Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

MAY 27,  2018

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

SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT – FROM GATEWAY PUNDIT:  Are you a guilty, rich white liberal with a kush government job getting paid to shuffle around papers in some useless bureau for $90,000 a year and harbors internalized racism? Well now you can absolve your white guilt with the new Reparations Happy Hour. That’s right, the aforementioned guilty white liberals can show up to a bar in Portland, Oregon and give away free money to black folks so they can booze it up. I’m sure these white liberals feel a lot better about themselves with that burden of whiteness off their shoulders now.   I'm flying out tonight.  I'm tired of feeling privileged.

THE FANTASY CORNER – FROM BREITBART:   Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) would not rule out challenging President Donald Trump in a 2020 Republican presidential primary.  Flake took the same position on a potential presidential bid back in December when asked.  Flake said, “It’s not in my plans, but I have not ruled anything out. I do hope that somebody runs on the Republican side other than the president — if nothing else than simply to remind Republicans what conservatism is and what Republicans have traditionally stood for.”  The man has the right last name. 

WHOSE LIVES MATTER? – FROM BREITBART:   Chicago’s Memorial Day weekend got a brutal start with 23 people shot and four killed from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening. And there are still two more days of the long holiday weekend to go.  Officials hastened to note that the numbers for the first hours of the three-day holiday weekend are on par with last year’s bloodletting, Chicago’s WGN TV reported.  Note the deep interest on the political left and at the major news outlets.  The victims of this horror don't seem to rate very highly among the fashionable commentators.

May 27, 2018       Permalink 

A WORD ABOUT TRUTH – AT 4:21 P.M. ET:  It's good to see an Obama official take on another Obama official.  From Daily Caller: 

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden called out James Clapper on Sunday for claiming to know that Russians decided the 2016 election.

Clapper wrote in his new book that he has “no doubt” Russian meddling swung the election in favor of Trump, but during a Friday night CNN interview he all but admitted he has no evidence for the claim.

Hayden told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” that it is “unknowable” how much Russians influenced the election and he knocked the former director of national intelligence for claiming otherwise.

“I agree that the Russians affected the election but how much they affected is not just unknown, it is unknowable and so we should stop talking about it,” Hayden asserted. “Donald Trump is the president.”

“You invite folks like us on your show because we’re the fact witnesses, not because we have opinions,” he added.

COMMENT:  I suspect the Russians have been meddling in our elections since about 1920.  I'm not sure they ever changed a vote.   I wish the establishment press would move on to real issues, especially as its own record in exposing Russian wrongdoing is not exactly something to boast about.

May 27, 2018       Permalink

GERMANY PAYS THE PRICE – AT 2:15 P.M. ET:  No European country has moved closer to Iran than Germany.  Berlin has been making a mint in trade with the world's largest sponsor of terrorism.  Now it is starting to pay the price.  Its once-flourishing trade with Saudi Arabia, an enemy of Iran, is falling apart.  From Don Surber: 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is deeply offended by Chancellor Merkel's support of the terrorist-exporting state of Iran, Der Spiegel reported. The Saudis are not doing business with Germany.

That is not all.

"Riyadh withdrew its ambassador from Germany and he still hasn't returned," Der Spiegel reported.

Germany's Saudi exports topped $7 billion last year.

"Some 800 German companies are active in the country, and 200 have offices in Saudi Arabia with a total of 40,000 employees," Der Spiegel reported.

Old Europe's embrace of Iran has consequences. I believe the anti-Semitism inherent in socialism has much to do with this enabling of Iranist terrorism through Hamas and the like.

At any rate, the new leadership in Saudi Arabia, which supports Israel, will have none of this.

Which side are we on?

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grennell tweeted on May 8, "As @realDonaldTrump said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately."

Germans can trade with Iran or Saudi Arabia, but they no longer can do both.

COMMENT:   Germany has acted very badly in the last few years, and has treated President Trump with contempt.  Germany led European nations in whining over Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, fearing that their commercial transactions might be disrupted.  It's always about the money.

Now Germany, which has also accepted an enormous stream of refugees from the Mideast, must decide whether to go with the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel on Iran policy, or with Iran itself, where many German companies have set up shop.  Don't be so sure of the outcome.  If the trade with Iran is larger than the trade with Saudi Arabia, which is likely, Germany might well have its second capital in Tehran. 

May 27, 2018       Permalink 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NEWS – AT 1:26 P.M. ET:  An American team is now on the Korean peninsula, planning for the possible upcoming summit between Rocket Man and President Trump.  From Yonhap (South Korea): 

SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- A group of U.S. officials crossed the inter-Korean border to North Korea on Sunday for talks to prepare for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un, a report said.

Sung Kim, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea and ex-nuclear negotiator, led the U.S. team for working-level talks with North Korea, The Washington Post reported.

The former ambassador crossed the border to meet with Choe Son-hui, North Korea's vice foreign minister, who prompted Trump on Thursday to announce the cancellation of a summit with Kim scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, the report said.

The U.S. team also included Allison Hooker, director for Korea on the White House National Security Council, and Randall Schriver, the assistant secretary of defense for East Asia.

The move came one day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the North's leader held a surprise second summit on the northern side of Panmunjom, the second meeting in a month.

At the summit, Kim reaffirmed his willingness to denuclearize and hold a summit with Trump, Moon said Sunday.

Trump said Saturday that he is still considering meeting with Kim on June 12 as originally planned.

COMMENT:  All the uncertainty, moans the press.  Why can't Trump keep a neat and orderly calendar, like Obama?  Why can't he just surrender in advance, like Obama?  Things would be so easy, and we can report from the hotel.

But Trump is Trump.  His withdrawal from the summit earlier in the week clearly scared the daylights out of the Norks, prompting the sudden meeting between the North and South Korean leaders.  Now everyone is putting the pieces back together...with the Norks clearly warned that the U.S. has a president who is tough, not easily predictable, and one who will defend his country.  The Norks want this summit.  Their lives may depend on it.

May 27,  2018     Permalink

MAY 26,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

SWEDEN LURCHES RIGHT – FROM DAILYWIRE:   Sweden's far-right Sweden Democrats party is poised for major gains in the country's September elections, a new poll shows, as voters seek to send a message that they want stricter controls on immigration and a tougher approach to crime.  Politico Europe reports that the Sweden Democrats party scored just four points behind the ruling Social Democrats Party, and just two points behind the Swedish moderate party.  The Social Democrats have ruled Sweden for years, turning the country into a leftist paradise — Sweden is, of course, routinely referenced as a model for the United States, largely for its progressive policies — but the Swedes say they've tired of the government's lax approach to immigration and crime, and want a ruling party that will tackle those issues head-on.  Looks like another leftist failure coming up.  Of course, the liberal press will blame it all on racism and Donald Trump, but the voters know better.

CITIZENS VOTE WITH THEIR DOLLARS – FROM DAILYWIRE:  The Florida-based grocery store chain Publix is facing severe backlash after they caved to far-left activist David Hogg and his intimidation tactics on Friday as many customers are now saying they will no longer shop at the store.  Hogg and other far-left activists laid on the floor of the grocery store for 720 seconds – which Hogg falsely claimed is a second for each mass shooting that has happened in the U.S. since the Pulse nightclub massacre – and screamed for a boycott of the store.  The boycott came after it was revealed that the grocery store had donated money to a politician in the past who had described himself as a major advocate for the NRA and the Second Amendment.  Following Publix's decision to cave to the far-left activists, many people announced that they were no longer going to be shopping at the store.  It is sad that Publix caved immediately to a misguided intimidation tactic.  It should be punished financially.   In caving, the store in effect gave up its First Amendment rights to a mob.  Not a great contribution to democracy.

NAVY TRAGEDY – FROM ABC NEWS:   The former commanding officer of the destroyer USS John S. McCain pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of dereliction of duty for his role in last year's deadly collision that killed 10 sailors.  Commander Alfredo J. Sanchez was sentenced to a letter of reprimand and a $6,000 fine; as part of his plea deal agreement he will be required to retire from the Navy.  On August 21, 2017 10 sailors were killed when the destroyer collided with an oil tanker as it entered the busy waterway into the port of Singapore. The collision occurred two months after seven sailors were killed when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan.  Both collisions resulted in the removal of senior leaders in the Navy's Seventh Fleet and to criminal proceedings against the senior leaders and some of the crew members of both ships.  He's a decorated officer with a fine record, but his plea demonstrates how much we demand of those in command positions.  He clearly made some serious mistakes, and our thoughts must, as we observe Memorial Day, go to the families of the men lost. 

May 26, 2018       Permalink

REPUBLICAN SUNSHINE? – Pollster Frank Luntz is smiling at Republican prospects for November.  That wasn't the case a few months ago.  From the Washington Times:

Pollster Frank Luntz says the Republican Party’s tracking numbers for midterm elections are looking good, thanks to independent voters who recoil at the thought of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi becoming speaker.

The creator of “Instant Response” polling told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham Thursday evening that a bit of political finesse by the GOP over the next few months is poised to pay off in November. If Republicans can vote on a speaker prior to midterm elections, Mr. Luntz said, then swing voters are likely to side with them in the voting booth.

“Well, I’ve been tracking this on a weekly basis going back now for a year and a half and these are the best numbers that the GOP has had in the last year,” he said, Mediaite reported. “One of the reasons is that women, working women, women with children, have begun to leave the Democratic Party. It’s not that they are pro-Republican, but what they see among the Democrats is the same kind of negativity that turned them off in previous elections.”

Mr. Luntz told Ms. Ingraham a few decisions could narrow an intensity gap that currently exists between Republicans and Democrats.

“Quite frankly, if Republicans could find some way to engineer a vote over who would be speaker of the House in January 2019, if they could engineer that vote, I would be prepared to say right now that the Republicans would keep the majority because there are so many people out there — swing voters who do not want Pelosi as speaker, that one action would make a difference,” he said.
Mr. Luntz added that the California Democrat is “the least popular credible figure” among her peers.

COMMENT:  There is a new optimism among Republicans.  Of course, the election is still five months away, many lifetimes in politics, and the anti-Trump press will do whatever it can to ruin GOP prospects.  If Republicans run hard, and follow Luntz's advice, I think they've got a good chance to hold Congress and maybe even increase their lead in the Senate.

May 26,  2018     Permalink

TOGETHER AGAIN – AT 1:26 P.M. ET:  It's the newest brother act on the world stage, soon to appear at a rock venue near you.  Kim Jong Un, aka Rocket Man, leader of North Korea.  Moon Jae-in, lovable, peacenik president of South Korea.  They just met again today, brought together by President Trump's toughness in pulling out of the upcoming summit with Kim...at least until conditions are made right.

Gotta hand it to Trump.  He does something, and gets results.  Obama did something, and got ignored.  From CNN: 

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) The leaders of North and South Korea held a surprise meeting Saturday, their second in a month, two days after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a summit meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met for two hours at the Demilitarized Zone, the South Korean presidency said in a statement.

The two "exchanged their opinions" on among other things successfully carrying out a future US-North Korea summit, according to the statement. On Thursday, Trump called off a June 12 summit with Kim in Singapore but then told reporters Friday he's still open to a conference.

COMMENT:  My own sense is that the summit will take place, but that President Trump will have the meeting essentially on his terms.  He's an excellent negotiator, and negotiates only from strength. 

The Dems are picking at Trump for pulling out of the summit, but they look like small timers, little participants in a student government.  Not exactly the party of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy.

May 26, 2018        Permalink

THE DAY – AT 12:44 P.M. ET:  As we start the Memorial Day weekend, I have a request.  A number of people have said to me, in stores and elsewhere, "Have a happy Memorial Day weekend," or have asked, "How are you celebrating Memorial Day?"  These people are friendly and mean well.

However – and this is something we should teach our kids – we don't "celebrate" Memorial Day, we observe it or commemorate it.  And the word "happy" should never be associated with it. 

Memorial Day is a solemn holiday, recalling America's war dead.  Yes, like all other American holidays, it has become a commercial venture – lowest prices of the year, you know – and the honored dead are either briefly recalled, or not recalled at all.  As a child, I remember full Memorial Day ceremonies at a monument featuring the names of the fallen.  Many of the names were new.  I don't know how many of those ceremonies are still held.

There are a number of claimed origins for Memorial Day.  In general, the remembrance was started either during or just after the Civil War.  Originally it was called Decoration Day because the graves of soldiers were "decorated," usually marked with a small flag.  The term "Decoration Day" was strong in my youth, and citizens would often wear little poppies in their lapels to mark the occasion.   "Decoration Day" has faded, and now "Memorial Day" is almost universal. 

So let us remember the meaning.  There's no sin in having recreational events, but the meaning should always be present.  If that meaning is to endure, it will have to be carried by the average American, for our elites have essentially abandoned us. 

May 26,  2018     Permalink