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FEBRUARY 23,  2018

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

FAREWELL – FROM FOX:  Award-winning actress Nanette Fabray, known for her roles in “The Band Wagon” and “Caesar’s Hour,” passed away Thursday at 97 years old, according to her family.
Fabray’s son, Dr. Jamie MacDougall, told The Associated Press that his mother died at her home in Palos Verdes Estates. He told the Los Angeles Times that she passed from natural causes. The starlet began her successful career at the age of 3, singing and dancing in Vaudeville performances as Baby Nanette.  Over the course of decades in show business, Fabray racked up a number of accolades. She earned a Tony award for her role in the 1949 musical “Love Life,” as well as a nod for her part in “Mr. President.” She earned three Emmy awards – two for “Caesar’s Hour” and one for best comedienne, the Times reported.   She was one of the best comic actors  in the golden age of Hollywood. 

THERE WILL BE A PARADE – FROM THE POLITICO:  President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House-backed military parade are beginning to take shape.  The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.  The memo, which was summarized to POLITICO by a senior administration official, was sent from McMaster to Secretary of Defense James Mattis. It says that Trump wants Mattis to brief him on “concepts of operation for this event.”  The memo also said that the parade route should begin at the White House and end at the Capitol. This was laughed at when Trump first proposed it.  And, of course, the usual suspects declared Trump a militarist, a would-be dictator and all related labels.  But don't underestimate Trump's ability to pull off a spectacular event, dedicated to veterans.  The intellectual snobs will turn their collective noses up, but the American people will love it.

TRUMP GETS IT RIGHT – FROM BREITBART:  Thursday, during a meeting at the White House on preventing school shootings, President Donald Trump said gun-free zones in schools are part of the problem.
Trump said, “We have to harden the schools, not soften them up. A gun-free zone to a killer or somebody that wants to be a killer, that’s like going in for ice cream. That’s like, here I am, take me. We have to get smart on gun-free zones. When they see it says this is a gun-free zone, that means nobody has a gun except them. Nobody will be shooting bullets in the other direction. And they see that as such a beautiful target. They live for that.”  As usual, the president's words were awkward, but he speaks certain truths that clarify a situation and expose the face of so-called "progressive" policies.  He is, of course, fully correct about gun-free zones.  He is speaking common sense. Judging by his rising approval ratings, he's getting through to millions of Americans.

February 23, 2018       Permalink

IVANKA SHINES – AT 11:35 A.M. ET:   The first daughter is in South Korea, representing the United States at the closing of the Olympic Games.  Let's see how the press treats this accomplished young woman.  From the Daily Mail: 

Ivanka Trump arrived in South Korea on Friday where she met President Moon Jae-in for dinner, ahead of a weekend that will be spent cheering on Team USA at the Winter Olympics.     

The first daughter's arrival in the country is a deliberate riposte to North Korea after Kim Jong-un sent his sister Kim Yo-jong to the opening ceremony of the Winter Games, along with an army of 100 cheerleaders, completely upstaging Vice President Mike Pence in the process.

Interestingly, Yo-jong was referred to by many as 'the Ivanka of North Korea' - however on Thursday Pence blasted her in a scathing attack against her brother, and her country's 'murderous' regime, describing her as 'the central pillar of the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet'  

Now, 36-year-old Ivanka will have another opportunity to potentially forge connections with the country; she will watch the closing ceremony on Sunday alongside Kim Yong-chol, head of North Korea's national intelligence bureau - with her father, President Trump, tweeting his support of her trip, and praising her as the 'best, smartest person to represent our country'. 

Moon said he would raise the issue of direct talks between the US and North Korea during his dinner with Ivanka, though officials said it is unlikely that she will meet with the North's delegation this weekend. 

During the dinner reception, Ivanka mirrored Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook's outfit by donning all black. She posed next to the presidential couple in a knee-length dress with three-quarter sleeves and a plunging neckline.

Kim, meanwhile, donned a similar dress with long sleeves, which she paired with purple pumps.

On Saturday she is due to cheer on Team USA on the final day of the competition before leading the US delegation at the closing ceremony on Sunday. 

COMMENT:  She's a great representative, someone who could have spent her life going to cocktail parties.  Instead, she's working effectively for her country. 

February 23, 2018       Permalink``

ANOTHER JOURNALISTIC DISGRACE – AT 10:48 A.M. ET:   There used to be some class in Washington journalism, but no more.   Washington journalists at one time understood the importance of what they were covering, and most tried to do the job with professionalism, and some dignity.  But no more.  Consider this, from Townhall.com: 

Comedian Michelle Wolf, a “Daily Show With Trevor Noah” contributor, will headline the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the White House Correspondents' Association announced Thursday.

Wolf has made no secret of how she feels about President Trump, even admitting in an interview that she cried when he was elected. She also became emotional following a profanity-laced rant on the “Daily Show” after the election.

She characterized the candidates as “experienced politician versus racist, fake gynecologist” saying, “wow America, I mean I knew you were sexist, I’ve seen your Carl’s Jr. commercials, but instead of electing a woman president we chose Donald Trump who shouldn’t even be president of lunch meat."

And...

Wolf has tweeted some controversial things about Trump and his family over the past year, including calling Trump the “dumbest President ever” and comparing Ivanka Trump to an “empty box of tampons.”

And...

“I’m delighted to announce ‘Nice Lady' Michelle Wolf as our featured entertainer this year,” Margaret Talev, president of the White House Correspondents' Association said in a statement.

“Our dinner honors the First Amendment and strong, independent journalism,” Talev added. “Her embrace of these values and her truth-to-power style make her a great friend to the WHCA. Her Pennsylvania roots, stints on Wall Street and in science and self-made, feminist edge make her the right voice now.”

COMMENT:   Real class, real class.  Journalism needs a great deal of self-reflection.  And an injection of both maturity and taste.

February 23, 2018       Permalink

BULLETIN:  TRUMP HITS 50% – AT 9:33 A.M. ET:  President Trump has just hit 50% in the Rasmussen poll:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove.
The latest figures include 38% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 38% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of 0.

And that isn't the only good news for the president this morning.  Gallup has more.  From bizpacreview.com:

Democrats may find their fragile dreams of a midterm election takeover in danger.

A new poll indicates Americans are actually pretty happy with the country’s position in the world, and that they haven’t felt this good about it in 13 years. The fact that President Donald Trump may have more than a little to do with that could be a dream-crusher for Democrats. At the least, it is certainly a narrative-buster.

According to a new Gallup poll this week:

Forty-five percent of Americans are satisfied with the position of the United States in the world, a 13-year high and a 13-percentage-point increase from one year ago, just after President Donald Trump took office. The public is also more likely than it was a year ago to think the U.S. rates favorably in the eyes of the rest of the world.

COMMENT:  It is reported that when these surveys were announced this morning, CNN rushed counselors to its newsrooms to comfort the staff, some of whom threatened to walk out on the window ledges.  We urge compassion for these people.  They are emotionally fragile.

The president's numbers keep increasing.  Clearly, one reason is that he has successfully changed the economic psychology of the country.  Another reason is that he's doing the job.  And a third reason is that Americans are learning, as they did during the Reagan administration, to ignore much of what the media puts out.

February 23,  2018     Permalink

FEBRUARY 22,  2018 

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

KEEP THOSE ROCKETS ON THE GROUND! – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  It’s certainly something you would expect to come out of an “institute for gender research”: The latest leg in the space race — traveling to, and then eventually colonizing, the planet Mars — is the personification of … patriarchy.  So says Marci Bianco, the communications manager of Stanford University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research, whose article titled “The patriarchal race to colonize Mars is just another example of male entitlement” is featured — ironically — on the NBC News website’s “Think” section.  Bianco derides the efforts of mega-rich Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and Richard Branson (Virgin) to get into space, and makes an all-too predictable jab at President Trump in the process (because, again, patriarchy!)  Well, let's give up that dream.  Put the rockets away.  I should have known the flight to Mars was socially offensive.

THIS IS WHAT CHILD PRIME MINISTERS DO – FROM DAILYWIRE.COM:   What is wrong with this guy?  Fresh off lecturing a young woman to say “peoplekind” instead of “mankind,” Canada’s pretty boy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped in it again, this time insulting the entire nation of India during his boondoggle of an eight-day family workcation.  Twitter lit into Trudeau, 46, this week, for wearing over-the-top, traditional Indian attire that appeared at once desperate and condescending. Sherwanis; kurta shirts; an awkward outfit straight out of central casting for a Bollywood bridegroom.  “It’s a kind of reverse colonialism to want to mimic the ‘native’. Doing a kurta number as a salute to a culture is one thing, but Justin Trudeau’s display of trousseau like repertoire of multi-coloured kurtas has begun to grate,” wrote Indian political consultant Dilip Cherian.  He's prime minister because his father Pierre was prime minister.  He has no other qualifications.  He enters the eighth grade next year.

WE ARE INVADED! – FROM DAILYWIRE.COM:  Over the weekend the Seattle Times jumped at a news tip: there was a Confederate Flag flying beneath the American flag in the city's Greenwood neighborhood and residents were very concerned.  Only, it turns out, it wasn't the Confederate flag at all. It was the state flag of Norway, and a group of friendly Norwegians were just trying to show their patriotism and support for their Olympic Team when their very concerned neighbors contacted local media.  “Hi. Suddenly there is a Confederate flag flying in front of a house in my Greenwood neighborhood. It is at the north-east corner of 92nd and Palatine, just a block west of 92nd and Greenwood Ave N.," the tipster wrote. "I would love to know what this ‘means’ … but of course don’t want to knock on their door. Maybe others in the area are flying the flag? Maybe it’s a story? Thank you."  I love those patriotic liberals, don't you?  I doubt if they'd call if they saw a hammer and sickle.

February 22, 2018       Permalink

THE BOOMING ECONOMY – AT 12:08 P.M. ET:   Applications for unemployment benefits continue to drop, further proof of a robust, growing economy.  From the Washington Examiner: 

New applications for unemployment benefits dropped 7,000 to 222,000 in the second full week of February, the Department of Labor reported Thursday, the second-lowest mark of the recovery and a good sign for the economy.

Forecasters had expected new jobless claims to remain steady at an ultra-low 230,000. Lower claims are good news because they mean fewer people are getting laid off.

Thursday's mark is the lowest since the early 1970s, setting aside the week of January 13, when claims touched as low as 216,000.

The report should raise expectations for a very strong jobs report for the month of February, since it covered the week in which businesses will be surveyed.

From the low level of claims, it appears that employers are holding onto employees more, rather than laying them off, likely because workers are becoming harder to find.

"In short, claims remain historically low, consistent with the trend in employment growth remaining more than strong enough to keep the unemployment rate trending down," noted Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist for High Frequency Economics.

COMMENT:  Politically, this is Trump's strongest weapon.  I have no doubt that the GOP is already planning to base its fall campaign on the fact that every Democrat in Congress voted against the president's tax cut.  What will the Dems say to Americans in response?  You don't need it?  Illegal immigrants need it more?  You'll just use it to increase global warming?

February 22, 2018       Permalink

A FURTHER OUTRAGE – AT 10:33 A.M. ET:  The mainstream press wants the aftermath of the Florida school-shooting horror to be devoted entirely to gun control, a favorite cause of the left.  And, yes, the subject of guns must be part of the discussion.  No issue there.

However, there are other factors in the Florida shooting that demand attention from those who seriously are looking for answers.   I stress seriously.  I've just disqualified about 90 percent of the voices we are hearing.   From Conservative Treehouse: 

As expected – buried deep inside a Miami Herald article about the Parkland school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, and a school board questioning their progressive policies, we find the following:

[…]  Absent Cruz’s school records, it is hard to say precisely when Cruz’s behavior became an acute problem for teachers and administrators. Disciplinary reports obtained by the Herald show that at Westglades Middle School, which he attended in 2013, he’d been cited numerous times for disrupting class, unruly behavior, insulting or profane language, profanity toward staff, disobedience and other rules violations.

Records show the behaviors continued at Marjory Stoneman Douglas [High School], which he attended in 2016 and 2017 before being transferred, with discipline being dispensed for fighting, profanity, and an “assault.” It appears the Jan. 19, 2017 assault resulted in a referral for a “threat assessment.” A few months later, Cruz landed at an Off Campus Learning Center, where he remained for only about five months. 

Well, there it is.

This is what Jack Cashill was writing about yesterday: “Did the Progressive ‘Broward County Solution’ Cost 17 Student Lives?” –

Yes Jack, yes it did.

COMMENT:  Please read the whole piece.  It is devastating.  It turns out that there were, at one time, a large number of minority youth in Broward County being arrested for serious, violent crimes.  This didn't sit well with "progressives" and local ethnic leaders.  So, school policies were changed.  Students who previously would have been arrested were simply reported for school discipline.  Instead of the seriousness of their crimes being addressed, they were shoved under the rug.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.  Just a little mischief.

Of course, the arrest rate for minorities went down.  Things looked better on paper.  Progressivism triumphed. 

One of the victims of the change in policy was Trayvon Martin.  You remember him, I'm sure.  The sweet innocent kid shot to death by a local vigilante.  Turns out, though, that Trayvon was anything but sweet and innocent.  He was a severely troubled stick of dynamite.  But he, too, was handled with kid gloves.  Mustn't let that arrest rate rise again.

Both Trayvon Martin and last week's killer, Nikolas Cruz, were on the radar screen of authorities.  But the authorities weren't allowed to look too closely at the screen.

February 22, 2018       Permalink

OUTRAGEOUS – AT 9:25 A.M. ET:  Readers know that I am no fan of CNN.  It was always somewhat problematical, with a liberal tilt that was obvious to anyone with a beating pulse.  But these days it has become nothing more than the hate-Trump network, and has essentially given up its credibility.  It also seems to be searching for new lows to conquer.  From RealClearPolitics: 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Colton Haab said CNN approached him to ask a question at Wednesday night's town hall but decided not to after he found out the network gave him a "scripted question." Haab, a member of the Junior ROTC, shielded students while the school was under attack from a shooter, said he was going to ask about using veterans as armed security guards.

"CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted," Haab told WPLG-TV.

CNN aired a town hall on the Florida school shooting with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) that included NRA's Dana Loesch and Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel that was moderated by Jake Tapper. Students and parents asked questions about gun control and school safety.

"I expected to be able to ask my questions and give my opinion on my questions," Haab said.

"Colton Haab, a member of the Junior ROTC who shielded classmates in the midst of terror says he did not get to share his experience," the reporter explained.

"Colton wrote questions about school safety, suggested using veterans as armed school security guards but claims CNN wanted him to ask a scripted question instead so he decided not to go," WPLG-TV reported.

COMMENT:  Nothing like exploiting children.  What an operation!  CNN owes its audience an apology, but it will never come.  It will stand by its story, and blame Donald Trump.

February 22,  2018      Permalink