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NOVEMBER 19,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

MAJOR FASHION NEWS – FROM LEGAL INSURRECTION:   Designer Sophie Theallet has announced on Twitter she will not design and dress Melania Trump with her brand:  Theallet has designed and dressed First Lady Michelle Obama during the past eight years, which she called “a highlight and an honor.” Obama’s “values, actions, and grace have always resonated deeply within” the designer. She added:  "As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles. I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by.  I encourage my fellow designers to do the same."  Utterly tasteless.  Going after Melania.  I'm sure the new first lady will have no problem finding fine fashions.

MAJOR SENSITIVITY NEWS – FROM FOX:   The city of Bloomington, Indiana, has renamed Good Friday and Columbus Day because the names imply a cultural insensitivity, according to the Bloomington Herald-Times.  The new, more politically-correct names will help make the holidays more inclusive, the mayor said.  The change was made Friday by Mayor John Hamilton, who sent a memo to city employees.  "We are terrifically proud of our diverse workforce at the city," Hamilton wrote. "That diversity makes us stronger and more representative of the public we proudly serve. These updated names for two days of well-merited time off is another way we can demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity."  The Herald-Times reports that "all city employees receive paid time off for Columbus Day, a federal holiday ... and Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday. In the future, the city will be calling these paid days off  'Fall Holiday' and 'Spring Holiday.'"  I'm so moved.  Look, Bloomington is the home of the University of Indiana, and, like most university towns, is a liberal, fantasy-world enclave.  Not to be taken seriously. 

MAJOR CONVENIENCE NEWS – FROM CBS LOS ANGELES:    LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Instead of a destination wedding, couples can now have a destination divorce.  To avoid what can be a drawn-out and contentious process, couples who want to officially split can make it quick and hopefully easy by checking into DivorceHotel, where they check in married and check out divorced, all in one weekend.  For the price of $8,000 to $12,000, mediators and lawyers can help soon-to-be divorcees cut the cord in just two days.  “The whole idea is to get away from outside influences,” Michele Martin, mediator at DivorceHotel said. “There are beautiful surroundings. The couples take breaks. They go on bike rides. It doesn’t need to be the worst experience of your entire life the way people think of divorce.”  First you decide who gets the children, then you go on a bike ride?  Does the hotel give reward points should you want to return with your next spouse?

November 19,  2016    Permalink 

A GREAT JUSTICE SPEAKS – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  In our quote of the day, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court paid tribute to his late colleague, Antonin Scalia.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called on fellow conservatives Thursday to continue the work of the late Justice Antonin Scalia to keep the power of the courts and other branches of government in check.

Thomas told 1,700 people at a dinner in honor of Scalia that the Supreme Court has too often granted rights to people that are not found in the Constitution. He cited the decision in 2015 that made same-sex marriage legal across the country.

Thomas said he and his longtime friend and colleague formed an "odd couple" of a white New Yorker and a black man from Georgia.

He paraphrased Lincoln's Gettysburg address to exhort the audience to "be dedicated to the unfinished business for which Justice Scalia gave his last full measure of devotion."

COMMENT:  An appropriate message for this November 19th, the anniversary of Lincoln's 1863 address at Gettysburg. 

Keeping government power in check is at the heart of true conservatism.  Even if one favors actions like the Roe v. Wade decision of the Supreme Court, or the gay marriage decision, these social changes are better left to democratic action at the state level, or even the local level. 

Expect a shift in that direction under the new administration.,

November 19, 2016       Permalink

AND ANOTHER WARNING – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Warnings are also being issued in Europe about potential ISIS attacks.  From AP:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Intelligence experts estimate that the Islamic State extremist group has between 60 and 80 operatives planted in Europe to carry out attacks, the Dutch counterterrorism coordinator said Friday.

Dick Schoof said in an interview with The Associated Press that would-be fighters are also heeding messages from the militant group "asking them not to come to Syria and Iraq, but to prepare attacks in Europe."

One result is that over the last six months the number of "foreign terrorist fighters" hasn't grown, he said, but the fact that they're not traveling "does not mean that the potential threat of those who would have traveled is diminished."

Schoof said military operations to oust the Islamic State from its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq are scattering the extremist group's fighters and supporters.

This will probably lead to a gradual increase of refugees that will pose a danger to the national security of the Netherlands and other European countries, he said.

COMMENT:  There have been some horrendous terror attacks in France over the last year.  European security authorities believe there will be more, and that the targets may be all over Europe.  It is much easier for ISIS, based in the Mideast, to strike at Europe than to strike at America.

November 19, 2016       Permalink

HOLIDAY WARNING – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:  As Thanksgiving approaches, authorities are warning of possible terrorist attacks.  From CBS Boston: 

BOSTON (CBS) — As the holiday bustle picks up, so does law enforcement awareness.

Sources tell CBS News the FBI is alerting police across the country about a potential terrorist attack around Thanksgiving.

It specifically warns of homegrown terrorists. Potential targets? Shopping malls, special events, crowded venues–locations in Washington, D.C. and Virginia described as target-rich zones. ISIS’s magazine called New York City’s Macy’s Parade an excellent target.

And potential tactics could include guns, IEDs, or drones equipped with IEDs.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says there is no specific threat to the Boston area, but it’s good to stay on your toes.

“We’re going to have more visibility out on the streets,” Walsh told WBZ-TV Friday. “People are going to see more police officers out there. You know, even during the holiday season, the shopping, we try to put more visibility out there.”

COMMENT:  I take every alert seriously.  Terror is not declining around the world.  It is growing, although you'd never know it by the relaxed attitude of the Obama administration. 

ISIS is under military pressure in the Mideast.  Its usual response to direct military pressure is to attack elsewhere.

November 19,  2016     Permalink

NOVEMBER 18,  2016

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

SUCH CLASS – FROM FOX:    Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed on Friday night as he attended the Broadway musical “Hamilton” in New York.  The cast had a message for Pence after the show as he was walking out saying, “We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir.”  Pence was booed  at various times during the performance, demonstrating once again the arrogance and immaturity of the "cultured" class.  He would have done better to stay home and read a good book.

VOTER FRAUD?  WHERE? – FROM REUTERS:   WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - North Carolina's gubernatorial race was undecided 10 days after the Nov. 8 vote and new allegations by the Republican incumbent's campaign about felons and dead people casting ballots could leave the outcome in limbo for weeks.  Republican Governor Pat McCrory, trailing Democratic challenger Roy Cooper by about 6,300 votes according to the state elections website Friday afternoon, has not conceded. Under state law, Friday was the deadline for counties to certify their results.  But challenges over the validity of hundreds of votes and reviews of provisional ballots were expected to delay the reports from many, if not all, of the state's 100 counties, elections officials said.  The uncertainty has been punctuated this week by a war of words, with McCrory's campaign accusing Cooper of being lax on voter fraud and Cooper's campaign calling the incumbent dishonest and desperate.  I don't personally know the facts, but I'm glad to see some attention to voter fraud.  I've always believed it's much greater than the media imagines.  Some have estimated that as many as three million illegal votes were cast in last week's election. 

A CHRISTMAS STORY – FROM ORLANDO.COM:   SANFORD, Fla. - A Santa Claus at Seminole Towne Center in Sanford has been removed from his duties after an Oviedo woman claimed that he told her child Hillary Clinton was on his naughty list.  The mother told Towne Center management the incident happened Tuesday night when she brought two of her children to see Santa.  She said when her 10-year-old daughter told him what she wanted for Christmas, he told her she was on his nice list.  She said he then asked her, "Do you know who is on my naughty list? Hillary Clinton." The girl said he then laughed.  The girl's mother called management, and a representative told News 6 that mall officials called the company that hired Santa....Spokesman Charlie Russell said his company apologized to the girl's family.  He also said the Santa in question was sent to counseling in human resources.  Counseling?  What kind of counseling does this require?  Will they counsel Santa to add diversity to his reindeer crew?  Will he be required to observe Rudolph's pain at Hillary's loss?  Amazing what modern medicine can do.

November 18,  2016     Permalink

IT BEGINS – AT 11:05 A.M. ET:  Regarding our first post this morning, Democratic opposition to the selection of Senator Jeff Sessions to be attorney-general is already building.  Clearly, this will be a central fight for the Democratic Party.  From The Hill:

If confirmed, Sessions would succeed Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the first African-American woman to serve as the nation's top law enforcement official.

But Democratic opposition to Sessions is already beginning, signaling the potential for a rocky path to confirmation.

Past controversies touching on race will dominate the discussion surrounding Sessions, who would preside over an agency with responsibilities to protect civil rights.

Thirty years ago, Sessions was denied a federal judge position over allegations that he had called the NAACP and American Civil Liberties Union "un-American" and said he thought the Ku Klux Klan was "OK, until he learned they smoked marijuana."

Sessions has vehemently denied the claims, but Democrats are already pointing to the accusations as disqualifying.

David Axelrod, President Obama's former senior adviser, blasted Sessions’s selection on Twitter, arguing the appointment will "send chills to advocates of civil and immigrant rights."

The leader of the liberal Democracy for America issued a statement that said Sessions was barely more qualified to lead Justice than a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

“The handful of people who might be even less equipped than Jeff Sessions to dispense justice on behalf of the American people typically spend their weekends wearing pointy hats and burning crosses,” Democracy for American executive director Charles Chamberlain said.

The wildness of those comments defies description.  The Trump people point out that Sen. Sessions voted for the confirmation of Eric Holder to be attorney-general.  He voted for extension of Civil Rights Act, and filed a number of desegregation suits while working in the Justice Department.  These things will not matter to the Democrats.  Race and gender are their lines of work, and they have a new project – Jeff Sessions.

November 18, 2016       Permalink

A GOOD PHONE CALL – AT 9:55 A.M. ET:  Is President-elect Trump's campaign to keep jobs in America starting to have some effect?  Corporate executives read election returns.  From Bloomberg:

President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Twitter that he convinced Ford Motor Co. to keep production of a Lincoln sport utility vehicle in the U.S. instead of moving it to Mexico. And the automaker doesn’t dispute that.

“Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky -- no Mexico,” Trump wrote in a Twitter post.

Ford builds the Lincoln MKC small SUV at its Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky alongside the Ford Escape SUV. Ford had never said it was considering shifting MKC production south of the border. But the company confirmed Friday that it had been “likely” to move the work to Mexico in 2019 when its current contract with the United Auto Workers union expires.

“We had planned to move the Lincoln MKC out of Louisville Assembly Plant," probably to the Cuautitlan factory in Mexico, Christin Baker, a Ford spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

Trump has criticized Ford for planning to move all its North American small-car production to Mexico, where wages are 80 percent lower than in the U.S. Ford also builds the Lincoln MKZ sedan at a factory in Hermosillo, Mexico. During the campaign, Trump threatened to slap Ford’s Mexican-built cars with a 35 percent tariff. He also said he would terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which lets goods flow between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada without tariffs.

Ford, which has expressed a willingness to work with Trump since he was elected, confirmed late Thursday it told the future president the Lincoln SUV will stay in Kentucky.

COMMENT:  It won't be an easy task to convince American manufacturers to keep jobs in the USA, but Trump has pledged to do just that.  If he can keep that pledge, he'll be a genuine hero to American workers.

November 18, 2016       Permalink

NEW TRUMP PICKS – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  Official announcements have not been made, but all major news organizations are reporting these selections.  From Reuters:

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped three conservative loyalists and Army veterans to lead his national security and law enforcement teams, including Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general and Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director, a transition official said on Friday.

The official said retired Lieutenant General Mike Flynn was chosen as the president-elect's national security adviser, a position that does not require U.S. Senate confirmation.

All three men have accepted Trump's offer, and the announcements will be made formally later on Friday, according to the transition team member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pompeo, 52, a third-term congressman from Kansas, was a surprise pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. He was on the House of Representatives intelligence and energy and commerce committees, as well as the committee investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

Pompeo has echoed Trump's criticism of the Iran nuclear deal. In a tweet on Thursday, Pompeo wrote: "I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism."

Pompeo graduated first in his class from West Point and was a cavalry officer in Europe, according to his official biography. He graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the law review, and later founded an aerospace company that provided parts for commercial and military aircraft.

COMMENT:  We're going to withhold judgment on these nominees until the official announcements and until we can do more detailed research.  However, first impressions:  All three are highly qualified, but have controversial pasts.  Flynn is considered a master of intelligence.  However, he was fired from his post as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the Obama administration amidst charges that he was a poor manager and was abusive.  Reactions to his probable appointment by Trump have been mixed, especially among military officers. 

Mike Pompeo is a brilliant man and fine congressman.   He may be dogged by some controversial comments about Muslims and terrorism, but I can't see any real threat to confirmation as CIA director. 

The most controversial of the three potential appointees is Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who was the first senator to back Trump for president.  Sessions has been a capable, conservative senator, but an incident in his past may doom his nomination, if some Republicans in the Senate choose to abandon him.  In 1986 President Reagan nominated Sessions, at that time a U.S. attorney in Alabama, to the U.S. District Court, but his nomination failed to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee due to charges of racism and racist comments.  Ironically, Sessions went on to be elected to the Senate, and sits on that very committee today.  Past accusations of racism are sure to be brought up. 

It is almost unheard of for the Senate to reject one of its own for a Cabinet position, but it has happened.  The Senate, in 1989, rejected the nomination by newly elected President George H.W. Bush of former Texas Senator John Tower to be secretary of defense, over alcoholism and personality concerns.  Sessions may well have some problems, but he is a sitting senator, which may make potential opponents less likely to rise up against him.

Because of the controversies, none of these nominees raise Trump's stature, and the appointments of Sessions and Flynn are likely to be seen as reflecting loyalty to Trump himself.  Trump needs some stars.

November 18,  2016     Permalink