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.

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

FEBRUARY 13,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET:

A SLIGHT SIGN OF LIFE – FROM HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:   A New York Times reporter has been reprimanded by the paper for a comment made about first lady Melania Trump.  The reporter made the comment on Sunday during a New York Fashion Week event. The newspaper did not identify the name of the staffer.  "At a party last night, a Times reporter who does not cover Washington or politics, referred to an unfounded rumor regarding Melania Trump,” the newspaper said in a statement. “The comment was not intended to be public, but it was nonetheless completely inappropriate and should not have occurred. Editors have talked to the reporter in question about the lapse.”  The comment became public knowledge on Monday after supermodel Emily Ratajkowski said on social media she heard what was said and was outraged over it.  Is The Times finally getting some religion?  I doubt it, but we are happy about this small sign of life.

END OF THE LINE – FROM NBC NEWS:   Michael Flynn abruptly resigned as President Donald Trump's national security adviser Monday night, hours after it was learned that the Justice Department informed the White House that it believed he could be subject to blackmail.  Retired Army Gen. Keith Kellogg, a top policy adviser for Trump's presidential campaign, was appointed acting national security adviser, the White House said in a statement announcing Flynn's replacement.  Kellogg, 72, a former commander of the fabled 82nd Airborne Division, was chief operating officer of the Western coalition in Baghdad, Iraq, after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. A senior administration official told NBC News that Kellogg was under consideration for the permanent job, along with retired Navy Vice Adm. Robert Harward, former deputy commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, and former CIA Director David Petraeus.  Three senior U.S. officials told NBC News that Harward was considered the favorite for the job.  The Dems are already declaring this a major scandal, the crisis of world history.  But their hysteria over the past month destroyed their credibility, and I suspect that, despite the efforts of CNN, Flynn's resignation will be ancient history by next week.

CAN YOU HEAR THE WHINING? – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:   The mainstream media isn’t liking the new set up at the White House: Lesser name news outlets are being called on during press briefings, rather than the old, established bellwethers.  During his press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Donald Trump called on two news outlets: WJLA, a local ABC news affiliate, and the Daily Caller. Both failed to ask him about the fate of his national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn, who has been marred in a controversy that he spoke to Russian authorities before Mr. Trump took office.  And the mainstream media immediately pounced – saying Mr. Trump was picking favorites in order to avoid questioning on Mr. Flynn.    “By handpicking reporters, Trump manages to get through a news conference without being asked about Flynn,” New York Times reporter Peter Baker lamented on Twitter – failing to mention that all U.S. presidents handpick reporters.  Yes, presidents can pick on anyone they wish.  A press conference is  courtesy granted to the press by the president.  It is not required by any statute.  I like the idea of opening the White House press conferences to lesser-known, and sometimes sharper journalists.  Ignore the sour grapes from the old-timers.

February 13, 2017       Permalink

THE ANTI-TRUMP MADNESS – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:54 A.M. ET:  You don't have to love President Trump, or even like him, to be appalled at the anti-Trump hatred that the left is generating.  It has the potential to ignite something truly dangerous.  Nolan Finley of the Detroit News describes it perfectly: 

Liberals are so determined to vanquish all things Trump that they risk losing the one friend they may have in this new White House.

Ivanka Trump, the new president’s oldest daughter and most trusted personal adviser, is as stylish a first family member as the country has seen in a while. She turned her fashion sense into a clothing line that is sold in many of the nation’s top stores, including Nordstrom.

Or at least it was. The sight of Ivanka Trump’s name on the garments’ labels so triggered the derangement of her father’s haters that they demanded the upscale retailer rid the clothing from its racks, or face boycott.

Boycotts are the favorite weapon of the resistance movement. Anyone who suggests affinity for Donald Trump or cooperates with his administration or fails to speak out against him on command (see Tom Brady) faces being ostracized or having their livelihoods threatened and their names smeared.

The left’s demand for conformity in loathing Trump is creating a blacklist to rival that of Joe McCarthy’s Red Scare.

COMMENT:  Finally, someone mentioned Joe McCarthy.  I remember him, and actually worked with some of his real Hollywood victims – people who had to leave the United States.  And yes, what we're seeing today is modern McCarthyism – the destruction of reputations and livelihoods.  The idea of attacking Ivanka Trump is particularly vulgar.  This young woman could be spending her life going to parties.  Instead, she works hard, has built a company, and devotes herself to empowering women.  Gee, what crimes. 

The media can pay a terrible price for participating in this madness.  Organs like The New York Times and CNN are selling their souls in the Trump-hating crusade.  But if Trump succeeds, those pundits will look ridiculous, incompetent, and out of date.  Come to think of it, that's what they already look like.

February 13, 2017       Permalink

I LOVE IT – VIEWERS VOTED WITH THEIR CREDIT CARDS – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:  We started reporting on this last night.  A big risk for a conservative singer has paid off at the cash box.  From Fox: 

Joy Villa's music sales skyrocketed after the singer wore a pro-Trump dress at Sunday night's 59th annual Grammy Awards. When she arrived at the Grammys, Villa flung off a white frock to reveal a gown of patriotic red, white and blue that urged "Make America Great Again" and had "Trump" in sparkly letters on the back hem.

The 25-year-old's EP "I Make the Static" jumped to the top of Amazon's top digital paid albums and reached number seven on the iTunes top album chart after her red carpet appearance.

The singer explained her controversial look on Instagram.

"Go big, or go home. You can either stand for what you believe or fall for what you don't. Above all make a choice for tolerance and love. Agree to disagree," she wrote after her red carpet appearance.

The dress' designer, Andre Soriano, said on Instagram the gown is a "tribute [to] OUR President Of The United States Of America" adding the hashtag #MAGA.

COMMENT:  I'm glad someone showed up for the other side, in the midst of the expected Trump-bashing.  There are conservatives in the entertainment industry.  I know some of them.  But many are afraid to speak out for fear of being essentially blacklisted. 

February 13, 2017        Permalink

MR. MODERATE SPEAKS OUT – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  Former Democratic Senator Jim Webb of Virginia is seen as a symbol of the dwindling moderate wing of his party.  Now he is warning of something that is becoming frighteningly clear, that his party is lurching much too far to the left.  He is not alone in his warning, but the party doesn't appear to be listening.   From The Hill:

Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) on Sunday said the Democratic Party has moved "very far to the left" over the past five or six years.

In an interview on NBC's "Meet The Press," Webb said the Democrats are looking at 2018 and they "don't have a message."

"When you can't have a Jefferson-Jackson dinner, which was a primary celebratory event of the Democratic Party for years, because Jefferson and Jackson were slaveholders," Webb, a candidate in the 2016 Democratic primary race, said.  "They were also great Americans in their day. Something different has happened to the Democratic Party."

Webb said the Democratic Party's message has "been shaped toward identity politics"

"And they've lost the key part of their base," he said.

"The people who believe that regardless of any of these identity segments, you need to have a voice in a quarters of power for those that have no voice. And we've lost that for the Democratic Party."

Webb said the Democrats haven't done the kind of "self reflection" they needed starting in 2010.

"You've lost white working people. You've lost flyover land, and you saw in this election what happens when people get frustrated enough that they say, 'I'm not going to take this,'" he said.

"There is an aristocracy now that pervades American politics. It's got to be broken somehow in both parties, and I think that's what the Trump message was that echoed so strongly in these flyover communities."

COMMENT:  Webb won't be listened to.  The party is plainly in the hands of the Bernie Sanders crowd.  And you can't appease them.  You must go along with them on every issue, lest you be called a racist or something similar.

And don't be a white male.  Please.  Oh, unless you're Bernie.

February 13,  2017     Permalink

FEBRUARY 12,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

GOOD FOR GERALDO – FROM THE HILL:   Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera quit his position at Yale University after the high-profile school announced it would remove the name of a pro-slavery lawmaker from one of its residential colleges.  Yale's Calhoun College was named after John C. Calhoun, a 19th-century slavery supporter and white supremacist from South Carolina. Calhoun was the seventh vice president of the United States and attended Yale.  Yale announced plans to rename Calhoun College after Grace Murray Hopper, an alum of the school, a renowned computer scientist and Navy rear admiral, the New York Times reported.  Rivera announced his decision to resign from his position at the university on Sunday over Twitter.  “Resigned yesterday as Associate Fellow of Calhoun College at Yale. Been an honor but intolerant insistence on political correctness is lame,” he tweeted.  Good!  I have nothing good to say about slavery, but it's time to start resisting political correctness.  It's smothering the life out of our colleges.

HEROIC – FROM THE HILL:    Singer and songwriter Joy Villa made a political statement on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday evening.  Villa wore a bright blue dress reading “Make America Great Again” across the front of her gown, with “Trump” across the back.  On the red carpet, Villa initially wore a white cover-up over the gown, removing it to reveal the dress with President Trump’s campaign slogan.   Wonderful.  I hope they allow her to work in the industry again.

WHO? – FROM THE HILL:   Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) insisted in an interview broadcast Sunday that her focus is on running for reelection to the Senate, not for the White House in 2020.  “No, I am running for Senate. I’m running for Senate in 2018,” Gillibrand told radio host John Catsimatidis, who asked her about "rumors" that she is considering a White House run.  “I really love my job and I feel like I can make a huge difference for New Yorkers, fighting for them," she said.  It is common for politicians to deflect questions about running for president, particularly when another race is coming up sooner.  Gillibrand, who has served in the Senate since 2009, has been floated as a potential contender for the Democratic nomination both before and after the 2016 election.  The New York senator has been an outspoken critic of many of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and was the lone senator who voted against retired Gen. James Mattis for secretary of Defense.   She's my senator, the other one being Schumer.  Gillibrand is sometimes known as the "hottest senator," and is indeed attractive.  She's also invisible.  She could walk into most places in New York and no one would know who she is.  She's made very little impression in her home state.  The most famous thing about her is that she studied in China during her college freshman summer with the actress Connie Britton, from "Friday Night Lights." 

February 12,  2017     Permalink

AND WHAT IS THIS? – AT 2:30 P.M. ET:  An incident at Hamburg airport, Germany, often a crossing point for terrorists, raises serious questions.  From London's Express:   

A police spokesman confirmed a suspicious gas or toxin - which is believed to have been pepper spray - was found during a security check after staff and passengers complained of irritated eyes and airways.

Reports claim a small irritant gas cartridge was found in a trash can in the security area, suggesting a passenger or staff member sprayed the gas then disposed of the tin.

Unconfirmed reports have also suggested the suspect gas could have streamed into the airport through the air-conditioning system.

The alarm was raised late this morning after several people reported smelling nasty odours and complaining of having breathing problems, severe coughing and burning eyes.

Fire crews rushed to the scene along with several rescue cars and extinguishers.

Rescue services quickly evacuated the airport between terminals one and two - sending hundreds of passengers and employees to wait in the opposite parking area in sub-zero temperatures to keep the access roads clear.

COMMENT:  We have nothing late on this, but the incident proves the vulnerability of large crowds to airborne toxins.  A warning to all transportation systems.

February 12, 2017        Permalink

THEY CONSIDER THEMSELVES HIGH CLASS – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  Trump Derangement Syndrome has been detected in the upper-crust school scene in Manhattan.  Just read this, from Page Six: 

Upper East Side moms are having a spirited online debate over whether to boycott a school where a grandchild of President Trump is a student.

One of the anonymous contributors to UrbanBaby.com said her son had gotten into Buckley [School], but she didn’t want to send him there because a son of Donald Trump Jr.’s (likely 4-year-old Spencer Frederick) is said to be going to kindergarten there in the fall.

“They will be in the same classroom and I don’t think I can deal with this. Birthday parties, etc.,” the mother wrote.

Another mom replied: “It’s an innocent kid. It’s not like he can help the family he was born into. The hate must run really deep with you.”

A third mother wrote: “You almost have to decline. It sounds like it will drive you crazy . . . You want to spend nine years worried that DS [darling son] is getting infected with Trumpism?”

A representative from President Trump’s office had no comment on the matter. Buckley did not respond to a request for comment.

COMMENT:  There are mothers of limited means all over New York who'd kill to have a child attend a school like that.  Some of the spoiled brat "moms" who commented above should be ashamed of themselves.  In their world, though, there is no shame.  Only lawsuits.

February 12,  2017     Permalink

THE ANTI-TRUMP – AT 11:55 A.M. ET:  I must say that Germany has an almost unique ability to mess itself up.  The country today elected a new president, a ceremonial but symbolically important position.  And who did the country choose?  A man who referred to President Trump as a preacher of hate.  From CNN:

(CNN) Germany's parliamentary assembly has elected Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, as the country's president.

The position of president in Germany is largely ceremonial, because the chancellor is the official head of government and has a higher profile on the world stage.

Steinmeier previously served as vice chancellor and foreign minister under current Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He was elected by the vast majority of the assembly, receiving 931 out of 1,253 votes. His predecessor, Joachim Gauck, did not seek another term and will step down on March 18.

"This country for many in the world has become an anchor of hope," Steinmeier said after his election. "We give others courage, not because everything is good, but because we have shown that it can be better," he said.

Steinmeier, 61, has been a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump. He described Trump in August as a "hate preacher," likening him to right-wing populists in Europe who "make politics with fear," German news agency DPA reported.

COMMENT:  He also was a big champion of the Iran nuclear deal, and he is a severe critic of Israel.  What a guy!

I wonder if Trump sent a congratulatory note.

February 12, 2017       Permalink