What started a few short years ago has now become the usual thing, in that the majority of holiday wishes I receive (whether Hanukkah or Christmas) are sent via email or text. And it just seems cheap and without much thought. A throw-away. Yeah, yeah, I'm old-fashioned, blah, blah, blah. But I still mail out a fair amount of holiday cards to the people I see regularly and those I don't see hardly ever because they live far away and visits are rarely possible. I still get a few mailed cards, but c'mon. E-cards and texts just don't cut it.

Sometimes I get a little frustrated with some of the older members of my family (now in their 80's and 90's) for not being of a mind to check emails (they do not text -- ever) but I appreciate that they still love to send and receive the holiday and birthday cards. It makes a person feel more special than getting a "Merry Christmas!" text at 10:00 a.m. on December 25th.

I've been working six days a week this year, so I'm busy and very tired. And I don't make a ton of money, so there's the expense of cards and stamps. But I do it because I think it's something that matters in its own way.

There is a VIDEO.

Wisconsin State Senator Bob Gannon (R) explains it all for you:

Rep. Bob Gannon (R) responded to a recent shooting at East Towne Mall in Madison by saying that the incident could have been stopped if more people were carrying guns. During the incident over the weekend, a teen was shot in the leg and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

"Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law-abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scumbags," Gannon said in a statement on Monday. "Criminals no longer have any fear of our courts or our prisons, so it's time that the citizens of this fine state stand up and fight back."

It is literally a straight shot up the mountain and a pretty tough climb that's certainly not for the sedentary or faint of heart. But the view from up top is stupendous and well worth the effort. For that reason, it's a very popular trail with local residents in east Oahu.

Personally, I'm in good shape and I've never had a problem on the ascent. It's actually the descent that gets me, because coming down over 1,000 steps on a steep decline like that tends to aggravate knee and hip joint problems I've developed, which are likely the result of aging.

I can only imagine what the President's security detail must've thought the first time they laid eyes on that trail from the base of the crater yesterday morning, when the First Couple and a few friends decided to make the climb. Their appearance on the trail triggered more than a few Instagram posts from surprised and delighted locals who were on a similar outing.

One interesting thing is that Muslims themselves agree that many of the Mosques should be closed down . . .  because there are mosques that preach takfiri, which is when one Muslim group claims or preaches that other so-called Muslim groups are really heretics and not true Muslims.

Of course, there are dozens of more or less Christian churches that practice takfiri against other more or less Christian churches.

Following news that three mosques have already been closed since the November 13 attacks on the capital, Hassan El Alaoui, who is in charge of nominating regional and local Muslim imams and mediating between the imams and prison officials, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that more were set to be shut.

"According to official figures and our discussions with the interior ministry, between 100 and 160 more mosques will be closed because they are run illegally without proper licenses, they preach hatred, or use takfiri speech," he said.

Takfiris are classified as Muslims who accuse others of the same faith of apostasy, an act which has become a sectarian slur.

"This kind of speech shouldn't even be allowed in Islamic countries, let alone secure countries like France," El Alaoui, who became the first Muslim prison chaplain-general in 2005, said.

*  Here we have one of the chief Muslims of France declaring that many of the mosques in question should be shut down . . .

*

Also, note that it appears that while El Alaoui is currently in agreement with shutting down mosques that preach takfiri . . . I assume that he was silent or did not ask for closing down the mosques preaching "hatred," i.e. murder and terror, prior to the Paris attacks.

France has about 2600 mosques.  130 of that is 5%.  So France seems to think that about 5% of its mosques are preaching various forms of "hatred," justifying shutting them down.

*  One of my questions is where is NPR?  I mean, here we have a civilized Western nation and a beacon of enlightenment and good culture, closing down the "religious freedom" of 5 to 10% of its Muslims to attend and support and be a part of a mosque that preaches that killing people for Islam is the right and proper thing to do . . .

and some of the mosque closings are being supported by leading Muslims in France . . .

If ISIS recruiting goes up when the West actually oppresses Muslims, then, surely, France is supporting ISIS recruiting.  Correct?

Buried in the 1,600 pages of Congress' new spending plan is a quiet little passage that radically alters the way America treats medical marijuana.

The provision ends the federal prohibition on medical marijuana and bans federal agents from policing its users or raiding dispensaries in any state or district where it is legal.

The spending plan, and the medical pot provision within it, became law on Friday, with President Obama's signature.

"F*ck you, hungry children. And f*ck you, compassionate humans who care about them."

Now for the gifts.

For jondee a training class on Advanced Google so h/she can quote me correctly.

For GA, a rag doll named "Republican" so she has something to beat up on when the Internet is down.

For Scott an audio copy of "The Complete Works of Julius Caesar" so he can find out what real collateral damage is.

For shoephone a secret copy of my DD214 so she can find something to complain about but isn't allowed.

For FLJoe some cold weather so s/he can appreciate Global Warming.

For Nyshooter,  a side of fried okra, aka Candy, and  a dish of chitlin's with corn removed.

For  CaptHowdy, the channel number of Turner Classic Movies...and a  copy of each movie's synopsis.

For Donald in Hawaii a mirror that he can look into and ask... "Who's the smartest of them all?" (You can guess the mirror's reply.)

For BTD, a copy of the paper's next day's sport section.

For anne, training on how to use the SHIFT key on her keyboard.

For fishcamp some smarter gym partners. He must be getting bored.

For my old bud kdog the use of an acre of prime New York soil so he can grow his favorite...ahemmm.... "vegetable." (As long as he promises to not install SAM's to launch at the police helicopters.)

And for our hostess, Ms Merritt,  a double dose of patience to help her put up with us.

when she was sec of state she apparently declined to name boko haram as a terrorist group . . .

In addition to making the news for kipnapping girls, BH has been responsible for, or so it is alleged, killing about 10,000 people, creating 100,000 refugees . . . killing about 2000 innocent noncombattants in the village of Baga, and strapping explosives to young girls . . . and pledging their allegiance to and becoming what is now regards as a part of ISIS . . .

By some estimates, in terms of numbers killed, BH is ahead of ISIS in Syria though I somewhat think that ISIS has probably killed a lot of people by creating refugees who would die from other causes . . .

"This is going to be a problem for Hillary Clinton because Boko Haram has been around for quite a while," MSNBC analyst China Okasi said. "When Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, she was a bit reluctant to put the group on the terrorist list because she did not want to give the group the validation." [OK!  And some moderate Islamic militias make for great guards of embassies . . .]

It is alleged that as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton refused to put the group on the official U.S. terrorist list.

It appears that hrc lets a number of other factors cloud what should be good judgment . . .  If trump is the nominee,  then a lot of the contest will be about trump's judgment and willingness to insult everybody . . . except a certain Russian . . . for nearly everything . . .

Anyway, reading about the "rant" of Miss PR, I checked the dictionary and definitions for rant.

to talk loudly and in a way that shows anger : to complain in a way that is unreasonable

1. Angry, emotionally charged, or tediously negative speech or writing: a speech that was more rant than reason.
2. An example of such speech or writing: a rant against the university's policies.

A rant is an argument that is fueled by passion, not shaped by facts.

The definition of a rant is a complaint that is often lengthy and filled with anger and emotion.

Anyway, since it has been alleged that a post I posted was a bigoted rant, you folks make me curious as to which post it was and what I had said.  I don't know if you folks notice, but generally I try to cite documentation and sources.  I use references and links to studies . . .

For example, if I or someone were to allege that most Muslims are radicals, that would not be a rant.  That claim is a factual claim that depends on two things.  One is the definition we use for radical and the other is what factual objective studies from neutral sources have shown about the views of Muslims worldwide.  

You can make that claim true or false by using different definitions . . . and  the question is really what is a reasonable definition of radical.

That is a question we can and should have as reasonable people . . . but most people who know me do not believe I engage in unreasonable ranting . . . and the claim or the denial of the idea that most Muslims are radicals is a reasonably objective "thing" that can be argued . . . or in fact proven one way or the other.

I cite sources, facts and studies and say lets consider the implications . . . and once in a while, I then admit that my source is bad or misleading . . . but usually my source is right.

A non-profit, No One Left Behind, has been formed by former Marine Matthew Zeller and his interpreter, Janis Shinwari, to help resettle interpreters but that is only part of the battle. Congress and Department of Defense seem supremely uninterested in the fate of these men and women, who served America loyally and at the risk of their own lives, and much more interested in responding the media feeding frenzy about "Syrian refugees" about whom we know nothing.

The United States issued visas to more than 2,600 interpreters through September. The defense spending bill signed in November granted an additional 3,000 for the next fiscal year. The State Department estimates that 11,500 Afghan applicants were "at some step in the SIV application process" as of August 28. They compete for about 4,400 remaining visas before the embassy stops accepting applications on Dec. 31, 2016.

So, folks, you who are great advocates of taking in all these Muslim refugees  . . . some of whom then commit terrorist acts in the USA or are arrested while conspiring to do so . . . how come we can't provide visas and a reasonable time period to approve them for Afghans and Iraqis, those who risked their lives for the USA?

1. requiring telecommunications companies to create backdoors in all the software being used everywhere;

2. creating a no fly zone in Syria?

by the way, what does this one mean . . .

"We also have to figure out how we're going to deal with the radicalization here in the United States."

Does that mean monitoring and surveilling mosques which radicalize people or does that mean something else?  Criminal sanctions against radicals does not serve as a strong deterrent . . .  cause the radical are often dead after their terrorism . . .  So how exactly is hrc proposing that we "deal with radicalization" in the ole US of A?

Shut down certain mosques or infiltrate them with undercover and informant operatives?

Persuade certain internet companies to not distribute ISIS videos?  Rewrite the SCOTUS precedents as they relate to free speech as both Trump and HRC are suggesting?

By the way, now it seems that the idea that Trump first floated about closing off parts of the Net is being advocated in a different form by HRC . . . another of you lawyers who has a low and dim view of the 1st amend . . . at least as currently understood by SCOTUS . . .

Somebody will say, `Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.' These are foolish people.--Trump

It would be easier to deal with if it were. But Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, too, had her own very Trumpish "close that Internet up" moment recently, at a speech in Washington: . . .

University of Chicago law professor Eric Posner -- an occasional guest blogger here on the VC -- has now joined their ranks as well, with a more thoughtful (and therefore even more distressing) argument for greater speech curbs (over at Slate.com: "ISIS Gives Us No Choice but to Consider Limits on Speech"). . .

Consider a law that makes it a crime to access websites that glorify, express support for, or provide encouragement for ISIS or support recruitment by ISIS; to distribute links to those websites or videos, images, or text taken from those websites; or to encourage people to access such websites by supplying them with links or instructions.

You folks would rather do this than send a few thousand snipers to Syria?

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for the "dissolution" of radical mosques following last week's terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Belgium's Prime Minister, Charles Michel threatened similar action in his country where the attacks were staged.

Neither President Obama nor other officials in his administration, however, have spoken of shutting down radical mosques in the U.S. But U.S. reticence about taking actions now being implemented by France and Belgium isn't for a lack of mosques in this country in which hatred for American values and support for jihad terrorism are regularly heard.

The US-led military coalition in Afghanistan suffered one of its worst days in 2015 on Monday, as six US service members were killed and three others were wounded when a motorcycle laden with explosives detonated near them in Parwan province in an apparent suicide attack.

A US military official in Afghanistan confirmed that the slain troops were all Americans. The incident occurred north of the capital, Kabul, at about 1:30 p.m. in a province best known for Bagram air base, a sprawling military complex from which US forces fly F-16 fighter jets and other aircraft. While the US military no longer carries out offensive operations in Afghanistan following the end of its formal combat mission, it patrols around the base daily to protect it against the Taliban and other enemy groups.

Link

Carson is done. He just doesn't know it yet. The campaign is hemorrhaging cash and he's fallen to 4th in Iowa; a tie for 7th in NH; and while leading some national polls in late October, eight weeks later he has dropped to 4th.

Bush has finally found a state where he isn't in 5th. He is holding his ground with a 4th place showing in....Florida. Worse news for Bush, in NH where he is staking his ground, he is in a virtual tie for 5th... with Kasich

Cruz is still gaining on Trump everywhere, but it's at the expense of everyone but Trump(e.g. Carson).

The final three as of now still look to be Trump, Cruz, and someone from the trifecta of Bush, Rubio, and Christie. The 12 people that supported Graham appear to be moving to Bush.

Yay Attorney General Herring!

Link

The states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Agreements will remain with West Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

The move also means several states will no longer recognize Virginia's concealed carry permits because they require mutual recognition of permits. Those include Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming.

I'm sure he appreciated that.

"After reviewing all the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland, a Waller grand jury did not return an indictment in the death of Bland, nor were any indictments returned against any employee of the Waller County Jail," Jordan said after the grand jury met for more than eight hours Monday.

"The grand jury has looked at all the evidence and found no evidence of murder," he said.

But the grand jury will consider other charges relating to the case.  I'm not exactly sure what that means.

I'm glad the traffic cop wasn't indicted.  He might have violated some policy but he didn't commit any crimes. I would like to know more about what happened in her jail cell.  Why was she given any opportunity to commit suicide when they knew that was a possibility?

There are, I suppose, 2 ways to consider the 2nd amendment . . . one is the originalist view and the other is whatever one believes individuals should have, if anything, in terms of a right to kba.

It is interesting that HRC would pick an issue and then state the scotus and its decision or decisions on that issue are wrong . . . I actually believe that candidates for pres or senate should do that more often.  The scotus is not infallible.

Reportedly Obama has referred to Tea party people as tea-baggers and biden has referred to gun-rights advocates as tea-baggers.

It's not as though Barack Obama wrote a letter to a fifth-grade schoolteacher in which he labeled Tea Partiers "tea baggers," a term of derision used by the left that makes reference to a man dangling his testicles above another person's mouth. (Ironically, [supposedly] Obama didn't even realize he was using derogatory language when he wrote "tea-baggers" - he wrote, "I do have to challenge you, though, on the notion that any citizen that disagrees with me has been `targeted and ridiculed,' or that I have `made fun' of tea-baggers.") And it's not as though Vice President Joe Biden dropped the same "tea-baggers" language with regard to gun-owners. It's not as though in 2008, Obama labeled Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a hog, stating, "you can put lipstick on a pig... it's still a pig."

This one was Directed and Narrated by Angela Bassett.  I just watched on the StairMaster.  It's really excellent.