SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:25 P.M. ET: 

OH COME ON! – TV producer Norman Lear, who produced some of the most liberal sitcoms on television, like "All in the Family," now says he's actually a social conservative.  And I'm a nuclear physicist who doubles as Batman.  But Norman's shows were well produced, and within the industry he was known, to put it mildly, as a fiscal conservative.  Tightwad would be a better word.

GOODBYE – From Entertainment Weekly:  The cast of Downton Abbey gathered in Beverly Hills on Saturday to say goodbye to TV critics in a poignant final-season press conference. With only two weeks of shooting left on the international hit, the cast revealed that some actors have already wrapped their roles, and the entire production has finished shooting at Highclere Castle — the real-life stand in for the Crawley family home.  A wonderful series, beautifully produced, evoking Britain of the early 1900s.  An example of the kind of thing that public television can do when it isn't off promoting someone's agenda.

THE DRONE PROBLEM – From CNN:  Two airplanes flying near one of the nation's busiest airports each came within 100 feet of a drone on Friday, according to audio from each flight's radio calls.  The first, JetBlue Flight 1843, reported spotting a drone at 2:24 p.m. while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In the audio recording, the cockpit says that the drone passed just below the planes nose when the jet was flying at an altitude of about 800 to 900 feet.  Then at about 5 p.m., Delta Flight 407 -- which had 154 people on board -- was preparing to land when the cockpit reported seeing a drone below its right wing.  Neither plane needed to take evasive action, according to the FAA.  Even though airliners are much, much larger than most drones, a drone hit could cripple a plane's control surfaces, located on the wings, stabilizers and rudder, and possibly send the plane out of control.  This is becoming a concerning issue.

WE SUPPORT IT – From Gateway Pundit:  A petition was posted at the ‘We the People’ site at the White House this week asking President Barack Obama to honor Navy officer Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White and others who used their personal firearms to return fire against the Islamist terrorist who attacked two military offices in Chattanooga, Tennessee last month. Five servicemen were shot and killed, one servicemen and one policeman were wounded by the terrorist who was also killed. It has not been determined whose firearms killed the terrorist, Palestinian-American Muhammad Abdulazeez.  Pentagon rules forbid military personnel from possessing military issued or personal firearms at recruiting centers. Lt. Cmdr. White admitted in an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press published Friday that he used a personal firearm to shoot at Abdulazeez.  The White House petition was posted on July 29 by “G.T.” of Sarasota, Florida, three days before Lt. Col Allen West (USA, Ret.) reported that the Navy was going to press charges against Lt. Cmdr. White. It has garnered over 7,600 e-signatures as of the writing of this article. The petition must reach 100,000 signers by August 28, 2015 to guarantee a response from the Obama administration.  White may well have violated rules, but this is a case that calls for prosecutorial discretion.  Waive prosecution, and change the rules so that service personnel who work in recruiting centers have the means to defend themselves. 

August 1,  2015