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

DID SOMEONE SAY THAT LIVES MATTER? – From Breitbart: The city of Chicago is gearing up for a violent Independence Day holiday, and already on Friday, 12 were shot and five killed before evening even fell.  The violence began Thursday evening when several were shot and killed on the city’s South Side.  Several more were killed on Friday morning, and by Friday afternoon, ten were shot and four killed.  Please notice the deep interest of the leftist intellectuals.

WHAT A JOKE – More hollow words from Iran's mouthpiece in Geneva.  From Fox:  Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif urged world powers in a video message Friday to stop the “coercion and pressure” at the nuclear talks, suggesting a favorable agreement could open the door to cooperation on fighting extremism in the Middle East.  Though Zarif didn’t mention the U.S. by name, the seemingly bilateral talks between the two sides make his words clearly directed at the Americans, who have been the primary drivers of the crippling economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.  Any deal would result in an end to the sanctions, but with the July 7 deadline approaching, talks remain bogged down.  Let us celebrate Independence Day by showing some real independence and walking away from these ridiculous talks.  The Iranians might just get the message.  But I'm afraid that's not the message Field Marshal Obama wants to send.

AMERICANS INCREASINGLY SKEPTICAL OF COURTS – From Fox: Likely Americans voters are warming to the idea that individual states should have the right to turn their backs on the federal courts in the wake of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Obamacare and gay marriage. A third of likely U.S. voters now believe that states should have the right to ignore federal court rulings if their elected officials agree with them according to a Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday.  There’s a partisan divide: 50 percent of GOP voters now believe states should have the right to ignore the federal court rulings, compared to 22 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of unaffiliated voters.  “Interestingly, this represents a noticeable rise in support among all three groups,” the poll stated.  No, we don't have the right to ignore federal courts, but we do have the right to express our dismay when courts become legislatures and start making laws instead of interpreting them.  The Supreme Court is being sent a message.  Social policy is reserved for the people's representatives.

July 3, 2015