'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Legal Version

TaxProf "Check out the original and legal versions of the classic poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas [click on chart to enlarge]:"

An undiplomatic message to Israel?

PowerlineBlog "A dispute is rumbling between Israel and the US Consulate in Jerusalem after a US diplomatic car allegedly tried running over a Defense Ministry security guard recently at an IDF checkpoint in the West Bank. The car had been stopped after the occupants refused to present identification papers. Israel is also furious that one of the consulate cars was found to have transported a Palestinian without permits between Jerusalem and the West Bank." And here: Jerusalem Post

Christmas under Communism

Jeffrey Folks , AT "The communist state could not keep us or others among the ex-pat and local population from reciting the biblical story of the birth of Christ. What it could do was prohibit all public manifestations of the profound religious tradition that had once dominated the hearts and minds of most Eastern Europeans. .... There were no greetings of "Merry Christmas," no exchanges of cards or presents, no looks of anticipation or wonder."

Merry Christmas to Our Troops

AWR Hawkins , Pajamas Media "While our homes are full of family celebrating “the most wonderful time of the year,” take the time to pause and remember that ours is a life of ease rarely mixed with danger solely because the lives of these troops are those of danger rarely mixed with ease. These are those of whom it was said: “[We] sleep peacefully in [our] beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on [our] behalf.” Merry Christmas to our troops the world over. You are not forgotten."

Have a Merry Government-Regulated Christmas

Frank J. Fleming , Pajamas Media "Every year, Santa engages in some sort of domestic spying program, watching our children like a pedophile in wait, and he determines which children are “naughty” or “nice.” His methods for determining this are unknown; we also can’t know whether there is a racial disparity in these lists. He then makes his presents for the select few using non-union elf labor and comes to our neighborhoods in an unregistered sleigh pulled by disease-bearing caribou. Then Santa breaks into our houses and engages in his personal form of justice, leaving presents for the children he arbitrarily deems “good” and coal for the children he labels “bad.” "

Merry Christmans 2009

Gateway Pundit "The Anchoress posted this wonderful video of Aled Jones as a child and an adult singing “O Holy Night.’It is wonderful.I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas."

Could Jesus Live Safely In Bethlehem Today?

Phyllis Chesler , Pajamas Media "For example, the other day, I engaged my taxi driver in conversation. He was a young man from Turkey. He told me that he was a religious Muslim, that his wife wore hijab — and that he was committed to peace. “Do you understand the Islamic jihadists who massacre innocent civilians in the name of Islam”? Calmly, he answered. “Madame, they are not real Muslims. No real Muslim would do anything like that. I don’t know any Muslims like that.” He was very definite about this. Said I: “But don’t you want to stop such criminals from committing atrocities in the name of your religion?” He remained silent..."

War Against the Wannabe Rich

Victor Davis Hanson "Why the war against the productive classes who want to be rich? Maybe it is because they are not as numerous as the proverbial middle class. Perhaps they do not earn our empathy that is properly accorded to the poor. They surely lack the status and insider connections that accrue to the very rich. Yet continue to punish and demonize them, and the country will grind to a halt — as we are seeing now."

Ex-President Carter offers apology to Jews

GREG BLUESTEIN APNews "Carter's apology was welcomed by Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League and a vocal critic of Carter's views on Israel. When a former president reaches out to the Jewish community and asks for forgiveness, it's incumbent of us to accept it," he said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem. "To what extent this is an epiphany, only time will tell. There certainly was a lot of hurt, a lot of angry words that need to be repaired. But this is a good start." "I Do Not Forgive You, Jimmy Carter ", by Alan Caruba: "The calumnies and lies about Israel that the former President has lent his name to and the support he has demonstrated for the enemies of Israel cannot be wiped clean by an apology." Jimmy Carter: Still unforgiven by Ethel C. Fenig in AT: "Not so coincidentally his grandson, Jason Carter, is considering running for a seat in the Georgia state senate from a district with a large Jewish population..."

Political Cartoons by Gary Varvel

Townhall

Criminalizing Christmas Cookies, Candy Canes, and Crèches

Jeannie DeAngelis in AT "Eliminating depictions of biblical stories and characters does not go far enough for iconoclasts wishing to totally exterminate Christianity from American culture. Childhood memories embracing flavors, smells, and songs must be stamped out to fully purge even the most remote allusion to Christ. Every good heathen knows that peppermint candy canes and spray snow possess the power to jar Christmas memories and summon dangerous, offensive hymns like "Silent Night." " "Pagan Propaganda: The Other Attack on Christmas" "When addressing the notion that Christmas is a pagan event, we should first start with a very simple pronouncement. It is not. "

We're Staying, We're Praying; Get Used to It

Deborah C. Tyler in AT "There are three kinds of faith: faith in God, faith in oneself, and faith in life. Think of these as building blocks. When the United States was founded, the big block on the bottom of the pile was faith in God. However, something happened through the course of American history: The blocks got restacked, and faith in self, or egocentrism, settled into the first position."