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

MENTAL HEALTH NEWS – We share his pain.  From Reuters:  "Mayor Bill de Blasio said New Yorkers don't appreciate his 'very special' accomplishments since he took office in January 2014, and criticized the actions of his predecessors and even President Barack Obama, according to a Rolling Stone interview.  De Blasio, who has fulfilled a campaign promise to establish universal pre-Kindergarten education and is pressing forward with other reform programs, was quoted as saying out-of-towners see his administration more clearly than his own constituents.  'A lot of people outside New York City understand what happened in the first year of New York City better than people in New York City,' de Blasio said in the interview, published online on Wednesday. 'But I'm convinced something very special happened here.'"  Who does this man talk to?

DOUBLE STANDARDS – From Fox:  "Critics say a newly-hired Boston University professor has crossed the line with recent tweets bashing whites, but the school says it’s simply free speech.  'White masculinity isn’t a problem for america’s colleges, white masculinity is THE problem for america’s colleges,' Saida Grundy, an incoming assistant professor of sociology and African-American studies at Boston University, tweeted in March.  In another tweet from January, she wrote: 'Every MLK week I commit myself to not spending a dime in white-owned businesses. and every year i find it nearly impossible.'  In another, she called white males a 'problem population.'"  Can you just imagine a white professor saying the same thing about African-Americans?  They'd find a way, in about two minutes, to get rid of that professor.  Freedom of speech must be defended, as must academic freedom.  But academic freedom must be joined by academic responsibility.  And maturity.  And excellence.  I wonder if those words are used anymore.

WHOOPS – The new attorney-general of the United States, Loretta Lynch, has announced that her department will investigate the Baltimore police.  Gee, I'm a bit confused.  Just months ago the Obama administration was heaping praise on those same cops.  From IBD:  "Just two months ago, President Obama held up the Baltimore police force as a model of unbiased community policing. Now he's investigating it for civil-rights violations. What's changed?  In a March White House report on police reforms, Obama and his Task Force on 21st Century Policing praised Baltimore's force and its black chief for 'implementing national best practices for policies and training,' including 'use of force' reforms. His task force even quoted Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts, who said he changed 'outdated procedures' that 'put officers at odds with the community.'"  So exactly what is being investigated?  And why can't the city government make any needed changes without the exercise of federal power?

May 8, 2015