Hell Has A New Occupant: North Korea’s Kim Jong Il Dead…(Updates added)

Weasel Zippers   "“It is the biggest loss for the party … and it is our people and nation’s biggest sadness,” an anchorwoman clad in black Korean traditional dress said in a voice choked with tears. She said the nation must “change our sadness to strength and overcome our difficulties.” "

From the Council on Foreign Relations,October 25, 2010;  Succession and Stasis in North Korea "However daunting all of this may seem, and however dim Kim Jong Un’s prospects appear, several factors, both internal and external, will work in his favor. He will rely on the system designed by his grandfather, the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung -- a system that, as Daniel Byman and I have written, was designed for resilience."

Thomas Lifson:  North Korean Communist dynasty goes into its third generation  "Power is passing to the youngest of his three sons, Kim Jong-un, now known as the "Great Successor," formerly labeled by the regime as the "Brilliant Comrade."
Sounds like a title for the head lemur in "Madagascar".  But I digress...
Oldest brother Kim Jong Nam reportedly "had been the favorite to succeed his father but reportedly fell out of favour after being caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport in 2001 to visit Tokyo Disneyland." Second brother Kim Jong Chul was also passed over. Information is fragmentary, but a Japanese sushi chef who worked for Kim Jong il left North Korea and wrote about the Kim family. He is reported to have indicated:

Kim would often bemoan that Kim Jong Chul, his 23-year old son, would never rule because he had turned out to be "like a girl." ....

Bloviating Zeppelin
"The news came as North Korea prepared for a hereditary succession. Kim Jong Il inherited power after his father, revered North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, died in 1994.
"In September 2010, Kim Jong Il unveiled his third son, the twenty-something Kim Jong Un, as his successor, putting him in high-ranking posts."

The funeral dinner will consist of stale bread and water.

OWS manages to shut down a business; commentary ensues

Hot Air  " Milk Street Cafe , the restaurant whose business dried up in the face of the Occupy Wall Street barricades, is shutting down.
"Thursday will be the last day for the 23,000 square-foot eatery that opened at 40 Wall St. in June, the Daily News has learned.
" “It’s terribly sad,” Milk Street Cafe owner Marc Epstein told the News.
"Epstein blamed the barricades that remained in front of his restaurant even after the Occupy Wall Street protestors were removed from Zuccotti Park.
" “This is now the 12th straight week of the barricades,” he said."

Their web site

Townhall: Occupy Forces a Business to Close   "Nice job sticking it to the man, Occupy. You really showed those investment bankers."

OC register.com

The Gothamist: Milk Street Cafe, Which Blamed Occupy Wall Street For Bad Business, Closing Tomorrow    "Hope you're happy, Occupy Wall Street. All your rabble rousing has driven a small business owner out of business, the business owner said. You'll recall that Marc Epstein, the owner of the kosher upscale food court that opened in June on Wall Street, laid off a quarter of his staff at the end of October, when the Occupy Wall Street occupation at nearby Zuccotti Park was at its zenith. With business down 30 percent, Epstein described himself as "collateral damage" from Occupy Wall Street, which he characterized as "not serious... If it was, they would not want small businesses going out of business." Now he's out of business."

Is Occupy Wall Street late to the game? "The poll shows 64 percent of Americans say “big government” is the biggest threat to the country, while just 26 percent say it’s “big business” and 8 percent say it’s “big labor.” "

White House Displays ‘Washington Monument Syndrome’

FactCheck.org   "The White House misleadingly suggests that the Republicans’ plan to pay for a payroll tax cut would result in “forcing cuts to things like education and medical research.” The bill passed by House Republicans mentions no such cuts. And while the bill may or may not require cuts to discretionary spending, there’s no reason those cuts would have to come from popular programs like education or medical research."....

"This is a classic example of a political tactic some call the Washington Monument Syndrome, where a politician facing budget cuts will select examples of visible, popular services and warn that those would be the first ones cut.

"That was what the Washington Post once dubbed the tactic pursued by the late George B. Harzog, director of the National Parks Service in 1969, when he ordered the Washington Monument (and all other national parks) to be closed two days a week after the Nixon administration cut the Parks Service’s budget. Congress later restored the money after a public outcry.

"In this case, it’s education and medical research."

Drawing from nps.gov

Congressmen can't say 'Merry Christmas' in mail

debitversuscredit.com

Beltway Confidential via Drudge:  "Looks like the PC police have threatened members of the House of Representatives against wishing constituents a "Merry Christmas," if they want to do so in a mailing paid for with tax dollars.
"Members who submit official mailings for review by the congressional franking commission that reviews all congressional mail to determine if it can be "franked," or paid for with tax dollars, are being told that no holiday greetings, including "Merry Christmas," can be sent in official mail.
" "I called the commission to ask for clarification and was told no 'Merry Christmas.' Also told cannot say 'Happy New Year' but can say 'have a happy new year' – referencing the time period of a new year, but not the holiday," said a Hill staffer who requested anonymity."

They can do it, but their postage will not be paid by the government. Who do these PC people live in fear of, anyway?

Ad: Are Your Greeting Cards Politically Correct with Your Audience?

..."Whether or not you personally celebrate the Holidays by sending business Christmas cards, when choosing your company's holiday card it's important to think about your recipients. Unless you know for sure that they celebrate Christmas, it may be inappropriate to select a card that makes specific reference to Christmas. If they do celebrate, is it in a secular way? While it's true that political correctness can be just as controversial as the topics it covers, the bottom line is that the greetings you're sending to your customers shouldn't run the risk of alienating them."...

TW hopes this message will convey to you the full meaning of, er, this time.

The President and the Pipeline

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Tim Tebow and that Rabbi

Rabbi Hammarman's screed against Tim Tebow  (Earlier, TW published an excerpt from this rabbi's article here. That was the most incendiary part of the rabbi's column, but he added this:)

Tebow used to wear eye black citing Ephesians 2:8-10, which states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (in Jesus).” His avenue to salvation is not available to those Jews who wish to remain Jewish.
"Unlike some other blue-staters, I do not fear people of faith. I fear people of certainty. The worldwide struggle going on right now is not between good and evil, but between certainty and doubt."....

To which Pam Geller of Atlas Shrugs responded:  "I haven't heard rubbish like this since Ed Asner got airtime on tv. This is the most arrogant tripe - and anti-Christian tripe - I have ever seen from an ordained rabbi. Hu strarich lehhitbayesh. That's Hebrew for "He needs to be ashamed of himself." A man loves Jesus and that automatically makes him want to banish immigrants and bash gays? And burn mosques? Where did this rabbi come up with this fevered swamp tripe? This column by the so-called rabbi is a hate crime in itself."

The Rabbi later apologized 

....I realize the way in which I attempted to make my points was clumsy and inappropriate, calling to mind the kind of intolerance and extremism my article was intended to disparage. I sincerely apologize to Mr. Tebow, his family, the Broncos and Patriots and all those whom I may have offended.”

The Rabbi's Twitter post:

"The Rabbi, as part of the J-Street Rabbinical council is part of the George Soros team, pulled the post off his personal blog and the Newspaper it was published in, the Jewish Week pulled it from their site."
  
Tebow post removed by Jewish Week

Blame the Jewish Week as well  "Hammerman could not have picked a more compatible location the Tebow hit piece, the Jewish Week run by Editor/Publisher Gary Rosenblatt has a history of pushing progressive themes and candidates, hit-jobs on political conservatives, and editorializing against people of faith (including Jews)."
 
From Atlas Shrugs: On the Unjewish Rabbi and the Left-Wing Jewish Newspaper that ran him  "I haven't had time to write on the "rabbi" who embarrassed all of us in a statement he made about the righteous Tim Tebow. It was so ugly on its face, I thought it a teachable moment, a stunning indictment of the Jewish left and the leftwing rag, The Jewish Week, that ran the "rabbi's" oped." Pamela Geller.

All links above not attributed to Atlas Shrugs are from Yid With Lid.

For Tebow fans.

http://theweek.com/section/cartoon/62/222413/sports

Above cartoon from a post called "The Tebow Taboo", which is not as rigidly enforced as the "Obama Taboo" is in the MainStream Media.

Collective Punishment; "Wherever You Can Reach Them"

Raymond Ibrahim   "Collectively punishing dhimmis — non-Muslims who refused to convert after their lands were seized by Muslims, and who are treated as "second-class" infidels — for the crimes of the individual is standard under Islam. In this instance, dhimmis are forbidden from striking — let alone killing — Muslims, even if the latter perpetrate the conflict. Prior to the fight that killed him, the Muslim in question had, through the help of radical Salafis, burned down the Christian's home and was threatening him over a property dispute. Still, non-Muslims are forbidden to raise their hands to Muslims, even in self defense."

Atlas Shrugs

....

"Bold as that seems, "wherever they can reach them" simply means that it is the Islamic world's accessible, vulnerable non-Muslims — Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus — not their Western counterparts, who will continue to be targeted, even as the West looks the other way."

Video: Muslim Police and Hundreds of Students Burn Down Church Screaming 'Allahu Akbar' and 'Jihad!'"More than 30 police officers were deployed to destroy the church, but in the face of protests from local Christians, they held back from demolishing the rest of the building. In the end, Christians were left weeping."

As usual, problems installing Flash prevent my imbedding the video here.

BAH! Humbug! dept: Yes, There Are Christmas Haters

CNS News   "In this special season of giving, Hollywood is willing to give people what entertainment executives think the country needs: a vicious, bloody takedown of Christmas. The Dec. 11 episode of

"*American Dad" on Fox exemplified those with a complete absence of Christmas spirit; it was titled "Season's Beatings.""....
....
The Batavia City School District in upstate New York explicitly instructed employees, "Expressions related to specific religions, e.g., 'Merry Christmas,' should not be included in any spoken or written remarks."
....
 16-year-old student Colin Curran ...prepared a playlist for an annual "holiday" breakfast for young children, a school adviser stated that the songs could not include the following words: Christmas, Hanukkah, Jesus, God or Santa Claus. "I questioned the logic behind these restrictions and was informed that since we live in an area with many different cultures, our principal does not want to offend anyone with belief-specific music." (Emphasis mine;TD)

Related, since we brought up that Fox show:Fox Television's Dung Pile "Michelle Obama says her daughters only watch Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. If her husband had a real FCC chairman, maybe Fox wouldn't be putting on a cartoon with a dog eating feces and vomit."

* American Dad  The random escapades of Stan Smith, an extreme right wing CIA agent dealing with family life and keeping America safe, all in the most absurdist way possible. (Emphasis mine, TD). Renewed

The Candidates and the Fox Debates

Gingrich; donkeyhotey

Roger L Simon: Explaining Newt   "Let’s begin here: America is in a slough of despond. In fact, it’s in close to the worst shape it’s been since the Great Depression. Negativity rules the land. Few people are happy or optimistic. Basically, this once great nation is asleep.

"And we have a president who wants us to stay there, who is banal, irritating, humorless, reactionary, self-righteous, and narcissistic all at once. He hasn’t said one interesting thing or proposed one creative idea since being in office.

"Unfortunately, the Republican candidates aren’t much better."....   (emphasis added)

One caveat this author gives about his opinions: "Now I am not a Beltway person. I am something even worse — a Hollywood & Vine person — so everything I say is suspect and should be."  This quote sounds accurate to me. I do recall A.B. Stoddard on Fox Special Report, quoting someone once serving alongside Gingrich who said he "couldn't govern himself across the room".

Paul; donkeyhotey

Debate Discussion: Showdown in Sioux City: Ron Paul’s Waterloo?  "Ron Paul had a terrible run when attempting to explain his policies on Iran’s nuclear program, ultimately losing a one-on-one confrontation with Michele Bachmann. This was Ron Paul’s worst debate."....
"Santorum, noting Iran’s attitude since 1979, explained the facts to Paul. Who will surely ignore them as he has been for years. Rick Santorum might make a fine secretary of Defense. His instincts are solid and he has a strong defense record from his days in Congress."  Also: Why Ron Paul Can't Win ; "The candidate's problem isn't better-funded opponent or media bias—it's his own views on foreign policy."
Few know that Neville Chamberlain had some excellent economic policies to help Britain out of the depression. He is forever known for that one major foreign policy failure that led to the rape of Europe. Few realize it at present, but soon the major concern of this country will be Iran and the Middle East, which Paul and Obama are most unqualified to handle. TD

Winnowing the Field   "We fear that to nominate former Speaker Newt Gingrich, the frontrunner in the polls, would be to blow this opportunity. .... That year he was kicked out by his colleagues, the most conservative ones especially, who had lost confidence in him. During his time as Speaker, he was one of the most unpopular figures in public life. Just a few months ago his campaign seemed dead after a series of gaffes and resignations. ....."

NRO: Jawing for the Presidency  "I have some scribbles for you on the latest GOP presidential debate, held in Sioux City, Iowa. Nothing major, nothing all-encompassing — just a few scribbles."

Krauthammer: The wages of appeasement

Charles Krauthammer  "Barack Obama didn’t appease Osama bin Laden. He killed him. And for ordering the raid and taking the risk, Obama deserves credit. Credit for decisiveness and political courage.
"However, the bin Laden case was no test of policy. No serious person of either party ever suggested negotiation or concession. Obama demonstrated decisiveness, but forgoing a non-option says nothing about the soundness of one’s foreign policy. That comes into play when there are choices to be made.
"And here the story is different. Take Obama’s two major foreign policy initiatives — toward Russia and Iran."
....
 "The signature decision was the abrupt cancellation of a Polish- and Czech-based U.S. missile defense system bitterly opposed by Moscow.
"The cancellation deeply undercut two very pro-American allies who had aligned themselves with Washington in the face of both Russian threats and popular unease. Obama not only left them twisting in the wind, he showed the world that the Central Europeans’ hard-won independence was only partial and tentative."
.....
"On Tuesday, with Putin-like contempt, Iran demanded that Obama apologize instead. “Obama begs Iran to give him back his toy plane,” reveled the semiofficial Fars News Agency.
"Just a few hours earlier, Secretary Clinton* asserted yet again that “we want to see the Iranians engage. . . . We are not giving up on it.”
"Blessed are the cheek-turners. But do these people have no limit?"

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2011/12/16/94561

As president, how would Hillary be stronger than Obama in foreign policy?

Nuclear knowhow, S300 are Iran's price for Russian, Chinese access to US drone  Remember, if we are nice to Iran they will be nice to us.

H.R. 3541: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011

Overcriminalized.com   "Official Title: A bill to prohibit discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex or race, and for other purposes."

"This bill would prohibit abortions that are “sought based on the sex, gender, color or race of the child, or the race of a parent of that child.” The proposed statute refers to this as a “sex-selection” or “race-selection” abortion."....

 www.faithmouse.com

...."Additionally, there is a reporting requirement for any “physician, physician’s assistant, nurse, counselor, or other medical or mental health professional” to report a violation to law enforcement or they would be subject to 1 year imprisonment and a fine under Title 18."

Debates: Republicans vs. Republicans

Fox: High Stakes, High Drama for Final Debate Before Voting Begins  "Here’s what’s on the line for the six men and one woman vying for the chance to confront Barack Obama:"

                                                       http://www.lucianne.com/

In new Iowa mailer, Romney keeps hammering Gingrich for his loveseat moment

" Romney’s mailer echoes the wording in a web advertisement his campaign released yesterday. Both knock Gingrich for teaming with Pelosi in 2008 for an ad that urged Americans to take global warming seriously."

CBS: What to watch in tonight's GOP debate  "Gingrich's professorial posture in early debates - when he wasn't being attacked - convinced voters to give him a second look; his task tonight will be not to say something to make them reevaluate that decision."....
 "Romney is a good debater but can seem uncomfortable when on the attack; if he can be convincingly aggressive against Gingrich, it will both diminish the frontrunner and help put to rest concerns among some Republicans that he won't take the fight to President Obama in a general election."....
"Then there are the candidates who have pinned all their hopes in Iowa: Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry. All three are campaigning aggressively in the Hawkeye State in the hope that a surprise victory there will give their sputtering campaigns a shot of momentum. Expect all three to try to appeal to evangelical voters, who dominate the GOP electorate in Iowa...."
"Look for [Ron] Paul to clash with his rivals on foreign aid and the U.S. military presence abroad as well as civil liberties issues at home - and to be greeted with rapturous applause from his passionate supporters, who are usually a boisterous presence in debate audiences."

PJ Media: Tonight’s Debate: The Big One? On the last big chance before Iowa, watch for the second-tier to make some noise.   "The media tonight is focusing on what will happen between Gingrich and Romney, but both will survive Iowa. The real fight will be between Perry, Bachmann, and Santorum."
Sorry, Paul supporters, but his silly, romantic, "be- nice- to- Iran foreign policy" makes him no better than Obama to me. And I personally do not need another one of those.


Team Obama: We’ll Take The Longest Republican Primary You Have, Please

http://conservativedailynews.com/2011/12/political-battle-wounds/

Campaign In 100 Seconds: Wacky Races  "The two front runners are going head to head in a “you’re richer than I am” debate and enlisting surrogates across the board to push their message and attack their opponents."   Video.