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SEPTEMBER 29,  2017

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

WHAT TRUMP IS TALKING ABOUT – FROM BREITBART:    One-third of IBM employees are currently based in India, despite the company’s American roots, according to a report.  In a report, the News India Times claimed IBM “has about 130,000 employees in India which is about one-third of its total work force, and more than in any other country.”  The News India Times also reported IBM’s employment in India “has nearly doubled since 2007, while its work force in the United States has shrunk.”  Every job overseas is one less for an American.  We must pursue the president's goal of bringing jobs back to America.

THE WANTING OF OPRAH? – FROM THE WRAP:  Oprah Winfrey insists she’s “not running” for president.  Winfrey TV set off a media firestorm Friday after tweeting a New York Post article that proclaimed her as “Democrats’ best hope” in 2020.  “She was just thanking the reporter, she is not running for office,” a publicist for Winfrey told TheWrap.  In his op-ed, Post columnist John Podhoretz praised Winfrey’s “60 Minutes” piece last Sunday and how she handled a heated debate between Michigan voters on both sides of aisle.  I don't think this is the last word.  I mean, Oprah is probably thinking, "Look, if Trump could be elected..."  I wouldn't laugh at this prospect.  These are odd political times.

THE PRICE WASN'T RIGHT – FROM THE POLITICO:   HHS Secretary Tom Price resigned Friday in the face of multiple federal inquiries and growing criticism of his use of private and government planes for travel, at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1 million since May.  The White House said the former seven-term Georgia congressman, 63, offered his resignation earlier in the day and that President Donald Trump had accepted it.  Price becomes the first Trump administration Cabinet secretary to step down. The White House said Trump asked Deputy Assistant Health Secretary Don Wright to serve as acting secretary of the agency, which has an annual budget of $1.15 trillion and includes the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as the FDA, NIH and CDC.  There is serious speculation about the attorney general, Jeff Sessions.  The president has criticized him publicly, and is believed by many credible observers still to be dissatisfied with him.  There have been a number of dismissals and resignations in the Trump administration.  Some see that as a sign of chaos.  I disagree.  I see it as a sign of an active president who watches over his administration very carefully, and wants the best. 

September 29, 2017       Permalink     

VERY SAD, VERY SAD – AT 1:42 P.M. ET:    The knee movement was begun by star football player Colin Kaepernick.  You'd think a man in his position would be careful to show respect for the cause he claims to represent.  Well, as they say, mistakes are made.  From the Washington Times:

Colin Kaepernick started out taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality, but his activism has since expanded to encompass a wide range of leftist causes, including a group named after a convicted cop-killer.

The Colin Kaepernick Foundation donated in April $25,000 to Assata’s Daughters, a Chicago “direct action” resistance organization honoring Assata Shakur, who escaped prison and fled to Cuba after being found guilty in the 1973 murder of Officer Werner Foerster.

The grant includes $2,500 for CopWatch, a program that trains volunteers to follow and video police, and $15,000 for teen training, part of the group’s commitment to “develop and train young people, ages 4-19, in the Black queer feminist tradition and in the spirit of Assata.”

Apparently Mr. Kaepernick is also a fan: He retweeted a July 16 message wishing Shakur a happy birthday.

The contribution came as part of Mr. Kaepernick’s pledge last year to donate $1 million over 10 months to “organizations working in oppressed communities.”

COMMENT:  Mr. Kaepernick has not yet commented on this matter, to the best of our knowledge.  Don't look for too much concern at MSNBC or CNN.

September 29, 2017       Permalink

YANQUI GOIN' HOME! – AT 11:48 A.M. ET:  The United States is withdrawing personnel from Cuba, after American diplomats became seriously sickened by some kind of attack.  I'm sure Obama would have done nothing, or covered it up.  Times have changed, I'm happy to say.  From CBS News: 

WASHINGTON — Senior U.S. officials say the United States is pulling roughly 60 percent of its staff out of Cuba and warning American travelers not to visit due to "specific attacks" that have harmed U.S. diplomats.

The officials say the U.S. is ordering all nonessential staff in the embassy in Havana to leave, along with all family members. Only "emergency personnel" will remain.

The U.S. is also warning American citizens they could be harmed if they travel to Cuba. A State Department travel warning will note that attacks on diplomats have occurred in hotels.

The officials say the U.S. is halting visa processing in Cuba indefinitely. They say the steps will remain until Cuba can assure the U.S. its diplomats are safe.

The officials weren't authorized to comment publicly and demanded anonymity.

CBS News reported Thursday that the U.S. had been preparing a major withdrawal of staff and family from the U.S. embassy in Cuba in response to attacks targeting diplomats.

An internal memo was sent to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggesting a drawing down of personnel in Havana. The meeting this week between Tillerson and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla did nothing to help assure the U.S. that Cuban officials are doing enough to protect the safety and welfare of U.S. diplomats in their country. Though Cuba is allowing U.S. investigators into the country, it has not convinced the U.S. that it's taken any real action to prevent the health attacks.

COMMENT:   Good, good, good.   The agreement made by Secretary of State John (Neville Chamberlain was my hero) Kerry to open relations with Cuba was a joke, entirely one-sided.  The United States got almost nothing, and the people of Cuba got zilch. 

There are still plenty of Obama holdovers in the State Department.  Fortunately, they couldn't stop this important move by the Trump brigade.

September 29, 2017       Permalink 

PRESIDENT HOLDS AND GAINS – AT 10:20 A.M. ET:  Politically, the question is whether President Trump gains or loses by the current controversy over knees and football.  It appears he is gaining.  From Rasmussen Reports: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.
The latest figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 46% who Strongly Disapprove.

COMMENT:  When the controversy erupted, Trump was running at about 41 or 42 percent in the Rasmussen poll, which has a good record of accuracy.  Today's 45 percent number is clearly encouraging.  It's about where Barack Obama spent most of his presidency.

I think there are other signs that the president is winning.  The NFL is clearly concerned about its standing and the standing of pro football in general.  There has been a flurry of meetings, and some of the teams are trying to work out reasonable compromises.  Viewership is down.  Money is being lost.

I sense a widespread feeling that the "knee guys" simply chose the wrong timing in making their protests.  You don't insult the flag or the anthem.  You can protest on your own time, and even with a large group of players. 

I'd imagine the knee story will fade.  But at this stage, the president comes out on top.

September 29,  2017     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 28,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET:

SOME PROGRESS – FROM CNN:  Some Green Bay Packers fans followed quarterback Aaron Rodgers' request and locked arms Thursday night during the National Anthem before a game against the Chicago Bears.  The teams' fans put aside the bitter rivalry and linked arms, too, as the Packers and Bears players stood and locked arms during the National Anthem.  At least knees weren't involved.  I still prefer the traditional hand over the heart, but we're making progress in getting back to civility.  Maybe the NFL and its teams are starting to understand the cost of insulting the American people.

DENMARK GETS SERIOUS – FROM THE LOCAL:  Starting Friday, armed soldiers from the Danish Armed Forces (Forsvaret) will replace police officers at both Denmark’s southern border to Germany and at potential terror targets in Copenhagen.  According to the Danish National Police (Rigspolitiet) and Copenhagen Police, 160 soldiers will patrol the border and take over guard duties at Jewish institutions including the Great Synagogue in central Copenhagen.   The synagogue has been under constant police protection since a Danish-born terrorist of Palestinian descent shot and killed 37-year-old Dan Uzan, a volunteer security guard, outside the building in February 2015. The gunman, Omar El-Hussein, had earlier in the night opened fire with an automatic rifle outside a cultural centre hosting a free speech event, killing 55-year-old Finn Nørgaard and injuring police officers.  There are signs that both Denmark and Norway, traditionally very liberal and open, are getting much more serious about terrorism, and that would be good.

SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST NUTS – FROM THE WASHINGTON POST:   One of Melania Trump's favorite books is Dr. Seuss's "Oh, the Places You'll Go!," which she read with her son, Barron, "over and over" when he was younger.  The first lady, who is increasingly carving out a public profile for herself, chose the classic children's book and nine other Dr. Seuss titles to send to an elementary school in Cambridge, Mass., in celebration of "National Read a Book Day."  But a librarian at Cambridgeport School refused to accept the gift, criticizing Trump administration education policies and images in the books.  Seuss's illustrations are "steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes," librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro wrote in a letter to Trump on Tuesday.  Look, it's Cambridge, Massachusetts.  You can't expect adults.

September 28, 2017       Permalink

PROGRESS ON THE KOREAN FRONT – AT 1:23 P.M. ET:  We have to believe that President Trump had a great deal to do with this.  From Daily Mail: 

China has ordered North Korean companies in the country to shut down by January as it applies UN sanctions imposed following Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test.

The commerce ministry in Beijing said today the companies, including joint ventures with Chinese firms, have 120 days to close from the date the United Nations resolution was adopted on September 12.

The UN Security Council voted unanimously to boost sanctions on North Korea, banning its textile exports and capping fuel supplies.

The UN action was triggered by North Korea's sixth and largest nuclear test this month. 
It was the ninth Security Council sanctions resolution over North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006. 

China's application of UN sanctions is particularly biting for North Korea. 

Beijing is Pyongyang's main ally and trading partner, responsible for around 90 percent of the hermit nation's commerce.

COMMENT:  Obama never even asked for anything like this.  Trump got it.

September 28, 2017       Permalink

ONCE A GREAT UNIVERSITY – AT 11:54 A.M. ET:   This is pretty incredible.  It comes from Harvard, which seems to degrade itself regularly.  From Daily Caller: 

Harvard University’s Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging advised the university to avoid “over-reliance on indicators of excellence that systematically favor historically dominant groups” in a report released Monday.

Can you believe that?  I guess those Vietnamese boat people, who were fished out of the ocean and brought to these shores, and whose kids went to the tops of their classes, were historically dominant.  Otherwise, how could the kids learn?

The report, published by the 46-person task force, also suggested that the university create a center revolving around either inclusion and belonging or identity, politics, and culture, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

The task force advocates for “inclusive excellence,” saying “the goal of recruitment, promotion, and retention will be to maximize excellence and diversity simultaneously.” The report does not advise which concept Harvard should favor if excellence and diversity are ever at odds.

Diversity will triumph.  Every time.  This is all about left-wing politics.  It has nothing to do with education.

The task force recommends that Harvard “use public art and symbols to bring 21st century Harvard into visibility in public spaces and shared experiences.”

The report also advises the university to amend certain segments of its statement of values, changing “leadership” to “inclusive leadership” and adding a commitment to “inclusive excellence” to community members’ commitments to education and scholarship. “Responsibility for cultivating the bonds and bridges that enable all to grow with and learn from one another” is appended in a bullet-point segment of the statement.

COMMENT:  What is horrible here is how this cheats young people, depriving them of the real challenge of excellence.  What is also horrible is the construction of a vast excuse machine to explain failure and mediocrity. 

What Harvard is doing will influence other universities.  It is part of the decline of our civilization.

September 28, 2017       Permalink

GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS – AT 11:38 A.M. ET:  The American economy is growing by an even faster rate than previously estimated.  From CNBC: 

The U.S. economy grew a bit faster than previously estimated in the second quarter, recording its quickest pace in more than two years, but the momentum probably slowed in the third quarter as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma temporarily curbed activity.

Gross domestic product increased at a 3.1 percent annual rate in the April-June period, the Commerce Department said in its third estimate on Thursday. The upward revision from the 3.0 percent rate of growth reported last month reflected a slightly faster pace of inventory investment.

Growth last quarter was the quickest since the first quarter of 2015 and followed a 1.2 percent pace in the January-March period. Economists had expected that the second-quarter GDP growth rate would be unrevised at 3.0 percent.

Harvey, which struck Texas, has been blamed for much of the decline in retail sales, industrial production, homebuilding and home sales in August. Further weakness is anticipated in September after Irma slammed into Florida early this month.

Rebuilding is, however, expected to boost GDP growth in the fourth quarter and in early 2018.

Estimates for the growth rate in the July-September period are just above 2.2 percent.

However, they could be raised after another report from the Commerce Department on Thursday showed a decline in the goods trade deficit in August as well as large increases in both retail and wholesale inventories.

COMMENT:  A tax cut, which we're now promised by the Trump administration, could boost the economy further and, very critical, add psychological confidence. 

We're making progress.

September 28,  2017     Permalink