I Bring You Good Tidings of Great Joy

CNS News  This article quotes the Gospel of Luke. TW prefers to use this passage from the Gospel of John, chapter one, which I think is a magnificent Christmas story and better shows the reason we say "merry Christmas":

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.


The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:1-14 ESV)

From the Tunnel Dweller.

Kerby Anderson's Point of View on Christmas songs: Joy to the World

Point of View "During this Christmas week, I have taken the time to discuss the theology of some of the Christmas hymns and carols that we sing. Today I would like to talk about “Joy to the World.”
....
 "“Joy to the World” continues: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.” This refers back to the Fall in Genesis 3:18 where God says there will be thorns and thistles that will spring forth from the ground. In the New Heaven and New Earth, the curse currently on the Earth will be gone.
"Christ will also come as Judge. The hymn proclaims that: “He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”
"The first coming of Christ was an occasion of joy. The angel said to the shepherds: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). But this hymn also reminds us of the great joy the world will experience when Christ returns. We should look forward to it with expectation. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view." 

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/

More Christmas hymns discussed here:

• First Noel
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• O Holy Night   
• Hark! the Herald Angels Sing   

 Related:  The Theology of Christmas Carols by Robert A. Pyne

Dr. Robert A. Pyne is a former associate speaker with Probe Ministries, as well as a Professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. He received the Th.M. with honors, and the Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary. He now serves as Director of the Peace and Justice Center at St. Norbert College. He received the B.A. magna cum laude in communication from Arizona State University.

Heard any good Ron Paul stories lately?

donkeyhotey

Hot Air: Ron Paul really has to explain these six statements "No, this isn’t another post about the newsletters, which Politico to their credit has covered and does mention in this piece.  Instead, Ginger Gibson identifies six political statements from Paul over the years that she believes Paul will need to explain to maintain his credibility in this race:"

Hot Air's Quotes of the day  " ‘I would like to see you get as many votes as possible, and I feel like my friends who are Democrat, left-leaning, green party, they are not hearing you, so I guess I’m asking, How can I help get the word out?’ she asked.”"

 Rick Moran: Ron Paul forecast 'race war' in ad for newsletter  "His ideas are not only poisonous, but the man himself is revealed to be little better than an apologist for the KKK. The GOP doesn't need to be seen as supporting a man like this for any office, much less president." More at Reuters

Ross@Journal : Found: Congressman Ron Paul's solicitation letter warning of "coming race wars" and a "federal-homosexual cover-up"   "A direct-mail solicitation for Ron Paul's political and investment newsletters two decades ago warned of a "coming race war in our big cities" and of a "federal-homosexual cover-up" to play down the impact of AIDS.

"The eight-page letter, which appears to carry Paul's signature at the end, also warns that the U.S. government's redesign of currency to include different colors - a move aimed at thwarting counterfeiters - actually was part of a plot to allow the government to track Americans using the "new money." "  See the Paul letter at this same link.

Photo at left from: iowntheworld.com
Hat tip to Conservative Blogs Central

Mark Steyn on Ron Paul’s worldview: ‘Sheer stupid, half-witted parochialism’   "Steyn said. “Let’s say for a moment 9/11 was an inside job. Does that also mean the Bali night club bombing was an inside job? That the Madrid train bombing was an inside job? That the Beslan school shooting was an inside job? That the London tube bombings were an inside job?
"In that case, that’s one hell of a sum to be hiding somewhere within the darkest recesses of Dick Cheney’s specific line items.”"
"And that, says Steyn, along with his isolationist view on foreign policy, is where Paul “meets the left.” "

 Maybe Rosie O'Donnell will campaign for Paul. Or maybe this will kill his chances as a third-party candidate unless he attracts enough Democrat voters.

Liberal civility

Damn Those Conservatives Award  "So when does SEAL Unit 6, or whatever it’s called, drop in on George Bush? Bush was responsible for a lot more death, innocent death, than bin Laden. Wasn’t he, or am I wrong here?”

"— Left-wing radio host and former CNN producer Mike Malloy on The Mike Malloy Show, May 2. [MP3 Audio]"

Ethel C. Fenig: Now you stay classy David Axelrod   "President Barack Obama's long time campaign adviser David Axelrod explained why the Obama campaign isn't too concerned about New Gingrich as an opponent.
" "The higher a monkey climbs on the pole the more you can see his butt.""

The Left Can Stop Lecturing About Civility At Any Moment Now   ""When it's not hatemongering, it's fearmongering," Bozell added. "You think, Mark, about those endless lectures we've heard from the Left over the years about hatemongering, and fearmongering, and civility, and they're always giving those lessons to Sean Hannity, to Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, to Ann Coulter, but then Paul Krugman says this kind of thing, and the silence is deafening." " (Video)

SEIU job description: Train union leaders to occupy state buildings and businesses (with Obama's support)

Black Quill and Ink  " Even when that union’s agenda conflicted with what was in America’s best interest such as the right of a company to move its operation’s when it was in the company’s best interest and in doing so would create jobs for Americans.

"In this video, Obama talks of his affection and dedication to SEIU and how working with the union allowed him to build political power, power once again that he would use for union interests not America’s best interest."

House Republicans: bad on politics; honorable on principle. But isn't the latter why we elected them? (updated)

Krauthammer: The GOP’s payroll tax debacle  ..."The House Republicans’ initial rejection of this two-month extension was therefore correct on principle and on policy. But this was absolutely the wrong place, the wrong time, to plant the flag. Once Senate Republicans overwhelmingly backed the temporary extension, that part of the fight was lost. Opposing it became kamikaze politics."....
"The GOP’s performance nicely reprises that scene in “Animal House” where the marching band turns into a blind alley and row after row of plumed morons plows into a brick wall, crumbling to the ground in an unceremonious heap."...

Update: Now for the Fallout on Payroll Deal  "The payroll deal is is being billed as a House Republican defeat, and from a political optics standpoint it is. But the deal, which was passed by unanimous consent, actually isn’t bad for Republicans, especially considering some of the new language that was inserted:"...


The House, Harry Reid, and the Payroll Tax "The House previously passed a bill extending the cut for a full year, and that bill is good policy. It doesn’t increase the deficit. It forces a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. And it’s President Obama’s major year-end priority. So why is the Democratic Senate blocking the bill’s path between Capitol Hill and the White House signing desk, and pushing the bill the House rejected instead?"

From Hope n' Change:  40 Bellyachers and a Mule

"In a powerful updating of the holiday classic "A Christmas Carol," Barack Obama went before the cameras yesterday to claim that the poor, lame little ragamuffin Tiny Tim would soon die if Ebenezer Boehner didn't give the Cratchit family an extra $40 in each paycheck."

WaPo calls it "remarkable capitulation on the part of House Republicans".
"He credited public pressure — which was fanned by the White House — with changing the House’s position.
"Boehner said he was convinced by fellow House members that although a short-term deal was not ideal, they should support it if they could get the change to the payroll tax reporting requirements."

Kimberley Strassel: The GOP's Message Problem   "If Republicans want to take the White House or the Senate, the next 11 months have to be an exercise in crisp compare-and-contrast. They have to explain Mr. Obama's tax and regulatory and energy and health-care policy and make the "moral" argument against it. But to do that effectively they must simultaneously embrace and sell their own sweeping alternative vision of the universe. If Mitt Romney thinks he can win by out-pandering Mr. Obama with the middle class, he's never seen Democrats pander. All he does is muddy a debate that demands clarity."

Will we have a replay of the pain of that plain McCain campaign ? It's looking that way here. TD

From December 20:  Sheila Jackson Lee: Obama Should Use Executive Order to Extend Payroll Tax Cut/Unemployment  "A member of Congress being this ignorant about the Constitution is… a crime."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2011/12/21/94870

Biden vs. Obama

Bill Kristol  " In one of my few real conversations with President George W. Bush, I was struck by the degree to which he seemed always to have given thought to this question: How would what he said, and what his subordinates said, affect the morale of those fighting for our nation, and their families? Bush was willing to say something that wasn’t politically advantageous—and not to say something that might have been—if he thought this would adversely affect the spirit of those he had the honor to command.

"If only some of our current leaders were as careful."
....

"First, [Biden] clearly gave no thought to how this would sound to those who have fought the Taliban, and to the families of Americans killed and wounded fighting the Taliban. Indeed, many of these young men and women were sent to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban by his own administration. Does Biden not understand the affect on our troops and their families of his statement? Are there not other ways he can justify negotiations with the Taliban, if that is his administration’s preferred course, than by saying those who against whom our young men and women have fought life and death battles are not our enemy?"

Dictionary.com:   blab·ber·mouth:  ...a person who talks too much, especially indiscreetly.

Three Denver Muslims lead cheers for Tebow

The Washington Times via Drudge    ..."It worked. “It just goes to show you,” said Mohammad, “when Muslims and Christians get together, miracles can happen.”
".... He hadn’t started a game this season, and there was no guarantee his number would be called, even though Broncos fans had been clamoring to see him play.
"That included 26-year-old Mohammad Suleiman. He had heard about campaigns to raise money to erect a “Play Tebow” billboard in Denver. At that point, those efforts had fallen short, but Mohammad had access to something other fans didn’t: a really big sign."

denver-horse-force/  denverpost.com

New Details Surface in ‘Play Tebow’ Billboard  from September 30

2011 Christmas in Gettysburg photos

Gettysburg Daily    "Because of the poor weather yesterday, today we’ll be looking at a few miscellaneous photographs taken around the town square after sunset yesterday evening. Today promises to be sunnier and warmer in Gettysburg as we approach the holiday weekend."  Numerous other contemporary photos at this site.

After walking down Chambersburg Street a bit, we decided to head north up Baltimore Street … This view
was taken at approximately 5:00 PM on Wednesday, December 21, 2011.

Photo at right from: 15thengineer

Life and the Civil War; 19th Century Christmas "On this page is a small representation of how some Americans in the 19th Century viewed Christmas. ....Each individual scene depicts an aspect of holiday life, beliefs, and traditions during that era. They represent hopes, fears, triumphs, and tragedies of another time. The theme of the scenes on the left correspond to the scene across from it on the right."... 

A list of Civil War era Christmas songs

Ann Coulter: Newt Helped Formulate Christmas

donkeyhotey

Ann Coulter   "The current speaker of the House, John Boehner, presided over a bigger Republican victory last November, handing Democrats the largest single-party loss in the House since 1938. (Again, all glory to Obama for that one.) I don't see Boehner going around comparing himself to Winston Churchill or proposing that we make him president."

....

  "Reagan also didn't commit adultery ever, much less twice, much less once in the middle of impeaching a Democratic president for perjuring himself about an adulterous affair.

"(For close Newt watchers, Reagan also didn't write a doctoral dissertation criticizing Christian missionaries who discouraged adultery in the Congo on the grounds that adultery was "the essence of tribal stability." Guess who did?)

"The good news, right-wingers, is that if you read up on Gingrich's history pre-November 2011 -- even just as far back as a couple of years ago when he was cutting global warming ads with Nancy Pelosi, lobbying for embryonic stem cell research, or taking a $1.6 million payoff from Freddie Mac -- you won't be so despondent about divorce and adultery keeping this particular adulterer out of the White House."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2011/12/21/94861

That payroll tax standoff and its outcome so far

House GOP agrees to Senate’s two-month payroll-tax bill; Update: Does Boehner have the votes?

"Now it looks like even more of a capitulation than it is. Merry Christmas from the GOP, champ. Exit quotation from Philip Klein: “So instead of story being ‘Obama caves on Keystone’ it’ll be ‘GOP caves on middle class tax cut’ Great work!” "....
"The House Republican conference call on the bill is set for 5 p.m. Serious question: If he can’t muster enough GOP votes to pass this thing despite overwhelming support from Democrats, is he done as Speaker?"
More at RealClearPolitics:  GOP Goes Into Damage-Control Mode
Below are posts from early on Dec 22nd:

Video: Gleeful Sen. Schumer appears on Fox News Special Report

Republicans in the House are standing on principle just as we elected them to do; Democrats are standing on politics and, unfortunately that is what is making them look good to the masses.
How Does the Payroll Tax Cut Standoff End?"Jon Karl: "My prediction: House Republicans will eventually cave in and accept the two-month extension of the payroll tax cut passed last week by the Senate. I base this on conversations with House Republicans who know they are losing the public relations battle and losing it badly. They know they are taking the blame for a stand-off that threatens to raise taxes on 160 million Americans. And they cannot let that happen.""

I cannot bear to hear what the Demagogue-in-chief has to say about this.  Oh, by the way...

Obama's First Hawaiian Vacation Dilemma   "Unreported by the Hill is that this is not the first Hawaiian vacation dilemma Obama has faced or the most difficult. Nor, as shall be seen, is it the first vacation dilemma he will have dissembled his way through.
"In late December 1999, while on vacation in Hawaii, Illinois State Senator Obama missed a critical vote on a gun control measure. He had missed votes before -- many of them -- but now he was challenging former Black Panther Bobby Rush for his congressional seat."

All three caricatures by donkeyhotey

Kim Jong Il and Jimmy Carter; two headliners in the same North Korean circus

Jimmy Carter Sends Condolences To Kim Jong-Dead’s Son, Wishes New Brutal Dictator “Every Success”    "North Korea is routinely labeled as one of the world’s most oppressive governments under an eccentric personality cult surrounding the Kim family. Harrowing reports from defectors describe North Korea as a dirt-poor nation filled with concentration camps and Communist propaganda. Kim Jong-il ran the reclusive country according to a “military first” policy since the mid-1990s, after a famine that may have killed as many as 2 million people."....
The former U.S. president also downplayed a 2010 North Korean attack on a South Korean island and disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility, saying the acts were merely “designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future.”   Also here:  ‘The View’ Takes On North Korea: US Should Get Out Of ‘Their Face,’ It’s Bush’s Fault    From Pat Dollard

townhall.com

What happens next in North Korea?   "So you can forget the effects of the Korean War. The disaster in the North was entirely self inflicted; it was a catastrophe written and directed in Pyongyang by the Kim family."  Richard Fernandez

The Power of Brainwashing Displayed in North Korea  "With media and social control, mind control can follow, so that people sincerely mourn monsters.
"It is a sobering lesson for political realists who live in a media environment aligned with a "god-like" leader seeking additional sway over the fate of the nation." Um, this is North Korea we're talking about here isn't it?  Wait! he goes on to say: 
 "Fortunately, nothing bad happens to Americans who refuse the cult of personality around Obama. We are nothing remotely like a totalitarian state. But we do have political and media factions who have studied and learned from the techniques of mind control practiced in Communist states. When they control a situation, as they do at many universities, political correctness is used to control discourse. And race card is frequently played to demonize critics of Obama, and now Eric Holder."  Now that analogy is just right-wing propaganda and is untrue because, um...well,...
 Anyway, back to the Kims...

North Korea's coming power struggle and the Mid-East nuclear race   "Some Western agencies have recently come to believe that China has a bigger stake in those Middle East countries than realized and much of the military technology transferred by North Korea to Iran is actually of Chinese origin.
"A power struggle in Pyongyang, which could be drawn out for as long as a couple of years, could go in many unpredictable directions including stepped-up contribution to the Middle East nuclear race."