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JULY 21,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

A GREAT GUY – FROM FOX:   Recently retired Detroit Police Chief James Craig joined "Tucker Carlson Tonight"’ Wednesday to expand on what he sees as the failed leadership of incumbent Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and announce a gubernatorial exploratory committee.   Craig, a Detroit native who spent the past 8 years leading the Motor City's law enforcement force – after tenures in Cincinnati and Portland – said that he "protected and served for 44 years" and now wants to do the same for the entire state of Michigan.  "We launched today the Chief James Craig For Governor Exploratory Committee," the Republican said, adding he protected his city from destructive left-wing riots that sprang up in other places like Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles last year:  "We know what happened last year when other cities were burning – Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago – Detroit did not burn."  He added that another major concern for the people of Michigan is the leadership, or lack thereof, of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Democrat's name was often mentioned along with liberal governors of New York, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey when criticisms were made about statewide socioeconomic lockdowns.  Craig has a strong record.  Governor Whitmer has a wreckage.  Watching her is like watching a failed student in a reform school.  She adds to her incompetence a personality that even a mother would reject.  Go Craig!

SAD, AND SHOCKING – FROM AMERICAN THINKER:  We’ve all seen this before, as has every leader of every country in the world. A sitting President of the United States cannot put together a coherent answer to a simple question. He pauses, appears puzzled, and then comes up with a string of words that appear to have entered his brain via an earpiece. If the stakes weren’t so high, it would be comic.  Wednesday saw the president of the United States engage in a town hall format discussion, on friendly territory with Don Lemon moderating on CNN. It must have been one of those “good days” that dementia sufferers sometime enjoy – in Biden’s case, meaning no “lid” was called, removing the leader of the free world from public scrutiny.  (“Calling a lid” is an unprecedented admission that the POTUS is not in full command of his mental faculties and would have Democrats demanding that the 25th Amendment be invoked if a Republican were in office. But Republicans are far too polite and far too scared of the media to make an issue of it with Biden.)  Even with friendliest, least demanding moderator imaginable, Don Lemon, it was a challenge for President Joe Biden to get through the entire hour. His handlers must have believed that that with familiar questions and maybe a good earpiece helping him along, he could handle the challenge.  They were wrong.   No one should be happy that any American president, regardless of party, appears to be sinking.  That president might have to make a critical life-and-death decision.  Mr. Biden clearly is impaired, and his vice president is entirely inadequate.  Any political projections for 2024 must take into account those realities.

July 21,  2021     Permalink

THE PARENTS' REVOLT – OVERNIGHT:  Little by little, day by day, we see indications that the parents' revolt against ethnic quotas in schools and idiotic ideas like Critical Race Theory, is having its effect.  The key to our success in reforming the American educational system is the bravery of those very parents, who have to withstand abuse, ridicule, accusations of racism, and the loss of party invitations, to stand up for their children.  In Fairfax, Virginia, home of the CIA, one major administrator will be out.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

The Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent who eliminated the entrance exam at the nation’s top high school announced he will leave his post next year.

Scott Brabrand will not renew his contract with Fairfax, Va., public schools after it expires in July 2022, according to a Thursday district news release. Brabrand touted his top accomplishments in the announcement, including "embedding an equity focus" and "broadening access" to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The latter effort spurred two groups of parents to sue the district for anti-Asian discrimination. 

Brabrand’s resignation follows more than a year of controversy between factions of parents and district leaders, which began last spring after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In October, the district approved Brabrand's proposal to dismantle the merit-based admissions process for Thomas Jefferson—often ranked as the nation’s top high school—as part of the district’s focus on "equity."

"We have heard from many members of the TJ community—current and former—who have raised concerns about diversity at the school," Brabrand said in a statement at the time. "TJ must reflect the diversity, equity, and inclusiveness that is core to the mission and values of Fairfax County Public Schools." 

In December, the district adopted a quota system to boost black and Hispanic enrollment. The updated admissions process capped the number of students that each of Fairfax’s middle schools could send to Thomas Jefferson. The three middle schools known for feeding students to Thomas Jefferson have largely Asian-American populations, and as a result, the updated admissions process cut the number of Asian students admitted to the following year’s freshman class by 16 Percent. The number of white students admitted rose by 43 percent. 

Critics claim Brabrand misrepresented a statewide "diversity report" mandate approved by Gov. Ralph Northam (D., Va.) to "[force] a gutting of TJ admissions." In an October meeting, Brabrand said the death of George Floyd in May 2020 compelled him to "relook at equity in everything that we do"—including admissions practices. 

Ah, the equality of mediocrity.  Ain't it grand. 

Seventeen families, most of them Asian-American, filed suit against the district in November 2020. The Coalition for TJ, a nonpartisan parent group that rejects Brabrand’s equity push, filed a separate lawsuit against the district in March. 

Brabrand’s equity crusade didn’t stop at the high school. In an email to parents in March, Brabrand announced that the district would create "a new Anti-Racism, Anti-Bias Education Curriculum Policy." Fairfax County Public Schools Could Shell Out up to $280,000 to the Leadership Academy, a pricy equity consultant, for equity training sessions, according to a March contract obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. 

Alleigh Marré, president of the Free to Learn Coalition, told the Free Beacon that Brabrand’s resignation shows the effectiveness of organized parent groups. 

"Brabrand’s resignation shows us that various parent groups who have been very active in Fairfax County have had an impact," Marré said. "Those parents have been active and loud and are being heard." 

Brabrand, who has served as superintendent since 2017, said he will begin seeking his replacement immediately. His contract expires in July 2022.

COMMENT:  I'm sure the active parents of Fairfax County will not permit Brabrand to name his own successor.  The parents demand excellence, and demand that it be rewarded.  If it appears that one or two ethnic groups are not performing well, the answer lies not in quotas or gimmicks, but in preparing the students in those groups better.  It also requires parents of those kids to guide them more aggressively, and accept high, tough standards.

I feel for the Asian parents who came to these shores seeking a better life for their children, and wound up being told that their kids were too successful, and therefore had to be placed within a quota.  That isn't what we call the American way.

July 21, 2021       Permalink

JULY 20,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:  

ANOTHER NOSEDIVING SPORT – FROM OUTKICK.COM:  Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Bucks and Suns drew 9.6 million viewers on Saturday, down enormously from 2019’s Warriors-Raptors Game 5, which averaged 18.4 million viewers.  Remember, NBA media demanded last year that we discount the 2020 NBA Finals’ atrocious ratings because the matchup took place out of season and during a pandemic. So, as a nice guy, I’m honoring their requests and only comparing the 2021 Finals to 2019.   When ratings are cut in half, that's trouble.  Baseball is also in trouble.  And the NFL is setting in place practices at future football games that are beyond woke, and will turn off millions.  At some point the calculator will win, and networks may have to drop most professional sports, just as they once dumped Miss America. 

GETTING AT THE TRUTH – FROM COLLEGE FIX:    Republican Senators, including Tim Scott of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have introduced legislation to increase transparency surrounding the money that foreign countries give to American universities.  The Foreign Funding Accountability Act would require the disclosure of full names of foreign entities, disclosure of the specific purposes of foreign gift transactions and clarification that gifts to university foundations are not exempt from disclosure.  It would also lower the minimum reporting threshold for disclosure—from $250,000 to $25,000.  Multiple investigations have uncovered gaps between money received by universities from foreign entities and the amount reported to authorities.  A Wall Street Journal report in 2020 that found Cornell University failed to report more than $1.2 billion in foreign funds, including $760 million related to its campus in Qatar and about $1 million in contracts from Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co.  A security analyst previously told The College Fix that foreign money presents a national threat to the country.  “Our conclusion was that the foreign funding presented a majority threat to our national security and the integrity of our education,” Ryan Mauro, of the Clarion Project, told The Fix.

July 20, 2021       Permalink

A MORE MATURE DEMOCRATIC PARTY? – OVERNIGHT:  There are indications around the country that some Democrats are coming to their senses, and that includes members of minority groups.   Some are beginning to see that wokedom is getting them nothing but contempt.  More thoughtful people are raising challenges to the wokesters.  Consider this Ohio indicator.   From freebeacon.com: 

Democrats Shontel Brown and Nina Turner are neck-and-neck in the special election primary campaign to replace former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D., Ohio), who stepped down to become President Joe Biden's housing secretary.

A Washington Free Beacon poll shows Brown and Turner locked at 33 percent, both more than 20 points ahead of the rest of the pack. While Turner began as an overwhelming favorite in the race and took an early lead, the numbers show Brown has consolidated her support among voters looking for an alternative to the Bernie Sanders-endorsed socialist.

The Aug. 3 primary, which is likely to determine the winner of the November election in the solidly Democratic district, has become the latest front in the battle between the Democratic Party's left and far-left wings.

Brown, a Cuyahoga County councilwoman, has the support of mainstream Democrats including House Majority Whip James Clyburn (S.C.) and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, while Turner, the former co-chair of Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign, is touting endorsements from Squad members Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), and Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.).

While Turner's hostility to Israel has drawn concern from pro-Israel Democrats, the race has centered on which candidate can better unite and expand the party. Brown has hammered Turner for her refusal to endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016 after she defeated Sanders in the Democratic primary, and for advertising her disgust at casting a ballot for Joe Biden.

COMMENT:   Obviously, neither candidate would have our support in the general election, as both are on the left.  However, Brown, a traditional Democrat, is vastly superior to Turner on the issues.  Turner will join the hard-left Squad in the House of Representatives.  Brown would not.   

We'll be watching Ohio closely.  It is still probable that Turner will win, but Brown's progress may tell us more about the future of the Democratic Party than the name of the winner in this particular race.

July 20, 2021       Permalink