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OCTOBER 9,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

RIGHT ON, GUV! – FROM NEWSMAX:   New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will not allow New York City's Christopher Columbus statue to be removed under his watch.  "As long as I am governor of the great State of New York, there will be a statue of Christopher Columbus standing tall and proud in the city of New York," Cuomo said Saturday night at a function, according to the blog State of Politics.  How often do we get the chance to praise a Democrat here?  Good going, Andy...although this may end your 2020 presidential chances.

THE DISGRACE – FROM CNN:   Washington (CNN) Many Democratic office holders were quick to repudiate disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein following a bombshell report detailing decades of alleged sexual harassment.  But former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- all of whom have longstanding ties to Weinstein, a major Democratic Party fundraiser -- have not publicly addressed the accusations.  Representatives for the Clintons have not responded to comment for this story, and Obama's office declined to comment. The recent report in The New York Times cataloged accusations of sexual harassment against the filmmaker that spanned three decades. Three days after the report, Weinstein was fired by the company he co-founded.  Longtime Hillary Clinton aides have been confused by the former secretary of state's silence on the issue, questioning -- in private -- why she has not weighed in at all.  Hypocrisy, my friends.  Just standard Democratic Party hypocrisy.

A HAT IN THE RING? – FROM CBS NEWS:  Disney CEO Bob Iger would not confirm or deny rumors yet again about a potential presidential run in 2020. He is set to step down from the company in 2019.   According to the LA Times, during a discussion at Vanity Fair's New Establishment Summit in Los Angeles last week, a Vanity Fair reporter inquired of the audience if they would support an Iger run for office, leading to a round of applause.   "That sounds tepid — so maybe that's a sign," Iger responded. "And my wife is out there somewhere and I can guarantee that she's not cheering," he added.  "I will figure it out when I have to figure it out."  The magazine had previously asked Iger of his political ambitions back in May, which the CEO also deflected.   Mickey Mouse could not be reached for comment.

October 9, 2017       Permalink 

BUSINESS LEADERS IN OUR FUTURE? – AT 10:29 A.M. ET:  One result of the 2016 election, and Donald Trump's victory, is a new interest on the part of business leaders in running for office.  Is this good?  Bad?  No difference?  I think we may find out.  From Reuters:   

(Reuters) - With a businessman turned politician now in the Oval Office, a small but growing number of bankers and Wall Street financiers across the United States have set their sights on politics.

In New Jersey, Connecticut and California, former bankers, hedge fund managers and private equity executives have either announced bids for legislative and gubernatorial seats, or associates have told Reuters they are considering running.

Meanwhile, industry trade groups including the American Bankers Association are launching formal programs to teach members in various states how to campaign successfully.

It is not the first time well-heeled candidates have entered American politics, and there are not a great number of them. But historians, political scientists and bankers say the atmosphere has changed abruptly under President Donald Trump.

“It’s certainly raised the visibility of folks who in the past may have said ‘I‘m not a politician,” said Richard Baier, president of the Nebraska Bankers Association, which is launching a training school for potential legislative candidates. “We’ve shown that you don’t really need that background.”

The Oklahoma Bankers Association is also planning to launch its own candidate school, a spokesman said.

Foreclosures, job losses and growing income inequality after the 2007-2009 financial crisis made anyone with Wall Street ties into a political pariah. But Trump, a self-described billionaire who made a fortune in New York real estate and entertainment, has stocked his cabinet with Wall Street bankers and industry tycoons.

His presidency has inspired others in the financial community to pursue civic duty, according to people who have studied campaigns or are involved with current election efforts.

COMMENT:  Hard to know whether this is a long-term trend or a tentative boomlet.  We also don't know whether this new class of potential candidates will be conservative or stylishly liberal.

The Dems will frown at the business types, but they depend on those big checks, as do the Republicans.  And many of their leading candidates, like Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren, are far from poor.

October 9, 2017       Permalink

SOUTH KOREA DEVELOPS NEW WEAPON – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:   South Korea is preparing a weapon to neutralize North Korea's power grid in the event of war.  From The Telegraph: 

South Korea is ready to deploy graphite bombs - also known as "blackout bombs" - that will paralyse North Korea's electrical power plants in the event of war breaking out on the peninsula.

Blackout bombs were first used by the United States in Iraq in the 1990 Gulf War and work by releasing a cloud of extremely fine, chemically treated carbon filaments over electrical components. The filaments are so fine that they act like a cloud, but cause short circuits in electrical equipment.

South Korea is actively looking to increase its defensive capabilities against the North and has been keen to develop graphite bombs because they are not lethal to civilians in surrounding areas.

The weapons have been developed by South Korea's Agency for Defence Development, Yonhap news agency reported, as one element of the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike programme.

COMMENT:  President Trump has made it clear that the status quo with North Korea cannot continue.  He has hinted at military action as one outcome of the current standoff.

There are always stories running that the Norks are preparing a new missile test or nuclear test.   There has actually not been anything major for a time.  If North Korea does do something seriously provocative, like firing an ICBM in the direction of Guam, I'd expect Trump will react, but not necessarily with immediate military action.

October 9, 2017       Permalink

NO HURT FEELINGS! – AT 9:36 A.M. ET:  That seems to be the new national motto of the United States, at least according to some "educators."  Changes are being made to avoid hurt feelings.  From Fox: 

Some schools are getting rid of naming and honoring the student with the highest academic achievements in his class, saying it promotes unhealthy competition between students.

At least half of U.S. schools have either stopped naming valedictorians or name multiple ones in the graduating class. Several schools in North Carolina, Virginia, and New York  have done away with the title altogether.

“I think it’s pretty stupid, and I don’t think it’s fair” said Ryan Walters, a student at the top of his class in Wake Forest, North Carolina, which dumped the title. "Wake County is recognizing mediocrity, not greatness.”

However, some students have been so outraged at the opportunity being pulled out from under them that they demanded it be brought back.

Students at Melrose High School just outside of Boston requested the school reinstate the honor.

COMMENT:  Big mistake to withdraw the honor.  As a general rule, valedictorians are chosen fairly, on the basis of academic records.  Those records reflect grades given by a number of teachers, so one administrator doesn't have make-or-break power.

I don't see the unhealthy competition.  I do see a pursuit of excellence and achievement.

Contrast that, please, with awards or "honors" given by faculties or administrators on the basis of their own "evaluations."  That's what's coming.  And you can be sure that group quotas aren't far behind.

October 9,  2017     Permalink

OCTOBER 8,  2017

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

FIGHTING BACK – FROM THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS:   Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday that any of his players who disrespect the flag during the national anthem won't play in games.  Jones is the first NFL owner to publicly make a stand about disciplining players who kneel during the anthem. Jones didn't specify what kind of other demonstration he would consider disrespectful.  Cowboys defensive linemen Damontre' Moore and David Irving stood alongside teammates during the national anthem before Sunday's home game against Green Bay at AT&T Stadium. At the conclusion of the anthem, the two players raised their fists.  I'm glad Jones is fighting back.  Respect for the anthem and flag should be a basic principle in professional sports.  The NFL is losing favor and losing money because of the behavior of some players, who don't realize they hurting, not helping their cause.

THE WEINSTEIN SAGA – FROM FOX:   The Weinstein Company film studio announced Sunday that its directors have fired movie mogul Harvey Weinstein after the New York Times reported he settled sexual harassment lawsuits with at least eight women.  "In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company - Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar - have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," the company's board of representatives said in a statement given to Fox News.  Oh, the self-righteousness, the sudden morality!  Does anyone really believe that this crew didn't know all about Harvey's extra-curriculars?  And how about the press demanding that Hillary Clinton address this scandal.  Weinstein was one of her biggest backers.  Hillary is probably asking Bill for advice. 

COMMON SENSE – FROM FOX:  FEMA Administrator Brock Long said on Sunday that as his agency responds to the crisis in Puerto Rico, it's also "filtered out" San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, adding: "We don't have time for the political noise."    More than two weeks after Hurricane Maria lashed the island, killing 36 people, Cruz tweeted Sunday: "Increasingly painful to understand the American people want to help and US Gov does not want to help. WE NEED WATER!" She later wrote, "Power collapses in San Juan hospital with 2 patients being transferred out. Have requested support from @FEMA_Brock NOTHING!"   "We filtered out the mayor a long time ago," Long told ABC News's Martha Raddatz on "This Week" Sunday, after Raddatz mentioned the tweets. "We don't have time for the political noise. The bottom line is, is that we are making progress everyday in conjunction with the governor."  The mayor was exposed long ago as a Democratic operative, with ties to Hillary Clinton.  She isn't taken seriously, but you may be sure she'll wind up speaking at the next Democratic National Convention.

October 8,  2017     Permalink 

THE PAIN, THE AGONY – AT 2:41 P.M. ET:   On the horrible oppression being suffered by college students, forced by their white supremacist masters to...take exams.  How did it come to this?  Why are we not feeling more guilty?  From Daily Caller: 

UC Berkeley students attempted to shut down their midterm exam, with claims that it would have a negative impact on their physical and mental health. The students, who were captured on video, demanded a “take-home essay with significant time to prepare” and accused their uncooperative professor of not checking his privilege.

“This is a campus that is truly related throughout Latin America to the notion of free speech, said professor Harley Shaiken to the class, eliciting laughter and derision from the protesters.

Dismissive of the professor, the activists claimed that their “well-beings are being put on the line because of the emotional, mental, and physical stress that this university is compounding with what is already going on in [their] everyday lives.”

One protester shouted: “Have you ever checked ‘unlisted’ or ‘undocumented immigrant’? I don’t think so!”

Shaiken, who has written about workers’ rights in Mexico, is an expert in labor issues and earned the Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of California, San Diego in 1991. Despite his expertise in the subject, the students called him unfit to lecture them on the subject because he is white.

“Are you trying to silence us right now? Is that what you’re trying to do?” said a protester responding to a student who jokingly asked if it was a filibuster.

COMMENT:  Are you overcome with guilt and embarrassment?  No, neither am I.

October 8, 2017       Permalink

WHAT IS COMING? – AT 1:20 P.M. ET:  The president has two major foreign policy challenges right before him.  This week he will announce his intentions regarding the Iran nuclear deal.  And he is hinting that some action against North Korea will be forthcoming.  The world waits.  From AFP: 

Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Saturday that diplomatic efforts with North Korea have consistently failed, adding that "only one thing will work."

Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un, trading insults amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

"Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid," Trump tweeted.

It "hasn't worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!"

Trump returned to the theme when he appeared on former governor Mike Huckabee's show on Trinity Broadcasting Network television on Saturday, blaming previous administrations for not having adequately addressed the issue before.

This "should have been handled 25 years ago, it should have been handled 10 years ago, it should have been handled during the Obama administration," the president said, referring to his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.

The US has not ruled out the use of force to compel Pyongyang to halt missile and nuclear tests, and Trump has threatened to destroy the country.

The mercurial American president also told journalists at a recent gathering with military leaders to discuss Iran, North Korea and the Islamic State group that the current period "could be the calm before the storm," declining to clarify his remarks.

COMMENT:  It's hard to know whether Trump's tough talk, normal for him, is predictive, or whether he's playing bad cop to Rex Tillerson's good cop.  The "calm before the storm" statement could have been made simply to baffle reporters.

But it's clear there'll be a very active period ahead of us in foreign policy.  Trump, unlike Obama, has a very realistic view of what the dangers are.  He also has a very realistic view of human nature, and how people react. 

October 8, 2017       Permalink

BRITAIN ON THE BRINK? – AT 11:38 A.M. ET:  No, I'm not referring to terror, but to the precarious state of Britain's government.    Theresa May, staunchly pro-American, is failing as prime minister, and has just survived an attempt by her own party to remove her.  From AFP:

London (AFP) - A devastating election and a high-profile speech strewn with mishaps have ignited a leadership crisis for British Prime Minister Theresa May at a critical time as Brexit negotiators push for a deal in Brussels.

A plot by a group of Conservative MPs to oust May was exposed on Friday, reviving memories of the backstabbing that led to Margaret Thatcher's ouster in 1990.

Many colleagues publicly condemned the attempt and backed their leader, but the Sunday Times reported that at least three cabinet ministers had discussed the need to replace her this week.

Parliament returns on Monday and May is expected to announce a number of policy initiatives in a bid to reassert her authority, while there are also rumours of a cabinet reshuffle.

But she will also need some progress in the deadlocked Brexit negotiations which resume on Monday.

The prime minister has struggled since June when her gamble in calling an election to cement her power backfired spectacularly and she lost her parliamentary majority.

For many Conservatives, it is now a question of when, not if, she steps down ahead of the next election in 2022 -- and the date most often mentioned is 2019, when Britain is expected to leave the European Union.

"Getting rid of her is like going to the dentist," a government minister was quoted by The Sun as saying.

"You keep putting it off because it's going to be painful but you know you have to do it eventually."

COMMENT:  What is chilling is the alternative for Britain, and, by extension, for the United States.  Britain's Labour Party, written off as a crazed anachronism only recently, is gaining strength.  It is led by Jeremy Corbyn, the most extreme leftist leader in the party's history.  Anti-American, anti-Western alliance, pro-Arab extremism, with a high tolerance for anti-Semitism, Corbyn would be a catastrophe for Britain and for the special relationship between Britain and America.

I've always said that there's a Great Britain and a not-so-great Britain.  Britain came within a hair of passing over Winston Churchill for prime minister in 1940 and choosing a "peace" government that would have negotiated a humiliating deal with Nazi Germany.  Fortunately, the Great Britain prevailed.  It must prevail again.

October 8,  2017     Permalink