SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:30 P.M. ET: 

ANOTHER COP EXECUTED – From ABC News:  "A New Orleans police officer was found shot dead in his marked patrol car this morning, city officials said.  The shooting was reported around 7 a.m., the New Orleans Police Department said in a news release. The victim's car rolled forward and struck a curb after the shooting.  The officer's name has not been released, but the New Orleans police identified the victim as a 45-year-old man who worked as a Housing Authority police officer."  Based on first reports, this has the earmark of an execution-style killing.  Let us now measure the outrage.

BIG MISTAKE – Jeb Bush is apparently repeating a mistake that Mitt Romney made in 2012.  From the New York Daily News:  "Jeb Bush is going for Maine over Main Street.  The all-but-certain 2016 candidate is having a huge house built for him at the Bush family compound at Walker’s Point, in Kennebunkport, Maine, the Boston Globe reported Sunday.  The former Florida governor’s new home will be built on a 1.3-acre site worth at least $1.4 million, the Globe reported, and was ordered built by Bush’s parents, former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush.  The 3,000 square-foot, 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom “cottage” is expected to have a gorgeous wraparound porch and feature panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean."  Remember that Mitt Romney was having a mansion built during the 2012 campaign?  It only emphasized his wealth.  Same mistake here.  Can't the house wait until the presidential campaign is over?  Doing this reveals a kind of tone deafness on Jeb's part.  Not a good political sign.

CHICAGO STORY – The carnage continues.  I thought black lives mattered.  From the Chicago Sun-Times:  "Six people were killed and at least 23 others—including a 4-year-old girl—have been wounded in shootings across Chicago this Memorial Day weekend, police said.  The 4-year-old, identified by her family as Jacele Johnson, was shot about 8 p.m. Friday in the West Englewood neighborhood.  She and her 17-year-old cousin Romare Wilson were inside an SUV in the 7000 block of South Justine when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, according to their family and Chicago Police."  And the weekend isn't even over.  No outrage yet from Reverend Al.  I guess black lives only matter when they're politically useful.

May 24, 2015