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.

MAY 13,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:31 P.M. ET: 

THE WARNING – FROM REUTERS:   The Trump administration is likely to expand a ban on laptops on commercial aircraft to include some European countries, but is reviewing how to ensure lithium batteries stored in luggage holds do not explode in midair, officials briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.  Any expansion of the ban could impact U.S. carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc and American Airlines Group. Six U.S. and European officials said they expect the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to make an announcement but declined to say when.  Clearly, there is some piece of credible intelligence behind this.  DHS Secretary Kelly said recently that this is what keeps him up at night.

FIGHTING BACK – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Two bills working their way through the Michigan state Senate would bring serious repercussions to any state college students who infringe upon the free speech rights of others on campus.  MLive reports that the bills, which would apply to the fifteen universities and twenty-eight community colleges in Michigan, require the state’s institutions of higher learning to issue either a one-year suspension or an expulsion for students found twice to have violated or infringed upon another’s free speech rights.  The Michigan Association of State Universities opposes the bills, calling them “unnecessary and duplicative” and an infringement upon the rights of colleges to govern their own campuses.  I love the reaction of the "Association."  Who needs more free speech protection?  There are new campus horror stories every day but, hey, we educators can take care of that.  I hope the bills go through.

THE RUMOR MILL – FROM THE HILL:   President Trump has reportedly considered replacing White House press secretary Sean Spicer, and has raised a Fox News host as a possible spokesperson.  Six West Wing officials told The New York Times that the president is considering the most far-reaching shake-up of his first term after being dissatisfied with several top aides, especially Spicer.  Trump has discussed Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle as a possible press secretary, according to the Times, which noted that the president has also spent several hours with Spicer this week praising his TV "ratings" during briefings.  Well, if he does replace Spicer, which may or may not be wise, Guilfoyle would be superb.  But Sarah Huckabee Sanders, currently subbing for Spicer while he's on Naval Reserve duty, would also be superb.

May 13,  2017     Permalink

THE FAMILY BUSINESS – AT 1:56 P.M. ET:  Unfortunately, Osama bin Laden had children.  And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.   From CBS News:

Personal letters seized in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden reveal the al Qaeda leader's son to be a young man who adores his father and wants to carry on his murderous ideology. That son today is poised to lead a stronger, larger al Qaeda and is bent on avenging his dad's death, says an ex-FBI agent familiar with those documents. Holly Williams interviews Ali Soufan, the former FBI agent who was the bureau's lead investigator of al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, on the next edition of 60 Minutes Sunday, May 14 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.  

Soufan describes a letter from the son, Hamza, that was collected in the raid and now declassified. 

"He tells him that…he remembers 'every look…every smile you gave me, every word you told me.'" Hamza would be about 28 now and wrote the letter when he was 22 and had not seen his father in several years.  Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live."  

Hamza's potential as a leader was recognized years ago when he was still a boy, says Soufan.  The child was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.  "He was a poster kid for the al Qaeda…and for members of al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them," Soufan tells Williams.

The U.S. has named Hamza a "specially designated global terrorist" -- the same classification his father once held. He even sounds like his father, says Soufan.  "His recent message that came out, he delivered the speech as if it's his father…using sentences, terminology that was used by Osama bin Laden."

COMMENT:  But Washington is busy trying to reverse the results of the last election.  And when the next terrorist hit occurs, that same Washington will blame it on TRUMP (!!) and CHENEY (!!!!) and
Bill O'Reilly (!!!!!).

We are asleep.  Democracies usually are.

May 13, 2017       Permalink

AND A SPEECH THAT WILL NEVER BE GIVEN – AND IT IS SO SAD – AT 1:20 P.M. ET:  Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a powerful member of the Senate, was invited to deliver the commencement address at a traditionally black college in his state.  That invitation has now been cancelled because of "protests."  From Fox: 

Texas Southern University, a historically black university, announced Friday that Sen. John Cornyn’s Saturday commencement speech was canceled after opposition from students at the school.

The cancellation of Cornyn’s address came just days after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was booed and heckled as she delivered a commencement speech at a different historically black university, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.

Cornyn’s spokesman said, “Sen. Cornyn was honored to be invited to address TSU’s graduates, but he respects the administration’s decision and looks forward to continuing to engage with the university in the future.”

Students at Texas Southern University in Houston had circulated a petition demanding the Texas senator be withdrawn as a commencement speaker, citing various stances he has taken. These included his confirmation votes in favor of DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his opposition to funding for so-called sanctuary cities that protect immigrants and his support for photo IDs for voting. The petition also cited Cornyn’s low rating by the NAACP.

COMMENT:  There's dumb, and there's really dumb.  This is really dumb.  Engaging with a powerful figure, attempting to influence him or her, is what smart people do. 

Cornyn, by the way, is under consideration to be FBI director.  Wouldn't you want to have influence with a man like that?

This is the latest in a series of acts suppressing free speech at our colleges and universities.  Where, precisely, are the "liberal" journalists of The New York Times or the Washington Post or CNN when this kind of behavior erupts?  Missing in action...because secretly they agree with the thuggery.

May 13,  2017     Permalink

GOOD WORDS – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  President Trump has many shortcomings, but many skills as well.  One of the greatest of his skills is the ability to understand the American creed.  The president has just given a commencement address at Liberty University.  From The Hill:

Speaking to a friendly crowd at the country's largest Christian university on Saturday, President Trump told the graduating class that "in America, we don’t worship government, we worship God.”

“America has always been the land of dreams because America is a nation of true believers,” Trump told those gathered at Liberty University.

“When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they prayed. When the founders wrote the Declaration of Independence, they invoked our creator four times. Because in America, we don’t worship government, we worship God.”

"It is why our currency proudly declares, 'In God We Trust,'" Trump continued. "And it is why we proudly proclaim that we are one nation, under God, every time we say the Pledge of Allegiance."

COMMENT:  Whether one is religious or not, it is important to note that freedom of religion is the first American freedom, the driving force behind the dangerous voyages our ancestors took to these shores. 

Freedom of religion has been disparaged in recent years by self-proclaimed "intellectuals," but it is the heart of the nation's commitment to freedom of conscience.

May 13,  2017     Permalink

MAY 12,  2017

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

WRIGHT IS RIGHT – FROM FOX BUSINESS:   Former NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright said you don't have to look far to find examples of the mainstream media's bias against President Trump. "It's everywhere," Wright told the FOX Business Network's Stuart Varney. “It’s just unfortunate, but it doesn't seem to be hurting...he's accomplishing a great deal."   Wright pointed to the US trade agreement with China and the government’s budget surplus as examples of the administration’s achievements so far.  “I saw [Commerce Secretary] Wilbur Ross this morning.  This trade agreement with China, that’s usually a four-year discussion to get something like that moving. Things that are happening, you know, hitting that surplus was just billions and billions of dollars.”  When Varney pressed Wright on whether he was correct that the media was going after Trump in a very extreme and personal way, Wright responded, “Of course you are.”  I'd like to see more veterans of the mainstream media speak out about the intense bias of the media.  It's a national disgrace.

A FOOD REVOLUTION – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  A trip to Whole Foods may no longer consume your whole paycheck.  Faced with declining same-store sales in recent years, Whole Foods is transforming itself into a supermarket with lower costs and prices. That’s likely to be a boon for customers who have been enticed away from the high-end organic grocer by cheaper competitors like Trader Joe’s and Kroger, where prices on comparable products are as much as 15 percent lower. Indeed, Kroger has overtaken the high-end organic grocer as the largest seller of organic and natural food in America.  “There’s a lot of pricing pressure because their customers can get the same type of healthy food at lower costs at places like Walmart,” says Michelle Grant, head of retailing research at Euromonitor.  Most immediately, this means price cuts for frozen food and milk and butter are coming your way. In a recent conference call with stock analysts, Whole Foods execs said that they had been testing price reductions in the former category with “really great results.” It’s also launching a pilot program this summer to cut costs — and price tags — of dairy products.   Competitive free enterprise at work.  The customer benefits.

GONE? – FROM FOX:  “President Trump took on the media and James Comey in a string of fiery tweets Friday morning, warning the ousted FBI director not to leak details of their conversations while suggesting he could cancel future press briefings -- in response to the media uproar over his team's changing narrative on Comey's firing.   In doing so, the president also gave cover to his embattled representatives who have scrambled to reconcile the president's recent statements and the administration's original explanation.   “As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!” Trump wrote. “Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???”  Not a bad idea, actually.  I've always thought most press briefings are a waste of time.  The questions often seem to be attempts by reporters to show that they're respectably liberal.

May 12, 2017       Permalink

BRILLIANCE IN GOVERNMENT – 9:14 A.M. ET:   I guess this is the equivalent of a kid taking his marbles and going home.  From Daily Caller: 

WASHINGTON — Democrats continued their efforts to slow down business in the Senate Thursday in order to pressure the Trump Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor for the Russia investigation and to give into other demands.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went to the floor and demanded that Attorney General Jeff Sessions not be involved in the search for former FBI Director James Comey’s replacement.

“Attorney General Sessions, who had to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, played a significant role in firing the man who was leading it. Not only that, the Attorney General is now reportedly leading the search to replace Mr. Comey,” Schumer said. “He’s helping select the next FBI Director who will be in charge of an investigation that he cannot oversee. What an irony.”

He added, “This Attorney General should not oversee the hiring process of the next FBI Director. His role will jaundice the entire process if it hasn’t already.”

That's absurd.  The attorney general oversees the FBI and will continue to do so.

And...

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins took to the floor Wednesday and vented her frustration that the Senate Aging Committee hearing had been shut down when Senate Democrats invoked the two-hour rule which can prevent committee hearings from happening.

“We have witnesses who have come here from four different states,” the Collins said. “How does that contribute to solving anything that has to do with Jim Comey’s firing? I mean, it’s just ridiculous.”

COMMENT:   Of course it's ridiculous.  The Democrats believe that democracy functions only when they win elections.  If they don't win, they declare the winner illegitimate, as they did with George W. Bush.

May 12,  2017     Permalink

HERE IT COMES – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  This was inevitable – government by quota.  Coming soon to some institution near you.  From Fox: 

One of the U.S. Senate's newest members is proposing to shake up the chamber by mandating "diversity" quotas for everything from staffs to committees.

A proposal by Nevada’s freshman Democratic senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, could mimic efforts in corporate America. Large companies across the country, particularly those in Silicon Valley, have been under intense pressure to hire more minorities.

Cortez Masto thinks it should be a Congressional priority, too.

“We should be mandating diversity in our committees, mandating diversity in our hiring practices, mandating diversity throughout the United States Senate,” Cortez Masto told the podcast Women Rule. “You just have to walk in the room and look at the Senators that are there — the 100 Senators, right? You could see the lack of diversity.”

The senator said all members of Congress should make diversity a priority in hiring practices – whether it is staff members they are hiring for their office or staffers on Congressional committees.

COMMENT:  Whatever happened to the concept of hiring by qualifications, by ability, by talent?  Well, I guess it's a very old-fashioned idea.  Senator Masto's proposal will eventually be accepted, and the result will be the equality of mediocrity.

Of course we should try to be inclusive.  But I don't want critical government functions run by people selected by a quota system.  It's madness.  In the end, it's fatal.

May 12, 2017       Permalink

GREAT MOMENTS IN JOURNALISM – AT 8:11 A.M. ET:  Lester Holt, liberal enforcer from NBC News, interviewed President Trump.  I have no idea why Trump still agrees to these interviews.  They are nothing more than ambushes.  From Breitbart: 

NBCNews.com on Thursday posted a two minute and 34 second preview clip of anchor Lester Holt’s exclusive sit-down with President Donald Trump. The clip features Holt conducting an interrogation-like interview in which the NBC personality interrupted Trump nine times and spoke over the president on many of those occasions.

The short clip is part of a 31-minute White House interview set to air Thursday night on NBC Nightly News.

In the clip, Holt can be seen questioning almost every statement made by Trump.
In one instance, Holt asked Trump about his May 9 letter ousting F.B.I Director James Comey in which Trump wrote, “I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation.”

Holt asked Trump, “Why did you put that in there?”

Trump replied, “Because he told me that. I mean, he told me…”

Before Trump could finish his sentence, Holt interrupted, asking, “He told you you weren’t under investigation regarding the Russian investigation?”

“Yeah, and I’ve heard that from others. I think…” Trump began to respond before Holt interrupted again.

“Was it in a phone call? Did you meet face-to-face?” Holt interjected, speaking over Trump.
“I had a dinner with him. He wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on. We had a very nice dinner at the White House…”

Holt spoke over Trump again, interrupting this time by asking, “He, he asked for the dinner?”
“A dinner was arranged. I think he asked for a dinner.”

Holt interrupted Trump again when Trump was explaining he knew that he wasn’t under investigation both from Comey three times and from a “committee level.”

COMMENT:  That's what they call great journalism at NBC.   Any one of you could make a list of the vital subjects that Holt won't ask about.  The dream of today's liberal journalists is to bring Trump down, to get him impeached and removed.

Some journalists are already starting to ask members of Congress about impeachment.  (Over what, nobody knows.)  The standard Dem answer right now is that impeachment is a long way off.  But you can see the glint in their eye.  

May 12,  2017     Permalink