SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

THE REALITY OF CHINA – FROM EPOCH TIMES:   In communist China, practicing a certain faith, printing, or even reading religious books could result in prison terms and abuse. Spiritual believers in China—be it Christians, Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, or Falun Gong practitioners—are faced not only with brutal suppression or forced-labor terms but also have their religious books burned or trashed at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  The coercive policies are aimed at forcing these religious followers to renounce their faith and follow the communist ideologies based on atheism and Marxism.  According to Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China, a Three-Self Church venue in one of the villages under the jurisdiction of Lanling County was demolished in July 2020.  A county government official told the congregation that “all churches too close to government institutions must be destroyed” and the same goes for “those that look better than government buildings.”  “Belief in the Communist Party is the only religion allowed,” the official said, according to the report.  The sad and ugly fact is that there are people on the political left in this country who have no problem with those policies.  In fact, they'd like to bring them here.

LET THE INTRIGUE AND BACKSTABBING BEGIN – FROM PAGE SIX:  Longtime ABC News chief James Goldston stunned industry insiders Thursday by announcing he’s stepping down from his post.  Goldston, who has had a 17-year career at the network and helmed its news division for seven, leaves his plum post with no successor lined up and no job to go to.  In a memo to staff, seen by Page Six, Goldston wrote, “It’s a really tough decision. I’ve loved every day of my 17 years at ABC News, but in recent times I’ve always assumed that after this extraordinary election cycle, which we’ve covered at a full sprint for four years, it would be time for a change."  It's always big news when the presidency of a major news operation is open.  ABC is widely seen as a liberal bastion.  Will that continue?  Will there now be a big push to name a member of a minority as a successor?  Most likely. 

January 31, 2021