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.

JANUARY 25,  2018

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

OLYMPIC DRAMA – FROM USA TODAY:  USA Gymnastics’ status as the sport’s national governing body will be terminated unless it meets six conditions set out by the U.S. Olympic Committee, including the resignation of the entire board by next Wednesday.  USOC CEO Scott Blackmun outlined the conditions in an email sent Thursday to the USA Gymnastics board. While Blackmun had called on the board to resign Wednesday in an open letter to the Olympic community, the email was far more specific in both what the USOC expects from USA Gymnastics and the repercussions if it doesn’t deliver.  The letter comes a day after former national team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 150 girls and young women, including Olympic champions Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber.  It's about time.  The Olympic movement itself has been plagued with corruption, phoniness and exploitation.  It seems the only times they clean up their act are when the media heat gets high.

MAJOR SOCIAL ADVANCE – FROM REASON:   Ian Calderon wants restaurateurs to think long and hard before giving you a straw.  Calderon, the Democratic majority leader in California's lower house, has introduced a bill to stop sit-down restaurants from offering customers straws with their beverages unless they specifically request one. Under Calderon's law, a waiter who serves a drink with an unrequested straw in it would face up to 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.  "We need to create awareness around the issue of one-time use plastic straws and its detrimental effects on our landfills, waterways, and oceans," Calderon explained in a press release.  This isn't just Calderon's crusade. The California cities of San Luis Obispo and Davis both passed straws-on-request laws last year, and Manhattan Beach maintains a prohibition on all disposable plastics. And up in Seattle, food service businesses won't be allowed to offer plastic straws or utensils as of July.  Forget nuclear proliferation.  This is the real challenge.

BARELY NOTICED – FROM BREITBART:  President Donald Trump announced plans for a $1.7 trillion infrastructure investment plan on Wednesday.  “We’re also working to rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure by stimulating a $1 trillion dollar investment, and that will actually probably end up being $1.7 trillion dollars,” he said.  The president revealed the price-tag during a meeting with about a hundred mayors of cities inside the United States. He plans to introduce the plan at his State of the Union address with further details afterward.  “Oh, you like that?” Trump asked as the mayors applauded wildly and cheered. “I can tell we have mayors in the room … only mayors could be that excited.”  He said that he wanted all of the projects funded by his plan to be “on time and under budget.”  A major move, as important as tax reform.  And the mainstream media went out of its way to ignore it.

January 25, 2018       Permalink

WE WONDER WHAT ELSE IS HIDDEN – AT 10:08 P.M. ET:  Our side has always been angered by the manner in which Barack Obama was elected president...without any serious vetting by the mainstream press.  This is an example of what happens when no one asks questions.  From Daily Mail:

A journalist has revealed a 13-year-old photo of Barack Obama posing with the Nation of Islam's leader that was kept under wraps in order to protect the former president's career. 

Askia Muhammad snapped the photo of Obama smiling alongside Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan during a Congressional Black Caucus meeting in 2005.

Muhammad, who revealed the photo on Thursday, told the Trice Edney News Wire that he 'gave the

picture up at the time and basically swore secrecy' out of concern that it could have 'made a difference' and damaged Obama's political future.

The former president was a U.S. senator from Illinois at the time the photo was taken.  

The picture was also taken before conspiracy theories developed that Obama was not born in the United States and is a Muslim. 

Muhammad told the news site that the photo was kept a secret until after Obama secured the Democratic nomination to run for president and 'all the way up until the inauguration'.

'Then for eight years after he was president, it was kept under cover,' Muhammad said. 'It absolutely would have made a difference.'

Muhammad recalled on Thursday that a 'staff member' for the CBC contacted him 'sort of in a panic' after he took the photo.

'I sort of understood what was going on,' Muhammad told Talking Points Memo, which published the photo Thursday.

COMMENT:  We of course know that having a picture taken with Farrakhan (the picture is in the story link) doesn't prove that Obama was a follower.  But the broad smile on the future president's face, and the fact that he let the photo be taken at all, are troubling.  The Nation of Islam is a virulently anti-American, anti-white and anti-Semitic hate group.  It would be like a political figure allowing himself to be photographed with David Duke.

I doubt this photo will cause much stir.  Standards are pretty low these days.

January 25, 2018        Permalink 

UTTERLY SICKENING – AT 11:36 A.M. ET:  Doesn't John Kerry realize he's not secretary of state any longer?  Doesn't he understand that a new, elected administration is running American foreign policy?  Apparently, this man, who betrayed his comrades in Vietnam, doesn't understand much of anything.  From Fox:   

Former Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly tried to meddle in Middle East peace talks, allegedly telling a close associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to “yield to President Trump’s demands.” 

Israeli news outlet Maariv reported on the apparent meeting between Kerry and Hussein Agha in London, where the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee also reportedly floated a possible encore bid in 2020.  

But in the conversation, Kerry reportedly told Agha to share a message with Abbas – urging him to “hold on and be strong” during talks with the Trump administration and “play for time ... [and] not yield to President Trump’s demands.”

Kerry, who served as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state during his second term, also reportedly told Agha that Trump would not be in office for long, suggesting he could be out in a year. 

According to the report, Kerry used derogatory terms when referring to Trump, and offered to help the Palestinians create an alternative peace initiative. He reportedly asked Abbas not to attack the U.S. or the Trump administration, but rather focus attacks on the president himself.

One prominent Trump ally, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, voiced disbelief at the reported comments on Thursday.

“Kerry knows as a former secretary of state, a former U.S. senator, that kind of advice would be stunningly unpatriotic, and I don’t think John Kerry would do something like that,” Gingrich told "Fox & Friends." “I hope he wouldn’t. I would be very, very surprised if a former secretary of state, a former U.S. senator would have said anything that was that overtly anti-American.”

COMMENT:  Newt is being sarcastic, of course.  This story broke three days ago, and Kerry has never denied it.  Besides, it sounds like him – arrogant, pompous, sneering, self-satisfied.  What a guy!  You wouldn't want your sister to come home with him.  If she does, tell him to shut up and fix the refrigerator.

January 25, 2018       Permalink

BACK UP – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  Despite all that's been thrown at him in the last few weeks, and despite the government shutdown, President Trump is back at the same level in the Rasmussen daily tracker as he was before the onslaught: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.
 
The latest figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 44% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15.

COMMENT:  They used to call Reagan the "Teflon president" because criticism and attacks seemed to roll off him without doing any damage.  I don't think Trump is quite there yet, but maybe he's halfway there.  Attacks now seem to have little effect.  They've gone too far.  They've become too wild.  The American people have caught on to the game, as they always do.

I think the culmination came when the White House "press corps" went mad over the president's clean bill of health, and savagely questioned his Navy physician, who'd also been physician to Barack Obama and George W. Bush.  Reporters' behavior toward this good and experienced man was disgraceful.  It was embarrassing, and not one member of the press apologized.

January 25,  2018     Permalink 

JANUARY 24,  2018

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

BOOKER ROASTED – FROM TOWNHALL:  Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) temper tantrum during last week’s Judiciary Committee hearing, in which he tore into Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen over President Trump’s “sh*thole countries” comment, was nothing more than an “unfortunate waste” of time, she said.  Nielsen told Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” that his outburst was a “distraction” from a hearing that should’ve been focused on “real threats” facing the nation and what DHS is doing to fight them.  "It became 11 minutes of a lecture about a meeting he was not in, about one word, and about whether or not I heard it," Nielsen said. "I said under testimony, was it possible? Sure. I just didn’t hear the word. That was it."  "He has no interest in what the secretary of Homeland Security thinks," she continued. "He just wanted to lecture me for 11 minutes and it was an unfortunate waste of all of our time when we could have been focused on the needs and threats we have."  I don't think Booker has ever taken the same position twice.  He'd like to be president, but his opportunism is just too overwhelming.  He was once a rising rocket, now he's stuck on the launching pad.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE GLOBAL WARMING FESTIVAL – FROM THE L.A. TIMES:   New data from California state geologists show that an earthquake fault runs below Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills’ shopping district, heightening the known seismic risk in an area famous for Cartier, Gucci, Prada and other luxury brands.  The California Geological Survey’s final map has the Santa Monica fault zone cutting through the so-called Golden Triangle, running between Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards.  The new map is a change from a draft version released last year that showed the fault zone ending on the western edge of Beverly Hills, near the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards. Based on more information, the state now says the fault zone extends a mile farther northeast, through Beverly Hills’ central district and into the city’s civic center area.  Terrible, terrible.  An earthquake there would tear the "Love the Earth" stickers off all those BMW's.

THE END OF MEN? – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:   Since the dawn of humanity, men have played a vital role in determining the sex of their offspring.  The Y chromosome, carried by roughly half of a man's sperm, dictates whether a child will be male or female.  If the Y chromosome is present, a child will develop into a boy, whereas a lack of this strand of DNA will result in a girl.  Now scientists think the Y chromosome may disappear in less that five million years, leaving the future of men on planet Earth uncertain.  In an article for The Conversation, Dr Peter Ellis and professor Darren Griffin from the University of Kent discuss the implications of this genetic shift.   So we've only got five million years of sexual harassment suits.  What will lawyers do?

January 24, 2018       Permalink

A THREAT FROM ISIS – TAKE IT SERIOUSLY – AT 11:34 A.M. ET:  The threat is against Las Vegas, scene of another recent massacre.  From PJ Media:   

An ISIS-supporting media group threatened another Vegas-style massacre in a new propaganda image, yet zeroed in on a Strip hotel other than the Mandalay Bay.

"The disbeliever west will see our power through the jihad of sincere people and the sacrifice of monotheists. We will be generous in shedding your dirty blood unless you embrace Islam or give the jizyah," states the message, referencing a tax paid by non-Muslims. "However, Las Vegas massacre is not far from you."

The poster distributed online includes a shadowy backdrop of masked jihadists carrying an ISIS flag, hovering over a photo from the Vegas strip. The words "Las Vegas," crosshairs and flames are positioned over the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The threat was distributed by the Wafa' Media Foundation, which released numerous threats during the holiday season.

A November poster showed smoke rising from Rome with a fighter jet overhead and a jihadist standing next to the sort of makeshift armored vehicle ISIS uses for suicide bombings in Iraq and Syria. "The date is approaching o worshippers of the cross," stated the message on the image.

COMMENT:  We have pretty much defeated ISIS on the battlefield in Syria and Iraq, but it remains a powerful terrorist force, and it will be looking to strike major blows, especially before our midterm elections.

January 24,  2018      Permalink

JOE IS IN – AT 10:41 A.M. ET:  Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, perhaps the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, will run for re-election this year, as a Democrat.  There had been some speculation that Manchin might switch to the Republican Party to better reflect the views of his state, or retire out of frustration with his party.  However, Manchin has a warning for his fellow Dems.  From The New York Times: 

WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia told colleagues on Tuesday that he intended to run for re-election this year after all, ending an anxiety-making flirtation with retirement and easing Democratic fears that the most conservative Democrat in the Senate was about to effectively hand his seat to a Republican.

In an interview, Mr. Manchin said he repeatedly expressed his frustration to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, and other colleagues, telling them that “this place sucks,” before finally signaling Tuesday morning to Mr. Schumer’s aides that he would file his re-election paperwork before West Virginia’s deadline on Saturday.

“I was very vocal,” Mr. Manchin said, adding, “they read between the lines.”

Even as Democrats won a reprieve, Mr. Manchin’s discontent illustrated the divisions in their party between those from states that President Trump easily carried and the more liberal bloc of senators, at least a half-dozen of whom are positioning themselves for possible White House runs. The rift contributed to the government shutdown over the weekend and the Monday decision by a group of moderates to force the government’s reopening.

It also will have to be bridged if Democrats have any hope of regaining the Senate in November, when they must defend 10 seats in states that Mr. Trump won, while winning Republican-held seats in difficult states like Tennessee, Nevada and Arizona.

“I’ve said this point blank: If people like me can’t win from red states, you’ll be in the minority the rest of your life,” Mr. Manchin said about his conversations with other Democrats about the need to tolerate more moderate lawmakers.

The frustration was all the more striking coming a day after Mr. Manchin celebrated with Republicans and Democrats in the so-called Common Sense Coalition, the bipartisan group that forced the government back open and vowed to lead negotiations over immigration, the budget and other matters.

COMMENT:  I doubt if the Democratic base, the hard-line left wingers, care much about Joe Manchin.  The base would rather lose and maintain its ideological purity.  Indeed, they probably consider Manchin a "deplorable."  But they need him.  Will they make room for the Joe Manchins in November?  I doubt it.

January 24, 2018       Permalink

HOW DARE HE SAY THAT! – AT 10:08 P.M. ET:   There is a major international scandal.  Brace yourselves.  It has been learned that an African leader has praised President Trump, and is still alive.  From Dailywire:   

On Tuesday, the leader of one African nation shook up the media's narrative about the continent of Africa being up in arms about President Donald Trump's "s***hole" remark. Speaking to a group of lawmakers at the East African Legislative Assembly, Ugandan president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni came to Trump's defense over his recent comments.

"America has got one of the best presidents ever. Mr. Trump. I love Trump," Museveni said, The Washington Post reports. "I love Trump because he talks to Africans frankly. I don't know if he's misquoted or whatever, but when he speaks I like him because he speaks frankly."

"It is the fault of the Africans that they are weak. They have this huge continent," Museveni continued. "If you look at Africa, Africa is 12 times the size of India, in terms of land area, lots of resources, and the population is growing now. Why can't we make Africa strong?"

Museveni even wrote an article titled, "The Confusion, Ingratitude as well as danger of Western Liberals & the Trump Therapy," in which he slams leftists and embraces Trump's way of thinking.

COMMENT:  Well, you won't see this chap invited to any dinners with the Congressional Black Caucus.  And CNN is probably investigating his mental fitness.

But he said it.  And I"ll bet many other Africans feel the same way.  They don't necessarily follow the left-wing party line.  At a time when Western liberals were cursing George W. Bush, Africa was building statues to him because he took the African AIDS epidemic seriously.

January 24, 2018       Permalink