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.

MARCH 20,  2018

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

INSPIRING – FROM FOX:  The wreck of the USS Juneau, which was sunk by a Japanese torpedo and lost 687 sailors in 1942, has been discovered by billionaire Paul Allen’s crew.  Five brothers from the Sullivan family were famously lost on the USS Juneau. Their story, which attracted widespread attention, was depicted in the 1944 movie “The Fighting Sullivans.” Two US Navy ships have been named “The Sullivans” in memory of the brothers.  The brothers wanted to serve on the same ship, despite naval policies preventing siblings from serving together.  When I was a kid, the story of the Sullivans was part of American heroic folklore.  Now the boys are largely forgotten.  Maybe this discovery will revive their names.

THEY'LL LEARN AS ADULTS – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   A new survey of college students has found that a narrow margin of millennials believe diversity is more important than free speech.  The Gallup-Knight Foundation surveyed 3,014 U.S. college students and showed the ramifications of diversity programs and social justice teachings in the classroom.  “While U.S. college students show strong support for the First Amendment, many also approve of limits on speech to foster an environment where diverse perspectives are respected. These competing views and habits can have an effect on the freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees. Understanding them will help to preserve our most fundamental rights into the future,” states a release from the Knight Foundation.  The majority of college students surveyed, 56 percent, still believe protecting free speech rights is important. Separately, 52 percent of these same students find a diverse and inclusive society to be extremely important part of democracy.  The results are discouraging, as freedom is the heart of our republic.   But these are kids, and they will presumably become more mature as adults.  Presumably.

THE RIGHT MOVE – FROM THE SUN-SENTINAL:  Gov. Rick Scott wants armed police officers at every access point outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, and he’s willing to send Florida Highway Patrol troopers to the campus to make it happen.  The governor made the offer in a letter Tuesday to Broward Sheriff Scott Israel and School District Superintendent Robert Runcie. “Recent events at the school have demonstrated the need for additional security measures to be implemented,” Scott said, an apparent reference to Monday’s arrest of Zachary Cruz on trespassing charges.  Cruz, whose brother Nikolas is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for shooting up the school on Valentine’s Day, is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.  That the brother of a mass murderer could ride his skateboard onto the campus in broad daylight sent chills throughout the school community.   Common sense tells us to protect the schools as the first measure needed.  It is our moral responsibility to put children's lives, not political agendas, at the top of our priority list.  But tell that to a liberal.

March 20, 2018       Permalink

BALTIMORE IS A MESS – AT 12:48 P.M. ET:  What a tragedy.  Murder in Baltimore is out of control.  The police force cannot find enough qualified officers to patrol the streets.  Institutions live in fear.  This is the legacy of the Obama Justice Department, which went after the Baltimore cops after a young, repeat offender, died in police custody.  It is the legacy of racially charged rhetoric by city "leaders," pledging "justice" for the people.  They delivered only degeneration, and made a farce of the legal process.  From Powerline:   

Johns Hopkins University wants to form its own police department with armed, sworn police officers to patrol its university and hospital campuses. The University already has its own security personnel, approximately 1,000 strong. Even so, last Fall there were 16 gunpoint robberies around its main campus in Baltimore.

Thus, the Baltimore delegation to the state general assembly will propose legislation to enable Hopkins to have its own police department. The plan has the support of Baltimore’s police chief and its mayor.

Activists and some local politicians are wary of the idea, though. So, apparently is the Washington Post. Reporters Ian Duncan and Talia Richman write darkly about “a new force of uniformed, armed and sworn officers controlled by an institution with a historically troubled relationship with Baltimore’s African American community, at a time when policing in Baltimore is under federal scrutiny.”

As far as I can tell, the “historically troubled relationship” refers to unhappiness with practices of the University’s hospital. Most of the events that gave rise to the unhappiness are ancient, none is current, and none appears to have anything to do with policing. They form no valid basis for preventing Hopkins from protecting students and staff, via a police force, from armed robbery and other crimes.

The fact that the Baltimore police department is under federal scrutiny is relevant, but not in the way the Post suggests. The attack on Baltimore police officers that began with Freddy Gray’s death and produced a deeply flawed report by the Obama Justice Department is a major reason why violent crime has soared, and thus why Hopkins needs its own police force.

Baltimore’s police force is about 1,000 officers short of what it needs to effectively police the city, according to the mayor. As we noted two years ago, this problem stems to a considerable degree from the demonizing of the police after Gray’s death, which demoralized officers and caused them to seek work elsewhere.

COMMENT:  Another great contribution of the Obama administration.  For eight years we had a hopelessly uninformed and incompetent president, one who didn't even like his own country and who received automatic cover from the liberal press.  Baltimore and other places are paying the price.   If Iran goes nuclear, and places its superweapons on missiles, we may all pay the price.  But by that time the Obama memorial will be built in Washington, and we will be taught to worship accordingly.

March 20, 2018       Permalink

NEW SHOOTING, BUT HANDLED WELL – AT 11:54 A.M. ET:  We've been following a new school shooting, this time in Maryland.  Fortunately, the school was administered by sane officials who employed an armed officer.  From Fox: 

A gunman who shot and wounded two students at Great Mills High School in Maryland was killed Tuesday after engaging an armed school resource officer, an official said.

The shooter was the only fatality. A female student was critically injured and a male student was also shot but is in stable condition at a hospital, authorities said.

"Our school resource officer was alerted to the event. he pursued the shooter, engaged the shooter, fired a round at the shooter," St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said. "The shooter fired a round as well. In the hours and days to come, we'll be able to determine if our school resource officer's round struck the shooter."

The resource officer, who wasn't immediately identified, was not injured. Cameron said the gunman died after being transported to a local hospital.

COMMENT:  It is possible, of course, that the shooter committed suicide, but, if that's the case, he did it only after being challenged by the school officer.

Obviously, we're pained and outraged that two students were wounded.  But the presence of an armed, trained officer clearly prevented what could have been a much larger tragedy. 

Hardening schools, protecting students, is the immediate answer to this horror.  It won't solve the problem of deranged shooters, but it can prevent them from succeeding.  However, try telling that to the ideological liberals, who only know "gun control," whatever that means this week.

March 20,  2018     Permalink

MARCH 19,  2018

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

MACHINES OVER MAN – FROM REUTERS:  Most buyers prefer to be left alone as they shop in store for items like apparel and prefer to use in-store technology for customer service over personalized attention from store employees, according to a new study.  The findings are based on a shopper survey conducted by HRC Retail Advisory and highlights the challenges retail chains increasingly face as they try to find the right balance between staffing and technology in stores.  For example, about 85 percent of those surveyed want to be able to check prices at price scanners instead of having to ask a store employee for pricing information. Seventy six percent of overall respondents rated an in-store app that will provide personal recommendations as important.  I think this was inevitable.  The technology is faster and never discourteous.  More jobs will disappear.  I'd imagine robots will be escorting us through stores in the next decade.

THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN – FROM BLOOMBERG:  Uber Technologies Inc. halted autonomous vehicle tests after one of its cars struck and killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona, in what is likely the first pedestrian fatality involving the technology.  The 49-year-old woman, Elaine Herzberg, was crossing the road outside of a crosswalk when the Uber vehicle operating in autonomous mode under the supervision of a human safety driver struck her, according to the Tempe Police Department.  After the incident, which happened at 10 p.m. local time on Sunday, she was transferred to a nearby hospital, where she died from her injuries. "Uber is assisting and this is still an active investigation," Liliana Duran, a Tempe police spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement.  There are going to be these tragedies, but most experts on robotics believe that roads will be dramatically safer once the human element is taken out of driving.  The self-driving car wasn't out drinking last night.

GREAT MOMENTS IN POLITICS – FROM FOX:   Former "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon said on Twitter Monday that she'll challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York's Democratic primary in September.  Her announcement sets up a race pitting an openly gay liberal activist against a two-term incumbent with a $30 million war chest and possible presidential ambitions.  In a video on Twitter, the public education advocate said, "We want our government to work again."  Nixon in recent speeches has called on Democrats nationally to carve out a strong liberal identity instead of being merely the "anti-Trump party."  Look, she may give Andy Cuomo a run for his money.  And, of course, the Republican Party in New York is nowhere to be seen.  They concede elections before they're held.

March 19, 2018       Permalink 

GETTING OUR WAY?– AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  Like him or not, President Trump has real international impact.  Witness how, though the intelligent use of implied force, he has brought North Korea to the negotiating table.

Now he is making it clear that he will carry out his pledge to get out of the Iran nuclear deal unless the agreement is modified to his liking.  And European nations are, if only grudgingly, starting to take action in the president's direction, but probably not strong enough action.  From Reuters: 

BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany have proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles and its role in Syria’s war, according to a confidential document, in a bid to persuade Washington to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

The joint paper, seen by Reuters, was sent to European Union capitals on Friday, said two people familiar with the matter, to sound out support for such sanctions as they would need the support of all 28 EU member governments.

The proposal is part of a EU strategy to save the accord signed by world powers that curbs Tehran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, namely by showing U.S. President Donald Trump that there are other ways to counter Iranian power abroad.

Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on Jan. 12 that they must agree to “fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal” - which was sealed under his predecessor Barack Obama - or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh “waivers” to suspend them on May 12.

“We will therefore be circulating in the coming days a list of persons and entities that we believe should be targeted in view of their publicly demonstrated roles,” the document said, referring to Iranian ballistic missile tests and Tehran’s role backing Syria’s government in the seven-year-old civil war.

Analysts say the nuclear agreement, touted at the time as a breakthrough reducing the risk of a devastating wider war in the Middle East, could collapse if Washington pulls out.

The document said Britain, France and Germany were engaged in “intensive talks with the Trump administration to “achieve a clear and lasting reaffirmation of U.S. support for the (nuclear) agreement beyond May 12”.

COMMENT:  The problem, of course, is that Europe's attitude toward Iran is heavily influenced by European business interests seeking profit in that country.  I really wonder if the kind of sanctions envisioned by the Europeans will be enough to satisfy Trump.  I wonder if the sanctions will even be applied. 

In May, Trump must either newly certify the Iran agreement, or begin moving America out of it.

March 19, 2018       Permalink

A COOL SAUDI? – AT 11:21 A.M.  ET:  That almost sounds like a contradiction in terms.  And yet,  the new strongman in Saudi Arabia appears to be a genuine reformer.  This can only be good for us, and for peace between the Arabs and Israelis.  From Fox: 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a man on a mission.

Known to many simply by his initials, MBS, the 32-year-old was given expansive new powers by his father just nine months ago and arrives Tuesday in Washington, D.C. for a summit with President Trump in the midst of a major push to modernize his conservative Islamic Kingdom.

Bin Salman has already instituted a series of surprising reforms to make the Muslim country -- known for its bearded religious police enforcing strict social codes -- more open and accepting of Western norms.

Last fall, the Kingdom agreed for the first time to allow women to drive. After 35 years, movie theaters will open again (they were shut in the 1980s during a wave of ultra-conservatism). In a break with the rigid guardianship that’s defined the kingdom for decades, it was recently announced that women can launch their own businesses without consent from a husband or male relative. And a prohibition on women attending sporting events in national stadiums was lifted.

During an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” the crown prince, who has curtailed the ability of religious police to arrest women for dress code violations, said women are equal to men: “We are all human beings and there is no difference.”

Although Saudi women have been dictated by custom and the religious police to wear the abaya, a full-length black cloak that covers everything except their hands and face in public, bin Salman pushed back against that idea during the interview.

“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of Sharia: that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” said bin Salman. “This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”

Bin Salman went on to explain that “extremists” forbidding the mixing of men and women are pushing ideas that “contradict the way of life during the time of the prophet and the Caliphs.”

COMMENT:  That is a remarkable breath of fresh air.  Who woulda thunk it?  And yet we must be careful.  Reform in Saudi Arabia is on MBS's shoulders.  I have no doubt he has enemies, and powerful enemies.  Will he be allowed to govern, and bring needed change?

It's widely reported that Saudi Arabia and Israel now have a good off-the-record relationship.  Saudi recently gave permission for Air India to overfly Saudi airspace on flights to Israel, something that would have been unheard of only a year ago.

Saudi Arabia is the keeper of the holiest place in Islam, Mecca.  If the country can produce reform, and make it stick, there could be a dramatic effect on the Islamic world.  But "if" is that very big word.   

March 19, 2018       Permalink

THE PRESIDENT HOLDS – AT 10:34 A.M. ET:  It was a week of turmoil for the president, but his poll numbers are holding up remarkably well, especially as compared with the wobbly ranking of his party.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-two percent (52%) disapprove.
The latest figures include 31% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 43% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -12.

COMMENT:  Rasmussen does show Trump somewhat stronger than other polls do, but remember that Rasmussen polls likely voters, the most accurate gauge, while most other polls survey registered voters.  Many registered voters don't actually vote.

We must ask this question:  What happens if the president turns out to be more popular than his party?  Remember that he has no real history in the Republican Party.  In effect, he may become his own party.  That may please his considerable ego, but could be highly dangerous if he's ever impeached by the House.  Support for him in the Senate, which would conduct an impeachment trial, could erode dramatically if Republicans no longer see him as "one of us." 

One of the most intriguing questions of the year is whether Trump will go all out for his party in midterm campaigning, or, if the polling shows a Democratic wave, withdraw from the fray and distance himself from the losing side.  The man is a shrewd politician, to be watched carefully.

March 19,  2018     Permalink