SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE:

VULGARITY IN IRAN – Good friends Susan Kohen and Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi alert us to an Iranian tragedy.  A 32-year-old evangelical Christian pastor has been ordered by the regime to renounce his Christian faith or face execution.  This is one of a number of measures the regime has taken to crack down on Christianity within Iran.  And the pastor's lawyer has now been sentenced to prison by the authorities for daring to defend his client.  Note please the deep interest in these outrages by "intellectuals" in the West.  Sure.  They're more interested in whether the prisoners at Guantanamo get enough TV's and hi-fi systems.

SOME PEOPLE STAY TOO LONG – Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York, a billionaire, has a certain daffiness that's come out more and more, as he pursues his third term as mayor.   One gets the feeling that most New Yorkers feel he's stayed in his chair a bit too long.  It has been announced that hizzoner will donate $50-million to a campaign to eliminate coal-fired power plants.  I'm not kidding you.  That's apparently the best cause Mayor Mike could find for 50 mil.  He might have considered giving $50-million in scholarships to the children of middle-aged workers laid off because of the financial shenanigans of the crony capitalists Bloomberg has known most of his life.  He could have asked them to match his gift.  But I guess we'll all sleep better knowing the mayor is on the coal patrol.

ANOTHER HOLLYWOOD BLUNDER – Yeah, I guess the golden age of Hollywood is truly over.  A new film for the young has just opened:  "Captain America:  The First Avenger."  It's set during World War II, and first reports say it gives a "nuanced" view of Adolf Hitler.  A nuanced view?  Apparently so.  And it's also apparent from the less than hardline denunciation of Hitler that the restraint was due to not wanting to offend the large German market.  Reportedly, Hollywood marketers think there's some nostalgia going on over there.  Next, look for a film depicting vicious American sailors attacking peaceful Japanese tourist planes over Pearl Harbor.  I always knew there was another side to the story.

NORTH CAROLINA WEAK FOR OBAMA – Obama carried the state in 2008.  North Carolina has changed over the years, with a large influx of researchers and suspicious northern types.  But the liberal trend may be ebbing.  Obama's job approval has dropped 14 points since May, with some 52% now expressing disapproval and 44% feeling positive about the president.  North Carolina, however, still has a large African-American population that is loyal to Obama.  Independents are fleeing him, though, with some 60% expressing disapproval. 

July 21, 2011