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

I CANNOT WAIT, CAN YOU? – FROM BUZZFEED:   One of President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics on Capitol Hill will address the country just after next Tuesday’s State of the Union.  Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, will speak at the top of a Black Entertainment Television News special after Trump delivers the State of the Union, a BET spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. The program, “Angela Rye’s State of the Union,” is part of a broader partnership announced just days ago between the network and the Democratic strategist and political commentator.  I'm sure "Auntie Maxine" will be thoughtful and helpful.  Oh, by the way, she lives in a $4.5-million mansion in one of the whitest sections of Los Angeles.  Just another representative of the downtrodden.

MAJOR EDUCATION NEWS – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  A professor of religious studies at Michigan State University recently argued that white people who practice yoga are guilty of enjoying a “system of power, privilege, and oppression.” To truly honor yoga, writes Michigan State University professor Shreena Gandhi, white Americans should understand its history, acknowledge the cultural appropriation they engage in, and possibly reduce the cost of yoga classes for poor people, a group that often includes people of color and “recent immigrants, such as Indian women to whom this practice rightfully belongs.”  Gandhi, in an article she recently co-authored, argued yoga as it’s practiced in America today is an extension of white supremacy and the “yoga industrial complex.”   Didn't Eisenhower warn about the yoga industrial complex?

DOES THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME? – FROM RT:  Men in France could be fined €350 (US$435) if they follow women in the street, whistle at them, make loud comments about their appearance or ask for their phone numbers, according to a draft proposal to combat “sexual contempt.”  The new report will be presented to the French government in the coming days, local media report. The plans come from a parliamentary working group set up by France's secretary of state for equality, Marlene Schiappa. The politicians behind the proposal suggest that men who “violate women’s freedom of movement in public space” should face a minimum fine of €90 for those who can pay on the spot. If the fine is delayed, it could reach €350, the report says. The document will be presented to Schiappa, Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet, and Minister of the Interior Gerard Collomb.  A bit much, I think.

January 26, 2018