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MAY 15,  2017

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

RIDICULOUS – Have you been following in the latest madness about the Trump administration?  Seems some intelligence types are charging anonymously, through the Washington Post, that President Trump revealed classified information to Russian officials in an Oval Office meeting.  None of the "sources" apparently was at the meeting.  No proof is offered, and no names of accusers are revealed.  The "revelation" comes just days before Trump leaves for a critical foreign trip.  Those at the meeting have hotly denied the charge.  Stay tuned for more.  This looks more like a political hit than a serious accusation, but of course I could be wrong.

MAJOR IMMATURITY NEWS – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Some minority students at the University of Michigan have apparently felt intimidated by the interior wood paneling found throughout the historic Michigan Union building.  Anna Wibbelman, former president of Building a Better Michigan, an organization that voices student concerns about university development, stated at a student government meeting in late March that “minority students felt marginalized by quiet, imposing masculine paneling” found throughout the 100-year-old building, the meeting’s minutes state.   How could we inflicted such hurt?  Didn't we know that masculine paneling was a threat to civilization?  I feel our shame.

PHYSICIAN BURNOUT – AND IT'S SERIOUS – FROM CBS NEWS:  If you've ever worried that your doctor seems burned out on the job, you may be right. Physicians are busier than ever, and hospitals are worried that as their staff gets overwhelmed, the quality of care goes down and medical errors go up.  A study at the Mayo Clinic found that more than half of American doctors have been in the same boat — exhausted and losing their sense of purpose.  This is a serious issue.  I've heard it from physicians.  It deserves much more attention than it's getting, but I doubt if the news practitioners are interested.  Who would want to have surgery performed by an exhausted doctor?

May 15, 2017     Permalink

WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS WILL TURN OUT – AT 9:20 A.M. ET:   The Trump administration is back before the Ninth Circuit today, the most overturned federal appeals circuit in the country.  From Fox: 

The latest legal showdown over President Trump’s revised executive order targeting refugees and nationals from six predominately Muslim countries hits a Seattle appellate courtroom Monday morning.

The key issue before a three-judge panel is whether the president’s comments before he took office – suggesting he would ban Muslims from entering the country -- provides sufficient legal grounds to rule his order unconstitutional. 

In March, a federal judge in Hawaii enjoined the order from taking effect, not based on the language of the directive, but rather the “religious animus” of comments Trump and his advocates made about the policy.

“The [lower] court’s reliance on such statements in the face of a religion-neutral order is fundamentally wrong,” acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall wrote to the court defending the order.

Wall argues the president’s policy is not a “Muslim ban,” but rather Mr. Trump’s good faith effort to protect rights while securing the homeland from foreign terrorists. And that the president’s executive authority in protecting the country and enforcing immigration laws in this matter is beyond judicial review.

COMMENT:  I'd be shocked, if gratified, if the judges decide for the president.  Ninth Circuit is highly political.  Its decisions are frequently thrown out by the Supreme Court. 

I'm sure CNN will cover the story, and salivate waiting for the result.

May 15, 2017       Permalink

A WARNING FOR MR. TRUMP – AT 8:49 A.M. ET:   I've noticed in the last week, a softening of enthusiasm for the president among his supporters in the press.  Like many, they continue to applaud his decisions and his goals, but are becoming frustrated by his sometimes self-destructive style.

Mr. Trump should take these criticisms to heart.  Too often he hurts himself when a perfectly sound action is surrounded by chaos, contradictory statements and unnecessary attacks on others.  One of Mr. Trump's strongest supports in the press is the distinguished columnist Michael Goodwin, of the New York Post: 

The president rarely makes it easy on the faithful, often testing his tribe through errant word and deed. Even on his best days, he manages to insert a hurdle or two or 10.

The James Comey affair is the perfect example. On substance, Trump made the absolute right call. Comey had to go, with his blunders on the Hillary Clinton case reason enough. And there were many others.

Yet being right isn’t enough in Washington, and being Trump raises the bar exponentially. The Democratic left and the media (I know, that’s redundant) get out of bed ready to pounce.

They don’t need facts to unleash their volcanic hatred of him. A juicy rumor and an anonymous source will suffice. Any mistake sparks talk of impeachment.

Some days, Trump gets the level of difficulty, telling Reuters about his first 100 days, “I thought it would be easier.”

Other days, he gets everything backward, making it hard for supporters to defend him and easy for opponents to attack. This is not merely annoying.

The exasperating pattern has been and remains the existential threat to Trump’s presidency, given his precarious public standing and his party’s narrow margin in Congress. He will not be able to deliver on his promises to revitalize the economy and rebuild the military unless he establishes wider support for his agenda and more trust in his judgment.

The task applies to politicians and ordinary citizens alike. Both need frequent reassurance he is up to the job.

The Comey uproar also proves something else: that a good idea, especially a big one, requires equally good execution. The bungled rollout undercut the bold logic of the decision, and the White House’s reaction to the reaction is a textbook case in how to make a problem worse.

COMMENT:  Very well said.  Go back to Watergate.  A stupid prank was turned into a major national issue by Richard Nixon's attempts at a cover-up.  All Nixon had to say was, "This dumb act occurred on my watch.  It will not happen again.  These are the steps I'm ordering to enforce the highest ethical standards on my campaign."  He would have been a hero.  Instead, he barked, he defied, he covered, leading to a situation where he had to resign rather than be impeached.

The impeachment campaign against Nixon had nothing to do with the original, minor crime.  It had to do with the fact that he was Richard Nixon.  He was hated by the same elements of press and establishment who hate Donald Trump. 

The liberals would love to impeach Trump, even on no grounds whatsoever.  Trump must not aid in their effort.

May 15, 2017       Permalink

A PRESIDENT TRAVELS – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Late this week President Trump will embark on a major foreign trip, one of the most important any president has taken in recent memory.  He will go to the Mideast and to the Vatican.  At the White House, National Security Advisor Herbert McMaster explained, quite eloquently, the purpose of the trip.  I haven't seen much mention of this event in the mainstream media.  Have you?  McMaster: 

The trip has three core purposes.  First, to reaffirm America's global leadership.  Second, to continue building key relationships with world leaders.  And, third, to broadcast a message of unity to America's friends and to the faithful of three of the world's greatest religions.  

The President prioritizes building strong relationships, as you see here, every day with world leaders as a way to strengthen our alliances.  And he's been successful.  You can see that in his diplomacy with a range of leaders, from Prime Minister May to President Xi.

President Trump understands that America First does not mean American alone -- to the contrary. Prioritizing American interests means strengthening alliances and partnerships that help us extend our influence and improve the security of the American people.  

This trip is truly historic.  No President has ever visited the homelands and holy sites of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslims faiths all on one trip.  And what President Trump is seeking is to unite peoples of all faiths around a common vision of peace, progress, and prosperity.  He will bring a message of tolerance and of hope to billions, including to millions of Americans who profess these faiths.  The President will focus on what unites us.  

The President's trip will begin in Saudi Arabia, home to the two holiest sites in Islam.  He will encourage our Arab and Muslim partners to take bold, new steps to promote peace and to confront those, from ISIS to al Qaeda to Iran to the Assad regime, who perpetuate chaos and violence that has inflicted so much suffering throughout the Muslim world and beyond.

He will lead the first steps toward a stronger, more capable, and more robust security partnership with our Gulf, Arab, and Muslim partners.  And he will develop a strong, respectful message that the United States and the entire civilized world expects our Muslim allies to take a strong stand against radical Islamist ideology, an ideology that uses a perverted interpretation of religion to justify crimes against all humanity.  He will call for Muslim leaders to promote a peaceful vision of Islam.

The President will then travel to Israel.  With President Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu, he will reaffirm America's unshakeable bond to the Jewish state.  With President Abbas, he will express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians.  And so to leaders and peoples alike, across the entire trip, he will demonstrate his hopes for a just and lasting peace.  

In Rome, the President will be honored to accept an audience with Pope Francis.  He looks forward to paying his respects and to discussing religious freedom, ways to combat religious persecution, human trafficking, and cooperating on humanitarian missions across the globe.

COMMENT:  A fine statement of purpose.  Carrying out the vision will be difficult.  Other presidents have failed.  Mr. Trump's predecessor failed miserably and did more harm than good.

Our warmest wishes should be with this president, who is determined to see results.  But I suspect that the major media will start tearing him down as soon as Air Force One takes off.

May 15,  2017     Permalink

MAY 14,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:32 P.M. ET: 

THEY'RE TAKING ALL THE FUN OUT OF IT – FROM RENEW ECONOMY:  By 2030, you probably won’t own a car, but you may get a free trip with your morning coffee. Transport-As-A-Service will use only electric vehicles and will upend two trillion-dollar industries. It’s the death spiral for cars.  A major new report predicts that by 2030, the overwhelming majority of consumers will no longer own a car – instead they will use on-demand electric autonomous vehicles.  By 2030, within 10 years of regulatory approval of autonomous electric vehicles (A-EVs), the report says, 95 per cent of all US passenger miles traveled will be served by on-demand, autonomous, electric vehicles that will be owned by fleets rather than individuals.  Why am I skeptical of this?  We love our cars.  We love owning them.  When has an American kid ever had a dream about riding in a fleet car?  If this be treason...

MORE "PROGRESS" – FROM BLOOMBERG:  In the most cashless society on the planet, even God now accepts digital payments.  A growing number of Swedish parishes have started taking donations via mobile apps. Uppsala’s 13th-century cathedral also accepts credit cards.  The churches’ drive to keep up with the times is the latest sign of Sweden’s rapid shift to a world without notes and coins. Most of the country’s bank branches have stopped handling cash; some shops and museums now only accept plastic; and even Stockholm’s homeless have started accepting cards as payment for their magazine. Go to a flea market, and the seller is more likely to ask to be paid via Sweden’s popular Swish app than with cash.  I will never agree to buying a Milky Way candy bar or a hot-fudge sundae with a credit card.  You mean, no more allowances from mom and dad?  We'd better start defining progress.

FBI TENSION – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  Former top FBI official James Kallstrom said on Sunday that it’s “disgraceful” that Andrew McCabe is the acting director of the agency despite his wife’s cozy relationship to Hillary Clinton operatives.  “It’s actually disgraceful,” Kallstrom, the former assistant director of the FBI, told John Catsimatidis on his “Cats Roundtable” radio program. “Here’s a guy who’s still in the chain of command.”  McCabe, who took over as acting FBI director when President Trump fired James Comey last week, is married to Jill McCabe who took $467,500 from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s political action committee during her run for state senate.  She also received $207,788 from the Virginia Democratic Party, which is heavily influenced by Clinton loyalist McAuliffe.  The funds began flowing to Jill McCabe two months after the FBI launched its investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server in July 2015.  Just a coincidence, I'm sure.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.

May 14,  2017     Permalink

YOU MEAN PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINTS?  – AT 7:42 A.M. ET:   Yeah, apparently there's some serious distress about college among those who've sampled.  How could they not see perfection?  From insidehighered.com: 

Americans see the value in getting a college degree, but they’re not particularly happy with our nation’s higher education system.

Those are among the results from a new survey conducted by New America, a think tank based in Washington. The report, which New America plans to update annually, is based on a survey of 1,600 American adults. The group probed people’s perceptions of higher education and economic mobility, with the results broken out by age, gender, region and socioeconomic status.

Fully three-quarters of respondents said it’s easier to be successful with a degree than without one, in a finding that generally transcended the race of respondents. Yet 51 percent believe that plenty of well-paying jobs do not require going to college, despite solid evidence to the contrary.

Of concern for colleges and universities, just one in four of the survey’s respondents feel higher education is functioning fine the way it is. The results also include sector-specific findings, with a range of results across the sectors on some questions.

A contributor to the widespread belief that higher education too often does not deliver on its promise, the survey found, is that 58 percent of respondents believe colleges put their own long-term interests first instead of those of their students.

Millennials in particular felt this way, despite being on track to be the most educated generation yet and the most experienced with the system. Among this group, 64 percent said colleges put their own interests first and only 13 percent say higher education is fine as it is, compared to 42 percent and 39 percent, respectively, for the Silent Generation (age 72 and up).

So despite 79 percent of respondents saying most people benefit from enrolling in college they also realize there are few alternatives, said Amy Laitinen, New America’s director for higher education and a former official in the Obama administration.

COMMENT:  There are still some fine colleges out there.  But many are glorified high schools and some are simply indoctrination centers. The real job of true education has fallen by the wayside.

May 14, 2017       Permalink

OH PLEASE – AT 7:31 A.M. ET:   Nothing impresses me less than a journalist in love with himself.  Jeff Zucker runs CNN, and is running it into the ground.  But he feels uplifted whenever he sees the fruits of his labor.  From Deadline Hollywood: 

This is an extraordinary time in journalism,” said CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker this morning referencing the Donald Trump era. “Many organizations in the United States have never done better work. This is really the renaissance of journalism in America because of the nature of what’s going on,” he told a packed audience at Keshet Media Group’s INTV conference in Jerusalem.

Maybe he thinks so.  The best work?  Or the worst and most corrupting?

Zucker also allowed that the Trump era has been financially prosperous. But he wouldn’t necessarily “send a thank you note” to POTUS. Still, “the reality is doing good journalism is also good for the bottom line.”

I wish he'd learn that lesson.

With regard to Trump having called the media the enemy of the people, Zucker said it was “an incredibly dangerous statement.” The key, however, “is to not be intimidated by it and not back off in any way.” Still, Zucker said he has been shocked “to watch many members of the political set in Washington not stand up to that statement. Many are just afraid in general and afraid of him. Many have abdicated their responsibilities in not standing up for the free media.” Zucker cited two exceptions, Lindsey Graham and John McCain, but still called it “a stunning and complete abdication of responsibility.”

COMMENT:  So it's our job now to defend the press, which apparently is incapable of defending itself.  What a compliment to the press.

Zucker is a perfect example of the D.C. echo chamber.  I'm sure he'd be happy to say that he "speaks truth to power," but I wouldn't trust most modern journalists to find the truth, or care much about it.

May 14, 2017       Permalink

IRAN MARCHES ON – AND WE'RE CONSUMED BY COMEY – AT 7:20 A.M. ET:  We'd better get off the dime and stop drowning in trivia.  From the Washington Free Beacon:

Iran continues to make critical technological strides in its efforts to perfect an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering nuclear weapons over great distances, efforts that violate international prohibitions, according to the director of national intelligence, who informed Congress this week that the Islamic Republic "would choose ballistic missiles as its preferred method of delivering nuclear weapons."

The disclosure comes just days after Iranian leaders announced the upcoming launch of two new domestically produced satellites. Iran has long used its space program as cover for illicit missile work, as the know-how needed to launch such equipment can be applied to long-range ballistic missile technology.

Daniel Coats, America's top spymaster, informed Congress this week in an intelligence briefing that Iran's ballistic missile work continues unimpeded and could be used by the Islamic Republic to launch a nuclear weapon, according to unclassified testimony.

COMMENT:   Iran will get that weapon thanks to Obama's generosity in the Iran nuclear deal.  An appropriate statue should be built in Tehran.

May 14,  2017     Permalink