Iraqi Christians Celebrate Hopeful Christmas After Defeat Of ISIS

Weasel Zippers

Via JPost:

Christians filled churches in the city of Qaraqosh, southeast of Mosul, on Christmas eve to celebrate the holiday for the second year after their community was liberated from ISIS. At the Grand Immaculate Church, the hall was packed with worshipers and priests conducted prayers. It was one of many Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East celebrating the holiday with hope that the wave of extremist anti-Christian violence had subsided.

Iraq’s Christian community has faced difficulties in recent years, with waves of Islamist extremist terror and kidnappings, especially after 2003. Many emigrated. When ISIS attacked in 2014, the Christian towns of Nineveh were destroyed and their residents forced to flee to the Kurdish autonomous region, where many then decided to search for a life elsewhere. However, a glimmer of hope appeared in October 2016 when ISIS was driven out of Nineveh plains and Christian cities like Qaraqosh, once home to some 50,000 people, and smaller towns nearby, were retaken. Last year, some Christians returned to Qaraqosh to conduct holiday services. Qaraqosh is an important symbol because it was the largest Christian majority urban area in Iraq. In other cities, such as Baghdad, Christians are a small minority, but Qaraqosh is a bellwether for the possibility that Christian communities in Iraq can rebuild and thrive.

This year, the Fraternite en Irak, an association that helps religious minorities who suffered violence in Iraq, and which has helped rebuild Christian sites, celebrated in Qaraqosh. Santa Claus drove down the streets at night. “Thanks to your donations, we have been able to restore 300 apartments, hundreds of people have returned,” the organization said.

At Mar Yohanna Church, the bells rang out for the holiday. Qaraqosh suffered terribly under ISIS control. Homes were looted and burned. ISIS tore down the crosses and steeples of the churches. It sprayed graffiti and even transformed one of the church compounds into a bomb-making factory, evidence of which I saw in March 2017 during a visit. ISIS beheaded images of the Virgin Mary and even beheaded statues of horses commemorating St. George.

In Ainkawa, three mostly Christian suburb of Erbil in the Kurdish region, Syriac Catholics filled a more modern church and sang and celebrated. In Mosul, few Christians have returned after ISIS. One priest said that challenges, such as reconstructing churches, is just one part of the problem. Christians don’t feel secure and are concerned about instability. The blog Mosul Eye, which documented Mosul under ISIS occupation and after liberation, posted hope for peace and freedom on Christians. Ali Y. Al-Baroodi, a local photographer and academic, posted a message of “merry Christmas from Mosul.”

Keep reading…

Day 4 of no government

Don Surber
"The effects of the government shutdown have gone from bad to worse. Last night was eerily silent. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

"Facing starvation, people are getting desperate. Some people dreamed of snow falling today so they could have something to melt and drink." . . .

"Children hung stockings out in hopes that a strange benefactor would magically appear, and fill them with food.

"Others put some of their milk and pastry rations out on the table in the hope of attracting the food-bearing stranger. It was a gamble taken because of hunger.

"We went to bed early, but soon out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. I tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

"When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

"I shouted from the window, "Get. Off. My. Lawn."

"But in a world without a federal government, people lose respect for private property rights. I think some of the reindeer left calling cards.

"This morning, I drove out. The streets were barren. All the shops and the restaurants were closed, even Tudor's.

"I was literally shaking.

"Everyone senses the anarchy that lurches like a troll on Twitter. The shutting down of the government has imperiled the nation like nothing before. This is worse than 9/11 or Pearl Harbor Day or Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

"Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that shutting down government means the government is not collecting money.

"The news service quoted Gordon Gray, director of fiscal policy at American Action Forum, who said, "Museums are closed, so the government doesn’t sell freeze-dried ice cream."

"No museums! No freeze-dried ice cream!

"We are doomed."

https://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2018/12/20/162162

Dem senators flirting with a religious test for judicial nominees By Thomas Lifson

Brian Buescher 

Thomas Lifson  "The ugly specter of religious bigotry reared its disgusting head during Senate confirmation of the nomination of Brian Buescher for a federal judgeship. The Constitution’s Article VI, Clause 3 clearly specifies that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States,” but that must be news to Senators Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris.

"Ed Condon of the Catholic News Agency reports:

 A judicial nominee faced questions from Senators this month about whether membership in the Knights of Columbus might impede his ability to judge federal cases fairly. The Knights of Columbus say that no candidate for public office should have to defend his membership in a Catholic service organization.Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) raised concerns about membership in the Knights of Columbus while the Senate Judiciary Committee reviewed the candidacy of Brian C. Buescher, an Omaha-based lawyer nominated by President Trump to sit on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.Senators also asked whether belonging to the Catholic charitable organization could prevent judges from hearing cases “fairly and impartially.”In written questions sent to Buescher by committee members Dec. 5, Sen. Hirono stated that “the Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions. For example, it was reportedly one of the top contributors to California’s Proposition 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage.”Hirono then asked Buescher if he would quit the group if he was confirmed “to avoid any appearance of bias.”“The Knights of Columbus does not have the authority to take personal political positions on behalf of all of its approximately two million members,” Buescher responded.“If confirmed, I will apply all provisions of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges regarding recusal and disqualification,” he said.

"This is another indication of the severe leftward realignment of the Democratic Party, jettisoning a century-long alliance with Catholics. When I was raised in a Democrat family, I was taught that only Democrats were tolerant enough to nominate a Catholic for president. First Al Smith of New York, who was defeated, and then, when I was a teen, the election of John F. Kennedy solidified the notion that Democrats were the tolerant party.

"That was then, this is now. This is not your father’s or mother’s Democratic Party. And is certainly not mine."

Some visual comparisons

Jason Samuel Burleson‎The Libnorants

Grubergate Part 2: Gruber Admits ObamaCare Is One Giant Deception From Beginning To End

But first: Grubergate Part 1: 'The Stupidity Of The American Voter' 

This bill was written in a tortured way to make sure [the Congressional Budget Office] did not score the mandate as taxes. If CBO scored the mandate as taxes, the bill dies. Okay? So it’s written to do that.  In terms of risk-rated subsidies, if…you made explicit that healthy people pay in and sick people get money, it would not have passed… Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. 

Naturally, this revelation did not affect the love relationship between Barack Obama and all media.

Forbes, 2014  "When health economist and Obama advisor Jonathan Gruber said the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed only because of a “lack of transparency” and “the stupidity of the American voter,” he did more than insult millions of people. He admitted (1) if voters had understood what the PPACA does, the opposition would be so great that it would not have passed because even Democrats would have abandoned it, (2) the law’s authors knew this, and (3) because of this, they consciously sought to deceive voters about the enormous taxes the law imposes on millions of Americans, both at the law’s inception and at every turn during the public debate. In short, Gruber admitted ObamaCare is and has always been one giant deception from beginning to end, and its architects achieved by deception what they could not have achieved honestly.
. . . 

"Jonathan Chait writes:

Gruber was surely referring to the non-transparent mechanism of regulating insurance companies, causing them to charge less to the sick and more to the healthy, without Congress having to carry out those transfers through direct taxes…

Suppose Congress had decided not to regulate insurers but instead charged higher taxes to healthy people, and wrote checks directly to sick people. People would have hated it…

. . .

Santa Claus and the Mythology of Centralized Systems

"The real process, though perhaps less mystical, is no less enchanting."

https://spectator.org/cartoons/

The Foundation for Economic Education

Like other centralized economic schemes, we can only continue to believe in the myth of Santa Claus if we also believe in magic.

You Can't Suspend the Laws of Economics  "Last year, the USDA satirically issued an APHIS permit to Mr. Claus to be able to freely move his reindeer in and out of the country as necessary, but this flippant gesture sheds light on the countless regulatory hurdles that are characteristic of centralized authority. 

"Try as we may to suspend the laws of governments in order to enable Santa Claus to complete this impossible project, we simply cannot suspend the laws of economics (or physics, for that matter). Resources are scarce and have alternative uses. Preferences are subjective and not always easily understood or communicated. Knowledge is distributed, but prices established through trading in the market can help communicate relative preferences for more optimal resource allocation. Like other centralized economic schemes, we can only continue to believe in the myth of Santa Claus if we also believe in magic.

"The real process, though perhaps less mystical, is no less enchanting. To the extent that each person around the globe is relatively free to pursue their interests, through specialized labor and voluntary exchange in the marketplace an order emerges. It matters not if we share a common mythology, language, culture, or even if we desire the same ends; order emerges. It certainly isn’t perfect, but it is just perfect enough that we are able to give the credit to a mythical figure and his multitude of magical makers, and wide-eyed children see plausibility in that story. 

"But just as children grow from believing in Santa Claus to playing an active role in being Santa Claus, so too do we grow to look beyond the myth of magical central planning and to play a part in the distributed system of the market, for that is where the magic of Christmas is repeated every single day." . . .

International Women's Day Protester Suddenly Realizes She's Reinforcing Harmful Social Construct Of Gender

Babylon Bee

Pictured: liberal with bullhorn.

NEW YORK, NY—"A protester yelling into a megaphone on International Women’s Day suddenly realized she was reinforcing the “oppressive and harmful” social construct of gender by promoting a day that implies gender is inherently meaningful, sources confirmed Wednesday.

"Midway through screaming the phrase “Down with the patriarchy!” into the loudspeaker, the woman suddenly stopped and thought about how her presence at the protest suggested that the concept of womanhood represented something more significant than an arbitrary social construct foisted upon females.

“ 'Wait a minute, think about what we’re suggesting here,” the woman said to her fellow demonstrators as she lowered her megaphone, according to witnesses. “By participating in this protest, aren’t we suggesting that ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are ideals that transcend culture and subjectivity?”

“ 'What have we done?!” she added.

"The woman then called for the protest to be paused in order to rationally discuss the perceived inconsistency in the protesters’ deep-seated beliefs, but was quickly shouted down with her own megaphone, according to sources."
You do catch the Babylon Bee, don't you?  So what is the BB?

Photos: Walls Protecting Estates Of Politicians Fighting Border Wall

Weasel Zippers

The Clinton Compound:

"Can’t take a chance of some riff raff walking onto the property.

Via American Mirror:

Democrats locked in a standoff with President Trump over the southern border wall may be willing to shut down the government to get what they want, but they’re not willing to live without a wall around their own properties.In a recent interview, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described Trump’s promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border as “immoral, expensive, ineffective, not something that people do between countries,” according to the Harvard Gazette.It is, however, something Pelosi does with her neighbors.Images show the presumptive incoming speaker’s Napa Valley vineyard is surrounded with a rock wall, along with a large metal gate at the entrance, presumably to keep the unwashed masses out of her beautiful estate.Other high-profile Democrats who have spoken out against a barrier to stop the steady flow of illegal immigrants and drugs across the border use similar structures to protect their own families.Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s estate in Chappaqua, New York is surrounded by an imposing white wall, complete with armed guards stationed at the entrance.Former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle also live behind a large brick wall surrounding their newly fortified home in Washington, D.C.

Keep reading…

"Can’t take a chance of some riff raff walking onto the property."

Below: The entrance to the Pelosi estate.

All The (Fake) News Fit To Print — Here Are The Year’s Worst Cases Of Journalistic Malpractice

Hat tip: Weasel Zip

Daily Caller

"As 2018 comes to a close, it’s time to review the year’s worst cases of media misquotes, misleading narratives, major corrections and straight-up fake news.

"While last year’s fake reporting largely occurred during the media’s relentless pursuit to prove Russian collusion, this year’s list is much more varied. However, some themes emerged: stories about then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the U.S. border were routinely flagged for misinformation.

"Without further ado, here is the list of 2018’s worst examples of fake news:" . . .

Related: About Face... Spin!  By Clarice Feldman

"It’s always amusing to watch the pundits and spinners turn on a dime. It used to be harder before the internet made it easy to retrieve what they said in the past. This week, with a tsunami of developments, the spinning is at full force.

Spinning

"Let’s start with the spinning of the news and how media poisons the well in favor of their loved ones.

"A. In 2014 CNN honored a Der Spiegel writer, Claus Relotius as “Journalist of the Year”. He could be reliably counted on to flatter the readers' anti-American biases, so he was a natural winner for the network. Unfortunately for him, he ran up against some Americans in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, who cared about the truth. They scoured his report on the town, interviewed the people he said he had and exposed him as an utter fraud. That persuaded his bosses to take a second look at the nonsense he had been peddling and they fired him for fabricating his accounts." . . .

Heathen Michael Moore Mocks Christmas – Puts Ruth Bader Ginsburg Doll as Tree Topper

Jim Hoft
"With each passing year the American left escalates their attacks our the country’s Christian roots and symbols."

"Socialist Michael Moore posted photos of his Christmas tree this year with a Ruth Bader Ginsburg doll on top.

Moore wrote: “My Christmas Tree Topper this year. Better than an angel or the star over Bethlehem. A nation of millions stand with you…”

From the comments to this post:

• • −

  

  
  

  Mike Morgan •

  
  

  Ruth is about to meet God. So are all of us. In terms of eternity, 70, 80, 90, or even 120 years is a blink of the eyes.We all need to be ready. If you don't already know who Jesus Christ is and why He showed up in Bethlehem, why we celebrate His life, and why we look forward to His return, ask a Christian.And read the Bible. It's all about Him and His great love for us, as imperfect as we are.

Did the Media Care When Obama Fired General Mattis?

One contrast between the last two presidents vis-a-vis General Mattis: all the years we watched ISIS conquer the region, Obama micromanaged the war there, going so far as to approve or disapprove specific targets - sometimes for environmental impact reasons. President Trump let the General be in charge and this area is being cleansed of ISIS; sadly too late for so many victims. TD

Daniel John Sobieski  "Defense secretaries come and go.  President Obama had four of them in eight years, who had some unkind things to say about his leadership or lack of it.  There was no talk of chaos or of the only adult in the room leaving.

"Suddenly, the media are in a meltdown after "Mad Dog" Mattis announced his departure from the Cabinet after President Trump announced our departure from Syria:

Foreign Policy Pentagon reporter Lara Seligman wrote the press corp [sic] is contemplating suicide over Mattis' resignation, "I think I speak for all national security reporters tonight when I say I'm about ready to jump off a cliff. But at least I already wrote the "who will replace Mattis" story two months (only two months?????) ago[."]

"Democrats who won't defend our southern border and who slept as Obama drew red lines with vanishing ink worry about an ISIS Obama created by a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq regaining strength and reforming in Syria and Iraq.  The general Obama fired is suddenly a man of principle whose leadership was indispensable:

House Speaker-designate Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she was "shaken and "concerned". "General Mattis was a comfort to many who were concerned about the path the Trump Admin would choose to take. His resignation letter is defined by statements of principle – principles that drove him to leave the Administration. All of us should be concerned at this time."

"There was no such concern when Obama relieved Mattis as commander of CENTCOM without so much as a phone call, a factoid typical of Obama's disdain for the military, its missions, and its heroes.

Where was the DC establishment ‘panic’ when OBAMA fired Gen. Mattis without even calling him?

These people don’t have any credibility a) because they’ve never had any respect or love for the president; and b) they didn’t whimper and whine and predict doom and gloom when President Obama unceremoniously fired then-Gen. Mattis without so much as a phone call.

 Flashback: Media Silence After Obama Fires General Mattis Without Even a Call  (Originally posted to The Gateway Pundit by Jim Hoft)
. . . "Foreign Policy Pentagon reporter Lara Seligman wrote the press corp is contemplating suicide over Mattis’ resignation, “I think I speak for all national security reporters tonight when I say I’m about ready to jump off a cliff. But at least I already wrote the “who will replace Mattis” story two months (only two months?????) ago @ForeignPolicy' “ . . .

Of course, this same cabal said next to nothing when Barack Obama FIRED GENERAL MATTIS in 2013.

"Obama didn’t even call Mattis!" . . .

Having posted all this, I must admit to trusting General Mattis regarding the Syria pullout. Who is the counsel advising the president on this and can we trust them more than General Mattis?

Anti-Trump dossier author was hired to help Hillary challenge 2016 election results

Washington Times

"British ex-spy Christopher Steele, who wrote the Democrat-financed anti-Trump dossier, said in a court case that he was hired by a Democratic law firm in preparation for Hillary Clinton challenging the results of the 2016 presidential election.

"He said the law firm Perkins Coie wanted to be in a position to contest the results based on evidence he unearthed on the Trump campaign conspiring with Moscow on election interference.

"His scenario is contained in a sealed Aug. 2 declaration in a defamation law suit brought by three Russian bankers in London. The trio’s American attorneys filed his answers Tuesday in a libel lawsuit in Washington against the investigative firm Fusion GPS, which handled the former British intelligence officer." . . .

That failing......