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MARCH 21,  2018

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

WE'LL CERTAINLY BE FOLLOWING THIS – FROM CBS LOCAL:  Last week they protested gun violence.  This week, Rocklin High School students are using social media to organize a pro-life walkout using the hashtag #life.  “To honor all the lives of aborted babies pretty much. All the millions of aborted babies every year,” said organizer Brandon Gillespie.  He says his history teacher inspired the idea.  As thousands of students across the country walked out of class demanding strict gun laws, in honor of the Parkland shooting victims, Benzel was placed on paid administrative leave when she asked students to consider whether there’s a double standard in the national school walkout.  “I would like a conversation about when is too much? And are we going allow this on the other side?” said Julianne Benzel.  The principal at Rocklin High declined to meet with us for an on-camera interview, but a district spokeswoman tells us, he does plan to sit down with the student about the possible abortion walkout, and that’s not going over well with some of his peers.  I wonder if this will actually come off, or if the school, under liberal pressure, will find some reason to ban it.  We'll tell you.

REAL CLASS – FROM FOX:    An Iowa salon received major social media backlash this week after posting a photo of Ivanka Trump when she visited the store to get her hair styled before an event.
Salon Spa W, in Des Moines’ East Village, posted a picture Monday on its Facebook page of the first daughter, who was in town to tour Waukee school district's Aspiring Professional Experience program (APEX), with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, the Des Moines Register reported. Reynolds was standing next to Trump in the photograph.  “Our Monday kicked off with styling Ivanka Trump for her visit to Iowa! We [love] supporting women in politics,” the salon wrote in a caption on Facebook, which has since been edited.
Despite the salon’s excitement, hundreds of followers lambasted the business for styling the White House adviser and threatened to never return. Some people said the photo was “f---ing gross” and vowed to unfollow the page.  The intolerance of liberals is a thing to behold.  Whether you like or dislike the president, his daughter, who could have spent her life going to chic parties, has devoted herself to public service and building a company.  What a sin.

TRAGEDY – FROM FOX:  Police Officer Christopher Morton and two other officers were dispatched to the wrong address March 6 to respond to a disturbance call in tiny Clinton, Missouri. When the three entered the home, a man inside shot them all. Morton was killed and the two other officers were wounded.  Just three days later, Pomona, California, Police Officer Gregory Casillas attempted to stop a car for reckless driving. The driver crashed and fled into a nearby apartment. When Casillas and a second officer attempted to contact those in the apartment, they were struck by shots fired through the door. Casillas, who was only 25 and who had served in uniform for just six months, lost his life.  Morton and Casillas became the 14th and 15th police officers killed in the line of duty by fatal gunfire this year. Their deaths helped drive the almost 130 percent rise in police fatalities by gunfire so far this year.  Events in Austin remind us of our dependence on effective police work.  President Trump praised law enforcement for stopping the alleged Austin bomber.  Don't recall Mr. Obama offering much support when he was president.

March 21, 2018       Permalink

A SERIOUS ISSUE – AT 1:48 A.M. ET:  In a growing trend, local high-school students, and even younger ones, are demanding time off from school to engage in political protests.  Many of these protests are organized by "adult" groups seeking to recruit kids, and manipulate them.  From the Washington Times: 

The gun control movement notched a public relations coup with last week’s massive school walkouts, but now school districts that pitched in to ensure the protest’s success are stuck with the rising political and legal fallout.

A week after the March 14 walkout, school officials are grappling with complaints from parents outraged by the specter of their kids engaged in political protesting on school time, as well as reports of criminal mischief committed by teens who treated the event as a get-out-of-class-free card.

What’s more, the students get to do it all again next month. A substantially identical event, also called the National School Walkout, is scheduled for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, said he worried that the walkouts, aimed at pushing for tougher gun restrictions in the wake of the deadly Parkland shooting, have provided the template for advocacy groups eager to co-opt the public schools for progressive activism.

“If they get away with this, they’ll be free to engage in any kind of political activity in the schools that they wish,” said Mr. Cleveland, who has a third-grader in the Chicago Public Schools.

The party is moving to avert that scenario by preparing a lawsuit against the school system, arguing that the district violated state and federal law as well as its own policies by organizing a political demonstration — and pressuring students to attend — on the taxpayers’ dime.

The district has yet to comment, but it has other problems. About 60 students from Simeon Career Academy trashed a Walmart “while they were supposed to be protesting guns,” an incident under investigation by police, according to Fox32 in Chicago. 

COMMENT:  When I was a kid, General Eisenhower came to town while campaigning for president.  The school announced that we would be given time off to see Eisenhower, but added that the same privilege would be accorded if Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic nominee, were to visit.

That is a proper and civic-minded use of school time.  What we have today, by contrast, is disgraceful – kids walking off to "protest," with the protests often organized by, or guided by, left-wing groups.  This has to end.  The students are supposed to be in school, and the schools are supposed to be teaching.

Hitler said, "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future."  We should remember that.

March 21, 2018       Permalink

THE SAUDI OFFENSIVE – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  I must tell you that I've seen nothing like this from the Arab world.  Saudi Arabia, the radical Muslim nation from which most of the 9-11 hijackers came, is on a major reform offensive, and its seems to be serious.

As we've said before, we must reserve a little room for skepticism.  Nations, especially the old Soviet Union, have often used "charm offensives" to better their position, only to revert to their old selves in time.  And the man leading the Saudi campaign, the new crown prince, can suddenly not be there.

But we can hope that this time we'll see real progress.  From Reuters: 

Saudi Arabia is revamping its education curriculum to eradicate any trace of Muslim Brotherhood influence and will dismiss anyone working in the sector who sympathizes with the banned group, the education minister said.

Promoting a more moderate form of Islam is one of the promises made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under plans to modernize the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

The Education Ministry is working to “combat extremist ideologies by reviewing school curricula and books to ensure they do not reflect the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda,” Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Isa said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

It would “ban such books from schools and universities and remove those who sympathize with the group or its ideology from their posts,” he added.

In September, a large Saudi public university announced it would dismiss employees suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, adding to concerns that the government is clamping down on its critics in academia and beyond.

Earlier this month, Crown Prince Mohammed told CBS in an interview that Saudi schools have been “invaded” by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated by Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organization along with other militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.

COMMENT:  This is all good.  It is also good that Saudi Arabia is a bulwark against Iran in the Mideast.  And there are reports which we've noted here, that the Saudis are carrying on a below-the-surface relationship with Israel.

We wait for the next act of reform.

March 21, 2018       Permalink

AUSTIN – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  The alleged Austin, Texas, bomber is dead, presumably by his own hand, and he has now been identified.  From Fox: 

The serial bomber who terrorized Austin, Texas for three harrowing weeks was identified Wednesday morning -- just hours after he blew himself to bits with his own device as cops closed in.

Mark Anthony Conditt, 24, was named as the bomber, an ATF source told Fox News. A picture of Conditt in 2013 from his mother's Facebook page was authenticated by The Austin-American Statesman.

Conditt was killed near the motel he was traced to by authorities using surveillance footage from a Federal Express drop-off store and cell phone triangulation technology, according to The Austin American-Statesman.

He died after fleeing the motel in a car, with police hot on his tail. He drove into a ditch, sparking the fatal confrontation.

"We wanted this to come to a peaceful resolution tonight," said Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.

"However, we were not afforded that opportunity when he started to drive away."

Conditt was home-schooled and went to Austin Community College, neighbors told the Austin American-Statesman. 

“I know this is a cliché but I just can’t imagine that,” a neighbor who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity, and whose children grew up playing with Conditt.

Authorities have said Conditt was 24, but public records obtained by the Statesman indicate he was 23.

His mother, Danene Conditt, posted a picture of him in February 2013 to mark his completing a high school-level education.

COMMENT:  That's what we know so far.  Fox is reporting on-air that he posted some views on the internet in the past that would appear to put him on the political right, but that hasn't been nailed down.

He had two roommates.  We know nothing about them.  Nor do we know if he had accomplices.

Stand by.

March 21,  2018     Permalink

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