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.

FEBRUARY 1,  2017

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

AH, THE GOOD OLD DAYS – FROM CBS LOCAL:   BERKELEY, Calif. (CBS SF/AP) — Protesters armed with bricks and fireworks mounted an assault on the building hosting a speech by polarizing Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos Wednesday night, forcing the event’s cancellation.  Several injuries have been reported and at least four banks have been vandalized after demonstrators marched away from the scene of a violent protest at the canceled speaking event by controversial far-right writer and speaker Yiannopoulos on the University of California at Berkeley campus. UC Berkeley officials said the protest was infiltrated by vandals.  Yiannopoulos was making the last stop of a tour aimed at defying what he calls an epidemic of political correctness on college campuses.  With masked activists joining the already large group of protesters gathered in the area between Sather Gate and the north end of Telegraph Avenue as night fell, campus police were holding their positions near the entrance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union building hosting the event.  As the gathered crowd got more agitated, masked “black bloc” activists began hurling projectiles including bricks, lit fireworks and rocks at the building and police.  I'm sure many of you watched the action live on either CNN or Fox.  Right back to the 1960s.  What those juvenile delinquents don't realize is that their behavior simply strengthens President Trump.  I'd like to know if anyone will be expelled.  Probably not.

MAJOR STEP IN TRENDINESS – FROM BREITBART:   State-owned company Lernia on Tuesday launched a campaign to replace the standard form of Swedish with one that’s more inclusive of migrants.
The ‘new standard Swedish’, developed in collaboration with linguist Mikael Parkvall, mixes together accents and dialects that are commonly spoken in Sweden.  According to the staffing and training company, the new dialect better reflects Sweden in 2017 and the company hopes it will replace the neutral form of Swedish in recorded messages and on answering machines.  Training Manager at Lernia, Ina Tzacheva, told Östra Småland News there’s a labour shortage in Sweden and Europe and so it’s important that people with non-standard accents don’t feel excluded from the jobs market.  Expressing concern that some people are being excluded from work because of the way they speak, she told the newspaper: “We want to focus on how a person’s accent is not reflective of their skills and expertise … We cannot exclude people just because they do not speak in the same way as we do.”  So,if you want to be hip, just sprinkle your speech with trendy lines like, "Kill all the infidels, and have a nice day."  Your Ivy League friends will be impressed.

DOING IT RIGHT – FROM AP:   DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) -- Assuming the somber duties of commander in chief, President Donald Trump made an unannounced trip Wednesday to honor the returning remains of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed in a weekend raid in Yemen.  Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, a 36-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, was the first known U.S. combat casualty since Trump took office less than two weeks ago. More than half a dozen militant suspects were also killed in the raid on an al-Qaida compound and three other U.S. service members were wounded...Trump's trip to Delaware's Dover Air Base was shrouded in secrecy. The president and his daughter, Ivanka, departed the White House in the presidential helicopter with their destination unannounced. A small group of journalists traveled with Trump on the condition that the visit was not reported until his arrival.  Marine One landed at Dover shortly before a C-17 believed to be carrying Owens' remains touched down. The president met with Owens family during a two-hour visit to the base. The sailor's family had requested that Trump's visit and the return of Owens' remains be private.  Whether you like Trump or not, he has restored the traditional presidential respect for the armed forces, and for that we should thank him.

February 1, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP SURVIVING – AT 12:25 P.M. ET:  Despite a full onslaught from the media, and some self-inflicted wounds, President Trump seems to be surviving reasonably well with the American public.  Last night's brilliantly executed rollout of the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court will only help.  From Rasmussen Reports: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 38% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 38% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of 0. (see trends).

Regular updates are posted Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update).

The president last night nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver to the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to the election, 80% of Trump supporters said the choice of the next Supreme Court justice was Very Important to their vote, a view shared by just 58% of voters who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton.

COMMENT:  True, this is down somewhat from Rasmussen's findings last week, but that was before the blundering introduction of the president's immigration order.  Something like that must never happen again.  If Trump has more nights like last night, the Gorsuch night, he should make up lost points rather quickly.

February 1, 2017         Permalink

AND NOW SESSIONS – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  After a breathtakingly bitter debate, the Senate Judiciary Committee has cleared the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to be attorney general.  From The Hill:

A Senate committee voted to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be attorney general on Wednesday, two days after the growing controversy surrounding President Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim nations led to the firing of an acting attorney general for insubordination.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Sessions 11-9 along party lines. His nomination now goes to the floor, where he is widely expected to be confirmed given the GOP's 52-seat majority.

The committee vote comes as Senate Democrats have sought to slow progress on other Trump nominees, including Steve Mnuchin, the pick at the Treasury Department, and Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Trump's pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department.

The Alabama senator's already difficult path to confirmation was made more contentious by Trump's firing of acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who deemed the president's order illegal and said she would not have Justice attorneys defend it.

Committee Democrats on Tuesday praised Yates for her actions and accused Sessions of helping Trump draft the order, a claim Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) denied.

“I’m not sure if it would be a problem even if he was involved,” he said during his opening marks. “The fact of the matter is he was not involved.”

COMMENT:  The Democrats are becoming the crazed party of lost causes.  It is perfectly clear that their kamikaze missions are being directed by the fringe left of the party, which has power far beyond their actual voting strength in the nation. 

The left was out last night picketing Chuck Schumer's apartment in Brooklyn.  Schumer, the Senate minority leader, is a favorite target.  He is not leftist enough for the nutbags.  They want him out, replaced by someone with respectable psychiatric issues, like Elizabeth Warren.  And Chuck, being passionately ambitious, is rushing to the left, acting as unhinged as he can, to show his loyalty.

I wonder what Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy would think of all this.  Frankly, I'm not sure they'd be Democrats today.

February 1, 2017        Permalink

NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE – AT 10:06 A.M. ET:  Slowly, but surely, there are signs that the Republicans are taking off the gloves in dealing with the mess that calls itself the Democratic Party.  There have just been some results in the Senate.  From the New York Post:   

A Democratic boycott couldn’t prevent President Trump’s cabinet picks for Treasury and health from gaining approval by the Senate Finance Committee.

The Republican-led committee changed its rules to allow it to operate without the boycotting Democrats and approve Steve Mnuchin for the Treasury post and Tom Price as Health and Human Services secretary.

The next step will be for the pair to be confirmed by the entire Senate.

COMMENT:  Terrific.  The Dems may actually learn that staying away is not a good thing.  I'm not sure their constituents think it's good, either.

I'm reminded of the fact that the only reason the United Nations endorsed military action to counter the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 is that the Soviet Union boycotted a critical Security Council session and thus could not use its veto.  The Uniting for Peace resolution backing military force was approved.

Hey, you can't win the game unless you're playing.  Dems, listen up.

February 1,  2017     Permalink

JANUARY 31,  2017

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

TROUBLING – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:   President Donald Trump has canceled a previously planned trip to Milwaukee on Thursday.  Trump was expected to give a speech on the economy during the Wisconsin stop. It would have been his first to the state as president.  He last visited Wisconsin in December as part of his victory tour.  Although his destination had not been confirmed, protesters had started a Facebook group urging anti-Trump demonstrators to gather at Harley-Davidson's factory in Menomonee Falls, in the city's suburbs, in the belief that the president was due there.  CNN reported that the company decided it wasn't comfortable hosting the president after a large protest was planned.  Is this the start of an attempt to drive Trump from office by mass, disruptive, street demonstrations?   The left has little respect for democratic procedures.  Their definition of democracy is the situation that prevails when they win.  If they can employ mob rule to change political results, they will.

WHEN YOU HAVE MONEY – FROM THE TIMES OF ISRAEL:   Saudi prince buys his 80 falcons a plane seat apiece.  A photograph of 80 falcons belonging to a Saudi prince flying on a plane, each with an individual seats, became an internet sensation after it was posted on Reddit.  The image of the flight with the hooded birds occupying a large section of the plane was taken by the pilot and shared by Reddit user lensoo.  Although having so many birds on a plane is fairly unusual, several airlines serving the Gulf States permit passengers to bring falcons aboard with them, including Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian Airlines.  Noted the Mashable website, “One Redditor points out that this flight probably isn’t Qatar economy class because its policy states that only six falcons are permitted in economy class at a time.” I understand from an informed source that frequent flyer miles are still being calculated. 

A NEW AGE OF JOURNALISM – FROM FOX:   One of the best seats for Wednesday’s White House press briefing will be in Cleveland.  Natalie Herbick of FOX 8 in Cleveland, talk radio host Lars Larson, WPRI Rhode Island's Kimberly Kalunian and Jeff Jobe of Kentucky’s Jobe Publishing were named on Tuesday as the “inaugural panelists” for “Skype seats” at the daily briefings. Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced the creation of the cyber seats during his first briefing on Jan. 23.  “I look forward to virtually welcoming them to the briefing room,” Spicer said Tuesday.  The White House has yet to detail exactly how panelists are selected; however, Spicer said previously that anyone applying for a slot must live at least 50 miles from Washington, D.C. The seats are an attempt on the part of the Trump administration to allow outlets without traditional White House access, due to location, to be present – in a sense – at the briefings.  A terrific idea.  Use modern technology to open up the press briefings to reporters who aren't physically present.  After all, the briefings are currently open to reporters who aren't mentally present. 

January 31,  2017     Permalink

FREE SPEECH AND OUR COLLEGES – AT 11:54 A.M. ET:  One of the great issues of our time is the erosion of free speech in our colleges and universities.  Under the false notion of making schools more "welcoming," especially to "oppressed" students, administrators have narrowed the definition of acceptable speech, making some campuses hostages to the thought police.  The problems extend even to our most prestigious universities, like Yale.  From Heatstreet: 

A federal judge is chastising Yale University for caving to the demands of hypersensitive students, and he is warning that the elite school is developing a habit of trampling on First Amendment protections.

Writing for the Yale Law & Public Public Review (via CampusReform), US Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes (who was previously Yale’s general counsel) referred to Encounter Books’ recent decision to republish copies of the Woodward Report, a Yale document affirming its commitment to freedom of expression. In 1975, the university adopted the report as official school policy.

Cabranes says that their decision to reprint the report was a response to the institution’s fading commitment to its contents. Last year, Yale students petitioned to abolish its course on “Major English Poets,” which has existed since 1920, because they found it “hostile to students of color.” In the days prior, two professors resigned amid a scandal revolving around the “cultural appropriation” of offensive Halloween costumes.

Yale students also protested Milo Yiannopoulos, whose speaking engagement was canceled over last-minute venue changes, exorbitant security fees and a variety of other restrictions that the Conservative firebrand deemed “absurd.”

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's well worth it.  One of the things President Trump must do is to bring the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education – known as the Title IX Office – under control.  That office has issued regulations that often deprive students of basic rights and due process, in order to satisfy one group or another.  Students live in fear that if they say the wrong thing, or look at someone the wrong way, they can be hauled before a student court. 

One of the great lies is that intellectuals love freedom.  In fact, the history is decidedly mixed.  Too often intellectuals see themselves as superior to others, and therefore entitled to violate another's rights to achieve a "higher" objective.  I would place human freedom in the hands of educators.

January 31, 2017       Permalink

I LOVE IT – AT 10:39 A.M. ET:  President Trump is driving the media crazy.  More power to him.  The great Andrew Malcolm examines how the president is shaking up a profession that has needed shaking for decades.  And maybe a lot more than shaking.  From McClatchy:

Now it’s the D.C. media’s turn to adjust. Accustomed to cozy familiarity and ideological compatibility with Barack Obama, they’re shocked by Donald Trump — and not pleasantly. You’ll see this play out for the foreseeable future. Consumers of politics news should learn to filter out such instinctive rancor.

Here comes an administration that follows few norms as these creatures of habit and privilege know them. It plays them differently, calls them dishonest and liars. Presidential aides call them the opposition. Shock!

Now why in the world would that be? The Center for Public Integrity reported last fall that 96 percent of journalists’ political donations went to Hillary Clinton. Republicans have long known the media they encounter daily is almost universally opposed to them.

What wasn’t known before the autumn of WikiLeaks was how actively individual reporters at several news organizations collude with Democrats: offering strategy suggestions, running their stories by campaign aides for approval pre-publication. One TV commentator even passed advance debate questions to Clinton’s cadre.

Some Republicans appear to get along with D.C. media because of their willingness to provide statements, often at variance with party orthodoxy. This serves both sides. The reporter gets an easy reaction quote, often contentious. The pol gets national exposure. During this past cycle Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., appeared on Sunday talk shows so much he could have been host.

When, by the way, was the last time you saw anyone from flyover country as a Sunday guest or panelist? Exactly. That’s how all those pundits missed the biggest political upset in decades and failed their viewers.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's a gem, one of the best pieces about the press, and its self-love, that I've read. 

January 31, 2017       Permalink 

TONIGHT, TONIGHT, WE GET OUR JUDGE TONIGHT... – AT 9:45 A.M. ET:  Okay, okay, I apologize to the creators of "West Side Story" for my over-the-top headline.  But the excitement is building toward the president's announcement tonight, from the Oval Office, of his choice for the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.  From USA Today:

WASHINGTON — Nearly a full year after Justice Antonin Scalia's death left the Supreme Court shorthanded, President Trump is poised to nominate a replacement who's three decades younger, setting off a pitched battle over the direction of the nation's highest court.

Trump's nominee is set to be unveiled from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with most attention focused on two federal appeals court judges from opposite sides of the country: Neil Gorsuch of Colorado and Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania.

Gorsuch, 49, is a Scalia acolyte who believes judges should interpret laws as they are written and enforce the Constitution as the nation's framers intended. He writes with a Scalia-like flair and has degrees from Columbia, Harvard and Oxford.

Hardiman, 51, is less widely known but has a Trump in his corner: The president's sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, sits with him on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He has a strong conservative record on issues affecting criminal law and the Second Amendment.

COMMENT:  I'd also consider the possibility of a surprise choice, although probably unlikely.  Either Gorsuch or Hardiman would add distinction to the Court, and would be a worthy successor to Scalia. 

Democrats, by the way, are already planning a protest at the Supreme Court following the president's announcement...even though they don't know who the choice will be.  It must be fun to be against everything.

January 31,  2017      Permalink