Lots 'o Links

Here are the final links of 2015 from Maggie's Farm, Betsy's Page, and Larwyn's Linx.

Political Odds & Ends

* Here's a nice Deroy Murdock column on Marco Rubio as the best chance to defeat Hillary Clinton: "Rather than engineer a Hillary Clinton landslide, Republican voters should nominate a stalwart, quick-witted conservative whose immigrant roots and modest means make him a far more elusive target for Clinton’s slings and arrows. In fact, Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) is the only GOP contender who consistently defeats Hillary Clinton in head-to-head heats." This is the only thing that matters right now. Stop bashing Trump and one another, and concentrate on winning back the White House! 

* It's hard to believe that, despite all the destruction this president has caused, and all the scandals he's been involved in, 43.7% of the people polled actually approve of his performance while 52% disapprove. Why isn't the disapproval number higher?

* From Townhall: Really: Kerry Names Climate Deal As Biggest Achievement of the Year.

* I give up: Bad economy may be good for your health: Study. (But only when the president at the time is a Democrat!)

The Obama Self-Congratulatory Legacy Tour

At least when a retiring baseball great makes his final visits to stadiums to receive gifts and accolades, it's because he has contributed to bettering his team and his teammates.  Obama, on the other hand, has done nothing but strike out since becoming president, and we are in worse shape now than before he was elected.

Fighting over Gitmo

From Reuters: Special Report: Pentagon thwarts Obama's effort to close Guantanamo.

Good for the Pentagon! They obviously see what Obama refuses to see: that closing Gitmo and moving dangerous terrorists into our country is a security risk. At least someone is looking out for our safety.  

Argus Hamilton Quips

Enjoy the humorist's latest column, which offers such news items as this: "President Obama pardoned thousands of inmates from federal prisons, slashing years off their felony sentences. This time we are not even getting a deserter back in return. National Security Advisor Susan Rice told NBC News that these prisoners served their terms with honor and distinction." 

Oh, That's A Good One!

From Mediaite: "President Obama has a very simple question for everyone running to be his successor: why? More specifically, 'why do you want to do this?' Obama said what sustains him is the fact that becoming president requires a love of country and a clear vision on how you can get America working."

A love of country? Everything he's done to fundamentally transform America has definitely not been for love of country! And the reason the candidates (at least the Republicans) want to become president is to undo the damage he's done and to protect us against further destruction, from within and from without.

A Common Sense Statement on 'Refugees'

Too bad our president doesn't talk like this:  "Czech President Milos Zeman has called the current wave of refugees to Europe 'an organised invasion', adding young men from Syria and Iraq should instead 'take up arms' against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) group.'   He went on to say that compassion was 'possible' for refugees who are old or sick and for children, but not for young men who in his view should be back home fighting against jihadists."

The Latest Sports Scandal?

If the story about Peyton Manning is true, it'd be the most shocking news since that other all-American boy, Lance Armstrong, was revealed to be a liar and cheater. If it's not true, Al Jazeera has an awful lot of explaining and apologizing to do.

If This is Success, I'd Hate To See Failure

From Israel Matzav: "This is not a parody: State Dept. touting 'success' in fight with 'violent extremists,' efforts to end war in Syria, Iranian nuke deal in year-end review." 

This is more proof that the Obama administration, and Democrats in general, relies on citizens and voters who neither watch the news nor pay attention to world events.

There's also a link in this article to an explanation of why Obama always refers to ISIS as "ISIL".

Merry Christmas!

Here are a few Christmas treats from the Watcher's Council!

"The Death of Gratitude"

The latest column by Victor Davis Hanson couldn't be more true. It's called "The death of gratitude" and describes our current climate of selfishness, whining, and wasting time finding things that offend you. I always say if you don't like it here, leave.

Lots 'o Links

Here are your Christmas Eve news roundups, thanks to Maggie's Farm, Betsy's Page, and Larwyn's Linx.

Bonus: a clever retort from Ted Cruz.

Shame on Sweden!

Raoul Wallenberg must be rolling in his grave: Facing death chants and hate crimes, Sweden’s Jews live in a climate of fear.

The hate continues. Politicians at a pro-Arab, anti-Israel rally there "distanced themselves, claiming they had not understood the meaning of the Arabic slogans." Sure, they hadn't!

What did we ever do to the Swedes?

Conditioned Response

Here's another dose of common sense from Daniel Greenfield at Sultan Knish, where he refers to Islamic terrorism-deniers as The Islam Terror Truthers.  "Each and every act of Muslim terrorism is followed by a wave of denial.  The politicians who have done the most to cause the latest disaster are the eagerest to blame it on something, anything else." 

I've always said that it will unfortunately have to take 5,000 or 10,000 Americans killed by these savages in mass attacks before everyone finally accepts the fact that Jihadists want us dead.

Chicken Chuckles

I can't figure out why I like this commercial so much. The debater's nervous laugh seems to be contagious. Maybe the Republicans can try this method against Hillary.

Merry Shopmas!

Here's Dennis Prager on the now annual debate over the use of "Happy Holidays"instead of "Merry Christmas":  "I have been wished 'Happy Holidays' by every waiter and waitress in every restaurant I have dined; by every one of the young people who welcome me when I go to the gym; by every flight attendant and pilot on every one of my flights; and by every individual I have dealt with on the phone. When I respond 'Thank you. Merry Christmas,' I sometimes sense that I have actually created some tension. While many of those to whom I wish 'Merry Christmas' may actually be happy that someone felt free to utter the C-word, all the sensitivity training that they’ve had to undergo creates cognitive dissonance."

I know how he feels. I always say "Merry Christmas", but thanks to the PC types, it seems to be a foreign phrase. And the other day when someone actually greeted me with "Merry Christmas", I was taken aback, because I've hardly heard that phrase uttered during this sadly sanitized season. And anyway, maybe by next year, "Happy Holidays" itself will be found to be offensive!

When All Else Fails, Attack Others & Blame Racism

Has he looked in the mirror lately?  "HONOLULU — President Obama said in a radio interview that began airing on Monday that Donald J. Trump, a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, was exploiting the resentment and anxieties of working-class men to boost his campaign. Mr. Obama also argued that some of the scorn directed at him personally stemmed from the fact that he is the first African-American to hold the White House."  It's so unseemly.  Our country and the world are collapsing thanks to him, and this is his response.

The Republican candidates should start asking aloud: are we better off now than we were 4 or 7 years ago? Do you really want another Democrat in the White House at this crucial time? Forget about the phone ringing at 3 am -- there's pounding at the door at 3 am!

An Unsurprising Headline From a Surprising Source

Believe it or not, this editorial headline ran in The Washington Post: "Iran provokes the world as Obama does nothing."  (You can always substitute "ISIS" for "Iran".)

Time for Some Yiddish!

I think you'll enjoy the latest Yiddish Vinkl column by Harold Ticktin.

Here's an amusing poem about the "secret code" of Yiddish.

Watcher's Council

The Council has spoken! Here are the latest Watcher's Council results, which center around the evil San Bernardino terrorists.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Here's a new item from Hamilton's latest amusing column: "Congress held hearings looking for ways to halt ISIS recruiting of young men in the U.S. to the terrorist cause. Everyone's brainstorming. Donald Trump suggested Bill Gates figure out a way to shut down people's access to the Web, forgetting that Gates already did that with Internet Explorer."

Lots 'o Links

End your week with this roundup of news and culture, courtesy of Betsy's Page, Maggie's Farm, and Larwyn's Linx.

Bonus: read about Russia and the "Obama schmoe". And speaking of Obama and schmoes, I find that I trust him even less now that he is talking about defeating ISIS than I did when he dismissed ISIS as a threat!

Ramirez Cartoon

Cartoon by Michael Ramirez.

We Have To Pass It To Find Out What's In It: Part 2

Sound familiar?  "Early Wednesday morning, the House Rules Committee posted text for the Consolidated Appropriations Act of the 2016 fiscal year (FY). This $1.1 trillion spending package, known as the omnibus, shows Washington at its worst. Lawmakers are being asked to sign off on 2,200 pages (with an additional 1,000 pages of explanatory materials), at the 11th hour, without having had sufficient time to analyze its contents."

Marco Rubio criticized the bill:  “Look, this is a massive piece of legislation, over a trillion dollars in spending, it was just announced and everyone now has 48 hours to make a decision of what to do about it,” he said in an interview on Fox News today. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill on Friday.  Hours after Rubio’s comments, however, the Senate approved a unanimous consent to fast track the bill – ensuring that any senator would be unable to stall the bill.

Rubio criticized the bill for including funding for Obama’s Syrian refugee program as well as “a bunch of really bad stuff.” He indicated that he had already learned enough about the bill to oppose it, and signaled a willingness to slow the process down."

Politically Correct Triage?

Now I've heard everything! From Israel Hayom: 

"New guidelines announced Tuesday by the Israel Medical Association may dramatically change the way paramedics treat wounded individuals following terrorist attacks, potentially prioritizing terrorists over victims.

The directive, issued by the IMA's Ethics Committee, effectively changes existing triage guidelines. Under the current directive, patients are not to be prioritized solely on the basis of injury severity but also on the principle of 'charity begins at home,' meaning treating the victims of a terrorist attack before the terrorist himself, even if it appears the attacker's wounds are more serious.

Under the revised directive, patients are to be prioritized on the basis of medical considerations only. This means first responders may face situations where they must treat a terrorist before tending to the victims. ...

An IMA source told Israel Hayom the association avoided overly publicizing the decision, fearing public and political backlash amid the current surge in terrorist violence."

You think?!

"Muslims Against Islamism"

Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser offers a blueprint for how the West can counter Islamist tyranny. He also asks a question I have been asking for years:  

"How much more slaughter of innocents in the name of Islam do we need to endure before the free nations of the world wake up and admit that we are at war with the ideology of Islamism?"
 

Dr. Jasser is president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and author of A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save His Faith, and I've seen him on Fox News. Let's hear more in this vein from more people like Dr. Jasser!

Fact vs. Fiction

Read Mark Steyn on a movie about Chappaquiddick:

"Over at Powerline, "Twin Cities man" John Hinderaker reports that they're making a film about Chappaquiddick. From The Hollywood Reporter:

Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed Fifty Shades of Grey, is in talks to direct Apex Entertainment's feature Chappaquiddick.
Mark Ciardi is producing the project, with its script just named to the 2015 Blacklist. Campbell McInnes of Apex Entertainment and Chris Cowles of DMG Entertainment are also producing.
"I've done a lot of true life stories, many sports stories, but this one had a deep impact on this country," said Ciardi. "Everyone has an idea of what happened on Chappaquiddick...

John Hinderaker:

Actually, the facts are clear. "Everyone has an idea" only because the truth has mostly been suppressed by the liberal press.

Hollywood:

...and this strings together the events in a compelling and emotional way.

Hinderaker:

Not, you will note, in a true way. Instead, in a "compelling and emotional way."

Hollywood:

"You'll see what he had to go through."

Hinderaker:

What he had to go through? Are these people crazy?

Hollywood:

Written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan, Chappaquiddick is political thriller that unveils the true story of what is described as the seven most dramatic days of Senator Ted Kennedy's life.

Hinderaker:

True story? We'll see. I don't doubt that these were the seven most dramatic days of Ted's life–only political corruption spared him from a jail term–but more significantly, it was the last day of Mary Jo Kopechne's life."

How Diplomatic!

"'Senior American officials' told the New Yorker that, in the view of the Obama administration, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is 'myopic, entitled, untrustworthy, disrespectful of Obama.'"  Oh, brother! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

The Republican candidates can debate all day long about how they would deal with ISIS, but Obama has a whole year left, and who knows what this world and this country will look like by then. Israel is our only friend in the Middle East, and even that can change by the time he finally leaves office!

O Come All Ye Shoppers

Now we know once and for all that Christmas is purely an excuse to shop and has nothing whatsoever to do with the birth of Jesus Christ: "It was once anathema to think of shopping on Thanksgiving Day, but now that's become almost commonplace with the likes of Walmart and Macy's opening their doors on the holiday.
What's next? Christmas Day? Actually, yes, according to consulting company LoyaltyOne.
'It's inevitable,' said LoyaltyOne managing partner Dennis Armbruster, who predicts that retailers will start opening on Christmas Day within three years. 'What Christmas means to some is just changing, and a lot of families don't necessarily celebrate on Christmas Day because of extended family dynamics. Consumers are also highly used to getting what they want, when they want it.'"

What a sad commentary.

Festival of Frights

It's funny -- Obama's administration is the most politically correct in presidential history, always worrying about the hurt feelings of every group, except for the Jews.

So I wasn't at all surprised to read about the revolting Hanukah ceremony he held. You have to read Daniel Greenfield's description for yourself.

Too Much Time on One's Hands

(1) Here's some extremely important news: "Study confirms that ending your texts with a period is terrible.  Researchers, led by Binghamton University's Celia Klin, report that text messages ending with a period are perceived as being less sincere, probably because the people sending them are heartless."

The fact that something this trivial would be the focus of a study is amazing.  And what kind of people get offended by a simple punctuation mark? We're in worse shape and more immature than I imagined. 

(2) "Woman's Complaint Leads To Menorah Removal In Lakewood: Report.The report says the woman wanted a nativity scene added and threatened a lawsuit if it wasn't."   How does a complaint from just one spiteful woman result in such caving?  Why didn't they tell her to jump in the lake?  Also, in case she didn't know it, it IS Hanukah; it won't be Christmas yet for a while!

Watcher's Council

The Council has spoken! Here are this week's Watcher's Council results!

The Weasel of the Week and recipient of the Golden Weasel statuette of shame is Prog-Faschist New York Daily News Columnist Linda Stasi !!

Lots 'o Links

You can't go wrong reading the latest news and culture roundups from Betsy's Page, Maggie's Farm, and Larwyn's Linx.

Check out this Rick McKee cartoon as seen at Instapundit.

Tonight, CNN was spending more time attacking Trump than they were talking about the Minnesota Jihadist. Here's a an alternative to Trump's proposal that Muslims be temporarily banned from entering our country: let them enter the country, but don't give them welfare, food stamps, or housing assistance.  Why should we subsidize our own destruction?

Moronic Students

How do these morons even get accepted to college when they are this ignorant?  "Protesters at a Pennsylvania college are demanding that the school rename a building called Lynch Memorial Hall because of the racial overtones of the word 'lynch.'  The group of students at Lebanon Valley College submitted a list of demands to the administrators, including nixing the name of the building devoted to the college’s former president, Clyde A. Lynch."  Does this mean anyone named White should have to change their name?  How about demanding that the Tchaikovsky piece Marche Slave be renamed? Where will this stop?

Can't anyone tell these idiots off?  Better off, expel them -- there are smarter kids who would love to go to college in their place.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Here's one of the news items in the humorist's latest column: "The White House stood by President Obama's declaration in Paris that the number-one threat to the United States is climate change and carbon emissions. The enemy was quick to adjust. To stay off President Obama's radar, ISIS just decided that all their future Toyota trucks will be hybrids."

Stop Already!

Can the Republican presidential candidates please stop fighting and attacking one another? They should be working together to defeat Hilary Clinton and regain the White House before it's too late.  The infighting just plays into the hands of the Democrats and the media, which looks for any excuse to criticize them anyway. The goal of the GOP should be to win the November election and get our country back on the right track, not to self-destruct!

Tough Talk

Here's a USA Today opinion column whose sentiment I agree with: Let's kill them first.

Too bad the president doesn't talk this way.

It's Not Islamophobia -- It's Obamaphobia!

I'm afraid of what Obama is going to do to this country in the very long year he still has left! I'm afraid of a President who considers the American people the enemy while ISIS is the JV team and Al Qaeda's on the run. These terrorist groups must cheer when they hear speeches like the one Obama gave last night.  He is our version of the Vichy government.

Now THAT Was a President!

Can you even imagine Obama saying what Franklin Roosevelt said on December 8, 1941?

"As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God."

He couldn't walk, yet he had more strength and courage than people who could. Because of him, America was strong.

Defy ISIS: Light Your Candles!

Courageous news from the City of Lights: "Chabad of Paris has announced that it will go forward with its traditional candle-lighting ceremonies throughout the city during Hanukkah, despite heightened fears of terrorism in the wake of the November 13 terror attacks in the French capital. 'As a matter of principle, Chabad has always taken the position that shutting down its Jewish activities would be a capitulation to terror, a submission to darkness which the [Hanukkah] lights are intended to dispel,' an article published on the Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters’ news site read, explaining the movement’s decision."

Just Follow The Same Script

Here's Robert Spencer on the latest terrorist attack:  "The San Bernardino jihad massacre is the latest jihad atrocity, but it’s just like the last one, and just like the next one: it has played out in exactly the same way that the last jihad atrocity did, and in just the same way that the next one will play out as well. Mass killings by 'radicalized' Muslims are followed by earnest statements from the President and the mainstream media that we must not rush to judgment, that the motive of the shooters was unclear, that we need gun control, that we need to address the real threat of climate change, that Muslims fear 'Islamophobia,' and so on. It’s always a new massacre, but it’s always the same story.
Surely by now mainstream media reporters don’t even need to roll out of bed to file their stories. How much legwork does it take to write, 'Syed Farook and Tashfeen Melik murdered 14 people at a Christmas party in San Bernardino; yes, Farook was a devout Muslim, but authorities are searching for a motive; moderate Muslims condemned the attack and said they feared anti-Muslim backlash'? Change the names and date, change the number of victims and the place, and they’ve filed that story dozens of times. They can just take out their last New York Times or CNN piece on the Paris jihad attack, change the details, hit send, and pour a cold one."

Watcher's Council

The Council has spoken! Here are this week's Watcher's Council results.

If You See Something, Say Something -- Unless They're Muslims!

Well, I was right -- the lectures about our being Islamophobic have indeed begin, and by the new Eric Holder:  "Attorney General Loretta Lynch urged Muslim parents to contact both the justice department and the education department if they think their children are being 'bullied' in school.
'We’ve seen this for a number of years, we saw it a lot in the New York area [after 9/11], unfortunately, where there would be a backlash against the Muslim community in general,' she claimed at a Thursday fundraiser dinner for an Islamic advocacy group, Muslim Advocates."

Excuse me, but "backlash" is normal after your country has been attacked and innocent people have been savagely murdered!   It was that way with the Japanese and Germans during WW2 -- but Americans weren't lectured about it by FDR or Churchill! It's war, you fools, so shut up with the PC once and for all, and go after the terrorists and terrorist sympathizers in this country instead.

Lots 'o Links

Read up on this week's savage murders and more at Betsy's Page, Maggie's Farm, and Larwyn's Linx.

And this sickening fact, as seen at Mark Steyn:  "A man who has been working in the area said he noticed a half-dozen Middle Eastern men in the area in recent weeks, but decided not to report anything since he did not wish to racially profile those people." How can this witness sleep at night?  That sort of political correctness is exactly what terrorists and other criminals are counting on.

If only we had a real President right now to handle this brutal terrorist presence!

Badmouth Bigmouths

These 3 Dems are visiting a DC mosque tomorrow.  "Democratic Representatives Rep. Donald Beyer (D-VA), , Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), , and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)  announced in a letter: 'We must show that we will not tolerate islamophobia and that those who propagate it do not represent the melting-pot America that we celebrate.'"

Once again, liberals rush to kowtow to Muslims and apologize to them after a fatal terrorist attack.  What these three men should have said was, "We will not tolerate murder in the name of Islam," and paid tribute to the innocent victims!

Stop Insulting Our Intelligence

If it's true that one of today's killers is a Muslim named Farooq Saeed, kindly do not lecture us about "Islamophobia".  We have every right to hate them for their barbarity over the years, so just shut up already!

Please do not continue to preach to us about gun control. If you have any common sense at all, you will do away with gun-free zones once and for all.

If I hear one more link between global warming and terrorism, I will surely scream.

"Look at the Jews"

In her excellent column titled Pope Francis, ‘suffering fuels terror’? Look at the Jews, Gheula Canarutto Nemni shows that despite the Pope's claim that “violence, conflict and terrorism…are fueled by fear and desperation…born of poverty and frustration", Jews never used that excuse.  "Yet nothing, not even desperation, can justify terrorism. The roots of terrorism lie only in hatred-based education. We Jews have a lot of experience with desperation. But our history shows other more constructive ways out of it. Desperation has never been a justification for Jews to commit violent acts in the name of our religion."

Horror in San Bernardino

When I heard the news today, I thought it had to be one of three things: foreign or domestic terrorism; gang- or drug-related retaliation; or recently fired disgruntled employees. Whoever they were, they certainly came professionally prepared.

Whichever the case, it's another black eye for this country.

Ramirez Cartoon

Here's another terrific Michael Ramirez cartoon; he always hits the nail on the head.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Be sure to check out the latest column, which includes such news items as this one: "President Obama declared Thursday the Syrian refugees are just like the Pilgrims who landed on the Mayflower. We all know how this ends. Two hundred years from now, the Syrians will feel guilty about what they did once they got here and allow Anglo-Americans to operate their own casinos."