SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET:

WHAA..? – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:    A CNN analyst insisted Saturday that arming school teachers is impractical, arguing that women who wear skirts and dresses can not carry guns on their person.  "A lot of these schools—Sandy Hook had an all-female faculty, from principal to teachers," noted CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes. "For a woman, where are you going to hide that gun during the day?"  "You can't put it in your desk drawer; somebody might steal it, and you can't get to it," he said. "You're not going to have it in a safe in the principal's office; you can't get to it."  The only feasible option, Fuentes argued, is for teachers to have the gun "on your person, hiding it."  Can you imagine if a Republican had said that?  There'd be an uproar, with cries of "sexism" heard throughout the land.  In fact, there are many policewomen and female federal agents.  They have guns.  They know how to wear them.  I won't go into it, but be assured they're armed.

MAYBE – FROM AFP:   Miami (AFP) - It may rain once a decade or less in South America's Atacama Desert, but tiny bacteria and microorganisms survive there, hinting at the possibility of similar life on Mars, researchers said Monday.  The desert, which spans parts of Chile and Peru, is the driest non-polar desert on Earth and may contain the environment most like that of the Red Planet, said the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Life will exist on Mars when we send the Democratic National Committee to the planet, and leave them there.

DISGRACEFUL – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   A high school teacher in New Jersey said he was suspended last week for bringing up his concerns about his school’s safety in light of the Florida massacre.  Philly.com reported that Timothy Locke, 59, was placed on leave for talking about the Parkland shooting and then floating the possibility that a similar event could happen at Cherry Hill High School East, which is in Cherry Hill, N.J.  “He said the chances of East being shot up were high,” one 17-year-old student told the newspaper. The student said that she noticed another student upset and the two went to the principal’s office.  A spokeswoman from the school board told Philly.com that she could not discuss the personal matter.  Locke is reportedly well-liked by students at the school and some protested his suspension on Monday. Locke told the paper that he was called into the principal’s office and his bag was searched. He told the paper that he has to undergo a psychiatric exam.  So some brave little snowflakes went to the principal's office to whine about a teacher who was concerned about their safety.  What great kids.  You can just imagine what they'll be in college.

February 26,  2018