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

SHOWTIME – Get out your old video disks of "High Noon," for it's about to happen in Washington...although there's no Gary Cooper.  We're only hours away from the Great Confrontation between Judge Kavanaugh's main accuser, Professor Christine Ford, and Kavanaugh himself.  Serving in supporting roles, but still eligible for Oscars, are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and assorted lawyers of varying ethics and quality.  Books contracts will be negotiated.  But the whole thing is a sad spectacle, and a disgrace to our democracy.  What should have been a routine confirmation hearing for Judge Kavanaugh has been turned into a clear, blatant attempt to destroy him and his family.  It has also turned into a frightening attack on decent, democratic standards, with presumption of innocence relegated to the junkyard of history.  That's just fine with the radical leftists who have taken over the Democratic Party, and equally fine with the left-wing press.  Their commitment to basic freedoms has been in doubt for years.

I JUST CAN'T WAIT – FROM AP:  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Last season's short-lived "Roseanne" revival blew an air kiss to President Donald Trump in its debut episode before it reverted to finding laughs in family and working-class woes, not politics. Expect "Murphy Brown," another reborn 20th-century sitcom, to be consistently faithful to its own roots.  Washington tumult, social issues and the role of journalism will be central when the sitcom starring Candice Bergen as a tough TV reporter returns 9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday on CBS, said creator and executive producer Diane English.  The series is "here to make some noise," English said in an interview, sketching out a few of topics to be featured in the season's 13 episodes: "We're doing an immigration episode, we're doing a midterm-elections episode. We're doing a Me Too episode," she said.  Isn't that just swell?  Mark your calendar.  Be sure to be out that night.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Move over, “diversity,” there’s a new buzzword in town.  “Inclusive excellence” is a rising concept on many college campuses. Where “diversity” has reigned on campus for many years, this new term reflects a broader ideology now flourishing in higher education.  In a recent article, The Chronicle of Higher Education takes a look at this phenomenon through the lens of two “vice presidents” of “inclusive excellence” at their respective institutions. Fanta Aw, who was recently promoted to the position of vice president for campus life and inclusive excellence at American University, told The Chronicle that her role resembles that of a “conductor” of diversity issues on campus.  According to The Chronicle: “The person in charge of inclusive excellence at an institution may be held accountable for the retention and graduation rates of diverse students, retention of diverse faculty and staff members, and the integration of the principle into teaching, research, and classroom climate:”  I can't wait to be treated by a doctor who's a product of inclusive excellence.  I'll show him where the lungs are.

September 26, 2018