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MAY 21,  2017

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

A SAD GOODBYE – FROM AOL NEWS:    NEW YORK, May 21 (Reuters) - The clowns, animal acts and acrobats of the storied Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus are taking their final bow at an arena outside New York City on Sunday in the farewell performance of the "Greatest Show on Earth" after nearly 150 years.  Capping a legacy that stretches back to the legendary 19th century showman P.T. Barnum, the circus bids adieu at a series of shows this weekend at newly refurbished Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on New York's Long Island.  The final show on Sunday evening was a sell-out and a worldwide audience can watch the event via a live stream on the Ringling website.  As a kid, my parents took me to "the circus," and it was always this one.  We did the same for our kids.  Now kids are taken to diversity training and psychiatric evaluation.  The excitement builds.

EVEN DIANNE – FROM THE POLITICO:   SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Liberal hecklers have protested outside Dianne Feinstein’s home. She’s been confronted at a Los Angeles fundraiser and a San Francisco town hall meeting by progressives angered by her skeptical view of single-payer health care and support for some of Donald Trump’s earliest nominees.  In a state marked by its unfettered resistance to the president, California’s senior senator and ranking Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee is dealing with burgeoning unrest in the party ranks at home, a symptom of the roiling anti-Trump politics on the left. Despite her interrogation of Neil Gorsuch at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Feinstein’s brand of moderation is showing signs of slipping out of favor in a state that delivered a landslide margin against Trump.  Feinstein is a moderate liberal, apparently not liberal enough for the nuts.  It's frightening.  The Democratic Party is becoming a true leftist party.  If that happens, it must be politically demolished for the good of the country.

I ALWAYS KNEW IT – FROM BUSINESS INSIDER:   Journalists' brains show a lower-than-average level of executive functioning, according to a new study, which means they have a below-average ability to regulate their emotions, suppress biases, solve complex problems, switch between tasks, and show creative and flexible thinking.  The study, led by Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and leadership coach, analysed 40 journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcast, and online platforms over seven months. The participants took part in tests related to their lifestyle, health, and behaviour.  Of course, this applies only to liberal journalists.  And it's so obvious.

May 21, 2017       Permalink

THIS IS TRULY CHILLING – AT 1:56 P.M. ET:  Are we a third-world country?   Maybe we're getting there.  Republican officeholders now fear for their safety.  From The Hill: 

A growing number of House Republicans are facing physical threats from angry constituents in their districts, leading many to fear for their safety. 

In the last few weeks alone, the FBI arrested a man threatening Rep. Martha McSally's (R-Ariz.) life, a woman pursued Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) in her car, and Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) heightened security at a town hall event in response to death threats. 

Other Republicans still holding town halls say they haven't felt physically threatened by protesters, but they worry about the depth of anger from some constituents in the polarized environment and what it means for political civility.  

Scores of GOP lawmakers have experienced going viral this year with videos of constituents shouting their disagreement on support for President Trump and policies such as the GOP’s healthcare bill. 
Lately, though, Republicans have observed some furious constituents who appear to be going even further.

Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) described attendees at a town hall in his district last week who booed him down after he said people’s rights are God-given. 

“They booed God. They booed the pastor. They booed the prayer. They booed the name of the church. They booed when I said rights come from God,” Brat recounted to The Hill just off the House floor. “That’s a fundamental tenet of western civilization. I mean, I didn’t think that was partisan.”

COMMENT:   I'm guessing that the threats are coming from the fringe left.  And they're going beyond politics.  Last week a college president asked that a scheduled meeting be moved to an alternate location because he feared for his safety. 

We run the risk of a serious violent incident, possibly involving multiple deaths, unless people calm down and the extremists are brought under control.

May 21, 2017       Permalink

NORTH KOREA GETS INTO THE ACT – AGAIN – AT 1:16 P.M. ET:   The North Koreans have no intention of letting President Trump visit the Mideast without interfering.  Hey, we're here too.  From CNN: 

(CNN) North Korea fired off its second missile test in a week on Sunday, sending a medium-range ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast, according to statements from the US, South Korean and Japanese governments.

South Korea, which called the launch "reckless and irresponsible," said the missile flew about 500 kilometers (300 miles) from an area near Pukchang, in western North Korea.

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said the missile hit the water about 350 kilometers (217 miles) from the east coast of North Korea. She said the missile did not go higher than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), according to preliminary data.

Altitude was key to the test a week earlier, which analysts called North Korea's most successful
ever in its quest to develop ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.

COMMENT:  The North Korean drive to develop operational nuclear weapons the missiles to carry them is relentless.  If truth be told, the Trump administration has done little to stop the North.  Trump pledged to end this threat.  I'd like to see some real action, including a Saudi-style trip to Japan and South Korea, to bolster our alliances.

May 21, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP'S SPEECH – AT 12:30 P.M. ET:  President Trump gave a much-anticipated speech on terrorism in Saudi Arabia today.  It was a good speech, although too soft on human rights.  But he got the message across that the Muslim world must do more to fight terrorism, and cannot depend only on the United States.  From Fox: 

President Trump Sunday in a highly-anticipated speech to Muslim leaders during his first foreign trip called for unity between the U.S. and Middle Eastern nations in the fight to “stamp out extremism.” 
During his second day of his first trip abroad, Trump’s speech in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia addressed the leaders of more than 50 Muslim-majority countries to challenge extremism by cutting off the financing of terrorist groups.

Trump announced the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which is committed to prosecuting the financing of terrorism.

“Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to God,” Trump said.

“We are not here to lecture — we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship,” Trump added, noting terrorists must be condemned not rewarded. “Instead, we are here to offer partnership — based on shared interests and values — to pursue a better future for us all.”

The council comprises Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

COMMENT:  The optics from the Saudi trip are excellent, but reality may intervene.  It's one thing to throw a party, another thing to keep the guests committed.  The Muslim world is filled with problems and internal hatreds.  We'll have to judge the success of this trip by its results. 

Meanwhile, the president heads to Israel tomorrow, where things may get a bit bumpy.  Not all Israelis are thrilled with the arms deal with Saudi Arabia.  Although relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are improving, the Saudis are still seen as an enemy.  There are other problems as well.  We'll see how that phase of the trip plays out.

May 21,  2017     Permalink

MAY 20,  2017

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

A TROUBLED CITY DECLINES FURTHER – FROM FOX BALTIMORE:   BALTIMORE (WBFF) -- A Project Baltimore investigation has found five Baltimore City high schools and one middle school do not have a single student proficient in the state tested subjects of math and English.  We sat down with a teen who attends one of those schools and has overcome incredible challenges to find success.  Navon Warren grew up in West Baltimore. He was three months old when his father was shot to death. Before his 18th birthday, he would lose two uncles and a classmate, all gunned down on the streets of Baltimore. “I’ve lost a lot of people, so I’m used to it. It hurts,” Warren said. “I just chose not to show it. I just keep it in. You just have to live on and keep going on every day. You have to do it somehow.”  Despite his tremendous loss, Warren is set to graduate this year from Frederick Douglass High School. It’s a school where only half the students graduate and just a few dozen will go to college. Last year, not one student scored proficient in any state testing.  Is anyone accountable?  Black kids murdered.  Black kids failing.  Do these black lives matter?

NOT EXACTLY ASTAIRE – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Upon arriving at an elaborate ceremony at Murabba Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, President Trump and crew got into the dancing mood.
Video of the ceremony on Saturday showed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, locking arms with some of the performers and holding sabers.  Trump arrived soon after and swayed along to the drumming, chanting and traditional sword dance for a few moments. He was joined by Saudi King Salman for the impending banquet in Riyadh.   Yeah, dancing with sabers.  You know, we're gettin' involved with some strange people.  You gotta see the video.

A SO-CALLED DEMOCRATIC LEADER – FROM THE HILL:   Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez on Friday called President Trump the "most dangerous president" in U.S. history and said that the commander in chief "has to go."  “Here’s one big thing we agree on. Donald Trump is an anathema to our values. Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in American history,” Perez, the former Labor secretary in the Obama administration, said during the California Democratic Party convention, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.  This is the same "leader" who makes speeches, with children present, and uses obscene language.  Such class.  I'm filled with confidence.

May 20,  2017    Permalink

"MODERATE" RE-ELECTED IN IRAN – AT 12:53 P.M. ET:   The current president of Iran, considered a "moderate" in delusional circles, has been re-elected.  From Reuters:

Iranians yearning for more freedom at home and less isolation abroad have emphatically re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, throwing down a challenge to the conservative clergy that still holds ultimate sway.

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmanifazli announced Rouhani's victory on Saturday on state television. Rouhani secured 57 percent of the vote in Friday's election, compared to 38 percent for his main rival, hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi, according to figures cited by Rahmanifazli.

Although the powers of the elected president are limited by those of unelected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who outranks him, the scale of Rouhani's victory gives the pro-reform camp a strong mandate to seek the sort of change that hardliners have managed to thwart for decades.

Rouhani's opponent Raisi, a protege of Khamenei, had united the conservative faction and had been tipped in Iranian media as a potential successor for the 77-year-old supreme leader who has been in power since 1989. His defeat leaves the conservatives without an obvious flag bearer.

COMMENT:  I almost would have preferred the arch-conservative to the more capable and conniving Rouhani.  At least we would have had a clearer view of the nation opposing us.

May 20, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP TRUMPS IN SAUDI ARABIA – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  The president has had a good day in Saudi Arabia.   That nation is not our idea of a democracy, but it's critical to our interests in the Mideast.  From Fox: 

President Trump in Saudi Arabia on Saturday signed a nearly $110 billion arms deal to help the Persian Gulf ally with its military-defense system.

"That was a tremendous day," Trump said after signing the deal with Saudi leader King Salman.

"Tremendous investments in the United States. Hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs."

The White House says the package includes defense equipment and other support to help the Arab nation and the rest of the Gulf region fight again terrorism and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, according to the White House.

Trump during his winning presidential campaign and in the first several months of his presidency has argued the United States can no longer be the world’s police officer and that other nations must become more self-sufficient in efforts to combat terrorism and in protecting themselves against rogue nations like Iran and North Korea. 

COMMENT:  The real challenge on this trip will be to move toward a peace agreement between the Arabs and the Israelis.  Some say it's mission impossible.  We'll find out.

May 20, 2017       Permalink

PRESIDENT IN ACTION – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:   Serious president, serious goals.  No matter what people may think of President Trump – and he provides plenty of ammunition to opponents – he's a hard-working president who wants to see results.  From AFP: 

Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to "annihilate" the Islamic State group in Syria in a bid to prevent escaped foreign fighters from returning home, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.

The move to encircle then kill as many jihadists in place as possible -- rather than letting them exit a city and targeting them as they flee -- reflects an increased urgency to stop battle-hardened jihadists bringing their military expertise and ideology back to European capitals and other areas.

The president has "directed a tactical shift from shoving ISIS out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate ISIS," Mattis said, using an acronym for IS.

"The intent is to prevent the return home of escaped foreign fighters."

Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to quickly defeat IS, signed an executive order soon after taking office giving his generals 30 days to come up with a revised plan to wipe the jihadists out.
The review resulted in the new "annihilation campaign" and saw commanders gain greater autonomy to make battlefield decisions.

Critics of Barack Obama's administration frequently complained of White House micromanagement and a lengthy approval process causing delays on the ground.

Mattis called foreign fighters a "strategic threat" should they return home and said the annihilation effort would prevent the problem from being transplanted from one location to another.

COMMENT:  It would be great if Trump could announce the end of ISIS as a battlefield threat.  Of course, the mainstream press would immediately claim that President Obama deserves the credit, but I'd imagine that Trump's message will get through. 

And it is good to have James Mattis as secretary of defense.  He knows his stuff thoroughly and has been given the mandate to carry out the mission.

May 20,  2017     Permalink