SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:19 P.M. ET: 

THERE GOES THE VALUE OF MY DEGREE – From Fox:  "WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has chosen his hometown of Chicago to host his future presidential library, two individuals with knowledge of the decision said Thursday, placing the permanent monument to his legacy in the city that launched his improbable ascent to the White House.  Obama's library will be built on Chicago's South Side, where the University of Chicago has proposed two potential sites not far from the Obama family's home. It was unclear which of the two sites had been selected, but officials were expected to make an announcement within weeks."  Well, I went to that university, and I don't know how I explain this to friends and family.  I thought we had high standards.  They should probably use both the proposed sites – one for hope, the other for change. 

RIDICULOUS – From Fox:  "The head of a law school in the Washington, D.C., area told students Tuesday that they would be able to defer an exam if they offer legal advice to protesters in Baltimore.  The Washington Post reported that Dean Shelley Broderick from the David A. Clarke School of Law told the students that many of them have ties to the city and the school would like 'to support this activism.' She said that the school would help interested students find groups at the protest they could assist.  'The police accountability movement needs and will continue to need the best lawyers that we can train,' she wrote."  Just a second.  These aren't lawyers, they're law students.  They haven't passed the Bar exam.  Would you have surgery done by someone who hasn't finished med school?  It's the same principle.  Can't they supply real lawyers?

OH, PLEASE – From Bloomberg:  "One day when he’s done wrangling with the Iranians and congressional Republicans, President Barack Obama plans to get back to where he once belonged.  The most powerful man in the world wants to return to community organizing after he hands over the keys to the White House in 2017, he told middle-school students at a public library in Washington’s Anacostia neighborhood today."  Yeah, right.  Based on his record as president, the community might turn him down.

NO LEADERSHIP – From NBC:  "Nearly 100 officers have been hurt since violence broke out in the city on Monday, Baltimore Police said.  Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said Thursday afternoon that more than 40 officers required some sort of treatment at the hospital. Protesters have been throwing bricks, bottles and other items at officers trying to contain demonstrations after the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered critical injuries while he was in police custody."   An awful casualty rate for a police force.  I don't see much interest on the part of the city administration, which has not let the police enforce the law.  If the chaos continues, the governor of Maryland, who is a Republican, may have to use National Guard troops under state control.

April 30,  2015