SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

NOTHING TO SEE, NOTHING TO SEE – From London's Daily Mail:   Hundreds of asylum-seekers entering Norway were discovered to have images of ‘executions’ and ‘severed heads’ on their mobile phones.  The revelation comes amid heightened fears that ISIS is exploiting the migrant crisis to smuggle fighters into Europe, following last month’s attacks in Paris.  Police admitted that the ‘explosion’ of refugees crossing into the country over the summer and in recent months meant that security checks were less thorough than required, and weren’t checking the background of those entering the country.  I'm sure the images were simply parts of medical-school instructional videos.  Don't you think?

PRIORITIES – From the Washington Examiner:   The White House on Monday began "staff-level" meetings and calls with religious leaders to discuss how they could help combat growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.  Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama, and Melissa Rogers, who leads the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, held a conference call with leaders of all religions from across the country.  "Spoke with 890+ religious leaders to thank them for speaking up for every American's right to be free from religious discrimination," Jarrett tweeted on Monday. That right apparently does not extend to the Little Sisters of the Poor and other Christian groups that were savagely harassed and ridiculed during the debates over Obamacare.  Nor does it extend to Jews, who, according to the FBI, are five times more likely than Muslims to be victims of hate crimes.  By all means, let us stand for equal treatment of all Americans, but let's actually mean it.

MAJOR DIETARY NEWS – From Ohio's Chronicle-Telegram:   OBERLIN — Some Oberlin College students have taken issue with the campus dining services at the college, saying dining services is improperly preparing dishes and labeling them as Asian.  Clover Linh Tran, a student at Oberlin and co-chair of the Vietnamese Student Association, called for a meeting with campus dining after noticing inaccuracies in several Asian dishes that confused students.  For example, a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich was being served, but used the wrong bread and had coleslaw on it rather than pickled vegetables. Another dish was called “tandoori,” an Indian dish usually served for the Hindu holiday of Diwali. However, the dish had beef in it, which many Hindus do not eat.  The sushi served on campus was also a concern, one that some students even considered to be disrespectful.  This better get resolved soon, before the anthropology students go on a hunger strike.

UNBELIEVABLE – From the Hill:   Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson decided against ending a secret U.S. policy that prohibits immigration officials from reviewing social media posts of foreigners applying for U.S. visas, according to a report by ABC News.  Johnson decided to keep the prohibition in place in early 2014 because he feared a civil liberties backlash and “bad public relations,” according to ABC.
“During that time period immigration officials were not allowed to use or review social media as part of the screening process,” John Cohen, a former acting undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security for intelligence and analysis, told ABC News.  One current and one former senior counterterrorism official confirmed Cohen’s account to ABC.  Wilful blindness.  More proof that this administration is run by doctrinaire leftists who place political correctness before the safety of Americans.

December 14, 2015