsters are now starting their end-of-the year polls and their end-of-the-president's-first-two-years polls.  What is striking is how solid President Trump is.  No, his ratings are not all that great, but they are remarkably consistent.  He has a base of support that will not abandon him, no matter how much mud is thrown in his direction.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-eight percent (48%) disapprove. 

The latest figures include 35% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 40% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -5.

COMMENT:  Fox reports, in its poll:  "Overall, 46 percent of voters approve of the job Trump is doing and 52 percent disapprove.  In January, it was 45-53 percent.  Moreover, approval has barely budged all year, staying within the narrow range of 43 to 47 percent.

Some other polls show the president lower, but, on balance, he's about where Obama was at this point in his presidency.  The mainstream media keeps telling us that Mr. Trump is unpopular, but compared with whom?  Being in the mid-forties is not unusual. 

And Harry Truman ended his presidency with an approval rating in the twenties.

Approval ratings at this point in a presidency have little to do with re-election prospects.  The Dems have yet to mention a presidential candidate who can go the distance against Trump.

December 13,  2018     Permalink

DECEMBER 12,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET: 

HOW SAD – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  The Boy Scouts of America is mulling declaring bankruptcy amid flagging membership and an avalanche of costly sex-abuse allegations, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Leaders have hired Chicago law firm Sidley Austin for help in a potential chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, sources told the outlet.  The organization has been fending off lawsuits over alleged abuse, including one filed by four former scouts who called the club a “pedophile magnet” and alleged that they were molested by scoutmaster Waldron Ackerman between 1974 and 1976.  The organization has reportedly lost two-thirds of its members — some 4 million boys — since the 1970s.  The Mormon Church, where scout membership was long considered a rite of passage, has yanked 610,000 scouts over the last two years.  I'm sure the politically correct crowd is celebrating.  If there are problems, fix them.  But don't destroy a once-great organization.  Identity politics is destroying the Boy Scouts.

PATHETIC – FROM BREITBART:  American University students and administrators are pushing for “spaces” on campus designated for “students of color,” claiming that it will promote diversity and inclusion at the university.  Students and staff at American University (AU) are calling for “the creation of more spaces for students of color,” so that minority students can have an area on campus where they can go to be separated from the rest of the campus body, in the name of “diversity and inclusion,” according to the university’s student newspaper.  AU students are criticizing the university’s Hub for Organizing Multiculturalism and Equity (HOME) for being “marketed to students of all backgrounds rather than to students of color.”  “HOME doesn’t provide people with a sense of security, with a sense of belonging, when everyone from all types of affinity groups can be there,” said Othniel Malcolm Andrew Harris to AU’s student newspaper.  How much more absurd can this get before the nation starts pulling federal aid from these glorified sandboxes?

GOP SENATE BREAKS WITH TRUMP ON SAUDI – FROM THE HILL:  The GOP-controlled Senate on Wednesday dealt a significant blow to President Trump by voting to advance a resolution ending U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen in the aftermath of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi’s slaying.   Senators agreed to begin debate on the measure despite only 11 of the chamber’s 51 Republicans joining with all Democrats to support it. The legislation would require Trump to withdraw any troops in or “affecting” Yemen within 30 days; the president has threatened to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. 
Senators were still haggling over amendments on Wednesday evening, but a final vote is expected this week. Both supporters and opponents say the resolution has the support needed to pass.   The vote will mark the likely climax for the measure until 2019 since the House voted to block supporters from being able to force a vote this year by slipping the provision into a rule governing debate of the unrelated farm bill.  But the Senate’s actions underscore the depth of frustration with Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill, as well as the escalating gap between the White House and Congress on the U.S.-Saudi relationship.  Saudi Arabia is no great ornament to civilization.  It has been the training ground for many Islamic terrorists and the intellectual center of the most extreme forms of Islam.  The murder of Jamal Khashoggi has been attributed by our CIA, to the crown prince of the country.  On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is a major American ally, and will be critical to the region's future.  We must come up with a way to punish the Saudis and keep them on our side at the same time.  No one said this was easy.

December 12, 2018       Permalink

BULLETIN:  MAY DAY – SHE SURVIVES – AT 4:05 P.M. ET:   BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY HAS SURVIVED A NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE, AND WILL REMAIN – FROM FOX: 

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May survived a vote of confidence in her leadership of her party Wednesday, but not until after she reportedly promised she would step down before the next general election.

A leadership vote had been triggered after 48 Conservative Party MPs had written letters expressing no confidence in her leadership -- 15 percent of the party’s members in the Commons. But the vote of confidence of the broader bloc of Tory MPs went in her favor -- with 200 MPs backing her leadership and 117 voting against her.

The victory means not only that May holds onto power, but also that now she cannot be formally challenged by her own party for a year.

May had faced furious criticism from members of her own party for her handling of Britain’s departure from the European Union -- from which the U.K. is set to depart in March 2019. A number of Cabinet members, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and two Brexit secretaries, have resigned this year over her handling of the negotiations.

The Times of London reported that May told Tories that she would not fight the next election, currently scheduled to be held in 2022. This appears to be a concession to her critics, and indicates that she may step down after the U.K. begins its departure from the E.U. in March.

COMMENT:  Seems reasonable.  And it keeps the nightmarish Labour leader, Comrade Jeremy Corbyn, out of 10 Downing Street, at least for now.

December 12, 2018        Permalink

BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN TURMOIL – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:   THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS IN CHAOS TODAY, WITH THERESA MAY'S POLITICAL SURVIVAL IN DOUBT.  FROM DAILY MAIL: 

Theresa May's woes deepened dramatically today as a Tory no-confidence vote was triggered. 

Eurosceptics have secured the 48 letters from MPs needed to force a ballot that could end the PM's time as leader.

Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the powerful 1922 committee, said the threshold had been 'exceeded'.

'In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 1800 and 2000 on Wednesday December 12.

'The votes will be counted immediately afterwards and an announcement will be made as soon as possible in the evening.'  

Rebels were jubilant that they had finally secured the numbers last night after Cabinet minister Owen Paterson joined efforts to oust Mrs May in the wake of her humiliating decision to drop a Commons vote on her Brexit deal.  

Mrs May's allies have repeatedly insisted she will fight any effort to oust her - but her position has weakened significantly over recent weeks and may now be under serious threat. 

After the premier returned to Downing Street from a frantic tour of European capitals trying to save her Brexit deal last night, chief whip Julian Smith was seen going into No10.  

One senior Brexiteer told MailOnline Mr Paterson lining up with the rebels was a 'big moment' after the mutiny embarrassingly failed to gain traction before. 

'We have had some false starts, but this looks like the green light,' they said.

Previously veteran Eurosceptics have appeared unwilling to sign up to an all-out revolt, despite deep unhappiness with Mrs May's Brexit plans.   

The development risks throwing the government into turmoil just as Mrs May is scrambling to wring more concessions out of the EU.

She spent yesterday jetting between capitals, holding talks with Dutch PM Mark Rutte in The Hague, German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, and Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels.

COMMENT:  No matter how one might evaluate Theresa May's skill, it is important that her Conservative Party remain in power.  The alternative, the Labour Party of Jeremy Corbin, is too horrible to contemplate.  Corbin would be the most extreme leftist ever to become prime minister.  An America hater, essentially an old red, and a man seriously regarded as anti-Semitic, Corbin would present an enormous foreign-policy challenge to the United States and NATO.  We could not trust him or his crowd with our military secrets.

We await the action in Commons.  Winston, where are you when we need you?

December 12, 2018       Permalink 

TERROR IN FRANCE – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  There has been an Islamic-linked terror attack in Strasbourg, France.  Two are dead, many are injured.  The alleged shooter is at large.

This is critically important.  ISIS has already boasted it will attack targets, including targets in the United States, during the Christmas shopping season.  We don't know if the Strasbourg attack was run by ISIS, but eternal vigilance is called for.  From BBC: 

The Strasbourg gunman yelled "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest" in Arabic) as he opened fire on people enjoying an evening out at a Christmas market, the Paris public prosecutor told reporters.

Rémy Heitz said two people had been killed and one left brain-dead after the attack in the eastern French city on Tuesday.

Twelve were wounded, six seriously.

The man, named by local media as Chérif Chekatt, was known to authorities as having been radicalised in prison.

The 29-year-old was armed with a gun and a knife and escaped the area in a taxi, Mr Heitz said.
The attacker boasted to the driver - who has spoken to police - that he had killed 10 people, and said he had been injured in a firefight with soldiers.

Four people connected to the suspect had been detained overnight in Strasbourg, Mr Heitz added. Sources close to the investigation quoted by Reuters news agency said they were the suspect's mother, father and two brothers.

Hundreds of officers are currently involved in the search for the gunman. France's Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez earlier acknowledged he may no longer be in France.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the country had moved to a high level of alert, expanding police powers and increasing vigilance.

He added that border controls had been strengthened and security at all Christmas markets would be stepped up.

COMMENT:  We tend to forget the threat of terror until an attack occurs, but some authorities are saying that the actual threat of terror is greater now than ever before.

The attack in France comes at the same time as the riots in Paris.  The country is in poor shape, with a very unpopular government.  It is vulnerable.

I was in Manhattan a few days ago to hear an economics address, and I must say that I got a creepy feeling when passing the great Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.  I would not be surprised if an attack were attempted in the United States. 

December  12,  2018     Permalink