SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET: 

GREAT MOMENTS IN EDUCATION – From NJ.COM:  "ORANGE — An Orange elementary school teacher has been suspended for having her third-grade students write 'get well' letters to an inmate convicted of killing a cop, school officials announced today.  In a statement provided by Orange Superintendent Ronald Lee, district officials sharply criticized the assignment given by teacher Marylin Zuniga to write letters to former death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.  School officials said they 'vehemently deny' having prior knowledge of the assignment, and said Zuniga neither sought prior approval nor notified parents about this 'unauthorized activity.'"  At least the district did the right thing.  But how did a nutcase get hired as a teacher in the first place?

OBAMA CAVES AGAIN – From Fox:  "CARACAS – Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, is claiming 'victory' after President Obama said in an interview earlier this week that 'Venezuela is not a threat.'  Maduro is attributing Obama's supposed change of stance to his initiative of gathering 10 million signatures protesting 'U.S. imperialism.'  'Venezuela is not a threat to the U.S. and the U.S. is not a threat to Venezuela,' Obama told EFE, apparently changing the language used in the March 9 executive order announcing sanctions against seven government officials and calling the situation in Venezuela 'an unusual threat.'"  Hey, who cares about a few words from long ago – March 9th – right?  Once again Obama reverses himself if any foreign dictator merely sneezes at him.  Whatever happened to American leadership?

OH, PLEASE SAVE US – The "humanization" of Hillary Clinton has begun.  We are told that she is a person, just like we peasants.  From London's Daily Mail:  "Hillary Clinton 'whooped' for joy at the birth of her granddaughter before she saw Bill becoming tearful in the hospital waiting room, she has revealed.
The former Secretary of State gave details of her daughter's pregnancy in a new epilogue for her memoir, Hard Choices, released just days before she is expected to announce her presidential run. In the new chapter, shared by the Huffington Post on Friday, she suggested that the birth of her granddaughter made her think about the future of all children and had motivated her political plans."  Oh, right.  Just reading stuff like this will affect my health.  Please suggest remedies.

April 10,  2015