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NOVEMBER 20,  2016

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

REAL ESTATE NEWS – FROM PAGE SIX:   The Obamas are moving into a nine-bedroom mansion in the Kalorama section of Washington — the posh neighborhood of diplomats and DC old money — while younger daughter Sasha finishes high school at Sidwell Friends. But they have apparently been buying real estate elsewhere, too.  According to sources, the Obamas have purchased a house in Rancho Mirage, Calif., not far from Sunnylands, the former Annenberg estate, which presidents use as a getaway and which is thought of as the unofficial West Coast Camp David.  Rancho Mirage, where Gerald Ford retired, is a top destination for golf — a favorite pastime of President Obama. The local daily newspaper, the Desert Sun, has reported rumors of such a sale for more than a year. But sources say now it’s a done deal.  Just ordinary folk who've felt your pain for eight years.

DIVIDED FIRST FAMILY – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:   Melania and Barron Trump are set to keep living in Trump Tower once the Donald moves to the White House on January 20 - in a move that threatens continued traffic chaos and delays for New Yorkers in midtown Manhattan.   Melania and Barron won't move to the White House until after the 10-year-old finishes the school year in June, the president-elect said on Sunday.  Melania will travel to Washington, D.C. when necessary, and Donald Trump himself is expected to spend much of his time at his gilded penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan.  News that Melania and Barron would be staying in New York angered residents who feared the security measures, ranging from armed officers, road closures and pedestrian bag checks, would exacerbate traffic in the city.  Melania is a good mother, who often takes Barron to school.  The Obamas will also remain in Washington until one of their daughters finishes high school, but I haven't seen any complaints about security or traffic.  I guess liberal traffic is more acceptable than conservative traffic.

CLASS ACT – FROM FOX:   Vice President-elect Mike Pence spoke publicly Sunday for the first time about the mixed reception he received while attending a performance of the musical “Hamilton,” saying he doesn’t want an apology from the Broadway cast and that the audience’s boos and cheers “is what freedom sounds like.”  Pence, a Republican, attended the show Friday night. Actor Brandon Dixon afterward delivered a statement on behalf of the cast that in part said, “We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us."  Pence on Sunday said he, his daughter and her cousins “enjoyed the show” and that he “reminded them this is what freedom sounds like.”  Pence said he wasn’t offended and that he didn’t want an apology.  “I’ll leave it to others to decide if [the stage] was the appropriate venue,” he said.  Well said, with style.  A real pro at work.

November 20,  2016     Permalink

TRUMP SAVE THE QUEEN – AT 12:54 P.M. ET:  At least some people understand that Trump will actually become president.   From Reuters: 

Queen Elizabeth will invite U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for a state visit to Britain next year to try to cement close ties between the two countries, The Sunday Times newspaper said.

Citing two ministers and a senior official close to Downing Street, the Sunday Times reported that discussions between British officials and Trump's team would start soon to ensure that a date could be agreed for June or July next year.

Britain is keen to reinforce its "special relationship" with the United States as the government of Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to leave the European Union, a divorce that will shape the country's standing in the world.

Trump invited May to visit him as soon as possible during their first telephone call since his election victory, the British prime minister's office has said. Aides for May have said as yet there is no date for the trip.

The Sunday Times said the British government hopes that an official state visit will be its "secret weapon" for cementing ties after Trump met leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage earlier this month - the first British politician to do so.

The newspaper also said the president-elect told May during their phone call last week that his late Scottish mother was a "big fan" of the Queen and asked the prime minister to pass on his best wishes to her.

COMMENT:  I want to see Trump with the Queen.  Obama's first meeting with the Queen was disastrous.  The gift he gave her, typical of him, was a DVD of his speeches that didn't play on her machine, which uses a different DVD system.  Great research, Barack.  This followed Obama's removing a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office and replacing it with one of Dr. King.  I suspect there was room for both, but Obama had to polish his anti-colonialist credentials.

I suspect Trump will do better. 

November 20, 2016        Permalink

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT – AT 12:17 P.M. ET:  This demonstrates the importance of fighting back.  Never let the other side punch without returning the punch.  This is about Starbucks.  From the Daily Mail, with photos: 

Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump who feel there has been a backlash against Republicans since his election are taking their protest to the percolators.

Republicans are ordering their coffee and stating their name is 'Trump' so baristas will have to shout the last name of the president-elect when their drink is ready.

The protest is allegedly against people 'discriminating against Republicans' and was started by Trump supporter and actor Scott Baio, according to Yahoo News.

A hashtag #TrumpCup began to circulate on Twitter and a video of a barista calling the police after a man asked for Trump's name to be written on his cup went viral, causing the phenomenon to increase.

Another video of a man shouting 'Trump' at a barista when he felt his drink order was taking too long added fuel to the fire.

Now, dozens of people are taking pictures of their Starbucks drink with the name 'Trump' written on it in protest of the alleged discrimination.

COMMENT:  The left, bcause it believes itself to be lofty and above us all, tries to shame our side.  They won't get away with it for much longer.

November 20,  2016     Permalink

APPALLING – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  Have Democrats learned anything from the election?  Not likely.  The radical left never learns anything.  Consider the comments of the probable next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Keith Ellison.  Ellison is the radical black Muslim congressman from Minnesota, with past ties to the Nation of Islam.  From The Hill:

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) on Sunday said President-elect Donald Trump is not going to fulfill his campaign promise of "draining the swamp" in Washington.

"Donald Trump has already proven where he's going with this thing," Ellison, who is running to become the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said on CBS's "Face The Nation."

"He's not draining the swamp. He's filling it up more and there's going to be more swamp creatures than ever before."

Ellison said Democrats have to keep fighting for average Americans.

"We have got to be there to work with all those folks who may have not voted or even voted for him," Ellison said.

"We want to show them that we really care about them, that we respect their voice and that we are going to be fighting for them."

Trump is "clearly not normal," he added, while accusing the president-elect of hurting workers across the country.

"His level of abuse of working people is extraordinary," Ellison said.

"Not to mention his racism, misogyny, extraordinary as well. It's hard to normalize that and we can never do it, but I would just say, that it's not about Donald Trump."

COMMENT:  Again, the race card.  Again, the misogyny card.  Do the Dems really want to put this guy up as their front man? 

Maybe Ellison should look at the surprisingly high women's vote for Trump.  Maybe he should try to explain exactly what the Democratic Party has done for African Americans in the eight years of the Obama administration.  It will be a brief discussion.

November 20,  2016     Permalink

NOVEMBER 19,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

MAJOR FASHION NEWS – FROM LEGAL INSURRECTION:   Designer Sophie Theallet has announced on Twitter she will not design and dress Melania Trump with her brand:  Theallet has designed and dressed First Lady Michelle Obama during the past eight years, which she called “a highlight and an honor.” Obama’s “values, actions, and grace have always resonated deeply within” the designer. She added:  "As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles. I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by.  I encourage my fellow designers to do the same."  Utterly tasteless.  Going after Melania.  I'm sure the new first lady will have no problem finding fine fashions.

MAJOR SENSITIVITY NEWS – FROM FOX:   The city of Bloomington, Indiana, has renamed Good Friday and Columbus Day because the names imply a cultural insensitivity, according to the Bloomington Herald-Times.  The new, more politically-correct names will help make the holidays more inclusive, the mayor said.  The change was made Friday by Mayor John Hamilton, who sent a memo to city employees.  "We are terrifically proud of our diverse workforce at the city," Hamilton wrote. "That diversity makes us stronger and more representative of the public we proudly serve. These updated names for two days of well-merited time off is another way we can demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity."  The Herald-Times reports that "all city employees receive paid time off for Columbus Day, a federal holiday ... and Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday. In the future, the city will be calling these paid days off  'Fall Holiday' and 'Spring Holiday.'"  I'm so moved.  Look, Bloomington is the home of the University of Indiana, and, like most university towns, is a liberal, fantasy-world enclave.  Not to be taken seriously. 

MAJOR CONVENIENCE NEWS – FROM CBS LOS ANGELES:    LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Instead of a destination wedding, couples can now have a destination divorce.  To avoid what can be a drawn-out and contentious process, couples who want to officially split can make it quick and hopefully easy by checking into DivorceHotel, where they check in married and check out divorced, all in one weekend.  For the price of $8,000 to $12,000, mediators and lawyers can help soon-to-be divorcees cut the cord in just two days.  “The whole idea is to get away from outside influences,” Michele Martin, mediator at DivorceHotel said. “There are beautiful surroundings. The couples take breaks. They go on bike rides. It doesn’t need to be the worst experience of your entire life the way people think of divorce.”  First you decide who gets the children, then you go on a bike ride?  Does the hotel give reward points should you want to return with your next spouse?

November 19,  2016    Permalink 

A GREAT JUSTICE SPEAKS – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  In our quote of the day, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court paid tribute to his late colleague, Antonin Scalia.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called on fellow conservatives Thursday to continue the work of the late Justice Antonin Scalia to keep the power of the courts and other branches of government in check.

Thomas told 1,700 people at a dinner in honor of Scalia that the Supreme Court has too often granted rights to people that are not found in the Constitution. He cited the decision in 2015 that made same-sex marriage legal across the country.

Thomas said he and his longtime friend and colleague formed an "odd couple" of a white New Yorker and a black man from Georgia.

He paraphrased Lincoln's Gettysburg address to exhort the audience to "be dedicated to the unfinished business for which Justice Scalia gave his last full measure of devotion."

COMMENT:  An appropriate message for this November 19th, the anniversary of Lincoln's 1863 address at Gettysburg. 

Keeping government power in check is at the heart of true conservatism.  Even if one favors actions like the Roe v. Wade decision of the Supreme Court, or the gay marriage decision, these social changes are better left to democratic action at the state level, or even the local level. 

Expect a shift in that direction under the new administration.,

November 19, 2016       Permalink

AND ANOTHER WARNING – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Warnings are also being issued in Europe about potential ISIS attacks.  From AP:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Intelligence experts estimate that the Islamic State extremist group has between 60 and 80 operatives planted in Europe to carry out attacks, the Dutch counterterrorism coordinator said Friday.

Dick Schoof said in an interview with The Associated Press that would-be fighters are also heeding messages from the militant group "asking them not to come to Syria and Iraq, but to prepare attacks in Europe."

One result is that over the last six months the number of "foreign terrorist fighters" hasn't grown, he said, but the fact that they're not traveling "does not mean that the potential threat of those who would have traveled is diminished."

Schoof said military operations to oust the Islamic State from its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq are scattering the extremist group's fighters and supporters.

This will probably lead to a gradual increase of refugees that will pose a danger to the national security of the Netherlands and other European countries, he said.

COMMENT:  There have been some horrendous terror attacks in France over the last year.  European security authorities believe there will be more, and that the targets may be all over Europe.  It is much easier for ISIS, based in the Mideast, to strike at Europe than to strike at America.

November 19, 2016       Permalink

HOLIDAY WARNING – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:  As Thanksgiving approaches, authorities are warning of possible terrorist attacks.  From CBS Boston: 

BOSTON (CBS) — As the holiday bustle picks up, so does law enforcement awareness.

Sources tell CBS News the FBI is alerting police across the country about a potential terrorist attack around Thanksgiving.

It specifically warns of homegrown terrorists. Potential targets? Shopping malls, special events, crowded venues–locations in Washington, D.C. and Virginia described as target-rich zones. ISIS’s magazine called New York City’s Macy’s Parade an excellent target.

And potential tactics could include guns, IEDs, or drones equipped with IEDs.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says there is no specific threat to the Boston area, but it’s good to stay on your toes.

“We’re going to have more visibility out on the streets,” Walsh told WBZ-TV Friday. “People are going to see more police officers out there. You know, even during the holiday season, the shopping, we try to put more visibility out there.”

COMMENT:  I take every alert seriously.  Terror is not declining around the world.  It is growing, although you'd never know it by the relaxed attitude of the Obama administration. 

ISIS is under military pressure in the Mideast.  Its usual response to direct military pressure is to attack elsewhere.

November 19,  2016     Permalink