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Wednesday's Angel's Corner is here.

MAY 3,  2015

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

O'MALLEY DEFIANT – From the New York Post:  "WASHINGTON – Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley called the death of Freddie Gray and subsequent civil unrest a 'heartbreaking setback' for the city — but still plans to launch any presidential bid from Baltimore.  'I wouldn’t think of announcing anyplace else,' O’Malley said on NBC’s 'Meet the Press.'  'Baltimore — this has been a setback for us — but our story is not over. We are not defeated as a city and we are not about to throw in the towel on our country,' he said.  O’Malley, the former mayor of the city, blamed problems in his hometown on a lack of a federal agenda for cities and federal cash — something he intends to make 'central' to his likely Democratic presidential campaign against frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton."  Right back to the sixties.  Typical of what's happened to the Democratic Party.  Party of the past.

YOUTH ENDORSES AMERICAN STRENGTH – From the College Fix:  "More than half of millennials recently surveyed by the Harvard Institute of Politics backed sending ground troops to fight against ISIS, according to the poll’s results.  Specifically, nearly six in 10 18- to 29-year-olds – or 57 percent of those surveyed – said they support sending ground troops to fight against the latest war on terror in the Middle East, according to the poll, released Wednesday.  The support in fighting ISIS is part of growing millennial support toward U.S. military intervention abroad, results found.  In asking whether it is 'sometimes necessary to attack potentially hostile countries, rather than waiting until we are attacked to respond,' the poll saw a 7 percent increase from 2014 in support of the statement.  '(Millennials) desire to show a more forceful hand overseas,' said John Della Volpe, director of polling, in a teleconference with reporters Wednesday."  Maybe our side's message is getting through.

AND HE WAS FROM BALTIMORE – From the New York Post:  "...it was 100 years ago this May 6, at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, that Babe Ruth hit his first major-league home run — against the Yankees.
Ruth, a burly young left-handed pitcher then playing for the Red Sox, was the first batter in the top of the third inning. He turned on the first pitch he saw from Jack Warhop and belted it into Seat 26, Section 3 of the right-field grandstand.  It was his 18th official at-bat and fifth hit since his major league debut on July 11, 1914. His previous four hits consisted of three doubles and one single, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.  Subsequent to his home run, Ruth singled twice in the game, which he ultimately lost 4-3 in the 13th inning.  Despite the outcome, Ruth — who pitched the complete game — had proven himself both on the mound and in the batter’s box, and reporters of the day already were sensing his immense two-way potential."  George Herman (Babe) Ruth is buried not far from us.  Kids still come and leave baseball caps and baseballs at his grave.

May 3, 2015        Permalink

BRITAIN TO VOTE – AT 12:48 P.M. ET:  We don't seem too aware of it here, but Britain votes in a major national election this week.  And, dreadful thought, there is a good chance that Labor will form the next government.  That will thrill Obama, and depress mature adults.  Labor's leader is the son of Marxists.  From AFP:   

Written off as a weird Westminster insider who only became Labour Party leader by knifing his brother, Ed Miliband is now seen as having more than a sporting chance of being Britain’s next prime minister.

Despite his awkward demeanour and frequent setbacks, the 45-year-old has retained an unerring self-confidence, which a growing number of people believe could propel him to the country’s top job.

“I’ve been underestimated at every turn,” he said in a fiery exchange with a fearsome interviewer, Jeremy Paxman, during a television grilling alongside Prime Minister David Cameron at the start of the campaign.

In sharp contrast to his often insipid performances against Cameron in parliament, Miliband has appeared energetic and enthused during recent campaign appearances, displaying an appetite for risk-taking.

He took part in a debate of opposition leaders, ignoring warnings he was on a hiding to nothing, and agreed to an interview with acid-tongued comedian Russell Brand, Britain’s voice of anti-politics.

Miliband said the kitchen-table interview would make the campaign “more interesting” and he could yet have the last laugh if he manages to win over some of Brand’s nine million Twitter followers.

But in a television appearance in which audience members criticized his party’s record on public finances and pro-business policies, Miliband was on the defensive and stumbled as he left the stage.

And...

His old-fashioned left-wing beliefs have also attracted criticism — the right-wing media branding him “Red Ed” — as has his record on banking deregulation while working at the Treasury in the years before the financial crash of 2008.

Perhaps most damaging, however, is the family rift that the fiercely ambitious Miliband created by taking on and beating his older brother David, a protege of former prime minister Tony Blair, for the Labour party leadership in 2010.

Ed said recently that the fraternal divisions are now “healing.”

His biographers Mehdi Hasan and James Macintyre said it was seen by some “as an almost biblical act of fratricide.”

His brother left to work in the United States shortly after the defeat, but recently tweeted a picture of his postal vote with the hashtag “Ed4PM.”

COMMENT:  The voting is Thursday.  It will be a sad day if Labor wins.  Labor would be happy to back Obama's left-wing agenda in the international arena, and reinforce Obama's reluctance to confront the new Russian expansionism.  We really don't need this.

May 3, 2015       Permalink

POLICE AFFECTED NATIONALLY? – AT 12:15 P.M. ET:  There's concern that policing around the country will be negatively impacted by the manner in which the police in Baltimore have been charged.  From AP:

ATLANTA (AP) — National outrage over the death of a black man while in police custody and the speed with which a prosecutor decided to charge the officers who arrested him could have a chilling effect on law enforcement — at least in the short term while passions are running so high.

Former law enforcement officials, prosecutors and defense attorneys say the intense scrutiny being cast on the behavior of police departments nationwide — especially regarding their treatment of minorities — could lead to a temptation to stop pursuing certain crimes and suspects rather than risk accusations of misconduct.

"If it's a not-serious street crime, they are probably going to turn and go the other way," said Frank Rotondo, a former policeman in New York state who now lobbies for police chiefs in Georgia. "They don't want to be accused."

Rotondo said such a temptation might be strongest for white police officers who must decide whether to intervene in cases involving minority suspects.

"It would allow that white police officer to think twice," Rotondo said. "It really would, because even if his actions are correct he might be second-guessed."

Rotondo isn't the only one who thinks that some officers might balk from getting into a fight or using force, even when it's justified.

"The biggest danger is that the police officer will not properly perform his duties," said Robert Leight, a former detective in Pennsylvania who has worked for the FBI and as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney. "It puts him at risk, it puts the other officers around him at risk, and it puts the public at risk. ... A police officer must react instinctively as he has been trained. If a police officer first thinks about what liabilities he will be facing, it's too late."

COMMENT:   Maybe we should start thinking about this before the next round of police bashing starts.  People may start calling 911 and finding that no one shows up at their door. 

May 3, 2015       Permalink

CURFEW LIFTED – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:  The scholarly mayor of Baltimore has lifted the curfew in effect most of the week.  Now we'll see how the population behaves.  From The New York Times: 

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore authorities announced on Sunday that they had lifted the citywide curfew that the police said helped to curb violent protests here, but that had also come under mounting criticism as days passed without new bouts of widespread rioting and looting.

“Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a citywide curfew,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement on Sunday morning. “My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary.”

It's amazing how this "mayor" always states her goal after the event is over.

The curfew, which ran from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., had been, with few exceptions, enforced since Tuesday night. Many businesses shut down hours before the curfew began each night to allow employees to return to their homes, and workers throughout the city complained of lost wages.

Maybe the city fathers can fine the rioters so some of those lost wages can be made up.

In addition to the concerns about the economic impact of the curfew, many demonstrators accused the police and the National Guard of rigorously enforcing it in predominantly black neighborhoods while white residents were allowed to flout it without fear of arrest for a misdemeanor.

COMMENT:  Now the real damage will be felt.  This is tourist season in Washington, D.C., and nearby Baltimore.  Know anyone who's enthusiastic about going to Baltimore?  It has the fifth highest crime rate in the country. 

And how enthusiastic will the police be to enforce the law?

May 3,  2015     Permalink

MAY 2,  2015

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

ANOTHER ONE IN NEW YORK – From the New York Post:  "A city cop was critically wounded by a brazen gunman who blasted two bullets into his head on a Queens street Saturday evening — the fifth NYPD officer to be shot in as many months.  Plainclothes officer Brian Moore, 25, was in a medically induced coma after surgery to relieve pressure on the brain, law-enforcement sources told The Post."  He comes from a police family and was doing a dangerous job.  I wonder how much time CNN will devote to this.

THE LEFT STRIKES SEATTLE – From KOMONEWS:  "Police say black-clad May Day marchers hurled wrenches and rocks at officers and hit police with sticks as a Friday evening march through Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood turned violent, injuring three officers -- two seriously.  Police responded with pepper spray, pepper balls and flash bang grenades. Officers said several dozen vehicles were damaged. Windows were broken in neighborhood businesses.  Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said one officer had a dislocated shoulder, a second had a broken wrist, and a third had a burn injury to his leg and ankle. They're recovering at Harborview Medical Center.  'Thankfully, they’re all conscious,' O'Toole said. 'We talked to them. They’re in good spirits. Just happy the situation didn’t become more serious.'"  No, throwing wrenches and rocks at police officers isn't serious.  Of course not.  This O'Toole character sounds like a typical political police chief in a left-wing city.

WEIRD – From The Hill:  "A major fundraising website Friday blocked donations to a campaign seeking funds for the six Baltimore police officers facing criminal charges over Freddie Gray’s death.  GoFundMe.com deleted a page created by the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) that afternoon, The Baltimore Sun reported.  'GoFundMe removed the fundraising campaign created for the Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray,' company spokeswoman Kelsea Little said Friday.
'GoFundMe cannot be used to benefit those who are charged with serious violations of the law,' she said. 'The campaign clearly stated that the money raised would be used to assist the officers with their legal fees, which is in direct violation of GoFundMe’s terms.'"  Seems to me those are silly terms.  Raising money for legal defense is an American tradition.  Being charged with a serious crime is not the same as being guilty of that crime.  Change the terms and let those who wish contribute to the officers' defense. 

May 2,  2015     Permalink

BALTIMORE – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:   Baltimore has calmed down since the state's attorney announced charges against five policemen and one policewoman in the death of Freddie Gray.  But many questions are being asked by lawyers, especially regarding the speed with which the charges were made, and the status of the state's attorney.  From Daily Caller: 

Marilyn Mosby, the Maryland state attorney for Baltimore who on Friday announced charges against six city police officers for the death of Freddie Gray, said last year that a St. Louis County grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown “breaks [her] heart” and that a special prosecutor should have been appointed to handle the case.

The revelation comes as Mosby is being asked to recuse herself and appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case against six Baltimore police officers now charged with a range of crimes in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.

Baltimore’s Fraternal Order of Police slammed Mosby’s charging announcement, calling it a “rush to judgement.” The group said that Mosby should recuse herself from the case because her husband, Nick Mosby, is a city councilman whose district encompasses the area where Gray was arrested earlier this month.

The organization fears that Nick Mosby’s reelection chances will be hurt if his wife does not throw the book at the officers.

COMMENT:  Mosby's announcement of the charges seemed more a political statement directed toward the crowds of protesters than a legal statement.  She herself is a political activist.

That doesn't automatically mean that Mosby will act improperly, but her political status casts a pall over the case.  When similar questions were raised in Ferguson, Eric Holder's Justice Department stepped in and conducted its own investigation, which, ironically, cleared the officer involved in the killing of Michael Brown.  There is no indication of Justice Department intervention here.

The officers may well be guilty.  I don't know.  I wasn't there.  But process is critical in a well-run justice system, and the process in Baltimore is raising too many legitimate questions.

May 2, 2015       Permalink

PROVOCATION – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  One of the major changes that has occurred on Field Marshal Obama's watch is the dramatic growth in Russian military power.  Obama's fabled "reset" with Russia has only benefited Moscow.  From Fox: 

Two nuclear-capable Russian bombers reportedly intruded into the U.S. air defense zone near Alaska last week.

The Washington Free Beacon, citing defense officials, reports the tu-95 Bear H bombers flew into the zone on April 22, but no U.S. jets were dispatched to intercept them.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for NORAD, declined to confirm the incursion to The Times, but said that no jets were dispatched to intercept intruding aircraft.

The incident was the first Russian bomber incursion of a U.S. or Canadian air defense zone this year. It likely signals the start of Russia’s long-range aviation training cycle, officials said.

U.S. and Canadian jets intercepted Russian bombers at least six times last year, while intruding Russian long-range aircraft were detected on 10 occasions, Davis said.

Senior military officials have said that Russia has increased bomber flights near U.S. coasts as part of a strategic messaging and influence operation.

Northern Command commander Adm. William Gortney told reporters earlier this month that Russia is developing a more capable military than the former Soviet Union. Both flight missions and numbers of locations for the flights “have gone up,” Gortney said.

COMMENT:  Putin is determined to rebuild Russia into a superpower, and he's succeeding.  In this he has the considerable help of the very indifferent Barack Obama, and a Democratic Party that has turned its back on its national-defense legacy.  He also has the help of some Republicans, who are more interested in budgets and taxes than in defending the nation, and have been co-conspirators in allowing our defenses to grow weak.

A price will be paid, but by that time Obama will be back organizing the community in Chicago.

May 2, 2015       Permalink

THE SINKING SHIP – AT 11:09 A.M. ET:  A new poll ratifies the feeling that Hillary Clinton's ship has hit an iceberg and is slowly sinking.  And we were told this ship was unsinkable.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans appear to be suspicious of Hillary Rodham Clinton's honesty, and even many Democrats are only lukewarm about her presidential candidacy, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

Is she strong and decisive? Yes, say a majority of people. But inspiring and likable? Only a minority think so.

Clinton's struggles to explain her email practices while in government, along with questions about the Clinton Foundation and Republican criticism of her openness, wealth and trustworthiness seem to have struck a nerve in the public's perception of the dominant Democratic figure in the 2016 campaign. In the survey, 61 percent said "honest" describes her only slightly well or not at all.

Nearly four in 10 Democrats, and more than six in 10 independents agreed that "honest" was not the best word for her.

Even so, she is viewed more favorably than her potential Republican rivals, none of whom are as well-known as the former secretary of state, senator and first lady.

With Clinton facing little competition on the Democratic side, Republicans are trying to make questions about her integrity central to the early 2016 campaign. They paint her as a creature of Washington who flouts the rules to get ahead.

COMMENT:  She still leads GOP rivals because everyone knows her and few know them.  As the race builds, Americans will see the quality of many of the GOP candidates. 

Hillary has been a national figure for a quarter of a century, about the same time frame in which FDR was nationally known.  There is probably nothing more positive to know about her.  But there probably are plenty of negatives out there.  She's a frontrunner about whom there is almost no enthusiasm.  If she's given a real race by an attractive candidate like Marco Rubio, I think Rubio would win.

May 2, 2015       Permalink