SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:54 P.M. ET: 

VALUES – From CNS:  "A recent survey found that Democrats believe the threat posed by climate change is greater than the threat posed by either al Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL).  The Pew Research Center/USA Today survey, conducted between Aug. 20 and 24, shows that 68 percent of Democrats said global climate change is a 'major threat' to the U.S. while 67 percent chose al Qaeda and 65 percent chose ISIS as a major threat to the country.  On the Republican side, 80 percent said al Qaeda was the major threat and 78 percent chose ISIS, while only 25 percent said global climate change was a major threat.  Among Independents, 69 percent chose al Qaeda as the major threat, 63 percent chose ISIS, and only 44 percent said climate change.  Among Democrats, global climate change topped the list of greatest threats to the U.S. But among Republicans and Independents, it placed last on a list of nine 'major threats.'"  Of course, Democrats are so well-read and so scientifically sensitive, as we've seen by their rollout of Obamacare.

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD (CHOKE) – From NRO:  "The number of working-age adults in the United States with limited proficiency in English has more than doubled since 1980, according to a new Brookings Institution study. Immigrants proficient in English, the study notes, tend to earn substantially higher incomes.  'English proficiency is a strong predictor of economic standing among immigrants, regardless of the amount of education they have attained, and it is associated with the greater academic and economic success of the workers’ children,' the study found.  The Wall Street Journal reports that the rise comes out to nearly 1 in 10 adults who lack sufficient English skills, two and a half times more than three decades ago. Two-thirds of those lacking proficiency are Spanish speakers."  Ah, the joys of multiculturalism.  Of course, for some there's a positive to this:  the local political machine leaders love it when constituents can't advance much.  Then they stay constituents, trapped by their circumstances. 

ADVENTURES IN FACT CHECKING – From the Washington Free Beacon:  "President Barack Obama favorably quoted and praised on Wednesday in his speech before the United Nations a controversial Muslim cleric whose organization has reportedly endorsed the terror group Hamas and supported a fatwa condoning the murder of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.  Obama in his remarks offered praise to controversial cleric Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah and referred to him as a moderate Muslim leader who can help combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL or ISIS) radical ideology.  However, Bin Bayyah himself has long been engulfed in controversy for many of his views, including the reported backing of a 2004 fatwa that advocated violent resistance against Americans fighting in Iraq.  This is not the first time that the Obama administration has extolled Bin Bayyah, who also has served as the vice president of a Muslim scholars group founded by a radical Muslim Brotherhood leader who has called 'for the death of Jews and Americans,' according to Fox News and other reports."  Another day of glory for the White House amateur.

THAT OBAMA "SALUTE" – From the New York Post:  "Outraged veterans and their supporters were still steaming Wednesday about President Obama’s indifferent 'latte salute' to a pair of ramrod-straight Marines a day earlier.  'What a jerk! He should [respect] the people who protect his butt,' griped retired Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Cermele, 72, a Vietnam veteran visiting the Big Apple from San Antonio with his wife, Dale, 62.  Others took to social media to rant — including the White House’s Instagram page, which posted a video of the president awkwardly giving a half salute with a coffee cup in his right hand as he disembarked the Marine One chopper in New York on Tuesday."  Okay, it may have been an awkward moment, but isn't it odd that Ronald Reagan never had those moments?  I recall seeing a picture, early in his term, of Bill Clinton in the Oval Office wearing a running suit.  I said to a friend, "This guy is gonna get in trouble."  You can tell something of the character of a president by his style, those little things.  By the way, Reagan always wore a jacket in the Oval Office.  He said it was a sign of respect.   

September 24, 2014